On May 25th, 1883, William Henderson wrote a
letter to C. L. Stephens. Stephens had
been in bad health for quite some time and William Henderson was writing to
offer his sympathies as well as invite C. L. Stephens to move to Southern
California. In order to better convince Stephens, Henderson enclosed an
informational pamphlet with his letter.
William Henderson believes that C. L. Stephens’ health will
improve if he moves to Southern California from Canada. Henderson writes of the
Chaffey brothers’ colonies, “so far as climate is concerned we have no
hesitation in saying that for Asthma and Bronchitis there is none better under
the sun.” Henderson also writes that many of the settlers in Etiwanda and
Ontario are fellow Canadians, with the hope, perhaps, to convince C. L.
Stephens that he will feel at home in the new Southern Californian colonies.
William Henderson believes that even with C. L. Stephens’
poor health, he would be able to find work in the colony. If Stephens’ health
improves enough after settling in the warm, dry climate of Southern California,
Henderson is confident that he will be able to find a good paying job. He
writes, “a small fruit farm would fill the bill exactly and you may be able to
get some occupation in this southern country that will eventually make such an
attainment possible.” William Henderson ends his letter by describing Southern
California as “the best climate in America for your particular complaints.”
I find this letter interesting because it aligns with a
common idea at the time that moving to a warm, dry climate could help with
one’s ailing health. In Southern California specifically there has been a
pervading idea that the weather here could help with a whole range of health
complaints, most notably upper respiratory issues. We see that illustrated
here.
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