San Francisco Alta: Although pioneer explorers had cruised along the coast of northern California as early as the mid-16th century, all failed to see the narrow cleft in the hills that marked the entrance to San Francisco Bay; consequently, more than 200 years passed before the existence of the bay itself became known to the world. Meanwhile, Spain had laid claim to Alta California as part of its New World empire; however, it was not until the 1760's that officials at Mexico City, alarmed at rumors that other nations planned to take over the territory, dispatched an expedition northward to establish permanent settlements there.
Former governor of California Leland Stanford owned a string of race horses and was especially proud of his trotter "Occident." According to the San Francisco Alta e wanted his friends abroad to participate with him in le contemplation of the trotter "in action," but did not xactly see how he was to accomplish it until a friend uggested that Mr. E. J. Muybridge be employed to pho-Dgraph the animal while trotting. No sooner said than one. Mr. Muybridge was sent for and commissioned to xecute the task, though the artist said he believed it tnpossible.
PUNTA ALTA, poon'ta al'ta, city, Argentina, capital of Coronel L. Rosales district in southwest Buenos Aires Province on Bahia Blanca, 15 miles southeast of Bahia Blanca city, on a railroad which has a branch line from Punta Alta to Puerto Belgrano, Argentina's military port. There are training schools, air and seaplane bases at Puerto Belgrano. Punta Alta is a commercial center, manufacturing cement, shoes, tiles, and dairy products. Pop. (1947) 19,576.
PUNTA ARENAS, poon'ta a-ra'nas (called also MAGALLANES), city, Chile, capital of Magal-lanes Province, is a port on the east coast of Brunswick Peninsula, on the western shore of the Strait of Magellan. It is the southernmost city in the world, but there is a village, Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego territory in Argentina, still further south. |
