Excerpt from Statistics of California Production, Commerce, and Finance for the Years 1900-1, Vol. 1: With Brief Sketches of the Origin and Development of Mining, Agriculture and Horticulture in the State

The Mission Fathers, ambitioned founding a civilized Indian State under the suzerainty of Spain, and aimed to bring the native inhabitants to a condition where they should be self-supporting, and where under favoring circumstances they would develop the re sources of the land. But it was not to be, and the arts of the politician - first of Spain and then of Mexico-put an end to to their labors. Small settlements of Spaniards and Mexicans were made and afterwards of Americans and Europeans - Irish, English, Ger man, Swedes, etc., and at last came the American occupation and the discovery of gold. For ten years subsequently mining for the precious metal absorbed the attention of most of the people. Then agriculture obtained a foothold, soon followed by manufactures. Of course both these pursuits were practiced by more or less people all the time, but they were of minor importance. Fruit growing held a very subsidiary position till the seventies, and indeed, as a great industry, does not go beyond the past twenty years. The wine industry has been growing steadily till a good year now gives us a vintage of thirty million gallons, and other years from fifteen to twenty million gallons.

Our status as a manufacturing community is improving every year, and with the development of our oil and iron resources upon which the future greatness of the State will depend, we will make San Francisco Bay and other sections perfect hives of industry with markets covering one-half the world. Such, in brief, is the standing of the great commonwealth to-day, such its prospects in the years to come. It will have a great share in moulding the des tinies of all the peoples of the Pacific Coast and Islands, and through them those of the peoples of all the world.

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