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Gc  M.  i- 

979.4 

G94h-t 

v.l 

1359857 


GENEALOGY   COLLECTrON 


J.. 


3  1833  01148  4117 


A  HISTORY 


CALIFORNIA 


Extended  History  of  Its  Southern  Coast  Counties 


Containing  Biographies  of  Well-Known  Citizens  of  the  Past  and  Present. 


J.  M.  GUINN,  A.  M. 


Secretary  and  Late  President  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Southern  California,  and 
Member  of  the  American  Historical  Association  of  Washington,  D.  C. 


ILLUSTRATED. 
COMPLETE  IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 


VOLUME  I. 


HISTORIC  RECORD  COMPANY 

LOS  ANGELES,  CAL. 
1907 


LopvRiGHT,   igo- 


HISTORIC  RECORD  COMPANY. 


PREFACE 


FEW  states  of  tlie   Union  have  a  more  varied,  a  more   interesting    or    a    more    instructive 
history   than   CaHfornia,  and   few  have  done   so   little   to   preserve   their   history.      In   this 
statement,  I  do  not  contrast  California  with  older  states    of    the    Atlantic    seaboard,    but 
draw  a  parallel  between  our  state  and  the  more  recently  created   states   of   the   far   west,   many 
years  younger  in  statehood  than  the  Golden  State  of  the  Pacific. 

When  Kansas  and  Nebraska  were  uninhabited  except  by  bufifaloes  and  Indians,  California 
was  a  populous,  state  pouring  fifty  millions  of  gold  yearly  into  the  world's  coffers.  For  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  these  states,  from  their  public  funds,  have  maintained  state  historical 
societies  that  have  gathered  and  are  preserving  valuable  historical  material,  while  California, 
without  a  protest,  has  allowed  literary  pot  hunters  and  speculative  curio  collectors  to  rob  her 
of  her  historical  treasures.  When  Washington,  ^Montana  and  the  two  Dakotas  were  Indian  hunt- 
ing grounds,  California  was  a  state  of  a  quarter  million  inhabitants ;  each  of  these  states  now 
has  its  State  Historical  Society  supported  by  appropriations  from  its  public  funds. 

California,  of  all  the  states  west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  spends  nothing  from  its  public 
funds  to  collect  and  preserve  its  history.  ISS^^S'^^ 

To  a  lover  of  California,  this  is  humiliating;  to  a  student  of  her  history  exasperating.    While 

^         preparing  this  History   of  California   I   visited  all  the   large  public  libraries    of    the    state.      I 

found  in  all  of  them  a  very  limited  collection  of  books  on  California,  and  an  almost  entire  ab- 

^"^         sence  of  manuscripts  and  of  the  rarer  books  of  the  earlier  eras.    Evidently  the  demand  for  works 

pertaining  to  California  history  is  not  very  insistant.     If  it  were,  more  of  an  effort  would  be 

put  forth  to  procure  them. 

The  lack  of  interest   in  our  history  is  due  largely  to  the  fact  that  California  was  settled  by 

one  nation  and  developed  by  another.     In  the  rapid  development  of  the  state  by  the  conquering 

nation,  the  trials,  struggles  and  privations  of  the  first  colonists  who  were  of  another  nation  have 

■;  been  ignored  or  forgotten.     No  forefathers'  day  keeps  their  memory  green,  no  observance  cele- 

■^  brates  the  anniversary  of  their  landing.     To  many  of  its  people  the  history  of  California  begins 

with  the  discovery  of  gold,  and  all  before  that  time  is  regarded  as  of  little  importance. 
^  The  race  characteristics  of  the  two  peoples  who  have  dominated  California,  differ  widely :  and 

^  from  this  divergence   arises   the  lack  of   sympathetic  unison.     Perhaps  no  better  expression  for 

this  difference  can  be  given  than  is  found  in  the  popular  by-words  of  each.  The  "poco  tiempo" 
( by  and  by)  of  the  Spaniard  is  significant  of  a  people  who  are  willing  to  wait — who  would  defer 
action  till  nianana — to-morrow — rather  than  act  with  haste  to-day.  The  "go  ahead"  of  the 
American  is  indicative  of  hurry,  of  rush,  of  a  strenuous  existence,  of  a  people  impatient  of  pres- 
ent conditions. 

In  narrating  the  story  of  California,  I  have  endeavored  to  deal  justly  with  the  different  eras 
and  episodes  of  its  history :  to  state  facts ;  to  tell  the  truth  without  favoritism  or  prejudice ;  to 


■      PREFACE. 

give  credit  where  credit  is  due  and  censure  where  it  is  deserved.  In  the  preparation  of  this  his- 
tory  I   liave  endeavored   to  make  it   readable   and  reliable. 

The  subject  matter  is  presented  by  topic  and  much  of  it  in  monographic  form.  I  have 
deemed  it  better  to  treat  fully  important  topics  even  if  by  so  doing  some  minor  events  be  ex- 
cluded. 

The  plan  of  this  work  includes — first,  a  general  history  of  California  from  its  discovery  by 
Cabrillo  in  1542,  to  its  subdivision  into  counties  by  the  first  Legislature  in  1850,  and,  second, 
a  history  of  the  southern  coast  counties  from  the  dates  of  their  organization  to  the  close  of  the 
year  1906. 

In  compiling  the  history  of  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  eras,  I  have  taken  Bancroft's  History 
of  California  as  the  most  reliable  authority.  I  have  obtained  much  original  historical  material 
from  the  Proceedings  of  the  Ayuntamiento  or  Municipal  Council  of  Los  Angeles  (1828  to 
1850).  The  jurisdiction  of  that  Ayuntamiento  extended  over  an  area  now  included  in  four  of  the 
seven  counties  commonly  classified  as  Southern  California.  This  accounts,  in  part,  for  the  prom- 
inence of  Los  Angeles  in  the  second  half  of  this  volume. 

In  presenting  the  history  of  the  southern  coast  counties  I  have  given,  first,  that  of  the 
original  counties  in  the  order  they  are  named  in  the  act  of  the  Legislature  creating  them— San 
Diego,  Los  Angeles  and  Santa  Barbara.  Originally  these  included  all  the  ocean  frontage  of 
the  southern  coast  of  California.  Hence  the  appropriateness  of  the  term  southern  coast  counties. 
Next  I  have  taken  up  the  history  of  the  others  in  the  order  of  their  separation  from  an  original 
county. 

In  gathering  material  for  this  work,  I  have  examined  the  collections  in  a  number  of  libra- 
ries, public  and  private,  have  consulted  state,  county  and  city  archives,  and  have  scanned  thou- 
sands of  pages  of  newspapers  and  magazines.  In  the  preparation  of  the  history  of  the  southern 
counties  I  have  found  files  of  newspapers  the  most  fruitful  source  for  material.  Without  the  files 
of  the  Sari  Diego  Herald,  the  Los  Angeles  Star  and  the  Santa  Barbara  Gazette,  the  pioneer  papers 
of  Southern  California,  the  early  history  of  the  original  counties  would  be  very  meager, — al- 
most a  blank. 

From  the  files  of  The  Californian,  The  California  Star  and  The  Alta  Californian,  pioneer 
papers  of  the  state,  I  have  obtained  much  valuable  data  that  has  not  heretofore  been  incorpo- 
rated into  a  volume  of  history.  Where  extracts  have  been  made  from  authorities,  due  credit 
has  been  given  in  the  body  of  the  work,  I  have  received  valuable  assistance  from  librarians,  ' 
from  pioneers  of  the  state,  from  city  and  county  officials,  from  editors  and  others.  To  all  who 
have  assisted  me  I  return  my  sincere  thanks. 

Los  Angeles,  January  i,   1907,  J,  M,  Guinn, 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PACE 

Spanish  Explorations  and  Discoveries 33 

Romance  and  Reality— The  Seven  Cities  of  Cibola— The  Myth  of  Quivera— El  Dorado- 
Sandoval's  Isle  of  the  Amazons — Mutineers  Discover  the  Peninsula  of  Lower  Caliiornia 
■ — Origin  of  the  Name  California — Cortes's  Attempts  at  Colonization — Discovery  of  the 
Rio  Colorado — Coronado's  Explorations — Ulioa's  Voyage. 


CHAPTER  n. 
Alta  or  Nueva  California 


Voyage  of  Juan  Rodriguez  Cabrillo — Enters  the  Bay  of  San  Diego  in  Alta  California^ 
Discovers  the  Islands  of  San  Salvador  and  Vitoria — The  Bay  of  Smokes  and  Fires — The 
Santa  Barbara  Islands — Reaches  Cape  Mendocino — His  Death  and  Burial  on  the  Island  of 
San  Miguel — Ferrolo  Continues  the  Voyage — Drake,  the  Sea  King  of  Devon — His  Hatred 
of  the  Spaniard — Sails  into  the  South  Sea — Plunders  the  Spanish  Settlements  of  the  South 
Pacific — Vain  Search  for  the  Straits  of  Anian — Refits  His  Ships  in  a  California  Harbor — 
Takes  Possession  of  the  Country  for  the  English  Queen — Sails  Across  the  Pacific  Ocean 
to  Escape  the  Vengeance  of  the  Spaniards — Sebastian  Rodriguez  Cermefio  Attempts  a 
Survey  of  the  California  Coast — Loss  of  the  San  Agustin — Sufferings  of  the  Shipwrecked 
Mariners — Sebastian  Viscaino's  Explorations — Makes  No  New  Discoveries — Changes  the 
Names  Given  by  Cabrillo  to  the  Bays  and  Islands — Some  Boom  Literature — Failure  of 
His  Colonization  Scheme — His  Death. 


CHAPTER  HI. 


Colonization  of  Alta  California. 


43 


Jesuit  Missions  of  Lower  California — Father  Kino  or  Kuhn's  Explorations — Expulsion  of 
the  Jesuits — Spain's  Decadence — Her  Northwestern  Possessions  Threatened  by  the  Rus- 
sians and  English — The  Franciscans  to  Christianize  and  Colonize  Alta  California — Galvez 
Fits  Out  Two  Expeditions — Their  Safe  Arrival  at  San  Diego — First  Mission  Founded — 
Portola's  Explorations— Fails  to  Find  Monterey  Bay— Discovers  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco—Return of  the  Explorers— Portola's  Second  Expedition— Founding  of  San  Carlos 
Mission  and  the  Presidio  of  Monterey. 

■^    ..<    .J« 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Aborigines  of  California , 45 

Inferiority  of  the  California  Indian — No  Great  Tribes — Indians  of  the  San  Gabriel  Valley — 
Hugo  Reid's  Description  of  Their  Government — Religion  and  Customs — Indians  of  the 
Santa  Barbara  Channel— Their  God  Chupu— Northern  Indians— Indian  Myths  and  Tra- 
ditions. 


30  CONTEXTS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

PAGE 

Franciscan  Missions  of  Alta  California 5^ 

Founding  of  San  Diego  de  Alcsla— San  Carlos  Barromeo— San  Antonio  de  Padua— San 
Gabriel  Arcangel— San  Luis  Obispo— San  Francisco  de  Asis— San  Juan  Capistrano— Santa 
Clara— San  Buenaventura— Santa  Barbara— La  Purisima  Concepcion— Santa  Cruz— La 
Solcdad— San  Jose— San  Juan  Bautista— San  Miguel— San  Fernando  del  Rey,  San  Luis 
Rev.  Santa  Ynez— San  Rafael— San  Francisco  Solano— Architecture— General  Plan  of  the 
Missionary  Establishments— Houses  of  the  Neophytes— Their  Uncleanliness. 

^    ..*t    ^ 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Presidios  of  California 66 

Presidio  in  Colonization— Founding  of  San  Diego— General  Plan  of  the  Presidio— Found- 
ing of  Monterey— Rejoicing  over  the  Event— Hard  Times  at  the  Presidio— Bear  Meat  Diet 
—Two  Hundred  Immigrants  for  the  Presidio— Founding  of  the  Presidio  of  San  Francisco 
— Anza's  Overland  Route  from  Sonora— Quarrel  with  Rivera— Anza's  Return  to  Sonora— 
Founding  of  Santa  Barbara— Disappointment  of  Father  Serra— Quarrel  of  the  Captain  with 
the  Missionaries  over  Indian  Laborers— Soldiers'  Dreary  Life  at  the  Presidios. 

j«    J*    J« 

CHAPTER  VH. 


Pueblos 


Pueblo  Plan  of  Colonization— Necessity  for  Agricultural  Colonies— Governor  Filipe  de 
Neve  Selects  Pueblo  Sites— San  Jose  Founded— Named  for  the  Patron  Saint  of  Californin. 
—Area  of  the  Spanish  Pueblo- Government  Supplies  to  Colonists— Founding  of  the 
Pueblo  of  Los  Angeles— Names  of  the  Founders— Probable  Origin  of  the  Name— Sub- 
divisions of  Pueblo  Lands— Lands  Assigned  to  Colonists— Founding  of  Branciforte.  the 
last  Spanish  Pueblo. 

CHAPTER  Vni. 
The  Passing  of  Spain's  Domination 7^ 

Spain's  Exclusiveness— The  First  Foreign  Ship  in  Monterey  Bay— Vancouver's  Visit- 
Government  Monopoly  of  the  Fur  Trade— American  Smugglers— The  Memorias— Russian 
Aggression— Famine  at  Sitka— Rezanoff's  Visit— A  Love  Affair  and  Its  Tragic  Ending- 
Fort  Ross— Failure  of  the  Russian  Colony  Scheme— The  War  of  Mexican  Independence- 
Sola  the  Royalist  Governor— California  Loyalists— The  Year  of  Earthquakes— Bouchard 
the  Privateer  Burns  Mnnterey— The  Lima  Tallow  Ships— Hard  Times— No  Money  and 
Little  Credit- The  Friars  Supreme. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

From  Empire  to  Republic 82 

Sola  Calls  for  Troops— Cholas  Sent  Him— Success  of  the  Revolutionists— Plan  of  Iguala— 
The  Three  Guarantees— The  Empire— Downfall  of  Agustin  I.— Rise  of  the  Republic- 
Bitter  Disappointments  of  Governor  Sola  and  the  Friars— Disloyalty  of  the  Mission 
Friars— Refuse  to  Take  the  Oath  of  Allegiance— Arguella.  Governor— Advent  of  Foreign- 
ers—Coming of  the  Hide  Droghers— Indian  Outbreak. 


CONTENTS.  21 

CHAPTER  X. 

P^GE 

First  E/ecade  of  Mexican  Rule 87 

Echeandia  Governor— Make  San  Diego  Hi?  Capital— Padres  of  the  Four  Southern  Mis- 
sions Take  the  Oath  of  Allegiance  to  the  Republic— Friars  of  the  Northern  Missions 
Contumacious — Arrest  of  Padre  Sarria — Expulsion  of  the  Spaniards — Clandestine  De- 
parture of  Padres  Ripoll  and  Altimira — Exile  of  Padre  Martinez — The  Diputacion — 
Queer  Legislation — The  Mexican  Congress  Attempts  to  Make  California  a  Penal  Colony — 
Liberal  Colonization  Laws — Captain  Jedediah  S.  Smith,  the  Pioneer  of  Overland  Travel, 
Arrives — Is  Arrested — First  White  Man  to  Cross  the  Sierra  Nevadas — Coming  of  the 
Fur  Trappers — The  Pattie  Party — Imprisoned  by  Echeandia — Death  of  the  Elder  Pattie— 
John  Ohio  Pattie's  Bluster — Peg  Leg  Smith — Ewing  Young — The  Solis  Revolution — A 
Bloodless  Battle — Echeandia's  Mission  Secularization  Decree — He  Is  Hated  by  the  Friars 
— Dios  y  Libertad — The  Fitch  Romance. 

.*    .*    Jt  • 

CHAPTER   XI. 


Revolutions — The  Hi  jar  Colonists. 


Victoria,  Governor — His  Unpopularity — Defeated  by  the  Southern  Revolutionists — Abdi- 
cates and  is  Shipped  out  of  the  Country — Pio  Pico,  Governor — Echeandia,  Governor  of 
Abajenos  (Lowers) — Zamarano  of  the  Arribanos  (Uppers) — Dual  Governors  and  a  No 
Man's  Land — War  Clouds — Los  Angeles  the  Political  Storm  Center — Figueroa  Appointed 
Gefe  Politico — The  Dual  Governors  Surrender — Figueroa  the  Right  Man  in  the  Place — 
Hijar's  Colonization  Scheme — Padres,  the  Promoter — Hijar  to  be  Gefe  Politico — A  Fa- 
mous Ride — A  Cobbler  Heads  a  Revolution — Hijar  and  Padres  Arrested  and  Deported — 
Disastrous  End  of  the  Compania  Cosmopolitana — Death  of  Figueroa. 


CHAPTER  XH. 
The  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Missions 


Sentiment  vs.  History — The  Friars'  Right  to  the  Mission  Lands  Only  That  of  Occupa- 
tion— Governor  Borica's  Opinion  of  the  Mission  System — Title  to  the  Mission  Domams — 
Viceroy  Bucarili's  Instructions — Secularization — Decree  of  the  Spanish  Cortes  in  1813 — 
Mission  Land  Monopoly — No  Land  for  Settlers — Secularization  Plans.  Decrees  and  Regla- 
mentos — No  Attempt  to  Educate  the  Neophytes — Destruction  of  Mission  Property, 
Ruthless  Slaughter  of  Cattle— Emancipation  in  Theory  and  in  Practice— Depravity  of  the 
Neophytes— What  Did  Six  Decades  of  Mission  Rule  .Accomplish?— What  Became  of  the 
Mission  Estates — The  Passing  of  the  Neophytes. 


CHAPTER  XHI. 

The  Free  and  Sovereign   St.ate  of  Alta  California loi 

Castro,  Gefe  Politico— Nicolas  Gutierrez.  Comandante  and  Political  Chief— Chico,  "Gober- 
nador  Propritario" — Makes  Himself  Unpopular — His  Hatred  of  '  Foreigners — Makes 
Trouble  Wherever  He  Goes— Shipped  Back  to  Mexico— Gutierrez  Again  Political  Chief- 
Centralism  His  Nemesis— Revolt  of  Castro  and  Alvarado— Gutierrez  Besieged— Surrenders 
and  Leaves  the  Country— Declaration  of  California's  Independence— El  Estado  Libre  y 
Soberano    de   La    Alta    California— Alvarado    Declared     Governor— The    Ship    of    State 


CONTENTS. 


Launched— Encounters  a  Storm— The  South  Opposes  California's  Independence— Los  An- 
geles Made  a  City  and  the  Capital  of  the  Territory  by  the  Mexican  Congress— The  Capital 
Question  the  Cause  of  Opposition— War  Between  the  North  and  South— Battle  of  San 
Buenaventura— Los  Angeles  Captured— Peace  in  the  Free  State— Carlos  Carrillo,  Gov- 
ernor of  the  South— War  Again— Defeat  of  Carrillo  at  Las  Flores— Peace— Alvarado 
Appointed  Governor  by  the  Supreme  Government— Release  of  Alvarado's  Prisoners  of 
State— Exit  the   Free  State. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Decline  and  Fall  of  Mexican  Dom  i  nation I08 

Hijos  del  Pais  in  Power — The  Capital  Question — The  Foreigners  Becoming  a  Menace — 
Graham  Afifair — Micheltorena  Appointed  Governor — His  Cholo  Army — Commodore  Jones 
Captures  Monterey — The  Governor  and  the  Commodore  Meet  at  Los  Angeles — Extrava- 
gant Demands  of  Micheltorena — Revolt  Against  Micheltorena  and  His  Army  of  Chicken 
Thieves — Sutter  and  Graham  Join  Forces  with  Micheltorena — The  Picos  Unite  with 
Alvarado  ttnd  Castro — Battle  of  Cahuenga — Micheltorena  and  His  Cholos  Deported — Pico, 
Governor — Castro  Rebellious — The  Old  Feud  Between  the  North  and  the  South — Los 
Angeles  the  Capital — Plots  and  Counter-Plots — Pico  iLide  Governor  by  President  Herrera 
— Immigration  from  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Municipal  Government — Hojies  and  H(jme  Life  of  the,  Californians I14 

The  "Aluy  Ilustre  Ayuntamiento,"  or  Municipal  Council — Its  Unlimited  Power,  Queer  Cus- 
toms and  Quaint  Usages — Blue  Laws — How  Office  Sought  the  Man  and  Caught  Him — 
Architecture  of  the  Mission  Age  Not  Aesthetic — Dress  of  the  Better  Class — Undress  of 
the  Neophyte  and  the  Peon — Fashions  That  Changed  but  Once  in  Fifty  Years — Filial 
Respect — Honor  Thy  Father  and  Mother — Economy  in  Government — When  Men's  Pleas- 
ures and  Vices  Paid  the  Cost  of  Governing — No  Fire  Department — No  Paid  Police — No 
Taxes. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Territorial  Expansion  by  Conquest II9 

The  Mexican  War— More  Slave  Territory  Needed— Hostilities  Begun  in  Texas— Trouble 
Brewing  in  California — Fremont  at  Monterey — Fremont  and  Castro  Quarrel — Fremont 
and  His  Men  Depart — Arrival  of  Lieutenant  Gillespie — Follows  Fremont — Fremont's  Re- 
turn— The  Bear  Flag  Revolt — Seizure  of  Sonoma — A  Short-Lived  Republic — Commodore 
Sloat  Seizes  California — Castro's  Army  Retreats  Southward — Meets  Pico's  Advancing 
Northward — Retreat  to  Los  Angeles — Stockton  and  Fremont  Invade  the  South — Pico  and 
Castro  Vainly  Attempt  to  Arouse  the  People — Pico's  Humane  Proclamation — Flight  of 
Pico  and  Castro — Stockton  Captures  Los  Angeles — Issues  a  Proclamation — Some  His- 
torical Myths — The  First  Newspaper  Published  in  California. 


CONTENTS.  23 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

PAGE 

Revolt  of  the  Californians :  , .     125 

Stockton  Returns  to  His  Ship  and  Fremont  Leaves  for  the  North — Captain  Gillespie, 
Coniandante,  in  the  South — Attempts  Reforms — Californians  Rebel — The  Americans  Be- 
sieged on  Fort  Hill — Juan  Flaca's  Famous  Ride — Battle  of  Chino — Wilson's  Company 
Prisoners — Americans  Agree  to  Evacute  Los  Angeles — Retreat  to  San  Pedro — Cannon 
Thrown  into  the  Bay — Flores  in  Command  of  the  Californians. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Defeat  and  Retreat  of  Mervixe's  Men 129 

Mervine,  in  Command  of  the  Savannah,  Arrives  at  San  Pedro — Landing  of  the  Troops — ■ 
Mervine  and  Gillespie  Unite  Their  Forces — On  to  Los  Angeles — Duvall's  Log  Book — An 
Authentic  Account  of  the  March,  Battle  and  Retreat — Names  of  the  Killed  and  Wounded — 
Burial  of  the  Dead  on  Dead  Man's  Island — Names  of  the  Commanding  Officers — Flores 
the   Last   Gefe   Politico  and  Comandante-General— Jealousy  of  the   Hijos  del   Pais— Hard 


Times  in  the  Old  Pueblo. 


FiN'AL  Conquest  of  California. 


^'i    jt    j« 
CHAPTER  XIX. 


Affairs  in  the  North— Fremont's  Battalion— Battle  of  Natividad— Bloodless  Battle  of  Santa 
Clara— End  of  the  War  in  the  North— Stockton  at  San  Pedro— Carrillo's  Strategy— A  Re- 
markable Battle — Stockton  Arrives  at  San  Diego — Building  of  a  Fort — Raid  on  the 
Ranchos— The  Flag  Episode— General  Kearny  Arrives  at  Warner's  Pass— Battle  of  San 
Pasqual — Defeat  of  Kearny — Heavy  Loss — Relief  Sent  Him  from  San  Diego — Preparing 
for  the  Capture  of  Los  Angeles — The  March — Battle  of  Paso  de  Bartolo — Battle  of  La 
Mesa — Small  Losses — American  Names  of  These   Battles  Misnomers. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
Capture  and  Occupation  of  the  Capital 


133 


Surrender  of  Los  Angeles— March  of  the  Victors— The  Last  Volley— A  Chilly  Recep- 
tion— A  Famous  Scold — On  the  Plaza — Stockton's  Headquarters — Emory's  Fort — Fre- 
mont's Battalion  at  San  Fernando — The  Flight  of  Flores — Negotiations  with  General  Pico — 
Treaty  of  Cahuenga — Its  Importance — Fremont's  Battalion  Enters  the  City — Fremont, 
Governor — Quarrel  Between  Kearny  and  Stockton — Kearny  Departs  for  San  Diego  and 
Stockton's  Men  for  San  Pedro. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Transition  and  Transformation 144 

Colonel  Fremont  in  Command  at   Los   Angeles— The   Mormon   Battalion— Its  Arrival   at 
San    Luis   Rey,    Sent    to    Los    Angeles— General     Kearny     Governor   at    Monterey— Rival 
Governors— Col.   R.   B.   Mason,   Inspector  of  the  Troops  in   California— He  Quarrels  with      • 
Fremont— Fremont    Challenges    Him— Colonel    Cooke    Made    Commander    of    the    Military 


24  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

District  of  the  South — Fremont's  Battalion  Mustered  Out — Fremont  Ordered  to  Report 
to  Kearny— Returns  to  the  States  with  Kearny — Placed  Under  Arrest — Court-Martialed 
— Found  Guilty — Pardoned  by  the  President — Rumors  of  a  Mexican  Invasion — Building 
of  a  Fort — Col.  J.  B.  Stevenson  Commands  in  the  Southern  District — A  Fourth  of  July 
Celebration — The  Fort  Dedicated  and  Named  Fort  Moore — The  New  York  Volunteers — 
Company  F,  Third  U.  S.  Artillery,  Arrives — The  Mormon  Battalion  Mustered  Out — 
Commodore  Shubrick  and  General*  Kearny  Jointly  Issue  a  Proclamation  to  the  People — 
Col.  R.  B.  Mason.  Military  Governor  of  California — A  Policy  of  Conciliation — Varela. 
Agitator  and  Revolutionist.  Makes  Trouble — Overland  Immigration  Under  Mexican  Rule — 
The  First  Train— Dr.  Marsh's  Meanness— The  Fate  of  the  Donner  Party. 

^    ^    ^ 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Mexican  Laws  and  American  Officials 150 

Richard  A.  Mason.  Commander  of  the  Military  Forces  and  Civil  Governor  of  California — 
Civil  and  Military  Laws — The  First  Trial  by  Jury — Americanizing  the  People — Perverse 
Electors  and  Contumacious  Councilmen — Absolute  Alcaldes — Nash  at  Sonoma  and  Bill 
Blackburn  at  Santa  Cruz — Queer  Decisions — El  Canon  Pcrdidc  of  Santa  Barbara — Ex- 
Governor  Pio  Pico  Returns — Treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo — Peace  Proclaimed — The 
News  Reaches  California — Country  Acquired  by  the  Treaty — The  Volunteers  Mustered 
Out. 

.•«    .*«     .* 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Gold  !    Gold  !    Gold  ! 155 

Traditions  of  Early  Gold  Discoveries  in  California — The  First  Authenticated  Discovery — 
Marshall's  Discovery  at  Colomas — Disputed  Dates  and  Conflicting  Stories  About  the 
Discovery — Sutter's  Account — James  W.  Marshall — His  Story — The  News  Travels  Slowly — 
First  Newspaper  Report — The  Rush  Begins — San  Francisco  Deserted — The  Star  and  the 
Calitornian  Suspend  Publication — The  News  Spreads —  Sonorian  Migration — Oregonians 
Come— The  News  Reaches  the  States— A  Tea  Caddy  Full  of  Gold  at  the  War  Office, 
Washington— Seeing  Is  Believing— Gold  Hunters  Come  by  Land  and  Sea— The  Pacific 
Mail  Steamship  Company — Magical  Growth  of  San  Francisco — The  Dry  Diggings— Some 
Remarkable  Yields — Forty  Dollars  for  a  Butcher  Knife — Extent  of  the  Gold  Fields. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Making  a  State 162 

Bennett  Riley.  Governor— Unsatisfactory  Form  of  Government— Semi-Civil  and  Semi-Mil- 
itary— Congress  Does  Nothing — The  Slave-Holding  Faction  Prevents  Action — Growing 
Dissatisfaction — Call  for  Convention — Constitution  Making — The  Great  Seal — Election  of 
State  Officers — Peter  H.  Burnett.  Governor — Inauguration  of  a  State  Government — The 
First  Legislature— A  Self-Constituted  State— The  Pro-Slavery  Faction  in  Congress— Op- 
pose the  Admission  of  California— Defeat  of  the  Obstructionists— California  Admitted  into 
the  Union — Great  Rejoicing — A  Magnificent  Procession — California  Full  Grown  at  Birth— 
The  Capital  Question — San  Jose  Loses  the  Capital — Vallejo  Wins — Goes  to  Sacramento — 
Comes  to  Benicia — Capital  Question  in  the  Courts — Sacramento  Wins — Capitol  Building 
Begun  in  i860 — Completed  in  1869. 


CONTENTS.  25 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

PAGE 

The   Argoxauts iC 1,69 

Who   First   Called  Them   Argonauts — How  They   Caine  and  From  Where;- .TWair  Carne —       il/W^ 
Extent  of  the  Gold  Fields— Mining  Appliances— Bateas.  Gold  Pans,  Rock^s^^ong  M'oms,   x;^ 
Sluices — Useless  Machines  and  Worthless  Inventions — Some  Famous  Gol^r^ushe^Gold'  (t^ 
Lake— Gold   Bluffs— Kern    River— Frazer    River— Washoe— Ho   for   Idaho!— Social    Eev^^iU 
ing— Capacity  for   Physical   Labor  the   Standard— Iiulepeudencv  and   Honesty  of  the  Mgo- 

CHAPTER  XXYI.  j  ^V* 

San  Francisco 175 

The  First  House — A  Famous  Fourth  of  July  Celebration — The  Enterprise  of  Jacob  P.  Leese 
—General  Kearny's  Decree  for  the  Sale  of  Water  Lots — Alcalde  Bartlett  Changes  the 
Name  of  the  Town  from  Yerba  Buena  to  San  Francisco — Hostility  of  the  Star  to  the 
Change — Great  Sale  of  Lots  in  the  City  of  Francisca.  now  Benicia — Its  Boom  Bursts — 
Population  of  San  Francisco  September  4,  1847 — Vocations  of  Its  Inhabitants — Population 
March,  1848 — Vioget's  Survey — O'Farrell's  Survey — Wharves — The  First  School  House— 
The  Gold  Discovery  Depopulates  the  City — Reaction — Rapid  Growth — Description  of  the 
City  in  April.  1850 — Great  Increase  in  Population — How  the  People  Lived  and  Labored — 
Enormous  Rents — High  Priced  Real  Estate — Awful  Streets — Flour  Sacks.  Cooking  Stove 
and  Tobacco  Bo.x  Sidewalk — Ships  for  Houses — The  Six  Great  Fires — The  Boom  of  1853 — 
The  Burst  of  1855— Harry  Meigs— Steady  Growth  of  the  City. 

CHAPTER  XXVH. 
Crime,  Criminals  and  Vigilance  Committees 182 

But  Little  Crime  in  California  Under  Spanish  and  Mexican  Rule— The  First  Vigilance 
Committee  of  California — The  United  Defenders  of  Public  Safety — Execution  of  Alispaz 
and  Maria  del  Rosario  Villa — Advent  of  the  Criminal  Element — Criminal  Element  in  the 
Ascendency — Incendiarism,  Theft  and  Murder — The  San  Francisco  Vigilance  Committee 
of  1851 — Hanging  of  Jenkins — A  Case  of  Mistaken  Identity — Burdue  for  Stuart — Arrest, 
Trial  and  Hanging  of  Stuart — Hanging  of  Whittaker  and  McKenzie — The  Committee 
Adjourns  but  Does  Not  Disband — Its  Work  Approved — Corrupt  Ofiicials — James  King 
of  William  Attacks  Political  Corruption  in  the  Bulletin — Richardson  killed  by  Cora — 
Scathing  Editorials — Murders  and  Thefts — Attempts  to  Silence  King — King  Exposes 
James  P.  Casey's  State's  Prison  Record — Cowardly  Assassination  of  King  by  Casey — 
Organiiation  of  the  Vigilance  Committee  of  1856 — Fatal  Mistake  of  the  Herald — Casey 
and  Cora  in  the  Hands  of  the  Committee — Death  of  King — Hanging  of  Casey  and  Cora — 
Other  Executions — Law  and  Order  Party — Terry  and  His  Chivalrous  Friends — They  Are 
Glad  to  Subside — Black  List  and  Deportations — The  Augean  Stable  Cleaned — The  Com- 
mittee's Grand  Parade — Vigilance  Committees  in  Los  Angeles — Joaquin  Murrieta  and  His 
Banditti — Tiburcio  Vasquez  and  His  Gang. 

.*    Jt    Jt 

CHAPTER  XXVin. 

FiLlliUSTERS    AND    FILIBUSTERING I93 

The  Origin  of  Filibustering  in  California — Raousset-Boulbon's  Futile  Schemes — His  Ex- 
ecution— William  Walker — His  Career  as  a  Doctor.  Lawyer  and  Journalist — Recruits  Fili- 
busters— Lands  at  La  Paz — His  Infamous  Conduct  in  Lower  California — Failure  of  His 


CONTENTS. 


Scheme— A  Farcical  Trial— Lionized  in  San  Francisco— His  Operations  in  Nicaragua— 
Battles— Decrees  Slavery  in  Nicaragua— Driven  Out  of  Nicaragua— Tries  Again— Is  Cap- 
tured and  Shot— Crabb  and  His  Unfortunate  Expedition— Massacre  of  the  Misguided 
Adventurers— Filibustering  Ends  When  Secession   Begins. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Froji  Gold  to  Grain  and  Fruits 199 

Mexican  Farming— But  Little  Fruit  and  Few  Vegetables— Crude  Farming  Implements— 
The  Agricultural  Capabilities  of  California  Underestimated — Wheat  the  Staple  in  Central 
California— Cattle  in  the  South— Gold  in  the  North— Big  Profits  in  Grapes— Orange  Culture 
Begun  in  the  South— Apples,  Peaches,  Pears  and  Plums— The  Sheep  Industry— The  Famine 
Years  of  1863  and  1864  Bring  Disaster  to  the  Cattle  Kings  of  the  South— The  Doom  of 
Their  Dynasty — Improvement  of  Domestic  Animals— Exit  the  Mustang— Agricultural  Col- 
onies. 


CHAFTER  XXX. 

Civil  War— Loyalty  and  Disloyalty 204 

State  Division  and  What  Became  of  It— Broderick's  Early  Life— Arrival  in  California- 
Enters  the  Political  .Arena — Gwin  and  Broderick — Duel  Between  Terry  and  Broderick— 
Death  of  Broderick— Gwin-Latham  Combination— Firing  on  Fort  Sumter— State  Loyal- 
Treasonable  Utterance — A  Pacific  Republic — Disloyalty  Rampant  in  Southern  California — 
Union  Sentiments  Triumphant — Confederate  Sympathizers  Silenced. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 
Trade,  Tr.wel  and  Transportation 


Spanish  Trade— Fixed  Prices— No  Cornering  the  Market— Mexico's  Methods  of  Trade— 
The  Hide  Droghers— Trade— Ocean  Commerce  and  Travel— Overland  Routes— Overland 
Stage  Routes— Inland  Commerce— The  Pony  Express— Stage  Lines— Pack  Trains— Camel 
Caravans— The  Telegraph  and  the  Railroad— Express  Companies. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Railroads •  ■  • 21^ 

Early  Agitation  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  Scheme— The  Pacific  Railroad  in  Politics— Northern 
Routes  and  Southern  Routes— First  Railroad  in  California— Pacific  Railroad  Bills  in  Con- 
gress—A Decade  of  Agitation  and  No  Road— The  Central  and  Union  Pacific  Railroads- 
Act  of  1862— Subsidies— The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  System— Its  Incorporation  and 
Charier— Its  Growth  and  Development— The  Santa  Fe  System— Other  Railroads. 


CONTENTS.  21 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

PAGE 

The  Indian  Question 22- 

Treatment  of  *he  Indians  by  Spain  and  Mexico — A  Conquista — Unsanitary  Condition  of  the 
Mission  Villages — The  Mission  Neophyte  and  What  Became  of  Him — Wanton  Outrages  on 
the  Savages — Some  So-Called  Indian  Wars — Extermination  of  the  Aborigines— Indian 
Island  Massacre — The  Mountaineer  Battalion — The  Two  Years'  War — The  Modoc  War. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
Some  Politic.vl  History 


229 


Advent  of  the  Chinese — Kindly  Received  at  First — Given  a  Public  Reception — The  "China 
Boys"  Become  Too  Many — Agitation  and  Legislation  Against  Them — Dennis  Kearney 
and  the  Sand  Lot  Agitation — Kearney's  Slogan,  "The  Chinese  Must  Go" — How  Kearney 
Went— The  New  Constitution— A  Mixed  Convention— Opposition  to  the  Constitution— 
The  Constitution  Adopted — Defeat  of  the  Workingmen's  Party — A  New  Treaty  with 
China— Governors  of  California,  Spanish.  Mexican  and  American. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Education  and  Educ.\tioxal  Institution 235 

Public  Schools  in  the  Spanish  Era — Schools  of  the  Mexican  Period — No  Schools  for  the 
Neophytes — Early  American  Schools — First  School  House  in  San  Francisco — The  First 
American  Teacher — The  First  School  Law — A  Grand  School  System — University  of  the 
Pacific— College  of  California— University  of  California— Stanford  University— Normal 
Schools. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
Cities  of  California — Their  Origin   and  Growth 


The  Spaniards  and  Mexicans  Not  Town  Builders — Francisca.  on  the  Straits  of  Carquinez, 
the  First  American  City — Its  Brilliant  Prospects  and  Dismal  Failure — San  Francisco— Its 
Population  and  Expansion — The  Earthquake  of  April  i8,  igo6 — The  Great  Fire  that  Fol- 
lowed the  Earthquake — The  Effects  of  the  Earthquake  at  Oakland,  Alameda,  Berkeley,  San 
Jose,  Santa  Rosa  and  Other  Points  Around  the  .Bay  of  San  Francisco — Oakland,  an 
American  City — Population — Sacramento,  the  Metropolis  of  the  Mines — San  Jose,  the  Gar- 
den City — Stockton,  the  Entrepot  of  the  Southern  Mines — Fresno — Vallejo — Nevada  City — 
Grass  Valley — Eureka — Marysville — Redding. 


28  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXVn. 

Southern  California,  Introquctory 254 

No  County  Government  under  Spain  and  Mexico^No  Tax  on  Land — Mexican  Laws 
Continued  in  Force  after  the  Conquest — The  Territorial  Government  was  Semi-Military 
and   Semi-Civil — A   De   Facto   State — It   is   Divided   into   Counties. 

San  Diego  County 255 

Boundaries  Somewhat  Erratic — Imperial  in  Area  but  Limited  in  Population — First  Assess- 
ment of  Property — County  Officials — Yuma  Indian  Outbreak — Massacre  of  Dr.  Lincoln 
and  Ten  of  his  Men  at  the  Colorado  Ferry — Depositions  of  two  of  the  Survivors — Names 
of  Those  Massacred — Call  for  Troops — General  Morehead's  Gila  Expedition — No  Indians 
Killed — Expensive  War — Second  Indian  War — Indians  Resist  Taxation  of  their  Cattle — 
Antonio  Garra,  Chief  of  the  San  Luis  Rey  Indians — His  Attempt  to  Form  a  Confederation — 
Sacking  of  Wanier's  Rancho — Warner's  Account  of  the  Indian  Raid — Massacre  of  the 
Americans  at  Agua  Caliente — San  Diego  under  Martial  Law— Battle  at  Los  Coyotes — 
Defeat  of  the  Indians — Four  Minor  Chiefs  Executed — Hanging  of  Bill  Marshall  and  Juan 
Verde — Capture  of  Antonio  Garra — Tried  by  Court  Martial — Execution  of  Antonio  Garra — 
Bean's  Second  Expedition,  or  the  Garra  War  Very  Expensive. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

San  Diego  County — Continued 262 

The  Pueblo  of  San  Diego — The  Early  History  of  the  City  and  County  Identical — Organi- 
zation of  the  Pueblo — First  Survey  of  Pueblo  Lands — San  Diego  Fifty  Years  ago  the 
Largest  City  in  the  United  States — The  Founding  of  New  Town — Names  of  its  Founders — 
The  First  Building— A  Wharf  Built— Fate  of  the  First  Wharf- The  Pioneer  Newspaper 
and  its  Proprietor — The  Dime  Catcher — Some  Alleged  Adventures  of  the  Press  and  its 
Proprietor  on  the  Isthmus — Ames'  Own  Story — Lieutenant  Derby  Entrusted  with  the  Ed- 
itorial Tripod — The  Herald's  Political  Somersault — The  Famous  Mill  between  Phoenix 
and  Boston — Ames'  Remarks — The  Herald  Plant  Moved  to  San  Bernardino — Death  of 
Ames  and  his  Newspaper — Travel  by  Sea  and  Land — Steamers  Plying  between  San  Diego 
and  San  Francisco  in  the  Early  '50s — Overland  Mail  between  San  Diego  and  San  Antonio, 
Texas — Change  of  Route — Old  Town  and  New  Town  at  a  Standstill. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

San  Diego  County — Continued 268 

The  Back  Country  Undeveloped — Wagon  Road  to  San  Bernardino — Market  Supplies  from 
the  Mormon  Town — The  Famine  Years  of  1863-1864  Less  Disastrous  in  San  Diego  than 
Elsewhere — Great  Ranchos  Still  Intatt — Water  Development — Thirteen  Reservoirs — The 
Imperial  Valley  and  Salton  Sea — Overland  Routes  .Across  the  Desert — Desert  Tragedies — 
First  Scheme  for  the  Reclamation  of  the  Desert — The  California  Development  Company 
and  Its  Work — Rapid  Development  of  the  Imperial  Country — The  Waters  of  the  Colorado 
Find  their  Way  into  Salton  Sink— Great  Flood  of  the  Gila— The  Old  Channel  of  the  Colo- 
rado Left  High  and  Dry — Salton  Sea  Spreads  Over  Four  Hundred  Square  Miles — South- 
ern Pacific  Compelled  to  Change  its  Track  around  the  Salton  Sea — The  Colorado  Forced 
into  its  Old  Channel — Old  Town,  Roseville  and  La  Playa — National  City — Coronado — Ocean- 
side — Escondido — La  Jolla — Fallbrook — Pala — Julian — Banner — Raniona. 


CONTENTS.  29 

CHAPTER  XL. 

San  Diego  City 275 

.^ct  of  Incorporation — First  City  Election — Names  of  Officers  Elected — The  First  Council — 
Patriots  of  the  Pocket — 'I'he  Cobblestone  Jail — The  First  Prisoner  Digs  Out  with  His 
Pocket  Knife — The  City  Disincorporates — Governed  by  Trustees — Postoffice  Established — 
High  Rates  of  Postage — San  Diego  a  Port  of  Delivery — A  Port  of  Delivery  at  the  Junction 
of  the  Gila  and  Colorado — No  Applicants  for  the  Position  of  Revenue  Collector — The 
Pioneer  Railroad  Project — Great  Railroad  Meeting  in  1853 — The  San  Diego  and  Gila  South- 
ern Pacific  &  Atlantic — Railroad  Incorporated — The  Legislature  Authorizes  a  Donation  of 
Two  Leagues  of  Pueblo  Lands  to  the  Railroad — Rivalry  Over  Routes  Defeats  Railroad 
Building — San  Diego  in  a  Comatose  Condition — No  Newspaper  for  Eight  Years — Hor- 
ton  Comes  and  San  Diego  Awakes — Horton  Buys  a  Town  Site — Horton's  Tin  Horn — San 
Diego  in  1867— The  Memphis,  El  Paso  &  Pacific  Railroad— John  C.  Fremont  its  President— 
The  Rush  to  San  Diego  in  i86g — Lot  Buying  and  Selling — The  Horton  House  Built — Some 
of  the  Great  Hotels  of  the  World  at  That  Time — The  Texas  Pacific  Railroad  Coming — 
Congress  Passes  an  Act  Giving  Land  Grant  to  the  Road  in  1871— Great  Rejoicing  at  San 
Diego — San  Diego's  Great  Real  Estate  Boom — Some  Boom  Poetry — Postoifice  at  South  San 
Diego  Named  San  Diego — The  Financial  Crisis  of  1873  Stops  Railroad  Building — Generous 
Act  of  Father  Horton — A  New  Railroad  Scheme — The  Kimball  Brothers — The  California 
Southern  Railroad— The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Built— The  Great  Real- 
Estate  Boom  of  1887 — Town  Sites  Galore — The  Bursting  of  the  Boom — The  Boom  a  Bless- 
ing in  Disguise — The  Aftermath — Recuperation — Disasters — Summary  of  Events  to  the  End 
of  the  Century — Schools — San  Diego  Free  Public  Library — Chamber  of  Commerce — Parks 
of  San  Diego. 

dt     J«     .*« 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
Los  Angeles  County 285 

Los  Angeles  County  Originally  did  not  Take  in  the  Colorado  Desert— The  Boundaries  as 
Defined  in  the  Act  of  February  18,  1850— Boundaries  as  Given  in  Act  of  April  25,  1851— 
Boundaries  as  Given  in  1853  When  San  Bernardino  County  was  Created — Los  Angeles  County 
an  Empire  in  Itself — Various  and  Variable  Climates — County  of  Kern  Created — Orange 
County,  the  Last  Slice  taken  from  Los  Angeles — Organization  of  a  County  Government — 
First  County  Officers — Court  of  Sessions — Judges  of  the  Plains — Fees  and  Salaries — Big 
Pay  for  Little  Work — The  First  County  Jail — Criminal  Aristocrats — Spanish  and  Mexican 
Land  Grants — The  Township  of  Los  .Angeles — Immigrants  and  Immigrant  Routes — The 
Sonoran  Migration — A  Job  Lot  of  Immigrants — The  Salt  Lake  Route — Ox  Carts,  Stages 
and  Steamers — Passenger  Rates  and  Bill  of  Fare  on  the  Steamers — Landing  Passengers — 
Bucking  Sailors — Imports  Greatly  Exceeded  Exports — Grapes  the  Principal  Fruit — The  First 
State  Census— Slow   Growth  of  the  County   in  the  'sos. 

.*     -J*     J< 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

Growth  of  Los  Angeles  County  and  City  in  \\'ealtu  and  Population 293 

No  Land  Tax  under  Spanish  and  Mexican  Rule— Salaries  Small— And  Revenue  Ditto— The 
First  County  Assessment— One  Small  Book  Contained  it  All— Expansive  Territory  but  Lit- 
tle Wealth— Assessment  of  1856— First  Record  of  City  Assessment— Assessment  of  1866 — 
No  Increase  in  Wetilth  for  Ten  Years — Great  Loss  of  Property  in  the  Famine  Years  of 
1863-1864 — Land  without  Value — ^The  Alamitos  Rancho  of  28,000  Acres  Sold  for  $152  Delin- 
quent Taxes — Low  Value  of  City  Real  Estate — Decline  of  the  Cattle  Industry — Second 
Great   Drought   Kills   Sheep   Industry— Real-Estate   Boom   of  1887— Rapid  Rise   in  Values— 


30  CONTENTS. 

Depression  and  Decrease  of  Values  Follow — The  Table  of  Yearly  Assessments  Shows  Peri- 
ods of  Prosperity  and  Adversity — Yearly  Assessments  from  1851  to  1906  both  Inclusive — 
City  Assessment  Combnied  with  the  County  During  First  Decade — City  Assessment 
from  i860  to  1906  both  Inclusive— Banks  of  Los  Angeles— Capital— Bank  Clearances  for  Ten 
Years — Number  of  Buildings  and  Cost  of  Erection  ni  Los  Angeles  City  since  1900 — Increase 
in  Assessment  Each  Year  Since  1900 — Population  as  Shown  by  the  School  Census — Popu- 
lation of  Los  Angeles  City  by  Decades  Since  its  Founding — Population  of  the  County  of 
Los  Angeles  from  1850  to  1900 — Vote  of  Los  Angeles  County  at  Presidential  Elections 
1856  to  1904  Inclusive. 

^     .«     ^ 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 

Mining  Rushes  and  Real  Est.\te  Booms 298 

But  Few  of  the  .A.rgonauts  of  '49  Remained  in  Los  .-Vngelcs  County — First  Discovery  of 
Gold  in  California  Made  in  Los  Angeles  County — The  Kern  River  Gold  Rush  Brought 
Experienced  Miners  to  Los  Angeles — Prospecting  in  the  Mountains  of  Los  Angeles  County — 
Santa  Anita  Placers — Mining  on  the  San  Gabriel  River — Some  Rich  Strikes — El  Dorado- 
ville  the  Mining  Metropolis  cf  San  Gabriel — The  Flood  of  1859 — Shipment  of  Gold  Dust 
by  Wells  Fargo  &  Co. — Mining  Boom  on  the  Island  of  Santa  Catalina — Queen  City  the 
Mining  Metropolis  of  the  Island — Many  Claims  Located — Collapse  of  the  Boom — Govern- 
ment Takes  Possession  of  the  Island — The  Great  Real  Estate  Boom  of  1887 — That  Boom  a 
Turning  Point  in  the  History  of  Los  Angeles — Great  Financial  Booms  of  the  Past — No  Spec- 
ulation in  Real-Estate  during  Spanish  and  Mexican  Rule  in  California — Dull  Times  after 
the  Gold  Rush  of  '49 — Financial  Depression  of  the  Later  ^os — Completion  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  Gives  Los  Angeles  a  New  Outlet — Immigrants  Coming — Causes  that  Pre- 
cipitated the  Boom — Creation  of  New  Towns — Completion  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad — Wild 
Rush  to  Buy  Lots— All  Night  Vigils— The  Fate  of  the  City  of  Gladstone— Phantom  Cities 
of  the  Boom — Romberg's  Famous  Twin  Cities — Carlton  Nature's  Rendezvous — Magnitude 
of  Our  Boom  Compared  w^ith  Other  Great  Financial  Bubbles — Great  Cities  on  Paper  but 
Few  Inhabitants — Methods  of  Advertising — Disappearance  of  the  Professional  Boomers— 
The  Collapse  of  the  Boom  Gradual. 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Los  Angeles  City,  From  Pueblo  to  Ciudad    (pROit  Town  to  City) 306 

Los  Angeles  a  Pueblo  for  Fifty-Five  Years— Raised  to  the  Dignity  of  a  Ciudad  by  the 
Mexican  Congress — The  Raise  Made  no  Change  in  its  Government — Area  of  the  Pueblo- 
Narrow  Streets  and  House  Lots  of  All  Shapes— Expansion  of  the  Pueblo  to  Sixteen 
Leagues — No  Written  Titles  to  House  Lots — Report  of  the  Commissioners  on  Titles — Street 
Commissioners'  Reports— Narrow  Streets  for  Warm  Countries— Squaring  the  Plaza— Pedro's 
Obstinacy  Twists  a  Street — Ord's  Plan  of  the  City — His  Terms  for  his  Survey — Names  of 
the  Streets  in  Ord's  Plan— Some  Old  Street  Names— The  Wickedest  Street  on  Earth— 
Calle  del  Toro— Heroic  Act— Adjustment  of  the  Houses  to  the  New  Streets— The  Passing  of 
the  Ayuntamiento — Act  of  the  Legislature  Incorporating  the  Cit}'. 

^«    ^i    ,< 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

Los  Angeles  City — Continued 312 

The  Evolution  of  a  Metropolis — Act  of  the  Legislature  Incorporating  the  City  Reduces 
its  Area — First  City  Election — Names  of  the  City  Officers  Elected — Sworn  to  Support  the 
Constitution  of  the  State  of  California,  and  yet  There  was  no  State — The   First   Council  a 


CONTENTS.  31 

Patriotic  Body— All  Except  one  Member  had  been  Citizens  of  Mexico— Some  Early  Ordi- 
nances— Selling  Indian  Prisoners — "Ordinance  Relative  to  Public  Washing" — Americaniz- 
ing the  People  a  Difficult  Task — The  Indian  a  Disturbing  Element — The  Whipping  Post 
■  for  the  Red  Man — The  United  States  Land  Claims  Commissions'  Herculean  Task — City- 
Claims  Sixteen  Leagues — Hancock's  Survey  of  the  Pueblo  Lands — Commission  Gives  the 
City  Four  Square  Leagues — United  States  Patent  Issued  in  1875 — City  Donation  Lots — 
Pueblo  Lands  Frittered  Away— A  Woeful  Waste  of  a  Royal  Patrimony— The  Huber  Tract- 
City  Prosperous  in  the  Early  '50s — Reaction — Hard  Times  in  the  South — Dry  Years  and 
Dying  Cattle — A  Building  Boom  in  1859 — The  Telegraph  Completed  to  Los  Angeles  in  i860 — 
The  Civil  War  Divides  the  People — Depression — Low  Price  of  Lots  and  Acreage — Famine 
Years — Small-pox  Epidemic — A  Gleam  of  Light  Penetrates  the  Financial  Gloom — Passing 
x)f  the  Cattle  Barons — Gas  Introduced  into  the  City — A  High-priced  Luxury — Los  Angeles 
&  San  Pedro  Railroad  Completed — The  Pioneer  Ice  Factory — The  First  Bank — The  First 
Street  Railroad  Franchise  Granted — Subdivision  of  the  Great  Ranchos  Benefits  the  City — 
Houses  Numbered — Population  of  the  City  in  1870 — Railroad  Bond  Issue  of  1872 — Rival 
Railroad  Schemes  and  Rival  Offers — Southern  Pacific  Wins — A  Year  of  Disasters — The 
Drought  of  1877  Kills  the  Sheep  Industry— Population  of  the  City  in  1880— Hard  Times 
Continue. 

Jf     ^se     ji 

CHAPTER  XL\T. 

Los  Angeles  ix  Its  Second  Century 319 

The  Centennial  Celebration  of  Los  Angeles  Citj' — A  Curious  Blending  of  the  Old  and  the 
New — An  Ancient  Belle — The  Sth  of  September  Celebrated  Instead  of  the  4th — Modern 
Improvements  not  Much  in  Evidence — The  City  a  Sea  of  Green — The  City  Beautiful — 
The  Best  Description  Ever  Written  of  Los  Angeles  at  the  End  of  Its  First  Century— 
B.  F.  Taylor's  Prose  Poem  of  the  Angel  City— Direct  Connection  with  the  East  by  Rail- 
road—Tourists Begin  to  Arrive  by  the  New  Route— Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  System 
Gives  Los  Angeles  a  Second  Transcontinental  Road— Cheap  Fares  Boom  Travel— Tourists 
Delighted— Real-Estate  Values  Rise  Rapidly— The  Speculative  Mania  Infects  Old  Timers  and 
New  Comers— In  One  FTundred  Years  the  Business  Center  Moved  from  the  Plaza  to  First 
Street— The  Demand  During  the  Boom  for  Offices  Drives  it  South— Sudden  Rise  in  Rents— 
The  First  City  Hall— The  First  Cable  Jiailway— The  First  Electric  Street  Car  Line  Built, 
not  a  Success— City  Lighted  by  Electricity— The  Cable  Railway  System  Begun— Passing  of 
the  Horse  Car— First  Oil  Wells  Within  the  City  Limits  Bored— The  Oil  Boom  of  1899  and 
igoo— Fake  Oil  Companies— Cheap  Oil  Stock— The  Belgian  Hare  Industry— The  Fad  Be- 
comes Epidemic— Sudden  Collapse— But  Little  Advance  in  Real-Estate  Prices  in  the  Decade 
Between  1890-1900— H.  E.  Huntington  Buys  Controlling  Interest  in  the  Los  Angeles  Elec- 
tric System— Building  of  Interurban  Electric  Railways— Rapid  Rise  in  Real-Estate  Values- 
Increase  in  Building  Permits  and  Value  of  Buildings  Erected— Increase  in  City  Assess- 
ments— Increase  in  Population  from   1903  to  1906  Inclusive. 

J»     ^     S 

CHAPTER  XL\  II. 
The  Schools  of  Los  Angeles  City  and  County 326 

Education  in  Los  Angeles  Under  Spanish  Rule— Luciano  Valdez— The  First  Teacher  Under 
Mexican  Domination  a  Failure— School  Master  Morago  a  Success— Pantoj a  Asks  for  More 
Wages  and  Loses  his  Job— Fifteen  Dollars  a  Month  the  Limit  of  the  School  Master's  Pay- 
Don  Ygnacio  Coronel  and  his  Daughter  Soledad  Improve  School  Methods— The  Lancas- 
trian School  of  Lieutenant  Medina— The  School  Master  Paid  in  Merchandise— A  Revolu- 
tion Closes  the  School— The  First  School  for  Girls— School  Furniture  and  Expenses  Under 
the  Ayuntamiento's  Rule— The  First  School  Under  American  Control— The  City  Council  a 


CONTENTS. 

School  Board — The  Schools  Run  on  a  Go-as-you-please  System — The  First  School  Ordi- 
nance— Free  Schools — The  Mayor  the  City  Superintendent  of  Schools — The  First  School 
House  Built  Located  on  the  Northwest  Corner  of  Spring  and  Second  Streets — Growing 
Shade  Trees  on  the  School  Lot  Under  Difficulties— City  School  Superintendents  from 
1853  to  iQoG^The  First  Teacher's  Institute — Public  Schools  Unpopular  in  the  Early  '60s — 
Los  Angeles  Behind  Other  Cities  in  Schools  in  the  '70? — Separate  Schools  for  Negro  Chil- 
dren— Polytechnic  High  School — Non-Partisan  School  Board — School  Bonds  to  the  Amount 
of  $780,000  Voted— High  School  Annex  Built— County  School  Reports  for  Fifty  Years- 
High  Schools  in  the  County. 


CHAPTER  XLVin. 
Postal  .Service  of  Los  Angeles 


Postal  Service  of  California  Under  the  Rule  of  Spain — The  Los  Angeles  Postoffice  One 
Hundred  Years  Ago — Postal  Service  and  Routes  Under  Mexico — Slow  Mail  Service — The 
First  Mail  Route  Established  After  the  Conquest — Act  of  Congress  Establishing  Postoffices 
in  California — The  Tub  Postoffice  at  Los  Angeles — Postmasters  of  Los  Angeles — Locations 
of  the  Postoffice — The  Soap  Box  Postoffice — Postmaster's  Duties  Light  and  Pay  Lighter — 
The  Stage  Coach  Era  of  ]\Iail  Carrying — The  Butterfield  Overland  Stage  Coach — The  Los 
Angeles  Postmaster's  Salary  in  1869— Postal  Statistics  in  1887-1890— Site  of  the  Downey 
Block  Donated  to  the  Government  for  a  Postoffice  Site — Sale  of  the  Site  of  the  First  Post- 
office  Building — Demolition  of  the  Building. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

W-'\TER  System  of  Los  A^x.ELEs 338 

The  Los  Angeles  River  the  Sole  Water  Supply  of  the  City — Its  Water  Rights  Decreed  by 
Royal  Reglamento — First  Community  Work  in  the  Pueblo — The  Building  of  the  Zanja 
Madre — The  Indian  the  Ditch  Builder — The  Indian  the  Water  Carrier — The  First  Water 
Pipe  System — The  Dryden  Reservoir  on  the  Plaza — Scrip  and  Water  Bonds  Issued  to  Build 
Distributing  Water  Works — Expensive  Dam  Built — Municipal  Ownership  an  E.xpensive  Bur- 
den—  Water  Works  Leased  to  Sansevain — Water  Works  and  Waters  of  the  River  Sold  by 
the  City  Council — jNlayor  Vetoes  the  Ordinance — Water  Works  and  the  Waters  of  the  Los 
Angeles  River  Leased  for  Thirty  Years — Opposition  to  the  Leasing — The  Fountain  on  the 
Plaza — P.  Beaudry's  Water  System — The  Canal  and  Reservoir  Company's  System — A  Cen- 
tury of  Litigation — The  First  Contest  Over  the  Waters  of  the  River  Began  in  1810 — Trouble 
in  1833 — The  Regidores  Allowed  No  Cloud  to  Rest  on  the  City's  Water  Rights — Numerous 
Legal  Contests  over  the  City's  Water  Rights  Under  American  Rule — Expiration  of  the  Thirty 
Years'  Lease  to  the  Water  Company — Refusal  of  the  Company  to  Abide  by  the  Award  of 
the  Arbitrators — The  Council  Agrees  to  Pay  Nearly  a  Million  Dollars  More  for  the  Plant 
than  the  Amount  Awarded  by  the  Arbitrators — Bonds  Issued  and  City  Gains  Possession 
cf  the  Water  Plant — The  Owens  River  Project — Originator  of  the  Scheme — Its  Esti- 
mated   Cost. 


CHAPTER  L. 

Pioneer  Churches  of  Los  Angeles  City 347 

Early  Records  of  the  Protestant  Churches  not  Preserved— The  First  Chapel  Built  in  1784— 
Cornerstone  of  a  New  Church  Laid  in  1814— Change  of  Location— Contributions  of  the 
Mission  to  the  Building  Fund  of  the  Parish  Church— Indians  the  Builders— The  Church  of 
Our  Lady  of  the  Angels  Completed  and  Dedicated— Changes  in  the  Building— Indians  With- 


CONTENTS. 


out  a  Boss  Rounded  up  In  Repair  the  Building — Cliurcb  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Angels  the 
Oldest  Parish  Church  on  the  Pacific  Coast  of  the  United  States— Cathedral  of  St.  Vibiana— 
Cornerstone  Laid  October  3.  1869 — Change  of  Location — Dedication  of  the  Cathedral — Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Churches — First  Protestant  Sermon  Preached  in  Los  Angeles  Delivered  by 
a  Methodist  Minister — Rev.  Adam  Bhnd  First  Protestant  Missionary  in  Los  Angeles — 
Contract  for  a  Church  Building  that  was  not  Built— The  Field  Abandoned  in  1858— First 
Church  Built  in  186S — Accoimt  of  its  Dedication — First  Methodist  Church  South  Built  in 
187,3 — Changes  of  Location — Presbyterian  Churches — Rev.  James  Woods  the  Pioneer  Min- 
ister—Succeeded by  the  Rev.  F.  N.  Davis— The  Presbyterians  .'Xbandon  the  Field  in  1856— 
A  Period  of  Spiritual  Darkness— The  Rev.  William  E.  Boardman  comes  in  1859— The  First 
Protestant  Society  Organized — Its  Constitution — The  Building  of  a  Protestant  Church  Be- 
gun— Rev.  Boardman  Leaves — Church  Advertised  for  Sale  on  Account  of  Delinquent  Taxes — 
Church  Built  on  Corner  of  Fort  and  Second  Streets — Church  Sold  and  the  Congregation 
Divides  into  two  Organizations — Protestant  Episcopal  Churches — First  Service  Held  in  1857 — 
A  Lay  Reader  Appointed — The  Episcopalians  Secure  the  Church  Building  of  the  First 
Protestant  Society — The  Building  Sold  and  Church  Built  on  Olive  Street — Congregational 
Churches — Church  Organized  in  1867 — Account  of  the  Dedication — New  Church  Built  on 
Corner  of  Third  and  Hill  Streets — Baptist  Churches — First  Baptist  Sermon  Preached  in 
1853 — First  Church  Organized  in  1874 — Church  Built  on  Corner  of  Broadway  and  Sixth 
Streets  in  1884 — Christian  Churches — First  Service  Held  by  a  Member  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  1874— A  Church  Founded— The  First  Church  Erected  During  the  Rev.  B.  F. 
Coulter's  Ministration — The  Rev.  B.  F.  Coulter  Erects  a  Church  at  his  Own  E.xpense — 
Unitarian  Churches — The  First  Unitarian  Service  was  Held  in  1877 — Rev.  Dr.  Fay  Holds 
Service  in  Child's  Opera  House — A  Church  Erected  on  the  Corner  of  Broadway  and 
Seventh   Street — Destroyed  by  Fire — Jewish    Synagogues — Other   Denominations. 


CHAPTER  LI. 
The  Pioneer  Newspapers  of  Los  Angeles 


A  History  of  the  Newspapers  That  Have  Been  Published  Twenty-five  Years  or  More — No 
Newspapers  in  California  Under  Spain  and  Mexico — First  Newspaper  in  California  Pub- 
lished in  1846 — Rapid  Increase  in  Newspapers  After  the  Discovery  of  Gold — Proposition 
to  Publish  a  Newspaper  in  Los  Angeles — Location  of  the  First  Printing  Office — The  First 
Issue  of  La  Estrella  de  Los  Angeles — Names  of  the  Publishers — The  First  Job  Done  for 
the  City — The  Tribulations  of  a  Pioneer  Publisher — Change  of  Ownership — Burning  Issues 
of  the  Early  '50? — Pacific  Railroad — Camel  Caravans  and  Dromedary  Express — Subscrip- 
tions Payable  in  Produce  .After  Harvest — The  Star  for  Sale  at  $1,000  Less  Than  Cost — 
Hard  Times  in  the  Old  Pueblo— Henry  Hamilton  Becomes  the  Owner  of  the  Star— The 
Star  Sets  in  Darkness — After  Four  Years  it  Appears  Again— The  Daily  Star  Issued — The 
Star  Ceases  to  Shine — The  Southern  Californian — The  Second  Paper  of  Los  Angeles  Issued 
in  1854 — Frequent  Changes  of  Owners — Suspends  Publication  in  January,  1859 — El  Clamor 
Publico— The  First  Paper  in  Los  Angeles  Printed  in  Spanish— Suspends  Publication  Decem- 
ber 31,  1859 — The  Southern  Vineyard  Founded  by  Col.  J.  J.  Warner — Becomes  a  Semi- 
Weekly— Suspends— The  Los  Angeles  Daily  and  Weekly  News— Established  in  January. 
i860,  as  a  Weekly — Changed  to  a  Semi-Weekly — Then  to  a  Tri-Weekly — Republican  in  Pol- 
itics— Changes  to  Democratic — The  Daily  News  Issued  January  I,  l86g — The  Paper  Dies  in 
1873 — The  Wilmington  Journal  the  First  Paper  Published  Outside  of  Los  Angeles  City — 
The  Plant  of  the  Star  Used  for  Its  Publication — The  News  Gives  it  a  Doubtful  Compliment — 
The  Los  Angeles  Express— The  Oldest  Newspaper  Now  Published  in  Los  Angeles— Founded 
by  an  Association  of  Practical  Printers— Sold  to  Ayers  &  Lynch— Frequent  Changes  of 
Ownership — E.  T.  Earl  buys  It  and  Builds  a  Home  for  It — Los  Dos  Republicas — Originally 
La  Cronica— An  Influential  Spanish  Paper— Independent  in  Politics— The  Daily  and  Weekly 
Herald— Founded  in  1873  by  C.  A.  Storke— Sold  to  a  Stock  Company— Organ  of  the 
Grange  Movement— .\yers  &  Lynch  Become  Proprietors— The  Leading  Democratic  Journal 


34  CONTENTS. 

of  California— Sold  to  a  Syndicate  of  Politicians— Frequent  Changes  of  Ownership— The 
Herald  Publishing  Company  Become  Owners— Becomes  Republican  in  Politics— Wallace  L. 
Hardison,  President  of  the  Company— Sold  Again  to  a  Syndicate  of  Which  Frank  G.  Fin- 
layson  is  President— Politics  Changed  Again— Now  the  Organ  of  the  Democratic  Party— 
The  Rural  Californian— Predecessor  was  Southern  California  Horticulturist— First  Issue 
September,  1877— Los  Angeles  Weekly  Mirror— The  Los  Angeles  Daily  Times— Date  of  Its 
Founding — Changes  in  Ownership — Increase  of   Capital   Stock — Present  Officers. 


CHAPTER  LII. 

Educational  Institutions,  Colleges  and  Universities , 

No  Collegiate  Institutions  in  California  Under  Spanish  and  Mexican  Rule— Grants  Made 
After  the  American  Occupation— St.  Vincent's  College— The  First  College  Founded— First 
Site  Sold — Military  Instruction  Introduced — College  Has  a  High  Reputation — University  of 
Southern  California— Oldest  Protestant  Educational  Institution — Offers  of  Land  Made — 
Tract  Selected  in  W'est  Los  Angeles — Building  Erected — College  of  Medicine  Founded  in 
1885 — Building  Constructed  in  1895 — Library  Building  Built — Colleges  Included  in  the  Uni- 
versity— Pomona  College — Founded  at  Pomona — Location  at  Claremont — Buildings — Pres- 
idents— Library — Attempt  to  Unite  the  Congregational,  Baptist  and  Disciples  in  One  Col- 
legiate Institution — Rapid  Growth  of  the  College — Occidental  College — The  First  Site 
Chosen — Building  Erected — The  First  President — College  Building  Destroyed  by  Fire — Loca- 
tion Changed— First  Building  on  the  New  Site  Erected  in  1898— Hall  of  Letters  Built— The 
Stimson  Library — A  $200,000  Endowment  Secured — New  President — Throop  Polytechnic 
Institute — Founded  at  Pasadena  in  1891  by  Hon.  Amos  G.  Throop — Endowment — First 
Board  of  Trustees — Change  of  Name — Buildings  Erected — Stickney  Memorial  Building — 
Throop  Hall — Endowments — Institute  Comprises  Five  Schools — Whittier  College — Whittier 
Academy  Established  in  1891 — Whittier  College  Organized  in  1901 — College  Buildings  Com- 
pleted— Gymnasium  Built — Successful  Effort  to  Raise  a  $100,000  Endowment — Harvard 
School  (Military) — A  School  Where  Military  Training  and  Scholarship  are  Combined — 
Founded  by  Prof.  Grenville  C.  Emery,  A.  M. — Site  Selected  and  Buildings  Erected — Rapid 
Growth  of  the  School — New  Buildings  Erected — Rifle  Range  Established — Cadet  Band 
Organized. 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

Literary  and  Scientific  Organizations 367 

The  Los  Angeles  Public  Library — The  Amigos  del  Pais  and  Their  Library — The  ^lechanics 
Institute — The  First  Library — Its  Organization — Officers — Books  Sold  at  Auction  to  Pay 
Expenses — Organization  of  the  Present  Library — Its  First  Location — Librarians — Attempts 
to  Secure  a  Library  Building — Library  Moved  from  the  City  Hall — Roof  Garden  Reading 
Room — Appropriation  for  Support  of  the  Library — Historical  Society  of  Southern  California 
• — Founded  November  i,  1883 — The  First  Officers — Publications — Widely  Circulated  Library 
— Legislature  of  1904  Appropriates  $125,000 — Bill  Vetoed  by  Governor  Pardee — Southern 
California  Academy  of  Science — Organized  as  the  Southern  California  Science  Associa- 
tion— Objects  of  the  Society — Membership — Line  of  Work — Publications — Pioneers  of  Los 
Angeles  County — Its  Object  Historical — Organization — Founders — First  Officers — Publica- 
tions— The  Southwest  Society  of  Archaeological  Institute  of  America — Date  of  its  Found- 
ing— Rapid  Growth — Collection  of  Folk-Songs — Relics  of  Fremont  and  Other  Pioneers — ■ 
Scientific  Explorations — Pinxhase  of  a   Site — The  First  Officers  of  the  Society. 


CONTENTS.  35 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

Climatic  and  Seismic  Tragedies 373 

California  Proud  of  Its  Climate— Excuses  Climatic  Extremes  on  the  Plea  of  Exceptional 
Years — Earthquakes — Seismic  Disturbances  Epidemic — Frequent  Earthquakes  at  the  Time 
of  the  First  Settlement— San  Gabriel  River  Named  El  Rio  de  Los  Temblores,  The  Year 
of  Earthquakes — Destruction  of  the  Mission  San  Juan  Capistrano — Injury  to  Other 
Mission  Buildings — Earthquakes  of  1856  and  1857 — Owens'  Valley  Earthquake — Earthquake 
of  1899— Floods— Meager  Weather  Reports  in  Early  Days— Flood  of  1810-11— Great  Flood 
of  1825 — Changes  the  Course  of  the  Los  Angeles  River — Flood  of  1832 — Changes  Face  of 
the  Country — Argonauts'  First  Experience  of  a  California  Flood^ — Flood  of  1852  Dis- 
astrous to  the  IMiners— The  Noachian  Deluge  of  1861-62— Very  Destructive  to  Property- 
Flood  of  1867-68  Makes  a  New  River  in  Los  Angeles  County— Floods  of  1884  and  1886 — 
Droughts — After  the  Deluge — Droughts — Short  Crops — Slaughter  of  Horses — Novenas  to 
San  Antonio  of  Padua— Famine  Years  of  1863  and  1864— Great  Loss  of  Cattle— Dry  Year 
of  1877  Destructive  to  the  Sheep  Industry — Water  Development  has  Mitigated  the  Evil 
Effects  of  Dry  Years — Record  of  the  Rainfall  at  Los  Angeles  for  Twenty  Years. 

^     -^     ^ 

CHAPTER  LV. 

Commercial  Corporations 378 

The  First  Chamber  of  Commerce  Organized  in  1873— Proposed  to  Call  It  a  Board  of 
Trade— Names  Changed  to  Chamber  of  Commerce— First  Board  of  Directors— Incorporated 
for  Fifty  Years — Works  to  Secure  Appropriation  for  San  Pedro  Harbor — Hard  Times 
Kill  It — Board  of  Trade — Oldest  Commercial  Corporation — First  Officers — Incorporates — 
Take  the  Initiative  in  Many  Beneficial  Enterprises — Presidents  from  its  Organization  to 
the  Present  Time— Secretaries— Second  Chamber  of  Commerce— W.  E.  Hughes  Inaugurates 
the  Movement— The  First  Meeting  for  Organization— Resolutions— Decide  on  Name— The 
First  Members— Constitution  and  By-laws  Drafted— The  First  Officers— First  Work  Efforts 
to  Secure  Appropriation  for  San  Pedro  Harbor— Facts  and  Figures— First  Pamphlet  Issued— 
California  on  Wheels— Contest  Over  Free  Harbor  Location— San  Pedro  Wins— Homes  of 
the  Chamber — Its  Work — Exhibitions — Presidents — Secretaries — The  Merchants  and  Manu- 
facturers Association — Youngest  Commercial  Corporation — Two  Organizations  United — 
Movement  for  Patronizing  Home  Products — Presidents  of  the  Association — Secretaries. 

^     ji     ^ 

CHAPTER  LVI. 

Pasadena   383 

Dr.  Reid's  Labors  to  Preserve  the  Early  History  of  Pasadena — The  Citizens  Owe  Him  a 
Debt  of  Gratitude— Origin  of  the  Name  San  Pascual— Some  Romancing  About  the  First 
Owner — Dona  Eulalia  Perez  de  Guillen  not  an  Owner — Juan  Marine  Granted  the  Rancho 
in  1835— Don  Manuel  Garfias  Became  Owner  of  the  Rancho— Builds  a  Costly  Residence- 
Loses  the  Rancho  on  a  Mortgage  to  Dr.  J.  S.  Griffin— Mrs.  Johnston,  Wife  of  Gen.  Albert 
Sidney  Johnston.  Purchases  Part  of  the  Rancho  and  Builds  a  House — Judge  B.  S.  Eaton 
Locates  on  the  Rancho  and  Plants  a  Vineyard— The  Great  Oil  Boom  of  1865- The  Pioneer 
Oil  Company  Obtains  a  Deed  to  All  Petroleum,  Rock  Oil.  etc.,  on  the  Rancho  San  Pasqual— 
The  San  Pasqual  Plantation  Scheme — The  California  Colony  of  Indiana — The  San  Gabriel 
Orange  Grove  Association  Purchases  4,000  Acres — Subdivision  of  the  Land — Orange  Grow- 
ing a  Success — The  Lake  Vineyard  and  Water  Company  Tract — The  First  Store  and  Post- 
off.ce — No  Town  in  1880 — Pasadena  Wins  Prizes  at  Citrus  Fairs — Pasadena,  Key  of  the 
Valley — Helen  Hunt  Jackson's  Romancing — Raymond  Hotel  Built — Railroad  Built — First 
Reverberation   of  the   Boom — Sale  of  the   School-house  Tract — Inflation  of  Values — Boom 


36  CONTENTS. 

Bursts — Depression  Does  not  Last  Long — Rehabilitation — A  Second  Railroad — Population  in 
1890 — The  i\fonnt  Lowe  Railroad — Mount  Lowe  Observatory  Built — The  Pacific  Electric 
Railway  Built — New  Buildings — Company  I,  Seventh  Regiment — Population  in  1900 — Throop 
Polytechnic  Built — Building  Boom  of  1904-05 — City  Assessment— -.The  Rose  Tournament — 
Board  of  Trade — The  Public  Librar\^ — Pioneer  Newspapers — The  Chronicle — It  Fails — The 
Star  &  Union— The  Star  Still  Shines. 

CHAPTER  LMI. 

Cities  and  Towns  of  tpie  S.\x  G.\briel  A'alley 390 

Pomona  a  Child  of  the  Colony  Era — Origin  of  the  Name — The  San  Jose  Rancho — The  Los 
Angeles  Immigration  and  Land  Co-operative  Association — Object  of  the  Association — Great 
Auction  Sale  of  Lots  in  Pomona — Disaster  Comes  upon  the  Town — Population  in  1880 — 
Incorporated  as  a  City — Rapid  Growth  During  the  Boom — The  Pioneer  Newspaper — Pop- 
ulation— Completion  of  the  Salt  Lake  Road  to  Pomona — Great  Prosperity  in  1904-1905 — 
Pomona  Library — Orange  Shipment  in  1906 — Clarement — Lordsburg — San  Dimas — Glendora 
— Azusa  City — Covina — Duarte — Irwindale — Monrovia — El  Monte — San  Gabriel — South  Pas- 
adena— Tropico — Glendale — Burbank — San  Fernando — Newhall — Hollywood — Sherman — The 
Soldiers'  Home  and  Sawtelle — Compton — Whittier — Nnrwalk — Downey — Rivera — Artesia — 
Santa   Fe   Springs — Dolgeville — .-Mhambra — Sierra  Madro. 

.»«     .»«     ■< 

CHAPTER  LVni. 
Long    Be.\cii 399 

A  Modern  Town — A  City  of  To-day — Some  ^Military  History — The  Rancho  Los  Cerritos 
Bought  by  Bixby  &  Co. — Willmore  City — The  American  Colony — The  Teachers'  Colony  not 
a  Success — Old  Timers  not  Good  Colonist  Material — Eastern  People  Coming — Colony  Tract 
and  Tow-n  Lot  Sold  to  the  Land  &  Water  Company — Name  of  Town  Changed  to  Long 
Beach — The  First  Car  Service — iNIulish  Propelling  Power — Southern  Pacific  Builds  a  Spur 
Road  into  the  Town — Depression — Population  in  1890 — The  Terminal  Railroad  Built — The 
Chautauqua  Assembly — Population  in  igoo — Electric  Road  Built — The  Los  Angeles  Dock  & 
Terminal  Company— Annexed  Territory— Schools— I'he  Bixby  Hotel  Disaster— Long  Beach 
Library. 

,^    .,»:    .< 

CHAPTER  LIX. 

Cities  and  Towns  by  the  Seaside 402 

San  Pedro— The  First  House— Smuggling— Banning  and  Tomlinson— First  Harbor  Im- 
provements— The  Free  Harbor — Misfortunes  of  the  First  Contractors — Increased  Exports 
and  Imports— Free  Public  Library— Wilmington— Banning  Founds  New  San  Pedro— Explo- 
sion of  the  Steamer  Ada  Hancock— Extension  of  the  Railroad— Decline  of  Business— Revi- 
val—Santa  Monica— Rcdondo—Avalon—Playa  del  Rev— Ocean  Park— Venice  of  America- 
Naples. 

^     ..^t     ,»{ 

CHAPTER  LX. 

Santa  Barbara  County 411 

Cabrillo.  the  Discoverer  of  the  Santa  Barbara  Channel.  Does  not  Name  It — Named  by 
Padre  de  La  Ascension — Presidio  and  Mission  Take  Their  Names  from  the  Channel — New 
Historical  Material  in  Regard  to  Bouchard  and  his  Privateers— Captain  Peter  Conrey's  Story 
— Differs  Widely  from  the  Spanish  Accounts— Cause  of  the  Burning  of  Monterey— Pillag- 
ing  of   Ortegas   Rancho— Bouchard    Spares   Santa   Barbara— Organization  of   the   County— 


CONTENTS. 


Boundaries — Transition  from  Mexican  Forms  to  American — The  First  Officers  Under  Amer- 
ican Rule — The  First  County  Seal — First  Assessment  of  Property — Fitness  and  Family 
Chief  Requisites  in  Officeholder — Crime  and  Criminals — No  Vigilantes  in  Santa  Barbara — 
Downfall  of  the  Cattle  Kings — Subdivision  of  the  Great  Ranchos — The  Railroad  Comes. 


CHAPTER  LXI. 

S.\NTA    B.VRBARA    CoUXTV CONTINUED 4I9 

The  First  School  Under  Spanish  Rule — The  First  Under  Mexican  Domination — Futile 
Attempts  to  Establish  a  School .  System — The  Common  Council  in  1850  Takes  Charge  of 
the  School — The  District  Judge  Elected  County  School  Superintendent — The  English  Lan- 
guage Introduced  in  the  Schools — Slow  Growth  of  the  Public  School  System — Cities  and 
Towns — Lompoc — Founded  as  a  Temperance  Colony — Contest  with  the  Liquor  Forces — 
Growth  of  the  City — Guadalupe — Betteravia — Santa  IMaria — Santa  Ynez — Los  Olivas — Los 
Alamos — Goleta — El    ^Nlontccito — Summerland — Carpinteria — The    Channel    Islands. 

^     -it     ^ 

CHAPTER  LXn. 


The  Cttv  of  Saxta  Barbara. 


Tl-.c  Inhabitants  Always  Conservative — Not  Given  to  Revolutions — Capture  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara by  Commodore  Stockton — Fremont  Recaptures  It — Incorporation  of  the  City — Early 
Municipal  Records  Carelessly  Kept — First  Common  Council — Salisbury  Haley's  Survey  of 
the  City  Lands — Wrackenrueder's  Survey — The  Council  Officially  Recognizes  the  United 
States  Revenue  Collector — The  Indian  Question — A  Queer  Judicial  Decision — The  First 
Sunday  Closing  Ordinance — Careless  Councilman — City  Lands — Street  Nomenclature — The 
Canon  Perdido  Affair — The  Lost  Cannon — City  Seal — Squatter  Troubles — The  Pioneer  News- 
paper— Gazette's  Description  of  the  City  in  1855 — Vigorous  arraignment  of  Derelict  Officials 
—Slow  Growth  of  City— Hard  Times— The  New  Era— The  First  Wharf  Built— Improve- 
ments—The  Natural  History  Society— The  Public  Library— The  Decade  Betw^een  1870- 
1880,  the  Transformation  Period — First  Railroad  Train  Arrives  August,  1887 — Real-Estate 
Boom — Southern  Pacific  Coast  Line  Completed  in  1901 — St.  Anthony's  College — Recent  Im- 
provements— Ocean  Boulevard — Extension  of  the  City  Water  System — La  Cumbre  Trail. 

^<     J«     ^< 

CHAPTER   LXHI. 

Bernardino  County 432 

A  Portion  of  the  Area  of  San  Bernardino  County  Originally  in  San  Diego — First  White 
Settlers — San  Bernardino  Township — Robidoux  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Sessions  at  the 
Organization  of  Los  Angeles  County — Politana  the  First  Settlement — Father  Caballeria's 
Account  of  the  Founding  and  Destruction—The  Mission  Establishment  at  Old  San  Bernar- 
dino— Destroyed  by  the  Mountain  Indians — Hostile  Indians — The  First  Land  Grant — New- 
Mexican  Colonists — The  Lugo  Grants — The  Transition  Era — Indian  Horse  Thieves — A  True 
Account  of  the  Irving  Affair — Names  of  the  Members  of  Irving's  Gang — The  Mormon 
Immigration — The  First  Arrivals — Welcomed  to  California — The  State  of  Deseret — Its 
Organization  at  Salt  Lake — Boundaries  Included  Nearly  All  of  Southern  California — Brig- 
ham  Young  Elected  Governor — Congress  Refused  to  Admit  the  State  of  Deseret — Los 
Angeles  Star's  Description  of  the  San  Bernardino  Valley  in  1851 — The  Morm.ons  buy  the 
San  Bernardino  Rancho — Indian  Depredations — Stockade  Built  at  San  Bernardino  to  Protect 
the  Settlers  from  Indian  Raids. 


38  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   LXIV. 

San  Bernardino  County — Continued 440 

Organization  of  the  County— Act  Creating  the  County  Approved  April  26.  1853— Town  Site 
of  San  Bernardino  Laid  Off— Council  House  Built— Rancho  Subdivided  into  Small  Tracts- 
Express  to  Salt  Lake  Established— The  First  Pony  Express— Failure  of  the  Wheat  Crop- 
Hard  Times— The  Colony  Prosperous— School  Established— Political— Vote  for  President- 
Recall  of  the  Saints — Brigham  Young  Defies  the  Government — The  Exodus  Begins — Rival 
Fourth  of  July  Celebrations — Report  of  Mountain  Meadows  Massacre  Hastens  the  Mor- 
mon Departure — Sacrifice  of  Property — Departure  of  the  Last  Train — After  the  Mormon 
Exodus — Reminiscences  of  an  Old  Pioneer — Unsocial  Events — Hard  Times — Gold  Mining — 
Holcomb  Valley  Discoveries — Pioneer  Newspaper — J.  Judson  Ames  Moves  the  San  Diego 
Herald  to  San  Bernardino — Demise  of  the  San  Bernardino  Herald — The  Great  Flood  of 
1861-62 — Agua  Manza  Washed  Away — Indian  Depredations — Population  in  1870 — Railroad 
Projects— The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad. 

CHAPTER  LXV. 
San  Bernardino  County — Continued 447 


Cities  and  Towns — San  Bernardino  City — Its  Early  History  Identical  with  That  of  the 
County — Not  Often  Visited  in  Early  Times  by  Travelers — Trade  with  the  Mines — Court- 
house Built  in  187s— The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa'  Fe  Railroad  Reaches  the  City— The 
California  Southern  Railroad — Car  Shops  Built — The  Stewart  Hotel — Disaster — Board  of 
Trade — Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Builds  a  Line  into  the  City — City  Charter  Granted — 
Colton — A  Railroad  Town — Pioneer  Newspaper — Town  Becomes  a  City — Redlands — The 
Town  Plat  Filed — Agitation  over  Incorporation  of  the  Several  Towns  into  One  City — The 
Smileys'  Arrival — The  Redlands  Water  Company — Board  of  Trade — Ontario  and  Upland — 
Founding  of  the  Colony — Founding  of  the  Chaffey  College  of  Agriculture — A  Gala  Day  at 
the  Colony  Site — Euclid  Avenue — The  Gravity  Mule  Car — Ontario  Library — Upland — For- 
merly North  Ontario — Change  of  Name — Public  Library — Chino,  Meaning  of  the  Word — 
The  Chino  Rancho — Chino  Sugar  Factory — Rialto — The  Semi-Tropic  Land  &  Water  Com- 
pany— Its  Failure — Highland — Early  Settlers — Secures  a  Railroad — Cucamonga — Etiwanda — 
loamosa — Barstow — The  Needles. 

CHAPTER   LXVI. 

Ventura  County  45f 

Early  History  of  Ventura  County— Part  ot  Santa  Barbara— The  Oldest  Roads  up  the 
Coast— Little  Shipping  from  the  Port  of  San  Buenaventura  in  Early  Days— The  Battle  of 
San  Buenaventura— First  Settlers  after  the  Conquest— The  First  School— The  First  Attempt 
to  Form  a  County  from  the  Eastern  Part  of  Santa  Barbara— First  Attempt  to  Incorporate 
the  Town— Floods— Subdivision  of  the  Great  Ranchos  Brings  Immigrants— Coast  Stage  Line 
—Josephine  Clifford's  Description  of  a  Night  Ride— The  First  Wharf— Formation  of  the 
New  County— Reasons  for  Segregation— Election  Frauds— The  Bill  Creating  the  County 
Approved— Commissioners  Appointed— Names  of  the  First  County  Officers  Elected— The 
Courthouse  War — Prosperity. 

Ji     ^     ^ 

CHAPTER  LXVn. 

Ventura  County — Continued 461 

Annals  of  Ventura  Town  and  County — No  Colony  Settlements— School  Bonds  Issued— 
Ventura  Library  Association  Formed— Two  Newspapers— News  Items  Scarce— Newspaper 
War— The  First  Fire  Company— Loss  of  the  Steamer  Kalorama— Crimes  and  Criminals— 


CONTENTS. 


Lynching  of  Hargen — The  T.  Wallace  More  JNIurder — The  Murder  Trial  a  Famous  Case — 
Conviction  of  Two  of  the  Conspirators — Discharge  of  the  Others — Wreck  of  the  Crimea — 
Loss  of  the  Brig  Mary  Ann — Destruction  of  the  Sheep  Industry — Assessed  Value  of  the 
County  in  1879 — Beginning  of  the  Bean  Industry — Flood  of  18S4 — Building  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific — Population  in  iSgo — Pioneer  Society  Organized — Assassination  of  County  Su- 
perintendent Buckman — Railroad  to  Nordhoff — High  Schools — Beet  Sugar  Industry — Popu- 
lation in  1900 — Chatsworth  Tunnel  Completed — Towns — Hueneme — Nordhoff — Santa  Paula — 
Oxnard — Islands  of  Ventura  County — The  Anacapas — Meaning  of  the  Name — Loss  of  the 
Steamer  Winfield  Scott  on  the  Anacapas — San  Nicolas — Massacre  of  the  Inhabitants  by  the 
Aleut  Fur  Hunters — Removal  of  the  Survivors  to  the  Mainland — Story  of  the  Lone  Woman, 
of  San  Nicolas — Killed  by  Kindness. 


CHAPTER    LXVIII. 

Orange   County 471 

The  First  Attempt  to  Create  a  New  County— The  Originator  of  the  County  Division 
Scheme — Bill  to  Create  the  County  of  Anaheim  Passed  by  the  Lower  House  of  the  Legis- 
lature— Opposition  of  Los  Angeles  City — Bill  Defeated  in  the  Senate — No  More  Coin  from 
the  Faithful — Major  Max  Stroble,  a  Soldier  of  Fortune — His  Career — He  Starts  a  News- 
paper— Attempt  to  Form  the  County  of  Santa  Ana — A  Concession  That  Does  not  Conciliate — 
Failure  of  the  Fourth  Attempt — The  Final  Struggle — Success — The  County  of  Orange  Cre- 
ated—County Officials  Elected— Boundaries  and  Area  of  the  New  County— Spanish  Ranchos 
in  Orange  County— The  Oldest  Spanish  Grant— Boundaries  of  the  Santiago  de  Santa  Ana— 
The  Santa  Ana  River  Changes  the  Boundaries— The  Squatter  War— A  Long  Drawn  Out 
Legal  Contest — Indefinite  Boundaries  of  the  Mexican  Land  Grants  Cause  of  Much  Litiga- 
tion—An Example  of  Crude  Boundary  Lines— Schools— High  Schools— Population— His- 
tory of  the  Celery  Industry — The  Oil  Industry. 

vt      .«      ^ 

CHAPTER  LXIX. 

Orange  County — Continued 478 

Cities  and  Towns— Anaheim,  One  of  the  Oldest  Colony  Experiments  in  California— A  Vine- 
yard Colony — The  Los  Angeles  Vineyard  Company — The  Purchase  of  1,200  Acres  Near 
the  Santa  Ana  River — Plan  of  the  Colony — George  Hansen  Appointed  Superintendent — 
Names  of  the  Trustees — The  Colony  Tract  Named  Anaheim — Improvements  Begun — Plant- 
ing Vines — Distribution  of  the  Vineyard  Tracts  by  Lot — Anaheim  Township  Created — Hard 
Struggle— The  First  School-house— The  Colony  Flooded— The  Anaheim  Water  Company— 
The  Cajon  Irrigation  Company — School  District  Bonded  and  a  $10,000  Schoolhouse  Built 
—The  Pioneer  Newspaper— The  Mysterious  Vine  Disease  Destroys  the  Vineyards— Pioneer 
Churches— Improvements— Santa  Ana— Founded  by  William  H.  Spurgeon— The  First  Store 
— Organization  of  a  School  District — The  First  Schoolhouse — The  Town  off  the  Main 
Road— The  Stage  Route  Diverted  to  a  New  Road— PostofRce  Established— Small  Pay  to  the 
Postmaster — The  Railroad  Reaches  the  Town — The  First  Newspaper — Pioneer  Churches — 
Pioneer  Banks — The  Press — Recent  Improvements — New  City  Hall — Improved  Water  Sys- 
tem— The  Parade  of  Products — Wonderful  Displav  of  Products — Santa  Ana  Free  Public 
Library — Orange  Formerly  Known  as  Richland — Postoffice  Established — New  Ditch  Con- 
structed— Incorporated  as  a  City — Public  Library — Tustin — Founded^  by  Columbus  Tustin — 
Builds  a  Schoolhouse  at  His  Own  Expense— Postoffice  Established — Fullerton  a  Young 
City — Center  of  Large  Citrus  District — Large  Walnut  Production — High  School — Hunting- 
ton Beach — Westminster  Colony — Garden  Grove — Los  Alamitos — Buena  Park — Newport 
Beach — Capistrano. 


40  CONTENTS. 

'      ■                                                        CHAPTER    LXX. 
RuT.RSiDE   County 4^6 

First  Attempt  to  Form  Riverside  County  a  Failure— Effort  to  Form  Tliree  Counties— Sec- 
ond Attempt  to  Form  the  County  Succeeds— Varieties  of  Climate  and  Productions— Era  of 
Agricultural  Experiments— Ri\erside  Owes  Its  Location  to  the  Sericulture  Fad— The  Failure 
of  the  Silk  Industry  Experiment— Death  of  Louis  Prevost,  the  Principal  Promoter  of  the 
Industry— Judge  North's  Colony  Association— Judge  North  Visits  Southern  California- 
Purchase  of  the  Silk  Center  Association's  Land — The  Southern  California  Colony  Associa- 
tion Formed— Names  of  the  Members  of  the  Association— Lands  Surveyed  and  Subdivided 
—Town  of  Jurupa  Laid  Off— Name  Changed  to  Riverside— Arrival  of  the  First  Colonists- 
Irrigating  Canal  Constructed— First  Orange  Trees  Planted— Raisin  Grape  Extensively 
Planted— The  Bahia  or  Washington  Navel  Orange  Introduced  by  L.  C.  Tibbetts— Millions 
of  the  Trees  Propagated— Arlington— Samuel  C.  Evans  Buys  a  Half  Interest  in  the  Harts- 
horn Tract— Evans  and  Sayward  Begin  the  Construction  of  a  Canal— Consolidation  of 
Water  Systems — The  World-famous  Magnolia  Avenue  Begun— Various  Colonies  United 
under  One  Water  System— Riverside  in  1875  not  a  Temperance  Town— Railroad  Prospect— 
An  Amusing  Resolutioti- The  First  Citrus  Fair— Fruit  Culture  in  1879— Some  Recent 
Statistics — Riverside  the  8.ichest  Community  in  the  World— Some  First  Events— The  River- 
side Free  Public  Library— The  Pioneer  Newspaper— The  Weekly  News— Bucks  Brief  Vale- 
dictory—The Riverside  Press— The  Daily  Enterprise. 

■^    yt    .* 

CHAPTER    LXXI. 

Riverside  County — Continued 49' 

Riverside  Water  System— Riverside  Water  Company— Sources  of  Supply— Extent— The 
Gage  Canal— Mathew  Gage— Difficulties  That  Beset  Him  in  the  Beginning— Success  Crowns 
His  Efforts— Extent  of  the  System— Cost— Jurupa  Canal— Riverside  Highland  Water  Com- 
pany—Cities and  Towns— Riverside  City— A  Modern  City— Area— The  Replanting  of  a 
Famous  Tree— Recent  Rapid  Growth— Public  Building  Erected— Mount  Robidoux  Boule- 
vard—Notable Thoroughfares— Corona— Laid  Off  in  a  Circular  Form— Rapid  Growth- 
New  Water  Supply— Manufactures— Public  Library— Temecula—Murietta—Elsinore—Perris 
—Winchester— Lakeview—Hemet— San  Jacinto  City— Strawberry  Valley— Beaumont— Ban- 
ning—The  Coachilla  Valley— Some  Twentieth  Century  Events— City  High  School— The 
County  Jail— The  Sherman  Institute— Laying-  of  the  Corner  Stone— Objects  of  the  Institute— 
The  School  a  Success— The  Concrete  Bridge  over  the  Santa  Ana  River  One  of  the  World's 
Famous  Bridges — Cost. 


INDEX 


A 

Abbot,   J.    R 1726 

Abbott,   Edward    S i960 

Abbott,    John    R 1619 

Abbott,    Osceola    C 1890 

Abplanalp,    Edward    1940 

Adams,    Abel    ^641 

Adams,    Charles    B 2110 

Adams.    Clarence    C 1972 

Adams.    John    Q 860 

Adams,    John    Q 1939 

Adarga,   Jose    814 

Addison,   Robert    2163 

Aerick,    John    1958 

Aggen,    Frederic    1559 

Agoure,    Pierre    1636 

Agiiirre,    Miguel    A 1740 

Ahlstrom,    John    F 1554 

Aiken,    Harry    C 1036 

Ainsworth,    H.    B 2220 

Alcorn,    James    C 2125 

Alexander,   Gottfried    2190 

Alkire,    Josiah    1188 

Allen,  Charles  F 1183 

Allen,   Claude  M _ 2174 

Allen,    George   F 1648 

Allen,   John    W 1016 

Allen,    Oliver    A 2109 

Allen,  William  J 1898 

Allgeyer,    Henry    1348 

Amar,   Edouard    827 

Ambler,    Cleason    1098 

Ames,    Earl    L 2062 

Anderson,    C.    0 1 130 

.\nderson,   Daniel   W 2142 

Anderson,   G 2240 

Anderson,  John   A 995 

Anderson,   J.    W 1046 

Anderson,    Nils    1987 

Anderson,    Reuben    J 2161 

Andrew,    Charles     1281 

Andrew,   Tilghman   D 1805 

Andrew,   William    1322 

Andrews,    Allen    W 1857 

Andrews,    Harvey    F 922 

Andrews,    Joshua    2141 

Andrews,   Joshua    1995 

Andrews,   R.    C 2070 

Andrews,   Richard   L 1318 

Angel,   James   N 929 

Apiou,    Jean    1731 

Apsey,  Job  E 1403 

Ardis,  John   D 1067 

Armstrong,  Robert,   j\I.  D....   1019 

Armstrong,  Royal  M 2055 

Arnold.   C.   R 2216 

Arnold,   Chester  G 1666 

Arnold.   Eugene   T 1668 

Arnold,   Lerov    1584 

Arnold.    PercV    N 19/6 

Ashcroft.    Norman    1276 

Aspc.   Capt.  John   W 1972 

Atkinson.    Benjamin    M 1953 


Atmore,  M 2173 

At  water,    A.   J 2239 

Atwood,   Danford    1826 

Auld,   William  H 1143 

Austin,    Matthew    J igo8 

Austin,    W.    Horace 1957 

Ayers,   Frank    1073 

Ayers,    Wilbur    W 2071 

Aylmore,   Albert    2175 

B 

Bacon.    Elmer    1746 

Bacon,   Shirley   \' 1749 

Bahrenburg.  George  E..  M.  D.  loio 

Bailard,  John    1052 

Bailey,    Charles    W 2164 

Baker,    Calvin     2186 

Baker,    Isaac    F 1208 

Baker,    John    S 2192 

Baldridge,    ^Michael    1222 

Baldwin,    Fred    P 1796 

Baldwin.    James    V 545 

Baly.   Hal   W 1758 

Baly,   Henry    1828 

Banks,   George   H 1839 

Barclay,  John  H 1422 

Bard,   Cephas  L.,   M.   D 509 

Bard.  Hon.  Thomas  R 507 

Bargar,  John   C 984 

Barker.    Obadiah    T 736 

Barker,  Walter  E 1855 

Barlow.  Walter  J 535 

Barnard,   Edwin  L 1625 

Barndollar,  Harry  676 

Barnes,  Charles  J 1464 

Barnes,  Hon.  Frank  W 1417 

Barnes,    Legene    S....". 1126 

Barron,   George   D 776 

Barton,   Albert   G 1308 

Barton,   Chester  R 727 

Barton,  John   W 1533 

Barton,   Sylvester  W 1053 

Barton,  William  T 2009 

Bartow,  James  V 1964 

Bartron.    P.    H 1253 

Bates.   Frank  L 2258 

Bates.  Jacob   H 143S 

Battles.   George  W 879 

Baum,  John  G 1819 

Bautzer,  Edward  H 1906 

Bay.   George    1469 

Beach.    W.    W 2191 

Bean.    Jacob    661 

Beard.   George    1895 

Beardsley.    Robert   L 1987 

Beasley.  Henry  C 1333 

Beck.   Charles   E 1396 

Beck,    Thomas    2150 

Beckett,   Wesley   W 733 

Bell.    John    S 217s 

Bell.   Robert    1009 

Bell.   Thomas    1333 

Bemis.    Amos    H 2041 


Bendasher,    P.    J 2222 

Benedict,   Edson  A 1654 

Benn,  John    iznc 

Bennett,  F.  E .'..'.     876 

Bennett,   George   E 1602 

Bennett,    Oscar    2024 

Benson,    George    S 17  ir 

Bentley,   William  H ■.'.:   1519 

Berges,   Sylvain    moi 

Bernasconi,  Mrs.  M 1^,7 

Berry,    J.    B 2T7Q 

Berry,    Mark   T 887 

Best.   Fred   N '.     §62 

Best,    Newton    W 2060 

Bettens,  P.  A 2238 

Beveridge,  John   L 546 

Beverly,    Burt    2257 

Bewley,    William    E 1915 

Biane,    Marius    2154 

Bichowsky,  Emmo  C 2049 

Bidart,    Gratian    942 

Bierlein,   Fred  G 1255 

Billingsiy,    William    C 104; 

Binns,    VV.    C 1302 

Bise,    Samuel    AI 2132 

Bither,   Eber   K 1825 

Bixby,  Jotham    501 

Bixler,    Gilbert    A 1808 

Bjorkman,   Henry   1594 

Bjorkman,  John   1715 

Black,   John    W 1608 

Black,  Hon.   Samuel  T 643 

Blackmer.  Hon.  Eli  T 1488 

Blake.  John   C 1950 

Blakely,   Thomas   A 1815 

Blakeslee,    George   A 916 

Blewett.   George  A 708 

Blinn.    Irving    L 1823 

Blodgett,  John    2051 

Blondeau,    Rene    2077 

Blood,    Harrison   J 1901 

Blount.  George  H 504 

Bluemle,  Frederick   1872 

Blunieare,  JNIatheas   2052 

Blythe.    Clinton    1817 

Bodger.   John    554 

Bodwell.   Joseph   F 1904 

Boettcher.   Reinhold    1879 

Bolton.   M.   Blanche,   ^l.   D...  1140 

Bondietti.    A 626 

Borchard.    Casper    1941 

Borchard,   Frank   A 1732 

Borchard,   John    S3l 

Borden.    Carroll    E 1145 

Borden,   John    E 2241 

Borden,   Reynold   B 803 

Bovard.    George    F 702 

Bowen.    Edmund    F 1332 

Bowman.  D.  E 1240 

Boyd,  Thomas    1302 

Bradlev.   Edward  R 756 

Brady.  Capt.  John  T 526 

Brand.  Robert  L •.  . .  .   1649 


INDEX. 


Glass,   David   R 2187 

Glatz,  Albert 2061 

Glen  Holly  Daiiy 1954 

Glenn,   George   W 1583 

Glidden,    Setli    2239 

Glover,    James    B 1538 

Goelz,    John    2014 

Goetting,  Augnst  A 1 1 19 

Golden,   Martin   J 862 

Goldkamp,   Ferdinand   J 683 

Gonzalez,  Jose  M 1912 

Goode,   Edgar  D 1553 

Goodlett,   John    B 1892 

Goodrich,   George   A 2098 

Gordon,  James  J 2229 

Gowell,    Silas    L , 2059 

Graham,  J.  W 2230 

Graham,    William    0 1493 

Grand,    August    H 2195 

Grant,    James    P 952 

Granville,    Edward    899 

Gray.    W.    J 2178 

Gray,  W.   M 2182 

Greaser,  Charles  E 1689 

Greely,   William    C 20SS 

Greene.    Edmund    B 2099 

Greenman,    Charles    F 2100 

Gregg,   Flon.   Frederic  W 1919 

Gregory,    Joseph    879 

Grave,    Charles     2190 

Grider,  Thomas  J.,  Jr 2184 

Griffin,    Cecil    L 1870 

Griffin,    Enoch    1776 

Griffin,    James   L 2047 

Griffin,    John     1015 

Griffith,   G.  W.   E 1793 

Griffiths,    George    W 1104 

Griffiths.    William    L 1510 

Griniaud.   Germain    2031 

Griswold.    Harry    W 1124 

Griswold,  Mrs.  Helen  B 1197 

Grosjean,   Charles   1924 

Grow,   Walter  F 2046 

Guess,   John    532 

Guinn,  James   M 650 

Guiteau,    Henry    C 2196 

Gully,   Cuthbert    1171 

H 

Hackman.  Mrs.  Mabel  L 1814 

Haddox,   Eli    M 1338 

Hadley,    Albert    1307 

Hage.    Willard    B 1520 

Haig.    Morton    2190 

Haight.    Albert   C 1863 

Hails,   George  A 1253 

Halburg.   Frank   A 2230 

Hall,    Albert    E 2089 

Hall,   I.   L 2249 

Hall,   Jesse    P.   R 1040 

Hall,    Nathan    1042 

Hall.    W.    F 2099 

Ham.  Alexander  M 1912 

Hambleton,    Walter    D 1566 

Hamburger.   Asher    730 

Hamilton.   Capt,    John 778 

Hamilton.   N.   H..  M.   D 1703 

Hancock,  Alvin  B 1373 

Hancock,   John    .■  1994 

Hancock.  Samuel  R 1994 

Hanf.    Philip     1157 

Hanford,  J.  J 2043 

Hanna,   George    2248 

Hanna,  Jacob   2250 


Hannon,    Francis   C 1092 

Hansard,   J.    W 2206 

Hansen,    George    1775 

Hansen.   James    P i960 

Hansen,    John     2135 

Happe,   Anthony  J 1464 

Haraszthy,  B.   A 820 

Harbison,    John    S 2102 

Harbison,  R.  C '. 2256 

Hardin,  Louis  B 1066 

Hargis,    Charles    J 614 

Hargrave,   John   R 2089 

Hargraves,    Walter    C 2094 

Harper,  Robert  B 2167 

Harps,   Jacob    1422 

Harrington,    David    G 1508 

Harris,   Henrv   H 1959 

Harris.  Horace  E 2022 

Harris.    Oscar    W IS50 

Harrison.    E.    N 2205 

Harshman,  Josiah  J 714 

Hart,   Allan   L 1867 

Hartman,  John   C 1590 

Haskell,   Loring   B 1804 

Haskell,   Wesley    1113 

Haskins,  James  C 1797 

Hass,   Theodore   E 1944 

Hatch.   Edward  J 2149 

Hatfield.   Abraham    1 169 

Hathaway,    Jefferson    H 1262 

Hatherley,    John    H 2162 

Hathorn,    Daniel    M 2027 

Hattery,   Jeremiah   L 2057 

Hays,   John    P 2231 

Hay  ward,   Daniel    S 2249 

Hazelton,    George    H 1514 

Heacock,    Nat   E 964 

Heap,   George    E 2026 

Heap.   Parley  W..  Jr 2211 

Heartwell,    Charles    L 681 

Heartwell.   Hon.  J.   B 687 

Hecox,    Adna    A 1202 

Hecox.    Orville    S 1202 

Hedden,    George    2183 

Heinrich,  John  R 1728 

Heistermann.   August   C 1868 

Helander.   John    2053 

Heller.    Samuel    115S 

Hellman.    Herman    W 557 

Henn,'.   Hugh    1974 

Herbert,    Fernando    C 2152  ' 

Herkelrath.    Nicholas    1527 

Hess,    Frederick   C 1763 

Hiatt,   ;Marvin   B 2040 

Hibbits,  Guy   2233 

Higgins,    Benianiin    B I187 

Hickey.  Abraham  L 816 

Hicks,   Robert    764 

Hicks.    Squire   E 2101 

Hildebrand,  J.    Frederick 872 

Hill.   Reuben  W..   :\1.   D 1431 

Hill,    riionias   M 1961 

liinialava    Mininu    (,'' iniijany .  .    1249 

llinn-<Hi,   Tuvcv    11 1938 

llincks.    Harvey    W 1820 

Hinnian.   George    1992 

Hinshaw.    John    A 794 

Hoag,   Judge   Julius   A 1S43 

Hoansler.   Frank    2124 

Hobbs.    Mrs.    Martha   J 2000 

Hoff,    Richard    1786 

Floffman,  L.  E 2205 

Hoffman,   Roy    2230 

Hoffmavr.  Harry  J 178S 


Hofman.   Capt.   W.   E 1377 

Hoge.   Charles    H 1 129 

Hohlbauch,    John    919 

Holcomb,    Roy    1274 

Holden,  Joseph  M..  M.  D 761 

Holland,   Charles   E 2065 

Holliday,  Charles  L 1332 

Holloway,    J.    J 670 

Hollywood   Hotel    1746 

Holmes,   Chester  J 1550 

Hood,  William  H 1054 

Hook,    John    1545 

Hoover,    Clyde   L 846 

Hoover,  George  W 952 

Hoover,    0 959 

Horton,  A.  E 2251 

Horton,  Sidney  V 1533 

Hossler,  Frank  C 1887 

Hotchkiss,   Fred   E 2094 

Hotel    Escondido    1544 

Hough,   John   J 113s 

Houghton,  Alonzo  0 1617 

Houghton,    Lake    W 1285 

Howard,   Bryant    66g 

Howard,    Oliver   S 2129 

Howe.   Ernest    S 787 

Howell.   William   H 1152 

Hubbard.    C.    D 2144 

Hubbard.    Henry    C IS7S 

Hubbert.   B.   F 1647 

Hubbert.    Presley   T 1175 

Hudson,    Josiah    W 1191 

Huff,    Jacob    1952 

Hughes,    C.    B 2260 

Hughes,   Edward  T 1589 

Hughes,   George   W 542 

Hughes,   J.    M 2204 

Hughes,  Thomas   577 

Hughes,    W.    A 2199 

Hugues,    Jules    1392 

Hull.    Albert    G 2166 

Humphrey,  C.  0 2259 

Humphrey.   F.   J 2231 

Hungerford.    Wallace    2095 

Hunt,    Aimer    1119 

Hunt,  D.  Winslow,  M,  D....     758 

Hunt.   Richard    0 1146 

Hunt.    William    C 1236 

Hunter.    Asa    2096 

Hunter.   Jesse   D 2098 

Hurlburt.   Burt  G 160T 

Hursey.    Robert    0 1456 

Hurst,   Melvin   W 1239 

Hurtt.     George    W 2232 

Hutchcroft.  Mark   1080 

r 

Tiams.    Isaac    C 161S 

Tngersoll.    Joseph    1813 

Ingham.   Thomas    S 1659 

Ironmonger,    Charles    F 1779 

Iversen,   Peter  L 1764 

Iveson.  Clarence  E 1411 

Izer,    Elmer   E 671 

J 

Jacob.  Rev.  W.   E 1 162 

Jacobs,   .■\bner   D 1734 

Jacoby.  George   F 1279 

James.  Thomas  H 1876 

Jane  way.   Luther   C 740 

Jasper,   James   A 1500 

Jalta,  J.  N 1006 


INDEX. 


Jeftery,   R.    N 2200 

Jenifer.  John   0 1436 

Jennings.    Samuel    N.... 1859 

Jensen,   J.   H 2165 

Jepson,   Frederick    2199 

Jobbitt.  'riionias 1950 

Joehnck.    Fredrich 2013 

Johnson,    .Albert 1921 

Johnson,   .\lbert    1234 

Johnson,    Alfred    E 861 

Johnson,   .\niasa   P.,  Jr 1224 

Johnson,  .Andrew   2233 

Johnson,   Cassius   C 1087 

Johnson,  Hon.  C.  F.  .A 823 

Johnson,  Charles  H 1674 

Johnson,   Clans   A 1094 

Johnson,   Frank   1807 

Johnson,  Frank  W 2136 

Johnson,   George   H 1259 

Johnson,  Gudninnd  934 

Johnson,  Gustav  F 1S84 

Johnson,  Hans  A 1198 

Johnson,    Horace   A 1773 

Johnson,  James  Y 1817 

Jfohnson,  John  L 856 

Johnson,  John  R 1331 

Johnson,  Niels  P 1937 

Johnson,  Percy  A 1809 

Johnston,  James  C 2259 

Johnston,   John    1507 

Johnstoji.    John    1911 

Johnstone,    Col.   H.    S 2235 

Jones,  Rev.  .Alonzo  E 687 

Jones,  Rev.  Hemy  W 1910 

Jones,  Joseph   2038 

Jones,   Joseph    E 1210 

Jones,  William  H.,  U.  D 604 

Jones,    Zephaniah    2084 

Jordan,    Daniel    S 1404 

Jorres,   William    2078 

Jonghin,   Andrew    587 

Joughin,    Andrew,    Jr 656 

Jonghin,  John  T 645 

Jonrdan,  E.  M 1874 

Joy,  Walter  B 1791 

Jndson,    John    B 1325 

Jimod,  Gustavus  L 1614 

Justice,  John   B 2232 

Justice,   William    2261 

K 

Kalm,    Louis     2059 

Kaiser,    Henry    F 1961 

Kapp,   Hon.   George   F 2081 

Karr.    Frank     1906 

Kastle,  Col.  John   S48 

Keen,   Winfield   S 1522 

Keir.    Alexander    2088 

Kelley,   W.    E 2156 

Kellogg,  Joseph  1 1642 

Kelly,    .\rthur  G 2037 

Kelly.    Charles    7^3 

Kelly,    Hazen    H 2164 

Kelly.    Joseph    H 2016 

Kelly.  Robert  S 221 1 

Kelsea,    H.    C .   1847 

Kelso,    Hon.    William    H 1083 

Kempley,    John    1836 

Kennedy,    John    1655 

Kennedy,   Silas   E i399 

Kenyon,  Merton  L 617 

Kepner,   .Aaron   E 1313 

Keppel,    Mark    606 

Kerns,   .Albert   L 20S0 


Kerr,    J.    T 2261 

Keyes,    Hiram    1337 

Kidson,   Gilbert 614 

Kidson,   Richard    646 

Killian,   Jonas    S 865 

Kimball,    Fred    1 1752 

Kimbell,    Albert   T 1812 

King,    Abraham    L 1979 

King.   .Abraham   N 1979 

King,  Frank  E 2079 

King,   John    528 

King,    Joseph    D 1410 

Kingcade,  Russell    1780 

Kinkead.  William    2107 

Kirkpatrick,    Robert    C 1451 

Kirkwood,  Robert   1848 

Kitching.   Mrs.   P.   E 2035 

Kling,   Georg;e   S 1210 

Knapp,  Harrie  C 636 

Kneale,   Thomas    856 

Kneen,   J.   D 2233 

Knickerbocker,  E.  M 2260 

Knight,   Frederick  A 2028 

Knight,    Jesse    J 677 

Knox,    James    D 1455 

Kohler,    Ernst    1710 

Kohler,   Herman    1421 

Kortner,   Christian    1923 

Kortner,    Henry    T 1709 

Krempel,    Chris    1461 

Kuebler,   John    1620 

Kughen,   David   .A 1305 

L 

Laborde,  James    2083 

Lacoe,  Ralph  D 692 

Lacy,    Philemon   R 2168 

Lamb,    Den\er    0 692 

Lamb,    Jerome    T 1643 

Lambert,   Thomas   H 2169 

Landis,   Harry   M 2130 

Lane,    George    .A 1236 

Lane.    Henry    S IS94 

Lanpher.  Stephen  D 1513 

Lantz.    Carl   0 884 

Lapeyre,   Pierre    1525 

Lapham.  Joseph  H 734 

Large.   Isaac    N 2186 

Larsen,   Louis   L 1204 

Larson,    .Al    1990 

Larson,    Olof    1084 

Larzalere,   John   V 1494 

Lasswell,    Benjamin    F 1605 

Laswell,    J.    J 2253 

Lauer.   Lincoln   A 2080 

Laughlin,    Homer    618 

Laughlin.   John    1509 

Laurent,    Martin    J 11.39 

Lawrence,   Rev.   Charles  H...  1787 

Le   Bellejay.    Father  A 2152 

Lee,    .Alexander   0 784 

Lee,  -Alonzo  W 2122 

Lee,  Baker  P 768 

Lee.   Francis  M 2165 

Leedom.    Smith    1244 

Le  Fevre,  Thomas   2033 

Leffingwell,   Miss    L.    1 2082 

Lefler,    Samuel     2159 

Leftwich,  J.  T 2200 

Lehman,   Leon    1172 

Lehmann,    .A 2082 

Le   Long,  John   B.   B 2274 

Lemberger,    John    1406 

Lembke.  A.  J 2212 


Lent,    Samuel    L 2141 

Lenton,  Stephen  1383 

Lesem,  Marx  .A 1295 

Lesher,   Samuel    M 1519 

Leuzinger,    .Adolph    1801 

Lewis,   Henry    C 2169 

Lewis.   James   H 1227 

Lewis,    Matthew    682 

Lewis,    Samuel    F 1041 

Lewison,    Lewis     .2167 

Libby,   Benjamin   F 2122 

Libby,   Charles   S 1543 

Libby,   Frank    2090 

Lightburn,    John    F 835 

Lincoln,    John    W 2123 

Lindley,  Walter,  KL  D 697 

Lindsay,    Gawn    J 1903 

Lindsey,    Lewis    C 1262 

Lindskow.  Mrs.  Mary  E 1770 

Littlepage,   Charles   P 1667 

Littlepage,    William    C 17SS 

Livingston,  Robert   G 1230 

Lobingier,   Jacob   F 2133 

Lockwood,    -A.    J 2092 

Lodge,  Leander   1400 

Logan,   John    E 1902 

Logan,  J.    S 2127 

Logan,    W.    P 2126 

Long  Beach   Business   College  1570 

Long,   John    G 2263 

Long,  Stephen  G 1781 

Longmire.    Charles    W 2016 

Loomis,    Chester   B 1661 

Lopez,    Peter   L 1126 

Lorbeer,    L.    A 1679 

Loustau,    Jean    B 1576 

Love,   Jerome  W 1815 

Loveland.    Fremont    1680 

Loving,    Charles    W 819 

Lowe,   Henry    980 

Lowe,  Prof.  W.  Olin 1077 

Loynachan,  John   1703 

Ludden,   Raymond,   D.   0 1945 

Ludy,  Jacob    896 

Lugo,   Mercurial    1851 

Lugo,    Vicente    1 132 

Lukens,  Warren  C 1233 

Lundqui^t,   Carl    1678 

Lutherer,    .\nfin    2201 

Lutz.   Capt.    Elmer  0 1130 

Lybarger.  Jay   G 1836 

Lyman.    George    P 2014 

Lynn,  George  W 2007 

Lynn,    Robert    ^I 1907 

Lyon,    John    C 1683 

Lyon.   William   H 1400 

Lyster,    Byron    J 2146 

Lytle,   John    H '. 2045 

Mc 

^McCain.    John     1549 

McClain,    Xathaniel    1150 

McCIure,    John    1916 

McCnlhini.   Clarence   C 2046 

>i.  I    iiiii:.  ■     Mrs.   Kate  C 1406 

M>  '  -■  :i:     .   Thomas   1380 

!    '            ''■     ^-n    1774 

M^''   ■'}■■     '  11 -^n-     1752 

McCrccrv.  Rufus  K 1020 

McCreerv.    Samuel    R 1986 

McCuIlough.  Joseph  H 1878 

McCurdy,   Fred    A 1851 

McDonald,    Willis    B 1572 

McElvain,  Jeremiah   2234 


INDEX. 


McFarland,  Samuel  B 2011 

McFarlane,  William  A 1531 

McGarvin,   D.   C 782 

McGee,   Robert   M 1768 

McGIashan,   John    1763 

McGrath,    Donlick    956 

McGuire,    Irving    N 788 

Mcintosh,   Daniel    1557 

Mcintosh.    Richard    P 1412 

McKay,  George  P 684 

McKie,   Alexander    1565 

McKinney.    M.   R 2093 

McLain,    Henry    L 1569 

McLaughlin,  Mark   1265 

McLaughlin.  William  T 1762 

McLean,    John    D 2032 

McLeod.   Benjamin   F 2063 

McLoughlin,  Thomas  F 1626 

McMichael.  Thomas  R 1686 

McMillin.    Tohn    C 1632 

McNab.  Capt.    S.   W 1131 

McNealy,    Henry   E 1106 

McNiven,  Daniel  1955 

McPherson,  James    1775 

Mc Vicar,    Capt.   James   A....   1830 

M 

MacGillivray,    George    B 2018 

i\IacGillivray.    John" 1684 

Machado,    Dolores    536 

Machado,  Jose   A 925 

Machado,  Jose  J 929 

Machado,  Macedonio  1027 

Maclay,    Hon.    Charles 1426 

Maclay,  J.  C 1577 

Maclay,   Robert   H 1334 

MacNeil,  J.  D 2234 

Macy,    Clarence    P 629 

Magee,  Victor  M 933 

Mahan,  Guy  W 1697 

Mahan,   Henry   L 2262 

Mahan,   John    1560 

Maier,   Bernhard    1721 

Main,  Walter  J 1869 

Malcolm,  Prof.  William 2201 

Malkim,    J.    Ross 1909 

Malmberg,  Nils   2134 

Mander,    George   F 510 

Manveg,   Charles   1328 

Marcovina,    Francisco    1898 

Marean,  H.   H .  .' 2254 

Markham,    Henry   H 561 

Marlette,    Gen.    S.    H 1213 

Marlette,    Stephen   A 2106 

Marsh,    George    H 1714 

Marshall,    E.    E 2252 

Marshall,    Seth    1223 

Martin,   Frank  J 1685 

Martin,   Harry   L 1404 

Martin,    James   T 1438 

Martin,    J.    D 2255 

Martin,   Robert   H 2121 

Martin,    Sebastian   D 872 

Marusch,    Anton   K 2031 

Mason,   Charles   mo 

Mason,    Charles    1 1170 

Masselin,  Capt.  Joseph 1265 

Massey,   Nicholas   1 934 

Mathews,   John    2180 

Mathewson,    Eugene,   M.    D. .  2034 

Mathewson,  Capt.  John  E....  2033 

Matson,  Frank  A 1975 

Matteson,    Cyrene    K 2160 

Matteson,   Hiram   C 1810 


Matthews,  A.  L 1176 

Matthews,  Lee  R 888 

Matthews,    Levi   R 584 

Maulhardt,    Gotfried    1239 

Maulhardt,   Heinrich    1968 

Maxson,   Benjamin   F 1196 

May,   Newton   E 1457 

Mayer,   H.   C 2221 

Mayer,  Michael   1984 

Mayo,   Harman  J 1992 

Mays,   Mrs.   Alice 2202 

Mehegan,    Mrs.    Margaret....  1072 

Meigs,    Albert    E 1655 

Mendenhall.   Thomas    D 1288 

Merriam.  Maj.  Gustavus  F.  . .  789 

Merrifield.  Charles  S 1685 

Meserve,  Hon.  Frank  P 1389 

Meskimons,    C.    B 2202 

Metcalf.    John    1965 

Michelsen,    Qiristian    2112 

Middagh,    Samuel    A 672 

Middleton,   George    2263 

Miles,    J.    Euclid 1578 

Miller,    Frank    2256 

Miller,  George  H 2254 

Miller,   Jacob    1467 

Miller,    James     2040 

Miller,    Leslie    A 1726 

Miller,  L.   C 1925 

Milligan,  J.   Henry 2105 

Milligan,  James   1144 

Mills    Brothers     1254 

Mills,   Henry   W 767 

Mills,   Ira   E 1429 

Milner,   John    1807 

Mitchell,    David    1857 

Mitchell,  James  M 848 

Moe,   George   E 1881 

Moffatt,  William   D 976 

Moffett,    Thomas    J 1161 

Moffitt,  Hon.  Albert  B 816 

IMohrenstecher,  G.  A 2185 

Molle,  Victor   1903 

Monroe,  Prof.  G.  Walter 1531 

Montgomery,  Joseph  W 995 

•  Montgomery,   M.    L 926 

Moon,    Gail    E 2005 

Moore,   Boyd   M 1537 

Moore,    E.    E 2264 

Moore,   Frank   L 1847 

Moore,   John    F 1473 

Moorhead,   T.   B 2221 

Moreno,  Francisco  M 2020 

Moretti,    F 2018 

Moretti,  Joseph    2264 

Morgan,  Prof.  J.J 528 

Morgan,  L.  Bert 1809 

Moricich,    V 2196 

Morrell,  J.    E 1935 

Morris,   Henry   0 2166 

Morris,  William  T 1391 

Morrison,   John    K 1171 

Morrison,    Joseph   A 1743 

Morse,    Lewis    1813 

Morton,    John    J 613 

Moses.   Elmer   E 1022 

Mosher,  Evan  1624 

Mosher,   Ezra   D 1481 

Mourning,  Harvey  S 1821 

Mudgctt,    Samuel    1575 

Muller,   Adolph    1722 

Mullholand,   Charles  L 1715 

Mulock    Brothers    2154 

Mnlvihill,    Denis    1576 


Munger,   S.   D 1569 

Munro,   Rev.  John yi6 

Munroe,    William    H 2050 

Murphy,  Charles  J 1176 

Murphy,  Fr.  Daniel  W 1149 

Murphy,  J.   B 2115 

Murphy,  William  W 740 

Murray,    Charles    E 2216 

Muscio,   Guiseppe    2238 

Musselman,    Hiram    1162 

Myers,    Andrew    J 1009 

Myers,   Daniel    1581 

Myers,    John    H 1954 

Myers,    Philip    N 1761 

Myzelle,  Joseph   W 2026 

N 

Nadeau,    George   A 652 

Nadeau,   Joseph    F 1854 

Nadeau,    Remi     2203 

Naumann,    Samuel    1677 

Neely,   William   T 1941 

Neff,    Millard    F 1845 

Neher,  William  H 1351 

Nelson,    Arthur    P 1384 

Nelson,    Niles     1357 

Nelson,    Olof    1925 

Nelson,    Robert    2001 

Nestell,   John   J 1956 

Neuls,  G.   W 1528 

Newlan,   Oliver  J 1532 

Newlove,  Frank   H 657 

Newport,   William    1827 

Newsom,    David    F 539 

Newsom,   Frank  M io66' 

Newton,   H.    \\" 2197 

Newton,    Willis    F. 1228 

Nichols,   H.    M 2203 

Nicholson,  George   H 2197 

Nicholson,  Joseph  W 1504 

Nielsen,   N.   C 1800 

Niverth,    S.    B 2265 

Noble,   Lloyd    E 1587 

Norton,    J.    B 2212 

O 

Oaks,    Oliver    2217 

O'Brien,   Oliver    910 

O'Connell,    William    1779 

Ohlsen,   Harry  J 1945 

Ohre,   Chris   N 1733 

O'Keefe,   Fr.  Joseph  J 666 

Old,    Henry    W 1967 

Olds,   Nelson    678 

Olhasso,  John   2010 

Olivares,    Bias    1913 

Olmstead,   William  L 2135 

Olmsted.  John   C 1363 

Olsen,   Alexander    1904 

Ontiveros,    Abraham    1285 

Ontiveros,    Patrici.0    1 104 

Oreb,    Frank    . .  . .' 1630 

Orelli,    Abraham   T 1751 

Orr,   John   J 1227 

Orr,  William   W 1853 

Ortega,   Juan    2085 

Osmun.  Dr.  J.  Allen 1947 

Osmund,   Michael    1916 

Ott,    Frank    H 2032 

Otte,    Frederick    W 2134 

Otte,  Friederich   993 

Over,  J.  Frank  2086 

Owens,    .Mfred    11 1977 


INDEX. 


Owens,    !\I.    T ■ 1620 

Owens,    Robert   L 1504 

P 

Paine,  Castanos   935 

Paine,    Charles    R 999 

Paine,   Cliarles   W 994 

Paine,  Capt.  Lewis  A 1260 

Palmer,  George    1593 

Palmer,  John   G 1823 

Palmer,    Lucius    B 1596 

Palmer,    Oscar    F 1885 

Papson,  William    1131 

Parker,  John   F 728 

Parmley,    Arthur    L 1799 

Parrish,   Enoch    K 1483 

Parsons,    Cyrus    !\J 1936 

Patchett,   Ben   E 1170 

Patterson,    Benjamin    F 1738 

Patterson,  Columbus  W 1058 

Patterson,    Justin    E 1448 

Paul,   Bert   2008 

Pearson,  John  A 1806 

Pearson,   Joseph   C 1058 

Pease,  Rev.  Charles   566 

Pease,    Edmund    JNL,    M.    D...   1165 

Pease.   Niles    571 

Peck,   Edward   W 2000 

Peck,    George   H 567 

Peck,   George   H.,    Sr 1883 

Peck,  George  W..  M.  D 1563 

Peck,  Capt.  L.  B 939 

Peck,   Walter   L 1452 

Peckham,  John  J.,  M.  D 1980 

Pcirce,  William  H 1286 

Penkert.  August    1558 

Perce.  Lewis  A,.  M.   D 1999 

Perkins,  Hon.   David  T 591 

Perozzi.    A 2218 

Perry,    Morgan    181 1 

Perry,    William    H 513 

Peters,  Anson  M 1599 

Petersen,   Peter  C 1605 

Petit,   Frank    587 

Petit,    J.    F 2219 

Petit.   Justin    597 

Pettijolnn,    Ernest   A 1182 

Pettis,    Qiauncey    B 1867 

Pettis,   Frank   B 1785 

Peyregne,    Bertrand    880 

Pfeiffer.   Louis   A 2265 

Pfeiler,    Albert    1 1672 

Phelps,    Finnk    W 1613 

Phelps,    lr;i    W 1013 

Phelps,    William    H 1849 

Philbrook,    Herman    S 1668 

Phillips,    George    S 2113 

Phillips,    Louis     839 

Phillips,   Willard   G 1623 

Phillips.  William  J 2107 

Pico,   Francisco   623 

Pierce    Brothers     1846 

Pierce,    Elijah   FI 1970 

Piercy,  John  R 1080 

Pierson,   William   M 1451 

Pile,   Herbert    846 

Pinnell,  Prof.  Homer  F 1623 

Pitcher,    Charles    F 187S 

Pitts,    Bartley    F 1612 

Pitts,   Frank    1516 

Plantico.   E.   L 951 

Piatt.   Mrs.   Martha   E 813 

Poland,    Henson    go8 

Polhamus.   Capt.   .Mbert  A....  2019 


Polhemus,   Jacob    2017 

Pollard,  Thomas    1073 

Poole,    Frederick    .\ 2189 

Poor,    Walter    F 1835 

Porter    Brothers    2236 

Porter,   Hon.    George   K 797 

Porter,    Orin    1537 

Post,   Charles    1207 

Poston,   William   H 888 

Potter,    Frank    0 915 

Pourroy,    Pierre    1991 

Powell,    David    1366 

Powers,    Charles    1469 

Powers.   James    H 1047 

Pratt,    Henry    B 1318 

Pratt,    Henry   J 2111 

Price,   Ulvsses    G 2023 

Pringle,   Capt.    William   H....  572 

Privett,  John    A 2056 

Proctor.    James     B 1850 

Pujol,  Rev.   Fr.  John 1988 

Putman,    ^ladison    D 161 1 

Putnam,   Hon.    Willis    E 141 1 

Q 

Quill,    James     1866 

Quinn,    Patrick    1256 

Quinn.   Richard    896 

Quint,    L.   J 202s 

R 

Rambaud,    Eniile    1311 

Ramey,    William    L mo 

Randall,  H.  H 2144 

Ranker,    Lewis    F 1982 

Raphael,   Abraham    19S1 

Raycraft,   George    S 1352 

Rayner,  James  B 2138 

Reber,    Edward    1757 

Reche,  Anthony  C.  Jr 1099 

Redburn,    Walter    B 847 

Reed,    D.    C 1889 

Reed.  Elgar,   M.   D 1468 

Reed,   Frank  H 1344 

Reed,    Philip    H 2108 

Reed,   S.  A 2237 

Reel,   Edgar   R 1625 

Reeves,    Richard    W 2114 

Reeves,   William   A 1785 

R«  iman,    William    1062 

Reimann,    Moritz    903 

Rc-imann,    William    1929 

Rentchler.    Jacob    B 1821 

Revolon.    .\ntoine    1617 

Reynolds.    Ira    F 1395 

Rheingans.    Jacob    2170 

Richardson,    Charles     1339 

Richardson,    Elkanah   W 1125 

Richardson,  William   C.   B 1077 

Richardville,   LHysses   F 1192 

Rickard,   T.    E 1977 

Riddick,  Rev.  Dr.  C.  B 813 

Riddick.    Tames    B 1728 

Righetti.   E 2266 

Rinebarger.    William    2266 

Ritchie.    James    H 1883 

Robbins,    A.    R 1348 

Robbins,    John    W 688 

Roberts.    Bearry    2137 

Roberts.    Edward    D 1942 

Roberts.    Frederick    IT 1416 

Roberts.    John    603 

Roberts,   John   W 829 


Roberts,    Ozrow     2143 

Roberts,    William    M 2198 

Robinson,   A.    E 2217 

Robinson,    Edmund    C 1680 

Robinson,   Col.   George   F 625 

Robinson,    Nathauiel    D 1635 

Robison,   Joseph    B ' 1470 

Rocha,  Jacinto   A 959 

Rockwell,    Lorenzo   .A 836 

Rockwood,    Bernard    B 983 

Roeder,    Louis    775 

Rogers,   Miss   C 2126 

Rogers,    E.    A 973 

Rogers,    H.    W 1565 

Ronsse,    Ernest    1386 

Rooker,   Joseph    .A. 1048 

Rosenfeld,    Morris   A.........   1767 

Rotanzi,   Samuel    1739 

Rouchleau,    Albert    1966 

Roussey,  Justin    1865 

Roussey,    Louis    F 1998 

Rowan,  George  D 771 

Rowan,   Robert   .A 772 

Rowe,    Charles    1949 

Rowe.    William    T 2005 

Rowell.  George  B..  M.  D 2104 

Rowland.    Bernardo    F 1430 

Rowland,   Samuel   P 1963 

Rowley,    Quentin   J 787 

Rnzelle.    Bazil    T 1442 

Rudcl,    Jacob     1301 

Ruggles.    Charles    F 1229 

Ruiz,   J.   D 2267 

Rule,    Ferd   K 724 

Ruopp.  John   979 

Rusconi,    F.    C 1385 

Russell,   Allen    1328 

Russell,    Allen    J 1287 

Rust,   William    L 1897 

Rutledge.    Charles    H 1649 

Rutter,   Andrew   K 1978 

Ryan.    Andrew    W 757  ■ 

Rynearson,    S.    D 1526 

s 

Sackett,   Robert   E,  L 1869 

Sackett.    William    .-\ 2188 

Saenz.   Jesus    1899 

Sailer,    Joseph    1971 

Sanderson,    S     .A 1790 

San  Diego  State  Normal 

School    644 

Sanford,   Mrs.   Lucy   A 1840 

Sappington.  Francis  P.,  M.  D.  1359 

Sargent.    Francis    P 2009 

Sarrail.   Rock    1447 

Saulque.   August    2219 

Saulque,   Jules    2204 

Savage,  Hon.   William  H 751 

Saviers,    Charles    W 1338 

Sawtelle,    George    C 1889 

Scarlett.    John    591 

Scarlett.    John    L 2029 

Schallert,    Louis    M 1124 

Schaniel.   Peter  F 1629 

Schelling.   .Mexander    1902 

Schintz,    John    H 1928 

Schle.gel,   John    2214 

Schmidt,    Herman    C 1631 

Schmitz,   Bernard    1756 

Schofield,   H.   P ■.  ...   1358 

Scholder.  Fred  1829 

Scholle  Brothers   2207 


INDEX. 


SchoUer,  Mrs.  Pauline  M 2004 

Schroeter,  H.   M.    E 2172 

Schueddig,   Frederick  E 1630 

Schulze,   Theodore   G 1564 

Schutz,    M.    Alexander 1091 

Schwartz,     Peter    H 1894 

Schwichtenberg,   Hugo   E 573 

Scofield,    Lebbeus    152S 

Scott,   Mrs.   Collisto   W 152? 

Scott,  Mrs.  Sarah  B 1094 

Seaberg,  Capt.  Charles  A 2008 

Seaman,    William    N 2267 

Sechrest,    W.    F 1641 

Seckinger,    Jacob    1301 

Sederlund,  August    1900 

Seely,   Horace   J iS8i 

Selbach,   E.   W 1364    ' 

Sentous,   Exnpere    1369 

Sentous,    Louis    1120 

Sentous,    Vincent    1495 

Sepulveda,   Albert    G 103S 

Sepulveda,    Aurelio   W 604 

Service,  Richard  W 1921 

Seymour,   Edwin  C 855 

Seymour.    Howard   L 1662 

Shaffer,  F.  A.  J 1677 

Shanks,  George  P 1880 

Shannon,   John    E ISS9 

Sharp,   William   F 1647 

Sharps,    Jonathan    H 1803 

Shaul,   Marion  J 713 

Shaw,   Hervey    E 1396 

Shedden,  James    1881 

Sheehy,    Jerry    2270 

Sheldon,   Dr.   Frederick  C 1540 

Shepard,   James    M 1613 

Sheppard,   William   1871 

Sherer,  J.   C I930 

Sherman,    Capt.    Matthew 675 

Shipley.    Alexander   H 1052 

Shiplev.    Elmore    C 2021 

Shoop'    John   T 1769 

Short,    Cornelius    R II95 

Short.  James    1653 

Shrewsbury,    Joseph    E I3S3 

Shugg.   William    1654 

Shutt    William    2206 

Sibley,  Mrs.  George  W 781 

Sidwell.    William    L 1031 

Sillifant,   Francis   J 1202 

Silva,   Joseph    2189 

Silvernale,   Roy    C 1805 

Simonton,    Thomas   H 1374 

Simpson,   R.   R 2060 

Singleton,    William     1261 

Singleton,    William    H 2139 

Slack,   Albert    1716 

Slack.    George    804 

Slanker.    Samuel    C 2066 

Slauson.    Ella    J 2213 

Sloane.   Capt.   Hampton   P....   1181 

Sloat,    Maior   Orin    P 2062 

ST^sson.   Leonard    B 2218 

Slosson,   Nathan   L 2213 

Slygh,  E.  W 2213 

Smiley,    Albert    K 945 

Smiley,    Alfred    H 947 

Smiley,   Frederick   A 781 

Smith,   Archie    66s 

Smith,  C.  E 2208 

Smith,    Edwin    W 1976 

Smith,    E 1334 

Smith,   Fred   P 1260 

Smith,    Howard    B 1438 


Smith,   James   A 1865 

Smith,  John   E 1544 

Smith,  John   N 1483 

Smith,   John   W I097 

Smith,    Lewis    N 1660 

Smith,    Noah   R 1380 

Smith,   Sylvester  K 1474 

Smith,   W.   Clifford    1638 

Smith,  William    1861 

Smith,    William    H 1589 

Smith,   William   S.,   M.   D....   1443 

Smither,    Alexander    C 865 

Smithson,   John    B 1833 

Smithson,  John  B.,  Jr 1254 

Snoddy,  John  B I7S5 

Snoddy.    William   M 845 

Snow,   Miletus  H I379 

Snuffin,   William   M 1802 

Snvder,  Hon.  Meredith  P....     525 

Soiari,  O.  J 1892 

Souza,    Antonio   J 1683 

Sparks,    Marcus    L 1282 

Spaulding.    Elbert    A 1822 

Specht,   Joseph   H 1442 

Speed,    John    W...: 147° 

Speed,   William    2045 

Spicer.    George    M 2219 

Sprinkle,    William    F 1994 

Sproul,  William  C 1802 

Sprouse,   Joseph    V 1032 

Squires,   Hamilton   IM 1140 

Stagg,   Edward   H 1088 

Stanton,    Francis    H 1214 

Stearns     Frank   W 955 

Steel,   Arthur  B 1959 

Steele,  Thomas  J 876 

Steen.  John   B 672 

Steers,  Dr.  Joseph  E 993 

Steiner,    Sig    963 

Stephens,   Louis   F 1878 

Stephens,   Timothy   A 610 

Stem,  Jacob    1482 

Stetter,   George   B 1792 

Stevens,   Rev.   George  D 1659 

Stevens,   William   1 1872 

Stewart,    A.    A 2199 

Stewart,   Edward  J 1582 

Stewart,    James    2207 

Stewart,  John   H 1727 

Stewart,    Oscar   D 1374 

Stewart.    Thomas    2271 

Stewart.   Thomas   H 1708 

Stiles.   Edward   1 2160 

Stockton.    Isaac    D 1370 

Stokes,    Aristides    E II45 

Stone,    Charles    M 136S 

Stone,    Grant    S 175° 

Stone,   H.   N 1780 

Stone,   John  D 1665 

Stone,    Joseph    C 1005 

Stone.    Marshall    G 1983 

Stoneham,    George   T 1444 

Stones,   J.    E.. 1457 

Stout,    Cornelius    1844 

Strain,    Numa    A 990 

Strathearn,  Robert    I9I4 

Stratton,   John   J 1392 

Strawser.    Joseph    S I9SI 

Strine,  Prof.  John  H I343 

Strong,  David  C,  M.  D 2062 

Stuart,  Joseph  M 1671 

Suess,    Emil    I7C» 

Suess,  J.  J 1698 

Sullenger,    Marshall    P 2050 


Sullivan,    Humphrey    G 1737 

Sullivan,  John    2038 

Sundermann,    C.    G 2198 

Swan,   Ohver   C i973 

Sweeney,    M 1443 

Swift,    A.    J 1442 

Swinford,  James    2271 

Swing,  Ralph  E 2035 

Swycaffer,  Joseph   851 

Sylva,    Joseph    P 1695 

T 

Taft,    Fred   H 610 

Taft,    Stephen    H 967 

Tallman,   Robert    2272 

Tanner,  Richard  R 594 

Taylor,    Allen   J 942 

Taylor,  Hon.  Benton  P 1838 

Taylor,  C.  J.  E 605 

Tedford,  John  F 1607 

Telford,   George   A 1259 

Temple,  Francis  P.  F 859 

Temple,   Walter   P 859 

Tench,   William   J 2069 

Terribilini,  John    1478 

Thatcher,   Amos  D 1852 

Thaxter,   George   C 2068 

Thayer,    Deloss    P 894 

Thomas,  Albert  A 1489 

Thomas,    Charles    H 1484 

Thomas,  Charles  H 1841 

Thomas,  Frank  W.,  M.  D 629 

Thomas,    William    M 1347 

Thompson,   Elmer  H.,  M.  D..  1980 

Thompson,  Frank  G 9°° 

Thompson,   G.   E 2272 

Thompson,  Jacob   P 1689 

Thompson,  Hon.  N.  W 1051 

Thom.pson.   Tellie   L 704 

Thorne,   Oliver   P 1716 

Thorpe,    Edmund    C 593 

Thowson.    Elias     2113 

Thurman,   Stephen  D 904 

Thurman,   Sylvanus    1235 

Thurmond.   Gideon    E 1378 

Thurmond.    J.    R 1000 

Ticknor.   J.    C 2222 

Tillat,  Jean   1098 

Tilton,   Alfred  H 2039 

Tilton,    Natt   W 1710 

Tisnerat.   Jacques    2273 

Todd,   Howard  M 1986 

Tomasini,   Antonio    1749 

Tomblin,   E.    S 2208 

Tompkins,    Thomas    1692 

Torstenson,    Nels    0 763 

Towne,    Tyler    P 2129 

Townsend,    Stephen    707 

Townsend,  Winfield  S 1046 

Traub,   Peter   1642 

Trauzettel,    Otto    2177 

Treloar,   Samuel    1256 

Trepte,    Moritz    1136 

Triggs,   George   E 1577 

Triplett,  James   K 1701 

Tripp,   Ozro   C 2273 

Tripp.    Shasta    A 1665 

Tripp,    S.   V 875 

Tripp,    William   B 1637 

Tritton,    R.    Lindsay 2067 

Trostle,    W.    E 2003 

Troxel,   Frank   L 1421 

Turbett,    Thomas    2214 

Turbett,   William    1859 


INDEX. 


IX 


Turner,  Hanna   S.,   M.   D 1650 

Tiirrentine,   John    N 1105 

Tweedy,   James    1002 

Tweedy,   Lorenzo    D 1416 

Twogood,    N.    H 2091 

Tyler,   Charles   H 2054 

Tyler,    Joseph    B 2057 

Tyler,   Urban    A 2048 

Tyler,   Uriah   U 1713 

u 

Ulrick,    William    J 2056 

Unruh,    H.    A 2173 

Usrey,   William    1993 

V 

Vache,    Emile    2066 

Vail,    Herman    D 2024 

Valdez,   Teofilo    1057 

Valentine,    E.   J 2184 

Van   Derveer,   J.    L 1074 

Van  Deventer,   Eugene  M .  . .  .  1478 

Van  Luven,  Earl   F 1988 

Van  Ornam,   Edward   C.   D...  1132 

Van  Winkle,  J.  A 2269 

Varble,    John    P 1175 

Veach.  James   W 2153 

Vejar,   Dolores   M 1468 

Vellon,   Frederick    2074 

Venable,     P.    S 1606 

Vestal,  Col.   Warner  L 515 

Vickers,    Ashby    C 1696 

Vieweger.    E 2025 

Virden,    Benjamin    S 1093 

Visscher.    Louis    G 744 

Vogt,    Adam    M 1054 

Voikmor,    William    1725 

W 

Wadleigh,  O.  A 973 

Waite,  Russell   P 617 

Walker,    C.    J 2117 

Walker,   H.    S 2073 

Walker,   James   H 2162 

Wallace,    James    C 1106 

Wallace,   William    678 

Wallis,    Herbert    J 94i 

Walls,    William    A 1882 

Walsh,   Ambrose    1161 

Walsh,    Austin     1707 

Walter,   O.    S 2209 

Ward,   James   E 2075 

Ward,   James    P 1600 

Ward,    P.    T 2116 

Warfield,    Miss   Ida   E 1887 

Warner.   Lorin    S 1643 

Warnock,    Henry    A 1314 


Warnock,   Robert    1719 

Warnock,    Samuel    1719 

Warnock,   William  J 752 

Warren,   James   G 1314 

Wasem,    Adam    160S 

Washburn,   William  J 729 

Waters,    Hon.   Russell   J 722 

Watkins,    James    C 1829 

Watkins,    Morgan    R 1177 

Watkins,    William    D 1005 

Watson,    Clarence    A 21 18 

Watson,    Jacob    1463 

Watson,   James    B 1187 

Watson,  Ralph   E 1837 

Watson,    Robert    L 1770 

Watson,   W.   G 2268 

Watts,    S.    L 2178 

Waymire  Brothers    1927 

Weaver,   John   L 1066 

Webb,  Henry  H 1311 

Weber,   John    1886 

Webster,  David  G 1985 

Webster,  Joseph    2188 

Webster,  La  Torre   828 

Webster,  Quincv  C 1062 

Wees,  John   C 1856 

Wegnori,    Henry    F 1808 

Weidenfeller,   Charles   A 1800 

Weidler,   George   B 1308 

Weigle,   George  J 1648 

Weir,    James     1249 

Weir,    Richard    1990 

Welch,   William   0 790 

Weldt,   Joseph    A 662 

Welty,   Richard   J 1495 

Wescott,    Edmund    914 

Westgate,    Charles   A 1201 

We.stlund,   John    M 1352 

Westover,    M.    N 1731 

White,   Caleb    E 1071 

White,    E.    C 2119 

White,    Michael   C 2148 

White,    William     1247 

White.    William    W 2060 

Whited,    George    B 1835 

Whittemore,    A.    C 1022 

Whitworth,    James    H 2210 

Whit  worth,    Joseph    H 618 

Wickersham,    W.    A 1244 

Wickersham,  Hon.  W.  H 554 

Wilcox,    Orame!    920 

Wildasin,  John    620 

Wiley,   William    1287 

Wilhelm,   Louis    2115 

Wilhite,   Samuel   C 960 

Wilhoit,   John   C 1896 

Wilkerson,    Eugene    2072 

Willard,    Franklin    P 718 


Willard,   Harry    M 1136 

Williams,    E.    M 1276 

Williams,    George   A 2268 

Williams,    Hermon    D 2028 

Willi.-inis,    Th..ni,-.s     1 866 

Williauis,    Tl ui,    W 1818 

William.suii.    William    P 2048 

Willis,    iiuii.    Henry   M 1039 

Willis    Etta    C 1896 

Willis,    Nellie   H 1896 

Willis,    Oscar    C 1891 

Wilmot,    Rosseau    J 890 

Wilshire,    Henry   H 2118 

Wilshire,   Joseph    E 1385 

Wilson.    Doc    830 

Wilson,   H.    B 2119 

Wilson,    John    T 772 

Wilson.    John    W 2120 

W'iNnii.    Rns.cll    B 1503 

Wil-'ii.    W     Patton 1900 

Wil-ii.    Wnliam    2215 

W  iiiriii.in,    I'.iJward    921 

Wing,    Sanford    C 1678 

Wisdom,    Guy    W 1522 

Wise,    Alpheus    B 2052 

Wiseman,   George   W 1151 

Witham,    William   H 1740 

Withers, 'Col.   W.  J 2270 

Witman,    plenrv    W 996 

Wohlford,    A.  'W 1031 

Wolfskin,   Joseph    W 799 

Wood,  James  W,,  M.  D 793 

Wood,    Lewis    .M S34 

Wood,  Rev.   William  0 632 

Woodford,   Col.   Asa   W 626 

Woodman,  Arthur  G 1985 

Woods,    Harry    J 1816 

Woods,    James    M 1155 

Woods,   John    X 1737 

Woolnian,    Claude    1496 

Workman,  William   H 519 

Works,    Thomas    L 930 

Worthen,   John    A 803 

Wright,  Joseph  W 1714 

Wynne,  Sydney  Y.,  M.  D 2072 

Yerby,    Henry    C 600 

Yoakum,  John  E 580 

Yokam,    Eli    J 1166 

Young,    Andrew    2015 

Young,   Charles    2120 

Young,    Capt.    E.    E 2127 

Young,    George   W 2215 

Young,  Joseph  W.,  Jr 1744 

Young,    William    W 810 

Yribarne,   Cadet    1845 

Z 

Zillgitt,   H.   H 1607 


Ot.-'t^^HyyO 


CALIFORNIA. 


CHAPTER   1. 


SPANISH    EXPLORATIONS    AND    DISCOVERIES. 


FOR  centuries  ihcre  had  been  a  vague  tra- 
dition of  a  land  lying  somewhere  in  the 
seemingly  limitless  expanse  of  ocean 
stretching-  westward  from  the  shores  of  Europe. 
The  poetical  fancy  of  the  Greeks  had  located  in 
it  the  Garden  of  Hesperides,  where  grew  the 
Golden  Apples.  The  myths  and  superstitions  of 
the  middle  ages  had  peopled  it  with  gorgons 
and  demons  and  made  it  the  abode  of  lost  souls. 

When  Columbus  proved  the  existence  of  a 
new  world  beyond  the  Atlantic,  his  discovery 
did  not  altogether  dispel  the  mysteries  and  su- 
perstitions that  for  ages  had  enshrouded  the 
tabled  Atlantis,  the  lost  continent  of  the  Hesperi- 
des. Romance  and  credulity  had  much  to  do 
with  hastening  the  exploration  of  the  newly  dis- 
covered western  world.  Its  interior  might  hold 
wonderful  possibilities  for  wealth,  fame  and  con- 
quest to  the  adventurers  who  should  penetrate 
its  dark  unknown.  The  dimly  told  traditions  of 
the  natives  were  translated  to  fit  the  cupidity  or 
the  credulity  of  adventurers,  and  sometimes 
served  to  promote  enterprises  that  produced  re- 
sults far  difTerent  from  those  originally  intended. 

The  fabled  fountain  of. youth  lured  Ponce 
de  Leon  over  many  a  league  in  the  wilds  of 
Florida ;  and  although  he  found  no  spring  spout- 
ing forth  the  elixir  of  life,  he  explored  a  rich 
and  fertile  country,  in  which  the  Spaniards 
planted  the  first  settlement  ever  made  within  the 
territory  now  held  by  the  United  States.  The 
legend  of  El  Dorado,  the  gilded  man  of  the 
golden  lake,  stimulated  adventurers  to  brave  the 
horrors  of  the  miasmatic  forests  of  the  Amazon 
and  the  Orinoco:  and  the  search  for  that  gold- 


covered  hombre  hastened,  perhaps,  bv  a  hun- 
dred years,  the  exploration  of  the  tropical  re- 
gions of  South  America.  Although  the  myth  of 
Ouivira  that  sent  Coronado  wandering  over  des- 
ert, mountain  and  plain,  far  into  the  interior  of 
North  America,  and  his  quest  for  the  seven  cities 
of  Cibola,  that  a  romancing  monk,  Marcos  de 
Xiza,  "led  by  the  Holy  Ghost,"  imagined  he 
saw  in  the  wilds  of  Pimeria,  brought  neither 
wealth  nor  pride  of  conquest  to  that  adventur- 
ous explorer,  yet  these  myths  were  the  indirect 
cause  of  giving  to  the  world  an  early  knowledge 
of  the  vast  regions  to  the  north  of  Mexico. 

When  Cortes'  lieutenant,  Gonzalo  de  Sando- 
val, gave  his  superior  officer  an  account  of  a 
wonderful  island  ten  days  westward  from  the 
Pacific  coast  of  Mexico,  inhabited  by  women 
only,  and  exceedingly  rich  in  pearls  and  gold, 
although  he  no  doubt  derived  his  story  from 
Montalvo's  romance,  "The  Sergas  of  Esplan- 
dian,"  a  popular  novel  of  that  day,  yet  Cortes 
seems  to  have  given  credence  to  his  subordi- 
nate's tale,  and  kept  in  view  the  conquest  of  the 
island. 

To  the  energy,  the  enterprise  and  the  genius 
of  Hernan  Cortes  is  due  the  early  exploration 
of  the  northwest  coast  of  North  America.  In 
1522,  eighty-five  years  before  the  English 
planted  their  first  colony  in  America,  and  nearly 
a  century  before  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  on 
Plymouth  rock,  Cortes  had  established  a  ship- 
yard at  Zacatula,  the  most  northern  port  on  the 
Pacific  coast  of  the  country  that  he  had  just 
conquered.  Here  he  intended  to  build  ships  to 
explore  the  upper  coast  of  the  South   Sea  fas 


34 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


iho  Pacific  Ocean  was  then  called),  but  his  good 
fortune,  that  had  hitlierto  given  success  to  his 
undertakings,  seemed  to  have  deserted  him,  and 
disaster  followed  disaster.  His  warehouse, 
filled  with  material  for  shipbuilding,  that  with 
great  labor  and  expense  had  been  packed  on 
muleback  from  \'era  Cruz,  took  fire  and  all  was 
destroyed.  It  required  years  to  accumulate  an- 
other supply.  He  finally,  in  1527,  succeeded  in 
launching  four  ships.  Three  of  these  were  taken 
possession  of  by  the  king's  orders  for  service  in 
the  East  Indies.  The  fourth  and  the  smallest 
made  a  short  voyage  up  the  coast.  The  com- 
mander, Maldonado,  returned  with  glowing  re- 
ports of  a  rich  country  he  had  discovered.  He 
imagined  he  had  seen  evidence  of  the  existence 
of  gold  and  silver,  but  he  brought  none  with 
him. 

In  1528  Cortes  was  unjustly  deprived  of  the 
government .  of  the  country  he  had  conquered. 
His  successor,  Nuno  de  Guzman,  president  of 
the  royal  audiencia,  as  the  new  form  of  gov- 
ernment for  New  Spain  (Mexico)  was  called,  had 
pursued  him  for  years  with  the  malignity  of  a 
demon.  Cortes  returned  to  Spain  to  defend 
himself  against  the  rancorous  and  malignant 
charges  of  his  enemies.  He  was  received  at 
court  with  a  show  of  high  honors,  but  which  in 
reality  were  hollow  professions  of  friendship 
and  insincere  expressions  of  esteem.  He  was 
rewarded  by  the  bestowal  of  an  empty  title.  He 
was  empowered  to  conquer  and  colonize  coun- 
tries at  his  own  expense,  for  which  he  was  to 
receive  the  twelfth  part  of  the  revenue.  Cortes 
returned  to  Mexico  and  in  1532  he  had  two  ships 
fitted  out,  which  sailed  from  Acapulco,  in  June 
of  that  year,  up  the  coast  of  Jalisco.  Portions 
of  the  crews  of  each  vessel  mutinied.  The  mu- 
tineers were  put  aboard  of  the  vessel  com- 
manderl  by  Mazuela  and  the  other  vessels,  com- 
manded by  Hurtardo,  continued  the  voyage  as 
far  as  the  Yaqui  country.  Here,  having  landed 
in  search  of  provisions,  the  natives  massacred 
the  commander  and  all  the  crew.  The  crew  of 
the  other  vessel  shared  the  same  fate  lower 
down  the  coast.  The  stranded  vessel  was  after- 
wards plundered  and  dismantled  by  Nuno  de 
Guzman,  who  was  about  as  much  of  a  savage  as 
the  predatory  and  murderous  natives. 


In  1533  Cortes,  undismayed  by  his  disasters, 
fitted  out  two  more  ships  for  the  exploration 
of  the  northern  coast  of  Alexico.  On  board  one 
of  these  ships,  commanded  by  Bercerra  de  Alen- 
doza,  the  crew,  headed  by  the  chief  pilot,  Jim- 
incz,  mutinied.  Mendoza  was  killed  and  all 
who  would  not  join  the  mutineers  were  forced 
to  go  ashore  on  the  coast  of  Jalisco.  The  muti- 
neers, to  escape  punishment  by  the  authorities, 
under  the  command  of  the  pilot,  Fortuno  Jim- 
inez,  sailed  westerly  away  from  the  coast  of 
the  main  land.  After  several  days'  sailing  out 
of  sight  of  land,  they  discovered  what  they  sup- 
posed to  be  an  island.  They  landed  at  a  place 
now  known  as  La  Paz,  Lower  California.  Here 
Jiminez  and  twenty  of  his  confederates  were 
killed  by  the  Indians,  or  their  fellow  mutineers, 
it  is  uncertain  which.  The  survivors  of  the  ill- 
fated  expedition  managed  to  navigate  the  vessel 
back  to  Jalisco,  where  they  reported  the  dis- 
covery of  an  island  rich  in  gold  and  pearls.  This 
fabrication  doubtlessly  saved  their  necks.  There 
is  no  record  of  their  punishment  for  mutiny. 
Cortes'  other  ship  accomplished  even  less  than 
the  one  captured  by  the  mutineers.  Grixalvo, 
the  commander  of  this  vessel,  discovered  a  des- 
olate island,  forty  leagues  south  of  Cape  San 
Lucas,  «hich  he  named  Santo  Tomas.  But  the 
discovery  that  should  immortalize  Grixalvo,  and 
place  him  in  the  category  with  the  romancing 
Monk,  de  Niza  and  Sandoval  of  the  Amazonian 
isle,  was  the  seeing  of  a  merman.  It  swam  about 
about  the  ship  for  a  long  time,  playing  antics 
like  a  monkey  for  the  amusement  of  the  sailors, 
washing  its  face  with  its  hands,  combing  its  hair 
with  its  fingers;  at  last,  frightened  by  a  sea 
bird,  it  disappeared. 

Cortes,  having  heard  of  Jiminez's  discovery, 
and  possibly  believing  it  to  be  Sandoval's  isle 
of  the  Amazons,  rich  with  gold  and  pearls,  set 
about  building  more  ships  for  exploration  and 
for  the  colonization  of  the  island.  He  ordered 
the  building  of  three  ships  at  Tehauntepec.  The 
royal  audencia  having  failed  to  give  him  any 
redress  or  protection  against  his  enemy,  Nuno 
de  Guzman,  he  determined  to  punish  him  him- 
self. Collecting  a  considerable  force  of  cava- 
liers and  soldiers,  he  marched  to  Chiametla. 
There  he  found  his  vessel.  La  Concepcion,  lying 


1359857 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


35 


on  her  beam  ends,  a  wreck,  and  plundered  of 
everything  of  vahic.  He  failed  to  find  Guzman, 
that  worthy  having  taken  a  hasty  departure  be- 
fore his  arrival.  His  ships  having  come  up 
from  Tehauntepec,  he  embarked  as  many  sol- 
diers and  settlers  as  his  vessels  would  carry,  and 
sailed  away  for  Jiminez's  island.  May  3,  1535, 
he  landed  at  the  port  where  Jiminez  and  his  fel- 
low mutineers  were  killed,  which  he  named 
Santa  Cruz.  The  colonists  were  landed  on  the 
supposed  island  and  the  ships  were  sent  back 
to  Chiametla  for  the  remainder  of  the  settlers. 
His  usual  ill  luck  followed  him.  The  vessels 
became  separated  on  the  gulf  in  a  storm  and 
the  smaller  of  the  three  returned  to  Santa  Cruz. 
Embarking  in  it,  Cortes  set  sail  to  find  his  miss- 
ing ships.  He  found  them  at  the  port  of  Guaya- 
bal,  one  loaded  with  provisions,  the  other  dis- 
mantled and  run  ashore.  Its  sailors  had  de- 
serted and  those  of  the  other  ship  were  about 
to  follow.  Cortes  stopped  this,  took  command 
of  the  vessels  and  had  them  repaired.  When  the 
repairs  were  completed  he  set  sail  for  his  colony. 
But  misfortune  followed  him.  His  chief  pilot 
was  killed  by  the  falling  of  a  spar  when  scarce 
out  of  sight  of  land.  Cortes  took  command  of 
the  vessels  himself.  Then  the  ships  encountered 
a  terrific  storm  that  threatened  their  destruc- 
tion. Finally  they  reached  their  destination, 
Santa  Cruz.  There  again  misfortune  awaited 
him.  The  colonists  could  obtain  no  sustenance 
from  the  barren  soil  of  the  desolate  island. 
Their  provisions  exhausted,  some  of  them  died 
of  starvation  and  the  others  killed  themselves 
by  over-eating  when  relief  came. 

Cortes,  finding  the  interior  of  the  supposed 
island  as  desolate  and  forbidding  as  the  coast, 
and  the  native  inhabitants  degraded  and  brutal 
savages,  without  houses  or  clothing,  living  on 
vermin,  insects  and  the  scant  products  of  the 
sterile  land,  determined  to  abandon  his  coloniza- 
tion scheme.  Gathering  together  the  wretched 
survivors  of  his  colony,  he  embarked  them  on 
his  ships  and  in  the  early  part  of  1537  landed 
them  in  the  port  of  Acapulco. 

At  some  time  between  1535  and  1537  the 
name  California  was  applied  to  the  supposed 
island,  but  whether  applied  by  Cortes  to  en- 
courage his  disappointed  colonists,  or  whether 


given  by  them  in  derision,  is  an  unsettled  ques- 
tion. The  name  itself  is  derived  from  a  Spanish 
romance,  the  "Sergas  de  Esplandian,"  written 
by  Ordonez  de  Montalvo  and  published  in  Se- 
ville, Spain,  about  the  year  1510.  The  passage 
in  which  the  name  California  occurs  is  as  fol- 
lows: "Know  that  on  the  right  hand  of  the  In- 
dies there  is  an  island  called  California, very  near 
the  terrestrial  paradise,  which  was  peopled  with 
black  women,  without  any  men  among  them, 
because  they  were  accustomed  to  live  after  the 
fashion  of  xAmazons.  They  were  of  strong  and 
hardened  bodies,  of  ardent  courage  and  great 
force.  The  island  was  the  strongest  in  the 
world  from  its  steep  rocks  and  great  clif¥s. 
Their  arms  were  all  of  gold  and  so  were  the 
caparison  of  the  wild  beasts  which  they  rode, 
alter  having  trained  them,  for  in  all  the  island 
there  is  no  other  metal."  The  "steep  rocks  ana 
great  cliffs'"  of  Jiminez's  island  may  have  sug- 
gested to  Cortes  or  to  his  colonists  some  fan- 
cied resemblance  to  the  California  of  Montalvo's 
romance,  but  there  was  no  other  similarity. 

For  years  Cortes  had  been  fitting  out  ex- 
peditions by  land  and  sea  to  explore  the  un- 
known regions  northward  of  that  portion  of 
Alexico  which  he  had  conquered,  but  disaster 
after  disaster  had  wrecked  his  hopes  and  im- 
poverished his  purse.  The  last  expedition  sent 
out  by  him  was  one  commanded  by  Francisco 
Ulloa,  who,  in  1539,  with  two  ships,  sailed  up 
the  Gulf  of  California,  or  Sea  of  Cortes,  on  the 
Sonora  side,  to  its  head.  Thence  he  proceeded 
down  the  inner  coast  of  Lower  California  to 
the  cape  at  its  southern  extremity,  which  he 
doubled,  and  then  sailed  up  the  outer  coast  to 
Cabo  del  Engano,  the  "Cape  of  Deceit."  Fail- 
ing to  make  any  progress  against  the  head 
winds,  April  5,  1540,  the  two  ships  parted  com- 
pany in  a  storm.  The  smaller  one,  the  Santa 
Agueda,  returned  safely  to  Santiago.  The 
larger.  La  Trinidad,  after  vainly  endeavoring  to 
continue  the  voyage,  turned  back.  The  fate  of 
LHloa  and  of  the  vessel  too,  is  uncertain.  One 
authority  says  he  was  assassinated  after  reach- 
ing the  coast  of  Jalisco  by  one  of  his  soldiers, 
who,  for  some  trivial  cause,  stabbed  him  to 
death;  another  account  says  that  nothing  is 
known   of  his  fate,   nor  is   it   certainlv  known 


36 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


whether  his  vessel  ever  returned.  The  only 
thing  accomplished  by  this  voyage  was  to  dem- 
onstrate that  Lower  California  was  a  peninsula. 
Even  this  fact,  although  proved  by  Ulloa's  voy- 
age, was  not  fully  admitted  by  geographers  until 
two  centuries  later. 

In  1540  Cortes  returned  to  Spain  to  obtain,  if 
possible,  some  recognition  and  recompense  from 
the  king  for  his  valuable  services.  His  declin- 
ing years  had  been  filled  with  bitter  disappoint- 
ments. Shipwreck  and  mutiny  at  sea;  disaster 
and  defeat 'to  his  forces  on  land;  the  treachery 
of  his  subordinates  and  the  jealousy  of  royal  of- 
ficials continually  thwarted  his  plans  and  wasted 
his  substance.  After  expending  nearly  -a  million 
dollars  in  explorations,  conquests  and  attempts 
at  colonization,  fretted  and  worried  by  the  in- 
difference and  the  ingratitude  of  a  monarch  for 
whom  he  had  sacrified  so  much,  disappointed, 
disheartened,  impoverished,  he  died  at  an  ob- 
scure hamlet  near  Seville,  Spain,  in  December, 

1547- 

The  next  exploration  that  had  something  to 
do  with  the  discovery  of  California  was  that  of 
Hernando  de  Alarcon.  \\'ith  two  ships  he  sailed 
from  Acapulco,  Alay  9.  1 540,  up  the  Gulf  of  Cal- 
ifornia. His  object  was  to  co-operate  with  the 
expedition  "of  Coronado.  Coronado,  with  an 
army  of  four  hundred  men,  had  marched  from 
Culiacan.  April  22.  1540.  to  conquer  the  seven 
cities  of  Cibola.  In  the  early  part  of  1537  Al- 
varo  Nunez  Cabeza  de  \'aca  and  three  compan- 
ions (the  only  survivors  of  six  hundred  men  that 
Panfilo  de  Narvaes,  ten  years  before,  had  landed 
in  Florida  for  the  conquest  of  that  province) 
after  almost  incredible  sufferings  and  hardships 
arrived  in  Culiacan  on  the  Pacific  coast.  On 
their  long  journey  passing  from  one  Indian  tribe 
to  another  they  had  seen  many  wondrous  things 
and  had  heard  of  many  more.  Among  others 
they  had  been  told  of  seven  great  cities  in  a 
country  called  Cibola  that  were  rich  in  gold  and 
silver  and  precious  stones. 

A  Franciscan  friar,  Marcos  de  Niza,  having 
heard  their  wonderful  stories  determined  to  find 
the  seven  cities.  Securing  the  service  of 
Estevanico,  a  negro  slave,  who  was  one  of  Ca- 
beza de  Vaca's  party,  he  set  out  in  quest  of  the 
cities.     With   a  number  of  Indian  porters  and 


Estevanico  as  a  guide,  he  traveled  northward 
a  hundred  leagues  when  he  came  to  a  desert 
that  took  four  days  to  cross.  Beyond  this  he 
found  natives  who  told  him  of  people  four  days 
further  away  who  had  gold  in  abundance.  He 
sent  the  negro  to  investigate  and  that  individual 
sent  back  word  that  Cibola  was  yet  thirty  days' 
journey  to  the  northward.  Following  the  trail 
of  his  guide.  Xiza  travelled  for  two  weeks  cross- 
ing several  deserts.  The  stories  of  the  magnifi- 
cence of  the  seven  cities  increased  with  every 
tribe  of  Indians  through  whose  country  he 
passed,  .^t  length,  when  almost  to  the  prom- 
ised land,  a  messenger  brought  the  sad  tidings 
that  Estevanico  had  been  put  to  death  with  all 
of  his  companions  but  two  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Cibola.  To  go  forward  meant  death  to  the 
monk  and  all  his  party,  but  before  turning  back 
he  climbed  a  high  mountain  and  looked  down 
upon  the  seven  cities  with  their  high  houses  and 
teeming  populations  thronging  their  streets. 
Then  he  returned  to  Culiacan  to  tell  his  wonder- 
ful stories.  His  tales  fired  the  ambition  and 
stimulated  the  avarice  of  a  horde  of  adventurers. 
At  the  head  of  four  hundred  of  these  Coronado 
penetrated  the  wilds  of  Pimeria  (now  Arizona). 
He  found  seven  Indian  towns  but  no  lofty 
houses,  no  great  cities,  no  gold  or  silver.  Cibola 
was  a  myth.  Hearing  of  a  country  called  Ouivira 
far  to  the  north,  richer  than  Cibola,  with  part  of 
his  force  he  set  out  to  find  it.  In  his  search  he 
penetrated  inland  as  far  as  the  plains  of  Kansas, 
but  Quivira  proved  to  be  as  poor  as  Cibola,  and 
Coronado  returned  disgusted.  The  Friar  de 
Niza  had  evidently  drawn  on  his  imagination 
which  seemed  to  be  quite  rich  in  cities. 

Alarcon  reached  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  Cal- 
ifornia. Seeing  what  he  supposed  to  be  an  in- 
let, but  the  water  proving  too  shallow  for  his 
ships  to  enter  it,  he  manned  two  boats  and 
found  his  supposed  inlet  to  be  the  mouth  of  a 
great  river.  He  named  it  Buena  Guia  (Good 
Guide)  now  the  Colorado.  He  sailed  up  it  some 
distance  and  was  probably  the  first  white  man  to 
set  foot  upon  the  soil  of  Upper  California.  He 
heard  of  Coronado  in  the  interior  but  was  unable 
to  establish  communication  with  him.  He  de- 
scended the  river  in  his  boats,  embarked  on  his 
vessels  and  returned  to  Mexico.     The  Viceroy 


i 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   Rl-XORD. 


37 


Mendoza,  who  had  titled  out  the  expedition  of 
Alarcon,  was  bitterly  disappointed  on  the  re- 
turn of  that  explorer.  He  had  hoped  to  find  the 
ships  loaded  with  the  spoils  of  the  seven  cities. 


The  report  of  the  discovery  of  a  great  river  did 
not  interest  his  sordid  soul.  Alarcon  found  him- 
self a  disgraced  man.  He  retired  to  private  life 
and  not  long  after  died  a  broken  hearted  man. 


CHAPTER 


ALTA    OR    NUEVA    CALIFORNIA^ 


WHILE  Coronado  was  still  wandering 
in  the  interior  of  the  continent  search- 
ing for  Quivira  and  its  king,  Tatar- 
rax,  who  wore  a  long  beard,  adored  a  gol- 
den cross  and  worshipped  an  image  of  the 
queen  of  heaven,  Pedro  de  Alvarado,  one  of 
Cortes'  former  lieutenants,  arrived  from  Guate- 
mala, of  which  country  he  was  governor,  with  a 
lleet  of  twelve  ships.  These  were  anchored  in 
the  harbor  of  Xavidad.  Alendoza,  the  viceroy, 
had  been  intriguing  with  Alvarado  against 
Cortes;  obtaining  an  interest  in  the  fleet,  he 
and  Alv.arado  began  preparations  for  an  ex- 
tensive scheme  of  exploration  and  conquest.  Be- 
fore they  had  perfected  their  plans  an  insurrec- 
tion broke  out  among  the  Indians  of  Jalisco,  and 
Pedro  de  Alvarado  in  attempting  to  quell  it 
was  killed.  Mendoza  fell  heir  to  the  fleet.  The 
return  of  Coronado  about  this  time  dispelled  the 
popular  beliefs  in  Cibola  and  Quivira  and  put 
an  end  to  further  explorations  of  the  inland  re- 
gions of  the  northwest. 

It  became  necessary  for  Mendoza  to  find 
something  for  his  fleet  to  do.  The  Islas  de 
Poiniente,  or  Isles  of  the  Setting  Sun  (now  the 
Philippines),  had  been  discovered  by  Magellan. 
To  these  Mendoza  dispatched  five  ships  of  the 
fleet  under  command  of  Lopez  de  Mllalobos  to 
establish  trade  with  the  natives.  Two  ships  of 
the  fleet,  the  San  Salvador  and  the  Vitoria,  were 
placed  under  the  command  of  Juan  Rodriguez 
Cabrillo,  reputed  to  be  a  Portuguese  by  birth  and 
dispatched  to  explore  the  northwest  coast  of 
the  Pacific.  Cabrillo  sailed  from  Xavidad,  June 
2"],  1542.  Rounding  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  peninsula  of  Lower  California,  he  sailed  up 
its  outer  coast.  August  20  he  reached  Cabo  del 
Engano,  the  most  northerly  point  of  Ulloa's  ex- 
ploration.   On  the  28th  of  September,  1542,  he 


entered  a  bay  which  he  named  San  Miguel  (now 
San  Diego),  where  he  found  "a  land  locked  and 
very  good  harbor."  He  remained  in  this  harbor 
until  October  3.  Continuing  his  voyage  he  sailed 
along  the  coast  eighteen  leagues,  discovering 
two  islands  about  seven  leagues  from  the  main 
land.  These  he  named  San  Salvador  and  \'itoria 
after  his  ships  (now  Santa  Catalina  and  San 
Clemente).  On  the  8th  of  October  he  crossed 
the  channel  between  the  islands  and  main  land 
and  anchored  in  a  bay  which  he  named  Bahia 
de  los  Fumos  y  Fuegos,  the  Bay  of  Smokes  and 
P'ires  (now  known  as  the  Bay  of  San  Pedro). 
Pleavy  clouds  of  smoke  hung  over  the  head- 
lands of  the  coast;  and  inland,  fierce  fires  were 
raging.  The  Indians  either  through  accident 
or  design  had  set  fire  to  the  long  dry  grass  that 
covered  the  plains  at  this  season  of  the  year. 

After  sailing  six  leagues  further  up  the  coast 
he  anchored  in  a  large  ensenada  or  bight,  now 
the  Bay  of  Santa'  ]\Ionica.  It  is  uncertain 
whether  he  landed  at  either  place.  The  next 
day  he  sailed  eight  leagues  to  an  Indian  town 
which  he  named  the  Pueblo  de  las  Canoas  (the 
town  of  Canoes).  This  town  was  located  on  or 
near  the  present  site  of  San  Buenaventura. 
Sailing  northwestward  he  passed  through  the 
Santa  Barbara  Channel,  discovering  the  islands 
of  Santa  Cruz,  Santa  Rosa  and  San  ]\IigueI. 
Continuing  up  the  coast  he  passed  a  long  nar- 
row point  of  land  extending  into  the  sea,  which 
from  its  resemblance  to  a  galley  l)oat  he  named 
Cabo  de  la  Galora.  the  Cape  of  the  Galley  (now 
called  Point  Concepcion).  Baffled  liy  head 
\\inds,  the  explorers  slowl}-  beat  their  way  up 
the  coast.  On  the  i/th  of  November,  they  cast 
anclior  in  a  large  bay  which  they  named  Bakic 
de  los  Pinos,  the  Bay  of  Pines  (now  the  Bay 
of  Monterey).    Finding  it  impossible  to  land  'CiVi. 


38 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


account  of  the  heavy  sea,  Cabrillo  continued  his 
voyage  northward.  After  reaching  a  point  on 
the  coast  in  40  degrees  north  latitude,  accord- 
ing to  his  reckoning,  the  increasing  cold  and 
the  storms  becoming  more  frequent,  he  turned 
back  and  ran  down  the  coast  to  the  island  of 
San  Miguel,  which  he  reached  Xovember  23. 
Here  he  decided  to  winter. 

While  on  the  island  in  October,  he  had  broken 
his  arm  by  a  fall.  Sufiering  from  his  broken 
arm  he  had  continued  in  command.  Exposure 
and  unskilful  surgery  caused  his  death.  He 
died  January  3,  1543,  and  was  buried  on  the 
island.  His  last  resting  place  is  supposed  to 
be  on  the  shore  of  Cuyler's  harbor,  on  the 
island  of  San  Miguel.  No  trace  of  his  grave 
has.  ever  been  found.  His  companions  named 
the  island  Juan  Rodriguez,  but  he  has  been 
robbed  of  even  this  slight  tribute  to  his  mem- 
ory. It  would  be  a  slight  token  of  regard  if 
the  state  would  name  the  island  Cabrillo.  Saint 
Miguel  has  been  well  remembered  in  California 
and  could  spare  an  island. 

Cabrillo  on  his  death  bed  urged  his  successor 
in  command,  the  pilot  Bartolome  Ferrolo,  to 
continue  the  exploration.  Ferrolo  prosecuted 
the  voyage  of  discovery  with  a  courage  and  dar- 
ing equal  to  that  of  Cabrillo.  About  the  middle 
of  February  he  left  the  harbor  where  he  had 
spent  most  of  the  winter  and  after  having  made 
a  short  voyage  in  search  of  more  islands  he 
sailed  up  the  coast.  February  28,  he  discovered 
a  cape  which  he  named  Mendocino  in  honor  of 
the  viceroy,  a  name  it  still  bears.  Passing  the 
cape  he  encountered  a  fierce  storm  which  drove 
him  violently  to  the  northeast,  greatly  endanger- 
ing his  ships.  On  iNIarch  ist,  the  fog  partially 
lifting,  he  discovered  a  cape  which  he  named 
Blanco,  in  the  southern  part  of  what  is  now  the 
state  of  Oregon.  The  weather  continuing  stormy 
and  the  cold  increasing  as  he  sailed  northward, 
Ferrolo  reluctantly  turned  back.  Running 
down  the  coast  he  reached  the  island  of  San 
Clemente.  There  in  a  storm  the  ships  parted 
company  and  Ferrolo,  after  a  search,  gave  up 
the  Vitoria  as  lost.  The  ships,  however,  came 
together  at  Cerros  island  and  from  there,  in 
sore  distress  for  provisions,  t!;e  explorers 
reached  Navidad  April  18,  1543.    On  the  discov- 


eries made  by  Cabrillo  and  Ferrolo  the  Span- 
iards claimed  the  territory  on  the  Pacific  coast 
of  North  America  up  to  the  forty-second  degree 
of  north  latitude,  a  claim  that  they  maintained 
for  three  hundred  years. 

The  next  navigator  who  visited  California  was 
Francis  Drake,  an  Englishman.  He  was  not 
seeking  new  lands,  but  a  w-ay  to  escape  the 
\engeance  of  the  Spaniards.  Francis  Drake, 
the  "Sea  King  of  Devon,"  was  one  of  the  brav- 
est men  that  ever  lived.  Early  in  his  maritime 
life  he  had  suffered  from  the  cruelty  and  injus- 
tice of  the  Spaniards.  Throughout  his  subse- 
quent career,  which  reads  more  like  romance 
than  realit}-,  he  let  no  opportunity  slip  to  pun- 
ish his  old-time  enemies.  It  mattered  little  to 
Drake  whether  his  country  w-as  at  peace  or  war 
with  Spain;  he  considered  a  Spanish  ship  or  a 
Spanish  town  his  legitimate  prey.  On  one  of 
his  predatory  expeditions  he  captured  a  Spanish 
town  on  the  isthmus  of  Panama  named  El  Nom- 
bre  de  Dios,  The  Name  of  God.  Its  holy  name 
did  not  protect  it  from  Drake's  rapacity.  While 
on  the  isthmus  he  obtained  information  of  the 
Spanish  settlements  of  the  South  Pacific  and 
from  a  high  point  of  land  saw  the  South  sea,  as 
the  Pacific  ocean  was  then  called.  .  On  his  re- 
turn to  England  he  announced  his  intention  of 
fitting  out  a  privateering  expedition  against  the 
Spaniards  of  the  South  Pacific.  Altliough  Spain 
and  England  were  at  peace,  he  received  encour- 
agement from  the  nobility,  even  Queen  Eliza- 
beth herself  secretly  contributing  a  thousand 
crown  towards  the  venture. 

Drake  sailed  out  of  Plymouth  harbor,  Eng- 
land, December  13,  1577.  in  command  of  a  fleet 
of  five  small  vessels,  bound  for  the  Pacific  coast 
of  South  America.  Some  of  his  vessels  were 
lost  at  sea  and  others  turned  back,  until  when 
he  emerged  from  the  Straits  of  ^lagellan  he  had 
but  one  left,  the  Pelican.  He  changed  its  name 
to  the  Golden  Hind.  It  was  a  ship  of  only  one 
hundred  tons'  burden.  Sailing  up  the  South 
Pacific  coast,  he  spread  terror  and  devastation 
among  the  Spanish  settlements,  robbing  towns 
and  capturing  ships  until,  in  the  quaint  language 
of  a  chronicler  of  the  expedition,  he  "had  loaded 
his  vessel  with  a  fabulous  amount  of  fine  wares 
of    Asia,    precious    stones,    church    ornaments, 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


gold  piate  and  so  mooch  silver  as  did  ballas  the 
Goulden  Hinde." 

From  one  treasure  ship,  the  Caca  Fuego,  he 
obtained  thirteen  chests  of  silver,  eighty  pounds 
weight  of  gold,  twenty-six  tons  of  uncoined  sil- 
ver, two  silver  drinking  vessels,  precious  stones 
and  a  quantity  of  jewels;  the  total  value  of  his 
prize  amounted  to  three  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  pesos  (dollars).  Having  spoiled  the 
Spaniards  of  treasure  amounting  to  "eight  hun- 
dred sixty-six  thousand  pesos  of  silver  =i=  *  * 
a  hundred  thousand  pesos  of  gold  *  *  * 
and  other  things  of  great  worth,  he  thought  it 
not  good  to  return  by  the  straight  (Magellan) 
*  *  "  least  the  Spaniards  should  there  vvaite 
and  attend  for  him  in  great  numbers  and 
strength,  whose  hands,  he  being  left  but  one 
ship,  he  could  not  possibly  escape." 

Surfeited  with  spoils  and  his  ship  loaded  with 
plunder,  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  find  the 
shortest  and  safest  route  home.  To  return  by 
the  way  he  came  was  to  invite  certain  destruc- 
tion to  his  ship  and  death  to  all  on  board.  At 
an  island  off  the  coast  of  Nicaragua  he  over- 
hauled and  refitted  his  ship.  He  determined  to 
seek  the  Straits  of  Anian  that  were  believed  to 
connect  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans.  Strik- 
ing boldly  out  on  an .  unknown  sea,  he  sailed 
more  than  a  thousand  leagues  northward.  En- 
countering contrary  winds  and  the  cold  in- 
creasing as  he  advanced,  he  gave  up  his  search 
for  the  mythical  straits,  and,  turning,  he  ran 
down  the  northwest  coast  of  North  America  to 
latitude  38°,  where  "hee  found  a  harborrow  for 
his  ship."  He  anchored  in  it  June  17,  1579. 
This  "convenient  and  fit  harborrow"  is  under 
the  lee  of  Point  Reyes  and  is  now  known  as 
Sir  Francis  Drake's  Bay. 

Fletcher,  the  chronicler  of  Drake's  voyage,  in 
his  narrative.  "The  World  Encompassed,"  says: 
"The  3rd  day  following,  viz.,  the  21st,  our  ship 
having  received  a  leake  at  sea  was  brought  to 
anchor  neerer  the  shoare  that*  her  goods  being 
landed  she  might  be  repaired;  but  for  that  we 
were  to  prevent  any  danger  that  might  chance 
against  our  safety  our  Generall  first  of  all 
landed  his  men  with  necessary  provision  to  build 
tents  and  make  a  fort  for  defense  of  ourselves 
and  gocds;    and  that  we  might  under  the  shel- 


ter of  it  with  more  safety  (whatsoever  should 
befall)  end  our  business." 

The  ship  was  drawn  upon  the  beach,  careened 
on  its  side,  caulked  and  refitted.  While  the 
crew  were  repairing  the  ship  the  natives  visited 
them  in  great  numbers.  From  some  of  their  ac- 
tions Drake  inferred  that  they  regarded  himself 
and  his  men  as  gods.  To  disabuse  them  of  this 
idea,  Drake  ordered  his  chaplain,  Fletcher,  to 
perform  divine  service  according  to  the  English 
Church  Ritual  and  preach  a  sermon.  The  In- 
dians were  greatly  delighted  with  the  psalm 
singing,  but  their  opinion  of  Fletcher's  sermon 
is  not  known. 

From  certain  ceremonial  performance  Drake 
imagined  that  the  Indians  were  ofifering  him  the 
sovereignty  of  their  land  and  themselves  as  sub- 
jects of  the  English  crown.  Drake  gladly  ac- 
cepted their  proffered  allegiance  and  formally 
took  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of 
the  English  sovereign.  Queen  Elizabeth.  He 
named  it  New  .-\lbion,  "for  two  causes:  the  one 
in  respect  of  the  white  bankes  and  cliffes  which 
ly  towardes  the  sea;  and  the  other  because  it 
might  iiave  some  affinitie  with  our  own  country 
in  name  which  sometimes  was  so  called." 

Having  completed  the  repairs  to  his  ship, 
Drake  made  ready  to  depart,  but  before  leav- 
ing "Our  Generall  with  his  company  made  a 
journey  up  into  the  laijd.  The  inland  we  found 
to  be  farre  different  from  the  shoare;  a  goodly 
country  and  fruitful  soyle,  stored  with  many 
blessings  fit  for  the  use  of  man;  infinite  was  the 
company  of  very  large  and  fat  deere  which 
there,  we  saw  by  thousands  as  we  supposed  in  a 
heard."*  They  saw  great  numbers  of  small  bur- 
rowing animals,  which  they  called  conies,  but 
which  were  probably  ground  squirrels.  Before 
departing,  Drake  set  up  a  monument  to  show 
that  he  had  taken  possession  of  the  country.  To  a 
large  post  firmly  set  in  the  ground  he  nailed  a 
brass  plate  on  which  was  engraved  the  name  of 
the  English  Queen, the  date  of  his  arrival  and  the 
statement  that  the  king  and  people  of  the  coun- 
try had  voluntarily  become  vassals  of  the  Eng- 
lish crown;  a  new  sixpence  was  fastened  to  the 
plate  to  show  the  Queen's  likeness. 


*World  Encompassed. 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


After  a  stay  of  thirty-six  days,  Drake  took 
his  departure,  much  to  the  regret  of  the  Indians. 
He  stopped  at  the  Farallones  islands  for  a  short 
time  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  seal  meat;  then  he 
sailed  for  England  by  the  way  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  After  encountering  many  perils, 
he  arrived  safely  at  Plymouth,  the  port  from 
which  he  sailed  nearly  three  years  before,  hav- 
mg  "encompassed"  or  circumnavigated  the 
globe.  His  exploits  and  the  booty  he  brought 
back  made  him  the  most  famous  naval  hero  of 
his  time.  He  was  knighted  by  Queen  Elizabeth 
and  accorded  extraordinary  honors  by  the  na- 
tion. He  believed  himself  to  be  the  first  dis- 
coverer of  the  country  he  called  New  Albion. 
"The  Spaniards  never  had  any  dealings  or  so 
much  as  set  foote  in  this  country;  t'he  utmost 
of  their  discoveries  reaching  only  to  many  de- 
grees southward  of  this  place."'^'  The  English 
founded  no  claim  on  Drake's  discoveries.  The 
land  hunger  that  characterizes  that  nation  now 
had  not  then  been  developed. 

Fifty  years  passed  after  Cabrillo's  visit  to  Cal- 
ifornia before  another  attempt  was  made  by  the 
Spaniards  to  explore  .her  coast.  Through  all 
these  years  on  their  return  voyage  far  out  be- 
yond the  islands  the  Manila  galleons,  freighted 
with  the  wealth  of  "Ormus  and  Ind,"  sailed 
tlown  the  coast  of  Las  Californias  from  Cape 
Alendocino  to  Acapulco.  Often  storm-tossed 
and  always  scourged  with  that  dread  malady  of 
tlie  sea,  the  scurvy,  there  was  no  harbor  of  ref- 
uge for  them  to  put  into  because  his  most  Cath- 
olic Majesty,  the  King  of  Spain,  had  no  money 
to  spend  in  exploring  an  unknown  coast  where 
there  was  no  return  to  be  expected  except  per- 
haps the  saving  of  a  few  sailors'  lives. 

In  1593,  the  question  of  a  survey  of  the  Cali- 
fornia coast  for  harbors  to  accommodate  the  in- 
creasing Philippine  trade  was  agitated  and  Don 
Luis  de  Velasco,  viceroy  of  New  Spain,  in  a  let- 
ter dated  at  Mexico.  April  8,  1593,  thus  writes  to 
his  majesty:  "In  order  to  make  the  exploration 
or  demarcation  of  the  harbors  of  this  main  as 
far  as  the  Philippine  Islands,  as  your  majesty 
orders,  money  is  lacking,  and  if  it  be  not  taken 
from  the  royal  strong  box  it  cannot  be  supplied, 

*The  World  Encompassed. 


as  for  some  time  past  a  great  deal  of  money  has 
been  owing  to  the  royal  treasury  on  account 
of  fines  forfeited  to  it,  legal  cost  and  the  like." 
Don  Luis  fortunately  discovers  a  way  to  save 
the  contents  of  the  royal  strong  box  and  hastens 
to  acquaint  his  majesty  with  his  plan.  In  a  let- 
ter written  to  the  king  from  the  City  of  Mexico, 
April  6,  1594,  he  says:  "I  ordered  the  navigator 
who  at  present  sails  in  the  flag  ship,  who  is 
named  Sebastian  Rodriguez  Cermeho.  and  who 
is  a  man  of  experience  in  his  calling,  one  who 
can  be  depended  upon  and  who  has  means  of 
his  own,  although  he  is  a  Portuguese,  there 
being  no  Spaniards  of  his  profession  whose  serv- 
ices are  available,  that  he  should  make  the  ex- 
ploration and  demarcation,  and  I  offered,  if  he 
would  do  this,  to  give  him  his  remuneration  in 
the  way  of  taking  on  board  merchandise:  and 
I  wrote  to  the  governor  (of  the  Philippines) 
that  he  should  allow  him  to  put  on  board  the 
ship  some  tons  of  cloth  that  he  might  have  the 
benefit  of  the  freight-money."  The  result  of 
Don  Luis's  economy  and  the  outcome  of  at- 
tempting to  explore  an  unknown  coast  in  a 
heavily  laden  merchant  ship  are  given  in  a  para- 
graph taken  from  a  letter  written  by  a  royal  offi- 
cer from  Acapulco,  February  i,  1596,  to  the 
viceroy  Conde  de  Monterey,  the  successor  of 
\'elasco:  "On  Wednesday,  the  31st  of  January 
of  this  year,  there  entered  this  harbor  a  vessel 
of  the  kind  called  in  the  Philippines  a  viroco, 
having  on  board  Juan  de  Morgana,  navigating 
officer,  four  Spanish  sailors,  five  Indians  and  a 
negro,  who  brought  tidings  that  the  ship  San 
Agustin,  of  the  exploring  expedition,  had  been 
lost  on  a  coast  where  she  struck  and  went  to 
jjieces,  and  that  a  barefooted  friar  and  another 
|)erson  of  those  on  board  had  been  drowned  and 
that  the  seventy  men  or  more  who  embarked  in 
this  small  vessel  only  these  came  in  her,  be- 
cause the  captain  of  said  ship,  Sebastian  Rodri- 
guez Cermeno,  and  the  others  went  ashore  at 
the  port  of  Navitlad,  and,  as  they  understand, 
liave  already  arrived  in  that  city  (Mexico).  An 
account  of  the  voyage  and  of  the  loss  of  the 
ship,  together  with  the  statement  made  under 
oath  by  said  navigating  officer,  Juan  de  Mor- 
gana, accompany  this.  We  visited  officially  the 
vessel,  finding  no  kind  of  merchandise  on  board, 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRArHICAL   RECORD. 


41 


and  that  tlie  men  were  almost  naked.  The  ves- 
sel being  so  small  it  seems  miraculous  that  she 
should  have  reached  this  country  with  so  many 
people  on  board."  A  viroco  was  a  small  vessel 
without  a  deck,  having  one  or  two  square  sails, 
and  propelled  by  sweeps.  Its  hull  was  formed 
from  a  single  tree,  hollowed  out  and  having  the 
sides  built  up  with  planks.  The  San  Agustin 
was  wrecked  in  what  is  now  called  Francis 
Drake's  Bay,  about  thirty  miles  north  of  San 
Francisco.  To  make  a  voyage  from  there  to 
Acapulco  in  such  a  vessel,  with  seventy  men  on 
board,  and  live  to  tell  the  tale,  was  an  exploit 
that  exceeded  the  most  hazardous  undertakings 
of  the  Argonauts  of  '49. 

The  viceroy,  Conde  de  ]\Ionte  Rey,  in  a  let- 
ter dated  at  ^lexico,  April  19,  1596,  gives  the 
king  tidings  of  the  loss  of  the  San  Agustin.  He 
writes:  '"Touching  the  loss  of  the  ship,  San 
Agustin,  which  was  on  its  way  from  the  islands 
of  the  west  (the  Philippines)  for  the  purpose  of 
making  the  exploration  of  the  coast  of  the  South 
Sea,  in  accordance  with  your  Majesty's  orders 
to  Viceroy,  Don  Luis  de  \'elasco,  I  wrote  to 
Your  Majesty  by  the  second  packet  (mailship) 
what  I  send  as  duplicate  with  this."  He  then 
goes  on  to  tell  how  he  had  examined  the  offi- 
cers in  regard  to  the  loss  of  the  vessel  and  that 
tliey  tried  to  inculpate  one  another.  The  navi- 
gating officer  even  in  the  viroco  tried  to  ex- 
plore the  pnncipal  bays  which  they  crossed,  but 
on  account  of  the  hunger  and  illness  they  expe- 
rienced he  was  compelled  to  hasten  the  voyage. 
The  viceroy  concludes:  "Thus  I  take  it,  as  to 
this  exploration  the  intention  of  Your  Majesty 
has  not  been  carried  into  effect.  It  is  the  gen- 
eral opinion  that  this  enterprise  should  not  be 
,  attempted  on  the  return  voyage  from  the  islands 
and  with  a  laden  ship,  but  from  this  coast  and 
by  constantly  following  along  it."  The  above 
account  of  the  loss  of  the  San  Agustin  is  taken 
from  Volume  II,  Publications  of  the  Historical 
Society  of  Southern  California,  and  is  the  only 
correct  account  published.  In  September,  1595, 
just  before  the  viceroy,  Don  Luis  de  \'elasco, 
was  superseded  bv  Conde  de  ^lonte  Rey,  he 
entered  into  a  contract  with  certain  parties  of 
whom  Sebastian  \'iscaino,  a  ship  captain,  was 
the  principal,  to  make  an  expedition  up  the  Gulf 


of  California  "for  the  purpose  of  fishing  for 
pearls."  There  was  also  a  provision  in  the  con- 
tract empowering\iscamo  to  make  explorations 
and  take  possession  of  his  discoveries  for  the 
crown  of  Spain.  The  Conde  de  Alonte  Rey 
seems,  from  a  letter  written  to  the  King,  to  have 
seriously  doubted  whether  \'iscaino  was  the 
right  man  for  so  important  an  expedition,  but 
finally  allowed  him  to  depart.  In  September, 
'596,  \  iscaino  sailed  up  the  gulf  with  a  fleet  of 
three  vessels,  the  flag  ship  San  Francisco,  the 
San  Jose  and  a  Lancha.  The  flag  ship  was  dis- 
abled and  left  at  La  Paz.  With  the  other  two 
vessels  he  sailed  up  the  gulf  to  latitude  29°.  He 
encountered  severe  storms.  At  some  island  he 
had  trouble  with  the  Indians  and  killed  several. 
As  the  long  boat  was  departing  an  Indian 
wounded  one  of  the  rowers  with  an  arrow.  The 
sailor  dropped  his  oar,  the  boat  careened  and 
upset,  drowning  twenty  of  the  twenty-six  sol- 
diers and  sailors  in  it. 

Mscaino  returned  without  having  procured 
any  pearls  or  made  any  important  discoveries. 
He  proposed  to  continue  his  explorations  of  the 
Californias,  but  on  account  of  his  misfortunes 
his  request  was  held  in  abeyance.  He  wrote  a 
letter  to  the  king  in  1597,  setting  forth  what 
supplies  he  required  for  the  voyage.  His  in- 
ventory of  the  items  needed  is  interesting,  but 
altogether  too  long  for  insertion  here.  Among 
tb.e  items  were  "$35,000  in  money";  "eighty  ar- 
robas  of  powder":  "twenty  quintals  of  lead"; 
"four  pipes  of  wine  for  mass  and  sick  friars"; 
"vestments  for  the  clergy  and  $2,000  to  be  in- 
vested in  trifles  for  the  Indians  for  the  purpose 
of  attracting  them  peaceably  to  receive  the  holy 
gospel."  Mscaino's  request  was  not  granted  at 
that  time.  The  viceroy  and  the  royal  audiencia 
at  one  time  ordered  his  commission  revok'ed. 
Philip  II  died  in  1398  and  was  succeeded  by 
Philip  III.  After  five  years'  waiting,  Mscaino 
was  allowed  to  proceed  with  his  explorations. 
From  Acapulco  on  the  5th  of  ^lay,  1602,  he 
writes  to  the  king  that  he  is  ready  to  sail  with 
his  ships  "for  the  discovery  of  harbors  and  bays 
of  the  coast  of  the  South  Sea  as  far  as  Cape 
Mendocino."  "I  report,"  he  says,  "merely  that 
the  said  Mceroy  (Conde  de  Monterey)  has  en- 
trusted to  me  the  accomplishment  of  the  same 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


in  two  ships,  a  lancha  and  a  barcoluengo, 
manned  with  sailors  and  soldiers  and  provi- 
sioned for  eleven  months.  To-day  being  Sun- 
day, the  5th  of  May,  I  sail  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
names  of  God  and  his  blessed  mother  and  your 
majesty." 

Viscaino  followed  the  same  course  marked 
out  by  Cabrillo  sixty  years  before.  November 
ID,  1602,  he  anchored  in  Cabrillo's  Bay  of  San 
Miguel.  Whether  the  faulty  reckoning  of  Ca- 
brillo left  him  in  doubt  of  the  points  named  by 
the  first  discoverer,  or  whether  it  was  that  he 
might  receive  the  credit  of  their  discovery,  \'is- 
caino  changed  the  names  given  by  Cabrillo  to 
the  islands,  bays  and  headlands  along  the  Cali- 
fornia coast.  Cabrillo's  Bahia  San  Miguel  be- 
came the  Bay  of  San  Diego;  San  Salvador  and 
\'itoria  were  changed  to  Santa  Catalina  and 
San  Clemente,  and  Cabrillo's  Bahia  de  los 
Fumos  y  Fuegos  appears  on  Viscaino's  map  as 
the  Ensenada  de  San  Andres,  but  in  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  voyage  compiled  by  the  cosmog- 
rapher,  Cabrero  Bueno,  it  is  named  San  Pedro. 
It  is  not  named  for  the  Apostle  St.  Peter,  but 
for  St.  Peter,  Bishop  of  Alexandria,  whose  day 
in  the  Catholic  calendar  is  November  26,  the 
day  of  the  month  \"iscaino  anchored  in  the  Bay 
of  San  Pedro. 

Sailing  up  the  coast,  A'iscaino  passed  through 
the  Santa  Barbara  channel,  which  was  so  named 
by  Antonio  de  la  Ascencion,  a  Carmelite  friar, 
who  was  chaplain  of  one  of  the  ships.  The  ex- 
pedition entered  the  channel  December  4,  which 
is  the  day  in  the  Catholic  calendar  dedicated  to 
Santa  Barbara.  He  visited  the  mainland  near 
Point  Concepcion  where  the  Indian  chief  of  a 
populous  rancheria  offered  each  Spaniard  who 
would  become  a  resident  of  his  town  ten  wives. 
This  generous  ofifer  was  rejected.  December 
15,  1602,  he  reached  Point  Pinos,  so  named  by 
Cabrillo,  and  cast  anchor  in  the  bay  formed  by 
its  projection.  This  bay  he  named  Monterey, 
in  honor  of  the  viceroy,  Conde  de  Monte  Rey, 
Many  of  his  men  were  sick  with  the  scurvy  and 
his  provisions  were  becoming  exhausted;  so, 
placing  the  sick  and  disabled  on  the  San  Tomas, 
he  sent  them  back  to  Acapulco;  but  few  of  them 
ever  reached  their  destination.  On  the  3d  of 
January,  1603,  with  two  ships,  he  proceeded  on 


his  search  for  Cape  ^Mendocino,  the  northern 
limit  of  his  survey.  The  Alanila  galleons  on 
their  return  voyage  from  the  Philippines  sailed 
up  the  Asiatic  coast  to  the  latitude  of  Japan, 
when,  taking  advantage  of  the  westerly  winds 
and  the  Japan  current,  they  crossed  the  Pacific, 
striking  the  North  American  coast  in  about  the 
latitude  of  Cape  Mendocino,  and  from  there 
ihey  ran  ilown  the  coast  of  Las  Californias  and 
across  the  gulf  to  Acapulco.  After  leaving 
Point  Reyes  a  storm  separated  his  ships  and 
drove  him  as  far  north  as  Cape  Blanco.  The 
smaller  vessel,  commanded  by  Martin  de  Agui- 
lar,  was  driven  north  by  the  storm  to  latitude 
43°,  where  he  discovered  what  seemed  to  be 
the  mouth  of  a  great  river;  attempting  to  enter 
it,  he  was  driven  back  by  the  swift  current. 
.\guilar,*believing  he  had  discovered  the  western 
entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Anian,  sailed  for 
New  Spain  to  report  his  discovery.  He,  his 
chief  pilot  and  most  of  his  crew  died  of  scurvy 
before  the  vessel  reached  Navidad.  Viscaino, 
after  sighting  Cape  Blanco,  turned  and  sailed 
down  the  coast  of  California,  reaching  Acapulco 
March  21,  1603. 

Viscaino,  in  a  letter  to  the  King  of  Spain, 
dated  at  the  City  of  Alexico,  May  23,  1603, 
grows  enthusiastic  over  California  climate  and 
jjroductions.  It  is  the  earliest  known  specimen 
of  California  boom  literature.  After  depicting 
the  commodiousness  of  Monterey  Bay  as  a  port 
of  safety  for  the  Philippine  ships,  he  says:  "This 
port  is  sheltered  from  all  winds,  while  on  the  im- 
mediate shores  there  are  pines, from  which  masts 
of  any  desired  size  can  te  obtained,  as  well  as 
live  oaks  and  white  oaks,  rosemary,  the  vine,  the 
rose  of  Alexandria,  a  great  variety  of  game,  such 
as  rabbits,  hare,  partridges  and  other  sorts  and 
species  found  in  Spain.  This  land  has  a  genial 
climate,  its  waters  are  good  and  it  is  fertile, 
judging  from  the  varied  and  luxuriant  growth 
of  trees  and  plants ;  and  it  is  thickly  settled  with 
people  whom  I  found  to  be  of  gentle  disposition, 
peaceable  and  docile.  *  *  *  Their  food  con- 
sists of  seeds  which  they  have  in  great  abun- 
dance and  variety,  and  of  the  flesh  of  game  such 
as  deer,  which  are  larger  than  cows,  and  bear, 
and  of  neat  cattle  and  bisons  and  many  other 
animals.     The  Indians  are  of  good  stature  and 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


43 


fair  complexion,  the  women  being  somewhat 
less  in  size  than  the  men,  and  of  pleasing  counte- 
nance. The  clothing  of  the  people  of  the  coast 
lands  consists  of  the  skins  of  the  sea  wolves 
(otter)  abounding  there,  which  they  tan  and 
dress  better  than  is  done  in  Castile;  they  pos- 
sess also  in  great  quantity  flax  like  that  of  Cas- 
tile, hemp  and  cotton,  from  which  they  make 
fishing  lines  and  nets  for  rabbits  and  hares. 
They  have  vessels  of  pine  wood,  very  well  made, 
in  which  they  go  to  sea  with  fourteen  paddle- 
men  of  a  side,  with  great  dexterity  in  very 
stormy  weather.  *  *  *  They  are  well  ac- 
quainted with  gold  and  silver  and  said  that 
these  were  found  in  the  interior." 


The  object  of  \"iscaino's  boom  literature  of 
three  hundred  years  ago  was  the  promotion  of  a 
colony  scheme  for  the  founding  of  a  settlement 
on  Monterey  Bay.  He  visited' Spain  to  obtain  the 
consent  of  the  king  and  assistance  in  planting 
a  colony.  After  many  delays,  Philip  HI,  in 
1606,  ordered  the  -viceroy  of  New  Spain  to  fit 
out  immediately  an  expedition  to  be  com- 
manded by  \'iscaino  for  the  occupation  and  set- 
tlement of  the  port  of  Monterey.  Before  the  ex- 
pedition could  be  gotten  ready  Viscaino  died  and 
his  colonization  scheme  died  with  him.  Had  he 
lived  to  carry  out  his  scheme,  the  settlement  of 
California  would  have  antedated  that  of  James- 
town, \'a.,  by  one  vear. 


CHAPTER   111. 


COLONIZATION    OF    ALTA    CALIFORNIA. 


^ HUNDRED  and  sixty  years  passed  after 
the  abandonment  of  Viscaino's  coloniza- 
tion scheme  before  the  Spanish  crown 
made  another  attempt  to  utilize  its  vast  posses- 
sions in  Alta  California.  The  Manila  galleons 
sailed  down  the  coast  year  after  year  for  more 
than  a  century  and  a  half,  yet  in  all  this  long 
space  of  time  none  of  them  so  far  as  we  know 
ever  entered  a  harbor  or  bay  on  the  upper  Cali- 
fornia coast.  Spain  still  held  her  vast  colonial 
possessions  in  America,  but  with  a  loosening 
grasp.  As  the  years  went  by  she  had  fallen 
from  her  high  estate.  Her  power  on  sea  and 
land  had  weakened.  Those  brave  old  sea  kings, 
Drake,  Hawkins  and  Frobisher,  had  destroyed 
her  invincible  Armada  and  burned  her  ships  in 
her  very  harbors.  The  English  and  Dutch  pri- 
vateers had  preyed  upon  her  commerce  on  the 
high  seas  and  the  buccaneers  had  robbed  her 
treasure  ships  and  devastated  her  settlements  on 
the  islands  and  the  Spanish  main,  while  the  free- 
booters of  many  nations  had  time  and  again 
captured  her  galieons  and  ravished  her  colonies 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  The  energy  and  enterprise 
that  had  been  a  marked  characteristic  of  her 
people  in  the  days  of  Cortes  and  Pizarro  were 
ebbing  away.      The   age   of   luxury   that   began 


with  the  influx  of  the  wealth  which  flowed  into 
the  mother  country  from  her  American  colonies 
engendered  intrigue  and  official  corruption 
among  her  rulers,  demoralized  her  army  and 
prostrated  her  industries.  While  her  kings  and 
her  nobles  were  revelling  in  luxury  the  poor  were 
crying  for  bread.  Prescriptive  laws  and  the  fear 
of  her  Holy  Inquisition  had  driven  into  exile 
man)-  of  the  most  enterprising  and  most  intelli- 
gent of  her  people.  These  baneful  influences 
had  palsied  the  bravery  and  spirit  of  adventure 
that  had  been  marked  characteristics  of  the 
Spaniards  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  cen- 
turies. Other  nations  stood  ready  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  her  decadence.  Her  old-time  enemy, 
England,  which  had  gained  in  power  as  Spain 
had  lost,  was  ever  on  the  alert  to  take  advantage 
of  her  weakness ;  and  another  power,  Russia, 
almost  unknown  among  the  powers  of  Europe 
when  Spain  was  in  her  prime,  was  threatening 
her  possessions  in  Alta  California.  To  hold  this 
vast  country  it  must  be  colonized,  but  her  re- 
strictions on  commerce  and  her  proscriptive  laws 
against  foreign  immigrants  had  shut  the  door  to 
her  colonial  possessions  against  colonists  from 
all  other  nations.  Her  sparse  settlements  in  ]\Icx- 
ico  could  spare  no  colonists.      The    native    in- 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


habitants  of  California  must  be  converted  to 
Christianity  and  made  into  citizens.  Poor  mate- 
rial indeed  were  these  degraded  savages,  but 
Spain's  needs  were  pressing  and  missionary  zeal 
was  powerful.  Indeed,  the  pristine  courage  and 
daring  of  the  Spanish  soldier  seemed  to  have 
passed  to  her  missionary  priest. 

The  Jesuits  had  begun  missionary  work  in 
1697  among  the  degraded  inhabitants  of  Lower 
California.  With  a  perseverance  that  was  highly 
commendable  and  a  bravery  that  was  heroic, 
under  their  devoted  leaders,  Salvatierra,  Kino, 
Ugarte,  Piccolo  and  their  successors,  they 
founded  sixteen  missions  on  the  peninsula. 
Father  Kino  (or  Kuhn),  a  German  Jesuit,  be- 
sides his  missionary  work,  between  1694  and 
1702,  had  made  explorations  around  the  head 
of  the  Gulf  of  California  and  up  the  Rio  Colo- 
rado to  the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  which  had  clearly 
demonstrated  that  Lower  California  was  a  pen- 
insula and  not  an  island.  Although  Ulloa  had 
sailed  down  the  inner  coast  and  up  the  outer 
coast  of  Lower  California  and  Domingo  del 
Castillo,  a  Spanish  pilot,  had  made  a  correct 
map  showing  it  to  be  a  peninsula,  so  strong  was 
the  belief  in  the  existence  of  the  Straits  of 
Anian  that  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  after 
Ulloa's  voyage  Las  Californias  were  still  be- 
lieved to  be  islands  and  were  sometimes  called 
Islas  Carolinas,  or  the  Islands  of  Charles,  named 
so  for  Charles  II.  of  Spain.  Father  Kino  had 
formed  the  design  of  establishing  a  chain  of  mis- 
sions from  Sonora  around  the  head  of  the  gulf 
and  down  the  inner  coast  of  Lower  California  to 
Cape  San  Lucas.  He  did  not  live  to  complete 
his  ambitious  project.  The  Jesuit  missions  of 
Baja  California  never  grew  rich  in  flocks  and 
herds.  The  country  was  sterile  and  the  few 
small  valleys  of  fertile  land  around  the  missions 
gave  the  padres  and  the  neophytes  at  best  but  a 
frugal  return  for  their  labors. 

For  years  there  had  been,  in  the  Catholic 
countries  of  Europe,  a  growing  fear  and  dis- 
trust of  the  Jesuits.  Portugal  had  declared  them 
traitors  to  the  government  and  had  banished 
them  in  1759  from  her  dominions.  France  had 
suppressed  the  order  in  her  domains  in  1764. 
In  1767,  King  Carlos  HI.,  by  a  pragmatic  sanc- 
tion  or   decree,    ordered   their   expulsion    from 


Spain  and  all  her  American  colonies.  So  great 
and  powerful  was  the  influence  of  the  order  that 
the  decree  for  their  expulsion  was  kept  secret 
until  the  moment  of  its  execution.  Throughout 
all  parts  of  the  kingdom,  at  a  certain  hour  of 
the  night,  a  summons  came  to  every  college, 
monastery  or  other  estabUshment  where  mem- 
bers of  the  order  dwelt,  to  assemble  by  com- 
mand of  the  king  in  the  chapel  or  refectory 
immediately.  The  decree  of  perpetual  banish- 
ment was  then  read  to  them.  They  w^ere  hastily 
bundled  into  vehicles  that  were  awaiting  them 
outside  and  hurried  to  the  nearest  seaport, 
where  they  were  shipped  to  Rome.  During 
their  journey  to  the  sea-coast  they  were  not  al- 
lowed to  communicate  with  their  friends  nor 
permitted  to  speak  to  persons  they  met  on  the 
way.  By  order  of  the  king,  any  subject  who 
should  undertake  to  vindicate  the  Jesuits  in  writ- 
ing should  be  deemed  guilty  of  treason  and  con- 
demned to  death. 

The  Lower  California  missions  were  too  dis- 
tant and  too  isolated  to  enforce  the  king's  de- 
cree with  the  same  haste  and  secrecy  that  was 
observed  in  Spain  and  Mexico.  To  Governor 
Caspar  de  Portola  was  entrusted  the  enforce- 
ment of  their  banishment.  These  missions  were 
transferred  to  the  Franciscans,  but  it  took  time 
to  make  tlie  substitution.  He  proceeded  with 
great  caution  and  care  lest  the  Indians  should 
l)ecome  rebellious  and  demoralized.  It  was  not 
until  February,  1768,  that  all  the  Jesuit  mis- 
sionaries were  assembled  at  La  Paz ;  from  there 
they  were  sent  to  Mexico  and  on  the  13th  of 
April,  at  \'era  Cruz,  they  bade  farewell  to  the 
western  continent. 

.At  the  head  of  the  Franciscan  contingent  that 
took  charge  of  the  abandoned  missions  of  Baja 
California,  was  Father  Junipero  Serra,  a  man 
of  indomitable  will  and  great  missionary  zeal. 
i\Iiguel  Jose  Serra  was  born  on  the  island  of 
Majorica  in  the  year  1713.  After  completing  his 
studies  in  the  Lullian  University,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  became  a  monk  and  was  admitted 
into  the  order  of  Franciscans.  On  taking  or- 
ders he  assumed  the  name  of  Junipero  (Juniper"). 
Among  the  disciples  of  St.  Francis  was  a  very 
zealous  and  devoted  monk  who  bore  the  name 
of    Junipero,   of    whom   St.   Francis   once   said, 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


45 


"Would  to  God,  my  brothers,  that  I  had  a  whole 
forest  of  such  Junipers."  Serra's  favorite  .stud}' 
was  the  "Lives  of  the  Saints,"  and  no  doubt  the 
study  of  the  life  of  the  original  Junipero  influ- 
enced him  to  take  that  saint's  name.  Serra's 
ambition  was  to  become  a  missionary,  but  it  was 
not  until  he  was  nearly  forty  years  of  age  that 
his  desire  was  gratified.  In  1749  he  came  to 
Alexico  and  January  i,  1750,  entered  the  College 
of  San  Fernando.  A  few  months  later  he  was 
given  charge  of  an  Indian  mission  in  the  Sierra 
Gorda  mountains,  where,  with  his  assistant  and 
lifelong  friend.  Father  Palou,  he  remained  nuie 
years.  Under  his  instructions  the  Indians  were 
taught  agriculture  and  the  mission  became  a 
model  establishment  of  its  kind.  From  this 
mountain  mission  Serra  returned  to  the  city  of 
Mexico.  He  spent  seven  years  in  doing  mis- 
sionary work  among  the  Spanish  population  of 
the  capital  and  surrounding  country.  His  suc- 
cess as  a  preacher  and  his  great  missionary  zeal 
led  to  his  selection  as  president  of  the  missions 
of  California,  from  which  the  Jesuits  had  been 
removed.  April  2,  1768,  he  arrived  in  the  port  of 
Loreto  with  fifteen  associates  from  the  College 
of  San  Fernando.  These  were  sent  to  the  dif- 
ferent missions  of  the  peninsula.  These  mis- 
sions extended  over  a  territory  seven  hundred 
miles  in  length  and  it  required  several  months 
to  locate  all  the  missionaries. 

The  scheme  for  the  occupation  and  coloniza- 
tion of  Alta  California  was  to  be  jointly  the 
work  of  church  and  state.  The  representative 
of  the  state  was  Jose  de  Galvez,  visitador-gen- 
eral  of  New  Spain,  a  man  of  untiring  energy, 
great  executive  ability,  sound  business  sense 
and.  as  such  men  are  and  ought  to  be,  some- 
what arbitrary.  Galvez  reached  La  Paz  in  July, 
1 768.  At  once  he  began  investigating  the  condi- 
tion of  the  peninsular  missions  and  supplying 
their  needs.  This  done,  he  turned  his  attention 
to  the  northern  colonization.  Establishing  his 
headquarters  at  Santa  Ana  near  La  Paz,  he  sum- 
moned Father  Junipero  for  consultation  in 
regard  to  the  founding  of  missions  in  Alta  Cali- 
fornia. It  was  decided  to  proceed  to  the  initial 
points,  San  Diego  and  Monterey,  by  'land  and 
sea.  Three  ships  were  to  be  dispatched  carrying 
the  heavier  articles,  such  as  agricultural  imple- 


ments, church  ornaments,  and  a  supply  of  provi- 
sions for  the  support  of  the  soldiers  and  priest 
after  their  arrival  in  California.  The  expedi- 
tion bv  land  was  to  take  along  cattle  and 
horses  to  stock  the  countrw  This  expedition 
was  divided  mto  two  detachments,  the  advance 
one  under  tlie  command  of  Rivera  y  Moncada, 
who  had  been  a  long  time  in  the  country,  and 
the  second  division  under  Governor  Caspar  de 
Portola,  who  was  a  newcomer.  Captain  Rivera 
was  sent  northward  to  collect  from  the  missions 
ail  the  live  stock  and  supplies  that  could  be 
spared  and  take  them  to  Santa  Alaria,  the  most 
northern  mission  of  the  peninsula.  Stores  of 
all  kinds  were  collected  at  La  Paz.  Father 
Serra  made  a  tour  of  the  missions  and  secured 
such  church  furniture,  ornaments  and  vestrnents 
as  could  be  spared. 

The  first  vessel  fitted  out  for  the  expedition 
by  sea  was  the  San  Carlos,  a  ship  of  about 
two  hundred  tons  burden,  Ieak_\-  and  badly  con- 
structed. She  sailed  fiom  La  Paz  January  9. 
1769,  under  the  command  of  Mcente  Alia.  In 
addition  to  the  crew  there  were  twenty-five  Cat- 
aionian  soldiers,  connuanded  by  Lieutenant 
Pages,  Pedro  Prat,  the  surgeon,  a  Franciscan 
friar,  two  blacksmiths,  a  baker,  a  cook  and  two 
tortilla  makers.  Galvez  in  a  small  vessel  accom- 
panied the  San  Carlos  to  Cape  San  Lucas,  where 
he  landed  and  set  to  work  to  fit  out  the  San 
Antonio.  On  the  15th  of  February  this  vessel 
sailed  from  San  Jose  del  Cabo  (San  Jose  of  the 
Cape),  under  the  conunand  of  Juan  Perez,  an 
expert  pilot,  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  Phil- 
ippine trade.  On  this  vessel  went  two  Franciscan 
friars,  Juan  \'iscaino  and  Francisco  Gomez. 
Captain  Rivera  y  Aloncada,  who  was  to  pioneer 
the  way,  had  collected  supplies  and  cattle  at  Vel- 
icata  on  the  northern  frontier.  From  here,  w'ith 
a  small  force  of  soldiers,  a  gang  of  neophytes 
and  three  muleteers,  and  accompanied  by  Padre 
Crespi,  he  began  his  march  to  .San  Diego  on  the 
24th  of  Alarch,  1769. 

The  second  land  expedition,  commanded  by 
Governor  Caspar  de  Portola  in  person,  began 
its  march  from  Loreto,  March  9,  1769.  Father 
Serra,  who  was  to  have  accompanied  it,  was  de- 
tained at  Loreto  by  a  sore  leg.  He  joined  the 
expedition  at  Santa  Maria.  May  5,  where  it  had 


4C 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Ijeeu  waiting  for  him  some  time.  It  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Rivera's  camp  at  Velicata,  sixty  miles 
further  north,  where  Serra  founded  a  mission, 
iiaming  it  San  Fernando.  Campa  Coy.  a  friar 
who  had  accompanied  the  expedition  thus  far, 
was  left  in  charge.  This  mission  was  intended 
as  a  frontier  post  in  the  travel  between  the  pen- 
insular missions  and  the  Alta  California  settle- 
ments. On  the  15th  of  May  Portola  began  his 
northern  march,  following  tiie  trail  of  Rivera. 
Galvez  had  named,  by  proclamation,  St.  Joseph 
as  the  patron  saint  of  the  California  expeditions. 
Santa  Maria  was  designated  as  the  patroness  of 
conversions. 

The  San  Antonia,  the  last  vessel  to  sail,  was 
the  first  to  arrive  at  San  Diego.  It  anchored  in 
the  bay  April  11,  1769,  after  a'  prosperous  voy- 
age of  twenty-iour  days.  There  she  remained 
at  anchor,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  San  Car- 
los, the  flag  ship  of  the  texpedition,  which  had 
sailed  more  than  a  month  before  her.  On  the 
29th  of  April  the  San  Carlos,  after  a  disastrous 
voyage  of  one  hundred  and  ten  days,  drifted 
into  the  Bay  of  San  Diego,  her  crew  prostrated 
with  the  scurvy,  not  enough  able-bodied  men 
being  left  to  man  a  boat.  Canvas  tents  were 
pitched  and  the  afflicted  men  taken  ashore. 
When  the  disease  had  run  its  course  nearly  all 
of  the  crew  of  the  San  Carlos,  half  of  the  sol- 
diers who  had  come  on  her,  and  nine  of  the 
sailors  of  the  San  Antonio,  were  dead. 

On  the  14th  of  May  Captain  Rivera  y  Mon- 
cada's  detachment  arrived.  The  expedition  had 
made  the  journey  from  Velicata  in  fifty-one 
days.  On  the  first  of  July  the  second  division, 
commanded  by  Portola,  arrived.  The  journey 
had  been  uneventful.  The  four  divisions  of  the 
grand  expedition  were  now  united,  but  its  num- 
bers had  been  greatly  reduced.  Out  of  two 
hvmdred  and  nineteen  who  had  set  out  by  land 
and  sea  only  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  re- 
mained ;  death  from  scurvy  and  the  desertion  of 
the  neophytes  had  reduced  the  numbers  nearly 
one-half.  The  ravages  of  the  scurvy  had  de- 
stroyed the  crew  of  one  of  the  vessels  and 
greatly  crippled  that  of  the  other,  so  it  was  im- 
possible to  proceed  by  sea  to  Monterey,  the 
second  objective  point  of  the  expedition.  A 
council  of  the  officers  was  held  and  it  was  de- 


cided to  send  the  San  .\ntoma  back  to  San  Bias 
for  supplies  and  sailors  to  man  the  San  Carlos. 
The  San  Antonia  sailed  on  the  9th  of  July  and 
after  a  voyage  of  twenty  days  reached  her  des- 
tination; but  short  as  the  voyage  was,  half  of 
the  crew  died  of  the  scurvy  on  the  passage.  In 
early  American  navigation  the  scurvy  was  the 
most  dreaded  scourge  of  the  sea,  more  to  be 
feared  than  storm  and  shipwreck.  These  might 
happen  occasionally,  but  the  scurvy  always  made 
its  appearance  on  long  voyages,  and  sometimes 
destroyed  the  whole  ship's  crew.  Its  appearance 
and  ravages  were  largely  due  to  the  neglect  of 
sanitary  precautions  and  to  the  utter  indiffer- 
ence of  those  in  authority  to  provide  for  the 
comfort  and  health  of  the  sailors.  The  interces- 
sion of  the  saints,  novenas,  fasts  and  penance 
were  relied  upon  to  protect  and  save  the  vessel 
and  her  crew,  while  the  simplest  sanitary  meas- 
ures were  utterly  disregarded.  A  blind,  unrea- 
soning faith  that  was  always  seeking  interposi- 
tion from  some  power  witiiout  to  preserve  and 
ignoring  the  power  within,  was  the  bane  and 
curse  of  that  age  of  superstition. 

If  tlic  mandates  of  King  Carlos  III.  and  the 
instructions  of  the  visitador-general,  Jose  de 
Galvez,  were  to  be  carripd  out,  the  expedition 
for  the  settlement  of  the  second  point  designated 
(Monterey)  must  be  made  by  land;  accordingly 
Governor  Portola  set  about  organizing  his 
forces  for  the  overland  journey.  On  the  14th 
of  July  the  expedition  began  its  march.  It  con- 
sisted of  Governor  Portola,  Padres  Crespi  and 
Gomez,  Captain  Rivera  y  Moncada,  Lieutenant 
Pedro  Pages,  Engineer  Miguel  Constanso,  sol- 
diers, muleteers  and  Indian  servants,  number- 
ing in  all  sixty-two  persons. 

On  the  i6tli  of  July,  two  days  after  the  de- 
parture of  Governor  Portola,  Father  Junipero, 
assisted  by  Padres  V'iscaino  and  Parron,  founded 
the  mission  of  San  Diego.  The  site  selected 
was  in  what  is  now  Old  Town,  near  the  tempo- 
rary presidio,  which  had  been  hastily  con- 
structed before  the  departure  of  Governor  Por- 
lola.  A  hut  of  boughs  had  been  constructed 
and  in  this  the  ceremonies  of  founding  were 
held.  The  Indians,  while  interested  in  what  was 
going  on,  manifested  no  desire  to  be  converted. 
They  were  willing  to  receive  gifts,  particularly 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


47 


of  cloth,  but  would  not  taste  the  food  of  the 
Spaniards,  fearing  that  it  contained  poison  and 
attributing  the  many  deaths  among  the  soldiers 
and  sailors  to  the  food.  The  Indians  had  a  great 
liking  for  pieces  of  cloth,  and  their  glesire  to 
obtain  this  led  to  an  attack  upon  the  people  of 
the  mission.  On  the  i4Lh  of  August,  taking 
advantage  of  the  absence  of  Padre  Parron  and 
two  soldiers,  they  broke  into  the  mission  and 
began  robbing  it  and  the  beds  of  the  sick.  The 
four  soldiers,  a  carpenter  and  a  blacksmith  ral- 
lied to  the  defense,  and  after  several  of  their 
numbers  had  fallen  by  the  guns  of  the  soldiers, 
the  Indians  fled.  A  boy  servant  of  the  padres 
was  killed  and  Father  A'iscaino  wounded  in  the 
hand.  After  this  the  Indians  were  more  cau- 
tious. 

We  now  return  to  the  march  of  Portola's  ex- 
pedition. As  the  first  exploration  of  the  main 
land  of  California  was  made  by  it,  I  give  con- 
siderable space  to  the  incidents  of  the  journey. 
Crespi,  Constanso  and  Pages  kept  journals  of 
the  march.  I  quote  from  those  of  Constanso 
and  Crespi.  Lieutenant  Constanso  thus  de- 
scribes the  order  of  the  march.  "The  setting- 
forth  was  on  the  14th  day  of  June*  of  the  cited 
\  ear  of  '69.  The  two  divisions  of  the  expedition 
by  land  marched  in  one,  the  commander  so  ar- 
ranging because  the  number  of  horse-herd  and 
packs  was  much,  since  of  provisions  and  victuals 
alone  they  carried  one  hundred  packs,  which  he 
estimated  to  be  necessary  to  ration  all  the  folk 
during  six  months;  thus  providing  against  a 
delay  of  the  packets,  altho'  it  was  held  to  be 
impossible  that  in  this  interval  some  one  of 
them  should  fail  to  arrive  at  Monterey.  On 
the  marches  the  following  order  was  observed: 
At  the  head  went  the  commandant  with  the  offi- 
cers, the  six  men  of  the  Catalonia  volunteers, 
who  added  themselves  at  San  Diego,  and  some 
friendly  Indians,  with  spades,  mattocks,  crow- 
bars, axes  and  other  im.plements  of  pioneers,  to 
chop  and  open  a  passage  whenever  necessary. 
After  them  followed  the  pack-train,  divided  into 
four  bands  with  the  muleteers  and  a  competent 
number  of  garrison  soldiers  for  their  escort  with 
each  band.     In  the  rear  guard  with  the  rest  of 


''Evidently  an  error:    it  shOuM  be  July   I4tli. 


the  troops  and  friendly  Indians  came  the  cap- 
tain, Don  I'ernando  Rivera,  convoying  the 
horse-herd  and  the  mule  herd  for  relays." 

*  *         :|: 

"It  must  be  well  considered  that  the  marches 
of  these  troops  with  such  a  train  and  with  such 
embarrassments  thro'  unknown  lands  and  un- 
used paths  could  not  be  long  ones ;  leaving  aside 
the  other  causes  which  obliged  them  to  halt 
and  camp  early  in  the  afternoon,  that  is  to  say, 
the  necessity  of  exploring  the  land  one  day  for 
tlie  next,  so  as  to  regulate  them  (the  marches) 
according  to  the  distance  of  the  watering-places 
and  to  take  in  consequence  the  proper  precau- 
tions; setting  forth  again  on  special  occasions 
in  the  evening,  after  having  given  water  to  the 
beasts  in  that  same  hour  upon  the  sure  informa- 
tion that  in  the  following  stretch  there  was  no 
v\ater  or  that  the  watering  place  was  low,  or  the 
pasture  scarce.  The  restings  were  measured  by 
tlie  necessity,  every  four  days,  more  or  less, 
according  to  the  extraordinary  fatigue  occa- 
sioned by  the  greater  roughness  of  the  road, 
the  toil  of  the  pioneers,  or  the  wandering  ofif  of 
the  beasts  which  were  missing  from  the  horse 
herd  and  which  it  was  necessary  to  seek  by  their 
tracks.  At  other  times,  by  the  necessity  of 
humoring  the  sick,  when  there  were  any,  and 
with  time  there  were  many  who  yielded  up  their 
strength  to  the  continued  fatigue,  the  excessive 
heat  and  cruel  cold.  In  the  form  and  according 
to  the  method  related  the  Spaniards  executed 
their  marches;  traversing  immense  lands  more 
fertile  and  more  pleasing  in  proportion  as  they 
penetrated  more  to  the  north.  All  in  general  are 
peopled  with  a  multitude  of  Indians,  who  came 
out  to  meet  them  and  in  some  parts  accompa- 
nied them  from  one  stage  of  the  journey  to  the 
next;  a  folk  very  docile  and  tractable  chiefly 
from  San  Diego  onward." 

Constanso's  description  of  the  Indians  of 
Santa  Barbara  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  the 
"Aborigines  of  California."  "From  the  chan- 
nel of  Santa  Barbara  onward  the  lands  are  not 
so  populous  nor  the  Indians  so  industrious,  but 
they  are  equally  affable  and  tractable.  The 
Spaniards  pursued  their  voyage  without  opposi- 
tion up  to  the  Sierra  of  Santa  Lucia,  which  they 
contrived  to  cross  with  much  hardship.    At  the 


48 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


foot  of  said  Sierra  on  tlie  north  side  is  to  be 
found  tlie  port  of  Monterey,  according  to  an- 
cient reports,  between  the  Point  of  Pines  and 
that  of  Afio  Nuevo  (New  Year).  The  Spaniards 
caught  sight  of  said  points  on  the  ist  of  October 
of  the  year  '69,  and,  beUeving  they  had  arrived 
at  the  end  of  their  voyage,  the  commandant  sent 
the  scouts  forward  to  reconnoitre  the  Point  of 
Pines;  in  whose  near  vicinity  hes  said  Port  in 
36  degrees  and  40  minutes  North  Latitude.  But 
the  scant  tokens  and  equivocal  ones  which  are 
given  of  it  by  the  Pilot  Cabrera  Bueno,  the  only 
clue  of  this  voyage,  and  the  character  of  this 
Port,  which  rather  merits  the  name  of  Bay, 
being  spacious  (in  likeness  to  that  of  Cadiz), 
not  corresponding  with  ideas  which  it  is  natural 
to  form  in  reading  the  log  of  the  aforemen- 
tioned Cabrera  Bueno,  nor  with  the  latitude  of 
■i^y  degrees  in  which  he  located  it,  the  scouts  were 
persuaded  that  the  Port  must  be  farther  to  the 
north  and  they  returned  to  the  camp  which  our 
people  occupied  with  the  report  that  what  they 
sought  was  not  to  be  seen  m  those  parts." 

They  decided  that  the  Port  was  still  further 
north  and  resumed  their  march.  Seventeen  of 
their  number  were  sick  with  the  scurvy,  some  of 
whom,  Constanso  says,  seemed  to  be  in  their 
last  extremity;  these  had  to  be  carried  in  lit- 
ters. To  add  to  their  miseries,  the  rains  began 
in  the  latter  part  of  October,  and  with  them 
came  an  epidemic  of  diarrhea,  "which  spread  to 
all  without  exception;  and  it  came  to  be  feared 
that  this  sickness  which  prostrated  their  powers 
and  left  the  persons  spiritless,  would  finish  with 
the  expedition  altogether.  But  it  turned  out 
quite  to  the  contrary."  Those  afflicted  with  the 
scurvy  began  to  mend  and  in  a  short  time  they 
were  restored  to  health.  Constanso  thus  describes 
the  discovery  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco: 
"The  last  day  of  October  the  Expedition  by  land 
came  in  sight  of  Punta  de  Los  Reyes  and  the 
Farallones  of  the  Port  of  San  Francisco,  whose 
landmarks,  compared  with  those  related  by 
the  log  of  the  Pilot  Cabrera  Bueno,  were  found 
exact.  Thereupon  it  became  of  evident  knowl- 
edge that  the  Port  of  Monterey,  had  been  left' 
bcliind;  there  being  few  who  stuck  to  the 
contrary  opinion.  Nevertheless  the  comman- 
dant    resolved     to     send     to     reconnoitre    the 


land  as  far  as  Point  de  los  Reyes.  The  scouts 
who  were  conmiissioned  for  this  purpose  found 
themselves  obstructed  by  immense  estuaries, 
\\hich  run  extraordinarily  far  back  into  the  land 
and  were  obliged  to  make  great  detours  to  get 
around  the  heads  of  these.  *  *  *  Having 
arrived  at  the  end  of  the  first  estuary  and  recon- 
noitered  the  land  that  would  have  to  be  followed 
to  arrive  at  the  Point  de  Los  Reyes,  interrupted 
with  new  estuaries,  scant  pasturage  and  fire- 
wood and  having  recognized,  besides  this,  the 
uncertainty  of  the  news  and  the  misapprehen- 
sion the  scouts  had  labored  under,  the  com- 
mandant, with  the  advice  of  his  officers,  resolved 
upon  a  retreat  to  the  Point  of  Pines  in  hopes  of 
finding  the  Port  of  Monterey  and  encountering 
in  it  the  Packet  San  Jose  or  the  San  Antonia, 
whose  succor  already  was  necessary;  since  of 
the  provisions  which  had  been  taken  in  San 
Diego  no  more  remained  than  some  few  sacks  of 
flour  of  which  a  short  ration  was  issued  to  each 
individual  daily." 

"On  the  eleventh  day  of  November  was  put 
into  execution  the  retreat  in  search  of  Mon- 
terey. The  Spaniards  reached  said  port  and 
the  Point  of  Pines  on  the  28th  of  Novem- 
ber. They  maintained  themselves  in  this  place 
until  the  loth  of  December  without  any  ves- 
sel having  appeared  in  this  time.  For  which 
reason  and  noting  also  a  lack  of  victuals,  and 
that  the  sierra  of  Santa  Lucia  was  covering 
itself  with  snow,  the  commandant,  Don  Caspar 
de  Portola,  saw  himself  obliged  to  decide  to 
continue  the  retreat  unto  San  Diego,  leaving 
it  until  a  better  occasion  to  return  to  the  enter- 
prise. On  this  retreat  the  Spaniards  experi- 
enced some  hardships  and  necessities,  because 
they  entirely  lacked  provisions,  and  because  the 
long  marches,  which  necessity  obliged  to  make 
to  reach  San  Diego,  gave  no  time  for  seeking 
sustenance  by  the  chase,  nor  did  game  abound 
equally  everywhere.  .\t  this  juncture  they  killed 
twelve  mules  of  the  pack-train  on  whose  meat 
the  folk  nourished  themselves  unto  San  Diego, 
at  which  new  establishment  they  arrived,  all  in 
health,  on  the  24th  of  January,  1770." 

The  San  Jose,  the  third  ship  fitted  out  by 
A^isitador-General  Galvez,  and  which  Governor 
Portola  expected  to  find  in  the  Bay  of  Monte- 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


49 


rey,  sailed  from  San  Jose  del  Cabo  in  i\lay, 
1770,  with  supplies  and  a  double  crew  to  sup- 
ply the  loss  of  sailors  on  the  other  vessels,  but 
nothing  was  ever  heard  of  her  afterwards.  Pro- 
visions were  running  low  at  San  Diego,  no  ship 
liad  arrived,  and  Governor  Portola  had  decided 
to  abandon  the  place  and  return  to  Loreto. 
Father  Junipero  was  averse  to  this  and  prayed 
unceasingly  for  the  intercession  of  Saint  Joseph, 
the  patron  of  the  expedition.  A  novena  or  nine 
days'  public  prayer  was  instituted  to  terminate 
with  a  grand  ceremonial  on  March  19th,  which 
was  the  saint's  own  day.  But  on  the  23rd  of 
March,  when  all  were  ready  to  depart,  the 
packet  San  Antonia  arrived.  She  had  sailed 
from  San  Bias  the  20th  of  December.  She  en- 
countered a  storm  which  drove  her  four  hun- 
dred leagues  from  the  coast;  then  she  made 
land  in  35  degrees  north  latitude.  Turning  her 
prow  southward,  she  ran  down  to  Point  Concep- 
cion,  where  at  an  anchorage  in  the  Santa  Bar- 
liara  channel  the  captain,  Perez,  took  on  water 
and  learned  from  the  Indians  of  the  return  of 
Portola's  expedition.  The  vessel  then  ran  down 
to  San  Diego,  where  its  opportune  arrival 
prevented  the  abandonment  of  that  settle- 
ment. 


With  an  abundant  supply  of  provisions  and  a  • 
vessel  to  carry  the  heavier  articles  needed  in 
forming  a  settlement  at  Monterey,  Portola  or- 
ganized a  second  expedition.  This  time  he  took 
with  him  only  twenty  soldiers  and  one  officer, 
Lieutenant  Pedro  Pages.  He  set  out  from  San 
Diego  on  the  17th  of  April  and  followed  his  trail 
made  the  previous  year.  Father  Serra  and  the 
engineer,  Constanso,  sailed  on  the  San  Antonia, 
which  left  the  port  of  San  Diego  on  the  i6th  of 
April.  The  land  expedition  reached  [Monterey 
on  the  23d  of  May  and  the  San  Antonia  on  the 
31st  of  the  same  month.  On  the  3d  of  June, 
1770,  the  mission  of  San  Carlos  Borromeo  de 
]\Ionterey  was  formally  founded  with  solemn 
church  ceremonies,  accompanied  by  the  ringing 
of  bells,  the  crack  of  musketry  and  the  roar  of 
cannon.  Father  Serra  conducted  the  church 
services.  Governor  Portola  took  possession  of 
the  land  in  the  name  of  King  Carlos  III.  A 
presidio  or  fort  of  palisades  was  built  and  a  few 
huts  erected.  Portola,  having  formed  the  nu- 
cleus of  a  settlement,  turned  over  the  command 
of  the  territory  to  Lieutenant  Pages.  On  the 
9th  of  July,  1770,  he  sailed  on  the  San  Antonia 
for  San  Bias.  He  never  returned  to  Alta  Cali- 
fornia. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


ABORIGINES    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


WHETHER  the  primitive  California  In- 
dian was  the  low  and  degraded  being 
that  some  modern  writers  represent 
him  to  have  been,  admits  of  doubt.  A  mis- 
sion training  continued  through  three  gen- 
erations did  not  elevate  him  in  morals  at  least. 
When  freed  from  mission  restraint  and  brought 
in  contact  with  the  white  race  he  lapsed  into  a 
condition  more  degraded  and  more  debased  than 
that  in  which  the  missionaries  found  him. 
WHiether  it  was  the  inherent  fault  of  the  Indian 
or  the  fault  of  his  training  is  a  question  that  is 
useless  to  discuss  now.  If  we  are  to  believe  the 
accounts  of  the  California  Indian  given  by  ^^is- 
caino  and  Constanso,  who  saw  him  before  he 


had  come  in  contact  with  civilization  he  was  not 
inferior  in  intelligence  to  the  nomad  aborigines 
of  the  country  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains. 

Sebastian  Viscaino  thus  describes  the  In- 
dians he  found  on  the  shores  of  Monterey  Bay 
three  hundred  years  ago: 

"The  Indians  are  of  good  stature  and  fair 
complexion,  the  women  being  somewhat  less  in 
size  than  the  men  and  of  pleasing  countenance. 
The  clothing  of  the  people  of  the  coast  lands 
consists  of  the  skins  of  the  sea-wolves  (otter) 
abounding  there,  which  they  tan  and  dress  bet- 
ter than  is  done  in  Castile;  they  possess  also, 
in  great  quantity,  flax  like  that  of  Castile,  hemp 
and  cotton,  from  which  they  make  fishing-lines 


50 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  nets  for  rabbits  and  hares.  They  have  ves- 
sels of  pine  wood  very  well  made,  in  which  they 
go  to  sea  with  fourteen  paddle  men  on  a  side 
with  great  dexterity,  even  in  stormy  weather." 

Indians  who  could  construct  boats  of  pine 
boards  that  took  twenty-eight  paddle  men  to 
row  were  certainly  superior  in  maritime  craft 
to  the  birch  bark  canoe  savages  of  the  east. 
We  might  accuse  Viscaino,  who  was  trying  to 
induce  King  Philip  III.  to  found  a  colony  on 
Monterey  Bay,  of  exaggeration  in  regard  to 
the  Indian  boats  were  not  his  statements  con- 
lirraed  by  the  engineer,  Miguel  Constanso,  who 
accompanied  Portola's  expedition  one  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  years  after  Viscaino  visited  the 
coast.  Constanso,  writing  of  the  Indians  of  the 
Santa  Barbara  Channel,  says,  "The  dexterity 
and  skill  of  these  Indians  is  surpassing  in  the 
construction  of  their  launches  made  of  pine 
planking.  They  are  from  eight  to  ten  varas 
(twenty-three  to  twenty-eight  feet)  in  length, 
including  their  rake  and  a  vara  and  a  half  (four 
feet  three  inches)  beam.  Into  their  fabric  enters 
no  iron  whatever,  of  the  use  of  which  they  know 
little.  But  they  fasten  the  boards  with  firmness, 
one  to  another,  working  their  drills  just  so  far 
apart  and  at  a  distance  of  an  inch  from  the  edge, 
the  holes  in  the  upper  boards  corresponding 
with  those  in  the  lower,  and  through  these  holes 
they  pass  strong  lashings  of  deer  sinews.  They 
pitch  and  calk  the  seams,  and  paint  the  whole 
in  sightly  colors.  They  handle  the  boats  with 
equal  cleverness,  and  three  or  four  men  go  out 
to  sea  to  fish  in  them,  though  they  have  capacity 
to  carry  eight  or  ten.  They  use  long  oars  with 
two  blades  and  row  with  unspeakable  lightness 
and  velocity.  They  know  all  the  arts  of  fishing, 
and  fish  abound  along  their  coasts  as  has  been 
said  of  San  Diego.  They  have  communication 
and  commerce  with  the  natives  of  the  islands, 
whence  they  get  the  beads  of  coral  which  arc 
current  in  place  of  money  through  these  lands, 
although  they  hold  in  more  esteem  the  glass 
beads  which  the  Spaniards  gave  them,  and  of- 
fered in  exchange  for  these  whatever  they  had 
like  trays,  otter  skins,  baskets  and  wooden 
plates.     *     *     * 

"They  are  likewise  great  hunters.  To  kill 
deer  and  antelope  they  avail  themselves  of  an 


admirable  ingenuity.  They  preserve  the  hide 
of  the  head  and  part  of  the  neck  of  some  one 
of  these  animals,  s'<inned  with  care  and  leaving 
the  horns  attached  to  the  same  hide,  which  they 
Stuff  with  grass  or  straw  to  keep  its  shape. 
They  put  this  said  shell  like  a  cap  upon  the  head 
and  go  forth  to  the  woods  with  this  rare  equip- 
age. On  sighting  the  deer  or  antelope  they  go 
dragging  themselves  along  the  ground  little  by 
little  with  the  left  hand.  In  the  right  they  carry 
the  bow  and  four  arrows.  They  lower  and  raise 
the  head,  moving  it  to  one  side  and  the  other, 
and  making  other  demonstrationi  so  hke  these 
animals  that  they  attract  them  without  difficulty 
to  the  snare;  and  having  them  within  a  short 
distance,  they  discharge  their  arrows  at  them 
with  certainty  of  hitting."' 

In  the  two  chief  occupations  of  the  savage, 
hunting  and  fishing,  the  Indians  of  the  Santa 
Barbara  Channel  seem  to  have  been  the  equals 
if  not  the  superiors  of  their  eastern  brethren. 
In  the  art  of  war  they  were  inferior.  Their 
easy  conquest  by  the  Spaniards  and  their  tame 
subjection  to  mission  rule  no  doubt  had  much 
to  do  with  giving  them  a  reputation  for  infe- 
riority. 

The  Indians  of  the  interior  valleys  and  those 
of  the  coast  belonged  to  the  same  general  fam- 
ily. There  were  no  great  tribal  divisions  like 
those  that  existed  among  the  Indians  east  of  the 
Rock)-  mountains.  Each  rancheria  was  to  a 
certain  extent  independent  of  all  others,  al- 
though at  times  they  were  known  to  combine 
for  war  or  plunder.  Although  not  warlike,  they 
sometimes  resisted  the  whites  in  battle  with 
great  bravery.  Each  village  had  its  own  terri- 
tory in  which  to  hunt  and  fish  and  its  own  sec- 
tion in  which  to  gather  nuts,  seeds  and  herbs. 
While  their  mode  of  living  was  somewhat  no- 
madic they  seem  to  have  had  a  fixed  location  for 
their  rancherias. 

The  early  Spanish  settlers  of  California  and 
the  mission  padres  have  left  but  very  meager 
accounts  of  the  manners,  customs,  traditions, 
government  and  religion  of  the  aborigines.  The 
padres  were  too  intent  upon  driving  out  the  old 
religious  beliefs  of  the  Indian  and  instilling  new 
ones  to  care  much  what  the  aborigine  had  for- 
merly believed  or  what  traditions  or  myths  he 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


had  inherited  from  his  ancestors.  They  ruth- 
lessly destroyed  his  fetiches  and  liis  altars 
wherever  they  found  them,  regarding  them  as 
inventions  of  the  devil. 

The  best  account  that  has  come  down  to  us 
iif  the  primitive  life  of  the  Southern  California 
aborigines  is  found  in  a  series  of  letters  written 
by  Hugo  Reid  and  published  in  the  Los  An- 
geles Star  in  1851-52.  Reid  was  an  educated 
Scotchman,  who  came  to  Los  Angeles  in  1834. 
He  married  an  Indian  woman,  Dona  \'ictoria,  a 
neophyte  of  the  San  Gabriel  mission.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  an  Indian  chief.  It  is  said  that 
Reid  had  been  crossed  in  love  by  some  high 
toned  Spanish  seiiorita  and  married  the  Indian 
woman  because  she  had  the  same  name  as  his 
lost  love.  It  is  generally  believed  that  Reid  was 
the  putative  father  of  Helen  Hunt  Jackson's 
heroine,  Ramona. 

From  these  letters,  now  in  the  possession  of 
the  Historical  Society  of  Southern  California, 
I  briefly  collate  some  of  the  leading  character- 
istics of  the  Southern  Indians: 


"Before  the  Indians  belonging  to  the  greater 
part  of  this  country  were  known  to  the  whites 
they  comprised,  as  it  were,  one  great  family 
under  distinct  chiefs ;  they  spoke  nearly  the  same 
language,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  words, 
and  were  more  to  be  distinguished  b\-  a  local 
intonation  of  the  voice  than  anything  else.  Be- 
ing related  by  blood  and  marriage  war  was 
never  carried  on  between  them.  When  war  was 
consequently  waged  against  neighboring  tribes 
of  no  affinity  it  was  a  common  cause." 

■'The  government  of  the  people  was  invested 
in  the  hands  of  their  chiefs,  each  captain  com- 
manding his  own  lodge.  The  command  was 
hereditary  in  a  family.  If  the  right  line  of  de- 
scent ran  out  they  elected  one  of  the  same  kin 
nearest  in  blood.  Laws  in  general  were  made 
as  required,  with  some  few  standing  ones.  Rob- 
bery was  never  known  among  them.  Murder 
was  of  rare  occurrence  and  punished  with  death. 
Incest  was  likewise  punished  with  death,  being- 
held  in  such  abhorrence  that  marriages  between 
kinsfolk  were  not  allowed.  The  manner  of  put- 
ting to  death  was  by   shooting  the  delinquent 


with  arrows.  If  a  (juarrel  ensued  between  two 
parties  the  chief  of  the  lodge  took  cognizance 
m  tiie  case  and  decided  according  to  the  testi- 
mony produced.  But  if  a  (juarrel  occurred 
between  parties  of  distinct  lodges,  each  chief 
heard  the  witnesses  produced  by  his  own  people, 
and  then,  associated  with  the  chief  of  the  oppo- 
site side,  they  passed  sentence.  In  case  the_\' 
could  not  agree  an  impartial  chief  was  called  in, 
who  heard  the  statements  made  by  both  and  he 
alone  decided.  There  was  no  appeal  from  his  de- 
cision. Whipping  was  never  resorted  to  as  a 
punishment.  .\11  fines  and  sentences  consisted  in 
delivering  shells,  money,  food  and  skins." 

RELIGION. 

"They  believed  in  one  Ciod,  tiie  }ilaker  and 
Creator  of  all  things,  whose  name  was  and  is 
h.eld  so  sacred  among  them  as  hardly  ever  to  be 
used,  and  when  used  only  in  a  low  voice.  That 
name  is  Oua-o-ar.  When  they  have  to  use  the 
name  of  the  supreme  Ijeing  on  an  ordinary  oc- 
casion they  substitute  in  its  stead  the  word 
Y-yo-ha-rory-nain  or  the  Giver  of  Life.  They 
have  only  one  word  to  designate  life  and 
soul." 

"The  world  was  at  one  time  in  a  state  of  cliaos. 
until  God  gave  it  its  present  formation,  fixing 
it  on  the  shoulders  of  seven  giants,  made  ex- 
pressly for  this  end.  They  have  their  names, 
and  when  they  move  themselves  an  earthquake 
is  the  consequence,  .\nimals  were  then  formed, 
and  lastly  man  and  woman  were  formed,  separ- 
ately from  earth  and  ordered  to  live  together. 
The  man's  name  was  Tobahar  and  the  woman's 
rrol)avit.  God  ascended  to  Heaven  immediately 
afterward,  where  he  receives  the  souls  of  all  who 
die.  They  had  no  bad  spirits  connected  with 
their  creed,  and  never  heard  of  a  "devil"  or  a 
'heir  until  the  coming  of  the  Spaniards.  They 
believed  in  no  resurrection  whatever" 


"Chiefs  had  one,  two  or  three  wives,  as  their 
inclination  dictated,  the  subjects  only  one.  When 
a  person  wished  to  marry  and  had  selected  a 
suitable  partner,  lie  advertised  the  same  to  all 
his  relatives,  even  to  the  nineteenth  cousin.  On 
a  day  appointed  the  male  portion  of  the  lodge 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


brought  in  a  collection  of  money  beads.  All  the 
relations  having  come  in  with  their  share, 
they  (the  males)  proceeded  in  a  body  to  the  resi- 
dence of  the  bride,  to  whom  timely  notice  had 
been  given.  All  of  the  bride's  female  relations 
had  been  assembled  and  the  money  was  equally 
divided  among  them,  the  bride  receiving  noth- 
ing, as  it  was  a  sort  of  purchase.  After  a  few 
days  the  bride's  female  relations  returned  the 
compliment  by  taking  to  the  bridegroom's 
dwelling  baskets  of  meal  made  of  chia,  which 
was  distributed  among  the  male  relatives.  These 
preliminaries  over,  a  day  was  fixed  for  the  cere- 
mony, which  consisted  in  decking  out  the  bride 
in  innumerable  strings  of  beads,  paint,  feathers 
and  skins.  On  being  ready  she  was  taken  up 
in  the  arms  of  one  of  her  strongest  male  rela- 
tives, who  carried  her,  dancing,  towards  her 
lover's  habitation.  All  of  her  family,  friends  and 
neighbors  accompanied,  dancing  around,  throw- 
ing food. and  edible  seeds  at  her  feet  at  every 
step.  These  were  collected  in  a  scramble  by  the 
spectators  as  best  they  could.  The  relations 
of  the  bridegroom  met  them  half  way.  and,  tak- 
ing the  bride,  carried  her  themselves,  joining  in 
the  ceremonious  walking  dance.  On  arriving  at 
the  bridegroom's  (who  was  sitting  within  his 
hut)  she  was  inducted  into  her  new  residence  by 
being  placed  alongside  of  her  husband,  while 
baskets  of  seeds  were  liberally  emptied  on  their 
heads  to  denote  blessings  and  plenty.  This  was 
likewise  scrambled  for  by  the  spectators,  who, 
on  gathering  up  all  the  bride's  seed  cake,  de- 
parted, leaving  them  to  enjoy  their  honeymoon 
according  to  usage.  A  grand  dance  was  given 
on  the  occasion,  the  warriors  doing  the  danc- 
ing, the  young  women  doing  the  singing.  The 
wife  never  visited  her  relatives  from  that  day 
forth,  although  they  were  at  liberty  to  visit  her." 

BURI.\LS. 

"When  a  person  died  all  the  kin  collected  to 
mourn  his  or  her  loss.  Each  one  had  his  own 
peculiar  mode  of  crying  or  bowling,  as  easily  dis- 
tinguished the  one  from  the  other  as  one  song 
is  from  another.  After  lamenting  awhile  a 
mourning  dirge  was  sung  in  a  low  whining  tone, 
accompanied  bv  a  shrill  whistle  produced  by 
blowing  into  the  tube  of    a    deer's    leg  bone. 


Dancing  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  formed  a 
part  of  the  rites,  as  it  was  merely  a  monotonous 
action  of  the  foot  on  the  ground.  This  was  con- 
tinued alternately  until  the  body  showed  signs 
of  decay,  when  it  was  wrapped  in  the  covering 
used  in  life.  The  hands  were  crossed  upon  the 
breast  and  the  body  tied  from  head  to  foot.  A 
grave  having  been  dug  in  their  burial  ground, 
the  body  was  deposited  wdth  seeds,  etc.,  accord- 
ing to  the  means  of  the  family.  If  the  deceased 
were  the  head  of  the  family  or  a  favorite  son, 
the  hut  in  wdiich  he  lived  was  burned  up,  as 
likewise  were  all  his  personal  effects." 

FEUD.S THE   S(JXU    EIGHTS. 

"Animosity  between  persons  or  families  was 
of  long  duration,  particularly  between  those  of 
different  tribes.  These  feuds  descended  from 
father  to  son  until  it  was  impossible  to  tell  of 
how  many  generations.  They  were,  however, 
harmless  in  themselves,  being  merely  a  war  of 
songs,  composed  and  sung  against  the  conflict- 
ing party,  and  they  were  all  of  the  most  obscene 
and  indecent  language  imaginable.  There  are 
two  families  at  this  day  (1851)  whose  feud  com- 
menced before  the  Spaniards  were  ever  dreamed 
of  and  they  still  continue  singing  and  dancing 
against  each  other.  The  one  resides  at  the  mis- 
sion of  San  Gabriel  and  the  other  at  San  Juan 
Capistrano;  they  both  lived  at  San  Bernardino 
when  the  quarrel  commenced.  During  the  sing- 
ing they  continue  stamping  on  the  ground  to 
express  the  pleasure  they  would  derive  from 
tramping  on  the  graves  of  their  foes.  Eight  days 
was  the  duration  of  the  song  fight." 


"From  the  bark  of  nettles  was  manufactured 
thread  for  nets,  fishing  lines,  etc.  Needles,  fish- 
hooks, awls  and  many  other  articles  were  made 
of  either  bone  or  shell:  for  cutting  up  meat  a 
knife  of  cane  was  invariably  used.  ]\Iortars  and 
pestles  were  made  of  granite.  Sharp  stones  and 
perseverance  were  the  only  things  used  in  their 
manufacture,  and  so  skillfully  did  they  combine 
the  two  that  their  work  was  always  remarkably 
uniform.  Their  pots  to  cook  in  were  made  of 
soapstone  of  about  an  inch  in  thickness  and 
procured   from   the   Indians   of  Santa   Catalina. 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


53 


Their  baskets,  made  out  of  a  certain  species  of 
rusli,  were  used  only  for  dry  purposes,  although 
they  were  water  proof.  The  vessels  in  use  for 
liquids  were  roughly  made  of  rushes  and  plas- 
tered outside  and  in  with  bitumen  or  pitch." 

INDI.\NS   OF   THE  S.\NT.\    BARBAR.\    CH.WNEI.. 

Miguel  Constanso,  the  engineer  who  accom- 
panied Portola's  expedition  in  1769,  gives  us  the 
best  description  of  the  Santa  I'arbara  Indians 
extant. 

"The  Indians  in  whom  was  recognized  more 
vivacity  and  industry  are  those  that  inhabit  the 
islands  and  the  coast  of  the  Santa  Barbara 
channel.  They  live  in  pueblos  (villages)  whose 
houses  are  of  spherical  form  in  the  fashion  of  a 
half  orange  covered  with  rushes.  They  are  up 
to  twenty  varas  (fifty-five  feet)  in  diameter.  Each 
house  contains  three  or  four  families.  The 
hearth  is  in  the  middle  and  in  the  top  of  the 
house  they  leave  a  vent  er  chimney  to  give  exit 
for  the  smoke.  In  nothing  did  these  gentiles 
give  the  lie  to  the  affability  and  good  treatment 
which  were  experienced  at  their  hands  in  other 
times  (1602)  by  the  Spaniards  who  landed  upon 
those  coasts  with  General  Sebastian  Vizcayno. 
They  are  men  and  women  of  good  figure  and  as- 
pect, very  much  given  to  painting  and  staining 
their  faces  and  bodies  with  red  ochre. 

"They  use  great  head  dresses  of  feathers  and 
some  panderellas  (small  darts)  which  thev  bind 
up  amid  their  hair  with  various  trinkets  and 
beads  of  coral  of  various  colors.  The  men  go 
entirely  naked,  but  in  time  of  cold  they  sport 
some  long  capes  of  tanned  skins  of  nutrias  (ot- 
ters) and  some  mantles  made  of  the  same  skins 
cut  in  long  strips,  which  they  twist  in  such  a 
manner  that  all  the  fur  remains  outside:  then 
they  weave  these  strands  one  with  another, 
forming  a  weft,  and  give  it  the  pattern  referred 
to. 

"The  women  go  with  more  decency,  girt 
about  the  waist  with  tanned  skins  of  deer  which 
cover  them  in  front  and  behind  more  than  half 
down  the  leg,  and  with  a  mantelet  of  nutria  over 
the  body.  There  are  some  of  them  with  good 
features.  These  are  the  Indian  women  who 
make  the  trays  and  vases  of  rushes,  to  which 
they  give  a  thousand  difTerent  forms  and  grace- 


ful patterns,  according  to  the  uses  to  which  they 
are  destined,  whether  it  be  for  eating,  drinking, 
guarding  their  seeds,  or  for  other  purposes;  for 
these  peoples  do  not  know  the  use  of  earthen 
ware  as  those  of  .San  Diego  use  it. 

"The  men  work  handsome  trays  of  wood,  with 
finer  inlays  of  coral  or  of  bone;  and  some  vases 
of  much  capacit}-,  closing  at  the  mouth,  which 
appear  to  be  made  with  a  lathe — and  with  this 
machine  they  would  not  come  out  better  hol- 
lowed nor  of  more  perfect  form.  They  give  the 
whole  a  luster  which  appears  the  finished  handi- 
work of  a  skilled  artisan.  The  large  vessels 
which  hold  water  are  of  a  very  strong  weave  of 
rushes  pitched  within;  and  they  give  them  the 
same  form  as  our  water  jars. 

"To  eat  the  seeds  which  they  use  in  place  of 
bread  they  toast  them  first  in  great  trays,  put- 
ting among  the  seeds  some  pebbles  or  small 
stones  heated  until  red;  then  they  move  and 
shake  the  tray  so  it  may  not  burn;  and  getting 
the  seed  sufficiently  toasted  they  grind  it  in  mor- 
tars or  almireses  of  stone.  Some  of  these  mor- 
tars were  of  extraordinary  size,  as  well  wrought 
as  if  they  had  had  for  the  purpose  the  best  steel 
tools.  The  constancy,  attention  to  trifles,  and 
labor  which  they  employ  in  finishing  these  pieces 
are  well  worthy  of  admiration.  The  mortars  are 
so  appreciated  among  themselves  that  for  those 
who,  dying,  leave  behind  such  handiworks,  they 
are  wont  to  jilace  them  over  the  spot  where  they 
are  buried,  that  the  memory  of  their  skill  and 
;ipi3lication  may  not  be  lost. 

"They  inter  their  dead.  They  have  their  cem- 
eteries within  tlie  very  puel)lo.  The  funerals  of 
their  captains  they  make  with  great  pomp,  and 
set  up  over  their  bodies  some  rods  or  poles,  ex- 
tremely tall,  from  which  they  hang  a  variety  of 
utensils  and  chattels  which  were  used  by  them. 
They  likewise  put  in  the  same  place  some  great 
planks  of  pine,  with  various  paintings  and  fig- 
ures in  which  without  doubt  they  explain  the 
exploits  and  prowesses  of  the  personage. 

"Plurality  of  wives  is  not  lawful  among  these 
peoples.  Only  the  captains  have  a  right  to 
marry  two.  In  all  their  pueblos  the  attention 
was  taken  by  a  species  of  men  who  lived  like  the 
women,  kept  company  with  them,  dressed  in  the 
same  garb,  adorned  themselves  with  beads,  pen- 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


dants,  necklaces  and  other  womanish  adorn- 
ments, and  enjoyed  great  consideration  among 
the  people.  The  lack  ot  an  interpreter  did  not 
permit  us  to  find  out  what  class  of  men  they 
were,  or  to  what  ministry  they  were  destined, 
though  all  suspect  a  defect  in  sex,  or  some 
abuse  among  those  gentiles. 

"In  their  houses  the  married  couples  have 
their  separate  beds  on  platforms  elevated  from 
the  ground.  Their  mattresses  are  some  simple 
petates  (mats)  of  rushes  and  their  pillows  are 
of  the  same  petates  roiled  up  at  the  head  of  the 
bed.  All  these  beds  are  hung  about  with  like 
mats,  which  serve  for  decency  and  protect  from 
the  cold." 

From  the  descriptions  given  by  \'iscaino  and 
Constanso  of  the  coast  Indians  they  do  not  ap- 
pear to  have  been  the  degraded  creatures  that 
some  modern  writers  have  pictured  them.  In 
mechanical  ingenuity  they  were  superior  to  the 
Indians  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard  or  those  of  the 
Mississippi  valley.  Much  of  the  credit  that  has 
been  given  to  the  mission  padres  for  the  patient 
training  they  gave  the  Indians  in  mechanical 
arts  should  be  given  to  the  Indian  himself.  He 
was  no  mean  mechanic  when  the  padres  took 
him    in  hand. 

Bancroft  says  "the  Northern  California  In- 
dians were  in  every  way  superior  to  the  central 
and  southern  tribes."  The  difference  was  more 
in  climate  than  in  race.  Those  of  Northern  Cal- 
ifornia living  in  an  invigorating  climate  were 
more  active  and  more  warlike  than  their 
sluggish  brethren  of  the  south.  They  gained 
tlieir  living  by  hunting  larger  game  than 
those  of  the  south  whose  subsistence  was  derived 
mostly  from  acorns,  seeds,  small  game  and  fish. 
Those  of  the  interior  valleys  of  the  north  were 
of  lighter  complexion  and  had  better  forms  and 
features  than  their  southern  kinsmen.  They 
\'.-ere  divided  into  numerous  small  tribes  or 
clans,  like  those  of  central  and  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. The  Spaniards  never  penetrated  very 
far  into  the  Indian  country  of  the  north  and 
consequently  knew  little  or  nothing  about  the 
habits  and  customs  of  the  aborigines  there. 
After  the  discovery  of  gold  the  miners  invaded 
their  cnuntrv  in  search  of  the  precious  metal. 
The   Indians   at   first   were    not   hostile,  but  ill 


treatment  soon  made  them  so.  When  they  re- 
taliated on  the  whites  a  war  of  extermination 
was  waged  against  them.  Like  the  mission  In- 
dians of  the  south  they  are  almost  extinct. 

All  of  the  coast  Indians  seem  to  have  had 
some  idea  of  a  supreme  being.  The  name  dif- 
fered with  the  different  tribes.  According  to 
Hugo  Reid  the  god  of  the  San  Gabriel  Indian 
was  named  Quaoar.  Father  Boscana,  who 
wrote  "A  Historical  Account  of  the  Origin, 
Customs  and  Traditions  of  the  Indians"  at  the 
missionary  establishment  of  San  Juan  Capis- 
trano,  published  in  Alfred  Robinson's  "Life  in 
California,"  gives  a  lengthy  account  of  the  relig- 
ion of  those  Indians  before  their  conversion  to 
C  hristianity.  Their  god  was  Chinigchinich.  Evi- 
dently the  three  old  men  from  whom  Boscana 
derived  his  information  mixed  some  of  the 
reHgious  teachings  of  the  padres  with  their 
own  primitive  beliefs,  and  made  up  for  the  father 
a  nondescript  religion  half  heathen  and  half 
Christian.  Boscana  was  greatly  pleased  to  find 
so  many  allusions  to  Scriptural  truths,  evidently 
never  suspecting  that  the  Indians  were  imposing 
upon  him. 

The  religious  belief  of  the  Santa  Barbara 
Channel  Indians  appears  to  have  been  the  most 
rational  of  any  of  the  beliefs  held  by  the  Cali- 
fornia aborigines.  Their  god,  Chupu,  was  the 
deification  of  good;  and  Nunaxus,  their  Satan, 
the  personification  of  evil.  Chupu  the  all-powerful 
created  Nunaxus,  who  rebelled  against  his  cre- 
ator and  tried  to  overthrow  him ;  but  Chupu,  the 
almighty,  punished  him  by  creating  man  who,  by 
devouring  the  animal  and  vegetable  products  of 
the  earth,  checked  the  physical  growth  of 
Nunaxus,  who  had  hoped  by  liberal  feeding  to 
become  like  unto  a  mountain.  Foiled  in  his  am- 
bition, Nunaxus  ever  afterwards  sought  to  in- 
jure mankind.  To  secure  Chupu's  protection, 
offerings  were  made  to  him  and  dances  were 
instituted  in  his  honor.  Flutes  and  other  in- 
struments were  played  to  attract  his  attention. 
When  Nunaxus  brought  calamity  upon  the  In- 
dians in  the  shape  of  dry  years,  which  caused  a 
dearth  of  animal  and  vegetable  products,  or  sent 
sickness  to  aftlict  them,  their  old  men  interceded 
with  Chupu  to  protect  them;  and  to  exorcise 
their     Satan     they     shot     arrows     and     threw 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


55 


stones  in  the  direction  in  which  he  was  sup- 
posed to  be. 

Of  the  Indian  myths  and  traditions  Hugo 
Reid  says:  "Tlie}'  were  of  incredible  length 
and  contained  more  metamorphoses  than  C)vid 
could  have  engendered  in  his  brain  had  he  lived 
a  thousand  years." 

The  Cahuilla  tribes  who  formerly  inhabited 
the  mountain  districts  of  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  state  had  a  tradition  of  their  creation.  Ac- 
cording to  this  tradition  the  primeval  Adam  and 
Eve  were  created  by  the  Supreme  Being  in  the 
waters  of  a  northern  sea.  They  came  up  out 
of  the  water  upon  the  land,  which  they  found  to 
be  soft  and  miry.  They  traveled  southward  for 
many  moons  in  search  of  land  suitable  for  their 
residence  and  where  they  could  obtain  susten- 
ance from  the  earth.  This  the)-  found  at  last  on 
the  mountain  sides  in  Southern  California. 

Some  of  the  Indian  myths  when  divested  of 
their  crudities  and  ideas  clothed  in  fitting 
language  are  as  poetical  as  those  of  Greece  or 
Scandinavia.  The  following  one  which  Hugo 
Reid  found  among  the  San  Gabriel  Indians 
bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  Grecian 
myths  of  Orpheus  and  Eurydice  but  it  is  not  at 
all  probable  that  the  Indians  ever  heard  the 
Grecian  fable.  Ages  ago,  so  runs  this  Indian 
myth,  a  powerful  people  dwelt  on  the  banks  of 
the  Arroyo  Seco  and  hunted  over  the  hills  and 
plains  of  what  are  now  our  modern  Pasadena 
and  the  valley  of  San  Fernando.  They  com- 
mitted a  grievous  crime  against  the  Great  Spirit. 
A  pestilence  destroyed  them  all  save  a  boy  and 
girl  who  were  saved  by  a  foster  mother  pos- 
sessed of  supernatural  powers.  They  grew  to 
manhood  and  womanhood  and  became  husband 
and  wife.  Their  devotion  to  each  other  angered 
the  foster  inother,  who  fancied  herself  neglected. 
She  plotted  to  destroy  the  wife.  The  young 
woman,  divining  her  fate,  told  her  husband  that 
should  he  at  any  time  feel  a  tear  drop  on  his 
shoulder,  he  might  know  that  she  was  dead. 
While  he  was  away  hunting  the  dread  signal 
came.  He  hastened  back  to  destroy  the  hag  who 
had  brought  death  to  his  wife,  but  the  sorceress 
had  escaped.  Disconsolate  he  threw  himself  on 
the  grave  of  his  wife.  For  three  clays  he  neither 
ate  nor  drank.     On  the  third  day  a  whirlwind 


arose  from  the  grave  and  moved  toward  the 
south.  Perceiving  in  it  the  form  of  his  wife,  he 
hastened  on  until  he  overtook  it.  Then  a  voice 
came  out  of  the  cloud  saying:  "Whither  I  go, 
thou  canst  not  come.  Thou  art  of  earth  but  I 
am  dead  to  the  world.  Return,  my  husband, 
return!"  He  plead  piteously  to  be  taken  with 
her.  She  consenting,  he  was  wrapt  in  the  cloud 
with  her  and  borne  across  the  illimitable,  sea  that 
separates  the  abode  of  the  living  from  that  of 
the  dead.  When  they  reached  the  realms  of 
ghosts  a  spirit  voice  said:  "Sister,  thou  comest 
to  us  with  an  odor  of  earth ;  what  dost  thou 
bring?"  Then  she  confessed  that  she  had 
brought  her  living  husband.  "Take  him  away!" 
said  a  voice  stern  and  commanding.  She  plead 
that  he  might  remain  and  recounted  his  many 
virtues.  To  test  his  virtues,  the  spirits  gave  him 
four  labors.  First  to  bring  a  feather  from  the 
top  of  a  pole  so  high  that  its  summit  was  in- 
visible. Xext  to  split  a  hair  of  great  length  and 
exceeding  fineness ;  third  to  make  on  the  ground 
a  map  of  the  constellation  of  the  lesser  bear  and 
locate  the  north  star  and  last  to  slay  the  celestial 
deer  that  had  the  form  of  black  lieetles  and  were 
exceedingly  swift.  With  the  aid  of  his  wife  he 
accomplished  all  the  tasks. 

But  no  mortal  was  allowed  to  dwell  in  the 
abodes  of  death.  "Take  thou  thy  wife  and  re- 
turn with  her  to  the  earth,"  said  the  spirit.  "Yet 
remember,  thou  shalt  not  speak  to  her:  thou 
shalt  not  touch  her  until  three  suns  have  passed. 
A  penalty  awaits  thy  disobedience."  He  prom- 
ised. They  pass  from  the  spirit  land  and  travel 
to  the  confines  of  matter.  By  day  she  is  invis- 
ible but  by  the  flickering  light  of  his  camp-fire 
he  sees  the  dim  outline  of  her  form.  Three  days 
pass.  As  the  sun  sinks  behind  the  w^estern  hills 
he  builds  his  camp-fire.  She  appears  before 
him  in  all  the  beaut\-  of  life.  He  stretches  forth 
his  arms  to  embrace  her.  She  is  snatched  from 
his  grasp,  .\lthough  invisible  to  him  yet  the 
upper  rim  of  the  great  orb  of  day  hung  above 
the  western  verge.  He  had  broken  his  prom- 
ise. Like  Orpheus,  disconsolate,  he  wandered 
over  the  earth  until,  relenting,  the  spirits  sent 
their  servant  Death  to, bring  him  to  Tecupar 
(HeavenV 

The  following  mvth  of  the  mountain  Indians 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  the  north  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  the 
Norse  fable  of  Gyoll  the  River  of  Death  and  its 
glittering  bridge,  over  which  the  spirits  of  the 
dead  pass  to  Hel,  the  land  of  spirits.  The  In- 
dian, however,  had  no  idea  of  any  kind  of  a 
bridge  except  a  foot  log  across  a  stream.  The 
myth  in  a  crude  form  was  narrated  to  me  many 
years  ago  by  an  old  pioneer. 

According  to  this  myth  when  an  Indian  died 
his  spirit  form  was  conducted  by  an  unseen 
guide  over  a  mountain  trail  unknown  and  inac- 
cessible to  mortals,  to  the  rapidly  flowing  river 
which  separated  the  abode  of  the  living  from 
that  of  the  dead.  As  the  trail  descended  to  the 
river  it  branched  to  the  right  and  left.  The  right 
hand  path  led  to  a  foot  bridge  made  of  the  mas- 


sive trunk  of  a  rough  barked  pine  which  spanned 
the  Indian  styx;  the  left  led  to  a  slender,  fresh 
peeled  birch  pole  that  hung  high  above  the  roar- 
mg  torrent.  At  th6  parting  of  the  trail  an  in- 
exorable fate  forced  the  bad  to  the  left,  while 
the  spirit  form  of  the  good  passed  on  to  the 
right  and  over  the  rough  barked  pine  to  the 
happy  hunting  grounds,  the  Indian  heaven.  The 
bad  reaching  the  river's  brink  and  gazing  long- 
ingly upon  the  delights  beyond,  essayed  to  cross 
the  slippery  pole — a  slip,  a  slide,  a  clutch  at 
empty  space,  and  the  ghostly  spirit  form  was 
hurled  into  the  mad  torrent  below,  and  was 
borne  by  the  rushing  waters  into  a  vast  lethean 
lake  where  it  sunk  beneath  the  waves  and  was 
blotted  from  existence  forever. 


CHAPTER   V. 

FRANCISCAN    MISSIONS    OF    ALTA    CALIFORNIA. 

San  Diego  de  Alcala. 


THE  two  objective  points  chosen  by  Ms- 
itador  General  Galvez  and  President 
Junipero  Serra  to  begin  the  spiritual 
conquest  and  civilization  of  the  savages  of  Alta 
California,  were  San  Diego  and  Monterey.  The 
expeditions  sent  by  land  and  sea  were  all  united 
at  San  Diego  July  i,  1769.  Father  Serra  lost  no 
time  in  beginning  the  founding  of  missions. 
On  the  i6th  of  July,  1769,  he  founded  the  mis- 
sion of  San  Diego  de  Alcala.  It  was  the  first 
link  in  the  chain  of  missionary  establishments 
that  eventually  stretched  northward  from  San 
Diego  to  Solano,  a  distance  of  seven  hundred 
miles,  a  chain  that  was  fifty-five  years  in  forging. 
The  first  site  of  the  San  Diego  mission  was  at 
a  place  called  by  the  Indians  "Cosoy."  It  was 
located  near  the  presidio  established  by  Gov- 
ernor Portola  before  he  set  out  in  search  of 
Monterey.  The  locality  is  now  known  as  Old 
Town. 

Temporary  buildings  were  erected  here,  but 
the  location  proving  unsuitable,  in  August, 
1774,  the  mission  was  removed  about  two 
leagues  up  the  San  Diego  river  to  a  place  called 
by  the  natives  "Nipaguay."    Here  a  dwelling  for 


the   padres,   a    store    house,    a    smithy    and    a 
wooden  church  18x57  f^^*  were  erected. 

The  mission  buildings  at  Cosoy  were  given 
up  to  the  presidio  except  two  rooms,  one  for 
the  visiting  priests  and  the  other  for  a  temporary 
store  room  for  mission  supplies  coming  by  sea. 
The  missionaries  had  been  fairly  successful  in 
the  conversions  of  the  natives  and  some  prog- 
ress had  been  made  in  teaching  them  to  labor. 
On  the  night  of  November  4,  1775,  without  any 
previous  warning,  the  gentiles  or  unconverted 
Indians  in  great  numbers  attacked  the  mission. 
One  of  the  friars.  Fray  Funster,  escaped  to  the 
soldiers'  quarters;  the  other.  Father  Jaume,  was 
killed  by  the  savages.  The  blacksmith  also  was 
killed;  the  carpenter  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
soldiers.  The  Indians  set  fire  to  the  buildings 
which  were  nearly  all  of  wood.  The  soldiers,  the 
priest  and  carpenter  were  driven  into  a  small 
adobe  building  that  had  been  used  as  a  kitchen. 
Two  of  the  soldiers  were  wounded.  The  cor- 
]ioral,  one  soldier  and  the  carpenter  were  all 
that  were  left  to  hold  at  bay  a  thousand  howl- 
ing fiends.  The  corporal,  who  was  a  sharp 
shooter,   did  deadly   execution  on  the  savages. 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


57 


Father  Funster  saved  the  defenders  from  being 
blown  to  pieces  by  the  explosion  of  a  fifty  poinid 
sack  of  gunpowder.  He  spread  his  cloak  over 
the  sack  and  sat  on  it.  thus  preventing  the  pow- 
der from  being  ignited  by  the  sparks  of  the 
burning  building.  The  fight  lasted  till  daylight, 
when  the  hostiles  fled.  The  Christian  Indians 
who  professed  to  have  been  coerced  by  the  sav- 
ages then  appeared  and  made  many  protesta- 
tions of  sorrow  at  what  had  happened.  The  mili- 
tary commander  was  not  satisfied  that  they  were 
innocent  but  the  padres  believed  them.  New 
buildings  were  erected  at  the  same  place,  the 
soldiers  of  the  presidio  for  a  time  assisting  the 
Indians  in  their  erection. 

The  mission  was  fairly  prosperous.  In  1800 
the  cattle  numbered  6,960  and  the  agricultural 
products  amounted  to  2,600  bushels.  From 
1769  to  1834  there  were  6,638  persons  baptized 
and  4,428  buried.  The  largest  number  of  cat- 
tle possessed  by  the  mission  at  one  time  was 
9,245  head  in  1822.  The  old  building  now  stand- 
ing on  the  mission  site  at  the  head  of  the  valley 
is  the  third  church  erected  there.  The  first, 
built  of  wood  and  roofed  with  tiles,  was  erected 
in  1774:  the  second,  built  of  adobe,  was  com- 
pleted in  1780  (the  walls  of  this  were  badly 
cracked  by  an  earthquake  in  1803);  the  third  was 
begun  in  1808  and  dedicated  November  12, 
1813.     The  mission  was  secularized  in  1834. 

S.\N    C.VRLOS   DE    BORROMF.O. 

As  narrated  in  a  former  chapter.  Governor 
Portola,  w'ho  with  a  small  force  had  set  out  from 
San  Diego  to  find  Monterey  Bay,  reached  that 
port  May  24,  1770.  Father  Serra,  who  came 
up  by  sea  on  the  San  Antonia,  arrived  at  the 
same  place  May  31.  All  things  being  in  readi- 
ness the  Presidio  of  Monterey  and  the  mission 
of  San  Carlos  de  Borromeo  were  founded  on 
the  same  day — June  3,  1770.  The  boom  of  ar- 
tillery and  the  roar  of  musketry  accompani- 
ments to  the  service  of  the  double  founding 
frightened  the  Indians  away  from  the  mission 
and  it  was  some  time  before  the  savages  could 
muster  courage  to  return.  In  June,  1771,  the 
site  of  the  mission  was  moved  to  the  Carmelo 
river.  Tliis  was  done  by  Father  Serra  to  re- 
move the  neophytes  from  the  contaminating  in- 


fluence of  the  soldiers  at  the  presidio.  The  erec- 
tion of  the  stone  church  still  standing  was  be- 
gun in  1793.  It  was  completed  and  dedicated 
in  1797.  The  largest  neophyte  population  at 
San  Carlos  was  reached  in  1794,  when  it  num- 
bered nine  hundred  and  seventy-one.  Between 
1800  and  1 8 10  it  declined  to  seven  hundred  and 
forty-seven.  In  1820  the  population  had  de- 
creased to  three  hundred  and  eighty-one  and 
at  the  end  of  the  ne.xt  decade  it  had  fallen  to 
two  hundred  and  nine.  In  1834,  when  the  de- 
cree of  secularization  was  put  in  force,  there  were 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  neophytes  at  the 
mission.  At  the  rate  of  decrease  under  mission 
rule,  a  few  more  years  would  have  pro- 
duced the  same  result  that  secularization  did, 
namely,  the  extinction  of  the  mission  Indian. 

S.\X    .\NTUXIO   Die   I'.VDLW. 

The  third  mission  founded  in  California  was 
San  Antonio  de  Padua.  It  was  located  about 
twenty-five  leagues  from  Monterey.  Here,  on 
the  14th  of  June,  1771,  in  La  Canada  de  los 
Robles,  the  canon  of  oaks  beneath  a  shelter  of 
branches,  Father  Serra  performed  the  services 
of  founding.  The  Indians  seem  to  have  been 
more  tractable  than  those  of  San  Diego  or  Mon- 
tere}-.  The  first  convert  was  baptized  one  ' 
month  after  the  establishment  of  the  mission. 
San  .Antonio  attained  the  highest  limit  of  its 
neophyte  population  in  1805,  when  it  had 
twelve  hundred  and  ninety-six  souls  within  its 
fold.  In  1 83 1  there  were  six  hundred  and  sixty- 
one  Indians  at  or  near  the  mission.  In  1834,  the 
date  of  secularization,  there  were  five  hundred 
and  sixty-seven.  After  its  disestablishment  the 
property  of  the  mission  was  quickly  squandered 
through  inefficient  administrators.  The  build- 
ings are  in  ruins. 


San  Gabriel  .\rcangel  was  the  fourth  mission 
founded  in  California.  Father  Junipero  Serra, 
as  previously  narrated,  had  gone  north  in  1770 
and  founded  the  mission  of  San  Carlos  Bor- 
romeo on  IMonterey  Bay  and  the  following  year 
he  established  the  mission  of  San  Antonio  de 
Padua  on  the  Salinas  river  about  twenty-five 
leagues  south  of  Monterey. 


58 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


On  the  6th  of  August,  1771,  a  cavalcade  of 
soldiers  and  musketeers  escorting  Padres 
Somero  and  Cambon  set  out  from  San  Diego 
over  the  trail  made  by  Portola's  expedition  in 
1769  (when  it  went  north  in  search  of  Monterey 
Bay)  to  found  a  new  mission  on  the  River  Jesus 
de  los  Temblores  or  to  give  it  its  full  name,  El 
Rio  del  Dulcisimo  Nombre  de  Jesus  de  los 
Temblores,  the  river  of  the  sweetest  name  of 
Jesus  of  the  Earthquakes.  Not  finding  a  suit- 
able location  on  that  river  (now  the  Santa  Ana) 
they  pushed  on  to  the  Rio  San  Miguel,  also 
known  as  the  Rio  de  los  Temblores.  Here 
they  selected  a  site  where  wood  and  water  were 
abundant.  A  stockade  of  poles  was  built  inclos- 
ing a  square  within  which  a  church  was  erected, 
covered  with  boughs. 

September  8,  1771,  the  mission  was  formally 
founded  and  dedicated  to  the  archangel  Gabriel. 
The  Indians  who  at  the  coming  of  the  Spaniards 
were  docile  and  friendly,  a  few  days  after  the 
founding  of  the  mission  suddenly  attacked  two 
soldiers  who  were  guarding  the  horses.  One  of 
these  soldiers  had  outraged  the  wife  of  the  chief 
who  led  the  attack.  The  soldier  who  committed 
the  crime  killed  the  chieftain  with  a  musket  ball 
and  the  other  Indians  fled.  The  soldiers  then 
cut  ofif  the  chief's  head  and  fastened  it  to  a  pole 
at  the  presidio  gate.  From  all  accounts  the  sol- 
diers at  this  mission  were  more  brutal  and  bar- 
barous than  the  Indians  and  more  in  need  of 
missionaries  to  convert  them  than  the  Indians. 
The  progress  of  the  mission  was  slow.  At  the 
end  of  the  second  year  only  seventy-three  chil- 
dren and  adults  had  been  baptized.  Father  Serra 
attributed  the  lack  of  conversions  to  the  bad 
conduct  of  the  soldiers. 

The  first  buildings  at  the  mission  \'ieja  were 
all  of  wood.  The  church  was  45x18  feet,  built  of 
logs  and  covered  with  tule  thatch.  The  church 
and  other  wooden  buildings  used  by  the  padres 
stood  within  a  square  inclosed  by  pointed  stakes. 
In  1776,  five  years  after  its  founding,  the  mis- 
sion was  moved  from  its  first  location  to  a  new 
site  about  a  league  distant  from  the  old  one. 
The  old  site  was  subject  to  overflow  by  the 
river.  The  adobe  ruins  pointed  out  to  tourists 
as  the  foundations  of  the  old  mission  are  the 
debris  of  a  building  erected  for  a  ranch  house 


about  sixty  years  ago.  The  buildings  at  the 
mission  Vieja  were  all  of  wood  and  no  trace  of 
them  remains.  A  chapel  was  first  built  at  the 
new  site.  It  was  replaced  by  a  church  built  of 
adobes  one  hundred  and  eight  feet  long  by 
twenty-one  feet  wide.  The  present  stone  church, 
begun  about  1794,  and  completed  about  1806, 
is  the  fourth  church  erected. 

The  mission  attained  the  acme  of  its  impor- 
tance in  1817,  when  there  were  seventeen  hun- 
dred and  one  neophytes  in  the  mission  fold. 

The  largest  grain  crop  raised  at  any  mission 
was  that  harvested  at  San  Gabriel  in  1821,  which 
amounted  to  29,400  bushels.  The  number  ol  cat- 
tle belonging  to  the  mission  in  1830  was  25,725. 
During  the  whole  period  of  the  mission's  exist- 
ence, i.  e.,  from  1771  to  1834,  according  to  sta- 
tistics compiled  by  Bancroft  from  mission  rec- 
ords, the  total  number  of  baptisms  was  7,854, 
of  which  4,355  were  Indian  adults  and  2,459 
were  Indian  children  and  the  remainder  gente  de 
razon  or  people  of  reason.  The  deaths  were 
5.656,  of  which  2,916  were  Indian  adults  and 
2,363  Indian  children.  If  all  the  Indian  children 
born  were  baptized  it  would  seem  (if  the  sta- 
tistics are  correct)  that  but  very  few  ever  grew 
up  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  In  1834,  the 
year  of  its  secularization,  its  neophyte  popula- 
tion was   1,320. 

The  missionaries  of  San  Gabriel  established 
a  station  at  old  San  Bernardino  about  1820.  It 
was  not  an  asistencia  like  pala,  but  merely  an 
agricultural  station  or  ranch  headquarters.  The 
buildings  were  destroyed  by  the  Indians  in  1834. 

SAX    LUIS    OBISPO   DE    T0L0S.\. 

On  his  journey  southward  in  1782,  President 
Serra  and  Padre  Cavalier,  with  a  small  escort  of 
soldiers  and  a  few  Lower  California  Indians,  on 
September  i,  1772,  founded  the  mission  of  San 
Luis  Obispo  de  Tolosa  (St.  Louis,  Bishop  of 
Tolouse).  The  site  selected  was  on  a  creek 
twenty-five  leagues  southerly  from  San  An- 
tonio. The  soldiers  and  Indians  were  set  at 
work  to  erect  buildings.  Padre  Cavalier  was  left 
in  charge  of  the  mission.  Father  Serra  continu- 
ing his  journey  southward.  This  mission  was 
never  a  very  important  one..  Its  greatest  popu- 
lation was    in     1803,    when    there    were   eight 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRArHICAL   RECORD. 


59 


hundred  and  fifty-two  neophytes  withhi  its  juris- 
diction. From  that  time  to  1834  their  number 
decHned  to  two  hundred  and  sixty-four.  The 
average  death  rate  was  7.30  per  cent  of  the  pop- 
ulation— a  lower  rate  than  at  some  of  the  more 
populous  missions.  The  adobe  church  built  in 
1793  is  still  in  use,  but  has  been  so  remodeled 
that  it  bears  but  little  resemblance  to  the  church 
of  mission  days. 

SAN    FRANCISCO   DE    ASIS. 

The  expedition  under  command  of  Portola 
in  1769  failed  to  find  Monterey  Bay  but  it  passed 
on  and  discovered  the  great  bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. So  far  no  attempt  had  been  made  to 
plant  a  mission  or  presidio  on  its  shores.  Early 
i"  '//S-  Lieutenant  Ayala  was  ordered  to  ex- 
plore the  bay  with  a  view  to  forming  a  settle- 
ment near  it.  Rivera  had  previously  explored 
the  land  bordering  on  the  bay  where  the  city 
now  stands.  Captain  Anza,  the  discoverer  of  the 
overland  route  from  Mexico  to  California  via 
the  Colorado  river,  had  recruited  an  expedition 
of  two  hundred  persons  in  Sonora  for  the  pur- 
pose of  forming  a  settlement  at  San  Francisco. 
He  set  out  in  1775  and  reached  Monterey  March 
10,  1776.  A  quarrel  between  him  and  Rivera, 
who  was  in  command  at  Monterey,  defeated  for 
a  time  the  purpose  for  which  the  settlers  had 
been  brought,  and  Anza,  disgusted  with  the 
treatment  he  had  received  from  Rivera,  aban- 
doned the  enterprise.  Anza  had  selected  a  site 
for  a  presidio  at  San  Francisco.  After  his  de- 
parture Rivera  changed  his  polic}-  of  delav  that 
had  frustrated  all  of  Anza's  plans  and  decided  at 
once  to  proceed  to  the  establishment  of  a  pre- 
sidio. The  presidio  was  formally  founded  Sep- 
tember 17,  1776,  at  what  is  now  known  as  Fort 
Point.  The  ship  San  Carlos  had  brought  a  num- 
ber of  persons;  these  with  the  settlers  who  had 
come  up  from  Monterey  made  an  assemblage  of 
more  than'one  hundred  and  fifty  persons. 

After  the  founding  of  the  presidio  Lieutenant 
Moraga  in  command  of  the  military  and  Captain 
Quiros  of  the  San  Carlos,  set  vigorously  at  work 
,  to  build  a  church  for  the  mission.  A  wooden 
building  having  been  constructed  on  the  9th  of 
October,  1776,  the  mission  was  dedicated, 
Father  Palou  conducting:  the  service,  assisted  by 


Fathers  Cambon,  Nocedal  and  Pena.  The  site 
selected  for  the  mission  was  on  the  Laguna  de 
los  Dolores.  The  lands  at  the  mission  were  not 
very  productive.  The  mission,  however,  was 
fairly  prosperous.  In  1820  it  owned  11,240  cat- 
tle and  the  total  product  of  wheat  was  114,480 
bushels.  In  1820  there  were  1,252  neophytes 
attached  to  it.  The  death  rate  was  very  heavy — 
the  average  rate  being  12.4  per  cent  of  the  pop- 
ulation. .  In  1832  the  population  had  decreased 
to  two  hundred  and  four  and  at  the  time  of 
secularization  it  had  declined  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty.  A  number  of  neophytes  had  been 
taken  to  the  new  mission  of  San  Francisco  So- 
lano. 

SAX    JL'.KX     CAPISTKANO. 

The  re\-olt  of  the  Indians  at  San  Diego  de- 
layed the  founding  of  San  Juan  Capistrano  a 
year.  October  30,  1775,  the  initiatory  services 
of  the  founding  had  been  held  when  a  messenger 
came  with  the  news  of  the  uprising  of  the  sav- 
ages and  the  massacre  of  Father  Jaume  and 
others.  The  bells  which  had  been  hung  on  a 
tree  were  taken  down  and  buried.  The  soldiers 
and  the  padres  hastened  to  San  Diego.  Novem- 
ber I,  1776,  Fathers  Serra,  Mugartegui  and 
Amurrio,  with  an  escort  of  soldiers,  arrived  at 
the  site  formerly  selected.  The  bells  were  dug  up 
and  hung  on  a  tree,  an  enramada  of  boughs  was 
constructed  and  Father  Serra  said  mass.  The 
first  location  of  the  mission  was  several  miles 
northeasterly  from  the  present  site  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain.  The  abandoned  site  is  still 
known  a  la  Mision  Vieja  (the  Old  Mission). 
Just  when  the  change  of  location  was  made  is 
not  known. 

The  erection  of  a  stone  church  was  begun  in 
February,  1797,  and  completed  in  1806.  A 
master  builder  had  been  brought  from  JNIexico 
and  under  his  superintendence  the  neophytes 
did  the  mechanical  labor.  It  was  the  largest  and 
handsomest  church  in  California  and  was  the 
pride  of  mission  architecture.  The  }ear  18 12 
was  known  in  California  as  el  ano  de  los  tem- 
blores — the  year  of  earthquakes.  For  months 
the  seismic  disturbance  was  almost  continuous. 
On  Sunday,  December  8,  1812,  a  severe  shock 
threw  down  the  lofty  church  tower,  which 
crashed  through  the  vaulted  roof  on  the  congre- 


GO 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


gatioi]  below.  The  padre  who  was  celebrating 
mass  escaped  through  the  sacristy.  Of  the  fifty 
persons  present  only  five  or  six  escaped.  The 
church  was  never  rebuilt.  "There  is  not  much 
doubt,"  says  Bancroft,  "that  the  disaster  was 
due  rather  to  faulty  construction  than  to  the 
violence  of  the  temblor."  The  edifice  was  of  the 
usual  cruciform  shape,  about  90x180  feet  on 
the  ground,  with  very  thick  walls  and  arched 
dome-like  roof  all  constructed  of  stones  imbed- 
ded in  mortar  or  cement.  The  stones  were  not 
hewn,  but  of  irregular  size  and  shape,  a  kind  of 
structure  evidently  requiring  great  skill  to  en- 
sure solidity.  The  mission  reached  its  maxi- 
mum in  1819:  from  that  on  till  the  date  of  its 
secularization  there  was  a  rapid  decline  in  the 
numbers  of  its  live  stock  and  of  its  neophytes. 

This  was  one  of  the  missions  in  which  Gov- 
ernor Figueroa  tried  his  experiment  of  forming 
Indian  pueblos  of  the  neophytes.  For  a  time 
the  experiment  was  a  partial  success,  but  even- 
tuallv  it  went  the  way  of  all  the  other  missions. 
Its  lands  were  granted  to  private  individuals 
and  the  neophytes  scattered.  Its  picturesque 
ruins  are  a  great  attraction  to  touiists. 


The  mission  of  Santa  Clara  was  founded  Jan- 
uary 12,  1777.  The  site  had  been  selected  some 
time  before  and  two  missionaries  designated  for 
service  at  it,  but  the  comandante  of  the  terri- 
tory, Rivera  y  Moncada,  who  was  an  exceed- 
ingly obstinate  person,  had  opposed  the  found- 
ing on  various  pretexts,  but  posititve  orders 
coming  from  the  viceroy  Rivera  did  not  longer 
delay,  so  on  the  6th  of  January,  1777,  a  detach- 
ment of  soldiers  under  Lieutenant  Aloraga.  ac- 
companied by  Father  Pena,  was  sent  from  San 
Francisco  to  the  site  selected  which  was  about 
sixteen  leagues  south  of  San  Francisco.  Here 
under  an  enramada  the  services  of  dedication 
were  held.  The  Indians  were  not  averse  to  re- 
ceiving a  new  religion  and  at  the  close  of  the 
vear  sixty-seven  had  been  baptized. 

The  mission  was  Cjuite  prosperous  and  be- 
came one  of  the  most  important  in  the  territory. 
It  was  located  in  the  heart  of  a  rich  agricul- 
tural district.  The  total  product  of  wheat  was 
175,800  bushels.    In  1828  the  mission  flocks  and 


herds    numbered    over    30,000    animals.  The 

neophyte   population   in    1827  was    1,464.  The 

death  rate  was  high,  averaging   12.63  P*^r  cent 

of  the   population.     The  total  number  of  bap- 
tisms was  8,640;  number  of  deaths  6,950.     In 

1834     the     population     had     declined     to  800. 
Secularization  was  effected  in    1837. 

.S.\N     t!UE.\.WENTUR.\. 

The  founding  of  San  Buenaventura  had  been 
long  delayed.  It  was  to  have  been  among  the 
first  missions  founded  by  Father  Serra ;  it  proved 
to  be  his  last.  On  the  26th  of  March,  1782. 
Governor  de  Neve,  accompanied  by  Father 
Serra  (who  had  come  down  afoot  from  San 
Carlos),  and  Father  Cambon,  with  a  convoy  of 
soldiers  and  a  number  of  neophytes,  set  out 
from  San  Gabriel  to  found  the  mission.  At  the 
first  camping  place  Governor  de  Xeve  was  re- 
called to  San  Gabriel  by  a  message  from  Col. 
Pedro  Fages,  informing  him  of  the  orders  of  the 
council  of  war  to  proceed  against  the  Yumas 
who  had  the  previous  year  destroyed  the  two 
missions  on  the  Colorado  river  and  massacred 
the  missionaries. 

On  the  29th,  the  remainder  of  the  company 
reached  a  place  on  the  coast  named  by  Portola 
in  1769,  Asuncion  de  Nuestra  Senora,  which 
had  for  some  time  been  selected  for  a  mission 
site.  Xear  it  was  a  large  Indian  rancheria.  On 
Easter  Sunday,  March  31st,  the  mission  was  for- 
mally founded  with  the  usual  ceremonies  and 
dedicated  to  San  Buenaventura  (Giovanni  de 
Fidanza  of  Tuscany),  a  follower  of  St.  Francis, 
the  founder  of  the  Franciscans. 

The  progress  of  the  mission  was  slow  at  first, 
only  two  adults  were  baptized  in  1782,  the 
year  of  its  founding.  The  first  buildings  built 
of  wood  were  destroyed  by  fire.  The  church 
still  used  for  service,  built  of  brick  and  adobe, 
was  completed  and  dedicated,  September  9,  1809. 
The  earthquake  of  December  8,  1812,  damaged 
the  church  to  such  an  extent  that  the  tower 
and  part  of  the  faqade  had  to  be  rebuilt.  After 
the  earthquake  the  whole  site  of  the  mission 
for  a  time  seemed  to  be  sinking.  The  inhabi- 
tants, fearful  of  being  engulfed  by  the  sea,  re- 
moved to  San  Joaquin  y  Santa  Ana,  where  they 
remained    several     months.     The     mission   at- 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


tained  its  greatest  prosperity  in  1816,  when  its 
neophyte  population  numbered  1,330  and  it 
owned  23,400  cattle. 

SANTA  BARBARA. 

Governor  Felipe  de  Neve  founded  the  presidio 
of  Santa  Barbara  April  21,  1782.  Father  Serra 
had  hoped  to  found  the  mission  at  the  same  time, 
but  in  this  he  was  disappointed.  His  death  in 
1784  still  further  delayed  the  founding  and  it 
was  not  until  the  latter  part  of  1786  that  every- 
thing was  in  readiness  for  the  establishing  of 
the  new  mission.  On  the  22d  of  November 
Father  Lasuen,  who  had  succeeded.  Father 
Serra  as  president  of  the  missions,  arrived  at 
Santa  Barbara,  accompanied  by  two  missiona- 
ries recently  from  Mexico.  He  selected  a  site 
about  a  mile  distant  from  the  presidio.  The 
place  was  called  Taynagan  (Rocky  Hill)  by  the 
Indians.  There  was  a  plentiful  supply  of  stone 
on  the  site  for  building  and  an  abundance  of 
water  for  irrigation. 

On  the  15th  of  December,  1786,  Father 
Lasuen,  in  a  hut  of  boughs,  celebrated  the  first 
mass;  but  December  4,  the  day  that  the  fiesta  of 
Santa  Barbara  is  commemorated,  is  considered 
the  date  of  its  founding.  Part  of  the  services 
were  held  on  that  day.  A  chapel  built  of  adobes 
and  roofed  with  thatch  was  erected  in  1787.  Sev- 
eral other  buildings  of  adobe  were  erected  the 
same  year.  In  1788,  tile  took  the  place  of 
thatch.  In  1789,  a  second  church,  much  larger 
than  the  first,  was  built.  A  third  church  of  adobe 
was  commenced  in  1793  and  finished  in  1794. 
A  brick  portico  was  added  in  1795  and  the  walls 
plastered. 

The  great  earthquake  of  December,  18 12,  de- 
molished the  mission  church  and  destroyed 
nearly  all  the  buildings.  The  years  1813  and 
1814  were  spent  in  removing  the  debris  of  the 
ruined  buildings  and  in  preparing  for  the  erec- 
tion of  new  ones.  The  erection  of  the  present 
mission  church  was  begun  in  1815.  It  was  com- 
pleted and  dedicated  September  10,  1820. 

Father  Caballeria,  in  his  History  of  Santa 
Barbara,  gives  the  dimensions  of  the  church  as 
follows:  "Length  (including  walls),  sixty  varas; 
width,  fourteen  varas;  height,  ten  varas  (a  vara 
is  thirty-four  inches),"     The  walls  are  of  stone 


and  rest  on  a  foundation  of  rock  and  cement. 
They  are  six  feet  thick  and  are  further  strength- 
ened by  buttresses.  Notwithstanding  the  build- 
ing has  withstood  the  storms  of  four  score  years, 
it  is  still  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation. 
Its  exterior  has  not  been  disfigured  by  attempts 
at  modernizing. 

The  highest  neophyte  population  was  reached 
lit  Santa  Barbara  in  1803,  when  it  numbered 
1,792.  The  largest  number  of  cattle  was  5,200  in 
1809.  In  1834,  the  year  of  secularization,  the 
neophytes  numbered  556,  which  was  a  decrease 
of  155  from  the  number  in  1830.  At  such  a  rate 
of  decrease  it  would  not,  even  if  mission  rule 
liad  continued,  have  taken  more  than  a  dozen 
years  to  depopulate  the  mission. 

LA    PURISIMA    CONCErcrON. 

Two  mi.-.sions,  San  Buenaventura  and  Santa 
Barbara,  had  been  founded  on  the  Santa  Bar- 
bara channel  in  accordance  with  Neve's  report  of 
1777,  in  which  he  recommended  the  founding  of 
three  missions  and  a  presidio  in  that  district. 
It  was  the  intention  of  General  La  Croix  to  con- 
duct these  on  a  different  plan  from  that  prevail- 
ing in  the  older  missions.  The  natives  were  not 
to  be  gathered  into  a  missionary  establishment, 
but  were  to  remain  in  their  rancherias,  which 
were  to  be  converted  into  mission  pueblos.  The 
Indians  were  to  receive  instruction  in  religion, 
industrial  arts  and  self-government  while  com- 
paratively free  from  restraint.  The  plan  which 
no  doubt  originated  with  Governor  de  Neve, 
was  a  good  one  theoretically,  and  possibly  might 
have  been  practically.  The  missionaries  were 
bitterly  opposed  to  it.  L^nfortunately  it  was 
tried  first  in  the  Colorado  river  missions  among 
the  fierce  and  treacherous  Yumas.  The  mas- 
sacre of  the  padres  and  soldiers  of  these  mis- 
sions was  attributed  to  this  innovation. 

In  establishing  the  channel  missions  the  mis- 
sionaries opposed  the  inauguration  of  this  plan 
and  by  their  persistence  succeeded  in  setting  it 
aside;  and  the  old  system  was  adopted.  La 
Purisima  Concepcion,  or  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception of  the  Blessed  \'irgin,  the  third  of  the 
channel  missions,  was  founded  December  8, 
1787.  by  Father  Lasuen  at  a  place  called  by  the 
natives  Algsacupi.    Its  location  is  about  twelve 


62 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


miles  from  the  ocean  on  the  Santa  Ynez  river. 
Three  years  after  its  founding  three  hundred 
converts  had  been  baptized  but  not  all  of  them 
lived  at  the  mission.  The  iirst  church  was  a 
temporary  structure.  The  second  church,  built 
of  adobe  and  roofed  with  tile,  was  completed  in 
1802.  December  21,  1812,  an  earthquake  de- 
molished the  church  and  also  about  one  hundred 
adobe  houses  of  the  neophytes.  -V  site  across 
the  river  and  about  four  miles  distant  from  the 
former  one,  was  selected  for  new  buildings.  A 
temporary  building  for  a  church  was  erected 
there.  A  new  church,  built  of  adobe  and  roofed 
with  tile,  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  1818. 

The  Indians  revolted  in  1824  and  damaged 
the  building.  They  took  possession  of  it  and  a 
battle  lasting  four  hours  was  fought  between  one 
hundred  and  thirty  soldiers  and  four  hundred 
Indians.  The  neophytes  cut  loop  holes  in  the 
church  and  used  two  old  rusty  cannon  and  a 
few  guns  they  possessed;  but,  unused  to  fire 
arms,  they  were  routed  with  the  loss  of  several 
killed.  During  the  revolt  which  lasted  several 
months  four  white  men  and  fifteen  or  twenty  In- 
dians were  killed.  The  hostiles,  most  of  whom 
fled  to  the  Tulares,  were  finally  subdued.  The 
leaders  were  punished  with  imprisonment  and 
the  others  returned  to  their  missions. 

This  mission's  population  was  largest  in  1804, 
when  it  numbered  1,520.  In  1834  there  were  but 
407  neophytes  connected  with  it.  It  was  secular- 
ized in  February,  1835.  During  mission  rule 
from  1787  to  1834,  the  total  number  of  Indian 
children  baptized  was  1.492;  died  902,  which  was 
a  lower  death  rate  than  at  most  of  the  southern 
missions. 

S.\NT.\   CRUZ. 

Santa  Cruz,  one  of  the  smallest  of  the  twenty- 
one  missions  of  California,  was  founded  Septem- 
ber 25,  1790.  The  mission  was  never  very  pros- 
perous. In  1798  many  of  the  neophytes  de- 
serted and  the  same  year  a  flood  covered  the 
planting  fields  and  damaged  the  church.  In  1812 
the  neophytes  murdered  the  missionary  in 
charge.  Padre  Andres  Quintana.  They  claimed 
that  he  had  treated  them  with  great  cruelty. 
Five  of  those  implicated  in  the  murder  received 
two  hundred  lashes  each  and  were  sentenced  to 
work  in  chains  from  two  to  ten  years.     Only 


one  survived  the  punishment.  The  maximum 
of  its  population  was  reached  in  1798,  when 
there  were  si.x  hundred  and  forty-four  Indians 
in  the  mission  fold.  The  total  number  bap- 
tized from  the  date  of  its  founding  to  1834  was 
2.466;  the  total  number  of  deaths  was  2,034.  The 
average  death  rate  was  10.93  P^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^^ 
population.  At  the  time  of  its  secularization  in 
1834  there  were  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  In- 
dians belonging  to  the  mission. 

L.\    .SOLED.\D. 

The  mission  of  our  Lady  of  Solitude  was 
founded  September  29,  1791.  The  site  selected 
had  borne  the  name  Soledad  (solitude)  ever 
since  the  first  exploration  of  the  country.  The 
location  was  thirty  miles  northeast  of  San  Car- 
los de  Monterey.  La  Soledad,  by  which  name 
it  was  generally  known,  was  unfortunate  in  its 
tarly  missionaries.  One  of  them,  Padre  Gracia, 
was  supposed  to  be  insane  and  the  other,  Padre 
Rubi,  was  very  immoral.  Rubi  was  later  on  ex- 
pelled from  his  college  for  licentiousness.  At 
the  close  of  the  century  the  mission  had  become 
fairly  prosperous,  but  in  1802  an  epidemic  broke 
out  and  five  or  si.x  deaths  occurred  daily.  The 
Indians  in  alarm  fled  from  the  mission.  The 
largest  population  of  the  mission  was  seven 
lumdred  and  twenty-five  in  1803.  At  the  time 
of  secularization  its  population  had  decreased  to 
three  hundred.  The  total  number  of  baptisms 
during  its  existence  was  2,222;  number  of  deaths 
1,803. 

SAN    JOSE. 

St.  Joseph  had  been  designated  by  the  visita- 
dor  General  Galvez  and  Father  Junipero  Scrra 
as  the  patron  saint  of  the  mission  colonization  of 
California.  Thirteen  missions  had  been  founded 
and  yet  none  had  been  dedicated  to  San  Jose. 
Orders  came  from  Mexico  that  one  be  estab- 
lished and  named  for  him.  Accordingly  a  de- 
tail of  a  corporal  and  five  men,  accompanied  by 
Father  Lasuen,  president  of  the  missions,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  site  selected,  which  was  about 
twelve  miles  northerly  from  the  pueblo  of  San 
Jose.  There,  on  June  11,  1797,  the  mission  was 
founded.  The  mission  was  well  located  agricul- 
turally and  became  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
in   California.     In  1820  it  had  a  population  of 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL    RliCoRD. 


1,754,  the  highest  of  an)-  mission  except  San 
Luis  Rey.  The  total  number  of  baptisms  from 
its  founding  to  1834  was  6,737;  deaths  5,109. 
Secularization  was  effected  in  1836-37.  The  to- 
tal valuation  of  the  mission  property,  not  in- 
cluding lands  or  the  church,  was  $155,000. 

S.\N    JUAN    B.^UTISTA. 

In  May,  1797,  Governor  Borica  ordered  the 
comandante  at  Monterey  to  detail  a  corporal 
and  five  soldiers  to  proceed  to  a  site  that  had 
been  previously  chosen  for  a  mission  which  was 
about  ten  leagues  northeast  from  ]\Ionterey. 
Here  the  soldiers  erected  of  wood  a  church, 
priest's  house,  granary  and  guard  house.  June 
-4,  1797.  President  Lasuen,  assisted  by  Fathers 
Catala  and  Martiari,  founded  the  mission  of 
San  Juan  Bautista  (St,  John  the  Baptist).  At 
the  close  of  the  year,  eighty-five  converts  had 
been  baptized.  The  neighboring  Indian  tribes 
were  hostile  and  some  of  them  had  to  be  killed 
before  the  others  learned  to  behave  themselves. 
A  new  church,  measuring  60x1  Cio  feet,  was  com- 
pleted and  dedicated  in  1812.  San  Juan  was  the 
only  mission  whose  population  increasetl  between 
1820  and  1830.  This  was  due  to  the  fact  that  its 
numbers  were  recruited  from  the  eastern  tribes, 
its  location  being  favorable  for  obtaining  new 
recruits  from  the  gentiles.  The  largest  popula- 
tion it  ever  reached  was  1.248  in  1823.  In  1834 
there  were  but  850  neophytes  at  the  mission. 

SA.X    MIGUEL. 

Midway  between  the  old  missions  of  San  An- 
tonio and  San  Luis  Obispo,  on  the  25th  of  July, 
1797,  was  founded  the  mission  of  San  Miguel 
Arcangel.  The  two  old  missions  contributed 
horses,  cattle  and  sheep  to  start  the  new  one. 
The  mission  had  a  propitious  beginning;  fifteen 
children  were  baptized  on  the  day  the  mission 
was  founded.  At  the  close  of  the  century  the 
number  of  converts  reached  three  hundred  and 
eighty-five,  of  whom  fifty-three  had  died.  The 
mission  population  numbered  1,076  in  1814; 
after  that  it  steadily  declined  until,  in  1834,  there 
were  only  599  attached  to  the  establishment. 
Total  number  of  baptisms  was  2,588;  deaths 
2,038.  The  average  death  rate  was  6.91  per 
cent  of  the  population,  the  lowest  rate  in  any 


of  the   missions.     The   mission   was  secularized 
in    1836. 

SAN    FERNANDO    REV    DE    ESPANA. 

In  the  closing  years  of  the  century  explora- 
tions were  made  for  new  mission  sites  in  Cali- 
fornia. These  were  to  be  located  between  mis- 
sions already  founded.  Among  those  selected 
at  that  time  was  the  site  of  the  mission  San  Fer- 
nando on  the  Encino  Rancho,  then  occupied  by 
Francisco  Reyes.  Reyes  surrendered  whatever 
right  he  had  to  the  land  and  the  padres  occupied 
his  house  for  a  dwelling  while  new  buildings 
were    in  the  course  of  erection. 

September  8.  1797,  with  the  usual  ceremo- 
nies, the  mission  was  founded  by  President 
Lasuen,  assisted  by  Father  Dumetz.  .\ccording 
to  instructions  from  Mexico  it  was  dedicated  to 
San  Fernando  Rey  de  Espana  (Fernando  III., 
King  of  Spain,  1217-1251).  At  the  end  of  the 
year  1797,  lifty-five  converts  had  been  gathered 
into  the  mission  fold  and  at  the  end  of  the  cen- 
tury three  hundred  and  fifty-two  had  been  bap- 
tized. 

The  adobe  church  began  before  the  close  of 
the  century  was  completed  and  dedicated 'in  De- 
cember, 1806.  It  had  a  tiled  roof.  It  was  but 
slightly  injured  by  the  great  earthquakes  of  De- 
cember, 1812,  which  were  so  destructive  to  the 
mission  buildings  at  San  Juan  Capistrano,  Santa 
Barbara,  La  Purisima  and  Santa  Ynez.  This 
mission  reached  its  greatest  prosperity  in  1819, 
when  its  neophyte  population  numbered  1,080. 
The  largest  number  of  cattle  owned  by  it  at  one 
time  was   12,800  in   1819. 

Its  decline  was  not  so  rapid  as  that  of  some 
of  the  other  missions,  but  the  death  rate,  espe- 
cially among  the  children,  was  fully  as  high.  Of 
the  1,367  Indian  children  baptized  there  during 
the  existence  of  mission  rule  965.  or  over  seventy 
per  cent,  died  in  childhood.  It  was  not  strange 
that  the  fearful  death  rate  both  of  children  and 
adults  at  the  missions  sometimes  frightened 
the  neophytes  into  running  awa3\ 


Several  explorations  had  been  made  for  a  mis- 
sion site  between  San  Diego  and  San  Juan 
Capistrano.     There  was    quite    a    large   Indian 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


population  that  had  not  been  brought  into  the 
folds  of  either  mission.  In  October,  1797,  a 
new  exploration  of  this  territory  was  ordered 
and  a  site  was  finally  selected,  although  the  ag- 
ricultural advantages  were  regarded  as  not  sat- 
isfactory. 

Governor  Borica,  February  28,  1798,  issued 
orders  to  the  comandante  at  San  Diego  to 
furnish  a  detail  of  soldiers  to  aid  in  erecting  the 
necessary  buildings.  June  13,  1798,  President 
Lasuen,  the  successor  of  President  Serra,  as- 
sisted by  Fathers  Peyri  and  Santiago,  with  the 
usual  services,  founded  the  new  mission.  It 
v,as  named  San  Luis  Rey  de  Francia  (St.  Louis, 
King  of  France).  Its  location  was  near  a  river 
on  which  was  bestowed  the  name  of  the  mis- 
sion. The  mission  flourished  from  its  very  be- 
ginning. Its  controlling  power  was  Padre  An- 
tonio Peyri.  He  remained  in  charge  of  it  from 
its  founding  almost  to  its  downfall,  in  all  thirty- 
three  years.  He  was  a  man  of  great  executive 
abilities  and  under  his  administration  it  be- 
came one  of  the  largest  and  most:  prosperous 
missions  in  California.  It  reached  its  maximum 
in  1826,  when  its  neophyte  population  numbered- 
2,869,  the  largest  number  at  one  time  connected 
with  any  mission  in  the  territory. 

The  asintencia  or  auxiliary  mission  of  San 
.\ntonio  was  established  at  Pala,  seven  leagues 
easterly  from  the  parent  mission.  A  chapel  was 
erected  here  and  regular  services  lield.  One  of 
the  padres  connected  with  San  Luis  Rey  was 
in  charge  of  this  station.  Father  Peyri  left  Cal- 
ifornia in  183 1,  with  the  exiled  Governor  \'ic- 
toria.  He  went  to  Mexico  and  from  there  to 
Spain  and  lastly  to  Rome,  where  he  died.  The 
mission  was  converted  into  an  Indian  pueblo  in 
1834,  but  the  pueblo  was  not  a  success.  Most 
of  the  neophytes  drifted  to  Los  .\ngeles  and 
San  Gabriel.  During  the  J^Icxican  conquest 
.American  troops  were  stationed  there.  It  has 
recently  been  partially  repaired  and  is  now  used 
for  a  Franciscan  school  under  charge  of  Father 
J.  J.  OTveefe. 

SANTA   YNEZ. 

Santa  Ynez  was  the  last  mission  founded  in 
Southern  California.  It  was  established  Sep- 
tember 17,  1804.   Its  location  is  about  forty  miles 


nortliwesterly  from  Santa  Barbara,  on  the  east- 
erly side  of  the  Santa  Ynez  mountains  and 
eighteen  miles  southeasterly  from  La  Purisima. 
Father  Tapis,  president  of  the  missions  from 
1803  to  1812,  preached  the  sermon  and  was 
assisted  in  the  ceremonies  by  Fathers  Cipies, 
Calzada  and  Gutierrez.  Carrillo,  the  comandante 
at  the  presidio,  was  present,  as  were  also  a  num- 
ber of  neophytes  from  Santa  Barbara  and  La 
Purisima.  Some  of  these  were  transferred  to 
the  new  mission. 

The  earthquake  of  December,  1812,  shook 
down  a  portion  of  the  church  and  destroyed  a 
number  of  the  neophytes'  houses.  In  181 5  the 
erection  of  a  new  church  was  begun.  It  was  built 
of  adobes,  lined  with  brick,  and  was  completed 
and  dedicated  July  4,  1817.  The  Indian  revolt  of 
1824,  described  in  the  sketch  of  La  Purisima, 
broke  out  first  at  this  mission.  The  neophytes 
took  possession  of  the  church.  The  mission 
guard  defended  themselves  and  the  padre.  At 
the  approach  of  the  troops  from  Santa  Barbara 
the  Indians  fled  to  La  Purisima. 

San  Ynez  attained  its  greatest  population, 
770,  in  18 1 6.  In  1834  its  population  had  de- 
creased to  334.  From  its  founding  in  1804  to 
1834,  when  the  decrees  of  secularization  were 
put  in  force,  J-':;,^  Indian  children  were  baptized 
and  519  died,  leaving  only  238,  or  about  thirty 
per  cent  of  those  baptized  to  grow  up. 

SA.N"   R.VFAEL. 

San  Rafael  was  the  first  mission  established 
north  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco.  It  was 
founded  December  14,  1817.  At  first  it  was  an 
asistencia  or  branch  of  San  Francisco.  An  epi- 
demic had  broken  out  in  the  Mission  Dolores 
and  a  number  of  the  Indians  were  transferred  to 
San  Rafael  to  escape  the  plague.  Later  on  it 
attained  to  the  dignity  of  a  mission.  In  1828  its 
population  was  1,140.  After  1830  it  began  to 
decline  and  at  the  time  of  its  secularization  in 
1834  there  were  not  more  than  500  connected 
with  it.  In  the  seventeen  years  of  its  existence 
under  mission  rule  there  were  1,873  baptisms  and 
698  deaths.  The  average  death  rate  was  6.09 
per  cent  of  the  popiflation.  The  mission  was 
secularized  in  1834.  AH  traces  of  the  mission 
building  have  disappeared. 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


65 


SAN    FRAXCISCO    SOLANO. 

The  mission  of  San  Francisco  de  Asis  had 
fallen  into  a  rapid  decline.  The  epidemic  that 
had  carried  off  a  number  of  the  neophytes  and 
had  caused  the  transfer  of  a  considerable  num- 
ber to  San  Rafael  had  greatly  reduced  its  popu- 
lation. Besides,  the  sterility  of  the  soil  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  mission  necessitated  going  a  long 
distance  for  agricultural  land  and  pasturage  for 
the  herds  and  flocks.  On  this  account  and  also 
for  the  reason  that  a  number  of  new  converts 
might  be  obtained  from  the  gentiles  living  in 
the  district  north  of  the  bay,  Governor  Arguello 
and  the  mission  authorities  decided  to  establish 
a  mission  in  that  region.  Explorations  were 
made  in  June  and  July.  1823.  On  the  4th  of 
July  a  site  was  selected,  a  cross  blessed  and 
raised,  a  volley  of  musketry  fired  and  mass  said 
at  a  place  named  New  San  Francisco,  but  after- 
wards designated  as  the  Mission  of  San  Fran- 
cisco Solano.  On  the  25th  of  August  work  was 
begun  on  the  mission  building  and  on  the  4th  of 
April,  1824.  a  church,  24x105  feet,  built  of  wood, 
was  dedicated. 

It  had  been  intended  to  remove  the  neophytes 
from  the  old  mission  of  San  Francisco  to  the 
new:  but  the  padres  of  the  old  mission  opposed 
its  depopulation  and  suppression.  A  com- 
promise was  effected  by  allov\'ing  all  neophytes 
of  the  old  mission  who  so  elected  to  go  to  the 
new.  Although  well  located,  the  Mission  of 
Solano  was  not  prosperous.  Its  largest  popula- 
tion, 996,  was  reached  in  1832.  The  total  num- 
ber of  baptisms  were  1,315;  deaths,  651.  The 
average  death  rate  was  7.8  per  cent  of  the  pop- 
ulation. The  mission  was  secularized  in  1835,  at 
v>'hich  time  there  were  about  550  neophytes  at- 
tached to  it. 

The  architecture  of  tlie  missions  was  Moorish 
— that  is,  if  it  belonged  to  any  school.  The 
jiadresin  most  cases  were  the  architects  and  mas- 
ter builders.  The  main  feature  of  the  buildings 
was  massiveness.  Built  of  adobe  or  rough  stone, 
their  walls  were  of  great  thickness.  Most  of  the 
church  buildings  were  narrow,  their  width  being 
out  of  proportion  to  their  length.  This  was 
necessitated  b\-  the  difficulty  of  procuring  joists 
and  rafters  of  sufficient  length  for  wide  build- 
ings.    The  padres  had  no  means  or  perhaps  no 


knowledge  of  trussing  a  roof,  and  the  width 
of  the  building  had  to  be  proportioned  to  the 
length  of  the  timbers  procurable.  Some  of  the 
buildings  were  planned  with  an  eye  for  the  pic- 
turesque, others  for  utility  only.  The  sites  se- 
lected for  the  mission  buildings  in  nearly  every 
case  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  In  their  prime,  their  white  walls  loom- 
ing up  on  the  horizon  could  be  seen  at  long 
distance  and  acted  as  beacons  to  guide  the  trav- 
eler to  their  hospitable  shelter. 

Col.  J.  J.  Warner,  v»ho  came  to  California  in 
1831,  and  saw  the  mission  buildings  before  they 
had  fallen  into  decay,  thus  describes  their  gen- 
eral plan:  "As  soon  after  the  founding  of  a 
mission  as  circumstances  would  permit,  a  large 
pile  of  buildings  in  the  form  of  a  quadrangle, 
composed  in  part  of  burnt  brick,  but  chiefly  of 
sun-dried  ones,  was  erected  around  a  spacious 
court.  A  large  and  capacious  church,  which 
usually  occupied  one  of  the  outer  corners  of  the 
quadrangle,  was  a  conspicuous  part  of  the  pile. 
Ill  this  massive  building,  covered  with  red  tile, 
was  the  habitation  of  the  friars,  rooms  for  guests 
and  for  the  major  domos  and  their  families.  In 
other  buildings  of  the  quadrangle  were  hospital 
wards,  storehouses  and  granaries,  rooms  for 
carding,  spinning  and  weaving  of  woolen  fab- 
rics, shops  for  blacksmiths,  joiners  and  carpen- 
ters, saddlers,  shoemakers  and  soap  boilers,  and 
cellars  for  storing  the  product  (wine  and  brandy) 
of  the  vineyards.  Near  the  habitation  of  the 
friars  another  building  of  similar  material  was 
placed  and  used  as  quarters  for  a  small  number 
— about  a  corporal's  guartl — of  soldiers  under 
command  of  a  non-connnissioned  officer,  to  hold 
the  Indian  neophytes  in  check  as  well  as  to  pro- 
tect the  mission  from  the  attacks  of  hostile  In- 
dians." The  Indians,  when  the  buildings  of  the 
establishment  were  complete,  lived  in  adobe 
houses  built  in  lines  near  the  quadrangle.  Some 
of  the  buildings  of  the  square  were  occupied  b_\- 
the  alcaldes  or  Indian  bosses.  When  the  In- 
dians were  gathered  into  the  missions  at  first 
the}  lived  in  brush  shanties  constructed  in  the 
same  manner  as  their  forefathers  had  built  them 
for  generations.  In  some  of  the  missions  these 
huts  were  not  replaced  by  adobe  buildings  for 
a  generation  or  more.     \'ancouver,  who  visited 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  Mission  of  San  Francisco  in  1792,  sixteen 
years  after  its  founding,  describes  tlie  Indian 
village '■  with  its  brush-built  huts.  He  says: 
"These  miser'aJjte  habitations,  each  of  which  was 
allotted  {or  the  'residence  of  a  whole  family, 
w'ere'  erected  with  some  degree  of  uniformity 
about  three  or  iour  feet  asunder  in  straight  rows, 
leaving  lanes' oh  passageways  at  right  angles  be- 
tw.een  them;  but  these  were  so  abominably  in- 
fested with  every  kind  of  filth  and  nastiness  as 
to  be  rendered  no  less  offensive  than  degrading 
to  the  human  species." 

Of  the  houses  at  Santa  Clara,  \'ancouver 
says;  "The  habitations  were  not  so  regularly 
disposed  nor  did  it  (the  village)  contain  so  many 
as  the  village  of  San  Francisco,  yet  the  same 
horrid  ^tate  of  uncleanlincss  and  laziness  seemed 
to  pervade  the  whole."  Better  houses  were  then 
in  the  course  of  construction  at  Santa  Clara. 
"Each  house  would  contain  two  rooms  and  a 
garret  with  a  garden  in  tiie  rear."     \'ancouver 


visited  San  Carlos  de  Alonterey  in  1792,  twenty- 
two  years  after  its  founding.  He  says:  "Not- 
withstanding these  people  are  taught  and  em- 
[iloycd  from  time  to  time  in  many  of  the  occu- 
pations most  useful  to  civil  society,  they  had  not 
made  themselves  any  more  comfortable  habita- 
tions than  those  of  their  forefathers:  nor  did 
thty  seem  in  any  respect  to  have  benefited  by 
the  instruction  they  had  received." 

Captain  Becchey,  of  the  English  navy,  who 
\isited  San  Francisco  and  the  missions  around 
the  bay  in  1828,  found  the  Indians  at  San  Fran- 
cisco still  living  in  their  filthy  hovels  and  grind- 
ing acorns  for  food.  "San  Jose  (mission)."  he 
says,  "on  the  other  hand,  was  all  neatness,  clean- 
liness and  comfort."  At  San  Carlos  he  found 
that  the  filthy  hovels  described  by  \'ancouver 
had  nearly  all  disappeared  and  the  Indians  were 
comfortably  housed.  He  adds:  "Sickness  in 
general  prevailed  to  an  incredible  extent  in  all 
the  missions." 


CHAPTER   VI. 


PRESIDIOS    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


THE  presidio  was  an  essential  feature  of 
the  Spanish  colonization  of  America.  It 
was  usually  a  fortified  square  of  brick  or 
stone,  inside  of  which  were  the  barracks  of  the 
soldiers,  the  officers'  quarters,  a  church,  store 
houses  for  provisions  and  military  supplies.  The 
gates  at  the  entrance  were  closed  at  night,  and 
it  was  usually  provisioned  for  a  siege.  In  the 
colonization  of  California  there  were  four  pre- 
sidios estabhshed,  namely:  San  Diego,  Monte- 
rey, San  Francisco  and  Santa  Barbara.  Each 
was  the  headquarters  of  a  military  district  and 
besides  a  body  of  troops  kept  at  the  presidio 
it  furnished  guards  for  the  missions  in  its  re- 
spective district  and  also  for  the  pueblos  if  there 
were  any  in  the  district.  The  first  presidio  was 
founded  at  San  Diego.  .As  stated  in  a  previous 
chapter,  the  two  ships  of  the  expedition  by  sea 
for  the  settlement  of  California  arrived  at  the 
port   of   San    Diego   in   a   deplorable   condition 


from  scurvy.  The  San  Antonia,  after  a  voyage 
of  fifty-nine  days,  arrived  on  April  1 1 ;  the  San 
Carlos,  although  she  had  sailed  a  month  earlier, 
did  not  arrive  until  April  29.  consuming  one 
hundred  and  ten  days  in  the  voyage.  Don 
Miguel  Constanso,  the  engineer  who  came  on 
this  vessel,  says  in  his  report:  "The  scurvy  had 
infected  all  without  exception;  in  such  sort  that 
on  entering  San  Diego  already  two  men  had 
died  of  the  said  sickness;  most  of  the  seamen, 
and  half  of  the  troops,  found  themselves  pros- 
trate in  their  beds ;  only  four  mariners  remained 
on  their  feet,  and  attended,  aided  by  the  troops, 
to  trimming  and  furling  the  sails  and  other 
working  of  the  ship."  "The  San  Antonia,"  say  ■. 
Constanso,  "had  the  half  of  its  crew  equall)- 
affected  by  the  scurvy,  of  which  illness  two  men 
had  likewise  died."  This  vessel,  although  it  had 
arrived  at  the  port  on  the  nth  of  April,  had  evi- 
dently not  landed  any  of  its  sick.    On  the  ist  of 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


67 


May,  Don  Pedro  Pages,  the  commander  of  the 
troops,  Constanso  and  Estorace,  the  second  cap- 
tain of  the  San  Carlos,  with  twenty-five  soldiers, 
set  out  to  find  a  watering  place  where  they  could 
fill  their  barrels  with  fresh  water.  "Pollowing 
the  west  shore  of  the  port,  after  going  a  mat- 
ter of  three  leagues,  they  arrived  at  the  banks 
of  a  river  hemmed  in  with  a  fringe  of  willows 
and  cottonwoods.  Its  channel  must  have  been 
twenty  varas  wide  and  it  discharges  into  an 
estuary  which  at  high  tide  could  admit  the 
launch  and  made  it  convenient  for  accomplish- 
ing the  taking  on  of  water."  *  *  *  "Hav- 
ing reconnoitered  the  watering  place,  the  Span- 
iards betook  themselves  back  on  board  the 
vessels  and  as  these  were  found  to  be  very  far 
away  from  the  estuary  in  which  the  river  dis- 
charges, their  captains,  Vicente  \'ila  and  Don 
Juan  Perez,  resolved  to  approach  it  as  closely 
as  they  could  in  order  to  give  less  work  to  the 
people  handling  the  launches.  These  labors 
were  accomplished  with  satiety  of  hardship:  for 
from  one  day  to  the  next  the  number  of  the  sick 
kept  increasing,  along  with  the  dying  of  the 
most  aggravated  cases  and  augmented  the  fa- 
tigue of  the  few  who  remained  on  their 
feet.'.' 

"Immediate  to  the  beach  on  the  side  toward 
the  east  a  scanty  enclosure  was  constructed 
formed  of  a  parapet  of  earth  and  fascines,  which 
was  garnished  with  two  cannons.  They  disem- 
barked some  sails  and  awnings  from  the  packets 
with  which  they  made  two  tents  capacious 
enough  for  a  hospital.  At  one  side  the  two  ofifi- 
cers,  the  missionary  fathers  and  the  surgeon  put 
up  their  own  tents;  the  sick  were  brought  in 
launches  to  this  improvised  presidio  and  hospi- 
tal." "But  these  diligencies,"  says  ConstansiS. 
"were  not  enough  to  procure  them  health." 
*  *  *  "The  cold  made  itself  felt  with  rigor  at 
night  in  the  barracks  and  the  sun  by  day,  alter- 
nations which  made  the  sick  suffer  cruelly,  two 
or  three  of  them  dying  every  day.  And  this 
whole  expedition,  which  had  been  composed  of 
more  than  ninety  men,  saw  itself  reduced  to  only 
eight  soldiers  and  as  many  mariners  in  a  state  to 
attend  to  the  safeguarding  of  the  barks,  the 
working  of  the  launches,  custody  of  the  camp 
and  service  of  the  sick." 


Rivera  y  Moncada,  the  commander  of  the 
first  detachment  of  the  land  exDet]idQ«M|Brrived 
at  San  Diego  May  14.  It  xuffjriiCCTcled^ by  the 
officers  to  remove  the  camp  fiS^Ppoin^near  thei 
river.  This  had  not  been  done  bef 
count  of  the  small  force  able  to  work /^|fl'  the 
lack  of  beasts  of  burden.  RiveMfisjW^Pn  were  all 
in  good  health  and  aftewi  dir'^cst  "all  were 
removed  to  a  new  canv^WKich  was  transferred 
one  league  further  nomr  on  the  right  side  of 
the  river  upon  a  hill  of  mitldling  height." 

Here  a  presidio  was  built,  the  remains  of 
which  can  still  be  seen.  It  was  a  parapet  of 
earth  similar  to  that  thrown  up  at  the  first  camp, 
which,  according  to  Bancroft,  was  probably 
within  the  limits  of  New  Town  and  the  last  one 
in  Old  Town  or  North  San  Diego. 

While  Portola's  expedition  was  away  search- 
ing for  the  port  of  Monterey,  the  Indians  made 
an  attack  on  the  camp  at  San  Diego,  killed  a 
Spanish  }outh  and  wounded  Padre  Viscaino,  the 
blacksmith,  and  a  Lower  California  neophyte. 
The  soldiers  remaining  at  San  Diego  sur- 
rounded the  buildings  with  a  stockade.  Con- 
stanso says,  on  the  return  of  the  Spaniards  of 
Portola's  expedition:  "They  found  in  good  con- 
dition their  humble  buildings,  surrounded  with 
a  palisade  of  trunks  of  trees,  capable  of  a  good 
defense  in  case  of  necessity." 

"In  1782,  the  presidial  force  at  San  Diego,  be- 
sides the  commissioned  ofificers,  consisted  of  five 
corporals  and  forty-six  soldiers.  Six  men  were 
constantly  on  duty  at  each  of  the  three  missions 
of  the  district,  San  Diego,  San  Juan  Capistrano 
and  San  Gabriel ;  while  four  served  at  the  pueblo 
of  Los  Angeles,  thus  leaving  a  sergeant,  two 
corporals  and  about  twenty-five  men  to  garrison 
the  fort,  care  for  the  horses  and  a  small  herd  of 
cattle,  and  to  carry  the  mails,  which  latter  duty 
was  the  hardest  connected  with  the  presidio 
service  in  time  of  peace.  There  were  a  carpenter 
and  blacksmith  constantly  employed,  besides  a 
few  servants,  mostly  natives.  The  population  of 
the  district  in  1790,  not  including  Indians,  was 
220."* 

Before  the  close  of  the  century  the  wooden 
palisades  had  been  replaced  by  a  thick  adobe 


'■Ban 


jft's  History  of  California.   Vol.   I. 


68 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


wall,  but  even  then  the  fort  was  not  a  very  for- 
midable defense.  Vancouver,  the  English  navi- 
gator, who  visited  it  in  1793,  describes  it  as 
"irregularly  built  on  very  uneven  ground,  which 
makes  it  liable  to  some  inconveniences  without 
the  obvious  appearance  of  any  object  for  select- 
ing such  a  spot."  It  then  mounted  three  small 
brass  cannon. 

Gradually  a  town  grew  up  around  the  pre- 
sidio. Robinson,  who  visited  San  Diego  in 
1829,  thus  describes  it:  "On  the  lawn  beneath 
the  hill  on  which  the  presidio  is  built  stood 
about  thirty  houses  of  rude  appearance,  mostly 
occupied  by  retired  veterans,  not  so  well  con- 
structed in  respect  either  to  beauty  or  stability 
as  the  houses  at  Monterey,  with  the  exception  of 
that  belonging  to  our  Administrador,  Don  Juan 
Bandini,  whose  mansion,  then  in  an  unfinished 
state,  bid  fair,  when  completed,  to  surpass  any 
other  in  the  country." 

L'nder  Spain  there  was  attempt  at  least  to 
keep  the  presidio  in  repair,  but  under  Mexican 
domination  it  fell  into  decay.  Dana  describes  it 
as  he  saw  it  in  1836:  "The  first  place  we  went 
to  was  the  old  ruinous  presidio,  which  stands  on 
rising  ground  near  the  village  which  it  over- 
looks. It  is  built  in  the  form  of  an  open  square, 
like  all  the  other  presidios,  and  was  in  a  most 
ruinous  state,  with  the  exception  of  one  side, 
in  which  the  comandante  lived  with  his  family. 
There  were  only  two  guns,  one  of  which  was 
spiked  and  the  other  had  no  carriage.  Twelve 
half  clothed  and  half  starved  looking  fellows 
composed  the  garrison;  and  they,  it  was  said, 
had  not  a  musket  apiece.  The  small  settlement 
lay  directly  below  the  fort  composed  of  about 
forty  dark  brown  looking  huts  or  houses  and 
three  or  four  larger  ones  whitewashed,  which 
belonged  to  the  gente  de  razon." 

THE    rRESn)I()    ClF    .MO.N'TEREY. 

In  a  previous  chapter  has  been  narrated  the 
story  of  Portola's  expedition  in  search  of  Mon- 
terey Bay,  how  the  explorers,  failing  to  recog- 
nize it,  passed  on  to  the  northward  and  discov- 
ered the  great  Bay  of  San  Francisco.  On  their 
return  they  set  up  a  cross  at  what  they  supposed 
was  the  Bay  of  Monterey:  and  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross  buried  a  letter  giving  information  to 


any  ship  that  might  come  up  the  coast  in  search 
of  them  that  they  had  returned  to  San  Diego. 
They  had  continually  been  on  the  lookout  for 
the  San  Jose,  which  was  to  co-operate  with 
them,  but  that  vessel  had  been  lost  at  sea  with 
all  on  board..  On  their  return  to  San  Diego,  in 
January,  1770,  preparations  were  made  for  a 
return  as  soon  as  a  vessel  should  arrive.  It 
was  not  until  the  i6th  of  April  that  the  San  An- 
tonia,  the  only  vessel  available,  was  ready  to 
depart  for  the  second  objective  point  of  settle- 
ment. On  the  17th  of  April,  Governor  Portola, 
Lieutenant  Fages,  Father  Crespi  and  nineteen 
soldiers  took  up  their  line  of  march  for  Monte- 
rey. They  followed  the  trail  made  in  1769  and 
reached  the  point  where  they  had  set  up  the 
cross  April  24.  They  found  it  decorated  with 
feathers,  bows  and  arrows  and  a  string  of  fish. 
Evidently  the  Indians  regarded  it  as  the  white 
man's  fetich  and  tried  to  propitiate  it  by  offer- 
ings. 

The  San  Antonia,  bearing  Father  Serra, 
Pedro  Prat,  the  surgeon,  and  Miguel  Constanso, 
the  civil  engineer,  and  supplies  for  the  mission 
and  presidio,  arrived  the  last  day  of  May.  Por- 
tola was  still  uncertain  whether  this  was  really 
Monterey  Bay.  It  was  hard  to  discover  in  the 
open  roadstead  stretching  out  before  them  \'is- 
caino's  land-locked  harbor,  sheltered  from  all 
winds.  After  the  arrival  of  the  San  Antonia  the 
officers  of  the  land  and  sea  expedition  made  a 
reconnaissance  of  the  bay  and  all  concurred  that 
at  last  they  had  reached  the  destined  port.  They 
located  the  oak  under  whose  wide-spreading 
branches  Padre  Ascension,"  Viscaino's  chaplain, 
had  celebrated  mass  in  1602,  and  the  springs  of 
fresh  water  near  by.  Preparations  were  begun 
at  once  for  the  founding  of  mission  and  presidio. 
A  shelter  of  boughs  was  constructed,  an  altar 
raised  and  the  bells  hung  upon  the  branch  of  a 
tree.  Father  Serra  sang  mass  and  as  they  had 
no  musical  instrument,  salvos  of  artillery  and 
volleys  of  musketry  furnished  an  accompani- 
ment to  the  service.  After  the  religious  services 
the  royal  standard  was  raised  and  Governor 
Portola  took  possession  of  the  country  in  the 
name  of  King  Carlos  III.,  King  of  Spain.  The 
ceremony  closed  with  the  pulling  of  grass  and 
the  casting-  of  stones  around,  significant  of  en- 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


69 


tire  possession  of  the  earth  and  its  products. 
After  the  service  all  feasted. 

Two  messengers  were  sent  by  Portola  with 
dispatches  to  the  city  of  Mexico.  A  day's  jour- 
ney below  San  Diego  they  met  Rivera  and 
twenty  soldiers  coming  with  a  herd  of  cattle  and 
a  flock  of  sheep  to  stock  the  mission  pastures. 
Rivera  sent  back  five  of  his  soldiers  with  Por- 
tola's  carriers.  The  messengers  reached  Todos 
Santos  near  Cape  San  Lucas  in  forty-nine  days 
from  Monterey.  From  there  the  couriers  were 
sent  to  San  Bias  by  ship,  arriving  at  the  city  of 
Mexico  August  lo.  There  was  great  rejoicing 
at  the  capital.  Marquis  Le  Croix  and  \'isitador 
Galvez  received  congratulations  in  the  King's 
name  for  the  extension  of  his  domain. 

Portola  superintended  the  building  of  some 
rude  huts  for  the  shelter  of  the  soldiers,  the 
officers  and  the  padres.  Around  the  square 
containing  the  huts  a  palisade  of  poles  was  con- 
structed. July  9,  Portola  having  turned  over 
the  command  of  the  troops  to  Lieutenant  Pages, 
embarked  on  the  San  Antonia  for  San  Bias; 
with  him  went  the  civil  engineer,  Constanso, 
from  whose  report  I  have  frequentl}-  quoted. 
Neither  of  them  ever  returned  to  California. 

The  difficulty  of  reaching  California  by  ship 
on  account  of  the  head  winds  that  blow  down 
the  coast  caused  long  delays  in  the  arrival  of 
vessels  with  supplies.  This  brought  about  a 
scarcity  of  provisions  at  the  presidios  and  mis- 
sions. 

In  1772  the  padres  of  San  Gabriel  were-  re- 
duced to  a  milk  diet  and  what  little  they  could 
obtain  from  the  Indians  At  Monterey  and  San 
Antonio  the  padres  and  the  soldiers  were  obliged 
to  live  on  vegetables.  In  this  emergency  Lieu- 
tenant Pages  and  a  squad  of  soldiers  went  on  a 
bear  hunt.  They  spent  three  months  in  the 
summer  of  1772  killing  bears  in  the  Caiiada  de 
los  Osos  (Bear  Caiion).  The  soldiers  and  mis- 
sionaries had  a  plentiful  supply  of  bear  meat. 
There  were  not  enough  cattle  in  the  country  to 
admit  of  slaughtering  any  for  food.  The  pre- 
sidial  walls  which  were  substituted  for  the  pal- 
isades were  built  of  adobes  and  stone.  The 
inclosure  measured  one  hundred  and  ten  yards 
on  each  side.  The  buildings  were  roofed  with 
tiles.     "On  the  north  were  the  main  entrance. 


the  guard  house,  and  the  warehouses:  on  the 
west  the  houses  of  the  governor  comandante 
and  other  officers,  some  fifteen  apartments  in 
all ;  on  the  east  nine  houses  for  soldiers,  and  a 
l.ilacksmith  shop;  and  on  the  south,  besides 
nine  similar  houses,  was  the  presidio  church, 
opposite  the  main  gateway."* 

The  military  force  at  the  presidio  consisted  of 
cavalry,  infantry  and  artillery,  their  numbers 
var3ing  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  in  all.  These  soldiers  furnished  guards 
for  the  missions  of  San  Carlos,  San  Antonio, 
San  ]\Iiguel,  Soledad  and  San  Luis  Obispo.  The 
total  population  of  gente  de  razon  in  the  district 
at  the  close  of  the  century  numbered  four  hun- 
dren  and  ninety.  The  rancho  "del  rey"  or 
rancho  of  the  king  was  located  where  Salinas 
City  now  stands.  This  rancho  was  managed  by 
the  soldiers  of  presidio  and  was  intended  to 
furnish  the  military  with  meat  and  a  supply  of 
horses  for  the  cavalry.  At  the  presidio  a  num- 
ber of  invalided  soldiers  who  had  served  out 
their  time  were  settled;  these  were  allowed  to 
cultivate  land  and  raise  cattle  on  the  unoccu- 
pied lands  of  the  public  domain.  A  town  grad- 
ually grew  up  around  the  presidio  square. 

\'ancouver,  the  English  navigator,  visited  the 
presidio  of  Monterey  in  1792  and  describes  it  as 
it  then  appeared:  "The  buildings  of  the  pre- 
sidio form  a  parallelogram  or  long  square  com- 
prehending an  area  of  about  three  hundred 
yards  long  by  two  hundred  and  fifty  wide,  mak- 
ing one  entire  enclosure.  The  external  wall  is 
of  the  same  magnitude  and  built  with  the  same 
materials,  and  except  that  the  officers'  apart- 
ments are  covered  with  red  tile  made  in  the 
neighborhood,  the  whole  presents  the  same 
lonely,  uninteresting  appearance  as  that  alreadv 
described  at  San  Francisco.  Like  that  estab- 
lishment, the  several  buildings  for  the  use  of  the 
officers,  soldiers,  and  for  the  protection  of  stores 
and  provisions  are  erected  along  the  walls  on 
the  inside  of  the  inclosure,  which  admits  of  but 
one  entrance  for  carriages  or  persons  on  horse- 
hack;  this,  as  at  San  Francisco,  is  on  the  side 
of  the  square  fronting  the  church  which  was 
rebuilding  with  stone  like  that  at  San  Car'os." 


'Bancroft's  History  of  California,   Vol.   I. 


70 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGR-\PHIC\L  RECORD. 


"At  each  corner  of  the  square  is  a  small  kind 
of  block  house  raised  a  little  above  the  top  of 
the  wall  where  swivels  might  be  mounted  for  its 
protection.  On  the  outside,  before  the  entrance 
into  the  presidio,  which  fronts  the  shores  of 
the  bay,  are  placed  seven  cannon,  four  nine  and 
three  three-pounders,  mounted.  The  guns  are 
planted  on  the  open  plain  groimd  without 
breastwork  or  other  screen  for  those  employed 
in  working  them  or  the  least  protection  from  the 
weather." 

THE   PRESIDIO  OF  SAN    FRANCISCO. 

In  a  previous  chapter  I  have  given  an  account 
of  the  discovery  of  San  Francisco  Bay  by  Por- 
tola's  expedition  in  1769.  The  discovery  of  tiiat 
great  bay  seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  an 
unimportant  event  by  the  governmental  offi- 
cials. While  there  was  great  rejoicing  at  the 
city  of  Mexico  over  the  founding  of  a  mission 
for  the  conversion  of  a  few  naked  savages,  the 
discovery  of  the  bay  was  scarcely  noticed,  ex- 
cept to  construe  it  into  some  kind  of  a  miracle. 
Father  Serra  assumed  that  St.  Francis  had  con- 
cealed Monterey  from  the  explorers  and  led 
them  to  the  discovery  of  the  bay  in  order  that 
he  (St.  Francis)  might  have  a  mission  named 
for  him.  Indeed,  the  only  use  to  which  the 
discovery  could  be  put,  according  to  Serra's 
ideas,  was  a  site  for  a  mission  on  its  shores,  dedi- 
cated to  the  founder  of  the  Franciscans.  Several 
explorations  were  made  with  this  in  view.  In 
1772,  Lieutenant  Fages,  Father  Crespi  and  six- 
teen soldiers  passed  up  the  western  side  of  the 
bay  and  in  1774  Captain  Rivera,  Father  Palou 
and  a  scjuad  of  soldiers  passed  up  the  eastern 
shore,  returning  by  way  of  Monte  Diablo, 
Amador  valley  and  .Alameda  creek  to  the  Santa 
Clara  valley. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1774,  viceroy 
Bucureli  ordered  the  founding  of  a  mission  and 
presidio  at  San  Francisco.  Hitherto  all  explora- 
tions of  the  bay  had  been  made  by  land  expedi- 
tions. Xo  one  had  ventured  on  its  waters.  In 
1775  Lieutenant  Juan  do  ."^yala  of  the  royal 
navy  was  sent  in  the  old  pioneer  mission  ship, 
the  San  Carlos,  to  make  a  survey  of  it.  August 
5,  1775,  he  passed  through  the  Golden  Gate. 
He  moored  his  ship  at  an  island  called  by  him 


Nuestra  Senora  de  los  Angeles,  now  Angel 
Island.  He  spent  forty  days  in  making  explora- 
tions. His  ship  was  the  first  vessel  to  sail  upon 
the  great  Bay  of  San  Francisco. 

In  1774,  Captain  Juan  Bautista  de  Anza,  com- 
mander of  the  presidio  of  Tubac  in  Sonora,  had 
made  an  exploration  of  a  route  from  Sonora  via 
the  Colorado  river,  across  the  desert  and 
through  the  San  Gorgonia  pass  to  San  Gabriel 
mission.  From  Tubac  to  the  Colorado  river  the 
route  had  been  traveled  before  but  from  the 
Colorado  westward  the  country  was  a  terra  in- 
cognita. He  was  guided  over  this  by  a  lower 
California  neophyte  who  had  deserted  from  San 
Gabriel  mission  and  alone  had  reached  the 
rancherias  on  the   Colorado. 

After  Anza's  return  to  Sonora  he  was  com- 
missioned by  the  viceroy  to  recruit  soldiers  and 
settlers  for  San  Francisco.  October  2;^,  1775, 
Anza  set  out  from  Tubac  with  an  expedition 
numbering-  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  persons, 
composed  of  soldiers  and  their  families,  colon- 
ists, musketeers  and  vaqueros.  They  brought 
with  them  large  herds  of  horses,  mules  and  cat- 
tle. The  journey  was  accomplished  without  loss 
of  life,  but  with  a  considerable  amount  of  suf- 
fering. January  4.  1776,  the  immigrants  ar- 
rived at  San  Gabriel  mission,  where  they  stopped 
to  rest,  but  were  soon  compelled  to  move  on, 
provisions  at  the  mission  becoming  scarce.  They 
arrived  at  Monterey,  March  10.  Here  they  went 
into  camp.  Anza  with  an  escort  of  soldiers  pro- 
ceeded to  San  Francisco  to  select  a  presidio 
site.  Having  found  a  site  he  returned  to  Mon- 
terey. Rivera,  the  commander  of  the  territory, 
had  manifested  a  spirit  of  jealousy  toward  Anza 
and  had  endeavored  to  thwart  him  in  his  at- 
tempts to  found  a  settlement.  Disgusted  with 
the  action  of  the  commander,  Anza,  leaving  his 
colonists  to  the  number  of  two  hundred  at  Mon- 
terey took  his  departure  from  California.  Anza 
in  liis  explorations  for  a  presidio  site  had  fixed 
upon  what  is  now  Fort  Point. 

After  his  departure  Rivera  experienced  a 
change  of  heart  and  instead  of  trying  to  delay 
the  founding  he  did  everything  to  hasten  it.  The 
imperative  orders  of  the  viceroy  received  at 
about  this  time  brought  about  the  change.  He 
ordered  Lieutenant  Moraga.  to  whom  Anza  had 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


71 


turned  over  the  command  of  his  soldiers  and 
colonists,  to  proceed  at  once  to  San  Francisco 
with  twenty  soldiers  to  found  the  fort.  The  San 
Carlos,  which  had  just  arrived  at  Monterey,  was 
ordered  to  proceed  to  San  Francisco  to  assist 
in  the  founding.  Moraga  with  his  soldiers  ar- 
rived June  2^,  and  encamped  on  the  Laguna 
de  los  Dolores,  where  the  mission  was  a  short 
time  afterwards  founded.  Moraga  decided  to 
located  the  presidio  at  the  site  selected  by  Anza 
but  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  San  Carlos  before 
proceeding  to  build.  August  i8  the  vessel  ar- 
rived. It  had  been  driven  down  the  coast  to  the 
latitude  of  San  Diego  by  contrary  winds  and 
then  up  the  coast  to  latitude  42  degrees.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  vessel  work  was  begun  at  once  on 
the  fort.  A  square  of  ninet\'-tw'o  varas  (two 
hundred  and  forty-seven  feet)  on  each  side  was 
inclosed  with  palisades.  Barracks,  officers' 
quarters  and  a  chapel  were  built  inside  the 
square.  September  17,  1776,  was  set  apart  for 
the  services  of  founding,  that  being  the  day  of 
the  "Sores  of  our  seraphic  father  St.  Francis." 
The  royal  standard  was  raised  in  front  of  the 
square  and  the  usual  ceremony  of  pulling  grass 
and  throwing  stones  w-as  performed.  Posses- 
sion of  the  region  round  about  was  taken  in  the 
name  of  Carlos  III.,  King  of  Spain.  Over  one 
hundred  and  fifty  persons  witnessed  the  cere- 
mony. Vancouver,  who  visited  the  presidio  in 
November,  1792,  describes  it  as  a  "square  area 
whose  sides  were  about  two  hundred  yards  in 
length,  enclosed  by  a  mud  wall  and  resembling 
a  pound  for  cattle.  Above  this  wall  the  thatched 
roofs  of  the  low  small  houses  just  made  their 
appearance."  The  wall  was  "about  fourteen  feet 
high  and  five  feet  in  breadth  and  was  first 
formed  by  upright  and  horizontal  rafters  of 
large  timber,  between  which  dried  sods  and 
moistened  earth  were  pressed  as  close  and  hard 
as  possible,  after  which  the  whole  was  cased  with 
the  earth  made  into  a  sort  of  mud  plaster  which 
gave  it  the  appearance  of  durability." 

In  addition  to  the  presidio  there  was  another 
fort  at  Fort  Point  named  Castillo  de  San  Joa- 
quin. It  was  completed  and  blessed  December 
8,  1794.  "It  was  of  horseshoe  shape,  about  one 
hundred  by  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet."  The 
structure  rested  mainlv  on  sand:  the  brick-faced 


adobe  walls  crumbled  at  the  shock  whenever  a 
salute  was  fired;  the  guns  were  badly  mounted 
and  for  the  most  part  worn  out,  only  two  of  the 
thirteen  twenty-four-pounders  being  serviceable 
or  capable  of  sending  a  ball  across  the  entrance 
of  the  fort.* 

PRESIDIO    OF    S.\.\T.\    B.\RBAR.\. 

Cabrillo,  in  1542,  found  a  large  Indian  popula- 
tion inhabiting  the  main  land  of  the  Santa  Bar- 
bara channel.  Two  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
years  later,  when  Portola  made  his  e.xploration, 
apparently  there  had  been  no  decrease  in  the 
number  of  inhaljitants.  No  portion  of  the  coast 
ofl:'ered  a  better  field  for  missionary  labor  and 
h'ather  Serra  was  anxious  to  enter  it.  In  ac- 
cordance with  Governor  Felipe  de  Neve's  report 
of  1777,  it  had  been  decided  to  found  three  mis- 
sions and  a  presidio  on  the  channel.  Various 
causes  had  delayed  the  founding  and  it  was  not 
until  April  17,  1782,  that  Governor  de  Neve 
arrived  at  the  point  where  he  had  decided  to 
locate  the  presidio  of  Santa  Barbara.  The 
troops  that  were  to  man  the  fort  reached  San 
Gabriel  in  the  fall  of  1781.  It  was  thought  best 
for  them  to  remain  there  until  the  rainy  sea- 
.<on  was  over.  March  26,  1782,  the  governor  and 
Father  Serra,  accompanied  by  the  largest  body 
of  troops  that  had  ever  before  been  collected  in 
California,  set  out  to  found  the  mission  of  San 
Buenaventura  and  the  presidio.  The  governor, 
as  has  been  stated  in  a  former  chapter,  was  re- 
called to  San  Gabriel.  The  mission  was  founded 
and  the  governor  having  rejoined  the  cavalcade 
a  few  weeks  later  proceeded  to  find  a  location 
for  the  presidio. 

"On  reaching  a  point  nine  leagues  from  San 
Buenaventura,  the  governor  called  a  halt  and  in 
company  with  Father  Serra  at  once  proceeded  to 
select  a  site  for  the  presidio.  The  choice  re- 
sulted in  the  adoption  of  the  square  now 
formed  by  city  blocks  139,  140,  155  and  156, 
and  bounded  in  common  by  the  following 
streets:  Figueroa,  Caiion  Perdido,  Garden  and 
.\nacapa.  A  large  community  of  Indians  were 
residing  there  but  orders  were  given  to  leave 
them   undisturbed.     The  soldiers  were  at  once 


"Bancroft's  "History  of  California."  Vol.   I. 


72 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


directed  to  hew  timbers  and  gather  brush  to 
erect  temporary  barracks  which,  when  com- 
pleted, were  also  used  as  a  chapel.  A  large 
wooden  cross  was  made  that  it  might  be  planted 
in  the  center  of  the  square  and  possession  of 
the  country  was  taken  in  the  name  of  the  cross, 
the  emblem  of  Christianity. 

April  21,  1782,  the  soldiers  formed  a  square 
and  with  edifying  solemnity  raised  the  cross  and 
secured  it  in  the  earth.  Father  Serra  blessed 
and  consecrated  the  district  and  preached  a  ser- 
mon. The  royal  standard  of  Spain  was  un- 
furled."* 

An  inclosure,  sixty  varas  square,  was  made  of 
palisades.  The  Indians  were  friendly,  and 
through  their  chief  Yanoalit,  who  controlled  thir- 
teen rancherias,  details  of  them  were  secured 
to  assist  the  soldiers  in  the  work  of  building. 
The  natives  were  paid  in  food  and  clothing  for 
their  labor. 

Irrigation  works  were  constructed,  consisting 
of  a  large  reservoir  made  of  stone  and  cement, 
with  a  zanja  for  conducting  water  to  the  pre- 
sidio. The  soldiers,  who  had  families,  cultivated 
small  gardens  which  aided  in  their  support. 
Lieutenant  Ortega  was  in  command  of  the  pre- 
sidio for  two  years  after  its  founding.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Lieutenant  Felipe  de  Goycoechea. 
After  the  founding  of  the  mission  in  1786,  a 
bitter  feud  broke  out  between  the  padres  and 
the  comandante  of  the  presidio.  Goycoechea 
claimed  the  right  to  employ  the  Indians  in  the 
building  of  the  presidio  as  he  had  done  before 
the  coming  of  the  friars.  This  they  denied. 
After  an  acrimonious  controversy  the  dispute 
was  finally  compromised  by  dividing  the  Indians 
into  two  bands,  a  mission  band  and  a  presidio 
band. 

Gradually  the  palisades  were  replaced  by  an 
adobe  wall  twelve  feet  high.  It  had  a  stone 
foundation  and  was  strongly  built.  The  plaza  or 
inclosed  square  was  three  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  on  each  side.  On  two  sides  of  this  inclos- 
ure were  ranged  the  family  houses  of  the  sol- 
diers, averaging  in  size  15x25  feet.  On  one  side 
stood  the  ofificers'  quarters  and  the  church.    On 


*Fatlier  Cabelleria"s  History  of  Santa  Barbara. 


the  remaining  side  were  the  main  entrance  four 
varas  wide,  the  store  rooms,  soldiers'  quarters 
and  a  guard  room;  and  adjoining  these  outside 
the  walls  were  the  corrals  for  cattle  and  horses. 
A  force  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  soldiers  was  kept 
at  the  post.  There  were  bastions  at  two  of  the 
corners  for  cannon. 

The  presidio  was  completed  about  1790,  with 
the  exception  of  the  chapel,  which  was  not  fin- 
ished until  1797.  Many  of  the  soldiers  when 
they  had  served  out  their  time  desired  to  re- 
main in  the  country.  These  were  given  permis- 
sion to  build  houses  outside  the  walls  of  the 
presidio  and  in  course  of  time  a  village  grew  up 
around  it. 

At  the  close  of  the  century  the  population  of 
the  gente  de  razon  of  the  district  numbered 
three  hundred  and  seventy.  The  presidio  when 
completed  was  the  best  in  California.  Van- 
couver, the  English  navigator,  who  visited  it  in 
November,  1793,  says  of  it:  "The  buildings  ap- 
peared to  be  regular  and  well  constructed;  the 
walls  clean  and  white  and  the  roofs  of  the  houses 
were  covered  with  a  bright  red  tile.  The  pre- 
sidio excels  all  the  others  in  neatness,  cleanli- 
ness and  other  smaller  though  essential  com- 
forts; it  is  placed  on  an  elevated  part  of  the 
plain  and  is  raised  some  feet  from  the  ground 
by  a  basement  story  which  adds  much  to  its 
pleasantness." 

During  the  Spanish  regime  the  settlement  at 
the  presidio  grew  in  the  leisurely  way  that  all 
Spanish  towns  grew  in  California.  There  was 
but  little  immigration  from  Me.xico  and  about 
the  only  source  of  increase  was  from  invalid 
soldiers  and  the  children  of  the  soldiers  grow- 
ing up  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  It  was  a 
dreary  and  monotonous  existence  that  the  sol- 
diers led  at  the  presidios.  A  few  of  them  had 
their  families  with  them.  These  when  the  coun- 
try became  more  settled  had  their  own  houses 
adjoining  the  presidio  and  formed  the  nuclei 
of  the  towns  that  grew  up  around  the  dififerent 
forts.  There  was  but  little  fighting  to  do  and 
the  soldiers"  service  consisted  mainly  of  a  round 
of  guard  duty  at  the  forts  and  missions.  Oc- 
casionally there  were  conquistas  into  the  In- 
dian country  to  secure  new  material  for  con- 
verts from  the  gentiles.     The  soldiers  were  oc- 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


73 


casionally  employed  in  hunting  hindas  or  run- 
aways from  the  missions.  These  when  brought 
back  were  thoroughly  flogged  and  compelled  to 
wear  clogs  attached  to  their  legs.  Once  a  pionth 
the  soldier  couriers  brought  up  from  Loreta  a 
budget  of  mail  made  up  of  official  bandos  and  a 


tew  letters.  These  contained  about  all  the  news 
that  reached  them  from  their  old  homes  in 
Alexico.  But  few  of  the  soldiers  returned  to 
Mexico  when  their  term  of  enlistment  expired. 
In  course  of  time  these  and  their  descendants 
formed  the  bulk  of  California's  population. 


CHAPTER   Vll, 


PUEBLOS. 


THE  pueblo  plan  of  colonization  so  com- 
mon in  Hispano-American  countries  did 
not  originate  with  the  Spanish-Amer- 
ican colonists.  It  was  older  even  than  Spain 
herself.  In  early  European  colonization,  the 
pueblo  plan,  the  common  square  in  the  center 
of  the  town,  the  house  lots  grouped  round  it, 
the  arable  fields  and  the  common  pasture  lands 
beyond,  appears  in  the  Aryan  village,  in  the  an- 
cient German  mark  and  in  the  old  Roman 
praesidium.  The  Puritans  adopted  this  form  in 
their  first  settlements  in  New  England.  Around 
the  public  square  or  common  where  stood  the 
meeting  house  and  the  town  house,  they  laid  ofif 
their  home  lots  and  beyond  these  were  their 
cultivated  fields  and  their  common  pasture  lands. 
This  form  of  colonization  was  a  combination  of 
communal  interests  and  individual  ownership. 
Primarily,  no  doubt,  it  was  adopted  for  protec- 
tion against  the  hostile  aborigines  of  the  coun- 
try, and  secondly  for  social  advantage.  It  re- 
versed the  order  of  our  own  western  coloniza- 
tion. The  town  came  first,  it  was  the  initial 
point  from  which  the  settlement  radiated;  while 
with  our  western  pioneers  the  town  was  an  after- 
thought, a  center  point  for  the  convenience  of 
trade. 

When  it  had  been  decided  to  send  colonists 
to  colonize  California  the  settlements  naturally 
took  the  pueblo  form.  The  difficulty  of  obtain- 
ing regular  supplies  for  the  presidios  from  Mex- 
ico, added  to  the  great  expense  of  shipping  such 
a  long  distance,  was  the  principal  cause  that  in- 
fluenced the  government  to  establish  pueblos  de 
gente  de  razon.  The  presidios  received  their 
shipments  of  grain  for  breadstuff  from  San  Bias 


by  sailing  vessels.  The  arrival  of  these  was  un- 
certain. Once  when  the  vessels  were  unusually 
long  in  coming,  the  padres  and  the  soldiers  at 
the  presidios  and  missions  were  reduced  to  liv- 
ing on  milk,  bear  meat  and  what  provisions  they 
could  obtain  from  the  Indians.  When  Felipe  de 
Neve  was  made  governor  of  Alta  or  Nueva 
California  in  1776  he  was  instructed  by  the  vice- 
roy to  make  observations  on  the  agricultural 
possibilities  of  the  country  and  the  feasibility  of 
founding  pueblos  where  grain  could  be  produced 
to   supply  the  military   establishments. 

On  his  journey  from  San  Diego  to  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1777  he  carefully  examined  the  coun- 
try; and  as  a  result  of  his  observations  recom- 
mended the  founding  of  two  pueblos;  one  on  the 
Rio  de  Porciuncula  in  the  south,  and  the  other 
on  the  Rio  de  Guadalupe  in  the  north.  On  the 
29th  of  November,  1777,  the  Pueblo  of  San 
Jose  de  Guadelupe  was  founded.  The  colonists 
were  nine  of  the  presidio  soldiers  from  San 
Francisco  and  Monterey,  who  had  some  knowl- 
edge of  farming  and  five  of  Anza's  pobladores 
who  had  come  with  his  expedition  the  previous 
}ears  to  found  the  presidio  of  San  Francisco, 
making  with  their  families  sixty-one  persons  in 
ail.  The  pueblo  was  named  for  the  patron  saint 
of  California,  San  Jose  (St.  Joseph),  husband  of 
Santa  Maria,  Queen  of  the  Angeles. 

The  site  selected  for  the  town  was  about  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  north  of  the  center  of  the 
present  city.  The  first  houses  were  built  of  pal- 
isades and  the  interstices  plastered  with  mud. 
These  huts  were  roofed  with  earth  and  the  floor 
was  the  hard  beaten  ground.  Each  head  of  a 
family  was  given  a  suerte  or  sowing  lot  of  two 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


hundred  varas  square,  a  house  lot,  "ten  dollars 
a  month  and  a  soldier's  rations."  Each,  also, 
received  a  yoke  of  oxen,  two  cows,  a  mule,  two 
sheep  and  two  goats,  together  with  the  neces- 
sary implements  and  seed,  all  of  which  were  to 
be,  repaid  in  products  of  the  soil  delivered  at  the 
royal  warehouse.  The  first  communal  work 
done  by  the  pobladores  (colonists)  was  to  dam 
the  river,  and  construct  a  ditch  to  irrigate  their 
sowing  fields.  The  dam  was  not  a  success  and 
the  first  sowing  of  grain  was  lost.  The  site  se- 
lected for  the  houses  was  low  and  subject  to 
overflow. 

During  wet  winters  the  inhabitants  were  com- 
pelled to  take  a  circuitous  route  of  three  leagues 
to  attend  church  service  at  the  mission  of  Santa 
Clara.  After  enduring  this  state  of  affairs 
through  seven  winters  they  petitioned  the 
governor  for  permission  to  remove  the  pu- 
eblo further  south  on  higher  ground.  The  gov- 
ernor did  not  have  power  to  grant  the  request. 
The  petition  was  referred  to  the  comandante- 
general  of  the  Intendencia  in  ^lexico  in  1785. 
He  seems  to  have  studied  over  the  matter  two 
years  and  having  advised  with  the  asesor-general 
"finally  issued  a  decree,  June  21,  1787,  to  Gov- 
ernor Pages,  authorizing  the  settlers  to  remove 
to  the  "adjacent  loma  (hill)  selected  by  them  as 
more  useful  and  advantageous  without  chang- 
ing or  altering,  for  this  reason,  the  limits  and 
boundaries  of  the  territory  or  district  assigned 
to  said  settlement  and  to  the  neighboring  Mis- 
sion of  Santa  Clara,  as  there  is  no  just  cause 
why  the  latter  should  attempt  to  appropriate  to 
herself  that  land." 

Having  frequently  suiTered  from  floods,  it 
would  naturally  be  supposed  that  the  inhabi- 
tants, permission  being  granted,  moved  right 
away.  They  did  nothing  of  the  kind.  Ten  years 
passed  and  they  were  still  located  on  the  old 
marshy  site,  still  discussing  the  advantages  of 
tJie  new  site  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
Whether  the  padres  of  the  Mission  of  Santa 
Clara  opposed  the  moving  does  not  appear  in 
the  records,  but  from  the  last  clause  of  the  com- 
andante-general's  decree  in  which  he  says  "there 
is  not  just  cause  why  the  latter  (the  Mission  of 
Santa  Clara)  should  attempt  to  appropriate  to 
herself  the  land,"  it  would  seem  that  the  mission 


padres  were  endeavoring  to  secure  the  new  site 
or  at  least  prevent  its  occupancy.  There  was  a 
dispute  between  the  padres  and  the  pobladores 
over  rhe  boundary  line  between  the  pueblo  and 
mission  that  outlived  the  century,  .\fter  hav- 
ing been  referred  to  the  titled  officials,  civil  and 
ecclesiastical,  a  boundary  line  was  finally  estab- 
lished, July  24,  1801,  that  was  satisfactory  to 
both.  "According  to  the  best  evidence  I  have 
discovered,"  says  Hall  in  his  History  of  San 
Jose,  "the  removal  of  the  pueblo  took  place  in 
1797,"  just  twenty  years  after  the  founding.  In 
1798  the  juzgado  or  town  hall  was  built.  It 
was  located  on  Market  street  near  El  Dorado 
street. 

The  area  of  a  pueblo  was  four  square  leagues 
(Spanish)  or  about  twenty-seven  square  miles. 
This  was  sometimes  granted  in  a  square  and 
sometimes  in  a  rectangular  form.  The  pueblo 
lands  were  divided  into  classes:  Solares,  house 
lots;  suertes  (chance),  sowing  fields,  so  named 
because  they  were  distributed  by  lot ;  propios, 
municipal  lands  or  lands  the  rent  of  which  went 
to  defray  municipal  expenses;  ejidas,  vacant 
suburbs  or  commons;  dehesas,  pasture  wdiere 
the  large  herds  of  the  pueblo  grazed;  realenges, 
royal  lands  also  used  for  raising  revenue:  these 
were  unappropriated  lands. 

From  various  causes  the  founding  of  the  sec- 
ond pueblo  had  been  delayed.  In  the  latter  part 
of  1779,  active  preparations  were  begun  for  car- 
rying out  the  plan  of  founding  a  presidio  and 
three  missions  on  the  Santa  Barbara  Channel 
and  a  pueblo  on  the  Rio  Porciuncula  to  be 
named  "Reyna  de  Los  Angeles."  The  comand- 
ante-general  of  the  Four  Interior  Provinces  of 
the  West  (which  embraced  the  Californias,  So- 
nora.  New  ]\Iexico  and  \'iscaya),  Don  Teodoro 
de  Croi.x  or  "El  Cavallero  de  Croix,"  "The 
Knight  of  the  Cross,"  as  he  usually  styled  him- 
self, gave  instructions  to  Don  Fernando  de  Ri- 
vera y  Moncada  to  recruit  soldiers  and  settlers 
for  the  proposed  presidio  and  pueblo  in  Xueva 
California.  He,  Rivera,  crossed  the  gulf  and  be- 
gan recruiting  in  Sonora  and  Sinaloa.  His  in- 
structions were  to  secure  twenty-four  settlers, 
who  were  heads  of  families.  They  must  be  ro- 
bust and  well  behaved,  so  that  they  might  set 
a  good  example  to  the  natives.     Their  families 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECCmD. 


xnust  accompany  them  and  unmarried  female 
relatives  must  be  encouraged  to  go,  with  the 
view  to  marrying  them  to  bachelor  sol- 
diers. 

According  to  the  regulations  drafted  by  Gov- 
ernor Felipe  de  X'eve,  June  i,  1779,  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  province  of  California  and  a])- 
proved  by  the  king,  in  a  royal  order  of  the  24th 
of  October,  1781,  settlers  in  California  from  the 
older  provinces  were  each  to  be  granted  a  house 
lot  and  a  tract  of  land  for  cultivation.  Each 
poblador  in  addition  was  to  receive  $116.50  a 
year  for  the  first  two  years,  "the  rations  to  be 
understood  as  comprehended  in  this  amount, 
and  in  lieu  of  rations  for  the  next  three  years 
thev  will  receive  $60  yearly." 

Section  3  of  Title  14  of  the  Reglamento  pro- 
vided that  "To  each  poblador  and  to  the  com- 
munity of  the  pueblo  there  shall  be  given  under 
condition  of  repayment  in  horses  and  mules  fit 
to  be  given  and  received,  and  in  the  payment  of 
the  other  large  and  small  cattle  at  the  just  prices, 
which  are  to  lie  fixed  by  tariff,  and  of  the  tools 
and  implements  at  cost,  as  it  is  ordained,  two 
mares,  two  cows,  and  one  calf,  two  sheep  and 
two  goats,  all  breeding  animals,  and  one  yoke  of 
o.xen  or  steers,  one  plow  point,  one  hoe,  one 
spade,  one  axe,  one  sickle,  one  wood  knife,  one 
musket  and  one  leather  shield,  two  horses  and 
one  cargo  mule.  To  the  community  there  shall 
likewise  be  given  the  males  corresponding  to 
the  total  number  of  cattle  of  different  kinds  dis- 
tributed amongst  all  the  inhabitants,  one  forge 
and  anvil,  six  crowbars,  si.x  iron  spades  or  shov- 
els and  the  necessary  tools  for  carpenter  and 
cast  work."  For  the  government's  assistance  to 
the  pobladores  in  starting  their  colony  the  set- 
tlers were  required  to  sell  to  the  presidios  the 
surplus  products  of  their  lands  and  herds  at  fair 
prices,  which  were  to  be  fixed  by  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  terms  offered  to  the  settlers  were  cer- 
tainly liberal,  and  by  our  own  hardy  pioneers, 
who  in  the  closing  years  of  the  last  century  were 
making  their  way  over  the  Alleghany  mountains 
into  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  they  would 
have  been  considered  munificent:  but  to  the  in- 
dolent and  energyless  mixed  breeds  of  Sonora 
and   Sinaloa  thev  were  no  inducement.     After 


spending  nearly  nine  months  in  recruiting.  Ri- 
vera was  able  to  obtain  only  fourteen  pobladores, 
but  little  over  half  the  number  required,  and  two 
of  these  deserted  before  reaching  California. 
The  soldiers  that  Rivera  had  recruited  for  Cal- 
ifornia, forty-two  in  number,  with  their  families, 
were  ordered  to  proceed  overland  from  Alamos, 
in  Sonora,  by  way  of  Tucson  and  the  Colorado 
river  to  San  Gabriel  .Mission.  These  were  com- 
manded by  Rivera  in  person. 

Leaving  Alamos  in  April,  1781,  they  arrived 
in  the  latter  part  of  June  at  the  junction  of  the 
Gila  and  Colorado  rivers.  After  a  short  delay 
to  rest,  the  main  company  was  sent  on  to  San 
Gabriel  Mission.  Rivera,  with  ten  or  twelve 
soldiers,  remained  to  recruit  his  live  stock  before 
crossing  the  desert.  Two  missions  had  been  es- 
tablished on  the  California  side  of  the  Colorado 
the  previous  year.  Before  the  arrival  of  Rivera 
the  Indians  had  been  behaving  badly.  Rivera's 
large  herd  of  cattle  and  horses  destroyed  the 
mesquite  trees- and  intruded  upon  the  Indians' 
melon  patches.  This,  with  their  previous  quar- 
rel with  the  padres,  provoked  the  savages  to  an 
uprising.  They,  on  July  17,  attacked  the  two 
missions,  massacred  the  padres  and  the  Spanish 
settlers  attached  to  the  missions  and  killed  Ri- 
vera and  his  soldiers,  forty-six  persons  in  all. 
The  Indians  burned  the  mission  buildings. 
These  were  never  rebuilt  nor  was  there  any  at- 
tempt made  to  convert  the  Yumas.  The  hos- 
tility of  the  Yumas  practically  closed  the  Colo- 
rado route  to  California  for  many  years. 

The  pobladores  who  had  been  recruited  for 
the  founding  of  the  new  pueblo,  with' their  fami- 
lies and  a  military  escort,  all  under  the  command 
of  Lieut.  Jose  Zuniga,  crossed  the  gulf  from 
Guaymas  to  Loreto,  in  Lower  California,  and  by 
the  1 6th  of  May  were  ready  for  their  long  jour- 
ney northward.  In  the  meantime  two  of  the  re- 
cruits had  deserted  and  one  was  left  behind  at 
Loreto.  On  the  i8th  of  August  the  eleven  who 
had  remained  faithful  to  their  contract,  with 
their  families,  arrived  at  San  Gabriel.  On  ac- 
count of  smallpox  among  some  of  the  children 
the  company  was  placed  in  quarantine  about  a 
league  from  the  mission. 

On  the  26th  of  .\ugust.  1781.  from  San  Ga- 
briel, Governor  de  Neve  issued  his  instructions 


76 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


for  the  founding  of  Los  Angeles,  wliich  gave 
some  additional  rules  in  regard  to  the  distribu- 
tion of  lots  not  found  in  the  royal  reglamento 
previously  mentioned. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1781,  the  colonists, 
with  a. military  escort  headed  by  Governor  Fe- 
lip  de  Neve,  took  up  their  line  of  march  from 
the  Mission  San  Gabriel  to  the  site  selected  for 
their  pueblo  on  the  Rio  de  Porciuncula.  There, 
with  religious  ceremonies,  the  Pueblo  de  Nues- 
tra  Sehora  La  Reina  de  Los  Angeles  was  for- 
mally founded.  A  mass  was  said  by  a  priest 
from  the  Mission  San  Gabriel,  assisted  by  the 
choristers  and  musicians  of  that  mission.  There 
were  salvos  of  musketry  and  a  procession  with 
a  cross,  candlestick,  etc.  At  the  head  of  the 
procession  the  soldiers  bore  the  standard  of 
Spain  and  the  women  followed  bearing  a  ban- 
ner with  the  image  of  our  Lady  the  Queen  of 
the  Angels.  This  procession  made  a  circuit  of 
the  plaza,  the  priest  blessing  it  and  the  building 
lots.  At  the  close  of  the  services  Governor  de 
Neve  made  an  address  full  of  good  advice  to  the 
colonists.  Then  the  governor,  his  military  es- 
cort and  the  priests  returned  to  San  Gabriel  and 
the  colonists  were  left  to  work  out  their 
destiny. 

Few  of  the  great  cities  of  the  land  have  had 
such  humble  founders  as  Los  Angeles.  Of  the 
eleven  pobladores  who  built  their  huts  of  poles 
and  tule  thatch  around  the  plaza  vieja  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  years  ago,  not  one  could 
read  or  write.  Not  one  could  boast  of  an  un- 
mixed ancestry.  They  were  mongrels  in  race, 
Caucasian,  Indian  and  Negro  mixed.  Poor  in 
purse,  poor  in  blood,  poor  in  all  the  sterner  qual- 
ities of  character  that  our  own  hardy  pioneers 
of  the  west  possessed,  they  left  no  impress  on 
the  city  they  founded;  and  the  conquering  race 
that  possesses  the  land  that  they  colonized  has 
forgotten  them.  No  street  or  landmark  in  the 
city  bears  the  name  of  any  one  of  them.  No 
monument  or  tablet  marks  the  spot  where  they 
planted  the  germ  of  their  settlement.  No  Fore- 
fathers' day  preserves  the  memory  of  their  serv- 
ices and  sacrifices.  Their  names,  race  and  the 
number  of  persons  in  each  family  have  been 
preserved  in  the  archives  of  California.  They 
are  as  follows: 


I.  Jose  de  Lara,  a  Spaniard  (or  reputed  to  be 
(jne,  although  it  is  doubtful  whether  he  was  of 
pure  blood)  had  an  Indian  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren. 

J.  Jose  Antonio  Navarro,  a  Mestizo,  forty- 
iwo  years  old;  wife  a  mulattress;  three  children. 

3.  Basilio  Rosas,  an  Indian,  sixty-eight  years 
old,  had  a  mulatto  wife  and  two  children. 

4.  Antonio  Mesa,  a  negro,  thirty-eight  years 
old ;  had  a  mulatto  wife  and  two  children. 

5.  Antonio  Felix  \'ilIavicencio,  a  Spaniard, 
thirty  years  old;  had  an  Indian  wife  and  one 
child. 

6.  Jose  \'anegas,  an  Indian,  twenty-eight 
\ears  old;  had  an  Indian  wife  and  one  child. 

7.  Alejandro  Rosas,an  Indian,  nineteen  years 
old,  and  had  an  Indian  wife.  (In  the  records, 
"wife,  Coyote-Indian.") 

8.  Pablo  Rodriguez,  an  Indian,  twenty-iive 
}ears  old;  had  an  Indian  wife  and  one  child. 

9.  Manuel  Camero,  a  mulatto,  thirty  years 
old;  had  a  mulatto  wife. 

10.  Luis  Ouintero,  a  negro,  fifty-five  years 
old,  and  had  a  mulatto  wife  and  five  children. 

I I .  Jose  Morena,  a  mulatto,  twenty-two 
}ears  old,  and  had  a  mulatto  wife. 

Antonio  Miranda,  the  twelfth  person  described 
in  the  padron  (list)  as  a  Chino,  fifty  years  old 
and  having  one  child,  was  left  at  Loreto  when 
the  expedition  marched  northward.  It  would 
have  been  impossible  for  him  to  have  rejoined 
the  colonists  before  the  founding.  Presumably 
his  child  remained  with  him,  consequently  there 
were  but  forty-four  instead  of  "forty-six  persons 
in  all."  Col.  J.  J.  Warner,  in  his  "Historical 
Sketch  of  Los  Angeles."  originated  the  fiction 
that  one  of  the  founders  (Miranda,  the  Chino,) 
was  born  in  China.  Chino,  while  it  does  mean  a 
Chinaman,  is  also  applied  in  Spanish-American 
countries  to'  persons  or  animals  having  curly 
hair.  Miranda  was  probably  of  mixed  Spanish 
and  Negro  blood,  and  curly  haired.  There  is 
no  record  to  show  that  Miranda  ever  came  to  . 
Aha  California. 

When  Jose  de  Galvez  was  fitting  out  the  ex- 
pedition for  occupying  San  Diego  and  Monte- 
rev,  he  issued  a  proclamation  naming  St.  Jo- 
seph as  the  patron  saint  of  his  California  colon- 
ization scheme.     Bearing  this  fact  in  mind,  no 


HISTORICAL  AXD   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


doubt,  Governor  de  Neve,  when  he  founded  San 
Jose,  named  St.  Jostpk  its  patron  saint.  Hav- 
ing named  one  of  the  two  pueWos  for  San  Jose 
it  naturally  followed  that  the  other  should  be 
named  for  Santa  Maria,  the  Queen  of  the  An- 
gels, wife  of  San  Jose. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1769,  Portola's  expedi- 
tion, on  its  journey  northward  in  search  of  Mon- 
terey Ba}-,  had  halted  in  the  San  Gabriel  valley 
near  where  the  Mission  Vieja  was  afterwards  lo- 
cated, to  reconnoiter  the  country  and  "above 
all,"  as  Father  Crespi  observes,  "for  the  purpose 
of  celebrating  the  jubilee  of  Our  Lady  of  the 
Angels  of  Porciuncula."  Next  day,  August  2, 
after  traveling  about  three  leagues  (nine  miles). 
Father  Crespi,  in  his  diary,  says:  "We  came  to 
a  rather  wide  Canada  having  a  great  many  cot- 
tonwood  and  alder  trees.  Through  it  ran  a 
beautiful  river  toward  the  north-northeast  and 
curving  around  the  point  of  a  cliff  it  takes  a  di- 
rection to  the  south.  Toward  the  north-north- 
east we  saw  another  river  bed  which  must  have 
been  a  great  overflow,  but  we  found  it  dry.  This 
arm  unites  with  the  river  and  its  great  floods 
during  the  rainy  season  are  clearly  demon- 
strated by  the  many  uprooted  trees  scattered 
along  the  banks."  (This  dry  river  is  the  Arroyo 
Seco.)  "We  stopped  not  very  far  from  the  river, 
to  which  we  gave  the  name  of  Porciuncula." 
Porciuncula  is  the  name  of  a  hamlet  in  Italy 
near  which  was  located  the  little  church  of  Our 
Lady  of  the  Angels,  in  which  St.  Francis  of  As- 
sisi  was  praying  when  the  jubilee  was  granted 
him.  Father  Crespi,  speaking  of  the  plain 
through  which  the  river  flows,  says:  "This  is 
the  best  locality  of  all  those  we  have  yet  seen 
for  a  mission,  besides  having  all  the  resources 
required  for  a  large  town."  Padre  Crespi  was 
evidently  somewhat  of  a  prophet. 

The  fact  that  this  locality  had  for  a  number 
of  years  borne  the  name  of  "Our  Lady  of  the 
.\ngels  of  Porciuncula"  may  have  influenced 
Governor  de  Neve  to  locate  his  pueblo  here. 
The  full  name  of  the  town,  El  Pueblo  de  Nuestra 
Senora  La  Reyna  de  Los  Angeles,  was  seldom 
used.  It  was  too  long  for  everyday  use.  In  the 
earlier  years  of  the  town's  history  it  seems  to 
have  had  a  variety  of  names.  It  appears  in  the 
records  as  El  Pueblo  de  Nuestra  Senora  de  Los 


-Angeles,  as  El  Pueblo  de  La  Reyna  de  Los  An- 
geles and  as  El  Pueblo  de  Santa  Alaria  de  Los 
.Angeles.  Sometimes  it  was  abbreviated  to 
Santa  Maria,  but  it  was  most  commonly  spoken 
of  as  El  Pueblo,  the  town.  At  what  time  the 
name  of  Rio  Porciuncula  was  changed  to  Rio 
Los  Angeles  is  uncertain.  The  change  no  doubt 
was  gradual. 

The  site  selected  for  the  pueblo  of  Los  An- 
geles was  picturesque  and  romantic.  From 
where  Alameda  street  now  is  to  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  river  the  land  was  covered  with  a 
dense  growth  of  willows,  cottonwoods  and  al- 
ders; while  here  and  there,  rising  above  the 
swampy  copse,  towered  a  giant  aliso  (sycamore). 
Wild  grapevines  festooned  the  branches  of  the 
trees  and  wild  roses  bloomed  in  profusion.  Be- 
hind the  narrow  shelf  of  mesa  land  where  the 
pueblo  was  located  rose  the  brown  hills,  and  in 
the  distance  towered  the  lofty  Sierra  Madre 
mountains. 

The  last  pueblo  founded  in  California  under 
Spanish  domination  was  Mlla  de  Branciforte, 
located  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from 
the  Alission  of  Santa  Cruz.  It  was  named  after 
the  \'iceroy  Branciforte.  It  was  designed  as  a 
coast  defense  and  a  place  to  colonize  discharged 
soldiers.  The  scheme  was  discussed  for  a  con- 
siderable time  before  anything  was  done.  Gov- 
ernor Borica  recommended  "that  an  adobe 
house  be  built  for  each  settler  so  that  the  prev- 
alent state  of  things  in  San  Jose  and  Los  An- 
geles,where  the  settlers  still  live  in  tule  huts,  be- 
ing unable  to  build  better  dwellings  without 
neglecting  their  fields,  may  be  prevented,  the 
houses  to  cost  not  over  two  hundred  dollars."* 

The  first  detachment  of  the  colonists  arrived 
May  12,  1797,  on  the  Concepcion  in  a  destitute 
condition.  Lieutenant  Moraga  was  sent  to  su- 
perintend the  construction  of  houses  for  the 
colonists.  He  was  instructed  to  build  temporary 
huts  for  himself  and  the  guard,  then  to  build 
some  larger  buildings  to  accommodate  fifteen  or 
twenty  families  each.  These  were  to  be  tem- 
porary. Only  nine  families  came  and  they  were 
of  a  vagabond  class  that  had  a  constitutional 
antipathy  to   work.     The   settlers   received   the 


''Bancroft's  History  of  California.  Vol.  I. 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


same  amount  of  supplies  and  allowance  of 
money  as  the  colonists  of  San  Jose  and  Los 
Angeles.  Although  the  colonists  were  called 
Spaniards  and  assumed  to  be  of  a  superior  race 
to  the  first  settlers  of  the  other  pueblos,  they 
made  less  progress  and  were  more  unruly  than 
the  mixed  and  mongrel  inhabitants  of  the  older 
pueblos. 

Although  at  the  close  of  the  cc-ntury  three 
decades  had  passed  since  the  first  settlement  was 
made  in  California,  the  colonists  had  made  but 
little  progress.  Three  pueblos  of  gente  de  razon 
had  been  founded  and  a  few  ranchos  granted  to 
ex-soldiers.  Exclusive  of  the  soldiers,  the  white 
population  in  the  year  1800  did  not  exceed  six 
hundred.  The  people  lived  in  the  most  primi- 
tive manner.  There  was  no  commerce  and  no 
manufacturing  except  a  little  at  the  missions. 
Their  houses  were  adobe  huts  roofe<l  with  tule 
thatch.    The  floor  was  the  beaten  earth  and  the 


scant  furniture  home-made.  There  was  a  scarcity 
of  cloth  for  clothing.  Padre  Salazar  relates  that 
when  he  was  at  San  Gabriel  Mission  in  1795  a 
man  who  had  a  thousand  horses  and  cattle  in 
proportion  came  there  to  beg  cloth  for  a  shirt, 
for  none  could  be  had  at  the  pueblo  of  Los  An- 
geles nor  at  the  presidio  of  Santa  Barbara. 

Hermanagildo  .Sal,  the  comandante  of  San 
Francisco,  writing  to  a  friend  in  1799,  says,  "I 
send  you.  l)y  the  wife  of  the  pensioner  Jose 
Barbo,  one  piece  of  cotton  goods  and  an  ounce 
of  sewing  silk.  There  are  no  combs  and  I  have 
no  hope  of  receiving  any  for  three  years."  Think 
of  waiting  three  years  for  a  comb! 

Eighteen  missions  had  been  founded  at  the 
close  of  the  century.  Except  at  a  few  of  the 
older  missions,  the  buildings  were  temporary 
.structures.  The  neophytes  for  the  most  part 
were  living  in  wigwams  constructed  like  those 
they  had  occupied  in  their  wild  state. 


CHAPTER   Vlll. 

THE    PASSING    OF    SPAIN'S    DOMINATION. 


THE  Spaniards  were  not  a  commercial  peo- 
ple. Their  great  desire  was  to  be  let  alone 
in  their  .\merican  possessions.  Philip  II. 
once  promulgated  a  decree  pronouncing  death 
upon  any  foreigner  who  entered  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  It  was  easy  to  promulgate  a  decree  or 
to  pass  restrictive  laws  against  foreign  trade,  but 
quite  another  thing  to  enforce  them. 

After  the  first  settlement  of  California  seven- 
teen years  passed  before  a  foreign  vessel  entered 
any  of  its  ports.  The  first  to  arrive  were  the 
two  vessels  of  the  French  explorer,  La  Perouse, 
who  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Monterey,  Sep- 
tember 15,  1786.  Being  of  the  same  faith,  and 
France  having  been  an  ally  of  Spain  in  former 
times,  he  was  well  received.  During  his  brief 
stay  he  made  a  study  of  the  mission  system  and 
his  observations  on  it  are  plainly  given.  He 
found  a  similarity  in  it  to  the  slave  plantations 
of  Santo  Domingo.  November  14,  1792,  the 
English  navigator,  Capt.  George  \'ancouver,  in 
the    ship    Discovery,    entered    the    Bay    of   San 


Francisco.  He  was  cordially  received  by  the 
comandante  of  the  port,  Hermanagildo  Sal,  and 
the  friars  of  the  mission.  On  the  20th  of  the 
month,  with  several  of  his  officers,  he  visited  the 
?\Iission  of  Santa  Clara,  where  he  was  kindly 
treated.  He  also  visited  the  Mission  of  San 
Carlos  (le  Monterey.  He  wrote  an  interesting 
account  of  his  visit  and  his  oljservations  on  the 
country.  N'ancouver  was  surprised  at  the  back- 
wardness of  the  country  and  the  antiquated  cus- 
toms of  the  people.  He  says:  "Instead  of  find- 
ing a  country  tolerably  well  inhabited,  and  far 
advanced  in  cultivation,  if  we  except  its  natural 
pastures,  flocks  of  sheep  and  herds  of  cattle, 
there  is  not  an  object  to  indicate  the  most  re- 
mote connection  with  any  European  or  other 
civilized  nation."  On  a  subsequent  visit.  Cap- 
tain \'ancouver  met  a  chilly  reception  from  the 
acting  governor,  Arrillaga.  The  Spaniards  sus- 
pected him  of  spying  out  the  weakness  of  their 
defenses.  Through  the  English,  the  Spaniards 
became    acquainted   with   the    importance    and 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


79 


value  of  the  fur  trade.  The  bays  and  lagoons  of 
California  abounded  in  sea  otter.  Their  skins 
were  worth  in  China  all  the  way  from  $30  to 
$100  each.  The  trade  was  made  a  government 
monopoly.  The  skins  were  to  be  collected  from 
the  natives,  soldiers  and  others  by  the  mission- 
aries, at  prices  rangmg  from  $2.50  to  $10  each, 
and  turned  over  to  the  government  ofificials  ap- 
pointed to  receive  them.  All  trade  by  private 
persons  was  prohibited.  The  government  was 
sole  trader.  But  the  government  failed  to  make 
the  trade  prolitable.  In  the  closing  years  of 
the  century  the  American  smugglers  began  to 
haunt  the  coast.  The  restrictions  against  trade 
witli  foreigners  were  proscripti\c  and  the  penal- 
ties for  evasion  severe,  but  men  will  trade  under 
the  most  adverse  circumstances.  Si)ain  was  a 
long  way  ofif,  and  '■miuggling  was  not  a  ver_\- 
venal  sin  in  the  eyes  of  layman  ur  churchman. 
Fast  sailing  vessels  were  fitted  out  in  no>tnn 
for  illicit  trade  on  the  California  coast.  \\'atch- 
ing  their  opportunities,  these  vessels  slipped 
into  the  bays  and  inlets  along  the  coast.  There 
was  a  rapid  exchange  of  Yankee  notions  for  sea 
otter  skins,  the  most  valued  peltry  of  California, 
and  the  vessels  were  out  to  sea  before  the  rev- 
enue officers  could  intercept  them.  If  success- 
ful in  escaping  capture,  the  profits  of  a  smug- 
gling voyage  were  enormous,  ranging  from  500 
to  1,000  per  cent  above  cost  on  the  goods  ex- 
changed; but  the  risks  were  great.  The  smug- 
gler had  no  protection;  he  was  an  outlaw.  He 
was  the  legitimate  prey  of  the  padres,  the  peo- 
ple and  the  revenue  officers.  The  Yankee  smug- 
gler usually  came  out  ahead.  His  vessel  was 
heavily  armed,  and  when  speed  or  stratagem 
failed  he  was  ready  to  fight  his  way  out  of  a 
scrape. 

Each  year  two  ships  were  sent  from  San 
Bias  with  the  memorias — mission  and  presidio 
supplies.  These  took  back  a  small  cargo  of  the 
products  of  the  territory,  wheat  being  the  prin- 
cipal. This  was  all  the  legitimate  commerce 
allowed  California. 

The  fear  of  Russian  aggression  had  been  one 
of  the  causes  that  had  forced  Spain  to  attempt 
the  colonization  of  California.  Bering,  in  1741, 
had  discovered  the  strait  that  bears  his  name 
and  had  taken  possession,  for  the  Russian  gov- 


ernment, of  the  northwestern  coast  of  .\merica. 
Four  years  later,  the  first  permanent  Russian 
settlement,  Sitka,  had  been  made  on  one  of  the 
coast  islands.  Rumors  of  the  Russian  explora- 
tions and  settlements  had  reached  Madrid  and 
in  1774  Captain  Perez,  in  the  San  Antonia,  was 
sent  up  the  coast  to  find  out  what  the  Russians 
were  doing. 

Had  Russian  America  contained  arable  land 
where  grain  and  vegetables  could  have  been 
grown,  it  is  probable  that  the  Russians  and 
Spaniards  in  America  would  not  have  come  in 
contact;  for  another  nation,  the  L'nited  States, 
had  taken  possession  of  the  intervening  coun- 
try, bordering  the  Columbia  river. 

The  supplies  of  breadstufifs  for  the  Sitka  col- 
onists had  to  be  sent  overland  across  Siberia 
or  shipped  around  Cape  Florn.  Failure  of  sup- 
plies sometimes  reduced  the  colonists  to  sore 
straits.  In  1806,  famine  and  diseases  incident 
\o  starvation  threatened  the  extinction  of  the 
Russian  colony.  Count  RezanofT,  a  high  officer 
of  the  Russian  government,  had  arrived  at  the 
-Sitka  settlement  in  September.  1805.  The  des- 
titution prevailing  there  induced  him  to  visit 
California  with  the  hope  of  obtaining  relief  for 
the  starving  colonists.  In  the  ship  Juno  (pur- 
chased from  an  American  trader),  with  a  scurvy 
afflicted  crew,  he  made  a  perilous  voyage  down 
the  stormy  coast  and  on  the  5th  of  April,  1806, 
anchored  safely  in  tlie  Bay  of  San  Francisco. 
He  had  brought  with  him  a  cargo  of  goods  for 
exchange  but  the  restrictive  commercial  regula- 
tions of  Spain  prohibited  trade  with  foreigners. 
Although  the  friars  and  the  people  needed  the 
goods  the  governor  could  not  allow  the  ex- 
cliange.  Count  Rezanofif  would  be  permitted  to 
jnirchase  grain  for  cash,  but  the  Russian's  ex- 
chequer was  not  plethoric  and  his  ship  was  al- 
ready loaded  with  goods.  Love  that  laughs  at 
locksmiths  eventually  unlocked  the  shackles 
that  hampered  conmicrce.  Rezanofif  fell  in  love 
with  Dona  Concepcion,  the  beautiful  daughter 
of  Don  Jose  Arguello.  the  comandante  of  San 
Francisco,  and  an  old  time  friend  of  the  gov- 
ernor, Arrillaga.  The  attraction  was  mutual. 
Through  the  influence  of  Dona  Concepcion.  the 
friars  and  Arguello.  the  governor  was  induced 
to  sanction  a  plan  by  which  cash  was  the  sup- 


80 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


posed  medium  of  exchange  on  both  sides,  but 
grain  on  the  one  side  and  goods  on  the  other 
were  the  real  currency. 

The  romance  of  RezanofT  and  Dona  Concep- 
cion  had  a  sad  ending.  On  his  journey  through 
Siberia  to  St.  Petersburg  to  obtain  the  consent 
of  the  emperor  to  his  marriage  he  was  killed 
by  a  fall  from  his  horse.  It  was  several  years 
before  the  news  of  his  death  reached  his  af- 
fianced bride.  Faithful  to  his  memory,  she  never 
married,  but  dedicated  her  life  to  deeds  of  char- 
ity, .^fter  Rezanoff's  visit  the  Russians  came 
frequently  to  California,  partly  to  trade,  but 
more  often  to  hunt  otter.  While  on  these  fur 
hunting  expeditions  they  examined  the  coast 
north  of  San  Francisco  with  the  design  of  plant- 
ing an  agricultural  colony  where  they  could 
raise  grain  to  supply  the  settlements  in  the  far 
north.  In  1812  they  founded  a  town  and  built 
a  fort  on  the  coast  north  of  Bodega  Bay.  which 
they  named  Ross.  The  fort  mounted  ten  guns. 
They  maintained  a  fort  at  Bodega  Bay  and  also 
a  small  settlement  on  Russian  river.  The  Span- 
iards protested  against  this  aggression  and 
threatened  to  drive  the  Russians  out  of  the  ter- 
ritory, but  nothing  came  of  their  protests  and 
they  were  powerless  to  enforce  their  demands. 
The  Russian  ships  came  to  California  for  sup- 
plies and  were,  welcomed  by  the  people  and  the 
friars  if  not  by  the  government  officials.  The 
Russian  colony  at  Ross  was  not  a  success.  The 
ignorant  soldiers  and  the  Aluets  who  formed 
the  bulk  of  its  three  or  four  hundred  inhab- 
itants, knew  little  or  nothing  about  farming  and 
were  too  stupid  to  learn,  .\fter  the  decline  of 
fur  hunting  the  settlement  became  unprofitable. 
In  1 84 1  the  buildings  and  the  stock  were  sold 
liy  the  Russian  governor  to  Capt.  John  A.  Sut- 
ter for  $30,000.  The  settlement  was  abandoned 
and  the  fort  and  the  town  are  in  ruins. 

On  the  15th  of  September.  18 10,  the  patriot 
priest.  Miguel  Hidalgo,  struck  the  first  blow 
for  IMexican  independence.  The  revolution 
which  began  in  the  province  of  Guanajuato  w^as 
at  first  regarded  by  the  authorities  as  a  mere 
riot  of  ignorant  Indians  that  would  be  speedily 
suppressed.  But  the  insurrection  spread  rap- 
idly. Long  years  of  oppression  and  cruelty  had 
instilled  into  the  hearts  of  the  people  an  undy- 


ing hatred  for  their  Spanish  oppressors.  Hidalgo 
soon  found  himself  at  the  head  of  a  motley 
army,  poorly  armed  and  undisciplined,  but  its 
numbers  swept  away  opposition.  Unfortunately 
through  over-confidence  reverses  came  and  in 
March,  181 1,  the  patriots  met  an  overwhelming 
defeat  at  the  bridge  of  Calderon.  Hidalgo  was 
betrayed,  captured  and  shot.  Though  sup- 
pressed for  a  time,  the  cause  of  independence 
was  not  lost.  For  eleven  years  a  fratricidal  war 
was  waged — cruel,  bloody  and  devastating.  Al- 
lende,  j\lina.  Aloreles,  Aldama,  Rayon  and  other 
patriot  leaders  met  death  on  the  field  of  battle 
or  were  captured  and  shot  as  rebels,  but  "Free- 
dom's battle"  bequeathed  from  bleeding  sire  to 
son  was  won  at  last. 

Of  the  political  upheavals  that  shook  Spain 
in  the  first  decades  of  the  century  only  the  faint- 
est rumblings  reached  far  distant  California. 
Notwithstanding  the  many  changes  of  rulers 
that  political  revolutions  and  Napoleonic  wars 
gave  the  mother  country,  the  people  of  Califor- 
nia remained  loyal  to  the  Spanish  crown,  al- 
though at  times  they  must  have  been  in  doubt 
who   wore   the   crown. 

Arrillaga  was  governor  of  California  when 
the  war  of  Mexican  independence  began.  Al- 
though born  in  Mexico  he  was  of  pure  Spanish 
parentage  and  was  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with 
Spain  in  the  contest.  He  did  not  live  to  see  the 
end  of  the  war.  He  died  in  1814  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Pablo  Vicente  de  Sola.  Sola  was  " 
Spanish  born  and  was  bitterly  opposed  to  the 
revolution,  even  going  so  far  as  to  threaten 
death  to  any  one  who  should  speak  in  favor  of 
it.  He  had  received  his  appointment  from 
Viceroy  Calleja,  the  butcher  of  Guanajuato,  the 
crudest  and  most  bloodthirsty  of  the  vice  regal 
governors  of  new  Spain.  The  friars  were  to  a 
man  loyal  to  Spain.  The  success  of  the  repub- 
lic meant  the  downfall  of  their  domination. 
The\-  hated  republican  ideas  and  regarded 
their  dissemination  as  a  crime.  They  were  the 
ruling  power  in  California.  The  governors 
and  the  people  were  subservient  to  their 
wishes. 

The  decade  between  1810  and  1820  was 
marked  by  two  important  events,  the  year  of  the 
earthquakes   and   the   year    of    the   insurgents. 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


81 


The  year  i8i2  was  the  Ano  de  los  Temblores. 
The  seismic  disturbance  that  for  forty  years  or 
more  had  shaken  Cahfornia  seemed  to  concen- 
trate in  power  that  year  and  expend  its  force 
on  the  mission  churches.  The  massive  church 
of  San  Juan  Capistrano,  the  pride  of  mission 
architecture,  was  thrown  down  and  forty  per- 
sons killed.  The  walls  of  San  Gabriel  Mission 
were  cracked  and  some  of  the  saints  shaken  out 
of  their  niches.  At  San  Buenaventura  there 
were  three  heavy  shocks  which  injured  the 
church  so  that  the  tower  and  much  of  the  facade 
had  to  be  rebuilt.  The  whole  mission  site 
seemed  to  settle  and  the  inhabitants,  fearful 
that  they  might  be  engulfed  by  the  sea,  moved 
up  the  valley  about  two  miles,  where  they  re- 
mained three  months.  At  Santa  Barbara  both 
church  and  the  presidio  were  damaged  and  at 
Santa  Inez  the  church  was  shaken  down.  The 
quakes  continued  for  several  months  and  the 
people  were  so  terrified  that  they  abandoned 
their  houses  and  lived  in  the  open  air. 

The  other  important  epoch  of  the  decade  was 
EL  Alio  de  los  Insurgentes,  the  year  of  the  in- 
surgents. In  November,  1818,  Bouchard,  a 
Frenchman  in  the  service  of  Buenos  Ayres  and 
provided  with  letters  of  marque  by  San  Mar- 
tain,  the  president  of  that  republic,  to  prey  upon 
Spanish  commerce,  appeared  in  the  port  of 
Monterey  with  two  ships  carrying  sixty-si.x 
guns  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  men.  He  at- 
tacked Monterey  and  after  an  obstinate  re- 
sistance by  the  Californians,  it  was  taken  by  the 
insurgents  and  burned.  Bouchard  next  pillaged 
Ortega's  rancho  and  burned  the  buildings. 
Then  sailing  down  the  coast  he  scared  the  Santa 
Barbarahos;  then  keeping  on  down  he  looked 
into  San  Pedro,  but  finding  nothing  there  to 
tempt  him  he  kept  on  to  San  Juan  Capistrano. 
There  he  landed,  robbed  the  mission  of  a  few 
articles  and  drank  the  padres'  wine.  Then  he 
sailed  away  and  disappeared.  He  left  six  of  his 
men  in  California,  among  them  Joseph  Chap- 
man of  Boston,  the  first  American  resident  of 
California. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century  there 
was    a    limited    commerce    with    Lima.     That 


being  a  Spanish  dependency,  trade  with  it  was 
not  prohibited.  Gilroy,  who  arrived  in  Califor- 
nia in  1814,  says  in  his  reminiscences:* 

"The  only  article  of  export  then  was  tallow, 
of  which  one  cargo  was  sent  annually  to  Callao 
in  a  Spanish  ship.  This  tallow  sold  for  $1.50 
per  hundred  weight  in  silver  or  $2.00  in  trade 
or  goods.  Hides,  except  those  used  for  tallow 
bags,  were  thrown  away.  Wheat,  barley  and 
beans  had  no  market.  Nearly  everything  con- 
sumed by  the  people  was  produced  at  home. 
There  was  no  foreign  trade." 

As  the  revolution  in  Mexico  progressed 
times  grew  harder  in  California.  The  mission 
mcmorias  ceased  to  come.  No  tallow  ships  from 
Callao  arrived.  The  soldiers'  pay  was  years  in 
arrears  and  their  uniforms  in  rags.  What  little 
wealth  there  was  in  the  country  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  padres.  They  were  supreme.  "The 
friars,"  says  Gilroy,  "had  everything  their  own 
way.  The  governor  and  the  military  were  ex- 
pected to  do  whatever  the  friars  requested.  The 
missions  contained  all  the  wealth  of  the  coun- 
try." The  friars  supported  the  government  and 
supplied  the  troops  with  food  from  the  products 
of  the  neophytes'  labor.  The  crude  manufac- 
turers of  the  missions  supplied  the  people  with 
cloth  for  clothing  and  some  other  necessities. 
The  needs  of  the  common  people  were  easily 
satisfied.  They  were  not  used  to  luxuries  nor 
were  they  accustomed  to  what  we  would  now 
consider  necessities.  Gilroy,  in  the  reminis- 
cences heretofore  referred  to,  states  that  at  the 
time  of  his  arrival  (1814)  "There  was  not  a  saw- 
mill, whip  saw  or  spoked  wheel  in  California. 
Such  lumber  as  was  used  was  cut  with  an  axe. 
Chairs,  tables  and  wood  floors  were  not  to  be 
found  except  in  the  governor's  house.  Plates 
were  rare  unless  that  name  could  be  applied  to 
the  tiles  used  instead.  Money  was  a  rarity. 
There  were  no  stores  and  no  merchandise  to 
sell.  There  was  no  employment  for  a  laborer. 
The  neophytes  did  all  the  work  and  all  the  busi- 
ness of  the  country  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
friars." 


*AIta  California,  June 


1865. 


HISTORICVL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


FROM    EMPIRE    TO    REPUBLIC. 


THE  condition  of  affairs  in  California  stead- 
ily grew  worse  as  the  revolution  in  Mex- 
ico progressed.  Sola  had  made  strenuous 
efforts  to  arouse  the  Spanish  authorities  of  New 
Spain  to  take  some  action  towards  benefiting  the 
territory.  After  the  affair  with  the  insurgent 
Bouchard  he  had  appealed  to  the  viceroy  for  re- 
inforcements. In  answer  to  his  urgent  entreaties 
a  force  of  one  hundred  men  was  sent  from  ]Ma- 
zatlan  to  garrison  San  Diego  and  an  equal  force 
from  San  Bias  for  Monterey.  They  reached  Cal- 
ifornia in  August,  1819,  and  Sola  was  greatly 
rejoiced,  but  his  joy  was  turned  to  deep  disgust 
when  he  discovered  the  true  character  of  the  re- 
inforcement and  arms  sent  him.  The  only  equip- 
ments of  the  soldiers  were  a  few  hundred  old 
worn-out  sabers  that  Sola  declared  were  unfit 
for  sickles.  He  ordered  them  returned  to  the 
comandante  of  San  Bias,  who  had  sent  them. 
The  troops  were  a  worse  lot  than  the  arms  sent. 
They  had  been  taken  out  of  the  prisons  or  con- 
scripted from  the  lowest  class  of  the  population 
of  the  cities.  They  were  thieves,  drunkards  and 
vagabonds,  who,  as  soon  as  landed,  resorted  to 
robberies,  brawls  and  assassinations.  Sola  wrote 
to  the  viceroy  that  the  outcasts  called  troops 
sent  him  from  the  jails  of  Tepic  and  San  Bias 
by  their  vices  caused  continual  disorders;  their 
evil  example  had  debauched  the  minds  of  the 
Indians  and  that  the  cost  incurred  m  their  col- 
lection and  transportation  had  been  worse  than 
thrown  away.  He  could  not  get  rid  of  them, 
so  he  had  to  control  them  as  best  he  could. 
Governor  Sola  labored  faithfully  to  benefit  the 
country  over  which  he  had  been  placed  and  to 
arouse  the  Spanish  authorities  in  Mexico  to  do 
something  for  the  advancement  of  California: 
but  the  government  did  nothing.  Indeed  it  was 
in  no  condition  to  do  anything.  The  revolution 
would  not  down.  No  sooner  was  one  revolution- 
ary leader  suppressed  and  the  rebellion  ap- 
parently crushed  than  there  was  an  uprising  in 


some  other  part  of  the  country  under  a  new 
leader. 

Ten  years  of  intermittent  warfare  had  been 
waged — one  army  of  patriots  after  another  had 
been  defeated  and  the  leaders  shot;  the  strug- 
gle for  independence  was  almost  ended  and  the 
royalists  were  congratulating  themselves  on  the 
triumph  of  the  Spanish  crown,  when  a  sudden 
change  came  and  the  vice  regal  government 
that  for  three  hundred  years  had  swayed  the 
destinies  of  New  Spain  went  down  forever. 
Agustin  Iturbide,  a  colonel  in  the  royal  army, 
who  in  February,  1821,  had  been  sent  with  a 
corps  of  five  thousand  men  from  the  capital  to 
the  Sierras  near  Acapulco  to  suppress  Guerrero, 
the  last  of  the  patriot  chiefs,  suddenly  changed 
his  allegiance,  raised  the  banner  of  the  revolu- 
tion and  declared  for  the  independence  of  Alex- 
ico  under  the  plan  of  Iguala,  so  named  for  the 
town  where  it  was  first  proclaimed.  The  central 
ideas  of  the  plan  were  "Union,  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty." 

There  was  a  general  uprising  in  all  parts  of 
the  country  and  men  rallied  to  the  support  of  the 
Army  of  the  Three  Guarantees,  religion,  union, 
independence.  Guerrero  joined  forces  with 
Iturbide  and  September  21,  1821,  at  the  head 
of  sixteen  thousand  men,  amid  the  rejoicing  of 
the  people,  they  entered  the  capital.  The  viceroy 
was  compelled  to  recognize  the  independence  of 
Mexico.  A  provisional  government  under  a 
regency  was  appointed  at  first,  but  a  few  months 
later  Iturbide  was  crowned  emperor,  taking  the 
title  of  his  most  serene  majesty,  Agustin  I.,  by 
divine  providence  and  by  the  congress  of  the 
nation,  first  constitutional  emperor  of  Mexico. 

Sola  had  heard  rumors  of  the  turn  affairs 
were  taking  in  Mexico,  but  he  had  kept  the  re- 
ports a  secret  and  still  hoped  and  prayed  for 
the  success  of  the  Spanish  arms.  At  length  a 
vessel  appeared  in  the  harbor  of  Monterey  float- 
ing an  unknown  flag,  and  cast  anchor  beyond 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGFL\PHICAL   RECORD. 


the  reach  of  the  guns  of  the  Castillo.  The  sol- 
diers were  called  to  arms.  A  boat  from  the  ship 
put  ofT  for  shore  and  landed  an  officer,  who  de- 
clared himself  the  bearer  of  dispatches  to  Don 
Pablo  Vicente  de  Sola,  the  governor  of  the 
province.  "I  demand,"  said  he,  "to  be  con- 
ducted to  his  presence  in  the  name  of  my  sov- 
ereign, the  liberator  of  Mexico,  General  .\gustin 
de  Iturbide."  There  was  a  murmur  of  applause 
from  the  soldiers,  greatly  to  the  surprise  of  their 
officers,  who  were  all  loyalists.  Governor  Sola 
was  bitterly  disappointed.  Only  a  few  days  be- 
fore he  had  harangued  the  soldiers  in  the  square 
of  the  presidio  and  threatened  "to  shoot  down 
any  one  high  or  low  without  the  formality  of  a 
trial  who  dared  to  say  a  word  in  favor  of  the 
traitor  Iturbide." 

For  half  a  century  the  banner  of  Spain  had 
floated  from  the  flag  stafT  of  the  presidio  of 
Monterey.  Sadly  Sola  ordered  it  lowered  and 
in  its  place  was  hoisted  the  imperial  flag  of  the 
Mexican  Empire.  A  few  months  pass,  Iturbide 
is  forced  to  abdicate  the  throne  of  empire  and 
is  banished  from  Mexico.  The  imperial  stand- 
ard is  supplanted  by  the  tricolor  of  the  republic. 
Thus  the  Californians,  in  little  more  than  one 
year,  have  passed  under  three  different  forms 
of  government,  that  of  a  kingdom,  an  empire 
and  a  republic,  and  Sola  from  the  most 
loyal  of  Spanish  governors  in  the  kingdom 
of  Spain  has  been  transformed  in  a  Mexican 
republican. 

The  friars,  if  possible,  were  more  bitterly  dis- 
appointed than  the  governor.  They  saw  in  the 
success  of  the  republic  the  doom  of  their  estab- 
lishments. Republican  ideas  were  repulsive  to 
them.  Liberty  meant  license  to  men  to  think 
for  themselves.  The  shackles  of  creed  and  the 
fetters  of  priestcraft  would  be  loosened  by  the 
growth  of  liberal  ideas.  It  was  not  strange, 
viewing  the  question  from  their  standpoint,  that 
they  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  republic.  Nearly  all  of  them  were  Spanish 
born.  Spain  had  aided  them  to  plant  their  mis- 
sions, had  fostered  their  establishments  and  had 
made  them  supreme  in  the  territory.  Their  al- 
legiance was  due  to  the  Spanish  crown.  They 
w'ould  not  transfer  it  to  a  republic  and  they  did 
not;  to  the   last  they  were    loyal    to  Spain  in 


heart,  even  if  they  did  acquiesce  in  the  ob- 
servance of  the  rule  of  the  republic. 

Sola  had  long  desired  to  be  relieved  of  the 
governorship.  He  was  growing  old  and  was  in 
poor  health.  The  condition  of  the  country  wor- 
ried him.  He  had  frequently  asked  to  be  re- 
lieved and  allowed  to  retire  from  military  duty. 
His  requests  were  unheeded;  the  vice  regal 
government  of  New  Spain  had  weightier  mat- 
ters to  attend  to  than  requests  or  the  complaints 
of  the  governor  of  a  distant  and  unimportant 
province.  The  inauguration  of  the  empire 
brought  him  the  desired  relief. 

Under  the  empire  Alta  California  was  allowed 
a  diputado  or  delegate  in  the  imperial  congress. 
Sola  was  elected  delegate  and  took  his  de- 
parture for  Mexico  in  the  autumn  of  1822.  Luis 
Antonio  Arguello,  president  of  the  provincial 
diputacion,  an  institution  that  had  come  into  ex- 
istence after  the  inauguration  of  the  empire,  be- 
came governor  by  virtue  of  his  position  as 
president.  He  was  the  first  hijo  del  pais  or  na- 
tive of  the  country  to  hold  the  oflice  of  gov- 
ernor. He  was  born  at  San  Francisco  in  1784, 
while  his  father,  an  ensign  at  the  presidio,  was 
in  command  there.  Flis  opportunities  for  ob- 
taining an  education  were  extremely  meager, 
but  he  made  the  best  use  of  what  he  had.  He 
entered  the  army  at  sixteen  and  was,  at  the  time 
he  became  temporary  governor,  comandante  at 
San   Francisco. 

The  inauguration  of  a  new  form  of  govern- 
ment had  brought  no  relief  to  California.  The 
two  Spanish  ships  that  had  annually  brought 
los  memorias  del  rey  (the  remembrances  of  the 
king)  had  long  since  ceased  to  come  with  their 
supplies  of  money  and  goods  for  the  soldiers. 
The  California  ports  were  closed  to  foreign  com-r 
merce.  There  was  no  sale  for  the  products  of 
the  country.  So  the  missions  had  to  throw  open 
their  warehouses  and  relieve  the  necessities  of 
the   government. 

The  change  in  the  form  of  government  had 
made  no  change  in  the  dislike  of  foreigners, 
that  was  a  characteristic  of  the  Spaniard.  Dur- 
ing the  Spanish  era  very  few  foreigners  had 
been  allowed  to  remain  in  California.  Run- 
away sailors  and  shipwrecked  mariners,  notwith- 
standing they  might  wish  to  remain  in  the  coun- 


84 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


try  and  become  Catholics,  were  shipped  to 
Mexico  and  returned  to  their  own  country. 
John  Gilroy,  whose  real  name  was  said  to  be 
John  Cameron,  was  the  first  permanent  English 
speaking  resident  of  California.  When  a  boy 
of  eighteen  he  was  left  by  the  captain  of  a  Hud- 
son Bay  company's  ship  at  Monterey  in  1814. 
He  was  sick  with  the  scurvy  and  not  expected 
to  live.  Nursing  and  a  vegetable  diet  brought 
him  out  all  right,  but  he  could  not  get  away. 
He  did  not  like  the  country  and  every  day  for 
several  years  he  went  down  to  the  beach  and 
scanned  the  ocean  for  a  foreign  sail.  When  one 
did  come  he  had  gotten  over  his  home-sickness, 
had  learned  the  language,  fallen  in  love,  turned 
Catholic  and  married. 

In  1822  William  E.  P.  Hartnell,  an  English- 
man, connected  with  a  Lima  business  house, 
visited  California  and  entered  into  a  contract 
with  Padre  Payeras,  the  prefect  of  the  missions, 
for  the  purchase  of  hides  and  tallow.  Hartnell 
a  few  years  later  married  a  California  lady  and 
became  a  permanent  resident  of  the  territory. 
Other  foreigners  who  came  about  the  same  time 
as  Hartnell  and  who  became  prominent  in  Cal- 
ifornia were  William  A.  Richardson,  an  Eng- 
lishman; Capt.  John  R.  Cooper  of  Boston  and 
William  A.  Gale,  also  of  Boston.  Gale  had  first 
visited  California  in  1810  as  a  fur  trader.  He 
returned  in  1822  on  the  ship  Sachem,  the  pioneer 
Boston  hide  drogher.  The  hide  drogher  was 
in  a  certain  sense  the  pioneer  emigrant  ship 
of  California.  It  brought  to  the  coast  a 
number  of  Americans  who  became  permanent 
residents  of  the  territory.  California,  on  ac- 
count of  its  long  distance  from  the  world's 
marts  of  trade,  had  but  few  products  for  ex- 
change that  would  bear  the  cost  of  shipment. 
Its  chief  commodities  for  barter  during  the 
Mexican  era  were  hides  and  tallow.  The  vast 
range  of  country  adapted  to  cattle  raising  made 
that  its  most  profitable  industry.  Cattle  in- 
creased rapidly  and  required  but  little  care  or 
attention  from  their  owners.  As  the  native  Cal- 
ifornians  were  averse  to  hard  labor  cattle  rais- 
ing became  almost  the  sole  industry  of  the 
country. 

After  the  inauguration  of  a  republican  form 
of   government    in    Mexico   some    of   the    most 


burdensome  restrictions  on  foreign  commerce 
were  removed.  The  Mexican  Congress  of  1824 
enacted  a  colonization  law,  which  was  quite 
liberal.  Under  it  foreigners  could  obtain  land 
from  the  public  domain.  Tlie  Roman  Catholic 
religion  was  the  state  religion  and  a  foreigner, 
before  he  could  become  a  permanent  resident  of 
the  country,  acquire  property  or  marry,  was 
required  to  be  baptized  and  embrace  the  doc- 
trines of  that  church.  After  the  Mexican  Con- 
gress repealed  the  restrictive  laws  against  for- 
eign commerce  a  profitable  trade  grew  up 
between  the  New  England  ship  owners  and  the 
Californians. 

\essels  called  hide  droghers  were  fitted  out 
in  Boston  with  assorted  cargoes  .suitable  for  the 
California  trade.  Making  the  voyage  by  way  of 
Cape  Horn  they  reached  California.  Stopping 
at  the  various  ports  along  the  coast  they  ex- 
changed their  stocks  of  goods  and  Yankee 
notions  for  hides  and  tallow.  It  took  from  two 
to  three  years  to  make  a  voyage  to  California 
and  return  to  Boston,  but  the  profits  on  the 
goods  sold  and  on  the  hides  received  in  ex- 
change were  so  large  that  these  ventures  paid 
handsomely.  The  arrival  of  a  hide  drogher 
with  its  department  store  cargo  was  heralded 
up  and  down  the  coast.  It  broke  the  monoton)' 
of  existence,  gave  the  people  something  new 
to  talk  about  and  stirred  them  up  as  nothing 
else  could  do  unless  possibly  a  revolution. 

"On  the  arrival  of  a  new  vessel  from  the 
United  States,"  says  Robinson  in  his  "Life  in 
California,"  "every  man,  woman,  boy  and  girl 
took  a  proportionate  share  of  interest  as  to  the 
qualities  of  her  cargo.  If  the  first  inquired  for 
rice,  sugar  or  tobacco,  the  latter  asked  for  prints, 
silks  and  satins;  and  if  the  boy  wanted  a  Wil- 
son's jack  knife,  the  girl  hoped  that  there  might 
be  some  satin  ribbons  for  her.  Thus  the  whole 
population  hailed  with  eagerness  an  arrival.  Even 
the  Indian  in  his  unsophisticated  style  asked  for 
Panas  Colorados  and  Abalaris — red  handker- 
chiefs and  beads. 

"After  the  arrival  of  our  trading  vessel  (at  San 
Pedro)  our  friends  came  in  the  morning  flock- 
ing on  board  from  all  quarters;  and  soon  a  busy 
scene  conmienced  afloat  and  ashore.  Boats 
were   passing  to  the   beach,   and   men,   women 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  children  partaking  in  the  general  excite- 
ment. On  shore  all  was  contusion,  cattle  and 
carts  laden  with  hides  and  tallow,  gente  de  razon 
and  Indians  busily  employed  in  the  delivery  of 
their  produce  and  receiving  in  return  its  value 
in  goods.  Groups  of  individuals  seated  around 
little  bonfires  upon  the  ground,  and  horsemen 
racing  over  the  plains  in  every  direction.  Thus 
the  day  passed,  some  arriving,  some  departing, 
till  long  after  sunset,  the  low  white  road,  lead- 
ing across  the  plains  to  the  town  (Los  Angeles), 
appeared  a  living  panorama." 

The  commerce  of  California  during  the  Mex- 
ican era  was  principally  carried  on  by  the  hide 
droghers.  The  few  stores  at  the  pueblos  and 
presidios  obtained  their  supplies  from  them 
and  retailed  their  goods  to  customers  in  the  in- 
tervals between  the  arrivals  of  the  department 
store  droghers. 

The  year  1824  was  marked  by  a  serious  out- 
break among  the  Indians  of  several  missions. 
-Mthough  in  the  older  missionary  establish- 
ments many  of  the  neophytes  had  spent  half  a 
century  under  the  Christianizing  influence  of 
the  padres  and  in  these,  too,  a  younger  genera- 
tion had  grown  from  childhood  to  manhood 
under  mission  tutelage,  yet  their  Christian  train- 
ing had  not  eliminated  all  the  aboriginal  sav- 
agery from  their  natures.  The  California  Indians 
were  divided  into  numerous  small  tribes,  each 
speaking  a  different  dialect.  They  had  never 
learned,  like  the  eastern  Indians  did,  the  ad- 
vantages of  uniting  against  a  common  enemy. 
When  these  numerous  small  tribes  were  gath- 
ered into  the  missions  they  were  kept  as  far  as 
it  was  possible  separate  and  it  is  said  the  padres 
encouraged  their  feuds  and  tribal  animosities  to 
prevent  their  uniting  against  the  missionaries. 
Their  long  residence  in  the  missions  had  de- 
stroyed their  tribal  distinctions  and  merged 
them  into  one  body.  It  had  taught  them,  too, 
the  value  of  combination. 

How  long  the  Indians  had  been  plotting  no 
one  knew.  The  conspiracy  began  among  the 
neophytes  of  Santa  Ynez  and  La  Purisima,  but 
it  spread  to  the  missions  of  San  Luis  Obispo, 
Santa  Barbara.  San  Buenaventura,  San  Fer- 
nando and  .San  Gabriel.  Their  plan  was  to  mas- 
sacre  the  padres   and   the   mission   guard  and 


leaving  obtained  arms  to  kill  all  the  gente  de 
razon  and  thus  free  themselves  from  mission 
thralldom  and  regain  their  old  time  freedom. 
The  plotting  had  been  carried  on  with  great 
secrecy.  Rumors  had  passed  from  mission  to 
mission  arranging  the  details  of  the  uprising 
without  the  whites  suspecting  anything.  Sunday, 
I-'ebruary  22,  1824,  was  the  day  set  for  begin- 
ning the  slaughter.  At  the  hour  of  celebrating 
mass,  when  the  soldiers  and  the  padres  were 
within  the  church,  the  bloody  work  was  to  be- 
gin. The  plot  might  have  succeeded  had  not 
the  Indians  at  Santa  Ynez  began  their  work 
l)rematurely.  One  account  (Hittell's  History  of 
California)  says  that  on  Saturday  afternoon  be- 
fore the  appointed  Sunday  they  determined  to 
begin  the  work  by  the  murder  of  Padre  Fran- 
cisco Xavier  Una,  who  was  sleeping  in  a  cham- 
ber next  the  mission  church.  He  was  warned 
by  a  faithful  page.  Springing  from  his  couch 
and  rushing  to  a  window  he  saw  the  Indians  ap- 
proaching. Seizing  a  musket  from  several  that 
were  in  the  room  he  shot  the  first  Indian  that 
reached  the  threshold  dead.  He  seized  a  sec- 
ond musket  and  laid  another  Indian  low.  The 
soldiers  now  rallied  to  his  assistance  and  the 
Indians  were  driven  back;  they  set  fire  to  the 
mission  church,  but  a  small  body  of  troops  un- 
der Sergeant  Carrillo,  sent  from  Santa  Barbara 
to  reinforce  the  mission  guard,  coming  up  at 
this  time,  the  Indians  fled  to,  Purisima.  The 
fire  was  extinguished  before  the  church  was 
consumeil.  At  Purisima  the  Indians  were  more 
successful.  The  mission  was  defended  by  Cor- 
poral Tapia  and  five  soldiers.  The  Indians  de- 
manded that  Tapia  surrender,  but  the  corporal 
refused.  The  fight  began  and  continued  all 
night.  The  Indians  set  fire  to  the  building,  but 
all  they  could  burn  was  the  rafters.  Tapia,  by  a 
strategic  movement,  siicceeded  in  collecting  all 
the  soldiers  and  the  women  and  children  inside 
the  walls  of  one  of  the  largest  buildings  from 
which  the  roof  had  been  burnt.  From  this  the 
Indians  could  not  dislodge  him.  The  fight  was 
kept  up  till  morning,  when  one  of  the  Indians, 
who  had  been  a  mission  alcade.  made  a  prop- 
osition to  the  corporal  to  surrender.  Tapia  re- 
fused to  consider  it.  but  Father  Bias  Ordaz  in- 
terfered and  insisted  on  a  compromise.     After 


86 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


much  contention  Tapia  found  himself  overruled. 
The  Indians  agreed  to  spare  the  lives  of  all  on 
condition  that  the  whites  laid  down  their  arms. 
The  soldiers  laid  down  their  arms  and  sur- 
rendered two  small  cannon  belonging  to  the 
church.  The  soldiers,  the  women  and  the  chil- 
dren were  then  allowed  to  march  to  Santa  Ynez. 
While  the  fight  was  going  on  the  Indians  killed 
four  white  men,  two  of  them,  Dolores  Sepulveda 
and  Ramon  Satelo,  were  on  their  way  to  Los 
Angeles  and  came  to  the  mission  not  suspecting 
any  danger.  Seven  Indians  were  killed  in  the 
fight  and  a  number  wounded. 

The  Indians  at  Santa  Barbara  began  hostilities 
according  to  their  prearranged  plot.  They  made 
an  attack  upon  the  mission.  Captain  de  la 
Guerra,  who  was  in  command  at  the  presidio, 
marched  to  the  mission  and  a  fight  of  several 
hours  ensued.  The  Indiaris  sheltered  them- 
selves behind  the  pillars  of  the  corridor  and 
fought  with  guns  and  arrows.  After  losing  sev- 
eral of  their  number  they  fled  to  the  hills.  Four 
soldiers  were  wounded.  The  report  of  the  up- 
rising reached  Monterey  and  measures  were 
taken  at  once  to  subdue  the  rebellious 
neophytes.  A  force  of  one  hundred  men  was 
sent  under  Lieut.  Jose  Estrada  to  co-operate 
with  Captain  de  la  Guerra  against  the  rebels. 
On  the  i6th  of  March  the  soldiers  surrounded 
the  Indians  who  had  taken  possession  of  the 
mission  church  at  Purisima  and  opened  fire 
upon  them.  The  Indians  replied  with  their  cap- 
tured cannon,  muskets  and  arrows.  Estrada's 
artillery  battered  down  the  walls  of  the  church. 
The  Indians,  unused  to  arms,  did  little  execu- 
tion. Driven  out  of  the  wrecked  building,  they 
attempted  to  make  their  escape  by  flight,  but 
were  intercepted  by  the  cavalry  which  had  been 
deployed  for  that  purpose.     Finding  themselves 


hennned  in  on  all  sides  the  neophytes  sur- 
rendered. They  had  lost  sixteen  killed  and  a 
large  number  of  wounded.  Seven  of  the  prison- 
ers were  shot  for  complicity  in  the  murder  oi 
Sepulveda  and  the  three  other  travelers.  The 
four  leaders  in  the  revolt,  Alariano  Pacomio. 
Benito  and  Bernabe,  were  sentenced  to  ten 
\  ears  hard  labor  at  the  presidio  and  eight  oth- 
ers to  lesser  terms.  There  were  four  hundred 
Indians  engaged  in  the  battle. 

The  Indians  of  the  Santa  Barbara  missions 
and  escapes  from  Santa  Ynez  and  Purisima 
made  their  way  over  the  mountains  to  the 
Tulares.  A  force  of  eighty  men  under  com- 
mand of  a  lieutenant  was  sent  against  these. 
The  troops  had  two  engagements  with  the  reb- 
els, whom  they  found  at  Buenavista  Lake  and 
San  Emigdio.  Finding  his  force  insufficient  to 
subdue  them  the  lieutenant  retreated  to  Santa 
iiarbara.  Another  force  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  men  under  Captain  Portilla  and  Lieuten- 
ant \'alle  was  sent  after  the  rebels.  Father 
Ripoll  had  induced  the  governor  to  offer  a  gen- 
eral pardon.  The  padre  claimed  that  the  In- 
dians had  not  harmed  the  friars  nor  committed 
sacrilege  in  the  church  and  from  his  narrow 
view  these  were  about  the  only  venal  sins  they 
could  commit.  The  troops  found  the  fugitive 
neophytes  encamped  at  San  Emigdio.  They 
now  professed  repentance  for  their  misdeeds  and 
were  willing  to  return  to  mission  life  if  they 
could  escape  punishment.  Padres  Ripoll  and 
Sarria,  who  had  accompanied  the  expedition, 
entered  into  negotiations  with  the  Indians;  par- 
don was  promised  them  for  their  offenses.  They 
then  surrendered  and  marched  back  with  the 
soldiers  to  their  respective  missions.  This  was 
the  last  attempt  of  the  Indians  to  escape  from 
mission  rule. 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGR.\PHlCAL   RECORD. 


87 


CHAPTER   X, 


FIRST    DECADE    OF    MEXICAN    RULE. 


JOSE  MARL\  ECHEAXDL\,  a  lieutenant 
-  colonel  of  the  ^lexican  army,  was  ap- 
pointed governor  of  the  two  Californias, 
February  i,  1825.  With  his  staff  ofificers  and 
a  few  soldiers  he  landed  at  Loreto  June 
22.  After  a  delay  of  a  few  months  at  Lo- 
reto he  marched  overland  to  San  Diego, 
where  he  arrived  about  the  middle  of  October. 
He  summoned  Arguello  to  meet  him  there, 
which  he  did  and  turned  over  the  government. 
October  31,  1825.  Echeandia  established  his 
capital  at  San  Diego,  that  town  being  about  the 
center  of  his  jurisdiction.  This  did  not  suit  the 
pecpk'  iif  Aloiiterey,  who  became  prejudiced 
against  the  new  governor.  Shortly  after  his 
inauguration  he  began  an  investigation  of  the 
attitude  of  the  mission  friars  towards  the  re- 
public of  Mexico.  He  called  padres  Sanches, 
Zalvidea,  Peyri  and  ]\Iartin.  representatives  of 
the  four  southern  missions,  to  San  Diego  and 
demanded  of  them  whether  they  would  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  supreme  government. 
They  expressed  their  willingness  and  were  ac- 
cordingly sworn  to  support  the  constitution  of 
1824.  ;\Iany  of  the  friars  of  the  northern  mis- 
sions remained  contumacious.  Among  the 
most  stubborn  of  these  was  Padre  Vicente 
Francisco  de  Sarria,  former  president  of  the 
missions.  He  had  resigned  the  presidency  to 
escape  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  still 
continued  his  opposition.  He  was  put  under  ar- 
rest and  an  order  issued  for  his  expulsion  by 
the  supreme  government,  but  the  execution  of 
the  order  was  delayed  for  fear  that  if  he  were 
banished  others  of  the  disloyal  padres  would 
abandon  their  missions  and  secretly  leave  the 
country.  The  government  was  not  ready  yet  to 
take  possession  of  the  missions.  The  friars 
could  keep  the  neophytes  in  subjection  and 
make  them  work.  The  business  of  the  country 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  friars  and  any  radical 
change  would  have  been  disastrous. 


The  national  government  in  1827  had  issued 
a  decree  for  the  expulsion  of  Spaniards  from 
Mexican  territory.  There  were  certain  classes 
of  those  born  in  Spain  who  were  exempt  from 
banishment,  but  the  friars  were  not  among  the 
exempts.  The  decree  of  expulsion  reached  Cal- 
ifornia in  1828;  but  it  was  not  enforced  for  the 
reason  that  all  of  the  mission  padres  except 
three  were  Spaniards.  To  have  sent  these  out 
of  the  country  would  have  demoralized  the  mis- 
sions. The  Spanish  friars  were  expelled  from 
Ale.xico;  but  those  in  California,  although  some 
of  them  had  boldly  proclaimed  their  willingness 
to  die  for  their  king  and  their  religion  and  de- 
manded their  passports  to  leave  the  country, 
were  allowed  to  remain  in  the  country.  Their 
passports  were  not  given  them  for  reasons 
above  stated.  Padres  Ripol!  and  Altimira  made 
their  escape  without  passports.  They  secretly 
took  passage  on  an  American  brig  lying  at 
Santa  Barbara.  Orders  were  issued  to  seize  the 
vessel  should  she  put  into  any  other  harbor  on 
the  coast,  but  the  captain,  who  no  doubt  had 
been  liberally  paid,  took  no  chance  of  capture 
and  the  padres  eventually  reached  Spain  in 
safety.  There  was  a  suspicion  that  the  two 
friars  had  taken  with  them  a  large  amount  of 
money  from  the  mission  funds,  but  nothing  was 
proved.  It  was  certain  that  they  carried  away 
something  more  than  the  bag  and  stafif,  the  only 
property  allowed  them  by  the  rules  of  their 
order. 

The  most  bitter  opponent  of  the  new  govern- 
ment was  Father  Luis  Antonio  Martinez  of  San 
Luis  Obispo.  Before  the  clandestine  departure 
of  Ripoll  and  Altimira  there  were  rumors  that 
he  meditated  a  secret  departure  from  the  coun- 
try. The  mysterious  shipment  of  $6,000  in  gold 
belonging  to  the  mission  on  a  vessel  called  the 
Santa  Apolonia  gave  credence  to  the  report  of 
his  intended  flight.  He  had  been  given  a  pass- 
port  but    still   remained   in  the  territory.     His 


88 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


outspoken  disloyalty  and  his  well  known  suc- 
cess in  evading  the  revenue  laws  and  smuggling 
goods  into  the  country  had  made  him  particu- 
larly obnoxious  to  the  authorities.  Governor 
Echeandia  determined  to  make  an  example  of 
him.  He  was  arrested  in  February,  1830,  and 
confined  in  a  room .  at  Santa  Barbara.  In  his 
trial  before  a  council  of  war  an  attempt  was 
made  to  connect  him  with  complicity  in  the  Solis 
revolution,  but  the  evidence  against  him  was 
weak.  By  a  vote  of  five  to  one  it  was  decided 
to  send  him  out  of  the  country.  He  was  put 
on  board  an  English  vessel  bound  for  Callao  and 
there  transferred  to  a  vessel  bound  for  Europe; 
he  finally  arrived  safely  at  Madrid. 

Under  the  empire  a  diputacion  or  provincial 
legislature  had  been  established  in  California. 
Arguello  in  1825  had  suppressed  this  while  he 
was  governor.  Echeandia,  shortly  after  his  ar- 
rival, ordered  an  election  for  a  new  diputacion. 
The  diputacion  made  the  general  laws  of  the 
territory.  It  consisted  of  seven  members  called 
vocals.  These  were  chosen  by  an  electoral 
junta,  the  members  of  which  were  elected  by 
the  people.  The  diputacion  chose  a  diputado  or 
delegate  to  the  Mexican  Congress.  As  it  was  a 
long  distance  for  some  of  the  members  to  travel 
to  the  territorial  capital  a  suplente  or  substitute 
was  chosen  for  each  member,  so  as  to  assure  a 
quorum.  The  diputacion  called  by  Echeandia 
met  at  Monterey,  June  14,  1828.  The  sessions, 
of  which  there  were  two  each  week,  were  held  in 
the  governor's  palacio.  This  diputacion  passed 
a  rather  peculiar  revenue  law.  It  ta.xed  domestic 
aguardiente  (grape  brandy)  $5  a  barrel  and 
wine  half  that  amount  in  the  jurisdictions  of 
Monterey  and  San  Francisco;  but  in  the  juris- 
dictions of  Santa  Barbara  and  San  Diego  the 
rates  were  doubled,  brandy  was  taxed  $10 
a  barrel  and  wine  $5.  San  Diego,  Los  An- 
geles and  Santa  Barbara  were  wine  producing 
districts,  while  Monterey  and  San  Francisco 
were  not.  As  there  was  a  larger  consumption  of 
the  product  in  the  wine  producing  districts  than 
in  the  others  the  law  was  enacted  for  revenue 
and  not  for  prevention  of  drinking. 

Another  peculiar  freak  of  legislation  perpe- 
trated by  this  diputacion  was  the  attempt  to 
change  the  name  of  the  territory.    The  supreme 


government  was  memorialized  to  change  the 
name  of  Alta  California  to  that  of  Montezuma 
and  also  that  of  the  Pueblo  de  Nuestra  Sefiora 
de  los  Angeles  to  that  of  Villa  Victoria  de  la 
Reyna  de  los  .\ngeles  and  make  it  the  capital 
of  the  territory.  A  coat  of  arms  was  adopted 
for  the  territory.  It  consisted  of  an  oval  with 
the  figure  of  an  oak  tree  on  one  side,  an  olive 
tree  on  the  other  and  a  plumed  Indian  in  the 
center  with  his  bow  and  quiver,  just  in  the 
act  of  stepping  across  the  mythical  straits 
of  Anian.  The  memorial  was  sent  to  Mexico, 
but  the  supreme  government  paid  no  attention 
to  it. 

The  political  upheavals,  revolutions  and  coun- 
ter revolutions  that  followed  the  inauguration 
of  a  republican  form  of  government  in  Mexico 
demoralized  the  people  and  produced  a  prolific 
crop  of  criminals.  The  jails  were  always  full 
and  it  became  a  serious  question  what  to  do 
with  them.  It  was  proposed  to  make  California 
a  penal  colony,  similar  to  England's  Botany 
Bay.  Orders  were  issued  to  send  criminals  to 
California  as  a  means  of  reforming  their  mor- 
als. The  Californians  protested  against  the 
sending  of  these  undesirable  immigrants,  but  in 
vain.  In  February,  1830,  the  brig  Alaria  Ester 
brought  eighty  convicts  from  Acapulco  to  San 
Diego.  They  were  not  allowed  to  land  there 
and  were  taken  to  Santa  Barbara.  What  to 
do  with  them  was  a  serious  question  with  the 
Santa  Barbara  authorities.  The  jail  would  not 
hold  a  tenth  part  of  the  shipment  and  to  turn 
them  loose  in  the  sparsely  settled  country  was 
dangerous  to  the  peace  of  the  community.  Fin- 
ally, about  thirty  or  forty  of  the  worst  of  the 
bad  lot  were  shipped  over  to  the  island  of  Santa 
Cruz.  They  were  given  a  supply  of  cattle,  some 
fishhooks  and  a  few  tools  and  turned  loose  on 
the  island  to  shift  for  themselves.  They  staid 
on  the  island  until  they  had  slaughtered  and 
eaten  the  cattle,  then  they  built  a  raft  and 
drifted  back  to  Santa  Barbara,  where  they 
quartered  themselves  on  the  padres  of  the  mis- 
sion. Fifty  more  were  sent  from  Mexico  a  few 
months  later.  These  shipments  of  prison  exiles 
were  distributed  around  among  the  settlements. 
Some  served  out  their  time  and  returned  to  their 
native   land,   a   few   escaped    over    the   border. 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


others  remained  in  the  territory  after  their  time 
was  up  and  became  fairly  good  citizens. 

The  colonization  law  passed  by  the  Mexican 
Congress  August  i8,  1824,  was  the  first  break 
in  the  prescriptive  regulations  that  had  pre- 
vailed in  Spanish-American  countries  since  their 
settlement.  Any  foreigner  of  good  character 
who  should  locate  in  the  country  and  become  a 
Roman  Catholic  could  obtain  a  grant  of  public 
land,  not  exceeding  eleven  leagues:  but  no  for- 
eigner was  allowed  to  obtain  a  grant  within 
twenty  leagues  of  the  boundary  of  a  foreign 
country  nor  within  ten  leagues  of  the  sea  coast. 
The  law  of  April  14,  1828,  allowed  foreigners 
to  become  naturalized  citizens.  The  applicant 
was  required  to  have  resided  at  least  two  years 
in  the  country,  to  be  or  to  become  a  Roman 
Catholic,  to  renounce  allegiance  to  his  former 
country  and  to  swear  to  support  the  constitution 
and  laws  of  the  Mexican  republic.  Quite  a 
number  of  foreigners  who  had  been  residing 
a  number  of  years  in  California  took  advantage 
of  this  law  and  became  Mexican  citizens  by  nat- 
uralization. The  colonization  law  of  Xoveni- 
ber  18,  1828,  prescribed  a  series  of  rules  and 
regulations  for  the  making  of  grants  of  land. 
Colonists  were  required  to  settle  on  and  culti- 
vate the  land  granted  within  a  specified  time  or 
forfeit  their  grants.  Any  one  residing  outside 
of  the  republic  could  not  retain  possession  of 
his  land.  The  minimum  size  of  a  grant  as  de- 
fined by  this  law  was  two  hundred  varas  square 
of  irrigable  land,  eight  hundred  varas  square 
of  arable  land  (depending  on  the  seasons)  and 
twelve  hundred  varas  square  grazing  land.  The 
size  of  a  house  lot  was  one  hundred  varas 
square. 

The  Californians  had  grown  accustomed  to 
foreigners  coming  to  the  country  by  sea,  but 
they  were  not  prepared  to  have  them  come  over- 
land. The  mountains  and  deserts  that  inter- 
vened between  the  Lnited  States  and  California 
were  supposed  to  be  an  insurmountable  barrier 
to  foreign  immigration  by  land.  It  was  no  doubt 
with  feelings  of  dismav,  mingled  with  anger, 
that  Governor  Echeandia  received  the  advance 
guard  of  maldito  estranjeros,  who  came  across 
the- continent.  Echeandia  hated  foreigners  and 
particularly   Americans.     The   pioneer  of  over- 


land travel  from  the  United  States  to  California 
was  Capt.  Jedediah  S.  Smith.  Smith  was  born 
in  Connecticut  and  when  quite  young  came 
with  his  father  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Ashtabula 
county,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  amid  the 
rude  surroundings  of  pioneer  life  in  the  west. 
Hy  some  means  he  obtained  a  fairly  good  educa- 
tion. We  have  no  record  of  when  he  began  the 
life  of  a  trapper.  We  first  hear  of  him  as  an 
employe  of  General  Ashley  in  1822.  He  had 
command  of  a  band  of  trappers  on  the  waters  of 
the  Snake  river  in  1824.  Afterwards  he  became 
a  partner  of  Ashley  under  the  firm  name  of 
Ashley  &  Smith  and  subsequently  one  of  the 
members  of  the  Rocky  :\Iountain  Eur  Company. 
The  latter  company  had  about  1825  established 
a  post  and  fort  near  Great  Salt  Lake.  From 
this,  August  22,  1826,  Captain  Smith  with  a 
band  of  fifteen  hunters  and  trappers  started  on 
his  first  expedition  to  California.  His  object 
was  to  find  some  new  country  that  had  not  been 
occupied  by  a  fur  company.  Traveling  in  a  south- 
westerly direction  he  discovered  a  river  which 
he  named  Adams  (after  President  John  Quincy 
Adams)  now  known  as  the  Rio  \'irgin.  This 
stream  he  followed  down  to  its  junction  with 
the  Colorado.  Traveling  down  the  latter  river 
he  arrived  at  the  Mojave  villages,  where  he 
rested  fifteen  days.  Here  he  found  two  wander- 
ing neophytes,  who  guided  his  party  across  the 
desert  to  the  San  Gabriel  mission,  where  he  and 
Iiis  men  arrived  safeh-  early  in  December,  1826. 
The  arrival  of  a  party  of  armed  Americans 
from  across  the  mountains  and  deserts  alarmed 
the  padres  and  couriers  were  hastily  dispatched 
to  Governor  Echeandia  at  San  Diego.  The 
Americans  were  placed  under  arrest  and  com- 
pelled to  give  up  their  arms.  Smith  was  taken 
to  San  Diego  to  give  an  account  of  himself.  He 
claimed  that  he  had  been  compelled  to  enter 
the  territory  on  account  of  the  loss  of  horses 
and  a  scarcity  of  provisions.  He  was  finally  re- 
leased from  prison  upon  the  endorsement  of 
several  American  ship  captains  and  supercar- 
goes who  were  then  at  San  Diego.  He  was  al- 
lowed to  return  to  San  Gabriel,  where  he  pur- 
chased horses  and  supplies.  He  moved  his  camp 
to  San  Bernardino,  where  he  remained  until 
February.     The  authorities  had  grown  uneasy 


90 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


at  his  continued  presence  in  tlie  country  and 
orders  were  sent  to  arrest  him,  but  before  this 
could  be  done  he  left  for  the  Tulare  country  by 
way  of  Cajon  Pass.  He  trapped  on  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  San  Joaquin.  I'.y  tlie  ist  of  Alay 
he  and  his  party  had  reachetl  a  fork  of  the  Sac- 
ramento (near  where  the  town  of  Folsom  now 
stands).  Here  he  established  a  summer  camp 
and  the  river  ever  since  has  been  known  as  the 
American  fork  from  that  circumstance. 

Here  again  the  presence  of  the  Americans 
worried  the  ^Mexican  authorities.  Smith  wrote 
a  conciliatory  letter  to  Padre  Duran,  president 
of  the  missions,  informing  him  that  he  had 
"made  several  efforts  to  pass  over  the  moun- 
tain.-;, but  the  snow  being  so  deep  I  could  not 
succeed  in  getting  over.  I  returned  to  this 
place,  it  being  the  only  point  to  kill  meat,  to 
wait  a  few  weeks  until  the  snow  melts  so  that  I 
can  go  on."  "On  ]\Iay  20,  1827,"  Smith  writes, 
"with  two  men,  seven  horses  and  two  mules,  I 
started  from  the  valley.  In  eight  days  we 
crossed  Mount  Joseph,  losing  two  horses  and 
one  mule.  After  a  march  of  twenty  days  east- 
ward from  Mount  Joseph  (the  Sierra  Xevadas) 
I  reached  the  southwesterly  corner  of  the  Great 
Salt  Lake.  The  country  separating  it  from  the 
mountains  is  arid  and  without  game.  Often  we 
had  no  water  for  two  days  at  a  time.  When 
we  reached  Salt  Lake  we  had  left  only  one  horse 
and  one  mule,  so  exhausted  that  they  could 
liardly  carry  our  slight  baggage.  We  had  been 
forced  to  eat  the  horses  that  had  succumbed." 

Smith's  route  over  the  Sierras  to  Salt  Lake 
was  substantially  the  same  as  that  followed  by  the- 
overland  emigration  of  later  }ears.  He  discov- 
ered the  Humboldt,  which  he  named  the  Mary 
river,  a  name  it  bore  until  changed  by  Fremont 
in  1845.  He  was  the  first  white  man  to  cross 
the  Sierra  Xevadas.  Smith  left  his  party  of 
trappers  except  the  two  who  accompanied  him 
in  the  Sacramento  valley.  He  returned  next 
year  with  reinforcements  and  was  ordered  out 
of  the  country  by  the  governor.  He  traveled  up 
the  coast  towards  Oregon.  On  the  L'mpqua 
river  he  was  attacked  by  the  Indians.  All  his 
party  except  himself  and  two  others  were  mas- 
sacred. He  lost  all  of  his  horses  and  furs.  He 
reached   Fort   Vancouver,   his   clothing  torn   to 


rags  and  almost  starved  to  death.  In  1831  he 
started  with  a  train  of  wagons  to  Santa  I'"e  on  a 
trading  expedition.  While  alone  searching  for 
water  near  the  Cimarron  river  he  vyas  set  upon 
by  a  party  of  Indians  and  killed.  Thus  perished 
by  the  hands  of  cowardly  savages  in  the  wilds  of 
New  Mexico  a  man  who,  through  almost  in- 
credible dangers  and  sufferings,  had  explored 
an  unknown  region  as  vast  in  extent  as  that 
v^'hich  gave  fame  and  immortality  to  the  African 
explorer,  Stanley;  and  who  marked  out  trails 
over  mountains  and  across  deserts  that  Fre- 
mont following  years  afterwards  won  the  title 
of  "Pathfinder  of  the  Great  West."  Smith  led 
the  advance  guard  of  the  fur  trappers  to  Cali- 
fornia. Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  were 
unwelcome  visitors  these  adventurers  continued 
to  come  at  intervals  up  to  1845.  They  trapped 
on  the  tributaries  of  the  San  Joaquin,  Sacramento 
and  the  rivers  ui  the  northern  part  of  the  terri- 
tory. A  few  of  them  remained  in  the  country 
and  became  permanent  residents,  but  most  of 
them  sooner  or  later  met  death  by  the  savages. 

Capt.  Jedediah  S.  Smith  marked  out  two  of 
the  great  immigrant  trails  by  which  the  overland 
travel,  after  the  discovery  of  gold,  entered  Cal- 
ifornia, one  by  \yay  of  the  Humboldt  river  over 
tl-.e  Sierra  Nevadas,  the  other  southerly  from 
Salt  Lake,  Utah  Lake,  the  Rio  \'irgin,  across 
the  Colorado  desert,  through  the  Cajon  Pass  to 
Los  Angeles.  A  third  immigrant  route  was 
blazed  by  the  Pattie  party.  This  route  led  from 
Santa  Fe,  across  New  Mexico,  down  the  Gila 
to  the  Colorado  and  from  thence  across  the 
desert  through  the  San  Gorgonio  Pass  to  Los 
Angeles. 

This  party  consisted  of  Sylvester  Pattie, 
James  Ohio  Pattie,  his  son,  Nathaniel  M. 
Pryor,  Richard  Laughlin.  Jesse  Furguson,  Isaac 
Slover,  William  Pope  and  James  Puter.  The 
Patties  left  Kentucky  in  1824  and  followed  trap 
ping  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  until  1827; 
the  elder  Pattie  for  a  time  managing  the  cop- 
]ier  mines  of  Santa  Rita.  In  May.  1827,  Pattie 
the  elder,  in  command  of  a  party  of  thirty  trap- 
pers and  hunters,  set  out  to  trap  the  tributaries 
of  the  Colorado.  Losses  by  Indian  hostilities, 
by  dissensions  and  desertions  reduced  the  party 
to   eight   persons.     December    ist,    1827,   while 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


yi 


these  were  encamped  on  the  Colorado  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Gila,  the  Yuma  Indians  stole  all 
their  horses.  They  constructed  rafts  and  floated 
down  the  Colorado,  expecting  to  find  Spanish 
settlements  on  its  banks,  where  they  hoped  to 
procure  horses  to  take  them  back  to  Santa  Fe. 
They  floated  down  the  river  until  they  encoun- 
tered the  flood  tide  from  the  gulf.  Finding  it 
impossible  to  go  ahead  on  account  of  the  tide 
or  back  on  account  of  the  river  current,  they 
landed,  cached  their  furs  and  traps  and  with 
two  days'  supply  of  beaver  meat  struck  out 
westerly  across  the  desert.  After  traveling  for 
twenty-four  days  and  sufifering  almost  incredible 
hardships  they  reached  the  old  Mission  of  Santa 
Catalina  near  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  California. 
Here  they  were  detained  until  news  of  their  ar- 
rival could  be  sent  to  Governor  Echeandia  at 
San  Diego.  A  guard  of  sixteen  soldiers  was  sent 
for  them  and  they  were  conducted  to  San  Diego, 
where  they  arrived  February  27,  1828.  Their 
arms  were  taken  from  them  and  they  were  put 
in  prison.  The  elder  Pattie  died  during  their 
imprisonment.  In  September  all  the  party  ex- 
cept young  Pattie,  who  was  retained  as  a  host- 
age, were  released  and  permitted  to  go  after 
their  buried  furs.  They  found  their  furs  had  been 
ruined  by  the  overflow  of  the  river.  Two  of  the 
party,  Slover  and  Pope,  made  their  way  back 
to  Santa  Fe;  the  others  returned,  bringing  with 
them  their  beaver  traps.  They  were  again  im- 
prisoned by  Governor  Echeandia,  but  were  fin- 
ally released. 

Three  of  the  party,  Xathaniel  M.  Pry  or, 
Richard  Laughlin  and  Jesse  Furguson,  became 
permanent  residents  of  California.  Young  Pat- 
tie returned  to  the  United  States  by  way  of 
Mexico.  After  his  return,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  Rev.  Timothy  Flint,  he  wrote  an  account 
of  his  adventures,  which  was  published  in  Cin- 
cinnati in  1833,  under  the  title  of  "Pattie's  Nar- 
rative." Young  Pattie  was  inclined  to  exaggera- 
tion. In  his  narrative  he  claims  that  with  vac- 
cine matter  brought  by  his  father  from  the 
Santa  Rita  mines  he  vaccinated  twenty-two 
thousand  people  in  California.  In  Los  Angeles 
alone,  he  vaccinated  twenty-five  hundred, 
which  was  more  than  double  the  population  of 
the  town  in  1828.    He  took  a  contract  from  the 


president  of  the  missions  to  vaccinate  all  the 
neophytes  in  the  territory.  When  his  job  was 
finished  the  president  offered  him  in  pay  five 
hundred  cattle  and  five  hundred  mules 
with  land  to  pasture  his  stock  on  condition 
he  would  become  a  Roman  Catholic  and 
a  citizen  of  Mexico.  Pattie  scorned  the  of- 
fer and  roundly  upbraided  the  padre  for  taking 
advantage  of  him.  He  had  previously  given 
Governor  Eacheandia  a  tongue  lashing  and  had 
threatened  to  shoot  him  on  sight.  From  his 
narrative  he  seems  to  have  put  in  most  of  his 
time  in  California  l^lustering  and  threatening  to 
shoot  somebody. 

Another  famous  trapper  of  this  period  was 
'"Peg  Leg"  Smith.  His  real  name  was  Thomas 
L.  Smith.  It  is  said  that  in  a  fight  with  the 
Indians  his  leg  below  the  knee  was  shattered  by 
a  bullet.  He  coolly  amputated  his  leg  at  the 
knee  with  no  other  instrument  than  his  hunting 
knife.  Fie  wore  a  wooden  leg  arid  from  this 
came  his  nickname.  He  first  came  to  California 
in  1829.  He  was  ordered  out  of  the  country. 
He  and  his  party  took  their  departure,  but  with 
them  w-ent  three  or  four  hundred  California 
horses.  He  died  in  a  San  Francisco  hospital  in 
1866. 

Ewing  Young,  a  famous  captain  of  trappers, 
made  several  visits  to  California  from  1830  to 
1837.  In  1831  he  led  a  party  of  thirty  hunters 
and  trappers,  among  those  of  his  party  who 
remained  in  California  was  Col.  J.  J.  Warner, 
who  became  prominent  in  the  territory  and 
state.  In  1837  Ewing  Young  with  a  party  of 
sixteen  men  came  down  from  Oregon,  where 
he  finally  located,  to  purchase  cattle  for  the  new 
settlements  on  the  Willamette  river.  They 
bought  seven  hundred  cattle  at  $3  per  head  from 
the  government  and  drove  them  overland  to 
Oregon,  reaching  there  after  a  toilsome  journey 
of  four  months  with  six  hundred.  Young  died 
in  Oregon  in  1841. 

From  the  downfall  of  Spanish  domination  in 
1822,  to  the  close  of  that  decade  there  had  been 
but  few  political  disturbances  in  California.  The 
only  one  of  any  consequence  was  Solis'  and 
Herrera's  attempt  to  revolutionize  the  territory 
and  seize  the  government.  Jose  Maria  Herrera 
had   come  to   California  as  a  commissioner  of 


92 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  commissary  department,  but  after  a  short 
term  of  service  had  been  removed  from  office 
for  fraud.  Joaquin  Sohs  was  a  convict  who  was 
serving-  a  ten  years  sentence  of  banishment  from 
^Mexico.  The  ex-official  and  the  exile  with  oth- 
ers of  damaged  character  combined  to  overturn 
the  government. 

On  the  night  of  November  12,  1829,  Soils, 
with  a  band  of  soldiers  that  he  had  induced  to 
join  his  standard,  seized  the  principal  govern- 
ment officials  at  Monterey  and  put  them  in 
prison.  .\t  Soils'  solicitation  Herrera  drew  up 
a  pronunciamento.  It  followed  the  usual  line 
of  such  documents.  It  began  by  deploring  the 
evils  that  had  come  upon  the  territory  through 
Echeandia's  misgovernment  and  closed  with 
promises  of  reformation  if  the  revolutionists 
should  obtain  control  of  the  government.  To 
obtain  the  sinews  of  war  the  rebels  seized 
$3,000  of  the  public  funds.  This  was  dis- 
tributed among  the  soldiers  and  proved  a  great 
attraction  to  the  rebel  cause.  Solis  with  twen- 
ty men  went  to  .San  Francisco  and  the  sol- 
diers there  joined  his  standard.  Next  he 
marched  against  Santa  Barbara  with  an  army 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Echeandia  on 
hearing  of  the  revolt  had  marched  northward 
with  all  the  soldiers  he  could  enlist.  Tlie  two 
armies  met  at  Santa  Ynez.  Solis  opened  fire  on 
the  governor's  army.  The  fire  was  returnetl. 
Solis'  men  began  to  break  away  and  soon  the 
army  and  its  valiant  leader  were  in  rapid  fliglit. 
Pacheco's  cavalry  captured  the  leaders  of  the 
revolt.  Herrara.  Solis  and  thirteen  others  were 
shipped  to  Mexico  under  arrest  to  be  tried  for 
their  crimes.  The  Mexican  authorities,  always 
lenient  to  California  revolutionists,  probably 
from  a  fellow^  feeling,  turned  them  all  loose 
and  Herrera  was  sent  back  to  fill  his  former 
office. 

Near  the  close  of  his  term  Governor 
Echeandia  fornudated  a  plan  for  converting  the 
mission  into  pueblos.  To  ascertain  the  fitness 
of  the  neophytes  for  citizenship  he  made  an  in- 
vestigation to  find  out  how  many  could  read  and 
write.  He  found  so  very  few  that  he  ordered 
schools  opened  at  the  missions.  A  pretense  was 
made  of  establishing  schools,  Imt  very  little  was 
accomplished.  The  padres  were  opposed  to  edu- 


cating the  natives  for  the  same  reason  that  the 
southern  slave-holders  were  opposed  to  educat- 
ing the  negro,  namely,  that  an  ignorant  people 
were  more  easily  kept  in  subjection.  Echeandia's 
plan  of  secularization  was  quite  elaborate  and 
dealt  fairly  with  the  neophytes.  It  received  the 
sanction  of  the  diputacion  when  that  body  met 
in  July,  1830,  but  before  anything  could  be  done 
towards  enforcing  it  another  governor  was  ap- 
pointed. Echeandia  was  thoroughly  hated  by 
the  mission  friars  and  their  adherents.  Robin- 
sun  in  his  "Life  in  California"  calls  him  a  man 
of  vice  and  makes  a  number  of  damaging  asser- 
tions about  his  character  and  conduct,  which 
ar^  not  in  accordance  with  the  facts.  It  was  dur- 
ing Echeandia's  term  as  governor  that  the  motto 
of  Mexico,  Dios  y  Libertad  (God  and  Liberty), 
was  adopted.  It  became  immensely  popular 
and  was  used  on  all  public  documents  and  often 
in  private  correspondence. 

A  romantic  episode  that  has  furnished  a 
theme  for  fiction  writers  occurred  in  the  last 
year  of  Echeandia's  rule.  It  was  the  elopement 
of  Henry  D.  Fitch  with  Dona  Josefa,  daughter 
of  Joaquin  Carrillo  of  San  Diego.  Fitch  was  a 
native  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.  He  came  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1826  as  master  of  the  Maria  Ester. 
He  fell  in  love  with  Dona  Josefa.  There  were 
legal  obstructions  to  their  marriage.  Fitch  was 
a  foreigner  and  a  Protestant.  The  latter  objec- 
tion was  easily  removed  by  Fitch  becoming  a 
Catholic.  The  Dominican  friar  who  was  to  per- 
form the  marriage  service,  fearful  that  he  might 
incur  the  wrath  of  the  authorities,  civil  and  cler- 
ical, refused  to  perform  the  ceremony,  but  sug- 
gested that  there  were  other  countries  where 
the  laws  were  less  strict  and  offered  to  go  be_\ond 
the  limits  of  California  and  marry  them.  It  is 
said  that  at  this  point  Dona  Josefa  said:  "Why 
don't  you  carry  me  ofif,  Don  Enrique?"  The 
suggestion  was  quickly  acted  upon.  The  next 
night  the  lady,  mounted  on  a  steed  with  her 
cousin,  Pio  Pico,  as  an  escort,  was  secretly 
taken  to  a  point  on  the  bay  shore  where  a  boat 
was  waiting  for  her.  The  boat  put  off  to  the 
X'ulture,  where  Captain  Fitch  received  her  on 
board  and  the  vessel  sailed  for  Valparaiso, 
where  the  couple  were  married.  A  year  later 
Captain   Fitch   returned  to   California   with   his 


HISTORICAL   AND    lUOGRAPHICAL   KKCUUD. 


93 


wife  and  infant  son.  i\t  Monterey  Fitch  was 
arrested  on  an  order  of  Padre  Sanchez  of  San 
Gabriel  and  put  in  prison.  His  wife  was  also 
placed  under  arrest  at  the  house  of  Captain 
Cooper.  Fitch  was  taken  to  San  Gabriel  for  trial, 
■"his  ofifenses  being  most  heinous."  At  her  in- 
tercession, Governor  Echeandia  released  Airs. 
Fitch  and  allowed  her  to  go  to  San  Gabriel, 
where  her  husband  was  imprisoned  in  one  of  the 
rooms  of  the  mission.  This  act  of  clemency 
greatly  enraged  the  friar  and  his  fiscal.  Pa- 
lomares,  and  they  seriously  considered  the  ques- 
tion of  arresting  the  governor.  The  trial 
dragged  along  for  nearly  a  month.  Many  wit- 
nesses were  examined  and  many  learned  points 
of  clerical  law  discussed.  \"icar  Sanchez  finally 
gave  his  decision  that  the  marriage  at  \'a\- 
paraiso,  though  not  legitimate,  was  not  null  and 
void,  but  valid.     The  couple  were  condemned 


to  do  penance  by  "presenting  themselves  in 
church  with  lighted  candles  in  their  hands  to 
hear  high  mass  for  three  feast  days  and  recite 
together  for  thirty  days  one-third  of  the  rosary 
of  the  holy  virgin."*  In  addition  to  these  joint 
penances  the  vicar  inflicted  an  additional  pen- 
alty on  Fitch  in  these  words:  "Yet  considering 
the  great  scandal  which  Don  Enrique  has 
caused  in  this  province  I  condemn  him  to  give 
as  penance  and  reparation  a  bell  of  at  least  fifty 
pounds  in  weight  for  the  church  at  Los  An- 
gelas, which  barel}-  has  a.  borrowed  one."  Fitch 
and  his  wife  no  doubt  performed  the  joint  pen- 
ance imposed  upon  them,  but  the  church  at  Los 
Angeles  had  to  get  along  with  its  borrowed  bell. 
Don  Enrique  never  gave  it  one  of  fifty  pounds 
or  any  otlier  weight. 


''Bancroft's    History    of   California,   Vol.    III-144. 


CHAPTER   XI. 


REVOLUTIONS— THE    HIJAR    COLONISTS. 


TUT  ANUEL  VICTORIA  was  appointed 
/  \  governor  in  March,  1830,  but  did  not 
reach  California  until  the  last  month 
of  the  year.  \'ictoria  very  soon  became  un- 
popular. He  undertook  to  overturn  the  civil 
authority  and  substitute  military  rule.  He 
recommended  the  abolition  of  the  ayunta- 
mientos  and  refused  to  call  together  the  ter- 
ritorial diputacion.  He  exiled  Don  Abel 
Stearns  and  Jose  Antonio  Carrillo;  and  at  dif- 
ferent times,  on  trumped-up  charges,  had  half 
a  hundred  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Los  An- 
geles incarcerated  in  the  pueblo  jail.  Alcalde 
\'icente  Sanchez  was  the  petty  despot  of  the 
pueblo,  who  carried  out  the  tyrannical  decrees 
of  his  master,  \'ictoria.  Among  others  who 
were  imprisoned  in  the  cuartel  was  Jose  Maria 
Avila.  Avila  was  proud,  haughty  and  over- 
bearing. He  had  incurred  the  hatred  of  both 
Victoria  and  Sanchez.  Sanchez,  under  orders 
from  ^'ictoria,  placed  Avila  in  prison,  and  to 
humiliate  him  put  him  in  irons.  Avila  brooded 
over  the  indignities  inflicted  upon  him  and 
vowed  to  be  revenged. 


\  ictoria's  persecutions  became  so  unbearable 
that  Pio  Pico,  Juan  Uandini  and  Jose  Antonio 
Carrillo  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  at  San 
Diego  and  issued  a  pronunciamento,  in  which 
they  set  forth  the  reasons  why  they  felt  them- 
selves obliged  to  rise  against  the  tyrant,  \'ic- 
toria.  Pablo  de  Portilla,  comandante  of  the 
presidio  of  San  Diego,  and  his  officers,  with  a 
force  of  fifty  soldiers,  joined  the  revolutionists 
and  marched  to  Los  Angeles.  Sanchez's  pris- 
oners were  released  and  he  was  chained  up  in 
the  pueblo  jail.  Here  Portilla's  force  was  re- 
cruited to  two  hundred  men.  Avila  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  other  released  prisoners  joined  the 
revolutionists,  and  all  marched  forth  to  meet 
Mctoria,  who  was  moving  southward  with  an 
armed  force  to  suppress  the  insurrection.  The 
two  forces  met  on  the  plains  of  Cahuenga,  west 
of  the  pueblo,  at  a  place  known  as  the  Lomitas 
de  la  Canada  de  Breita.  The  sight  of  his  per- 
secutor so  infuriated  Avila  that  alone  he  rushed 
upon  him  to  run  him  through  w-ith  his  lance. 
Captain  Pacheco,  of  ^"ictoria's  staff,  parried  the 
lance  thrust,     Avila  shot  him  dead  with  one  of 


94 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGFLAPHICAL   RECORD. 


his  pistols  and  again  attacked  the  governor  and 
succeeded  in  wounding  him,  when  he  himself 
received  a  pistol  ball  that  unhorsed  him.  After 
a  desperate  struggle  (in  which  he  seized  \'ic- 
loria  by  the  foot  and  dragged  him  from  his 
horse)  he  was  shot  by  one  of  \'ictoria's  soldiers. 
Tortilla's  army  fell  back  in  a  panic  to  Los  An- 
geles and  Victoria's  men  carried  the  wounded 
governor  to  the  iMission  San  Gabriel,  where 
his  wounds  were  dressed  by  Joseph  Chapman, 
who,  to  his  many  other  accomplishments,  added 
that  of  amateur  surgeon.  Some  citizens  who 
had  taken  no  part  in  the  fight  brought  the 
bodies  of  Avila  and  Pacheco  to  the  town. 
"They  were  taken  to  the  same  house,  the  same 
hands  rendered  them  the  last  sad  rites,  and 
they  were  laid  side  by  side.  Side  by  side  knelt 
their  widows  and  mingled  their  tears,  while 
sympathizing  countrymen  chanted  the  solemn 
prayers  of  the  church  for  the  repose  of  the 
souls  of  these  untimely  dead.  Side  by  side  be- 
neath the  orange  and  the  olive  in  the  little 
churchyard  upon  the  plaza  sleep  the  slayer  and 
the  slain."* 

Next  day,  \'ictoria,  .supposing  himself  mor- 
tally wounded,  abdicated  and  turned  over  the 
governorship  of  the  territory  to  Echeandia.  He 
resigned  the  ofifice  December  9,  1831,  having 
been  governor  a  little  over  ten  months.  When 
\'ictoria  was  able  to  travel  he  was  sent  to  San 
Diego,  from  where  he  was  deported  to  Mexico, 
San  Diego  borrowing  $125  from  the  ayunta- 
miento  of  Los  Angeles  to  pay  the  expense  of 
shipping  him  out  of  the  country.  Several  years 
afterwards  the  money  had  not  been  repaid,  and 
the  town  council  began  proceedings  to  recover 
it.  liut  there  is  no  record  in  the  archives  to  show 
that  it  was  ever  paid.  .\nd  thus  it  was  that 
California  got  rid  of  a  bad  governor  and  Los 
Angeles  incurred  a  bad  debt. 

January  10,  1832.  the  territorial  legislature 
met  at  Los  Angeles  to  choose  a  "gefe  politico," 
or  governor,  for  the  territory.  Echeandia  was 
invited  to  preside  but  replied  from  San  Juan 
Capistrano  that  he  was  busy  getting  Victoria 
out  of  the  country.  The  diputacion,  after  wait- 
ing  some   time    and    receiving   no   satisfaction 


*Stephen  C.  Foster. 


from  Echeandia  whether  he  wanted  the  ofifice 
or  not,  declared  Pio  Pico,  by  virtue  of  his  office 
of  senior  vocal,  "gefe  politico." 

No  sooner  had  Pico  been  sworn  into  office 
than  Echeandia  discovered  that  he  wanted  the 
office  and  wanted  it  badly.  He  protested  against 
the  action  of  the  diputacion  and  intrigued 
against  Pico.  Another  revolution  was  threat- 
ened. Los  Angeles  favored  Echeandia,  al- 
though all  the  other  towns  in  the  territory  had 
accepted  Pico.  (Pico  at  that  time  was  a  resi- 
dent of  San  Diego.)  A  mass  meeting  was  called 
on  February  12,  1832,  at  Los  Angeles,  to  dis- 
cuss the  question  whether  it  should  be  Pico  or 
Echeandia.  I  give  the  report  of  the  meeting  in 
the  cjuaint  language  of  the  pueblo  archives: 

"The  town,  acting  in  accord  with  the  Most 
Illustrious  Ayuntamiento,  answered  in  a  loud 
voice,  saying  they  would  not  admit  Citizen  Pio 
Pico  as  'gefe  politico,'  but  desired  that  Lieut. - 
Col.  Citizen  Jose  Maria  Echeandia  be  retained 
in  office  until  the  supreme  government  appoint. 
Then  the  president  of  the  meeting,  seeing  the 
determination  of  the  people,  asked  the  motive  or 
reason  of  refusing  Citizen  Pio  Pico,  who  was 
<if  unblemished  character.  To  this  the  people 
responded  that  while  it  was  true  that  Citizen 
Pio  Pico  was  to  some  extent  qualified,  yet  they 
preferred  Lieut.-Col.  Citizen  Jose  M.  Echean- 
dia. The  president  of  the  meeting  then  asked 
the  people  whether  they  had  been  bribed,  or 
was  it  merely  insubordination  that  they  op- 
posed the  resolution  of  the  Most  Excellent  Di- 
])Utacion?  Whereupon  the  people  answered 
that  they  had  not  been  bribed,  nor  were  they 
insubordinate,  but  that  they  opposed  the  pro- 
posed 'gefe  politico'  because  he  had  not  been 
named  by  the  stipreme  government." 

At  a  public  meeting  Februar\-  19  the  matter 
was  again  brought  up.  Again  the  people  cried 
out  "they  would  not  recognize  or  obey  any 
other  gefe  politico  than  Echeandia."  The  Most 
Illustrious  A)-untamiento  opposed  Pio  Pico  for 
two  reasons:  "First,  because  his  name  appeared 
first  on  the  plan  to  oust  Gefe  Politico  Citizen 
Manuel  \'ictoria,"  and  "Second,  because  he, 
Pico,  had  not  sufficient  capacity  to  fulfil  the 
duties  of  the  office."  Then  Jose  Perez  and  Jose 
Antonio    Carrillo   withdrew    from    the    meeting, 


HISTORICAL   AND    BlUGRAPHlCAL   RECURD. 


saying  they  would  not  recognize  Echeandia  as 
"gefe  politico."  Pico,  after  holding  the  office 
for  twenty  days,  resigned  for  the  sake  of  peace. 
And  this  was  the  length  of  Pico's  first  term  as 
governor. 

Echeandia,  by  obstinacy  and  intrigue,  had  ob- 
tained the  coveted  office,  "gefe  politico,"  but  he 
did  not  long  enjoy  it  in  peace.  News  came 
from  Monterey  that  Capt.  Agustin  V.  Zamo- 
rano  had  declared  himself  governor  and  was 
gathering  a  force  to  invade  the  south  and  en- 
force his  authority.  Echeandia  began  at  once 
marshaling  his  forces  to  oppose  him.  Ybarra, 
Zamarano's  military  chief,  with  a  force  of  one 
hundred  men,  by  a  forced  march,  reached  Paso 
de  Bartolo,  on  the  San  Gabriel  river,  where, 
fifteen  years  later,  Stockton  fought  the  Mexican 
troops  under  Flores.  Here  Ybarra  found  Cap- 
tain Borroso  posted  with  a  piece  of  artillery  and 
fourteen  men.  He  did  not  dare  to  attack  him. 
Echeandia  and  Borroso  gathered  a  force  of  a 
thousand  neophytes  at  Paso  de  Bartolo,  where 
they  drilled  them  in  military  evolutions.  Ybar- 
ra's  troops  had  fallen  back  to  Santa  Barbara, 
where  he  was  joined  by  Zamorano  with  rein- 
forcements. Ybarra's  force  was  largely  made  up 
of  ex-convicts  and  other  undesirable  characters, 
who  took  what  they  needed,  asking  no  questions 
of  the  owners.  The  Angelenos,  fearing  those 
marauders,  gave  their  adhesion  to  Zamorano's 
plan  and  recognized  him  as  military  chief  of  the 
territory.  Captain  Borroso,  Echeandia's  faith- 
lul  adherent,  disgusted  with  the  fickleness  of 
the  Angelenos,  at  the  head  of  a  thousand 
mounted  Indians,  threatened  to  invade  the  re- 
calcitrant pueblo,  but  at  the  intercession  of  the 
frightened  inhabitants  this  modern  Coriolanus 
turned  aside  and  regaled  his  neophyte  retainers 
on  the  fat  bullocks  of  the  Mission  San  Gabriel, 
much  to  the  disgust  of  the  padres.  The  neo- 
phyte warriors  were  disbanded  and  sent  to  their 
respective  missions. 

A  peace  was  patched  up  betwen  Zamorano 
and  Echeandia.  Alta  California  was  divided 
into  two  territories.  Echeandia  was  given  juris- 
diction over  all  south  of  San  Gabriel  and  Zamo- 
rano all  north  of  San  Fernando.  This  division 
apparently  left  a  neutral  district,  or  '.'no  man's 
land,"  between.     Whether  Los  Angeles  was  in 


this  neutral  territory  the  records  do  not  show. 
If  it  was,  it  is  probable  that  neither  of  the  gov- 
ernors wanted  the  job  of  governing  the  rebel- 
lious pueblo. 

In  January,  1833,  Governor  Figueroa  arrived 
in  California.  Echeandia  and  Zamorano  each 
surrendered  his  half  of  the  divided  territory  to 
the  newly  appointed  governor,  and  California 
was  united  and  at  peace.  Figueroa  proved  to 
be  the  riglit  man  for  the  times.  He  conciliated 
the  factions  and  brought  order  out  of  chaos. 
The  two  most  important  events  in  Figueroa's 
term  of  office  were  the  arrival  of  the  Hijar  Col- 
ony in  California  and  the  secularization  of  the 
missions.  These  events  were  most  potent  fac- 
tors in  tlie  evolution  of  the  territory. 

In  1833  the  first  California  colonization 
scheme  was  inaugurated  in  Mexico.  At  the 
head  of  this  was  Jose  I\Iaria  Hijar,  a  Mexican 
gentleman  of  wealth  and  influence.  He  was 
assisted  in  its  promulgation  by  Jose  M.  Padres, 
an  adventurer,  who  had  been  banished  from 
California  by  Governor  \'ictoria.  Padres,  like 
some  of  our  modern  real  estate  boomers,  pic- 
tured the  country  as  an  earthly  paradise — an 
improved  and  enlarged  Garden  of  Eden. 
Among  other  inducements  held  out  to  the  colo- 
nists, it  is  said,  was  the  promise  of  a  division 
among  them  of  the  mission  property  and  a  dis- 
tribution of  the  neophytes  for  servants. 

Headquarters  were  establislied  at  the  city 
of  Mexico  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  colonists 
enlisted.  Each  family  received  a  bonus  of 
$10,  and  all  were  to  receive  free  transporta- 
tion to  California  and  rations  while  on  the  jour- 
ney. Each  head  of  a  family  was  promised  a 
farm  from  the  public  domain,  live  stock  and 
farming  implements:  these  advances  to  be  paid 
for  on  the  installment  plan.  The  orignal  plan  was 
to  found  a  colony  somewhere  north  of  San 
I'Yancisco  bay,  but  this  was  not  carried  out 
Two  vessels  were  dispatched  with  the  colonists 
— the  Morelos  and  the  Natalia.  The  latter  was 
compelled  to  put  into  San  Diego  on  account  of 
sickness  on  board.  She  reached  that  port  Sep- 
tember I,  1834.  A  part  of  the  colonists  on 
board  her  were  sent  to  San  Pedro  and  from 
there  they  were  taken  to  Los  Angeles  and  San 
Gabriel.     The  Alorelos  reached  Monterey  Sep- 


90 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


tember  25.  Hijar  had  been  appointed  governor 
of  California  by  President  Farias,  but  after  the 
saiHng  of  the  expedition,  Santa  Ana,  who  had 
succeeded  Farias,  dispatched  a  courier  over- 
land with  a  countermanding  order.  By  one  of 
the  famous  rides  of  history,  Amador,  the  courier, 
made  the  journey  from  the  city  of  Mexico  to 
Monterey  in  forty  days  and  delivered  his  mes- 
sage to  Governor  Figueroa.  When  Hijar  ar- 
rived he  found  to  his  dismay  that  he  was  only 
a  private  citizen  of  the  territory  instead  of  its 
governor.  The  colonization  scheme  was  aban- 
doned and  the  immigrants  distributed  them- 
selves throughout  the  territory.  Generally  they 
were  a  good  class  of  citizens,  and  many  of  them 
became  prominent  in  California  afifairs. 

That  storm  center  of  political  disturbances, 
Los  Angeles,  produced  but  one  small  revolution 
during  Figueroa 's  term  as  governor.  A  party 
of  fifty  or  sixty  Sonorans,  some  of  whom  were 
Hijar  colonists  who  were  living  either  in  the 
town  or  its  immediate  neighborhood,  assembled 
at  Los  Nietos  on  the  night  of  March  7,  1835. 
They  formulated  a  pronunciamiento  against 
Don  Jose  Figueroa,  in  which  they  first  vigor- 
ously arraigned  him  for  sins  of  omission  and 
commission  and  then  laid  down  their  plan  of 
government  of  the  territory.  Armed  with  this 
formidable  document  and  a  few  muskets  and 
lances,  these  patriots,  headed  by  Juan  Gallado, 
a  cobbler,  and  Felipe  Castillo,  a  cigarmaker,  in 
the  gray  light  of  the  morning,  rode  into  the 
pueblo,  took  possession  of  the  town  hall  and 
the  big  cannon  and  the  ammunition  that  had 


been  stored  there  when  the  Indians  of  San  Luis 
Rey  had  threatened  hostilities.  The  slumbering 
inhabitants  were  aroused  from  their  dreams  of 
peace  by  the  drum  beat  of  war.  The  terrified 
citizens  rallied  to  the  juzgado,  the  ayuntamiento 
met,  the  cobbler  statesman,  Gallado,  presented 
his  plan;  it  was  discussed  and  rejected.  The 
revolutionists,  after  holding  possession  of  the 
pueblo  throughout  the  day,  tired,  hungry  and 
disappointed  in  not  receiving  their  pay  for  sav- 
ing the  country,  surrendered  to  the  legal  author- 
ities the  real  leaders  of  the  revolution  and 
disbanded.  The  leaders  proved  to  be  Torres, 
a  clerk,  and  Apalategui,  a  doctor,  both  supposed 
to  be  emissaries  of  Hijar.  They  were  imprisoned 
at  .San  Gabriel.  When  news  of  the  revolt 
reached  Figueroa  he  had  Hijar  and  Padres  ar- 
rested for  complicity  in  the  outbreak.  Hijar, 
with  half  a  dozen  of  his  adherents,  was  shipped 
back  to  Mexico.  And  thus  the  man  who  the 
year  before  had  landed  in  California  with  a 
commission  as  governor  and  authority  to  take 
possession  of  all  the  property  belonging  to  the 
missions  returned  to  his  native  land  an  exile. 
His  grand  colonization  scheme  and  his  "Com- 
pania  Cosmopolitana"  that  was  to  revolutionize 
California  commerce  were  both  disastrous  fail- 
ures. 

Governor  Jose  Figueroa  died  at  IMonterey 
on  the  29th  of  September.  1835.  He  is  generally 
regarded  as  the  best  of  the  Mexican  governors 
sent  to  California.  He  was  of  Aztec  extraction 
and  took  a  great  deal  of  pride  in  his  Indian 
blood. 


CHAPTER   XII. 


THE    DECLINE    AND    FALL    OF    THE    MISSIONS. 


THE  Franciscan  Missions  of  Alta  Califor- 
nia have  of  late  been  a  proliiic  theme 
for  a  certain  class  of  writers  and  espe- 
cially have  they  dwelt  upon  the  secularization 
of  these  establishments.  Their  productions 
have  added  little  or  nothing  to  our  previous 
knowledge  of  these  institutions.  Carried  away 
by  sentiment  these  writers  draw  pictures  of  mis- 
sion life  that  are  unreal,  that  are  purely  imag- 


inary, and  aroused  to  indignation  at  the  injus- 
tice they  fancy  was  done  to  their  ideal  institu- 
tions they  deal  out  denunciations  against  the 
authorities  that  brought  about  secularization  as 
unjust  as  they  are  undeserved.  Such  expres- 
sions as  "the  robber  hand  of  secularization,"  and 
"the  brutal  and  thievish  disestablishment  of  the 
missions,"  emanate  from  writers  who  seem  to 
be  ignorant  of  the  purpose  for  which  the  mis- 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


sions  were  founded,  and  who  ignore,  or  who 
do  not  know,  the  causes  which  brought  about 
their  secularization. 

It  is  an  historical  fact  known  to  all  acquainted 
with  California  history  that  these  establishments 
were  not  intended  by  the  Crown  of  Spain  to 
become  permanent  institutions.  The  purpose 
for  which  the  Spanish  government  fostered  and 
protected  them  was  to  Christianize  the  Indians 
and  make  of  them  self-supporting  citizens.  \'ery 
early  in  its  history,  C.ovevnor  Borica,  Pages  and 
other  intelligent  Spanish  officers  in  California 
discovered  the  weakness  of  the  mission  system. 
Governor  Borica,  writing  in  1796,  said:  "Ac- 
cording to  the  laws  the  natives  are  to  be  free 
from  tutelage  at  the  end  of  ten  years,  the  mis- 
sions then  becoming  doctrinairs,  but  those  of 
New  Cahfornia,  at  the  rate  they  are  advancing, 
will  not  reach  the  goal  in  ten  centuries;  the  rea- 
son God  knows,  and  men,  too,  know  something 
about  it." 

The  tenure  by  which  the  mission  friars  held 
their  lands  is  admirably  set  forth  in  William 
Carey  Jones'  "Report  on  Land  Titles  in  Cali- 
fornia," made  in  1850.  He  says,  "It  had  been 
supposed  that  the  lands  they  (the  missions)  oc- 
cupied were  grants  held  as  the  property  of  the 
church  or  of  the  misson  establishments  as  cor- 
porations. Such,  however,  was  not  the  case; 
all  the  missions  in  Upper  California  were  estab- 
lished under  the  direction  and  mainly  at  the 
expense  of  the  government,  and  the  missionaries 
there  had  never  any  other  right  than  to  the 
occupation  and  use  of  the  lands  for  the  purpose 
of  the  missions  and  at  the  pleasure  of  the  gov- 
ernment. This  is  shown  by  the  history  and 
principles  of  their  foundation,  by  the  laws  in 
relation  to  them,  by  the  constant  practice  of 
the  government  toward  them  and,  in  fact,  by  the 
rules  of  the  Franciscan  order,  which  forbid  its 
members  to  possess  property." 

With  the  downfall  of  Spanish  domination  in 
Mexico  came  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  mis- 
sionary rule  in  California.  The  majority  of  the 
mission  padres  were  Spanish  born.  In  the  war 
of  Mexican  independence  their  sympathies  were 
with  their  mother  country,  Spain.  After  Mex- 
ico attained  her  independence,  some  of  them 
refused  to  acknowledge  allegiance  to  the  repub- 


lic. The  Mexican  authorities  feared  and  dis- 
trusted them.  In  this,  in  part,  they  found  a  pre- 
text for  the  disestablishment  of  the  missions  and 
the  confiscation  of  the  mission  estates.  There 
was  another  cause  or  reason  for  secularization 
more  potent  than  the  loyalty  of  the  padres  to 
Spain.  Pew  forms  of  land  monopoly  have  ever 
exceeded  that  in  vogue  under  the  mission  system 
of  California.  I'rom  San  Diego  to  San  Fran- 
cisco ba_\-  the  twenty  missions  established  under 
Spanish  rule  monopolized  the  greater  part  of  the 
fertile  land  between  the  coast  range  and  the  sea. 
The  limits  of  one  mission  were  said  to  cover 
the  intervening  space  to  the  limits  of  the  next. 
There  was  but  little  left  for  other  settlers.  A 
settler  could  not  obtain  a  grant  of  land  if  the 
padres  of  the  nearest  mission  objected. 

The  twenty-four  ranchos  owned  by  the  Mis- 
sion San  Gabriel  contained  about  a  million  and 
a  half  acres  and  extended  from  the  sea  to  the 
San  Bernardino  mountains.  The  greatest 
neophyte  population  of  San  Gabriel  was  in  1817, 
when  it  reached  1,701.  Its  yearly  average  for 
the  first  three  decades  of  the  present  century 
did  not  exceed  1,500.  It  took  a  thousand  acres 
of  fertile  land  under  the  mission  system  to  sup- 
port an  Indian,  even  the  smallest  papoose  of  the 
mission  flock.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  people 
clamored  for  a  subdivision  of  the  mission  estates; 
and  secidarization  became  a  public  necessity. 
The  most  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  missions 
to-day,  had  he  lived  in  California  seventy  years 
ago,  would  no  doubt  have  been  among  the  loud- 
est in  his  wail  against  the  mission  system. 

The  abuse  heaped  upon  the  Me.xican  authori- 
ties for  their  secularization  of  these  institutions 
is  as  unjust  as  it  is  unmerited.  The  act  of  the 
Mexican  Congress  of  August  17,  1833,  was 
not  the  initiative  movement  towards  their  dis- 
establishment. Indeed  in  their  foundation  their 
secularization,  their  subdivision  into  pueblos, 
was  provided  for  and  the  local  authorities  were 
never  without  lawful  authority  over  them.  In 
the  very  beginning  of  missionary  work  in  Alta 
California  the  process  of  secularizing  the  mis- 
sion establishments  was  mapped  out  in  the  fol- 
lowing "Instructions  given  by  \'iceroy  Bucarili 
August  17.  1773,  to  the  comandante  of  the  new 
establishments   of    San    Diego    and   ^lonterey. 


98 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGR-^PHICAL   RECORD. 


Article  15,  when  it  shall  happen  that  a  mission 
IS  to  be  formed  into  a  pueblo  or  village  the 
comandante  will  proceed  to  reduce  it  to  the  civil 
and  economical  government,  which,  according 
to  the  laws,  is  observed  by  other  villages  of  this 
kingdom;  their  giving  it  a  name  and  declaring 
for  its  patron  the  saint  under  whose  memory 
and  protection  the  mission  was  founded." 

The  purpose  for  wliich  the  mission  was 
founded  was  to  aid  in  the  settlement  of  the 
country,  and  to  convert  the  natives  to  Christian- 
ity. "These  objects  accomplished  the  mission- 
ary's labor  was  considered  fulfilled  and  the  es- 
tablishment subject  to  dissolution.  This  view 
of  their  purpose  and  destiny  fully  appears  in 
the  tenor  of  the  decree  of  the  Spanish  Cortes 
of  September  13,  1813.  It  was  passed  in  conse- 
quence of  a  complaint  by  the  liishop  of  Guiana 
of  the  evils  that  affected  that  province  on  ac- 
count of  the  Indian  settlements  in  charge  of 
missions  not  being  delivered  to  the  ecclesiastical 
ordinary,  although  thirty,  forty  and  fifty  years 
had  passed  since  the  reduction  and  conversion 
of  the  Indians."* 

The  Cortes  decreed  ist,  that  all  the  new 
reduciones  y  doctrinairs  (settlements  of  newly 
converted  Indians)  not  yet  formed  into  parishes 
of  the  province  beyond  the  sea  which  were  in 
charge  of  missionary  monks  and  had  been  ten 
years  subjected  should  be  delivered  immediately 
to  the  respective  ecclesiastical  ordinaries  (bish- 
ops) without  resort  to  any  excuse  or  prete.xt 
conformably  to  the  laws  and  cedulas  in  that 
respect.  Section  2nd.  provided  that  the  secular 
clergy  should  attend  to  the  spiritual  wants  of 
these  curacies.  Section  3rd,  the  missionary 
monks  relieved  from  the  converted  settlements 
shall  proceed  to  the  conversion  of  other 
heathen." 

The  decree  of  the  Mexican  Congress,  passed 
November  20,  1833,  for  the  secularization  of  the 
missions  of  Upper  and  Lower  California,  was 
very  similar  in  its  provisions  to  the  decree  of  the 
Spanish  Cortes  of  September,  181 3.  The  Mex- 
ican government  simply  followed  ^l^".  example 
of  Spain  and  in  the  conversion  oi  tne  missions 
into  pueblos  was  attempting  to  enforce  a  prin- 


"William   Carey  Jc 


Report. 


ciple  inherent  in  the  foundation  of  the  mission- 
ary establishments.  That  secularization  resulted 
disastrously  to  the  Indians  was  not  the  fault 
of  the  Mexican  government  so  much  as  it  was 
the  defect  in  the  industrial  and  intellectual 
training  of  the  neophytes.  Except  in  the  case 
of  those  who  were  trained  for  choir  services  in 
the  churches  there  was  no  attempt  made  to 
teach  the  Indians  to  read  or  write.  The  padres 
generally  entertained  a  poor  opinion  of  the 
neophytes'  intellectual  ability.  The  reglamento 
governing  the  secularization  of  the  missions, 
published  by  Governor  Echeandia  in  1830,  but 
not  enforced,  and  that  formulated  by  the  diputa- 
cion  under  Governor  Figueroa  in  i834,approved 
by  the  Mexican  Congress  and  finally  enforced 
in  1834-5-6,  were  humane  measures.  These  reg- 
ulations' provided  for  the  colonization  of  the 
neophxtes  into  pueblos  or  villages.  A  portion  of 
the  personal  property  and  a  part  of  the  lands 
held  by  the  missions  were  to  be  distributed 
among  the  Indians  as  follows: 

"Article  5 — To  each  head  of  a  family  and  all 
who  are  more  than  twenty  years  old,  although 
without  families,  will  be  given  from  the  lands 
of  the  mission,  whether  temporal  (lands  depend- 
ent on  the  seasons)  or  watered,  a  lot  of  ground 
not  to  contain  more  than  four  hundred  varas 
(yards)  in  length,  and  as  many  in  breadth  not 
less  than  one  hundred.  Sufficient  land  for  water- 
ing the  cattle  will  be  given  in  common.  The 
outlets  or  roads  shall  be  marked  out  by  each  vil- 
lage, and  at  the  proper  time  the  corporation 
lands  shall  be  designated."  This  colonization 
of  the  neophytes  into  pueblos  would  have 
thrown  large  bodies  of  the  land  held  by  the  mis- 
sions open  to  settlement  by  white  settlers.  The 
personal  property  of  missionary  establishments 
was  to  have  been  divided  among  their  neophyte 
retainers  thus:  "Article  6.  .\mong  the  said  in- 
dividuals will  be  distributed,  ratably  and  justly, 
according  to  the  discretion  of  the  political  chief, 
the  half  of  the  movable  property,  taking  as  a 
basis  the  last  inventory  which  the  missionaries 
have  presented  of  all  descriptions  of  cattle.  Arti- 
cle 7.  One-half  or  less  of  the  implements  and 
seeds  indispensable  for  agriculture  shall  be  al- 
lotted to  them." 

The  political  government  of  the   Indian  pu- 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


eblos  was  to  be  organized  in  accordance  with 
existing  laws  of  the  territory  governing  other 
towns.  The  neophyte  could  not  sell,  mortgage 
or  dispose  of  the  land  granted  him;  nor  could 
he  sell  his  cattle.  The  regulations  provided  that 
"Religious  missionaries  shall  be  relieved  from 
the  administration  of  temporalities  and  shall 
only  exercise  the  duties  of  their  ministry  so  far 
as  they  relate  to  spiritual  matters."  The  nunner- 
ies or  the  houses  where  the  Indian  girls  were 
kept  under  the  charge  of  a  duena  until  they 
were  of  marriageable  age  were  to  be  abolished 
and  the  children  restored  to  their  parents.  Rule 
7  provided  that  "What  is  called  the  "priest- 
hood' shall  immediately  cease,  female  children 
whom  they  have  in  charge  being  handed  over 
to  their  fathers,  explaining  to  them  the  care 
they  should  take  of  them,  and  pointing  out  their 
obligations  as  parents.  The  same  shall  be  done 
with  the  male  children." 

Commissioners  were  to  be  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  the  mission  property  and  superintend 
its  subdivision  among  the  neophytes.  The  con- 
version of  ten  of  the  missionary  establishments 
into  pueblos  was  to  begin  in  August,  1835.  That 
of  the  others  was  to  follow  as  soon  as  possible. 
San  Gabriel,  San  Fernando  and  San  Juan  Capis- 
trano  were  among  the  ten  that  were  to  be 
secularized  first.  For  years  secularization  had 
threatened  the  missions,  but  hitherto  something- 
had  occurred  at  the  critical  time  to  avert  it. 
The  missionaries  had  used  their  influence 
against  it,  had  urged  that  the  neophytes  were 
unfitted  for  self-support,  had  argued  that  the 
emancipation  of  the  natives  from  mission  rule 
would  result  in  disaster  to  them.  Through  all 
the  agitation  of  the  question  in  previous  years 
the  padres  had  labored  on  in  the  preservation 
and  upbuilding  of  their  establishments;  but  with 
the  issuing  of  the  secularization  decree  by  the 
Mexican  Congress,  August  17,  1833,  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Hijar  Colony  in  Mexico  and 
the  instructions  of  acting  president  Farias  to 
Hijar  to  occupy  all  the  property  of  the  missions 
and  subdivide  it  among  the  colonists  on  their 
arrival  in  California,  convinced  the  missionaries 
that  the  blow  could  no  longer  be  averted.  The 
revocation  of  Hijar's  appointment  as  governor 
and    the    controversv    which    followed   between 


him  and  Governor  Figueroa  and  the  diputacion 
for  a  time  delayed  the  enforcement  of  the  de- 
cree. 

In  the  meantime,  with  the  energy  born  of  de- 
spair, eager  at  any  cost  to  outwit  those  who 
sought  to  profit  by  their  ruin,  the  mission  fath- 
ers hastened  to  destroy  that  which  through 
more  than  half  a  century  thousands  of  human 
beings  had  spent  their  lives  to  accumulate.  The 
wealth  of  the  missions  lay  in  their  herds  of  cat- 
tle. The  only  marketable  products  of  these  were 
the  hides  and  tallow.  Heretofore  a  certain  numx 
ber  of  cattle  had  been  slaughtered  each  week 
to  feed  the  neophytes  and  sometimes  when  the 
ranges  were  in  danger  of  becoming  over- 
stocked cattle  were  killed  for  their  hides  and 
tallow,  and  the  meat  left  to  the  coyotes  and  the 
carrion  crows.  The  mission  fathers  knew  that 
if  they  allowed  the  possession  of  their  herds  to 
pass  to  other  hands  neither  they  nor  the 
neophytes  would  obtain  any  reward  for  years  of 
labor.  The  blow  was  liable  to  fall  at  any  time. 
Haste  was  required.  The  mission  butchers  could 
not  slaughter  the  animals  fast  enough.  Con- 
tracts were  made  with  the  rancheros  to  kill 
on  shares.  The  work  of  destruction  began  at 
the  missions.  The  country  became  a  mighty 
shambles.  The  matansas  were  no  longer  used. 
An  animal  was  lassoed  on  the  plain,  thrown,  its 
throat  cut  and  while  yet  writhing  in  death  agony, 
its  hide  was  stripped  and  pegged  upon  the 
ground  to  dry.  There  were  no  vessels  to  con- 
tain the  tallow  and  this  was  run  into  pits  in  the 
ground  to  be  taken  out  when  there  was  more 
time  to  spare  and  less  cattle  to  be  killed.  The 
work  of  destruction  went  on  as  long  as  there 
were  cattle  to  kill.  So  great  was  the  stench 
from  rotting  carcasses  of  the  cattle  on  the  plains 
that  a  pestilence  was  threatened.  The  ayunta- 
miento  of  Los  Angeles,  Xovember  15,  1833, 
passed  an  ordinance  compelling  all  persons 
slaughtering  cattle  for  the  hides  and  tallow  to 
cremate  the  carcasses.  Some  of  tlie  rancheros 
laid  the  foundations  of  their  future  wealth  by  ap- 
propriating herds  of  young  cattle  from  the  mis- 
sion ranges. 

Hugo  Reid,  in  the  letters  previously  referred 
to  in  this  volume,  says  of  this  period  at  San 
Gabriel,  "These  facts  (the  decree  of  secularization 


100 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRv\PHICAL   RECORD. 


and  the  distribution  of  the  mission  property) 
being  known  to  Padre  Tomas  (Estenaga),  he, 
in  all  probability,  by  order  of  his  superior,  com- 
menced a  work  of  destruction.  The  back  build- 
ings were  unroofed  and  the  timber  converted 
into  fire  wood.  Cattle  were  killed  on  the  halves 
by  people  who  took  a  lion's  share.  Utensils 
were  disposed  of  and  goods  and  other  articles 
distributed  in  profusion  among  the  neophytes. 
The  vineyards  were  ordered  to  be  cut  down, 
which,  however,  the  Indians  refused  to  do." 
After  the  mission  was  placed  in  charge  of  an 
administrator,  Padre  Tomas  remained  as  min- 
ister of  the  church  at  a  stipend  of  $1,500  per 
annum,  derived  from  the  pious  fund. 

Hugo  Reid  says  of  him,  "As  a  wrong  im- 
pression of  his  character  may  be  produced  from 
the  preceding  remarks,  in  justice  to  his  memory, 
be  it  stated  that  he  was  a  truly  good  man,  a  sin- 
cere Christian  and  a  despiser  of  hypocrisy.  He 
had  a  kind,  unsophisticated  heart,  so  that  he  be- 
lieved every  word  told  him.  There  has  never 
been  a  purer  priest  in  California.  Reduced  in 
circumstances,  annoyed  on  many  occasions  by 
the  petulancy  of  administrators,  he  fulfilled  his 
duties  according  to  his  conscience,  with  be- 
nevolence and  good  humor.  The  nuns,  who, 
when  the  secular  movement  came  into  opera- 
tion, had  been  set  free,  were  again  gathered  to- 
gether under  his  supervision  and  maintained  at 
his  expense,  as  were  also  a  number  of  old  men 
arid  women." 

The  experiment  of  colonizing  the  Indians  in 
pueblos  was  a  failure  and  they  were  gathered 
back  into  the  mission,  or  as  many  of  them  as 
could  be  got  back,  and  placed  in  charge  of  ad- 
ministrators. "The  Indians,"  says  Reid.  "were 
made  happy  at  this  time  in  being  permitted  to 
enjoy  once  more  the  luxury  of  a  tule  dwelling, 
from  which  the  greater  part  had  been  debarred 
for  so  long;  they  could  now  breathe  freely 
again."  (The  close  adobe  buildings  in  which 
they  had  been  housed  in  mission  days  were  no 
doubt  one  of  the  causes  of  the  great  mortality 
among  them.) 

"Administrator  followed  administrator  until 
the  mission  could  support  no  more,  when 
the  system  was  broken  up."  *  *  '''  "The 
Indians  during  this  period  were  continually  run- 


ning off.  Scantily  clothed  and  still  more  scant- 
ily supplied  with  food,  it  was  not  to  be  wondered 
at.  Nearly  all  the  Gabrielinos  went  north,  while 
those  of  San  Diego,  San  Luis  and  San  Juan 
overrun  this  country,  filling  the  Angeles  and 
surrounding  ranchos  with  more  servants  than 
were  required.  Labor,  in  consequence,  was 
very  cheap.  The  different  missions,  however, 
had  alcaldes  continually  on  the  move,  hunting 
them  up  and  carrying  them  back,  but  to  no  pur- 
pose; it  was  labor  in  vain." 

"Even  under  the  dominion  of  the  church  in 
mission  days,"  Reid  says,  "the  neophytes  were 
addicted  both  to  drinking  and  gaming,  with 
an  inclination  to  steal;"  but  after  their  emanci- 
pation they  went  from  bad  to  worse.  Those  at- 
tached to  the  ranchos  and  those  located  in  the 
town  were  virtually  slaves.  They  had  bosses 
or  owners  and  when  they  ran  away  were  cap- 
tured and  returned  to  their  master.  The  account 
book  for  1840  of  the  sindico  of  Los  Angeles 
contains  this  item,  "For  the  delivery  of  two 
Indians  to  their  boss  $12." 

In  all  the  large  towns  there  was  an  Indian 
village  known  as  the  pueblito  or  little  town. 
These  were  the  sink  holes  of  crime  and  the 
favorite  resorts  of  dissolute  characters,  both 
white  and  red.  The  Indian  village  at  Los  An- 
geles between  what  is  now  Aliso  and  First  street 
became  such  an  intolerable  nuisance  that  on 
petition  of  the  citizens  it  was  removed  across 
the  river  to  the  "Spring  of  the  Abilas,"  but  its 
removal  did  not  improve  its  morals.  Vicente 
Guerrero,  the  sindico,  discussing  the  Indian 
question  before  the  ayuntamiento  said,  "The  In- 
dians are  so  utterly  depraved  that  no  matter 
where  they  may  settle  down  their  conduct  would 
be  the  same,  since  they  look  upon  death  even 
with  indifference,  provided  they  can  indulge  in 
their  pleasures  and  vices."  This  was  their  con- 
dition in  less  than  a  decade  after  they  were  freed 
from  mission  control. 

What  did  six  decades  of  mission  rule  accom- 
plish for  the  Indian?  In  all  the  older  missions 
between  their  founding  and  their  secularization 
three  generations  of  adults  had  come  under  the 
influence  of  mission  life  and  training- — first,  the 
adult  converts  made  soon  after  the  founding; 
second,  their  children  born  at  the  missions,  and 


HISTURICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


101 


tliird,  the  children  of  these  who  had  grown  to 
manhood  before  the  fall  of  the  missions.  How 
great  an  improvement  had  the  neophytes  of  the 
third  generation  made  over  those  of  the  first? 
They  had  to  a  great  extent  lost  their  original 
language  and  had  acquired  a  speaking  knowl- 
edge of  Spanish.  They  had  abandoned  or 
forgotten  their  primitive  religious  belief,  but 
their  new  religion  exercised  but  little  influence 
on  their  lives.  After  their  emancipation  they 
went  from  bad  to  worse.  Some  of  the  more 
daring  escaped  to  the  mountains  and  joining 
the  wild  tribes  there  became  the  leaders  in 
frequent  predatory  excursions  on  the  horses  and 
cattle  of  the  settlers  in  the  valleys.  They  were 
hunted  down  and  shot  like  wild  beasts. 

What  became  of  the  mission  estates?  As  the 
cattle  were  killed  ofif  the  different  ranches  of 
the  mission  domains,  settlers  petitioned  the 
ayuntamiento  for  grants.  If  upon  investigation 
it  was  found  that  the  land  asked  for  was  vacant 
the  petition  was  referred  to  the  governor  for  his 
approval.  In  this  w'ay  the  vast  mission  domains 
passed  into  private  hands.  The  country  im- 
proved more  in  v.-ealth  and  population  between 
1836  and  1846  than  in  the  previous  fifty  years. 
Secularization   was   destruction   to   the   mission 


and  death  to  the  Indian,  but  it  was  beneficial 
to  the  country  at  large.  The  decline  of  the  mis- 
sions and  the  passing  of  the  neophyte  had  be- 
gun long  before  the  decrees  of  secularization 
were  enforced.  Nearly  all  the  missions  passed 
their  zenith  in  population  during  the  second 
decade  of  tlie  century.  Even  had  the  mission- 
ary establishments  not  been  secularized  they 
would  eventually  have  been  depopulated.  At  no 
time  during  the  mission  rule  were  the  number 
of  births  equal  to  the  number  of  deaths.  When 
recruits  could  no  longer  be  obtained  from  the 
Gentiles  or  wild  Indians  the  decline  became 
more  rapid.  The  mission  annals  show  that  from 
1769  to  1834,  when  secularization  was  enforced 
— an  interval  of  sixty-five  years — 79,000  con- 
verts were  baptized  and  62,000  deaths  recorded. 
The  death  rate  among  the  neophytes  was  about 
twice  that  of  the  negro  in  this  country  and 
four  times  that  of  the  white  race.  The  extinc- 
tion of  the  neophyte  or  mission  Indian  was 
due  to  the  enforcement  of  that  inexorable  law 
or  decree  of  nature,  the  Survival  of  the  Fittest. 
Where  a  stronger  race  comes  in  contact  with 
a  weaker,  there  can  be  but  one  termination 
of  the  contest — the  extermination  of  the 
weaker. 


CHAPTER   XII 


THE  FREE  AND  SOVEREIGN  STATE  OF  ALTA  CALIFORNIA. 


GO\ERNOR  FIGUEROA  on  his  death- 
bed turned  over  the  civil  command  of 
the  territory  to  Jose  Castro,  who  there- 
by became  "gefe  politico  ad  interem."  The 
military  command  was  given  to  Lieut.-Col. 
Xicolas  Gutierrez  with  the  rank  of  comandante 
general.  The  separation  of  the  two  commands 
was  in  accordance  with  the  national  law  of  ]\Iay 
6,  1822. 

Castro  was  a  member  of  the  diputacion,  but 
was  not  senior  vocal  or  president.  Jose  An- 
tonio Carrillo,  who  held  that  position,  was 
diputado  or  delegate  to  congress  and  was  at 
that  time  in  the  city  of  Mexico.  It  was  he  who 
secured  the  decree  from  the  Mexican  Congress 
May  23,  1835,  making  Los  Angeles  the  capital 


of  California,  and  elevating  it  to  the  rank  of  a 
city.  The  second  vocal,  Jose  Antonio  Estudillo, 
was  sick  at  his  home  in  San  Diego.  Jose  Cas^ 
tro  ranked  third.  He  was  the  only  one  of  the 
diputacion  at  the  capital  and  at  the  previous 
meeting  of  the  diputacion  he  had  acted  as  pre- 
siding ofificer.  Gutierrez,  who  was  at  San  Ga- 
briel when  appointed  to  the  military  command, 
hastened  to  Monterey,  but  did  not  reach  there 
until  after  the  death  of  Figueroa.  Castro,  on 
assuming  command,  sent  a  notification  of  his 
appointment  to  the  civil  authorities  of  the  dif- 
ferent jurisdictions.  All  responded  favorably 
except  San  Diego  and  Los  Angeles.  San  Diego 
claimed  the  office  for  Estudillo,  second  vocal, 
and  Los  Angeles   declared   against   Castro  be- 


102 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


cause  he  was  only  third  vocal  and  demanded  that 
the  diputacion  should  meet  at  the  legal  capital 
(Los  Angeles)  of  the  territory.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  the  capital  war  that  lasted  ten  years 
and  increased  in  bitterness  as  it  increased  in 
age.  The  diputacion  met  at  jMonterey.  It  de- 
cided in  favor  of  Castro  and  against  removing 
the  capital  to  Los  Angeles. 

Castro  executed  the  civil  functions-  of  gefe 
politico  four  months  and  then,  in  accordance 
with  orders  from  the  supreme  government,  he 
turned  over  his  part  of  the  governorship  to 
Comandante  General  Gutierrez  and  again  the 
two  commands  were  united  in  one  person. 
Gutierrez  filled*  the  office  of  "gobernador  in- 
terno"  from  January  2,  1836,  to  the  arrival  of  his 
successor,  Alariano  Chico.  Chico  had  been  ap- 
pointed governor  by  President  Barragan,  Decem- 
ber 16,  1835,  but  did  not  arrive  in  California 
until  April,  1836.  Thus  California  had  four 
governors  within  nine  months.  They  changed 
so  rapidly  there  was  not  time  to  foment  a  rev- 
olution. Chico  began  his  administration  by  a 
series  of  petty  tyrannies.  Just  before  his  ar- 
rival in  California  a  vigilance  committee  at  Los 
Angeles  shot  to  death  Gervacio  Alispaz  and  his 
paramour,  Maria  del  Rosaria  ^'illa,  for  the  mur- 
der of  the  woman's  husband,  Domingo  Feliz. 
Alispaz  was  a  countryman  of  Chico.  Chico  had 
the  leaders  arrested  and  came  down  to  Los 
Angeles  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  executing 
Prudon,  Arzaga  and  Aranjo,  the  president,  sec- 
retary and  military  commander,  respectively,  of 
tlie  Defenders  of  Public  Security,  as  the  vigi- 
lantes called  themselves.  He  announced  his 
intention  of  arresting  and  punishing  every  man 
who  had  taken  part  in  the  banishment  of  Gov- 
ernor Victoria.  He  summoned  Don  Abel 
Stearns  to  Monterey  and  threatened  to  have  him 
shot  for  some  imaginary  offense.  He  fulminated 
a  fierce  pronunciamento  against  foreigners,  that 
incurred  their  w-rath,  and  made  himself  so  odious 
that  he  was  hated  by  all,  native  or  foreigner. 
He  was  a  centralist  and  .opposed  to  popular 
rights.  Exasperated  beyond  endurance  by  his 
scandalous  conduct  and  unseemly  exhibitions  of 
temper  the  people  of  Monterey  rose  en  masse 
against  him,  and  so  terrified  him  that  he  took 
passage  on  board  a  brig  that  was  lying  in  the 


harbor  and  sailed  for  Mexico  with  the  threat 
that  he  would  return  with  an  armed  force  to 
punish  the  rebellious  Californians,  but  he  never 
came  back  again. 

With  the  enforced  departure  of  Chico,  the 
civil  command  of  the  territory  devolved  upon 
Xicolas  Gutierrez,  who  still  held  the  military 
command.  He  was  of  Spanish  birth  and  a  cen- 
tralist or  anti-federalist  in  politics.  Although  a 
mild  mannered  man  he  seemed  to  be  impressed 
with  the  idea  that  he  must  carry  out  the  arbi- 
trary measures  of  his  predecessor.  Centralism 
was  his  nemesis.  Like  Chico,  he  was  opposed 
to  popular  rights  and  at  one  time  gave  orders 
to  disperse  the  diputacion  by  force.  He  was 
not  long  in  making  himself  unpopular  by  at- 
tempting to  enforce  the  centralist  decrees  of  the 
Mexican   Congress. 

He  quarreled  with  Juan  Bautista  Alvarado, 
the  ablest  of  the  native  Californians.  Alvarado 
and  Jose  Castro  raised  the  standard  of  revolt. 
They  gathered  together  a  small  army  of  ranch- 
eros  and  an  auxiliary  force  of  twenty-five  Amer- 
ican hunters  and  trappers  'under  Graham,  a 
backwoodsman  from  Tennessee.  By  a  strategic 
movement  they  captured  the  Castillo  or  fort 
which  commanded  the  presidio,  where  Gutierrez 
and  the  Mexican  army  officials  were  stationed. 
The  patriots  demanded  the  surrender  of  the 
presidio  and  the  arms.  The  governor  refused. 
The  revolutionists  had  been  able  to  find  but 
a  single  cannon  ball  in  the  castillo,  but  this  was 
sufficient  to  do  the  business.  A  well-directed 
shot  tore  through  the  roof  of  the  governor's 
house,  covering  him  and  his  stafif  with  the  debris 
of  broken  tiles;  that  and  the  desertion  of  most 
of  his  soldiers  to  the  patriots  brought  him  to 
terms.  On  the  5th  of  November,  1836,  he  sur- 
rendered the  presidio  and  resigned  his  authority 
as  governor.  He  and  about  seventy  of  his  ad- 
herents were  sent  aboard  a  vessel  lying  in  the 
harbor  and  shipped  out  of  the  country. 

With  the  Mexican  governor  and  his  officers 
out  of  the  country,  the  next  move  of  Castro  and 
Alvarado  was  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  diputa- 
cion or  territorial  congress.  A  plan  for  the 
independence  of  California  was  adopted.  This, 
which  was  known  afterwards  as  the  Monterey 
plan,   consisted   of  six   sections,   the   most   im- 


HISTORICAL   AXD    r.iOGRAPHlCAL   RECORD. 


103 


portant  of  which  were  as  follows:  "First,  Aha 
California  hereby  declares  itself  independent 
from  Mexico  until  the  Federal  System  of  1824 
is  restored.  Second,  the  same  California  is 
hereby  declared  a  free  and  sovereign  state;  es- 
tablishing a  congress  to  enact  the  special  laws 
of  the  country  and  the  other  necessary  supreme 
powers.  Third,  the  Roman  Apostolic  Catholic 
religion  shall  prevail;  no  other  creed  shall  be 
.  allowed,  but  the  government  shall  not  molest 
anyone  on  account  of  his  private  opinions." 
The  diputacion  issued  a  declaration  of  independ- 
ence that  arraigned  the  mother  country,  Mexico, 
and  her  officials  very  much  in  the  style  that  our 
own  Declaration  gives  it  to  King  George  III. 
and  England. 

Castro  issued  a  pronunciamiento,  ending  with 
Viva  La  Federacion!  \'iva  La  Libertad!  Viva 
el  Estado  Libre  y  Soberano  de  Alta  California! 
Thus  amid  vivas  and  proclamations,  with  the 
beating  of  drums  and  the  booming  of  cannon, 
El  Estado  Libre  de  Alta  California  (The  Free 
State  of  Alta  California)  was  launched  on  the 
political  sea.  But  it  was  rough  sailing  for  the 
little  craft.  Her  ship  of  state  struck  a  rock  and 
for  a  time  shipwreck  was  threatened. 

For  years  there  had  been  a  growing  jealousy 
between  Northern  and  Southern  California. 
Los  Angeles,  as  has  been  stated  before,  had  by  a 
decree  of  the  ^Mexican  congress  been  made  the 
capital  of  the  territory.  Monterey  had  per- 
sistently refused  to  give  up  the  governor  and 
the  archives.  In  the  movement  to  make  Alta 
California  a  free  and  independent  state,  the  An- 
geleiios  recognized  an  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  people  of  the  north  to  deprive  them  of  the 
capital.  Although  as  bitterly  opposed  to  ^lex- 
ican  governors,  and  as  active  in  fomenting  revo- 
lutions against  them  as  the  people  of  Monterey, 
the  Angelenos  chose  to  profess  loyalty  to  the 
mother  country.  They  opposed  the  plan  of 
government  adopted  b\-  the  congress  at  Mon- 
terey and  promulgated  a  plan  of  their  own,  in 
which  they  declared  California  was  not  free; 
that  the  "Roman  Catholic  Apostolic  religion 
shall  prevail  in  this  jurisdiction,  and  any  person 
publicly  professing  any  other  shall  be  pros- 
ecuted by  law  as  heretofore."  A  mass  meeting 
was    called   to   take   measures   "to   prevent   the 


si)reading  of  the  Monterey  revolution,  so  that 
the  progress  of  the  nation  may  not  be 
paralj-zed,"  and  to  appoint  a  person  to  take  mil- 
itary command  of  the  department. 

San  Diego  and  San  Luis  Rev  took  the  part 
of  Los  Angeles  in  the  quarrel,  Sonoma  and  San 
Jose  joined  JNIonterey,  while  Santa  Barbara,  al- 
ways conservative,  was  undecided,  but  finally 
issued  a  plan  of  her  own.  Alvarado  and  Castro 
determined  to  suppress  the  revolutionary  An- 
gelenos. They  collected  a  force  of  one  hun- 
dred men,  made  up  of -natives,  with  Graham's 
contingent  of  twenty-five  American  riflemen. 
With  this  army  the}'  prepared  to  move  against 
the   recalcitrant   surehos. 

The  a^untamiento  of  Los  Angeles  began 
preparations  to  resist  the  invaders.  An  army  of 
two  hundred  and  seventy  men  was  enrolled,  a 
part  of  which  was  made  up  of  neoph)-tes.  To  se- 
cure the  sinews  of  war  Jose  Sepulveda,  second  al- 
calde, was  sent  to  the  Mission  San  Fernando 
to  secure  what  money  there  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  major  domo.  He  returned  with  two  pack- 
ages, which,  when  counted,  were  found  to  con- 
tain $2,000. 

Scouts  patrolled  the  Santa  Barbara  road  as 
far  as  San  Buenaventura  to  give  warning  of  the 
approach  of  the  enemy,  and  pickets  guarded  the 
Pass  of  Cahuenga  and  the  Rodeo  de  Las  Aguas 
to  prevent  northern  spies  from  entering  and 
southern  traitors  from  getting  out  of  the  pueblo. 
The  southern  army  was  stationed  at  San  Fer- 
nando under  the  command  of  Alferez  (Lieut.) 
Rocha.  Alvarado  and  Castro,  pushing  down  the 
coast,  reached  Santa  Barbara,  where  they  were 
kindly  received  and  their  force  recruited  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  men  with  two  pieces  of 
artillery.  Jose  Sepulveda  at  San  Fernando  sent 
to  Los  Angeles  for  the  cannon  at  the  town 
house  and  $200  of  the  mission  money  to  pay  his 
men. 

On  the  1 6th  of  January,  1837,  Alvarado  from 
San  Buenaventura  dispatched  a  communication 
to  the  ayuntamiento  of  Los  Angeles  and  the 
citizens,  telling  them  vhat  military  resources 
he  had,  which  he  would  use  against  them  if  it 
became  necessary,  but  he  was  willing  to  confer 
upon  a  plan  of  settlement.  Sepulveda  and  An- 
tonio  M.   Oslo   were   appointed   commissioners 


104 


HISTORICAL  AXD   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  sent  to  confer  with  the  governor,  armed 
with  several  propositions,  the  substance  of 
which  was  that  California  shall  not  be  free  and 
the  Catholic  religion  must  prevail  with  the 
privilege  to  prosecute  any  other  religion,  "ac- 
cording to  law  as  heretofore."  The  commission- 
ers met  Alvarado  on  "neutral  ground,"  between 
San  Fernando  and  San  Buenaventura.  A  long 
discussion  followed  without  either  coming  to  the 
point.  Alvarado,  by  a  coup  d'etat,  brought  it 
to  an  end.  In  the  language  of  the  commission- 
ers' report  to  the  ayuntamiento:  "While  we 
were  a  certain  distance  from  our  own  forces  with 
only  four  unarmed  men  and  were  on  the  point  of 
coming  to  an  agreement  with  Juan  B.  Alvarado, 
we  saw  the  Alonterey  division  advancing  upon 
us  and  we  were  forced  to  deliver  up  the  instruc- 
tions of  this  illustrious  body  through  fear  of 
being  attacked."  They  delivered  up  not  only 
the  instructions,  but  the  Mission  San  Fer- 
nando. The  southern  army  was  compelled  to 
surrender  it  and  fall  back  on  the  pueblo,  Rocha 
swearing  worse  than  "our  army  in  Flanders" 
because  he  was  not  allowed  to  fight.  The  south- 
ern soldiers  had  a  wholesome  dread  of  Gra- 
ham's riflemen.  These  fellows,  armed  with  long 
Kentucky  rifles,  shot  to  kill,  and  a  battle  once 
begun  somebody  would  have  died  for  his  coun- 
try and  it  woula  not  have  been  Alvarado's  rifle- 
men. 

The  day  after  the  surrender  of  the  mission, 
January  21,  1837,  the  ayuntamiento  held  a  ses- 
sion and  the  members  were  as  obdurate  and 
belligerent  as  ever.  They  resolved  that  it  was 
only  in  the  interests  of  humanity  that  the  mis- 
sion had  been  surrendered  and  their  army 
forced  to  retire.  "This  ayuntamiento,  consider- 
ing the  commissioners  were  forced  to  comply, 
annuls  all  action  of  the  commissioners  and  does 
not  recognize  this  territory  as  a  free  and  sov- 
ereign state  nor  Juan  B.  Alvarado  as  its  gov- 
ernor, and  declares  itself  in  favor  of  the  Supreme 
Government  of  Mexico."  A  few  days  later  Al- 
varado entered  the  city  without  opposition,  the 
Angelenian  soldiers  retiring  to  San  Gabriel  and 
from  there  scattering  to  their  homes. 

On  the  26th  of  January  an  extraordinary 
session  of  the  most  illustrious  ayuntamiento  was 
held.    Alvarado  was  present  and  made  a  lengthy 


speech,  in  which  he  said,  "The  native  sons  were 
subjected  to  ridicule  by  the  Mexican  mandarins 
sent  here,  and  knowing  our  rights  we  ought  to 
shake  off  the  ominous  yoke  of  bondage."  Then 
he  produced  and  read  the  six  articles  of  the 
Monterey  plan,  the  council  also  produced  a  plan 
and  a  treaty  of  amity  was  effected.  Alvarado 
was  recognized  as  governor  pro  tern,  and  peace 
reigned.  The  belligerent  surenos  vied  with  each 
other  in  expressing  their  admiration  for  the  new- 
order  of  things.  Pio  Pico  wished  to  ex- 
press the  pleasure  it  gave  him  to  see  a  "hijo 
del  pais"  in  office.  And  Antonio  Oslo, 
the  most  belligerent  of  the  sureiios,  declared 
"that  sooner  than  again  submit  to  a  Mexican 
dictator  as  governor,  he  would  flee  to  the  forest 
and  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts."  The  ayunta- 
miento was  asked  to  provide  a  building  for  the 
government,  "this  being  the  capital  of  the  state." 
The  hatchet  apparently  was  buried.  Peace 
reigned  in  El  Estado  Libre.  At  the  meeting  of 
the  town  council,  on  the  30th  of  January,  Al- 
varado made  another  speech,  but  it  was  neither 
conciliatory  nor  complimentary.  He  arraigned 
the  "traitors  who  were  working  against  the 
peace  of  the  country"  and  urged  the  members  to 
take  measures  "to  liberate  the  city  from  the 
hidden  hands  that  will  tangle  them  m  their  own 
ruin."  The  pay  of  his  troops  who  were  ordered 
here  for  the  welfare  of  California  is  due  "and 
it  is  an  honorable  and  preferred  debt,  therefore 
the  ayuntamiento  will  deliver  to  the  government 
the  San  Fernando  money,"  said  he.  With  a 
wry  face,  very  much  such  as  a  boy  wears  when 
he  is  told  that  he  has  been  spanked  for  his  own 
good,  the  alcalde  turned  over  the  balance  of 
the  mission  money  to  Juan  Bautista,  and  the 
governor  took  his  departure  for  ^Monterey, 
leaving,  however,  Col.  Jose  Castro  with  part  of 
his  army  stationed  at  Mission  San  Gabriel,  os- 
tensibly "to  support  the  city's  authority,"  but  in 
reality  to  keep  a  close  watch  on  the  city  author- 
ities. 

Los  Angeles  was  subjugated,  peace  reigned 
and  El  Estado  Libre  de  Alta  California  took  her 
place  among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  But 
peace's  reign  was  brief.  At  the  meeting  of  the 
ayuntamiento  ]\Tay  27,  1838,  Juan  Bandini  and 
Santiago  E.  Arguello  of  San  Diego,  appeared 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIUGIL^PHICAL   RECORD. 


105 


with  a  pronunciamiento  and  a  plan,  San 
Diego's  plan  of  government.  Monterey,  Santa 
Barbara  and  Los  Angeles  had  each  formulated 
a  plan  of  government  for  the  territory,  and  now 
it  was  San  Diego's  turn.  Agustin  V.  Zamorano, 
who  had  been  exiled  with  Governor  Gutierrez, 
had  crossed  the  frontier  and  was  made  comand- 
ante-general  and  territorial  political  chief  ad 
interim  by  the  San  Diego  revolutionists.  The 
plan  restored  California  to  obedience  to  the 
supreme  government;  all  acts  of  the  diputa- 
cion  and  the  Alonterey  plan  were  annulled  and 
the  northern  rebels  were  to  be  arraigned  and 
tried  for  their  part  in  the  revolution;  and  so  on 
through  twenty  articles. 

On  the  plea  of  an  Indian  outbreak  near  San 
Diego,  in  which  the  redmen,  it  was  said,  "wece 
to  make  an  end  of  the  white  race,"  the  big  can- 
non and  a  number  of  men  were  secured  at  Los 
.\ngeles  to  assist  in  suppressing  the  Indians, 
but  in  reality  to  reinforce  the  army  of  the  San 
Diego  revolutionists.  With  a  force  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  men  under  Zamorano  and 
Portilla,  "the  army  of  the  supreme  government" 
moved  against  Castro  at  Los  Angeles.  Castro 
retrqated  to  Santa  Barbara  and  Portilla's  army 
took  position  at  San  Fernando. 

The  civil  and  military  officials  of  Los  .\ngeles 
took  the  oath  to  support  the  Mexican  consti- 
tution of  1836  and.  in  their  opinion,  this 
absolved  them  from  all  allegiante  to  Juan  Bau- 
tista  and  his  Monterey  plan.  Alvarado  luirried 
reinforcements  to  Castro  at  Santa  Barbara,  and 
Tortilla  called  loudly  for  "men,  arms  and 
horses,"  to  march  against  the  northern  rebels. 
But  neither  militar)'  chieftain  advanced,  and  the 
summer  wore  away  without  a  battle.  There 
were  rumors  that  Mexico  was  preparing  to  send 
an  army  of  one  thousand  men  to  subjugate  the 
rebellious  Californians.  In  October  came  the 
news  that  Jose  Antonio  Carrillo,  the  Machiavelli 
of  California  politics,  had  persuaded  President 
Bustamente  to  appoint  Carlos  Carrillo,  Jose's 
brother,  governor  of  Alta  California. 

Then  consternation  seized  the  arribehos  (up- 
pers) of  the  north  and  the  abajenos  (lowers)  of 
Los  Angeles  went  wild  with  joy.  It  was  not 
that  they  loved  Carlos  Carrillo,  for  he  was  a 
-Santa  Barbara  man  and  had  opposed  them  in 


the  late  unpleasantness,  but  they  saw  in  his  ap- 
pointment an  opportunity  to  get  revenge  on 
Juan  Bautista  for  the  way  he  had  humiliated 
them.  They  sent  congratulatory  messages  to 
Carrillo  and  invited  him  to  make  Los  .\ngeles 
the  seat  of  his  government.  Carrillo  was  flat- 
tered by  their  attentions  and  consented.  The 
6th  of  December,  1837,  was  set  for  his  inaugura- 
tion, and  great  preparations  were  made  for  the 
event.  The  big  cannon  was  brought  over  from 
San  Gabriel  to  fire  salutes  and  the  city  was 
ordered  illuminated  on  the  nights  of  the  6th, 
7th  and  8th  of  December.  Cards  of  invitation 
were  issued  and  the  people  from  the  city  and 
country  were  invited  to  attend  the  inauguration 
ceremonies,  "dressed  as  decent  as  possible,"  so 
read  the  invitations. 

The  widow  Josefa  Alvarado's  house,  the  fin- 
est in  the  city,  was  secured  for  the  governor's 
])alacio  (palace).  The  largest  hall  in  the  city 
was  secured  for  the  services  and  decorated  as 
well  as  it  was  possible.  The  city  treasury,  being 
in  its  usual'  state  of  collapse,  a  subscription  for 
defraying  the  expenses  was  opened  and  horses, 
hides  and  tallow,  the  current  coin  of  the  pueblo, 
were  liberally  contributed. 

On  the  appointed  day,  "the  most  illustrious 
ayuntamiento  and  the  citizens  of  the  neighbor- 
hood (sothe  old  archives  read)  met  his  excellency, 
the  governor,  Don  Carlos  Carrillo,  who  made 
his  appearance  with  a  magnificent  accompani- 
ment." The  secretary,  Xarciso  Botello,  "read  in 
a  loud,  clear  and  intelligible  voice,  the  oath,  and 
the  governor  repeated  it  after  him."  At  the 
moment  the  oath  was  completed,  the  artillery 
thundered  forth  a  salute  and  the  bells  rang  out 
a  merry  peal.  The  governor  made  a  speech, 
when  all  adjourned  to  the  church,  where  a  mass 
was  said  and  a  solemn  Te  Deum  sung:  after 
w  hich  all  repaired  to  the  house  of  his  excellency, 
where  the  southern  patriots  drank  his  health  in 
bumpers  of  wine  and  shouted  themselves  hoarse 
in  vivas  to  the  new  government.  An  inaugura- 
tion ball  was  held — the  "beauty  and  the  chivalry 
of  the  south  were  gathered  there."  Outside  the 
tallow  dips  flared  and  flickered  from  the  porticos 
of  the  house,  bonfires  blazed  in  the  streets  and 
cannon  boomed  salvos  from  the  old  plaza.  Los 
Angeles  was  the  capital  at  last  and  had  a  gov- 


106 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


cnior  all  to  herself,  tor  Santa  Barbara  refused 
to  recognize  Carrillo,  although  he  belonged 
within  its  jurisdiction. 

The  Angelehos  determined  to  subjugate  the 
Barbarenos.  An  army  of  two  hundred  men. 
under  Castenada,  was  sent  to  capture  the  city. 
After  a  few  futile  demonstrations,  Castenada's 
.forces  fell  back  to  San  Buenaventura. 

Then  Alvarado  determined  to  subjugate  the 
Angelenos.  He  and  Castro,  gathering  together 
an  army  of  two  hundred  men,  by  forced  marches 
reached  San  Buenaventura,  and  by  a  strategic 
movement  captured  all  of  Castenada's  horses 
and  drove  his  army  into  the  mission  church. 
For  two  days  the  battle  raged  and,  "cannon  to 
the  right  of  them,"  and  "cannon  in  front  of  them 
volleyed  and  thundered."  One  man  was  killed 
on  the  northern  side  and  the  blood  of  several 
mustangs  watered  tlie  soil  of  their  native  land — 
died  for  their  countr)-.  The  southerners  slipped 
out  of  the  church  at  night  and  fled  up  the  val- 
ley on  foot.  Castro's  caballeros  captured  about 
seventy  prisoners.  Pio  Pico,  with  reinforce- 
ments, met  the  remnant  of  Castenada's  army  at 
the  Santa  Clara  river,  and  together  all  fell  back 
to  Los  Angeles.  Then  there  was  wailing  in  the 
old  pueblo,  where  so  lately  there  had  been  re- 
joicing. Gov.  Carlos  Carrillo  gathered  to- 
gether what  men  he  could  get  to  go  with  him 
and  retreated  to  San  Diego.  Alvarado's  army 
took  possession  of  the  southern  capital  and 
some  of  the  leading  conspirators  were  sent  as 
prisoners  to  the  Castillo  at  Sonoma. 

Carrillo,  at  San  Diego,  received  a  small  re- 
inforcement from  Mexico,  under  a  Captain 
Tobar.  Tobar  was  made  general  and  given 
command  of  the  southern  army.  Carrillo,  hav- 
ing recovered  from  his  fright,  sent  an  order  to 
the  northern  rebels  to  surrender  within  fifteen 
days  under  penalty  of  being  shot  as  traitors  if 
they  refused.  In  the  meantime  Los  Angeles 
was  held  by  the  enemy.  The  second  alcalde 
(the  first,  Louis  Aranas,  was  a  prisoner)  called 
a  meeting  to  devise  some  means  "to  have  his 
excellency,  Don  Carlos  Carrillo,  return  to  this 
capital,  as  his  presence  is  very  much  desired  by 
the  citizens  to  protect  their  lives  and  property." 
.\  committee  was  appointed  to  locate  Don 
Carlos. 


Instead  of  surrendering,  Castro  and  Alvarado, 
with  a  force  of  two  hundred  men,  advanced 
against  Carrillo.  The  two  armies  met  at  Campo 
de  Las  Flores.  General  Tobar  had  fortified  a 
cattle  corral  with  rawhides,  carretas  and  Cot- 
tonwood poles.  A  few  shots  from  Alvarado's 
artillery  scattered  Tobar's  rawhide  fortifications. 
Carrillo  surrendered.  Tobar  and  a  few  of  the 
leaders  escaped  to  Alexico.  Alvarado  ordered 
the  misguided  Angelehian  soldiers  to  go  home 
and  behave  themselves.  He  brought  the  captive 
governor  back  with  him  and  left  him  with  his 
(Carrillo's)  wife  at  Santa  Barbara,  who  becarhe 
surety  for  the  deposed  ruler.  Not  content  with 
his  unfortunate  attempts  to  rule,  he  again 
claimed  the  governorship  on  the  plea  that  he 
had  been  appointed  by  the  supreme  government. 
But  the  Angelehos  had  had  enough  of  him. 
Disgusted  with  his  incompetency,  Juan  Gallardo, 
at  the  session  of  JMay  14,  1838,  presented  a  pe- 
tition praying  that  this  ayuntamiento  do  not  rec- 
ognize Carlos  Carrillo  as  governor,  and  setting 
forth  the  reasons  why  we,  the  petitioners, 
"should  declare  ourselves  subject  to  the  north- 
ern governor"  and  why  they  opposed  Car- 
rillo. 

"First.  In  having  compromised  the  people 
from  San  Buenaventura  south  into  a  declara- 
tion of  war,  the  incalculable  calamities  of  which 
will  never  be  forgotten,  not  even  by  the  most 
ignorant. 

"Second.  Not  satisfied  with  the  unfortunate 
event  of  San  Buenaventura,  he  repeated  the 
same  at  Campo  de  Las  Flores,  which,  only 
through  a  divine  dispensation,  California  is  not 
to-day  in  mourning."  Seventy  citizens  signed 
the  petition,  but  the  city  attorney,  who  had  done 
time  in  \'allejo"s  Castillo,  decided  the  petition  il- 
legal because  it  was  written  on  common  paper 
when  paper  with  the  proper  seal  could  be  ob- 
tained. 

Next  day  Gallardo  returned  with  his  petition 
on  legal  paper.  Tlie  ayuntaniiento  decided  to 
sound  the  "public  alarm"  and  call  the  people  to- 
gether to  give  them  "public  speech."  The  pub- 
lic alarm  was  sounded.  The  people  assembled 
at  the  city  hall;  speeches  were  made  on  botli 
sides:  and  when  the  vote  was  taken  twenty-two 
were   in   favor  of  the   northern   governor,   five 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


107 


ill  favor  of  wliatevcr  the  ayuntamiento  decides, 
and  Serbulo  Vareles  alone  voted  for  Don  Carlos 
Carrillo.  So  the  council  decided  to  recognize 
Don  Juan  Bautista  Alvarado  as  governor  and 
leave  the  supreme  government  to  settle  the  con- 
test between  him  and  Carrillo. 

Notwithstanding  this  apparent  burying  of  the 
hatchet,  there  were  rumors  of  plots  and  in- 
trigues in  Los  Angeles  and  San  Diego  against 
Alvarado.  At  length,  aggravated  beyond  en- 
durance, the  governor  sent  word  to  the  surenos 
that  if  they  did  not  behave  themselves  he  wouUl 
shoot  ten  of  the  leading  men  of  the  south.  As 
he  had  about  that  number  locked  up  in  the 
Castillo  at  Sonoma,  his  was  no  idle  threat.  One 
by  one  Alvarado's  prisoners  of  state  were  re- 
leased from  \'allejo's  bastile  at  Sonoma  and  re- 
turned to  Los  Angeles,  sadder  if  not  wiser  men. 
At  the  session  of  the  ayuntamiento  October  20, 
1838,  the  president  announced  that  Senior 
Regidor  Jose  Palomares  had  returned  from 
Sonoma,  where  he  had  been  compelled  to  go 
by  reason  of  "political  dififerences,"  and  that  he 
should  be  allowed  his  seat  in  the  council.  The 
request  was  granted  unanimously. 

At  the  ne.xt  meeting  Narciso  Botello,  its  for- 
mer secretary,  after  five  and  a  half  months'  im- 
prisonment at  Sonoma,  put  in  an  appearance  and 
claimed  his  office  and  his  pay.  .Vlthough  others 
had  filled  the  office  in  the  interim  the  illustrious 
ayuntamiento,  "ignoring  for  what  offense  he  was 
incarcerated,  could  not  suspend  his  salary." 
But  his  salary  was  suspended.  The  treasury 
was  empty.  The  last  horse  and  the  last  hide  had 
licen  paid  out  to  defray  the  expense  of  the  in- 
auguration festivities  of  Carlos,  the  Pretender, 
and  the  civil  war  that  followed.  Indeed  there 
was  a  treasury  deficit  of  whole  caballadas  of 
horses,  and  bales  of  hides.     Narciso's  back  pay 


was  a  preferred  claim  that  outlasted  E\  Estado 
Libre. 

The  surenos  of  Los  Angeles  and  San  Diego, 
finding  that  in  Alvarado  tliey  had  a  man  of  cour- 
age and  determination  to  deal  with,  ceased  from 
troubling  him  and  submitted  to  the  inevitable. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  ayuntamiento,  October  5, 
1839,  a  notification  was  received,  stating  that  the 
supreme  government  of  Mexico  had  appointed 
Juan  Bautista  Alvarado  governor  of  the  depart- 
ment. There  was  no  grumbling  or  dissent.  On 
the  contrary,  the  records  say,  "This  illustrious 
body  acknowledges  receipt  of  the  communica- 
tion and  congratulated  his  excellency.  It  will 
announce  the  same  to  the  citizens  to-morrow 
(Sunda}-),  will  raise  the  national  colors,  salute 
the  same  with  the  required  number  of  volleys, 
and  will  invite  the  people  to  illuminate  their 
houses  for  a  better  display  in  rejoicmg  at  such 
a  happy  appointment."  With  his  appointment 
by  the  supreme  government  the  "free  and  sov- 
ereign state  of  Alta  California"  became  a  dream 
of  the  past — a  dead  nation.  Indeed,  months  be- 
fore Alvarado  had  abandoned  his  idea  of  found- 
ing an  independent  state  and  had  taken  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  the  constitution  of  1836.  The 
loyal  surenos  received  no  thanks  from  the  su- 
preme government  for  all  their  professions  of 
loyalty,  whilst  the  rebellious  arribenos  of  the 
north  obtained  all  the  rewards — the  governor, 
the  capital  and  the  offices.  The  supreme  gov- 
ernment gave  the  deposed  governor,  Carlos 
Carrillo,  a  grant  of  the  island  of  Santa  Rosa, 
in  the  Santa  Barbara  Channel,  but  whether  it 
was  given  him  as  a  salve  to  his  wounded  dignitv 
or  as  an  Elba  or  St.  Helena,  where,  in  the  event 
of  his  stirring  up  another  revolution,  he  might 
be  banished  a  la  Napoleon,  the  records  do  not 
inform  us. 


108 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

DECLINE    AND    FALL    OF    MEXICAN    DOMINATION. 


WHILE  the  revolution  begun  by  Al- 
varado  and  Castro  had  not  estabhshed 
Cahfornia's  independence,  it  had  effect- 
ually rid  the  territory  of  Mexican  dictators. 
A  native  son  was  governor  of  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Californians  (by  the  constitu- 
tion of  1836  Upper  and  Lower  California  had 
been  united  into  a  department);  another  native 
son  was  comandante  of  its  military  forces.  The 
membership  of  the  departmental  junta,  which 
had  taken  the  place  of  the  diputacion,  was 
largely  made  up  of  sons  of  the  soil,  and  natives 
filled  the  minor  offices.  In  their  zeal  to  rid 
themselves  of  Mexican  office-holders  they  had 
invoked  the  assistance  of  another  element  that 
was  ultimately  to  be  their  undoing. 

During  the  revolutionary  era  just  passed  the 
foreign  population  had  largely  increased.  Not 
only  had  the  foreigners  come  by  sea,  but  they 
had  come  by  land.  Capt.  Jedediah  S.  Smith,  a 
New  England-born  trapper  and  hunter,  was  the 
first  man  to  enter  California  by  the  overland 
route.  A  number  of  trappers  and  hunters  came 
in  the  early  '30s  from  New  Mexico  by  way  of 
the  old  Spanish  trail.  This  immigration  was 
largely  American,  and  was  made  up  of  a  bold, 
adventurous  class  of  men,  some  of  them  not 
the  most  desirable  immigrants.  Of  this  latter 
class  were  some  of  Graham's  followers. 

By  invoking  Graham's  aid  to  put  him  in 
power,  Alvarado  had  fastened  upon  his  shoul- 
ders an  old  Man  of  the  Sea.  It  was  easy  enough 
to  enlist  the  services  of  Graham's  riflemen,  but 
altogether  another  matter  to  get  rid  of  them. 
Now  that  he  was  firmly  established  in  power, 
Alvarado  would,  no  doubt,  have  been  glad  to  be 
rid  entirely  of  his  recent  allies,  but  Graham  and 
his  adherents  were  not  backward  in  giving  him 
to  understand  that  he  owed  his  position  to  them, 
and  they  wert  inclined  to  put  themselves  on  an 
equality  with  him.  This  did  not  comport  with 
his   ideas   of  the  dignity  of  his   office.     To  be 


liailed  by  some  rough  buckskin-clad  trapper 
with  "Ho!  Bautista;  come  here,  1  want  to  speak 
with  you,"  was  an  afifront  to  his  pride  that  the 
governor  of  the  two  Californias  could  not 
quietly  pass  over,  and,  besides,  like  all  of  his 
countrymen,  he  disliked  foreigners. 

There  were  rumors  of  another  revolution,  and 
it  was  not  difficult  to  persuade  Alvarado  that 
the  foreigners  were  plottingto  revolutionize  Cal- 
ifornia. Mexico  had  recently  lost  Texas,  and 
the  same  class  of  "malditos  extranjeros"  (wicked 
strangers)  were  invading  California,  and  would 
ultimately  possess  themselves  of  the  country.  Ac- 
cordingly, secret  orders  were  sent  throughout 
the  department  to  arrest  and  imprison  all  for- 
eigners. Over  one  hundred  men  of  different 
nationalities  were  arrested,  principally  Amer- 
icans and  English.  Of  these  forty-seven  were 
shipped  to  San  Bias,  and  from  there  marched 
overland  to  Tepic,  where  they  were  imprisoned 
for  several  months.  Through  the  efforts  of  the 
British  consul,  Barron,  they  were  released. 
Castro,  who  had  accompanied  the  prisoners  to 
Mexico  to  prefer  charges  against  them,  was 
placed  under  arrest  and  afterwards  tried  by 
court-martial,  but  was  acquitted.  He  had  been 
acting  under  orders  from  his  superiors.  After 
an  absence  of  over  a  year  twenty  of  the  exiles 
landed  at  Monterey  on  their  return  from  Mex- 
ico. Robinson,  who  saw  them  land,  says: 
"They  returned  neatly  dressed,  armed  with  rifles 
and  swords,  and  looking  in  much  better  condi- 
tion than  when  they  were  sent  away,  or  probably 
than  they  had  ever  looked  in  their  lives  before." 
The  Mexican  government  had  been  compelled 
to  pay  them  damages  for  their  arrest  and  im- 
prisonment and  to  return  them  to  California. 
Graham,  the  reputed  leader  of  the  foreigners, 
was  the  owner  of  a  distillery  near  Santa  Cruz, 
and  had  gathered  a  number  of  hard  characters 
around  him.  It  would  have  been  no  loss  had  he 
never  returned. 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lOU 


The  only  other  event  of  importance  during 
Alvarado's  term  as  governor  was  the  capture  of 
Monterey  by  Commodore  Ap  Catesby  Jones,  of 
the  United  States  navy.  This  event  happened 
after  Alvarado's  successor,  Micheltorena,  had 
landed  in  California,  but  before  the  government 
had  been  formally  turned  over  to  him. 

The  following  extract  from  the  diary  of  a 
pioneer,  who  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  affair, 
gives  a  good  description  of  the  capture: 

"Monterey,  Oct.  19,  1842. — At  2  p.  m.  the 
United  States  man-of-war  United  States,  Com- 
modore Ap  Catesby  Jones,  came  to  anchor  close 
alongside  and  in-shore  of  all  the  ships  in  port. 
About  3  p.  m.  Capt.  Armstrong  came  ashore, 
accompanied  by  an  interpreter,  and  went  direct 
to  the  governor's  house,  where  he  had  a  private 
conversation  with  him,  which  proved  to  be  a 
demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  entire  coast  of 
California,  upper  and  lower,  to  the  United 
States  government.  When  he  was  about  to  go 
on  board  he  gave  three  or  four  copies  of  a 
proclamation  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  two  Cali- 
fornias,  assuring  them  of  the  protection  of  their 
lives,  persons  and  property.  In  his  notice  to  the 
governor  (Alvarado)  he  gave  him  only  until  the 
following  morning  at  9  a.  m.  to  decide.  If  he 
received  no  answer,  then  he  would  fire  upon  the 
town." 

"I  remained  on  shore  that  night  and  went 
down  to  the  governor's  with  Mr.  Larkin  and 
Mr.  Eagle.  The  governor  had  had  some  idea 
of  running  away  and  leaving  Monterey  to  its 
fate,  but  was  told  by  Mr.  Spence  that  he  should 
not  go,  and  finally  he  resolved  to  await  the  re- 
sult. At  12  at  nigiit  some  persons  were  sent 
on  board  the  United  States  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor  to  meet  the  commodore 
and  arrange  the  terms  of  the  surrender.  Next 
morning  at  half-past  ten  o'clock  about  one  hun- 
dred sailors  and  fifty  marines  disembarked.  The 
sailors  marched  up  from  the  shore  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  fort.  The  American  colors  were 
hoisted.  The  United  States  fired  a  salute  of  thir- 
teen guns;  it  was  returned  by  the  fort,  which  fired 
twenty-six  guns.  The  marines  in  the  meantime 
had  marched  up  to  the  government  house.  The 
officers  and  soldiers  of  the  California  govern- 
ment were  discharged  and  their  guns  and  other 


arms  taken  possession  of  and  carried  to  the  fort. 
The  stars  and  stripes  now  wave  over  us.  Long 
may  they  wave  here  in  California!" 

"Oct.  21,  4  p.  m. — Flags  were  again  changed, 
the  vessels  were  released,  and  all  was  quiet  again. 
The  commodore  had  received  later  news  bv 
some  Me.xican  newspapers." 

Commodore  Jones  had  been  stationed  at  Cal- 
lao  with  a  squadron  of  four  vessels.  An  English 
lleet  was  also  there,  and  a  French  fleet  was 
cruising  in  the  Pacific.  Both  these  were  sup- 
posed to  have  designs  on  California.  Jones 
learned  that  the  English  admiral  had  received 
orders  to  sail  ne.xt  day.  Surmising  that  his  des- 
tination might  be  California,  he  slipped  out  of 
the  harbor  the  night  before  and  crowded  all  sail 
to  reach  California  before  the  English  admiral. 
The  loss  of  Texas,  and  the  constant  influx  of  im- 
migrants and  adventurers  from  the  United 
States  into  California,  had  embittered  the  Mex- 
ican government  more  and  more  against 
foreigners.  Manuel  Micheltorena.  who  had 
served  under  Santa  Anna  in  the  Texas  war, 
was  appointed  January  19,  1842,  comandante- 
general  inspector  and  gobernador  propietario  of 
the  Californias. 

Santa  Anna  was  president  of  the  Alexican  re- 
public. His  experience  with  Americans  in 
Texas  during  the  Texan  war  of  independence, 
in  1836-37,  had  decided  him  to  use  every 
effort  to  prevent  California  from  sharing  the  fate 
of  Texas. 

Micheltorena,  the  newly-appointed  governor, 
was  instructed  to  take  with  him  sufficient  force 
to  check  the  ingress  of  Americans.  He  recruited 
a  force  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  prin- 
cipally convicts  enlisted  from  the  prisons  of 
Mexico.  His  army  of  thieves  and  ragamuffins 
landed  at  San  Diego  in  August,  1842. 

Robinson,  who  was  at  San  Diego  when  one 
of  the  vessels  conveying  Micheltorena's  cholos 
(convicts)  landed,  thus  describes  them:  "Five 
days  afterward  the  brig  Chato  arrived  with 
ninety  soldiers  and  their  families.  I  saw  them 
land,  and  to  me  they  presented  a  state  of 
wretchedness  and  misery  unequaled.  Not  one 
individual  among  them  possessed  a  jacket  or 
pantaloons,  but,  naked,  and  like  the  savage  In- 
dians, they   concealed   their   nudity   with   dirty, 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


miserable  blankets.  The  females  were  not  much 
better  off,  for  the  scantiness  of  their  mean  ap- 
parel was  too  apparent  for  modest  observers. 
They  appeared  like  convicts,  and,  indeed,  the 
greater  portion  of  them  had  been  charged  with 
crime,  either  of  murder  or  theft." 

Micheltorena  drilled  his  I-"alstafifian  army  at 
San  Diego  for  several  weeks  and  then  began  his 
march  northward;  Los  Angeles  made  great 
preparations  to  receive  the  new  governor.  Seven 
years  had  passed  since  she  had  been  decreed  the 
capital  of  the  territory,  and  in  all  these  years 
she  had  been  denied  her  rights  by  Monterey. 
A  favorable  impression  on  the  new  governor 
might  induce  him  to  make  the  ciudad  his  capital. 
The  national  fiesta  of  September  i6  was  post- 
poned until  the  arrival  of  the  governor.  The 
best  house  in  the  town  was  secured  for  him 
and  his  staff.  A  grand  ball  was  projected 
and  the  city  illuminated  the  night  of  his  arrival. 
A  camp  was  established  down  by  the  river  and 
the  cholos,  who  in  the  meantime  had  been  given 
white  linen  uniforms,  were  put  through  the  drill 
and  the  manual  of  arms.  They  were  incorrigible 
thieves,  and  stole  for  the  very  pleasure  of  steal- 
ing. They  robbed  the  hen  roosts,  the  orchards, 
the  vineyards  and  the  vegetable  gardens  of  the 
citizens.  To  the  Angelenos  the  glory  of  their 
city  as  the  capital  of  the  territory  faded  in  the 
presence  of  their  empty  chicken  coops  and 
plundered  orchards.  They  longed  to  speed  the 
departure  of  their  now  unwelcome  guests.  After 
a  stay  of  a  month  in  the  city  Micheltorena  and 
his  army  took  up  their  line  of  march  northward. 
He  reached  a  point  about  twenty  miles  north 
of  San  Fernando,  when,  on  the  night  of  the 
24th  of  October,  a  messenger  aroused  him  from 
his  slumbers  with  the  news  that  the  capital  had 
been  captured  by  the  Americans.  Micheltorena 
seized  the  occasion  to  make  political  capital  for 
himself  with  the  home  government.  He  spent 
the  remainder  of  the  night  in  fulminating  proc- 
lamations against  the  invaders  fiercer  than  the 
thunderbolts  of  Jove,  copies  of  which  were  dis- 
patched post  haste  to  Mexico.  He  even  wished 
himself  a  thunderbolt  "that  he  might  fly  over 
intervening  space  and  annihilate  the  invaders," 
Then,  with  his  own  courage  and  doubtless  that 
of  his  brave    cholos    aroused    to    the  highest 


pitch,  instead  of  rushing  on  the  invaders,  he  and 
his  arm)'  fled  back  to  San  Fernando,  where, 
afraid  to  advance  or  retreat,  he  halted  until  news 
reached  him  that  Commodore  Jones  had  re- 
stored Monterey  to  the  Californians.  Then  his 
valor  reached  the  boiling  point.  He  boldly 
marched  to  Los  Angeles,  established  his  head- 
quarters in  the  city  and  awaited  the  coming 
of  Commodore  Jones  and  his  officers  from  Mon- 
terey. 

On  the  19th  of  January,  1843,  Commodore 
Jones  and  his  staff  came  to  Los  Angeles  to  meet 
the  governor.  At  the  famous  conference  in 
the  Palacio  de  Don  Abel,  Micheltorena  pre- 
sented his  articles  of  convention.  Among  other 
ridiculous  demands  were  the  following:  "Ar- 
ticle \T.  Thomas  Ap  C.  Jones  will  deliver  fif- 
teen hundred  complete  infantry  uniforms  to  re- 
place those  of  nearly  one-half  of  the  Mexican 
force,  which  have  been  ruined  in  the  violent 
march  and  the  continued  rains  while  they  were 
on  their  way  to  recover  the  port  thus  invaded." 
"Article  VII.  Jones  to  pay  $15,000  into  the 
national  treasury  for  expenses  incurred  from  the 
general  alarm;  also  a  complete  set  of  musical 
instruments  in  place  of  those  ruined  on  this 
occasion."*  Judging  from  Robinson's  descrip- 
tion of  the  dress  of  Micheltorena's  cholos  it  is 
doubtful  whether  there  was  an  entire  uniform 
among  them. 

"The  commodore's  first  impulse,"  writes  a 
member  of  his  staff,  "was  to  return  the  papers 
without  comment  and  to  refuse  further  com- 
munication with  a  man  who  could  have  the  ef- 
frontery to  trump  up  such  charges  as  those  for 
which  indemnification  was  claimed."  The  com- 
modore on  reflection  put  aside  his  personal  feel- 
ings, and  met  the  governor  at  the  grand  ball  in 
Sanchez  hall,  held  in  honor  of  the  occasion. 
The  ball  was  a  brilliant  affair,  "the  dancing 
ceased  only  with  the  rising  of  the  sun  next 
morning."  The  commodore  returned  the  articles 
without  his  signature.  The  governor  did  not 
again  refer  to  his  demands.  Next  morning. 
January  21,  1843,  Jones  and  his  officers  took 
their  departure  from  the  city  "amidst  the  beat- 
ing of  drums,  the  firing  of  cannon  and  the  ring- 


*Bancroft's  History  of  California,  Vol.  IV. 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


mg  of  bells,  saluted  by  the  general  and  his  wife 
from  the  door  of  their  quarters.  On  the  31st 
of  December,  Micheltorena  had  taken  the  oath 
of  office  in  Sanchez'  hall,  which  stood  on  the 
east  side  of  the  plaza.  Salutes  were  fired,  the 
bells  were  rung  and  the  city  was  illuminated 
for  three  evenings.  For  the  second  time  a  gov- 
ernor had  been  inaugurated  in  Los  Angeles. 

JMicheltorena  and  his  cholo  army  remained  in 
Los  Angeles  about  eight  months.  The  An- 
gelenos  had  all  the  capital  they  cared  for.  They 
were  perfectly  willing  to  have  the  governor  and 
his  army  take  up  their  residence  in  Monterey. 
The  cholos  had  devoured  the  country-  like  an 
army  of  chapules  (locusts)  and  were  willing  to 
move  on.  Alonterey  would  no  doubt  have  gladly 
transferred  what  right  she  had  to  the  capital 
if  at  the  same  time  she  could  have  transferred 
to  her  old  rival,  Los  Angeles,  Alicheltorena's 
cholos.  Their  pilfering  was  largely  enforced 
by  their  necessities.  They  received  little  or  no 
pay,  and  they  often  had  to  steal  or  starve.  The 
leading  native  Californians  still  entertained  their 
old  dislike  to  "Alexican  dictators"  and  the  ret- 
inue of  three  hundred  chicken  thieves  accom- 
panying the  last  dictator  intensified  their  hatred. 

Alicheltorena,  while  not  a  model  governor, 
had  many  good  qualities  and  was  generally  liked 
by  the  better  class  of  foreign  residents.  He 
made  an  earnest  efifort  to  establish  a  system  of 
public  education  in  the  territory.  Schools  were 
established  in  all  the  principal  towns,  and  ter- 
ritorial aid  from  the  public  funds  to  the  amount 
of  $500  each  was  given  them.  The  school  at 
Los  Angeles  had  over  one  hundred  pupils  in 
attendance.  His  worst  fault  was  a  disposition 
to  meddle  in  local  afifairs.  He  was  unreliable 
and  not  careful  to  keep  his  agreements.  He 
might  have  succeeded  in  giving  California  a 
stable  government  had  it  not  been  for  the  antip- 
athy to  his  soldiers  and  the  old  fend  between 
the  "hijos  del  pais"  and  the  Mexican  dictators. 

These  proved  his  undoing.  The  native  sons 
under  Alvarado  and  Castro  rose  in  rebellion. 
In  Xoveniber,  1844,  a  revolution  was  inaugu- 
rated at  Santa  Clara.  The  governor  marched 
with  an  army  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men 
against  the  rebel  forces,  numbering  about  two 
hundred.     They  met  at  a  place  called  the  La- 


yuna  de  Alvires.  A  treaty  was  signed  in  which 
Alicheltorena  agreed  to  ship  his  cholos  back  to 
^lexico. 

This  treaty  the  governor  deliberate!)-  broke. 
He  then  intrigued  with  Capt.  John  A.  Sutter  of 
New  Helvetia  and  Isaac  Graham  to  obtain  as- 
sistance to  crush  the  rebels.  January  y,  1845, 
3tIicheltorena  and  Sutter  formed  a  junction  of 
their  forces  at  Salinas — their  united  commands 
numbering  about  five  hundred  men.  They 
marched  against  the  rebels  to  crush  them.  Hut 
the  rebels  did  not  wait  to  be  crushed.  Alvarado 
and  Castro,  with  about  ninety  men,  started  for 
Los  Angeles,  and  those  left  behind  scattered 
to  their  homes.  Alvarado  and  his  men  reached 
Los  Angeles  on  the  night  of  January  20,  1845. 
The  garrison  stationed  at  the  curate's  house 
was  surprised  and  captured.  One  man  was 
killed  and  several  wounded.  Lieutenant  Me- 
dina, of  Micheltorena's  army,  was  the  com- 
mander of  the  pueblo  troops.  Alvarado's  army 
encamped  on  the  plaza  and  he  and  Castro  set 
to  work  to  revolutionize  the  old  pueblo.  The 
leading  Angelenos  had  no  great  love  for  Juan 
Bautista,  and  did  not  readily  fall  into  his 
schemes.  They  had  not  forgotten  their  en- 
forced detention  in  \'allejo's  bastile  during  the 
Civil  war.  An  extraordinary  session  of  the 
ayuntamiento  was  called  January  21.  Alvarado 
and  Castro  were  present  and  made  eloquent  ap- 
peals. The  records  say:  "The  ayuntamiento 
listened,  and  after  a  short  interval  of  silence  and 
meditation  decided  to  notify  the  senior  member 
of  the  department  assembly  of  Don  Alvarado 
and  Castros'  wishes." 

They  were  more  successful  with  the  Pico 
brothers.  Pio  Pico  was  senior  vocal,  and  in 
case  Micheltorena  was  disposed  he,  by  virtue  of 
his  office,  would  become  governor.  Through 
the  influence  of  the  Picos  the  revolution  gained 
ground.  The  most  potent  influence  in  spread- 
ing the  revolt  was  the  fear  of  Micheltorena's 
army  of  chicken  thieves.  Should  the  town  be 
cajitured  by  them  it  certainly  would  be  looted. 
The  department  assembly  was  called  together. 
.\  peace  connnission  was  sent  to  meet  Michel- 
torena, who  was  leisurely  marching  southward, 
and  intercede  with  him  to  give  up  his  proposed 
invasion  of  the  south.     He  refused.    Then  the 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


assembly  pronounced  him  a  traitor,  deposed 
him  by  vote  and  appointed  Pio  Pico  governor. 
Recruiting  went  on  rapidly.  Hundreds  of  sad- 
dle horses  were  contributed,  "old  rusty  guns 
were  repaired,  hacked  swords  sharpened,  rude 
lances  manufactured"  and  cartridges  made  for 
the  cannon.  Some  fifty  foreigners  of  the  south 
joined  Alvarado's  army;  not  that  they  had 
much  interest  in  the  revolution,  but  to  protect 
their  property  against  the  rapacious  invaders — 
the  cholos — and  Sutter's  Indians,*  who  were  as 
much  dreaded  as  the  cholos.  On  the  19th  of 
February,  Micheltorena  reached  the  Encinos, 
and  the  Angelenian  army  marched  out  through 
Cahuenga  Pass  to  meet  him.  On  the  20th  the 
two  armies  met  on  the  southern  edge  of  the 
San  Fernando  valley,  about  fifteen  miles  from 
Los  Angeles.  Each  army  numbered  about  four 
hundred  men.  Micheltorena  had  three  pieces 
of  artillery  and  Castro  two.  They  opened  on 
each  other  at  long  range  and  seem  to  have 
fought  the  battle  throughout  at  very  long  range. 
A  mustang  or  a  nuile  (authorities  differ)  was 
killed. 

Wilson,  Workman  and  McKinley  of  Castro's 
army  decided  to  induce  the  .Americans  on  the 
other  side,  many  of  whom  were  their  personal 
friends,  to  abandon  ]\Iicheltorena.  Passing  up 
a  ravine,  they  succeeded  in  attracting  the  atten- 
tion of  some  of  them  by  means  of  a  white  flag. 
Gantt,  Hensley  and  Bidwell  joined  them  in  the 
ravine.  The  situation  was  discussed  and  the 
Americans  of  Micheltorena's  army  agreed  to 
desert  him  if  Pico  would  protect  them  in  their 
land  grants.  Wilson,  in  his  account  of  the  bat- 
tle, says:t  "I  knew,  and  so  did  Pico,  that  these 
land  questions  were  the  point  with  those  young 
Americans.  Before  I  started  on  my  journey  or 
embassy,  Pico  was  sent  for;  on  his  arrival 
among  us  I,  in  a  few  words,  explained  to  him 
what  the  party  had  advanced.  'Gentlemen,'  said 
he,  'are  any  of  you  citizens  of  Mexico?'  They 
answered  'No.'  'Then  your  title  deeds  given 
you  by  Micheltorena  are  not  worth  the  paper 

*Siitter  had  under  liis  cmiiinand  a  company  of  In- 
dians. He  had  drilled  these  in  the  nse  of  firearms. 
The  employing  of  these  savages  hy  Micheltorena  was 
bitterly   resented  by  the  Californians. 

tPuh.  Historical  Society  of  Southern  California, 
Vol.  III. 


they  are  written  on,  and  he  knew  it  well  when 
he  gave  them  to  you;  but  if  you  will  abandon 
his  cause  I  will  give  you  my  word  of  honor  as 
a  gentleman,  and  Don  Benito  Wilson  and  Don 
Juan  Workman  to  carry  out  what  1  promise, 
that  I  will  protect  each  one  of  you  in  the  land 
that  you  now  hold,  and  when  you  become  citi- 
zens of  IMexico  I  will  issue  you  the  proper  ti- 
tles.' They  said  that  was  all  they  asked,  and 
promised  not  to  fire  a  gun  against  us.  They  also 
asked  not  to  be  required  to  fight  on  our  side, 
which  was  agreed  to. 

"Micheltorena  discovered  (how,  I  do  not  know) 
that  his  Americans  had  abandoned  him.  About 
an  hour  afterwards  he  raised  his  camp  and 
Hanked  us  by  going  further  into  the  valley  to- 
wards San  Fernando,  then  marching  as  though 
he  intended  to  come  around  the  bend  of  the 
river  to  the  city.  The  Californians  and  we  for- 
eigners at  once  broke  up  our  camp  and  came 
back  through  the  Cahuenga  Pass,  marched 
through  the  gap  into  the  Feliz  ranch,  on  the 
Los  Angeles  River,  till  we  came  into  close 
proximity  to  Micheltorena's  camp.  It  was  now 
night,  as  it  was  dark  when  we  broke  up  our 
camp.  Here  we  waited  for  daylight,  and  soniL- 
of  our  men  commenced  maneuvering  for  a  fight 
with  the  enemy.  A  few  cannon  shots  were 
fired,  when  a  white  flag  was  discovered  flying 
from  ]\Iicheltorena's  front.  The  whole  matter 
then  went  into  the  hands  of  negotiators  ap- 
pointed by  both  parties  and  the  terms  of  sur- 
render were  agreed  upon,  one  of  which  was  that 
Micheltorena  and  his  obnoxious  officers  and 
men  were  to  march  back  up  the  river  to  the 
Cahuenga  Pass,  then  down  on  the  plain  to  the 
west  of  Los  Angeles,  the  most  direct  line  to 
San  Pedro,  and  embark  at  that  point  on  a  vessel 
then  anchored  there  to  carry  them  back  to  Mex- 
ico." Sutter  was  taken  prisoner,  and  his  Indians, 
after  being  corralled  for  a  time,  were  sent  back 
to  the  Sacramento. 

The  roar  of  the  battle  of  Cahuenga,  or  the 
.\lamo,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  could  be  dis- 
tinctly heard  in  Los  Angeles,  and  the  people 
remaining  in  the  city  were  greatly  alarmed. 
William  Heath  Davis,  in  his  Sixty  Years  in  Cal- 
ifornia, thus  describes  the  alarm  in  the  town; 
"Directly  to  the  north  of  the  town  was  a  high 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRArHICAL   RECORD. 


113 


hill"  (now  known  as  Alt.  Lookout).  "As  soon 
as  firing  was  heard  all  the  people  remaining  in 
the  town,  men,  women  and  children,  ran  to  the 
top  of  this  hill.  As  the  wind  was  blowing  from 
the  north,  the  firing  was  distinctly  heard,  five 
leagues  away,  on  the  battle-field  throughout  the 
day.  All  business  places  in  town  were  closed. 
The  scene  on  the  hill  was  a  remarkable  one, 
women  and  children,  with  crosses  in  their  hands, 
kneelirig  and  praying  to  the  saints  for  the  safety 
of  their  fathers,  brothers,  sons,  husbands,  lovers, 
cousins,  that  they  might  not  be  killed  in  the  bat- 
tle; indififerent  to  their  personal  appearance, 
tears  streaming  from  their  eyes,  and  their  hair 
blown  about  by  the  wind,  which  had  increased 
to  quite  a  breeze.  Don  Abel  Stearns,  myself  and 
others  tried  to  calm  and  pacify  them,  assuring 
them  that  there  was  probably  no  danger:  some- 
what against  our  convictions,  it  is  true,  judg- 
ing from  what  we  heard  of  the  firing  and  from 
our  knowledge  of  Micheltorena's  disciplined 
force,  his  battery,  and  the  riflemen  he  had  with 
him.  During  the  day  the  scene  on  the  hill  con- 
tinued. The  night  that  followed  was  a  gloomy 
one,  caused  by  the  lamentations  of  the  women 
and  children." 

Davis,  w'ho  was  supercargo  on  the  Don 
Quixote,  the  vessel  on  which  Alicheltorena  and 
his  soldiers  were  shipped  to  Mexico,  claims  that 
the  general  "had  ordered  his  command  not  to 
injure  the  Californians  in  the  force  opposed  to 
him,  but  to  fire  over  their  heads,  as  he  had  no 
desire  to  kill  them." 

Another  Mexican-born  governor  had  been 
deposed  and  deported,  gone  to  join  his  fellows, 
Victoria,  Chico  and  Gutierrez.  In  accordance 
with  the  treaty  of  Cahuenga  and  by  virtue  of 
his  rank  as  senior  member  of  the  departmental 
assembly,  Pio  Pico  became  governor.  The  hijos 
del  pais  were  once  more  in  the  ascendency. 
Jose  Castro  was  made  comandante-general.  Al- 
varado  was  given  charge  of  the  custom  house  at 
Monterey,  and  Jose  Antonio  Carrillo  was  ap- 
pointed commander  of  the  military  district  of 
the  south.  Los  Angeles  was  made  the  capital, 
although  the  archives  and  the  treasurv  remained 
in  Alonterey.  The  revolution  apparently  had 
been  a  success.  In  the  proceedings  of  the  Los 
Angeles  ayuntamiento,  March  i,  1845,  appears 


this  record:  "The  agreements  entered  into  at 
Cahuenga  between  Gen.  Emanuel  Michel- 
torena  and  Lieut.-Col.  Jose  Castro  were  then 
read,  and  as  they  contain  a  happy  termination  of 
afifairs  in  favor  of  the  government,  this  Illustri- 
ous Body  listened  with  satisfaction  and  so  an- 
swered the  communication." 

The  people  joined  with  the  ayuntamiento  in 
expressing  their  "satisfaction"  that  a  "happy 
termination"  hatl  been  reached  of  the  political 
ilisturbances  which  had  distracted  the  country. 
But  the  end  was  not  yet.  Pico  did  his  best  to 
conciliate  the  conflicting  elements,  but  the  old 
sectional  jealousies  that  had  divided  the  people 
of  the  territory  would  crop  out.  Jose  Antonio 
Carrillo,  the  Machiavel  of  the  south,  hated  Cas- 
tro and  Alvarado  and  was  jealous  of  Pico's  good 
fortune.  He  was  the  superior  of  any  of  them 
in  ability,  but  made  himself  unpopular  by  his 
intrigues  and  his  sarcastic  speech.  When  Cas- 
tro and  Alvarado  came  south  to  raise  the  stand- 
ard of  revolt  they  tried  to  win  him  over.  He 
did  assist  them.  He  was  willing  enough  to  plot 
against  Micheltorena,  but  after  the  overthrow 
of  the  Mexican  he  was  equally  ready  to  plot 
against  Pico  and  Castro.  In  the  summer  of 
1845  he  was  implicated  in  a  plot  to  depose  Pico, 
who,  by  the  way,  was  his  brother-in-law.  Pico 
placed  him  and  two  of  his  fellow  conspirators, 
Serbulo  and  Hilario  \'arela,  under  arrest.  Car- 
rillo and  Hilario  Varela  were  shipped  to  Mazat- 
lan  to  be  tried  for  their  misdeed.  Serbulo  Va- 
rela made  his  escape  from  prison.  The  two 
exiles  returned  early  in  1846  unpunished  and 
leady  for  new  plots. 

Pico  was  appointed  gobernador  proprictario, 
or  constitutional  governor  of  California,  Sep- 
tember 3,  1845,  by  President  Herrera.  The  su- 
preme government  of  Alexico  never  seemed  to 
lake  ofTense  or  harbor  resentment  against  the 
Californians  for  deposing  and  sending  home  a 
governor.  As  the  officials  of  the  supreme  gov- 
ernment usually  obtained  office  by  revolution, 
they  no  doubt  had  a  fellow  feeling  for  the  revolt- 
ing Californians.  When  Micheltorena  returned 
to  Mexico  he  was  coldly  received  and  a  com- 
missioner was  sent  to  Pico  with  dispatches  vir- 
tually approving  all  that  had  been  done. 

Castro,  too,  gave  Pico  a  great  deal  of  uneasi- 


HISTORICAL   AND    B10GR-\PHICAL   RECORD. 


ness.  He  ignored  the  governor  and  managed 
the  military  affairs  of  the  territory  to  suit  him- 
self. His  headquarters  were  at  Monterey  and 
doubtless  he  had  the  sympathy  if  not  the  en- 
couragement of  the  people  of  the  north  in  his 
course.  But  the  cause  of  the  greatest  uneasi- 
ness was  the  increasing  immigration  from  the 
United  States.  A  stream  of  emigrants  from  the 
western  states,  increasing  each  year,  poured 
down  the  Sierra  Nevadas  and  spread  over  the 
rich  valleys  of  California.  The  Californians  rec- 
ognized that  through  the  advent  of  these  ''for- 
eign adventurers. "as  they  called  them, the  "man- 
ifest destiny" of  California  was  to  be  absorbed  by 
the  United  States.  Alvarado  had  appealed  to 
Me.xico  for  men  and  arms  and  had  been  an- 
swered by  the  arrival  of  Micheltorena  and  his 
cholos.  Pico  appealed  and  for  a  time  the  Cali- 
fornians  were  cheered  by  the  prospect  of  aid. 


In  the  summer  of  1845  ^  force  of  six  hundred 
veteran  soldiers,  under  command  of  Colonel 
Iniestra,  reached  Acapulco,  where  ships  w-ere  ly- 
ing to  take  them  to  California,  but  a  revolution 
broke  out  in  Mexico  and  the  troops  destined  for 
the  defense  of  California  were  used  to  overthrow 
President  Herrera  and  to  seat  Paredes.  Cali- 
fornia was  left  to  work  out  her  own  destiny 
unaided  or  drift  with  the  tide — and  she  drifted. 
In  the  early  months  of  1846  there  was  a  rapid 
succession  of  important  events  in  her  history, 
each  in  passing  bearing  her  near  and  nearer  to 
a  manifest  destiny — the  downfall  of  Mexican 
domination  in  California.  These  will  be  pre- 
sented fully  in  the  chapter  on  the  Acquisition  of 
California  by  the  United  States.  But  before 
taking  up  these  we  will  turn  aside  to  review  life 
in  California  in  the  olden  time  under  Spanish 
and  Mexican  rule. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

MUNICIPAL    GOVERNMENT— HOMES    AND    HOME-LIFE    OF 
THE    CALIFORNIANS. 


UNDER  Spain  the  government  of  Califor- 
nia was  semi-military  and  semi-clerical. 
The  governors  were  military  officers  and 
had  connnand  of  the  troops  in  the  territory,  and 
looked  after  affairs  at  the  pueblos:  the  friars 
were  supreme  at  the  missions.  The  municipal 
government  of  the  pueblos  was  vested  in  ayun- 
tamientos.  The  decree  of  the  Spanish  Cortes 
passed  May  23,  1812,  regulated  the  membership 
of  the  ayuntamiento  according  to  the  popula- 
tion of  the  town — "there  shall  be  one  alcalde 
(mayor),  two  regidores  (councilmen),  and  one 
procurador-syndico  (treasurer)  in  all  towns 
which  do  not  have  more  than  two  hundred  in- 
habitants; one  alcalde,  four  regidores  and  one 
syndico  in  those  the  population  of  which  ex- 
ceeds two  hundred,  but  does  not  exceed  five 
hundred."  When  the  population  of  a  town  ex- 
ceeded one  thousand  it  was  allowed  two  al- 
caldes, eight  regidores  and-  two  syndicos.  Over 
the  members  of  the  ayuntamiento  in  the  early 
years  of  Spanish  rule  was  a  quasi-military  offi- 


cer called  a  comisionado,  a  sort  of  petty  dictator 
or  military  despot,  who,  when  occasion  required 
or  inclination  moved  him,  embodied  within  him- 
self all  three  departments  of  government,  judi- 
ciary, legislative  and  executive.  After  ]Mexico 
became  a  republic  the  office  of  comisionado  was 
abolished.  The  alcalde  acted  as  president  of 
the  ayuntamiento,  as  mayor  and  as  judge  of 
the  court  of  first  instance.  The  second  alcalde 
took  his  place  when  that  officer  was  ill  or  ab- 
sent. The  syndico  was  a  general  utility  man. 
He  acted  as  city  or  town  attorney,  ta.x  collector 
and  treasurer.  The  secretary  was  an  important 
officer;  he  kept  the  records,  acted  as  clerk  of 
the  alcalde's  court  and  was  the  only  municipal 
officer  who  received  pay,  e.xcept  the  syndico, 
who  received  a  commission  on  his  collections. 

In  1837  the  Mexican  Congress  passed  a  decree 
abolishing  ayuntamientos  in  capitals  of  depart- 
ments having  a  population  of  less  than  four 
thousand  and  in  interior  towns  of  less  than 
eight   thousand.     In    1839   Governor   Alvarado 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRArHRAL   RECORD. 


115 


reported  to  the  Departmental  Assembly  that  no 
town  in  California  had  the  requisite  population. 
The  ayuntamientos  all  closed  January  i,  1840. 
They  were  re-established  in  1844.  During  their 
abolition  the  towns  were  governed  by  prefects 
and  justices  of  the  peace,  and  the  special  laws 
or  ordinances  were  enacted  by  the  departmental 
assembly. 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  ayuntamiento  often 
extended  over  a  large  area  of  country  beyond 
the  town  limits.  That  of  Los  Angeles,  after  the 
secularization  of  the  missions,  extended  over  a 
country  as  large  as  the  state  of  Massachusetts. 
The  authority  of  the  ayuntamiento  was  as  ex- 
tensive as  its  jurisdiction.  It  granted  town  lots 
and  recommended  to  the  governor  grants  of 
land  from  the  public  domain.  In  addition  to 
passing  ordinances  its  members  sometimes 
acted  as  executive  officers  to  enforce  them.  It 
exercised  the  powers  of  a  board  of  health,  a 
board  of  education,  a  police  commission  and  a 
street  department.  During  the  civil  war  be- 
tween Northern  and  Southern  California,  in 
1837-38,  the  ayuntamiento  of  Los  Angeles 
raised  and  equipped  an  army  and  assumed  the 
right  to  govern  the  southern  half  of  the  terri- 
tory. 

The  a}untamiento  was  spoken  of  as  ]Muy 
I  lustre  (Most  Illustrious),  in  the  same  sense 
that  we  speak  of  the  honorable  city  council,  but 
it  was  a  much  more  dignified  body  than  a  city 
council.  The  members  were  required  to  attend 
their  public  functions  "attired  in  black  apparel. 
so  as  to  add  solemnity  to  the  meetings."  They 
served  without  pay,  but  if  a  member  was  absent 
from  a  meeting  without  a  good  excuse  he  was 
liable  to  a  fine.  As  there  was  no  pay  in  the  office 
and  its  duties  were  numerous  and  onerous,  there 
was  not  a  large  crop  of  aspirants  for  council- 
men  in  those  days,  and  the  office  usually  sought 
the  man.  It  might  be  added  that  when  it  caught 
the  right  man  it  was  loath  to  let  go  of  him. 

The  misfortunes  that  beset  Francisco  Pantoja 
aptly  illustrate  the  difficuhy  of  resigning  in  the 
days  when  office  sought  the  man,  not  man  the 
office.  Pantoja  was  elected  fourth  regidor  of 
the  ayuntamiento  of  Los  .\ngeles  in  1837.  In 
those  days  wild  horses  were  very  numerous. 
When  the  pasture  in  the  foothills  was  exhausted 


they  came  down  nito  the  valleys  and  ate  up 
the  feed  needed  for  the  cattle.  On  this  account, 
and  because  most  of  these  wild  horses  were 
worthless,  the  rancheros.  slaughtered  them.  A 
corral  was  built  with  wings  extending  out  on 
the  right  and  left  from  the  main  entrance.  When 
the  corral  was  completed  a  day  was  set  for  a 
wild  horse  drive.  The  bands  were  roimded  up 
and  driven  into  the  corral.  The  pick  of  the 
caballados  were  lassoed  and  taken  out  to  be 
broken  to  the  saddle  and  the  refuse  of  the  drive 
killed.  The  \'ejars  had  obtained  permission 
fi-om  the  ayuntamiento  to  build  a  corral  between 
the  Cerritos  and  the  Salinas  for  the  purpose  of 
corralling  wild  horses.  Pantoja,  being  some- 
thing of  a  sport,  petitioned  his  fellow  regidores 
for  a  twenty  days'  leave  of  absence  to  join  in 
the  wild  horse  chase.  A  wild  horse  chase  was 
wild  sport  and  dangerous,  too.  Somebody  was 
sure  to  get  hurt,  and  Pantoja  in  this  one  was 
one  of  the  unfortunates.  When  his  twenty  days' 
leave  of  absence  was  up  he  did  not  return  to 
his  duties  of  regidor,  but  instead  sent  his  res- 
ignation on  plea  of  illness.  His  resignation  was 
not  accepted  and  the  president  of  the  ayunta- 
miento appointed  a  committee  to  investigate 
his  physical  condition.  There  were  no  physi- 
cians in  Los  Angeles  in  those  days,  so  the  com- 
mittee took  along  Santiago  IMcKinley.  a  canny 
Scotch  merchant,  who  was  reputed  to  have  some 
knowledge  of  surgery.  Tlie  committee  and  the 
improvised  surgeon  held  an  ante-mortem  in- 
quest on  what  remained  of  Pantoja.  The  com- 
mittee reported  to  the  council  that  he  was  a 
physical  wreck;  that  he  could  not  mount  a 
horse  nor  ride  one  when  mounted.  A  native 
Californian  who  had  reached  such  a  state  of 
physical  dilapidation  that  he  could  not  mount 
a  horse  might  well  be  excused  froin  official  du- 
ties. To  excuse  him  might  establish  a  danger- 
ous precedent.  The  ayuntamiento  heard  the 
report,  pondered  over  it  and  then  sent  it  and 
the  resignation  to  the  governor.  The  governor 
took  them  under  advisement.  In  the  meantime 
a  revolution  broke  out  and  before  peace  was  re- 
stored and  the  governor  had  time  to  pass  upon 
the  case  Pantoja's  term  had  expired  by  limita- 
tion. 

That   modern   fad   of   reform   legislation,   the 


116 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


referendum,  was  in  full  force  and  effect  in  Cali- 
fornia three-quarters  of  a  century  ago.  When 
some  question  of  great  importance  to  the  com- 
munity was  before  the  ayuntamiento  and  the 
regidores  were  divided  in  opinion,  the  alarma 
publica  or  public  alarm  was  sounded  by  the 
beating  of  the  long  roll  on  the  drum  and  all  the 
citizens  were  summoned  to  the  hall  of  sessions. 
Any  one  hearing  the  alarm  and  not  heed- 
ing it  was  fined  $3.  When  the  citizens  were  con- 
vened the  president  of  the  ayuntamiento,  speak- 
ing in  a  loud  voice,  stated  the  question  and  the 
people  were  given  "public  speech."  The  ques- 
tion was  debated  by  all  who  wished  to  speak. 
When  all  had  had  their  say  it  was  decided  by  a 
show  of  hands. 

The  ayuntamientos  regulated  the  social  func- 
tions of  the  pueblos  as  well  as  the  civic.  Ordi- 
nance 5,  ayuntamiento  proceedings  of  Los 
Angeles,  reads:  "All  individuals  serenading  pro- 
miscuously around  the  street  of  the  city  at  night 
without  first  having  obtained  permission  from 
the  alcalde  will  be  fined  $1.50  for  the  first  of- 
fense, $3  for  the  second  offense,  and  for  the 
third  punished  according  to  law."  Ordinance  4, 
adopted  by  the  ayuntamiento  of  Los  Angeles, 
January  28,  1838,  reads:  "Every  person  not 
having  any  apparent  occupation  in  this  city  or 
its  jurisdiction  is  hereby  ordered  to  look  for 
work  within  three  days,  counting  from  the  day 
this  ordinance  is  published;  if  not  complied 
with,  he  will  be  fined  $2  for  the  first  offense,  $4 
for  the  second  offense,  and  will  be  given  com- 
pulsory work  for  the  third."  From  the  reading 
of  the  ordinance  it  would  seem  if  the  tramp 
kept  looking  for  work,  but  was  careful  not  to 
find  it,  there  could  be  no  offense  and  conse- 
quently no  fines  or  compulsory  work. 

Some  of  the  enactments  of  the  old  regidores 
would  fade  the  azure  out  of  the  blue  laws  of 
Connecticut  in  severity.  In  the  plan  of  gov- 
ernment adopted  by  the  sureiios  in  the  rebellion 
of  1837  appears  this  article:  ".\rticle  3,  The 
Roman  Catholic  Apostolic  religion  shall  pre- 
vail throughout  this  jurisdiction;  and  any  per- 
son professing  publicly  any  other  religion  shall 
be  prosecuted." 

Here  is  a  blue  law  of  IMont'^rey,  enacted 
March  23,  1816:   "All  persons  must  attend  mass 


and  respond  in  a  loud  voice,  and  if  any  person? 
should  fail  to  do  so  without  good  cause  they 
will  be  put  in  the  stocks  for  three  hours." 

The  architecture  of  the  Spanish  and  Mexican 
eras  of  California  was  homely  almost  to  ugliness. 
There  was  no  external  ornamentation  to  the 
dwellings  and  no  internal  conveniences.  There 
was  but  little  attempt  at  variety  and  the  houses 
were  mostly  of  one  style,  square  walled,  tile  cov- 
ered, or  flat  roofed  with  pitch,  and  usually  but 
one  story  high.  Some  of  the  mission  churches 
were  massive,  grand  and  ornamental,  while 
others  were  devoid  of  beauty  and  travesties  on 
the  rules  of  architecture.  Every  man  was  his 
own  architect  and  master  builder.  He  had  no 
choice  of  material,  or,  rather,  with  his  ease- 
loving  disposition,  he  chose  to  use  that  which 
was  most  convenient,  and  that  was  adobe  clay, 
made  into  sun-dried  brick.  The  Indian  was  the 
brickmaker,  and  he  toiled  for  his  taskmasters, 
like  the  Hebrew  of  old  for  the  Egyptian,  making 
bricks  without  straw  and  without  pay.  There 
were  no  labor  strikes  in  the  building  trades  then. 
The  Indian  was  the  builder,  and  he  did  not 
know  how  to  strike  for  higher  wages,  because 
lie  received  no  wages,  high  or  low.  The  adobe 
bricks  were  moulded  into  form  and  set  up  to 
dry.  Through  the  long  summer  days  they 
baked  in  the  hot  sun,  first  on  one  side,  then  on 
the  other;  and  when  dried  through  they  were 
laid  in  the  wall  with  mud  mortar.  Then  the 
walls  had  to  dry  and  dry  perhaps  through  an- 
other summer  before  the  house  was  habitable. 
Time  was  the  essense  of  building  contracts  then. 

There  was  but  little  wood  used  in  house  con- 
struction then.  It  was  only  the  aristocrats  who 
could  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  wooden  floors. 
Most  of  the  houses  had  floors  of  the  beaten 
earth.  Such  floors  were  cheap  and  durable. 
Gilroy  says,  when  he  came  to  Monterey  in  1814. 
only  the  governor's  house  had  a  wooden  floor. 
A  door  of  rawhide  shut  out  intruders  and 
wooden-barred  windows  admitted  sunshine  and 
air. 

The  legendry  of  the  hearthstone  and  the  fire- 
side which  fills  so  large  a  place  in  the  home  life 
and  literature  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  had  no  part 
in  the  domestic  system  of  the  old-time  Califor- 
nian.     He  had  no  hearthstone  and  no  fireside, 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


117 


nor  could  that  pleasing  fiction  of  Santa  Claus 
coming  down  the  chimney  with  toys  on  Christ- 
mas eve  that  so  delights  the  children  of  to-day 
have  been  understood  by  the  youthful  Califor- 
nian  of  long  ago.  There  were  no  chimneys  in 
California.  The  only  means  of  warming  the 
houses  by  artificial  heat  was  a  pan  (or  brasero) 
of  coals  set  on  the  floor.  The  people  lived  out 
of  doors  in  the  open  air  and  invigorating  sun- 
shine; and  they  were  healthy  and  long-lived. 
Their  houses  were  places  to  sleep  in  or  shelters 
from  rain. 

The  furniture  was  meager  and  mostly  home- 
made. A  few  benches  or  rawhide-bottomed 
chairs  to  sit  on;  a  rough  table;  a  chest  or  two 
to  keep  the  family  finery  in ;  a  few  cheap  prints 
of  saints  on  the  walls — these  formed  the  furnish- 
ings and  the  decorations  of  the  living  rooms  of 
the  common  people.  The  bed  was  the  pride  and 
the  ambition  of  the  housew-ife.  Even  in  humble 
dwellings,  sometimes,  a  snowy  counterpane  and 
lace-trimmed  pillows  decorated  a  couch  whose 
base  was  a  dried  bullock's  hide  stretched  on  a 
rough  frame  of  wood.  A  shrine  dedicated  to  the 
patron  saint  of  the  household  was  a  very  essen- 
tial part  of  a  well-regulated  home. 

Fashions  in  dress  did  not  change  with  the  sea- 
sons. A  man  could  wear  his  grandfather's  hat 
and  his  coat,  too,  and  not  be  out  of  the  fashion. 
Robinson,  writing  of  California  in  1829,  says: 
•'The  people  were  still  adhering  to  the  costumes 
of  the  past  century."  It  was  not  until  after  1834, 
when  the  Hijar  colonists  brought  the  latest  fash- 
ions from  the  City  of  Mexico,  that  the  style  of 
dress  for  men  and  women  began  to  change.  The 
next  change  took  place  after  the  American  con- 
quest. Only  two  changes  in  half  a  century,  a 
garment  had  to  be  very  durable  to  become  un- 
fashionable. 

The  few  wealthy  people  in  the  territory 
dressed  well,  even  extravagantly.  Robinson  de- 
scribes the  dress  of  Tomas  Yorba,  a  wealthy 
ranchero  of  the  Copper  Santa  Ana,  as  he  saw 
him  in  1829:  "Upon  his  head  he  wore  a  black 
silk  handkerchief,  the  four  corners  of  which 
hung  down  his  neck  behind.  An  embroidered 
shirt;  a  cravat  of  white  jaconet,  tastefully  tied; 
a  blue  damask  vest;  short  clothes  of  crimson 
velvet;    a  bright  green  cloth  jacket,  with  large 


silver  buttons,  and  shoes  of  embroidered  deer- 
skin composed  his  dress.  1  was  afterwards  in- 
formed by  Don  Manuel  (Dominguezj  that  on 
some  occasions,  such  as  some  particular  feast 
da}-  or  festival,  his  entire  display  often  exceeded 
in  value  a  thousand  dollars." 

"The  dress  worn  by  the  middle  class  of  fe- 
males is  a  chemise,  with  short  embroidered 
sleeves,  richly  trinmied  with  lace;  a  muslin  pet- 
ticoat, flounced  with  scarlet  and  secured  at  the 
waist  by  a  silk  band  of  the  same  color;  shoes  of 
velvet  or  blue  satin;  a  cotton  reboso  or  scarf; 
pearl  necklace  and  earrings;  with  hair  falling  in 
broad  plaits  down  the  back."*  After  1834  the 
men  generally  adopted  calzoneras  instead  of  the 
knee  breeches  or  short  clothes  of  the  last  cen- 
tury. 

"The  calzoneras  were  pantaloons  with  the  ex- 
terior seam  open  throughout  its  length.  On  the 
upper  edge  was  a  strip  of  cloth,  red,  blue  or 
black,  in  which  were  buttonholes.  On  the  other 
edge  were  eyelet  holes  for  buttons.  In  some 
cases  the  calzonera  was  sewn  from  hip  to  the 
middle  of  the  thigh ;  in  others,  buttoned.  From 
the  middle  of  the  thigh  downward  the  leg  was 
covered  by  the  bota  or  leggins,  used  by  every 
one,  w'hatever  his  dress."  The  short  jacket, 
with  silver  or  bronze  buttons,  and  the  silken 
sash  that  served  as  a  connecting  link  between 
the  calzoneras  and  the  jacket,  and  also  supplied 
the  place  of  what  the  Californians  did  not  wear, 
suspenders,  this  constituted  a  picturesque  cos- 
tume, that  continued  in  vogue  until  the  con- 
quest, and  with  many  of  the  natives  for  years 
after.  "After  1834  the  fashionable  women  of  Cal- 
ifornia exchanged  their  narrow  for  more  flowing 
garments  and  abandoned  the  braided  hair  for 
the  coil  and  the  large  combs  till  then  in  use  for 
smaller  combs. "f 

For  outer  wraps  the  serapa  for  men  and  the 
rebosa  for  women  were  universally  worn.  The 
texture  of  these  marked  the  social  standing  of 
the  wearer.  It  ranged  from  cheap  cotton  and 
coarse  serge  to  the  costliest  silk  and  the  finest 
French  broadcloth.  The  costume  of  the  neo- 
phyte changed  but  once  in  centuries,  and  that 


*Robinson.  Life  in  California. 
tBancroft's  Pa^toral  California. 


lis 


HISTORICAL  AXD    r3lOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


was  when  he  divested  himself  of  his  coat  oi 
mud  and  smear  of  paint  and  put  on  the  mission 
sliirt  and  breech  clout.  Shoes  he  did  not  wear 
and  in  time  his  feet  became  as  hard  as  the  hoofs 
of  an  animal.  The  dress  of  the  mission  women 
consisted  of  a  chemise  and  a  skirt;  the  dress  of 
the  children  was  a  shirt  and  sometimes  even  this 
was  dispensed. 

Filial  obedience  and  respect  for  parental  au- 
thority were  early  impressed  upon  the  minds  of 
the  children.  The  commandment,  "Honor  thy 
father  and  mother,"  was  observed  with  an  ori- 
ental devotion.  A  child  was  never  too  old  or  too 
large  to  be  exempt  from  punishment.  Stephen 
C.  Foster  used  to  relate  an  amusing  story  of  a 
case  of  parental  disciplining  he  once  saw  at  Los 
Angeles.  An  old  lady,  a  grandmother,  was  be- 
laboring, with  a  barrel  stave,  her  son,  a  man 
thirty  years  of  age.  The  son  had  done  some- 
thing of  which  the  mother  did  not  approve.  She 
sent  for  him  to  come  over  to  the  maternal  home 
to  receive  his  punishment.  He  came.  She  took 
liim  out  to  the  metaphorical  woodshed,  which, 
in  this  case,  was  the  portico  of  her  house,  where 
she  stood  him  up  and  proceeded  to  administer 
corporal  punishment.  With  the  resounding 
thwacks  of  the  stave,  she  would  exclaim,  "Fll 
teach  you  to  behave  yourself."  "ril  mend  your 
manners,  sir."  "Xow  you'll  be  good,  won't 
you?"  The  big  man  took  his  punishment  with- 
out a  thought  of  resisting  or  rebelling.  In  fact, 
he  seemed  to  enjoy  it.  It  brought  back  feel- 
ingly and  forcibly  a  memory  of  his  boyhood 
days. 

In  the  earlier  years  of  the  republic,  before 
revolutionary  ideas  had  perverted  the  usages  of 
the  Californians,  great  respect  was  shown  to 
those  in  authority,  and  the  authorities  were 
strict  in  requiring  deference  from  their  constit- 
uents. In  the  Los  Angeles  archives  of  1828  are 
the  records  of  an  impeachment  trial  of  Don 
Antonio  Maria  Lugo,  held  to  depose  him  from 
the  office  of  judge  of  the  plains.  The  principal 
duty  of  such  a  judge  was  to  decide  cases  of  dis- 
puted ownership  of  horses  and  cattle.  Lugo 
seems  to  have  had  an  exalted  idea  of  the  dignity 
of  his  office.  Among  the  complaints  presented 
at  the  trial  was  one  from  young  Pedro  Sanchez, 
in  which  he  testified  that  Lugo  had  tried  to  ride 


his  horse  over  him  in  the  street  because  he, 
Sanchez,  would  not  take  off  his  hat  to  the  juez 
del  campo  and  remain  standing  uncovered  vvh'le 
the  judge  rode  past.  Another  complainant  at  the 
same  trial  related  how  at  a  rodeo  Lugo  ad- 
judged a  neighbor's  boy  guilty  of  contempt  of 
court  because  the  boy  gave  him  an  impertinent 
answer,  and  tiien  he  proceeded  to  give  the  boy 
an  unmerciful  whipping.  So  heinous  was  tlu- 
oft'ense  in  the  estimation  of  the  judge  that  the 
complainant  said,  "had  not  Lugo  fallen  over  a 
chair  he  would  have  been  beating  the  boy  yet." 

Under  Alexican  domination  in  California 
there  was  no  tax  levied  on  land  and  improve- 
ments. The  nnmicipal  funds  of  the  pueblos  were 
obtained  from  revenue  on  wine  and  brandy ; 
from  the  licenses  of  saloons  and  other  business 
houses;  from  the  tariff  on  imports;  from  per- 
mits to  give  balls  or  dances;  from  the  fines  of 
transgressors,  and  from  the  tax  on  bull  rings 
and  cock  pits.  Then  men's  pleasures  and  vices 
paid  the  cost  of  governing.  In  the  early  '40s 
the  city  of  Los  Angeles  claimed  a  population  of 
two  thousand,  yet  the  municipal  revenues  rarely 
exceeded  $1,000  a  year.  With  this  small  amount 
the  authorities  ran  a  city  government  and  kept 
out  of  debt.  It  did  not  cost  much  to  run  a  city 
government  then.  There  was  no  army  of  high- 
salaried  officials  with  a  horde  of  political  heelers 
quartered  on  the  municipality  and  fed  from  the 
public  crib  at  the  expense  of  the  taxpayer.  Poli- 
ticians may  have  been  no  more  honest  then 
than  now,  but  where  there  was  nothing  to  steal 
there  was  no  stealing.  The  alcaldes  and  regi- 
dores  put  no  temptation  in  the  way  of  the  poli- 
ticians, and  thus  they  kept  them  reasonably 
honest,  or  at  least  they  kept  them  from  plunder- 
ing the  taxpayers  by  the  simple  expedient  of 
having  no  taxpayers. 

The  functions  of  the  various  departments  of 
the  municipal  governments  were  economically 
administered.  Street  cleaning  and  lighting  were 
performed  at  individual  expense  instead  of  pub- 
lic. There  was  an  ordinance  in  force  in  Los 
Angeles  and  Santa  Barbara  and  probably  in 
other  municipalities  that  required  each  owner  of 
a  house  every  Saturday  to  sweep  and  clean  in 
front  of  his  premises  to  the  middle  of  the  street. 
His  neighbor  on  the  opposite  side  met  him  half 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RFX"ORD. 


119 


way,  and  the  street  was  swept  witliout  expense 
to  the  pueblo.  There  was  another  ordinance 
that  required  each  owner  of  a  house  of  more 
that  two  rooms  on  a  main  street  to  hang  a 
lighted  lantern  in  front  of  his  door  from  twilight 
to  eight  o'clock  in  winter  and  to  nine  in  sum- 
mer. There  were  fines  for  neglect  of  these  duties. 
There  was  no  fire  department  in  the  pueblos. 
The  adobe  houses  with  their  clay  walls,  earthen 
floors,  tiled  roofs  and  rawhide  doors  were  as 
nearly  fireproof  as  any  human  habitation  could 
be  made.     The  cooking  was  done  in  detached 


kitchens  and  in  beehive-shaped  ovens  without 
flues.  The  houses  were  without  chimneys,  so 
the  danger  from  fire  was  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
A  general  conflagration  was  something  un- 
known in  the  old  pueblo  days  of  California 

There  was  no  paid  police  department.  Every 
able-bodied  young  man  was  subject  to  military 
duty.  A  volunteer  guard  or  patrol  was  kept  on 
duty  at  the  cuartels  or  guard  houses.  The 
guards  policed  the  pueblos,  but  they  were  not 
paid.  Each  young  man  had  to  take  his  turn  at 
guard  duty. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


TERRITORIAL    EXPANSION    BY    CONQUEST. 


THE  Mexican  war  marked  the  beginning 
by  the  United  States  of  territorial  ex- 
pansion by  conquest.  "It  was,"  says 
General  Grant,  "an  instance  of  a  republic  fol- 
lowing the  bad  example  of  European  mon- 
archies in  not  considering  justice  in  their  desire 
to  acquire  additional  territory."  The  "additional 
territory"  was  needed  for  the  creation  of  slave 
states.  The  southern  politicians  of  the  extreme 
pro-slavery  school  saw  in  the  rapid  settlement 
of  the  northwestern  states  the  downfall  of  their 
domination  and  the  doom  of  their  beloved  insti- 
tution, slavery.  Their  peculiar  institution  could 
not  expand  northward  and  on  the  south  it  had 
reached  the  Mexican  boundar}-.  TJie  only  way 
of  acquiring  new  territory  for  the  extension  of 
slavery  on  the  south  was  to  take  it  by  force  from 
the  weak  Republic  of  Mexico.  The  annexation 
of  Texas  brought  with  it  a  disputed  boundary 
line.  The  claim  to  a  strip  of  country  between 
the  Rio  Nueces  and  the  Rio  Grande  furnished  a 
convenient  pretext  to  force  Mexico  to  hostili- 
ties. Texas  as  an  independent  state  had  never 
exercised  jurisdiction  over  the  disputed  terri- 
tory. As  a  state  of  the  Union  after  annexation 
she  could  not  rightfully  lay  claim  to  what  she 
never  possessed,  but  the  army  of  occupation 
took  possession  of  it  as  L^nitcd  States  property, 
and  the  war  was  on.  In  the  end  we  acquired  a 
large  slice  of  Mexican  territory,  but  the  irony 


ul  fate  decreed  that  not  an  acre  of  its  soil  should 
be  tilled  by  slave  labor. 

The  causes  that  led  to  the  acquisition  of  Cali- 
fornia antedated  the  annexation  of  Texas  and 
the  invasion  of  Mexico.  After  the  adoption  of 
liberal  colonization  laws  by  the  Mexican  go^-- 
crnment  in  1824,  there  set  in  a  steady  drift 
of  Americans  to  California.  At  first  they  came 
by  sea,  but  after  the  opening  of  the  overland 
route  in  1841  they  came  in  great  numbers  bv 
land.  It  was  a  settled  conviction  m  the  minds 
of  these  adventurous  nomads  that  the  manifest  . 
destiny  of  California  was  to  become  a  part  of  the 
United  States,  and  they  were  only  too  willing  to 
aid  destiny  when  an  opportunity  offered.  The 
opportunity  came  and  it  found  them  ready  for  it. 

Capt.  John  C.  Fremont,  an  engineer  and  ex- 
plorer in  the  services  of  the  United  States,  ap- 
peared at  Monterey  in  January,  1846,  and  ap- 
plied to  General  Castro,  the  military  comandante. 
for  permission  to  buy  supplies  for  his  party  of 
sixty-two  men  who  were  encamped  in  the  San 
Joaquin  valley,  in  what  is  now  Kern  county. 
Permission  was  given  him.  There  seems  to 
have  been  a  tacit  agreement  between  Castro  and 
Fremont  that  the  exploring  party  should  not 
enter  the  settlements,  but  early  in  ^larch  the 
whole  force  was  encamped  in  the  Salinas  val- 
ley. Castro  regarded  the  marching  of  a  bod'' 
of  armed  men  through  the  country  as  an  act  of 


120 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


liostilit}-,  and  ordered  them  out  of  the  country. 
Instead  of  leaving,  Fremont  intrenched  himself 
on  an  eminence  known  as  Gabilian  Peak  (about 
thirty  miles  from  Monterey),  raised  the  stars 
and  stripes  over  his  barricade,  and  defied  Castro. 
Castro  maneuvered  his  troops  on  the  plain 
below,  but  did  not  attack  Fremont.  After  two 
days'  waiting  Fremont  abandoned  his  position 
ana  began  his  march  northward.  On  May  9, 
when  near  the  Oregon  line,  he  was  overtaken 
by  Lieutenant  Gillespie,  of  the  United  States 
navy,  with  a  dispatch  from  the  president.  Gil- 
lespie had  left  the  United  States  in  November, 
1845,  and,  disguised,  had  crossed  Mexico  from 
Vera  Cruz  to  Mazatlan,  and  from  there  had 
reached  [Monterey.  The  exact  nature  of  the 
dispatches  to  Fremont  is  not  known,  but  pre- 
sumably they  related  to  the  impending  war  be- 
tween Mexico  and  the  United  States,  and  the 
necessity  for  a  prompt  seizure  of  the  country 
to  prevent  it  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  Eng- 
land. Fremont  returned  to  the  Sacramento, 
where  he  encamped. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1846,  a  body  of  Amer- 
ican settlers  from  the  Napa  and  Sacramento 
valleys,  thirty-three  in  number,  of  which  Ide, 
Semple,  Grigsby  and  INIerritt  seem  to  have  been 
the  leaders,  after  a  night's  march,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  old  Castillo  or  fort  at  Sonoma,  with 
its  rusty  muskets  and  unused  cannon,  and  made 
Gen.  M.  G.  Vallejo,  Lieut.-Col.  Prudon,  Capt. 
Salvador  \'allejo  and  Jacob  P.  Leese,  a  brother- 
in-law  of  the  \'allejos,  prisoners.  There  seems 
to  have  been  no  privates  at  the  castillo,  all  of^- 
cers.'  Exactly  what  was  the  object  of  the  Amer- 
ican settlers  in  taking  General  Vallejo  prisoner 
is  not  evident.  General  A'allejo  was  one  of  the 
few  eminent  Californians  who  favored  the  an- 
nexation of  California  to  the  United  States.  He 
is  said  to  have  made  a  speech  favoring  such  a 
movement  in  the  junta  at  Monterey  a  few 
months  before.  Castro  regarded  him  with  sus- 
picion. The  prisoners  were  sent  under  an 
armed  escort  to  Fremont's  camp.  William  B. 
Ide  was  elected  captain  of  the  revolutionists 
who  remained  at  Sonoma,  to  "hold  the  fort." 
tie  issued  a  pronunciamiento  in  which  he  de- 
clared California  a  free  and  independent  gov- 
ernment, under  the  name  of  the  California  Re- 


public. A  nation  must  have  a  flag  of  its  own, 
so  one  was  improvised.  It  was  made  of  a  piece 
of  cotton  cloth,  or  manta,  a.  yard  wide  and  five 
feet  long.  Strips  of  red  flannel  torn  from  the 
shirt  of  one  of  the  men  were  stitched  on  the 
bottom  of  the  flag  for  stripes.  With  a  blacking 
brush,  or,  as  another  authority  says,  the  end 
of  a  chewed  stick  for  a  brush,  and  red  paint, 
William  L.  Todd  painted  the  figure  of  a  grizzly 
bear  passant  on  the  field  of  the  flag.  The  na- 
tives called  Todd's  bear  "cochino,"  a  pig;  it 
resembled  that  animal  more  than  a  bear.  A 
five-pointed  star  in  the  left  upper  corner, 
painted  with  the  same  coloring  matter,  and  the 
words  "California  republic"  printed  on  it  in  ink, 
completed  the  famous  bear  flag. 

The  California  republic  was  ushered  into  ex- 
istence June  14,  1846,  attained  the  acme  of  its 
])ower  July  4,  when  Ide  and  his  fellow  patriots 
burnt  a  quantity  of  powder  in  salutes,  and  fired 
ulT  oratorical  pyrotechnics  in  honor  of  the  new 
republic.  It  utterly  collapsed  on  the  9th  of  July, 
after  an  existence  of  twenty-five  days,  when 
news  reached  Sonoma  that  Commodore  Sloat 
had  raised  the  stars  and  stripes  at  ^^lonterey  and 
taken  possession  of  California  in  the  name  of 
the  United  States.  Lieutenant  Revere  arrived 
at  Sonoma  on  the  9th  and  he  it  was  who  low- 
ered the  bear  flag  from  the  Mexican  flagstafif, 
where  it  had  floated  through  the  brief  existence 
of  the  California  republic,  and  raised  in  its  place 
the  banner  of  the  United  States. 

Commodore  Sloat,  who  had  anchored  in 
[Monterey  I>ay  July  2,  1846,  was  for  a  time  un- 
decided whether  to  take  possession  of  the  coun- 
try. He  had  no  official  information  that  war 
had  been  declared  between  the  United  States 
and  [Mexico;  but,  acting  on  the  supposition 
that  Captain  Fremont  had  received  definite  in- 
structions, on  the  7th  of  July  he  raised  the  flag 
and  took  possession  of  the  custom-house  and 
government  buildings  at  Monterey.  Captain 
[Montgomery,  on  the  9th,  raised  it  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  on  the  same  day  the  bear  flag  gave 
place  to  the  stars  and  stripes  at  Sonoma. 

General  Castro  was  holding  Santa  Clara  and 
San  Jose  when  he  received  Commodore  Sloat's 
proclamation  informing  him  that  the  commo- 
dore had  taken  possession  of   Monterey.     Cas- 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD, 


121 


tro,  after  reading  the  proclamation,  which  was 
written  in  Spanish,  formed  his  men  in  Hne,  and 
addressing  them,  said:  "Monterey  is  taken  by 
the  Americans.  What  can  I  do  with  a  handful 
of  men  against  the  United  States?  1  am  going 
to  Mexico.  All  of  you  who  wish  to  follow  me, 
'About  face!'  All  that  wish  to  remain  can  go  to 
their  homes."*  A  very  small  part  of  his  force 
followed  him. 

Commodore  Sloat  was  superseded  by  Com- 
modore Stockton,  who  set  about  organizing  an 
expedition  to  subjugate  the  southern  part  of  the 
territory  which  remained  loyal  to  Mexico.  Fre- 
mont's exploring  party,  recruited  to  a  battalion 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  had  marched 
to  Alonterey,  and  from  there  was  sent  by  vessel 
to  San  Diego  to  procure  horses  and  prepare  to 
act  as  cavalry. 

While  these  stirring  events  were  transpiring 
in  the  north,  what  was  the  condition  in  the 
south  where  the  capital,  Los  Angeles,  and  the 
bulk  of  the  population  of  the  territory  were 
located?  Pio  Pico  had  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  the  governorship  with  a  desire  to  bring  peace 
and  harmony  to  the  distracted  country.  He  ap- 
pointed Juan  Bandini,  one  of  the  ablest  states- 
men of  the  south,  his  secretary.  After  Bandini 
resigned  he  chose  J.  ^I.  Covarrubias,  and  later 
Jose  M.  Aloreno  filled  the  ofifice. 

The  principal  ofifices  of  the  territory  had  been 
divided  equally  between  the  politicians  of  the 
north  and  the  south.  While  Los  Angeles  be- 
came the  capital,  and  the  departmental  assembly 
met  there,  the  military  headquarters,  the  ar- 
chives and  the  treasury  remained  at  Alonterey. 
But,  notwithstanding  this  division  of  the  spoils 
of  ofifice,  the  old  feud  between  the  arribenos 
and  the  abajeiios  w-ould  not  down,  and  soon  the 
old-time  quarrel  was  on  with  all  its  bitterness. 
Castro,  as  military  comandante,  ignored  tlie 
governor,  and  Alvarado  was  regarded  by  the 
surei^os  as  an  emissary  of  Castro's.  The  de- 
partmental assembly  met  at  Los  Angeles,  in 
March,  1846.  Pico  presided,  and  in  his  opening 
message  set  forth  the  unfortunate  condition  of 
afifairs  in  the  department.  Education  was  neg- 
lected;   justice  was  not  administered;    the  mis- 

*Hairs  History  of  San  Jose. 


sions  were  so  burdened  by  debt  that  but  few 
of  them  could  be  rented;  the  army  was  disor- 
ganized and  the  treasury  empty. 

Not  even  the  danger  of  war  with  the  Amer- 
icans could  make  the  warring  factions  forget 
their  fratricidal  strife.  Castro's  proclamation 
against  Fremont  was  construed  by  the  sureiios 
into  a  scheme  to  inveigle  the  governor  to  the 
north  so  that  the  comandante-gcneral  could  de- 
pose him  and  seize  the  office  for  himself.  Cas- 
tro's preparations  to  resist  by  force  the  en- 
croachments of  the  Americans  were  believed 
by  Pico  and  the  Angelenians  to  be  fitting  out 
of  an  army  to  attack  Los  x\ngeles  and  over- 
throw the  government. 

On  the  i6th  of  June,  Pico  left  Los  Angeles 
for  ]\Ionterey  with  a  military  force  of  a  hundred 
men.  The  object  of  the  expedition  was  to  op- 
pose, and,  if  possible,  to  depose  Castro.  He 
left  the  capital  under  the  care  of  the  ayunta- 
miento.  On  the  20th  of  June,  .wcalde  Gallardo 
reported  to  the  ayuntamiento  that  he  had  posi- 
tive information  "that  Don  Castro  had  left 
Monterey  and  would  arrive  here  in  three  days 
with  a  military  force  for  the  purpose  of  captur- 
ing this  city."  (Castro  had  left  ^lonterey  with 
a  force  of  seventy  men,  but  he  had  gone  north 
to  San  Jose.)  The  sub-prefect,  Don  Abel 
Stearns,  was  authorized  to  enlist  troops  to  pre- 
serve order.  On  the  23d  of  June  three  compa- 
nies were  organized,  an  artillery  company  under 
Miguel  Pryor,  a  company  of  riflemen  under 
Benito  Wilson,  and  a  cavalry  company  under 
Gorge  Palomares.  Pico,  with  his  army  at  San 
Luis  Obispo,  was  preparing  to  march  against 
JMonterey,  when  the  news  reached  him  of  the 
capture  of  Sonoma  by  the  Americans,  and  next 
day,  July  12th,  the  news  reached  Los  Angeles 
just  as  the  council  had  decided  on  a  plan  of 
defense  against  Castro,  who  was  five  hundred 
miles  away.  Pico,  on  the  impulse  of  the  mo- 
ment, issued  a  proclamation,  in  which  he 
arraigned  the  L'nited  States  for  perfidy  and 
treachery,  and  the  gang  of  "North  American 
adventurers,"  who  captured  Sonoma  "with  the 
blackest  treason  the  spirit  of  evil  can  invent." 
His  arraignment  of  the  "North  American  na- 
tion" was  so  severe  that  some  of  his  American 
friends    in    Los    Angeles    took    umbrage   at    his 


122 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


pronunciamento.     He  afterwards  tried  to  recall 
it,  but  it  was  too  late;   it  had  been  published. 

Castro,  finding  the  "foreign  adventurers"  too 
numerous  and  too  aggressive  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  territory,  determined,  with  what  men 
he  could  induce  to  go  with  him,  to  retreat  to 
the  south;  but  before  so  doing  he  sent  a  medi- 
ator to  Pico  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace  and 
amity  between  the  factions.  On  the  I2th  of 
July  the  two  armies  met  at  Santa  Margarita, 
near  San  Luis  Obispo.  Castro  brought  the 
news  that  Commodore  Sloat  had  hoisted  the 
United  States  flag  at  Monterey  and  taken  pos- 
session of  the  country  for  his  government.  The 
meeting  of  the  governor  and  the  comandante- 
general  was  not  very  cordial,  but  in  the  presence 
of  the  impending  danger  to  the  territory  they 
concealed  their  mutual  dislike  and  decided  to 
do  their  best  to  defend  the  country  they  both 
loved. 

Sorrowfully  they  began  their  retreat  to  the 
capital;  but  even  threatened  disaster  to  their 
common  country  could  not  wholly  unite  the 
north  and  the  south.  The  respective  armies, 
Castro's  numbering  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  and  Pico's  one  hundred  and  twenty,  kept 
about  a  day's  march  apart.  They  reached  Los 
Angeles,  and  preparations  were  begun  to  resist 
the  invasion  of  the  .Vmericans.  Pico  issued  a 
proclamation  ordering  all  able-bodied  men  be- 
tween fifteen  and  sixty  years  of  age,  native  and 
naturalized,  to  take  up  arms  to  defend  the  coun- 
try; anv  able-bodied  Mexican  refusing  was  to 
be  treated  as  a  traitor.  There  was  no  enthusi- 
asm for  the  cause.  The  old  factional  jealousy 
and  distrust  was  as  potent  as  ever.  The  miHtia 
of  the  south  would  obey  none  but  their  own 
officers;  Castro's  troops,  who  considered  them- 
selves regulars,  ridiculed,  the  raw  recruits  of 
the  surefios,  while  the  naturalized  foreigners  of 
American  extraction  secretly  sympathized  with 
their  own  people. 

Pico,  to  counteract  the  malign  influence  of  his 
Santa  Piarbara  proclamation  and  enlist  the  sym- 
pathy and  more  ready  adhesion  of  the  foreign 
element  of  Los  Angeles,  issued  the  following 
circular:  (This  circular  or  proclamation  has 
never  before  found  its  way  into  "print.  I  find 
no  allusion  to  it  in  P>ancroft's  or  Hittell's  His- 


tories. A  copy,  probably  the  only  one  in  exist- 
ence, was  donated  some  years  since  to  the 
Historical  Society  of  Southern  California.) 


Gobicnio  del  Dcp. 
de  Calif  ormas. 

"CiKCUL.KR. — As  owing  to  the  unfortunate 
condition  of  things  that  now  prevails  in  this 
department  in  consequence  of  the  war  into 
which  the  United  States  has  provoked  the  Mex- 
ican nation,  some  ill  feeling  might  spring  up 
between  the  citizens  of  the  two  countries,  out  of 
which  unfortunate  occurrences  might  grow,  and 
as  this  government  desires  to  remove  every 
cause  of  friction,  it  has  seen  fit,  in  the  use  of  its 
power,  to  issue  the  present  circular. 

"The  Government  of  the  department  of  Cali- 
fornia declares  in  the  most  solemn  manner  that 
all  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  that  have 
come  lawfully  into  its  territory,  relying  upon 
the  honest  administration  of  the  laws  and  the 
observance  of  the  prevailing  treaties,  shall  not 
be  molested  in  the  least,  and  their  lives  and 
property  shall  remain  in  perfect  safety  under  the 
protection  of  the  Mexican  laws  and  authorities 
legally  constituted. 

"Therefore,  in  the  name  of  the  supreme  gov- 
ernment of  the  nation,  and  b\-  virtue  of  the 
authority  vested  upon  me,  I  enjoin  upon  all  the 
inhabitants  of  California  to  observe  towards  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States  that  have  lawfully 
come  among  us,  the  kindest  and  most  cordial 
conduct,  and  to  abstain  from  all  acts  of  violence 
against  their  persons  or  property;  provided  they 
remain  neutral,  as  heretofore,  and  take  no  part 
in  the  invasion  effected  by  the  armies  of  their 
nation. 

"The  authorities  of  the  various  municipalities 
and  corporations  will  be  held  strictly  responsi- 
ble for  the  faithful  fulfillment  of  this  order,  and 
shall,  as  soon  as  possible,  take  the  necessary 
measures  to  bring  it  to  tlie  knowledge  of  the 
people.     God  and  Liberty. 

'■Pio  Pico. 

"TnsK   ^Matias   T^Iakexo,  Secretary  pro  tern." 

Angeles,  July  27.  1846. 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRArHICAL   RECORD. 


123 


When  we  consider  the  conditions  existing  in 
Cahfornia  at  the  time  this  circular  was  issued, 
its  sentiments  reflect  great  credit  on  Pico  for 
his  humanity  and  forbearance.  A  little  over  a 
month  before,  a  party  of  Americans  seized 
General  Vallejo  and  several  other  prominent 
Californians  in  their  homes  and  incarcerated 
them  in  prison  at  Sutter's  Fort.  Nor  was  this 
outrage  mitigated  when  the  stars  and  stripes 
were  raised.  The  perpetrators  of  the  outrage 
were  not  punished.  These  native  Californians 
were  kept  in  prison  nearly  two  months  without 
any  charge  against  them.  Besides,  Governor 
Pico  and  the  leading  Californians  very  well 
knew  that  the  Americans  whose  lives  and  prop- 
erty this  proclamation  was  designed  to  protect 
would  not  remain  neutral  when  their  country- 
men invaded  the  territory.  Pio  Pico  deserved 
better  treatment  from  the  Americans  than  he 
received.  He  was  robbed  of  his  landed  posses- 
sions by  unscrupulous  land  sharks,  and  his  char- 
acter defamed  by  irresponsible  historical  scrib- 
blers. 

Pico  made  strenuous  efforts  to  raise  men  and 
means  to  resist  the  threatened  invasion.  He  liad 
mortgaged  the  government  house  to  de  Ceiis 
for  $2,000,  the  mortgage  to  be  paid  "as  soon  as 
order  shall  be  established  in  the  department." 
This  loan  was  really  negotiated  to  fit  out  the 
expedition  against  Castro,  but  a  part  of  it  was 
expended  after  his  return  to  Los  Angeles  in 
procuring  supplies  while  preparing  to  meet  the 
American  army.  The  government  had  but  little 
credit.  The  moneyed  men  of  the  pueblo  were 
averse  to  putting  money  into  what  was  almost 
sure  to  prove  a  lost  cause.  The  bickerings  and 
jealousies  between  the  factions  neutralized  to  a 
considerable  degree  the  efforts  of  Pico  and  Cas- 
tro to  mobilize  the  army. 

Castro  established  his  camp  on  the  mesa  east 
of  the  river.  Here  he  and  .\nilres  Pico  under- 
took to  drill  the  somewhat  incongruous  collec- 
tion of  hombres  in  military  maneuvering.  Their 
entire  force  at  no  time  exceeded  three  hundred 
men.  These  were  poorly  armed  and  lacking  in 
discipline. 

We  left  Stockton  at  Alonterey  preparing  an 
expedition  against  Castro  at  Los  Angeles.  On 
taking  command  of  the  Pacific  squadron,  July 


21J,  he  issued  a  proclamation.  It  was  as  bom- 
bastic as  the  pronunciamiento  of  a  Mexican 
governor.  Bancroft  says:  "The  paper  was 
made  up  of  falsehood,  of  irrelevent  issues  and 
bombastic  ranting  in  about  equal  parts,  the 
tone  being  offensive  and  impolitic  even  in  those 
inconsiderable  portions  which  were  true  and 
legitimate."  His  only  object  in  taking  posses- 
sion of  the  country  was  "to  save  from  destruc- 
tion the  lives  and  property  of  the  foreign  resi- 
dents and  citizens  of  the  territory  who  had  in- 
voked his  protection."  In  view  of  Pico's  humane 
circular  and  the  uniform  kind  treatment  that  the 
Californians  accorded  the  American  residents, 
there  was  very  little  need  of  Stockton's  interfer- 
ence on  that  score.  Commodore  Sloat  did  not 
approve  of  Stockton's  proclamation  or  of  his 
policy. 

On  the  6th  of  August,  Stockton  reached  San 
Pedro  and  landed  three  hundred  and  sixt_\- 
sailors  and  marines.  These  were  drilled  in  mili- 
tary movements  on  land  and  prepared  for  the 
march  to  Los  Angeles. 

Castro  sent  two  commissioners,  Pablo  de  La 
Guerra  and  Jose  .M.  Flores,  to  Stockton,  asking 
for  a  conference  and  a  cessation  of  hostilities 
while  negotiations  were  pending.  They  asked 
that  the  L'nited  States  forces  remain  at  San 
Pedro  while  the  terms  of  the  treaty  were  under 
discussion.  These  requests  Commodore  Stock- 
ton peremptorily  refused,  and  the  connnissioners 
returned  to  Los  Angeles  without  stating  the 
terms  on  which  they  proposed  to  treat. 

In  several  so-called  histories,  I  find  a  very 
dramatic  account  of  this  interview.  On  the  ar- 
rival of  the  commissioners  they  were  marched 
up  to  the  mouth  of  'an  immense  mortar, 
shrouded  in  skins  save  its  huge  aperture.  Their 
terror  and  discomfiture  were  plainly  discernible. 
Stockton  received  them  with  a  stern  and  forbid- 
ding countenance,  harshly  demanding  their  mis- 
sion, which  they  disclosed  in  great  confusion. 
They  bore  a  letter  from  Castro  proposing  a 
truce,  each  party  to  hold  its  own  possessions 
until  a  general  pacification  should  be  had.  This 
proposal  Stockton  rejected  with  contempt,  and 
dismissed  the  connnissioners  with  the  assurance 
that  only  an  immediate  disbandment  of  his 
forces  and   an   unconditional   surrender   would 


124 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


shield  Castro  from  the  vengeance  of  an  incensed 
foe.  The  messengers  remounted  their  horses 
in  dismay  and  fled  back  to  Castro."  The  mortar 
story,  it  is  needless  to  say,  is  pure  fabrication, 
yet  it  runs  through  a  number  of  so-called  his- 
tories of  California.  Castro,  on  the  9th  of  Au- 
gust, held  a  council  of  war  with  his  officers  at 
the  Canipo  en  La  Mesa.  He  announced  his  in- 
tention of  leaving  the  country  for  the  purpose  of 
reporting  to  the  supreme  government,  and  of 
returning  at  some  future  day  to  punish  the 
usurpers.  He  wrote  to  Pico:  "I  can  count  only 
one  hundred  men,  badly  armed,  worse  supplied 
and  discontented  by  reason  of  the  miseries  they 
sufifer;  so  that  I  have  reason  to  fear  that  not 
even  these  men  will  fight  when  the  necessity 
arises."  And  this  is  the  force  that  some  imag- 
inative historians  estimate  at  eight  lumdretl  to 
one  thousand  men. 

Pico  and  Castro  left  Los  Angeles  on  the 
night  of  August  10,  for  Mexico;  Castro  going 
by  the  Colorado  River  route  to  Sonora,  and 
Pico,  after  being  concealed  for  a  time  by  his 
brother-in-law,  Juan  Froster,  at  the  Santa  Mar- 
garita and  narrowly  escaping  capture  by  Fre- 
mont's men,  finally  reached  Lower  California 
and  later  on  crossed  the  Gulf  to  Sonora. 

Stockton  began  his  march  on  Los  Angeles 
August  II.  He  took  with  him  a  battery  of  four 
guns.  The  guns  were  mounted  on  carretas,  and 
each  gun  drawn  by  four  o.xen.  He  had  with 
him  a  good  brass  band. 

Major  Fremont,  who  had  been  sent  to  San 
Diego  with  his  battalion  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy  men,  had,  after  consideral:)le  skirmish- 
ing among  the  ranchos.  secured  enough  horses 
to  move,  and  on  the  8th  of  August  had  begun 
his  march  to  join  Stockton.  He  took  with  him 
one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  leaving  about 
fifty  to  garrison  San  Diego. 

Stockton  consumed  three  days  on  the  march. 
Fremont's  troops  joined  him  just  south  of  the 
city,  and  at  4  p.  m.  of  the  13th  the  combined 
force,  numbering  nearly  five  hundred  men,  en- 
tered the  town  without  opposition,  "our  entry," 
says  Major  Fremont,  "having  more  the  effect 
of  a  parade  of  home  guards  than  of  an  enemy 
taking  possession  of  a  conquered  town."  Stock- 
ton reported  finding  at  Castro's  abandoned  camp 


ten  pieces  of  artillery,  four  of  them  spiked.  Fre- 
mont says  he  (Castro)  "had  buried  part  of  his 
guns."  Castro's  troops  that  he  had  brought 
down  with  him  took  their  departure  for  their 
northern  homes  soon  after  their  general  left, 
breaking  up  into  small  scjuads  as  they  advanced. 
The  southern  troops  that  Pico  had  recruited  dis- 
persed to  their  homes  before  the  arrival  of  the 
Americans.  Squads  of  Fremont's  battalion  were 
sent  out  to  scour  the  country  and  bring  in  any  of 
the  Californian  officers  or  leading  men  whom 
they  could  find.  These,  when  found,  were 
paroled. 

•Another  of  those  historical  myths,  like  the 
mortar  story  previously  mentioned,  which  is 
palmed  off  on  credulous  readers  as  genuine  his- 
tory, runs  as  follows:  "Stockton,  while  en  route 
from  San  Pedro  to  Los  Angeles,  was  informed 
l)y  a  courier  from  Castro  'that  if  he  marched 
tipon  the  town  he  would  find  it  the  grave  of  him- 
self and  men."  "Then,'  answered  the  commodore, 
'tell  the  general  to  have  the  bells  ready  to  toll 
at  eight  o'clock,  as  I  shall  be  there  by  that 
time.' "  As  Castro  left  Los  Angeles  the  day 
before  Stockton  began  his  march  from  San 
Pedro,  and  when  the  commodore  entered  the 
city  the  Mexican  general  was  probably  two 
hundred  miles  away,  the  bell  tolling  myth  goes 
to  join  its  kindred  myths  in  the  category  of  his- 
tory as  it  should  not  be  written. 

On  the  17th  of  August,  Stockton  issued  a  sec- 
ond proclamation,  in  which  he  signs  himself 
commander-in-chief  and  governor  of  the  terri- 
tory of  California.  It  was  milder  in  tone  and 
more  dignified  than  the  first.  He  informed  the 
people  that  their  country  now  belonged  to  the 
United  States.  For  tbe  present  it  would  be 
governed  by  martial  law.  They  were  invited 
to  elect  their  local  officers  if  those  now  in  office 
refused  to  serve. 

Four  days  after  the  capture  of  Los  Angeles, 
The  Warren,  Captain  Hull,  commander,  an- 
chored at  San  Pedro.  She  brought  official  no- 
tice of  the  declaration  of  war  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico.  Then  for  the  first 
time  Stockton  learned  that  there  had  been  an 
<ifficial  declaration  of  war  between  the  two 
countries.  United  States  officers  had  waged 
war  and  had  taken  possession  of  California  upon 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  strength  of  a  rumor  that  hostilities  existed 
between  the  countries. 

The  conquest,  if  conquest  it  can  be  called,  was 
accomplished  without  the  loss  of  a  life,  if  we 
except  the  two  Americans,  Fowler  and  Cowie, 
of  the  Bear  Flag  party,  who  were  brutally  mur- 
dered by  a  band  of  Californians  under  Padillo, 
and  the  equally  brutal  shooting  of  Beryessa  and 
the  two  de  Haro  boys  by  the  Americans  at  San 
Rafael.  These  three  men  were  shot  as  spies, 
but  there  was  no  proof  that  they  were  such,  and 
they  were  not  tried.  These  murders  occurred 
before  Commodore  Sloat  raised  the  stars  and 
stripes  at  Monterey. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  1846,  just  thirty-seven 
days  after  the  raising  of  the  stars  and  stripes 
at  Monterey,  the  first  newspaper  ever  published 
in  California  made  its  appearance.  It  was  pub- 
lished at  Monterey  by  Semple  and  Colton  and 
named  Tlic  Californian.  Rev.  Walter  Colton 
was  a  chaplain  in  the  United  States  navy  and 
came  to  California  on  the  Congress  with  Com- 
modore Stockton.  He  was  made  alcalde  of 
Monterey  and  built,  by  the  labor  of  the  chain 


gang  and  from  contributions  and  fines,  the 
first  schoolhouse  in  California,  named  foi  him 
Colton  Hall.  Colton  thus  describes  the  other 
member  of  the  firm.  Dr.  Robert  Semple:  "My 
partner  is  an  emigrant  from  Kentucky,  who 
stands  six  feet  eight  in  his  stockings.  He  is  in 
a  buckskin  dress,  a  foxskin  cap;  is  true  with  his 
rifle,  ready  with  his  pen  and  quick  at  the  type 
case."  Semple  came  to  California  in  1845,  with 
the  Hastings  party,  and  was  one  of  the  leaders 
in  the  Bear  Flag  revolution.  The  type  and 
press  used  were  brought  to  California  by  Au- 
gustin  V.  Zamorano  in  1834,  and  by  him  sold 
to  the  territorial  government,  and  had  been 
used  for  printing  bandos  and  pronunciamentos. 
The  only  paper  the  publishers  of  The  Californian 
could  procure  was  that  used  in  the  manufacture 
of  cigarettes,  which  came  in  sheets  a  little 
larger  than  foolscap.  The  font  of  type  was 
short  of  w's,  so  two  v's  were  substituted  for 
that  letter,  and  when  these  ran  out  two  u's  were 
used.  The  paper  was  moved  to  San  Francisco 
in  1848  and  later  on  consolidated  with  the  Cali- 
fornia Star. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


REVOLT    OF     THE    CALIFORNIANS. 


HOSTILITIES  had  ceased  in  all  parts  of 
the  territory.  The  leaders  of  the  Cali- 
fornians had  escaped  to  Mexico,  and 
Stockton,  regarding  the  conquest  as  completed, 
set  about  organizing  a  government  for  the  con- 
(juered  territory.  Fremont  was  to  be  appointed 
military  governor.  Detachments  from  his  bat- 
talion were  to^  be  detailed  to  garrison  different 
towns,  while  Stockton,  with  what  recruits  he 
could  gather  in  California,  and  his  sailors  and 
marines,  was  to  undertake  a  naval  expedition 
against  the  west  coast  of  Alexico,  land  his  forces 
at  Mazatlan  or  Acapulco  and  march  overland 
to  "shake  hands  with  General  Taylor  at  the 
gates  of  ]\Iexico.'"  Captain  Gillespie  was  made 
military  commandant  of  the  southern  depart- 
ment, with  headquarters  at  Los  Angeles,  and  as- 
signed a  garrison  of  fifty  men.  Commodore 
Stockton  left  Los  Angeles  for  the  north  Sep- 


tember 2.  Fremont,  with  the  remainder  of  his 
battalion,  took  up  his  line  of  march  for  Monte- 
rey a  few  days  later.  Gillespie's  orders  were  to 
place  the  city  under  martial  law,  but  not  to  en- 
force the  more  burdensome  restrictions  upon 
quiet  and  well-disposed  citizens.  A  conciliatorv 
policy  in  accordance  with  instructions  of  the 
secretary  of  the  navy  was  to  be  adopted  and  the 
people  were  to  be  encouraged  to  "neutralitw 
self-government  and  friendship." 

Nearly  all  historians  who  have  written  upon 
this  subject  lay  the  blame  for  the  subsequent 
uprising  of  the  Californians  and  their  revolt 
against  the  rule  of  the  military  commandant, 
Gillespie,  to  his  petty  tyrannies.  Col.  J.  J. 
Warner,  in  his  Historical  Sketch  of  Los  An- 
geles County,  says:  "Gillespie  attempted  by  a 
coercive  system  to  efifect  a  moral  and  social 
change  in  the  habits,  diversions  and  pastimes  of 


126 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  people  and  to  reduce  them  to  his  standard 
of  propriety."  Warner  was  not  an  impartial 
judge.  He  had  a  grievance  against  Gillespie 
which  embittered  him  against  the  captain.  Gil- 
lespie may  have  been  lacking  in  tact,  and  his 
schooling  in  the  navy  under  the  tyrannical 
regime  of  the  quarterdeck  of  sixty  years  ago 
was  not  the  best  training  to  fit  him  for  govern- 
ment, but  it  is  hardly  probable  that  in  two 
weeks'  time  he  undertook  to  enforce  a  "coercive 
system"  looking  toward  an  entire  change  in  the 
moral  and  social  habits  of  the  people.  Los  An- 
geles under  Mexican  domination  was  a  hotbed 
of  revolutions.  It  had  a  turbulent  and  restless 
element  among  its  inhabitants  that  was  never 
happier  than  when  fomenting  strife  and  con- 
spiring to  overthrow  those  in  power.  Of  this 
class  Colton,  writing  in  1846.  says:  "They  drift 
about  like  Arabs.  If  the  tide  of  fortune  turns 
against  them  they  disband  and  scatter  to  the 
four  winds.  Thev  never  become  martyrs  to  any 
cause.  They  are  too  numerous  to  be  brought 
to  punishment  by  any  of  their  governors,  and 
thus  escape  justice."  There  was  a  conservative 
class  in  the  territory,  made  up  principally  of 
the  large  landed  proprietors,  both  native  and 
foreign-born,  but  these  exerted  small  influence 
in  controlling  the  turbulent.  While  Los  An- 
geles had  a  monopoly  of  this  turbulent  and  rev- 
olutionary element,  other  settlements  in  the 
territory  furnished  their  full  quota  of  that  class 
of  political  knight  errants  whose  chief  pastime 
was  revolution,  and  whose  capital  consisted  of 
a  gaily  caparisoned  steed,  a  riata,  a  lance,  a 
dagger  and  possibly  a  pair  of  horse  pistols. 
These  were  the  fellows  whose  "habits,  diver- 
sions and  pastimes"  Gillespie  undertook  to  re- 
duce "to  his  standard  of  propriety." 

That  Commodore  Stockton  should  have  left 
(ullespie  so  small  a  garrison  to  hold  the  city 
and  surrounding  country  in  subjection  shows 
that  either  he  was  ignorant  of  the  character  of 
the  people,  or  that  he  placed  too  great  reliance 
in  the'  completeness  of  their  subjection.  With 
Castro's  men  in  the  city  or  dispersed  among  the 
neighboring  ranches,  many  of  them  still  retain- 
ing their  arms,  and  all  of  them  ready  to  rally 
at  a  moment's  notice  to  the  call  of  their  leaders; 
wich  no  reinforcements  nearer  than  five  hundred 


miles  to  come  to  the  aid  of  Gillespie  in  case  of 
an  uprising,  it  was  foolhardiness  in  Stockton  to 
entrust  the  holding  of  the  most  important  place 
in  California  to  a  mere  handful  of  men,  half 
disciplined  and  poorly  equipped,  without  forti- 
fications for  defense  or  supplies  to  hold  out  in 
case  of  a  siege. 

Scarcely  had  Stockton  and  Fremont,  with 
their  men,  left  the  city  before  trouble  began. 
The  turbulent  element  of  the  city  fomented 
strife  and  seized  every  occasion  to  annoy  and 
harass  the  military  commandant  and  his  men. 
While  his  "petty  tyrannies,"  so  called,  which 
were  probably  nothing  more  than  the  enforce- 
ment of  martial  law,  may  have  been  somewhat 
provocative,  the  real  cause  was  more  deep 
seated.  The  Californians,  without  provocation 
on  their  part  and  without  really  knowing  the 
cause  why,  found  their  country  invaded,  their 
property  taken  from  them  and  their  government 
in  the  hands  of  an  alien  race,  foreign  to  them 
in  customs  and  religion.  They  would  have  been 
a  tame  and  spiritless  people  indeed,  had  they 
neglected  the  opportunity  that  Stockton's  blun- 
dering gave  them  to  regain  their  liberties.  They 
did  not  waste  much  time.  Within  two  weeks 
from  the  time  Stockton  sailed  from  San  Pedro 
hostilities  had  begun  and  the  city  was  in  a  state 
of  siege. 

Gillespie,  writing  in  the  Sacrainoito  Statcs- 
1110)1  in  1858,  thus  describes  the  first  attack: 
"On  the  22d  of  September,  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  a  party  of  sixty-five  Californians 
and  Sonorenos  made  an  attack  upon  my  small 
command  quartered  in  the  government  house. 
We  were  not  wholly  surprised,  and  with  twenty- 
one  rifles  we  beat  them  back  without  loss  to  our- 
selves, killing  and  wounding  th.ree  of  their  num- 
ber. When  daylight  came.  Lieutenant  Hensley, 
with  a  few  men,  took  several  prisoners  and 
drove  the  Californians  from  the  town.  This 
party  was  merely  the  nucleus  of  a  revolution 
commenced  and  known  to  Colonel  Fremont  be- 
fore he  left  Los  Angeles.  In  twenty-four  hours, 
six  hundred  well-mounted  horsemen,  armed 
with  escopetas  (shotguns),  lances  and  one  fine 
brass  piece  of  light  artillery,  surrounded  Los, 
Angeles  and  summoned  me  to  surrender.  There 
w  ere  three  old  honey-combed  iron  guns  (spiked) 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


127 


ill  the  corral  of  my  quarters,  which  we  at  once 
cleared  and  mounted  upon  the  axles  of  carts."' 

Serbulo  \'arela,  a  young  man  of  some  ability, 
but  of  a  turbulent  and  reckless  character,  had 
been  the  leader  at  first,  but  as  the  uprising  as- 
sumed the  character  of  a  revolution,  Castro's  old 
officers  came  to  the  front.  Capt.  Jose  Maria 
Flores  was  chosen  comandante-general ;  Jose 
Antonio  Carrillo,  major-general;  and  Andres 
Pico,  comandante  de  escuadron.  The  main 
camp  of  the  insurgents  was  located  on  the  mesa, 
east  of  the  river,  at  a  place  called  Paredon 
Blanco  (White  lilufif). 

On  the  24th  of  September,  from  the  camp 
at  White  Bluff,  was  issued  the  famous  Pronun- 
ciamiento  de  Barelas  y  otros  Californias  contra 
Los  Americanos  (The  Proclamation  of  Barelas 
and  other  Californians  against  the  .Americans). 
Il  was  signed  by  Serbulo  \'arela  (spelled  Bare- 
las), Leonardo  Cota  and  over  three  hundred 
others.  Although  this  proclamation  is  gener- 
ally credited  to  Flores,  there  is  no  evidence  to 
show  that  he  had  anything  to  do  with  framing 
it.  He  promulgated  it  over  his  signature  Octo- 
ber I.  It  is  probable  that  it  was  written  by 
\'arela  and  Cota.  It  has  been  the  custom  of 
American  writers  to  sneer  at  this  production  as 
florid  and  bombastic.  In  fiery  invective  and 
fierce  denunciation  it  is  the  equal  of  Patrick 
Henry's  famous  "Give  me  liberty  or  give  me 
death!"  Its  recital  of  wrongs  is  brief,  but  to 
the  point.  "And  shall  we  be  capable  of  permit- 
ting ourselves  to  be  subjugated  and  to  accept  in 
silence  the  heavy  chains  of  slavery?  Shall  we 
lose  the  soil  inherited  from  our  fathers,  which 
cost  them  so  much  blood?  Shall  we  leave  our 
families  victims  of  the  most  barbarous  servi- 
tude? Shall  we  wait  to  see  our  wives  outraged, 
our  innocent  children  beaten  by  American 
whips,  our  property  sacked,  our  temples  pro- 
faned, to  drag  out  a  life  full  of  shame  and  dis- 
grace? No!  a  thousand  times  no!  Compatriots, 
death  rather  than  that!  Who  of  you  does  not 
feel  his  heart  beat  and  his  blood  boil  on  con- 
templating our  situation?  Who  will  be  the 
^Mexican  that  will  not  be  indignant  and  rise  in 
arms  to  destroy  our  oppressors?  We  believe 
there  will  be  not  one  so  vile  and  cowardly!" 

Gillespie  had  left  the  government  house  (lo- 


cated on  what  is  now  the  site  of  the  St.  Charles 
Hotel)  and  taken  a  position  on  Fort  Hill,  where 
he  had  erected  a  temporary  barricade  of  sacks 
filled  with  earth  and  had  mounted  his  cannon 
there.  The  Americans  had  been  summoned  to 
surrender,  but  had  refused.  They  were  besieged 
by  the  Californians.  There  was  but  little  firing 
between  the  combatants,  an  occasional  sortie 
and  a  volley  of  rifle  balls  by  the  Americans 
when  the  Californians  approached  too  near. 
The  Californians  were  well  mounted,  but  poorly 
armed,  their  weapons  being  principally  muskets, 
shotguns,  pistols,  lances  and  riatas;  while  the 
Americans  were  armed  with  long-range  rifles, 
of  which  the  Californians  had  a  wdiolesome 
dread.  The  fear  of  these  arms  and  his  cannon 
doubtless  saved  Gillespie  and  his  men  from 
capture. 

On  the  24th  Gillespie  dispatched  a  messenger 
to  find  Stockton  at  JMonterey,  or  at  San  Fran- 
cisco if  he  had  left  Montere)-,  and  apprise  him 
of  the  perilous  situation  of  the  Americans  at 
Los  Angeles.  Gillespie's  dispatch  bearer,  John 
Brown,  better  known  by  his  California  nick- 
name, Juan  Flaco  or  Lean  John,  made  one  of 
the  most  wonderful  rides  in  history.  Gillespie 
furnished  Juan  Flaco  with  a  package  of  cigar- 
etees,  the  paper  of  each  bearing  the  inscription, 
"Believe  the  bearer;"  these  were  stampd  with 
Gillespie's  seal.  Brown  started  from  Los  Angeles 
at  8  p.  m.,  September  24,  and  claimed  to  have 
reached  Yerba  Bucna  at  8  p.  m.  of  the  28th, 
a  ride  of  six  hundred  and  thirty  miles  in  four 
days.  This  is  incorrect.  Colton,  who  was  al- 
calde of  Monterey  at  that  time,  notes  Brown's 
arrival  at  that  place  on  the  evening  of  the  29th. 
Colton,  in  his  "Three  Years  in  California,"  says 
that  Brown  rode  the  whole  distance  (Los  An- 
geles to  Montere})  of  four  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  in  fifty-two  hours,  during  which  time  he 
had  not  slept.  His  intelligence  was  for  Com- 
modore Stockton  and,  in  the  nature  of  the  case, 
was  not  committed  to  paper,  e.xcept  a  few-  words 
rolled  in  a  cigar  fastened  in  his  hair.  But  the 
commodore  had  sailed  for  San  Francisco  and 
it  was  necessary  he  should  go  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles  further.  He  was  quite  exhausted 
and  was  allowed  to  sleep  three  hours.  Before 
day  he  was  up  and  away  on  his  journey.     Gil- 


128 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


k-spie,  in  a  letter  published  in  the  Los  Aiigclcs 
Star,  May  28,  1858,  describing  Juan  Flaco's  ride 
says:  "Before  sunrise  of  the  29th  he  was  lying 
in  the  bushes  at  San  Francisco,  in  front  of  the 
Congress  frigate,  waiting  for  the  early  market 
boat  to  come  on  shore,  and  he  delivered  my 
dispatches  to  Commodore  Stockton  before  7 
o'clock." 

In  trying  to  steal  through  the  picket  line  of 
the  Mexicans  at  Los  Angeles,  he  was  discovered 
and  pursued  by  a  squad  of  them.  A  hot  race 
ensued.  Finding  the  enemy  gaining  on  him  he 
forced  his  horse  to  leap  a  wide  ravine.  A  shot 
from  one  of  his  pursuers  mortally  wounded  his 
liorse,  which,  after  running  a  short  distance,  fell 
dead.  Flaco,  carrying  his  spurs  and  riata,  made 
his  way  on  foot  in  the  darkness  to  Las  Virgines, 
a  distance  of  twenty-seven  miles.  Here  he  se- 
cured another  mount  and  again  set  ofif  on  his 
perilous  journey.  The  trail  over  which  Flaco 
held  his  way  was  not  like  "the  road  from  Win- 
chester town,  a  good,  broad  highway  leading 
down,"  but  instead  a  Camino  de  heradura,  bridle 
path,  now  winding  up  through  rocky  canons, 
skirting  along  the  edge  of  precipitous  cliffs,  then 
zigzagging  down  chaparral  covered  mountains; 
now  over  the  sands  of  the  sea  beach  and  again 
across  long  stretches  of  Ijrown  mesa,  winding 
through  narrow  valleys  and  out  onto  the  rolling 
hills— a  trail  as  nature  made  it,  unchanged  by 
the  hand  of  man.  Such  was  the  highway  over 
which  Flaco's  steeds  "stretched  away  with  ut- 
most speed."  Harassed  and  pursued  by  the 
enemy,  facing  death  night  and  day,  with  scarcely 
a  stop  or  a  stay  to  eat  or  sleep.  Juan  Flaco  rode 
six   Inuidred   miles. 

"Of  all  the  rides  since  the  birth   of  time, 
Told  in  story  or  sung  in  rhyme. 
The  fleetest  ride  that  ever  was  sped," 

was  Juan  Flaco's  ride  from  Los  Angeles  to  San 
Francisco.  Longfellow  has  immortalized  the 
"Ride  of  Paul  Revere,"  Robert  Crowning  tells 
in  stirring  verse  of  the  riders  who  brought  the 
good  news  from  Ghent  to  Ai.x,  and  Buchanan 
Read  thrills  us  with  the  heroic  measures  of  Sher- 
idan's Ride.  No  poet  has  sung  of  Juan  Flaco's 
wonderful  ride,  fleeter,  longer  and  more  perilous 
than  anv  of  these.    Flaco  rode  six  hundred  miles 


through  the  enemy's  country,  to  bring  aid  to  a 
besieged  garrison,  while  Revere  and  J  orris  and 
Sheridan  were  in  the  country  of  friends  or  pro- 
tected by  an  army  from  enemies. 

Gillespie's  situation  was  growing  more  and 
more  desperate  each  day.  B.  D.  Wilson,  who 
with  a  company  of  riflemen  had  been  on  an 
expedition  against  the  Indians, had  been  ordered 
liy  Gillespie  to  join  him.  They  reached  the 
Chino  ranch,  where  a  light  took  place  between 
them  and  the  Californians.  Wilson's  men  being 
out  of  ammunition  were  compelled  to  sur- 
render. In  the  charge  upon  the  adobe,  where 
Wilson  and  his  men  had  taken  refuge,  Carlos 
Ballestaros  had  been  killed  and  several  Cali- 
fornians wounded.  This  and  Gillespie's  stubborn 
resistance  had  embittered  the  Californians  against 
him  and  his  men.  The  Chino  prisoners  had  been 
saved  from  massacre  after  their  surrender  by 
the  firmness  and  bravery  of  Varela.  If  Gillespie 
continued  to  hold  the  town  his  obstinacy  might 
bring  down  the  vengeance  of  the  Californians 
not  only  upon  him  and  his  men,  but  upon  many 
of  the  American  residents  of  the  south,  who  had 
favored  their  countrymen. 

Finally  Flores  issued  his  ultimatum  to  the 
Americans,  surrender  within  twenty-four  hours 
or  take  the  consequences  of  an  onslaught  by 
the  Californians,  which  might  result  in  the  mas- 
sacre of  the  entire  garrison.  In  the  meantime 
he  kept  his  cavalry  deployed  on  the  hills,  com- 
pletely investing  the  Americans.  Despairing  of 
assistance  from  Stockton,  on  the  advice  of  Wil- 
son, who  had  been  permitted  by  Flores  to  inter- 
cede with  Gillespie,  articles  of  capitulation  were 
drawn  up  and  signed  by  Gillespie  and  the  leaders 
of  the  Californians.  On  the  30th  of  September 
the  Americans  marched  out  of  the  city  with  all 
the  honors  of  war,  drums  beating,  colors  flying 
and  two  pieces  of  artillery  mounted  on  carts 
drawn  by  oxen.  They  arrived  at  San  Pedro 
without  molestation  and  four  or  five  days  later 
embarked  on  the  merchant  ship  Vandalia,  which 
remained  at  anchor  in  the  bay.  Gillespie  in 
his  march  was  accompanied  by  a  few  of  the 
American  residents  and  probably  a  dozen  of  the 
Chino  prisoners,  who  had  been  exchanged  for 
the  same  number  of  Californians,  whom  he 
had  held  under  arrest  most  likely  as  hostages. 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


129 


Gillespie  took  two  cannon  with  him  when  he 
evacuated  the  city,  leaving  two  spiked  and  broken 
on  I'ort  Hill  There  seems  to  have  been  a  pro- 
viso in  the  articles  of  capitulation  requiring  him 


to  deliver  the  guns  to  Flores  on  reaching  the 
embarcadero.  If  there  was  such  a  stipulation  Gil- 
lespie violated  it.  He  spiked  the  guns,  broke  off 
the  trunnions  antl  rolled  one  of  them  into  the  bay. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE  DEFEAT  AND  RETREAT  OF  MERVINE'S  MEN. 


THE  revolt  of  the  Californians  at  Lus  An- 
geles was  followed  by  similar  uprisings 
in  the  different  centers  of  population 
where  American  garrisons  were  stationed.  Upon 
the  receipt  of  Gillespie's  message  Commodore 
Stockton  ordered  Captain  ]\Iervine  to  proceed 
at  once  to  San  Pedro  to  regain,  if  possible,  the 
lost  territory.  Juan  Flaco  had  delivered  his 
message  to  Stockton  on  September  30.  Early 
on  the  morning  of  October  1st,  Captain  Mer- 
vine  got  under  way  for  San  Pedro.  "He  went 
ashore  at  Sausalito,"  says  Gillespie,  "on  some 
trivial  excuse,  and  a  dense  fog  coming  on  he 
was  compelled  to  remain  there  until  the  4th." 

Of  the  notable  events  occurring  during  the 
conquest  of  California  there  are  few  others  of 
which  there  are  so  contradictory  accounts  as 
that  known  as  the  battle  of  Dominguez  Ranch, 
where  Mervine  was  defeated  and  compelled  to  re- 
treat to  San  Pedro.  Historians  differ  widely 
in  the  number  engaged  and  in  the  number  killed. 
The  following  account  of  Mervine's  expedition 
I  take  from  a  log  book  kept  by  IMidshipman  and 
Acting-Lieut.  Robert  C.  Duvall  of  the  Savannah. 
Pie  commanded  a  company  during  the  battle. 
This  book  was  donated  to  the  Historical  So- 
ciety of  Southern  California  by  Dr.  J.  E.  Cowles 
of  Los  Angeles,  a  nephew  of  Lieutenant  Duvall. 
The  account  given  by  Lieutenant  Duvall  is  one 
of  the  fullest  and  most  accurate  in  existence. 

•'.\t  9.30  a.  m."  (October  1,  1846),  says  Lieu- 
tenant Duvall,  "we  commenced  working  out  of 
the  harbor  of  San  Francisco  on  the  ebb  tide. 
The  ship  anchored  at  Sausalito,  where,  on  ac- 
count of  a  dense  fog,  it  remained  until  the  4th, 
when  it  put  to  sea.  On  the  7th  the  ship  entered 
the  harbor  of  San  Pedro.     At  6:30  p.  m.,  as  we 


were  standing  in  for  anchorage,  we  made  out 
the  .\merican  merchant  ship  Vandalia,  having 
on  her  decks  a  body  of  men.  On  passing  she 
saluted  with  two  guns,  which  was  repeated  with 
three  cheers,  which  we  returned.  *  *  *  '■' 
I '.revet  Capt.  Archibald  Gillespie  came  on  board 
and  reported  that  he  had  evacuated  the  Pueblo 
de  Los  Angeles  on  account  of  the  overpowering 
force  of  the  enemy  and  had  retired  with  his 
men  on  board  the  \'andalia  after  having  spiked 
his  guns,  one  of  which  he  threw  into  the  water. 
He  also  reported  that  the  whole  of  California 
below  the  pueblo  had  risen  in  arms  against  our 
authorities,  headed  by  Flores,  a  Mexican  cap- 
tain on  furlough  in  this  country,  who  had  but 
a  few  days  ago  given  his  parole  of  honor  not 
to  take  up  arms  against  the  United  States.  We 
made  preparations  to  land  a  force  to  march  to 
the  pueblo  at  daylight. 

"October  8,  at  6  a.  m.,  all  the  boats  left  the 
ship  for  the  purpose  of  landing  the  forces,  num- 
l^ering  in  all  two  hundred  and  ninety-nine  men, 
including  the  volunteers  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Gillespie.  At  6:30  all  were  landed  without 
opposition,  the  enemy  in  small  detachments  re- 
treating toward  the  pueblo.  I'rom  their  move- 
ments we  apprehended  that  their  whole  force 
was  near.  Captain  iMervine  sent  on  board  ship 
for  a  reinforcement  of  eighty  men,  under  com- 
mand of  Lieut.  R.  B.  Hitchcock.  At  8  a.  m. 
the  several  companies,  all  under  command  of 
Capt  William  Mervine,  took  up  the  line  of 
march  for  the  purpose  of  retaking  the  pueblo. 
The  enemy  retreated  as  our  forces  advanced. 
(On  landing,  William  A.  Smith,  first  cabin  boy, 
was  killed  by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  Colt's 
pistol.)      The   reinforcements    under    the   com- 


130 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


niand  of  Lieut.  R.  B.  Hitchcock  returned  on 
board  ship.  For  the  first  four  miles  our  march 
was  through  hills  and  ravines,  which  the  enemy 
might  have  taken  advantage  of,  but  preferred  to 
occupy  as  spectators  only,  until  our  approach. 
A  few  shots  from  our  flankers  (who  were  the 
volunteer  riflemen)  would  start  them  off;  they 
returned  the  compliment  before  going.  The 
remainder  of  our  march  was  performed  over  a 
continuous  plain  overgrown  with  wild  mustard, 
rising  in  places  to  six  or  eight  feet  in  height. 
The  ground  was  excessively  dry,  the  clouds  of 
dust  were  sufifocating  and  there  was  not  a  breath 
of  wind  in  motion.  There  was  no  water  on  our 
line  of  march  for  ten  or  twelve  miles  and  we 
suffered  greatly  from  thirst. 

"At  2:30  p.  m.  we  reached  our  camping 
ground.  The  enemy  appeared  in  considerable 
numbers.  Their  numbers  continued  to  increase 
until  sundown,  when  they  formed  on  a  hill  near 
us,  gradually  inclining  towards  our  camp.  They 
were  admirably  formed  for  a  cavalry  charge. 
We  drew  up  our  forces  to  meet  them,  but  find- 
ing they  were  disposed  to  remain  stationary, 
the  marines,  under  command  of  Captain  Mars- 
ton,  the  Colt's  riflemen,  under  command  of 
Lieut.  I.  B.  Carter  and  myself,  and  the  volun- 
teers, under  command  of  Capt.  A.  Gillespie,  were 
ordered  to  charge  on  them,  which  we  did.  They 
stood  their  ground  until  our  shots  commenced 
'telling'  on  them,  when  they  took  to  flight  in 
every  direction.  They  continued  to  annoy  us  by 
firing  into  our  camp  through  the  night.  About  2 
a.  m.  they  brought  a  piece  of  artillery  and  fired 
into  our  camp,  the  shot  striking  the  ground 
near  us.  The  marines,  riflemen  and  volunteers 
were  sent  in  pursuit  of  the  gun,  but  could  see 
or  hear  nothing  of  it. 

"We  left  our  camp  the  next  morning  at  6 
o'clock.  Our  plan  of  march  was  in  column  by 
platoon.  We  had  not  proceeded  far  before  the 
enemy  appeared  before  us  drawn  up  on  each 
side  of  the  road,  mounted  on  fine  horses,  each 
man  armed  with  a  lance  and  carbine.  They  also 
had  a  field  piece  (a  four-pounder),  to  which  were 
hitched  eight  or  ten  horses,  placed  on  the  road 
ahead  of  us. 

"Captain  !\Iervine,  thinking  it  was  the  enemy's 
intention  to  throw  us  into  confusion  by  using 


their  gun  on  us  loaded  with  round  shot  and 
copper  grape  shot  and  then  charge  us  with  their 
cavalry,  ordered  us  to  form  a  square — which  was 
the  order  of  march  throughout  the  battle.  When 
within  about  four  hundred  yards  of  them  the 
enemy  opened  on  us  with  their  artillery.  We 
made  frequent  charges,  driving  them  before  us, 
and  at  one  time  causing  them  to  leave  some  of 
their  cannon  balls  and  cartridges;  but  owing  to 
the  rapidity  with  which  they  could  carry  off 
the  gun,  using  their  lassos  on  every  part,  en- 
abled them  to  choose  their  own  distance,  en- 
tirely out  of  all  range  of  our  muskets.  Their 
horsemen  kept  out  of  danger,  apparently  con- 
tent to  let  the  gun  do  the  fighting.  They  kept 
up  a  constant  fire  with  their  carbines,  but  these 
did  no  harm.  The  enemy  numbered  between 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  and  two  hundred 
strong. 

"Finding  it  impossible  to  capture  the  gun,  the 
retreat  was  sounded.  The  captain  consulted 
with  his  officers  on  the  best  steps  to  be  taken. 
It  was  decided  unanimously  to  return  on  board 
ship.  To  continue  the  march  would  sacrifice 
a  number  of  lives  to  no  purpose,  for,  admitting 
we  could  have  reached  the  pueblo,  all  com- 
munications would  be  cut  off  with  the  ship,  and 
we  would  further  be  constantly  annoyed  by  their 
artillery  without  the  least  chance  of  capturing 
it.  It  was  reported  that  the  enemy  were  be- 
tween five  and  six  hundred  strong  at  the  city 
and  it  was  thought  he  had  more  artillery.  On 
retreating  they  got  the  gun  planted  on  a  hill 
ahead  of  us. 

"The  captain  made  us  an  address,  saying  to 
the  troops  that  it  was  his  intention  to  march 
straight  ahead  in  the  same  orderly  manner  in 
which  we  had  advanced,  and  that  sooner  than 
he  would  surrender  to  such  an  enemy,  he  would 
sacrifice  himself  and  every  other  man  in  his 
command.  The  enemy  fired  into  us  four  times 
on  the  retreat,  the  fourth  shot  falling  short,  the 
report  of  the  gun  indicating  a  small  quantity  of 
powder,  after  which  they  remained  stationary 
and  manifested  no  further  disposition  to  molest 
us.  We  proceeded  quietly  on  our  march  to  the 
landing,  where  we  found  a  body  of  men  under 
command  of  Lieutenant  Hitchcock  with  two 
nine-pounder  cannon  gotten  from  the  Windalia 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


131 


to  render  us  assistance  in  case  we  should  need  it. 

"We  presented  truly  a  pitiable  condition, 
many  being  barely  able  to  drag  one  foot  after 
the  other  from  excessive  fatigue,  having  gone 
through  the  exertions  and  excitement  in  battle 
and  afterwards  performing  a  march  of  eighteen 
or  twenty  miles  without  rest.  This  is  the  first 
battle  I  have  ever  been  engaged  in,  and,  having 
taken  particular  notice  of  those  around  me,  I 
can  assert  that  no  men  could  have  acted  more 
bravely.  Even  when  their  shipmates  were  fall- 
ing by  their  sides,  I  saw  but  one  impulse  and 
that  was  to  push  forward,  and  when  retreat  was 
ordered  I  noticed  a  general  reluctance  to  turn 
their  backs  to  the  enemy. 

"The  following  is  a  list  of  the  killed  and 
wounded:  Michael  Hoey,  ordinary  seaman, 
killed;  David  Johnson,  ordinary  seaman,  killed; 
William  H.  Berry,  ordinary  seaman,  mortally 
wounded;  Charles  Sommers,  musician,  mortally 
wounded;  John  Tyre,  seaman,  severely 
wounded;  John  Anderson,  seaman,  severely 
wounded;^  recbvery  doubtful.  The  following- 
named  were  slightly  wounded:  William  Con- 
land,  marine;  Hiram  Rockvill,  marine;  H.  Lin- 
land,  marine;  James  Smith,  marine. 

"On  the  following  morning  we  buried  the 
bodies  of  William  .\.  Smith,  Charles  Sommers. 
David  Johnson  and  Michael  Hoey  on  an  island 
in  the  harbor. 

"At  II  a.  m.  the  captain  called  a  council  of 
commissioned  officers  regarding  the  proper 
course  to  adopt  in  the  present  crisis,  which  de- 
cided that  no  force  should  be  landed,  and  that 
the  ship  remain  here  until  further  orders  from 
the  commodore,  who  is  daily  expected." 

Entry  in  the  log  for  Sunday,  nth:  "William 
H.  Berry,  ordinary  seaman,  departed  this  life 
from  the  effect  of  wounds  received  in  battle. 
Sent  his  body  for  interment  to  Dead  Man's 
Island,  so  named  by  us.  Mustered  the  com- 
mand at  quarters,  after  which  performed  divine 
service." 

From  this  account  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
number  killed  and  died  of  wounds  received  in 
battle  was  four;  number  wounded  six,  and  one 
accidentally  killed  before  the  battle.  On  October 
22d,  Henry  Lewis  died  and  was  buried  on  the 
island.     Lewis'  name  does  not  appear  in  the  list 


of  wounded.  It  is  presumable  that  he  died  of 
disease.  Six  of  the  crew  of  the  Savannah  were 
buried  on  Dead  Man's  Island,  four  of  whom 
were  killed  in  battle.  Lieutenant  Duvall  gives 
the  following  list  of  the  officers  in  the  "Expedi- 
tion on  the  march  to  retake  Puel)lo  de  Los  .\n- 
geles:"  Capt.  William  Mervine,  cunnnanding; 
Capt.  Ward  Marston,  commanding  marines; 
Brevet  Capt.  A.  H.  Gillespie,  commanding  vol- 
unteers; Lieut.  Henry  W.  Queen,  adjutant; 
Lieut.  B.  F.  Pinckney,  commanding  first  com- 
pany; Lieut.  W.  Rinckindofif,  commanding  sec- 
ond company;  Lieut.  I.  B.  Carter,  Colt's  rifle- 
men; Midshipman  R.  D.  Minor,  acting  lieuten- 
ant second  company;  Midshipman  S.  P.  Griffin, 
acting  lieutenant  first  company;  Midshipman  P. 
G.  Walmough,  acting  lieutenant  second  com- 
panv;  I^Iidshipman  R.  C.  Duvall,  acting  lieuten- 
ant Colt's  riflemen;  Captain  Clark  and  Captain 
Goodsall,  commanding  pikemen;  Lieutenant 
Hiensley,  first  lieutenant  volunteers;  Lieutenant 
Russeau,   second   lieutenant   volunteers. 

The  piece  of  artillery  that  did  such  deadly 
execution  on  the  .Americans  was  the  famous  Old 
Woman's  gun.  It  was  a  bronze  four-pounder,  or 
pedrero  (swivel-gun)  that  for  a  number  of  years 
had  stood  on  the  plaza  in  front  of  the.  church, 
and  was  used  for  firing  salutes  on  feast  days  and 
other  occasions.  When  on  the  approach  of 
Stockton's  and  Fremont's  forces  Castro  aban- 
doned his  artillery  and  fled,  an  old  lady.  Dona 
Clara  Cota  de  Reyes,  declared  that  the  gringos 
should  not  have  the  church's  gun;  so,  with  the 
assistance  of  her  daughters,  she  buried  it  in  a 
cane  patch  near  her  residence,  which  stood  on 
the  east  side  of  Alameda  street,  near  First. 
^^'hen  the  Californians  revolted  against  Gil- 
lespie's rule  the  gun  was  unearthed  and  used 
against  him.  The  Historical  Society  of  South- 
ern California  has  in  its  possession  a  brass 
grapeshot,  one  of  a  charge  that  was  fired  into 
the  face  of  Fort  Hill  at  Gillespie's  men  when 
they  were  posted  on  the  hill.  This  gun  was  in 
the  exhibit  of  trophies  at  the  Xew  Orleans  Ex- 
position in  1885.  The  label  on  it  read:  "Trophy 
53,  Xo.  63,  Class  7.  L^sed  by  Mexico  against 
the  United  States  at  the  battle  of  Dominguez' 
Ranch,  October  q.  1846;  at  San  Gabriel  and  the 
Mesa.  January  8  and  <),  1847;  "sed  by  the  United 


132 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


States  forces  against  Mexico  at  M^zatlan,  No- 
vember II,  1847;  Urios  (crew  all  killed  or 
wounded),  Palos  Prietos,  December  13,  1847, 
and  Lower  California,  at  San  Jose,  February  15, 
1848." 

liefore  the  battle  the  old  gun  had  been 
mounted  on  forward  axle  of  a  Jersey  wagon, 
which  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hunt  had  brought 
across  the  plains  the  year  before.  It  was  lashed 
to  the  axle  by  means  of  rawhide  thongs,  and 
was  drawn  by  riatas,  as  described  by  Lieutenant 
Duvall.  The  range  was  obtained  by  raising  or 
lowering  the  pole  of  the  wagon.  Ignacio  Aguilar 
acted  as  gunner,  and  having  neither  lanyard  or 
pent-stock  to  fire  it,  he  touched  oi¥  the  gun  with 
the  lighted  end  of  a  cigarette.  Never  before  or 
since,  perhaps,  was  a  battle  won  with  such  crude 
artillery.  Jose  Antonio  Carrillo  w^as  in  com- 
mand of  the  Californians.  During  the  skirmish- 
ing of  the  first  day  he  had  between  eighty  and 
ninety  men.  During  the  night  of  the  8th  Flores 
joined  him  with  a  force  of  sixty  men.  Next 
morning  Flores  returned  to  Los  Angeles,  taking 
with  him  twenty  men.  Carrillo's  force  in  the 
battle  numbered  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
men.  Had  Mervine  known  that  the  Californians 
had  fired  their  last  shot  (their  powder  being  ex- 
hausted) he  could  have  pushed  on  and  captured 
the  pueblo. 

The  expulsion  of  Gillespie's  garrison  from 
Los  Angeles  and  the  defeat  of  Mervine's  force 
raised  the  spirits  of  the  Californians,  and  there 
was  great  rejoicing  at  the  pueblo.  Detachments 
of  Flores'  army  w^ere  kept  at  Sepulveda's  rancho. 
the  Palos  Verdes,  and  at  Temple's  rancho  of  the 
Cerritos,  to  watch  the  Savannah  and  report  any 
attempt  at  landing.  The  leaders  of  the  revolt 
were  not  so  sanguine  of  success  as  the  rank  and 
file.  They  were  without  means  to  procure  arms 
and  supplies.  There  was  a  scarcity  of  ammuni- 
tion, too.  An  inferior  article  of  gunpowder  was 
manufactured  in  limited  quantities  at  San 
Gabriel.  The  only  uniformity  in  weapons  was 
in  lances.  These  were  rough,  home-made  af- 
fairs, the  blade  beaten  out  of  a  rasp  or  file,  and 
tlie  shaft  a  willaw  pole  about  eight  feet  long. 
These  weapons  were  formidable  in  a  charge 
against  infantry,  but  easily  parried  by  a  swords- 
man in  a  cavalry  charge. 


After  the  defeat  of  Mervine,  Flores  set  about 
reorganizing  the  territorial  government.  He 
called  together  the  departmental  assembly.  It 
met  at  the  capital  (Los  Angeles)  October  26th. 
The  members  present,  Figueroa,  Botello,  Guerra 
and  Olvera,  were  all  from  the  south.  The  as- 
sembly decided  to  fill  the  place  of  governor, 
vacated  by  Pico,  and  that  of  comandante-gen- 
eral,  left  vacant  by  the  flight  of  Castro. 

Jose  Maria  Flores,  who  was  now  recognized 
as  the  leader  of  the  revolt  against  American  rule, 
was  chosen  to  fill  both  offices,  and  the  two  of- 
fices, as  had  formerly  been  the  custom,  were 
united  in  one  person.  He  chose  Narciso  Bo- 
tello for  his  secretary.  F'lores,  who  was  ^lex- 
ican  born,  was  an  intelligent  and  patriotic  ofificer. 
He  used  every  means  in  his  power  to  prepare 
his  forces  for  the  coming  conflict  with  the 
Americans,  but  with  little  success.  The  old 
jealousy  of  the  hijos  del  pais  against  the  Mex- 
ican would  crop  out,  and  it  neutralized  his 
efforts.  There  were  bickerings  and  complaints 
in  the  ranks  and  among  the  officers.^  The  na- 
tives claimed  that  a  Californian  ought  to  be 
chief  in  command. 

The  feeling  of  jealousy  against  Flores  at 
length  culminated  in  open  revolt.  Flores  had 
decided  to  send  the  prisoners  taken  at  the  Chino 
fight  to  Mexico.  His  object  was  twofold — first, 
to  enhance  his  own  glory  with  the  Mexican 
government,  and,  secondly,  by  showing  what 
the  Californians  had  already  accomplished  to 
obtain  aid  in  the  coming  conflict.  As  most  of 
these  men  were  married  to  California  wives, 
and  by  marriage  related  to  many  of  the  leading 
California  families  of  the  south,  there  was  at 
once  a  family  uproar  and  fierce  denunciations 
of  Flores.  But  as  the  Chino  prisoners  were 
foreigners,  and  had  been  taken  while  fighting 
against  the  Mexican  government,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  disguise  the  hostility  to  Flores  under 
some  other  pretext.  He  was  charged  with  the 
design  of  running  away  to  Sonora  with  the  pub- 
lic funds.  On  the  night  of  December  3,  Francisco 
Rico,  at  the  head  of  a  party  of  Californians,  took 
possession  of  the  cuartel,  or  guard  house,  and 
arrested  Flores.  A  special  session  of  the  as- 
sembly was  called  to  investigate  the  charges. 

Flores  expressed  his  willingness  to  give  up 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAI'IIICAL   RECORD. 


r^:^ 


his  purpose  of  sending  the  Chino  prisoners  to 
Mexico,  and  the  assembly  foimd  no  foimdation 
to  the  charge  of  his  design  of  running  away 
with  the  public  funds,  nor  did  they  find  any 
funds  to  run  away  with.  Flores  was  liberated, 
and  Rico  imprisoned  in  turn. 

Flores  was  really  the  last  Mexican  governor 
of  California.  Like  Pico,  he  was  elected  by  the 
territorial  legislature,  but  he  was  not  confirmed 
by  the  Mexican  congress.  Generals  Scott  and 
Taylor  were  keeping  President  Santa  Anna  and 


his  congress  on  the  move  so  rapidly  they  had  no 
time  to  spare  for  California  affairs. 

Flores  was  governor  from  October  26,  1846, 
to  January  8,  1847. 

With  a  threatened  invasion  by  the  Americans 
and  a  divided  people  within,  it  was  hard  times 
in  the  old  pueblo.  The  town  had  to  supply 
the  army  with  provisions.  The  few  w'ho  pos- 
sessed mone)-  hid  it  away  and  all  business  was 
suspended  except  preparations  to  meet  the 
invaders. 


CHAPTER   XIX, 


THE    FINAL    CONQUEST    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


COALMODORE  STOCKTON,  convinced 
that  the  revolt  of  the  Californians  was 
a  serious  afifair,  ordered  Fremont's  bat- 
talion, which  had  been  recruited  to  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  men,  to  proceed  to  the  south  to 
co-operate  with  him  in  quelling  the  rebellion. 
The  battalion  sailed  on  the  Sterling,  but  shortly 
after  putting  to  sea,  meeting  the  \'andalia,  ]''re- 
mont  learned  of  Mervine's  defeat  and  also  that 
no  horses  could  be  procured  in  the  lower  coun- 
try; the  vessel  was  put  about  and  the  battalion 
landed  at  Monterey,  October  28.  It  was  decided 
to  recruit  the  battalion  to  a  regiment  and 
mounting  it  to  march  down  the  coast.  Recruit- 
ing was  actively  begun  among  the  newly  ar- 
rived immigrants.  Horses  and  saddles  were 
procured  by  giving  receipts  on  the  government, 
payable  after  the  close  of  the  war  or  by  confisca- 
tion if  it  brought  returns  quicker  than  receipts. 

The  report  of  the  revolt  in  the  south  quickly 
spread  among  the  Californians  in  the  north  and 
they  made  haste  to  resist  their  spoilers.  Manuel 
Castro  was  made  comandante  of  the  military 
forces  of  the  north,  headquarters  at  San  Luis 
Obispo.  Castro  collected  a  force  of  about  one 
hundred  men,  well  mounted  but  poorly  armed. 
His  purpose  was  to  carry  on  a  sort  of  guerrilla 
warfare,  capturing  men  and  horses  from  the 
enemy  whenever  an  opportunity  ofifered. 

Fremont,  now  raised  to  the  rank  of  lieuten- 
ant-colonel  in    the    regular    army    with   head- 


(|uartcrs  at  Monterey,  was  rapidly  mobilizing  his 
motle)-  collection  of  recruits  into  a  formidable 
force.  Officers  and  men  were  scouring  the 
country  for  recruits,  horses,  accouterments  and 
supplies.  Two  of  these  recruiting  squads  en- 
countered the  enemy  in  considerable  force  and 
an  engagement  known  as  the  battle  of  Natividad 
ensued.  Capt.  Charles  P.urroughs  with  thirty- 
four  men  and  two  hundred  horses,  recruited  at 
Sacramento,  arrived  at  San  Juan  Bautista,  No- 
vember 15,  on  his  way  to  Monterey  on  the  same 
day  Captain  Thompson,  with  about  the  same 
number  of  men  recruited  at  San  Jose,  reached 
San  Juan.  The  Californians,  with  the  design  of 
ca])turing  the  horses,  made  a  night  march  from 
their  camp  on  the  Salinas.  At  Gomez  rancho 
they  took  prisoner  Thomas  O.  Larkin,  the 
American  consul,  who  was  on  his  way  from 
Alonterey  to  San  Francisco  on  official  business. 
On  the  morning  of  the  i6th  the  Americans  be- 
gan their  march  for  Monterey.  At  Gomez 
rancho  their  advance  learned  of  the  presence  of 
the  enemy  and  of  the  capture  of  Larkin.  A 
squad  of  six  or  eight  scouts  was  sent  out  to  find 
the  Californians.  The  scouts  encountered  a 
detachment  of  Castro's  force  at  Encinalitos 
(Little  Oaks)  and  a  fight  ensued.  The  main  body 
of  the  enemy  came  up  and  surrounded  the  grove 
of  oaks.  The  scouts,  though  greatly  outnum- 
bered, were  well  armed  with  long  range  rifles  and 
held  the  enemy  at  bay,  until  Captains  Burroughs 


134 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  Thompson  brought  up  their  companies. 
Burroughs,  who  seems  to  have  been  the  ranking 
officer,  hesitated  to  charge  the  Californians,  who 
had  the  superior  force,  and  besides  he  was  fear- 
ful of  losing  his  horses  and  thus  delaying  Fre- 
mont's movements.  But,  taunted  with  cowardice 
and  urged  on  by  Thompson,  a  fire  eater,  who 
was  making  loud  protestations  of  his  bravery, 
Burroughs  ordered  a  charge.  The  Americans, 
badly  mounted,  were  soon  strung  out  in  an  ir- 
regular line.  The  Californians,  who  had  made  a 
feint  of  retreating,  turned  and  attacked  with 
vigor,  Captain  Burroughs  and  four  or  five  others 
were  killed.  The  straggling  line  fell  back  on  the 
main  body  and  the  Californians,  having  ex- 
pended their  ammunition,  retreated.  The  loss 
in  killed  and  wounded  amounted  to  twelve  or 
fifteen  on  each  side. 

The  only  other  engagement  in  the  north  was 
the  bloodless  battle  of  Santa  Clara.  Fremont's 
methods  of  procuring  horses,  cattle  and  other 
supplies  was  to  take  them  and  give  in  payment 
demands  on  the  government,  payable  after  the 
close  of  the  war.  After  his  departure  the  same 
method  was  continued  by  the  ofificers  of  the 
garrisons  at  San  Francisco,  San  Jose  and  Mon- 
terey. Indeed,  it  was  their  only  method  of  pro- 
curing _  supplies.  The  quartermasters  were 
without  money  and  the  government  without 
credit.  On  the  8th  of  December,  Lieutenant 
Bartlett,  also  alcalde  of  Verba  Buena,  with  a 
squad  of  five  men  started  down  the  peninsula 
toward  San  Jose  to  purchase  supplies.  Fran- 
cisco Sanchez,  a  rancher,  whose  horse  and  cattle 
corrals  had  been  raided  b\-  former  purchasers, 
with  a  band  of  Californians  waylaid  and  cap- 
tured Bartlett  and  his  men.  Other  California 
rancheros  who  had  lost  their  stock  in  similar 
raids  rallied  to  the  support  of  Sanchez  and  soon 
he  found  himself  at  the  head  of  one  hundred 
men.  The  object  of  their  organization  was 
rather  to  protect  their  propertythan  to  fight.  The 
news  soon  spread  that  the  Californians  had  re- 
volted and  were  preparing  to  massacre  the 
Americans.  Captain  Weber  of  San  Jose  had  a 
company  of  thirty-three  men  organized  for  de- 
fense. There  was  also  a  company  of  twenty 
men  under  command  of  Captain  .A.ram  stationed 
at  the  ex-mission  of  Santa  Clara.     On  the  29th 


uf  December,  Capt.  Ward  Alarston  with  a  de- 
tachment of  thirty-four  men  and  a  field  piece  in 
charge  of  Master  de  Long  and  ten  sailors  was 
sent  to  Santa  Clara.  The  entire  force  collected 
at  the  seat  of  war  numbered  one  hundred  and 
one  men.  On  January  2  the  American  force 
encountered  the  Californians,  one  hundred 
strong,  on  the  plains  of  Santa  Clara.  Firing  at 
long  range  began  and  continued  for  an  hour  or 
more.  Sanchez  sent  in  a  flag  of  truce  asking  an 
armistice  preparatory  to  the  settlement  of  diffi- 
culties. January  3,  Captain  Maddox  arrived 
from  Monterey  with  fifty-nine  mounted  men, 
and  on  the  7th  Lieutenant  Grayson  came  with 
fifteen  men.  On  the  8th  a  treaty  of  peace  was 
concluded,  by  which  the  enemy  surrendered 
Lieutenant  Bartlett  and  all  the  other  prisoners, 
as  well  as  their  arms,  including  a  small  field 
piece  and  were  permitted  to  go  to  their  homes. 
Upon  "reliable  authority"  four  Californians  were 
reported  killed,  but  their  graves  have  never  been 
discovered  nor  did  their  living  relatives,  so  far 
as  known,  mourn  their  loss. 

Stockton  with  his  flagship,  the  Congress,  ar- 
rived at  San  Pedro  on  the  23d  of  October,  1846. 
The  Savannah  was  still  hing  at  anchor  in  the 
iiarbor.  The  commodore  had  now  at  San  Pedro 
a  force  of  about  eight  hundred  men;  but,  not- 
withstanding the  contemptuous  opinion  he  held 
of  the  Californian  soldiers,  he  did  not  march 
against  the  pueblo.  Stockton  in  his  report 
says:  "Elated  by  this  transient  success  (Mer- 
vine's  defeat),  which  the  enemy  with  his  usual 
want  of  veracity  magnified  into  a  great  victory, 
they  collected  in  large  bodies  on  all  the  adjacent 
hills  and  would  not  permit  a  hoof  except  their 
own  horses  to  be  within  fifty  miles  of  San 
Pedro."  But  "in  the  face  of  their  boasting  in- 
solence" Stockton  landed  and  again  hoisted  "the 
glorious  stars  and  stripes  in  the  presence  of 
their  horse  covered  hills."  "The  enemy  had 
driven  ofif  every  animal,  man  and  beast  from 
that  section  of  the  country ;  and  it  was  not  pos- 
sible by  any  means  in  our  power  to  carry  pro- 
visions for  our  march  to  the  city."  The  city 
was  only  thirty  miles  away  and  American  sol- 
diers have  been  known  to  carry  rations  in  their 
haversacks  for  a  march  of  one  hundred  miles. 
The  "transient  success"  of  the  insolent  enemy 


HISTURICAL  A\D    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


had  evidently  made  an  impression  on  Stockton. 
He  estimated  tlie  California  force  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  landing  at  eight  hundred  men,  which  was 
just  seven  hundred  too  high.  He  determined 
to  approach  Los  Angeles  by  way  of  San  Diego, 
and  on  the  last  day  of  October  he  sailed  for  that 
port.  B.  D.  Wilson,  Stephen  C.  Foster  and 
others  attribute  Stockton's  abandonment  of  an 
attack  on  Los  Angeles  from  San  Pedro  to  a 
trick  played  on  him  by  Jose  Antonio  Carrillo. 
Carrillo  was  in  command  of  the  detachment 
stationed  at  the  Cerritos  and  the  Palos  Verdes. 
Carrillo  was  anxious  to  obtain  an  interview  with 
Stockton  and  if  possible  secure  a  cessation  of 
hostilities  until  the  war  then  progressing  in 
Mexico  should  be  decided,  thus  settling  the 
fate  of  California.  B.  D.  Wilson,  one  of  the 
Chino  prisoners,  was  sent  with  a  Mexican  ser- 
geant to  raise  a  white  flag  as  the  boats  of  the 
Congress  approached  the  landing  and  present 
Carrillo's  proposition  for  a  truce.  Carrillo,  with 
the  intention  of  giving  Stockton  an  exaggerated 
idea  of  the  number  of  his  troops  and  thus  ob- 
taining more  favorable  terms  in  the  proposed 
treaty,  collected  droves  of  wild  horses  from  the 
plains;  these  his  caballeros  kept  in  motion,  pass- 
ing and  repassing  through  a  gap  in  the  hills, 
which  was  in  plain  view  from  Stockton's  vessel. 
Owing  to  the  dust  raised  by  the  cavalcade  it  was 
impossible  to  discover  that  most  of  the  horses 
were  riderless.  The  troops  were  signalled  to  re- 
turn to  the  vessel,  and  the  commodore  shortly 
afterwards  sailed  to  San  Diego.  Carrillo  al- 
ways regretted  that  he  made  too  much  demon- 
stration. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  literary  trash  that 
lias  been  palmed  off  for  California  history,  I 
give  an  extract  from  Frost's  Pictorial  History 
of  California,  a  book  written  the  year  after 
the  close  of  the  Mexican  war  by  Prof. 
John  Frost,  a  noted  compiler  of  histories,  who 
writes  LL.  D.  after  his  name.  It  relates  to 
Stockton's  exploits  at  San  Pedro.  "At  the 
Rancho  Sepulveda  (the  Palos  \>rdes)  a  large 
force  of  Californians  were  posted.  Commodore 
Stockton  sent  one  hundred  men  forward  to  re- 
ceive the  fire  of  the  enemy  and  then  fall  back 
on  the  main  body  without  returning  it.  The 
main  bodv  of  Stockton's  army  was  formed  in  a 


triangle  with  the  guns  hid  b)-  the  men.  By  the 
retreat  of  the  advance  party  the  enemy  were 
decoyed  close  to  the  main  force,  when  the  wings 
(of  the  triangle)  were  extended  and  a  deadly  fire 
from  the  artillery  opened  ui)on  the  astonished 
Californians.  More  than  one  hundred  were 
killed,  the  same  number  wounded  and  one  hun- 
dred prisoners  taken."  The  mathematical  ac- 
curacy of  Stockton's  artillerists  was  truly 
astonishing.  They  killed  a  man  for  every  one 
wounded  and  took  a  prisoner  for  every  man 
they  killed.  As  Florcs'  army  never  amounted 
to  more  than  three  hundred,  if  we  are  to  believe 
Frost,  Stockton  had  all  the  enemy  "present  or 
accounted  for."  This  silly  fabrication  of  Frost's 
runs  through  a  number  of  so-called  histories  of 
California.  Stockton  was  a  brave  man  and  a 
very  energetic  commander,  but  he  would  boast 
of  his  achievements,  and  his  reports  are  unre- 
liable. 

As  previously  mentioned,  Fremont  after  his 
return  to  Monterey  proceeded  to  recruit  a  force 
to  move  against  Los  Angeles  by  land  from  Mon- 
terey. His  recruits  were  principally  obtained 
from  the  recently  arrived  immigrants.  Each  man 
was  furnished  with  a  horse  and  was  to  receive 
$25  a  month.  A  force  of  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty  was  obtained.  Fremont  left  Monterey 
November  17  and  rendezvoused  at  San  Juan 
Bautista,  where  he  remained  to  the  29th  of  the 
month  organizing  his  battalion.  On  the  29th 
of  November  he  began  his  march  southward  to 
co-operate  with  Stockton  against  Flores. 

After  the  expulsion  of  Gillespie  and  his  men 
from  Los  Angeles,  detachments  from  Flores' 
army  were  sent  to  Santa  Barbara  and  San 
Diego  to  recapture  these  places.  At  Santa  Bar- 
bara Fremont  had  left  nine  men  of  his  battalion 
under  Lieut.  Theodore  Talbot  to  garrison  the 
town  A  demand  was  made  on  the  garrison  to 
surrender  by  Colonel  Garfias  of  Flores'  army. 
Two  hours  were  given  the  Americans  to  decide. 
Instead  of  surrendering  they  fell  back  into  the 
hills,  where  they  remained  three  or  four  days, 
hoping  that  reinforcements  might  be  sent  them 
from  Monterey.  Their  only  subsistence  was  the 
flesh  of  an  old  gray  mare  of  Daniel  Hill's  that 
they  captured,  brought  into  camp  and  killed. 
They  secured  one  of  JNIicheltorena's  cholos  that 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


had  remained  in  the  country  and  was  living  in 
a  canon  among  the  hills  for  a  guide.  He  fur- 
nished them  a  horse  to  carry  their  blankets  and 
conducted  them  through  the  mountains  to  the 
San  Joaquin  valley.  Here  the  guide  left  them 
with  the  Indians,  he  returning  to  Santa  Barbara. 
The  Indians  fed  them  on  chia  (wild  flaxseed), 
mush  and  acorn  bread.  They  traveled  down  the 
San  Joaquin  valley.  On  their  journey  they  lived 
on  the  flesh  of  wild  horses,  seventeen  of  which 
they  killed.  After  many  hardships  they  reached 
Monterey  on  the  8th  of  November,  where  they 
joined  Fremont's  battalion. 

Captain  Merritt,  of  Fremont's  battalion,  had 
been  left  at  San  Diego  with  forty  men  to  hold 
the  town  when  the  battalion  marched  north  to 
co-operate  with  Stockton  against  Los  Angeles. 
Immediately  after  Gillespie's  retreat,  Francisco 
Rico  was  sent  with  fifty  men  to  capture  the 
place.  He  was  joined  by  recruits  at  San  Diego. 
Merritt  being  in  no  condition  to  stand  a  siege, 
took  refuge  on  board  the  American  whale  ship 
Stonington,  which  was  lying  at  anchor.  After 
remaining  on  board  the  Stonington  ten  days, 
taking  advantage  of  the  laxity  of  discipline 
among  the  Californians,  he  stole  a  march  on 
them,  recapturing  the  town  and  one  piece  of 
artillery.  He  sent  Don  Miguel  de  Pedrorena, 
who  was  one  of  his  allies,  in  a  whale  boat  with 
four  sailors  to  San  Pedro  to  obtain  supplies 
and  assistance.  Pedrorena  arrived  at  San  Pedro 
on  the  13th  of  October  with  Merritt's  dis- 
patches. Captain  Mervine  chartered  the  whale 
ship  Magnolia,  which  was  lying  in  the  San 
Pedro  harbor,  and  dispatched  Lieutenant  Minor, 
Midshipman  Duvall  and  Morgan  with  thirty- 
three  sailors  and  fifteen  of  Gillespie's  volun- 
teers to  reinforce  '^Merritt.  They  reached  San 
Diego  on  the  i6th.  The  combined  forces  of 
Minor  and  Merritt,  numbering  about  ninety 
men,  put  in  the  greater  part  of  the  next  two 
weeks  in  dragging  cannon  from  the  old  fort 
and  mounting  them  at  their  barracks,  which 
were  located  on  the  hill  at  the  edge  of  the  plain 
on  the  west  side  of  the  town,  convenient  to 
water.  They  succeeded  in  mounting  six  brass 
nine-pounders  and  building  two  bastions  of 
adobes,  taken  from  an  old  house.  There  was 
constant  skirmishing  between  the  hostile  parties. 


but  few  fatalities.  The  Americans  claimed  to 
have  killed  three  of  the  enemy,  and  one  Amer- 
ican was  ambushed  and  killed. 

The  Californians  kept  well  out  of  range,  but 
prevented  the  Americans  from  obtaining  sup- 
plies. Their  provisions  were  nearly  exhausted, 
and  when  reduced  to  almost  the  last  extreme 
they  made  a  successful  foraging  expedition  and 
procured  a  supply  of  mutton.  jNIidshipman  Du- 
vall thus  describes  the  adventure:  "We  had 
with  us  an  Indian  (chief  'of  a  numerous  tribe) 
who,  from  his  knowledge  of  the  country,  we 
thought  could  avoid  the  enemy;  and  getting 
news  of  a  number  of  sheep  about  thirty-five  miles 
to  the  south  on  the  coast,  we  determined  to  send 
him  and  his  companion  to  drive  them  onto  an 
island  which  at  low  tide  connected  with  the 
mainland.  In  a  few  days  a  signal  was  made  on 
the  island,  and  the  boats  of  the  whale  ship 
Stonington,  stationed  ofif  the  island,  were  sent 
to  it.  Our  good  old  Indian  had  managed, 
through  his  cunning  and  by  keeping  concealed 
in  ravines, to  drive  onto  the  island  about  six  hun- 
dred sheep,  but  his  companion  had  been  caught 
and  killed  by  the  enemy.  I  shall  never  forget 
liis  famished  appearance,  but  pride  in  his  Indian 
triumph  could  be  seen  playing  in  his  dark  eyes. 

"For  thirty  or  forty  days  we  were  constantly 
expecting,  from  the  movements  of  the  enemy, 
an  attack,  soldiers  and  officers  sleeping  on  their 
arms  and  ready  for  action.  About  the  ist  of 
November,  Commodore  Stockton  arrived,  and, 
after  landing  Captain  Gillespie  with  his  com- 
pany and  about  forty-three  marines,  he  suddenly 
disappeared,  leaving  Lieutenant  Minor  governor 
of  the  place  and  Captain  Gillespie  command- 
ant."* 

Foraging  continued,  the  whale  ship  Ston- 
ington, which  had  been  impressed  into  the 
government  service,  being  used  to  take  parties 
down  the  coast,  who  made  raids  inland  and 
brought  back  with  them  catties  and  horses. 

It  was  probably  on  one  of  these  excursions 
that  the  flag-making  episode  occurred,  of  which 
there  are  more  versions  than  Homer  had  birth- 
])laces.  The  correct  version  of  the  story  is  as 
follows:      A   party  had  been   sent   under  com- 


*Log  Book  of  Acting  Lieutenant  Duvall. 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


137 


mand  of  Lieutenant  Hensley  to  Juan  Bandini's 
rancho  in  Lower  California  to  bring  up  bands 
of  cattle  and  horses.  Bandini  was  an  adherent 
of  the  American  cause.  He  and  his  family  re- 
turned with  the  cavalcade  to  San  Diego.  At 
their  last  camping  place  before  reaching  the 
town,  Hensley,  in  a  conversation  with  Bandini, 
regretted  they  had  no  flag  with  them  to  display 
on  their  entry  into  the  town.  Seiiora  Bandini 
volunteered  to  make  one,  which  she  did  from 
red,  white  and  blue  dresses  of  her  children. 
This  flag,  fastened  to  a  staff,  was  carried  at  the 
head  of  the  cavalcade  when  it  made  its  triumphal 
entry  into  San  Diego.  The  ]Me.xican  govern- 
ment confiscated  Bandini's  ranches  in  Lower 
California  on  account  of  his  friendship  to  the 
Americans  during  the  war. 

Skirmishing  continued  almost  daily.  Jose 
Antonio  Carrillo  was  now  in  command  of  the 
Californians,  their  force  numbering  about  one 
hundred  men.  Commodore  Stockton  returned 
and  decided  to  fortify.  Midshipman  Duvall,  in 
the  Log  Book  referred  to  in  the  previous  chap- 
ter, thus  describes  the  fort:  "The  commodore 
now  commenced  to  fortify  the  hill  which  over- 
looked the  town  by  building  a  fort,  constructed 
by  placing  three  hundred  gallon  casks  full  of 
sand  close  together.  The  inclosure  was  twenty 
by  thirty  yards.  A  bank  of  earth  and  small  gravel 
was  thrown  up  in  front  as  high  as  the  top  of 
the  casks  and  a  ditch  dug  around  on  the  outside. 
Inside  a  ball-proof  vault  of  ketch  was  built  out 
of  plank  and  lined  on  the  inside  with  adobes,  on 
top  of  which  a  swivel  was  mounted.  The  en- 
trance was  guarded  by  a  strong  gate,  with  a 
drawbridge  in  front  across  the  ditch  or  moat. 
The  whole  fortification  was  completed  and  the 
guns  mounted  on  it  in  about  three  weeks.  Our 
men  working  on  the  fort  were  on  short  allow- 
ance of  beef  and  wheat,  and  for  a  time  without 
bread,  tea,  sugar  or  cofifee,  many  of  them  being 
destitute  of  shoes,  but  there  were  few  com- 
plaints. 

"About  the  ist  of  December,  information  hav- 
ing been  received  that  General  Kearny  was  at 
Warner's  Pass,  about  eighty  miles  distant,  with 
one  hundred  dragoons  on  his  march  to  San 
Diego,  Commodore  Stockton  immediately  sent 
an  escort  of  fifty  men  under  command  of  Cap- 


tain Gillespie,  accompanied  by  Past  Midshipmen 
Beale  and  Duncan,  having  with  them  one  piece 
of  artillery.  They  reached  General  Kearny  with- 
out molestation.  On  the  march  the  combined 
force  was  surprised  by  about  ninety-three  Cal- 
ifornians at  San  Pasqual,  under  command  of 
Andres  Pico,  who  had  been  sent  to  that  part 
of  the  country  to  drive  off  all  the  cattle  and 
horses  to  prevent  us  from  getting  them.  In 
the  battle  that  ensued  General  Kearny  lost  in 
killed  Captains  Johnston  and  Moore  and  Lieu- 
tenant Hammond,  and  fifteen  dragoons.  Seven- 
teen dragoons  were  severely  wounded.  The 
enemy  captured  one  piece  of  artillery.  General 
Kearny  and  Captains  Gillespie  and  Gibson  were 
severely  wounded;  also  one  of  the  engineer  offi- 
cers.   Some  of  the  dragoons  have  since  died." 

"After  the  engagement  (.ieneral  Kearny  took 
position  on  a  hill  covered  with  large  rocks.  It 
was  well  suited  for  defense.  Lieutenant  Godey 
of  Gillespie's  volunteers,  the  night  after  the 
battle,  escaped  through  the  enemy's  line  of  sen- 
tries and  came  in  with  a  letter  from  Captain 
Turner  to  the  commodore.  Whilst  among  the 
rocks.  Past  Midshipman  Beale  and  Kit  Carson 
managed,  under  cover  of  night,  to  pass  out 
through  the  enemy's  ranks,  and  after  three  days' 
and  nights'  hard  marching  through  the  moun- 
tains without  water,  succeeded  in  getting  safely 
into  San  Diego,  completely  famished.  Soon 
after  arriving  Lieutenant  Beale  fainted  away, 
and  for  some  days  entirely  lost  his  reason." 

On  the  night  of  Bealc's  arrival,  December  9, 
about  9  p.  m.,  detachments  of  two  hundred  sail- 
ors and  marines  from  the  Congress  and  Ports- 
mouth, under  the  immediate  command  of  Cap- 
tain Zeilin,  assisted  by  Lieutenants  Gray, 
Hunter,  Renshaw,  Parrish.  Thompson  and 
Tilghman  and  ^Midshipmen  Duvall  and  ^^lorgan, 
each  man  carrying  a  blanket,  three  pounds  of 
jerked  beef  and  the  same  of  hard-tack,  began 
their  march  to  relieve  General  Kearny.  They 
marched  all  night  and  camped  on  a  chaparral 
covered  mountain  during  the  day.  .\t  4  p.  m. 
of  the  second  night's  march  they  reached 
Kearny's  camp,  surprising  him.  Godey,  who 
had  been  sent  ahead  to  inform  Kearny  that  as- 
sistance was  coming,  had  been  captured  by  the 


138 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


enemy.  General  Kearny  had  burnt  and  de- 
stroyed all  his  baggage  and  camp  equipage,  sad- 
dles, bridles,  clothing,  etc.,  preparatory  to 
forcing  his  way  through  the  enemy's  line. 
Burdened  with  his  wounded,  it  is  doubtful 
whether  he  could  have  escaped.  Midshipman 
Duvall  says:  "It  would  not  be  a  hazard  of 
opinion  to  say  he  would  have  been  overpowered 
and  compelled  to  surrender."  The  enemy  dis- 
appeared on  the  arrival  of  reinforcements.  The 
relief  expedition,  with  Kearny's  men,  reached 
San  Diego  after  two  days'  march. 

A  brief  explanation  of  the  reason  why  Kearny 
was  at  San  Pasqual  may  be  necessary.  In  June, 
1846,  Gen.  Stephen  ^^^  Kearny,  commander  of 
the  Army  of  the  West,  as  his  command  was 
designated,  left  Fort  Leavenworth  with  a  force 
of  regulars  and  volunteers  to  take  possession  of 
New  Aiexico.  The  conquest  of  that  territory 
was  accomplished  without  a  battle.  Lender  or- 
ders from  the  war  department,  Kearny  began  his 
march  to  California  with  a  part  of  his  force  to 
co-operate  with  the  naval  forces  there.  Octo- 
ber 6,  near  Socorro,  N.  'SI.,  he  met  Kit  Carson 
with  an  escort  of  fifteen  men  en  route  from  Los 
Angeles  to  Washington,  bearing  dispatches 
from  Stockton,  giving  the  report  of  the  con- 
quest of  California.  Kearny  required  Carson  to 
turn  back  and  act  as  his  guide.  Carson  was 
very  unwilling  to  do  so,  as  he  was  within  a  few 
days'  journey  of  his  home  and  family,  from 
whom  he  had  been  separated  for  nearly  tv/o 
years.  He  had  been  guide  for  Fremont  on  his 
exploring  expedition.  He,  however,  obeyed 
Kearny's  orders. 

General  Kearny  sent  back  about  three  hun- 
dred of  his  men,  taking  with  him  one  hundred 
and  twenty.  After  a  toilsome  march  by  way 
of  the  Pima  villages,  Tucson,  the  Gila  and 
across  the  Colorado  desert,  they  reached  the 
Indian  village  of  San  Pasqual  (about  forty  miles 
from  San  Diego),  where  the  battle  was  fought. 
It  was  the  bloodiest  battle  of  the  conquest; 
Kearny's  men,  at  daybreak,  riding  on  broken 
down  mules  and  half  broken  horses,  in  an  ir- 
regular and  disorderly  line,  charged  the  Califor- 
nians.  While  the  American  line  was  stretched 
out  over  the  plain  Capt.  Andres  Pico,  who  was 
in  command,  wheeled  his  column  and  charged 


the  Americans.  A  tierce  hand  to  hand  fight  en- 
sued, the  Californians  using  their  lances  and  lar- 
iats, the  Americans  clubbed  guns  and  sabers.  Of 
Kearny's  command  eighteen  men  were  killed  and 
nineteen  wounded;  three  of  the  wounded  died. 
Only  one,  Capt.  Abraham  R.  Johnston  (a  rela- 
tive of  the  author's),  was  killed  by  a  gunshot: 
all  the  others  were  lanced.  The  mules  to  one 
of  the  howitzers  became  unmanageable  and  ran 
into  the  enemy's  lines.  The  driver  was  killed 
and  the  gun  captured.  One  Californian  was 
captured  and  several  slightly  wounded;  none 
were  killed.  Less  than  half  of  Kearny's  one 
hundred  and  seventy  men*  took  part  in  the 
battle.  His  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  fifty 
per  cent  of  those  engaged.  Dr.  John  S.  Grif- 
fin, for  many  years  a  leading  physician  of  Los 
Angeles,  was  the  surgeon  of  the  command. 

The  foraging  expeditions  in  Lower  Califor- 
nia having  been  quite  successful  in  bringing  in 
cattle,  horses  and  mules.  Commodore  Stockton 
hastened  his  preparation  for  marching  against 
Los  Angeles.  The  enemy  obtained  information 
of  the  projected  movement  and  left  for  the 
pueblo. 

"The  Cyane  having  arrived,"  says  Duvall, 
"our  force  was  increased  to  about  six  hundred 
men,  most  of  whorft,  understanding  the  drill, 
performed  the  evolutions  like  regular  soldiers. 
Everything  being  ready  for  our  departure,  the 
commodore  left  Captain  Montgomery  and  ofiS- 
cers  in  command  of  the  town,  and  on  the  29th  of 
December  took  up  his  line  of  march  for  Los  An- 
geles. General  Kearny  was  second  in  command 
and  having  the  immediate  arrangement  of  the 
forces,  reserving  for  himself  the  prerogative 
which  his  rank  necessarily  imposed  upon  him. 
( )\ving  to  the  weak  state  of  our  oxen  we  had 
not  crossed  the  dry  bed  of  the  river  San  Diego 
before  they  began  breaking  down,  and  the  carts, 
which  were  thirty  or  forty  in  number,  had  to  be 
dragged  by  the  men.  The  general  urged  on  the 
connnodore  that  it  was  useless  to  commence 
such  a  march  as  was  before  us  with  our  present 
means  of  transportation,  but  the  commodore 
insisted  on  performing  at  least  one  day's  march 


*General  Kearny's  original  force  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  had  been  increased  by  Gillespie's  connnand, 
numbering  fifty  men. 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


even  if  we  should  have  to  return  the  next  day. 
We  succeeded  in  reaching  the  valley  of  the 
Soledad  that  night  by  dragging  our  carts.  Next 
day  the  commodore  proposed  to  go  six  miles 
farther,  which  we  accomplished,  and  then  con- 
tinued six  miles  farther.  Having  obtained  some 
fresh  oxen,  by  assisting  the  carts  up  hill  we 
made  ten  or  twelve  miles  a  day.  At  San  Luis 
Rey  we  secured  men,  carts  and  oxen,  and  after 
that  our  days'  marches  ranged  from  fifteen  to 
twenty-two  miles  a  day. 

"The  third  day  out  from  San  Luis  Rey  a  white 
flag  was  seen  ahead,  the  bearer  of  which  had  a 
communication  from  Flores,  signing  himself 
'Commander-in-Chief  and  Governor  of  Califor- 
nia,' asking  for  a  conference  for  the  purpose  of 
coming  to  terms,  which  would  be  alike  'honor- 
able to  both  countries.'  The  commodore  refused 
to  answer  him  in-  writing,  saying  to  the  bearer 
of  the  truce  that  his  answer  was,  'he  knew  no 
such  person  as  Governor  Flores;  that  he  him- 
self was  the  only  governor  in  California;  that 
he  knew  a  rebel  by  that  name,  a  man  who  had 
given  his  parole  of  honor  not  to  take  up  arms 
against  the  government  of  the  United  States, 
who,  if  the  people  of  California  now  in  arms 
against  the  forces  of  the  United  States  would 
deliver  up,  he  (Stockton)  would  treat  with  them 
on  condition  that  they  surrender  their  arms 
and  retire  peaceably  to  their  homes  and  he 
would  grant  them,  as  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  protection  from  further  molestation.' 
This  the  embassy  refused  to  entertain,  saying 
'they  would  prefer  to  die  with  Flores  than  to 
surrender  on  such  terms.'  " 
*      *      =:: 

"On  the  8th  of  January,  1847,  tl^e}"  "'^t  us  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  San  Gabriel  with  between 
five  and  six  hundred  men  mounted  on  good 
horses  and  armed  with  lances  and  carbines, 
having  also  four  pieces  of  artillery  planted  on 
the  heights  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
distant  from  the  river.  Owing  to  circumstances 
which  have  occurred  since  the  surrender  of  the 
enemy,  I  prefer  not  mentioning  the  particulars 
of  this  day's  battle  and  also  that  of  the  day  fol- 
lowing, or  of  referring  to  individuals  concerned 
in  the  successful  management  of  our  forces." 
(The  circumstance  to  which  Lieutenant  Duvall 


refers  was  undoubtedly  the  quarrel  between 
Stockton  and  Kearny  after  the  capture  of  Los 
Angeles.)  "It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  on  the  8th 
of  January  we  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river 
and  driving  the  enemy  from  the  heights.  Hav- 
ing resisted  all  their  charges,  dismounted  one 
of  their  pieces  and  put  them  to  flight  in  every 
direction,  wc  encamped  on  the  ground  they  had 
occupied  during  the  fight. 

"The  next  day  the  Californians  met  us  on  the 
plains  of  the  mesa.  For  a  time  the  fighting  was 
carried  on  by  both  sides  with  artillery,  but  that 
proving  too  hot  for  them  they  concentrated 
their  whole  force  in  a  line  ahead  of  us  and  at  a 
given  signal  divided  from  the  center  and  came 
down  on  us  like  a  tornado,  charging  us  on  all 
sides  at  the  same  time;  but  they  were  effectually 
defeated  and  fled  in  every  direction  in  the  ut- 
most confusion.  Many  of  their  horses  were  left 
dead  on  the  field.  Theirloss  in  the  two  battles, 
as  given  by  .\ndres  Pico,  second  in  command, 
was  eighty-three  killed  and  wounded;  our  loss, 
three  killed  (one  accidentally),  and  fifteen  or 
twenty  wounded,  none  dangerously.  The  enemy 
abandoned  two  pieces  of  artillery  in  an  Indian 
village  near  by." 

I  have  given  at  considerable  length  .Midship- 
man Duvall's  account  of  Stocktons  march  from 
San  Diego  and  of  the  two  battles  fought,  not 
because  it  is  the  fullest  account  of  those  events, 
but  because  it  is  original  historical  matter,  never 
having  appeared  in  print  before,  and  also  be- 
cause it  is  the  observations  of  a  participant 
written  at  the  time  the  events  occurred.  In  it 
the  losses  of  the  enemy  are  greatly  exaggerated, 
but  that  was  a  fault  of  his  superior  officers  as 
well.  Connnodore  Stockton,  in  his  official  re- 
ports of  the  two  battles,  gives  the  enemy's  loss 
in  killed  and  wounded  "between  seventy  and 
eighty."  And  General  Kearny,  in  his  report  of 
the  battle  of  San  Pasqual.  claimed  it  as  a  vic- 
tory, and  states  that  the  enemy  left  six  dead  on 
the  field.  The  actual  loss  of  the  Californians 
in  the  two  battles  (San  Gabriel  river  and  La 
Mesa)  was  three  killed  and  ten  or  twelve 
wounded."'' 


*TIie     killed     wore     Tgii.-icin     Scpulvrda.     Francisco 
Ruliio.  and   El  Cinaynienn.  a   Vacini   Indian. 


140 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


While  the  events  recorded  in  this  chapter 
were  transpiring  at  San  Diego  and  its  vicinity, 
what  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  capital,  Los 
Angeles?  After  the  exultation  and  rejoicing 
over  the  expulsion  of  Gillespie's  garrison,  Mer- 
vine's  defeat  and  the  victory  over  Kearny  at 
San  Pasqual  there  came  a  reaction.  Dissension 
continued  between  the  leaders.  There  was  lack 
of  arms  and  laxity  of  discipline.  The  army  was 
but  little  better  than  a  mob.  Obedience  to  or- 
ders of  a  superior  was  foreign  to  the  nature  of  a 
Californian.  His  wild,  free  life  in  the  saddle 
made  him  impatient  of  all  restraint.  Then  the 
impossibility  of  successful  resistance  against 
the  Americans  became  more  and  more  apparent 
as  the  final  conflict  approached.  Fremont's 
army  was  moving  down  on  the  doomed  city 
from  the  north,  and  Stockton'.^  was  coming  up 
from  the  south.  Either  one  of  these,  in  num- 
bers, exceeded  the  force  that  Flores  could  bring 
into  action;  combined  they  would  crush  him 
out  of  existence.  The  California  troops  were 
greatly  discouraged  and  it  was  with  great  diffi- 
culty that  the  officers  kept  their  men  together. 
There  was  another  and  more  potent  element  of 
disintegration.  Many  of  the  wealthier  natives 
and  all  the  foreigners,  regarding  the  contest  as 
hopeless,  secretly  favored  the  American  cause, 
and  it  was  only  through  fear  of  loss  of  property 
that  they  furnished  Flores  and  his  officers  any 
supplies  for  the  army. 

During  the  latter  part  of  December  and  the 
first  days  of  January  Flores'  army  was  stationed 
at  the  San  Fernando  Mission,  on  the  lookout 
for  Fremont's  battalion;  but  the  more  rapid 
advance  of  Stockton's  army  compelled  a  change 
of  base.  On  the  6th  and  7th  of  January  Flores 
moved    his    armv    back     secretly     through    the 


Cahuenga  Pass,  and,  passing  to  the  southward 
uf  the  city,  took  position  where  La  Jaboneria 
(the  soap  factory)  road  crosses  the  San  Gabriel 
river.  Here  his  men  were  stationed  in  the  thick 
willows  to  give  Stockton  a  surprise.  Stockton 
received  information  of  the  trap  set  for  him  and 
after  leaving  the.  Los  Coyotes  swung  off  to  the 
right  until  he  struck  the  Upper  Santa  Ana  road. 
The  Californians  had  barely  time  to  effect  a 
change  of  base  and  get  their  cannon  planted 
when  the  Americans  arrived  at  the  crossing. 

Stockton  called  the  engagement  there  the  bat- 
tle of  San  Gabriel  river;  the  Californians  call  it 
the  battle  of  Paso  de  Bartolo,  which  is  the  bet- 
ter name.  The  place  where  the  battle  was  fought 
is  on  bluff  just  south  of  the  Upper  Santa  .\na 
road,  near  where  the  Southern  California 
railroad  crosses  the  old  San  Gabriel  river.  (The 
ford  or  crossing  was  formerly  known  as  Pico's 
Crossing.)  There  was,  at  the  time  of  the  bat- 
tle, but  one  San  Gabriel  river.  The  new  river 
channel  was  made  in  the  great  fiood  of  1868. 
What  Stockton,  Emory,  Duvall  and  other 
American  officers  call  the  battle  of  the  Plains 
of  the  ]Mesa  the  Californians  call  the  battle  of 
La  Mesa,  which  is  most  decidedly  a  better  name 
than  the  "Plains  of  the  Plain."  It  was  fought  at 
a  ravine,  the  Canada  de  Los  Alisos,  near  the 
southeastern  corner  of  the  Los  Angeles  city 
boundary.  In  these  battles  the  Californians  had 
four  pieces  of  artillery,  two  iron  nine-pounders, 
the  old  woman's  gun  and  the  howitzer  captured 
from  Kearny.  Their  powder  was  very  poor.  It 
was  made  at  San  Gabriel.  It  was  owing  to  this 
that  they  did  so  little  execution  in  the  fight. 
That  the  Californians  escaped  with  so  little 
punishment  was  probably  due  to  the  wretched 
marksmanship  of  Stockton's  sailors  and  marines. 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

CAPTURE    AND    OCCUPATION    OF    THE    CAPITAL. 


ftFTER  the  battle  of  La  Mesa,  the  Amer- 
icans, keeping  to  the  south,  crossed  the 
Los  Angeles  river  at  about  the  point 
where  the  south  boundary  line  of  the  city 
crosses  it  and  camped  on  the  right  bank.  Here, 
under  a  willow  tree,  those  killed  in  battle  were 
buried.  Lieutenant  Emory,  in  his  "Notes  of  a 
Militarj'  Reconnoissance,"  says:  "The  town, 
known  to  contain  great  quantities  of  wine  and 
aguardiente,  was  four  miles  distant  (four  miles 
from  the  battlefield).  From  previous  experience 
of  the  difificulty  of  controlling  men  when  enter- 
ing towns,  it  was  determined  to  cross  the  river 
San  Fernando  (Los  Angeles),  halt  there  for 
the  night  and  enter  the  town  in  the  morning, 
with  the  whole  day  before  us. 

"After  we  had  pitched  our  camp,  the  enemy 
came  down  from  the  hills,  and  four  hundred 
horsemen  with  four  pieces  of  artillery  drew  off 
towards  the  town,  in  order  and  regularity,  whilst 
about  sixty  made  a  movement  down  the  river  on 
our  rear  and  left  flank.  This  led  us  to  suppose 
they  were  not  yet  whipped,  as  we  thought,  and 
that  we  should  have  a  night  attack. 

"January  lo  (1847) — •  J"*l  ^^  we  had  raised 
our  camp,  a  flag  of  truce,  borne  by  Mr.  Cells,  a 
Castilian;  ]Mr.  Workman,  an  Englishman,  and 
Alvarado,  the  owner  of  the  rancho  at  the  Alisos, 
was  brought  into  camp.  They  proposed,  on 
behalf  of  the  Californians,  to  surrender  their 
dear  City  of  the  Angels  provided  we  would  re- 
spect property  and  persons.  This  was  agreed 
to,  but  not  altogether  trusting  to  the  honesty 
of  General  Flores,  who  had  once  broken  his 
parole,  we  moved  into  the  town  in  the  same 
order  we  should  have  done  if  expecting  an  at- 
tack. It  was  a  wise  precaution,  for  the  streets 
were  full  of  desperate  and  drunken  fellows,  who 
brandished  their  arms  and  saluted  us  with  every 
term  of  reproach.  The  crest,  overlooking  the 
town,  in  rifle  range,  was  covered  with  horsemen 
engaged  in  the  same  hospitable  manner. 


"Our  men  marched  steadily  on,  until  crossing 
the  ravine  leading  into  the  public  square  (plazaj, 
when  a  fight  took  place  amongst  the  Califor- 
nians on  the  hill;  one  became  disarmed  and  to 
avoid  death  rolled  down  the  hill  towards  us, 
his  adversary  pursuing  and  lancing  him  in  the 
most  cold-blooded  manner.  The  man  tumbling 
down  the  hill  was  supposed  to  be  one  of  our 
vaqueros,  and  the  cry  of  "rescue  him'  was 
raised.  The  crew  of  the  Cyane,  nearest  the 
scene,  at  once  and  without  any  orders,  halted 
and  gave  the  man  that  was  lancing  him  a  volley; 
strange  to  say.  he  did  not  fall.  The  general 
gave  the  jack  tars  a  cursing,  not  so  much  for 
the  firing  without  orders,  as  for  their  bad  marks- 
manship." 

Shortly  after  the  above  episode,  the  Cali- 
fornians did  open  fire  from  the  hill  on  the 
vaqueros  in  charge  of  the  cattle.  (These 
vaqueros  were  Californians  in  the  employ  of  the 
Americans  and  were  regarded  by  their  countrv- 
men  as  traitors.)  A  company  of  rifienien  was 
ordered  to  clear  the  hill.  A  single  volley  ef- 
fected this,  killing  two  of  the  enemy.  This  was 
the  last  bloodshed  in  the  war:  and  the  second 
conquest  of  California  was  completed  as  the  first 
liad  been  by  the  capture  of  Los  Angeles.  Two 
hundred  men,  with  two  pieces  of  artillery,  were 
stationed  on  the  hill. 

The  Angelenos  did  not  exactly  welcome  the 
invaders  with  "bloody  hands  to  inhospitable 
graves,"  but  they  did  their  best  to  let  them  know 
they  were  not  wanted.  The  better  class  of  the 
native  inhabitants  closed  their  houses  and  took 
refuge  with  foreign  residents  or  went  to  the 
ranchos  of  their  friends  in  the  countrv.  The 
fellows  of  the  baser  sort,  who  were  in  pos- 
session of  the  city,  exhausted  their  vocabularies 
of  abuse  on  the  invading  gringos.  There  was 
one  paisano  who  excelled  all  his  countrymen  in 
this  species  of  warfare.  Tt  is  a  pity  his  name 
has  not  been  preserved  in  history  with  that  n£ 


142 


HISTORICAL  AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


other  famous  scolds  and  kickers.  lie  rode  by 
the  side  of  the  advancing  column  up  Main  street, 
firing  volleys  of  invective  and  denunciation  at 
the  hated  gringos.  At  certain  points  of  his 
tirade  he  worked  himself  to  such  a  pitch  of 
indignation  that  language  failed  him;  then  he 
would  solemnly  go  through  the  motions  of 
"i^Iake  ready,  take  aim!"  with  an  old  shotgun 
he  carried,  but  when  it  came  to  the  order  '"Fire!" 
discretion  got  the  better  of  his  valor;  he  low- 
ered his  gun  and  began  again,  firing  invective 
at  the  gringo  soldiers ;  his  mouth  would  go  off 
if  his  gun  would  not. 

Commodore  Stockton's  headquarters  were  in 
the  Abila  house,  the  second  house  on  Olvera 
street,  north  of  the  plaza.  The  building  is  still 
standing,  but  has  undergone  many  changes  in 
fifty  years.  .\  rather  amusing  account  was  re- 
cently given  me  by  an  old  pioneer  of  the  manner 
in  which  Conuuodore  Stockton  got  possession 
of  the  house.  The  widow  ,\bila  and  her  daugh- 
ters, at  the  approach  of  the  American  army,  had 
abandoned  their  house  and  taken  refuge  with 
Don  Luis  \'ignes  of  the  Aliso.  \'ignes  was  a 
Frenchman  and  friendly  to  both  sides.  The 
widow  left  a  young  Californian  in  charge  of  her 
house  (which  was  finely  furnished),  with  strict 
orders  to  keep  it  closed.  Stockton  had  with  him 
a  fine  brass  band,  something  new  in  California. 
When  the  troops  halted  on  the  plaza,  the  band 
began  to  play.  The  boyish  guardian  of  the 
Abila  casa  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to 
open  the  door  and  look  out.  The  enchanting 
music  drew  him  to  the  plaza.  Stockton  and  his 
staff,  hunting  for  a  place  suitable  for  headquar- 
ters, passing  by,  found  the  door  invitingly  open, 
entered,  and,  finding  the  house  deserted,  took 
possession.  The  recreant  guardian  returned  to 
find  himself  dispossessed  and  the  house  in  pos- 
session of  the  enemy.    "And  the  band  played  on." 

It  is  a  fact  not  generally  known  that  there 
were  two  forts  planned  and  partially  built  on 
Fort  Hill  during  the  war  for  the  conquest  of 
California.  The  first  was  planned  by  Lieut.  Wil- 
liam H.  Emory,  topographical  engineer  of  Gen- 
eral Kearny's  staff,  and  work  was  begun  on  it 
by  Commodore  Stockton's  sailors  and  marines. 
The  second  was  planned  by  Lieut.  J-  W.  David- 
son, of  the  First  United  States  Dragoons,  and 


Ijuilt  by  the  Mormon  battalion.  The  first  was 
not  completed  and  not  named.  The  second  was 
named  Fort  Moore.  Their  location  seems  to 
have  been  identical.  The  first  was  designed  to 
hold  one  hundred  men.  The  second  was  much 
larger.  Flores'  army  was  supposed  to  be  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  city  ready  to  make  a  dash 
into  it,  so  Stockton  decided  to  fortify. 

"On  January  nth,"  Lieutenant  Emory  writes, 
"I  was  ordered  to  select  a  site  and  place  a  fort 
•capable  of  containing  a  hundred  men.  With 
this  in  view  a  rapid  reconnoissance  of  the  town 
was  made  and  the  plan  of  a  fort  sketched,  so 
Ijlaced  as  to  enable  a  small  garrison  to  com- 
mand the  town  and  the  principal  avenues  to  it, 
the  plan  was  approved." 

"January  12.  I  laid  off  the  work  and  before 
night  broke  the  first  ground.  The  population 
of  the  town  and  its  dependencies  is  about  three 
thousand;  that  of  the  town  itself  about  fifteen 
hundred.  "  *  *  Here  all  the  revolutions 
have  had  their  origin,  and  it  is  the  point  upon 
which  any  ^Mexican  force  from  Sonora  would 
be  directed.  It  was  therefore  desirable  to  estab- 
lish a  fort  which,  in  case  of  trouble,  should  en- 
able a  small  garrison  to  hold  out  till  aid  might 
come  from  San  Diego,  San  Francisco  or  Mon- 
terey, places  which  are  destined  to  become  cen- 
ters of  American  settlements." 

"January  13.  It  rained  steadily  all  day  and 
nothing  was  done  on  the  work.  At  night  I 
worked  on  the  details  of  the  fort." 

"January  15.  The  details  to  work  on  the 
fort  were  by  companies.  I  sent  to  Captain 
Tilghman,  who  conmianded  on  the  hill,  to  de- 
tach one  of  the  companies  under  his  command 
to  commence  the  work.  He  furnished,  on  the 
i6th,  a  company  of  artillery  (seainen  from  the 
Congress)  for  the  day's  wosk,  which  was  per- 
formed bravely,  and  gave  me  great  hopes  of 
success." 

On  the  1 8th  Lieutenant  Emory  took  his  de- 
parture with  General  Kearny  for  San  Diego. 
From  there  he  was  sent  with  despatches,  via 
Panama,  to  the  war  department.  In  his  book 
he  says:  "Subsequent  to  my  departure  the  en- 
tire plan  of  the  fort  was  changed,  and  I  am  not 
the  projector  of  the  work  finally  adopted  for 
defense  of  that  town." 


HISTORICAL   A\D    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


143 


As  previously  stated,  Fremont's  battalion 
began  its  march  down  the  coast  on  the  29th  of 
Islovember,  1846.  The  winter  rains  set  in  with 
great  severity.  The  volunteers  were  scantily 
provided  with  clothing  and  the  horses  were  in 
poor  condition.  Many  of  the  horses  died  of 
starvation  and  hard  usage.  The  battalion  en- 
countered no  opposition  from  the  enemy  on  its 
march  and  did  no  fighting.  On  the  nth  of 
January,  a  few  miles  above  San  Fernando,  Colo- 
nel Fremont  received  a  message  from  General 
Kearny  informing  him  of  the  defeat  of  the 
enemy  and  the  capture  of  Los  Angeles.  That 
night  the  battalion  encamped  in  the  mission 
buildings  at  San  Fernando.  From  the  mission 
that  evening  Jesus  Pico,  a  cousin  of  Gen.  An- 
dres Pico,  set  out  to  find  the  Californian  army 
and  open  negotiations  with  its  kaders.  Jesus 
Pico,  better  known  as  Tortoi,  had  been  arrested 
at  his  home  near  San  Luis  Obispo,  tried  by 
court-martial  and  sentenced  to  be  shot  for 
breaking  his  parole.  Fremont,  moved  by  the 
pleadings  of  Pico's  wife  and  cliildrcn,  pardoned 
him.  He  became  a  warm  admirer  and  devoted 
friend  of  Fremont's. 

He  found  the  advance  guard  of  the  Califor- 
nians  encamped  at  Verdugas.  He  was  detained 
here,  and  the  leading  officers  of  the  army  were 
summoned  to  a  council.  Pico  informed  them 
of  Fremont's  arrival  and  the  number  of  his  men. 
With  the  combined  forces  of  Fremont  and 
Stockton  against  them,  their  cause  was  hopeless. 
He  urged  them  to  surrender  to  IVomont,  as  they 
could  obtain  better  terms  from  him  than  from 
Stockton. 

General  Flores,  who  held  a  commission  in  the 
IMexican  army,  and  who  had  been  appointed  by 
the  territorial  assembly  governor  and  comand- 
ante-general  by  virtue  of  his  rank,  appointed 
Andres  Pico  general  and  gave  him  command 
of  the  army.  The  same  night  he  took  his  de- 
parture for  ]\Iexico,  by  way  of  San  Gorgonio 
Pass,  accompanied  by  Colonel  Garfias,  Diego 
Sepulveda,  Manuel  Castro,  Segura,  and  about 
thirty  privates.  General  Pico,  on  assuming  com- 
mand, appointed  Francisco  Rico  and  Francisco 
dc  La  Guerra  to  go  with  Jesus  Pico  to  confer 
with  Colonel  Fremont.  Fremont  appointed  as 
commissioners  to  negotiate  a  treaty.  Major  P. 


B.  Reading,  ^lajor  William  H.  Russell  and 
Capt.  Louis  M'cLane.  On  the  return  of  Guerra 
and  Rico  to  the  Californian  camp.  Gen.  Andres 
Pico  appointed  as  commissioners,  Jose  Antonio 
Carrillo,  commander  of  the  cavalry  squadron, 
and  Agustin  Olvera,  diputado  of  the  assembly, 
and  moved  his  army  near  the  river  at  Cahuenga. 
On  the  13th  Fremont  moved  his  camp  to  the 
Cahuenga.  The  commissioners  met  in  the  de- 
serted ranch-house,  and  the  treaty  was  drawn 
up  and  signed. 

The  principal  conditions  of  the  treat)-  or  ca- 
pitulation of  "Cahuenga,"  as  it  was  termed,  were 
that  the  Californians,  on  delivering  up  their  ar- 
tillery and  public  arms,  and  promismg  not  again 
to  take  arms  during  the  war,  and  conforming 
to  the  laws  and  regulations  of  the  United  States, 
shall  be  allowed  peaceably  to  return  to  their 
homes.  They  were  to  be  allowed  the  same  rights 
and  privileges  as  are  allowed  to  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  and  were  not  to  be  compelled 
to  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  until  a  treaty  of 
peace  was  signed  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  and  were  given  the  privilege  of  leaving 
the  country  if  they  wished  to.  An  additional 
section  was  added  to  the  treaty  on  the  i6th  at 
Los  Angeles  releasing  the  officers  from  their 
l)aroles.  Two  cannon  were  surrendered,  the 
howitzer  captured  from  General  Kearny  at  San 
Pasqual  and  the  woman's  gun  that  won  the  bat- 
tle of  Dominguez.  On  the  14th,  Fremont's  bat- 
talion marched  through  the  Cahuenga  Pass  to 
Los  Angeles  in  a  pouring  rainstorm,  and  en- 
tered it  four  days  after  its  surrender  to  Stock- 
ton. The  conquest  of  California,  was  com- 
]ileted.  Stockton  approved  the  treaty,  although 
it  was  not  altogether  satisfactory  to  him.  On 
the  i6th  he  appointed  Colonel  Fremont  gov- 
ernor of  the  territory,  and  William  H.  Russell, 
of  the  battalion,  secretary  of  state. 

This  precipitated  a  quarrel  between  Stockton 
and  Kearny,  which  had  been  brewing  for  some 
time.  General  Kearny  claimed  that  under  his 
instructions  from  the  government  he  should  be 
recognized  as  governor.  As  he  had  directly  under 
his  command  but  the  one  company  of  dragoons 
that  he  brought  across  the  plain  with  him,  he 
was  unable  to  enforce  his  authority.  He  left  on 
the    i8th   for  San   Diego,   taking  with   him  the 


lU 


HISTORICAL  AXD   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


officers  of  his  staff.  On  the  20tli  Commo- 
dore Stockton,  with  his  sailors  and  marines, 
marched  to  San  Pedro,  where  they  all  em- 
barked on  a  man-of-war  for  San  Diego  to  re- 


join their  ships.  Shortly  afterwards  Commo- 
dore Stockton  was  superseded  in  the  command 
of  the  Pacific  squadron  by  Commodore  Shu- 
brick. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


TRANSITION    AND    TRANSFORMATION. 


THE  capitulation  of  Gen.  Andres  Pico  at 
Cahuenga  put  an  end  to  the  war  in  Cali- 
fornia. The  instructions  from  the  secre- 
tary of  war  were  to  pursue  a  policy  of  concilia- 
tion towards  the  Californians  with  the  ultimate 
design  of  transforming  them  into  American  citi- 
zens. Colonel  Fremont  was  left  in  command  at 
Los  Angeles.  He  established  his  headquarters 
on  the  second  floor  of  the  Bell  block  (corner  of 
Los  Angeles  and  Aliso  streets),  then  the  best 
building  in  the  city.  One  company  of  his  bat- 
talion was  retained  in  the  city;  the  others,  under 
command  of  Captain  Owens,  were  quartered  at 
the  Mission  San  Gabriel. 

The  ^Mormons  had  been  driven  out  of  Illinois 
and  Missouri.  A  sentiment  of  antagonism  had 
been  engendered  against  them  and  they  had 
begun  their  migration  to  the  far  west,  pre- 
sumably to  California.  They  were  encamped  on 
the  Missouri  river  at  Kanesville,  now  Council 
Bluffs,  preparatory  to  crossing  the  plains,  when 
hostilities  broke  out  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico,  in  April,  1846.  A  proposition  was 
made  by  President  Polk  to  their  leaders  to  raise 
a  battalion  of  five  hundred  men  to  serve  as 
United  States  volunteers  for  twelve  months. 
These  volunteers,  under  command  of  regular 
army  officers,  were  to  march  to  Santa  Fe,  or, 
if  necessary,  to  California,  where,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  their  term  of  enlistment,  they  were  to  be 
discharged  and  allowed  to  retain  their  arms. 
Through  the  influence  of  Brigham  Young  and 
other  leaders,  the  battalion  was  recruited  and 
General  Kearny,  commanding  the  Army  of  the 
West,  detailed  Capt.  James  Allen,  of  the  First 
United  States  Dragoons,  to  muster  them  into 
the  service  and  take  command  of  the  battalion. 
On  the  i6th  of  July,  at  Council  Bluffs,  the  bat- 


talion was  mustered  into  service  and  on  the  14th 
of  August  it  began  its  long  and  weary  march. 
About  eighty  women  and  children,  wives  and 
families  of  the  officers  and  some  of  the  enhsted 
men,  accompanied  the  battalion  on  its  march. 
Shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the  march,  Allen, 
who  had  been  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel, 
fell  sick  and  died.  The  battalion  was  placed 
temporarily  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  A.  J. 
Smith,  of  the  regular  army.  At  Santa  Fe 
Lieut. -Col.  Philip  St.  George  Cooke  took  com- 
mand under  orders  from  General  Kearny.  The 
battalion  was  detailed  to  open  a  wagon  road  by 
the  Gila  route  to  Cahfornia.  About  sixty  of 
the  soldiers  who  had  become  unfit  for  duty  and 
all  the  women  except  five  were  sent  back  and 
the  remainder  of  the  force,  after  a  toilsome  jour- 
ney, reached  San  Luis  Rey,  Cal.,  January  29, 
1847,  where  it  remained  until  ordered  to  Los 
Angeles,  which  place  it  reached  March  17. 

Captain  Owens,  in  command  of  Fremont's 
battalion,  had  moved  all  the  artillery,  ten  pieces, 
from  Los  Angeles  to  San  Gabriel,  probably  with 
the  design  of  preventing  it  falling  into  the  hands 
of  Colonel  Cooke,  who  was  an  adherent  of 
General  Kearny.  General  Kearny,  under  addi- 
tional instructions  from  the  general  government, 
brought  by  Colonel  ?iIason  from  the  war  depart- 
ment, had  established  himself  as  governor  at 
Monterey.  With  a  governor  in  the  north  and 
one  in  the  south,  antagonistic  to  each  other. 
California  had  fallen  back  to  its  normal  condi- 
tion under  Mexican  rule.  Colonel  Cooke, 
shortly  after  his  arrival  in  the  territory,  thus  de- 
scribes the  condition  prevailing:  "General 
Kearny  is  supreme  somewhere  up  the  coast. 
Colonel  Fremont  is  supreme  at  Pueblo  de  Los 
Ansfeles:    Colonel    Stockton   is   commander-in- 


HISTORICAL  AND   DIOGRArHICAL   RECORD. 


145 


chief  at  San  Diego;  Commodore  Sluibrick  the 
same  at  ^Monterey ;  and  I  at  San  Luis  Re}- ;  and 
we  are  all  supremely  poor,  the  government  hav- 
ing no  money  and  no  credit,  and  we  hold  the 
territory  because  Mexico  is  the  poorest  of  all." 

Col.  R.  B.  Mason  was  appointed  inspector  of 
the  troops  in  California  and  made  an  ofScial 
visit  to  Los  Angeles.  In  a  misunderstanding 
about  some  official  matters  he  used  insulting 
language  to  Colonel  Fremont.  Fremont 
promptly  challenged  him  to  fight  a  duel.  The 
challenge  was  accepted;  double-barreled  shot- 
guns were  chosen  as  the  weapons  and  the 
Rancho  Rosa  del  Castillo  as  the  place  of  meet- 
ing. Mason  was  summoned  north  and  the  duel 
was  postponed  until  liis  return.  General  Kearny, 
hearing  of  the  proposed  affair  of  honor,  put  a 
stop  to  further  proceedings  by  the  duelists. 

Col.  Philip  St.  George  Cooke,  of  the  Mormon 
battalion,  was  made  commander  of  the  military 
district  of  the  south  with  headquarters  at  Los 
Angeles.  Fremont's  battalion  was  mustered  out 
of  service.  The  Mormon  soldiers  and  the  two 
companies  of  United  States  Dragoons  who 
came  with  General  Kearny  were  stationed  at 
Los  Angeles  to  do  guard  duty  and  prevent  any 
uprising  of  the  natives. 

Colonel  Fremont's  appointment  as  governor 
of  California  had  never  been  recognized  by 
General  Kearny.  So  when  the  general  had 
made  himself  supreme  at  Monterey  he  ordered 
Fremont  to  report  to  him  at  the  capital  and 
turn  over  the  papers  of  his  governorship.  Fre- 
mont did  so  and  passed  out  of  office.  He  was 
r.ominally  governor  of  the  territory  about  two 
months.  His  appointment  was  made  by  Com- 
modore Stockton,  but  was  never  confirmed  by 
the  president  or  secretary  of  war.  His  jurisdic- 
tion did  not  extend  beyond  Los  Angeles.  He 
left  Los  Angeles  May  12  for  Alonterey.  From 
that  place,  in  company  with  General  Kearny, 
on  May  31,  he  took  his  departure  for  the  states. 
The  relations  between  the  two  were  strained. 
While  ostensibly  traveling  as  one  company, 
each  officer,  with  his  stafif  and  escort,  made  sep- 
arate camps.  At  Fort  Leavenworth  General 
Kearny  placed  Fremont  under  arrest  and  pre- 
ferred charges  against  him  for  disobedience  of 
orders.    He  was  tried  by  court-martial  at  Wash- 


ington and  was  ably  defended  by  his  father-in- 
law.  Colonel  Uenton,  and  his  brother-in-law, 
William  Carey  Jones.  The  court  found  him 
guilty  and  fixed  the  penalty,  dismissal  from  the 
service.  President  Polk  remitted  the  penalty 
and  ordered  Colonel  Fremont  to  resume  his 
sword  and  report  for  duty.  He  did  so,  but 
shortly  afterward  resigned  his  commission  and 
left  the  army. 

While  Colonel  Cooke  was  in  command  of 
the  southern  district  rumors  reached  Los  An- 
geles that  the  Mexican  general,  Bustamente, 
v.ith  a  force  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  was  pre- 
paring to  reconquer  California.  "Positive  infor- 
mation," writes  Colonel  Cooke,  under  date  of 
April  20,  1847,  "lias  been  received  that  the 
^Mexican  government  has  appropriated  $600,000 
towards  fitting  out  this  force."  It  was  also  re- 
ported that  cannon  and  military  stores  had  been 
landed  at  San  Vicente,  in  Lower  California. 
Rumors  of  an  approaching  army  came  thick  and 
fast.  The  natives  were  supposed  to  be  in  league 
with  Bustamente  and  to  be  secretly  preparing 
for  an  uprising.  Precautions  were  taken  against 
a  surprise.  A  troop  of  cavalry  was  sent  to 
Warner's  ranch  to  patrol  the  Sonora  road  as 
far  as  the  desert.  The  construction  of  a  fort 
on  the  hill  full}-  commanding  the  town,  which 
had  previously  been  determined  upon,  was 
begun  and  a  con-ipany  of  infantrv  posted  on 
the  hill. 

On  the  23d  of  April,  three  months  after  work 
had  ceased  on  Emory's  fort,  the  construction  of 
the  second  fort  was  begun  and  pushed  vigor- 
ously. Rumors  continued  to  come  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  enemy.  May  3,  Colonel  Cooke 
writes:  "A  report  was  received  through  the 
most  available  sources  of  information  that  Gen- 
eral Bustamente  had  crossed  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia near  its  head,  in  boats  of  the  pearl  fishers, 
and  at  last  information  was  at  a  rancho  on  the 
western  road,  seventy  leagues  below  San 
Diego."  Colonel  Stevenson's  regiment  of  New 
York  volunteers  had  recently  arrived  in  Cali- 
fornia. Two  companies  of  that  regiment  had 
been  sent  to  Los  Angeles  and  two  to  San 
Diego.  The  report  that  Colonel  Cooke  had  re- 
ceived reinforcement  and  that  Los  Angeles  was 
being  fortified  was  supposed  to  have  frightened 


146 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Bustamente  into  abandoning  his  invasion  of 
California.  Bustamente's  invading  army  was 
largely  the  creation  of  somebody's  fertile  imag- 
ination. The  scare,  however,  had  the  efifect  of 
hurrying  up  work  on  the  fort.  May  13,  Colo- 
nel Cooke  resigned  and  Col.  J.  B.  Stevenson 
succeeded  him  in  the  command  of  the  southern 
military  district. 

Colonel  Stevenson  continued  work  on  the 
fort  and  on  the  ist  of  July  work  had  progressed 
so  far  that  he  decided  to  dedicate  and  name  it 
on  the  4th.  He  issued  an  official  order  for  the 
celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  the  birthday  of 
American  independence  at  this  port,  as  he  called 
Los  Angeles.  "At  sunrise  a  Federal  salute  will 
be  fired  from  the  field  work  on  the  hill  which 
commands  this  town  and  for  the  first  time  from 
this  point  the  American  standard  will  be  dis- 
played. At  II  o'clock  all  the  troops  of  the 
district,  consisting  of  the  Mormon  battalion,  the 
two  companies  of  dragoons  and  two  companies 
of  the  New  York  volunteers,  were  formed  in  a 
hollow  square  at  the  fort.  The  Declaration  of 
Independence  was  read  in  English  by  Captain 
Stuart  Taylor  and  in  Spanish  by  Stephen  C. 
Foster.  The  native  Californians,  seated  on  their 
horses  in  rear  of  the  soldiers,  listened  to  Don 
Esteban  as  he  rolled  out  in  sonorous  Spanish  the 
Declaration's  arraignment  of  King  George  III., 
and  smiled.  They  had  probably  never  heard  of 
King  George  or  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, either,  but  they  knew  a  pronunciamiento 
when  they  heard  it,  and  after  a  pronunciamiento 
in  their  governmental  system  came  a  revolution, 
therefore  they  smiled  at  the  prospect  of  a  gringo 
revolution.  "At  the  close  of  this  ceremony 
(reading  of  the  Declaration)  the  field  work  will 
be  dedicated  and  appropriately  named;  and  at 
12  o'clock  a  national  salute  will  be  fired.  The 
field  work  at  this  post  having  been  planned  and 
the  work  conducted  entirely  by  Lieutenant  Da- 
vidson of  the  First  Dragoons,  he  is  requested 
to  hoist  upon  it  for  the  first  time  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  4th  the  American  standard."  *  *  * 
The  commander  directs  that  from  and  after  the 
4th  instant  the  fort  shall  bear  the  name  of 
Moore.  Benjamin  D.  ]\Ioore,  after  whom  the  fort 
was  named,  was  captain  of  Company  A,  First 
United  States  Dragoons.    He  was  killed  by  a 


lance  thrust  in  the  disastrous  charge  at  the  bat- 
tle of  San  Pasqual.  This  fort  was  located  on 
what  is  now  called  Fort  Hill,  near  the  geograph- 
ical center  of  Los  Angeles.  It  was  a  breastwork 
about  four  hundred  feet  long  with  bastions  and 
embrasures  for  cannon.  The  principal  em- 
brasure commanded  the  church  and  the  plaza, 
two  places  most  likely  to  be  the  rallying  points 
in  a  rebellion.  It  was  built  more  for  the  sup- 
pression of  a  revolt  than  to  resist  an  invasion. 
It  was  in  a  commanding  position;  two  hundred 
men,  about  its  capacity,  could  have  defended  it 
against  a  thousand  if  the  attack  came  from  the 
front;  but  as  it  was  never  completed,  in  an  at- 
tack from  the  rear  it  could  easily  have  been  cap- 
tured with  an  equal  force. 

Col.  Richard  B.  Mason  succeeded  General 
Kearny  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  troops 
and  military  governor  of  California.  Col.  Philip 
St.  George  Cooke  resigned  command  of  the 
military  district  of  the  south  May  13,  joined 
General  Kearny  at  Monterey  and  went  east 
with  him.  As  previously  stated.  Col.  J.  D.  Ste- 
venson, of  the  New  York  volunteers,  succeeded 
him.  His  regiment,  the  First  New  York,  but 
really  the  Seventh,  had  been  recruited  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  state  of  New  York  in  the 
summer  of  1846,  for  the  double  purpose  of  con- 
quest and  colonization.  The  United  States  gov- 
ernment had  no  intention  of  giving  up  California 
once  it  was  conquered,  and  therefore  this  regi- 
ment came  to  the  coast  well  provided  with  pro- 
visions and  implements  of  husbandry.  It  came 
to  California  via  Cape  Horn  in  three  transports. 
The  first  ship,  the  Perkins,  arrived  at  San 
Francisco,  March  6,  1847;  the  second,  the  Drew, 
March  19;  and  the  third,  the  Loo  Choo,  March 
26.  Hostilities  had  ceased  in  California  before 
their  arrival.  Two  companies,  A  and  B,  under 
command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Burton,  were 
sent  to  Lower  California,  where  they  saw  hard 
service  and  took  part  in  several  engagements. 
The  other  companies  of  the  regiment  were  sent 
to  different  towns  in  Alta  California  to  do  gar- 
rison duty. 

Another  military  organization  that  reached 
California  after  the  conquest  was  Company  F 
of  the  Third  United  States  Artillery.  It  landed 
at  Monterey  January  28,  1847.     It  was  com- 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


147 


manded  by  Capt.  C.  O.  Thonipkins.  With 
it  came  Lieuts.  E.  O.  C.  Ord,  William  T.  Sher- 
man and  H.  W.  Halleck,  all  of  whom  became 
])rominent  in  California  affairs  and  attained  na- 
tional reputation  during  the  Civil  war.  The 
Mormon  battalion  was  mustered  out  in  July, 
1847.  One  company  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Hunt  re-enlisted.  The  others  made  their 
way  to  Utah,  where  they  joined  their  brethren 
who  the  year  before  had  crossed  the  plains  and 
founded  the  City  of  Salt  Lake.  The  Xew  York 
volunteers  were  discharged  in  August,  1848. 
After  the  treaty  of  peace,  in  1848,  four  compa- 
nies of  United  States  Dragoons,  under  com- 
mand of  Major  L.  P.  Graham,  marched  from 
Chihuahua,  b\-  wa}-  of  Tucson,  to  California. 
Major  Graham  was  the  last  military  commander 
of  the  south. 

Commodore  W.  Branford  Shubrick  succeeded 
Commodore  Stockton  in  command  of  the  naval 
forces  of  the  north  Pacific  coast.  Jointly  with 
General  Kearny  he  issued  a  circular  or  proc- 
lamation to  the  people  of  California,  printed  in 
English  and  Spanish,  setting  forth  "That  the 
president  of  the  United  States,  desirous  to  give 
and  secure  to  the  people  of  California  a  share 
of  the  good  government  and  happy  civil  organ- 
ization enjoyed  by  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  and  to  protect  them  at  the  same  time 
from  the  attacks  of  foreign  foes  and  from  inter- 
nal commotions,  has  invested  the  undersigned 
with  separate  and  distinct  powers,  civil  and  mil- 
itary; a  cordial  co-operation  in  the  exercise  of 
which,  it  is  hoped  and  believed,  will  have  the 
happy  results  desired. 

"To  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  naval 
forces  the  president  has  assigned  the  regula- 
tion of  the  import  trade,  the  conditions  on  which 
vessels  of  all  nations,  our  own  as  well  as  foreign, 
may  be  admitted  into  the  ports  of  the  territory, 
and  the  establishment  of  all  port  regulations. 
To  the  commanding  military  officer  the  presi- 
dent has  assigned  the  direction  of  the  operations 
on  land  and  has  invested  him  with  administra- 
tive functions  of  government  over  the  people 
and  territory  occupied  by  the  forces  of  the 
United  States. 

"Done  at  ^Monterey,  capital  of  California,  this 
1st   day  of   March,  A.   D.    1847.     W.   Branford 


Shubrick,  connnander-in-chief  of  the  naval 
forces.  S.  W.  Kearny,  Brig. -Gen.  United  States 
Army,  and  Governor  of  California." 

Under  the  administration  of  Col.  Richard  B. 
Alason,  the  successor  of  General  Kearny  as 
military  governor,  the  reconstruction,  or,  more 
appropriatel}-.  the  transformation  period  began. 
The  orders  from  the  general  government  were 
to  conciliate  the  people  and  to  make  no  radical 
changes  in  the  form  of  government.  The  Mex- 
ican laws  were  continued  in  force.  Just  what 
these  laws  were,  it  was  difficult  to  find  out.  Xo 
code  commissioner  had  codified  the  laws  and  it 
sometimes  happened  that  the  judge  made  the 
law  to  suit  the  case.  Under  the  old  regime  the  al- 
calde was  often  law-giver,  judge,  jury  and  exe- 
cutioner, all  in  one.  Occasionally  there  was  fric- 
tion between  the  militarv  and  civil  powers,  and 
there  were  rumors  of  insurrections  and  inva- 
sions, but  nothing  came  of  them.  The  Califor- 
nians,  with  easy  good  nature  so  characteristic 
of  them,  made  the  best  of  the  situation.  "A 
thousand  things,"  says  Judge  Hays,  "combined 
to  smooth  the  asperities  of  war.  Fremont  had 
been  courteous  and  gay;  ]^Iason  was  just  and 
firm.  The  natural  good  temper  of  the  popula- 
tion favored  a  speedy  and  perfect  conciliation. 
The  American  ofBcers  at  once  found  themselves 
happy  in  every  circle.  In  suppers,  balls,  visiting 
in  town  and  country,  the  hours  glided  away  with 
pleasant  reflections." 

There  were,  however,  a  few  individuals  who 
were  not  happy  unless  they  could  stir  up  dis- 
sensions and  cause  trouble.  One  of  the  chief  of 
these  was  Serbulo  \'arela,  agitator  and  revolu- 
tionist. Varela,  for  some  offense  not  specified 
in  the  records,  had  been  committed  to  prison  b_\- 
the  second  alcalde  of  Los  Angeles.  Colonel  Ste- 
venson turned  him  out  of  jail,  and  Varela  gave 
the  judge  a  tongue  lashing  in  refuse  Castilian. 
The  judge's  official  dignity  was  hurt.  He  sent 
a  communication  to  the  ayuntamiento  saying: 
"Owing  to  personal  abuse  which  I  received  at 
t!ie  hands  of  a  private  individual  and  from  the 
p-rcsent  military  cnmmander,  I  tender  my  resig- 
nation." 

The  ayuntamiento  sent  a  communication  to 
Colonel  Stevenson  asking  why  he  had  turned 
\"arela  out  of  jail  and  why  he  had  insulted  the 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGR.\PHICAL  RECORD. 


judge.  The  colonel  curtly  replied  that  the  mili- 
tary would  not  act  as  jailers  over  persons  guilty 
of  trifling  offenses  while  the  city  had  plenty  of 
persons  to  do  guard  duty  at  the  jail.  As  to  the 
abuse  of  the  judge,  he  was  not  aware  that  any 
abuse  had  been  given,  and  would  take  no  further 
notice  of  him  unless  lie  stated  the  nature  of  the 
insult  offered  him.  The  council  decided  to  no- 
tify the  governor  of  the  outrage  perpetrated  by 
the  military  commander,  and  the  second  alcalde 
said  since  he  could  get  no  satisfaction  for  insults 
to  his  authority  from  the  military  despot,  he 
would  resign;  but  the  council  would  not  accept 
his  resignation,  so  he  refused  to  act,  and  the  city 
had  to  worry  along  with  one  alcalde. 

Although  foreigners  had  been  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia ever  since  1814,  their  numbers  had  not 
increased  very  rapidly.  Nearly  all  of  these  had 
found  their  way  there  by  sea.  Those  who  had 
become  permanent  residents  had  married  native 
Californian  women  and  adopted  the  customs  of 
the  country.  Capt.  Jedediah  S.  Smith,  in  1827, 
crossed  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  from  Cali- 
fornia and  by  way  of  the  Humboldt,  or,  as  he 
named  it,  the  Mary  River,  had  reached  the  Great 
Salt  Lake.  From  there  through  the  South  Pass 
of  the  Rocky  mountains  the  route  had  been 
traveled  for  several  years  by  the  fur  trappers. 
This  latter  became  the  great  emigrant  route  to 
California  a  few  years  later.  A  southern  route 
by  way  of  Santa  Fe  had  been  marked  out  and 
the  Pattee  party  had  found  their  way  to  the 
Colorado  by  the  Gila  route,  but  so  far  no  emi- 
grant trains  had  come  from  the  States  to  Cali- 
fornia with  women  and  children.  The  first  of 
these  mixed  trains  was  organized  in  western 
Missouri  in  May,  1841.  The  party  consisted  of 
sixty-nine  persons,  including  men,  women  and 
children.  This  party  divided  at  Soda  Springs, 
half  going  to  Oregon  and  the  others  keeping  on 
their  way  to  California.  They  reached  the  San 
Joaquin  valley  in  November,  1841,  after  a  toil- 
some journey  of  six  months.  The  first  settle- 
ment they  found  was  Dr.  Marsh's  ranch  in  what 
is  now  called  Contra  Costa  county.  ]\Iarsh  gave 
them  a  cordial  reception  at  first,  but  afterwards 
treated  them  meanly. 

Fourteen  of  the  party  started  for  the  Pueblo 
de   San   Jose.     At   the   ^lission    of    San   Jose, 


twelve  miles  from  the  Pueblo,  they  were  all  ar- 
rested by  order  of  General  Vallejo.  One  of  the 
men  was  sent  to  Dr.  J^Iarsh  to  have  him  come 
forthwith  and  explain  why  an  armed  force  of 
liis  countrymen  were  roaming  around  the  coun- 
try without  passports.  Marsh  secured  their  re- 
lease and  passports  for  all  the  party.  On  his 
return  home  he  charged  the  men  who  had  re- 
mained at  his  ranch  $5  each  for  a  passport,  al- 
though the  passports  had  cost  him  nothing.  As 
there  was  no  money  in  the  party,  each  had  to 
put  up  some  equivalent  from  his  scanty  posses- 
sions. Marsh  had  taken  this  course  to  reim- 
burse himself  for  the  meal  he  had  given  the 
half-starved  emigrants  the  first  night  of  their 
arrival  at  his  ranch. 

In  marked  contrast  with  the  meanness  of 
Marsh  was  the  liberality  of  Captain  Sutter.  Sut- 
ter had  buiit  a  fort  at  the  junction  of  the  Amer- 
ican river  and  the  Sacramento  in  1839  and  had 
obtained  extensive  land  grants.  His  fort  was 
the  frontier  post  for  the  overland  emigration. 
Gen.  John  Bidwell,  who  came  with  the  first 
emigrant  train  to  California,  in  a  description  of 
"Life  in  California  Ijefore  the  Gold  Discovery," 
says:  "Nearly  everybody  who  came  to  Califor- 
nia then  made  it  a  point  to  reach  Sutter's  Fort. 
Sutter  was  one  of  the  most  liberal  and  hospita- 
ble of  men.  Everybody  was  welcome,  one  man 
or  a  hundred,  it  was  all  the  same." 

Another  emigrant  train,  known  as  the  Work- 
man-Rowland party,  numbering  forty-five  per- 
sons, came  from  Santa  Fe  by  the  Gila  route  to 
Los  Angeles.  About  twenty-five  of  this  party 
were  persons  who  had  arrived  too  late  at  West- 
l)ort.  Mo.,  to  join  the  northern  emigrant  party, 
so  they  went  with  the  annual  caravan  of  St. 
Louis  traders  to  Santa  Fe  and  from  there,  with 
traders  and  trappers,  continued  their  journey  to 
California.  From  1841  to  the  .\merican  con- 
rpiest  immigrant  trains  came  across  the  plains 
every  year. 

One  of  the  most  noted  of  these,  on  account  of 
the  tragic  fate  that  befell  it,  was  the  Donner 
party.  The  nucleus  of  this  party,  George  and 
Jacob  Donner  and  James  K.  Reed,  with  their 
families,  started  from  Springfield.  Ill,  in  the 
spring  of  1846.  By  accretions  and  combinations, 
when  it  readied  Fort  Bridger,  July  25,  it  had 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RKCuRD. 


increased  to  eighty-seven  persons — thirty-six 
men,  twenty-one  women  and  thirty  children, 
under  the  command  of  George  Donner.  A  new 
route  called  the  Hastings  Cut-Off,  had  just  been 
opened  by  Lansford  W.  Hastings.  This  route 
passed  to  the  south  of  Great  Salt  Lake  and 
struck  the  old  Fort  Hall  emigrant  road  on  the 
Humboldt.  It  was  claimed  that  the  "cut-off" 
shortened  the  distance  three  hundred  miles. 
The  Donner  party,  by  misrepresentations,  were 
induced  to  take  this  route.  The  cut-off  provetl 
to  be  almost  impassable.  They  started  on  the 
cut-off  the  last  day  of  July,  and  it  was  the  end 
of  September  when  they  struck  the  old  emigrant 
trail  on  the  Humboldt.  They  had  lost  most  of 
their  cattle  and  were  nearly  out  of  provisions. 
From  this  on,  unmerciful  disaster  followed  them 
fast  and  faster.  In  an  altercation,  Reed,  one  of 
the  best  men  of  the  party,  killed  Snyder.  He 
was  banished  from  the  train  and  compelled  to 
leave  his  wife  and  children  behind.  An  old 
Belgian  named  Hardcoop  and  Wolfinger,  a 
German,  unable  to  keep  up,  were  abandoned  to 
die  on  the  road.  Pike  was  accidentally  shot  by 
l'"oster.  The  Indians  stole  a  number  of  their 
cattle,  and  one  calamity  after  another  delayed 
them.  In  the  latter  part  of  October  they  had 
reached  the  Truckee.  Here  they  encountered  a 
heavy  snow  storm,  which  blocked  all  further 
progress.  They  wasted  their  strength  in  trying 
to  ascend  the  mountains  in  the  deep  snow  that 
had  fallen.  Finally,  finding  this  impossible,  they 
turned  back  and  built  cabins  at  a  lake  since 
known  as  Donner  Lake,  and  prepared  to  pass 
the  winter.  Most  of  their  oxen  had  strayed 
away  during  the  storm  and  perished.  Those 
still  alive  they  killed  and  preserved  the  meat. 
A  party  of  fifteen,  ten  men  and  five  women, 


known  as  the  "Forlorn  Hope,"  started,  Decem- 
ber 16,  on  snowshoes  to  cross  the  Sierras.  They 
had  provisions  for  six  days,  but  the  journey 
consumed  thirty-two  days.  Eight  of  the  ten 
men  perished,  and  among  them  the  noble  Stan- 
ton, who  had  brought  relief  to  the  emigrants 
from  Sutter's  Fort  before  the  snows  began  to 
fall.  The  five  women  survived.  Upon  the  ar- 
rival of  the  wretched  survivors  of  the  "Forlorn 
Hope,"  the  terrible  sufferings  of  the  snow-bound 
immigrants  were  made  known  at  Sutter's  Fort, 
and  the  first  relief  party  was  organized,  and  on 
the  5th  of  February  started  for  the  lake.  Seven 
of  the  thirteen  who  started  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing the  lake.  On  the  19th  they  started  back 
with  t\\enty-one  of  the  immigrants,  three  of 
whom  died  on  the  way.  A  second  relief,  under 
Reed  and  McCutchen,  was  organized.  Reed 
had  gone  to  Verba  Buena  to  seek  assistance.  A 
public  meeting  was  called  and  $1,500  subscribed. 
The  second  relief  started  from  Johnston's 
Ranch,  the  nearest  point  to  the  mountains,  on 
the  23d  of  February  and  reached  the  camp  on 
[March  I  St.  The>-  brought  out  seventeen.  Two 
others  were  organized  and  reached  Donner 
Lake,  the  last  on  the  17th  of  April.  The  only 
survivor  then  was  Keseburg,  a  German,  who 
was  hated  by  all  the  company.  There  was  a 
strong  suspicion  that  he  had  killed  Mrs.  Don- 
ner. who  had  refused  to  leave  her  husband  (who 
w  as  too  weak  to  travel)  with  the  previous  relief. 
There  were  threats  of  hanging  him.  Keseburg 
had  saved  his  life  by  eating  the  bodies  of  the 
(lead.  Of  the  original  party  of  eighty-seven,  a 
total  of  thirty-nine  perished  from  starvation. 
Most  of  the  survivors  were  compelled  to  resort 
to  cannabalism.  They  were  not  to  blame  if  they 
did. 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGR.\PHICAL   RECORD. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


MEXICAN    LAWS    AND    AMERICAN    OFFICIALS. 


UPON  the  departure  of  General  Kearii}-, 
May  31,  1847,  Col.  Richard  B.  Mason 
became  governor  and  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  United  States  forces  in  California 
b}-  order  of  the  president.  Stockton,  Kearny 
and  Fremont  had  taken  their  departure,  the 
dissensions  that  had  existed  since  the  conquest 
of  the  territory  among  the  conquerors  ceased, 
and  peace  reigned. 

There  were  reports  of  Mexican  .invasions  and 
suspicions  of  secret  plottings  against  gringo 
rule,  but  the  invaders  came  not  and  the  plottings 
never  produced  even  the  mildest  form  of  a  Mexi- 
can revolution.  Mexican  laws  were  adminis- 
tered for  the  most  part  by  military  officers.  The 
municipal  authorities  were  encouraged  to  con- 
tinue in  power  and  perform  their  governmental 
functions,  but  they  were  indifferent  and  some- 
times rebelled.  Under  Mexican  rule  there  was 
no  trial  by  jury.  The  alcalde  acted  as  judge 
and  in  criminal  cases  a  council  of  war  settled  the 
fate  of  the  criminal.  The  Rev.  Walter  Colton, 
wliile  acting  as  alcalde  of  Monterey,  in  1846-47, 
impaneled  the  first  jury  ever  summoned  in  Cali- 
fornia. "The  plaintiff  and  defendant,"  he  writes, 
"are  among  the  principal  citizens  of  the  country. 
The  case  was  one  involving  property  on  the  one 
side  and  integrity  of  character  on  the  other.  Its 
merits  had  been  pretty  widely  discussed,  and 
had  called  forth  an  unusual  interest.  One-third 
of  the  jury  were  Mexicans,  one-third  Califor- 
nians  and  the  other  third  Americans.  This  mix- 
ture may  have  the  better  answered  the  ends  of 
justice,  but  I  was  apprehensive  at  one  time  it 
would  embarrass  the  proceedings ;  for  the  plaint- 
iff spoke  in  English,  the  defendant  in  French; 
the  jury,  save  the  Americans,  Spanish,  and  the 
witnesses,  all  the  languages  known  to  California. 
By  the  tact  of  Mr.  Hartnell,  who  acted  as  inter- 
preter, and  the  absence  of  young  lawyers,  we 
got  along  very  well. 


"The  examination  of  witnesses  lasted  five  or 
six  liours.  I  then  gave  the  case  to  the  jury, 
stating  the  questions  of  fact  upon  which  they 
were  to  render  their  verdict.  They  retired  for 
an  hour  and  then  returned,  when  the  foreman 
handed  in  their  verdict,  which  was  clear  and 
explicit,  though  the  case  itself  was  rather  com- 
plicated. To  this  verdict  both  parties  bowed 
without  a  word  of  dissent.  The  inhabitants  who 
witnessed  the  trial  said  it  was  what  they  liked, 
that  there  could  be  no  bribery  in  it,  that  the 
opinion  of  twelve  honest  men  should  set  the 
case  forever  at  rest.  And  so  it  did,  though 
neither  party  completely  triumphed  in  the  issue. 
One  recovered  his  property,  which  had  been 
taken  from  him  by  mistake,  the  other  his  char- 
acter, which  had  been  slandered  by  design." 

The  process  of  Americanizing  the  people  was 
no  easy  undertaking.  The  population  of  the 
country  and  its  laws  were  in  a  chaotic  condition. 
It  was  an  arduous  task  that  Colonel  Mason  and 
the  military  commanders  at  the  various  pueblos 
had  to  perform,  that  of  evolving  order  out  of 
the  chaos  that  had  been  brought  about  by  the 
change  in  nations.  The  native  population 
neither  understood  the  language  nor  the  cus- 
ton-s  of  their,  new  rulers,  and  the  newcomers 
among  the  Americans  had  very  little  toleration 
for  the  slow-going  Mexican  ways  and  methods 
they  found  prevailing.  To  keep  peace  between 
the  factions  required  more  tact  than  knowledge 
of  law,  military  or  civil,  in  the  commanders. 

Los  Angeles,  under  Mexican  domination,  had 
been  the  storm  center  of  revolutions,  and  here 
under  the  new  regime  the  most  difficulty  was 
encountered  in  transforming  the  quondam  rev- 
olutionists into  law-abiding  and  peaceful  Amer- 
ican citizens.  The  ayuntamiento  was  convened 
in  1847,  after  the  conquest,  and  continued  in 
jiowcr  until  the  close  of  the  year.  When  the 
time  came  round  for  the  election  of  a  new  ayun- 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


151 


tamiento  there  was  trouble.  Stephen  C.  Foster, 
Colonel  Stevenson's  interpreter,  submitted  a 
])aper  to  the  council  stating  that  the  govern- 
ment had  authorized  him  to  get  up  a  register  of 
voters.  The  ayuntamiento  voted  to  return  the 
paper  just  as  it  was  received.  Then  the  colonel 
made  a  demand  of  the  council  to  assist  Stephen 
in  compiling  a  register  of  voters.  Regidor  Cha- 
vez took  the  floor  and  said  such  a  register 
should  not  be  gotten  up  under  the  auspices  of 
the  military,  but,  since  the  government  had  so 
disposed,  thereby  outraging  this  honorable 
body,  no  attention  should  be  paid  to  said  com- 
munication. But  the  council  decided  that  the 
matter  did  not  amount  to  much,  so  they  granted 
the.  request,  much  to  the  disgust  of  Chavez. 
The  election  was  held  and  a  new  ayuntamiento 
elected.  At  the  last  meeting  of  the  old  council, 
December  29,  1847,  Colonel  Stevenson  ad- 
dressed a  note  to  it  requesting  that  Stephen  C. 
Foster  be  recognized  as  first  alcalde  and  judge 
of  the  first  instance.  The  council  decided  to 
turn  the  whole  business  over  to  its  successor,  to 
(leal  with  as  it  sees  fit. 

Colonel  Stevenson's  request  was  made  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  wish  of  Governor  Mason 
that  a  part  of  the  civil  offices  be  filled  by  Amer- 
icans. The  new  ayuntamiento  resented  the  in- 
terference. How  the  matter  terminated  is  best 
told  in  Stephen  C.  Foster's  own  words:  "Colo- 
nel Stevenson  was  determined  to  have  our  in- 
auguration done  in  style.  So  on  the  day  ap- 
pointed, January  i,  1848,  he,  together  with 
myself  and  colleague,  escorted  by  a  guard  of 
soldiers,  proceeded  from  the  colonel's  quarters 
to  the  alcalde's  office.  There  we  found  the  re- 
tiring ayuntamiento  and  the  new  one  awaiting 
our  arrival.  The  oath  of  office  was  adminis- 
tered by  the  retiring  first  alcalde.  We  knelt  to 
take  the  oath,  when  we  found  they  had  changed 
their  minds,  and  the  alcalde  told  us  that  if  two 
of  their  number  were  to  be  kicked  out  they 
would  all  go.  So  they  all  marched  out  and  left 
us  in  possession.  Here  was  a  dilemma,  but 
Colonel  Stevenson  was  equal  to  the  emergency. 
He  said  he  could  give  us  a  swear  as  well  as  the 
alcalde.  So  we  stood  up  and  he  administered 
to  us  an  oath  to  support  the  constitution  of 
the  United  States  and  administer  justice  in  ac- 


cordance with  Alexican  law.  I  then  knew  as 
much  about  Mexican  law  as  I  did  about  Chinese, 
and  my  colleague  knew  as  much  as  I  did.  Guer- 
rero gathered  up  the  books  that  pertained  to  his 
ofifice  and  took  them  to  his  house,  where  he 
established  his  ofifice,  and  I  took  the  archives 
and  records  across  the  street  to  a  house  I  had 
rented,  and  there  I  was  duly  installed  for  the 
ne.xt  seventeen  months,  the  first  American  al- 
calde and  carpet-bagger  in  Los  Angeles." 

Colonel  Stevenson  issued  a  call  for  the  elec- 
tion of  a  new  ayuntamiento,  but  the  people 
stayed  at  home  and  no  votes  were  cast.  At  the 
close  of  the  year  the  voters  had  gotten  over 
their  pet  and  when  a  call  was  made  a  council 
was  elected,  but  only  Californians  (hijos  del 
pais)  were  returned.  The  ayuntamientos  con- 
tinued to  be  the  governing  power  in  the  pueblos 
until  superseded  by  city  and  county  govern- 
ments in  1850. 

The  most  difficult  problem  that  General  Ivear- 
ny  in  his  short  term  had  to  confront  and,  un- 
solved, he  handed  down  to  his  successor.  Colo- 
nel Mason,  was  the  authority  and  jurisdiction 
of  the  alcaldes.  Under  the  Mexican  regime 
these  officers  were  supreme  in  the  pueblo  over 
which  they  ruled.  For  the  Spanish  transgressor 
fines  of  various  degrees  were  the  usual  penalty; 
for  the  mission  neophyte,  the  lash,  well  laid  on, 
and  labor  in  the  chain  gang.  There  was  no 
written  code  that  defined  the  amount  of  pun- 
ishment, the  alcalde  meted  out  justice  and  some- 
times injustice,  as  suited  his  humor.  Kearny 
appointed  John  H.  Nash  alcalde  of  Sonoma. 
Nash  was  a  ratb.er  erratic  individual,  who  had 
taken  part  in  the  Bear  Flag  revolution.  When 
the  offices  of  the  prospective  California  Re- 
public were  divided  among  the  revolutionists, 
he  was  to  be  the  chief  justice.  After  the  col- 
lapse of  that  short-lived  republic.  Nash  was 
elected  alcalde.  His  rule  was  so  arbitrary  and 
his  decisions  so  biased  by  favoritism  or  preju- 
dice that  the  American  settlers  soon  protested 
and  General  Kearny  removed  him  or  tried  to. 
He  appointed  L.  W.  Boggs,  a  recently  arrived 
immigrant,  to  the  office.  Nash  refused  to  sur- 
render the  books  and  papers  of  the  office.  Lieut. 
W.  T.  Sherman  was  detailed  by  Colonel  ^lason, 
after  his  succession  to  the  office  of  governor,  to 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


proceed  to  Sonoma  and  arrest  Xash.  Sherman 
quietly  arrested  him  at  night  and  before  the 
bellicose  alcalde's  friends  (for  he  had  quite  a  fol- 
lowing) were  aware  of  what  was  going  on, 
marched  him  off  to  San  Francisco.  He  was 
put  on  board  the  Dale  and  sent  to  Monterey. 
Finding  that  it  was  useless  for  him  to  resist  the 
authority  of  the  United  States,  its  army  and 
navy  as  well,  Nash  expressed  his  willingness  to 
submit  to  the  inevitable,  and  surrendered  his 
office.  He  was  released  and  ceased  from  troub- 
ling. Another  strenuous  alcalde  was  William 
Blackburn,  of  Santa  Cruz.  He  came  to  the 
country  in  1845,  and  before  his  elevation  to  the 
honorable  position  of  a  judge  of  the  first  in- 
stance he  had  been  engaged  in  making  shingles 
in  the  redwoods.  He  had  no  knowledge  of  law 
and  but  little  acquaintance  with  books  of  any 
kind.  His  decisions  were  always  on  the  side  of 
justice,  although  some  of  the  penalties  imposed 
were  somewhat  irregular. 

In  Alcalde  Blackburn's  docket  for  August  14, 
1847,  appears  this  entry:  "Pedro  Gomez  was 
tried  for  the  murder  of  his  wife,  Barbara  Gomez, 
and  found  guilty.  The  sentence  of  the  court  is 
that  the  prisoner  be  conducted  back  to  prison, 
there  to  remain  until  Monday,  the  l6th  of  Au- 
gust, and  then  be  taken  out  and  shot."  August 
17,  sentence  carried  into  effect  on  the  i6th  ac- 
cordingly.        WiLLiAJi  Br..*LCKi!uux,  Alcalde. 

It  does  not  appear  in  the  records  that  Black- 
burn was  the  executioner.  He  proceeded  to 
dispose  of  the  two  orphaned  children  of  the 
murderer.  The  older  daughter  he  indentured  to 
Jacinto  Castro  "to  raise  until  she  is  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  unless  sooner  married,  said  Ja- 
cinto Castro,  obligating  himself  to  give  her  a 
good  education,  three  cows  and  calves  at  her 
marriage  or  when  of  age."  The  younger  daugh- 
ter was  disposed  of  on  similar  terms  to  A.  Rod- 
riguez. Colonel  Mason  severely  reprimanded 
Blackburn,  but  the  alcalde  replied  that  there 
was  no  use  making  a  fuss  over  it;  the  man  was 
guilty,  he  had  a  fair  trial  before  a  jury  and  de- 
served to  die.  Another  case  in  his  court  illus- 
trates the  versatility  of  the  judge.  A  Spanish 
boy,  out  of  revenge,  sheared  the  mane  and  tail 
of  a  neighbor's  horse.    The  offense  was  proved. 


but  the  judge  was  sorely  perplexed  when  he 
came  to  sentence  the  culprit.  He  could  hnd  no 
law  in  his  law  books  to  fit  the  case.  After  pon- 
dering over  the  question  a  while,  he  gave  this 
decision:  "I  find  no  law  in  any  of  the  statutes 
to  fit  this  case,  except  in  the  law  of  Moses,  'An 
eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth.'  Let  the 
prisoner  be  taken  out  in  front  of  this  office  and 
there  sheared  close."  The  sentence  was  innne- 
diately  executed. 

Another  story  is  told  of  Blackburn,  which 
may  or  may  not  be  true.  A  mission  Indian  who 
had  committed  murder  took  the  right  of  sanc- 
tuary in  the  church,  and  the  padre  refused  to 
give  him  up.  Blackburn  wrote  to  the  governor, 
.stating  the  case.  The  Indian,  considering  him- 
self safe  while  with  the  padre,  left  the  church 
in  company  with  the  priest.  Blackburn  seized 
him,  tried  him  and  hung  him.  He  then  reported 
to  the  governor:  "I  received  your  order  to  sus- 
pend the  execution  of  the  condemned  man,  but 
I  had  hung  him.  When  I  see  you  I  will  ex- 
plain the  affair." 

Some  of  the  military  commanders  of  the  pre- 
sidios and  pueblos  gave  Governor  INIason  as 
much  trouble  as  the  alcaldes.  These,  for  the 
most  part,  were  officers  of  the  volunteers  who 
had  arrived  after  the  conquest.  They  were  un- 
used to  "war's  alarms,"  and,  being  new  to 
tlie  country  and  ignorant  of  the  Spanish  lan- 
guage, they  regarded  the  natives  with  suspicion. 
They  were  on  the  lookout  for  plots  and  revolu- 
tions. Sometimes  they  found  these  incubating 
and  undertook  to  crush  them,  only  to  discover 
that  the  affair  was  a  hoax  or  a  practical  joke. 
I'he  Canon  Perdido  (lost  cafion)  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara episode  is  a  good  illustration  of  the 
trouble  one  "finicky"  man  can  make  when  en- 
trusted with  military  power. 

In  the  winter  of  1847-48  the  American  bark 
Elisabeth  was  wrecked  on  the  Santa  Barbara 
coast.  Among  the  flotsam  of  the  wreck  was  a 
brass  cannon  of  uncertain  calibre;  it  might  have 
been  a  six.  a  nine  or  a  twelve  pounder.  What 
the  capacity  of  its  bore  matters  not,  for  the  gun 
unloaded  made  more  noise  in  Santa  Barbara 
than  it  ever  did  when  it  belched  forth  shot  and 
shell  in  battle.  The  gun,  after  its  rescue  from 
a  watery  grave,  lay  for  some  time  on  the  beach. 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


devoid  of  carriage  and  useless,  apparently,  for 
offense  or  defense. 

One  dark  night  a  little  squad  of  native  Cali- 
fornians  stole  down  to  the  beach,  loaded  the 
gun  in  an  ox  cart,  hauled  it  to  the  estero  and 
liid  it  in  the  sands.  What  was  their  object  in 
taknig  the  gun  no  one  knows.  Perhaps  they 
did  not  know  themselves.  It  might  come  handy 
ni  a  revolution,  or  ma}be  they  only  intended  to 
play  a  practical  joke  on  tlic  gringos.  Whatever 
their  object,  the  outcome  of  their  prank  must 
have  astonished  them.  There  was  a  company 
{V)  of  Stevenson's  New  York  volunteers  sta- 
tioned at  Santa  Barbara,  under  command  of 
Captain  Lippett.  Lippett  was  a  fussy,  nervous 
individual  who  lost  his  head  when  anything  un- 
usual occurred.  In  the  theft  of  the  cannon  he 
thought  he  had  discovered  a  California  revolu- 
tion in  the  formative  stages,  and  he  determined 
to  crush  it  in  its  infancy.  He  sent  post  haste  a 
courier  to  Governor  Mason  at  Monterey,  in- 
forming him  of  the  prospective  uprising  of  the 
natives  and  the  possible  destruction  of  the 
troops  at  Santa  Barbara  by  the  terrible  gun  the 
enemy  had  stolen. 

Colonel  Mason,  relying  on  Captain  Lippett's 
report,  determined  to  give  the  nati\cs  a  lesson 
that  would  teach  them  to  let  guns  and  revolu- 
tions alone.  He  issued  an  order  from  headquar- 
ters at  Monterey,  in  which  he  said  that  ample 
time  having  been  allowed  for  the  return  of  the 
gun,  and  the  citizens  having  failed  to  produce 
it,  he  ordered  that  the  town  be  laid  under  a  con- 
tribution of  $500,  assessed  in  the  following  man- 
ner: .\  capitation  tax  of  $2  on  all  males  over 
twentv  vears  of  age;  the  balance  to  be  paid  by 
the  heads  of  families  and  property-holders  in  the 
proportion  of  the  value  of  their  respective  real 
and  personal  estate  in  the  town  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara and  vicinity.  Col.  J-  D-  Stevenson  was  ap- 
pointed to  direct  the  appraisement  of  the  prop- 
erty and  the  collection  of  the  assessment.  If 
any  failed  to  pay  his  capitation,  enough  of  his 
property  was  to  be  seized  and  sold  to  pay  his 
enforced  contribution. 

The  promulgation  of  the  order  at  Santa  Bar- 
bara raised  a  storm  of  indignation  at  the  old 
pueblo.  Colonel  Stevenson  came  up  from  Los 
Angeles  and  had  an  interview  with  Don  Pablo 


de  La  Guerra,  a  leading  citizen  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara. Don  Pablo  was  wrathfully  indignant  at 
the  insult  put  upon  his  people,  but  after  talking 
over  the  affair  with  Colonel  Stevenson,  he  be- 
came somewhat  mollified.  He  invited  Colonel 
Stevenson  to  make  Santa  Barbara  his  headquar- 
ters and  inquired  about  the  brass  band  at  the 
lower  pueblo.  Stevenson  took  the  hint  and  or- 
dered up  the  band  from  Los  Angeles.  July  4th 
had  been  fixed  upon  as  the  day  for  the  payment 
(if  the  fines,  doubtless  with  the  idea  of  giving 
the  Californians  a  little  celebration  that  would 
remind  them  hereafter  of  Liberty's  natal  dav. 
Colonel  Stevenson  contrived  to  have  the  band 
reach  Santa  Barbara  on  the  night  of  the  3d. 
The  band  astonished  Don  Pablo  and  his  familv 
with  a  serenade.  The  Don  was  so  delighted 
that  he  hugged  the  colonel  in  the  most  approved 
style.  The  band  serenaded  all  the  Dons  of  note 
in  town  and  tooted  until  long  after  midnight, 
then  started  in  next  morning  and  kept  it  up 
till  ten  o'clock,  the  time  set  for  each  man  to  con- 
tribute his  "dos  pesos"  to  the  common  fund. 
By  that  time  every  hombre  on  the  list  was  so 
filled  with  wine,  music  and  patriotism  that  the 
greater  portion  of  the  fine  was  handed  over 
without  protest.  The  day  closed  with  a  grand 
ball.  The  beauty  and  the  chivalry  of  Santa  Bar- 
1,'ara  danced  to  the  music  of  a  gringo  brass 
hand  and  the  brass  cannon  for  the  nonce  was 
forgotten. 

But  the  memory  of  the  city's  ransom  rankled, 
and  although  an  .Vnierican  band  played  Spanish 
airs,  .\merican  injustice  was  still  remembered. 
When  the  city's  survey  was  made  in  1850  the 
nomenclature  of  three  streets,  Caiion  Perdido 
(Lost  Cannon  street),  Ouinientos  (Five  Hun- 
dred street)  and  Mason  street  kept  the  cannon 
e|)isode  green  in  the  memory  of  the  Barbarenos. 
When  the  pueblo,  by  legislative  act,  became  a 
ciudad,  the  municipal  authorities  selected  this 
device  for  a  seal:  In  the  center  a  cannon  em- 
Mazoned.  encircled  with  these  words,  \'ale 
Ouinientos  Pesos — Worth  $500,  or,  more  liber- 
ally translated.  Good-bye,  $500,  which,  by  tlie 
way,  as  the  sequel  of  the  story  will  show,  is  the 
better  translation.  This  seal  was  used  from  the 
in.corporation  of  the  city  in  1830  to  i860,  when 
another  design  was  chosen. 


HISTORICAL   AND    I'.K  )GRAI'HICAL   RECORD. 


After  peace  was  declared,  Colonel  Mason  sent 
the  $500  to  the  prefect  at  Santa  Barbara,  with 
instructions  to  use  it  in  building  a  city  jail;  and 
although  there  was  pressing  need  for  a  jail,  the 
jail  was  not  built.  The  prefect's  needs  were 
pressing,  too.  Several  years  passed;  then  the 
cit\-  council  demanded  that  the  prefect  turn  the 
money  into  the  city  treasury.  He  replied  that 
the  money  was  entrusted  to  him  for  a  specific 
purpose,  and  he  would  trust  no  city  treasurer 
with  it.  The  fact  was  that  long  before  he  had 
lost  it  in  a  game  of  monte. 

Ten  years  passed,  and  the  episode  of  the  lost 
cannon  was  but  a  dimly  remembered  story  of 
the  olden  time.  The  old  gun  reposed  peacefully 
in  its  grave  of  sand  and  those  who  buried  it 
liad  forgotten  the  place  of  its  interment.  One 
stormy  night  in  December,  1858,  the  estero 
fcreek)  cut  a  new  channel  to  the  ocean.  In 
the  morning,  as  some  Barbareiios  were  survey- 
ing the  changes  caused  by  the  flood,  they  saw 
the  muzzle  of  a  large  gun  protruding  from  the 
cut  in  the  bank.  They  unearthed  it,  cleaned  of? 
the  sand  and  discovered  that  it  was  El  Cafion 
Perdido,  the  lost  cannon.  It  was  hauled  up 
State  street  to  Canon  Perdido,  where  it  was 
mounted  on  an  improvised  carriage.  But  the 
sight  of  it  was  a  reminder  of  an  unpleasant  in- 
cident. The  finders  sold  it  to  a  merchant  for 
$80.  He  shipped  it  to  San  Francisco  and  sold 
it  at  a  handsome  profit  for  old  brass. 

Governor  Pio  Pico  returned  from  Mexico  to 
California,  arriving  at  San  Gabriel  July  17,  1848.. 
Although  the  treaty  of  peace  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico  had  been  signed  and 
proclaimed,  the  news  had  not  reached  Califor- 
nia. Pico,  from  San  Fernando,  addressed  let- 
ters to  Colonel  Stevenson  at  Los  .\ngeles  and 
Governor  Mason  at  Monterey,  stating  that  as 
Mexican  governor  of  California  he  had  come 
back  to  the  country  with  the  object  of  carrying 
out  the  armistice  which  then  existed  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico.  He  further 
stated  that  he  had  no  desire  to  impede  the  es- 
tablishment of  peace  between  the  two  countries ; 
and  that  he  wished  to  see  the  Mexicans  and 
.-\mericans  treat  each  other  in  a  spirit  of  frater- 
nity. Mason  did  not  like  Pico's  assumption  of 
the  title  of  Mexican  governor  of  California,  al- 


though it  is  not  probable  that  Pico  intended  to 
assert  any  claim  to  his  former  position.  Gov- 
ernor Mason  sent  a  special  courier  to  Los  An- 
geles with  orders  to  Colonel  Stevenson  to 
arrest  the  ex-governor,  who  was  then  at  his 
Santa  Margarita  rancho,  and  send  him  to  Mon- 
terey, but  the  news  of  the  ratification  of  the 
treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  reached  Los  An- 
geles before  the  arrest  was  made,  and  Pico  was 
spared  this  humiliation. 

The  treaty  of  peace  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico  was  signed  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo, 
a  hamlet  a  few  miles  from  the  City  of  Mexico, 
February  2,  1848;  ratifications  were  exchanged 
at  Oueretaro,  May  30  following,  and  a  procla- 
mation that  peace  had  been  established  between 
the  two  countries  was  published  July  4,  1848. 
Under  this  treaty  the  United  States  assumed  the 
payment  of  the  claims  of  American  citizens 
against  Mexico,  and  paid,  in  addition,  $15,000,- 
000  to  Mexico  for  Texas,  New  Mexico  and 
Alta  California.  Out  of  what  was  the  Mexican 
territory  of  Alta  California  there  has  been 
carved  all  of  California,  all  of  Xevada,  L'tah  and 
Arizona  and  part  of  Colorado  and  Wyoming. 
The  territory  acquired  by  the  treaty  of  Guada- 
lupe Hidalgo  was  nearly  equal  to  the  aggre- 
gated area  of  the  thirteen  original  states  at  the 
time  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  news  of  the  treaty  of  peace  reached  Cali- 
fornia August  6,  1848.  On  the  7th  Governor 
Mason  issued  a  proclamation  announcing  the 
ratification  of  the  treaty.  He  announced  that 
all  residents  of  California,  who  wished  to  be- 
come citizens  of  the  United  States,  were  ab- 
solved from  their  allegiance  to  Mexico.  Those 
who  desired  to  retain  their  Mexican  citizenship 
could  do  so,  provided  they  signified  such  inten- 
tion within  one  year  from  May  30,  1848.  Those 
who  wished  to  go  to  Mexico  were  at  liberty  to 
do  so  without  passports.  Six  months  before. 
Governor  Mason  had  issued  a  proclamation  pro- 
hibiting any  citizen  of  Sonora  from  entering 
California  except  on  official  business,  and  then 
only  under  flag  of  truce.  He  also  required  all 
Sonorans  in  the  country  to  report  themselves 
cither  at  Los  Angeles  or  Monterey. 

The  war  was  over;  and  the  treaty  of  ]icacc 
had  made  all  who  so  elected,  native  or  foreign 


HISTORICAL  AXD   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


15S 


born,  American  citizens.  Strict  niilitar_\-  rule 
was  relaxed  and  the  people  henceforth  were  to 
be  self-governing.  American  and  Californian 
were  one  people  and  were  to  enjoy  the  same 
rights  and  to  be  subject  to  the  same  penalties. 
The  war  ended,  the  troops  were  no  longer 
needed.  Orders  were  issued  to  muster  out  the 
volunteers.  These  all  belonged  to  Stevenson's 
New  York  regiment.  The  last  company  of  the 
Mormon  battalion  had  been  discharged  in  .\pril. 


The  New  York  volunteers  were  scattered  all 
along  the  coast  from  Sonoma  to  Cape  St.  Lucas, 
doing  garrison  duty.  They  were  collected  at 
different  points  and  mustered  out.  Although 
those  stationed  in  Alta  California  had  done 
no  fighting,  they  had  performed  arduous  serv- 
ice in  keeping  peace  in  the  conquered  territory. 
Most  of  them  remained  in  California  after  their 
discharge  and  rendered  a  good  account  of  them- 
selves as  citizens. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 


GOLD!    GOLD!    GOLD! 


SEBASTIAN  MSCAINO,  from  the  bay  of 
Monterey,  writing  to  the  King  of  Spain 
three  hundred  years  ago,  says  of  the  In- 
dians of  California:  "They  are  well  accjuainted 
with  gold  and  silver,  and  said  that  these  were 
found  in  the  interior."  Viscaino  was  endeavor- 
ing to  make  a  good  impression  on  the  mind  of 
the  king  in  regard  to  his  discoveries,  and  the 
remark  about  the  existence  of  gold  and  silver 
in  California  was  thrown  to  excite  the  cupidit)' 
of  his  Catholic  majesty.  The  traditions  of  the 
existence  of  gold  in  California  before  any  was 
discovered  are  legion.  Most  of  these  have  been 
evolved  since  gold  was  actually  found.  Col.  J. 
J.  Warner,  a  pioneer  of  1831,  in  his  Historical 
Sketch  of  Los  Angeles  County,  briefly  and  very 
effectually  disposes  of  these  rumored  discov- 
eries. He  says:  "While  statements  respecting 
ihe  existence  of  gold  in  the  earth  of  California 
and  its  procurement  therefrom  have  been  made 
and  published  as  historical  facts,  carrying  back 
the  date  of  the  knowledge  of  the  auriferous 
character  of  this  state  as  far  as  the  time  of  the 
visit  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  to  this  coast,  there  is 
no  evidence  to  be  found  in  the  written  or  oral 
history  of  the  missions,  the  acts  and  correspond- 
ence of  the  civil  or  military  ofificers,  or  in  the 
unwritten  and  traditional  history  of  Upper  Cali- 
fornia that  the  existence  of  gold,  either  with 
ores  or  in  its  virgin  state,  was  ever  suspected 
l^y  any  inhabitant  of  California  previous  to  1841. 
and,  furthermore,  there  is  conclusive  testimony 


that  the  first  known  grain  of  native  gold  dust 
was  found  upon  or  near  the  San  Francisco  ranch, 
about  forty-five  miles  north-westerly  from  Los 
.\ngeles  City,  in  the  month  of  June,  1841.  This 
discovery  consisted  of  grain  gold  fields  (known 
as  placer  mines),  and  the  auriferous  fields  dis- 
covered in  that  year  embraced  the  greater  part 
of  the  country  drained  l^y  the  Santa  Clara  river 
from  a  point  some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from 
its  mouth  to  its  source,  and  easterly  beyond 
Mount  San  Bernardino." 

The  story  of  the  discovery  as  told  by  Warner 
and  by  Don  Abel  Stearns  agrees  in  the  main 
facts,  but  diflfers  materially  in  the  date.  Stearns 
says  gold  was  first  discovered  by  Francisco 
Lopez,' a  native  of  California,  in' the  month  of 
March,  1842,  at  a  place  called  San  Francisquito, 
about  thirty-five  miles  northwest  from  this  city 
(Los  Angeles).  The  circumstances  of  the  dis- 
covery by  Lopez,  as  related  by  himself,  are  as 
follows:  '"Lopez,  with  a  companion,  was  out  in 
search  of  some' stray  horses,  and  about  midday 
they  stopped  under  some  trees  and  tied  their 
horses  out  to  feed,  they  resting  under  the  shade, 
when  Lopez,  with  his  sheath-knife,  dug  up  some 
wild  onions,  and  in  the  dirt  discovered  a  piece 
(if  gold,  and,  searching  further,  found  some 
more.  He  brought  these  to  town,  and  showed 
them  to  his  friends,  who  at  once  declared  there 
must  be  a  placer  of  gold.  This  news  being  cir- 
culated, numbers  of  the  citizens  went  to  the 
place,  and  commenced  prospecting  in  the  neigh- 


156 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


borhood,  and  found  it  to  be  a  fact  th^t  jhere  was 
a  placer  of  gold." 

Colonel  Warner  says:  "The  news  of  this  dis- 
covery soon  spread  among  the  inhabitants  from 
Santa  Barbara  to  Los  Angeles,  and  in  a  few 
weeks  hundreds  of  people  were  engaged  in 
washing  and  winnowing  the  sands  and  earth  of 
these  gold  fields." 

Warner  visited  the  mines  a  few  weeks  after 
their  discovery.  lie  says:  "From  these  mines 
v.-as  obtained  the  first  parcel  of  California  gold 
dust  received  at  the  United  States  mint  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  which  was  sent  with  Alfred  Robin- 
son, and  went  in  a  merchant  ship  around  Cape 
Horn."  This  shipment  of  gold  was  18.34  ounces 
before  and  18.1  ounces  after  melting;  fineness, 
.925;  value,  $344.75,  or  over  $19  to  the  ounce. 
a  very  superior  quality  of  gold  dust.  It  was 
deposited  m  the  mint  July  8,   1843. 

It  may  be  regarded  as  a  settled  historical  fact 
that  the  first  authenticated  discovery  of  gold 
in  Alta  California  was  made  on  the  San  Fran- 
cisco rancho  in  the  San  Feliciano  Canon,  Los 
Angeles  county.  This  canon  is  about  ten  miles 
northwest  of  Newhall  station  on  the  Southern 
Pacific  railroad,  and  al)out  forty  miles  northwest 
of  Los  Angeles. 

The  date  of  the  discovery  is  in  doubt.  A  peti- 
tion to  the  governor  (.\lvarado)  asking  permis- 
sion to  work  the  placers,  signed  by  Francisco 
Lopez,  Manuel  Cota  and  Domingo  Bermudez  is 
on  file  in  the  California  archives.  It  recites: 
"That  as  Divine  Providence  was  pleased  to  give 
us  a  placer  of  gold  on  the  9th  of  last  J^Iarch  in 
the  locality  of  San  iM-ancisco  rancho,  that  be- 
longs to  the  late  Don  Antonio  del  \'alle."  This 
petition  fixes  the  day  of  the  month  the  discovery 
was  made,  but  unfortunately  omits  all  other 
dates.  The  evidence  is  about  equally  divided 
between  the  years  1841  and  1842. 

It  is  impossible  to  obtain  definite  information 
in  regard  to  the  yield  of  the  San  Fernando 
placers,  as  these  mines  are  generally  called. 
William  Heath  Davis,  in  his  "Sixty  Years  in 
California,"  states  that  from  $80,000  to  $100,000 
was  taken  out  for  the  fiist  two  years  after  their 
discovery.  He  says  that  IMellus  at  one  time 
shipped  $5,000  of  dust  on  the  ship  .\lert.  Ban- 
croft says:  "That  by  December,  1843,  two  thou- 


sand ounces  of  gold  had  been  taken  from  the 
San  Fernando  mines."  Don  Antonio  Coronel 
informed  the  author  that  he,  with  the  assistance 
of  three  Indian  laborers,  in  1842,  took  out  $600 
worth  of  dust  in  two  months.  De  Mofras,  in  his 
book,  states  that  Carlos  Baric,  a  Frenchman,  in 
1842,  was  obtainmg  an  ounce  a  day  of  pure  gold 
from  his  placer. 

These  mines  were  worked  continuously  from 
the  time  of  their  discovery  until  the  American 
conquest,  principally  by  Sonorians.  The  dis- 
covery of  gold  at  Coloma,  January  24,  1848, 
drew  away  the  miners,  and  no  work  was  done 
on  these  mines  between  1848  and  1854.  After 
the  latter  dates  work  was  resumed,  and  in  1855, 
l-"rancisco  Garcia,  working  a  gang  of  Indians, 
is  reported  to  have  taken  out  $65,000  in  one 
season.  The  mines  are  not  exhausted,  but  the 
scarcity  of  water  prevents  working  them  profit- 
abh. 

It  is  rather  a  singular  coincidence  that  the 
exact  dates  of  both  the  first  and  second  authen- 
ticated discoveries  of  gold  in  California  are  still 
among  the  undecided  questions  of  history.  In 
the  first,  we  know  the  day  but  not  the  year;  in 
the  second,  we  know  the  year  but  not  the  day 
of  the  month  on  which  Marshall  picked  up  the 
first  nuggets  in  the  nnllrace  at  Coloma.  For  a 
number  of  years  after  the  anniversary  of  Mar- 
shall's discovery  began  to  be  observed  the  19th 
of  January  was  celebrated.  Of  late  years  Jan- 
uary 24  has  been  fixed  upon  as  the  correct  date, 
but  the  Associated  Pioneers  of  the  Territorial 
Days  of  California,  an  association  made  up  of 
men  who  were  in  the  territory  at  the  time  of 
Marshall's  discovery  or  came  here  before  it 
became  a  state,  object  to  the  change.  For  nearly 
thirty  years  they  have  held  their  annual  dinners 
on  January  iS,  "the  anniversary  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  at  Sutter's  sawmill,  Coloma,  Cal."  This 
society  has  its  headquarters  in  Xew  York  City. 
In  a  circular  recently  issued,  disapproving  of 
the  change  of  date  from  the  i8th  to  the  24th,  the 
trustees  of  that  society  say:  "Upon  the  organi- 
zation of  this  society.  February  ti,  1875,  it  was 
decided  to  hold  its  annual  dinners  on  the  anni- 
versary of  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Sutter's  saw- 
mill, Coloma,  Cal.  Through  the  Hon.  Newton 
Booth,  of  the  United  States  Senate,  this  infer- 


HISTORICAL   AND    DIUGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


157 


Illation  was  sought,  with  the  result  of  a  commu- 
nication from  the  secretar)-  of  the  state  of  CaU- 
fornia  to  the  cfi'ect  'that  the  archives  of  the 
state  of  California  recorded  the  date  as  of  Jan- 
uary 1 8,  1848.  Some  years  ago  this  date  was 
changed  by  the  society  at  San  Francisco  to  that 
of  January  24,  and  that  date  has  been  adopted 
by  other  similar  societies  located  upon  the 
Pacific  and  Atlantic  coasts.  This  society  took 
the  matter  under  advisement,  with  the  result 
that  the  new  evidence  upon  which  it  w-as  pro- 
posed to  change  the  date  was  not  deemed  suffi- 
cient to  justify  this  society  in  ignoring  its  past 
records,  founded  on  the  authority  of  the  state 
of  California:  therefore  it  has  never  accepted 
the  new  date." 

Marshall  himself  was  uncertain  about  the 
exact  date.  At  various  times  he  gave  three 
different  dates — the  i8th.  igtli  and  20th,  but 
never  moved  it  along  as  far  as  the  24tli.  In  the 
past  thirty  years  three  different  dates — the  i8th, 
lyth  and  24th  of  January — have  been  celebrated 
as  the  anniversary  of  Alarshall's  gold  dis- 
covery. 

The  evidence  upon  which  the  date  was  changed 
to  the  24th  is  found  in  an  entry  in  a  diary  kept 
by  H.  W.  Bigler,  a  Mormon,  who  was  working 
for  Marshall  on  the  millrace  at  the  time  gold 
was  discovered.  The  entry  reads:  "January  24. 
This  day  some  kind  of  metal  that  looks  like 
goold  was  found  in  the  tailrace."  On  this 
authority  about  ten  years  ago  the  California 
Pioneers  adopted  the  24th  as  the  correct  date 
of  Alarshall's  discovery. 

^^'hile  written  records,  especially  if  made  at 
the  time  of  the  occurrence  of  the  event,  are 
more  reliable  than  oral  testimony  given  long 
after,  yet  when  we  take  into  consideration  the 
conflicting  stories  of  Sutter,  Marshall,  the  Win- 
ners and  others  who  were  immediately  con- 
cerned in  some  way  with  the  discovery,  we  must 
concede  that  the  Territorial  Pioneers  have  good 
reasons  to  hesitate  about  makmg  a  change  in 
the  date  of  their  anniversarv.  ni  Dr.  Trywhitt 
Brook's  "Four  Months  Among  tiie  Gold  Find- 
ers," a  book  published  in  London  in  iHig.  and 
long  since  out  of  print,  we  have  Sutter's  version 
of  ^Marshall's  discovery  given  only  three  months 
after    that    discoverv    was    made.     Dr.    Brooks 


visited  Sutter's  Fort  early  in  Alay,  1848,  and 
received  from  Sutter  himself  the  story  of  the 
find.  Sutter  stated  that  he  was  sitting  in  his 
room  at  the  fort,  one  afternoon,  when  Marshall, 
whom  he  supposed  to  be  at  the  mill,  forty  miles 
up  the  American  river,  suddenly  burst  in  upon 
him.  Marshall  was  so  wildly  excited  that  Sutter, 
suspecting  that  he  was  crazy,  looked  to  see 
whether  his  rifle  was  in  reach.  ^Marshall  declared 
that  he  had  made  a  discovery  that  would  give 
them  both  millions  and  millions  of  dollars.  Then 
he  drew  his  sack  and  poured  out  a  handful  of 
nuggets  on  the  table.  Sutter,  when  he  had 
tested  the  metal  and  found  that  it  was  gold, 
became  almost  as  excited  as  Marshall.  He 
eagerly  asked  if  the  workmen  at  the  mill  knew 
of  the  discovery.  Marshall  declared  that  he  had 
not  spoken  to  a  single  person  about  it.  They 
both  agreed  to  keep  it  secret.  Xext  day  Sutter 
and  Marshall  arrived  at  the  sawmill.  The  day 
after  their  arri\-al,  ihcy  prospected  the  bars  of 
the  river  and  the  channels  of  some  of  the  dry 
creeks  and  found  gold  in  all. 

"On  our  return  to  the  mill,"  says  Sutter,  "we 
were  astonished  by  the  work-people  coming  up 
to  us  in  a  body  and  showing  us  some  flakes  of 
gold  similar  to  those  we  had  ourselves  procured. 
Marshall  tried  to  laugh  the  matter  ofT  with  them, 
and  to  persuade  them  that  what  they  had  found 
was  only  some  shining  mineral  of  trifling  value: 
l)ut  one  of  the  Indians,  who  had  worked  at  a 
gold  mine  in  the  neighborhood  of  La  Paz, 
Lower  California,  cried  out:  'Ora!  Oral'  (gold I 
gold!),  and  the  secret  was  out." 

Captain  Sutter  continues:  "I  heard  afterward 
that  one  of  them,  a  sly  Kcntuckian,  had  dogged 
Lis  about  and.  that,  looking  on  the  ground  to  see 
if  he  could  discover  what  we  were  in  search  of, 
he  lighted  on  some  of  the  flakes  himself." 

If  this  account  is  correct.  Bigler's  entry  in 
his  diary  was  made  on  the  day  that  the  workmen 
found  gold,  which  was  five  or  six  days  after 
Marshall's  first  find,  and  consequently  the  24th 
is  that  much  too  late  for  the  true  date  of  the 
discovery.  The  story  of  the  discovery  given  in 
the  "Life  and  .\dventures  of  James  W.  Mar- 
shall." by  George  Frederick  Parsons,  differs 
materially  from  Sutter's  account.  The  date  of 
the  discovery  given  in  that  book  is  January  19, 


158 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1848.  On  the  morning  of  that  day  Marshall, 
after  sliiitting  ofif  the  water,  walked  down  the 
tailrace  to  see  what  sand  and  gravel  had  been 
removed  during  the  night.  (The  water  was 
turned  into  the  tailrace  during  the  night  to  cut 
it  deeper.)  While  examining  a  mass  of  debris, 
"his  eye  caught  the  glitter  of  something  that  lay 
lodged  in  a  crevice  on  a  riffle  of  soft  granite 
some  six  inches  under  water."'  Picking  up  the 
nugget  and  examining  it,  he  became  satisfied 
that  it  must  be  one  of  three  substances — mica, 
snlphurets  of  copper,  or  gold.  Its  weight  satis- 
fied him  that  it  was  not  mica.  Knowing  that 
gold  was  malleable,  he  placed  the  specimen  on 
a  flat  rock  and  struck  it  with  another;  it  bent, 
but  did  not  crack  or  break.  He  was  satisfied 
that  it  was  gold.  He  showed  the  nugget  to  his 
men.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  he  had  col- 
lected several  ounces  of  precious  metal.  "Some 
four  days  after  the  discovery  it  became  necessary 
for  him  to  go  below,  for  Sutter  had  failed  to 
send  a  supply  of  provisions  to  the  mill,  and  the 
men  were  on  short  commons.  While  on  his  way 
down  he  discovered  gold  in  a  ravine  at  a  place 
afterwards  known  as  Mormon  island.  Arrived 
at  the  fort,  he  interviewed  Sutter  in  his  private 
ofiice  and  showed  him  about  three  ounces  of 
gold  nuggets.  Sutter  did  not  believe  it  to  be 
gold,  but  after  weighing  it  in  scales  against  $3.25 
worth  of  silver,  all  the  coin  they  could  raise  at 
the  fort,  and  testing  it  with  nitric  acid  obtained 
from  the  gun  shop,  Sutter  became  convinced  and 
returned  to  the  mill  with  Marshall.  So  little  did 
the  workmen  at  the  mill  value  the  discovery  that 
they  continued  to  work  for  Sutter  until  the  mill 
was  completed,  March  11,  six  weeks  after  the 
nuggets  were  found  in  the  tailrace. 

The  news  of  the  discovery  spread  slowly.  It  was 
two  months  in  reaching  San  Francisco,  although 
the  distance  is  not  over  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  miles.  The' great  rush  to  the  mines  from 
San  Francisco  did  not  begin  until  the  middle  of 
May.  nearly  four  months  after  the  discovery.  On 
the  loth  of  May,  Dr.  Brooks,  who  was  in  San 
Francisco,  writes:  "A  number  of  people  have  ac- 
tually started  off  with  shovels,  mattocks  and 
pans  to  dig  the  gold  themselves.  It  is  not  likely, 
however,  that  this  will  be  allowed,  for  Captain 
Folsom  has  already  written  to  Colonel  ^lason 


about  taking  possession  of  the  mine  on  behalf  of 
the  government, it  being, he  says, on  public  land." 

-Vs  the  people  began  to  realize  the  richness 
and  extent  of  the  discovery,  the  excitement  in- 
creased rapidly.  May  17,  Dr.  Brooks  writes: 
"This  place  (San  Francisco)  is  now  in  a  perfect 
furore  of  excitement;  all  the  workpeople  have 
^truck.  Walking  through  the  town  to-day,  I 
observed  that  laborers  were  employed  only  upon 
about  half  a  dozen  of  the  fifty  new  buildings 
which  were  in  course  of  being  run  up.  The 
majority  of  the  mechanics  at  this  place  are  mak- 
ing preparations  for  moving  off  to  the  mines, 
and  several  people  of  all  classes — lawyers,  store- 
l^eepers,  merchants,  etc.,  are  smitten  with  the 
fever;  in  fact,  there  is  a  regular  gold  mania 
springing  up.  I  counted  no  less  than  eighteen 
houses  which  were  closed,  the  owners  having 
left.  If  Colonel  Alason  is  moving  a  force  to 
the  .American  Fork,  as  is  reported  here,  their 
journey  will  be  in  vain." 

Colonel  Alason's  soldiers  moved  without 
orders — they  nearly  all  deserted,  and  ran  off  to 
the  mines. 

The  first  newspaper  announcement  of  the 
discovery  appeared  in  The  Calif ornian  of  Alarch 
15,  1848,  nearly  two  months  after  the  discovery. 
But  little  attention  was  paid  to  it.  In  the  issue 
of  April  19,  another  discovery  is  reported.  The 
item  reads:  "New  gold  mine.  It  is  stated  that 
a  new  gold  mine  has  been  discovered  on  the 
American  Fork  of  the  Sacramento,  supposed  to 
be  on  the  land  of  W.  \.  Leidesdorff.  of  this 
place.  A  specimen  of  the  gold  has  been  ex- 
hibited, and  is  represented  to  be  very  pure." 
(^n  the  29th  of  May,  The  Californian  had  sus- 
pended publication.  "Othello's  occupation  is 
gone,"  wails  the  editor.  "The  majority  of  our 
subscribers  and  many  of  our  advertising  patrons 
have  closed  their  doors  and  places  of  business 
and  left  town,  and  we  have  received  one  order 
after  another  conveying  the  pleasant  request  that 
the  printer  will  please  stop  my  paper  or  my  ad, 
as  I  am  about  leaving  for  Sacramento." 

The  editor  of  the  other  paper,  The  California 
Star,  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  mines  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  April,  but  gave  them  no  extended 
write-up.  "Great  country,  fine  climate,"  he  wrote 
on  his  return.     "Full  flowing  streams,  mighty 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


159 


timber,  large  crops,  luxuriant  clover,  fragrant 
Howers,  gold  and  silver,"  were  his  comments  on 
what  he  saw.  The  policy  of  both  papers  seems 
to  have  been  to  ignore  as  much  as  possible  the 
gold  discovery.  To  give  it  publicity  was  for  a 
time,  at  least,  to  lose  their  occupation. 

In  The  Star  of  May  20,  1848,  its  eccentric 
editor,  E.  C.  Kemble,  under  the  caption  "El 
Dorado  Anew,"  discourses  in  a  dubious  manner 
upon  the  effects  of  the  discovery  and  the  extent 
of  the  gold  fields:  "A  terrible  visitant  we  have 
had  of  late.  A  fever  which  has  well-nigh  de- 
populated a  town,  a  town  hard  pressing  upon  a 
thousand  souls,  and  but  for  the  gracious  inter- 
position of  the  elements,  perhaps  not  a  goose 
would  have  been  spared  to  furnish  a  quill  to  pen 
the  melancholy  fate  of  the  remainder.  It  has 
preyed  upon  defenseless  old  age,  subdued  the 
elasticity  of  careless  youth  and  attacked  indis- 
criminately sex  and  class,  from  town  councilman 
to  tow-frocked  cartman,  from  tailor  to  tippler, 
of  which,  thank  its  pestilential  powers,  it  has 
beneficially  drained  (of  tipplers,  we  mean)  every 
villainous  pulperia  in  the  place. 

"And  this  is  the  gold  fever,  the  only  form  of 
that  popular  southerner,  yellow  jack,  with  which 
we  can  be  alarmingly  threatened.  The  insatiate 
maw  of  the  monster,  not  appeased  by  the  easy 
conquest  of  the  rough-fisted  yeomanry  of  the 
north,  must  needs  ravage  a  healthy,  prosperous 
place  beyond  his  dominion  and  turn  the  town 
topsy-turvy  in  a  twinkling. 

"A  fleet  of  launches  left  this  place  on  Sunday 
and  Monday  last  bound  up  the  Sacramento  river, 
close  stowed  with  human  beings,  led  by  love  of 
filthy  lucre  to  the  perennial  yielding  gold  mines 
of  the  north.  When  any  man  can  find  two  ounces 
a  day  and  two  thousand  men  can  find  their 
hands  lull,  of  work,  was  there  ever  anything  so 
superlatively  silly! 

"Honestly,  though,  we  are  inclined  to  believe 
the  reputed  wealth  of  that  section  of  country, 
thirty  miles  in  extent,  all  sham,  a  superb  take-in 
as  was  ever  got  up  to  guzzle  the  gullible.  But 
it  is  not  improbable  that  this  mine,  or,  properly, 
placer  of  gold  can  be  traced  as  far  south  as  the 
city  of  Los  Angeles,  where  the  precious  metal 
has  been  found  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  bed 
of  a  stream   issuing   from   its   mountains,   said 


to  be  a  continuation  of  this  gold  chain  which 
courses  southward  from  the  base  of  the  snowy 
mountains.  But  our  best  information  respecting 
the  metal  and  the  quantity  in  which  it  is  gath- 
ered varies  much  from  many  reports  current,  yet 
it  is  beyond  a  question  that  no  richer  mines  of 
gold  have  ever  been  discovered  upon  this  con- 
tinent. 

"Should  there  be  no  paper  forthcoming  on 
Saturday  next,  our  readers  may  assure  them- 
selves it  will  not  be  the  fault  of  us  individually. 
To  make  the  matter  public,  already  our  devil  has 
rebelled,  our  pressman  (poor  fellow)  last  seen 
was  in  search  of  a  pickaxe,  and  we  feel  like  Mr. 
Hamlet,  we  shall  never  again  look  upon  the 
likes  of  him.  Then,  too,  our  compositors  have, 
in  defiance,  sworn  terrible  oaths  against  t}pe- 
sticking  as  vulgar  and  unfashionable.  Hope  has 
not  yet  fled  us,  but  really,  in  the  phraseology 
of  the  day,  'things  is  getting  curious."  " 

And  things  kept  getting  more  and  more  curi- 
ous. The  rush  mcreased.  The  next  issue  of 
The  Star  (,May  27)  announces  that  the  Sacra- 
mento, a  first-class  craft,  left  here  Thursday  last 
thronged  with  passengers  for  the  gold  mines, 
a  motley  assemblage,  composed  of  lawyers,  mer- 
chants, grocers,  carpenters,  cartmen  and  cooks, 
all  possessed  with  the  desire  of  becoming  rich. 
The  latest  accounts  from  the  gold  country  are 
highly  flattering.  Over  three  hundred  men  are 
engaged  in  washing  gold,  and  numbers  are  con- 
tinually arriving  from  every  part  of  the  country. 
Then  the  editor  closes  with  a  wail:  "Persons 
recently  arrived  from  the  country  speak  of 
ranches  deserted  and  crops  neglected  and  suf- 
fered to  waste.  The  unhappy  consequence  of 
this  state  of  affairs  is  easily  foreseen.  One  more 
twinkle,  and  Tlic  Star  disappeared  in  the  gloom. 
On  June  14  appeared  a  single  sheet,  the  size  of 
foolscap.  The  editor  announced:  "In  fewer 
words  than  are  usually  employed  in  the  an- 
nouncement of  similar  events,  we  appear  before 
the  remnant  of  a  reading  community  on  this 
occasion  with  the  material  or  immaterial  in- 
formation that  we  have  stopped  the  paper,  that 
its  publication  ceased  with  the  last  regular  issue 
(June  7).  On  the  approach  of  autumn,  we  shall 
again  appear  to  announce  The  Star's  redivus. 
We  have  done.    Let  our  parting  word  be  hasto 


IfiO 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


luego."  {Star  and  Calijonuan  reappeared  Xo- 
vtmber  14,  1848.  The  Star  had  absorbed  The 
Californian.  E.  C.  Kemble  was  its  editor  and 
proprietor.) 

Although  there  was  no  paper  in  existence  on 
the  coast  to  spread  the  news  from  the  gold 
fields,  it  found  its  way  out  of  California,  and 
the  rush  from  abroad  began.  It  did  not  acquire 
great  force  in  1848,  but  in  1849  the  immigration 
.to  California  exceeded  all  previous  migrations 
in  the  history  of  the  race. 

Among  the  first  foreigners  to  rush  to  the 
mines  were  the  Mexicans  of  Sonora.  Many  of 
these  had  had  some  experience  in  placer  mining 
I:  their  native  country,  and  the  report  of  rich 
placers  in  California,  where  gold  could  be  had 
for  the  picking  up,  aroused  them  from  their  lazy 
self-content  and  stimulated  them  to  go  in  search 
of  it.  Traveling  in  squads  of  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred,  they  came  by  the  old  Auza  trail  across 
the  Colorado  desert,  through  the  San  Gorgonio 
Pass,  then  up  the  coast  and  on  to  the  mines. 
They  were  a  job  lot  of  immigrants, poor  in  purse 
and  poor  in  brain.  They  were  despised  by  the 
native  Californians  and  maltreated  by  the  Amer- 
icans. Their  knowledge  of  mining  came  in  play, 
and  the  more  provident  among  them  soon  man- 
aged to  pick  up  a  few  thousand  dollars,  and  then 
returned  to  their  homes,  plutocrats.  The  im- 
provident gambled  away  their  earnings  and  re- 
mained in  the  country  to  add  to  its  criminal  ele- 
ment. The  Oregonians  came  in  force,  and  all 
the  towns  in  California  were  almost  depopulated 
of  their  male  population.  By  the  close  of  1848, 
there  were  ten  thousand  men  at  work  in  the 
mines. 

The  first  official  report  of  the  discovery  was 
sent  to  Washington  by  Thomas  O.  Larkin,  June 
I,  and  reached  its  destination  about  the  middle 
of  September.  Lieutenant  Beale,  by  way  of 
Mexico,  brought  dispatches  dated  a  month  later, 
which  arrived  about  the  same  time  as  Larkin's 
report.  These  accounts  were  published  in  the 
eastern  papers,  and  the  excitement  began. 

In  the  early  part  of  December,  Lieutenant 
Loeser  arrived  at  Washington  with  Governor 
Mason's  report  of  his  observations  in  the  mines 
made  in  August.  But  the  most  positive  evidence 
was  a  tea  caddy  of  gold  dust  containing  about 


two  hundred  and  thirty  ounces  that  Governor 
Mason  had  caused  to  be  purchased  in  the  mines 
with  money  from  the  civil  service  fund.  This  the 
lieutenant  had  brought  with  him.  It  was  placed 
on  exhibition  at  the  war  office.  Here  was  tan- 
gible evidence  of  the  existence  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia, the  doubters  were  silenced  and  the  ex- 
citement was  on  and  the  rush  began. 

By  the  1st  of  January,  1849,  vessels  were  fit- 
ting out  in  every  seaport  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
and  the  Gulf  of  JNIexico.  Sixty  ships  were  an- 
nounced to  sail  from  Xew  York  in  February  and 
seventy  from  Philadelphia  and  Boston.  All  kinds 
of  crafts  were  pressed  into  the  service,  some  to 
go  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  others  to  land  their 
passengers  at  Vera  Cruz.  Greytown  and  Chagres, 
the  voyagers  to  take  their  chances  nn  the  Pa- 
cific side  for  a  passage  on  some  rmknown  ves- 
sel. 

With  opening  of  spring,  the  overland  travel 
began.  Porty  thousand  men  gathered  at  differ- 
ent points  on  the  Missouri  river,  but  principally 
at  St.  Joseph  and  Independence.  Horses,  mules, 
oxen  and  cows  were  used  for  the  propelling 
power  of  the  various  forms  of  vehicles  that  were 
to  convey  the  provisions  and  other  impedimenta 
of  the  army  of  gold  seekers.  By  the  ist  of  May 
the  grass  was  grown  enough  on  the  plains  to 
furnish  feed  for  the  stock,  and  the  vanguard  of 
the  grand  army  of  gold  hunters  started.  For 
two  months,  company  after  company  left  the 
rendezvous  and  joined  the  procession  until  for 
one  thousand  miles  there  was  an  almost  un- 
broken line  of  wagons  and  pack  trains.  The 
first  half  of  the  journey  was  made  with  little 
inconvenience,  but  on  the  last  part  there  was 
great  suffering  and  loss  of  life.  The  cholera 
broke  out  among  them,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
five  thousand  died  on  the  plains.  The  alkali 
desert  of  the  Humboldt  was  the  place  where  the 
immigrants  suffered  most.  Exhausted  by  the 
long  journey  and  weakened  by  lack  of  food, 
many  succumbed  under  the  hardship  of  the  des- 
ert journey  and  died.  The  crossing  of  the  Sierras 
was  attended  with  great  hardships.  From  the 
loss  of  their  horses  and  oxen,  many  were  com- 
pelled to  cross  the  mountains  on  foot.  Their 
provisions  exhausted,  they  would  have  perished 
but    for   relief    sent    out   from    California.    The 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


161 


greatest  sufferers  were  the  woman  and  children, 
who  in  considerable  numbers  made  the  perilous 
journey. 

The  overland  immigration  of  1850  exceeded 
that  of  1849.  According  to  record  kept  at  Fort 
Laramie,  there  passed  that  station  during  the 
season  thirty-nine  thousand  nien,  two  thousand 
five  hundred  women  and  six  hundred  children, 
making  a  total  of  forty-two  thousand  one  hun- 
dred persons.  These  immigrants  had  with  them 
when  passing  Fort  Laramie  twenty-three  thou- 
sand horses,  eight  thousand  mules,  three  thou- 
sand six  hundred  oxen,  seven  thousand  cows 
and  nine  thousand  wagons. 

Besides  those  coming  by  the  northern  route, 
that  is  by  the  South  Pass  and  the  Humboldt 
river,  at  least  ten  thousand  found  their  way  to 
the  land  of  gold  by  the  old  Spanish  trail,  by  the 
Gila  route  and  by  Texas,  Coahuila  and  Chihua- 
hua into  .\rizona,  and  thence  across  the  Colo- 
rado desert  to  Los  Angeles,  and  from  there  by 
the  coast  route  or  the  San  Joaquin  valley  to  the 
mines. 

The  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Compan_\-  had 
been  organized  before  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California.  March  3,  1847,  a"  act  of  Congress 
was  passed  authorizing  the  secretary  of  the  navy 
to  advertise  for  bids  to  carry  the  United  States 
mails  by  one  line  of  steamers  between  New 
York  and  Chagres,  and  by  another  line  between 
Panama  and  Astoria,  Ore.  On  the  .\tlantic  side 
the  contract  called  for  five  ships  of  one  thousand 
five  hundred  tons  burden,  on  the  Pacific  side  two 
of  one  thousand  tons  each,  and  one  of  six  hun- 
dred tons.  These  were  deemed  sufficient  for  the 
trade  and  travel  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
coasts  of  the  United  States.  The  Pacific  Mail 
Steamship  Company  was  incorporated  April  12, 
1848,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $500,000.  October 
6,  1848,  the  California,  the  first  steamer  for  the 
Pacific,  sailed  from  New  York,  and  was  followed 
in  the  two  succeeding  months  by  the  Oregon 
and  the  Panama.  The  California  sailed  before 
the  news  of  the  gold  discovery  had  reached  New 
York,  and  she  had  taken  no  passengers.  When 
she  arrived  at  Panama,  January  30,  1849,  she 
encountered  a  rush  of  fifteen  hundred  gold  hunt- 
ers, clamorous  for  a  passage.  These  had  reached 
Chagres   on   sailing  vessels,   and   ascended  the 


Chagres  river  in  bongos  or  dugouts  to  Gor- 
gona,  and  from  thence  by  land  to  Panama.  The 
California  had  accommodations  for  only  one 
hundred,  but  four  hundred  managed  to  find 
some  place  to  stow  themselves  away.  The  price 
of  tickets  rose  to  a  fabulous  sum,  as  high  as 
$1,000  having  been  paid  for  a  steerage  passage. 
The  California  entered  the  bay  of  San  Francisco 
February  28.  1849,  and  was  greeted  by  the  boom 
of  cannon  and  tlie  cheers  of  thousands  of  people 
lining  the  shores  of  the  bay.  The  other  two 
steamers  arrived  on  time,  and  the  Pacific  Mail 
Steamship  Company  became  the  predominant 
factor  in  California  travel  for  twenty  years,  or  up 
to  the  completion  of  the  first  transcontinental 
railroad  in  1869.  The  charges  for  fare  on  these 
steamers  in  the  early  '50s  were  prohibitory  to 
men  of  small  means.  From  New  York  to 
Chagres  in  the  saloon  the  fare  was  $150.  in  the 
cabin  $120.  From  Panama  to  San  Francisco  in 
the  saloon,  $250:  cabin,  $200.  Add  to  these  the 
expense  of  crossing  the  isthmus,  and  the  argo- 
naut was  out  a  goodly  sum  when  he  reached  the 
land  of  the  golden  fleece,  indeed,  he  was  often 
fleeced  of  his  last  dollar  before  he  entered  the 
Golden  Gate. 

The  first  effect  of  the  gold  discover)-  on  San 
Francisco,  as  we  have  seen,  was  to  depopulate 
it,  and  of  necessity  suspend  all  building  opera- 
tions. In  less  than  three  months  the  reaction 
began,  and  the  city  experienced  one  of  the  most 
magical  booms  in  history.  Real  estate  doubled 
in  some  instances  in  twenty-four  hours.  The 
Calif ornian  of  September  3,  1848,  says:  "The 
vacant  lot  on  the  corner  of  Montgomery  and 
Washington  streets  was  ofifered  the  day  previous 
for  $5,000  and  next  day  sold  readily  for  $10,000." 
Lumber  went  Lip  in  value  until  it  was  sold  at  a 
dollar  per  square  foot.  Wages  kept  pace  with 
the  general  advance.  Sixteen  dollars  a  day  was 
mechanic's  wages,  and  the  labor  market  was  not 
overstocked  even  at  these  high  rates.  With  the 
approach  of  winter,  the  gold  seekers  came  flock- 
ing back  to  the  city  to  find  shelter  and  to  spend 
their  suddenly  acquired  wealth.  The  latter  w-as 
easily  accomplished,  but  the  former  was  more 
difficult.  .\ny  kind  of  a  shelter  that  would  keep 
out  the  rain  was  utilized  for  a  dwelling.  Rows 
of  tents  that  circled  around  the  business  por- 


162 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


tion,  shanties  patched  together  from  pieces  of 
packing  boxes  and  sheds  thatched  with  brush 
from  the  chaparral-covered  hills  constituted 
the  principal  dwellings  at  that  time  of  the  future 
metropolis  of  California.  The  yield  of  the  mines 
for  1848  has  been  estimated  at  ten  million 
dollars.  This  w^as  the  result  of  only  a  few 
months'  labor  of  not  to  exceed  at  any  time  ten 
thousand  men.  The  rush  of  miners  did  not 
reach  the  mines  until  July,  and  mining  opera- 
tions were  mainly  sus]u-nded  by  the  middle  of 
October. 

New  discoveries  had  followed  in  quick  suc- 
cession Marshall's  find  at  Coloma  until  by  the 
close  of  1848  gold  placers  had  been  located  on 
all  the  principal  tributaries  of  the  Sacramento 
and  San  Joacjuin  rivers.  Some  of  the  richest 
yields  were  obtained  from  what  was  known  as 
"Dry  Diggins."  These  were  dry  ravines  from 
which  pay  dirt  had  to  be  packed  to  water  for 
washing  or  the  gold  separated  by  dry  washing, 
tossing  the  earth  into  the  air  until  it  was 
blown  away  by  the  wind,  the  gold,  on  account 
of  its  weight,  remaining  in  the  pan. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Calif ornian.  writing 
.\ugust  15,  1848,  from  what  he  designates  as 
"Dry  Diggins,"  gives  this  account  of  the  rich- 
ness of  that  gold  field:  ".\t  the  lower  mines 
(Mormon  Island)  the  miners  cQunt  the  success 
of  the  day  in  dollars;  at  the  upper  mines  near 
the  mill  (Coloma),  in  ounces,  and  here  in 
pounds.  The  only  instrument  used  at  first  was 
a  butcher  knife,  and  tlie  demand  for  that  ar- 
ticle was  so  great  that  $40  has  been  refused 
for  one. 


"The  earth  is  taken  out  oi  the  ravines  which 
make  out  of  the  mountains  and  is  carried  in 
wagons  or  packed  on  horses  from  one  to  three 
miles  to  water  and  washed.  Four  himdred  dol- 
lars is  the  average  to  the  cart  load.  In  one  in- 
stance five  loads  yielded  $16,000.  Instances  are 
known  here  where  men  have  carried  the  earth 
on  their  backs  and  collected  from  $800  to  $1,500 
a  day." 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  country  was  ex- 
])lored  by  prospectors  was  truly  remarkable. 
The  editor  of  the  Califoniian,  who  had  sus- 
pended the  publication  of  his  paper  on  i\Iay  29 
to  visit  the  mines,  returned  and  resumed  it  on 
July  15  (1848).  In  an  editorial  in  that  issue  he 
gives  his  observations:  "The  cotnttry  from  the 
.\juba  (Yuba)  to  the  San  Joaquin  rivers,  a  dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  and 
from  the  base  toward  the  sunnnit  of  the  moun- 
tains as  far  as  Snow  Hill,  about  seventy  miles, 
has  been  explored,  and  gold  found  in  every 
part.  There  are  probably  three  thousand  men, 
including  Indians,  engaged  in  collecting  gold. 
The  amount  collected  by  each  man  who  works 
ranges  from  $10  to  $350  per  day.  The  publisher 
of  this  paper,  while  on  a  tour  alone  to  the  min- 
ing district,  collected,  with  the  aid  of  a  shovel, 
pick  and  pan,  from  $44  to  $128  a  day,  averag- 
ing about  $100.  The  largest  piece  of  gold 
known  to  be  found  weighed  four  pounds." 
.\mong  other  remarkable  yields  the  Californian 
reports  these:  "One  man  dug  $12,000  in  six 
days,  and  three  others  obtained  thirty-six 
])ounds  of  pure  metal  in  one  day." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


MAKING    A    STATE. 


COL.  R.  B.  MASON,  who  had  been 
the  military  governor  of  California  since 
the  departure  of  General  Kearny  in 
May,  1847,  had  grown  weary  of  his  task.  He 
had  been  in  the  military  service  of  his  country 
thirty  years  and  wished  to  be  relieved.  His 
request  was  granted,  and  on  the  12th  of  April, 
1849.  Brevet  Brigadier  General  Bennett  Riley, 


his  successor,  arrived  at  Alonterey  and  the  next 
day  entered  upon  his  duties  as  civil  governor. 
Gen.  Persifer  F.  Smith,  who  had  been  appointed 
commander  of  the  Pacific  division  of  the  United 
States  army,  arrived  at  San  Francisco  Febru- 
ary 26,  1849,  ''"fl  relieved  Colonel  Mason  of 
his  military  command.  A  brigade  of  troops 
six  hundred  and  fifty  strong  had.  been  sent  to 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


163 


California  for  military  service  on  tiie  border 
and  to  maintain  order.  Most  of  these  promptly 
deserted  as  soon  as  an  opportunity  offered  and 
found  their  way  to  the  mines. 

Colonel  Mason,  who  under  the  most  trying 
circumstances  had  faithfully  served  his  govern- 
ment and  administered  justice  to  the  people  of 
California,  took  his  departure  j\Iay  i,  1849. 
The  same  year  he  died  at  St.  Louis  of  cholera. 
A  year  had  passed  since  the  treaty  of  peace 
with  Alexico  had  been  signed,  which  made  Cali- 
fornia L'nited  States  territory,  but  Congress 
had  done  nothing  towanl  giving  it  a  govern- 
ment. The  anomalous  condition  existed  of  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States,  living  in  the  L'nited 
States,  being  governed  by  Mexican  laws  admin- 
istered by  a  mixed  constituency  of  Mexican- 
born  and  American-born  olihciaLs.  The  pro- 
slavery  element  in  Congress  was  determined  to 
foist  the  curse  of  human  slavery  on  a  portion 
of  the  territory  acquired  from  Mexico,  but  the 
discovery  of  gold  and  the  consequent  rush  of 
freemen  to  the  territory  had  disarranged  the 
plans  of  the  slave-holding  faction  in  Congress, 
and  as  a  consequence  all  legislation  was  at  a 
standstill. 

The  people  were  becoming  restive  at  the  long 
delay.  The  Americanized  Mexican  laws  and 
forms  of  government  were  unpopular  and  it 
was  humiliating  to  the  conqueror  to  be  gov- 
erned by  the  laws  of  the  people  conquered. 
The  question  of  calling  a  convention  to  form  a 
provisional  government  was  agitated  by  the 
newspapers  and  met  a  hearty  response  from  the 
people.  ^leetings  were  held  at  San  Jose,  De- 
cember II,  1848;  at  San  Francisco,  December 
21,  and  at  Sacramento,  Januarv  6,  1849,  to 
consider  the  question  of  establishing  a  pro- 
visional government.  It  was  recommended  by 
the  San  Jose  meeting  that  a  convention  be  held 
at  that  place  on  the  second  Monday  of  January. 
The  San  Francisco  convention  recommended 
the  5th  of  March;  this  the  INIonterey  conmiittee 
considered  too  early  as  it  would  take  the  dele- 
gates from  below  fifteen  days  to  reach  the  pu- 
eblo of  San  Jose.  There  was  no  regular  mail 
and  the  roads  in  February  (wlien  the  delegates 
would  have  to  start)  were  impassable.  The 
committee  recommended  May  i  as  the  earliest 


tlate  for  the  meeting  to  consider  the  question  of 
calling  of  a  convention.  Sonoma,  without  wait- 
ing, took  the  initiative  and  elected  ten  delegates 
to  a  provisional  government  convention.  There 
w  as  no  unanimity  in  regard  to  the  time  of  meet- 
tmg  or  as  to  what  could  be  done  if  the  conven- 
tion met.  It  was  finally  agreed  to  postpone  the 
time  of  meeting  to  the  first  :Monday  of  August, 
when,  if  Congress  had  done  nothing  towards 
giving  California  some  form  of  government  bet- 
ter than  that  existing,  the  convention  should 
meet  and  organize  a  provisional  government. 

The  local  government  of  San  Francisco  had 
iiccome  so  entangled  and  fnixed  up  by  various 
councils   that    it   was    doubtful   whether   it   had 
any  legal  legislative  body.     When  the  term  of 
the    first    council,    which    had    been    authorized 
by   Colonel   Mason   in    1848,   was   about  to   ex- 
pire  an   election   was    held    December    27,   to 
choose    their   successors.     Seven   new   council- 
men    were    chosen.     The    old    council   declared 
the  election  fraudulent  and  ordered  a  new  one. 
An  election  was  held,  notwithstanding  the  pro- 
test of  a  number  of  the  best  citizens,  and  an- 
other council  chosen.     So  the  city  was  blessed 
or  cursed  with  three  separate  and  distinct  coun- 
cils.     The   old   council    voted   itself   out    of   ex- 
istence and  then  there  were  Inn   two,  but  that 
was  one  too  many.     Then  the  people,  disgusted 
with  the  condition  of    affairs,    called    a  public 
meeting,    at   which    it   was    decided   to    elect   a 
legislative  assembly    of    fifteen    members,  who 
should   be    empowered   to    make   the    necessary 
laws  for  the  government  of  the  city.    An  election 
was  held  on  the  21st  of  February,  1849,  and  a 
legislative  assembly  and  justices  elected.     Then 
Alcalde    Levenworth    refused   to   turn    over   the 
city  records  to  the  Chief  Magistrate-elect  Nor- 
ton.    On  the  22d  of  INIarch  the  legislative  as- 
sembly   abolished    the    ofifice    of    alcalde,    but 
Levenworth   still  held  on  to   the  records.     He 
was  finally  compelled  by  public   opinion  and  a 
writ  of  replevin  to  surrender  the  ofiicial  records 
to   Judge   Norton.     The    confusion    constantly 
arising  from  the  attempt  to  carry  on  a  govern- 
ment that  was  semi-military  and  semi-iMexican 
induced  Governor  Riley  to  order  an  election  to 
be    held    August    ist,    to    elect    delegates    to    a 
convention  to  meet  in  Montercv  September  ist. 


104 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1849,  to  form  a  state  constitution  or  territorial 
organization  to  be  ratified  by  the  people  and 
submitted  to  Congress  for  its  approval.  Judges, 
prefects  and  alcaldes  were  to  be  elected  at  the 
same  time  in  the  principal  municipal  districts. 
The  constitutional  convention  was  to  consist  of 
thirty-seven  delegates,  apportioned  as  follows: 
San  Diego  two,  Los  Angeles  four,  Santa  Bar- 
bara two,  San  Luis  Obispo  two,  Monterey  five, 
San  Jose  five,  San  Francisco  five,  Sonoma  four, 
Sacramento  four,  and  San  Joaquin  four.  In- 
stead of  thirty-seven  delegates  as  provided  for 
in  the  call,  forty-eight  were  elected  and  seated. 

The  convention  met  September  i,  1849,  at 
jMonterey  in  Colton  Hall.  This  was  a  stone 
building  erected  by  Alcalde  Walter  Colton  for 
a  town  hall  and  school  house.  The  money  to 
build  it  was  derived  partly  from  fines  and  partly 
from  subscriptions,  the  prisoners  doing  the 
greater  part  of  the  work.  It  was  the  most 
commodious  public  building  at  that  time  in  the 
territory. 

Of  the  forty-eight  delegates  elected  twenty- 
two  were  natives  of  the  northern  states;  fifteen 
of  the  slave  states;  four  were  of  foreign  birth, 
and  seven  were  native  Californians.  Several  of 
the  latter  neither  spoke  nor  understood  the 
English  language  and  William  E.  P.  Hartnell 
was  appointed  interpreter.  Dr.  Robert  Semple 
of  Bear  Flag  fame  was  elected  president,  Will- 
iam G.  Marcy  and  J.  Ross  Browne  reporters. 

Early  in  the  session  the  slavery  question  was 
disposed  of  by  the  adoption  of  a  section  declar- 
ing that  neither  slavery  or  involuntary  servitude, 
unless  for  the  punishment  of  crimes,  shall  ever 
be  tolerated  in  this  state.  The  question  of  fix- 
ing the  boundaries  of  the  future  state  e.xcited 
the  most  discussion.  The  pro-slavery  faction 
was  led  by  William  M.  Gwin,  who  had  a  few 
months  before  migrated  from  Mississippi  to 
California  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  repre- 
senting the  new  state  in  the  United  States  sen- 
ate. The  scheme  of  Gwin  and  his  southern  as- 
sociates was  to  make  the  Rocky  mountains  the 
eastern  boundary.  This  would  create  a  state 
with  an  era  of  about  four  hundred  thousand 
square  miles.  They  reasoned  that  when  the 
admission  of  the  state  came  before  congress  the 
southern*  members  would  oppose  the  admission 


of  so  large  an  area  under  a  free  state  constitu- 
tion and  that  ultimately  a  compromise  might 
be  effected.  California  would  be  split  in  two 
from  east  to  west,  the  old  dividing  line,  the 
parallel  of  36°  30',  would  be  established  and 
Southern  California  come  into  the  Union  as  a 
slave  state.  There  were  at  that  time  fifteen 
free  and  fifteen  slave  states.  If  two  states,  one 
free  and  one  slave,  could  be  made  out  of  Califor- 
nia, the  equilibrium  between  the  opposing  fac- 
tions would  be  maintained.  The  Rocky  moun- 
tain boundarj'  was  at  one  time  during  the  ses- 
sion adopted,  but  in  the  closing  days  of  the 
session  the  free  state  men  discovered  Gwin's 
scheine  and  it  was  defeated.  The  present  boun- 
daries were  established  by  a  majority  of  tw^o. 

A  committee  had  been  appointed  to  receive 
propositions  and  designs  for  a  state  seal.  Only 
one  design  was  offered.  It  was  presented  by 
Caleb  Lyon  of  Lyondalc,  as  he  usually  signed 
his  name,  but  was  drawn  by  Alajor  Robert  S. 
Garnett,  an  army  officer.  It  contained  a  figure 
of  j\Iiner\'a  in  the  foreground,  a  grizzly  bear 
feeding  on  a  bunch  of  grapes;  a  miner  with  an 
uplifted  pick;  a  gold  rocker  and  pan;  a  view  of 
the  Golden  Gate  with  ships  riding  at  anchor 
in  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco;  the  peaks  of  the 
Sierra  Xevadas  in  the  distance;  a  sheaf  of  wheat; 
thirty-one  stars  and  above  all  the  word 
"Eureka"  (I  have  found  it),  which  might  apply 
either  to  the  miner  or  the  bear.  The  design 
seems  to  have  been  an  attempt  to  advertise  the 
resources  of  the  state.  General  Vallejo  wanted 
the  bear  taken  out  of  the  design,  or  if  allowed 
to  remain,  that  he  be  made  fast  by  a  lasso  in  the 
hands  of  a  vaquero.  This  amendment  was  re- 
jected, as  was  also  one  submitted  by  O.  'M. 
Wozencraft  to  strike  out  the  figures  of  the  gold 
digger  and  the  bear  and  introduce  instead  bales 
of  merchandise  and  bags  of  gold.  The  original 
design  was  adopted  with  the  addition  of  the 
words.  "The  Great  Seal  of  the  State  of  Califor- 
nia." The  convention  voted  to  give  Lyon  $1,000 
as  full  compensation  for  engraving  the  seal  and 
furnishing  the  press  and  all  appendages. 

Garnett,  the  designer  of  the  seal,  was  a  \'ir- 
ginian  by  birth.  He  graduated  from  West 
Point  in  1841,  served  through  the  Mexican  war 
and  through  several  of  the  Indian  wars  on  the 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


165 


Pacific  coast.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  re- 
belhon  in  1861  he  joined  the  Confederates  antl 
was  made  a  brigadier  general.  He  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Carrick's  Ford  July  15,  1861. 

The  constitution  was  completed  on  the  nth 
of  October  and  an  election  was  called  by  Gov- 
ernor Riley  to  be  held  on  the  13th  of  November 
to  vote  upon  the  adoption  of  the  constitution 
and  to  elect  state  officers,  a  legislature  and  mem- 
bers of  congress. 

At  the  election  Peter  H.  Burnett,  recently 
from  Oregon  territory,  who  had  been  quite 
active  in  urging  the  organization  of  a  state  gov- 
ernment, was  chosen  governor;  John  McDou- 
gall,  lieutenant  governor,  and  George  W. 
.Wright  and  Edward  Gilbert  members  of  con- 
gress. San  Jose  had  been  designated  by  the 
constitutional  convention  the  capital  of  the  state 
pro  tem. 

The  people  of  San  Jose  had  pledged  them- 
selves to  provide  a  suitable  building  for  the 
meeting  of  the  legislature  in  hopes  that  their 
town  might  be  made  the  permanent  capital. 
They  were  unable  to  complete  the  building  de- 
signed for  a  state  capital  in  time  for  the  meet- 
ing. The  uncomfortable  quarters  furnished 
created  a  great  deal  of  dissatisfaction.  The  leg- 
islature consisted  of  sixteen  senators  and  thirty- 
six  assemblymen.  There  being  no  county  or- 
ganization, the  members  were  elected  by 
districts.  The  representation  was  not  equally 
distributed:  San  Joaquin  district  had  more  sen- 
ators than  San  Francisco.  The  senate  and  as- 
sembly were  organized  on  the  17th  of  Decem- 
ber. E.  K.  Chamberlain  of  San  Diego  was 
elected  president  pro  tem.  of  the  senate  and 
Thomas  J.  White  of  Sacramento  speaker  of  the 
assembly.  The  governor  and  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor were  sworn  in  on  the  20th.  The  state 
government  being  organized  the  legislature 
proceeded  to  the  election  of  United  States  sen- 
ators. The  candidates  were  T.  Butler  King, 
John  C.  Fremont,  William  AI.  Gwin,  Thomas 
J.  Henly,  John  W.  Geary,  Robert  Semple  and 
H.  W.  Halleck.  Fremont  received  twenty-nine 
out  of  forty-six  votes  on  the  first  ballot  and  was 
declared  elected.  Of  the  aspirants,  T.  Butler 
King  and  William  M.  Gwin  represented  the 
ultra  pro-slavery  element.     King  was  a  cross- 


roads politician  from  down  in  Georgia,  who 
had  been  sent  to  the  coast  as  a  confidential 
agent  of  the  government.  The  officers  of  the 
army  and  navy  were  enjoined  to  "in  all  matters 
aid  and  assist  him  in  carrying  out  the  views  of 
the  government  and  be  guided  by  his  advice  and 
council  in  the  conduct  of  all  proper  measures 
within  the  scope  of  those  instructions."  He 
made  a  tour  of  the  mines,  accompanied  by  Gen- 
eral Smith  and  his  staff;  Commodore  Ap  Catesby 
Jones  and  stafif  and  a  cavalry  escort  under  Lieu- 
tenant Stoneman.  He  wore  a  black  stovepipe 
hat  and  a  dress  coat.  He  made  himself  the 
laughing  stock  of  the  miners  and  by  traveling 
in  the  heat  'of  the  day  contracted  a  fever  that 
very  nearly  terminated  his  existence.  He  had 
been  active  so  far  as  his  influence  went  in  trying 
to  bring  California  into  the  L'nion  with  the  hope 
of  representing  it  in  the  senate.  Gwin  had 
come  a  few  months  before  from  Mississippi  with 
the  same  object  in  view.  Although  the  free 
.state  men  were  in  the  majority  in  the  legislature 
they  recognized  the  fact  that  to  elect  two  sena- 
tors opposed  to  the  extension  of  slavery  would 
result  in  arraying  the  pro-slavery  faction  in  con- 
gress against  the  admission  of  the  state  into 
the  Union.  Of  the  two  representatives  of  the 
south,  Gwin  was  the  least  objectionable  and  on 
the  second  ballot  he  was  elected.  On  the 
21  st  Governor  Burnett  delivered  his  message. 
It  was  a  wordy  document,  but  not  marked  by 
any  very  brilliant  ideas  or  valuable  suggestions. 
Burnett  was  a  southerner  from  Missouri.  He 
was  hobbled  on  the  subject  of  the  exclusion  of 
free  negroes.  The  African,  free  to  earn  his  own 
living  unrestrained  by  a  master,  was,  in  his 
opinion,  a  menace  to  the  perpetuity  of  the  com- 
monwealth. 

On  the  22d  the  legislature  elected  the  remain- 
ing state  officers,  viz.;  Richard  Roman,  treas- 
urer; John  I.  Houston,  controller;  E.  J.  C. 
Kewen,  attorney  general;  Charles  J.  Whiting, 
surveyor-general;  S.  C.  Hastings,  chief  jus- 
tice; Henry  Lyons  and  Nathaniel  Bennett,  as- 
sociate justices.  The  legislature  continued  in 
session  until  .\pril  22,  1850.  .Although  it  was 
nicknamed  the  "Legislature  of  a  thousand 
drinks,"  it  did  a  vast  amount  of  work  and  did 
most  of  it  well.     It  was  not  made  up  of  hard 


106 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


drinkers.  The  majority  of  its  members  were 
above  the  average  legislator  in  intelligence, 
temperance  and  patriotism.  The  members  were 
not  there  for  payorfor  political  preferment.  They 
were  there  for  thegood  oftheir  adopted  state  and 
labored  conscientiously  for  its  benefit.  The  op- 
probrious nickname  is  said  to  have  originated 
thus:  A  roystering  individual  by  the  name  of 
Green  had  been  elected  to  the  senate  from  Sac- 
ramento as  a  joke.  He  regarded  the  whole  pro- 
ceedings as  a  huge  joke.  He  kept  a  supply  of 
liquors  on  hand  at  his  quarters  and  when  the 
legislature  adjourned  he  was  in  the  habit  of  call- 
ing: "Come,  boys,  let  us  take  a  thousand 
drinks." 

The  state  had  set  up  housekeeping  without  a 
cent  on  hand  to  defray  expenses.  There  was  not 
a  quire  of  paper,  a  pen,  nor  an  inkstand  belong- 
ing to  the  state  and  no  money  to  buy  supplies. 
After  wrestling  with  the  financial  problem  some 
time  an  act  authorizing  a  loan  of  $200,000  for 
current  expenses  was  passed.  Later  on  in  the 
session  another  act  was  passed  authorizing  the 
bonding  of  the  state  for  $300,000  with  interest 
at  the  rate  of  three  per  cent  a  month.  The 
legislature  divided  the  state  into  twenty-seven 
counties,  created  nine  judicial  districts,  passed 
laws  for  the  collection  of  revenue,  taxing  all 
real  and  personal  property  and  imposing  a  poll 
tax  of  $5  on  all  male  inhabitants  over  twen- 
ty-one and  under  fifty  years  of  age. 

CaHfornia  was  a  self-constituted  state.  It 
had  organized  a  state  government  and  put  it  into 
successful  operation  without  the  sanction  of 
congress.  Officials,  state,  county  and  town,  had 
been  elected  and  had  sworn  to  support  the  con- 
stitution of  the  state  of  California  and  yet  there 
was  really  no  state  of  California.  It  had  not 
been  admitted  into  the  Union.  It  was  only  a 
state  de  facto  and  it  continued  in  that  condition 
nine  months  before  it  became  a  state  de  jure. 

"vYhei!  the  question  of  admitting  California 
iuio  the  Union  came  before  congress  it  evoked 
a  bitter  controversy.  The  senate  was  equally 
divided,  thirty  senators  from  the  slave  states 
and  the  same  number  from  the  free.  There 
were  among  the  southern  senators  some  broad 
minded  and  patriotic  men,  willing  to  do  what 
was  right,  but  they  were   handicapped  by  an 


ultra  pro-slavery  faction,  extremists,  who 
would  willingly  sacrifice  the  Union  if  by  that 
they  could  extend  and  perpetuate  that  sum  oi 
all  villainies,  human  slavery.  This  faction  in 
the  long  controversy  resorted  to  every  known 
parliamentary  device  to  prevent  the  admission  of 
California  under  a  free  state  constitution.  To 
admit  two  senators  from  a  free  state  would  de- 
stroy the  balance  of  power.  That  gone,  it  could 
never  be  regained  by  the  south.  Tlie  north  was 
increasing  in  power  and  population,  while  the 
south,  under  the  blighting  influence  of  slavery, 
was  retrograding. 

Henry  Clay,  the  man  of  compromises,  under- 
took to  bridge  over  the  difficulty  by  a  set  of 
resolutions  known  as  the  Omnibus  bill.  These 
were  largely  concessions  to  the  slave  holding 
faction  for  the  loss  of  the  territory  acquired  by 
the  Mexican  war.  Among  others  was  this,  that 
provision  should  be  made  by  law  for  the  restitu- 
tion of  fugitive  slaves  in  any  state  or  territory 
of  the  Union.  This  afterward  was  embodied 
into  what  was  known  as  the  fugitive  slave  law 
and  did  more  perhaps  than  any  other  cause  to 
destroy  the  south's  beloved  institution. 

These  resolutions  were  debated  through 
many  months  and  were  so  amended  and  changed 
that  their  author  could  scarcely  recognize  them. 
Most  of  them  were  adopted  in  some  form  and 
effected  a  temporary  compromise. 

On  August  13th  the  bill  for  the  admission 
of  California  finally  came  to  a  vote.  It  passed 
the  senate,  thirty-four  ayes  to  eighteen  noes. 
Even  then  the  opposition  did  not  cease.  Ten 
of  the  southern  pro-slavery  extremists,  led  by 
Jefferson  Davis,  joined  in  a  protest  against  the 
action  of  the  majority,  the  language  of  which 
was  an  insult  to  the  senate  and  treason  to  the 
government.  In  the  house  the  bill  passed  by  a 
vote  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  ayes  to  fifty-si.x 
ultra  southern  noes.  It  was  approved  and  signed 
by  President  Fillmore  September  9,  1850.  On 
the  nth  of  September  the  California  senators 
and  congressmen  presented  themselves  to  be 
sworn  in.  The  slave  holding  faction  in  the  sen- 
ate, headed  by  Jefiferson  Davis,  who  had  been 
one  of  the  most  bitter  opponents  to  the  admis- 
sion, objected.  But  their  protest  availed  them 
nothing.     Their   a.'^cendency    was    gone.      We 


HISTORFCAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


167 


might  sympathize  with  them  ha<l  their  light 
been  made  for  a  noble  principle,  but  it  was  not. 
l'"rom  that  day  on  until  the  attempt  was  made 
in  1861  these  men  schemed  to  destroy  the 
Union.  The  admission  of  California  as  a  free 
state  was  the  beginning  of  the  movement  to 
destroy  the  L'nion  of  States. 

The  news  of  the  admission  of  California 
reached  San  Francisco  on  the  morning  of  Oc- 
tober 18,  by  the  mail  steamer  Oregon,  nearly  six 
weeks  after  congress  had  admitted  it.  Business 
was  at  once  suspended,  the  courts  were  ad- 
journed and  the  people  went  wild  with  excite- 
ment. Messengers,  mounted  on  fleet  steeds, 
spread  the  news  throughout  the  state.  News- 
papers from  the  states  containing  an  account 
of  the  proceedings  of  congress  at  the  time  of 
admission  sold  for  $5  each.  It  was  decided  to 
hold  a  formal  celebration  of  the  event  on  the 
29th  and  preparations  were  begun  for  a  grand 
demonstration.  Neither  labor  nor  money  was 
spared  to  make  the  procession  a  success.  The 
parade  was  cosmopolitan  in  the  fullest  meaning 
of  that  word.  There  were  people  in  it  from 
almost  every  nation  under  the  sun.  The  Chi- 
nese made  quite  an  imposing  spectacle  in  the 
parade.  Dressed  in  rich  native  costumes,  each 
carrying  a  gaudily  painted  fan,  they  marched 
under  command  of  their  own  marshals,  Ah  He 
and  Ah  Sing.  At  their  head  proudly  marched 
a  color  bearer  carrying  a  large  blue  silk  ban- 
ner, inscribed  the  "China  boys."  Following 
them  came  a  triumphal  car,  in  which  was  seated 
thirty  boys  in  black  trousers  and  white  shirts, 
representing  the  thirty  states.  In  the  center  of 
this  group,  seated  on  a  raised  platform,  was  a 
young  girl  robed  in  white  with  gold  and  silver 
gauze  floating  about  her  and  supporting  a 
breast  plate,  upon  which  was  inscribed  '"Cali- 
fornia, the  Union,  it  must  and  shall  be  pre- 
served." The  California  pioneers  carried  a  ban- 
ner on  which  was  represented  a  New  Englander 
in  the  act  of  stepping  ashore  and  facing  a  na- 
tive Californian  with  lasso  and  serape.  In  the 
center  the  state  seal  and  the  inscription,  "Far 
west.  Eureka  1846,  California  pioneers,  or- 
ganized August,  1850."  Army  and  navy  offi- 
cers, soldiers,  sailors  and  marines,  veterans  of 
the  Mexican  war,  municipal  officers,  the  fire  de- 


partment, secret  and  benevolent  societies  and  as- 
suciations,  with  a  company  of  mounted  native 
Californians  bearing  a  banner  with  thirty-one 
stars  on  a  blue  satin  ground  with  the  inscription 
in  gold  letters,  California,  E  Pluribus  Unum,  all 
these  various  organizations  and  orders  wdth 
their  marshals  and  aids  mounted  on  gaily 
caparisoned  steeds  and  decked  out  whh  their 
gold  and  silver  trimmed  scarfs,  made  an  impos- 
ing display  that  has  seldom  if  ever  been  equaled 
since  in  the  metropolis  of  California. 

At  the  plaza  a  flag  of  thirty-one  stars  was 
raised  to  the  mast  head.  An  oration  was  de- 
livered by  Judge  Nathaniel  Bennett  and  Mrs. 
Wills  recited  an  original  ode  of  her  own  compo- 
sition. The  rejoicing  over,  the  people  settled 
down  to  business.  Their  unprecedented  action 
in  organizing  a  state  government  and  putting  it 
into  operation  without  the  sanction  of  congress 
had  been  approved  and  legalized  by  that  body. 

Like  the  Goddess  Minerva,  represented  on  its 
great  seal,  who  sprung  full  grown  from  the 
brain  of  Twpher,  California  was  born  a  fully  ma- 
tured state.  She  passed  through  no  territorial 
probation.  No  state  had  such  a  phenomenal 
growth  in  its  infancy.  No  state  before  or  since 
has  met  with  such  bitter  opposition  when  it 
sought  admission  into  the  family  of  states. 
Never  before  was  there  such  a  medley  of  nation- 
alities— Yankees,  Mexicans,  English,  Germans, 
French,  Spaniards,  Peruvians,  Polynesians. 
Mongolians — organized  into  a  state  and  made 
a  part  of  the  body  politic  nolens  volens.    • 

The  constitutional  convention  of  1849  did  not 
definitely  fix  the  state  capital.  San  Jose  was 
designated  as  the  place  of  meeting  for  the  legis- 
lature and  the  organization  of  the  state  govern- 
ment. San  Jose  had  offered  to  donate  a  square 
of  thirty-tw^o  acres,  valued  at  $60,000,  for  cap- 
itol  grounds  and  provide  a  suitable  building  for 
the  legislature  and  state  officers.  The  offer  was 
accepted,  but  when  the  legislature  met  there 
December  15,  1849,  the  building  was  unfinished 
and  for  a  time  the  meetings  of  the  legislature 
were  held  at  a  private  residence.  There  was  a 
great  deal  of  complaining  and  dissatisfaction. 
The  first  capitol  of  the  state  was  a  two-story 
adobe  building  40x60,  which  had  been  intended 
for  a  hotel.     It  was  destroyed  by  fire  April  29, 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1853.  The  accommodations  at  San  Jose  were 
so  unsatisfactory  that  the  legislature  decided 
to  locate  the  capital  at  some  other  point.  Prop- 
ositions were  received  from  Monterey,  from 
Reed  of  San  Jose,  from  Stevenson  &  Parker  of 
New  York  of  the  Pacific  and  from  Gen.  M.  G. 
Vallejo.  Vallejo's  proposition  was  accepted. 
He  offered  to  donate  one  hundred  and  fifty-six 
acres  of  land  in  a  new  town  that  he  proposed 
to  lay  out  on  the  straits  of  Carquinez  (now  Val- 
lejo) for  a  capital  site  and  within  two  years  to 
give  $370,000  in  money  for  the  erection  of  pub- 
lic buildings.  He  asked  that  his  proposition  be 
submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people  at  the  next 
general  election.  His  proposition  was  accepted 
by  the  legislature.  At  the  general  election,  Octo- 
ber 7,  1850,  Vallejo  received  seventy-four  hun- 
dred and  seventy-seven  votes;  San  Jose  twelve 
hundred  and  ninety-two,  and  Monterey  three 
hundred  and  ninety-nine.  The  second  legisla- 
ture convened  at  San  Jose.  General  Vallejo  ex- 
erted himself  to  have  the  change  made  in  accord- 
ance with  the  previous  proposition.  The  cit- 
izens of  San  Jose  made  an  effort  to  retain  the 
capital,  but  a  bill  was  passed  making  Vallejo 
the  permanent  seat  of  government  after  the 
close  of  the  session,  provided  General  Vallejo 
should  give  bonds  to  carry  out  his  proposals. 
In  June  Governor  McDougal  caused  the  gov- 
ernmental archives  to  be  removed  from  San 
Jose  to  Vallejo. 

When  the  members  of  the  third  legislature 
met  at  the  new  capital  January  2,  1852,  they 
found  a  large  unfurnished  and  partly  unfinished 
wooden  building  for  their  reception.  Hotel  ac- 
commodations could  not  be  obtained  and  there 
was  even  a  scarcity  of  food  to  feed  the  hungry 
lawmakers.  Sacramento  offered  its  new  court 
house  and  on  the  i6th  of  January  the  legislature 
convened   in  that   city.      The    great    flood   of 


March,  1852,  inundated  the  city  and  the  law- 
makers were  forced  to  reach  the  halls  of  legis- 
lation in  boats  and  again  there  was  dissatisfac- 
tion. Then  Benicia  came  to  the  front  with  an 
offer  of  her  new  city  hall,  which  was  above 
high  water  mark.  General  Vallejo  had  become 
financially  embarrassed  and  could  not  carry  out 
his  contract  with  the  state,  so  it  was  annulled. 
The  offer  of  Benicia  was  accepted  and  on  May 
18,  1853,  that  town  was  declared  the  permanent 
capital. 

In  the  legislature  of  1854  the  capital  question 
again  became  an  issue.  Offers  were  made  by 
several  aspiring  cities,  but  Sacramento  won  with 
the  proffer  of  her  court  house  and  a  block  of 
land  betwen  I  and  J,  Ninth  and  Tenth  streets. 
Then  the  question  of  the  location  of  the  capital 
got  into  the  courts.  The  supreme  court  de- 
cided in  favor  of  Sacramento.  Before  the  legis- 
lature met  again  the  court  house  that  had  been 
offered  to  the  state  burned  down.  A  new  and 
more  commodious  one  was  erected  and  rented 
to  the  state  at  $12,000  a  year.  Oakland  made 
an  unsuccessful  effort  to  obtain  the  capital. 
Finally  a  bill  was  passed  authorizing  the  erection 
of  a  capitol  building  in  Sacramento  at  a  cost 
not  to  exceed  $500,000.  Work  was  begun  on 
the  foundation  in  October,  i860.  The  great 
flood  of  1861-62  inundated  the  city  and  ruined 
the  foundations  of  the  capitol.  San  Francisco 
made  a  vigorous  effort  to  get  the  capital  re- 
moved to  that  city,  but  was  unsuccessful.  Work 
was  resumed  on  the  building,  the  plans  were 
changed,  the  edifice  enlarged,  and,  finally,  after 
many  delays,  it  was  ready  for  occupancy  in  De- 
cember, 1869.  From  the  original  limit  of  half  a 
million  dollars  its  cost  when  completed  had 
reached  a  million  and  a  half.  The  amount  ex- 
pended on  the  building  and  grounds  to  date 
foots  up  $2,600,000. 


HISTORFCAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 


THE    ARGONAUTS. 


'i  7"  HEN  or  by  whom  the  name  argonaut 
lAl  was  lirst  applied  to  the  early  Cali- 
fornia  gold  seekers  I  have  not  been 
able  to  ascertain.  The  earliest  allusion  to  the 
similarity  of  Jason's  voyage  after  the  Golden 
Fleece  and  the  miners'  rush  to  the  gold  fields  of 
California  is  found  in  a  caricature  published  in 
the  London  Pnncli  in  1849.  O'''  '^'''^  shore  of 
an  island  is  a  guide  board  bearing  the  inscrip- 
tion "California;"  near  it  is  a  miner  digging  gold 
and  presumably  singing  at  his  work.  In  a 
boat  near  the  shore  is  a  fat  individual,  a  typical 
"Johnny  Bull."  He  is  struggling  desperately 
with  two  individuals  who  are  holding  him  back 
from  leaping  into  the  water,  so  fascinated  is  he 
by  the  song  of  the  miner.  Under  the  drawing 
are  the  words,  "The  Song  of  the  Sirens." 

If  we  include  among  the  argonauts  all  who 
traveled  by  land  or  voyaged  by  sea  in  search  of 
the  golden  fleece  in  the  days  of  '49  we  will  have 
a  motley  mi.xture.  The  tales  of  the  fabulous  rich- 
ness of  the  gold  fields  of  California  spread  rap- 
idly throughout  the  civilized  world  and  drew  to 
the  territory  all  classes  and  conditions  of  men, 
the  bad  as  well  as  the  good,  the  indolent  as  well 
as  the  industrious,  the  vicious  as  well  as  the 
virtuous.  They  came  from  Europe,  from  South 
America  and  from  Mexico.  From  .\ustralia 
and  Tasmania  came  the  ex-convict  and  the 
ticket-of-leave  man;  from  the  isles  of  the  sea 
came  the  Polynesian,  and  from  Asia  the  Hindoo 
and  the  "Heathen  Chinee." 

The  means  of  reaching  the  land  of  gold  were 
as  varied  as  the  character  of  the  people  who 
came,  .\lmost  every  form  of  vehicle  was  pressed 
into  service  on  land.  One  individual,  if  not  more, 
made  the  trip  trundling  his  impedimenta  in  a 
wheelbarrow.  Others  started  out  in  carriages, 
intent  on  making  the  journey  in  comfort  and 
ease,  but  finished  on  foot,  weary,  worn  and 
ragged.  When  the  great  rush  came,  old  sailing 
vessels  that  had  long  been  deemed  unseaworthy 


were  fitted  out  for  the  voyage  to  California.  It 
must  have  been  the  providence  that  protects 
fools  which  prevented  these  from  going  to  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean.  With  the  desperate 
chances  that  the  argonauts  took  on  these  old 
tubs,  it  is  singular  tliat  there  w-ere  so  few  ship- 
wrecks and  so  little  loss  of  life.  Some  of  these 
were  such  slow  sailers  that  it  took  them  the 
greater  part  of  a  year  to  round  Cape  Horn  and 
reach  their  destination.  On  one  of  these  some 
passengers,  exasperated  at  its  slowness,  landed 
near  Cape  St.  Lucas  and  made  the  long  journey 
up  the  peninsula  of  Lower  California  and  on  to 
San  Francisco  on  foot,  arriving  there  a  month 
before  their  vessel.  Another  party  undertook  to 
make  the  voyage  from  Nicaragua  in  a  whale 
boat  and  actually  did  accomplish  seven  hundred 
miles  of  it  before  they  were  picked  up  in  the  last 
extremities  by  a  sailing  vessel. 

The  Sierra  Nevada  region,  in  which  gold  was 
first  found,  comprised  a  strip  about  thirty  miles 
>vide  and  two  hundred  miles  long  from  north 
to  south  in  the  basins  of  the  Feather,  Yuba, 
Bear,  .\merican,  Cosumne,  Mokolumne,  Stanis- 
laus, Tuolumne  and  Merced  rivers,  between  the 
elevations  of  one  thousand  and  five  thousand 
feet.  In  all  these  streams  miners  washed  gold 
in  1848.  The  placer  mines  on  the  Upper  Sacra- 
mento and  in  the  Shasta  region  were  discovered 
and  worked  late  in  the  fall  of  1848.  The  Kla- 
math mines  were  discovered  later. 

The  southern  mines,  those  on  the  San  Joaquin, 
Fresno,  Kern  and  San  Gabriel  rivers,  were  lo- 
cated between  1851  and  1855.  Gold, was  found 
in  some  of  the  ravines  and  creeks  of  San  Diego 
county.  Practically  the  gold  belt  of  California 
extends  from  the  Mexican  line  to  Oregon,  but 
at  some  points  it  is  rather  thin.  The  first  gold 
'l'&g''''g  \\'as  done  with  butcher  knives,  the  gold 
hunter  scratching  in  the  sand  and  crevices  of 
the  rock  to  find  nuggets.  Next  the  gold  pan 
came  into  use  and  the  miners  became  e.xperts 


170 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRArHICAL  RECORD. 


in  twirling  the  pan  in  a  pool  of  water,  so  as  to 
wash  out  the  sand  and  gravel  and  leave  the  gold 
dust  in  the  pan.  Isaac  Humphreys,  who  had 
mined  "gold  in  Georgia,  was  the  first  person  to 
use  a  rocker  or  gold  cradle  in  California.  Al- 
though a  very  simple  piece  of  machinery  those 
who  reached  the  mines  early  found  it  quite  an 
expensive  one.  Dr.  Brooks  in  his  diary,  under 
date  of  June  ii,  1848,  writes:  "On  Tuesday  we 
set  to  work  upon  our  cradle.  We  resolved  upon 
the  construction  of  two  and  for  this  purpose 
went  down  to  the  store  in  a  body  to  see  about 
the  boards.  We  found  timber  extravagantly 
dear,  being  asked  $40  a  hundred  feet.  The  next 
question  was  as  to  whether  we  should  hire  a 
carpenter.  We  were  told  there  was  one  or  two 
in  the  diggings,  who  might  be  hired,  though 
at  a  very  extravagant  rate.  Accordingly  Brad- 
ley and  I  proceeded  to  see  one  of  these  gentle- 
men, and  found  him  washing  away  with  a  hollow 
log  and  a  willow  branch  sieve.  He  ofifered  to 
help  us  at  the  rate  of  $35  a  day,  we  finding  pro- 
visions and  tools,  and  could  not  be  brought  to 
charge  less.  We  thought  this  by  far  too  ex- 
travagant and  left  him,  determined  to  undertake 
the  work  ourselves.  After  two  days'  work  of 
seven  men  they  produced  two  rough  cradles 
and  found  that  three  men  with  a  cradle  or  rocker 
could  wash  out  as  much  gold  in  a  day  as  six 
could  with  pans  in  the  same  time." 

A  rocker  or  gold  cradle  had  some  resemblance 
to  a  child's  cradle  with  similar  rockers  and  was 
rocked  by  means  of  a  perpendicular  handle 
fastened  to  the  cradle  box.  The  cradle  box  con- 
sisted of  a  wooden  trough  about  twenty  inches 
■jv'ide  and  forty  inches  long  with  sides  four  or 
five  inches  high.  The  lower  end  was  left  open. 
On  the  upper  end  sat  the  hopper,  a  box  twenty 
inches  square  with  sides  four  inches  higli  and 
a  bottom  of  sheet  iron  or  zinc  pierced  with  holes 
one-half  inch  in  diameter.  Where  zinc  or  iron 
could  not  be  obtained  a  sieve  of  willow  rods 
was  used.  Under  the  hopper  was  an  apron  of 
canvas,  which  sloped  down  from  the  lower  end 
of  the  hopper  to  the  upptr  end  of  the  cradle 
box.  A  wooden  riffle  bar  an  inch  square  was 
nailed  across  the  bottom  of  the  cradle  box  about 
its  middle,  and  another  at  its  lower  end.  Under 
the  cradle  box  were  nailed  rockers,   and  near 


the  middle  an  upright  handle  by  which  motion 
was  imparted.  If  water  and  pay  dirt  were  con- 
venient two  men  were  sufficient  to  operate  the 
machine.  Seated  on  a  stool  or  rock  the  operator 
rocked  with  one  hand,  while  with  a  long  handled 
dipper  he  dipped  water  from  a  pool  and  poured 
it  on  the  sand  and  gravel  in  the  hopper.  When 
the  sand  and  earth  had  been  washed  through 
the  holes  in  the  sieve  the  rocks  were  eniptieil 
and  the  hopper  filled  again  from  the  buckets  of 
pay  dirt  supplied  by  the  other  partner.  The  gold 
was  caught  on  the  canvas  apron  by  the  riffle 
bars,  while  the  thin  mud  and  sand  were  washed 
out  of  the  machine  by  the  water. 

In  the  dry  diggings  a  method  of  separating 
the  gold  from  the  earth  was  resorted  to  prin- 
cipally by  Sonorans.  The  pay  dirt  was  dug  and 
dried  in  the  sun,  then  pulverized  by  pounding 
into  fine  dust.  With  a  batea  or  bowl-shaped 
Indian  basket  filled  with  this  dust,  held  in  both 
hands,  the  Mexican  skillfully  tossed  the  earth 
in  the  air,  allowing  the  wind  to  blow  away  the 
dust  and  catching  the  heavier  particles  and  the 
gold  in  the  basket,  repeating  the  process  until 
there  was  little  left  but  the  gold. 

The  Long  Tom  was  a  single  sluice  with  a 
sieve  and  a  box  underneath  at  the  end  and  rif- 
fle bars  to  stop  the  gold.  The  pay  dirt  was  shov- 
eled in  at  the  upper  end  and  a  rapid  current  of 
water  washed  away  the  sand  and  earth,  the  gold 
falling  into  the  receptacle  below.  Ground  sluic- 
ing was  resorted  to  where  a  current  of  water 
from  a  ditch  could  be  directed  against  a  bank  ot 
earth  or  hill  with  a  sloping  bedrock.  The  stream 
of  water  washing  against  the  upper  side  of  the 
Ijank  caved  it  down  and  carried  the  loose  earth 
through  a  string  of  sluices,  depositing  the  gold 
in  the  riffle  bars  in  the  bottom  of  the  sluices. 

In  the  creeks  and  gulches  where  there  was 
not  much  fall,  sluice  mining  was  commonly  re- 
sorted to.  A  string  of  sluice  boxes  was  laid, 
each  fitting  into  the  upper  end  of  the  one  below, 
and  in  the  lower  ones  riffle  bars  were  placed 
to  stop  the  gold.  The  sluice  boxes  were  placed 
on  trestles  four  feet  from  the  ground  and  given 
an  incline  of  five  or  six  inches  to  the  rod.  The 
gravel  from  the  bedrock  up  as  far  as  there  was 
auv  pay  dirt  was  shoveled  into  the  upper  boxes 
and  a  rapid  current  of  water  flowing  through  the 


HISTURICAL   AND    UlUGRAPHICAL   RKCURU. 


171 


boxes  carried  away  the  gravel  and  rocks,  the 
gold  remaining  in  the  riffles.  Quicksilver  was 
placed  between  the  riffles  to  catch  the  fine  gold. 
The  gold  amalgamated  with  quicksilver  was 
cleaned  out  of  the  boxes  at  the  end  of  the  day's 
work  and  separated  from  the  quicksilver  in  a  re- 
tort. These  were  the  principal  methods  of  mining 
used  by  the  argonauts.  The  machinery  and  ap- 
pliances were  simple  and  inexpensive.  Hy- 
draulic mining  came  in  later,  when  larger  cap- 
ital was  required  and  the  mines  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  corporations. 

When  the  news  spread  throughout  the  states 
of  the  wonderful  "finds"  of  gold  in  California, 
the  crudest  ideas  prevailed  in  regard  to  how 
the  precious  metal  was  to  be  extracted  from 
the  earth.  Gold  mining  was  an  almost  un- 
known industr}"  in  the  United  States.  Only 
in  a  few  obscure  districts  of  North  Caro- 
lina and  Georgia  had  gold  been  found,  and 
but  very  few  people  outside  of  these  dis- 
tricts had  ever  visited  the  mines.  Not  one  in 
ten  thousand  of  those  who  joined  the  rush 
to  California  in  1849  had  ever  seen  a  grain  of 
virgin  gold.  The  idea  prevailed  among  the  gold 
seekers  that  the  gold  being  found  in  grains  it 
could  be  winnowed  from  the  sand  and  earth  in 
which  it  was  found  like  wheat  is  separated  from 
chafif.  Imbued  with  this  idea  Yankee  ingenuity 
set  to  work  to  invent  labor-saving  machines 
that  would  accomplish  the  work  quickly  and 
eni-ich  the  miner  proportionally.  The  ships  that 
bore  the  argonauts  from  their  native  land  car- 
ried out  a  variety  of  these  gold  machines,  all 
guaranteed  to  wrest  from  the  most  secret  re- 
cesses the  auriferous  deposits  in  nature's 
treasure  vaults.  These  machines  were  of  all 
varieties  and  patterns.  They  were  made  of  cop- 
per, iron,  zinc  and  brass.  Some  were  operated 
by  means  of  a  crank,  others  had  two  cranks, 
while  others  were  worked  with  a  treadle.  .Some 
required  that  the  operator  should  stand,  others 
allowed  the  miner  to  sit  in  an  arm  chair  and 
work  in  comfort. 

Haskins,  in  his  "Argonauts  of  California." 
describes  one  of  these  machines  that  was 
lirought  around  the  Horn  in  the  ship  he  came 
on:  'Tt  was  in  the  shape  of  a  huge  fanning 
mill,  with  sieves  properly  arranged  for  sorting 


the  gold  ready  for  bottling.  All  chunks  too 
large  for  the  bottle  would  be  consigned  to  the 
pork  barrel."  (The  question  of  bringing  home 
the  gold  in  bottles  or  barrels  had  been  seriously 
discussed  and  decided  in  favor  of  barrels  be- 
cause these  could  be  rolled  and  thus  save  cost 
of  transportation  from  the  mines.) 

"This  immense  machine  which,  during  our 
passage,  excited  the  envy  and  jealousy  of  all 
who  had  not  the  means  and  opportunity  of  se- 
curing a  similar  one  required,  of  course,  the 
services  of  a  hired  man  to  turn  the  crank,  whilst 
the  proprietor  would  be  busily  engaged  in  shov- 
eling in  pay  dirt  and  pumping  water;  the  greater 
portion  of  the  time,  however,  being  required, 
as  was  firmly  believed,  in  corking  the  bottles 
and  fitthig  the  heads  in  the  barrels.  This  ma- 
chine was  owned  by  a  Mr.  Allen  of  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  who  had  brought  with  him  a  colored 
servant  to  manage  and  control  the  crank  por- 
tion of  the   invaluable  institution. 

"Upon  landing  we  found  l\"ing  on  the  sand 
and  half  burieil  in  the  mud  hundreds  of  similar 
machines,  bearing  silent  witness  at  once  to  the 
value  of  our  gold  saving  machines  without  the 
necessity  of  a  trial." 

Xor  was  it  the  argonaut  alone  who  came  by 
sea  that  brought  these  machines.  Some  of 
these  wonderful  inventions  were  hauled  across 
the  plains  in  wagons,  their  owners  often  sacri- 
ficing the  necessities  of  life  to  save  the  prized 
machine.  And,  when,  after  infinite  toil  and  trou- 
ble, they  had  landed  their  prize  in  the  mines, 
they  were  chagrined  to  find  it  the  subject  of  jest 
and  ridicule  by  those  who  had  some  experience 
in  mining. 

The  gold  rush  came  early  in  the  history  of 
California  placer  mining.  The  story  of  a  rich 
strike  wotild  often  depopulate  a  mining  camp  in 
a  few  hours.  Even  a  bare  rumor  of  rich  dig- 
gings in  some  indefinite  locality  would  send 
scores  of  miners  tramping  off  on  a  wild  goose 
chase  into  the  mountains.  Some  of  these 
rushes  originated  through  fake  stories  circu- 
lated for  sinister  purpose;  others  were  caused 
by  exaggerated  stories  of  real  discoveries. 

One  of  the  most  famous  fakes  of  early  days 
was  the  Gold  Lake  rush  of  1850.  This  wonder- 
ful lake  was  supposed  to  be  located  about  two 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


hundred  miles  northeast  of  Marysville,  on  the 
divide  between  the  Feather  and  the  Yuba  rivers. 
Tlie  Sacramento  Transcript  of  June  19,  1850, 
says:  "We  are  informed  by  a  gentleman  from 
]\larysville  that  it  is  currently  reported  there  that 
the  Indians  upon  this  lake  use  gold  for  their 
commonest  purposes;  that  they  have  a  ready 
way  of  knocking  out  square  blocks,  which  they 
use  for  seats  and  couches  upon  which  to  place 
their  beds,  which  are  simply  bundles  of  wild 
oats,  which  grow  so  profusely  in  all  sections  of 
the  state.  According  to-  report  also  they  use  for 
fishhooks  crooked  pieces  of  gold  and  kill  their 
game  with  arrows  made  of  the  same  material. 
They  are  reported  to  be  thunderstruck  at  the 
movements  of  the  whites  and  their  eagerness 
to  collect  and  hoard  the  materials  of  the  very 
ground  upon  which  the}-  tread. 

"A  story  is  current  that  a  man  at  Gold  Lake 
saw  a  large  piece  of  gold  floating  on  the  lake 
which  he  succeeded  in  getting  ashore.  So 
clear  are  the  waters  that  another  man  saw  a 
rock  of  gold  on  the  bottom.  After  many  ef- 
forts he  succeeded  in  lassoing  the  rock.  Three 
davs  afterward  he  was  seen  standing  holding  on 
to  his  rope." 

The  Placer  Times  of  Marysville  reports  that 
the  specimens  brought  into  Marysville  are  of  a 
value  from  $1,500  down.  Ten  ounces  is  re- 
ported as  no  unusual  yield  to  the  pan.  The 
first  party  of  sixty  which  started  out  under 
guidance  of  one  who  had  returned  successful 
were  assured  that  they  would  not  get  less  than 
S500  each  per  day.  We  were  told  that  two  hun- 
dred had  left  town  with  a  full  supply  of  pro- 
visions and  four  hundred  mules.  Mules  and 
horses  have  doubled  in  value.  Many  places  of 
liusincss  are  closed.  The  diggings  at  tlie  lake 
are  probably  the  best  ever  discovered."  The 
Times  of  June  19  says:  "It  is  reported  that  up 
to  last  Thursday  two  thousand  persons  had 
taken  up  their  journey.  INIany  who  were  work- 
ing good  claims  deserted  them  for  the  new  dis- 
covery. Mules  and  horses  were  about  impos- 
sible to  obtain.  Although  the  truth  of  the  re- 
port rests  on  the  authority  of  but  two  or  three 
who  have  returned  from  Gold  Lake,  yet  few 
are  found  who  doubt  the  marvelous  revelations. 
A  party  of  Kanakas  are  said  to  have  wintered 


at  Gold  Lake,  subsisting  chiefly  on  the  flesh  ef 
their  animals.  They  are  said  to  have  taken  out 
$75,000  the  first  week.  When  a  conviction  takes 
such  complete  possession  of  a  whole  com- 
munity, who  are  fully  conversant  with  all  the 
exaggerations  that  have  had  their  day,  it  is 
scarcely  prudent  to  utter  even  a  qualified  dissent 
from  what  is  universally  believed." 

The  denouement  of  the  Gold  Lake  romance 
may  be  found  in  the  Transcript  of  July  i,  1850. 
"The  Gold  Lake  excitement,  so  much  talked  of 
and  acted  upon  of  late,  has  almost  subsided. 
A  crazy  man  comes  in  for  a  share  of  the  re- 
sponsibility. Another  report  is  that  they  have 
found  one  of  the  pretended  discoverers  at 
-Marysville  and  are  about  to  lynch  him.  In- 
deed, we  are  told  that  a  demonstration  against 
the  town  is  feared  by  many.  People  who  have 
returned  after  traveling  some  one  hundred  and 
fifty  to  two  hundred  miles  say  that  they  left  vast 
numbers  of  people  roaming  between  the  sources 
of  the  Yuba  and  the  Feather  rivers." 

Scarcely  had  the  deluded  argonauts  returned 
from  a  bootless  search  for  the  lake  of  gold  when 
another  rumored  discovery  of  gold  fields  of 
fabulous  richness  sent  them  rushing  off  toward 
I  he  sea  coast.  Xow  it  was  Gold  Fdufif  that  lured 
ihcni  away.  On  the  northwest  coast  of  Califor- 
nia, near  the  mouth  of  the  Klamath  river, 
precipitous  blufifs  four  hundred  feet  high  mark 
the  coast  line  of  the  ocean.  A  party  of  pros- 
pectors in  the  fall  of  1850,  who  had  been  up 
in  the  Del  Norte  country,  were  making  their 
way  down  to  the  little  trading  and  trapping  sta- 
tion of  Trinidad  to  procure  provisions.  On 
reaching  the  bluffs,  thirty  miles  above  Trinidad, 
they  were  astonished  to  find  stretching  out  be- 
fore them  a  beach  glittering  with  golden  sands. 
They  could  not  stop  to  gather  gold;  they  were 
starving.  So,  scraping  up  a  few  handfuls  of  the 
glittering  sands,  they  hastened  on.  In  due 
time  they  reached  San  Francisco,  -where  they 
exhibited  their  sand,  which  proved  to  be  nearly 
half  gold.  The  report  of  the  wonderful  find  was 
spread  by  the  newspapers  and  the  excitement 
began.  Companies  were  formed  and  claims  lo- 
cated at  long  range.  One  company  of  nine 
locators  sent  an  expert  to  examine  their  claims. 
He,  bv  a  careful  mathematical  calculation,  as- 


HISTORICAL   AXD    P.IOGRAPHICAL   RECCJRD. 


173 


certained  that  the  claim  would  yield  forty-three 
million  dollars  to  each  partner.  As  there  were 
fifteen  miles  of  gold  beach,  the  amount  of  gold 
in  the  sands  was  sufficient  to  demonetize  the 
precious  metal.  A  laudable  desire  to  benefit 
the  human  race  possessed  some  of  the  claim 
I  iwncrs.  They  formed  joint  stock  companies  with 
shares  at  $ioo  each.  Gold  Blufif  mining  stock 
went  off  like  the  proverbial  hot  cakes  and  pros- 
pectors went  off  as  rapidly.  Within  two  days 
after  the  expert's  wonderful  story  was  spread 
abroad  nine  ships  were  fitted  out  for  Gold  Bluff. 
The  first  to  arrive  off  the  liluff  was  the  vessel 
containing  a  party  of  the  original  discoverers. 
In  attempting  to  land  in  a  boat,  the  boat  was 
upset  in  the  breakers  and  five  of  the  six  occu- 
pants were  drowned,  Bertram,  the  leader  of  the 
party  making  the  discovery,  alone  escaping. 
The  vessel  put  back  to  Trinidad  and  the  gold 
lumters  made  their  way  up  the  coast  to  the 
lUuff.  But  alas  for  their  golden  dreams! 
Where  they  had  hoped  to  gather  gold  by  the 
ship  load  no  gold  was  found.  Old  ocean  had 
gafhered  it  back  into  his  treasure  vaults. 

The  bubble  burst  as  suddenly  as  it  had  ex- 
panded. And  yet  there  was  gold  at  Ciold  Bluff 
and  there  is  gold  there  yet.  If  the  ocean  could 
be  drained  or  coffer  dammed  for  two  hundred 
miles  along  the  gold  coast  of  northern  Califor- 
nia and  Oregon,  all  the  wealth  of  Alaska  would 
be  but  the  panning  out  of  a  prospect  hole  com- 
pared to  the  richness  that  lies  hidden  in  the 
sands  of  Gold  Beach.  For  years  after  the 
bursting  of  the  Gold  Bluff  bubble,  when  the 
tide  was  low,  the  sands  along  Gold  licach  were 
mined  with  profit. 

The  Kern  river  excitement  in  the  spring  of 
1855  surpassed  everything  that  had  preceded  it. 
Seven  years  of  mining  had  skimmed  the  rich- 
ness of  the  placers.  The  northern  and  central 
gold  fields  of  California  had  been  thoroughly 
]3rospected.  The  miners  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  the  rich  strikes  of  early  years  could 
not  content  themselves  with  moderate  returns. 
They  were  on  the  qui  vive  for  a  rich  strike  and 
ready  for  a  rush  upon  the  first  report  of  one. 
The  first  discoveries  on  the  Kern  river  were 
made  in  the  summer  of  1854,  but  no  excitement 
followed  immediately.    During  the  fall  and  win- 


ter rumors  were  set  afloat  of  rich  strikes  on  the 
head  waters  of  that  stream.  The  stories  grew 
as  they  traveled.  One  that  had  a  wide  circula- 
tion and  was  readily  accepted  ran  about  as  fol- 
lows: "A  Mexican  doctor  had  appeared  in  Mari- 
jjosa  loaded  down  with  gold  nuggets.  He  re- 
ported that  he  and  four  companions  had  found 
a  region  paved  with  gold.  The  very  hills  were 
yellow  with  outcroppings.  While  gloating  over 
their  wealth  and  loading  it  into  sacks  the  In- 
dians attacked  them  and  killed  his  four  com- 
jjanions.  He  escaped  with  one  sack  of  gold.  He 
jjroposed  to  organize  a  company  large  enough 
tc)  exterminate  the  Indians  and  then  bring  out 
the  gold  on  pack  mules."  This  as  well  as  other 
stories  as  improbable  were  spread  broadcast 
throughout  the  state.  Many  of  the  reports  of 
wonderful  strikes  were  purposely  magnified  by 
merchants  and  dealers  in  mining  supplies  who 
were  overstocked  with  unsalable  goods;  and 
h\  transportation  companies  with  whom  busi- 
ness was  slack.  Their  purpose  was  accom- 
plished and  the  rush  was  on.  It  began  in  Jan- 
uary, 1855.  Every  steamer  down  the  coast  to 
Los  Angeles  was  loaded  to  the  guards  with 
adventurers  for  the  mines.  The  sleepy  old 
metropolis  of  the  cow  counties  waked  up  to 
find  itself  suddenly  transformed  into  a  bustling 
mining  camp.  The  Southern  Calif orniaii  of  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1855,  thus  describes  the  situation:  "The 
road  from  our  valley  is  literally  thronged  with 
l)eople  on  their  way  to  the  mines.  Hundreds 
of  people  have  been  leaving  not  only  the  city, 
but  every  portion  of  the  county.  Every  descrip- 
tion of  vehicle  and  animal  has  been  brought 
into  requisition  to  take  the  exultant  seekers 
after  wealth  to  the  goal  of  their  hopes.  Im- 
mense ten-mule  wagons  strung  out  one  after 
another:  long  trains  of  pack  mules  and  men 
mounted  and  on  foot,  with  picks  and  shovels; 
boarding-house  keepers  with  their  tents;  mer- 
chants with  their  stocks  of  miners'  necessaries 
and  gamblers  with  their  'papers'  are  constantly 
leaving  for  the  Kern  river  mines.  The  wildest 
stories  are  afloat.  If  the  mines  turn  out  $10 
a  day  to  the  man  everybody  ought  to  be  satis- 
fied. The  opening  of  these  mines  has  been  a 
Godsend  to  all  of  us,  as  the  business  of  the  en- 
tire country  was  on  the  point  of  taking  to  a 


174 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Irt-c.  The  great  scarcity  of  money  is  seen  in 
the  present  exorbitant  rates  of  interest  which  it 
commands;  8,  lo  and  even  15  per  cent  a  month 
is  freely  paid  and  the  supply  even  at  these  rates 
is  too  meager  to  meet  the  demands."  As  the 
rush  increased  our  editor  grows  more  jubilant. 
In  his  issue  of  March  7,  he  throws  out  these 
headlines:  "Stop  the  Press!  Glorious  News 
from  Kern  River!  Bring  Out  the  Big  Gun! 
There  are  a  thousand  gulches  rich  with  gold 
and  room  for  ten  thousand  miners.  Miners 
averaged  $50  a  day.  One  man  with  his  own 
hands  took  out  $160  in  a  day.  Five  men  in  ten 
days  took  out  $4,500." 

Another  stream  of  miners  and  adventurers 
was  pouring  into  the  mines  by  way  of  the  San 
Joaquin  valley.  From  Stockton  to  the  Kern 
river,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  the 
road  was  crowded  with  men  on  foot,  on  stages, 
on  horseback  and  on  every  form  of  convey- 
ance that  would  take  them  to  the  new  El  Do- 
rado. In  four  months  five  or  six  thousand  men 
had  found  their  way  into  the  Kern  river  basin. 
There  was  gold  there,  but  not  enough  to  go 
around.  A  few  struck  it  rich,  the  many  struck 
nothing  but  "hard  luck"  and  the  rush  out  began. 
Those  who  had  ridden  into  the  valley  footed  it 
out,  and  those  who  had  footed  it  in  on  sole 
leather  footed  it  out  on  their  natural  soles. 

After  the  wild  frenzy  of  Kern  river,  the  press 
of  the  state  congratulated  the  public  with  the 
assurance  that  the  era  of  \vM  rushes  was  past — 
"what  had  been  lost  in  money  had  been  gained 
in  experience."  As  if  prospectors  ever  profited 
by  experience!  Scarcely  had  the  victims  of  Kern 
river  resumed  work  in  the  old  creeks  and  caiions 
they  had  deserted  to  join  in  the  rush  when  a 
rumor  came,  faint  at  first,  but  gathering 
strength  at  each  repetition,  that  rich  diggings 
had  been  struck  in  the  far  north.  This  time 
it  is  I'razer  river.  True,  h'razer  ri\er  is  in  the 
I'.ritish  possessions,  but  what  of  that?  There 
are  enough  miners  in  California  to  seize  the 
countrv  and  hold  it  until  the  cream  of  the  mines 
has  been  skimmed.  l\umors  of  the  richness 
of  mines  increased  with  every  arrival  of  a 
steamer  from  the  north.  Captains,  pursers, 
mates,  cooks  and  w^aiters  all  confirmed  the  sto- 
ries of  rich  strikes.     Doubters  asserted  that  the 


(lust  and  nuggets  exhibited  had  made  the  trip 
from  San  Francisco  to  \'ictoria  and  back.  But 
they  were  silenced  by  the  assurance  that  the 
transportation  company  was  preparing  to  double 
the  number  of  its  vessels  on  that  route.  Com- 
modore Wright  was  too  smart  to  run  his  steam- 
ers on  fake  reports,  and  thus  the  very  thing  that 
should  have  caused  suspicion  was  used  to  con- 
firm the  truth  of  the  rumors.  The  doubters 
doubted  no  more,  but  packed  their  outfits  for 
I'Vazer  river.  California  was  played  out.  Where 
could  an  honest  miner  pan  out  $100  a  day 
in  California  now?  He  could  do  it  every  day 
in  l-'razer;  the  papers  said  so.  The  first  notice 
of  the  mines  was  published  in  Alarch,  1858.  The 
rush  began  the  latter  part  of  .Vpril  and  in  four 
months  thu"ty  thousand  men,  one-sixth  of  the 
\  oting  population  of  the  state,  had  rushed  to 
the    mines. 

The  effect  of  the  craze  was  disastrous  to  busi- 
ness in  California.  Farms  were  abandoned  and 
crops  lost  for  want  of  hands  to  harvest  them. 
Rich  claims  in  old  diggings  were  sold  for  a  trifle 
i)f  their  value.  Lots  on  Montgomery  street  that 
a  few  years  later  were  worth  $1 ,500  a  front  foot 
were  sold  for  $100.  Real  estate  in  the  interior 
towns  was  sacrificed  at  50  to  75  per  cent  less 
than  it  was  worth  before  the  rush  began.  But 
a  halt  was  called  in  the  mad  rush.  The  returns 
were  not  coming  in  satisfactorily.  By  the  mid- 
dle of  July  less  than  $100,000  in  dust  had 
reached  San  Francisco,  only  about  $3  for  each 
man  who  had  gone  to  the  diggings.  There  was 
gold  there  and  plenty  of  it,  so  those  interested 
in  keeping  up  the  excitement  said:  "The  Frazer 
river  is  high;  wait  till  it  subsides."  But  it  did 
not  subside,  and  it  has  not  subsided  since.  If 
the  Frazer  did  not  subside  the  excitement  did, 
and  that  suddenly.  Those  wJio  had  money 
enough  or  could  borrow  from  their  friends  got 
away  at  once.  Those  who  had  none  hung 
around  Victoria  and  New  Westminster  until 
they  were  shipped  back  at  the  government's  ex- 
pense. The  Frazer  river  craze  was  the  last  of  the 
mad,  unreasoning  "gold  rushes."  The  Washoe 
excitement  of  '59  and  the  "Ho!  for  Idaho  of 
1863-64"  had  some  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
earlv  gold  rushes,  but  they  soon  settled  down  to 
steadv  business  and  the  yield  from  these  fairly 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


175 


recompensed  those  who  were  frugal  and  indus- 
trious. 

Never  before  perhaps  among  civiHzed  people 
was  there  witnessed  such  a  universal  leveling 
as  occurred  in  the  first  years  of  the  mining  ex- 
citement in  California.  '"As  the  labor  required 
was  physical  instead  of  mental,  the  usual  supe- 
riority of  head  workers  over  hand  workers  dis- 
appeared entirely.  Men  who  had  been  gov- 
ernors and  legislators  and  judges  in  the  old 
states  worked  by  the  side  of  outlaws  and  con- 
victs; scholars  and  students  by  the  side  of  men 
who  could  not  read  or  write;  those  who  had 
been  masters  by  the  side  of  those  who  had  been 
slaves;  old  social  distinctions  were  obliterated; 
everybody  did  business  on  his  own  account,  and 
not  one  man  in  ten  was  the  employe  and  much 
less  the  servant  of  another.  Social  distinctions 
appeared  to  be  entirely  obliterated  and  no  man 
was  considered  inferior  to  another.  The  hard- 
fisted,  unshaven  and  patch-covered  miner  was 
on  terms  of  perfect  eciuality  with  the  well- 
dressed  lawyer,  surgeon  or  merchant;  and  in 
general  conferences,  discussions  and  even  cnn- 


vcrsations  the  most  weather-beaten  and  strongly 
marked  face,  or,  in  other  words,  the  man  who 
had  seen  and  e.xperienced  the  most,  notwith- 
standing his  wild  and  tattered  attire,  was  lis- 
tened to  with  more  attention  and  respectful  con- 
sideration than  the  man  of  polished  speech  and 
striking  antithesis.  One  reason  of  this  was  that  in 
those  days  the  roughest-looking  man  not  infre- 
quently knew  more  than  anybody  else  of  what 
was  wanted  to  be  known,  and  the  raggedest  man 
not  infrequently  was  the  most  influential  and 
sometimes  the  richest  man  in  the  locality."* 

This  independent  spirit  was  characteristic  of 
the  men  of  48  and  49.  Then  nearly  everybody 
was  honest  and  theft  was  almost  unknown. 
With  the  advent  of  the  criminal  element  in 
1850  and  later  there  came  a  change.  Before  that 
a  pan  of  gold  dust  could  be  left  in  an  open  tent 
unguarded,  but  with  the  coming  of  the  Sydney 
ducks  from  Australia  and  men  of  their  class  it 
became  necessary  to  guard  property  with  sedu- 
lous care. 

*  Hittell's   History  of  California,   Vol.   III. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


SAN    FRANCISCO. 


IX  1835  Capt.  William  A.  Richardson  built 
the  first  house  on  the  Verba  Buena  cove. 
It  was  a  shanty  of  rough  board,  which  he 
replaced  a  year  later  with  an  adobe  building. 
He  was  granted  a  lot  in  1836  and  his  building 
stood  near  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Dupont 
and  Clay  streets.  Richardson  had  settled  at 
Sausalito  in  1822.  He  was  an  Englishman  by 
birth  and  was  one  of  the  first  foreigners  to  settle 
in  California. 

Jacob  P.  Leese,  an  American,  in  partnership 
with  Spear  &  Hinckley,  obtained  a  lot  in  1836 
and  built  a  house  and  store  near  that  of  Captain 
Richardson.  There  is  a  tradition  that  Mr.  Leese 
began  his  store  building  on  the  first  of  July  and 
finished  it  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
July  4,  and  for  a  house  warming  celebrated  the 
glorious  Fourth  in  a  style  that  astonished  the 
natives  up  and  down  the  coast.  The  house  was 
sixty   feet  long  and  twenty-five  broad,  and,   if 


completed  in  three  days,  Mr.  Leese  certainly  de 
serves  the  credit  of  having  eclipsed  some  of 
the  remarkable  feats  in  house  building  that  were 
performed  after  the  great  fires  of  San  Francisco 
in  the  early  '50s.  Mr.  Leese  and  his  neighbor. 
Captain  Richardson,  invited  all  the  high-toned 
Spanish  families  for  a  hundred  miles  around  to 
the  celebration.  The  Mexican  and  American 
flags  floated  over  the  building  and  two  si.x- 
pounders  fired  salutes.  .\t  five  o'clock  the 
guests  sat  down  to  a  sumptuous  dinner  which 
lasted,  toasts  and  all,  till  10  o'clock,  and  then 
came  dancing;  and,  as  Mr.  Leese  remarks  in  his 
diary :  "Our  Fourth  ended  on  the  evening  of 
the  fifth."  Mr.  Leese  was  an  energetic  person. 
He  built  a  house  in  three  days,  gave  a  Fourth  of 
July  celebration  that  lasted  two  days,  and  inside 
of  a  week  had  a  store  opened  and  was  doing  a 
thriving  business  with  his  late  guests.  He  fell 
in  love  with  the  same  energy  that  he  did  busi- 


176 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ncss.  Among  the  guests  at  his  4th  of  July 
celebration  were  the  \'allejos,  the  nabobs  of 
Sonoma.  Leese  courted  one  of  the  girls  and  in 
a  few  months  after  the  celebration  married  her. 
Their  daughter,  Rosalie  Leese,  was  the  first 
child  born  in  Yerba  Buena.  Such  was  the  be- 
ginning of  San  Francisco. 

This  settlement  was  on  a  crescent-shaped  cove 
that  lay  between  Clark's  Point  and  the  Rincon. 
The  locality  was  known  as  Yerba  Buena  (good 
herb),  a  species  of  mint  to  which  the  native  Cal- 
ifornians  attributed  many  medicinal  virtues. 
The  peninsula  still  bore  the  name  that  had  been 
applied  to  it  when  the  mission  and  presidio 
were  founded,  San  Francisco.  Yerba  Buena 
was  a  local  appellation  and  applied  only  to  the 
little  hamlet  that  had  grown  up  on  the  cove. 
This  settlement,  although  under  the  Mexican 
government,  was  not  a  Mexican  town.  The 
foreign  element,  the  American  predominating, 
had  always  been  in  the  ascendency.  At  the  time 
of  the  conquest,  among  its  two  hundred  inhab- 
itants, were  representatives  of  almost  every  civ- 
ilized nation  on  the  globe.  It  was  a  cosmopol- 
itan town.  In  a  very  short  time  after  the  con- 
quest it  began  to  take  on  a  new  growth  and  was 
recognized  as  the  coming  metropolis  of  Califor- 
nia. The  curving  beach  of  the  cove  at  one 
point  (Jackson  street)  crossed  the  present  line 
of  Montgomery  street. 

Richardson  and  Leese  had  built  their  stores 
and  warehouses  back  from  the  beach  because  of 
a  Mexican  law  that  prohibited  the  building  of  a 
house  on  the  beach  where  no  custom  hoilse  ex- 
isted. All  houses  had  to  be  built  back  a  certain 
number  of  varas  from  high-water  mark.  This 
regulation  was  made  to  prevent  smuggling.  Be- 
tween the  shore  line  of  the  cove  and  anchorage 
there  was  a  long  stretch  of  shallow  water.  This 
made  transportation  of  goods  from  ship  to 
shore  very  inconvenient  and  expensive.  With 
the  advent  of  the  Americans  and  the  inaugura- 
tion of  a  more  progressive  era  it  became  neces- 
sary for  the  convenient  landing  of  ships  and  for 
the  discharging  and  receiving  of  their  cargoes 
that  the  beach  front  of  the  town  should  be  im- 
proved by  building  wharves  and  docks.  The  dif- 
ficulty was  to  find  the  means  to  do  this.  The 
general  government  of  the  United  States  could 


not  undertake  it.  The  war  with  Mexico  was 
still  in  progress.  The  only  available  way  was 
to  sell  off  beach  lots  to  private  parties,  but  who 
was  to  give  title  was  the  question.  Edwin  Bry- 
ant, February  22,  1847,  had  succeeded  Wash- 
ington Bartlett  as  alcalde.  Bryant  was  a  pro- 
gressive man,  and,  recognizing  the  necessity  of 
improvement  in  the  shipping  facilities  of  the 
town,  he  urged  General  Kearny,  the  acting 
governor,  to  relinquish,  on  the  part  of  the  gen- 
eral government,  its  claim  to  the  beach  lands  in 
front  of  the  town  in  favor  of  the  municipality 
under  certain  conditions.  General  Kearny 
really  had  no  authority  to  relinquish  the  claim 
of  the  general  government  to  the  land,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  the  general  government  had 
not  perfected  a  claim.  The  country  was  held 
as  conquered  territory.  Mexico  had  made  no 
concession  of  the  land  by  treaty.  It  was  not 
certain  that  California  would  be  ceded  to  the 
United  States.  L'nder  Mexican  law  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  territory,  under  certain  conditions, 
had  the  right  to  make  grants,  and  General  Kear- 
ny, assuming  the  power  given  a  Mexican  gov- 
ernor, issued  the  following  decree:  "I,  Brig.- 
Gen.  S.  W.  Kearny,  Governor  of  California, 
by  virtue  of  authority  in  me  vested  by  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States  of  America,  do  hereby 
grant,  convey,  and  release  unto  the  Town  of  San 
Francisco,  the  people  or  corporate  authorities 
thereof,  all  the  right,  title  and  interest  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  and  of  the 
Territory  of  California  in  and  to  the  Beach  and 
Water  Lots  on  the  East  front  of  said  Town  of 
San  Francisco  included  between  the  points 
known  as  the  Rincon  and  Fort  Montgomery, 
excepting  such  lots  as  may  be  selected  for  the 
use  of  the  United  States  Government  by  the 
senior  ofificers  of  the  army  and  navy  now  there; 
provided,  the  said  ground  hereby  ceded  shall 
be  divided  into  lots  and  sold  by  public  auction  to 
the  highest  bidder,  after  three  months'  notice 
previously  given;  the  proceeds  of  said  sale  to 
be  for  the  benefit  of  the  town  of  San  Francisco. 
Given  at  Monterey,  capital  of  California,  this 
loth  day  of  March,  1847,  ^"d  the  seventy-first 
year  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States." 

S.  W.  Kl-ARXV, 

Brig.-Gen'l  &  Gov.  of  California. 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


171 


In  pursuance  of  this  decree.  Alcalde  Bryant 
advertised  in  the  Califoniiaii  that  the  ground 
described  in  the  decree,  known  as  Water  Lots, 
would  be  surveyed  and  divided  into  convenient 
building  lots  and  sold  to  the  highest  bidder  on 
the  29th  of  June  (1847).  ^^^  then  proceeds  in 
the  advertisement  to  boom  the  town.  "The  site 
of  the  town  of  San  Francisco  is  known  by  all 
navigators  and  mercantile  men  accjuainted  with 
the  subject  to  be  the  most  commanding  com- 
mercial position  on  the  entire  western  coast  of 
the  Pacific  ocean,  and  the  Town  itself  is  no 
doubt  destined  to  become  the  commercial  em- 
porium of  the  western  side  of  the  North  Ameri- 
can continent."  The  alcaldes'  assertions  must 
have  seemed  rather  extravagant  to  the  dwellers 
in  the  little  burgh  on  the  cove  of  Verba  Buena. 
But  Bryant  was  a  far-seeing  man  and  proved 
himself  in  this  instance  to  be  a  prophet. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  both  General  Kearny 
and  Alcalde  Bryant  call  the  town  San  Francisco. 
Alcalde  Bartlett,  the  predecessor  in  of^ce  of 
Alcalde  Bryant,  had  changed  its  name  just  be- 
fore he  was  recalled  to  his  ship.  He  did  not 
like  the  name  Yerba  Buena,  so  he  summarily 
changed  it.  He  issued  a  proclamation  setting 
forth  that  hereafter  the  town  should  be  known 
as  San  Francisco.  Having  proclaimed  a  change 
of  name,  he  proceeded  to  give  his  reasons: 
Yerba  Piuena  was  a  paltry  cognomen  for  a  cer- 
tain kind  of  mint  found  on  an  island  in  the 
bay;  it  was  a  merely  local  name,  unknown  be- 
vond  the  district,  while  San  Francisco  had  long 
been  familiar  on  the  maps.  "Therefore  it  is 
hereb\-  ordained,  etc."  Bartlett  builded  better 
than  he  knew.  It  would  have  been  a  sad  mis- 
take for  the  city  to  have  carried  the  "outlandish 
name  which  Americans  would  mangle  in  pro- 
nouncing," as  the  alcalde  said. 

The  change  was  made  in  the  latter  part  of 
January,  184",  but  it  was  some  time  before  the 
new  name  was  generally  adopted. 

The  California  Star.  Sam  Brannan's  paper, 
which  had  begun  to  shine  January  9,  1847.  in 
its  issue  of  March  20.  alluding  to  the  change, 
says:  "We  acquiesce  in  it,  though  we  prefer 
the  old  name.  When  the  change  was  first  at- 
tempted we  viewed  it  as  a  mere  assumption  of 
authority,  without  law  of  precedent,  and  there- 


fore we  adhered  to  the  old  name — Verba 
Buena." 

"It  was  asserted  by  the  late  alcalde,  Washing- 
ton Bartlett,  that  the  place  was  called  San 
I'Yancisco  in  some  old  Spanish  paper  which  he 
professed  to  have  in  his  possession;  but  how 
could  we  believe  a  man  even  about  that  which 
it  is  said  'there  is  nothing  in  it,'  who  had  so 
often  evinced  a  total  disregard  for  his  own  honor 
and  character  and  the  honor  of  the  country 
which  gave  him  birth  and  the  rights  of  his  fel- 
low citizens  in  the  district?"  Evidently  the  edi- 
tor had  a  grievance  and  was  anxious  to  get  even 
with  the  alcalde.  Bartlett  demanded  an  inves- 
tigation of  some  charges  made  against  his  ad- 
ministration. He  was  cleared  of  all  blame.  He 
tleserves  the  thanks  of  all  Californians  in  sum- 
marily suppressing  Yerba  Buena  and  preventing 
it  from  being  fastened  on  the  chief  city  of  the 
state. 

There  was  at  that  time  (on  paper)  a  city  of 
Francisca.  The  city  fathers  of  this  budding  me- 
tropolis were  T.  O.  Larkin  and  Robert  Semple. 
In  a  half-column  advertisement  in  the  Califor- 
nian  of  April  20,  1847,  3"^  several  subsequent 
issues,  headed  "Great  Sale  of  City  Lots^"  they  set 
forth  the  many  advantages  and  merits  of 
P'rancisca.  The  streets  are  eighty  feet  wide,  the 
alleys  twenty  feet  wide,  and  the  lots  fifty  yards 
front  and  forty  yards  back.  The  whole  city 
comprises  five  sc|uare  miles." 

"Francisca  is  situated  on  the  Straits  of  Car- 
quinez,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Bay  of  San 
Francisco,  about  thirty  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  bay  and  at  the  head  of  ship  navigation. 
In  front  of  the  city  is  a  commodious  bay,  large 
enough  for  two  hundred  ships  to  ride  at  anchor, 
safe  from  any  wind."  *  '•'  *  "The  entire 
trade  of  the  great  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin 
valleys,  a  fertile  country  of  great  width  and  near 
seven  hundred  miles  long  from  north  to  south, 
must  of  necessity  pass  through  the  narrow  chan- 
nel of  Carquinez  and  the  bay  and  country  is 
so  situated  that  every  person  who  passes  from 
one  side  of  the  bay  to  the  other  will  find  the 
nearest  and  best  way  by  Francisca."  Francisca, 
with  its  manifold  natural  advantages,  ought  to 
have  been  a  great  city,  the  metropolis  of  Cali- 
fornia, but  the  Fates  were  against  it.     Alcalde 


178 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Bartlett,  probably  without  any  design  of  doing 
so,  dealt  it  a  fearful  blow  when  he  dubbed  the 
town  of  the  good  herb,  San  Francisco.  Two 
cities  with  names  so  nearly  alike  could  not  live 
and  thrive  in  the  same  state.  Francisca  became 
Benicia.  The  population  of  San  Francisco  (or 
Yerba  Buena,  as  it  was  then  called)  at  the  time 
that  Captain  Montgomery  raised  the  stars  and 
stripes  and  took  possession  of  it  probably  did 
not  exceed  two  hundred.  Its  change  of  masters 
accelerated  its  grow-th.  The  Calif orn'um  of  Sep- 
tember 4,  1847  (fourteen  months  after  it  came 
under  the  flag  of  the  United  States),  gives  the 
following  statistics  of  its  population  and  prog- 
ress: Total  white  male  population,  247;  female, 
123;  Indians,  male,  26;  female,  8;  South  Sea 
Islanders,  male,  39;  female  i;  negroes,  male, 
9;    female  i;    total  population,  454. 

Nearly  every  country  on  the  globe  had  repre- 
sentatives in  its  population,  and  the  various  vo- 
cations by  which  men  earn  a  living  were 
well  represented.  Minister,  one;  doctors,  three; 
lawyers,  three;  surveyors,  two;  agriculturists, 
eleven;  bakers,  seven;  blacksmiths,  six;  brew- 
er, one;  butchers,  seven;  cabinetmakers,  two; 
carpenters,  twenty-six;  cigarmaker,  one;  coop- 
ers, three;  clerks,  thirteen;  gardener,  one; 
grocers,  five;  gunsmiths,  two;  hotel-keepers, 
three;  laborers,  twenty;  masons,  four;  mer- 
chants, eleven;  miner,  one;  morocco  case 
maker,  one;  navigators  (inland),  six;  navigator 
(ocean),  one;  painter,  one;  printer,  one;  sol- 
dier, one;  shoemakers,  four;  silversmith,  one; 
tailors,  four;  tanners,  two;  watchmaker,  one; 
weaver,  one.  Previous  to  April  i,  1847,  accord- 
ing to  the  Calif ornian,  there  had  been  erected  in 
the  town  seventy-nine  buildings,  classified  as 
follows:  Shanties,  twenty-two;  frame  buildings, 
thirty-one;  adobe  buildings,  twenty-six.  Since 
April  I.  seventy-eight  buildings  have  been 
erected,  viz.:  Shanties,  twenty ;  frame  buildings, 
forty-seven;  adobe  buildings,  eleven.  "Within 
five  months  last  past."  triumphantly  adds  the 
editor  of  the  Califoniian,  "as  many  buildings 
have  been  built  as  were  erected  in  all  the  pre- 
vious years  of  the  town's  existence." 

The  town  continued  to  grow  with  wonderful 
rapidity  throughout  the  year  1847,  considering 
that  peace  had  not  yet  l)een  declared  and  the 


destiny  of  California  was  uncertain.  According 
to  a  school  census  taken  in  Alarch,  1848,  by 
the  Board  of  Trustees,  the  population  was: 
Males,  five  hundred  and  seventy-five;  females, 
one  hundred  and  seventy-seven;  and  "children 
of  age  to  attend  school,"  sixty,  a  total  of  eight 
hundred  and  twelve.  Building  kept  pace  with 
the  increase  of  population  until  the  "gold  fever" 
became  epidemic.  Dr.  Brooks,  writing  in  his 
diary  ;\lay  17,  says:  "Walking  through  the  town 
to-day,  I  observed  that  laborers  were  employed 
only  upon  about  half  a  dozen  of  the  fifty  new 
buildings  which  were  in  the  course  of  being 
run  up." 

The  first  survey  of  lots  in  the  town  had  been 
made  by  a  Frenchman  named  Vioget.  No 
names  had  been  given  to  the  streets.  This  sur- 
vey was  made  before  the  conquest.  In  1847. 
Jasper  O'Farrell  surveyed  and  platted  the  dis- 
trict extending  about  half  a  mile  in  the  different 
directions  from  the  plaza.  The  streets  were 
named,  and,  with  a  very  few  changes,  still  retain 
the  names  then  given.  In  September  the  coun- 
cil appointed  a  committee  to  report  upon  the 
building  of  a  wharf.  It  was  decided  to  con- 
struct two  wharves,  one  froin  the  foot  of  Clay 
street  and  the  other  from  the  foot  of  Broadway. 
Money  was  appropriated  to  build  them  and  they 
had  been  extended  some  distance  seaward  when 
the  rush  to  the  mines  suspended  operations. 
After  considerable  agitation  by  the  two  news- 
papers and  canvassing  for  funds,  the  first  school- 
house  was  built.  It  was  completed  December 
4,  1847,  but,  for  lack  of  funds,  or,  as  the  Star 
saAS,  for  lack  of  energy  in  the  council,  school 
was  not  opened  on  the  completion  of  the  house. 
In  March  the  council  appropriated  $400  and 
April  I,  1848,  Thomas  Douglas,  a  graduate  of 
'S'ale  College,  took  charge  of  the  school.  San 
Francisco  was  rapidly  developing  into  a  pro- 
gressive American  city.  Unlike  the  older  towns 
of  California,  it  had  but  a  small  Mexican  popu- 
lation. Even  had  not  gold  been  discovered,  it 
would  have  grown  into  a  commercial  city  of  con- 
siderable size. 

The  first  effect  of  the  gold  discovery  and  the 
consequent  rush  to  the  mines  was  to  bring 
everything  to  a  standstill.  As  Kemble.  of  the 
Star,  puts  it,  it  was  "as  if  a  curse  had  arrested 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


179 


uur  onward  course  of  enterprise;  everything 
wears  a  desolate  and  sombre  look;  everywhere 
all  is  dull,  monotonous,  dead."  The  return  of 
the  inhabitants  in  a  few  months  and  the  influ.x 
of  new  arrivals  gave  the  town  a  boom  in  the 
fall  of  1848.  Building  was  only  limited  by  the 
lack  of  material,  and  every  kind  of  a  makeshift 
was  resorted  to  to  provide  shelter  against  win- 
ter rains.  From  the  many  attempts  at  describ- 
ing the  town  at  this  stage  of  its  development,  I 
select  this  from  "Sights  in  the  Gold  Regions,'"  a 
book  long  since  out  of  print.  Its  author,  T.  T. 
Johnson,  arrived  at  San  Francisco  April  i,  1849. 
"Proceeding  on  our  survey,  we  found  the 
streets,  or,  properly,  the  roads,  laid  out  reg- 
ularly, those  parallel  with  the  water  being  a 
succession  of  terraces,  and  these  ascending  the 
hills  or  along  their  sides  being  in  some  instances 
cut  down  ten  or  twelve  feet  below  the  surface. 
Except  a  portion  of  the  streets  fronting  upon 
the  cove,  they  are  all  of  hard-beaten,  sandy  clay, 
as  solid  as  if  macadamized,  .\bout  three  hun- 
dred houses,  stores,  shanties  and  sheds,  with  a 
great  many  tents,  composed  the  town  at  that 
period.  The  houses  were  mostly  built  of  rough 
boards  and  unpainted ;  brown  cottons  or  calico 
nailed  against  the  beams  and  joists  answered  for 
wall  and  ceiling  of  the  better  class  of  tenements. 
With  the  exception  of  the  brick  warehouse  of 
Howard  and  Melius,  the  establishments  of  the 
commercial  houses  of  which  we  had  heard  so 
much  were  inferior  to  the  outhouses  of  the 
country  seats  on  the  Hudson;  and  yet  it  would 
puzzle  the  New  York  Exchange  to  produce 
merchant  princes  of  equal  importance."  *  *  '' 
."We  strolled  among  the  tents  in  the  outskirts 
of  the  town.  Here  was  'confusion  worse  con- 
founded,' chiefly  among  Mexicans,  Peruvians 
and  Chilians.  Every  kind,  size,  color  and  shape 
of  tent  pitched  helter-skelter  and  in  the  most 
awkward  manner  were  stowed  full  of  everything 
under  the  sun." 

In  the  first  six  months  of  1849  fifteen  thou- 
sand souls  were  added  to  the  population  of  San 
Francisco;  in  the  latter  half  of  that  year  about 
four  thousand  arrived  every  month  by  sea  alone. 
At  first  the  immigrants  were  from  ]\Iexico, 
Chile,  Peru  and  the  South  .\merican  ports  gen- 
erally;   but  early  in  the   spring  the  Americans 


began  to  arrive,  coming  by  way  of  Panama  and 
Cape  tlorn,  and  later  across  the  plains.  Europe 
sent  its  contingent  by  sea  via  Cape  Horn ;  and 
China,  Australia  and  the  Hawaiian  Islands 
added  to  the  city's  population  an  undesirable 
element.  A  large  majority  of  those  who  came 
by  sea  made  their  way  to  the  mines,  but  many 
soon  returned  to  San  Francisco,  some  to  take 
their  departure  for  home,  others  to  become  resi- 
dents. At  the  end  of  the  year  San  Francisco 
had  a  population  of  twenty-five  thousand.  The 
following  graphic  description  of  life  in  San 
Francisco  in  the  fall  of '49  and  spring  of  '50  I  take 
from  a  paper,  "Pioneer  Days  in  San  Francisco," 
written  by  John  Williamson  Palmer,  and  pub- 
lished in  the  Century  Magazine  (1890):  "And 
how  did  they  all  live?  In  frame  houses  of  one 
story,  more  commonly  in  board  shanties  and 
canvas  tents,  pitched  in  the  midst  of  sand  or 
mud  and  various  rulibish  and  strange  filth  and 
fleas;  and  they  slept  on  rude  cots  or  on  soft 
planks,  under  horse  blankets,  on  tables,  coun- 
ters, floors,  on  trucks  in  the  open  air,  in  bunks 
braced  against  the  weather-boarding,  forty  of 
them  in  one  loft;  and  so  they  tossed  and 
scratched  and  swore  and  laughed  and  sang  and 
skylarked,  those  who  were  not  tired  or  drunk 
enough  to  sleep.  .\nd  in  the  working  hours 
they  bustled,  and  jostled,  and  tugged,  and 
sweated,  and  made  money,  always  made  money. 
They  labored  and  they  lugged;  they  worked  on 
lighters,  drove  trucks,  packed  mules,  rang  bells, 
carried  messages,  'waited'  in  restaurants, 
'marked'  for  billiard  tables,  served  drinks  in 
bar  rooms,  'faked"  on  the  plaza,  'cried'  at  auc- 
tions, toted  lumber  for  houses,  ran  a  game  of 
faro  or  roulette  in  the  El  Dorado  or  the  Bella 
Union,  or  manipulated  three-card  monte  on 
the  head  of  a  barrel  in  front  of  the  Parker 
House;  they  speculated,  and.  as  a  rule,  gam- 
bled. 

"Clerks  in  stores  and  offices  had  munificent 
salaries.  Five  dollars  a  day  was  about  the  small- 
est stipend  even  in  the  custom  house,  and  one 
Baptist  preacher  was  paid  $10,000  a  year.  La- 
borers received  $1  an  hour;  a  pick  or  a  shovel 
was  worth  $10;  a  tin  pan  or  a  wooden  bowl 
$5,  and  a  butcher  knife  $30.  .\t  one  time  car- 
penters  who   were   getting  $12    a    day   struck 


180 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAI'HICAL   RECORD. 


for  $i6.  Lumber  rose  to  $500  per  thou- 
sand feet,  and  every  brick  -in  a  house  cost 
a  dollar  one  way  or  another.  Wheat,  flour 
and  salt  pork  sold  at  $40  a  barrel;  a  small 
loaf  of  bread  was  fift\-  cents  and  a  hard-boiled 
egg  a  dollar.  You  paid  $3  to  get  into  the  cir- 
cus and  $55  for  a  private  bo.x  at  the  theater. 
Forty  dollars  was  the  price  for  ordinary  coarse 
boots,  and  a  pair  that  came  above  the  knees 
and  would  carry  you  gallantly  through  the  quag- 
mires brought  a  round  hundred.  When  a  shirt 
became  \-ery  dirty  the  wearer  threw  it  away  and 
bought  a  new  one.  \\'ashing  cost  $15  a  dozen 
in  1849. 

"Rents  were  simply  monstrous;  $3,000  a 
month  in  advance  for  a  'store'  hurriedly  built  of 
rough  boards.  Wright  &  Co.  paid  $75,000  for 
the  w-retched  little  place  on  the  corner  of  the 
plaza  that  they  called  the  Miners'  Bank,  and 
$36,000  was  asked  for  the  use  of  the  Old  Adobe 
as  a  custom-liousc.  The  Parker  House  paid 
$120,000  a  year  in  rents,  nearly  one-half  of  that 
amount  being  collected  from  gamblers  who  held 
the  second  floor;  and  the  canvas  tent  next  door 
used  as  a  gambling  saloon,  and  called  the  El 
Dorado,  was  good  for  $40,000  a  year.  From 
10  to  15  per  cent  a  month  was  paid  in  advance 
for  the  use  of  money  borrowed  on  substantial 
security.  The  prices  of  real  estate  went  up 
among  the  stars;  $8,000  for  a  fifty-vara  lot  that 
had  been  bought  in  1849  for  $20.  A  lot  pur- 
chased two  years  before  for  a  barrel  of  aguar- 
diente .sold  for  $18,000.  Yet,  for  all  that,  every- 
body made  money. 

"The  aspect  of  the  streets  of  San  Francisco  at 
this  time  was  such  as  one  may  imagine  of  an 
unsightly  waste  of  sand  and  mud  churned  by 
the  continual  grinding  of  heavy  wagons  and 
trucks  and  the  tugging  and  floundering  of 
horses,  mules  and  oxen;  thoroughfares  irregu- 
lar and  uneven,  ungraded,  unpaved,  unplanked. 
obstructed  by  lumber  and  goods,  alternate 
humps  and  holes,  the  actual  dumping-places  of 
the  town,  handy  receptacles  for  the  general 
sweepings  and  rubbish  and  indescribable  ofTal 
and  filth,  the  refuse  of  an  indiscriminate  popu- 
lation 'pigging'  together  in  shanties  and  tents. 
And  tlicse  conditions  extended  beyond  the 
actual  settlement  into  the  chaparral  and  under- 


Itrush  that  covered  the  sand  hills  on  the  north 
and  west. 

"The  flooding  rains  of  winter  transformed 
what  should  have  been  thoroughfares  into 
treacherous  quagmires  set  with  holes  and  traps 
fit  to  smother  horse  and  man.  Loads  of  brush- 
wood and  branches  of  trees  cut  from  the  hills 
were  thrown  into  these  swamps;  but  they  served 
no  more  than  a  temporary  purpose  and  the  in- 
mates of  tents  and  houses  made  such  bridges 
and  crossings  as  they  could  with  boards,  boxes 
and  barrels.  Alen  waded  through  the  slough 
and  thought  themselves  lucky  when  they  sank 
no  deeper  than  their  waists." 

It  is  said  that  two  horses  mired  down  in  the 
mud  of  Montgomery  street  were  left  to  die  of 
siarvation,  and-  that  three  drunken  men  were 
suffocated  between  \\'ashington  and  Jackson 
streets.  It  was  during  the  winter  of  "49  that  the 
famous  sidewalk  of  flour  sacks,  cooking  stoves 
and  tobacco  boxes  was  built.  It  extended  from 
Simmons,  Hutchinson  &  Co.'s  store  to  Adams 
Express  office,  a  distance  of  about  seventy-five 
yards.  The  first  portion  was  built  of  Chilean 
flour  in  one  hundred  pound  sacks,  next  came  the 
cooking  stoves  in  a  long  row,  and  then  followed 
a  double  row  of  tobacco  boxes  of  large  size, 
and  a  yawning  gap  of  the  walk  was  bridged  by 
a  piano.  Chile  flour,  cooking  stoves,  tobacco 
and  pianos  were  cheaper  material  for  building 
walks,  owing  to  the  excessive  supply  of  these, 
than  lumber  at  $600  a  thousand. 

In  the  summer  of  '49  there  were  more  than 
tiiree  hundred  sailing  vessels  lying  in  the  harbor 
of  San  Francisco,  from  which  the  sailors  had 
deserted  to  go  to  the  mines.  Some  of  these  ves- 
sels rotted  where  they  were  moored.  Some 
were  hauled  up  in  the  sand  or  mud  flats  and 
used  for  store  houses,  lodging  houses  and  sa- 
loons. As  the  water  lots  were  filled  in  and  built 
upon,  these  ships  sometimes  formed  part  of 
the  line  of  buildings  on  the  street.  The  brig 
Euphemia  was  the  first  jail  owned  by  the  city; 
the  store  ship  Apollo  was  converted  into  a 
lodging  house  and  saloon,  and  the  Niantic  Hotel 
at  the  corner  of  Sansome  and  Clay  streets  was 
built  on  the  hull  of  the  ship  Niantic.  As  the 
wharves  were  extended  out  into  the  bay  the 
space  between  was  filled  in  from  the  sand  hills 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  houses  built  along  the  wharves.  In  this 
uay  the  cove  was  gradually  filled  in.  The  high 
price  of  lumber  and  the  great  scarcity  of  houses 
brought  about  the  importation  from  New  York, 
I'.oston.  Philadelphia  and  London  of  houses 
ready  framed  to  set  up.  For  a  time  im- 
mense profits  were  made  in  this,  but  an  ex- 
cessive shipment  like  that  of  the  articles  of 
which  the  famous  sidewalk  was  made  brought 
down  the  price  below  cost,  and  the  business 
ceased. 

The  first  of  the  great  fires  that  devastated  San 
Francisco  occurred  on  Christmas  eve,  1849.  ^t 
started  in  Denison's  Exchange,  a  gambling 
house  on  the  east  side  of  the  plaza.  It  burned 
the  greater  part  of  the  block  between  Wash- 
ington and  Clay  streets  and  Kearny  and  Mont- 
gomery streets.  The  loss  was  estimated  at  a 
million  and  a  quarter  dollars.  The  second  great 
fire  occurred  on  May  4,  1850.  It  burned  over 
the  three  blocks  between  Montgomery  and 
Dupont  streets,  bounded  by  Jackson  and  Clay 
streets,  and  the  north  and  east  sides  of  Ports- 
mouth square.  The  loss  was  estimated  at 
$4,000,000.  It  started  in  the  United  States  Ex- 
change, a  gambling  den,  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  burned  for  seven  hours.  The  fire 
was  believed  to  be  of  incendiary  origin  and  sev- 
eral suspicious  characters  were  arrested,  but 
nothing  could  be  proved  against  them.  .\  num- 
ber of  the  lookers-on  refused  to  assist  in  arrest- 
ing the  progress  of  the  flames  unless  paid  for 
their  labor;  and  $3  an  hour  was  demanded  and 
paid  to  some  who  did. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1850,  a  fire  broke  out  in 
the  Sacramento  House,  on  the  east  side  of  Kear- 
ny street,  between  Clay  and  Sacramento.  The 
entire  district  from  Kearny  street  between  Clay 
and  California  to  the  water  front  was  burned 
over,  causing  a  loss  of  $3,000,000.  Over  three 
hundred  houses  were  destroyed.  Tlie  fourth 
great  fire  of  the  fateful  year  of  1850  occurred 
September  17.  It  started  on  Jackson  street  and 
destroyed  the  greater  part  of  the  blocks  be- 
tween Dupont  and  Montgomery  streets  from 
Washington  to  Pacific  streets.  The  loss  in  this 
was  not  so  great  from  the  fact  that  the  district 
contained  mostly  one-story  houses.  It  was  esti- 
mated at  half  a  million  dollars.     December  14 


of  the  same  \ear  a  fire  occurred  on  Sacramento 
street  below  Alontgomery.  Although  the  dis- 
trict burned  over  was  not  extensive,  the  loss 
was  heavy.  The  buildings  were  of  corrugated 
iron,  supposed  to  be  fireproof,  and  were  filled 
with  valuable  merchandise.  The  loss  amounted 
to  $1,000,000.  After  each  fire,  building  was  re- 
sumed almost  before  the  embers  of  the  fire  that 
consumed  the  former  buildings  were  extin- 
guished. After  each  fire  better  buildings  were 
constructed.  A  period  of  six  months'  exemp- 
tion had  encouraged  the  inhabitants  of  the  fire- 
afflicted  city  to  believe  that  on  account  of  the 
better  class  of  buildings  constructed  the  danger 
of  great  conflagrations  was  past,  but  the  worst 
was  yet  to  come.  At  11  p.  m.  May  3,  1851,  a 
fire,  started  by  incendiaries,  broke  out  on  the 
south  side  of  the  plaza.  A  strong  northwest 
wind  swept  across  Ivearny  street  in  broad 
sheets  of  flame,  first  southeastward,  then,  the 
wind  changing,  the  flames  veered  to  the  north 
and  east.  All  efforts  to  arrest  them  were  use- 
less; houses  were  blown  up  and  torn  down  in 
attempts  to  cut  off  communication,  but  the  enr 
gines  were  driven  back  step  by  step,  while  some 
of  the  brave  firemen  fell  victims  to  the  fire  fiend. 
The  flames,  rising  aloft  in  whirling  volumes, 
sw-ept  away  the  frame  houses  and  crumbled  up 
with  intense  heat  the  supposed  fireproof  struc- 
tures. After  ten  hours,  whenjhe  fire  abated  for 
want  of  material  to  burn,  all  that  remained  of 
the  city  were  the  sparsely  settled  outskirts.  All 
of  the  business  district  between  Pine  and  Pa- 
cific streets,  from  Kearny  to  the  Battery  on 
the  water  front,  was  in  ruins.  Over  one  thou- 
sand houses  had  been  burned.  The  loss  of  prop- 
erty was  estimated  at  $10,000,000,  an  amount 
greater  than  the  aggregate  of  all  the  preceding 
fires.  A  number  of  lives  were  lost.  During  the 
progress  of  the  fire  large  quantities  of  goods 
were  stolen  by  bands  of  thieves.  The  sixth  and 
last  of  the  great  conflagrations  that  devastated 
the  city  occurred  on  the  22d  of  June.  1851.  The 
fire  started  in  a  building  on  Powell  street  and 
ravaged  the  district  between  Clay  and  Broadway, 
from  Powell  to  Sansome.  Four  hundred  and 
fifty  houses  were  burned,  involving  a  loss  of 
.«;2, 500,000.  An  improved  fire  department, 
more  stringent  building  regulations  and  a  bet- 


1S2 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ter  water  supply  combined  to  put  an  end  to  the 
era  of  great  fires. 

After  the  great  fires  of  185 1  had  swept  over 
the  city  there  was  practicall}-  nothing  left  of 
the  old  metropolis  of  the  early  gold  rush.  The 
hastily  constructed  wooden  shanties  were  gone ; 
the  corrugated  iron  building  imported  from 
New  York  and  London,  and  warranted  to  be 
fireproof,  had  proved  to  be  worthless  to  with- 
stand great  heat;  the  historic  buildings  had  dis- 
appeared; the  new  city  that.  Phoenix-like,  arose 
from  the  ashes  of  the  old  was  a  very  different 
city  from  its  predecessor  that  had  been  wiped 
from  the  earth  by  successive  conflagrations. 
Stone  and  brick  buildings  covered  the  former 
site  of  wooden  structures.  The  unsightly  mud 
flats  betW'Cen  the  wharves  were  filled  in  from  the 
sand  hills  and  some  of  the  streets  paved.  The 
year  1853  was  memorable  for  the  rapid  progress 
of  the  city.  Assessed  property  values  increased 
from  $18,000,000  to  $28,000,000.  Real  estate 
values  went  soaring  upward  and  the  city  was  on 
the  high  tide  of  prosperity;  but  a  reaction  came 
in  1855.  The  rush  to  the  mines  had  ceased,  im- 
migration had  fallen  ofif,  and  men  had  begun  to 
retrench  and  settle  down  to  steady  business 
habits.  Home  productions  had  replaced  im- 
ports, and  the  people  were  abandoning  mining 
for  farms.  The  transition  from  gold  mining  to 
grain  growing  had  begun.  All  these  afifected 
the  city  and  real  estate  declined.  Lots  that  sold 
for  $8,000  to  $10,000  in  1853  could  be  bought 
for  half  that  amount  in  1855.  Out  of  one  thou- 
sand business  houses,  three  hundred  were  va- 
cant. Another  influence  that  helped  to  .bring 
about    a    depression    was    the   growing   political 


corruption  and  the  increased  taxation  from  pec- 
ulations of  dishonest  officials. 

The  defalcations  and  forgeries  of  Harry 
Aleigs,  which  occurred  in  1854,  were  a  terrible 
blow  to  the  city.  Meigs  was  one  of  its  most 
trusted  citizens.  He  was  regarded  as  the  em- 
bodiment of  integrity,  the  stern,  incorruptible 
man,  the  watch-dog  of  the  treasury.  By  his 
upright  conduct  he  had  earned  the  sobriquet  of 
Honest  Harry  Meigs.  Over-speculation  and 
reaction  from  the  boom  of  1853  embarrassed 
him.  He  forged  a  large  amount  of  city  scrip 
and  hypothecated  it  to  raise  money.  His  forger- 
ies were  suspected,  but  before  the  truth  was 
known  he  made  his  escape  on  the  barque 
America  to  Costa  Rica  and  from  there  he  made 
his  way  to  Peru.  His  forgeries  amounted  to 
$1,500,000,  of  which  $1,000,000  was  in  comp- 
troller's warrants,  to  which  he  forged  the  names 
of  Mayor  Garrison  and  Controller  Harris.  The 
vigilance  committee  of  1856  cleared  the  political 
atmosphere  by  clearing  the  city,  by  means  of 
hemp  and  deportation,  of  a  number  of  bad 
characters.  The  city  was  just  beginning  to  re- 
gain its  former  prosperity  when  the  Frazer  river 
excitement  brought  about  a  temporary  depres- 
sion. The  wild  rush  carried  away  about  one- 
sixth  of  its  population.  These  all  came  back 
again,  poorer  and  perhaps  wiser;  at  least,  their 
necessities  compelled  them  to  go  to  work  and 
weaned  them  somewhat  of  their  extravagant 
habits  and  their  disinclination  to  work  except  for 
the  large  returns  of  earlier  days.  Since  1857  the 
growth  of  the  city  has  been  steady,  unmarked 
bv  real  estate  booms;  nor  has  it  been  retarded 
I1V  long  periods  of  financial  depression. 


CHAPTER   XXVIl. 

CRIME,    CRIMINALS    AND    VIGILANCE    COMMITTEES. 


THERE  was  but  little  crime  in  California 
among  its  white  inhabitants  during  the 
Spanish  and  Mexican  eras  of  its  history. 
The  conditions  were  not  conducive  to  the  de- 
velopment of  a  criminal  element.  The  inhabit- 
ants were  a  pastoral  people,  pursuing  an  out- 
door vocation,  and  there  were  no  large  towns 
or  cities  where  the  viciouslv  inclined  could  con- 


gregate and  find  a  place  of  refuge  from  justice. 
"I'rom  1819  to  1846,  that  is,  during  the  entire 
period  of  Mexican  domination  under  the  Repub- 
lic," says  Bancroft,  "there  were  but  six  murders 
among  the  whites  in  all  California."  There  were 
no  lynchings,  no  mobs,  unless  some  of  the  rev- 
olutionary uprisings  might  be  called  such,  and 
but  one  vigilance  committee. 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


183 


San  Francisco  is  credited  with  the  origin  of 
that  form  of  popular  tribunal  known  as  the  vigi- 
lance committee.  The  name  "vigilance  com- 
mittee" originated  with  the  uprising,  in  1851,  of 
the  people  of  that  citj'  against  the  criminal  ele- 
ment; but,  years  before  there  was  a  city  of  San 
Francisco,  Los  Angeles  had  originated  a  tri- 
bunal of  the  people,  had  taken  criminals  from 
the  lawfully  constituted  authorities  and  had  tried 
and  executed  them.  The  causes  which  called 
into  existence  the  first  vigilance  conmiittee  in 
California  were  similar  to  those  that  created  the 
later  ones,  namely,  laxity  in  the  administration 
of  the  laws  and  distrust  in  the  integrity  of 
those  chosen  to  administer  them.  During  the 
"decade  of  revolutions,"  that  is,  between  1830 
and  1840,  the  frequent  change  of  rulers  and  the 
struggles  of  the  different  factions  for  power  en- 
gendered in  the  masses  a  disregard,  not  only 
for  their  rulers,  but  for  law  and  order  as  well. 
Criminals  escaped  punishment  through  the 
law's  delays.  No  court  in  California  had  power 
to  pass  sentence  of  death  on  a  civilian  until  its 
findings  had  been  approved  by  the  superior  tri- 
bunal of  Mexico.  In  the  slow  and  tedious  proc- 
esses of  the  different  courts,  a  criminal  stood  a 
good  show  of  dying  of  old  age  before  his  case 
reached  final  adjudication.  The  first  committee 
of  vigilance  in  California  was  organized  at  Los 
.\ngeles,  in  the  house  of  Juan  Temple,  April  7, 
1836.  It  was  called  "Junta  Defensora  de  La 
Seguridad  Publica,"  United  Defenders  of  the 
Public  Security  (or  safety).  Its  motto,  wdiich  ap- 
j/cars  in  the  heading  of  its  "acta,"  and  is  there 
credited  as  a  quotation  from  Montesquieu's  Ex- 
position of  the  Laws,  Book  26,  Chapter  23.  was, 
"Salus  populi  suprema  lex  est"  (The  safety  of 
the  people  is  the  supreme  law).  There  is  a 
marked  similarity  between  the  proceedings  of 
the  Junta  Defensora  of  1836  and  the  San  Fran- 
cisco vigilance  committee  of  1856;  it  is  not 
probable,  however,  that  any  of  the  actors  in  the 
latter  committee  participated  in  the  former. 
Although  there  is  quite  a  full  account  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  Junta  Defensora  in  the  Los 
Angeles  city  archives,  no  historian  heretofore 
excejit  Bancroft  seems  to  have  found  it. 

The  circumstances  which  brought  about  the 
organization  of  the  Junta  Defensora  are  as  fol- 


lows: The  wife  of  Domingo  Feliz  (part  owner 
of  the  Los  Feliz  Rancho),  who  bore  the  poet- 
ical name  of  Maria  del  Rosario  Villa,  became 
infatuated  witii  a  handsome  but  disreputable 
Sonoran  vaquero,  Gervacio  Alispaz  by  name. 
She  abandoned  her  husband  and  lived  with  Alis- 
paz as  his  mistress  at  San  Gabriel.  Feliz  sought 
to  reclaim  his  erring  wife,  but  was  met  by  in- 
sults and  abuse  from  her  paramour,  whom  he 
once  wounded  in  a  personal  altercation.  Feliz 
finally  invoked  the  aid  of  the  authorities.  The 
woman  was  arrested  and  brought  to  town.  A 
reconciliation  was  effected  between  the  husband 
and  wife.  Two  days  later  the}-  left  town  for  the 
rancho,  both  riding  one  horse.  On  the  way 
they  were  met  by  Alispaz,  and  in  a  personal  en- 
counter F'eliz  was  stabbed  to  death  by  the  wife's 
paramour.  The  body  was  dragged  into  a  ra- 
vine and  covered  with  brush  and  leaves.  Next 
day,  March  29,  the  body  was  found  and  brought 
to  the  cit}-.  The  murderer  and  the  woman  were 
arrested  and  imprisoned.  The  people  were  filled 
with  horror  and  indignation,  and  there  were 
threats  of  summary  vengeance,  but  better  coun- 
sel prevailed. 

On  the  30th  the  funeral  of  Feliz  took  place, 
and.  like  that  of  James  King  of  William,  twenty 
years  later,  was  the  occasion  for  the  renewal  of 
the  outcry  for  vengeance.  The  attitude  of  the 
people  became  so  threatening  that  on  the  ist 
of  April  an  extraordinary  session  of  the  ayun- 
tamiento  was  held.  A  call  was  made  upon  the 
citizens  to  form  an  organization  to  preserve  the 
peace.  A  considerable  number  responded  and 
were  formed  into  military  patrols  under  the 
command  of  Don  Juan  B.  Leandry.  The  illus- 
trious ayuntamiento  resolved  "that  whomsoever 
shall  disturb  the  public  tranquillity  shall  be  pun- 
ished according  to  law."  The  excitement  ap- 
parently died  out,  but  it  was  only  the  calm  that 
precedes  the  storm.  The  beginning  of  the 
Easter  ceremonies  was  at  hand,  and  it  was 
deemed  a  sacrilege  to  execute  the  assassins  in 
holy  week,  so  all  further  attempts  at  punishment 
were  deferred  until  April  7,  the  I\Ionday  after 
Easter,  when  at  dawn,  by  previous  understand- 
ing, a  number  of  the  better  class  of  citizens 
gathered  at  the  house  of  Juan  Temple,  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  new  postofifice.     An  or- 


184 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ganization  was  effected.  \'ictor  Prudon,  a  na- 
tive of  Breton,  France,  but  a  naturalized  citizen 
of  California,  was  elected  president;  Manuel 
Arzaga,  a  native  of  California,  was  elected  sec- 
retary, and  Francisco  Araujo,  a  retired  army 
officer,  was  placed  in  command  of  the  armed 
force.  Speeches  were  made  by  Prudon,  and  by 
the  military  commandant  and  others,  setting 
forth  the  necessity  of  their  organization  and  jus- 
tifying their  actions.  It  was  unanimously  de- 
cided that  both  the  man  and  the  woman  should 
be  shot;  their  guilt  being  evident,  no  trial  was 
deemed  necessary. 

An  address  to  the  authorities  and  the  people 
was  formulated.  A  copy  of  this  is  preserved  in 
the  city  archives.  It  abounds  in  metaphors. 
It  is  too  long  for  insertion  here.  I  make  a  few 
extracts:  "*  *  *  Believing  that  immorality 
has  reached  such  an  extreme  that  public  secur- 
ity is  menaced  and  will  be  lost  if  the  dike  of  a 
solemn  example  is  not  opposed  to  the  torrent 
of  atrocious  perfidy,  we  demand  of  you  that  you 
execute  or  deliver  to  us  for  immediate  execution 
the  assassin,  Gervacio  Aiispaz,  and  the  unfaith- 
ful Maria  del  Rosario  \'illa,  his  accomplice. 
*  *  ■'  Nature  trembles  at  the  sight  of  these 
venomous  reptiles  and  the  soil  turns  barren  in 
its  refusal  to  support  their  detestable  existence. 
Let  the  infernal  pair  perish!  It  is  the  will  of  the 
people.  We  will  not  lay  down  our  arms  until  our 
petition  is  granted  and  the  murderers  are  exe- 
cuted. The  proof  of  their  guilt  is  so  clear  that 
justice  needs  no  investigation.  Public  vengeance 
demands  an  example  and  it  must  be  given.  The 
blood  of  the  Alvarez,  of  the  Patinos,  of  the 
Jenkins,  is  not  yet  cold — they,  too,  being  the 
unfortunate  victims  of  the  brutal  passions  of 
their  murderers.  Their  bloody  ghosts  shriek 
for  vengeance.  Their  terrible  voices  re-echo 
from  their  graves.  The  afflicted  widow,  the  for- 
saken orphan,  the  aged  father,  the  brother  in 
mourning,  the  inconsolable  mother,  the  public 
— all  demand  speedy  punishment  of  the  guilt>'. 
We  swear  that  outraged  justice  shall  be  avenged 
to-day  or  we  shall  die  in  the  attempt.  The  blood 
of  the  murderers  shall  be  shed  to-day  or  ours 
will  be  to  the  last  drop.  It  will  be  published 
throughout  the  world  that  judges  in  Los  An- 
geles   tolerate    murderers,    but    that    there    are 


virtuous  citizens  who  sacrifice  their  lives  in 
order  to  preserve  those  of  their  countrymen." 

"A  committee  will  deliver  to  the  First  Consti- 
tutional Alcalde  a  copy  of  these  resolutions, 
that  he  may  decide  whatever  he  finds  most  con- 
venient, and  one  hour's  time  will  be  given  him 
in  which  to  do  so.  If  in  that  time  no  answer  has 
been  received,  then  the  judge  will  be  responsible 
before  God  and  man  for  what  will  follow.  Death 
to  the  murderers! 

"Ciod  and  liberty.     Angeles,  April  7,  1836." 

l'"ifty-five  signatures  are  attached  to  this  doc- 
ument; fourteen  of  these  are  those  of  natural- 
ized foreigners  and  the  remainder  those  of  na- 
tive Californians.  The  junta  was  made  up  of 
the  best  citizens,  native  and  foreign.  An  extraor- 
dinary session  of  the  ayuntamiento  was  called. 
The  members  of  the  junta,  fully  armed,  marched 
to  the  city  hall  to  await  the  decision  of  the 
authorities.  The  petition  was  discussed  in  the 
council,  and,  in  the  language  of  the  archives: 
"This  Illustrious  Body  decided  to  call  said 
Breton  Prudon  to  appear  before  it  and  to  com- 
pel him  to  retire  with  the  armed  citizens  so  that 
this  Illustrious  Body  may  deliberate  at  liberty." 

"This  was  done,  but  he  declined  to  appear 
before  this  body,  as  he  and  the  armed  citizens 
w  ere  determined  to  obtain  Gervacio  Aiispaz  and 
?ilaria  del  Rosario  \'illa.  The  ayuntamiento 
decided  that  as  it  had  not  sufficient  force  to 
compel  the  armed  citizens  to  disband,  they 
being  in  large  numbers  and  composed  of  the 
best  and  most  respectable  men  of  the  town,  to 
send  an  answer  saying  that  the  judges  could 
not  accede  to  the  demand  of  the  armed  citi- 
zens." 

The  members  of  the  Junta  Defensora  then 
marched  in  a  body  to  the  jail  and  demanded  the 
keys  of  the  guard.  These  were  refused.  The 
keys  were  secured  by  force  and  Gervacio  Aiispaz 
taken  out  and  shot.  The  following  demand  was 
then  sent  to  the  first  alcalde,  Manuel  Requena: 

"It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  you  deliver 
to  this  junta  the  key  of  the  apartment  where 
Maria  del  Rosario  Villa  is  kept. 

"God  and  liberty. 

"Victor  Prudon,  President. 
"M.^NUEL  Arzaga,  Secretary." 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


185 


To  this  the  alcaide  replied:  "Alana  del  Rosa- 
rio  X'illa  is  incarcerated  at  a  private  dwelling, 
whose  owner  has  the  key,  with  instructions  not 
to  deliver  the  same  to  any  one.  The  prisoner  is 
left  there  at  the  disposition  of  the  law  only. 

"God  and  liberty. 

■"M.VNUEL  Reouena,  Alcalde." 

The  key  was  obtained.  The  wretched  Maria 
was  taken  to  the  place  of  execution  on  a  car- 
reta  and  shot.  The  bodies  of  the  guilty  pair 
were  brought  back  to  the  jail  and  the  following 
communication  sent  to  the  alcalde: 

"Junta  of  the  Defenders  of   Public  Safety. 

"To  the  ist  Constitutional  Alcalde: 
"The  dead  bodies  of  Gervacio  Alispaz  and 
Maria  del  Rosario  \'illa  are  at  your  disposal. 
We  also  forward  you  the  jail  keys  that  you  may 
deliver  them  to  whomsoever  is  on  guard.  In 
case  you  are  in  need  of  men  to  serve  as  guards, 
we  are  all  at  your  disposal. 

"God  and  liberty.  Angeles,  .April  7,  1836. 
"Victor  Prudox,  Pres. 
"Manuel  Arzag.\,  Sec." 

A  few  days  later  the  Junta  Defensora  de  La 
Seguridad  Publica  disbanded:  and  so  ended  the 
only  instance  in  the  seventy-five  years  of  Span- 
ish' and  Mexican  rule  in  California,  of  the  people, 
by  popular  tribunal,  taking  the  administration  of 
justice  out  of  the  hands  of  the  legally  consti- 
tuted authorities. 

The  tales  of  the  fabulous  richness  of  the  gold 
fields  of  California  were  quickly  spread  through- 
out the  world  and  drew  to  the  territory  all 
classes  and  conditions  of  men,  the  bad  as  well 
as  the  good,  the  vicious  as  well  as  the  virtuous: 
the  indolent,  the  profligate  and  the  criminal 
came  to  prey  upon  the  industrious.  These  con- 
glomerate elements  of  society  found  the  Land 
of  Gold  practically  without  law,  and  the  vicious 
among  them  were  not  long  in  making  it  a  land 
without  order.  With  that  inherent  trait,  which 
makes  the  Anglo-Saxon  wherever  he  may  be 
an  organizer,  the  American  element  of  the  gold 
seekers  soon  adjusted  a  form  of  government  to 
suit  the  exigencies  of  the  land  and  the  people. 
There  may  have  been  too  much  lynching,  too 
much    vigilance   committee   in   it   and   too   little 


respect  for  lawfully  constituted  authorities,  but 
it  was  effective  and  was  suited  to  the  social 
conditions  existing. 

In  1851  the  criminal  element  became  so  dom- 
inant as  to  seriously  threaten  the  existence  of 
the  chief  city,  San  Francisco.  Terrible  conflagra- 
tions had  swept  over  the  city  in  May  and  June 
of  that  year  and  destroyed  the  greater  part  of 
the  business  portion.  The  fires  were  known  to 
be  of  incendial-y  origin.  The  bold  and  defiant 
attitude  of  the  vicious  classes  led  to  the  or- 
ganization by  the  better  element,  of  that  form 
of  popular  tribunal  called  a  committee  of  vigi- 
lance. The  law  abiding  element  among  the  cit- 
izens disregarding  the  legally  constituted 
authorities,  who  were  either  too  weak  or  too 
corrupt  to  control  the  law-defying,  took  the 
power  in  their  own  hands,  organized  a  vigilance 
committee  and  tried  and  executed  bv  hanging 
four  notorious  criminals,  namely:  Jenkins, 
Stuart,  Whitaker  and  McKenzie. 

During  the  proceedings  of  the  vigilance  com- 
mittee a  case  of  mistaken  identity  came  near 
costing  an  innocent  man  iiis  life.  About  8 
o'clock  in  the  evening  of  February  18,  two  men 
entered  the  store  of  a  Mr.  Jansen  on  ]Mont- 
gomer}-  street  and  asked  to  see  some  blankets. 
As  the  merchant  stooped  to  get  the  blankets 
one  of  the  men  struck  him  with  a  sling  shot  and 
both  of  them  beat  him  into  insensibility.  They 
then  opened  his  desk  and  carried  away  all  the 
gold  they  could  find,  about  $2,000.  The  police 
arrested  two  men  on.  suspicion  of  being  the  rob- 
bers. One  of  the  men  was  identified  as  James 
Stuart,  a  noted  criminal,  who  had  murdered 
SherifT  Moore  at  .Auburn.  He  gave  the  name  of 
Thomas  Purdue,  but  this  was  believed  to  be  one 
of  Stuart's  numerous  aliases.  The  men  were 
identified  by  Mr.  Jansen  as  his  assailants.  They 
were  put  on  trial.  When  the  court  adjourned 
over  to  the  next  day  a  determined  effort  was 
made  by  the  crowd  to  seize  the  men  and  hang 
iheni.  They  were  finally  taken  out  of  the  hands 
of  the  officers  and  given  a  trial  by  a  jury  selected 
by  a  committee  of  citizens.  The  jurv  failed  to 
agree,  three  of  the  jury  being  convinced  that 
the  men  were  not  Jansen's  assailants.  Then  the 
mob  made  a  rush  to  hang  the  jurv,  but  were 
kept  back  by  a  show  of  revolvers.     The  prison- 


18(; 


HISTURICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ers  were  turned  over  to  the  court.  One  of 
them,  Wildred,  broke  jail  and  escaped.  Burdue 
was  tried,  convicted  and  sentenced  to  fourteen 
years'  imprisonment.  Before  the  sentence  of 
the  court  was  executed  he  was  taken  to  Marys- 
ville  and  arraigned  for  the  murder  of  Sheriff 
Moore.  A  number  of  witnesses  swore  positively 
that  the  man  was  Stuart;  others  swore  even  more 
positively  that  he  was  not.  A  close  examination 
revealed  that  the  prisoner  bore  every  distin- 
guishing mark  on  his  person  by  which  Stuart 
could  be  identified.  He  was  convicted  and  sen- 
tenced to  be  hanged  in  thirty  days.  In  the  mean- 
time the  vigilance  committee  of  1856  was  or- 
ganized and  the  real  Stuart  accidentally  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  vigilantes  at  San  Francisco. 
He  was  arrested  for  a  theft  he  had  not  com- 
mitted and  recognized  by  one  of  the  committee's 
guards  that  he  had  formerly  employed  in  the 
mines.  By  adroit  questioning  he  was  forced  to 
confess  that  he  was  the  real  Stuart,  the  murderer 
of  Sherifif  Moore  and  the  assailant  of  Jansen. 
His  confederate  in  the  robbery  was  Whitaker, 
one  of  the  four  hanged  by  the  committee.  Bur- 
due  was  finally  released,  after  having  twice 
stood  under  the  shadow  of  the  gallows  for  the 
crimes  of  his  double.  The  confessions  of  Stuart 
and  Whitaker  implicated  a  number  of  their  pals. 
Some  of  these  were  convicted  and  sent  to  prison 
and  others  fled  the  country;  about  thirty  were 
banished.  Nearly  all  of  the  criminals  were  ex- 
convicts  from  Australia  and  Tasmania. 

The  vigorous  measures  adopted  by  the  com- 
mittee purified  the  city  of  the  vicious  class  that 
had  preyed  upon  it.  Several  of  the  smaller 
towns  and  some  of  the  mining  camps  organized 
vigilance  committees  and  a  number  of  the 
knaves  who  had  fled  from  San  Francisco  met  a 
deserved  fate  in  other  places. 

In  the  early  '50s  the  better  elements  of  San 
Francisco's  population  were  so  engrossed  in 
business  that  they  had  no  time  to  spare  to  look 
after  its  political  affairs;  and  its  government 
gradually  drifted  into  the  hands  of  vicious  and 
corrupt  men.  Many  of  the  city  authorities  had 
obtained  their  offices  by  fraud  and  ballot  stuf- 
fing and  "instead  of  protecting  the  community 
against  scoundrels  they  protected  the  scoundrels 
against  the  community."     James  King  of  Will- 


iam, an  ex-banker  and  a  man  of  great  courage 
and  persistence,  started  a  small  paper  called 
the  Daily  Evening  Bulletin.  He  vigorously  as- 
sailed the  criminal  elements  and  the  city  and 
county  officials.  His  denunciations  aroused  pub- 
lic sentiment.  The  murder  of  United  States 
Marshal  Richardson  by  a  gambler  named  Cora 
still  further  inflamed  the  public  mind.  It  was 
feared  that  by  the  connivance  of  some  of  the 
corrupt  county  officials  Cora  would  escape  pun- 
ishment. His  trial  resulted  in  a  hung  jury. 
There  was  a  suspicion  that  some  of  the  jury- 
men were  bribed.  King  continued  through  the 
Bulletin  to  hurl  his  most  bitter  invectives  against 
the  corrupt  officials.  They  determined  to  silence 
him.  He  published  the  fact  that  James  Casey, 
a  supervisor  from  the  twelfth  ward,  was  an  ex- 
convict  of  Sing  Sing  prison.  Casey  waylaid 
King  at  the  corner  of  Montgomery  and  Wash- 
ington streets  and  in  a  cowardly  manner  shot 
him  down.  The  shooting  occurred  on  the  14th 
of  JNIay.  1856.  Casey  immediately  surrendered 
himself  to  a  deputy  sheriff,  Lafayete  M.  Byrne, 
who  was  near.  King  was  not  killed,  but  an  ex- 
amination of  the  wound  by  the  physicians  de- 
cided that  there  was  no  hopes  of  his  recovery. 
Casey  was  conducted  to  the  city  prison  and  as 
a  mob  began  to  gather,  for  greater  safety  he 
was  taken  to  the  county  jail.  A  crowd  pursued 
him  crying,  "Hang  him,"  "kill  him."  At  the 
jail  the  mob  was  stopped  by  an  array  of  deputy 
sheriffs,  police  officers  and  a  number  of  Casey's 
friends,  all  armed.  The  excitement  spread 
throughout  the  city.  The  old  vigilance  com- 
mittee of  1 85 1,  or  rather  a  new  organization  out 
of  the  remnant  of  the  old,  was  formed.  Five 
thousand  men  were  enrolled  in  a  few  days. 
Arms  were  procured  and  headquarters  estab- 
lished on  Sacramento  street  between  Davis  and 
Front.  The  men  were  divided  into  companies. 
William  T.  Coleman,  chairman  of  the  vigilance 
committee  of  185 1,  was  made  president  or  No.  i, 
and  Isaac  Bluxome,  Jr.,  the  secretary,  was  No. 
33.  Each  man  was  known  by  number.  Charles 
Doane  was  elected  chief  marshal  of  the  military 
division. 

The  .S"(7;(  Francisco  Herald  (edited  by  John 
Nugent),  then  the  leading  paper  of  the  city,  came 
out    with   a   scathing  editorial   denouncing  the 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIUGRArHRAL   RKCuRU. 


187 


vigilance  committee.  The  merchants  at  once 
withdrew  their  advertising  patronage.  Next 
morning  the  paper  appeared  reduced  from  forty 
cokmms  to  a  single  page,  but  still  hostile  to  the 
committee.  It  finally  died  for  want  of  patron- 
age. 

On  Sunday,  J\Iay  i8,  1856,  the  military  di- 
vision was  ready  to  storm  the  jail  if  necessary  to 
obtain  possession  of  the  prisoners,  Casey  and 
Cora.  The  different  companies,  marching  from 
their  headquarters  by  certain  prescribed  routes, 
all  reached  the  jail  at  the  same  time  and  com- 
pletely invested  it.  They  had  with  them  two 
pieces  of  artiller3^  One  of  these  guns  was 
planted  so  as  to  command  the  door  of  the  jail. 
There  were  fifteen  hundred  vigilantes  under 
arms.  A  demand  was  made  on  Sherifif  Scannell 
for  the  prisoners,  Cora  and  Casey.  The  prison 
guard  made  no  resistance,  the  prisoners  were 
surrendered  and  taken  at  once  to  the  vigilantes' 
headquarters. 

On  the  20th  of  Alay  the  murderers  were  put 
on  trial:  while  the  trial  was  in  progress  the 
death  of  King  was  announced.  Both  men  were 
convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  King's 
funera},  the  largest  and  most  imposing  ever  seen 
in  San  Francisco,  took  place  on  the  23d.  While 
the  funeral  cortege  was  passing  through  the 
streets  Casey  and  Cora  were  hanged  in  front  of 
the  windows  of  the  vigilance  headquarters. 
About  an  hour  before  his  execution  Cora  was 
married  to  a  notorious  courtesan,  Arabella 
Rvan,  but  commonly  called  Belle  Cora.  A 
Catholic  priest.  Father  Accolti,  performed  the 
ceremony. 

Governor  J.  Xeely  Johnson,  who  at  first 
seemed  inclined  not  to  interfere  with  the  vig- 
ilantes, afterwards  acting  under  the  advice  of 
David  S.  Terry,  Volney  E.  Howard  and  others 
of  "the  law  and  order  faction,"  issued  a  proc- 
lamation commanding  the  committee  to  disband, 
to  which  no  attention  was  paid.  The  governor 
then  appointed  William  T.  Sherman  major-gen- 
eral. Sherman  called  for  recruits  to  suppress 
the  uprising.  Seventy-five  or  a  hundred,  mostly 
gamblers,  responded  to  his  call.  General  Wool, 
in  command  of  the  troops  in  the  department  of 
the  Pacific,  refused  to  loan  Governor  Johnson 
arms  to  equip  his  "law  and  order"  recruits  and 


General  Sherman  resigned.  \'olney  E.  Howard 
was  then  appointed  major-general.  His  princi- 
pal military  service  consisted  in  proclaiming 
what  he  would  do  to  the  "pork  merchants"  who 
constituted  the  committee.  He  did  nothing  ex- 
cept to  bluster.  A  squad  of  the  vigilance  po- 
lice attempted  to  arrest  a  man  named  ]\Ialoney. 
Maloney  was  at  the  time  in  tiie  company  of 
David  S.  Terry  (then  chief  justice  of  the  state) 
and  several  other  members  of  the  "law  and  or- 
der" party.  They  resisted  the  police  and  in  the 
melee  Terry  stabbed  the  sergeant  of  the  squad, 
Sterling  A.  Hopkins,  and  then  he  and  his  as- 
sociates made  their  escape  to  the  armory  of  the 
San  Francisco  Blues,  one  of  their  strongholds. 

When  the  report  of  the  stabbing  reached 
headquarters  the  great  bell  sounded  the  alarm 
and  the  vigilantes  in  a  very  brief  space  of  time 
surrounded  the  armory  building  and  had  their 
cannon  planted  to  batter  it  down.  Terry,  Ala- 
loney,  and  the  others  of  their  party  in  the  build- 
ing, considering  discretion  the  better  part  of 
valor,  surrendered  and  were  at  once  taken  to 
Fort  Gunnybags,"  the  vigilantes'  headquarters. 
The  arms  of  the  "law  and  order"  party  at  their 
various  rendezvous  were  surrendered  to  the  vig- 
ilantes and  the  companies  disbanded. 

Terry  was  closely  confined  in  a  cell  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  committee;  Hopkins,  after 
lingering  some  time  between  life  and  death, 
finally  recovered.  Terry  was  tried  for  assault 
on  Hopkins  and  upon  several  other  persons,  was 
found  guilty,  but,  after  being  held  as  a  prisoner 
for  some  time,  was  finally  released.  He  at  once 
joined  Johnson  and  Howard  at  Sacramento, 
where  he  felt  much  safer  than  in  San  Francisco. 
He  gave  the  vigilantes  no  more  trouble. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  Hethrington  and  Brace 
were  hanged  from  a  gallows  erected  on  Davis 
street,  between  Sacramento  and  Commercial. 
Both  of  these  men  had  committed  murder. 
These  were  the  last  executions  by  the  commit- 
tee. The  committee  transported  from  the  state 
thirty  disreputable  characters  and  a  number  de- 
ported themselves.    A  few,  and  among  them  the 


*The  vigilantes  built  around  tlie  building  which  they 
used  for  headquarters  a  breastwork  made  of  gunny- 
sacks  filled  with  sand.  Cannon  were  planted  at  the 
corners  of  the  redout. 


188 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRArHICAL   RECORD. 


notorious  Xed  AIcGowaii,  managed  to  keep  con- 
cealed until  the  storm  was  over.  A  few  of  the 
exiDalriated  returned  after  the  committee  dis- 
solved and  brought  suit  for  damages,  but  failed 
to  recover  anything.  The  committee  had  paid 
the  fare  of  the  exiles.  It  was  only  the  high 
toned  rascals  who  were  given  a  cabin  passage 
that  brought  the  suits.  The  committee  finished 
its  labors  and  dissolved  with  a  grand  parade  on 
the  iSth  of  August  (1856J.  It  did  a  good  work. 
For  several  years  after,  San  Francisco  from  be- 
ing one  of  the  worst,  became  one  of  the  best 
governed  cities  in  the  Cnited  States.  The  com- 
mittee was  made  up  of  men  from  the  northern 
and  western  states.  The  so-called  "law  and 
order"  party  was  mostly  composed  of  the  pro- 
slavery  office-holding  faction  that  ruled  the  state 
at   that   time. 

When  the  vigilance  committees  between  185 1 
and  1856  drove  disreputable  characters  from 
San  Francisco  and  the  northern  mines,  many  of 
them  drifted  southward  and  found  a  lodgment 
for  a  time  in  the  southern  cities  and  towns.  Los 
Angeles  was  not  far  from  the  Mexican  line,  and 
any  one  who  desired  to  escape  from  justice, 
fleet  mounted,  could  speedily  put  himself  be- 
3'ond  the  reach  of  his  pursuers.  All  these 
causes  and  influences  combined  to  produce  a 
saturnalia  of  crime  that  disgraced  that  city  in 
the  early  '50s. 

Cien.  J.  H.  Bean,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Southern  California,  while  returning  to  Los  An- 
geles from  his  place  of  business  at  San  Gabriel 
late  one  evening  in  Xovember,  1852,  was  at- 
tacked by  two  men,  who  had  been  l\ing  in  wait 
for  him.  One  seized  the  bridle  of  his  horse  and 
jerked  the  animal  back  on  his  haunches;  the 
other  seized  the  general  and  pulled  him  from  the 
saddle.  Bean  made  a  desperate  resistance,  but 
was  overpowered  and  stabbed  to  death.  The 
assassination  of  General  Bean  resulted  in  the 
organization  of  a  vigilance  committee  and  an 
efifort  was  made  to  rid  the  country  of  desper- 
adoes. A  number  of  arrests  were  made.  Three 
suspects  were  tried  by  the  committee  for  various 
crimes.  One,  Cipiano  Sandoval,  a  poor  cob- 
bler of  San  Gabriel,  was  charged  with  complicity 
in  the  murder  of  General  Bean.  He  strenuously 
maintained  that  he  was  innocent.     He,  with  the 


other  two,  were  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  On 
the  following  Sunday  morning  the  doomed  men 
were  conducted  to  the  top  of  Fort  Hill,  where 
the  gallows  stood.  Sandoval  made  a  brief 
speech,  again  declaring  his  innocence.  The 
others  awaited  their  doom  in  silence.  The  trap 
fell  and  all  were  launched  into  eternity.  Years 
afterward  one  of  the  real  murderers  on  his 
tleathbed  revealed  the  truth  and  confessed  his 
])art  in  the  crime.  The  poor  cobbler  was  inno- 
cent. 

in  1854  drunkenness,  gambling,  murder  and 
all  forms  of  immorality  and  crime  were  ram- 
pant in  Los  Angeles.  The  violent  deaths,  it  is 
said,  averaged  one  for  every  day  in  the  year.  It 
was  a  common  question  at  the  breakfast  table, 
"Well,  how  many  were  killed  last  night?"  Little 
or  no  attention  was  paid  to  the  killing  of  an 
Indian  or  a  half  breed;  it  was  only  when  a  gente 
de  razon  was  the  victim  that  the  community  was 
aroused  to  action. 

The  Kern  river  gold  rush,  in  the  winter  of 
1854-55,  brought  from  the  northern  mines  fresh 
relays  of  gamljlers  and  desperadoes  and  crime 
increased.  The  Southern  Californian  of  ]\Iarch 
7,  1855,  commenting  on  the  general  lawlessness 
prevailing,  says:  "Last  Sunday  night  w-as  a 
brisk  night  for  killing.  I'our  men  were  shot 
and  killed  and  several  wounded  in  shooting  af- 
frays." 

A  worthless  fellow  by  the  name  of  David 
r.rown,  who  had,  without  provocation,  killed  a 
companion  named  CliiTord,  was  tried  and  sen- 
tenced to  be  hanged  with  one  I'~elipe  Alvitre,  a 
Mexican,  who  had  murdered  an  American 
named  Ellington,  at  El  ]^Ionte.  There  was  a 
feeling  among  the  people  that  Brown,  through 
([uibbles  of  law,  would  escape  the  death  penalty, 
and  there  was  talk  of  lynching.  Stephen  C. 
h'oster,  the  mayor,  promised  that  if  justice  was 
not  legally  meted  out  to  Brown  by  the  law,  then 
lie  would  resign  his  office  and  head  the  lynching 
party.  January  10,  1855,  an  order  was  received 
from  Judge  Murray,  of  the  supreme  court,  stay- 
ing the  execution  of  Brown,  but  leaving  Alvitre 
t(.  his  fate.  January  12  Alvitre  was  hanged  by 
the  sherifif  in  the  jail  yard  in  the  presence  of  an 
immense  crowd.  The  gallows  were  taken  down 
and  the  guards  dismissed.    The  crowd  gathered 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


189 


outside  the  jail  yard.  Speeches  were  made. 
The  mayor  resigned  his  office  and  headed  the 
mob.  The  doors  of  the  jail  were  broken  down; 
LSrown  was  taken  across  Spring  street  to  a 
kirge  gateway  opening  into  a  corral  and  hanged 
from  the  crossbeam.  Foster  was  re-elected  by 
an  almost  unanimous  vote  at  a  special  election. 
The  city  marshal,  who  had  opposed  the  action 
of  the  vigilantes,  was  compelled  to  resign. 

During  1855  and  1856  lawlessness  increased. 
There  was  an  organized  band  of  about  one  hun- 
dred Mexicans,  who  patroled  the  highways, 
robbing  and  nuirdering.  They  threatened  the 
e-xtermination  of  the  .\niericans  and  there  were 
fears  of  a  race  war,  for  many  who  were  not 
members  of  the  gang  sympathized  with  them. 
In  1856  a  vigilance  committee  was  organized 
with  ]\Iyron  Norton  as  president  and  H.  N. 
Alexander  as  secretary.  A  number  of  dis- 
reputable characters  were  forced  to  leave  town. 
The  banditti,  under  their  leaders,  Pancho  Dan- 
iel and  Juan  Flores,  were  plundering  and  com- 
mitting outrages  in  the  neighborhood  of  San 
Juan  Capistrano. 

On  the  night  of  January  22.  1857,  Sheriff 
James  R.  Barton  left  Los  .\ngeles  with  a  posse, 
consisting  of  William  H.  Little,  Charles  K. 
Baker,  Charles  F.  Daley,  Alfred  Hardy  and 
Frank  Alexander  with  the  intention  of  captur- 
ing some  of  the  robbers.  At  Sepulveda's  ranch 
next  morning  the  sherifif's  party  was  warned  that 
the  robbers  were  some  fifty  strong,  well  armed 
and  mounted,  and  would  probably  attack  them. 
Twelve  miles  further  the  sheriff  and  his  men  en- 
countered a  detachment  of  the  banditti.  A 
short,  sharp  engagement  took  place.  Barton, 
Baker,  Little  and  Daley  were  killed.  Hardy  and 
.-\lexander  made  their  escape  by  the  fleetness 
of  their  horses.  When  the  news  reached  Los 
Angeles  the  excitement  became  intense.  A 
public  meeting  was  held  to  devise  plans  to  rid 
the  community  not  only  of  the  roving  gang  of 
murderers,  but  also  of  the  criminal  classes  in 
the  city,  who  were  known  to  be  in  sympathy 
with  the  banditti.  All  suspicious  houses  were 
searched  and  some  fifty  persons  arrested.  Sev- 
eral companies  were  organized;  the  infantry  to 
guard  the  city  and  the  mounted  men  to  scour 
the  country.     Companies  were  also  formed  at 


San  Bernardino  and  El  Alonte,  while  the  mil- 
itary authorities  at  Fort  Tejon  and  San  Diego 
despatched  soldiers  to  aid  in  the  good  work  of 
exterminating  crime  and  criminals. 

The  robbers  were  pursued  into  the  mountains 
and  nearly  all  captured.  Gen.  Andres  Pico, 
with  a  company  of  native  Californians,  was  most 
efficient  in  the  pursuit.  He  captured  Silvas  and 
Ardillero,  two  of  the  most  noted  of  the  gang, 
and  hanged  them  where  they  were  cap- 
tured. Fifty-two  were  lodged  in  the  city  jail. 
Of  these,  eleven  were  hanged  for  various  crimes 
and  the  remainder  set  free.  Juan  Flores,  one 
of  the  leaders,  was  condemned  by  popular  vote 
and  on  February  14,  1857,  was  hanged  near  the 
top  of  F'ort  Hill  in  the  presence  of  nearly  the 
entire  population  of  the  town.  He  was  only 
twenty-one  }-ears  of  age.  Pancho  Daniel,  an- 
other of  the  leaders,  was  captured  on  the  Kjth 
of  January,  1858,  near  San  Jose.  He  was  found 
by  the  sheriff,  concealed  in  a  haystack,  .\fter 
his  arrest  he  was  part  of  the  time  in  jail  and  part 
of  the  time  out  on  bail.  He  had  been  tried  three 
times,  but  through  law  quibbles  had  escaped 
conviction.  A  change  of  venue  to  Santa  Bar- 
bara had  been  granted.  The  people  determined 
to  take  the  law  in  their  own  hands.  On  tlie 
morning  of  November  30,  1858.  the  body  of 
Pancho  was  hanging  from  a  beam  across  the 
gateway  of  the  jail  yard.  Four  of  the  banditti 
were  executed  by  the  people  of  San  Gabriel, 
and  Leonardo  Lopez,  under  sentence  of  the 
court,  was  hanged  by  the  sheriff.  The  gang  was 
broken  up  and  the  moral  atmosphere  of  Los 
Angeles  somewhat  purified. 

November  17,  1862,  John  Rains  of  Cuca- 
monga  ranch  was  murdered  near  .\zusa.  De- 
cember 9,  1863,  the  sheriff  was  taking  Manuel 
Cerradel  to  San  Quentin  to  serve  a  ten  years' 
sentence.  When  the  sheriff  went  aboard  the  tug 
boat  Cricket  at  Wilmington,  to  proceed  to  the 
Senator,  quite  a  number  of  other  persons  took 
passage.  On  the  way  down  the  harbor,  the 
prisoner  was  seized  by  the  passengers,  who 
were  vigilantes,  and  hanged  to  the  rigging;  after 
hanging  twenty  minutes  the  body  was  taken 
down,  stones  tied  to  the  feet  and  it  was  thrown 
overboard.  Cerradel  was  implicated  in  the  mur- 
der of  Rains. 


190 


HISTORICAL   A\D    BIOGRAPHlCAl     RECORD. 


in  the  fall  of  1863  lawlessness  had  again  be- 
come rampant  in  Los  Angeles ;  one  of  the  chiefs 
of  the  criminal  class  was  a  desperado  b_v  the 
name  of  Boston  Daimwood.  He  was  suspected 
of  the  murder  of  a  miner  on  the  desert 
and  was  loud  in  his  threats  against  the  lives 
of  various  citizens.  He  and  four  other  well- 
known  criminals,  ^^'ood,  Chase,  Ybarra  and 
C)livas,  all  of  whom  were  either  murder- 
ers or  horse  thieves,  were  lodged  in  jail.  On 
the  2 1  St  of  November  two  hundred  armed 
citizens  battered  down  the  doors  of  the  jail, 
took  the  five  wretches  out  and  hanged  them  to 
the  portico  of  the  old  court  house  on  Spring 
street,  which  stood  on  the  present  site  of  the 
Phillips  block. 

C^n  the  24th  of  October,  1871,  occurred  in 
Los  Angeles  a  most  disgraceful  afifair,  known 
as  the  Chinese  massacre.  It  grew  out  of  one 
of  those  interminable  feuds  between  rival 
tongs  of  highbinders,  over  a  woman.  Desul- 
tory firing  had  been  kept  up  between  the  rival 
factions  throughout  the  day.  About  5:30  p.  m. 
Policeman  Bilderrain  visited  the  seat  of  war.  an 
old  adobe  house  on  the  corner  of  Arcadia  street 
and  "Xigger  alley,"  known  as  the  Coronel  build- 
ing. Finding  himself  unable  to  quell  the  dis- 
turbance he  called  for  help.  Robert  Thompso^i, 
an  old  resident  of  the  city,  was  among  the  first 
to  reach  the  porch  of  the  house  in  answer  to  the 
police  call  for  help.  He  received  a  mortal  wound 
from  a  bullet  fired  through  the  door  of  a  Chi- 
nese store.  He  died  an  hour  later  in  Woll- 
weber's  drug  store.  The  Chinese  in  the  mean- 
time barricaded  the  doors  and  windows  of  the 
old  adobe  and  prepared  for  battle.  The  news 
of  the  fight  and  of  the  killing  of  Thompson 
spread  throughout  the  city  and  an  immense 
crowd  gathered  in  the  streets  around  the  build- 
ing with  the  intention  of  wreaking  vengeance  on 
the  Chinese. 

The  first  attempt  by  the  mob  to  dislodge  the 
Chinamen  was  by  cutting  holes  through  the  flat 
brea  covered  roof  and  firing  pistol  shots  into  the 
interior  of  the  building.  One  of  the  besieged 
crawled  out  of  the  building  and  attempted  to 
escape,  but  was  shot  down  before  half  way 
across  Negro  alley.  Another  attempted  to  es- 
cape  into   Los  Angeles   street;   he  was   seized, 


dragged  to  the  gate  of  Tomlinson's  corral  on 
New  High  street,  and  hanged. 

About  9  o'clock  a  part  of  the  mob  had  suc- 
ceeded in  battering  a  hole  in  the  eastern  end  of 
the  building;  through  this  the  rioters,  with 
demoniac  howhngs.  rushed  in,  firing  pistols  to 
the  right  and  left.  Huddled  in  corners  and  hid- 
den behind  boxes  they  found  eight  terror- 
stricken  Chinamen,  who  begged  piteously  for 
their  lives.  These  were  brutally  dragged  out 
and  turned  over  to  the  fiendish  mob.  One  was 
dragged  to  death  by  a  rope  around  his  neck; 
three,  more  dead  than  alive  from  kicking  and 
beating,  were  hanged  to  a  wagon  on  Los  An- 
geles street ;  and  four  were  hanged  to  the  gate- 
way  of  Tomlinson's  corral.  Two  of  the  victims 
were  mere  boys.  While  the  shootings  and  hang- 
ings were  going  on  thieves  were  looting  the 
other  houses  in  the  Chinese  quarters.  The 
houses  were  broken  into,  trunks,  boxes  and 
other  receptacles  rifled  of  their  contents,  and 
nny  Chinamen  found  in  the  buildings  were 
dragged  forth  to  slaughter.  Among  the  vic- 
tims was  a  doctor,  Gene  Tung,  a  quiet,  inof- 
fensive old  man.  He  pleaded  for  his  life  in  good 
English,  offering  his  captors  all  his  money, 
some  S2,ooo  to  $3,000.  He  was  hanged,  his 
money  stolen  and  one  of  his  fingers  cut  off  to 
obtain  a  ring  he  wore.  The  amount  of  money 
stolen  by  the  mob  from  the  Chinese  quarters 
was  variously  estimated  at  from  $40,000  to 
$50,000. 

About  9:30  p.  m.  the  law  abiding  citizens, 
under  the  leadership  of  Henry  Hazard,  R.  M. 
Widney,  H.  C.  Austin,  Sheriff  Burns  and  oth- 
ers, had  rallied  in  sufficient  force  to  make  an 
attempt  to  quell  the  mob.  Proceeding  to  China- 
town they  rescued  several  Chinamen  from  the 
rioters.  The  mob  finding  armed  opposition 
quickly  dispersed. 

The  results  of  the  mob's  murderous  work 
were  ten  men  hanged  on  Los  Angeles  street, 
some  to  wagons  and  some  to  awnings;  five 
hanged  at  Tomlinson's  corral  and  four  shot  to 
death  in  Negro  alley,  nineteen  in  all.  Of  all  the 
Chinamen  murdered,  the  only  one  known  to  be 
implicated  in  the  highbinder  war  was  Ah  Choy. 
All  the  other  leaders  escaped  to  the  country 
before  the  attack  was  made  bv  the  mob.     The 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


I'J] 


grand  jury,  after  weeks  of  investigation,  found 
indictments  against  one  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
sons alleged  to  have  been  actively  engaged  in 
the  massacre.  The  jury's  report  severely  cen- 
sured "the  officers  of  this  county,  as  well  as  of 
this  city,  whose  duty  it  is  to  preserve  peace," 
and  declared  that  they  "were  deplorably  ineffi- 
cient in  the  performance  of  their  duty  during 
the  scenes  of  confusion  and  bloodshed  which 
disgraced  our  city,  and  has  cast  a  reproach  upon 
the  people  of  Los  Angeles  county."  Of  all  those 
indicted  but  six  were  convicted.  These  were 
sentenced  to  from  four  to  six  years  in  the  state's 
prison,  but  through  some  legal  technicality  they 
were  all  released  after  serving  a  part  of  their 
sentence. 

The  last  execution  in  Los  Angeles  by  a  vig- 
ilance committee  was  that  of  Michael  Lachenias, 
a  French  desperado,  who  had  killed  five  or  six 
men.  The  offense  for  which  he  was  hanged  was 
the  murder  of  Jacob  Bell,  a  little  inolTensive 
man,  who  owned  a  small  farm  near  that  of 
Lachenias,  south  of  the  city.  There  had  been 
a  slight  difference  between  them  in  regard  to 
the  use  of  water  from  a  zanja.  Lachenias,  with- 
out a  word  of  warning,  rode  up  to  Bell,  where 
he  was  at  work  in  his  field,  drew  a  revolver  and 
shot  him  dead.  The  murderer  then  rode  into 
town  and  boastingly  informed  the  people  of 
what  he  had  done  and  told  them  where  they 
would  find  Bell's  body.  He  then  surrendered 
himself  to  the  officers  and  was  locked  up  in 
jail. 

Public  indignation  was  aroused.  A  meeting 
was  held  m  Stearns'  hall  on  Los  Angeles  street. 
A  vigilance  committee  was  formed  and  the  de- 
tails of  the  execution  planned.  On  the  morning 
of  the  i/th  of  December,  1870,  a  body  of  three 
hundred  armed  men  marched  to  the  jail,  took 
Lachenias  out  and  proceeded  with  him  to  Tom- 
linson's  corral  on  Temple  and  New  High  streets, 
and  hanged  him.  The  crowd  then  quietly  dis- 
persed. 

A  strange  metamorphosis  took  place  in  tlie 
character  of  the  lower  classes  of  the  native  Cal- 
ifornians  after  the  conquest.  (The  better  classes 
were  not  changed  in  character  by  the  changed 
conditions  of  the  country,  but  thronghout  were 
true  gentlemen  and  most  worthy  and  honorable 


citizens.)  Before  the  conquest  by  the  Ameri- 
cans they  were  a  peaceful  and  contented  people. 
There  were  no  organized  bands  of  outlaws 
among  them.  After  the  discovery  of  gold  the 
evolution  of  a  banditti  began  and  they  produced 
some  of  the  boldest  robbers  and  most  daring 
highwaymen  the  world  has  seen. 

The  injustice  of  their  contjuerors  had  much  to 
do  with  producing  this  change.  The  Ameri- 
cans not  only  took  possession  of  their  country 
and  its  government,  but  in  many  cases  they  de- 
spoiled them  of  their  ancestral  acres  and  their 
personal  property.  Injustice  rankles;  and  it  is 
not  strange  that  the  more  lawless  among  the 
native  population  sought  revenge  and  retalia- 
tion. They  were  often  treated  by  the  rougher 
American  element  as  aliens  and  intruders,  who 
had  no  right  in  the  land  of  their  birth.  Such 
treatment  embittered  them  more  than  loss  of 
property.  There  were  those,  however,  among 
the  natives,  who,  once  entered  upon  a  career 
of  crime,  found  robbery  and  murder  congenial 
occupations.  The  plea  of  injustice  was  no  ex- 
tenuation  for  their   crimes. 

Joaquin  Murieta  was  the  most  noted  of  the 
Mexican  and  Californian  desperadoes  of  the 
early  '50s.  He  was  born  in  Sonora  of  good  fam- 
ily and  received  some  education.  He  came  to 
California  with  the  Sonoran  migration  of  1849, 
and  secured  a  rich  claim  on  the  Stanislaus.  He 
was  dispossessed  of  this  by  half  a  dozen  Amer- 
ican desperadoes,  his  wife  abused  and  both 
driven  from  the  diggings.  He  next  took  up  a 
ranch  on  the  Calaveras,  but  from  this  he  was 
driven  by  two  Americans.  He  ne.xt  tried  min- 
ing in  the  ^Murphy  diggings,  but  was  unsuccess- 
ful. His  next  occupation  was  that  of  a  monte 
player.  While  riding  into  town  on  a  horse  bor- 
rowed from  his  half-brother  he  was  stopped  by 
an  .\merican,  who  claimed  that  the  horse  was 
stolen  from  him.  Joaquin  protested  that  the 
horse  was  a  borrowed  one  from  his  half-brother 
and  offered  to  procure  witnesses  to  prove  it. 
He  was  dragged  from  the  sad<lle  amid  cries  of 
"hang  the  greaser."  He  was  taken  to  the  ranch 
of  his  brother.  The  brother  was  hanged  to  the 
limb  of  a  tree,  no  other  proof  of  his  crime  being 
needed  than  the  assertion  of  the  .\merican  that 
the  horse  was  his.    Joaquin  was  stripped,  bound 


192 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRAl^HICAL   RECORD. 


to  the  same  tree  and  tlogged.  The  demon  was 
aroused  within  him,  and  no  wonder,  he  vowed 
revenge  on  the  men  who  had  murdered  his 
brother  and  beaten  him.  Faithfully  he  carried 
out  his  vow  of  vengeance.  Had  he  doomed 
only  these  to  slaughter  it  would  have  been  but 
little  loss,  but  the  implacable  foe  of  every 
American,  he  made  the  innocent  suffer  with  the 
guilty.  He  was  soon  at  the  head  of  a  band  of 
desperadoes,  varying  in  numbers  from  twenty  to 
forty.  For  three  years  he  and  his  band  were  the 
terror  of  the  state.  From  the  northern  mines 
to  the  Mexican  border  they  committed  robberies 
and  murders.  Claudio'  and  some  of  his  sub- 
ordinates were  killed,  but  the  robber  chief 
seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life.  Large  rewards 
were  offered  for  him  dead  or  alive  and  numerous 
attempts  were  made  to  take  him.  Capt.  Harry 
Love  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  rangers  August, 
1853.  came  upon  Joaquin  and  six  of  his  gang 
in  a  camp  near  the  Tejon  Pass.  In  the  fight  that 
ensued  Joaquin  and  Three  T^ingercd  Jack  were 
killed.  With  the  loss  of  their  leaders  the  or- 
ganization was  broken  up. 

The  last  organized  band  of  robbers  which 
terrorized  the  southern  part  of  the  state  was 
that  of  A'asquez.  Tiburcio  Vasquez  was  born 
in  Monterey  county,  of  Mexican  parents,  in 
1837.  Early  in  life  he  began  a  career  of  crime. 
After  committing  a  number  of  robberies  and 
thefts  he  was  captured  and  sent  to  San  Quentin 
for  horse  stealing.  He  was  discharged  in  1863, 
but  continued  his  disreputable  career.  He 
united  with  Procopio  and  Soto,  two  noted  ban- 
dits. Soto  was  killed  by  Sheriff  Morse  of  Ala- 
meda county  in  a  desperate  encounter.  Vasquez 
and  his  gang  of  outlaws  committed  robberies 
throughout  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  rang- 
ing from  Santa  Clara  and  Alameda  counties  to 
the  Mexican  line.  Early  in  ]\Iay,  1874,  SheriiT 
William  Rowland  of  Los  Angeles  county,  who 
had  repeatedly  tried  to  capture  A\asquez,  but 
whose   plans   had   been    foiled    l)y   the    bandit's 


spies,  learned  that  the  robber  chief  was  mak- 
ing his  headquarters  at  the  house  of  Greek 
George,  about  ten  miles  due  west  of  Los  An- 
gele:>,  toward  Santa  IMonica,  in  a  canon  of  the 
Cahnenga  mountains.  The  morning  of  Alay  15 
was  set  for  the  attack.  To  avert  suspicion 
SherifT  Rowland  remained  in  the  city.  Tlie  at- 
tacking force,  eight  in  number,  were  under 
command  of  Under-Sherifif  Albert  Johnson,  the 
other  members  of  the  force  were  Major  H.  M. 
Mitchell,  attorney-at-law;  J.  S.  Bryant,  city  con- 
stable; E.  Harris,  policeman;  W.  E.  Rogers, 
citizen;  B.  F.  Hartley,  chief  of  police;  and  D. 
K.  Smith,  citizen,  all  of  Los  Angeles,  and  a  Mr. 
Beers,  of  San  Francisco,  special  correspondent 
of  the  Sail  Francisco  Chronicle. 

At  4  a.  m.  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  May 
the  posse  reached  Major  Mitchell's  bee  ranch 
in  a  small  caiion  not  far  from  Greek  George's. 
From  this  point  the  party  reconnoitered  the 
bandit's  hiding  place  and  planned  an  attack.  As 
the  deputy  sheriff  and  his  men  were  about  to 
move  against  the  house  a  high  box  wagon  drove 
up  the  caiion  from  the  direction  of  Greek 
George's  place.  In  this  were  two  natives;  the 
sheriff's  party  climbed  into  the  high  wagon  box 
and,  lying  down,  compelled  the  driver  to  drive 
up  to  the  back  of  Greek  George's  house, 
threatening  him  and  his  companion  with  death 
on  the  least  sign  of  treachery.  Reaching  the 
house  they  surrounded  it  and  burst  in  the  door. 
\'asquez,  who  had  been  eating  his  breakfast,  at- 
tempted to  escape  through  a  small  window. 
The  party  opened  fire  on  him.  Being  wounded 
and  finding  himself  surrounded  on  all  sides,  he 
surrendered.  He  was  taken  to  the  Los  Angeles 
jail.  His  injuries  proved  to  be  mere  flesh 
wounds.  He  received  a  great  deal  of  maudlin 
sympathy  from  silly  women,  w'ho  magnified  him 
into  a  hero.  He  was  taken  to  San  Jose,  tried 
for  murder,  found  guilty  and  hanged,  March  19. 
1875.  liis  band  was  thereupon  broken  up  and 
dispersed. 


HISTORICAL  AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 


FILIBUSTERS    AND    FILIBUSTERING. 


THE  rush  of  immigration  to  California  in 
the  early  '50s  had  brought  to  the  state 
a  class  of  adventurers  who  were  too 
lazy  or  too  proud  to  work.  They  were  ready 
to  engage  in  almost  any  lawless  undertaking 
that  promised  plunder  and  adventure.  The  de- 
feat of  the  pro-slavery  politicians  in  their  at- 
tempts to  fasten  their  "peculiar  institution"  upon 
any  part  of  the  territory  acquired  from  Mex- 
ico had  embittered  them.  The  more  un- 
scrupulous among  them  began  to  look  around 
for  new  fields,  over  which  slavery  might  be  ex- 
tended. As  it  could  be  made  profitable  only  in 
southern  lands,  Cuba,  Mexico  and  Central 
America  became  the  arenas  for  enacting  that 
form  of  piracy  called  "filibustering."  The  object 
of  these  forays,  when  organized  by  Americans, 
was  to  seize  upon  territory  as  had  been  done 
in  Texas  and  erect  it  into  an  independent  gov- 
ernment that  ultimately  would  be  annexed  to 
the  United  States  and  become  slave  territory. 
Although  the  armed  invasion  of  countries  with 
which  the  LTnited  States  was  at  peace  was  a  di- 
rect violation  of  its  neutrality  laws,  yet  the  fed- 
eral ofifice-holders  in  the  southern  states  and  in 
California,  all  of  whom  belonged  to  the  pro- 
slavery  faction,  not  only  made  no  attempt  to 
prevent  these  invasions,  but  secretly  aided  them 
or  at  least  sympathized  with  them  to  the  extent 
of  allowing  them  to  recruit  men  and  depart 
without  molestation.  There  was  a  glamour  of 
romance  about  these  expeditions  that  influenced 
unthinking  young  men  of  no  fixed  principles 
to  join  them;  these  were  to  be  pitied.  But  the 
leaders  of  them  and  their  aliettors  were  cold, 
selfish,  scheming  politicians,  willing,  if  need  be. 
to  overthrow  the  government  of  the  nation  and 
build  on  its  ruins  an  oligarchy  of  slave  holders. 
The  first  to  organize  a  filibuster  expedition  in 
California  was  a  Frenchman.  Race  prejudices 
were  strong  in  early  mining  days.    The  United 


States  had  recently  been  at  war  with  Mexico. 
The  easy  conquest  of  that  country  had  bred  a 
contempt  for  its  peoples.  The  Sonoran  migra- 
tion, that  begun  soon  after  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California,  brought  a  very  undesirable 
class  of  immigrants  to  the  state.  Sailing  vessels 
had  brought  from  the  west  coast  of  South 
America  another  despised  class  of  mongrel 
Spanish.  It  exasperated  the  Americans  to  see 
these  people  digging  gold  and  carrying  it  out 
of  the  country.  This  antagonism  extended,  more 
or  less,  to  all  foreigners,  but  was  strongest 
against  men  of  the  Latin  races.  Many  French- 
men, through  emigration  schemes  gotten  up 
in  Paris,  had  been  induced  to  come  to  Califor- 
nia. Some  of  these  were  men  of  education  and 
good  standing,  but  they  fell  under  the  ban  of 
prejudices  and  by  petty  persecutions  were 
driven  out  of  the  mines  and  forced  to  earn  a 
precarious  living  in  the  cities.  There  was  a 
great  deal  of  dissatisfaction  among  the  F"rench- 
men  with  existing  conditions  in  California,  and 
they  were  ready  to  embark  in  any  scheme  that 
promised  greater  rewards.  Among  the  French 
population  of  San  Francisco  was  a  man  of  noble 
family.  Count  Gaston  Roaul  de  Raousset-Boul- 
bon.  He  had  lost  his  ancestral  lands  and  was 
in  reduced  circumstances.  He  was  a  man  of 
education  and  ability,  but  visionary.  He  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  establishing  a  French  colony 
on  the  Sonora  border  and  opening  the  mines 
that  had  been  abandoned  on  account  of  Apache 
depredations.  By  colonizing  the  border  he 
hoped  to  put  a  stop  to  American  encroachments. 
He  divulged  his  scheme  to  the  French  consul, 
Dillon,  at  San  Francisco,  who  entered  heartily 
into  it.  Raousset  was  sent  to  the  City  of  Mex- 
ico, where  he  obtained  from  President  Arista 
the  desired  concession  of  land  and  the  promise 
of  financial  assistance  from  a  leading  banking 
house   there   on    condition   that   he   proceed    at 


VJi 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


once  to  Sonora  with  an  armed  company  of 
rrenchmen.  Returning  to  San  Francisco  he 
quickly  recruited  from  among  the  French  resi- 
dents two  liundred  and  fifty  men  and  with  these 
he  sailed  for  Guaymas,  where  he  arrived  early 
in  June,  1852.  He  was  well  recejved  at  first, 
but  soon  found  himself  regarded  with  suspicion. 
He  was  required  by  the  authorities  to  remain 
at  Guaymas.  After  a  month's  detention  he  was 
allowed  to  proceed  through  Hermosilla  to  the 
Arizona  border. 

When  about  one  hundred  miles  from  Arispe 
he  received  an  order  from  General  Blanco,  then 
at  Hermosilla,  to  report  to  him.  While  halting 
at  El  Caric  to  consider  his  next  move  he  re- 
ceived a  reinforcement  of  about  eighty  French 
colonists,  who  had  come  tO  the  country  the  year 
before  under  command  of  Pindray.  Pindray 
had  met  his  death  in  a  mysterious  manner.  It 
was  supposed  that  he  was  poisoned.  The  colon- 
ist had  remained  in  the  countrj-.  Raousset  sent 
one  of  his  men,  Gamier,  to  interview  Blanco. 
General  Blanco  gave  his  ultimatum — First,  that 
the  Frenchmen  should  become  naturalized  citi- 
zens of  Mexico;  or,  secondly,  they  should  wait 
until  letters  of  security  could  be  procured  from 
the  capital,  when  they  might  proceed  to  Arizona 
and  take  possession  of  any  mines  they  found; 
or,  lastly,  they  might  put  themselves  under  the 
leadership  of  a  ^Mexican  officer  and  then  proceed. 
Raousset  and  his  followers  refused  to  accede  to 
any  of  these  propositions.  Blanco  began  col- 
lecting men  and  munitions  of  war  to  oppose  the 
F'rench.  Raousset  raised  the  flag  of  revolt  and 
invited  the  inhabitants  to  join  him  in  gaining 
the  independence  of  Sonora.  After  drilling  his 
men  a  few  weeks  and  preparing  for  hostilities 
he  began  his  march  against  Hermosilla,  distant 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  He  met  with  no 
opposition,  the  people  along  his  route  welcom- 
ing the  French.  General  Blanco  had  twelve 
hundred  men  to  defend  the  city.  But  instead  of 
preparing  to  resist  the  advancing  army  he  sent 
delegates  to  Raousset  to  offer  him  money  to  let 
the  city  alone.  Raousset  sent  back  word  that 
at  8  o'clock  he  would  begin  the  attack;  and  at 
1 1  would  be  master  of  the  city.  He  was  as  good 
as  his  word.  The  Frenchmen  charged  the  Mex- 
icans  and   altliough    the   opposing   force   num- 


bered four  to  one  of  the  assailants,  Raousset's 
men  captured  the  town  and  drove  Blanco's 
troops  out  of  it.  The  Mexican  loss  was  two 
hundred  killed  and  wounded.  The  French  loss 
seventeen  killed  and  twenty-three  wounded 
Raousset's  men  were  mere  adventurers  and  were 
in  the  country  without  any  definite  purpose. 
Could  he  have  relied  on  them,  he  might  have 
captured  all  of  Sonora. 

He  abandoned  Hermosilla.  Blanco,  glad  to 
get  rid  of  the  filibusters  on  any  terms,  raised 
$11,000  and  chartered  a  vessel  to  carry  them 
back  to  San  Francisco.  A  few  elected  to  re- 
main. Raousset  went  to  Alazatlan  and  a  few 
months  later  he  reached  San  Francisco,  where 
he  was  lionized  as  a  hero.  Upon  an  invitation 
from  Santa  Ana,  who  had  succeeded  Arista  as 
president,  he  again  visited  the  Mexican  capital 
in  June,  1853.  Santa  Ana  was  profuse  in  prom- 
ises. He  w-anted  Raousset  to  recruit  five  hun- 
dred Frenchmen  to  protect  the  Sonora  frontier 
against  the  Indians,  promising  ample  remunera- 
tion and  good  pay  for  their  services.  Raousset, 
finding  that  Santa  Ana's  promises  could  not  be 
relied  upon,  and  that  the  wiley  schemer  was 
about  to  have  him  arrested,  made  his  escape  to 
Acapulco,  riding  several  horses  to  death  to 
reach  there  ahead  of  his  pursuers.  lie  embarked 
immediately  for  San  I'rancisco. 

In  the  meantime  another  filibuster,  William 
Walker,  with  forty-one  followers  had  landed  at 
La  Paz  November  3,  1853,  and  proclaimed  a 
new  nation,  the  Republic  of  Lower  California. 
Santa  Ana,  frightened  by  this  new  invasion,  be- 
gan making  overtures  through  the  ^lexican  con- 
sul, Luis  del  Yalle,  at  San  Francisco  to  secure 
French  recruits  for  military  service  on  the  Mex- 
ican frontier.  Del  Valle  applied  to  the  French 
consul,  Dillon,  and  Dillon  applied  to  Raousset. 
Raousset  soon  secured  eight  hundred  recruits 
and  chartered  the  British  ship  Challenge  to  take 
them  to  Guaymas.  Then  the  pro-slavery  federal 
officials  at  San  Francisco  were  aroused  to  ac- 
tion. The  neutrality  laws  were  being  violated. 
It  was  not  that  they  cared  for  the  laws,  but  they 
feared  that  this  new  filibustering  scheme  might 
interfere  with  their  pet,  \\'alker,  who  had,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  Republic  of  Lower  California, 
founded  another  nation,  the  Republic  of  Sonora, 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RIICORD. 


195 


in  both  of  which  he  liad  decreed  slavery.  The 
ship  was  seized,  but  after  a  short  detention  was 
allowed  to  sail  with  three  hundred  French- 
men. 

Del  Valle  was  vigorously  prosecuted  by  the 
federal  authorities  for  violation  of  a  section  of 
the  neutrality  laws,  which  forbade  the  enlistment 
within  the  L'nited  States  of  soldiers  to  serve  un- 
der a  foreign  power.  Dillon,  the  I'^ench  con- 
sul, was  implicated  and  on  his  refusal  to  testify 
in  court  he  was  arrested.  He  fell  back  on  his 
dignity  and  asserted  that  his  nation  had  been  in- 
sulted through  him  and  closed  his  consulate. 
For  a  time  there  were  fears  of  international 
trouble. 

Del  \'alle  was  found  guilty  of  violating  the 
neutrality  laws,  but  was  never  punished.  The 
pro-slavery  pet,  Walker,  and  his  gang  were 
driven  out  of  Mexico  and  the  federal  officials 
had  no  more  interest  in  enforcing  neutrality 
laws.  Meanwhile  Raousset,  after  great  diffi- 
culties, had  joined  the  three  hundred  French- 
men at  Guaymas.  A  strip  of  northern  Sonora 
h-ad  been  sold  under  what  is  known  as  the  Gads- 
den purchase  to  the  L'nited  States.  There  was 
no  longer  any  opportunity  to  secure  mines  there 
from  Mexico,  but  Raousset  thought  he  could 
erect  a  barrier  to  any  further  encroachments  of 
the  United  States  and  eventually  secure  Mexico 
for  France.  His  first  orders  on  reaching  Guay- 
mas to  the  commander  of  the  French,  Desmaris, 
was  to  attack  the  ^Mexican  troops  and  capture 
the  city.  His  order  did  not  reach  Desmaris.  His 
messenger  was  arrested  and  the  Mexican  au- 
thorities begun  collecting  forces  to  oppose 
Raousset.  Having  failed  to  receive  reinforce- 
ments, and  his  condition  becoming  unendurable, 
he  made  an  attack  on  the  ]Mexican  forces,  twelve 
hundred  strong.  After  a  brave  assault  he  was 
defeated.  He  surrendered  to  the  French  consul 
on  the  assurance  that  his  life  and  that  of  his 
men  would  be  spared.  He  was  treacherously 
surrendered  by  the  French  consul  to  the  Mex- 
ican general.  He  was  tried  b\  a  court-martial, 
found  guiltv  and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  On  the 
morning  of  August  12,  1854,  he  was  executed. 
His  misguided  followers  were  shipped  back  to 
San  Francisco.  So  ended  the  first  California 
filibuster. 


The  first  American  born  filibuster  who  or- 
ganized one  of  these  piratical  expeditions  was 
William  Walker,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  He 
came  to  California  with  the  rush  of  1850.  He 
had  started  out  in  life  to  be  a  doctor,  had  studied 
law  and  finally  drifted  into  journalism.  He  be- 
longed to  the  extreme  pro-slavery  faction.  He 
located  in  San  Francisco  and  found  employment 
<3n  the  Herald.  His  bitter  invective  against  the 
courts  for  their  laxity  in  punishing  crime  raised 
the  ire  of  Judge  Levi  Parsons,  who  fined  \\'alker 
$500  for  contempt  of  court  and  ordered  him 
imprisoned  until  the  fine  was  paid.  Walker  re- 
fused to  pay  the  fine  and  went  to  jail.  He  at 
once  bounded  into  notoriety.  He  was  a  mar- 
tyr to  the  freedom  of  the  press.  A  public  in- 
dignation meeting  was  called.  An  immense 
crowd  of  sympathizers  called  on  \\'alker  in  jail. 
A  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  sued  out  and  he 
was  released  from  jail  and  discharged.  In  the 
legislature  of  1852  he  tried  to  have  Parson  im- 
peached, but  faileil.  He  next  opened  a  law  of- 
fice in  Marysville. 

The  success  of  Raousset-Boulbon  in  his  first 
expedition  to  Sonora  had  aroused  the  ambition 
of  Walker  to  become  the  founder  of  a  new  gov- 
ernment. His  first  efforts  were  directed  towards 
procuring  from  Mexico  a  grant  on  the  Sonora 
border:  this  was  to  be  colonized  with  Americans, 
who  would  protect  the  ^^lexican  frontier  from 
Apache  incursion.  This  was  a  mere  subterfuge 
and  the  Mexican  authorities  were  not  deceived 
b}-  it — he  got  no  grant.  To  forestall  Raousset- 
Boulbon,  who  was  again  in  the  field  with  his 
revolutionary  scheme.  Walker  opened  a  recruit- 
ing office.  Each  man  was  to  receive  a  square 
league  of  land  and  plunder  galore.  The  bait 
took,  meetings  were  held,  scrip  sold  and  re- 
cruits flocked  to  Walker.  The  brig  Arrow  was 
chartered  to  carry  the  liberators  to  their  des- 
tination. The  pro-slavery  officials,  who  held  all 
the  offices,  winked  at  this  violation  of  the  neu- 
tralitv  laws.  There  was  but  one  man.  General 
Hitchcock,  who  dared  to  do  his- duty.  He  seized 
the  vessel:  it  was  released,  and  Hitchcock  re- 
moved from  command.  Jefiferson  Davis  was 
secretary  of  war  and  Hitchcock  was  made  to  feel 
his  wrath  for  interfering  with  one  of  Davis'  pet 
projects,    the    extension    of    slavery.      Walker 


196 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


sailed  in  another  vessel,  the  Caroline,  taking 
with  him  forty-one  of  his  followers,  well  armed 
with  rifles  and  revolvers  to  develop  the  re- 
sources of  the  country. 

The  vessel  with  Walker  and  his  gang  sneaked 
into  La  Paz  under  cover  of  a  Mexican  flag.  He 
seized  the  unsuspecting  governor  and  other  offi- 
cials and  then  proclaimed  the  Republic  of  Lower 
California.  He  appointed  from  his  following  a 
number  of  officials  with  high  sounding  titles. 
He  adopted  the  code  of  Louisiana  as  the  law  of 
the  land.  This,  as  far  as  he  was  able,  introduced 
into  the  country  human  slavery,  which  indeed 
was  about  the  sole  purpose  of  his  filibuster- 
ing schemes.  Fearing  that  the  Mexican  gov- 
ernment might  send  an  expedition  across  the 
gulf  to  stop  his  marauding,  he  slipped  out  of 
the  harbor  and  sailed  up  to  Todas  Santos,  so  as 
to  be  near  the  United  States  in  case  the  Mexican 
government  should  make  it  uncomfortable  for 
him.  With  this  as  headquarters  he  began  prepa- 
rations for  an  invasion  of  Sonora.  His  delectable 
followers  appropriated  to  their  own  use  what- 
ever they  could  find  in  the  poverty-stricken 
country.  The  news  of  the  great  victory  at  La 
Paz  reached  San  Francisco  and  created  great 
enthusiasm  among  Walker's  sympathizers.  His 
vice-president,  Watkins,  enrolled  three  hundred 
recruits  and  sent  them  to  hin-.,  "greatly  to  the 
relief  of  the  criminal  calendar." 

Walker  began  to  drill  his  recruits  for  the  con- 
quest of  Sonora.  These  patriots,  who  had  ral- 
lied to  the  support  of  the  new  republic,  under 
the  promise  of  rich  churches  to  pillage  and  well- 
stocked  ranches  to  plunder,  did  not  take  kindly 
to  a  diet  of  jerked  beef  and  beans  and  hard  drill- 
ing under  a  torrid  sun.  Some  rebelled  and  it 
became  necessary  for  \^'alker  to  use  the  lash 
and  even  to  shoot  two  of  them  for  the  good  of 
the  cause.  The  natives  rebelled  when  they  found 
their  cattle  and  frijoles  disappearing  and  the  so- 
called  battle  of  La  Gualla  was  fought  between 
the  natives  and  a  detachment  of  Walker's  forag- 
ers, several  of  whom  were  killed.  The  news  of 
this  battle  reached  San  Francisco  and  was  mag- 
nified into  a  great  victory.  The  new  republic 
had  been  baptized  in  the  blood  of  its  martyrs. 

After  three  months  spent  in  drilling.  Walker 
began  his  march  to  Sonora  with  but  one  hun- 


dred men,  and  a  small  herd  of  cattle  for  food. 
Most  of  the  others  had  deserted.  In  his  jour- 
ney across  the  desert  the  Indians  stole  some  of 
his  cattle  and  more  of  his  men  deserted.  On 
reaching  the  Colorado  river  about  half  of  his 
force  abandoned  the  expedition  and  marched 
to  Fort  Yuma,  where  Major  Heintzelman  re- 
lieved their  necessities.  Walker  with  thirty-five 
men  had  started  back  for  Santa  Tomas.  They 
brought  up  at  Tia  Juana,  where  they  crossed 
the  American  line,  surrendered  and  gave  their 
paroles  to  Major  McKinstry  of  the  L'nited 
States  army.  When  Walker  and  his  Falstaffian 
army  reached  San  Francisco  they  were  lionized 
as  heroes.  All  they  had  done  was  to  kill  a  few 
inoffensive  natives  on  the  peninsula  and  steal 
their  cattle.  Their  valiant  leader  had  proclaimed 
two  republics  and  decreed  (on  paper)  that  slav- 
ery should  prevail  in  them.  He  had  had  sev- 
eral of  his  dupes  whipped  and  two  of  them  shot, 
which  was  probably  the  most  commendable 
thing  he  had  done.  His  proclamations  were 
ridiculous  and  his  officers  with  their  high  sound- 
ing titles  had  returned  from  their  burlesque  con- 
quest with  scarcely  rags  enough  on  them  to 
cover  their  nakedness.  Yet,  despite  all  this, 
the. attempt  to  enlarge  the  area  of  slave  territory 
covered  him  with  glory  and  his  rooms  were  the 
resort  of  all  the  pro-slavery  officials  of  Califor- 
nia. 

The  federal  officials  made  a  show  of  prosecut- 
ing the  filibusters.  Watkins,  the  vice-president 
of  the  Republic  of  Lower  California  and  So- 
nora, was  put  on  trial  in  the  United  States  dis- 
trict court.  The  evidence  was  so  plain  and  the 
proof  so  convincing  that  the  judge  was  com- 
pelled to  convict  against  his  will.  This  delightful 
specimen  of  a  prq,^slavery  justice  expressed 
from  the  bench  his  sympathy  for  "those  spirited 
men  who  had  gone  forth  to  upbuild  the  broken 
altars  and  rekindle  the  extinguished  fires  of  lib- 
erty in  JMexico  and  Lower  California."  With 
such  men  to  enforce  the  laws,  it--was  not  strange 
that  vigilance  committees  were  needed  in  Cal- 
ifornia. \\'atkins  and  Emory,  the  so-called  sec- 
retary of  state,  were  fined  each  $1,500.  The 
fines  were  never  paid  and  no  effort  was  ever 
made  to  compel  their  payment.  The  secretary 
of  war  and  the  secretary  of  the  navy  were  put 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRArHICAL    RKCORD. 


on  trial  and  ac(juitted.     This  cndetl  the  shame- 
ful farce. 

Walker's  next  expedition  was  to  Nicaragua  in 
1855.  A  revolution  was  in  progress  there.  He 
joined  forces  with  the  Democratic  party  or  anti- 
legitimists.  He  took  but  fifty-six  men  with 
him.  These  were  called  the  American  phalanx. 
His  first  engagement  was  an  attack  upon  the 
fortified  town  of  Rivas.  Although  his  men 
fought  bravely,  they  were  defeated  and  two  of 
his  best  officers,  Kewen  and  Crocker,  killed. 
His  next  fight  was  the  battle  of  Virgin  Bay,  in 
which,  with  fifty  Americans  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  natives,  he  defeated  six  hundred 
legitimists.  He  received  reinforcements  froni 
California  and  reorganized  his  force.  He 
seized  the  Accessory  Transit  Company's  lake 
steamer  La  Mrgin  against  the  protest  of  the 
company,  embarked  his  troops  on  board  of  it 
and  by  an  adroit  movement  captured  the  capi- 
tal city,  Granada.  His  exploits  were  heralded 
abroad  and  recruits  flocked  to  his  support.  The 
legitimist  had  fired  upon  a  steamer  bringing  pas- 
sengers up  the  San  Juan  river  and  killed  several. 
Walker  in  retaliation  ordered  Alateo  Mazorga, 
the  legitimist  secretary  of  state,  whom  he  had 
taken  prisoner  at  Granada,  shot.  Peace  was  de- 
clared between  the  two  parties  and  Patrico 
Rivas  made  president.  Rivas  was  president  only 
in  name:  W^alker  was  the  real  head  of  the  gov- 
ernment and  virtually  dictator. 

He  was  now  at  the  zenith  of  his  power.  By  a 
series  of  arbitrary  acts  he  confiscated  the  Ac- 
cessory Transit  Company's  vessels  and  charter. 
This  company  had  become  a  power  in  California 
travel  and  had  secured  the  exclusive  transit  of 
passengers  by  the  Nicaragua  route,  then  the 
most  popular  route  to  California. 

By  this  action  he  incurred  the  enmity  of  \'an- 
derbilt,  who  henceforth  worked  for  his  down- 
fall. The  confiscation  of  the  transit  company's 
right  destroyed  confidence  in  the  route,  and 
travel  virtually  ceased  by  it.  This  was  a  blow 
to  the  prosperity  of  the  country.  To  add  to 
\\'alker's  misfortunes,  the  other  Central  Amer- 
ican states  combined  to  drive  the  hated  foreign- 
ers out  of  the  country.  He  had  gotten  rid  of 
Rivas  and  had  secured  the  presidency  for  him- 
self.    He   had   secured  the   repeal   of   the    Nic- 


aragua laws  against  slavery  and  thus  paved  the 
\va\'  for  the  introduction  of  his  revered  institu- 
tion. His  army  now  amounted  to  about  twelve 
hundred  men,  mostly  recruited  from  California 
and  the  slave  states.  The  cholera  broke  out 
among  his  forces  and  in  the  armies  of  the  allies 
and  numbers  died.  His  cause  was  rapidly  wan- 
mg.  Alany  of  his  dupes  deserted.  A  series  of 
disasters  arising  from  his  blundering  and  in- 
capacity, resulted  in  his  overthrow.  He  and 
sixteen  of  his  ofificers  were  taken  out  of  the 
country  on  the  United  States  sloop  of  war,  St. 
-Mary's.  The  governor  of  Panama  refused  to 
allow  him  to  land  in  that  city.  He  was  sent 
across  the  isthmus  under  guard  to  Aspinwall 
and  from  there  with  his  stafif  took  passage  to 
New  Orleans.  His  misguided  followers  were 
transported  to  Panama  and  found  their  wav 
back  to  the  United  States. 

Upon  arriving  at  New  Orleans  he  began  re- 
cruiting for  a  new  expedition.  One  hundred  and 
fifty  of  his  "emigrants"  sailed  from  JMobile;  the 
pro-slavery  federal  officials  allowing  them  to 
depart.  They  were  wrecked  on  Glover's  reef, 
about  seventy  miles  from  Balize.  They  were 
rescued  by  a  British  vessel  and  returned  to  Mo- 
bile. Walker,  with  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
armed  emigrants,  landed  at  Punta  Arenas,  No- 
vember 25,  1857,  and  hoisted  his  Nicaragnan 
flag  and  called  himself  commander-in-chief  of 
the  army  of  Nicaragua.  He  and  his  men  began 
a  career  of  plunder:  seized  the  fort  or  Cas- 
tillo on  the  San  Juan  river;  captured  steam- 
ers, killed  several  inhabitants  and  made 
prisoners  of  others.  Commander  Paulding, 
of  the  United  States  flagship  Wabash,  then 
on  that  coast,  regarded  these  acts  as  rapine 
and  murder,  and  Walker  and  his  men  as  out- 
laws and  pirates.  He  broke  up  their  camp,  dis- 
armed Walker  and  his  emigrants  and  sent  them 
to  the  L'nited  States  for  trial.  But  instead  of 
Walker  and  his  followers  being  tried  for  piracy 
their  oro-slavery  abettors  made  heroes  of  them. 
Walker's  last  effort  to  regain  his  lost  prestige 
in  Nicaragua  was  made  in  i860.  With  two  hun- 
dred men,  recruited  in  New  Orleans,  he  landed 
near  Truxillo.  in  Honduras.  His  intention  was 
to  make  his  way  by  land  to  Nicaragua.  He  very 
soon  found  armed  opposition.    His  new  recruits 


198 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


were  not  inclined  to  sacrifice  themselves  to  make 
him  dictator  of  some  country  that  they  had  no 
interest  in.  So  they  refused  to  stand  up  against 
the  heavy  odds  they  encountered  in  every  fight. 
Finding  his  situation  growing  desperate,  he  was 
induced  to  surrender  himself  to  the  captain  of 
the  British  man-of-war  Icarus.  The  authorities 
CI  Honduras  made  a  demand  on  the  captain  for 
Walker.  That  British  officer  promptly  turned 
the  filibuster  over  to  them.  He  was  tried  by 
a  court-martial,  hastily  convened,  found  guilty 
of  the  offenses  charged,  and  condemned  to  die. 
September  25,  i860,  he  was  marched  out  and, 
in  accordance  with  his  sentence,  shot  to  death. 

^^'alke^'s  career  is  an  anomaly  in  the  history 
of  mankind.  Devoid  of  all  the  characteristics  of 
a  great  leader,  without  a  commanding  presence, 
puny  in  size,  homely  to  the  point  of  ugliness, 
in  disposition,  cold,  cruel,  selfish,  heartless,  stol- 
idlv  indifferent  to  the  suffering  of  others,  living 
only  to  gratify  the  cravings  of  his  inordinate 
ambition — it  is  strange  that  such  a  man  could 
attract  thousands  to  offer  their  lives  for  his 
aggrandizement  and  sacrifice  themselves  for  a 
cause  of  which  he  was  the  exponent,  a  cause  the 
most  ignoble,  the  extension  of  human  slavery, 
that  for  such  a  man  and  for  such  a  cause  thou- 
sands did  offer  up  their  lives  is  a  sad  commen- 
tary on  the  political  morality  of  that  time.  It 
is  said  that  over  ten  thousand  men  joined 
Walker  in  his  filibustering  schemes  and  that 
fifty-seven  hundred  of  these  found  graves  in 
Nicaragua.  Of  the  number  of  natives  killed  in 
battle  or  who  died  of  disease,  there  is  no  record, 
but  it  greatly  exceeded  Walker's  losses. 

While  Walker  was  attaining  some  success  in 
Nicaragua,  another  California  filibuster  entered 
the  arena.  This  was  Henry  A.  Crabb,  a  Stock- 
ton law3'er.  Like  \\'^alker,  he  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  and,  like  him,  too.  he  was  a  rabid 
pro-slavery  advocate.  He  had  served  in  the 
assembly  and  one  term  in  the  state  senate.  It 
is  said  he  was  the  author  of  a  bill  to  allow  slave- 
holders who  brought  their  slaves  into  California 
before  its  admission  to  take  their  human  chattels 
back  into  bondage.  He  was  originally  a  Whig, 
but  had  joined  the  Know-Nothing  party  and  was 
a  candidate  of  that  party  for  United  States  sen- 
ator in  1856;    but  his  extreme  southern  princi- 


ples prevented  his  election.  He  had  married  a 
Spanish  wife,  who  had  numerous  and  influential 
relatives  in  Sonora.  It  was  claimed  that  Crabb 
had  received  an  invitation  from  some  of  these  to 
bring  down  an  armed  force  of  Americans  to 
overthrow  the  government  and  make  himself 
master  of  the  country.  Whether  he  did  or  did 
not  receive  such  an  invitation,  he  did  recruit  a 
body  of  men  for  some  kind  of  service  in  Sonora. 
With  a  force  of  one  hundred  men,  well  armed 
with  rifles  and  revolvers,  he  sailed,  in  January, 
1857,  on  the  steamer  Sea  Bird,  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  San  Pedro  and  from  there  marched  over- 
land. As  usual,  no  attempt  was  made  by  the 
federal  authorities  to  prevent  him  from  invading 
a  neighboring  country  with  an  armed  force. 

He  entered  Sonora  at  Sonita,  a  small  town 
one  hundred  miles  from  Yuma.  His  men  helped 
themselves  to  what  they  could  find.  When  ap- 
proaching the  town  of  Cavorca  they  were  fired 
upon  by  a  force  of  men  lying  in  ambush.  The 
fire  was  kept  up  from  all  quarters.  They  made  a 
rush  and  gained  the  shelter  of  the  houses.  In 
the  charge  two  of  their  men  had  been  killed  and 
eighteen  wounded.  In  the  house  they  had  taken 
possession  of  they  were  exposed  to  shots  from 
a  church.  Crabb  and  fifteen  of  his  men  at- 
tempted to  blow  open  the  doors  of  the  church 
with  gunpowder,  but  in  the  attempt,  which 
failed,  five  of  the  men  were  killed,  and  seven, 
including  Crabb,  wounded.  After  holding  out 
for  five  days  they  surrendered  to  the  Mexicans, 
Gabilondo,  the  Mexican  commander,  promising 
to  spare  their  lives.  Next  morning  they  were 
marched  out  in  squads  of  five  to  ten  and  shot. 
Crabb  was  tied  to  a  post  and  a  hundred  balls 
fired  into  him ;  his  head  was  cut  off  and  placed 
in  a  jar  of  mescal.  The  only  one  spared  was  a 
boy  of  fifteen,  Charles  E.  Evans.  A  party  of 
sixteen  men  whom  Crabb  had  left  at  Sonita 
was  surprised  and  all  massacred.  The  boy 
Evans  was  the  only  one  left  to  tell  the  fate  of  the 
ill-starred  expedition.  This  put  an  end  to  fili- 
bustering expeditions  into  Sonora. 

These  armed  forays  on  the  neighboring  coun- 
tries to  the  south  of  the  United  States  ceased 
with  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  secession. 
They  had  all  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  ac- 
quiring slave  territory.     The  leaders   of  them 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


199 


were  southern  men  and  the  rank  and  file  were 
mostly  recruited  from  natives  of  the  slave  states. 
Bancroft  truthfully  says  of  these  filibustering 
expeditions:  "They  were  foul  robberies,  covered 
by  the  flimsiest  of  political  and  social  pretenses, 
gilded  by  false  aphorisms  and  profane  distortion 
of  sacred  formulas.  Liberty  dragged  in  the  mud 
for  purposes  of  theft  and  human  enslavement; 
the  cause  of  humanity  bandied  in  filth\-  mouths 
to     promote     atrocious     butcheries:      peaceful, 


blooming  valleys  given  over  to  devastation  and 
ruin;  happy  families  torn  asunder,  and  widows 
and  orphans  cast  adrift  to  nurse  affliction;  and 
finally,  the  peace  of  nations  imperiled,  and  the 
morality  of  right  insulted.  The  thought  of  such 
results  should  obliterate  all  romance,  and  turn 
pride  to  shame.  They  remain  an  ineffaceable 
stain  upon  the  government  of  the  most  progres- 
sive of  nations,  and  veil  in  dismal  irony  the 
dream  of  manifest  destinv." 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

FROM  GOLD  TO  GRAIN  AND  FRUITS. 


UNDER  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  jurisdic- 
tions there  was  but  little  cultivation  of 
the  soil  in  California.  While  the  gardens 
of  some  of  the  missions,  and  particularly  those 
of  Santa  Barbara  and  San  Buenaventura,  pre- 
sented a  most  appetizing  display  of  fruit  and 
vegetables,  at  the  ranchos  there  were  but  mea- 
ger products.  Gilroy  says  that  when  he  came 
to  the  country,  in  1814,  potatoes  were  not  cul- 
tivated and  it  was  a  rare  thing  outside  of  the 
mission  gardens  to  find  any  onions  or  cabbages. 
A  few  acres  of  wheat  and  a  small  patch  of  maize 
or  corn  furnished  bread,  or,  rather,  tortillas  for 
a  family.  At  the  missions  a  thick  soup  made  of 
boiled  wheat  or  maize  and  meat  was  the  stand- 
ard article  of  diet  for  the  neophytes.  This  was 
portioned  out  to  them  in  the  (juantily  of  about 
three  pints  to  each  person.  LangsdorfT.  who 
witnessed  the  distribution  of  soup  rations  to  the 
Indians  at  Santa  Clara,  says:  "It  appeared  in- 
comprehensible how  any  one  could  three  times  a 
day  eat  so  large  a  portion  of  such  nourishing 
food.""  The  neophytes  evidently  had  healthy  ap- 
petites. Frijoles  (beans)  were  the  staple  vege- 
table dish  in  Spanish  families.  These  were 
served  up  at  almost  every  meal.  The  bill  of 
fare  for  a  native  Californian  family  was  very 
simple. 

A  considerable  amount  of  wheat  was  raised 
at  the  more  favorably  located  missions.  It  was 
not  raised  for  export,  but  to  feed  the  neophytes. 


The  wheat  fields  had  to  be  fenced  in,  or  perhaps 
It  would  be  more  in  accordance  with  the  facts 
to  say  that  the  cattle  had  to  be  fenced  out.  As 
timber  was  scarce,  adobe  brick  did  duty  for 
fencing  as  well  as  for  house  building.  Some- 
times the  low  adobe  walls  were  made  high  and 
safe  by  placing  on  top  of  them  a  row  of  the 
skulls  of  Spanish  cattle  with  the  long,  curving 
horns  attached  to  them  pointing  outward.  These 
v.ere  brought  from  the  matanzas  or  slaughter 
corrals  where  there  were  thousands  of  them 
lying  around.  It  was  almost  impossible  for 
man  or  beast  to  scale  such  a  fence. 

The  agricultural  implements  of  the  early  Cali- 
fornians  were  few  and  simple.  The  Mexican 
plow  was  a  forked  stick  with  an  iron  point  fas- 
tened to  the  fork  or  branch  that  penetrated  the 
ground.  It  turned  no  furrow,  but  merely 
scratched  the  surface  of  the  ground.  After  sow- 
ing it  was  a  race  between  the  weeds  and  the 
grain.  It  depended  on  the  season  which  won. 
If  the  season  was  cold  and  backward,  so  that 
the  seed  did  not  sprout  readily,  the  weeds  got 
the  start  and  won  out  easily.  And  yet  with  such 
primitive  cultivation  the  yield  was  sometimes 
astonishing.  At  the  Alission  San  Diego  the 
crop  of  wheat  one  year  produced  one  hundred 
and  ninety-five  fold.  As  the  agriculturist  had 
a  large  area  from  which  to  select  his  arable  land, 
only  the  richest  soils  were  chosen.  Before  the 
discovery  of  gold  there  was  little  or  no  market 


200 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


for  grain,  and  each  ranchero  raised  only  enough 
for  his  own  use.  For  a  time  there  was  some 
trade  with  the  Russians  in  grain  to  supply  their 
settlements  in  Alaska,  but  this  did  not  continue 
long. 

When  some  of  the  Americans  who  came  in 
the  gold  rush  began  to  turn  their  attention  to 
agriculture  they  greatly  underrated  the  produc- 
tiveness of  the  country.  To  men  raised  where 
the  summer  rains  were  needed  to  raise  a  crop 
it  seemed  impossible  to  produce  a  crop  in  a 
country  that  was  rainless  for  six  or  eight  months 
of  the  year.  All  attempts  at  agriculture  hitherto 
had  been  along  the  rivers,  and  it  was  generally 
believed  that  the  plains  back  from  the  water 
courses  could  never  be  used  for  any  other  pur- 
pose than  cattle  raising. 

The  mining  rush  of  "49  found  California  with- 
out vegetables  and  fresh  fruit.  The  distance' 
was  too  great  for  the  slow  transportation  of 
that  day  to  ship  these  into  the  country.  Those 
who  first  turned  their  attention  to  market  gar- 
dening made  fortunes.  The  story  is  told  of  an 
old  German  named  Schwartz  who  had  a  small 
ranch  a  few  miles  below  Sacramento.  In  1848, 
when  ever_vbody  was  rushing  to  the  mines,  he 
remained  on  his  farm,  unmoved  by  the  stories 
of  the  wonderful  finds  of  gold.  Anticipating  a 
greater  rush  in  1849,  ^e  planted  several  acres 
in  watermelons.  As  they  ripened  he  took  them 
up  to  the  city  and  disposed  of  them  at  prices 
ranging  from  $1  to  $5,  according  to  size.  He 
realized  that  season  from  his  melons  alone 
$30,000.  The  first  field  of  cabbages  was  grown 
by  George  H.  Peck  and  a  partner  in  1850.  From 
defective  seed  or  some  other  cause  the  cabbage 
failed  to  come  to  a  head.  Supposing  that  the 
defect  was  in  the  climate  and  not  in  the  cabbage, 
the  honest  rancher  marketed  his  crop  in  San 
Francisco,  carrying  a  cabbage  in  each  hand 
along  the  streets  until  he  found  a  customer.  To 
the  query  why  there  were  no  heads  to  them 
the  reply  was,  "That's  the  way  cabbages  grow 
in  California."  He  got  rid  of  his  crop  at  the 
rate  of  $1  apiece  for  each  headless  cabbage. 
But  all  the  vegetable  growing  e.xperiments  were 
not  a  financial  success.  The  high  price  of  po- 
tatoes in  1849  started  a  tuber-growing  epidemic 
in    1850.     Hundreds   of  acres  were   planted   to 


"spuds"  in  the  counties  contiguous  to  San 
Francisco,  the  agriculturists  paying  as  high  as 
fifteen  cents  per  pound  for  seed.  The  yield  was 
enormous  and  the  market  was  soon  overstocked. 
The  growers  who  could  not  dispose  of  their 
potatoes  stacked  them  up  in  huge  piles  in  the 
fields;  and  there  they  rotted,  filling  the  country 
around  with  their  effluvia.  The  next  year  no- 
body planted  potatoes,  and  prices  went  up  to 
the  figures  of  '49  and  the  spring  of  '50. 

The  size  to  which  vegetables  grew  astonished 
tlie  amateur  agriculturists.  Beets,  when  allowed 
to  grow  to  maturity,  resembled  the  trunks  of 
trees;  onions  looked  like  squash,  while  a  patch 
of  pumpkins  resembled  a  tented  field;  and  corn 
grew  so  tall  that  the  stalks  had  to  be  felled  to 
get  at  the  ears.  Onions  were  a  favorite  vege- 
table in  the  mining  camps  on  account  of  their 
anti-scorbutic  properties  as  a  preventive  of 
scurvy.  The  honest  miner  was  not  fastidious 
about  the  aroma.  They  were  a  profitable  crop, 
too.  (jne  ranchero  in  the  Napa  valley  was  re- 
ported to  have  cleared  $8,000  off  two  acres  of 
onions. 

With  the  decline  of  gold  mining,  wheat  be- 
came the  staple  product  of  central  California. 
The  nearness  to  shipping  ports  and  the  large 
yields  made  wheat  growing  very  profitable.  In 
the  years  immediately  following  the  Civil  war 
the  price  ranged  high  and  a  fortune  was  some- 
times made  from  the  products  of  a  single  field. 
It  may  be  necessary  to  explain  that  the  field 
might  contain  anywhere  from  five  hundred  to 
a  thousand  acres.  The  grain  area  was  largely 
extended  by  the  discovery  that  land  in  the 
upper  mesas,  which  had  been  regarded  as  only 
fit  for  pasture  land,  was  good  for  cereals.  The 
land  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  which 
was  held  in  large  grants,  continued  to  be  de- 
voted to  cattle  raising  for  at  least  two  decades 
after  the  American  conquest.  After  the  dis- 
covery of  gold,  cattle  raising  became  immensely 
profitable.  Under  the  Mexican  regime  a  steer 
was  worth  what  his  hide  and  tallow  would  bring 
or  about  $2  or  $3.  The  rush  of  immigration  in 
1849  sent  the  price  of  cattle  up  until  a  fat  bul- 
lock sold  for  from  $30  to  $35.  The  profit  to  a 
ranchero  who  had  a  thousand  or  more  marketa- 
ble cattle  was  a  fortune.     A  good,  well-stocked 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RLCORD. 


2{tl 


cattk-  ranch  was  more  valuable  than  a  gold 
mine. 

The  enormous  profits  in  cattle  raising  dazed 
the  Californians.  Had  they  been  thrifty  and 
economical,  they  might  have  grown  rich.  But 
the  sudden  influx  of  wealth  engendered  extrava- 
gant habits  and  when  the  price  of  cattle  fell,  as 
it  did  in  a  few  years,  the  spendthrift  customs 
were  continued.  When  the  cattle  market  was 
dull  it  was  easy  to  raise  money  by  mortgaging 
the  ranch.  \\'ith  interest  at  the  rate  of  5  per 
cent  per  month,  compounded  monthly,  it  did 
not  take  long  for  land  and  cattle  both  to  change 
hands.  It  is  related  of  the  former  owner  of 
the  Santa  Gertrudes  rancho  that  he  borrowed 
$500  from  a  money  lender,  at  5  per  cent  a 
month,  to  beat  a  poker  game,  but  did  not  suc- 
ceed. Then  he  borrowed  more  money  to  pay 
the  interest  on  the  first  and  kept  on  doing  so 
until  interest  and  principal  amounted  to  $100,- 
000;  then  the  mortgage  was  foreclosed  and 
properiy  to-day  worth  $1,000,000  was  lost  for 
a  paltry  $500  staked  on  a  poker  game. 

Gold  mining  continued  to  be  the  prevailing- 
industry  of  northern  California.  The  gold  pro- 
duction reached  its  acme  in  1853,  when  the 
total  yield  was  $65,000,000.  From  that  time 
there  was  a  gradual  decline  in  production  and 
in  the  number  of  men  employed.  Many  had 
given  up  the  hopes  of  striking  it  rich  and  quit 
the  business  for  something  more  certain  and 
less  illusive.  The  production  of  gold  in  1852 
was  $60,000,000,  \et  the  average  yield  to  each 
man  of  the  one  hundred  thousand  engaged  in 
it  was  only  about  $600,  or  a  little  over  $2  per 
day  to  the  man,  scarcely  living  wages  as  prices 
were  then.  It  has  been  claimed  that  the  cost  of 
producing  the  gold,  counting  all  expenditures, 
was  three  tiiues  the  value  of  that  produced. 
Even  if  it  did,  the  development  of  the  country 
and  impulse  given  to  trade  throughout  the 
world  would  more  than  counterbalance  the  loss. 

At  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  gold  nearly  all 
of  the  fruit  raised  in  California  was  produced  at 
Santa  Barbara  and  Los  Angeles.  In  Spanish  and 
Mexican  days,  Los  .\ngelcs  had  been  the  jirin- 
cipal  wine-producing  district  of  California.  .\1- 
though  wine,  as  well  as  other  spirituous  liquors, 
were  in  demand,  the  vineyardists  found  it  more 


profitable  to  ship  their  grapes  to  San  Francisco 
than  to  manufacture  them  into  wine.  Grapes 
retailed  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco  at  from 
twelve  and  one-half  to  twenty-five  cents  a 
pound.  The  vineyards  were  as  profitable  as 
the  cattle  ranches.  The  mission  Indians  did  the 
labor  in  the  vineyards  and  were  paid  in  aguar- 
diente on  Saturtlay  night.  By  Sunday  morning 
they  were  all  drunk;  then  they  were  gathered 
up  and  put  into  a  corral.  On  Monday  morning 
they  were  sold  to  pay  the  cost  of  their  dissipa- 
tion. It  did  not  take  many  years  to  kill  of?  the 
Indians.  The  city  has  grown  over  the  former 
sites  of  the  vineyards. 

The  first  orange  trees  were  planted  at  the 
Mission  San  Gabriel  about  the  year  1815  and 
a  few  at  Los  Angeles  about  the  same  time.  But 
little  attention  was  given  to  the  industry  by  the 
Californians.  The  first  extensive  grove  was 
planted  by  William  Wolfskill  in  1840.  The  im- 
pression then  prevailed  that  oranges  could  be 
grown  only  on  the  low  lands  near  the  river. 
The  idea  of  attempting  to  grow  them  on  the 
mesa  lands  was  scouted  at  by  the  Californians 
and  the  .\mericans.  The  success  that  attended 
the  Riverside  experiment  demonstrated  that 
they  could  be  grown  on  the  mesas,  and  that  the 
fruit  produced  was  superior  to  that  grown  on 
the  river  bottoms.  This  gave  such  an  impetus 
to  the  industry  in  the  south  that  it  has  distanced 
all  others.  The  yearly  shipment  to  the  eastern 
markets  is  twenty  thousand  car  loads.  The  cit- 
rus belt  is  extending  every  year. 

The  Californians  paid  but  little  attention  to 
the  quality  of  the  fruit  they  raised.  The  seed 
fell  in  the  ground  and  sprouted.  If  the  twig 
survived  and  grew  to  be  a  tree,  they  ate  the  fruit, 
asking  no  question  whether  the  quality  might 
be  improved.  The  pears  grown  at  the  missions 
and  at  some  of  the  ranch  houses  were  hard  and 
tasteless.  It  was  said  they  never  ripened.  .A 
small  black  fig  was  cultivated  in  a  few  places, 
but  the  quantity  of  fruit  grown  outside  of  the 
mission  gardens  was  very  small. 

The  high  price  of  all  kinds  of  fruit  in  the  early 
'50s  induced  the  importation  of  apple,  peach, 
pear,  plum  and  prune  trees.  These  thrived  and 
soon  supplied  the  demand.  Before  the  advent 
of  the  railroads  and  the  shipment  east  the  quan- 


202 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


tily  of  deciduous  fruit  produced  liad  outgrown 
the  demand,  and  there  was  no  profit  in  its  pro- 
duction. All  this  has  been  changed  by  eastern 
shipment. 

Sheep  were  brought  to  the  country  with  the 
first  missionary  expeditions.  The  Indian  in  his 
primitive  condition  did  not  use  clotliing.  A 
coat  of  mud  was  his  only  garment  and  he  was 
not  at  all  particular  about  the  fit  of  that.  After 
his  conversion  the  missionaries  put  clothing  on 
him,  or,  rather,  on  ]iart  of  hmi.  He  was  given  a 
shirt,  which  was  a  shirt  of  Xessus,  being  made  of 
the  coarse  woolen  cloth  manufactured  at  the 
mission.  It  was  irritating  to  the  skin  and  com- 
pelled the  poor  wretches  to  keep  up  a  continual 
scratching;  at  least,  that  is  what  Hugo  Reid 
tells  us.  During  the  Civil  war  and  for  several 
years  after,  the  sheep  industry  was  very  profit- 
able. The  subdivision  of  the  great  ranches  and 
the  absorption  of  the  land  for  grain  growing  and 
fruit  culture  have  contracted  the  sheep  ranges 
until  there  is  but  little  left  for  pasture  except  the 
foothills  that  are  too  rough  for  cultivation. 

Up  to  1863  the  great  Spanish  grants  that  cov- 
ered the  southern  part  of  the  state  had,  with  a 
few  exceptions,  been  held  intact  and  cattle  rais- 
ing had  continued  to  be  the  principal  industry. 
For  several  seasons  previous  to  the  famine  years 
of  1863  and  1864  there  had  been  heavy  rainfalls 
and  consequently  feed  was  abundant.  With  the 
price  of  cattle  declining,  the  rancheros  over- 
stocked their  ranges  to  make  up  by  quantity  for 
decrease  in  value.  When  the  dry  year  of 
1863  set  in,  the  feed  on  ranches  was  soon  ex- 
hausted and  the  cattle  starving.  The  second 
famine  year  following,  the  cattle  industry  was 
virtually  wiped  out  of  existence  and  the  cattle- 
owners  ruined.  In  Santa  Barbara,  where 
the  cattle  barons  held  almost  imperial  sway, 
and,  with  their  army  of  retainers,  controlled  the 
political  affairs  of  the  county,  of  the  two  hun- 
dred thousand  cattle  listed  on  the  assessment 
roll  of  1862,  only  five  thousand  were  alive  when 
grass  grew  in  1865.  On  the  Stearns'  ranchos  in 
Los  Angeles  count}-,  one  hundred  thousand 
head  of  cattle  and  horses  perished,  and  the 
ow^ner  of  a  quarter  million  acres  and  a  large 
amount  of  city  property  could  not  raise  money 
enough  to  pay  his  taxes. 


AIan\  of  the  rancheros  were  in  debt  when  the 
hard  times  came,  and  others  mortgaged  their 
land  at  usurious  rates  of  interest  to  carry  them 
through  the  famine  years.  Their  cattle  dead, 
they  had  no  income  to  meet  the  interest  on  the 
cancerous  mortgage  that  was  eating  up  their 
patrimony.  The  result  was  that  they  were  com- 
I^elled  either  to  sell  their  land  or  the  mortgage 
was  foreclosed  and  they  lost  it.  This  led  to  the 
subdivision  of  the  large  grants  into  small  hold- 
ings, the  new  proprietors  finding  that  there  was 
more  profit  in  selling  them  oiif  in  small  tracts 
than  in  large  ones.  This  brought  in  an  intelli- 
gent and  progressive  population,  and  in  a  few 
)ears  entirely  revolutionized  the  agricultural 
conditions  of  the  south.  Grain  growing  and 
fruit  raising  became  the  prevailing  industries. 
The  adobe  ranch  house  with  its  niatanzas  and 
its  Golgotha  of  cattle  skulls  and  bones  gave 
place  to  the  tasty  farm  house  with  its  flower 
garden,  lawn  and  orange  grove. 

The  Californians  paid  but  little  attention  to 
improving  the  breed  of  their  cattle.  When  the 
only  value  in  an  animal  was  the  hide  and  tallow\ 
it  did  not  pay  to  improve  the  breed.  The  hide 
of  a  long-horned,  mouse-colored  Spanish  steer 
would  sell  for  as  much  as  that  of  a  high-bred 
Durham  or  Holstein,  and,  besides,  the  first 
could  exist  where  the  latter  would  starve  to 
death.  After  the  conquest  there  was  for  some 
time  but  little  improvement.  Cattle  were  brought 
across  the  plains,  but  for  the  most  part  these 
were  the  mongrel  breeds  of  the  western  states 
and  were  but  little  improvement  on.  the  Spanish 
stock.  It  was  not  until  the  famine  years  vir- 
tually exterminated  the  Spanish  cattle  that  bet- 
ter breeds  were  introduced. 

.\,s  with  cattle,  so  also  it  was  with  horses. 
Little  attention  was  given  to  improving  the 
breed.  While  there  were  a  few  fine  race  horses 
and  saddle  horses  in  the  country  before  its 
American  occupation,  the  prevailing  equine  w^as 
the  mustang.  He  was  a  vicious  beast,  nor  was 
it  strange  that  his  temper  was  bad.  He  had  to 
endure  starvation  and  abuse  that  would  have 
killed  a  more  aristocratic  animal.  He  took  care 
of  himself,  subsisted  on  what  he  could  pick  up 
and  to  the  best  of  his  ability  resented  ill  treat- 
ment.   Horses  during  the  Mexican  regime  were 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


used  onl}-  for  riding.  Oxen  were  the  draft  ani- 
mals. The  mustang  had  one  inhereiU  trait  that 
did  not  endear  him  to  an  American,  antl  that 
was  his  propensity  to  "buck."  With  his  nose 
between  his  knees,  his  back  arched  and  his  legs 
stiffened,  by  a  series  of  short,  quick  jumps,  he 
could  dismount  an  inexperienced  rider  with 
neatness  and  dispatch.  The  Californian  took 
delight  in  urging  the  bronco  to  "buck"  so  that 
he  (the  rider)  might  exhibit  his  skillful  horse- 
manship. The  mustang  had  some  commenda- 
ble traits  as  well.  He  was  sure-footed  as  a  goat 
and  could  climb  the  steep  hillsides  almost  equal 
to  that  animal.  He  had  an  easy  gait  under  the 
saddle  and  could  measure  off  mile  after  mile 
without  a  halt.  His  power  of  endurance  was 
wonderful.  He  could  live  off  the  country  when 
apparently  there  was  nothing  to  subsist  on  ex- 
cept the  bare  ground.  He  owed  mankind  a  debt 
of  ingratitude  which  he  always  stood  ready  to 
pay  when  an  opportunity  offered.  The  passing 
of  the  nuistang  began  with  the  advent  of  the 
American    farmer. 

The  founding  of  agricultural  colonies  began 
in  the  '50s.  One  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  was 
the  German  colony  of  Anaheim,  located  thirty 
miles  south  of  Los  Angeles.  .A  company  of 
Germans  organized  in  San  I'rancisco  in  1857 
for  the  purpose  of  buying  land  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  wine  grape  and  the  manufacture  of 
wine.  The  organization  was  a  stock  company. 
Eleven  hundred  acres  were  purchased  in  a 
Spanish  grant.  This  was  subdivided  into  twenty 
and  forty  acre  tracts;  an  irrigating  ditcli 
brought  in  from  the  Santa  Ana  river.  A  por- 
tion of  each  subdivision  was  planted  in  vines 
and  these  were  cultivated  by  the  company  until 
they  came  into  bearing,  when  the  tracts  were 
divided  among  the  stockholders  by  lot,  a  cer- 
tain valuation  being  fixed  on  each  tract.  The 
man  obtaining  a  choice  lot  paid  into  the  fund 
a  certain  amount  and  the  one  receiving  an  infe- 
rior tract  received  a  certain  amount,  so  that  each 
received  the  same  value  in  the  distribution.  The 
colony  proved  quite  a  success,  and  for  thirty 
\ears  .\naheim  was  one  of  the  largest  wine- 
producing  districts  in  the  United  States.  In 
1887  a  mysterious  disease  destroyed  all  the  vines 
and    the    vinevardists    turned    their    attention 


to  the  cultivation  of  oranges  and  English 
walnuts. 

The  Riverside  colony,  then  in  San  Bernardino 
county,  now  in  Riverside  county,  was  founded 
in  1870.  The  projectors  of  the  colony  were 
eastern  gentlemen.  At  the  head  of  the  organiza- 
tion was  Judge  J.  W.  North.  They  purchased 
four  thousand  acres  of  the  Roubidoux  or  Jurupa 
rancho  and  fourteen  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
government  land  from  the  California  Silk  Cen- 
ter Association.  This  association  had  been  or- 
ganized in  1869  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a 
colony  to  cultivate  mulberry  trees  and  manu- 
facture silk.  It  had  met  with  reverses,  first  in 
the  death  of  its  president.  Louis  Prevost.  a  man 
skilled  in  the  silk  business,  next  in  the  revoca- 
tion by  the  legislature  of  the  bounty  for  mul- 
berry plantations,  and  lastly  in  the  subsidence 
of  the  sericulture  craze.  To  encourage  silk  cul- 
ture in  California,  the  legislature,  in  1866,  passed 
an  act  authorizing  the  payment  of  a  bounty  of 
$250  for  every  plantation  of  five  thousand  mul- 
berry trees  two  years  old.  This  greatly  stimu- 
lated the  planting  of  nuilberr)-  trees,  if  it  did 
not  greatly  increase  the  production  of  silk.  In 
1869  it  was  estimated  that  in  the  central  and 
southern  portions  of  the  state  there  were  ten 
millions  of  mulberry  trees  in  various  stages  of 
growth.  Demands  for  the  bounty  poured  in 
upon  tlie  commissioners  in  such  numbers  that 
the  state  treasury  was  threatened  with  bank- 
ruptcy. The  revocation  of  the  bounty  killed 
the  silk  worms  and  the  nudberry  trees;  and 
those  who  had  been  attacked  with  the  sericulture 
craze  quickly  recovered.  The  Silk  Center  As- 
sociation, having  fallen  into  hard  lines,  offered 
its  lands  for  sale  at  advantageous  terms,  and  in 
September,  1870,  they  were  purchased  by  the 
Southern  California  Colony  Association.  The 
land  was  bought  at  $3.50  per  acre.  It  was  mesa 
or  table  land  that  had  never  been  cultivated. 
It  was  considered  by  old-timers  indifferent  sheep 
pasture,  and  Roubidoux,  it  is  said,  had  it  struck 
from  the  tax  roll  because  it  was  not  worth  tax- 
ing. 

The  company  had  the  land  subdivided  and 
laid  off  a  town  which  was  first  named  Jurupa, 
but  afterwards  the  name  was  changed  to  River- 
side.    The  river,  the  Santa  Ana.  did  not  flow 


204 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


past  the  town,  but  the  colonists  hoped  to  make 
a  goodly  portion  of  its  waters  do  so.  The  lands 
were  put  on  sale  at  reasonable  prices,  a  ditch 
at  a  cost  of  $50,000  was  constructed.  Experi- 
ments were  made  with  oranges,  raisin  grapes 
and  deciduous  fruits,  but  the  colony  finally  set- 
tled down  to  orange  producing.  In  1873  the 
introduction  of  the  Bahia  or  navel  orange  gave 
an  additional  impetus  to  orange  growing  in  the 
colony,  the  fruit  of  that  species  being  greatly 
superior  to  any  other.  This  fruit  was  propa- 
gated by  budding  from  two  trees  received  from 
Washington.  D.  C,  bv  J.  A.  Tibbetts,  of  River- 
side. 


The  Indiana  colony,  which  later  became  Pasa- 
dena, was  founded  in  1873  by  some  gentlemen 
from  Indiana.  Its  purpose  was  the  growing  of 
citrus  fruits  and  raisin  grapes,  but  it  has  grown 
into  a  city,  and  the  oranje  groves,  once  the 
pride  of  the  colony,  have  given  place  to  business 
blocks  and  stately  residences. 

During  the  early  '70s  a  number  of  agricul- 
tural colonies  were  founded  in  Fresno  county. 
These  were  all  fruit-growing  and  raisin-pro- 
ducing enterprises.  They  proved  successful  and 
Fresno  has  become  the  largest  raisin-pro- 
ducing district  in  the  state. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

THE    CIVIL    WAR— LOYALTY    AND    DISLOYALTY. 


THE  admission  of  California  into  the  Union 
as  a  free  state  did  not,  in  the  opinion  of 
llie  ultra  pro-slavery  faction,  preclude  the 
possibility  of  securing  a  part  of  its  territory  for 
the  "peculiar  institution"  of  the  south.  The 
question  of  state  division  which  had  come  up 
in  the  constitutional  convention  was  again  agi- 
tated. The  advocates  of  division  hoped  to  cut 
off  from  the  southern  part,  territory  enough  for 
a  new  state.  The  ostensible  purpose  of  division 
was  kept  concealed.  The  plea  of  unjust  taxa- 
tion was  made  prominent.  The  native  Califor- 
nians  who  under  Mexican  rule  paid  no  taxes  on 
their  land  were  given  to  understand  that  they 
were  bearing  an  undue  proportion  of  the  cost 
of  government,  while  the  mining  counties,  pay- 
ing less  tax,  had  the  greater  representation.  The 
native  Californians  were  opposed  to  slaver\-.  an 
open  advocacy  of  the  real  purpose  would  defeat 
the  division  scheme. 

The  leading  men  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
state  were  from  the  slave  states.  If  the  state 
were  divided,  the  influence  of  these  men  would 
carry  the  new  state  into  the  LTnion  with  a  con- 
stitution authorizing  slave-holding  and  thus  the 
south  would  gain  two  senators.  The  division 
question  came  up  in  some  form  in  nearly  every 
session  of  the  legislature  for  a  decade  after  Cali- 
fornia became  a  state. 


In  the  legislature  of  1854-55,  Jefferson  Hunt, 
of  San  Bernardino  county,  introduced  a  bill  in 
the  assembly  to  create  and  establish,  "out  of 
the  territory  embraced  within  the  limits  of  the 
state  of  California,  a  new  state,  to  be  called  the 
state  of  Columbia."  The  territory  embraced 
within  the  counties  of  Santa  Cruz,  Santa  Clara, 
San  Joaquin,  Calaveras,  Amador,  Tuolumne, 
Stanislaus,  Mariposa,  Tulare,  Monterey,  Santa 
Barbara,  San  Luis  Obispo,  Los  Angeles,  San 
liernardino  and  San  Diego,  with  the  islands  on 
the  coast,  were  to  constitute  the  new  state. 
"The  people  residing  within  the  above  mentioned 
territory  shall  be  and  they  are  hereby  author- 
ized, so  soon  as  the  consent  of  the  congress  of 
the  L'nited  States  shall  be  obtained  thereto,  to 
proceed  to  organize  a  state  government  under 
such  rules  as  are  prescribed  by  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States."  The  bill  was  referred  to 
a  select  committee  of  thirteen  members  repre- 
senting different  sections  of  the  state.  This 
committee  reported  as  a  substitute,  "An  Act  to 
create  three  .states  out  of  the  territory  of  Cali- 
fornia," and  also  drafted  an  address  to  the  peo- 
ple of  California  advocating  the  passage  of  die 
act.  The  eastern  boundary  line  of  California 
was  to  be  moved  over  the  mountains  to  the  one 
hundred  and  nineteenth  degree  of  longitude  west 
of   Greenwich,    which   would   have   taken    about 


HISTURIC.\L   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECUKD. 


half  of  the  present  state  of  Nevada.  The  north- 
ern state  was  to  be  called  Shasta,  the  central 
California  and  the  southern  Colorado. 

The  southern  boundary  of  the  state  of  Shasta 
began  at  the  mouth  of  Maron's  river ;  thence 
easterly  along  the  boundary  line  between  Yerba 
and  Butte  counties  and  between  Sierra  and  Plu- 
mas to  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  Xevadas  and 
thence  easterly  to  the  newly  established  state  line. 

The  northern  boundary  of  the  state  of  Colo- 
rado began  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pajara  river, 
running  up  that  river  to  the  summit  of  the 
Coast  Range;  thence  in  a  straight  line  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Alerced  river,  thence  up  that  river 
to  the  summits  of  the  Sierra  Xevadas  and  then 
due  east  to  the  newly  established  state  line. 

The  territory  not  embraced  in  the  states  of 
Colorado  and  Shasta  was  to  constitute  the  state 
of  California. 

The  taxable  property  of  Shasta  for  the  year 
1854  was  $7,000,000  and  the  revenue  $100,000; 
that  of  Colorado  $9,764,000  and  the  revenue 
$186,000.  These  amounts  the  committee  consid- 
ered sufficient  to  support  the  state  governments. 
The  bill  died  on  the  files. 

The  legislature  of  1859  was  intensely  pro- 
slavery.  The  divisionists  saw  in  it  an  oppor- 
tunity to  carry  out  their  long-deferred  scheme. 
The  so-called  Pico  law,  an  act  granting  the 
consent  of  the  legislature  to  the  formation  of  a 
different  government  for  the  southern  counties 
of  this  state,  was  introduced  early  in  the  ses- 
sion, passed  in  both  houses  and  approved  by 
the  governor  April  18,  1859.  The  boundaries 
of  the  proposed  state  were  as  follows:  "All  of 
that  part  or  portion  of  the  present  territory  of 
this  state  lying  all  south  of  a  line  drawn  east- 
ward from  the  west  boundary  of  the  state  along 
the  sixth  standard  parallel  south  of  the  Mount 
Diablo  meridian,  east  to  the  summit  of  the 
coast  range:  thence  southerly  following  said 
summit  to  the  seventh  standard  parallel;  thence 
due  east  on  said  standard,  parallel  to  its  inter- 
section with  the  northwest  boundary  of  Los 
.\ngeles  county;  thence  northeast  along  said 
boundary  to  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  state, 
including  the  counties  of  San  Luis  Obispo. 
Santa  Barbara,  Los  Angeles,  San  Diego.  San 
Bernardino  and  a  part  of  Buena  \'ista.  shall  be 


segregated  from  the  remaining  portion  of  the 
state  for  the  purpose  of  the  formation  by  con- 
gress, with  the  concurrent  action  of  said  portion 
(the  consent  for  the  segregation  of  which  is 
hereby  granted),  of  a  territorial  or  other  gov- 
ernment under  the  name  of  the  "Territory  of 
Colorado,"  or  such  other  name  as  may  be 
deemed  meet  and  proper." 

Section  second  provided  for  the  submitting 
the  question  of  "For  a  Territory"  or  "Against 
a  Territory"  to  the  people  of  the  portion  sought 
to  be  segregated  at  the  next  general  election; 
"and  in  case  two-thirds  of  the  whole  number  of 
voters  voting  thereon  shall  vote  for  a  change  of 
government,  the  consent  hereby  given  shall  be 
deemed  consunmiatcd."  In  case  the  vote  was 
favorable  the  secretary  of  state  was  to  send  a 
certified  copy  of  the  result  of  the  election  and 
a  copy  of  the  act  annexed  to  the  president  01 
the  United  States  and  to  the  senators  and  rep- 
resentatives of  California  in  congress.  At  the 
general  election  in  .September,  1859,  the  ques- 
tion was  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people  of 
the  soutliern  counties,  with  the  following  result: 

For.     Against. 

Los  Angeles  county 1.407  441 

San  Bernardino 441  29 

San  Diego 207  24 

San  Luis  Obispo 10  283 

Santa  Barbara 395  51 

Tulare    17 

Total 2.477  828 

The  bill  to  create  the  county  of  Buena  \'ista 
from  the  southern  portion  of  Tulare  failed  to 
pass  the  legislature,  hence  the  name  of  that 
county  does  not  appear  in  the  returns.  The 
result  of  the  vote  showed  that  considerably  more 
than  two-thirds  were  in  favor  of  a  new  state. 

The  results  of  this  movement  for  division  and 
the  act  were  sent  t(T  the  president  and  to  con- 
gress, but  nothing  came  of  it.  The  pro-slavery 
faction  which  with  the  assistance  of  its  coad- 
jutors of  the  north  had  so  long  dominated  con- 
gress had  lost  its  power.  The  southern  senators 
and  congressmen  were  preparing  for  secession 
and  had  weightier  matters  to  think  of  than  the 
division  of  the  state  of  California.  Of  late  years, 
a  few  feeble  attempts  have  been  made  to  stir  up 


i06 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  old  question  of  state  division  and  even  to 
resurrect  the  old  "Pico  law." 

For  more  than  a  decade  after  its  admission 
into  the  Union,  California  was  a  Democratic 
state  and  controlled  by  the  pro-slavery  wing  of 
that  party.  John  C.  Fremont  and  William  H. 
Gwin,  its  first  senators,  were  southern  born, 
Fremont  in  South  Carolina  and  Gwin  in  Ten- 
nessee. Politics  had  not  entered  into  their 
election,  but  the  lines  were  soon  drawn.  Fre- 
mont drew  the  short  term  and  his  services  in 
the  senate  were  very  brief.  He  confidently 
expected  a  re-election,  but  in  this  he  was 
doomed  to  disappointment.  The  legislature  of 
1S51,  after  balloting  one  hundred  antl  forty-two 
times,  adjourned  without  electing,  leaving  Cali- 
fornia with  but  one  senator  in  the  session  of 
1850-51.  In  the  legislature  of  1852  John  B. 
Wilier  was  elected.  He  was  a  northern  man 
with  southern  principles.  His  chief  opponent 
for  the  place  was  David  Colbert  Broderick,  a 
man  destined  to  fill  an  important  place  in  the 
political  history  of  California.  He  was  an  Irish- 
man by  birth,  but  had  come  to  America  in  his 
boyhood.  He  had  learned  the  stone  cutters' 
trade  with  his  father.  His  early  associations 
were  with  the  rougher  element  of  New  York 
City.  Aspiring  to  a  higher  position  than  that 
of  a  stone  cutter  he  entered  the  political  field 
and  soon  arose  to  prominence.  At  the  age  of 
26  he  was  nominated  for  Congress,  but  was  de- 
feated by  a  small  majority  through  a  split  in  the 
party.  In  1849  ^'"^  came  to  California,  where  he 
arrived  sick  and  penniless.  With  F.  D.  Kohler, 
an  assayer,  he  engaged  in  coining  gold.  The 
profit  from  buying  gold  dust  at  $14  an  ounce 
and  making  it  into  $5  and  $10  pieces  put  him 
in  affluent  circumstances. 

His  first  entry  into  politics  in  California  was 
liis  election  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  senate  of  the 
first  legislature.  In  1851  he  became  president 
of  the  saiate.  He  studied  law,  history  and  liter- 
ature and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  was  ap- 
pointed clerk  of  the  supreme  court  and  had  as- 
pirations for  still  higher  positions.  Although 
Senator  Gwin  was  a  Democrat,  he  had  managed 
to  control  all  the  federal  appointments  of  Fill- 
more, the  Whig  president,  and  he  liad  filled  the 
offices  with  pro-slavery  Democrats. 


Xo  other  free  state  in  the  Union  had  such 
odious  laws  against  negroes  as  had  California. 
The  legislature  of  1852  enacted  a  law  "respect- 
ing fugitives  from  labor  and  slaves  brought  to 
this  state  prior  to  her  admission  to  the  Union." 
"Under  this  law  a  colored  man  or  woman  could 
be  brought  before  a  magistrate,  claimed  as  a 
slave,  and  the  person  so  seized  not  being  per- 
mitted to  testify,  the  judge  had  no  alternative 
but  to  issue  a  certificate  to  the  claimant,  which 
certificate  was  conclusive  of  the  right  of  the  per- 
son or  persons  in  whose  favor  granted,  and  pre- 
vented all  molestation  of  such  person  or  per- 
sons, by  any  process  issued  by  any  court,  judge, 
justice  or  magistrate  or  other  person  wdiomso- 
ever."'''  Any  one  who  rendered  assistance  to  a 
fugitive  was  liable  to  a  fine  of  $500  or  imprison- 
ment for  two  months.  Slaves  who  had  been 
brought  into  California  by  their  masters  before 
it  became  a  state,  but  who  were  freed  by  the 
adoption  of  a  constitution  prohibiting  slavery, 
were  held  to  be  fugitives  and  were  liable  to 
arrest,  although  they  had  been  free  for  several 
years  and  some  of  them  had  accumulated  con- 
siderable property.  By  limitation  the  law  should 
liave  become  inoperative  in  1853,  but  the  legis- 
lature of  that  year  re-enacted  it,  and  the  suc- 
ceeding legislatures  of  1854  and  1855  continued 
it  in  force.  The  intention  of  the  legislators 
who  enacted  the  law  was  to  legalize  the  kid- 
napping of  free  negroes,  as  well  as  the  arrest  of 
fugitives.  Broderick  vigorously  opposed  the 
prosecution  of  the  colored  people  and  by  so 
doing  called  down  upon  his  head  the  wrath  of 
the  pro-slavery  chivalry.  From  that  time  on  he 
was  an  object  of  their  hatred.  While  successive 
legislatures  were  passing  laws  to  punish  black 
men  for  daring  to  assert  their  freedom  and  their 
right  to  the  products  of  their  honest  toil,  white 
villains  were  rewarded  with  political  preferment, 
provided  always  that  they  belonged  to  the  domi- 
nant wing  of  the  Democratic  party.  The  Whig 
partv  was  but  little  better  than  the  other,  for  the 
same  element  ruled  in  both.  The  finances  of 
the  state  were  in  a  deplorable  condition  and 
continuall);  grow'ing  worse.  The  people's  money 
was  recklessly  squandered.     Incompetency  was 


^Bancroft's  History  of  California,  Vol.  VI. 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  rule  in  office  and  honesty  the  exception. 
Ballot  box  stuffing  had  been  reduced  to  a  me- 
chanical science,  jury  bribing  was  one  of  the 
fine  arts  and  suborning  perjury  was  a  recognized 
profession.  During  one  election  in  San  Fran- 
cisco it  was  estimated  that  $1,500,000  was  spent 
in  one  way  or  another  to  influence  voters.  Such 
was  the  state  of  afifairs  just  preceding  the  up- 
rising of  the  people  that  evolved  in  San  Fran- 
cisco the  vigilance  committee  of  1856. 

.\t  the  state  election  in  the  fall  of  1855  the 
Know  Nothings  carried  the  state.  The  native 
American  or  Know  Nothing  party  was  a  party 
of  few  principles.  Opposition  to  Catholics  and 
foreigners  was  about  the  only  plank  in  its  plat- 
form. There  was  a  strong  opposition  to  for- 
eign miners  in  the  mining  districts  and  the 
pro-slavery  faction  saw  in  the  increased  foreign 
immigration  danger  to  the  extension  of  their 
beloved  institution  into  new  territory.  The 
most  potent  cause  of  the  success  of  the  new 
party  in  California  was  the  hope  that  it  might 
bring  reform  to  relieve  the  tax  burdened  people. 
l')Ut  in  this  they  were  disappointed.  It  was  made 
up  from  the  same  element  that  had  so  long  mis- 
governed the  state. 

The  leaders  of  the  party  were  either  pro- 
slavery  men  of  the  south  or  northern  men  with 
southern  principles.  Of  the  latter  class  was  J. 
Neely  Johnson,  the  governor-elect.  In  the  leg- 
islature of  1855  the  contest  between  Gwin  and 
Broderick,  which  had  been  waged  at  the  polls 
the  previous  year,  culminated  after  thirty-eight 
ballots  in  no  choice  and  Gwin's  place  in  the 
senate  became  vacant  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term.  In  the  legislature  of  1856  the  Know  Noth- 
ings had  a  majority  in  both  houses.  It  was 
supposed  that  they  would  elect  a  senator  to 
succeed  Gwin.  There  were  three  aspirants:  H. 
A.  Crabb,  formerly  a  Whig;  E.  C.  Marshall  and 
Henry  S.  Foote,  formerly  Democrats.  All  were 
southerners  and  were  in  the  new  party  for  of- 
fice. The  Gwin  and  Broderick  influence  was 
strong  enough  to  prevent  the  Know  Nothing 
legislature  from  electing  a  senator  and  Califor- 
nia was  left  with  but  one  representative  in  the 
upper  house  of  Congress. 

The  Know  Nothing  party  was  short  lived.  .\t 
the   general    election     in     1S56    the    Democrats 


swept  the  state.  Broderick,  by  his  ability  in  or- 
ganizing and  his  superior  leadership,  had  se- 
cured a  majority  in  the  legislature  and  was  in  a 
position  to  dictate  terms  to  his  opponents.  Wel- 
ler's  senatorial  term  would  soon  expire  and 
Gwin's  already  two  _\ears  vacant  left  two  places 
to  be  filled.  Broderick,  who  had  heretofore 
been  contending  for  Gwin's  place,  changed  his 
tactics  and  aspired  to  fill  the  long  term.  Ac- 
cording to  established  custom,  the  filling  of  the 
vacancy  would  come  up  first,  but  Broderick,  by 
superior  finesse,  succeeded  in  having  the  caucus 
nominate  the  successor  to  Weller  first.  Ex- 
Congressman  Latham's  friends  were  induced  to 
favor  the  arrangement  on  the  expectation  that 
their  candidate  would  be  given  the  short  term. 
Broderick  was  elected  to  the  long  term  on  the 
first  ballot,  January  9,  1857,  and  his  commission 
was  immediately  made  out  and  signed  bv  the 
governor.  For  years  he  had  bent  his  energies* 
to  securing  the  senatorship  and  at  last  he  had 
obtained  the  coveted  honor.  But  he  was  not 
satisfied  yet.  He  aspired  to  control  the  federal 
patronage  of  the  state;  in  thia  way  he  could 
reward  his  friends.  He  could  dictate  the  elec- 
tion of  his  colleague  for  the  short  term.  Both 
Gwin  and  Latham  were  willing  to  concede  to 
him  that  privilege  for  the  sake  of  an  election. 
Latham  tried  to  make  a  few  reservations  for 
some  of  his  friends  to  whom  he  had  promised 
places.  Gwin  offered  to  surrender  it  all  with- 
out reservation.  He  had  had  enough  of  it. 
Gwin  was  elected  and  next  day  published  an 
address,  announcing  his  obligation  to  Broderick 
and  renouncing  any  claim  to  the  distribution  of 
the  federal  patronage. 

Then  a  wail  long  and  loud  went  u])  from  the 
chivalry,  who  for  years  had  monopolized  all  the 
offices.  That  they,  southern  gentlemen  of  aris- 
tocratic antecedents,  should  be  compelled  to-ask 
favors  of  a  mudsill  of  the  north  was  too  hu- 
miliating to  be  borne.  Latham,  too.  was  indig- 
nant and  Broderick  found  that  his  triumph  was 
but  a  hollow  mockery.  But  the  worst  was  to 
come.  He  who  had  done  so  much  to  unite  the 
warring  Democracy  and  give  the  party  a  glo- 
rious victory  in  California  at  the  presidential 
election  of  1856  fully  expected  the  approbation 
of  President  Buchanan,  but  when. he  called  on 


208 


HISTURICAL   AND   BIQGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


that  old  gentleman  he  was  received  coldly  and 
during  Buchanan's  administration  he  was  ig- 
nored and  ■  Gwin's  advice  taken  and  followed  in 
making  federal  appointments.  He  returned  to 
California  in  April,  1857,  to  secure  the  nomina- 
tion of  his  friends  on  the  state  ticket,  but  in 
this  he  was  disappointed.  The  Gwin  ele- 
ment was  in  the  ascendency  and  John 
B.  Weller  received  the  nomination  for  gov- 
ernor. He  was  regarded  as  a  martyr,  having 
been  tricked  out  of  a  re-election  to  the  sen- 
ate by  Broderick.  There  were  other  martyrs  of 
the  Democracy,  who  received  balm  for  their 
wounds  and  sympathy  for  their  sufferings  at 
that  convention.  In  discussing  a  resolution  de- 
nouncing the  vigilance  committee,  O'Meara  in 
his  "History  of  Early  Politics  in  California," 
says:  "Col.  Joseph  P.  Hoge,  the  acknowledged 
leader  of  the  convention,  stated  that  the  com- 
mittee had  hanged  four  men,  banished  twenty- 
eight  and  arrested  two  hundred  and  eighty;  and 
that  these  were  nearly  all  Democrats. 

On  Broderick"s  return  to  the  senate  in  the 
session  of  1857-58,  he  cast  his  lot  with  Senator 
Douglas  and  opposed  the  admission  of  Kansas 
under  the  infamous  Lecompton  constitution. 
This  cut  him  loose  from  the  administration 
wing  of  the  party. 

In  the  state  campaign  of,  1859  Broderick  ral- 
lied his  followers  under  the  Anti-Lecompton 
standard  and  Gwin  his  in  support  of  the  Bu- 
".hanan  administration.  The  party  was  hope- 
'essly  divided.  Two  Democratic  tickets  were 
placed  in  the  field.  The  Broderick  ticket,  with 
John  Currey  as  governor,  and  the  Gwin,  with 
I\Iilton  Latham,  the  campaign  was  bitter.  Brod- 
erick took  the  stump  and  although  not  an  orator 
his  denunciations  of  Gwin  were  scathing  and 
merciless  and  in  his  fearful  earnestness  he  be- 
came almost  eloquent.  Gwin  in  turn  loosed 
the  vials  of  his  wrath  upon  Broderick  and 
criminations  and  recriminations  flew  thick  and 
fast  during  the  campaign.  It  was  a  campaign 
of  vituperation,  but  the  first  aggressor  was 
Gwin. 

•  Judge  Terry,  in  a  speech  before  the  Lecomp- 
ton convention  at  Sacramento  in  June,  1859, 
after  flinging  out  sneers  at  the  Republican  party, 
characterized  Broderick's  party  as  sailing  "under 


the  flag  of  Douglas,  but  it  is  the  banner  of  the 
black  Douglass,  whose  name  is  Frederick,  not 
Stephen."  This  taunt  was  intended  to  arouse 
the  wrath  of  Broderick.  He  read  Terry's  speech 
while  seated  at  breakfast  in  the  International 
hotel  at  San  Francisco.  Broderick  denounced 
Terr\'s  utterance  in  forcible  language  and 
closed  by  saying:  'T  have  hitherto  spoken  of 
him  as  an  honest  man,  as  the  only  honest 
man  on  the  bench  of  a  miserable,  corrupt  su- 
preme court,  but  now  I  find  I  was  mistaken.  I 
take  it  all  back."  A  lawyer  by  the  name  of  Per- 
ley,  a  friend  of  Terry's,  to  whom  the  remark  was 
directed,  to  obtain  a  little  reputation,  challenged 
Broderick.  Broderick  refused  to  consider  Per- 
ley's  challenge  on  the  ground  that  he  was  not 
his  (Broderick's)  equal  in  standing  and  beside 
that  he  had  declared  himself  a  few  days  before 
a  British  subject.  Perley  did  not  stand  very 
high  in  the  community.  Terry  had  acted  as  a 
second  for  him  in  a  duel  a  few  years  before. 

Broderick,  in  his  reply  to  Perley,  said;  "i 
have  determined  to  take  no  notice  of  attacks 
from  any  source  during  the  canvass.  If  I  were 
to  accept  your  challenge,  there  are  probably 
many  other  gentlemen  who  would  seek  similar 
opportunities  for  hostile  meetings  for  the  pur- 
pose of  accomplishing  a  political  object  or  to 
obtain  public  notoriety.  I  cannot  afford  at  the 
present  time  to  descend  to  a  violation  of  the 
Constitution  and  state  laws  to  subserve  either 
their  or  your  purposes." 

Terry  a  few  days  after  the  close  of  the  cam- 
paign sent  a  letter  to  Broderick  demanding  a 
retraction  of  the  offensive  remarks.  Broderick, 
well  knowing  that  he  would  have  to  fight  some 
representative  of  the  chivalry  if  not  several  of 
them  in  succession,  did  not  retract  his  remarks. 
He  had  for  several  years,  in  expectation  of  such 
a  result  in  a  contest  with  them,  practiced 
liimself  in  the  use  of  fire  arms  until  he  had  be- 
come quite  expert. 

.\  challenge  followed,  a  meeting  was  arranged 
to  take  place  in  San  ^lateo  county,  ten  miles 
from  San  Francisco,  on  the  12th  of  September. 
Chief  of  Police  Burke  appeared  on  the  scene 
and  arrested  the  principals.  They  were  released 
by  the  court,  no  crime  having  been  committed. 
They  met  next  morning  at  the  same  place;  ex- 


HISTORICAL  AND    UlUGRAPHlCAL   RECORD. 


Congressman  McKibben  and  David  D.  Colton 
were  Broderick's  seconds.  Calhoun  Benhani 
and  Thomas  Hayes  were  Terry's.  The  pistols 
selected  belonged  to  a  friend  of  Terry's.  Brod- 
erick  was  ill,  weak  and  nervous,  and  it  was  said 
that  his  pistol  was  quicker  on  the  trigger  than 
Terry's.  When  the  word  was  given  it  was  dis- 
charged before  it  reached  a  level  and  the  ball 
struck  the  earth,  nine  feet  from  where  he  stood. 
Terry  fired,  striking  Broderick  in  the  breast. 
He  sank  to  the  earth  mortally  wounded  and  died 
three  days  afterwards.  Broderick  dead  was  a 
greater  man  than  Broderick  living.  For  years 
he  had  waged  a  contest  against  the  representa- 
tives of  the  slave  oligarchy  in  California  and  the 
great  mass  of  the  people  had  looked  on  with 
indifference,  even  urging  on  his  pursuers  to  the 
tragic  end.  Xow  that  he  was  killed,  the  cry  went 
up  for  vengeance  on  his  murderers.  Terry  was 
arrested  and  admitted  to  bail  in  the  sum  of 
$10,000.  The  trial  was  put  off  on  some  pretext 
and  some  ten  months  later  he  obtained  a  change 
of  venue  to  Marin  county  on  the  plea  that  he 
could  not  obtain  a  fair  and  impartial  trial  in  San 
Francisco.  His  case  was  afterwards  dismissed 
without  trial  by  a  pro-slavery  judge  named 
Hardy.  Although  freed  by  the  courts  he  was 
found  guilty  and  condemned  by  public  opinion. 
He  went  south  and  joined  the  Confederates  at 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  He  some 
time  after  the  close  of  the  war  returned  to  Cal- 
ifornia. In  1880  he  was  a  presidential  elector 
on  the  Democratic  ticket.  His  colleagues  on 
the  ticket  were  elected,  but  he  was  defeated. 
He  was  killed  at  Lathrop  by  a  deputy  United 
States  marshal  while  attempting  an  assault  on 
United  States  Supreme  Judge  Field. 

In  the  hue  and  cry  that  was  raised  on  the 
death  of  Broderick,  the  chivalry  read  the  doom 
of  their  ascendency.  Gwin,  as  he  was  about  to 
take  the  steamer  on  his  return  to  Washington, 
"had  flaunted  in  his  face  a  large  canvas  frame, 
on  which  was  painted  a  portrait  of  Broderick 
and  this:  'It  is  the  will  of  the  people  that  the 
murderers  of  Broderick  do  not  return  again  to 
California;'  and  below  were  also  these  words 
attributed  to  Mr.  Broderick:  'They  have  killed 
me  because  I  was  opposed  to  the  extension  of 
slavery,  and  a  corrupt  administration.'  " 


Throughout  his  political  career  Broderick  was 
a  consistent  anti-slavery  man  and  a  friend  of 
the  common  people.  Of  all  the  politicians  of  the 
ante-bellum  period,  that  is,  before  the  Civil  war, 
he  stands  to-day  the  highest  in  the  estimation  of 
the  people  of  California.  Like  Lincoln,  he  was 
a  self-made  man.  From  a  humble  origin, 
unaided,  he  had  fought  his  way  up  to  a  lofty  po- 
sition. Had  he  been  living  during  the  war 
against  the  perpetuity  of  human  slavery,  he 
would  have  been  a  power  in  the  senate  or  pos- 
sibly a  commander  on  the  field  of  battle.  As  it 
was,  during  that  struggle  in  his  adopted  state, 
his  name  became  a  synonyn  of  patriotism  and 
love  for  the  L'nion. 

Milton  S.  Latham,  who  succeeded  John  B. 
Weller  as  governor  in  i860,  was,  like  his  pred- 
ecessor, a  northern  man  with  southern  prin- 
ciples. Almost  from  the  date  of  his  arrival  in 
California  he  had  been  an  office-holder.  He  was 
a  man  of  mediocre  ability.  He  was  a  state  di- 
viSionist  and  would  have  aided  in  that  scheme 
by  advocating  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States 
(to  which  body  he  had  been  elected  three  days 
after  his  inauguration)  the  segregation  of  the 
southern  counties  and  their  formation  into  a 
new  state  with  the  hopes  of  restoring  the  equi- 
librium between  the  north  and  the  south.  But 
the  time  had  passed  for  such  projects.  The 
lieutenant-governor,  John  G.  Downey,  suc- 
ceeded Latham.  Downey  gained  great  popu- 
larity by  his  veto  of  the  "bulkhead  bill."  This 
was  a  scheme  of  the  San  Francisco  Dock  and 
Wharf  Company  to  build  a  stone  bulkhead 
around  the  citv  water  front  in  consideration  of 
having  the  exclusive  privilege  of  collecting 
wharfage  and  tolls  for  fifty  years.  Downey  lost 
much  of  his  popularit}',  particularly  with  the 
L^nion  men,  during  the  Civil  war  on  account  of 
his  sympathy  with  the  Confederates. 

At  the  state  election  in  September,  1861.  Lc- 
land  Stanford  was  chosen  governor.  He  was 
the  first  Republican  chosen  to  that  office.  He 
received  fifty-si.x  thousand  votes.  Two  years 
before  he  had  been  a  candidate  for  that  office 
and  received  only  ten  thousand  votes,  so  rap- 
idly had  public  sentiment  changed.  The  news 
of  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  reached  San 
Francisco  April  24,  twelve   days  after  its   oc- 


210 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


currence.  It  came  by  pony  express.  The  be- 
ginning of  hostilities  between  the  north  and  the 
south  stirred  up  a  strong  Union  sentiment.  The 
great  Union  mass  meeting  held  in  San  Fran- 
cisco May  II,  1861,  was  the  largest  and  most 
enthusiastic  public  demonstration  ever  he.ld  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  The  lines  were  sharply  drawn 
between  the  friends  of  the  government  and  its 
enemies.  Former  political  alliances  were  for- 
gotten. Most  of  the  Anti-Lecompton  or  Doug- 
las Democrats  arrayed  themselves  on  the  side 
of  the  Union.  The  chivalry  wing  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  were  either  open  or  secret  sym- 
pathizers with  the  Confederates.  Some  of  them 
were  bold  and  outspoken  in  their  disloyalty. 
The  speech  of  Edmund  Randolph  at  the  Dem- 
ocratic convention  July  24,  1861,  is  a  sample 
of  such  utterances.  *  *  *  "To  me  it  seems 
a  waste  of  time  to  talk.  For  God's  sake,  tell 
me  of  battles  fought  and  won.  Tell  me  of 
usurpers  overthrown ;  that  Missouri  is  again  a 
free  state,  no  longer  crushed  under  the  armed 
heel  of  a  reckless  and  odious  despot.  Tell  me 
that  the  state  of  Marj-land  lives  again;  and,  oh! 
gentlemen,  let  us  read,  let  us  hear,  at  the  first 
moment,  that  not  one  hostile  foot  now  treads 
the  soil  of  Virginia!  (.Applause  and  cheers.) 
If  this  be  rebellion.  I  am  a  rebel.  Do  you  want 
a  traitor,  then  I  am  a  traitor.  For  God's  sake, 
speed  the  ball;  may  the  lead  go  quick  to  his 
heart,  and  may  our  country  be  free  from  the 
despot  usurper  that  now  claims  the  name 
of  the  president  of  the  United  States."*  (Cheers.) 
Some  of  the  chivalry  Democrats,  most  of  whom 
had  been  holding  office  in  California  for  years, 
went  south  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  to 
fight  in  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy,  and 
among  these  was  Gen.  Albert  Sidney  Johnston, 
who  had  been  superseded  in  the  command  of 
the  Pacific  Department  by  Gen.  Edwin  V.  Sum- 
ner. Johnston,  with  a  number  of  fellow  sym- 
pathizers, went  south  by  the  overland  route  and 
was  killed  a  year  later,  at  the  battle  of  Shiloli, 
while  in  command  of  the  Confederate  army. 

One  form  of  disloyalty  among  the  class 
known  as  "copperheads"  (northern  men  with 
southern  principles)  was  the  advocacy  of  a  Pa- 


cific republic.  ISlosl  prominent  among  these 
was  e.x-Governor  John  B.  Weller.  The  move- 
ment was  a  thinly  disguised  method  of  aiding 
tlie  southern  Confederacy.  The  flag  of  the 
inchoate  Pacific  republic  was  raised  in  Stock- 
ton January  16,  1 861.  It  is  thus  described  by 
the  Stockton  Argus:  "The  flag  is  of  silk  of  the 
medium  size  of  the  national  ensign  and  with 
the  exception  of  the  Union  (evidently  a  mis- 
nomer in  this  case)  which  contains  a  lone  star 
upon  a  blue  ground,  is  covered  by  a  painting 
representing  a  wild  mountain  scene,  a  huge 
grizzly  bear  standing  in  the  foreground  and  the 
words  'Pacific  Republic'  near  the  upper  border." 
The  flag  raising  was  not  a  success.  At  first  it 
was  intended  to  raise  it  in  the  city.  But  as  it 
became  evident  this  would  not  be  allowed,  it  was 
raised  to  the  mast  head  of  a  vessel  in  the  slough. 
It  was  not  allowed  to  float  there  long.  The  hal- 
}ards  were  cut  and  a  boy  was  sent  up  the  mast 
to  pull  it  down.  The  owner  of  the  flag  was  con- 
vinced that  it  was  not  safe  to  trifle  with  the 
loyal  sentiment  of  the  people. 

At  the  gubernatorial  election  in  September, 
1863,  Frederick  F.  Low,  Republican,  was 
chosen  over  John  G.  Downey,  Democrat,  by  a 
majority  of  over  twenty  thousand.  In  some  parts 
of  the  state  Confederate  sympathizers  were 
largely  in  the  majority.  This  was  the  case  in 
Los  .\ngeles  and  in  some  places  in  the  San 
Joaquin  valley.  Several  of  the  most  outspoken 
were  arrested  and  sent  to  Fort  Alcatraz,  where 
they  soon  became  convinced  of  the  error  of 
their  ways  and  took  the  oath  of  allegiance. 
When  the  news  of  the  assassination  of  Lincoln 
reached  San  Francisco,  a  mob  destroyed  the 
newspaper  plants  of  the  Democratic  Press, 
edited  by  Beriah  Brown ;  the  Occidental,  edited 
by  Zach.  Montgomery ;  the  News  Letter,  edited 
by  F.  Marriott,  and  the  Monitor,  a  Catholic 
paper,  edited  by  Thomas  .\.  Brady.  These  were 
virulent  copperhead  sheets  that  had  heaped 
abuse  upon  the  martyred  president.  Had  the 
proprietors  of  these  journals  been  found  the 
mob  would,  in  the  excitement  that  prevailed, 
have  treated  them  with  violence.  .A.fter  this 
demonstration  Confederate  sympathizers  kept 
silent. 


of  California. 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECuRD. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 


TRADE,  TRAVEL  AND  TRANSPORTATION. 


THE  beginning  of  the  ocean  commerce  of 
California  was  the  two  mission  transport 
>hips  that  came  every  year  to  bring  sup- 
phes  for  the  missions  and  presidios  and  take 
back  what  few  products  there  were  to  send. 
The  government  fixed  a  price  upon  each  and 
every  article  of  import  and  export.  There  was 
no  cornering  the  market,  no  bulls  or  bears  in 
the  wheat  pit,  no  rise  or  fall  in  prices  except 
when  ordered  by  royal  authority.  An  Arancel 
de  Precios  (fixed  rate  of  prices)  was  issued  at 
certain  intervals,  and  all  buying  and  selling  was 
governed  accordingly.  These  arancels  included 
everything  in  the  range  of  human  needs — phys- 
ical, spiritual  or  mental.  According  to  a  tariff 
of  prices  promulgated  by  Governor  Pages  in 
1/88,  which  had  been  approved  by  the  audencia 
and  had  received  the  royal  sanction,  the  price 
of  a  Holy  Christ  in  California  was  fixed  at 
$1.75,  a  wooden  spoon  six  cents,  a  horse  $9,  a 
deerskin  twenty-five  cents,  red  pepper  eighteen 
cents  a  pound,  a  dozen  of  quail  twenty-five 
cents,  brand)-  seventy-five  cents  per  pint,  and 
so  on  throughout  the  list. 

In  1785  an  attempt  was  made  to  open  up 
trade  between  California  and  China,  the  com- 
modities for  exchange  being  seal  and  otter 
skins  for  quicksilver.  The  trade  in  peltries  was 
to  be  a  government  monopoly.  The  skins  were 
to  be  collected  from  the  natives  by  the  mission 
friars,  who  were  to  sell  them  to  a  government 
agent  at  prices  ranging  from  $2.50  to  $10  each. 
The  neophytes  must  give  up  to  the  friars  all 
the  skins  in  their  possession.  All  trade  by  citi- 
zens or  soldiers  was  prohibited  and  any  one 
attempting  to  deal  in  peltries  otherwise  than 
the  regularly  ordained  authorities  was  liable,  if 
found  out,  to  have  his  goods  confiscated. 
Spain's  attempt  to  engage  in  the  fur  trade  was 
not  a  success.  The  blighting  monopoly  of 
church  and  state  nipped  it  in  the  bud.     It  died 


out,  and  the  government  bought  quicksilver, 
on  which  also  it  had  a  monopoly,  with  coin  in- 
stead of  otter  skins. 

After  the  government  abandoned  the  fur  trade 
the  American  smugglers  began  to  gatiicr  up 
the  peltries,  and  the  California  producer  re- 
ceived better  prices  for  his  furs  than  the  mis- 
sionaries paid. 

The  Yankee  smuggler  had  no  arancel  of 
prices  fixed  by  royal  edict.  His  price  list  va- 
ried according  to  circumstances.  As  his  trade 
was  illicit  and  iiis  vessel  and  her  cargo  were  in 
danger  of  confiscation  if  he  was  caught,  his  scale 
of  prices  ranged  high.  But  he  paid  a  higher 
])rice  for  the  peltries  than  tiie  government,  antl 
that  was  a  consolation  to  the  seller.  The  com- 
merce with  the  Russian  settlements  of  the 
northwest  in  the  early  years  of  the  century  fur- 
nished a  limited  market  for  the  grain  produced 
at  some  of  the  missions,  but  the  Russians 
helped  themselves  to  the  otter  and  the  seal  of 
California  without  saying  "By  your  leave"  and 
they  were  not  welcome  visitors. 

During  the  ]\Iex!can  revolution,  as  has  been 
previously  mentioned,  trade  sprang  up  between 
Lima  and  California  m  tallow,  but  it  was  of 
short  duration.  Durmg  the  Spanish  era  it  can 
hardly  be  said  that  California  had  any  com- 
merce. Foreign  vessels  were  not  allowed  to 
enter  her  ports  except  when  in  distress,  and 
their  stay  was  limited  to  the  shortest  time  pos- 
sible required  to  make  repairs  and  take  on 
supplies. 

It  was  not  until  Mexico  gained  her  inde- 
pendence and  removed  the  proscriptive  regu- 
lations with  which  Spain  had  hampered  com- 
merce that  the  hide  droghers  opened  up  trade 
between  New  England  and  California.  This 
trade,  which  began  in  1822,  grew  to  consider- 
able proportions.  The  hide  droghers  were  emi- 
grant ships  as  well  as  mercantile  vessels.     By 


212 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


these  came  most  of  the  Americans  who  settled 
in  Cahfornia  previous  to  1840.  The  hide  and 
tallow  trade,  the  most  important  item  of  com- 
merce in  the  Mexican  era,  reached  its  maximum 
in  1834,  when  the  great  mission  herds  were,  by 
order  of  the  padres,  slaughtered  to  prevent  them 
from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  government 
commissioners.  Thirty-two  vessels  came  to  the 
coast  that  year,  nearly  all  of  which  were  en- 
gaged in  the  hide  and  tallow  trade. 

During  the  year  1845,  the  last  of  Mexican 
rule,  sixty  vessels  visited  the  coast.  These 
were  not  all  trading  vessels:  eight  were  men- 
of-war,  twelve  were  whalers  and  thirteen  came 
on  miscellaneous  business.  The  total  amount 
received  at  the  custom  house  for  revenue  during 
that  year  was  $140,000.  The  majority  of  the 
vessels  trading  on  the  California  coast  during 
the  Mexican  era  sailed  under  the  stars  and 
stripes.  Mexico  was  kinder  to  California  than 
Spain,  and  under  her  administration  commer- 
cial relations  were  established  to  a  limited  ex- 
tent with  foreign  nations.  Her  commerce  at 
best  was  feeble  and  uncertain.  The  revenue  laws 
and  their  administration  were  frequently- 
changed,  and  the  shipping  merchant  was  never 
sure  what  kind  of  a  reception  his  cargo  would 
receive  from  the  custom  house  officers.  The 
duties  on  imports  from  foreign  countries  were 
exorbitant  and  there  was  always  more  or  less 
smuggling  carried  on.  The  people  and  the 
padres,  when  they  were  a  power,  gladly  wel- 
comed the  arrival  of  a  trading  vessel  on  the 
coast  and  were  not  averse  to  buying  goods  that 
had  escaped  the  tariff  if  they  could  do  so  with 
safety.  As  there  was  no  land  tax,  the  revenue 
on  goods  supported  the  expenses  of  the  govern- 
ment. 

Never  in  the  world's  history  did  any  country 
develop  an  ocean  commerce  so  quickly  as  did 
California  after  the  discovery  of  gold.  When 
the  news  spread  abroad,  the  first  ships  to 
arrive  came  from  Peru,  Chile  and  the  South 
Sea  islands.  The  earliest  published  notice  of 
the  gold  discovery  appeared  in  the  Baltimore 
Suit,  September  20,  1848,  eight  months  after  it 
was  made.  At  first  the  story  was  ridiculed,  but 
as  confirmatory  reports  came  thick  and  fast, 
preparations   began    for   a   grand   rush   for   the 


gold  mines.  Vessels  of  all  kinds,  seaworthy 
and  unseaworthy,  were  overhauled  and  fitted 
out  for  California.  The  American  trade  with 
California  had  gone  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  or 
the  Straits  of  Magellan,  and  this  was  the  route 
that  was  taken  by  the  pioneers.  Then  there 
were  short  cuts  by  the  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  across  Mexico  and  by  Nicaragua.  The 
first  vessels  left  the  Atlantic  seaports  in  No- 
vember, 1848.  By  the  middle  of  the  winter  one 
hundred  vessels  had  sailed  from  Atlantic  and 
(iulf  seaports,  and  by  spring  one  hundred  and 
fifty  more  had  taken  their  departure,  all  of  them 
loaded  with  human  freight  and  with  supplies  of 
every  description.  Five  hundred  and  forty- 
nine  vessels  arrived  in  San  Francisco  in  nine 
months,  forty-five  reaching  that  port  in  one  day. 

April  12,  1848,  before  the  treaty  of  peace 
with  Mexico  had  been  proclaimed  by  the  Presi- 
ilent,  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  was 
incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $500,000.  Asto- 
ria. Ore.,  was  to  have,  been  the  Pacific  terminus 
of  the  company's  line,  but  it  never  got  there. 
The  discovery  of  'gold  in  California  made  San 
J'rancisco  the  end  of  its  route.  The  contract 
with  the  government  gave  the  company  a  sub- 
sidy of  $200,000  for  maintaining  three  steamers 
on  the  Pacific  side  between  Panama  and  Asto- 
ria. The  first  of  these  vessels,  the  California, 
sailed  from  New  York  October  6,  1848,  for  San 
Francisco  and  Astoria  via  Cape  Horn.  She 
was  followed  in  the  two  succeeding  months  by 
the  Oregon  and  the  Panama.  On  the  Atlantic 
side  the  vessels  of  the  line  for  several  years 
were  the  Ohio,  Illinois  and  Georgia.  The  ves- 
sels on  the  Atlantic  side  were  fifteen  hundred 
tons  burden,  while  those  on  the  Pacific  were  a 
thousand  tons.  Freight  and  passengers  by  the 
Panama  route  were  transported  across  the  isth- 
mus by  boats  up  the  Chagres  river  to  Gorgona, 
and  then  by  mule-back  to  Panama.  In  1855  the 
Panama  railroad  was  completed.  This  greatly 
facilitated  travel  and  transportation.  The  At- 
lantic terminus  of  the  road  was  Aspinwall,  now 
called  Colon. 

Another  line  of  travel  and  commerce  between 
the  states  and  California  in  early  days  was  the 
Nicaragua  route.  By  that  route  passengers  on 
the  Atlantic  side  landed  at  San  Jnan  del  Norte 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL   RI-XORD. 


213 


or  Greytown.  From  there  they  took  a  river 
steamer  and  ascended  the  Rio  San  Juan  to  Lake 
Nicaragua,  then  in  a  larger  vessel  they  crossed 
the  lake  to  La  \  irgin.  From  there  a  distance 
of  about  twelve  miles  was  made  on  foot  or  on 
mule-back  to  San  Juan  del  Sur,  where  they  re- 
embarked  on  board  the  ocean  steamer  for  San 
l'"rancisco. 

The  necessit}-  for  the  speedy  shipment  of  mer- 
chandise to  California  before  the  days-  of  trans- 
continental railroads  at  a  minimum  cost  evolved 
the  clipper  ship.  These  vessels  entered  quite 
early  into  the  California  trade  and  soon  displaced 
the  short,  clumsy  vessels  of  a  few  hundred  tons 
burden  that  took  from  six  to  ten  months  to 
make  a  voyage  around  the  Horn.  The  clipper 
ship  Flying  Cloud,  which  arrived  at  San  Fran- 
cisco in  August,  185 1,  made  the  voyage  from 
Xew  York  in  eighty-nine  days.  These  vessels 
were  built  long  and  narrow  and  carried  heavy 
sail.  Their  capacity  ranged  from  one  to  two 
thousand  tons  burden.  The  overland  railroads 
took  away  a  large  amount  of  their  business. 

Capt.  Jedediah  S.  Smith,  as  previously  stated, 
was  the  real  pathfinder  of  the  western  moun- 
tains and  plains.  Fie  marked  out  the  route 
from  Salt  Lake  by  way  of  the  Rio  Virgin,  the 
Colorado  and  the  Cajon  Pass  to  Los  Angeles 
in  1826.  This  route  was  extensively  traveled 
by  the  belated  immigrants  of  the  early  "50s. 
Those  reaching  Salt  Lake  City  too  late  in  the 
season  to  cross  the  Sierra  Xevadas  turned 
southward  and  entered  California  by  Smith's 
trail. 

The  early  immigration  to  California  came  by 
way  of  Fort  Hall.  PTom  there  it  turned  south- 
erly. At  Fort  Hall  the  Oregon  and  California 
immigrants  separated.  The  disasters  that  be- 
fell the  Donner  party  were  brought  upon  them 
Ijy  their  taking  the  Hastings  cut-of¥,  which  was 
represented  to  them  as  sa\-ing  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles.  It  was  shorter,  but  the  time  spent 
in  making  a  wagon  road  through  a  rough  coun- 
try delayed  them  until  they  were  caught  by  the 
■  nows  in  the  mountains.  Lassen's  cut-of¥  was 
another  route  that  brought  disaster  and  delays 
to  manv  of  the  immigrants  who  were  induced 
to  take  it.     The  route  up  the  Platte  through  the 


South  Pass  of  the  Rocky  mountains  and  down 
the  Humboldt  received  by  far  the  larger  amount 
of  travel. 

The  old  Santa  Fe  trail  from  Independence  to 
Santa  Fe,  and  from  there  by  the  old  Spanish 
trail  around  the  north  bank  of  the  Colorado 
across  the  Rio  \'irgin  down  the  Alojave  river 
and  through  the  Cajon  Pass  to  Los  Angeles, 
was  next  in  importance.  Another  route  by 
which  much  of  the  southern  emigration  came 
was  what  was  known  as  the  (iila  route.  It 
started  at  Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  thence  via  El  Paso 
and  Tucson  and  down  the  Gila  to  Yuma,  thence 
across  the  desert  through  the  San  Gorgono 
Pass  to  Los  Angeles.  In  1852  it  was  estimated 
one  thousand  w^agons  came  by  this  route.  There 
was  another  route  still  further  south  than  this 
which  passed  through  the  northern  states  of 
Mexico,  but  it  was  not  popular  on  account  of 
the  hostility  of  the  Mexicans  and  the  Apaches. 

The  first  overland  stage  line  was  established 
in  1857.  The  route  extended  from  San  Antonio 
de  Bexar.  Tex.,  to  San  Diego,  via  El  Paso,  ^les- 
sillo.  Tucson  and  Colorado  City  (now  Yuma). 
The  service  was  twice  a  month.  The  contract 
was  let  to  James  E.  Burch,  the  Postal  Depart- 
ment reserving  "the  right  to  curtail  or  discon- 
tinue the  service  should  any  route  subsequently 
put  under  contract  cover  the  whole  or  any  por- 
tion of  the  route."  The  San  Diego  Herald, 
August  12,  1837,  thus  notes  the  departure  of  the 
first  mail  by  that  route:  "The  pioneer  mail 
train  from  San  Diego  to  San  Antonio,  Tex., 
r.iuk-r  the  contract  entered  into  by  the  govern- 
ment with  Mr.  James  Burch,  left  here  on  the 
ijlh  inst.  (.\ugust  9,  1857)  at  an  early  hour  in 
tlie  morning,  and  is  now  pushing  its  way  for  the 
east  at  a  rapid  rate.  The  mail  was  of  course 
carried  on  pack  animals,  as  will  be  the  case 
until  wagons  which  are  being  pushed  across  will 
have  been  put  on  the  line.  *  *  *  The  first 
mail  from  the  other  side  has  not  yet  arrived, 
although  somewhat  overdue,  and  conjecture  is 
rife  as  to  the  cause  of  the  delay."  The  eastern 
mail  arrived  a  few  days  later. 

The  service  continued  to  improve,  and  the 
fifth  trip  from  the  eastern  terminus  to  San 
Diego   "was   made   in  the   extraordinary   short 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


lime  of  twenty-six  days  and  twelve  hours,"  and 
the  San  Diego  Herald  on  this  arrival,  October 
6,  1857,  rushed  out  an  extra  ■'announcing  the 
very  gratifying  fact  of  the  complete  triumph  of 
the  southern  route  notwithstanding  the  croak- 
ings  of  many  of  the  opponents  of  the  adminis- 
tration in  this  state."  But  the  "triumph  of  the 
southern  route"  was  of  short  duration.  In 
September,  1858,  the  stages  of  the  Butterfield 
line  began  making  their  semi-weekly  trips. 
This  route  from  its  western  terminus,  San  Fran- 
cisco, came  down  the  coast  to  Gilroy,  thence 
through  Pacheco  Pass  to  the  San  Joaquin  val- 
ley, up  the  valley  and  by  way  of  Fort  Tejon  to 
Los  Angeles;  from  there  eastward  by  Temecula 
and  Warner's  to  Yuma,  thence  following  very 
nearly  what  is  now  the  route  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  through  Arizona  and  New  Mex- 
ico to  El  Paso,  thence  turning  northward  to 
Fort  Smith,  Ark.  There  the  route  divided,  one 
branch  going  to  St.  Louis  and  the  other  to 
Memphis.  The  mail  route  from  San  Antonio 
to  San  Diego  was  discontinued. 

The  Butterfield  stage  line  was  one  of  the  long- 
est continuous  lines  ever  organized.  Its  length 
was  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty 
miles.  It  began  operation  in  September,  1858. 
The  first  stage  from  the  east  reached  Los 
Angeles  October  7  and  San  Francisco  October 
10.  A  mass-meeting  was  held  at  San  Francisco 
the  evening  of  October  11  "for  the  purpose  of 
expressing  the  sense  entertained  by  the  people 
of  the  city  of  the  great  benefits  she  is  to  re- 
ceive from  the  establishment  of  the  overland 
mail."  Col.  J.  B.  Crocket  acted  as  president 
and  Frank  j\I.  Pixley  as  secretary.  The  speaker 
of  the  evening  in  his  enthusiasm  said:  "In  my 
opinion  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  that  could 
befall  California  would  be  to  discontinue  at  once 
all  communication  b\-  steamer  between  San 
Francisco  and  New  York.  On  yesterday  we 
received  advices  from  New  York.  New  Orleans 
and  St.  Louis  in  less  than  twenty-four  days  via 
El  Paso.  Next  to  the  discovery  of  gold  this  is 
the  most  important  fact  yet  developed  in  the 
history  of  California."  \V.  L.  Ormsby,  special 
correspondent  of  the  Xew  York  Herald,  the 
first  and  only  through   passenger  by  the  over- 


land mail  coming  in  three  hours  less  than 
twenty-four  days,  was  introduced  to  the  audi- 
ence and  was  greeted  with  terrific  applause.  He 
gave  a  description  of  the  route  and  some  inci- 
dents of  the  journey. 

The  government  gave  the  Butterfield  com- 
pany a  subsidy  of  $600,000  a  year  for  a  service 
of  two  mail  coaches  each  way  a  week.  In  1859 
the  postal  revenue  from  this  route  was  onl\ 
$27,000,  leaving  L'ncle  Sam  more  than  half  a 
million  dollars  out  of  pocket.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  war  the  southern  overland  mail 
route  was  discontinued  and  a  contract  was  made 
with  Butterfield  for  a  six-times-a-week  mail  by 
the  central  route  via  Salt  Lake  City,  with  a 
branch  line  to  Denver.  The  eastern  terminus 
was  at  first  St.  Joseph,  but  on  account  of  the 
v.ar  it  was  changed  to  Omaha.  The  western 
terminus  was  Placerville,  Cal.,  time  twenty 
days  for  eight  months,  and  twenty-three  days 
for  the  remaining  four  months.  The  contract 
was  for  three  years  at  an  annual  subsidy  of 
$1,000,000.  The  last  overland  stage  contract 
for  carrying  the  mails  was  awarded  to  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.,  October  i,  1868,  for  $1,750,000 
per  annum,  with  deductions  for  carriage  by  rail- 
way. The  railway  was  rapidly  reducing  the  dis- 
tance of  stage  travel. 

The  only  inland  commerce  during  the  IMexi- 
can  era  was  a  few  bands  of  mules  sold  to  New 
Mexican  traders  and  driven  overland  to  Santa 
Fe  by  the  old  Spanish  trail  and  one  band  of 
cattle  sold  to  the  Oregon  settlers  in  1837  and 
driven  by  the  coast  route  to  Oregon  City.  The 
Californians  had  no  desire  to  open  up  an  inland 
trade  with  their  neighbors  and  the  traders  and 
trappers  who  came  overland  were  not  welcome. 

After  the  discovery  of  gold,  freighting  to  the 
mines  became  an  important  business.  Supplies 
had  to  be  taken  by  pack  trains  and  wagons. 
I'reight  charges  were  excessively  high  at  first. 
In  1848,  "it  cost  $5  to  carry  a  hundred  pounds 
of  goods  from  Sutter's  Fort  to  the  lower 
mines,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  and  $10  per 
hundred  weight  for  freight  to  the  upper  mines, 
a  distance  of  forty  miles.  Two  horses  can  draw 
one  thousand  five  hundred  pounds."  In  Decem- 
ber.   1849,    I'l^'    roads    were   almost    impassable 


HISTURICAL    AND    BlOGUAi'HICAL    RECORD. 


and  teamsters  were  charging  irom  $40  to  $50  a 
hundred  pounds  for  hauUng  freight  from  Sacra- 
mento to  Mormon  Island. 

In  1855  an  inland  trade  was  opened  up  be- 
tween Los  Angeles  and  Salt  Lake  Lit}.  The 
first  shipment  was  made  by  Banning  and  Alex- 
ander. The  wagon  train  consisted  of  fifteen 
ten-mule  teams  heavily  freighted  with  merchan- 
dise. The  venture  was  a  success  financially. 
The  train  left  Los  Angeles  in  Alay  and  returned 
in  September,  consuming  four  months  in  the 
journey.  The  trade  increased  and  became  quite 
an  important  factor  in  the  business  of  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  state.  In  1859  sixty  wagons 
were  loaded  for  Salt  Lake  in  the  month  of 
January,  and  in  March  of  the  same  year  one 
hundred  and  fifty  loaded  with  goods  were  sent 
to  the  Mormon  capital.  In  1865  and  1866  there 
was  a  considerable  shipment  of  goods  from  Los 
Angeles  to  Idaho  and  Montana  by  wagon  trains. 
These  trains  went  by  way  of  Salt  Lake.  This 
trade  was  carried  on  during  the  winter  months 
when  the  roads  over  the  Sierras  and  the  Rocky 
mountains  were  blocked  with  snow. 

Freighting  by  wagon  train  to  Washoe  formed 
a  very  important  part  of  the  inland  commerce 
of  California  between  1859  and  1869.  The  im- 
mense freight  wagons  called  "prairie  schooners" 
carried  almost  as  much  as  a  freight  car.  The 
old-time  teamster,  like  the  old-time  stage  driver, 
was  a  unique  character.  Both  have  disappeared. 
Their  occupation  is  gone.  We  shall  never  look 
on  their  like  again. 

The  pony  express  rider  came  early  in  the  his- 
tory of  California.  Away  back  in  1775,  when 
the  continental  congress  made  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin postmaster-general  of  the  United  Colonies, 
on  the  Pacific  coast  soldier  couriers,  fleet 
mounted,  were  carrying  their  monthly  budgets 
of  mail  between  Monterey  in  Alta  California, 
and  Loreto,  near  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
peninsula  of  Lower  California,  a  distance  of  one 
thousand  five  hundred  miles. 

In  the  winter  of  1859-60  a  Wall  street  lobby 
was  in  Washington  trying  to  get  an  appropria- 
tion of  $5,000,000  for  carrying  the  mails  one 
year  between  New  York  and  San  Francisco. 
William  H.  Russell,  of  the  firm  of  Russell,  Ma- 


jors &  Waddell,  then  engaged  in  running  a 
daily  stage  line  between  the  Missouri  river  and 
Salt  Lake  City,  hearing  of  the  lobby's  efforts, 
offered  to  bet  $200,000  that  he  could  put  on  a 
mail  line  between  San  Francisco  and  St.  Joseph 
that  could  make  the  distance,  one  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  miles,  in  ten  days.  The  wager 
was  accepted.  Russell  and  his  business  man- 
ager, A.  B.  Miller,  an  old  plains  man,  bought 
the  fleetest  horses  they  could  find  in  the  west 
and  employed  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
riders  selected  with  reference  to  their  light 
weight  and  courage.  It  was  essential  that  the 
horses  should  be  loaded  as  lightly  as  possible. 
The  horses  were  stationed  from  ten  to  twenty 
miles  apart  and  each  rider  was  required  to  ride 
seventy-five  miles.  P"or  change  of  horses  and 
mail  bag  two  minutes  were  allowed,  at  each 
station.  One  man  took  care  of  the  two  horses 
kept  there.  Everything  being  arranged  a  start 
was  made  from  St.  Joseph,  April  3,  i860.  The 
bet  was  to  be  decided  on  the  race  eastward.  At 
meridian  on  April  3,  i860,  a  signal  gun  on  a 
steamer  at  Sacramento  proclaimed  the  hour  of 
starting.  At  that  signal  Mr.  Aliller's  private 
saddle  horse.  Border  Ruffian,  with  his  rider 
bounded  away  toward  the  foothills  of  the  Sierra 
Nevadas.  The  first  twenty  miles  were  covered 
in  forty-nine  minutes.  All  went  well  till  the 
Platte  river  was  reached.  The  river  was  swollen 
by  recent  rain.  Rider  and  horse  plunged  boldly 
into  it,  but  the  horse  mired  in  the  quicksands 
and  was  drowned.  The  rider  carrying  the  mail 
bag  footed  it  ten  miles  to  the  next  relay  sta- 
tion. When  the  courier  arrived  at  the  sixty- 
mile  station  out  from  St.  Joseph  he  was  one 
hour  behind  time.  The  last  one  had  just  three 
hours  and  thirty  minutes  in  which  to  make  the 
sixty  miles  and  win  the  race.  A  heavy  rain 
was  falling  and  the  roads  were  slippery,  but 
with  six  horses  to  make  the  distance  he  won 
with  five  minutes  and  a  fraction  to  spare.  And 
thus  was  finished  the  lo;igest  race  for  the  larg- 
est stake  ever  run  in  America. 

The  pony  express  required  to  do  its  work 
nearly  five  hundred  horses,  about  one  hundred 
and  ninety  stations,  two  hundred  station  keepers 
and  over  a  hundred  riders.  Each  rider  usually 
rode    the   horses   on    about   seventy-five    miles, 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


but  sometimes  much  greater  distances  were 
made.  Robert  H.  Haslam,  Pony  Bob,  made  on 
one  occasion  a  continuous  ride  of  three  hundred 
and  eighty  miles  and  WilHam  F.  Cody,  now  fa- 
mous as  Buffalo  Bill,  in  one  continuous  trip 
rode  three  hundred  and  eighty-four  miles, 
stopping  only  for  meals,  and  to  change 
horses. 

The  pony  express  was  a  semi-weekly  service. 
Fifteen  pounds  was  the  limit  of  the  weight  of 
the  waterproof  mail  bag  and  its  contents.  The 
postage  or  charge  was  $5  on  a  letter  of  half  an 
ounce.  The  limit  was  two  hundred  letters,  but 
sometimes  there  were  not  more  than  twenty  in 
a  bag.  The  line  never  paid.  The  shortest  time 
ever  made  by  the  pony  express  was  seven  days 
and  seventeen  hours.  This  was  in  Alarch,  1861, 
when  it  carried  President  Lincoln's  message. 
At  first  telegraphic  messages  were  received  at 
St.  Joseph  up  to  five  o'clock  p.  m.  of  the  day 
of  starting  and  sent  to  San  Francisco  on  the 
express,  arriving  at  Placerville,  which  was  then 
the  eastern  terminus  of  the  line.  The  pony  ex- 
press was  suspended  October  2y .  1861,  on  the 
completion  of  the  telegraph. 

The  first  stage  line  was  established  between 
Sacramento  and  Mormon  Island  in  September, 
1849,  fare  $16  to  $32,  according  to  times. 
Sacramento  was  the  great  distributing  point  for 
the  mines  and  was  also  the  center  from  which 
radiated  numerous  stage  lines.  In  1853  a  dozen 
lines  were  owned  there  and  the  total  capital  in- 
vested in  staging  was  estimated  at  $335,000. 
There  were  lines  running  to  Coloma,  Nevada, 
Placerville,  Georgetown,  Yankee  Jim's,  Jack- 
son, Stockton,  Shasta  and  Auburn.  In  1851 
Stockton  had  seven  daily  stages.  The  first  stage 
line  between  San  Francisco  and  San  Jose  was 
established  in  .\pril,  1850,  fare  $32.  A  number 
of  lines  were  consolidated.  In  i860  the  Califor- 
nia stage  company  controlled  eight  lines  north- 
ward, the  longest  extending  seven  hundred  and 
ten  miles  to  Portland  with  sixty  stations,  thirty- 
five  drivers  and  five  hundred  horses,  eleven 
drivers  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  horses  per- 
taining to  the  rest.  There  were  seven  indepen- 
dent lines  covering  four  hundred  and  sixty-four 
miles,  chiefly  east  and  south,  the  longest  to  ^'ir- 


ginia  City.*  These  lines  disappeared  with  the 
advent  of  the  railroad. 

The  pack  train  was  a  characteristic  feature  of 
early  mining  days.  Many  of  the  mountain 
camps  were  inaccessible  to  wagons  and  the  only 
means  of  shipping  in  goods  was  b\-  pack  tram. 
A  pack  train  consisted  of  from  ten  to  twenty 
mules  each,  laden  with  from  two  hundred  to 
four  hundred  pounds.  The  load  was  fastened  on 
the  animal  by  means  of  a  pack  saddle  which 
was  held  in  its  place  by  a  cinch  tightly  laced 
around  the  animal's  body.  The  sure-footed 
mules  could  climb  steep  grades  and  wind  round 
narrow  trails  on  the  side  of'  steep  mountains 
without  slipping  or  tumbling  over  the  cliffs. 
Mexicans  were  the  most  expert  packers. 

The  scheme  to  utilize  camels  and  dromedaries 
as  beasts  of  burden  on  the  arid  plains  of  the 
southwest  was  agitated  in  the  early  fifties.  The 
chief  promoter  if  not  the  originator  of  the 
project  was  Jefferson  Davis,  afterwards  presi- 
dent of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  During  the 
last  days  of  the  congress  of  1851,  ]\Ir.  Davis 
offered  an  amendment  to  the  army  appropria- 
tion bill  appropriating  $30,000  for  the  purchase 
of  thirty  camels  and  twenty  dromedaries.  The 
bill  was  defeated.  When  Davis  was  secretary 
of  war  in  1854,  congress  appropriated  $30,000 
for  the  purchase  and  importation  of  camels  and 
in  December  of  that  year  Major  C.  Wayne  was 
sent  to  Egypt  and  Arabia  to  buy  seventy-five. 
He  secured  tlie  required  number  and  shipped 
them  on  the  naval  store  ship  Supply.  They 
were  landed  at  Indianola,  Tex.,  February  10, 
1857.  Three  had  died  on  the  voyage.  About 
half  of  the  herd  were  taken  to  Albuquerque, 
where  an  expedition  was  fitted  out  under  the 
command  of  Lieutenant  Beale  for  Fort  Tejon, 
Cal. ;  the  other  half  was  employed  in  packing  on 
the  plains  of  Texas  and  in  the  Gadsen  Purchase, 
as  Southern  .\rizona  was  then  called. 

It  very  soon  became  evident  that  the  camel 
experiment  would  not  be  a  success.  The  Amer- 
ican teamster  could  not  be  converted  into  an 
Arabian  camel  driver.  From  the  very  first  meet- 
ing there  was  a  mutual  antipathy  between  the 


Sacramento  Union.  January  i,  1861. 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


American  mule  whacker  and  the  beast  uf  the 
prophet.  The  teamsters  when  transformed  into 
camel  drivers  deserted  and  the  troopers  refused 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  misshapen 
beasts.  So  because  there  was  no  one  to  load 
and  navigate  these  ships  of  the  desert  their 
vo3-ages  became  less  and  less  frequent,  until 
finall)-  they  ceased  altogether;  and  these  desert 
ships  were  anchored  at  the  different  forts  in 
the  southwest,  .\fter  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war  the  camels  at  the  forts  in  Texas  and 
New  Mexico  were  turned  loose  to  shift  for 
themselves.  Those  in  Arizona  and  California 
were  condemned  and  sold  by  the  government  to 
two  Frenchmen  who  used  them  for  packing, 
first  in  Nevada  and  later  in  Arizona,  but  tiring 
of  the  animals  they  turned  them  out  on  the 
desert.  Some  of  these  camels  or  possibly  their 
descendants  are  still  roaming  over  the  arid 
plains  of  southern  Arizona  and  Sonora. 

The  first  telegraph  was  completed  September 
II,  1833.  It  extended  from  the  business  quar- 
ter of  San  Francisco  to  the  Golden  Gate  and 
was  used  for  signalling  vessels.  The  first  long 
line  connected  Alarysville,  Sacramento,  Stock- 
ton and  San  Jose.  This  was  completed  October 
24.  1853.  Another  line  about  the  same  time 
was  built  from  San  Francisco  to  Placerville  by 
way  of  Sacramento.  A  line  was  built  southward 
from  San  Jose  along  the  Butterfiekl  overland 
mail  route  to  Los  Angeles  in  i860.  The  Over- 
land Telegraph,  begun  in  1858,  was  completed 
Xovember  7,  1861. 

The  first  express  for  the  States  was  sent  un- 
der the  auspices  of  the  California  Star  (news- 
paper). The  Star  of  March  i,  1848,  contained 
the  announcement  that  "We  are  about  to  send 
letters  by  express  to  the  States  at  fifty  cents 
each,  papers  twelve  and  a  half  cents;  to  start 
April  15;  any  mail  arriving  after  that  time  will 
1d€  returned  to  the  writers.  The  Star  refused 
to  send  copies  of  its  rival,  The  Californiaii.  in  its 
express. 

The  first  local  express  was  started  by  Charles 
L.  Cady  in  August,  1847.  It  left  San  Francisco 
every  Monday  and  Fort  Sacramento,  its  other 
terminus,  every  Thursday.  Letters  twenty-five 
cents.  Its  route  was  by  war  of  Saucelito,  .Vapa 
and  Petaluma  to  Sacramento. 


Weld  &  Co.'s  exjiress  was  establisheil  in  Oc- 
tober, 1849.  This  express  ran  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  Marysville,  having  its  principal  offices 
in  San  Francisco,  Benicia  and  Sacramento.  It 
was  the  first  express  of  any  consequence  estab- 
lished in  California.  Its  name  was  changed  to 
Hawley  &  Co.'s  express.  The  first  trip  was 
made  in  the  Mint,  a  sailing  vessel,  and  took 
six  days.  Afterward  it  was  transferred  to  the 
steamers  Hartford  and  McKini.  The  company 
paid  these  boats  $800  per  month  for  the  use  of 
one  state  room ;  later  for  the  same  accomnioda- 
tiini  it  paid^$i,500  per  month.  The  Alta  Cali- 
j'oniia  of  January  7,  1850,  says:  "There  are  so 
many  new  express  companies  daily  starting  that 
we  can  scarcely  keep  the  run  of  them." 

The  following  named  were  the  principal  coni- 
l)anies  at  that  time:  Hawley  &  Co.,  Angel, 
Young  &  Co.,  Todd,  Bryan,  Stockton  Express, 
Henly,  McKnight  &  Co.,  Brown,  Knowlton  & 
Co.  The  business  of  these  express  companies 
consisted  largely  in  carrying  letters  to  the 
mines.  The  letters  came  through  the  postoffice 
in  San  Francisco,  but  the  parties  to  whom  they 
were  addressed  were  in  the  mines.  While  the 
miner  would  gladly  give  an  ounce  to  hear  from 
home  he  could  not  make  the  trip  to  the  Bay  at 
a  loss  of  several  hundred  dollars  in  time  and 
money.  The  express  companies  obviated  this 
difficulty.  The  Alta  of  July  27,  1850.  says:  "We 
scarcely  know  what  we  should  do  if  it  were  not 
for  the  various  e.xpress  lines  established  which 
enable  us  to  hold  communication  with  the  mines. 
With  the  present  defective  mail  communication 
we  should  scarcely  ever  be  able  to  hear  from 
the  towns  throughout  California  or  from  the 
remote  portions  of  the  Placers  north  or  south. 
Hawley  &  Co.,  Todd  &  Bryan  and  Besford  & 
Co.  are  three  lines  holding  communication  with 
different  sections  of  the  country.  Adams  &  Co. 
occupy  the  whole  of  a  large  huiMing  on  Mont- 
gomery street." 

.\dams  &  Co.,  established  in  1850,  soon  be- 
came the  leading  express  company  of  the  coast. 
It  absorbed  a  number  of  minor  companies.  It 
established  relays  of  the  fastest  horses  to  carry 
the  express  to  the  mining  towns.  As  early  as 
1852  the  company's  lines  had  penetrated  the  re- 
mote  nn'ning  camps.      Some   of   its   riders  per- 


218 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGR.\PHICAL    RECORD. 


lornied  feats  in  riding  that  exceeded  the  famous 
pony  express  riders.  Isaac  W.  Elvvell  made  the 
trip  between  Placerville  and  Sacramento  in  two 
hours  and  fifty  minutes,  distance  sixty-four 
miles;  Frank  Ryan  made  seventy-five  miles  in 
four  hours  and  twenty  minutes.  On  his  favorite 
horse,  Colonel,  he  made  twenty  miles  in  fifty- 
five  minutes.  Adams  &  Co.  carried  on  a  bank- 
ing business  and  had  branch  banks  in  all  the 
leading  mining  towns.    They  also  became  a  po- 


litical power.  In  the  great  financial  crash  of 
1855  they  failed  and  in  their  failure  ruined  thou- 
sands of  their  depositors.  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co. 
express  was  organized  in  1851.  It  weathered 
the  financial  storm  that  carried  down  Adams  & 
Co.  It  gained  the  confidence  of  the  people  of 
the  Pacific  coast  and  has  never  betrayed  it.  Its 
business  has  grown  to  immense  proportions.  It 
is  one  of  the  leading  express  companies  of  the 
world. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

RAILROADS. 


THE  agitation  of  the  Pacific  railroad  ques- 
tion began  only  two  years  after  the  first 
passenger  railway  was  put  in  operation 
in  the  United  States.  The  originator  of  the 
scheme  to  secure  the  commerce  of  Asia  by  a 
transcontinental  railway  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific  was  Hartwell  Carver,  grandson  of 
the  famous  explorer,  Jonathan  Carver.  He 
published  articles  in  the  Nciv  York  Courier  and 
Inquirer  in  1832  elaborating  his  idea,  and 
memorialized  congress  on  the  subject.  The 
western  terminus  was  to  be  on  the  Columbia 
river.  His  road  was  to  be  made  of  stone.  There 
were  to  be  sleeping  cars  .and  dining  cars  at- 
tached to  each  train.  In  1836,  John  Plumbe, 
then  a  resident  of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  advocated 
the  building  of  a  railroad  from  Lake  Michigan 
to  Oregon.  At  a  public  meeting  held  in  Du- 
buque, March  26,  1838,  which  Plumbe  ad- 
dressed, a  memorial  to  congress  was  drafted 
"praying  for  an  appropriation  to  defray  the  ex- 
pense of  the  survey  and  location  of  the  first  link 
in  the  great  Atlantic  and  Pacific  railroad,  name- 
ly, from  the  lakes  to  the  Mississippi."  Their 
application  was  favorably  received  and  an  ap- 
propriation being  made  the  same  year,  which 
was  expended  under  the  direction  of  the  secre- 
tary of  war,  the  report  being  of  a  very  favorable 
character.* 

Plumbe  received  the  indorsement  of  the  W'is- 


^Bancroft's  History  of  California,  Vol.  Xll.,  p.  499. 


consin  legislature  of  1839-40  and  a  memorial 
was  drafted  to  congress  urging  the  continuance 
of  the  work.  Plumbe  went  to  Washington  to 
urge  his  project.  But  the  times  were  out  of 
joint  for  great  undertakings.  The  financial 
panic  of  1837  had  left  the  government  revenues 
in  a  demoralized  condition.  Plumbe's  plan  was 
to  issue  stock  to  the  amount  of  $100,000,000 
divided  in  shares  of  $5  eadi.  The  government 
was  to  appropriate  alternate  sections  of  the 
public  lands  along  the  line  of  the  road.  Five 
million  dollars  were  to  be  called  in  for  the  first 
installment.  After  this  was  expended  in  building, 
the  receipts  from  the  sale  of  the  lands  was  to 
continue  the  building  of  the  road.  One  hundred 
miles  were  to  be  built  each  year  and  twenty 
years  was  the  time  set  for  the  completion  of  the 
road.  A  bill  granting  the  subsidy  and  authoriz- 
ing the  building  of  the  road  was  introduced  in 
congress,  but  was  defeated  by  the  southern 
members  who  feared  that  it  would  foster  the 
growth  of  free  states. 

The  man  best  known  in  connection  with  the 
early  agitation  of  the  Pacific  railroad  scheme 
was  Asa  Whitney,  of  Xew  York.  For  a  time  he 
acted  with  Carver  in  promulgating  the  project, 
but  took  up  a  plan  of  his  own.  Whitne_\'  wanted 
a  strip  of  land  sixty  miles  wide  along  the  whole 
length  of  the  road,  which  would  have  given 
aliout  one  hundred  million  acres  of  the  public 
domain.  Whitney's  scheme  called  forth  a  great 
deal    of    discussion.      It    was    feared    bv    some 


HISTORICAL    AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


timorous  souls  that  such  a  monopol)-  would 
endanger  the  government  and  by  others  that 
it  would  bankrupt  the  public  treasury.  The  agi- 
tation was  kept  up  for  several  years.  The 
acquisition  of  California  and  New  Mexico  threw 
the  project  into  politics.  The  question  of  de- 
pleting the  treasury  or  giving  away  the  public 
domain  no  longer  worried  the  pro-slavery  poli- 
ticians in  congress.  The  question  that  agitated 
them  now  was  how  far  south  could  the  road 
be  deflected  so  that  it  would  enhance  the  value 
of  the  lands  over  which  they  hoped  to  spread 
their  pet  institution — human  slavery. 

Another  question  that  agitated  the  members 
of  congress  was  whether  the  road  should  be 
built  by  the  government — should  be  a  national 
road.  The  route  which  the  road  should  take 
was  fought  over  year  after  year  in  congress. 
The  south  would  not  permit  the  north  to  have 
the  road  for  fear  that  freemen  would  absorb  the 
public  lands  and  build  up  free  states.  It  was 
the  old  dog-in-the-manger  policy  so  character- 
istic of  the  southern  proslavery  politicians. 

The  California  newspapers  early  took  up  the 
discussion  and  routes  were  thick  as  leaves  in 
A'alambrosa.  In  the  Star  of  Alay  13,  1848,  Dr. 
John  Marsh  outlines  a  route  which  was  among 
the  best  proposed:  "From  the  highest  point  on 
the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  to  which  seagoing 
vessels  can  ascend;  thence  up  the  valley  oi  the 
San  Joaquin  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles; 
thence  through  a  low  pass  (Walker's)  to  the 
valley  of  the  Colorado  and  thence  through  Ari- 
zona and  Xew  Mexico  by  the  Santa  Fe  trail  to 
Independence,  Mo." 

Routes  were  surveyed  and  the  reports  of  the 
engineers  laid  before  congress;  memorials  were 
received  from  the  people  of  California  praying 
for  a  road;  bills  were  introduced  and  discussed, 
hut  the  years  passed  and  the  Pacific  railroad 
was  not  begun.  Slavery,  that  "sum  of  all  vil- 
lainies," was  an  obstruction  more  impassable 
than  the  mountains  and  deserts  that  intervened 
Ijetween  the  Missouri  and  the  Pacific.  Southern 
politicians,  aided  and  abetted  by  Gwin  of  Cali- 
fornia neutralized  every  attempt. 

r)ne  of  the  first  of  several  local  railroad 
projects  that  resulted  in  something  more  than 
resolutions,  public  meetings  and  the  election  of 


a  board  of  directors  that  never  directed  any- 
thing was  the  building  of  a  railroad  from  San 
Francisco  to  San  Jose.  The  agitation  was  be- 
gun early  in  1850  and  by  February,  185 1,  $100,- 
000  had  been  subscribed.  September  6  of  that 
year  a  company  was  organized  and  the  pro- 
jected road  given  the  high  sounding  title  of  the 
Pacific  &  Atlantic  railroad.  Attempts  were 
made  to  secure  subscriptions  for  its  stock  in 
Xew  York  and  in  Europe,  but  without' success. 
Congress  was  appealed  to,  but  gave  no  assist- 
ance and  all  that  there  was  to  the  road  for  ten 
}  ears  was  its  name.  In  1859  a  new  organization 
was  elTected  under  the  name  of  the  San  Fran- 
cisco &  San  Jose  railroad  company.  An  at- 
tempt was  made  to  secure  a  subsidy  of  $900,- 
000  from  the  three  counties  through  which  the 
road  was  to  pass,  but  this  failed  and  the  corpora- 
tion dissolved.  Another  organization,  the 
fourth,  was  effected  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$2,000,000.  The  construction  of  the  road  was 
begun  in  October,  i860,  and  completed  to  San 
Jose  January  16,  1864. 

The  first  railroad  completed  and  put  into  siK- 
cessful  operation  in  California  was  the  Sacra- 
mento Valley  road.  It  was  originally  intended 
to  extend  the  road  from  Sacramento  through 
Placer  and  Sutter  counties  to  Mountain  City, 
in  Yuba  county,  a  distance  of  about  forty  miles. 
It  came  to  a  final  stop  at  a  little  over  half  that 
distance.  Like  the  San  Jose  road  the  question 
of  building  was  agitated  several  years  before 
anything  was  really  done.  In  1853  ^^h^  company 
was  reorganized  under  the  railroad  act  of  that 
year.  L'nder  the  previous  organization  sub- 
scriptions had  been  obtained.  The  Sacramento 
Union  of  September  19,  1852,  says:  "The  books 
of  the  Sacramento  \'alley  railroad  company 
were  to  have  been  opened  in  San  Francisco 
Wednesday.  Upwards  of  $200,000  of  the  neces- 
sary stock  has  been  subscribed  from  here." 
The  Union  of  September  24  announces,  "That 
over  $600,000  had  already  been  subscribed  at 
San  Francisco  and  Sacramento."  Under  the  re- 
organization a  new  board  was  elected  November 
12,  1853.  C.  L.  Wilson  was  made  president; 
F.  W.  Page,  treasurer,  and  W.  H.  Watson,  sec- 
retary. Theodore  D.  Judah,  afterwards  famous 
in  California  railroad  building,  was  employed  as 


220 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


engineer  and  the  construction  of  the  road  began 
in  February,  1855.  It  was  completed  to  Fol- 
som  a,  distance  of  twenty-two  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento and  the  formal  opening  of  the  road  for 
business  took  place  February  22,  1856.  Accord- 
ing to  the  secretary's  report  for  1857  the  earn- 
ings of  that  year  averaged  $18,000  per  month. 
The  total  earnings  for  the  year  amounted  to 
$216,000;  the  expenses  $84,000,  leaving  a  profit 
of  $132,000.  The  cost  of  the  road  and  its  equip- 
ment was  estimated  at  $700,000.  From  this 
showing  it  would  seem  that  California's  first 
railroad  ought  to  have  been  a  paying  invest- 
ment, but  it  was  not.  Money  then  was  worth 
5  per  cent  a  month  and  the  dividends  from  the 
road  about  18  per  cent  a  year.  The  difference 
between  one  and  a  half  per  cent  and  5  per  cent 
a  month  brought  the  road  to  a  standstill. 

Ten  years  had  passed  since  California  had 
become  a  state  and  had  its  representatives  in 
congress.  In  all  these  years  the  question  of  a 
railroad  had  come  up  in  some  form  in  that  body, 
vet  the  railroad  seemingly  was  as  far  from  a 
consummation  as  it  had  been  a  decade  before. 
In  1859  the  silver  mines  of  the  Washoe  were 
discovered  and  in  the  winter  of  1859-60  the 
great  silver  rush  began.  An  almost  continuous 
stream  of  wagons,  pack  trains,  horsemen  and 
footmen  poured  over  the  Sierra  Xevadas  into 
Carson  \'alley  and  up  tlie  slopes  of  Mount 
Davidson  to  \irginia  City.  The  main  line  of 
travel  was  by  way  of  Placerville,  through  John- 
son's Pass  to  Carson  City.  An  expensive  toll 
road  was  built  over  the  mountains  and  monster 
freight  wagons  hauled  great  loads  of  merchan- 
dise and  mill  machinery  to  the  mines.  "In  1863 
the  tolls  on  the  new  road  amounted  to  $300,000 
and  the  freight  bills  on  mills  and  merchandise 
summed  up  $13,000,000."* 

The  rush  to  Washoe  gave  a  new  impetus  to 
railroad  projecting.  A  convention  of  the  whole 
coast  had  been  held  at  San  Francisco  in  Sep- 
tember, 1859,  but  nothing  came  of  it  beyond 
propositions  and  resolutions.  Early  in  1861, 
Theodore  P.  Judah  called  a  railroad  meeting  at 
the  St.  Charles  hotel  in  Sacramento.  The  feasi- 
bilitv  of  a   road  over  the  mountains,  the  large 


amount  of  Ijusiness  that  would  come  to  that 
road  from  the  Washoe  mines  and  the  necessity 
of  Sacramento  moving  at  once  to  secure  that 
trade  were  pointed  out.  This  road  would  be  the 
beginning  of  a  transcontinental  line  and  Sacra- 
mento had  the  opportunity  of  becoming  its 
terminus.  Judah  urged  upon  some  of  the  lead- 
ing business  men  the  project  of  organizing  a 
company  to  begin  the  building  of  a  transconti- 
nental road.  The  Washoe  trade  and  travel 
would  be  a  very  important  item  in  the  business 
(if  the  road. 

(  )n  the  28th  of  June,  1861.  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  company  was  organized  under  the 
general  incorporation  law  of  the  state.  Leland 
Stanford  was  chosen' president,  C.  P.  Hunting- 
ton, vice-president,  ^lark  Hopkins,  treasurer, 
James  Bailey,  secretary,  and  T.  D.  Judah,  chief 
engineer.  The  directors  were  those  just  named 
and  E.  B.  Crocker,  John  F.Morse,  D.  W.  Strong 
antl  Charles  Marsh.  The  capital  stock  of  the 
company  was  $8,500,000  divided  into  eighty-five 
thousand  shares  of  $100  each.  The  shares  taken 
by  individuals  were  few,  Stanford,  Huntington, 
Hopkins,  Judah  and  Charles  Crocker  subscrib- 
ing for  one  hundred  and  fifty  each:  GHdden  & 
Williams,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  shares; 
Charles  A.  Lombard  and  Orville  D.  Lombard, 
tliree  hundred  and  twenty  shares;  Samuel 
Hooper,  Benjamin  J.  Reed,  Samuel  P.  Shaw, 
fifty  shares  each;  R.  O.  Ives,  twenty-five  shares; 
Edwin  B.  Crocker,  ten  shares;  Samuel  Bran- 
nan,  two  hundred  shares;  cash  subscriptions  of 
which  10  per  cent  was  required  by  law  to  be 
])aid  down  realizing  but  a  few  thousand  dollars 
with  which  to  begin  so  important  a  work  as  a 
railroad  across  the  Sierra  Nevada.* 

The  total  amount  subscribed  was  $158,000, 
scarcely  enough  to  build  five  miles  of  road  on 
tiie  level  plains  if  it  had  all  been  paid  up.  None 
of  the  men  in  the  enterprise  was  rich.  Indeed, 
as  fortunes  go  now,  none  of  them  had  more  than 
a  competence.  Charles  Crocker,  who  was  one 
of  the  best  off,  in  his  sworn  statement,  placed 
the  value  of  his  property  at  $25,000;  C.  P. 
Huntington  placed  the  value  of  his  individual 
possessions  at  $7,222.  while  Leland  Stanford  and 


►Bancroft's  History  of  California,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  54i 


Bancroft's  History  of  California,  Vol.  VII. 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


221 


his  brother  together  owned  propert_v  worth 
$32,950.  The  incubus  that  so  long  had  pre- 
vented building  a  Pacific  railroad  was  removed. 
The  war  of  secession  had  begun.  The  southern 
senators  and  representatives  were  no  longer  in 
congress  to  obstruct  legislation.  The  thirty- 
second  and  the  thirty-fifth  parallel  roads  south- 
ern schemes,  were  out  of  the  way  or  rather  the 
termini  of  these  roads  were  inside  the  confeder- 
ate lines. 

A  bill  "to  aid  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad 
and  telegraph  line  from  the  Missouri  river  to 
the  Pacific  ocean  and  to  secure  to  the  govern- 
ment the  use  of  the  same  for  postal,  military  and 
other  purposes  passed  both  houses  and  became 
a  law  July  i,  1862.  The  bill  provided  for  the 
building-  of  the  road  by  two  companies.  The 
Union  Pacific  (which  was  to  be  a  union  of 
several  roads  already  projected)  was  given  the 
construction  of  the  road  to  the  eastern  boundary 
of  California,  where  it  would  connect  with  the 
Central  Pacific.  Government  bonds  were  to  be 
given  to  the  companies  to  the  amount  of  $i6,oao 
per  mile  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains  and 
$48,000  per  mile  through  the  mountains  when 
forty  miles  of  road  had  been  built  and  approved 
by  the  government  commissioners.  In  addition 
to  the  bonds  the  companies  were  to  receive 
"every  alternate  section  of  ]5ublic  land  desig- 
nated by  odd  numbers  to  the  amount  of  five 
alternate  sections  per  mile  on  each  side  of  the 
railroad  on  the  line  thereof  and  within  the  limits 
of  ten  miles  on  each  side  of  the  road  not  sold, 
reserved  or  otherwise  disposed  of  by  the  United 
States."  Mineral  lands  were  exempted  and  any 
lands  unsold  three  years  after  the  completion  of 
the  entire  road  were  subject  to  a  preemption 
like  other  public  lands  at  a  price  not  exceeding 
$1.25  per  acre,  payable  to  the  company. 

The  government  bonds  were  a  first  mortgage 
on  the  road.  The  ceremony  of  breaking  ground 
for  the  beginning  of  the  enterprise  took  place  at 
Sacramento,  February  22.  1863.  Governor 
Stanford  throwing  the  first  shovelful  of  earth, 
and  work  was  begun  on  the  first  eighteen  miles 
of  the  road  which  was  let  by  contract  to  be 
finished  by  August,  1863.  The  Central  Pacific 
company  was  in  hard  lines.  Its  means  were  not 
sufficient   to   build    fortv   miles   which    must   be 


completed  before  the  subsidy  could  be  received. 
In  October,  1863,  Judah  who  had  been  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  first  favorable  legislation 
set  out  a  second  time  for  Washington  to  ask 
further  assistance  from  congress.  At  New  York 
he  was  stricken  with  a  fever  and  died  there.  To 
him  more  than  any  other  man  is  due  the  credit 
of  securing  for  the  Pacific  coast  its  first  trans- 
continental railroad.  In  July,  1864,  an  amended 
act  was  passed  increasing  the  land  grant  from 
six  thousand  four  hundred  acres  to  twelve 
thousand  eight  hundred  per  mile  and  reducing 
the  number  of  miles  to  be  built  annually  from 
fifty  to  twenty-five.  The  company  was  allowed 
to  bond  its  road  to  the  same  amount  per  mile 
as  the  government  subsidy. 

The  Western  Pacific,  which  was  virtually  a 
continuation  of  the  Central  Pacific,  was  organ- 
ized in  December.  1862,  for  the  purpose  of 
building  a  railroad  from  Sacramento  via  Stock- 
ton to  San  Jose.  A  branch  of  this  line  was 
constructed  from  Xiles  to  Oakland,  which  was 
made  the  terminus  of  the  Central  Pacific.  The 
L'nion  Pacific  did  not  begin  construction  until 
1865,  while  the  Central  I'acific  had  forty-four 
miles  constructed.  In  1867  the  Central  Pacific 
had  reached  the  state  line.  It  had  met  with 
many  obstacles  in  the  shape  .  of  lawsuits  and 
luifavorable  comments  by  the  press.  From  the 
state  line  it  pushed  out  through  Nevada  and 
on  the  28th  of  April,  1869,  the  two  companies 
met  with  their  completed  roads  at  Promontory 
Point  in  L'tah,  fifty-three  miles  west  of  Ogden. 
The  ceremony  of  joining  the  two  roads  took 
place  May  10.  The  last  tie,  a  handsomely  fin- 
ished piece  of  California  laurel,  was  laid  and 
Governor  Stanford  with  a  silver  hammer  drove 
a  golden  spike.  The  two  locomotives,  one 
from  tiie  east  and  one  from  the  west,  bumped 
noses  and  the  first  transcontinental  railroad 
was  completed. 

The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  company  of 
California  was  incorporated  in  December,  1865. 
It  was  incorporated  to  build  a  railroad  from 
some  point  on  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  through 
the  counties  of  Santa  Clara.  Monterey.  San 
Luis  Obispo,  Tulare,  Los  Angeles  to  San 
Diego  and  thence  easterly  through  San  Diego 
to  the  eastern  boundarv  of  the  state  there  to 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


connect  with  a  railroad  from  the  Mississippi 
river. 

"In  July,  1866,  congress  granted  to  the  At- 
lantic and  Pacific  Railroad  company  to  aid  in 
the  construction  of  its  road  and  telegraph  line 
from  Springfield,  Mo.,  by  the  most  eligible  route 
to  Albuquerque  in  Xew  Mexico  and  thence  by 
the  thirty-fifth  parallel  route  to  the  Pacific,  an 
amount  of  land  equal  to  that  granted  to  the 
Central  Pacific.  By  this  act  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  was  authorized  to  connect  with 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  near  the  boundary  line 
of  California,  at  such  point  as  should  be  deemed 
most  suitable  by  the  companies  and  should  have 
therefore  the  same  amount  of  land  per  mile  as 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific.'"* 

In  1867  the  Southern  Pacific  company  de- 
cided to  change  its  route  and  instead  of  build- 
ing down  through  the  coast  counties  to  go  east- 
ward from  Gilroy  through  Pacheco's  pass  into 
the  upper  San  Joaquin  valley  through  Fresno, 
Kern  and  San  Bernardino  to  the  Colorado  river 
near  Fort  Mojave.  This  contemplated  change 
left  the  lower  coast  counties  out  in  the  cold  and 
caused  considerable  dissatisfaction,  and  an  at- 
tempt vv-as  made  to  prevent  it  from  getting  a 
land  subsidy.  Congress,  however,  authorized 
the  change,  as  did  the  California  legislature  of 
1870,  and  the  road  secured  the  land. 

The  San  Francisco  and  San  Jose  Railroad 
came  into  possession  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
company,  San  Francisco  donating  three  thou- 
sand shares  of  stock  in  that  road  on  condition 
that  the  Southern  Pacific  company,  after  it  se- 
cured the  San  Jose  road,  should  extend  it  to 
the  southeastern  boundary  of  the  state.  In  1869 
a  proposition  was  made  to  the  supervisors  of 
San  Francisco  to  donate  $1,000,000  in  bonds  of 
the  city  to  the  Southern  Pacific  company,  on 
condition  that  it  build  two  hundred  miles  south 
from  Gilroy,  the  bonds  to  be  delivered  on  the 
completion  and  stocking  of  each  section  of  fifty 
miles  of  road.  The  bonds  were  voted  by  the 
people  of  the  city.  The  road  was  built  to 
Soledad,  seventy  miles  from  Gilroy.  and  then 
stopped.  The  different  branch  roads  in  the  San 
Jose   and   Salinas   valley   were  all   consolidated 

*  Bancroft.  VII.,  p.  594. 


under  the  name  of  the  Southern  Pacific.  The 
Central  Pacific  and  the  Southern  Pacific,  al- 
though apparently  different  organizations,  were 
really  one  company. 

The  Southern  Pacific  built  southward  from 
Lathrop.  a  station  on  the  Central  Pacific's  line, 
a  railroad  up  the  valley  by  way  of  Tehachapi 
Pass  to  Los  Angeles.  While  this  road  was  in 
course  of  construction  in  1872  a  proposition  was 
made  to  the  people  of  Los  Angeles  through  the 
county  board  of  supervisors  to  vote  a  subsidy 
equal  to  5  per  cent  of  the  entire  amount  of  the 
taxable  property  of  the  county  on  condition  that 
the  Southern  Pacific  build  fifty  miles  of  its  main 
line  to  Yuma  in  the  county.  Part  of  the  subsidy 
was  to  be  paid  in  bonds  of  the  Los  Angeles  & 
San  Pedro  Railroad,  amounting  to  $377,000  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  for  depot  purposes.  The 
total  amount  of  subsidy  to  be  given  was  $610,- 
000.  The  proposition  was  accepted  by  the 
people,  the  railroad  company  in  addition  to  its 
original  offer  agreeing  to  build  a  branch  road 
twenty-seven  miles  long  to  Anaheim.  This  was 
done  to  head  off  the  Tom  Scott  road  which 
had  made  a  proposition  to  build  a  branch  road 
from  San  Diego  to  Los  Angeles  to  connect  with 
the  Texas  Pacific  road  which  the  year  before 
had  been  granted  a  right  of  way  from  Marshall, 
Tex.,  to  San  Diego,  and  was  preparing  to  build 
its  road.  The  Southern  Pacific  completed  its 
road  to  Los  Angeles  in  September,  1876,  and 
reached  the  Colorado -river  on  its  way  east  in 
April,  1877.  It  obtained  the  old  franchise  of  the 
Texas  Pacific  and  continued  its  road  eastward 
to  El  Paso,  Tex.,  where  it  made  connections 
with  roads  to  New  Orleans  and  other  points 
south  and  east,  thus  giving  California  its  second 
transcontinental  railroad.  This  road  was  com- 
pleted to  El  Paso  in  1881. 

The  Atlantic  «S:  Pacific  road  with  which  the 
Southern  Pacific  was  to  connect  originally, 
suffered  from  the  financial  crash  of  1873  and 
suspended  operations  for  a  time.  Later  it  en- 
tered into  a  combination  with  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka  &  Santa  Fe  and  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco 
railroad  companies.  This  gave  the  Atchison- 
road  a  half  interest  in  the  charter  of  the  Atlantic 
&•  Pacific.  The  two  companies  built  a  main  line 
jointly  from  .\lbuquerque  (where  the  Atchison 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGR-APHICAL    RECORD. 


223 


road  ended)  west  to  the  Colorado  river  at  the 
Needles.  Their  intention  was  to  continue  the 
road  to  Los  Angeles  and  San  Francisco. 

The  California  Southern  and  the  California 
Southern  Extension  companies  were  organized 
to  extend  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  from  Barstow 
to  San  Diego.  These  companies  consolidated 
and  completed  a  road  from  San  Diego  to  San 
Bernardino  September  13,  1883.  The  Southern 
Pacific  interfered.  It  attempted  to  prevent  the 
California  Southern  from  crossing  its  tracks  at 
Colton  by  placing  a  heavy  engine  at  the  point 
of  crossing,  but  was  compelled  to  move  the  en- 
gine to  save  it  from  demolition.  It  built  a  branch 
from  Mojave  station  to  connect  with  the  At- 
lantic &  Pacific  in  which  it  had  an  interest. 
This  gave  connection  for  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific 
over  the  Southern  Pacific  lines  with  both  Los 
Angeles  and  San  Francisco.  This  was  a  serious 
blow  to  the  California  Southern,  but  disasters 
never  come  singly.  The  great  flood  of  January, 
1884,  swept  down  through  the  Temecula  Canon 
and  carried  about  thirty  miles  of  its  track  out 
to  sea.  It  was  doubtful  under  the  circumstances 
whether  it  would  pay  to  rebuild  it.  Finally  the 
Southern  Pacific  agreed  to  sell  its  extension 
from  Barstow  to  the  Xeedles  to  the  California 
Southern,   reserving  its  road  from   Barstow  to 


Alojave.  Construction  was  begun  at  once  on 
the  California  Southern  line  from  Barstow  to 
San  Bernardino  and  in  November,  1885,  the 
road  was  completed  from  Barstow  to  San 
Diego.  In  October,  1886,  the  road  passed  un- 
der control  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
I-"e.  In  the  spring  of  1887  the  road  was  ex- 
tended westerly  from  San  Bernardino  to  meet 
the  San  Gabriel  valley  road  which  had  been 
Ijuilt  eastward  from  Los  Angeles  through  Pasa- 
dena. The  completed  line  reached  Los  Angeles 
in  Alay,  1887,  thus  giving  California  a  third 
transcontinental  line. 

After  many  delays  the  gap  in  the  Southern 
Pacific  coast  line  was  closed  and  the  first  trains 
from  the  north  and  the  south  passed  over  its 
entire  length  between  Los  Angeles  and  San 
Francisco  on  the  31st  of  March,  1901,  nearly 
thirty  years  after  the  first  section  of  the  road 
was  built. 

The  Oregon  &  California  and  the  Central 
Pacific  were  consolidated  in  1870.  The  two 
ends  of  the  road  were  united  at  Ashland,  Ore., 
in  1887.  The  entire  line  is  now  controlled  by 
the  Southern  Pacific,  and,  in  connection  with 
the  Northern  I^acific  and  the  Oregon  Railway 
C&:  Navigation  Road  at  Portland,  forms  a  fourth 
transcontinental  line  for  California. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

THE    INDIAN    QUESTION. 


IT  IS  quite  the  fashion  now  with  a  certain 
school  of  writers,  who  take  their  history  of 
California  from  "Ramona"  and  their  infor- 
mation on  the  "Indian  question"  under  the  rule 
of  the  mission  padres  from  sources  equally  fic- 
titious, to  draw  invidious  comparisons  between 
the  treatment  of  the  Indian  by  Spain  and  Mex- 
ico when  mission  rule  was  dominant  in  Cali- 
fornia and  his  treatment  by  the  United  States 
after  the  conquest. 

That  the  Indian  was  brutally  treated  and  un- 
mercifully slaughtered  by  the  American  miners 
and  rancheros  in  the  early  '50s  none  will  deny; 
that  he  had  fared  but  little  better  under  the  rule 


of  Spain  and  Mexico  is  equally  true.  The  tame 
and  submissive  Indians  of  the  sea  coast  with 
whom  the  mission  had  to  deal  were  a  very 
different  people  from  the  mountain  tribes  with 
whom  the  Americans  came  in  conflict. 

V\'e  know  but  little  of  the  conquistas  or  gentile 
hunts  that  were  occasionally  sent  out  from  the 
mission  to  capture  subjects  for  conversion.  The 
history  of  these  was  not  recorded.  From  'The 
narrative  of  a  voyage  to  the  Pacific  and  Berings 
strait  with  the  Polar  expedition;  performed  in 
Ins  majesty's  ship  Blossom,  under  command  of 
Capt.  F.  W.  Bcechey,  R.  N.,  in  the  years- 
1825-26-27-28,  we  have  the  story  of  one  of  these 


>-2i 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


conquistas  or  convert  raids.  Captain  Beechey 
visited  California  in  1828.  While  in  California 
he  studied  the  missions,  or  at  least  those  he  vis- 
ited, and  after  his  return  to  England  published 
his  observations.  His  observations  have  great 
value.  He  was  a  disinterested  observer  and 
gave  a  plain,  straightforward,  truthful  account 
of  what  he  saw,  without  prejudice  or  partiality. 
His  narrative  dispels  much  of  the  romance  that 
some  modern  writers  throw  around  mission  life. 
This  conquista  set  out  from  the  Mission  San 
Jose. 

"At  a  particular  period  of  the  year  also,  when 
the  Indians  can  be  spared  from  agricultural  con- 
cerns of  the  establishment,  many  are  permitted 
to  take  the  launch  of  the  mission  and  make  ex- 
cursions to  the  Indian  territory.  All  are  anx- 
ious to  go  on  such  occasions.  Some  to  visit 
friends,  some  to  procure  the  manufactures  of 
their  barbarian  countrymen  (which,  by  the  by, 
are  often  better  than  their  own)  and  some  with  a 
secret  determination  never  to  return.  On  these 
occasions  the  padres  desire  them  to  induce  as 
many  of  their  unconverted  brethren  as  possible 
to  accompany  them  back  to  the  mission;  of 
course,  implying  that  this  is  to  be  done  only  by 
persuasion;  but  the  boat  being  furnished  with  a 
cannon  and  musketry  and  in  every  respect 
equipped  for  war,  it  too  often  happens  that  the 
I'ieophytes  and  the  gcntc  dc  racoii,  wlio  super- 
intend the  direction  of  the  boat,  avail  them- 
selves of  their  superiorit_\-  with  the  desire  of  in- 
gratiating themselves  with  their  master  and  re- 
ceiving a  reward.  There  are  besides  repeated 
acts  of  aggression,  which  it  is  necessary  to  pun- 
ish, all  of  which  furnish  proselytes.  Women  and 
children  are  generally  the  first  objects  of  cap- 
ture, as  their  husbands  and  parents  sometimes 
voluntarily  follow  them  into  captivity.  These 
misunderstandings  and  captivities  keep  up  a  per- 
petual enmity  amongst  the  tribes  whose  thirst 
for  revenge  is  insatiable." 

We  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  the 
tragical  issue  of  one  of  these  holyday  excursions 
of  tlie  neophytes  of  the  Mission  San  Jose.  The 
launch  was  armed,  as  usual,  and  placed  under 
the  superintendence  of  an  alcalde  of  the  mission, 
who  appears  from  one  statement  (for  there  are 
several),  converted  the  party  of  pleasure  either 


into  an  attack  for  procuring  proselytes  or  of 
revenge  upon  a  particular  tribe  for  some  ag- 
gression in  which  they  were  concerned.  They 
proceeded  up  the  Rio  San  Joachin  until  they 
came  to  the  territory  of  a  particular  tribe  named 
Consemenes,  when  they  disembarked  with  the 
gun  and  encamped  for  the  night  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Los  Clentiles,  intending  to  make  an  at- 
tack upon  them  next  morning,  but  before  they 
were  prepared  the  gentiles,  who  had  been  ap- 
prised of  their  intention  and .  had  collected  a 
large  body  of  their  friends,  became  the  assail- 
ants and  pressed  so  hard  upon  the  party  that, 
notwithstanding  they  dealt  death  in  every  direc- 
tion with  their  cannon  and  musketry  and  were 
inspired  with  confidence  by  the  contempt  in 
which  they  held  the  valor  and  tactics  of  their  un- 
converted countrymen,  they  were  overpowered 
by  numbers  and  obliged  to  seek  their  safety  in 
flight  and  to  leave  the  gun  in  the  woods.  Some 
regained  the  launch  and  were  saved  and  others 
found  their  wa}-  overland  to  the  mission,  but 
thirty-four  of  the  party  never  returned  to  tell 
their  tale. 

"There  \\ere  other  accounts  of  the  unfortu- 
nate affair,  one  of  which  accused  the  padre  of 
authorizing  the  attack.  The  padre  was  greatly 
displeased  at  the  result  of  the  excursion,  as  the 
loss  of  so  many  Indians  to  the  mission  was  of 
great  consequence  and  the  confidence  with 
which  the  victory  would  inspire  the  Indians  was 
equal!}'  alarming. 

"He  therefore  joined  with  the  converted  In- 
dians in  a  determination  to  chastise  and  strike 
terror  into  the  victorious  tribe  and  in  concert 
with  the  governor  planned  an  expedition  against 
them.  The  mission  furnished  money,  arms,  In- 
dians and  horses  and  the  presidio  troops,  headed 
by  Alferez  Sanches,  a  veteran,  who  had  been 
frequently  engaged  with  the  Indians  and  was 
acquainted  with  that  part  of  the  country.  The 
expedition  set  out  November  19,  and  we  heard 
nothing  of  it  until  the  27th,  but  two  days  after 
the  troops  had  taken  to  the  field  some  immense 
colunms  of  smoke  rising  above  the  mountains 
in  the  direction  of  the  Cosemmes  bespoke  the 
conflagration  of  the  village  of  the  persecuted 
gentiles;  and  on  the  day  above  mentioned  the 
veteran   Sanches  made  a  triumphant  entry  into 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RFXORD. 


the  Mission  of  San  Jose,  escorting  fort\-  miser- 
able women  and  children.  The  gun  which  had 
been  lost  in  the  first  battle  was  retaken  and 
other  trophies  captured. 

"This  victory,  so  glorious  according  to  the 
ideas  of  the  conquerors,  was  achieved  with  the 
loss  of  only  one  man  on  the  part  of  the  Chris- 
tians, who  was  mortally  wounded  by  the  burst- 
ing of  his  own  gun ;  but  on  the  part  of  the  enemy 
it  was  considerable,  as  Sanches  the  morning 
after  the  battle  counted  forty-one  men,  women 
and  children  dead.  It  is  remarkable  that  none 
of  the  prisoners  was  wounded  and  it  is  greatly 
to  be  feared  that  the  Christians,  who  could 
scarcely  be  prevented  from  revenging  the  death 
of  their  relatives  upon  those  who  were  brought 
to  the  mission,  glutted  their  brutal  passions  on 
all  who  fell  into  their  hands. 

"The  prisoners  they  had  captured  were  imme- 
diately enrolled  in  the  list  of  the  mission,  except 
a  nice  little  bo\-  whose  mother  was  shot  while 
running  away  with  him  in  her  arms,  and  he  was 
sent  to  the  presidio  and,  as  I  heard,  given  to 
the  Alferez  as  a  reward  for  his  services.  The 
poor  little  orphan  had  received  a  slight  wound  in 
his  forehead ;  he  wept  bitterly  at  first  and  refused 
to  eat,  but  in  time  became  reconciled  to  his 
fate. 

"Those  who  were  taken  to  the  mission  were 
immediately  converted  and  were  daily  taught  by 
the  neophytes  to  repeat  the  Lord's  prayer  and 
certain  hymns  in  the  Spanish  language.  I  hap- 
pened to  visit  the  mission  about  this  time  and 
saw  these  unfortunate  beings  under  tuition. 
They  were  clothed  in  blankets  and  arranged  in 
a  row  before  a  blind  Indian,  who  understood 
their  dialect  and  was  assisted  by  an  alcalde  to 
keep  order.  Their  tutor  began  by  desiring  them 
to  kneel,  informing  them  that  he  was  going  to 
teach  them  the  names  of  the  persons  composing 
the  trinity  and  they  were  to  repeat  in  Spanish 
what  he  dictated.  The  neophytes  being  ar- 
ranged, the  speaker  began:  'Santisima  Trini- 
dad, Dios,  Jesu  Christo,  Espiritu  Santo,"  paus- 
ing between  each  name  to  listen  if  the  simple 
Indians,  who  had  never  before  spoken  a  word 
of  Spanish,  pronounced  it  correctly  or  anything 
near  the  mark.  After  they  had  repeated  these 
names    satisfactorily,   their   blind   tutor,   after  a 


pause,  added  "Santos'  and  recapitulated  the 
names  of  a  great  many  saints,  which  finished  the 
morning's  lesson. 

■"They  did  not  appear  to  me  to  pay  much  at- 
tention to  what  was  going  forward  and  I  ob- 
■  served  to  the  padre  that  I  thought  their  teachers 
had  an  arduous  task,  but  he  said  they  had  never 
found  any  difficulty;  that  the  Indians  were  ac- 
customed to  change  their  own  gods  and  that 
their  conversion  was  in  a  measure  habitual  to 
them. 

"The  expenses  of  the  late  expedition  fell  heav- 
ily upon  the  mission  and  I  was  glad  to  find  the 
padre  thought  it  was  paying  very  dear  for  so 
lew  converts,  as  in  all  probability  it  will  lessen 
his  desire  to  undertake  another  expedition  and 
the  poor  Indians  will  be  spared  the  horrors  of 
being  butchered  by  their  own  countrymen  or 
dragged  from  their  homes  into  captivity." 

This  conquista  and  the  results  that  followed 
were  very  similar  to  some  of  the  so-called  In- 
dian wars  that  took  place  after  the  American 
occupation.  The  Indians  were  provoked  to  hos- 
tilities by  outrage  and  injustice.  Then  the 
military  came  down  on  them  and  wiped  them 
out  of  existence. 

The  unsanitary  condition  of  the  Indian  vil- 
lages at  some  of  the  missions  was  as  fatal  as  an 
Indian  war.  The  Indian  was  naturally  filthy,  but 
in  his  native  state  he  had  the  whole  country  to 
roam  over.  If  his  village  became  too  filthy  and 
the  vermin  in  it  too  aggressive,  he  purified  it 
by  fire — burned  up  his  wigwam.  The  adobe 
houses  that  took  the  place  of  the  brush  hovel, 
which  made  up  the  early  mission  villages,  could 
not  be  burned  to  purify  them.  No  doubt  the 
heavy  death  rate  at  the  missions  was  due  largely 
to  the  uncleanly  habits  of  the  neophytes.  The 
statistics  given  in  the  chapter  on  the  Franciscan 
missions  show  that  in  all  the  missionary  estab- 
lishments a  steady  decline,  a  gradual  extinction 
of  the  neophyte  population,  had  been  in  prog- 
ress for  two  to  three  decades  before  the  mis- 
sions were  .secularized.  Had  secularization  been 
delayed  or  had  it  not  taken  place  in  the  course 
of  a  few  decades,  at  the  rate  the  neophytes  were 
dying  off  tlie  missions  would  have  become  de- 
populated. The  death  rate  was  greater  than  the 
birth  rate  in  all  of  them  and  the  mortality  among 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGFL-^PHICAL   RECORD. 


ihe  children  was  greater  even  than  among  the 
adults.  After  secularization  the  neophytes 
drifted  to  the  cities  and  towns  where  they  could 
more  readily  gratify  their  passion  for  strong 
drink.  Their  mission  training  and  their  Chris- 
tianity had  no  restraining  influence  upon  them. 
Their  vicious  habits,  which  were  about  the  only 
thing  they  had  acquired  by  their  contact  with 
the  whites,  soon  put  an  end  to  them. 

During  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  eras  North- 
ern California  remained  practically  a  terra  in- 
cognita. Two  missions,  San  Rafael  and  San 
Francisco  SolanO',  and  the  castillo  at  Sonora, 
had  been  established  as  a  sort  of  protection  to 
the  northern  frontier.  .A.  few  armed  incursions 
had  been  made  into  the  country  beyond  these 
to  punish  Indian  horse  and  cattle  thieves.  Gen- 
eral Vallejo.  who  was  in  command  of  the 
troops  on  the  frontera  del  norte,  had  always 
endeavored  to  cultivate  friendly  relations  with 
the  gentiles,  but  the  padres  disliked  to  have 
these  near  the  missions  on  account  of  their  in- 
fluence on  the  neophytes.  Near  the  Mission 
San  Rafael,  in  1833,  occurred  one  of  those  In- 
dian massacres  not  uncommon  under  Spanish 
and  ]\Iexican  rule.  A  body  of  gentiles  from  the 
rancherias  of  Pulia,  encouraged  by  Figueroa 
and  Vallejo,  came  to  the  Mission  San  Rafael 
with  a  view  to  establishing  friendly  relations. 
The  padre  put  off  the  interview  until  next  day. 
During  the  night  a  theft  was  committed,  which 
was  charged  to  the  gentiles.  Fifteen  of  them 
were  seized  and  sent  as  prisoners  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. Padre  Mercado,  fearing  that  their  coun- 
trymen might  retaliate,  sent  out  his  major  doma 
Molina  with  thirty-seven  armed  neophytes,  who 
surprised  the  gentiles  in  their  rancheria,  killed 
twenty-one.  wounded  many  more  and  captured 
twenty  men,  women  and  children.  \'alIcjo  was 
indignant  at  the  shameful  violation  of  his  prom- 
ises of  protection  to  the  Indians.  He  released 
the  prisoners  at  San  Francisco  and  the  captives 
at  the  mission  and  tried  to  pacify  the  wrathful 
gentiles.  Padre  Mercado  was  suspended  from 
his  ministry  for  a  short  time,  but  was  afterward 
freed  and  returned  to  San   Rafael.* 

Tliere  was  a  system  of  Indian  slavery  in  ex- 


Bancroft's   History   of   California,   Vol.    III. 


istence  in  California  under  the  rule  of  Spain  and 
Mexico.  Most  of  the  wealthier  Spanish  and 
Mexican  families  had  Indian  servants.  In  the 
raids  upon  the  gentiles  the  children  taken  b)  ihc 
soldiers  were  sometimes  sold  or  disposed  of  to 
families  for  servants.  E.xpeditions  were  gotten 
up  upon  false  pretexts,  while  the  main  purpose 
was  to  steal  Indian  children  and  sell  them  to 
families  for  servants.  This  practice  was  carried 
on  by  the  .A.mericans,  too,  after  the  conquest. 

For  a  time  after  the  discovery  of  gold  the  In- 
dians and  the  miners  got  along  amicably.  The 
first  miners  were  mainly  old  Californians,  used 
to  the  Indians,  but  with  the  rush  of  '4<j  came 
many  rough  characters  who,  by  their  injustice, 
soon  stirred  up  trouble.  Sutter  had  employed  a 
large  number  of  Indians  on  his  ranches  and  in 
various  capacities.  These  were  faithful  and  hon- 
est. Some  of  them  were  employed  at  his  mill 
in  Coloma  and  in  the  diggings.  In  the  spring 
of  '49  a  band  of  desperadoes  known  as  the 
Mountain  Hounds  murdered  eight  of  these  at 
the  mill.  Marshall,  in  trying  to  defend  them, 
came  near  being  lynched  by  the  drunken  brutes. 

The  injustice  done  the  Indians  soon  brought 
on  a  number  of  so-called  Indian  wars.  These 
were  costly  affairs  to  the  state  and  in  less  than 
two  years  had  plunged  the  young  common- 
wealth into  a  debt  of  nearly  $1,000,000.  In  a 
copy  of  the  Los  Angeles  Star  for  February  28, 
1852,  I  find  this  enumeration  of  the  wars  and 
the  estimated  cost  of  each:  The  Morehead  ex- 
pedition, $120,000;  General  Bean's  first  expedi- 
tion, $66,000;  General  Bean's  second  expedition, 
$50,000;  the  Mariposa  war,  $230,000;  the  El 
Dorado  war,  $300,000.  The  Morehead  war  orig- 
inated out  of  an  injustice  done  the  Yuma  In- 
dians. These  Tndians,  in  the  summer  of  1849, 
had  obtained  an  old  scow  and  established  a  ferry 
across  the  Colorado  river  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Gila,  and  were  making  quite  a  paying  business 
out  of  it  by  ferrying  emigrants  across  the  river. 
A  Dr.  A.  L.  Lincoln,  from  Illinois,  had  estab- 
lished a  ferry  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  early  in 
1850.  Being  short  handed  he  employed  eight 
men  of  a  party  of  immigrants,  and  their  leader. 
Jack  Glanton,  who  seems  to  have  been  a  despera- 
do. Glanton  insulted  a  Yuma  chief  and  the  In- 
dians   charged    him    with   destroying   their    boat 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


227 


and  killing  an  Irishman  they  had  employed. 

Watching  their  chance  the  Yumas  killed  eleven 
of  the  ferrymen,  including  Lincoln  and 
Glanton.  Governor  Burnett  ordered  JMajor-Gen- 
eral  Bean  to  march  against  the  Yumas.  Bean 
sent  his  quartermaster-general,  Joseph  C.  More- 
head.  Morehead,  on  Bean's  orders,  provid- 
ed necessaries  for  a  three  months'  campaign 
at  most  extravagant  prices,  paying  for  them  in 
drafts  on  the  state  treasury.  Morehead  started 
out  from  Los  Angeles  with  forty  men,  but  l3\- 
the  time  he  reached  the  Colorado  river  he  had 
recruited  his  force  to  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  men.  The  licpiid  supplies  taken  along  doubt- 
less stimulated  recruiting.  They  reached  the 
Colorado  in  the  summer  of  1850,  and  camped  at 
the  ferry.  The  Indians  at  their  approach  fled 
up  the  river.  After  two  months'  services  they 
were  disbanded.  William  Carr,  one  of  the  three 
ferrymen  who  escaped,  was  wounded  and  came  to 
Los  Angeles  for  treatment.  The  doctor  who 
treated  him  charged  the  state  $500.  The  man 
who  boarded  him  put  in  a  bill  of  $I20;  and  the 
patriot  who  housed  him  wanted  $45  for  house 
rent.  Bean's  first  and  second  expeditions  were 
very  similar  in  results  to  the  Morehead  cam- 
paign. The  El  Dorado  expedition  or  Rogers' 
war,  as  it  was  sometimes  called,  was  another  of 
Governor  Burnett's  fiascos.  He  ordered  Will- 
iam Rogers,  sheriff  of  El  Dorado  county,  to  call 
out  two  hundred  men  at  the  state's  expense  to 
punish  the  Indians  for  killing  some  whites  who 
had,  in  all  probability,  been  the  aggressors  and 
the  Indians  had  retaliated.  It  was  well  known 
that  there  were  men  in  that  part  of  the  country 
who  had  wantonly  killed  Intlians  for  the  pleas- 
ure of  boasting  of  their  exploits. 

Nor  were  the  whites  always  the  aggressors. 
There  were  bad  Indians,  savages,  who  killed 
without  provocation  and  stole  whenever  an  op- 
portunity offered.  In  their  attempts  at  retalia- 
tion the  Indians  slaughtered  indiscriminately 
and  the  innocent  more  often  were  their  victims 
than  the  guilty.  On  the  side  of  the  whites  it 
was  a  war  of  extermination  waged  in  many  in- 
stances without  regard  to  age  or  sex;  on  the 
part  of  the  Indian  it  was  a  war  of  retaliation 
waged  with  as  little  distinction. 

The  extermination  of  the  aborigines  was  fear- 


fully rapid.  Of  over  ten  thousand  Indians  in 
Yuba,  Placer,  Nevada  and  Sierra  counties  in 
1849  "Ot  more  than  thirty-eight  hundred  re- 
mained in  1854.  Much  of  this  decrease  had  been 
brought  about  by  dissipation  and  disease  engen- 
dered by  contact  with  the  whites.  Reservations 
were  established  in  various  parts  of  the  state, 
where  Indians  abounded,  but  the  large  salaries 
l>aid  to  agents  and  the  numerous  opportunities 
for  peculation  made  these  positions  attractive 
tn  politicians,  who  were  both  incompetent  and 
dishonest.  The  Indians,  badly  treated  at  the 
reservations,  deserted  them  whenever  an  oppor- 
tunity offered. 

A  recital  of  the  atrocities  committed  upon 
each  other  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state 
during  a  period  of  nearly  twenty  years  would  fill 
a  volume.  The  Indian  with' all  his  fiendishness 
was  often  outmatched  in  cruelty  by  his  pale 
faced  brother.  The  Indian  Island  massacre  was 
scarcely  ever  equaled  in  the  annals  of  Indian 
cruelties.  Indian  Island  lies  nearly  opposite 
the  city  of  Eureka  in  Humboldt  Bay.  On  this 
island,  fifty  years  ago,  was  a  large  ranchcria 
of  inoffensive  Indians,  who  lived  chiefly  by  fish- 
ing. They  had  not  been  implicated  in  any  of 
the  wars  or  raids  that  had  disturbed  that  part 
of  the  country.  They  maintained  many  of  their 
old  customs  and  had  an  annual  gathering,  at 
which  they  performed  various  rites  and  cere- 
monies, accompanied  by  dancing.  A  number  of 
the  Indians  from  the  mainland  joined  them  at 
these  times.  Near  midnight  of  February  25, 
i860,  a  number  of  boats  filled  with  wdiite  men 
sped  silently  out  to  the  island.  The  whites 
landed  and  quietly  surrounded  the  Indians,  who 
were  resting  after  their  orgies,  and  began  the 
slaughter  with  axes,  knives  and  clubs,  splitting 
skulls,  knocking  out  brains  and  cutting  the 
throats  of  men,  women  and  children.  Of  the 
two  hundred  Indians  on  the  island  only  four  or 
five  men  escaped  by  swimming  to  the  mainland. 
The  same  night'  a  rancheria  at  the  entrance  of 
Humboldt  Bay  and  another  at  the  mouth  of  Eel 
river  were  attacked  and  about  one  hundred 
Indians  slaughtered.  The  fiends  who  commit- 
ted these  atrocities  belonged  to  a  secret  or- 
ganization. No  rigid  investigation  was  ever 
made  to  find  out  who  they   were.     The   grand 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


jury  mildly  condemned  the  outrage  and  there 
the  matter  ended. 

The  Indians  kept  up  hostilities,  rendering 
travel  and  traffic  unsafe  on  the  borders  of  Hum- 
boldt, Klamath  and  Trinity  counties.  Governor 
Stanford  in  1863  issued  a  proclamation  for  the 
enlistment  of  six  companies  of  volunteers  from 
the  six  .  northwestern  counties  of  the  state. 
These  recruits  were  organized  into  what  was 
known  as  the  Mountaineer  battalion  with  Lieut. - 
Col.  Stephen  G.  Whipple  in  command.  A  num- 
ber of  Indian  tribes  united  and  a  desultory  war- 
fare began.  The  Indians  were  worsted  in  nearly 
every  engagement.  Their  power  was  broken 
and  in  February,  1865,  fragments  of  the  different 
tribes  were  gathered  into  the  Hoopa  Valley 
reservation.  The  Mountaineer  battalion  in  what 
was  known  as  the  "Two  Years'  War"  settled  the 
Indian  question  from  Shasta  to  the  sea  for  all 
time. 

The  Modoc  war  was  the  last  of  the  Indian 
disturbances  in  the  state.  The  Modocs  inhab- 
ited the  country  about  Rhett  Lake  and  Lost 
river  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  state,  bordering 
on  Oregon.  Their  history  begins  with  the  mas- 
sacre of  an  immigrant  train  of  sixty-five  per- 
sons, men,  women  and  children,  on  their  wav 
from  Oregon  to  California.  This  brought  upon 
them  a  reprisal  by  the  whites  in  which  forty- 
one  out  of  forty-six  Indians  who  had  been  in- 
vited by  Benjamin  Wright  to  a  pow  wow  after 
they  had  laid  aside  their  arms  were  set  upon  by 
Wright  and  his  companions  with  revolvers  and 
all  killed  but  five.  In  1864  a  treaty  had  been 
made  with  the  Modocs  by  which  thev  were  to 
reside  on  the  Klamath  reservation.  But  tiring 
of  reservation  life,  under  their  leader,  Captain 
Jack,  they  returned  to  their  old  homes  on  Lost 
river.  A  company  of  United  States  troops  and 
several  volunteers  who  went  along  to  see  the 
fun  were  sent  to  bring  them  back  to  the  reser- 
vation. They  refused  to  go  and  a  fight  ensued 
in  which  four  of  the  volunteers  and  one  of  the 
regulars  were  killed,  and  the  troops  retreated. 
The  Modocs  after  killing  several  settlers  gath- 
ered at  the  lava  beds  near  Rhett  Lake  and 
prepared  for  war. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  \Mieaton  with  about  four 
hundred  men  attacked  the  Indians  in  the  lava 


beds  January  17,  1873.  Captain  Jack  had  but 
tifty-one  men.  When  Wheaton  retreated  he  had 
lost  thirty-five  men  killed  and  a  number 
wounded,  but  not  an  Indian  had  been  hurt.  A 
few  days  after  the  battle  a  peace  commission 
was  proposed  at  Washington.  A.  B.  Meacham, 
Jesse  Applegate  and  Samuel  Case  were  ap- 
pointed. Elijah  Steele  of  Yreka,  who  was  on 
friendly  terms  with  the  Indians,  was  sent  for. 
He  visited  the  lava  beds  with  the  interpreter, 
I'airchild,  and  had  a  big  talk.  He  proposed  to 
them  to  surrender  and  they  would  be  sent  to 
Angel  Island  near  San  Francisco,  fed  and  cared 
for  and  allowed  to  select  any  reservation  they 
wished.  Steele,  on  his  return  to  camp,  reported 
that  the  Indians  accepted  the  terms,  but  Fair- 
child  said  they  had  not  and  next  day  on  his  re- 
turn Steele  found  out  his  mistake  and  barely 
escaped  with  his  life.  Interviews  continued 
without  obtaining  any  definite  results,  some  of 
the  commission  became  disgusted  and  returned 
home.  General  Canby,  conunanding  the  depart- 
ment, had  arrived  and  taken  charge  of  affairs. 
Commissioner  Case  resigned  and  Judge  Ros- 
borough  was  appointed  in  his  place  and  the  Rev. 
E.  Thomas,  a  doctor  of  divinity  in  the  Metho- 
dist church,  was  added  to  the  commission.  A 
man  by  the  name  of  Riddle  and  his  wife  Toby, 
a  Modoc,  acted  as  go-betweens  and  negotiations 
continued. 

A  pow  wow  was  arranged  at  the  council  tent 
at  which  all  parties  were  to  meet  unarmed,  but 
Toby  was  secretly  informed  that  it  was  the  in- 
tention of  the  Modocs  to  massacre  the  commis- 
sioners as  had  been  done  to  the  Indian  com- 
missioners twenty  years  before  by  Benjamin 
Wright  and  his  gang.  On  April  10,  while 
Meacham  and  Dyer,  the  superintendent  of  the 
Klamath  reservation,  who  had  joined  the  com- 
missioners, were  away  from  camp,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Thomas  made  an  agreement  with  a  dele- 
gation from  Captain  Jack  for  the  connnission 
and  General  Canby  to  meet  the  Indians  at  the 
council  tent.  Meacham  on  his  return  opposed 
the  arrangement,  fearing  treachery.  The  doctor 
insisted  that  God  had  done  a  wonderful  work 
in  the  Modoc  camp,  but  Meacham  shocked  the 
]iious  doctor  by  saying  "God  had  not  been  in 
the   Modoc  camp. this  winter." 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


229 


Two  of  the  Indian  leaders,  Boston  Charley 
and  Bogus  Charley,  came  to  headquarters  to 
accompany  the  commission.  Riddle  and  his 
wife,  Toby,  bitterly  opposed  the  commissioners' 
going,  telling  them  they  would  be  killed,  and 
Toby  going  so  far  as  to  seize  Meacham's  horse 
to  prevent  him  from  going,  telling  him,  "You  get 
kill."  Canby  and,  the  doctor  insisted  upon  going, 
despite  all  protests,  the  doctor  saying,  "Let  us  go 
as  we  agreed  and  trust  in  God."  Aleacham  and 
Dyer  secured  derringers  in  their  side  pockets 
before  going.  When  the  commissioners,  the 
interpreters,  Riddle  and  his  wife,  reached  the 
council  tent  they  found  Captain  Jack,  Schonchin 
John,  Black  Jim,  Shancknasty  Jim,  Ellen's 
Man  and  Hooker  Jim  sitting  around  a  fire  at 
the  council  tent.  Concealed  behind  some 
rocks  a  short  distance  away  were  two  young- 
Indians  with  a  number  of  rifles.  The  two  Char- 
leys, Bogus  and  Boston,  who  had  come  with  the 
commissioners  from  headquarters,  informed  the 
Indians  that  the  commissioners  were  not  armed. 
The  interview  began.  The  Indians  were  very 
insolent.  Suddenly,  at  a  given  signal,  the  Indians 
uttered  a  war  whoop,  and  Captain  Jack  drew 
a  revolver  from  under  his  coat  and  shot  Gen- 
eral Canby.  Boston  Charley  shot  Dr.  Thomas, 
who  fell,  rose  again,  but  was  shot  down 
while  begging  for  his  life.  The  young  Indians 
had  brought  up  the  rifles  and  a  fusillade  was 
begun  upon  the  others.  All  escaped  without  in- 
jury except  Aleacham,  who,  after  running  some 
distance,  was  felled  by  a  bullet  fired  by  Hooker 
Jim,  and  left  for  dead.  He  was  saved  from  being 
scalped  by  the  bravery  of  Toby.  He  recovered, 
however,  although  badly  disfigured.    While  this 


was  going  on,  Curly  Haired  Doctor  and  several 
other  Alodocs,  with  a  white  flag,  inveigled  Lieu- 
tenants Boyle  and  Sherwood  beyond  the  lines. 
Seeing  the  Indians  were  armed,  the  officers 
turned  to  flee,  when  Curly  Llaired  Jack  fired  and 
broke  Lieutenant  Sherwood's  thigh.  He  died  a 
few  days  later.  The  troops  were  called  to  arms 
when  the  firing  began,  but  the  Indians  escaped 
to  the  lava  beds.  After  a  few  days'  preparation, 
Colonel  Giilem,  who  was  in  command,  began  an 
attack  on  the  Indian  stronghold.  Their  position 
was  shelled  by  mountain  howitzers.  In  the 
fighting,  which  lasted  four  days,  sixteen  soldiers 
were  killed  and  thirteen  wounded.  In  a  recon- 
noissance  under  Captain  Thomas  a  few  days 
later,  a  body  of  seventy  troops  and  fourteen  Warm 
Spring  Indians  ran  into  an  ambush  of  the  In- 
dians and  thirteen  soldiers,  including  Thomas, 
were  killed.  Gen.  Jeiiferson  C.  Davis  was  placed 
in  command.  The  Indians  were  forced  out  of  the 
lava  beds,  their  water  supply  having  been  cut 
off.  They  quarreled  among  themselves,  broke 
up  into  parties,  were  chased  down  and  all  cap- 
tured. Captain  Jack  and  Schonchin  John,  the 
two  leaders,  were  shackled  together.  General 
Davis  made  preparations  to  hang  these  and  six 
or  eight  others,  but  orders  from  Washington 
stopped  him.  The  leading  Indians  were  tried 
by  court-martial.  Captain  Jack,  Schonchin 
John,  Black  Jim  and  Boston  Charley  were  hung, 
two  others  were  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for 
life.  The  other  Alodocs,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, were  sent  to  a  fort  in  Nebraska  and  after- 
wards transferred  to  the  Ouaw  Paw  Agency  in 
Indian  Territory.  This  ended  the  Alodoc  war 
and  virtually  put  an  end  to  the  Modoc  Indians. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

SOME    POLITICAL    HISTORY. 


THE  first  Chinese  emigrants  to  California 
arrived  in  the  brig  Eagle,  from  Hong 
Kong,  in  the  month  of  February,  1848. 
They  were  two  men  and  one  woman.  This  was 
before  the  discovery  of  gold  was  known  abroad. 
What  brought  these    waifs    from    the   Flowery 


Kingdom  to  California  does  not  appear  in  the 
record.  February  i,  1849.  there  were  fiftv-four 
Chinamen  and  one  Chinawoman  in  the  territory. 
January  i,  1850,  seven  hundred  and  eighty-nine 
men  and  two  women  had  arrived.  January  i, 
1851,  four  thousand  and  eighteen  men  and  seven 


HISTORICAL   AXD    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


women;  a  year  later  tlieir  numbers  had  in- 
creased to  eight  thousand  one  hundred  and 
twenty-one  men  and  eight  women;  May  7,  1852, 
eleven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty  men 
and  seven  women  had  found  their  way  to  the 
land  of  gold.  The  Alta  California,  from  which 
I  take  these  figures,  estimated  that  between 
seven  and  ten  thousand  more  would  arrive  in 
the  state  before  January  i,  1853.  The  editor 
sagely  remarks:  "No  one  fears  danger  or  mis- 
fortune from  their  excessive  numbers."  There 
was  no  opposition  to  their  coming;  on  the  con- 
trary, they  were  welcomed  and  almost  lionized. 
The  A!ta  of  April  27,  1851,  remarks:  "An 
American  barque  yesterday  brought  eighty 
worshippers  of  the  sun,  moon  and  many  stars. 
These  Celestials  make  excellent  citizens  and  we 
are  pleased  to  notice  their  daily  arrival  in  large 
numbers."  The  Alta  describes  a  Great  Chinese 
meeting  on  Portsmouth  Square,  which  took 
place  in  185 1.  It  seems  to  have  been  held  for 
the  purpose  of  welcoming  the  Chinese  to  Cali- 
fornia and  at  the  same  time  doing  missionary 
work  and  distributing  religious  tracts  among 
them.  The  report  says:  "A  large  assemblage 
of  citizens  and  several  ladies  collected  on  the 
plaza  to  witness  the  ceremonies.  Ah  Hee  assem- 
bled his  division  and  All  Sing  marched  his  into 
Kearny  street,  where  the  two  divisions  united 
and  then  marched  to  the  square.  Many  carried 
fans.  There  were  several  peculiar  looking  Chi- 
namen among  them.  One,  a  very  tall,  old  Celes- 
tial with  an  extensive  tail,  excited  universal  at- 
tention. He  had  a  huge  pair  of  spectacles  upon 
his  nose,  the  glasses  of  which  were  about  the 
size  of  a  telescope  lens.  He  also  had  a  singu- 
larly colored  fur  mantle  or  cape  upon  his  shoul- 
ders and  a  long  sort  of  robe.  We  presume  he 
must  be  a  mandarin  at  least. 

"\'ice  Consul  F.  A.  Woodworth.  His  Honor, 
Major  J.  \V.  Geary,  Rev.  Albert  \\'illiams.  Rev. 
A.  Fitch  and  Rev.  F.  D.  Hunt  were  present. 
Ah  Hee  acted  as  interpreter.  The  Rev.  Hunt 
gave  them  some  orthodox  instruction  in  which 
they  were  informed  of  the  existence  of  a  coun- 
try where  the  China  boys  would  never  die;  this 
made  them  laugh  quite  heartily.  Tracts,  scrip- 
tural documents,  astronomical  works,  almanacs 
and  other  useful  religious  and  instructive  docu- 


ments printed  in  Chinese  characters  were  dis- 
tributed  among  them." 

1  give  the  report  of  another  meeting  of  "The 
Chinese  residents  of  San  Francisco,"  taken 
from  the  Alta  of  December  10,  1849.  I  quote 
it  to  show  how  the  Chinese  were  regarded  when 
they  first  came  to  California  and  how  they  were 
flattered  and  complimented  by  the  presence  of 
distinguished  citizens  at  their  meetings.  Their 
treatment  a  few  years  later,  when  they  were 
mobbed  and  beaten  in  the  streets  for  no  fault 
of  theirs  except  for  coming  to  a  Christian  coun- 
try, must  have  given  them  a  very  poor  opinion 
of  the  white  man's  consistency.  "A  public 
meeting  of  the  Chinese  residents  of  the  town 
was  held  on  the  evening  of  Monday,  November 
19,  at  the  Canton  Restaurant  on  Jackson  street. 
The  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were 
presented  and  adopted: 

"  'Whereas,  It  becomes  necessary  for  us, 
strangers  as  we  are  in  a  strange  land,  unac- 
quainted with  the  language  and  customs  of  our 
adopted  country,  to  have  some  recognized  coun- 
Felor  and  advisor  to  whom  we  may  all  appeal 
with  confidence  for  wholesome  instruction,  and, 

"  'Whereas,  We  should  be  at  a  loss  as  to  what 
course  of  action  might  be  necessary  for  us  to 
pursue  therefore, 

"  'Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  four  be  ap- 
pointed to  wait  upon  Selim  E.  Woodworth,  Esq., 
and  request  him  in  behalf  of  the  Chinese  resi- 
dents of  San  Francisco  to  act  in  the  capacity  of 
arbiter  and  advisor  for  them.' 

"Mr.  Woodworth  was  waited  upon  by  Ah  Hee, 
Jon  Ling,  Ah  Ting  and  Ah  Toon  and  kindly 
consented  to  act.  The  whole  afifair  passed  oflf 
in  the  happiest  manner,  ^ilany  distinguished 
guests  were  present,  Hon.  J.  W.  Geary,  alcalde; 
E.  H.  Harrison,  e.x-collector  of  the  port,  and 
others." 

At  the  celebration  of  the  admission  of  Cali- 
fornia into  the  Union  the  "China  r>oys"  were  a 
prominent  feature.  One  report  says:  "The 
Celestials  had  a  banner  of  crimson  satin  on 
which  were  some  Chinese  characters  and  the  in- 
scription 'China  Boys.'  They  numbered  about 
fifty  and  were  arrayed  in  the  richest  stufif  and 
commanded  by  their  chief.  Ah  Sing." 

While  the  "China  Bovs"  were  feted  and  flat- 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


231 


terecl  in  San  Francisco  they  were  not  so  enthu- 
siastically welcomed  by  the  miners.  The  legis- 
lature in  1850  passed  a  law  fixing  the  rate  of 
license  for  a  foreign  miner  at  '$20  per  month. 
This  was  intended  to  drive  out  and  keep  out  of 
the  mines  all  foreigners,  but  the  rate  was  so 
excessively  high  that  it  practically  nullified  the 
enforcement  of  the  law  and  it  was  repealed  in 
1851.  As  the  Chinese  were  only  allowed  peace- 
able possession  of  mines  that  would  not  pay 
white  man's  wages  they  did  not  make  fortunes 
in  the  diggings.  If  by  chance  the  Asiatics 
should  happen  to  strike  it  rich  in  ground  aban- 
doned by  white  men  there  was  a  class  among 
the  white  miners  who  did  not  hesitate  to  rob  the 
Chinamen  of  their  ground. 

As  a  result  of  their  persecution  in  the  mines 
the  Chinese  flocked  to  San  Francisco  and  it  was 
not  long  until  that  city  had  more  "China  Boys" 
than  it  needed  in  its  business.  The  legislature 
of  1855  enacted  a  law  that  masters,  owners  or 
consignors  of  vessels  bringing  to  California 
persons  incompetent  to  become  citizens  under 
the  laws  of  the  state  should  pay  a  fine  of  $50  for 
every  such  person  landed.  A  suit  was  brought 
to  test  the  validity  of  the  act;  it  was  declared 
unconstitutional.  In  1858  the  foreign  miner's 
tax  was  $10  per  month  and  as  most  of  the  other 
foreigners  who  had  arrived  in  California  in  the 
early  '50s  had  by  this  time  become  citizens  by 
naturalization  the  foreigners  upon  whom  the 
tax  bore  most  heavily  were  the  Chinese  who 
could  not  become  citizens.  As  a  consequence 
manv  of  them  were  driven  out  of  the  mines  and 
this  again  decreased  the  revenue  of  the  mining 
counties,  a  large  part  of  which  was  made  up  of 
poll  tax  and  license. 

The  classes  most  bitterly  opposed  to  the  Chi- 
nese in  the  mines  were  the  saloon-keepers,  the 
gamblers  and  their  constituents.  While  the 
Chinaman  himself  is  a  most  inveterate  gambler 
and  not  averse  to  strong  drink  he  did  not  divest 
himself  of  his  frugal  earnings  in  the  white  man's 
saloon  or  gambling  den,  and  the  gentry  who 
kept  these  institutions  were  the  first,  like  Bill 
Nye  in  Bret  Harte's  poem,  to  raise  the  cry, 
"We  are  ruined  by  Chinese  cheap  labor." 
\\'hile  the  southern  politicians  who  were  the 
rulers   of  the  state   before  the   Civil  war  were 


opposed  to  the  Chinese  and  legislated  against 
them,  it  was  not  done  in  the  interest  of  the  white 
laborer.  An  act  to  establish  a  coolie  system  of 
servile  labor  was  introduced  in  the  pro-slavery 
legislature  of  1854.  It  was  intended  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  negro  slavery.  Senator  Roach,  a  free 
state  man.  exposed  its  iniquity.  It  was  defeated. 
The  most  intolerant  and  the  most  bitter  oppo- 
nents of  the  Cliinese  then  and  later  when  opposi- 
tion had  intensified  were  certain  servile  classes  of 
Europeans  who  in  their  native  countries  had  al- 
ways been  kept  in  a  state  of  servility  to  the  aris- 
tocracy, but  when  raised  to  the  dignity  of  Amer- 
ican citizens  by  naturalization  proceeded  to 
celebrate  their  release  from  their  former  serf- 
dom by  persecuting  the  Chinese,  whom  they  re- 
garded as  their  inferiors.  The  outcry  these  peo- 
ple made  influenced  politicians,  who  pandered  to 
them  for  the  sake  of  their  votes  to  make  laws 
and  ordinances  that  were  often  burlesques  on 
legislation. 

In  1870  the  legislature  enacted  a  law  impos- 
ing a  penalty  of  not  less  than  $1,000  nor  more 
than  $5,000  or  imprisonment  upon  anv  one 
bringing  to  California  any  subject  of  China  or 
Japan  without  first  presenting  evidence  of  his 
or  her  good  character  to  the  conunissioner  of 
immigration.  The  supreme  court  decided  the 
law  unconstitutional.  Laws  were  passed  pro- 
hibiting the  employment  of  Chinese  on  the  pub- 
lic works;  prohibiting  them  from  owning  real 
estate  and  from  obtaining  licenses  for  certain 
kinds  of  business.  The  supervisors  of  San  Fran- 
cisco passed  an  ordinance  requiring  that  the 
hair  of  any  male  prisoner  convicted  of  an  of- 
fense should  be  cut  within  one  inch  of  his  head. 
This,  of  course,  was  aimed  at  Chinese  convicts 
and  intended  to  deprive  them  of  their  queues 
and  degrade  them  in  the  estimation  of  their  peo- 
ple. It  was  known  as  the  Pig  Tail  Ordinance; 
the  mayor  vetoed  it.  Another  piece  of  class 
legislation  by  the  San  Francisco  supervisors  im- 
posed a  license  of  $15  a  quarter  on  laundries 
using  no  horses,  while  a  laundry  using  a  one- 
horse  wagon  paid  but  $2  per  quarter.  The  Chi- 
nese at  this  time  (1876)  did  not  use  horses  in 
their  laundry  business.  Tlie  courts  decided 
against  this  ordinance. 

Notwithstanding    the    laws    and     ordinances 


232 


HISTORICAL.  AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


against  them  the  Chinese  continued  to  come 
and  they  found  emploj-ment  of  some  kind  to 
keep  them  from  starving.  They  were  indus- 
trious and  economical;  there  were  no  Chinese 
tramps.  Although  they  filled  a  want  in  the 
state,  cheap  and  reliable  labor,  at  the  beginning 
of  its  railroad  and  agricultural  development, 
they  were  not  desirable  citizens.  Their  habits 
and  morals  were  bad.  Their  quarters  in  the 
cities  reeked  with  filth  and  immorality.  They 
maintained  their  Asiatic  customs  and  despised 
the  "white  devils"  among  whom  they  lived, 
which,  by  the  way,  was  not  strange  considering 
the  mobbing  and  maltreatment  they  received 
from  the  other  aliens.  They  made  merchandise 
of  their  women  and  carried  on  a  revolting  sys- 
tem of  female  slavery. 

The  Burlingamc  treaty  guaranteed  mutual 
protection  to  the  citizens  of  China  and  the 
United  States  on  each  other's  soil ;  to  freedom  in 
religious  opinions;  to  the  right  to  reside  in 
either  country  at  will  and  other  privileges  ac- 
corded to  civilized  nations.  Under  this  treaty 
the  Chinese  could  not  be  kept  out  of  California 
and  agitation  was  begun  for  the  modification  or 
entire  abrogation  of  the  treaty. 

For  a  number  of  years  there  had  been  a  steady 
decline  in  the  price  of  labor,  ^'arious  causes 
had  contributed  to  this.  The  productiveness  of 
the  mines  had  decreased;  railroad  communica- 
tion with  the  east  had  brought  in  a  number  of 
workmen  and  increased  competition;  the  efforts 
of  the  labor  unions  to  decrease  the  hours  of  labor 
and  still  keep  up  the  wages  at  the  old  standard 
had  resulted  in  closing  up  some  of  the  manu- 
facturing establishments,  the  proprietors  finding- 
it  impossible  to  compete  with  eastern  factories. 
All  these  and  other  causes  brought  about  a  de- 
pression in  business  and  brought  on  in  1877-78 
a  labor  agitation  that  shook  the  foundations  of 
our  social  fabric.  The  hard  times  and  decline  in 
wages  was  charged  against  the  Chinese.  No 
doubt  the  presence  of  the  ^Mongolians  in  Cali- 
fornia had  considerable  to  do  with  it  and  par- 
ticularly in  the  lower  grades  of  employment 
but  the  depression  was  mainly  caused  from 
over-production  and  the  financial  crisis  of  1873, 
which  had  alYected  the  whole  United  States. 
-Another  cause  local  to  California  was  the  wild 


mania  for  stock  gambling  that  had  prevailed  in 
California  for  a  number  of  years.  The  bonanza 
kings  of  the  Washoe  by  getting  up  corners  in 
stocks  running  up  fraudulent  values  and  then 
unloading  on  outside  buyers  had  impoverished 
thousands  of  people  of  small  means  and  enriched 
themselves  without  any  return  to  their  dupes. 

Hard  times  always  brings  to  the  front  a  class 
of  noisy  demagogues  who  with  no  remedy  to 
prescribe  increase  the  discontent  by  vitupera- 
tive abuse  of  everybody  outside  of  their  sym- 
pathizers. The  first  of  the  famous  sand  lot  mass 
meetings  of  San  Francisco  was  held  July  23, 
1877,  on  a  vacant  lot  on  the  Market  street 
side  of  the  city  hall.  Harangues  were  made  and 
resolutions  passed  denouncing  capitalists,  de- 
claring against  subsidies  to  steamship  and  rail- 
road lines,  declaring  that  the  reduction  of  wages 
was  part  of  a  conspiracy  for  the  destruction  of 
the  republic  and  that  the  military  should  not  be 
employed  against  strikers.  An  anti-coolic  club 
was  formed  and  on  that  and  the  two  succeeding 
evenings  a  number  of  Chinese  laundries  were 
destroyed.  In  a  fight  between  the  police  (^aideil 
by  the  committee  of  safety)  and  the  rioters  sev- 
eral of  the  latter  were  killed.  Threats  were 
made  to  destroy  the  railroad  property  and  burn 
the  vessels  of  the  Pacific  j\Iail  Steamship  Com- 
panv  unless  the  Chinese  in  their  employ  were 
immediately  discharged. 

Among  the  agitators  that  this  ebullition  of  dis- 
content threw  to  the  front  was  an  Irish  dray- 
man named  Dennis  Kearney.  He  was  shrewd 
<  nough  to  see  that  some  notoriety  and  political 
capital  could  be  made  by  the  organization  of  a 
Workingmen's  party. 

On  the  5th  of  October  a  permanent  organiza- 
tion of  the  Workingmen's  party  of  California  was 
effected.  Dennis  Kearney  was  chosen  president, 
J.  G.  Day,  vice-president,  and  H.  L.  Knight,  sec- 
retary. The  principles  of  the  party  were  the  con- 
densed essence  of  selfishness.  The  working 
classes  were  to  be  elevated  at  the  expense  of 
every  other.  "We  propose  to  elect  none  but  com- 
petent workingmen  and  their  friends  to  any  of- 
fice whatever."  "The  rich  have  ruled  us  till  thev 
have  ruined  us."  "The  republic  must  and  shall 
be  preserved,  and  only  workingmen  will  do  it." 
"This  party  will  exhaust  all  peaceable  means  of 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


233 


attaining  its  ends,  but  it  will  not  be  denied  jus- 
tice when  it  lias  the  power  to  enforce  it."'  "It 
will  encourage  no  riot  or  outrage,  but  it  will 
not  volunteer  to  repress  or  put  down  or  arrest, 
or  prosecute  the  hungry  and  impatient  who 
manifest  tiieir  hatred  of  the  Chinamen  by  a  cru- 
sade against  John  or  those  who  employ  him." 
These  and  others  as  irrelevant  and  immaterial 
were  the  principles  of  the  Workingmen's  party 
that  was  to  bring  the  millennium.  The  move- 
ment spread  rapidl}',  clubs  were  formed  in  every 
ward  in  San  Francisco  and  there  were  organiza- 
tions in  all  the  cities  of  the  state.  The  original 
leaders  were  all  of  foreign  birth,  but  when  the 
movement  became  popular  native  born  dema- 
gogues, perceiving  in  it  an  opportunity  to  ob- 
tain office,  abandoned  the  old  parties  and  joined 
the  new. 

Kearney  now  devoted  his  whole  time  to  agi- 
tation, and  the  applause  he  received  from  his 
followers  pamperetl  his  inordinate  conceit.  His 
language  was  highly  incendiary.  He  advised 
every  workingman  to  own  a  nnisket  and  one 
hundred  rounds  of  ammunition  and  urged  the 
formation  of  military  companies.  He  posed  as 
a  reformer  and  even  hoped  for  mart\Tdom.  In 
cue  of  his  harangues  he  said:  "If  I  don't  get 
killed  I  will  do  more  than  any  reformer  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  1  hope  I  will  be  assassi- 
nated, for  the  success  of  the  movement  depends 
on  that."  The  incendiary  rant  of  Kearney  and 
his  fellows  became  alarming.  It  was  a  tame 
meeting,  at  which  no  "thieving  millionaire, 
scoundrelly  official  or  extortionate  railroad  mag- 
nate" escaped  lynching  by  the  tongues  of  la- 
borite  reformers.  The  charitable  people  of  the 
city  had  raised  by  subscription  $20,000  to  al- 
leviate the  prevailing  distress  among  the  poor. 
It  was  not  comforting  to  a  rich  man  to  hear 
himself  doomed  to  "hemp!  hemp!  hemp!" 
simply  because  by  industry,  economy  and  enter- 
prise he  had  made  a  fortune.  It  became  evident 
that  if  Kearney  and  his  associates  were  allowed 
to  talk  of  hanging  men  and  burning  the  city 
some  of  their  dupes  would  put  in  practice  the 
teachings  of  their  leaders.  The  supervisors, 
urged  on  by  the  better  class  of  citizens,  passed 
an  ordinance  called  by  the  sand-lotters  "Ciihbs' 
gag  law."    On  the  29th  of  October.  Kearney  and 


his  fellow  agitators,  with  a  mob  of  two  or  three 
thousand  followers,  held  a  meeting  on  Xob  Hill, 
where  Stanford,  Crocker.  Hopkins  and  other 
railroad  magnates  had  built  palatial  residences. 
He  roundly  denounced  as  thieves  the  nabobs  of 
Nob  Hill  and  declared  that  they  would  soon  feel 
the  power  of  the  workingmen.  When  his  party 
was  thoroughly  organized  they  wcaild  march 
through  the  city  and  compel  the  thieves  to  give 
up  their  plunder:  that  he  would  lead  them  to  the 
city  hall,  clear  out  the  police,  hang  the  pros- 
ecuting attorney,  burn  every  book  that  had  a 
particle  of  law  in  it.  antl  then  enact  new  laws 
lor  the  workingmen.  These  and  other  utter- 
ances equally  inflammatory  caused  his  arrest 
while  addressing  a  meeting  on  the  borders  of 
the  Barbary  coast.  Trouble  was  expected,  but 
he  quietly  submitted  and  was  taken  to  jail  and  a 
few  days  later  Day,  Knight,  C.  C.  O'Donnell  and 
Charles  E.  Pickett  were  arrested  on  charges  of 
inciting  riot  and  taken  to  jail.  A  few  days  in 
jail  cooled  them  off  and  they  began  to  "squeal." 
They  addressed  a  letter  to  the  mayor,  saying 
their  utterances  had  been  incorrectly  reported 
by  the  press  and  that  if  released  they  were  will- 
ing to  submit  to  any  wise  measure  to  allay  the 
excitement.  They  were  turned  loose  after  two 
weeks'  imprisonment  and  their  release  was  cele- 
brated on  Thanksgiving  Day,  November  29,  by 
a  grand  demonstration  of  sand  lotters — seven 
thousand  of  whom  paraded  the  streets. 

It  was  not  long  before  Kearney  and  his  fel- 
lows were  back  on  the  sand  lots  hurling  out 
threats  of  lynching,  burning  and  blowing  up. 
On  January  5  the  grand  jury  presented  indict- 
ments against  Kearney,  Wellock,  Knight, 
O'Donnell  and  Pickett.  They  were  all  released 
on  the  rulings  of  the  judge  of  the  criminal  court 
on  the  grounds  that  no  actual  riot  had  taken 
place. 

The  first  victory  of  the  so-called  \\'orking- 
men's  party  was  the  election  of  a  state  senator  in 
Alameda  county  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Senator  Porter.  .\n  individual  by  the 
name  of  John  \\\  Bones  was  elected.  On  ac- 
count of  his  being  long  and  lean  he  was  known 
as  Barebones  and  sometimes  Praise  God  Bare- 
bones.  His  only  services  in  the  senate  were  the 
perpetration    of   some   doggerel    verses    and   a 


234 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


speech  or  two  on  Kearney's  theme,  "The  Chi- 
nese Alust  Go."  At  the  election  held  June  19, 
1878,  to  choose  delegates  to  a  constitutional 
convention  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-two 
delegates  the  Workingnien  elected  fifty-seven, 
thirty-one  of  whom  were  from  San  Francisco. 
The  convention  met  at  Sacramento,  September 
28,  1878,  and  continued  to  sit  in  all  one  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  days.  It  was  a  mi.xed  assem- 
blage. There  were  some  of  the  ablest  men  in 
the  state  in  it,  and  there  were  some  of  the  most 
narrow  minded  and  intolerant  bigots  there.  The 
Workingmen  flocked  by  themselves,  while  the 
non-partisans,  the  Republicans  and  Democrats, 
for  the  most  part,  acted  in  unison.  Opposition 
to  the  Chinese,  which  was  a  fundamental  prin- 
ciple of  the  Workingmen's  creed,  was  not  con- 
fined to  them  alone;  some  of  the  non-partisans 
were  as  bitter  in  their  hatred  of  the  Mongolians 
as  the  Kearneyites.  Some  of  the  crudities  pro- 
posed for  insertion  in  the  new  constitution  were 
laughable  for  their  absurdity.  One  sand  lotter 
proposed  to  amend  the  bill  of  rights,  that  all  men 
are  by  nature  free  and  independent,  to  read,  "All 
men  who  are  capable  of  beconiing  citizens  of  the 
United  States  are  by  nature  free  and  inde- 
pendent." One  non-partisan  wanted  to  incor- 
porate into  the  fundamental  law  of  the  state 
Kearney's  slogan,  "The  Chinese  Must  Go." 

After  months  of  discussion  the  convention 
evolved  a  constitution  that  the  ablest  men  in 
that  body  repudiated,  some  of  them  going  so  far 
as  to  take  the  stump  against  it.  But  at  the  elec- 
tion it  carried  by  a  large  majority.  Kearney 
continued  his  sand  lot  harangues.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1879  he  made  a  trip  through  the  south- 
ern counties  of  the  state,  delivering  his  diatribes 
against  the  railroad  magnates,  the  land  mo- 
nopolists and  the  Chinese.  At  the  town  of  Santa 
Ana,  now  the  county  seat  of  Orange  county,  in 
his  harangue  he  made  a  vituperative  attack 
upon  the  McFadden  Brothers,  who  a  year  or 
two  before  had  built  a  steamer  and  run  it  in  op- 
position to  the  regular  coast  line  steamers  until 
forced  to  sell  it  on  account  of  losses  incurred  by 
the  competition.  Kearney  made  a  number  of 
false  and  libelous  statements  in  regard  to  the 
transaction.  While  he  was  waiting  for  the  stage 
to  San  Diego  .in  front  of  the  hotel  he  was  con- 


fronted by  Rule,  an  employee  of  the  McFad- 
den's,  with  an  imperious  demand  for  the  name  of 
Kearney's  informant.  Kearney  turned  white 
with  fear  and'  blubbered  out  something  about 
not  giving  away  his  friends.  Rule  struck  him 
a  blow  that  sent  him  reeling  against  the  build- 
ing. Gathering  himself  together  he  made  a  rush 
into  the  hotel,  drawing  a  pistol  as  he  ran.  Rule 
pursued  him  through  the  dining  room  and  out 
across  a  vacant  lot  and  into  a  drug  store,  where 
he  downed  him  and,  holding  him  down  with  his 
knee  on  his  breast,  demanded  the  name  of  his 
informer.  One  of  the  slandered  men  pulled 
Rule  off  the  "martyr"  and  Kearney,  with  a  face 
resembling  a  beefsteak,  took  his  departure  to 
San  Diego.  From  that  day  on  he  ceased  his 
vituperative  attacks  on  individuals.  He  had  met 
the  only  argument  that  could  convince  him  of 
the  error  of  his  ways.  He  lost  caste  with  his 
fellows.  This  braggadocio,  who  had  boasted  of 
leading  armies  to  conquer  the  enemies  of  the 
W'orkingmcn,  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand  had 
ignominiously  fled  from  an  unarmed  man  and 
had  taken  a  humiliating  punishment  without  a 
show  of  resistance.  His  following  began  to  de- 
sert him  and  Kearney  went  if  the  Chinese  did 
not.  The  Workingmen's  party  put  up  a  state 
ticket  in  1879,  but  it  was  beaten  at  the  polls  and 
vv-ent  to  pieces.  In  1880  James  Angell  of  ]\Iich- 
igan.  John  F.  Swift  of  California,  and  William 
H.  Trescott  of  South  Carolina  were  appointed 
commissioners  to  proceed  to  China  for  the  pur- 
pose of  forming  riew  treaties.  An  agreement 
was  reached  with  the  Chinese  authorities  by 
which  laborers  could  be  debarred  for  a  certain 
period  from  entering  the  United  States.  Those 
in  the  country  were  all  allowed  the  rights  that 
aliens  of  othcf  countries  had.  The  senate  ratified 
the  treaty  May  5th,  1881. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  governors  of  Cal- 
ifornia, Spanish,  Mexican  and  .\merican,  with 
date  of  appointment  or  election:  Spanish: 
Caspar  dc  Portola,  1767:  Felipe  Barri,  1771  ; 
Felipe  de  Neve,  1774;  Pedro  Fages,  1790;  Jose 
Antonio  Romeu,  1750:  Jose  Joaquin  de  Ar- 
rillaga,  1792;  Diego  de  Borica,  1794:  Jose  Joa- 
quin de  .A.rrillaga.  1800:  Jose  Arguello,  1814.: 
Pablo  \'iccnte  <Ie  Sola.  1815.  Mexican  gov- 
ernors:    Pablo  \'icente    de    Sola,    1822:    Luis 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Arguello,  1823;  Jose  Alaria  Echeandia,  1825; 
Manuel  \ictoria,  1831;  Pio  Pico,  1832;  Jose 
Maria  Echeandia,  Agustin  Zamorano,  1832 ; 
Jose  Figueroa,  1833;  Jose  Castro,  1835;  Nicolas 
Gutierrez,  1836;  Mariano  Chico,  1836;  Nicolas 
Gutierrez,  1836;  Juan  B.  Alvarado,  1836:  Man- 
uel Micheltorena,  1842:  Pio  Pico,  1845.  Amer- 
ican military  governors:  Commodore  Robert 
F.  Stockton,  1846;  Col.  John  C.  Fremont,  Jan- 
uary, 1847;  Gen.  Stephen  ^^■.  Kearny,  ]\Iarch 
I,  1847;  Col.  Richard  B.  Mason,  May  31,  1847: 
Gen.  Bennet  Riley,  April  13,  i84y.  American 
governors  elected:  Peter  H.  Burnett,  1849. 
John  ;\IcDougal,  Lieutenant-governor,  became 
governor  on  resignation  of  P.  H.  Burnett  in 
January,   1851;  John  Bigler,  1851:  John  Bigk-r. 


1853;  J.  Neely  Johnson,  1855:  John  B.  Weller, 
1857;  M.  S.  Latham,  1859;  John  G.  Downey, 
lieutenant-governor,  became  governor  in  1859 
by  election  of  Latham  to  United  States  senate; 
Leland  Stanford,  1861;  Frederick  F.  Low,  1863; 
Henry  H.  Haight,  1867:  Newton  Booth,  1871; 
Romualdo  Pacheco,  lieutenant  governor,  be- 
came governor  February,  1875,  on  election  of 
Booth  to  the  United  States  senate;  William  Ir- 
win, 1875;  George  C.  Perkins,  1879;  George 
Stoneman,  1882;  Washington  Bartlett,  1886; 
Robert  W.  \\'aterman,  lieutenant-governor,  be- 
came governor  September  12,  1887,  upon  the 
death  of  Governor  Bartlett:  H.  H.  Markham, 
1890;  James  H.  Budd,  1894;  Henry  T.  Gage, 
189S;  George  C.  Pardee,  1902:  James  H.  Gillett, 
1906. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

EDUCATION    AND    EDUCATIONAL    INSTITUTIONS. 


THE  I-'ranciscans,  unlike  the  Jesuits,  were 
not  the  patrons  of  education.  They 
bent  all  their  energies  towards  pros- 
elyting\  Their  object  was  to  fit  their  converts 
for  the  next  world.  An  ignorant  soul  might 
be  as  happy  in  paradise  as  the  most  learned. 
Why  educate  the  neophyte?  He  was  converted, 
and  then  instructed  in  the  work  assigned  him 
at  the  mission.  There  were  no  public  schools 
at  the  missions.  A  few  of  the  brightest  of 
the  neophytes,  who  were  trained  to  sing  in 
the  church  choirs,  were  taught  to  read,  but  the 
great  mass  of  them,  even  those  of  the  third  gen- 
eration, born  and  reared  at  the  missions,  were 
as  ignorant  of  book  learning  as  were  their  great- 
grandfathers, who  ran  naked  among  the  oak 
trees  of  the  mesas  and  fed  on  acorns. 

Nor  was  there  much  attention  paid  to  edu- 
cation among  the  gciifc  dc  racoii  of  the  pre- 
sidios and  pueblos.  But  few  of  the  common 
people  could  read  and  write.  Their  ancestors 
had  made  their  way  in  the  world  without  book 
learning.  Why  should  the  child  know  more 
than  the  parent?  And  trained  to  have  great  filial 
regard  for  his  parent,  it  was  not  often  that 
the  progeny  aspired  to  rise  higher  in  the  scale 


of  intelligence  than  his  progenitor.  (Jf  the 
eleven  heads  of  families  who  founded  Los  An- 
geles, not  one  could  sign  his  name  to  the  title 
deed  of  his  house  lot.  Nor  were  these  an  ex- 
ceptionally ignorant  collection  of  hombres.  Out 
of  fifty  men  comprising  the  [Monterey  company 
in  1785,  but  fourteen  could  write.  In  the  com- 
pany stationed  at  San  Francisco  in  1794  not  a 
soldier  among  them  could  read  or  write;  and 
fo.-ty  years  later  of  one  hundred  men  at  Sonoma 
not  one  could  write  his  name. 

The  first  community  want  the 'American  pio- 
neers supplied  was  the  school  house.  Wher- 
ever the  immigrants  from  the  New  England 
c-nd  the  middle  states  planted  a  settlement,  there, 
at  the  same  time,  they  planted  a  school  house. 
The  first  community  want  that  the  Spanish 
pabladores  (colonists)  supplied  was  a  church. 
The  school  house  was  not  wanted  or  if  wanted  it 
was  a  long  felt  want  tliat  was  rarely  or  never 
satisfied.  At  the  time  of  the  acquisition  of  Cal- 
ifornia by  the  Americans,  seventy-seven  years 
from  the  date  of  its  first  settlement,  there  was 
not  a  public  school  house  owned  by  any  pre- 
si(l''o.  pueblo  or  city  in  all  its  territory. 

The    first     public    school    in    California    was 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


opened  in  San  Jose  in  December,  1794,  seven- 
teen years  after  the  founding  of  that  pueblo. 
The  pioneer  teacher  of  CaHfornia  was  Manuel 
de  \'argas,  a  retired  sergeant  of  infantry.  The 
school  was  opened  in  the  public  granary. 
\'argas,  in  1795.  was  ofifered  $250  to  open  a 
school  in  San  Diego.  As  this  was  higher  wages 
than  he  was  receiving  he  accepted  the  offer. 
Jose  Alanuel  Toca,  a  gaiiintc  or  ship  boy,  ar- 
rived on  a  Spanish  transport  in  1795  and  the 
same  year  was  employed  at  Santa  Barbara  as 
schoolmaster  at  a  yearly  salary  of  $125.  Thus 
the  army  and  the  navy  picneered  education  in 
California. 

Governor  Borica,  the  founder  of  public 
schools  in  California,  resigned  in  1800  and  was 
succeeded  by  Arrillaga.  Governor  Arrillaga,  if 
not  opposed  to,  was  at  least  indifferent  to  the 
education  of  the  common  people.  He  took  life 
easy  and  tlie  schools  took  long  vacations;  in- 
deed, it  was  nearly  all  vacation  during  his  term. 
Governor  Sola,  the  successor  of  .\rrillaga,  made 
an  effort  to  establish  public  schools,  but  the  in- 
difference of  the  people  discouraged  him.  In 
the  lower  pueblo,  Los  .\ngeles,  the  first  school 
was  opened  in  181 7,  thirty-six  years  after  the 
founding  of  the  town.  The  first  teacher  there 
was  Maximo  Pifia,  an  invalid  soldier.  He  re- 
ceived $140  a  year  for  his  services  as  school- 
master. If  the  records  are  correct,  his  was  the 
only  school  taught  in  Los  .\ngeles  during  the 
Spanish  regime.  One  year  of  schooling-  to  forty 
years  of  vacation,  there  was  no  educational 
cramming  in  those  days.  The  schoolmasters  of 
the  Spanish  era  were  invalid  soldiers,  possessed 
of  that  dangerous  thing,  a  "little  learning;''  and 
it  was  very  little  indeed.  About  all  they  could 
teach  was  reading,  writing  and  the  doctrina 
Christiana.  They  were  brutal  tyrants  and  their 
school  government  a  military  despotism.  They 
did  not  spare  the  rod  or  the  child,  either.  The 
rod  was  too  mild  an  instrument  of  punishment. 
Their  implement  of  torture  was  a  cat-o'-nine- 
tails, made  of  hempen  cords  with  iron  points. 
To  fail  in  learning  the  doctrina  Christiana  was 
an  unpardonable  sin.  For  this,  for  laughing 
aloud,  playing  truant  or  other  offenses  no  more 
heinous,  the  guilty  boy  "was  stretched  face 
downward   upon   a   bench    with    a   handkerchief 


thrust  into  his  mouth  as  a  gag  and  lashed  with  a 
dozen  or  more  blows  until  the  blood  ran  down 
his  little  lacerated  back."  If  he  could  not  im- 
bibe the  Christian  doctrine  in  any  other  wa\-. 
it  was  injected  into  him  with  the  points  of  the 
lash. 

Mexico  did  better  for  education  in  California 
than  Spain."  The  school  terms  were  lengthened 
and  the  vacation  shortened  proportionally.  Gov- 
ernor F.cheandia,  a  man  hated  by  the  friars,  was 
an  enthusiasiic  friend  of  education.  "He  be- 
lieved in  the  gratuitous  and  compulsory  educa- 
tion of  rich  and  poor,  Indians  and  gcntc  dc 
razon  alike."  He  held  that  learning  was  the 
corner-stone  of  a  people's  wealth  and  it  was  the 
duty  of  th.e  government  to  foster  education. 
^Vhen  the  friars  heard  of  his  views  "they  called 
upon  God  to  pardon  the  unfortunate  ruler  un- 
able to  comprehend  how  vastly  superior  a  re- 
ligious education  was  to  one  merely  secular.* 
Echeandia  made  a  brave  attempt  to  establish  a 
public  school  system  in  the  territory.  He  de- 
manded of  the  friars  that  they  establish  a  school 
at  each  mission  for  the  neophytes;  they  prom- 
ised, but,  with  the  intention  of  evading,  a  show 
was  made  of  opening  schools.  Soon  it  was  re- 
ported that  the  funds  were  exhausted  and  the 
schools  had  to  close  for  want  of  means  to  sup- 
port them.  Xor  w-as  Echeandia  more  successful 
with  the  people.  He  issued  an  order  to  the 
commanding  officers  at  the  presidios  to  compel 
]^arents  to  send  their  children  to  school.  The 
school  at  Monterey  was  opened,  the  alcalde  act- 
ing as  schoolmaster.  The  school  furniture  con- 
sisted of  one  table  and  the  school  books  were 
one  arithmetic  and  four  primers.  The  school 
funds  were  as  meager  as  the  school  furniture. 
Echeandia,  unable  to  contend  against  the  enmity 
of  the  friars,  the  indifference  of  the  parents  and 
the  lack  of  funds,  reluctantly  abandoned  his 
futile  fight  against  ignorance. 

One  of  the  most  active  and  earnest  friends  of 
the  public  schools  during  the  Mexican  era  was 
the  much  abused  Governor  Mic'heltorena.  He 
made  an  earnest  effort  to  establish  a  public 
school  system  in  California.  Through  his  efforts 
schools   were   established    in    all    the  principal 


^Bancroft's   California   Pastoral. 


HISTORICAL    AND    BIOGR.\PHICAL    RECORD. 


237 


towns  and  a  guarantee  of  $500  from  the  ter- 
ritorial funds  promised  to  each  school.  Alichel- 
torena  promulgated  what  might  be  called  the 
first  school  law  of  California.  It  was  a  decree 
issued  Alay  1,  1844,  and  consisted  of  ten  articles, 
which  prescribed  what  should  be  taught  in  the 
schools,  school  hours,  school  age  of  the  pupils 
and  other  regulations.  Article  10  named  the 
most  holy  virgin  of  Guadalupe  as  patroness  of 
the  schools.  Her  image  was  to  be  placed  in 
each  school.  But,  like  all  his  predecessors, 
Micheltorena  failed:  the  funds  were  soon  ex- 
hausted and  the  schools  closed. 

Even  had  the  people  been  able  to  read  there 
would  have  been  nothing  for  them  to  read  but 
religious  books.  The  friars  kept  vigilant  watch 
that  no  interdicted  books  were  brought  into  the 
country.  If  any  were  found  they  were  seized 
and  publicly  burned.  Castro,  Alvarado  and  Val- 
lejo  were  at  one  time  excommunicated  for  read- 
ing Rousseau's  works,  Telemachus  and  other 
books  on  the  prohibited  list.  Alvarado  having 
declined  to  pay  Father  Duran  some  money  he 
owed  him  because  it  was  a  sin  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  an  excommunicated  person,  and 
therefore  it  would  be  a  sin  for  the  father  to  take 
money  from  him,  the  padre  annulled  the  sen- 
tence, received  the  money  and  gave  Alvarado 
permission  to  read  anything  he  wished. 

During  the  war  for  the  concjuest  of  California 
and  for  some  time  afterwards  the  schools  were 
all  closed.  The  wild  rush  to  the  gold  mines  in 
1848  carried  away  the  male  population.  Xo  one 
would  stay  at  home  and  teach  school  for  the 
paltry  pay  given  a  schoolmaster.  The  ayunta- 
miento  of  Los  Angeles  in  the  winter  of  1849-50 
appointed  a  committee  to  establish  a  school. 
After  a  three  months'  hunt  the  committee  re- 
ported "that  an  individual  Iiad  just  presented 
himself  who,  although  he  did  not  speak  English, 
yet  could  he  teach  the  children  many  useful 
things;  and  besides  the  same  person  had  man- 
aged to  get  the  refusal  of  Mrs.  Pollerena's  house 
for  school  purpose."  At  the  next  meeting  of  the 
ayuntamiento  the  committee  reported  that  the 
individual  who  had  offered  to  teach  had  left  for 
the  mines  and  neither  a  school  house  nor  a 
schoolmaster  could  be  found. 

In  June,  1850,  the  ayuntamiento  entered  into 


a  contract  with  l''rancisco  Bustamente,  an  ex- 
soldier,  "to  teach  to  the  children  first,  second 
and  third  lessons  and  likewise  to  read  script,  to 
write  and  count  and  so  much  as  I  may  be  com- 
petent to  teach  them  orthography  and  good 
morals."  Bustamente  was  to  receive  $60  per 
month  and  $20  for  house  rent.  This  was  the 
first  school  opened  in  Los  Angeles  after  the 
conquest. 

"The  first  American  school  in  San  Francisco 
and,  we  believe,  in  California,  was  a  merely  pri- 
vate enterprise.  It  was  opened  by  a  Mr.  Mars- 
ton  from  one  of  the  Atlantic  states  in  April, 
1847,  in  a  small  shanty  which  stood  on  the  block 
between  Broadway  and  Pacific  streets,  west  of 
Dupont  street.  There  he  collected  some  twenty 
or  thirty  pupils,  whom  he  continued  to  teach  for 
almost  a  whole  year,  his  patrons  paving  for  tui- 
tion."* 

In  the  fall  of  1847  ^  school  house  was  built 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  Portsmouth  square, 
fronting  on  Clay  street.  The  money  to  build  it 
was  raised  by  subscription.  It  was  a  very  mod- 
est structure — box  shaped  with  a  door  and  two 
windows  in  the  front  and  two  windows  in  each 
end.  It  served  a  variety  of  purposes  besides  that 
of  a  school  house.  It  was  a  public  hall  for  all 
kinds  of  meetings.  Churches  held  service  in  it. 
The  first  public  amusements  were  given  in  it. 
.'\t  one  time  it  was  used  for  a  court  room.  The 
first  meeting  to  form  a  state  government  was 
held  in  it.  It  was  finally  degraded  to  a  police 
office  and  a  station  house.  For  some  time  after 
it  was  built  no  school  was  kept  in  it  for  want  of 
funds. 

On  the  2 1st  of  February.  1848,  a  town  meet- 
ing was  called  for  the  election  of  a  board  of 
school  trustees  and  Dr.  F.  Fourguard,  Dr.  J. 
Townsend,  C.  L.  Ross,  J.  Serrini  and  William 
H.  Davis  were  chosen.  On  the  3d  of  April  fol- 
lowing these  trustees  opened  a  school  in  the 
school  house  under  the  charge  of  Thomas 
Douglas,  A.  M.,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  and 
an  experienced  teacher  of  high  reputation.  The 
board  pledged  him  a  salary  of  $1,000  per  an- 
num and  fixed  a  tariff  of  tuition  to  aid  towards 
its  payment:  and  the  town  council,  afterwards, 

*.A.nnals   of  San  Francisco. 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGR.'^PHICAL    RECORD. 


to  make  up  any  deficiency,  appropriated  to  the 
payment  of  tlie  teacher  of  the  public  school  in 
this  place  $200  at  the  expiration  of  twelve 
months  from  the  commencement  of  the  school. 
"Soon  after  this  Mr.  Marston  discontinued  his 
private  school  and  Mr.  Douglas  collected  some 
forty  pupils."* 

The  school  flourished  for  eight  or  ten  weeks. 
Gold  had  been  discovered  and  rumors  were 
coming  thick  and  fast  of  fortunes  made  in  a  day. 
A  thousand  dollars  a  year  looked  large  to  Mr. 
Douglas  when  the  contract  was  made,  but  in  the 
light  of  recent  events  it  looked  rather  small. 
A  man  in  the  diggings  might  dig  out  $1,000  in  a 
week.  So  the  schoolmaster  laid  down  the 
pedagogical  birch,  shouldered  his  pick  and  hied 
himself  away  to  the  diggings.  In  the  rush  for 
gold,  education    was    forgotten.     December   12, 

1848,  Charles  W.  H.  Christian  reopened  the 
school,  charging  tuition  at  the  rate  of  $10.  Evi- 
dently he  did  not  teach  longer  than  it  took  him 
to  earn  money  to  reach  the  mines.     April  23, 

1849,  the  Rev.  Albert  Williams,  pastor  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church,  ol>tained  the  use  of 
the  school  house  and  opened  a  private  school, 
charging  tuition.  He  gave  up  school  teaching 
to  attend  to  his  ministerial  duties.  In  the  fall 
of  49  John  C.  Pehon,  a  I^Iassachusetts  school- 
master, arrived  in  San  Francisco  and  December 
26  opened  a  school  with  three  pupils  in  the  Bap- 
tist church  on  Washington  street.  He  fitted  up 
the  church  with  writing  tables  and  benches  at 
his  own  expense,  depending  on  voluntary  con- 
tributions for  his  support.  In  the  spring  of 
1850  he  applied  to  the  city  council  for  relief  and 
for  his  services  and  that  of  his  wife  he  received 
$500  a  month  till  the  summer  of  1851,  when  he 
closed  his  school. 

Col.  T.  J.  Xevins,  in  June,  1850,  obtained  rent 
free  the  use  of  a  building  near  the  present  inter- 
section of  Mission  and  Second  streets  for  school 
purposes.  He  employed  a  Mr.  Samuel  New- 
ton as  teacher.  The  school  was  opened  July 
13.  The  school  passed  under  the  supervision 
of  several  teachers.  The  attendance  was  small 
at  first  and  the  school  was  supported  by  con- 
tributions,  but   later   the   council   voted   an   ap- 


■  Annals  of  San  Francisco. 


propriation.  The  school  was  closed  in  1851, 
Colonel  Nevins,  in  January,  1851,  secured  a 
fifty-vara  lot  at  Spring  \  alley  on  the  Presidio 
road  and  built  principally  by  subscription  a 
large  school  building,  employed  a  teacher  and 
opened  a  free  school,  supported  by  contributions. 
The  building  was  afterwards  leased  to  the  cit}- 
to  be  used  for  a  free  school,  the  term  of  the 
lease  running  ninety-nine  years.  This  was  the 
first  school  building  in  which  the  city  had  an 
ownership.  Colonel  Nevins  prepared  an  ordi- 
nance lor  the  establishment,  regulation  and 
support  of  free  common  schools  in  the  city. 
The  ordinance  was  adopted  by  the  city  council 
September  25,  185 1,  and  was,  the  first  ordinance 
establishing  free  schools  and  providing  for  their 
maintenance  in  San  Francisco. 

A  bill  to  provide  for  a  public  school  system 
was  introduced  in  the  legislature  of  1850,  but 
the  committee  on  education  reported  that  it 
would  be  two  or  three  years  before  any  means 
would  become  available  from  the  liberal  pro- 
visions of  the  constitution;  in  the  meantime 
the  persons  who  had  children  to  educate  could 
do  it  out  of  their  own  pockets.  So  all  action 
was  postponed  and  the  people  who  had  children 
paid  for  their  tuition  or  let  them  run  without 
schooling. 

The  first  school  law  was  passed  in  1851.  It 
was  drafted  mainly  by  G.  B.  Lingley,  John  C. 
Pelton  and  the  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, J.  G.  ]\Iarvin.  It  was  revised  and  amended 
by  the  legislatures  of  1852  and  1853.  The  state 
school  fund  then  was  derived  from  the  sale  and 
rental  of  five  hundred  thousand  acres  of  state 
land:  the  estates  of  deceased  persons  escheated 
to  the  state:  state  poll  tax  and  a  state  tax  of 
five  cents  on  each  $100  of  assessed  property. 
Congress  in  1853  granted  to  California  the  i6th 
and  36th  sections  of  the  public  lands  for  school 
jnirposes.  The  total  amount  of  this  grant  was 
six  million  seven  hundred  and  sixty-five  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  four  acres,  of  which 
forty-six  thousand  and  eighty  acres  were  to  be 
deducted  for  the  founding  of  a  state  university 
or  college  and  six  thousand  four  hundred  acres 
for  public  buildings. 

The  first  apportionment  of  state  funds  was 
made  in   1854.     The  amount  of  state  funds  for 


HISTORICAL   AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


23y 


that  year  was  $52,961.  The  county  and  mu- 
nicipal school  taxes  amounted  to  $157,702. 
These  amounts  were  supplemented  by  rate  bills 
to  the  amount  of  $42,557.  In  1856  the  state 
fund  had  increased  to  $69,961,  while  rate  bills 
had  decreased  to  $28,619.  That  year  there  were 
thirty  thousand  and  thirty-nine  children  of 
school  age  in  the  state,  of  these  only  about 
fifteen  thousand  were  enrolled  in  the  schools. 

In  the  earlier  years,  following  the  American 
conquest,  the  schools  were  confined  almost  en- 
tirely to  the  cities.  The  population  in  the  coun- 
try districts  was  too  sparse  to  maintain  a  school. 
The  first  school  house  in  Sacramento  was  built 
in  1849.  It  was  located  on  I  street.  C.  H.  T. 
Palmer  opened  school  in  it  in  August.  It  was 
supported  by  rate  bills  and  donations.  He  gath- 
ered together  about  a  dozen  pupils.  The  school 
was  soon  discontinued.  Several  other  parties 
in  succession  tried  school  keeping  in  Sacra- 
mento, but  did  not  make  a  success  of  it.  It  was 
not  until  1851  that  a  permanent  school  was  es- 
tablished. A  public  school  was  taught  in  Mon- 
terey in  1849  by  Rev.  \Mlley.  The  school  was 
kept  in  Colton  Hall.  The  first  public  school 
house  in  Los  Angeles  was  built  in  1854.  Hugh 
Overns  taught  the  first  free  school  there  in  1850. 

The  amount  paid  for  teachers'  salaries  in  1854 
was  $85,860;  in  1906  it  reached  $5,666,045.  The 
total  expenditures  in  1854  for  school  purposes 
amounted  to  $275,606;  in  1906  to  $8,727,008. 
The  first  high  school  in  the  state  was  established 
in  San  Francisco  in  1856.  In  1906  there  were 
one  hundred  and  ninety  high  schools,  with  an 
attendance  of  eighteen  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  seventy-nine  students.  Four  millions  of  dol- 
lars were  invested  in  high  school  buildings,  fur- 
niture and  grounds,  and  one  thousand  teachers 
were  employed  in  these  schools. 

THE   L'XIVERSITY   OF   THE   PACIFIC. 

This  institution  was  chartered  in  August, 
185 1,  as  the  California  Wesleyan  College,  which 
name  was  afterwards  changed  by  act  of  the  leg- 
islature to  that  it  now  bears.  The  charter  was 
ol)taincd  under  the  general  law  of  the  state  as 
it  then  was,  and  on  the  basis  of  a  subscription 
of  $27,500  and  a  donation  of  some  ten  acres  of 
land  adjacent  to  the  village  of  Santa  Clara.    A 


school  building  vVas  erected  in  which  the  pre- 
paratory department  was  opened  in  May,  1852, 
under  the  charge  of  Rev.  E.  Banister  as  prin- 
cipal, aided  by  two  assistant  teachers,  and  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  first  session  had  over  sixty 
pupils.  Near  the  close  of  the  following  year 
another  edifice  was  so  far  completed  that  the 
male  pupils  were  transferred  to  it,  and  the  Fe- 
male Collegiate  Institute,  with  its  special  course 
of  study,  was  organized  and  continued  in  the 
original  building.  In  1854  the  classes  of  the 
college  proper  were  formed  and  the  requisite 
arrangement  with  respect  to  president,  faculty, 
and  course  of  study  made.  In  1858  two  young 
men,  constituting  the  first  class,  received  the  de- 
gree of  .\.  B.,  they  being  the  first  to  receive 
that  honor  from  any  college  in  California.  In 
1865  the  board  of  trustees  purchased  the  Stock- 
ton rancho,  a  large  body  of  land  adjoining  the 
town  of  Santa  Clara.  This  was  subdivided  into 
lots  and  small  tracts  and  sold  at  a  profit.  By 
this  means  an  endowment  was  secured  and  an 
excellent  site  for  new  college  building  obtained. 

THE  COLLEGE  OF  CALIFORNI.X. 

The  question  of  founding  a  college  or  uni- 
versity in  California  had  been  discussed  early  in 
1849,  before  the  assembling  of  the  constitutional 
convention  at  San  Jose.  The  originator  of  the 
idea  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Willey,  D.  D.,  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  At  that  time  he  was 
stationed  at  Monterey.  The  first  legislature 
passed  a  bill  providing  for  the  granting  of  col- 
lege charters.  The  bill  required  that  application 
should  be  made  to  the  supreme  court,  which  was 
to  determine  whether  the  propertv  possessed  liy 
the  proposed  college  was  worth  $20,000,  and 
whether  in  other  respects  a  charter  should  be 
granted.  .\  body  of  land  for  a  college  site  had 
been  offered  by  James  Stokes  and  Kimball  H. 
Dinimick  to  be  selected  from  a  large  tract  they 
owned  on  the  Guadalupe  river,  near  San  Jose. 
^Vhen  application  was  made  for  a  college  char- 
ter the  supreme  court  refused  to  give  a  charter 
to  the  applicants  on  the  plea  that  the  land 
was  unsurveyed  and  the  title  not  fullv  deter- 
mined. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Durant,  who  had  at  one  time 
been  a  tutor  in  Yale  College,  came  to  California 


iJlSTORlCAL    AND    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Ill  1S53  to  engage  in  teaching.  At  a  meeting 
cf  the  presbytery  of  San  PVancisco  and  the  Con- 
gregational Association  of  California  held  in 
Nevada  City  in  May,  1853,  which  Mr.  Durant 
attended,  it  was  decided  to  establish  an  acad- 
emy at  Oakland.  There  were  but  few  houses 
in  Oakland  then  and  the  only  communication 
with  San  Francisco  was  by  means  of  a  little 
steamer  that  crossed  the  bay  two  or  three  times 
a  day.  A  house  was  obtained  at  the  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Fifth  street  and  the  academy 
opened  with  three  pupils.  A  site  was  selected 
for  the  school,  which,  when  the  streets  were 
opened,  proved  to  be  four  blocks,  located  be- 
tween Twelfth  and  Tourteenth,  Franklin  and 
Harrison  streets.  The  site  of  Oakland  at  that 
time  was  covered  with  live  oaks  and  the  sand 
was  knee  deep.  Added  to  other  discourage- 
ments, titles  were  in  dispute  and  squatters  were 
seizing  upon  the  vacant  lots.  A  building  was 
begun  for  the  school,  the  money  ran  out  and 
the  property  was  in  danger  of  seizure  on  a  me- 
chanics' lien,  but  was  rescued  by  the  bravery 
and  resourcefulness  of  Dr.  Durant. 

In  185s  the  College  of  California  was  char- 
tered and  a  search  begun  for  a  permanent  site. 
A  number  were  offered  at  various  places  in  the 
state.  The  trustees  finally  selected  the  Berkeley 
site,  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
Strawberry  creek  near  Oakland,  opposite  the 
Golden  Gate.  The  college  school  in  Oakland 
was  flourishing.  A  new  building,  Academy 
Hall,  was  erected  in  1858.  A  college  faculty 
was  organized.  The  Rev.  Henry  Durant  and 
the  Rev.  Martin  Kellogg  were  chosen  pro- 
fessors and  the  first  college  class  was  organized 
in  June,  i860.  Tlie  college  classes  were  taught 
in  the  buildings  of  the  college  school,  which 
were  usually  called  the  College  of  California. 
The  college  classes  were  small  and  the  endow- 
ment smaller.  The  faculty  met  with  many  dis- 
couragements. It  became  evident  that  the  in- 
stitution could  never  become  a  prominent  one 
in  the  educational  field  with  the  limited  means 
of  support  it  could  command.  In  1863  the  idea 
of  a  state  university  began  to  be  agitated.  A  bill 
was  passed  by  the  state  legislature  in  1866.  de- 
voting to  the  support  of  a  narrow  polvtechnical 
school,  the  federal  land  grants  to  California  for 


the  support  of  agricultural  schools  and  a  college 
of  mechanics.  The  trustees  of  the  College  of 
California  proposed  in  1867  to  transfer  to  the 
state  the  college  site  at  Berkeley,  opposite  the 
(Jolden  Gate,  together  with  all  the  other  assets 
remaining  after  the  debts  were  paid,  on  con- 
dition that  the  state  would  build  a  University  of 
California  on  the  site  at  Berkeley,  which  should 
be  a  classical  and  technological  college. 


-V  bill  for  the  establishing  of  a  state  university 
was  introduced  in  the  legislature  March  5,  1868, 
by  Hon.  John  W.  Dwinelle  of  Alameda  county. 
After  some  amendments  it  was  finally  passed, 
March  21,  and  on  the  27th  of  the  same  month  a 
bill  was  passed  making  an  appropriation  for  the 
support  of  the  institution. 

The  board  of  regents  of  the  university  was 
organi;<e(l  June  9.  1868,  and  the  same  day  Gen. 
Cicurt^e  r,.  AlcClellan  was  elected  president  of 
the  university,  but  at  that  time  being  engaged  in 
Ijuilding  Stevens  Battery  at  New  York  he  de- 
clined the  honor.  September  2^.  1869,  the 
scholastic  exercises  of  the  university  were  be- 
gun in  the  buildings  of  the  College  of  Califor- 
nia in  Oakland  and  the  first  university  class  was 
graduated  in  June,  1873.  The  new  buildings  of 
the  university  at  Berkeley  were  occupied  in 
September,  1873.  Prof.  John  Le  Conte  was  act- 
ing president  for  the  first  year.  Dr.  Henry 
Durant  was  chosen  to  fill  that  position  and  was 
succeeded  by  D.  C.  Gilman  in  1872.  The  corner- 
stone of  the  Agricultural  College,  called  the 
South  Hall,  was  laid  in  August,  1872,  and  that 
01  the  North  Hall  in  the  spring  of  1873. 

The  university,  as  now  constituted,  consists 
of  Colleges  of  Letters,  Social  Science,  Agricul- 
ture, ■Mechanics,  Mining,  Civil  Engineering, 
Chemistry  and  Commerce,  located  at  Berkeley; 
the  Lick  Astronomical  Department  at  Mount 
Hamilton;  and  the  professional  and  afifiliated 
colleges  in  San  Francisco,  namely,  the  Hastings 
College  of  Law,  the  Medical  Department,  the 
Post-Graduate  Medical  Department,  the  Col- 
lege of  Dentistry  and  Pharmacy,  the  Veterinary 
Department  and  the  Mark  Hopkins  Institute  of 
Art.  The  total  value  of  the  property  belonging 
to  the  university  at  this  time  is  about  $5,000,000 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


241 


and   the    endowment    funds    nearly  $3,000,000. 
The  total  income  in   1900  was  $475,254. 

LELAND  STANFORD  JUNIOR  UNIVERSITY. 

"When  the  intention  of  Senator  Stanford  to 
found  a  university  in  memory  of  his  lamented 
son  was  first  announced,  it  was  expected  from 
the  broad  and  comprehensive  views  which  he 
was  known  to  entertain  upon  the  subject,  that 
his  plans,  when  formed,  would  result  in  no  ordi- 
nary college  endowment  or  educational  scheme, 
but  when  these  plans  were  laid  before  the  people 
their  magnitude  was  so  far  beyond  the  most  ex- 
travagant of  public  anticipation  that  all  were  as- 
tonished at  the  magnificence  of  their  aggregate, 
the  wide  scope  of  their  detail  and  the  absolute 
grandeur  of  their  munificence.  The  brief  his- 
tory of  California  as  an  American  state  com- 
prises much  that  is  noble  and  great,  but  nothing 
in  that  history  will  compare  in  grandeur  with 
this  act  of  one  of  her  leading  citizens.  The 
records  of  history  may  be  searched  in  vain  for 
a  parallel  to  this  gift  of  Senator  Stanford  to  the 
state  of  his  adoption.  *  *  *  By  this  act 
Senator  Stanford  will  not  only  immortalize  the 
memory  of  his  son,  but  will  erect  for  himself  a 
monument  more  enduring  than  brass  or  marble, 
for  it  will  be  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  succeed- 
ing generations  for  all  time  to  come."* 

Senator  Stanford,  to  protect  the  endowments 
he  proposed  to  make,  prepared  a  bill,  which  was 
passed  by  the  legislature,  approved  by  the  gov- 
ernor and  became  a  law  March  9,  1885.  It  is 
entitled  "An  act  to  advance  learning,  the  arts 
and  sciences  and  to  promote  the  public  welfare, 
by  providing  for  the  conveyance,  holding  and 
protection  of  property,  and  the  creation  of  trusts 
for  the  founding,  endowment,  erection  and 
maintenance  within  this  state  of  universities, 
colleges,  schools,  seminaries  of  learning,  me- 
chanical institutes,  museums  and  galleries  of 
art." 

Section  2  specifies  how  a  grant  for  the  above 
purposes  may  be  made:  "Any  person  desiring 
in  his  lifetime  to  promote  the  public  welfare  by 
founding,  endowing  and  having  maintained 
within   this   state   a   university,   college,   school, 

*  Monograph  of  Leiand  Stanford  Junior  University. 


seminary  of  learning,  mechanical  institute,  mu- 
seum or  gallery  of  art  or  any  or  all  thereof,  may, 
to  that  end,  and  for  such  purpose,  by  grant  in 
writing,  convey  to  a  trustee,  or  any  number  of 
trustees  named  in  such  grant  (and  their  suc- 
cessors), any  property,  real  or  personal,  belong- 
ing to  such  person,  and  situated  or  being  within 
this  state ;  provided,  that  if  any  such  person  be 
married  and  the  property  be  community  prop- 
erty, then  both  husband  and  wife  must  join  in 
such  grant."  The  act  contains  twelve  sections. 
After  the  passage  of  the  act  twenty-four  trus- 
tees were  appointed.  Among  them  were  judges 
of  the  supreme  and  superior  courts,  a  United 
States  senator  and  business  men  in  various 
lines. 

Among  the  lands  deeded  to  the  university  by 
Senator  Stanford  and  his  wife  were  the  Palo 
Alto  estate,  containing  seventy-two  hundred 
acres.  This  ranch  had  been  devoted  principally 
to  the  breeding  and  rearing  of  thoroughbred 
horses.  On  this  the  college  buildings  were  to 
be  erected.  The  site  selected  was  near  the  town 
of  Palo  Alto,  which  is  thirty-four  miles  south 
from  San  Francisco  on  the  railroad  to  San  Jose, 
in  Santa  Clara  county. 

Another  property  donated  was  the  \'ina 
rancho,  situated  at  the  junction  of  Deer  creek 
with  the  Sacramento  river  in  Tehama  county. 
It  consisted  of  fifty-five  thousand  acres,  of 
which  thirty-six  thousand  were  planted  to  vines 
and  orchard  and  the  remainder  used  for  grain 
growing  and  pasture. 

The  third  rancho  given  to  the  support  of  the 
university  was  the  Gridley  ranch,  containing 
about  twenty-one  thousand  acres.  This  was  sit- 
uated in  Butte  county  and  included  within  its 
limits  some  of  the  richest  wheat  growing  lands 
in  the  state.  At  the  time  it  was  donated  its  as- 
sessed value  was  $1,000,000.  The  total  amount 
of  land  conveyed  to  the  university  by  deed  of 
trust  was  eighty-three  thousand  two  hundred 
acres. 

The  name  selected  for  the  institution  was  Le- 
iand Stanford  Junior  University.  The  corner- 
stone of  the  university  was  laid  May  14,  1887, 
by  Senator  and  Mrs.  Leiand  Stanford.  The  site 
of  the  college  buildings  is  about  one  mile  west 
from  Palo  Alto.     In  his  address  to  the  trustees 


242 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGIL\PHICAL   RECORD. 


November  14,  1885,  Senator  Stanford  said:  "We 
do  not  expect  to  establish  a  university  and  fill 
it  with  students  at  once.  It  must  be  the  growth 
of  time  and  experience.  Our  idea  is  that  in  the 
first  instance  we  shall  require  the  establishment 
of  colleges  for  both  sexes;  then  of  primary 
schools,  as  they  may  be  needed;  and  out  of  all 
these  will  grow  the  great  central  institution  for 
more  advanced  study."  The  growth  of  the  uni- 
versity has  been  rapid..  In  a  very  few  years  after 
its  founding  it  took  rank  with  the  best  institu- 
tions of  learning  in  the  United  States. 

NORiI.\L  SCHOOLS. 

The  legislature  of  1862  passed  a  bill  author- 
izing the  establishment  of  a  state  normal  school 
for  the  training  of  teachers  at  San  Francisco  or 
at  such  other  place  as  the  legislature  may  here- 
after direct.  The  school  was  established  and 
conducted  for  several  years  at  San  Francisco, 
but  was  eventually  moved  to  San  Jose,  where  a 
site  had  been  donated.  A  building  was  erected 
and  the  school  became  a  flourishing  institution. 
The  first  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  the 
present  handsome  and  commodious  building 
erected  on  a  new  site.  The  first  normal  school 
established  in  the  state  was  a  private  one,  con- 
ducted bv  George  W.  Minns.    It  was  started  in 


San  Francisco  in  1857,  but  was  discontinued 
after  the  organization  of  the  state  school  in  1863, 
Minns  becoming  principal.  A  normal  school 
was  established  by  the  legislature  at  Los  An- 
geles in  1881.  It  was  at  first  a  branch  of  the 
state  school  at  San  Jose  and  was  under  control 
of  the  same  board  of  trustees  and  the  same  prin- 
cipal. Later  it  was  made  an  independent  insti- 
tution with  a  board  and  principal  of  its  own. 

Normal  schools  have  been  established  at 
Chico  (1889),  San  Diego  (1897)  and  San  Fran- 
cisco (1899).  The  total  number  of  teachers  em- 
ployed in  the  five  state  normal  schools  in  1900 
was  one  hundred  and  one,  of  whom  thirty-seven 
were  men  and  sixty-four  women.  The  whole 
number  of  students  in  these  at  that  time  was 
two  thousand  and  thirty-nine,  of  whom  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six  were  men  and  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  thirty-nine  women. 

The  total  receipts  for  the  support  of  these 
schools  from  all  sources  were  for  the  year  end- 
ing June  30,  igo6,  $429,416;  the  total  expendi- 
tures for  the  same  time  were  $316,127;  the  value 
of  the  normal  school  property  of  the  state  is 
about  $1,017,195.  The  educational  system  and 
facilities  of  California,  university,  college,  nor- 
mal school  and  public  school,  rank  with  the  best 
in  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

CITIES    OF    CALIFORNIA— THEIR    ORIGIN    AND    GROWTH. 


i7T  LTHOUGH  Spain  and  Mexico  possessed 
I  \  California  for  seventy-seven  years  after 
the  date  of  the  first  settlement  made  in 
it,  they  founded  but  few  towns  and  but  one  of 
those  founded  had  attained  the  dignity  of  a  city 
at  the  time  of  the  American  conquest.  In  a 
previous  chapter  I  have  given  sketches  of  the 
founding  of  the  four  presidios  and  three  pueblos 
under  Spanish  rule.  Twenty  missions  were  es- 
tablished under  the  rule  of  Spain  and  one  under 
the  Mexican  Republic.  While  the  country  in- 
creased in  population  under  the  rule  of  Mex- 
ico, the  only  new  settlement  that  was  formed 
was  the  mission  at  Solano. 


Pueblos  grew  up  at  the  presidios  and  some  of 
the  mission  settlements  developed  into  towns. 
The  principal  towns  that  have  grown  up  around 
the  mission  sites  are  San  Juan  Capistrano,  San 
Gabriel,  San  Buenaventura,  San  Miguel,  San 
Luis  Obispo,  Santa  Clara  and  San  Rafael. 

The  creation  of  towns  began  after  the  Ameri- 
cans got  possession  of  the  country.  Before  the 
treaty  of  peace  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico  had  been  made,  and  while  the  war  was 
in  progress,  two  enterprising  Americans,  Robert 
Semple  and  T.  O.  Larkin,  had  created  on  paper 
an  extensive  city  on  the  Straits  of  Carquinez. 
The  city  of  Francisca  "comprises  five  miles," 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


24J 


so  the  proprietors  of  the  embryo  metropoHs  an- 
nounced in  the  Calif ornian  of  April  20,  1847, 
and  in  subsequent  numbers.  According  to  the 
theory  of  its  promoters,  Francisca  had  the 
choice  of  sites  and  must  become  the  metropolis 
of  the  coast.  "In  front  of  the  city,"  says  their 
advertisement,  "is  a  commodious  Bay,  large 
enough  for  two  hundred  ships  to  ride  at  anchor 
safe  from  any  wind.  The  country  around  the 
city  is  the  best  agricultural  portion  of  California 
on  both  sides  of  the  Bay;  the  straits  being  only 
one  mile  wide,  an  easy  crossing  may  always  be 
made.  The  entire  trade  of  the  great  Sacra- 
mento and  San  Joaquin  Valleys  (a  fertile  coun- 
try of  great  width  and  nearly  seven  hundred 
miles  long  from  North  to  South)  must  of  neces- 
sity pass  through  the  narrow  channel  of  Car- 
quinez  and  the  Bay,  and  the  country  is  so  situ- 
ated that  every  person  who  passes  from  one  side 
of  the  Bay  to  the  other  will  find  the  nearest  and 
best  way  by  Francisca." 

In  addition  to  its  natural  advantages  the  pro- 
prietors offered  other  attractions  and  induce- 
ments to  settlers.  They  advertised  that  they 
.  would  give  "seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  net  pro- 
ceeds of  the  ferries  atid  wharves  for  a  school 
fund  and  the  embellishment  of  the  city";  "they 
have  also  laid  out  several  entire  squares  for 
school  purposes  and  several  others  for  public 
walks"  (parks).  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  the 
superior  attractions  and  natural  advantages  of 
Francisca,  people  would  migrate  to  and  locate 
at  the  wind-swept  settlement  on  the  Cove  of 
Yerba  Buena.  And  the  town  of  the  "good 
herb"  took  to  itself  the  name  of  San  Francisco 
and  perforce  compelled  the  Franciscans  to  be- 
come Benicians.  Then  came  the  discovery  of 
gold  and  the  consequent  rush  to  the  mines,  and 
although  Francisca,  or  Benicia,  was  on  the 
route,  or  one  of  the  routes,  somehow  San 
Francisco  managed  to  get  all  the  profits  out  of 
the  trade  and  travel  to  the  mines. 

The  rush  to  the  land  of  gold  expanded  the 
little  settlement  formed  by  Richardson  and  Leese 
on  the  Cove  of  Yerba  Buena  into  a  great  city 
that  in  time  included  within  its  limits  the  mis- 
sion and  the  presidio.  The  consolidation  of  the 
city    and    county    governments    gave    a    simpler 


J' 


form  of  municipal  rule  and  gave  the  city  room 
to  expand  without  growing  outside  Q^i^ts  mu- 
nicipal jurisdiction.  The  deceiwiojuf^l^ral  cen-  j  ,|jl' 
sus  from  1850  to  the  close  ^^ty  cen|iiry  ind'' '  '" 
cates  the  remarkable  growth  "Sf  SanWranji^l' 
Its  population  in  1850  was  21,000;  in  186(^^56^- 
802;  in  1870,  149,473;  in  1880,  2M,^^fn^n  1890, 
298,997;  in  1900,  342,742.  U^F 

In  Chapter  XXM,  P-'^/MllS  et  seq.  of  this 
volume,  I  have  given  ttt^arly  history  of  San 
Francisco,  or  Yerba  Buena,  as  it  was  called  at 
first.  I  have  there  given  an  account  of  its 
growth  and  progress  from  the  little  hamlet  on 
Yerba  Buena  cove  until  it  became  the  metropolis 
of  the  Pacific  coast.  In  that  chapter  I  have  told 
briefly  the  story  of  the  "Six  Great  Fires"  that, 
between  December,  1849,  and  July,  1851,  devas- 
tated the  city.  These  wiped  out  of  existence 
every  trace  of  the  make-shift  and  nondescript 
houses  of  the  early  gold  period.  After  each  fire 
the  burned  district  was  rebuilt  with  hastily  con- 
structed houses,  better  than  those  destroyed,  but 
far  from  being  substantial  and  fire-proof  struc- 
tures. The  losses  from  these  fires,  although 
great  at  the  time,  would  be  considered  trivial 
now.  In  the  greatest  of  these — the  fifth — start- 
ing on  the  night  of  May  3,  185 1,  and  raging  for 
ten  hours,  the  property  loss  was  estimated  to  be 
between  ten  and  twelve  million  dollars.  There 
were  many  lives  lost.  Over  one  thousand  houses 
were  destroyed.  The  brick  blocks  and  corru- 
gated iron  houses  that  by  this  time  had  replaced 
the  flimsy  structures  of  the  earlier  period  in  the 
business  quarter  of  the  city  were  supposed  to  be 
fire-proof,  but  the  great  conflagration  of  May 
3d  and  4th,  185 1,  disapproved  this  claim.  They 
were  consumed  or  melted  down  by  the  excessive 
heat  of  that  great  fire. 

It  became  evident  to  the  business  men  and 
property  holders  that  a  better  class  of  buildings 
must  be  constructed,  more  stringent  building 
regulations  enforced,  and  a  more  abundant  wa- 
ter supply  secured.  All  these  in  due  time  were 
obtained,  and  the  era  of  great  fires  apparently 
ended.  As  it  expanded  beyond  the  business 
quarter  it  became  a  city  of  wooden  walls.  But 
few  dwelling  houses  were  built  of  brick  or  stone, 
and  south  of  Market  street  many  of  the  business 


244 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


houses  too  were  built  of  wood.  Ninety  per  cent, 
of  all  the  buildings  in  the  modern  city  were  frame 
structures. 

After  the  great  fires  of  the  early  '50s  San  Fran- 
cisco seemed  to  have  become  practically  immune 
from  destructive  conflagrations.  Other  large 
cities  of  its  class  had  suffered  from  great  fires. 
Chicago,  in  1871,  had  been  swept  out  of  existence 
by  a  fire  that  destroyed  $170,000,000  of  property. 
Boston,  in  1872,  had  been  forced  to  give  up  to  the 
fire  fiend  $75,000,000  of  its  wealth;  and  Balti- 
more, in  1904,  had  sufifered  a  property  loss  of 
$50,000,000.  San  Francisco  for  more  than  half  a 
century  had  sufifered  but  little  loss  from  fires. 
Those  that  had  started  were  usually  confined  to 
the  building  or  the  block  in  which  they  originat- 
ed. The  efficiency  of  its  fire  fighters,  its  fire- 
proof business  blocks,  and  the  supposed  inde- 
structibility of  the  redwood  walls  of  its  dwelling 
houses  had  engendered  in  its  inhabitants  a  sense 
of  security  against  destructive  fires. 

The  emblem  on  the  seal  of  the  city  and  county 
of  San  Francisco — the  Phoenix  rising  from  the 
flames  in  front  of  the  Golden  Gate — adopted  in 
1852,  after  the  last  of  the  "Six  Great  Fires,"  had 
little  significance  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  modern 
city.  The  story  of  the  Great  Fires  was  ancient 
history.  Nil  desperandum — motto  of  the  in- 
vincibles  who  rebuilt  the  old  city  six  times — 
had  no  particular  meaning  to  their  descendants 
except  as  a  reminder  of  the  energy,  enterprise 
and  unconquerable  determination  of  the  men  of 
the  olden,  golden  days.  History  would  not  re- 
peat itself.  The  day  of  great  fires  for  San  Fran- 
cisco was  past.  This  dream  of  the  immunity  of 
their  city  from  destructive  conflagrations  was  to 
receive  a  rude  awakening. 

THE   GREAT  EARTHQUAKE  AND  FIRE, 

On  the  morning  of  April  18,  1906,  at  thirteen 
minutes  past  5  o'clock,  its  four  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants  were  aroused  from  their  slumbers  by 
the  terrifying  shock  of  an  earthquake.  The 
temblor  was  not  a  new  visitor  to  San  Francisco. 
Earthquake  shocks  had  shaken  it  at  intervals  ever 
since  its  founding,  but  these  had  done  little  dam- 
age and  had  come  to  be  regarded  more  as  a  bug- 
bear to  frighten  new  arrivals  than  anything  to 


be  feared.  The  earthquake  of  October,  1868,  was 
the  most  severe  of  those  in  the  past.  Five  lives 
were  lost  in  it  by  falling  walls.  The  walls  of 
many  buildings  were  cracked.  But  one  of  the 
most  dangerous  elements  of  the  last  great  tem- 
blor did  not  exist  then,  that  is  the  electric  wire. 
The  live  wire  has  become  one  of  the  most  dread- 
ed agents  in  great  fires. 

The  impressions  produced  by  the  shock  and  the 
sights  witnessed  during  the  progress  of  the  fire 
are  thus  graphically  described  by  James  Hopper 
in  "Everybody's  Magazine"  for  June  (190^)  : 
"Right  away  it  was  incredible — the  violence  of 
the  quake.  It  started  with  a  directness,  a  savage 
determination  that  left  no  doubt  of  its  purpose. 
It  pounced  upon  the  earth  as  some  sideral  bull- 
dog, with  a  rattle  of  hungry  eagerness.  The 
earth  was  a  rat,  shaken  in  the  grinding  teeth, 
shaken,  shaken,  shaken  with  periods  of  slight 
weariness  followed  by  new  bursts  of  vicious  rage. 
As  far  as  I  can  remember  my  impressions  were 
as  follows :  First  for  a  few  seconds  a  feeling  of 
incredulity,  capped  immediately  with  one  of  final- 
ity, of  incredulity  at  the  violence  of  the  vibra- 
tions. 'It's  incredible,  incredible,'  I  think  I  said 
aloud.  Then  the  feeling,  of  finality:  'It's  the 
end — St.  Pierre,  Samoa,  \'esuvius,  Formosa,  San 
Francisco — this  is  death.'  Simultaneously  with 
that  a  picture  of  the  city  swaying  beneath  the 
curl  of  a  tidal  wave  foaming  to  the  sky.  Then  in- 
credulity again  at  the  length  of  it,  at  the  sullen 
violence  of  it.  Incredulity  again  at  the  mere 
length  of  the  thing,  the  fearful  stubbornness  of 
it.     Then  curiosity — I  must  see  it. 

"I  got  up  and  walked  to  the  window.  I  start- 
ed to  open  it,  but  the  pane  obligingly  fell  out- 
ward and  I  poked  my  head  out,  the  floor  like  a 
geyser  beneath  my  feet.  Then  I  heard  the  roar 
of  the  bricks  coming  down  in  cataracts  and  the 
groaning  of  twisted  girders  all  over  the  city,  and 
at  the  same  time  I  saw  the  moon,  a  calm  crescent 
in  the  green  sky  of  dawn.  Below  it  the  skeleton 
frame  of  an  unfinished  sky-scraper  was  swaying 
from  side  to  side  with  a  swing  as  exaggerated 
and  absurd  as  that  of  a  palm  in  a  stage  tempest. 

"Just  then  the  quake,  with  a  sound  as  of  a  snarl, 
rose  to  its  climax  of  rage,  and  the  back  wall  of 
my  building  for  three  stories  above  me  fell.     I 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


saw  the  mass  pass  across  my  vision  swift  as  a 
shadow.  It  struck  some  httle  wooden  houses  in 
the  alley  below.  I  saw  them  crash  in  like  emptied 
egg  shells  and  the  bricks  pass  through  the  roof 
as  through  tissue  paper. 

"The  vibrations  ceased  and  I  began  to  dress. 
Then  I  noted  the  great  silence.  Throughout  the 
long  quaking,  in  this  great  house  full  of  people 
I  had  not  heard  a  cry,  not  a  sound,  not  a  sob,  not 
a  whisper.  And  now,  when  the  roar  of  crumbling 
buildings  was  over  and  only  a  brick  falling  here 
and  there  like  the  trickle  of  a  spent  rain,  this 
silence  continued,  and  it  was  an  awful  thing. 
But  now  in  the  alley  some  one  began  to  groan. 
It  was  a  woman's  groan,  soft  and  low. 

'T  went  down  the  stairs  and  into  the  streets, 
and  they  were  full  of  people,  half-clad,  dishev- 
elled, but  silent,  absolutely  silent,  as  if  suddenly 
they  had  become  speechless  idiots.  I  went  into 
the  little  alley  at  the  back  of  the  building,  but  it 
was  deserted  and  the  crushed  houses  seemed 
empty.  I  went  down  Post  street  toward  the  cen- 
ter of  town,  and  in  the  morning's  garish  light  I 
saw  many  men  and  women  with  gray  faces,  but 
none  spoke.  All  of  them,  they  had  a  singular 
hurt  expression,  not  one  of  physical  pain,  but 
rather  one  of  injured  sensibilities,  as  if  some 
trusted  friend,  say,  had  suddenly  wronged  them, 
or  as  if  some  one  had  said  something  rude  to 
them."        *     *     *     -     -.1=     =i<     *    *     *    * 

He  made  his  way  to  the  Call  building,  where 
he  met  the  city  editor,  who  said  to  him :  "The 
Brunswick  hotel  at  Sixth  and  Folsom  is  down 
with  hundreds  inside  her.    You  cover  that." 

"Going  up  into  the  editorial  rooms  of  the  Call, 
with  water  to  my  ankles.  I  seized  a  bunch  of  copy 
paper  and  started  up  Third  street.  At  Tehama 
street  I  saw  the  beginning  of  the  tire  which  was 
to  sweep  all  the  district  south  of  Market  street. 
It  was  swirling  up  the  narrow  way  with  a  sound 
that  was  almost  a  scream.  Before  it  the  humble 
population  of  the  district  were  fleeing,  and  in  its 
path,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  frail  shanties  went 
down  like  card  houses.  And  this  marks  the  true 
character  of  the  city's  agony.  Especially  in  the 
populous  districts  south  of  Market  street,  but 
also  throughout  the  city,  hundreds  were  pinned 
down  bv  the  debris,  some  to  a  "merciful   death. 


others  to  live  hideous  minutes.  The  flames  swept 
over  them  while  the  saved  looked  on  impotently. 
Over  the  tragedy  the  fire  threw  its  flaming  man- 
tle of  hypocrisy,  and  the  full  extent  of  the  holo- 
caust will  never  be  known,  will  remain  ever  a 
poignant   mystery." 

"The  firemen  there  were  beginning  the  tre- 
mendous and  hopeless  fight  which,  without  inter- 
mission, they  were  to  continue  for  three  days. 
Without  water  (the  mains  had  been  burst  by  the 
quake)  they  were  attacking  the  fire  with  axes, 
with  hooks,  with  sacks,  with  their  hands,  re- 
treating sullenly  before  it  only  when  its  feverish 
breath  burned  their  clothing  and  their  skins." 

He  secured  an  automobile  at  the  hire  of  .$50  a 
day  to  cover  the  progress  of  the  fire. 

"We  started  first  to  cover  the  fire  I  had  seen  on 
its  westward  course  from  Third  street.  From 
that  time  I  have  only  a  vague  kaleidoscopic  vi- 
sion of  whirring  at  whistling  speed  through  a 
city  of  the  damned.  We  tried  to  make  the  fallen 
Brunswick  hotel  at  Sixth  and  Folsom  streets. 
We  could  not  make  it.  The  scarlet  steeple  chaser 
beat  us  to  it,  and  when  we  arrived  the  crushed 
structure  was  only  the  base  of  one  great  flame 
that  rose  to  heaven  with  a  single  twist.  By  that 
time  we  knew  that  the  earthquake  had  been  but 
a  prologue,  and  that  the  tragedy  was  to  be  writ- 
ten in  fire.  We  went  westward  to  get  the  western 
limit  of  the  blaze." 

"Alread}  we  had  to  make  a  huge  circle  to  get 
above  it.  The  whole  district  south  of  Market 
street  was  now  a  pitiful  sight.  By  thousands  the 
multitudes  were  pattering  along  the  wide  streets 
leading  out,  heads  bowed,  eyes  dead,  silent  and 
stupefied.  We  stopped  in  passing  at  the  South- 
ern Pacific  hospital.  Carts,  trucks,  express 
wagons,  vehicles  of  all  kinds  laden  with  wounded, 
were  blocking  the  gate.  Upon  the  porch  stood 
two  internes,  and  their  white  aprons  were  red- 
spotted  as  those  of  butchers.  There  were  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  wounded  inside  and 
eight  dead.  Among  the  wounded  was  Chief  Sul- 
livan of  the  fire  department.  A  chimney  of  the 
California  hotel  had  crushed  through  his  house 
at  the  first  shock  of  the  earthquake,  and  he  and 
his  wife  had  been  taken  out  of  the  debris  with 


246 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


incredible  difficulty.  He  was  to  die  two  days 
later,  spared  the  bitter,  hopeless  effort  which  his 
men  were  to  know." 

"At  Thirteenth  and  Valencia  streets  a  poHceman 
and  a  crowd  of  volunteers  were  trying  to  raise 
the  debris  of  a  house  where  a  man  and  women 
were  pinned.  One  block  farther  we  came  to  a 
place  where  the  ground  had  sunk  six  feet.  A 
fissure  ran  along  Fourteenth  street  for  several 
blocks  and  the  car  tracks  had  been  jammed  along 
their  length  till  they  rose  in  angular  projections 
three  or  four  feet  high.  As  we  were  examining 
the  phenomenon  in  a  narrow  way  called  Treat 
avenue  a  quake  occurred.  It  came  upon  the  far- 
end  of  endurance  of  the  poor  folk  crowding  the 
alley.  Women  sank  to  their  knees,  drew  their 
shawls  about  their  little  ones,  and  broke  out  in 
piercing  lamentations,  while  men  ran  up  and 
down  aimlessly,  wringing  their  hands.  An  old 
woman  led  by  a  crippled  old  man  came  wailing 
down  the  steps  of  a  porch,  and  she  was  blind.  In 
the  center  of  the  street  they  both  fell  and  all  the 
poor  encouragement  we  could  give  them  could 
not  raise  them.  They  had  made  up  their  minds 
to  die." 

*         *         *         *         * 

"On  Valencia  street,  between  Eighteenth  and 
Nineteenth,  the  Valencia  hotel,  a  four-story 
wooden  lodging-house  was  down,  its  four  stories 
telescoped  to  the  height  of  one,  its  upper  rooms 
ripped  open  with  the  cross  section  effect  of  a 
doll-house.  A  squad  of  policemen  and  some  fifty 
volunteers  were  working  with  rageful  energy  at 
the  tangle  of  walls  and  rafters.  Eleven  men  were 
known  to  have  escaped,  eight  had  been  taken  out 
dead,  and  more  than  one  hundred  were  still  in 
the  ruins.  The  street  here  was  sunk  six  feet,  and 
again,  as  I  was  to  see  it  many  times  more,  I  saw 
that  strange  angular  rise  of  the  tracks  as  if  the 
ground  had  been  pinched  between  some  gigantic 
fingers." 

"We  went  down  toward  the  fire  now.  We 
met  it  on  Eighth  street.  From  Third  it  had 
come  along  in  a  swath  four  blocks  wide.  From 
Market  to  Folsom,  from  Second  to  Eighth,  it 
spread  its  heaving  red  sea,  and  with  a  roar  it  was 
rushing    on,    its    advance   billow    curling    like    a 


monster  comber  above  a  flotsam  of  fleeing  hu- 
manity. There  were  men,  women  and  children. 
Men,  women  and  children — really  that  is  about 
all  I  remember  of  them,  except  that  they  were 
miserable  and  crushed.  Here  and  there  are  still 
little  snap-shots  in  my  mind — a  woman  carrying 
in  a  cage  a  green  and  red  parrot,  squawking 
incessantly  'Hurry,  hurry,  hurry;'  a  little 
smudge-faced  girl  with  long-lashed  brown  eyes 
holding  in  her  arms  a  blind  puppy ;  a  man  with 
naked  torso  carrying  upon  his  head  a  hideous 
chromo;  another  with  a  mattress  and  a  cracked 
mirror.  But  by  this  time  the  cataclysm  itself,  its 
manifestation,  its  ferocious  splendor,  hypnotized 
the  brain,  and  humans  sank  into  insignificance  as 
ants  caught  in  the  slide  of  a  mountain.  One  more 
scene  I  remember.  On  Eighth  street,  between 
Folsom  and  Howard,  was  an  empty  sand  lot 
right  in  the  path  of  the  conflagration.  It  was 
full  of  refugees,  and  what  struck  me  was  their 
immobility.  They  sat  there  upon  trunks,  upon 
bundles  of  clothing.  On  each  side,  like  the  claws 
of  a  crab,  the  fire  was  closing  in  upon  them.  They 
sat  there  motionless,  as  if  cast  in  bronze,  as  if 
indeed  they  were  wrought  upon  some  frieze  rep- 
resenting the  Misery  of  Humanity.  The  fire 
roared,  burning  coals  showered  them,  the  heat 
rose,  their  clothes  smoked,  and  they  still  sat  there, 
upon  their  little  boxes,  their  bundles  of  rags,  their 
goods,  the  pathetic  little  hoard  which  they  had 
been  able  to  treasure  in  their  arid  lives,  a  fixed 
determination  in  their  staring  eyes  not  to  leave 
again,  not  to  move  anotlier  step,  to  die  there  and 
then,  with  the  treasures  for  the  saving  of  which 
their  bodies  had  no  further  strength." 

The  vibrations  of  the  first  earthquake  shock 
had  scarcely  ceased  before  the  fire  broke  out  in  a 
number  of  different  localities.  The  first  alarm 
came  from  Clay  and  Drumm  streets  on  the  city 
front.  Others  followed  in  rapid  succession  until 
by  the  afternoon  of  the  first  day  the  fire  had  al- 
most entirely  circled  the  lower  section  of  the  city. 
The  firemen  made  a  brave  fight  at  various  points 
to  stay  its  progress,  but  the  water  mains  had  been 
broken  and  their  engines  were  useless.  Then  the 
only  hope  to  arrest  the  march  of  the  fire  fiend  was 
dynamite.  The  steady  boom,  boom  of  that  ex- 
plosive as  hour  "after  hour  passed  and  house  after 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


house  was  blown  up  told  of  the  losing  fight  that 
was  being  waged  against  the  destroying  element. 

The  wooderr  houses  south  of  lower  Market 
street,  one  of  the  sections  first  attacked  by  the  fire 
fiend,  were  quickly  destroyed  and  the  fire  swept 
on  to  the  westward.  By  Wednesday  night  it  had 
swept  up  to  and  leaped  across  Market  street.  The 
tall  buildings  of  the  Call,  Chronicle  and  Examiner 
at  Third  and  Market  streets  succumbed  and  the 
great  business  blocks  of  the  neighborhood  were 
gutted  by  the  flames,  only  their  outer  shells  re- 
mained. By  Thursday  morning  the  flames  had 
swept  over  Sansome  and  Montgomery  to  Kear- 
ney and  in  places  beyond. 

Jack  London,  in  "Collier's"  of  May  5th,  .gives 
the  following  dramatic  description  of  the  scenes 
in  the  heart  of  the  business  section : 

"At  nine  o'clock  Wednesday  evening  I  walked 
down  through  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  I 
walked  through  miles  and  miles  of  magnificent 
buildings  and  towering  skyscrapers.  Here  was 
no  fire.  All  was  in  perfect  order.  The  police 
patrolled  the  streets.  Every  building  had  its 
watchman  at  the  door.  And  yet  it  was  doomed, 
all  of  it.  There  was  no  water.  The  dynamite 
was  giving  out.  And  at  right  angles-  two  differ- 
ent conflagrations  were  sweeping  down  upon  it. 

"At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  walked  down 
through  the  same  section.  Everything  still  stood 
intact.  Tliere  was  no  fire.  And  yet  there  was  a 
change.  A  rain  of  ashes  was  falling.  The 
watchmen  at  the  doors  were  gone.  The  police 
had  been  withdrawn.  There  were  no  firemen,  no 
fire-engines,  no  men  fighting  with  dynamite. 
The  district  had  been  absolutely  abandoned.  I 
stood  at  the  corner  of  Kearney  and  Market,  in 
the  very  heart  of  San  Francisco.  Kearney  street 
was  deserted.  Half  a  dozen  blocks  away  it  was 
burning  on  both  sides.  The  street  was  a  wall  of 
flame.  And  against  this  wall  of  flame,  silhouetted 
sharply,  were  two  United  States  cavalrymen  sit- 
ting their  horses,  calmly  watching.  That  was 
all.  Not  another  person  was  in  sight.  In  the 
intact  heart  of  the  city  two  troopers  sat  their 
horses  and  watched. 

"Surrender  was  complete.  Tliere  was  no  wa- 
ter. The  sewers  had  long  since  been  pumped 
drv.     There  was  no  dvnamite.     Another  fire  had 


broken  out  further  up-town,  and  now  from  three 
sides  conflagrations  were  sweeping  down.  The 
fourth  side  had  been  burned  earlier  in  the  day. 
In  that  direction  stood  the  tottering  walls  of  the 
Examiner  building,  the  burned-out  Call  building, 
the  smouldering  ruins  of  the  Grand  hotel,  and  the 
gutted,  devastated,  dynamited  Palace  hotel.  Tlie 
following  will  illustrate  the  sweep  of  the  flames 
and  the  inability  of  men  to  calculate  their  speed. 
At  eight  o'clock  Wednesday  evening  I  passed 
through  Union  Square.  It  was  packed  with 
refugees.  Thousands  of  them  had  gone  to  bed 
on  the  grass.  Government  tents  had  been  set  up, 
supper  was  being  cooked,  and  the  refugees  were 
lining  up  for  free  meals. 

"At  half-past  one  in  the  morning  three  sides  of 
Union  Square  were  in  flames.  The  fourth  side, 
where  stood  the  great  St.  Francis  hotel,  was  still 
holding  out.  An  hour  later,  ignited  from  top  and 
sides,  the  St.  Francis  was  flaming  heavenward. 
Union  Square,  heaped  high  with  mountains  of 
trunks,  was  deserfed.  Troops,  refugees,  and  all 
had  deserted. 

"Remarkable  as  it  may  seem,  Wednesday 
night,  while  the  whole  city  crashed  and  roared 
into  ruin,  was  a  quiet  night.  There  were  no 
crowds.  There  was  no  shouting  and  yelling. 
There  was  no  hysteria,  no  disorder.  I  passed. 
Wednesday  night  in  the  path  of  the  advancing 
flames,  and  in  all  those  terrible  hours  I  saw  not 
one  woman  who  wept,  not  one  man  who  was  ex- 
cited, not  one  person  who  was  in  the  slightest 
degree  panic-stricken. 

"Before  the  flames,  throughout  the  night,  fled 
tens  of  thousands  of  homeless  ones.  Some  were 
wrapped  in  blankets.  Others  carried  bundles  of 
bedding  and  dear  household  treasures.  Some- 
times a  whole  family  was  harnessed  to  a  carriage 
or  delivery  wagon  that  was  weighted  down  with 
their  possessions.  Baby  buggies,  toy  wagons 
and  go-carts  were  used  as  trucks,  while  every 
other  person  was  dragging  a  trunk.  Yet  every- 
body was  gracious.  The  most  perfect  courtesy 
obtained.  Never,  in  all  San  Francisco's  history, 
were  her  people  so  kind  and  courteous  as  on  this 
night  of  terror." 

"All  night  these  tens  of  thousands  fled  before 


248 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  flames.  Many  of  them,  the  poor  people  from 
the  labor  ghetto,  had  fled  all  day  as  well.  They 
had  left  their  homes  burdened  with  possessions. 
Now  and  again  they  lightened  up,  flinging  out 
upon  the  street  clothing  and  treasures  they  had 
dragged   for  miles. 

"They  held  on  longest  to  their  trunks,  and  over 
these  trunks  many  a  strong  man  broke  his  heart 
that  night.  The  hills  of  San  Francisco  are  steep, 
and  up  these  hills,  mile  after  mile,  were  the  trunks 
dragged.  Everywhere  were  trunks,  with  across 
them  lying  their  exhausted  owners,  men  and  wo- 
men. Before  the  march  of  the  flames  were  flung 
picket  lines  of  soldiers.  And  a  block  at  a  time,  as 
the  flames  advanced,  these  pickets  retreated.  One 
of  their  tasks  was  to  keep  the  trunk-pullers  mov- 
ing. The  exhausted  creatures,  stirred  on  by  the 
menace  of  bayonets,  would  arise  and  struggle  up 
the  steep  pavements,  pausing  from  weakness 
every  five  or  ten  feet. 

"Often,  after  surmounting  a  heart-breaking 
hill,  they  would  find  another  w^l  of  flame  advanc- 
ing upon  them  at  right  angles  and  be  compelled 
to  change  anew  the  line  of  their  retreat.  In 
the  end,  completely  played  out,  after  toiling  for 
a  dozen  hours  like  giants,  thousands  of  them  were 
compelled  to  abandon  their  trunks. 

"It  was  in  Union  Square  that  I  saw  a  man  of- 
fering $i,ooo  for  a  team  of  horses.  He  was  in 
charge  of  a  truck  piled  high  with  trunks  from 
some  hotel.  It  had  been  hauled  here  into  what 
was  considered  safety,  and  the  horses  had  been 
taken  out.  The  flames  were  on  three  sides  of  the 
Square,  and  there  were  no  horses." 
*         *         *         *         * 

"An  hour  later,  from  a  distance,  I  saw  the 
truck-load  of  trunks  burning  merrily  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  street." 

All  day  Thursday  the  fight  was  waged,  the 
flames  steadily  advancing  to  the  westward.  It 
was  determined  to  make  the  last  stand  on  Van 
Ness  avenue,  the  widest  street  in  the  city.  It  was 
solidly  lined  with  magnificent  dwellings,  the  resi- 
dences of  many  of  the  wealthy  inhabitants.  Here 
the  fire  fighters  rallied.  Here  all  the  remaining 
resources  for  fighting  the  destroying  element 
were  collected,  dynamite,  barrels  of  powder  from 


the  government  stores  and  a  battery  of  marine 
guns.  The  mansions  lining  the  avenue  for  near- 
ly a  mile  in  length  were  raked  with  artillery  or 
blown  up  with  dynamite  and  powder.  Here  and 
there  the  flames  leaped  across  the  line  of  defense 
and  ignited  buildings  beyond.  Two  small 
streams  of  water  were  secured  from  unbroken 
pipes  and  the  fires  that  broke  out  beyond  the  line 
of  defense  were  beaten  out,  principally  by  the  use 
of  wet  blankets  and  rugs.  By  midnight  of  the 
19th  the  fire  was  under  control,  and  by  Friday 
morning  the  flames  were  conquered.  A  change 
of  wind  during  the  night  had  aided  the  fire  fight- 
ers to  check  its  westward  march.  As  the  wind 
drove  it  back,  it  swept  around  the  base  of  Tele- 
graph Hill  and  destroyed  all  the  poor  tenement 
houses  near  the  base  of  that  hill  that  it  had  spared 
on  its  first  advance,  except  a  little  oasis  on  the 
upper  slope  that  had  been  saved  by  a  liberal  use 
of  Italian  wine.  In  the  great  fire  of  JXIay  4.  1851, 
De  Witt  &  Harrison  saved  their  warehouse, 
which  stood  on  the  west  side  of  Sansome  street 
between  Pacific  and  Broadway,  scarce  a  stone's 
throw  from  Telegraph  Hill,  by  knocking  in  the 
heads  of  barrels  of  vinegar  and  covering  the 
building  with  blankets  soaked  in  that  liquid  in 
place  of  water,  which  could  not  be  obtained. 
Eighty  thousand  gallons  were  used,  but  the  on- 
ward march  of  the  flames  in  that  direction  was 
stopped.  How  many  gallons  of  wine  were  sac- 
rificed will  never  be  known. 

The  earthquake  shock  had  scarcely  ceased  be- 
fore General  Funston,  in  command  of  the  mil- 
itary forces  at  the  Presidio,  called  out  the  troops 
and  sent  them  down  into  the  stricken  city,  to  aid 
in  keeping  order  and  fighting  the  fire.  Mayor 
Schmitz  issued  a  proclamation  placing  the  city 
under  martial  law.  Across  the  streets  were 
thrown  cordons  of  soldiers,  who  forced  the  dazed 
and  half-crazed  crowd  to  keep  away  from  the 
danger  of  the  advancing  fire  and  falling  walls. 
In  addition  to  their  other  duties  the  military  had 
to  undertake  the  repression  of  crime.  Even  amid 
the  scenes  of  suffering,  desolation  and  death, 
thieves  looted  stores  and  robbed  the  dead  bodies, 
and  ghouls,  half-drunk  with  liquor,  committed 
deeds  of  unspeakable  horror.  These  when 
cauoht   received    short   shrift.     Thev   were   shot 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


249 


down  without  trial.  Several  regiments  of  the 
National  Guard,  from  different  parts  of  the  state, 
were  called  out  and  they  did  efficient  service  in 
San  Francisco,  Oakland  and  Alameda.  The  Pre- 
sidio, Golden  Gate  Park  and  other  parks  were 
converted  into  refugee  camps  and  rations  issued. 
JNIilitary  organization  was  prompt  and  effective. 
Four  days  after  the  fire  there  were  military 
butchers,  blacksmiths,  carpenters,  chimney  inspec- 
tor§  and  sanitary  inspectors.  Strict  military  reg- 
ulations were  enforced  in  the  various  camps  and 
a  constant  watch  was  kept  up  to  prevent  the 
breaking  out  of  epidemic  diseases.  Train  loads 
of  provisions  and  clothing  were  hurried  from  all 
parts  of  the  state  and  beyond  for  the  immediate 
relief  of  the  sufferers.  Contributions  of  money 
flowed  in  from  all  over  the  country,  until  the  to- 
tal ran  up  into  the  millions.  The  railroads  fur- 
nished free  transportation  to  all  who  had  friends 
in  other  cities  of  the  state.  The  Red  Cross  Re- 
lief Society,  at  the  head  of  which  is  James  D. 
Phelan,  ex-mayor  of  San  Francisco,  had  taken 
up  the  burden  of  caring  for  the  destitute  until 
they  could  take  care  of  themselves. 

The  actual  number  of  lives  lost  by  the  earth- 
quake will  never  be  known ;  many  wlio  were 
pinned  down  in  the  wrecked  buildings  would 
have  escaped  with  slight  injuries  had  not  the  fire 
followed  so  quickly  after  the  earthquake  shock. 
The  total  number  of  deaths  officially  reported 
up  to  the  last  of  ]\Iay  was  three  hundred  and 
thirty-three.  The  propertv  loss  ranges  from  two 
hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dol- 
lars. Insurance  covered  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  millions;  whether  all  of  this  will  be  paid 
is  )'et  to  be  decided. 

The  fire  devastated  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
blocks,  covering  an  area  of  nearly  three  thousand 
acres,  or  about  five  square  miles.  In  this  vast 
fire-swept  desert  there  were  three  little  oases 
that  the  destroyer  had  left  unscathed.  In  the 
very  heart  of  this  desert  stood  the  mint  with  its 
accumulated  treasure  unharmed  by  fire  or  earth- 
quake shock.  Thirty-five  years  ago,  when  Gen. 
O.  H.  La  Grange  was  superintendent  of  the  mint, 
he  had  sunk  an  artesian  well  within  the  inclosure. 
He  received  neither  thanks  nor  encouragement 
from  the  government  for  his  work.     When  the 


fire  surged  around  it  the  employes  and  ten  sol- 
diers were  housed  within  it ;  for  seven  hours  they 
fought  against  the  onslaught  of  flames  that 
dashed  against  the  building.  The  courageous 
fighters,  aided  by  the  thick  walls  and  the  water 
supply  from  the  artesian  well,  won  the  victory 
and  the  building  with  its  treasure  was  saved. 
Throughout  the  days  and  nights  that  the  fire 
raged  the  tall  tower  of  the  Ferry  building  loomed 
up  through  the  smoke  of  the  burning  city,  the 
hands  of  the  silent  clock  mutely  pointing  to  13 
minutes  past  5,  the  moment  tlie  temblor  began 
its  work. 

The  post  office,  witli  but  nominal  damages, 
survived  the  wreck  and  ruin  of  the  city.  The 
palatial  homes  of  the  bonanza  kings  and  rail- 
road magnates,  built  on  Nob  Hill  thirty  years 
ago,  were  wiped  out  of  existence.  Of  ]\Iark 
Hopkins  Art  Institute  with  its  treasures  of  art 
only  a  chimney  is  left.  Of  the  Stanford  house, 
the  Crocker  mansion,  the  Huntington  palace  and 
the  Flood  residence  only  broken  pillars,  ruined 
arches,  heaps  of  bricks,  shattered  glass  and  piles 
of  ashes  tell  how  complete  a  leveler  of  distinction 
fire  is.  Chinatown,  the  plague  spot  of  San  Fran- 
cisco and  the  old  time  bete  noir  of  Denis  Kearney 
and  his  followers,  has  been  obliterated  from  the 
map  of  the  city.  Not  a  vestige  is  left  to  mark 
where  it  was,  but  is  not.  Kearney's  slogan,  "The 
Chinese  must  go,"  is  again  reiterated;  and  it  is 
questionable  whether  the  almond-e}-ed  followers 
of  Confucius  will  be  allowed  to  relocate  in  their 
former  haunts.    ■ 

OAKLAND,  ALAMEDA  AND  BERKELEY. 

The  cities  across  the  bay  from  San  Francisco, 
Oakland,  Alameda  and  Berkeley,  escaped  with 
but  slight  damage.  A  number  of  buildings  were 
wrecked  and  chimne\-s  thrown  down,  but  the  fire 
did  not  follow  the  shock  and  the  aggregated  loss 
of  property  in  all  three  did  not  exceed  $2,000,000. 
There  were  five  lives  lost  in  Oakland.  These 
cities  became  great  camps  of  refuge  for  the 
homeless  of  San  Francisco.  The  hospitality  of 
their  people  was  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  take  care 
of  the  San  Francisco  sufferers,  who  fled  from 
their  stricken  city  as  soon  as  the  means  of  exit 
were  available. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


STANFORD    UNIVERSITY. 

With  a  strange  partiality  tlie  temblor  spared 
the  buildings  of  the  State  University  at  Berkeley. 
Located  only  a  dozen  miles  from  San  Francisco, 
scarcely  a  brick  was  displaced  from  a  chimney, 
but  it  wrought  ruin  to  many  of  the  noble  build- 
ings of  Stanford  University,  thirty-four  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  metropolis.  The  Memorial 
Qnirch,  the  unfinished  library,  the  new  gymna- 
sium, part  of  the  art  museum,  the  Stanford  resi- 
dence at  Palo  Alto  and  the  memorial  arch  were 
badly  wrecked.  Some  of  them  were  hopelessly 
ruined.  Encina  hall  (the  men's  dormitory)  was 
injured  by  the  fall  of  stone  chimneys  and  one 
student  was  killed.  The  loss  in  all  will  amount 
to  $3,000,000. 

SAN  JOSE. 

The  city  of  San  Jose  seemed  to  be  in  the  line 
of  march  chosen  by  the  temblor.  The  business 
center  was  wrecked,  its  court  house  destroyed 
and  many  of  its  dwellings  badly  damaged.  For- 
tunately it  escaped  a  visitation  by  fire.  Nineteen 
lives  were  lost  and  the  property  loss  exceeded 
$2,000,000. 

SANTA    ROSA. 

The  city  of  Santa  Rosa,  the  capital  of  Sonoma 
county,  in  proportion  to  its  wealth  and  the  num- 
ber of  its  inhabitants,  suffered  more  severely  than 
any  other  city  in  California.  The  business  por- 
tion of  the  city,  which  was  closely  grouped 
around  the  Court  House  Square,  was  entirely  de- 
stroyed. As  there  were  no  suburban  stores  the 
supply  of  provisions  was  cut  off.  The  breaking 
off  of  communication  left  the  outside  world  ig- 
norant of  Santa  Rosa's  fate.  For  a  time  she  was 
left  entirely  to  her  own  resources  to  aid  her  suf- 
ferers. As  in  San  Francisco,  fire  followed  the 
temblor,  which  increased  greatly  the  loss  of  life 
and  property.  The  water  mains  were  not  brok- 
en and  within  three  hours  the  fire  was  practically 
under  control. 

Among  the  buildings  destroyed  by  earthquake 
and  fire  were  the  court  house,  the  new  Masonic 
temple,  the  public  library,  six  hotels,  a  five-story 
brewery,  a  shoe  factory,  a  four-story  flour  mill, 
two  theaters,  the  Odd  Fellows  hall,  and  a  num- 


ber of  office  buildings,  flats  and  apartment 
houses.  The  number  of  dead  reported  was  fifty- 
six.  The  injured  and  missing  numbered  eighty- 
seven. 

The  business  houses  in  San  Mateo,  Belmont, 
Palo  Alto  and  Redwood  City  were  nearly  all 
wrecked.  Many  of  the  stately  mansions  and  rose- 
embowered  cottages  that  line  the  road  between 
San  Francisco  and  San  Jose  on  the  western  side 
of  the  bay  were  thrown  from  their  foundations 
and  chimneys  falling  on  the  roofs  had  cut  their 
way  to  the  ground. 

On  the  eastern  side  the  towns  of  San  Leandro 
and  Haywards  that  were  badly  damaged  in  the 
earthquake  of  1868  escaped  this  last  temblor 
unharmed.  Santa  Clara,  Gilroy  and  Salinas  suf- 
fered in  about  the  same  proportion  as  San  Jose. 

At  Monterey  the  Del  Monte  hotel  was  injured 
by  the  falling  of  the  chimneys  through  the  roof. 
Two  persons,  a  bridal  couple  from  Arizona,  were 
killed  by  the  falling  of  a  chimney. 

Hollister,  Napa  and  Santa  Cruz  suffered  con- 
siderable damage.  The  greatest  loss  of  life  at 
any  public  institution  occurred  at  the  Agnews  In- 
sane Asylum.  It  contained  ten  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  patients,  besides  physicians,  nurses 
and  attendants;  of  these,  as  nearly  as  can  be  as- 
certained, one  hundred  and  ten  inmates  and  em- 
ployes were  killed.  The  buildings  were  entirely 
destroyed.  The  inmates  who  escaped  injury 
were  housed  in  tents  and  guards  stationed  around 
the  inclosure  to  keep  them  from  running  away. 
Temporary  buildings  are  in  the  course  of  con- 
struction. There  was  no  loss  of  life  or  property 
south  of  Monterey.  The  shock  throughout  the 
southern  part  of  the  state  was  very  slight. 

OAKLAND. 

Oakland,  the  third  city  in  population  among 
the  cities  of  California,  is  the  youngest  of  the 
large  cities.  It  is  purely  American  by  birth. 
Its  site  during  Spanish  and  Mexican  rule  was 
uninhabited  and  was  covered  with  oak  trees  and 
chaparral.  The  territory  which  Oakland  covers 
was  part  of  a  five-league  grant  made  to  Luis 
Maria  Peralta,  a  Spanish  soldier,  who  came  to 
the  presidio  of  San  Francisco  in  1790.  August 
16,  1820.  Governor  Sola  granted  him  the  Rancho 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


San  Antonio.  His  military  service  had  extended 
over  a  period  of  forty  years.  In  1842  he  divided 
the  grant  among  his  five  sons,  the  portion  em- 
.  braced  in  Oakland  falling  to  the  allotment  of 
Mcente. 

The  first  permanent  settlers  and  tlie  fathers 
of  Oakland  were  Moore,  Carpentier  and  Adams, 
who  squatted  on  the  land  in  the  summer  of  1850. 
The  Peraltas  made  an  attempt  to  evict  them, 
but  failed.  This  trio  of  squatters  obtained  a 
lease  from  Peralta,  laid  out  a  town  and  sold  lots, 
giving  quit-claim  deeds.  They  erected  houses 
and  are  considered  the  founders  of  the  town. 
Other  squatters  followed  their  example  and  pos- 
sessed themselves  of  the  Peraltas'  land.  This 
involved  the  settlers  in  litigation,  and  it  was 
many  years  before  titles  were  perfected.  The 
Peralta    litigants   finally  won. 

May  4,  1852,  the  town  of  Oakland  was  incor- 
porated. March  25,  1854,  it  was  incorporated  as 
a  city,  and  Horace  W.  Carpentier  was  elected 
the  first  mayor.  The  first  ferry  charter  was 
granted  in  1853.  Defective  titles  and  the  water- 
front war  between  the  city  authorities  and  H.  W. 
Carpentier  retarded  its  growth  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  i860  its  population  was  about 
1,500.  The  completion  of  the  overland  railroad, 
which  made  Oakland  its  western  terminus, 
greatly  accelerated  its  growth.  The  water-front 
war  was  continued ;  instead  of  Carpentier,  the 
city  now  had  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany to  contend  with.  The  controversy  was 
finally  ended  in  1882,  and  the  city  won.  The 
population  of  Oakland  in  1890  was  48,682;  in 
1900,  66,960.  According  to  a  recent  census 
(November,    1902),    it    exceeds    88,000. 

SACRAMENTO. 

Sutter  built  his  fort  near  the  junction  of  the 
Sacramento  and  American  rivers  in  1839.  It 
was  then  the  most  northerly  settlement  in  Cali- 
fornia and  became  the  trading  post  for  the  north- 
ern frontier.  It  was  the  outpost  to  which  the 
tide  of  overland  immigration  flo%ved  before  and 
after  the  discovery  of  gold.  Sutter's  settle- 
ment was  also  known  as  New  Helvetia.  After 
the  discovery  of  gold  at  Coloma  it  was,  during 
1848,  the  principal  supply  depot  for  the  mines. 

Sutter  had  a  store  at  the  fort  and  did  a  thrivins 


business.  Sam  Brannan,  in  June,  1848,  estab- 
lished a  store  outside  of  the  fort,  in  a  long  adobe 
building.  His  sales  amounted  to  over  $100,000 
a  month.  His  profits  were  enormous.  Gold 
dust  was  a  drug  on  the  market  and  at  one  time 
passed  for  $8  an  ounce,  less  than  half  its  value. 
In  September,  1848,  Priest,  Lee  &  Co.  estab- 
lished a  business  house  at  the  fort  and  did  an 
immense  business.  The  fort  was  not  well  lo- 
cated for  a  commercial  center.  It  was  too  far 
away  from  the  river  by  which  all  the  freight 
from  San  Francisco  was  shipped.  The  land  at 
the  embarcadero  was  subject  to  overflow  and 
was  deemed  unsuited  for  the  site  of  a  city.  Sut- 
terville  was  laid  out  on  rising  ground  three  miles 
below.  A  survey  of  lots  was  extended  from 
the  fort  to  the  embarcadero  and  along  the  river 
bank.  This  embryo  town  at  the  embarcadero 
took  the  name  of  Sacramento  from  the  river. 
Then  began  a  rivalry  between  Sutterville  and 
Sacramento.  The  first  house  in  Sacramento, 
corner  of  Front  and  I  streets,  was  erected  in 
January,  1849.  The  proprietors  of  Sutterville, 
McDougall  &  Co.,  made  an  attempt  to  attract 
trade  and  building  to  their  town  by  giving  away 
lots,  but  Sutter  beat  them  at  that  game,  and 
Sacramento  surged  ahead.  Sam  Brannan  and 
Priest,  Lee  &  Co.  moved  their  stores  into  Sac- 
ramento. The  fort  was  deserted  and  Sutterville 
ceased  to  contend  for  supremacy.  In  four 
months  lots  had  advanced  from  $50  to  $1,000 
and  business  lots  to  $3,000.  A  regular  steam- 
boat service  on  the  river  was  inaugurated  in 
August,  1849,  and  sailing  vessels  that  had  come 
around  the  Horn  to  avoid  trans-shipment  worked 
tlieir  way  up  the  river  and  landed  their  goods  at 
the  embarcadero.  The  first  number  of  the 
Placer  Times  was  issued  April  28,  1849.  The 
steamboat  rates  of  passage  between  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Sacramento  were:  Cabin,  $30;  steer- 
age, $20 ;  freight,  $2.50  per  one  hundred  pounds. 
By  the  winter  of  1849  the  population  of  the  town 
had  reached  five  thousand  and  a  year  later  it 
had  doubled.  Lots  in  the  business  section  were 
held  at  $30,000  to  $50,000  each.  The  great  flood 
of  1849-50,  when  four-fifths  of  the  city  was 
under  water,  somewhat  dampened  the  enthusi- 
asm of  the  citizens,  but  did  not  check  the  growth 
of  the   citv.      Sacramento    became    the    trading 


252 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


center  of  the  mines.  In  1855  its  trade,  princi- 
pally with  the  mines,  amounted  to  $6,000,000. 
It  was  also  the  center  of  the  stage  lines,  a  dozen 
of  which  led  out  from  it. 

It  became  the  state  capital  in  1853,  and  al- 
though disastrous  floods  drove  the  legislators 
from  the  capital  several  times,  they  returned 
when  the  waters  subsided.  Tlie  great  flood  of 
1861-62  inundated  the  city  and  compelled  an 
immense  outlay  for  levees  and  for  raising  the 
grades  of  the  streets.  Sacramento  was  made  the 
terminus  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  sys- 
tem, and  its  immense  workshops  are  .located 
there.  Its  growth  for  the  past  thirty  years  has 
been  slow  but  steady.  Its  population  in  1890 
was  26,386;  in  1900,  29,282. 

SAN    JOSE. 

The  early  history  of  San  Jose  has  been  given 
in  the  chapter  on  Pueblos.  After  the  American 
conquest  the  place  became  an  important  busi- 
ness center.  It  was  the  first  state  capital  and 
the  removal  of  the  capital  for  a  time  checked  its 
progress.  In  1864  it  was  connected  with  San 
Francisco  by  railroad.  The  completion  of  the 
railroad  killed  off  its  former  port,  Alviso,  which 
had  been  laid  out  as  a  city  in  1849.  Nearly  all 
the  trade  and  travel  before  the  railroad  was  built 
had  gone  by  way  of  Alviso  down  the  bay  to 
San  Francisco.  San  Jose  and  its  suburb,  Santa 
Clara,  early  became  the  educational  centers  of 
CaHfornia.  The  first  American  college  founded 
in  the  state  was  located  at  Santa  Clara  and  the 
first  normal  school  building  erected  in  the  state 
was  built  at  San  Jose.  The  population  of  San 
Jose  in  1880  was  12,570;  in  1900,  21,500. 

STOCKTON. 

In  1844  the  Rancho  Campo  de  los  Franceses, 
Camp  of  the  French,  or  French  Camp,  on  which 
the  city  of  Stockton  is  located,  was  granted  to 
William  Gulnac  by  Governor  Micheltorena.  It 
contained  eleven  leagues  of  48,747  acres  of  land. 
Capt.  Charles  M.  Weber,  the  founder  of  Stock- 
ton, was  a  partner  of  Gulnac,  but  not  being  a 
Mexican  citizen,  he  could  not  obtain  a  land 
grant.  After  Gulnac  obtained  the  grant  he  con- 
veyed a  half  interest  in  it  to  Weber.  Weber 
pliortly  afterward  purchased  his  partner's  inter- 


est and  became  sole  owner  of  the  grant.  Some 
attempts  were  made  to  stock  it  with  cattle,  but 
Indian  depredations  prevented  it.  In  1847,  after 
the  country  had  come  into  the  possession  of  the 
Americans,  Weber  removed  from  San  Jose, 
which  had  been  his  place  of  residence  since  his 
arrival  in  California  in  1841,  and  located  on  his 
ranch  at  French  Camp.  He  erected  some  huts 
for  his  vaqueros  and  fortified  his  corral  against 
Indians.  In  1848  the  site  of  the  city  was  sur- 
veyed and  platted  under  the  direction  of  Captain 
Weber  and  Maj.  R.  P.  Hammond.  The  rancho 
was  surveyed  and  sectionized  and  land  offered 
on  most  advantageous  terms  to  settlers.  Cap- 
tain Weber  was  puzzled  to  find  a  fitting  name 
for  his  infant  metropolis.  He  hesitated  between 
Tuleburgh  and  Castoria  (Spanish  for  beaver). 
Tules  were  plentiful  and  so  were  beaver,  but 
as  the  town  grew  both  would  disappear,  so  he 
finally  selected  Stockton,  after  Commodore 
Stockton,  who  promised  to  be  a  godfather  to 
the  town,  but  proved  to  be  a  very  indifferent 
step-father;  he  never  did  anything  for  it.  The 
discovery  of  gold  in  the  region  known  as  the 
southern  mines  brought  Stockton  into  promi- 
nence and  made  it  the  metropolis  of  the  south- 
ern mining  district.  Captain  Weber  led  the  party 
that  first  discovered  gold  on  the  Mokelumne 
river.  The  freight  and  travel  to  the  mines  on 
the  Mokelumne,  Tuolumne  and  Stanislaus  rivers 
passed  through  Stockton,  and  its  growth  was 
rapid.  In  October,  1849,  the  Alta,  California 
reports  lots  in  it  selling  from  $2,500  to  $6,000 
each,  according  to  situation.  At  that  time  it  had 
a  population  of  about  one  thousand  souls  and  a 
floating  population,  that  is,  men  coming  and 
going  to  the  mines,  of  about  as  many  more.  The 
houses  were  mostly  cotton-lined  shacks.  Lum- 
ber was  $1  a  foot  and  carpenters'  wages  $16  per 
day.  There  were  neither  mechanics  nor  mate- 
rial to  build  better  structures.  Every  man  was 
his  own  architect  and  master  builder.  Cloth 
was  scarce  and  high  and  tacks  at  one  time  were 
worth  $5  a  package ;  even  a  cloth  house  was  no 
cheap  affair,  however  flimsy  and  cheap  it  might 
appear.  On  the  morning  of  December  23,  1849, 
the  business  portion  of  the  town  was  swept  out 
of  existence  by  fire.  Rebuilding  was  begun  al- 
most   before    the    embers    of    the    departed    city 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


253 


were  cold  and  a  better  city  arose  from  the  ashes 
of  the  first.  After  the  wild  rush  of  mining  days 
was  over,  Stockton  drifted  into  a  center  of  agri- 
cultural trade  and  it  also  became  a  manufactur- 
ing city.  Its  growth  has  been  steady,  devoid  of 
booms  or  periods  of  inflation,  followed  by  col- 
lapse. Its  population  in  1890  was  14,424;  in 
1900,  17,506. 

FRESNO    CITY. 

Fresno  City  was  founded  by  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  in  May,  1872.  The  road  at  that 
time  was  in  the  course  of  construction.  The 
outlook  for  a  populous  town  was  not  brilliant. 
Stretching  for  miles  away  from  the  town  site  in 
different  directions  was  an  arid-looking  plain. 
The  land  was  fertile  enough  when  well  watered, 
but  the  few  settlers  had  no  capital  to  construct 
irrigating  canals. 

In  1875  began  the  agricultural  colony  era. 
The  land  was  divided  into  twenty-acre  tracts.  A 
number  of  persons  combined  together*  aiTd  by 
their  united  capital  and  community  labor  con- 
structed irrigating  canals  and  brought  the  land 
under  cultivation.  The  principal  product  is 
the  raisin  grape.  Fresno  City  became  the 
county  seat  of  Fre*no  county  in  1874.  It  is  now 
the  largest  and  most  important  city  of  the 
Upper  San  Joaquin  ^'^alley.  Its  population  in 
1890  was  10,818;  in  1900,  12.470. 

VALLEJO. 

A'allejo  was  founded  for  the  state  capital.  It 
was  one  of  several  towns  which  had  that  tem- 
porary honor  in  the  early  '50s,  when  the  state 
Capitol  was  on  wheels,  or  at  least  on  tlie  move. 
The  original  name  of  the  place  was  Eureka. 
General  \^allejo  made  a  proposition  to  the  leg- 
islature of  1850  to  grant  the  state  one  hundred 
and  fifty-six  acres  of  land  and  to  donate  and 
pay  to  the  state  within  two  years  after  the  ac- 
ceptance of  his  proposition  $370,000,  to  be  used 
in  the  erection  of  public  buildings.  The  legisla- 
ture accepted  his  proposition.  The  location  of 
the  state  capital  was  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the 
people  at  the  election  on  October  7,  1850,  and 
A^allejo  received  more  votes  than  the  aggre- 
gated vote  of  all  its  competitors.  Buildings 
were  begun,  but  never  completed.     The  legisla- 


ture met  there  twice,  but  on  account  of  insuffi- 
cient accommodations  sought  other  places 
where  they  were  better  cared  for.  General  Val- 
lejo's  proposition  at  his  own  request  was  can- 
celled. In  1854  Mare  Island,  in  front  of  Val- 
lejo,  was  purchased  by  the  general  government 
for  a  United  States  navy  yard  and  naval  depot. 
The  government  works  gave  employment  to 
large  numbers  of  men  and  involved  the  expendi- 
ture of  millions  of  dollars.  The  town  began  to 
prosper  and  still  continues  to  do  so.  Its  popu- 
lation in  1890  was  6,343 ;  in  1900,  7,965. 

XKWVDA    CITV. 

No  mining  town  in  California  was  so  well  and 
so  favorably  known  in  the  early  '50s  as  Nevada 
City.  The  first  discovery  of  gold  near  it  was 
made  in  September,  1849;  and  the  first  store 
and  cabin  erected.  Rumors  of  rich  strikes 
spread  abroad  and  in  the  spring  of  1850  the  rush 
of  gold-seekers  came.  In  1851  it  was  estimated 
that  within  a  circuit  of  seven  miles  there  was  a 
population  of  30.000.  In  1856  the  business  sec- 
'tion  was  destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  then  the 
third  city  in  population  in  the  state.  It  has  had 
its  periods  of  expansion  and  contraction,  but 
still  remains  an  important  mining  town.  Its 
population  in  1880  was  4,022 ;  in  1890,  2,524 ; 
in   1900,  3,250. 

GR.\SS  V.ALLEY. 

The  first  calkin  in  Grass  Valley  was  erected  in 
1849.  The  discoveries  of  gold  quartz  raised 
great  expectations.  A  quartz  mill  was  er'^cted 
in  1850.  but  this  new  form  of  mining  not  being 
understood,  quartz  mining  was  not  a  success; 
but  with  improved  machinery  and  better  meth- 
ods, it  became  the  most  important  form  of  min- 
ing. Grass  A'alley  prospered  and  surpassed  its 
rival,  Nevada  City.  Its  population  in  1900  was 
4.719- 

EUREK.\. 

In  the  two  hundred  years  that  Spain  and  Mex- 
ico held  possession  of  California  its  northwest 
coast  remained  practically  a  terra  incognita,  but 
it  did  not  remain  so  long  after  the  discovery  of 
gold.  Gold  was  discovered  on  the  head  waters 
of  the  Trinity  river  in  1849  and  parties  of  pros- 
pectors   during     1849    and     1850    explored    the 


254 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


country  between  the  head  waters  of  the  Trinity 
and  Klamath  rivers  and  the  coast.  Rich  mines 
were  found  and  these  discoveries  led  to  the 
founding  of  a  number  of  towns  on  the  coast 
which  aspired  to  be  the  entrepots  for  the  sup- 
plies to  the  mines.  Tlie  most  successful  of  these 
proved  to  be  Eureka,  on  Humboldt  Bay.  It 
was  the  best  located  for  commerce  and  soon 
outstripped  its  rivals,  Areata  and  Bucksport. 
Humboldt  county  was  formed  in  1854,  and  Eu- 
reka, in  1856,  became  the  county  seat  and  was 
incorporated  as  a  city.  It  is  the  largest  ship- 
ping point  for  lumber  on  the  coast.  It  is  also 
the  commercial  center  of  a  rich  agricultural  and 
dairying  district.  Its  population  in  1880  was 
2,639;  in  1890,  4,858;  in  1900,  7,327. 

MARYSVILLE. 

The  site  on  which  Marysville  stands  was  first 
known  as  New  Mecklenburg  and  was  a  trading 
post  of  two  houses.  In  October,  1848,  M.  C. 
Nye  purchased  the  rancho  and  opened  a  store 
at  New  Mecklenburg.  The  place  then  became 
known  as  Nye's  rancho.  In  1849  ^  town  was 
laid  out  and  named  Yubaville.  The  name  was 
changed  to  Man'sville  in  honor  of  the  wife  of 
the  proprietor  of  the  town  Covilland.  His  wife 
was  Mary  Murphy,  of  the  Donner  party.  Marys- 
ville,  being   at   the   head  of  navigation  of  the 


north  fork  of  the  Sacramento,  became  the  en- 
trepot for  mining  supplies  to  the  miners  in  the 
rich  Yuba  mines.  After  the  decline  of  mining 
it  became  an  agricultural  center  for  the  upper 
portion  of  the  Sacramento.  Its  population  in 
1880  was  4,300;  in  1890,  3.991;  in  1900,  3.397. 


The  Placer  Times  of  May  8,  1850,  contains 
this  notice  of  Reading,  now  changed  to  Red- 
ding: "Reading  was  laid  off  early  in  1850  by 
P.  B.  Reading  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Sacra- 
mento within  forty-five  miles  of  the  Trinity 
diggings.  Reading  is  located  in  the  heart  of  a 
most  extensive  mining  district,  embracing  as  it 
does,  Cottonwood,  Clear,  Salt,  Dry,  Middle  and 
Olney  creeks,  it  is  in  close  proximity  to  the  Pitt 
and  Trinity  rivers.  The  pet  steamer.  Jack 
Hayes,  leaves  tomorrow  morning  (May  9,  1850) 
for  Reading.  It  has  been  hitherto  considered 
impossible  to  navigate  the  Sacramento  to  this 
height."  The  town  grew  rapidly  at  first,  like 
all  mining  towns,  and  like  most  of  such  towns 
it  was  swept  out  of  existence  by  fire.  It  was 
devastated  by  fire  in  December,  1852,  and  again 
in  June,  1853.  Its  original  name,  Reading,  got 
mixed  with  Fort  Redding  and  it  now  appears  on 
all  railroad  maps  and  guides  as  Redding.  Its 
population  in  1890  was  1,821 ;  in  1900,  2,940. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA. 


UNDER  the  rule  of  Spain  and  Mexico 
there  was  no  form  of  municipal  govern- 
ment in  California  corresponding  to  our 
county  government.  The  ayuntamientos  of  the 
cities  and  towns  exercised  jurisdiction  over 
the  inhabitants  of  the  adjacent  ranchos,  but 
there  were  no  lines  drawn  to  define  the  area 
of  an  ayuntamiento's  domains.  There  was 
no  tax  on  land  in  those  days;  the  revenue 
to  support  the  municipal  government  was  de- 
rived   from   fines   of  oflFenders   against   the   law, 


from  licenses  of  pulperias,  cock  pits,  bull 
fights,  dances  and  so  forth.  Men's  vices  and 
pleasures  paid  the  cost  of  governing ;  consequent- 
ly inhabitants  were  of  more  value  for  income 
than  acres. 

During  the  interregiuim  that  lasted  from  the 
downfall  of  Mexican  domination  in  California 
to  the  inauguration  of  a  state  government — a  pe- 
riod of  three  years  and  a  half — Mexican  laws 
were  continued  m  force.  Alcades  and  regidores 
administered  the  ordinances  in  force  before  the 
conquest  or  made  new  ones  to  suit  the  changed 
conditions  of  the  countrv. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


255 


The  territorial  government  was  semi-military 
and  semi-civil ;  a  form  exceedingly  unsatisfactory 
to  the  American  immigrants  who  had  flocked  to 
the  country  after  the  discovery  of  gold.  Al- 
though the  conquerors  had  adopted  the  codes 
and  forms  of  government  they  found  in  the  coun- 
try partly  to  conciliate  the  conquered,  yet  the 
natives  were  dissatisfied.  Military  command- 
ers interferred  in  the  administration  of  law  by 
the  alcades  and  regidores  and  there  was  friction 
between  the  native  Californian  and  the  newly  ar- 
rived gringo. 

For  three  years  the  people  waited  for  Con- 
gress to  establish  some  American  form  of  gov- 
ernment for  the  territory,  but  none  was  given 
them.  The  admission  of  California  into  the  Un- 
ion was  a  bone  of  contention  between  the  pro- 
slavery  and  anti-slavery  politicians  in  Congress. 
At  that  time  the  two  factions  were  equally  bal- 
anced in  the  senate.  To  admit  it  either  as  a  free 
or  a  slave  state  destroyed  the  political  equilib- 
rium, arid  to  the  politicians  the  necessity  of 
maintaining  a  balance  of  power  was  of  more 
importance  than  the  welfare  of  California. 
Tired  of  waiting  and  driven  to  desperation  by 
the  inchoate  condition  of  afifairs  in  the  territory 
the  people  organized  and  put  in  force  a  state 
government  without  asking  authority  from  Con- 
gress. For  almost  one  year  California  had  a 
defacto  state  government  before  it  was  admitted 
into  the  Union. 

The  first  legislature  met  at  San  Jose,  Decem- 
ber 15,  1849.  Among  the  first  acts  passed  by 
it  was  one  dividing  the  mchoate  state  into  twen- 
ty-seven counties  and  another  providing  a  form 
of  county  government.  A  large  portion  of  Cal- 
ifornia at  that  tim.e  was  a  terra  incognita.  There 
were  no  good  maps  existing.  Many  of  the  legis- 
lators were  recent  arrivals  in  the  state  and  they 
had  vague  ideas  of  the  territory  they  were  sub- 
dividing. As  a  result  some  of  the  county  bound- 
aries were  erratic  and  uncertain. 

SAN    DIEGO    COUNTY. 

The  boundaries  of  San  Diego  county  as  de- 
fined in  an  "act  subdividing  the  state  into  coun- 
ties and  establishing  the  seats  of  justice  therein," 
passed  February  18,  1850,  are  as  follows: 
"Commencing  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  at  the 


mouth  of  the  creek  called  San  Mateo,  and  run- 
ning up  said  creek  to  its  source;  thence  due 
north  to  the  northeast  boundary  of  the  state; 
thence  following  said  boundary  in  a  southeaster- 
ly direction  to  the  Colorado  river;  thence  down 
the  middle  of  the  channel  of  said  river  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Gila  river;  thence  following  the 
boundary  line  as  established  by  the  treaty  of  the 
thirtieth  of  May,  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  forty-eight,  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  three  En- 
glish miles  therein;  thence  in  a  northwesterly 
direction  running  parallel  with  the  coast  to  a 
point  due  west  of  the  mouth  of  the  creek  San 
Mateo,  and  thence  due  east  to  the  mouth  of  said 
creek,  which  was  the  place  of  beginning.  The 
seat  of  justice  shall  be  San  Diego." 

A  line  drawn  from  the  source  of  San  Mateo 
creek  "due  north  to  the  northeast  boundary  of 
the  state"  intersected  the  state  boundary  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Death  Valley,  about  three  hun- 
dred miles  north  of  the  southern  limits  of  San 
Diego  county,  and  gave  that  county  an  area  of 
nearly  forty  thousand  square  miles.  The  coun- 
ty took  in  all  of  the  Colorado  desert  and  a  large 
portion  of  the  Mojave.  It  was  in  imperial  coun- 
ty in  area,  but  short  on  inhabitants.  Its  pop- 
ulation, according  to  the  census  of  1850,  was 
798,  of  which  650  was  accredited  to  the  city  of 
San  Diego.  The  first  county  assessment,  which 
was  made  in  1850,  gave  the  value  of  the  ranch 
lands  at  $255,281  and  the  aggregate  value  of 
all  kinds  of  property  was  fixed  at  $517,258;  of 
this  amount  $264,210  was  accredited  to  Old 
Town;  $80,050  to  New  Town,  and  $30,000  to 
Middle  Town.  These  three  towns  or  subdivi- 
sions constituted  the  city  of  San  Diego.  The 
back  country  seems  to  have  been  of  little  value. 
The  legislature  of  1849-50  passed  an  act  March 
2,  1850,  "to  provide  for  holding  the  first  county 
election."  This  act  required  "each  prefect  in 
this  state,  immediately  after  the  passage  of  this 
act,  to  designate  a  suitable  number  of  election 
precincts  in  each  county  of  his  district,  and  give 
notice  thereof  by  advertisement  published  in 
some  newspaper  printed  in  each  county  of  said 
district,  if  there  be  one;  if  not.  then  by  notices 
posted  in  at  least  three  public  places  in  each  of 
said  counties." 


256  HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 

Don    Jose    Antonio    Estudillo    was    then   pre-  Dr.  A.  L.  Lincoln,  an  educated  man,  a  native 

feet  of  San  Diego.    As  there  was  no  newspaper  of   Illinois  and  a  relative  of  President  Lincoln, 

published  in  the  county,  he  posted  notices  call-  came   from   Guaymas,   Mexico,   to  California   in 

ing  an  election  to  be  held  on  April  i,  1850.  1849.  by  the  Colorado  river  route.     After  visit- 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  county  officials  ing  the  mines  be  returned  to  the  Colorado  river, 

then  cho-en  ■  2"*^^  '"  *be  latter  part  of  1849  established  a  ferry 

District  Attorney William  C.  Ferrell  at  the  junction  of  the  Colorado  and  Gila  rivers. 

County  Judge John  Havs  The    Sonoran    migration    to   the   gold    mines    of 

County  Clerk Richard  Rust  California  was  then  at  its  height  and  the  ferry 

County  Attorney Thos.  W.  Sutherland  business  was  immensely  profitable. 

County  Surveyor Henry  Clayton  John  J.  Glanton,  the  leader  of  a  party  of  twen- 

gj^gj-ijf x\gostin  Haraszthy  ty  men,  mainly  Texans  and  Missourians,  arrived 

Recorder.' .' ." Henry  C.  Matsell  at  the  ferry  February  12,  1850.     Glanton  and  at 

Assessor lose  Antonio  Estudillo  least  a  portion  of  his  party,  so  it  was  claimed, 

Coroner John  Brown  "had  been   engaged   in   hunting   Apaches    for   a 

Treasurer . .  Juan  Bandini  scalp   premium   in    Sonora   and    Chihuahua,   but 

Bandini'  refused   to   accept   and    Philip    Cros-  had   been   driven   out   by   the    Alexican    govern- 

thwaite  was  appointed.     Of  the  ten  county  of-  ment  when  it  was  discovered  that  they  brought 

ficials  who  served,  but  one  was  a   native  Cali-  i"    the    scalps    of    friendly    Indians    or    even    of 

fornian,  so  early  had  the  passing  of  the  native  Mexicans."*     Dr.  Lincoln,  being  short  of  hands, 

l^go-yj.|                  '  employed  Glanton  and  eight  of  his  men  to  as- 

The  court  of  sessions,  a  legislatve  body  com-  sist  him,   and  the   six  men  then  in   his  employ 

posed  of  the  countv  judge  and  two  justices  of  remaining   made    a    party    of    fifteen.      Lincoln 

the   peace,   was   the  motive   power   that  set  the  would  have  been  glad  to  have  gotten  nd  of  Glan- 

countv   machinery   in   motion.     At  the   meeting  ton  when  he  discovered  his  true  character,  but 

of  the  court  of  sessions  on  the  second  Monday  that   worthy   constituted   himself   chief  manager 

of  lune  the  countv  government  was  organized.  of  the  ferry.     His  overbearing  conduct  and  ill- 
treatment  of  the  Indians  as  told  of  in  the  depo- 

THE  FIRST  iNDiAX  WAR.  sitj^n  of  Jeremiah  Hill  no  doubt  brought  about 

Scarcely  had  the  county  been  organized  when  the  massacre  of  the  eleven  ferrymen.  Although 
it  was  called  upon  to  furnish  volunteers  to  sup-  the  Yuma  Indians  were  notorious  thieves,  the 
press  an  Indian  outbreak  at  Yuma.  A  correct  Americans  and  the  Sonoranians  had  not  been  at- 
account  of  the  Yuma  Indian  war  of  1850  has  tacked  by  them,  nor  had  they  harmed  them  ex- 
never  been  published.  From  depositions  of  one  cept  by  pilfering  previous  to  Glanton's  arrival, 
of  the  men  who  escaped  when  Dr.  Lincoln  and  On  the  25th  of  April,  two  days  after  the  mas- 
ten  of  his  men  were  massacred  at  the  ferry  on  sacre  at  the  ferry,  a  party  of  fourteen  Amer- 
the  Colorado,  and  from  the  deposition  of  Jere-  leans,  of  whom  the  deponent,  Jeremiah  Hill,  was 
miah  Hill,  who  arrived  at  the  Colorado  river  two  one,  arrived  at  the  river.  I  quote  from  his  depo- 
days  after  the  massacre,  I  have  compiled  the  sition  taken  by  Alcade  Don  Abel  Stearns  at  Los 
following  account   of  the   origin  of  the  trouble  Angeles,  May  23,  1850: 

between^  the    Yumas    and    the    whites    which  "We  had  stayed  all  day  and  night  of  the  25th 

brought    on   the    war.      These    depositions    were  (April)    at   our  camp,    about   ten   miles   beyond 

taken  at  Los  Angeles  in  May,  1850,  by  Don  Abel  Glanton's   ferry :  on   this   day,   in   the  afternoon 

Stearns,  alcalde.^and  judge  of  the  First  Instance,  about    4    o'clock,    ten    Yumas,    unarmed,    came 

These  depositions  and  several  others  relating  to  "P  to  our  camp,  by  one  of  whom  we  sent  for  the 

the    Yuma    depredations    upon    immigrants    are  chief,  for  the  purpose,  as  we  assured  them,  of 

now   in   possession  of  the   Historical   Society  of  having  a  talk  with  him  and  making  him  some 

Southern    California,    and    are    the    only   correct  presents. 

accounts   of    that    massacre    in    existence.  "•Bancroft's  "History  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico." 


HISroRK'AL  AND  IJlOilRAPHK'AL  RliCORD. 


"The  chief  came  the  same  night  abuut  7 
o'clock :  we  gave  him  shirts,  handkerchiefs,  jew- 
elry, pinole,  etc.,  after  which  we  asked  him  in 
reference  to  the  massacre  of  Glanton.  The  chief 
said  that  General  Anderson  the  previous  sum- 
mer had  left  the  Indians  a  boat  which  he  had 
built  for  the  purpose  of  ferr_\ing  his  company 
across  the  Colorado  ri\cr,  upon  condition  that 
the  Yumas  would  cross  all  Americans  at  $1  for 
a  horse,  $1  for  a  man  and  $1  for  the  cargo 
(pack),  and  that  upon  a  violation  of  this  con- 
tract by  any  higher  charge  than  this,  said  boat 
should  be  forfeited.  This  boat  was  used  at  the 
lower  crossing,  commonly  called  'Algodones' 
(cotton- woods).  No  American  had  come  to 
cross  at  the  Indian  ferry  since  the  departure  of 
<  ieneral  .\nderson,  but  that  many  Ale.Kicans  had, 
which  made  Glanton  mad,  and  that  he  ( the 
chief)  knew  of  no  other  ofifense  the  Indians  had 
given  Glanton ;  that  one  day  Glanton  sent  his 
men  down  and  had  the  Indian  boat  destroyed, 
;ind  took  an  American  whom  they  (the  Indians) 
had  with  them  engaged  in  working  their  boat 
up  to  his  camp  with  all  of  said  American's  money 
and  that  Glanton  had  shot  said  American  and 
thrown  him  into  the  river. 

"The  chief  said  that  he  then  went  up  to  see 
Glanton  and  made  an  offer  that  (llanton  should 
cross  all  the  men  and  baggage,  while  the  chief 
sliould  cross  the  animals  of  the  immigrants  and 
thus  they  would  get  along  quietly.  Whereupon 
( ilanton  kicked  him  out  of  the  house  and  beat 
him  over  the  head  with  a  stick ;  the  chief  said 
he  "would  have  hit  him  back,  but  he  was  afraid, 
as  the  Americans  could  shoot  too  straight. 

"This  was  before  Glanton  went  to  San  Diego 
(according  to  the  chief's  statement)  for  the  pur- 
pose of  purchasing  w-hiskey  and  provisions. 
The  chief  said  he  immediately  on  receiving  this 
insult  went  back  and  held  a  council  of  his  people. 
The  result  was  a  determination  to  kill  all  the 
Americans  at  tlie  ferry  and  another  chief  was 
sent  up  to  see  the  position  of  the  Americans,  who 
found  that  Glanton  was  gone  to  San  Diego. 
They  then  determined  to  wait  until  he  returned, 
as  the  main  object,  the  chief  said,  was  to  kill 
rdanton.  The  chief  who  had  been  sent  up.  as 
just  stated,  went  up  afterwards  from  day  to 
(lay  to  the  American  can-,]i.  and  finally  one  day 


came  liack  with  the  report  that  Glanton  had  re- 
turned. Then  the  chief  who  had  been  before 
insulted  went  up  and  fcjund  (jlanton  and  his  men 
drinking:  they  gave  him  .something  to  drink,  and 
also  his  dinner.  After  dinner  five  of  the  Amer- 
icans laid  down  and  went  to  sleep  in.  a  hut. 
leaving  him  sitting  there ;  others  were  ferry- 
ing and  were  on  the  opposite  side ;  three  hat! 
gone  up  on  tliis  side  for  some  purpose.  The 
chief  .said  he  watched  till  he  thought  the  five 
were  aslee]).  when  he  went  out  to  his  people  on 
ibis  side,  w  bii  were  all  hid  in  the  bushes  just 
below  the  house ;  a  portion  of  them  he  sent  up 
after  the  three  Americans  who  were  up  cutting 
poles,  instructing  his  men  to  get  possession  of 
their  arms :  he  had  previously  posted  500  In- 
dians on  the  other  side,  with  instructions  to  mix 
among  the  Americans  and  Mexicans  and  get 
into  the  boat  without  su.spicion.  He  himself 
then  went  up  on  the  little  mound,  perhaps  as 
high  as  his  head,  but  commanding  a  view  of  all 
his  Indians  and  the  whole  scene;  from  this 
mound  he  was  to  give  the  signal.  There  he  was 
to  beckon  to  those  hid  in  the  bushes  to  come 
near  the  American  tents,  which  they  were  im- 
mediatel)-  to  enter  and  give  a  yell  as  they  killed 
the  Americans,  whereupon  he  was  to  give  the 
sign  with  a  pole  having  a  scarf  on  it  to  the  In- 
dians on  the  other  side  as  well  as  those  who 
were  watching  the  three  above.  He  gave  the 
signal  when  those  in  the  boat  and  at  the  houses 
were  all  killed.  The  Indians  who  had  been  sent 
after  the  three  Americans  ran.  and  these  three 
succeeded  in  getting  into  a  little  skiff  and  es- 
caped by  going  down  the  river." 

The  three  Americans  who  escaped  were  \\"ill- 
iam  Carr,  Marcus  L.  ^^'ebster  and  Joseph  A.  .-Xn- 
derson.  They  were  engaged  in  cutting  poles 
alxiut  three  hundred  yards  from  the  river  at  the 
time  of  the  massacre.  A  party  of  Indians  num- 
bering fifteen  or  twenty  was  sent  to  kill  them. 
The  Indians  attempted  to  get  their  axes  from 
them  on  the  pretense  of  assisting  them  in  cut- 
ting poles.  The  Americans,  discovering  signs 
of  treachery,  drew  their  pistols  and  the  Indians 
fled.  The  Americans  tlien  escaped  to  a  small 
boat  and  pushed  out  into  the  river.  After  two 
days  and  nights  in  the  bushes  they  finally  reached 
a  Mexican  canip.  where  the\-  were  fed  and  pro- 


2^58 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tected  from  the  Indians.  They  eventually  made 
their  way  to  San  Diego.  Carr  in  his  deposition 
describes  the  manner  in  which  Dr.  Lincoln,  Glan- 
ton  and  the  others  at  the  ferry  were  killed. 
These  particulars  he  learned  from  the  Mexicans, 
who  were  encamped  near  the  river  at  the  time 
of  the  massacre, 

"As  usual,  that  day  the  Indians  had  been 
plaving  about  the  establishment,  some  on  one 
side  of  the  river,  some  on  the  other,  though  on 
that  day  they  seemed  to  have  collected  in  a  very 
large  number;  though  neither,  by  their  arms  or 
other  circumstances,  excited  any  suspicion. 
Glanton  and  Dr.  A.  L.  Lincoln  were  asleep  at 
the  time  of  the  attack.  A  Mexican  woman  who 
was  at  the  time  sewing  in  Lincoln's  tent  told 
deponent  that  the  chief  of  the  Yumas  came  in 
and  hit  the  doctor  on  the  head  with  a  stone, 
whereupon  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  but  was  im- 
mediately killed  with  a  club.  Another  woman 
relates  the  death  of  Glanton  as  occurring  in  the 
same  manner.  The  three  others  were  killed,  the 
manner  not  known,  and  none  had  an  opportunity 
of  killing  any  of  the  Indians.  Three  of  the  tribe 
were  killed  in  the  fight  with  deponent's  party. 
Deponent  is  well  convinced  that  the  men  who 
crossed  the  river  were  all  killed,  and  the  Mex- 
icans say  that  the  bodies  of  five  of  them  were 
brought  over  to  this  side  and  burned,  as  also 
were  the  bodies  of  Dr.  Lincoln,  Glanton  and 
others  killed  on  shore.  Dr.  Lincoln's  dog  and 
two  other  dogs  were  tied  to  his  body  and  that 
of  Glanton  and  burnt  alive  with  them.  A  large 
quantity  of  meat  was  thrown  into  the  fire  at  the 
same  time.  The  houses  were  also  burnt  down. 
•The  bodies  of  John  A.  Johnson,  William  Prewett 
and  John  Dorsey  were  burnt  up  with  the  cook's 
house,  which  had  been  set  fire  to.  One  .of  the 
men  in  the  boat  was  a  negro;  his  name  John 
Jackson;  he  made  some  resistance  and  in  the 
scuffle  was  thrown  overboard  and  drowned.  It 
seems  that  the  attack  was  made  just  as  those 
who  had  crossed  with  the  boat  struck  the  shore, 
the  Indians  being  in  tlie  habit  of  jumping  in  to 
help  them.  The  Indians  immediately  dressed 
themselves  in  the  clothes  of  the  men,  a  circum- 
stance that  deceived  deponent  when  he  first 
reached  the  river,  as  above  stated,  for  he  then 
supposed  he  saw  the  men  on  the  other  side  and 


called  to  them  to  make  haste  over  with  the  boat. 
The  names  of  the  five  thus  killed  in  the  boat 
were  Thomas  Harlin,  of  Texas;  Henderson 
Smith,  of  Missouri;  John  Gunn,  of  Missouri; 
Thomas  Watson,  of  Philadelphia ;  James  A.  Mill- 
er, of  New  Jersey.  Dr.  Lincoln  was  from  Il- 
linois; John  J.  Glanton,  of  San  Antonio,  Texas; 
John  Jackson,  of  New  York;  Prewitt,  of  Texas, 
and  Dorsey,  of  Missouri.  Deponent  knows 
that  there  were  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Lincoln 
$50,000  in  silver,  but  knows  not  the  amount  of 
gold;  supposes  it  to  be  between  $20,000  and 
$30,000;  all  this  is  of  the  proceeds  of  the  ferry 
during  the  time  the  said  company  occupied  it, 
to-wit,  from  about  the  first  of  March  last.  The 
company  also  owns  $6,000  now  deposited  with 
Judge  Hays,  of  San  Diego,  California,  and  also 
twenty-two  mules  and  two  horses  and  provi- 
sions, all  at  San  Diego." 

When  the  report  of  the  massacre  of  the  fer- 
ryman reached  the  state  capital  Governor  Bur- 
nett ordered  the  sherifif  of  Los  Angeles  county 
to  enroll  forty  men  and  the  sherifif  of  San  Diego 
twenty.  These  were  to  be  placed  under  the 
command  of  Major  General  Bean  of  the  state 
militia,  a  resident  of  San  Diego.  Bean  ordered 
the  quartermaster  general,  Joseph  C.  Morehead, 
to  provide  supplies  for  the  expedition.  More- 
head  in  his  report  sa}s :  "The  duty  of  raising 
the  men,  arming,  equipping  and  provisioning 
them,  devolved  upon  me,  and  I  was  directed  to 
furnish  the  commands  as  many  as  I  could  mus- 
ter, all  the  necessaries  for  a  three  months'  cam- 
paign, and  I  was  ordered  to  pay  in  drafts  on 
the  treasury  of  this  state  for  all  purchases  I 
might  make  for  the  expedition."  As  the  state 
treasury  was  eniptv  those  selling  supplies  charged 
extravagant  prices. 

Morehead  found  considerable  difficulty  both 
in  Los  Angeles  and  San  Diego  to  secure  recruits. 
Finally,  on  the  25th  of  August,  he  reported  a 
force  of  forty  men  and  provisions  and  supplies 
for  one  htmdred.  He  took  up  his  line  of  march 
for  the  Colorado:  on  reaching  it  his  force  num- 
bered seventy-five  men.  These  were  recruited 
from  parties  of  immigrants  that  he  met  on  the 
road,  all  being  anxious  to  revenge  some  insult 
or  wrong  they  had  received  in  passing  through 
the  territory  of  the  Indians.     After  arriving  at 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


259 


his  destination  he  continued  to  recruit  until  he 
had  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  enrolled. 
Whether  the  expedition  killed  any  Indians  is  not 
known.  General  Bean,  Morehead's  superior  of- 
ficer, made  no  report.  General  Morehead  in  his 
report  to  the  governor  refers  to  a  report  that  he 
made  to  General  Bean,  giving  "'details  of  my 
operations  on  the  Gila."  Morehead  in  his  re- 
port says:  "The  Yuma  Indians,  a  warlike  tribe, 
were  taught  to  know  that  they  could  not  trifle 
with  the  American  government  with  impunity 
and  that  it  would  be  prompt  to  punish  any  ag- 
gression upon  its  rights." 

Governor  Burnett,  after  ordering  the  enroll- 
ment of  the  troops,  seems  to  have  lost  sight  of 
the  expedition.  From  a  letter  of  Morehead's  to 
the  state  treasurer  he  discovered  he  had  an  army 
in  the  field  and  a  very  expensive  one.  He  is- 
sued an  order  to  General  Bean  to  disband  his 
troops.  Bean  ordered  Morehead  to  return,  but 
that  valiant  soldier  claimed  he  was  affording 
protection  to  the  immigrants  by  the  Gila  route. 
The  governor  sent  a  peremptory  order  for  the 
troops  to  return.  This  was  obeyed  and  this  end- 
ed the  Gila  Expedition,  or,  as  it  was  sometimes 
called,  the  Glanton  war.  For  the  time  it  lasted 
(about  two  months)  and  the  force  engaged,  it 
was  one  of  the  most  costly  wars  known  to  his- 
tory. It  cost  the  infant  state  $120,000.  It  was 
true  of  this  expedition,  as  has  been  said  of  other 
expeditions  against  the  Indians,  that  it  cost  the 
government  his  weight  in  gold  to  kill  an  Indian. 
The  actual  cost  to  the  state  averaged  $1,000  for 
every  enlisted  man.  Notwithstanding  the  les- 
son the  Gila  Expedition  gave  the  Indians,  they 
continued  their  depredations  on  the  immigrants. 
On  November  27,  1850,  Colonel  Heintzleman  ar- 
rived from  San  Diego  to  establish  a  garrison 
and  protect  the  immigrants.  His  post  at  first 
was  called  Camp  Independence,  but  in  March, 
1851,  it  was  transferred  to  the  site  of  the  old 
Spanish  missions  (destroyed  by  the  Yumas  in 
1781)   and  nam.ed  Fort  Yuma. 

THE    SECOND    INDIAN    WAR. 

Scarcely  had  the  soldiers  of  the  Glanton  war 
been  discharged  before  there  was  another  out- 
break of  the  Indians  in   San  Diego  county  and 


another  call  for  volunteers.  The  origin  of  this 
war  is  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  Indian  war- 
fare. It  originated  from  the  same  cause  as  did 
our  Revolutionary  war — "taxation  without  rep- 
resentation." The  Indian  probably  cared  very 
little  for  representation  at  the  white  man's  coun- 
cil fires,  but  taxation  aroused  his  indignation. 

After  the  fall  of  the  missions  some  of  the 
more  intelligent  of  the  neophytes  acquired  small 
bands  of  cattle.  These  bands  grew  into  consid- 
erable herds.  These  were  herded  in  the  moun- 
tain valleys  beyond  the  Spanish  grants,  which 
lay  almost  entirely  along  the  coast.  During  the 
Mexican  rule  in  California  these  Indian  cattle 
kings  were  not  taxed.  After  the  inauguration 
of  the  American  system  of  government  the  ex- 
cessive fees  and  salaries  allowed  county  officials 
necessitated  the  resort  to  various  expedients  to 
increase  the  tax  roll.  Some  one  with  a  genius 
for  evil  devised  the  scheme  of  taxing  the  per- 
sonal property  of  the  Indians.  Agostin  Har- 
aszthy,  the  first  sheriff  of  San  Diego  county  and 
ex  officio  tax  collector,  also  city  marshal,  was 
famous  for  his  capacity  to  draw  down  salaries, 
and  his  dexterity  to  rake  in  fees.  It  was,  no 
doubt,  a  pleasure  to  him  to  find  a  new  field  for 
the  exercise  of  his  genius  for  grabbing.  When 
the  Indians  refused  to  pay  the  tax  imposed  upon 
them  he  seized  their  cattle  and  sold  them.  This 
roused  the  red  man's  wrath.  He  regarded  the 
sheriff  and  his  posse  as  robbers. 

Principal  among  the  Indian  cattle  owners  was 
Antonio  Garra,  chief  of  the  San  Luis  Rey  tribe. 
Garra  had  great  influence  among  the  various 
Indian  tribes.  He  was  intelligent  and  energetic 
and  brave.  In  early  life  he  lived  at  the  Mission 
San  Luis  Rey,  was  baptized  there  and  had  re- 
ceived a  rudimentary  education.  He  could  read 
and  write.  Indignant  at  his  treatment  by  the 
sheriff,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  forming  a  con- 
federation of  all  the  southern  Indian  tribes  to 
drive  the  Americans  out  of  the  country.  He 
hoped  to  draw  into  the  plot  the  native  Cali- 
fornians.  He  wrote  letters  to  several  of  these, 
urging  them  to  join  the  conspiracy  against  the 
Americans,  but  received  no  encouragement  from 
them.  He  sent  messengers  to  the  chiefs  of  the 
Coahuillas,  the  Yumas  and  the  Cocopahs.  These 
tribes  all  had  their  grievances  against  the  Amer- 


260 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


icans    anil    were    willing    to    join    any    plot   that 
promised   revenge  and  plunder. 

(_)ne  of  Antonio  Garra"s  schemes  as  divulged 
later  by  some  of  his  adherents  was  to  surprise 
and  capture  Fort  Yuma,  and  with  the  small 
arms  and  artillerv  taken  there  to  attack  Los  An- 
geles and  San  Diego.  As  a  preliminary  to  the 
carrying  out  of  his  ambitious  designs  and  to 
procure  supplies  for  his  campaign  of  extermin- 
ation of  the  Americans  an  attack  was  made  on 
^Varner's  rancho.  located  about  sixty  miles  east- 
erl}-  of  San  Diego. 

Jonathan  Trumbull  Warner,  better  known  as 
Juan  Jose  Warner  or  Juan  Largo  (Long  John), 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  He  came  to  Cali- 
fornia with  Ewing  Yoimg's  party  in  183 1.  For 
a  time  after  his  arrival  in  the  territory  he  fol- 
lowed trapping.  Then  he  settled  in  Los  An- 
geles and  became  a  naturalized  citizen  of  J\Iex- 
ico.  He  obtained  a  land  grant  from  the  ]Mex- 
ican  government  of  26,000  acres  of  valley  and 
mesa  land  in  the  San  Diego  Mountains.  This 
he  stocked  with  cattle  and  horses.  He  was  liv- 
ing there  at  the  time  of  the  American  conquest. 
The  Agua  Caliente  or  Hot  Springs  on  this 
rancho  were  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Indians. 
.\fter  the  discovery  of  gold,  Warner  opened  a 
store  at  his  rancho  and  carried  a  stock  of  goods 
amounting  to  about  $5,000.  His  customers  were 
Indians,  vaqueros  and  gold  seekers  coming  to 
California  by  the  Gila  route.  Warner's  display 
of  goods  no  doubt  tempted  the  Indians  to  raid 
his  store  and  ranch.  A  friendly  Indian  had 
warned  Mrs.  Warner  of  the  contemplated  attack 
and  Warner  sent  his  family  to  San  Diego. 

There  are  different  and  widely  differing  ac- 
counts of  the  attack  on  Warner's  rancho  pub- 
lished in  state  and  county  histories.  The  fol-> 
lowing  is  Warner's  testimony  given  at  the  trial 
of   Antonio   Garra   and   is  undoubtedly   correct : 

"(On  Saturday  morning,  November  23,  1851, 
about  sunrise.  I  was  awakened  by  a  war-whoop, 
and,  having  had  cause  to  suspect,  I  ran  to  the 
door  and  met  my  Indian  boy,  who  said  the 
Coahuillas  are  on  us,  and  then  I  saw  two  horses 
that  I  had  made  fast  and  which  they  had  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  loose ;  and  on  presenting  my- 
self at  the  door,  gun  in  hand,  they  immediately 
secreted  themselves.     T   succeeded  in  killing  one 


and  shortly  afterwards  shot  another  while  I  was 
running  from  my  house  to  an  outhouse.  Near 
me  were  at  least  twenty  Indians.  There  was  no 
person  in  my  house  but  a  sick  Mulatto  boy  and 
an  Indian  boy.  I  returned  to  the  house  and  pro- 
cured another  ggn  and  succeeded  in  getting  a 
horse  saddled  and  made  my  Indian  boy,  an  in- 
terpreter, inquire  of  them  what  they  wanted.  He 
ran  away  and  joined  them.  I  then  returned  to 
my  house  and  found  it  stripped  of  everything. 
The  Indians  had  fled.  The  great  body  of  them, 
1-  think,  was  about  two  miles  off.  While  riding 
away  1  overtook  an  Indian  who  had  some  of  my 
property.  When  I  ordered  him  to  return  it  to 
my  house  he  dropped  his  load  and  attempted  to 
draw  an  arrow,  when  I  shot  him. 

"I  was  subsequently  one  of  a  number  who 
were  at  .Agua  Caliente  and  there  I  saw  the  bodies 
of  Ridgley,  Slack  and  Fidler  and,  although  much 
disfigured,  yet  I  recognized  them.  My  work 
horses  were  not  stolen,  neither  were  my  breed- 
ing mares  that  day.  There  must  have  been  some 
100  or  150  Indians." 

"Can  }-ou  gives  the  names  of  any  Indian  or 
Indians  who  made  an  attack  upon  your  house?" 

"No." 

"Do  you  know  Juan  Bautista? 

"I  do/' 

"Were  you  fired  upon  first?" 

"I   was." 

"Were  any  mounted?" 

"None  that  I  saw." 

"Who  is  looked  upon  as  chief  of  the  party 
that  made  the  attack  upon  your  house?" 

"Antonio  Garra. 

"I  know  nothing  further  of  the  Agua  Cal- 
iente's  murder  except  that  1  saw  the  dead  bodies. 
I  believe  those  who  attacked  me  are  of  the  San 
Luis  Key  Indians,  of  whom  the  prisoner  is  chief." 

Four  Americans  encamped  at  the  Agua  Cal- 
iente were  treacherously  murdered  by  the  In- 
dians.' I'^ive  Americans  and  two  Mexicans  driv- 
ing a  band  of  sheep  into  California,  shortly  aft- 
er they  crossed  the  Colorado  river  into  Cali- 
fornia, were  attacked  by  a  large  force  of  Yumas 
and  Coahuillas.  Five  of  the  party  were  killed 
and  the  band  of  sheep  stolen. 

These  atrocities  alarmed  the  people  of  south- 
ei-n    California.      San    Diego    was    placed    under 


HISTORICAL  AXI)   BIOGRAPHIC.VL  RI-XORD. 


261 


martial  law,  and  a  call  issued  for  volunteers.  A 
company  was  raised  in  San  Diego  and  placed 
under  command  of  Major  Fitzgerald.  A  com- 
pany of  60  men  was  raised  at  Los  Angeles  for 
field  service  and  another  of  which  B.  D.  Wilson 
was  captain,  fi  r  home  guards  to  protect  the 
cit_\-  should  Antonio  darra  undertake  to  carry  out 
his  ambitions  schemes  of  conquest.  All  the  mil- 
itia were  under  command  of  Major  General 
Joshua  H.  Bean.  The  volunteers  were  armed 
with  refuse  muskets  from  the  United  States  ord- 
nance stores.  These  ginis  were  useless  and  were 
more  dangerous  to  the  man  behintl  the  gun  than 
to  the  man  before.  The  volunteers  did  con- 
siderable scouting,  but  killed  no  Indians. 

After  the  attack  on  Warner's  rancho  and  the 
murder  of  the  Americans,  Garro,  knowing  that 
retaliation  would  be  visited  upon  them,  ordered 
the  Indians  to  flee  to  the  mountains.  .Major 
Heintzleman  with  a  body  of  regulars  iiursued 
them  into  their  mountain  refuge  and  in  a  fight 
at  Los  Coyotes  on  Christmas  day  of  1851  killed 
a  number  of  them.  The  Coahuillas  and  San 
Luis  Indians  surrendered  and  sued  for  peace. 

After  the  battle  Alajor  Heintzleman,  the  com- 
manding oiificer  of  the  department  of  the  south, 
ordered  a  council  of  war  for  the  trial  of  four 
minor  chiefs  kr.own  to  have  been  implicated  in 
the  murder  of  the  Americans  at  Agua  Caliente. 
These  were :  Francisco  Alocate,  chief  of  the 
San  Ysidor  Indians ;  Louis,  alcalde  of  Agua  Cal- 
iente :  Jacobo  or  Oui-sil  and  Juan  Bautista,  of 
Coton.  They  were  condemned  to  be  shot.  They 
were  marched  out  to  the  place  of  execution. 
Kneeling  at  the  head  of  their  graves  in  the 
presence  of  their  fellow  prisoners  they  were  ex- 
ecuted. 

On  December  13,  1851,  Bill  Marshall,  an 
American,  and  Juan  Verde,  a  Mexican,  were 
hung  at  Old  Town  for  cotnplicity  in  the  murder 
of  the  Americans  and  the  sacking  of  \\'arner's 
rancho.  Marshall  came  to  San  Diego  in  a  whale 
ship  in  1844.  He  deserted  and  made  his  way  to 
the  Indian  settlements  and  married  a  daughter 
of  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  San  Dieguenos.  His 
reputation  was  not  the  best,  but  there  was  no 
proof  that  he  was  concerned  in  the  outbreak. 
He  confessed  that  he  knew  that  Slack  and  the 
three  other  Americans  at  Agua  Caliente  were  to 


be  killed.  He  made  no  ett'ort  tcj  warn  them  for 
fear  of  the  Indians.  Garra  at  his  trial  stated 
that  Marshall  and  X'erde  liad  nothing  to  do  with 
the  killing  of  the  Americans.  They  were  tried 
and  found  guilty.  \'erde  confessed  to  a  career 
of  crime  and  no  doubt  deserved  his  fate.  Mar- 
shall died  protesting  his  innocence,  a  victim  to 
keeping  bad  companw 

Antonio  Garra  took  refuge  with  Juan  .Vntonio, 
chief  of  the  \\'hite  \\  ater  Indians.  He  was  cap- 
tured through  the  connivance  of  Juan  Antonio 
and  surrendered  to  the  mditary  authorities.  A 
court  martial  was  convened  at  Old  Town  to  try 
him.  Gen.  J.  H.  Bean  of  the  militia,  who  had 
his  headquarters  in  San  Diego  during  the  war, 
was  made  president,  and  Major  IMcKinstry,  of 
the  regular  army,  was  appointed  counsel  for 
Garra.  Three  charges  were  preferred  against 
the  Indian  chief — first,  treason  :  second,  murder ; 
third,  theft.  Major  McKiiistry  r|uickly  Disposed  of 
the  charge  of  treiisun.  lie  prdNcl  that  Garra  was 
not  a  citizen  of  tiie  Cniled  Stales,  and,  owing  no 
allegiance  to  the  government,  he  could  not  com- 
mit treason.  He  was  a  prisoner  of  war.  Garra 
was  found  guilty  of  murder  and  theft  and  was 
sentenced  to  be  shot  January  10,  1852. 

Garra  on  his  trial  claimed  that  it  was  the 
Coahuilla  Indians  who  sacked  \\'arner*s  r;incbo; 
that  he  was  sick  and  stopped  at  San  Tsicho,  but 
was  forced  to  go  on  by  the  Coahuillas.  Lieuten- 
ant Hamilton  in  his  evidence  stated  that  Garra 
sent  Bill  Marshall  and  Juan  X'erde  to  murder 
the  Americans  at  Agua  Caliente,  but  not  having 
confidence  in  these  two  persons  he  sent  an  In- 
dian named  Jacobo  to  follow  them  and  see  that 
his  orders  were  executed.  Garra  had  issued  or- 
ders to  attack  Warner's  ranch  and  threatened  to 
kill  any  one  who  did  not  obey.  The  attack  was 
made  by  Panito's  and  Razon's  people,  Antonio's 
heart  failed  him  before  the  attack,  but  Panito 
said  they  said  they  would  do  it  whether  Garra 
directed  it  or  not.  After  the  sacking  and  the 
murders  Garra  gave  orders  to  the  Indians  to  flee 
to  the  mountains. 

Antonio  in  his  address  before  the  court  mar- 
tial said:  "I  tried  to  obtain  revenge  for  the 
forced  pa\ment  of  taxes  which  the  Americans 
demanded.     We  did  not  rise  for  the  mere  wish 


262 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  revolting,  but  to  resist  the  collection  of  taxes 
which  the  Indians  think  is  very  unjust." 

EXECUTION   OF  ANTONIO  GARRA. 

"The  prisoner  took  his  place  at  the  head  of 
his  executioners  and  marched  to  his  grave,  evi- 
dently determined  to  show  his  captors  that  an 
Indian  could  die  like  a  brave  man.  Arriving 
at  the  grave  the  prisoner  placed  himself  at  its 
head  and  only  after  repeated  solicitations  and 
commands  of  his  father  confessor  was  he  in- 
duced to  ask  pardon  of  the  large  crowd  assem- 
bled, which  he  did  after  his  own  manner.  Lift- 
ing his  eyes  and  gazing  at  the  assemblage,  he 
said,  with  a  smile  of  contempt :  'Gentlemen,  I 
ask  your  pardon  for  all  my  offenses  and  expect 
yours  in  return." 

"Then,  suffering  his  eyes  to  be  bandaged,  he 
kneeled  at  the  head  of  his  grave.  The  provost- 
marshal  gave  the  command  :  'Ready  !  Aim  ! 
Fire !'  At  that  moment  the  sun's  last  rays  were 
tinting  the  hills  of  Point  Loma  and  the  bells  of 
the  neighboring  church  chimed  vespers.  The 
soul  of  a  truly  brave  man  winged  its  flight  to  the 
realms  of  eternity.  The  occasion  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  assembled  hundreds,  who,  whilst  ac- 
knowledging the  justness  of  Antonio's  fate,  failed 
not  to  drop  a  tear  over  the  grave  of  a  brave  man 


and  once  powerful  chieftain." — San  Diego  Her- 
ald, January   17,   1852. 

Thus  died  a  patriot  who  had  struck  in  de- 
fense of  a  principle  as  just  as  that  which  actuated 
Hampden,  the  knights  at  Runnymede,  or  our 
own  Revolutionary  fathers  at  Lexington.  In  his 
retaliation  for  a  wrong  inflicted  upon  himself 
and  his  people  his  untutored  sense  of  justice  had 
failed  to  discriminate  between  the  private  in- 
dividual and  the  collective  embraced  in  what  is 
called  the  government.  Instead  of  dying  as  a 
soldier  and  a  patriot  he  went  to  his  death  stig- 
matized a  murderer  and  a  thief. 

The  second  Indian  war,  like  the  first,  was 
fearfully  expensive.  General  Joshua  H.  Bean 
had  been  the  commanding  officer  of  the  militia 
in  both  wars,  but  had  not  taken  the  field.  Bean's 
Second  Expedition,  as  the  Garra  war  was  called, 
cost  the  infant  state  $116,000.  In  neither  war 
did  the  militia  kill  an  Indian.  Even  those  con- 
demned to  be  shot  were  executed  by  the  reg- 
ulars. The  Yumas  continued  hostilities  after 
the  surrender  of  the  Coahuillas.  Major  Heintzle- 
man  in  the  spring  of  1852  pursued  them  up  the 
Colorado  river  seventy  miles,  burning  their  vil- 
lages, destroying  their  melon  fields  and  fighting 
them  whenever  they  made  a  stand.  They  be- 
haved themselves  after  this  punishment. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIll. 


SAN  DIEGO  COUNTY— Continued. 


THE    PUEBLO    OF    SAN    DIEGO. 

IN  1850  and  for  a  number  of  years  after  there 
was  no  settlement  in  San  Diego  county  out- 
side of  the  city  that  could  be  called  a  town.  At 
each  of  the  large  ranches  there  was  a  small  set- 
tlement made  up  of  servants  and  vaqueros  and 
their  families.  Some  of  these  were  designated 
as  precincts  when  a  general  election  was  called, 
and  at  a  few  some  one  acted  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace. 

The  history  of  the  county  and  of  the  city  are 
identical  for  nearly  two  decades.  The  back 
country  so  often  spoken  of  was  undeveloped  and 


the  very  few  events  that  happened  at  points 
back  from  the  bay  are  unimportant.  The  early 
history  of  Old  San  Diego,  or  Old  Town,  as  it 
is.  usually  called,  has  been  given  in  the  chapter 
on  the  Founding  of  the  Presidios. 

The  pueblo  of  San  Diego  was  organized  Jan- 
uary I,  1835.  It  is  not,  as  -some  writers  have 
claimed,  the  oldest  municipality  in  California. 
The  pueblos  of  San  Jose  and  Los  Angeles  ante- 
date it  many  years.  Los  Angeles  having  passed 
beyond  the  pueblo  stage  was  made  a  ciudad 
(city)  the  same  year  (1835)  that  the  pueblo  of 
San  Diego  was  organized.  The  first  ayunta- 
miento  or  town  council,  elected  December,  1834, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  composed  of  an  alcalde,  two  regidores  and 
a  sindico  procurador. 

The  first  survey  of  the  pueblo  lands  was  made 
by  Henry  D.  Fitch  in  1845.  The  Mexican  gov- 
ernment granted  the  pueblo  eleven  leagues  or 
48,884  acres.  This  grant  to  the  pueblo  was  con- 
firmed by  the  United  States  Land  Commission 
in  1853.  San  Diego  was  more  fortunate  than 
Los  Angeles,  v%'hose  claim  of  sixteen  square 
leagues  was  cut  down  to  four,  or  Santa  Barbara, 
which  claimed  eight,  but  had  to  be  content  with 
four.  San  Diego  in  area,  fifty  years  ago,  was 
the  largest  town  in  the  United  States.  Its 
boundary  lines  inclosed  about  75  square  miles ; 
its  population,  however,  was  less  than  ten  to  the 
square  mile. 

THE  FOUNDING   OF    NEW   TOWN. 

March  18,  1850,  the  ayuntamiento  of  San  Di- 
ego sold  to  William  Heath  Davis,  Jose  A. 
Aguirre,  Andrew  B.  Grey,  Thomas  D.  Johns  and 
Miguel  de  Pedrorena  160  acres  of  land  a  few 
miles  south  of  Old  Town,  near  the  army  bar- 
racks, for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  "new  port." 
William  Heath  Davis,  one  of  the  oldest  living 
pioneers  of  California  and  author  of  "Sixty 
Years  in  California,"  in  an  interview  published 
in  the  San  Diego  Sun  twenty  years  ago,  gives 
the  following  account  of  the  origin  of  New 
Town : 

"Of  the  new  town  of  San  Diego,  now  the 
city  of  San  Diego,  I  can  say  that  I  was  its 
founder.  In  1850  the  American  and  Mexican 
commissions  appointed  to  establish  the  bound- 
ary line  were  at  Old  Town.  Andrew  B.  Gray, 
the  chief  engineer  and  surveyor  for  the  United 
States,  who  was  with  the  commission,  intro- 
duced himself  to  me  one  day  at  Old  Town.  In 
February,  1850,  he  explained  to  me  the  advan- 
tages of  the  locality  known  as  'Puenta  de  los 
Muertos'  (Point  of  the  Dead"),  from  the  circum- 
stances that  in  the  year  1787  a  Spanish  squadron 
anchored  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  present 
site  of  the  city  of  San  Diego.  During  the  stay 
of  the  fleet,  surveying  the  bay  of  San  Diego  for 
the  first  time,  several  sailor  and  marines  died 
and  were  interred  on  a  sand  spit,  adjacent  to 
where  my  wharf  stood,  and  was  named  as  above. 
The  piles  of  mv  structure  are  still  imbedded  in 


the  sands  as  if  there  had  been  premeditation  to 
mark  them  as  the  tomb  marks  of  those  deceased 
early  explorers  of  the  Pacific  ocean  and  of  the 
inlet  of  San  Diego  during  the  days  of  Spain's 
greatness.  I  have  seen  Puenta  de  los  Muertos 
on  Pantoja's  chart  of  his  explorations  of  the 
waters  of  the  Pacific. 

"Messrs.  Jose  Antonio  Aquirre,  Miguel  de 
Pedrorena,  Andrew  B.  Gray,  T.  D.  Johns  and 
myself  were  the  projectors  of  what  is  now 
known  as  the  city  of  San  Diego.  All  my  co-pro- 
prietors have  since  died,  and  I  remain  alone  of 
the  party  and  am  a  witness  of  the  marvelous 
events  and  changes  that  have  since  transpired  in 
this  vicinity  during  more  than  a  generation. 

"The  first  building  in  new  San  Diego  was  put 
up  by  myself  as  a  private  residence.  The  build- 
ing still  stands,  being  known  as  the  San  Diego 
hotel.  I  also  put  up  a  number  of  other  houses ; 
the  cottage  built  by  Andrew  Gray  is  still  stand- 
ing and  is  called  'The  Hermitage.'  George  F. 
Hooper  also  built  a  cottage,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing near  my  house,  in  new  San  Diego.  Under 
the  conditions  of  our  deed  we  were  to  build  a 
substantial  wharf  and  warehouse.  The  other  pro- 
prietors of  the  town  deeded  to  me  their  interest 
in  block  20,  where  the  wharf  was  to  be  built. 
The  wharf  was  completed  in  six  months  after 
getting  the  title,  in  March,  1850.  at  a  cost  of 
$60,000.  The  piles  of  the  old  wharf  are  still  to 
be  seen  on  the  old  wharf  site  in  block  20.  At 
that  time  I  predicted  that  San  Diego  would  be- 
come a  great  commercial  seaport,  from  its  fine 
geographical  position  and  from  the  fact  that  it 
was  the  only  good  harbor  south  of  San  Francis- 
co. Had  it  not  been  for  our  Civil  war,  railroads 
would  have  reached  here  years  before  Stanford's 
road  was  built,  for  our  wharf  was  ready  for 
business." 

The  fate  of  this  wharf  of  high  anticipations 
and  brilliant  prospects  was  prosaic  and  com- 
monplace. In  1862,  some  six  hundred  Union 
troops  en  route  to  Arizona  were  quartered  at 
the  army  barrack  near  the  wharf.  The  great 
flood  of  that  year  cut  oflF  for  a  time  all  com- 
munication with  the  back  country  and  detained 
the  troops  there  most  of  the  winter.  The  sup- 
ply of  firewood  ran  out  and  the  weather  was 
cold — so  the   "gp.llant  six  hundred."  led  bv  the 


264 


H]STORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(|uartL'r-mastcr.  charsi?il  the  wharf  and  ware- 
house, and  when  they  were  through  charging 
all  that  was  left  of  that  wharf  was  a  few  teredo- 
eaten  piles.  The  soldiers  burned  the  wharf  and 
warehouse  for  fuel.  Davis  filed  a  claim  against 
the  government  for  $60,000  damages  on  account 
of  the  destruction  of  his  wharf  and  warehouse 
by  the  soldiers.  But  the  government  did  not 
"honor  the  charge  he  made."  After  many  de- 
lays his  claim  was  finally  pared  down  to  $6,000 
and  allowed  for  that  amount. 

THE    PIONEER     NEWSPAl^ER    .^ND    ITS     rKorUIETOR. 

Considering  the  difficulties  of  transporting 
printing  presses  to  California  immediately  after 
the  discover}'  of  gold,  it  is  remarkable  how  many 
of  tliose  "levers  that  move  the  world"  found 
their  way  into  the  new  El  Dorado.  They  were 
brought  by  every  known  route — around  the 
Horn,  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  on  mule 
back,  and  over  the  plains  by  teams.  The 
pioneer  press  of  San  Diego  and  its  pioneer 
newspaper  have  interesting  histories.  The 
pioneer  newspaper  died  nearly  fift}-  years  ago, 
but  the  pioneer  press  is  said  to  be  still  in  use 
at   Independence,  Inyo  county,  hale  and  hearty. 

The  story  of  Ames  and  his  press  of  which  the 
following  is  the  substance,  appeared  a  few  years 
since  in  the  Overland  Monthly  and  has  since 
been  published  in  several  local  newspapers.  I 
give  it  for  what  it  is  worth  : 

"The  press  was  bought  in  New  York  in  1848 
by  Judson  Ames  and  taken  to  Baton  Rouge,  the 
home  of  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor,  the  nominee  of 
the  Whig  party  for  president.  Ames  started  a 
'Whig  campaign  paper  called  'The  Dime  Cafehcr. 
General  Taylor  was  elected,  and  there  was  no 
further  need  for  the  campaign  paper.  For  a 
time  Ames  continued  the  publication  of  the 
paper  as  a  Whig  organ,  but  The  Dime  Catcher 
could  not  capture  'bits'  enough  to  pay  expenses 
and  its  publication  was  suspended. 

"With  a  press  on  his  hands,  .\mes  cast  around 
for  an  opening  but  finding  none  he  packed  up 
his  printing  plant  and  joined  the  gold  rush  to 
California.  He  came  via  the  Isthinus  of  Pana- 
ma. Landing  nt  Chagrcs,  he  secured  a  boat 
and  a  crew  of  native  to  pole  him  and  his  press 
up  the  Chagres  river.  On  the  way  up  a  sud- 
den   lurch   threv>'   the   press    overboard.       After 


considerable  labor  and  delay  he  fished  it  out  of 
the  river  and  got  it  aboard  the  boat.  He  landed 
at  Cruces  and  finally  succeeded  in  getting  his 
]iress  and  material  packed  on  mules  and  safely 
landed  at  Panama. 

"Panama  was  crowded  with  gold  seekers 
awaiting  transportation  to  California.  The 
prices  for  passage  were  prohibitive  to  persons 
of  limited  means.  Ames  was  perforce  compelled 
to  await  an  opportunity  to  get  transportation  for 
himself  and  his  printing  press.  While  waiting 
he  set  it  up  and  issued  a  paper  called  the  Pana- 
ma Herald,  printed  half  in  Spanish  and  half  in 
English.  It  was  the  pioneer  paper  of  Panama. 
After  the  rush  had  in  a  measure  subsided  he 
continued  his  journey  and  landed  without  fur- 
ther mishap  at  San  Francisco." 

Here,  according  to  the  story  in  the  Overland 
j\Ionthly,  he  met  Senator  William  M.  Gwin,  who 
induced  him  by  flattering  promises  to  locate  at 
San  Diego  and  advocate  the  building  of  a  Pa- 
cific Railroad  (by  a  southern  route)  of  which 
San  Diego  would  be  the  western  terminus. 

This  story  is  evidently  largely  apochryphal. 
Ames  in  his  salutatory  "To  our  Patrons"  pub- 
lished in  the  first  issue  of  the  San  Diego  Her- 
ald. May  29,  185T,  gives  this  account  of  his  ad- 
ventures : 

"After  surmounting  chtificulties  and  suffering 
anxieties  that  would  have  disheartened  any  but 
a  'live  Yankee'  we  are  enabled  to  present  the 
first  number  nf  the  Herald  to  the  public,  ^^'e 
issued  our  prospectus  in  December  last  and  su]i- 
posed  at  the  time  that  we  had  secured  the  mate- 
rial for  our  paper;  but  when  we  came  to  put  our 
hand  on  it,  it  wasn't  there. 

"Determining  to  lose  no  time  we  tno]<  the 
first  boat  for  New  Orleans,  where  we  selected 
our  office  and  had  returned  as  far  as  the  Isth- 
mus when  Dame  Misfortune  gave  us  another 
kick,  snagged  our  boat  and  sunk  everything  in 
the  Chagres  river.  After  fishing  a  day  or  two 
we  got  enough  to  get  out  a  paper  and  pushed 
on  for  Gorgono,  letting  the  balance  go  to  Davy 
Jones'  locker.  Then  came  the  tug  of  war  in 
getting  our  press  and  heavy  boxes  of  type  across 
the  Isthmus.  Three  weeks  of  anxiety  and  toil 
prostrated  us  with  Panama  fevei',  by  which  we 
missed  our  passage  in  the  regular  mail  steamer 


HISTORIC  \L  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2G5 


— the  onl}-  boat  that  touched  at  San  Diego — 
thereby  obhging  us  to  go  on  board  a  pnipeher 
bound  for  San  Francisco.  This  boat  sprung  a 
leak  off  the  Gulf  of  Tehauntepec — came  near 
sinking — run  on  a  sand  bank — and  finally  got 
into  Acapulco,  where  she  was  detained  a  week 
in  repairing.  We  at  last  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, just  in  time  to  lose  more  of  our  material 
by  the  late  fire!  Well,  here  we  are  at  last,  as 
good  as  new,  and  just  as  our  paper  is  going  to 
press  the  thought  occurs  to  us  that  we  ought  to 
make  this  explanation  to  those  who  gave  us 
their  subscriptions  last  December,  to  account  for 
our  tardy  appearance. 

"In  jwlitics  the  Herald  will  be  independent 
but  not  neutral :  it  will  be  the  organ  and  engine 
of  no  ]3arty  but  tlie  impartial  advocate  of  such 
measures  as  shall  seem  best  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  general  welfare  of  the  state  and  ad- 
vance local  interests  and  prosperity  of  Lower 
California  or  more  immediately  of  the  district  of 
San  Diego." 

The  Herald  was  a  four  column  paper  12x18 
inches.  The  subscription  price  was  $10  ]:)er  an- 
num, one  half  in  advance.  The  first  issue  con- 
tained a  colunui  and  a  half  list  of  letters  re- 
maining in  the  postoffice.  Some  of  these  let- 
ters had  remained  there  since  the  establishment 
of  the  postoffice  in  1848.  Tiie  ad\-ertisements  in 
the  Herald  were  nearly  all  of  business  houses  in 
.San  Francisco.  The  rates  for  advertising  were 
$4  for  a  square  of  eight  lines. 

The  outlook  was  not  encouraging.  The  town 
was  small  and  non-progressive ;  a  large  portion 
of  the  inhabitants  were  native  Californians 
whose  early  education  had  been  neglected. 
There  did  not  seem  to  be  that  long  felt  want 
that  the  newspaper  alone  can  fill.  Yet,  with  all 
its  uncongenial  surroundings  the  paper  attained 
a  widespread  fame,  not,  however,  through  its 
founder,  but  through  a  substitute  to  whom  for 
a  short  time  .\n-!es  entrusted  the  editorial  tripod, 
scissors  and  paste  pot  of  the  Herald. 

"Lieut.  George  H.  Derby,  of  the  United 
States  Topographical  Corps,  had  been  sent  down 
by  the  government  in  .August.  1852.  to  super- 
intend the  turning  of  the  channel  of  the  San 
Diego  river  into  False  i)ay.  to  prevent  it  from 
carrying  sand  into  the  liay  of  San  Diego.     Der- 


b_\'  was  a  wit  as  well  as  an  engineer,  and  a 
famous  caricaturist." 

Lieutenant  Derby,  better  known  by  his  num 
dc  plume,  John  Phoenix,  on  taking  cliarge  of  the 
Herald  made  the  following  announcement  in 
the  editorial  columns : 

"Facilius  decensus  avenii,  which  may  be  liter- 
all}-  translated — it  is  easy  to  go  to  San  Francis- 
co— llig  Ames  has  gone.  Departed  in  the 
Goliath  in  hope  of  obtaining  new  subscribers  for 
this  interesting  journal,  perchance  hoping  to  be 
paid  by  old  ones.  During  his  absence,  which  I 
hope  will  not  exceed  two  weeks,  I  am  to  re- 
main in  charge  of  the  Herald — the  literary  part 
thereof  to  the  extent  of  two  and  a  half  columns. 
Should  any  gentleman  differing  with  me  in  opin- 
ion feel  anxious  to  give  utterance  to  his  thoughts, 
I  can  only  say,  "My  dear  sir,  the  Herald  is  a 
neutral  paper  and  while  I  have  charge  of  it  its 
light  shall  shine  for  all.'  Express  yourself 
therefore  fully  but  concisely  in  an  ably  written 
article;  hand  it  to  me  and  I  will  with  pleasure 
present  it  to  tlv.-  world  through  the  columns  of 
this  widespread  juurnal.  Merely  reserving  for 
myself  the  privilege  of  using  you  up  as  I  shall 
infallibly  do  and  to  a  fearful  extent  if  facts  are 
facts,  reason  is  reasonable,  and  I  know  myself 
intimately  of  which  at  present  I  have  no  man- 
ner of  doubt.'  "  Phoenix's  excuse  for  using  the 
singular  pronoun  in  his  editorial  was  that  not 
having  a  tape  worm  he  could  not  be  plural, 
therefore  he  usefl  "I."  Phoenix  thus  apolo- 
gizes for  his  first  issue:  'A'ery  little  news  will 
be  found  in  the  Herald  this  week.  The  fact  is 
there  never  is  much  news  in  it  and  it  is  well  that 
it  is  so.  The  climate  liere  is  so  delightful  that 
residents  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  dolce  far 
III  elite  care  very  little  about  what  is  going  on 
elsewhere  and  residents  of  other  places  care 
very  little  aboLit  what  is  going  on  in  San  Diego. 
so  all  parties  are  likclv  to  be  gratified  with  the 
little   paper." 

Ames.  :n  a  mild  way.  had  been  supporting  the 
Democratic  ticket,  headed  by  John  Bigler  for 
governor.  Derby  hoisted  the  Whig  ticket  with 
William  \\'aldo  for  governor,  following  this  were 
the  names  of  candidates  for  county  offices.  This 
he  named  the  Phoenix  ticket.  .Ames  at  San 
Francisco    wa<;    confronted    bv    the    Democratic 


266 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


candidates  with  the  evidence  of  his  paper's  re- 
creancy and   his  hopes  of   subsidy  vanished. 

He  returned  to  San  Diego.  Derby  thus  de- 
scribes the  meeting:  "The  Tljomas  Neunt 
(steamer  Thomas  Hunt)  had  arrived  and  a 
rumor  had  reached  our  ears  that  'Boston'  was 
on  board.  Pubhc  anxiety  had  been  excited  to 
the  highest  pitch  to  witness  the  result  of  the 
meeting  between  us.  It  had  been  stated  pub- 
hcly  that  'Boston'  would  whip  us  the  moment  he 
arrived,  but  though  we  thought  a  conflict 
probable,  we  had  never  been  very  sanguine  as 
to  its  terminating  in  that  manner.  Coolly  we 
gazed  from  the  window  of  the  office  upon  the 
New  Town  road;  high  above  it  waved  a  whip 
lash,  and  we  said,  Boston  cometh,  'and  his  driv- 
ing is  like  that  of  Jehu,  the  son  of  Nimshi,  for 
he  driveth  furiously.'  Calmly  we  seated  our- 
selves in  the  arm  chair  and  continued  our  labors 
upon  our  Magnificent  Pictorial.  Anon  a  step, 
a  heavy  step,  was  heard  upon  the  stairs,  and 
Boston  stood  before  us.  *  *  *  We  rose 
and  with  an  unfaltering  voice  said,  'Well,  Judge, 
how  do  you  do?'  He  made  no  reply,  but  com- 
menced taking  ofif  his  coat.  We  removed  ours, 
also  our  cravat.  *  *  *  The  sixth  and  last 
round  is  described  by  the  pressmen  and  com- 
positors as  having  been  fearfully  scientific.  We 
held  Boston  down  over  the  press  by  our  nose 
(which  we  had  inserted  between  his  teeth  for 
that  purpose),  and  while  our  hair  was  employed 
in  holding  one  of  his  hands  we  held  the  other  in 
our  left  and  with  the  'sheep's  foot'  brandished 
above  our  head  shouted  to  him,  'Say  Waldo!' 
'Never!'   he   gasped. 

"At  this  moment  we  discovered  that  we  had 
been  laboring  under  a  'misunderstanding,'  and 
through  the  amicalile  intervention  of  the  press- 
man, who  thrust  a  roller  between  our  faces 
(which  gave  the  whole  aft'air  a  very  dark  com- 
plexion), the  matter  was  finally  settled  on  the 
most  friendly  terms,  and  without  prejudice  to 
the  honor  of  either  party."  He  closes  his  de- 
scription with  the  statement  that  "the  public 
can  believe  precisely  as  much  as  they  please;  if 
they  disbelieve  the  whole  of  it,  we  shall  not  be 
at  all  oflfended." 

Lieutenant  Derby  while  stationed  at  Fort 
Yuma  in  1853  mapped  the  main  channel  of  the 


lower  Colorado  river.  His  was  the  first  and 
one  of  our  most  accurate  surveys  ever  made  of 
that  changeable  river.  He  published  a  humor- 
ous book  under  the  title  of  Phoenixiana.  It  had 
an  immense  sale  for  a  time,  but  has  long  been 
out  of  print.  He  died  a  few  years  later  of  soft- 
ening of  the  brain. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  the  mill 
between  "Boston"  and  Phoenix  was  purely  im- 
aginary. Ames  on  taking  charge  of  the  paper 
announces  his  return  thus : 

"Turned  up  again !  Here  we  are  again ! 
Phoenix  has  played  the  devil  during  our  ab- 
sence but  he  has  done  it  in  such  a  good  hum- 
ored manner  that  we  have  not  a  word  to  say. 
He  has  done  things  which  he  ought  not  to  have 
done  and  has  left  undone  things  which  he  ought 
to  have  done  but  as  what  evil  he  has  done  cannot 
be  undone  we  may  as  well  dry  up  and  let  it 
slide." 

Ames  was  more  of  a  rustler  than  a  writer. 
He  frequently  turned  over  the  Herald  to  some 
one  to  manage  while  he  made  a  journey  to  San 
Francisco,  Sacramento  or  some  other  place.  In 
1855  he  transferred  it  to  William  H.  Noyes  with 
the  remark  that  "he  will  give  a  better  paper 
than  I  have  done."  He  went  east,  returned  a 
year  later  and  resumed  the  management  of  the 
paper. 

Ames  had  worn  out  San  Diego  or  San  Diego 
had  worn  out  Ames.  The  people  of  San  Ber- 
nardino were  anxious  to  have  a  newspaper,  a 
party  from  Los  Angeles  had  made  them  a  propo- 
sition to  establish  a  paper  in  the  town  for  a 
bonus  of  $250.  The  Herald  had  been  made  in 
1853  the  official  newspaper  of  San  Bernardino 
county.  Ames  offered  to  establish  his  paper  in 
San  Bernardino  city  on  condition  that  the  citi- 
zens send  teams  to  San  Diego  to  haul  his  plant 
to  its  new  destination.  The  offer  was  accepted. 
Ames  discontinued  the  publication  of  the  San 
Diego  Herald  in  i860.  The  historic  press  jour- 
neyed to  the  Morman  city  by  the  road  of 
Temecula  caiion.  The  San  Bernardino  Herald 
was  founded.  Its  life  was  short:  it  died  in  1861. 
.^nies  died  a  few  months  later. 

TR.WEL    BV     .SE.\    AXD     LAND. 

Durinc:    the    decade    between    1850   and    1S60 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


267 


the  town  made  but  little  growth.  There  was 
considerable  travel  between  it  and  the  other 
ports  of  the  coast.  In  1851  and  for  six  or  seven 
}ears  later,  "the  fast-sailing  United  States  mail 
steamer  'Ohio,'  Captain  Haley,  will  run  as  a 
regular  packet,  making  her  trip  once  in  every 
two  weeks  between  San  Francisco  and  San 
Diego,  touching  at  the  intermediate  points  of 
Santa  Cruz,  Monterey,  San  Luis  Obispo,  Santa 
Barbara  and  San  Pedro,"  so  says  an  advertise- 
ment in  the  Los  Angeles  Star  of  May  31,  1851. 
In  1853  and  1854  the  "Southerner,"  of  the 
Southern  Accommodation  Line,  was  making 
regular  semi-monthly  trips  between  San  Fran- 
cisco and  San  Diego,  stopping  at  intermediate 
points.  The  steamer  "Sea  Bird,"  of  Goodwin  & 
Co.'s  line,  was  making  trips  three  times  a  month, 
leaving  San  Francisco  the  4th,  14th  and  24th  of 
each  month.  The  "Thomas  Hunt"  also  was 
running  between  San  Francisco  and  San  Diego. 
Once  a  month  the  Panama  steamer  put  into  the 
port  with  the  eastern  mail.  In  185 1  a  semi- 
monthly mail  by  land  was  established  between 
Los  Angeles  and  San  Diego. 

But  the  event  that  promised  the  greatest  out- 
come for  San  Diego  during  the  decade  was  the 
establishment  of  an  overland  mail  between  San 
Antonio  de  Bexar,  Tex.,  and  San  Diego.  The 
route  was  by  the  way  of  El  Paso,  Messillo, 
Tucson  and  Colorado  City  (now  Yuma) — 1,500 
miles.  The  service  was  semi-monthly.  The 
contract  was  let  to  James  E.  Burch,  the  postal 
department  reserving  "the  right  to  curtail  or 
discontinue  the  service  should  any  route  subse- 
quently put  under  contract  cover  the  whole  or 
any  portion  of  the  route." 

The  San  Diego  Herald.  August  12.  1837,  thus 
notes  the  departure  of  the  first  train:  "The 
pioneer  mail  train  from  San  Diego  to  San  An- 
tonio, Tex.,  under  the  contract  entered  into  by 
the  government  with  James  Burch,  left  here  on 
the  9th  inst.  (August  9,  1857)  at  an  early  hour 
in  the  morning,  and  is  now  pushing  its  way  for 
the  east  at  a  rapid  rate.  The  mail  was,  of 
course,  carried  on  pack  animals,  as  will  be  the 
case  until  the  wagons  whicli  are  being  pushed 
across  will  have  been  put  on  the  line.  The  first 
train  from  this  side  left  in  charge  of  R.  W. 
Laine,   who   was    accompanied    by   some    of   the 


most  active  and  reliable  young  men  in  the  coun- 
ty, the  party  taking  relay  mules  with  them  for 
use  on  the  desert.  The  intention  is  to  push  on 
at  the  rate  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles  a  day  to  Tuc- 
son, where  entering  the  Apache  country  proper, 
a  large  party  will  be  organized  to  afford  proper 
protection  as  far  as  El  Paso  del  Norte  or  further 
if  necessary.  The  first  mail  from  the  other  side 
has  not  yet  arrived,  although  somewhat  over- 
due, and  conjecture  is  rife  as  to  the  cause  of  the 
delay.  Until  the  arrival  of  the  next  express 
from  Fort  Yuma  we  will  probably  receive  no 
tidings  from  the  country  through  which  the 
mail  has  to  pass,  but  for  our  own  part  we  see 
no  reason  for  alarm  in  the  case.  The  train 
leaving  here  took  a  large  number  of  letters  for 
Fort  Yuma,  Tuscon,  Calabasas,  El  Paso,  etc.,  in 
addition  to  the  regular  eastern  mail."  The  east- 
ern arrived  a  few  days  later  and  the  San 
Diegans  went  wild  with  joy  and  built  in  imag- 
ination a  city  of  vast  proportions  nn  the  bay. 

The  service  continued  to  improve  and  the  fifth 
trip  from  the  eastward  terminus  "was  made  in 
the  extraordinary  short  time  of  twenty-six  days 
and  twelve  hours,"  and  the  San  Diego  Herald 
on  its  arrival,  October  6,  rushed  out  an  extra 
"announcing  the  very  gratifying  fact  of  the  com- 
I>lete  triumph  of  the  southern  route,  notwith- 
standing the  croaking  of  many  of  the  oppo- 
nents of  the  Administration  of  this  state."  "The 
first  mail,"  so  said  the  extra,  "from  San  Diego 
had  arrived  at  San  Antonio  in  good  style  and 
created  naturally  a  great  excitement,  the  Texans 
taking  fully  as  much  interest  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  line  as  the  Californians." 

But  the  triumph  of  the  "southern  route"  was 
of  short  duration.  September,  1858,  the  stages 
of  the  Butterfield  line  began  making  their  semi- 
weekly  trips.  This  line  came  down  the  coast 
to  Gilroy,  then  through  the  Pacheco  Pass,  up 
the  San  Joaquin  valley  and  by  way  of  Fort 
Tejon  to  Los  Angeles ;  then  eastw-ard  by  Teme- 
cula  and  Warner's  ranch  to  Yuma,  then  across 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico  to  El  Paso,  where  it 
turned  north  to  St.  Louis  and  Memphis,  its 
eastern  termini.  San  Diego  and  San  Antonio 
were  side-tracked  and  the  Southern  route  dis- 
continued. 


168 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


OLD    TOWN    AND    NEW    TOWN     IN    STATU    QUO. 

After  this  temporary  s]3urt  of  enterprise,  San 
Diego  lapsed  into  its  old  poco  ticmpo  ways. 
Old  Town  reiTiained  in  statit  quo  and  New 
Town  did  not  expand.  There  had  been  rumors 
of  a  railroad  in  1854  and  in  1857,  but  the  mut- 
termg  of  the  coming  storm  between  the  north 
and  the  south  had  frightened  capital  and  the 
hope  of  a  railroad  had  been  given  up.  During 
the  Civil  war,  there  were  some  troops  always  at 
the  barracks,  sometimes  one  company,  some- 
times two  or  thr"c.     The  soldiers  stationed  there 


did  not  add  much  to  the  revenue  of  the  town. 
The  pa\-  of  a  private  was  $133  month  in  green- 
l^acks,  which,  converted  into  coin  at  the  rate  of 
thirty  to  forty  cents  silver  for  a  dollar  currency, 
did  not  give  the  defenders  of  the  countrv  lavish 
amounts  of  spending  money.  A  considerable 
amount  of  the  supplies  for  the  troops  were 
landed  at  San  Diego  and  sent  to  Fort  Yuma  by 
wagon  trains.  This  gave  employment  to  a  num- 
Ijer  of  men  and  teams  and  added  to  the  business 
of  the   town. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 


SAN  DIEGO  COUNTY— Continued. 


DCRIXG  the  decade  between  1850  and 
i860  there  was  little  or  nothing  done  to 
develop  San  Diego's  back  country.  From 
San  Mateo  to  the  Mexican  border  and  from 
the  ocean  front  to  the  mountains  the  choice 
land  of  the  count}-  was  held  in  vast  Mexi- 
can grants.  Even  the  limited  market  that  the 
town  afforded  for  fruit  and  other  agricul- 
tural products  was  poorly  supplied.  In 
1855  a  wagon  road  was  constructed  between 
San  Diego  and  San  Bernardino  by  way  of  the 
Temecula  canon.  The  Herald  of  May  12,  1855, 
chronicles  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Katz's  wagon  train 
from  San  Bernardino,  bringing  market  supplies 
which  were  readily  disposed  of — eggs  sold  at 
fifty  cents  a  dozen  and  butter  at  fifty  cents  per 
pound.  .San  Diego  had  great  expectations  of  be- 
coming the  shipping  port  of  San  Bernardino. 
The  long  haul,  the  steep  grades  and  the  winter 
floods  that  swept  through  the  Temecula  canon 
were  obstacles  that  prevented  the  development 
of  an  inland  commerce  between  the  city  by  the 
bay  and  the  stake  of  Zion  in  San  Bernardino. 

The  famine  }ears  of  1863-64  that  brought 
alinut  the  downfall  and  financial  ruin  to  so  many 
of  the  cattle  Jiarons  of  Southern  California  were 
not  so  disastrous  in  San  Diego  as  in  the  other 
cow  counties.  The  ranches  were  not  so  heavily 
overstocked  and  there  was  more  back  country 
not  covered  by  S]3anish  grants  where  the  cattle 


could  l)e  driven  and  kept  alive  until  the  feed 
started  on  the  deserted  ranges  near  the  coast. 
While  this  was  fortunate  for  the  cattle  kings, 
it  was  unfortunate  for  the  county.  It  retarded 
its  agricultural  development.  The  colonization 
era  of  the  early  '70s  that  brought  about  the  sud- 
division  of  so  many  ranchos  and  resulted  in  the 
founding  of  such  prosperous  settlements  as  Riv- 
erside, Pasadena,  Loitipoc  and  others  founded 
no  colonies  in  San  Diego.  Santa  ]\Iargarita  and 
Las  Flores  ranchos,  famous  in  California  his- 
tory, still  remain  intact  and  that  "ancient  baron" 
Richard  O'Neal,  their  present  owner,  rules  over 
a  domain  \aster  than  a  dukedom  in  his  native 
Ireland.  His  holdings  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  San  Diego  county  amount  to  133,000  acres. 
The  development  of  the  water  supply  now  in 
progress  and  the  increased  value  of  land  conse- 
<|uent  upon  the  influx  of  home-seekers  will  ere 
long  iuvade  the  stronghold  of  the  last  feudal 
baron  of  the  old  regime. 

W.\TER    STTPPLY. 

San  Diego  m  the  past  has  been  sneeringly 
nick-named  by  some  of  its  enemies  the  cit\-  of 
"bay-and-climate."  The  inference  intended  to 
be  drawn  from  this  was  that  it  had  no  back 
country — at  least,  none  that  was  productive — 
and  its  only  resources  were  bay  and  climate. 
'Hie  time  was  wlieii  this  charge  had  some  foun- 


HTSTORICAL  AND  tUOl  iK A  I'M  l(.  AL  K1':C()I-I1). 


dation,  but  this  has  all  been  changed  by  the 
water  developments  of  the  past  twenty  years. 
Xo  other  county  on  the  coast  has  invested  so 
much  capital  and  expended  so  much  labor  in 
conserving  the  waters  of  its  rivers  for  irriga- 
tion as  San  Diego  has  done. 

There  are  in  this  \ear  of  Our  Lord  1906 
either  constructed  or  in  the  course  of  construc- 
tion thirteen  reservoirs  with  a  holding  capacity 
of  (jne  hundred  and  forty-five  billions  gallons. 
The  elevation  of  these  reservoirs  above  the  sea 
level  ranges  from  145  feet  to  4.650  feet.  When 
these  are  all  completed  and  filled  there  will  be 
sufficient  water  to  irrigate  all  of  the  irrigable 
land  on  the  western  slope  of  the  county. 

THE    IMPERIAL    \AI  l.l-:V    AM)    S.\LT()X     SICA. 

The  early  history  of  that  part  of  San  Diego 
county  lying  between  the  mountains  and  the 
Colorado  river  was  a  succession  of  tragedies. 
Hostile  Indians  and  desert  thirst  dotted  the  wax- 
sides  of  the  old  immigrant  trails  that  crossed  it 
with  many  a  grave.  Two  great  overland  routes 
converged  on  the  Colorado  river  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Gila.  One  came  up  from  the  northern 
states  of  Mexico  and  the  other,  an  extension  of 
the  Santa  Fe  trail,  crossed  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona.  Over  the  first  came  and  went  many 
of  the  early  Spanish  pioneers,  and  later  by  it 
the  Sonorian  migration  found  its  wa_\-  to  the 
land  of  gold.  Over  the  second  came  the  immi- 
grants to  California  from  Texas,  .\rkansas  and 
other  southern  states. 

Between  the  Colorado  and  the  Coast  Range 
]\Iountains  lay  an  inhospitable  desert.  Over  this 
arid  waste  the  immigrant  looked  forward  with 
dread  and  foreboding.  The  trail,  faint  at  best, 
was  often  obliterated  by  sand  storms  or  cloud- 
bursts and  the  land  marine  was  left  to  drift 
helpless  on  a  chartless  sea.  Tf  he  missed  a 
watering  place  his  chances  were  desperate  for 
reaching  the  next  one.  L'nused  to  desert  phe- 
nomena, the  deceitful  mirage  might  lure  him 
from  the  trail,  and  in  pursuing  phantom  rivers 
and  lakes  "Till  the.\  faded  from  his  sight," 
leave  him  helpless 'to  perish  of  desert  thir.st. 

There  is  a  legend  that  when  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  was  in  course  of  construction 
across  the  desert  in  1879,  the  builders  came  upon 


a  group  of  human  skeletons.  These  were  sup- 
posed to  be  the  remains  of  members  of  a  lost 
immigrant  train  of  the  early  '50s.  The  sands  of 
the  Colorado  desert  were  as  pitiless  to  the  wearv 
immigrant  as  the  drifting  snows  of  the  Sierras. 
These  tragedies  on  the  Colorado  river  route  vir- 
tually ended  with  the  building  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  across  the  desert.  The  road- 
bed marked  the  trail  and  the  watering  stations 
along  the  road  relieved  the  thirsty  traveler. 

No  thirst-tortured  immigrant  who  crossed  the 
desert  waste  between  Yuma  and  the  Pass  of  San 
Gorgonio  coukl  have  been  convinced  by  any 
form  of  argument  that  that  "desert  could  be 
made  to  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose." 

The  first  scheme  for  reclaiming  the  Colorado 
desert  by  irrigaticm  was  jjromulgated  b\-  Dr.  O. 
M.  Wozencraft  half  a  century  ago.  His  project 
was  ridiculed  as  visionary  and  impossible.  He 
tried  to  secure  a  large  concession  of  land  from 
Mexico  lying  just  below  the  line.  This  was  at 
vhe  time  when  filibustering  was  active,  and  the 
Mexican  government  regarded  the  doctor's 
scheme  with  suspicion.  The  first  successful  at- 
tempt at  reclamation  of  desert  land  was  made  at 
Coachella  near  Indio.  Riverside  county,  in  1898. 
This  was  accomplished  by  means  of  artesian 
wells.  The  remarkable  growth  and  the  early 
date  at  which  the  vegetables  grown  could  be  put 
on  tlie  market  convinced  the  unbelieving  that 
with  water  not  only  could  tlie  desert  be  made  to 
bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose,  but  that  farming 
it  could  lie  made  to  pay.  The  reclamation  of 
what  is  now  known  as  Imperial  valley  began  in 
1900. 

The  California  Development  Company  had  0I1- 
tained  concessions  of  land  stretching  along  the 
southeastern  borders  of  San  Diego  county  and 
extending  below  the  line  into  Lower  California. 
Tlie  company  constructed  an  irrigating  canal 
which  tapped  the  Colorado  river  on  the  Califor- 
nia side  at  several  points  below  Yuma.  This 
canal,  seventy  feet  wide  and  six  to  eight  feet 
deep,  extended  sixty  miles.  The  first  settler 
tooic  up  land  in  June,  1900.  and  the  first  plow- 
share was  struck  into  the  ground  in  the  latter 
part  of  June.  1901.  The  rush  to  secure  land, 
considering  the  location,  was  phenomenal.  The 
wonderful   fertility  of  the  soil  and  the  moderate 


1270 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


price  at  which  land  with  irrigating  facilities 
could  be  purchased  (all  of  which  was  heralded 
abroad  by  judicious  advertising)  brought  in  a 
rush  of  settlers  unprecedented  in  colonization. 
At  the  close  of  1901  less  than  2,000  acres  were 
under  cultivation.  In  1902,  20,000  acres  were 
plowed  and  the  work  of  extending  the  canal  had 
been  pushed  until  at  the  close  of  1903,'  100,000 
acres  could  be  irrigated.  Early  in  1904  it  was 
estimated  that  the  water  system  of  the  valley 
covered  125,000  acres.  The  influ.x  of  settlers 
had  kept  pace  with  the  extension  of  the  water 
system.  Imperial,  the  largest  town  of  the  val- 
ley, had  a  population  of  1,200.  It  had  its  hotels, 
stores,  schools,  banks  and  newspapers.  Five 
other  towns,  Brawley,  Holtville,  Silsbee,  Heber 
and  Calexico  in  California  and  Mexicala  below 
the  boundary  line,  competed  with  Imperial,  the 
metropolis,  for  the  trade  of  the  valley.  In  1905 
the  population  of  the  vallev  was  estimated  at 
10,000.  There  were  twelve  school  districts  with 
school  houses  in  each  filled  with  pupils.  The 
Southern  Pacific  in  1903  extended  a  branch  line 
from  Old  Beach  on  its  transcontinental  road 
through  Brawley  and  Imperial  to  Calexico. 
This  proved  to  be  one  of  the  best  paying  branch 
lines  owned  by  the  company.  The  Imperial  val- 
ley was  proving  to  be  a  land  of  promise  not  only 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  but  with  more 
substantial  viands.  In  1904  the  first  cloud 
dimmed  its  horizon.  Trouble  began  between 
the  United  States  and  the  California  Develop- 
ment Company.  The  company  by  its  filings 
claimed  10,000  cubic  feet  per  second  of  the 
waters  of  the  Colorado  river.  As  the  Colorado 
is  a  navigable  stream  and  this  amount  being 
more  than  its  normal  flow,  the  government  ob- 
jected. A  bill  was  introduced  in  the  house  of 
representatives  to  have  the  waters  of  the  river 
appropriated  for  irrigation.  This  bill  was  de- 
feated. 

Two  of  the  intakes  of  the  canal  were  below 
the  boundary  line  and  consequently  not  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1904,  the  water  in  the  canal  was  low  and 
intakes  No.  i  and  No.  2  filled  with  silt.  There 
was  a  shortage  of  water  and  crops  were  suf- 
fering. The  speediest  way  and  the  least  ex- 
pensive to  relieve  the  tb.reatcncd   water  famine 


of  the  valley  was  found  to  be  the  dredging  of 
intake  No.  3,  the  lowest  one.  Soon  after  the 
dredging,  water  began  to  rise  in  the  Salton  sink. 
It  was  discovered  that  water  had  made  its  way 
from  the  lower  intake  and  canal  into  New  river 
and  from  that  into  Salton  sink.  Nothing  was 
done  to  stop  the  inflow.  The  rainfall  of  the 
winter  of  1904-05  was  the  heaviest  for  many 
years.  The  waters  rose  rapidly  in  the  Salton 
sea.  The  salt  works  at  Salton  were  overflowed 
and  destroyed.  The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
track  was  menaced.  A  dam  of  sand  bags  was 
built,  but  the  rising  waters  compelled  the  com- 
pany to  build  what  is  called  a  "shoo-fly  track." 
During  the  low  waters  of  the  first  three  years 
the  company,  at  comparatively  small  expense, 
could  have  built  head-gates  that  would  have 
controlled  the  waters  at  the  intakes.  It  was  now 
getting  beyond  their  control.  The  river  had 
made  broad  channels  of  the  intakes  and  the  com- 
pany was  aroused  to  the  necessity  of  doing  some- 
thing to  prevent  the  flooding  of  the  country.  A 
dam  600  feet  long  and  100  feet  wide,  made  of 
piles  driven  into  the  river  bed  and  the  inter- 
stices filled  with  brush  and  wire  matresses,  was 
constructed  across  the  principal  break.  It  was 
almost  completed  when,  on  November  29,  1905, 
the  second  greatest  flood  ever  known  swept 
down  the  Gila  into  the  Colorado.  The  dam  was 
carried  away  and  the  waters  unrestrained 
flowed  through  the  intakes. 

The  rainfall  of  the  winter  of  1905-06  was 
heavier  than  that  of  the  previous  year.  The 
Colorado  left  its  old  channel  and  its  waters 
poured  into  the  Salton  sink  through  the  New 
and  the  Alamo  rivers.  In  June,  1906,  the  New 
river  at  Calexico  was  ten  miles  wide  and  the 
waters  of  the  Salton  sea  rose  eight  feet  in  fifteen 
davs.  The  Alamo,  the  other  branch  of  the  Col- 
orado, was  1,160  feet  wide  and  80  feet  deep. 
The  soft  lose  silt  melted  like  snow  and  was 
carried  away  by  the  turbulent  waters.  The  irri- 
gating canals  were  swept  away  and  the  deep 
gulches  cut  by  the  rivers  rendered  it  impossible 
to  conduct  the  water  from  them  to  the  crops. 
The  condition  of  the  crops  in  the  valley  at  this 
time  was  very  much  like  that  of  Coleridge's 
Ancient  Mariner— "Water !  Water!  everywhere 
and  not  a  drop  to  drink."     On  the  very  brink 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


271 


of  immense  rivers  of  water  the  crops  were  per- 
ishing from  drought. 

Part  of  the  town  of  Mexicala  was  swept  away 
by  the  flood  and  Calexico  was  endangered.  The 
old  channel  of  the  Colorado  from  Yuma  to  the 
Gulf  of  California  was  left  high  and  dry.  The 
Salton  sea  was  receiving  all  of  the  Colorado's 
immense  volume  of  water,  amounting  to  a  flow 
of  20,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  and  it  had 
spread  out  over  four  hundred  square  miles.  The 
responsibility  for  the  disaster  that  had  fallen 
upon  Imperial  valley  rests  largely  with  the  di- 
rectors of  the  Canal  Company.  Their  failure  to 
provide  controlling  works  of  any  kind  at  the  in- 
takes was  a  mistake  or  an  omission  their  en- 
gineer should  not  have  made.  The  Colorado  is 
a  treacherous  river,  subject  to  sudden  rises.  The 
fact  that  three  seasons  had  passed  without  head- 
gates  to  gauge  the  inflow  to  the  canal  had  made 
the  company  careless,  and  when  the  necessity 
for  such  was  forced  upon  it,  the  river  was  be- 
yond control. 

The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  has 
taken  charge  of  the  situation.  Three  times  that 
company  at  great  expense  has  been  compelled 
to  build  new  tracks  to  escape  the  encroachments 
of  the  Salton  sea.  The  sites  of  Indio,  Thermal, 
Mecca  and  Salton,  stations  on  the  line  of  the 
road,  are  inundated.  The  small  farms  of  the 
settlers  at  these  places  have  been  ruined.  An 
army  of  a  thousand  men  are  dumping  rock  into 
the  breaks  in  the  banks  of  the  Colorado. 

The  expense  involved  in  controlling  the  run- 
away river  was  immense  during  the  month  of  Oc- 
tober, 1906.  The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany was  spending  $10,600  a  day  in  dumping 
rock  into  the  breaks  of  the  river  bank.  All  the 
available  rolling  stock  on  the  Tucson,  Los  An- 
geles and  San  Joaquin  Valley  divisions  were 
called  into  requisition.  Work  on  the  different 
railroad  lines  was  suspended  and  the  entire  energy 
concentrated  upon  the  closure  of  the  break.  Rock 
was  brought  from  the  Southern  Pacific  quarries 
located  at  Casa  Blanca,  Bly,  Declez.  Ogilby,  Pilot 
Knob  and  Calabasas.  Some  of  these  places  were 
two  hundred  miles  from  where  the  dam  was 
being  constructed.  Each  source  of  supply  was 
assigned  a  definite  quantity  of  material  for  its 
dailv  output.     Two  hundred  and  eighty  cars  a 


day,  or  enough  rock  and  gravel  to  dump  a  car 
every  five  minutes  day  and  night,  was  poured  into 
the  gap.  At  the  same  time  a  dike  of  nine  miles 
along  the  Colorado  river  to  prevent  overflow 
was  in  course  of  construction.  On  the  24th  of 
October  water  for  the  first  time  in  months  flowed 
down  the  old  channel  of  the  Colorado. 

CITIES  AND  TOWNS. 


Old  Town,  now  the  first  ward  of  the  city,  is 
the  San  Diego  of  history  and  romance.  It  is 
three  miles  northwest  of  the  city  proper.  The 
surf  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  system  passes 
through  the  lower  portion  of  it.  From  1850  to 
1868  it  was  the  county  seat.  Prior  to  1850  it 
was  all  that  there  was  of  the  city  or  town  of  San 
Diego.  Here  the  first  germ  of  civilization  in 
California  was  planted.  The  first  mission  was 
established  here,  and  here  the  first  Indian  convert 
was  baptized. 

Dana  and  Robinson  made  it  famous  in  their 
books  on  life  in  the  California  of  olden  times ; 
av^y  Helen  Hunt  Jackson  has  invested  it  with  an 
air  of  romance  by  making  it  the  scenes  of  the 
marriage  of  her  hero  and  heroine  in  her  story 
of  Ramona.  The  house  in  which  Ramona  was 
married  to  Alessandro  is  still  pointed  out  to  the 
tourist. 

The  San  Diego  Snii-  of  January  12,  1892,  thus 
rudely  tears  away  the  veil  of  sentiment  that  Mrs. 
Jackson  threw  around  her  famous  characters  and 
shows  them  up  as  they  were  in  real  life :  "The 
real  Alessandro  was  a  horse  thief  who  "was  shot 
for  his  crimes  by  a  San  Jacinto  man.  who  is 
still  living.  Ramona  is  a  squaw  of  well-under- 
stood character,  who  lives  upon  her  notoriety  and 
her  offenses." 

ROSEVILLE   AND    LA    PLAYA. 

After  Father  Horton  had  called  the  attention 
of  the  coast  to  San  Diego  as  a  possible  rival  to 
San  Francisco,  additions,  subdivisions  and  new 
cities  around  the  bay  became  as  thick  as  "leaves 
in  Valambrosa."  Besides  San  Diego,  Old  and 
New,  Middle  Town,  and  Horton's  Addition, 
there  were  Caruther's  Addition,  Sherman's  Ad- 
dition. Taggert's  Addition,  Roseville,  La  Playa, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Alanassee's    Adrlition,     jNIonumental     City     and 
Kimball  City. 

INIajor  Ben.  C.  Truman,  writing  from  San 
Diego  in  1869,  gives  La  I'la^a  and  Roseville  this 
notice : 

"La  Playa,  as  a  site  for  a  city,  is  a  good  one, 
but  unfortunately  most  of  the  owners  of  50- 
vara  lots  of  this  metropolis  (on  paperj  are  the 
singular  possessors  of  more  money  than  brains. 
They  have  got  some  nice  deep  water  in  front 
of  their  burg,  and  'the  railroad  must  come 
here,"  they  say.  Xow  they  may  slip  up  on  this 
13oint,  for  if  ground  is  not  broke  further  up  the 
bay,  the  railroad  naturally  would  hunt  a  ter- 
minus opposite  La  Playa  on  Peachy  and  Aspin- 
wall  Peninsula  (Coronado)  rather  than  span 
the  river  with  an  $80,000  bridge. 

"Roseville  is  also  a  pretty  place  (on  paper), 
but  has  no  more  chance  of  being  a  city  than 
Marriott's  Avitor  has  of  being  the  means  of 
transportation  for  the  conveyance  of  Ben.  Butler 
to  ethereal  realms.  Roseville  is  a  couple  of  miles 
further  up  the  bay  than  La  Playa,  and  is,  for  the 
most  part,  owned  by  a  gentleman  named  Rose, 
one  of  the  mo.st  sterling  and  public-spirited  men 
in  Southern  California.  Should  La  Playa  ever 
be  a  great  city,  Roseville  would  have  the  honor 
to  be  its  very  respectable  suburb." 

The  trustees  of  the  San  Diego  Ahitual  Land 
Association,  which  association  controlled  the 
lands  at  La  Playa  and  Roseville.  in  a  colunui 
advertisement  in  the  Bulletin  of  1871  (a  great 
spread  in  advertising  for  a  real  estate  agency  to 
make  in  those  days)  sets  forth  the  great  natural 
advantages  of  their  location  on  the  bay,  to  be- 
come "the  most  prominent  business  points  of 
this  harbor  and  which,  will  eventually  be  made 
the  terminus  of  the  Southern  Transcontinental 
Railroad."  "One  lot  (says  the  advertisement), 
30  feet  front  by  100  feet  in  depth,  will  be  given 
to  persons  contracting  to  erect  buildings  cost- 
ing from  $250  to  $500  within  three  months ; 
one  block,  200  feet  by  300  feet,  will  be  given  to 
any  party  contracting  to  erect  a  first-class  hotel." 
"At  La  Playa  the  old  landing  of  the  hide  drogh- 
ers (spoken  of  by  Dana  in  his  Two  Years  Be- 
fore the  Mast),  a  substantial  wharf  472  feet 
long  by  30  feet  in  width,  has  been  constructed 
having  a  depth  of  ih  feet  at  low  tide." 


"Whenever  one  hundred  buildings  have  been 
t  rected  upon  land  belonging  to  the  Association 
the  balance  of  the  property  may  be  sold  as  well 
as  donated  and  the  proceeds  thereof  expended 
in  improvements,  such  as  the  erection  of  a  town 
hall,  markets,  school  houses,  sinking  artesian 
wells,  construction  of  wharves  and  other  pub- 
lic improvements." 

Such  liberal  oiifers  should  have  built  up  a 
great  city  on  Point  Loma,  but  the  superior  in- 
ducements of  Horton's  Addition  drew  the  tide 
of  mimigration  further  up  the  bay.  Roseville 
has  a  hotel  and  several  business  houses.  Its 
wharf  is  the  landing  place  for  the  launches  that 
carry  visitors  and  the  residents  to  and  from  the 
! 'niversal  Brotherhood  Headquarters  on  Point 
Loma.  La  Pla^a  is  the  home  of  the  Portuguese 
fisherman  who  supply  the  fish  markets  of  San 
Diego.  Truman's  prophecy  of  thirty-five  years 
ago  has  come  true,  neither  place  has  become  a 
citv. 


The  Kimball  brothers  in  1869  bought  the 
Rancho  de  la  Xacion,  containing  27,000  acres. 
They  subdivided  a  portion  of  it  into  farm  lots, 
built  a  wharf  and  laid  oflf  a  town  on  the  bay  four 
miles  south  of  San  Diego,  which  they  named 
Xational  City.  Th.ey  were  quite  successful  in 
selling  lots,  and  for  a  time  there  was  a  spirited 
and  somewhat  acrimonious  rivalry  between  Xew 
Town  and  National  City.  The  failure  of  the 
Texas  Pacific  Railroad  disastrously  aiifectcd  it, 
as  well  as  its  rival.  The  California  Southern 
Railroad,  in  consideration  of  a  gift  of  17,000 
acres  of  land  made  by  the  Kimballs  located  its 
Pacific  terminus  at  Xational  City.  Again  the 
town  was  on  the  high  tide  of  prosperity.  The 
removal  of  the  railroad  shops  began  in  1892. 

X'ational  City  is  the  southwestern  terminus  of 
the  .^anta  Fe  Railroad  system.  The  Xational 
Cit\-  &  Otay  Railroad  has  its  offices  and  shops 
here,  where  all  the  rebuilding  and  repairing  of 
the  roiling  stock  of  the  La  Jolla,  Cuyamaca  and 
Xational  City  and  Otay  Railroads  is  done. 

The  city  is  lighted  by  electricity  and  an  elec- 
tric car  line  connects  it  with  San  Diego.  Bonds 
to  the  amount  of  $23,000  have  recently  been 
voted  to  erect  a  high  school  building.     Xational 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RI-XORD. 


273 


City  has  an  excellent  pnblic  library  establislied  in 
1895.  It  is  supported  l)y  taxation  and  contains 
3,350  volumes. 

COKONADO. 

Coronado  Beach,  or  Coronado  as  it  is  usually 
called,  is  a  peninsula  that  divides  San  Diego 
Harbor  from,  the  ocean.  Up  to  1886  it  was  cov- 
ered with  a  dense  growth  of  chaparral.  E.  S. 
Babcock  originated  the  scheme  of  building  a 
town  and  an  immense  tourist  hotel  on  it.  The 
Coronado  Beach  Company  was  organized  and 
work  begun.  The  brush  was  cleared  off,  streets 
graded,  sewers  laid  and  town  lots  thrown  on  the 
market  in  time  to  be  caught  by  the  boom.  The 
lots  advanced  rapidly  in  value  and  Babcock's 
scheme  proved  to  have  "millions  in  it."  The 
erection  of  the  Hotel  del  Coronado  was  begun 
earlv  in  1887,  and  completed  in  December  of 
that  vear.  The  building  covers  seven  acres  of 
ground  and  can  accommodate  seven  hundred 
guests.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  caravansaries  in 
die  world.  The  drcar\-  and  desolate  looking 
peninsula  of  twenty  years  ago  is  now  covered 
with  elegant  residences,  green  lawns  and  flower 
gardens.  It  is  reached  from  San  Diego  by  a 
steam  ferrv  tliat  connects  with  an  electric  rail- 
road that  runs  to  the  ocean  front  of  the  hotel, 
a  mile  distant  from  the  ferry. 

The  city  of  tents  is  one  of  the  unique  features 
of  Coronado  that  has  been  in  existence  about 
ten  years.  The  Tent  City  is  located  on  the 
Coronado  peninsula,  which  is  six  miles  long  but 
about  six  hundred  feet  wide  where  the  Tent 
City  is  located.  The  city  is  nearly  a  mile  in 
length;  on  one  side  of  it  is  the  Pacific  ocean, 
on  the  other  the  bay  of  San  Diego.  F.vcry  mod- 
ern convenience  of  city  life  can  be  found  there 
and  the  cost  of  living  can  be  gauged  by  the  size 
of  the  visitor's  purse.  There  are  tents  of  all 
sizes,  wee  little  tents,  middle-sized  tents  and 
great  huge  tents.  At  the  height  of  the  season 
tliere  are  about  five  hundred  tents  occupied,  and 
a  population  of  1,500  to  2.000.  when  the  season 
CI0.SCS  the  tents  are  folded  and  laid  away  till  the 
next  season. 

ocf.axside. 

Ocean.<;ide  ■  on  the  surf  line  of  the  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  svstem  is  fortv-one  miles  by  rail  north 
of  San  Diego.     It  was  formdcd  in  T884  and  dur- 


ing the  boom  grew  rapidly.  The  Fallbrook 
liranch  railroad,  once  the  main  line  of  the  Cali- 
fornia Southern,  leaves  the  Surf  Line  at  Ocean- 
side.  The  railroad  to  Escondido  forms  a  junc- 
tion here  with  the  Surf  Line  between  San  Diego 
and  Los  Angeles.  The  town  is  four  miles  from 
the  Old  Mission  of  San  Luis  Rev  and  has  the 
rich  San  Luis  Rey  valley  for  its  back  country. 

I'or  a  decade  after  the  great  boom  of  1887 
(Jceanside  stood  still,  then  there  came  an  awak- 
ening. Capitalists  -^ized  up  the  location  and 
figured  out  a  brilliant  future  for  the  town  and 
surrounding  countrx.  In  1903  a  new  hotel,  the 
Anchorage,  costing  $20,000  was  Iniilt  and  a  new 
steel  wharf  1347  feet  in  length  was  constructed. 

During  the  year  1905  a  syndicate  of  which  H. 
E.  Huntington,  the  great  electric  railway  mag- 
nate, is  supposed  to  be  the  principal,  purchased  a 
large  portion  of  the  real  estate  included  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  city  of  Oceanside.  In  the 
valley  within  a  few  miles  of  Oceanside  the  same 
parties  have  purchased  over  125,000  of  acreage. 
The  Pacific  Light  &  Power  Company  has  filed 
on  50.000  inches  of  water  in  the  San  Luis  Rey 
river  and  the  construction  of  a  storage  reservoir 
has  been  begun.  \\'hen  the  irrigation  system 
is  completed  both  the  town  and  the  country  will 
enter  upon  a  career  of  unparalleled  prosperity. 

The  Oceanside  free  public  library  was  estab- 
lished in  December.  1904.  The  annual  income 
of  $640  is  derived  from  taxation.  The  total 
number  of  volumes  in  the  library  is  850.  H.  D. 
r.rodie  is  the  librarian. 

ESCOXDinO. 

Escondido.  Hidden  A'alley  or  Rincon  del 
Diablo,  The  Devil's  Corner,  was  formerly  known 
as  Wolfskin's  rancho  and  comprises  about  13.- 
000  acres  of  the  San  Marcos  grant.  In  1885  it 
was  purchased  by  a  syndicate  of  San  Diego  and 
Los  Angeles  capitalists,  who  subdivided  it  into 
small  farms  and  laid  off  a  town.  The  lands  had 
a  rapid  sale.  .A.  large  hotel,  a  bank  building  and 
a  number  of  business  blocks  were  built  between 
1886  and  T890.  The  farm  lands  have  been 
planted  to  citrus  fruits  and  raisin  grapes. 

When  the  settlement  was  begun  in  1886  an 
irrigation  di-^trict  was  formed  and  bonds  issued. 
While  the   colons,    was   prosperous  the  indebted- 


•274: 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ness  was  easily  borne  by  the  people,  but  hard 
times  came  after  the  boom.  Property  values 
shrunk  and  shrivelled.  The  people  were  de- 
pressed. The  outlook  for  redeeming  the  bonds 
and  relieving  themselves  of  the  incubus  of  debt 
chat  bore  so  heavily  upon  them  seemed .  to  be 
hopeless.  But  with  the  return  of  better  times  in 
1904  hope  revived  and  negotiations  were  begun 
with  the  bond-holders  looking  toward  a  cancella- 
tion of  the  bonded  indebtedness.  The  holders  of 
the  bonds  met  them  half  way  and  a  compromise 
was  made  and  $500,000  worth  of  bonds  were 
surrendered  at  50  per  cent  of  their  face  value. 
September  9,  1905,  was  a  grand  gala  day  in  the 
valley.  The  last  vestige  of  the  old  debt  that 
had  weighted  down  the  people  of  Escondido  had 
been  lifted.  Before  a  crowd  of  two  thousand 
persons  the  redeemed  bonds  were  burned  and 
their  ashes  scattered  to  the  winds. 

The  city  of  Escondido  ranks  second  in  size 
of  the  cities  in  the  county.  It  has  an  active 
board  of  trade,  a  public  library  containing  1,200 
volumes  and  an  excellent  high  school. 

LA    JOLLA     (the    JEVVEL). 

This  famous  watering  place  has  grown  in 
popularity  with  each  succeeding  year.  During 
the  year  1905  sixty  dwellings  were  erected.  The 
University  of  California  established  a  biological 
station  there,  and  both  professors  and  students 
have  carried  on  laboratory  work,  and  some  val- 
uable research  work  has  been  done.  In  the 
spring  of  1905  a  new  building  was  erected  for 
the  station  from  funds  donated  by  the  citizens  of 
La  Jolla  and  San  Diego.  There  are  in  it  research 
rooms,  a  public  museum,  aquarium  and  a  room 
for  a  library.  Special  gifts  consisting  of  muse- 
um cases,  a  boat,  "The  Loma,"  library  books  and 
funds  for  running  expenses  and  other  outlays, 
aggregating  $7,500,  were  donated  last  year. 

FALI.BROOK. 

Fallbrook,  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Coast 
Range  mountains,  is  twelve  miles  in  a  direct  line 
from  the  coast  and  sixty-one  from  San  Diego 
by  the  railroad.  Since  the  great  flood  of  1892, 
which  destroyed  the  railroad  in  the  Temecula 
cafion,  Fallbrook  has  been  the  terminus  of  the 
eastern  end  of  the  road,  which  is  now  known  as 


the  Fallbrook  branch.  The  older  settlement  is 
back  a  mile  or  two  from  the  railroad.  The  town 
has  grown  up  since  the  building  of  the  railroad. 
It  has  two  large  hotels  and  several  business 
houses. 

PALA    (shovel). 

Pala,  once  an  asistencia  or  auxiliary  of  San 
Luis  Rey  Mission,  is  located  in  the  upper  San 
Luis  Rey  valley  about  seventeen  miles  from  the 
coast  and  fifty  miles  north  of  San  Diego.  It  is 
largely  an  Indian  settlement.  These  descendants 
of  the  Mission  Indians  keep  up  many  of  the  old 
customs  and  observances.  The  Mission  capilla 
or  chapel  still  stands  in  a  fair  state  of  preserva- 
tion. Services  are  held  in  it  once  a  month. 
There  is  here  some  of  the  finest  vine  and  fruit 
land  in  the  county. 

JULIAN. 

Julian,  fifty-five  miles  northeast  from  San 
Diego  bay,  in  the  mountain  regions,  is  4,500  feet 
above  the  sea  level.  It  owes  its  origin  to  a 
mining  rush.  In  February,  1870,  gold  was  dis- 
covered near  the  ranch  of  M.  S.  Julian.  The 
news  of  the  discovery  caused  a  rush  and  a  town 
was  built  and  named  after  the  proprietor.  A 
number  of  rich  claims  were  located  and  for  sev- 
eral years  a  considerable  quantity  of  gold  was 
taken  out.  The  Cuyamaca  grant  owners  laid 
claim  to  the  mines.  After  a  legal  contest,  last- 
ing five  years,  the  miners  won.  Much  of  the 
country  around  Julian  is  adapted  to  stock  rais- 
ing. There  are  some  fine  orchards  of  apples, 
pears,  plums  and  peaches  in  the  Julian  district. 

BANNER. 

Banner  is  a  mining  settlement  four  miles  east 
of  Julian,  but  1.500  feet  lower.  It  is  on  the 
desert  side  of  the  divide  in  the  San  Felipe 
canon,  the  waters  of  which  sink  into  the  desert. 
The  town  has  several  quartz  mills,  a  store,  post- 
office  and  school  house. 

RAMONA. 

Ramona  is  located  in  the  Santa  Maria  valley 
thirty-five  miles  northeast  of  San  Diego  city. 
It  is  the  commercial  center  of  the  valley,  which 
contains  about  18,000  acres  of  tillable  land. 

The  town  has  a  population  of  about  200  and 
outside  of  the'  town  there  are  300  inhabitants. 
There  are  three  country  school  districts  in   the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


275 


valley  and  a  grammar  and  union  high  school  in 
the  town.  The  Ramona  Sentinel  keeps  watch 
and  ward  over  the  valley  and  records  the  deeds 
done  in  it. 

Ramona   Tent  village   is   a   popular   mountain 
resort.     Its  altitude  is   1,500  feet.     All  the  con- 


veniences of  the  city  are  combined  with  the  de- 
lights of  life  in  the  country.  Ramona  has  four 
general  merchandise  stores,  one  drug  store  and 
two  hotels  and  a  free  public  library,  established 
in  1893.  The  total  number  of  volumes  is  653. 
Mrs.  H.  A.  Miles  is  the  librarian. 


CHAPTER   XL. 


SAN  DIEGO  CITY. 


THE  act  of  the  legislature  incorporating 
San  Diego  as  a  city  was  passed  Alarch  27, 
1850.  It  is  a  voluminous  document,  al- 
together too  long  for  insertion  here.  I  give  the 
first  section: 

Sec.  I.  All  that  tract  of  land  known  as  the 
Presidio  of  San  Diego,  included  in  the  survey 
made  by  Lieut.  Cave  J.  Couts,  first  Dragoons, 
U.  S.  A.,  for  the  Ayuntamiento  of  San  Diego, 
shall  henceforth  be  known  as  the  City  of  San 
Diego,  said  limits  not  to  exceed  an  area  of  more 
than  ten  square  miles ;  Provided,  nothing  in  this 
chapter  shall  be  construed  to  divest,  or  in  any 
manner  to  prejudice  any  rights  or  privileges 
which  the  Presidio  may  hold  to  any  land  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  charter,  and  its  municipal  jur- 
isdiction shall  extend  to  said  limits  and  over  the 
waters  of  the  Bay  of  San  Diego  to  the  extent  of 
one  marine  league  from  the  shore. 

From  this  section  it  appears  that  San  Diego 
was  two  and  a  half  times  larger  than  Los  Ange- 
les at  the  time  of  its  incorporation.  The  legis- 
lative act  incorporating  the  latter  city  cut  down 
its  area  to  four  square  miles.  The  charter  of 
San  Diego  provided  for  the  government  of  the 
city,  a  mayor  and  common  council  to  consist  of 
five  members,  a  city  marshal,  a  city  attorney,  as- 
sessor and  treasurer.  The  election  was  held  on 
the  first  Monday  of  May,  1850.  Joshua  H.  Bean 
was  elected  mayor,  Charles  P.  Noel,  A.  S. 
\\' right,  Qiarles  Haraszthy,  William  Leamy  and 
C.  R.  Johnson  were  chosen  members  of  the 
council.  Jose  Antonio  Estudillo  was  elected 
treasurer.  Juan  Bandini  was  assessor,  T.  W. 
Sutherland,  city  attorney  and  Agostin  Harasz- 
thy, citv  marshal— he  was  also  sheriff  of  the 
countv. 


The  m.ajority  of  the  members  of  the  first  coun- 
cil belonged  to  that  class  designated  by  the  na- 
tive Californians  as  "patriotas  del  bolsa"  (patri- 
ots of  the  pocket),  men  who  were  willing  to  sacri- 
fice themselves  for  their  country  provided  the 
country  put  up  the  coin  to  pay  for  the  sacrific- 
ing. Their  first  act  was  to  vote  liberal  salaries 
to  themselves  and  their  compeers.  The  first  jail 
built  by  the  first  city  marshal  cost  the  city  $7,- 
000.  It  was  built  out  of  cobble  stones  and  the 
very  first  prisoner  incarcerated  dug  his  way  out 
of  it  with  his  pocket  knife. 

After  two  years  trial  the  municipal  machinery 
was  found  too  ponderous  for  the  size  of  the  city. 
The  tax-burdened  people  petitioned  the  legisla- 
ture to  repeal  the  city  charter.  February  12, 
1852,  an  act  was  passed  revoking  the  charter 
and  creating  a  board  of  three  trustees  to  whom 
was  entrusted  the  government  of  the  town. 

POSTOFFICE   ESTABLISHED. 

August  14,  1848,  Congress  enacted  a  law  au- 
thorizing the  postmaster-general  to  establish 
postoffices  and  appoint  deputy  postmasters  at 
San  Diego,  Monterey  and  San  Francisco  and  to 
make  "such  temporary  arrangements  for  the 
transportations  of  the  mail  in  said  territory  as  the 
public  interest  may  require ;  that  all  letters  con- 
veyed to  or  from  any  of  the  above-mentioned 
places  on  the  Pacific,  from  or  to  any  place  on  the 
Atlantic  coast,  shall  be  charged  with  forty  cents 
postage;  and  that  all  letters,  conveyed  from  one 
to  any  other  of  the  said  places  on  the  Pacific 
coast  shall  pay  twelve  and  a  half  cents  postage." 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


SAN    DIEGO    A    PORT    Ol'    DELIN'EKV. 

The  revenue  laws  of  the  L'nited  States  were 
extended  over  the  territory  and  waters  of  Upper 
California  and  collection  districts  established 
therein  by  Congress  March  3.  1849.  ^^"  Fran- 
cisco was  made  a  port  of  entry  and  a  collector 
of  customs  appointed. 

San  Diego  and  Monterey  were  made  ports  of 
delivery  and  another  port  was  to  be  established 
at  or  near  the  junction  of  the  Gila  and  Colorado 
rivers  and  deputy  collectors  were  to  be  appoint- 
ed at  the  ports  of  delivery.  The  collector  at  the 
port  of  entry  (San  Francisco)  was  allowed  the 
munificent  compensation  of  $1,500  per  annum. 
and  the  fees  and  commissions  allowed  by  law. 
The  yearly  salary  of  the  collector  would  scarce 
pay  his  office  rent  for  a  month  in  the  flush  days 
of  '49,  when  the  rent  of  a  very  ordinary  adobe 
casa  (the  Parker  house)  \yas  $125,000  a  year. 
The  deputy  collectors  were  allowed  a  salary  of 
$1,000  a  year  and  fees  and  commissions.  The 
position  of  deputy  revenue  collector  on  the  Gila 
was  not  a  fat  office  either  in  salary  or  fees.  The 
risk  of  having  their  hair  raised  by  the  hostile 
Yumas  prevented  a  scramble  for  the  office  of 
deputy  collector  at  the  port  of  delivery  "at  or 
near  the  junction  of  the  Gila  and  Colorado." 
I  fail  to  find  any  record  of  the  appointment  of  a 
collector  for  that  port.  A  body  of  troops  had 
to  be  stationed  at  the  port  to  prevent  the  In- 
dians from  collecting  scalps.  All  violations  of 
the  revenue  laws  of  the  C^nited  States  committed 
in  Upper  California  were  to  be  prosecuted  in  the 
District  Court  of  Louisiana  or  in  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Oregon.  The  litigant  in  a  suit  brought 
at  the  Port  of  .'>an  Diego  had  the  alternative  of 
a  two  thousand  'nile  trip  the  "plains  across"  to 
Louisiana  or  a  two  thousand  mile  voyage  up  the 
coast  to  the  capital  of  Oregon  for  trial.  San 
Diego  continued  to  be  the  port  of  delivery  for 
all  Southern  California  until  1853,  when  San 
Pedro  and  Santa  Barbara  were  raised  to  that 
dignity. 

THE     PIONEER     RAILROAD. 

San  Diego,  very  early  in  the  American  period 
of  its  history,  was  inspired  with  the  ambition  to 
become  the  terminus  of  a  transcontinental  rail- 
road. Mav  14,  1853,  "i  great  railroad  meeting  was 


held  in  the  pueblo.  Capt.  J.  Bankhead  Alagruder 
of  the  United  States  Army  was  president,  and  J. 
Judson  Ames  of  the  Herald  acted  as  secretary. 
Hope  animated  the  lonely  pueblo  by  the  bay  and 
enthusiasm  ran  riot  in  its  glorious  climate.  A 
railroad  was  building  westward  through  Texas. 
It  was  proposed  to  connect  with  this  road  at  El 
Paso.  The  distance  was  nearly  a  thousand  miles 
and  the  estimated  cost  of  the  road  from  El 
Paso  to  San  Diego  was  placed  at  $24,000,000. 
True  that  was  an  immense  sum  of  money  in 
those  days  when  the  total  amount  of  all  the  ap- 
propriation made  by  congress  that  year  footed 
up  only  $41,000,000,  nevertheless  the  people  of 
San  Diego  were  sanguine  that  Providence  and 
Uncle  Sam  would  aid  them  in  building  the  road. 

In  1854  the  railroad  scheme  assumed  a  tangi- 
ble form.  November  7  of  that  year  articles  of 
incorporation  of  the  San  Diego  &  Gila  Southern 
Pacific  &  Atlantic  Railroad  were  filed  with  the 
secretary  of  state  at  Sacramento  and  a  charter 
granted  to  run  fifty  years.  The  capital  stock 
was  placed  at  four  million  dollars.  The  road 
was  to  commence  at  some  point  on  the  bay  of 
San  Diego  and  run  easterly  through  the  county 
of  San  Diego  to  the  Colorado  river  at  or  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Gila  a  distance  of  about  150 
miles.  It  was  "to  be  of  the  same  gauge  and  scale 
as  the  Mississippi  and  Pacific  Railroad  now  being 
constructed  through  Texas  and  E!  Paso."  A 
board  of  thirteen  directors  was  elected.  E.  W. 
Morse,  L.  Straus  and  J.  R.  Getchell  of  the  in- 
corporators made  affidavit  that  an  amount  equal 
to  $1,000  for  each  mile  to  be  built  had  l)een  suli- 
scribed. 

The  California  Legislature  of  1855  i)assed  an 
act  authorizing  the  president  and  board  of 
trustees  of  the  city  of  San  Diego  to  convey  to 
the  president  and  board  of  directors  of  the  San 
Diego  and  Gila  Southern  Pacific  and  Atlantic 
Railroad  Company  two  leagues  of  pueblo  lands 
to  aid  in  the  construction  of  said  road.  The  act 
was  approved  April  30,  1855,  to  take  effect  May 
15,  1855,  An  election  was  to  be  held  six  months 
after  the  passage  of  the  act  at  whicli  the  electors 
were  to  vote  "grant"  or  "no  grant."  If  "grant" 
carried,  the  pueblo  lands  from  the  water  front 
back  were  to  be  surveyed  and  the  two  presidents 
were   to   select    alternate    lots    until    the    railroad 


HiSTOkicxL  .VXD  bio(;kaphical  record. 


277 


I 


ccinip;iny  had  secured  enough  to  make  its  ((uota 
of  twe)  leagues. 

Uctuljer  ly,  1855,  an  election  was  held  under 
the  provision  of  the  act  and  the  vote  was  unani- 
mous to  donate  the  two  leagues  of  land  to  the 
San  Diego  &  Gila  Southern  Pacific  &  Atlantic 
Railroad.  The  railroad  seemed  to  he  assur'-ed. 
It  was  building  westward.  Texas  would  donate 
it  256,000  acres  of  land  when  it  reached  the 
western  boundary  of  that  state  and  twenty-five 
miles  would  be  completed  by  August,  1856. 

But  the  work  did  not  begin  on  the  western 
end.  There  was  rivalry-  in  California  over  routes. 
There  were  advocates  for  a  southern  route,  a 
central  and  a  northern  :  and  railroad  building  in 
California  was  neutralized  b}-  antagonistic  rail- 
road schemes.  Then  came  the  great  financial 
panic  of  1857  and  railroad  ])rojecting  and  rail- 
road construction  Ijoth  east  and  west  came  to  a 
standstill.  An  act  of  the  legislature  approved 
]\rav  2,  7861,  extended  the  time  of  ijj^inning 
work  on  the  road  fifteen  vears  from  Xovember 
7,  1855.  The  Civil  war  \v:!s  in  iirogress.  Texas 
was  doing  her  best  to  di^s,  ,lve  tin-  Cnion.  She 
had  no  money  to  build  railr.iads  and  San  Diego 
could  not  go  it  alone.  In  1868  the  charter  pro- 
visions were  extended  six  years.  In  i86q  James 
Pascoe,  engineer,  was  appointed  to  proceed  im- 
mediately to  survey  a  route  from  San  Diego  to 
the  Colorado  river.  This  seems  to  have  been 
the  last  act  in  the  drama  of  the  many  syllabled 
railroad.  Its  beginning  and  its  ending  were 
within  the  pueblo  of  San  Diego,  but  the  two 
leagues  of  imeblo  lands  were  not  part  of  its  as- 
sets when  it  died. 


After  its  failure  to  become  the  terminus  of  a 
great  transcontinental  railroad,  San  Diego  sank 
into  a  comotose  state.  The  steamers  came  twice 
a  month,  unloaded  a  few  packages  of  freight  and 
landed  a  few  passengers  and  took  their  depart- 
lu-e.  Then  the  town  drowsed  for  another  fort- 
night until  the  steamer's  gun  again  broke  the 
stillness.  .\s  Phoenix  once  said  of  San  Diego: 
"Its  residents  care  very  little  alx)Ut  what  is  go- 
ing on  in  other  places  and  the  residents  of  other 
places  care  very  little  about  what  is  going  on  in 
San  Diego." 


The  Herald  was  dead  and  "big  Ames,"  the 
rustler,  had  departed  for  new  fields.  For  eight 
years  there  was  no  newspaper  to  chronicle  the 
few  happenings,  and  the  town  seemed  to  be 
lapsing  into  the  old  poco  tiempo  ways  of  Mexi- 
can days.  Indeed,  up  to  1867  San  Diego,  town 
and  county,  had  retained  the  Mexican  customs 
and  conditions  of  early  limes  more  nearly  un- 
changed than  any  other  town  or  county  in  the 
state.  Their  awakening  from  a  Rip  \'an  Winkle 
sleep,  not  of  twenty  years,  but  of  twenty  lus- 
trums, was  the  work  of  one  man.  April  6,  1867. 
Alonzo  E.  Horton  landed  in  San  Diego.  He 
had  come  down  from  San  Francisco  to  build  a 
city.  The  outlook  was  not  encouraging.  <  >ld 
Town  was  appropriately  named  ;  anything  new  in 
it  would  be  out  of  place.  It  had  the  appearance 
cf  having  been  finislud  years  before  and  then 
forgotten.  Xew  Town  consisted  of  the  govern- 
ment barracks,  oflicevs'  (|uarters,  the  piles  of  the 
Davis  wharf  and  a  few  houses  that  had  escaped 
the  "wreck  of  matter,"  the  soldiers  had  made. 
Horton  was  not  discouraged.  The  bay  was 
there.  The  climate  was  there  and  there  he  de- 
termined to  build  a  city. 

Horton  induced  the  town  trustees  to  ofifer  a 
tract  of  land  lying  east  <if  Xew  Town  on  the 
shore  of  the  bay  for  sale.  At  the  jjublic  sale  in 
May,  1867,  he  bid  off  a  tract  of  nearly  900  acres 
of  the  pueblo  lands  at  twent\-six  cents  an  acre, 
and  had  it  surveved  and  platted  as  Horton's  Ad- 
dition to  San  Diego.  The  tract  is  now  the  cen- 
ter of  the  citv  of  San  Diego.  He  put  his  tract 
on  sale.  It  went  slowly,  very  slowly  at  first. 
His  returns  for  the  year  1867  were  but  83,000. 
He  gave  awa)-  land  to  anxone  who  would  agree 
to  make  substantial  imiirovements.  He  deeded 
lots  to  churches,  for  hotels  and  other  improve- 
ments. He  built  a  wharf,  and  in  1869  began  the 
erection  of  the  Horton  house,  the  largest  hotel 
at  that  time   in    Southern   California. 

That  genial  writer,  Ren  C.  Truman,  who 
wrote  up  Southern  California  before  Xordhoff 
or  Charles  Dudley  Warner  ever  saw  it.  draws 
these  two  pictures  of  Father  Horton  when  he 
was  doing  missionary  \v<nk  for  San  Diego. 

noRTOx   .\ND   nts  towx. 
•Two  vears  ago  (  1867),  Xew  Town  seemed  to 


278 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


be  among  the  things  that  were.  C)nl_v  two  fam- 
ilie,s  were  living  here,  and  but  three  houses  were 
left  standing.  .  About  this  time  a  Mr.  A.  E.  Hor- 
ton  came  this  way  and  purchased  from  the  city 
six  quarter-sections  of  land,  adjoining  the  plot 
known  as  New  Town;  and,  having  it  surveyed, 
called  it  Norton's  Addition.  A  few  months  af- 
terward, a  little,  wiry,  rusty-looking  man  might 
have  been  seen  upon  the  streets  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, with  a  long  tm  horn  in  his  hand,  said  long 
tin  horn  containing  New  San  Diego  and  Hor- 
ton's  Addition  (on  paper)  purchased  by  the  lit- 
tle gentleman  with  the  long  tin  horn  for  the  sum 
of  $220.  Lots  of  people  laughed  at  the  rusty- 
looking  proprietor  of  the  long  tin  horn,  and  said 
he  was  a  fool,  who  had  thrown  away  his  money ; 
and  many  a  quarter-section  had  the  trustees  to 
sell  to  all  such  leal-estate  spooneys.  When  Hor- 
ton  would  shell  out  the  contents  of  that  long  tin 
horn  and  show  you  where  the  main  street  would 
run,  and  where  his  wharf  would  be  located,  and 
offer  to  give  you  a  block  of  twelve  lots  just  to 
help  the  town  along,  you  shook  him  indignantly 
because  he  did  not  present  you  the  deed,  fully 
recorded,  and  all  at  his  own  expense ;  and  then 
ten  to  one,  you  would  have  voted  him  a  bore  had 
he  tendered  you  the  deed  in  person  instead  of 
not  transmitting  it  by  mail. 

"Two  years  have  passed  away,  and  as  the  con- 
tents of  that  long  tin  horn  described,  in  point 
of  site,  facilities  for  living,  climate,  etc.,  it  is  the 
most  comfortable,  and  one  of  the  most  flourish- 
ing towns  in  Southern  California,  if  not  in  the 
state." 

"I  met  Mr.  Horton  yesterday.  He  looks  just 
as  he  did  two  years  ago.  I  should  judge  that 
he  had  on  the  same  suit  of  clothes  now  as  then. 
But  he  no  longer  packs  around  that  long  tin 
horn.  He  rides  behind  a  good  horse,  and  re- 
sides in  an  elegant  mansion,  with  a  garden  ad- 
joining, containing  all  kinds  of  vegetables  and 
flowers,  and  all  kinds  of  young  fruit  and  orna- 
mental trees  and  shrubs.  There  are  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six  blocks  in  Horton's  x\ddi- 
tioii,  each  containing  twelve  lots  50x100  feet. 
Early  in  the  history  of  the  town  Mr.  Horton  gave 
awav  some  twenty  odd  blocks,  and  sold  twice 
that  number  for  a  few  hundred  dollars  a  block. 


During  the  past  year  he  has  sold  over  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  lots,  and  is  selling 
blocks  and  lots  at  large  figures  daily.  Many 
blocks  are  worth  and  held  by  him  and  others  at 
from  $4,000  to  $6,000  each,  while  none  can  be 
]nirchased  for  less  than  $2,000  each.  Mr.  Hor- 
ton has  been  very  generous,  and  has  helped  many 
a  poor  man  to  get  along,  provided  he  seemed 
inclined  to  help  himself.  He  has  given  each  of 
the  denominations  a  piece  of  ground  whereupon 
to  erect  a  church,  and  has  liberally  subscribed 
towards  the  putting  up  of  a  pretentious  edifice. 
He  is  also  about  to  give  to  the  town  a  library, 
having  already  purchased  $1,000  worth  of  books 
of  Messrs.  Bancroft  &  Co.,  and  sent  an  order  to 
the  Messrs.  Harper's  for  a  $1,000  worth  more. 
He  has  also  tendered  the  use  of  his  wharf  to  the 
Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company,  and  it  is  be- 
lieved that  the  steamers  of  this  line  will  touch 
at   San   Diego  in  a  short  time." 

The  seed  that  Horton  had  sown  now  began 
to  bear  fruit.  The  rumor  that  there  was  a  city 
building  on  the  bay  of  San  Diego  had  gone 
r.broad,  and  people  came  to  buy  lots.  Another 
rumor,  too,  had  spread  and  that  was  that  the 
long  talked  of  thirty-second  parallel  railroad  was 
a  certainty.  The  San  Diego  &  Gila  Southern 
Pacific  &  Atlantic  Railroad  had  become  a  mem- 
ory— not  a  pleasant  one  to  many  an  old-timer 
who  had  helped  to  exploit  it  in  the  long  ago. 
Another  transcontinental  road  was  forging  to  the 
front.  Now,  it  was  the  Memphis.  El  Paso  & 
Pacific  that  was  to  span  the  continent.  Its  ob- 
jective points  were  Norfolk,  A'a.,  on  the  At- 
lantic, and  San  Diego  on  the  Pacific.  Gen. 
John  C.  Fremont,  the  Pathfinder,  was  its  presi- 
dent. He  would  find  a  path  for  the  railroad. 
He  had  gone  to  Europe  to  float  its  bonds.  Al- 
ready it  was  reported  that  he  had  sold  ten  mil- 
lion dollars'  worth  of  twenty  year,  six  per  cent 
bonds.  The  road  would  certainly  be  built.  The 
man  who  dared  to  doubt  was  damned  by  every 
loyal  San  Diegoan.  True,  it  was  a  relict  of  "be- 
fore the  war,"  but  it  was  claimed  that  it  still  had 
a  legal  existence.  The  year  1869  closed  with  a 
monster  railroad  meeting  in  Horton's  hall.  Gen. 
Thomas  S.  Sedgwick,  chief  engineer  of  the 
Memphis,  El  Paso  &  Pacific,  and  Gen.  ^''olney 
E.    Howard    were    the    chief    speakers.       They 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


279 


aroused  the  enthusiasm  of  the  audience  to  the 
highest  pitch.  The  dream  of  decades  was  about 
to  become  a  reality. 

In  the  fall  of  1869  the  drift  to  San  Diego  re- 
sembled an  old-time  "gold  rush."'  The  author 
has  a  vivid  recollection  of  a  voyage  down  the 
coast  on  the  old  Senator  in  October  of  1869. 
Every  berth  had  been  sold  a  week  before  the 
vessel  sailed,  and  then  the  agents  of  the  com- 
pany sold  standing  room.  The  steamer's  cooks 
and  waiters  commenced  feeding  the  passengers 
about  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  kept  it  up 
with  slight  interruptions  till  nine  at  night.  The 
dining  saloon  was  small  and  the  crowd  on  board 
necessitated  the  setting  of  the  tables  many  times. 
^^^^en  all  had  been  fed  the  tables  were  cleared, 
the  passengers  without  berths  bunked  on  the 
tables,  under  the  tables,  or  wherever  they  could 
spread  their  blankets.  All  or  nearly  all  were 
bound  for  San  Diego  to  buy  lots.  The  railroad 
was  coming;  San  Diego  was  destined  to  rival 
San  Francisco,  and  the  lot  buyers  wanted  to 
grow  up  with  the  city.  Many  of  the  speculators 
were  old  Californians  who  had  not  struck  it  rich, 
but  were  sure  they  were  on  the  right  road  now. 
One  old  '49er,  in  the  spring  of  1850,  had  owned 
a  lot  on  Montgomery  street,  San  Francisco,  and 
bad  sold  it  for  $400:  now  it  was  worth  $100,000; 
he  would  secure  a  lot  m  San  Diego  and  hold 
on  io  it  and  grow  in  wealth  as  the  town  grew  in 
size.  And  so  the  talk  ran  all  day  and  far  into 
the  night,  of  bay  and  climate,  of  house  lots  and 
business  blocks,  of  transcontinental  railroads  and 
Oriental  steamships,  which  were  sure  to  build 
up  a  mighty  metroplis   in  the   Southland. 

August  4,  1868,  Joseph  Nash  erected  the  first 
store  in  New  Town.  Its  entire  population  then 
numbered  twenty-three  souls.  In  the  spring  of 
1870  the  city  had  upwards  of  800  buildings, 
with  a  population  of  3,000.  Among  its  sub- 
stantial improvements  were  two  magnificent 
wharves,  costing  in  the  aggregate  $80,000;  a 
flouring  mill  with  a  capacity  of  300  barrels  a 
dav;  several  warehouses,  half  a  dozen  hotels, 
two  breweries,  a  boot  and  shoe  factory,  a  bank 
and  two  newspapers. 

The  Horton  house  was  completed  and  opened 
October  20,  1870.  It  cost  nearly  $150,000  and 
was   then   "the   most    elaborate,    attractive    and 


spacious  hotel  outside  of  San  Francisco."  The 
editor  of  the  Bulletin,  in  a  two-column  write-up 
of  its  attractions,  classifies  it  with  the  great  ho- 
tels of  the  world ;  his  enumeration  of  the  great 
hostelries  of  thirty-six  years  ago  is  interesting. 
He  says:  "What  the  Grand  hotel  is  to  Paris; 
Langham's  to  London ;  the  Astor,  Fifth  Avenue 
and  St.  Nicholas  to  New  York;  the  Continental 
to  Philadelphia ;  the  Tremont  and  Parker's  to 
Boston ;  Barnum's  to  Baltimore ;  St.  Charles  to 
New  Orleans ;  the  Gait  to  Louisville ;  the  South- 
ern to  St.  Louis;  the  Sherman  and  Tremont  to 
Chicago;  the  Grand,  Lick,  Occidental  and  Cos- 
mopolitan to  San  Francisco,  and  the  Pico  house 
to  Los  Angeles,  the  Horton  House  is  to  San 
Diego."  S.  W.  Giurchill  was  its  first  manager. 
Fate,  fire  and  the  march  of  improvement  have 
doomed  all  these  great  caravansaries  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast  named  in  the  above  extract.  The 
Grand,  Lick,  Occidental  and  Cosmopolitan  of 
San  Francisco  were  wiped  out  of  existence  in 
the  great  fire  that  followed  the  earthquake  of 
April  18,  1906.  The  Pico  house  changed  to  the 
National  hotel  has  degenerated  into  a  two-bit 
lodging  house  and  the  Horton  house  was  demol- 
ished in  1905  to  give  place  to  the  great  LT.  S. 
Grant  hotel  which  will  be  to  the  San  Diego  of 
the  20th  century  what  the  Horton  house  was  in 
the  19th.  Father  Horton  removed  the  first 
brick  when  the  work  of  demolition  began. 

The  act  authorizing  the  construction  of  the 
Thirty-Second  Parallel,  the  Southern  Trans- 
Continental,  the  Southern  Pacific,  the  Texas  Pa- 
cific Railroad  (for  it  was  called  by  all  these 
names)  failed  to  pass  at  the  session  of  congress 
in  1869-70;  but  at  the  next  session  the  act  char- 
tering the  Texas  Pacific  with  its  branch  the 
Southern  Pacific  passed  by  a  two-thirds  vote  on 
the  3rd  of  March,  1871.  Then  there  was  great 
rejoicing  in  the  city  by  the  bay.  The  Bulletin 
says :  "As  we  go  to  press  our  city  is  in  a  blaze 
of  glory.  Fifth  street  looms  up  like  an  immense 
conflagration.  Bon-fires,  fireworks,  anvil  firing 
and  rejoicing  are  the  order  of  the  night."  And 
they  had  cause  to  rejoice.  For  years  they  had 
been  yearning  for  a  railroad  with  that  "hope 
deferred  that  maketh  the  heart  sick:"  and  now 
'heir  longings  were  soon  to  be  satisfied  by  the 
"Greatest  Railroad  of  the  Age,"  as  the  Wash- 


280 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ington  Chronicle  pronounced  it.  That  paper 
said:  "No  act  of  the  Forty-first  Congress  will 
be  longer  remembered  to  its  credit  than  that 
authorizing  the  construction  of  a  great  trans- 
continental iron  highway  from  the  eastern 
boundary  of  Texas,  near  Marshall,  via  El  Paso, 
to  the  town  of  San  Diego,  on  the  ba\'  of  that 
name  in  the  state  of  California."  How  transi- 
tory is  fame!  Both  the  railroad  and  the  Forty- 
first  Congress  have  long  since  been  forgotten. 

The  act  of  congress  authorizing  the  building 
of  the  railroad  settled  the  question  in  the  minds 
of  the  San  Diegoans.  To  doubt  its  building  was 
treason  to  San  Diego.  The  future  of  the  city 
was  assured ;  and  a  brilliant  future  it  was — - 
San  Diego,  the  seaport  of  the  Occident  and  the 
entrepot  of  the  Orient.  Branch  roads  were  pro- 
jected into  the  back  country.  San  Bernardino 
was  clamoring  for  railroad  connection  with  the 
metropolis  of  the  south,  and  Tom  Scott  was  mak- 
ing overtures  to  Los  Angeles  for  a  coast  rail- 
road from  that  cit)-  to  San  Diego.  The  trade  of 
the  (Orient  would  eventually  pass  through  San 
Diego  to  the  cast.  There  were  rumors  of  an 
Oriental  steamship  comjiany  in  the  formative 
stage.  The  Panama  steamers  began  stopping  at 
the  port,  and  the  Bulletin  said:  "We  hail  this 
event  as  only  second  to  that  in  which  is  record- 
ed the  passage  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
bill."  The  prices  of  real  estate  went  U]5 :  indeed, 
under  the  circumstances  it  wnuld  have  been  im- 
possible to  keep  them  down.  The  Niillcfin  of 
March  25  sa\s :  "The  real  estate  transactions 
of  the  past  week  are  larger  than  ever  before  in 
the  history  of  San  Diego  and  must  ai:)pear  rather 
nauseating  to  those  newspapers  which  have  been 
sneering  at  San  Diego  for  the  past  >ear.  By 
the  way.  we  know  a  gentleman  of  San  Jose 
who  purchased  a  Vjlock  on  Fifth  street  two 
vears  ago  for  $600  and  was  damned  b\'  a  paper 
of  his  town  for  so  doing.  He  has  been  offered 
$8,000  for  the  same  since  the  bill  passed." 

Horton  sold  $83,000  worth  of  lots  in  two 
months  after  the  passage  of  the  bill  and  a  num- 
ber of  real  estate  agents  were  doing  their  best 
to  supph-  the  demand.  The  boomers  like  Silas 
''A'egg  (Implied  into  poetry  and  a  song  first  sung 
at  a  concert  in  Horton's  hall  became  the  popu- 
lar ditlv  of  San  Diego.     Tt  contains  a  consider- 


al)le  amount  of  truth  and  some  poetry.     I  give  a 
few  sample  stanzas  : 

"Away  to  the  west,  where  the  sun  goes  down. 
Where  the  oranges  grow  by  the  cargo, 

They've    started    a    town,    and    are   doing   it   up 
brown. 
On  the  bay  of  San  Diego. 

"The  railroad,  they  say,  is  coming  that  way. 
And  then  they'll  be  neighbors  to  Chicago; 

So  they  built  a  big  hotel,  and  built  it  mighty  well, 
In  the  town  of  San  Diego. 


"There  the  grass  is  ever  green,  and  no  fleas  are 
ever   seen, 
And  pleasure-seekers  often  on  the  bay  go, 
Spread  their  canvas  to  the  gale,  as  merrily  they 
sail, 
On  the  bay  of  San  Diego. 

"The   lawyers   there  are  plenty ;   I   can   mention 
more  than  twent}-. 
And  some  are  bigger  scoundrels  than  lago. 
But  they  all  get  a  share  of  the  plunder  floating- 
there. 
The  lawyers  of  San  Diego." 


April  14,  1871,  the  postmaster-general  ordered 
a  change  of  the  name  of  the  postoffice  at  South 
San  Diego  to  San  Diego.  So  New  Town.  South 
.'^an  Diego  and  Horton's  Addition  became  simply 
San   Diego. 

December  27,  1871.  an  election  was  held  to 
vote  upon  the  issue  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
$100,000  to  lie  proffered  to  any  railroad  company 
that  would  build  a  railroad  connecting  San  Ber- 
nardino with  San  Diego.  The  bond  issue  was 
carried  with  an  overwhelming  majority.  San 
P.ernardino  also  held  an  election  and  voted  a 
bond  issue  equal  to  five  per  cent  of  its  taxable 
property    for   the   same   purpose. 

The  Bay  Shore  &  Coast  Road  to  Los  .\ngeles 
ipet  with  disaster.  .\t  the  election  held  in  Los 
Angeles  county  to  vote  on  the  issue  of  railroad 
bonds,  the  Texas  Pacific  Coast  Line  and  the 
-SoiUliern  I'acific  to  "N'nma  were  competitors. 
The  Southern  Pacific  won.  securing  bonds  and 
other  subsidy  to  the  amount  of  $610,000. 

Tn   1872.  "Father"  Horton.  as  he  was  familiar- 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


281 


]y  called,  erected  a  large  building  for  the  Texas 
Pacific  Railroad  offices,  but  the  employes  of  that 
corporation  never  occupied  it.  It  was  after- 
wards used  as  a  city  hall.  Grading  was  liegun 
on  the  roadbed  of  the  Texas  Pacific  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  1872,  but  was  nut  pushed  with  a  great 
deal  of  vigor.  About  twelve  miles  of  roailbed 
in  all  were  graded. 

In  1873  came  a  financial  crash.  "I Hack  i''ri- 
day  in  Wall  street"  was  followed  li\  one  of  the 
worst  panics  that  ever  struck  the  country.  For- 
tunes crumbled,  banks  failed,  capital  hid,  rail- 
road building  stopped.  luiterprises  that  had 
promised  large  returns  were  dropijcd  immediate- 
ly. Work  on  the  Texas  Pacific  ceased  a\id  was 
never  resumed. 

San. Diego  during  its  boom  had  grown  to  be 
a  city  of  5,000  inhabitants.  When  work  ceased 
on  the  railroad  the  pojiulation  l)egan  to  dwindle 
away.  Building  in  the  city  cease<l.  There  was 
nothing  to  do  to  earn  a  Hving.  People  could  not 
live  on  climate,  however  invigorating,  so  they 
left.  Father  Horton,  during  the  Hush  times, 
had  sold  a  number  of  lots  to  worl^ing  men  on 
the  installment  plan.  They  came  to  him  and  of- 
fered to  give  up  the  lots  and  let  him  retain  the 
money  paid  if  he  would  cancel  their  contracts. 
With  a  generosity  unknown  in  real-estate  deals 
he  refunded  all  tlie  money  the}-  had  paid  and  re- 
leased them  of  their  obligations.  In  1875  the 
population  had  dwindled  down  to  about  1.500, 
and  these  were  living  largely  on  faith,  hope  and 
climate. 

The  Kimball  brothers,  owners  of  the  Rancho 
de  la  Xacion,  had,  during  the  flush  times  of  the 
early  ^os.  laid  off  a  town  on  the  bay  about  four 
miles  distant  from  San  Dieao.  and  named  it 
Xational  City.  It  had  shared  in  the  ups  and 
downs  <if  the  large  city. 

A     NEW     R.MI.UOAIl     SeillC.MK. 

In  1880  the  Kimballs  began  agitating  the 
project  of  inducing  the  Atchison.  Topeka  &  San- 
ta Fe  Railroad,  that  had  built  out  into  New 
Mexico,  to  continue  its  road  to  San  Diego  and 
National  City.  They  met  with  but  little  en- 
couragement at  home.  For  thirty  years  the  peo- 
ple of  San  Diego  had  been  talking  Pacific  rail- 
road  and   their   town    was   no   nearer   being   the 


terminus  of  a  transcontinental  road  in  '80  than 
It  was  in  '50.  But  the  Knnballs  persisted.  One 
of  the  Kimball  brothers  went  east  at  his  own 
expense  and  presented  his  scheme  to  capitalists 
and  railroad  men.  He  met  with  little  success 
at  first,  but  the  offer  of  17,000  acres  of  land  on 
the  ba\-  for  workshops  and  terminal  grounds  in- 
duced the  directors  of  the  road  to  investigate 
the  proposition.  Other  parties  owning  land  con- 
tiguous offered  additional  grants.  The  railroad 
company  accepted  the  subsidy  and  work  was 
begun  on  the  road;  and  in  August.  1882,  the 
California  Southern,  as  the  road  was  then  called, 
was  completed  to  Colton,  on  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific; and  in  1884  to  San  Bernardino.  There  it 
stopped.  The  great  flood  of  1884  destroyed  the 
track  in  the  Temecula  canon  and  once  more  San 
Diego  was  Avithout  railroad  connection.  In  1885 
the  road  through,  the  canon  had  been  rebuilt  and 
trains  were  rimning  owr  it.  During  the  same 
\ear  the  work  of  exteuiHug  the  California 
Southern  to  Barstow,  a  station  on  the  Atlantic 
&  Pacific,  was  begun,  and  early  in  1887  was 
completeil.  This  road  and  die  connecting  roads 
— the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  At- 
lantic &  Pacific — formed  a  transcontinental  sys- 
tem of  which  San  Diego  and  National  City  were 
the  western  termini. 

\\'ith  the  rebuilding  of  the  California  South- 
ern through  the  canon  in  1885.  and  the  begin- 
ning of  work  on  it-  extension,  the  cloud  of 
despondency  tiiat  had  darkened  the  hopes  of  the 
San  Diegoans  began  to  lift  a  little;  as  work 
progressed  and  a  transcontinental  line  became 
more  of  a  certainty,  capitalists  and  speculators 
came  to  the  town  to  look  around.  The  old- 
timers  who  had  loaded  up  with  lots  in  the  boom 
of  1871-72  and  had  held  on  through  all  the  in- 
tervening years,  simply  because  they  could  not 
let  go  without  losing  all.  began  quietly  to  un- 
load on  the  nev.-comers.  The  old  resident  had 
faith—faith  unbounded— in  the  future  of  the 
city,  but  ou*  of  charitv  to  the  lotless  he  was  will- 
ing to  divide  a  good  thing:  and  when  the  trans- 
fer was  made  he  chuckled  over  his  smartness. 
But  when  the  bu\er  turned  over  his  purchase  at 
an  advance  of  twenty-five  to  fifty  per  cent  the 
chuckle  died  away  into  a   sigh   and   at   the  next 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


transfer,  when  the  price  advanced  a  hundred 
per  cent,  tlie  sigh  increased  to  a  groan. 

As  the  reverberations  of  the  boom  grew  loud- 
er the  faithful  old  inhabitant  turned  speculator 
himself  and  loaded  up  perhaps  with  a  single  lot 
of  the  block  he  had  formerly  sold,  at  a  price  a 
hundred  per  cent  higher  than  he  had  received  for 
the  entire  tract.  In  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1887,  speculation  ran  riot  in  the  streets  of  San 
Diego.  Prices  of  real  estate  went  up  until  it 
seemed  as  if  they  could  go  no  higher ;  then  some 
adventurous  investor  would  break  the  record  and 
the  holders  along  the  line  would  mark  up  the 
price  of  their  holdings.  Business  lots,  that  a 
few  years  before  were  a  drug  on  the  market  at 
$25  a  front  foot,  found  buyers  at  $2,500  a  foot. 
A  small-sized  store  room  rented  all  the  way 
from  $300  to  $500  a  month  for  business,  and  if 
cut  up  into  stalls  for  real  estate  brokers,  brought 
in  a  thousand  a  month.  Small  and  poorly  fur- 
nished sleeping  rooms  rented  all  the  way  from 
$25  to  $50  a  m.onth,  prices  varying  with  the 
landlord's  cupidity  and  the  tenant's  necessity. 
The  prices  of  labor  kept  pace  with  speculation. 
Carpenters  received  $5  to  $6  a  day,  bricklayers 
$6  to  $8.  Barbers  asked  twenty-five  cents  for 
a  shave  and  printers  earned  $50  to  $60  a  week. 

The  fame  of  San  Diego's  boom  spread  abroad. 
The  trains  came  in  loaded  with  speculators, 
boomers,  gamblers  and  bona  fide  home-seekers. 
In  the  wild  gold  rush  of  the  early  '50s  it  was  a 
common  saying  among  old  Califorians  "that 
renegade  ministers  made  the  most  adroit  gam- 
blers." So  in  the  boom  of  '87  the  confiding 
home-seeker  often  proved  to  be  the  most  un- 
scrupulous operator.  At  one  time  during  the 
height  of  the  boom  it  was  estimated  that  the 
citv  had  a  population  of  50.C00  people.  It  was  a 
cosmopolitan  conglomeration.  Almost  every 
civilized  nation  on  earth  was  represented;  and 
every  social  condition,  high  and  low,  good  and 
bad.  was  there,  too. 

The  excitement  was  not  confined  to  San  Diego 
city.  It  spread  over  the  county.  New  towns 
were  founded.  The  founder  in  selecting  a  lo- 
cation was  governed  more  by  the  revenue  that 
might  accrue  from  his  speculation  than  by  the 
resources  that  would  build  up  his  inchoate  me- 
tropolis.    It  might  be  platted  on  an  inaccessible 


mesa,  where  view  was  the  principal  resource,  or 
it  might  be  a  hyphenated  city-by-the-sea,  where 
the  investor  might  while  away  his  time  listening 
to  what  the  wild  waves  were  saying  and  subsist 
on  climate. 

It  is  said  that  two  town  sites  extended  out 
over  the  bay  like  Mark  Twain's  tunnel  that  was 
bored  through  the  hill  and  a  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  in  the  air.  When  the  fever  of  speculation 
was  at  its  height  it  mattered  little  where  the 
town  was  located.  A  tastefully  lithographed 
map  with  a  health-giving  sanatorium  in  one  cor- 
ner, tourist  hotel  in  the  other,  palms  lining  the 
streets,  and  orange  trees  in  the  distance  (add  to 
these  picturesque  attractions  a  glib-tongued  agent, 
untrammeled  by  conscience  and  unacquainted 
with  truth)  and  the  town  was  successfully 
founded.  Purchasers  did  not  buy  to  hold,  but 
with  hope  of  making  a  quick  turn  at  an  advance, 
while  the  excitement  was  on.  Very  few  had 
confidence  in  the  permanency  of  high  prices,  but 
every  one  expected  to  unload  before  the  crash 
came. 

The  tourist  crop  of  the  winter  of  1887-88  was 
expected  to  be  very  lauge,  but  it  did  not  mature. 
As  the  eventful  year  of  1887  drew  to  a  close  and 
new  victims  ceased  to  appear,  he  who  had  loaded 
up  for  the  tourist  began  to  look  around  quietly 
for  a  chance  to  unload  on  his  fellows.  Then  he 
discovered  to  his  dismay  that  all  the  others  were 
at  the  same  game.  Then  the  crash  came.  The 
speculator  who  held  the  last  contract  could  not 
pay :  the  one  before  him  could  not  meet  his  ob- 
ligations unless  the  man  to  whom  he  had  sold 
paid  up ;  and  so  it  went  all  along  the  line  like  a 
row  of  bricks  set  on  end.  The  end  one  toppling 
over  the  one  next  to  its  starts  the  movement 
down  the  line  and  all  go  down.  Before  the  ides 
of  March  had  passed  every  speculator  was  vain- 
Iv  trving  to  save  something  from  the  wreck. 
Those  who  had  invested  recklessly  in  boom  towns 
and  dry  lands  lost  all ;  those  who  had  some  good 
unincumbered  property  in  a  town  or  city  with 
a  future  managed  to  save  a  little  out  of  the 
crash,  but  "capitalist"  no  longer  followed  their 
names  in  the  directory. 

Xo  better  criterion  probably  can  be  given  for 
measuring  the  great  inflation  of  property  values 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


283 


during  the  boom  than  the  county  assessment 
rolls  for  1887-88.  The  valuation  of  all  property 
made  by  the  county  assessor  at  the  beginning  of 
the  boom  early  in  1887  was  $22,826,250.  The 
assessed  value  fixed  early  in  1888  before  the 
collapse  had  begun  was  $41,522,608,  an  increase 
of  almost  one  hundred  per  cent  in  twelve 
months.  In  1890  the  assessment  had  contracted 
to  $26,871,551. 

But  with  all  its  wild  extravagance,  its  reck- 
lessness, its  gambling,  its  waste  and  its  ruined 
"millionaires  of  a  day,"  the  boom  to  San  Diego 
was  a  blessing  in  disguise.  It  projected  enter- 
prises of  merit  as  well  as  those  of  demerit.  It 
helped  to  make  a  reality  of  that  "back  country" 
that  for  years  had  been  a  myth,  and  it  brought 
about  the  building  of  a  substantial  city  of  what 
had  before  been  a  crude  and  inchoate  burg. 
Strange  to  say,  too,  the  great  enterprises  project- 
ed during  the  boom  were  all  carried  on  to  com- 
pletion, notwithstanding  the  hard  times  that  fol- 
lowed.    Depression  did  not  stop  progression. 

The  San  Diego  Sun,  two  years  after  the  boom, 
summing  up  what  had  been  done  since,  says: 
"Since  1887,  the  Cuyamaca  Railway  has  been 
built  and  motor  lines  extended  at  a  cash  outla>' 
of  $350,000;  the  Spreckel's  Company  has  put 
$250,000  into  a  wharf  and  coal  bunkers ;  all  our 
business  streets  have  been  paved;  a  $100,000 
court-house  built  and  paid  for;  three  tine  school 
houses,  and  all  our  big  hotels  except  two  con- 
structed. Five  miles  of  cable  road  have  been 
built  and  put  in  operation ;  a  fine  public  library 
has  been  established;  a  new  opera-house  will 
soon  be  completed.  Tlie  adjacent  mining  regions 
have  yielded  at  least  $1,000,000  in  gold.  The 
great  irrigating  works  of  the  Sweetwater  dam 
and  San  Diego  flume,  involving  an  expense  of 
$2,500,000,  have  been  constructed,  and  water 
supplied  at  the  lowest  western  prices.  Not  less 
than  fifteen  elegant  business  blocks  have  been 
built,  and  several  fine  churches.  Over  a  hundred 
new  residences  have  been  built  on  Florence 
Heights  alone.  To  sum  it  all  up,  $10,000,000 
have  been  invested  in  San  Diego  and  its  en- 
virons since  1887.  and  the  back  country  has  ob- 
tained and  planted  600,000  fruit  trees;  which, 
with    those    already    out,    promise   to    fill    seven 


years  hence,  10,000  freight  cars  with  merchanta- 
ble products." 

The  Federal  census  of  1890  gave  the  popula- 
tion of  county  as  34,987;  and  that  of  the  city 
16,159.  It  was  charged  that  the  census  of  the 
city  was  very  incorrectly  taken  and  that  the  real 
population  was  over  20,000. 

During  the  years  1889  and  1890  the  city  and 
county  were  recovering  from  the  depression 
caused  by  the  collapse  of  the  boom,  but  1891  was 
a  year  of  disasters.  February  22  a  great  flood 
entirely  destroyed  the  railroad  tracks  through 
the  Temecula  canon.  The  road  through  the 
caiion  has  never  been  rebuilt.  During  the  same 
storm  the  Tia  Jnana  river,  that  is  usually  a  dry 
sand  wash,  became  a  tremendous  torrent,  spread- 
ing out  until  it  was  as  wide  as  the  Colorado  in 
a  spring  rise.  The  town  on  the  American  side 
was  entirely  washed  away,  and  of  that  on  the 
Mexican  only  the  houses  on  upper  Mesa  were 
left.  The  Otay  watch  works,  started  in  1887, 
and  at  one  time  employing  over  one  hundred 
operatives,  suspended  and  the  employes  were 
compelled  to  leave. 

In  October  the  California  National  Bank,  with 
more  than  a  million  dollars  in  deposits,  failed. 
Tlie  Savings  Bank  connected  with  it  went  down, 
too.  in  the  crash.  Neither  ever  resumed  busi- 
ness. Their  affairs  were  placed  in  the  hands  of 
a  receiver.  A  few  small  dividends  were  paid  the 
depositors,  but  the  bulk  of  the  deposits  were 
lost  by  bad  management,  wild  speculation  and 
the  doubtful  business  methods  of  J.  W.  Collins 
and  his  partner,  D.  D.  Dare.  Collins  was  ar- 
rested, and  shortly  afterwards  committed  suicide. 
Dare,  who  was  in  Europe  at  the  time  of  the  fail- 
ure, never  returned  to  San  Diego. 

Februarv  7,  1892.  the  Pacific  ^fail  steamers 
began  stopping  ggain  at  San  Diego  for  passen- 
gers and  freight.  The  wharf  of  the  United 
States  government  station  at  La  Playa  was  com- 
pleted April  25.  1892.  The  cable  road  was  ex- 
tended to  the  Mission  ClifT  in  July,  1892. 

By  an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  IMarcli 
II,  1893,  6.418  square  miles  were  taken  from 
the  northern  part  of  San  Diego  to  form  the  new 
county  of  Riverside.  The  new  county  appropri- 
ated $3,849,114  of  the  old  county's  assessed  val- 
uation.    The  area   of  San   Diego   is  now   8.551 


284 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


s(|iiai"e  niik-s.  She  partuil  with  the  towns  of 
Teniecula,  Elsinore,  Alurietta,  San  Jacinto  and 
W'inchester.  The  county  division  scheme  was 
opposed  by  San  Diego  and  San  Bernardino,  but 
was  carried  in  spite  of  their  protests. 

In  1896  the  San  Diego  Brewery,  costing  $150,- 
000,  was  erected  entirely  by  San  Diego  capital. 

In  1898,  a  decade  after  the  collapse  of  the 
boom,  the  city  had  five  miles  of  paved  streets, 
forty-three  miles  of  graded  streets  and  forty- 
five  miles  of  scwcr^.  It  had  twenty-four 
churches  and  fourteen  schools. 

January  21.  1899,  the  steamship  I'.elgian  King, 
the  first  of  the  California  and  Oriental  Steam- 
ship company's  vessels,  arrived  in  port. 

August  22.  1899.  the  steamer  Thyra,  the  larg- 
est vessel  that  ever  entered  the  port,  drawing 
twenty-seven  feet  of  water,  passed  safely  over 
the  bar  and  entered  the  harbor. 

May  I,  1899,  the  State  Normal  School  on  the 
North  Mesa  was  dedicated.  During  the  \ear 
1905  an  addition  to  the  buililing  wa>  made  at  a 
cost  of  $45,000. 

.SCHOOLS. 

The  first  public  school  opened  in  San  Diego 
was  taught  by  ]\Ianuel  de  \'argas,  a  retired  ser- 
geant of  infantry.  He  was  the  pioneer  school- 
master of  California,  having  taught  a  school 
at  San  Jose  in  1794,  tlie  first  school  opened  in 
the  territory.  He  taught  in  San  Diego  from 
July,  1795,  to  December,  1798,  at  a  yearly  sal- 
ary of  $250.  Don  Jose  Antonio  Carrillo  is  said 
to  have  taught  a  school  at  the  presidio  in  1812- 
13.  Antonio  Menendez  was  teaching  in  the  ( )ld 
Town  in  1828-29.  Eighteen  children  \\ere  re- 
ported in  attendance.  In  1844  ( '.overnor  ^[iehel- 
torena  issued  a  decree.  est;ihli-;liing  ]iriinary 
schools  at  San  Diego,  Los  Angeles.  Santa  Bar- 
bara and  several  other  towns.  Tliis  seems  to 
have  been  the  last  sch.ool  taught  at  San  Diego 
under  Mexican  rule. 

After  the  American  form  of  government  was 
established,  a  school  was  opened  in  Old  Town 
about  1853.  The  early  school  records  have  dis- 
appeared, if.  indeed,  any  were  kept. 

In  1867,  fifteen  years  after  a  public-school 
.-vstem  had  been  established  in  CTlifornia  by  law. 
San  Diego  count}  was  all  included  in  one  school 
district  and  had  lint  one  teacher  and  one   school 


house  within  its  limits.  It  was  then  probably 
the  largest  school  district  in  the  United  States. 
In  1866  the  number  of  white  children  between 
five  and  fifteen  years  of  age,  according  to  the 
school  census  of  that  year,  was  335.  The  census 
of  1867  gave  an  increase  of  only  three,  which 
would  seem  to  indicate  a  short  crop  that  year. 

The  number  who  attended  public  school  in 
1867  was  thirty-two;  those  attending  private 
schools,  t went}- two — a  total  attendance  of  fifty- 
four,  or  about  sixteen  per  cent  of  the  children 
of  school  age.  This  was  but  little,  if  any.  im- 
provement on  the  school  attendance  of  Ale.xican 
days.  In  1877  tlie  census  children  had  increased 
to  1,693;  the  number  attending  public  school  919. 
and  private  schools  112.  The  number  of  dis- 
tricts had  increased  to  thirty-four  and  the  num- 
l)er  of  teachers  to  thirt}-five.  In  1887  the  total 
number  of  census  chi!(h-en  was  5,299;  enrolled 
in  the  public  schools,  3,952.  The  number  of  dis- 
tricts was  eight}-two  and  the  number  of  teach- 
ers. 115.  In  1905  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $135.- 
000  were  voted  for  a  new  and  spacious  high 
School  building  in  San  Diego  City.  The  bonds 
brought  a  premium  of  $12,000,  making  available 
the  sum  of  $147,000  for  the  building.  The  en- 
rollment in  the  high  school  at  the  close  of  the 
school  year  of  1906  was  400.  The  new  building 
will  be  planned  to  accommodate  double  that  num- 
her.  During  the  year  1906  an  entire  city  block 
costing  $35,000  was  purchased  for  the  erection 
of  a  new  grammcr  school.  The  total  number  of 
teachers  employed  in  the  schools  of  San  Diego 
citv  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year  of  \c)oC^ 
was  101.  The  munber  of  school  districts  in  the 
coiTUty  is   122. 

Till-:  SAX  nii-:r;o  fuke  plt.i.ic  lidr.vry. 

The  i)ul)lic  library  was  founded  in  T882.  The 
first  president  of  the  library  board  was  Bryant 
Howard;  secretary,  E.  W.  Hendricks;  treas- 
urer. G.  H.  Hitciicock;  trustees.  G.  W.  ]\Iarston 
and  R.  M.  Rowers.  The  Commercial  Bank  do- 
natefl  the  free  use  of  a  room  for  six  months. 
Donations  of  liooks  were  made  by  a  number  of 
persons  and  a  cit}  tax  levied  for  the  support  of 
the  library. 

In  the  early  part  of  1890  ^Irs.  Lvdia  M. 
Horton.  who  was  at  that  time  a  member  of  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAl'HICAL  RECORD 


285 


free  librar}-  board,  wrote  to  the  millionaire  phil- 
anthropist, Andrew  Carnegie,  asking  a  donation 
to  erect  a  library  building.  On  the  28th  of  July, 
1899,  ^'1^  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Carnegie, 
stating  that  "If  the  city  were  to  pledge  itself 
to  mamtain  a  free  public  library  from  the  taxes, 
say  to  the  extent  of  the  amount  you  name  of  be- 
tween $5,000  to  $6,000  a  year  and  provide  a  site, 
I  shall  be  glad  to  give  you  $50,000  to  erect  a  suit- 
able library  building."  The  proposition  was  accept- 
ed -it  nnce.  A  site  was  secured  on  E  street,  be- 
tween luohth  and  Ninth  streets,  at  a  cost  of  $17,- 
000 :  of  which  $8,000  was  raised  by  subscription 
and  the  balance  paid  by  the  city.  The  site  cov- 
ers half  a  block. 

Tiie  building  was  completed  and  occupied 
early  in  1902.  It  cost  about  $60,000.  The 
librarian  reported  in  September,  1906,  25,446 
volumes.  The  total  receipts  from  all  sources 
amount  to  $9,244,  and  the  salaries  paid  to  $3,948. 
There  is  in  connection  with  the  library  a  bind- 
ing department,  where  the  bindings  of  books 
are  repaired  and  books  and  newspaper  files  are 
bound.  One  room  is  set  apart  for  a  children's 
stud\-  and  reference  room.  It  is  well  patronized. 
Mrs.  H.  P.  Davison  is  the  librarian.  She  has  a 
corps  of  eight  assistants. 

CH.VMIiER    OF    COMMERCi:. 

The  San  Diego  Chamber  of  Commerce  was 
organized  January  20,  1870,  and  is  the  oldest 
institution  of  that  kind  in  Southern  California. 
The    organizers    were    A.    E.    Horton.    E.    W. 


Alorsc,  Da\id  Felsenheld,  Aaron  Pauly,  G.  W. 
r..  iMcDonald,  J.  W.  Gale,  D.  Choate  and  Joseph 
Xash.  Its  first  president  was  Aaron  Pauly ;  and 
first  secretary,  David  Felsenheld.  It  has  been 
for  more  than  thirty-five  years  active  in  foster- 
ing and  promoting  every  public  enterprise  look- 
ing to  the  welfare  of  San  Diego  city  and  county. 

THE    PARKS    OF    S.\X    UIEGO. 

In  1 868,  the  first  official  steps  were  taken  to 
form  a  park.  Two  city  lots  of  160  acres  each 
were  set  apart  for  that  purpose.  At  a  meeting 
of  the  town  trustees  held  ^lay  26,  1868,  an  ordi- 
nance was  passed  reserving  in  all  nine  city  lots, 
of  160  acres  each,  for  park  purposes.  To  make 
the  reservation  permanent,  legislative  enactment 
was  secured.  In  the  legislature  of  1870-71  an 
effort  was  made  to  divert  480  acres  of  the  park 
lands  for  other  purposes.  An  attempt  was  also 
made  to  repeal  the  reservation  act.  These  bills 
were  defeated  and  San  Diego  secured  her  mag- 
nificent park  site.  For  a  .number  of  years  little 
was  done  towards  beautifying  it,  but  in  1902 
the  citizens  subscribed  $12,000  to  make  improve- 
ments. In  January,  1903.  a  survey  was  made 
and  a  contour  map  drawn.  A  landscape  archi- 
tect was  employed  to  design  improvement.  Tree 
planting  has  been  contintied  each  winter.  In 
May.  1905,  a  board  of  park  -commissioners  was 
organized.  To  this  commission  is  entrusted  not 
only  the  care  of  the  1,400  acre  City  Park,  but 
also  the  D  street  plaza  and  the  La  Jolla  park 
grounds. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

LOS  ANGELES  COUNTY. 


THE  county  of  Los  Angeles,  as  created  by 
the  act  of  I'ebruary  18.  1850.  did  not 
e.xtend  to  the  Colorado  river.  For  some 
reason  not  known  the  legislature  gave  San  Diego 
all  the  desert,  making  that  county  "L"  shaped. 
The  county  of  Los  Angeles,  as  created  by  the 
act  of  February  18,  1850,  did  not  contain  all  of 
wliat  is  now  San  Bernardino  county.  The 
original  boundaries  of  Los  Angeles  county  were 
ilefined  as  follows: 


■■County  of  Los  Angeles. — Beginning  on 
the  coast  of  the  Pacific  at  the  southern  boundary 
of  the  farm  called  Trnmfo,  and  running  thence 
along  the  summit  of  the  ridge  of  hills  called 
Santa  Susana  to  the  northwestern  lx>undary  of 
the  farm  called  San  Francisco ;  thence  along  the 
northern  and  northeastern  boundary  of  said 
farm  of  San  Francisco  to  the  farm  called  Piro; 
thence  in  a  line  running  due  northeast  to  the 
summit   of   the   Coast   Range:   thence   along  the 


286 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


summit  of  said  range  to  the  western  boundary 
of  San  Diego  county;  thence  in  a  due  southerly 
direction  along  said  boundary  to  the  source  of 
the  creek  San  ]\Iateo;  thence  down  said  creek 
San  Mateo  to  the  coast  and  three  English  miles 
into  the  sea;  thence  m  a  northwesterly  direction 
parallel  with  the  coast  to  a  point  three  miles 
from  land  and  opposite  to  the  southern  boundary 
of  the  farm  called  Trumfo;  and  thence  to  the 
shore  at  said  boundary,  which  was  the  point  of 
beginning,  including  the  islands  of  Santa  Cata- 
lina  and  San  Qemente.  The  seat  of  justice 
shall  be  l^s  Angeles." 

These  boundaries  were  very  indefinite,  some 
portions  of  the  area  being  included  in  both  coun- 
ties instead  of  one,  and  some  of  the  territory 
was  in  no  county.  No  conflict  of  authority  arose. 
A  large  portion  of  both  counties  was  a  "terra 
incognita" — a  land  where  the  foot  of  white  man 
had  never  trod.  The  Indians,  who  inhabited 
these  regions,  were  of  the  class  that  are  "not 
taxed,"  and  any  confliGt  of  authority  with  them 
was  settled  by  bullets  and  not  by  boundary  lines. 
This  act  was  repealed  by  an  act  of  the  second 
legislature,  passed  April  25,  1851,  which  defined 
the  boundaries  of  Los  Angeles  county  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Section  3,  County  of  Los  Angeles.— Be- 
ginning on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific,  at  a  point 
parallel  with  the  northern  boundary  of  the  ran- 
cho  called  Malaga;  thence  in  a  direction  so  as 
to  include  said  rancho,  to  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  rancho,  known  as  Trumfo,  running  on  the 
northerly  line  of  the  same  to  the  northeast  cor- 
ner; thence  to  the  summit  of  the  ridge  of  hills 
called  Santa  Susana ;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to 
the  rancho  Casteyne  (Castaic)  and  Jejon  (El 
Tejon),  and  along  their  northern  line  to  the 
northeastern  corners;  and  tlience  in  a  northeast 
line  to  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  state,  and 
along  said  boundary  line  to  the  junction  of  the 
northern  boundary  of  San  Diego  county  with  the 
Colorado;  thence  following  said  line  to  the  Pa- 
cific ocean  and  three  miles  therein ;  thence  in 
a  northwesterly  direction  parallel  with  the  coast 
to  a  point  three  miles  from  land,  and  opposite 
to  the  southern  boundary  of  the  rancho  called 
Malaga,  and  thence  east  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning;  including   the    islands    of    Santa    Catalina 


and  San  Clemaite.     The  seat  of  justice  shall  be 
at  Los  Angeles." 

These  boundaries  included  all  the  territory 
that  was  afterwards  included  in  the  county  of 
San  Bernardino.  In  1851  a  colony  of  Mormons 
from  Salt  Lake  located  where  now  the  city  of 
San  Bernardino  stands,  on  a  tract  of  land  bought 
from  the  Lugos.  They  were  reinforced  by  other 
immigrants  from  Salt  Lake  and  by  some  non- 
Mormon  families.  The  settlement  grew  quite 
rapidly.  These  settlers  petitioned  the  legisla- 
ture of  1853  to  create  a  new  county  out  of  the 
eastern  portion  of  Los  Angeles  county.  By  an 
act  entitled,  "An  Act  for  dividing  the  county  of 
Los  Angeles  and  making  a  new  county  there- 
from to  be  called  San  Bernardino  county,"  ap- 
proved April  26,  1853,  it  was  provided : 

"Section  3.  The  county  of  Los  Angeles  is 
hereby  divided  as  follows :  Beginning  at  a  point 
where  a  due  south  line  drawn  from  the  highest 
peak  of  the  Sierra  de  Santiago  intercepts  the 
northern  boundary  of  San  Diego  county;  thence 
running  along  the  summit  of  said  Sierra  to  the 
Santa  Ana  river,  between  the  rancho  of  Sierra 
and  the  residence  of  Bernardino  Yorba ;  thence 
across  the  .Santa  Ana  river  along  the  summit  of 
the  range  of  hills  that  lie  between  the  Coyotes 
and  Chino  (leaving  the  ranchos  of  Ontiveras  and 
Ybarra  to  the  we.st  of  this  line),  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  rancho  of  San  Jose;  thence  along 
the  eastern  boundaries  of  said  rancho  and  of 
San  Antonio,  and  the  western  and  northern 
boundaries  of  Cucamonga  ranch  to  the  ravine  of 
Cucamonga;  thence  up  said  ravine  to  its  source 
in  the  Coast  Range;  thence  due  north  to  the 
northern  boundary  of  Los  Angeles  county; 
thence  northeast  to  the  state  line;  thence  along 
the  state  line  to  the  northern  boundary  line  of 
San  Diego  county,  thence  westerly  along  the 
northern  boundary  of  San  Diego  to  the  place  of 
beginning. 

"Section  4.  The  eastern  portion  of  Los  An- 
geles county,  so  cut  oflf,  shall  be  called  San  Ber- 
nardino county  and  the  seat  of  justice  thereof 
shall  be  at  such  a  place  as  a  majority  of  voters 
sliall  determine  at  the  first  county  election,  here- 
inafter provided  to  be  held  in  said  county  and 
shall  remain  at  the  place  designated  until 
changed  by  the  people,  as  provided  by  law." 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


287 


The  county  of  Los  vVngeles,  before  the  crea- 
tion of  San  Bernardino  county,  was  an  empire 
in  itself.  It  extended  from  the  Pacific  ocean  on 
the  west  to  the  Colorado  rivef  on  the  east,  an 
extreme  length  of  27c  miles,  and  from  San  Diego 
county  on  the  south- to  Santa  Barbara  and  Mari- 
posa counties  on  the  north.  Its  average  breadth 
was  150  miles.  Its  area  was  about  34,000  square 
miles,  over  one-fifth  of  the  area  of  the  entire 
state.  Excepting  Maine  it  was  equal  in  area  to 
all  the  New  England  states.  In  its  vast  area  it 
embraced  the  most  diversified  scenery,  soil  and 
climate  of  any  other  county  in  the  United  States. 
Within  its  limits  were  the  barren  sands  and  tor- 
rid heat  of  the  desert;  the  perpetual  ice  and 
snow  of  the  lofty  mountain  tops ;  the  genial  sun- 
shine and  fragrant  perfume  of  the  orange  groves 
of  the  valleys,  and  the  unvarying  temperature  of 
the  sea  coast. 

The  formation  of  San  Bernardino  county  cut 
off  from  Los  Angeles  24,000  square  miles,  leav- 
ing her  10,000.  For  the  second  time  she  was 
cut  off  from  all  claim  to  a  portion  of  the  Colo- 
rado desert,  but  still  retained  her  interest  in  the 
Mojave. 

In  1866,  the  county  of  Kern  was  formed  from 
portions  of  Tulare  and  Los  Angeles  counties. 
From  1855  to  i860  there  had  appeared  in  the 
legislature  proceedings  a  spectral  county  called 
Buena  Vista.  In  1855  and  again  in  1859  it 
had  been  made  a  part  of  the  proposed  new  state 
of  Colorado,  which  was  to  include  all  the  coun- 
try south  of  San  Luis  Obispo.  The  county  was, 
never  officially  created  and  the  territory  included 
in  the  proposed  county  remained  part  of  Los 
Angeles  and  Tulare  counties  until  the  creation 
of  Kern  county  in  1866.  This  county  took  from 
Los  Angeles  about  5,000  square  miles,  but  as 
this  territory  was  mostly  mountains  and  desert 
there  was  no  opposition  to  the  segregation. 

In  1869  began  the  struggle  to  cut  oS  a  portion 
from  the  southeastern  part  to  form  a  new  county. 
This  movement  the  people  of  Los  Angeles  re- 
sisted. The  contest  over  county  division  lasted 
for  twenty  years.  It  ended  in  1889  with  the 
formation  of  Orange  county.  The  story  of  this 
long-drawn-out  contest  is  tol'd  in  full  in  the  his- 
lor>-  of  Orange  county. 

After    the    formation    of   Orange    county    Los 


Angeles  had  an  area  of  3,980  square  miles.  In 
1891  an  effort  was  made  to  cut  a  slice  ofif  the 
eastern  side  to  form  with  territory  taken  from 
San  Bernardino  the  county  of  Pomona.  Fortu- 
nately the  scheme  failed. 

ORGANIZATION     OF     THE     COUNTY      GOVERNMENT. 

The  transition  from  the  Mexican  form  of  gov- 
ernment in  California  to  that  of  the  United 
States  was  very  gradual.  Los  Angeles,  the  last 
Mexican  stronghold,  surrendered  January  10, 
1847.  It  was  not  until  June  24,  1850,  that  the 
American  municipal  form  of  government  b_\- 
county  officers  superseded  the  ayuntamientos,  al- 
caldes, prefects  and  sindicos  of  Spain  and  Mex- 
ico. The  legislature  had  passed  a  county  gov- 
ernment act,  February  18,  1850,  and  had  pro- 
vided for  an  election  of  county  officers  to  be 
held  the  first  Monday  of  April.  The  election 
was  held  April  i,  377  votes  were  cast  in  the 
county  and  the  following  named  officers  elected : 

County  judge,  Agustin  Olvera. 

County  attorney,  Benjamin  Hays. 

County  clerk,  B.  D.  Wilson. 

Sheriff,  G.  Thompson  Burrill. 

Treasurer,  Manuel  Garfias. 

Assessor,  Antonio  F.  Coronel. 

Recorder,  Ignacio  del  Valle. 

Surveyor,  J.  R.  Conway. 

Coroner,  Charles  B.  Cullen. 

COURT    OF    SESSIONS. 

The  court  of  sessions,  which  consisted  of  the 
county  judge  and  two  justices  of  the  peace,  con- 
stituted the  legislative  body  of  the  county  gov- 
ernments of  tlie  state  up  to  1853,  when  the  civil 
business  of  the  counties  was  turned  over  to  a 
board  of  supervisors,  created  by  an  act  of  the 
legislature.  The  court  of  sessions  had  jurisdic- 
tion over  the  criminal  business,  the  impaneling 
of  juries  and  filling  vacancies  in  office  up  to 
1865,  when  it  was  legislated  out  of  office. 

The  court  of  sessions  was  the  motive  power 
that  set  the  countv  machinery  in  operation.  The 
first  meeting  of  the  court  in  Los  Angeles  was 
held  June  24,  1850.  Hon.  Agustin  Olvera  was 
the  presiding  judge;  the  associate  justices  were 
Jonathan  R.  Scott  and  Luis  Robi4eau.  Anto- 
nio F.  Coronel,  assessor-elect,  and  Charles  B. 
Cullen,  coroner-elect,  were  cited  before  the  court 


288 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIO(  ;k Al'HICAL  RECORD. 


to  qualify  and  file  their  nfficial  bonds.  Coronel 
appeared  next  day  and  (jualified,  but  CuUen  de- 
clined to  serve. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  ciaurt.  June  26,  Jailer 
Samuel  Whiting  was  all<nved  $7  per  day  salary, 
out  of  which  he  was  to  employ  a  competent  as- 
sistant. He  was  allowed  "for  feeding  the  pris- 
oners, fifty  cents  each ;  that  each  prisoner  shall 
have  per  day  an  amount  of  bread  to  the  value 
of  twelve  and  one-half  cents  or  an  equivalent  in 
rice  or  beans ;  balance  of  the  allowance  in  good 
meat." 

A.  P.  Hodges,  M.  D.,  was  appointed  coroner 
( during  his  term  as  coroner  he  also  served  as 
the  first  mayor  of  the  city).  The  county  judge 
could  not  speak  English  and  at  least  one  asso- 
ciate judge  spoke  no  Spanish,  so  G.  Thompson 
iUuTill  was  appointed  county  interpreter  for  the 
court  at  a  salary  of  $50  per  month.  He  was  also 
sherilT. 

At  the  session  of  July  11,  1S50,  it  was  ordered 
that  the  town  council  lie  permitted  to  work  the 
countv  prisoners  by  paving  the  daily  expense  of 
each  one's  keeping — fifty  cents — a  master  stroke 
of  economy.  Some  one  has  sneeringly  said  that 
the  first  public  buildings  the  Americans  built  in 
California  after  it  came  into  their  possession, 
were  jails.  This  was  true  of  Los  Angeles,  and 
in  fact  of  all  the  counties  of  Southern  California. 

July  II.  1850,  commissioners  were  appointed 
by  the  city  and  county  to  select  a  site  for  a  jail. 
I^ts  Nos.  T.  2.  3.  7.  S  and  9  in  square  No.  34 
(north  of  the  Plaza  church)  were  selected  for 
a  jail  site.  The  city  council  was  asked  to  donate 
said  lots  to  the  county  and  the  city  was  requested 
to  loan  the  county  $2,000.  to  be  used  in  building 
said  jail,  the  city  council  to  have  permission  to 
use  said  jail  until  the  loan  is  refunded.  The 
citv  fathers  did  not  take  kindly  to  these  requests 
of  the  judges :  so  the  county  had  to  worry  along 
two  years  longer  before  a  jail  was  built  and  then 
it  was  not  built  on  the  site  selected  b>'  the  joint 
commission. 

jT'nnr.s   of   tite    pi,.\ins. 

There  was  one  Hispano-.\merican  institution 
that  long  survived  the  fall  of  Mexican  domina- 
tion in  California :  and  that  was  the  ofifice  of 
jueccs  del  campo.  judge  of  the  plains.  A  judge 
of  tlie  plains  was  a  very  important  functionary. 


it  was  "his  duty  to  be  present  at  the  annual  ro- 
deos (round-ups  of  cattle)  and  recojedas  (gath- 
ering up  of  horses).  His  seat  of  justice  was  in 
the  saddle,  his  court  room  the  mesa,  and  from 
bis  decision  there  was  no  appeal.  All  disputes 
atout  ownership  of  stock  came  before  him.  The 
code  f)f  his  court  was  unwritten,  or  mostly  so, 
which  was  fortunate,  for  many  of  the  judges 
could  not  read.  This  hap-hazard  way  of  admin- 
istering justice  did  not  suit  American  ideas,  so, 
at  a  meeting  of  the  court  of  sessions,  July  23, 
1850.  the  county  attorney  was  ordered  "to  col- 
lect the  various  bandos  and  reglamentos  hereto- 
fore made  up  in  this  district  respecting  the 
jueces  del  campo  and  give  his  opinion  upon  the 
same  at  the  next  term  of  this  court."  At  the 
next  session  of  the  court.  August  22.  the  county 
attorney  reported  a  number  of  regulations,  some 
written,  others  established  by  custom.  The  court 
added  several  new  regulations  to  those  already 
existing,  the  most  important  of  which  (to  the 
jueces)  was  a  salary  of  $100  a  year  to  each 
judge,  payable  out  of  the  county  treasury.  L'n- 
der  Mexican  rule  the  plains  judge  took  bis  pay 
in  honor.  .\s  there  were  a  round  dozen  of  these 
officials  in  the  county  in  1850,  their  aggregate 
pa}-  exceeded  the  entire  expense  of  the  municipal 
government  of  the  district  during  the  last  year 
of  the  ^Mexican  rule.  After  jails  the  next  inno- 
vation the  .\mericans  introduced  was  taxes. 

FI-:i-:S     AXD     S.M.AKIKS. 

The  first  fee  and  salary  bill  of  California  was 
based  upon  prices  ruling  in  the  mining  coun- 
ties, where  a  sberiiif's  fees  amounted  to  more 
than  the  salary  of  the  president  of  the  Lfnited 
States.  The  liberal  fees  allowed  for  official  serv- 
ices soon  bankrupted  the  treasuries  of  the  cow 
'-ounties.  and  in  185 1  they  were  petitioning  the 
legislature  for  a  reduction  of  fees.  It  cost  $100 
to  hold  an  inquest  on  a  dead  Indian  and  as  vio- 
lent deaths  were  of  almost  daily  or  nightly  occur- 
rence, the  coroner's  office  was  quite  lucrative. 
Some  of  the  verdicts  of  the  coroner's  juries 
showed  remarkable  familiarity  with  the  decrees 
if  the  Almighty.  On  a  native  Californian  named 
Camico.  found  dead  in  the  street,  the  verdict 
was  "Dcatli  bv  the  visitation  of  God."  Of  a 
'lead  Indian,  found  near  the  zanja.  the  Los  An- 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


289 


geles  Star  says :  "Justice  Dryden  and  a  jury 
sat  on  the  body.  The  verdict  was  'Death  from 
intoxication  or  by  the  visitation  of  God.'  BaciUo 
was  a  Christian  Indian  and  was  confessed  by  the 
reverend  padre  yesterday  afternoon."  The  ju- 
rors were  paid  $io  each  for  sitting  on  a  body. 
Coroner  Hodges  made  the  champion  record  on 
inquests.  October  20,  1851,  he  held  eleven  in- 
quests in  one  day.  These  were  held  on  Irving's 
band  of  horse  thieves  and  robbers,  who  were 
killed  by  the  Coahnilla  Indians  in  the  San  Ber- 
nardino mountains. 

The  criminal  element  had  been  steadily  in- 
creasing in  Los  Angeles.  In  185 1  a  military 
company  was  organized  to  aid  the  sheriff  in 
keeping  order.  November  24,  1851,  the  court  of 
sessions  ordered  that  the  sheriff'  cause  fifty  good 
lances  to  be  made  for  the  use  of  the  volunteer 
company.  The  pioneer  blacksmith,  John  Goller, 
made  the  lances  and  was  paid  $87.50  for  the  job. 
Goller  also  made  a  branding  iron  for  the  county. 
The  county  brand  consisted  of  the  letters  "L. 
A.,"  three  inches  long.  In  January,  1852,  the 
house  occupied  by  Benjamin  Hays,  under  lease 
from  Felipe  Garcia,  was  sub-let  by  him  to  the 
county  for  a  court  house  for  the  balance  of  his 
term,  expiring  November  16,  1853.  The  sum 
of  $650  was  appropriated  by  order  of  the  court 
of  sessions  to  pay  the  rent  for  the  agreed  term. 
The  first  building  used  for  a  court  house  was  the 
old  government  house  that  Pio  Pico  bought  from 
Isaac  ^^'illiams  for  the  capitol.  Pico  had  re- 
sided in  it  during  his  term  as  governor.  After 
the  conquest  two  companies  of  United  States 
Dragoons  were  quartered  in  it.  A  contract  was 
let,  July  8,  1851,  to  build  a  jail  and  John  G. 
Nichols  appointed  at  $6  a  day  to  superintend  the 
job,  but  some  misunderstanding  with  the  city 
arising,  the  building  was  not  erected,  and  Sep- 
tember 13,  1851,  the  court  ordered  the  sheriff 
to  sell  the  adobes  now  on  hand  for  use  of  jail 
at  the  highest  market  price  and  turn  the  money 
over  to  the  clerk  of  the  court. 

The  first  county  jail  was  the  adobe  building 
on  the  hill  back  of  the  present  postoffice  site  used 
by  the  troops  for  a  guard  house.  There  were  no 
cells  in  it.  Staples  were  driven  into  a  heavy 
pine  log  that  reached  across  the  building,  and 
short  chains  attached  to  the  staples  were  fastened 


to  the  handcuffs  of  the  prisoners.  Solitary  con- 
finement was  out  of  the  question  then.  Indian 
culprits  were  chained  to  logs  outside  of  the  jail 
so  that  they  could  more  fully  enjoy  the  glorious 
climate  of  California.  In  1853  the  city  and 
county  built  a  jail  on  the  present  site  of  the 
Phillips  block,  northwest  corner  of  Spring  and 
Franklin  streets.  It  was  the  first  public  building 
erected  in  the  county. 

The  legislature  of  1852  created  the  office  of 
county  supervisor.  The  first  election  for  super- 
visors of  the  county  was  held  June  14,  1852,  and 
the  following  named  persons  elected :  Jefferson 
Hunt,  Julian  Chavis,  Francisco  P.  Temple,  Man- 
uel Requena  and  Samuel  Arbuckle.  The  board 
held  its  first  meeting  on  the  first  Monday  of 
July,  1852.  Arbuckle  was  elected  chairman. 
The  supervisors  transacted  the  civil  business  of 
the  county. 

The  machinery  of  the  county's  government 
was  now  in  full  working  order.  We  will  turn 
our  attention  to  other  phases  of  its  development. 

SPANISH   AND   MEXICAN   LAND  GRANTS. 

In  what  comprised  the  original  county  of  Los 
Angeles  there  were  during  the  Spanish  and  Mex- 
ican regimes  sixty  grants  of  land  made.  These 
varied  in  size  from  a  grant  of  44.36  acres  to  the 
Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano  to  the  Rancho 
ex-Mission  of  San  Fernando,  granted  to  Eulo- 
gio  de  Cells,  containing  121,619.24  acres. 

At  the  time  of  the  conquest  about  all  the  land 
fit  for  pasturage  had  been  sequestered  from  the 
public  domain  in  the  form  of  grants.  The  old- 
est grants  made  within  what  is  now  the  county 
of  Los  Angeles  are  the  Nietos  and  the  San  Ra- 
fael. According  .to  Col.  J.  J.  Warner's  his- 
torical sketch,  "The  Nietos  tract,  embracing  all 
the  land  between  the  Santa  Ana  and  San  Ga- 
briel and  from  the  sea  to  and  including  some 
of  the  hill  land  on  its  northeastern  frontier,  was 
granted  by  Governor  Pedro  Fages  to  Manuel 
Nietos  in  1784. 

"The  San  Rafael  tract,  lying  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Los  Angeles  river  and  extending  to  the 
Arroyo  Seco,  was  granted  by  Governor  Pedro 
Fages.  October  20,  1784,  and  the  grant  was  re- 
affirmed by  Governor  Borica.  January  12,  1798, 
to  lose  i\Taria  ^'erdugo."     If  as  Colonel  Warner 


290 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


claims,  the  "Nietos  tract"  embraced  all  the  land 
between  the  Santa  Ana  and  the  San  Gabriel 
rivers,  from  the  sea  to  the  hills,  Nietos'  heirs  did 
not  hold  it.  Subsequently,  there  was  a  number 
of  grants  made  in  that  territory.  The  Mission 
San  Gabriel,  previous  to  1830,  had  possession  of 
several  subdivisions  of  this  tract  such  as  Las 
Bolsas.  Alamitos,  Los  Coyotes,  Puente  and  oth- 
ers. After  the  secularization  of  the  missions  all 
the  lands  held  by  the  padres,  except  small  tracts 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  mission 
buildings,  were  granted  to  private  owners. 

Sliortly  after  the  admission  of  California  to 
the  Union  the  long-drawn-out  legal  contests  over 
the  confirmation  of  the  Spanish  and  Mexican 
grants  began.  These  contests,  in  some  cases, 
were  waged  for  years  before  the  United  States 
claims  commission,  the  various  courts  and  the 
land  commissioner  at  Washington,  before  they 
were  settled.  Litigation  often  ruined  both  the 
contesting  parties,  and  when  the  case  was  finally 
decided  the  litigants,  like  in  "Jarndyce  vs.  Jarn- 
dyce,"  had  nothing  left  but  their  bundles  of 
legal  documents.  Even  when  a  claimant  did 
v^'in  and  the  decisions  of  courts  and  commissions 
gave  him  undisputed  possession  of  his  broad 
acres,  it  often  happened  that  a  cancerous  mort- 
gage, the  result  of  litigation,  was  eating  away 
his  patrimon\-.  The  land  grants  in  Los  Angeles 
have  all  been  confirmed  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  they  will  remain  so.  No  greater  blight  can 
fall  on  a  community  than  an  attack  upon  the 
validity  of  its  title  to  its  lands. 

In  early  times  the  county  officials  followed 
the  Mexican  plan  of  designating  districts  and 
legal  subdivision  by  ranchos.  August  7,  1851, 
the  court  of  sessions  "ordered  that  the  county 
of  Los  Angeles  be  divided  into  six  townships 
named  as  follows,  and  to  comprehend  the  ran- 
ches and  places  as  follows  to  each  appropri- 
ated": The  first  of  these  was  the  township  of 
Los  Angeles.  Tiiere  are  few  now  living  who 
could  trace  from  the  description  given  in  the 
records  the  boundaries  of  Los  Angeles  township 
fiftv-five  years  ago.     Here  is  the  description : 

Township  of  Los  Angeles.  "The  city  of  Los 
Angeles  and  the  following  ranchos,  to-wit:  Los 
Corralitos,  Feli^,  X'erdugos,  Cahuenga,  Tujunga. 
San  Fernando.  ex-Mission.  San  Francisco.  Piro, 


Camulos,  Caiiada  de  los  Alamos,  La  Liebre,  El 
Tejon,  Trumfo,  Las  Vergenes,  Escorpion,  Los 
Cuervos,  San  Antonio  de  la  Mesa,  Los  Alamitos, 
N'icente  Lugo,  Arroyo  Seco,  Encino,  Maligo, 
Santa  Monico,  San  Vicente,  Buenos  Ayres,  La 
Bayona,  Rincon  de  los  Buey,  Rodeo  de  Las 
Aguas,  La  Cienega,  La  Centinela,  Sausal  Re- 
dondo,  Palos  Verdes,  San  Pedro,  Los  Domin- 
guez,  Rancho  Nuevo,  Paredon  Blanco,  Los  Cer- 
ritos.  La  Jaboneria,  Rosa  de  Castilla." 

"The  residence  of  the  authorities  shall  be  in 
Los  Angeles  city." 

lil  MIGRANTS   AND  IMMIGRANT   ROUTES. 

The  Sonorese  or  Sonoran  migration  began  in 
1848,  as  soon  as  the  news  of  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California  reached  Mexico.  While  these 
gold-seekers  were  called  Sonorese  or  Sonorans, 
tliey  came  from  the  dififerent  states  of  northern 
Mexico,  but  in  greater  numbers  from  Sonora. 
The  trail  from  Mexico  by  way  of  Aristo,  Tuc- 
son, the  Pima  villages,  across  the  desert  and 
through  the  San  Gorgonio  Pass  had  been  trav- 
eled for  three-quarters  of  a  century.  Another 
branch  of  this  trail  crossed  the  desert  from  Yuma 
to  Warner's  ranch ;  and  then  by  way  of  Teme- 
cula,  Jurupa  and  the  Chino,  reached  Los  An- 
geles. Along  these  trails  from  1848  to  1852 
came  the  Sonorese  migration.  The  extent  of 
this  migration  was  much  greater  than  historians 
usually  consider  it.  When  Dr.  Lincoln  and  ten 
of  bis  ferrymen  were  massacred  at  the  Yuma 
crossing  of  the  Colorado  river,  one  of  the  ferry- 
men who  escaped  stated  in  his  deposition  taken 
by  Alcalde  Stearns  that  Lincoln  had  $50,000  in 
silver  and  between  $20,000  and  $30,000  in  gold. 
This  was  the  proceed?  of  the  ferry  secured  in 
less  than  four  months  almost  entirely  from  the 
Sonoran  immigrants.  The  charge  for  ferrying 
was  $1  for  a  m.an,  $1  for  an  animal  and  the 
.^ame  for  a  pack  or  mule  cargo.  The  influx  of 
these  people  in  1848,  1849  and  1830  must  have 
reached  25,000  a  year.  These  pilgrims  to  the 
shrine  of  Mammon  were  for  the  most  part  a 
hard  lot.  They  were  poor  and  ignorant  and  not 
noted  for  good  morals.  From  Los  Angeles 
northward,  they  invariably  traveled  by  the  coast 
route,  and  in  squads  of  from  50  to  100.  Some 
of  them  brought  their  women  and  children  with 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


291 


them.  With  their  few  possessions  packed  on 
donkeys  and  mules  they  tramped  their  weary 
way  from  Mexico  to  the  mines.  They  were  not 
welcomed  to  the  land  of  gold.  The  Americans 
disliked  them  and  the  native  Californians  treated 
them  with  contempt.  The  men  wore  cotton 
shirts,  wiiite  pantaloons,  sandals  and  sombreros. 
Their  apparel,  like  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and 
Persians,  "changed  not,"  nor  did  they  change 
it  as  long  as  a  shred  of  it  held  together.  The 
native  Californians  nick-named  them  "calzonares 
blancos"  (white  breeches),  and  imposed  upon 
them  when  an  opportunity  offered.  The  story 
is  told  of  a  native  Californian  alcalde  or  justice 
of  the  peace  who  had  his  office  near  the  old  mis- 
sion church  of  San  Luis  Obispo.  When  a  band 
of  these  Sonoran  pilgrims  came  along  the  high- 
way which  led  past  the  old  mission,  they  inva- 
riably stopped  at  the  church  to  make  the  sign 
of  the  cross  and  to  implore  the  protection  of 
the  saints.  This  gave  the  alcalde  his  oppor- 
tunity. Stationing  his  alguaciles  or  constables 
on  the  road  to  bar  their  progress,  he  proceeded 
to  collect  fifty  cents  toll  off  each  pilgrim.  li 
word  was  passed  back  to  the  squads  behind  and 
they  attempted  to  avoid  the  toll-gatherer  by  a 
detour  to  the  right  or  left,  the  alcalde  sent  out 
his  mounted  constables  and  rounded  up  the  poor 
Sonorans  like  so  many  cattle  at  a  rodeo,  then 
he  and  his  alguaciles  committed  highway  rob- 
bery on  a  small  scale.  Retributive  justice  over- 
took this  unjust  judge.  The  vigilantes  hanged 
him,  not,  however,  for  tithing  the  Sonorese,  but 
for  horse  stealing. 

The  Sonoran  migration  began  to  decline  after 
1850,  and  entirely  ceased  a  year  or  two  later. 
The  foreign  miner's  tax  and  their  persecution 
by  the  Americans  convinced  the  Sonorans  that 
there  was  no  place  like  home.  So  they  went 
home  and  stayed  there. 

A  route  by  which  a  number  of  immigrants 
from  Texas  and  some  of  the  other  gulf  states 
came  in  1849  '^d  through  the  northern  states  of 
Mexico  imtil  it  intercepted  the  Sonora  trail  and 
then  by  that  to  Los  Angeles. 

The  old  Santa  Fe  trail  to  New  Mexico,  then 
across  Arizona,  following  the  Gila  to  the  Colo- 
rado river,  was  another  southern  route  by  which 
a   great   deal   of  overland   travel   reached    South- 


ern California.  In  1854,  from  actual  count,  it 
was  ascertained  that  9,075  persons  came  by  that 
route.  About  one-fourth  of  the  61,000  overland 
immigrants  who  came  to  the  state  that  year 
reached  it  by  the  southern  routes.  But  the  route 
lay  which  the  majority  of  the  Argonauts  of  '49 
and  the  early  '50s  reached  Southern  California 
led  south  from  Salt  Lake  City  uiltil  it  inter- 
cepted the  great  Spanish  trail  from  Los  Angeles 
to  Santa  Fe  at  the  southern  end  of  Utah  Lake. 
Immigrants  by  this  route,  crossing  the  Colorado 
desert,  reached  the  San  Bernardino  valley 
through  the  Cajon  pass.  Capt.  Jedediah  S. 
Smith,  in  1826,  was  the  first  white  man  to  reach 
Los  Angeles  by  this  trail.  There  was  consid- 
erable trade  and  travel  between  Santa  Fe  and 
Los  Angeles  over  the  old  Spanish  trail  before 
the  conquest  of  California.  The  early  immigra- 
tion from  New  Mexico  came  by  this  route.  By 
it  came  J.  J.  Warner,  William  Wolfskill,  the 
Rowland-Workman  party,  numbering  forty-four 
persons ;  B.  D.  Wilson,  D.  W.  Alexander,  John 
Reed,  Dr.  John  Marsh  and  many  other  pioneers. 
For  several  years  before  the  conquest,  on  ac- 
count of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians,  this  trail 
had  been  little  used,  aiid  to  the  great  many  of 
the  Argonauts  who  crossed  the  plains  in  1849 
it  was  unknown.  The  belated  immigrants  of 
that  year  who  reached  Salt  Lake  too  late  to  cross 
the  Sierra  Nevadas  had  the  alternative  present- 
ed them  of  wintering  with  the  Saints  or  of  find- 
ing a  southern  route  into  California  and  thus 
evading  the  fate  that  befell  the  Donner  party  in 
the  snows  of  tlie  Sierras.  These  delayed  Argo- 
nauts found  a  Mormon  captain,  Jefferson  Hunt, 
late  captain  of  Company  A  of  the  Mormon  Bat- 
talion, who  had  recently  arrived  in  Salt  Lake  by 
this  southern  route.  He  was  engaged  as  a 
guide.  A  train  of  about  500  wagons  started  in 
November,  1849,  for  Southern  California.  After 
several  weeks'  travel,  a  number  of  the  immi- 
grants having  become  dissatisfied  with  Hunt's 
leadership,  and  hearing  that  there  was  a  shorter 
route  to  the  settlements  than  the  train  was  pur- 
suing, seceded  from  the  main  body  and  struck 
out  westward  across  the  desert.  After  traveling 
for  several  days  together,  they  disagreed.  Some 
returned  to  the  main  body  ;  the  others  broke  up 
into  small   parties  and  look   different  directions. 


292 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


One  of  these  parties,  numbering  eleven  persons, 
penetrated  Death  valley  and  all  perished.  An- 
other, after  incredible  hardships  and  after  losing 
several  of  their  number  on  the  desert,  reached 
Los  Angeles  by  the  Soledad  pass.  Another  com- 
pany, after  weeks  of  wandering  and  suffering, 
reached  the  Tulare  valley,  where  they  were  re- 
lieved by  the  Indians.  The  main  body,  with 
but  little  inconvenience,  arrived  in  San  Ber- 
nardino valley  the  last  of  January,  1850. 

After  the  establishment  of  the  Mormon  colony 
at  San  Bernardino,  in  June,  1851,  the  Salt  Lake 
route  became  a  well-traveled  road,  over  which, 
up  to  the  completion  of  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road in  1869,  a  large  amount  of  freight  and 
travel  passed  between  the  City  of  the  Saints 
and  the  City  of  the  Angels.  By  this  route  came 
a  number  of  the  pioneer  American  families  of 
Los  Angeles.  Among  others  may  be  named  the 
Macys,  Andersons,  Workmans,  Ulyards,  Haz- 
ards, Montagues. 

ox    CARTS,    STAGES    AND    STEAMERS. 

San  Pedro  was,  in  1850,  as  it  had  been  for 
more  than  half  a  century  before,  the  entrepot 
through  which  the  commerce  of  the  Los  Angeles 
district  passed.  It  was,  next  to  San  Francisco, 
the  principal  seaport  of  the  coast.  In  the  early 
'50s  all  the  trade  and  travel  up  and  down  the 
coast  came  and  went  by  sea.  No  stage  lines 
had  been  established  in  the  lower  coast  counties. 
In  1848,  and  for  several  years  after,  the  only 
means  of  getting  to  the  city  from  the  port  and 
vice  versa  was  on  horseback.  A  caballada 
(band)'  of  horses  was  kept  in  pasture  on  the 
Palos  Verdes  for  this  purpose. 

In  1849  Temple  &  Alexander  had  a  general 
merchandise  store  at  San  Pedro,  and  did  about 
all  the  forwarding  business  of  the  port.  Goods 
were  freighted  to  Los  Angeles  in  carts  drawn 
by  two  yoke  of  oxen  yoked  by  the  horns.  The 
carts  were  similar  to  the  .Mexican  carretas,  ex- 
cept that  they  had  spoked  and  tired  wheels  in- 
stead of  solid  ones.  A  regular  freight  train  was 
composed  of  ten  carts  and  forty  oxen.  Freight 
charges  were  $20  a  ton.  In  1852  stages  were 
put  on  the  route  by  Banning  &  Alexander.  Tom- 
linson  put  on  an  opposition  line,  and  in  1853 
B.    A.   Townsend   was   running  an   accommoda- 


tion line  between  the  city  and  the  port  and  ad- 
vertising in  the  Star,  "Good  coaches  and  teams 
as  the  county  will  aflford."  The  stage  fare  was 
at  first  $10,  then  $7.50,  dropped  to  $5,  and  as 
opposition  increased  went  down  to  $1,  and  as 
the  rivalry  grew  keener  passengers  were  car- 
ried free. 

The  first  steamer  that  ever  entered  the  bay  of 
San  Pedro  was  the  Gold  Hunter,  which  an- 
chored in  the  port  in  1849.  She  was  a  side- 
wheel  vessel  which  had  made  the  voyage  from 
San  Francisco  to  Mazatlan,  stopping  at  way 
ports. 

The  Gold  Hunter  was  followed  by  the  steam- 
ers Ohio,  Southerner,  Sea  Bird  and  Goliah  in 
1850  and  1851.  In  1853  the  Sea  Bird  was  mak- 
ing three  trips  a  month  between  San  Francisco 
and  San  Diego,  touching  at  Monterey,  Santa 
Barbara  and  San  Pedro.  The  price  of  a  first- 
class  passage  from  San  Pedro  to  San  Francisco 
m  the  early  '50s  was  $55.  The  bill  of  fare  con- 
sisted of  salt  beef,  hard  bread,  potatoes  and  cof- 
fee without  milk  or  sugar.  Freight  charges 
^were  $25  a  ton.  It  cost  $10  to  transport  a  barrel 
of  flour  from  San  Francisco  to  Los  Angeles. 
The  trip  occupied  four  days.  The  way  ports 
were  Santa  Barbara,  San  Luis  Obispo  and  Mon- 
terey. There  were  no  wharves  or  lighters  on 
the  route;  passengers  and  freight  were  landed 
in  the  steamer's  boats.  If  the  sea  was  very 
rough  the  passengers  were  carried  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  brought  back  on  the  return  trip. 
Sometimes,  when  the  tide  was  low,  they  had  to 
be  carried  from  the  boat  to  the  shore  on  the 
sailors'  backs.  The  sailor,  like  the  bronco,  some- 
times bucked,  and  the  passenger  waded  ashore. 
Both  man  and  beast  were  somewhat  uncertain 
"in  the  days  of  gold — the  days  of  '49." 

The  imports  by  sea  greatly  exceeded  the  ex- 
ports. Cattle  and  horses,  the  principal  products 
of  the  county,  transported  themselves  to  market. 
The  vineyards  along  the  river,  principally  within 
the  city  limits,  were  immensely  profitable  in  the 
early  '50s.  There  was  but  little  fresh  fruit  in 
the  country.  Grapes,  in  San  Francisco,  retailed 
all  the  way  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  cents  a 
pound.  The  vineyards  were  cultivated  by  In- 
dian labor.  About  all  that  it  cost  the  vineyardist 
for  labor  was  the  amount  of  aguardiente  that  it 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECOl^D.  293 

took    to  give   the    Indian    his    regular    Saturday  bushels;  corn,  6,934  bushels.     Number  of  acres 

night  drunk.     So  the  grape  crop  was  about  all  under   cultivation,    5,587;   grape   vines,   450,000, 

profit.  of  which   400,000  were   within   the   city.     This 

FIRST  STATE  CENSUS.  was  before  any  portion  of  the  county  had  been 

The  first  state  census  of  California  was  taken  segregated.     Its  limits  extended  from  San  Juan 

in    1852.     According  to  this  census  the  county  Capistrano  on  the  south  to  the  Tulares  on  the 

had  a  total  population  of  7,831,  divided  as  fol-  "°''^''''  ^"<^  ^™"i  *e  sea  to  the  Colorado  river;  of 

lows:  its   34,000   square   miles,   less   than   nine    square 

ly kites.  miles  were  cultivated,  and  yet  it  had  been  settled 

Males    2,406  t^''  three-quarters  of  a  century. 

Females    1.597  During  the  '50s  the  county  grew  slowly.    Land 

M-as  held  in  large  tracts  and  cattle-raising  con- 
Total    4,093  tinued  to  be  the  principal  industry.     At  the  El 

„          ,-,,,,■  Monte   several   families   from   the   southwestern 

Domesticated  Indians.  ,  ^      1    j   j-          j              1,       ,.,          ^        , 

,,  ,                                                              „  states  had  formed  a  small  settlement  and  were 

Males    2.278  .  .              .          •     •     „                  ^,      Ti  T 

T-,        .                                                         '  raismg  gram,  prmcipally  corn.     The  Mormons, 

at    San   Bernardino,    were    raising   corn,    wheat, 

,„  ,   ,                                                 ^  barley    and    vegetables,    and    selling   them    at    a 

Total    3,693  ,       .          Jf                     ,               .      ,         ,  .   , 

'^    ^^  good  price.     One  season  they  received  as  high 

The  cattle  numbered  113,475;  horses,   12,173;  ''*  $5  a  bushel  for  their  wheat. 

wheat  produced,  34,230  bushels;  barley,    12,120 


CHAPTER  XLll. 

GROWTH  OF  LOS  ANGELES  COUNTY  AND  CITY  IN  WEALTH 
AND    POPULATION. 


UNDER  the  rule  of  Spain  and  Mexico  there 
was  no  assessment  of  real  estate  and 
personal  property  for  the  purpose  of  taxa- 
tion. Tariff  on  goods  imported,  fines  for  drunken- 
ness and  other  vices,  licenses  for  dances,  for 
saloons,  for  stores,  for  cock  pits,  bull  rings  and 
such  afforded  the  revenues  for  municipal  ex- 
penses. Men's  pleasures  and  vices  paid  for  the 
cost  of  governing.  The  pueblo's  expenses  were 
light.  The  only  salaried  officials  in  the  old  pueblo 
days  were  the  secretary  of  the  ayuntamiento,  or 
town  council,  and  the  schoolmaster.  The  highest 
salary  paid  the  secretary  was  $40  per  month.  The 
schoolmaster's  pay  was  fixed  at  $15  per  month.  If 
he  asked  for  more  he  lost  his  job.  The  largest 
municipal  revenue  collected  in  one  year  by  the 
syndico  of  the  pueblo  was  $1,000.  The  syndico 
and  the  alcalde  received  fees  for  their  services. 
Ail  this  was  changed  when  the  Americans  took 
possession    of   the   offices ;    and    they    were    not 


backward  in  coming  forward  when  there  were 
offices  to  fill.  In  the  first  list  of  county  officers 
the  names  of  only  two  native  Californians  ap- 
pear— Don  Agustin  Olvera,  county  judge,  and 
Don  Antonio  F.  Coronel,  county  assessor.  Coro- 
nel  was  elected  assessor  at  the  first  county  elec- 
tion, held  April  i,  1850.  As  nine-tenths  of  the 
residents  of  the  newly  created  county  of  Los 
Angeles  understood  the  Spanish  language  only, 
it  was  highly  necessary  to  have  some  one  who 
spoke  their  language  to  explain  to  them  the 
new  system  of  taxation  introduced  by  the  con- 
querors. 

If  Don  Antonio  made  an  assessment  for  the 
year  1850  I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  record 
of  it.  The  first  report  of  the  amount  of  the 
county  assessment  that  I  have  found  is  that  for 
185 1,  in  which  the  wealth  of  the  county  is  esti- 
mated at  $2,882,949.  The  first  county  assess- 
ment roll  in  existence  is  one  made  by  Don  An- 


294 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tonio  F.  Coronel  in  1852.  It  is  written  on  un- 
ruled sheets  of  Spanish  foolscap  pasted  together 
into  leaves  two  feet  long  and  stitched  into  a  book 
of  34  pages,  covered  with  blue  calico.  This  one 
book  constituted  the  entire  assessment  roll  for 
that  year.  The  following  are  the  principal  items 
of  that  assessment : 

Number  of  acres  assessed 1,505,180 

Value  of  real  estate $    748,606 

Value   of   improvements 301,947 

Value  of  personal  property 1,183,898 


Total    $2,234,451 

The  county  at  that  time  contained  over  thirty 
million  acres  and  only  one  in  twenty  was  as- 
sessed. The  average  value  was  less  than  fifty 
cents  per  acre.  The  county  then  extended  from 
San  Juan  Capistrano  on  the  south  to  Tehachapi 
on  the  north,  and  from  the  Pacific  ocean  to  the 
Colorado  river.  Don  Antonio's  district  exceeded 
in  extent  the  aggregate  area  of  five  New  Eng- 
land states.  By  far  the  larger  part  of  its  in- 
habitants were  "Indians  not  taxed."  It  is  not 
probable  that  Don  Antonio  traveled  over  the 
vast  territory  of  the  thinly  populated  county. 
Los  Angeles  was  the  only  city  in  the  county  and 
doubtless  the  inhabitants,  like  those  in  the  days 
of  old,  when  Herod  was  reducing  the  infant 
population  of  Judea,  "went  up  to  the  city  to  be 
taxed."  The  assessment  roll  for  1853  footed  up 
$3,030,131,  which  showed  a  rapid  rise  in  values 
or  that  Don  Antonio  was  becoming  more  expert 
in  finding  property.  The  assessor's  report  for 
the  fiscal  year  ending  November  29,  1856,  is  the 
first  one  in  which  the  city  valuation  is  segre- 
gated from  the  county: 
Total   number   of   acres   in   the   county 

assessed    1,003,930 

Value  of  county  real  estate $   402,219 

Value  of  county  improvements 230,336 

Value  of  city  real  estate   187,582 

Value  of  city  improvements 457-535 

Value  of  personal  property 1,213,079 


away  half  a  million  acres  of  assessable  land  from 
the    parent  .county.     The   value   of  county   real 
estate  had  dropped  to  forty  cents  per  acre. 
The  assessment  for  1866  was  as  follows : 
Total   value  of  real  estate  and   im- 
provements     $1,149,267 

Total  value  of  personal  property 1,204,125 


Total 


.$2,490,751 


San  Bermrrlinn  county  had  been  cut  ofif  from 
Los  Angeles  at  this  time  and  had  evidently  taken 


Total    $2,353,392 

Comparing  the  assc>6nK-nt  of  1866  with  that 
of  1856  it  will  be  seen  that  not  only  was  there 
no  increase  in  the  property  values  of  the  county 
in  ten  years,  but  actually  a  falling  oft'  of  over 
$140,000.  This  is  accounted  for  by  the  great 
loss  of  stock  during  the  famine  years  of  1863-64. 

The_  county  assessment  for  1864  was  $1,622,- 
370,  about  two  milHons  less  than  the  assessment 
of  1862.  This  represents  the  loss  in  cattle, 
horses  and  sheep  during  the  great  drought  of 
two  years  when  the  rainfall  was  not  sufficient  to 
sprout  the  grass  seeds.  The  greatest  financial 
depression  the  county  has  ever  known  occurred 
during  these  years.  The  people  after  the  loss 
of  their  stock  had  nothing  that  they  could  sell. 
Land  had  no  value.  A  judgment  for  $4,070  on 
account  of  delinquent  taxes  of  1863  was  entered 
up  against  the  richest  man  in  the  county  and  all 
his  real  estate  and  personal  property  advertised 
for  sale  at  public  auction  December  12,  1864. 
The  magnificent  Rancho  de  Los  Alamitos,  con- 
taining over  26,000  acres,  was  advertised  for 
sale  on  account  of  unpaid  taxes,  amounting  in 
all  to  $152.  The  Bolsas  Chico,  containing  nearly 
9,000  acres  "on  which  there  is  due  and  unpaid 
the  sum  of  $27.34.  I  have  this  day  levied  on  and 
shall  sell  all  the  right,  title  and  interest  of  the 
defendant  for  cash,  to  the  highest  bidder  in  gold 
and  silver  coin  of  the  United  States,"  so  said  the 
sheriff's  advertisement.  But,  of  all  the  vast 
possessions  of  the  great  cattle  barons  advertised 
for  Sale  on  account  of  unpaid  taxes  forty-two 
years  ago,  the  least  valued  parcel  then  is  the 
most  valuable  now.  This  consisted  of  four  Ord 
survey  lots,  120x165  feet  each,  located  respect- 
ively on  the  northwest  and  southwest  corners  of 
Main  and  Fifth,  the  southwest  corner  of  Spring 
and  the  southeast  corner  of  Fort  street,  now 
Broadwav,  and   Fourth  street.     These  magnifi- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD.  295 

cent  business  corners,  worth  to-day  two  million  ent  century.     The  county  assessment,  as  will  be 

dollars,  were  offered  at  sheriff's  sale  December  seen  by  the  accompanying  table,  has   increased 

12,    1864,   for   the   beggardly   sum  of  $2.52  un-  from   $100,000,000   m    1900   to   $305,000,000   in 

paid   taxes  and  there   were  no  takers.   The  tax  1906.     An  increase  of  over  three  hundred  per- 

on   each   lot  was   sixty-three   cents   and   the   as-  cent.     This  is  largely  due  to  the  rapid  growth 

sessed  value  about  twenty-hve  cents  a  front  foot  of   the  cities  and  towns  in  the  county.     Thou- 

or  $30  a  lot.  sands  of  acres  of  farming  land  have  been  cut  up 

The  county   recovered  slowly   from  the  great  into  city  lots  and  selling  value  advanced  in  some 

disaster  of  the  famine  years.     It  was  six  years  cases  a  thousand  per  cent. 

before     the     county     assessnxents     equaled     the  During  the  years  of  the  present  century,  judg- 

amount  of  that  of  the  years  preceding  the  great  ing    from    the   county    assessment    returns,    the 

drought.     The  subdivision  of  the  great  ranchos  people  have  grown  rich  almost  as  rapidly  as  they 

which   induced  immigration   was  largely   instru-  did  in  the  booming  days  of  the  later  '80s.     In 

mental  in  causing  the  return  of  prosperity  to  the  the  March,  1900,  assessment  the  county's  wealth 

financially  depressed  county.     Sheep  husbandry  was     estimated    at     $100,136,070.      Five    years 

succeeded  the  cattle  industry  and  in  the  closing  later,    March,    1905,   it    footed   up   $232,610,753, 

years  of  the  '60s  was  very  profitable.  an  increase   of   132   per   cent   in   half  a   decade. 

The  second  great  drought  which  occurred  in  The  assessment  for  March,  1906,  is  $305,302,995, 

1877  put  a  check  upon  this  industry  from  which  an  increase  of  over  30  per  cent  in  one  }ear. 

it   never   recovered.     The   loss  to   the   shepherd  A  study  of  the  annexed  table  will  show  fairly 

kings  of  the  county  was  over  a  million  dollars,  well  the   periods    of    prosperity    and    adversity 

Some  of  the  great  land  holders   who  had   held  through   which    Los   Angeles  has  passed   in  the 

their  ranchos   intact   subdivided   them   after   the  fifty-five  years  since  the  county  was  created.     In 

last  great  drought.     For  thirty  years  the. growth  some  instances,  however,  the  sudden  rise  in  the 

of  the  countv  in  population  and  wealth  has  been  assessed  valuation  is  not  due  to  a  rapid  increase 

uninterrupted  by  any  great  disaster.  in  the  county's  wealth,  but  to  the  incompetency 

During  the  great  real  estate  boom  of  1887-88  of  the  individual  or  individuals  making  the  as- 

property    values    increased    $62,000,000    in    two  sessment.     For  instance,  the  assessment  of  1896 

years.     The  county  assessment  made  in  March,  showed  an  increase  of  $15,000,000  over  that  of 

1886.   before    inflation   began,    gave    the    wealth  1905,   while   the   assessment   of    1897   showed    a 

of  the   county   at  $40,091,820:  that  of   March,  loss  of  $7,000,000  as  compared  with  1896.     No 

1888,   made   before    reaction    commenced,     was  such  fluctuation  really  occurred.     The  following 

$102,701,629.     Never  in  the  world's  history  did  table   gives   the    county   assessment   at    different 

people   grow    rich    so    rapidly.      In    1890,    when  periods  from  185 1  to  1906,  both  inclusive : 

financial    depression    had     reached     its     deepest  meml  TnduSn'^gTa'ii; 

depth,   adding  tlie   value  of  the   property   taken  Year.                                                           road  Ass,es5inent. 

from    the    roll    by    the    segregation    of    Orange      1851    $     2,282,949 

countv  the   assessment   showed  that  the   county      1852    2,234,451 

was    still    worth    $82,000,000,    a    contraction    of      1853    3.030.131 

$20,000,000  in  values  in  two  years.  1856   2,490,750 

From   1890  to  the  close  of  the  century  there      1858    2,370,523 

was  a  slow  but  steady  increase  in  wealth  averag-      i860    3.650.330 

ing  about  two  millions  a  year.     The  assessment      1864    1,622,370 

is  not  an  infallible  index  of  true  values.     Asses-      1867    2,556,083 

sors  are  sometimes  incompetent  and  state  boards      1868    3-764.045 

of  equalization  are  not  always  impartial  in  equal-      1869    5-797.I7I 

izing  the  burthens  of  taxation.  1870    6,918,074 

The  most  rapid  permanent  increase  in  values      1871    6,358,022 

has  been  during  the  beginning  years  of  the  pres-      1872    9'i47-073 


296 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Total  County  Assess- 
ment, Including  Rail- 


873  $9>845.593 

874  12,085,110 

875  14,890,765 

876  14,844,322 

878  i5,700,cxx) 

880  18,503,773 

t;i                S!       *   ■    *       «       !|S  * 

882  20,916,835 

883  26,138,117 

884  30,922,290 

885  35,344,483 

886  40,091,820 

887  89,833,506 

888  102.701,629 

889  93,647,086 

890  69,475,025 

891  82,616,577 

892  82,839,924 

893  77,244,050 

894  79,495,921 

895  84,797,196 

896  99,520.61 1 

897    92,580,978 

898    93,256,089 

899    98,391,783 

900  100,136,070 

901    103,328.904 

902    113,976,897 

903    169.226,936 

904    201,509,786 

905    232,610,753 

906   305,302,995 


Up  to  i860  the  city  assessments  seem  to  have 
been  included  in  the  county.  The  assessed  value 
of  the  city's  real  estate  and  improvements  were 
segregated,  but  the  values  of  the  personal  prop- 
erty were  "lumped"  on  the  roll. 

During  the  fiscal  year  of  1863-64.  when  calam- 
ities were  affecting  the  city  in  the  shape  of  a  dry 
year  and  a  fearful  epidemic  of  small-pox,  there 
seems  to  have  been  no  city  assessment  made,  as 
there  was  almost  no  value  in  real  estate  and  it 
was  impossible  to  collect  delinquent  taxes  by 
selling  land,  for  the  reason  that  nobody  wanted 
any.     The  city  fathers,  no  doubt,  considered  it  a 


stroke  of  econom.y  to  get  along  without  an  assess- 
ment. 

The  following  gives  the  city  assessments  from 
i860  to  1906,  both  inclusive: 

Total  Assessment  fcr 

Year.  Each  Fiscal  Year. 

1860-61      $       1,425,648 

1861-62      1,299,719 

1862-63      1,098,469 

1863-64      

1864-65      878,718 

1865-66      989,413 

1866-67      • 

1867-68      1,271,290 

1868-69      

1869-70      2,108,061 

1870-71      

1871-72      2,134,093 

1872-73      4,191,996 

1873-74      3,816,679 

1874-75      4,589,746 

1875-76      5,935,219 

1876-77      5,291,148 

1877-78      5,871,881 

1878-79      5,947,580 

1879-80      6,871,913 

1880-81      7.259,598 

1881-82      7,574,926 

1882-83      9,294,074 

1883-84      12,232,353 

1884-85 14,781,865 

1885-86      16,273,535 

1886-87      18,448,535 

1887-88      27.803,924 

1888-89      39,476,712 

1889-90      46,997,101 

1890-91 49,320,670 

1891-92      45,953,704 

1892-93      45,310,807 

1893-94      47,281.778 

1S94-95      47,396.165 

1895-96      48,814,145 

1896-97      52,242.302 

1897-98      52,140.293 

1898-99      60,930,266 

1899-1900      64,915,326 

I9OC-OI      67,576,047 

1901-02      70,562,307 

1902-03      86,416,735 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


2!)7 


Year.  Each  Fiscal  Year. 

1903-04  $109,983,823 

1904-05  126,126,563 

1905-06  156,661,566 

1906-07  205,767,729 

BAXKS  OF  LOS  AXGELES   CITY. 

The  first  bank  in  Los  Angeles  city  and  county 
was  organized  early  in  1868  by  Alvinza  Hayward 
of  San  Francisco  and  John  G.  Downey  of  Los 
Angeles  under  the  firm  name  of  Hayward  & 
Company,  capital,  $100,000.  The  banking  rooms 
were  in  the  old  Downey  block  recently  demol- 
ished to  give  place  to  the  new  postoffice.  Later 
in  the  same  year  the  banking  house  of  Hellman, 
Temple  &  Co.  was  established.  Hellman  after- 
wards became  associated  with  Downey  in  the 
former  bank,  which  took  the  name  of  The  Farm- 
ers &  Merchants'  Bank.  The  latter  bank  was 
reorganized  as  the  Temple  &  Workman  Bank. 
Its  banking  house  was  in  the  then  newly  erected 
three-story  building  at  the  junction  of  North 
Spring. and  Main  streets.  It  was  a  very  popular 
bank  and  carried  large  deposits.  In  the  crisis  of 
1875,  when  nearly  every  bank  in  the  state  closed 
its  doors  for  a  time,  the  Temple  &  Workman 
Bank  temporarily  suspended.  It  made  an  at- 
tempt to  resume  business,  but  a  short  run  upon 
it  closed  it  forever.  Its  failure  was  a  terrible  dis- 
aster to  the  southern  country.  Its  creditors  lost 
all  their  deposits.  So  complete  was  its  collapse 
that  $300,000  of  its  assets  were  sold  by  the  re- 
ceiver under  an  order  of  Judge  Hoffman  of  the 
United  States  Court  for  $30.  The  bank  had  been 
woefully  mism.anaged. 

The  second  bank  in  point  of  age  is  the  First 
National,  organized  as  the  Commercial  Bank  in 
1875.  It  recently  absorbed  the  Los  Angeles  Na- 
iional  and  the  Southwestern  National.  To  give 
a  history  of  all  the  banking  institutions  of  Los 
Angeles  would  occupy  more  space  than  I  have  at 
my  command.  At  the  close  of  the  )ear  1906 
Los  Angeles  had  an  even  half  hundred  banking 
institutions.  Of  these  nine  operate  under  national 
charter,  fourteen  under  state  charter,  five  are 
trust  companies  and  thirteen  savings  banks. 
There  are  several  conmiercial  corporations  doing 
a  banking  business.  The  paid-in  capital  stock  of 


all  the  banks  of  Los  Angeles  city  at  the  close  of 
the  year  1906  was  estimated  at  $11,183,133,  the 
deposits  exceeded  $100,000,000.  The  remarkable 
growth  of  Los  Angeles  in  recent  years  in  popula- 
tion, business  and  commercial  importance  is  well 
illustrated  by  a  comparison  of  the  yearly  totals 
of  exchanges. 

The  following  are  the  clearing  house  totals  for 
the  past  ten  years  : 

1897    $  63,663,969 

1898   74-4i3>5o8 

1899   90,261,931 

1900  122,692,555 

1901  161,466,671 

1902  245,516,094 

1903  307.316,530 

1904  345.343'956 

1905  479.985,298 

1906  578,635,517 


Year. 
1781 
1790 
1800 
1810 
1820 
1830 
1840 
1850 
i860 
1870 
1880 


POPULATION  OF  LOS  ANGELES  CITY. 

No.  Inhabita 
(founded) official. 


nts. 
44 
141 

315 
415 
650 
770 
,250 
,610 
-399 
,614 
.183 
•395 
.479 


POPULATION   OF   LOS  AXGELES   COUNTY. 


1850 official. 

i860     " 

1870     


1900 


3,530 

11,333 
15,309 
33,881 
101,454 
170,298 


Vote  of  Los  Angeles  county  at  each  presiden- 
tial election  from  1856  to  1904,  both  inclusive, 
figured  on  the  basis  of  highest  vote  cast  for  any 
elector : 


298 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1856 — Republican    522 

Democratic    722 

Native  American    '. 135 

i860 — Republican    356 

Breckenridge,  Democratic    703 

Douglas,  Democratic    494 

Bell  and  Everett   201 

1864 — Republican    555 

Democratic 744 

1868— Republican    748 

Democratic    1,236 

1872 — Republican    1,312 

Greeley,  Democratic 1,228 

O'Connor,  Democratic   '. 650 

1876 — Republican    3,040 

Democratic    3.616 

1880 — Republican    2,915 

Democratic    2,855 

Greenback    306 

Prohibition    10 

1884— Republican    5,596 

Democratic    4,684 


Greenlaack 208 

Prohibition     343 

1888— Republican    13,803 

Democratic    10,1 10 

Prohibition    1,266 

Native   American    81 

1892 — Republican    .' 10,226 

Democratic    8,119 

Prohibition    i  ,348 

Populist    3,086 

1896 — Republican    16,891 

Democratic  and  Populist 16,043 

Prohibition    787 

National   Democratic    131 

National   Party    81 

Socialist    108 

i900^Republican    19,293 

Democratic    13,253 

Prohibition    996 

Socialist    i  ,448 

1 904 — Republican    27,538 

Democratic    18,694 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


MINING  RUSHES  AND  REAL  ESTATE  BOOMS. 


TO  the  Argonauts  of  '49  and  the  early  '50s 
Los  Angeles  was  known  as  a  cow  county. 
Few,  if  any,  of  these  seekers  after  the 
golden  fleece  who  entered  the  land  of  gold  by 
the  southern  routes  knew  that  the  first  gold  dis- 
covered in  California  was  found  within  the  limits 
of  the  despised  cow  county,  that  the  first  gold 
rush  took  place  there  and  that  many  of  its  mount- 
ain caiions  were  rich  in  the  precious  metal.  The 
pilgrims  to  the  shrine  of  Mammon  saw  the  hills 
and  plains  covered  with  thousands  of  cattle.  They 
foimd  the  inhabitants  calmly  indifferent  to  the 
wild  rush  to  the  mines.  To  the  gold  seekers  such 
a  country  had  no  attractions.  Its  climate  might  be 
salubrious,  but  they  were  not  seeking  climate; 
its  soil  might  be  rich  and  productive,  but  they  had 
no  use  for  a  soil  unmixed  with  gold  dust.  They 
hurried  on  over  the  Tehachapi  range  or  up  the 
Coast  route  to  the  northern  mines. 

The  first  discovery  of  gold  in  California  was 


made  by  Francisco  Lopes  in  the  San  Feliciano 
caiion  of  the  San  Fernando  mountains,  March 
9,  1841 :  A  full  account  of  this  discovery  is  giv- 
en in  Qiapter  XXIII  of  this  volume. 

The  famous  Kern  river  gold  rush  of  1855 
brought  an  influx  of  population.  Some  of  that 
population  was  very  undesirable.  The  gold  rush 
made  business  lively  for  a  time,  but  when  the 
reaction  came  it  left  a  number  of  wrecks  finan- 
cially stranded.  This  mining  excitement  had  one 
good  effect :  it  called  the  attention  of  the  Ange- 
lenos  to  the  mineral  resources  of  their  own  coun- 
ty and  indirectly  brought  about  their  develop- 
ment. 

The  Kern  river  gold  rush  brought  a  number 
of  experienced  miners  to  the  county.  Some  of 
these  disappointed  in  the  Kern  river  mines 
turned  their  attention  to  prospecting  in  the 
mountains  of  Los  Angeles  county.  A  party  of 
prospectors  in  April,   1855,  entering  the  mount- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


299 


ain's  by  way  of  the  Cajon  pass,  penetrated  to 
the  headwaters  of  the  San  Gabriel  river  and 
found  good  prospects.  Captain  Hammager  with 
a  company  of  prospectors  the  same  year  went  up 
the  caiion  and  discovered  diggings  that  panned 
out  $5  to  $6  a  day. 

The  Santa  Anita  placers,  about  fifteen  miles 
from  the  city,  were  discovered  in  1856.  The  dis- 
coverers attempted  to  conceal  their  find  and 
these  mines  were  known  as  the  "Secret  Dig- 
gings," but  the  secret  was  found  out.  These 
mines  paid  from  $6  to  $10  a  day. 

Work  was  actively  resumed  in  the  San  Fer- 
nando diggings.  Francisco  Garcia,  working  a 
gang  of  Indians,  in  1855  took  out  $65,000.  It 
is  said  that  one  nugget  worth  $1,900  was  found 
in  these  mines.  In  1858  the  Santa  Anita  Min- 
ing Company  was  organized,  D.  Marchessault, 
president;  v.  Beaudry,  treasurer;  capital,  $50- 
000.  A  ditch  four  miles  long  was  cut  around 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  and  hydraulic  works 
constructed.  Upon  the  completion  of  these 
works,  February  15,  1859,  the  company  gave 
a  dinner  to  invited  guests  from  the  city.  The 
success  of  the  enterprise  was  toasted  and  wine 
and  wit  flowed  as  freely  as  the  water  in  the 
hydraulic  pipes.  The  mines  returned  a  hand- 
some compensation  on  the  outlay. 

During  the  year  1859  the  canon  of  the  San 
Gabriel  was  prospected  for  forty  miles  and 
some  rich  placer  claims  located.  On  some  of 
the  bars  as  high  as  $8  to  the  pan  were  obtained. 
The  correspondent  of  the  Los  Angeles  Star  re- 
ports these  strikes :  "From  a  hill  claim  four 
men  took  out  $80  in  one  day."  "Two  Mexi- 
cans, with  a  common  wooden  bowl  or  batea, 
panned  out  $90  in  two  days."  "Two  hydraulic 
companies  are  taking  out  $1,000  a  week."  In 
July,  1859,  300  men  were  at  work  in  the 
cafion  and  all  reported  doing  well.  A  stage  line 
ran  from  the  city  to  the  mines.  Three  stores  at 
Eldoradoville,  the  chief  mining  camp  of  the 
canon,  supplied  the  miners  with  the  necessaries 
of  life,  and  several  saloons,  furnished  liquid  re- 
freshment and  excitement. 

The  editor  of  the  Star,  in  the  issue  of  De- 
cember 3.  1859,  grows  enthusiastic  over  the 
mining  prospects  of  Los  Angeles.  He  says: 
"Gold  placers  are  now  being  worked  from  Fort 


Tejon  to  San  Bernardino.  Rich  deposits  have 
been  discovered  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county.  The  San  Gabriel  mines  have  been 
worked  very  successfully  this  season.  The  San- 
ta Anita  placers  are  giving  fordi  their  golden 
harvest.  Miners  are  at  work  in  the  San  Fer- 
nando hills  rolling  out  the  gold  and  in  the  hills 
beyond  discoveries  have  been  made  which  prove 
the  whole  district  to  be  one  grand  placer." 
Next  day  it  rained  and  it  kept  at  it  continuously 
for  three  days  and  nights.  It  was  reported  that 
twelve  inches  of  water  fell  in  the  mountains 
during  the  storm.  In  the  narrow  caiion  of  the 
.San  Gabriel  river  the  water  rose  to  an  unpre- 
cedented height  and  swept  everything  before  it. 
The  miners'  wheels,  sluices,  long  toms,  wing 
dams,  coffer  dams,  and  all  other  dams,  went 
floating  off  toward  the  sea. 

The  year  i860  was  a  prosperous  one  for  the 
San  Gabriel  miners,  notwithstanding  the  dis- 
astrous flood  of  December,  1859.  The  increased 
water  supply  afforded  facilities  for  working  dry 
claims.  Some  of  the  strikes  of  that  season  in 
the  caiion  have  the  sound  of  the  flush  days  of 
"49:  "Baker  &  Smith  realized  from  their  claim 
$800  in  eight  days ;"  "Driver  &  Co.  washed  out 
$350  of  dust  in  two  hours." 

In  the  spring  of  1862,  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co. 
were  shipping  to  San  Francisco  from  their  Los 
Angeles  office,  $12,000  of  gold  dust  a  month  by 
steamer  and  probably  as  much  more  was  sent 
by  other  shippers  or  taken  by  private  parties ; 
all  this  was  produced  from  the  San  Fernando, 
San  Gabriel  and  Santa  Anita  placers.  In  the 
past  forty  years  a  large  amount  of  gold  has 
been  taken  out  of  the  San  Gabriel  placers^ 
how  much  it  is  impossible  to  say.  As  late  as 
1876  there  were  two  liydraulic  companies  work- 
ing in  the  caiion.  One  company  reported  a 
vield  of  $1,365  for  a  run  of  twenty-si.x  days, 
working  five  men — an  average  of  $10.50  a  day 
to  the  man.  Placer  mining  is  still  carried  on  in 
a  desultory  way  every  winter  in  the  San  Fer- 
nando and  San  Gabriel  mines.  But  a  limited 
amount  of  capital  has  at  any  time  been  employed 
in  these  mines,  and  the  methods  of  working 
them  have  been  unsystematic  and  wasteful. 
^^"ith  more  abundant  capital,  with  improved  ap- 


300 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pliances  and  cheaper  methods  of  working,  these 
mines  could  be  made  to  yield  rich  returns. 

In  the  winter  of  1S62-63  placer  mines  were 
discovered  on  the  Colorado  river  and  a  rush 
followed.  Los  Angeles  profited  by  it  while 
it  lasted,  but  it  was  soon  over. 

In  1863  there  was  a  mining  boom  on  the  . 
island  of  Santa  Catalina.  Some  rich  specimens 
of  gold  and  silver  quartz  rock  were  found  and 
the  boom  began.  The  first  location  was  made 
in  April,  1863,  by  Martin  M.  Kimberly  and  Dan- 
iel E.  Way.  At  a  miners'  meeting  held  on  the 
island  April  20,  1863,  the  San  Pedro  Mining 
District  was  formed  and  a  code  of  mining  laws 
formulated  "for  the  government  of  locators  of 
veins  or  lodes  of  quartz,  or  other  rock  contain- 
ing precious  metals  and  ores  (gold,  silver,  cop- 
per, galena  or  other  minerals  or  mines)  that 
may  be  discovered,  taken  up  or  located  in  Los 
Angeles  county,  San  Pedro  district,  state  of 
California."  The  boundaries  of  San  Pedro  dis- 
trict were  somewhat  indefinite;  it  included  "all 
the  islands  of  Lo?  Angeles  county  and  the  Coast 
Range  of  mountains  betv/een  the  northern  and 
southern  boundaries  of  said  county." 

The  first  discoveries  were  made  near  the 
isthmus  on  the  northwestern  part  of  the  island. 
The  principal  claims  were  located  in  Fourth  of 
July  valley.   Cherry   valley   and    Mineral   hill. 

A  site  for  a  city  was  located  on  Wilson  Har- 
bor. Lots  were  staked  off  and  Queen  City 
promised  to  become  the  metropolis  of  the  min- 
ing district  of  Catalina. 

Numerous  discoveries  were  made.  Within 
nine  months  from  the  first  location  notices  of 
claims  to  over  a  hundred  thousand  feet  of 
leads,  lodes  or  veins,  with  their  dips,  spurs  and 
angles,  were  recorded  in  the  recorder's  office 
of  Los  Angeles  county  and  probably  three  times 
that  number  of  claims  .were  located  that  were 
either  recorded  in  the  district  records  on  the 
island  or  were  not  recorded  at  all.  Assays  were 
made  of  gold  and  silver  bearing  rock,  that 
ranged  from  $150  to  $800  a  ton.  Stock  com- 
panies were  formed  with  capital  bordering  on 
millions — indeed,  a  company  that  had  not  "mil- 
lions in  it"  was  not  worth  organizing  in  those 
days.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  capital  stock 
was  not  paid  up  in  full  nor  in  part  either.     The 


miners  bflieved  implicitly  in  the  wealth  of  their 
mines,  but  they  had  no  money  to  develop  their 
claims  nor  could  they  induce  capitalists  to  aid 
them.  The  times  were  out  of  joint  for  great  en- 
terprises. Washoe  stocks  had  flooded  the  lo- 
cal mining  market  and  the  doubtful  practices  of 
mining  sharps  had  brought  discredit  on  feet 
and  stocks.  Capital  from  abroad  could  not  be 
induced  to  seek  investment  in  mines  on  an 
island  in  the  far  Pacific.  The  nation  was  en- 
gaged in  a  death  struggle  with  the  Southern 
Confederacy  and  there  was  more  money  in  fat 
government   contracts   than   in  prospect  holes. 

The  boom  collapsed  unexpectedly  —  burst 
by  "military  despotism."  There  were  rumors 
that  this  mining  rush  was  a  blind  to  conceal  a 
plot  to  seize  the  island  and  make  it  a  rendezvous 
for  Confederate  privateers,  from  which  they 
could  fit  out  and  prey  upon  the  commerce  of  the 
coast.  Many  of  the  miners  were  southern  sym- 
pathizers, but  whether  such  a  plot  was  serious- 
ly contemplated  is  doubtful.  If  such  was  incu- 
bating, the  government  crushed  it  before  it  was 
hatched.  A  military  force  was  placed  on  the 
island  and  the  following  order  issued : 

Headquarters,  Santa  Catalina  Island, 

February  5th,  1864. 
Special  Order  No.  7. 

No  person  or  persons  other  than  owners  of 
stock  or  incorporated  companies'  employes,  will 
be  allowed  to  remain  on  the  island  on  or  after 
this  date ;  nor  will  any  person  be  allowed  to  land 
until  further  instructions  are  received  from 
Washington.  I  hereby  notify  miners  prospect- 
ing or  other  persons  to  leave  immediately.  By 
order. 

B.  R.  West, 
Capfaiit  Foiirtit  California  Infantry  Command- 
ing Post. 

After  such  an  invitation  to  leave  the  miners 
stood  not  on  the  order  of  their  going — they 
went — those  whose  sympathies  were  with  the 
Confederacy  breathing  curses  against  the  tyrant 
Lincoln  and  his  blue-coated  minions.  After  the 
withdrawal  of  the  troops,  September  15,  1864, 
a  few  of  the  miners  returned,  but  work  was  not 
resumed,  the  excitement  was  over — the  boom 
had  burst. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECOPD 


301 


THE    GREAT    REAL    ESTATE    IIOIWI    OF     1 887. 

The  following  account  of  the  real-estate  boom 
of  1887  is  compiled  from  a  paper  written  by 
the  author  of  this  history  and  published  in  the 
Annual  of  the  Southern  California  Historical 
Society  for  i8qo.  The  writer  describes  what 
he  saw  and  heard : 

"In  the  history  of  nearly  every  great  Ameri- 
can city  there  is  an  epoch  which  marks  a  turn- 
ing point  in  its  civic  life.  The  great  epoch  in 
the  civic  life  of  Los  Angeles  is  that  which  is 
always  spoken  of  as  'The  Boom.'  An  event  is 
referred  to  as  occurring  'before  the  boom,'  'dur- 
ing the  boom,'  or  'after  the  boom.' 

"By  the  'boom'  is  meant  the  great  real-estate 
bubble  of  1887.  Boom,  in  the  sense  we  use  it, 
is  intended  to  express  a  sudden  inflation  of  val- 
ues; and  on  the  western  side  of  our  continent 
it  has  superseded  the  older  used  and  more  ex- 
pressive word,  bubble.  Boom,  "to  rush  with 
violence,'  is  better  suited  to  the  dash,  the  im- 
petuosity and  the  recklessness  of  western  spec- 
ulators than  the  more  effeminate  term,  bubble. 
Boom  has  come  into  our  literature  to  stay,  how- 
ever unstable  it  may  be  in  other  places. 

"Communities  and  nations  as  well  are  sub- 
ject, at  times,  to  financial  booms — periods  when 
the  mania  for  monex'-making  seems  to  become 
epidemic.  The  South  Sea  Bubble;  the  Darien 
Colonization  Scheme;  the  Mississippi  Scheme 
of  John  Law ;  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
Bubble  of  Jay  Cooke — have  each  been  followed 
by  financial  panics  and  Black  Fridays,  but  the 
experience  of  one  generation  is  lost  on  the  suc- 
ceeding. Experience  as  schoolmaster  is  too 
often  a  failure. 

"There  were  no  booms  in  Los  Angeles  under 
Spanish  or  under  Mexican  rule.  Then  all  vacant 
lands  belonged  to  the  pueblo.  If  a  man  needed 
a  building  lot  he  petitioned  the  comisionado,  or, 
later  on,  the  ayuntamiento,  for  a  grant  of  a  lot. 
If  he  failed  to  use  the  lot  it  was  taken  from  him. 
Under  such  conditions  neither  real-estate  booms 
nor  real-estate  agents  could  flourish. 

"After  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California, 
Los  Angeles  experienced  its  first  real-estate 
boom.  In  1849  the  Ord  survey  .lots  were  put 
on    the    market    and    a    number   of     them     sold. 


There  was  a  great  demand  for  houses.  Build- 
ings framed  and  ready  for  putting  together  were 
shipped  around  Cape  Horn  from  Boston,  New 
York,  London  and  Liverpool. 

"As  tlie  gold  excitement  decreased  the  city 
gradually  sank  into  a  comatose  state — took  a 
Rip  Van  Winkle  sleep  for  twenty  years  or 
thereabouts.  Times  were  hard,  money  scarce 
and  real-estate  low.  Markets  were  distant, 
transportation  was  high  and  most  of  the  agri- 
cultural lands  were  held  in  large  tract.  These 
conditions  began  to  change  about  1868.  The 
Stearns  ranchos,  containing  about  200,000 
acres,  were  subdivided.  Settlers  from  the  New 
England  and  northwestern  states  began  to  come 
in  and  the  push  and  energy  of  these  began  to 
work  a  ti"ansformation  in  the  sleepy  old  ciudad 
and  the  country  around.  Between  1868  and 
1875  a  number  of  the  large  ranchos  were  sub- 
divided, several  colonies  were  promoted  and 
new  towns   founded. 

"F"rom  1875  to  18S1  was  a  period  of  financial 
depression.  The  Temple  Workman  Bank  fail- 
ure, a  succession  of  dry  years  thait  ruined  the 
sheep  industry,  overproduction,  high  freight 
rates  and  a  poor  market  for  our  products 
brought  the  country  to  the  verge  of  bankruptcy. 
The  building  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
eastward  gave  us  a  new  and  better  market  for  our 
products  in  the  mining  regions  of  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico.  The  completion  of  this  road  in  1881 
gave  us  a  new  transcontinental  route  and  immi- 
grants began  to  arrive  from  the  eastern  states. 
The  price  of  land  steadily  advanced  and  grad- 
ually we  recovered  from  our  financial  depres- 
sion. 

"Up  till  1886  the  growth  of  our  cities  and 
towns  had  kept  pace  with  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  surrounding  country,  the  cry- 
ing need  for  new  cities  and  towns  had  not  been 
heard.  The  merits  of  the  country  had  been  well 
advertised  in  the  eastern  states.  Excursion 
agents,  real-estate  dealers,  and  the  newspapers 
of  Southern  California  had  depicted  in  glow- 
ing colors  the  salubrity  of  our  climate,  the  va- 
riety of  our  production,  the  fertility  of  our 
soil  and  the  immense  profits  to  be  made  from 
the  cultivation  of  semi-tropical  fruits.  The  last 
link  of  the   Santa  Fe  Railroad  system   was   ap- 


302 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


preaching  completion.  In  the  spring  of  1886  a 
rate  war  was  precipitated  between  the  two  trans- 
continental lines.  Tickets  from  the  Missouri 
river  points  to  Los  Angeles  were  sold  all  the 
way  from  $1  to  $15. 

'A'isitors  and  immigrants  poured  in  by  the 
thousands.  The  country  was  looking  its  love- 
liest. Leaving  the  ice  and  snows  of  Minnesota, 
Iowa  and  Kansas,  in  three  or  four  days  they 
found  themselves  in  a  land  of  orange  groves, 
green  fields  and  flower-covered  hills.  In  the 
new  land  they  found  everybody  prosperous,  and 
these  visitors  returned  to  their  homes  to  sell 
their  possessions  and  come  to  the  promised  land. 
"The  immediate  causes  that  precipitated  our 
great  real-estate  boom  of  1887  may  be  briefly 
enumerated  as  follows: 

"First.  The  completion  of  a  competing  con- 
tinental railroad,  with  its  western  terminus  at 
Los  Angeles,  and  an  era  of  active  local  railroad 
building  and  railroad  projecting  in  Southern 
California. 

"Second.  High  prices  for  all  our  products, 
an  easy  money  market  and  employment,  at  high 
wages,  for  all  who  wished  it. 

"Third.  An  immense  immigration,  part  of  it 
induced  to  come  on  account  of  a  better  climate 
and  greater  rewards  for  labor,  and  part  of  it 
attracted  by  reports  of  the  large  profits  to  be 
made  by  speculating  in  real  estate. 

"Lastly.  The  arrival  among  us  of  a  horde  of 
boomers  from  v^estern  cities  and  towns — patri- 
ots, many  of  them,  who  had  exiled  themselves 
from  their  former  places  of  abode  between  two 
days — fellows  Vv^ho  had  left  their  consciences 
(that  is,  if  they  had  any  to  leave)  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Rockies.  These  professionals  had 
learned  the  tricks  of  their  trade  in  the  boom 
cities  of  the  west  when  that  great  wave  of  im- 
migration which  began  moving  after  the  close 
of  the  war  was  sweeping  westward  from  the 
Mississippi  river  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 
These  boomers  came  here  not  to  build  up  the 
country,  but  to  make  money,  honestly  if  they 
could  not  make  it  any  other  way.  It  is  needless 
to  say  they  made  it  the  other  way. 

"During  1884-5-6  a  number  of  lots  were  put 
on  the  market,  but  these  were  made  mostly  by 
subdivisions   of  acreage    within    nr   of   additions 


immediately  joining  the  older  established  cities 
and  towns.  \'ery  few  new  town  sites  had  been 
laid  off  previous  to  1887.  As  the  last  section 
of  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  system  approached 
completion  the  creation  of  new  towns  began, 
and  the  rapidity  with  Vvhich  they  were  created 
was  truly  astonishing.  During  the  months  of 
March,  April  and  May,  1887,  no  less  than  thir- 
teen town  sites  were  platted  on  the  line  of  this 
road  betv/een  Los  Angeles  and  San  Bernardino 
and  the  lots  thrown  upon  the  market.  Before 
the  close  of  1887,  between  the  eastern  limits  of 
Los  Angeles  and  San  Bernardino  county  line,  a 
distance  by  way  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  of 
thirty-six  miles,  there  were  twenty-five  cities 
and  towns  located,  an  average  of  one  to  each 
mile  and  a  half  of  .the  road.  Paralleling  the 
Santa  Fe  on  the  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad,  eight  more  towns  claimed  the  atten- 
tion of  lot  buyers,  with  three  more  thrown  in 
between  the  roads,  making  a  grand  total  of 
thirty-six  cities  and  towns  in  the  San  Gabriel 
valley.  The  area  of  some  of  these  was  quite 
extensive.  'No  pent-up  Utica  contracted  the 
powers'  of  their  founders.  The  only  limit  to 
the  greatness  of  a  city  was  the  boundary  lines 
of  the  adjoining  cities.  The  corporate  limits  of 
the  city  of  Monrovia  were  eight  square  miles ; 
Pasadena,  with  its  additions,  the  same ;  Lords- 
burg  spread  over  eight  hundred  acres ;  Chicago 
Park  numbered  nearly  three  thousand  lots,  lo- 
cated in  the  wash  of  the  San  Gabriel  river.  The 
city  of  Azusa,  with  its  house  lots  and  suburban 
farm  lots,  covered  an  area  of  four  thousand 
acres. 

"The  craze  to  secure  lots  in  some  of  these 
towns  is  well  exemplified  in  the  first  sale  of  lots 
in  Azusa.  The  founding  of  the  city  of  Azusa 
was  intended  to  satisfy  a  long-felt  want.  The 
rich  vallev  of  the  Azusa  de  Duarte  had  no  com- 
mercial metropolis.  Azusa  city  was  recognized 
by  real-estate  speculators  as  the  coming  com- 
mercial center  of  trade  for  the  valley,  and  they 
thought  there  was  money  in  the  first  pick  of  lots. 
Tlie  lots  were  to  be  put  on  sale  on  a  certain  day. 
Through  the  long  hours  of  the  night  previous 
and  until  nine  o'clock  of  the  day  of  sale  a  line 
of  hungry  and  weary  lot  buyers  stood  in  front 
of   the    office    where    the    lots    were  to   be    sold. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


303 


Number  two  claimed  to  have  been  offered 
$i,ooo  for  his  place  in  the  Hne;  number  three 
sold  out  for  $500;  number  fifty-four  loudly  pro- 
claimed that  he  would  not  take  a  cent  less  than 
a  cool  hundred  for  his  chance.  Number  one 
was  deaf  to  all  offers;  and  through  the  weary 
hours,  of  the  night  he  clung  to  the  'handle  of 
the  big  front  door,'  securing  at  last  the  coveted 
prize — the  first  choice.  Two  hundred  and 
eighty  thousand  dollars  worth  of  lots  were  sold 
the  first  day.  The  sale  continued  three  days. 
Not  one  in  ten  of  the  purchasers  had  seen  the 
town  site,  not  one  in  a  hundred  expected  to  oc- 
cupy the  land  purchased. 

"Even  this  performance  was  surpassed  later 
on  in  the  boom.  The  sale  of  lots  in  a  certain 
town  was  to  begin  Wednesday  morning  at  the 
agent's  office  in  the  city.  On  Sunday  evening 
a  line  of  prospective  purchasers  began  to  form. 
The  agent,  as  an  advertising  dodge,  hired  a 
large  hall  for  the  display  of  his  would-be  in- 
vestors. At  stated  intervals  the  line  formed, 
the  roll  was  called  and  woe  to  the  unfortunate 
who  failed  to  answer  to  his  number;  his  place 
in  the  line  was  forfeited  and  he  was  compelled 
to  go  down  to  the  foot.  Financially,  the  agent's 
scheme  was  a  failure.  The  crowd  was  made 
up  principally  of  impecunious  speculators  and 
tramps  who  had  hoped  to  sell  out  their  places  in 
the  line. 

"An  aristocratic  and  euphonious  name  was 
desideratum  to  a  new-born  town,  although,  as 
in  the  following  case,  it  sometimes  failed  to  boom 
the  prospective  city.  An  enterprising  news- 
paper man  found  a  piece  of  unoccupied  land 
on  the  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad — that  is, 
a  piece  not  occupied  by  a  town  site — and  found- 
ed the  citv  of  Gladstone.  An  advertisement  pro- 
lific in  promises  of  the  future  greatness  of  the 
city,  and  tropical  in  its  luxuriance  of  descrip- 
tive adjectives,  proclaimed  among  other  induce- 
ments to  buy  that  a  lot  had  been  deeded  to  the 
premier  of  all  England,  and  it  was  left  to  be  in- 
ferred that  the  'grand  old  man'  might  build  a 
princely  residence  on  his  lot  and  become  one 
of  the  attractions  to  draw  dwellers  to  the  new 
city.  In  olden  times,  when  a  conqueror  wished 
to  destroy  a  rival  city,  he  razed  it  to  the  ground, 
caused  the  plowshare  to  pass  over  its  ruins  and 


sowed  the  site  with  salt.  The  city  of  Gladstone 
was  prevented  from  rising  above  the  ground 
by  the  caustic  criticisms  of  a  rival  newspaper 
man,  the  plowshare  has  passed  many  times  over 
its  ruins  and  its  site  has  been  sown  in  barley. 
The  enterprising  newspaper  man  lost  his  land 
(he  held  it  by  contract  to  purchase  only),  the 
surveyor  who  platted  the  town  lost  his  pay  and 
Gladstone   lost  his  lot. 

"Of  the  phantom  cities  of  the  boom,  cities 
that  have  faded  from  mortal  view,  cities  that 
have  become  spectres  that  rise  out  of  the  mists 
of  the  past  to  haunt  the  dupes  who  invested 
tlieir  money  in  them,  of  these  Carlton  is  a  good 
illustration.  It  was  located  on  the  slope  of  the 
Santa  Ana  mountains,  east  of  Anaheim.  It  is 
described  as  commanding  a  beautiful  view  of 
the  valley  of  the  Santa  Ana,  with  a  glimpse  of 
the  Pacific  ocean  m  the  distance.  View  was  its 
chief  resource  the  only  commodity  other  than 
town  lots  it  had  to  offer.  The  promises  of  its 
projectors  were  unbounded,  and  the  credulity 
of  its  investors  seemed  to  be  unlimited.  Rail- 
roads were  to  center  there.  There  manufac- 
tories were  to  rear  their  lofty  chimneys,  and  the 
ever-present  hotel  in  the  course  of  erection  was 
to  be  a  palace  of  luxury  for  the  tourist  and  a 
health-restoring  sanitarium  to  the  one-lunged 
consumptive. 

"Promises  were  cheap  and  plentiful,  and  so 
were  the  lots.  They  started  at  $25  each  for 
a  lot  twenty-five  feet  front;  rose  to  $35;  jumped 
to  $50,  and  choice  corners  changed  hands  all 
the  way  from  $100  to  $500. 

"One  enterprising  agent  sold  three  thousand, 
and  many  others  did  their  best  to  supply  a  long- 
felt  want — cheap  lots.  Capitalists,  speculators, 
mechanics,  merchants,  day  laborers,  clerks  and 
servant  girls  crowded  and  jostled  one  another 
m  their  eagerness  to  secure  choice  lots  in  the 
coming  metropolis.  Business  blocks,  hotels, 
restaurants  and  dwelling  houses  lined  the  streets 
on  paper.  A  l>ank  building,  with  a  costly  vault, 
was  in  course  of  construction,  and  it  continued 
in  that  course  to  the  end.  A  railroad  was  sur- 
veyed to  the  city  and  a  few  ties  and  rails  scat- 
tered at  intervals  along  the  line.  A  number  of 
cheap  houses  were  built,  and  a  population  of 
three  or  four  hundred  congregated  there  at  the 


304 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


height  of  the  boom,  and  for  a  time  managed  to 
subsist  in  a  semi-cannibalistic  way  on  the  dupes 
who  came  there  to  buy  lots.  The  site  of  the  city 
was  on  the  mountain  side  above  the  zanja 
(ditch),  and  the  water  supply  of  the  inhabitants 
had  to  be  hauled  up  hill  in  water  carts.  The 
productive  land  lay  far  below  in  the  valley,  and 
the  cities  of  the  plain  absorbed  all  the  trade. 
When  the  excursionist  and  lot-buyer  ceased  to 
come,  'Picturesque  Carlton,'  'Nature's  Rendez- 
vous,' as  its  poetic  founder  styled  it,  was  aban- 
doned, and  now  the  jack-rabbit  nibbles  the  grass 
in  its  deserted  streets  and  the  howl  of  the  coyote 
and  the  hoot  of  the  boding  owl  echo  amid  its 
ruins — that  is,  if  there  are  enough  ruins  to  make 
an  echo. 

"Of  the  purely  paper  cities  of  the  boom.  Bor- 
der City  and  Manchester  are  the  best  illustra- 
tions. An  unprincipled  speculator  by  the  name 
of  Simon  Romberg  secured  two  quarter-sec- 
tions of  government  land  situated  respectively 
forty  and  forty-three  miles  northeast  of  Los 
Angeles.  These  were  the  sites  of  Romberg's 
famous  or  rather  infamous  twin  cities.  Border 
City  was  appropriately  named.  It  was  located 
on  the  border  of  the  Mojave  desert,  on  the 
northeastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Madre  mount- 
ains. (It  was  named  Border  City  because  it 
was  located  on  the  eastern  border  of  Los  Ange- 
les county.)  It  was  most  easily  accessible  by 
means  of  a  balloon,  and  was  as  secure  from  hos- 
tile invasion  as  the  homes  of  the  cliff  dwellers. 
Its  principal  resource,  like  Carlton,  was  view — 
a  view  of  the  Mojave  desert.  The  founder  did 
not  go  to  the  expense  of  having  the  site  sur- 
ve\ed  and  the  lots  staked  ofif.  Indeed,  about 
the  only  way  it  could  be  surveyed  was  through 
a  field  glass.  He  platted  it  by  blocks  and  re- 
corded his  map.  The  streets  were  forty  feet 
wide  and  the  lots  twenty-five  feet  front  by  one 
hundred  deep.  The  quarter-section  made  nine- 
teen hundred  and  twenty  lots,  an  average  of 
twelve  to  the  acre.  Such  width  of  street  Rom- 
berg found  to  be  a  waste  of  land,  and  in  laying 
out  the  city  of  Manchester  he  was  more  eco- 
nomical. Out  of  the  quarter  section  on  which 
that  city  was  located  he  carved  two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  four  lots,  or  about  fourteen 
to  the  acre.     All  streets  running  east  and  west 


were  27  2-13  feet  wide,  and  all  running  north 
and  south  were  34  2-7  feet  wide.  The  lots 
were  twenty-five  feet  front  by  ninety-five  deep. 
Manchester  was  a  city  of  greater  resources  than 
Border  City.  Being  located  higher  up  the 
mountain,  it  had  a  more  extended  view  of  the 
desert. 

"These  lots  were  not  oft'ered  for  sale  in 
Southern  California,  nor  to  those  who  might  in- 
vestigate and  expose  the  fraud,  but  were  ex- 
tensively advertised  in  Northern  California,  in 
Oregon,  in  the  eastern  states,  and  even  in  Eu- 
rope. It  would  seem  almost  incredible  that 
Homberg  could  have  found  dupes  enough  to 
buy  such  property  unsight,  unseen;  yet,  judg- 
ing from  the  records,  he  sold  about  all  of  his 
four  thousand  lots,  and  his  profits  must  have 
footed  up  in  the  neighborhood  of  $50,000.  So 
many  of  his  deeds  were  filed  for  record  that 
the  county  recorder  had  a  book  of  records  con- 
taining three  hundred  and  sixty  pages,  especial- 
ly prepared  with  printed  forms,  of  Romberg's 
deeds,  so  that  when  one  was  filed  for  record,  all 
that  was  necessary  to  engross  it  was  to  fill  in 
the  name  of  the  purchaser  and  the  number  of 
the  lot  and  block. 

"The  lots  cost  Romberg  about  an  average 
of  ten  cents  each,  and  were  sold  at  all  prices, 
from  $1  up  to  $250  each,  the  prices  varying  ac- 
cording to  the  means  or  the  gullibility  of  the 
purchaser.  One  buyer  would  pay  $250  for 
a  single  lot ;  the  next  investor  might  get  ten 
or  a  dozen  for  that  sum.  One  enthusiast  in 
San  Jose  invested  $1,000  in  a  bunch  of  forty- 
eight  lots,  securing  at  one  fell  swoop  four  busi- 
ness blocks  in  the  center  of  Border  City.  Near- 
ly every  state  in  the  Union  had  its  victims  of 
misplaced  confidence  in  the  future  of  Romberg's 
twin  cities.  Nor  were  his  operations  confined 
to  the  United  States  alone.  England,  Germany, 
Holland,  Denmark  and  Sweden  furnished  him 
dupes   as   well. 

"The  magnitude  of  our  great  boom  can  be 
measured  more  accurately  by  a  money  standard 
than  any  other.  The  total  of  the  considerations 
named  in  the  instruments  filed  for  record  dur- 
ing the  year  1887  reached  the  enormous  sum 
of  $08,084,162.  But  even  this  does  not  tell  half 
the    storv.      Bv    far    the    larger    number    of   lots 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


305 


and  blocks  in  the  various  tracts  and  town  sites 
that  were  thrown  on  the  market  were  sold  on 
contract,  tlie  terms  of  payment  being  one-third 
or  one-fourth  cash,  balance  in  installments  pay- 
able in  six,  twelve  or  eighteen  months,  a  deed 
to  be  given  when  the  final  payment  was  made. 
But  few  of  the  agreements  were  recorded.  Fre- 
quently property  bought  on  agreement  to  con- 
vey was  resold  from  one  to  half  a  dozen  times, 
and  each  time  at  an  advance;  yet  the  consider- 
ation named  in  the  deed,  when  given,  would  be 
the  sum  named  in  the  original  agreement.  _ 
Deeds  to  the  great  bulk  of  property  sold  on  con- 
tract in  1887  did  not  go  on  record  until  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  many  of  them  not  then.  Thou- 
sands of  contracts  were  forfeited  and  never  ap- 
peared of  record.  It  is  safe  to  estimate  that 
the  considerations  in  the  real-estate  transactions 
during  1887  in  Los  Angeles  county  alone 
reached   $200,000,000. 

"So  sudden  and  so  great  an  inflation  of  land 
values  was  perhaps  never  equaled  in  the  world's 
history.  When  unimproved  land  in  John  Law's 
Mississippi  Colony  sold  for  30,000  livres  ($5,- 
550)  a  square  league,  all  Europe  was  amazed 
and  historians  still  quote  the  INIississippi  bubble 
as  a  marvel  of  inflation.  To  have  bought  a 
square  league  of  land  in  the  neighborhood  of 
some  of  our  cities  in  the  booming  days  of  1887 
would  have  taken  an  amount  of  money  equal  to 
the  capital  of  the  national  bank  of  Erance,  in 
the  days  of  John  Law.  Unimproved  lands  ad- 
joining the  city  of  Los  Angeles  sold  as  high  as 
$2,500  per  acre  or  at  the  rate  of  $14,400,000  a 
square  league.  Land  that  sold  at  $100  an  acre 
in  1886,  changed  hands  in  1887  at  $1,500  per 
acre;  and  city  lots  bought  in  1886  at  $500  each, 
a  year  later  were  rated  at  $5,000. 

"The  great  booms  of  former  times  measured 
by  the  money  standard,  dwarf  into  insignifi- 
cance when  ■  compared  with  ours.  The  capital 
stock  of  John  Law's  National  Bank  of  Erance, 
with  his  Mississippi  grants  thrown  in,  figured 
up  less  than  $15,000,000,  an  amount  about  equal 
to  our  real-estate  transactions  for  one  month ; 
vet,  the  bursting  of  John  Law's  Mississippi  bub- 
ble very  nearly  bankrupted  the  French  Empire. 
The  relative  proportions  of  the  South  Sea  bub- 
ble of    1700,   to  our   real   estate  boom  are  as   a 


soap  bubble  is  to  a  mammoth  balloon.  The 
amount  of  capital  invested  in  the  Darien  Colo- 
nization scheme,  a  scheme  which  bankrupted 
Scotland  and  came  near  plunging  all  Europe  in- 
to war,  was  only  220,000  pounds  sterling,  a  sum 
about  equal  to  our  real-estate  transfers  for  one 
day. 

"From  a  report  compiled  for  the  Los  Angeles 
County  Board  of  Equalization  in  July,  1889,  I 
find  the  area  included  in  sixty  towns,  all  of  which 
were  laid  out  since  January  i,  1887,  estimated 
at  79,350  acres.  The  total  population  of  these 
sixty  towns  at  that  time  was  placed  at  3,350. 
Some  of  the  largest  of  these  on  paper  were 
without  inhabitants.  Carlton,  containing  4,060 
lots,  was  an  unpeopled  waste ;  Nadeau,  4,470 
lots,  had  no  inhabitants;  Manchester,  2,304  lots, 
no  inhabitants;  Santiago  2,110  lots,  was  a  de- 
serted village.  Others  still  contained  a  small 
remnant  of  their  former  population.  Chicago 
Park,  containing  2,289  lots,  had  one  inhabitant, 
the  watchman  who  took  care  of  its  leading  ho- 
tel; Sunset,  2,014  lots,  one  inhabitant,  watch- 
man of  an  expensive  hotel  which  was  in  the 
course  of  construction  when  the  boom  burst. 
(The  building  was  burned  a  few  years  since.) 

"The  sites  of  a  majority  of  the  boom  cities  of 
twenty  years  ago  have  been  returned  to  acreage, 
the  plowshare  has  passed  over  their  ruins  and 
barley  grows  in  the  deserted  streets. 

"The  methods  of  advertising  the  attractions 
of  the  various  tracts,  subdivisions  and  town  sites 
thrown  on  the  market,  and  the  devices  resorted 
to  to  inveigle  purchasers  into  investing  were  va- 
rious, often  ingenious  and  sometimes  infamous. 
Brass  bands,  street  processions,  free  excursions 
and  free  lunches,  columns  of  advertisements 
rich  in  description  and  profuse  in  promises  that 
were  never  intended  to  be  fulfilled,  pictures  of 
massive  hotels  in  the  course  of  erection,  litho- 
graphs of  colleges  about  to  materialize,  lotteries, 
the  prizes  in  which  were  handsome  residences 
or  family  hotels,  railroads  that  began  and  end- 
ed in  the  imaginations  of  the  projectors — such 
were  a  few  of  the  many  devices  resorted  to  to 
attract  purchasers  and  induce  them  to  invest 
their  coin. 

"Few,  if  any,  of  the  inhabitants  to  the  manor 
born,  or  those  of  permanent   residence   and   re- 


306 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


putable  character  engaged  in  these  doubtful 
practices  and  disreputable  methods  of  booming. 
The  men  who  blew  the  bubble  to  greatest  in- 
flation were  new  importations — fellows  of  the 
b^ser  sort  who  knew  little  or  nothing  about  the 
resources  or  characteristics  of  the  country  and 
cared  less.  They  were  here  to  make  money. 
When  the  bubble  burst  they  disappeared — those 
who  got  away  with  their  gains,  chuckling  over 
ill-gotten  wealth;  those  who  lost,  abusing  the 
country  and  vilifying  the  people  they  had  duped. 
Retributive  justice  overtook  a  few  of  the  more 
unprincipled  boomers  and  they  have  since  done 
some  service  to  the  country  in  striped  uniforms. 


"The  collapse  of  our  real-estate  boom  was  not 
the  sudden  bursting  of  a  financial  bubble,  like 
the  South  Sea  bubble  or  John  Law's  Mississippi 
bubble,  nor  did  it  end  in  a  financial  crash  like 
the  monetar\-  panics  of  1837  and  1857,  or  like 
Black  Friday  in  Wall  street.  Its  collapse  was 
more  like  the  steady  contraction  of  a  balloon 
from  the  pressure  of  the  heavier  atmosphere  on 
the  outside.  It  gradually  shriveled  up.  The 
considerations  named  in  die  recorded  trans- 
fers of  the  first  three  months  of  1888  ex- 
^ceeded  $20,000,000.  After  that  they  decreased 
rapidly." 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


LOS  ANGELES  CITY. 


FROM  PUEBLO  TO  CIUDAD. 

(From  Town  to  City.) 

T|~S  OR  fifty-five  years  after  its  founding  Los 
I  Angeles  was  officially  a  pueblo.    In  1835, 

-^  as    narrated    in    a    previous   chapter,    the 

Mexican  congress  raised  it  to  the  rank  of  a  city. 
It  was  only  in  official  records  and  communica- 
tions that  it  was  accorded  the  dignity  of  a  "ciu- 
dad"  (city).  The  people  spoke  of  it  as  el  pueblo 
—the  town,  .\merican  writers  of  the  decade 
previous  to  the  American  conquest  all  speak 
of  it  as  the  pueblo,  and  one  of  them,  Hast- 
ings, who  came  to  California  overland  in 
1843  and  wrote  a  book  describing  the  country 
and  telling  how  to  get  there,  seems  not  to 
have  heard  its  real  name,  but  designated 
it  "Poablo  below,"  and  San  Jose  "Poablo 
above."  Los  Angeles  was  often  spoken  of  as 
El  Pueblo  abajo,  the  town  below ;  and  San  Jose, 
El  Pueblo,  the  town  above.  Hastings,  with  his 
imperfect  knowledge  of  Spanish,  seems  to  have 
taken  these  as  the  real  names  of  the  towns. 

Its  elevation  to  a  ciudad  by  the  IMexican  con- 
gress made  no  change  in  its  form  of  government. 
The  ayuntamiento  was  still  the  ruling  power, 
and  the  number  of  its  members  was  not  in- 
creased.    The  ayuntamiento  was  abolished  at  the 


beginning  of  the  }ear  1840.  The  Mexican  con- 
gress had  enacted  a  law  allowing  ayuntamientos 
only  to  cities  with  a  population  of  four  thousand 
and  upwards.  The  ayuntamiento  of  Los  Angeles 
was  re-e-stablished  in  1844,  and  continued  the 
governing  body  of  the  city  until  superseded  by 
the  common  council  July  3,  1850. 

In  the  beginning  Los  Angeles  was  symmet- 
rical. The  pueblo  contained  four  square  leagues 
(Spanish).  In  the  center  was  the  plaza,  75x100 
varas.  It  was  the  geographical  center  of  the 
settlement.  One  league  toward  each  wind  you 
reached  the  pueblo's  boundary  lines.  The  nar- 
row streets  went  out  from  the  plaza  at  right 
angles  to  its  sides.  The  houses  faced  inward 
upon  it.  As  the  town  grew  it  wandered  of¥  from 
its  old  center,  and  became  demoralized.  The 
streets  crooked  to  suit  the  convenience  of  house 
builders.  The  houses  stood  at  different  angles 
to  the  streets  and  the  house  lots  were  of  all 
geometrical  shapes.  No  man  had  a  written  title 
to  his  land.  Possession  was  ten  points  of  the 
law.  Indeed,  it  was  all  the  law  he  had  to  pro- 
tect his  title.  If  he  ceased  to  use  his  land  he 
might  lose  it.  Anyone  was  at  liberty  to  denounce 
unused  land,  and  the  ayuntamiento,  on  proof 
being  made  that  it  was  unused,  declared  the 
possession  forfeited. 


HTSTORTCAL  A\D  BIOCiRAPHICAL  RECORD 


307 


\\'ith  the  fall  of  the  missions  a  spasm  of  terri- 
torial expansion  seized  the  colonists.  In  1834  the 
territorial  legislature,  by  an  enactment,  fixed  the 
boundaries  of  the  pueblo  of  Los  Angeles  at  "two 
leagues  to  each  of  the  four  winds,  measuring 
from  the  center  of  the  plaza."  This  gave  the 
pueblo  an  area  of  sixteen  square  leagues,  or  over 
one  hundred  square  miles.  Next  year  (1835) 
Los  Angeles  was  made  the  capital  of  Alta  CaH- 
fornia  by  the  Mexican  congress  and  raised  to 
the  dignity  of  a  city ;  and  then  its  first  real 
estate  boom  was  on.  There  was  an  increased 
demand  for  lots  and  iands,  but  there  were  no 
maps  or  plats  to  grant  by  and  no  additions  or 
subdivisions  of  the  pueblo  lands  on  the  market. 
All  the  unoccupied  lands  belonged  to  the  munici- 
pality, and  when  a  citizen  wanted  a  house  lot 
to  build  on  he  petitioned  the  ayuntamiento  for 
a  lot,  and  if  the  piece  asked  for  was  vacant  he 
was  granted  a  lot — large  or  small,  deep  or  shal- 
low, on  the  street  or  off  it.  just  as  it  happened. 
With  the  growth  of  the  town  the  confusion 
and  irregularity  increased.  The  disputes  arising 
from  overlapping  grants,  conflicting  property 
lines  and  indefinite  descriptions  induced  the 
ayuntamiento  of  1836  to  appoint  a  commission 
to  investigate  and  report  upon  the  manner  of 
granting  house  lots  and  agricultural  lands.  The 
commissioners  reported  "that  they  had  con- 
sulted with  several  of  the  founders  and  with  old 
settlers,  who  declared  that  from  the  founding 
of  the  town  the  concession  of  lots  and  lands  had 
been  made  verbally  without  any  other  formality 
than  locating  and  measuring  the  extent  of  the 
land  the  fortunate  one  should  occupy." 

"In  order  to  present  a  fuller  report  your  com- 
mission obtained  an  'Instruction'  signed  by  Don 
Jose  Francisco  de  Ortega,  dated  at  San  Gabriel, 
February  2,  1782,  and  we  noted  that  articles  3,  4 
and  17  of  said  'Instruction'  provides  that  con- 
cession of  said  agricultural  lands  and  house  lots 
must  be  made  by  the  government,  which  shall 
issue  the  respective  titles  to  the  grantees.  Ac- 
cording to  the  opinion  of  the  city's  advisers,  said 
'Instruction.'  or  at  least  the  three  articles  re- 
ferred to,  have  not  been  observed,  as  there  is  no 
property  owner  who  can  show  a  legal  title  to 
his  property. 

"The  commissioners  cannot  do  otherwise  but 


call  attention  of  the  Most  Illustrious  Ayunta- 
miento to  the  evil  consequences  which  may  re- 
sult by  reason  of  said  abuses,  and  recommend 
that  some  means  may  be  devised  that  they  may 
be  avoided.  God  and  Liberty." 
"Angeles,  March  8,  1836. 

"Abel  Stearns, 
''Bacilio  Valdez, 
"Jose  M.  Herrerras, 
"Commissioners." 

Acting  on  the  report  of  the  commissioners,  the 
ayuntamiento  required  all  holders  of  property  to 
apply  for  written  titles.  But  the  poco  tiempo 
ways  of  the  pobladores  could  not  be  altogether 
overcome.  We  find  from  the  records  that  in 
1847  the  land  of  Mrs.  Carmen  Navarro,  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  town,  was  denounced 
(filed  on)  because  she  could  not  show  a  written 
title  to  it.  The  ayuntamiento  decided  "that  as 
she  had  always  been  allowed  to  hold  it,  her 
claim  should  be  respected  because  she  was  one 
of  the  founders, '  "which  makes  her  entitled  to 
a  lot  on  which  to  live." 

March  17,  1836,  "a  commission  on  streets, 
plazas  and  alleys  was  appointed  to  report  a  plan 
for  repairing  the  monstrous  irregularity  of  the 
streets  brought  about  by  ceding  house  lots  and 
erecting  houses  in  this  pueblo." 

The  commission  reported  in  favor  of  "formu- 
lating a  plat  of  the  city  as  it  actually  exists,  on 
which  shall  be  marked  the  names  of  the  streets, 
allcvs  and  plazas,  also  the  house  lots  and  com- 
mon lands  of  the  pueblo."  But  nothing  came  of 
the  report,  no  plat  was  made,  and  the  ayunta- 
miento went  on  in  the  same  old  way,  granting 
lots  of  all  shapes  and  forms. 

In  March,  1846,  another  commission  was  ap- 
pointed to  locate  the  bounds  of  the  pueblo  lands. 
All  that  was  done  was  to  measure  two  leagues 
"in  the  direction  of  the  four  winds  from  the 
plaza  church,"  and  set  stakes  to  mark  the 
boundary  lines.  Then  came  the  American  con- 
quest of  California,  and  the  days  of  poco  tiempo 
were  numbered.  In  1847,  after  the  conquest, 
another  attempt  was  made  to  straighten  and 
widen  the  streets.  Some  of  the  Yankee  spirit 
of  fixing  up  things  seems  to  have  pervaded  the 
ayuntamiento.      A    street    commission    was    ap- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pointed  to  try  to  bring  order  out  of  the  chaos 
into  which  the  streets  had  fallen.  The  commis- 
sioners reported  July  22,  1847,  as  follows : 
"Your  commissioners  could  not  but  be  amazed 
seeing  the  disorder  and  the  manner  how  the 
streets  run.  More  particularly  the  street  which 
leads  to  the  cemetery,  whose  width  is  out  of 
proportion  to  its  length,  and  whose  aspect  of- 
fends the  sense  of  the  beautiful  which  should 
prevail  in  the  city."  When  discussing  this  state 
of  affairs  with  the  sindico  (city  attorney)  he  in- 
formed us  that  on  receiving  his  instructions 
from  the  ayuntamiento  he  was  ordered  to  give 
the  streets  a  width  of  fifteen  varas  (about  forty- 
one  feet).  This  he  found  to  be  in  conflict  with 
the  statutes.  The  law  referred  to  is  in  Book  IV, 
Chapter  7,  Statute  10  (probably  a  compilation 
of  the  "laws  of  the  Indies,"  two  or  three  cen- 
turies old.  and  brought  from  Spain).  The  law 
reads:  "In  cold  countries  the  streets  shall  be 
wide,  and  in  warm  countries  narrow  ;  and  when 
tliere  are  horses  it  would  be  convenient  to  have 
wide  streets  for  purpose  of  an  occasional  de- 
fense or  to  widen  them  in  the  form  above  men- 
tioned, care  being  taken  that  nothing  is  done  to 
spoil  the  looks  of  the  buildings,  weaken  the 
points  of  defense  or  encroach  upon  the  comfort 
of  the  people." 

"The  instructions  given  the  sindico  by  the 
ayuntamiento  are  absolutely  opposed  to  this  law, 
and  therefore  illegal."  It  probably  never  oc- 
curred to  the  commission  to  question  the  wisdom 
of  so  senseless  a  law ;  it  had  been  a  law  in 
Spanish  America  for  centuries  and  therefore 
must  be  venerated  for  its  antiquity.  A  blind,  un- 
reasoning faith  in  the  wisdom  of  church  and 
state  has  been  the  undoing  of  the  Spanish  people. 
Apparently  th.e  commission  did  nothing  more 
than  report.  California  being  a  warm  country, 
tlie  streets  perforce  must  be  narrow. 

The  same  year  a  commission  was  appointed  to 
"square  the  plaza."  Through  carelessness  some 
of  the  houses  fronting  on  the  square  had  been 
allowed  to  encroach  upon  it :  others  were  set 
back  so  that  the  boundary  lines  of  the  plaza 
zigzagged  back  and  forth  like  a  Virginia  rail 
fence.  The  neighborhood  of  the  plaza  was  the 
aristocratic  residence  quarter  of  the  city  then, 
and  a  plaza  front  was  considered  high-toned.  The 


commission  found  the  squaring  of  the  plaza  as 
difficult  a  problem  as  the  squaring  of  a  circle. 
After  many  trials  and  tribulations  the  commis- 
sioners succeeded  in  overcoming  most  of  the 
irregularities  by  reducing  the  area  of  the  plaza. 
The  houses  that  intruded  were  not  torn  down, 
but  the  property  line  was  moved  forward.  The 
north,  south  and  west  lines  were  each  fixed  at 
134  varas  and  the  east  line  112  varas.  The 
ayuntamiento  attempted  to  open  a  street  from 
the  plaza  north  of  the  church,  but  Pedro  Cabrera, 
who  had  been  granted  a  lot  which  fell  in  the 
line  of  the  street,  refused  to  give  up  his  plaza 
front  for  a  better  lot  without  that  aristocratic 
appendage  which  the  council  ofifered  him.  Then 
the  city  authorities  ofifered  him  as  compensation 
for  the  difference  a  certain  number  of  days'  labor 
of  the  chain  gang  (the  treasury  was  in  the  usual 
state  of  collapse^  but  Pedro  could  not  be  traded 
out  of  his  plaza  front,  so  the  street  took  a  twist 
around  Pedro's  lot — a  twist  that  sixty  years  has 
not  straightened  out.  The  irregulariti'es  in  grant- 
ing portions  of  the  unapportioned  city  lands  still 
continued  and  the  confusion  of  titles  increased. 

In  May.  1849,  the  territorial  governor.  Gen- 
eral Bennett  Riley,  sent  a  request  to  the  ayunta- 
miento for  a  city  map  and  information  in  regard 
to  the  manner  of  granting  lots.  The  ayunta- 
miento replied  that  there  was  no  map  of  the  city 
in  existence  and  no  surveyor  here  who  could 
make  one.  The  governor  was  asked  to  send  a 
surveyor  to  make  a  plan  or  plat  of  the  city.  He 
was  also  informed  that  in  making  land  grants 
within  "the  perimeter  of  two  leagues  square  the 
city  acted  in  the  belief  that  it  is  entitled  to  that 
much  land  as  a  pueblo." 

Lieut.  E.  O.  C.  Ord,  of  the  United  States 
army,  was  sent  down  by  the  governor  to  plat 
the  citv.  On  the  i8th  of  July,  1849,  he  sub- 
mitted this  proposition  to  the  ayuntamiento: 
"He  would  make  a  map  of  the  city,  marking 
boundary  lines  and  points  of  the  municipal  lands 
for  $1,500,  coin,  ten  lots  selected  from  among 
the  defined  lots  on  the  map  and  vacant  lands  to 
the  extent  of  1,000  varas  to  be  selected  in  sec- 
tions of  200  varas  wherever  he  may  choose  it,  or 
he  would  make  a  map  for  $3,000  in  coin." 

The  ayuntamiento  chose  the  last  proposition — 
the   president    prophetically    remarking   that   the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


309 


time  might  conie  in  the  future  when  the  lots 
alone  would  be  worth  $3,000.  The  money  to  pay 
for  the  survey  was  borrowed  from  Juan  Temple, 
at  the  rate  of  one  per  cent  a  month,  and  lots 
pledged  as  security  for  payment.  The  time  has 
come  and  passed  when  a  single  front  foot  of  an 
Ord  survey  has  sold  for  .$3,000. 

The  ayuntamiento  also  decided  that  there 
should  be  embodied  in  the  map  a  plan  of  all 
the  lands  actually  under  cultivation,  from  the 
principal  dam  down  to  the  last  cultivated  field 
below.  "As  to  the  lots  that  should  be  shown  on 
the  map,  they  should  begin  at  the  cemetery  and 
end  with  the  house  of  Botiller  (near  Ninth 
street).  As  to  the  commonalty  lands  of  this 
city,  the  surveyor  should  determine  the  four 
points  of  the  compass,  and,  taking  the  parish 
church  for  a  center,  measure  two  leagues  in  each 
cardinal  direction.  These  lines  will  bisect  the 
four  sides  of  a  square  within  which  the  lands  of 
the  municipality  will  be  contained,  the  area  of 
the  same  being  sixteen  square  leagues,  and  each 
side  of  the  square  measuring  four  leagues."* 
(The  claims  commission  reduced  the  city's  area 
in  1856  to  just  one-fourth  these  dimensions.) 

Lieutenant  Ord,  assisted  by  William  R.  Hut- 
ton,  completed  his  Plan  de  la  Ciudad  de  Los  An- 
geles, August  29,  1849.  He  divided  into  blocks 
all  that  portion  of  the  city  bounded  north  by 
First  street,  and  the  base  of  the  first  line  of  hills, 
east  by  Main  street,  south  by  Twelfth  street, 
and  west  by  Pearl  street  (now  Figueroa),  and 
into  lots  all  of  the  above  to  Eighth  street ;  also 
into  lots  and  blocks  that  portion  of  the  city 
north  of  Short  street  and  west  of  Upper  Main 
(San  Fernando)  to  the  base  of  the  hills.  On  the 
"plan"  the  lands  between  Main  street  and  the 
river  are  designated  as  "plough  grounds,  gar- 
dens, corn  and  vine  lands."  The  streets  in  the 
older  portion  of  the  city  are  marked  on  the  map, 
but  not  named.  The  blocks,  except  the  tier  be- 
tween First  and  .'>econd  streets,  are  each  600 
feet  in  length,  and  are  divided  into  ten  lots,  each 
120  feet  by  165  feet  deep.  Ord  took  his  com- 
pass course  for  the  line  of  Main  street,  south 
24°  45'  west,  from  the  corner  opposite  Jose  An- 
tonio Carrillo's  house,  which  stood  where  the 
Pico  house  or  National  hotel  now  stands.     On 


his  map  Main,  Spring  and  Fort  (now  Broadway) 
streets  ran  in  parallel  straight  lines  southerly  to 
Twelfth  street. 

The  names  of  the  streets  on  Ord's  plan  are 
given  in  both  Spanish  and  English.  Beginning 
with  Main  street,  they  are  as  follows :  Calle 
Principal,  Main  street;  Calle  Primavera,  Spring 
street  (named  for  the  season  spring)  ;  Calle 
Fortin,  Fort  street  (so  named  because  the  street 
extended  would  pass  through  the  old  fort  on  the 
hill);  Calle  Loma,  Hill  street;  Calle  Accytuna, 
Olive  street ;  Calle  de  Caridad,  the  street  of  char- 
ity (now  Grand  avenue)  ;  Calle  de  Las  Esperan- 
zas,  the  street  of  hopes ;  Calle  de  Las  Flores,  the 
street  of  flowers;  Calle  de  Los  Chapules,  the 
street  of  grasshoppers  (now  South  Figueroa 
street). 

Above  the  plaza  church  the  north  and  south 
streets  were  the  Calle  de  Eternidad  (Eternity 
street,  so  named  because  it  had  neither  beginning 
nor  end,  or,  rather,  because  each  end  terminated 
in  the  hills)  ;  Calle  del  Toro  (street  of  the  bull, 
so  named  because  the  upper  end  of  the  street 
terminated  at  the  Carrida  de  Toro — the  bull 
ring,  where  bull-fights  were  held)  ;  Calle  de  Las 
Avispas  (street  of  the  hornets  or  wasps,  a  very 
lively  street  at  times)  ;  Calle  de  Los  Adobes, 
Adobe  street.  The  east  and  west  streets  were : 
Calle  Corta,  Short  street ;  Calle  Alta,  High  street ; 
Calle  de  Las  Virgines  (street  of  virgins)  ;  Calle 
del  Colegio  (street  of  the  college,  the  only  street 
north  of  the  church  that  retains  its  primitive 
name).  Spring  street  was  known  as  Calle  de 
Caridad  (the  street  of  charity)  at  the  time  of 
the  American  conquest.  The  town  then  was 
centered  around  the  plaza,  and  Spring  street  was 
well  out  in  the  suburbs.  Its  inhabitants  in  early 
times  were  of  the  poorer  classes,  who  were  largely 
dependent  on  the  charity  of  their  wealthier  neigh- 
bors around  the  plaza.  It  is  part  of  an  old  road 
made  more  than  a  century  ago.  On  Ord's  "plan" 
this  road  is  traced  northwestward  from  the  junc- 
tion of  Spring  and  i\Iain.  It  follows  the  present 
line  of  North  Spring  street  to  First  street,  then 
crosses  the  blocks  bounded  by  Spring.  Broad- 
way, First  and  Third  street  diagonally  to  the 
corner  of  Third  street  and  Broadway.  It  inter- 
sects Hill  at  Fourth  street  and  Olive  at  Fifth 
street;  skirting  the  hills,  it  passes  out  of  the  city 


no 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


near  Xinth  street  to  the  Brea  Springs,  from 
which  th.e  colonists  obtained  the  roofing  material 
for  their  adobe  houses.  This  road  was  used  for 
many  3'ears  after  the  American  occupation,  and 
was  recognized  as  a  street  in  conveyances.  Ord 
evidently  transferred  Spring  street's  original 
name,  "La  Caridad,"  to  one  of  his  western 
streets  which  was  a  portion  of  the  old  road. 

Main  street,  from  the  junction  south,  in  1846 
was  known  as  Calle  de  la  Allegria — Junction 
street;  Los  Angeles  street  was  the  Calle  Prin- 
cipal, or  Main  street.  Whether  the  name  had 
been  transferred  to  the  present  Main  street  be- 
fore Ord's  survey  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascer- 
tain. In  the  early  years  of  the  century  Los 
Angeles  street  was  known  as  the  Calle  de  la 
Zanja  (Ditch  street).  Later  on  it  was  some- 
times called  Calle  de  Los  Mnas  (Vineyard 
street),  and  with  its  continuation  the  Calle  de 
Los  Huertos  (Orchard  street) — now  San 
Pedro — formed  the  principal  highway  running 
southward  to  the  em'barcadero  of  San  Pedro. 

Of  the  historic  streets  of  Los  Angeles  that 
have  disappeared  before  the  march  of  improve- 
ments none  perhaps  was  so  widely  known  in 
early  days  as  the  one  called  Calle  de  Los  Negros 
in  Castilian  Spanish,  but  Nigger  alley  in  vulgar 
United  States.  Whether  its  ill-omened  name 
was  given  from  the  dark  hue  of  the  dwellers  on 
it  or  from  the  blackness  of  the  deeds  done  in 
it  the  records  do  not  tell.  Before  the  American 
conquest  it  was  a  respectable  street,  and  some  of 
the  wealthy  rancheros  dwelt  on  it,  but  it  was 
not  then  known  as  Nigger  alley.  It  gained  its 
unsavory  reputation  and  name  in  the  flush  days 
of  gold  mining,  between  1849  ^"^^  1856-  It  was 
a  short,  narrow  street  or  alley,  extending  from 
the  upper  end  of  Los  Angeles  street  at  Arcadia 
to  the  plaza.  It  was  at  that  time  the  only  street 
except  ]\Iain  entering  the  plaza  from  the  south. 
In  length  it  did  not  exceed  500  feet,  but  in  wick- 
edness it  was  unlimited.  On  either  side  it  was 
lined  with  saloons,  gambling  hells,  dance  houses 
and  disreputable  dives.  It  was  a  cosmopolitan 
street.  Representatives  of  diflferent  races  and 
many  nations  frequented  it.  Here  the  ignoble 
red  man.  crazed  with  aguardiente,  fought  his 
battles,  the  swarthy  Sonoran  plied  his  stealthy 
dagger   nnd   the    click    of   the    revolver   mingled 


with  the  clink  of  gold  at  the  gaming  table  when 
some  chivalric  American  felt  that  his  word  of 
"honah"  has  been  impugned. 

The  Calle  dc  Los  Negros  in  the  early  '50s, 
when  the  deaths  from  violence  in  Los  Angeles 
were  of  almost  daily  occurrence,  was  the  central 
point  from  which  the  wickedness  of  the  city 
radiated. 

With  the  decadence  of  gold  mining  the  char- 
acter of  the  street  changed,  but  its  morals  were 
not  improved  by  the  change.  It  ceased  to  be 
the  rendezvous  of  the  gambler  and  the  des- 
perado and  became  the  center  of  the  Chinese 
quarter  of  the  city.  Carhle  says  the  eighteenth 
century  blew  its  brains  out  in  the  French  Revo- 
lution. Nigger  alley  might  be  said  to  have  blown 
its  brains  out,  if  it  had  any,  in  the  Chinese 
massacre  of  1871.  That  dark  tragedy  of  our 
city's  history,  in  which  eighteen  Chinamen  were 
hanged  by  a  mob,  occurred  on  this  street.  It 
was  the  last  of  the  many  tragedies  of  the  Calle 
de  Los  Negros ;  the  extension  of  Los  Angeles 
street,  in  1886,  wiped  it  out  of  existence,  or  so 
nearly  that  there  is  not  enough  of  it  left  to  be 
wicked. 

The  Calle  del  Toro  was  another  historic  street 
with  a  mixed  reputation.  Adjoining  this  street, 
near  where  the  French  hospital  now  stands,  was 
located  the  Plaza  de  Los  Toros.  Here  on  fete 
days  the  sport-loving  inhabitants  of  Los  An- 
geles and  the  neighborhood  round  about  gath- 
ered to  witness  that  national  amusement  of 
Mexico  and  old  Spain — the  corida  de  toros  (bull 
fights).  And  here,  too.  when  a  grizzly  bear 
could  be  obtained  from  the  neighboring  moun- 
tains, were  witnessed  those  combats  so  greatly 
enjoyed  by  the  native  Californians — bull  and 
bear  baiting.  There  were  no  humanitarian  soci- 
eties in  those  days  to  prohibit  this  cruel  pastime. 
Macauley  says  the  Puritans  hated  bear-baiting, 
not  because  it  gave  pain  to  the  bear,  but  because 
of  the  pleasure  it  gave  the  spectators — all  pleas- 
ure, from  their  ascetic  standpoint,  being  con- 
sidered sinful.  The  bear  had  no  friends  among 
the  Californians  to  take  his  part  from  any  mo- 
tive. It  was  death  to  poor  bruin,  whether  he 
was  victor  or  vanquished :  but  the  bull  sometimes 
made  it  uncomfortable  for  his  tormentors.  The 
Los    Antreles   Star  of    December    18,    1838,    de- 


HISTORICAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


311 


scribes  this  occurrence  at  one  of  these  bull  fights 
on  the  Calle  del  Toro :  "An  infuriated  bull  broke 
through  the  inclosure  and  rushed  at  the  af- 
frighted spectators.  A  wild  panic  ensued.  Don 
Felipe  Lugo  spurred  his  horse  in  front  of  the 
furious  bull.  The  long  horns  of  the  maddened 
animal  were  plunged  into  the  horse.  The  gallant 
steed  and  his  daring  rider  went  down  in  the 
dust.  The  horse  was  instantly  killed,  but  the 
rider  escaped  unhurt.  Before  the  bull  could 
rally  for  another  charge  half  a  dozen  bullets  from 
the  ready  revolvers  of  the  spectators  put  an  end 
to  his  existence." 

The  Plaza  de  Los  Toros  has  long  since  been 
obliterated,  and  Bull  street  became  Castelar  more 
than  a  third  of  a  century  ago. 

Previous  to  1S47  there  was  but  one  street 
opening  out  from  the  plaza  to  the  northward, 
and  that  was  the  narrow  street  known  to  old 
residents  as  Bath  street,  since  widened  and  ex- 
tended, and  now  called  North  Main  street.  The 
committee  that  had  charge  of  the  "squaring  of 
the  plaza"  projected  the  opening  of  another 
street  to  the  north.  It  was  the  street  known  as 
Upper  Main,  now  called  San  Fernando.  This 
street  was  cut  through  the  old  cuartel  or  guard- 
house, built  in  1785,  which  stood  on  the  south- 
eastern side  of  the  Plaza  vieja,  or  old  Plaza,  laid 
out  by  Governor  Felipe  de  Neve  when  he 
founded  the  pueblo.  Upper  Main  street  opened 
into  the  Calle  Real,  or  Main  street,  which  was 
one  of  de  Neve's  original  streets  opening  out 
from  the  old  plaza  to  the  northeast. 

Ord's  survey  or  plan  left  some  of  the  houses 
in  the  old  parts  of  the  city  in  the  middle  of  the 
streets  and  others  were  cut  off  from  frontage. 
The  city  council  labored  long  to  adjust  property 
lines  to  the  new  order  of  things.  Finally,  in 
1854,  an  ordinance  was  passed  allowing  prop- 
erty owners  to  claim  frontages  to  the  streets 
nearest  their  houses. 

Lender  Mexican  domination  the  transition  of 
Los  Angeles  from  a  pueblo  to  a  ciudad  had 
made  no  change  in  the  laws  and  customs  of  its 
people.  For  three  years  and  a  half  following 
the  American  conquest  the  new  rulers  of  Cali- 


fornia continued  the  old  forms  of  government, 
but  a  change  was  coming  to  the  old  pueblo. 
The  legislature  of  California  had  made  it  a  city 
and  had  provided  for  it  a  new  form  of  govern- 
ment. The  conur.on  council  was  to  supplant  the 
ayuntamiento.  P"or  nearly  three  score  years  and 
ten  under  the  rule  of  Spain  and  her  daughter 
Mexico  the  ayuntamiento  had  been  the  law- 
maker of  the  pueblo.  Generations  had  grown  to 
manhood  and  had  passed  out  of  existence  under 
its  denomination.  Monarchy,  empire  and  repub- 
lic had  ruled  the  territory,  had  loosened  their 
hold  and  lost  their  power,  but  through  all  the 
ayuntamiento  had  held  its  sway.  Now,  too,  it 
must  go.  Well  might  the  old-time  Angeleiio 
heave  a  sigh  of  regret  at  the  downfall  of  that 
bulwark  of  his  liberty,  "muy  illustre  ayunta- 
miento." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  act  of  incor- 
poration passed  by  the  state  legislature  April  4, 
1850: 

AN  ACT  to  incorporate  the  City  of  Los  Angeles. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  California,  repre- 
sented in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact  as  fol- 
lows : 

Section  t.  All  that  tract  of  land  included 
within  the  limits  of  the  Pueblo  de  Los  Angeles, 
as  heretofore  known  and  acknowledged,  shall 
henceforth  be  known  as  the  City  of  Los  Angeles, 
and  the  said  City  is  hereby  declared  to  be  incor- 
porated according  to  the  provisions  of  the  Act 
entitled  "An  Act  to  provide  for  the  Incorpora- 
tion of  Cities,"  approved  March  18,  1850.  Pro- 
vided, however,  that  if  such  limits  include  more 
than  four  square  miles,  the  Council  shall,  within 
three  months  after  they  are  elected  and  qualified, 
fix  by  ordinance  the  limits  of  the  City,  not  to  in- 
clude more  than  said  quantity  of  land,  and  the 
boundaries  so  determined  shall  thenceforth  be 
the  boundaries  of  the  City. 

Section  2.  The  number  of  Councilmen  shall 
be  seven;  the  first  election  of  City  officers  shall 
be  held  on  the  second  Alonday  of  May  next. 

Section  3.  The  Corporation  created  by  this 
Act  shall  succeed  to  all  the  rights,  claims,  and 
powers  of  the  Pueblo  de  Los  Angeles  in  regard 
to  property,  and  shall  be  subject  to  all  the  liabili- 
ties incurred,  and  obligations  created  by  the  Ayun- 
tamiento of  said  Pueblo. 


•312 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


CHAPTER   XLV. 


LOS  ANGELES  CITY— Continued. 


THE  E\"OLUTION  OF  A  METROPOLIS. 

IX  the  previous  chapter  I  have  quoted  in  full 
the  act  to  incorporate  Los  Angeles  as  a  city. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  the  act  provides  that 
"all  that  tract  of  land  included  within  the  Pueblo 
de  Los  Angeles  as  heretofore  known  and  ac- 
knowledged shall  henceforth  be  known  as  the 
City  of  Los  Angeles."  Section  3  of  an  "Act  to 
provide  for  the  incorporation  of  cities,"  passed 
March  11,  1850,  limited  the  area  of  a  city  to  four 
square  miles.  Evidently  the  legislators  of  the  fall 
of  '49  and  spring  of  '50  did  not  take  into  con- 
sideration the  possibilities  of  the  growth  of  Cali- 
fornia cities. 

The  Pueblo  of  Los  Angeles  had  begun  busi- 
ness in  1 781  with  four  square  leagues,  or  about 
twenty-seven  square  miles,  and,  as  previously 
stated,  the  year  (1834)  before  it  was  raised  to 
the  dignity  of  a  ciudad  by  the  Alexican  Congresb, 
the  Departmental  Assembly  had  expanded  its 
boundaries  to  include  sixteen  square  leagues,  or 
over  one  hundred  square  miles.  A  provision  in 
the  act  of  incorporation  of  1850  gave  the  council 
three  months  in  which  to  pare  down  the  limits  of 
the  city  to  the  standard  fixed  by  the  legislature — 
four  square  miles. 

Two  nations  by  legislative  decrees  had  made  a 
city  of  Los  Angeles.  Yet  it  was  not  much  of  a 
city  after  all.  Within  its  bounds  there  was  not 
a  graded  street,  a  sidewalk,  a  water  pipe  or  a 
public  building  of  any  kind  belonging  to  the 
municipality. 

The  first  city  election  under  its  American  in- 
corporation was  held  July  i,  1850.  The  officers 
elected  were :  A.  P.  Hodges,  mayor  (who  also 
held  the  office  of  county  coroner)  ;  Francisco 
Figueroa,  treasurer;  A.  F.  Coronel,  city  asses- 
sor (also  county  assessor)  ;  Samuel  Wliiting,  city 
marshal  (also  county  jailer). 

The  first  common  council  met  July  3,  1850, 
and   the   first   record   of   its   doings   reads   thus : 


"jMessrs.  David  W.  Alexander,  Alexander  Bell, 
Manuel  Requena,  Juan  Temple,  Morris  L.  Good- 
man, Cristobal  Aguilar  and  Julian  Chavez  took 
the  oath  of  office  in  conformity  with  Section  3, 
Article  XI,  of  the  state  constitution,  before  Jona- 
than R.  Scott  (justice  of  the  peace),  and  en- 
tered upon  the  discharge  of  their  duties  as  mem- 
bers of  the  common  council  of  this  city,  to  which 
office  they  had  been  elected  by  the  people  on  the 
first  day  of  this  month."  David  W.  Alexander 
was  elected  president  and  Vicente  del  Campo 
secretary.  The  members  had  been  sworn  to 
support  the  constitution  of  the  State  of  Califor- 
nia, and  yet  there  was  no  state.  California  had 
not  been  admitted  as  a  state  of  the  Union.  It 
had  taken  upon  itself  the  function  of  a  state. 
The  legislature  had  made  counties  and  cities  and 
provided  for  their  organization  and  government, 
and  a  governor  elected  by  the  people  had  ap- 
proved the  acts  of  the  legislature.  The  state 
government  was  a  political  nondescript.  It  had 
sloughed  off  its  territorial  condition,  but  it  could 
not  become  a  state  until  congress  admitted  it 
into  the  Union  and  the  slave-holding  faction  of 
that  body  would  not  let  it  in. 

The  first  common  council  of  the  city  was 
a  patriotic  and  self-denying  body.  The  first  reso- 
lution passed  was  as  follows :  "It  having  been 
observed  that  in  otlier  places  the  council  mem- 
bers were  drawing  a  salary,  it  was  unanimously 
resolved  that  the  members  of  this  council  shall 
receive  neither  salary  nor  fees  of  whatsoever  na- 
ture for  discharging  their  duties  as  such."  But 
some  of  them  wearied  of  serving  an  ungrateful 
public  and  taking  their  pay  in  honor.  Before  six- 
ty days  had  passed  two  had  resigned,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  year  only  two  of  the  original  members, 
David  W.  Alexander  and  Manuel  Requena,  were 
left.  There  had  been  six  resignations  in  eight 
months ;  and  the  first  council  had  thirteen  dif- 
ferent members  during  its  short  existence. 

The  seven  members  elected  to  the  first  council. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


313 


with  the  exception  of  Alexander  Bell,  had  been 
either  native  born  or  naturalized  citizens  of  Alex- 
ico,  but  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  made 
them  citizens  of  the  United  States.  The  coun- 
cil re-enacted  many  of  the  ordinances  of  the  old 
ayuntaniicnto  and  enacted  some  new  ones  to 
suit  the  conditions  then  existing  in  the  city.  I 
append  a  few  to  illustrate  the  issues  with  which 
our  first  legislators  had  to  contend  when  Los 
Angeles  became  an  American  city : 

Art.  1st.  The  city's  prisoners  shall  be  formed 
in  a  chain-gang  and  occupied  in  public  works. 

Art.  2nd.  All  city  prisoners  must  be  sentenced 
within  two  days. 

Art.  3rd.  \Vhcn  the  city  has  no  work  in  which 
to  employ  the  chain-gang  the  recorder  shall,  by 
means  of  notices  conspicuously  posted,  notify  the 
public  that  such  and  such  a  number  of  prisoners 
will  be  turned  over  to  the  highest  bidder  for  priv- 
ate service,  and  in  that  manner  they  shall  be  dis- 
posed of  for  a  sum  which  shall  not  be  less  than 
the  amount  of  their  fine  and  for  double  the  time 
which  they  were  to  serve  out  at  hard  labor. 

Art.  6th.  Every  citizen  of  the  corporation 
shall  as  a  duty,  sweep  in  front  of  his  habitation 
on  Saturdays,  as  far  as  the  middle  of  the  street, 
or  at  least  eight  varas. 

Art.  7th.  No  filth  shall  be  thrown  into  zanjas 
(canals)  carrying  water  for  common  use,  nor 
into  the  streets  of  the  city,  nor  shall  any  cattle 
be  slaughtered  in  the  same. 

Art.  9th.  Every  owner  of  a  store  or  tavern, 
and  every  person  that  lives  in  a  house  of  more 
than  two  rooms  facing  to  the  street  shall  put  a 
light  at  the  door  of  said  house  during  the  first 
two  hours  of  every  dark  night. 

Art.  loth.  Every  shop  or  tavern  shall  close 
in  winter  at  eight  o'clock  and  in  summer  at  nine 
o'clock  at  night. 

Art.  I2th.  The  washing  of  clothes  in  the  zan- 
jas which  furnish  water  for  common  use  is  pro- 
hibited. 

Art.  1.3th.  Whosoever  shall  walk  the  streets 
in  a  scandalous  attire  or  molest  the  neighbors 
with  yells  or  in  any  other  manner,  shall  be  taken 
to  jail,  if  the  hour  be  late  for  business  or  the  of- 
fender be  intoxicated,  and  afterwards  at  the 
proper  hour,  or  when  again  sober,  the  recorder 
shall  impose  a  fine  of  not  less  than  ten  dollars, 
nor  more  than  twentv-five,  which  must  be  paid 
on  the  spot,  otherwise  the  offender  shall  be  sent 
\o  the  chain-gang,  for  the  space  of  from  ten  to 
twenty-five  days. 

Art.  14th.  The  same  penalty  shall  be  imposed 
for  plaving  cards  in  the  street,  regardless  of  the 
Icind    of   game,    likewise    for    playing   any    other 


game  of  the  kind  played  in  houses  that  are  pay- 
ing a  tax  for  the  privilege.  If  he  be  an  Indian 
he  shall  pay  a  fine  of  three  to  five  dollars  or  be 
imprisoned  eight  days  in  the  chain-gang. 

In  the  original  draft  of  the  ordinance.  Article 
2  prohibited  "the  carrying  of  firearms  or  blank 
arms"  within  the  city  limits,  and  Article  3  pro- 
hibited the  discharge  of  the  same,  "except  in  de- 
fense of  home  and  property."  At  a  subsequent 
meeting  the  committee  on  police  reported  that  it 
found  "that  the  second  and  third  articles,  al- 
though they  were  useful,  were  difScult  to  enforce ; 
it  has  withdrawn  the  same  and  today  submits  in 
lieu  thereof  others  which  it  deems  more  expe- 
dient." These  are  Articles  i  and  2,  quoted  above, 
and  relate  to  the  sentencing  of  prisoners  and  their 
sale  to  the  highest  bidder.  The  police  evidently 
found  it  healthier  and  more  lucrative  to  capture 
and  sell  drunken  Indians  for  revenue  than  to  cap- 
ture white  desperadoes  for  carrying  guns  or  col- 
lect fines  from  them  for  shooting  up  the  town. 

The  following  "Ordinance  Relative'  to  Public 
Washing,"  adopted  March  27,  1852,  illustrates 
a  phase  of  domestic  economy  in  early  days  that 
has  long  since  disappeared.  In  the  early  '50s 
there  was  no  system  of  water  distribution  ex- 
cept the  Indian  and  his  water  buckets.  To  have 
carried  enough  water  from  the  river  to  do  the 
family  washing  would  have  been  a  stupendous 
undertaking  for  the  lazy  Indian.  So  the  "wash" 
instead  was  carried  to  the  canal  that  runs  from 
the  "little  river." 

"All  persons,"  so  reads  the  ordinance,  "who 
may  find  it  necessary  to  wash  articles  of  any  kind 
near  the  habitable  portions  of  the  city  will  do 
it  in  the  water  canal  that  runs  from  the  little  river, 
but  will  be  bound  to  place  their  board  or  washer 
on  the  outer  edge  of  the  border  of  the  canal,  by 
which  means,  although  they  use  the  water,  yet 
the  washings  from  the  dirty  articles  are  not  per- 
mitted, under  any  pretence,  to  again  mix  with 
the  water  intended  for  drinking  purposes. 

"The  infraction  of  this  ordinance  will  subject 
the  delinquent  to  a  fine  which  shall  not  pass  three 
dollars,  at  the  discretion  of  the  mayor. 

"B.  D.  Wilson, 

"M.^NUFX  Requena,  Mayor. 

"(Pres.  of  the  Common  Council.)"  ' 


314 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


At  the  time  this  ordinance  was  adopted  there 
was  an  island  of  considerable  size  in  the  river 
between  the  old  Aliso  road  and  First  street.  The 
portion  of  the  river  channel  running  on  the  west- 


ern side  of  the  island  was  known  as  the 


ittle 


The  most  difficult  task  the  members  of  that 
first  common  council  had  before  them  was  the 
Americanizing  of  the  people  of  the  old  ciudad. 
The  population  of  the  town  and  the  laws  were  in 
a  chaotic  state.  It  was  an  arduous  and  thankless 
task  that  these  old-time  municipal  legislators  had 
to  perform — that  of  evolving  order  out  of  the 
chaos  that  had  been  brought  about  by  the  change 
of  nations  as  rulers.  The  native  population  nei- 
ther understood  the  language,  the  laws  nor  the 
customs  of  their  rulers,  and  the  newcomers 
among  the  Americans  had  very  little  toleration  for 
the  slow-going  Mexican  ways  and  methods  they 
found  prevailing  in  the  city.  To  keep  peace  be- 
tween the  various  factions  required  more  tact 
than  knowledge  of  law  or  lawmaking  in  the 
legislator.  Fortunately,  the  first  council  was 
made  up  of  level-headed  men. 

The  Indian  was  one  of  the  disturbing  elements 
that  worried  the  city  fathers;  not  the  wild  ones 
of  the  mountains  who  raided  the  ranchos  and 
stole  the  rancheros'  horses  and  cattle  and  were 
shot  on  sight,  but  the  ex-neophytes  of  the  mis- 
sions. The  mission  Indians  constituted  the  labor 
element  of  the  city  and  country.  When  sober 
they  were  harmless  and  were  fairly  good  labor- 
ers, but  in  their  drunken  orgies  they  became 
veritable  fiends,  and  the  usual  result  of  their  Sat- 
urday night  revels  was  a  dead  Indian  or  two  on 
Sunday  morning;  and  all  the  others,  old  and 
young,  male  and  female,  were  dead  drunk.  They 
were  gathered  up  on  Sunday  after  their  carousal 
and  carted  off  to  a  corral.  On  Monday  they 
were  sentenced  to  hard  labor  for  varying  terms. 
At  first  they  worked  in  the  city  chain  gang  on 
the  streets,  but  the  supply  became  too  great  and 
the  council  passed  an  ordinance  (given  else- 
where in  this  chapter),  authorizing  the  auction- 
ing of  them  off  to  private  parties  for  double  the 
amount  of  their  fine.  Evidently  auctioning  In- 
dians to  the  highest  bidders  paid  the  city  quite 
a   revenue,    for   at  a   subsequent   meeting,    after 


the  passing  of  the  above-named  ordinance,  the 
recorder  or  police  judge  was  authorized  to  pay 
the  Indian  alcaldes  or  chiefs  the  sum  of  one 
real  ( twelve  and  a  half  cents )  out  of  every  fine 
collected  from  Indians  the  said  alcaldes  may 
bring  to  the  recorder  for  trial.  A  month  or  so 
later  the  recorder  presented  a  bill  of  $15,  the 
amount  of  money  he  had  paid  the  alcaldes  out  of 
fines.  At  the  rate  of  eight  Indians  to  the  dol- 
lar the  alcaldes  had  evidently  gathered  up  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  poor  Los. 

The  whipping  post  was  used  to  instill  lessons 
of  honesty  and  morality  into  the  Indian.  One 
court  record  reads:  "Chino  Valencia  (Indian) 
was  fined  $50  and  twenty-five  lashes  for  stealing 
a  pair  of  shears:  the  latter  fine  (the  lashes)  was 
paid  in  full ;  for  the  former  he  stands  committed 
to  the  chain-gang  for  two  months."  At  the  same 
session  of  the  court  Vicente  Guero,  a  white  man, 
was  fined  $30  for  selling  liquor  to  the  Indians — 
"fine  paid  and  defendant  discharged."  Drunken- 
ness, immorality  and  epidemics,  civilization's  gift 
to  the  aborigines,  settled  the  Indian  question  in  the 
old  pueblo — settled  it  by  exterminating  the  In- 
dian. 

When  the  United  States  land  commission  in 
1852  began  its  herculean  task  of  adjudicating  the 
Mexican  land  grants  in  California,  the  city  of 
Los  Angeles  laid  claim  to  sixteen  square  leagues 
of  land.  In  1853  Henry  Hancock  surveyed  the 
pueblo  land  lying  beyond  Ord's  survey  into  thir- 
ty-five acre  lots.  The  blocks  of  this  survey  con- 
tained eight  lots  of  thirty-five  acres  each.  Han- 
cock's survey  extended  south  of  the  city  limits 
to  Los  Cuervos  rancho,  a  distance  of  about 
three  miles  below  the  old  pueblo  boundary.  It 
extended  west  to  La  Cienega,  a  distance  of  about 
two  miles  from  the  old  pueblo  line.  All  the  terri- 
tory taken  into  the  city  by  annexation  on  the 
south  and  west  in  1896  and  subsequently  was  once 
claimed  as  city  land.  In  the  Hancock  survey  the 
streets  south  of  Pico  were  named  after  the  presi- 
dents of  the  United  States.  Beginning  with 
Washington,  in  regular  succession  followed 
Adams,  Jefiferson,  Madison,  Monroe,  John 
Ouincy  Adams  and  Jackson  streets ;  all  of  these, 
except  pieces  of  Washington,  Adams  and  Jefifer- 
son. that  fell  V'ithin  the  old  pueblo  limits,  have 
long  since  disappeared  from  the  map. 


HISTORICAL  AXL)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


315 


South  of  Boyle  Heights  and  east  of  die  river 
the  rancho  of  San  Antonio  curbed  the  city's 
ambition  to  expand  in  that  direction.  On  the 
north  and  northwest  the  ranches  Los  FeHz  and 
the  Verdugos  encroached  on  the  city's  area,  and 
the  hostile  owners  refused  to  be  surveyed  into 
the  municipality.  On  the  east,  from  the  center 
of  the  plaza,  it  was  two  leagues  to  the  city  line. 
The  area  of  the  city,  according  to  the  Hancock 
or  Hansen  survey  of  1855  (the  survey  of  1855 
was  really  made  by  Henry  Hansen),  was  a  frac- 
tion less  than  fifty  square  miles — a  magnificent 
city  on  paper. 

The  edited  States  commission  in  1856  con- 
firmed to  the  city  a  grant  of  four  square  leagues 
(about  twenty-seven  square  miles)  and  rejected 
its  claim  to  all  outside  of  that.  After  many  de- 
lays, in  1875,  nearly  twenty  years  later,  a  United 
States  patent  was  issued  to  the  mayor  and  coun- 
cil, and  then  the  greater  Los  Angeles  of  the 
early  '50s  shrunk  to  the  dimensions  of  Gov. 
Felipe  de  Neve's  pueblo  of  1781 — "one  league  to 
each  wind  measured  from  the  center  of  the 
plaza." 

Some  of  the  Hancock  survey  lots  in  the  south- 
west were  called  city  donation  lots.  The  term 
originated  in  this  way  : 

The  city  in  the  early  }ears  of  its  American 
period  was  hard  pressed  for  funds.  It  was  land 
poor.  Its  pueblo  lands  brought  it  no  revenue. 
Some  Napoleon  of  finance  originated  a  scheme  to 
increase  the  municipal  income.  An  ordinance 
was  passed  donating  a  Hancock  survey  lot  (35 
acres)  to  any  person  who  would  put  it  under  cul- 
tivation and  make  improvements  to  the  value 
of  $100.  "When  the  title  passed  to  a  private 
owner  the  land  became  subject  to  taxation  and 
the  city  thereby  received  a  revenue.  It  was  a 
brilliant  stroke  of  finance  for  the  time  being,  but 
it  resulted  in  depriving  the  city  of  some  of  its 
finest  holdings.  At  the  time  the  offer  was  made 
there  was  no  wild  rush  of  "sooners"  to  secure 
a  reservation.  There  was  no  land  hunger  then. 
Every  one's  appetite  for  land  was  satiated  or 
could  be  easily  satisfied,  as  land  was  about  the 
cheapest  commodity  in  the  country. 

Later  on  in  the  '50s  and  early  '60s  the  pueblo 
lands  were  disposed  of  at  various  prices,  rang- 
ing   from   $2.50   to    $7.50    per    acre.      At    tliese 


prices  most  of  the  magnificent  patrimony  that 
the  city  of  Los  Angeles  inherited  from  the  old 
Spanish  pueblo  was  frittered  away.  All  that 
was  left  was  a  few  tracts  that  were  considered 
worthless.  One  of  these  is  the  tract  included  in 
W'estlake  Park,  now  the  beauty  spot  of  the  city. 
The  city  council  had  oflfered  the  tract  in  vain  at 
twenty-five  cents  an  acre.  The  old-timers  v\'ho 
had  been  accustomed  to  get  a  thirty-five  acre  lot 
of  fertile  land  as  a  donation  scorned  to  buy  an  al- 
kaline gulch  at  any  price  and  the  city  was  com- 
pelled perforce  to  keep  it.  Another  of  these 
patches  of  refuse  real  estate  that  the  city  fathers 
of  old  left  to  us  is  the  site  of  Elysian  Park.  The 
heights  and  hollows  of  that  now  attractive  park 
could  not  be  cultivated  then  for  lack  of  a  water 
system  and  nobody  would  take  them  as  a  gift. 

The  most  woeful  waste  of  the  city  lands  con- 
sidered from  the  viewpoint  of  today  was  in  the 
disposal  of  a  tract  of  land  lying  between  Sev- 
enth and  Ninth  streets  and  extending  from  Main 
to  Figueroa  streets,  known  on  the  city  map  as 
the  Huber  tract.  This  magnificent  body  of  land, 
containing  about  one  hundred  acres,  was  given 
to  private  parties  for  what  seems  to  us  the  mak- 
ing of  a  very  insignificant  improvement — the  dig- 
ging of  an  open  ditch  or  irrigating  canal.  This 
ditch  branched  off  from  the  Zanja  Madre  or 
mother  ditch  near  Requena  or  East  Market 
street,  as  it  is  now  named,  then  flowed  down  be- 
tween Los  Angeles  and  South  Main  streets, 
watering  the  vineyards  and  vegetable  gardens 
that  covered  the  present  sites  of  business  blocks 
and  hotels;  crossed  Main  street  below  Fourth 
street  and  flowed  just  south  of  the  L'nion  Trust 
sky-scraper,  then  zigzagged  across  the  blocks  be- 
tween Spring  and  Olive  streets  to  Central  Park ; 
the  arid  waste  of  which  it  watered  and  made 
tree-growing  in  it  possible.  Then  it  meandered 
out  to  the  rural  regions  of  Figueroa  and  Adams 
streets,  where  it  irrigated  the  orchards  and  bar- 
ley fields  of  that  sparsely  settled  suburb.  Up  to 
1885  the  ditch  w'as  open,  then  it  was  piped  and 
carried  underground.  That  irrigating  canal, 
which  has  long  since  disappeared,  cost  the  city, 
figuring  the  land  given  at  its  present  value,  near- 
ly as  much  as  the  Panama  canal  will  cost  the  na- 
tion when  it  is  completed. 

It  is  quite  the  custom  of  some  modern  writers 


316 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  abuse  the  olden-time  councilmen  for  their  lav- 
ish disposal  of  our  city  lands.  It  is  not  just  to 
bring  railing  accusations  against  them  for  condi- 
tions that  they  could  not  foresee.  Without  water 
to  irrigate  them  the  pueblo  lands  were  worthless. 
With  irrigating  facilities  they  could  be  made 
productive.  Homes  would  be  built  on  the  arid 
wastes,  population  would  increase  and  the  city's 
exchequer,  which  was  chronically  in  a  state 
of  collapse,  would  expand  and  become  plethoric. 
To  make  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  but 
one  grew  before  is  the  secret  of  agricultural 
wealth.  The  olden-time  city  fathers  well  knew 
that  neither  the  one  blade  nor  the  two  blades 
would  grow  without  water.  Could  they  have 
foreseen  that  prosperity  would  plant  houses 
where  they  planted  trees  and  would  grow  sky- 
scrapers where  they  grew  grain,  they  might  have 
done  differently  and  escaped  the  wailings  and 
the  railings  of  posterity.  In  giving  away  city 
lands  for  public  improvements  the  city  fathers 
followed  the  policy  of  our  national  government  in 
the  disposal  of  the  public  domain. 

After  the  completion  and  acceptance  of  Ord's 
survey  of  the  city  lands  in  1849,  lots  were  of- 
fered for  sale.  For  a  lot  120  feet  front  by  165 
feet  deep,  located  on  Main,  Spring,  Fort  or  Hill 
streets,  between  First  and  Fifth  streets,  the  aver- 
age price  was  $50,  or  about  forty  cents  a  front 
foot.  In  the  early  '50s  the  city  experienced  its 
first  boom  under  American  domination.  Ready- 
made  houses  were  imported  from  New  York  and 
Boston.  Brick  and  corrugated  iron  came  into 
use  for  building.  The  passing  of  the  adobe  age 
began.  The  city  was  thriving.  The  cattle  ranches 
were  as  productive  as  the  gold  mines.  A  full- 
grown  steer  that  a  few  years  before  was  worth 
$2  for  his  hide  and  tallow  was  now  worth  from 
$30  to  $40  for  beef.  The  cow  counties  of  the 
south  supplied  the  mines  with  beef.  The  sud- 
den acquisition  of  wealth  from  the  increase  in  the 
value  of  their  cattle  engendered  extravagant 
habits  in  the  rancheros  and  their  families,  which 
later  on  brought  financial  distress  to  many  of 
them. 

Up  to  1856  the  city  had  been  making  a  steady 
growth  and  was  beginning  to  put  on  metropoli- 
tan airs.     Then  a  reaction  came.     The  rich  sur- 


face placers  had  been  worked  out,  and  the  mines 
were  no  longer  yielding  large  returns  for  small 
expenditures  of  labor  and  capital.  But  the 
severest  blow  to  the  cow  counties  came  from  the 
development  of  the  agricultural  resources  of  *he 
central  and  northern  counties  of  the  state.  Hun- 
dreds of  miles  nearer  the  mines,  they  could  sup- 
]jly  the  mining  camps  with  products  at  prices  with 
which  the  cow  counties  could  not  compete.  The 
result  was  hard  times  in  the  south.  Money  in 
1856-57  in  Los  Angeles  commanded  five,  ten 
and  even  as  high  as  fifteen  per  cent  interest,  com- 
pounded monthly.  The  unfortunates  who  had 
mortgages  on  their  possessions  at  such  usurious 
rates  were  on  the  down  grade  to  financial  ruin. 
To  add  to  their  misfortunes,  1856  was  a  dry  or 
drought  year.  Thousands  of  cattle  died  of  starva- 
tion, and  those  that  survived  were  unmarketable. 
The  year  1857  was  but  little  improvement  on 
its  predecessor.  Hard  times  continued,  if,  in- 
deed, they  were  not  intensified.  This  was  the  . 
beginning  of  the  end  of  the  cattle  kings.  They 
were  compelled  to  mortgage  their  lands  to  tide 
them  over  the  hard  times.  The  high  rates  of  in- 
terest absorbed  their  income  and  they  could  not 
reduce  the  principal  of  their  loans.  From  1858 
to  1861  there  was  a  spurt  of  prosperity.  Don 
Abel  Stearns  built  the  Arcadia  block,  on  the 
corner  of  Los  Angeles  and  Arcadia  streets.  This 
was  the  finest  business  block  south  of  San  Fran- 
cisco and  was  said  to  have  cost  $80,000.  In  1859 
Juan  Temple  built  what  afterward  became  the 
court  house  on  the  plat  bounded  by  Spring, 
Main,  Market  and  Court  streets.  The  old-timers 
pointed  with  pride  to  these  as  evidence  that  the 
city  was  destined  to  be  the  metropolis  of  the 
south. 

During  the  year  1859  thirty-one  brick  build- 
ings and  a  considerable  number  of  wooden  ones 
were  erected  in  the  city.  This  was  the  biggest 
building  boom  in  the  history  of  the  city  up  to 
this  time. 

In  i860  the  telegraph  line  between  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Los  Angeles  was  completed,  and  the 
first  message  over  the  wires  was  sent  by  Henry 
Melius,  the  mayor  of  Los  Angeles,  at  10  o'clock 
p.  m.,  October  8th,  to  H.  F.  Teschemacher,  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  San  Fran- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


317 


Cisco.  The  Salt  Lake  trade,  which  began  in 
1855  over  the  old  Mexican  trail,  now  paralleled 
by  the  Salt  Lake  Railroad,  had  grown  to  be  a 
very  important  factor  in  the  business  of  Los 
Angeles.  In  one  month  as  high  as  sixty  wagons 
had  been  dispatched  with  freight  for  Salt  Lake 
City.  Seemingly  the  metropolis  of  the  cow 
counties  was  iloating  on  the  high  tide  of  pros- 
perity. 

In  1861  reaction  set  in.  The  Civil  war  divided 
the  people.  Many  of  the  leading  citizens  were 
sympathizers  with  the  South  and  some  of  them 
joir\,ed  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy.  The  value 
of  real  estate  shriveled  until  it  was  hard  to  tell 
whether  there  was  any  value  in  it.  Unc  old- 
timer,  who  had  loaded  up  with  Ord  survey  lots, 
located  between  First  and  Fourth  on  Spring  and 
;Main  streets,  in  the  early  '50s,  at  the  prevailing 
price  then  of  $50  a  lot,  desiring  to  go  east  in  1861, 
tried  in  vain  to  dispose  of  his  lots  at  the  price  he 
paid  for  then  ten  years  before.  Finally  some 
of  his  friends  clubbed  together  and  took  them 
off  his  hands.  It  is  said  that  misfortunes  never 
come  singly.  It  did  seem  during  the  first  lustrum 
of  the  '60s  as  if  they  came  in  droves  to  the 
city  and  the  country  around.  From  1861  to 
1866  the  metropolis  of  the  south  was  a  case  of 
arrested  development.  Evolution  had  ceased  and 
it  actually  retrograded. 

In  the  winter  of  1861-62  occurred  one  of  the 
greatest  floods  in  the  history  of  California.  The 
rivers  covered  the  valleys  and  the  cattle  and 
horses  were  driven  to  the  hills,  where  many 
starved  to  death  before  the  waters  subsided.  The 
city  water  works,  wliich  the  city  had  been  bond- 
ing itself  to  build,  were  swept  away,  and  the 
inhabitants  had  to  fall  back  on  the  Indian  and 
the  olla  for  their  water  supply.  It  rained  almost 
incessantly  for  thirty  days  and  the  city  was  cut 
off  from  all  communication  with  the  outside 
world,  except  by  steamer.  After  the  deluge  came 
the  drought.  During  the  years  1863-64  there 
was  the  smallest  rainfall  ever  known  in  Cali- 
fornia. As  a  consequence  cattle  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia were  very  nearly  exterminated  and  the 
doom  of  the  cattle  kings  sealed. 

Smallpox  was  raging  among  the  Mexicans  and 
Imlians,  and  they  were  dying  so  fast  that  it  was 


difficult  to  find  persons  to  bury  them.  There  was 
a  feud  between  the  adherents  of  the  Union  and 
the  secessionists,  so  bitter  that  a  body  of  United 
States  troops  had  to  be  stationed  in  the  city  to 
keep  order.  There  was  nothing  to  sell  and  money 
had  become  an  unknown  quantity  to  many.  So 
impoverished  were  the  people  that  no  assess- 
ment for  city  taxes  was  made  in  1863-64.  The 
landed  possessions  of  two  of  the  richest  men  of 
the  city  amounting  to  a  quarter  of  a  million  acres, 
were  advertised  for  sale  as  the  owners  were 
unable  to  pay  their  state  and  county  taxes,  al- 
though the  total  of  their  taxes  did  not  exceed 
$5,000.  In  1863  an  Ord  survey  lot  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Spring  and  Second  streets,  120 
feet  front,  sold  for  ^^7,  or  about  thirty  cents  a 
front  foot.  Two  thousand  acres  in  East  Los 
Angeles  were  sold  in  1864  at  fifty  cents  an  acre. 
The  purchaser.  Dr.  Griffen,  took  it  under  pro- 
test. He  wanted  to  purchase  eight  hundred  acres 
lying  along  the  river  for  sheep  pasture.  As 
this  would  cut  ofif  access  to  the  water  for  sheep 
or  cattle,  the  city  council  refused  to  sell  it  un- 
less Griffen  would  take  also  the  mesa  land  lying 
back  from  the  river. 

In  1865  light  began  to  penetrate  the  financial 
gloom  that  hung  over  the  old  city.  The  Civil  war 
came  to  an  end.  The  defenders  of  the  Union  of 
States  and  its  would-be  destroyers  sheathed  their 
weapons  and  ceased  hostilities.  There  had  been 
no  active  hostilties  between  them.  It  had  been 
principally  a  war  of  words.  The  Confederate 
sympathizers,  who  were  largely  in  the  majority, 
were  loud  in  their  denunciations  of  the  govern- 
ment and  flag  under  which  they  were  living  and 
had  lived  all  their  lives.  However,  beyond  a 
few  arrests  for  outspoken  disloyalty  they  were 
not  harmed — a  marked  contrast  to  the  way  the 
Union  men  were  treated  in  the  South,  where  a 
man  endangered  his  life  whenever  he  uttered  a 
word  in  favor  of  the  L^nited  States  government. 
Los  Angeles  furnished  but  one  representative  to 
the  Union  army — that  is,  one  who  was  an  actual 
resident  of  the  city  at  the  beginning  of  the  war 
—Charles  M.  Jenkins,  a  member  of  the  Califor- 
nia battalion,  which  was  incorporated  into  the 
Second  ^lassachusetts  Cavalry.  There  was  a 
company    of    native     Californians    recruited    in 


318 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Los  Angeles  in  1864  which  did  service  against 
the  Indians  in  Arizona. 

Plentiful  rainfalls  in  1865-66  restored  confi- 
dence in  Southern  California,  but  the  passing  of 
the  cattle  barons  had  begun.  There  was  abund- 
ant feed  on  the  ranches,  but  the  owners  were  in 
no  condition  financially  to  replenish  their  depleted 
herds.  The  growth  of  the  city  was  dependent 
upon  the  prosperity  of  the  country  adjacent.  Its 
growth  was  slow.  Rates  of  interest  had  been 
reduced,  but  it  was  hard  to  secure  a  loan  at  less 
than  two  per  cent  a  month.  The  first  of  the 
modern  improvements  that  we  now  deem  so 
necessary  to  our  existence  introduced  into  the 
city  was  the  granting  to  James  Walsh,  May  5, 
1866,  the  exclusive  right  to  lay  gas  mains  in  the 
city.  He  was  to  expend  at  least  $5,000  in  a 
plant  and  pipes  and  to  furnish  free  gas  for  a 
lamp  at  a  few  of  the  principal  street  crossings 
on  Main  street,  and  also  for  the  mayor's  office. 
The  price  of  gas  at  first  was  $10  a  thou- 
sand cubic  feet.  When  it  was  reduced  to 
$7.50  a  thousand  it  was  considered  quite 
a  reasonable  price,  and  people  clamored  for 
more  street  lamps.  In  September,  1868, 
the  construction  of  the  Los  Angeles  &  San 
Pedro  Railroad  was  begun.  It  was  completed  to 
Wilmington,  October  26,  1869.  The  city  had 
bonded  itself  to  the  amount  of  $75,000  and  the 
county  had  invested  $150,000  in  it.  There  was 
bitter  opposition  to  the  bonding  in  certain  quar- 
ters, but  the  bonds  carried  by  a  majority  of 
thirty-nine  votes.  It  was  contended  that  the 
railroad  would  destroy  freighting  by  teams,  con- 
sequently there  would  be  no  use  for  horses  and 
mules  and  no  sale  for  tarley.  The  pessimists 
wailed  in  vain;  the  progressive  citizens  pre- 
vailed. The  road  reduced  the  fare  from  the 
city  to  steamer  anchorage  from  $5  to  $2.50,  cut 
the  price  oi  lumber  $7.50  on  the  thousand  feet, 
and  reduced  the  freight  on  grain  $5  a  ton. 

The  first  ice  factory  was  started  in  1868.  It 
was  conducted  by  Martin  &  Beath,  where  the 
city  water  works  building  now  stands,  on  the 
corner  of  Alameda  and  Marchessault  streets.  The 
capacity  of  the  plant  was  a  ton  and  a  half  a  day. 
The  retail  price  of  ice  was  five  cents  a  pound; 
wholesale  rates,  $4  a  himdred  pounds.  About 
the  same  time  the  first  soda  fountain  was  set  up 


by  Stevens  &  \\'ood  near  the  postoffice  on  North 
Spring  street.  The  novelty  of  phiz  for  a  time 
attracted  customers,  but  soda  water  was  not 
strenuous  enough  for  throats  accustomed  to 
aguardiente ;  after  the  novelty  wore  off  the  siz- 
zling liquid  ceased  to  attract. 

The  first  bank  in  Los  Angeles  was  organized 
in  1868  by  Alvinza  Hay  ward  and  John  G. 
Downey  under  the  firm  name  of  Hayward  & 
Co.,  capital  $100,000.  It  was  located  in  the 
Downey  block. 

The  first  street  railroad  franchise  was  granted 
June  I,  1869,  to  R.  M.  Widney  for  a  period  of 
twenty  years.  The  privilege  was  granted  over 
the  following  named  streets:  Beginning  at  the 
junction  of  Main  and  Spring  streets,  thence  along 
Spring  to  First,  First  to  Fort,  Fort  to  Fourth, 
Fourth  to  Hill,  Hill  to  Fifth,  Fifth  to  Olive, 
Olive  to  Sixth,  Sixth  to  Pearl  (now  Figueroa). 
The  road  was  completed  in  1872.  The  next  car 
line  was  built  on  Main  street  from  its  junction 
with  Spring  to  Washington  street.  The  motive 
power  of  the  cars  was  the  mule.  Single  fare,  ten 
cents — the  smallest  coin  in  circulation  in  Cali- 
fornia. The  car  made  a  trip  every  half  hour  with 
the  consent  of  the  mule;  otherwise  the  service 
might  be  irregular.  Sometimes  when  the  mules 
bucked  it  became  necessary  for  the  passengers  to 
assist  as  motors. 

The  subdivision  of  the  great  ranchos  into  small 
tracts,  which  began  in  1868,  brought  a  migration 
of  home-seekers  to  Los  Angeles.  They  came  by 
steamer  or  trecked  overland.  The  city  began  to 
show  the  effect  of  the  influx  of  more  capital  and 
new  men.  In  February,  1870,  the  houses  in  the 
business  portion  of  the  city  were  numbered  sys- 
tematically for  the  first  time.  It  was  not  deemed 
necessary  to  number  the  dwelling  houses.  The 
first  city  directory  was  compiled  the  same  year, 
but  was  not  published  until  1871.  The  directory 
contained  seventy  pages  of  names.  The  federal 
census  of  1870  gave  the  population  of  the  city 
5,614,  which  was  an  increase  of  1,215  '"  ten 
years.  There  were  no  places  where  intoxicating 
liquors  were  sold,  an  average  of  one  saloon  to 
every  fifty-five  inhabitants.  The  assessed  value 
of  all  property  in  the  city  was  $2,108,061. 

The  railroad  bond  issue  was  a  live  question  in 
1872.     The  Southern  Pacific  Company  had  made 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


319 


an  offer  to  builil  twenty-five  miles  north  and 
twenty-five  east  from  Los  Angeles  city  of  the 
transcontinental  line  that  it  was  building  up  the 
San  Joaquin  valley.  The  Texas  Pacific  met  this 
with  an  oflfer  to  build  from  San  Diego  (the  pros- 
pective terminus  of  its  transcontinental  line)  a 
railroad  up  the  coast  to  Los  Angeles,  giving  the 
county  sixty  miles  of  railroad.  The  Southern 
Pacific  countered  tljis  offer  by  agreeing  to  build, 
in  addition  to  the  fifty  miles  of  its  previous  offer, 
a  branch  to  Anaheim  making  in  all  seventy-seven 
miles.  The  recompense  for  this  liberality  on  the 
part  of  the  railroads  was  that  the  ix'ople  should 
vote  bonds  equal  to  five  per  cent  of  the  total 
taxable  property  of  the  county.  The  bond  ques- 
tion stirred  up  the  people  as  no  previous  issue  had 
done  since  the  Civil  war.  The  contest  was  a 
triangular  one,  Southern  Pacific,  Texas  Pacific, 
or  no  railroad.  Each  company  had  its  agents  and 
advocates  abroad  enlightening  the  people  on  the 
superior  merits  of  its  individual  offer,  while 
"Taxpayer"  and  "Pro  Bono  Publico,"  through 
the  newspapers,  bewailed  the  waste  of  the  peo- 
ple's money  and  bemoaned  the  increase  of  taxes. 
At  the  election,  November  5,  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific won. 

The  city  reached  the  high  tide  of  its  pros- 
perity during  the  '70s  in  1874.  Building  was 
active.  It  was  estimated  that  over  $300,000  was 
expended  in  the  erection  of  business  houses,  and 
fully  that  amount  in  residences. 

The  year  1875  was  one  of  disasters.  The  great 
financial  panic  of  1873.  presaged  by  that  mone- 
tary cyclone.  "Black  Friday  in  Wall  Street,"  had 
no  immediate  eft'ect  upon  business  in  California. 


The  }ears  1873  and  1874  were  among  the  most 
prosperous  in  our  history.  The  panic  reached 
California  in  September,  1875,  beginning  with 
the  suspension  of  the  Bank  of  California  in  San 
Erancisco  and  the  tragic  death  of  its  president, 
William  C.  Ralston.  In  a  few  days  nearly  every 
bank  in  California  closed  its  doors.  The  two  in 
Los  Angeles,  the  Temple  &  Workman  and  Hell- 
man's,  closed.  The  latter  resumed  business  in  a 
few  days.  The  former  made  an  attempt  to  stem 
the  current  of  its  financial  difficulties,  failed,  and 
went  down  forever,  carrying  with  it  the  fortune 
of  many  an  unfortunate  depositor.  One  of  the 
bankers,  William  ^^'or•kman,  an  old  and  highly 
respected  pioneer,  from  brooding  over  the  failure 
went  insane  and  committed  suicide.  Temple  died 
a  few  years  later,  a  poor  man. 

The  hard  times  following  the  bank  failures 
were  intensified  by  the  drought  of  1877,  which 
brought  disaster  to  the  sheep  industry  of  South- 
ern California.  There  was  no  business  reaction 
during  the  remainder  of  the  decade.  The  federal 
census  of  1880  gave  the  city's  population  at  11,- 
183,  an  increase  of  almost  one  hundred  per  cent 
in  ten  years.  The  greater  part  of  the  gain  was 
made  in  the  first  half  of  the  decade.  Railroad  con- 
nection with  San-  Francisco  and  Sacramento  was 
made  in  September,  1876,  but  it  opened  up  no 
new  market  for  Los  Angeles.  Times  continued 
hard  and  money  close.  The  ruling  rate  of  in- 
terest on  mortgages  was  one  and  one-half  per 
cent  per  month.  The  adoption  of  the  new  con- 
stitution of  the  state  in  1879  ''id  "o*  improve  mat- 
ters. The  capitalists  were  afraid  of  some  of  its 
radical  innovations. 


CHAPTER    XLVl. 

LOS  ANGELES  IN  ITS  SECOND  CENTURY. 


LOS  ANGELES  city  rounded  out  the  first 
century  of  its  existence  September  4.  1881. 
Its  population  then  was  estimated  at 
12.000.  It  began  with  44.  Its  average  yearly 
increase  was  120,  a  slow  growth  as  western  towns 
grow.     Its  centennial  celebration — a  grand  affair 


for  that  time — was  a  quaint  mixture  of  the  past 
and  the  present,  a  curious  blending  of  the  new 
with  the  old.  In  that  procession,  largely  made 
up  of  horsemen,  rode  the  graceful  cabellero 
on  his  silver-mounted  silla  de  montar  (saddle) 
with    jingling    spurs    and    swinging    riata.      In 


320 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


it,  too,  was  tlie  American  newcomer  astride 
of  a  turtle-shell  saddle,  knees  pointing  to 
the  zenith  and  hand  gripping  the  saddle-bow. 
In  a  creaking  old  wooden-wheeled  carreta 
rode  Benjamina,  an  ancient  Indian  lady,  who 
was  the  belle  of  Yangna  when  Los  Angeles 
was  born.  Fashionable  coupes,  newly  arrived, 
and  rumbling  road  wagons  that  had  crossed  the 
plains  in  '49,  pieced  out  the  long  line  of  varied 
vehicles  that  wound  through  the  unpaved  and 
unsprinkled  streets  on  that  centennial  day.  There 
were  orations  in  English,  in  Spanish  and  in 
French.  There  was  feasting  and  rejoicing  in 
the  ancient  style  and  in  the  modern.  The  festivi- 
ties ended  with  a  baili  (ball)  that  was  muy 
grande. 

Through  somebody's  blundering,  or  possibly  to 
give  its  first  century  the  full  measure  of  days, 
the  5th  of  September  was  celebrated  instead  of 
the  4th,  the  city's  real  birthday.  Although  for 
nearly  half  of  its  first  century  Los  Angeles  had 
been  officially  entitled  to  write  itself  a  ciudad 
(city),  yet  it  had  not  outgrown  many  of  the 
characteristics  of  its  pueblo  days.  When  it 
passed  its  hundredth  year  there  was  not  a  paved 
street  within  its  limits.  The  sidewalks  were 
mostly  graveled  paths  with  cobble  stones  pro- 
truding. Everybody  went  to  the  postoffice  for 
his  mail.  The  telephone  and  the  hello  girl  were 
unknown.  Beyond  the  business  center  darkness 
brooded  over  lampless  streets. 

From  Main  street  to  the  river,  and  below  East 
Third  street  to  the  city  limits  was  a  succession 
of  orange  groves  and  vineyards  with  an  occa- 
sional walnut  orchard  interspersed.  Looking 
down  from  the  western  hills,  which  then  had  a 
few  scattering  houses  upon  them,  the  observer 
beheld  stretching  away  to  the  south  for  miles  a 
sea  of  green.  Never  before  or  since  has  the 
Angel  City  been  so  beautiful  as  she  was  in  the 
closing  years  of  her  first  century.  The  tourist 
was  not  much  in  evidence  then.  California  on 
wheels  had  not  yet  made  its  pilgrimage  of  en- 
lightenment through  the  eastern  states;  nor  was 
there  a  chamber  of  commerce  to  tell  the  story  of 
our  wonderful  products  and  salubrious  climate. 
Occasionally  a  newspaper  correspondent  or  a 
bookmaker  discovered  the  city  and  wrote  it  up 
or    wrote    it    down    as    the    fancy    seized    him — 


patted  himself  appreciatively  over  his  discovery 
if  it  pleased  him,  or  slandered  it  maliciously  if  it 
did  not.  One  of  the  very  best  descriptions  ever 
written  of  Los  Angeles  when  it  was  nearing 
the  end  of  its  first  century  can  be  found  (if  you 
can  find  a  copy  of  the  book)  in  B.  F.  Taylor's 
"Between  the  Gates."  He  visited  Los  Angeles 
in  1878.    I  copy  a  portion  of  his  description: 

"Whoever  asks  where  Los  Angeles  is,  to  him 
]  shall  say :  across  a  desert  without  wearying,  be- 
yond a  mountain  without  climbing ;  where 
heights  stand  away  from  it,  where  ocean  winds 
breathe  upon  it,  where  the  gold-mounted  lime- 
hedges  border  it;  where  the  flowers  catch  fire 
with  beauty;  among  the  orange  groves;  beside 
the  olive  trees ;  where  the  pomegranates  wear 
cal\x  crowns ;  where  the  figs  of  Smyrna  are 
turning ;  where  the  bananas  of  Honolulu  are 
blossoming;  where  the  chestnuts  of  Italy  are 
dropping;  where  Sicilian  lemons  are  ripening; 
where  the  almond  trees  are  shining ;  through 
that  Alameda  of  walnuts  and  apricots ;  through 
this  avenue  of  willows  and  poplars ;  in  vine- 
yards six  Sabbath-days'  journey  across  them;  in 
the  midst  of  a  garden  of  thirty-six  square 
miles — there  is  Los  Angeles. 

"The  city  is  the  product  of  one  era  of  bar- 
barism, two  or  three  kinds  of  civilizations,  and 
an  interregnum.,  and  is  about  as  old  as  Washing- 
ton's body-servant  when  he  died  the  last  time, 
for  it  is  in  its  ninety-seventh  year.  You  meet 
native  Californians,  wide-hatted  Mexicans,  now 
and  then  a  Spaniard  of  the  old  blue  stock,  a 
sprinkle  of  Indians  and  the  trousered  man  in 
his  shirt  and  cue.  You  see  the  old  broad- 
brimmed,  thick-walled  adobes  that  betray  the' 
early  day.  You  hear  somebody  swearing  Span- 
ish, grumbling  German,  vociferating  Italian, 
parleying  in  French,  rattling  Chinese  and  talk- 
ing English. 

"Yesterday  and  today  are  strangely  blended. 
You  stroll  among  thousands  of  vines  that  are 
ninety  years  old  and  }'et  in  full  bearing.  You 
pass  a  garden  just  redeemed  from  the  dust  and 
ashes  of  the  wilderness.  You  pluck  an  orange 
from  a  tree  that  was  venerable  when  Charles  the 
Fourth  was  king  of  Spain,  and  >ou  meet  a  man 
who  has  sat  down  to  wait  six  years  for  his  first 
fruit.      A   Av'we  through   the  old   quarter  of  the 


PIISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


321 


cit_\-  takes  you  to  the  heart  of  Mexico,  with  the 
low-eaved  fronts,  the  windows  sunk  Hke  niches 
in  the  walls,  the  Italic-faced  old  porticoes,  the 
lazy  dogs  dozing  about  in  the  sun.  In  ten  min- 
utes you  are  whirled  between  two  long  lines  of 
new-made  fragrance,  such  luxuriance  of  vegeta- 
tion, and  nothing  nearer  like  the  "waving  sword 
at  the  Eastward'  of  the  first  homestead  than  the 
slashed  saber-like  leaves  of  the  banana  that  holds 
up  its  rich,  strange,  liver-colored  blossoms  as  if 
it  were  proud  of  them." 


"If  to  one  city  more  than  another,  of  all  cities 
I  have  seen,  belongs  the  urbs  in  horto  of  Chi- 
cago's seal,  Los  Angeles  is  the  place.  It  is  not 
a  city  in  a  garden,  but  a  garden  in  the  city. 
The  two  are  interwoven  like  the  blossoming 
warp  and  woof  of  a  Wilton  crapet.  We  visited 
the  vineyard  and  the  wine-presses  of  Don  Mateo 
Keller.  It  is  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  and  con- 
tains one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  acres,  and 
has  two  hundred  and  ten  varieties  of  grapes.  In 
the  season  ten  thousand  gallons  of  wine  are  pro- 
duced daily,  and  there  were  two  hundred  thou- 
sand gallons  ripening  in  the  vaults." 

At  the  close  of  its  first  century  the  business 
district  of  the  city  had' traveled  south  as  far  as 
First  street.  The  centei-  of  retail  trade  was  the 
Baker  block,  and  the  fashionable  hotel  was  the 
Pico  house  that  looked  down  upon  the  old  plaza. 
On  the  southvvfest  corner  of  Spring  and  First 
streets,  where  the  Hotel  Nadeau  stands,  was  a 
horse  corral,  and  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
Spring  and  Second  streets,  where  the  Hollen- 
beck  now  stands,  was  another.  Merchandising 
r.nd  manufacturing  were  closly  associated.  On 
tiie  northwest  corner  of  Main  and  Second  streets 
and  jutting  half  way  across  Second  street  was 
an  iron  foundry.  On  the  corresponding  corner 
of  Spring  and  Second  streets  stood  the  old  brick 
schoolhouse,  built  in  1854.  On  the  lot  just  north 
of  this  stood  the  Mechanics'  planing  mill. 

Lehman's  Garden  of  Paradise,  south  of  Third, 
fronting  on  Main  street,  was  still  a  pleasure  re- 
sort. Adam  and  Eve  had  been  driven  out  of 
Eden  and  so  had  Lehman — not  by  a  fiery  sword, 
but    by   a    mortgage.      The    cactus     hedge    that 


fenced  the  Spring  street  front  of  the  garden  was 
still  intact,  but  the  tree  of  knowledge  had  been 
cut  down,  and  the  old  serpent  had  been  scotched. 
It  may  be  necessary  to  explain  that  these  deni- 
zens of  Eden  before  Adam's  fall  were  pieces  of 
statuary  that  Lehman  had  placed  in  his  garden 
to  decorate  it.  George  Lehman,  better  known 
as  "Round  House  George,"  had  opened  his  Gar- 
den of  Paradise  as  a  pleasure  resort  in  the  early 
■50s.  It  became  quite  popular.  The  adobe  round 
house  at  the  Main  street  entrance,  where  the 
Pinney  block  now  stands,  was  a  famous  land- 
mark of  early  days.  It  was  torn  down  about 
1887.  South  of  Second  street.  Main,  Spring  and 
Fort  (now  Broadway)  were  the  principal  resi- 
dence streets  of  the  city. 

In  1882  the  financial  depression  that  began  in 
187s  with  the  failure  of  the  Temple  &  Workman 
Bank,  eased  up  a  little.  The  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad,  building  eastward,  had  penetrated  the 
mining  regions  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  and 
had  opened  a  market  for  the  products  of  South- 
ern California.  Its  completion  the  same  year 
gave  Los  Angeles  direct  connection  with  the 
east.  The  new  transcontinental  road,  free  from 
the  deep  snows  in  winter  that  often  blockaded 
the  Central  road,  became  the  popular  winter 
route  to  California,  and  brought  into  Los  An- 
geles immigrants  and  capitalists  that  were  not 
slow  to  recognize  the  great  possibilities  of  the 
country. 

The  Atlantic  &  Pacific,  with  connecting 
roads — the  Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and 
California  Southern — effected  an  entrance  into 
Los  Angeles  over  a  leased  track  from  San  Ber- 
nardino in  1885.  This  gave  Los  Angeles  another 
transcontinental  road.  In  the  spring  of  1886 
a  disagreement  between  the  roads  brought  on  a 
rate  war.  Round-trip  tickets  from  Missouri 
river  points  were  sold  as  low  as  $15.  Thousands 
of  eastern  people,  taking  advantage  of  the  low 
rates,  visited  Lcs  Angeles.  They  were  delighted 
with  the  country,  and  either  remained  or  went 
home  to  sell  their  possessions  and  return. 

Real  estate  values  went  up  rapidly  in  1886, 
but  in  1887  came  that  event  that  marks  the  turn- 
ing point  in  the  city's  history — the  boom.  The 
story  of  the  great  real  estate  boom  of  1887  is 
told  in  another  chapter  of  this  book.    That  boom 


322 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


is  usually  regarded  by  historians  as  an  unmiti- 
gated evil — a  wild  craze,  a  speculative  mania, 
that  deprived  people  of  their  senses  and  wrought 
their  financial  ruin.  Such  a  view  of  it  exag- 
gerates the  evil  done.  While  it  had  its  tragic 
features  and  its  comic  as  well,  while  it  was  the 
undoing  of  many  plungers  and  unwise  pro- 
moters, yet  with  all  of  its  extravagances,  its  in- 
flation of  values,  its  unsettling  of  previous  condi- 
tions, its  bursting  of  bubble  fortunes,  the  good 
it  did  far  overbalanced  the  evil. 

In  a  hundred  years  business  had  traveled  from 
its  first  center,  the  old  Plaza,  southward  to  First 
street,  a  distance  of  about  four  blocks.  Between 
1 88 1  and  1886  it  had  crossed  First  street  on 
Spring  and  Main  and  in  a  few  instances  had 
gone  below  Second  street.  The  Nadeau  hotel, 
the  most  imposing  structure  outside  of  the  old 
business  section,  was  completed  in  1883.  While 
designed  for  a  hotel,  it  was  too  large  a  building 
for  the  travel  of  that  time.  A  large  room  on  the 
second  floor,  originally  designed  for  the  dining- 
room,  was  rented  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  was 
the  first  hall  of  that  organization  in  the  city. 
Another  smaller  hall  was  leased  for  a  justice's 
court,  and  rooms  on  the  second  and  third  floors 
were  let  for  lawyers'  and  doctors'  offices.  The 
rapid  development  of  the  real  estate  brokerage 
business  in  1886-87  created  a  great  demand  for 
offices  in  the  di.strict  between  Temple  and  Sec- 
ond street  on  Spring  and  Main,  and  the  enor- 
mous rents  that  real  estate  agents  were  willing 
to  pay  for  office  room  in  this  locality  virtually 
drove  merchants  to  seek  new  locations  further 
south.  Their  former  storerooms  were  subdivided 
into  a  number  of  cubby-holes,  each  one  of  which 
rented  for  more  than  the  entire  room  had 
brought  before. 

As  an  example  of  the  rapid  advance  in  rents 
caused  by  the  demand  for  real  estate  offices,  this 
will  serve  as  an  illustration :  An  old  one-story 
wooden  building  on  Spring  street  south  of  First, 
that  before  the  boom  might  have  brought  its 
owner  a  rental  of  $50  per  month,  was  subdivided 
into  stalls  after  the  usual  method  (a  bar  of  iron 
between  each  tenant's  holding)  and  rented  at 
from  $75  to  $150  per  month  for  a  stall,  prices 
varying  as  you  receded  from  the  front  entrance. 
The  rental  of  the  building  paid  the  landlord  an 


income  of  about  $1,000  a  month.  The  building 
was  so  out  of  repair  that  the  enterprising 
boomers  who  occupied  it  during  a  rain  storm 
were  compelled  to  hold  umbrellas  over  them- 
selves and  their  customers  while  negotiating  a 
deal  in  climate  and  corner  lots. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  city's  second  century 
the  selling  price  of  lots  on  Spring  street  be- 
tween First  and  Second  was  $50  per  front  foot; 
below  Second  the  value  decreased  rapidly.  In 
August,  1861,  the  lot  (60x165  feet)  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Spring  and  Sixth  streets 
sold  for  $1,500,  or  $25  per  front  foot.  This  was 
considered  a  fair  price  as  values  ranged  then. 
Five  years  later,  with  some  cheap  improvements 
added,  the  lot  sold  for  $22,000.  In  May,  1883, 
the  northwest  corner  of  Spring  and  Second,  120X 
165  feet  (on  which  the  first  school  house  the 
city  owned  was  built  in  1854),  was  sold  by  the 
board  of  education  to  the  city  for  $31,000,  and 
a  new  site  just  south  of  Sixth,  fronting  120  feet 
on  Spring  and  the  same  on  Broadway,  purchased 
by  the  board  for  $12,500. 

The  council  in  1884  erected  the  first  hall 
owned  by  the  city,  on  the  rear  60  feet  of  its 
purchase,  and  in  1887  sold  the  frontage  on 
Spring,  with  a  depth  of  105  feet,  for  $120,000, 
an  increase  of  over  400  per  cent  in  three  years. 
Such  unprecedented  rise  in  values  was  a  source 
of  astonishment  to  the  old-time  residents  of  the 
city,  many  of  whom  had  hastened  to  unload  their 
long-time  holdings  on  the  newcomers. 

When  the  depression  came  in  1888  the  pes- 
simists, who  had  croaked  dire  disaster  to  the  city, 
were  disappointed  that  their  prophesies  proved 
false.  The  land  boom  of  1886-87  was  followed 
by  a  building  boom  in  1888-89.  The  investors 
in  high  priced  real  estate  were  compelled  to  im- 
prove their  property  to  obtain  an  income. 

In  1884  the  first  cable  railway,  starting  at 
Spring  street,  was  built  vi^est  over  Second,  Lake- 
shore  avenue  and  First  street  to  Belmont  ave- 
nue. The  projectors  of  the  enterprise  received 
a  large  bonus  from  the  propertv  holders  on  the 
western  hills.  It  aided  greatly  in  the  settlement 
of  the  hill  district,  but  being  cheaply  constructed 
it  was  frequently  out  of  repair  and  was  finally 
abandoned. 

The  first  electric  street  car  line  was  built   in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


323 


1885.  Its  route  was  along  Los  Angeles,  San 
Pedro  and  Maple  avenue  to  Pico  street,  and 
westward  on  that  street  to  the  Electric  Home- 
stead Tract,  lying  west  of  the  old  city  boundary. 
Primarily  the  road  was  promoted  to  sell  this 
tract.  A  common  method  of  disposing  of  tracts 
in  the  early  days  was  to  build  half  a  dozen  or 
more  cheap  houses  on  the  tract  as  baits  or 
prizes.  Lots  were  sold  at  a  uniform  price,  but 
not  located;  when  all  were  sold  the  lots  were 
distributed  at  a  drawing,  and  the  purchaser  who 
drew  a  prize  house  paid  no  more  for  it  than 
the  man  who  drew  a  hole  in  the  ground.  The 
Electric  Homestead  and  a  number  of  other  tracts 
were  disposed  of  by  this  method. 

The  electric  railroad  was  not  a  success.  The 
power  frequently  gave  out  and  the  passengers 
had  the  choice  of  waiting  an  hour  or  two  until 
enough  electricity  was  generated  to  move  the 
car,  or  to  walk  to  the  city.  The  sheriff  finally 
levied  on  the  rolling  stock  and  the  road  for  debt. 

The  first  attempt  to  introduce  the  trolley  car 
in  Los  Angeles  was  a  failure,  and  the  promoter, 
Howland,  died  in  poverty.  Howland  had  intro- 
duced the  lighting  of  the  city  by  electricity  in 
December,  1881.  Six  masts,  150  feet  high,  were 
erected  at  different  points  in  the  city  between 
the  Plaza  and  Seventh  street  and  Grand  avenue 
and  Main  street.  The  power  house  was  located 
on  the  corner  of  Banning  and  Alameda  streets. 

In  1889  work  was  begun  on  the  cable  railway 
system.  A  line  was  extended  on  Broadway  to 
Seventh  and  west  on  Seventh  to  Westlake  Park. 
Another  line  extended  from  Seventh  on  Grand 
avenue  to  Jefferson  street.  From  First  and 
Spring  a  line  ran  on  East  First  to  Boyle  Heights, 
and  from  the  sam.e  point  another  ran  on  North 
Spring,  Upper  Main  and  Downey  avenue  to 
East  Los  Angeles.  A  million  and  a  half  dollars 
were  expended  in  tracks,  power  houses  and  ma- 
chinery. All  but  the  tracks  were  discarded  a 
few  years  later,  when  electricity  was  substituted 
for  steam  and  the  trolley  for  the  cable.  The 
Los  Angeles  Electric  Railway  system  was  begun 
in  1892.  The  first  line  constructed  was  that  on 
West  Second,  Olive,  First  and  other  streets  to 
Westlake  Park.  The  people  on  the  line  of  the 
road  gave  a  subsidy  of  $50,000  to  the  promoters. 


The  traction  (or  Hook)  system  was  begun  in 
1895- 

The  horse  car  disappeared  from  the  city 
streets  in  the  last  decade  of  the  19th  century,  and 
was  relegated  to  the  category  of  the  carreta 
and  the  caballo  de  silla  (saddle  horse),  the 
motors  of  travel  in  old  pueblo  days.  The  bob 
car  and  the  mule  held  the  right  of  way  on  Main 
street  the  longest  of  any  of  the  principal  streets. 
They  were  pushed  off  by  the  trolley  in  1895. 

In  February,  1892,  Messrs.  Doheny  and  Con- 
non,  prospecting  for  petroleum,  dug  two  wells 
with  pick  and  shovel  on  West  State  street,  in  the 
resident  portion  of  the  city.  At  the  depth  of 
150  feet  oil  was  found.  From  this  small  begin- 
ning a  profitable  industry  has  grown  up.  The 
oil  belt  extends  diagonally  across  the  northwest- 
ern part  of  the  city.  The  total  number  of  wells 
drilled  within  the  city  limits  up  to  June,  1900, 
was  1,300,  and  the  yield  of  these  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  oil  development  was  estimated  at 
7,000,000  barrels,  worth  in  round  numbers  about 
$6,000,000. 

The  oil  industry  reached  its  maximum  in  1901. 
Over-production  and  the  Standard  Oil  octopus 
caused  a  rapid  decline  in  prices.  FrOm  $1  a 
barrel  in  1900  the  price  steadily  declined  until 
in  1904  it  reached  fifteen  cents  a  barrel.  Drill- 
ing new  wells  within  the  city  practically  ceased 
in  1903,  and  the  unused  derricks  began  to  dis- 
appear. 

When  the  oil  industry  was  at  high  tide  in 
1899-1900,  it  was  forced  by  a  certain  class  of 
promoters  to  take  on  some  of  the  wildcat  char- 
acteristics of  the  great  real  estate  boom  of  1887. 
For  a  time  it  was  no  uncommon  feat  to  incor- 
porate a  half  dozen  oil  companies  in  a  day..  The 
capital  stock  of  these  companies  ran  up  into  the 
millions,  sometimes  the  amount  paid  in  by  the 
promoters  reached  as  high  as  $10.  The  man  on 
the  outside  was  the  fellow  who  put  up  the  money 
to  get  inside— "to  be  let  in  on  the  ground 
floor"  was  a  favorite  catch  phrase  then.  It  was 
not  necessary  to  own  oil  lands  to  incorporate  a 
company.  A  promise  of  a  lease  of  a  few  acres 
of  a  pasture  field  or  a  mountain  canon  was  suf- 
ficient. The  profit  to  the  promoters  came  from 
selling  stocks,  not  oil.  During  the  height  of  the 
oil   boom   stocks   could   be  bought  at  all   prices. 


324 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


from  a  cent  a  share  up.  Stocks  in  a  new  com- 
pany would  be  advertibtd  at  live  cents  a  share, 
in  a  short  time  advanced  to  ten  cents,  then  raised 
to  fifteen  cents,  and  when  buyers  began  to  lag 
the  last  call  was  sounded.  "At  the  last  stroke 
of  the  clock  at  midnight  next  Saturday  the  stock 
of  the  Grizzly  Bear  Oil  Development  Company 
will  be  advanced  to  twent}-five  cents  a  share. 
Oil  sand  has  been  struck  in  the  company's  wells 
and  all  unsold  stock  will  be  withdrawn  from  the 
market  in  a  few  days."  This  "call  of  tlie  wild" 
(cat  promoter)  hurried  the  halting,  and  there 
was  a  rush  for  the  stock.  Strange  to  say  the 
clock  of  these  promoters  never  struck  twelve  on 
Saturday  night ! 

One  company  of  enterprising  promoters,  to 
satisfy  a  crying  need  of  the  times — cheap  stock — 
organized  a  company  with  a  capital  of  $5,000,000 
and  placed  its  stock  on  the  market  at  a  cent  a 
share.  The  stock  advanced  to  two  cents  a  share, 
and  might  have  gone  higher  had  not  the  boom 
burst  and  the  company  been  forced  to  suspend — 
the  sale  of  stock,  their  only  asset.  The  oil  stock 
mania  gradually  subsided.  Beautifully  litho- 
graphed certificates  of  stock  w-ere  the  only  re- 
turns that  many  an  investor  could  show  for 
"very  hard  cash"  invested. 

Another  of  the  forgotten  enterprises  of  the 
closing  years  of  the  nineteenth  century  was  the 
Belgian  hare  industry.  An  enterprising  maga- 
zine writer  made  the  discovery  that  the  meat 
of  the  Belgian  hare  as  an  article  of  food  was 
superior  to  beef  or  mutton  and  could  be  produced 
at  a  minimum  of  cost.  This  "back  yard  industry," 
as  it  was  called,  could  be  launched  on  a  very 
small  capital.  A  coop  with  a  Belgian  hare  buck 
and  doe  and  you  were  ready  for  business.  The 
rapidity  with  which  the  mania  spread  was 
equaled  by  the  rapidity  with  which  the  hares 
multiplied.  It  was  a  rare  thing  at  the  height 
of  the  epidemic  to  find  a  back  yard  that  was  not 
decorated  with  a  rabbitry.  While  the  ostensible 
purpose  of  the  industry  was  to  produce  a  food 
product,  the  fad  soon  took  the  form  of  pro- 
ducing fancy  stock  at  fabulous  prices.  Kings, 
lords,  dukes,  queens  and  princesses  with  their 
wonderful  pedigrees  pushed  the  plebeian  Belgian 
out  of  business,  or  rather  the  pedigree  maker 
converted  the   pleb  into   an   aristocrat.     A  king 


with  the  red  foot  and  peculiar  markings  on  the 
back,  sure  signs  of  an  aristocratic  lineage,  was 
rated  at  $1,000,  and  the  queens  and  princesses 
ranged  in  value  all  the  way  from  $25  to  $500 
each.  Exactly  what  these  high-priced  hares 
were  good  for,  except  to  sell  to  some  one  who 
had  been  seized  with  an  attack  of  the  craze,  no 
one  seemed  able  to  find  out,  or  rather  cared  to 
find  out.  "When  the  supply  exceeds  the  de- 
mand," queried  the  pessimist,  "what  then?" 
"Oh !  that  never  can  be ;  all  the  world  wants 
hares  and  Southern  California  is  the  only  place 
where  they  can  be  grow^n  to  perfection."  The 
craze  increased  with  every  report  of  big  profits 
from  small  beginnings.  But  there  came  a  time 
when  it  was  all  supply  and  no  demand.  It  was 
found  that  as  an  article  of  food  the  flesh  of  the 
most  aristocratic  of  the  red-footed  gentry  was 
not  up  to  the  standard  of  the  despised  California 
jack-rabbit. 

Then  came  a  scramble  to  get  out  of  the  busi- 
ness, but  few  of  the  operators  did  without  loss. 
The  lords,  the  dukes  and  the  duchesses  died, 
but  not  of  old  age,  and  the  tenantless  rabbitries 
were  converted  into  kindling  wood  or  chicken 
coops.  History  has  kept  alive  for  three  cen- 
turies the  story  of  the  tulip  n:ania  of  Holland, 
when  a  rare  bulb  sold  for  13,000  florins  and 
stolid  Dutch  merchants  traded  ships'  cargoes  for 
choice  collections  of  tulip  tubers  that  were  of 
no  utility  and  scant  beauty.  The  Belgian  hare 
boom  of  Southern  California  is  forgotten,  al- 
though in  volume  it  was  greater  than  the  tulip 
craze  of  Holland.  How  much  capital  was  in- 
vested in  it  it  is  impossible  to  say.  Some  of  the 
wholesale  rabbitries  were  incorporated  with  cap- 
itals ranging  from  $50,000  to  $100,000.  Experts 
made  frequent  trips  to  Europe  for  fancy  stock. 
A  magazine  was  published  in  the  interest  of  the 
industry,  and  at  its  height  from  ten  to  twelve 
columns  of  liners  in  the  Sunday  dailies  told 
those  interested  where  they  could  find  the  highest 
rank  of  Belgian  aristocrats.  There  were  ex- 
perts in  hare  heraldry,  who  made  good  incomes 
bv  writing  pedigrees  for  would-be  aristocrats. 
Alany  of  their  pedigrees  were  works  of  art — 
the  art  of  lying. 

During  the  closing  decade  of  the  nineteenth 
century  there  was  but  little  advance  in  the  price 


HISTORICAL  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


325 


of  real  estate  outside  of  the  choice  business 
streets;  prices  in.  1900  were  lower  than  in  1887. 
The  city  had  doubled  in  population  and  business 
had  increased,  but  many  of  the  property  holders 
were  staggering  along  under  mortgages,  the 
legacies  of  the  great  boom.  These  were  the 
optimists  who  had  implicit  faith  in  the  future 
of  the  city.  The  great  financial  depression  that 
had  spread  over  the  United  States  in  the  middle 
years  of  the  last  decade  of  the  century  had  been 
intensified  in  Southern  California  by  a  series  of 
dry  or  drought  years.  It  was  not  until  the 
first  year  of  the  new  century  that  light  began  to 
break  through  the  financial  gloom. 

H.  E.  Huntington  bought  a  controlling  in- 
terest in  the  Los  Angeles  Electric  Railway  and 
iiegan  the  building  of  a  system  of  suburban  or 
interurban  electric  railways  to  the  diflferent  cities 
and  towns  contiguous  to  Los  Angeles.  The  road 
to  Long  Beach  was  completed  in  1902,  to  Mon- 
rovia in  1903,  and  to  Whittier  the  same  year. 
The  seven-story  Huntington  building,  corner  of 
Sixth  and  Main,  the  entrepot  of  all  Huntington 
interurban  lines,  was  completed  in  1903.  These 
improvements,  together  with  the  extension  of 
new  street  car  lines  in  the  city,  stimulated  the 
real  estate  market  and  brought  about  a  rapid 
advance  in  values.  Lots  on  South  Main  street 
held  at  $100  a  front  foot  in  1900  sold  five  years 
later  at  $1,500,  and  frontage  on  South  Hill 
street  valued  at  $200  a  front  foot  in  1901  sold 
in  1906  at  $2,500.  Real  estate  contiguous  to  the 
business  district,  but  still  residence  property,  had 
advanced  in  value  in  five  years  from  one  thou- 
sand to  twelve  hundred  per  cent. 

The  completion  of  the  San  Pedro,  Los  An- 
geles &  Salt  Lake  Railroad  in  March,  1905,  gave 
Los  Angeles  its  fourth  transcontinental  line.  The 
discovery  of  gold  and  silver  mines  in   southern 


Nevada  has  made  Los  Angeles  a  mining  center 
both  for  supplies  and  stocks.  An  idea  of  its 
rapid  growth  in  buildings,  wealth  and  population 
may  be  obtained  from  the  number  and  amount  of 
the  building  permits,  the  city  assessments  and 
the  school  marshal's  rcturn.s 
Vcar  No.   of  Permits  Valuation 

1901  2,730  $  4,099,198 

8,981,974 
13,175,446 
13,409,061 
15,482,067 
18.273,318 

City  Assessments — Increase  for  each  year. 
Year  Value       Increase  for  the  year 


1902 

1903 
1904 

0 

7,064 

;^ 

9-543 
9.408 

1901  $  70,562.307 

1902  86,410.735 

1903  109,223.823 

1904  126,126,563 

1905  156,661.566 

1906  205,767,729 


$  4,962,387 
15,854.428 
23,507,088 

16,202,740 

30,535,003 
49,106,163 


INCRE.\SE    IN    P0PUL.\TI0N. 

The  census  of  the  school  children  of  the  city 
is  taken  every  year,  between  the  15th  of  April 
and  the  1st  of  May.  The  following  statistics  of 
the  total  population  of  the  city  for  four  years 
are  taken  from  the  report  of  Bert  L.  Farmer, 
school  census  marshal : 

1903,  1904.  1905.  1906. 

1st   Ward       11,131  13.743  16,429  18,699 

2nd       "           17.280  18,294  20,708  23,154 

3rd      •'             13-264  20,574  22,851  26,744 

4th     ■•       24,004     28.468     33.909    Z7m?, 

5th  "  15.799  17.721  21,692  26.668 

6th  "  22,829  29,401  39,118  48,446 

7th  "  16.708  21,498  23,740  28,069 

8th  '■■  6,723  9.854  10,031  11,611 

qth  "  9,117  9,976  12,871  18,095 

Total      136.945     169.529     201,349     239.419 


326 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


CHAPTER    XLVll. 

THE  SCHOOLS  OF  LOS  ANGELES  CITY  AND  COUNTY. 


DURING  the  forty  years  that  Los  Angeles 
was  under  the  rule  of  Spain,  if  the 
records  are  correct,  there  were  but  two 
years  that  she  enjoyed  school  facilities.  In  1817- 
18  Maximo  Pifia,  an  invalid  soldier,  taught  the 
pueblo  school.    His  salary  was  $140  a  year. 

The  first  school  in  Los  Angeles  during  the 
Mexican  regime  of  which  there  is  a  record  was 
taught  by  Luciano  Valdez,  beginning  in  1827. 
His  school  was  kept  open  at  varying  intervals  to 
the  close  of  183 1.  He  seems  not  to  have  been  a 
success  in  his  chosen  profession.  In  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  ayuntamiento  for  January  19, 
1832,  is  this  record :  "The  most  Illustrious 
Ayuntamiento  dwelt  on  the  lack  of  improvement 
in  the  public  school  of  the  pueblo,  and  on  ac- 
count of  the  necessity  of  civilizing  and  morally 
training  the  children,  it  was  thought  wise  to  place 
citizen  Vicente  Morago  in  charge  of  said  school 
from  this  date,  recognizing  in  him  the  neces- 
sary qualifications  for  discharge  of  said  duties, 
allowing  him  $15  monthly,  the  same  as  was 
paid  the  retiring  citizen,  Luciano  Valdez." 

Schoolmaster  Morago,  February  12,  1833,  was 
appointed  secretary  of  the  ayuntamiento  at  a  sal- 
ary of  $30  per  month  and  resigned  his  position 
as  teacher.  The  same  date  Francisco  Pantoja 
was  appointed  preceptor  of  the  public  school.  Pan- 
toja wielded  the  birch  or  plied  the  ferule  for  a 
year  and  then  asked  for  his  salary  to  be  increased 
to  $20  per  month.  The  ayuntamiento  refused  to 
increase  it,  "and  at  the  same  time,  seeing  certain 
negligence  and  indolence  in  his  manner  of  ad- 
vancing the  children,  it  was  determined  to  pro- 
cure some  other  person  to  take  charge  of  the 
school."  Pantoja  demanded  that  he  be  relieved 
at  once,  and  the  ayuntamiento  decided  "that  in 
view  of  the  irregularities  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties,  he  be  released  and  that  citizen  Cristo- 
val  Aguilar  be  appointed  to  the  position  at  $15 
per  month." 

The  ayuntamiento  proceedings  of  January  8, 


1835,  tell  the  fate  of  Aguilar:  "Schoolmaster 
Cristoval  Aguilar  asked  an  increase  of  salary. 
After  discussion  it  was  decided  that  as  his  fitness 
for  the  position  was  insufficient,  his  petition  could 
not  be  granted."  So  Aguilar  quit  the  profes- 
sion. Then  Enriqui  Sepulveda  essayed  to  lead 
the  youth  of  Angeles  into  the  paths  of  knowl- 
edge; of  his  fate  the  records  are  silent.  The 
salary  question  may  have  severed  him  from  his 
pupils  and  his  profession. 

Vicente  Morago,  who  had  been  successively 
secretary  of  the  ayuntamiento  and  syndic  (treas- 
urer), returned  to  his  former  profession,  teach- 
ing, in  1835.  He  was  satisfied  with  $15  a  month, 
and  that  seemed  to  be  the  chief  qualification  of 
a  teacher  in  those  days.  There  is  no  record  of  a 
school  in  1836.  During  1837  the  civil  war  be- 
tween Monterey  and  Los  Angeles  was  raging, 
and  there  was  no  time  to  devote  to  education. 
All  the  big  boys  were  needed  for  soldiers ;  be- 
sides, the  municipal  funds  were  so  demoralized 
that  fines  and  taxes  had  to  be  paid  in  hides  and 
horses. 

Don  Ygnacio  Coronel  took  charge  of  the  pub- 
lic school  July  3,  1838,  "he  having  the  necessary 
qualifications."  "He  shall  be  paid  $15  per 
month  from  the  municipal  funds,  and  every 
parent  having  a  child  shall  be  made  to  pay  a 
certain  amount  according  to  his  means.  The  $15 
per  month  paid  from  the  municipal  fund  is  paid 
so  that  this  body  (the  ayuntamiento)  may  have 
supervision  over  said  school."  Coronel  taught 
at  various  times  between  1838  and  1844,  the 
length  of  the  school  sessions  depending  on  the 
condition  of  the  municipal  funds  and  the  liber- 
ality of  parents.  Don  Ygnacio's  educational  meth- 
ods were  a  great  improvement  on  those  of  the 
old  soldier  schoolmasters.  There  was  less  of 
"lickin'  "  and  more  of  "larnin."  His  daughter, 
Soledad,  assisted  him,  and  when  a  class  had  com- 
pleted a  book  or  performed  some  other  merito- 
rious educational   feat,  as   a   reward  of.  merit  a 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


327 


dance  was  improvised  in  the  schoolroom  and 
Seiiorita  Soledad  played  upon  the  harp.  She 
was  the  first  teacher  to  introduce  music  into  the 
schools  of  Los  Angeles. 

The  most  active  and  earnest  friend  of  the  pub- 
lic school  among  the  Mexican  governors  was  the 
much  abused  Micheltorena.  He  made  a  strenu- 
ous effort  to  establish  a  public  school  system  in 
the  territory.  Through  his  efforts  schools  were 
established  In  all  the  principal  towns,  and  a  guar- 
antee of  $500  from  tlie  territorial  funds  was 
promised  to  each  school. 

January  3,  1844,  a  primary  school  was  opened 
in  Los  Angeles  under  the  tutorship  of  Ensign 
Guadalupe  Medina,  an  officer  in  Micheltorena's 
army,  permission  having  been  obtained  from  the 
governor  for  the  lieutenant  to  lay  down  the  sword 
to  take  up  the  pedagogical  birch.  Medina 
was  an  educated  man  and  taught  an  ex- 
cellent school.  His  school  attained  an  en- 
rollment of  103  pupils.  It  was  conducted 
on  the  Lancasterian  plan,  which  was  an 
educational  fad  recently  imported  from  Europe, 
via  Mexico,  to  California.  This  fad,  once  very 
popular,  has  been  dead  for  half  a  century.  The 
gist  of  the  system  was  that  the  nearer  the  teacher 
was  in  education  to  the  level  of  the  pupil  the 
more  successful  would  he  be  in  imparting  instruc- 
tion. So  the  preceptor  taught  the  more  advanced 
pupils ;  these  taught  the  next  lower  grades,  and 
so  down  the  scale  to  the  lowest  class.  Through 
this  system  it  was  possible  for  one  teacher  to 
instruct  or  manage  two  or  three  hundred  pupils. 

Don  Manuel  Requena,  in  an  address  to  the 
outgoing  ayuntamiento,  speaking  of  Medina's 
school,  said :  "One  hundred  and  three  youths  of 
this  vicinity  made  rapid  progress  under  the  care 
of  the  honorable  preceptor,  and  showed  a  sublime 
spectacle,  announcing  a  happy  future."  The 
"happy  future"  of  the  school  was  clouded  by 
the  shadow  of  shortage  of  funds.  The  superior 
government  notified  the  ayuntamiento  that  it 
had  remitted  the  $500  promised  and  great  was  the 
gratitude  of  the  regidores  thereat ;  but  when  the 
remittance  reached  the  pueblo  it  was  found  to 
be  merchandise  instead  of  money.  The  school 
board  (regidores)  filed  an  indignant  protest,  but 
it  was  merchandise  or  nothing,  so,  after  much 
dickering,  the  preceptor  agreed  to  take  the  goods 


at  a  heavy  discount,  the  ayuntamiento  to  make 
up  the  deficit. 

After  a  very  successful  school  term  of  nearly 
half  a  year  the  lieutenant  was  ordered  to  Monte- 
rey to  aid  in  suppressing  a  revolution  that  Castro 
and  Alvarado  were  supposed  to  be  incubating. 
He  returned  to  Los  Angeles  in  November  and 
again  took  up  the  pedagogical  birch,  but  laid  it 
down  in  a  few  months  to  take  up  the  sword. 
Los  Angeles  was  in  the  throes  of  one  of  its 
periodical  revolutions.  The  schoolhouse  was 
needed  by  Pico  and  Castro  for  military  head- 
quarters. So  the  pupils  were  given  a  vacation — 
a  vacation,  by  the  way,  that  lasted  five  years.  The 
next  year  (1846)  the  gringos  conquered  Califor- 
nia, and  when  school  took  up  the  country  was 
under  a  new  government. 

All  the  schools  I  have  named  were  boys' 
schools ;  but  very  few  of  the  girls  received  any 
education.  They  were  taught  to  embroider,  to 
cook,  to  make  and  mend  the  clothes  of  the  family 
and  their  own,  and  these  accomplishments  were 
deemed  sufficient  for  a  woman. 

Governor  Micheltorena  undertook  to  establish 
schools  for  girls  in  the  towns  of  the  department. 
He  requested  of  the  ayuntamiento  of  Los  Angeles 
the  names  of  three  ladies  for  teachers,  one  of 
whom  was  to  be  selected  to  take  charge  of  the 
girls'  school  when  established.  The  alcalde 
named  Mrs.  Luisa  Arguello,  Dolores  Lopez  and 
Maria  Ygnacio  Alvarado.  The  governor  ap- 
pointed Mrs.  Luisa  Arguello  teacher  of  the  school 
which  was  to  open  July  i,  1844.  Evidently  the 
school  did  not  open  on  time,  for  at  the  meeting 
of  the  ayuntamiento,  January  7,  1845,  the  al- 
calde requested  that  Mrs.  Luisa  Arguello  be 
asked  whether  she  would  fill  the  position  of 
teacher  to  which  she  had  been  appointed  by  the 
governor.  There  is  no  record  that  she  ever  taught 
school  or  that  there  ever  was  a  girls'  school  in 
Los  Angeles  before  the  American  conquest. 

The  last  school  taught  under  the  supervision 
of  the  ayuntamiento  of  Los  Angeles  was  at  San 
Gabriel,  in  1846,  and  that  faithful  old  pedagogue, 
Vicente  Morago,  was  the  teacher,  his  salary  the 
same  old  figure,  $15  per  month.  From  an  in- 
ventory made  by  Lieutenant '  Medina  we  ascer- 
tain the  amount  of  school  books  and  furniture  it 
took  to  supply  a   school  of  one  hundred  pupils 


328 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFX'ORD. 


sixty  years  ago.  Primers,  thirty-six ;  second 
readers,  eleven ;  Fray  Ripalde's  Catechisms,  four- 
teen ;  table  (without  carpet  or  joint)  to  write 
upon,  one;  benches,  six;  blackboard,  one;  large 
table  for  children,  one.  School  supplies  were  few 
and  inexpensive  in  early  days.  Here  is  an  ac- 
count of  the  expenses,  made  from  the  public 
school  from  February  to  December,  1834:  Prim- 
ers, $1  ;  blackboard,  $2 ;  earthen  jar  for  water, 
$2.50;  ink,  $1  ;  string  for  ruling  the  blackboard, 
fifty  cents ;  ink  well,  thirty-seven  cents ;  total, 
$7.37.  Church  incidentals  for  same  length  of 
time  were  $96.  The  city  owned  no  schoolhouse. 
The  priests'  house  was  used  for  a  schoolroom 
when  it  was  vacant,  otherwise  the  teacher  or  the 
ayuntamiento  rented  a  room.  At  one  time  a  fine 
of  $1  was  imposed  on  parents  who  failed  to  send 
their  children  to  school,  but  the  fines  were  never 
collected. 

There  is  no  record  of  any  school  in  Los  An- 
geles during  the  years  1846  and  1847.  The  war 
of  the  Conquest  was  in  progress  part  of  the  time, 
and  the  big  boys  and  the  schoolmaster  as  well 
were  needed  for  soldiers.  In  1848  and  1849  the 
gold  rush  to  the  northern  mines  carried  away 
most  of  the  male  population.  In  the  flush  days 
of  '49  the  paltry  pay  of  $15  per  month  was  not 
sufficient  to  induce  even  faithful  old  Vicente 
Morago  to  wield  the  pedagogical  birch. 

At  the  first  session  of  the  ayuntamiento,  in 
January,  1850,  Syndic  Figueroa  and  Regidor 
Garfias  were  appointed  school  committeemen  to 
establish  a  public  school.  At  the  end  of  three 
months  the  syndic  reported  that  he  had  been 
unable  to  find  a  house  wherein  to  locate  the 
school.  Nor  had  he  succeeded  in  securing  a 
teacher.  An  individual,  however,  had  just  pre- 
sented himself,  who.  although  he  did  not  speak 
English,  yet  he  could  teach  the  children  many 
useful  things ;  and,  besides,  the  same  person  had 
managed  to  get  the  refusal  of  Mrs.  Pollerena's 
house  for  school  purposes.  At  the  next  meeting 
of  the  council  the  syndic  reported  that  he  had 
been  unable  to  start  the  school — the  individual 
who  had  oflfered  to  teach  had  left  for  the  mines 
and  the  school  committee  could  neither  find  a 
schoolmaster  nor  a  schoolhouse. 

In  June  of  the  same  year  (1850)  a  contract 
was   made   with    Francisco   Bustamente.    an    ex- 


soldier,  who  had  come  to  the  territory  with  Gov- 
ernor ^licheltorena,  "to  teach  to  the  children  first, 
second  and  third  lessons  and  likewise  to  read 
script,  to  write  and  count  and  so  much  as  I  may 
be  competent,  to  teach  them  orthography  and 
good  morals."  Bustamente  taught  to  the  close 
of  the  year,  receiving  $60  per  month  and  $20  a 
month  rent  for  a  house  in  which  the  school  was 
kept. 

In  July,  1850,  the  ayuntamiento  Was  merged 
into  the  common  council.  Part  of  the  council's 
duties  was  to  act  as  a  school  board.  Two  appli- 
cations were  received  during  the  first  month 
from  would-be  teachers.  Hugo  Overns  offered 
to  give  primary  instruction  in  English,  Spanish 
and  French ;  George  Wormald  asked  permission 
to  establish  "a  Los  Angeles  lyceum,  in  which  the 
following  classes  shall  be  taught:  Reading,  pen- 
manship, arithmetic,  geography,  Spanish  gram- 
mar, double-entry  bookkeeping,  religion,  history 
and  the  English  and  French  languages."  The 
applications  were  referred  to  Councilman  Mor- 
ris L.  Goodman.  He  reported  in  favor  of  grant- 
ing "Hugh  Overns  $50  per  month  to  establish  a 
school  in  which  shall  be  taught  the  rudiments  of 
English,  French  and  Spanish.  In  consideration 
of  the  subsidy  paid  from  the  public  funds,  the 
council  to  have  the  privilege  of  sending  to  the 
school,  free  of  charge,  six  orphan  boys  or  others 
whose  parents  are  poor."  The  proposition  was 
approved. 

In  November,  1850,  the  Rev.  Henry  Weeks 
proposed  to  organize  a  school  (he  to  have  charge 
of  the  boys  and  his  wife  of  the  girls)  for  the 
compensation  of  $150  per  month.  Two  months 
later  the  school  committee  reported  that  no  bet- 
ter proposition  had  been  received.  Weeks  and 
his  wife  opened  school  January  4,  1851.  Weeks 
paid  the  rent  of  the  schoolroom. 

In  June,  1853,  the  council  passed  a  resolu- 
tion to  divide  $100  between  the  two  preceptors 
of  the  boys'  school  and  the  preceptress  of  the 
girls'  school  on  condition  that  each  teach  ten  poor 
children  free. 

The  city  council,  INIarch  8,  1851,  granted 
Bishop  Alameny  blocks  41  and  42,  Ord's  survey, 
for  a  college  site,  together  with  the  flow  of 
water    from    whr.t    was    fcrmerlv   known    as   the 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


329 


College  Spring.  A  conditional  grant  of  the 
same  land  had  been  made  in  1849  'o  Padres 
Branche  and  Sanchez  for  a  college  site.  (These 
blocks  lie  west  of  Buena  Vista  street  and  north 
of  College  street.) 

The  early  schools  seem  to  have  been  run  on 
the  go-as-you-please  principle.  The  school  com- 
mittee reported  "having  visited  the  school  twice 
without  finding  the  children  assembled.  The 
committee,  however,  had  arranged  with  the 
preceptor  for  a  full  attendance  next  Friday,  of 
which  the  council  took  due  notice."  \\liich  of 
the  three  schools  was  so  lax  in  attendance  the 
committee  does  not  state. 

The  first  school  ordinance  was  adopted  by  the 
council  July  9,  185 1.  Article  i  provided  that 
a  sum  not  exceeding  $50  per  month  shall  be  ap- 
plied towards  the  support  of  any  educational  in- 
stitution in  the  city,  provided  that  all  the  rudi- 
ments of  the  P'.nglish  and  Spanish  languages  be 
taught  therein. 

Article  2  provided  that  should  pupils  receive 
instruction  in  any  higher  branches  the  parents 
must  make  an  agreement  with  the  "owner  or 
owners  of  the  school."  August  13.  1852.  an. 
ordinance  was  passed  by  the  council  setting 
apart  a  levy  of  ten  cents  on  the  $100  of  the 
municipal  taxes  for  the  support  of  the  schools. 
This  was  the  first  tax  levy  ever  made  in  the 
city  for  the  support  of  schools.  Previous  to  this 
the  school  fund  was  derived  from  licenses,  fines, 
etc.  At  the  same  meeting  of  the  council  Padre 
.Anacleto  Lestraode  was  granted  two  lots  for  a 
seminary.  The  location  of  the  lots  is  not  given. 
A.  S.  Breed  opened  a  school  for  instruction  in 
the  English  language  in  December,  1852.  He 
was  allowed  $33  public  funds  on  the  usual  terms. 
Breed  was  elected  city  marshal  at  the  election  the 
following  May.  He  embezzled  public  funds  and 
was  turned  out  of  ofifice. 

The  school  committee  of  the  council,  Downey 
and  Del  A'alle,  reported,  January  17,  1853.  hav- 
ing visited  the  "two  schools  in  charge  of  pre- 
ceptors Lestraode  and  Coronel  (Ygnaciol, 
found  them  well  attended  ;  twenty  children  in  the 
former  and  ten  in  the  latter,  besides  five  tau,ght 
gratis."  The  council  expressed  great  satisfac- 
tion, and  requested  the  committee  at  its  next 
visit  to  expi;ess  to  the  preceptors  its   (the  coun- 


cil's) appreciation  of  their  good  work.  The  re- 
port is  not  very  definte  in  regard  to  the  attend- 
ance. If  the  total  number  in  the  two  schools  was 
only  thirty-five,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  council 
was  thankful  for  small  favors.  June  11,  1853, 
Airs.  A.  Bland,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Adam  Bland,  a 
Methodist  minister,  having  established  a  school 
for  girls,  was  allowed  $33.33  1-3  from  the  pub- 
lic funds  for  teaching  ten  poor  girls.  The  mayor 
w^as  instructed  by  the  council  to  find  out  whether 
the  seats  the  city  pays  for  in  the  various  schools 
are  filled,  and  if  those  occupying  them  are  de- 
serving. 

At  the  session  of  the  council,  July  25,  1853, 
John  T.  Jones  submitted  an  ordinance  for  the 
establishment  and  government  of  the  city's  pub- 
lic schools.  It  provided  for  die  appointment  by 
the  council,  with  the  approval  of  the  mayor,  of 
three  commissioners  of  public  schools,  "who 
shall  serve  as  a  board  of  education  for  one  year, 
the  chairman  to  be  superintendent  of  schools,  and 
commissioners  to  have  all  the  powers  vested  in  a 
board  of  education  by  the  act  of  the  state  legis- 
lature, 'entitled,  an  act  to  establish  a  common 
school  system,  apprt)ved  Alay  3,  1852,'  "  The 
board  had  power  to  examine,  employ  and  dis- 
miss teachers  and  appoint  a  marshal  to  take  a 
census  of  all  children  between  the  ages  of  five 
and  eighteen  y(  ars.  The  ordinance  was  ap- 
proved, and  J.  Lancaster  Brent,  Lewis  Granger 
and  Stephen  C.  Foster  appointed  a  board  of  edu- 
cation, J.  Lancaster  Brent  becoming  ex-ofificio 
the  city  school  superintendent.  The  council  hav- 
ing established  a  public  school  system,  by  a  reso- 
lution suspended  the  payment  of  subsidies  to 
private  schools :  the  resolution  took  efifect  Au- 
gust 14,  1853. 

In  May,  1854,  Hon.  Stephen  C.  Foster,  on  as- 
suming the  ofifice  of  mayor,  in  his  inaugural  mes- 
sage urged  the  necessity  of  increased  school 
facilities.  He  said :  "Our  last  census  shows 
more  than  500  children  within  the  corporate 
limits,  of  the  age  to  attend  school,  three-fourths 
of  whom  liave  no  means  of  education  save  that 
afforded  by  the  public  schools.  Our  city  has  now 
a  school  fund  of  $3,000."  He  urged  the  build- 
ing of  two  school  houses,  the  appointment  of  a 
school  superintendent  and  a  lioard  of  education. 
At  the  next  meeting  of  the  council  an  ordinance 


330  HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 

was  passed  providing  for  the  appointment  by  the  William   McKee,  an  educated  young  Irishman, 

council,  on  the  first  Monday  of  June  each  year,  succeeded  him  in  the  school.    McKee  was  a  suc- 

of  three   school    commissioners    or    trustees,    a  cessful    teacher.       The     Los     Angeles   Star   of 

superintendent  and  a  school  marshal.  March  17,   1855,  in  an  able  editorial  urged  the 

At  a  meeting  of  the  council  held  May  20,  1854,  planting  of   shade   trees   upon    the    school    lot. 

Lewis  Granger  moved  that  Stephen  C.  Foster  be  "When  the  feasibility  of  growing  trees  upon  the 

appointed  city  superintendent  of  common  schools ;  naked  plain  is   fairly  tested  the  owners  of   lots 

Manuel  Requena,  Francis  Melius  and  W.  T.  B.  in   the   neighborhood  will   imitate  the  good  ex- 
Sanford,  trustees ;  and  G.  W.  Cole,  school  mar-  ■  ample,"  said  the  Star.    To  test  the  feasibility  the 

shal.     The  nominations  were  confirmed.     Thus  trustees  bought  twelve  black  locusts  at  $1  apiece 

the   mayor   of   the   city   became   its    first   school  and  planted  them  on  the  school  lot.     The  shade 

superintendent,  and  three  of  the  seven  members  trees    grew,   but    when    the    green    feed    on   the 

of  the  council  constituted  the  board  of  education,  "naked  plains"   around  the   school  house  dried 

The  duties  of  the   superintendent  were    to    ex-  up    the    innumerable    ground    squirrels    that   in- 

amine  teachers,  grant  certificates  and  hold  annual  fested  the  mesa  made  a   raid  on  the  trees,   ate 

examinations  of  the  schools.  the  leaves  and  girdled  the  branches.     McKee,  to 

The  board  of  education  and  the  superintendent  protect  the  trees,  procured  a  shotgun,  and  when 

set  vigorously  to  work,  and  before  the  close  of  he   was   not   teaching  the   young   ideas   how   to 

the  school  year  school  house  No.   i,  located  on  shoot  he  was  shooting  squirrels.     There  was  no 

the    northwest   corner   of    Spring    and     Second  water   system   then   in   the   city,   and  water   for 

streets,  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  Bryson  domestic  purposes  was  supplied  by  carriers  from 

block  and  the  old  City  Hall  building,  was  com-  carts.    McKee  used  water  from  the  school  barrel 

pleted.     It  was  a  two-story  brick  building,  cost-  to  water  the  trees.     The  "hombre"  who  supplied 

ing  about  $6,000.    It  was  well  out  in  the  suburbs  the    water    reported    to    the    trustees    that    that 

then,  the  center  of  population  at  that  time  being  gringo  "maestro  de  escula"   (schoolmaster)   was 

in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Plaza.     School  was  wasting  the  public  water  trying  to  grow  trees  on 

opened  in  it  March  19,  1855,  William  A.  Wallace  the    mesa    where    "any    fool   might    know    they 

in   charge    of  the   boys'    department,    and    ]\Iiss  wouldn't    grow."      The    trees     did     survive    the 

Louisa  Hayes  principal  of  the  girls'  department,  squirrels'  attacks  and  waterman's  wrath.     They 

Co-education  then,  and  for  many  years  after,  was  were  cut  down  in  1884,  when  the  lot  was  sold  to 

not  tolerated  in  the  public   schools  of  Los  An-  the  city  for  a  city  hall  site.     From  1853  to  1866 

geles.     Previous  to  the  completion  of  the  build-  the   common  council   appointed  the  members  of 

ing.  in  the  fall  of  1854.  T.  J.   Scully  taught  a  the  board  of  education  and  the  school  superin- 

public  school  in  a  rented  building,  and  Ygnacio  tendents.     From  1866  to  1870  the  school  boards 

Coronel  taught  a  school  in  his  own  building  on  and  the  superintendents  were  elected  by  popular 

the  corner  of  Los  Angeles  and  Arcadia  streets,  vote  at  the  city  elections.    In  1870  it  was  discov- 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Hoyt  and  son  taught  a  public  school  ered  that  there  was  no  law  authorizing  the  elec- 

in  a  rented  building  north  of  the  Plaza  in  1854-  tion  of  a  superintendent:  the  city  in  school  af- 

55-56.  fairs  being  governed  bv  three  trustees  the  same 

School  house  No.  2,  located  on  Bath  street,  .is  country  districts.  The  office  was  discontinued 
now  North  Main  street,  was  built 'in  1856.  It  for  two  years.  In  1872  a  special  act  of  the  legis- 
was  a  two-story,  two-room  brick  building.  It  lature  created  a  city  board  of  education  consist- 
was  demolished  when  the  street  was  widened  ing  of  five  members  and  gave  it  power  to  appoint 
and  extended.  a  superintendent.    The  following  is  a  list  of  the 

Wallace,    after   a    few   months'   teaching,   laid  persons  who  have  filled  the  office,  with  the  years 

down  the  birch  and  mounted  the  editorial  tripod,  of  their  service : 

He  became  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Los  An-  j    Lancaster  Brent,   cx-officin 1853  to  1854 

geles  Star,   but  the   tripod   proved    an    uncom-  Stephen  C.  Foster 1854  to  1855 

fortable    seat,   and   he    soon    descended    from   it.  Dr.  Wm.  B.  Osburn 1855  to  1856 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD.  331 

Dr.  John  S.  Griffin 1856  to  1857  During  the   '60s,  on   account  of  the  sectional 

J.    Lancaster   Brent 1857  to  1858  hatreds  growing  out  of  the  Civil  war,  the  public 

L.  J.  C.  Kewen    i8q8  to  i8^Q  ,      ,     ■     t         a        ,                              ,          ™ 

Rev.  W.  E.  Boardman 1859  to  1862  '''^'°°^^  '"  ^°^  ^^""S^^^^  ^^'^""^  unpopular.     They 

A.  F.  Heinchmari 1862  to  1863  "^^^''^  regarded  as  a  Yankee  institution  and  were 

Gustavus  L.  Mix 1863  to  1864  hated   accordingly   by   the    Confederate    sympa- 

Dr.  R.  F.   Hayes 1864  to  1865  thizers.     The  public  school  teachers  during  the 

Rev.   Elias    Birdsell 1865  to  1866  Civil  war  and  for  some  vears  afterwards  were 

Joseph  Huber,  br 1866  to  1867  •     j  1      ,        ^     ,  ,       ' 

H.  D.  Barrows 1867  to  1868  '""l^'-'ed  by  law  to  take  an  oath  to  support  the 

Andrew  Glassell 1868  to  1869  ^constitution    of    the    United    States   before    they 

Dr.  T.  H.  Rose 1869  to  1870  could   obtain   a   certificate.     This   jarred  on  the 

No  Superintendent 1870  to  1872  sensitive   feelings    of   some    of    the    pro-slavery 

^-    ^-   ^°^"-, 1872  to  1873  pedagogues,  and  refusing  to  take  the  oath,  they 

Dr.  W.  T.  Luckv 187^  to  1876  „    .  ,         -^   ?          r     ■         „, '        -^ 

C.  H.  Kimball  ". 1876  to  1880  ^"'^  compelled  to  quit  the  profession.    The  Los 

Mrs.  C.  B.  Jones 1880  to  1881  -Angeles  Ne-MS  of  July  17,  1866,  commenting  on 

J.   M.  Guinn 1881  to  1883  the   public   school    system    of    California,    says: 

'U  D.  Smith 1883  to  1885  "In   New  England  the  public  schools  educated 

W.  M.  Freisner 1885  to  1893  the  people  up  to  the  negro  equalitv  and  the  same 

R  W.  Search""  V.:.  \  '.  '.  '.  '.  ...:  ." .'  ]  llH  S  lilt  °^J^^*  ^^  ^""^'^^  '°  ^^  accomplished  in  this  state ; 

J.  A.  Foshay '.  189^  to  1906  '^^'^  unless  parents  and   guardians  take  matters 

E;  C.  Moore  (present  incumbent)  .  .  1906  to   ....  promptly  in  hand  their  children  will  be  educated 

up  to  the  New  England  standard  of  social  ideas 

The  office  in  earlier  years  was  filled  by  law-  and  infidelity."    *    *    * 

yers,    doctors,    ministers   and   business   men.      It  The  editor   of  the  News  charges    the    State 

was  not  until   1869   that  a   professional  teacher  Board   of   Education   with    "making   regulations 

was   chosen    superintendent ;   since   then    profes-  for  the  government   of  the*  public   schools   and 

sional  teachers  have  filled  the  office.     The  high  introducing  therein  a  series  of  books  that  make 

school  was  established  m   1873,  during  the  first  these  institutions  but  little  more  than  schools  for 

year  of  Dr.  Lucky's  term.     It  was  the  first,  and  disseminations  of  the  doctrines  of  abolitionism." 

for  several  years  after  its  organization  the  only  (Whittier's    Poems    were    among   the    books    of 

high  school  in  Southern  California.     At  the  time  this  series.) 

it  was  established  there  were  but  six  high  schools  "Under  one  of  these  regulations  teachers  are 
in  all  California.  Now  there  are  twenty-five  in  required  to  have  certificates  of  competency  from  a 
Los  Angeles  county  alone.  The  first  teachers'  state  board  of  examiners,  accessible  only  to  the 
institute  of  Los  Angeles  county  was  organized  purely  loyal.  Thus  the  representatives  of  New 
in  the  old  Bath  street  school  house,  October  31,  England  negro  equality  have  been  forced  into  the 
1870.  It  was  held  there  because  the  school  public  schools  throughout  the  state  to  corrupt 
building  on  the  corner  of  Spring  and  Second  the  minds  of  the  youth  with  their  damnable  doc- 
streets  was  considered  too  far  out  of  town ;  the  trines  of  social  equality." 

business  center  of  the  city  being  then   on   Los  With  such  teachings  from  the  public  press  it 

Angeles  street  between  Arcadia  and  Commercial,  is  not  strange  that  the  public  schools  of  the  city 

There  were  no  hotels  south  of  First  street.     The  were  poorly  patronized.     In  the  school  year  of 

officers  of  the  institute  were  W.  M.  IMcFadden,  1865-66  the  total  numbei  of  school  census  chil- 

county    superintendent    and     president ;    J.     M.  dren  between  five  and  fifteen  years  of  age  was 

Guinn  and  T.  H.  Rose,  vice-presidents,  and  P.  C.  1,009.     Of  these  331  were  enrolled  in  the  public 

Tonner,  secretary.     The  entire  teaching  force  of  schools  during  the  year,  and  309  in  the  private 

the  city  schools  consisted  of  eight  teachers,  and  schools ;   369   were   not   enrolled   in   any   school, 

from   the   county   there   were   thirty,    a   total   of  According  to  the  Ne^vs.  the  total  average  daily 

thirty-eight  for  city  and  county,  and  the  county  attendance  in  the  six  public  schools  was  61  :  in 

then  included  all  the  area  now  in  Orange  county,  the  three   private   schools    103 — nearly   fifty  per 


332 


HJSTORICAI,  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cent  greater  than  that  of  the  ptiblic  schools. 
Twenty-one  negro  children  were  enrolled  in  a 
separate  school.  The  education  of  these  twenty- 
one  little  negroes  was  regarded  as  a  menace  to 
the  future  ascendency  of  the  white  race.  Out  of 
such  mole-hills  does  political  bigotr_\-  construct 
impassable  mountains!  In  1870  County  Super- 
intendent McFadden  in  his  report  said  of  the 
public  schools  of  the  city :  "Los  Angeles  is  far 
behind  her  sister  cities  of  the  same  population 
and  wealth  in  educational  interest.  Her  school 
buildings  are  illy  constructed,  incommodious,  in- 
conveniently located  and  conducted  on  a  sort  of 
guerrilla  system"  (no  commanding  officer  or 
head  to  them).  "Out  of  seventeen  hundred  and 
eighty  children  between  five  and  fifteen  years 
of  age,  but  1,200  have  been  enrolled  in  either 
public  or  private  schools,  and  the  average  daily 
attendance  in  the  public  schools  is  only  360." 
Probably  no  other  city  of  the  United  States  out- 
ride of  the  former  slave  states  can  show  in  the 
past  forty  years  so  remarkable  a  change  of 
opinion  in  regard  to  the  public  schools  as  can 
Los  Angeles.  That  the  extracts  from  the  Los 
Angeles  Daily  XeiPs  previously  given  reflected 
the  sentiment  of  a  considerable  proportion  of  the 
city's  population  in  regard  to  the  public  schools 
is  evidenced  by  the  statistics  of  school  attend- 
ance. The  enrollment  in  the  public  schools  in 
1865  was  only  thirty-three  per  cent  of  the  census 
children,  while  the  enrollment  in  the  private 
schools  was  thirty  per  cent.  The  average  daily 
attendance  of  the  private  schools  was  nearly 
fifty  per  cent  greater  than  that  of  the  public 
schools.  In  1Q05,  forty  years  later,  the  enroll- 
ment in  the  public  schools  exceeded  eighty-five 
per  cent  of  the  number  of  census  children,  while 
the  enrollment  in  pn\-atc  schools  had  fallen  be- 
low seven  per  cent.  Immigration,  a  more  en- 
lightened public  sentiment  and  the  mollifying  of 
sectional  hatreds  are  largely  responsible  for  the 
change.  About  18S0  the  separate  schools 'for 
negro  children  were  abolished  and  colored  chil- 
dren were  allowed  to  attend  school  with  the 
whites.  The  following  table  gives  the  number 
of  census  children,  enrollment,  average  daily  at- 
tendance and  number  of  teachers  in  the  schools 
at  different  periods  from  1855,  when  the  first 
report  was  made,  to  1906 : 


iluldrcn   Enrollment 


Av.  Daily      No. 
At.  t  cache 


1855 

753 

150 

52 

3 

1865 

1,000 

331 

61 

6 

1870 

1,780 

750 

360 

8 

1880 

3.579 

2,098 

1.343 

32 

1890 

10,843 

8,115 

6,841 

181 

1895 

20,679 

16,719 

11,798 

i77 

1899 

26,962 

20,314 

14,189 

484 

1900 

-  30.354 

21,640 

15,156 

500 

1905 

39,664 

34.326 

24,595 

728 

1906 

44.143 

36,264 

1,050 

The  school  census  age  on  which  apportion- 
ments of  school  mone)-s  were  made  was  between 
four  and  eighteen  years  from  1855  to  1865 ;  from 
1865  to  1870,  five  to  fifteen  years,  and  from  1870 
to  the  present  time,  five  to  seventeen  years.  The 
last  school  census  taken  before  the  enlargement 
of  the  city  by  annexation  was  in  1895.  A  por- 
tion of  the  increase  since  then  must  be  credited 
to  the  annexation  of  Vernon,  Harmony,  Uni- 
versity, Rosedale,  Highland  Park  and  Garvanza 
districts.  In  1904  the  city  council  let  a  contract 
to  build  a  polytechnic  high  school  building.  A 
site  had  been  secured  on  the  south  side  of  West 
\Vashington  street  between  Grand  avenue  and 
Flower  street.  The  contract  price  of  the  build- 
ing was  $170,000.  In  addition  to  this  the  heating 
and  lighting  cost  about  $20,000  more.  The 
building  was  ready  for  occupancy  in  September, 
1905.  The  machinery  plants  were  gradually  in- 
stalled. The  enrollment  at  the  end  of  the  first 
year  numbered  1,061,  the  number  of  teachers 
employed  twenty-three. 

In  1903  a  change  was  made  in  the  city  charter 
in  regard  to  the  board  of  education.  The  board 
since  the  adoption  of  the  charter  of  1889  con- 
sisted of  nine  members,  one  from  each  ward. 
This  proved  to  be  niisatisfactor\'.  It  usually  re- 
sulted in  the  election  of  a  partisan  board,  and 
politics  to  some  extent  figured  in  school  affairs. 
The  change  made  the  board  to  consist  of  seven 
members  elected  from  the  city  at  large.  The 
first  election  after  the  change  in  the  charter  re- 
sulted in  the  selection  of  a  non-partisan  board 
named  by  a  comm.ittee  of  one  hundred  citizens. 
The  members  of  this  board  were  John  D.  Bick- 
nell.  Charles  Cassett  Davis,  J.  M.  Guinn,  Joseph 
Scott.  J.  S.  Slauson,  W.  J.  Washburn  and  Em- 
met H.  Wilson. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD.  333 

The    board    made    a    new    departure     in     the  J'otal  number  of  schools  in  the  county.  .         .   6 

method  of  calHng  an  election  for  school  bonds.      T'^t^l  number  of  teachers   '.  .  .  9 

For  more  than  thirty  years  the  city  council  called  ^"^'school''^'^      °^      children      attending 

bond  elections  for  the  building  of  school  houses,  ^yhok 'mnnbe^  of  davV  taught'  !  ! !  ! .' ! .' !        830 

let  the  contracts  and  had  the  buildings  erected.      Average  daily  attendance   i?4 

This  divided  responsibility  was  not  satisfactory  Total  number  of  census  children  between 

to  school  boards.     In   March.    1905,   the   school  4  and  18  years   1,522 

board  called  an  election  for  the  issuing  of  bonds      ^^""^""^  P^'}'}  Z^^'^/^^"  ^y  trustees    $1,276 

,,  ,     r  ^  o  ,        ,  .  .  Amount  paid- teachers  bv  patrons 766 

to  the  amount  of  $780,000  under  the  provisions  •                                      ' 

of   the   law    for   issuing   school     district    bonds.  Total  teachers'  wages    $2,042 

There  was  scarcely  any  opposition  to  the  bonds  Amount  spent  for  building  and  pur- 

at  the  election,  but  to  sell  them  it  became  neces-      ^      chasing  school  houses $  8,230.75 

,       ,  ,   •     ,1          •   •          r  T^-„    •    p   TT  Lt,     J  Total  amount  expended  on  schools  of 

sarv  to  obtain  the  opinion  of  Dillon  &  Hubbard,  ,,,„   „„     ,                                             a, 

^  '  the   county    $10,272.7:; 

attorneys  of  New  York,  and  experts  on  all  ques- 
tions in  regard  to  the  validity  of  bonds.    Several  Report  for  chc  school  year  ending  October  31, 
technical    points   had    to   be    determined    by    the  i860: 

supreme  court  of  the  state.     The  validity  of  the  Xumber  of  schools  in  the  county  (3  gram- 
bonds  was   established   by   the   court,   and   here-              mar,  4  primary) 7 

after  boards  of  education  will  call  elections  for  Number  of  teachers  (6  male.  5  female).           11 

school  bond  issues.  T"^""'  """]''•?'  °^  P"P'''  enrolled   460 

T  ^  ,         .  Average  daily  attendance   140 

In    1906  twenty-one    grammar    and    primary  -^^^^^  ^nxxxnh^x  of  census  children  between 

grade   school  buildings   ^vere   erected,   at  a   cost  4  and  18  years   2,-:543 

of  $450,000  for  sites  and  buildings.     These  have      Paid  for  teachers  salaries   $4,827 

a  seating  capacity   for  6,000  pupils.      So   rapid      ^'^'"e  of  school  houses  built   7,000 

was  the  increase  in  the  school  population  of  the  t  ^  1               ^              ,    ,               ,      , 

^     ,         ,  .                 .  total  amount  expended    on    schools 

city  in  the  years   1905-1906  that  this  great  in-  during  year   $11,827 

crease  in  school  facilities  proved  inadequate,  and 

temporary  buildings  had  to  be  resorted  to  before  The  following  table  gives  the  number  of  cen- 

the  close  of  the  year.  '"^    children    enrollment     and     the     number    of 

A   high    school   annex    to    the   classical   high  teachers   employed   at   different  periods  between 

school  is  in  course  of  construction  and  will  be  '^66  and  1906  in  the  schools  of  the  county  : 

completed  early  in  1907.    This  building  complete  jc                 -s                »ij£ 

will   cost   $120,000.      Bonds    to    the   amount   of  g                    r|               ^|               |i 

$40,000  were  voted  in  1905  fur  the  purchase  of  a  £  g                 |^               |i               h'C 

site  and  the  building  and  equipping  of  a  parental  S                  ci                  c  1                Sc                cl 

home   for  the  education  and   industrial  training  ^f■(^             o  <.-               r^Tr 

.     ,  .,  ,             ,     .               .   .  ^*°'-'              2,44j               5S1              424                14 

of  truant  school  children.     A  site  containing  ten  1869             4424             1.344             SS4               28 

acres  has  been  purchased  and  the  erection  of  a  1876              9.319              '^■A^             829                86 

building  begun.  1880           10,602             6,053             57-^             130 

1885  15,130  11,368  1,031  211 

1890  23,390  19,068  1,829  391 

COUNTY    SCHOOL    REPORTS.  1895  33.729  25,450  60O 

1900  47-227  32.39'^  839 

The   first    Los    Angeles    county    school    report  1905           C^7S>~1           SS-nS          4,223          1,431 

that  I  have  been  able  to  find,  and  probably  the  ^9o6           75.024           61,827          4-399          i-'^M 

first  ever  made,  is  that  of  County  Superintendent  The  census  age   from    1866  to   1876  was  be- 

J.  F.  Burns  for  the  school  year  ending  October  tween  five  and  fifteen  years.    From  1876  to  date, 

31,  1855.  between  five  and  seventeen  years. 

It  is  as  follows:  In  1889  the  formation  of  Orange  county  from 


334 


HISTORICAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  southeastern  part  of  Los  Angeles  took  away 
from  the  latter  county  4,095  census  children,  31 
districts  and  72  teachers. 

NAME   AND    LOCATION    OF   THE    HIGH    SCHOOLS   OF 
LOS  ANGELES   COUNTY. 

Alhambra,       Bonita        (Lordsburg),  .    Citrus 
(Azusa),     Compton,    Covina,    El    ]\'Ionte,    Ex- 


celsior (Norwalk),  Glendale,  Hollywood,  Ingle- 
wood,  Jewel  (Gardena),  Long  Beach,  Los  An- 
geles, Los  Angeles  Polytechnic,  Los  Nietos  Val- 
ley (Downey),  Monrovia,  Pasadena,  Pomona, 
Redondo,  San  Fernando  (Fernando),  San  Pedro, 
Santa  Monica,  South  Pasadena,  Pasadena,  Whit- 
tier,  Wilmington. 


CHAPTER    XLVlll. 


POSTAL  SERVICE  OF  LOS  ANGELES. 


THE  postal  service  of  California  when  it 
was  a  Spanish  province  was  entirely  un- 
der military  rule.  The  carrying  of  official 
orders  and  proclamations  necessitated  the  es- 
tablishment of  a.  mail  system.  Soldier  couriers 
made  semi-monthly  trips  between  Monterey,  the 
capital,  and  Loreto,  near  Cape  St.  Lucus.  From 
there  the  mail  was  taken  across  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia by  sailing  vessels  to  La  Paz  and  forward- 
ed to  the  City  of  Mexico.  There  was  a  regular 
schedule  of  the  day  and  the  hour  of  the  courier's 
arrival  and  departure  at  each  mission  and 
presidio.  An  hour's  stop  was  allowed  the  courier 
at  each  station.  The  habilitados  (paymasters) 
acted  as  postmasters  at  the  presidios,  and  received 
eight  per  cent  of  the  gross  receipts  for  their  com- 
pensation. At  the  pueblos  the  alcalde,  or  some 
officer  detailed  to  act  as  administrador  de  cor- 
reos  (postmaster)  received  and  distributed  the 
small  packages  of  mail.  The  compensation  for 
his  services  was  small.  It  did  not  require  much 
of  a  political  pull  to  get  a  postoffice  in  those  days. 
It  would  be  interesting  to  know  the  amount  of 
revenue  derived  from  the  Los  Angeles  postoffice 
a  hundred  years  ago.  As  there  were  not  more 
than  half  a  dozen  of  the  two  hundred  inhabitants 
of  the  pueblo  that  could  read  and  write  at  that 
time,  the  revenue  of  "La  casa  6  administracion 
de  correos  la  estafeta"  (postoffice)  was  not  large, 
and  it  is  probable  that  there  were  not  many  as- 
pirants for  the  position  of  postmaster  of  Los 
Angeles  a  century  ago. 

Under  Mexican  rule  the  increased  number  of 
vessels  plying  between  Mexican  and  Californian 
ports  did  away  to  a  certain  extent  with  the  carry- 


ing of  mail  by  land,  still  the  old  route  overland 
to  Loreto  and  across  the  gulf  by  vessel  to  San 
Bias  was  kept  open.  A  shorter  route  by  way  of 
Sonora  and  the  Colorado  river  was  used  when 
the  Indians  would  allow  it.  I  find  in  the  old 
pueblo  archives  an  order  from  Acting  Governor 
Jimeno,  dated  August  24,  1839,  authorizing  the 
prefect  of  Los  Angeles  to  appoint  three  col- 
lectors of  duties,  the  revenues  derived  from 
such  collection  to  be  applied  to  the  establishing 
of  a  monthly  postal  service  to  Lower  California 
and  thence  to  Mexico. 

News  from  the  outside  world  traveled  slowly 
in  those  days.  An  American  pioneer  at  Los  An- 
geles notes  in  his  diary  the  receipt  of  the  news 
of  the  death  of  President  W.  H.  Harrison  in 
1 84 1.  It  took  the  news  three  months  and  twen- 
ty days  to  reach  California.  A  newspaper  from 
the  States  a  year  old  was  fresh  and  entertaining 
when  Dana  was  hide  droghing  at  San  Pedro  in 

1835- 

After  the  American  conquest  of  California  the 
military  authorities  established  a  regular  serv- 
ice between  San  Francisco  and  San  Diego.  Sol- 
dier carriers,  starting  from  each  end  of  the 
route,  met  at  Dana's  rancho  near  San  Luis  Obis- 
[)0,  and,  exchanging  mail  pouches  there,  each 
then  returned  to  his  starting  point.  It  took  a 
fortnight  for  them  to  go  and  return.  The  fol- 
lowing extract  from  an  "Act  to  establish  certain 
post  routes"  is  the  first  legislation  by  Congress 
to  give  California  a  mail  service : 

Sec  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the 
Postmaster-General  be  and  is  hereby  authorized, 
to  establish  Postoffices,  and  appoint  deputy  post- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


335 


masters  at  San  Diego,  Monterey  and  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  such  other  places  on  the  coast  of  the 
Pacific,  in  Cahfornia,  within  the  territory  of  the 
United  States,  and  to  make  such  temporary  ar- 
rangements for  the  transportation  of  the  mail 
in  said  territory  as  the  public  interest  may  re- 
quire; that  all  letters  conveyed  to  or  from  any 
of  the  above-mentioned  places  on  the  Pacific, 
from  or  to  any  place  on  the  Atlantic  coast  shall 
be  charged  with  forty  cents  postage ;  that  all  let- 
ters conveyed  from  one  to  any  other  of 
the  said  places  on  the  Pacific  shall  pay 
twelve  and  a  half  cents  postage;  and  the 
Postmaster-General  is  authorized  to  apply  any 
moneys  received  on  account  of  postage  aforesaid 
to  the  payments  to  be  made  on  the  contracts  for 
the  transportation  of  the  mails  in  the  Pacific 
ocean ;  and  the  Postmaster-General  is  further  au- 
thorized to  employ  not  exceeding  two  agents  in 
making  arrangements  for  the  establishment  of 
postoffices,  and  for  the  transmission,  receipt  and 
conveyance  of  letters  in  Oregon  and  California, 
at  an  annual  compensation  not  exceeding  that  of 
the  principal  clerks  in  the  Postoffice  Department. 
Approved,  August  14,  1848. 

After  the  soldiers  were  discharged  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  1848,  a  semi-monthly,  or  perhaps  it 
might  be  more  in  accordance  with  the  facts  to 
say  a  semi-occasional,  mail  service  was  estab- 
lished between  San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles  and 
San  Diego.  The  mail  was  carried  by  sailing  ves- 
sels (there  were  no  steamers  on  the  coast  then). 
Wind  and  weather  permitting,  a  letter  might 
reach  its  destination  in  three  or  four  days,  but 
with  the  elements  against  it,  it  might  be  delayed 
a  fortnight.  Masters  and  supercargoes  of  ves- 
sels took  charge  of  letters  and  delivered  them 
to  the  owners  or  agents  of  some  shipping  house 
at  the  port,  and  in  some  way  the  letters  reached 
their  destination.  This  mail  service  was  not  es- 
tablished by  the  government. 

There  was  no  stage  line  for  conveying  pas- 
sengers or  mails  from  the  embarcadero  of  San 
Pedro  to  Los  Angeles  previous  to  185 1.  Before 
that  time  a  caballada  (band  of  horses)  was  kept 
in  pasture  at  the  landing.  Wien  a  vessel  was 
sighted  in  the  offing  the  mustangs  were  round- 
ed up,  driven  into  a  corral,  lassoed,  saddled  and 
bridled,  and  were  ready  for  the  conveyance  of 
passengers  to  the  city  as  soon  as  they  came 
ashore.  As  the  horses  were  half-broken  broncos 
and  the  passengers  were  mostly  newcomers  from 
the  States,  unused  to  the  tricks  of  bucking  mus- 


tangs, the  trip  generally  ended  in  the  passenger 
arriving  in  the  city  on  foot,  the  bronco  having 
landed  him  at  some  point  most  convenient  to 
him — the  bronco — not  the  passenger. 

In  1849  Wilson  &  Packard,  whose  store  was 
on  Main  street  where  the  United  States  Bank 
now  stands,  were  the  custodians  of  the  letters 
for  Los  Angeles.  A  tub  stood  on  the  end  of  a 
counter.  Into  this  the  letters  were  dumped. 
Any  one  expecting  a  letter  was  at  liberty  to  sort 
over  the  contents  of  the  tub  and  take  away  his 
mail.  The  office,  or  rather  the  postoffice  tub, 
was  conducted  on  an  automatic  free  delivery  sys- 
tem. Col.  John  O.  Wheeler,  who  had  clerked  for 
the  firm  in  1849,  bought  out  the  business  in 
1850  and  continued  the  "Tale  of  a  Tub,"  that  is, 
continued  to  receive  the  letters  and  other  literary 
contents  of  the  mail  bags  and  dump  them  into 
the  tub.  There  was  no  regularly  established 
postoffice,  and,  of  course,  no  postmaster.  An 
officious  postal  agent  of  San  Francisco  found 
fault  with  the  tub  postoffice  and  the  free  and 
easy  delivery  system.  The  colonel,  who  had 
been  accommodating  the  public  free  of  charge, 
told  the  agent  to  take  his  postal  matter  else- 
where. 

The  first  postoffice  in  California  established 
under  American  rule  was  that  of  San  Francisco, 
established  November  9,  1848.  The  postoffice 
at  Los  Angeles  was  established  April  9,  1850;  J. 
Pugh  was  the  first  postmaster.  The  second  was 
W.  T.  B.  Sanford.  appointed  November  6,  1851. 
The  third  v.^as  Dr.  William  B.  Osburn,  appoint- 
ed October  12,  1853.  James  S.  Waite  was  ap- 
pointed November  i,  1855;  J.  D.  Woodworth, 
May  19,  1858;  Thomas  J.  White,  May  9,  i860; 
William  G.  Still,  June  8,  1861  ;  Francisco  P. 
Ramirez,  October  22,  1864 ;  Russell  Sackett,  May 
5,  1865;  George  J.  Clarke,  June  25,  1866;  H.  K. 
W.  Bent,  February  14.  1873;  Col.  Isaac  R. 
Dunkelberger,  February  14,  1877;  John  W, 
Green,  February  14,  1885.  Green  was  succeeded 
by  E.  A.  Preuss,  who  was  succeeded  in  turn  by 
Green.  Green  died  in  office  and  H.  V.  Van 
Dusen  completed  the  term.  Gen.  John  R. 
Mathews  was  appointed  December  20,  1895,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Lewis  A,  GroflF,  March  i, 
1900.  The  present  postmaster,  M.  H.  Flint,  took 
charge  of  the  office  March  i,  1904. 


336 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Just  where  the  postoffice  was  first  located  1 
have  not  been  able  to  ascertain.  In  1852  it  was 
kept  in  an  adobe  building  on  Los  Angeles  street, 
west  side,  between  Commercial  and  Arcadia.  In 
1854  it  was  located  in  the  Salazar  row  on  North 
Alain  street,  just  south  of  where  the  St.  Elmo 
hotel  now  stands.  In  January,  1855,  it  was 
moved  to  Los  Angeles  street,  one  door  above 
Commercial  street.  From  there,  when  James  S. 
Waite,  publisher  of  the  Weekly  Star,  was  post- 
master, it  was  moved  to  the  old  Temple  block, 
which  stood  on  the  site  recently  donated  to  the 
government  for  a  postoffice  building.  Its  next 
move  was  into  an  adobe  building  that  stood  on 
the  present  site  of  the  Bullard  block,  and  from 
there  it  was  taken  to  the  old  Lanfranco  block  on 
Main  street.  In  1858  it  moved  up  Main  street  to 
a  building  just  south  of  the  Pico  house ;  then, 
after  a  time,  it  drifted  down  town  to  North 
Spring  street,  a  few  doors  below  Temple  street. 
In  1861  it  was  kept  in  a  frame  building  on  Main 
street  opposite  Commercial  street.  In  1866  it 
again  moved  up  Main  street  to  a  building  opposite 
the  Bella  Union  hotel,  now  the  St.  Charles.  In 
1867  or  1868  it  was  moved  to  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  North  Main  and  Market  streets,  and  from 
there,  about  1870,  it  was  moved  to  the  middle 
of  Temple  block  on  North  Spring  street.  H.  K. 
W.  Bent  moved  the  office  to  the  Union  block, 
now  the  Jones  block,  on  the  east  side  of  North 
Spring  street.  From  there,  in  1879,  when  Colo- 
nel Dunkelberger  M'as  postmaster,  it  was  moved 
to  the  Oxarat  block  on  North  Spring  street  near 
P"irst ;  here  it  remained  eight  years.  Its  loca- 
tion on  Spring  street  gave  an  impetus  to  that 
street  that  carried  it  ahead  of  Main.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1887,  the  postoffice  was  moved  to  the  Hell- 
man  building,  southwest  corner  of  North  Main 
and  Republic  streets ;  from  there  it  was  moved 
down  Broadway  below  Sixth  street.  In  June, 
1893.  it  was  moved  into  the  government  building 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and  Winston 
streets,  where,  after  forty  years  of  wandering 
through  a  wilderness  of  streets,  for  the  first 
time  it  set  up  business  in  a  home  of  its  own.  That 
building  was  completed  at  a  cost,  including  the 
site,  of  $150,000. 

In  early  times  the  duties  of  the  postmasters 
were    light    and     their   compensation    small.      In 


the  winter  of  1852-53  no  mail  was  received  at 
the  Los  Angeles  office  for  six  weeks.  In  1861, 
on  account  of  the  floods,  there  was  no  mail  for 
three  weeks,  and  some  wag  labeled  the  office,  "To 
Let."  The  fixtures  of  the  office  in  those  days 
were  inexpensive  and  easily  moved.  From  Colo- 
nel Wheeler's  v>'ashtub  the  Los  Angeles  post- 
office  gravitated  to  a  soap  box.  It  seemed  in 
early  days  to  keep  in  the  laundry  line.  In  1854- 
55  and  thereabouts  the  office  was  kept  in  a  little 
7x9  room  on  Los  Angeles  street.  The  letters 
were  kept  in  a  soap  box  partitioned  oflf  into 
pigeonholes.  The  postmaster  at  that  time  had  a 
number  of  other  occupations  beside  that  of 
handling  the  mail,  so  when  he  was  not  attend- 
ing to  his  auction  room,  or  looking  after  his 
nursery,  or  superintending  the  schools,  or  act- 
ing as  news  agent,  or  organizing  his  forces  for 
a  political  campaign,  he  attended  to  the  post- 
office,  but  at  such  times  as  his  other  duties  called 
him  away  the  office  ran  itself.  If  a  citizen 
thought  there  ought  to  be  a  letter  for  him  he 
did  not  hunt  up  the  postmaster,  but  went  to  the 
office  and  looked  over  the  mail  for  himself.  Upon 
the  arrival  of  a  mail  from  the  States  in  early 
times  there  were  no  such  scenes  enacted  at  the 
Los  Angeles  postoffice  as  took  place  at  the  San 
Francisco  office,  where  men  stood  in  line  for 
hours' and  $50  slugs  were  exchanged  for  places 
in  the  line  near  the  window.  There  were  but 
few  Americans  in  Los  Angeles  in  the  fall  of  '49 
and  spi-ing  of  "50,  and  most  of  these  were  old- 
timers,  long  since  over  their  homesickness. 

The  stage  coach  era  of  mail  carrying  con- 
tinued later  in  California  than  in  any  state  east 
of  the  Mississippi :  and  it  may  be  said  that  it 
reached  its  greatest  perfection  in  this  state.  The 
Butterfield  stage  route  was  the  longest  continu- 
ous line  ever  organized  and  the  best  managed. 
Its  eastern  termini  were  St.  Louis  and  Memphis ; 
its  western  terminus  San  Francisco.  Its  length 
was  2,881  miles.  It  began  operation  in  Sep- 
tember, 1858,  and  the  first  stage  from  the  east 
carrying  mail  reached  Los  Angeles  October  7, 
1858.  The  schedule  time  at  first  between  St. 
Louis  and  San  Francisco  was  twenty-four  days : 
afterwards  it  was  reduced  to  twenty-one  days. 
The  first  service  was  two  mail  coaches  each 
wa\   a  week,  for  which  the  government  paid  ihe 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


337 


stage  company  a  subsidy  of  $600,000  a  year. 
Later  on  the  service  was  increased  to  six  stages  a 
week  each  way  and  the  subsidy  to  $1,000,000  a 
year.  This  was  in  1861,  when  the  first  line  was 
transferred  to  the  central  route.  In  1859,  when 
the  government  was  paying  a  subsidy  of  $600,000 
for  a  semi-weekly  service,  the  receipts  for  the 
postal  revenue  of  this  route  were  only  $27,000, 
leaving  Uncle  Sam  over  half  a  million  out  of 
pocket. 

The  Butterfield  route  from  San  Francisco 
southward  was  by  the  way  of  San  Jose,  Gilroy, 
Pacheco's  Pass,  Visalia  and  Fort  Tejon  to  Los 
Angeles,  462  miles.  Eastward  from  Los  Angeles 
it  ran  by  way  of  El  Monte,  Temecula  and 
Warner's  Rancho  to  Fort  Yuma.  From  there 
by  Tucson  to  El  Paso  it  followed  very  nearly 
what  is  now  the  route  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad.  From  El  Paso  it  ran  northward  to 
St.  Louis,  branching  at  Fort  Smith  for  Memphis. 
Los  Angeles  was  proud  of  its  overland  stage.  It 
got  the  eastern  news  ahead  of  San  Francisco,  and 
its  press  put  on  metropolitan  airs.  When  the 
trip  was  first  made  in  twenty  days  the  Weekly 
Star  rushed  out  an  extra  with  flaunting  head- 
lines— "Ahead  nf  Time."  "A  Hundred  Guns  for 
the  Overland  Mail,"  "Twenty  Days  from  St. 
Louis."  After  this  fitful  flash  of  enterprise  the 
sleepy  old  ciudad  lapsed  into  poco  tiempo  ways. 
The  next  issue  of  the  Star  sorrowfully  says : 
"The  overland  mail  arrived  at  midnight.  There 
was  no  one  in  the  postoffice  to  receive  it  and  it 
was  carried  on  to  San  Francisco;"  to  be  returned 
six  days  later  with  all  the  freshness  gone  and 
all  the  eastern  news  in  the  San  Francisco  papers. 
There  were  no  overland  telegraph  lines  then. 
Los  Angeles  never  had  a  mail  service  so  prompt 
and  reliable  as  the  Butterfield  was.  The  Star  in 
lauding  it  says :  "The  arrival  of  the  overland 
mail  is  as  regular  as  the  index  on  the  clock  points 
to  the  hour,  as  true  to  time  as  the  dial  is  to  the 
sun." 

After  the  Civil  war  began  in  1861  the  southern 
route  was  abandoned.  The  Confederates  got 
away  with  the  stock  on  the  eastern  end  and  the 
Apaches  destroyed  the  stations  on  the  western 
end.  After  the  Butterfield  stages  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  Central  Overland  route  via  Salt 
Lake  City   and  Omaha,  the  Los  Angeles   mails 


were  carried  from  San  Francisco  by  local  stage 
lines  via  the  Coast  route,  but  the  service  was 
often  very  unsatisfactory.  The  completion  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  Los  Angeles  in  1877  gave  us  quick  and 
reliable  service. 

It  is  impossible  to  obtain  any  reliable  data  of 
the  revenues  of  the  Los  Angeles  postoffice  in  the 
early  years  of  its  existence.  In  i86g  the  post- 
master and  one  boy  clerk  did  the  business  of  the 
office  in  a  small  room  in  the  Temple  block.  North 
Spring  street.  The  salary  of  the  postmaster  was 
$1,400  in  greenbacks,  worth  at  that  time  about 
seventy  cents  on  the  dollar,  making  his  pay  less 
than  $1,000  a  year  in  gold.  The  relative  rank  of 
Los  Angeles  in  1869  compared  with  some  other 
cities  of  California,  which  it  has  since  passed  in 
population,  is  shown  by  the  rate  of  the  salary 
of  the  postmasters  of  these  cities  at  that  time. 
Los  Angeles,  salary  $1,400;  Marysville,  $3,100; 
Stockton,  $3,200;  Sacramento,  $4,000.  In  1887 
the  gross  receipts  of  the  Los  Angeles  office  were 
in  round  numbers  $74,000 ;  those  of  the  Sacra- 
mento office  $47,000  and  the  salaries  of  the  post- 
masters the  same. 

From  a  pamphlet  giving  a  review  of  the  Los 
.\ngeles  postoffice  in  1887,  published  by  E.  A. 
Preuss,  then  postmaster,  I  extract  the  following 
data:  Number  of  clerks  27,  carriers  21.  There 
were  no  branch  offices  or  stations..  The  post- 
master had  petitioned  the  department  to  estab- 
lish a  branch  office  in  East  Los  Angeles  and  had 
hopes  that  his  petition  might  be  granted.  The 
allowance  for  the  salaries  of  twenty-seven  clerks 
January  i,  1888,  was  $17,315;  "making  an  aver- 
age salary  for  each  clerk  of  $645  or  less  than  $54 
per  month."  The  total  gross  receipts  of  the 
office  for  1887  were  $74,540.98.  The  total  cash 
received  for  money  orders  and  postal  notes, 
$466,053.98;  total  cash  handled  $1,838,048.35; 
being  an  increase  of  $702,280.97  over  the  year 

1886.  Stamp  sales  exceeded  $120,000  for  the  year 

1887.  This  was  the  year  of  the  "boom"  when 
the  office  handled  the  mail  of  over  200,000  tran- 
sients. The  office  was  then  located  on  Nordi 
Main  street,  near  Republic.  Two  long  lines  of 
men  and  women  every  day  extended  from  the 
deliverv  windows  up  and  down  Main  street  wait- 
ing their  turn  to  get  their  mail. 


338 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


From  a  report  of  Postmaster  John  R.  Mathews 
made  when  he  retired  from  office,  March  i,  1900, 
I  take  the  following  statistics :  Total  receipts 
of  the  office  for  1899,  $228,417.61 ;  total  salaries 
paid  $132,513.69;  number  of  clerks,  41 ;  carriers, 
62;  clerks  at  stations,  12;  railway  postal  clerks, 
46;  total,  161.  An  appropriation  of  $250,000 
for  enlarging  the  Federal  building  was  obtained 
by  Hon.  Stephen  M.  White  before  the  close  of 
his  term  as  United  States  senator.  A  long  delay 
ensued.  The  question  of  securing  more  ground 
was  discussed.  In  1901  work  was  begun  prepar- 
atory to  the  erection  of  a  larger  building.  The 
office  was  removed  to  the  northwest  corner  of 
Spring  and  Eighth  streets.  The  demolition  of 
the  old  building  was  begun.  An  appropriation  of 
$150,000  had  been  secured  for  the  enlargement  of 
the  ground  to  Fifth  street,  but  in  the  tedious 
waiting  for  congress  to  act,  real  estate  had  ad- 
vanced and  it  was  discovered  that  the  funds  were 
not  nearly  sufficient  to  purchase  the  needed 
grounds.  The  demolition  of  the  old  building  had 
progressed  so  far  as  to  render  it  unfit  for  use 
and  the  unsightly  ruins  long  remained  to  arouse 
the  curiosity  of  tlie  tourist. 


In  1905  a  number  of  the  public  spirited  citizens 
of  North  Spring,  North  Main  and  contiguous 
streets  raised,  by  subscription,  sufficient  funds  to 
purchase  the  old  Downey  block,  fronting  on 
North  Main  and  Temple  streets,  and  extending 
through  to  New  High  street.  This  was  sold  to 
the  government  for  $1.  The  old  historic  building 
was  demolished.  An  appropriation  of  $800,000 
had  been  secured.  Plans  were  drawn  and  in  May, 
1906,  bids  were  opened  for  the  erection  of  a 
five-story  building.  The  lowest  bid  fell  a  little 
below  one  million  dollars. 

The  site  at  the  corner  of  ;\Iain  and  Winston 
streets  was  sold  in  October,  1906,  for  $314,000. 
The  demolition  of  what  remained  of  the  first 
postoffice  building  the  government  owned  in  Los 
Angeles  has  been  completed,  and  now,  fifty-six 
years  after  it  was  established,  the  Los  Angeles 
postoffice  is  still  a  homeless  waif  and  liable  to 
again  become  a  tramp.  Nearly  two  years  have 
passed  since  the  new  site,  corner  of  North  Main 
and  Temple  streets,  was  donated  to  the  govern- 
ment, but  yet  not  a  brick  has  been  laid  in  the 
building. 


CHAPTER   XLIX. 


WATER  SYSTEM   OF  LOS  ANGELES. 


POR  a  hundred  and  twentj-five  years,  the 
pueblo  and  its  successor  el  ciudad  (the 
city)  of  Los  Angeles  has  received  its 
water  supply  from  the  Los  Angeles  river,  and  its 
chief  tributary  the  Arroyo  Seco.  The  source  of 
the  river  is ,  on  the  Encino  rancho,  only  twelve 
miles  above  the  city.  For  so  short  a  river  it  is 
truly  remarkable  the  amount  of  water  it  supplies. 
When  the  city's  population  numbered  10,000  there 
were  fears  that  the  limit  of  the  water  supply  had 
been  reached  and  that  new  sources  of  supply 
must  be  found  or  tlie  city  must  cease  to  expand. 
Now  that  the  population  approximates  a  quarter 
of  a  million  inhabitants  there  is  still  water  enough 
for  all.  There  is  a  theory  extant  that  the  Lcs 
Angeles  river  is  the  outlet  of  a  subterranean  lake 
or  basin  located  in  the  San  Fernando  mountains. 


The  immense  supply  that  so  short  a  river  aft'ords 
lends  credence  to  this  theory.  In  the  present 
year  (1906)  the  first  movement  toward  enlarg- 
ing the  water  supply  from  distant  sources  was 
inaugurated.  This  project  is  the  bringing  of 
the  waters  of  Owens  river  to  Los  Angeles,  a  dis- 
tance of  200  miles. 

Before  entering  upon  the  history  of  this  proj- 
ect a  brief  history  of  the  water  system  of  Los 
Angeles  since  its  founding  down  to  the  present 
time  will  be  of  interest  now,  and  more  so  in 
years  to  come. 

When  the  pueblo  of  Los  Angeles  was  founded, 
September  4,  1781,  there  were  no  settlements 
above  it  on  the  river.  Governor  Felipe  de  Neve's 
famous  reglamento  of  1779,  approved  by  King 
Carlos  III  of  Spain  in  1781,  gave  to  the  pueblos 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


339 


of  California  the  right  to  the  waters  of  the  rivers 
on  which  they  were  located. 

The  first  community  work  done  by  the  pobla- 
dores  or  founders  of  Los  Angeles  was  the  con- 
struction of  a  water  distributing  system.  Their 
water  system  was  a  very  primitive  affair.  It 
consisted  of  a  toma  or  dam  made  of  brush  and 
poles  placed  in  the  river  just  above  where  the 
Buena  Vista  street  bridge  now  crosses  it,  and  a 
zanja  or  irrigating  ditch  to  convey  the  water 
from  the  river  to  their  planting  fields  and  to  sup- 
ply them  with  water  for  domestic  purposes. 

This  ditch  was  known  then  and  for  a  century 
after  as  the  "Zanja  Madre,"  or  mother  ditch.  It 
was  constructed  along  the  mesa  at  the  foot  hills  on 
the  western  side  of  the  river  above  the  cultivated 
lands.  It  passed  near  the  northeastern  corner  of 
the  old  plaza,  and  from  this  point  the  colonists 
took  from  it  their  household  water  supply. 

As  the  population  of  the  pueblo  increased  and 
more  land  was  brought  tmder  cultivation  the 
water  system  was  enlarged  by  the  construction 
of  new  zanjas,  but  there  was  no  attempt  to  con- 
vey the  water  into  the  houses  by  pipes.  In  early 
times  the  dam  and  the  main  zanja  were  kept  in 
repair  by  community  labor,  or  rather  by  the  labor 
of  the  Indians  owned  or  employed  by  the  col- 
onists; each  land  owner  being  required  to  fur- 
nish his  quota  of  Indian  laborers.  The  work  of 
cleaning  the  main  zanjas  and  keeping  the  tomas 
in  repair  was  usually  done  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  one  of  the  regidores  (councilmen), 
each  regidor  taking  his  weekly  turn  as  overseer 
of  the  community  work.  Sometimes,  when  the 
work  was  urgent  and  the  laborers  few,  a  raid  was 
made  on  the  unemployed  Indians  around  town, 
who  were  forced  for  a  time  to  carry  the  white 
man's  burden  without  recompense.  It  kept  them 
out  of  mischief. 

For  several  years  after  the  American  conquest 
the  old  water  distributing  system  was  continued, 
but  it  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  new  rulers. 
Water  for  domestic  use  was  taken  from  the  zan- 
jas in  buckets  and  carried  to  the  consumers  by 
Indians.  Then  some  genius  devised  a  system  of 
distributing  from  barrels  rolled  through  the  street 
by  horse  power.  Then  water  carts  came  into 
use,  and  for  ten  years  the  waterman  made  his 
daily  rounds  as  the  ice-man  does  now. 


The  first  proposition  to  distribute  water  for 
domestic  purposes  by  means  of  pipes  was  made 
by  William  G.  Dryden  to  the  council  June  21, 
1853.  He  asked  for  a  twenty-years'  franchise 
and  a  bonus  of  two  leagues  of  land.  His  offer 
was  rejected. 

In  1854  the  water  system,  both  for  domestic 
use  and  irrigating,  was  made  a  special  depart- 
ment of  the  city  and  placed  under  the  charge  of 
a  water  overseer. 

February  24,  1857,  William  G.  Dryden  was 
granted  a  franchise  by  the  city  council  to  convey 
"all  and  any  water  that  may  rise  or  can  be  col- 
lected upon  his  lands  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
city  of  Los  Angeles,*  over,  under  and  through 
the  streets,  lanes,  alleys,  and  roads  of  Los 
Angeles  City."  He  was  also  granted  the  right 
"to  place  on  the  main  zanja  a  water  wheel  to 
raise  water  by  machinery  to  supply  the  city  with 
water." 

Under  this  system,  a  brick  reservoir  was  built 
in  the  center  of  the  plaza.  It  was  supplied  by 
pumps  operated  by  a  wheel  in  the  zanja,  near  the 
present  junction  of  San  Fernando  and  Alameda 
streets.  Later  on  the  wheel  and  pump  were 
moved  to  the  northeastern  corner  of  Alameda 
and  Marchessault  streets,  where  the  water  com- 
pany's office  building  now  stands,  and  as  before, 
was  propelled  by  the  waters  of  the  zanja.  Iron 
pipes  were  laid  from  this  reservoir  on  the  plaza 
and  water  was  distributed  to  a  number  of  houses 
along  the  principal  streets. 

The  city  had  extended  its  water  system  as  its 
means  would  allow;  its  revenue  was  small  and 
its  needs  great.  So  but  very  little  had  been  ac- 
complished in  the  fifteen  years  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  American  conquest  toward  building 
up  a  system  for  distributing  water  for  domestic 
use. 

December  23,  1861.  the  city  council  ordered 
the  issuing  of  $15,000  of  water  scrip  for  the 
completion  of  the  "pipes,  flumes  and  reservoir  of 
the  new  waterworks  and  the  building  of  a  brick 
house  near  the  dam  for  the  zanjero."  Next  day 
it  rained  and  it  continued  to  do  so  for  a  month 


•The  Dryden  Springs,  so  called,  were  located  on  what  in 
former  times  was  a  marshy  tract  of  land,  lying  just  southeast 
of  the  San  Fernando  depot  grounds,  where,  _  later  on,  the 
Beaudry  waterworks  were  located.  In  earlier  times  they  were 
known  as  the  Abila  Springs. 


340 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


almost  continuously.  The  dam  in  the  river  was 
swept  away,  leaving  the  wheel  which  raised  the 
water  into  the  flumes  and  zanjas  high  and  dry. 
With  "water,  water  everywhere,"  the  inhabitants 
had  not  a  drop  to  drink  except  what  they  obtained 
from  the  water  carts. 

The  council  petitioned  the  legislature  to  pass 
an  act  authorizing  the  city  to  borrow  $25,000  to 
complete  the  waterworks.  The  work  then  in 
course  of  construction  consisted  of  a  current 
wheel  placed  in  a  zanja  at  the  city  dam,  which  by 
means  of  buckets  attached  to  the  paddles,  raised 
the  water  into  a  flume  which  conveyed  it  to  a 
reservoir  near  the  Catholic  cemetery,  from 
whence  it  was  conducted  in  wooden  pipes  to  con- 
sumers. In  August,  1862,  the  mayor  and  com- 
mon council  let  a  contract  to  Jean  L.  Sansevain 
to  build  a  dam,  flume  and  other  works  for  the 
sum  of  $18,000.  This  dam  was  quite  an  elaborate 
affair.  Two  rows  of  piles  fifteen  and  eighteen 
feet  long  and  six  feet  apart  were  driven  across 
the  river.  These  were  planked  with  two-inch 
plank  seven  feet  below  the  river  bed  and  the 
interstices  between  the  rows  excavated  and  filled 
with  rock.  The  dam  was  designed  to  raise  the 
water  seven  feet  above  the  river  bed. 

Municipal  ownership  of  its  water  works  proved 
too  great  a  burden  for  the  city  to  bear,  so  it  cast 
about  for  some  one  on  whom  to  unload  it.  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1865,  a  lease  of  the  public  water  works 
of  Los  Angeles  City,  with  all  its  flumes,  pipes, 
canals,  reservoirs  and  appurtenances,  with  the 
right  to  build  reservoirs  on  vacant  city  lands, 
distribute  and  .'•ell  water  and  collect  water  rates 
from  consumers,  was  made  to  David  W.  Alex- 
ander for  a  term  of  four  years,  with  the  privi- 
lege of  continuing  the  lease  six  years  after  the 
expiration  of  four  years.  Alexander  was  to  pay 
the  city  a  rental  of  $1,000  a  year,  and  at  the  ex- 
piration of  his  lease  to  deliver  up  the  works  and 
additions  to  the  city  free  of  all  incumbrances  or 
debts.  Alexander  soon  tired  of  carrying  the  city's 
burden.  August  7,  1865,  he  assigned  his  lease  to 
Jean  L.  Sansevain.  October  16,  1865,  the  city 
made  a  lease  direct  with  Sansevain.  Sansevain 
extended  the  wooden  pipes  down  as  far  as  Third 
street.  The  pipes  were  bored  out  of  pine  tree 
trunks  in  the  mountains  back  of  San  Bernardino 
and  were  similar  to  the  wooden  pump  stocks  once 


in  common  use  in  the  eastern  states.  Sansevain's 
system  was  not  a  success.  The  pipes  leaked  and 
burst  with  pressure  and  the  streets  were  fre- 
quently impassable  by  flooding  from  broken 
pipes. 

November  18,  1867,  Sansevain  entered  into  a 
contract  with  the  city  to  lay  5,000  feet  of  two  and 
three-inch  iron  pipe  at  a  cost  of  about  $6,000  in 
scrip,  he  to  pay  ten  per  cent  per  annum  on  the 
cost  of  the  pipe  for  its  use ;  the  city  to  accept  its 
own  scrip  in  payment. 

The  great  flood  of  1867-68  swept  away  the 
dam,  and  again  the  city  was  without  water. 

Sansevain,  discouraged  by  his  repeated  fail- 
ures and  losses,  in  February,  1868,  transferred 
his  lease  to  J.  S.  Griflin,  Prudent  Beaudry  and 
Solomon  Lazard.  They  completed  his  contract 
with  the  city  to  lay  iron  pipe,  and  received  their 
pay  in  city  water  scrip.  P.  McFadden,  who  had 
obtained  the  old  Dryden  water  system,  was  a 
competitor  for  the  Sansevain  lease,  but  failed 
to  secure  it. 

Griflin  and  his  associates  made  a  proposition 
to  the  council  to  lease  from  the  city  the  water 
works  for  a  period  of  fifty  years  on  certain  con- 
ditions. These  conditions  and  stipulations  were 
incorporated  into  an  ordinance,  but  instead  of 
leasing,  it  was  now  proposed  to  sell  the  works 
outright  on  the  same  conditions  offered  in  the 
proposed  lease.  These  were  as  follows :  Griffin 
and  his  associates  to  pay  to  the  city  in  gold  coin 
$10,000  in  five  yearly  payments  of  $2,000  each ; 
to  surrender  to  the  city  $6,000  worth  of  war- 
rants on  the  city  water  fund  held  by  them ;  to 
cancel  $6,000  of  claims  against  the  city  for  re- 
pairs ;  also  to  cancel  a  claim  of  $2,000  for  loss  of 
four  months'  rental  lost  to  them  :  to  build  a  reser- 
voir at  a  cost  of  $15,000;  to  lay  twelve  miles  of 
iron  pipe  in  the  streets ;  to  place  a  hydrant  at  one 
corner  of  street  crossings ;  to  supply  the  public 
buildings  of  the  city  with  water  free  of  cost ;  and 
to  construct  an  ornamental  fountain  on  the  Plaza 
costing  not  less  than  $1,000.  The  whole  ex- 
penditure was  estimated  to  aggregate  $208,000. 
Upon  Griffin,  Beaudry  and  Lazard,  or  their  as- 
signs, giving  a  bond  of  $50,000  for  the  per- 
formance of  these  stipulations,  the  mayor  was  to 
execute   a   quit-claim  deed  to  them   of  the   city 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


341 


water  works,  pipes,  flumes,  etc.,  and  a  franchise 
to  take  ten  inches  of  water  from  the  river. 

The  Griffin  proposition  was  referred  by  the 
council  to  a  committee  of  three  for  examination. 
The  committee  brought  in  a  majority  and  minority 
report.  The  minority  report  pronounced  strongly 
against  the  scheme.  The  majority  advised  its  ac- 
ceptance, and  in  its  lengthy  report  dealt  a  back- 
handed blow  at  municipal  ownership.  "Thirdly, 
we  do  not  believe  it  advisable  or  prudent  for  the 
city  to  own  property  of  this  nature,  as  it  is  well 
known  by  past  experience  that  cities  and  towns 
can  never  manage  enterprises  of  tliat  nature  as 
economicalh-  as  individuals  can ;  and  besides  it  is 
a  continual  source  of  annoyance  and  is  made  a 
political  hobby." 

\Micn  the  ordinance  came  before  the  council 
for  adoption  (June  i,  1868),  the  vote  was  a  tie. 
After  some  hesitation  Murray  Morrison,  the 
president,  cast  his  vote  in  the  affirmative,  signed 
the  ordinance  immediately  and  then  resigned 
from  tlie  council  to  take  the  position  of  judge  of 
the  Seventeenth  judicial  district,  to  which  he 
had  recently  been  appointed  by  the  governor. 
Mayor  Aguilar  vetoed  the  ordinance  and  saved 
the  city  its  water  privileges.  Aguilar  has  never 
received  the  credit  that  he  deserved  for  his  ac- 
tion. 

Griffin  and  his  associates  then  made  a  proposi- 
tion to  lease  the  works  and  franchise  for  a  period 
of  thirty  years,  paying  $1,500  a  year  and  per- 
forming the  other  conditions  stipulated  in  the 
former  offer.  John  Jones  offered  $30,000  in 
yearly  installments  of  $1,000,  or  the  whole  in 
twenty-five  years  for  a  lease.  Juan  Bernard  and 
P.  McFadden,  owners  of  the  Dryden  system,  of- 
fered $30,000  for  a  twenty  years'  lease,  to  begin 
at  the  expiration  of  the  Sansevain  lease. 

The  water  question  became  the  all-absorbing 
topic  of  discussion.  Petitions  and  protests  were 
showered  upon  the  council.  A  special  election 
was  held  on  the  15th  of  June  to  choose  tw6  coun- 
cilmen  to  fill  vacancies  in  the  city  council.  The 
opponents  of  the  Griffin  scheme  carried  the 
day. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  council  July  20,  Juan 
Bernard  and  others  presented  a  petition,  pro- 
posing to  lease  the  city  water  works  for  twenty 
years,  paying  therefor  the  sum  of  $2,000  a  year, 


and  offering  to  perform  the  same  specifications 
as  were  contained  in  the  Griffin  proposition.  J. 
G.  Howard,  Esq.,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  a 
number  of  citizens  and  taxpayers,  asked  to  be 
heard  on  the  Bernard  proposition.  He  was  curtly 
informed  by  the  president  of  the  council,  John 
King,  that  he  (King)  did  not  wish  to  hear  a 
speech.  Then  C.  E.  Thorn,  Esq.,  on  his  own 
behalf  as  a  citizen,  asked  permission  to  be  heard. 
The  chair  ruled  that  they  did  not  wish  to  hear 
discussion  from  outsiders,  whereupon  Captain 
Thorn  desired  a  solemn  protest  to  be  entered 
against  the  ruling  of  the  chair.  The  question 
then  arose  upon  a  postponement  of  final  action 
upon  the  Griffin  proposition.  The  vote  was  a 
tie;  the  president  cast  the  deciding  vote  in  the 
negative. 

The  question  of  the  acceptance  of  the  proposi- 
tion of  J.  S.  Griffin  and  his  associates  was  put  to 
vote  and  carried — ayes,  four ;  noes,  two.  The 
ordinance  was  signed  by  the  president  of  the 
council  and  referred  to  the  mayor,  who  approved 
it  on  the  22nd  of  July,  1868.  And  thus  the 
specter  of  "municipal  ownership  of  a  public  util- 
ity," that  for  two  decades  had  haunted  the  coun- 
cil chamber  and  affrighted  the  taxpayer,  was 
exorcised — adjured  from  evil  for  a  generation 
to  come.  The  thirty  years  passed,  and  again  the 
specter  arose  from  the  mists  of  the  past  to  worry 
the  people. 

The  city  gained  nothing  financially  by  leasing 
for  thirty  years.  It  was  receiving  from  the  as- 
signs of  Sansevain  $1,500  a  year  rental  on  a  lease 
that  had  but  little  over  six  years  to  run.  The 
longtime  lease  did  not  increase  this  amount.  With 
the  increase  of  population  the  water  franchise 
was  growing  more  valuable  every  year.  It  is 
difficult  at  this  late  day  to  discover  the 
motive  that  actuated  a  majority  of  the 
council  to  force  through  a  proposition  that 
was  certainly  not  the  best  one  offered.  The  most 
charitable  conclusion  is  that  the  water  question 
had  become  to  the  councilmen  a  "bete  noir,"  a 
bugbear,  and  they  were  anxious  to  dispose  of  it 
to  the  parties  who  would  take  it  off  their  hands 
for  the  longest  time.  One  of  the  most  active  and 
consistent  opponents  of  the  Griffin  proposition 
was  Councilman  A.  A.  Boyle,  after  whom  Boyle 
Heights  is  named.    In  the  light  of  our  present  ex- 


342 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


perience  with  the  water  company  his  protests 
seem  almost  prophetic. 

Shortly  after  obtaining  the  thirty  years'  lease, 
Messrs.  Griffin,  Beaudry  and  Lazard  transferred 
it  to  an  incorporation  named  The  Los  Angeles 
City  Water  Company ;  the  first  trustees  of  which 
were  J.  S.  Griffin,  P.  Beaudry,  S.  Lazard,  J.  G. 
Downey,  A.  J.  King,  Eugene  Meyer  and  Charles 
Lafoon. 

Juan  Bernard  and  P.  McFadden,  the  owners 
of  the  Dryden  franchise,  made  an  attempt  to  con- 
tinue the  distribution  of  water.  As  they  could 
no  longer  use  their  reservoir  on  the  plaza  they 
petitioned  the  city  council  for  a  reservoir  site 
on  Fort  Hill.  The  City  Water  Company  pe- 
titioned for  a  reservoir  site  in  the  same  place.  In 
a  protest  to  the  city  council,  September  14,  1868, 
against  granting  Juan  Bernard  and  others  a  site 
for  a  reservoir  on  Fort  Hill,  P.  Beaudry,  presi- 
dent of  the  Los  Angeles  City  Water  Company, 
uses  this  language :  "That  the  water  works  of 
which  the  undersigned  are  lessees  is  the  prop- 
erty of  the  city  and  ^vill  at  the  expiration  of  the 
term  of  the  present  contract  revert  to  the  city 
with  the  improvements  made  thereon  by  the  un- 
dersigned; that  any  aid  extended  by  the  city  to 
private  companies  tends  to  reduce  the  value  of 
property  belonging  to  the  city  and  is'  a  direct 
blow  at  her  interests." 

In  the  same  protest  the  president  of  the  Los 
Angeles  City  Water  Company  declares  that 
Juan  Bernard's  company  "has  no  legal  or  equita- 
ble rights  to  or  upon  said  Plaza,  but  are  now 
trespassers  thereon."  The  City  Water  Company 
finally  secured  the  Bernard  and  McFadden  water 
works,  including  the  brick  reservoir  on  the 
Plaza.  With  its  rival  out  of  business,  the  com- 
pany was  not  nearly  so  anxious  to  build  an  orna- 
mental fountain  for  the  city.  Two  years  passed 
and  no  fountain  played  on  the  Plaza.  The  third 
year  was  passing  when,  on  December  2,  1870, 
the  late  Judge  Brunson.  then  attorney  for  the 
water  company,  appeared  before  the  council  with 
certain  propositions  looking  to  a  settlement,  as 
he  styled  it,  of  "the  much  vexed  question  of  the 
reservoir  and  Plaza  improvements,"  to-wit : 
"The  water  company  will  remove  the  reservoir 
from  the  Plaza  and  convey  all  its  rights  in  and 
to  the  Plaza  to  the  city  of  Los  Angeles ;  will  lay 


it  off  in  walks  and  ornamental  grounds ;  will 
erect  on  it  an  ornamental  fountain  at  a  cost  not 
to  exceed  $1,000,  and  will  surrender  to  the  city 
all  water  scrip  (about  $3,000)  now  held  by  the 
company;  provided  said  city  will  reduce  the  rent 
paid  by  the  company  to  the  city  to  $300  per  an- 
num." As  the  contract  required  the  company 
to  build  a  fountain,  some  of  the  councilmen  de- 
murred to  giving  up  $1,200  for  very  little  return. 
Then  Brunson  threatened  to  bring  suit  against 
the  city  to  defend  the  company's  rights.  The 
coifncil  alarmed,  hastened  to  compromise  on  the 
basis  of  $400  a  year,  thus  surrendering  $1,100  a 
year. 

In  1872  P.  Beaudry  established  a  water  system 
for  supplying  the  hills  with  water.  Near  the 
crossing  of  College  and  Alameda  streets,  where 
the  Dryden  springs  were  located,  he  excavated 
a  large  basin  and  with  a  sixty  horse  power  en- 
gine running  a  pump  with  the  capacity  of  40,- 
000  gallons  per  hour,  forced  the  water  to  an  ele- 
vation of  240  feet  into  two  reservoirs  located  on 
the  hills  northeast  of  the  present  site  of  the  Sis- 
ters' hospital.  From  these  it  was  distributed 
over  the  hill  section  of  the  city  in  iron  pipes. 

The  Citizens'  Water  Company  was  organized 
in  1886.  It  bought  out  the  Beaudry  and  Rogers 
systems.  The  latter  was  a  system  which  ob- 
tained water  from  the  seepings  of  reservoir  No. 
4.  The  lease  of  the  water  from  the  Beaudry 
springs  expiring  February  i,  1887,  the  works 
were  taken  down  and  the  Citizens'  Company  ob- 
tained its  water  after  that  date  from  the  river 
about  four  miles  above  the  city.  This  system 
was  purchased  by  the  Los  Angeles  City  Water 
Company  in  1892. 

The  Canal  and  Reservoir  Company  was  or- 
ganized in  1868  with  a  capital  stock  of  $200,000. 
Its  first  officers  were  George  Hansen,  president; 
T.  W.  Greensmith,  treasurer,  and  J.  J.  Warner, 
;-ecretary.  P.  Beaudry  was  oue  of  the  largest 
stockholders.  This  company  contracted  with  the 
city  to  build  within  three  years  a  dam  twenty 
feet  high  across  the  canon  just  below  where 
Echo  Park  is  now  located  and  to  construct  a  ditch 
down  the  cafion  of  the  Arroyo  de  Los  Reyes  to 
Pearl  street,  the  object  of  which  was  to  furnish 
water  to  the  hill  portions  of  the  city  and  supply 
power  for  manufacturing.     In    1873    a    woolen 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


343 


mill  was  built  on  this  ditch  and  was  operated  for 
twelve  or  fifteen  years  and  was  then  converted 
into  an  ice  factory.  The  company  received  in 
compensation  for  the  construction  of  this  sys- 
tem a  large  body  of  city  land,  since  known  as  the 
canal  and  reservoir  lands. 

A  CENTURY  OF   LITIGATION. 

Almost  from  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century  the  citv'  at  various  times  has  been  com- 
pelled to  engage  in  litigation  to  preserve  her 
water   rights. 

The  first  legal  contest  over  water  rights  on 
the  Los  Angeles  river  was  begun  in  1810.  The 
padres  of  San  Fernando  had  caused  a  dam  to  be 
constructed  at  Cahuenga,  by  which  the  waters  of 
the  river  were  diverted  from  its  channel.  The 
authorities  of  the  pueblo  protested,  and  appoint- 
ed a  committee  to  investigate.  The  committee 
reported  that  the  dam  cut  off  the  source  of  the 
pueblo's  water  supply,  thereby  causing  great 
damage  and  suftering  to  the  people  of  the  town. 
The  padres  denied  the  allegation,  and  set  up  a 
claim  to  the  water  on  the  plea  that  the  dam  had 
been  used  by  a  previous  occupant  of  the  land  for 
fourteen  years.  There  were  no  lawyers  in  Cali- 
fornia then,  and  the  contestants  fought  their 
legal  battle  to  a  finish  among  themselves.  The 
padres  were  finally  compelled  to  concede  the 
justice  of  the  pueblo's  claim  to  the  waters  of  the 
river.  They  asked  and  were  granted  permission 
to  use  enough  water  to  irrigate  a  small  tract  of 
land  to  supply  the  mission  with  corn.  This  was 
granted  with  a  definite  understanding  that, 
should  the  settlers'  v.'ater  supply  at  any  time  run 
short,  the  mission  should  cease  to  use  the  river 
water.  The  agreement  between  the  contestants 
was  signed  March  26,  1810,  and  was  approved 
by  Governor  Arrellaga. 

Time  passes.  Spain  no  longer  controls  the 
destinies  of  California,  but  the  missions,  in  the 
language  of  a  protest  in  the  old  archives,  "still 
maintain  their  proud  old  notions  of  being  the 
owners  of  all  the  natural  products  of  forest  and 
field." 

The  pueblo  had  won  its  suit  for  possession  of 
the  waters  of  the  river  under  the  rule  of 
monarchical  Spain,  but  it  must  again  contend  for 
its  right  under  republican  Mexico. 


In  the  proceedings  of  the  most  illustrious 
ayuntamiento  of  Los  Angeles,  October  8,  1833, 
is  this  entry:  "The  ayuntamiento  of  this  town 
finding  it  absolutely  necessary  to  obtain  by  all 
means  possible  the  prosperity  of  our  fellow  citi- 
zens residing  in  this  community,  so  as  to  facili- 
tate the  greatest  advantages  to  their  interest ;  we 
have  been  compelled  to  name  an  individual  with 
sufficient  power  from  this  body  to  defend  with 
all  the  power  of  the  law  the  question  arising  be- 
tween this  corporation  and  the  reverend  father, 
the  teacher  of  the  San  Fernando  Mission,  with 
reference  to  his  claim  on  the  lands  called  Cahu- 
enga, where  said  father  has  built  a  house  and 
made  other  improvements  (constructed  a  dam 
in  the  river).  Notwithstanding,  the  lands  are 
known  as  public  lands.  To  that  efifect  we  name 
citizen  Jose  Antonio  Carrillo,  on  whom  suffi- 
cient power  is  conferred  to  prosecute,  defend  and 
allege  according  to  law  before  the  proper  trib- 
unals the  questions  between  the  corporation  of 
this  town  and  the  reverend  father  of  the  mission 
of  San  Fernando.  Said  Carrillo  may  refer  to 
this  ayuntamiento  at  any  time  for  all  information 
and  documents.  Laianimously  ordered  by  this 
corporation." 

Carrillo,  who  was  at  that  time  alcalde  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  also  a  member  of  the  territorial 
legislature,  although  not  a  practicing  lawyer,  was 
well  versed  in  the  law  and  one  of  the  ablest  men 
of  California. 

He  won  his  case.  The  reverend  father  aband- 
oned his  claim  to  the  Cahuenga,  conceded  the 
claims  of  the  ayuntamiento  and' allowed  the  wat- 
ers of  the  river  to  flow  to  tlie  pueblo.  Two  years 
later  the  mission  of  San  Fernando  was  secu- 
larized. Then  contention  between  the  pueblo  and 
the  mission  fathers  over  the  waters  of  the  river 
that  had  existed  for  more  than  a  generation  was 
ended  forever.  In  every  contest  the  pobladores 
of  the  pueblo  had  won. 

The  mission  property  passed  into  the  hands  of 
an  agent  or  commissioner  of  the  government,  and 
he,  too,  like  his  predecessors  of  San  Fernando, 
had  to  learn  that  the  river  waters  belonged  to  the 
pueblo,  or  city,  as  it  had  now  become.  In  the 
session  of  the  ayuntamiento  of  April  7,  1836,  the 
president  said  "that  the  party  in  charge  of  San 
Fernando  Mission  was  damming  the  water  of  the 


3U 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


river  at  Cahuenga,"  as  he  had  been  informed  by 
a  commission  he  had  appointed  to  investigate. 
"The  damming  of  the  city's  river  water  was  re- 
ducing the  supply  in  the  pubHc  reservoir  and 
causing  injury  to  this  vicinity."  He  said  that 
he  acquainted  the  ayuntamiento  of  these  facts, 
"so  that  it  might  take  measures  to  protect  the 
interests  of  the  community."  The  city  attorney 
and  Regidor  Lugo  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  defend  the  city's  rights. 

At  the  next  session  "the  city  attorney,  as  one 
of  the  committee  appointed  to  investigate  the 
damming  of  one  of  the  branches  of  the  river  by 
the  man  in  charge  of  the  ex-mission  of  San 
Fernando,  gave  as  his  opinion  that  there  was 
sufficient  water  in  the  'city's  river'  to  supply  the 
main  zanja  and  the  private  zanjas ;"  but,  he  said, 
furthermore,  "that  the  man  in  charge  of  San 
Fernando  had  promised  him  in  case  said  dam 
should  break  and  damage  the  city  reservoir  that 
he  (the  man)  would  repair  the  same  at  his  own 
expense,  and  if  the  supply  of  water  should  at 
any  time  fall  short  in  the  river  he  would  break 
said  dam  that  he  had  constructed  and  allow  all 
the  water  to  flow  into  the  river."  Thus  we  see 
in  the  early  days  of  the  pueblo  the  authorities 
guarded  with  jealous  care  the  pueblo's  water 
rights.  There  was  no  dallying  with  adverse 
claimants ;  no  allowing  of  cases  to  go  by  default : 
no  jeopardizing  the  city's  rights  by  criminal  de- 
lay. The  old  regidores  might  be  "poco  tiempo" 
in  some  things,  but  when  the  city's  water  rights 
were  in  danger  they  were  prompt  to  act. 

Nor  did  they  guard  their  claim  to  the  waters 
of  the  river  alone.  The  royal  reglamento  gave 
the  pueblo  the  right  to  the  waters  of  the  springs 
as  well  as  to  the  river. 

In  the  city  archives  is  a  parallel  case  to  the 
Crystal  Springs  controversy.  It  is  the  "Aguage 
de  los  Abilas,"  the  spring  of  the  Abilas.  During 
the  great  flood  of  1815  the  river  cut  a  new  chan- 
nel for  itself  along  the  edge  of  the  mesa  on  the 
western  side  of  the  valley.  It  left  its  old  channel 
at  the  point  of  the  hills  and  flowed  down  the 
valley  very  nearly  on  what  is  now  the  line  of  San 
Fernando  and  Alameda  streets.  It  subsequently 
returned  to  its  old  channel  on  the  eastern  side  of 
its  vallev.  For  many  years  after,  along  the  base 
of    the    hills    where    the    San    Fernando    depot 


grounds  now  are,  and  below  that  where  the 
Beaudry  waterworks  were  formerly  located,  there 
were  springs  formed  by  the  percolation  of  the 
water  through  the  old  river  channel.  Along  about 
1826  or  '27,  Francisco  Abila  was  allowed  to  use 
the  waters  of  the  largest  of  these  springs  for  irri- 
gation. 

In  1833  his  widow,  Sehora  Encarnacion  Sepul- 
veda,  applied  for  a  land  grant  and  the  exclusive 
possession  of  this  spring  on  the  plea  of  having 
had  the  exclusive  use  of  the  spring  for  a  long 
time.  The  case  was  argued  in  the  ayuntamiento, 
and  that  august  body  promptly  decided  it  against 
her.  While  its  decision  is  not  couched  in  the 
legal  verbiage  of  a  supreme  court  decision,  it 
nevertheless  abounds  in  good  sense  and  good  law 
points. 

This  is  the  decision :  "The  illustrious  ayun- 
tamiento decided  that  the  spring  in  question 
should  be  held  for  the  benefit  of  the  public,  who 
would  be  injured  if  this  spring  belonged  to  a  pri- 
vate individual.  Furthermore,  this  illustrious 
ayuntamiento  is  informed  that  the  immediate 
neighborhood  is  in  need  of  the  water  from  that 
spring.  In  this  particular,  Capt.  Don  Jose 
Noriega,  who  granted  said  Abila  the  use  of  this 
spring,  decreed  as  follows :  'The  said  water 
springs  are  hereby  granted  to  Abila  in  case  the 
public  does  not  desire  to  use  its  waters.' 

"This  ayuntamiento  also  takes  into  considera- 
tion that  when  said  spring  was  granted  to  the 
late  Francisco  Abila,  the  number  of  residents  in 
this  city  was  not  as  large  as  now.  Also  at  that 
time  said  Abila  possessed  a  small  orchard,  which 
he  irrigated  with  the  waters  of  this  spring,  but  at 
present  he  does  not  possess  any  lands ;  and  there 
is  nothing  to  irrigate  on  his  former  place.  Sefiora 
Encarnacion  Sepulveda  has  no  more  right  to  the 
waters  of  this  spring  than  any  other  resident,  it 
being  community  property.  She  as  well  as  the 
rest  of  the  community  shall  apply  to  the  alcalde 
for  a  permit  at  any  time  they  may  need  to  use 
the  water  of  said  spring." 

It  was  ordered  that  this  decision  be  published 
as  an  ordinance  of  the  city. 

During  the  sixty-six  years  that  Los  Angeles 
was  under  Spanish  and  Mexican  domination,  no 
cloud  was  allowed  to  rest  on  the  water  rights  of 
the  pueblo   or  of   its   successor,   the   ciudad,  but 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


345 


during  the  years  of  American  rule  clouds  have 
shadowed  it,  nor  have  they  rolled  by.  I  have 
space  in  this  only  to  briefly  glance  at  a  few  of  the 
legal  contests  which  the  city  has  fought  over  its 
water  rights  of  late  years. 

In  1873  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  brought  suit 
against  Leon  ]\'Ic  L.  Baldwin  to  quiet  its  title 
to  two  irrigation  heads  of  water  that  said  Bald- 
win and  others  were  appropriating  and  claiming 
to  own.  These  heads  were  taken  from  the  river 
and  used  on  Los  Feliz  rancho.  The  court  held 
that,  so  far  as  appears  from  the  evidence,  the 
city  is  not  the  owner  of  the  "corpus"  of  the 
water  of  the  river.  By  reason  of  this  decision 
and  failure  to  prosecute  a  fomier  action  brought 
against  the  same  parties,  the  city  in  1884  paid 
$50,000  to  buy  back  these  two  irrigation  heads  of 
water  and  some  odier  privileges  lost  by  default. 

A  suit  was  brought  by  Anastacio  Feliz  against 
the  city  of  Los  Angeles  for  cutting  off  the  water 
of  the  river  from  the  plaintiff's  ditch.  In  this 
case  the  court  found  that  ever  since  the  founda- 
tion of  the  pueblo  in  1781,  the  pueblo  or  its  suc- 
cessor, the  city,  had  claimed  the  exclusive  right 
to  use  all  the  waters  of  the  Los  Angeles  river, 
and  said  right  had  been  recognized  and  allowed 
by  owners  of  the  land  at  the  source  and  border- 
ing on  said  river. 

The  judge  of  the  lower  court  ( AIcNealy) 
granted  a  perpetual  injunction,  enjoining  the  city 
from  depriving  the  plaintiff  Feliz  of  sufficient 
river  water  for  irrigation  and  domestic  use.  The 
supreme  court  set  aside  the  injunction  and  re- 
versed the  judgment  of  the  lower  court.  The 
supreme  court,  however,  held  in  its  decision,  that 
if  there  was  a  surplus  in  the  river  over  and  above 
the  needs  of  the  lands  situated  wilhin  the  city 
limits,  that  surplus  might  be  appropriated  by 
riparian  owners  above  the  city,  but  that  the  city 
could  not  sell  water  to  parties  outside  of  its 
limits  to  the  detriment  of  riparian  owners  above 
it.  This  decision  was  rendered  before  our  mu- 
nicipal expansion  began. 

The  last  impoitant  legal  battle  which  the  city 
has  fought  to  a  finish  is  the  Pomeroy-Hooker 
case,  entitled  "The  City  of  Los  Angeles,  respond- 
ent, vs.  A.  E.  Pomeroy  and  J.  D.  Hooker,  ap- 
pellants," decided  by  the  supreme  court  June, 
1899.     It  was  begun  in  one  of  the  superior  courts 


of  Los  Angeles  in  1893  and  carried  to  the  su- 
preme court  of  the  state. 

It  was  a  suit  to  condemn  a  tract  of  about  315 
acres  of  land  lying  near  the  base  of  the  Cahuenga 
range,  and  extending  along  the  river  nearly  two 
miles  in  length  by  half  a  mile  in  width. 

Being  at  a  point  where  the  Verdugo  hills  come 
nearest  the  Cahuenga  range  and  thus  narrow  the 
river  valley,  the  land  was  needed  by  the  city  for 
headworks.  The  city  and  the  owners  could  not 
agree  on  the  price,  the  owners  asking  a  high 
price  on  account  of  the  percolating  waters  from 
the  river,  which  waters  they  claimed  the  right 
to  sell.  The  city  began  a  suit  of  condemnation 
and  gained  it.  The  defendants  appealed  from 
the  decree  of  condemisation  and  from  the  order 
overruling  their  motion  for  a  new  trial.  The 
supreme  court,  in  a  lengthy  decision,  sustained 
the  rulings  of  the  lower  court. 

When  the  thirty  years'  contract  with  the  as- 
signs of  Messrs.  Griffin,  Beaudry  and  Lazard  ex- 
pired July  22,  1898,  a  number  of  schemes  were 
broached  by  which  the  city  could  get  possession 
of  the  water  works.  None  of  these  resulted  in 
anything  more  than  talk  and  some  long-winded 
resolutions  for  political  effect. 

The  question  of  the  value  of  the  water  com- 
pany's plant  was  submitted  to  arbitration,  as 
provided  for  in  the  original  contract.  The  city 
council  chose  James  C.  Kays  and  the  water  com- 
pany Charles  T.  Healy.  After  considerable 
time  spent  in  collecting  data  and  discussing  val- 
ues, these  two  arbitrators,  being  unable  to  agree, 
chose  for  the  third  Col.  George  H.  jMendell.  On 
the  1 2th  of  May,  1899,  James  C.  Kays  and 
George  H.  Mendell  made  an  award  fixing  the 
\-alue  of  the  Los  Angeles  City  Water  Company's 
property  at  $1,183,591.42.  From  this  award 
Charles  T.  Healy  dissented. 

August  23,  1899,  an  election  was  held  to  au- 
thorize the  issuing  of  city  bonds  to  the  amount 
of  $2,090,000;  $2,000,000  of  this  amount  was  to 
pay  the  City  Water  Company  for  its  pipes,  reser- 
voirs and  water  works  and  the  remainder  to  be 
used  in  the  construction  of  head  works,  the  build- 
ing of  reservoirs,  pipe  lines,  etc.  The  bond  is- 
sue carried  seven  to  one. 

The  water  s\stem,  or  rather  the  pipes,  reser- 
voirs and  water  works,  of  the  Los  Angeles  City 


346 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Water  Company  were  transferred  to  the  munici- 
pality on  payment  of  the  agreed  price.  A  board 
of  five  water  commissioners  was  appointed  from 
among  leading  business  men  to  manage  the 
water  system  of  the  city.  A  reduction  of  ten  per 
cent  was  made  in  the  water  rates.  The  rapid 
growth  of  the  city  for  the  past  five  years  has 
made  its  water  system  a  valuable  source  of  rev- 
enue. In  1904,  three  years  after  the  city  ac- 
quired the  system,  it  paid  all  operating  and  main- 
tenance expenses,  provided  interest  and  sinking 
funds  for  the  bonds  and  for  extending  the  plant. 
In  addition  to  all  these  it  netted  to  the  city  a 
profit  of  $640,000. 

The  securing  of  the  control  of  its  water  sys- 
tem did  not  put  an  end  to  litigation.  A  number 
of  suits  were  begun  by  different  land  holders 
living  contiguous  to  the  river  above  the  city. 
These  were  fought  out  in  the  state  courts  and 
the  city  in  almost  everj'  instance  won.  One  of 
these  cases,  brought  in  the  superior  court  of 
Los  Angeles,  Judge  Gibbs  decided  against  the 
ranchers  and  enjomed  one  hundred  and  sixty  of 
them  from  pumping  water  from  the  underflow 
of  the  Los  Angeles  river  when  the  city  needed 
the  water.  Robert  Devine  and  240  other  prop- 
erty owners  residents  along  the  Los  Angeles  riv- 
er for  a  distance  of  six  to  eight  miles  north  of 
the  city,  and  s  mile  and  a  half  back  from  the 
stream,  banded  together  and  brought  suit  in  the 
federal  courts  at  Los  Angeles  to  test  the  city's 
claims.  Judge  Wellborn  decided  against  them. 
The  case  was  carried  to  the  supreme  court  of 
the  United  States.  On  the  14th  of  May,  1906, 
that  court  handed  down  a  decision  that  the  city 
of  Los  Angeles  controls  the  waters  of  the  Los 
Angeles  river.  By  this  decision  the  ranchers 
are  deprived  of  the  right  to  use  the  waters  of  the 
river  except  as  the  city  sees  fit  to  grant  them 
that  privilege. 

THE    OWENS    RIVER    PROJECT. 

For  a  number  of  years  before  the  lease  of  the 
city  water  system  had  expired  the  necessity 
for  a  more  abundant  supply  than  could  possibly 
be  obtained  from  the  Los  Angeles  river  had 
been  discussed.  The  waters  of  the  other  Southern 
California  rivers  had  all  been  appropriated   for 


irrigation  and  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  water 
rights  in  any  of  them  without  purchasing  all  the 
irrigable  land  contiguous  to  these  rivers. 

Such  a  course  would  not  only  have  destroyed 
highly  cultivated  districts  where  land  was  worth 
from  $500  to  $1,000  per  acre,  but  would  have 
deprived  many  of  the  minor  towns  of  their 
water  supply.  It  became  necessary  to  go  beyond 
Southern  California  for  water.  For  several 
years  past  the  board  of  water  commissioners  had 
been  quietly  investigating  other  sources  of  water 
supply  than  those  now  accessible  to  the  city. 

To  Fred  Eaton,  an  ex-city  engineer  and  ex- 
mayor  of  Los  Angeles,  belongs  the  credit  of 
originating  the  scheme  of  bringing  water  from 
Owens  river  to  Los  Angeles  city.  This  river 
drains  the  east  side  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mount- 
ains for  a  distance  of  100  miles.  While  the 
region  through  which  it  passes  is  a  "land  of  lit- 
tle rain"  the  melting  snows  from  Mt.  Whitney, 
Mt.  Dana  and  other  high  mountain  peaks  give 
an  abundant  supply  of  water  to  that  river. 

The  distance  from  Los  Angeles  to  Owens 
river  is  about  two  hundred  miles.  The  work  of 
bringing  a  copious  supply  of  pure  mountain 
water  that  distance  through  a  massive  cement 
conduit  across  deserts  and  over  mountains  will 
be  one  of  the  most  notable  projects  ever  under- 
taken by  a  city  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  a 
water  system.  Eaton  procured  an  option  on  a 
number  of  farms  with  their  irrigating  canals  con- 
tiguous to  the  river.  The  people  of  Inyo  county, 
through  which  the  greater  portion  of  the  river 
flows,  opposed  the  scheme,  but  the  owners  of 
the  land  had  an  undoubted  right  to  sell  it  and 
the  water,  which  was  an  appurtenance  of  the 
land,  went  with  it.  In  August,  1905,  a  bond  is- 
sue for  $1,500,000  was  voted  by  the  people  of 
Los  Angeles  to  make  the  first  payment  on  land 
purchased.  A  bill  was  introduced  into  congress 
and  passed  the  senate  and  house  to  give  Los  An- 
geles the  right  of  way  over  government  land  for 
conduits  and  tunnels. 

It  is  estimated  that  it  will  involve  an  expendi- 
ture of  twenty-three  million  dollars  to  construct 
a  concrete  conduit  210  miles  in  length  with  an 
internal  diameter  of  not  less  than  fifteen  feet. 
The  whole  scheme  is  in  the  incipient  stages  and 
it  is  impossible  to  predict  the  outcome. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


347 


CHAPTER    L. 

PIONEER  CHURCHES  OF  LOS  ANGELES  CITY. 


(Note.  The  churches  of  Los  Angeles  have  become 
so  numerous  that  it  is  impossible  in  the  limits  allowed 
me  to  give  a  history  of  each.  Only  the  history  of  the 
pioneer  church  organization  of  each  denomination  repre- 
sented in  the  city  is  given.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so 
many  of  the  churches  have  failed  to  preserve  their  early 
records.  I  have  failed  to  find  from  their  archives  any 
clear  and  connected  account  of  the  early  history  of  some 
of  the  Protestant  churches.  The  history  of  the  first 
churches  given  in  this  chapter  has  been  compiled  mainly 
from  items  and  notices  found  in  files  of  the  old  Los 
Angeles  Star.) 

THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

THE  first  church  or  chapel  built  in  Los 
Angeles  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  near 
what  is  now  the  southeast  corner  of  Buena 
\'ista  street  and  Bellevue  avenue.  It  was  an 
adobe  structure  about  18x24  feet  in  size,  and 
was  completed  in  1784.  In  181 1  the  citizens 
obtained  permission  to  built  a  new  church- — the 
primitive  chapel  had  become  too  small  to  ac- 
commodate the  increasing  population  of  the 
pueblo  and  its  vicinity. 

The  corner  stone  of  the  new  church  was  laid 
and  blessed  August  15,  1814,  by  Father  Gil,  of 
the  Mission  San  Gabriel.  Just  where  it  was 
placed  is  uncertain.  It  is  probable  that  it  was 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  old  Plaza.  In  1818 
it  was  moved  to  higher  ground — its  present  site. 
The  great  flood  of  181 5,  when  the  waters  of  the 
river  came  up  to  the  lower  side  of  the  old  Plaza, 
probably  necessitated  the  change.  When  the 
foundation  was  laid  a  second  time  the  citizens 
subscribed  500  cattle.  In  1819  the  friars  of  the 
San  Gabriel  Mission  contributed  seven  barrels 
of  brandy  to  the  building  fund  worth  $575.  This 
donation,  with  the  previous  contribution  of  cat- 
tle, was  sufificient  to  raise  the  walls  to  the  window 
arches  by  1821.*  There  it  came  to  a  full  stop. 
The  Pueblo  colonists  were  poor  in  purse  and 
chary  of  exertion.  They  were  more  willing  to 
wait  than  to  labor.  Indeed,  they  seem  to  have 
performed  but  little  of  the  labor.  The  neophytes 
of  San  Gabriel  and  San  Luis  Rey  did  the  most 

•Bancroft's   History   of   California,    Vol.    I. 


of  the  work  and  were  paid  a  real  (twelve  and 
a  half  cents)  a  day  each,  the  missions  getting 
the  money.  Jose  Antonio  Ramerez  was  the 
architect.  When  the  colonists'  means  were  ex- 
hausted the  missions  were  appealed  to  for  aid. 
They  responded  to  the  appeal.  The  contribu- 
tions to  the  building  fund  were  various  in  kind 
and  somewhat  incongruous  in  character.  The 
Missions  San  Miguel  contributed  500  cattle,  San 
Luis  Obispo  200,  Santa  Barbara  one  barrel  of 
brandy,  San  Diego  two  barrels  of  white  wine, 
Purisima  six  mules  and  200  cattle,  San  Gabriel 
two  barrels  of  brandy  and  San  Fernando  one. 
Work  was  begun  again  on  the  church  and  pushed 
to  completion.  A  house  for  the  curate  was  also 
buijt.  It  was  an  adobe  structure  and  stood  near 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  church.  The  church 
was  completed  and  formally  dedicated  December 
8,  1822 — eight  years  after  the  laying  of  the 
first  corner  stone. 

Captain  de  La  Guerra  was  chosen  by  the  ayun- 
tamiento,  padrino  or  godfather.  San  Gabriel 
Mission  loaned  a  bell  for  the  occasion.  The  fiesta 
of  Our  Lady  of  the  Angels  had  been  postponed 
so  that  the  dedication  and  the  celebration  could 
be  held  at  the  same  time.  Cannon  boomed  on 
the  Plaza  and  salvos  of  musketry  intoned  the 
services. 

The  present  building  and  its  surroundings  bear 
but  little  resemblance  to  the  Nueva  Iglesia  (new 
church)  that  Padre  Payeras  labored  so  earnest- 
ly to  complete  eighty-five  years  ago.  It  then  had 
no  floor  but  the  beaten  earth  and  no  seats.  The 
worshipers  sat  or  knelt  on  the  bare  ground  or  on 
cushions  they  brought  with  them.  There  was  no 
distinction  between  the  poor  and  the  rich  at  first, 
but  as  time  passed  and  the  Indians  degenerated 
or  the  citizens  became  more  aristocratic,  a  petition 
was  presented  to  the  ayuntamiento  to  provide  a 
separate  place  of  worship  for  the  Indians.  If 
the  Indian's  presence  in  church  was  undesirable 
on  account  of  his  filthv  habits,  still  he  was  useful 


348 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


as  a  church  builder.  At  the  session  of  the  ayun- 
tamiento  June  19,  1839,  ^'''^  president  stated, 
"that  he  had  been  informed  by  Jose  M.  Navarro, 
who  serves  as  sexton,  that  the  baptistery  of  the 
church  is  ahnost  in  ruins  on  account  of  a  leaking 
roof.  It  was  ordered  that  Sunday  next  the  al- 
caldes of  the  Indians  shall  meet  and  bring  to- 
gether the  Indians  without  a  boss,  so  that  no  one 
will  be  inconvenienced  by  the  loss  of  labor  of  his 
Indians  and  place  them  to  work  thereon,  using 
some  posts  and  brea  now  at  the  guardhouse,  the 
regidor  (or  councilman)  on  weekly  duty  to  have 
charge  of  the  work."  Extensive  repairs  were 
made  on  tlie  church  in  1841-42.  In  the  sindico's 
account  book  is  this  entry:  "Guillermo  (Will- 
iam) Money  owes  the  city  funds  out  of  the  labor 
of  the  prisoners,  loaned  him  for  the  church,  $126." 
As  the  prisoners'  labor  was  valued  at  a  real 
(twelve  and  a  half  cents)  a  day  it  must  have  re- 
quired considerable  repairing  to  amount  to  $126. 
In  1 86 1  the  church  building  was  remodeled, 
the  "faithful  of  the  parish"  bearing  the  expense. 
The  front  wall,  which  had  been  damaged  by  the 
rains,  was  taken  down  and  rebuilt  of  brick  in- 
stead of  adobe.  The  flat  brea-covered  roof  was 
changed  to  a  shingled  one  and  the  tower  altered. 
The  grounds  were  inclosed  and  planted  with 
trees  and  flowers.  The  old  adobe  parish  house 
built  in  1822,  with  the  additions  made  to  it,  later 
was  torn  down  and  the  present  brick  structure 
erected.  The  church  has  a  seating  capacity  of 
500.  It  is  the  oldest  parish  church  on  the  Pacific 
coast  of  the  United  States ;  and  is  the  only  build- 
ing now  in  use  that  was  built  in  the  Spanish  era 
of  our  city's  history. 

THE    CATHEDRAL    OF    ST.    VIBI.\NA. 

The  cornerstone  of  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Vibiana 
was  laid  by  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Amat,  Oc- 
tober 3,  1869.  "There  was,"  says  the  Star,  "an 
immense  concourse  of  citizens  present,  both  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  all  desirous  to  witness  the  inter- 
esting ceremonies.  It  was  the  largest  assemblage 
drawn  together  here  and  must  have  amounted 
to  nearly  3,000  persons."  The  cathedral  is  to  be 
cruciform,  116  feet  wide,  266  feet  long,  the  tran- 
sept or  cross  168  feet.  The  estimated  cost  $100,- 
000." 


The  first  site  chosen  for  the  cathedral  and  the 
place  where  the  cornerstone  was  laid  October  3, 
1869,  was  on  the  west  side  of  Main  street  be- 
tween Fifth  and  Sixth,  extending  through  to 
Spring  street.  This  location  was  well  out  of  town 
then.  In  1871  the  site  was  changed  to  the  pres- 
ent location  of  the  cathedral,  east  side  of  Main, 
just  south  of  Second  street.  The  edifice  was 
opened  for  service  Palm  Sunday,  April  9,  1876, 
but  the  formal  dedication  took  place  April  30, 
and  was  conducted  by  Bishop  Alemany. 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCHES. 

The  first  Protestant  sermon  ever  preached  in 
Los  Angeles  was  delivered  by  a  Methodist  min- 
ister. Rev.  J.  W.  Brier.  The  place  of  service  was 
the  adobe  residence  of  J.  G.  Nichols,  which  stood 
on  the  present  site  of  the  Bullard  block,  and  the 
time  a  Sunday  in  June,  1850.  Mr.  Brier  was  one 
of  the  belated  immigrants  of  1849,  who  reached 
Salt  Lake  City  too  late  in  the  season  to  cross  the 
Sierra  Nevadas  before  the  snowfall.  A  party  of 
these  numbering  500  under  the  leadership  of  Jef- 
ferson Hunt,  a  Mormon,  started  by  the  then  al- 
most unknown  southern  route  to  Los  Angeles. 
After  traveling  together  for  several  weeks,  a 
number  of  the  immigrants  became  dissatisfied, 
and  leaving  the  main  body  undertook  to  reach 
the  settlements  on  the  sea  coast  by  crossing  the 
desert  in  the  neighborhood  of  Death  Valley.  Mr. 
Brier  was  of  this  party.  INIany  of  these  unfor- 
tunates perished  on  the  desert.  After  almost  in- 
credible hardships  and  suffering  Mr.  Brier,  with 
his  wife  and  three  children,  reached  Los  Angeles 
in  February,  1850,  by  way  of  the  Soledad  canon. 
He  remained  here  for  several  months  and  then 
went  north. 

Early  in  1853  Rev.  Adam  Bland  was  sent  by 
the  California  Conference  to  Los  Angeles  as  a 
missionary.  His  field  was  Southern  California. 
He  rented  or  leased  for  a  church  a  frame  build- 
ing which  had  formerly  been  used  for  a  saloon. 
This  building  stood  on  the  present  site  of  the 
Merced  theatre  or  Abbot  block.  Here  he  held 
regular  services  twice  every  Sunday  from  1853 
to  1855,  when  he  was  made  presiding  elder.  Mrs. 
Bland  taught  a  girls'  school  in  the  building  in 
1853,  which  was  known  as  the  Methodist  Chapel. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFX'ORD, 


349 


The  other  pastors  who  either  assisted  him  while 
in  charge  of  the  church  or  succeeded  him  were 
Revs.  J.  Dunlap,  J.  AIcHenry  Cohvell  and  W.  R. 
Peck.  In  October,  1857.  Elijah  Mearchant  took 
charge,  succeeding  Rev.  A.  L.  S.  Bateman. 

In  the  Weekly  Star  of  March  i,  1855,  I  find 
this  item :  "Rev.  Mr.  Colwell  informs  us  that  a 
contract  has  been  made  with  Messrs.  Loyd  & 
Sons  to  build  a  brick  church  in  this  city  next 
summer.  The  size  is  to  be  40x24  feet.  The  ma- 
terials are  to  be  of  the  best  and  the  st)4e  the  most 
modern.  The  property  is  to  belong  to  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  The  entire  cost  is  pro- 
vided for  except  $500."  The  church  was  not 
built.  After  1858  the  field  seems  to  have  been 
abandoned.  There  is  no  record  of  any  other 
Methodist  minister  being  stationed  here  until 
1866,  when  Rev.  C.  Gillet  came  as  a  missionary. 
He  was  succeeded  by  A.  P.  Hernden  in  1867. 
Rev.  A.  P.  Coplin  had  charge  in  1 868  and  Rev. 
A.  M.  Hough  in  1869-70. 

The  first  church  built  by  the  ^^lethodist  denom- 
ination in  Los  Angeles  was  on  the  west  side  of 
Broadway,  between  Third  and  Fourth  streets.  It 
was  dedicated  November  15,  1868.  The  follow- 
ing extract  from  the  IVeckly  Star  gives  an  ac- 
count of  the  dedication  and  cost  of  the  building. 
"The  services  of  dedication  of  the  new  ATethodist 
Cliurch  in  this  city  took  place  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing last.  November  iq.  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  of  San 
Francisco  preached  the  dedicating  sermon.  Rev. 
A.  Bland  assisted  on  the  occasion.  There  was 
a  large  attendance  and  a  subscription  of  $750  was 
taken  up.  leaving  as  a  debt  on  the  congregation 
$1,000.  The  lot  and  building  cost  $3,150,  of 
which  $1,400  have  been  paid."  In  1875  a  second 
church  edifice  was  erected  on  the  south  70  feet  of 
the  lot  on  which  the  first  building  was  built.  The 
second  building  cost  $18,000.  In  1887  it  was 
enlarged  and  improved  at  an  expense  of  $14,000. 
The  conversion  of  Fort  street,  now  changed  to 
Broadway,  to  a  business  street  necessitated  the 
change  of  the  church's  location.  The  lot  was 
sold  in  July,  1890.  for  $68,000.  The  last  sermon 
was  preached  in  it  August  20.  tSqo.  The  con- 
gregation of  the  First  ^Methodist  Giurch,  for- 
merly the  Fort  street,  completed  in  1900  a  hand- 
some building  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Hill 
and  Sixth  streets. 


:\IETII011IST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCHES   (  SOUTH  ).     , 

The  first  permanent  organization  of  this  de- 
nomination was  effected  in  1873.  A  lot  was  pur- 
chased on  the  east  side  of  Spring  street,  between 
b'irst  and  Second  streets,  where  the  Corfu  block 
now  stands.  On  this  was  erected  the  original 
Trinity  Church,  under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev. 
A.  M.  Campbell.  This  church  was  sold  in  1884 
and  a  larger  lot  purchased  on  Broadway,  between 
Fifth  and  Si.xth  streets.  On  this,  in  1885,  a 
building  costing  about  $40,000  was  erected.  This 
lot  was  sold  in  1894  at  a  handsome  profit  and  the 
present  building  on  Grand  avenue  near  Eighth 
street  built. 

PRi:SBVTERI.\N    CHURCHES. 

As  pioneers  in  the  missionary  field  of  Los 
.\ngeles,  the  Methodists  came  first  and  the 
Presbvterians  second.  The  Rev.  James  Woods 
held  the  first  Presbyterian  service  in  November, 
1854,  in  a  little  carpenter  shop  that  stood  on  part 
of  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Pico  house.  The 
first  organization  of  a  Presbyterian  church  was 
effected  in  March,  1855,  with  twelve  members. 
The  Rev.  Woods  held  regular  Sunday  services  in 
the  old  Court  House,  northwest  corner  of  North 
Spring  and  Franklin  streets,  during  the  fall  of 
1854  and  part  of  the  year  1855.  He  organized  a 
church  and  also  a  Sunday  school.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded bv  the  Rev.  T.  N.  Davis,  who  continued 
regular  services  until  August,  1856,  when  he 
abandoned  the  field  in  disgust  and  returned  to 
his  home  in  the  east. 

The  editor  of  the  Los  Angeles  Star,  comment- 
ing on  his  departure  and  on  the  moral  destitution 
of  the  city  says :  "The  Protestant  portion  of  the 
American  population  are  now  without  the  privi- 
lege of  assembling  together  to  worship  God  under 
direction  of  one  of  his  ministers." 

"The  state  of  society  here  is  truly  deplorable." 
:■.  *  ^.  *  ."j-p  preach  week  after  week  to 
cmptv  benches  is  certainly  not  encouraging,  but 
if  in  addition  to  that  a  minister  has  to  contend 
against  a  torrent  of  vice  and  immorality  which 
obliterates  all  traces  of  the  Christian  Sabbath— 
to  be  compelled  to  endure  blasphemous  denuncia- 
tions of  his  Divine  Master ;  to  live  where  society 
is  disorganized,  religion  scoffed  at,  where  violence 
runs  riot,  and  even  life  itself  is  unsafe — such  a 


350 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


condition  of  affairs  may  suit  some  men,  but  it  is 
not  calculated  for  tlie  peaceful  labors  of  one  who 
follows  unobtrusively  the  footsteps  of  the  meek 
and  lowly  Savior." 

After  the  departure  of  the  Rev.  Davis  in  1856, 
and  the  discontinuance  of  Methodist  and  Epis- 
copal services  in  the  latter  part  of  1857  a  season 
of  spiritual  darkness  seems  to  have  enshrouded 
Los  Angeles.  There  was,  as  far  as  I  can  learn, 
no  Protestant  service  in  Los  Angeles  during  the 
year  1858. 

The  next  Presbyterian  minister  to  locate  in 
Los  Angeles  was  the  Rev.  William  E.  Board- 
man.  He  and  his  wife  arrived  Februar)-  6,  1859. 
He  preached  his  first  sermon  Februan,'  26,  in 
School  House  No.  2,  located  on  Bath  street  north 
of  the  Plaza.    He  reorganized  the  Sunday  school. 

It  had  become  clearly  evident  to  the  few 
church-going  people  resident  in  the  city  that  dif- 
ferent denominational  church  services  could  not 
be  maintained  in  it.  The  question  of  uniting  the 
representatives  of  the  different  Protestant 
churches  into  one  organization  was  agitated.  A 
call  for  all  such  was  made.  The  Los  Angeles 
Star  of  May  7,  1859,  contains  the  following  re- 
port of  that  meeting. 

FIRST    PROTESTANT    SOCIETY. 

At  a  meeting  held  for  the  purpose  of  organiz- 
ing an  Association  for  maintaining  Protestant 
worship  in  the  City  of  Los  Angeles,  the  Rev.  W. 
E.  Boardman  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  Will- 
iam H.  Shore  appointed  Secretary — and  the  fol- 
lowing preamble  and  Constitution  were  unani- 
mously adopted : 

First  Protestant  Society  of  the  City  of  Los  An- 
geles, California. 

Desirous  of  securing  for  ourselves  and  others 
in  our  city,  the  privileges  of  Divine  Worship  ac- 
cording to  the  Protestant  order;  and  in  the  ab- 
sence of  a  regularly  organized  Protestant 
Church,  seeing  the  necessity  for  some  other  as- 
sociation which  can  authorize  the  collection  and 
disbursement  of  money  and  the  transaction  of 
such  other  business  as  will  necessarily  arise,  we, 
who  hereunto  affix  our  names,  have  agreed  to 
unite  in  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  supporting 
Protestant  Worship  here,  and  do  adopt  for  our 
organization  and  government  the  following: 


CONSTITUTION. 
Article  i.     Our  style  and  title  shall  be  "The 
First  Protestant  Society  of  the  City  of  Los  An- 
geles." 

2nd.  Our  officers  shall  be,  a  Board  of  Trus- 
tee,-^, five  in  number,  three  of  whom  shall  con- 
stitute a  quorum,  to  be  elected  annually,  and  re- 
port at  the  end  of  each  year.  One  of  their  own 
number  shall  be  selected  by  themselves  to  be  the 
President  of  the  society,  and  another  as  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer. 

3rd.  An  annual  meeting  duly  called  and  pub- 
Hcly  notified  by  the  Board,  shall  be  held  on  the 
first  Wednesday  of  May  in  each  year,  or  if  that 
day  shall  be  allowed  to  pass  without  a  meeting, 
then,  as  soon  after  as  notice  can  be  duly  given, 
for  the  purpose  of  hearmg  the  annual  report  of 
the  Board  and  holding  the  annual  election.  Any 
vacancy  occurring  in  the  Board  during  the  year 
may  be  filled  ad  interim  by  the  selection  of  some 
one  by  the  Board  itself. 

4th.  Money  may  be  collected  for  the  society 
by  such  persons  onl}-  as  the  Board  shall  appoint. 
And  the  Treasurer  may  pay  out  money  for  the 
society  only  upon  the  written  order  of  the  Board, 
signed  by  the  President. 

5th.  The  condition  of  membership  in  the  so- 
ciety is  simply  the  signing  of  this  constitution. 
And  the  duty  of  each  member  shall  be,  to  aid 
in  all  suitable  ways  in  securing  the  present 
maintenance  and  permanent  establishment  and 
successful  progress  of  Protestant  Worship  in  this 
city. 

Adopted  this  fourth  dav  of  :\ray,  A.  D.  1859. 
Isaac  S.  K.  Ogier,        D.   McLaren, 
Wm.   McKee,  Thos.  Foster, 

A.  J.  King,  Wm.  H.   Shore, 

C.   Sims,  N.  A.  Potter, 

Charles    S.    Adams,      J.  R.  Gitchell. 
Wm.  S.  Morrow, 

The  constitution  having  been  signed  by  those 
present,  the  Society  proceeded  to  nominate  and 
elect  their  officers  for  the  ensuing  year,  where- 
upon the  Hon.  L  S.  K.  Ogier,  Hon.  B.  D.  Wil- 
son. J.  R.  Gitchell.  N.  A.  Potter  and  Wm.  Mc- 
Kee, were  unanimously  chosen  trustees.  On 
motion  it  was 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting 
be  published  in  the  newspapers  of  this  city. 
On  motion,   the   Society  adjourned. 

W.  E.  Boardman,  Chairman. 
Wm.  H.  Shore,  Secretary. 

J.  R.  Gitchell,  William  AlcKee  and  H.  D.  Bar- 
rows were  appointed  collectors  to  obtain  funds 
for  the  benefit  of  the  society.  The  organization 
was  composed  of  members  of  different  Protestant 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


351 


denominations  and  of  those  who  did  not  belong 
to  any.  The  Rev.  Boardman  continued  to  preach 
for  the  society  up  to  the  time  of  his  departure, 
April,  1862.  The  services  were  held  at  first  in 
the  school  house  and  later  in  the  court  house. 

A  lot  was  secured  at  the  southwest  comer  of 
Temple  and  New  High  streets,  where  the  stone 
steps  lead  up  to  the  court  house,  and  the  erection 
of  a  brick  church  begun.  The  work  progressed 
slowly.  When  Mr.  Boardman  left,  early  in  1862, 
the  walls  were  up  and  the  roof  on,  but  the  build- 
ing was  not  fit  for  occupancy.  After  the  de- 
parture of  Mr.  Boardman  another  season  of 
"spiritual  darkness"  settled  down  on  the  city. 
The  Civil  war  was  in  progress  and  sectional 
hatreds  were  bitter.  During  1863  and  1864 
there  was  no  regular  Protestant  service. 

In  1864  the  unfinished  church  was  advertised 
for  sale  on  account  of  delinquent  taxes.  Nobody 
wanted  a  half  built  church  when  the  sheriff  was 
offering  a  rancho  of  1,200  acres  for  $4  unpaid 
taxes. 

The  next  Presbyterian  minister  to  locate  in 
Los  Angeles  was  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Harding,  who 
came  in  1869.  He  abandoned  the  field  in  1871. 
The  Rev.  F.  A.  White,  LL.  D.,  came  in  1875.  He 
was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  F.  M.  Cunningham, 
and  he  by  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Ellis.  Under  the  min- 
istry of  Mr.  Ellis  in  1882-83  a  church  was  erected 
on  the  southeast  corner  of  Broadway  and  Second 
streets.  The  building  and  lot  cost  about  $20,000. 
Services  were  held  in  it  until  March,  1895,  when 
it  was  sold  for  $55,000.  The  congregation  di- 
vided into  two  organizations.  The  First  Presby- 
terian and  the  Central  Presbyterian.  The  First 
Presbyterian  built  a  church  on  Figueroa  and 
Twentieth  streets.  The  Central  Presbyterian  se- 
cured a  site  on  the  east  side  of  Hill  street  be- 
tween Second  and  Third  street  with  a  dwelling 
house  upon  it  which  they  have  enlarged  and  re- 
modeled and  use  for  a  church. 

PROTESTANT    EPISCOPAL    CHURCHES. 

The  first  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  service 
held  in  Los  Angeles  was  conducted  by  Dr. 
Mathew  Carter.  An  item  in  the  Weekly  Star  of 
May  9,  1857,  states  that  "Dr.  Carter  announces 
that  he  has  been  licensed  and  authorized  by  the 
Right  Rev.  W.  Ingraham  Kip,  Bishop  of  Cali- 


fornia, to  act  as  lay  reader  for  the  Southern  Dis- 
trict." He  held  regular  service  for  a  time  in 
Mechanics'  Institute  hall,  which  was  in  a  sheet- 
iron  building  near  the  corner  of  Court  and  North 
Spring  streets.  In  October,  1857,  St.  Luke's 
parish  was  organized,  and  the  following  named 
gentlemen  elected  a  board  of  trustees :  Dr.  T.  J. 
White,  Dr.  Mathew  Carter  and  William  Shore. 
A  building  was  rented  on  J\Iain  street,  near  Sec- 
ond, where  services  were  held  every  Sunday,  Dr. 
Carter  officiating.  Services  seem  to  have  been 
discontinued  about  the  close  of  the  year  1857, 
and  the  church  was  dissolved.  On  January  i, 
1865,  the  Rev.  Elias  Birdsall,  a  missionary  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  preached  his  first 
sermon  in  Odd  Fellows'  hall,  Downey  block.  The 
Protestant  society  which  had  begun  the  erection 
of  a  church  building  in  1859  under  the  ministra- 
tion of  Rev.  William  E.  Boardman,  a  Presby- 
terian minister,  as  has  been  previously  stated, 
offered  the  unfinished  building  to  the  Rev.  Bird- 
sail  for  services.  He  assented  to  this  on  con- 
dition that  it  be  transferred  to  the  Episcopalians. 
Those  who  had  contributed  toward  its  erection 
consented,  and  the  transfer  was  made.  The 
edifice  was  completed  and  named  St.  Athanasius 
Church,  and  the  Episcopalians  continued  to  wor- 
ship in  this  building  imtil  Christmas,  1883;  in 
the  meantime  the  property  was  sold  to  the  county 
for  a  court  house  site.  A  site  for  a  new  church 
was  ptirchased  on  Olive  street,  between  Fifth 
and  Sixth  streets,  where  a  handsome  building 
was  erected.  In  1884  the  name  of  the  organiza- 
tion was  changed  to  St.  Paul's  Church,  the  name 
it  still  bears. 

CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCHES. 

The  first  Congregational  minister  to  locate  in 
Los  Angeles  was  the  Rev.  Alexander  Parker,  a 
Scotchman  by  birth  and  a  graduate  of  Oberlin 
College  and  Theological  Seminary.  He  had 
served  in  the  Union  amiy  as  a  member  of  the 
famous  student  company  of  Oberlin  College — a 
company  whose  membership  was  largely  made 
up  of  theological   students. 

He  preached  his  first  sermon  here  July  7,  1866, 
in  the  court  house.  A  church  was  organized 
July  21,  1867,  with  six  members.  A  lot  was 
purchased  on  New  High  street,  north  of  Tern- 


352 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pie,  where  the  Beaudry  stone  wall  now  stands 
and  a  movement  begun  to  raise  funds  to  build 
a  church.  The  effort  was  successful.  The  fol- 
lowing extract  from  the  Los  Angeles  Star  gives 
an  account  of  the  dedication  of  the  church : 

"On  Sunday  morning  last  (June  28,  1868),  the 
new  Congregational  Church  was  opened  for  di- 
vine service  at  11  A.  M. 

"The  Rev.  E.  C.  Bissell,  pastor  of  Green 
Street  Church,  San  P'rancisco,  delivered  the 
dedicatory  sermon.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon 
the  Rev.  Alexander  Parker  came  forward  and 
gave  an  account  of  his  stewardship  in  his  exer- 
tions to  raise  this  house  for  the  worship  of  God. 
The  total  cost  was  about  $3,000,  of  which  $1,000 
was  obtained  from  San  Francisco;  $1,000  partly 
as  a  loan  and  partly  as  a  gift  from  churches  in 
the  Atlantic  stales,  and  collections  of  small 
amounts  at  home,  leaving  at  present  a  debt  of 
about  $400  on  the  building,  which,  though  com- 
plete, is  not  yet  quite  furnished.  The  house  is 
small,  but  very  neatly  arranged ;  the  pews  are 
ample  and  comfortable,  and  the  building  is  lofty 
and  well  ventilated.  Its  dimensions  are  30x50 
feet;  it  will  seat  175  to  200  persons." 

Rev.  Parker  resigned  in  August,  1868.  He 
was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Isaac  W.  Atherton, 
who  reorganized  the  church  November  29,  1868. 
Services  were  held  in  the  little  church  on  New 
High  street  until  1883,  when,  on  May  3d  of 
that  year,  the  clmrch  on  the  .corner  of  Hill  and 
Third  streets  was  completed  and  dedicated.  The 
building  lot  and  organ  cost  about  $25,000.  In 
May,  1888,  this  building  was  sold  to  the  Cen- 
tral Baptist  Church,  and  a  lot  purchased  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  Hill  and  Sixth  street.  On 
this  a  building  was  erected  in  i88g.  The  cost 
of  the  lot,  church  building  and  furnishing 
amounted  to  about  $72,000,  to  which  was  added 
a  fine  organ,  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000.  This 
church  property  was  sold  in  1902  for  $77,000, 
and  a  new  site  purchased  on  Hope  street  near 
the  corner  of  Ninth,  where  a  beautiful  brick  and 
stone  church  costing  $100,000  was  completed 
in  July,   1903. 

BAPTIST     CHURCHES. 

The  first  sermon  preached  by  a  Baptist  min- 


ister in  Los  Angeles  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Free- 
man in  1853. 

The  first  regular  church  services  held  in  this 
city  by  a  Baptist  minister  were  conducted  by 
the  Rev.  Fryer  in  school  house  No.  i,  which 
stood  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Spring  and 
.Second  street.  The  Rev.  Fryer  held  services  ev- 
ery Sunday  during  the  year  i860.  He  seems  to 
have  abandoned  the  field  in  the  early  part  of 
1 861.  I  find  no  record  of  any  services  by  a  min- 
ister of  that  church  between  1861  and  1874. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Los  Angeles  was 
organized  September  6,  1874,  by  Rev.  William 
Hobbs.  There  were  but  eight  members  in  the 
organization.  The  services  were  held  in  the  gld 
court  house.  Dr.  Hobbs  severed  his  connection 
with  the  church  in  June,  1857.  For  fifteen 
months  the  church  was  without  a  pastor.  In 
September,  1876,  Rev.  Winfield  Scott  took  charge 
of  it.  He  was  succeeded  in  1878  by  the  Rev.  I. 
N.  Parker,  and  he  by  Rev.  Henry  Angel,  who 
died  in  1879. 

The  church  meetings  were  transferred  from 
the  court  house  to  a  hall  owned  by  Dr.  Zahn,  on 
Spring  street  between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets. 
Froni  there  it  moved  to  Good  Templars'  hall  on 
North  Main  street.  The  ordinance  of  baptism 
was  administered  either  in  the  river  or  in  the 
baptistery  of  the  Christian  Church  on  Temple 
street. 

For  two  years  after  the  death  of  Dr.  Angel 
the  church  remained  without  a  regular  minister. 
In  1 88 1  Rev.  P.  W.  Dorsey  took  charge  of  it. 
A  lot  was  secured  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Sixth  streets,  and  in  March,  1884, 
a  church  building  was  completed  and  dedicated. 
The  building  and  lots  cost  about  $25,000.  In 
the  summer  of  1897  the  lot  and  building  were 
sold  for  $45,000,  and  with  the  addition  of  $5,000 
raised  by  subscription  a  larger  and  more  com- 
modious building  was  erected  on  Flower  street, 
between  Seventh  and  Eighth  streets. 

CHRISTIAN    CHURCHES. 

The  first  sermon  preached  by  a  member  of  the 
Christian  denomination  was  delivered  by  Rev. 
G.  \Y.  Linton  in  Augijst,  1874,  in  the  court  room 
of  the  old  court  house.  In  October  and  Novem- 
ber of  that  year  inquiries  were  made  in  the  city 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


353 


for  persons  who  had  been  connected  with  the 
church  in  other  places.  Twenty-three  were 
found.  Of  these  fifteen  signified  their  wiUing- 
ness  to  unite  in  forming  a  church.  On  the  26th 
of  February,  1875,  the  first  church  was  organ- 
ized. Rev.  \\'.  J.  A.  Smith  was  the  first  preach- 
er. He  conducted  church  services  from  1875  to 
1877.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  John  C.  Hay, 
who  served  as  pastor  from  1877  to  1881.  The 
Rev.  B.  F.  Coulter  filled  the  pulpit  from  1881  tq 
1884.  During  his  ministry,  and  largely  through 
his  contributions,  the  First  Church  was  built  on 
Temple  street  near  Broadway,  where  the  Aber- 
deen lodging  house  now  stands.  Services  were 
held  in  this  building  until  1894.  when  it  was  sold 
and  a  church  edifice  erected  on  the  corner  of 
Hope  and  Eleventh  streets  at  a  cost  of  $25,000. 
witli  Rev.  A.  C.  Smithers,  as  pastor.  In  1895 
the  Rev.  B.  F.  Coulter  erected  the  Broadway 
Church  of  Christ  on  Broadway  near  Temple,  at 
a  cost  of  about  $20,000.  He  conducts  the  serv- 
ice in  this  church,  which  is  free  from  debt. 

UNITARIAN    CHURCH  F.S. 

The  first  religious  services  held  by  the  Uni- 
tarians were  at  the  residence  of  T.  E.  Severance 
in  ;\larch,  1877.  In  May  of  that  year  an  or- 
ganization was  perfected  and  regular  services 
were  conducted  by  the  Rev.  John  D.  Wells. 

In  1885  the  Rev.  Eli  Fay  located  in  Los  An- 
geles and  conducted  services  for  a  time  in  the 
Masonic  hall.  No.  135  South  Spring  street.  The 
church  was  reorganized  and  the  services  were 
held  in  Child's  opera  house  on  Main  street.  A 
lot  secured  on  Seventh  street  near  Broadway, 
and  largely  through  the  liberality  of  Dr.  Fay 
a  church  building.  45x100  feet  in  area,  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $25,000.  The  church  was 
dedicated  June  16,  1889.  It  was  destroyed  by 
fire  in  1892.  The  congregation  then  purchased 
from    the   Baptists   the   church    building  on   the 


northeast  corner  of  Hill  and  Third  street,  orig- 
inally built  by  the  Congregationalists.  This  site 
was  sold  for  business  purposes  in  1899.  The  last 
sermon  was  preached  in  it  by  the  Rev.  C.  K. 
Jones  March  18,  1900.  The  congregation  built 
a  new  church  on  Flower  street  between  Ninth 
and  Tenth  streets. 

SYNAGOGUES. 

Congregation  of  B'nai  B'rith.  The  first  Jew- 
ish serA'ices  in  Los  Angeles  were  held  in  1854. 
No  place  of  worship  was  erected  for  several 
years  later.  In  1862  Rabbi  A.  W.  Edleman  or- 
ganized the  congregation  of  B'nai  B'rith  and 
conducted  the  services   until    1886. 

The  first  synagogue  was  built  in  1873  on  what 
is  now  the  site  of  the  Copp  building,  just  north 
of  the  city  hall  grounds  on  the  east  side  of 
r.roadway.  The  lot  and  buildings  were  sold  in 
1894  and  a  new  synagogue  erected  on  the  corner 
of  Ninth  and  Hope  streets. 

OTHER    DENOMINATIONS. 

The  Reorganized  Church  of  Latter  Day  Saints 
(Mormon)  was  first  organized  in  the  autmun  of 
1882.  Services  are  now  held  at  No.  516  Temple 
street. 

The  New  Church  (Swedenborgian )  was  or- 
ganized in  1894,  and  held  services  for  some  time 
in  Temperance  Temple.  It  has  since  erected  a 
church  building  at  No.  515  East  Ninth  street  at 
a  cost  of  $3,000. 

Seventh  Day  Adventist,  organized  in  1880 
and  built  a  church  on  Sixth  street.  Thev  have 
now  a  church  at  No.  121  Carr  street  which  cost 
$6,000. 

Friends  Church  was  organized  in  1897.  The 
congregation  have  erected  a  church  building  on 
the  corner  of  Thu'd  and  Fremont  avenue  at  a 
cost  of  $4,000. 


354 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


CHAPTER    LI. 


THE  PIONEER  NEWSPAPERS  OF  LOS  ANGELES. 


TO  give  a  history  of  all  the  newspapers, 
living  and  dead,  that  have  existed  in  Los 
Angeles  within  the  past  fift3'-tive  years 
would  fill  a  large-sized  volume.  I  have  limited 
my  sketches  to  newspapers  whose  founding  dates 
back  twenty-five  years  or  to  those  established 
before  January  i,  1882.  Of  these  there  are  four 
still  living. 

The  following  sketch  of  the  first  newspaper 
published  in  Los  Angeles  is  compiled  from  a 
paper  prepared  by  the  author  of  this  history  sev- 
eral years  since  and  published  in  the  Annual  of 
the  Southern  California  Historical  Society  for 
1900.  Since  the  preparation  of  this  article  the 
files  of  the  Star,  from  which  the  earlier  histori- 
cal facts  were  drawn,  have  been  lost  or  de- 
stroyed, and  as  no  duplicates  to  my  knowledge 
exist  I  have  for  that  reason  given  more  space  to 
the  history  of  the  Star  than  otherwise  would  be- 
long to  it. 

In  our  American  colonization  of  the  "Great 
West,"  the  newspaper  has  kept  pace  with  immi- 
gration. In  the  building  up  of  a  new  town,  the 
want  of  a  newspaper  seldom  becomes  long  felt 
before  it  is  supplied. 

It  was  not  so  in  Spanish  colonization ;  in  it 
the  newspaper  came  late,  if  it  came  at  all.  There 
were  none  published  in  California  during  the 
Spanish  and  Mexican  eras.  The  first  newspaper 
published  in  California  was  issued  at  Monterey, 
August  15,  1846, — just  thirty-eight  days  after 
Commodore  Sloat  took  possession  of  the  terri- 
tory in  the  name  of  the  United  States.  This 
paper  was  called  "The  Calif ontian"  and  was  pub- 
lished by  Semple  &  Colton.  The  type  and  press 
used  had  been  brought  from  Mexico  by  Agustin 
V.  Zamorano  in  1834,  and  by  him  sold  to  the 
territorial  government;  and  it  had  been  used  for 
printing  bandos  and  pronunciamientos.  The  on- 
ly paper  the  publishers  of  The  Californian  could 
procure  was  that  used  in  making  cigarettes  which 


came  in  sheets  a  little  larger  than  ordinary  fools- 
cap. 

After  the  discovery  of  gold  in  1848,  news- 
papers in  California  multiplied  rapidly.  By  1850, 
all  the  leading  mining  towns  had  their  news- 
papers, but  Southern  California,  being  a  cow 
country  and  the  population  mostly  native  Cali- 
fornians  speaking  the  Spanish  language,  no  news- 
paper had  been  founded. 

The  first  proposition  to  establish  a  newspaper 
in  Los  Angeles  was  made  to  the  city  council 
October  16,  1850.  The  minutes  of  the  meeting 
on  that  date  contain  this  entry :  "Theodore  Fos- 
ter petitions  for  a  lot  situated  at  the  northerly 
corner  of  the  jail  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
thereon  a  house  to  be  used  as  a  printing  estab- 
lishment. The  council — taking  in  consideration 
the  advantages  which  a  printing  house  offers  to 
the  advancement  of  public  enlightenment,  and 
there  existing  as  yet  no  such  establishment  in 
the  city :  Resolved,  That  for  this  once  only  a 
lot  from  amongst  those  that  are  marked  on  the 
city  map  be  given  to  Mr.  Theodore  Foster  for 
the  purpose  of  establishing  thereon  a  printing 
house;  and  the  donation  be  made  in  his  favor 
because  he  is  the  first  to  inaugurate  this  public 
benefit;  subject,  however,  to  the  following  con- 
ditions : 

"First.  That  tlie  house  and  printing  office  be 
completed  within  one  year  from  to-day. 

"Second.  That  the  lot  be  selected  from  amongst 
those  numbered  on  the  city  map  and  not  other- 
wise disposed  of." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  council,  October  30, 
1850,  the  records  say:  "Theodore  Foster  gave 
notice  that  he  had  selected  a  lot  back  of  John- 
son's and  fronting  the  canal  as  the  one  where 
he  intended  establishing  his  printing  house ;  and 
the  council  resolved  that  he  be  granted  forty 
varas  each  way." 

The    location    of   the   printing   house    was    on 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


355 


what  is  now  Los  Angeles  street,  then  called 
Calle  Zanja  Madre  (Mother  Ditch  street),  and 
sometimes  Canal  street. 

This  site  of  Foster's  printing  office  was  op- 
posite the  Bell  block,  which  stood  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Aliso  and  Los  Angeles  streets. 
On  the  lot  granted  by  the  council,  Foster  built 
a  small  two-story  frame  building;  the  lower 
story  was  occupied  by  the  printing  outfit,  and 
the  upper  story  was  used  as  a  living  room  by 
the  printers  and  proprietors  of  the  paper.  Over 
the  door  was  the  sign  'Tmprenta"  (printing  of- 
fice). The  first  number  of  the  pioneer  paper 
was  issued  May  17,  1851.  It  was  named  La 
Estrella  de  Los  Angeles  (The  Star  of  Los  An- 
geles). It  was  a  four-page,  five  column  paper; 
size  of  page,  12x18  inches.  Two  pages  were 
printed  in  English  and  two  in  Spanish.  The 
subscription  price  was  $10  a  year,  payable  in  ad- 
vance. Advertisements  were  inserted  at  the  rate 
of  $2  per  square  for  the  first  insertion  and  $1 
for  each  subsequent  insertion.  The  publishers 
were  John  A.  Lewis  and  John  McEIroy.  Foster 
had  dropped  out  of  the  scheme  before  the  pub- 
lication of  the  first  issue.  Two  years  later  he 
committed  suicide  by  drowning  himself  in  the 
Fresno  river. 

In  July,  William  H.  Rand  bought  an  interest 
in  the  paper  and  the  firm  became  Lewis,  Mc- 
EIroy &  Rand.  In  November,  McElroy  sold  his 
interest  to  Lewis  &  Rand.  John  A.  Lewis  edited 
the  English  pages  and  Manuel  Clemente  Rojo 
was  editor  of  the  Spanish  columns  of  the  Star 
for  some  time  after  its  founding.  The  press 
was  a  Washington  Hoe  of  an  ancient  pattern. 
It  came  around  the  Horn  and  was  probably  six 
or  seven  months  on  its  journey.  Even  with  this 
antiquated  specimen  of  the  lever  that  moves  the 
world,  it  was  no  great  task  to  work  off  the 
weekly  edition  of  the  Star.  Its  circulation  did 
not  exceed  250  copies. 

The  first  job  of  city  work  done  by  La  Estrella 
fas  it  is  always  called  in  the  early  records)  was 
the  printing  of  one  hundred  white  ribbon  badges 
for  the  city  police.  The  inscription  on  the  badge, 
which  was  printed  both  in  English  and  Spanish, 
read  "City  Police,  organized  by  the  Common 
Council  of  Los  Angeles.  July  12,  185 1."  La 
Estrelia's   bill    for   the    job  was   $25.      In   July, 


1853,  William  H.  Rand  transferred  his  interest 
in  the  Star  to  his  partner,  John  A.  Lewis.  Au- 
gust I,  1853,  Lewis  sold  the  paper  to  James  M. 
McMeans.  The  obstacles  to  be  overcome  in  the 
publication  of  a  pioneer  newspaper  in  Southern 
California  are  graphically  set  forth  in  Lewis's 
valedictory  in  the  Star  of  July  30,  1853 : 

"It  is,"  writes  Lewis,  "now  two  years  and 
three  months  since  the  Star  was  established  in 
this  city — and  in  taking  leave  of  my  readers,  in 
saying  my  last  say,  I  may  very  properly  be  per- 
mitted to  look  back  through  this  period  to  see 
how  accounts  stand. 

"The  establishment  of  a  newspaper  in  Los 
Angeles  was  considered  something  of  an  experi- 
ment, more  particularly  on  account  of  the  isola- 
tion of  the  city.  The  sources  of  public  news  are 
sometimes  cut  off  for  three  or  four  weeks,  and 
very  frequently  two  weeks.  San  Francisco,  the 
nearest  place  where  a  newspaper  is  printed,  is 
more  than  five  hundred  miles  distant,  and  the 
mail  between  that  city  and  Los  Angeles  takes  an 
uncertain  course,  sometimes  by  sea  and  some- 
times by  land,  occupying  in  its  transmission  from 
two  to  six  weeks,  and  in  one  instance,  fifty-two 
days.  Therefore,  I  have  had  to  depend  mainly 
upon  local  news  to  make  the  Star  interesting. 
And  yet  the  more  important  events  of  the  coun- 
try have  been  recorded  as  fully  as  the  limits  of 
the  Star  would  permit.  The  printing  of  a  paper 
one-half  in  the  Spanish  language  was  certainly 
an  experiment  hitherto  unattempted  in  the  state. 
Having  no  exchanges  with  papers  in  that  lan- 
guage the  main  reliance  has  been  upon  transla- 
tions and  such  contributions  as  several  good 
friends  have  favored  me  with.  I  leave  others  to 
judge  whether  the  'Estrella'  has  been  well  or  ill 
conducted." 

Under  Lewis'  management  the  Star  was  non- 
partisan in  politics.  He  says,  "I  professed  all 
along  to  print  an  independent  newspaper,  and 
although  my  own  preferences  were  with  the  Whig 
party,  I  never  could  see  enough  either  in  the 
Whig  or  Democratic  party  to  make  a  newspaper 
of.  I  never  could  muster  up  fanaticism  enough 
to  print  a  party  paper." 

McMeans  went  to  the  States  shortly  after 
assuming  the  management  of  the  paper.  Will- 
iam A.  Wallace  conducted  it  during  his  absence. 


356 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Early  in  1854,  it  was  sold  to  M.  D.  Brundige. 
Under  Brundige's  proprietorship,  Wallace  edited 
the  paper.  It  was  still  published  in  the  house 
built  b}'  Foster. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1854,  the  Star  was  sold  to 
J.  S.  W'aite  &  Co.  The  site  donated  to  Foster  by 
the  council  in  1850,  on  which  to  establish  a  print- 
ing- house  for  the  advancement  of  public  enlight- 
ment,  seems  not  to  have  been  a  part  of  the  Star 
outfit.  A  prospectus  on  the  Spanish  page  informs 
us  that  "Imprenta  de  la  F.strella,  Calle  Principal, 
Casa  de  Temple" — that  is,  the  printing  office  of 
the  Star  is  on  Main  street,  in  the  House  of  Tem- 
ple, where  was  added,  the  finest  tyiMgraphical 
work  will  be  done  in  Spanish,  French  and  Eng- 
lish. Waite  reduced  the  subscription  price  of 
the  Star  to  $6  a  year,  payable  in  advance,  or  $9 
at  the  end  of  the  year.  Fifty  per  cent  advance 
on  a  deferred  payment  looks  like  a  high  rate  of 
interest,  but  it  was  very  reasonable  in  those  days. 
Money,  then,  commanded  five,  ten  and  even  as 
high  as  fifteen  per  cent  a  month,  compounded 
monthly ;  and  yet  the  mines  of  California  were 
turning  out  $50,000,000  in  gold  every  year.  Here 
is  a  problem  in  the  supply  and  demand  of  a  cir- 
culating medium  for  some  of  our  astute  financial 
theorists  to  solve. 

Perusal  of  the  pages  of  the  Star  of  fifty  years 
ago  gives  us  occasional  glimpses  of  the  passing 
of  the  old  life  and  the  ringing  in  of  the  new.  An 
editorial  on  "The  Holidays"  in  the  issue  of  Jan- 
uary 4,  1855,  says:  "The  Christmas  and  New 
Year's  festivities  are  passing  away  with  the  us- 
ual accompaniments,  namely,  bullfights,  bell 
ringing,  firing  of  crackers,  fiestas  and  fandangos. 
In  the  city,  cascarones  commanded  a  premium 
and  many  were  complimented  with  them  as  a 
finishing  touch  to  their  head  dress."' 

In  the  early  '503  a  Pacific  railroad  was  a  stand- 
ing topic  for  editorial  comment  by  the  press  of 
California,  The  editor  of  the  Star,  "while  we 
are  waiting  and  wishing  for  a  railroad,"  advo- 
cates as  an  experiment  the  introduction  of  cam- 
els and  dromedaries  for  freighting  across  the 
arid  plains  of  the  southwest.  After  descanting 
on  the  merits  of  the  "ship  of  the  desert,"  he  says  : 
"We  predict  that  in  a  few  years  these  extraor- 
dinary and  useful  animals  will  be  browsing  up- 
on our  hills  and  valleys,  and  numerous  caravans 


will  ]je  arriving  and  departing  daily.  Let  us 
have  the  incomparable  dromedary,  with  Adams 
C(_impany's  expressmen,  arriving  here  tri-weekly 
with  letters  and  packages  in  five  or  six  days  from 
Salt  Lake  and  fifteen  or  eighteen  from  the  Mis- 
souri. Then  the  present  grinding  steamship 
monoix)ly  might  be  made  to  realize  the  fact  that 
the  hard-working  miner,  the  farmer  and  the  me- 
chanic were  no  longer  completely  in  their  grasp- 
ing power  as  at  present.  We  might  have  an 
overland  dromedary  express  that  would  bring 
us  the  New  York  news  in  fifteen  to  eighteen 
days.  We  hope  some  of  our  energetic  capital- 
ists or  stock  breeders  will  take  this  speculation  in 
hand,  for  we  have  not  much  faith  that  Congress 
will  do  anything  in  the  matter." 

Notwithstanding  our  editor's  poor  opinion  of 
congress,  that  recalcitrant  body,  a  year  or  two 
later,  possibly  moved  by  the  power  of  the  press, 
did  introduce  camels  into  the  LTnited  States,  and 
caravans  did  arrive  in  Los  Angeles.  To  the 
small  boy  of  that  day  the  arrival  of  a  caravan  was 
a  free  circus.  The  grotescpie  attempts  of  the 
western  mule  whacker  to  transform  himself  into 
an  Oriental  camel  driver  were  mirth-provoking 
to  the  spectators,  liut  agony  long  drawn  out  to 
the  camel  puncher.  Of  all  the  impish,  perverse 
and  profanity-provoking  beasts  of  burden  that 
ever  trod  the  soil  of  America,  the  meek,  mild- 
eyed,  soft-footed  camel  was  the  most  exasperat- 
ing. That  prototype  of  perversity,  the  army  mule, 
was  almost  angelic  in  disposition  compared  to 
the  hump-backed  burden  bearer  of  the  Orient. 

In  July,  1855,  the  subscription  price  of  the 
Star  was  reduced  to  $5  a  year.  The  publisher  in- 
formed his  patrons  that  he  would  receive  sub- 
scriptions "payable  in  most  kinds  of  produce 
after  harvest — corn,  wheat,  flour,  wood,  butter, 
eggs,  etc.,  will  be  taken  on  old  subscriptions." 
In  November,  1855,  James  S.  Waite,  the  sole 
proprietor,  publisher  and  business  manager  of 
the  Star,  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Los  An- 
geles. He  found  it  difficult  to  keep  the  Star 
shining,  the  mails  moving  and  his  produce  ex- 
change running. 

In  the  issue  of  February  2,  1856,  he  offers  the 
"entire  establishment  of  the  Star  for  sale  at 
$1,000  less  than  cost."  In  setting  forth  its  mer- 
its, he  savs :     "To  a  voung  man  of  energy  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


357 


ability  a  rare  chance  is  now  offered  to  spread  him- 
self and  peradventure  to  realize  a  fortune."  The 
young  man  with  expansive  qualities  was  found 
two  months  later  in  the  person  of  William  A. 
Wallace,  who  had  been  editor  of  the  Star  in  1854. 
He  was  the  first  principal  of  the  school-house  No. 
I,  which  stood  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Spring 
and  Second  streets,  where  the  Bryson  block  now 
stands.  He  laid  down  the  pedagogical  birch  to 
mount  the  editorial  tripod.  In  his  salutatory  he 
says :  "The  Star  is  an  old  favorite  of  mine,  and 
I  have  always  wished  to  be  its  proprietor."  The 
editorial  tripod  proved  to  be  as  uneasy  a  seat  for 
W^allace  as  the  back  of  a  bucking  bronco :  in 
two  months  it  landed  him  on  his  back,  figurative- 
ly speaking. 

It  was  hard  times  in  the  old  pueblo.  Money 
was  scarce  and  cattle  were  starvinig;  for  1856 
was  a  dry  year.  Thus  Wallace  soliloquizes : 
"Dull  times,  says  the  trader,  the  mechanic,  the 
farmer — indeed,  everybody •  echoes  the  dull  sen- 
timent. The  teeth  of  the  cattle  this  year  have 
been  so  dull  that  they  have  been  scarcely  able  to 
save  themselves  from  starvation ;  but  the  buyers 
are  nearly  as  plenty  as  cattle  and  sharp  in  pro- 
portion to  the  prospect  of  starvation.  Business 
is  dull — duller  this  week  than  it  was  last ;  dull- 
er today  than  it  was  yesterday.  Expenses  are 
scarcely  realized  and  every  hole  where  a  dollar 
or  two  has  heretofore  leaked  out  must  be  stopped. 
The  flush  times  are  past — the  days  of  large 
prices  and  pockets  are  gone ;  picayunes,  bad 
liquor,  rags  and  universal  dullness — sometimes 
too  dull  to  complain  of — have  usurped  the  minds 
of  men  and  a  common  obtuseness  prevails. 
Neither  pistol  shots  nor  dying  groans  have  any 
effect;  earthquakes  hardly  turn  men  in  their 
beds.  It  is  no  use  talking — business  stepped  out 
and  the  people  are  asleep.  What  is  to  be  done? 
Why,  the  first  thing,  of  course,  is  to  stop  oiT 
such  things  as  can  be  neither  smoked  or  drank; 
and  then  wait  for  the  carreta,  and  if  we  don't 
get  a  ride  it  will  be  because  we  have  become  too 
fastidious,  or  too  poor  and  are  unable  to  pay 
this  expense." 

Henry  Hamilton,  the  successor  of  Wallace, 
was  an  experienced  newspaper  man.  For  five 
vears  previous  to  purchasing  the  Star  he  had 
been  proprietor  of  the  Calaveras  Chronicle.     He 


was  an  editor  of  the  old  school — the  school  that 
dealt  out  column  editorials,  and  gave  scant  space 
to  locals.  Hamilton's  forte  was  political  editor- 
ials. He  was  a  bitter  partisan.  When  he  ful- 
minated a  thunderbolt  and  hurled  it  at  a  polit- 
ical opponent,  it  struck  as  if  it  came  from  the 
hand  of  Jove,  the  god  of  thunder  and  lightning. 
He  was  an  able  writer,  }-et  with  him  there  was 
but  one  side  to  a  question,  and  that  was  his  side 
of  it.  He  was  a  Scotch-Irishman,  and  had  all 
the  pugnacity  and  pertinacity  of  that  strenuous 
race.  His  vigorous  partisanship  got  him  into 
trouble.  During  the  Civil  war  he  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  For  some 
severe  criticisms  on  Lincoln  and  other  officers 
of  the  government,  and  his  outspoken  sympathy 
for  the  Confederates,  he  was  arrested.  He  took 
the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  was  released,  but  the 
Star  went  into  an  eclipse.  The  last  number,  a 
single  page,  appeared  October  i,  1864.  The 
]M-ess  and  type  were  sold  to  Phineas  Banning, 
and  were  used  in  the  publication  of  the  Wil- 
mington Journal. 

On  Saturday,  the  i6th  of  Alay,  1868,  the  Star 
emerged  from  obscurity.  "Today,"  writes  Ham- 
ilton, "we  resume  the  publication  of  the  Los  An- 
geles Star.,  Nearly  four  years  have  elapsed  since 
our  last  issue.  The  little  'onpleasantness,'  which 
at  that  time  existed  in  the  family-,  has  toned  down 
considerably,  and  if  perfect  harmony  does  not 
yet  pervade  the  circle,  our  hope  is  this  brother- 
ly feeling  will  soon  be  consummated." 

The  paper  was  no  longer  the  bitter  partisan 
sheet  that  it  had  been  during  the  early  '60s. 
Hamilton  now  seldom  indulged  in  political  lead- 
ers of  a  column  length,  and  when  he  did  they 
were  of  a  mild  type.  The  new  Star  was  a  seven 
column  blanket  sheet,  and  was  devoted  to  pro- 
moting the  welfare  of  the  county.  It  was  ably 
conducted,  and  was.  a  model  newspaper  for  a 
town  of  5,000  inhabitants.  June  i,  1870,  the  first 
mimber  of  the  Daily  Star  was  published  by  Ham- 
ilton &  Barter.  Barter  retired  from  the  firm  in 
September  and  founded  the  Anaheim  Gacctte, 
the  pioneer  newspaper  of  Orange  county.  He 
bought  the  old  press  and  type  of  the  Wilmington 
Journal — the  first  press  of  the  Star — and  again 
the  old  press  became  a  pioneer.  When  the  .Ana- 
heim  Gazette  ofifice  burned   down   in    1877,   the 


358 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


old  press  perished  in  the  flames.  The  last  time 
I  saw  it  it  was  lying  in  a  junk  pile,  crooked  and 
twisted  and  warped  out  of  shape  or  semblance 
of  a  printing  press.  If  the  spirit  of  the  inani- 
mate ever  visits  its  former  mundane  haunts, 
the  ghost  of  that  old  press  would  search  in  A'ain 
for  the  half  dozen  or  more  office  buildings  where 
in  the  body  long  ago  it  ground  out  weekly  stents 
of  news. 

After  G.  W.  Barter  sold  out  the  Analieim 
Gazette  in  1872,  he  leased  tlie  Daily  Star  from 
Hamilton.  He  ran  it  less  than  a  year,  but  that 
was  long  enough  for  him  to  take  all  the  twinkle 
out  of  it.  It  had  almost  sunk  below  the  horizon 
when  Mr.  Hamilton  resumed  its  publication.  In 
July,  1873,  he  sold  it  to  Ben  C.  Truman.  The 
genial  Ben  put  sparkle  in  it.  He  made  it  in- 
teresting to  his  friends,  and  equally  so  to  his 
■enemies.  Truman  continued  its  publication  until 
July,  1877,  when  it  was  sold  to  Paynter  &  Com- 
pany. Then  it  passed  to  Brown  &  Company. 
The  Rev.  Campbell  of  the  Methodist  Qiurch 
South  conducted  it  for  a  time.  In  the  last  year 
of  its  existence  it  had  several  different  publish- 
ers and  editors.  Its  brilHancy  steadily  dimin- 
ished until  in  the  early  part  of  1879  it  sunlc  be- 
low the  horizon,  or,  to  discard  metaphor  and 
states  facts,  the  sheriff  attached  it  for  debt,  and 
its  publication  was  discontinued.  Its  remains 
were  not  buried  in  the  graveyard  of  unfelt  wants. 
A  more  tragic  fate  awaited  then — they  were  cre- 
mated. The  plant  and  the  files  were  stored  in  an 
outbuilding  of  Mr.  Hollenbeck's,  who  was  one 
of  the  principal  creditors.  His  Chinese  laborers 
roomed  in  the  lower  part  of  the  building.  In 
some  of  their  heathen  orgies  they  set  fire  to  the 
house.  For  a  few  minutes  La  Estrella  blazed  up 
into  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude,  then  disap- 
peared forever. 

Such  in  brief  is  the  story  of  La  Estrella.  the 
pioneer  newspaper  of  Los  Angeles.  Its  files  con- 
tain a  quarter  century's  history  of  our  city  and 
its  environs.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  its  early 
editors  deemed  political  essays  of  so  much  more 
importance  than  local  happenings.  If  these  ed- 
itors could  crawl  out  of  their  graves  and  read 
some  of  their  political  diatribes  in  the  electric 
light   of   the    twentieth    century   they   no    doubt 


would  be  moved  to  exclaim,  "What  blind  lead- 
ers of  the  blind  were  we!" 

The  Southern  Californian.  The  second  pa- 
per founded  in  Los  Angeles  was  the  Southern 
Californian.  The  first  issue  appeared  July  20, 
1854,  C.  N.  Richards  &  Co.,  publishers;  William 
Butts  editor.  November  2,  1854,  William  Butts 
and  John  O.  Wheeler  succeeded  Richards  &  Co. 
in  the  proprietorship.  In  November,  1855,  A. 
Pico  was  the  proprietor  and  J.  P.  Brodie  the  ed- 
itor. In  January,  1859,  it  died.  It  is  said  to 
have  cost  Pico  $10,000.  One  page  of  the  paper 
was  printed  in  Spanish. 

El  Clamor  Publico  was  the  first  paper  in  Los 
Angeles  that  was  entirely  printed  in  Spanish. 
The  first  number  appeared  June  8,  1855,  Fran- 
cisco P.  Ramirez,  editor  and  proprietor.  It  was 
the  organ  of  the  better  class  of  the  native  Cali- 
fornians  of  the  south  and  was  the  first  Repub- 
lican newspaper  published  in  Los  Angeles.  It 
warmly  advocated  the  election  of  John  C.  Fre- 
mont to  the  presidency  in  1856.  It  suspended 
publication  December  31,  1859,  for  want  of  sup- 
port. 

The  Southern  Vineyard  was  founded  by  Col. 
J.  J.  Warner,  March  20,  1858.  The  press  and 
material  used  in  its  publication  had  formerly  be- 
longed to  the  Southern  Californian,  in  which  pa- 
per Warner  had  an  interest  at  the  time  of  its 
suspension.  The  Vineyard  was  a  four-page  week- 
ly, 22x30  inches  in  size.  December  loth  of  the 
same  year  it  became  a  semi-weekly,  issued  Tues- 
day and  Friday  mornings.  It  was  mildly  Demo- 
cratic in  the  beginning,  but  bolted  the  regular 
Democratic  ticket  in  1859.  At  the  time  of  its 
demise,  June  8,  i860,  it  was  leaning  towards 
Republicanism.  The  plant  was  transferred  to 
the  Los  Angeles  News. 

The  Los  Angeles  Daily  and  Weekly  Nezvs. 
The  Semi-Weehly  Southern  Neivs,  independent, 
issued  every  Wednesday  and  Friday,  was  estab- 
lished in  Los  Angeles  by  C.  R.  Con\vay  and 
Alonzo  Waite,  January  18,  i860.  The  sheet  was 
enlarged  July  18,  i860,  and  again  August  13, 
1862.  The  name  was  changed  to  the  Los  Angeles 
Semi-Weekly  A'^ete'if  October  8,  1862.  January 
12,  1863,  it  appeared  as  the  Los  Angeles  Tri- 
Weekly  Nezvs,  issued  Mondays,  Wednesdays 
and  Fridays.     It  was  Republican  in  politics  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


359 


1864.  During  the  presidential  campaign  of  that 
year  it  advocated  the  election  of  Lincoln  and 
Johnson.  Political  animosities  were  very  bitter. 
The  defenders  of  the  Union  were  in  the  minority 
and  publishing  a  Union  newspaper  in  Los  An- 
geles was  not  a  profitable  business. 

Conway  &  Waite  sold  the  Nezus  to  A.  J.  King 
&  Co.,  November  11,  1865,  A.  J.  King  becom- 
ing editor.  It  was  again  changed  to  a  semi- 
weekly.  After  its  transfer  it  became  the  organ 
of  the  Democratic  party. 

January  i,  1869,  the  semi-weekly  was  discon- 
tinued and  The  Los  Angeles  Daily  Nezvs  ap- 
peared, King  &  Offutt,  publishers.  The  daily 
was  enlarged  in  May,  1869.  This  was  the  first 
daily  published  in  Los  Angeles.  It  was  issued 
every  day  except  Sunday,  subscription  price  $12 
a  year.  October  16,  1869,  R.  H.  Offutt  sold  his 
interest  to  Alonzo  Waite  and  the  firm  name  be- 
came King  &  Waite.  January  i,  1870,  A.  J. 
King  retired  from  the  editorial  management  and 
was  succeeded  by  Qiarles  E.  Beane.  October  10, 
1872,  Mr.  Waite  sold  his  entire  interest  to  Charles 
E.  Beane.     The  paper  suspended  in  1873. 

The  WUmington  Journal.  The  first  newspa- 
per published  in  Los  Angeles  county  outside  of 
the  city  was  the  Wilmington  Journal.  The  old 
press  of  the  Star,  as  previously  stated,  was  sold 
to  Phineas  Banning  in  1864.  The  first  number 
of  the  Jovrnal  was  issued  in  November,  1864. 
The  Los  Angeles  Tri-Wcckly  Nezufs  thus  notices 
its  appearance: 

"The  Los  Angeles  Star,  after  a  few  kicks  and 
a  struggle,  has  gone  down  for  ever.  The  Wil- 
mington Journal,  a  neatly  printed  paper,  has 
sprung  from  its  ashes.  We  have  perused  its  col- 
umns closely  in  search  of  the  name  of  its  editor ; 
its  tone  denotes,  however,  that  the  Joitrnal  rose 
into  existence  v.-ithcut  'Viejo'  (Hainilton).  He 
has  probably  left  it  an  abandoned  child — to  hon- 
esty. We  have  received  the  first  number  of  the 
above-named  paper,  and  welcome  it  on  our  ex- 
change list." 

Wilmington,  during  war  times,  was  the  liveli- 
est town  on  the  coast.  After  the  removal  of  the 
troops  it  declined  and  the  Journal,  in  1868,  sus- 
pended publication. 

THE  LOS   ANGELES   EXPRESS. 

The    Los   Angeles   L.vpress,    the    oldest    daily 


paper  now  published  in  Los  Angeles,  was  found- 
ed March  27,  1871,  by  an  association  of  prac- 
tical printers,  comprising  Jesse  Yarnell,  George 
Yarnell,  George  A.  Tiffany,  J.  W.  Paynter  and 
-\Iiguel  Varela.  It  was  Republican  in  politics, 
with  Henry  C.  Austin,  editor.  The  members  of 
the  association  dropped  out  until,  in  1873,  only 
George  A.  Tiffany  and  J.  W.  Paynter  were  left; 
James  J.  Ayers  having  taken  the  place  of  H.  C. 
Austin  as  editor. 

March  15,  1875,  J-  J-  Ayers  and  Joseph  D. 
Lynch  purchased  the  paper  from  Tiffany  &  Co. 
The  new  firm  enlarged  the  paper  to  eight  col- 
mnns  and  later  in  the  }ear  it  was  enlarged  to 
nine  columns  to  the  page.  On  October  3,  1876, 
Mr.  L)ncli  retired  from  the  Express  and  took 
eiHtorial  charge  of  the  Daily  JJerald;  Ayers  con- 
tinuing in  charge  of  the  Express,  which  was 
virtually  an  evening  edition  of  the  Herald.  In 
1882  Governor  Stoneman  appointed  Colonel 
Ayers  state  printer  and  i\lr.  Lynch,  who  had  re- 
tained his  interest  in  the  Express,  conducted 
both  papers,  but  with  separate  editorial  and  local 
staffs.  In  1884  H.  Z.  Osborne  and  E.  R.  Qeve- 
land  bought  the  Express.  In  1886  these  gentle- 
men organized  the  Evening  Express  Company, 
an  incorporation.  J.  Mills  Davies  became  a 
stockholder  and  business  manager  of  the  com- 
pany. C.  C.  Allen,  after  completing  his  tenn  of 
office  as  adjutant-general  of  the  state,  became  a 
member  of  the  Express  Company.  J.  Mills  Da- 
vies  retired.  In  1896  H.  Z.  Osborne  was  presi- 
dent of  the  company,  C.  C.  Allen,  vice-president, 
and  E.  R.  Cleveland,  secretary  and  treasurer.  H. 
Z.  Osborne  was  appointed  United  States  Marshal 
of  the  Southern  District  in  1897  and  C.  D,  Wil- 
lard  became  general  manager  of  the  paper.  He 
was  succeeded  by  J.  B.  Abell.  In  January,  1900, 
John  :\I.  :\Iiller.  W.  A.  Kelsey,  Richard  G. 
Beebe,  William  F.  Botsford  and  Edwin  B.  Has- 
kell bought  up  the  various  interests  represented 
in  the  old  Evening  Express  Company  and  took 
charge  of  the  paper.  John  M.  Miller  was  elected 
president  of  the  new  firm ;  W.  A.  Kelsey,  vice- 
president  and  general  manager;  and  Richard  G. 
Beebe,  secretary.  In  1900  E.  T.  Earl  bought  the 
Express,  and  erected  a  three-story  brick  build- 
ing for  the  publication  and  offices  of  the  paper  on 
Fifth  street,  between  Broadwav  and  Hill  street. 


360 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  Express  plant,  which  has  had  many  stopping 
places  in  the  thirty-two  years  of  its  existence, 
finally  took  possession  of  a  home  of  its  own. 
The  price  of  the  paper  has  recently  been  re- 
duced to  one  cent  a  copy. 

LOS  DOS   RliPUBI.ICAS. 

Los  Dos  Republicas  (The  Two  Republics), 
successor  to  La  Cronica,  was  established  June  2, 

1872,  by  M.  S.  Arevalo  and  B.  F.  Teodoli,  B.  F. 
Ramirez,  editor.  Ramirez  retired  shortly  after 
the  paper  was  founded,  and  was  succeeded  by 
E.  F.  de  Cells.  Under  his  editorship  the  paper 
became  the  most  influential  journal  published  in 
the  Spanish  language  in  the  state.  In  the  year 
1880  Mr.  Arevalo  organized  the  La  Cronica 
Publishing  Company — a  joint  stock  association. 
Mr.  Teodoli  withdrew  from  the  company,  and 
after  a  time  the  stockholders  leased  the  paper  to 
Pastor  de  Celis  and  Miguel  J.  "\'arela.  From 
them  its  management  passed  to  Cordona  Broth- 
ers, then  to  E.  F.  de  Celis,  next  to  S.  A.  Corona 
and  from  him  to  Thomas  Temple.  Temple 
shortly  before  his  death,  in  1892,  sold  it  to  A.  J. 
Flores,  who  changed  its  name  to  its  present  form. 
It  is  devoted  to  general  news,  independent  in 
politics  and  religion. 

THE  DAILY  AND   WEEKLY   HERALD. 

The  Daily  and  IVeckly  Herald  was  founded 
by  C.  A.  Storke,  now  an  attorney  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara.     The    first    number    appeared '  October    3. 

1873.  Mr.  Storke  conducted  the  paper  until 
August,  1874,  when  he  sold  it  to  a  stock  com- 
pany, the  membership  of  which  was  largely  made 
up  of  grangers  or  patrons  of  husbandry.  The 
paper -was  edited  and  managed  by  J.  M.  Bassett 
in  the  interest  and  as  the  organ  of  the  Grange. 
With  the  decline  of  the  patrons  their  organ  was 
sold,  J.  D.  Lynch,  who  had  retired  from  the 
Express,  becoming  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Herald.  He  continued  to  edit  and  manage  the 
paper  until  the  fall  of  1886,  when  he  sold  a  half 
interest  to  Col.  Jamest  J.  Ayers.  Ayers  and 
Lynch  were  old  time  newspaper  men  and  made 
the  Herald  the  leading  Democratic  journal  of 
Southern  California,  if  not  of  the  state.  In 
October,  1894,  Lynch  and  Ayers  sold  the  Herald 
to  a  syndicate  of  leading  Democratic  politicians. 


Xext  }ear  it  was  sold  to  John  Bradbury.  Brad- 
bury, after  sinking  considerable  money  in  the 
venture,  discovered  that  he  was  not  cut  out  for 
a  newspaper  man  and  disposed  of  his  burden. 
In  1895  W.  R.  Creighton  was  editor-in-chief.  In 
1896  William  A.  Spalding  became  business  man- 
ager of  the  Herald  Company.  He  retired  early 
in  1900  and  was  succeeded  by  Randolph  H. 
Miner. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1900,  the  Herald  was  sold 
to  a  syndicate  composed  largely  of  men  inter- 
ested in  the  petroleum  industry.  Its  publication 
was  conducted,  as  formerly,  under  the  Herald 
Publishing  Company.  The  officers  of  the  com- 
pany were:  Wallace  L.  Hardison,  president  and 
general  manager;  H.  G.  James,  manager;  Guy 
L.  Hardison,  vice-president  and  secretary;  W. 
Benjamin  Scott,  treasurer;  R.  H.  Hay  Chapman, 
managing  editor.  The  politics  of  the  paper  was 
changed  from  Democratic  to  Republican  by  the 
new  managers.  The  Herald  was  enlarged  and 
greatly  improved  in  its  typographical  appearance 
by  its  new  owners.  Its  motto  was  "No  enemies 
to  punish — no  special  friends  to  serve." 

In  1904  the  Herald  was  sold  to  a  syndicate 
which  continues  its  publication  under  the  title 
of  the  Los  Angeles  Herald  Company,  of  which 
company  Frank  G.  Finlayson  is  president;  Rob- 
ert M.  Yost,  editorial  manager;  S.  H.  Laverty, 
business  manager.  It  experienced  another 
change  in  its  political  affiliations.  It  is  now  the 
organ  of  the  Democratic  party. 

THE    RURAL    CALIF0RNL\X. 

The  predecessor  of  this  illustrated  monthly 
magazine  was  the  Southern  California,  Horticult- 
urist, the  first  number  of  which  was  issued  in 
September,  1877,  a^t  Los  Angeles,  by  the  South- 
ern California  Horticultural  Society,  L.  M.  Holt, 
editor.  Its  columns  were  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  horticulture  and  agriculture.  The  size  of  the 
magazine  then  was  6x9  inches.  In  January, 
1880,  Carter  &  Rice  obtained  control  of  it  and 
published  it  under  the  caption  of  Semi-Tropic 
California  and  Southern  California  Horticultur- 
ist. The  size  of  the  page  was  enlarged  to  9x12 
inches.  Carter  retired  after  the  third  issue  and 
George  Rice  obtained  sole  control  of  it.  He 
changed  the  nainc  to  its  present  form.     In   t88i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


361 


he  sold  it  to  Coleman  &  Dickey.  They  conducted 
it  about  a  year,  when  Dickey  died.  Rice  bought 
it  of  Coleman,  and  in  1883  sold  it  to  Fred  L. 
Alles.  Charles  A.  Gardner  bought  a  half  inter- 
est and  for  a  time  the  firm  was  Alles  &  Gardner, 
while  lat(.-r  Gardner' became  its  sole  owner  until 
( Icor^c  Rice  again  came  into  possession  of  it. 
Jn  j8yi  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  C.  M.  Heintz, 
who  still  conducts  it. 

LOS    ANGELES    WEEi<LV    MIRROR. 

The  first  number  of  the  Weekly  Mirror  ap- 
peared February  i,  1873.  It  was  a  small  sheet 
10.X13  inches,  four  pages  and  three  columns  to 
the  page.  It  was  published  every  Saturday  by 
Yarnell  &  Caystile,  and  distributed  free.  March 
I,  1873,  William  AI.  Brown  became  a  partner 
and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Yarnell,  Cay- 
stile &  Brown.  In  1875  the  Mirror  was  en- 
larged to  a  twenty-four  column  sheet  17x22 
mches,  its  subscription  price  being  $1  per  year. 
Brown  retired  from  the  firm  on  account  of  ill- 
health.  In  August,  1880,  S.  J.  Mathes  came 
into  the  firm  and  the  paper  was  enlarged  to  an 
eight  column  paper,  24x38  inches;  subscription 
price,  $2  per  year;  S.  J.  ISIathes,  editor.  After 
the  Daily  Times  was  started,  in  December,  1881, 
the  Mirror  became  practically  the  weekly  edition 
of  the  former,  but  retainetl  its  original  name. 

THE  LCS  ANGELES  DAILY  TIMES. 

The  first  number  of  the  Daily  Times  was  issued 
December  4,  1881,  Cole  &  Gardiner  (Nathan 
Cole  and  James  Gardiner),  publishers.  It  was 
a  seven  column  folio.  Gardiner  retired  with  the 
first  issue  and  Cole  continued  the  publication 
until  January  i,  1882,  when  he  sold  the  paper  to 
the  publishers  of  the  Weekly  Mirror,  Yarnell, 
Caystile  &  Mathes,  who  continued  its  publica- 
tion as  a  Republican  morning  journal.  Immi- 
gration had  set  in  from  the  northwestern  states, 
which  were  then  as  now  strongly  Republican. 
This  brought  a  change  in  the  political  complex- 


ion of  Los  Angeles  and  made  the  successful  pub- 
lication of  a  Republican  journal  possible.  In 
April  it  was  enlarged  to  eight  columns  and  in 
July  to  nine  columns  to  the  page.     August   i, 

1882,  Col.  H.  G.  Otis  became  a  partner  in  the 
firm  and  editor  of  the  Daily  Times  and  of  its 
weekly  issue,  the  Mirror.     On  the  22d  of  May, 

1883,  A.  W.  Francisco  bought  Mr.  Yamell's  in- 
terest and  in  the  following  October  was  made 
business  manager,  a  position  which  he  filled  until 
his  retirement  in  1884.  Mr.  Mathes  retired  from 
the  firm  to  engage  in  other  pursuits.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1884,  the  paper  was  again  enlarged  and  the 
telegraphic  service  increased.  In  October  of  the 
same  year  the  Times-Mirror  Company  was  in- 
corporated with  a  capital  stock  of  $40,000,  which 
was  increased  in  1886  to  $60,000  for  the  purpose 
of  erecting  the  Times  building  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  Broadway  and  First  street.  In  April, 
1886,  the  Times-Mirror  Company  was  reorgan- 
ized, Albert  McFarland  and  William  A.  Spald- 
ing acquiring  stock  in  the  company.  The  former 
was  elected  vice-president  and  the  latter  secre- 
tary. Col.  H.  G.  Otis  being  elected  president. 
In  September,  1886.  Charles  F.  Lummis  ac- 
C(uired  an  interest,  and  in  August,  1887,  L.  E. 
^losher  became  a  member  of  the  company.  In 
]\Iarch,  1888,  Col.  C.  C.  Allen  bought  an  interest 
and  was  elected  vice-president.  He  was  appoint- 
ed adjutant-general  of  the  state  by  Governor 
Markham,  and  severed  his  connection  with  the 
paper.  William  A.  Spalding  also  retired  from 
the  compan}-. 

In  1897  Harry  Chandler,  who  had  been  con- 
nected with  the  paper  a  number  of  years,  be- 
came business  manager,  and  during  General 
Otis's  service  in  the  Philippine  war  had  full 
charge  of  the  business  part  of  the  paper.  The 
present  officers  of  the  Times-Mirror  Company 
are  H.  G.  Otis,  president  and  general  manager; 
Harry  Chandler,  vice-president  and  assistant 
general  manager;  Albert  McFarland,  treasurer; 
Marian   Otis-Qiandler.   secretary. 


362 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


CHAPTER    Lll. 

EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS,  COLLEGES  AND  UNIVERSITIES. 


UNDER  Spanish  and  Mexican  rule  there 
were  no  collegiate  institutions  of  learning 
nor  any  church  schools  founded  by  the 
dominant  church  in  Los  Angeles.  What  little 
was  done  in  the  way  of  education  was  done 
through  the  public  schools  supported  by  muni- 
cipal funds.  A  cliange  of  rulers  seems  to  have 
effected  a  change  of  sentiment  in  regard  to  the 
necessity  of  educating  the  youth  of  the  city,  for 
.shortly  after  the  acquisition  of  California  by  the 
United  States  we  find  in  the  city  archives  peti- 
tions to  the  ayuntamiento  from  Catholic  clergy- 
men for  tracts  of  land  on  wiiich  to  build  church 
schools.  { 

At  the  session  of  June  g,  1849,  3-  petition  was 
received  for  a  tract  of  unappropriated  pueblo 
lands  for  a  college,  from  the  Bishopric  of  Cali- 
fornia, signed  by  Reverend  Fathers  Sebastian 
Bongronvanni,  Juan  Crissostomo  Olvien  and  An- 
tonio Jimenez  del  Recio. 

The  ayuntamiento  resolved  "That  the  Holy 
See  of  California  be  granted  from  amongst  the 
municipal  lands  of  this  city  and  adjoining  the 
Canada  which  leads  to  the  San  Francisco  road, 
a  square  lot  measuring  150  varas  on  each  of  its 
sides,  subject  to  the  following  conditions :  First, 
this  land  cannot  be  sold,  transferred  or  hypothe- 
cated directly  or  indirectly;  second,  the  building 
erected  thereon  shall  at  all  times  serve  the  sole 
and  exclusive  purpose  of  public  instruction." 
This  tract  lies  immediately  north  of  College  street 
and  west  of  Buena  \''ista  street.  College  street 
took  its  name  from  this  tract. 

At  the  same  meeting  a  grant  of  150  varas 
square  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town  was 
made  to  the  Sisters  of  Charity  to  establish  a  con- 
vent and  school,  on  the  same  conditions  as  in  the 
grant  named  above.  At  the  meeting  of  the  ayun- 
tamiento, in  May,  1850,  a  petition  was  received 
from  the  Rev.  Father  Antonio  Maria  Jimenez 
del  Recio  "For  the.  plat  of  ground  in  the  angle 
forming  an  elbow  with  the  church  and  parochial 


residence."  "To  put  up  a  new  building  on  this 
plat  (so  he  says  in  his  petition)  would  result  in 
closing  up  a  quadrangle  which  would  be  a  very 
good  thing  for  two  reasons :  First,  as  an  im- 
provement to  the  Plaza,  adding  to  its  symmetry ; 
second,  as  a  convenience  to  the  clergymen  who 
are  to  teach  in  it,  as  well  as  to  the  pupils,  on 
account  of  its  proximity  to  the  church." 

This  he  does  "for  the  sake  of  the  youth  of 
the  city  who  could  be  made  educated  citizens 
;ind  good  Catholics,  but  who  receive  no  other 
instruction  now  than  the  sad  example  of  rus- 
ticity and  loose  morals."  He  will  establish  "a 
primary  school  principally  to  teach  the  duties  of 
Catholicism,  and  shall  do  all  that  within  my 
power  lies  to  impart  primary  instruction ;  and 
what  is  more  needed,  to  teach  the  duties  of  our 
religion,  towards  which  my  compassion  particu- 
larly draws  me."  At  the  meeting  of  June  15, 
1850,  the  council  granted  the  land  for  the  pur- 
pose indicated  in  the  petition. 

ST.  Vincent's  college. 

The  first  collegiate  institution  founded  in  Los 
Angeles  was  St.  Vincent's  College.  The  corner 
stone  of  the  college  building  was  laid  in  August, 
1 866,  on  the  block  bounded  by  Sixth,  Seventh, 
Fort  and  Hill  streets.  The  first  building  was 
two  stories  high,  with  an  attic  and  basement; 
the  main  building  was  40x80  feet  on  the  ground, 
with  an  extensive  wing  at  each  end.  This  build- 
ing was  completed  in  1867. 

The  college  was  erected  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Fathers  of  the  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Mission, 
and  a  staff  of  professors  was  secured  from  the 
Atlantic  states  and  Europe  with  a  view  to  mak- 
ing the  curriculum  as  thorough  as  possible.  The 
curriculum  included  not  only  scientific  and  clas- 
sical courses  of  study,  but  also  a  full  commercial 
course.  The  first  executive  officers  were  Father 
McGill,  president;  Father  Flynn,  vice-president; 
and  Father  Richardson,  treasurer. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


363 


In  1884  the  building  was  remodeled  and  en- 
larged, and  an  additional  story  added.  Early  in 
1887,  during  the  boom,  the  college  grounds  and 
buildings  at  Sixth  street  were  sold  for  $100,000 
and  a  new  site  purchased  on  the  corner  of  Wash- 
ington street  and  Grand  avenue.  Commodious 
college  buildings  were  erected  on  these  grounds. 
The  institution  is  ably  conducted,  and  many  of 
its  graduates  have  obtained  distinction  in  the 
different  professions. 

Military  instruction  has  recently  been  intro- 
duced into  the  college.  Cadet  companies  have 
been  formed  and  regular  drill  is  given  in  mili- 
tary tactics.  The  cadets  wear  a  neat  and  tasteful 
uniform.  The  college  has  a  high  reputation  for 
thoroughness  in  both  literary  and  military  in- 
struction. 

UNIVERSITY   OF   SOUTHERN    CALIFORNIA. 

This  is  the  oldest  Protestant  educational  insti- 
tution in  Southern  California.  The  idea  of 
building  up  a  university  in  Lo"S  Angeles  origi- 
nated with  Judge  R.  M.  Widney.  He  consulted 
with  the  Rev.  A.  M.  Hough,  E.  F.  Spence,  Dr. 
J.  P.  Widney,  Rev.  M.  M.  Bovard  and  G.  D. 
Compton.  It  was  decided  to  attempt  the  build- 
ing of  a  Methodist  college  or  university  in  or 
near  Los  Angeles.  As  soon  as  their  design  was 
known  they  received  offers  of  land  in  East  Los 
Angeles,  Boyle  Heights,  Temple  street  and  West 
Los  Angeles.  A  majority  of  the  trustees  de- 
cided in  favor  of  West  Los  Angeles.  July  29, 
1879,  J.  G.  Downey,  O.  W.  Childs  and  I.  W. 
Hcllman  deeded  to  A.  M.  Hough,  J.  P.  Widney, 
E.  F.  Spence,  M.  M.  Bovard,  G.  D.  Compton 
and  R.  M.  Widney,  308  lots  in  the  West  Los  An- 
geles tract,  in  trust  as  an  endowment  fund  for 
the  University  of  Southern  California.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  lots  about  forty  acres  of  land  were 
donated  by  owners  of  adjacent  tracts.  In  1880 
thirty  of  the  lots  were  put  on  sale.  Their  market 
value  probably  did  not  exceed  $50,  but  the  friends 
of  the  institution  took  them  at  $200  each.  The 
place  selected  for  the  site  of  the  college  buildings 
and  the  campus  is  on  Wesley  avenue  near  Jef- 
ferson street. 

From  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  lots  a 
frame  building,  now  used  for  a  music  hall,  was 
erected.     At  the  time  of  locating  the  institution 


at  West  Los  Angeles  the  tract  of  land  donated 
was  covered  with  tall  wild  mustard  stalks,  the 
streets  were  undefined  except  by  stakes  an^^ 
there  were  no  houses  near.  In  August,  1880, 
Revs.  M.  M.  and  F.  D.  Bovard  entered  into  a 
contract  with  the  trustees  to  carry  on  the  educa- 
tional work  of  the  institution  for  five  years. 
The  Rev.  M.  M.  Bovard  was  elected  president. 
A  small  endowment  was  secured  partly  from  the 
sale  of  lots  and  partly  from  gifts.  In  1886  the 
present  four-story  college  building  was  erected 
and  the  school  moved  into  it.  The  college  soon 
began  to  branch  out.  In  1882  Messrs.  George 
and  William  B.  Chaffey,  the  founders  of  the 
Ontario  Colony,  made  a  tender  of  a  deed  of 
trust  to  a  large  body  of  land  for  a  Chaffey  col- 
lege of  agriculture  of  the  university. 

The  corner  stone  of  a  brick  college  building 
was  laid  at  Ontario,  San  Bernardino  county,  in 
March,  1883,  and  in  1885  the  school  was  opened 
as  a  branch  of  the  University  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  was  conducted  for  several  years  as  a 
preparatory  school. 

The  College  of  Medicine  of  the  University  of 
Southern  California  was  founded  in  1885,  by  Dr. 
J.  P.  Widney.  The  school  was  opened  in  a 
building  on  Aliso  street,  where  it  was  conducted 
until  1897,  when  it  removed  to  a  building  of  its 
own  located  on  the  west  side  of  Buena  Vista. 
This  fine  three-story  building  is  constructed  on 
plain  architectural  lines,  but  presenting  withal  a 
neat  exterior.  The  college  is  well  conducted 
and  ranks  high  among  medical  schools. 

During  the  year  1906  a  library  building,  the 
gift  of  Dr.  W.  Jarvis  Barlow,  a  member  of  the 
faculty,  was  built  on  Buena  Vista  street  just  op- 
posite the  central  building  of  the  medical  school. 
It  is  of  a  beautiful  design  and  is  absolutely  fire- 
proof. It  is  surmounted  by  a  glass  dome  which 
admits  abundant  light.  The  library  and  building 
are  owned  by  the  college  and  under  the  control 
of  the  faculty.  The  medical  profession  of  South- 
ern California  have  access  to  the  library. 

The  Maclay  College  of  Tlieology  was  estab- 
lished in  1885,  at  San  Fernando.  Hon.  Charles 
Maclay  donated  about  $150,000  worth  of  lands 
as  an  endowment  and  erected  a  building  for  its 
use.     The  school  was  closed  at  San  Fernando  in 


364 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1893  and  opened  at  the  university  in  West  Los 
Angeles  in  October,  1894. 

The  University  includes  the  following  colleges, 
each  of  which  has  a  distinct  faculty  of  instruc- 
tion: College  of  Liberal  Arts,  College  of  Med- 
icine, College  of  Pharmacy,  College  of  Dentistry, 
College  of  Law,  College  of  Music,  College  of 
Oratory,  College  of  Fine  Arts  at  Garvanza. 

The  productive  endowment  is  nearly  $400,000. 
The  total  assets  of  the  University  are  about  $750,- 
000.  The  institution  is  not  sectarian,  but  it  is 
under  the  general  control  of  the  Southern  Cal- 
.  ifornia  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  During  the  year  1905  more  than  $50,- 
000  were  spent  on  buildings  and  improvements 
on  the  ten-acre  campus  in  West  Los  Angeles. 

POMONA  COLLEGE. 

Pomona  College,  located  at  Claremont,  thir- 
ty-six miles  east  of  Los  Angeles,  was  founded 
by  the  General  Association  of  the  Congregational 
Churches  of  Southern  California.  The  college 
was  incorporated  (")ctober  14,  1887.  Several 
propositions  for  a  college  site  were  presented  to 
the  association.  The  most  suitable  location 
seemed  to  be  a  tract  of  land  about  four  miles 
north  of  Pomona  City.  The  following  January, 
Rev.  C.  B.  Sumner  was  appointed  financial  sec- 
retary. He  secured  plans  for  a  central  build- 
ing and  the  corner  stone  was  laid.  The  first  term 
of  the  school  was  opened  in  September,  1888,  in 
a  rented  house  at  Pomona.  Messrs.  G.  H.  Fuller- 
ton,  E.  F.  Kingman  and  F.  A.  Miller,  of  River- 
side, and  H.  A.  Palmer,  of  Pomona,  before  the 
close  of  this  term  presented  to  the  college  a  hall, 
together  with  a  number  of  lots  at  Qaremont, 
which  thus  became  the  permanent  location  of  the 
preparatory  school,  and  the  second  term  of  school 
work  was  opened  in  this  hall.  The  first  pres- 
ident. Rev.  Cyrus  C.  Baldwin,  was  elected  in 
July,  1890.  In  April,  1892,  it  was  decided  to 
abandon  the  original  college  site  and  to  bring 
the  college  and  preparatory  school  together  per- 
manently at  Claremont.  The  same  year  Holmes 
hall  was  built.  It  was  erected  as  a  memorial  to 
Cyrus  W.  Holmes,  Jr.,  by  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter. It  contains  a  reading  room,  faculty  rooms, 
art  room,  chapel,  society  hall  and  recitation  rooms 
for  the  classical  and  English  departments.     Pear- 


son's Hall  of  Science  is  a  donation  from  Dr.  D. 
K.  Pearsons,  of  Chicago.  It  is  a  building  60x90 
feet,  two  stories  high,  with  a  basement.  In  this 
building  are  the  biological  department,  the  de- 
partment of  physics,  the  chemical  department, 
the  astronomical  and  mathematical  equipments 
and  the  librar}-.  The  hall  was  dedicated  in  Jan- 
uary, 1899;  Sumner  hall  is  devoted  to  the  use 
of  the  young  lady  students  as  a  dormitory.  Pres- 
ident Baldwin  resigned  in  July,  1897,  and  was 
succeeded  the  following  January  by  Rev.  Frank 
L.  Ferguson,  who  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  Rev. 
George  A.  Gates,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  who  is  the  pres- 
ent president.  The  first  class  was  graduated  in 
1894.  The  college  has  three  courses  of  study  that 
lead  to  Bachelor's  degree — classical,  literary  and 
scientific. 

Among  the  new  improvements  made  to  the 
college  equipment  is  the  Renwick  gymnasium. 
Mrs.  Helen  Goodwin  Renwick,  in  the  memory 
of  her  husband,  contributed  the  larger  part  of 
its  cost.  The  i-emainder  was  subscribed  or  solic- 
ited by  the  students  of  the  college.  It  is  fur- 
nished with  all  the  apparatus  necessary  for 
training  in  physical  exercise. 

Adjoining  the  gymnasium  is  a  building  con- 
taining lockers,  showers  and  other  equipment 
for  the  special  use  of  athletic  teams.  In  the  year 
1905,  Nathan  W.  Blanchard  of  Santa  Paula  gave 
to  the  college  sixty-five  acres  adjoining  the  col- 
lege campus  proper  on  the  east  for  a  park  and 
recreation  grounds.  The  grounds  have  been 
thrown  open  to  the  public  and  drives  have  been 
made  through  them.  These  grounds  are  covered 
with  oaks,  sycamores  and  a  variety  of  California 
shrubs.  The  new  park  with  the  grounds  adjacent 
to  the  'college  buildings  form  a  continuous  cam- 
pus of  nearly  one  hundred  acres. 

Actuated  by  the  hope  of  widening  its  influence 
and  building  up  a  great  educational  institution 
the  trustees  of  Pomona  College  in  1905  voted 
unanimously  to  invite  the  Baptists  and  the  Dis- 
ciples of  Southern  California  to  join  them  in  col- 
lege work.  These  two  denominations  have  no 
collegiate  institutions  of  their  own  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  state. 

The  Baptists  appointed  a  committee  which  has 
signified  its  approbation  of  the  union.  The  ques- 
tion awaits  the  decision  of  the  general  body  of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RliCORD. 


365 


the  church.  The  Disciples  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing in  Long  Beach  in  August,  1906,  without  a 
dissenting  voice,  accepted  the  invitation  to  unite. 
They  appointed  a  committee  of  conference  con- 
sisting of  the  following-named  gentlemen :  C. 
C.  Chapman  of  Fullerton,  John  Fleming  of  San 
Diego,  W.  L.  Porterfield  of  Long  Beach,  Rev. 
A.  C.  Smithers  of  Los  Angeles  and  the  Rev.  F. 
Jil.  Dowling  of  Pasadena.  The  Baptists  and  the 
Disciples  each  will  appoint  five  of  their  members 
on  the  board  of  trustees.  Further  details  of  the 
union  are  to  be  arranged. 

The  college  has  made  a  rapid  growth  in  the 
past  four  years.  In  1902  the  number  of  students 
in  the  college  classes  was  104;  in  1906  the  num- 
ber was  212.  The  income  from  tuition  fees  in 
1902  was  $10,500,  in  1906  it  was  $23,500.  The 
annual  expenditures  in  1902  were  about  $24,000, 
in  1906  about  $50,000. 

OCCIDENT.XL    COLLEGE. 

Occidental  College  was  founded  in  1887  b}-  an 
association  of  ministers  representing  Presby- 
terian Churches  of  Los  Angeles  and  vicinit}-. 
Its  first  location  was  just  east  of  the  city,  between 
First  and  Second  streets.  A  number  of  lots  and 
some  acreage  were  donated  to  it.  In  1888  a  fine 
three-story  brick  structure  was  erected  for  the 
main  college  building.  School  was  opened  in 
1888.  Rev.  L.  H.  Weller,  president.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  presidency  by  Prof.  J.  ^I.  McPher- 
ron.  In  1896  the  building  and  nearly  all  its  con- 
tents were  destroyed  by  fire.  After  this  the 
school  for  several  months  was  carried  on  in  the 
Boyle  Heights  Presbyterian  Church ;  from  there 
it  was  removed  to  the  old  St.  Vincent  College 
building  on  Hill  street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
streets,  where  it  was  conducted  for  two  years. 
After  considerable  delay  a  new  location  was  se- 
cured at  Highland  Park,  about  midway  between 
Los  Angeles  and  Pasadena.  Here  in  1898  a  com- 
modious and  attractive  building  was  built  and 
the  classes  transferred  to  it  in  September,  1898. 
Rev.  Guy  W.  Wadsworth  was  president  of  the 
institution  at  that  time. 

In  1904  the  principal  college  building,  the  Hall 
of  Letters,  was  built.  It  is  a  brick  structure  of 
three  stories  and  a  basement  with  a  frontage  of 
180  feet  on  Pasadena  avenue,  and  a  depth  of  100 


feet.  In  this  building  are  lecture  rooms,  halls 
for  the  Christian  associations  and  literary  so- 
cieties. It  also  contains  the  auditorium,  fur- 
nished with  opera  chairs  and  having  a  seating- 
capacity  for  six  hundred.  The  cost  of  the  build- 
ing complete  was  $57,000. 

The  Stimson  Library  was  completed  and  oc- 
cupied early  in  1905.  It  is  the  gift  of  Charles 
M.  Stimson  of  Los  Angeles.  It  was  erected  at 
a  cost  of  $20,000  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  library  buildings  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  It  contains  reading  and  reference  rooms, 
librarian's  office,  stack  rooms  and  the  usual  facil- 
ities for  efficient  work.  The  college  library  con- 
tains about  5,000  volumes. 

In  1905  a  campaign  was  inaugurated  to  se- 
cure for  the  college  an  endowment  of  $200,000. 
().  T.  Johnson  of  Los  Angeles  oflfered  to  con- 
tribute one-third  of  the  amount  on  condition  that 
the  other  two-thirds  be  secured  within  a  speci-' 
fied  time.  By  persistent  and  tireless  effort  un- 
der the  superintendence  of  the  Rev.  W.  S.  Young, 
chairman  of  the  special  committee,  and  Rev, 
Hugh  K.  Walker,  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  and  other  friends  of  the  college,  the  an- 
nouncement was  made  on  February  i,  1906,  that 
more  than  $200,000  had  been  secured.  The  pro- 
ductive funds  of  the  college  are  now  equivalent 
to  $360,000.  At  the  close  of  the  college  year  of 
1904-1905,  Rev.  Guy  W.  Wadsworth  resigned 
the  presidency  and  Rev.  W.  S.  Young,  D.  D., 
acted  as  president  pro  tem.  during  the  college 
year  of  1905-1906.  John  Willis  Baer,  LL.  D., 
secretary  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  and 
also  at  one  time  national  secretary  of  the  Chris- 
tion  Endeavor  Society,  was  elected  president  to 
take  office  at  the  beginning  of  the  college  year 
1906-1907.     He  was  installed  October  26,   1906. 

THE  THROOP   POLYTECHNIC   INSTITUTE. 

This  institution  of  learning,  located  in  Pasa- 
dena, was  founded  by  Hon.  .\mos  G.  Throop 
in  1891.  The  first  name  chosen  was  Throop  Uni- 
versity. Its  curriculum  was  planned  to  include 
a  university  course. 

Father  Throop.  as  he  was  reverently  called, 
endowed  the  university  with  $200,000  and  con- 
secrated all  his  energy  to  its  support.  Articles 
of  incorporation  were  filed  with  the  secretary  of 


366 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


state  September  23,  1891.  On  October  2nd  the 
first  board  of  trustees  was  organized.  It  con- 
sisted of  the  following-named  persons :  H.  H. 
Markliam,  H.  W.  Magee,  J.  C.  Michener,  W.  U. 
Masters,  J.  S.  Hodge,  George  H.  Bonebrake, 
Delos  Arnold,  T.  P.  Lukens,  E.  F.  Hurlburt, 
T.  S.  C.  Lowe,  P.  M.  Green,  F.  C.  Howes,  Milton 
D.  Painter,  A.  G.  Throop  and  L.  A.  Sheldon. 
Hon.  A.  G.  Throop  was  elected  president ;  L.  W. 
Andrews,  secretary,  and  P.  M.  Green,  treasur- 
er. The  Wooster  block,  a  four-story  building 
on  the  corner  of  Fair  Oaks  avenue  and  Kansas 
street,  was  leased  for  five  years  and  preparations 
were  made  for  the  opening  of  the  school.  The 
university  opened  November  2,  1891,  with  a 
good  attendance  of  students. 

At  the  close  of  the  first  college  year  (1892) 
the  name  of  the  institution  was  changed  from 
Throop  University  to  Throop  Polytechnic  In- 
stitute, and  it  was  decided  to  "make  the  manual 
training  and  polytechnic  departments"  the  lead- 
ing features  of  the  institution. 

In  1892  a  body  of  land  was  secured  at  the 
comer  of  Fair  Oaks  avenue  and  Chestnut  street. 
On  this  a  building  known  as  Polytechnic  hall 
was  erected,  and  to  this  the  shops  and  labora- 
tories of  the  manual  training  department  were 
transferred. 

To  provide  for  increased  attendance,  another 
building,  known  as  East  hall,  has  been  erected. 
It  is  68x150  feet,  three  stories  in  height  and  is 
located  directly  east  of  Polytechnic  hall.  It  cost, 
finished  and  furnished,  nearly  $40,000.  On  the 
first  floor  are  the  class  rooms  for  languages,  lit- 
erature, mathematics,  history,  stenography,  type- 
writing, etc.  On  the  second  floor  are  an  assem- 
bly room,  library  and  quarters  for  the  department 
of  biological  sciences.  In  1904  further  enlarge- 
ment became  necessary  and  a  two-story  brick  ad- 
dition was  made  to  Polytechnic  hall,  while  all 
the  shops  were  overhauled  and  extensive  im- 
provements made.  These  changes  were  made 
possible  by  the  generous  action  of  the  citizens  of 
Pasadena  in  subscribing  a  fund  of  about  $1,200 
for  the  work.  An  out-door  g\'mnasium,  the 
gift  of  John  S.  Cravens,  with  a  fine  equipment 
of  apparatus,  was  added  in  the  autumn  of  1904. 
Miss  Susan  H.  Stickney  of  Pasadena,  in  Aug- 


ust, 1904,  donated  to  Throop  Institute  a  hand- 
some building  at  the  junction  of  Fair  Oaks  and 
Lincoln  avenues,  known  as  the  Stickney  Mem- 
orial building,  with  the  sole  condition  that  the 
property  be  occupied  by  the  art  department  of 
the  institute.  The  building  is  entirely  devoted 
to  the  work  of  the  art  department. 

Throop  hall,  at  No.  289  North  Los  Robles  av- 
enue, is  a  boys'  dormitory  with  accommodations 
for  about  fifty  boys  and  young  men.  It  is  owned 
by  the  Institute  and  consists  of  a  main  building 
of.  thirty-five  rooms  and  two  adjoining  cottages, 
These  are  located  in  a  tract  of  about  one  and  a 
third  acres.  A  tennis  court  and  a  play  ground 
are  included  in  the  conveniences  for  pupils  liv- 
ing at  the  house. 

The  school  is  endowed  with  the  following 
trust  funds:  The  Eldridge  M.  Fowler  of  $50,- 
000,  the  Olive  Cleveland,  consisting  of  the  in- 
come from  property  worth  $20,000  and  the  John 
Wadsworth  professorship  fund,  income  produc- 
ing property  worth  about  $30,000. 

The  Institute  comprises  five  schools,  the  col- 
lege, the  normal  school,  the  academy,  the  com- 
mercial school  and  the  elemetnary  school.  The 
president  of  the  Institute  is  Walter  A.  Edwards, 
A.  M. 

WHITTIER  COLLEGE. 

Whittier  College  and  the  city  of  Whittier, 
where  it  is  located,  take  their  name  from  the 
Quaker  poet,  John  Greenleaf  Whittier. 

On  the  27th  of  September,  1891,  the  Whittier 
Educational  Association,  a  corporate  body  under 
the  laws  of  the  State  of  California,  established 
Whittier  Academy  in  the  town  of  Whittier.  The 
beginning  was  made  in  a  store  building  fur- 
nished by  the  Pickering  Land  and  Water  Com- 
panv.  Three  years  later  this  company  donated 
the  beautiful  site  now  occupied,  and  the  sum  of 
$8,000  was  subscribed  and  paid  by  the  citizens 
of  Whittier  and  the  members  of  the  Friends 
Church  in  California.  With  this  money  the  pres- 
ent building  was  constructed.  In  the  summer  of 
1900  the  Whittier  Educational  Association  trans- 
fered  its  interests  to  the  California  Yearly  jNIeet- 
ing  of  Friends. 

In  1901  Whittier  College  was  organized  and 
incorporated  under  the  present  management,  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


367 


the  first  class,  entering  with  advanced  standing 
of  one  year,  graduated  in  1904. 

In  1904  the  college  building  was  completed 
by  the  addition  upon  the  south  side  of  a  wing 
containing  laboratories,  association  rooms,  of- 
fice and  reception  rooms,  dining  room,  kitchen 
and  dormitories.  The  auditorium  was  also  re- 
modeled and  all  the  older  class  rooms  renovated. 

In  the  summer  of  1905  a  spacious  gymnasium 
was  built  and  equipped,  and  the  athletic  field 
was  graded  for  track,  baseball  and  general  field 
sports. 

During  the  college  year,  ending  in  June,  1906, 
a  continued  effort  has  been  made  to  raise  an  ad- 
ditional $100,000  endowment.  At  the  close  of 
the  college  year  there  was  still  lacking  $32,000. 
"Everj'thing  that  human  plan  could  devise  had 
failed  to  complete  the  amount.  There  was  still 
lacking  over  $17,000,  and  the  last  available  source 
seemed  exhausted.  It  seemed  that  failure  was 
stamped  upon  the  effort.  It  was  a  day  of  gloom. 
So  Saturday  had  passed.  Worn  out  by  a  long 
week  of  almost  continuous  meetings,  the  people 
were  beginning  to  disperse,  the  clerk  was  just 
calling  for  adjournment  when  he  was  interrupted 
by  an  additional  gift  to  the  endowment.  The 
first  was  followed  by  another  and  another  with- 
out solicitation  so  rapidly  that  the  names  could 
scarcely  be  taken."  (Whittier  College  Bulletin 
July,   1906.) 

The  amount  was  raised  and  the  college  is  pre- 
pared to  enter  upon  larger  work  in  the  future. 


THE    HARVARD    SCHOOL     (MILITARY). 

The  most  successful  effort  in  the  history  of 
Los  Angeles  to  build  up  an  educational  insti- 
tution combining  military  training  with  a  high 
standard  of  scholarship  is  the  Harvard  School 
(Military)  founded  by  Grenville  C.  Emery,  A. 
M.,  in  1900. 

The  ground  was  purchased  for  the  school  in 
April,  1900.  The  following  summer  two  build- 
ings were  erected,  Rugby  hall  and  Harvard  hall 
(now  Junior  hall)  in  the  mission  style,  with  Ar- 
thur B.  Benton  as  architect. 

The  school  first  opened  September  25,  1900, 
with  forty  pupils.  The  number  increased  to 
seventy-two  during  the  year.  Six  years  later 
the  school  opened  with  240  pupils. 

Buildings  have  been  erected  from  time  to 
time  as  the  need  of  the  school  demanded  to  the 
cost  of  $95,000.  These  are  the  new  Harvard  hall, 
Rugby  hall,  Arnold  hall,  Junior  hall,  and  the 
gymnasium. 

The  older  cadets  are  armed  with  Springfield 
rifles,  45  calibre  West  Point  model,  smaller  rifles 
being  provided  for  the  younger  boys.  Waist 
belts,  cartridge  boxes  and  bayonet  scabbard  com- 
plete the  equipment  of  the  cadet  private. 

A  fully  equipped  80-foot  indoor  rifle  range, 
underneath  Arnold  hall,  permits  the  instruction 
of  cadets  in  rifle  shooting. 

A  cadet  band  has  been  organized,  the  larger 
instruments,  such  as  the  tuba,  bass  drum,  etc., 
being  the  property  of  the  school. 


CHAPTER    Llll. 


LITERARY  AND  SCIENTIFIC  ORGANIZATIONS. 


THE    LOS    ANGELES    PUBLIC    LIBRARY. 

THE  only  attempt  at  founding  any  institu- 
tion of  the  character  of  our  modern  read- 
ing room  and  library  during  the  Mexican 
era  of  our  city's  history  was  that  made  by  the 
Amigos  del  Pais  in  1844.  The  Amigos  del  Pais 
(Friends  of  the  Country)  was  a  society  or  club 
made  up  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town,  both 


native  and  foreign.  A  lot  100  varas  square, 
free  of  taxes,  was  granted  the  society  by  the 
ayuntamiento.  An  adobe  building  was  erected 
and  fitted  up  with  a  dancing  hall.  A  reading  room 
was  partitioned  off  from  the  main  hall  and  a 
small  library  of  books  was  collected.  There  were 
no  daily  newspapers  in  the  reading  room.  A 
newspaper  six  months  old  was  late  news,  and  a 


368 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIC. \L  RECORD. 


book  of  the  la.'^t  century  was  quite  fresh  and 
readable.  The  Amigos  for  a  time  enjoyed  their 
social  privileges  and  the  society  flourished.  Then 
the  society  ran  in  debt  and  its  membership  fell 
off.  The  building-  was  disposed  of  by  lottery.  An- 
dres Pico  drew  the  lucky  number.  Tlie  McDon- 
ald block,  on  North  Main  street,  stands  on  the 
site  of  the  Amigos'  hall. 

After  the  American  conquest  the  question  of 
founding  a  library  and  reading  room  was  fre- 
quently agitated.  The  Mechanics"  Institute,  in 
1856,  '57  and  '58,  was  a  flourishing  literary  as- 
sociation. It  maintained  a  course  of  lectures 
which  were  well  patronized.  The  society  owned 
a  corrugated  iron  building  on  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  North  Spring  street  and  Court  street, 
where  the  Home  Savings  Bank  building 
now  stands.  It  was  ambitious  to  found  a  pub- 
lic library  and  reading  room,  but  the  times  were 
unpropitious.  Money  was  scarce  and  popula- 
tion migrator}-.  The  institution  died  and  its  good 
intentions  perished  with  it  or  went  where  all 
good  intentions  go. 

The  first  attempt  under  American  rule  to 
establish  a  library  and  reading  room  in  Los  An- 
geles that  accomplished  something  was  made  in 
1859.  A  call  was  issued  for  "all  who  are  dis- 
posed to  aid  in  establishing  a  library  and  read- 
ing room  to  meet  in  Wells,  Fargo  &  Company's 
express  office  Monday  evening,  April  4,   1859." 

The  call  was  signed  by  H.  N.  Alexander,  G. 
W.  Wood,  J.  Fleishman,  P.  Sichel,  H.  S.  Alan- 
son,  J.  Foy,  L.  M.  Jacobs.  William  H.  Workman, 
N.  Williamson,  E.  H.  Workman,  M.  J.  Newmark, 
F.  Melius,  F.  Bachman  and  P.  H.  Downey.  Of 
all  the  signers  of  that  call  only  William  H.  Work- 
man and  M.  J.  Newmark  are  living. 

At  the  meeting  a  constitution  and  by-laws 
were  adopted.  A  membership  fee  of  $5  was  re- 
quired and  the  monthly  dues  were  fixed  at  $1. 
At  a  subsequent  meeting  John  Temple  was  elect- 
ed president ;  J.  J.  Warner,  vice-president;  Fran- 
cis Melius,  treasurer;  Israel  Fleishman,  secre- 
tary, and  the  following-named  were  chosen  a 
board  of  directors :  E.  Drown,  J.  H.  Lander,  J. 
Frohlong,  H.  Melius,  E.  J.  C.  Kewen,  S.  F.  Rey- 
nolds and  R.  Emerson. 

The  people  were  asked  to  contribute  books  to 
the  library.     A  motlev  collection  of  volumes  in 


English,  French,  German  and  Spanish  were  do- 
nated. The  membership  was  not  large  and  the 
dues  were  not  paid  promptly ;  the  result  was 
that  the  rent  of  the  rooms  and  the  salary  of  the 
librarian  bankrupted  the  association.  The  books 
were  sold  at  auction  to  pay  its  debts  and  then 
there  was  another  "light  that  failed"  in  the  old 
pueblo — more  good  intentions  that  went  to  form 
additional  pavement. 

In  the  early  '70s,  when  the  city  began  to  take 
on  a  new  growth,  the  project  of  founding  a  pub- 
lic library  was  again  revived.  On  the  7th  of 
December,  1872,  a  meeting  was  called  at  the  old 
Merced  theater,  located  -on  North  Main  street 
just  south  of  the  Pico  house  or  National  hotel; 
the  building  is  still  standing  but  long  since  ceased 
to  be  used  as  a  theater.  Over  two  hundred  cit- 
izens were  present.  Gen.  J.  R.  McConnell,  a 
prominent  lawyer,  acted  as  president,  and  W.  J. 
Broderick,  then  the  proprietor  of  a  bookstore. 
acted  as  secretary.  Sixty-six  vice-presidents 
were  selected  from  the  prominent  men  of  the 
city.  These  were  to  head  the  roll  of  membership 
and  to  give  the  enterprise  a  good  send-oiT.  The 
I^os  Angeles  Library  Association  was  formed, 
and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  canvass  the 
city  for  members,  subscriptions  and  donations  of 
hooks.  This  committee  included  ex-Gov.  John 
G.  Downey,  H.  K.  W.  Bent,  Harris  Newmark, 
\\'.  J.  Broderick  and  S.  B.  Caswell.  A  life  mem- 
bership cost  $50.  a  yearly  membership  $5. 

Governor  Downey  gave  the  use  of  four  rooms 
on  the  second  floor  of  his  block,  corner  of  North 
Main  and  Temple  streets,  free  for  three  months; 
these  rooms  were  fitted  up  with  open  shelves, 
newspaper  racks  and  reading  tables.  The  first 
board  of  trustees  consisted  of  J.  G.  Downey,  S. 
B.  Caswell,  H.  K.  W.  Bent,  G.  H.  Smith.  Ignacio 
Supulveda.  W.  H.  Mace,  A.  W.  Potts.  T.  W. 
Temple.  R.  H.  Dalton.  Gen.  George  Stoneman, 
E.  M.  Stanford.  W.  B.  Lawler  and  J.  R.  Mc- 
Connell ;  this  board  to  have  control  of  the  library 
and  the  appointment  of  the  librarian  and  assist- 
ants. The  legislature  of  1873-74  passed  an  act 
authorizing  the  levying  of  a  small  tax  on  the 
jjroperty  of  the  city  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
library.  In  1878.  by  act  of  the  legislature,  the 
niavor   and   members    of   the    city    council    were 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


369 


made  ex  officio  a  board  of  regents  to  manage  the 
afifairs  of  the  library. 

During  the  '70s,  subscriptions,  donations,  Ijalls 
theatrical  performances  and  membership  fees 
mainly  supplied  the  funds  for  the  purchase  of 
!)Ooks  and  periodicals.  The  amount  raised  by 
taxation  was  barely  sufficient  to  keep  up  the  run- 
ning expenses,  salary,  rent,  etc.  The  period 
between  1880  and  1889  was  not  covered  by  so 
many  donations,  but  occasional  subscriptions  and 
membership  fees  kept  the  library  running  until 
the  adoption  of  the  new  charter  changed  the 
manner  of  conducting  the  institution.  The  new 
charter  dispensed  with  the  board  of  regents  and 
provided  for  a  board  of  five  directors  appointed 
In"  the  mayor.  In  July.  i88q,  the  library  was  re- 
moved from  Downey  block  to  the  city  hall.  The 
Dewey  system  of  classification  was  then  adopted 
and  is  still  used.  The  records  show  that  the 
library  then  contained  just  6,600  books.  An 
extra  large  appropriation  was  made  that  year  on 
condition  that  $10,000  lie  applied  to  the  purchase 
of  books. 

The  librarians,  with  liieir  term  of  service,  are 
as  follows  : 

J.  C.  Littlefield.  ..  .  December,  1872- January,  1879 

Patrick  Connollv.  ..  lanuarv,  1879-Iune,  1880 

Mary  E.  Foy..'.  ..  .June,   ■  i88o-January,  1884 

Jessie  A.  Gavitt.  ..  .January,  1884-ianuary,  1889 

Lvdia  A.  Prescott.  .  lanuarv,  1889-April,  1889 

Tessa  L.Kelso April,'  1889-Mav,  1895 

Clara  P..  Fowler.  ..  .May.  1895-lune,  1897 

Harriet  C.  Wadlcighjune,  i897-!\Iay,  1900 

Marv  L.  Jones May,  1900- June.  1905 

Charles  F.  Lummis. June,  1905- 

In  1891  the  annual  membership  fee  which  at 
that  time  was  $3  was  abolished  and  the  library 
made  free.  A  training  class  was  organized  the 
same  year  for  training  attendants  and  the  follow- 
ing year  (1892)  the  board  of  education  placed  the 
school  library  in  custody  of  the  library  board. 

The  question  of  securing  a  library  building 
has  been  agitated  for  a  number  of  years.  At  a 
special  election  held  in  1893  the  question  of  issu- 
ing Iwnds  to  the  amount  of  $50,000  for  a  library 
building  to  be  located  in  Central  Park,  was  sub- 
mitted to  tlie  people.  It  was  voted  down  on  the 
plea  that  tlie  title  to  the  park  would  be  invali- 
dated by  using  it  for  any  other  purpose  than  a 
place    for    recreation.      This   claim    has    no   valid 


foundation.  At  the  city  election  of  1904  a  ma- 
jority vote  of  the  people  decided  in  favor  of  locat- 
ing the  library  building  in  the  park. 

In  August,  1906,  the  volumes  belonging  to  the 
public  school  library,  numbering  about  15,000, 
were  withdrawn  and  a  library  room  for  the 
schools  fitted  up  in  the  Grand  Avenue  school. 

In  April  and  May  of  the  year  1906  the  library 
was  moved  from  the  city  hall,  where  it  had  been 
housed  for  seventeen  years,  to  the  Homer 
Laughlin  .A.nnex  on  Hill  street  south  of  Third 
street.  When  it  moved  into  the  city  hall  it  con- 
tained 6,600  volumes ;  when  it  moved  out  it  had 
123,000  volumes.  Its  growth  while  there  crowd- 
ed out  all  the  other  occupants  of  the  third  floor 
of  the  city  building.  First  the  school  superin- 
tendent and  the  board  of  education  had  to  hunt 
other  quarters,  then  the  city  engineer  and  the 
street  department. 

It  was  claimeil  the  weight  of  tons  of  books 
made  the  building  unsafe  and  the  council  or- 
dered the  librar}-  board  to  find  new  quarters. 
The  quarters  in  the  city  hall  "were  wholly  inade- 
quate for  library  purposes  and  the  library  author- 
ities were  as  willing  to  move  as  the  council  was 
to  have  them  go."' 

"The  new  quarters  are  the  second  and  third 
floors  of  a  three-story  remforced  concrete  build- 
ing, fire-proof  and  earthquake-proof,  with  auto- 
matic fire-sprinkling  system,  and  the  first  plunger 
elevator  west  of  Ohio.  Floor  space  inside  of 
20,000  square  feet  as  against  7,000  in  the  old 
quarters ;  besides  nearly  7,000  square  feet  in  the 
roof  garden  already  established  on  the  floor  back 
of,  and  level  with,  the  first  librar\-  floor.  There 
is  another  but  larger  floor  adaptable  for  roof 
gardens  over  the  second  library  floor,  which  will 
probably  be  put  in  operation  within  a  \ear.  A 
couple  of  Carnegie  branches  in  Brooklyn  have 
roofs  and  some  flowers  in  terra  cotta  flower-pots ; 
but  Los  Angeles  has  the  first  real  roof-garden 
reading  room  in  America.  It  has  over  300  run- 
ning feet  of  rose  hedge,  bush  and  climbing,  from 
five  to  ten  feet  high ;  50  feet  of  heliotrope  hedge : 
50  feet  of  geranium  hedge;  an  arbor  80x16  feet 
with  eastern  and  western  varities  of  grapes,  with 
wistarias,  honeysuckle,  etc. :  a  19-foot  dracena 
and  a  23-foot  crepe  myrtle :  fine  specimens  of 
orange,    lemon,    grape-fruit,    palm    (in    variety). 


370 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL,  RECORD. 


cherimoya,  fig,  alligator  pear,  oleander,  camphor, 
loquat,  bamboo,  catalpa,  banana,  habber,  etc.  (all 
in  receptacles  as  capacious  as  the  average  tree 
gets  out  of  doors,  even  in  this  country),  a  foun- 
tain lo  feet  interior  diameter,  with  four  kinds 
of  water  lilies  now  in  bloom,  and  with  two  varie- 
ties of  goldfish ;  and  a  large  space  in  which  mere 
men  may  read  while  they  smoke.  There  is  also, 
of  course,  space  for  women  in  which  no  smoking 
is  allowed.  This  roof  garden  is  already  largely 
patronized.  Its  seating  capacity  is  almost  equal 
to  the  total  space  provided  for  public  use  in  the 
old  quarters."* 

The  total  number  of  employes  of  the  Los  .An- 
geles Public  Library  in  1905  was  52.  The  ap- 
propriation received  from  taxation  was  $62,500; 
of  this  $28,945  was  paid  for  the  salaries  and 
$10,307  for  books.  When  the  library  was  moved 
into  the  city  hall  in  July,  1889,  there  were  only 
six  employes  and  the  amount  paid  for  salaries 
was  $2,632. 

IIIST0RIC.\L    SOCIETY    OF    SOUTHERN    CALIFORNIA. 

Although  Southern  California  is  rich  in  his- 
torical material,  yet  more  than  a  century  passed 
before  any  society  was  organized  foi"  its  preserv- 
ation. On  the  evening  of  November  i,  1883,  in 
a  room  of  the  old  Temple  block,  corner  of  North 
Main  and  Market  streets,  used  at  that  time  for  a 
council  chamber,  the  following-named  gentlemen 
met  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  an  historical 
society:  Col.  J.  J.  Warner,  Gen  John  Mans- 
field, H.  D.  Barrows,  N.  Levering,  Prof.  J.  M. 
Guinn,  Maj.  C.  N.  Wilson,  ex-Gov.  J.  G.  Dow- 
ney, Prof.  Ira  More,  J.  B.  Niles,  A.  Kohler,  Don 
Antonio  F.  Coronel,  George  Hansen,  A.  J.  Brad- 
field,  Maj.  E.  W.  Jones  and  Prof.  Marcus  Baker. 
The  question  of  organizing  a  society  was  dis- 
cussed and  a  plan  formulated.  At  a  subsequent 
meeting  held  December  6th,  officers  were  elected, 
a  constitution  and  by-laws  adopted  and  the  or- 
ganization completed.  The  first  officers  of  the 
society  were:  J.  J.  Warner,  president;  H.  D. 
Barrows,  A.  F.  Coronel,  J.  G.  Downey,  John 
Mansfield,  vice-presidents;  J.  M.  Guinn,  treas- 
urer; C.  N.  Wilson,  secretary.  Its  meetings  at 
first  were  held  in  the  council  chamber,  later  on 


in  the  city  court  room,  and  now  at  the  houses  of 
the  members.  During  the  twenty-three  years  of 
its  existence  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
sons have  been  received  into  membership.  Of 
these  fifty  are  dead,  a  number  have  been  lost 
through  removal,  withdrawal  and  non-payment 
of  dues.  The  active  membership  is  now  about 
fifty. 

The  society  has  issued  twenty  annual  publica- 
tions of  papers  read  before  it  or  contributed  to 
it.  These  publications  make  two  thousand  octavo 
pages  and  form  six  complete  volumes  of  val- 
uable history.  It  has  expended  in  publication, 
purchase  of  books  and  newspaper  files  about 
$5,000  cash ;  and  in  addition  to  this  it  has  re- 
ceived in  donations  of  books,  curios,  files  of 
paper,  periodicals,  pamphlets,  manuscripts,  maps, 
etc.,  historical  material  worth  at  least  $5,000 
more.  Its  library  includes  bound  volumes  and 
pamphlets,  in  all  about  six  thousand  titles.  Its 
publications  have  a  wide  circulation.  They  are 
sent  to  historical,  scientific  and  geographical  so- 
cieties, to  public  libraries  and  to  the  leading  col- 
leges and  universities  of  the  United  States  and 
Europe. 

The  society  was  incorporated  February  12, 
1891.  It  is  the  oldest  historical  society  on  the 
Pacific  coast  and  the  only  one  in  California  doing 
state  work.  The  legislature  of  1905  passed  an 
act  appropriating  $125,000  for  the  erection  of  a 
building  for  the  society  and  for  the  newly  cre- 
ated court  of  appeals.  Governor  Pardee  vetoed 
the  bill  on  the  plea  that  the  legislature  had  made 
appropriations  in  excess  of  the  revenue. 

SOUTHERN      CALIFORNIA      A.C.«lDEMY     OF      SCIENCE. 

The  Southern  California  Academy  of  Science 
first  bore  the  name  of  the  Southern  California 
Science  Association.  It  was  organized  in  1891. 
Its  first  president  was  Dr.  A.  Davidson,  and  Mrs. 
Mary  E.  Hart  filled  the  position  of  secretary. 
Its  growth  was  slow  at  first.  In  1896  the  asso- 
ciation was  reorganized  and  took  its  present 
name.  Since  then  it  has  had  a  healthy  growth. 
Its  present  officers  and  b-oard  of  directors  are: 
W.  H.  Knight,  president;  Abbot  Kinney,  first 
vice-president;  J.  D.  Hooker,  second  vice-presi- 
dent; W.  C.  Patterson,  treasurer;  B.  R.  Baum- 
gardt,  secretary;  Prof.  J.  A.  Foshay.  C.  D.  Cun- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


371 


ninghani,  Prof.  W.  L.  \\'atts,  .A.  Campbell- John- 
ston, Dr.  S.  M.  Woodbridge,  directors.  Its  pros- 
pectus thus  outlines  the  object  of  the  society: 
"It  is  the  special  province  of  our  Academy  to 
engage  in  those  investigations  which  will  ac- 
quaint us  with  our  physical  environment.  No 
richer  field  exists  for  the  prosecution  of  scien- 
tific inquiry  than  that  of  which  Los  Angeles  is 
the  metropolis.  Its  peculiar  topographical  fea- 
tures, rugged  mountain  chains,  varied  mineral 
deposits,  and  plains  and  fertile  valleys,  and  its 
strange  forms  of  animal  and  plant  life,  furnish 
abundant  material  for  the  physicist  and  the  stu- 
dent of  nature."  The  Academy  has  an  active 
membership  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
The  members  are  divided  into  sections  for  spe- 
cial and  technical  work.  The  following  are  the 
principal  sections :  Astronomical,  Botanical ; 
Agricultural  Experiment;  Biological;  Geolog- 
ical. 

General  meetings  are  held  the  second  Tuesday 
evening  of  each  month  from  September  to  June 
inclusive.  The  Academy  is  incorporated  and 
has  accumulated  a  considerable  collection  of  sci- 
entific material.  It  publishes  scientific  papers 
read  before  the  society  or  contributed  to  it. 

nONEERS  OF  LOS    ANGELES   COUNTY. 

Among  the  purposes  for  which  this  society 
was  organized  are  "to  collect  and  preserve  the 
early  history  of  Los  Angeles  County  and  to  per- 
petuate the  memory  of  those  who,  by  their  hon- 
orable labors  and  heroism,  helped  to  make  that 
history."  The  work,  therefore,  of  this  society  is 
largely  historical  in  its  nature  and  it  cannot  be 
classed  with  purely  social  or  fraternal  societies, 
extended  historical  notices  of  which  it  has  been 
found  impossible  to  insert  in  this  work. 

The  preliminary  meeting  for  the  organization 
of  a  Pioneer  Society  was  held  in  the  business 
office  of  the  Daily  Herald,  then  located  on  Third 
street  in  the  Bradbury  block,  August  2,  1897. 
There  were  present  J.  M.  Griffith,  A.  L.  Bath, 
H.  S.  Orme,  M.  Teed,  J.  M.  Elliott,  J.  W.  Gil- 
lette, J.  M.  Guinn,  H.  W.  O'IMelveny  and  W.  A. 
Spalding.  The  question  of  forming  a  Pioneer 
or  Old  Settlers'  Society  was  discussed  and  a  com- 
mittee to  formulate  a  plan  of  organization  was 
appointed.    The  members  of  the  committee  were : 


H.  D.  Barrows,  J.  W.  Gillette,  J.  M.  Guinn,  Dr. 
H.  S.  Orme,  Dr.  J.  S.  Grififin,  Harris  Newmark, 
Henry  W.  O'Melveny  and  B.  S.  Eaton.  The 
president  of  the  meeting,  J.  M.  Griffith,  was 
made  a  member  of  the  committee.  At  the  meet- 
ing of  the  committee,  August  5th,  B.  S.  Eaton 
was  made  chairman  and  J.  M.  Guinn  secretary. 
A  sub-committee,  consisting  of  B.  S.  Eaton,  J. 
M.  Guinn  and  H.  D.  Barrows,  was  appointed  to 
draft  a  constitution  and  by-laws  and  submit  them 
to  the  general  committee  at  a  meeting  to  be  held 
on  August  loth.  At  that  meeting  the  name  of 
the  organization  was  chosen  and  the  time  of  res- 
idence in  the  county  necessary  to  render  a  per- 
son eligible  to  membership  was  fixed  at  twenty- 
five  years.  It  was  argued  that  by  adopting  a 
movable  date  for  eligibility  to  membership  the 
society  would  continue  to  grow,  whereas  if  a 
fixed  date  was  adopted  the  society  would  begin 
to  decline  as  soon  as  all  eligible  had  been  en- 
rolled. The  growth  of  the  society  has  proved 
the  wisdom  of  this  argument.  A  call  was  issued 
for  persons  eligible  to  membership  under  the 
twenty-five-year-residence"  clause  to  meet  at  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  September  4,  1897,  at 
8  p.  m.,  for  the  purpose  of  adopting  a  constitu- 
tion and  by-laws,  electing  officers  and  otherwise 
completing  the  organization.  At  the  meeting  of 
September  4,  twenty-four  persons  were  pres- 
ent and  signed  the  roll.  The  constitution  and  by- 
laws prepared  by  the  committee,  after  a  few 
changes,  were  adopted.  The  following-named 
persons  were  chosen  a  board  of  directors :  Louis 
Roeder,  W.  H.  Workman,  H.  D.  Barrows,  J.  M. 
Griffith,  B.  S.  Eaton,  J.  M.  Guinn  and  H.  W. 
O'Melveny.  The  directors  then  proceeded  to 
elect  the  officers  of  the  society  from  their  num- 
ber. B.  S.  Eaton  was  chosen  president;  J.  M. 
Griffith,  first  vice-president;  W.  H.  Workman, 
second  vice-president;  Louis  Roeder,  treasurer, 
and  J.  M.  Guinn,  secretary.  The  society  grew 
rapidly  and  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  its  mem- 
bership reached  two  hundred ;  it  now  numbers 
four  hundred. 

The  Society  of  Pioneers  in  connection  with 
the  Historical  Society  of  Southern  California 
has,  beginning  witli  1897  and  continuing  up  to 
1906,  published  an  annual  containing  historical 
papers   read   before   the   society,   and   short   bio- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


graphical  sketches  of  deceased  pioneers.  The 
society  has  preserved  a  considerable  amount  of 
valuable  historical  matter  through  its  publica- 
tions. 

THE  SOUTHWEST  SOCIETY  ARCHAEOLGGIC.VL  INSTI- 
TUTE OF  AMERICA. 

'Hie  Southwest  Society  of  the  Archaological 
Institute  of  America  was  founded  November  30, 
1 903.  At  thirteen  months  old  it  was  numerical- 
ly third  among  the  fifteen  affiliated  societies  of 
the  Institute,  which  at  that  time  was  twenty-five 
years  old  and  embraced  the  most  important  uni- 
versities and  centers  of  learning  in  the  country. 
At  three  }ears  old  it  had  eighty  per  cent  larger 
membership  than  any  other  society  in  the  coun- 
try.    The  present  membership  is  four  hundred. 

It  has  made  the  largest  collection  of  folk- 
songs in  the  country,  about  half  of  which  are 
Spanish  and  half  in  thirty  different  Indian  lan- 
guages of  the  Southwest.  It  is  recording  these 
by  phonograph  and  is  having  them  transcribed 
ready  for  translation,  annotation,  and  publica- 
tion. The  society  has  purchased  collections  cov- 
ering the  most  important  art  known  to  Cali- 
fornia before  1840,  which  includes  at  least  two 
masterpieces ;  two  large  collections  of  California 
arch?eology,  and  other  collections  in  large  vari- 
ety. It  has  been  given  the  personal  relics  of  Gen. 
John  C.  Fremont  and  many  others  relating  to 
the  first  American  occupancy  of  California,  and 
it  has  been  promised  all  relics  of  the  Mission 
epoch  in  the  possession  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  in  California.  It  has  alreaily  made  a 
large  photographic  archive  of  the  Southwest  and 
a  large  number  of  miscellaneous  collections  of 
value.  It  has  conducted  a  large  number  of 
lectures  in  California,  besides  those  given  by  the 
.secretar\'  as  cotirse-lecturer  of  the  Archaeological 


Institute  in  all  chief  university  centers  of  the 
East  in  1904-05;  and  has  conducted  three  scien- 
tific explorations,  one  in  California  and  two  in 
Arizona,  each  with  large  results  to  science.  It 
has  secured,  by  personal  appeal  to  the  President, 
a  reversal  of  the  ten-year  policy  of  the  Interior 
Department,  which  forbade  scientists  to  explore 
the  Indian  and  forest  reservations  of  the  South- 
west. Plans  have  been  laid  for  a  great  free  pub- 
lic museum  in  this  city  and  a  large  sum  of  money 
has  been  paid  toward  the  purchase  price  of  a 
$50,000  site  therefor.  The  society  has  established 
an  exhibit  meantime  in  a  fire-proof  building, 
where  its  collection  are  visible  to  the  public  free 
every  afternoon. 

The  first  officers  of  the  society  were  as  fol- 
lows :  President,  J.  S.  Slauson  ;  vice-presidents  : 
Gen.  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  editor  Los  Angeles 
Times:  Frederick  H.  Rindge,  president  Conserv- 
ative Life  Insurance  Company ;  George  F.  Bo- 
vard,  president  Cniversity  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia ;  Dr.  Norman  Bridge ;  secretary,  Charles  F. 
Lumniis:  treasurer,  W.  C.  Patterson,  president 
Lds  Angeles  National  Bank;  recorder  and  cura- 
tor. Dr.  F.  ^I.  Palmer ;  executive  committee — 
Prof.  J.  A.  Eoshay,  superintendent  city  schools 
Los  Angeles :  E.  Lungren,  Charles  F.  Lummis, 
Dr.  F.  M.  Palmer,  Miss  Mary  E.  Eoy,  Theo.  B. 
Comstock :  advisory  council — H.  W.  O'Melveny, 
Los  Angeles ;  Louis  A.  Dreyfus.  Santa  Barbara ; 
Dr.  J.  H.  McBride,  Pasadena;  Giarles  Cassatt 
Davis,  Los  Angeles;  George  W.  Marston,  San 
Diego;  Charles  A.  Moody,  Los  Angeles;  John  G. 
North,  Riverside;  Walter  R.  Bacon,  Los  An- 
geles ;  E.  W.  Jones,  San  Gabriel ;  Rt.  Rev.  T.  E. 
Conaty,  Los  Angeles;  Rt.  Rev.  J.  H.  Johnson, 
Los  Angeles,  and  Dr.  J.  T.  Martindale,  Los  An- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOC.RAPH  ICAL   RI'.COKD. 


373 


CHAPTER    LIV. 

CLIMATIC   AND  SEISMIC  TRAGEDIES. 


i:  \irill(,JLAKI{S,    I'l.lKIDS  AiXD  DROUGHTS. 

11''  tluTf  i.^  one  characteristic  of  his  state  of 
which  the  true  Cahfnniian  is  prouder  than 
another,  it  is  its  cHniate.  W'hh  his  tahle  of 
temperature  and  records  of  cloudless  days  and 
gentle  sunshine,  he  is  prepared  to  prove  that  Cali- 
fornia has  the  most  glorious  climate  in  the  world. 
Sliould  the  rains  descend  antl  the  floods  prevail, 
or  should  the  heavens  hecome  as  brass  and  neith- 
er the  former  nor  the  latter  rains  fall,  these  cli- 
matic extremes  he  excuses  on  the  plea  of  excep- 
tional years :  or  should  the  earthquake's  shock- 
pale  his  cheeks  and  send  him  flying-  in  affright 
from  his  casa,  when  the  tenihhjr  has  rolled  by 
and  his  fright  i.-  over,  he  laughs  to  scorn  the  idea 
that  an  earth(|uake  in  California  is  an\thing  to 
be  afraid  of,  and  draws  invidious  comparisons  be- 
tween the  harmless  shake-ups  of  this  favore<l 
land  and  the  cyclones,  the  blizzards  and  the  thim- 
derstorms  of  the  east.  The  record  of  earthquakes, 
floods  and  droughts  in  this  chapter  may  seen  to 
the  reader,  as  he  peruses  it,  a  formal  arraignment 
of  our  "glorious  climate,"  Init  he  niust  recollect 
that  the  events  recorded  are  spread  over  a  pe- 
riod of  140  years,  and  he  must  recall  to  mind, 
too,  that  the  aggregate  leiss  of  human  life  in 
all  these  years  from  all  these  climatic  tragedies 
is  less  than  that  inflicted  by  a  single  season's  cy- 
clones and  floods  in  the  southern  and  northwest- 
ern states. 

E.\RTIIOUAKI-:S. 

That  there  are  periods  of  seismic  disturbances, 
when  earthquakes  seem  to  be  epidemic  in  a  coun- 
try, is  evident.  .-\t  the  time  of  its  first  settle- 
■ment  California  was  passing  through  one  of  these 
])eriods.  Among  the  earliest  recorded  climatic 
phenomena,  noted  by  Portola's  expedition,  is  the 
frequent  mention  of  earthquake  shocks.  Father 
Crespi,  in  his  diary  of  this  expedition,  says  of 
their  camiiing  place.  July  2t,.  i/f^"),  "^^"e  called 
this    ])lace    El    Dulcisimo    Xombre    de    Jesus    de 


I  enil>lores,-^  because  four  times  during  the  day 
we  had  been  roughly  shaken  up  l3_\-  earthquakes. 
The  first  and  heaviest  trembling  took  place  at 
about  one  o'clock  and  tlie  last  near  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  One  of  the  gentiles  who  hap- 
pened to  be  in  camp  w^as  no  less  scared  than  we, 
and  began  to  shout  aloud,  invoking  mercv  and 
turning  towards  all  points  of  the  compass." 
Again,  when  the  expedition  encamped  on  the 
I'orciuncula  river,  August  2.  he  says.  "During 
the  evening  and  night  we  experienced  three  con- 
secutive earthquake  shocks."  When  encamped 
on  the  Santa  Clara  river  a  few  days  later,  he  notes 
the  occurrence  of  two  more  shocks. 

Hugo  Reid,  in  his  letters  descriptive  of  the 
founding  of  San  Gabriel  Alission,  says:  "The 
now  San  (labriel  river  was  named  Rio  de  Los 
Tembliires,  an.l  the  building  was  referred  to  as 
the  Mission  de  Los  Ternblores.  These  names 
were  given  fron'  the  fre(|uenc\-  oi  convulsions  at 
that  time  and  for  many  years  ;ifter.  These  con- 
\ulsions  were  not  only  monthly  and  weekly,  but 
often  ilaily." 

The  stone  church  of  San  ("iabriel  was.  during 
the  course  of  its  construction,  several  times  in- 
jured by  earthquake  shocks.  In  1804  the  arched 
roof  had  to  be  taken  oft"  and  one  of  wood  and 
tiles  sulistituted.  The  walls  were  cracked  by  an 
earthquake  and  liad  to  lie  repaired  several  times; 
the  original  tower  was  taken  down  and  the  pres- 
ent belfry  substituted.  There  were  frequent  con- 
vulsions in  the  northern  districts :  at  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1808,  there  were  eighteen  shocks  be- 
tween June  21  and  July  17,  some  of  them  quite 
severe.  The  seismic  disturbance  that  had  con- 
tinued from  1769,  culminated  in  a  series  of  se- 
\ere  shocks  in  i8t2,  which  vear  was  long  known 
in  California  as  "el  aiio  de  los  temblores,"  the 
year  of  the  eartliquakes.  On  Sunday.  December 
8  of  that  year,  tlie  neophytes  of  San  Juan  Cajjis- 


374 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


trano  were  gathered  at  morning  mass  in  their 
magnificent  church,  the  finest  in  Cahfornia.  At 
the  second  wave  of  the  temblor  the  lofty  tower 
fell  with  a  crash  on  the  vaulted  roof  of  masonry, 
and  in  a  moment  the  whole  mass  of  stone  and 
mortar  came  down  on  the  congregation.  The 
officiating  minister  escaped  by  the  door  of  the 
sacristy  and  six  neophytes  were  saved,  but  the 
rest,  forty  in  number,  according  to  ofificial  re- 
ports, were  crushed  to  death,  though  the  mission 
records  show  "that  thirty-nine  were  buried  in 
the  next  two  days  and  four  more  bodies  later,"* 
making  the  total  killed  forty-three.  At  Santa 
Inez  Mission  the  church  was  thrown  down,  but 
there  was  no  loss  of  life.  At  Purisima  Mission 
the  earth  shook  for  four  minutes.  The  church 
and  nearly  all  the  adobe  buildings  were  shaken 
down. 

At  Santa  Barbara  the  buildings  were  damaged, 
new  springs  of  asphaltum  opened;  the  so-called 
volcano  developed  new  openings  and  the  people 
fled  from  the  town  in  terror.  At  San  Gabriel 
it  overthrew  the  main  altar,  breaking  the  St. 
Joseph,  St.  Dominic,  St.  Francis  and  the  Christ. 
It  shook  down  the  steeple,  cracked  the  sacristy 
walls  and  injured  the  friars'  house  and  other 
buildings>t  The  temblors  continued  with  great 
frequency  from  December,  1 812,  to  the  following 
March.  It  was  estimated  that  not  less  than 
three  hundred  well-defined  shocks  were  expe- 
rienced throughout  Southern  California  in  the 
three  months  following  December  8.  After  that 
there  was  a  subsidence,  and  mother  earth,  or  at 
least  that  part  of  her  where  California  is  located, 
ceased  to  tremble. 

In  1855,  1856  and  1857  there  was  a  recur- 
rence of  seismic  convulsions.  July  11,  1855,  at 
8:15  p.  m.,  was  felt  the  most  violent  shock  of 
earthquake  since  1812.  Nearly  every  house  in 
Los  Angeles  was  more  or  less  injured;  walls 
were  badly  cracked,  the  openings  in  some  cases 
being  a  foot  wide.  Goods  were  cast  down  from 
shelves  of  stores  and  badly  damaged.  The  water 
in  the  city  zanjas  slopped  over  the  banks  and 
the  ground  was  seen  to  rise  and  fall  in  waves, 
On  April  14  and  May  2,  1856,  severe  shocks 
were      experienced,      occasioning      considerable 


alarm.      Slight   shocks   were   of  frequent   occur- 
rence. 

January  9,  1857,  at  8:30  a.  m.,  occurred  one  of 
the  most  memorable  earthquakes  ever  experienced 
in  the  southern  country.  At  Los  Angeles  the 
vibrations  lasted  about  two  minutes,  the  motion 
being  from  north  to  south.  It  began  with  gentle 
vibrations,  but  soon  increased  to  such  violence 
that  the  people  rushed  into  the  street  demoral- 
ized by  terror.  Women  shrieked,  children  cried 
and  men  ejaculated  hastily  framed  prayers  of 
most  ludicrous  construction.  Horses  and  cattle 
fled  wildly  over  the  plains,  screaming  and  bel- 
lowing in  affright."  It  was  most  severe  in  the 
neighborhood  of  FArt  Tejon.  Here  a  chasm, 
from  ten  to  twenty  feet  wide  and  extending  from 
thirty  to  forty  miles  in  a  straight  line  northwest 
to  southeast,  opened  in  the  ground  and  closed 
again  with  a  crash,  leaving  a  ridge  of  pulverized 
earth  several  feet  high.  Large  trees  were  broken 
off  and  cattle  grazing  upon  the  hillsides  rolled 
down  the  declivity  in  helpless  fright.  The  bar- 
racks and  officers'  quarters,  built  of  adobe,  were 
damaged  to  stich  an  extent  that  the  officers  and 
soldiers  were  obliged  to  live  in  tents  for  several 
months  until  the  buildings  were  repaired.  The 
great  earthquake  of  1868,  which  shook  up  the 
region  around  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  was 
\ery  light  at  Los  Angeles. 

The  Owens'  valley  earthquake  that  occurred 
March  26,  1872,  was,  next  to  the  great  "tem- 
blor" of  1812,  the  most  destructive  of  hfe  of  any 
that  had  visited  California  up  to  that  time.  The 
houses  in  the  town  of  Lone  Pine,  Inyo  county, 
where  the  greatest  loss  of  life  occurred,  were 
built  of  loose  stone  and  adobe,  and  it  was  more 
owing  to  the  faulty  construction  of  the  buildings 
that  so  many  were  killed,  than  to  the  severity 
of  the  shock,  although  it  was  quite  heavy.  It 
happened  at  25  minutes  past  2  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  when  all  were  m  bed.  Twenty-six  per- 
sons were  killed  in  Lone  Pine  and  two  in  other 
places  in  the  valley.  Los  Angeles  was  pretty 
thoroughly  shal<en  up  at  the  time,  but  no  dam- 
age was  done  and  no  one  was  hurt.  The  last 
seismic  disturbance  in  Sout4iern  California  that 
caused  damage  was  the  San  Jacinto  earthquake, 


•J.  Albert  Wilson's  Hi 


Df  Los  Angeles  County. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


375 


which  occurred  at  4:30  a.  m.,  December  25,  1899. 
It  damaged  a  munber  of  buildings  in  tlie  busi- 
ness part  of  San  Jacinto,  a  town  near  the  base 
of  the  San  Jacinto  Mountains  in  Riverside 
county.  It  shook  down  part  of  the  walls  of  a 
brick  house  in  Hemet,  tliree  miles  northwesterly 
from  San  Jacinto.  A  brick  chimney  in  the  hotel 
was  turned  entirely  around.  At  the  Saboda  In- 
dian reservation,  a  few  miles  from  San  Jacinto, 
six  squaws  were  killed  by  the  falling  of  an  old 
adobe  wall.  They  were  sleeping  in  an  old  house. 
When  the  shock  come  the  walls  fell  inward, 
crushing  them  to  death.  No  other  lives  were 
lost.  Shocks  continued  at  intervals  for  several 
weeks.  In  the  mountains  southeasterly  from 
San  Jacinto  great  crevices  were  discovered 
where  the  earth  had  opened,  and  in  some  places 
had  gulped  down  tall  trees.  Mount  Tauquitz 
gave  forth  suspicious  rumblings  as  if  about  to 
breal'C  out  into  a  volcanic  eruption,  but  subsided. 
For  an  account  of  the  San  Francisco  earth- 
quake of  April  18,  1906,  see  Chapter  XXXVI  of 
this  volume. 

FLOODS. 

The  reports  of  the  climatic  conditions  prevail- 
ing in  the  early  days  of  California  are  very  mea- 
gre. Although  the  state  of  the  weather  was 
undoubtedly  a  topic  of  deep  interest  to  the  pas- 
toral people  of  California,  yet  neither  the  dons 
nor  the  padres  compiled  meteorological  tables  or 
kept  records  of  atmospheric  phenomena.  With 
their  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills  and  their  flocks 
and  herds  spread  over  the  plains,  to  them  an 
abundant  rainfall  meant  prosperity,  a  dry  season 
starvation  to  their  flocks  and  consequent  poverty. 
Occasionally  we  find  in  the  archives  that  a  pro- 
cession was  ordered  or  a  novena  promised  to 
some  certain  saint  if  he  would  order  a  rain  storm, 
but  there  is  no  -nention  of  prayers  being  offered 
to  cut  short  the  pluvial  downpour.  Consequently 
the  old  weather  reports,  such  as  they  are,  show 
m.ore  droughts  than  floods,  not  that  there  were 
more,  but  because  people  are  more  inclined  to 
bewail  the  evils  that  befall  them  than  rejoice 
ever  the  good. 

The  only  record  of  a  flood  that  I  have  been 
able  to  find  during  the  last  centur>-  is  in  Father 
Serra's  report  of  the  overflow  of  the  San  IMiguel 


(San  Gabriel;  and  the  destruction  of  the  first 
crop  sown  at  the  old  mission  of  San  Gabriel  in 
the  winter  of  1771-72. 

In  1810-11  there  was  a  great  flood  and  all  of 
the  rivers  of  Southern  California  overflowed 
their  banks.  In  181 5  occurred  a  flood  that  ma- 
terially changed  the  course  of  the  Los  Angeles 
river  within  the  pueblo  limits.  The  river  aban- 
doned its  former  channel  and  flowed  west  of  the 
suertes  or  planting  field  of  the  settlers ;  its  new 
channel  followed  very  nearly  the  present  line  of 
Alameda  street.  The  old  fields  which  were  situ- 
ated where  Chinatown  and  the  lumber  yards 
now  are  were  washed  away  or  covered  with  sand, 
and  new  fields  were  located  in  what  is  now  the 
neighborhood  of  San  Pedro  street. 

In  1825  it  again  left  its  bed  and  drifted  to  the 
eastward,  forming  its  present  channel.  The 
memorable  flood  of  that  year  effected  a  great 
change  in  the  physical  contour  of  the  country 
west  of  Los  Angeles  city.  Col.  J.  J.  Warner,  in 
his  "Historical  Sketch  of  Los  Angeles  County," 
says :  "In  1825  the  rivers  of  this  county  were 
so  swollen  that  their  beds,  their  banks  and  ad- 
joining lands  were  greatly  changed.  At  the 
date  of  the  settlement  of  Los  Angeles  a  large 
portion  of  the  country  from  the  central  part  of 
the  pueblo  to  the  tide  water  of  the  sea  through 
and  over  which  the  Los  Angeles  river  now  finds 
its  way  to  the  ocean  was  largely  covered  with  a 
forest  interspersed  with  tracks  of  marsh.  From 
that  time  until  1825  it  was  seldom,  if  in  any  year, 
that  the  river  discharged  even  during  the  rainy 
season  its  waters  into  the  sea.  Instead  of  having 
a  riverway  to  the  sea,  the  waters  spread  over  the 
country,  filling  the  depressions  in  the  surface  and 
forming  lakes,  ponds  and  marshes.  The  river 
water,  if  any,  that  reached  the  ocean  drained  ofif 
from  the  land  at  so  many  places,  and  in  such 
small  volumes,  that  no  channel  existed  until  the 
flood  of  1825,  which,  by  cutting  a  riverway  to 
tide  water,  drained  the  marsh  land  and  caused 
the  forests  to  disappear."  Colonel  Warner  also 
sa>s  in  his  Historical  Sketch :  "The  flood  of 
1832  so  changed  the  drainage  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Compton  and  the  northeastern  portion 
of  San  Pedro  ranch  that  a  number  of  lakes  and 
])onds  covering  a  large  area  of  the  latter  ranch 
Iving  north  and  northwesterly  from  Wilmington 


37( 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


which  to  that  date  had  been  permanent  became 
di-\-  in  a  few  years  thereafter."  The  drainage  of 
these  ponds  and  lakes  completed  the  destruction 
of  the  forests  that  Colonel  Warner  says  covered 
a  large  portion  of  the  country  south  and  west 
of  the  city.  These  forests  were  in  all  probability 
thickets  or  copses  of  willow,  larch  and  cotton- 
wood  similar  to  those  found  on  the  low  ground 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Santa  Ana  and  in  the 
swampy  lands  of  the  San  Gabriel  river  forty 
years  ago.  In  1842  occurred  another  ilood  simi- 
lar to  that  of  1832. 

In  January,  1850,  the  Argonauts  of  '49  had 
their  first  experience  of  a  California  flood.  The 
valley  of  the  Sacramento  was  like  an  inland  sea 
and  the  city  Df  Sacramento  became  a  second 
Venice.  But.  instead  of  gondolas,  the  citizens 
navigated  the  submerged  streets  in  wagon  boxes. 
bakers'  troughs  and  crockery  crates,  and  in  rafts 
buoyed  up  by  whiske\-  kegs.  Whiskey  in  hogs- 
heads, whiskey  in  barrels  and  whiskey  in  kegs 
floated  on  the  angry  waters,  and  the  gay  gon- 
dolier as  he  paddled  through  the  streets  drew 
inspiration  for  liis  song  from  the  hung  hole  of 
his  gondola. 

In  the  winter  of  1852-53  followed  another 
flood  that  brought  disaster  to  many  a  mining 
camp  and  financial  ruin  to  many  an  honest  miner. 
A  warm  rain  n,e!ted  the  deep  snows  on  the 
Sierras  and  every  mountain  creek  became  a  river 
and  every  river  became  a  lake  in  size.  The  wing 
dams  and  the  coffer  dams  that  the  miners  had 
spent  piles  of  money  and  months  of  time  con- 
structing, were  swept  away,  and  floated  ofl:  to- 
ward China,  followed  b}'  the  vigorous  l)ut  inef- 
fective anathemas  of  the  disappointed  and  ruined 
gold  hunters.  In  Southern  California  the  flood 
was  e(|ualh-  severe,  but  there  was  less  damage  to 
]M-o]xM-tv  than  in  the  mining  districts.  There 
was  an  unprecedented  rain  fall  in  the  mountains. 
At  old  Fort  Miller,  near  the  head  of  the  San 
Joaquin  river,  an  aggregate  of  forty-six  inches 
of  water  fell  during  the  months  of  January  and 
February. 

The  winter  of  1859-60  was  another  season  of 
heav\'  storms  in  the  mountains.  On  December 
4,  1859,  a  terrific  southeaster  set  in  and  in  forty- 
eight  hours  twelve  inches  of  water  fell.  The 
waters  of  the  San  Gabriel  river  rose  to  an  un- 


precedented height  in  the  canon  and  swept  away 
the  miners'  sluices,  long  toms,  wheels  and  other 
mining  machinery.  The  rivers  of  the  county 
overflowed  the  lowlands  and  large  tracts  of  the 
bottom  lands  were  covered  with  sand  and  sedi- 
ment. The  preceding  season  had  been  a  dry- 
year  ;  the  starving  cattle  and  sheep  unsheltered 
from  the  pitiless  lain,  chilled  through,  died  by 
the  thousands  during  the  storm. 

The  great  flood  of  1861-62  was  the  Noachian 
deluge  of  California  floods.  The  season's  rain 
fall  footed  up  nearly  fifty  inches.  The  valley  of 
the  Sacramento  was  a  vast  inland  sea  and  the 
city  of  Sacramento  was  submerged  and  almost 
ruined.  Relief  boats,  on  their  errands  of  mercy, 
leaving  the  cliannels  of  the  rivers,  sailed  over 
inundated  ranches,  past  floating  houses  and 
wrecks  of  barns,  through  vast  flotsams  made  up 
of  farm  oroducts,  farming  implements  and  the 
carcasses  of  horses,  sheep  and  cattle,  all  drifting 
out  to  sea.  In  our  county,  on  account  of  the 
smaller  area  of  the  valleys,  there  was  but  little 
loss  of  property .  The  rivers  spread  over  the 
lowlands,  but  stock  found  safety  from  the  flood 
on  the  liills.  The  Santa  Ana  river  for  a  time 
rivaled  the  "Fatlier  of  Waters"  in  magnitude. 
In  the  town  of  Anaheim,  four  miles  from  the 
river,  the  water  ran  four  feet  deep  and  spread  in 
an  unbroken  slieet  to  the  Coyote  hills,  three  miles 
bevond.  The  Arroyo  Seed,  swollen  to  a  mighty 
river,  brought  down  from  the  mountains  and 
canons  great  rafts  of  driftwood,  which  were 
scattered  over  the  plains  below  the  city  and  fur- 
nished fuel  for  the  poor  people  of  the  city  for 
several  years.  It  began  raining  on  December 
24.  1861,  and  continued  for  thirty  days  with  but 
two  slight  interruptions.  The  i>  tar  published  the 
following  local :  "A  phenomenon — On  Tuesday 
last  the  sun  made  its  appearance.  The  phenome- 
non lastei!  several  miriUtes  and  was  witnessed  by 
a  great  number  of  persons." 

The  flood  of  1867-68  left  a  lasting  impress  on 
the  physical  contour  of  the  county  b\'  the  crea- 
tion of  a  new  river,  or  rather  an  additional  chan- 
nel for  the  San  Gabriel  river.  Several  thousand 
acres  of  valuable  land  were  washed  away  by 
the  San  Gabriel  cutting  a  new  channel  to  the 
sea,   but   the    damage   was   more   dian    oft'set   by 


HISTORICAJ.  AXl)   HIOCRAPHICAL  I^ECORIX 


377 


llie  increased  facilities  for  irrigation  afforded  by 
having  two  rivers  mstead  of  one. 

The  flood  of  1884  caused  considerable  damage 
to  the  lower  portions  of  the  city.  It  swept  away 
about  fifty  houses  and  washed  away  portions  of 
several  orchards  and  vineyards.  (  )ne  life  was 
lost,  that  of  a  ;iiilkman  who  attenijjted  to  cross 
the  Arroyo  .Seen.  The  flood  of  1886  was  similar 
to  that  of  18S4  ;  I  he  same  portion  of  the  city  was 
flooded,  that  between  .\lameda  street  and  the 
river,  several  houses  were  washed  awa\  and  twii 
lives  lost.  Both  of  these  tl<iods  occurred  in  Feb- 
ruary. During  the  flood  of  i88y-(jo,  the  Los 
Angeles  river  cut  a  new  channel  for  itself  across 
the  Laguna  rancho.  emptying  its  waters  into  the 
San  ( iabriel  several  miles  above  its  former  out- 
let. The  flood  of  February  22,  1891,  was  occa- 
sioned by  a  mountain  storm  that  expended  its 
fury  among  the  higher  ranges  at  the  head  of  the 
San  Gabriel.  That  river  was  the  only  one  that 
was  greatly  enlarged.  A  family  of  three  per- 
sons was  drowned  near  Azusa  by  the  overflow  of 
the  San  Gabriel. 

DROUGHTS. 

After  the  deluge,  what?  Usually  a  drought. 
but  no  weather  prophet  has  been  able  so  far  to 
predict  in  what  order  floods  and  droughts  may 
come.  The  first  record  of  a  dry  year  that  1  find 
was  that  of  1795.  The  crops  were  reduced  more 
than  one-half  and  people  of  the  puelilo  had  to 
get  along  on  short  rations.  In  1800  and  again  in 
1803  there  was  a  short  rainfall.  Beginning  in 
1807  and  contiiiuing  through  1808  and  ^Soc) 
there  was  a  severe  drought.  The  ranges  were 
overstocked  and  a  slaughter  of  horses  was  or- 
dered. At  San  Jose  in  1807,  7,500  horses  were 
killed.  In  1808,  7,200  had  been  slaughtered  at 
Santa  Barbara  to  relieve  the  overstocked  ranchos 
and  carry  through  the  cattle.  There  was  no  sale 
for  horses,  so  they  had.  to  perish  that  the  cattle 
which  were  valuable  for  their  hides  and  tallow 
might  live.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara a  great  number  of  horses  were  killed  by 
being  forced  over  a  preci])ice  into  the  ncean.  In 
1822-23  there  was  a  severe  drought:  (;overnor 
ArgiieHo  ordered  a  novena  of  prayers  to  San 
.Antonio  de  Padua  for  rain,  but  the  saint  seems 
not  to  have  been  clerk  of  the  weather  that  year. 

The  great   flood   of    1825    was    followed   by    a 


terrible  drought  in  1827-28-29.  During  the  pre- 
ceding years  of  abundant  rainfall  and  consequent 
luxuriant  pasturage,  the  cattle  ranges  had  be- 
come overstocked.  When  the  drought  set  in  the 
cattle  died  by  the  thousands  on  the  plains  and 
ship  loads  of  their  hides  were  shipped  away  in 
the  '"hide  droghers."  There  was  another  great 
drought  in  1844-45  with  the  usual  accompani- 
ment of  starving  horses  and  cattle. 

The  great  floods  of  i85()-rio  and  1861-62  were 
followed  by  the  famine  \ears  of  1862-63  ^nd 
i8()3-64.  The  rainfall  at  Los  Angeles  for  the 
season  of  1862-63  <^li'l  "o*^  exceed-  four  inches 
and  that  for  1863-64  amoimted  to  little  more 
than  a  trace.  A  few  showers  fell  in  November, 
1863,  but  not  enough  to  start  Aegetation ;  no 
more  fell  until  late  in  !March,  but  these  did  no 
good.  The  dry  feed  on  the  ranges  was  exhaust- 
ed and  cattle  were  slowly  dying  of  starvation. 
Herds  of  gaunt,  skeleton-like  forms  moved  slowly 
over  the  i)lains  in  search  <if  food.  Here  and 
there,  singl\-  or  in  small  groups,  poor  brutes  too 
«-eal<  to  move  on  stood  motionless,  with  droop- 
ing heads,  slowly  dying  of  star\-atioii.  It  was  a 
pitiful  sight.  In  the  long  stretch  of  arid  plain 
lietween  the  San  Gabriel  and  Santa  Ana  rivers 
there  was  one  oasis  of  luxuriant  green.  It  was 
the  vineyards  of  the  .\nalieim  Colonists,  kept 
green  by  irri.gation.  The  colon>-  lands  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  close  willow  hedge  and  the  streets 
closed  b\-  gates.  The  staix  ing  cattle  and  horses, 
frenzied  by  the  sight  of  something  green,  w'ould 
gather  aroimd  tlic  inclosurc  and  make  desperate 
attempts  to  lii\ak  through.  .\  mounted  guard 
patrolled  the  ont-ide  of  the  barricade  day  and 
night  lo  ]iroieet  the  \ineyards  from  incursions  by 
ihe  starving  herds.  Th.e  loss  of  cattle  was  fear- 
ful. The  plains  were  strewn  with  their  car- 
casses. In  marsh}'  places  and  around  the  cienc- 
gas,  where  there  was  a  vestige  of  green,  the 
ground  was  covered  with  their  skeletons,  and  the 
traveler  for  years  afterward  was  often  startled 
by  coming  suddenly  on  a  veritable  Golgotha — a 
place  of  skidls — the  long  horns  standing  out  in 
defiant  attitude  as  if  defending  the  fleshless 
bones.  It  wa.=  estimated  that  50,000  head  of 
cattle  died  on  the  .Stearns  rancho  alone.  The 
great  drought  of  1863-64  put  an  end  to  cattle 
raising  as  a  distinctive  industrx-  ni  Southern  Call- 


378 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fornia.  The  dry  year  of  1876-77  almost  de- 
stroyed the  sheep  industry  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia. The  old  time  sheep  ranges  had  been  greatly 
reduced  by  the  subdivision  of  the  large  ranches 
and  the  utilization  of  the  land  for  cultivation. 
When  the  fed  was  exhausted  on  the  ranges  many- 
of  the  owners  of  sheep  undertook  to  drive  them 
to  Utah,  to  Arizona  or  to  New  Mexico,  but  they 
left  most  of  their  flocks  on  the  desert — dead 
from  starvation  and  exhaustion.  The  rainfalls 
for  the  dry  season  of  1897-98  and  those  of  1898- 
99  and   1 899- 1 900  were  even  less  than  in  some 


of  the  memorable  famine  years  of  the  olden 
time.  There  was  but  little  loss  of  stock  for  want 
of  feed  and  very  little  suffering  of  any  kind  due 
to  these  dry  j-ears.  The  change  from  cattle  and 
sheep  raising  to  fruit  growing,  the  sub-division 
of  the  large  ranchos  into  small  fanns,  the  in- 
creased water  supply  b}'  tunneling  into  the  moun- 
tains and  by  the  boring  of  artesian  wells  and  the 
economical  use  of  water  in  irrigation,  have 
robbed  the  dreaded  dry  year  of  its  old-time  ter- 
rors. 


Officiai:  Table  of  Rainfall  at  Los  Angeles  City  for  the  Last  20  Years 

Compiled  by  A.    B.   Wollaber,   Local   Forecaster.  U.    S.    Weather   Bureau 


Year  5* 

M 

1887-KS 0.15 

1888-89 0.00 

1889-90 0.33 

1890-91 0.06 

1891-92 0.06 

1892-93 0.00 

1893-94 0.00 

1894-95 0.73 

1895-96 0.00 

1896-97 0.00 

1897-98 0.00 

1898-93 0.02 

1899-00 0.00 

1900-01 0.00 

1901-02 0.03 

1902-03 0.00 

1903-04 0.43 

1904-05 0.28 

1905-96 0.00 

Average 0.07 


0.75 
0.02 
0.24 
1.30 
2.47 
0.09 
1.59 
0.26 
1.88 
0.40 
0.00 
0.69 
O.OS 
0.78 


"A  C 

0.78  2. 
4.01  6 
1.35  15 
0.13  2 
0.00 
4.40 
0.20 


0.01 
0.00 
0.90 
6.53 

0.46 
2.08 
0.00 
0.00 


2.32 
1.99 
4.18 
3.65 
4.62 
0.78 
2.12 
0.05 
0.12 
0.90 
0.00 
0.00 
2.50 
0.00 
2.45 


6.03 
0.25 
7.83 
0.25 


0.94 
5.84 
3.23 
3.70 
1.26 
2.64 
1.17 
2.49 
1.62 
2.10 
0.14 
2.57 
3.85 
2.67 


0.77 
0.92 
1.36 
8.56 
3.19 
2.27 
0.49 
0.46 
0.00 
5.62 
0.51 
0.04 
0.00 
4.38 
3.35 
1.52 
2.68 
6.06 


3.15 
6.48 
0.66 
0.41 
3.39 
8.52 
0.37 
3.77 
2.97 
2.31 

L81 
0.99 
4.05 
2.98 
6.93 
4.50 
6.00 
7.35 
3.13 


0.11 
0.27 
0.22 
1.26 
0.22 
0.19 
0.13 
0.46 
0.19 
0.02 
0.03 
0.18 
0.54 
0.68 
0.16 
3.77 
0.97 
0.35 
0.69 
1.10 


S 

0.02 
0.62 
0.03 
0.31 
2.06 
0.06 
0.20 
0.19 
0.30 
0.10 
1.75 
0.O4 


0.00 
0.00 
0.95 
1.02 
0.52 


0.00 
0.00 
0.58 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.02 
0.00 
0.00 
0.01 
0.08 


0.03 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.02 
0.00 
0.07 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.02 
0.02 


Total 
M        for 
<;     Season 
».08       13.91 


0.28 
0.03 
0.00 
0.01 
0.00 
0.01 
0.00 
0.01 
0.00 
0.00 
0.01 
0.00 
0.09 
0.00 
0.00 
0.17 
0.00 
0.03 
0.03 


19.45 
34.59 
13.33 
11.86 
26.27 
0.74 
16.10 
8.54 
16.83 
7.13 
5.53 
7.90 
16.38 
10.51 
19.32 
8.89 
19.35 
1.S.70 
15.63 


CHAPTER    LV. 


COMMERCIAL  CORPORATIONS. 


THE    FIRST    CHAMBER  OF    COMMERCE. 

THE  first  commercial  corporation  formed  in 
Los  Angeles  for  the  promotion  of  the 
business  interests  of  the  city  and  county 
was  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  that  was  or- 
ganized in  1873.  The  first  preliminary  meeting 
of  that  organization  was  held  August  i,  1873, 
in  th€  district  court  room  of  the  old  court-house, 
which  stood  where  the  Bullard  block  now  stands. 
Ex-Governor  John  G.  Downey,  acted  as  chair- 
man and  J.  M.  Griffith  as  secretary.    There  was 


a  large  attendance  of  the  leading  merchants  and 
business  men  of  the  city.  It  was  decided  at  that 
meeting  to  call  the  proposed  organization  a 
Boarcl  of  Trade,  but  at  a  subsequent  meeting  the 
name  was  changed  to  a  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
.\t  a  meeting  held  in  the  same  place,  August  9, 
the  secretary  reported  one  hundred  names  on 
the  roll  of  membership.  The  admission  fee  was 
fixed  at  $5.  A  Constitution  and  By-Laws  were 
adopted  and  a  board  of  eleven  directors  elected. 
The   jjersons   chosen   as   directors   were   R.    M. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD.  379 

Widney,  J.  G.  Downey,  S.  B.  Caswell,  S.  Lazard,  son  acted  as  president  of  the  meeting  and  J. 
J.  S.  Griffin,  P.  Beaudry,  M.  J.  Newmark,  J.  M.  Mills  Davies  as  secretary.  At  that  meeting  six 
Griffith,  H.  W.  Hellman,  I.  W.  Lord,  and  C.  C.  directors  were  elected,  viz. :  C.  W.  Gibson,  M. 
Lipps.  On  the  nth  of  August,  articles  of  in-  Dodsworth,  I.  N.  \^an  Nuys,  A.  Hass,  H.  New- 
corporation  were  filed.  The  objects  of  the  or-  mark  and  John  R.  ^Mathews.  Tlie  articles  of 
ganization  as  set  forth  in  the  articles  of  incor-  incorporation  were  adopted  March  14,  1883.  The 
lx)ration  are :  "To  form  and  establish  a  Cham-  incorporators  were  C.  W.  Gibson,  H. 
ber  of  Commerce  in  and  for  the  City  and  County  Xewmark,  M.  Dodsworth,  A.  Hass,  Walter 
of  Los  Angeles,  and  to  transact  any  and  all  busi-  S.  Maxwell,  I.  N.  Van  Nuys,  John  Mills 
ness  usually  transacted  and  conducted  by  Cham-  Davies,  Eugene  Germain,  J.  J.  Melius  and  John 
bers  of  Commerce  and  Boards  of  Trade."  It  R.  Mathews.  "The  purposes  for  which  it  is 
was  incorporated  for  fifty  years,  and  its  charter  formed"  (as  stated  in  its  articles  of  incorpora- 
is  still  in  force.  tion)  "are  to  develop  trade  and  commerce,  ad- 
The  first  president  was  Solomon  Lazard  and  vance  and  protect  the  interests  of  the  merchants 
the  first  secretary  I.  W.  Lord.  Judge  R.  M.  Wid-  of  the  city  and  of  the  county  of  Los  Angeles, 
ney's  office  in  Temple  block  was  selected  as  the  to  prevent  fraudulent  settlements  by  dishonest 
place  of  meeting  for  the  directors.  The  mem-  debtors,  to  investigate  the  afifairs  of  insolvent 
bers  went  actively  at  work  and  the  Chamber  ac-  debtors,  to  unite  and  assist  the  merchants  of  said 
complished  a  great  deal  of  good  for  the  city  and  city  and  county  in  the  collection  of  debts  other 
surrounding  country.  One  of  the  first  measures  than  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business,  and  to 
that  engaged  the  attention  of  the  board  was  an  prescribe  rules  and  regulations  of  trade  and 
effort  to  secure  an  appropriation  of  $150,000  for  commerce  for  the  government  of  the  members 
the  survey  and  improvement  of  San  Pedro  har-  of  this  corporation." 

bor,  and  it  was  largely  through  the  efforts  of  the  In  the  earlier  years  of  its  existence,  being  the 

Chamber  that  the  first  appropriation  for  that  pur-  only  organized  commercial  body  in  the  city,   it 

pose  was  finally  secured.  frequently  took  the  initiative  in  originating  and 

Literature   descriptive  of  Southern   California  pushing  forward  to  completion  enterprises  bene- 

was    circulated    abroad    and    considerable   atten-  ficial  to  the  community,  but  which  were  not  di- 

tion  was  given  to  the  extending  of  the  trade  of  redly  in  the  line  of  work  laid  down  as  the  ob- 

the  city  among  the   mining  camps   of   Arizona,  jects   for  which   it   was   formed.     Among  these 

The  Chamber  continued  actively  at  work  on  va-  may  be  named  the  securing  of  the  location  of  the 
rious  schemes  for  promoting  the  advancement  of  Soldiers'  Home  at  Santa  Monica ;  the  securing 
our  commerce  through  the  years  of  1873  and  of  appropriations  for  the  erection  of  the  post- 
1874.  In  1875  came  the  disastrous  bank  failures,  office  building  at  Los  Angeles,  and  the  removal 
which  were  followed  by  the  dry  years  of  1876-77.  of  the  army  headquarters  of  the  department  of 
These  calamities  demoralized  business  and  dis-  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  to  the  city  of  Los  An- 
couraged  enterprise.  The  members  of  the  Cham-  geles.  The  organization  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
ber lost  their  interest  and  the  organization  died  merce  in  1889  relieved  it  of  the  burden  of  pro-, 
a  lingering  death.  It  was  buried  in  the  grave  of  moting  work  outside  of  the  objects  for  which  it 
the  "has  beens"  at  least  a  decade  before  the  pres-  was  directly  organized.  Its  presidents  and  their 
ent   Chamber  of  Commerce   was   born,   but   the      years  of  service  are  as  follows : 

good  that  it  did  was  not  all  "interred  with  its      ^_  ^^^  Gibson   1883-84 

bones."  George   H.    Bonebrake    1885 

BOARD  OF  TRADE.  E.  L.  Stern  1886 

The   oldest   commercial  or  business   organiza-      Eugene  Germain    1887-88 

.     T        .        1      •    ii      T)       J     r     S.  B.  Lewis 1089 

tion  now  existing  in  Los  Angeles  is  the  Board  of      q^^^^^  g    Dixon   1890 

Trade.     It  was  organized  March  9.  1883,  in  the      a^_    q_    Patterson 1891-92 

office   of   the    Los   Angeles    Produce    Exchange,      R.  H.  Howell    " 1893 

Arcadia  block,  Los  Angeles  street.     C.  W.  Gib-     J.  M.  Johnston   1894 


380  HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD.     . 

A.    Jacoby    1895-96  of  Trade  rooms,  then  in  a  two-story  brick  build- 

P.    M.   Daniel    1897-00  ing  standing  on  tiie  northwest  corner  of   IJroail- 

A.    Haas 1900-01  ^^.^^.  ^^^^^  J-'irst  streets  opposite  the  Times  build- 

H.  S.  Woollacott    1901-06  .^^^      ^,^^  ^.^^^^  ^^.    ^1^^    ^^^^^^.^^g.    ^^,^^    ^^^    ^^^ 

The   following-named   have   filled   the  position  Thursday.  October  11,  1888,  at  3:30  P.  M.     At 

of  secretarx' ;  that   meeting   twenty-five   persons   were  present. 

J.    JNIills  Davies    1883-85  The  following  extracts  from  the  minutes  of  the 

A.  j\l.   Laurence    1885-87  dififerent  meetings   give   a   condensed  histor}-    of 

T.  H.   \\anl    ^^^7-90  the  organization   of  the   Chamber : 

Gregory-   Perkins,  Jr 1890-06  Jl,e^p.eeting  of  October   1 1   was  called  to  or- 

Its  first  home  was  in  the  second  story  of  the  der  by    S.    B.    Lewis.      .Maj.    E.    W.   Jones    was 

Baker  block;    from   there   it   moved   to  the  two-  chosen  chairman   and  J.    W   Wachtel.   secretary, 

storv  brick  building  on  the  northwest  corner  of  The  object  of  the  meeting  was  stated  by  W.  E. 

Broadwav   and    First   street,    which    was   known  Hughes.     Short  addresses  were  made  by   S.   15. 

as  the  Board  of  Trade  building.     The  building  Lewis.      Col.      I.      R.      Dunkelberger,      J.      F. 

was   bought   by    a   committee   or    association   of  Humphreys.  C.  A.  AVarner.  J.  P.  McCarthy.  H. 

members    with    the    intention    of    locating    the  C.   W'itmer.    Ala\or   William    H.   Workman   and 

Board  there  permanentl_\-.  but  the  scheme  failed.  T.  A.  Lewis.     Tlie  assemblage  decided  to  form 

The  building  was  pulled  down  in   1898  and  the  a    permanent    organization,     and     adjourned     to 

present  four-story  block  located  on  its  site.     In  meet  in  the  same  place  Monday,  October  15.  at 

October,  1906,  the  Board  of  Trade  and  the  Whole-  3  P.  M. 

salers'  Board  of  Trade  consolidated,  the  new  or-  At  this  meeting,  after  some  discussion  on  the 

o-anization  taking  the  name  of  the  Wholesalers'  method  of  fdrnnng  a  permanent  organization  and 

Board  of  Trade.  its  objects,  L'ol.  H.  G.  Otis  oiTered  the  following: 

"Whereas,   We  business   men  and  citizens  of 

THE    SECOND    CHAMBER    OF    COMMERCE.  ^^^^  ^^^^,  ^^^^j  county  of  Los  Augeles  are  in  favor 

To  W.   E.   Hughes  belongs  the  credit  of  in-  of  inducing  immigration,   stimulating  legitimate 

augurating  the  movement  that  resulted  in  the  or-  home  industries   and   establishing  feasible  home 

ganization   of  our  present   efficient  Chamber  of  manufactories  for  the  further  upbuilding  of  the 

Commerce.  ^~'ty  and  county  and  for  the  development  of  the 

Mr.  Hughes  came  to  Los  Angeles  in  1887.  He  material   resources  of  Southern   California  upon 

had   noticed   the   lack   of  unanimity   among   the  a  sound  basis ;  therefore, 

people   here   in   pushing  forward   any   projected  "Resolved.  That  we  hereby  associate  ourselves 

enterprise,    and    the    want     of     an     organization  into   a    temporary    organization    with    the    above 

whose    chief    objects    would    be    td    ])romote    the      objects,  to  be  known  as  the  ■ 

business  interests  of  the  cilv  and  cunty  of  Los  and  that  a  permanent  organization  be  effected  at 
Angeles  and  aid  in  developing  the  resources  of  the  earliest  practicable  time." 
all  Southern  California.  Having  had  some  ex-  The  preamble  and  resolutions  were  adopted, 
perience  in  the  organization  and  management  of  J.  F.  Flumplirevs  moved  that  the  organization 
a  chamber  of  commerce  in  his  former  place  of  be  known  as  the  Los  Angeles  Chamber  of  Corn- 
residence.  \\nieeliiig,  W.  \a.,  it  seemed  to  him  merce.  The  motion  was  seconded  and  carried, 
that  some  such  organization  was  needed  in  this  The  initiation  fee  was  fixed  at  $5.  The  follow- 
^.■^^y                            '  ing-named    persons   handed    in    their    names    for 

Happening  to  meet  S.    15.   Lewis  and  Maj.  E.  membership: 

W.    lones  on  the  street  he  briefly  broached  the  W.  E.  Hugh.es,  E.  W\  Jones,  S.  B.  Lewis.  \\' 

subject  to  them.     After  a  short  discussion  of  the  H.  \\'orkman.  Thomas  A.  Lewis,  I.  R.  Dunkel- 

scheme  thev  parted,  each  agreeing  to  secure  the  berger.  Jolin  T.  Humphreys,  John  I.  Redick.  J. 

attendance  of  at  least  five  other  business  men  at  H.    Book.    Charles   F.    Day,   H.   Jevne.   Clarence 

a    proposed    meeting   to    be   held    in    the    Board  A.  Warner,   l-rtrnk   A.  Gibson.  Burdette  Chand- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RI^COKl). 


381 


Icr,  M.  L.  Wicks,  Ti.  C.  VVitmer,  James  1>.  Mc- 
Carth\ ,  W.  F.  Fitzgerald,  \V.  H.  Seamans,  Her- 
vcy  Lind'ey.  H.  G.  Otis.  L.  N.  Breed,  H.  A. 
Ru.t.  William  R(imii:d,  J.  C.  Oliver,  L.  H. 
\\"hitson.  C.  !•:.  I)ail>,  L."  L.  Dennick,  A.  W. 
Palmer,  \\-illiam  11.  Averv,  j.  S.  \'an  Doren, 
11.  Z.  (  l^b'ini..',  l.iis  .\iiL;eleN  (  )il  Burning  and 
Supply  C!)mpai!>,  W.  W.  Al.mtas^ue  &  Co.,  Har- 
rison &  DicksMii,  !\,  11.  Hewitt,  Aliltdu  Thomas, 
T.  W.  Blackluir,.,  Il.uace  I  Idler,  jdlin  C.  Flour- 
ney,  H.  H.  Spencer,  S.  J.  Mathes,"  C.  W.  Tubbs, 
A.  H.  Denker,  !).  ( ,i!l)ert  Dexter,  T.  C.  Xara- 
more,  C.  F.  Garbutt,  W.  A,  I'.onynge,  Jeihn  J. 
Jones,  H.  P.  Sweet,  .M.  R.  \ernon,  T,  M.  :^Iich- 
aels,  Charles  C.  Davis,  Louis  R.  Webb,  E,  C. 
Xeidt  and  i\L  D.  Johnson.  At  the  meeting  of 
the  19th,  before  the  adoption  of  the  constitution 
and  by-laws,  the  following  additional  names 
were  handed  in:  B.  L.  Hays,  L.  .\.  AlcConnell, 
J.  W.  Green,  ("..  W..  Simonton,  H.  H.  Bixby, 
E.  W.  B.  Johnson,  Strong  &  Blanchard,  G.  R. 
Shatto,  Dr.  M.  Hagan.  John  Goldsworthy.  Houry 
&  Bros.,  H.  V.  A'an  Dusen,  R.  C.  Charlton,  R. 
W.  Dromgold,  C.  S.  McDufTee,  John  Lang,  T. 
W.  T.  Richards,  W.  B.  Herriott,  W.  H.  Toler, 
AI.  R.  Higgins  and  J.  T.  Barton. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  igth  of  ( Jctober  a  com- 
mittee of  five  (appointed  at  a  ))revious  meeting), 
consisting  of  H.  G.  Otis.  W.  E.  Hughes,  S.  B. 
Lewis.  I.  R.  Dunkelberger  and  W.  F.  Fitzgerald, 
submitted  a  plan  of  organization  and  presented  a 
draft  of  a  constitution  and  by-laws.  These  were 
adopted.  The  objects  of  the  organization,  as 
stated  in  the  constitution,  are :  "To  foster  and 
encom'age  commerce:  to  stimulate  home  manu- 
factiu-es:  to  induce  imniigratinn,  and  the  sub- 
ilivisiciii,  settlement  and  cultivation  of  <,iur  lands: 
to  assist  in  the  development  of  the  natural  re- 
sources of  this  region,  and  generally  to  promote 
the  business  interests  of  Los  Angeles  city  and 
county  and  the  country  tributary  thereto."' 

At  a  meeting  of  the  24th  the  organization  was 
completed  by  the  election  of  oflScers  and  the  ap- 
pointment of  fifteen  standing  committees.  The 
following  were  the  first  officei-s :  E.  W.  Jones, 
president:  W.  H.  Workman,  1st  vice-president; 
H.  G.  Otis,  2nd  vice-president :  S.  B.  Lewis.  3rd 
vice-president:  John  I.  Redick,  treasurer:  and 
Thomas  .\.  Lewis,  secretarv. 


As  with  the  first  Chamber  of  Commerce  so 
with  the  second,  the  first  subject  to  engage  its 
attention  was  the  question  of  harbor  improve- 
ments. At  the  meeting  of  November  13,  1888, 
J.  R.  Brierly,  then  collector  of  the  port  of  San 
Pedro,  and  Judge  R.  M.  Widney,  who  had  been 
most  active  in  the  old  Chamber  of  Commerce  in 
securing  an  appropriation  for  a  survey  of  the 
harbor,  addressed  the  Chamber  on  the  subject 
of  harlior  improvements.  It  was  decided  at  the 
meeting  to  invite  Senators  Stanford  and  Hearst 
to  visit  San  Pedro  as  guests  of  the  Chamber. 

The  first  pamphlet  issued  by  the  Chamber  was 
entitled  "Facts  and  Figures  Concerning  South- 
ern California  and  Los  Angeles  City  and  Coun- 
ty." Ten  thousand  copies  were  distributed. 

After  the  newness  of  the  organization  wore 
off  there  came  a  period  of  depression.  The 
lx3om  had  burst  and  many  who  had  posed  as 
capitalists  in  1887  were  bankrupts  in  1889.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  unite  the  counties  of  the 
south  into  a  Southern  California  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  but  the  scheme  failed  through  local 
jealousies.  Then  a  few  of  the  substantial  citi- 
zens of  Los  Angeles,  who  alwa}s  succeed  in  what- 
ever they  undertake,  bent  their  energies  to  its 
upbuilding  and  success  crowned  their  efforts. 

One  of  the  novel  methods  of  advertising  the 
resources  of  our  state  that  owed  its  success  to 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  "California  on 
Wheels."  This  was  a  handsome  car  filled  with 
the  products  of  the  state.  It  made  the  tour  by 
rail  of  the  agricultural  sections  of  the  south  and 
west,  stopping  at  the  cities  and  larger  towns.  Its 
free  exhibits  drew  crowds  of  visitors.  And  the 
wonders  of  fruits  and  vegetables  displayed  in- 
duced many  to  sell  their  possessions  and  follow 
the  "star  of  the  empire"  on  its  westward  way. 
In  1 891  under  the  auspices  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  the  famous  "Orange  Carnival"  was 
held  in  the  exposition  building  on  the  lake  front 
at  Chicago.  Over  loo.tioo  people  visited  the 
Carnival  exhibit.  In  .1893-94  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  was  drawn  into  a  contest  out  of  the 
line  of  its  usual  work  :  and  that  was  a  struggle 
for  the  location  of  a  free  barter  at  San  Pedro. 
The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  had 
built  a  long  wharf  at  Port  Los  Angeles  above 
Santa  Alonica.    That  company  used  all  its  power- 


382 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ful  political  influence  to  secure  an  appropriation 
for  a  harbor  there.  The  contest  became  quite 
acrimonious.  Delegations  in  the  interests  of 
each  of  the  contestants  visited  Washington  to 
use  their  influence  on  the  members  of  congress 
for  their  respective  harbors.  While  a  large  ma- 
jorit}'  of  the  members  of  the  Chamber  favored 
the  San  Pedro  harbor,  there  was  an  active  minor- 
ity in  favor  of  the  Southern  Pacific  scheme.  The 
San  Pedro  harbor  won,  and  its  opponents  quietly 
acquiesced  in  the  decision  of  the  majority. 

HOMES    OF   THE   CHAJIBER. 

The  first  home  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
was  in  a  small  two-story  building  on  West  First 
street.  From  there,  in  1890,  it  moved  to  the 
armory,  in  the  Mott  building  on  South  Main 
street.  Here  tlie  permanent  exhibit  feature  was 
inaugurated  and  has  been  maintained  ever  since. 
From  the  Mott  building  it  moved  in  1896  to  the 
Mason  building  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Fourth  streets.  These  quarters 
were  secured  by  rental.  In  1903  it  moved  into 
a  home  of  its  own.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce 
building  is  located  on  the  east  side  of  Broadway, 
between  First  and  Second  streets.  It  is  a  hand- 
some six-story  structure,  the  front  of  granite, 
with  interior  finish  of  marble.  The  building  is 
135x179  feet  in  dimensions,  providing  21,000 
square  feet  of  exhibit  space.  The  finishing  of 
the  offices  is  rich  and  artistic.  The  second  and 
third  floors  are  occupied  by  the  office  and  exhibit 
rooms  of  the  Chamber,  the  remainder  of  the 
building  being  rented  for  offices  and  store  rooms. 
The  total  cost  of  the  land  and  building  amounted 
to  $325,000.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  with 
Masonic  ceremonies  in  March,  1902,  and  the 
building  completed  in  December,  1903.  The 
exhibit  was  installed  and  the  doors  of  its  new 
home  thrown  open  to  the  public,  February  10, 
1904. 

WORK    OF    THE    CHAMBER. 

The  following  brief  summaries  of  the  "work 
of  the  Chamber"  and  its  "exhibitions"  are  taken 
from  its  last  annual   (April,  1906)  : 

"The  Chamber  has  issued  fifty-five  pamphlets, 
descriptive  of  this  section  and  its  resources,  with 
a  total  circulation  of  over  one  million  and  a  half 
copies.     Matter  has  been  prepared  for  hundreds 


of  eastern  magazines  and  newspapers.  Statistics 
of  crop  returns  have  been  secured  in  large  num- 
bers from  farmers  and  publishers.  Information 
was  prepared  for  the  United  States  census.  Hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  sample  copies  of  the  daily 
papers  of  Los  Angeles  city  and  their  annuals 
have  been  distributed. 

"Thousands  of  letters  of  inquiry  are  answered 
yearly,  with  literature  and  individual  letters.  Cir- 
culars of  advice  and  information  are  printed  and 
circulated  among  farmers,  dealing  with  the 
raising  of  winter  vegetables,  beets  for  sugar, 
olive-growing,  fruit-packing,  orange  and  nut 
culture." 

EXHIBITIONS. 

"Besides  maintaining  a  permanent  exhibit  of 
California  products  in  its  own  quarters,  which 
has  been  visited  by  over  a  million  people,  the 
Chamber  has  had  charge  of,  and  participated  in, 
four  local  citrus  fairs,  visited  by  100,000  people. 
Among  other  fields  of  activity  have  been  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"The  Orange  Carnival  in  Chicago  visited  by 
100,000  people.  Three  agricultural  fairs,  all  suc- 
cessful and  instructive.  Regular  shipments  of 
fruits  to  'California  on  Wheels,'  a  traveling  ex- 
hibit visited  by  a  million  people.  The  Southern 
California  exhibit  in  the  World's  Columbian  Ex- 
position. The  Southern  California  display  at 
the  Mid-Winter  Fair  in  San  Francisco.  The 
permanent  exhibit  maintained  for  two  years  in 
Qiicago,  visited  by  half  a  million  people.  Dis- 
play at  the  National  Convention  of  Farmers  Al- 
liance, 1891.  Display  at  the  Dunkard  Confer- 
ence, 1 89 1.  Exhibits  prepared  for  lecturers  and 
travelers.  Exhibits  sent  to  Eastern  fairs.  Ex- 
hibit permanently  maintained  in  the  Board  of 
Trade  in  San  Francisco.  Exhibit  at  Atlanta 
Cotton  States  and  International  Exposition.  Ex- 
hibit at  Hamburg.  Exhibit  at  Guatemala.  Trans- 
Mississippi,  and  International  Exposition,  Oma- 
ha.    Exhibit  at  World's  Fair,  Paris. 

"A  highly  successful  display  of  products  was 
made  by  the  Qiamber  of  Commerce  at  the  Pan- 
American  Exposition,  in  Buffalo,  in  1901.  St. 
Louis,  1904.  Portland,  1905.  An  annex  to 
Portland  Exhibit  was  made  at  Shasta  Springs, 
where  thousands  of  passengers  en  route  to  and 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


383 


from  Portland  had  a  chance  of  seeing  products 
from  Southern  CaHfornia." 

The  following  named  gentlemen  have  filled  the 
office  of  president  of  the  chamher : 

E.  W.  Jones   1888-91 

C.  M.  Wells   1891-93 

D.  Frtreman 1893-95 

W.  C.  Patterson   1895-97 

Charles  Forman    1897-99 

J.  S.  Slauson   1899-1900 

M.  J.  Newmark   1900-01 

A.  B.  Cass 1901-02 

F.  O.  Story 1902-03 

F.  K.  Rule   1903-04 

H.  S.  McKee  1904-05 

J.   O.   Koepfli    1905-06 

W.  J.  Washburn 1906-07 

W.  D.  Stephens   1907 

The  following  have  filled  the  office  of  secre- 
tary : 

T.  V.  Wachtel   1888 

Thos.  A.  Lewis   1888-89 

M.  R.  Higgins    1889 

H.  W.  Patton   1889-90 

H.    T.    Hanchette    1890-91 

C.  D.  Willard 1891-97 

Frank    Wiggins    1897 


THE     MERCHANTS 


AND     MANUFACTURERS 
CIATION. 


The  youngest  of  our  commercial  corporations 
is  the  Merchants  and  Manufacturers'  Associa- 
•tion.  It  has  for  its  object  "the  promotion  of  the 
common  interests  of  its  members  by  increasing 
the  facilities  for  our  mercantile  and  commercial 
enterprises ;  by  finding  a  market  for  our  local 
manufactured  products  ;  by  co-operating  with  the 
National  Association  of  Manufacturers;  by  such 
social  features  as  may  from  time  to  time  be  intro- 


duced to  promote  better  acquaintance  among  its 
members ;  and  by  taking  such  an  intelligent  in- 
terest in  public  affairs  as  will  tend  to  advance 
the  business  enterprises  of  Los  Angeles  and 
vicinity." 

The  organization  was  formed  by  the  union  of 
two  associations — the  Merchants'  Association, 
which  was  formed  in  the  early  part  of  1894,  and 
the  Manufacturers'  Association,  which  was 
organized  in  August,  1895. 

"In  June,  1896,  a  committee  of  conference 
representing  the  two  associations  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that  a  union  of  their  respective  mem- 
bers into  one  organization  would  best  promote 
the  interests  of  all,  and  formal  action  ratifying 
the  report  of  the  conference  led  to  their  legal 
consolidation  under  the  name  of  the  Merchants 
and  Manufacturers'  Association." 

In  1897-98  the  association  inaugurated  an  ac- 
tive movement  for  the  purpose  of  securing  from 
the  citizens  the  patronizing  of  home  products.  It 
labors  to  encourage  the  establishment  and  suc- 
cessful prosecution  of  manufacturing  industries 
in  our  city  and  to  assist  merchants  and  the  mer- 
cantile community  in  general  in  devising  and 
recommending  such  trade  regulations  as  may 
seem  desirable  and  expedient. 

The  presidents  of  the  association  have  been  as 
follows : 

H.  W.  Frank  1896-97 

Fred  L.  Baker   1897-98 

R.  L.   Craig   1898-1900 

C.  C.  Reynolds    1900-02 

Niles    Pease    1902-06 

J.  M.  Schneider   1906-07 

The  secretaries : 

William   H.    Knight    1896-97 

F.  T.  Zeehandelsiir   1897 


CHAPTER    LVl. 

PASADENA. 


rEW  cities  of  Southern  California  have 
been  so  fortunate  as  Pasadena  in  the 
preservation  of  their  early  history.  The 
citizens  of  the  Crown  City  owe  a  deep  and  last- 
ing debt  of  gratitude  to  the  late  Dr.  Hiram  A. 


Reid  for  his  labors  in  collecting  and  preserving 
in  book  form  the  early  history  of  Pasadena.  But 
for  him  much  valuable  historical  data  would  have 
been  lost.  The  only  criticism  that  I  have  to  make 
on  Dr.  Reid's  work  is  that  he  sometimes  relied 


384 


HJSTORICAT.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


on  people's  "say  so"  without  investigating 
wliether  the  report  given  of  an  event  was  based 
on  fact,  or  rumor,  or  on  pure  romance. 

Dr.  Reid  devotes  considerable  space  in  dis- 
cussing the  origin  of  the  name  of  the  rancho  on 
which  Pasadena  is  located  and  its  early  owners. 
It  may  be  possible  that  the  baptismal  name, 
"Pascual,"'  of  old  Hahamovic,  chief  of  the  Ha- 
hamog-na  tribe  of  Indians,  was  applied  to  the 
region  where  these  aborigines  dwelt,  but  I  have 
found  nothing  in  my  researches  to  confirm  the 
statement  and  1  doubt  whether  the  story  is 
founded  on  facts.  Dona  Eulalia  Perez  de  Guil- 
len's title  to  the  rancho  San  Pasqual  seems  to 
me  to  be  rather  mythical.  There  is  more  of 
romance  than  reality  in  it.  The  story  runs  that 
Padre  Jose  Maria  Zalvidea,  after  his  removal  to 
San  Juan  Capistrano,  prepared  a  deed  to  three 
and  one-half  square  leagues  of  land  for  Eulalia 
Perez  de  Guillen  and  sent  it  to  his  friend  and 
successor,  Father  Sanchez,  at  San  Gabriel,  who 
approved  and  ratified  it  on  Easter  Day  ( called 
"San  Pascual  in  the  Spanish  language").  Un- 
fortunately facts  do  not  confirm  this  romantic 
story  of  the  origin  of  the  name  nor  do  they  con- 
firm Dona  Eulalia's  title  either. 

At  the  head  of  the  list  of  twenty-four  ranches 
named  by  "Hugo  Reid  as  belonging  to  the  Alis- 
sion  San  Gabriel  when  Padre  Zalvidea  was  in 
charge  of  that  mission,  appears  the  rancho  San 
Pasqual.  It  was  certainly  so  named  before 
Father  Zalvidea  was  transferred  to  San  Juan 
Capistrano.  And  again  Padre  Sanchez  was  not 
the  successor  of  Zalvidea,  but  his  contemiX)rary 
at  the  mission  from  1821  to  1828.  If  Zalvidea 
had  wished  to  provide  for  Dona  Eulalia  he 
could  have  made  the  deed  while  at  the  mission 
and  secured  the  signature  of  Father  Sanchez  if 
it  had  been  worth  while  securing  itrbut  the  mis- 
sionaries had  no  power  to  deed  away  the  mission 
lands.  These  lands  belonged  to  the  government 
and  in  theory  at  least  were  held  in  trust  for  the 
Indians.  In  1826,  when  this  deed  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  made,  the  Mission  San 
Gabriel  was  flourishing  and  the  fear  of  seculari- 
zation was  not  imminent. 

1  diink  it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  Dona 
Eulalia  Perez  de  Guillen  ever  had  any  claim 
whatever  to  the  rancho   San   Pasf|ual :  and  con- 


sequently could  not  have  given  it  to  Juan  ]\Iarine, 
her  discarded  husband,  in  exchange  for  his  house 
and  land  in  San  Gabriel. 

Dr.  Reid  in  a  note  written,  as  he  tells  us,  after 
his  chapter  on  the  Pre-Pasadenian  was  in  type, 
gets  on  the  trail  of  the  first  private  owner  of  the 
rancho.  Had  he  found  the  following  entry  in 
the  proceedings  of  the  ayuntamiento  of  Los 
Angeles,  dated  December  27,  1833,  it  would  have 
saved  him  a  great  many  "unsuccessful  trips  hunt- 
ing for  documents,"  and  possibly  some 
romancing  about  the  origin  of  the  name.  "An 
espediente  was  read  wherein  Don  Juan  Marine 
asks  possession  of  the  place  known  as  'Rincon 
de  San  Pascual.'  The  gefe  politico  asks  for  a 
rejiort  in  conformity  with  the  law  in  the  matter." 

After  discussion,  "it  was  decided  to  report 
that  Don  Juan  Marine  is  possessed  with  the 
necessary  Cjualifications  to  make  that  petition, 
and  the  land  he  solicits  is  not  within  the  twenty 
leagues  constituting  the  neighboring  grant ;  that 
it  has  temporary  irrigable  lands  and  a  watering 
l>lace  for  cattle  and  belongs  to  the  San  Gabriel 
Mission."  Marine's  application  was  made  after 
the  decree  of  secularization  had  been  promul- 
gated, but  before  it  had  been  enforced.  Gov- 
ernor Figueroa  granted  the  rancho  San  Pasqual 
to  Don  Juan  Marine  in  February,  1835. 

It  may  be  possible  that  San  Pasqual  is  abbre- 
viated from  "La  Sabanilla  de  San  Pasqual"  (the 
altar  cloth  of  Holy  Easter).  It  is  more  probable 
that  the  poppy  fields  so  brilliant  at  Easter  time 
suggested  to  the  padres  the  name  given  the  val- 
lev — Rincon  de  San  Pasqual — and  that  is  all  the 
romance  that  attaches  to  the  name.  From  Ma- 
rine or  his  Iieirs  the  rancho  passed  to  Jose  Perez. 
It  would  seem  from  subsequent  proceedings  that 
Perez'  claim  was  abandoned  or  probably  "de- 
nounced," for  November  28,  1843,  Governor 
Micheltorena  granted  the  rancho  to  Don  Manuel 
("larfias.  a  young  officer  of  the  Mexican  army, 
who  had  come  to  California  with  the  governor. 
Garfias  married  Luisa  .\bila,  a  daughter  of  Dona 
b'ncarnacion   .\bila. 

In  1832-33  he  built  a  costly  residence  on  his 
rancho.  It  was  a  casa  grande  in  those  days.  He 
entertained  right  royally  and  his  hacienda  was' 
line  of  the  famous  country  places  which  the  city 
peoiilc   loved    to    visit.      To    comiilete    his    house 


HrSTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


385 


Gartias  borrowed  $3,000,  interest  at  the  rate  of 
four  per  cent  a  month.  The  rate  of  interest  was 
reasonable  for  those  days  and  no  doubt  he  thought 
it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  clear  off  a  mort- 
gage of  that  amount  on  a  rancho  that  was  meas- 
ured by  leagues. 

Garfias  had  been  the  first  treasurer  of  Los 
Angeles  county,  but  he  was  not  a  good  financier 
of  his  own  business.  As  the  years  went  by  hard 
times  came,  cattle,  the  staple  product  of  the 
county,  decreased  in  value.  San  Pasqual  was 
not  a  good  cattle  range  and  when  dry  years  oc- 
curred the  cattle  died  of  starvation  or  were  sold 
at  ruinous  prices.  Night  and  day  that  cancerous 
mortgage  was  eating  the  value  out  of  the  ranchb 
at  the  rate  of  forty-eight  per  cent  a  year  com- 
pounded monthly. 

The  original  cost  of  the  house  did  not  exceed 
$6,000.  In  1858  the  interest  added  to  the  prin- 
cipal had  increased  the  original  debt  of  $3,000 
to  $8,000.  The  title  near  the  close  of  1858  passed 
from  Garfias  and  his  wife  to  Dr.  J.  S.  Griffin, 
Griffin  paying  $2,000  above  the  amount  of  the 
mortgage  to  Garfias  for  the  tools,  work-horses, 
oxen,  etc.,  on  ihe  rancho.  Garfias  had  applied 
for  a  United  States  patent  for  the  rancho  in 
1852,  but  from  some  cause,  which  does  not  ap- 
pear on  record,  the  granting  of  the  patent  was 
delayed.  It  was  issued  April  3,  1863,  and  bears 
the  signature  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  but  before 
it  was  obtained,  Garfias  and  his  wife  deeded  away 
all.  their  "right,  title  and  interest  as  well  in 
possession  as  in  expectancy." 

On  December  11,  1862,  John  S.  Griffin  and 
his  wife,  deeded  to  B.  D.  Wilson  and  Margaret 
S.  Wilson  his  wife,  for  a  consideration  of  $500, 
a  tract  of  640  acres  described  as  being  "on  the 
rancho  San  Pasqual,  out  of  which  the  herein 
described  lot  of  land  is  carved." 

On  the  same  daj'  B.  D.  Wilson  and  his  wife 
deeded  to  Mrs.  Eliza  G.  Johnston,  262  acres, 
"the  said  tract  hereby  conveyed  being  part  of  the 
San  Pasqual  rancho  and  the  southwesterly  half 
of  the  land  this  day  conveyed  by  John  S.  Griffin 
and  Louisa  his  wife,  to  the  parties  of  the  first 
part  herein."  The  consideration  named  in  the 
deed  was  $1,000.  ]\Irs.  Johnston  was  the  wife 
of  Gen.  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  United  States  army  during  the 


Mormon  war  in  1859.  In  1861  he  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  Department  of  the  Pacific,  with 
headquarters  at  San  Francisco.  He  was  super- 
seded by  General  .Sumner.  He  and  a  number  of 
Confederate  sympathizers  came  to  Los  Angeles, 
and  from  there  went  east  by  the  Colorado  river 
route  and  Arizona  to  join  the  Confederacy. 
General  Johnston  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Shiloh,  while  in  command  of  the  Confederate 
forces  there. 

Mrs.  Johnston  built  a  house  on  her  land  and 
named  the  place  "Fair  Oaks,"  after  the  planta- 
tion where  she  was  born  in  Virginia.  Her  old- 
est son,  Albert  Sidney,  was  killed  in  the  explos- 
ion of  the  steamboat  Ada  Hancock  in  the  Wil- 
mington slough  April  27,  1863.  The  death  of 
her  husband  and  son,  the  unpromising  outlook 
for  making  a  living  off  the  land,  and  the  soli- 
tude of  the  place  caused  her  to  abandon  it. 

In  1865  Judge  B.  S.  Eaton  entered  into  a  con- 
tract to  bring  water  from  Eaton's  canon  to  a 
portion  of  the  rancho.  He  moved  his  family  into 
the  Johnston  cottage.  He  planted  5,000  grape 
vines  as  an  experiment.  As  he  had  no  water 
to  irrigate  his  vines  the  undertaking  was  re- 
garded as  a  useless  waste  of  time  by  old  vine- 
yardists,  but  his  vines  did  so  well  that  the  next 
year  he  planted  30,000  more.  After  his  vines 
came  into  bearing  the  bears  often  helped  them- 
selves to  grapes,  and  the  coyotes  and  jack-rab- 
bits were  frequent  but  unprofitable  customers. 

In  1865  and  for  several  years  following  there 
was  a  great  oil  boom  in  Los  Angeles  county. 
It  was  similar  in  many  respects  to  the  boom  of 
1899-1900.  Immense  bodies  of  land  were  leased 
for  oil  by  an  organization  known  as  the  Los  An- 
geles Pioneer  Oil  Company.  Had  this  company 
struck  oil  on  all  its  holdings  it  would  have  out- 
rivaled the  Standard  Oil  octopus.  B.  D.  Wilson 
and  John  S.  Griffin,  March  27,  1865,  conveyed 
to  Phineas  Bannmg,  John  G.  Downey,  Mathew 
Keller,  George  Hansen  and  R.  W.  Heath,  trus- 
tees of  the  Los  Angeles  Pioneer  Oil  Company, 
"all  their  right,  title  and  interest  to  any  and  all 
brea,  petroleum,  rock  oil  or  other  oleaginous  sub- 
stances in  the  rancho  San  Pasqual."  The  com- 
panv  was  to  commence  boring  or  sinking  wells 
for  the  extraction  of  oil  within  six  months.  Wil- 
son and  Griffin  were  to  receive  a  royalty  of  ten 


386 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


l>€r  cent  net  of  all  the  crude  oil  extracted  from 
these  lands  free  of  expense  to  them,  they  to  fur- 
nish their  own  casks. 

This  same  company  held  a  similar  grant  cover- 
ing over  2,000  acres  of  what  is  now  East  Los 
Angeles.  Wilson  and  Griffin  were  members  of 
the  company.  If  the  Pioneer  Oil  Company 
bored  any  wells  on  tlie  San  Pasqual  rancho  it 
did  not  strike  "rock  oil,  petroleum  or  any  other 
oleaginous  substances."  Its  grant  was  limited 
to  twenty-five  years.  During  the  oil  boom  of 
1899  and  igoo  wells  were  sunk  on  some  of  the 
former  holdings  of  the  extinct  Pioneer  Oil  Com- 
pany and  fair  returns  received — but  by  far  the 
greater  part  of  the  lands  it  had  acquired  were 
devoid  of  any  other  oleaginous  substance  than 
occasional  out  croppings  of  crude  brea,  which  to 
the  experts  of  the  company  seemed  a  sure  indi- 
cation of  oil  below. 

During  the  '60s  and  early  '70s  a  number  of 
transfers  were  made  of  parts  of  the  rancho  be- 
tween B.  D.  Wilson,  J.  S.  Griffin,  Phineas  Ban- 
ning, P.  Beaudry  and  others.  In  April,  1870,  the 
first  scheme  for  planting  a  fruit-growing  colony 
on  it  was  promulgated.  In  tlie  Los  Angeles 
Weekly  Star,  of  April  30,  1870,  and  in  subse- 
quent numbers  for  several  weeks,  appears  the 
prospectus  of  the  "San  Pasqual  Plantation."  I 
quote  a  portion  of  it : 

"The  tract  of  land  selected  is  a  portion  of  the 
San  Pasqual  rancho  in  Los  Angeles  County,  com- 
prising 1,750  acres  of  the  finest  quality.  A 
ditch  which  forms  the  northern  boundary  of 
the  tract  at  a  cost  of  $10,000  has  also  been  pur- 
chased. The  ditch  furnishes  in  the  driest  sea- 
sons sufficient  water  to  irrigate  the  entire  tract. 

"It  is  proposed  to  cultivate  this  land  with 
oranges,  lemons,  olives,  nuts,  raisins,  grapes, 
etc.,  and  to  commence  at  once.  For  this  purpose 
the  above  company  has  been  formed,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  $200,000,  divided  into  4,000  shares  of  $50 
each.  Payments  to  be  made  in  regular  and  easy 
installments  as  follows:  $10  per  share  at  date 
of  sub.scription  and  $5  each  year  afterward  till 
the  whole  amount  is  paid.  All  money  to  be  used 
in  paying  for  the  land  and  cultivating  the  same." 
Officers,  John  Archibald,  president ;  R.  M.  Wid- 
ney,  vice-president ;  W.  J.  Taylor,  secretary ; 
London  and   San  Francisco   Bank,  treasurer;  J. 


A.  Eaton,  general  agent.  Subscription  books 
were  opened  at  the  office  of  R.  M.  Widney  in  the 
Hellman  Bank  building;  but  evidently  the  stock 
did  not  go  off  like  hot  cakes.  The  scheme  fell 
into  a  state  of  "innocuous  desuetude"  then  passed 
from  the  memory  even  of  the  oldest  inhabitant 
of  Pasadena.  The  tract  named  in  the  prospec- 
tus is  the  "Widney  tract,"  which  Dr.  Reid  men- 
tions but  does  not  locate. 

The  colonization  scheme  that  indirectly 
brought  about  the  peopling  of  the  San  Pasqual 
had  its  inception  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  in  the 
winter  1872-73.  It  was  to  have  been  called  the 
California  colony  of  Indiana;  but  the  colony  did 
not  materialize.  The  money  panic  that  followed 
the  failure  of  Jay  Cooke  and  Black  Friday  in 
Wall  street  financially  shipwrecked  the  projectors 
of  the  colony  and  left  their  committee,  that  had 
been  sent  to  spy  out  land,  stranded  in  Los  An- 
geles. 

D.  j\l.  Berry,  one  of  the  most  active  promoters 
of  the  colony  scheme,  on  the  invitation  of  Judge 

B.  S.  Eaton,  visited  the  San  Pasqual  rancho  and 
was  delighted  with  the  valley.  After  his  return 
to  the  city,  he,  J.  H.  Baker  and  Calvin  Fletcher, 
all  that  were  left  of  the  projected  California 
colony,  went  to  work  to  organize  an  association 
to  buy  the  San  Pasqual  lands. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  the  real-estate  office  of 
Berry  &  Elliott,  that  stood  on  what  is  now  part 
of  the  site  of  the  Baker  block,  of  Los  Angeles, 
the  following  persons  were  present  in  person*  or 
represented  by  proxy :  B.  S.  Eaton,  T.  F.  Croft, 
D.  M.  Berry.  A.  O.  Bristol,  Jabez  B'anbury,  H. 
G.  Bennett,  Calvin  Fletcher,  E.  J.  A^awter,  H. 
J.  Holmes,  J.  M.  Mathews,  Nathan  Kimball. 
Jesse  Yarnell,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Vawter,  N.  R.  Gibson, 
T.  R.  Elliott  (by  proxy),  P.  M.  Green,  A.  O. 
Porter,  \\\  T.  Clapp.  John  H.  Baker. 

It  was  decided  to  incorporate  under  the  name 
of  the  San  Gabriel  Orange  Grove  Association. 
The  capital  stock  was  fixed  at  $25,000,  divided 
into  100  shares  of  $250  each.  In  December. 
1873,  the  association  purchased  the  interest  of 
Dr.  J.  S.  Griffin  in  the  San  Pasqual  rancho,  con- 
sisting of  about  4,000  acres.  Fifteen  hundred 
acres  of  the  choicest  land  in  the  tract  were  sub- 
divided into  lots,  varying  in  size  from  fifteen  to 
sixty  acres.     One  share  of  stock  was  considered 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


387 


equivalent  to  fifteen  acres  of  land;  and  when 
the  distribution  was  made,  January  27,  1874, 
each  stockholder  made  his  selection  according 
to  his  interest  in  the  corporation.  The  one  and 
two  share  men  were  allowed  first  choice,  and 
such  was  the  diversity  of  the  land  and  the  di- 
versity of  taste  that  when  the  land  was  all  ap- 
portioned each  one  had  gotten  the  piece  he 
wanted.* 

The  settlement  was  called  the  Indiana  Col- 
ony, although  the  majority  of  the  colonists  were 
not  ex-Hoosiers.  The  colony  was  a  success  from 
the  beginning.  The  colonists  were  the  right 
men  in  the  right  place. 

"It  was  a  singular  fact,"  says  ]\Irs.  Jeanne  C. 
Carr.  "that  there  was  not  a  professional,  and 
hardly  a  practical,  horticulturist  or  farmer 
among  them ;  but  the  spell  of  the  neighboring 
orchards  and  vineyards  soon  transformed  diem 
into  enthusiastic  culturists  of  the  orange  and  the 
vine." 

April  22,  1875,  the  settlement  ceased  to  be  the 
Indiana  Colony,  and  officially  became  Pasadena. 
To  Dr.  T.  B.  Elliott,  the  originator  of  the  Cal- 
ifornia Colony  scheme,  belongs  the  credit  of  con- 
ferring on  Pasadena  its  euphonious  name.  The 
word  is  of  Indian  origin  (Chippewa  dialect), 
and  means  crown  of  the  valley. 

So  rapidly  were  the  Indiana  Colony  lands  ab- 
sorbed by  settlers  that  in  four  years  after  their 
purchase  only  a  few  small  tracts  were  left  un- 
sold. In  1876  B.  D.  Wilson  threw  on  the  mar- 
ket about  2,500  acres,  lying  eastward  of  Fair 
Oaks  avenue.  This  was  the  Lake  Vineyard  Land 
and  Water  Company  tract.  The  settlers  on  this 
tract  were  known  as  "east  siders,"  while  the 
original  colonists  were  the  "west  siders,"  Fair 
Oaks  avenue  being  the  division  line.  Chance 
more  often  than  design  has  fixed  the  location  of 
our  American  cities,  and  so  it  was  with  the  city 
of  Pasadena.  The  Indiana  colonists  had  planted 
the  nucleus  of  their  town  on  Orange  Grove 
avenue,  near  California  street,  where  the  first 
schoolhouse  was  built  and  the  first  churches  lo- 
cated;  but  a  west  sider,  L.  D.  Hollingsworth, 
built  a  small  building  near  the  corner  of  Fair 
Oaks  avenue  and  Colorado  street,  opened  a  store 
and  secured  the  postofiice,  which  had  once  been- 

♦Dr.   Reid's  History   of  Pasadena. 


discontinued,  because  no  one  would  serve  as  post- 
master at  the  salary  of  $1  a  month.  Then  a 
blacksmith  shop  and  a  meat  market  were  located 
near  the  store,  and  B.  D.  Wilson  donated  near 
these  five  acres  for  a  school  site,  and  the  germ 
of  the  future  city  was  planted ;  but  it  was  of  slow 
growth  at  first.  A  correspondent  in  the  Los 
Angeles  Herald,  writing  June  5,  1880,  describes 
the  town  as  consisting  of  "a  store  and  postoffice 
Ijuilding,  a  blacksmith  shop  and  a  meat  market 
at  the  cross-roads  near  the  center  of  the  settle- 
ment." 

The  Los  Angeles  Evening  Express  of  January 
6,  1882,  notes  the  fact  that  the  Pasadena  stage 
that  makes  a  daily  trip  to  Los  Angeles  is  fre- 
quently compelled  to  leave  passengers  for  lack  of 
accommodations,  and  that  the  one  small  hotel  in 
the  colony  can  not  accommodate  any  more  guests. 

No  one  had  dreamed  as  yet  of  a  city  in  the 
valley.  The  people  were  devoted  to  orange 
culture,  and  their  pride  and  ambition  was  to 
produce  the  finest  citrtis  fruits  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia. At  the  great  citrus  fair  in  Los  Angeles, 
in  March,  1881,  Pasadena  was  awarded  the  first 
premium  over  all  competitors  for  the  largest  and 
best  exhibits  of  the  kind  ever  made  in  the  state. 

At  the  annual  fair  of  the  Southern  California 
Horticultural  Society  held  in  November,  1881, 
in  the  old  Horticultural  Pavilion  which  stood  on 
the  north  side  of  Temple  street  between  Olive 
and  Grand  avenue,  Los  Angeles,  Pasadena  out- 
rivaled all  competitors  in  its  display  of  citrus 
fruits.  Near  the  front  entrance  of  the  pavilion 
a  lofty  wooden  column  had  been  erected.  This 
was  flanked  by  oranges-  and  lemons  held  in  place 
by  wire  netting.  On  the  top  of  this  pillar,  below 
the  word  Pasadena,  was  an  immense  wooden 
ke\-.  The  interpretation  of  this  symbol  was 
Pasadena — key  of  the  valley.  The  name  Pasa- 
dena had  but  recently  superseded  Indiana  colony 
and  the  inhabitants  were  rather  undecided 
whether  the  settlement  (for  as  yet  there  was  no 
town)  should  be  known  as  the  crown  or  the  key 
of  the  valley.  Who  originated  the  key  myth  I 
do  not  know. 

"In  the  early  "Sos  Helen  Hunt  Jackson  was 
collecting  material  for  her  famous  story  "Ra- 
mona,"  and  incidentally  writing  articles  on  South- 
ern California  for  eastern  magazines  and  news- 


HISTORIC AI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


papers.  In  an  article  descriptive  of  the  western 
part  of  the  San  Gabriel  valley  where  Pasadena 
is  located,. published  in  the  Christian  Union,  Mrs. 
Jackson  giVes  credence  to  and  attempts  to  give 
authority  for  the  key  myth.  "In  the  days  when 
the  Franciscan  fathers  and  their  converts  and 
proteges,  the  San  Gabriel  Indians,  were  sole 
owners  and  occupants  of  the  region  they  called 
the  uplands  at  the  valley's  western  end  'La  Caye 
del  Valle,'  'Key  of  the  Valley'  and  the  name  was 
literally  true,  for  the  view  eastward  down  the 
valle}'  from  these  uplands  unlocked  to  the  eye  all 
its  treasures  of  beauty  and  color." 

iNIrs.  Jackson  was  not  a  Spanish  scholar  and 
when  she  attempted  to  use  it  in  her  writings  her 
mistakes  were  rather  frequent.  There  is  no  such 
word  in  Spanish  as  "caye;"  "Have"  is  the  word 
she  should  have  used.  There  is  no  record  that 
either  by  Spaniard  or  Indian  what  is  now  Pasa- 
dena was  ever  called  "Key  of  the  Valley."  The 
Indian  had  no  knowledge  of  a  key.  There  were 
no  locks  to  the  doors  of  his  grass  covered  hut, 
and  no  doors  either.  This  myth  seems  to  have 
died  out;  I  have  not  heard  it  repeated  for  a 
dozen  years  or  more.  It  is  strange  that  it  should 
have  died  so  young.  The  historic  myth  is  long 
lived.  It  cannot  be  killed  by  exposure.  Like 
hope,  it  springs  eternal. 

In  the  meantime,  the  town  was  growing  in  a 
leisurely  way.  The  eastern  tourist  had  found  that 
it  was  a  good  place  to  stop  at.  The  great  Ray- 
mond hotel  had  been  built  on  the  top  of  Raymond 
hill,  where  it  could  be  "seen  of  all  men :"  and 
smaller  hotels  and  boarding  houses  opened  their 
doors  for  the  stranger  and  health  seeker. 

The  San  Gabriel  Valley  Railroad  was  opened 
for  travel  September  i6.  1885.  between  Los 
Angeles  and  Pasadena. 

Early  in  1886  the  first  reverberations  of  the 
boom  began  to  be  heard.  The  great  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  system  was  seeking 
an  outlet  to  the  Pacific.  Pasadena  was  destined 
to  be  on  the  main  trunk  line  of  this  transcon- 
tinental road.  The  city  was  designed  for  some- 
thing greater  than  a  business  center  of  the  val- 
ley. The  echoes  of  the  boom  grew  louder.  The 
five-acre  school  lot  that  B.  D.  Wilson  had  do- 
nated the  San  Pasqual  district  ten  years  before 
was  cut  up   into  town   lots,   and   on  March    12, 


1886,  offered  at  auction.  When  the  sale  was 
over  it  was  found  that  the  thirty-five  lots  carved 
out  of  the  school  site  had  brought  an  aggregate 
of  $44,772.  Ten  years  before,  when  Wilson 
donated  it,  $400  would  have  been  considered  a 
big  price  for  it.  Such  a  percentage  of  gain  stag- 
gered the  most  enthusiastic  Pasatlenian ;  and  the 
boom  grew  louder.  It  paid  better  to  cultivate 
town  lots  than  citrus  fruits.  So  orange  orchards 
were  planted  with  white  stakes,  and  the  ax  cut 
swaths  through  the  groves  for  prospective  streets. 

Subdivisions  and  additions  were  thick  as  leaves 
in  Valambrosia.  The  outlying  districts — South 
Pasadena,  Altadena,  Lamanda  Park,  Olivewood — 
were  doing  their  best  to  outrival  the  metropolis 
of  the  valley.  The  whole  valley  and  the  foothills 
of  the  mountains  seemed  destined  to  become  a 
city  of  vast  proportions  and  magnificent  dis- 
tances.    At  the  acme  of  the  boom,   in  August, 

1887,  a  single  acre  in  the  business  center  of-  the 
city  was  valued  at  more  than  the  entire  rancho 
of  13,000  acres  was  worth  fifteen  years  before. 
Inflations  of  values  had  reached  the  bursting 
point,  and  the  bubble  burst.  Then  financial  "dis- 
asters followed  fast  and  followed  faster."  The 
"millionaires  of  a  day,"  the  boomers,  saw  their 
wealth  shrivel  and  values  shrink,  until  there  was 
nothing  left — nothing  left  on  which  they  could 
realize. 

When  the  boom  was  over — when  the  blare 
of  brass  bands  and  the  voice  of  the  auctioneer 
were  no  longer  heard  in  the  land  then  the  old- 
timers  and  the  new-comers,  or  such  of  them  as 
had  not  departed  with  the  boom,  proceeded  to 
take  an  account  of  stock.  The  exhibit  was  not 
encouraging.  The  real-estate  boomer  and  the 
cottony  scale  had  devastated  the  orange  groves, 
once  the  pride  and  boast  of  Pasadena.  But  the 
avenging  fates,  m  the  shape  of  unfortunate 
creditors  and  victimized  purchasers,  drove  away 
Ihe  boomers,  and  the  cottony  scale  found  its 
Nemesis  in  the  Australian  lady-bug.  The  in- 
domitable courage  and  industry  that  created  the 
groves  rehabilitated  them.  Perseverance, 
coupled  with  intelligence,  won.  The  outl}ing 
groves  that  were  not  wholly  ruined  were  re- 
deemed. Corner  stakes  were  plowed  under  and 
streets  planted  with  trees.  After  two  years" 
struggle    with    debts    and    discouragements,    the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


city,  too,  freed  itself  from  its  incubus.  Since 
1891  its  course  has  been  upward  and  onward. 

After  all,  the  boom  was  not  an  evil  unmixed 
with  good.  Indeed,  it  is  a  question  whether  the 
good  in  it  did  not  preponderate.  The  rapidity 
with  which  Pasadena  was  built  in  1886  and  1887 
has  seldom  been  paralleled  in  the  history  of  town 
building.  In  1887  nearly  $2,000,000  were  in- 
vested in  buildings,  and  these  were  mostly  sub- 
stantial and  costly  structures.  After  the  de- 
pression was  over  these  found  tenants  again,  and 
building  has  gone  steadily  onward  until  to-day 
no  other  city  of  its  size  can  show  more  palatial 
private  residences  or  finer  business  blocks  than 
Pasedena — the   Crown  of  the  A^alley. 

The  depression  from  the  boom  did  not  last 
long.  There  were  some  who  had  escaped  the 
financial  frost  that  blighted  the  fortunes  of  the 
sanguine  promoters  of  outside  subdivisions. 
These  stood  ready  to  invest  in  any  legitimate 
enterprise  that  would  build  up  the  city.  March 
12,  1890,  the  Los  Angeles  Terminal  Railroad, 
then  known  as  the  "Cross  Road,"  was  opened 
for  travel.  This  gave  Pasadena  a  competing 
road  and  greatly  increased  travel  between  Los 
Angeles  and  the  Crown  City. 

The  federal  census  of  1890  reported  the  pop- 
ulation 4,882.  This  was  a  disappointment  and  it 
was  claimed  fell  below  the  real  number  of  in- 
habitants. The  project  of  building  a  railroad  to 
the  top  of  a  mor.ntain  peak  afterwards  named 
Mt.  Lowe  had  been  agitated  during  the  boom 
pnd  a  survey  had  been  made  of  a  route,  but  the 
financial  depression  liad  delayed  it.  Work  was 
begun  or.  the  great  incline  in  1892.  The  mount- 
ain which  was  the  objective  point  was  named 
Mt.  Lowe  after  Prof.  Thaddeus  Lowe,  the  pro- 
moter of  the  railroad  scheme.  The  first  car  as- 
cended the  great  incline  on  the  Mt.  Lowe  Rail- 
road July  4,  1893,  and  the  opening  of  the  road 
for  travel  was  celebrated  August  23,  1893.  The 
Mt.  Lowe  observatory  was  built  in  1894.  and 
in  April  of  that  year  the  Pasadena  &  Los  An- 
geles Electric,  now  the  Pacific  Electric  Railway, 
was  incorporated.  This  road  was  completed  to 
Pasadena  February  19.  1895. 

June  15  a  branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road was  extended  into  the  city.  April  14,  1895, 
the  original  Raymond  hotel  was  totally  destroyed 


by  fire.  This  hotel,  completed  November  19, 
1886,  was  the  first  tourist  hotel  built  in  South- 
ern California.  The  Annex  to  the  Hotel  Green 
was  built  in  1897,  at  a  cost  of  $225,000.  The 
Hotel  Painter  changed  its  name  to  La  Pintoresca. 
During  the  year  1897  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  new  houses  were  built. 

Mav  7,  1898,  Compan}-  I,  numbering  102  of- 
ficers and  men,  recruited  in  Pasadena  went  to 
San  Francisco  as  part  of  the  Seventh  Regiment 
of  California  Volunteers  to  take  part  in  the 
Spanish  war.  The  regiment  after  being  held  at 
San  Francisco  for  seven  months  was  discharged 
without  seeing  active  service.  The  population 
of  Pasadena  according  to  the  federal  census 
of  1900  was  9,117.  In  September  of  the  same 
year  the  addition  to  the  public  library  costing 
$35,000  was  completed ;  this  doubled  the  capacity 
of  the  building.  The  West  hall  of  Tliroop 
Polytechnic  Institute  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $150,- 
000.  The  congregation  of  the  First  Methodist 
Church  erected  a  new  building  at  an  expenditure 
of  $60,000. 

During  the  past  five  years  Pasadena  has  made 
a  rapid  growth.  The  amount  expended  in  build- 
ing during  the  year  1904  amounted  to  $1,582,- 
200,  in  1905  to  $1,838,799.  In  1904  North 
Pasadena  was  annexed  to  Pasadena.  In  munici- 
pal improvements  the  city  has  made  great  prog- 
ress. During  the  year  1905  $220,000  was  ex- 
pended in  street  improvements.  Colorado  street 
was  lighted  with  electric  pendants  suspended 
from  boulevard  posts.  The  city  is  one  of  the 
best  lighted  on  the  coast.  The  assessed  valua- 
tion of  city  property  in  1905-06  was  $18,230,000. 
The  postoffice  receipts  for  1905  \vere  $63,000. 
For  seventeen  years  Pasadena  has  celebrated 
each  incoming  New  Year  with  a  unique  fonn  of 
celebration — a  rose  tournament.  It  draws  visi- 
tors from  all  the  cities  and  towns  around.  Its 
fame  has  been  heralded  over  the  United  States. 
In  1904  the  Tournament  of  Roses  Association 
donated  Tournament  Park  to  the  city. 

The  Pasadena  Board  of  Trade  is  a  progres- 
sive body  of  600  citizens.  It  has  done  a  great 
work  in  spreading  the  fame  of  the  Crown  City 
and  attracting  the  immi,gration  of  a  desirable 
class  of  settlers.      In    1905   the  Madison   school 


390 


HTSl  ORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $33,000  and 
the  Franklin  at  an  expenditure  of  $22,000. 

The  total  number  of  teachers  employed  in 
the  schools  is  144,  of  whom  30  are  emplox'ed  in 
the  high  school. 

The  Pasadena  Public  Library  was  estab- 
lished in  1882  and  made  free  to  the  public  in 
1890.  Its  annual  income  from  taxation  is  about 
$11,000.  It  has  nine  employes  and  the  number 
of  volumes  on  its  shelves  exceeds  26,000.  It 
owns  a  lot  of  five  and  a  half  acres  in  the  north- 
west coraer  of  Library  Park,  donated  by 
Charles  F.  Legge  of  Pasadena.  The  library 
building,  built  of  green  stone,  cost  over  $50,000. 

The  pioneer  newspaper  of  Pasadena  was  the 
Pasadena  Chronicle.  The  first  number  was  is- 
sued August  8,  1883.  C.  M.  Daley  was  the 
ostensible  proprietor,  but  the  real  owners  and 
managers  were  Ben  E.  Ward  and  his  brothers, 
Frank  and  Walter,  then  owners  of  a  considera- 
ble amount  of  real  estate  in  Pasadena.  Daley 
was  not  a  desirable  manager  and  Ben  E.  Ward 
took  full  charge  of  it.  In  November,  1883.  it 
was  sold  to  H.  W.  Magee  and  J.  W.  Wood.  In 
January,  1884,  Magee  sold  his  interest  to  J.  E. 
Clarke.  In  February,  1884,  E.  N.  Sullivan,  a 
practical  printer,  became  a  partner ;  a  press  and 
stock  of  type  were  bought  and  the  printing, 
which  heretofore  had  been  done  in  Los  Angeles, 
w-as    now    done    in    Pasadena.      The    name    was 


changed  to  the  Pasadena  and  Valley  Union  and 
the  paper  enlarged  to  eight  columns.  January 
10,  1885,  the  paper  was  sold  to  Charles  A.  Gard- 
ner, an  experienced  newspaper  man,  who  greatly 
improved  the  paper  and  put  life  into  it.  Gardner 
sold  out  to  Clarke  &  Bennet  in  1886.  and  after 
a  number  of  changes  in  ownership  it  was  sold 
to  the  Daily  Star  August  3,  1889.  The  Union 
died  of  too  many  managers  and  too  little  patron- 
age. 

The  next  venture  in  the  newspaper  field  was 
made  by  H.  J.  ^'ail,  February  9,  1887.  He  is- 
sued the  Pasadena  Star,  an  eight-column  week- 
ly. The  first  issue  of  the  Daily  Star  was  made 
February  9.  1887.  After  the  purchase  of  the 
business  and  good  will  of  the  Union  the  paper 
appeared  with  a  double  title  Tlie  Daily  Star  mid 
Union.  The  Star  still  continues  to  shine,  but 
the  Union  part  of  the  partnership  has  long  since 
disappeared. 

The  following  table  gives  the  growth  in  pop- 
nlation  of  Pasadena  for  twent\-five  }ears : 

In  1880  the  population  was    391 

••  1890  '•  "  "        4.882 

'■  1900  "  "  "       9tII7 

"  1901  ■■  "  "       11,500 

"  1902  ■'  "  "       12,467 

"  1903  "  "  "       15.950 

•'  1904  "  "  "       17,280 

"  1905  "  "  "       21.250 


CHAPTER    LVII. 


CITIES  AND  TOWNS  OF  THE  SAN  GABRIEL  VALLEY. 


THE  metropolis  of  the  eastern  portion  of 
Los  Angeles  county  is  Pomona  city.  It 
is  located  thirty-two  miles  east  of  Los 
Angeles  city  and  is  accessible  by  the  Southern 
Pacific,  the  Santa  F'e  and  the  Salt  Lake  Rail- 
roads. 

It  is  a  child  of  the  colony  era  of  the  early 
'70s,  when  the  Indiana  Colony  (now  Pasadena), 
Santa  Monica,  San  Fernando,  the  American  Col- 
onv    and    Artesia    were   ushered    into    existence. 


While  she  bears  the  name  of  a  Grecian  goddess 
or  nymph  who  was  the  patroness  of  fruits,  it  is 
not  probable  the  founders  of  the  town  delved 
into  Greek  mythology  to  find  a  name.  The  name 
was  no  doubt  a  suggestion  from  the  Grange — a 
bucolic  secret  order  very  popular  in  the  county 
at  that  time.  Pomona,  Ceres  and  Flora  were 
the  three  goddesses  (personated  at  Grange 
meetings  by  three  }oung  ladies)  who  were  sup- 
]X)sed  to  look  after  the  farmers'  interests  in 
friu'ts,  grain  and  flowers.    As  the  settlement  was 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD. 


391 


designed  for  a  fruit-growing  colon}-,  it  was  ap- 
propriately given  the  name  of  Pomona  (the 
Goddess  of  Fruits). 

Early  in  1875  Louis  Phillips  contracted  to 
sell  to  P.  C.  Tonner,  Cyrus  Burdick  and  Fran- 
cisco Palomares  a  tract  containing  about  2,700 
acres  of  the  ^'ejar  portion  of  the  San  Jose 
rancho.  This  rancho,  containing  about  22,000 
acres,  was  originally  granted  by  Governor  Alva- 
rado  to  Ignacio  Palomares  and  Ricardo  Vejar, 
April  19,  1837.  Subsequently,  on  petition  of 
these  two  grantees,  together  with  Luis  Arenas, 
the  same  rancho  was  regranted  by  Governor  Al- 
varado  March  14,  1840,  with  an  additional  league 
of  land  known  as  the  San  Jose  addition  and  ly- 
ing to  the  westward  of  the  original  grant  next  to 
the  San  Gabriel  mountains.  The  rancho  was 
owned  in  common  by  the  three  grantees.  Luis 
Arenas  sold  his  undivided  interest  to  Henry  Dal- 
ton.  Vejar  and  Dalton  petitioned  for  a  parti- 
tion of  the  rancho.  The  partition  was  decreed  by 
Juan  Gallardo,  alcalde  and  judge  of  the  first  in- 
stance of  Los  Angeles,  and  was  carried  into  ef- 
fect February  12,  1846.  Palomares  was  dissat- 
isfied with  the  subdivision.  Gallardo's  decision 
was  set  aside  by  the  superior  court  and  a  new 
partition  ordered.  The  interest  of  Ricardo  Vejar, 
one  of  the  original  grantees,  April  30,  1874,  was 
sold  for  $29,000  to  H.  Tishler  and  J.  Schlesinger, 
by  whom  it  was  conveyed  to  Louis  Phillips,  who 
sold  a  portion  of  his  interest  to  Tonner,  Burdick 
and  Palomares,  as  stated  above. 

Tonner  and  his  associates  sold  their  purchase 
shortly  after  they  made  it  to  the  Los  Angeles 
Immigration  and  Land  Co-operative  Associa- 
tion. This  association  was  incorporated,  De- 
cember 10,  1874,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $250,000, 
divided  into  2,500  shares,  at  the  par  value  of  $100 
per  share.  Its  board  of  directors  consisted  of 
the  following :  Thomas  A.  Garey,  president ;  C. 
E.  White,  vice-president;  L.  M.  Holt,  secretary; 
Milton  Thomas,  manager;  R.  M.  Town,  assistant 
manager;  and  H.  G.  Crow,  treasurer.  The  prin- 
cipal object  of  the  association  was  the  subdivision 
of  large  land  holdings  and  the  placing  of  these 
on  the  market  in  small  tracts  for  settlement.  The 
company  surveyed  and  subdivided  2,500  acres  of 
its  purchase.  The  town  of  Pomona  was  laid  off 
in  the  center;  640  acres  adjoining  the  town  site 


were  subdivided  into  five-acre  lots  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  2,500  into  forty-acre  tracts.  In 
November,  1875,  the  town  had  a  hotel,  a  drug 
and  provision  store,  a  dry  goods  store,  a  gro- 
cery and  meat  market  and  eight  or  ten  dwelling 
houses.  On  the  22,  23  and  24  of  February,  1876, 
a  great  auction  sale  of  land  and  town  lots  was 
held  on  the  town  site.  The  first  day's  sale 
realized  $19,000,  which  was  a  big  thing  in  those 
days.  The  farm  land  brought  an  average  of  $64 
per  acre.  A  number  of  artesian  wells  had  been 
sunk  and  a  reservoir  holding  two  and  a  half 
million  gallons  of  water  constructed.  The  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad,  which  in  conformity  with  the 
requirements  of  the  subsidy  granted  by  the 
county  in  1873  had  been  built  eastward  to  Spadra, 
was  extended  to  Pomona,  and  the  town  and  set- 
tlement seemed  to  be  on  the  high  road  to  pros- 
perity. But  disaster  struck  it ;  first  was  the  dry 
season  of  1876-77  and  next  a  fire  on  the  night  of 
July  30,  1877,  that  swept  away  nearly  all  of  the 
town.  These  checked  the  growth  of  the  town 
and  settlement.  In  1880  the  population  was  only 
130.  About  1881  it  began  to  grow  again.  In 
1882-83  Mills  and  Wicks  developed  a  new  ar- 
tesian belt.  From  that  time  the  town  has  grown 
steadily.  December  31,  1887,  it  was  incorporat- 
ed as  a  city  of  the  fifth  class.  During  the  boom 
of  1887  and  1888  its  growth  was  rapid  and  land 
values  were  inflated,  but  the  reaction  did  not  se- 
riously affect  it.  The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe's  main  line,  completed  in  1887.  runs  about 
two  miles  north  of  Pomona's  business  center.  A 
motor  road  connects  this  road  with  the  city  of 
Pomona.  A  town  called  North  Pomona  w^as  laid 
off  at  the  Pomona  station  on  the  Santa  F'e.  The 
pioneer  newspaper  of  Pomona,  The  Pomona 
Times,  appeared  October  7,  1882.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  city  in  1890  was  3,634;  in  1900.  5.526. 

The  San  Pedro,  Los  Angeles  &  Salt  Lake  Rail- 
road was  completed  to  Pomona  early  in  1902. 
This  gave  it  three  competing  roads  to  Los  An- 
geles and  greatly  stimulated  its  growth. 

The  year  1904  was  a  record  breaking  year  for 
improvement  in  the  City  of  Pomona.  A  high 
school  building,  built  in  accordance  with  most 
improved  modern  school  architecture,  was  com- 
pleted at  a  cost  of  $55,000.  Primary  and  gram- 
mar    grade     buildings     costing     $30,000     were 


392 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


erected.  West  Second  Street  Park  was  laid  out 
and  $15,000  expended  on  it.  A  large  reservoir 
was  constructed  on  the  summit  of  the  highest 
hill  in  Ganesha  Park.  A  mission  style  armory 
building  for  Company  D,  National  Guards,  cost- 
ing $8,000  was  built.  During  the  year  1905  the 
Pomona  Valley  Hospital,  an  up-to-date  and  well- 
equipped  institution,  was  opened.  The  Califor- 
nia Produce  Company  built  a  large  orange  pack- 
ing house.  Main  street  was  paved  at  a  cost  of 
$7,000.  Carnegie  gave  the  city  a  donation  of 
$20,000,  with  which  was  constructed  a  beautiful 
library  building. 

The  Pomona  library  was  founded  in  1887.  A 
membership  fee  was  charged  at  first,  but  in  1902 
it  was  made  a  free  public  library.  It  is  sup- 
ported by  a  municipal  tax.  The  amount  received 
by  taxation  in  1905  was  $7,364.  There  are  six 
salaried  employes.  The  total  number  of  volumes 
in  the  library  in  October,  1906,  was  12,068.  The 
library  is  well  patronized,  there  being  over  four 
thousand  registered  card  holders.  A  marble 
statue  of  Pomona  graces  the  library. 

The  year  1906  has  been  one  of  general  pros- 
perity. The  citrus  fruit  crop  was  more  profitable 
than  any  previous  year.  The  amount  realized 
from  its  sale  exceeded  $2,000,000.  Building  has 
been  active.  The  Pomona  A^alley  Ice  Company 
has  expended  $100,000  in  an  ice-making  plant. 
A  large  amount  has  been  expended  in  dwellings 
and  business  blocks. 

CLAREMONT. 

Claremont,  the  beautiful,  as  it  was  named  by 
its  enthusiastic  founder,  is  a  child  of  the  boom. 
Its  magnificent  tourist  hotel  failed  to  attract  the 
tourist.  For  a  time  it  stood  idle,  then  it  was 
utilized  for  a  college.  Claremont  is  a  thriving 
college  town,  the  seat  of  Pomona  College,  a  Con- 
gregational educational  institution.  The  Pearson 
Hall  of  Science,  costing  $25,000,  a  gift  to  the 
college,  was  erected  during  the  year  1899.  The 
greater  part  of  the  population  is  made  up  of  col- 
lege professors,  students  and  the  families  of  those 
who  have  located  in  the  town  to  educate  their 
children.  The  town  is  thirty-six  miles  east  of 
Los  Angeles  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 

During  the  year  extensive  road  improvements 
were  made  and  fire  protection  provided  by  the 


town  trustees.  Claremont  has  one  of  the  most 
modern  and  finest  equipped  packing  houses  in 
California.  It  is  owned  by  the  Qaremont  Citrus 
Union.  During  the  orange  season  the  company 
employs  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  men.  In  1906 
buildings  to  the  amount  of  $120,000  were 
erected.  Among  these  were  a  church  costing 
$25,000  and  The  Qeremont  Inn,  costing  $30,000. 
work  is  in  progress  on  a  Carnegie  College  library 
which   wiU  cost  about  $50,000. 

LORDSBUEG. 

Lordsburg  was  laid  out  during  the  boom  by 
I.  W.  Lord.  An  expensive  hotel  was  built,  which, 
after  it  had  stood  idle  for  some  time,  was  sold  to 
the  Dunkers,  or  German  Baptists,  for  a  college. 
A  Dunker  settlement  has  grown  up  around 
Lordsburg.  The  country  tributary  is  devoted  to 
orange  growing.  The  town  is  thirty-three  miles 
east  of  Los  Angeles,  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 

s.\N  nniAs. 
San  Dimas  is  one  of  the  many  towns  which 
owes  its  e.xistence  to  the  boom.  It  was  laid  oiif 
early  in  1887  by  the  San  Jose  Land  Company.  It 
was  designed  by  its  founders  to  be  the  metropolis 
of  the  acreage  possessions  in  the  San  Jose  ranch. 
Lots  sold  readily  for  a  time  at  fancy  prices.  The 
reaction  came  and  prices  fell.  The  town,  how- 
ever, recovered  from  its  depression  and  has  gone 
steadily  forward.  It  is  surrounded  by  good  fruit 
lands.  It  has  excellent  railroad  facilities.  It  is 
on  the  main  trunk  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  system 
and  on  the  Covina  branch  of  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad,  twenty-nine  miles  by  the  latter 
and  thirty-one  by  the  former,  east  of  Los  An- 
geles. 

GLENDORA. 

Glendora,  twenty-seven  miles  east  of  Los 
Angeles  on  the  main  transcontinental  line  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  was 
founded  in  1887  by  George  Whitcomb.  The 
name  Glendora  is  a  combination  of  glen  and  the 
last  syllables  of  Mrs.  Whitcomb's  name,  Ledora. 
About  300  acres  were  subdivided  into  town  lots 
and  put  on  sale  the  latter  part  of  March,  1887. 
Three  hundred  were  disposed  of  on  the  first  day 
of  the  sale.  The  town  has  made  a  steady  growth. 
It  has  a  beautiful  location.    Located  on  the  upper 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


393 


mesa,  its  altitude  places  it  in  the  frostless  belt 
and  renders  it  comparatively  free  from  fog.  The 
country  contiguous  to  it  is  devoted  to  orange 
growing.  The  town  is  a  shipping  point  for  a 
large  amount  of  citrus  fruits. 

It  has  become  an  extensive  shipping  point  for 
berries  and  vegetables.  During  the  year  1904, 
450,000  boxes  of  strawberries  and  blackberries 
were  shipped,  and  twelve  carloads  of  watermel- 
ons were  sent  to  various  points  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  Arizona.  Sixty-five  acres  of  tomatoes 
were  grown  for  the  winter  market. 

During  the  year  1905  a  grammar  school,  cost- 
ing $7,000,  was  erected.  The  Athena  Club,  a 
woman's  organization,  has  established  a  public 
library. 

AZUSA    CITY. 

Azusa  City  is  one  of  the  cities  of  the  boom. 
The  town  plat  was  surveyed  in  April,  1887,  and 
the  lots  put  on  sale.  So  great  was  the  demand 
for  lots  that  purchasers  stood  in  line  in  front  of 
the  office  all  night,  and  it  is  said  $500  was  paid 
for  the  second  place  in  the  line.  The  town  built 
up  rapidly  for  a  time,  then  came  to  a  halt.  For 
the  past  few  years  its  growth  has  been  steady. 
It  is  a  shipping  point  for  the  orange  crop  of  a 
considerable  district. 

In  1904  Azusa  completed  a  city  hall  at  a  cost 
of  $10,000.  Azusa  is  the  metropolis  of  San 
Gabriel  canon.  This  canon  is  increasing  each 
year  as  a  pleasure  resort.  There  are  a  number  of 
hotels  and  camping  places.  It  is  estimated  that 
10,000  people  last  summer  visited  the  various 
resorts  along  the  river.  Azusa  is  the  stage  sta- 
tion for  the  canon.  Considerable  capital  has 
been  invested  in  working  the  mines  in  the  cafion. 

x\zusa  maintains  a  public  library  of  about  1,100 
volumes.  The  yearly  income  from  taxation  is 
$700. 

COVIN  A. 

Covina  is  a  town  of  recent  growth,  having  been 
built  within  the  last  eight  or  ten  years.  It  is 
located  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  twen- 
ty-four miles  east  of  Los  Angeles.  It  has  a 
commodious  school  building  that  cost  $14,000. 
The  leading  product  of  the  country  tributary  to 
Covina  is  the  orange.  The  shipment  of  oranges 
for  the  season  of  1899- 1900  was  estimated  at  925 


carloads.  The  shipments  since  then  have  nearly 
doubled.  The  completion  of  the  Covina  Electric 
road  has  increased  the  population  of  the  town 
about  one-third.  Covina  has  a  free  public 
library  founded  in  1897.  It  has  a  collection  of 
2,500  volumes  and  receives  $900  income  from 
taxation.  It  owns  a  building  which  cost  $8,000. 
The  building  fund  was  donated  by  Andrew  Car- 
negie. 

DUARTE. 

Duarte  is  a  settlement  located  on  the  southern 
foot-hill  slope  of  the  Sierra  Madre  mountains,  of 
which  West  Duarte,  twenty-one  miles  east  of 
Los  Angeles,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe,  is  the  railroad  outlet.  Duarte  is  one  of  the 
oldest  and  best  known  orange  growing  districts 
in  Los  Angeles  county.  Diiarte  oranges  rank 
among  the  best  in  quality  of  the  citrus  fruits  of 
Southern  California.  The  settlement  in  early 
times  was  famous  for  its  water  wars,  contests 
over  the  right  to  the  waters  of  the  San  Gabriel 
river.  The  open  ditch  for  conveying  water  for 
irrigation  has  given  place  to  miles  of  iron  and 
cement  pipes.  The  old-time  water  wars  are 
things  of  the  past.  Economic  methods  in  the 
use  of  water  have  afforded  a  supply  to  a  large 
area  formerly  outside  of  the  irrigating  district. 
The  town  of  West  Duarte  was  founded  in  1886, 
when  the  San  Gabriel  Valley  Railroad  was  ex- 
tended to  that  point.  For  several  months  it  was 
the  eastern  terminus  of  that  road. 

IRWINDALE. 

Irwindale,  on  the  Covina  branch  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad,  twenty-one  miles  east  of 
Los  Angeles,  is  one  of  the  towns  of  the  San 
Gabriel  valley  that  was  not  born  during  the 
boom.  It  is  a  comparatively  new  town,  having 
been  founded  in  1895.  It  is  in  the  citrus  belt 
and  is  a  fruit-shipping  point  of  considerable  im- 
portance. 

MONROVIA. 

The  first  town  lots  in  Monrovia  were  sold  in 
May,  1886.  So  rapid  was  the  increase  in  values 
that  in  less  than  one  year  lots  on  the  business 
street  of  the  city  were  selling  at  $100  a  front 
foot.  The  town  built  up  rapidly  for  a  time,  then 
it  came  to  a  stand-still,  as  it  had  been  overbuilt. 


394 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Of  late  years  it  has  been  growing  steadily.  It 
has  a  fine  location,  and  is  regarded  as  a  healthy 
place.  It  lies  close  to  the  base  of  the  Sierra 
Madre  mountains  and  has  an  elevation  of  1,200 
feet.  It  has  four  banks,  a  high  school  and  sev- 
eral hotels.  It  was  named  after  its  founder, 
William  N.  Monroe.  It  is  located  on  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad,  nineteen  miles  east  of  Los  Angeles. 
The  Southern  Pacific  has  also  biiilt  a  branch 
through  it,  thus  affording  it  excellent  shipping  fa- 
cilities. Monrovia  owns  its  own  water  system.  In 
1895  some  $30,000  were  expended  in  developing 
the  supply  from  Sawpit  caiion.  It  voted  to  issue 
bonds  to  enlarge  and  perfect  its  water  supply. 
Oranges  and  lemons  are  the  prime  sources  of 
wealth  here  as  they  are  in  the  other  towns  of 
the  San  Gabriel  valley. 

Monrovia's  development  as  a  suburban  resi- 
dence town  began  with  the  completion  of  the 
electric  line  from  Los  Angeles  in  March,  1903. 
Since  then  the  population  has  increased  from 
about  1,000  to  3,000.  In  1904  a  public  school 
building  costiiig  $24,000  was  erected  and  a 
woman's"  club  house  costing  $5,500  was  built. 
The  assessed  valuation  of  property  increased 
fifty  per  cent  in  a  year.  In  1905  bonds  to  the 
amount  of  $35,000  were  voted  for  public  im- 
provements, of  these  $18,000  were  for  the  pur- 
chasing of  a  public  park  site;  $8,000  for  a  city 
hall;  $2,000  for  the  site  of  a  Carnegie  library, 
for  which  a  donation  of  $10,000  is  promised ; 
$5,000  for  enlarging  the  city  water  system,  and 
$2,000  for  a  fire  fighting  apparatus. 

The  municipal  water  plant  furnishes  350 
miners  inches  of  mountain  water.  A  gas  plant 
lias  been  completed  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  The 
streets  are  lighted   by   electricity. 

The  IMonrovia  Public  Library  was  established 
in  1893.  The  annual  income  received  from  taxa- 
tion is  $700;  the  number  of  volumes  about  4,000. 
The  library  was  moved  in  August.  1906,  from 
its  old  quarters  in  the  Spence  block,  which  had 
been  its  quarters  since  its  establishment,  to  new 
temporary  quarters  in  the  city  hall.  The  Car- 
negie Library  building  will  be  completed  during 
the  present  year  figofil.  It  is  built  in  the  public 
park.  The  Pottenger  Sanatorium,  for  the  cUre 
of  lung  diseases,  is  located  on  the  upper  mesa  at 
the  base  of  the  mountains,  about  one  mile  north 


of  Monrovia.  It  has  a  wide  reputation  and  is 
considered  the  most  successful  institution  of  its 
kind  in  the  L'nited  States. 

EL    MONTE. 

El  Monte,  twelve  miles  east  of  Los  Angeles 
on  the  San  Gabriel  river,  is  the  oldest  American 
settlement  in  the  county.  The  first  immigrants 
from  the  States  located  there  in  1851.  Among 
these  were  Ira  W.  Thompson,  Samuel  M.  Heath 
and  Dr.  Obed  Macy,  with  their  families.  In 
1852  and  1853  '3^^'"  fi^ty  families  can!e,  most  of 
whom  were  from  the  southern  and  southwestern 
states.  El  Monte  is  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  agri- 
cultural district.  El  Monte  has  become  cele- 
brated for  the  production  of  English  walnuts. 
It  has  an  excellent  high  school. 

S.\N     GABRIEL. 

San  Gabriel  is  the  oldest  settlement  in  Los 
Angeles  county.  One  of  its  principal  attractions 
to  the  tourist  is  the  old  mission  church,  built  a 
century  ago  and  still  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion. The  Mexican  population  of  the  town  clus- 
ters around  the  old  mission,  while  the  American 
residences  are  located  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the 
south. 

SOUTH    PASADENA. 

The  territory  included  in  the  limits  of  the  city 
of  South  Pasadena  is  a  part  of  the  San  Pasqual 
rancho.  The  first  house  built  on  that  rancho 
was  erected  within  what  is  now  South  Pasadena ; 
and  most  of  the  historic  events  of  the  Spanish 
and  ]\Iexican  eras  of  which  that  rancho  was  the 
scene  occurred  within  the  district  included  in 
the  city's  area. 

South  Pasadena  began  with  the  boom  and 
its  first  business  house  was  a  real-estate  office. 
The  first  subdivision  into  town  lots  was  made 
by  O.  R.  Dougherty  in  1885.  The  city  of 
.South  Pasadena  was  incorporated  in  February, 
1888.  Its  limits  extended  from  Columbia  street 
south  to  the  north  line  of  Los  Angeles  City,  and 
from  the  Arroyo  Seco  east  to  the  west  line  of 
the  Stoneman  ranch.  In  1889  the  city  limits 
were  reduced  by  a  vote  of  the  people — the  ob- 
ject being  to  get  rid  of  a  number  of  saloons  that 
had  started  up  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city's  ter- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ritory.  Several  fine  Inisiiicss  blocks  were  erected 
during  the  boom.  The  city  has  four  churches, 
Methodist,  Presbyterian,  Baptist  and  Episcopal. 
It  has  a  good  high  school,  employing  four  teach- 
ers ;  also  a  newspaper — the  South  Pasaderian. 

South  Pasadena  in  1905  was  organized  as  a 
city  of  the  sixth  class,  and  bonds  were  voted  for 
a  new  high  school.  The  aggregate  cost  of 
buildings  erected  during  the  year  of  1905  amount- 
ed to  $300,000.  The  estimated  population  at  the 
close  of  the  year  1905  was  2,400  and  the  as- 
sessed valuation  of  property  within  the  city 
limits  for  the  years  '1905-06  was  $2,400,000,  or 
$1,000  per  capita. 

A  free  public  library  was  established  in  1895. 
It  now  contains  4,200  volumes. 

TROPICO. 

Tropico  is  located  six  miles  north  from  the 
center  of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  on  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad.  The  town  was  laid  out 
in  1887.  The  adjoining  lands  are  divided  into 
small  tracts  and  devoted  to  fruit  raising.  The 
San  Pedro  &  Salt  Lake  road  passes  along  the 
borders  of  the  town,  affording  easy  access  to  the 
city.     Tropico  has  a  postofifice  and  stores. 

In  1905  the  Presbyterian  Qiurch  was  built 
costing  $3,500.  The  Los  Angeles,  Tropico  & 
Glendale  trolley  line  has  been  completed,  giving 
a  twenty  minute  service  to  the  business  center  of 
Los  Angeles.  Three  hundred  acres  of  straw- 
berries are  cultivated  m  the  neighborhood  of 
Tropico.  The  Western  Art  Tile  works  were  es- 
tablished at  Tropico  in  1902.  They  now  employ 
ninety  men  and  manufacture  hollow  building  tile, 
fireproof  roofing  and  terra  vita. 

GI.ENn.\LE, 

Glendale  was  laid  out  as  a  town  in  1886.  Dur- 
mg  the  boom  of  1887  the  village  grew  rapidly. 
A  large  hotel  was  built,  costing  about  $70,000.  A 
narrow  gauge  railroad  was  built  connecting  it 
with  Los  Angeles.  This  has  since  been  changed  to 
a  standard  gauge  and  is  now  a  branch  of  the  Salt 
Lake  road.  The  town  for  some  time  after  the 
boom  remained  stationary,  but  with  the  awaken- 
ing that  came  to  all  Southern  California  in  the 
first    years    of   the   present   century    it   began    to 


In  1903  Glendale  was  incorporated  as  a  city 
of  the  sixth  class.  The  Pacific  Electric  Rail- 
way completed  its  line  to  Glendale  in  1904.  Its 
connection  with  Los  Angeles  by  electric  rail- 
way gave  the  town  a  boom.  Acreage  has  been 
passing  into  town  lots  and  the  growth  of  the 
city  in  the  past  two  years  has  been  quite  rapid. 

Among  the  new  enterprises  that  have  been 
launched  since  the  town  took  on  a  new  growth 
are  the  establishment  of  two  banks,  each  with 
a  capital  of  $25,000,  the  lighting  of  the  town  with 
electricity  and  the  erection  of  a  depot  by  the  Pa- 
cific Electric  Company. 

The  Battle  Creek  Sanitarium  Company  pur- 
chased the  hotel  built  in  the  boom  of  1887,  and 
has  remodeled  it  and  opened  it  as  a  health  resort. 

The  Glendale  free  library  and  reading  room 
was  established  February  26,  1906.  The  library 
consists  of  about  200  volumes. 


Burbank,  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad, 
nine  miles  north  of  Los  Angeles,  is  one  of  the 
many  towns  of  Southern  California  that  was 
started  in  1887.  It  was  a  town  of  magnificent 
promise  in  its  early  days.  A  large  furniture 
factory  was  built  in  1888,  a  street  car  line  was 
projected  through  the  town  and  a  dummy  line 
connected  Burbank  with  Los  Angeles.  None 
of  these  enterprises  are  in  operation  now.  The 
town  has  a  good  agricultural  territory  tributary 
to  it  and  is  prospering.  It  has  two  stores,  four 
churches,  a  school  with  a  good  attendance. 

.SAN    FERN.\ND0. 

San  Fernando  is  located  on  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  twenty-two  miles  north  of  Los  An- 
geles. Hon.  Charles  INIaclay  laid  out  the  town 
in  1874.  It  was  the  terminus  of  the  railroad 
going  north,  from  1874  to  1877,  when  the  long 
tunnel  was  completed.  The  Maclay  College  of, 
Theology  was  founded  here  by  Hon.  Qiarles 
Alaclay  in  T885,  who  gave  it  an  endowment  of 
lands  and  erected  a  building  for  its  occupancy. 
The  school  was  removed  to  the  L^niyersity  at 
West  Los  Angeles  in  1894.  The  Methodists, 
Presbyterians  and  Catholics  have  churches  in  the 
town.  The  old  buildings  of  the  San  Fernando 
Mission,   two  miles   distant  from  the  town,   are 


396 


HISTORICAI,  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


an  attraction  to  visitors.     A  high  school  costing 
$20,000  was  erected  in   1905. 

NEVVHALL. 

Newhall,  thirt}'  miles  from  Los  Angeles,  is 
the  most  northerly  town  in  the  county.  Near  it 
the  first  oil  strikes  in  Sotithern  California  were 
made  in  1862  by  a  Pennsylvania  company  head- 
ed by  Tom  Scott.  Illuminating  oil  then  was 
worth  from  $2.50  to  $3  a  gallon  in  Los  Angeles. 
At  800  feet  they  secured  a  well  of  black  oil 
which  they  could  not  refine  and  the  business 
was  abandoned.  In  1876  operations  were  be- 
gun again  and  since  then  the  business  of  oil 
producing  and  refining  has  been  carried  on  to 
a  limited  extent  in  the  vicinity  of  Newhall. 

HOLLYWOOD. 

Hollywood,  near  the  entrance  to  the  Cahuenga 
pass,  was  laid  out  in  1887  by  H.  H.  Wilcox, 
but  made  slow  growth.  A  dummy  railroad  from 
the  end  of  the  Temple  street  cable  line  connected 
it  with  the  city.  Tine  road  failed  for  want  of 
patronage.  When  the  Los  Angeles-Pacific  elec- 
tric line  was  built  to  Santa  Monica  the  road  be- 
ing accessible  to  the  town  Hollywood  took 
on  new  life.  It  has  grown  rapidly  in  the  past 
few  years.  It  is  in  the  great  lemon  producing 
district  and  is  in  what  is  called  the  frostless  belt. 

Its  population  in  1900  was  500,  five  years  later 
it  numbered  2.000.  Its  assessed  valuation  in 
1905  was  $2,129,500,  It  supports  three  banks 
and  two  weekly  papers.  The  Hotel  Holly- 
wood cost  $100,000.  The  union  high  school  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $65,000  and  two  new  gram- 
mar grade  schools  have  been  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $30,000  each.  The  Academy  of  the  Immacu- 
late Heart  of  Mary  costing  $150,000  was  com- 
pleted in  1906. 

Hollywood  has  five  church  buildings  and  sev- 
.en  church  organizations.  It  has  a  free  public 
library,  established  early  in  1906.  It  contains 
about  700  volumes. 

SHERM.XN. 

Sherman  is  a  railroad  town  eight  miles  from 
Los  Angeles.  It  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Los 
Angeles-Pacific  Railroad  Company,  which  owns 
the  electric  line  between  the  city  of  Los  Angeles 


and  Santa  INIonica.  The  power  house  and  the 
shops  of  the  electric  road  are  located  here.  The 
town  has  a  pdstoffice,  several  stores  and  a  Con- 
gregational Church.  There  are  some  handsome 
residences  in   its  immediate  neighborhood. 

THE    soldiers'    HOitE   AND    SAWTELLE. 

The  Soldiers'  Home  cannot  be  ranked  among 
the  towns  of  Los  x\ngeles  county,  though  its 
population  makes  it  a  very  important  commercial 
factor  by  supplying  a  market  for  a  large  amount 
of  agricultural  products.  In  1887  the  board  of 
managers  of  the  National  Soldiers  Homes  of  the 
United  States  visited  California  to  locate  a 
Soldiers'  Home  for  the  '  Pacific  Coast.  They 
were  met  at  Los  Angeles  by  a  committee  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  and  one  from  the  G.  A.  R.  (the 
author  representing  Stanton  Post).  Several 
sites  were  offered.  A  tract  of  600  acres,  four 
miles  easterly  from  Santa  Monica,  was  finally 
selected.  Barracks  have  been  built  capable  of 
accommodating  2,000  men,  a  chapel,  hospital  and 
other  buildings  necessary  have  been  erected, 
waterworks  and  reservoirs  constructed,  and 
about  fifty  acres  planted  to  orange,  lemon,  wal- 
nut, fig,  peach,  pear  and  apple  trees.  A  large 
part  of  the  738  acres  that  now  belong  to  the 
Home  is  devoted  to  pasturage  and  raising  hay 
for  the  dairy  cows.  The  population  of  the  home 
varies  from  2,000  to  2,500. 

Extensive  improvements  have  been  made  at 
the  Soldiers'  Home  during  the  years  1904-05. 
Among  the  most  important  of  these  are  a  cement 
storage  reservoir  of  a  million  gallons,  an  ice- 
making  machine  and  the  construction  of  an  ad- 
ditional barrack  at  a  cost  of  $28,769. 

The  Los  Angeles-Pacific  Electric  Railway 
Company  extended  its  road  so  as  to  bring  freight 
and  passengers  to  the  buildings  of  the  Home. 
The  town  of  Sawtelle  has  grown  up  at  the  main 
entrance  to  the  Soldiers'  Home.  The  families 
of  some  of  the  inmates  of  the  Home  reside  in 
the  town.  There  are  several  business  houses  in 
the  town. 

COMPTON. 

Compton  is  the  third  oldest  town  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Los  Angeles.  It  was  laid  out  in  i860  by 
the  Rev.  G.  D.  Compton,  after  whom  it  was 
named.      The   tract    on    which    it    is    located    is 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


397 


known  as  the  Temple  and  Gibson  tract.  Temple 
and  Gibson  bought  four  thousand  acres  of  the 
San  Pedro  rancho  from  Dominguez  in  1865  for 
thirty-five  cents  per  acre.  In  1867  Mr.  Compton 
bought  a  portion  of  this  tract,  for  which  he  paid 
$5  per  acre. 

The  town  was  organized  especially  un- 
der the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  de- 
nomination and  a  frame  church  was  erected  by 
the  society  in  1871  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  It  was 
also  designed  for  a  temperance  colony,  but  has 
had  to  fight  the  saloon  element  a  number  of 
times. 

The  country  around  is  devoted  to  dairy  farms. 
It  is  well  supplied  with  artesian  water.  One  of 
the  first  artesian  wells  bored  in  the  county  is 
near  Compton. 

The  population  of  this  thriving  little  city  now 
(1906)  numbers  1,200.  It  has  a  live  weekly 
newspaper,  a  bank  and  a  union  high  school. 
There  are  four  church  denominations,  Methodist, 
Baptist,  Congregational  and  Catholic,  each  own- 
ing its  own  building.  The  largest  cheese  fac- 
tory in  Southern  California  (established  in  an 
humble  way  in  1880)  has  grown  to  large  propor- 
tions. Its  product  during  the  twenty-five  years 
of  its  existence  has  exceeded  in  value  a  million 
dollars.  TItIs  establishment,  the  Anchor  cheese 
factory,  in  the  year  1904  received  6,397,536 
pounds  of  milk  and  manufactured  72,941  pounds 
of  cheese.  Lynwood  dairy,  one  of  the  largest 
in  California,  keeps  a  herd  of  210  cows.  Much 
of  the  territory  formerly  devoted  to  pasturage  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Compton  has 
been  subdivided  and  sold  for  buildings  lots.  The 
electric  railway  from  Los  Angeles  to  Long 
Beach  was  completed  to  Compton  in  1903. 


^^'hittier  is  known  as  a  Quaker  town.  It  was 
settled  by  a  colony  of  Quakers  from  Indiana, 
Illinois  and  Iowa  in  1887.  The  population  is  not 
all  of  the  Quaker  persuasion.  The  state  reform 
school  is  located  here ;  for  its  maintenance  the 
state  contributes  about  $3,600  monthly.  A  branch 
of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  runs  into  the 
town.  The  Quaker  Colony  Canning  Company 
of  Whittier  is  one  of  the  largest  fruit  canneries 
in  the  state.     It  is  capitalized  for  half  a  million 


dollars.  There  are  a  number  of  productive  oil 
wells  in  its  immediate  neighborhood.  The  out- 
put has  amounted  to  2,500  barrels  per  day  or 
nearly  1,000,000  a  year. 

After  the  booin  Whittier  increased  very  slow- 
ly- in  population.  In  1900  the  residents  numbered 
1,565.  In  the  five  years  following  the  popula- 
tion increased  to  5,000.  Improvements  have  kept 
pace  with  the  increase  of  the  inhabitants. 

In  1904  there  were  one  hundred  new  houses 
built.  A  union  high  school  costing  $60,000  was 
constructed  and  a  $10,000  addition  made  to 
Whittier  College. 

All  the  leading  religious  denominations  are 
represented.  Whittier  free  public  library  was  es- 
tablished April  9,  1900.  The  annual  revenue 
from  taxation  is  $1,500.  The  total  number  of 
volumes  in  the  library  (September,  1906)  was 
2,423.  Andrew  Carnegie  in  1905  donated  $10,- 
000  to  build  a  library  building.  A  contract  has 
been  let  for  a  building  to  be  completed  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1907. 

NORWALK. 

Norwalk,  seventeen  miles  from  Los  Angeles, 
on  the  San  Diego  branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad,  is  a  flourishing  village.  It  is  the  cen- 
ter of  an  extensive  dairy  country.  There  are 
numerous  artesian  wells  in  the  district  which 
afford  abundant  water  for  irrigation.  Alfalfa, 
corn  and  barle}'  are  the  principal  agricultural 
products. 

DOWNEY. 

Downey,  the  business  center  of  the  Los  Nietos 
valley,  was  founded  in  1874,  when  the  Anaheim 
branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  was 
built.  It  has  had  a  steady  growth.  The  terri- 
tory tributar\-  to  it  lies  mostly  between  the  old 
and  the  new  San  Gabriel  rivers,  which  gives  it 
splendid  irrigating  facilities.  Downey  has  a 
school  of  eight  departments  and  has  recently  es- 
tablished a  high  school.  Bonds  for  the  erection 
of  a  union  high  school  building  were  voted  in 
1905  and  a  school  house  erected.  The  Downey 
Champion  is  one  of  the  oldest  newspapers  in  the 
county  and  is  ably  conducted.  The  town  is  the 
center  of  walnut  production.  The  town  has  a 
public  library  established  in  1901.  It  has  over 
200  volumes. 


398 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Rivera,  ten  miles  southeast  of  Los  Angeles  on 
the  surf  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  was 
founded  in  1887.  Its  location,  in  the  heart  of  the 
Upper  Los  Nietos  valley,  about  midway  between 
the  rtew  and  the  old  San  Gabriel  rivers,  gives  it 
the  command,  as  a  shipping  point,  of  a  large 
amount  of  the  products  of  that  fertile  district. 
The  country  around  it  is  largely  devoted  to  the 
production  of  the  English  walnut. 


saddlery,  billiard  table  covers,  piano  hammers, 
shoe  soles,  shoe  uppers,  felt  boots,  shoes  and 
slippers.  This  is  the  only  felt  factory  in  the 
United  States  turning  out  the  finished  product 
from  the  raw  wool. 

Alfred  Dolge  brought  some  of  his  best  hands 
from  New  York  to  manage  his  factories.  About 
300  hands  are_  steadily  employed ;  many  of  these 
have  bought  lots  in  the  town  and  built  homes.  A 
thriving  manufacturing  town  has  grown  up 
around  the  works. 


Artesia  is  in  the  dairy  district.  The  lands  in 
its  neighborhood  are  adapted  to  alfalfa.  A  con- 
siderable quantity  of  grapes  are  grown  here.  It 
is  connected  with  Los  Angeles  by  an  electric 
railway. 

S.-VNTA    FE    SPRINGS. 

Santa  Fe  Springs,  originally  Fulton  Wells, 
was  started  as  a  health  resort.  It  has  a  large 
hotel.  The  iron  sulphur  wells  here  are  reported 
to  contain  water  rich  in  medicinal  virtues.  The 
town  is  twelve  miles  from  Los  Angeles,  on  the 
San  Diego  branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 

DOLGEVILLE. 

Dolgeville  was  founded  in  1904.  It  is  a  su- 
burban manufacturing  town  accessible  from  Los 
Angeles  by  rail  and  by  the  interburban  electric 
line  to  Alhambra.  It  is  named  for  its  founder, 
Alfred  Dolge.  For  the  greater  part  of  his  life- 
time, he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  felt 
in  New  York  state.  After  careful  investigation 
he  decided  that  the  manufacture  of  that  article 
could  be  carried  on  more  profitably  in  Southern 
California  than  in  the  east.  Among  the  advan- 
tages to  be  considered  were  cheap  fuel.  Oil 
fuel  for  the  production  of  live  steam  is  used  in 
the  processes  of  manufacture.  This  is  cheaper 
and  better  than  coal.  Another  advantage  over 
the  east  was  in  the  securing  of  wool  at  lower 
cost  direct  from  the  producers. 

In  1904,  two  large  factory  buildings  were  built 
and  fitted  up  with  the  most  modern  and  labor- 
saving  machinery  used  in  the  business.  Not  only 
is  the  wool  turned  into  felt,  but  the  felt  is  man- 
ufactured into  the  numerous  articles  in  which 
that  product  enters,   such   as  tapestries,  linings. 


ALH.-VMBRA. 

The  town  of  Alhambra  was  founded  in  1885. 
It  is  seven  miles  east  of  Los  Angeles  and  is  con- 
nected witli  that  city  by  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  and  by  the  Electric  road.  Its  growth 
has  been  slow  but  steady.  It  has  in  its  vicinity 
some  of  the  finest  orange  groves  in  the  county. 
Its  yearly  shipment  of  citrus  fruit  ranges  from 
1,500  to  2,000  carloads.  The  town  was  incor- 
porated as  a  city  of  the  sixth  class  in  1903.  Tlie 
high  school  building  recently  erected  is  a  model 
school  house.  The  school  has  an  enrollment  of 
eighty-two  pupils  and  employs  four  teachers.  A 
room  in  the  high  school  has  been  fitted  up  for 
the  recently  established  public  library.  The  city 
has  a  bank,  a  newspaper  and  a  number  of  busi- 
ness houses. 

SIERRA    MADRE. 

The  Sierra  Madre  villa  was  one  of  the  earliest 
suburban  resorts  of  Los  Angeles  county.  It  was 
built  in  the  early  '70s  and  was  for  years  a  favorite 
country  hotel  for  tourists  and  visitors  from  the 
city.  The  villa  is  now  occupied  as  a  hospital  for 
the  treatment  of  nervous  diseases. 

In  1882  the  late  N.  C.  Carter  purchased  a  part 
of  the  Santa  Anita  rancho  and  subdivided  it  into 
small  tracts.  These  were  sold  to  settlers  and  set 
to  vines  and  orange  trees.  The  Sierra  Madre 
Water  Company  was  organized  in  October,  1882, 
and  water  brought  upon  the  tract.  It  is  capital- 
ized for  $88,000.  During  the  boom  of  1887  a 
considerable  amount  of  the  acreage  was  sub- 
divided into  town  lots,  but  being  ofif  the  railroad 
the  growth  of  the  town  was  slow.  January  i, 
1906.  the  Pacific  electric  railway  was  completed 
to  the  town  and  its  development  became  rapid. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


399 


To  secure  the  extension  of  the  road  to  Sierra 
Madre  a  bonus  of  $20,000  was  paid  to  the  rail- 
way company  and  about  $5,000  was  expended 
in  securing  rights  of  way.  The  Sierra  Madre 
Library  was  estabhshcd  in  1887.  It  contains 
about  2,500  volumes.     A  membership  fee  of  25 


cents  a  month,  or  $2  a  year,  is  charged.  To 
avoid  the  expense  of  a  librarian  the  work  of 
keeping  the  library  open  five  times  a  week  is 
undertaken  by  twelve  ladies,  each  one  of  whom 
is  on  duty  one  month.  Their  sole  remuneration 
is  an  annual  membership  fee  to  each  one. 


CHAPTER    LVlll. 


LONG    BEACH. 


LCJNG  Beach  has  no  ancient  or  medieval 
history.  It  is  a  modern  town,  a  city  of 
to-day,  of  rapid  but  substantial  growth. 
The  territory  within  its  limits  is  part  of  the 
Cerritos  (Little  Hills)  rancho  and  a  portion  of 
the  rancho  Los  Alamitos  (The  little  poplars  or 
cottonwoods).  The  former  rancho  was  owned  by 
Juan  Temple  at  the  time  of  the  American  Con- 
quest of  California.  Over  the  Cerritos  marched 
Stockton's  sailors  and  marines  hi  August,  1846, 
hauling  their  cannon  on  ox-carts  to  capture  the 
capital  city,  Los  Angeles.  The  Los  Alamitos  con- 
tained 28,000  acres.  It  was  owned  by  Don  Abel 
Stearns.  In  1864  it  was  advertised  for  sale  on 
account  of  $152  delinquent  taxes.  Small  as  this 
amount  now  seems  for  even  a  twenty-five  foot 
lot  on  the  beach,  in  1864  there  was  not  a  man 
bold  enough  to  risk  that  amount  upon  a  rancho 
from  which  there  was  no  income  to  be  derived. 
The  cattle  on  it  had  starved  to  death  in  the  dry 
years  of  1863-64  and  there  were  none  left  in 
the  country  to  restock  it.  A  year  or  two  later 
Michael  Reese,  a  money  loaner  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, became  the  owner  by  foreclosure  of  a 
mortgage. 

During  the  War  of  the  Conquest  General  Flo- 
res  kept  a  military  guard  at  the  adobe  house  of 
Temple  on  the  Cerritos  to  watch  the  Americans. 
The  Cerritos  was  a  famous  rancho.  The  cattle 
on  it  died  during  the  famine  year  of  1864. 

In  1865  Jotham  Bixby  &  Co.  bought  the  ran- 
cho and  stocked  it  with  sheep.  It  contained  in 
all  about  27,000  acres.  The  wool  industry  in 
the  later  '60s  and  early  '70s  was  quite  profitable. 
For  some  time  after  the  Bixbys  purchased  the 
rancho  over  30,000  head  of  sheep  were  pastured 


on  it  and  the  annual  production  of  wool  reached 
200,000  pounds.  In  1880  the  Bixbys  sold  4,000 
acres  to  a  company  for  a  colony  site.  The  or- 
ganization was  known  as  the  American  Colony. 
The  land  was  subdivided  into  five,  ten  and 
twenty  acre  tracts  and  put  on  the  market  at  a 
low  figure. 

A  town  was  laid  ofl:  fronting  on  the  ocean  and 
named  Willraore  City  after  one  of  the  promoters 
of  the  colony  scheme,  W.  E.  Willmore.  How 
transitory  is  fame !  Few  of  the  present  inhab- 
itants of  the  prosperous  city  of  Long  Beach 
know  that  in  its  infancy  their  city  bore  another 
name.  Willmore  lost  all  his  property  and  died 
in  poverty. 

During  the  '70s  a  number  of  colonies  had 
been  founded  in  Fresno  county.  These  were 
largely  devoted  to  the  culture  of  the  raisin 
grape.  One  of  the  most  successful  of  these  was 
a  teachers'  colony.  Some  of  the  leading  educa- 
tors of  that  day  had  been  instrumental  in  found- 
ing it.  Willmore,  who  had  been  a  teacher,  was 
at  one  time  connected  with  the  Fresno  colony. 
He  became  ambitious  to  found  a  similar  colony 
in  Los  Angeles.  Teachers  were  not  numerous 
in  Los  Angeles  county  then,  nor  were  their 
purses  plethoric.  Few  if  any  of  them  took  the 
opportunity  offered  to  invest  their  scant  savings 
in  land  by  the  sunset  sea.  Xor  did  other  col- 
onists hasten  to  purchase  themselves  homes. 
The  tourists  were  not  greatly  in  evidence  and 
the  promoters  of  colony  schemes  and  city  found- 
ing were  not  so  proficient  in  the  power  of  per- 
suasion as  they  have  become  of  late  years. 

It  was  a  waste  of  words  for  a  promoter  to  tn- 
to   induce    an    old-time    resident    to    buv    colonv 


400 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lands.  The  pioneer's  memory  ran  back  to  the 
time  when  he  could  have  bought  the  rancho  at 
"four  bits"  an  acre,  and  he  failed  to  see  how 
the  mere  act  of  subdividing  it  into  small  tracts 
had  increased  its  value  a  thousand  per  cent.  The 
old  pioneers  were  indeed  poor  material  for  colo- 
nists and  few  of  them  ever  became  such.  Ac- 
customed to  measure  land  by  the  league  it  was 
nnpossible  for  them  to  entertain  the  idea  of  mak- 
ing a  living  off  ten  or  twenty  acres  located  in  a 
rancho  that  for  generations  had  been  considered 
only  fit  for  a  sheep  pasture  or  a  cattle  range. 
The  promoters  of  the  American  colony,  like 
those  of  Riverside  and  Pasadena,  had  to  look  to 
the  east  for  their  colonists. 

The  following  item  I  take  from  the  Los  An- 
geles Express  of  September  17,  1881 :  "Dr.  R. 
W.  Wright,  of  the  American  colony,  started  east 
day  before  yesterday  to  bring  out  a  lot  of  col- 
onists this  fall.  Mr.  Willmore,  manager  of  the 
colony,  thinks  from  letters  he  has  been  receiv- 
ing during  the  summer  tliat  there  will  be  several 
hundred  of  them." 

Notwithstanding  Mr.  Willmore's  sanguine  ex- 
pectations settlers  did  not  rush  to  the  colony 
site  by  the  hundreds.  They  came  slowly.  The 
town  site  was  two  miles  away  from  the  only 
railroad  line  that  reached  the  ocean  in  that  part 
of  the  county.  A  visit  to  the  colony  site  had  to 
be  made  by  private  conveyance  from  Los  An- 
geles, twenty-two  mi!i?s  away.  In  a  ten-line  ad- 
vertisement in  the  Evening  Express,  setting 
forth  the  advantages  of  the  colony,  one  of  the 
chief  attractions  was  its  nearness  to  Los  An- 
geles. "The  visitor  can  go  from  Los  Angeles 
to  the  colony  and  return  the  same  day,"  so  said 
this  advertisement. 

The  colony  did  not  flourish  under  Willmore's 
management.  About  a  dozen  cheap  houses  were 
built  in  Willmore  City  and  a  few  tracts  of  land 
sold.  In  the  spring  of  1884  the  Long  Beach 
Land  &  Water  Company  bought  the  unsold  por- 
tions of  the  colony  lands  and  town  lots.  The 
name  of  the  town  was  clianged  to  Long  Beach 
and  Willmore  and  his  city  passed  to  oblivion. 
The  new  company  built  a  commodious  hotel  on 
the  bluff  between  Pacific  Park  and  the  beach. 
A  horse  car  line  was  built  to  the  Los  Angeles 
&   San   Pedro   Railroad   track,   two  miles   awav. 


and  a  bob  car  met  the  trains  and  conveyed  pas- 
sengers (the  mule  consenting)  to  the  growing 
burg  by  the  sea.  Sometimes,  when  there  was 
a  rush  of  passengers,  in  modern  parlance,  "the 
juice  gave  out,"  or  in  the  language  of  that  time 
"the  mule  bucked."  On  such  occasions  the  gen- 
tlemen not  only  gave  up  their  seats,  but  the 
w^hole  car  to  the  ladies  and  either  united  their 
eft'orts  to  the  driver's  to  turn  on  more  power, 
or  quietly  footed  it  to  town.  The  pioneer  Long 
Beach  car  system  \vas  somewhat  eccentric  and 
rather  uncertain.  Tlie  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road built  a  Y  or  spur  track  into  the  city  and  a 
dummy  engine  switched  the  rear  car  (which  the 
Long  Beach  people  were  always  instructed  to 
take)  into  the  tov/n  and  brought  it  back  to  meet 
the  train  returning  to  Los  Angeles.  The  people 
of  the  young  city  by  the  sea  pointed  with  pride 
to  their  increased  facilities  of  travel. 

The  great  real  estate  boom  of  1887  sent  values 
soaring  in  Long  Beach  as  it  did  in  all  the  other 
towns  of  the  county,  but  the  aftermath  of  that 
promoter's  harvest  was  a  prolific  crop  of  disas- 
ters. The  hotel  burned  down  and  value  of  town 
lots  shriveled  up  until  it  seemed  as  if  the  olden 
time  price  of  "four  bits"  an  acre  for  land  was 
coming  again.  The  town  was  drinking  deep  of 
the  "gall  of  bitterness"  and  the  bonds  of  in- 
solvency seemed  closing  around  it.  The  federal 
census  of  i8go  gave  a  population  of  only  564 
souls.  The  town  had  been  incorporated  as  a  city 
of  the  sixth  class  in  1888,  but  its  municipal  bur- 
thens were  too  heavy  for  it  so  it  disincorporated. 
Through  all  there  were  hopeful  souls  who  kept 
up  their  courage  and  their  faith  in  the  future  of 
the  town.  The  prospects  of  another  railroad 
giving  direct  connection  with  Los  Angeles 
caused  a  ray  of  hope  to  penetrate  the  gloom  cast 
by  the  boom.  The  Terminal  Railroad  from  Los 
Angeles  to  East  San  Pedro  via  Long  Beach  and 
Rattlesnake  Island  was  completed  in  1891.  The 
completion  of  the  road  from  Pasadena  to  the 
ocean  was  celebrated  by  a  grand  excursion,  No- 
vember 14,  1891.  The  people  of  Long  Beach, 
in  their  eagerness  to  secure  the  road,  gave  the 
company  the  right  of  way  along  their  ocean 
front.  The  road  was  named  "Terminal,"  on 
the  supposition  that  at  no  distant  day  it  would 
became  the  terminus  of  a  great  transcontinental 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


401 


route,  a  supposition  that  has  in  part  become  a 
fact.  It  IS  now  the  western  end  of  the  Salt 
Lake  Road.  Rattlesnake  Island  shook  its  om- 
inous name  and  became  Terminal  Island  and  a 
town  grew  up  along  its  outer  shore  line,  which 
bore  the  name  "Tenninal."  It  has  become  a 
favorite  seaside  resort.  Long  Beach  has  an- 
nexed it. 

The  increased  railroad  facilities  gave  Long 
Beach  a  new  start  on  the  road  to  prosperity.  A 
Chautauqua  Assembly  had  been  organized  there 
in  1884  and  each  returning  year  brought  an  in- 
creased attendance.  Long  Beach  began  business 
as  a  temperance  town.  Saloons  were  kept  out  of 
it  and  this  kept  away  the  promiscuous  Sunday 
crowds.  People  who  loved  quiet  and  came  to 
the  seaside  to  rest,  found  Long  Beach  a  good 
place  to  stop.  They  bought  lots  and  built  sum- 
mer cottages  and  came  year  after  year  to  enjoy 
their  summer  vacation.  The  town  grew  stead- 
ily, property  advanced  in  value  and  the  future 
of  Long  Beach  was  assured.  The  census  of 
1900  gave  it  a  population  of  2,262,  an  increase 
of  four  hundred  per  cent,  the  largest  propor- 
tional gain  in  any  city  in  Southern  California. 

The  beginnmg  of  the  new  century  (1901) 
marked  the  beginning  of  a  wonderful  era  of 
prosperitv  for  Long  Beach.  The  Huntington 
interurban  electric  line  from  Los  Angeles  to 
Long  Beach  was  completed  in  1902  and  the  ef- 
fect of  quick  transportation  between  the  seaside 
city  and  the  metropolis  was  felt  at  once.  Real 
estate  advanced  in  value,  building  was  stimu- 
lated and  capital  flowed  into  the  quondam  sum- 
mer resort  until  it  aroused  within  it  a  desire  to 
become  a  seaport.  A  syndicate  of  capitalists 
organized  and  subscribed  capital  to  dredge  a 
channel  across  the  tide-swept  flats  and  make 
Long  Beach  in  reality  a  harbor  city.  The  Los 
Angeles  Dock  &  Terminal  Company  l>egan  work 
in  1905  on  the  construction  of  an  inner  harbor 
approximately  one  mile  square  and  the  channels 
entering  it  to  be  from  twenty-one  to  thirty-two 
feet  deep  at  low  tide.  The  estimated  cost  of  it 
is  from  a  million  and  a  half  to  two  million  dol- 
lars. The  site  of  the  harbor  comprises  800  acres 
of  marsh  lands,  partly  submerged,  lying  three 
miles  east  of  the  city  of  San  Pedro.  Long  Beach 
bay,  a  widening  out  of  the  slough  waters  where 


the  San  Gabriel  river  channel  opens  into  the  Pa- 
cific, lies  at  the  southwest  extremity  of  the  har- 
bor site.  There  has  been  a  contest  between  the 
directors  of  the  Salt  Lake  Railroad  and  the 
managers  of  the  Los  Angeles  Dock  &  Teniiinal 
Company  over  the  removal  of  the  railroad  trestle 
bridge  across  the  mouth  of  the  San  Gabriel 
river,  the  railroad  company  refusing  to  remove 
it.  A  recent  order  from  the  Secretary  of  War 
requires  the  company  to  remove  it.  This  does 
away  with  the  last  obstacle  to  the  making  of  an 
approach  to  the  Long  Beach  harbor  direct  from 
the  ocean. 

Long  Beach  has  recently  increased  her  area 
by  annexing  tlie  whole  of  the  territory  to  the' 
west,  including  a  part  of  the  harbor  of  San 
Pedro.  Besides  her  western  extension  she  has 
annexed  the  territory  to  the  eastward  down  to 
Devil's  Gate,  giving  her  an  ocean  front  of  nine 
miles.  The  territory  back  to  Signal  Hill  four 
miles  inland  has  also  been  added  to  her  mu- 
nicipal area.  A  recent  attempt  to  extend  her 
limits  to  the  Orange  county  line  was  defeated  by 
an  adverse  vote  in  the  district  sought  to  be  an- 
nexed. 

Building  has  kept  pace  with  her  expansion  in 
area.  In  the  past  two  years  over  three  million 
dollars  has  been  expended  in  the  construction  of 
new  buildings.  In  1905  a  pier  1,800  feet  long, 
costing  $100,000,  was  built  out  beyond  the  break- 
ers. The  Auditorium  adjoining  the  pier,  with  a 
seating  capacity  of  six  thousand  persons,  cost 
$40,000.  On  the  western  side  of  the  pier  a 
bath-house  has  been  erected  at  a  cost  of  $100,000. 
Long  Beach's  school  properties  represent  an  ex- 
penditure of  $380,000.  There  are  ninety  teach- 
ers employed.  The  census  children  in  1906  num- 
bered 4,123.  A  sewer  system  and  a  fire  service 
have  been  added  to  her  municipal  equipment. 

The  Cosmopolitan,  a  men's  club  house,  was 
completed  in  1906.  The  Hotel  Bixby,  the  most 
capacious  hotel  on  the  southern  coast  of  Califor- 
nia, was  begun  in  1905.  It  is  built  of  reinforced 
cement.  As  it  was  approaching  completion  a 
terrible  catastrophe  happened.  On  the  8th  of 
November  (1906),  without  warning,  the  sup- 
ports of  the  fourth  floor  of  the  central  wing  of 
the  building  gave  way,  crashing  down  on  the 
third  floor,  and  so  on  to  the  ground  floor.     Ten 


402 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


\vorkmen  were  killed  in  the  wreck  and  a  number 
mjured.  The  first  estimate  of  tlie  cost  of  the 
unilding  was  $500,000.  After  the  disaster  a 
second  issue  of  bonds  was  made  to  the  amount 
of  $250,000.  This  issue  will  complete  and  fur- 
nish the  building.  Long  Beach  has  an  excellent 
free  public  library  established  in  1895  and  made 
free  in  1901.  Its  annual  income  from  taxation 
amounts  to  about  $S,ooo.  The  volumes  on  its 
shelves  number  7,500. 

No  city  in  California  has  made  such  phenome- 
nal growth  pro  rata  in  the  past  five  years,  not 
only  in  population,  but  al.so  in  wealth,  as  has 
Long  Beach.  The  assessed  value  of  the  taxable 
property  of  Long  Beach  in  1901  was  $1,556,562, 
in  1906  it  was  $11,715,530.  A  part  of  th^e  increase 
in  1906  was  due  to  the  annexation  to  the  city 
of  new  territory,  but  by  far  the  larger  portion 
came  through  the  rapid  increase  in  real  estate 
values  and  the  investment  of  capital  in  new 
buildings. 

Lots  that  could  be  bought  five  years  ago  ad- 


joining what  was  then  the  business  section  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Pine  avenue  and  First  and 
Second  streets  for  $500  to  $1,000  could  not  now 
be  purchased  for  those  amounts  per  front  foot. 

Long  Beach  has  eight  banks,  with  a  combined 
capital  of  $850,000  and  carrying  deposits  of 
nearly  five  million  dollars.  The  new  home  of 
the  First  National  Bank,  now  in  the  course  of 
construction,  will  be,  when  completed,  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  commodious  banking  houses 
on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Long  Beach  has  three  daily  newspapers,  the 
Press,  the  Telegram  and  the  Tribune.  Its  high 
school  ranks  among  the  best  in  the  county.  It 
was  organized  in  1896.  When  it  was  opened 
there  were  but  two  teachers  and  twenty-eight 
pupils.  In  1906  there  were  twelve  teachers  em- 
ployed and  340  pupils  enrolled.  All  the  leading 
religious  denominations  are  represented  in  Long 
Beach.  Fifteen  of  these  own  their  own  build- 
ings. The  present  value  of  church  property  is 
estimated  at  $300,000. 


CHAPTER    LIX 


CITIES  AND  TOWNS  BY  THE  SEASIDE. 


TWO  hundred  and  twenty-seven  years  be- 
fore the  bay  of  San  Francisco  was  dis- 
covered the  ships  of  Cabrillo  sailed  into 
the  bay  of  San  Pedro.  Sixty  years  passed  and 
the  keels  of  Sebastian  A'iscaino's  ships  cut  its 
waters.  Then  nearly  two  centuries  passed  before 
commerce  found  it.  There  is  no  record  (or  at 
least  I  have  found  none )  of  when  the  mission 
supply  ships  landed  the  first  cargo  at  San  Pedro. 
Before  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  the 
port  had  become  known  as  the  embarcadero  of 
San  Gabriel.  Very  early  in  the  last  century  the 
American  fur  traders  and  smugglers  had  found 
that  it  was  a  good  place  to  do  business  in. 

Just  when  the  first  house  was  built  at  San 
Pedro  I  have  been  unable  to  ascertain  definitely. 
In  the  proceedings  of  the  a^untamiento  for  1835, 
a  house  is  spoken  of  as  having  been  built  there 


"long  ago"  by  the  Mission  Fathers  of  San  Ga- 
liriel.  Long  ago  for  past  time  is  as  indefinite 
as  poco  tiempo  for  future.  I  think  the  house 
was  built  during  the  Spanish  era,  probably  be- 
tween 1815  and  1820.  It  was  a  warehouse  for 
the  storing  of  hides,  and  was  located  on  the  blufif 
about  half  way  between  Point  Firmin  and 
Timm's  Point.  The  ruins  are  still  e.xtant.  Dana, 
in  his  "Two  Years  before  the  ^Nlast,"  describes 
it  as  a  building  with  one  room  containing  a  fire- 
place, cooking  apparatus,  and  the  rest  of  it  un- 
furnished, and  used  as  a  place  to  store  goods. 
Dana  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  San 
Pedro.  He  says :  'T  also  learned,  to  my  sur- 
prise, that  the  desolate  looking  place  wc  were  in 
furnished  more  hides  than  any  other  place  on 
the  coast.  *  "  ■■'  We  all  agreed  that  it  was 
the  worst  place  we  had  seen  yet,  especially  for 
getting  ofif   of   hides :   and   our   l}ing   ofl^   at   so 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


403 


great  a  distance  looked  as  llioiigh  it  was  bad  for 
southeasters." 

This  old  warehouse  was  the  cause  of  a  bitter 
controversy  that  spHt  the  population  of  the 
pueblo  into  factions.  While  the  secularization 
of  the  missions  was  ui  progress,  during  1834 
and  1835,  Don  Abel  Stearns  bought  the  old 
building  from  the  Mission  Fathers  of  San  Ga- 
briel. He  obtained  permission  from  Governor 
Figueroa  to  bring  water  from  a  spring  a  leag-ue 
distant  from  the  embarcadero,  and  also  to  build 
additional  buildings;  his  object  being  to  found 
a  commercial  settlement  at  the  landing  and  to 
enlarge  the  commerce  of  the  port.  His  laudable 
efforts  met  with  opposition  from  the  anti-expan- 
sionists of  that  day.  They  feared  smuggling 
and  cited  an  old  Spanish  law  that  prohibited  the 
building  of  a  house  on  the  beach  of  any  port 
where  there  was  no  custom  house.  The  captain 
of  the  port  protested  to  the  governor  against 
Stearns'  contemplated  improvements,  and  de- 
manded that  the  warehouse  be  demolished. 
Ships,  he  said,  Avould  pass  in  the  night  from 
Santa  Catalina,  where  they  lay  hid  in  the  day 
time,  to  San  Pedro  and  load  and  unload  at 
Stearns"  warehouse,  and  "skip  out"  before  he, 
the  captain,  could  come  down  from  his  home  at 
the  pueblo,  ten  leagues  away,  to  collect  the  reve- 
nue. Then  a  number  of  calamity  howlers  joined 
the  captain  of  the  port  in  bemoaning  the  ills  that 
would  follow  from  the  building  of  warehouses. 
The  governor  referred  the  matter  to  the  ayunta- 
miento,  and  that  municipal  body  appointed  a 
committee  of  three  sensible  and  public-spirited 
men  to  examine  into  the  charges  anil  report. 
The  committee  reported  that  the  interests  of  the 
community  needed  a  commercial  settlement  at 
the  embarcadero;  that  if  the  captain  of  the  port 
feared  smuggling  he  should  station  a  guard  on 
the  beach.  This  settled  the  controversy  and  the 
calamity  howlers,  too,  but  Stearns  built  no  ware- 
houses at  the  embarcadero. 

Freight  passed  from  ship  to  shore  and  vice 
versa  by  means  of  the  ship's  boats.  As  the  hide 
droghers  kept  their  department  stores  on  board 
ship,  and  lay  at  anchor  until  all  their  customers 
were  supplied,  or  until  they  had  spent  all  their 
money,  there  was  ample  time  to  bring  from  the 
ranches  the  hides  and  tallow  which  were  the  me- 


dium of  exchange  in  these  days,  consequently 
there  was  but  little  need  of  warehouses  at  the 
embarcadero  in  those  days. 

At  the  time  of  the  American  conquest  of  Cali- 
fornia, San  Pedro  was  still  a  port  of  one  house — 
no  wharves  stretched  out  over  the  waters  of  the 
great  bay,  no  boats  swung  with  the  tide;  na- 
ture's works  were  unchanged  by  the  hand  of 
man.  Three  hundred  and  five  years  before,  Ca- 
brillo,  the  discoverer  of  California,  sailed  into 
the  bay  he  named  Bahia  de  los  Humos — the  Bay 
of  Smokes.  Through  all  the  centuries  of  Span- 
ish domination  no  change  had  come  over  San 
Pedro.  But  with  its  new  masters  came  new 
manners,  new  customs,  new  men.  Commerce 
drifted  in  upon  its  waters  unrestricted.  The 
hide  drogher  gave  place  to  the  steamship,  the 
carreta  to  the  freight  wagon,  and  the  mustang 
caballada  to  the  Concord  stage. 

Banning,  the  man  of  expedients,  did  business 
on  the  bluff  at  the  old  warehouse ;  Tomlinson, 
the  man  of  iron  nerve  and  will,  had  his  com- 
mercial establishment  at  the  point  below  on  the 
inner  bay.  Banning  and  Tomlinson  were  rivals 
in  staging,  freighting,  lightering,  warehousing 
and  indeed  in  ever\'thing  that  pertained  to  ship- 
ping and  transportation. 

In  1 87 1  the  government  began  improving  the 
inner  harbor,  and  the  work  was  continued  for  a 
number  of  years.  A  breakwater  was  built  be- 
tween Rattlesnake  Island  (now  Terminal  Isl- 
and) and  Deadman's  Island.  By  closing  the 
gap  between  the  two  islands  the  full  current  was 
forced  through  the  narrow  channel  between 
Deadman's  Island  and  the  main  lapd.  When  the 
work  was  begun  the  depth  of  water  in  the  chan- 
nel was  but  two  feet,  while  now  it  has  been  in- 
creased to  eighteen.  In  1880  the  railroad  was 
extended  down  to  the  old  shipping  point  known 
as  Timm's  landing.  The  new  town  of  San  Pedro 
was  located  partly  on  the  bluff  and  partly  on  the 
low  land  bordering  the  bay.  Wharves  were 
built,  where  all  but  the  largest  vessels  unload 
their  cargoes.  During  the  boom  the  city  of  San 
Pedro  spread  over  a  large  area.  The  securing 
of  the  appropriation  of  $3,900,000  for  the  free 
harbor  gave  the  town  a  fresh  start  on  the  road 
to  prosperity. 

The  larger  portion  of  the  lumber  trade  from 


404 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  northwest  passing  through  Los  Angeles  and 
into  Southern  California  and  Arizona  goes  by 
way  of  San  Pedro.  Tlie  lumber  vessels  dis- 
charge their  cargoes  at  the  wharves  of  the  inner 
harbor.  Free  Harbor  Jubilee,  celebrated  at  San 
Pedro  on  the  27th  of  April,  1899,  was  one  of 
the  memorable  events  in  the  history  of  the  town. 
Work  on  the  harbor  was  inaugurated  on  that 
day  by  the  dumping  of  a  load  of  rock  from  the 
Catahna  quarries  on  the  site  of  the  breakwater. 
President  McKinley,  in  his  library  at  Washing- 
ton, touched  the  electric  button  connected  with 
the  wires  that  were  to  start  the  machinery  for 
tilting  the  barge  load  of  rock  into  the  bay.  The 
tilt  was  not  a  complete  success,  and  part  of  the 
barge  load  of  rock  had  to  be  unloaded  by  hand, 
but  this  did  not  at  all  dampen  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  thirty  thousand  spectators  nor  spoil  their  ap- 
petites for  the  viands  of  the  barbecue.  The  cele- 
bration was  completed  at  Los  Angeles  next  day 
with  procession,  speeches  and  fireworks. 

Misfortune  overtook  the  contractors,  Held- 
maier  &  Neu,  who  undertook  the  building  of  the 
breakwaters  that  were  to  form  the  harbor.  Neu 
was  killed  in  a  runaway  at  Los  Angeles  before 
the  work  was  begun.  Heldmaier  failing  to  push 
the  work,  his  contract  was  cancelled  by  the  gov- 
ernment. His  bid  was  $1,303,198.54.  Bids  were 
advertised  for  and  the  contract  awarded.  May 
14,  1900,  to  the  California  Construction  Com- 
pany of  San  Francisco  for  $2,375,546.05,  over  a 
million  above  the  bid  of  the  fonner  contractors. 
Work  has  been  steadily  progressing.  Rock  to 
build  the  sea  wall  is  shipped  from  Declez,  in 
San  Bernardino  county,  and  the  Chatsworth 
quarries. 

No  better  index  of  the  wonderful  growth  of 
Los  Angeles  county  in  the  past  five  years  can 
be  found  than  the  increased  imports  and  exports 
received  at  the  port  of  San  Pedro.  For  the  year 
endhig  December  31,  1899,  one  hundred  millions 
feet  of  lumber  were  received.  For  the  year  end- 
ing December  31,  1905,  a  few  hundred  feet  less 
than  five  hundred  millions  were  landed  at  the 
])ort. 

The  value  of  the  woodstuffs  for  the  past  year, 
fitjured  at  an  average  wholesale  price  of  $25  per 
thousand   feet,  amounts  to  $12,475,850. 


The  fishing  industry's  output  has  increased  in 
five  years  from  1,500,000  to  4,250,00  lbs. 

Among  the  recent  municipal  improvements 
are  a  city  hall  costing  $8,000,  a  new  high  school 
building  costing  $50,000  and  a  modern  sewer 
system  on  which  has  already  been  expended 
.$60,000. 

The  Carnegie  library  building,  costing  $10,- 
000,  was  completed  earlv  in  1906.  The  total 
number  of  volumes  in  the  library  at  the  time  of 
removal  into  the  new  building  was  1,822.  The 
,nnnual  income  received  from  taxation  is  $1,500. 

For  the  dredging  of  the  inner  harbor  at  San 
Pedro  congress  in  1904  appropriated  $100,000, 
with  the  further  provision  of  $150,000  under 
the  continuing  contract  system.  Work  was  be- 
gun in  1905.  An  immense  suction  dredge,  cost- 
ing $120,000,  was  completed  and  installed  and 
has  been  operated  day  and  night.  It  is  intended 
to  provide  a  depth  of  twenty  feet  at  low  water 
from  the  inner  harbor  entrance  at  Deadman's 
Island  to  the  foot  of  the  wharves  and  a  depth  of 
twenty-four  feet  from  the  wharves  to  the  turn- 
ing basin  at  Mormon  Island. 

WILMINGTON. 

In  1857  Pliineas  Banning,  to  put  a  greater 
distance  laetween  himself  and  his  rival,  Tomlin- 
son,  and  at  the  same  time  diminish  the  land 
transportation  to  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  bought 
several  hundred  acres  of  land  at  the  head  oi 
San  Pedro  slough.  Here  he  laid  off  a  town  and 
built  a  wharf  and  warehouses.  The  Los  An- 
geles Star  of  October  2,  1858,  gives  the  following 
account  of  the  inauguration  of  the  new  shipping 
port: 

"On  Saturday  last  (September  25,  1858),  P. 
Banning,  Esq.,  commenced  operations  at  San 
Pedro  New  Town,  by  landing,  for  the  first  time 
at  that  place,  freight  and  passengers.  A  num- 
ber of  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  this  city  'as- 
sisted' on  the  occasion.  The  change  of  loading 
from  San  Pedro  to  the  New  Town  will  be  a 
great  advantage  to  those  engaged  in  transport- 
ing freight  from  the  beach,  as  by  this  line  the 
distance  is  shortened  six  miles,  avoiding  the  hills 
on  the  present  road.  The  land  on  which  it  is 
proposed  to  build  the  New  Town  is  a  fine  flat, 
with  water  and  wood  in  abundance,  and  all  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


405 


facilities  for  irrigation.  An  arm  of  the  sea 
reaches  inland,  with  a  channel  deep  enough  to 
float  any  barge  which  may  be  used  in  the  busi- 
ness, and  the  lighters  can  be  brought  up  to  the 
bank  and  their  cargoes  discharged,  as  at  a  wharf. 
By  enclosing  a  poition  of  the  landing  the  freight 
can  be  at  once  warehoused;  thence  transported 
to  Los  Angeles  by  a  route  six  miles  shorter  than 
the  present.  To  reach  this  new  landing,  how- 
ever, the  distance  from  the  anchorage  ground  is 
increased,  but  to  obviate  this  Mr.  Banning  has, 
with  his  usual  promptness  and  enterprise,  de- 
termined to  place  a  steam  tug  on  the  station,  by 
which  passengers  and  freight  will  be  transported 
from  the  steamer  and  shipping  to  the  New  Town 
wharf  with  safety  and  dispatch.  This  certainly 
is  a  very  great  advantage,  of  which  the  traveling 
public  will  no  doubt  be  duly  appreciative. 

"The  ceremony  of  inauguration  consisted  in 
-towing  a  line  of  barges,  containing  passengers 
and  freight,  to  the  landing  place.  In  ascending 
the  channel,  all  hands,  the  ladies  included,  as- 
sisted in  hauling  the  hawser;  and  when  the  pas- 
sengers were  landed  and  the  first  bale  of  goods, 
the  company  united  in  wishing  prosperity  to 
Captain  Banning  and  the  New  Town,  pledging 
the  same  in  bumpers  of  'sparkling  California.' 
Afterwards,  a  sumptuous  entertainment  was 
provided  for  the  guests;  next  day  was  devoted 
to  the  pleasing  amusements  of  yachting  and  fish- 
ing. This  was  one  of  tlie  most  agreeable  parties 
of  the  season ;  and  was  conducted  with  that  lib- 
erality and  hospitality  for  which  Captain  Ban- 
ning is  so  famous.  We  say,  prosperity  to  New 
Town  and  its  enterprising  proprietor.  We  may 
add,  that  San  Pedro  will  not,  for  the  present,  be 
abandoned." 

The  new  town  or  port  was  named  New  San 
Pedro,  a  designation  it  bore  for  several  years, 
then  it  settled  down  to  be  Wilmington,  named 
after  Captain  Banning's  birthplace,  ^^'ilmington, 
Del. ;  and  the  slough  took  the  name  of  the  town. 
That  genial  humorist,  the  late  J.  Ross  Browne, 
who  visited  Wilmington  in  1864,  thus  portrays 
that  historic  seaport:  "Banning — the  active,  en- 
ergetic, irrepressible  Phineas  Banning,  has  built 
a  town  on  the  plain  about  six  miles  distant  at 
the  head  of  the  slough.  He  calls  it  Wilmington, 
in   honor  of  his  birthplace.     In   order  to  bring 


Wilmington  and  the  steamer  as  close  together  as 
circumstances  will  permit,  he  has  built  a  small 
boat  propelled  by  steam  for  the  purpose  of  car- 
rying passengers  from  steamer  to  Wilmington, 
and  from  Wilmington  to  steainer.  Another 
small  boat  of  a  similar  kind  burst  its  boiler  a 
couple  of  years  ago  and  killed  and  scalded  a  num- 
ber of  people,  including  Captain  Seely,  the  popu- 
lar and  ever-to-be-lamented  commander  of  the 
Senator.  The  boiler  of  the  present  boat  is  con- 
sidered a  model  of  safety.  Passengers  may  lean 
against  it  with  perfect  security.  It  is  constructed 
after  the  pattern  of  a  tea  kettle,  so  that  when 
the  pressure  is  unusually  great,  the  cover  will 
rise  and  let  off  superabundant  steam,  and  thus 
allow  the  crowd  a  chance  to  swim  ashore. 

"Wilmington  is  an  extensive  city  located  at 
the  head  of  a  slough  in  a  pleasant  neighborhood 
of  sand  banks  and  marshes.  There  are  not  a 
great  many  houses  in  it  as  yet,  but  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  room  for  houses  when  the  popula- 
tion gets  ready  to  build  them." 

The  catastrophe  to  which  J.  Ross  Browne  re- 
fers in  the  above  extract  occurred  in  the  Wil- 
mington slough  April  27,  1863.  The  tug  and 
passenger  boat,  Ada  Hancock,  used  for  convey- 
ing passengers  between  Wilmington  and  the 
ocean  steamers,  blew  up.  The  explosion  was 
one  of  the  most  fatal  on  record.  Of  the  forty- 
two  persons  on  board  only  seven  escaped  unhurt. 
Twenty-seven  men  were  killed  outright  and 
eight  wounded.  As  the  vessel  was  rounding  a 
sharp  point  in  the  channel,  a  sudden  gust  of 
wind  careened  her  so  far  that  the  water  rushed 
over  her  port  guards  onto  her  boilers  and  the 
explosion  followed.  Among  the  killed  was  Cap- 
tain Seelv  of  the  Senator,  the  vessel  to  which 
the  passengers  were  bound ;  W.  T.  B.  Sanford, 
Thomas  H.  Workman,  Dr.  Myles,  Capt.  W.  F. 
Nye  and  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  son  of  the  fa- 
mous Confederate  general. 

During  the  Civil  war  the  government  estab- 
lished Camp  Drum  and  Drum  Barracks  at  Wil- 
mington, and  spent  over  a  million  dollars  in 
erecting  buildings.  A  considerable  force  of  sol- 
diers was  stationed  there  and  all  the  army  sup- 
plies for  the  troops  in  Southern  California,  Utah, 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico  passed  through  the 
port.     The  Wilmingtonians   waxed   fat  on  gov- 


406 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


c-rnment  contracts  and  their  town  put  on  metro- 
politan airs.  It  was  the  great  seaport  of  the 
south,  tlie  toll  gatherer  of  the  slough.  After 
the  railroad  from  Los  Angeles  was  completed  to 
Wilmington  in  1869,  all  tiie  trade  and  travel  of 
the  southwest  passed  through  it  and  they  paid 
well  for  doing  so.  It  cost  the  traveler  $1.50  to 
get  from  ship  to  shore  on  one  of  Banning's  tugs 
and  the  lighterage  charges  from  Wilmington  to 
anchorage  out  beyond  Deadman's  Island  made 
the  heart  of  the  shipper  sad. 

In  1873  the  government  buildings  were  sold 
at  public  auction  to  private  parties,  and  wliat 
cost  Uncle  Sam  over  a  million  dollars  returned 
him  less  than  ten  thousand.  The  hospital  build- 
mg  and  officer's  quarters  were  donated  to  the 
jAIethodist  Church  South  for  educational  pur- 
poses. Wilson  College,  named  for  B.  D.  Wilson, 
the  donor,  was  established  in  the  buildings  and 
for  a  time  was  well  patronized.  Having  no  en- 
dowment it  was  found  impossible  to  support  it 
from  tuition  charges  alone  and  it  was  closed. 

In  1880,  or  thereabouts,  the  railroad  was  ex- 
tended down  to  San  Pedro  and  wharves  built 
there.  Then  commerce  left  Wilmington  and 
drifted  back  to  its  old  moorings  at  San  Pedro. 

For  two  decades  after  the  railroad  was  ex- 
tended down  to  San  Pedro  the  town  of  Wil- 
mington remained  in  statu  quo.  Property  de- 
clined in  value.  There  was  still  considerable 
business  transacted  at  the  old  port.  The  fishing 
industry  was  carried  on  quite  actively.  Tribu- 
tary to  the  town  was  a  large  agricultural  district 
that  brought  in  trade.  With  the  general  awak- 
ening of  business  that  began  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia with  the  first  year  of  the  present  cen- 
tury shrewd  business  men,  foreseeing  the  pos- 
sibility of  making  a  deep  water  harbor  at  Wil- 
mington, have  been  investing  in  real  estate  in 
and  contiguous  to  the  town.  This  has  aroused 
the  old  burg  from  its  lethargy.  The  maps  of 
the  United  States  survey  designate  the  body  of 
water  on  which  Wilmington  is  built  as  the  "bay 
of  Wilmington."  The  work  of  dredging  the  inner 
harbor  at  San  Pedro  now  in  progress  under  the 
direction  of  the  United  States  engineering  de- 
partment will  eventually  be  extended  up  the  bay, 
or  slough  as  it  v.'as  once  called,  to  Wilmington. 
When  this  is  accomplished  Wilmington  bay  will 


be    a    commodious    seaport,    ranking    among   the 
most  important  harbors  on  the  Paciiic  coast. 

During  the  year  1905  building  was  active. 
The  Bank  of  Wilmington  was  organized,  and  a 
bank  building  costing  $6,000  erected.  The  Con- 
solidated Planing  Mill  gives  employment  to  one 
hundred  men. 

SANTA    MONICA. 

Early  in  1875,  Senator  J.  P.  Jones  and  Col. 
R.  S.  Baker  subdivided  a  portion  of  the  rancho 
San  Vicente  lying  on  the  mesa,  adjoining  the 
bay  of  Santa  Monica.  The  town  was  named 
after  the  bay  and  was  of  magnificent  proportions 
on  paper.  On  the  i6th  of  July,  1875,  a  great 
sale  of  lots  was  held.  An  excursion  steamer 
came  down  from  San  Francisco  loaded  with  lot 
buyers  and  the  people  of  Los  Angeles  and  neigh- 
boring towns  rallied  in  great  numbers  to  the 
site  of  the  prospective  maritime  metropolis  of 
the  south.  Tom  Fitch,  the  silver-tongued  orator 
of  the  Pacific  slope,  inaugurated  the  sale  by  one 
of  his  most  brilliant  orations.  He  drew  a  fasci- 
nating picture  of  the  "Zenith  City  by  the  Sun- 
set Sea,"  as  he  named  it,  when  at  a  day  not  far 
distant  the  white  sails  of  commerce  should  fill 
its  harbor,  the  products  of  the  Occident  and  the 
Orient  load  its  wharves  and  the  smoke  from  its 
factory  chimneys  darken  the  heavens.  Lots  on 
the  barren  mesa  sold  at  prices  ranging  from 
$125  to  $500.    The  sale  v/as  a  grand  success. 

The  town's  growth  was  rapid.  In  less  than 
nine  months  after  its  founding  it  had  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  houses  and  a  thousand  inhab- 
itants. A  wharf  was  built  by  Senator  Jones ; 
and  the  Los  Angeles  &  Independence  Railroad, 
which  he  was  pushing  eastward,  was  supposed 
to  be  the  western  terminus  of  a  great  trans- 
continental railway  system.  The  railroad  reached 
Los  Angeles  and  there  it  stopped.  A  financial 
blight  had  fallen  on  Senator  Jones'  projects,  and 
the  town  shared  in  the  misfortunes  of  its  pro- 
genitor. After  a  time  the  railroad  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Company.  That 
company  condemned  the  wharf,  took  down  the 
warehouse  and  transferred  the  shipping-  and 
trade  that  had  grown  up  at  Santa  Monica  back 
to  Wilmington. 

In  1880  the  town  and  its  suburb,  South  Santa 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


407 


Monica,  had  only  350  mhabitants.  Its  attrac- 
tions as  a  seaside  resort  began  to  be  recognized 
and  it  took  on  new  life.  The  boom  sent  property 
values  away  up.  The  magnificent  Arcadia  hotel 
was  built  in  1887  and  the  location  of  the  Sol- 
diers' Home,  three  miles  eastward,  stimulated 
the  town's  growth.  The  Los  Angeles  County 
Railroad  was  built  from  Los  Angeles  in  1888 
along  the  foothills  to  Santa  Monica.  It  was  not 
a  success  and  eventually  went  into  the  hands  of 
a  receiver  and  was  numbered  with  the  enter- 
prises that  have  been  and  are  not.  The  Los 
Angeles-Pacific  Railroad,  an  electric  road,  se- 
cured its  right  of  way  and  has  become  a  valu- 
able line  of  travel.  The  road  was  opened  in 
1896.  In  1891-92  the  long  .wharf  at  Port  Los 
Angeles  was  built  and  shipping  again  returned 
to  the  bay  of  Santa  Monica.  The  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  system  built  a  branch  line  into  Santa 
Monica  in  1892.  The  Santa  Monica  Outlook, 
founded  in  1876,  is  one  of  the  oldest  newspapers 
in  the  county.  The  population  of  Santa  Monica 
in  1890  was  1.500,  and  in  1900,  3,057. 

In  the  summer  of  1905  the  city  trustees  or- 
dered a  census  of  the  city.  The  population  was 
found  to  be  7,208.  This  entitled  the  city  to  be 
governed  under  a  freeholders'  charter.  A  com- 
mittee was  appomted  and  a  charter  drafted 
which  will  be  presented  to  the  next  legislature 
for  approval.  Three  new  brick  school  houses, 
costing  $65,000,  were  completed  and  occupied 
early  in  1906. 

San  A^icente  boulevard.  130  feet  wide,  and 
extending  from  the  Soldiers'  Home  to  the  sea, 
was  completed  in  1905.  A  new  pleasure  pier, 
costing  .$30,000,  was  recently  erected  at  the  foot 
of  Hollister  avenue.  Work  has  been  begun  on 
an  electric  railway  that  is  to  run  up  the  beach 
through  the  Maiibu  rancho  and  eventually  on  to 
San  Buenaventura  and  Santa  Barbara.  A  tract 
of  land,  known  as  the  Palisades,  has  been  sub- 
divided into  large  building  lots.  Building  re- 
strictions have  been  placed  so  high  that  only 
costlv  residences  can  be  built  on  the  tract. 

During  the  year  1906  six  new  school  houses 
were  erected  at  a  cost  of  $150,000,  the  money 
having  been  raised  by  a  bond  issue.  A  broad 
gauge  railroad  up  the  beach  from  Port  Los  An- 
geles towards  Ventura  was  begun  and  five  miles 


completed  during  tlie  year  and  a  700-foot  wharf 
built. 

REDO  N  DO. 

Redondo  is  con:paratively  a  new  seaport.  The 
site  was  surveyed  and  plotted  in  1887.  A  large 
tourist  hotel  was  built  and  the  town  was  adver- 
tised as  a  seaside  resort.  One  of  the  most  at- 
tractive features  of  the  place  is  its  carnation 
gardens.  Redondo  carnations  have  a  reputation 
all  over  the  west.  They  are  shipped  to  different 
points  in  Southern  California  and  as  far  away 
as  Denver,  Dallas,  Omaha  and  Chicago.  The 
floral  business  is  growing.  Carnations,  violets, 
smilax,  sweet  peas,  chrysanthemums  and  ferns 
are  shipped  from  the  floral  gardens. 

Redondo  is  an  important  shipping  point  for 
lumber  and  fish.  In  1905  over  one  hundred  mil- 
lions feet  of  lumber  were  landed  on  its  wharves 
afld  one  million  four  hundred  thousand  pounds 
of  fish  have  been  shipped  away.  A  union  high 
school  was  opened  during  the  past  year. 

In  July,  1905,  H.  E.  Huntington  bought  the 
holding  of  the  old  syndicate  that  founded  Re- 
dondo. The  report  of  the  purchase  started  a 
boom  similar  to  the  frenzied  fakes  of  1887.  Men 
and  women  stood  for  hours  in  a  line  before  a 
tent  where  syndicate  lots  were  for  sale  waiting 
their  turn  to  make  a  deposit  on  a  piece  of  real 
estate,  no  matter  where  located,  provided 'it  was 
in  Redondo.  The  buying  went  on  for  three 
days  and  then  the  tide  turned  and  selling  or  at- 
tempts to  sell  began.  An  army  of  self-constitu- 
ted real  estate  agents  besieged  the  new  arrivals 
to  buy  choice  corners,  business  frontages,  house 
lots  with  magnificent  marine  views  and  strips 
of  sand  dunes  with  free  bathing  privileges.  The 
Los  Angeles  Times  of  August  20,  1905,  com- 
menting on  the  wild  rush  to  Redondo,  said: 
"The  fake  boom  created  at  Redondo  a  month 
ago  is  bearing  fruit  every  day.  That  fake  has 
hurt  every  bit  of  beach  property  on  the  ocean 
front  of  Southern  California.  Women  pledged 
their  jewels,  heirlooms  coming  down  for  gen- 
erations, to  speculate  in  Redondo  lots  at  ten 
times  their  intrinsic  value.  Business  men  went 
crazv  for  the  time  being,  and  took  checks  which 
never  could  be  casiied,  and  thus  tied  up  property 
which    might    have    been    sold    at    high    figures. 


408 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Contracts  flew  from  hand  to  hand  so  fast  that 
no  one  knew  where  the  chain  of  title  ran.  Some 
buyers  thought  when  they  had  paid  $1,500  and 
upward  for  a  lot,  that  was  the  end  of  the  mat- 
ter. When  they  came  to  get  a  deed  they  found 
there  was  $800  to  $1,000  to  be  paid  some  former 
owner,  the  second  seller  having  made  only  a 
partial  payment.  So  the  wild  business  ran.  It 
is  a  month  since  it  all  passed.  It  only  lasted 
three  days,  but  its  fruits  ran  longer,  are  running 
still.  Those  who  'got  left'  with  the  property 
on  their  hands  now  find  there  is  no  sale  for  the 
property  at  the  price  they  paid,  and  they  have 
no  use  for  it.  They  bought  on  speculation,  and 
their  money  is  where  it  will  stay.  There  is  good 
value  in  Redondo  property  at  the  right  price  for 
those  who  want  it.  But  that  is  now  lost  sight 
of  by  those  who  are  'stuck.'  The  lamentation 
of  those  who  were  trapped  has  reached  many 
ears  and  now  'beach  lots  are  beach  lots'  to  many 
minds.  They  are  so  afraid  they  will  not  touch 
a  beach  lot  anywhere  at  any  price.  So  much 
for  a  wild  boom  and  its  effects.  It  is  a  thou- 
sand pities  the  thing  ever  broke  loose  to  hurt 
the  sale  of  property  which  is  all  right  in  itself. 
The  market  may  not  soon  recover  its  tone." 

The  "hurt  to  beach  lots"  was  of  short  dura- 
tion even  in  Redondo.  Those  who  put  their 
money-  "where  it  will  stay"  in  most  cases  have 
gotten  it  out  without  loss.  Redondo  has  forged 
ahead  notwithstanding  the  "fake  boom." 

HERMOSA. 

Hermosa  is  a  nineteenth  century  city.  It  was 
founded  in  1902  and  made  a  city  of  the  sixth 
class  at  the  close  of  1906.  It  is  a  seaside  resort. 
Its  resident  population  is  about  600,  but  during 
the  summer  it  is  a  city  of  2,000  inhabitants. 

..\L0NG  THE  SHORE. 

Manhattan,  North  Manhattan,  Peck's  Beach, 
Shakespeare  and  Hyperion  are  villages  on  the 
sea  shore  between  Del  Rey  and  Redondo.  They 
are  all  of  recent  origin  and  are  accessible  to  Los 
Angeles  by  the  Los  Angeles-Pacific  Electric 
Railway. 

AVALON. 

Avalon.  the  metropolis  of  Santa  Catalina 
Island,    bore    the    name    of    Shatto    City    at    its 


founding.  It  was  one  of  the  boom  towns  of  1887. 
For  several  years  after  the  bursting  of  the  boom 
the  town  made  little  or  no  progress.  When  the 
Banning  Brothers  purchased  Santa  Catalina 
Island  they  set  to  work  to  develop  Avalon  as  a 
summer  resort.  A  number  of  improvements 
were  made,  and  during  tlie  summer  season  now 
daily  steamers  (the  Hermosa  and  Cabrillo)  con- 
vey passengers  across  the  channel.  The  loca- 
tion of  Avalon  makes  it  an  ideal  summer  resort. 
The  absence  of  breakers  in  its  bay  makes  boat- 
ing and  fishing  safe  and  pleasant  pastimes.  Its 
resident  population  is  about  a  thousand,  but  dur- 
ing July  and  August  the  transient  population 
often  reaches  six  or  seven  thousand. 

PLAYA  DEL   REY. 

Playa  del  Rey  (Beach  of  the  King)  was 
known  to  the  old-timers  as  \\'ill  Tell's.  It  was 
a  popular  seaside  resort  thirty  years  ago,  where 
sportsmen  went  for  duck  shooting  on  the  lagoon. 
The  southeasters  of  the  great  flood  year  of  1884 
destroyed  its  hunting  grounds,  and  for  two  de- 
cades it  was  deserted.  With  the  great  boom  of 
ocean  frontage  that  began  in  1902  the  capa- 
bilities of  the  place  for  a  seaside  resort  were 
brought  to  the  front  and  extensive  improve- 
ments begun.  In  1904  fully  a  quarter  of  a  million 
dollars  were  expended.  A  new  pavilion  was  built 
at  an  outlay  of  $100,000  and  was  dedicated  on 
Thanksgiving  day,  1904. 

On  the  lagoon  side,  and  extending  from  the 
level  of  the  pavilion  to  the  water's  edge,  an  am- 
phitheater with  a  seating  capacity  of  3,000  was 
erected.  From  this  a  fine  view  of  the  boat  races 
and  aquatic  sports  can  be  obtained.  A  hand- 
some three-story  hotel  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$20,000  and  a  number  of  fine  residences  were 
erected.  During  the  year  1905  extensive  im- 
provements were  made  at  the  King's  Beach. 
The  lagoon's  banks  were  bulkheaded  for  miles 
on  either  side.  Two  suspension  bridges  of  con- 
crete were  constructed  to  connect  the  strand 
with  the  mainland,  and  an  incline  railway  was 
built  from  the  beach  to  Mount  Ballona,  as  the 
eminence  is  called  that  rises  above  the  beach. 
A  two-story  bank  building  was  constructed,  and 
the  Los  Angeles-Pacific  Electric  Railway  ex- 
pended $5,000  in  building  a  passenger  depot  in 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


409 


the  so-called  mission  design.  Gold  has  been 
found  in  the  black  sands  of  the  beach.  It  is  one 
of  the  possibilities  of  the  future  that  gold  min- 
ing may  be  made  to  pay. 

OCEAN    PARK. 

In  1892,  Abbot  Kinney  and  F.  G.  Ryan  bought 
a  long  strip  of  sand  dunes  along  the  shore  line 
of  the  Pacific  ocean,  a  portion  of  which  was  com- 
prised within  the  municipal  limits  of  Santa 
Monica,  the  remainder  being  south  of  it. 

At  this  time  the  tendency  of  investors  in 
beach  properties  favored  blulTs.  Kinney  and 
Ryan  believed  that  the  time  would  come  when 
the  sand  close  to  the  ocean's  rim  would  be 
eagerly  sought  after  for  residence  and  resort  pur- 
poses, and  tim.e  has  since  demonstrated  the 
soundness  of  their  judgment. 

Kinney  and  Ryan  immediately  purchased 
rights  of  way  and  secured  the  entry  of  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  to  Ocean  Park.  They  also  arranged 
with  the  Y.  JM.  C.  A.  to  establish  a  branch  at 
Ocean  Park  and  erect  an  auditorium  and  bath- 
house.   They  also  built  two  piers. 

Abbot  Kinney  laid  out  the  plan  of  the  beach 
city  as  it  now  exists ;  a  unique  feature  of  this 
plan  is  the  parking  of  the  sand  streets  with  side- 
walks in  the  center.  He  also  brought  in  the  elec- 
tric railroad  through  the  sand  dunes  and  had 
nearly  completed  a  new  electric  road  in  partner- 
ship with  W.  S.  Hook,  when  Mr.  Hook  sold  his 
interests  to  the  Southern  Pacific,  through  Sen- 
ator Clark.  This  forced  Mr.  Kinney  to  sell 
shortly  afterward. 

As  the  property  was  bought  with  a  long  view 
to  the  future,  it  was  decided  not  to  put  any  of  it 
on  the  market,  but  to  encourage  building.  Lots 
were  leased  to  persons  desiring  to  put  small  cot- 
tages upon  them  at  nominal  rentals,  water  was 
brought  in,  the  tract  was  sewered  and  board 
walks  laid.  Under  this  policy  began  the  com- 
munity of  Ocean  Park,  and  before  any  of  the 
original  townsite  was  put  upon  the  market,  hun- 
dreds of  cottages  had  been  erected  along  one 
mile  and  a  half  of  frontage,  to  what  is  now 
known  as  Brooks  avenue  in  Ocean  Park.  Dur- 
ing this  development  Mr.  Ryan  died,  and  T.  H. 
Dudley  succeeded  to  his  interest.  Messrs.  Kin- 
ney and  Dudley  had  made  arrangements  to  put 


the  tract  upon  the  market,  when,  in  the  winter  ■ 
of  lyoi,  the  interest  of  Dudley  was  purchased 
by  A.  R.  Fraser,  G.  Al.  Jones,  H.  R.  Gage  and 
others.  Air.  Kinney  retaining  his  one-half. 

The  sale  of  the  leased  lots  was  made  rapidly. 
This  period  also  marked  the  beginning  of  a 
great  building  era.  The  type  of  houses  con- 
structed rapidly  improved  with  the  advance  in 
the  price  of  lots,  and  Pier  avenue  became  a  busi- 
ness center. 

The  most  notable  improvement,  begun  in  1904, 
was  the  erection  of  a  magnificent  bath  hou>e, 
which  was  completed  early  in  1905  at  a  cost, 
including  furnishings,  of  $185,000.  On  the  ocean 
front  a  toboggan  railway  was  constructed  at  a 
cost  of  $25,000.  On  Hollister  avenue  a  new 
double-decked  recreation  pier  was  built.  During 
the  _\ear  1904  a  number  of  handsome  brick  busi- 
ness blocks  were  built  and  about  350  residences. 
In  1905  a  horseshoe  pier  was  constructed.  Its 
features  include  a  large  auditorium.  Two  new 
banks  were  opened  during  the  year  and  a  number 
of  business  blocks  built.  There  are  now  three 
banks  at  Pier  avenue  and  two  in  Venice.  Every- 
where throughout  the  city  new  dwelling-houses, 
costing  from  $1,000  to  $6,000,  have  been  con- 
structed. 

In  the  city  of  Ocean  Park,  which  does  not  in- 
clude Pier  avenue  nor  the  north  beach  seccion, 
municipal  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $85,000 'were 
voted.  A  considerable  part  of  this  fund  was  ex- 
pended in  the  construction  of  a  modern  sewer 
system  with  a  septic  tank.  Part  of  it  will  be 
used  in  building  a  city  hall  and  library. 

It  is  a  curious  feature  of  the  district  known 
as  Ocean  Park  that  the  part  with  the  postoffice 
of  Ocean  Park  is  in  the  municipality  of  Sanra 
Alonica,  and  that  the  postoffice  of  Ocean  Park  is 
Venice.    Ocean  Park  is  in  two  cities. 

In  1904  that  portion  of  the  sand  strip  not  in- 
cluded in  Santa  Monica,  together  with  adja- 
cent subdivisions,  became  incorporated  as  the 
city  of  Ocean  Park.  The  marvelous  growth  of 
the  city  in  wealth  and  population  is  indicated 
by  the  increase  in  its  assessed  valuation  in  one 
year  of  $4,000,000.  This  year  it  is  $6,000,000. 
The  city,  formerly  confined  to  a  sand  strip  run- 
ning from  the  ocean  back  an  average  depth  of 
900  feet,  has  spread  to  the  hills  back  of  it. 


410 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  the  year  1904  a  notable  event  in  the  history 
of  Ocean  Park  occurred.  It  was  the  purchase 
by  Abbot  Kinney,  from  his  partners,  of  the  lands 
on  the  southern  end  of  the  tract  for  the  purpose 
of  building  the  Venice  of  America,  with  its  can- 
als, bridges  and  arcades. 

The  boundaries  of  Ocean  Park  City  are,  San- 
ta Monica  on  the  north  and  Del  Key  on  the  south. 
The  Pacific  ocean  is  its  western  frontage.  At 
A'enice  it  has  public  improvements,  such  as  a 
large  surf  and  plunge  bath  house,  Oriental  ex- 
position, a  beautiful  country  club  with  tennis 
courts,  the  finest  dancing  pavilion  in  the  world, 
a  grand  auditorium,  skating  rink,  bowling  alleys 
superior  to  any,  boat-house,  power  plant,  ship 
Cabrillo  restaurant,  fine  hotels,  two  banks,  a 
large  school  with  industrial  training  department, 
and  so  forth. 

The  first  city  officials  were  Dana  Burks,  G.  M. 
Jones,  W.  R.  Robinson,  Force  Parker  and  W.  T. 
Gibbon.  This  board  held  over  in  1906,  with  the 
exception  of  Mr.  Gibbon,  whose  place  is  filled  at 
this  writing  by  David  Evans. 

VEXICE  OF  AMERICA. 

A'enice  of  America,  the  creation  of  Abbot 
Kinney,  is  not  merely  one  of  the  notable  sights 
of  Southern  California.  It  ranks  in  interest  with 
the  famous  resorts  of  the  world. 

Venice  of  America  is  a  phenomenal  city.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1904  the  site  of  the 
city  was  made  of  tide-flats,  sand  dunes  and  salt- 
water lagoons.  Its  only  permanent  inhabitants 
were  ducks  and  fish,  and  its  visitors  wild  geese 
and  sea  gulls. 

The  end  of  that  year  found  a  magic  trans- 
formation of  the  once  dreary  expanse.  A  still- 
water  swimming  pool,  capable  of  accommodating 
5,000  bathers,  graced  the  tide-flats.  Three-story 
brick  blocks  loomed  above  the  sand  dunes  and 
canals  had  been  channeled  out  of  the  sloughs  and 
lagoons.  A  recreation  pier  had  been  built  out 
into  the  ocean  a  thousand  feet.  All  of  this 
wonderful  transformation  had  been  made  pos- 
sible, had  been  brought  alx)ut  through  the  genius, 
the  faith  in  the  future  and  in  the  indomitable  per- 
severance of  one  man.  Abbot  Kinney. 

The  first  work  on  \^enice  was  done  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  }ear  1904.    It  had  proceeded  satis- 


factorily toward  a  proposed  opening  in  Juiy, 
1905,  when  in  March  one  of  the  fiercest  storms 
seen  in  many  years  on  the  Southern  Californian 
coast  did  large  damage  to  the  unfinished  build- 
ings. To  guard  against  any  future  disaster  of 
like  kind.  Air.  Kinney  obtained  from  the  govern- 
ment permission  to  construct  the  only  private 
breakwater  in  the  United  States  and  put  upon 
the  work  an  army  of  artisans,  pushing  it  toward 
completion  at  enormous  cost.  On  July  2d  the 
splendid  auditorium,  built  several  hundred  feet 
out  from  the  land,  was  dedicated.  The  develop- 
ment of  Venice  since  that  time  has  been  extraor- 
dinarily rapid.  Countless  thousands  of  people 
are  there  on  all  great  days,  cars  reaching  Wind- 
ward avenue  on  an  average  of  one  a  minute. 

The  Venice  of  America  is  like  the  Venice  of 
Italy  in  its  canal  system  and  the  architectural 
lines  of  that  famous  art  center  have  been  followed 
in  a  measure.  But  it  is  not  an  imitation ;  it  has 
an  individuality  of  its  own  clearly  defined.  Its 
several  miles  of  canals  are  bordered  with  flowers 
and  palm  trees.  Its  arcaded  streets  present  the 
only  uniform  architecture  in  the  United  States. 
It  is  uniform  in  the  sense  of  being  not  discord- 
ant. There  is  a  boldness  in  the  color  scheme  that 
fills  the  eye  with  beauty  and  the  soul  of  an  artist 
with  delight. 

The  Venice  of  America  is  a  high-class  resi- 
dence center  as  well  as  a  high-class  resort.  More 
residences  have  been  built  in  Venice  than  in  any 
other  tract  outside  of  Los  Angeles  in  the  same 
time.  It  also  sets  the  pace  in  things  musical. 
The  leading  organizations  of  the  countrv  com- 
pete for  engagements  in  Venice. 

Rovcrofters  and  other  disciples  of  Ruskin  de- 
light in  A^enice,  as  do  lovers  of  Oriental  art, 
because  of  its  permanent  exposition  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Japanese  Oiamber  of  Commerce. 
In  this  are  specimens  of  exquisite  individual 
handiwork  whose  like  cannot  be  found  else- 
where in  the  LTnited  States. 

Eour  lines  of  the  Los  Angeles-Pacific  Electric 
Railway  system  reach  A^enice  from  Los  Angeles. 
The  most  direct  route  is  by  way  of  The  Palms, 
the  distance  from  Fourth  and  Hill  streets  being 
twelve  and  seven-eighths  miles  and  a  little  over 
nine  miles  from  the  city  limits.  The  Los  An- 
geles-Pacific   has    acquired    rights    of    way    and 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


411 


financed  bonds  for  the  construction  of  a  new 
through  line  out  Fourth  street,  which  will  make 
A'enice  from  its  Fourth  street  depot  in  less  than 
twenty  minutes.  The  other  ways  in  which  Ven- 
ice is  reached  are  via  Santa  Monica,  Sawtelle, 
Hollywood,  Westgate  and  Redondo. 

That  Venice  is  destined  to  be  the  center  of  a 
great  population  within  a  few  years  is  indicated 
by  its  geographical  situation.  The  best  resi- 
dential section  of  Los  Angeles  is  now  only  nine 
miles  from  Venice  and  it  is  steadily  growing  in 
its  direction,  while  the  growth  from  the  beach 
will  naturally  be  along  the  short  line  of  the  rail- 
road from  Venice.toward  the  metropolis. 


Early  in  1905  A.  AI.  and  A.  C.  Parson  secured 
a  large  tract  of  land  on  Alamitos  bay  and  set 
about  transforming  it  into  the  "Dreamland  of 
Southern  California."  "Through  the  canals  and 
under  the  high  arching  bridges  gay  gondoliers 
will  propel  their  crafts  like  those  in  the  waters 
of  the  Adriatic  under  the  blue  skies  of  Italv." 


.Since  the  acquisition  of  the  site  the  promoters, 
backed  apparently  by  unlimited  capital  and 
aided  by  the  labor  of  an  army  of  men,  have  been 
pushing  the  impi*ovements  as  rapidly  as  men  and 
machinery  can  do  it. 

Naples  is  located  at  the  mouth  of  the  San 
Gabriel  river;  "a  still- water  inland  bay  forms 
one  of  the  attractions,  and  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars  have  zeen  expended  in  dredg- 
ing, constructing  imposing  bulkheads  of  re- 
inforced concrete  and  in  creating  the  foundations 
for  a  splendid  waterway  city."  There  will  be 
when  the  dredging  is  completed  twenty  miles  of 
still  water  in  the  bay  and  river  for  boating. 
There  are  now  under  construction  in  Naples 
broad  cement  promenades  and  an  immense  pa- 
vilion whi(;h  is  to  be  a  reproduction  of  the  famous 
Palace  of  the  Doges.  The  houses  are  all  to 
have  red  tiled  roofs.  Several  expensive  resi- 
dences fronting  on  the  bay  have  been  built.  The 
building  restrictions  prevent  the  erection  of 
cheap  dwellings. 


CHAPTER    LX. 


SANTA  BARBARA  COUNTY. 


ORIGIN   OF   THE   NAME. 

THE  discoverer  of  the  Santa  Barbara  chan- 
nel, Juan  Rodriguez  Cabrillo,  seems  not 
to  have  named  it.  He  named  the  islands 
and  a  few  of  the  prominent  points  of  the  main- 
land that  bound  the  channel.  The  names  he  gave 
to  the  islands  have  all  been  changed.  If  he 
named  the  channel,  there  is  no  record  of  it.  When 
Sebastain  Viscaino  sailed  through  the  channel 
Padre  de  La  Ascension,  one  of  the  three  Carmelite 
friars  accompanying  the  expedition,  writing  a 
letter  descriptive  of  the  mainland  and  islands, 
headed  it  Santa  Barbara,  December  4,  1602.  This 
he  did  in  honor  of  Santa  Barbara,  virgin  and 
martyr,  whose  day  in  the  Catholic  calendar  is 
December  4th.  Santa  Barbara  was  born  in  Nico- 
media,  Asia  Minor,  and  suffered  martyrdom 
December  4,  A.  D.  218,  during  the  persecution 


of  the  Christians  under  the  Emperor  Maximum. 
She  is  said  to  have  been  decapitated  by  her  father, 
a  Roman  officer  serving  under  the  Emperor. 

One  hundred  and  sixty-seven  years  after  Vis- 
canio's  explorations,  Portala's  expedition  passed 
up  the  coast  and  through  the  valley  where  the 
city  of  Santa  Barbara  now  stands.  Through  all 
these  years  the  channel  still  retained  the  name 
given  it  by  Padre  de  La  Ascension,  although  so 
far  as  we  know  no  ship's  keel  had  cut  its  waters 
since  Viscaino's  time. 

When  the  presidio  was  founded,  April  21, 
1782,  the  name  of  the  fort  and  of  the  mission  that 
was  to  be  had  already  been  determined.  To 
Padre  de  La  Ascension  belongs  the  honor  of 
naming  the  channel,  from  which  came  the  name 
of  the  presidio,  the  mission  and  the  pueblo  that 
grew  up  around  these.    An  account  of  the  found- 


412 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  of  the  presidio  and  the  principal  incidents  in 
its  history  during  the  Spanish  and  Mexican 
periods  have  been  recorded  in  previous  chapters 
of  this  vohtme. 

In  Chapter  \'III  I  have  given  a  brief  account 
of  the  burning  of  Montere\-,  the  destruction  of 
Ortega's  rancho  and  the  looting  of  the  mission 
San  Juan  Capistrano  by  Bouchard,  the  privateer, 
in  1818,  known  in  California  history  as  El  Aiio 
de  Los  Insurgentes — the  year  of  the  insur- 
gents. The  account  given  there  is  compiled 
from  Spanish  sources  and  tells  the  story  from 
the  standpoint  of  the  defenders.  Since  the  above- 
named  chapter  was  written  I  have  obtained  some 
original  historical  material  in  regard  to  Bou- 
chard's operations  on  the  Pacific  coast  not  known 
to  Bancroft,  Hittell  or  any  other  historian  of 
California. 

This  is  the  narrative  of  Peter  Conrey,  an  Eng- 
lish sea  captain,  engaged  in  the  fur  trade  on  the 
northwest  coast  of  America,  and  who  between 
18 13  and  181S  made  several  voyages  to  Cali- 
fornia and  the  Sandwich  Islands.  After  his  re- 
turn to  England  his  narrative  was  published  in 
the  "London  Literary  Gazette"  of  1821.  In 
1896  it  was  published  in  book  form  by  Thomas 
G.  Thrum,  of  Honolulu,  H.  I.  Captain  Conrey 
was  at  Honolulu  when  Bouchard,  in  the  man-of- 
war  Argentina,  came  there  in  search  of  a  lost 
or  runaway  vessel  that  had  been  in  the  employ 
of  the  Argentine  Republic  (Buenos  Ayres). 

This  vessel,  the  Santa  Rosa,  alias  Qiecka 
Boca,  alias  Lihertad,  had  been  fitted  out  at  the 
Rio  Plata  under  command  of  Captain  Turner, 
an  American,  to  cruise  against  the  Spaniards  in 
the  north  and  south  Pacific.  After  rounding 
Cape  Horn  the  crew,  which  seems  to  have  been 
a  bad  lot,  mutinied,  seized  the  officers  and  con- 
fined them  in  irons.  A  master's  mate,  named 
McDonald,  took  command,  assuming  the  name 
of  Turner.  When  ofif  Valparaiso  they  sent  the 
officers  ashore.  The  mutineers  ran  up  the  coast 
of  South  America,  capturing  towns,  destroying 
vessels,  robbing  and  burning  churches.  They 
became  the  terror  of  the  coast.  Fearing  capture, 
they  steered  their  vessel  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  where  they  sold  her  to  King  Kame- 
hameka.  When  Bouchard  arrived  at  Honolulu 
he   demanded    the    Santa    Rosa    from    the    king. 


It  was  given  up.  The  mutineers,  who  were  still 
on  the  islands,  were  hunted  down  by  the  na- 
tives and  delivered  to  Bouchard.  McDonald 
made  his  escape,  but  the  second  in  command,  a 
Mr.  Griffith,  was  tried  by  court-martial  and  shot 
in  two  hours  after  sentence  was  passed.  Some 
of  the  leaders  were  given  twelve  dozen  lashes 
and  the  remainder  of  the  crew  pardoned. 
Bouchard  offered  the  command  of  the  Santa 
Rosa  to  Captain  Conrey,  who  accepted  it.  Sup- 
plies having  been  obtained  on  the  20th  of  Octo- 
ber the  two  ships  sailed  for  the  coast  of  Cali- 
fornia to  cruise  against  the  Spaniards.  I  quote 
from  Captain  Conrey's  narrative : 

■'The  ship  Santa  Rosa  was  American  built, 
about  300  tons  burthen ;  mounting  eighteen  gtms, 
twelve  and  eighteen  pounders ;  with  a  comple- 
ment of  100  men;  thirty  of  whom  were  Sand- 
wich Islanders;  the  remainder  were  composed  of 
Americans,  Spaniards,  Portuguese,  Creoles, 
Negroes,  Manila  men,  Malays,  and  a  few  Eng- 
lishmen. The  Argentina  had  260  men,  fifty  of 
whom  were  Islanders,  the  remainder  a  mixed 
crew,  nearly  similar  to  that  of  the  Santa  Rosa. 
She  carried  forty-four  guns.  On  our  passage 
towards  California  we  were  employed  exercising 
the  great  guns  and  putting  the  ship  in  good  con- 
dition for  fighting,  frequently  reading  the  arti- 
cles of  war,  which  are  very  strict  and  punish 
with  death  almost  every  act  of  insubordination. 

"After  getting  a  supply  of  eggs,  oil,  etc.,  from 
the  Russians,  we  made  sail  towards  the  bay  of 
Monterey.  The  commodore  ordered  me  into  the 
bay.  and  to  anchor  in  a  good  position  for  cover- 
ing the  landing,  while  he  would  keep  his  ship 
under  weight,  and  send  his  boats  in  to  assist  me. 
Being  well  acquainted  with  the  bay,  I  ran  in 
and  came  to  at  midnight  under  the  fort :  the 
Spaniards  hailed  me  frequently  to  send  a  boat 
on  shore,  which  I  declined.  Before  morning  they 
had  the  battery  manned  and  seemed  quite  busy. 
I  got  a  spring  on  the  cable,  and  at  daylight 
opened  a  fire  on  the  fort,  which  was  briskly  re- 
turned from  two  batteries.  Finding  it  useless  to 
fire  at  the  batteries,  the  one  being  so  much  above 
us  that  our  shot  had  no  visible  effect,  the  com- 
modore came  in  with  his  boats,  and  we  landed 
on  Point  Pinos,  about  three  miles  to  the  west- 
ward of  the  fort;  and  before  the  Spaniards  had 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


413 


time  to  bring  their  field-pieces  to  attack  us  we 
were  on  our  march  against  it.  We  halted  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  -where  it  stood  for  a  few  min- 
utes, beat  a  charge  and  rushed  up,  the  Sand- 
wich Islanders  in  front  with  pikes.  The 
Spaniards  mounted  their  horses  and  fled ;  a 
Sandwich  Islander  was  the  first  to  haul  down 
their  colors.  We  then  turned  the  guns  on  the 
town,  where  they  made  a  stand,  and  after  firing 
a  few  rounds,  the  commodore  sent  me  with  a 
party  to  assault  the  place,  while  he  kept  posses- 
sion of  the  fort.  As  we  approached  the  town, 
the  Spaniards  again  fled,  after  discharging  their 
field  pieces,  and  we  entered  without  opposition. 
It  was  well  stocked  with  provisions  and  goods 
of  every  description,  which  we  commenced  send- 
ing on  board  the  Argentina.  The  Sandwich 
Islanders,  who  were  quite  naked  when  they 
landed,  were  soon  dressed  in  the  Spanish  fashion, 
and  all  the  sailors  were  employed  in  searching 
the  houses  for  money,  and  breaking  and  ruin- 
ing everything.  We  took  several  Creole  pris- 
oners, destroyed  all  the  guns  in  the  fort,  etc. 
We  had  three  of  our  men  killed  and  thuee  taken. 
Next  day  a  party  of  horsemen  came  in  sight,  to 
whom  the  commodore  sent  a  flag  of  truce,  re- 
quiring the  governor  to  give  up  our  people  and 
save  the  town.  Three  days  were  granted  to  con- 
sider this  proposal,  and  on  the  third  day,  not 
receiving  an  answer,  he  ordered  the  town  to  be 
fired,  after  which  we  took  plenty  of  live  stock 
on  board,  wood,  water,  etc..  and  on  the  ist  day 
of  December  got  under  weight  from  Monterey, 
and  stood  along  the  coast  to  the  southward. 

"On  the  4th  we  made  a  village  called  the 
Ranch  (near  Point  Conception),  where  we  in- 
tended to  call  for  provisions,  got  the  boats  all 
ready,  landed  a  party  without  opposition,  and 
took  the  town;  all  the  inhabitants  flying  on  our 
approach.  The  men  remained  all  night,  and  next 
morning  the  place  was  plundered.  About  noon 
a  lieutenant  and  two  seamen  having  strayed  a 
short  distance  from  the  town,  a  party  of  horse- 
men rushed  on  them,  threw  the  la's-aws  (lassos) 
over  their  heads  and  dragged  them  up  a  neigh- 
boring hill  before  we  could  render  them  any  as- 
sistance. This  so  enraged  Captain  Bouchard 
that  he  ordered  the  village  to  be  fired  instantly, 
and  embarked  all  the  men.     After  dark  we  again 


landed  a  party,  well  armed,  to  try  and  surprise 
the  Spaniards  and  make  some  prisoners,  but 
the  next  morning  embarked  without  success. 
We  then  weighed  and  made  sail  along  shore  to 
the  southward,  two  miles  from  shore ;  a  great 
number  of  Spanish  troops  riding  along  the  beach, 
at  whom  we  fired  several  shots.  In  the  evening 
of  the  8th  of  December  we  were  off  the  town 
and  mission  of  St.  Barbara,  in  latitude  2-\'  ^6' 
N.  and  longitude  119°  W.  It  falling  calm,  we 
hoisted  the  boats  out  to  tow  the  ships  into  the 
bay.  where  we  anchored,  the  town  bearing  N. 
by  W.  one  mile,  seemingly  deserted.  We  fired 
a  gun  and  hoisted  the  colors  with  a  flag  of  truce, 
and  sent  a  boat  on  shore  to  say  if  they  would 
give  up  our  men  we  would  spare  the  town ;  to 
which  the  governor  agreed,  and  accordingly,  on 
the  loth,  we  got  our  companions  on  board, 
weighed  the  anchor  and  made  sail  to  the  south- 
ward. We  again  ran  into  a  snug  bay,  in  latitude 
33°  33'  N.,  where  we  anchored  under  the  flag  of 
truce.  The  bay  is  well  sheltered,  with  a  most 
beautiful  town  and  mission,  about  two  leagues 
from  the  beach.  The  commodore  sent  his  boats 
on  shore,  to  say  if  they  would  give  us  an  imme- 
diate supply  of  provisions  we  would  spare  their 
town ;  to  which  the>-  replied  that  we  might  land 
if  we  pleased,  and  they  would  give  us  an  imme- 
diate supply  of  powder  and  shot.  The  commo- 
dore was  very  much  incensed  at  this  answer  and 
assembled  all  the  officers  to  know  what  was 
best  to  be  done,  as  the  town  was  too  far  from 
the  beach  to  derive  any  benefit  from  it.  It 
was  therefore  agreed  to  land,  and  give  it  up  to 
be  pillaged  and  sacked. 

"Next  morning,  before  daylight,  the  commo- 
dore ordered  me  to  land  and  bring  him  a  sample 
of  the  powder  and  shot,  w^hich  I  accordingly 
did,  with  a  party  of  140  men,  well  armed,  with 
two  field-pieces.  On  our  landing,  a  party  of 
horsemen  came  down  and  fired  a  few  shots  at  us, 
and  ran  towards  the  town.  They  made  no  stand, 
and  we  soon  occupied  the  place.  After  break- 
fast the  people  commenced  plundering ;  we  found 
the  town  well  stocked  with  everything  but 
money,  and  destroyed  much  wine  and  spirits, 
and  all  the  public  property ;  set  fire  to  the  king's 
stores,  barracks  and  g'overnor's  hoirse,  and  about 
two  o'clock  we  marched  back,  though  not  in  the 


414 


HISTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


order  we  went,  many  of  the  men  being  intoxi- 
cated, and  some  were  so  much  so  that  we  had 
to  lash  them  on  the  field-pieces  and  drag  them 
to  the  beach,  where,  about  six  o'clock,  we  arrived 
with  the  loss  of  six  men.  Next  morning  we  pun- 
ished about  twenty  men  for  getting  drunk." 

They  cruised  oil  San  Bias  for  the  Manila 
'  ships,  but  did  not  capture  any.  After  much 
sufifering  from  sickness  and  shortage  of  pro- 
vision, the  Santa  Rosa  arrived  at  Valparaiso 
July  9,  1819:  the  Argentina  arrived  the  17th, 
having  buried  forty  of  her  men.  The  ships  were 
laid  up  and  most  of  the  crews  entered  on  board 
Chilian  fleet. 

"I  now  applied  to  Captain  Bouchard  for  my 
pay  and  prize  money,  and  told  him  I  was  heart- 
ily sick  of  the  service  of  the  Independents,  and 
that  I  intended  to  go  to  England  in  the  first 
vessel  that  sailed  for  that  country,  the  port  be- 
ing then  embargoed  on  account  of  the  expedi- 
tion going  against  Peru ;  he  replied  that  he  could 
not  pay  me  unless  I  continued  in  the  service  and 
took  the  ship  to  Buenos  Ayres ,  which  I  de- 
clined doing,  and  left  her  in  charge  of  ]\Ir. 
Woodburn,  the  first  lieutenant." 

I  have  introduced  this  long  digression  for  sev- 
eral reasons — the  chief  of  which  is  that  all  ac- 
counts of  the  event  published  in  California  his- 
tories are  one  sided.  The  privateer's  story  has 
never  been  told  in  any  of  these.  Conrey's  narra- 
tive bears  upon  its  face  the  impress  of  truth.  It 
contradicts  many  of  the  exaggerations  derived 
from  Spanish  sources  published  in  Bancroft's 
and  Hittell's  histories.  The  Spanish  officers  and 
soldiers  who  fought  Bouchard,  in  their  reports 
of  their  several  contests  with  "the  pirate 
Bouchard,"  as  they  called  him,  were  inclined  to 
magnify  their  achievements. 

Governor  Sola  in  his  report  claims  that 
Bouchard  landed  400  men  at  Montere}-.  The 
total  complement  of  men  on  both  ships,  accord- 
ing to  Captain  Conrey,  was  only  360.  Sola  re- 
ported five  of  the  insurgents  killed  and  a  num- 
ber wounded.  Conrey  reports  three  killed  and 
three  taken  prisoners  at  the  battle  of  Monterey. 
One  of  the  three  men  captured,  according  to  Ban- 
croft, was  Joseph  Chapman,  the  first  native-born 
citizen  of  the  I'nited  States  to  settle  in  Southern 
California.      According    to    Sola's    report,    these 


three  men  were  sent  ashore  in  response  to  a  de- 
mand of  the  Spaniards,  the  Santa  Rosa  having 
lowered  her  flag  in  token  of  surrender.  Sola, 
unable  to  obtain  from  these  men  anything  but 
"lies  and  frivolous  excuses,"  reports  that  he  put 
them  in  the  guard-house ;  a  high-handed  pro- 
ceeding, if  he  did  it.  Sola's  refusal  to  surrender 
the  men  captured  at  Monterey,  according  to 
Captain  Conrey,  was  the  reason  why  Bouchard 
burned  the  town.  The  refusal  of  the  Spaniard 
to  give  up  the  three  men  captured  at  Ortega's 
rancho  was  also  the  cause  of  Bouchard's  burning 
the  buildings  there.  His  demand  for  their  re- 
turn at  Santa  Barbara  with  a  threat  to  burn  the 
town  brought  the  comandante  of  the  presidio  to 
terms  at  once.  Whether  this  demand  included 
the  three  men  captured  at  INIonterey,  Conrey 
does  not  state. 

Captain  Conrey  reports  the  loss  of  six  men  at 
San  Juan  Capistrano.  The  Spanish  authorities 
report  the  capture  of  four  there.  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  Joseph  Chapman  was  captured  at 
San  Juan  Capistrano,  and  not  at  Monterey,  as 
stated  in  Bancroft's  history.  Stephen  C.  Foster 
gives  a  romantic  account  of  Chapman's  capture 
at  Ortega's  rancho,  and  his  rescue  by  a  daughter 
of  Ortega  from  the  doom  decreed  to  him  by  the 
Spaniards — that  of  being  dragged  to  death  by 
wild  horses.  According  to  Foster,  he  married 
his  rescuer  a  year  later.  Qiapman  was  not  cap- 
tured at  Ortega's  rancho.  Foster's  romantic 
story,  except  the  marrying  part  of  it,  is  pure 
fiction.  The  three  men  captured  at  Ortega's 
rancho  were  given  up  at  Santa  Barbara. 

Joseph  Chapman  was  the  first  citizen  of  the 
I'nited  States  to  permanently  locate  in  Cali- 
fornia. He  figured  prominently  in  the  history 
of  Santa  Barbara  and  Los  Angeles.  As  the  pio- 
neer American  resident  of  California  it  would 
be  interesting  to  know  something  of  his  early 
history  and  what  induced  him  to  leave  his  New 
England  home  and  join  the  insurgents  of  South 
America.  It  is  probable  that  he  was  one  of  the 
crew  of  the  Santa  Rosa.  A  number  of  his  de- 
scendants are  living  in  Santa  Barbara  and  Ven- 
tura counties. 

ORG.\NIZ.\TION'  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

Santa  Barbara  is  one  of  the  original  twenty- 


HlSTORfCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


415 


seven  counties  into  which  the  state,  or  rather  the 
territory,  of  California  (for  it  had  not  yet  been 
admitted  as  a  state  of  the  Union)  was  divided  by 
an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  February  i8, 
1850. 

Section  4  of  that  act  created  the  county  of 
Santa  Barbara.  The  boundaries  as  given  in  the 
act  are  as  follows :  "Beginning  on  the  seacoast 
at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  called  Santa  Maria 
and  running  up  the  middle  of  said  creek  to  its 
source ;  thence  due  northeast  to  the  summit  of 
the  Coast  Range,  the  farm  of  Santa  jNIaria  fall- 
ing within  Santa  Barbara  county ;  thence  follow- 
ing the  summit  of  the  Coast  Range  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  Los  Angeles  county ;  thence  along 
the  northwest  boundary  of  said  county  to  the 
ocean  and  three  English  miles  therein ;  and 
thence  in  a  northerly  direction  parallel  with  the 
coast  to  a  point  due  west  of  the  mouth  of  Santa 
Maria  creek ;  thence  due  east  to  the  mouth  of 
said  creek,  which  was  the  place  of  beginning ;  in- 
cluding the  islands  of  Santa  Barbara,  San  Nic- 
olas, San  Miguel,  Santa  Rosa,  Santa  Cruz  and 
others  in  the  same  vicinity.  The  seat  of  justice 
shall  be  at  Santa  Barbara."  By  an  act  of  the 
legislature  of  1851-52  the  boundaries  of  the 
county  were  more  clearly  defined  and  some  slight 
changes  made  in  the  lines. 

The  legislature  passed  acts  creating  county 
organizations  and  providing  for  the  election  of 
county  officers.  The  old  system  of  municipal 
government  that  had  been  in  force  under  Span- 
ish and  Mexican  rule  and  under  the  American 
rule  from  the  time  of  the  conquest  was  swept  out 
of  existence.  In  place  of  ayuntamientos  and 
courts  of  first,  second  and  third  instance,  and  of 
offices  of  alcaldes,  prefects,  sub-prefects,  regi- 
dores  and  sindicos,  were  substituted  district 
courts,  courts  of  sessions,  county  courts,  justices 
of  the  peace,  common  councils,  mayors,  sherilTs, 
district  attorneys,  treasurers,  assessors,  recorders, 
surveyors,  coroners  and  constables.  To  the  na- 
tives who  had  been  reared  under  the  simple 
forms  of  early  years  the  American  system  of 
government  was  complicated  and  confusing.  An 
election  for  county  officers  was  ordered  held 
throughout  the  state  on  the  first  Monday  of 
April,  1850,  and  the  machinery  of  county  govern- 
ment was  put  into  operation  as  speedily  as  pos- 


sible. The  transition  from  the  old  fomi  to  the 
new  took  place  in  Santa  Barbara  in  August. 

Henry  A.  Tefft  was  appointed  judge  of  the 
second  judicial  district,  which  consisted  of  the 
counties  of  Santa  Barbara  and  San  Luis  Obispo. 
John  M.  Huddars  acted  as  clerk  of  the  court. 
At  the  April  election  Pablo  de  la  Guerra,  who 
had  represented  the  Santa  Barbara  district  in  the 
constitutional  convention,  was  chosen  state  sen- 
ator, and  J.  M.  Covarrubia's  and  Henry  S.  Cranes 
the  first  assemblymen. 

Joaquin  Carrillo  was  the  first  county  judge, 
and  by  virtue  of  his  office  presiding  justice  of  the 
court  of  sessions.  This  court  consisted  of  the 
county  judge  and  two  justices  of  the  peace,  who 
acted  as  associate  justices.  Besides  its  judicial 
duties  it  also  fulfilled  the  functions  of  county 
government  now  performed  by  boards  of  super- 
visors. The  first  meeting  of  the  court  of  sessions 
was  held  October  21,  1850,  and  its  first  recorded 
act  was  the  ordering  of  a  county  seal.  The  de- 
sign of  the  seal  is  described  as  follows.  "Around 
the  margin  the  words,  county  court  of  Santa 
Barbara  county,  with  the  following  device  in 
the  center :  A  female  figure  holding  in  her  right 
hand  a  balance  and  in  her  left  a  rod  of  justice; 
above,  a  figure  of  a  rising  sun;  below,  CAL." 
The  associate  justices  of  the  first  meeting  of  the 
court  of  sessions  were  Samuel  Barney  and  Will- 
iam  A.    Streeter. 

Jose  A.  Rodriguez,  the  first  sheriflf  of  the 
county,  was  killed  in  the  fall  of  1850  on  the 
present  site  of  the  oil  wells  of  Summerland,  while 
leading  a  party  in  pursuit  of  the  murderers  of 
the  Reed  family  at  San  Miguel  Mission.  Rodri- 
guez was  recklessly  brave.  The  murderers  had 
been  surrounded.  The  members  of  the  sheriff's 
posse  hesitated  to  close  in  on  them.  Rodriguez, 
to  inspire  his  men  with  courage,  rushed  in  upon 
the  murderers,  and  seizing  one  of  them,  pulled 
him  from  his  horse.  In  the  scuffie  the  fellow  shot 
and  killed  the  sheriff.  One  of  the  desperadoes, 
endeavoring  to  escape,  swam  to  sea  and  was 
drowned.  Three  of  them,  Lynch,  Raymond  and 
Ouin,  were  captured,  taken  to  Santa  Barbara 
and  shot. 

Gen.  ^^^  T.  Sherman  in  an  article.  "Old  Times 
in  California,"  published  in  the  North  American 
Review  of  March,    1880,   gives   an   entirely   dif- 


416 


HLSTORICAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ferent  version  of  the  capture  of  the  murderers  of 
the  Reed  family.  Jim  Beckworth,  who  was  car- 
rying the  mail  from  Monterey  to  Dana's  rancho, 
stopping  at  the  Mission  San  Miguel,  which  Reed 
had  fitted  up  for  a  hotel,  found  the  bodies  of 
Reed,  his  wife  and  children.  They  had  recently 
been  murdered.  Beckworth,  on  arriving  at 
Ivlonterey,  reported  to  Lieutenant  Sherman  the 
story  of  the  murder.  Sherman,  who  was  acting- 
adjutant  general,  reported  it  to  Col.  R.  B.  JNIa- 
son.  Mason  ordered  Lieut.  E.  O.  C.  Ord  to  take 
a  detachment  of  soldiers  and  "pursue  the  mur- 
derers to  the  death."  Lieutenant  Ord  with  his 
detachment  found  the  trail  of  the  assassins,  which 
led  south  by  Santa  Liez,  back  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara, and  at  Rincon  below  Santa  Barbara  he  over- 
took the  party,  who  proved  to  be  four  deserters 
from  the  sloop-of-war  Warren,  lying  in  the  har- 
bor of  Monterey.  They  had  a  running  fight  in 
which  Ord  lost  one  of  his  men,  killed  the  ring- 
leader and  captured  the  other  three  men.  They 
were  taken  back  to  Santa  Barbara  and  delivered 
to  the  alcalde,  Lewis  Dent,  brother  of  Mrs.  Gen- 
eral Grant.  They  all  made  full  confessions,  were 
tried,  condemned  to  death  and  shot.  This  oc- 
curred in  October,   1848. 

The  first  assessment  of  property  was  made  by 
Lewis  T.  Burton,  county  assessor.  The  total 
value  of  all  property  in  the  county,  real  and  per- 
sonal, was  placed  at  $992,676.  Cattle  were  as- 
.sessed  at  $8  per  head,  sheep  at  $3  per  head  and 
land  at  twenty-five  cents  per  acre.  The  assess- 
ment list  of  Don  Jose  do  la  Guerra  y  Noriega  is 
a  good  illustration  of  how  lands  of  the  county 
had  been  monopolized  by  a  few  men.  Noriega 
owned  the  Conejo  rancho,  which  contained  53,- 
880  acres;  the  Simi,  containing  108,000  acres;' 
Las  Posas,  containing  26.640  acres ;  San  Julian, 
20,000;  the  Salsipnedes,  35,200  acres;  a  total  of 
243,120  acres;  the  assessed  value  of  which  was 
about  $60,000. 

It  took  the  new  officers  some  time  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  duties  of  the  several  offices. 
There  was  a  disposition  to  mix  American  and 
Mexican  law..  In  the  county  as  in  the  city  gov- 
ernment there  were  frequent  resignations,  and 
the  officers  changed  from  one  official  position  to 
another.  County  officers  held  city  offices  and 
vice  versa,  sometimes  bv  appointment  and  some- 


times by  election.  Joaquin  Carrillo,  in  1852, 
was  county  judge  and  mayor  of  Santa  Barbara 
city  at  the  same  time.  J.  W.  Burroughs  breaks 
the  record  as  champion  officeholder.  He  was 
elected  sheriff  in  1857;  appointed  recorder  Sep- 
tember 3,  1851 ;  justice  of  the  peace  September 
16,  1857;  acted  as  county  clerk  January  23,  1852, 
and  was  appointed  treasurer  April  14,  1852. 
January  29,  1851,  he  had  been  elected  a  member 
of  the  common  council.  He  held  six  distinct 
offices  within  a  little  more  than  a  year. 

The  frequent  reciuTence  of  the  same  family 
name  in  the  lists  of  city  and  county  officials 
might  give  rise  to  the  charge  of  nepotism  or  a 
family  political  ring.  The  de  la  Guerras  and 
the  Carrillos  were  ruling  families  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara before  the  conquest  and  they  continued  to 
be  for  some  time  after.  The  first  mayor  of  the 
city  was  a  de  la  Guerra  (Francisco).  The  first 
state  senator  was  also  a  de  la  Guerra  (Pablo). 
Don  Pablo,  although  a  bitter  opponent  to  the 
Americans  during  the  war,  after  the  conquest 
became  thoroughly  Americanized.  He  held  many 
offices.  He  was  a  member  of  the  constitutional 
convention,  state  senator,  acting  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, mayor  of  Santa  Barbara,  council  man, 
supervisor  and  district  judge.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  court  of  sessions  December  6,  1852,  the 
judges  of  the  court  were  Joaquin  Carrillo,  county 
judge;  Pedro  Carrillo  and  Jose  Carrillo,  asso- 
ciate justices. 

In  early  days  politics  had  very  little  to  do 
with  the  selection  of  county  officers.  Fitness 
and  family  (particularly  family)  were  the  chief 
qualifications.  It  was  urged  against  Don  Pablo 
de  la  Guerra  when  he  was  a  candidate  for  dis- 
trict judge  that  in  a  great  many  cases  which 
would  come  before  him  if  elected  he  would  be 
barred  from  sitting  as  judge  because  about  half 
of  the  population  of  Santa  Barbara  county  was 
related  to  him  by  blood  or  marriage.  In  1852 
District  Judge  Henry  A.  Tefft  was  drowned  at 
Port  San  Luis  while  attempting  to  land  from 
the  steamer  to  hold  court  at  San  Luis  Obispo. 
Joaquin  Carrillo  was  elected  district  judge  to 
fill  the  vacancy.  He  held  office  by  appointment 
and  election  fourteen  years.  He  did  not  under- 
stand English  and  all  the  business  of  the  court 
was   conducted    in    the    Spanish    language.      Al- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


417 


though  not  a  lawyer  his  decisions  were  seldom 
overruled  by  the  higher  courts.  Qiarles  Fer- 
nald  was  appointed  county  judge  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy caused  by  the  promotion  of  Joaquin  Car- 
rillo.  The  first  county  building,  a  jail,  was  com- 
pleted December  i,  1853.  In  1853  the  county 
was  divided  into  three  townships  of  about  equal 
area.  Township  No.  i,  elections  held  at  San 
Buenaventura ;  No.  2  at  Santa  Barbara,  and  No. 
3  at  Santa  Ynez.  By  act  of  the  legislature  of 
1852-53  a  board  of  supervisors  was  created  for 
each  county.  This  relieved  the  court  of  sessions 
of  the  legislative  part  of  its  duties.  The  first 
board  of  supervisors  of  Santa  Barbara  consisted 
of  Pablo  de  la  Guerra,  Fernando  Pico  and 
Ramon  Malo. 

Up  to  1856  Santa  Barbara  was  solidly  Demo- 
cratic in  politics.  The  Whig  party  seems  not 
to  have  gained  a  foothold.  In  local  politics,  fam- 
il\-,  as  I  have  said  before,  was  one  of  the  chief 
requisites.  So  one-sided  was  the  county  {X)lit- 
ically  that  at  the  state  election  of  1855  the  su- 
pervisors in  canvassing  the  vote  recorded  only 
the  Democratic.  The  opposition  vote  seems  not 
to  have  risen  to  the  dignity  of  scattering. 

November  27,  1855,  the  supervisors  purchased 
the  house  of  John  Kays  for  a  court  house,  pay- 
ing for  it  and  the  ground  $6,000.  The  county 
was  now  equipped  with  a  court  house  and  jail. 
The  prisoners,  who  were  mostly  Indians,  were 
not  doomed  to  solitary  confinement.  The  jail 
was  not  capacious  enough  to  hold  them.  They 
were  given  employment  outside.  We  find  among 
the  proceedings  of  the  board  of  supervisors  in 
1856  an  order  to  the  sheriff  to  sell  the  adobes 
made  by  the  prisoners  at  the  county  jail  at  not 
less  than  $2.50  per  hundred. 

CRIME    AND    CRI.MIiX.\I.S. 

During  the  early  '50s  the  coast  counties  were 
the  scenes  of  many  deeds  of  violence.  The  Ar- 
gonauts who  came  to  the  state  by  the  southern 
routes  and  the  Sonoran  migration  traveled  the 
coast  road  on  their  way  to  the  mines.  The  cattle 
buyers  coming  south  to  the  cow  counties  to  buy 
stock  came  by  this  route.  The  long  stretches  of 
unsettled  country  in  Santa  Barbara  and  San 
Luis  Obispo  counties  gave  the  banditti  who  in- 


fested the  trail  an  opportunity  to  rob  and  mur- 
der with  but  little  fear  of  detection. 

The  Solomon  Pico  band  of  outlaws  was  the 
first  organized  gang  that  terrorized  the  coast 
counties.  Their  victims  were  mostly  cattle  buy- 
ers. This  gang  was  finally  hunted  down  and 
most  of  them  died  "with  their  boots  on."  Some 
of  the  remnants  of  this  gang  that  escaped  jus- 
tice and  others  of  the  same  kind  were  gathered 
up  by  Jack  Powers,  who  became  the  recognized 
leader  of  a  band  of  robbers  and  desperadoes. 
Powers  came  to  the  coast  as  a  member  of  Stev- 
enson's regiment.  After  his  discharge  from  serv- 
ice he  turned  gambler  and  robber.  Although  it 
was  known  that  he  was  implicated  in  a  number 
of  robberies  and  several  murders,  he  escaped 
punishment.  He  was  arrested  in  1856  when  the 
vigilance  committee  was  disposing  of  his  kind. 
Although  he  was  released  he  felt  safer  to  be 
beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the  committee.  He 
went  to  Sonora.  Mexico,  where  he  stocked  a 
ranch  with  stolen  cattle.  In  a  quarrel  with  one 
of  his  men  he  was  shot  and  killed.  His  body, 
when  found,  was  half  eaten  by  hogs. 

Fear  of  the  vigilance  committee  drove  out  of 
San  Francisco  in  1856  a  number  of  undesirable 
citizens.  Among  those  who  fled  from  the  city 
was  Ned  McGowan,  a  notorious  and  disreput- 
able politician,  who,  with  several  others  of  his 
kind,  had  been  indicted  by  the  grand  jury  of 
San  Francisco  county  as  accessory  before  the 
fact  of  the  murder  of  James  King  of  William. 
McGowan  made  his  escape  to  Santa  Barbara, 
where  he  was  assisted  and  befriended  b)-  Jack 
Powers  and  some  others  whose  sympathies  were 
with  the  criminal  element.  The  vigilantes  char- 
tered a  vessel  and  sent  thirty  of  their  men,  under 
the  command  of  one  of  their  captains,  to  capture 
him.  iNIcGowan's  Santa  Barbara  friends,  some 
of  whom  were  wealthy  and  influential,  kept  him 
concealed  until  the  vigilantes  left.  After  the 
disbanding  of  the  vigilance  committee  McGow- 
an's  friends  in  the  legislature  secured  the  pas- 
sage of  a  bill  giving  him  a  change  of  venue 
from  San  Francisco  to  Napa  county.  He  was 
tried  and  acquitted  mamly  on  the  evidence  of 
one  of  the  twenty-two  doctors  who  attended 
King  after   he   was   shot.      This   physician   testi- 


418 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fied  that  King  was  killed  by  the  doctors  and  not 
by  Casey. 

Local  vigilance  committees,  between  1855  and 
i860,  in  Los  Angeles,  San  Luis  Obispo,  Monte- 
rey and  Santa  Cruz  to  a  considerable  extent 
purified  the  moral  atmosphere  of  these  coast 
counties;  but  Santa  Barbara,  judging  from  a 
grand  jury  report  made  to  the  court  of  sessions 
in  1859,  seems  to  have  been  immune  from  out- 
breaks of  vigilantes.  Says  this  report :  "Thieves 
and  villains  of  every  grade  have  been  from  time 
to  time  upheld,  respected,  fostered  and  pampered 
by  our  influential  citizens,  and,  if  need  be,  aided 
and  assisted  in  escaping  from  merited  punish- 
ment due  their  crimes.  *  *  *  Offenses, 
thefts  and  villainies  in  defiance  of  the  law,  of 
every  grade  and  character,  from  the  horse  and 
cattle  thief  to  the  highway  robber  and  midnight 
assassin,  have  dwelt,  to  our  knowledge,  for  the 
last  five  years  in  our  very  midst." 

THE  DOWNFALL  OF  THE  CATTLE  KINGS. 

For  a  decade  and  a  half  after  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California  the  owners  of  the  great 
ranchos  of  Santa  Barbara  continued,  as  they 
had  been  in  the  past,  the  feudal  lords  of  the  land. 
Their  .herds  were  more  profitable  than  gold  mines 
and  their  army  of  retainers  gave  them  unlimited 
political  power,  which  they  did  not  always  use 
wisely  or  well. 

The  high  price  of  cattle,  the  abundant  rainfall 
of  the  years  1860-61-62  and  the  consequent  lux- 
uriant growth  of  grass  led  to  an  overstocking  of 
the  cattle  ranges.  When  the  terrible  dry  years 
of  1863  and  1864  came,  the  stockmen  were  in 
no  condition  to  carry  their  numerous  herds 
through  the  drought.  "The  county  assessment 
roll  of  1863  showed  over  200,000  head  of  cattle 
in  Santa  Barbara  county.  This  probably  was 
100,000  less  than  the  true  number.  When  grass 
started  in  the  winter  of  1864-65  less  than  5,000 
head  were  alive.  The  great  herds  were  gone, 
and  the  shepherd  kings  were  kings  no  more,  for 
their  ranchos  were  mortgaged  beyond  redemp- 
tion, and  in  the  next  five  years  passed  entirely 
out  of  their  hands."* 

The  downfall  of  these  feudal  lords  was  in- 
deed pathetic.     For  nearly   a  centurv  their  an- 


cestors and  they  themselves  had  ruled  the  land. 
The  transition  of  the  country  from  the  domina- 
tion of  Spain  to  that  of  Mexico  had  not  affected 
their  rule.  The  conquering  Saxon  had  come, 
but  his  advent  had  only  increased  their  wealth 
without  lessening  their  power;  at  least  such  was 
the  case  in  the  coast  counties.  The  famine  years 
and  their  own  improvidence  had  at  last  undone 
them.  In  the  days  of  their  affluence  they  had 
spent  lavishly.  If  money  was  needed,  it  was 
easy  to  negotiate  a  loan  on  their  broad  acres. 
Rates  of  interest  in  early  times  were  usurious, 
ruinous.  Five,  ten  and  even  fifteen  per  cent  a 
month  were  no  uncommon  rates.  Present  needs 
were  pressing  and  pay  day  was  manaiia  (to- 
morrow). The  mortgage,  with  its  cancerous  in- 
terest, was  made  and  the  money  spent.  So  when 
the  "famine  years"  swept  away  the  herds  and 
tlocks  there  was  nothing  to  sell  or  mortgage  to 
pay  interest  and  the  end  came  quickly.  It  was 
with  the  stoicism  of  fatalists  that  the  great  ranch 
owners  viewed  their  ruin.  They  had  besought  the 
intercession  of  their  patron  saints  for  the  needed 
rain.  Their  prayers  had  been  unanswered.  It 
was  the  will  of  God,  why  complain?  Thus  do 
Faith  and  Fatalism  often  meet  on  a  common 
plane. 

During  the  next  four  or  five  years  several  of 
the  great  ranchos  were  subdivided,  or  segregated 
portions  cut  up  into  small  tracts.  When  immi- 
gration began  to  drift  into  the  coast  counties  in 
_  the  early  "70s  many  of  these  small  tracts  in 
Santa  Barbara  were  bought  by  eastern  immi- 
grants and  the  transition  from  cattle-raising  to 
grain-growing  and  fruit  culture  wrought  a  great 
change,  not  only  in  the  character  of  the  products, 
but  in  the  character  of  the  population  as  well. . 

The  write-up  of  the  climate  and  agricultural 
possibilities  of  the  coast  counties  by  NordhofF 
and  others,  the  judicious  advertising  of  the  re- 
sources of  the  county  by  J.  A.  Johnson,  editor 
of  the  Santa  Barbara  Press  (a  paper  established 
in  1868),  increased  steamer  communication,  and 
the  prospects  of  a  railroad  down  the  coast,  all 
combined,  attracted  settlers  from  Northern  Cali- 
fornia and  the  enstern  states.  The  price  of  land 
advanced  and  in  1874  the  city  and  the  county 
experienced  their  first  boom.  The  dry  year  nf 
1876-77  cliecked  the  rising  wave  of  prosperit>-. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


419 


and  disastrously  affected  the  sheep  industry, 
which  since  the  "famine  years"  had  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  taken  the  place  of  cattle-raising. 
Business  revived  in  the  early  '80s ;  and  the 
county  made  good  progress.  The  completion  to 
Santa  Barbara  in  1887  of  the  southern  end  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Coast  Railroad,  and  the 
prospect  of  an  early  closing  of  the  gap  between 
the  northern  and  southern  ends  of  that  road 
gave  the  city  and  county  their  second  boom. 
Real  estate  values  went  up  like  a  rocket.  In 
1886  the  county  assessment  roll  footed  up  $8,- 
585,485;  m  1887  it  went  up  to  $15,035,982,  an 
increase   of   seventy-five   per   cent    in    one    year. 


When  railroad  building  ceased  the  reaction  came. 
Land  values  dropped,  but  the  county  continued 
to  grow,  notwithstanding  the  long  and  discour- 
aging delay  of  fourteen  years  in  closing  the  gap 
in  direct  railroad  communication  between  San 
Francisco  and  Santa  Barbara.  March  31,  1901, 
the  first  through  trains  from  the  north  and  the 
south  passed  over  the  completed  coast  line  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  The  event  was 
not  heralded  by  any  great  demonstration,  nor 
vv-as  it  followed  by  a  land  boom,  as  in  1887,  yet 
there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  it  marks  the  be- 
ginning of  a  new  era  in  the  growth  and  devel- 
opment of  the  city  and  county  of  Santa  Barbara. 


CHAPTER   LXI. 


SANTA    BARBARA    COUNTY— Continued. 


THE  first  public  school  opened  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara was  taught  by  a  young  sailor  named 
Jose  Manuel  Toca.  He  taught  from  Octo- 
ber, 1795,  to  June,  1797.  Jose  Medina,  another 
sailor  of  the  Spanish  navy,  succeeded  him  and 
trained  the  young  ideas  until  December,  1798. 
Manuel  de  Vargas,  a  retired  sergeant  of  the  army, 
who,  in  1794  taught  at  San  Jose  the  pioneer  public 
school  of  California,  was  teaching  at  Santa  Bar- 
bara in  1799.  How  long  he  continued  to  wave  the 
pedagogical  birch,  or  rather,  ply  the  cat-o'nine- 
tails,  which  was  the  schoolmaster's  instrument  of 
punishment  then,  is  not  known.  With  the  depart- 
ure of  Governor  Borica,  the  schools  of  California 
took  a  vacation.  During  the  closing  years  of 
Spanish  rule,  it  seems  to  have  been  mostly  vaca- 
tion in  them. 

The  first  school  under  Mexican  rule  in  Santa 
Barbara  that  we  have  any  report  of  was  in  1829, 
when  a  primary  school  of  sixty-seven  pupils  was 
conducted  at  the  presidio.  Governor  Echeandia 
was  a  friend  to  education,  and  made  a  vigorous 
eflfort  to  establish  public  schools.  But  "unable," 
says  Bancroft,  "to  contend  against  the  enmity 
of  the  friars,  the  indifference  of  the  people  and 
the  poverty  of  the  treasury,  he  accomplished  no 
more  than  his  predecessors.  Reluctantly  he 
abandoned  the  contest,  and  the  cause  of  educa- 


tion declined."  And  it  might  be  added,  the 
cause  of  education  continued  in  a  state  of  de- 
cline during  the  remaining  years  of  Mexican 
nile.  The  curriculum  of  the  Spanish  and  Mex- 
ican schools  was  like  the  annals  of  the  poor — 
"short  and  simple."  To  paraphrase  Pete  Jones' 
alliterative  formula,  it  consisted  of  "lickin'  and 
no  larnin'."  The  principal  numbers  in  the  course 
were  the  Doctrina  Cristiana  and  Fray  Ripalda's 
Catechism.  These  were  learned  by  rote  before 
the  pupil  was  taught  to  read.  If  there  was  any 
time  left  him  after  he  had  committed  to  memory 
these  essentials  to  his  future  spiritual  welfare, 
he  was  given  a  little  instruction  in  reading,  writ- 
ing and  numbers  for  his  earthly  advantage. 

Governor  Micheltorena  attempted  to  establish 
a  public  school  system  in  the  territory;  but  his 
scheme  failed  from  the  same  causes  which  had 
neutralized  the  efforts  of  his  predecessors. 
Under  his  administration  in  1844,  a  primary 
school  was  opened  in  Santa  Barbara,  but  was 
closed  after  a  few  months  for  want  of  funds. 
Pio  Pico,  the  last  governor  under  Mexican  rule, 
undertook  to  establish  public  schools,  but  his 
efforts  were  fruitless.  The  old  obstacles,  an 
empty  treasury,  incompetent  teachers  and  indif- 
ferent parents,  confronted  him  and  put  an  end 
to  his  educational  schemes. 


420 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


During  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  Ameri- 
can rule  in  Santa  Barbara  but  little  attention  was 
paid  to  education.  The  old  indifference  re- 
mained. The  discovery  of  gold  had  not  greatly 
increased  the  population  nor  wrought  any  change 
in  social  conditions.  , 

When  the  common  council  in  April,  1850, 
took  control  of  the  municipal  business  of  the 
newly  created  city,  it  inherited  from  the  ayunta- 
miento  a  school  taught  b_y  a  Spanish  school- 
master, Victor  Yega.  The  school  was  in  part 
supported  by  public  funds.  The  council  sent  a 
certain  number  of  poor  pupils — i.  e.,  pupils  who 
were  unable  to  pay  tuition — for  whom  they  paid 
a  certain  stipulated  sum.  March  26,  185 1,  "the 
committee  appointed  to  examine  the  school  re- 
ported, and  the  president  was  ordered  to  pay 
the  schoolmaster,  \'ictor  Vega,  $64.50,  and  to 
draw  $64  for  every  month."  This  is  the  first 
recorded  school  report  of  the  city. 

Evidently  there  was  considerable  truancy.  At 
the  meeting  of  the  council,  November  8,  1851. 
Jose  M.  Covarubias  was  appointed  a  committee 
to  examine  the  school  once  a  month  and  to  re- 
port precisely  the  number  and  names  of  pupils 
who  absent  themselves  and  the  time  of  their  ab- 
sence. Any  pupil  absent  over  a  day  lost  his 
seat. 

In  November.  1852,  three  school  commis- 
sioners were  elected  in  each  of  the  three  town- 
ships of  Santa  Barbara  county.  Each  township 
was  a  school  district.  After  their  election  the 
control  of  the  schools  in  Santa  Barbara  passed 
from  the  council  to  the  school  commissioners  of 
the  district.  In  1854  a  tax  of  five  cents  on  the 
$100  was  levied  for  the  support  of  the  public 
schools.  Previous  to  this  the  school  revenues 
had  been  derived  from  liquor  licenses,  fines,  etc. 

At  the  election  in  1854  Joaquin  Carrillo,  dis- 
trict judge,  was  elected  county  school  superin- 
tendent. He  did  not  qualify,  and  A.  F.  Hinch- 
man  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  The  Ga- 
zette of  December  20,  1855,  says:  "According 
to  the  school  census  there  are  453  white  children 
between  the  ages  of  four  and  eighteen  years  in 
Santa  Barbara  district,  which  is  sixty  miles  lono- 
and  forty  wide.  There  is  one  school  in  it,  in 
charge  of  a  schcolmaster."  December  24,  1855, 
George  D.  Fisher,  county  "school  superintendent, 


reported  a  school  taught  in  the  first  district  (San 
Buenaventura)  by  John  Rapelli,  and  one  in  the 
second  (Santa  Barbara)  taught  by  Pablo  Cara- 
cela.  Both  of  these  schools  were  taught  in  the 
Spanish  language.  American  residents  had  no 
place  to  send  their  children  except  to  a  school 
kept  by  George  Campbell  at  the  Mission  Santa 
Inez  (third  district),  a  distance  of  fifty  miles 
from  the  bulk  of  the  people. 

February  4,  1856,  two  teachers  were  employed 
in  the  Santa  Barbara  city  schools.  Owen  Con- 
nolly teaching  the  English  school  in  "the  house 
adjoining  the  billiard  saloon,"  and  Victor  Mon- 
dran  teaching  the  Spanish  school  in  "the  house 
of  the  late  Pedro  Diablar." 

In  1857  it  was  decided  "that  instruction  in 
the  public  schools  shall  be  in  the  English  lan- 
guage." The  native  Californians  had  opposed 
this,  Init  the  aggressive  Anglo-Saxan  won.  It 
was  the  ringing  out  of  the  old,  the  ringing  in  of 
the  new. 

The  schools  had  now  passed  the  experimental 
stages,  and  had  become  an  institution  of  the  land. 
Although  no  school  district  in  the  county  owned 
a  schoolhouse,  yet  public  education  had  been 
systematized.  Teachers  were  required  to  pass 
an  examination  in  the  subjects  taught  in  the 
schools,  and  their  compensation  was  no  longer 
subject  to  whims  of  the  parents. 

Although  public  schools  had  been  established 
and  somewhat  systematized,  the  people  were 
slow  to  avail  themselves  of  the  educational  facili- 
ties afforded.  In  1867,  fifteen  years  after  the 
public  school  system  of  California  had  been  in- 
augurated, there  were  but  three  school  districts 
and  five  teachers  in  Santa  Barbara,  which  then 
included  all  of  what  is  now  V^entura  county.  Of 
•the  1,332  census  children,  only  305,  or  23  per 
cent  of  the  whole,  attended  any  school,  public  or 
private,  during  the  year. 

The  next  decide  showed  a  wonderful  change 
in  educational  conditions.  A^entura  county  had 
been  cut  ofif  from  the  parent  county  in  1873,  but 
taking  the  territory  as  it  stood  in  1867  there  were 
in  it,  in  1877,  33  districts  and  53  teachers.  Of 
the  4.030  census  children,  2.782  had  been  en- 
rolled in  the  schools. 

In  1890  there  were  4.420  census  children  in 
Santa  Barliara  county,  3,439  of  whom  attended 


HISTORICAL  z\ND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


421 


school.  In  19CX3  there  were  5,617  census  children 
and  66  districts. 

CITIES  AND  TOWNS. 


In  August,  1874,  the  Lompoc  Valley  Com- 
pany, an  incorporation,  bought  the  ranches  Lom- 
poc and  Mission  Vleja  de  La  Purisima,  contain- 
ing a  total  of  45,644.49  acres.  A  considerable 
portion  of  these  lands  were  divided  into  5,  10, 
20,  40  and  80  acre  tracts.  One  square  mile 
about  the  center  of  the  Lompoc  valley  and  nine 
miles  from  the  coast  was  reserved  for  a  town 
site.  The  sale  of  the  lands  began  November  g, 
1874.  It  had  been  widely  advertised  and  at- 
tracted a  large  crowd.  The  capital  stock  of  the 
company  was  divided  into  100  shares  of  $5,000 
each.  Wliile  the  sale  was  in  progress  shares  rose 
to  a  premium  of  $1,000.  During  the  sale  about 
$700,000  worth  of  land  and  lots  were  disposed 
of.  The  average  price  of  the  farm  land  was  $60 
per  acre.  Some  of  the  corner  lots  in  the  town 
site  sold  as  high  as  $1,200. 

Lompoc  was  founded  as  a  temperance  colony. 
and  like  all  such  colonies  has  had  its  battles  with 
the  liquor  traffic.  The  first  engagement  was 
with  a  druggist  who  was  carrying  on  an  illicit 
traffic  in  forbidden  li(|uids.  His  place  was  in- 
vaded by  a  number  of  citizens,  and  a  Mrs.  Pierce 
plied  an  ax  on  a  40-gallon  cask  of  whiskey  and 
flooded  the  store  with  the  fiery  liquid.  The 
druggist  drew  a  pistol  and  threatened  to  shoot 
the  destroyers  of  his  intoxicants,  but,  confronted 
by  two  hundred  crusaders,  he  concluded  that  dis- 
cretion was  the  better  part  of  valor  and  put  up 
his  gun.  Another  engagement,  which  scored  a 
"knock-out"  for  the  opponents  of  the  liquor 
traffic,  took  place  on  the  evening  of  May  20, 
1881.  A  bomb  was  thrown  into  the  saloon  of 
George  Walker.  Nobody  was  hurt,  but  the 
saloon  and  its  contents  were  completely  demol- 
ished. The  Lompoc  Record,  commenting  on  the 
"earthquake"  (as  the  people  facetiously  called 
it),  said:  "Any  one  looking  for  a  location  for  a 
saloon  had  better  not  select  a  community  founded 
on  temperance  principles,  where  the  land  is  sold 
on  express  conditions  that  no  liquor  shall  be 
made  or  sold  thereon,  where  public  sentiment  is 


so  nearly  unanimous  against  saloons  and  where 
'earthquakes'  are  so  prevalent  and  destructive." 
The  seismic  disturbances  that  shook  up  saloons 
in  the  early  days  of  the  colony  have  ceased.  The 
crusaders  have  buried  their  little  hatchets,  but 
not  in  the  heads  of  whiskey  barrels.  The  report 
of  the  Santa  Barbara  Chamber  of  Commerce  for 
1901  says  of  Lompoc:  "The  liquor  traffic  is  con- 
fined by  license  of  ^J^  per  nidnth  each  to  two 
saloons." 

Lompoc  is  an  incorijorated  city  of  the  sixth 
class.  It  has  a  grammar  school  building,  costing 
$15,000;  a  union  high  school  that,  with  its  fur- 
nishings cost  $12,000;  the  IMethodist  North, 
Methodist  South,  Baptist,  Qn-istian,  Presby- 
terian, Roman  Catholic,  Episcopal,  and  Christian 
Science,  have  each  its  own  church  building. 
Banks,  mercantile  houses,  hotels,  restaurants, 
blacksmith  shops,  creamery,  livery  stable,  ware- 
houses, fruit  packing  houses,  etc.,  make  up  the 
business  establishments  of  the  town.  Two  week- 
ly newspapers  are  published  in  the  town,  the 
Record  and  the  JournaL  The  Lompoc  Record 
was  established  April  10,  1875,  and  is  one  of  the 
oldest  newspapers  in  the  county. 

Surf,  nine  miles  west  of  the  city,  is  Lompoc's 
station  of  the  Southern  Pacific's  coast  line  road. 
Here  the  railroad  comes  close  to  the  shore  line 
of  the.  ocean.  The  beach  here  is  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  in  California.  It  is  the  favorite  sea- 
side resort  of  the  people  of  Lompoc  Valley  dur- 
ing the  summer.  There  is  a  branch  railroad 
from  Surf  to  Lompoc.  There  is  also  an  excel- 
lent driveway  nine  miles  long.  The  founders  of 
Lompoc  laid  out  the  city  on  a  generous  scale ; 
the  streets  are  one  hundred  feet  wide  and  cross 
each  other  at  right  angles. 

The  municipality  owns  its  own  water  system 
and  maintains  a  fire  department.  Just  north  of 
Lompoc  lies  one  of  the  richest  oil  fields  in  Cali- 
fornia. One  well  in  this  district  flows  600  bar- 
rels a  day  of  36  gravity  oil.  The  development 
of  this  field  has  but  recently  been  begun. 

GUADALUPE. 

This  town  is  ninety-five  miles  northwesterly 
from  Santa  Barbara  on  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad.  In  1872  John  Dunbar  opened  a  store 
at  this  point  and  was  appointed  postmaster  when 


422 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  postoffice  was  established  here.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  the  town.  In  1874  it  had  grown 
to  be  a  village  of  100  houses.  In  1875  a  news- 
paper, the  Guadalupe  Telegraph,  was  estab- 
lished. It  has  now  a  bank,  hotels  and  several 
mercantile  establishments.  A  spur  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  runs  to  the  Union  Sugar 
Factory  at  Betteravia. 

BETTERAVIA. 

The  Union  Sugar  Factory  at  Betteravia  was 
built  in  1898  at  a  cost  of  $1,000,000.  It  em- 
ploys during  the  sugar-making  season  500  men 
and  works  up  500  tons  of  beets  per  day.  The 
lime  used  in  the  manufacture  of  sugar  from 
beets  is  burned  and  prepared  for  use  at  the  fac- 
tory. Last  season  the  factory  used  8,000  tons 
of  lime.  The  company  has  a  store,  shops  and 
boarding  houses  at  Betteravia. 

SANTA    MARIA. 

Santa  Maria,  situated  near  the  center  of  the 
Santa  Maria  valley  on  the  Pacific  Coast  Rail- 
road, was  founded  in  1876.  It  is  the  business 
center  of  a  rich  agricultural  district.  A  branch 
line  of  railroad,  five  miles  long,  extends  to  the 
sugar  factory  on  Guadalupe  Lake. 

The  town  has  a  union  high  school,  an  excel- 
lent grammar  and  primary  schools.  It  has  sev- 
eral hotels,  two  banks  and  a  full  quota  of  stores 
and  shops.  The  community  supports  two  weekly 
newspapers,  the  Santa  Maria  Times,  founded 
in  1876,  and  the  Graphic.  The  town  is  supplied 
with  excellent  water  from  a  private  water  sys- 
tem and  is  lighted  by  electricity. 

South  of  the  town  of  Santa  Maria,  and  about 
ten  miles  distant,  lie  the  Santa  Maria  oil  fields. 
These  are  among  the  best  producers  in  the  state. 
One  of  these,  in  which  oil  was  struck  December 
2,  1904,  flowed  1,500,000  barrels  in  less  than  one 
year.  The  oil  is  of  light  gravity,  ranging  from 
25  to  30  degrees ;  some  of  the  wells  flow  without 
pumping.  A  pipe  line  35  miles  long  conveys 
the  oil  products  to  a  shipping  point  on  the  ocean. 
The  oil  producers  of  the  valley  are  independent  of 
the  railroads  and  are  not  in  danger  from  the 
clutches  of  the  Standard  Oil  octopus.  Santa 
Maria  is  the  metropolis  of  this  oil  district. 


SANTA    YNEZ. 

The  village  of  Santa  Ynez  is  situated  in  the 
midst  of  the  Rancho  Canada  de  Los  Pinos  or 
College  ranch.  The  College  ranch  or  grant  was 
given  to  the  padres  in  1843  to  found  a  college, 
hence  the  name.  The  town  of  Santa  Ynez  has 
an  excellent  hotel,  grammar  schools,  a  high 
school,  stores,  shops,  etc. ;  also  a  weekly  news- 
paper. The  Santa  Ynez  Argus.  It  is  surrounded 
by  a  large  area  of  farming  and  grazing  lands. 

LOS    OLIVAS. 

Los  Olivas,  founded  in  1880,  is  the  present 
terminus  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Railroad  and  is  a 
shipping  point  of  considerable  importance. 

LOS    ALAMOS. 

Los  Alamos,  founded  in  1878,  situated  on 
ihe  Pacific  Coast  Railway,  midway  between  San- 
ta Ynez  and  Santa  Maria,  has  a  population  of 
about  300.  It  is  the  commercial  outlet  of  an 
agricultural  district  of  about  150,000  acres,  most 
of  which  is  grazing  land. 


Goleta  is  a  small  village  eight  miles  to  the 
northwest  of  Santa  Barbara.  The  country  around 
to  a  considerable  extent  is  devoted  to  walnut- 
growing  and  olive  culture. 

EL     MONTECITO. 

El  Montecito  (the  Little  Forest)  is  properly 
a  suburb  of  Santa  Barbara.  It  is  about  four 
miles  eastward  of  the  city.  The  valley  is  near- 
ly oval,  and  opens  to  the  southwest  on  the  sea. 
It  is  divided  into  small  tracts,  and  is  a  favorite 
place  for  the  suburban  residences  of  persons  do- 
ing business  in  the  city.  The  Santa  Barbara 
Country  Qub's  grounds  are  here.  The  cottages 
are  built  on  a  level  bluff  above  the  ocean.  The 
club  has  its  golf  links,  tennis  courts,  bath  house, 
wharf  for  boating  and  other  accessories  for  pleas- 
ure and  amusement. 

SUMMER  LAND. 

Summerland,  six  miles  below  Santa  Barbara, 
on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  is  the  princi- 
pal petroleum  district  of  Santa  Barbara  county. 
Oil   was   struck  here   in    1893.     The   oil  belt   is 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


423 


about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide  and  a  mile  long. 
Most  of  the  wells  are  sunk  in  the  ocean  beyond 
low-water  mark.  Wharves  are  run  out  and  the 
wells  bored  beside  the  wharves.  Some  of  these 
wharves  are  1,500  feet  long.  The  output  of  the 
wells,  of  which  there  are  about  300,  is  about 
15,000  barrels  a  month.  A  railroad  station,  post- 
office,  several  business  places,  boarding  houses 
and  residences  of  oil  operators  constitute  the  vil- 
lage of  Summerland. 

CARPINTERI.\. 

Carpinteria  valley  is  about  fifteen  miles  due 
east  from  Santa  Barbara.  It  is  sheltered  by 
mountains  on  three  sides  and  opens  to  the  sea. 
Its  area  is  about  ten  square  miles,  and  its  width 
between  the  mountains  and  the  ocean  varies  from 
one  to  three  miles.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  set- 
tled valleys  in  the  county.  It  bears  the  name 
given  it  by  the  soldiers  of  Portola's  expedition 
in  1769.  They  found  the  Indians  here  manufac- 
turing canoes,  and  they  named  the  place  Car- 
pinteria (carpenter  shop).  Tlie  village  is  lo- 
cated near  the  center  of  the  valley  on  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad. 

THE    CH.\NNEL   ISLANDS. 

Three  of  the  Channel  Islands  are  included  in 
the  area  of  Santa  Barbara  county,  namely  San 
Miguel,  Santa  Rosa  and  Santa  Cruz.  These 
islands  are  mainly  devoted  to  sheep  and  cattle 
raising. 

San  Miguel,  the  most  westerly  of  the  group, 
is  seven  and  one-half  miles  long,  with  an  aver- 
age  width    of  two   and     one-half    miles.       The 


principal  landing  place  is  Cuyler's  Harbor.  At 
this  landing  Cabrillo,  the  discoverer  of  Cali- 
fornia, is  buried.  The  island  is  now  owned  by 
the  San  Miguel  Island  Company. 

Santa  Rosa  Island  is  nine  and  three-fourths 
miles  long,  with  an  average  width  of  seven  and 
one-half  miles,  and  contains  53,000  acres.  It 
was  granted  by  the  Mexican  government  to  Don 
Carlos  Carrillo  after  his  failure  to  secure  the  gov- 
ernorship of  California  in  1837.  He  gave  it  in 
1842,  as  a  marriage  portion,  to  his  two  daughters, 
who  were  married  on  the  same  day,  one  to  J.  C. 
Jones,  United  States  consul  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  and  the  other  to  Capt.  A.  B.  Tliompson. 
It  now  belongs  to  the  heirs  of  A.  P.  More. 

Santa  Cruz  Island  is  twenty-two  and  one- 
half  miles  long  by  five  and  one-half  wide,  and 
contains  52.760  acres.  It  lies  almost  opposite 
the  city  of  Santa  Barbara  and  twenty-five  miles 
distant.  The  surface  is  uneven,  the  hills  at  orie 
point  rising  to  the  height  of  1,700  feet.  The 
Mexican  government  at  one  time  attempted  to 
utilize  the  island  for  a  penal  colony.  About  a 
dozen  convicts  were  landed  on  the  island  with 
live-stock  and  provisions,  with  the  expectation 
that  they  would  become  self-supporting.  They 
remained  on  the  island  long  enough  to  eat  up 
the  provisions  and  the  live-stock.  Then  they 
constructed  a  raft,  crossed  the  channel  to  Santa 
Barbara  and  quartered  themselves  on  the  Mis- 
sion fathers.  They  served  out  their  sentences  in 
irons.  The  island  once  had  a  large  Indian  pop- 
ulation. It  is  a  favorite  hunting  ground  for 
Indian  relic  hunters.  It  is  now  owned  by  the 
Santa  Cruz  Island   Company. 


CHAPTER    LXll. 


THE  CITY   OF  SANTA  BARBARA. 


THE  story  of  the  founding  of  the  Santa 
Barbara  presidio,  which  was  the  nucleus 
of  the  town,  is  given  in  Chapter  VI  of 
this  volume.  Its  history  under  the  Spanish  regime 
was  uneventful.  Under  Mexican  rule  the  inhab- 
itants were  noted  for  their  conservatism.  Un- 
like the  people  of  Monterey  and  Los  Angeles  they 


did  not  indulge  in  revolutions.  They  were 
sometimes  drawn  into  the  uprisings  of  their 
neighbors  on  the  north  and  the  south,  but  ad- 
hesion to  the  cause  of  the  revolutionary  fac- 
tions was  more  often  forced  than  espoused  of 
their  own  free  v.'ill. 

Commodore   Stockton,  on  his  first  expedition 


424 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


down  the  coast  to  subjugate  tlie  southern  towns 
loyal  to  Alexico,  anchored  at  Santa  Barbara  Au- 
gust 5,  1846,  and  took  possession  of  the  town 
without  opposition.  He  left  a  small  garrison 
there  to  hold  it.  On  his  return  from  San  Pedro 
the  men  were  taken  away  and  a  detail  of  ten 
men  under  Lieutenant  Talbott  drawn  from  Fre- 
mont's battalion  were  stationed  at  the  presidio. 
After  the  recapture  of  Los  Angeles  by  the  Cali- 
fornians  under  Flores  and  Verala  the  lieutenant 
and  his  men  were  driven  out  of  Santa  Barbara. 
Lnder  the  guidance  of  Elijah  Aloulton,  an  old 
trapper,  they  made  their  way  through  the  mount- 
ains to  the  upper  San  Joaquin  valley.  They 
finally  reached  Monterey  by  the  way  of  Pacheco's 
Pass,  and  joined  Fremont,  who  was  preparing 
to  march  down  the  coast  to  operate  with  Stock- 
ton in  the  recapture  of  Los  Angeles. 

Fremont's  battalion  on  its  march  down  the 
coast  entered  the  town  on  the  27th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1846.  Lieutenant  Bryant  says:  "The  L^ni- 
ted  States  flag  was  raised  in  the  public  square  of 
the  town  the  day  after  our  arrival." 

The  people  peaceably  submitted  to  the  transi- 
tion from  Mexican  domination  to  that  of  the 
United  States.  There  was  but  little  friction  be- 
tween the  conquered  and  the  conqueror,  and 
when  there  was  it  was  usually  the  fault  of  the 
latter. 

The  legislature  of  1850  incorporated  the  city. 
The  Act  to  incorporate  the  City  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara was  passed  April  g,  1850.  The  following 
is  the  text  of  the  Act : 

The  People  of  the  State  of  California,  repre- 
sented in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact  as  fol- 
lows : 

Sec.  I.  The  Town  of  Santa  Barbara,  in  the 
County  of  Santa  Barbara,  is  hereby  declared  to 
be  incorporated  according  to  the  provisions  of 
the  Act,  entitled  "An  Act  to  provide  for  the  in- 
corporation of  Cities."  approved  March  18,  1850. 

Sec.  2.  The  boundaries  of  the  City  of  Santa 
Barbara  shall  be  as  follows :  Beginning  at  the 
old  Presa  of  the  Mission  of  Santa  Barbara  on 
the  Creek  Pedregosa.  continuing  in  a  line  with 
said  creek  to  its  intersection  with  the  cart  road 
which  leads  to  the  Cimquita ;  from  said  inter- 
section in  a  direct  line  to  the  easterly  corner  of 
the  Positas;  thence  in  a  southwesterly  direction, 
following  the  southeast  boundary  of  the  Positas, 
to  the  coast  or  sea  shore;  thence  following  the 


beach  to  the  Salinitas ;  and  thence  in  a  north- 
easterly line,  including  in  Santa  Barbara  the 
lands  of  Monticito,  to  the  mountain  range;  and 
thence  following  said  range  to  the  place  of  be- 
ginning; Provided,  nothing  in  this  Act  contained 
shall  impair  the  rights  of  the  Pueblo  of  Santa 
Barbara  to  other  lands,  belonging  to  the  said 
Pueblo,  not  contained  within  the  above-mentioned 
limits. 

Sec.  3.  The  number  of  Councilmen  for  the 
Government  of  the  City  shall  be  Five ;  there  shall 
be  no  Recorder,  but  the  Mayor  shall  have  all  the 
powers  and  perform  all  the  duties  of  Recorder. 
The  first  Election  of  City  Officers  shall  be  held 
on  the  second  Monday  of  May  next. 

Sec.  4.  The  Corporation,  created  by  this  Act, 
shall  succeed  to  all  the  rights,  claims  and  powers 
of  the  Pueblo  de  Santa  Barbara  in  regard  to 
property,  and  shall  be  subject  to  all  the  liabilities 
incurred  and  obligations  created  by  the  Ayun- 
tamiento  of  the  said  Pueblo. 

The  earl}-  municipal  records  were  kept  very 
carelessly.  There  is  no  record  ni  the  archives  of 
the  first  city  election.  The  first  record  of  any  offi- 
cial action  taken  for  the  organization  of  a  city  is 
the  minutes  of  the  meeting  of  the  common  coun- 
cil held  August  26,  i8|^o.  A  mayor  and  mem- 
bers of  the  council  had  been  elected  at  some  pre- 
vious date,  and  the  councilmen-elect  met  to  or- 
ganize. The  minutes  of  their  proceedings  were 
kept  on  sheets  of  foolscap  stitched  together. 
Either  record  books  could  not  be  obtained  then 
in  Santa  Barbara,  or  the  members  of  the  coun- 
cil did  not  consider  their  acts  of  municipal  legis- 
lation worth  preserving  in  any  better  form.  The 
minutes  of  the  first  meeting  are  as  follows :  "In 
the  city  of  Santa  Barbara,  on  the  26th  day  of 
August,  1850,  the  persons  elected  to  the  com- 
mon council  assembled  and  proceeded  to  elect 
a  president.  Lewis  T.  Burton,  having  received 
a  majority  of  the  votes,  was  declared  elected. 
Luis  Carrillo  was  then  elected  clerk. 

Luis   Carrillo    (Ruhica). 

Tenio   (Clerk). 

From  the  subsequent  minutes  we  learn  that 
Francisco  de  La  Guerra  was  the  first  mayor, 
and  "the  persons  elected  to  the  common  council" 
were  Isaac  J.  Sparks,  Anastasio  Carrillo,  Luis 
Carrillo,  Lewis  T.  Burton  and  Antonio  Rod- 
riguez. Having  elected  a  president  and  clerk, 
or  secretary,   the  council    took    a    vacation    for 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


425 


nearly  three  months.  Evidently  municipal  busi- 
ness was  not  pressing.  The  record  of  the  next 
meeting  reads:  "November  21,  1850.  At  the 
house  Anastasio  Carrillo,  Common  Council  of 
Santa  Barbara.  Present,  Isaac  J.  Sparks,  Ana- 
stasio Carrillo  and  Luis  Carrillo.  Lewis  T.  Bur- 
ton and  Antonio  Rodriguez  sent  in  their  resig- 
nations as  members  of  the  council,  which  were 
accepted.  Isaac  J.  Sparks  was  elected  president 
of  the  council.  An  election  was  ordered  to  be 
held  on  the  second  day  of  December  next  for 
two  members  of  the  council,  a  treasurer  and  a 
marshal :  the  election  to  be  held  in  one  of  the 
corridors  of  the  house  of  Lewis  T.  Burton. 
Nicolas  .\.  Den  was  appointed  inspector.  Au- 
gustus F.  Hinchman  was  chosen  clerk  of  the 
common  council. 

(Signed)  Lfis  Carrillo,  Sccrctario." 

At  the  special  city  election,  held  December  2, 
1850,  Samuel  Barney  and  Edward  S.  Hoar  were 
elected  councilmen :  Carlos  Antonio  Carrillo, 
treasurer,  and  Juan  A}ala,  marshal.  At  the  next 
meeting  of  the  council,  a  committee,  consisting 
of  Isaac  J.  Sparks.  Antonio  Maria  de  La  Gucrra 
and  Nicolas  Den,  was  appointed  to  receive  pro- 
posals for  a  survey  of  the  city  and  report  thereon 
to  the  council  within  six  weeks.  At  the  meeting 
of  December  14,  1850,  a  demand  was  made  on 
the  members  of  the  late  aMuitamiento  for  all 
papers  and  documents  belonging  to  the  old  pueblo 
of  Santa  Barbara  and  an  accounting  for  all  funds 
in  their  hands  on  April  9,  1850,  the  date  of  the 
city's    incorporation. 

At  the  meeting  of  January  8,  1851,  the  com- 
mittee appointed  at  a  previous  meeting  to  ascer- 
tain what  had  become  of  the  papers,  documents 
and  moneys  in  the  hands  of  the  officers  of  the 
late  ayuntamiento  reported  that  the  moneys  were 
in  the  hands  of  the  late  prefect,  Joaquin  Carrillo. 
From  sttbsequcnt  minutes  it  seems  they  remained 
there.  What  became  of  tlie  papers  and  docu- 
ments of  the  ayuntamiento  the  records  of  the 
council  do  not  show. 

A  contract  was  made  by  the  council,  January 
29,  1 85 1,  with  Salisbury  Haley,  "To  make  a 
complete  survey  of  all  that  part  of  the  citv 
bounded  on  the  southeast  by  the  shore  of  the 
sea  ;  on  the  northwest  by  a  straight  line  running 


parallel  to  the  general  direction  of  said  shore 
hoimdar}'  directly  through  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  Mission  Garden  and  from  hill  to  hill  on 
either  side ;  on  the  southwest  by  a  line  running 
along  the  foot  of  the  mesa ;  and  on  the  north- 
east by  a  line  beginning  at  the  Salinitas  and  fol- 
lowing the  city  boundarx-  to  the  foot  of  the  hills, 
then  to  the  said  northwest  line ;  to  divide  said 
tract  into  squares  of  150  yards  by  streets  which 
shall  be  sixty  feet  wide,  except  two  streets  to  be 
designated  by  the  council,  which  shall  be  eighty 
feet  wide ;  to  make  an  accurate  map  of  said 
city."  For  making  the  survey  and  map,  Haley 
was  to  receive  $2,000,  to  be  paid  in  installments 
of  $500  each.  April  5,  1851,  Haley  presented  to 
the  council  a  map  of  his  survey  of  the  city  and 
a  demand  for  the  first  installment  of  $500  on 
the  contract. 

October  23,  1852,  Vitus  ■\\'rackenrueder  was 
given  a  contract  to  survey  the  central  part  of 
the  city  and  make  a  new  map.  His  survey  is 
now  regarded  as  the  oiificial  survey  of  the  city. 
These  surveys  in  some  places  ran  streets  through 
houses  and  in  others  left  the  residences  without 
street  frontage.  If  was  many  years  before  all 
the  streets  were  o]3ened  through  the  central  or 
thickly  inhabited  portion  of  the  city.  Those 
whose  land  was  taken  for  streets,  were  given 
equivalent  tracts  in  the  squares  belonging  to 
the  city. 

At  the  municipal  election  held  in  May,  1851, 
Joaquin  Carrillo  was  elected  mayor ;  he  was  also 
county  judge.  Raymundo  Carrillo  was  chosen 
treasurer ;  Thomas  Warner,  marshal  and  asses- 
sor; Esteban  Ortega,  John  Kays,  Antonio  Arel- 
lanas,  Jose  Lorenzano  and  R.  W.  Wallace,  mem- 
bers of  the  council.  Although  the  flag  of  the 
United  States  had  been  waving  in  California 
for  four  years  and  the  constitution  had  arrived 
more  recently  to  keep  it  company,  yet  the  peo- 
ple of  Santa  Barbara  had  not  become  accustomed 
to  the  new  order  of  things.  At  the  meeting  of 
the  council.  May  26,  185 1,  Samuel  Barry,  Esq., 
sent  a  communication  to  the  council  informing 
that  body  that  he  had  been  appointed  United 
States  revenue  officer  at  the  port  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara. ^Vhereupon  the  council  by  resolution 
agreed  to  grant  him  official  recognition  as  an 
officer  of  the   United    States.     Had   the  council 


426 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


considered  him  a  persona  non  grata  and  refused 
him  recognition,  it  is  hard  to  say  what  the  con- 
sequence might  have  been — to  Santa  Barbara. 

The  early  ordinances  of  the  common  council 
give  us  glimpses  of  conditions  existing  then  that 
have  long  since  become  obsolete.  The  Indian 
question,  fifty  years  ago,  w^as  one  that  worried 
the  municipal  officers  of  Santa  Barbara,  as  it 
did  those  of  all  other  cities  and  towns  of  South- 
ern California.  The  ex-neophyte  of  the  mis- 
sion was  a  pariah.  He  was  despised  and  abused 
by  the  whites.  His  one  ambition  was  to  get 
drunk,  and  there  were  always  high  caste  whites, 
or  those  who  considered  themselves  such,  ready 
and  willing  to  gratify  poor  Lo's  ambition.  To 
imprison  an  Indian  and  give  him  regular  rations 
was  no  punishment.  He  enjoyed  such  punish- 
ment. In  Los  Angeles,  Indian  convicts  were 
auctioned  off  every  Monday  morning  to  the 
highest  bidder  for  the  term  of  their  sentence.  In 
Santa  Barbara,  an  ordinance  passed  June  4,  1851, 
reads :  "When  Indians  for  violations  of  city 
ordinances  are  committed  to  prison,  the  recorder 
shall  hire  them  out  for  the  term  of  their  im- 
prisonment." 

One  of  the  most  singular  decisions  ever  an- 
nounced by  a  court  of  justice  was  given  in  a 
case  of  liquor  selling  to  Indians.  A  certain  festal 
day  in  the  early  '50s  had  been  celebrated  with 
a  great  deal  of  hilarity  and  imbibing  of  wine  and 
aguardiente.  The  noble  red  man  had  vied  with 
his  white  brothers  in  celebrating  and  in  getting 
drunk.  This  was  an  offense  to  the  white  man, 
and  as  there  was  a  heavy  fine  for  selling  liquor 
to  Indians,  some  of  the  whites  instigated  the 
arrest  of  certain  liquor  dealers.  Among  the  ac- 
cused was  a  scion  of  one  of  the  most  influential 
families.  He  was  charged  with  having  sold 
liquor  to  a  Yaqui  Indian.  The  evidence  was 
very  clear  that  the  liquor  had  been  sold  by  the 
defendant  to  the  Yaqui,  but  to  convict  a  member 
of  that  family,  the  justice  very  well  knew,  would 
be  his  political  undoing  for  all  time.  So  in  the 
trial  the  ethnological  question  was  sprung  as  to 
whether  a  Yaqui  was  an  Indian  or  a  white  man. 
The  race  question  was  argued  at  great  length  by 
the  attorneys  on  both  sides,  and  the  judge,  after 
summing  up  the  evidence,  decided  that  the 
prominent    check     bones,     yellow     skin,    straight 


black  hair  and  dark  eyes  of  the  Yaqui  were  the 
effects  of  climate  and  not  of  heredity,  and  in- 
side the  Yaqui  was  a  white  man.  The  saloon- 
keeper was  declared  not  -guilty  and  discharged. 

The  city  government  was  administered  eco- 
nomically in  the  early  '50s,  and  taxes  were  light. 
According  to  Ordinance  No.  30,  adopted  June 
29,  1852,  the  mayor,  acting  as  recorder  or  police 
judge,  received  $2  for  each  conviction,  which 
amount  he  was  required  to  pay  into  the  city 
treasury.  It  does  not  appear  that  he  was  allowed 
to  draw  anything  out  of  the  treasury  for  salary. 
The  city  clerk  received  $35  per  month,  the  city 
marshal  $20,  the  city  treasurer  three  per  cent  on 
all  moneys  paid  in ;  the  city  tax  collector  six  per 
cent  on  all  collections  and  the  city  attorney  $10 
per  month. 

The  lighting  of  the  city  was  accomplished  in  a 
very  economical  manner.  An  ordinance  passed 
in  1852  required  "every  head  of  a  family  in  that 
part  of  the  city  bounded  north  by  Santa  Barbara 
street,  east  by  Ortega,  south  by  Chapula  and 
west  by  Figueroa,  to  cause  a  lantern  containing 
a  lighted  lamp  or  candle  to  be  suspended  every 
dark  or  cloudy  evening  in  front  of  his  house 
from  dark  to  ten  o'clock ;  neglecting  to  do  so  he 
will  be  fined  not  less  than  fifty  cents  or  more 
than  $1   for  each  offense." 

Fifty  years  ago  Santa  Barbara  was,  to  use  an 
expressive  slang  phrase  of  today,  a  "wide  open 
town."  Saloon  keeping  was  the  most  popular 
industry.  Of  fifty  licenses  granted  between  Au- 
gust, 1850,  and  February,  1851,  thirty-two  were 
for  permission  to  retail  liquors.  Sunday  was  a 
gala  day,  and  dissipation  reached  high  tide  tlien. 

Before  the  conquest,  the  Californians  were 
moderate  drinkers.  Although  using  wine  freely, 
they  seldom  drank  to  excess.  When  they  wished 
to  indulge  in  a  social  glass,  and  some  one  stood 
treat  for  the  crowd,  they  all  drank,  not  standing, 
but  sitting  on  their  horses.  A  squad  of  three  or 
four,  or  half  a  dozen  may  be,  would  ride  up  to 
a  pulperia  and,  without  dismounting,  one  of  the 
party  would  order  the  drinks.  The  mercader 
de  vino  (wine  merchant)  would  bring  out  a  cup 
or  glass  filled  with  wine  or  aguardiente ;  each 
one  would  take  a  sip  and  pass  it  to  his  neighbor. 
One  cup  ser^^ed  all  the  party:  it  was  a  sort  of 
loving  cup.     It  is  said  that  once,  when  a  crowd 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


427 


of  American  miners  bestowed  their  patronage 
for  the  first  time  upon  a  native  vinatero,  and 
each  called  for  a  separate  glass,  the  wineseller, 
who  had  but  one  glass  in  his  shop,  had  to  send 
out  and  borrow  enough  glasses  from  his  neigh- 
bors to  supply  the  demand.  When  each  one  of 
his  patrons  poured  out  a  full  glass  of  fiery 
aguardiente  and  gvilped  it  down,  the  astonished 
saloon-keeper  crossed  himself  and  implored  the 
saints  to  protect  him  from  the  American  diablos. 

In  1855,  a  spasm  of  virtue  seems  to  have 
seized  the  city  council.  It  passed  a  Sunday  clos- 
ing ordinance :  "All  stores,  shops,  taverns  and 
groceries  shall  close  from  12  o'clock  Saturday 
night  to  12  o'clock  P.  M.  the  following  Sunday, 
except  butcher,  baker  and  apothecary  shops,"  so 
read  the  ordinance.  For  a  violation  of  this  mu- 
nicipal law  the  penalty  was  a  fine  of  not  less 
than  $10  or  more  than  $50. 

The  early  councils  did  business  very  careless- 
ly. The  office  of  councilman  was  not  a  lucrative 
one.  The  members  took  their  pay  in  honors,  and 
honors  were  not  always  easy.  The  office  sought 
the  man,  but  the  man  dodged  it  when  he  could. 
Resignations  were  frequent,  and  as  vacancies 
were  not  promptly  filled,  the  membership  of  the 
council  was  not  often  full.  The  council  elected 
in  May,  1853,  held  no  meeting  between  May  5 
and  August  27  for  want  of  a  quorum.  When  a 
quorum  was  obtained,  the  distinguished  clerk 
offered  his  resignation,  and  it  was  found  that 
the  mayor  and  two  councilmen-elect  had  failed 
to  qualify.  An  election  was  ordered  to  fill 
vacancies.  Whether  they  were  filled  or  what 
that  council  afterwards  did  does  not  appear. 
When  a  new  council  was  elected  in  May,  1854, 
the  minutes  of  the  old  council  had  not  been 
engrossed.  The  new  council  ordered  them  writ- 
ten up,  and  blank  pages  were  left  in  the  record 
book  for  their  entry,  but  the  pages  are  still 
blank. 

The  members  of  the  new  council  instituted  an 
investigation  to  find  out  whether  the  old  council 
could  grant  its  members  city  lands  at  lower  rates 
than  the  appraised  value ;  and  also  to  ascertain 
whether  the  land  laws  of  the  old  ayuntamiento 
were  still  in  force.  What  they  found  out  is  not 
written   in  the  record. 


CITY    LANDS. 

Shortly  after  the  organization  of  the  United 
States  land  commission  in  CaHfornia,  Santa 
Barbara  presented  her  claim  for  eight  and  three- 
fourths  leagues  of  pueblo  lands.  In  May,  1854, 
the  council  allowed  a  bill  of  $700  for  prosecuting 
the  city's  claim.  December  23,  1854,  a  public 
meeting  was  called  to  consider  the  advisability 
of  prosecuting  the  city's  claim  to  its  pueblo 
lands  in  the  United  States  courts.  The  land 
commission  had  rejected  the  city's  claim  to  eight 
and  three-fourth  leagues.  March  10,  1855, 
Hinchman  &  Hoar  were  given  a  fee  of  $500 
"for  prosecuting  the  city's  claim  to  her  lands 
before  the  United  States  Court".  After  a  long- 
drawn  out  contest  in  the  courts  the  city's  claim 
was  finally  allowed  in  1861  for  four  leagues,  or 
17,826.17  acres,  extending  from  the  Rancho 
Goleta  to  the  Arroyo  de  La  Carpinteria.  It 
was  surveyed  by  G.  H.  Thompson,  May,  1867, 
and  a  patent  signed  by  President  U.  S.  Grant, 
May  25,  1872. 

Under  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  regimes 
there  was  no  survey  made  of  the  pueblo  lands 
and  no  map  or  plat  of  the  town.  The  ayunta- 
miento granted  house  lots  on  the  application  of 
any  one  desiring  to  build.  The  only  survey  made 
was  to  measure  so  many  varas  from  some  pre- 
vious grant.  Streets  in  those  days  were  not  made, 
but,  like  Topsy,  they  "just  growed,"  and  in 
growing  many  of  them  became  twisted.  It  took 
years  after  the  Haley  survey  was  made  to  un- 
twist some,  or  rather  to  adjust  the  houses  to  the 
new-street  lines.  The  street  names  given  were 
mostly  in  Spanish.  The  mixed  population  of 
the  early  'sos  so  bungled  the  spelling  of  these 
that  in  1854  the  council  appointed  a  committee 
"to  correct  the  orthography  of  certain  streets." 

In  the  nomenclature  of  its  streets,  Santa  Bar- 
bara has  remembered  many  of  the  famous  men  of 
the  Spanish  and  Mexican  eras  of  California.  Not 
only  have  famous  men  been  remembered,  but  lo- 
cal historical  incidents,  too,  have  been  commem- 
orated. The  historical  event  that  gave  Cafion 
Perdido  street  its  name,  gave  names  also  to  two 
other  streets  and  a  design  for  a  city  seal.  Briefly 
told,  the  story  runs  about  as  follows :  In  the 
winter  of  1847-^8,  the  American  brig  Elizabeth 


428 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  wrecked  near  Santa  Barbara.  Among  the 
articles  saved  was  a  six-pounder  brass  cannon. 
It  was  brought  ashore  and  lay  on  the  beach  for 
some  time.  One  dark  night  in  April,  1848,  a 
little  squad  of  Californians  stole  down  to  the 
beach,  hauled  it  away  and  buried  it  in  the  sands 
on  the  banks  of  the  Estero.  What  their  ob- 
ject was  in  taking  the  gun  no  one  knows,  prob- 
ably they  did  not  know  themselves.  Several 
days  passed  before  the  gun-  was  missed.  Cap- 
tain Lippett  of  Company  F,  Stevenson's  Regi- 
ment of  New  York  Volunteers,  was  in  command 
of  the  post.  He  was  a  nervous,  excitable  man. 
In  the  theft  of  the  cannon  he  thought  he  dis- 
covered preparations  for  an  uprising  of  the  na- 
tives. He  dispatched  a  courier  post  haste  to 
Colonel  ]\Iason,  the  military  governor  of  the 
territory  at  ]\[onterey,  with  a  highly  colored  ac- 
count of  his  discovery.  Mason,  placing  re- 
liance in  Lippett's  story  and  desiring  to  give  the 
Californians  a  lesson  that  would  teach  them  to 
let  guns  and  revolutions  alone,  levied  a  military 
contribution  of  $500  on  the  town,  to  be  paid  by 
a  capitation  tax  of  $2  on  every  male  over  twenty 
years,  the  balance  to  be  assessed  on  the  real  and 
personal  property  of  the  citizens,  the  money  when 
collected  to  be  turned  over  to  the  post  quarter- 
master. The  promulgation  of  the  order  in  San- 
ta Barbara  raised  a  storm  of  indignation,  and 
among  those  whose  v>'ail  was  the  loudest  were 
the  American-born  residents  of  the  town,  who 
had  become  Mexican  citizens  by  naturalization. 
Colonel  Stevenson,  commander  of  the  southern 
military  district,  who  had  been  ordered  to  col- 
lect the  pueblo's  ransom  by  tact,  by  the  soothing' 
strains  of  a  brass  band  and  the  influence  of 
Pablo  de  La  Cuerra,  all  exerted  on  the  nation's 
birthda}-,  July  4.  succeeded  in  collecting  the 
money  without  any  more  dangerous  outbreak 
than  a  few  muttered  curses  on  the  hated  gringos. 
After  peace  v.-as  declared.  Governor  Mason 
ordered  the  money  turned  over  to  the  prefect  of 
the  pueblo  to  be  used  in  building  a  jail.  When 
the  city  survey  was  made  in  1850,  three  street 
names  commemorated  the  incident,  Cafion  Per- 
dido  (Lost  Cannon)  street,  Quinientos  (Five 
Hundred)  street,  and  Mason  street.  When  the 
council,  in  1850,  chose  a  design  for  a  city  seal 
thev  selected  the  device  of  a  cannon  statant,  en- 


circled by  the  words  "\'ale  Quinientos  Pesos — • 
Worth  Five  Hundred  Dollars."  The  members  of 
the  city  council  made  repeated  demands  on  the 
ex-prefect  for  the  $500,  but  he  refused  to  turn  it 
into  the  city  treasury,  claiming  that  it  was  en- 
trusted to  him  for  a  specific  purpose,  and  until 
a  jail  was  built  no  money  would  the  city  get. 
The  city  built  a  jail,  but  the  ex-prefect  still  held 
on  to  the  money.  The  council  began  legal  pro- 
ceedings to  recover  the  money,  but  as  the  judge 
of  the  district  and  the  ex-prefect  were  very 
closely  related  the  case  W'as  transferred  to  San 
Francisco.  In  some  unaccountable  way  the  pa- 
pers in  the  case  were  lost,  and  as  no  new  suit 
was  begun  the  city  never  recovered  the  money. 
The  council  chose  a  new  design  for  its  seal  and 
all  the  city  has  left  for  its  $500  is  some  street 
names. 

One  stormy  nigiit  in  1858  the  Estero  cut  a 
new  channel  through  its  banks.  Some  citizen 
next  morning,  viewing  the  efifects  of  the  flood, 
saw  the  muzzle  of  a  cannon  protruding  from  the 
cut  in  the  bank.  Unearthing  the  gun,  it  proved 
to  be  the  lost  cannon.  It  was  hauled  up  State 
street  to  Caiion  Perdido,  where,  mounted  on  an 
improvised  carriage,  it  frowned  on  the  passers 
by.  Ten  years  had  wroug'ht  great  changes  in 
the  town  and  the  people.  The  cannon  episode 
was  ancient  history.  Nobody  cared  to  preserve 
the  old  gun  as  an  historic  relic,  and  as  finders  in 
this  case  were  keepers,  they  sold  it  to  a  city 
merchant  for  $80.  and  he  disposed  of  it  in  San 
Francisco  at  handsome  profit  to  a  junk  dealer 
for  old  brass. 

Santa  Barbara  in  early  days  had  her  squatter 
troubles,  in  common  with  other  parts  of  the  state 
covered  by  Spanish  grants.  The  most  noted 
of  these  was  what  is  known  as  the  Arroyo  Bur- 
ro affair.  I  give  the  following  account  of  it 
taken  mainly  from  ]\Iason's  History  of  Santa 
Barbara  :  John  A'idal,  an  ex-member  of  Steven- 
son's Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers,  had 
for  some  time  rented'  a  piece  of  land  from  Dr. 
Den.  When  the  lease  expired  he  laid  claim  to 
the  land  under  the  United  States  pre-emption 
laws.  The  court  adjudged  the  land  to  Dr.  Den, 
and  Sheriff  Twist  was  ordered  to  evict  Vidal. 
A   number  of  gamblers,  among  whom   was  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


429 


notorious  Jack  Powers,  rallied  to  the  assistance 
of  Mdal. 

\'kh\  and  his  friends  were  reported  to  be  for- 
titifd  at  his  ranch  house.  Sheriff  Twist  sum- 
moned a  posse  comitatus  of  two  hundred  men, 
and  secured  a  smaU  cannon  that  stood  on  the 
Plaza  to  batter  down  the  fortifications.  The 
Twist  part)'  assembled  at  the  Egirrea  house,  then 
used  for  a  court  house.  X'idal  and  his  compan- 
ions came  riding  up  as  if  to  begin  the  fight. 
.Some  say  their  intentions  were  to  effect  a  com- 
promise. As  A'idal  rode  up  two  of  his  men, 
"Little  Mickey"  and  a  Spaniard,  lassoed  the 
cannon  and  tried  to  drag  it  away.  Twist  fired 
upon  them,  and  the  firing  became  general.  Mdal 
was  shot  and  fell  from  his  horse.  The  Spaniard 
of  the  cannon  episode  stabbed  Twist  with  a 
knife.  A  running  fight  ensued,  but  without  any 
further  casualties.  A'idal  lingered  fourteen  days 
before  death  relieved  him  of  his  sufferings. 
Pablo  de  La  Guerra  went  out  to  the  fort  next 
day  and  induced  the  Powers  gang  to  submit  to 
legal  authorities.  The  disputed  tract  was  after- 
wards declared  by  the  courts  to  be  government 
land. 

THE    PIONEER    NEW.SPAPER. 

The  pioneer  newspaper  of  Saiua  Barbara  wa's 
the  Santa  Barbara  Gincltr.  The  first  number 
was  issued  Thursday,  May  24.  1855.  It  was  a 
four-page,  five-column  weekly,  size  of  page  I2x 
18  inches.  One  page  was  printed  in  Spanish. 
W.  B.  Keep  &  Co.  were  the  proprietors.  The 
names  of  the  members  of  the  company  were  R. 
Hubbard,  T.  Dunlap,  Jr.,  and  W.  B.  Keep. 
Later  on  the  firm  was  Hubbard  &  Keep.  In 
their  salutatory  the  publishers  say :  "After  tak- 
ing into  consideration  the  fact  that  there  are 
now  in  California  more  newspapers  than  in  any 
three  states  in  the  Union,  the  doubt  of  future  suc- 
cess of  one  more  might  naturally  arise  in  the 
minds  of  some  wisacres  of  our  county.  A  field  is 
undoubtedly  open  for  enterprise  and  energy  in  this 
portion  of  the  state.  The  counties  of  Los  An- 
geles and  San  Diego  have  for  some  time  sup- 
ported papers,  and  without  boasting  we  believe 
that  the  county  of  Santa  Barbara  possesses  many 
advantages  over  these." 

The  Gazette  was  vigorously  edited.     It  made 


strenuous  efforts  to  arouse  officials  and  the  citi- 
zens  of  the   sleepy   old  city   to  make   improve- 
ments, but  it  was  labor  in  vain.     If  it  did  not 
arouse   them   to  put   forth  efforts,  it  did   excite 
their  wrath.     In  the  issue  of  October  4,   1855, 
the  editor  draws  this  picture  of  existing  condi- 
tions within  the  city :     "There  are  deep,  uncov- 
ered   wells,    pit-falls    and    man-traps    in   various 
parts  of  the  city,  rendering  it  extremely  hazard- 
ous to  -traverse  the  streets  at  night,  not  only  for 
horses  and  teams,  but  foot  passengers  as   well. 
There  are  unsightly  gorges  and  gullies  through 
which  the  water  flows  into  the  street  in  winter. 
The  slaughter  houses   reek   with   filth,   and   the 
horrid    stench    from    them    pollutes    the    atmos- 
phere."    In  another  issue  the  editor  appeals  to 
the  citizens  "to  tear  themselves  away   from  the 
blandishments  of  keno,  billiards  and  cards  long 
enough  to   examine   the   route   for   a  post   road 
over   which   the  mail   could   be   carried  through 
the  coast  countries  to  and  from  San  Francisco." 
The  G  ace  tie  in  its  issue  of  May  i,  1856,  thus 
inveighs  against  the  want  of  public  spirit  in  the 
city   officials   and   citizens :    "It    does   not    sound 
well  to  hear  it  said  that  since  the  incorporation 
of  this  city,  more  than  six  years  ago,  not  a  sin- 
gle   improvement    of    general     utility    has    been 
made,  if  the  survey  and  maps  be  excepted.     Not 
a  street  has  been  graded  at  the  public  expense, 
nor  an  artesian  well  nor  a  public  edifice  of  any 
kind  even  projected,  nor  a  wharf  at  the  landing 
attempted  or  planned  or  even  its  cost  estimated." 
These  plain  statements  of  facts  were  not  relished 
by  the  old  fogies  of  the  town,  and  they  resolved 
to  crush  the   paper.     Its  principal   revenue  had 
been   derived   from  the  public  printing.     A  bill 
was   passed   by    tlie   legislature    (at   the   instiga- 
tion, it  is  said,  of  a  scion  of  one  of  the  ruling 
families  whom  the   Gazette  had  castigated)    au- 
thorizing   the    county    officials    to    publish    legal 
notices  bv  posting  them  on  bulletin  boards.    The 
public   patronage    was   not    sufficient    to   support 
a  newspaper.  The  plant  was  sold  in  1858  to  two 
Spaniards,    who    removed    it   to    San    Francisco, 
where  the  paper  was  printed  in  Spanish  as  the 
Gaccta   dc  Santa  Barbara.     It   lingered   out   an 
existence    of    several    years,     being    edited    and 
printed  in  San  Francisco  and  published  in  San- 
ta Barbara.     Then  it  died. 


430 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Througli  the  first  decade  of  its  existence  as 
an  American  city,  Santa  Barbara  grew  in  a 
leisurely  way.  It  was  in  no  haste  to  become  a 
great  city.  Old  customs  prevailed.  The  Span- 
ish language  was  the  prevailing  form  of  speech. 
Trade  and  travel  came  and  went  by  sea  as  in 
the  old  hide  drogher  days.  Twice  a  month  a 
steamship  landed  the  little  budget  of  mail,  some- 
times water-soaked  in  passing  through  the  surf 
from  ship  to  shore.  Passengers  were  carried 
ashore  from  the  surf  boats  on  the  backs  of  sail- 
ors, for  there  was  no  wharf.  If  there  was  no 
tip  offered  the  sailor  there  might  be  a  dip  prof- 
fered the  passenger.  The  sailor  was  already 
soaked ;  if  he  toppled  over  with  his  burden  when 
a  breaker  struck  him  a  little  more  salt  water  did 
not  disturb  him.  It  was  different  with  his  bur- 
den. Those  acquainted  with  the  bucking  pro- 
pensities of  the  sailors  always  tipped  before 
they  left  the  boat. 

The  feudal  lords  of  the  old  regime  still  ruled. 
They  bad  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills  and  an  army 
of  retainers.  The  retainers  had  votes  and  the 
cattle  kings  controlled  their  dependents'  ballots. 
The  second  decade — the  decade  between  i860 
and  1870 — saw  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  the 
old-time  manners  and  customs.  The  story  of 
the  dethronement  of  the  cattle  kings  more  prop- 
erly belongs  to  the  history  of  the  county  at  large 
than  to  that  of  the  city. 

THE    NEW    ERA. 

The  terrible  dry  years  of  1863  and  1864, 
which  destroyed  cattle  raising,  the  dominant  in- 
dustry of  the  county,  disastrously  affected  the 
city.  Destitution  prevailed  and  everybody  was 
discouraged.  There  was  no  advance,  no  build- 
ing, no  progress  during  the  early  '60s.  It  was 
not  until  immigration  began  to  drift  southward 
about  1867  that  the  city  shook  off  its  letbarg}- 
and  aroused  itself  to  action.  The  Santa  Barbara 
wharf  was  constructed  in  the  summer  of  1868. 
This  greatly  facilitated  commerce.  Previous  to 
this  vessels  anchored  a  mile  or  two  from  shore, 
and  all  freight  to  and  from  the  ship  was  taken 
on  surf  boats.  In  early  times  the  only  road  be- 
tween Santa  Barbara  and  San  Buenaventura 
was  along  the  beach  around  Punta  Gorda  and 
Rincon  Point.     In  high  tide  it  was  often  impas- 


sable, and  it  was  rendered  dangerous  on  account 
of  the  masses  of  earth  falling  from  the  cliffs. 
A  new  road  was  constructed  that  avoided  the 
dangers  of  Rincon  Pass,  and  a  stage  line  up  the 
coast  gave  increased  mail  facilities  and  regular 
communication  by  land  between  Los  Angeles 
and  San  Francisco  without  waiting  for  low  tide. 
Increased  steamship  communication  with  San 
Franicsco  brought  tourists  and  visitors,  and  the 
city  began  to  fix  up  to  receive  its  guests.  June 
2,  1870,  a  franchise  was  granted  to  Thomas  R. 
Bard,  S.  B.  Brinkerhoff,  Charles  Fernald  and 
Jarrett  T.  Richards  to  lay  gas  pipes  in  the 
streets  and  light  the  city  with  gas.  Several  large 
hotels  were  erected,  among  them  the  famous 
Arlington.  Property  values  advanced.  Blocks 
that  in  1870  sold  for  $100  in  1874  changed  bands 
at  $5,000. 

The  Santa  Barbara  College  was  founded  in 
1869  by  a  joint  stock  company,  of  which  El- 
wood  Cooper  was  a  leading  member.  The  col- 
lege building  was  erected  in  1871.  The  college 
suspended  in  1878  for  want  of  support. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  new  court  house  was 
laid  October  5,  1872.  The  building  was  com- 
pleted in  1873,  at  a  cost  of  $60,000. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Santa  Barbara 
was  organized  in  1873.  In  1876  its  building 
was  completed  and  occupied.  The  Santa  Bar- 
bara National  Bank  was  organized  in  July,  1875, 
as  the  Santa  Barbara  County  Bank. 

The  Natural  History  Society  was  organized 
December,  1876,  with  a  list  of  twenty-one  mem- 
bers. For  the  first  two  years  of  its  existence 
the  society  met  in  the  Santa  Barbara  College 
building.  It  bad  but  a  small  collection.  In  1883 
about  1,200  volumes  of  government  publica- 
tions that  had  been  in  charge  of  the  Santa  Bar- 
bara College  was  transferred  to  it.  Funds  were 
donated  for  furniture  and  bookcases. 

THE    PUBLIC    LIBRARY. 

The  first  movement  looking  towards  the 
founding  of  a  public  library  for  Santa  Barbara 
originated  with  the  Odd  Fellows.  That  organi- 
zation along  in  the  later  '70s  had  a  considerable 
collection  of  books  which  were  loaned  out  to 
readers.  The  time  and  trouble  involved  in  loan- 
ing the  books  and  looking  after  them  was  too 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


431 


great'to  be  done  gratuitously,  and  the  association 
after  a  time  discontinued  loaning,  and  the  books 
were  stored  away. 

Under  the  state  law  of  1880  for  establishing 
free  libraries,  the  city  council,  February  16,  1882, 
adopted  a  resolution  to  establish  a  free  library 
and  reading  room.  At  the  next  city  election  T. 
B.  Dibblee,  James  M.  Short,  O.  N.  Dimmick, 
W.  E.  Noble  and  S.  B.  P.  Knox  were  elected  li- 
brary trustees.  The  Odd  Fellows  donated  all  the 
books  in  their  collection,  numbering  2,921  vol- 
umes. The  first  libi-arian  appointed  was  Mrs.  Mary 
Page.  The  city  has  erected  a  neat  and  commodi- 
ous library  building,  so  planned  that  it  can  be 
enlarged  without  change  of  design  or  incon- 
venience to  the  patrons  of  the  library.  The  li- 
brary now  has  about  16,000  volumes.  Mrs. 
Frances  Burns  Linn  is  the  present  librarian. 

The  decade  between  1870  and  1880  marked 
the  transformation  of  Santa  Barbara  from  an 
adobe  town  to  one  built  of  brick  and  wood.  The 
increase  of  population  was  not  great.  After  the 
decadence  of  the  cattle  industry  many  of  the  na- 
tives left  the  country.  The  population  of  Santa 
Barbara  in  i860  was  2,351;  in  1870,  2,970,  an 
increase  of  26  per  cent;  in  1880,  3,469,  an  in- 
crease of  17  per  cent.  The  decade  between  1880 
and  1890  witnessed  its  most  rapid  growth.  Its 
population  in  1880  as  previously  stated  was 
3,469 ;  in  1890,  5,864,  an  increase  of  nearly  70 
per  cent.  In  the  early  '80s  began  a  concerted 
movement  among  the  counties  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia to  advertise  their  resources  in  the  eastern 
states.  "California  on  Wheels"  was  sent  on  its 
mission  east.  Railroad  building,  and  particular- 
ly railroad  projecting  by  real  estate  agents,  was 
active.  It  is  remarkable  how  easily  railroads 
were  built  then — on  paper.  A  beautifully  illus- 
trated pamphlet  advertising  the  Santa  Ynez  val- 
ley issued  at  this  time,  states  that  among  the 
many  railroads  building  or  soon  to  be  built  is 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  line  from 
Santa  Monica  via  San  Buenaventura  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  Santa  Ynez  river,  making  the 
"shortest,  coolest  and  most  superb  scenic  route 
from  Los  Angeles  via  the  Salinas  valley  to  San 
Francisco." 

August  17,  1887,  the  first  passenger  train 
from    Los    Angeles    arrived    in    Santa    Barbara. 


The  same  afternoon  came  one  from  San  Fran- 
cisco via  Saugus.  The  city  turned  out  en  masse 
to  celebrate  the  event.  There  was  a  banquet 
in  the  evening  and  a  grand  ball.  The  boom  in 
real  estate  was  on  m  earnest  and  prices  expand- 
ed, but  the  railroad  before  the  end  of  August 
stopped  building,  and  the  real  estate  bubble  col- 
lapsed. While  the  boom  lasted,  some  large  sales 
were  made.  The  recorded  transfers  for  seven 
months  aggregated  over  $5,000,000.  As  many 
of  the  contracts  were  not  recorded,  the  sales 
really  reached  about  $7,000,000.  A  number  of 
substantial  improvements  were  completed.  State 
street  was  paved  with  bituminous  rock  for  two 
miles  at  a  cost  of  $180,000.  Other  streets  were 
graded  and  miles  of  sidewalk  laid. 

The  first  through  train  on  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific coast  line  from  San  Francisco  and  Los  An- 
geles passed  through  Santa  Barbara  March  31, 
1901.  Among  the  recent  improvements  at  Santa 
Barbara  is  the  completion  of  St.  Anthony's  Col- 
lege, a  Franciscan  college  for  the  preparation 
of  young  men  who  wish  to  enter  the  priesthood. 
It  is  located  on  rising  ground  near  the  old  mis- 
sion ;  the  corner-stone  was  laid  June  13,  1899.  It 
was  formally  dedicated  April  25,  1901.  It  is  a 
stone  building,  three  stories  high,  and  cost  about 
$50,000.  The  school  for  a  number  of  years  had 
been  conducted  in  a  wing  of  the  old  mission. 
The  president  is  Rev.  Peter  Wallischeck,  O.  F. 
M.  February  27,  1896,  a  horrible  tragedy  oc- 
curred in  the  monastery  of  Santa  Barbara.  An 
insane  domestic,  employed  in  the  building,  shot 
and  killed  the  Guardian  Father  Ferdinand  Berg- 
meyer. 

The  completion  of  the  Coast  Line  Railroad 
in  the  first  year  of  the  present  century  placed 
Santa  Barbara  on  the  high  road  to  progress.  Its 
movements  were  slow  at  first,  but  its  speed  has 
been  accelerated  as  the  years  pass.  The  years 
of  1903-04  were  marked  by  extensive  improve- 
ments in  the  way  of  street  grading  and  the  ex- 
tension of  its  sewer  system.  The  Ocean  boule- 
vard was  extended  and  paved  with  asphaltum. 
The  city  acquired  an  additional  park  of  sixteen 
acres  in  the  Oak  Park  district.  During  the  year 
1905  the  permanent  developments  in  the  city 
cost  over  $1,000,000.  The  Southern  Pacific  con- 
structed a  new  double  track  line  through  the  city 


432 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  a  new  depot  costing  $20,000.  The  Potter 
Hotel  Company  has  improved  its  thirty-acre 
park  surrounding  the  hotel  buildings  at  an  ex- 
penditure of  $150,000.  A  new  electric  light 
company  constructed  a  new  power  house  at  a 
cost  of  $50,000.  Two  new  schools  were  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $40,000. 

The  city  has  completed  the  construction  of  an 
Ocean  boulevard  8,000  feet  long  at  a  cost  of 
$40,000.  For  several  years  the  municipality  has 
been  tunneling  into  the  Santa  Ynez  Range  to 
increase  its  water  supply.  When  completed  it 
will  connect  with  large  reservoirs  on  the  Santa 
Ynez  river  that  will  impound  6,000,000  gallons 
of  water.  The  cost  of  the  improved  water  sys- 
tem will  amount  to  a  quarter  million  dollars, 
and  will  give  an  abundant  supply  of  water  to 
the  city.  The  celebrated  Potter  hotel  was  com- 
pleted in  1904.     It  is  one  of  the  most  complete 


hotels  on  the   Pacific  coast.     It  has  800   rooms 
and  accommodations  for  1,200  guests. 

The  United  States  government  a  few  years 
since  put  a  system  of  trails  through  the  Santa 
Barbara  forest  reserve.  The  principal  one  of 
these  follows  the  sxmunit  of  the  range  from 
Ojai,  in  Ventura  county,  to  Refugio,  a  distance 
of  between  70  and  80  miles.  To  connect  with 
this  system  the  citizens  of  Santa  Barbara  by 
private  subscription  have  built  from  Mountain 
drive,  near  Santa  Barbara,  a  road  and  named  it 
La  Cumbre  (summit)  trail.  The  distance  from 
the  city  to  the  summit  is  twelve  miles,  nearly 
all  of  which  is  in  the  mountains.  In  the  survey 
of  the  route  all  the  most  attractive  points  of 
scenic  beauty  coming  within  the  general  course 
of  the  trail  were  included.  Few  roads  of  its 
length  present  a  more  varied  scenery  or  a  vaster 
range  of  landscape  than  La  Cumbre. 


CHAPTER    LXlll. 


SAN    BERNARDINO    COUNTY. 


IX  the  subdivision  of  California  into  counties 
by  the  first  legislature  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  territory  that  later  constituted  San  Ber- 
nardino county  was  apportioned  to  San  Diego 
county;  that  county  extending  northwest  from 
the  source  of  San  Mateo  creek  to  the  state  line 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Death  Valley.  The  leg- 
islature of  1851  changed  the  boundaries  of  San 
Diego  and  Los  Angeles  counties,  and  the  latter- 
named  county  became  possessed  of  the  valleys, 
the  mountains  and  the  deserts  of  the  future  San 
Bernardino.  The  white  inhabitants  of  this 
vast  area  were  few  and  far  between. 
The  Lugos  in  the  San  Bernardino  valley, 
Isaac  Williams  at  del  Chino,  Prudhomme 
at  the  Cucamongo,  Louis  Robidoux  at  Jurupa, 
Diego  Sepulveda  at  Yucaipa,  the  employes  of 
the  rancheros,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  New 
Mexican  settlements  of  La  Placita  and  Agua 
Mansa  constituted  about  all  the  settlers  in  an 
area  large  enough  for  a  state. 

Robidoux  was  one  of  the  two  justices  of  the 
l^eace  that  constituted  the  first  court  of  sessions 


— the  motive  power  that  set  the  municipal  ma- 
chinery of  Los  Angeles  county  in  motion. 

County  Judge  Olvera  in  a  session  of  his  court 
held  May  31,  1850,  made  a  provisional  order  di- 
viding the  county  into  four  townships,  namely: 
Los  Angeles,  San  Gabriel,  San  Bernardino  and 
San  Juan  Capistrano.  An  election  for  justices 
was  held  and  one  elected  from  each  of  the  town- 
ships. On  the  24th  of  June  (1850)  the  justices 
met  and  selected  two  of  their  number  for  judges 
of  the  court  of  sessions.  Jonathan  R.  Scott  of 
Los  Angeles,  and  Louis  Robidoux  of  San  Ber- 
nardino township  were  chosen.  Robidoux  was 
not  at  the  meeting.  His  residence  was  at  his 
rancho  the  Jurupa.  The  city  of  Riverside  was 
carved  from  that  rancho.  So  little  communica- 
tion was  there  then  between  the  county  seat  and 
the  outlying  districts  that  Robidoux  was  elected 
a  justice  of  the  peace  and  chosen  a  member  of 
the  court  of  sessions  before  he  had  oven  heard 
that  an  election  had  been  ordered.  Although 
the  court  held  frequent  sessions  and  transacted 
much    important    business    it    was     not     until     a 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD. 


433 


month  after  his  appointment  that  Judge  Robi- 
fioux  took  his  seat  as  one  of  the  justices  of  the 
court  of  sessions. 

The  first  settlement  within  what  is  now  San 
Bernardino  county  was  made  at  what  was 
known  in  early  times  as  Politana,  or  as  it  was 
often  written  Apolitan.  This  settlement  was  lo- 
cated on  the  route  explored  by  Capt.  Juan  Bau- 
tista  de  Anza  in  1774.  It  extended  from  Tubac 
in  Sonora  to  the  San  ( iabriel  Mission.  It  crossed 
the  Colorado  river  at  Yuma  and  from  there  west- 
ward its  route  was  practically  the  same  as  that 
now  followed  by  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway. 

Father  Juan  Caballeria  in  his  "History  of  San 
Bernardino  \'alley"'  thus  descrilies  the  founding 
of    Politana    and    its    subsequent   destruction : 

"San  Gabriel  Mission  became  an  important 
stopping-  place  on  the  road,  and  the  first  place 
where  supplies  could  be  procured  after  crossing' 
the  desert.  In  the  course  of  time,  as  travel  over 
this  road  increased,  it  was  arranged  to  establish 
a  supply  station  at  some  intermediate  point  be- 
tween the  mission  and  the  Sierras  on  the  north, 
in  order  to  lessen  the  hardships  of  this  journey 
by  providing  travelers  with  a  place  where  they 
could  rest  and  obtain  food. 

"With  this  nliject  in  view,  a  party  of  mission- 
aries, soldiers  and  Indians  neophytes  of  San 
Gabriel  Mission,  under  the  leadership  of  Padre 
Dumetz,  were  sent  out  to  select  a  location.  On 
the  20th  of  j\Iay,  1810,  they  came  into  the  San 
Bernardino  Vallew  This,  according  to  the  Ro- 
man Calendar  of  Saints  was  the  feast  day  of 
San  Bernardino  of  Sienna  and  they  named  the 
valley  in  his  honor. 

"They  found  here  an  ideal  location.  The  val- 
ley was  well  watered  and  luxuriant  with  spring- 
time verdure.  It  might  become  to  the  weary 
traveler  a  perfect  haven  of  rest.  The  Indian 
name  of  the  valley,  Guachama,  when  translated, 
signified  'a  place  of  plenty  to  eat.'  The  Indians 
inhabiting  this  section  of  the  valley  were  known 
as  Guachama  Indians  and  had  here  a  ])0]>ulous 
rancheria. 


"The  supply  station  was  located  at  the 
Guachama  rancheria.  which  was  near  the  place 
now    known    as    Bunker     Hill,     between     Urbita 


Springs  and  Colton.  The  location  was  chosen 
on  account  of  an  abundance  of  water  in  that 
vicinity.  Here  a  'capilla'  (chapel)  was  built, 
which  was  dedicated  to  San  Bernardino,  the 
patron  saint  of  the  valley.  After  completing  the 
building  of  the  station  the  padres  returned  to 
San  Gabriel,  leaving  the  chapel,  the  station  and 
a  large  quantity  of  supplies  in  charge  of  neophyte 
soldiers,  under  command  of  a  trustworthy  In- 
dian named  Hipolita.  The  settlement,  or 
rancheria  of  mission  Indians,  taking  its  name 
from   this   chief  became  known  as   Politana. 

"During  the  next  two  years  the  padres  made 
frequent  visits  to  the  capilla ;  the  Gauchama  In- 
dians were  friendly ;  grain  was  planted  and  the 
settlement  seemed  in  a  fair  way  to  permanent 
prosperity. 

"The  year  1812,  known  in  history  as  'el  aiio  de 
los  temblores'  (the  year  of  earthquakes),  found 
the  valley  peaceful  and  prosperous — it  closed 
upon  the  ruins  of  I'olitana.  The  presence  of 
the  padres  and  Christian  neophytes  among  the 
gentile  Indians  of  the  valley  had  been  productive 
of  good  results  and  many  of  them  l>ecame  con- 
verted to  Giristianity.  When  the  strange  rum- 
blings beneath  the  earth  commenced  and  fre- 
quent shocks  of  earthquake  were  felt,  the  ef- 
fect was  to  rouse  the  superstitious  fears  of  the 
Indians.  The  hot  springs  of  the  valley  increased 
in  temperature  to  an  alarming  extent :  a  new 
'cienagata'  or  hot  mud  spring  appeared  near 
Politana  (now  calle\-  L'rbita).  This  so  excited 
the  Indians  that  by  direction  of  the  padres  the 
spring  was  covered  with  earth,  hoping  to  thus 
allay  their  fears.  Tb.esc  hot  sjirings  were  re- 
garded by  the  Indians  with  superstitious  venera- 
tion. They  were  associated  with  their  religious 
ceremonies  and  were  known  to  them  as  medi- 
cine springs.  When  these  changes  became  so 
apparent  they  were  filled  with  apprehension  of 
danger  Ixirdering  on  terror.  This,  accompanied 
bv  the  frequent  shocks  of  'temblor,'  so  worked 
upon  their  superstitious  natures-  that,  looking 
for  a  cause,  they  came  to  believe  it  was  the  mani- 
festation of  anger  of  some  powerful  spirit  dis- 
pleased at  the  presence  of  the  Christians  among 
them.  Desiring  to  appease  this  malevolent  deity 
and  avert  fin-thcr  expression  of  his  displeasure, 
the\-   fell   iiiinn   the  settlement  of   Politana,   mas- 


434 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFX'ORD. 


sacred  most  of  the  mission  Indians  and  converts 
and  destroyed  the  bnildings. 

"The  Guachamas  rebuilt  the  rancheria  and 
inhabited  it  until  long  after  the  decree  of  secu- 
larization. A  few  Indians  remained  there  at  the 
(late  of  American  colonization,  and  older  set- 
tlers of  the  count}-  retain  a  recollection  of  the 
rancheria  of  Politana.  As  the  country  settled 
the  Indians  decreased  in  numbers  and  dispersed; 
the  few  miserable  habitations  fell  into  decay,  and 
there  is  now  no  trace  of  the  rancheria,  except 
as  the  plow  of  the  rancher  may  occasionally 
bring  to  the  surface  a  piece  of  tile,  sole  relic 
of  the  first  Christian  settlement  in  San  Ber- 
nardino Valley." 

The  next  attempt  of  the  padres  of  San  Gab- 
riel Mission  to  found  a  branch  mission  or 
asistencia  was  made  in  1819.  The  location  chosen 
was  that  still  known  as  old  San  Bernardino.  The 
building  had  a  cobble-stone  foundation.  The 
walls  were  adobe  brick  a  yard  thick.  The  building 
was  240  feet  in  length  by  80  feet  in  breadth  and 
20  feet  in  height.  The  floors  were  kiln-burnt 
iirick,  the  roof  was  made  of  tule  thatch.  So  sub- 
stantially built  was  this  structure  that  after  years 
of  disuse  and  abandonment  it  was  still  habitable. 
A  corral  about  100  feet  square  was  built  adjoin- 
ing the  main  building,  surrounded  by  a  high 
adobe  wall,  to  protect  the  cattle  from  raids  by 
the  thieving  mountain  Indians.  A  chapel  was 
bui't  and  a  building  erected  for  the  priest  to 
lodge  in  when  he  came  from  San  Gabriel  to  hold 
service.  A  community  of  Indians  settled  around 
the  mission  building.  A  zanja  was  constructed, 
a  vineyard  and  olive  orchard  planted,  and  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  land  was  sown  to  grain. 
The  valley  was  well  adapted  to  grazing  and 
great  numbers  of  cattle  were  raised  for  their 
hides  and  tallow.  The  branch  mission  was  quite 
prosperous  and  ;t  bid  fair  in  time  to  equal  the 
mother  mission,  San  Gabriel. 

In  1 83 1,  the  mountain  Indians  made  a  raid 
upon  it,  damaged  the  building  and  drove  away 
and  scattered  the  stock.  The  buildings  were  re- 
paired and  work  resumed  in  the  old  way.  In 
October,  1834,  the  mountain  Indians,  who,  un- 
like the  Indians  of  the  valley,  were  warlike,  and 
could  not  be  brought  under  mission  rule,  at- 
tacked the  mission.     It  was  bravely  defended  by 


the  neophytes,  but  they  were  unable  to  hold  out 
against  the  enemy  and  finally  abandoned  the 
buildings  and  retreated  to  the  Mission  San  Gab- 
riel. 

The  enemy  gave  up  the  pursuit  and  returned 
to  the  mountains.  The  mission  buildings  were 
again  occupied  by  the  padres  and  the  neophytes, 
but  in  December  of  the  same  year  an  uprising 
occurred  among  the  Indians.  Led  by  two 
renegade  neophyte  chiefs  formerly  of  San  Gab- 
riel, they  attacked  the  mission  buildings  at  San 
fjernardino.  The  neophytes  in  charge  were  un- 
able to  defend  them.  The  mission  was  taken, 
plundered  and  set  on  fire.  The  priest  in  charge, 
Padre  Estango,  was  made  a  prisoner  and  carried 
awav  by  the  hostiles.  He  was  afterwards  ran- 
somed. Xo  attempt  was  made  to  repair  and  oc- 
cupy the  buildings  after  this  raid.  Seculariza- 
tion came  soon  after,  and  the  branch  missions 
passed  out  of  the  control  of  the  padres.  The 
second  attempt  to  settle  the  San  Bernardino  val- 
ley like  the  first  ended  in  disaster. 

For  several  \'enr^  after  the  destruction  of  the 
asistencia  of  San  Hernrirdim  1  the  valley  was 
abandoned  to  the  Indians.  The  secularization  of 
the  missions  had  scattered  the  neophytes.  Some 
of  these  became  renegades  and  joined  the  wild 
Indians.  The  wild  tribes  of  the  mountains  and 
the  desert,  gtiided  by  these  renegades,  made  fre- 
quent raids  on  the  cattle  and  horses  of  the  bor- 
der ranchos.  It  was  difficult  and  dangerous  to 
follow  these  thieves  to  their  hiding  places,  and 
thev  were  seldom  punished  for  their  raids. 

THE    J-IRST    r..\ND   GR.VNT. 

After  the  secularization  of  the  missions  came 
the  era  of  land  grants.  The  first  of  these  made 
in  San  Bernardino  valley  was  the  Jurupa,  grant- 
ed to  Juan  A.  Bandini,  September  28,  1838.  This 
grant  lies  along  the  Santa  Ana  river  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  valley.  Part  of  it  is 
now  included  in  the  city  of  Riverside.  Bandini 
stocked  his  rancho  with  cattle  and  horses.  The 
Indians  prevented  the  rancho  from  becoming 
overstocked.  Their  raids  were  frequent  and  ex- 
ceedingly disastrous  to  the  rancheros. 

NEW    MEXIC.VN    COLONISTS. 

There  had  been,  beginning  in  the  early  ■30s. 
a  limited  immigration  into  California  from  New 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


435 


Mexico.  It  came  by  way  of  the  upper  Green 
river,  the  Rio  Virgin,  to  the  Colorado  river,  then 
across  the  desert  and  through  the  Cajon  Pass. 
This  route  was  known  as  the  Spanish  trail.  The 
Lugos  had  given  to  a  small  nuniber  of  these  New 
Mexican  settlers  a  grant  of  land  at  the  Apoli- 
tan.  Bandini,  about  the  year  1844,  induced  some 
of  those  at  the  Apolitan  to  locate  on  the  north- 
ern part  of  his  rancho.  The  chief  object  in 
forming  these  settlements  was  to  protect  the 
ranches  from  Indian  cattle  thieves.  Bandini 
gave  these  settlers  a  grant  of  land  bordering  on 
the  Santa  Ana  river  for  cultivation.  The  land 
lying  near  the  river  was  easily  irrigated.  The 
colonists  planted  vineyards  and  fruit  trees.  This 
settlement  was  known  as  La  Placita  (  The  Small 
Place). 

Another  colony  of  New  Mexicans  located  on 
the  river  about  a  mile  above  Placita.  From  the 
smooth  flow  of  the  Santa  Ana  river  here,  this 
settlement  was  known  as  "Agua  Mansa"  (Gen- 
tle Water).  These  colonists  were  joined  by 
others  until  quite  a  flourishing  settlement  was 
built  U]).  They  cultivated  the  soil  and  assisted 
the  rancheros  in  taking  care  of  their  stock. 
Louis  Slover,  a  German,  for  whom  Slover 
mountain  was  named,  was  one  of  the  Agua  Man- 
sa colonists. 

A  church  was  erected  at  Agua  Mansa  which 
served  both  settlements.  The  year  i8f)2  was  the 
year  of  the  great  flood — the  greatest  ever 
known  in  California.  The  Santa  Ana  river 
rivaled  the  Father  of  Waters.  It  spread  out 
across  the  A^alley.  On  the  night  of  January  22 
a  cloudburst  occurred  in  the  mountains.  A  rag- 
ing torrent  swept  down  upon  the  little  settle- 
ments. The  inhabitants  of  La  Placita  fled  to 
the  hills  and  those  of  Agua  Mansa  took  refuge 
in  the  church  which  stood  on  higher  ground  than 
the  village.  The  town  was  swept  away,  only 
the  church  and  one  house  near  it  remained.  Their 
vineyards  and  trees  were  washed  out  and  car- 
ried down  the  stream.  The  inhabitants  were  left 
destitute. 

THE    LVan    GRANTS. 

On  the  2 1st  of  June,  1842,  Governor  .\lvarado, 
on  the  petition  of  Don  Antonio  Maria  Lugo, 
granted   to   Jose  del   Carmen   Lugo,  Jose   Maria 


Lugo  and  Vicente  Lugo,  sons  of  Don  Antonio, 
and  to  his  nephew,  Diego  Sepulveda,  the  rancho 
de  San  Bernardino,  containing  nine  leagues  or 
abf-Hit  37,000  acres  of  land.  In  1841  the  Santa 
Ana  del  Qiino  had  been  granted  to  Don  An- 
tonio Lugo.  It  contained  five  leagues.  Don  An- 
tonio already  owned  extensive  grants  east  and 
south  of  Los  Angeles  city.  He  seems  to  have 
been  som.ewhat  of  a  land  grabber.  Governor 
Alvarado  was  his  nephew.  It  is  barely  possible 
that  he  had  a  "pull"  in  official  quarters.  Julian 
Isaac  Williams,  later  owner  of  the  Chino  rancho, 
was   a   son-in-law   of   Don   Antonio's 

THI-:   TK.\NSITION    KR.A. 

The  transition  of  California  from  the  rule  of 
Mexico  to  the  domination  of  the  United  States 
had  little  effect  upon  the  sparse  population  of 
the  San  Bernardino  valley.  The  only  echo  from 
the  war  of  the  conquest  that  reached  the  valley 
was  the  battle  of  Chino,  September  27,  1846. 
Fifty  Californians  under  command  of  Serbulo 
Verala  and  Diego  Sepulveda  attacked  a  company 
of  Americans  under  command  of  B.  D.  Wilson, 
who  had  taken  shelter  in  the  Qiino  ranch  house. 
In  the  charge  upon  the  house  one  Californian, 
Carlos  Ballestras,  was  killed  and  several  wound- 
ed. Three  Americans  were  wounded.  The  at- 
tacking party  set  fire  to  the  roof  of  the  house. 
The  Americans  were  compelled  to  surrender. 
The  most  prom'inent  of  these  were  held  prisoners 
until  Los  Angeles  was  retaken  by  Commodore 
Stockton  and  General  Kearny,  January  10,  1847. 
General  Castro  and  part  of  his  staff  left  Cali- 
fornia for  Sonora  at  the  approach  of  Stockton 
and  Fremont  in  August,  1846,  by  the  way  of  the 
San  Gorgonino  Pass.  General  Flores  and  his 
aids  left  by  the  same  route  after  the  battle  of  La 
Mesa  in  January,  1847. 

In  April,  1847,  Col.  Philip  St.  George  Cooke 
sent  Company  C  of  the  ]\Iormon  Battalion  to 
guard  the  Cajon  caiion  and  prevent  the 
desert  Indians  from  making  raids  on  the  settlers' 
stock.  The  troops  were  instructed  to  build  a 
fortificatiop  across  the  caiion  of  logs  and  earth 
at  the  narrowest  place  in  the  pass  where  water 
and  grass  could  be  obtained,  so  as  effectually  to 
prevent  the  Indians  from  making  incursions 
throusrh   the   cafion   into  the   vallev.     The  com- 


436 


HISTORICAL  A.ND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


nianding-  officer.  Lieutenant  Rosencrans.  was  "to 
send  out  armed  parties  either  on  foot  or  mount- 
ed to  defend  ranchos  in  the  vicinity  or  to  attack 
wandering  parties  of  wild  Indians."  A  band  of 
hostile  Indians  was  surprised  in  the  mountains 
by  a  detachment  of  the  Mormon  Battalion.  In 
the  fight  that  ensued  eight  of  the  hostiles,  ac- 
cording to  an  account  of  this  affair  given  to  the 
author  by  the  late  Stephen  C.  Foster,  were  killed. 
The  Mormons  cut  off  the  ears  of  the  dead  In- 
dians and  with  these  strung  on  a  string  brought 
them  to  Los  Angeles  as  an  evidence  of  their  suc- 
cess against  the  thieving  Los.  Another  author- 
ity says  that  it  was  a  Californian  that  did  the 
ear  cropping. 

After  peace  was  declared  and  the  soldiers  dis- 
charged, the  settlers  in  the  valley  had  to  defend 
themselves  against  the  horse  and  cattle  thieves. 
As  related  in  Chapter  XXXVH,  of  the  history 
of  San  Diego  county,  a  company  of  volunteers 
under  General  Morehead  was  sent  to  the  Col- 
orado river  to  punish  the  Yuma  Indians  for  the 
murder  of  Dr.  Lincoln's  party.  With  these  vol- 
unteers was  sent  a  lieutenant  whose  duty  it  was 
to  reclaim  and  return  to  the  owners  any  stock 
captured  by  the  troops  from  the  Indians.  If 
the  expedition  recaptured  any  stolen  horses 
there  is  no  record  of  it  in  the  archives. 

The  Indians  were  not  the  only  horse  thieves 
who  raided  the  ranchos  of  the  valley.  Renegade 
wliite  men  stole  stock  and  the  red  man  got  the 
punishment — bore  the  white  man's  burden. 

In  one  instance  retribution  overtook  the  white 
thieves  and  that,  too,  by  the  hands  of  the  In- 
dians. There  are  many  versions  of  what  is 
known  as  the  Irving  affair;  some  of  these  full 
of  errors.  In  the  Los  Angeles  Star  of  May  31, 
1851,  is  given  a  very  full  account  of  the  killing 
of  Irving's  gang  by  the  Indians.  This  is  con- 
temporaneous history.  The  account  was  pub- 
lished a  few  days  after  the  occurrence  of  the 
event  and  undoubtedly  is  the  most  nearlv  cor- 
rect of  any  version  of  the  affair  in  existence. 

"About  two  months  since  a  partv  of  men. 
some  twenty-five  in  number,  arrived  ^t  this  place 
and  encamped  a  short  distance  from  the  city. 
Tliev  were  under  the  command  of  Capt.  John 
Irving,  said  to  be  an  old  Texan  ranger.  We  do 
not   su]jpose   that    many   persons   here   were    in- 


formed as  to  the  objects  of  the  company.  Irving 
gave  out  that  he  was  going  to  Sonora  to  fight 
Indians.  One  member  of  the  company  in  en- 
deavoring to  induce  a  citizen  to  join 'them  stated 
that  they  were  going  to  Alexico  to  rob  some  of 
the  specie  conductas  (convoys)  between  the 
mines  and  Mazatlan.  When  here  they  excited 
the  terror  of  the  citizens  and  many  oft'ences  were 
charged  upon  them.  About  ten  days  since  they 
took  their  departure,  moving  in  the  direction  of 
the  Colorado,  and  probably  not  one  in  ten  of  our 
citizens  supposed  they  should  ever  hear  again 
of  the  party. 

"On  Sunday  last  letters  were  received  in  town 
from  Colonel  Magruder  at  Giino  and  Mayor 
Wilson  representing  a  state  of  things  which 
seemed  to  indicate  that  actual  war  existed  be- 
tween Irving's  men  and  the  native  Californians. 
It  was  said  that  Irving  and  his  party  were  kill- 
ing cattle,  stealing  horses  and  conducting  them- 
selves in  such  a  lawless  manner  as  to  render  it 
necessary  that  they  should  be  speedily  checked. 

"In  the  course  of  the  forenoon  a  public  meet- 
ing was  held  in  the  court  house.  Addresses 
were  made  by  various  citizens  and  suggestions 
made  as  to  a  proper  course  of  action.  The  pre- 
vailing opinion  seemed  to  be  that  it  was  advisable 
that  the  men  should  be  pursued  and  brought  to 
justice.  There  was  much  excitement  in  the  com- 
munity, and  all  our  citizens  were  prompt  in  de- 
nouncing the  marauders. 

"The  sheriff  summoned  a  posse  and  on  i\Ion- 
da\^  morning  proceeded  to  Chino,  where  it  was 
represented  that  forces  were  concentrating.  The 
sheriff  was  armed  with  a  warrant  issued  by 
Jonathan  R.  Scott  for  the  arrest  of  Irving's  party 
on  charge  of  grand  larceny. 

"On  Tuesday  morning  the  sheriff'  proceeded 
to  Robidoux's  ranch,  where  they  were  informed 
that  Irving  had  encamped  the  previous  night. 
From  spieS'  sent  to  Teniescal  it  was  ascertained 
that  a  body  of  men  supposed  to  be  Irving's  had 
crossed  over  towards  Lugos  on  Tuesday  morn- 
ing, and  the  sheriff,  fearing  that  the\-  had  gone 
there  for  no  good  purpose,  deemed  it  advisable 
to  follow  them.  The  sheriff  had  not  proceeded 
far  before  he  learned  that  Irving's  party  had  all 
been  killed  by  the  Apolitans,  a  tribe  of  the  Cowie 
Indians. 


HISTORICAL  AXIJ  BIOCRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


431 


it  appears  that  Irvinij's  ])arty  first  went  to 
Felipe  Lugo's  and  Ijroke  into  and  entered  the 
house.  Whether  or  not  they  stole  anything  of 
value  is  not  certain.  They  ransacked  the  trunks 
and  scattered  the  clothing  about  and  probably 
took  away  some  articles  of  small  value.  They 
then  proceeded  to  Jose  Maria  Lugo's,  some  six 
miles  distant  from  Felipe's.  Tlie  people  at  the 
ranches  fled  at  their  approach,  but  it  does  not 
appear  that  they  entered  any  house  except  the 
Lugo's.  At  Jose  Maria  Lugo's  it  is  said  that 
they  stole  various  articles.  It  is  the  prevailing 
opinion  that  their  object  was  to  murder  the  two 
young  Lugos.  Irving  had  been  heard  to  say 
that  he  would  take  the  scalps  of  the  voung  Lugos 
and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  he  was  bent 
on  murder  as  well  as  plunder. 

"Not  finding  the  Lugos  at  home,  Irving  left 
the  premises  and  struck  into  a  road  leading  into 
the  mountains.  He  must  liave  supposed  that 
he  could  gain  the  valley  beyond  or  he  would 
never  have  allowed  himself  to  be  surrounded  in 
the  manner  which  he  was.  The  Cowies,  many  of 
whom  are  domiciliated  at '  Lugo's,  followed  up 
Irving's  party  and  attacked  them  with  bows  and 
arrows  and  lances.  Irving  followed  a  road  into 
a  ravine,  the  steep  banks  of  which  prevented  his 
egress  and  here  it  was  the  whole  party  was  slain. 
Not  one  was  left  to  tell  the  tale.  The  Indians  first 
shot  them  down  with  bows  and  arrows  and  beat 
in  their  skulls  with  stones.  Persons  who  have 
•  seen  the  dead  bodies  describe  them  as  being- 
mangled  in  a  manner  shocking  to  behold. 

"Those  who  are  known  to  be  killed  are  John 
Irving,  Frank  Wilson,  Perley,  Jack  Hitchcock, 
Charles  Lovelle,  and  George  Clarke.  Besides 
these  men  there  were  known  to  be  with  Irving 
when  he  left  here,  William  O'Donnell,  Peter 
(supposed  to  be  a  brother  of  O'Donnell),  Alfred 
Spencer,  Mason  Bozet,  and  three  men  called 
Mac,  Sam  and  Pat.  It  is  possible  that  the  three 
last  named  are  included  among  the  foregoing, 
whose  Christian  names  are  not  given.  Only  one 
Indian  was  killed  and  two  or  three  wounded. 
The  Indian  known  to  have  been  killed  was  an 
alcalde  of  the  Apolitans  and  was  cut  off  from 
the  main  bod>-  and  shot,  as  it  is  said,  by  Irving, 
The  Indians  were  headed  by  Ricardo,  a  native 
Californian  and  one  who  has  been   in  man\-  af- 


fra\s.     There  were  from  three  to  four  hundred 
Indians. 

"The  Indians  say  that  Irving  fought  very 
liravely.  He  was  mounted  on  a  superb  horse 
and  was  conspicuous  throughout  the  engage- 
ment, encouraging  his  men  and  charging  into 
the  very  midst  of  his  opponents.  He  was  found 
with  tive  arrow  wounds  in  the  region  of  the 
heart.  It  is  supposed  that  Irving's  men  had 
about  $5,000  with  them,  all  of  which  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Indians.  Tlie\  exhil)it  their 
booty  freely  to  all  who  visit  the  rancheria.  The 
bodies  were  found  entirely  naked,  the  Indians 
having  stripj^ed  them  of  their  clothes,  which,  to- 
gether with  the  arms  and  horses,  they  carried 
off  to  the  rancheria  as  spoils  of  war.  .\s  long 
as  Irving's  men  kept  upon  the  plains  they  could 
ofifer  resistance,  but  the  moment  the\-  entered  the 
caiiada  their  doom  was  sealed;  the  Indians  eas- 
ily gained  access  to  the  hills  above  them  and 
shot  them  tc>  death  with  their  arrows." 

JIORMOX     I.\rMU;R.\XT.'^. 

Whatever  was  the  real  design  of  Brigham 
Vnung  in  sending  a  colony  of  Mormons  to  set- 
tle in  C.ilifornia  will  never  be  known.  The  os- 
tensil)le  |)ur|jose  "of  the  establishment  of  this 
colony  was  (according  to  Brigham's  own  state- 
ment )  that  the  people  gathering  in  I'tah  from 
the  Sandwich  Islands  and  even  from  Europe 
might  have  an  outfitting  post."  One  ship  did 
land  Mormon  immigrants  from  Honolulu  at  San 
Pedro  in  1855. 

It  was  no  dou])t  part  of  his  design  to  secure 
a  winter  route  to  Salt  Lake.  The  Rocky  moun- 
tains on  the  east  and  the  Sierra  Nevadas  on  the 
west,  on  account  of  the  deep  snows,  were  im- 
passable in  winter.  If  a  southern  route  could 
be  opened  supjjlies  could  be  obtained  for  ."^alt 
Lake  in  the  winter.  The  distance  too  from  the 
sea  coast  for  the  converts  to  travel  to  the  new 
Zion  would  be  shortened  and  they  could  be  sent 
to  their  destination  without  running  the  gaunt- 
let of  the  ( lentiles,  which  they  would  encounter 
in  crossing  the  continent  from  the  east. 

.\  compan\-  was  organized  at  Salt  Lake  in 
March,  1851,  to  go  to  California  to  form  a  set- 
tlement in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Cajon  pass. 
The  original  intention  was  to  send  a  compau}-  of 


438 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


twenty  under  command  of  Amasa  M.  Lyman 
and  Charles  C.  Rich,  luit  so  popular  was  the- 
scheme  that  500  enlisted.  The  emigrants  were 
divided  into  three  divisions.  The  first  com- 
manded by  Rich,  the  second  b}'  Lyman  and  the 
third  by  Lytle.  Jefferson  Hunt,  late  captain  of 
Company  A  of  the  Mormon  Battalion,  piloted 
the  advance  division.  He  had  been  over  the 
route  several  times,  and  in  1849  had  guided  a 
large  company  of  immigrants  from  the  states 
who  had  reached  Salt  Lake  City  too  late  to 
cross  the  Sierra  Xevadas.  Andrew  Lytle,  the 
commander  of  the  third  division,  had  also  been 
an  officer  in  the  Mormon  Battalion. 

The  advance  division  arrived  at  the  Cajon 
pass  late  in  May.  The  Los  Angeles  Star  of 
May  31,  1 85 1,  gives  this  notice  of  the  arrival : 

"We  learn  that  150  Mormon  families  are  at 
Cajon  pass  sixty  miles  east  of  this  city  on  their 
way  here  from  Deseret.  These  families,  it  is 
said,  intend  to  settle  in  this  valley  and  to  make 
it  their  permanent  home.  We  cannot  yet  give 
full  credit  to  these  statements  because  they  do 
not  come  to  us  fully  authenticated — but  if  it  be 
true  that  Mormons  are  coming  in  such  numbers 
to  settle  among  us  we  shall,  as  good  industrious 
citizens,  extend  to  them  a  friendly  welcome.'' 

THE    ST.VTE    OF    DESERET. 

In  the  above  extract  the  editor  of  the  Star 
states  that  the  Mormons  are  on  their  way  here 
from  "Deseret."  The  word  Deseret,  once  in 
common  use  as  the  name  of  the  Mormon  settle- 
ment at  Salt  Lake,  is  now  almost  obsolete  and 
needs  a  few  words  of  explanation  in  regard  to 
the  origin  and  use  of  the  term  as  applied  to 
Utah.  When  the  Mormons  located  at  Salt  Lake 
July  24,  1846,  all  the  territory  now  included  in 
■  Utah  and  Nevada  was  part  of  Upper  California. 
On  the  4th  of  March,  1849,  a  convention  met  at 
Salt  Lake  City  to  form  a  state  government.  A 
provisional  government  was  organized  under  the 
name  of  the  state  of  Deseret.  The  word  "des- 
eret" occurs  in  the  book  of  Monnon  and  is 
translated  honey  bee:  "No  pent-up  Utica"  con- 
tracted the  powers  of  the  makers  of  that  com- 
monwealth. The  southern  line  of  Deseret  was 
the  northern  boundary  of  Mexico.  Its  western 
boundary  followed  the  118°  30"  longitude  west 


from  Greenwich  northward  to  where  said  line 
intersected  the  Sierra  Nevadas  and  along  the 
crest  of  the  mountains  to  Oregon.  Its  eastern 
boundary  was  the  Rocky  mountains.  Had  the 
state  of  Deseret  materialized  it  would  have  had 
a  seaport  at  San  Diego.  All  of  the  sea  coast 
from  the  Mexican  line  to  the  port  of  San  Pedro, 
as  well  as  the  greater  part  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia, would  have  been  a  part  of  the  state  of  the 
Honey  Bee.  Brigham  Young  was  elected  gov- 
ernor. Three  of  the  apostles  were  made  supreme 
judges  and  a  delegate  to  congress  elected. 

Six  months  before  the  Californians  had 
aroused  themselves  to  form  a  state  government, 
the  state  of  Deseret  was  knocking  at  the  doors 
of  congress  for  admission  into  the  Union ;  but 
the  doors  would  not  open,  the  delegate  to  con- 
gress from  the  state  of  Deseret  was  not  admit- 
ted, nor  the  state  either.  A  year  later,  when 
California  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  the  self- 
constituted  state  of  Deseret,  shorn  somewhat  of 
its  proportions,  became  the  territor}-  of  Utah. 
The  Mormons  still  clung  to  the  name  Deseret. 
The  territorial  seal  adopted  in  1850  contained 
a  cut  of  a  bee  hive  with  a  swarm  of  bees  ram- 
pant, and  one  of  Brigham  Young's  harems  was 
known  as  the  bee-hive  house.  The  Deseret 
.Vt'Tt'.s-  is  still  the  official  organ  of  the  Mormon 
church. 

That  the  San  Bernardino  valley  was  once  in- 
cluded in  the  inchoate  state  of  Deseret  may  have 
had  some  influence  in  directing  Brigham 
Young's  attention  to  it.  I  take  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  Los  Angeles  Star  of  July  5,  185 1. 
It  gives  a  description  of  the  San  Bernardino 
valley  as  it  was  fifty-five  years  ago  when  the 
Mormons  settled  there.  The  story  of  the  won- 
derful snow  storm  of  1848  is  new  history,  but 
whether  true  or  not  I  cannot  say.  If  a  snow 
storm  severe  enough  to  destroy  thousands  of 
cattle  swept  the  valley  in  1848  the  climate  must 
have  changed  since  then. 

THE    MORMONS. 

"A  body  of  this  people,  numbering  five  hun- 
dred souls,  are  now  encamped  in.  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Cajon  pass  in  this  county.  We 
learn  that  they  are  negotiating  for  the  purchase 
of  the  rancho  of  San  Bernardino  from  the  fani- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD. 


439 


ily  of  Don  Antonio  ^Nlaria  Lugo,  by  whom  it  is 
held.  This  rancho  is  about  65  miles  from  Los 
Angeles  on  one  (and  the  best)  direct  road  to 
Sonera.  It  will,  without  doubt,  one  day  be  a 
point  of  no  inconsiderable  importance.  There  is 
soil,  water,  timber,  everything  abounding  to  sus- 
tain a  large  and  prosperous  population.  Though 
lying  right  under  the  snow  capped  mountain  of 
San  Bernardino  the  temperature  is  pleasant 
enough  generally — even  in  winter. 

"The  year  1848  was  a  remarkable  exception, 
for  snow  fell  to  the  depth  of  several  feet  and 
covered  the  plains  a  long  time.  Several  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle  were  destroyed.  The  rancho 
now,  after  scarcely  three  years,  is  supposed  to 
have  from  eight  to  ten  thousand  head  in  spite 
of  such  severe  visitation.  The  river  Santa  Ana 
takes  its  rise  here  and  even  before  it  leaves  the 
rancho  aflfords  quite  a  strong  body  of  water. 

"This  is  the  former  site  of  the  old  mission  of 
San  Bernardino;  and  the  drafts  of  a  thousand 
mills  for  many  years  would  not  exhaust  the  tim- 
ber of  the  mountains  of  the  same.  Here  prob- 
ably this  interesting  people  will  make  the  first 
establishment  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  They 
profess  the  best  intentions  towards  the  old  set-" 
tiers  of  the  cotmty  and  .show  no  disposition  in 
the  slightest  degree  to  interfere  with  the  rights 
of  others.  Thus  acting  they  deserve  a  kindly 
consideration  and  every  encouragement  in  their 
plans  of  settlement." 

From  the  above  extract  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  Mormon  leaders  immediately  after  their  ar- 
rival began  negotiations  with  Lugos  for  the  pur- 
chase of  the  San  Bernardino  rancho.  Before 
deciding  to  purchase  it  they  examined  several 
other  ranches,  but  finally  decided  to  buy  the 
San  Bernardino.  The  contract  for  its  purchase 
was  made  in  September,  1851.  but  the  deed  did 
not  go  on  record  until  February  27,  1852.  The 
purchase  price  was  stated  to  be  $77,500.  The 
settlers  obtained  from  the  Lugos  seventy-five 
head  of  cattle  for  beef.  The  great  herds  of  cat- 
tle belonging  to  the  Lugos  were  removed  during 
the  following  winter.  The  rancho  was  pur- 
chased on  credit.  The  Mormons  had  plenty  of 
faith  but  little  cash.  It  is  said  that  the  aggre- 
gate wealth  of  the  whole  band  in  money  was 
only  $700,   and   this  liad   to   -ufficc   to  buy   food 


until  the\-  could  raise  crops.  While  negotiations 
were  pending  the\-  had  remained  encamped  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Cajon  pass.  In  September 
they  removed  their  camp  to  the  present  site  of 
the  city  of  San  Bernardino. 

During  185 1  and  the  early  part  of  1852  the 
mountain  and  desert  Indians  were  on  the  war 
path.  Warner's  ranch  had  been  plundered,  emi- 
grant trains  attacked,  and  Antonio  Garra  had 
boasted  he  would  exterminate  the  white  race  in 
California.  A  military  post  had  been  established 
at  Qiino  and  a  guard  kept  there.  I  find  this 
item  in  the  Los  Angeles  Star  of  March  2,  1852 : 
"The  military  post  at  Chino,  under  command 
of  Captain  Lowell,  has  recently  received  the  ac- 
cession to  its  members  of  sixty  men  who  have 
been  ordered  there  from  San  Diego." 

In  December,  1851,  a  company  of  thirty-five 
men  was  raised  in  Los  Angeles  to  quell  the  In- 
dian disturbances.  The  Star  of  December  6, 
1851,  says:  "It  is  supposed  that  all  the  southern 
Indians  are  in  a  plot  to  massacre  the  whites." 

The  Mormons,  fearing  raids  from  the  Indians, 
proceeded  to  erect  a  stockade.  It  was  made  of 
the  split  trunks  of  cottonwood  trees  and  large 
willows.  The  palisades  were  set  about  three 
feet  in  the  ground  and  stood  about  twelve  feet 
high.  The  inclosure  was  in  the  form  of  a  par- 
allelogram, three  hundred  feet  wide  and  seven 
hundred  feet  long.  Inside  of  this  log  cabins  and 
adobe  houses  were  erected.  The  southern  end 
of  the  stockade  was  just  below  what  is  now  the 
intersection  of  C  and  Third  streets  and  the 
northwest  corner  was  intersected  by  Fourth 
street  near  C  street.  The  settlers  lived  in  the 
fort  for  nearly  a  year.  After  the  Indians  had 
been  subjugated,  the  colonists  settled  on  their 
individual  possessions  and  the  development  of 
the  colony  was  rapid. 

In  1852  a  large  flour  mill  was  built  "with  two 
sets  of  burr  stones  and  a  race-way  one  mile  in 
length."  The  wheat  raised  was  converted  into 
flour.  The  farmers  of  the  southern  coast  coun- 
ties did  not  produce  flour  enough  for  their  own 
consumption.  It  cost  $10  freight  on  a  barrel  of 
flour  from  San  Francisco  to  San  Pedro.  The 
Mormons  found  wheat  growing  very  profitable, 
but  the  crop  was  uncertain. 


440 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOfiR  \PHICAL  RECORD. 


CHAPTER    LXIV. 


SAN    BERNARDINO    COUNTY— Continued. 


OKCAXIZATIOK   OF  THE   COUMV. 

IX  1853  the  county  of  San  Bernardino  was 
created.  It  was  cut  off  from  the  eastern 
part  of  Los  Angeles  county.  The  act  creat- 
ing the  county  was  approved  April  26,  1853. 
There  seems  to  have  been  no  opposition  to  its 
creation;  Los  Angeles  had  territory  enough  left. 
The  area  of  San  Bernardino  county  was  2^1.472 
square  miles. 

The  town  site  of  San  Bernardino  was  laid  out 
in  1853.  The  plan  was  copied  from  that  of  Salt 
Lake  City.  The  town  was  a  mile  square,  the 
streets  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles.  Each 
block  contained  eight  acres.  Irrigating  ditches 
ran  along  the  streets,  the  same  as  in  Salt  Lake 
City.  San  liernardino  was  incorporated  as  a 
city  by  a  special  act  of  the  legislature,  approved 
April  13,  1854.  The  council  house  built  by 
Lyman  and  Rich  was  used  as  the  court  house 
after  the  organization  of  the  county.  It  was 
located  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Third  and 
what  is  now  C  streets. 

The  land  was  surveyed  into  tracts  of  various 
sizes  to  suit  jvurchasers.  Prices  ranged  from 
$10  to  $20  per  acre.  There  were  some  non- 
;Mormons  among  the  settlers.  These  were 
known  as  independents.  Many  of  these  were 
immigrants  who  came  to  California  by  the  south- 
ern routes.  Attracted  by  the  cheapness  of  the 
land  and  the  fertility  of  the  soil  in  the  San  Ber- 
nardino valley  they  located  there.  They  were 
not  in  accord  with  the  Mormons  in  religion  nor 
in  man\-  of  tlie  social  customs.  Congress,  in 
1854,  appropriated  $50,000  for  the  survey  and 
location  of  a  wagon  road  between  San  Ber- 
nardino and  Salt  Lake  City.  May  i,  1855,  Gil- 
bert &  Co.'s  Great  Salt  Lake  Express  was  estab- 
lished. It  made  monthly  trips,  stopping  at  the 
following  stations :  Coal  Creek,  Parowan,  Red 
Creek.  iMllmnre  City,  .\ephi  City,  Summit  Creek, 
i'niVD  Citw    Xnicrican  Fork  and  Great  Salt  Lake 


City.  It  carried  letters,  parcels,  packages  and 
treasure.  It  was  at  first  a  pony  express,  but  later 
on  the  mail  and  express  were  carried  in  wagons. 

In  1855  there  was  a  failure  in  the  wheat  crop 
in  the  valley  on  account  of  a  dry  year.  There 
were  hard  times  in  the  colony.  Elders  Thomas, 
Jackson,  Daley,  Hopkins  and  Rich  started  out 
on  a  missionary  and  business  tour  through  the 
state  to  explain  their  doctrines  and  to  influence 
capitalists  and  others  to  purchase  lots  in  dieir 
new  city,  or  farming  lands  adjoining.  The  Los 
Angeles  Star  of  .\ugust  4,  1855,  says:  "Our 
Mormon  neighbors  have  to  make  their  last  pay- 
ment, amounting  to  some  $35,000,  on  their  ranch 
on  the  7th  of  October  next,  and  they  are  dis- 
posed to  hold  out  great  inducements  to  specu- 
lators and  all  tliose  who  ma\-  wish  to  settle  ])er- 
nianently  among  them. 

"The  failure  of  the  wheat  crop  has  placed  our 
Mormon  friepds  under  great  pecuniary  embar- 
rassments, which  have  forced  them  to  ask  re- 
lief from  saints  and  those  who  are  friendly  to 
their  cause  and  to  whom  they  will  give  good  and 
sufficient  titles  to  land  as  an  equivalent  for  aid 
furnished."  Centrally  located  city  lots,  con- 
taining an  acre,  were  offered  at  $125,  and  five- 
acre  suburban  lots  at  $25  per  acre.  It  seems  to 
have  been  alternately  feast  and  famine  in  the 
colony.  The  year  of  1856  was  a  season  of 
])lenty.  The  Star  of  January  21,  1856,  gives 
this  report  of  the  prosperity  of  the  colonists  : 

A    PROSPEROUS    COLONY. 

"From  the  settlement  of  San  Bernardino  we 
have  received  favorable  reports.  The  people  are 
engaged  in  securing  their  crops,  which  are  very 
abundant  and  in  prime  condition.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  the  harvest  will  produce  one  hundred 
thousand  bushels  of  wheat,  and  fifty  thousand 
bushels  of  barley.  The  grass  is  so  plentiful  on 
the  ranch  that  Don  Bernardo  Yorba  has  placed 


HISTORIC,\L  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORI). 


441 


a  band  of  5,000  head  of  cattle  to  remain  there 
nine  months.  There  are  ah-eady  Iielonging  to 
the  community  10,000  head  on  the  ranch,  which 
is  capable  of  sustaining  50,000  head  of  cattle. 

"The  grist  mill  has  been  repaired  and  very 
much  inijiroved  and  flour  has  already  been 
ground  from  this  year's  wheat.  The  saw-mills 
have  ceased  operation  for  want  of  water,  but 
there  is  an  abundance  of  lumber.  The  schools 
are  in  a  prosperous  condition,  there  being  165 
children  in  attendance  at  the  two  schools  with 
four  teachers,  three  males  and  one  female.  The 
abundant  harvest  of  the  present  \ear  will  make 
up  for  the  heavy  losses  of  the  previous  years." 

POLITICAL. 

San  Bernardino  county  was  strongly  Demo- 
cratic. .\t  the  presidential  election  of  1856,  Bu- 
chanan received  314  votes,  Fillmore  7  and  Fre- 
mont 93.  Evidently  the  denunciation  in  the  Re- 
publican platform  of  that  year  of  the  "twin  relics 
of  barbarism — poh'gamy  and  slavery" — was  not 
acceptable  to  the  Mormon  voters.  Their  votes 
tlid  Buchanan  no  good.  Either  through  the 
county  clerk's  neglect  or  the  mail's  delay  the  re- 
turns (lid  not  reach  Sacramento  in  time  to  be 
counted  in  the  official  vote  of  the  state. 

THE    RECALL    OF    THE    SAINTS. 

For  ten  years  after  the  organization  of  the 
territory  of  Utah,  Brigham  Young  had  been  its 
governor.  Through  all  that  time  there  had  been 
more  or  less  friction  between  him  and  the  of- 
ficials appointed  to  represent  the  United  States 
government  in  Utah.  Brigham  Young  and  the 
hierarchy  were  supreme  in  the  territory.  Some 
of  the  officials  sent  out  by  the  government  were 
unfit  for  their  positions  and  the  JMormons  had 
good  reasons  for  objecting  to  them.  President 
Buchanan  determined  to  remove  Brigham  from 
the  governorship  of  the  territory.  Brigham  de- 
fied the  government.  He  had  said  in  one  of  his 
Sunday  harangues  in  the  tabernacle,  "I  am  and 
willbe  governor  and  no  power  can  hinder  it 
until  the  Lord  Almighty  says:  'Brigham.  you 
need  not  be  governor  any  longer.'  "  When  the 
news  reached  him  that  the  president  had  deter- 
mined to  appoint  another  governor  and  that  the 
laws  would  be  enforced  in  Utah  even  if  an  army 


had  to  be  sent  there  to  enforce  them,  Brigham 
issued  his  mandate  recalling  all  the  saints  to 
Zion.  Apostles  Lyman  and  Rich,  who  al^fcore 
military  titles  and  were  in  chargeAO« 
at  San  Bernardino,  were  ordeij^Lw' breflk  up 
their  settlement  am' 


The  Los  Angeles  Star  of  May, 
tains  this  notice  of  the  departurej|pf 'Eyman  and 
Rich,  the  founders  of  the  ^Si^^ry:  "Our  corre- 
spondent informs  us  that  (.)fi  Saturday  Gen.  C. 
C.  Rich  and  Colonel  L\nian,  with  thirty  more 
members  of  the  Mormon  church,  started  from 
San  liernardino  for  Great  Salt  Lake  City.  The 
train  consisted  of  about  thirty  wagons.  The 
party  was  escorted  by  a  large  numlier  of  the  citi- 
zens as  far  as  Cajon  pass,  where  they  encamped 
and  passed  the  night.  Next  morning  the  friends 
separated  and  the  pilgrims  proceeded  on  their 
journey  to  the  Mecca  of  the  Great  Prophet." 

R[V.\r.    FOL'RTII    OF    .1  LXV    CELEIJR.VTIONS. 

The  ^kirmons  and  Independents  did  not  be- 
come more  harmonious  as  time  went  by.  In  all 
their  social  functions  they  kejit  apart.  The  cele- 
bration of  the  4th  cif  July  always  stirred  in  them 
not  so  much  a  spirit  of  patriotism,  as  a  feeling 
of  animosity.  There  were  usually  two  celebra- 
tions. In  1856  each  tried  to  outdo  the  other  in 
noise.  The  Independents  imported  a  cannon 
from  Los  Angeles  and  won  out  on  boom,  but- 
lost  on  flag  pole,  the  church  part}-  erecting  one 
a  hundred  feet  in  height  against  the  Independ- 
ents sixty  feet. 

In  1857  there  were  rival  celebrations.  The 
Mormons  built  a  bowery  on  the  Plaza  to  ac- 
commodate one  thousand  persons.  There  was  a 
procession  of  all  the  young  Mormon  ladies  in 
the  colonv.  The\-  were  dressed  in  white  with 
wreaths  of  flowers  on  their  heads  and  marched 
in  twos  to  the  bowery.  Praxer,  reading  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  and  an  oration  by 
Jeft'erson  Hunt  filled  out  the  literary  program; 
while  a  dinner  to  which  everybody  was  invited 
filled  out  the  individual,  dancing  to  sundown 
completed  the  celebration. 

The  Independents  held  their  celebration  at 
Fort    Benson.      This    inrt    had    been   built   by    a 


442 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


man  named  Benson  in  1854.  Benson  claimed 
that  he  was  located  on  government  land,  a  claim 
the  ranch  owners  disputed.  To  defend  his  claim 
Benson  built  the  fort.  It  became  a  rallying 
point  for  the  Independents.  The  rivals  tried  to 
excel  each  other  in  the  numbers  attending  their 
respective  celebrations.  The  Independents  se- 
cured the  attendance  of  Cabezon  and  his  tribe  of 
Cahuilla  Indians.  They  won  out  on  the  con- 
sumption of  viands,  for  every  Indian  brought 
along  an  aching  void.  The '  day  ended  with  a 
shooting  scrape.  A  young  Mormon  assailed  a 
crippled  Independent,  who  shot  him  in  self-de- 
fense, so  a  jury  afterwards  decided.  This  was 
the  last  rival  4th  of  July  celebration.  Next  year 
the  Mormons  were  in  Salt  Lake. 

In  August,  1857,  a  large  sale  of  cattle  was 
made  for  the  purpose  of  liquidating  the  debt 
that  still  encumbered  the  ranch.  The  cattle  had 
been  contributed  as  tithes  by  the  members  of  the 
Mormon  church.  The  amount  realized  was 
about  $13,000. 

HASTENING    AWAY. 

When  the  reports  of  the  Mountain  Aleadows 
Massacre  were  received  in  California  they 
aroused  the  indignation  of  the  people  to  the 
highest  pitch  against  the  Mormons.  A  mass 
meeting  was  called  at  the  Plaza  in  Los  Angeles 
and  Brigham  Young  and  his  followers  roundly 
denounced.  Resolutions  were  passed  calling 
upon  the  governor  to  enforce  the  laws  against 
the  "community  of  iXIormons  residing  in  the 
adjoining  county  of  San  Bernardino,  many  of 
whom  are  living  in  open  violation  of  one  of  the 
most  sacred  laws  of  our  state."  The  animosity- 
engendered  against  tlie  Mormons  on  account  of 
the  massacre  hastened  their  departure  from  San 
Bernardino.  They  were  compelled  to  sacrifice 
their  property  to  get  means  to  take  them  away. 

The  Star  of  December  5,  1857,  "gives  some 
items  of  sales  recently  made ;  one  tract  of  82 
acres  that  cost  $10.50  an  acre,  fenced  with  a 
good  picket  fence  which  cost  $2  per  rod,  the 
entire  tract  under  cultivation,  with  good  ditches 
for  irrigation,  was  sold  for  $500.  Another  tract 
containing  600  acres,  under  fence,  on  which 
-there  were  7.500  vines,  assessed  last  year  at 
$10,000,  sold  for  $T.5oo.     Another  property  con- 


taining a  flourmg  mill,  distillery,  saw-mill  and 
300  acres  of  land  that  cost  in  all  $75,000,  sold 
for  $6,000." 

On  December  7,  1857,  a  meeting  was  held  in 
Los  AngeJes  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the 
sale  of  arms  and  ammunition  to  the  Mormons 
returning  to  Salt  Lake  City.  The  Star  of  De- 
cember 26th  estimated  that  250  wagons  and 
1,200  people  "fitted  out  for  L^tah  at  San  Ber- 
nardino. These  took  with  them  not  less  than 
fifteen  tons  of  powder  and  between  two  and 
three  thousand  guns  and  revolvers."  At  a  pub- 
lic meeting  held  in  Los  Angeles,  December  12,  it 
was  decided  to  ask  Gen.  N.  S.  Clark,  command- 
ing the  Department  of  the  Pacific,  to  station  500 
troopers  at  the  Cajon  pass  to  prevent  an  inva- 
sion of  Southern  California  by  Brigham  Young's 
army. 

THE    LAST    TRAIN. 

The  last  detachment  of  the  Mormons  gathered 
in  camp  on  the  Mojave.  There  were  about  100 
wagons  in  the  encampment.  The  Star  of  Janu- 
ary 16,  1858,  says:  "The  camp  on  the  Mojave 
cannot  be  so  devoid  of  the  comforts  of  life  after 
all  as  it  might  be  supposed.  We  have  heard  it 
stated  by  several  that  since  the  camp  was  estab- 
lished there  has  been  no  less  than  fifty  marriages, 
the  young  men  of  the  party  agreeing  to  take 
charge  of  all  the  young  ladies,  to  which  the  lat- 
ter freely  consented,  thus  securing  protection 
through  the  long  journey.  There  have  been  no 
less  than  twenty-five  births  in  the  camp." 

At  the  time  of  the  exodus  there  were  remain- 
ing of  the  San  Bernardino  rancho  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  firm  of  Rich,  L>nian.  Hanks  &  Co. 
about  25.000  acres ;  on  this  there  was  a  mort- 
gage held  by  Pioche,  Bayerque  &  Co.  This  mort- 
gage was  purchased  in  January,  1858,  by  Conn, 
Tucker.  Allen  &  Coopwood  and  the  ownership 
of  the  magnificent  estate  was  transferred  to 
them.  The  original  purchase  by  Lyman,  Rich 
&  Co.  was  38,000  acres.  The  difference  between 
that  and  the  purchase  by  Conn  and  his  partners 
represented  the  amount  sold  to  settlers.  Some 
of  the  Mormon  colonists  refused  to  obey  the 
call  of  the  prophet  and  were  cut  off  from  the 
fellowship  in  the  church.  The  farms  sold,  most- 
ly   passed    into    the    possession    of    people    from 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


443 


Texas,  the  Monte  and  Los  Nietos ;  and  San  Ber- 
nardino ceased  to  be  distinctively  a  Alormon 
colony. 

However  opposed  to  the  Mormon  religion  any- 
one may  be,  it  must  be  admitted  that  as  colonists 
no  people  have  been  more  successful.  The  Pil- 
grim Fathers  had  no  more  hardships  and  afflic- 
tions to  contend  with  than  had  the  Mormon 
apostles  and  their  followers  of  Salt  Lake.  Pov- 
erty and  persecution  and  famine  drove  them 
from  Missouri  and  Illinois ;  destitution,  suffer- 
ing and  death  marched  with  them  in  their  mi- 
gration to  Salt  Lake,  and  hunger  came  to  their 
chosen  land.  During  the  famine  years  of  1855 
and  1856  many  a  family  never  knew  what  it  was 
to  have  a  full  meal.  Through  all  they  perse- 
vered and  built  a  prosperous  empire  in  a  desert. 
Of  the  many  colonies  that  have  been  founded 
in  California  since  the  Mormon  colony  of  San 
Bernardino  none  have  accomplished  so  much 
from  so  little  to  begin  with  in  so  brief  a  time. 
Bu}-ing  their  land  on  credit,  with  a  bare  pit- 
tance to  subsist  on  until  the  harvest  time,  which 
might  not  come,  with  frequent  failures  of  crops : 
vet  in  six  years  they  built  up  a  prosperous  set- 
tlement, and  made  the  beautiful  valley  of  San 
Bernardino  a  marvel  of  productiveness.  From 
an  excellent  History  of  San  Bernardino  County, 
vi-ritten  by  Miss  Rose  L.  Ellerbe  and  published 
bv  L.  A.  Ingersoll.  I  take  this  extract  from  the 
reminiscences  of  Marcus  Katz,  an  old  and  high- 
ly respected  pioneer,  illustrative  of  the  condition 
of  afifairs  after  the  departure  of  the  :\Iormons. 
He  puts  a  touch  of  humor  in  his  tale  of  the 
border  wars. 

AFTER   THE    MORMON    EXODUS. 

"After  the  ]\Iormons  had  left  the  country  a 
new  immigration  set  in,  chiefly  from  Texas  and 
the  southwest :  then  the  'band  began  to  play'  and 
the  'ball  commenced."  Quarrels,  fights  and  gen- 
eral disturbances. — sometimes  shooting  and  kill- 
ing— ensued.  On  one  occasion  a  pitched  battle 
was  fought  on  the  corner  of  C  and  Fourth 
streets,  between  the  Coopwood  and  Green  fac- 
tions. About  twenty  men  were  engaged  in  the 
conflict  and  a  sharp  fusilade  lasted  for  twenty 
minutes.  Green,  the  leader  of  bis  faction,  a  des- 
perado, marched   through   the   streets,   a   gun  at 


his  shoulder  and  a  revolver  at  his  side,  and  de- 
fied any  official  or  any. citizen  to  touch  him.  He 
denounced  all  of  the  Coopwood  faction  as  a  set 
of  cowards — except  that  "Little  Devil,"  pointing 
his  finger  at  Taney  de  la  Woodward.  'That  lit- 
tle devil  understands  the  business.' 

"It  is  needless  to  say  that  many  of  these  new- 
comers were  very  excellent  people,  but  they  were 
in  the  minorit)-. 

"Politically,  sociall\-  and  morally,  San  Ber- 
nardino was  ruled  by  a  ^et  of  corrupt  politicians, 
gamblers  and  desperadoes,  with  the  sheriff  of 
the  county  as  their  leader.  The  district  attorney 
openly  declared  that  he  meant  to  get  even  with 
the  county.  He  was  successful  in  his  commend- 
able enterprise,  but  shortly  afterwards  left  the 
county  of  his  own  free  will.  He  changed  the 
election  returns  of  V.  J.  Herring,  county  clerk, 
in  favor  of  James  Greenwade,  who  proved  the 
most  efficient  clerk  that  San  Bernardino  ever 
had.  He  drove  the  board  of  supervisors,  three 
in  number,  out  of  the  court  house  at  the  point 
of  a  cocked  revolver.  The  board  understood  the 
situation  at  a  glance  and  rushed  for  the  door  in 
a  body.  Greenwade,  reformed,  committed  sui- 
cide and  became  a  better  man. 

"At  another  time,  in  1861,  a  forgery  was  com- 
mitted in  the  campaign  for  legislative  honors. 
It  was  the  hardest  fought  election  that  ever  oc- 
curred in  the  county.  The  Piercey  faction  con- 
sisted of  shrewd  political  tricksters — unscrupu- 
lous is  scarcely  a  strong  enough  word  to  apply 
to  them.  The  Conn  party  was  made  up  of  our 
best  citizens.  It  was  arranged  that  the  editor 
of  the  only  paper,  the  Herald,  should  print  the 
tickets  for  the  election.  But  this  editor  was  al- 
ways drunk  during  ofifice  hours,  and  in  his  leis- 
ure hours — not  sober.  Rather  than  depend  on 
him  to  get  the  tickets  ready,  a  friend  and  myself 
obtained  his  permission  to  use  the  press  our- 
selves. When  the  Piercey  part}-  found  out  that 
the  press  was  placed  in  our  hands,  their  leaders 
asked  us  to  lend  them  the  press,  promising  to 
return  it  in  plenty  of  time.  Fearing  a  trick  on 
their  part,  we  sent  to  Los  Angeles  and  had  two 
thousand  tickets  printed  for  the  outside  pre- 
cincts. Our  expectations  were  realized:  they 
kei^t  the  press  until  the  evening  before  the  elec- 
tion and  then  the  editor  was  too  drunk  to  open 


444 


.    HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGR.M^HICAL  RF.CORD. 


the  office.  Having  no  key.  we  kicked  the  door 
open  and  fonnd  everything  in  the  office  topse\- 
turvey,  in  order  to  prevent  our  printing  the  tick- 
ets. But  in  their  haste,  they  had  left  a  notice, 
or  hand  bill,  already  set  up  and  in  perfect  order, 
announcing  that  "To-day  is  the  day  to  vote  for 
Qiarles  \\'.  Piercey.'  We  erased  the  name  of 
Piercev  and  put  in  the  name  of  William  A.  Conn 
in  its  place:  then  we  sent  a  messenger  to  the 
Spanish  settlement  to  post  our  bills  over  those 
of  Piercev.  The  Piercey  men  wondered  much 
how  such  a  gross  mistake  could  have  occurred, 
but  they  never  found  out  who  did  the  mischief. 

"On  the  day  of  the  election  one  of  the  Piercey 
party  challenged  any  man  to  bet  on  Piercey's 
election.  I  foolishly  -offered  to  bet  with  him. 
Xo  sooner  did  I  say  the  word  than  he  drew  his 
pistol  and  fired,  but  I  quickly  dodged — I  was 
afraid  he  would  soil  my  new  coat.  He  was  held 
before  the  grand  jury  without  results:  grand 
juries  in  those  days  were  afraid  to  discharge  their 
duties. 

"William  A.  Conn  was  duly  elected  our  repre- 
sentative, but  the  Pierce\-  interests  were  managed 
bv  a  fellow  named  Skinker — a  derivative  of 
'skunk.'  He  was  one  of  the  election  officers  of 
Temescal  precinct  and  two  weeks  after  the 
election  he  changed  the  poll  list  in  favor  of  Pier- 
cey, and  by  this  fraud  phiced  Piercey  in  the  leg- 
islature. Piercey  had  scarcely  taken  his  seat 
when  he  challenged  another  member  of  the  body 
to  a  duel.  Showalter,  the  man  challenged,  ac- 
cepted, and  Piercey  was  killed  at  the  second 
shot.  This,  to  a  certain  extent,  broke  up  the 
combine:  still,  'the  band  played  on.' 


"Some  of  the  social  events  of  those  days  were 
slightly  unsocial.  .\s  an  instance,  this  affair 
may  lie  mentioned.  The  colored  elite  of  the 
town  were  giving 'a  dance  and  a  general  fes- 
tivity according  to  the  code  of  dusky  etic|uctte, 
when  they  were  imceremoniously  interrupted  b\- 
the  entrance  of  a  number  of  white  sports  under 
the  leader.ship  of  one  AIcFeely,  who  desired  to 
participate  in  the  amusements.  The  colored  pro- 
prietor objected  and  McFeely  ordered  a  general 
house-cleaning  with  a  solid  thrashing  of  the 
colored   leader — all    of    which    was   accomplished 


in  double-quick  order.  The  proprietor  was  sore- 
ly grieved  at  being  ejected  from  his  own  house 
and  having  his  guests  so  grossly  insulted.  The 
next  day  he  swore  out  a  complaint  before  Judge, 
Wilson,  J.  P.,  against  McFeely  and  his  asso- 
ciates. McFeeiy,  with  his  chums,  appeared  on 
the  day  set  for  trial  and  asked  to  plead  his  own 
case  (he  very  politely  requested  the  court  to  let 
him  read  the  complaint)  :  the  court  readily  com- 
plied with  the  request  and  handed  him  the  paper. 
The  defendant  took  the  complaint  and  handed  it 
to  the  prosecuting  witness  and,  holding  a  cocked 
pistol  to  his  head,  ordered  him  in  most  em- 
phatic language  to  'eat  that  complaint.'  The 
])oor  fellow  turned  as  pale  as  nature  would  allow 
him  to  do,  and  while  his  pearly  teeth  chattered, 
ground  the  com]3laint  at  the  rate  of  a  running 
(|uartz  mill.  .\n  additional  demand  was  made 
of  the  prosecuting  witness :  'You  swallow  the 
mutilated  complaint."  The  defendant  still  held 
his  weapon  in  a  bee-line  with  the  African's  face, 
and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  his  royal  decree 
was  strictly  carried  out. 

"The  court  graced  the  official  chair  with  sealed 
lips,  ashen  pale  face  and  bristled  hair,  but  dared 
not  interrupt  the  proceedings.  He  watched  his 
first  opportunity  to  adjourn  court — sine  die — 
lest  he  should  have  to  swallow  the  record  of 
his  court." 

H.\KU    TIMES. 

During  the  \  ears  immediately  following  there 
was  little  or  no  progress  ill  San  Ilernardino.  It 
was  hard  times  in  the  colony,  money  was  scarce, 
rates  of  interest  high  and  prices  of  products  low. 
The  distance  to  market  was  too  great  and  cost 
of  transportation  too  high  to  leave  anything  to 
the  producer  from  the  sale  of  his  produce.  The 
leading  productions  at  that  time  were  wheat, 
barley,  corn,  alfalfa  and  mission  grapes.  The 
cultivation  of  citrus  fruits,  now  the  great  indus- 
tr\-  of  San  Bernardino,  was  then  untried.  At 
that  time  it  was  believed  that  oranges  could  be 
grciwn  onlv  on  the  lowlands  in  the  river  valleys, 
and  the  climate  of  San  T'.ernardino  was  consid- 
ered too  severe  in  the  winter  to  make  orange 
growing  a  success. 

COI.I)    MIXIXC. 

In   1860  there  was  a  gold  rush  to  the  moun- 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


445 


tai  of  San  Bernardino  that  materially  benefited 
the  merchants  and  producers  of  the  county. 

In  the  spring  of  i860,  W.  F.  Holcomb,  John 
Alartin,  Jim  Ware  and  several  others  prospect- 
ing for  bear  in  Bear  valley  found  gold.  The 
first  claims  were  located  May  5,  i860.  They 
named  the  part  of  the  valle}-  where  gold  was 
found  Holcomb  valley,"  a  name  it  still  bears. 
When  the  miners  bought  their  supplies  in  San 
Bernardino  and  Los  Angeles  and  paid  for  them 
in  gold  dust  the  secret  was  out  and  the  rush 
was  on.  Miners  came  from  ever\'  direction, 
some  on  horseback,  some  with  pack  trains  and 
some  with  their  outfits  on  their  backs. 

The  Los  Angeles  Star  of  June  23,  i860,  re- 
[x^rts  three  hundred  men  working  in  the  new 
mining  district  of  Bear  valley.  Childs  &  Hid- 
den, hardware  merchants,  had  received  sixty 
ounces  in  one  jiackage  for  sup]ilies  and  other 
merchants  had  received  considerable  amounts. 
"All  the  idlers  about  San  Bernardino  were  off 
to  the  new  mines,  and  a  general  furore  is  pre- 
vailing in  that  locality." 

Kelley's  Camp  was  the  business  place  of  that 
district.  New  mines  were  discovered  in  what 
was  called  the  Upper  Holcomb  valley,  and  the 
town  of  Belleville  became  its  business  center. 

During  the  winter  of  1860-61  snow  fell  to  the 
depth  of  five  feet  and  mining  operations  were 
suspended.  In  the  spring  of  1861  the  rush  was 
on  again,  and  the  population  of  the  mining  dis- 
tricts nearly  equaled  that  of  all  the  rest  of  the 
county.  The  diggings  were  shallow  and  easily 
worked  where  water  could  be  obtained.  The 
mines  were  what  in  mining  parlance  are  known 
as  "jjior  men's  diggings" — mines  that  pay  good 
wages,  but  in  which  no  big  strikes  are  made. 
There  was  a  very  rough  element  in  these  camps 
— cutting  and  shooting  scrapes  were  of  almost 
dailv  occurrence.  The  victims  of  these  scrapes 
were  no  loss  to  the  community. 

About  the  time  of  the  mining  excitement  in 
Bear  valley,  gold  was  discovered  in  Lytle  creek 
and  a  considerable  quantity  taken  out.  Hy- 
draulic mining  was  introduced  in  these  mines 
and  large  returns  received  on  the  outlay. 

In  1863  there  was  a  great  rush  to  new  mines 
discovered  on  the  Colorado  river.  Many  of  the 
miners  fitted   out   at   San   Bernardino.     The  va- 


rious mining  camps  furnished  a  market  for  home 
products  and  the  financial  outlook  for  the  countv 
was  greatly  imj^roved. 


The  Los  Angeles  Star  of  November  26,  i85y, 
publishes  this  notice :  "J.  Judson  Ames  has  is- 
sued the  prospectus  of  a  paper  to  be  published 
at  San  Bernardino  and  to  be  called  the  San  Ber- 
nardino Herald.  It  will  advocate  the  creation 
of  the  territory  or  state  of  Southern  California, 
the  construction  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  and  other 
matters  and  things  needful  to  make  San  Ber- 
nardino what  was  promised  long  ago  for  San 
Diegu — the  most  prosperous  city  in  the  state." 

At  the  time  of  issuing  this  prospectus  Ames 
was  publishing  the  San  Diego  Herald,  a  paper 
made  famous  b\-  John  Phoenix.  For  nearly  a 
decade  Ames  had  labored  in  season  and  out  of 
season  for  two  objects — the  up-building  of  San 
Diego  and  the  construction  of  a  Pacific  Railroad, 
whose  terminus  should  be  San  Diego.  He  had 
failed  in  both.  Poor  in  pocket  and  broken  in 
health  he  was  about  to  try  a  new  field. 

It  was  not  until  the  i6th  of  June,  i860,  that 
the  first  number  of  the  paper  appeared.  Its  ap- 
pearance from  that  time  until  its  final  disappear- 
ance in  F"ebruary.  1861,  was  intermittent.  It 
was  subject  to  temjiorary  fits  of  suspension.  It 
was  like  the  little  joker,  "now  you  see  it.  now 
you  don't."  December  22.  i860,  its  light  failed 
— that  was  the  last  issue  under  the  management 
of  Ames.    His  career  as  a  newspaper  man  ended. 

January  12,  1 861,  J.  S.  Waite  took  charge  of 
the  paper  and  for  a  short  time  conducted  it. 
Ames  died  shortly  after  he  quit  the  newspaper. 
His  widow  sold  the  plant  to  Major  Edwin  A. 
Sherman,  a  Mexican  veteran  and  a  pioneer  of 
1849.  The  last  issue  of  the  Herald  was  Febru- 
arv  21,  1861.  Major  Sherman  began  the  publi- 
cation of  the  San  Bernardino  Patroit.  a  strong 
Union  paper,  in  :March.  1861.  The  Confederate 
sympthizers  in  San  Bernardino  were  numerous, 
aggressive  and  outspoken :  consequently  the  Pa- 
triot was  not  popular  nor  well  patronized. 

San  Bernardino  was  a  way  station  on  the  road 
to  the  southern  Confederacy.  A  number  of  sym- 
pathizers in  1S61  returned  to  the  south  by  the 
Yuma   route  to   join  the  armies   of  the  Confed- 


446 


HISTORIC.VL  ANn  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


eracy.  Dan  Showalter  and  a  partv  of  twenty- 
nine  on  their  way  south  were  captured  by  United 
States  troops  and  imprisoned  at  Fort  Yuma ; 
their  horses  and  accoutrements  were  confiscated, 
but  they  were  afterwards  set  at  Hberty.  Some 
of  them  returned  to  Cahfornia,  others  made  their 
way  to  Texas.  Showalter,  a  renegade  northern 
man,  was  one  of  these.  After  the  killing  of 
Piercey,  the  San  Bernardino  assemblyman,  in  a 
duel,  he,  like  Terry,  who  killed  Broderick,  was 
ver\-  unpopular  in  California. 

In  February,  1862,  Major  Sherman  suspend- 
ed the  publication  of  the  Patriot,  loaded  the 
plant  on  an  ox  wagon  and  the  historic  old  press 
that  Ames,  after  much  tribulation,  had  brought 
by  sea  to  the  coast  made  a  perilous  journey  by 
land  across  the  desert,  through  Owens  river  val- 
ley and  over  the  mountains  to  Esmeralda,  a  flour- 
ishing mining  camp,  then  supposed  to  be  on  the 
eastern  border  of  California,  but  later  found  to 
be  in  Nevada.  There  Sherman  founded  the  Es- 
meralda Star — San  Bernardino  had  to  worry 
along  several  years  without  a  newspaper. 


IXDI.VX    DEPRED.\TI0XS. 

The  desert  Indians  still  continued  to  commit 
depredations — stealing  stock  and  murdering 
stockmen  and  prospectors  whenever  an  oppor- 
tunity olifered.  In  March,  1866,  Ed.  Parrish, 
E.  K.  Diinlap,  and  an  employee  (Pratt  Whit- 
sides),  who  were  collecting  a  band  of  cattle  at 
their  ranch  on  the  Alojave  river  to  drive  to 
Montana,  were  ambushed  in  a  ravine  and  killed. 
This  outrage  was  committed  by  a  band  of  Chi- 
mehauvas  from  Rock  creek.  In  February,  1867, 
a  company  of  rangers  was  organized  at  San  Ber- 
nardino to  punish  the  thieving  red  skins.  A  de- 
tachment of  this  company  had  a  fight  with  a 
liand  of  Indians — Chimehauvas,  Mohaves  and 
Pahoutes — numbering  about  one  hundred.  Four 
Indians  were  killed  and  a  number  wounded. 

In  April  of  the  same  year  a  company  of  pros- 
pectors on  the  way  to  Borax  Lake  surprised  a 
rancheria  of  Indians  and  killed  nearly  all  of  its 
occupants.  The  assailants  found  in  the  camp  ar- 
ticles taken  from  white  people  murdered  by  the 
Indians.  A  few  summary  punishments  like  this 
taught  the  Indians  to  behave  themselves. 


The  great  flood  of  1861-62  was  a  miniature 
Noachian  deluge.  The  city  of  San  Bernardino 
was  flooded,  adobe  houses  melted  down  in  the 
continuous  rains  of  thirty  days.  There  was  con- 
siderable loss  of  property  in  the  city  of  San  Ber- 
nardino. There  were  two  companies  of  troops 
stationed  at  Camp  Carleton  near  the  city.  The 
soldiers  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  imperiled  in- 
habitants. No  lives  were  lost,  but  there  was  con- 
siderable suffering.  Agua  Manza  and  Placita, 
on  the  Santa  Ana  river,  were  swept  out  of  ex- 
istence, and  the  valley  of  San  Bernardino  was 
cut  off  for  some  time  from  communication  with 
the  outside  world. 

The  winter  of  1867-68  was  another  of  the 
deluge  years.  The  water  did  not  rise  as  high  as 
in  1861-62,  but  the  valley  was  again  cut  off  from 
communication  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  It 
rained  almost  continuously  for  six  weeks.  The 
damage  from  the  floods  was  counterbalanced  by 
the  benefits  of  an  increased  water  supply  both 
for  mining  and  irrigation. 


SLOW   GROWTH. 

The  population  of  San  Bernardino  county,  in 
1870  was  7,310.  Its  growth  had  been  slow.  The 
people  had  to  depend  upon  their  resources.  For- 
eign capital  was  averse  to  traveling  so  far  in- 
land to  find  a  chance  for  investment.  San  Ber- 
nardino had  the  back  country,  but  no  liarbor. 
Twenty  years  since  the  ^lormons  had  bought 
the  greater  portion  of  the  valley  on  credit  and 
had  started  in  to  make  it  pay  for  itself,  and  no 
doubt  would  have  succeeded  had  Brigham  Young 
and  the  hierarchy  let  them  alone. 

For  a  decade  after  the  departure  of  the  Mor- 
mons their  successors,  except  for  a  few  mining 
rushes,  had  followed  along  in  the  beaten  track 
set  b\-  the  first  settlers — producing  wheat,  bar- 
ley, corn  and  hay  and  selling  these  for  little  more 
than  the  cost  of  production.  A  new  era  was 
dawning,  the  era  of  fruit-growing  colonies.  The 
first  (if  these  to  organize  was  Riverside,  whose 
liistorv  is  given  in  the  chapters  on  Riverside 
Cduntv.      The   colonists    that    brought    about    the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


447 


great  change  in  production  and  cultivation  were 
not  old  Californians,  but  the  new  comers.  They 
were  laughed  at  for  their  folly  in  attempting  to 
grow  fruits  and  vines  on  barren  mesas  that  were 
considered  only  fit  for  sheep  pasture. 

RAILROAD    PROJECI'S. 

The  early  '70s  was  an  era  of  railroad  Iniilding 
and  railroad  I'lojecting.  The  Southern  Pacific 
had  Ijuilt  eastward  from  Los  Angeles  twenty- 
five  miles.  This  was  a  link  in  the  transconti- 
nental chain  that  was  to  connect  Los  Angeles 
with  the  Texas  Pacific  which  was  building  west- 
ward. San  Bernardino  had  great  hopes  that  it 
would  be  on  the  through  line.  Riverside  was 
sanguine  that  it  would  be  a  station  on  the  trans- 
continental, but  both  were  doomed  to  be  disap- 
pointed. The  railroad  managers  founded  the 
town  of  Colton,  located  between  the  two  aspir- 
ing cities. 


The  San  Bernardino  people,  exasperated  at 
the  action  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  of- 
ficials, made  overtures  to  San  Diego  for  an  out- 
let to  the  coast.  That  ambitious  metropolis  voted 
bonds  to  the  amount  of  $600,000  to  build  the 
road.  San  Bernardino  bonded  itself  to  the  ex- 
tent of  five  per  cent  of  its  total  assessed  wealth. 
The  road  was  not  built.  San  Diego  had  a  har- 
bor, but  no  back  country,  while  San  Bernardino 
was  all  back  country  and  no  harbor.  To  link  the 
Jiay  of  San  Diego  to  the  back  countr\-  of  San 
Bernardino  was  beyond  the  financial  ability  of 
both  combined. 

A  wagon  road  \\as  built  to  .\naheim  Landing, 
which  shortened  the  distance  to  a  shipping  point 
over  twenty  miles  and  freighting  with  teams 
was  tried,  but  the  grades  over  the  mountains 
were  too  steep  and  the  road  was  abandoned. 


CHAPTER    LXV. 


SAN    BERNARDINO    COUNTY— Continued. 


CITIES  AND  TOWNS. 


SAN   BERXARDINO   CITY. 


THE  first  two  decades  of  the  history  of 
San  Bernardino  county  and  that  of  San 
Bernardino  city  are  so  closely  interwoven 
that  I  have  not  attempted  to  separate  them.  Pre- 
vious to  1875  there  was  no  other  city  or  town  to 
compete  with  the  city  of  San  Bernardino  for  the 
trade  of  the  valley.  On  account  of  its  distance 
from  the  sea  coast  and  from  railroads  it  was  not 
often  visited  by  travelers  or  newspaper  corre- 
spondents, and  "write  ups"  of  an  early  date  are 
rare.  A  stage  ride  of  sixty  miles,  a  third  of  it 
across  what  was  then  known  as  the  twenty-mile 
desert,  did  not  give  the  tourist  a  favorable  opinion 
of  the  citv  and  country  around.  It  had  cjuite  an 
extensive  trade  with  the  mining  camps  of  Arizona 
bv  wagon  train.  It  was  headquarters  for  some  of 
the  largest  freighting  outfits.  It  was  not  until 
the  advent  of  the  railroad  in  1875  that  the  city 
began  to  awake  to  a  realization  of  its  advantages. 


The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  authorities  un- 
dertook to  build  up  a  rival  town,  but  the  growth 
of  Colton  was  slow  and  business  sought  its  old 
haunts.  Riverside  people  were  more  engrossed 
in  planting  vineyards  and  orange  groves  than 
building  a  city.  So  San  Bernardino  still  did  the 
business  of  the  valley.  Among  the  improve- 
ments made  at  this  time  was  the  completion  in 
1875  of  a  new  court  house,  at  a  cost  of  $25,000. 
This  court  house  was  then  the  finest  in  Southern 
California.  The  extension  of  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  into  the  mining  regions  of  Arizona 
gave  San  Bernardino  products  an  outlet  to  a 
new  market,  but  it  also  curtailed  the  freighting 
business  by  teams.  While  the  agricultural  dis- 
tricts were  benefited  the  business  of  the  city  was 
not  greatly  increased.  The  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  was  completed  to  Deming  in  1881,  thus 
giving  a  direct  transcontinental  route  to  South- 
ern California.  As  yet  San  Bernardino  was  on 
no  railroad  line,  but  on  the  13th  of  September, 
188^,    the   first    railroad    train    entered    the    city. 


448 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


It  came  over  the  California  Southern  road  from 
San  Diego.  Two  years  later  the  Atlantic  &  Pa- 
cific, the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  com- 
bined with  the  CaHfiirnia  Southern,  completed 
a  r.cw  transc<intiiient;d  line  from  Kansas  City 
to  San  Diego.  The  first  overland  train  entered 
San  Bernardino  November  15,  1885.  Great  was 
the  rejoicing  thereat.  San  Bernardino  people 
saw  a  brilliant  future  for  their  city.  In  May. 
1886.  it  was  ii";corporated  as  a  city  of  the  fifth 
class.  The  erection  of  the  California  Southern 
car  shops  and  a  depot  at  an  expenditure  of  near- 
ly a  quarter  million  dollars  gave  employment  to 
a  large  force  of  men  and  greatly  stimulated  all 
kinds  of  business  enterprises. 

In  October.  1887.  a  board  of  trade  was  or- 
ganized, John  Anderson,  Jr.,  president :  C.  J. 
Perkins,  recording  secretary ;  and  E.  C.  Sey- 
mour, financial  secretary.  One  of  the  most  am- 
bitious enterprises  of  this  period  was  the  build- 
ing of  the  Stewart  hotel,  begun  by  J.  H.  Stewart. 
He  died  from  an  accident  while  the  building  was 
in  the  course  of  construction.  A  stock  company 
was  organized  and  the  building  finished.  It  was 
the  most  caiKicious  ami  costly  hotel  at  that  time 
in  Southern  California.  It  was  four  stories  high 
and  contained  four  Inmdrcd  rooms.  It  w^as  com- 
pleted in  1887,  at  a  cost  of  $150,000.  The  boom 
of  1887  greatly  stimulated  real  estate  values; 
the  reaction,  however,  was  not  so  great  as  in 
Los  Angeles  and  San  Diego. 

The  year  188S  was  noted  for  the  building  of 
interurban  motor  line^.  The  Redlands  and  San 
Bernardino  line  was  eonipleted  August  17.  and 
the  Riverside,   Xmenilier   Ui. 

In  1889  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $150,000  were 
voted  to  secure  a  municipal  water  system.  The 
city  for  thirty  years  had  retained  its  original 
area  of  one  mile  square.  A  considerable  popula- 
tion had  settled  beyond  the  city  limits.  January 
T/.  1 89 1,  an  election  was  held  and  the  area  of 
the  cit}'  was  increased  to  six  and  one-half  miles. 

The  Stewart  hotel,  the  jjride  of  the  cit}-,  was 
burned  to  the  ground  on  the  night  of  Xovember 
5,  1892. 

In  i8ij3  .San  Bernardino  county  was  com- 
pelled, by  the  act  of  the  legislature  creating 
Riverside  county,  to  lose  some  of  its  most  valu- 
able territory.     The  people  and  the  press  of  San 


Bernardino  city  made  'a  vigorous  fi.ght  against 
the  segregation,  but  in  vain. 

The  closing  years  of  the  century  were  marked 
by  several  disasters.  The  First  National  Bank 
failed  in  1894.  Five  years  later,  after  much  liti- 
gation, when  its  assets  were  finally  all  distrib- 
uted antong  its  depositors,  they  recovered  but  a 
little  over  fifty  per  cent  of  their  claims.  A  dis- 
astrous fire  in  1897  destroyed  Wliitney's  mill,  St. 
Johns  Episcopal  church  and  a  number  of  dwell- 
ing houses.  A  new  board  of  trade  was  organ- 
ized in  1900.  The  old  board,  after  several  years 
of  usefulness,  wearied  of  well  doing  and  dis- 
banded. J.  P>.  Gill  was  made  president  of  the 
new  board;  John  Anderson,  Jr.,  vice-president; 
F.  D.  Keller,  secretary,  and  C.  Cohn,  treasurer. 
A  board  of  directors  was  chosen.  This  commer- 
cial organization  has  done  most  effective  work 
in  advertising  the  resources  of  the  county.  It 
inaugurated  the  custom  of  holding  a  street  fair 
and  has  successfully  managed  several.  The  board 
of  trade  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing for  San  Bernardino  a  modern  water  system. 

The  polic\-  of  the  Southern  Pacific  officials  in 
the  early  }ears  of  road  building  was  to  secure 
all  the  land  for  depot  purposes  that  a  city  or 
town  could  be  coaxed  into  giving,  and  besides 
the  land  a  subsidy  was  demanded  as  a  gift  for 
the  inestimable  benefits  the  road  would  confer 
on  the  community.  Los  Angeles  donated  sixty 
acres  of  valuable  land  and  half  a  million  dollars 
in  bonds  to  induce  the  road  to  seek  the  business 
of  the  city.  San  Bernardino,  when  asked,  did 
not  respond  to  the  demand  and  the  railroad  pro- 
moters undertook  to  build  up  a  rival  to  it  in 
Colton.  With  the  advent  of  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road the  business  men  of  San  Bernardino  were 
practically  independent  of  the  Southern  Pacific. 
It  obtained  possession  of  the  motor  road,  but 
this  was  not  satisfactory,  so  in  1903  it  purchased 
lands  in  the  heart  of  the  city  for  a  depot  site 
and  in  1904  it  began  the  erection  of  a  $30,000 
depot.  The  track  was  made  a  broad  .gauge  into 
the  city,  and  frieght  and  passengers  are  now 
brou.ght  into  the  city. 

In  1904  a  freeholders'  charter  was  drafted 
and  was  submitted  to  the  legislature.  It  was  ap- 
proved by  that  body  and  became  the  organic 
law  of  the  nninicipality.      It  now   has  a   ma\'or. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


449 


common    council    and    full    set    of    commissions, 
fire,  police,  and  water. 


Colton  is  one  of  the  towns  which  owes  its 
origin  to  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  When 
that  road  built  the  twenty-five  miles  eastward 
which  was  one  of  the  conditions  required  when 
Los  Angeles  county  agreed  to  give  five  per  cent 
of  its  taxable  wealth  to  the  railroad  company  for 
building  fifty  miles  of  road  in  the  county,  Spa- 
dra  was  made  its  eastern  terminus.  Here  the 
road  halted  for  some  time.  The  officers  had 
several  routes  surveyed  eastward  from  Spadra. 
San  Bernardino  was  so  sure  of  the  road  that  it 
offered  little  inducement  to  the  road  builders. 
Riverside,  too,  had  hopes  of  becoming  a  railroad 
town.  The  railroad  company  was  looking  out 
for  subsidies.  The  Slover  Mountain  Colony 
owned  a  tract  of  2,000  acres  on  the  sandy  plain 
south  of  San  Bernardino  and  bordering  on  the 
Santa  Ana  river.  Out  of  this  tract  the  directors 
of  the  colony  deeded  a  mile  square  to  the  South- 
ern Pacific  officials,  acting  under  the  title  of  the 
Western  Development  Company.  The  railroad 
company  was  to  build  a  depot,  la)-  out  a  town 
site  and  make  other  improvements.  The  town 
was  platted  and  named  Colton.  D.  R.  Colton 
was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  Cen- 
tral Pacific  Road.  The  first  railroad  train  reached 
Colton  August  II,  1875. 

The  first  store  was  opened  in  the  town  in 
March,  1876,  and  a  small  building  used  for  a 
hotel  was  erected  about  the  same  time.  The 
railroad  company  built  the  Transcontinental 
hotel  in  the  fall  of  1876.  The  pioneer  newspa- 
per of  Colton  was  the  Advocate,  published  in 
1877  by  Godfrey  and  Franklin.  Scipio  Craig 
purchased  it  in  1878  and  changed  the  name  to 
the  Semi-Tropic.  In  1889  R.  :^I.  McKee  pur- 
chased it  and  changed  its  name  to  the  Colton 
Clironide. 

The  town  grew  very  slowly.  The  people  of 
San  Bernardino  were  indignant  at  being  side- 
tracked by  the  railroad  and  spoke  slightingly  of 
the  new  town,  and  the  citizens  of  Riverside  felt 
that  the  claims  of  their  growing  colony  should 
have  been  more  favorably  considered  by  the  rail- 
road officials.     In  1882  the  Southern  California 


Railroad  from  San  Diego  to  Colton  via  the  Te- 
mecula  Caiion  route  reached  Colton.  The  citi- 
zens donated  the  right  of  way  and  gave  land  for 
railroad  shops.  The  Southern  Pacific  attempted 
to  bar  the  Southern  California  road  from  enter- 
ing the  town,  but  after  a  protracted  struggle  had 
to  give  up  the  contest  and  let  its  rival  in. 

In  July,  1887,  the  town  was  incorporated  as  a 
city  of  the  sixth  class.  In  1887  a  motor  road 
was  built  to  San  Bernardino;  this  afterwards 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Company. 

When  the  question  of  building  a  new  court- 
house for  the  county  came  up,  Colton  made  a 
vigorous  effort  to  become  the  county  .seat.  It 
offered  to  donate  a  block  of  land  and  build  a 
court-house  to  cost  not  less  than  $200,000,  but 
the  formation  of  Riverside  county  had  cut  off 
a  large  slice  from  San  Bernardino  and  Colton 
was  too  much  on  one  side  of  the  county.  It  lost 
the  fight  through  location. 

The  California  Portland  Cement  Works,  half 
a  mile  south  of  Colton,  were  completed  in  1894. 
The  company  employs  from  80  to  100  men  and 
turns  out  a  fine  article  of  Portland  cement. 

The  Globe  Flour  Mills  were  built  in  1902. 
These  mills  are  well  equipped  with  modern  ma- 
chinery and  are  capable  of  turning  out  200  bar- 
rels of  flour  per  day. 

Colton  has  an  excellent  high  school,  organized 
in  1896.  It  is  well  provided  with  grammar  and 
primary  schools.  An  ordinance  establishing  a 
free  public  library  was  passed  May  7,  1906. 

REDLANDS. 

The  usual  form  of  colonization  in  Southern 
California  was  the  town  first  and  country  later. 
Redlands  reversed  that  order,  the  settlement  de- 
veloped first  and  the  town  came  as  an  after- 
thought. The  settlement  of  Redlands  was  begun 
in  1881.  The  colony  tract  was  a  bare  mesa  only 
fit  for  sheep  pasture.  The  land  was  regarded  as 
almost  worthless.  Two  enterprising  promoters, 
Frank  E.  Brovvn  and  E.  G.  Judson,  who  had  set- 
tled in  1880  on  the  Lugonia,  were  convinced  that 
could  water  be  brought  upon  the  land  it  would 
become  very  valuable  for  the  growing  of  citrus 
fruits. 

F.  E.  Brown,  who  was  an  engineer  and  sur- 


450 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


veyor,  after  making  a  series  of  surveys  and 
running  levels  convinced  himself  that  water 
could  be  brought  from  the  head  of  the  Santa 
Ana  Viver  to  irrigate  the  land.  Messrs.  Judson 
and  Brown  set  about  securing  all  the  land  they 
had  means  to  purchase.  They  planned  a  settle- 
ment and  called  it  Redlands.  The  Redlands 
Water  Company  was  organized  and  incorporated 
with  a  capital  of  $1,500,000,  October  27.  1881, 
The  land  was  divided  into  tracts  of  two  and 
one-half,  five  and  ten  acres,  and  was  sold  with  a 
water  right  of  one  inch  to  eight  acres.  Later 
the  water  right  was  changed  to  one  inch  for  four 
acres.  The  land  sold  rapidly  and  buildings  were 
erected  and  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  began.  By 
1887  the  settlement  had  so  increased  in  popu- 
lation that  Messrs.  Judson  and  Brown  deter- 
mined to  locate  a  new  town  site  on  the  north 
side  of  their  possessions  adjoining  the  settle- 
ment of  Lugonia.  The  plat  of  the  town  of  Red- 
lands  was  filed  March  10,  1887.  This  was  at  the 
beginning  of  the  great  real-estate  boom.  The  first 
lots  were  sold  at  $200  each.  The  price  advanced 
rapidly  and  the  town  kept  pace  with  the  rise 
in  value  of  the  lots.  Six  months  after  the  town 
was  laid  out  lots  on  the  business  streets  were 
selling  at  $100  a  front  foot,  and  a  dozen  two  and 
three  story  brick  buildings  had  been  erected. 

The  Citrograph,  the  pioneer  newspaper  of 
Redlands,  was  already  firmly  established  and 
under  the  editorship  of  Scipio  Craig,  who  was 
proclaiming  to  the  "cyclone-stricken,  frost-bit- 
ten denizens  of  the  east,"  where  they  could 
spend  the  remainder  of  their  days  in  "peace, 
prosperity  and  quietude."  The  town  grew  with 
the  rapidity  of  a  mining  camp  in  the  days  of  '49 
but  with  a  very  different  class  of  buildings,  no 
shacks  were  allowed;  the  business  houses  were 
substantial  brick  structures  and  the  residences 
neat  cottages  or  two-story  dwellings. 

The  question  of  incorporating  as  a  city  was 
agitated.  It  was  proposed  to  unite  Lugonia.  the 
first  settlement,  Redlands  and  Brookside  into 
a  city  of  the  sixth  class.  Unlike  Romeo,  the 
dwellers  in  the  rival  towns  believed  there  was 
something  in  a  name.  Each  was  unwilling  to 
lose  its  identity  and  become  a  nonentity  in  the 
new  municipality.  After  a  year  of  agitation, 
and   it  might  be   said   of   aggravation   too,    the 


board  of  supervisors  on  petition  called  an  elec- 
tion to  vote  upon  the  question  of  incorporation. 
The  election  was  held  November  26,  1888, 
the  vote  stood  218  for  and  68  against  incorpora- 
tion, and  the  rivals  united  under  the  name 
of  the  city  of  Redlands.  The  first  communi- 
cation with  the  outer  world  from  what  is 
now  Redlands  city  was  in  1882  by  stage.  Trips 
were  made  from  Cook's  store  in  Lugonia  to  San 
Bernardino  two  or  three  times  a  week.  Later 
a  daily  stage  ran  between  the  points.  In  1886, 
the  Southern  Pacific  put  in  a  siding  at  Brook- 
side,  and  a  road  was  graded  to  the  station,  but 
there  was  no  means  of  reaching  the  settlement 
by  public  conveyance.  To  accommodate  the 
rapid  increase  in  travel  in  1887  a  four-horse 
Concord  coach  was  put  on  the  road  to  meet  ev- 
ery train  at  Brookside  station.  The  motor  line 
connecting  San  Bernardino  and  Redlands  was 
completed  and  began  regular  service  June  4, 
1888.  The  valley  road  began  service  February 
13  of  the  same  year.  The  belt  line,  now  the 
well-known  kite-shaped  track,  began  running 
regular  trains  January  17,  1892.  With  regular 
train  service  Redlands  increased  rapidly  in  pop- 
ulation. Unlike  most  of  the  towns  of  Southern 
California  it  experienced  no  retrogression  in  the 
early  '90s.  The  United  States  census  of  1890 
gave  it  a  population  of  1,904.  It  had  then  three 
banking  institutions. 

THE    SMILEY    BROTHERS. 

In  the  winter  of  1888-89  came  to  'Redlands 
the  twin  brothers,  Alfred  H.  and  Albert  K. 
Smiley.  These  two  persons  did  more  to  spread 
the  fame  of  Redlands  and  attract  a  high  class  of 
settlers  than  all  other  influences.  They  had 
made  their  fortunes  in  the  hotel  business  at  Lake 
Mohonk  and  Lake  Minnewaska,  in  New  York 
state.  They  were  very  popular  and  their  com- 
ing to  Redlands  attracted  to  that  place  many  of 
their  old  patrons.  They  purchased  some  two 
hundred  acres  of  a  ridge  looking  down  into  the 
San  Timoteo  caiion.  Out  of  this  they  created 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  parks  in  California — 
the  celebrated  Smiley  Heights  or  Caiion  Crest 
Park.  In  addition  to  the  beautiful  heights  which 
the  Smiley  brothers  threw  open  to  the  public, 
A.  K.  Smiley  purchased  lands  near  the  business 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


451 


center  and  donated  these  to  the  city  for  a  park. 
The  Smiley  library  building  was  presented  to 
Redlands  Aprd  29,  1898,  by  the  Smiley  brothers. 
The  library  contains  about  12,000  volumes  and 
receives  from  taxation  over  $6,000  annually.  Al- 
fred H.  Smiley  died  at  Redlands  January  25, 
1903. 

The  success  of  ever}-  settlement  in  Southern 
California  depends  on  its  water  supply  for  ir- 
rigation. The  system  of  irrigation  in  vogue  un- 
der the  Mexican  regime  was  extremely  waste- 
ful. It  required  a  large  stream  to  water  a  small 
area.  Wlien  the  settlement  of  the  East  San 
Bernardino  valley  began  and  the  colonists  di- 
verted the  water  from  the  small  streams  then 
the  old-timers  prophesied  failure.  The  con- 
serving of  the  waters  of  the  creeks  in  reservoirs 
during  the  winter  rains  increased  the  irrigable 
area  and  made  it  possible  to  produce  fruits  and 
grain  from  land  that  had  been  considered  by  old 
residents  as  fit  only  for  sheep  pastures.  The 
waters  of  Mill  creek,  the  most  considerable 
stream  in  the  Eastern  valley,  were  used  by  the 
first  settlers  in  a  small  way  for  irrigation.  The 
method  in  use  then  was  to  build  a  temporary 
toma  or  dam  across  the  stream  and  divert  the 
water  into  an  open  ditch.  What  was  not  lost 
by  seepage  into  the  sands,  diverted  into  gopher 
holes  or  taken  up  by  evaporation  reached  the 
land  to  be  irrigated.  If  the  ditch  was  of  any 
considerable  length  not  more  than  twenty-five 
per  cent  of  the  water  taken  out  of  the  creek  or 
river  reached  its  destination. 

The  Redlands  Water  Company  was  organized 
October  27,  1881,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $1,500,- 
000,  divided  into  1,500  shares.  This  was  the 
first  regularly  incorporated  company  in  the  East 
San  Bernardino  valley.  There  had  been  a  num- 
ber of  associations  and  companies  formed  in  ir- 
rigation districts  previous  to  this — some  of  these 
.incorporated  later.  The  principal  supply  for 
Redlands  comes  from  the  Domestic  Water  Com- 
pany organized  in  January,  1887.  The  principal 
source  of  supply  for  this  system  comes  from  the 
Bear  Valley  reservoir,  the  Santa  Ana  river  and 
Mill  creek.  One  of  the  most  potent  influences  in 
bringing  settlers  to  Redlands  through  the  dissem- 
ination of  information  about  the  city  and  valley 
is  the  Redlands  Board  of  Trade.    The  first  board 


was  organized  in  February,  1888.  It  did  excel- 
lent service,  but  the  supporting  of  the  institution 
was  a  heavy  tax  on  the  small  population  and 
about  1890  the  board  ceased  its  exertions.  De- 
cember II,  1893,  a  Qiamber  of  Commerce  was 
organized.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce  after 
two  or  three  years  of  active  service  went  out  of 
business.  Early  in  1899  the  Redlands  Board  of 
Trade  was  organized.  Since  it  came  into  exist- 
ence it  has  been  a  most  efficient  agent  in  building 
up  the  city.  It  maintains  a  permanent  exhibit, 
sends  out  descriptive  literature  and  answers  thou- 
sands of  letters  of  inquiry. 

Redlands  quite  early  in  its  history  became  fa- 
mous for  the  fine  quality  of  its  citrus  fruits.  It 
still  maintains  its  reputation  for  superiority  in 
the  production  of  oranges. 

In  less  than  two  decades  Redlands  has  grown 
from  an  inchoate  straggling  settlement  of  a  few 
houses  to  a  substantial  and  progressive  city  of 
ten  thousand  inhabitants. 

ONTARIO  AND  UPLAND. 

Nearly  forty  years  ago  the  author  of  this  his- 
tory first  passed  over  what  is  now  the  site  of  On- 
tario— the  "model  colony."  The  most  common 
means  of  conveyance  then  was  the  deck  of  a 
mustang.  There  was  no  monopoly  of  lines  of 
travel  then,  no  cut  rates  of  fare— no  reduction 
for  round  trips.  The  only  line  of  travel  between 
Los  Angeles  and  San  Bernardino  was  the  old 
Camino  Real  (road  or  highway)  that  Captain 
Anza  surveyed  in  1774.  The  principal  means  of 
travel  between  local  points  was  the  mustang; 
and  a  man  was  poor  indeed  who  did  not  own  a 
horse  and  saddle.  At  the  time  of  my  first  visit 
there  was  not  a  human  habitation  between  the 
Spadra  settlement  and  Cucamonga.  The  future 
site  of  the  "Model  Colony"  was  sprinkled  here 
and  there  with  clumps  of  sage  brush  and  grease 
wood.  At  intervals  were  stretches  of  short  grass 
that  afforded  scant  pasturage  for  bands  of  sheep. 
The  solitary  and  stolid  sheep  herder,  day  after 
day,  followed  his  band  as  they  nibbled  the  scant 
herbage;  and  always  in  the  trail  of  the  sheep 
crept  the  stealthy  coyote  on  the  watch  to  snatch 
a  stray  Iamb  from  the  flock.  The  shepherd  and 
his  Nemesis,  the  coyote,  were  the  onlv  inhabi- 


452 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tants  forty  years  ago  of  that  expanse  where  now 
the  "golden  orange  glows." 

Ontario  was  founded  by  George  B.  Chaffey, 
Jr.,  and  W.  M.  B.  Giaffey,  who  came  from  On- 
tario, Canada,  and  located  at  Riverside.  Here 
thev  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  land.  Their 
tirst  purchase  was  .what  was  known  as  the  "San 
Antonio  lands,''  being  a  part  of  the  Cucamonga 
grant  and  comprising  6,216  acres  of  land,  "to- 
gether with  the  water  right  and  privileges  of 
San  x\ntonio  creek  and  the  waste  water  of  Cu- 
camonga creek."  These  lands  extended  from 
San  Antonio  canon  on  the  north  to  the  Ranch 
del  Chino  on  the  south ;  and  from  Cucamonga  on 
the  east  to  the  Rancho  San  Jose  on  the  west. 
The  purchase  price  was  $60,000.  The  land  was 
bought  in  April,  1882.  The  ChafiFey  Brothers 
immediately  set  about  improving  their  tract.  The  ' 
land  was  surveyed  by  J.  C.  Dunlap.  That  ad- 
joining the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  was  di- 
vided into  town  lots,  adjoining  these  were  sub- 
urban lots  of  two  and  a  half  and  five  acres.  The 
remainder  was  cut  into  ten  and  twenty  acre  tracts. 
The  water  was  conveyed  in  cement  pipes  from 
San  Antonio  creek  to  the  town  site  and  to  the 
various  subdivisions. 

Twenty  acres  were  donated  for  an  agricult- 
ural college.  March  17,  1883,  was  a  gala  day 
for  Ontario.  The  corner-stone  of  the  college 
was  laid  on  that  day.  Excursion  trains  were  run 
from  Los  Angeles  and  from  Colton  and  San 
Bernardino.  Conveyances  of  all  kinds,  ancient 
and  mndcrn,  from  the  country  round  about  gath- 
ered at  the  railroad  siding  (that  the  Chaffeys 
themselves  had  built)  to  convey  the  passengers 
by  train  to  a  beautiful  mesa  near  the  mouth  of 
San  Antonio  caiion,  seven  miles  away,  where 
under  live-oak  trees  a  bountiful  repast  had  been 
spread.  After  dinner  the  visitors  were  con- 
veyed to  the  college  site  where  with  appropriate 
services  the  corner-stone  was  laid.  Improve- 
ments were  pushed  rapidly.  Additional  lands 
were  purchased  by  the  Chaffeys. 

The  fame  of  the  "Model  Colony,"  as  it  was 
called,  spread  abroad  and  settlers  flocked  to  it. 
The  Ontario  postofficc  was  established  in  March, 
1S83.  and  a  public  school  in  March,  1884. 

The  business  houses  kept  pace  with  the  growth 
of  the  colony.     The  pioneer  newspaper,  the  On- 


tario Record  was  started,  December  13,  1885,  by 
E.  P.  Clark.  The  college  was  opened  the  same 
year.  Professor  Wheeler  and  J\Iiss  Blount 
teachers.  A  college  building  built  of  brick  had 
been  erected  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  In  1886  ad- 
ditional lands  were  purchased  on  the  south  side 
and  the  colony  area  extended.  The  completion 
of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  in  1887,  which  passed 
through  the  central  part  of  the  colony  lands,  cre- 
ated another  town  known  until  recently  as  North 
Ontario,  now  Upland. 

The  Bedford  Brothers  bought  200  acres.  This 
was  subdivided  into  lots  and  put  on  sale  in  May, 
1887.  The  lots  went  off  like  the  metaphorical 
hot  cakes.  A  town  grew  up  around  the  station 
and  rivalry  grew  between  the  north  and  the 
south. 

One  of  the  unique  features  of  the  Ontario 
Colony  is  Euclid  avenue,  named  for  the  famous 
Euclid  avenue  of  Qeveland,  Ohio.  It  is  two 
hundred  feet  vv^ide  and  extends  from  tlie  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  to  San  Antonio  cafion — sev- 
en miles  up  grade.  On  each  side  of  the  avenue 
were  planted  shade  trees  and  in  the  middle  two 
rows  dividing  the  avenue  into  two  broad  drive- 
ways and  a  right  of  way  for  street  cars  in  the 
middle.  A  street  car  line  was  built  up  the  av- 
enue. When  the  road  was  put  in  operation  a 
span  of  mules  pulled  the  car  up  the  grade.  At 
the  summit  the  mules  stepped  on  a  platform  and 
rode  back  to  the  town.  The  car  rolled  down 
the  long  grade  without  any  propelling  power  ex- 
cept gravity.  At  one  of  the  great  citrus  fairs 
a  model  of  the  gravity  car  done  in  oranges  was 
Ontario's  exhibit.  In  November,  1891,  Ontario 
was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  sixth  class. 
In  1900  the  incorporation  was  extended  over  an 
area  of  twelve  square  miles.  Ontario  is  emi- 
nently a  fruit  colony.  Its  citrus  fruits  have  a 
high  reputation  in  the  eastern  markets.  Its 
oranges  and  lemons  are  marketed  through  as- 
sociations. Ontario  is  well  provided  with  schools. 
The  Chaffey  College,  as  it  was  usually  called, 
failed  through  want  of  an  endowment.  The 
Iniilding  is  now  used  for  a  high  school.  It  is  well 
supplied  with  churches.  All  the  leading  religious 
denominations  have  church  buildings. 

Ontario's  library  was  established  in  1886,  and 
made  free  to  the  public  in  iNiarch,  1902.     Its  an- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


453 


nual  income  from  taxation  is  $1,500.  It  has 
on  its  shelves  3,000  volumes.  The  town  pur- 
chased a  lot  92x125  feet.  Andrew  Carnegie 
donated  $10,000  for  the  erection  of  a  building. 
The  building  is  now  in  the  course  of  erection. 

L'pland  was  formerly  known  as  North  Ontario. 
A  village  had  grown  up  around  the  Santa  Fe 
station  and  Magnolia  Villa  hotel  was  built  in 
1888.  In  1902  the  county  supervisors  in  response 
to  a  petition  from  the  citizens  changed  the  name 
to  Upland.  Later  the  names  of  the  station  and 
postoffice  were  changed  to  Lapland.  The  town 
has  a  park,  six  packing  houses,  a  newspaper  and 
several  stores.  Upland  has  a  public  library  es- 
tablished in  1900.  The  total  number  of  its  vol- 
umes is  600. 


What  is  known  as  the  Chine  rancho  is  com- 
posed of  two  Mexican  grants,  the  Santa  Ana  del 
Chino  and  the  Addition  to  Santa  Ana  del  Qiino. 
The  first,  containing  22,234  acres,  was  granted 
to  Don  Antonio  Maria  Lugo,  March  26,  1841 ; 
the  addition  was  granted  to  Col.  Isaac  Williams, 
a  son-in-law  of  Don  Antonio's,  April  i,  1843. 
Williams  purchased  the  Rancho  del  Chino  from 
his  father-in-law  Lugo  and  added  it  to  his  own 
grant,  thus  giving  him  a  magnificent  holding  of 
35,600  acres. 

The  word  "Chino"  in  Spanish  is  defined  Chin- 
ese, "a  half-breed  Indian ;"'  it  also  seems  to  have 
had  a  provincial  meaning — "curly  headed."  Tra- 
dition says  that  the  rancho  received  its  suffix 
"del  Chino"  (of  the  Chino)  from  the  fact  that 
Lugo's  mayor-domo  (overseer)  was  a  curly 
headed  half-breed  Indian. 

Colonel  Williams  built  a  house  on  his  rancho 
which  Robinson  in  his  "Life  in  California"  pro- 
nounces "the  most  spacious  building  of  its  kind 
in  the  country." 

The  Chino  rancho  was  the  scene  of  many 
stirring  events  in  the  history  of  California.  These 
are  narrated  in  other  parts  of  this  history.  Col- 
onel Williams  died  in  1856,  and  his  landed  es- 
tate descended  to  his  two  daughters — Maria 
Merced,  who  married  John  Rains,  and  Fran- 
cesca,  who  married  Robert  Carlisle.  Both  hus- 
bands met  violent  deaths.  John  Rains  was  way- 
laid and  assassinated  on  tlie  public  road  near  the 


Cucamonga  in  1863,  and  Robert  Carlisle  was 
killed  in  an  altercation  with  the  King  Brothers 
in  the  Bella  Union  hotel,  Los  Angeles,  July  5, 
1865.  After  the  death  of  Carlisle  the  rancho 
passed  through  several  hands  and  in  1881  was 
purchased  by  Richard  Gird.  By  subsequent  pur- 
chases of  adjoining  lands  he  increased  his  hold- 
ings to  47,000  acres.  Mr.  Gird  used  the  rancho 
several  years  for  stock-raising.  The  year  of  the 
great  real-estate  boom  (1887)  he  had  23,000 
acres  of  the  rancho  surveyed  into  ten-acre  tracts 
and  laid  out  a  town  site  a  mile  square. 

He  built  a  narrow  gauge  railroad  to  Ontario 
and  improved  his  town  by  building  a  large  brick 
block.  The  pioneer  newspaper,  The  Chino 
Champion,  began  publication  November  11,  1887. 
Artesian  wells  were  struck.  These  gave  a  plen- 
tiful supply  of  water  for  irrigation  and  domestic 
use  and  the  town  and  settlement  made  rapid  ad- 
vance. The  soil  was  found  to  be  well  adapted  to 
the  cultivation  of  the  sugar  beet.  In  1891  the 
Oxnard  Brothers  began  the  erection  of  the  Chino 
Beet  Sugar  Factory.  The  factory  was  completed 
in  August  of  the  same  year.  The  raising  of 
sugar  beets  gave  the  farmers  a  ne>v  industry, 
which  proved  quite  remunerative. 

In  1896  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  pur- 
chased the  narrow  gauge  road  to  Pomona  and 
later  made  this  its  main  line  through  Chino  to 
Ontario.  November  25,  1894,  all  the  unsold 
land  of  the  rancho  and  its  additions,  amounting;- 
to  41,000  acres,  was  sold  to  Charles  H.  Phillips 
of  San  Luis  Obispo  for  $1,600,000.  In  1896 
these  lands  were  again  sold  to  an  English  syndi- 
cate.    The  land  is  on  the  market  in  small  tracts. 

Chino  has  a  population  of  alxjut  1,800,  and  is 
steadily  growing. 


The  town  of  Rialto  was  born  in  the  year  of 
the  boom,  1887.  The  Semi-Tropic  Land  &  Water 
Company  purchased  of  Henry  Pierce  and  others 
28,000  acres  and"  secured  water  rights  in  Lytle 
creek  to  the  amount  of  800  inches.  A  cemented 
ditch  six  miles  long  was  constructed  to  convey 
the  water  to  the  land.  The  land  was  subdivided 
into  tracts  ranging  from  five  to  twenty  acres  and 
sold  to  settlers  at  a  reasonable  price. 

The    Semi-Tropic    Land    &    ^^'^ater    Company 


454 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


failed  and  in  a  foreclosure  suit  lost  all  its  posses- 
sions, which  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  San 
Francisco  Savings  Union.  After  several 
changes  of  ownership  the  lands  and  water  rights 
became  vested  in  the  Fontana  Development  Com- 
pany. An  organization  known  as  the  Kansas 
Colony  purchased  16,000  acres  of  the  Semi- 
Tropic  Company  and  founded  the  town  of  Rialto. 
The  Kansas  Colony  was  unable  to  meet  its  ob- 
ligations and  lost  its  lands.  Some  of  those  who 
had  bought  lands  paid  out  for  them  and  secured 
titles.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  Semi-Trop- 
ic's purchase  has  been  set  to  citrus  fruits  and 
the  town  and  settlement  are  prosperous.  There 
are  several  business  blocks  in  the  town  and  a 
number  of  fine  residences. 


twice  its  age,  a  bank,  hotels,  stores,  churches, 
telegraph  and  telephone  service,  library,  schools 
and  a  newspaper,  the  Highland  Messenger. 

East  Highlands  has  a  school,  store,  postoffice 
and  several  packing  houses.  The  Brookings 
Lumber  &  Box  Company  is  the  most  extensive 
manufacturing  establishment  in  the  Highland 
district.  Its  sawmill  at  Fredalba  and  a  large 
amount  of  lumber  were  destroyed  recently  in  a 
mountain  fire.  The  mill  will  be  rebuilt.  The 
company's  output  of  lumber  has  reached  as  high 
as  ten  millions  feet  in  a  single  year,  over  fifty 
per  cent  of  which  is  made  into  boxes.  The  com- 
pany owns  five  thousand  acres  of  timber  land 
on  the  San  Bernardino  mountains.  West  High- 
lands has  a  postofiice  named  Del  Rosa  (of  the 
Rose)  a  school  house  and  a  store. 


The  town  of  Highland  is  the  business  center 
of  a  belt  of  mesa  land  lying  along  the  southern 
base  of  the  San  Bernardino  mountains.  This  dis- 
trict is  divided  into  Highland,  East  Highlands 
and  \^'est  Highlands. 

Although  there  were  a  few  settlers  in  this 
district  fifty  years  ago  no  permanent  improve- 
ments were  made  until  the  early  '70s.  The  one 
thing  needful  to  build  up  a  district  in  Southern 
California — water  for  irrigation — could  not  be 
brought  upon  the  land  without  an  outlay  of  capi- 
tal beyond  the  means  of  the  early  settlers.  Ex- 
periments made  in  a  small  way  demonstrated 
that  the  land  in  the  Highland  district  was  well 
suited  to  the  production  of  citrus  fruits.  During 
the  '80s  the  water  resources  were  developed. 
Orange  and  lemon  trees  were  extensively  planted, 
and  the  Highland  district  increased  rapidly  in 
population. 

In  1891  the  citizens  by  subscription  raised 
Sio,ooo  to  secure  a  right  of  way  for  the  Santa 
Fe  Railway.  The  road  was  built  from  San  Ber- 
nardino through  Highland,  East  Highlands  and 
West  Highlands  to  Redlands  and  forms  a  part  of 
the  famous  "kite-shaped  track."  The  San  Ber- 
nardino Valley  Traction  Company  in  1903  built 
an  electric  line  from  Redlands  through  Highland 
to  San  Bernardino. 

Highland  is  one  of  the  youngest  towns  of  San 
Bernardino  county.  It  has  made  a  vigorous 
growth.     It  has  all  the  conveniences  of  a  town 


CLX.V.MOXGA. 

The  Cucamonga  rancho  has  been  famous  in 
California  history  for  more  than  half  a  century. 
It  was  the  first  outpost  of  civilization  in  Cali- 
fornia that  the  immigrants  by  the  Salt  Lake  route 
found  prior  to  the  Mormon  settlement  of  San 
Bernardino.  Its  wines  have  spread  its  fame  over 
the  continent. 

The  Cucamonga  Homestead  Association  sub- 
divided a  portion  of  the  rancho  and  put  it  on 
sale  in  ten  and  twenty  acre  tracts.  The  scheme 
was  a  failure ;  there  was  not  sufficient  water  for 
irrigation.  The  Cucamonga  Fruit  &  Land  Com- 
pany was  organized  in  1887.  A  town  site  was 
laid  out  at  the  old  winery  and  a  settlement 
formed  there.  Originally  grapes  were  the  only 
product  of  Cucamonga,  but  of  late  years  a  num- 
ber of  orange  groves  have  been  planted. 

ETIWANDA. 

Etiwanda  is  one  of  the  Chafifey  Brothers  col- 
onies. In  January,  1887,  the  Chaff eys  purchased 
7,600  acres  of  the  Cucamonga  plains  and  1,000 
acres  of  the  Garcia  property,  together  with  what 
water  rights  it  possessed. 

They  organized  the  Etiwanda  Water  Com- 
pany with  a  capital  stock  of  $500,000.  Later  the 
Chaffeys  organized  The  California  Land  Im- 
provement Company,  to  which  they  deeded  their 
land.  The  lands  were  sold  in  small  tracts.  The 
cultivation   of  the  raisin   grape   was  at  first  al- 


HISTORICAL  AiND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


455 


most  the  exclusive  industry  of  the  colony,  later 
on  lemon  and  orange  groves  were  planted. 


The  word  loamosa  is  a  mongrel,  part  Spanish 
and  part  imported  Indian.  The  'To"  is  taken 
from  the  first  syllables  of  Iowa,  and  "mosa" 
from  the  Spanish  word  Hermosa.  The  "a"  is 
»presumably  thrown  in  for  euphony  in  such  a 
lingual  mixture. 

Hermosa  settlement  was  begtm  in  1881  by  a 
Pasadena  syndicate  which  formed  the  Hermosa 
Land  &  Water  Company.  Water  rights  were  se- 
cured in  Deer  creek  and  Alder  creek  and  the 
water  brought  on  the  land  and  four  shares  of 
water  stock  assigned  to  each  acre. 

The  Iowa  colony  secured  500  acres  of  the  old 
Cucamonga  homestead  in  1883.  The  union  of 
the  two  settlements  accounts  for  the  amalgamated 
name  loamosa.  Fruit  culture  is  the  principal  in- 
dustry of  the  colonv. 


Barstow,  formerly  Waterman,  is  a  railroad 
town  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Southern 
California  and  Santa  Fe  system  proper.  It  has 
an  elevation  of  1900  feet.  The  climate  is  clear 
and  dry.  It  has  considerable  trade  with  the 
mines.  The  project  of  building  the  Victor  res- 
ervoir, which  will  bring  a  large  area  of  the  so- 
called  desert  under  cultivation,  has  revived  inter- 


est  in   Barstow    as    a    prospective    agricultural 
district. 

THE    NEEDLES. 

The  Needles  is  the  chief  metropolis  of  San 
Bernardino's  portion  of  the  Colorado  desert.  It 
is  located  at  the  point  where  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road enters  California.  It  takes  its  name  from 
a  number  of  spire-shaped  rocks  near  it,  which 
were  so  named  by  Lieutenant  Ives  in  1857,  when 
he  explored  a  railroad  route  on  the  thirty-fifth 
parallel.  A  railroad  station  was  located  at  the 
crossing  in  1883,  when  the  bridge  over  the  Col- 
orado was  completed.  A  railroad  eating  house 
was  built  for  passengers  and  employes.  Frank 
Monaghan,  who  had  been  a  conductor  on  the 
Southern  Pacific  road,  and  Dan  Murphy  opened 
a  small  store.  The  desert  station  gradually  grew 
into  a  town.  It  is  the  headquarters  of  one  of  the 
divisions  of  the  Santa  Fe  system  which  absorbed 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Railroad.  In  1888  Dr. 
J.  P.  Booth  and  F.  H.  Harberd  started  a  news- 
paper and  named  it  Our  Bazoo.  In  1891  the  title 
was  changed  to  The  Needles  Eye. 

The  Needles  contains  a  number  of  business 
houses,  two  hotels  and  several  manufacturing  es- 
tablishments. The  Santa  Fe  has  a  large  round- 
house here  and  its  repair  shops.  The  town  has 
considerable  trade  with  the  mining  camps  con- 
tiguous to  it.  It  claims  a  population  of  2,500 
souls. 


CHAPTER    LXVI. 


VENTURA  COUNTY. 


POR  twenty-two  years  the  territory  now 
included  in  Ventura  county  was  part  of 
Santa  Barbara  county,  and  the  early 
history  of  that  part  properly  belongs  in  that  coun- 
ty. Its  history  in  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  eras 
centers  around  the  Mission  of  San  Buenaven- 
tura. There  was  but  little  settlement  beyond  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  mission.  The  country 
after  the  secularization  of  the  mission  was  held 
in  Santa  Barbara  city  or  in  Los  Angeles.  These 
ranches  were  managed  by  mayor-domos.     There 


was  no  opportunity   for  small  settlers  to  get  a 
foothold. 

Two  roads  led  up  the  coast  from  the  pueblo 
of  Los  Angeles  in  early  times.  One  of  them 
el  camino  viejo  (the  old  road)  was  via  Cahuenga 
pass  to  Encino,  from  Encino  to  Las  Virgenes, 
from  Las  Virgenes  to  Trumfo,  aud  from  Trum- 
fo  to  San  Buenaventura ;  the  other,  from  Los 
Angeles  by  Cahuenga  or  Verdugos  to  San  Fer- 
nando and  thence  to  San  Buenaventura.  Com- 
ing together  as  they  did  at  the  old  mission  made 


456 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  little  settlement  there  an  important  station 
in  the  travel  up  and  down  the  coast  in  the  days 
when  the  mustang  was  the  chief  means  of  trans- 
portation. Like  Jordan,  they  were  hard  roads  to 
travel.  By  the  shortest  road,  that  via  the  En- 
cino,  the  distance  between  the  mission  and  the 
pueblo  was  seventy  miles,  yet  the  wiry  mustang 
and  his  tireless  rider  could  easily  make  the  jour- 
ney in  a  day. 

Although  surrounded  by  a  magnificent  cattle 
country  there  was  but  little  shipping  from  its 
port  in  the  hide  droghing  days.  Dana,  Robinson 
and  others  who  were  on  the  coast  at  that  time 
make  but  meager  mention  of  it.  The  cattle  of 
its  extensive  ranchos  transported  their  own  hides 
and  tallow  to  the  market,  that  is,  they  were  driven 
to  some  point  near  Santa  Barbara  or  San  Pedro 
for  slaughter. 

The  old  mission  figured  in  the  Civil  war  of 
1838.  when  Juan  Bautista  Alvarado  and  Don 
Carlos  Carrillo  were  hostile  rivals  for  the  gov- 
ernorship of  the  territory.  The  battle  of  San 
Buenaventura  was  the  Waterloo  of  Carrillo.  It 
was  not  much  of  a  battle,  as  battles  were  fought 
in  the  American  Civil  war  from  1861  to  1865. 
but  it  was  the  most  sanguinary  conflict  in  the 
struggle  between  Northern  and  Southern  Cali- 
fornia over  the  question  of  which,  Los  Angeles 
or  Monterey,  should  be  the  capital,  and  who,  Al- 
varado or  Carrillo,  should  be  governor. 

Casteiiada.  in  command  of  Carrillo's  army  of 
the  south,  had  fallen  back  from  Santa  Barbara 
on  the  approach  of  Castro  with  the  army  of  the 
north  and  taken  position  in  the  mission  church 
of  San  Buenaventura.  Castro  pursuing,  with 
three  pieces  nf  artillery,  reached  San  Buenaven- 
tura in  the  night  and  planted  his  cannon  on  the 
heights  overlooking  the  mission.  In  the  morn- 
ing he  summoned  Casteiiada  to  surrender.  The 
summons  was  indignantly  rejected,  and  the  bat- 
tle was  on.  For  three  days  there  was  a  rattle  of 
musketry  and  a  roar  of  artillery.  Each  supposed 
he  was  annihilating  the  forces  of  the  other.  On 
the  third  night  the  southern  soldiers,  weary  of 
slaughter,  attempted  to  steal  out  under  the  cover 
of  darkness  and  make  their  way  to  their  desolate 
homes.  They  did  the  stealing  part  admirably, 
but  when  they  had  crawled  out  they  were  prompt- 
ly halted  by  the  enemy  lying  in  ambush  ;  and  as 


promptly  surrendered.  After  the  battle  came 
the  painful  duty  of  burying  the  dead  and  car- 
ing for  the  wounded— a  dead  southerner  and  a 
wounded  northerner,  or  possibly  the  reverse  (au- 
thorities differ).  The  mission  building  had  re- 
ceived several  severe  wounds.  Castro's  marks- 
men could  hit  a  mission,  but  not  a  man.  It  is 
said  that  there  are  several  of  Castro's  cannon 
balls  still  embedded  in  the  adobe  walls  of  the* 
old  mission.  The  battle  of  San  Buenaventura 
was  the  Gettysburg  of  the  Civil  war  between  the 
arribanos  (uppers)  and  the  abajanos  (lowers). 

At  the  time  of  the  American  conquest  there 
was  not,  so  far  as  known,  an  American  settler  in 
San  Buenaventura.  Colonel  Stevenson,  when  he 
was  commander  of  the  military  district  of  the 
South,  in  1847-48,  sent  Isaac  Callahan  and  W. 
O.  Streeter  to  take  charge  of  the  mission  prop- 
erty, which  had  been  abandoned  by  the  super- 
intendent. After  the  organization  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara county  the  San  Buenaventura  district  con- 
stituted a  township  of  that  county.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1852,  an  election  was  called  to  elect  three 
school  commissioners  for  the  township  of  San 
Buenaventura,  but  whether  any  were  elected  the 
records  do  not  show.  The  boundaries,  as  de- 
fined in  1855,  are  as  follows :  "First  township  to 
extend  from  the  division  line  of  Los  Angeles 
county  to  the  Arroyo  known  as  Arroyo  del  Rin- 
con.  The  election  shall  be  held  at  the  Mission 
San  Buenaventura."  The  boundaries  of  the 
school  district  were  the  same  as  those  of  the 
township.  The  school  trustees  elected  in  No- 
vember, 1855,  were  Jose  A.  Pacifico  and  Sanchez 
Rey  Olivas. 

In  December,  1855,  John  Roselli  was  teach- 
ing a  public  school  at  the  mission  of  San  Buena- 
ventura. The  school  was  taught  in  the  Spanish 
language.  This  was  probably  the  first  common 
school  taught  in  the  district  and  the  pioneer 
school  of  Ventura  county. 

In  1857  -'^-  Schiappa  Pietra,  than  a  resident  of 
Santa  Barbara,  started  the  first  store  in  San 
Buenaventura.  At  that  time  there  were  but  two 
places  in  the  whole  district  where  travelers  could 
be  entertained.  One  was  a  tent  on  the  Sespe 
rancho  and  the  other  a  hotel  kept  in  the  east 
wing  of  the  mission.    In  1858  the  American  resi- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


457 


dents  were  A.  M.  Conwa)^  Griffin  Robbins,  W. 
T.  Nash,  W.  D.  Hobson,  McLaughlin  and  Park. 

In  1859  the  first  attempt  was  made  to  form  a 
county  out  of  the  eastern  portion  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara. A  petition  containing  130  names  was  sent 
to  the  legislature  praying  for  the  formation  of 
the  county  of  San  Buenaventura. 

The  Los  Angeles  Star  of  January  29,  1859, 
commenting  on  the  project  says:  "We  might, 
however,  have  remained  silent,  had  not  the  in- 
terests of  Los  Angeles  county  been  brought  into 
the  question.  Our  informant  stated  to  us  that 
we  are  to  be  deprived  of  Fort  Tejon  township; 
and  that  according  to  the  petition  it  was  to  be 
incorporated  into  the  new  county,  giving  to  us 
the  rancho  of  Conejo  or  some  other  place  almost 
entirely  valueless  in  exchange.  It  is  an  old 
maxim  not  only  taught  by  the  fireside,  but 
spread  upon  every  statute  book,  that  he  who 
takes  from  another  without  his  consent  is  guilty 
of  robbery.  And  he  who  assists  in  such  an  act 
is  equally  guilty  with  the  leaders.  Has  Los  An- 
geles county  been  consulted  in  this  matter?  We 
are  certain  it  has  not.  Has  Tejon  district  been 
asked  if  it  would  accede  to  it?  We  find  no  one 
can  answer.  San  Buenaventura  then  would  like 
to  control  not  only  the  130  persons  who  are  said 
to  have  signed  the  petition,  but  also  the  board  of 
supervisors  of  Santa  Barbara  county  and  the 
like  body  of  Los  Angeles  county.  Don  Antonio 
de  La  Guerra,  chairman  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors of  Santa  Barbara,  immediately  on  hearing 
of  the  movement,  ordered  the  clerk  of  the  coun- 
ty to  send  the  representatives  of  the  county  in 
the  legislature  and  the  senator  of  the  second 
district  a  comparative  statement  of  the  number  of 
votes  the  would-be  new  county  could  cast :  the 
pro  rata  amount  of  debt  they  would  have  to  as- 
sume ;  and  requesting  these  representatives  to 
show  to  the  legislative  body  the  folly  of  the  un- 
dertaking." The  Star  assures  its  readers  that 
our  delegation  in  the  legislature  will  see  to  it 
that  no  "snap  judgment"  is  taken  by  these  plot- 
ters for  a  new  county. 

It  is  rather  strange  that  this  county  division 
project  did  not  carry  in  that  legislature.  The 
legislature  of  1859  was  a  secession  body.  It 
passed  a  bill  dividing  the  state  and  creating  the 
state     of     Colorado,    subject     to    the     approval 


of  the  people  and  congress.  At  an  elec- 
tion held  in  the  fall  of  1859  the  proposi- 
tion was  voted  upon  by  the  counties  of  San 
Luis  Obispo,  Santa  Barbara,  Los  Angeles,  San 
Diego,  San  Bernardino  and  Buena  Vista.  A 
large  majority  of  the  voters  favored  division, 
but  state  division  failed.  Congress  took  no  ac- 
tion on  the  scheme  to  form  a  new  state  or  terri- 
tory out  of  California.  Nothing  came  of  the 
county  division  scheme,  either. 

In  i860  there  were  but  nine  American  voters 
in  the  precinct  of  San  Buenaventura.  The  first 
survey  of  a  town  site  was  made  in  1862,  by  Wat- 
erman, Vassault  &  Co.,  who  owned  the  ex-mis- 
sion lands.  The  first  attempt  to  incorporate  the 
town  was  made  in  1863.  Messrs.  Simpson.  Bee- 
be,  Stow,  Escandon  and  others  met  at  the  hotel 
kept  by  V.  A.  Simpson  and  drew  up  a  petition 
to  the  legislature  asking  for  incorporation.  The 
legislature,  probably  considering  it  too  small  a 
matter  to  waste  time  on,  did  nothing  with  the 
petition. 

The  Noachian  deluge  of  1861-62  made  an  in- 
land sea  of  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  but  did  very 
little  damage.  The  cattle  and  horses  escaped  to 
the  foothills  and  the  loss  of  stock  was  light.  Dur- 
ing the  famine  years  of  1863  and  1864  there  was 
a  heavy  loss  of  cattle.  The  dry  years,  however, 
did  not  bring  about  a  subdivision  of  the  ranchos 
as  in  Los  Angeles.  The  ranchos  were  restocked 
gradually  and  the  old  industry,  cattle-raising, 
continued  for  a  time. 

The  flood  of  1867-68  was  more  severe  than 
that  of  1 86 1.  "On  Christmas  day,  1867,  the 
water  rose  until  it  was  three  feet  deep  in  Main 
street  of  San  Buenaventura.  The  lower  por- 
tions of  the  town  were  submerged  and  the  in- 
habitants had  to  be  removed  to  a  place  of  safety. 
The  warm  rain  falling  on  and  melting  the  re- 
cently deposited  snows  of  the  mountains  filled 
the  rivers  to  overflowing  and  caused  the  flood. 
The  land  from  the  Santa  Clara  hotel  to  the  river 
was  flooded.  Forty-seven  women  were  rescued 
from  the  flooded  houses  and  carried  on  the  backs 
of  horses  or  on  the  shoulders  of  men  to  places  of 
safety." 

In  1868  the  current  of  immigration,  which  for 
years  had  steadily  flowed  into  Central  and 
Northern     California,    turned    southward.     The 


458  HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 

subdivision  of  tlie  great  ranches  of  the  south  had  years  before  Nordhoff's  famous  letters  appeared, 

begun  and  cheap  farm  lands  were  thrown  on  the  gives  a  pleasing  description  of  the  stage  ride  and 

market.     Successive  years   of  abundant  rainfall  of  San  Buenaventura  as  she  saw  it  in  1870 : 

had  obliterated  the  traces  of  the  "famine  years."  "The    regrets    1    expressed   on   leaving    Santa 

Prices  of  all  products   were  good   and  men  of  Barbara  came  from  my  heart ;  it  is  a  lovely  spot, 

small  means  in  Central  California,  who  had  made  and  even  when  I  went  from  it  I  could  not  but 

money  by  grain-raising  on  rented  lands,  began  lean    out    of    the    window    to    catch   departing 

to  look  around   for  homes  of  their  own.     The  glimpses  of  it  as  it  faded  more  and  more  from 

completion  of  the  first  transcontinental  railroad  sight.     The  stage  road  winds  along  by  th?  sea; 

(the  Union  and  Central  Pacific)   in  May,  1869,  the  sun  was  shining,  golden,  as  it  seems  ever  to 

brought    many    home-seekers    to   the    coast    and  shine  on  these  serene,  blue  ripples  of  water,  and 

some  of  these  drifted  southward.  there    was    something    so    quieting    in    the    soft 

The  coast  stage  line  had  been  established  in  plashing  of  the  waves  against  the  shore  that  I 

1868  on  a  better  basis,  and  with  increased  serv-  laid  my  head  back  and,  with  open  eyes,  dreamed 

ice,    running    on    regular    time,    attracted    land  — dreamed  till  I  fell  asleep,  and  was  waked  up 

travel.    Heretofore  travel  up  and  down  the  coast  again  by  the  sound  of  water  rushing  immediately 

had  been  almost  entirely  by  steamer;  and  as  the  under  the  coach.     I  looked  out  in  bewilderment; 

large   passenger   steamers   did   not    stop  at    San  it  was  true,  the  horses  were  drawing  the  coach 

Buenaventura,    it    had    remained    comparatively  through  the  foam.ing,  flashing  waves.    The  other 

unknown.     The  stage  passengers  coming  down  passengers  expressed  no  concern ;  so  I,  too,  re- 

from  the  mountains  on  their  journey  northward  mained  quiet,  and  soon  found  that  this  was  the 

or,  rising  as  it  were  out  of  the  sea  on  their  south-  pleasantest  way  of  traveling  along  the  coast, 

ward  trip,  beheld  stretched  out  before  them  the  "Twenty-five  miles  below   Santa   Barbara   lies 

valley  of  the  Santa  Clara  in  all  its  loveliness  and  San  Buenaventura,  another  old  mission,  around 

were   delighted  with   the  view   and   enthusiastic  which  quite  a  flourishing  place  has  sprung  up. 

over  the  country's  future  prospects.  The  flimsy,  garish   frame  houses  have  crowded 

The  following  table  of  distances  and  stations  themselves  in  where  the  olive,  the  palm,  and  the 

gives  the  line  of  the  old  stage  route  between  Los  fig-tree  once  grew   in  unbroken  lines;  but  now 

Angeles,  San  Buenaventura  and  Santa  Barbara  only  patches  of  ground,  covered  with  giant  pear 

in  1868:  trees   and   huge   olives,  are   visible  back   of   the 

From  Los  Angeles  to  Cahuenga  Pass  fast-growing    town.      Passing    through    in    the 

House   .  . '! 944  miles  broad,  positive  light  of  noonday,  I  could  look  on 

To  New  Station SH      "  these  things  philosophically  and  with   equanim- 

To  Motintain  House  (Larry's)    15%      "  ity ;  but  on  my  way  back  from  Los  Angeles  some 

To  Smii  Ranch 8j4      '■  ^j^^^^  ^^^^^.^  j„  ^j^^  ^.j-,;]]  ^^^^^^  ^f  ^^^  waning  night. 

To  Santa  cTara"  River'  '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.    "^          "  '^'^  ''S^'^  °f  the  place  made  me  feel  sad,  almost 

To  San  Buenaventura 8%      "  bitter.     Night  had  not  yet  lifted  her  mantle  from 

To  Rincon   12          "  the  earth  as  the  stage  rolled  heavily  toward  San 

To  Santa  Barbara   15          "  Buenaventura,  and  the  roar  of  the  ocean  fell  on 

7~       '  mv  ear  with  hollow  sound.     Soon  I  distinguished 

^°'^^  9»3^  miles  ^,;^  ^j^j,  ^^^^^^g  ^r  ^i^p  Mission  Church,  and  the 

The  stage,  which  carried  the  daily  mail,  left  tinkling  of  the  bells,  just  touched,  had  a  feeble, 
Los  Angeles  at  6  A.  M.  and  arrived  at  8  P.  M.  complaining  tone ;  now  we  turn  into  the  one  long 
The  through  time  from  San  Francisco  to  Los  street  of  San  Buenaventura,  and  in  the  darken- 
Angeles  by  stage  was  66  hours.  The  following  ing  halls,  the  clerk  of  the  hotel  shows  me  into 
extract  taken  from  Josephine  Cliflford's  "Tropical  a  cheerless  room,  upstairs.  I  walk  to  the  win- 
California."  a  series  of  articles  descriptive  of  the  dow — to  the  rising  light — and  there,  in  the  yard 
iroast  counties  from  San  Luis  Obispo  southward,  liclow  are  those  peerless,  graceful  palm  trees  I 
pitlilished    in    the    "Overland    Monthly"    several  saw   waving   and   bending   in    the   dim    distance. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


459 


How  pitiful  to  see  these  neglected  daughters  of 
the  torrid  zone  lifting  their  royal  shafts  among 
the  stove  pipes  and  empt}'  dry  goods  boxes  of  a 
country  store  back  yard.  I  stretched  out  my 
hands  lovingly,  and  they  nodded  their  proud 
heads,  and  flung  their  arms  to  the  morning 
breeze,  pointing  to  where  those  clusters  of  dark 
olives  stood.  But  it  grows  lighter,  the  stage  is  at 
the  door,  and  bears  us  rapidly  away.  In  the  far 
east  breaks  the  cold  gray  morning — 'those  Amer- 
icans' are  coming!" 

And  "those  Americans"  continued  to  come; 
the  "garish  frame  houses"  crowded  out  the  adobe 
structures.  The  age  of  wood  supplanted  the  age 
of  unbaked  clay,  and  in  turn  was  crowded  back 
from  the  business  streets  by  brick  and  stone. 
The  "clusters  of  dark  olives"  have  been  thinned 
by  the  woodman's  ax  and  but  two  of  the  palms 
nod  their  proud  heads  in  the  morning  breeze. 
And  still  "those  Americans  are  coming,"  not  by 
stage,  but  by  steam. 

Mrs.  Clifford's  description  of  a  night  ride  over 
the  mountains  between  San  Buenaventura  and 
Los  Angeles  illustrates  some  of  the  perils  and 
inconveniences  of  travel  a  third  of  a  century  ago : 
"We  had  been  ascending  the  mountains  for  some 
time,  when,  during  a  breathing  spell  given  the 
horses,  the  sharp,  decided  rattle  that  seems  pe- 
culiar to  just  these  stages,  sounded  back  to  us 
from  somewhere  above,  as  though  it  were  the 
echo  of  our  own  wheels.  The  driver  listened  a 
moment,  and  then  broke  out  with  an  abrupt  oath, 

for  which  he  didn't  even  apologize.    'D that 

fellow!  But  I'll  make  him  take  the  outside,'  he 
muttered.  'What's  the  matter?'  I  asked,  appre- 
hensively; 'anything  wrong?'  'Oh,  no!'  with  a 
look  over  to  my  side  of  the  road  where  the  light 
of  the  lanterns  fell  on  the  trees  that  grew  up 
out  of  the  mountain  side  below  us,  and  were 
trying  to  touch  the  wheels  of  our  coach  with 
their  top  branches — 'nothing  at  all.  Only  he's 
got  to  take  that  side  of  the  road  and  take  his 
chances  of  going  over.  He'd  no  business  com- 
ing on  me  here.'  The  rattling  had  come  nearer 
all  this  time  and  now  a  light  flashed  up  a  little 
in  front  of  us  and  directly  a  fiery,  steaming  mon- 
ster seemed  rushing  down  to  destroy  us.  The 
air  had  grown  chilly  and  the  horses  in  the  ap- 
proaching stage  seemed  to  have  cantered  down 


the  mountain  at  quite  a  lively  gait,  for  the  white 
steam  was  issuing  from  their  nostrils  and  rising 
in  clouds  from  their  bodies.  The  six  gallant 
horses,  reined  up  short  and  stamping  nervously 
to  be  let  loose  for  the  onward  run,  were  a  noble 
sight ;  and  the  heavy  coach,  with  its  two  gleam- 
ing eyes,  was  grandly  swaying  in  its  springs. 
Our  own  horses  were  blowing  little  impatient 
puffs  from  distended  nostrils,  and  our  coach 
drawn  safely  up  on  the  rocky  hillside.  Both 
drivers  stopped  to  exchange  the  compliments  of 
the  day — or,  rather,  the  night — our  driver  speak- 
ing in  crusty  tones,  and,  pointing  down  to  where 
the  road  fell  off  steep  and  precipitous  below  him, 
warned  the  other  driver  'not  to  run  ahead  of  his 
time  again.' 

"There  was  nothing  rem.arkable  about  the  sup- 
per we  took  that  night  except  the  bats  that  kept 
coming  in  at  the  front  door  in  a  perfectly  free- 
and-easy  manner,  swarming  about  our  heads  till 
they  thought  they  knew  us,  and  then  settling  in 
their  favorite  nooks  and  corners.  Noticing  my 
untiring  endeavors  to  prevent  them  from  inspect- 
ing my  head  and  face  too  closely,  the  station 
keeper  observed  that  people  were  'most  always 
afraid  of  them  things  when  they  first  come,'  but 
that  they  'needn't  fright  of  them ;  they  wouldn't 
hurt  nobody.'  The  rest  of  the  night  was  passed 
inside  the  stage,  though  of  sleep  there  was  no 
thought,  such  jolting  and  jumping  over  rocks 
and  boulders ;  I  ache  all  over  to  think  of  it  even 
now !  Just  before  daybreak  we  entered  the  City 
of  the  Angels."     *     *     * 

San  Buenaventura  became  ambitious  to  be 
classed  as  a  seaport.  In  January,  1871,  a  fran- 
chise was  secured  to  build  a  wharf;  work  was 
begun  upon  it  in  March;  and  in  February,  1872, 
it  was  so  near  completion  that  steamers  were  able 
to  discharge  their  cargoes  directly  on  it.  The 
next  advance  was  the  establishing  of  a  news- 
paper. April  22,  1871,  appeared  the  first  number 
of  the  Ventura  Signal.  The  editor  and  proprie- 
tor. J.  H.  Bradley,  was  a  wide-awake,  progress- 
ive newspaper  m.an.  He  directed  his  efforts  to- 
wards building  up  the  prospective  county.  He 
was  an  earnest  and  intelligent  advocate  of  county 
division  and  labored  to  organize  and  unify  public 
sentiment  in  favor  of  that  measure. 


460 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ORGANIZATION   OF    THE    NEW    COUNTY. 

After  the  failure  of  the  attempt  to  divide  Santa 
Barbara  county  in  1859,  the  scheme  fell  into  a 
state  of  "innocuous  desuetude."  It  was  not  given 
up;  onl)'  held  in  abeyance.  The  people  were 
biding  their  time.  There  were  abundant  reasons 
why  the  people  of  the  eastern  portion  of  Santa 
Barbara  should  have  a  county  of  their  own  when 
they  could  afford  the  expense.  It  was  a  long 
distance  to  the  county  seat  and  the  journey  had 
to  be  made  over  roads  that  were  next  to  im- 
passable in  the  winter  time.  The  western  and 
more  populous  part  of  the  county  monopolized 
the  offices ;  and  the  most  harrowing  grievance 
that  the  average  American  office-seeker  can  suf- 
fer is  to  have  his  claims  to  political  preferment 
ignored  by  his  party.  Then,  too,  Santa  Barbara 
city,  which  really  dominated  the  politics  of  the 
county,  had  a  large  purchasable  element  among 
the  voters,  which,  under  the  leadership  of  and 
controlled  by  crafty  politicians,  decided  the  po- 
litical destiny  of  aspirants  for  office  on  a  coin 
basis.  The  advocates  of  a  new  county  pointed 
to  the  many  and  grievous  wrongs  against  the 
right  of  suffrage  committed  by  the  political 
bosses  of  Santa  Barbara  and  urged  a  separation 
from  their  contaminating  influence.  Examples 
were  many. 

It  is  said  that  at  one  time  political  feeling  ran 
so  high  a  whole  tribe  of  Indians  were  voted.  At 
another  closely  contested  election  the  passenger 
list  of  a  Panama  steamer  was  copied  and  a  pre- 
cinct of  20  voters  rolled  up  160  votes.  The  "hole 
in  the  wall"  election  fraud  of  1852  was  one  of 
the  many  scandals  that  shook  confidence  in  the 
verdict  of  the  ballot  box.  At  that  election  the 
voter  passed  his  ballot  through  a  hole  in  the 
wall.  The  election  officers,  who  were  all  of  one 
political  faith,  disposed  of  the  ballots  as  seemed 
good  to  them.  Tlie  electors  of  the  other  side  had 
the  privilege  of  voting  early  and  often.  If  their 
votes  were  not  counted,  at  least  they  had  the  sat- 
isfaction of  casting  a  goodly  number.  The  reg- 
istry law  of  1866  checked  some  of  the  more  fla- 
grant abuses,  but  bribery,  coercion  and  the  open 
buying  of  votes  went  on  for  several  years  after- 
wards. 

Immigration  had  brought  into  the  eastern  end 


of  Santa  Barbara  county  a  population  almost 
entirely  American,  and  the  desire  to  cut  loose 
from  the  western  end  with  its  peculiar  election 
methods  increased  as  population  increased.  In 
1869,  ten  years  after  the  failure  of  the  first,  a  sec- 
ond effort  to  form  a  new  county  was  made.  Hon. 
A.  G.  Escandon  was  elected  to  the  assembly 
largely  on  a  county  division  issue,  but  Santa  Bar- 
bara bitterly  opposed  the  scheme  when  it  came 
before  the  legislature  and  the  bill  for  the  creation 
of  a  new  county  failed  to  pass. 

In  the  legislature  of  1871-72  the  measure  again 
came  to  the  front.  Hon.  W.  D.  Hobson,  who 
represented  the  county  divisionists  in  the  legis- 
lature, was  successful  in  carrying  the  measure. 
The  bill  creating  the  county  of  \'entura  was  ap- 
proved March  22,  1872.  The  boundaries  of  the 
count_y  are  as  follows:  "Commencing  on  the 
coast  of  the  Pacific  ocean  at  the  mouth  of  Rincon 
creek;  thence  following  up  the  center  of  said 
creek  to  its  source ;  thence  due  north  to  the  boun- 
dary line  of  Santa  Barbara  county ;  thence  in  an 
easterly  direction  along  the  boundary  line  of 
Santa  Barbara  county  to  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  same;  thence  southerly  along  the  line  be- 
tween the  said  Santa  Barbara  county  and  Los 
Angeles  county  to  the  Pacific  ocean  and  three 
miles  therein ;  thence  in  a  northerly  direction  to 
a  point  due  south  and  three  miles  distant  from 
the  mouth  of  Rincon  creek;  thence  north  to  the 
point  of  beginning;  and  including  the  islands  of 
Anacapa  and  San  Nicolas." 

The  bill  provided  for  the  appointment  of  five 
commissioners  to  effect  a  county  organiation. 
Early  in  January  Ihe  governor  appointed  Thomas 
R.  Bard,  S.  Bristol,  W.  D.  F.  Richards,  A.  G. 
Escandon  and  C.  W.  Thacker. 

A  special  election  was  called  for  February  25, 
1873,  to  elect  county  and  township  officers.  The 
total  vote  cast  was  608  and  the  following  were 
declared  elected : 

I.  Marion  Brooks   district  attorney 

F.  Molleda   county  clerk 

Frank   Peterson    sheriff 

John  Z.  Barnett   ,  .county  assessor 

"E.  a.  Edwards   county  treasurer 

C.  J.  De  Merritte   county  surveyor 

F.  S.  S.  Buckman county  sup't  of  schools 

Dr.   C.   L.   Bard    coroner 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


461 


The  supervisors  were  James  Daly  of  the  first 
district,  a  hold-over  from  Santa  Barbara;  J.  A. 
Conaway  of  the  second;  and  C.  W.  Thacker  of 
the  third  district.  All  the  officers  except  the  cor- 
oner were  Democrats.  The  coroner  had  no  op- 
position or  he,  too,  would  have  been  over- 
whelmed by  the  Democratic  tidal  wave.  Pablo 
de  la  Guerra  was  the  district  judge  of  the  second 
district — .San  Luis  Obispo,  Santa  Barbara  and 
Ventura.  Milton  W'asson  was  county  judge. 
Frank  Molleda,  county  clerk,  died  a  few  weeks 
after  his  election  and  S.  M.  W.  Easley  was  ap- 
pointed to  fill  the  vacancy.  The  officers  having 
all  qualified  and  filed  their  bonds,  the  county  of 
Ventura  opened  for  business  March  14,  1873. 
The  offices  of  the  county  officials,  except  that  of 
the  treasurer,  were  located  in  a  rented  building 
on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Palm  streets  in  what 
was  known  as  Spear's  hall.  San  Buenaventura 
owned  a  jail  and  this  was  used  jointly  by  the 
town  and  the  county  until  the  county  jail  was 
built.  A  plat  for  a  court  house  square  in  the 
old  mission  orchard  was  deeded  to  the  county 
by  Bishop  Amat ;  and  in  1873  bonds  were  issued 
to  the  amount  of  $6,000  bv  the  countv ;  the  town 


donating-  $4,000  for  the  purpose  of  building  a 
court  house  and  jail.  The  project  of  building  a 
court  house  in  San  Buenaventura  aroused  the  op- , 
position  of  other  towns  ambitious  to  be  the 
county  seat  (particularly  Saticoy  and  Hueneme), 
and  a  court  house  war  was  on  with  all  its  bitter- 
ness. The  court  house,  nevertheless,  was  built 
among  the  century-old  olives  in  the  mission  gar- 
den; and,  although  the  mutterings  of  the  dis- 
contented towns  were  heard  for  years  afterwards, 
it  availed  them  nothing.  It  is  not  probable  that 
any  one  of  the  aspirants  of  early  days  will  ever 
become  the  seat  of  county  government.  The 
main  building  of  the  court  house  was  completed 
in  1874;  a  wing  was  added  in  1878,  and  in  1884 
four  rooms  were  added  to  the  west  end. 

During  the  years  of  1872  and  1873  business 
v.'as  active  in  San  Buenaventura  and  throughout 
the  county.  New  buildings  were  going  up,  prop- 
erty changing  hands,  and  the  old  town,  after  its 
sleep  of  a  century,  awoke  from  its  lotus  dream  of 
ease  to  find  itself  metamorphosed  from  a  sleepy, 
half-Indian,  half-^Iexican  hamlet  to  a  bustling, 
wide-awake,  progressive  American  town. 


CHAPTER    LXVII. 


VENTURA    COUNTY— Continued. 


ANNALS    OF   VENTURA    TOWN    AND    COUNTY. 

THE  colony  form  of  settlement  which  was 
very  popular  in  Southern  California  dur- 
ing the  decade  between  1870-1880  did  not 
reach  or,  at  least,  did  not  find  lodgment  in  Ven- 
tura county.  The  county  was  off  the  line  of  rail- 
road travel  then,  and  the  line  of  passenger  steam- 
ers did  not  stop  at  its  ports.  The  seekers  for 
colony  sites  preferred  locations  easily  accessible 
by  railroad  or  steamer.  The  county  developed 
more  slowly  than  its  sister  counties  of  the  south. 
Its  development  while  slower  was  more  perma- 
nent. It  was  not  inflated  by  booms  nor  depressed 
by  hard  times  like  some  of  the  adjoining  counties. 
Early  in  1872  San  Buenaventura  district  is- 
sued school  bonds  to  the  amount  of  Sio.ooo  to 


build  a  new  school  house.  The  bonds  were  sold 
and  the  corner-stone  of  the  building  laid  Sep- 
tember 16,  1872.  The  number  of  school  census 
children  in  the  county  in  1872  was  809,  of  which 
323  were  in  the  town  of  ^'entura. 

The  year  of  1874  was  one  of  abundant  rain- 
fall; crops  were  good,  prices  of  grain  and  stock 
high,  immigrants  were  steadily  coming  and  the 
city  and  county  were  riding  on  the  wave  of  pros- 
perity. The  town  had  grown  rapidly.  Its  popu- 
lation was  about  1,000. 

The  Ventura  Library  Association  was  incor- 
porated November  23,  1874.  The  incorporators 
were :  Milton  ^^'asson,  James  Daly,  C.  G.  Fin- 
ney, L.  F.  Eastin,  G.  S.  Gilbert,  Jr.,  C.  FI.  Baily. 
J.    J.     Sheridan.    T.    B.    Stepleton    and    L.    C. 


462 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Granges.  All  members  paid  $5  a  year  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  library ;  those  not  members  were  al- 
lowed.the  privilege  of  drawing  books  on  the  pay- 
ment of  twenty-five  cents  per  month.  A  room 
was  secured,  and  with  the  proceeds  of  a  fair  and 
festival  was  fitted  up  with  shelves  and  furniture. 
Six  hundred  ^■olumes  were  bought  and  the 
library  opened.  It  was  kept  open  until  1878, 
when,  becoming  involved  in  debt,  it  was  closed. 
The  library  trustees,  Messrs.  James  Daly,  M.  H. 
Gay,  C.  H.  Baily,  L.  F.  Eastin  and  J.  J.  Sheri- 
dan, made  a  proposition  to  the  board  of  town 
trustees  to  transfer  the  assets  of  the  association 
to  the  town,  provided  the  town  trustees  would 
pay  the  library  indebtedness  and  agree  to  levy 
a  tax  for  the  support  of  the  library  in  accordance 
with  the  state  Jaw  providmg  for  a  library  fund 
in  incorporated  cities  and  .  towns.  The  town 
board  accepted  the  proposition  and  took  charge 
of  the  library  August  21,  1878.  J.  F.  Newby 
was  appointed  librarian  and  held  the  office  until 
February,  1888.  The  town  owns  its  own  library 
building,  which  is  a  part  of  the  city  hall.  New 
books  are  added  as  means  will  allow.  The  library 
is  in  charge  of  Miss  Florence  Vandever.  The 
annual  income  received  from  taxation  amounts 
to  $r,ooo.  The  total  number  of  volumes  now  in 
the  library  is  4,750. 

In  1875  the  town  and  the  county  had  grown 
populous  enough  to  support  another  newspaper. 
J.  H.  Bradley  had  done  good  work  with  the 
Signal,  the  pioneer  newspaper  founded  in  1871. 
He  made  it  a  model  country  newspaper.  His 
health  failed  and  in  1873  he  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  it  to  E.  Shepherd  and  J.  J.  Sheridan. 
They  kept  up  the  early  reputation  of  the  paper. 
The  first  number  of  the  Daily  Ventura  Free 
Press  was  issued  November  14,  1875.  It  was  pub- 
lished by  O.  P.  Hoddy.  The  subscription  price 
of  the  daily  was  $8;  weekly,  $3.  In  his  saluta- 
tory, the  editor  says:  "In  conducting  the  Free 
Press  we  shall  endeavor  to  the  best  of  our  ability 
to  be  a  champion  and  friend  of  the  people." 
The  daily  was  a  four-page,  eight-column  blanket 
sheet.  The  editor  was  often  driven  to  despera- 
tion to  fill  his  local  columns  with  news  items. 
The  town  was  small,  the  people  were  intent  on 
their  own  business  and  it  was  the  same  wearying 
round  of  sameness  dav  after  dav.     At  the  end 


of  an  uneventful  week  the  editor  utters  this  wail : 
"If  ever  in  the  publication  of  a  local  paper  we 
were  driven  to  desperation  in  search  of  items  we 
are  this  week.  Not  even  a  dog  fight  has  oc- 
curred to  relieve  the  monotony.  We  have  felt 
almost  justified  in  placing  a  man  on  the  watch 
for  wild  geese  or  sending  a  reporter  to  the  clam 
beds." 

February  19,  1876,  H.  G.  McLean  became  pro- 
prietor of  the  daily  and  weekly  Free  Press.  With 
the  advent  of  a  rival  paper  a  newspaper  war 
broke  out.  There  was  no  scarcity  of  items  after 
that.  There  was  perhaps  no  more  news,  but 
there  was  more  noise.  People  never  quarrel  si- 
lently. Expletives,  hot  with  wrath  or  icy  with 
irony,  were  hurled  back  and  forth  from  sanctum 
to  sancttim.  During  the  famous  More  murder 
trial  the  rival  papers  assailed  each  other  vicious- 
ly, the  Signal  scathingly  condemning  the  murder 
and  the  Free  Press  excusing  it. 

The  Monumentals,  a  fire  company,  was  or- 
ganized in  1875 ;  B.  F.  Williams,  president ;  L. 
F.  Eastin,  secretary ;  and  R.  G.  Surdam,  foreman. 

The  Gas  Company  was  organized  the  same 
year;  J.  M.  Miller,  president;  L.  F.  Eastin,  sec- 
retary. 

February  25,  1876,  the  steamer  Kalorama,  491 
tons  burden,  belonging  to  the  Coast  Steamship 
Company,  was  lost.  While  lying  at  Wolfson's 
wharf,  on  account  of  the  rough  sea,  she  chafed 
against  the  wharf  and  was  ordered  to  move  out 
to  the  floating  buoy.  On  the  way  thither  her 
screw  fouled  with  the  mooring  rope  and  left  the 
vessel  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind,  Nvhich  drove  her 
ashore.  As  she  lay  on  the  beach  her  heavy  ma- 
chinery broke  loose  in  her  hull.  The  loose  ma- 
chinery and  the  beating  of  the  waves  broke  her 
to  pieces.    The  loss  was  estimated  at  $77,500. 


The  first  murder  in  the  new  county  was  com- 
mitted March  3,  1873.  In  a  dispute  over  land 
boundaries  George  Hargen  shot  and  killed  George 
Martin,  on  the  Colonia  rancho.  Hargen,  after 
the  murder,  attempted  to  escape  by  flight.  He 
was  followed  by  some  of  his  neighbors,  over- 
taken, arrested  and  taken  back  to  the  scene  of 
the  murder.  He  was  confined  in  a  small  house 
and  closely  guarded.    An  inquest  was  held  on  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


463 


body  of  Martin  and  the  verdict  was  that  he  had 
been  murdered  by  Hargen  without  provocation. 
Martin  was  a  peaceable  man  and  a  good  citizen, 
Hargen  a  quarrelsome  and  dangerous  fellow. 
After  the  inquest,  Hargen  was  taken  to  a  lone 
tree  on  the  ranch  and  hanged.  He  showed  no 
penitence  for  his  deed,  but  expressed  himself 
glad  that  he  had  killed  Martin.  No  effort  was 
ever  made  to  arrest  the  vigilantes.  It  was  gen- 
erally conceded  that  Hargen  had  received  his 
just  deserts. 

In  1877  occurred  the  murder  of  T.  Wallace 
More.  The  excitement,  prejudices  and  political 
issue  even  that  arose  out  of  the  varying  cir- 
cumstances connected  with  the  trial  of  the  con- 
spirators made  this  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
cases  in  the  criminal  annals  of  California.  Thom- 
as Wallace  More,  by  purchase  from  die  old 
California  families,  had  acquired  large  land  hold- 
ings in  the  Santa  Clara  valley.  He  and  his 
three  brothers  at  one  time  owned  a  tract  thirty- 
two  miles  long,  bordering  on  the  Santa  Clara 
■  river.  Among  his  purchases  was  the  Sespe 
rancho,  originally  granted  to  Don  Carlos  Car- 
rillo  in  1829.  More  bought  this  grant  in  1874, 
paying  in  full  for  six  leagues,  the  amount  of 
land  the  grant  was  supposed  to  contain.  The 
United  States  Land  Commission  had  confirmed 
the  grant  in  1853  ^or  this  amount.  The  United 
States,  as  adverse  claimant,  appealed  the  case 
to  the  United  States  district  court.  When  the 
plat  was  brought  into  court  it  was  found  that 
the  number  of  leagues  had  been  changed  from 
two  to  six  at  some  time  during  the  existence 
of  the  grant.  More,  to  prevent  the  whole  grant 
from  being  rejected,  consented  to  take  two 
leagues;  the  remaining  four  leagues  being  gov-- 
ernment  land,  was  open  to  settlement  and  about 
forty  squatters  located  on  it.  Frequent  disputes 
arose  between  More  and  the  squatters.  The  ill 
feeling  between  them  was  intensified  by  More 
attempting  to  buy  the  four  leagues  from  the  gov- 
ernment under  an  act  passed  subsequent  to  the 
rejection. 

On  the  night  of  the  23rd  of  ]\Iarch,  1877. 
More  was  sleeping  at  the  ranch  house  on  his 
grant.  About  midnight  the  barn  was  discovered 
on  fire  and  he  and  his  hired  man  rushed  out  to 
save  the  contents  of  the  buildinig.     IMore  was 


shot  down  as  he  came  into  the  light  by  some 
masked  men,  and  while  lying  on  the  ground  beg- 
ging for  his  life,  was  riddled  with  bullets.  Sus- 
picion fell  upon  the  squatters.  To  avert  it  they 
held  a  meeting  and  some  of  the  murderers  were 
loudest  in  their  condemnation  of  it,  and  passed 
resolutions  denouncing  it  and  oflfering  their  as- 
sistance in  ferreting  out  the  murderers.  Austin 
Brom,  one  of  the  Sespe  settlers,  having  quar- 
reled with  Curlee,  one  of  the  conspirators,  re- 
vealed to  the  administrator  of  the  More  estate 
the  names  of  those  who  had  conspired  to  kill 
More.  As  a  result  of  these  revelations  and  some 
other  evidence  obtained  by  the  authorities,  F. 
A.  Sprague,  J.  S.  Churchill,  J.  F.  Curlee,  Jesse 
M.  Jones,  Ivory  D.  Lord,  Charles  McCart,  H. 
Cook  and  J.  A.  Swanson  were  arrested.  N.  H. 
Kickerson,  chairman  of  the  meeting  at  which 
the  resolutions  were  passed,  being  on  his  death 
bed,  also  made  some  revelations.  After  the  ar- 
rest Jesse  M.  Jones  turned  state's  evidence.  On 
trial,  Sprague  and  Curlee  were  found  guilty. 
Sprague  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged  and  Cur- 
lee to  imprisonment  for  life.  On  the  trial  of 
Lord  the  jury  disagreed.  When  the  trial  of  the 
next  conspirator  was  begun,  Jones,  a  weak  and 
unscrupulous  fellow,  having  evidently  been  in- 
duced to  do  so  by  purchase  or  persuasion,  re- 
tracted his  former  evidence  and  admitted  that 
he  had  perjured  himself.  As  it  was  impossible 
to  convict  without  his  testimony,  the  others  were 
discharged.  Sprague's  sentence  was  commuted 
to  imprisonment  for  life.  Stoneman,  when  gov- 
■  ernor,  pardoned  him.  Curlee  obtained  a  new 
trial  and,  the  jury  disagreeing,  his  case  was  final- 
ly dismissed.  Jones'  financial  circumstances 
were  greatly  improved  by  his  connection  with 
the  plot. 

DIS.\STERS. 

The  year  1877  was  one  of  disasters  to  Ven- 
tura, both  by  sea  and  land.  Two  vessels  were 
wrecked  in  the  bay  that  year.  The  brig  Crimea, 
223  tons'  burden,  loaded  with  lumber,  while 
njade  fast  to  the  wharf,  parted  her  cable  and  was 
driven  ashore  by  the  heavy  northwesterly  gale 
prevailing  at  the  time.  The  loss  was  estimated 
at  $9,200. 

December   i,    1877,  the  brig   Lucv  Ann,   200 


464 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tons"  burden,  parted  her  mooring  during  a  vio- 
lent northwester  and  was  broken  to  pieces.  One 
hfe  was  lost.  The  vessel  was  valued  at  $6,500. 
Eighteen  hundred  and  seventy-six  was  one 
of  the  dreaded  dry  years.  After  the  almost  to- 
tal destruction  of  cattle-raising  in  the  "famine 
years"  of  1863-64  the  sheep  industry  came  to 
the  front  in  Southern  California.  The  high 
price  of  wool  in  the  years  immediately  following 
the  close  of  the  Civil  war,  the  rapidity  witli 
which  sheep  multiplied  and  the  small  cost  of 
their  maintenance  made  the  business  of  wool- 
growing  very  profitable.  As  the  agricultural 
lands  of  the  valleys  were  utilized  for  grain-grow- 
ing the  ranges  were  curtailed  and  the  sheep  were 
crowded  back  on  the  mesas  and  foothills.  When 
drought  came  the  feed  on  these  was  soon  ex- 
hausted and  sheep  were  dying  by  thousands.  On 
the  island  of  Santa  Cruz  alone  25,000  starved 
to  death.  On  the  mainland  whole  droves  per- 
ished. Some  of  the  owners  drove  their  sheep 
to  Arizona  and  Southern  Utah  and  thus  saved 
a  remnant  of  their  flocks.  Others,  depending  on 
a  late  rainfall,  delayed  their  departure  until  too 
late  and,  attempting  to  cross  the  deserts  with 
their  starving  bands,  lost  them  all.  The  dry  year 
put  a  temporary  check  to  the  prosperity  the 
county  had  been  enjoying  for  several  years. 

PROGRESS. 

In  1879  the  assessed  value  of  the  property  of 
the  county  was  $3,399,000.  The  land  under  cul- 
tivation was  estimated  by  the  county  assessor  at 
75,000  acres.  Of  this  amount  about  one-half 
was  sown  in  barley;  corn  came  next  and  wheat 
third,  the  three  cereals  monopolizing  about  60,- 
000  acres  of  the  cultivated  lands ;  while  the  bean, 
now  one  of  the  great  agricultural  staples,  only 
occupied  1,800  acres,  and  the  sugar  beet  was 
then  unknown  among  the  products  of  the  count)'. 

The  great  flood  of  1884  swept  down  through 
the  Soledad  Cafion  and  carried  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  track  out  of  the  cafion  down  the 
Santa  Clara  river  to  the  sea.  Out  beyond  the 
mouth  of  the  river  for  several  days  during  the 
flood  a  great  raft  made  up  of  bridge  timbers, 
ties  and  telegraph  poles,  the  wreckage  of  the 
railroad,  was  tossed  back  and  forth  by  the  riv- 
er current  and   the   breakers.     When   the   flood 


subsided  this  flotsam  was  cast  on  the  beach  or 
carried  out  to  sea.  The  Santa  Clara  river  spread 
out  over  the  valley  and  for  some  time  rivaled 
the  Mississippi  river  during  a  spring  rise.  Tlie 
flood  did  but  very  little  damage  in  Ventura 
county. 

In  1886  the  construction  of  the  coast  line  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  was  begun  at 
Saugus,  a  station  on  the  main  road  from  Los 
Angeles  to  San  Francisco.  Work  was  pushed 
rapidly  down  the  Santa  Clara  valley,  and  early 
in  1887  the  road  was  completed  to  San  Buena- 
ventura. The  reaction  from  the  debilitating  ef- 
fects of  the  bank  failures  on  the  coast,  dry  years 
and  low  prices  of  grain  did  not  begin  till  about 
1882;  from  that  on  there  was  a  steady  advance 
in  the  price  of  real  estate.  With  the  advent  of 
the  railroad  in  1887  it  went  up  with  a  bound. 
The  real  estate  agent  became  very  much  in  evi- 
dence. What  the  town  or  the  county  lacked  in 
actual  conditions  his  vivid  imagination  supplied. 
On  every  side  was  evidence  of  growth  and  prog- 
ress. The  magnificent  Hotel  Rose  was  built  at- 
a  cost  of  $120,000.  To  prevent  business  from 
drifting  up  town  too  rapidly  a  syndicate  of  down- 
town property  holders  built  the  Anacapa  hotel. 
Streets  were  graded,  sidewalks  laid,  a  theater 
built  and  the  town  assumed  metropolitan  airs. 
The  railroad  reached  Santa  Barbara  in  August, 
1887,  and  there  it  stopped.  The  halt  would  not 
be  long.  The  gap  between  the  northern  and 
southern  ends  would  soon  be  closed,  so  the  real 
estate  boomers  said.  Besides,  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka  &  Santa  Fe  had  surveyed  a  route  from 
Santa  Monica  to  San  Buenaventura,  then  up  the 
river  of  the  same  name,  crossing  the  divide  to 
the  Santa  Ynez,  down  its  valley  and  by  way  of 
the  Salinas  valley  and  San  Jose  to  San  Francis- 
co. Rivalry  between  the  two  roads  would  force 
them  to  hurry  up  the  work.  San  Buenaventura 
on  two  main  lines  would  become  a  great 
railroad  center.  But  the  Santa  Fe  did  not  ma- 
terialize ;  the  Southern  Pacific  remained  sta- 
tionary and  the  gap  was  wide  open.  Hope  de- 
ferred made  the  heart  of  the  real-estate  agent 
sick.  The  boom  subsided  and  San  Buenaven- 
tura awoke  from  a  dream  to  the  reality  that 
she  was  not  a  great  railroad  center. 

In   1890  the  federal  census  gave  the  town  a 


HISTORICAL  AND- BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


465 


population  of  3,869,  a  very  healthy  growth  for 
the  decade.  The  population  of  the  county  was 
10,071.  The  total  number  of  school  census  chil- 
dren between  five  and  seventeen  was  2.703,  of 
whom   1,962  attended   school. 

September  i,  1890,  the  town  was  lighted  by 
electricity. 

The  Ventura  County  Pioneer  Society  was  or- 
ganized September  19,  1891.  Dr.  C.  L.  Bard  was 
made  president  and  L.  F.  Eastin  secretary.  The 
vice-presidents  were  John  Barry.  J.  Hobart,  K. 
P.  Grant,  Thomas  A.  Rice  and  J.  A,  Conaway. 
James  Daly  was  chosen  treasurer  and  A.  J.  Snod- 
grass  marshal.  All  male  residents  of  the  coun- 
ty, June  2,  1873,  were  made  eligible  to  mem- 
bership. Sixty-two  members  signed  the  rolls  the 
first  evening. 

F.  S.  S.  Buckman,  the  first  superintendent  of 
schools  of  A'entura  county,  was  assassinated  in 
San  Francisco  by  a  man  named  Daly.  He  shot 
lUickman  in  the  back,  mistaking  him  for  his 
(Lluckman's)  brother,  with  whom  he  had  a  quar- 
rel. Daly  was  tried,  found  guilty  and  sentenced 
to  the  state's  prison  for  life. 

December  29,  1891.  Jose  de  la  Rosa,  the  first 
]>rinter  to  set  type  in  California,  died  in  the  town 
of  X'cntura.  He  brought  a  printing  press  and 
font  of  type  to  ^Monterey  in  1834,  and  printed 
the  first  book  ever  issued  in  California.  He  was 
born  in  the  pueblo  of  Los  Angeles,  Old  jMexico, 
and  lacked  but  eight  days  of  being  103  years  old. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  oldest  print- 
er in  the  world.  On  the  press  he  brought  was 
printed  the  first  newspaper  published  in  Cali- 
fornia, the  Calif oriiian.  published  by  Semple  & 
Colton,  August  15,  1846. 

The  railroad  to  Nordhoff  was  completed  in 
1892. 

July  9,  1895,  an  election  was  held  to  vote  up- 
on the  proposition  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of 
$106,500  to  purchase  the  property  of  the  Santa 
Ana  Water  Company.  The  bond  issue  w-as  car- 
ried by  a  vote  of  about  seven  to  one  in  favor.  On 
the  question  of  issuing  bonds  in  the  sum  of  $23,- 
500  to  purchase  the  arc  light  system  of  the  Ven- 
tura Land  and  Power  Company,  submitted  the 
same  day,  the  vote  stood  six  to  one  in  favor.  The 
proposition   to   purchase   the   water   system   was 


afterwards  rejected  by  the  town  trustees  on  ac- 
count of  defective  title,  so  it  was  claimed. 

The  number  of  census  children  in  the  county 
in  1895  was  3,592.  In  1905,  3,979.  Two  high 
schools  had  been  established,  X'entura  and  San- 
ta Paula.  (Jxnard  now  has  a  high  school.  The 
assessed  valuation  of  the  county  in  1895  was 
$8,236,147.  It  was  estimated  that  the  county  in 
1895  produced  2,600  carloads  of  beans,  valued 
at  $1,100,000. 

The  year  1898  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new 
industry  and  the  introduction  of  a  new  agri- 
cultural product  into  the  county.  The  Pacific 
Beet  Sugar  Company  erected  a  sugar  factory 
and  refinery  at  Oxnard  and  inaugurated  the 
cultivation  of  the  sugar  beet.  Oxnard  was 
founded  in  January.  1898.  The  population  of 
A'entura  county,  according  to  the  Federal  cen- 
sus of  1900,  was  14,367,  an  increase  of  4,298  in 
ten  >-ears,  or  about  thirty  per  cent;  that  of  San 
Buenaventura.  2,470;  of  St.  Paula,  1,047;  of 
Oxnard,  1,000. 

In  1904  the  Chatsworth  tunnel  was  complet- 
ed, making  a  cut-off  on  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  by  which  a  heavy  grade  was  avoided  on 
the  old  line. 

OTHER  TOWNS. 

HUENEME. 

Hueneme,  or  Wynema,  as  the  name  was  for- 
merly spelled,  is  an  Indian  word  meaning  a  rest- 
ing place  or  place  of  security,  and  was  so  named 
by  the  Indians  because  in  this  bay  or  harbor 
they  found  a  resting  place  from  adverse  winds. 
The  town  was  founded  in  June.  1870,  by  \\'.  E. 
Barnard,  G.  S.  Gilbert  and  H.  P.  P'lint.  It  was 
the  first  town  really  founded  in  the  district  which 
later  formed  \'entura  county.  San  Buenaven- 
tua.  the  oldest  town  of  the  district,  grew  up 
around  the  mission  without  founding.  Hueneme 
is  twelve  miles  south  of  the  county  seat  and  is 
situated  on  a  coast  projection  of  the  Colonia 
rancho.  The  Hueneme  Lighting  Company  es- 
tablished a  shipping  port  here  in  June,  1870, 
and  received  shipments  of  lumber.  During  the 
first  year  60,000  sacks  of  grain  were  loaded  on 
vessels  by  means  of  lighters.  Thomas  R.  Bard 
and  R.  G.   Sm-(lam  obtained  a  franchise  to  con- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


struct  a  wharf  at  the  point.  Work  was  pushed 
rapidly  on  the  structure,  and  in  August,  1871, 
the  wharf,  900  feet  long  and  extending  out  to 
where  the  water  was  eighteen  feet  deep,  was 
completed.  (In  1897  the  wharf  was  extended  to 
1,600  feet,  with  an  average  depth  of  water  at 
its  end  of  thirty  feet.) 

Upon  the  completion  of  its  wharf,  Hueneme 
became  one  of  the  most  important  shipping  points 
on  the  southern  coast.  It  was  the  outlet  by  sea 
of  the  rich  com,  barley  and  bean  district  south 
of  the  Santa  Clara  river,  and  of  the  wheat  and 
fruit-growing  valleys  of  the  Las  Posas,  Simi 
and  Conejo.  Hueneme  is  a  town  of  warehouses. 
It  now  has  seven  of  these,  with  a  capacity  of 
500,000  sacks.  It  has  a  bank  with  a  capital  of 
$50,000,  three  churches  and  supports  a  week- 
ly newspaper. 

NORDHOFF. 

Nordhoff,  named  for  the  celebrated  writer, 
Charles  Nordhoif,  is  located  in  the  center  of  the 
Ojai  valley,  fifteen  miles  north  of  San  Buena- 
ventura. It  has  an  elevation  of  900  feet  above 
the  sea  level.  The  town  was  founded  in  1874. 
R.  G.  Surdam  purchased  sixty  acres,  which  he 
subdivided  into  town  lots.  .  The  town  contains 
several  churches,  a  good  school  and  a  public  li- 
brary. It  supports  a  weekly  newspaper,  the 
Ojai,  established  in  1890.  The  Ojai  valley  is  a 
famous  citrus  fruit  belt.  Nordhoff  is  connected 
with  San  Buenaventura  by  railroad. 

SANT.-\    PAULA. 

Santa  Paula,  sixteen  miles  easterly  from  San 
Buenaventura,  on  the  coast  line  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad,  was  founded  in  1873  by 
Blanchard  and  Bradley.  It  is  located  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Santa  Paula  creek  with  the  Santa 
Qara  river  and  takes  its  name  from  the  creek. 
The  first  hotel  opened  in  the  town  was  Dod- 
son's.  Wiley  Brothers  opened  the  first  mercan- 
tile establishment.  One  business  place  that  an- 
tedated the  founding  of  the  town  was  Major  Gor- 
don's saloon.  The  Cross  Roads.  One  Septem- 
ber day  in  1873,  Tiburcio  A'asquez  and  his  gang 
of  robbers  and  cutthroats  visited  the  major's  li- 
quid dispensary  and  spent  money  for  drinks 
most  lavishly.  Their  high  toned  liberality  and 
disregard  for  money  made  a  deep  impression  on 


the  major,  and  after  their  departure  he  was  loud 
in  their  praise.  "The  most  polished  gentlemen, 
sir,  I  ever  met  in  California."  The  major  very 
nearly  had  a  fit  when  an  officer  of  the  law  who 
was  on  their  trail  told  the  major  who  his  "pol- 
ished gentlemen"'  were. 

In  1875  Santa  Paula  contained  two  hotels, 
two  stores,  two  saloons,  a  postoffice  and  a  flour- 
ing mill  half  a  mile  above  the  business  center. 
The  discovery  of  petroleum  that  year  in  Santa 
Paula  cafion  greatly  accelerated  its  growth.  It 
experienced  another  boom  in  1887,  when  the 
railroad  was  built  through  the  town.  Since 
1875  Santa  Paula  has  been  the  headquarters  of 
the  oil  industry  of  Ventura  county.  The  larger 
oil  companies  have  offices  here  and  a  pipe  line 
from  the  wells  conveys  the  oil  to  Ventura.  Be- 
sides the  support  the  town  receives  from  the 
oil  industry  it  is  the  center  of  a  rich  fruit-grow- 
ing district.  Both  citrus  and  deciduous  fruits 
are  produced  here.  Santa  Paula  is  a  city  of 
churches.  It  supports  more  different  denomina- 
tions than  any  other  town  of  its  size  in  the  state. 
The  Universalists,  Presbyterians,  Catholics,  Bap- 
tists, Methodists,  Episcopalians,  Htoliness  and 
Christians  have  church  buildings,  and  there  are 
several  other  religious  organizations  who  have 
not  yet  erected  buildings.  The  town  has  an  ex- 
cellent high  school.  Two  weekly  newspapers — 
the  Chronicle,  founded  in  1886,  and  the  Senti- 
nel— keep  the  people  posted  on  the  news  of  the 
day. 

OXNARD. 

Oxnard,  named  for  Henry  T.  Oxnard,  pres- 
ident of  the  American  Beet  Sugar  Company,  is 
one  of  the  youngest  towns  in  the  county.  Jan- 
uary, 1898.  it  consisted  of  one  lone  house — a 
structure  of  rough  upright  boards.  In  March, 
two  months  later,  there  were  seven  buildings. 
In  June,  1901,  it  boasted  of  an  elegant  hotel,  a 
bank,  a  $22,000  school  house,  a  $16,000  Masonic 
hall,  a  number  of  mercantile  establishments, 
among  them  one  carrying  a  $100,000  stock,  a 
dailv  newspaper  (the  only  one  in  the  county), 
a  number  of  fine  residences,  a  sugar  factory 
(the  largest,  with  one  exception,  in  the  world). 
three  church  buildings,  one  of  the  prettiest  de- 
signed plazas  in  Southern  California  and  a  pop- 


HISTORICAT.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


467 


Illation  of  2,000.  Its  school  census,  taken  May, 
1901,  gave  its  school  population  523,  the  larg- 
est of  any  town  in  the  county  except  that  of  San 
Buenaventura,  which  numbered  720. 

The  following,  compiled  from  the  Oxnard 
Courier,  gives  a  brief  description  of  the  sugar 
factor)-:  "The  construction  of  the  Oxnard  Beet 
Sugar  Factor}-  was  begun  early  in  1898.  The 
main  building  is  an  immense  structure.  It  is 
121  feet  in  width  by  401  in  length  and  90  feet 
high.  The  sugar  house,  where  the  finished  prod- 
uct is  stored,  extends  from  the  west  end  of  the 
building  220  feet,  and  is  65  feet  in  width.  The 
boiler  house  is  100x300  feet.  Crude  oil  is  used 
for  fuel  and  three  iron  tanks  placed  700  feet 
away  fron-i  the  main  building  have  a  storage 
capacitv  of  33,000  barrels  each.  The  twin  steel 
sn-ioke-stacks  are  twelve  feet  each  in  diameter 
at  the  liasc,  and  rise  to  a  height  of  155  feet.  They 
constitute  a  landmark  that  can  be  seen  miles 
away.  There  are  two  vertical  lime  kilns,  one 
95  feet  high  and  the  other  85  feet,  supplying 
180  tons  of  lime  a  (1a\-.  \\liicli  is  u,-cd  in  clarify- 
ing and  purifviiig  the  ln-et  jiiici'  in  the  process 
of  sugar  making.  The  Imilding,  nuichinery,  etc., 
cost  $2,000,000.  Oxnard  is  on  the  main  line  of 
the  Southern  Pacific,  via  the  Chatsworth  tun- 
nel. 

EL    RIO. 

El  Rio  was  formerly  known  as  New  Jerusa- 
lem. It  was  founded  by  Simon  Cohn  in  1875. 
As  about  all  the  business  of  the  town  was  in  the 
hands  of  Hebrews,  it  took  the  name  of  the  holy 
citv  of  the  Jews,  with  a  prefix.  It  has  consid- 
erable business.  There  is  no  synagogue  in  it. 
but  it  has  a  large  Catholic  church  and  parson- 
age. The  iNIethodists  had  a  church  building 
there,  but  it  has  recently  been  removed  to  Ox- 
nard. El  Rio  is  on  the  stage  road  between  Mon- 
talvo  and  Oxnard.  and  about  half  way  between 
San  Buenaventura  and  Hueneme. 

MOXTALVO.  . 
Montalvo,  five  miles  by  railroad  easterly  from 
San  Buenaventura,  is  a  small  town  with  one  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Milling  Company's  great 
warehouses  in  it.  It  is  the  center  of  the  apricot 
region.  It  was  laid  out  in  1887.  when  the  rail- 
road was  built.     The  Chatsworth  branch  of  the 


Southern  Pacific  unites  at  this  point  with  the  old 
line  via  Saugus. 

SATItOV. 

Saticov,  on  the  railroad  nine  miles  east  from 
the  county  seat,  was  formerly  known  as  the 
Springs.  It  is  the  principal  town  of  the  Santa 
Paula  y  Saticoy  rancho.  Saticoy  and  West  Sat- 
icoy,  two  different  settlements,  are  practically 
ijne  for  business.  West  Saticoy  contains  sev- 
eral churches  and  a  school  building  that  cost 
$10,500. 

FILLMORE. 

Fillmore  began  its  existence  at  the  advent  of 
the  railroad  in  1887.  From  it  is  shipped  the  fa- 
mous brown  building  stone.  It  is  surrounded 
by  oil  derricks. 

B.\RDSDALE. 

Bardsdale  is  on  the  old  Sespe  grant,  and  was 
named  for  Thomas  R.  Bard,  who  sold  1,500  acres 
to  R.  G.  Surdam.  The  latter  laid  out  the  town 
in    1887. 

CAMULOS  RANCHO. 

Camulos  Rancho,  made  famous  by  Helen  Hunt 
Jackson  in  her  story  of  "Ramona,"  is  in  the  ex- 
treme eastern  end  of  the  county,  near  the  rail- 
road. \'lsitors  have  been  debarred  admittance 
to  the  ranch  house,  as  it  was  in  danger  of  being 
carried  away  piecemeal  for  relics. 

Other  post  towns  are  Simi,  thirty-four  miles 
from  the  county  seat;  Springville,  fifteen  miles 
awav;  Piru  City,  thirty  miles;  Newberry  Park, 
a  mountain  town ;  and  Timberville,  also  in  the 
mountains. 

THE  ISLANDS  OF  VENTURA  COUNTY. 

ANACAPAS. 

A'entura  county  includes  within  its  area  two 
islands — Anac^pa,  eighteen  miles  from  the 
coast,  and  San  Nicolas,  distant  eighty  miles.  The 
Anacapas  are  seven  miles  long  and  one  wide. 
Thev  are  uninhabited.  There  is  no  water  upon 
them.  On  the  higher  portions  there  is  some 
vegetation,  upon  which  a  band  of  sheep  subsists, 
obtaining  water  out  of  their  feed.  From  the 
main  land  there  appears  to  be  but  one  island. 
Father  Caballeria,  in  his  History  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara,   writing    of    the    Channel     Islands,    says : 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


■"One  of  them,  formerly  called  the  uninhabited 
island,  was  named  Anacapa,  meaning  deceptive 
vision.  This  name  the  Indians  had  ahvaj's  ap- 
plied to  it.  The  Indians  were  wont  to  ply  be- 
tween the  coast  and  the  island  with  their  canoes, 
and  Anacapa  island  presents  a  complete  decep- 
tion to  the  navigator.  At  times  the  island  seems 
quite  near,  when  in  reality  it  is  a  long  distance 
away ;  and  again  it  appears  from  afar  a  pano- 
rama brilliant  with  rich  vegetation,  while  in  fact 
it  does  not  jxissess  sufficient  water  to  supply  life's 
needs.  The  natives  styled  it  for  this  reason 
Anacapa — false  appearance,  deceptive,  illusory." 

The  Anacapas  are  eleven  miles  off  Huenenie 
Lighthouse  Point.  They  are  separated  from  Santa 
Cruz  Island  by  a  channel  four  miles  wide.  There 
are  three  islands  in  the  group.  The  extreme  west- 
ern end  is  a  cliff  980  feet  high,  two  miles  long 
at  the  base  and  about  a  half  mile  wide.  There 
is  a  passage  for  skiff's  ten  feet  wide  between  this 
and  the  next  island,  which  is  over' 320  feet  high 
and  one  mile  long. 

In  December,  1853,  the  steamship  Winfield 
Scott  from  Panama  at  midnight  with  a  full  head 
of  steam  struck  with  such  force  that  she  was 
wedged  into  the  rocks.  She  was  broken  up  by 
the  rough  seas.  Her  two  hundred  and  fifty  pas- 
sengers remained  on  the  island  eight  da\s.  The\- 
were  taken  off  by  the  steamer  California.  The 
large  gray  rats  that  infest  the  island  are  said  to 
have  been  brought  there  by  the  wrecked  steam- 
er. 

This  island  is  separated  from  the  third  by  a 
large  gap,  impassable  for  a  skiff,  as  it  is  filled 
with  rocks.  There  are  many  caves  on  the  is- 
land. Some  of  these  can  l)e  entered  from  the 
sea  in  a  skiff  in  calm  weather. 

SAN    NICOLAS. 

In  the  Santa  Barbara  Gazette  of  November, 
1856,  I  find  this  account  of  the  massacre  of  the 
Indians  on  San  Nicolas  Island  by  the  Aleuts  of 
Russian  America:  "In  181 1  a  ship  owned  by 
Broodman  &  Pope,  of  Boston,  commanded  by 
Captain  Whettemore,  trading  on  this  coast,  took 
from  the  port  of  Sitka,  Russian  America,  about 
thirty  Kodiak  Indians  to  the  islands  of  the  San- 
ta Barbara  Channel  for  tlie  purpose  of  killing 
sea  otter,  which  were  verv  numerous  on   these 


islands.  Captain  Whettemore,  after  landing  the 
Kodiaks  on  the  island  and  placing  in  their  hands 
firearms  and  the  necessary  implements  of  the 
chase,  sailed  .iway  to  the  coast  .of  Lower  Cali- 
fornia and  South  America.  In  the  absence  of 
the  ship  a  dispute  arose  between  the  natives  and 
the  newcomers  on  account  of  the  seizure  of  the 
females  by  the  Kodiaks.  The  Kodiaks,  possess- 
ing more  activity,  endurance  and  knowledge  of 
war  and  having  superior  weapons,  slaughtered 
the  native  males,  old  and  young,  without  mercy. 

"On  the  island  of  San  Nicolas  not  a  male,  old 
or  )-oung  was  spared.  At  the  end  of  a  year  Cap- 
tain Whettemore  returned,  took  the  Kodiaks  on 
board  and  carried  them  back  to  Sitka.  From 
that  period  little  is  known  of  this  island  till  1836, 
when  Capt.  Isaac  Williams,  collector  of  the  port 
of  San  Pedro,  visited  the  island  in  a  small  ves- 
sel and  took  on  board  all  the  Indians  remaining, 
except  one  woman,  who  was  left  in  the  manner 
stated  by  Captain  Russell  in  the  California  Mag- 
azine. The  Indians  of  the  island  were  of  the 
type  of  the  coast  Indians,  and  were  no  doubt 
a  part  of  them."' 

Retribution  overtook  Whettemore.  His  ship 
was  captured  the  following  year  (1812)  near  the 
Sandwich  Islands  by  the  British  ship  of  war 
Phoebe  and  he  was  taken  to  England  a  prisoner 
of  war. 

The  following  is  Captain  Russell's  "Narrative 
of  a  Woman  Who  Was  Eighteen  Years  Alone 
L^pon  the  Island  of  San  Nicolas,  Coast  of  Cal- 
ifornia," referred  to  in  the  above  extract  from 
the  Santa  Barbara  Gacettc.  It  was  published  in 
Hutching's  California  Magazine,  November, 
1856,  and  probably  is  the  earliest  and  one  of  the 
most  reliable  accounts  of  the  lone  woman  of  San 
Nicolas  Island.  I  omit  the  introduction,  which 
does  not  directly  apply  to  the  subject,  and  leave 
out  the  sentimental  padding  that  the  author 
stuffed  into  the  story. 

"One  evening,  while  seated  beside  our  quiet 
camp  fire,  placidly  smoking  our  pipes,  Mr.  Nid- 
ever  related  to  me  the  following  remarkable  his- 
tory :  Twenty  years  ago  the  whole  of  the  Indian 
tribes  inhabiting  this  group  of  islands  were  en- 
gaged in  a  fierce  and  exterminating  war  with 
each  other,  and  to  such  an  extent  was  this  dead- 
ly  hostility    waged    that    already    the   population 


HISTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RF.CORD. 


469 


had  very  inuch  diminished  and  would  in  all 
probability  before  many  years  become  entirely 
extinct.  To  prevent  this,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  Indians,  the 
fathers  of  the  mission  of  Santa  Barbara  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  removing  them  to  the  main 
land.  I'"or  this  purpose  they  visited  the  islands 
in  company  with  a  few  partially  civilized  Indians 
and  explained  to  them  the  advantages  of  re- 
moving to  the  mission.  They  finally  consented 
to  go,  on  promise  of  protection  from  their  ene- 
mies being  given  by  the  fathers. 

"Accordingly  a  small  vessel  was  sent  to  the 
different  islands  and  the  various  tribes  were  ta- 
ken, one  by  one.  to  the  mission  of  Santa  Barbara. 
But  while  the  last  of  the  Indians  were  embark- 
ing at  the  island  of  San  Nicolas  and  all  were 
supposed  to  be  on  board,  a  child  was  missing, 
and  its  mother,  after  frantically  looking  for  it 
on  the  ship  and  adjacent  rocks,  rushed  ofif  to 
the  interior  of  the  island  to  seek  for  it.  A 
storm  was  threatening,  and  the  captain,  after  de- 
laving  as  long  as  he  dared,  put  to  sea.  The 
storm  broke  in  all  its  fury,  and  the  vessel,  after 
narrowly  escaping  shipwreck,  landed  its  living 
cargo  at  Santa  Barbara.  Before  the  vessel  could 
return  for  the  woman  it  was  wrecked  and  en- 
tirely lost,  and  as  no  other  could  be  obtained  at 
that  time,  the  poor  woman  had  to  remain  upon 
the  island,  where  she  lived  alone  for  eighteen 
vears.  After  the  discovery  of  gold  it  was  ru- 
mored that  San  Nicolas  was  inhabited.  Sea  ot- 
ter hunters  had  frequently  found  human  foot- 
prints on  it.  As  the  footprints  were  all  alike  it 
was  concluded  that  there  was  but  one  person 
living  on  it,  and  many  attempts  were  made  tc 
find  out  who  this  strange  being  was.  Mr.  Nid- 
ever,  of  Santa  Barbara,  a  pioneer  who  came  to 
California  twenty-five  }ears  ago,  took  up  the 
search.  He  had  been  a  Rocky  ^vlountain  trap- 
per, and  was  as  expert  as  an  Indian  in  follow- 
ing a  trail.  Visiting  the  island  he  discovered 
the  tracks  and  followed  them  until  he  saw  among 
the  rocks  of  the  island  near  the  mouth  of  a 
cave  a  singular  object  on  its  knees,  skinning  a 
seal.  ,  Upon  approaching  he  found  it  to  be  a 
woman  clad  in  a  dress  of  feathers.  When  she 
saw  him  she  jumped  up,  and  with  excessive  joy 
ran  towards  him  and  seemed  almost  beside  her- 


self with  delight  at  the  sight  once  more  of  a 
human  being.  In  her  hand  she  held  a  rude  knife- 
blade  that  she  had  made  from  a  piece  of  old  iron, 
probably  obtained  from  the  fragment  of  some 
wreck,  which  she  valued  beyond  anything  in  her 
possession.  She  was  unable  to  make  herself  un- 
derstood except  by  signs.  She  willingly  accom- 
panied her  rescuer  to  Santa  Barbara.  Father 
Gonzales  of  the  mission  tried  to  find  some  of 
the  Indians  who  had  been  taken  from  the  island 
eighteen  years  before,  but  none  were  discovered, 
and  none  of  the  Santa  Barbara  Indians  under- 
stood her  language. 

"It  appears  from  her  narrative  that  after  leav- 
ing the  vessel  in  search  of  her  child  she  wan- 
dered about  for  several  hours,  and  when  she 
found  it  the  wild  dogs  which  infest  the  island 
even  to  the  present  day  ( 1856)  had  killed  and 
nearlv  devoured  it.  When  she  returned  to  the 
landing  the  vessel  was  gone  with  all  her  friends 
and  kindred. 

"From  day  to  da}-  she  lived  in  hope,  beguiling 
the  weary  hours  in  providng  her  wants.  With 
snares  made  of  her  hair  she  caught  birds,  and 
with  their  skins,  properly  prepared,  she  made 
her  clothing:  her  needles  were  neatly  made  of 
bone  and  cactus  thorns ;  her  thread  was  of  sinews 
from  the  seal.  In  these  and  many  other  articles 
found  in  her  possession  she  exhibited  much  of 
the  native  ingenuity  she  possessed.  Whether 
she  still  remembered  her  own  language  or  not 
will  forever  remain  a  mystery.  She  was  very 
gentle  and  kind,  especially  to  children,  and  noth- 
ing seemed  to  please  her  more  than  to  be  near 
them. 

"The  sympathy  felt  for  her  welfare  caused 
the  people  to  suppl}'  her  bountifully  with  every- 
thing she  needed,  and  very  imprudently  allowed 
her  to  eat  almost  anything  she  chose,  and  the 
result  was  that  in  about  six  months  after  her 
escape  from  her  lonely  exile  she  sickened  and 
died,  having  undoubtedly  been  killed  by  kind- 
ness." 

In  the  February  number  (1857)  of  Hutching's 
Califormia  Magazine,  the  editor,  in  an  article  on 
"The  Indian  Woman  of  San  Nicolas,"  states 
that  "George  Nidever,  the  gentleman  who  dis- 
covered the  woman,  had  presented  Capt.  C.  J.  ^^^ 
Russell  on  his  recent  visit  to  Santa  Barbara  with 


470 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  water-bottle  made  of  grass,  a  stone  mortar, 
necklace  and  other  things  made  by  the  woman 
during  her  long  and  solitary  residence  on  the 
island."  He  further  states:  "There  is  upon 
this  island  a  good  sized  cave  in  which  she  took 
up  her  abode,  and  on  the  walls  of  which  she  had 
kept  a  rude  record  of  all  the  vessels  that  had 
passed  the  island,  and  of  all  the  most  remarkable 
occurrences  in  her  lonely  history,  such  as  see- 
ing large  quantities  of  seals,  hailing  of  vessels 
in  the  distance,  etc." 

THE  OIL  INDUSTRY. 

Next  to  Ventura's  magnificent  agricultural 
resources  comes  its  wealth  in  petroleum.  It  is 
the  pioneer  county  in  oil  production.  The  first 
attempt  to  utiHze  the  oil  from  the  seepages  which 
abound  in  various  parts  of  the  county  was  made 
by  George  S.  Gilbert  in  1861.  He  put  up  a 
small  refinery  on  the  Ojai  rancho  and  a  similar 
one  in  the  Santa  Paula  cafion,  and  made  a  fair 
quality  of  illuminating  and  lubricating  oil.  The 
experiment  did  not  pay;  the  cost  of  production 
exceeded  the  profits. 

In  1864  a  company,  composed  of  Leland  Stan- 
ford, W.  T.  Coleman  and  Levi  Parsons,  com- 
menced operations  in  Wheeler  canon.  Cache 
caiion  and  at  several  other  points.  They  hoped 
to  find  light  oil  similar  to  that  of  Pennsylvania. 
With  the  imperfect  machinery  for  boring  then 
in  use,  they  could  not  sink  deep  wells.  Their 
development  work  was  done  by  running  tunnels 
into  the  ridges  where  the  seepage  showed  the 
presence  of  oil.  One  tunnel  in  Wheeler  canon 
yielded  fifteen  barrels  of  oil  a  day,  but  as  it  was 
a  heavy  black  oil  they  had  no  use  for  t.  So 
the  tunnel  was  abandoned  and  work  ceased. 

In  the  same  year,  1864,  the  California  Petro- 
leum Company,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000,000, 
was  organized  in  Pennsylvania  by  Col.  Thomas 
A.  Scott,  the  great  railroad  magnate  of  that  day. 
The  company  purchased  the  Ojai,  Colonia,  Cal- 
leguas,  Simi,  Las  Posas  and  Guadalasca  ranchos. 
Machinery,  tools,  piping  and  everything  needed 
in  well  boring  were  purchased  in  the  east  and 
shipped  to  California  by  water.  Thomas  R.  Bard, 
late  United  States  Senator  of  California,  was 
sent  to  superintend  the  business  of  the  company. 
Some  of  the  machinery  was  lost  while  landing  it 


at  Hueneme.  In  June,  1865,  the  first  well  was 
begun  in  Ventura  caiion,  seven  miles  from  San 
Buenaventura,  near  a  large  pit  of  tar.  It  was 
not  a  success.  Another  was  bored,  but  was  also 
a  failure.  After  considerable  experimenting  a 
gusher  was  struck,  but  it  soon  ceased  to  gush. 
Several  tunnels  were  run  into  the  hills.  Some 
of  these  gave  a  fair  yield  of  black  oil,  but  that 
was  not  what  the  Pennsylvanians  were  looking 
for.  After  four  years  of  experimenting  with- 
out success,  the  company  retired  from  the  oil 
business,  having  sunk  over  $200,000  in  prospect- 
ing. 

About  the  time  the  Pennsylvania  Company 
abandoned  the  field  Messrs.  Adams  and  Thayer 
began  prospecting.  They  had  purchased  land 
in  what  is  now  Adams  cafion  with  the  intention 
of  going  into  stock  raising.  From  the  oil  indi- 
cations they  imagined  that  oil  stock  might  be 
the  more  profitable  stock  to  raise.  They  devel- 
oped several  small  wells.  In  1876  they  sunk  a 
well  and  obtained  a  fine  quality  of  Hght  oil,  just 
what  prospectors  for  a  decade  or  more  had  been 
seeking.  Later  in  the  year  the  Pacific  Coast  Oil 
Company  made  an  important  strike  in  oil  of  the 
same  quality.  The  oil  business  began  now  to  as- 
sume importance.  In  1883  Lyman  Stewart,  an 
experienced  Pennsylvania  oil  man,  came  to  Cal- 
ifornia and  shortly  afterwards  W.  L.  Hardison 
came  from  the  same  state.  They  formed  the 
Hardison-Stewart  Company.  This  company  and 
the  Torrey  caiion  and  Sespe  companies  were  lat- 
er merged  into  the  Union  Oil  Company  of  Cal- 
ifornia. One  of  the  wells  sunk  by  the  Hardison- 
Stewart  Company  is  2,800  feet  deep.  Another 
in  the  same  cation,  bored  in  1888,  has  produced 
122,000  barrels  in  a  single  year,  worth  at  that 
time  $4  per  barrel.  Well  No.  16  of  the  Union 
Oil  Company  was  a  genuine  gusher.  It  was 
estimated  that  10,000  barrels  of  oil  ran  to  waste 
before  it  could  be  capped.  Oil  development  has 
steadily  progressed  in  Ventura  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  with  no  sign  of  decline.  The  princi- 
pal oil  districts  are  Santa  Paula  canon,  Adams 
canon,  Torrey  canon,  Sespe,  Little  Sespe,  and 
Piru. 

The  strikes  of  the  later  '70s  developed  the  first 
oil  boom  of  Southern  California.  Wherever  a 
seepage  showed  a  claim  was  located,  then  a  com- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


471 


pany  was  formed  and  stock  sold.  As  the  boom 
progressed,  sharpers  sunk  holes  and  poured  oil 
into  them  to  entrap  the  confiding  into  purchas- 
ing claims  or  stock.  The  second  oil  boom  of 
Southern  California,  that  of  1900,  is  too  recent 


and  too  well  remembered  by  those  who  were 
duped  into  purchasing  wildcat  stock  to  need  re- 
cording here.  History  repeats  itself  sometimes, 
and  so  do  oil  booms. 


CHAPTER    LXVIll. 


ORANGE  COUNTY. 


POR  forty  years  after  the  subdivision  of 
the  state  into  counties  the  territory  now 
included  in  Orange  belonged  to  Los  An- 
geles county.  Up  to  1868  that  territory  was  held 
in  large  ranchos  and  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  its  resources  had  been  slow.  It  was 
sparsely  settled.  In  1869  there  w-ere  but  three 
school  districts  between  the  New  San  Gabriel 
river  and  the  southeastern  limits  of  the  county. 
The  total  school  attendance  at  the  time  for  all 
of  what  now  constitutes  Orange  county  did  not 
exceed  one  hundred  pupils.  The  subdivision  into 
small  farms  of  the  Stearns  ranchos,  nearly  all 
of  which  were  in  the  tL'rritory  now  included  in 
Orange  count\-,  and  the  placing  of  the  land  on 
the  market  at  low  rates  brought  in  a  number 
of  immigrants. 

The  country  between  the  New  San  Gabriel 
river  and  the  Santa  Ana  settled  up  rapidly.  Ana- 
heim became  the  business  center  for  this  district 
and  aspired  to  be  the  capital  of  a  new  county. 
The  scheme  to  cut  off  an  area  of  about  one  thou- 
sand square  miles  from  the  southeastern  por- 
tion of  Los  Angeles  count>-,  and  of  this  form  a 
new  county,  was  originated  and  actively  agitat- 
ed in  1869,  twenty  years  before  its  final  ac- 
complishment. Mayor  Max  Stroble.  an  old  res- 
ident of  Anaheim,  was  the  originator  and  most 
active  promoter  of  the  scheme.  He  secured  the 
signatures  of  a  number  of  signers  to  petitions 
praying  the  legi.slature  for  the  creation  of  a  new 
countv.  The  reasons  urged  for  county  division 
were  many,  among  others  being  the  long  dis- 
tance of  the  residents  of  the  proposed  county  from 
the  present  county  seat,  the  inconvenience  and 
expense  in  reaching  it  o\-cr  'ungraded  roads  and 
unbridged   rivers.      The   only   public   conveyance 


then  between  the  center  of  the  disaffected  dis- 
trict and  Los  Angeles  was  a  tri-weekly  stage. 
It  cost  $6  to  make  the  round  trip  and  used  up 
two  days"  time.  Now  the  electric  cars  make  a 
round  trip  in  two  hours  at  an  expense  of  only 
$1  to  the  traveler. 

There  was  another  reason  more  potent  but  not 
so  prominent  in  the  petition,  and  that  was  the 
spoils  of  office.  The  politicians  of  the  populous 
center  monopolized  all  the  offices,  while  the  dwel- 
lers in  the  distant  districts  were  compelled  to  pay 
their  proportion  of  the  cost  of  government,  but 
had  no  representation.  It  was  the  far  cry  of  the 
Revolutionary  fathers  against  British  tyranny 
echoed  back  from  the  shores  of  the  sunset  sea — 
"taxation  without  representation."  There  was 
truth  and  merit,  too,  in  the  cause  of  the  county 
divisionists  and  there  were  great  hopes  of  its 
success. 

Stroble  drew  up  a  bill  creating  the  county  of 
Anaheim  and  making  the  town  of  Anaheim  the 
county-seat.  The  dividing  line  between  the  old 
and  new  county  began  at  a  point  in  the  Pacific 
ocean,  three  nautical  miles  southwestward  from 
the  mouth  of  the  old  San  Gabriel  river,  thence 
running  northeasterly,  following  the  channel  of 
that  river  to  an  intersection  with  the  San  Ber- 
nardino base  line ;  thence  east  on  that  line  to  the 
division  line  between  Los  Angeles  and  San  Ber- 
nardino counties. 

Stroble  had  enlisted  in  his  scheme  the  active 
co-operation  of  some  of  the  wealthiest  pioneers 
of  the  county.  William  Workman  of  Puente, 
Temple,  Rubottom.  Fryer,  Don  Juan  Froster,  Ben 
Dryfus,  A.  Langerberger  and  others  favored  his 
project.  Armed  with  numerously  signed  peti- 
tions and  abundantly  supplied  with  coin,  Stroble 


47li 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


appeared  in  Sacramento  at  the  opening  of  the 
legislative  session  of  1869-70.  Early  in  the  ses- 
sion his  bill  passed  the  assembly  with  but  little 
opposition.  The  hopes  of  the  divisionists  rose 
high ;  the  new  county  was  assured.  Anaheim  be- 
came a  political  Mecca  for  office-seeking  pil- 
grims. Statesmen  of  Los  Nietos  and  place  hunt- 
ers from  San  Juan  counseled  with  the  patriots 
of  Anaheim  and  parceled  out  the  prospective 
county  offices  among  them. 

Then  came  a  long  delay.  Opposition  to  the 
scheme  had  shown  itself  in  the  senate.  The  peo- 
ple of  Los  Angeles  city  had  awakened  to  the 
fact  that  they  were  about  to  be  left  with  a  large 
area  of  mountains  and  deserts,  and  but  very  little 
else; 

The  new  county  took  in  all  of  the  fertile  val- 
leys of  the  Los  Nietos,  the  San  Jose  and  the 
Santa  Ana.  The  delay  lengthened.  Stroble  was 
hopeful,  but  the  opposition  was  Working  most 
vigorously.  Gold  would  win,  and  gold  he  must 
have  or  all  would  be  lost.  The  envious  and  un- 
charitable queried  as  to  what  had  become  of  all 
the  coin  Stroble  had  taken  with  him,  -and  inti- 
mated that  he  had  been  fighting  the  tiger  in  the 
jungles  of  Sacramento  and  that  the  tiger  had 
the  best  of  it.  But  the  faithful  gathered  to- 
gether their  hard  earned  shekels,  and  the  pro- 
ceeds of  many  gallons  of  wine,  the  price  of  many 
a  bronco  and  many  a  bullock  were  sent  to  Stro- 
ble that  he  might  convince  the  honest  legislators 
of  the  richness  and  resources  of  the  new  county. 

Another  long  delay  and  anxiety  that  was  cruel 
to  the  waiting  statesmen  on  the  banks  of  the  Santa 
Ana ;  then  one  day  in  the  ides  of  March  the  lum- 
bering old  stage  coach  with  its  tri-weekly  mail 
rolled  into  the  embryo  capital  of  the  new  coun- 
ty. The  would-be  office-holders  gathered  at  the 
postoffice,  eager  for  the  latest  news  from  Sacra- 
mento. It  came  in  a  letter  from  Stroble.  The 
bill  had  been  defeated  in  the  senate,  but  he  was 
working  for  a  reconsideration  and  would  be  sure 
of  success  if  more  money  were  sent.  To  Stro- 
ble's  last  appeal  even  the  most  faithful  were 
dumb. 

Major  Max  Stroble,  the  originator  of  the  di- 
vision scheme  and  its  most  earnest  advocate  in 
its  early  stages,  deserves  more  than  a  passing 
notice.  A  soldier  of  fortune  and  a  ^lachiavcH  in 


politics,  he  was  always  on  the  losing  side.  He 
was  a  man  of  versatile  genius  and  varied  re- 
sources, a  lawyer,  an  editor,  a  civil  engineer,  an 
accomplished  linguist  and  a  man  of  education. 
He  was  a  German  by  birth,  and  reputed  to  be  of 
aristocratic  lineage.  A  compatriot  of  Carl 
Schurz  and  Sigel  in  the  German  revolution  of 
■48,  on  the  failure  of  that  movement,  with  Sigel, 
his  intimate  friend,  he  fled  to  this  country.  He 
drifted  down  to  Nicaragua,  and  for  a  time  fil- 
ibustered with  Walker.  He  finally  located  in 
Anaheim,  where  he  bought  a  vineyard  and  en- 
gaged in  wine  making.  But  the  life  of  a  vine- 
yardist  was  too  narrow  and  contracted  for  his 
genius ;  he  was  constantly  branching  out  into 
new  projects.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  petro- 
kaun  prospectors  of  the  state.  In  1867  he  sunk 
a  great  hole  in  Brea  canon,  where,  if  he  did  not 
strike  oil,  he  did  strike  the  bottom  of  the  purses 
of  those  whom  he  enlisted  in  his  scheme.  Even 
in  this  project  his  ill  luck  followed  him.  In  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  where  he  bored  for  oil 
forty  years  ago,  oil  gushers  abound  today  and 
fortunes  have  been  made  in  oil. 

After  his  failure  to  divide  the  county  he  start- 
ed a  newspaper  in  Anaheim.  It  was  to  be  the 
organ  of  county  division.  It  succeeded  in  divid- 
ing the  divisionists  into  two  factions,  the  Stroble 
and  the  anti-Stroble,  who  waged  a  wordy  war 
against  each  other  through  the  columns  of  their 
respective  organs,  the  Adx'ocatc  and  the  Ga:;ctte. 
Stroble"s  organ,  Tlic  People's  Advocate,  died 
from  some  cause,  probably  insufficient  nutrition, 
and  was  buried  in  the  grave  of  journalistic  fail- 
in-es.  Stroble's  last  venture  was  the  sale  of 
Santa  Catalina  Island  to  European  capitalists. 

Supplied  with  funds  by  the  owners  and  rich 
mineral  specimens  from  the  island,  he  sailed  to 
England  and  located  in  London.  He  succeeded 
in  convincing  a  syndicate  of  English  capitalists 
of  the  mineral  wealth  and  other  resources  of  the 
island,  and  negotiated  its  sale  for  a  million  dol- 
lars. A  contract  was  drawn  up  and  an  hour  set 
on  the  next  day  when  the  parties  were  to  sign 
and  the  mone>-  to  be  paid.  \\'hen  the  hour  ar- 
rived for  closing  the  tran.saction  Stroble  did  not 
appear.  Search  was  made  for  him.  He  was 
found  in  his  room  dead,  dead  on  the  very  eve  of 
success,   for  the   sale  of  the   island   would   have 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


473 


made  him  rich.  Negotiations  for  the  island  were 
broken  off  by  the  death  of  Stroble.  Nearly  twen- 
ty years  after  his  death  it  was  sold  for  one- 
quarter  of  what  he  was  to  receive. 

Stroble  might  be  said  to  be  the  father  of 
Orange  county.  He  was  the  progenitor  of  the 
scheme  that  resulted  in  its  creation,  although  he 
died  years  before  it  was  born.  After  his  death 
the  management  of  the  county  division  scheme 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  committee.  The 
name  was  changed  from  the  county  of  Anaheim 
to  the  county  of  Orange,  the  committee  arguing 
that  immigrants  would  be  attracted  by  the  name, 
forgetful  of  the  fact  that  there  were  only  about 
fifty  other  places  named  Orange  in  the  United 
States.  The  northeastern  boundaries  of  the  pros- 
pective county  were  contracted  so  as  to  leave  out 
the  San  Jose  valley,  the  people  of  that  valley 
electing  to  remain  in  the  old  county.  A  bill  cre- 
ating the  county  of  Orange  was  introduced  into 
the  legislative  session  of  1872,  but  it  never 
reached  a  vote. 

In  TS73  the  division  question  drifted  into  ix)li- 
tics.  .V  count\'  (Hvisinn  convention  was  held  in 
Anaheim,  and  a  man  b\-  the  name  of  Bush  from 
Santa  Ana  was  nominated  for  the  assembly. 
The  policy  of  the  divisionists  was  to  force  one 
or  the  other  of  the  political  parties  to  place  Rush 
on  its  ticket  to  secure  the  division  vote.  In  their 
conventions  neither  the  Democratic  nor  the  Re- 
publican party  took  any  notice  of  Bush's  candi- 
dacy. Ignored  by  both  parties,  he  made  an  in- 
dependent campaign,  received  a  few  votes  and 
then  passed  out  of  the  political  arena  forever. 

In  the  legislature  of  1874,  Wiseman,  nick- 
named the  "Broadaxe"'  from  the  vigorous  way 
lie  hewed  the  King's  English,  appeared  as  the 
champion  of  county  division.  Neither  his  pa- 
thetic appeals  for  the  oppressed  people  of  the 
prospective  county  of  Orange  nor  his  superlative 
denunciations  of  their  oppressors,  the  county  of- 
ficials of  Los  Angeles,  convinced  the  law-makers 
at  Sacramento  that  the  people  were  suffering  for 
the  want  of  a  new  county. 

.\nother  change  was  made  in  Ixjundaries  and 
name.  The  northern  line  of  the  prospective 
countA-  drifted  southward  to  tlie  new  San  Ga- 
briel river.  In  1878  a  bill  to  create  the  county 
of  Santa  Ana  and  making  Anaheim  tlic  scat  of 


its  government  was  drafted.  The  name  was  a 
concession  to  Santa  Ana,  a  concession,  however, 
that  failed  to  conciliate.  The  town  of  Santa  Ana, 
that  had  no  existence  when  Stroble  promulgated 
the  division  scheme  in  1869,  had  now  grown  to 
be  a  formidable  rival  of  Anaheim.  It  was  am- 
bitious to  become  a  county  seat  itself,  and  vigor- 
ously combated  the  division  projects  of  its  rival. 
Local  jealousies  and  the  opposition  of  Los  An- 
geles defeated  the  measure  in  the  legislature. 

In  1881  another  division  effort  was  made. 
.\naheim  patched  up  a  truce  with  her  rival,  Santa 
.\na.  The  vineyard  city  was  to  have  the  seat  of 
government  for  two  years,  then  it  was  to  be  a 
free-for-all  scramble  among  all  the  towns  and 
the  one  that  could  corral  the  most  votes  was 
henceforth  to  be  the  capital  of  the  county  of 
Santa  Ana.  Bills  were  introduced  in  both  the 
senate  and  assemibly,  but  died  on  the  files,  smoth- 
ered by  "slickens"  (mining  debris),  the  absorb- 
ing question  of  that  session. 

The  question  of  county  dix'ision  for  nearly  a 
decade  ceased  to  be  a  political  issue  in  Los  An- 
geles county.  The  rivals,  Anaheim  and  Santa 
Ana,  were  preparing  for  the  final  struggle.  It 
came  in  1S89.  Col.  E.  E.  Edwards,  a  resident 
of  Santa  Ana.  was  elected  one  of  the  members 
of  the  assembly  from  Los  Angeles  county.  He 
introduced  a  bill  to  create  the  county  of  Orange 
leaving  the  location  of  the  county  seat  to  a 
vote  of  the  people  of  the  new  county.  The  north- 
ern boundary  line  had  again  drifted  southward. 
Co\-ote  creek  had  become  the  Rubicon,  and  it 
was  only  four  miles  north  of  Anaheim.  Santa 
Ana,  in  the  change  of  boundaries,  had  outgen- 
eraled her  rival,  and  virtually  decided  the  county 
seat  question  against  her  opponent.  For  twenty 
years  Anaheim  had  contended  for  county  divis- 
ion. Now  she  opposed  it,  but  in  vain.  The  bill 
passed  and  was  approved  by  the  governor.  In 
the  county  seat  question  Santa  Ana  won  over 
all  of  her  rivals.  The  county  of  Orange  set  up 
in  business  for  itself,  August  i,  1889,  and  so 
ended  the  longest  contest  over  the  formation  of 
a  new  county  of  any  in  the  history  of  the  state. 

An  election  for  county  officers  was  held  July 
17,  1889.  and  the  following  named  officials  were 
chosen : 


474  HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 

J.  W.  Towner   superior  judge  Ana  rancho  was   universally  known  among  the 

R.  T.  Harris sheriff  and  tax  collector  people  inhabiting  the  county  as  one  of  the  oldest 

E.  E.  Edwards    district  attorney  j-anchos,  and  there  are  manv  good  reasons  for  the 

G    K  Si'"  .■.•.•.•.■.V.V.audito;  S'^c^S  belief  that  its  founding  was  contemporary  with 

W     B     Wall                  treasurer  ihat  of  San  Rafael."     (The  San  Rafael  rancho, 

Fred  C.  Smythe   county  assessor  lying  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Los  Angeles  river 

J.  P.  Greely . .  .county  superintendent  of  schools  and  extending  to  the  Arrovo  Seco,  was  granted 

S.  O.  Wood    '. -county  surveyor  ^     Governor  "Pedro  Pages.'  October  20,  1784,  to 

I.  D.  Mills coroner  and  pubhc  admmistrator  t,/{^^:„  \r^^A,.r^^  \ 

William  H.   Spurgeon    ....    supervisor  Jose  Mana  Verdugo.) 

S    Armor              "  "There  is  no  room  to  doubt  the  statement  that 

S.  A.  Littlefield "  a  grant  of  the  Santiago  de  Santa  Ana  tract  to 

Jacob  Ross '"  Jose  Antonio  Yorba  was  made  in  1810  by  Gov. 

A.    Guy    Smith    jp^^    Joaquin    de    Arrillaga,    but   in    a   partition 

Orano-e   county   is   bounded    on   the    north   by  suit  in  the  district  court  for  this  county,  a  few 

Los  Angeles  county,  east  by  Riverside,  south  by  years  ago,  for  the  partition  of  that  tract  of  land 

San   Diego  and  west  by  the   Pacific  ocean.     It  among  the  heirs   and   claimants,   testimony   was 

has  an  area  of  675  square  miles,  or  432,000  acres,  introduced  which  showed  that  the  original  occu- 

All  the  area  of  Orange  county,  with  the  excep-  pant  of  that  tract  was  N.  Grijalva,  who,  as  also 

tion  of  a  few  hundred  acres  of  mountain  land,  his   wife,   died   leaving  only  two  children,   both 

was  covered  by  Spanish  land  grants.     The  old-  daughters;  that  one  of  these  daughters  married 

time  ranches  south  of  the  Santa  Ana  river,  ex-  Jose  Antonio  Yorba  and  the  other  Juan   Pablo 

cept  the  Santiago  de  Santa  Ana,  belonged  to  the  Peralta,  and  it  is  far  more  probable  that  the  for- 

Mission  San  Juan  Capistrano;  those  north  were  mer  of  these  two  latter  persons  obtained  a  new 

attached  to  the  Mission  San  Gabriel.     After  the  or  confirmed  grant  from  Arrillaga  in  1810  than 

secularization  of  the  mission,  these  ranchos,  when  that    Grijalva    should    have    established    himself 

they  became  depleted  of  cattle  and  horses,  were  upon  the  tract  without  having  obtained  a  grant 

o-ranted  by  the  government  on  recommendation  from   the   governor.     In   this   partition   suit  the 

of  the  ayuntamiento  of  Los  Angeles  to  applicants  court  recognized  the  claim  of  the  Peraltas  as  de- 

who  could  comply  with  the  law,  that  is,  make  scendants  of  the  original  proprietor  of  the  land." 

certain  improvements  and  stock  the  rancho  with  The  boundaries  of  the  Santiago  de  Santa  Ana, 

j-a^tlg  as  defined  in  the  grant  made  in  1810,  were  the 

summit  of  the  mountains  on  the  northeast,  the 

SP.-\NISH  R.\NCHOS  IN  ORANGE  COUNTY.  g^^^^    j^^^^   ^.j^^^.   ^^   ^j^g    ^^^^^    ^^^^    ^^^^^    0„    ^^^^ 

The    following    named    comprise    the  ranchos  south,    and  .a   line    running   from   what   is    now 

within  the  limits  of  Orange  county :     Mission  Newport  bay  to  a  certain  Red  Hill  for  the  south- 

Vieja  or  La  Paz,  Trabuco,  Boca  de  La  Playa,  El  west  boundary.      The    rancho   contained    62,000 

Sobrante,  Niguel,  Canada  de  los  Alisos,  Lomas  acres.    During  the  great  flood  of  1825,  the  Santa 

de    Santiago,    San    Joaquin,    Santiago    de    Santa  Ana  river  left  its  old  channel  at  a  point  about 

Ana    La  Bolsa  Chico,  Las  Bolsas,  half  of  Los  three  miles  easterly  of  where  Orange  now  stands 

Alamitos,  part  of  Los  Covotes,  San  Juan  Cajon  and  cut  a  new  channel  for  itself  some  distance 

de  Santa  Ana,  Cajon  de  Santa  Ana,  part  of  La  southeasterly  from  its  former  one.     Between  the 

Brea  and  a  part  of  La  Habra.  two  channels  there  was  about  13.000  acres.    The 

The  Rancho  Santiago  de  Santa  Ana,  on  which  rancho  was  surveyed  by  a  United  States  deputy 

the  cities  of  Santa  Ana.  Orange,  Tustin  and  sev-  surveyor,  and  the  new  channel  was  taken  as  its 

eral  smaller  towns  are  located,  is  one  of  the  old-  western  boundary,  although  all  the  old  residents 

est    grants    in    California.      Col.    J.    J.    Warner,  claimed  that  the  old  channel  was  the  true  western 

writing  in  1876,  says:    "During  the  first  quarter  boundary.     The   rancho  Las  Bolsas  was  floated 

of  the  present  century,   the   Santiago  de   Santa  over  the  land  between  the  channels. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


475 


THE   SQUATTER   WAR. 

In  the  early  '70s,  a  number  of  settlers  squatted 
on  this  land,  claiming  that  it  was  government 
land.  The  land  was  covered  with  a  heavy  growth 
of  willows  and  the  squatters  made  a  living  by 
cutting  and  selling  the  timber  for  fire  wood. 

The  squatters  soon  found  that  they  could  not 
hold  the  tract  as  government  land,  for  since  the 
river  was  the  dividing  line  between  Las  Bolsas 
and  the  Santiago,  the  land  must  be  in  one  or 
the  other  ranchos.  Their  next  move  was  to  buy 
claims  of  the  Yorba  heirs  to  all  lands  outside  of 
that  portion  of  the  Santiago  de  Santa  Ana  that  had 
been  partitioned  among  the  heirs.  The  legal  con- 
test between  the  squatters  and  the  Los  Angeles 
and  San  Bernardino  Land  Company,  the  owners 
of  the  Bolsas  grant,  was  waged  in  all  the  courts 
up  to  tlie  supreme  court  of  the  United  States.  In 
that  court  Judge  Stephen  J-  Field  decided  that 
since  a  L'nited  States  patent  had  been  issued  to 
the  Bolsas  first  it  held  over  the  Santiago,  which, 
although  the  older  grant,  had  been  patented  later 
than  the  other.  He  required  of  the  settlers  a 
bond  of  $75,000  before  he  would  grant  an  appeal. 
This  ended  the  squatter  war.  They  could  not 
put  up  the  bond.  The  settlers  were  evicted  by 
the  United  States  marshal  and  the  land  company, 
after  a  decade  of  litigation,  obtained  possession 
of  the  disputed  territory,  but  the  timber  was 
gone.     The  squatters  really  had  the  best  of  it. 

Indefinite  boundaries  have  been  the  cause  of 
much  of  the  litigation  that  has  impeded  the  set- 
tlement of  large  ranchos.  The  original  owners 
did  not  make  careful  surveys.  The  landmarks 
that  fixed  the  boundary  lines  were  carelessly 
placed  and  easily  removed.  The  following  de- 
scription of  the  boundaries  of  La  Habra  rawcho 
is  taken  from  a  legal  document,  and  illustrates 
the  indefiniteness  of  the  boundaries  of  a  rancho 
under  the  Mexican  regime. 

"Commencing  at  the  camino  viejo  (old  road) 
and  running  in  a  right  line  550  varas,  more  or 
less,  distant  fromi  a  small  corral  of  tuna  plants 
that  forms  the  boundary  of  the  lands  of  Juan 
Perrez,  which  plant  was  taken  as  a  landmark; 
thence  in  a  direction  west  by  south,  running 
along  the  cammo  viejo  18,200  varas  to  a  point 
of  small   hills,   which   is   the  boundary   of  Juan 


Pacifico  Ontiveras,  at  which  place  was  fixed  as  a 
land-mark  the  head  of  a  steer;  from  thence  east 
by  north,  passing  by  a  (cuchilla)  waste  land, 
11,000  varas,  terminating  at  a  hill  that  is  in  a 
direct  line  with  another,  which  is  much  higher 
and  has  three  small  oak  trees  upon  it,  at  which 
place  a  small  stone  land-mark  is  placed,  being 
the  boundary  line  of  the  rancho  of  La  Puente; 
north  by  east  2,000  varas,  terminating  at  the 
right  line  of  the  small  corral  of  tunas  aforesaid, 
the  point  of  beginning." 

SCHOOLS. 

According  to  the  first  school  census  taken  after 
the  organization  of  the  county  (that  of  1890) 
there  were  4,011  children  between  the  ages  of 
five  and  seventeen.  There  were  at  that  time  in 
the  county  thirty-nine  school  districts  and  sev- 
enty-four teachers.  The  school  census  of  1906 
gives  6,949  between  the  ages  of  five  and  seven- 
teen. When  the  county  was  organized  there  was 
not  a  high  school  within  its  limits ;  now  there  are 
five. 

The  high  school  of  Santa  Ana  was  organized 
in  September,  1891.  A  fine  new  building,  cost- 
ing about  $30,000,  was  completed  in  1900.  Six- 
teen teachers  are  employed  in  the  school.  The 
total  enrollment  of  pupils  in  1906  was  385. 

Anaheim  high  school  was  organized  in  1898. 
It  employs  seven  teachers  and  has  an  attendance 
of  sixty-six  pupils.  Bonds  were  issued  and  a 
high  school  erected  in  1902. 

Fullerton  high  school  is  made  up  of  a  union 
of  six  districts.  It  employs  six  teachers  and  has 
an  enrollment  of  sixty-two  pupils.  A  two-story 
high  school  building  was  completed  and  occupied 
in  1898. 

Orange  high  school  employs  six  teachers  and 
has  an  enrollment  of  sixty-five  pupils. 

Las  Bolsas  union  high  school  employs  four 
teachers  and  has  an  enrollment  of  thirty-three 
pupils. 

The  pioneer  school  of  the  section  now  compris- 
ing Orange  county  was  the  Upper  Santa  Ana, 
now  Yorba.  The  first  school  opened  in  it  was 
taught  by  T.  J.  Scully  in  1857.  Hon.  WilHam 
M.  McFadden,  school  superintendent  of  Los  An- 
geles county  from  1870  to  1874,  taught  in  the 
district  a  number  of  vears.     About  twentv  vears 


47( 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL.  RECORD. 


ago  the  name  of  the  district  was  changed  to 
Yorba,  the  city  of  Santa  Ana  taking  the  former 
name  of  the  pioneer  district. 

Since  the  county  set  up  in  business  for  itself 
it  has  built  a  handsome  court  house  costing  over 
$100,000.  The  affairs  of  the  county  have  been 
well  managed.  There  has  been  a  steady  growth 
in  production  and  a  healthy  increase  in  popula- 
tion. The  census  of  1890  gave  the  population 
of  the  county  at  13,589.  In  1900  it  had  increased 
it  to  19,696,  a  gain  of  over  thirty-three  per  cent ; 
it  is  now  estimated  at  25,000.  Although  one  of 
the  smallest  counties  in  the  state,  it  ranks  among 
the  highest  in  fruit  production.  Over  2,500 
car  loads  of  citrus  fruits  are  shipped  out  of  the 
countv  annually,  bringing  a  return  of  nearly  half 
a  million  dollars.  The  (lrie<I  fruits  amount  to 
about  2,000  tons. 

( )range  County  Park,  in  the  Santiago  canon, 
is  one  of  the  finest  natural  parks  in  the  state. 
The  park  is  the  gift  of  James  Irvine  and  con- 
tains 160  acres,  wooded  with  magnificent  oaks 
and  sycamores. 

TIISTORY    OF    TlIK     CF.I.KRV     INDUSTRY. 

Thirty-seven  years  ago,  when  the  author  first 
visited  the  now  celebrated  peat  lands  of  the 
Westminster  and  Eolsas  country,  these  lands 
were  known  as  cienagas.  and  were  regarded  as 
worthless.  These  cienagas  were  tracts  of 
swampy  lands  containing  usually  ponds  of  water 
in  the  middle  skirted  aroimd  with  a  rank  growth 
of  willows,  tules  and  nettles.  During  the  rainy 
season  the  entire  area  of  the  cienaga  was  over- 
flowed. In  the  fall  and  winter  these  marshy 
lands  were  the  resorts  of  millions  of  wild  geese : 
they  were  also  the  haunts  of  wild  ducks  and 
other  water  fowl,  and  were  the  favorite  hunting 
grounds  of  the  sportsmen  of  that  day.  The  early 
settlers  counted  the  cienagas  as  so  much  waste 
land,  or  rather  as  worse  than  waste,  for  the 
drier  portions  of  these  swamps  were  the  lurking 
]>laces  of  wild  cats,  coyotes,  coons  and  other 
])ro\vlers  which  preyed  upon  the  settlers'  pigs 
and  poultry. 

Later  on  the  larger  of  these  swamps  became 
the  feeding  places  of  wild  hogs  that  subsisted 
upon  the  tule  roots  and  wild  celery  growing 
there,  .\bout  thirtv  years  ago  some  of  the  small- 
er  lit    these    marshes    were    drained,    cleared    of 


iheir  brush  and  vegetable  growth  and  planted  in 
corn.  The  yield  was  so  prolific  that  these  lands 
rose  rapidl\-  in  value.  The  settlers  organized 
drainage  districts  and  constructed  canals  to  carry 
off  the  waters  and  these  swamps  were  reclaimed. 
They  became  the  most  valuable  corn  and  potato 
lands  in  the  county.  The  abundant  growth  of 
wild  celery  upon  which  the  wild  hogs  had  fed 
and  fattened  Ijefore  the  reclamation  of  the  ciena- 
gas indirectly  led  to  the  experiment  of  growing 
tame  celery  upon  them  for  the  eastern  markets. 

The  following  sketch  of  the  origin  and  growth 
of  the  celery  industry  of  Orange  county  is  com- 
piled from  the  Santa  Ana  Blade's  Celery  edi- 
tion of  February  7,  1901  :  "The  first  experiment 
in  celery  culture  on  the  peat  lands  was  made  in 
1891  on  a  tract  of  land  south  of  Westminster 
known  locally  as  the  Snow  &  Adams  place,  on 
which  several  thousand  dollars  was  expended, 
but  without  satisfactory  results.  E.  A.  Curtis, 
D.  E.  Smeltzer  and  others  were  the  prime  movers 
in  making  the  experiment,  the  outcome  of  which 
was  such  a  flat  failure  that  all  but  Mr.  Curtis 
gave  up  the  idea.  ■Mr.  Curtis'  pet  scheme  came 
to  fruition  sooner  than  was  anticipated,  for  about 
this  time  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Earl  Fruit 
Compan}-,  and  with  the  consent  of  the  firm  re- 
solved to  again  give  celery  culture  a  trial. 

"The  proposition  had  many  drawbacks,  not 
least  of  which  ^as  the  scarcity  of  help  to  culti- 
vate the  crop  and  the  entire  lack  of  experience  in 
the  laborers  available.  In  this  extremity  'Sir. 
Curtis  bethought  himself  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Chinese  market  gardeners  and  their  knowledge 
of  celery  growing,  and  at  once  entered  into  ne- 
gotiations with  a  leading  Chinaman  to  undertake 
the  work  of  growing  eighty  acres  of  celery  on 
contract,  the  Earl  Fruit  Company  to  furnish 
everything,  including  implements,  needed  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  crop,  also  money  advanced  for 
rental  of  the  land  and  the  supplying  of  water 
vvhcre  needed  by  digging  wells ;  so  that  $5,000 
was  advanced  liefore  a  stock  of  celery  was  ready 
for  shipment.  The  result  was  fairly  successful, 
notwithstanding  the  untoward  experience  of  the 
Chinese  laborers  at  the  hands  of  white  men.  who 
worried  and  harassed  the  Celestials  both  in  sea- 
son and  out  of  season,  carrying  their  unreason- 
iu"-  resentment  to  the  extent  of  biu-nino-  the  build- 


HJSTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RiaORD. 


477 


ings  erected  by  the  Earl  Fruit  Company,  carry- 
ing off  the  implements  used  in  cultivation  and 
terrorizing  the  Chinamen  employed  to  the  immi- 
nent risk  of  driving  them  away  entirely  and  thus 
sacriticing  the  crop  for  want  of  help  to  attend  it. 

"All  this  risk  and  expense  fell  directly  on  the 
Earl  Fruit  Company ;  returns  for  their  invest- 
ment could  only  come  when  the  crop  was  read\- 
for  market,  and  it  may  easily  be  imagined  that 
E.  A.  Curtis,  as  a  prime  mover  in  the  venture, 
occupied  a  most  unenviable  position.  But  ^Ir. 
Curtis  kept  right  on  and  overcame  every  obstacle 
that  presented  itself,  and  to  E.  A.  Curtis,  as  man- 
ager for  fhe  Earl  Fruit  Company,  is  due  the 
credit  of  demonstrating  the  superior  advantages 
of  Orange  county  for  the  successful  growing  of 
celery  and  the  introduction  and  establishment  of 
an  industry  that  has  permanently  added  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  to  the  resources  of 
the  county. 

'"The  crop  from  the  land  thus  experimented 
with  was  shipped  to  New  York  and  Kansas  City 
and  consisted  of  about  fifty  cars,  a  considerable 
shipment  at  that  time,  as  prior  to  then  a  car  load 
of  California  celery  was  an  unheard-of  quantity. 
Tliere  was,  of  course,  not  much  profit  made  for 
that  season  after  everything  was  paid,  for  the 
items  of  expense  were  many  and  included  all 
the  loss  and  damage  suffered  while  the  crop  was 
maturing  and  a  bill  of  $i.ooo  paid  an  officer  of 
the  law  for  protection  afforded  the  Giinese  la- 
borers while  at  work  during  the  season.  But 
it  paid  a  margin  of  profit  and  proved  beyond 
dispute  that  under  favorable  conditions  celery 
culture  might  be  undertaken  with  prospects  of 
success,  and  this  fact  once  established  the  rest 
was  easy." 

Celery  growing  has  developed  into  one  of  the 
leading  industries  of  Orange  county.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  the  area  planted  this  season  will  ex- 
ceed 5,700  acres.  About  2,000  cars  were  re- 
quired to  move  last  year's  crop.  The  celery  cars 
carry  150  crates,  or  about  1.200  dozen  bunches. 

The  area  of  celer\-  culture  has  extended  from 
the  peat  lands  where  it  was  begun,  over  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  'AVillows,"  a  tract  of 
land  l\-ing  between  the  old  and  the  new  beds  of 


the   Santa  Ana  river,  the  scene  of  the  squatter 
contest  of  thirty  years  ago. 

The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  has  a  branch 
line  running  from  Newix)rt  Beach,  the  terminus 
of  the  Santa  Ana  &  Newport  road,  to  Smeltzer 
(eleven  miles),  near  the  northern  extremity  of 
the  peat  lands.  The  station  and  shipping  points 
on  this  road  are  Celery,  La  Bolsa,  A\'intersburg 
and  Smeltzer. 

THE   OIL    INDUSTKV. 

Prospecting  for  petroleum  in  what  is  now  the 
Fullerton  oil  district  began  forty  years  ago.  In 
1867  jNIajor  Max  Stroble  of  Anaheim  sunk  a 
well  in  Brea  caiion.  About  the  same  time  a 
prospect  well  was  sunk  on  the  Olinda  rancho, 
but  in  neither  place  was  oil  found  in  paying 
quantities.  With  the  imperfect  machinery  in  use 
at  that  time  it  was  impossible  to  sink  to  any 
great  depth.  Indications  were  plentiful  and 
everv  expert  who  prospected  the  caiion  and  foot- 
hills of  the  district  was  convinced  that  rich  oil 
deposits  existed  in  the  locality.  Brea  canon  con- 
tained large  deposits  of  crude  asphaltum,  and 
thirt}-  years  ago  the  Los  Angeles  Gas  Company 
was  shipping  two  car  loads  a  week  of  brea  for 
the  manufacture  of  gas,  it  being  cheaper  than 
coal  at  that  time.  In  1897  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company  made  a  rich  strike,  and  since  then  oil 
development  has  gone  on  steadily. 

The  oil  district  extends  from  Brea  canon  to  the 
head  of  the  Soquel  canon.  In  depth  the  wells 
range  from  800  to  1,600  feet.  The  output  now 
reaches  about  40.000  barrels.  The  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  Company  is  an  extensive  operator.  The 
price  of  land  in  the  oil  district  advanced  with 
lx)om-like  rapidity.  The  Olinda  rancho,  contain- 
ing 4,480  acres,  was  sold  early  in  1898,  Ijefore 
oil  was  struck  on  it.  for  $15,000.  The  purchaser, 
after  consulting  some  of  his  friends  over  his 
bargain,  forfeited  his  deposit.  Two  years  later 
the  rancho  was  sold  to  a  syndicate  of  capitalists 
for  $500,000.  to-day  the  same  territory  is  worth 
a  million.  The  oil  of  the  Fullerton  district  is  of 
superior  quality.  Its  gravity  ranges  from  30°  to 
32°.  Wells  have  recently  been  bored  in  the 
Coyote  Hills  districts  that  have  proved  to  be 
veritable  gushers. 


478 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


CHAPTER    LXIX. 


ORANGE    COUNTY— Continued. 


CITIES  AND  TOWNS. 

ANAHEIM. 

TT  NAHEIAI  is  one  of  the  oldest  success- 
r\  ful  colony  experiments  in  the  state. 
-*■••-  It  was  originated  by  several  Ger- 
man residents  of  San  Francisco  fifty  years 
ago.  Their  scheme  was  to  purchase  with 
their  combined  capital  a  large  tract  of  land, 
plant  it  in  vines  for  wine  making  and  when  these 
were  in  bearing  subdivide  it  among  the  share- 
holders of  the  company, ,  each  one  becoming  a 
resident  of  the  colony.  Early  in  1857  they  be- 
gan an  examination  of  different  localities  for 
their  proposed  colony  site.  In  the  Los  Angeles 
Star  of  September  19,  1857,  I  find  these  items 
regarding  the  project:  "It  is  with  much  pleas- 
ure we  make  the  announcement  that  the  com- 
pany who  have  for  some  time  been  seeking  a 
location  for  an  extensive  vineyard  have  at  last 
succeeded  in  obtaining  land  suitable  to  their 
purpose.  The  project  is  the  most  important  ever 
contemplated  in  the  southern  country,  and  as 
it  is  to  be  carried  out  by  energetic,  practical  men, 
there  can,  of  course,  be  no  doubt  of  its  full  suc- 
cess, especially  as  the  stock  required  is  already 
paid  up. 

"The  Los  Angeles  A'ineyard  Company  is  com- 
posed of  fifty  shareholders,  who,  we  believe,  are 
principally  Germans,  the  majority  residing  in 
San  Francisco.  Each  share  is  rated  at  $750. 
They  have  purchased  a  tract  of  land  on  the  San- 
ta Ana  river,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  the 
city,  consisting  of  1,200  acres,  which  is  to  be  laid 
off  in  lots  of  twenty  acres  each.  Streets  are  to 
be  made  throughout  the  grounds  so  that  each  lot 
shall  open  into  a  good  highway.  A  park,  prob- 
ably forty  acres,  will  occupy  the  center.  On 
each  lot  10,000  vines  are  to  be  planted  this  year, 
making  a  total  of  half  a  million  vines.  If  at  the 
end   of  three  rears    Cat   which   time   it   is  likelv 


those  plants  will  be  bearing  vines)  it  be  deemed 
advisable  by  shareholders,  this  number  will  be 
doubled,  thus  taking  advantage  of  the  full  capac- 
ity of  the  land  for  grape  culture.  The  grounds 
are  to  be  surrounded  by  a  live  fence,  which,  it  is 
calculated,  will  require  50,000  poles.  The  loca- 
tion is  about  three  miles  from  the  river.  A  ditch 
about  five  miles  in  length  will  conduct  the  w-ater 
of  the  river  on  to  the  land,  over  which  it  will 
be  carried  by  lateral  ditches.  Although  the 
lands  are  flat,  sufficient  fall  will  be  found  in 
traversing  the  five  miles  to  drive  the  water  over 
every  part  of  the  land.  It  is  estimated  that  a 
fall  of  twenty  feet  will  be  secured  in  that  dis- 
tance. 

"The  land  has  been  purchased  from  Don 
Pacifico  Ontivera,  with  certain  privileges  from 
Don  Bernardino  Yorba,  from  whose  residence 
these  grounds  are  situated  about  five  miles.  Mr. 
George  Hansen,  a  very  competent  gentleman, 
has  been  appointed  superintendent  of  the  com- 
pany. This,  we  understand,  will  be  the  largest 
vineyard  in  the  world,  there  being  none  in 
Europe  of  such  extent. 

"The  company  is  under  the  direction  of  a 
board  of  trustees  in  San  Francisco :  President. 
Otmar  Caler ;  vice-president,  G.  Charles  Koh- 
ler ;  treasurer,  Cyrus  Beythien ;  secretary,  John 
Fischer.  In  Los  Angeles  the  affairs  are  carried 
out  under  the  direction  of  an  auditing  commit- 
tee, composed  of  the  following  gentlemen: 
Messrs.  John  Frohling.  R.  Emerson  and  Jay- 
zinsky ;  sub-treasurer,  Felix  Backman."  The 
San  Francisco  Alta  of  January  15,  1858,  has 
this  notice :  "The  stockholders  of  the  Los  An- 
geles Vineyard  Society  held  a  meeting  on  the 
evening  of  January  13.  at  Leutgen's  hotel, 
INIontgomery  street.  They  resolved  to  give  the 
name  of  Anaheim  to  their  vineyard  in  the  Santa 
Ana  valley  in  Los  Angeles  county."  Its  name 
is    a    combination    of   the    German     word     heim 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


479 


(home)  and  the  Spanish  form  of  the  proper 
name  Ana — a  home  by  the   (Santa)   Ana  river. 

The  improvement  of  the  tract  purchased  was 
begun  in  the  winter  of  1857-58  and  pushed  for- 
ward vigorously  by  the  superintendent,  George 
Hansen.  The  Los  Angeles  Star  of  January  30, 
1858,  contains  this  notice  of  the  labor  in  prog- 
ress on  the  colony  site :  "As  may  be  expected, 
Anaheim  is  a  busy  place.  All  is  life,  industry 
and  activity."  *  *  *  "In  the  operations  at 
present  in  progress  there  are  employed  seven 
men,  fourteen  horses  and  seven  plows  in  mak- 
ing ditches ;  one  man,  one  wagon  and  two 
horses  procuring  provisions  and  firewood; 
fourteen  men,  fourteen  wagons  and  fifty-six 
horses  in  hauling  fence  poles ;  one  wagon  and 
ten  horses  in  bringing  cuttings ;  thirty-three  men 
making  ditches  and  fences;  there  are  two  over- 
seers, besides  cooks,  etc.,  making  in  all  eighty- 
eight  men,  ten  women,  eighty-four  horses,  geven 
plows,  and  seventeen  wagons.  The  daily  expenses 
are  $216." 

The  land  owned  by  the  company  is  a  tract  of 
one  and  a  half  miles  long  by  one  and  a  quarter 
miles  broad.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  fence  five 
and  a  half  miles  long,  composed  of  40,000  wil- 
low poles,  each  of  which  is  eight  feet  long,  be- 
ing six  feet  above  the  ground.  They  are 
planted  one  and  a  half  feet  apart,  and  are 
strengthened  by  three  horizontal  poles,  and  de- 
fended by  a  ditch  four  feet  deep,  six  feet  wide 
at  the  top,  sloping  to  a  breadth  of  one  foot  at 
the  bottom." 

These  willow  poles  took  root  and  made  a 
living  wall  around  the  colony.  Across  the  streets 
were  gates,  which  when  closed  shut  out  all  in- 
vaders. This  live  fence  was  necessary  to  keep 
out  the  tens  of  thousands  of  cattle  that  roamed 
over  the  plains  for  miles  on  all  sides  of  the 
little  vineyard  colony.  The  superintendent, 
George  Hansen,  constructed  for  the  company 
a  main  zanja,  seven  and  a  half  miles  long,  to 
bring  water  from  the  Santa  Ana  river  to  and 
through  the  colony  tract,  and  about  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  of  lateral  ditches  for  dis- 
tributing the  water  to  the  different  tracts.  On 
each  twent)'-acre  lot,  eight  acres  of  vines  were 
planted  the  first  year.  These  were  cultivated 
and  cared  for  by  the  company.     At  the  end  of 


two  years  the  vines  first  planted  had  come  into 
bearing,  and  all  assessments  having  been  paid,  a 
division  of  the  lands  was  made.  Each  share- 
holder had  paid  into  the  general  fund  $1,200. 
Each  lot  had  a  value  placed  on  it  according  to 
situation,  improvements,  etc.,  the  values  rang- 
ing from  $600  to  $1,400.  The  division  was  made 
by  lot.  As  each  stockholder  had  paid  in  the 
same  amount — viz.,  $1,200 — the  man  who  drew 
a  $1,400  lot  paid  over  $200  to  the  equalization 
fund,  and  the  man  who  drew  a  $600  lot  received 
$600  cash.  In  addition  to  his  vineyard  lot,  each 
shareholder  received  a  lot  in  the  town  plot. 
After  the  distribution,  a  number  of  the  colonists 
came  down  from  San  Francisco,  built  houses  on 
their  lots  and  entered  on  the  career  of  vine- 
vardist  and  wine-maker.  Each  proprietor  as- 
sumed control  of  his  vineyard  lot  December  15. 
1859.  The  Los  Angeles  Star  of  March  29.  i860, 
has  this  notice  of  the  Anaheim  colony:  "The 
affairs  of  this  settlement  are  in  a  prosperous 
condition.  The  shareholders  are  now  nearly  all 
residents  and  are  engaged  in  improvements  of 
their  respective  holdings.  A  large  and  very 
well  arranged  hotel  is  just  being  finished  by  Mr. 
Langenberger.  which  will  be  of  great  benefit 
not  only  to  the  community  there,  but  to  the  pub- 
lic at  large.  The  other  proprietors  are  engaged 
in  erecting  dwelling  houses  on  their  respective 
lots." 

.-\N.\I1F.IM    TOWNSHIP. 

Anaheim  township  was  created  December  17, 
i860.  The  board  of  supervisors  ordered  "that 
the  tract  of  land  purchased  by  John  Frohling 
and  John  Hansen  of  Don  Pacifico  Ontiveras  in 
1857,  ^"d  ^'so  the  tract  of  land  purchased  by 
the  Los  Angeles  Vineyard  Society  from  George 
Hansen,  be  set  apart  from  Santa  Ana  township, 
to  be  called  Anaheim  township,  and  that  the  re- 
maining portion  of  Santa  Ana  remain  and  con- 
stitute the  township  of  Santa  Ana." 

Among  the  original  settlers  tliere  was  but  one 
man  who  understood  the  art  of  wine-making. 
The  colonists  were  mostly  mechanics.  "There 
were  several  carpenters,  a  gunsmith,  an  en- 
graver, three  watchmakers,  four  blacksmiths,  a 
brewer,  a  teacher,  a  shoemaker,  a  miller,  several 
merchants,   a   bookbinder,   a   poet,   four    or   five 


480 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


musicians,  a  hatter,  several  teamsters  and  a 
hotelkeeper."* 

They  went  to  work  with  that  patient  industry 
characteristic  of  the  Teuton.  They  had  to  learn 
the  art  of  wine-making  mostl_\-  by  experimenting. 
The  colony  was  thirty  miles  from  Los  Angeles, 
the  nearest  point  to  obtain  supplies.  From  there 
they  had  to  haul  lum'ber  for  building  and  all 
other  necessities,  until  they  established  a  land- 
ing on  the  ocean  twelve  miles  from  the  town. 

It  was  a  hard  struggle  for  several  }ears,  but 
their  perseverance  and  industry  won.  The 
property  that  cost  them  an  average  of  about 
$i,o8o  originally,  at  the  end  of  ten.  years  was 
worth  from  $5,000  to  $10,000.  The  colonists 
during  that  time  had  supported  their  families 
and  paid  for  their  improvements  from  the 
products  of  their  lands. 

Unlike  the  Spanish  pobladores  (colonists), 
who  always  built  a  church  first  and  left  the 
building  of  a  school  house  to  those  who  came 
after  them,  the  Anaheim  colonists  built  the 
school  house  first  and  left  the  church  liuilding  to 
those  who  came  later. 

'In  the  town  plot  of  furty  acres,  which  occu- 
pied the  center  of  the  colony,  a  lot  had  been  re- 
served for  a  school  house.  (  )n  this  a  commodious 
building  of  adobe  had  been  erected  to  serve  the 
double  purpose  of  a  school  house  and  assembly 
hall,  but  during  the  great  flood  of  1861-62  the 
waters  of  the  Santa  Ana  river  overflowed  the 
colony  site  and  damaged  the  foundations  of  the 
school  house,  rendering  the  building  unsafe.  A 
school  was  maintained  in  the  water  company's 
building  on  Center  street  until  1869,  when  a 
new  building  was  erected. 

The  original  colony  tract  contained  1,165 
acres  (it  was  part  of  the  rancho  San  Juan  Cajon 
de  Santa  Ana),  and  was  purchased  from  Juan 
Pacifico  Ontiveras  for  $2  per  acre.  In  i860 
the  Anaheim  'W'ater  Company  became  the  pos- 
sessor of  the  ditches  and  water  rights  originally 
belonging  to  the  Anaheim  Vineyard  Company. 
The  stock  of  this  company  was  an  appurtenance 
of  the  land  and  could  not  be  diverted  from  it. 
This  company  originally  incorporated  with 
$20,000  capital  stock-.  In  187Q  its  stock  was 
increased   to  $go,000.  and   the   ditches   extended 


to  co\-er  what  was  known  as  the  Anaheim  ex- 
tension. 

The  Cajon  Irrigation  Company's  ditch  was 
completed  in  November,  1878,  at  a  cost  of  $50,- 
000.  It  tapped  the  Santa  Ana  river  at  Bed  Rock 
caiion,  and  was,  at  the  time  of  its  completion, 
fifteen  miles  long.  It  has  since  been  extended. 
In  1879  the  Anaheim  Water  Company  bought 
a  half  interest  in  this  ditch.  All  the  water  in- 
terests on  the  north  side  of  the  Santa  Ana  river 
have  been  consolidated  into  the  Anaheim  Union 
Water  Company.  Anaheim  was  incorjxsratcd  as 
a  city  February  10,  1870,  but  a  city  government 
was  too  great  a  burthen  for  the  people  to  carry. 
The  legislature  of  1872,  on  petition  of  the  tax- 
burthened  inhabitants,  disincorporated  it.  It 
was  incorporated  as  a  town  by  act  of  the  legis- 
lature March  18,  1878.  Thompson  &  Wesfs 
History  of  Los  Angeles  County,  published  in 
i88o.'  sa\s  of  the  schools  of  Anaheim:  "The 
town  of  Anaheim  boasts  of  the  handsomest  school 
building  and  the  largest  school  in  the  county 
outside  of  Los  Angeles  city." 

For  several  years  the  school  buildings  had 
been  inadequate  for  the  school  population.  In 
1877,  Prof.  J.  M.  Guinn,  who  had  been  prin- 
cipal of  the  Anaheim  school  for  eight  years, 
drafted  a  bill  authorizing  the  district  to  issue 
bonds  to  the  amount  of  $10,000.  He  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  its  passage  by  the  legis- 
lature. It  became  a  law  March  12,  1878.  The 
bonds  were  sold  at  par  and  the  school  building, 
costing  over  $10,000,  was  built  out  of  the  pro- 
ceeds. This  was  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first, 
instance  in  the  state  of  incorporating  and  bond- 
ing a  school  district  to  secure  funds  to  build  a 
school  house — a  method  that  since  has  become 
quite  common  and  has  given  to  California  the 
best  district  school  houses  of  any  state  in  the 
Union.  Anaheim  school  district  was  extended  to 
take  in  what  was  formerly  Fairview  district  and 
a  four-room  school  house  erected  in  West  Ana- 
heim. A  new  high  school  was  established  in 
1900.  A  new  primary  school  building  was 
erected  in  1905  at  a  cost  of  $10,000. 

XEWSP.\PERS. 

The  pioneer  newsjiaper  of  Anaheim  and  also 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


481 


of  Orange  county  is  the  Anaheim  Gazette.  The 
first  number  was  issued  October  29,  1870. 

It  was  established  by  George  W.  Barter,  who 
obtained  a  subsidy  from  a  number  of  pubhc- 
spirited  citizens  to  found  a  newspaper  in  Ana- 
heim. He  bought  the  plant  of  the  defunct  Wil- 
mington Journal.  The  old  press  that  he  ob- 
tained had  come  around  the  "Horn,"  and  in  185 1 
had  been  used  in  printing  the  Los  Angeles  Star, 
the  pioneer  paper  of  Southern  California.  Bar- 
ter, after  a  short  and  inglorious  career,  sold  the 
paper  to  Charles  A.  Gardner  in  1871.  Gardner 
sold  it  to  Melrose  &  Knox  in  1872.  Knox  re- 
tired in  1876.  Fred  W.  Atheran  was  connected 
with  the  paper  lor  a  time  in  1876-77,  after  which 
Richard  Melrose  became  sole  proprietor  and 
continued  so  until  it  was  sold  to  its  present  pro- 
prietor, Henry  Kuchel.  The  Orange  County 
Plain  Dealer  was  established  at  Fullerton  in 
March,  1898,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Ana- 
heim. It  is  an  eight-column,  four-page  weekly ; 
size  of  page,  20x25  inches. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  Anaheim  was  the 
greatest  wine-producing  district  in  California. 
About  1885  a  mysterious  disease  attacked  the 
vines.  Within  five  years  from  its  first  appear- 
ance two  million  vines  that  made  up  the  vine- 
yards of  Anaheim  and  vicinity  were  dead.  After 
the  destruction  of  the  grapevines,  the  vineyard 
lots  were  planted  with  orange  trees  and  English 
walnuts.  These  have  come  into  bearing  and 
have  transformed  the  appearance  of  the  old  vine- 
yard colony.  The  living  wall  of  willows  that 
surrounded  it  and  the  four  gates  on  the  four 
sides  that  shut  out  the  great  armies  of  cattle  that 
once  roamed  over  the  plains  beyond  disappeared 
long  ago.  There  is  little  in  the  present  appear- 
ance of  Anaheim  to  remind  the  old-timer  of  the 
"Campo  Aleman"  (German  camp),  as  the  native 
Californians  named  it  fifty  years  ago. 

CHURCHES. 

The  pioneer  church  of  Anaheim  is  the  Pres- 
byterian. It  was  organized  by  Rev.  L.  P.  Weber 
(the  founder  of  the  Westminster  colony)  in 
1869. 

The  church  building  w'as  erected  in  1872.  at 
a  cost  of  $3,500.  The  Episcopal  Church  of  Ana- 
heim    was     organized    April    27,     1875.     The 


church  building  was  completed  in  the  fall  of 
1876,  at  a  total  cost  of  $3,600.  The  Roman 
Catholic  Society  was  organized  in  1876.  A 
church,  costing  about  $1,000,  was  built  in  1879. 
These  are  the  pioneer  churches.  In  addition  to 
these,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  North  and  the 
Christian  denominations  have  church  buildings. 

IMPROVEMENTS. 

In  January,  1875,  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road completed  a  branch  to  Anaheim.  For 
nearly  two  years  that  town  was  the  terminus; 
then  the  road  was  extended  to  Santa  Ana,  where 
it  ended.  In  1887  the  San  Diego  line  of  the 
Southern  California  or  Santa  Fe  system  was 
built  through  the  city.  The  same  year  a  num- 
ber of  vineyards  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town 
were  divided  into  buildings  lots.  The  Hotel  del 
Campo,  a  $40,000  tourist  caravansary,  was  built, 
but  it  did  not  pay  and  came  very  near  bank- 
rupting its  progenitors.  The  city  has  steadily 
progressed  through  all  vicissitudes.  It  has  banks, 
a  number  of  stores,  several  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments, and  is  the  center  of  a  large  trade. 
Its  growth  has  always  been  solid  and  substantial. 

The  Anaheim  free  public  library  was  estab- 
lished in  1902.  It  has  now  on  its  shelves  1,250 
volumes.  Its  annual  income  from  taxation  in 
1905  was  $453. 

CITY    OF    SANTA    ANA. 

Santa  Ana,  the  capital  of  Orange  county,  was 
founded  in  October,  1869,  by  William  H.  Spur- 
geon.  He  purchased  the  allotment  of  Zenobia 
Yorba  de  Rowland,  one  of  the  heirs  to  the 
rancho  Santiago  de  Santa  Ana.  The  tract  pur- 
chased contained  seventy-six  acres.  This,  with 
the  exception  of  ten  acres  reserved  for  a  public 
square,  Mr.  Spurgeon  platted  in  town  lots  and 
placed  on  the  market  for  sale.  He  built  a  store- 
room, 18x36  feet,  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Fourth  and  West  streets,  of  rough  redwood 
boards  battened.  This  was  the  first  building 
erected  in  the  town.  In  this  building  he  opened 
a  general  merchandise  store.  At  first  the  only 
patronage  he  received  from  the  citizens  of  the 
town  was  his  own,  for  the  reason  that  he  con- 
stituted the  town's  entire  population.  But  he 
did  not  long  remain  "monarch  of  all  he  sur- 
veyed."    Others   joined   him,   and   in  December 


482 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


there  was  a  population  enough  to  organize  a 
school  district.  The  district  was  named  Spring. 
In  January  a  public  school  was  opened ;  Miss 
Annie  Casad  was  the  first  teacher.  The  school 
house  was  a  rough  board  structure,  with  long, 
backless  benches  for  seats,  and  no  desks  or 
blackboards.  It  stood  on  Sycamore  street  near 
Third. 

Santa  Ana  was  about  two  miles  south  of  the 
old  stage  road  that  led  from  Los  Angeles  to 
San  Diego.  This  road  was  the  camino  viejo,  or 
old  road,  that  had  been  traveled  for  a  century. 
There  were  no  bridges  across  the  Santa  Ana  river 
at  that  time.  In  winter,  when  the  waters  were 
high,  on  account  of  the  quicksands  fording  the 
river  was  a  hazardous  undertaking.  The  Rod- 
riguez crossing,  just  north  of  Orange,  on  the 
old  stage  road,  was  the  only  safe  crossing  in 
times  of  high  water.  Mr.  Spurgeon  built  a  road 
at  his  own  expense  from  the  stage  road  to  his 
town,  and  subsidized  the  stage  company  to 
diverge  its  route  through  Santa  Ana.  He  se- 
cured a  postoffice  for  the  town  and  was  appointed 
postmaster.  His  salary  was  the  munificent  sum 
of  $1  a  month.  He  held  the  office  until  1879, 
when  the  yearly  compensation  had  increased  to 
$Soo.  Then  several  public-spirited  citizens  were 
not  only  willing,  but  anxious,  to  relieve  him  of 
his  burden.  At  first  the  town  grew  slowly. 
Much  of  the  :ountry  around  it  was  held  in  large 
tracts  and  was  sparsely  settled.  In  1877  the 
Anaheim  branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road was  completed  to  Santa  Ana.  This  gave 
the  town  an  impetus  that  sent  it  away  ahead  of 
its  competitors.  Orange  and  Tustin.  It  became 
the  business  center  of  a  large  area  of  country. 

The  first  newspaper  established  in  the  town 
was  the  Santa  Ana  Nczi'S,  founded  by  Nap.  Don- 
ovan, May  15,  1876.  It  was  not  a  paying  ven- 
ture, and  after  running  it  about  a  year  he  sold 
it  to  Spurgeon,  Fruit  and  James  McFadden. 
who  experimented  with  it  for  a  time  and  then 
discontinued  its  publication. 

PIONEER   CHURCHES. 

The  first  church  organized  at  Santa  xAna  was 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  South.  The  organiza- 
tion was  effected  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  resi- 
dence  of   W.    H.    Tichenal    in    December,    1869. 


Services  were  held  in  a  private  residence  at 
first,  and  later  on  in  the  school  house.  A  church 
building  was  erected  in  1876.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  North  was  organized  in  1874. 
The  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  March, 
1 87 1.  Its  building  was  completed  and  dedicated 
in  September,  1878.  The  United'  Presbyterian 
Church  was  organized  June  22,  1876.  Its  edi- 
fice was  completed  August,  1877.  These  are  the 
pioneer  churcfi  organizations,  all  of  which  were 
organized  over  thirty  years  ago.  Now  almost 
every  religious  denomination  is  represented  in 
the  city. 

PIONEER  BANKS. 

The  pioneer  bank  of  Santa  Ana  is  the  Com- 
mercial, incorporated  in  April,  1882.  It  trans- 
acts a  general  banking  business. 

The  First  National  Bank  was  organized  in 
May,  1886.  It  has  a  paid-up  capital  of  $150,000. 
It  pays  interest  on  deposits,  as  well  as  doing  a 
general  banking  business. 

Orange  County  Bank  of  Savings  was  organ- 
ized in  1889.     It  pays  interest  on  deposits. 

THE    PRESS. 

Santa  Ana  is  well  supplied  with  newspapers. 
The  pioneer  paper  of  Santa  Ana,  as  has  been 
previously  stated,  was  the  Santa  Ana  Weekly 
Nczm,  established  May  15,  1876.  by  Nap.  Don- 
ovan. It  was  short  lived.  The  next  paper  was 
the  Santa  Ana  Herald,  established  in  October, 
1877,  by  Nap.  Donovan.  In  1880  it  was  sold  to 
Jacob  Ross.  November  13,  1881,  A.  Waite  be- 
came the  publisher.  He  continued  in  charge  to 
1886.  As  the  Orange  County  Herald,  weekly 
and  semi-weekly,  its  publication  was  continued 
by  Hon.  Linn  Shaw. 

The  Pacific  Weekly  Blade  was  founded  in 
1886  by  W.  F.  N.  Parker  and  J.  \\'aterhouse. 
Later  Waterhouse  purchased  Parker's  interest  in 
the  paper  and  founded  the  Daily  Blade  in  1887. 
In  i88g  the  paper  passed  into  the  hands  of  a 
syndicate  composed  of  Victor  Montgomery. 
\\'.  H.  Spurgeon.  J.  M.  Lacy  and  C.  W.  Hum- 
lihreys.  The  syndicate  conducted  the  paper 
until  May,  1895.  when  McPhec  &  Co.  purchased 
the  property.     The  daily  is  an  evening  paper. 

The  Santa  .\na  JVeekly  Bulletin  was  founded 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


483 


June  i6,  1899,  by  D.  M.  Baker  and  J.  W.  Rouse. 
It  is   Democratic  in   politics.     The  semi-weekly 

Standard  is  published  by  Belmont  Perry. 

RECENT     IMPROVEMENTS. 

Santa  Ana,  like  all  the  cities  of  Southern 
California,  took  on  a  new  growth  with  the  be- 
ginning of  the  new  century.  Its  population,  ac- 
cording to  the  federal  census  of  1900,  was  4,933- 
In  1904  its  estimated  population,  according  to 
the  school  census  and  election  registration,  was 
7,100;  a  year  later  it  was  estimated  at  8,000. 
In  1904,  according  to  the  building  inspector's 
report,  permits  had  been  issued  for  residence 
and  business  blocks  aggregating  $250,000 :  in 
1905  the  total  amount  expended  in  building  ex- 
ceeded $300,000.  During  the  year  1904  a  new 
city  hall  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  A  new 
fire  engine  house  was  built  at  an  expense  of 
$4,000,  and  a  new  alarm  system  and  a  fire  wagon 
and  apparatus  installed  at  a  cost  of  $7,000.  In 
the  fourth  ward  a  school  house  costing  $14,000 
was  completed  and  occupied  at  the  beginning  of 
the  school  year  of  1904-05.  Among  the  new 
buildings  erected  in  1905  were  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  at  a  cost  of  $18,000  and  the 
Methodist  South  at  an  expenditure  of  $10,000. 
In  1905  $100,000  was  devoted  to  the  extension 
and  improvement  of  the  water  system,  putting 
in  new  machinery  at  the  pumping  plant  and  al- 
most entirely  rebuilding  the  distributing  system 
so  that  all  parts  of  the  city  are  amply  supplied. 

THE    PARADE    OF    PRODUCTS. 

Santa  Ana  has  inaugurated  one  of  the  unique 
exhibitions  for  which  the  counties  of  Southern 
California  are  famous.  The  "Parade  of 
Products"  is  an  autumn  display  of  the  wealth 
of  the  products  of  Orange  county.  It  is  to 
Orange  county  what  La  Fiesta  is  to  Los  An- 
geles, the  Tournament  of  Roses  to  Pasadena  and 
the  Street  Fair  tc  San  Bernardino.  The  parade 
of  1906  was  held  in  December,  and  consisted  of 
a  number  of  tastefully  decorated  floats,  display- 
ing samples  of  the  products  and  telling  the  value 
and  the  amount  of  each  produced.  "The  story 
of  the  floats  told  that  Orange  county  shipped 
600  tons  of  honey  during  the  year  1906,  that  her 
egg  crop  was  worth  more  than  her  orange  crop." 


There  was  a  float  of  strawberries — fresh 
strawberries  in  December.  The  banner  over  the 
float  bore  the  inscription  $250,000,  telling  in 
briefest  phrase  the  wealth  from  a  single  seem- 
ingly insignificant  product.  From  the  county's 
orange  crop  half  a  million  dollars  had  been 
realized  the  previous  season.  Twenty-carloads 
of  peanuts  had  been  shipped  during  the  year 
from  the  three-hundred-acre  ranch  of  the  "Pea- 
nut King  of  Tustin."  Leading  all  the  rest  and 
greatest  of  all  came  the  celery  float,  telling  the 
story  of  the  development  in  the  production  of 
this  crisp  delicacy  within  the  last  two  decades. 
Three  thousand  carloads  sent  to  eastern  markets 
froni  5,700  acres  of  peat  land  devoted  to  its 
cultivation  and  $750,000  received  by  the  pro- 
ducers. The  parade  displayed  a  comparatively 
new  industry  for  Orange  county — bean  rais- 
ing— 175,000  sacks  grown  on  1,200  acres  of  the 
San  Joaquin  rancho.  A  procession  of  thirty-six 
automobiles  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  parade. 

PURLIC   LIBRARY. 

The  Santa  Ana  public  library  was  established 
in  1891.  It  contains  about  7,000  volumes.  The 
library  owns  a  lot  100x125  feet — a  donation  to 
the  city  by  its  founder,  William  H.  Spurgeon. 
The  library  building  was  built  from  funds  do- 
nated by  Andrew  Carnegie.  The  building  is 
two  stories  high  and  is  built  of  brick  and  cement. 
It  was  completed  in  1903  at  a  cost  of  $16,000. 
The  annual  income  received  from  taxation 
amounts  to  about  $2,300. 

ORANGE. 

The  territory  of  Orange  originally  bore  the 
name  of  Richland.  In  1870,  A.  B.  Chapman 
and  Andrew  Glassell  bought  the  allotments  of 
several  of  the  Yorba  heirs  in  the  Santiago  de 
Santa  Ana  rancho,  comprising  several  thousand 
acres.  This  tract  was  subdivided  into  ten, 
twenty  and  forty  acre  lots.  Eighty  acres  were 
divided  into  town  lots. 

A  ditch  from  the  Santa  Ana  river  was  con- 
structed to  the  tract  in  the  winter  of  1871-72. 
Several  vineyards  of  muscat  grapes  were  planted 
in  the  spring  of  1872,  and  a  few  orange  trees. 
Early  in  1873  a  postofifice  was  established  and 
namcil    C)range.     The   agitation   for  the   forma- 


484 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tion  of  a  new  county  to  be  named  Orange  was 
quite  active  about  this  time.  The  town  of 
Orange  had  hopes  of  becoming  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment of  the  new  county.  The  former  name 
of  the  district,  Richland,  fell  into  disuse  and 
Orange  took  its  place  both  for  the  town  and 
school  district.  A  school  house  was  built  in 
1873.  .  In  1874  the  first  church  was  built.  It  be- 
longed to  the  Methodist  denomination,  but  was 
also  used  by  others.  A  hotel  was  erected,  but 
as  the  patronage  was  not  sufficient  to  support 
it,  it  was  used  as  a  sanitarium.  Three  stores, 
the  hotel  and  a  saloon  constituted  the  business 
houses  of  the  town  in  1875.  In  the  winter  of 
1878-79  a  new  ditch  was  constructed  at  a  cost 
of  $60,000.  This  gave  an  abundant  water  sup- 
ply and  the  settlement  flourished. 

The  ravages  of  the  yellow  scale  in  the  early 
'80s  retarded  citrus  tree  culture,  and  the  vine 
disease  materially  injured  the  raisin  industry. 
The  energy  and  perseverance  of  the  people  over- 
came all  obstacles,  and  the  district  has  become 
a  large  producer  of  oranges  and  lemons. 
Orange  supports  six  churches,  each  owning  its 
own  house  of  worship. 

Orange  was  incorporated  as  a  city  of  the  sixth 
class  in  1888;  its  area  was  three  square  miles  and 
it  claimed  then  a  population  of  about  2,000  in- 
habitants. Orange  was  among  the  earliest  of 
the  smaller  towns  of  the  south  -to  establish  a 
public  library.  Its  library  was  founded  in  1885 
and  made  free  in  January,  1894.  It  contains 
3,860  volumes,  and  receives  an  annual  income 
from  taxation  of  about  $700. 

Orange  is  located  at  the  junction  of  the  kite- 
shaped  tract  and  the  surf  line  of  the  Santa  Fe 
Railroad.  It  is  connected  with  Santa  Ana  by 
an  electric  line.  During  the  year  of  1905  Orange 
had  a  building  boom.  One  hundred  and  eighty 
houses  were  erected  at  a  cost  of  $230,000. 

TUSTIN. 

In  1867  Columbus  Tustin  and  N.  O.  Staflford 
bought  of  Bacon  &  Johnson  a  tract  of  land 
containing  5,000  acres.  This  they  divided 
equally  between  them.  Mr.  Tustin,  on  his  por- 
tion, subdivided  about  100  acres  into  town  and 
suburban  lots  and  named  the  place  Tustin  City. 
On  the  town  site,  at  his  own  expense,  in  1872, 


he  built  a  school  house.  The  same  year  a  post- 
office  was  established  in  the  town  or  city.  In 
1887  the  Tustin  branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  was  built  to  the  town,  which  ever  since 
has  remained  the  terminus  of  that  road.  The 
town  has  a  bank,  hotel,  stores  and  other  busi- 
ness facilities.  It  has  an  excellent  school,  em- 
ploying several  teachers. 

FULLERTON. 

Fullerton,  while  one  of  the  youngest  towns 
of  the  county,  is  one  of  the  most  thriving.  It  is 
a  child  of  the  boom  and  was  founded  in  1887. 
It  is  located  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  twenty- 
three  miles  southeast  from  Los  Angeles  and  ten 
miles  northerly  from  the  county  seat.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  an  excellent  fruit  country  and  does 
a  heavy  shipping  business  in  oranges  and  lemons. 
The  oil  from  a  number  of  wells  in  the  oil  dis- 
trict is  piped  to  Fullerton  for  shipment.  The 
town'  has  several  hotels  and  a  number  of  mercan- 
tile establishments.  The  pioneer  newspaper,  the 
Fullerton  Tribune,  was  established  in  1898. 
The  union  high  school  building,  a  brick  struc- 
ture, costing  about  $10,000,  was  completed  and 
dedicated  in  1898. 

Fullerton  was  incorporated  in  1904  as  a  city 
of  the  sixth  class.  It  recently  voted  bonds  to 
build  a  city  high  school.  Fullerton  is  the  center 
of  the  English  walnut  district;  nearly  3,000,000 
pounds  were  shipped  from  there  in  1905.  ■ 

HUNTINGTON    BE.-\CH. 

Pacific  City,  the  predecessor  of  Huntington 
Beach,  was  founded  in  1902.  A  large  acreage 
lying  north  and  west  of  the  original  plat  was 
purchased  by  a  syndicate  of  which  H.  E.  Hunt- 
ington was  a  member.  The  name  of  the  town 
was  changed  to  Huntington  Beach.  A  number 
of  new  blocks  were  platted :  extensive  improve- 
ments were  made.  The  streets  were  graded  and 
oiled.  Four  blocks  were  donated  to  the  Meth- 
odists, who  completed  in  1906,  an  auditorium 
capable  of  seating  three  thousand  people.  The 
annual  camp  meetings  of  that  denomination  in 
Southern  California  will  be  held  in  it.  The 
Chautauqua  Assembly  has  selected  Huntington 
Beach  as  the  site  for  iti^  meetings.  A  canning 
factory   was    Iniilt   in    1906    for   the   canning   of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


vegetables.  The  most  considerable  product  put 
up  at  this  factory  is  celery.  The  famous  celer}- 
fields  lie  but  a  short  distance  north  of  the  town 
limits.  The  factory  for  preparing  peat  for  fuel 
was  built  in  1906  and  put  into  operation.  The 
original  wharf  of  Pacific  City  has  been  extended 
200  feet  further  into  the  ocean.  In  addition  to 
its  advantages  as  a  beach  resort,  it  has  tributary 
to  it  a  rich  agricultural  district. 

WESTMINSTER   COLONY. 

In  the  autumn  of  1871  Rev.  L.  P.  Webber 
secured  from  the  Los  Angeles  and  San  Ber- 
nardino Land  Company  a  tract  of  8,000  acres 
lying  between  Anaheim  and  the  ocean  on  which 
to  locate  a  colony.  It  was  intended  to  be  a  tem- 
perance colony.  The  settlers  pledged  themselves 
not  to  grow  grapes  for  the  production  of  wine 
and  brandy.  The  founder  endeavored,  as  far  as 
he  was  able,  to  secure  settlers  of  his  own  church 
and  the  colony  was  know-n  as  a  Presbyterian 
settlement.  The  first  church  erected  in  the  col- 
ony was  Presbyterian.  A  tract  of  160  acres  in 
the  center  of  the  colony  lands  was  subdivided 
into  town  lots.  A  hotel,  a  school  house,  three 
churches,  a  blacksmith  shop,  two  store  buildings, 
a  doctor's  office  and  drug  store  were  built  on 
the  town  site;  then,  the  town  stopped  growing 
and  has  remained  nearly  stationary  ever  since. 
Of  late  years  dairying  has  become  the  principal 
industry  and  two  creameries  are  located  near  the 
town.  Near  Westminster  are  the  celebrated 
peat  lands,  where  trainloads  of  celery  are  grown 
and  shipped  to  the  eastern  states. 

GARDEN    GROVE. 

The  town  of  Garden  Grove  was  founded  in 
1877  by  Dr.  A.  G.  Cook  and  Converse  Howe.  A 
'postoffice  was  established  the  same  year.  A 
large  business  house  was  built  and  a  store  opened 
in  it.  The  building  was  burned  down  in  1880. 
The  town  has  a  fine  school  house  and  employs 
several  teachers.  It  has  a  hotel,  a  Methodist 
church  and  several  religious  organizations. 
There  are  a  number  of  walnut  groves  in  its  im- 
mediate vicinity.  It  is  surrounded  by  an  ex- 
cellent agricultural  country.  The  electric  car 
line  from  Los  Angeles  to  Santa  Ana  passes 
through  the  town. 


LOS    AL.\>[ITOS. 

A  large  sugar  factory  was  located  on  the  Ala- 
mitos  rancho  in  1897.  Around  this  has  grown 
up  a  town.  It  is  located  on  a  branch  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  extending  from  the 
Santa  Ana  line  at  Lorra,  near  Anaheim,  to  Ala- 
mitos,  nine  miles.  The  beet  sugar  factory  dis- 
tributes about  a  half-  a  million  dollars  yearly 
among  the  farmers  in  this  district.  There  is  a 
school  building,  a  church  and  boarding  houses 
for  the  employes  of  the  factory. 


Bay  City,  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  en- 
trance to  Alamitos  bay,  was  founded  by  Hon. 
P.  A.  Stanton.  The  town  is  near  the  site  of  the 
now  deserted  and  almost  forgotten  Anaheim. 
Forty  years  ago  the  yearly  wine  shipments  from 
this  port  exceeded  that  of  any  other  port  in  the 
United  States.  Bay  City  is  a  seaside  resort.  The 
residences  stretch  along  the  ocean  front  a  mile 
or  more.  It  can  be  reached  by  two  electric  car 
lines. 

BUENA    PARK. 

The  town  of  Buena  Park  was  laid  out  in  1887. 
It  is  located  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad, 
thirteen  miles  northerly  of  Santa.  Ana.  It  has  a 
condensed  milk  factory,  established  in  1889.  This 
factory  distributes  monthly  about  $15,000  for 
milk  and  labor.  The  town  has  a  hotel,  several 
stores,  a  school  building  and  a  Congregational 
church. 

NEWPORT  BEACH. 

Newport  Beach  is  the  chief  seaport  of  Orange 
county.  It  is  ten  miles  southwest  of  Santa  Ana 
and  is  reached  by  the  Santa  Ana  &  Newport 
Railroad.  An  electric  railway  was  completed  in 
1905  from  Los  Angeles  to  Newport.  It  has  a 
pier  where  freight  and  passengers  are  landed. 
It  is  a  favorite  seaside  resort  for  the  people  of 
Santa  Ana. 

CAPIfTRANO. 

The  first  settlement  in  Orange  county  was 
made  at  what  was  formerly  known  as  San  Juan 
Capistrano.  The  mission  of  that  name  was 
founded  in  1776.  After  the  secularization  of  the 
missions  an  Indian  pueblo  was  established  here, 
but  it  was  not  a  success.     A  Mexican  population 


486 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


built  up  a  town  at  the  ruins  of  the  old  mission 
buildings.  Capistrano  is  probabl}-  the  most  thor- 
oughly native  Californian  of  any  town  in  the 
state.  The  Mission  church,  destroyed  by  an 
earthquake,  was  the  largest  and  most  imposing 
building  ever  built  by  the  Mission  fathers.  Its 
ruins   attract   many   visitors.      Capistrano   has   a 


hotel,  several  stares,  a  school  house  and  a  num- 
ber of  saloons.  Church  service  is  still  held  in  a 
room  of  the  old  Mission  buildings.  Capistrano 
is  on  the  surf  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  sixty 
miles  from  Los  Angeles  and  about  the  same  dis- 
tance from  San  Diego. 


CHAPTER    LXX. 


RIVERSIDE   COUNTY. 


THE  early  history  of  the  territory  now  in- 
cluded in  Riverside  county  will  be  found 
in  that  of  the  counties  from  which  it  was 
segregated — San  Diego  and  San  Bernardino. 

The  first  attempt  to  form  the  county  of  River- 
side was  made  in  the  legislature  of  1891.  Three 
ambitious  towns  in  Southern  California  were  at 
the  same  time  seized  with  a  desire  to  become 
county  seats,  and  bills  were  introduced  in  the  leg- 
islature of  1891  to  form  the  three  new  counties 
from  territory  taken  from  the  three  old  counties, 
Los  Angeles,  San  Bernardino  and  San  Diego. 

Pomona  county  was  to  have  been  formed  from 
the  eastern  portion  of  Los  Angeles  county  and  a 
slice  taken  from  the  western  side  of  San  Ber- 
nardino. Riverside  county  sliced  a  triangle  off 
the  southwestern  part  of  San  Bernardino  and 
appropriated  a  rectangle  of  San  Diego's  north- 
western area ;  while  San  Jacinto  county  cut  deep 
mto  San  Diego's  eastern  area.  Bills  creating  these 
counties  were  introduced  in  the  legislature.  Then 
there  was  a  triangular  contest  between  the  pro- 
spective counties,  each  fighting  its  rivals.  The  old 
counties,  San  Bernardino  and  San  Diego,  bitterly 
opposed  the  schemes  of  the  divisionists.  One 
San  Bernardino  editor  denounced  the  division 
plan  as  "geographical  sacrilege,"  and  another 
charged  the  divisionists  with  attempting  mayhem 
on  the  Saints  (Diego  and  Bernardino).  The 
Riverside  bill  passed  the  senate  with  only  eleven 
opposing  votes  and  the  hopes  of  its  progenitors 
soared  high.  The  county  offices  were  divided 
up  and  a  county  seat  selected  for  the  new  county. 
Then  came  an  agonizing  delay.  The  assembly 
had  become  involved  in  one  of  those  interminable 


scandals  that  crop  out  during  the  sessions  of  our 
legislature.  Before  the  ""waste  basket  scandal" 
could  be  hushed  up  the  session  ended  and  the 
Riverside  bill  died  on  the  files. 

In  the  legislature  of  1893  the  Riverside  scheme 
came  to  the  front  early  in  the  session ;  the  other 
two  division  projects  were  held  in  abeyance,  or 
at  least  were  not  pushed  with  vigor,  and  did  not 
reach  a  vote.  The  act  to  create  the  county  of 
Riverside  was  approved  March  11,  1893.  River- 
side county  was  formed  from  the  southwestern 
part  of  San  Bernardino  county  and  the  northern 
part  of  San  Diego.  From  San  Bernardino  it 
took  560  square  miles  and  from  San  Diego  6,418, 
thus  giving  the  new  county  an  area  of  7,008 
square  miles.  It  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  Or- 
ange county  and  on  the  east  by  the  Colorado 
river.  In  its  contour  Riverside  county  is  widely 
diversified.  In  it  rises  one  of  the  highest  peaks 
(  Mount  .San  Jacinto)  in  Southern  California  and 
the  deepest  depressions  below  the  sea  level  are 
found  within  its  limits. 

It  possesses  every  variety  of  climate.  In  the 
wooded  caiions  of  Mount  San  Jacinto  the  snow 
never  melts;  in  the  depression  of  the  Colorado 
desert  the  heat  exceeds  that  of  the  torrid  zone; 
while  on  its  western  mesas,  where  the  breezes 
waft  the  fragrance  of  the  rose  and  the  orange 
blossom,  perpetual  spring  rules  the  year. 

Its  productions  are  as  varied  as  its  climate. 
Its  mountains  produce  lumber ;  its  deserts  yield 
salt,  and  its  western  plains  are  the  greatest  or- 
ange growing  districts  in  the  world.  It  pro- 
duces deciduous  fruits  as  well  as  the  semi-tropic. 
Peaches,  apples,  apricots,  prunes,  pears  and  cher- 


HISTORTCAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


487 


ries  thrive  and  yield  abundantly.  In  the  low- 
lands along  the  Santa  Ana  river  alfalfa  makes 
dairying  a  profitable  industry.  Gold,  silver,  coal 
and  asbestos  are  found  within  its  borders. 

RRA    OF    AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMLNTS. 

The  terrible  drought  of  1863  and  i86_|,  which 
destroyed  the  cattle-raising  industry  of  Southern 
California,  brought  about  the  subdivision  of 
many  of  the  large  grants  that  had  been  held  for 
stock  ranges.  The  decline  of  the  cattle  industry 
compelled  the  ag'riculturists  of  the  south  to  cast 
about  for  some  other  use  to  which  their  lands 
could  be  turned.  The  later  '60s  and  the  early 
'70s  might  be  called  the  era  of  agricultural  ex- 
periments in  California.  Olden-time  tillers  of  the 
soil  will  recall  perhaps  with  a  sigh  the  silk- 
culture  craze,  the  Ramie-plant  fad,  the  raisin- 
grape  experiment  and  other  experiences  with 
tree  and  plant  and  vine  that  were  to  make  the 
honest  farmer  happy  and  prosperous,  but  which 
ended  in  dreary  failure  and  often  in  great  pecu- 
niary loss. 

To  one  of  these  fads — the  silk-culture  craze — 
Riverside  owes  its  location,  and  for  this  reason 
the  sericulture  mania  deserves  more  than  a  pass- 
ing notice.  To  encourage  silk  culture  in  Califor- 
nia the  legislature  in  1866  passed  an  act  author- 
izing the  payment  of  a  bounty  of  $250  for  ever}' 
plantation  of  5,000  mullDerry  trees  two  years  old, 
and  one  of  $300  for  eveiw  100,000  merchantable 
cocoons  produced.  This  greatly  stimulated  the 
Ijlanting  of  mulberry  trees  if  it  did  not  greatly 
increase  the  production  of  silk. 

In  i86q  it  was  estimated  that  in  the  central  or 
southern  portions  of  the  state  there  were  ten  mil- 
lions of  mulberry  trees  in  various  stages  of 
growth.  Demands  for  the  bounty  poured  in  upon 
the  commissioners  in  such  a  volume  that  the  state 
treasury  was  threatened  with  bankruptcy.  At 
the  head  of  the  silk  industry  in  the  state  was 
Louis  Prevost,  an  educated  French  gentleman, 
who  was  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  busi- 
ness in  all  its  details.  He  saw  a  great  future  for 
it.  and  finnly  believed  that  the  Golden  State 
would  outrival  his  native  country,  France,  in  the 
production  of  silk.  He  had  established  at  Los 
Angeles  an  extensive  nursery  of  nnilberry  trees 
and   a    large   cocoonery    for    the    rearing   of   silk- 


worms. His  enthusiasm  had  induced  a  number 
of  the  leading  men  of  the  south  to  enter  into  an 
association  for  the  purpose  of  planting  extensive 
forests  of  mulberry  trees  for  the  nourishment  of 
silk  worms ;  and  for  the  establishment  of  a  colony 
of  silk  weavers.  The  directors  of  the  assciciation 
cast  about  for  a  suitable  location  to  jilant  a  col- 
ony. 

I  take  this  notice  of  the  visit  of  the  presi- 
dent and  a  director  of  the  association  to  San 
Bernardino  from  a  letter  of  a  correspondent  of 
the  Los  Angeles  Star  June  15.  1869:  "Messrs. 
Prevost  and  Garey  have  been  here  looking  out 
for  land  with  a  view  to  establish  a  colony  for 
the  culture  and  manufacture  of  silk.  The  col- 
ony is  to  consist  of  one  hundred  families,  sixty 
of  whom  are  ready  to  settle  as  soon  as  the  loca- 
tion is  decided  upon.  Both  of  these  gentlemen 
are  liighly  pleased  with  our  soil,  climate,  etc., 
and  consider  it  far  better  adapted  to  the  culture 
of  the  mulberry  than  any  other  of  the  southern 
counties."  The  directors  of  the  California  Silk 
Center  Association  of  Los  Angeles  (by  which 
name  the  organization  was  known),  through  its 
superintendent,  purchased  4,000  acres  of  the 
Robidoux  rancho,  which  was  a  part  of  the  Juru- 
pa  rancho,  granted  to  Juan  Bandini  in  1838, 
and  1,460  acres  of  government  land  on  the  Harts- 
horn tract,  which  adjoined  the  Robidoux  rancho 
to  the  eastward.  They  also  arranged  to  pur- 
chase from  the  Los  Angeles  &  San  Bernardino 
Land  Company  3,169  acres  of  that  portion  of  the 
Jurupa  rancho  opposite  the  Robidoux  rancho  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Santa  Ana  river. 

Prevost,  the  president  of  the  association,  died 
August  16,  1869,  before  the  land  deal  was  com- 
pleted, Tlie  winter  of  1869-70  was  one  of  short 
rainfall  and  but  little  was  done  towards  plant- 
ing trees  on  the  colony  grounds,  and  no  effort 
was  made  to  colonize  the  tract.  The  death  of 
Prevost  had  deprived  the  association  of  its  main- 
spring and  its  works  stopped.  Besides  the  silk 
culture  craze  had  begun  to  decline.  The  im- 
m.ense  profits  of  $1,000  to  $1,200  per  acre  that 
had  been  made  in  the  beginning  by  selling  silk 
worm  eggs  to  those  jvho  had  been  seized  by  the 
craze  later  had  fallen  off  several  figures  from 
over-production :  and  to  give  a  finishing  blow 
to  the  fad  the   state  canceled  the  bountv.     The 


488 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Silk  Center  Association  having  fallen  into  hard 
lines,  offered  its  lands  for  sale  on  most  advan- 
tageous terms,  and  it  soon  found  a  buyer. 

THE  COLONY    ASSOCIATION. 

"On  the  17th  day  of  Alarch,  1870,  at  Knox- 
ville,  Tenn.,  J.  W.  North  issued  and  sent  to  num- 
erous persons  in  the  northern  states  a  circular, 
entitled,  'A  Colony  for  California.'  In  that  cir- 
cular was  briefly  stated  what  was  expected  as 
to  the  establishment  and  carrj'ing  on  of  the  pro- 
posed colony  which  had  not  at  that  time  any 
definite  form  or  special  proposed  location." 

In  this  circular  Judge  North  said :  "We  do 
not  expect  to  buy  as  much  land  for  the  same 
amount  of  money  in  Southern  California  as  we 
could  obtain  in  remote  parts  of  Colorado  or 
Wyoming;  but  we  expect  it  will  be  worth  more 
in  proportion  to  cost  than  any  other  land  we  could 
purchase  in  the  United  States.  We  expect  to 
have  schools,  churches,  lyceum,  public  library, 
reading  room,  etc.,  at  a  very  early  date,  and  we 
invite  .■^uch  people  to  join  our  colony  as  will  es- 
teem it  a  privilege  to  build  them."''- 

In  the  summer  of  1870  Judge  J.  W.  North, 
in  company  with  several  other  gentlemen  who 
had  become  interested  in  the  proposed  colony, 
visited  Southern  California  to  secure  a  location 
for  their  prospective  colony.  After  examining  a 
number  of  tracts  of  land  offered,  thev,  on  the 
14th  of  September,  1870,  purchased  from  the 
stockholder  of  the  Silk  Center  Association  all 
the  real  estate,  water  rights  and  franchises  of 
that  corporation.  The  purchasers  had  organ- 
ized under  the  name  of  The  Southern  California 
Colony  Association.  The  members  of  the  as- 
sociation were  Judge  John  W.  North,  Dr.  James 
P.  Greves,  Dr.  Sanford  Eastman,  E.  G.  Brown,. 
Dr.  K.  D.  Shugart,  A.  J.  Twogood,  D.  C.  Two- 
good,  John  Broadhurst,  James  A.  Stewart  and 
William  J.  Linville.  Judge  J.  W.  North  was 
made  president  and  general  manager  of  the  as- 
sociation. The  land  was  bought  at  $3.50  per 
acre.  It  was  mesa  or  table-land  that  had  never 
been  cultivated,  and  so  dry  that  one  old-timer 
said  he  had  seen  "the  cftyotes  carrying  can- 
teens when  they  crossed  it."     It  was  not  even 


ide-The  FulHllnicnt  of  a  Prophecy.     By  John  G.  North. 


good  sheep  pasture,  and  it  is  said  that  Robidoux 
at  one  time  had  it  struck  from  the  assessment 
roll  because  it  was  not  worth  paying  taxes  on. 

During  the  fall  of  1870  a  portion  of  the  lands 
was  surveyed  and  platted.  A  town  was  laid  out 
and  named  Jurupa,  from  the  name  of  the  rancho, 
but  this  was  changed  to  Riverside.  The  river, 
the  Santa  Ana,  did  not  flow  by  the  site  of  the 
town,  but  the  colonists  hoped  that  a  considerable 
portion  of  its  waters  would  eventually  be  made 
to  do  so. 

The  first  families  to  arrive  in  the  colony 
reached  it  late  in  September,  1870.  Their 
dwellings  were  constructed  of  rough  upright 
redwood  or  pine  boards,  the  families  camping 
out  while  the  buildings  were  in  the  process  of 
construction.  As  there  was  neither  paint  nor 
plaster  used  and  the  chimney  was  a  hole  in 
the  roof  out  of  which  the  stove  pipe  projected, 
it  did  not  take  long  to  erect  a  dwelling.  The 
nearest  railroad  was  at  Los  Angeles,  sixty-five 
miles  away,  and  from  there  most  of  their  sup- 
plies and  building  materials  had  to  be  hauled  on 
wagons. 

It  was  easy  enough  to  survey  their  land  and 
plat  a  town  site,  but  to  bring  that  land  under 
cultivation  and  to  produce  from  it  something  to 
support  themselves  was  a  more  serious  prob- 
lem. Land  was  cheap  enough  and  plentiful,  but 
water  was  dear  and  distant.  It  required  engi- 
neering skill  and  a  large  outlay  of  capital  to 
bring  the  two  together.  Without  water  for 
irrigation  their  lands  were  worthless  and  the 
colony  a  failure. 

The  colonists  set  to  work  vigorously  in  the 
winter  of  1870-71  to  construct  an  irrigating 
canal  from  a  point  on  the  Santa  Ana  river  to 
the  colony  lands.  Early  in  the  summer  of  1871 
the  canal  at  a  cost  of  about  $50,000  was  com- 
pleted to. the  town  site.  A  few  enthusiasts  in 
citrus  culture,  before  the  canal  was  dug,  bought 
seedling  orange  trees  in  Los  Angeles  at  $2 
apiece,  and  after  hauling  them  across  the  arid 
plains  sixty-five  miles,  planted  them  in  the  dry 
mesa  and  irrigated  them  with  water  hauled  from 
Spring  brook  in  barrels.  The  rapid  growth  of 
these  trees,  even  under  adverse  circumstances, 
disapproved  the  sneer  of  the  old-timers  that 
orange  trees  would  not  grow  in  the  sterile  soil 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


489 


of  the  mesas,  and  greatl}'  encouraged  the  colon- 
ists. 

The  raisin  grape  was  at  that  time  coming  in- 
to notice,  and  many  of  the  early  settlers  planted 
their  grounds  in  vineyards.  Others  experi- 
mented with  the  deciduous  fruits,  and  a  few  had 
an  abiding  faith  in  the  orange.  Orange  trees 
had  to  be  raised  from  the  seed,  and  the  eight  or 
nine  years  required  to  bring  a  seedling  orange 
to  bearing  looked  like  a  long  time  to  wait  for 
returns. 

After  a  series  of  experiments,  some  of  them 
costly,  the  colonists  finally  evolved  the  "fittest" 
product  for  their  soil  and  market,  and  that  was 
the  Bahia  orange,  or,  as  it  is  now  called,  the 
Washington  navel  orange.  In  December,  1873, 
L.  C.  Tibbetts,  a  Riverside  colonist,  received  by 
mail  from  a  friend  at  Washington,  D.  C,  two 
small  orange  trees  which  had  been  imported 
from  the  city  of  Bahia,  in  Brazil,  by  the  agri- 
cultural department.  This  variety  is  seedless 
and  of  fine  flavor.  It  became  immensely  popu- 
lar. Buds  were  taken  from  the  parent  trees  and 
inserted  in  the  stock  of  the  seedling  orange  trees 
and  the  variety  was  propagated  by  budding  from 
tree  to  tree  as  rapidly  as  buds  could  be  obtained. 
The  descendants  from  these  two  trees  number 
well  up  to  a  million.  One  of  these  old  trees 
has  been  recently  presented  to  the  city  by  its 
present  owner,  O.  Newberry. 

ARLINGTON. 

In  1875  Samuel  C.  Evans,  a  wealthy  banker 
of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  came  to  Riverside.  He 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  10,000  acres  of  land 
known  as  the  Hartshorn  tract  (now  known  as 
Arlington),  lying  to  the  southward  of  the  orig- 
inal colony  tract.  Capt.  W.  T.  Sayward  of 
San  Francisco  was  the  owner  of  the  other  half. 
These  gentlemen  began  the  construction  of  a 
canal  for  the  irrigation  of  their  lands.  They 
were  denied  the  right  of  way  across  the  lands 
of  the  Southern  California  Colony  Association. 
Mr.  Evans  quietly  secured  a  controlling  interest 
in  the  stock  of  the  Colony  Association  and  then 
dictated  his  own  terms.  In  1875  he  assisted  in 
organizing  the  Riverside  Land  and  Irrigation 
Company,  and  in  1876  he  became  its  president. 
This  company  absorbed  the  Southern  California 


Colony  Association,  its  unsold  land,  water  rights 
and  canals.  The  two  water  systems  were  con- 
solidated under  one  management,  the  canals 
were  extended  and  thousands  of  acres  of  fertile 
land  brought  under  irrigation. 

Up  to  1875  Riverside  had  grown  slowly,  but 
with  the  accession  of  a  larger  territory,  with  an 
increased  water  supply,  new  settlers  coming  and 
more  money  in  circulation,  it  took  on  a  new  and 
healthier  growth.  The  world-famous  Magnolia 
avenue  was  begrm  at  this  time.  From  a  pam- 
phlet published  by  Capt.  W.  T.  Sayward  in  1875. 
descriptive  of  the  new  lands  just  thrown  on  the 
market,  I  take  this  description  of  what  Mag- 
nolia avenue  was  intended  to  be  by  one  of  its 
progenitors:  "A  gxand  avenue  has  been  sur- 
veyed and  laid  out  from  Temescal  creek  nearly 
to  San  Bernardino  in  a  straight  line  eighteen 
miles  long  and  132  feet  wide,  running  through 
the  lands  of  the  Santa  Ana,  New  England  and 
Riverside  colonies.  This  avenue  is  to  be  lined 
the  entire  distance  with  fruit,  shade  and  orna- 
mental trees  on  each  side  and  one  row  in  the 
center;  and  when  completed  will  make  the  most 
beautiful  drive  and  be  the  most  ornamental  road 
in  the  world." 

The  amount  of  land  contained  in  the  colonies 
named  above  is,  according  to  the  pamphlet,  as 
follows:  "Riverside  colony,  8,000  acres;  New 
England,  to,ooo  acres;  Santa  Ana,  7,000  acres. 
All  these  colonies  are  united  in  one  irrigating 
system."  The  city  of  Riverside  has  long  since 
swallowed  up  all  tliese  colonies  and  has  taken  in 
about  10,000  acres  besides.  The  present  area 
of  the  city  is  about  fifty-six  square  miles.  It 
was  incoi-pcrated  in  1883. 

In  1875  the  population  of  the  Riverside  settle 
ments  was  estimated  at  1,000.  The  town  then 
had  within  its  limits  one  church  edifice,  a  school 
house,  a  hotel,  two  restaurants,  a  carriage  and 
wagon  factory,  three  general  merchandise  stores, 
•  a  drug  store,  a  livery  stable  and  two  saloons.  An- 
other saloon  was  added  to  the  number  early  in 
1876.  Although  not  large,  it  seems  tlien  to 
have  been  a  "wide  open  town,"  judging  from  the 
number  of  saloons  in  it.  The  saloons  were  closed 
so  long  ago  that  many  of  the  present  inhabitants 
are  perhaps  not  aware  they  ever  had  any  in  the 
town. 


490 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


RAILROAD    I'ROSI'ECT. 

The  first  railroad  niieting  in  Riverside  of 
which  I  have  any  record  was  one  held  in  the 
school  house  Februarv  23,  1876.  The  Southern 
Pacific  was  building  eastward.  San  Bernardino 
confidently  expected  I0  be  on  the  main  line,  and 
Riverside  had  hope?  that  it  might  be.  The  rail- 
road passed  betweer  them  and  laid  out  a  town  of 
its  own,  Colton.  .'■  an  Bernardino  set  up  a  wail 
and  petitioned  thf  legislature  to  pass  an  act 
bonding  the  coun;y  so  that  it  could  build  a  road 
of  its  own  to  tide  water  at  Anaheim  landing. 
Riverside  cauti'  ned  the  legislature  against  the 
schemes  of  its  i  eighbor  in  the  following  amusing 
resolution  :  "F.esolved,  That  the  people  of  River- 
side respectfully  request  the  honorable  senate  and 
house  of  representatives  of  California  not  to  be 
too  much  moved  by  the  couching  appeal  of  the 
town  San  tjernnrdino:  Riverside  could  lament 
just  as  liaiJ  if  it  were  disposed  to." 

THE     FIRST     CITRUS     FAIR. 

The  fi.-st  Citrus  Fair  held  in  Riverside  opened 
]'"ebrua?y  12.  1879.  It  was  conducted  under  the 
auspicts  of  the  Southern  California  Horticultural 
Society.  The  exhibit  was  mainly  seedling 
oranges,  Mediterranean  Sweets,  St.  Alichaels  and 
Kon.ihs,  with  a  few  specimens  of  the  navel 
orange.  Tlie  Riverside  Press  thus  exultingly 
de.'cribes  one  of  tlie  most  attractive  features  of 
the  fair:  "D.  C.  Twogood's  exhibit  was  four 
boxes  of  seedling  oranges  packed.  These  four 
boxes,  open  and  full  of  fruit,  made  a  broad  glare 
which  fairly  illuminated  that  end  of  the  hall." 
The  oranges  were  exhibited  on  plates,  and  the 
plates  were  not  heaped.  Cicily  and  Qiina  lemons 
formed  a  part  of  the  exhibit.  A  Konah  orange 
SIX  inches  in  diameter  was  one  of  the  wonders 
of  the  fair. 

GROWTH  AND  DEVELOPiMENT. 

A  census  or  enumeration  taken  in  1879  of  the 
citrus  fruit  trees  in  Riverside,  Sunnyside  and  Ar- 
lington gave  the  following  numbers  of  each: 
orange  trees,  160,861  ;  lemon,  23.950;  limes,  28,- 
642.  In  addition  to  the  citrus  trees  there  were 
221,465  vines  and  aljout  50,000  deciduous  trees. 
A  very  .good  showing  for  a  colony  only  eight 
years  old. 


Twenty-five  years  later  it  had  a  million  and 
a  half  citru?  trees  alone.  During  the  season  of 
1905,  Riverside  shipped  7,175  cars  of  citrus 
fruits  which  sold  for  $3,456,050  net  to  the  grow- 
ers. Its  other  agricultural  products  returned  to 
the  producers  over  $1,000,000.  According  to 
Bradstreet  the  per  capita  of  wealth  to  each  of 
its  inhabitants  makes  Riverside  the  richest  com- 
munity in  the  world.  All  this  wonderful  devel- 
opment of  wealth  and  resources  is  the  work  of 
a  single  generation.  In  the  summer  of  1871  the 
author  of  this  histon'  rode  over  the  site  of  Riv- 
erside and  the  entire  length  of  its  since  famous 
avenue.  Magnolia,  and  in  the  entire  length  and 
breadth  of  that  extensive  and  almost  uninhab- 
ited area,  there  was  not  a  bearing  fruit  tree 
or  vine.  Then  there  was  not  a  railroad  within 
sixty  miles  of  the  town,  now  it  has  three  rail- 
road systems,  the  Southern  Pacific,  the  Santa 
Fe  and  the  San  Pedro,  Los  Angeles  &  Salt  Lake. 
The  Arlington  and  Riverside  electric  railway 
operating  within  the  city  of  Riverside  has  ten 
miles  of  track. 

SOitE    FIRST    E\'ENTS. 

The  first  building  erected  in  the  Riverside  set- 
tlement was  the  office  of  the  Southern  California 
Colony  Association,  September,  1870.  It  was 
built  on  land  new  occupied  by  the  Santa  Fe 
depot. 

The  first  child  born  in  the  settlement  was  a 
daughter  of  Jolm  Broadhurst,  born  December 
26,  1870.  The  Srst  in  the  town  of  Riverside  was 
a  daughter  of  A.  R.  Smith,  born  Maixh  31,  1871. 

The  first  sermon  preached  in  the  town  was 
delivered  by  Rev.  A.  Higbie,  a  Methodist  min- 
ister. He  was  also  the  surveyor  of  the  colony 
tract,  afterwards  a  member  of  the  legislature 
from  Los  Angeles  county. 

The  first  resident  clergyman  was  Rev.  J.  W. 
Atherton,  a  Congregational  minister.  The  first 
church  erected  in  the  town  was  a  Congregational. 

The  first  school  house  was  built  in  1871.  It 
was  a  frame  building  costing  $1,200. 

The  first  mercantile  establishment  w-as  opened 
by  E.  Ames  in  the  winter  of  1870-71.  The  first 
brick  building,  a  store  room  25x75,  was  erected 
by  Buet  Brothers  in   1875. 

The   first   newspaper  published   was   die   Riv- 


HISTOKRAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


491 


crside  Weekly  Xe'ws.     The  first  number  appeared 
November  2'/,  1875. 

RIVKRSIIIE    IJURARW 

The  Riverside  PubHc  Lii^rary  was  established 
in  1879.  It  was  made  free  to  the  public  in  1888. 
It  contains  16,700  volumes.  Its  annual  income 
from  taxation  is  about  $8,000.  It  has  seven  em- 
ployes. In  1 89 1  Andrew  Carnegie  gave  the  city 
a  donation  of  $20,000.  The  city  secured  a  site 
165x165  feet  m  a  central  location  at  a  cost  of 
$3,000.  A  building  was  erected  on  this  costing 
$25,000  the  city  adding  _  $5,000  to  Carnegie's 
donation.  The  building  is  one  story  and  contains 
five  rooms.  It  is  built  of  brick  and  cement  in 
the  mission  style  of  architecture.  It  was  com- 
pleted and  occupied  in  1902. 

PIONEER    PRESS. 

The  pioneer  newspaper  of  the  colony  was  the 
Riverside  Weekly  Neivs.  The  first  number  was 
issued  November  27,  1875.  It  was  founded  by 
Jesse  Buck  and  R.  A.  Davis.  It  was  a  five-col- 
umn paper:  size,  12x15  inches.  April  29,  1876. 
Buck  retired  with  this  brief  valedictory  :  "The 
bell  rings,  the  curtain  drops.  Buck  is  cut."  R. 
A.  Davis,  Jr.,  contmued  the  publication  until  it 


was  merged  into  the  Riverside  Press  two  years 
later. 

The  Riverside  Press,  a  seven-column  weekly 
paper,  was  founded  by  James  H.  Roe,  June  29, 
1878.  L.  M.  Holt  assumed  the  management  of 
it  January  10,  1880.  He  enlarged  it  to  eight 
columns  and  changed  the  name  to  the  Press  and 
Horticulturist.  The  Daily  Press  was  established 
in  1886.  It  is  still  published  as  an  evening  daily. 
The  Valley  Echo  was  established  in  1882  .  by 
James  H.  Roe  and  R.  J.  Pierson.  December  6, 
1888,  the  Echo  was  consolidated  with  the  Daily 
Press  and  the  Weekly  Press  and  Horticulturist, 
E.  W.  Holmes  becoming  a  partner,  the  firm  be- 
ing Holmrs,  R,e  &  Biers, .11.  The  Weekly  Re- 
flex, estalili-'lui!  m  iS.is,  was  onnsolidated  with 
the  Press  uiul  I ' ortiaillunsi .   (  )ctober   I,   1896. 

The  Daily  Eutcrhrisc.  the  nlilest  daily  of  Riv- 
erside, was  estalsliihed  in  1885.  The  Daily  Globe, 
established  in  1896,  was  consolidated  with  the 
Enterprise,  October  30,  1897.  A  bi-weekly  edi- 
tion of  the  Enterprise  is  also  published.  The 
Enterprise  has  absorbed  the  following  named 
weekly  papers:  the  Weekly  Searchlight.  May  7, 
1896;  the  Weekly  Ferris  Valley  Record.  March 
5,  1896;  Moreno  Indicator,  November  7,   1896. 


CHAPTER    LXXI. 


RIVERSIDE  COUNTY— Continued. 


RU'ERSIIJE    WATER    SYSTEMS. 

THE  citrus  groves  of  the  Riverside  val- 
ley cover  about  20.000  acres.  Four 
large  water  systems  supply  water  for 
irrigating  the  territory  covered  by  these  groves, 
viz, :  The  Riverside  Water  Company,  the  Gage 
canal,  the  Jurupa  canal  and  the  Riverside-High- 
land Water  Company, 

The  Riverside  Water  Company  is  composed  of 
the  land  owners  under  the  system.  It  supplies 
the  older  orchards  in  the  valley.  Two  shares  of 
stock  are  appurtenant  to  an  acre.  The  company 
obtains  its  water  supply  from  the  Santa  Ana 
river,  and  from  Warm  Springs  and  wells  in  the 
San   liernardino  artesian  belt.     This  svstem^  has 


forty  miles  of  main  canal  (half  of  which  are  ce- 
mented) and  about  150  miles  of  laterals.  This 
company  also  owns  and  operates  a  piped  water 
system,  by  means  of  which  it  distributes  through- 
out the  city  about  150  inches  of  pure  artesian 
water  under  heavy  pressure.  The  pressure  is 
sufficient  to  afford  fire  protection  without  fire 
engines.  This  water  is  delivered  through  eight- 
een miles  of  mains  and  twentv-six  miles  of  small- 


er pipes. 


THE  G.\GE  C.\N.VL, 


\'ery  few  of  the  many  irrigating  schemes  that 
have  been  promoted  in  recent  years  for  the  de- 
velopment of  water  and  the  reclamation  of  arid 
lands  have  been  so  successful  as  that  commonly 


492 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


known  as  the  Gage  canal.  From  small  begin- 
nings this  enterprise  has  developed  into  magnifi- 
cent proportions.  In  its  gradual  development  it 
well  illustrates  the  truth  of  the  old  couplet : 

"Tall  oaks  from  little  acorns  grow, 

Great   streams    from   little   fountains   flow." 

Mathew  Gage,  a  jeweler  by  occupation,  came 
to  Riverside  in  March,  1881.     He  was  compara- 
tively a  poor  man.     Shortly  after  his  arrival  he 
tooic  up  under  the  desert  land  act  a  section  of 
land.     This  land  was  situated  on  the  plain  above 
the  canals  and  eastward  of  the  Riverside  settle- 
ment.    There  was  apparently  no  way  of  getting 
water  upon  it  except  from  the  clouds.     Around 
it  were  thousands  of  acres  fertile  and  productive 
if  water  could  be  brought  upon  them,  but  bar- 
ren without  it.     To  perfect  the  title  to  his  sec- 
tion of  desert  land  he  must  bring  water  upon  it 
from  some  source.     His  first  move  was  to  buy 
some  old  water  rights  in  the  Santa  Ana  river. 
Next  he  secured  a  large  tract  of  land  bordering 
on  that  river  and  lying  about  two  miles  south- 
east of  San   Bernardino  city.     On   this  land  he 
began  sinking  wells.     In  1882  he  began  work  on 
his  great  canal.     Wiseacres   who  "knew  it  all" 
ridiculed    the    scheme    of    the     tenderfoot,     and 
prophesied    its    failure.      Narrow-minded    people 
who  could  not  comprehend  the  magnitude  of  the 
undertaking  and  who  feared  some  injury  to  their 
petty  interests  opposed  it.     But  Gage  labored  on 
undaunted,   conquering  every  obstacle   and   sur- 
mounting every  diificulty.     On  the  loth  of  No- 
vember, 1886,  he  had  twelve  miles  of  the  canal 
completed  and  was  delivering  water  therefrom. 
In  the  year   1888  he  extended  the  canal  a  dis- 
tance of  ten  miles  in  a  southwesterly  direction, 
skirting  the    foothills   and   bringing  under   irri- 
gation   the    lands    now    known    as     Arlington 
Heights.     The  main  canal  is  twenty-three  miles 
long,  it  is  twelve  feet  wide  on  the  bottom  and 
four     feet     deep    at     the     head ;     and     reduces 
to      five      feet      wide      and      four      feet      deep 
at    the    terminus.       It    is     cemented     through- 
out    with     Portland     cement,     which     prevents 
any    loss    from    absorption.      The    Gage    water 
system  covers  7,500  acres.     Its  total  cost,  includ- 
ing the  land  up  to  iqoo,  is  about  $2,000,000.  The 
system  and  the  lands  under  it  have  been  trans- 


ferred by  its  progenitor  to  the  Riverside  Trust 
Com.pany,  Limited,  a  corporation  of  English 
capitalists.  This  company  controls  the  lands  of 
Arlington  Heights,  and  has  spent  a  large  amount 
of  money  in  grading  and  planting  trees  along 
Victoria  drive.  Tliis  street  rivals  the  celebrated 
Magnolia  avenue.  Its  elevation  and  graceful 
curves  afford  magnificent  views  of  the  River- 
side valley. 

The  Jurupa  canal  is  used  in  common  by  four 
or  five  different  corporations.  It  carries  about 
850  inches  and  supplies  the  orchards  of  West 
Riverside  and  the  land,  along  the  Santa  Ana  riv- 
er. The  water  rights  of  this  system  are  the  old- 
est on  the  river,  and  come  down  from  the  orig- 
inal granting  of  the  Jurupa  rancho. 

The  Riverside-PIighland  Water  Company  ob- 
tains its  supply  of  water  from  175  acres  of  water- 
bearing land  in  the  Lytle  creek  basin.  It  has 
developed  about  500  inches,  which  is  pumped  in- 
to its  pipes  by  electricity.  To  economize  the 
cost  of  pumping,  a  tunnel  was  run  some  3,000 
feet,  reaching  the  wells  forty  feet  below  the  sur- 
face. The  water  i?  conveyed  to  the  orchards 
in  a  24-inch  steel  pipe  twelve  miles  long.  This 
water  supply  covers  about  2,300  acres  lying  above 
the  Gage  canal  in  the  Highgrove  section. 

-     CITIES  AND  TOWNS. 

RIVERSIDE    CITV. 

The  city  of  Riverside  is  eminently  a  modern 
city.  Its  beginning  dates  back  but  little  more 
than  a  generation.  Its  municipal  existence  is  a 
little  over  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Everything 
about  the  city  is  new,  spick  and  span  new,  bur- 
nished like  a  newly  minted  silver  dollar.  There 
is  no  lingering  of  passing  things,  no  moss- 
grown  buildings  crumbling  to  decay.  To  give 
it  a  semblance  of  antiquity  the  so-called  mission 
style  of  architecture  has  been  adopted  in  many 
of  the  buildings,  but  the  assumption  of  the  style 
does  not  give  the  antique  flavoring  of  the  old 
mission  buildings.  The  modem  mission  archi- 
tecture, 1x)th  in  looks  and  convenience,  is  a  great 
improvement  on  the  ancient.  The  early  history 
of  Riverside  is  part"  of  the  colony  development 
and  not  separable  from  it. 

The  citv's  boundaries  include  56  square  miles. 


HISTORICAL  .WD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


493 


In  area  it  is  the  largest  city  in  California.  Tlie 
object  of  extending  its  limits  is  the  protection 
given  to  orange  growers  by  enforcement  of  city 
ordinances  against  insect  pests.  The  donation 
to  the  city  of  one  of  the  original  navel  orange 
trees  from  which  the  millions  of  these  trees  that 
to-day  cover  vast  areas  in  Southern  California 
have  been  derived  is  referred  to  in  the  preceding 
chapter.  The  transfer  of  that  historic  tree  and 
its  replanting  was  a  famous  day  in  Riverside.  It 
was  replanted  in  its  present  position  on  May  8, 
1903,  by  President  Roosevelt.  It  stands  in  front 
of  the  Glenwood  hotel,  surrounded  by  a  high 
railing.  Notwithstanding  it  has  given  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  its  buds  for  the  propagation 
of  its  species  it  ii  still  vigorous  and  bears  a  crop 
of  golden  fruit  each  year.  Tibbetts,  who  intro- 
duced the  Washington  navel  orange  into  South- 
ern California,  died  a  few  years  since  in  strait- 
ened circumstances.  Riverside  like  all  the  cities 
of  Southern  California  has  experienced  a  rapid 
growth  during  the  past  five  years.  The  build- 
ings, public  and  private,  completed  in  1904  cost 
in  the  aggregate  $550,000,  among  these  were  the 
court  house,  $210,000;  the  Roosevelt  block,  $20,- 
000;  the  Pennsylvania  building,  $47,000;  Salt 
Lake  depot,  $15,000;  Riverside  Hospital,  $30,- 
000 ;  Victoria  Club  House,  $9,000.  and  about  one 
hundred  dwellings  averaging  about  $2,200  each. 
The  improvements  and  additional  buildings  to 
the  Sherman  Institute,  begun  in  1904  and  com- 
pleted the  following  year,  cost  alx)ut  $100,000. 
Municipal  improvements  have  kept  pace  with 
the  building  of  business  blocks  and  residences. 
During  the  year  1905  and  1906  a  scenic  boule- 
vard was  built  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Robi- 
doux.  This  driveway  was  completed  at  a  cost  of 
$50,000.  From  the  summit  of  the  iNIount,  now 
easily  accessible  b)'  carriage  or  automobile,  a 
most  magnificent  view  of  the  city  of  Riverside 
and  the  surrounding  country  can  be  obtained. 
For  a  quarter  of  a  century  Magnolia  avenue  has 
been  one  of  the  most  famous  driveways  in  the 
country.  Riverside  has  recently  by  the  con- 
struction of  Victoria  avenue  and  Harwarden 
Drive  in  Arlington  Heights  added  to  the  notable 
thoroughfares  of  Soutliern  California.  Instead 
of  following  straight  lines  the  driveway  curves 
^nd  winds  with  the  configurations  of  the  land. 


presenting  beautiful  views  of  the  valley  and  the 
mountains.  The  macadamizing  and  oiling  of 
Magnolia  avenue  was  completed  in  1906  at  a 
cost  of  $15,000. 


Corona,  formerly  South  Riverside,  is  fifteen 
miles  southwest  of  Riverside  on  the  San  Diego 
branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  It  was  found- 
ed in  1887  by  the  South  Riverside  Land  and 
^^'ater  Company,  of  which  ex-Governor  Samuel 
IMerrill  of  Iowa  was  president.  The  town  site 
was  platted  in  the  form  of  a  circle  one  mile  in 
diameter.  The  town  is  encircled  by  a  boulevard 
100  feet  wide,  lined  on  each  side  by  shade  trees. 
The  town  grew  rapidly  at  first.  Six  months  af- 
ter its  founding  there  were  in  it  ninety  buildings 
completed,  some  of  them  brick  blocks — one  a 
$40,000  hotel.  Then  it  came  to  a  standstill.  The 
costly  hotel  burned  down  and  building  ceased. 

Its  water  supply  originally  was  obtained  from 
Temescal  cation.  As  the  area  of  cultivated  land 
increased  this  supply  proved  inadequate.  An  at- 
tempt was  made  to  bring  water  from  Elsinore 
lake.  The  Corona  Irrigation  Company,  in  1899, 
purchased  160  acres  of  land  near  Perris  in  the 
San  Jacinto  artesian  belt.  A  cemented  ditch  was 
constructed  to  bring  water  from  this  source  to 
the  head  of  the  old  pipe  line  a  distance  of  twenty- 
one  miles.  This  greatly  increased  the  irrigating 
facilities  of  the  settlement.  The  town  or  city  is 
incorporated.  The  corporation  boundaries  like 
those  of  Riverside  take  in  a  large  area  planted  in 
oranges.  This  is  done  in  order  that  municipal 
ordinances  may  be  enacted  and  enforced  for  the 
eradication  of  insect  pests. 

Corona  supports  an  excellent  high  school.  The 
city  has  a  number  of  mercantile  and  other  busi- 
ness houses.  The  First  National  Bank  of  Corona 
wa=  incorporated  in  1905,  also  the  Corona  Home 
Telephone  Company  and  the  Corona  Mutual 
Building  &  Loan  Association  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $200,000.  It  lias  ten  packing  houses.  The 
Pacific  Clay  ]\Ianufacturing  Company  has  ex- 
tensive works  near  Corona  in  the  hills.  The 
company  manufactures  potter}-,  tiling,  fire-brick 
and  vitrified  pipe.  From  the  granite  quarries 
monumental  building  and  paving-  rock  are 
shijiped. 


494 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  Corona  free  public  library  was  established 
in  1900.  It  has  an  annual  income  from  taxation 
of  about  $2,000.  The  total  number  of  volumes 
in  the  library  is  2,800.  Andrew  Carnegie,  in 
1905,  donated  $12,500  for  a  library  building.  A 
one-story  seven  room  building  constructed  of 
pressed  brick  was  opened  with  a  formal  recep- 
tion July  2,  1906.  The  citizens  donated  a  lot 
120x150  feet  for  the  library  site.  A  statue  of 
Tannhauser,  the  gift  of  the  Musical  Club,  was 
unveiled  at  the  time  of  the  dedication  of  the 
building. 

The  population  of  Corona  in  1900  was  1,434. 
It  now  (1906)  claims  2,500.  Corona  has  several 
sobriquets.  It  is  known  as  Circle  City  and 
Crown  City,  and  the  district  as  the  Queen  colony. 

TE.MECULA. 

Temecula,  the  most  southern  town  in  the  coun- 
ty, is  the  terminus  of  the  San  Jacinto,  Elsinore 
and  Temecula  branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
system,  fifty-one  miles  southeast  from  Riverside. 
The  town  was  formerly  a  station  on  the  Cali- 
fornia Southern  Railroad  (now  the  Santa  Fe), 
built  in  1881,  and  connecting  San  Bernardino  and 
San  Diego.  The  great  flood  of  1892  destroyed 
the  railroad  in  the  Temecula  caiion,  and  it  has 
not  been  rebuilt.  .Since  then  Temecula  has  been 
the  southern  terminus  of  the  Santa  Fe  system 
in  the  valley  between  the  Santa  .-Vna  and  San 
Jacinto  mountains.  It  is  the  business  center  of 
a  large  and  productive  area  of  fertile  land.  It 
is  largely  devoted  to  grain  raising.  The  Teme- 
cula grant  was  in  the  olden  time  the  wheat  field 
of  the  Mission  .San  Luis  Rey.  to  which  it  be- 
longed. 

JUJRIETTA. 

Murietta,  on  the  Temecula  branch  of  the  San 
ta  Fe  Railroad,  was  laid  out  in  1886.  The  Muri- 
etta portion  (about  14,000  acres)  of  the  Teme- 
cula rancho  was  purchased  by  the  Temecula  Land 
&  Water  Company,  subdivided  and  placed  on  the 
market  in  small  tracts  in  the  autumn  of  1884. 
<  'irriin  and  hay  are  the  principal  products  shipped 
frnm  Murietta.  There  are  two  churches  in  the 
tnwn.  Init  no  saloons. 

The  Murietta  Hot  Sulphur  Springs,  a  well- 
known  health  resort,  are  located  about  three 
miles  from  the  town. 


ELSINORE. 

Flsinore,  known  as  the  "'Lake  City,"  is  twen- 
ty-eight miles  south  of  Riverside.  The  town  is 
located  between  the  hills  and  the  shore  of  the 
lake  or  laguna.  Tliis  laguna,  which  gives  the 
name  to  the  rancho,  is  alx)ut  five  miles  long  by 
two  wide.  Its  waters  are  slightly  alkaline.  In 
1884  Graham,  Collier  &  Heald  bought  the  La- 
guna rancho,  subdivided  it  and  placed  it  on  the 
market  in  small  tracts.  The  town  is  celebrated 
for  its  hot  springs.  Within  its  limits  there  are 
over  one  hundred  of  these  springs.  The  waters 
of  these  are  efficacious  in  curing  bronchial  ail- 
ments, asthma,  dyspepsia,  rheumatism  and  de- 
rangements of  the  liver  and  kidneys.  In  the 
neighborhood  of  Elsinore  is  the  most  extensive 
coal  mine  in  Southern  California.  The  output 
of  this  mine  is  largely  used  in  operating  the 
factories  for  manufacturing  vitrified  salt  glazed 
sewer  pipe.  There  is  also  near  Elsinore  one  of 
the  largest  deposits  of  potter's  clay  in  the  state. 
Thf  town  is  well  supplied  with  schools  and 
churches,  and  supports  a  good  weekly  newspaper, 
the  Elsinore  Press. 

PERRIS. 

Ferris,  sixteen  miles  southeast  of  Riverside, 
is  located  at  the  junction  of  San  Jacinto  and 
Temecula  branches  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 
The  town  was  laid  out  in  1882.  In  1883  the 
Southern  California  Railroad  was  completed  to 
this  point.  The  San  Jacinto  branch  road  was 
completed  in  1888.  Ferris  has  an  elevation  of 
about  1,300  feet  above  the  sea  level.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  fine  agricultural  region.  The  fail- 
ure of  the  Bear  valley  irrigation  scheme  was  a 
serious  drawback  to  Ferris  valley,  but  the  discov- 
er^-  that  the  plain  around  it  is  a  great  artesian 
belt  has  more  than  recompensed  for  the  loss  of 
the  Bear  valley  water  rights.  Near  Ferris  is  a 
government  Indian  sch.ool,  where  boys  and  girls 
are  being  educated  and  trained  in  the  industrial 
arts. 

WIXCHESTER. 

Winchester  is  a  small  town  on  the  San  Jacinto 
branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  nine  miles 
westerly  from  San  Jacinto.  It  is  surrounded  by 
a  fine  agricultural  country,  and  is  within  the  ar- 
tesian belt. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


495 


LAKE\1EW. 

Lakeview  is  connected  with  the  Santa  h'e  Rail- 
road system  by  a  short  branch  road,  of  which  the 
town  is  the  terminus.  It  is  twenty  miles  south- 
east of  Riverside.  It  derives  its  name  from  its 
proximits'  to  San  Jacinto  lake,  or  sink  of  the 
San  Jacinto  river.  The  Lakeview  Town  Com- 
pany, a  Chicago  association,  controls  about  10,000 
acres  of  rich  fertile  mesa,  varying  in  elevation 
from  1,400  to  1,800  feet.  The  tract  is  irrigated 
from  artesian  wells. 

HEMET. 

Hemet  is  located  on  the  foot  hills  of  the  San 
Jacinto  mountains  at  an  elevation  of  1,600  feet. 
Its  population  in  1900  was  905.  It  has  a  mag- 
nificent water  supply,  the  source  of  which  is 
Lake  Hemet,  an  artificial  lake  made  by  building 
a  dam  across  the  lower  end  of  the  Hemet  valley 
at  an  elevation  of  4,200  feet.  The  dam  is  con- 
structed of  granite,  and  is  100  feet  thick  at  the 
bottom  and  30  feet  at  the  top,  and  122  feet  high. 
The  dam  flows  the  water  back  nearly  three  miles. 
This  water  supply  covers  about  7,000  acres. 
Hemet  has  the  only  flouring  mill  in  Riverside 
countv.  It  is  the  starting  point  for  the  Straw- 
berry X'alley  stages. 

SAN    JACINTO    CITY. 

San  Jacinto  City  is  the  terminus  of  the  San 
Jacinto  branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  It  is 
the  oldest  town  in  the  county.  The  nucleus  of 
the  San  Jacinto  settlement  dates  back  into  the 
Mexican  era.  The  rancho  San  JacintO'  Viejo 
was  granted  to  one  of  the  Estudillos  in  the  early 
'40s,  and  included  some  3(1,000  acres  of  the 
choicest  land  in  the  valley.  The  lines  of  the 
grant  were  so  run  as  to  take  in  most  of  the  San 
Jacinto  river.  This  gave  the  rancho  control  of 
about  all  the  pasture  lands  of  the  valley. 

A  syndicate  of  capitalists  in  the  early  "Sos 
purchased  18,000  acres  of  this  rancho,  and  laid 
out  the  town  of  San  Jacinto.  The  town  was  in- 
corporated April  9,  1888.  The  corporate  limits 
take  in  six  sections  of  land.  It  is  substantially 
built,  most  of  the  buildings  being  brick.  It  was 
severely  shaken  by  the  earthquake  of  December 

25,  1899,  l^"'^  "'^  ''"^'"^^  ""^'^^'"^  '°-'^*  '"  ^^^^  ^'*>'-  ^^" 
Jacinto  is   an   important    shipping  point,   having 


about    200,000   ,;cres    of   choice    fruit   and    grain 
lands  tributary  to  it. 

STRAWBEKRY    VALLEY. 

Strawberry  Valley,  an  elevated  plateau  in  the 
San  Jacinto  mountains,  twenty-two  miles  from 
San  Jacinto,  has  for  many  years  been  a  popular 
summer  resort.  It  has  an  elevation  above  the 
sea  level  of  5,200  feet.  The  valley  is  timbered 
with  pine  and  oak,  and  has  three  streams  of  run- 
ning water  and  several  springs.  There  were 
formerly  two  hotels  in  the  valley,  the  old  hotel 
at  Strawberry  and  a  small  one  at  Idylwild. 

In  the  fall  of  1899  a  syndicate  of  Los  Angeles 
physicians,  of  which  Dr.  F.  T.  Bicknell  is  presi- 
dent, bought  the  120  acres  on  which  the  old  ho- 
tel was  located :  and  next  they  secured  the  Idyl- 
wild  tract  containing  160  acres.  Tliey  have  since 
purchased  adjoining  tracts,  making  in  all  1,090 
acres  of  mountain  land.  This  corporation, 
known  as  the  California  Health  Resort  Com- 
pany, is  constructing  a  large  central  building  of 
sixtv  rooms  for  a  sanatorium.  Besides  the  main 
building  there  are  a  number  of  cottages  of  from 
three  to  five  rooms  each,  the  occupants  of  which 
take  their  meals  in  the  dining  hall  of  the  main 
building.  In  addition  to  these  improvements  the 
association  has  laid  off  the  village  of  Idylwild. 
where  cottages  will  be  built  for  rent.  The  creeks 
and '  springs  afford  a  plentiful  supply  of  pure 
mountain  water. 

There  are  in  the  village  a  livery  stable,  store, 
bowling  alleys,  postoffice  and  many  different 
means  of  out-door  amusement.  During  the  sum- 
mer season  a  dailv  stage  connects  with  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  at  Hemet.  A  road  was  built  from 
Banning  in  1905  connecting  by  stage  line  the 
.Southern  Pacific  Railroad  with  Idylwild. 

f.IC.VIJMONT. 

Beaumont  was  formerly  known  as  San  Gorg- 
onia.  It  is  a  station  on  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad,  and  is  located  on  the  divide  or  summit 
of  tlie  San  Gorgonia  pass,  at  an  elevation  of  2,500 
feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  town  was  laid  out 
in  1887,  and  had  for  a  time  cjuite  a  rapid  growth. 
It  has  at  present  two  mercantile  establishments, 
two  churches,  a  school-house  of  three  depart- 
ments and  two  hotels.  It  is  surrounded  by  a 
grain-growing   district. 


496 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


BANNING. 

Banning,  on  the  Yuma  branch  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad,  was  laid  out  in  1882.  A 
syndicate  of  Nevada  capitalists  purchased  a  tract 
of  land,  a  small  plat  of  which  was  divided  into 
town  lots  and  the  remainder  subdivided  into  farm 
lots.  A  cement  ditch  eight  miles  long  was  con- 
structed up  into  Moore's  caiion,  and  an  abundant 
supply  of  water  secured  for  the  colony  tract.  Ban- 
ning is  most  picturesquely  located.  In  its  immedi- 
ate vicinity  are  Mount  San  Bernardino,  Mount 
San  Jacinto  and  JNIount  San  Gorgonio,  the  three 
highest  peaks  in  Southern  California,  and  stretch- 
ing out  to  the  eastward  lies  the  Colorado  desert. 
The  Banning  district  produces  large  quantities 
of  excellent  peaches.  Banning  has  an  excellent 
high  school,  employing  three  teachers  and  hav- 
ing a  daily  attendance  of  twenty-five  pupils. 

THE    COACHILLA    VALLEY. 

That  trite  old  metaphor,  "the  desert  shall  be 
made  to  blossom  as  the  rose"  has  been  literally 
verified  in  a  desert  section  of  Riverside  county. 
While  the  roses  blooming  in  the  desert  may  not 
be  very  numerous,  there  are  acres  of  melon  blos- 
soms. Fifty  miles  eastward  from  Riverside  City 
lies  the  Coachilla  (Little  Shell)  valley,  a  part  of 
the  Colorado  desert.  This  valley  extends  forty 
miles  from  northwest  to  southeast,  and  is  from 
five  to  fifteen  miles  in  width.  On  three  sides 
it  is  enclosed  by  mountain  chains,  and  on  the 
fourth  it  merges  into  an  unbroken  plain  that 
stretches  to  the  Colorado  river.  Its  bottom  is 
from  120  to  250  feet  below  the  sea  level.  Sev- 
eral years  since  the  Southern  Pacific  managers 
procured  water  at  some  of  their  desert  stations, 
but  the  sinking  of  these  wells  was  quite  expen- 
sive. Early  in  the  year  1900  the  hydraulic  proc- 
ess of  well  boring  was  introduced  into  the  val- 
ley and  proved  quite  successful.  Bountiful  sup- 
plies of  fresh  water  were  struck  at  depths  vary- 
ing from  350  to  600  feet. 

As  soon  as  it  was  feiown  that  an  abundance 
of  artesian  water  for  irrigation  could  be  obtained 
at  a  moderate  cost  there  was  a  rush  for  claims. 
.Actual  settlement  did  not  begin  until  Septem- 
ber and  October,  igoo,  and  but  few  of  the  set- 
tlers had  their  wells  bored  and  their  land  cleared 
for  cultivation  before  Eehruary.  npi.     The  crop 


that  seemed  to  assure  the  quickest  returns  and 
the  most  profit  was  melons.  By  the  middle  of 
June  the  farmers  had  harvested  their  grain  crops 
and  were  shipping  cantaloupes  and  watermelons 
to  Chicago  at  the  rate  of  a  car  load  a  day.  There 
are  now  about  fifty  flowing  wells  in  the  valley, 
which  will  eventually  form  a  fruitful  oasis  in 
the  desert.  The  heat  and  the  entire  absence  of 
fogs  ripen  fruits  and  melons  from  six  weeks  to 
two  months  earlier  tiian  any  other  part  of  the 
United  States.  As  an  example  of  the  value  at 
which  land  is  held,  an  offer  of  $8,000  was  re- 
fused for  the  relinquishment  of  a  homstead 
claim  of  160  acres,  of  which  only  fifty  acres  had 
been  brought  under  cultivation. 

Cp  to  the  autumn  of  1905  over  700  acres  had 
been  reclaimed  and  brought  under  cultivation 
and  77.000  crates  of  cantaloupes  were  shipped. 
A  large  quantity  of  watermelons  and  grapes  were 
produced.  The  encroachments  of  Salton  Sea 
(which  began  in  1905)  as  it  filled  up  from  the 
Colorado  river  overflowed  portions  of  the  re- 
claimed desert  iands  of  the  Coachilla  valley. 
The  salt  works  at  Salton  were  entirely  sub- 
merged and  destroyed.  The  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  was  com.pelled  to  build  what  is  known 
as  a  "shoo  fly"  track  three  times.  Its  original 
track  through  the  sink  is  under  water  for  many 
miles. 

SOIIE    TWENTIETH     CENTURY    EVENTS. 

Among  the  leading  events  that  have  agitated 
Riverside  city  and  county  at  the  beginning  of 
the  present  century  may  be  named  the  building 
of  a  city  high  school  at  a  cost  of  $30,000,  the 
purchase  of  the  Chalmers  block  at  a  cost  of  $20,- 
000  for  a  court-house  and  county-jail  site,  the 
donation  of  $20,000  by  the  millionaire  philan- 
thropist, Andrew  Carnegie,  to  the  city  of  River- 
side for  the  erection  of  a  free  library  building, 
the  letting  of  a  contract  by  the  board  of  super- 
visors for  the  construction  of  a  $35,000  county 
jail,  and  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the 
.Sherman  Institute,  an  Indian  school.  The  ques- 
tion of  building  a  new  jail  called  forth  consid- 
erable discussion.  Some  invidious  comparisons 
were  made  in  regard  to  the  policy  of  building  a 
$30,000  high  school  for  the  accommodation  of 
300   high   school   pupils   and   the  building  of   a 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


497 


S35,ooo  jail  for  the  reception  of  a  dozen  or  so 
hobos.  The  supervisors  nevertheless  decided  to 
build  the  jail. 

The  description  of  the  library  building  will  be 
found  in  Chapter  LXX  of  this  volume.  The 
scandal  about  the  construction  of  the  court-house 
continued  and  grew  ranker  with  age.  It  is  not 
a  pleasant  subject  for  a  Riverside  resident  to 
discuss.  The  wrecking  o'f  the  (Jrange  Growers' 
Bank  is  another  event  of  unijleasant  memory. 

THE    SHERMAN    INSrrrUTE. 

Nearly  fifty  years  ago  Hon.  B.  D.  Wilson,  in 
an  able  report  on  the  condition  of  the  Southern 
California  Indians,  their  needs,  their  treatment 
by  the  whites,  the  laws  enacted  for  their  govern- 
ment, and  the  cruelties  to  which  they  were  sub- 
jected, sums  up  the  Indian's  status  thus :  "All 
punishment — no  reform ;"  and  such  has  been  his 
fate  under  the  rule  of  Spain,  of  Mexico  and  of 
the  United  States. 

Though  long  delayed,  for  the  remnants  of 
the  Southern  California  Indians  happier  days  are 
coming.  These  wards  of  the  nation  are  to  be 
cared  for  and  given  a  chance  to  reform.  En- 
lightened statesmanship  has  taken  away  the  gov- 
ernmental support  formerly  given  to  sectarian 
Indian  schools,  and  has  established  instead  secu- 
lar institutions  for  h.is  intellectual  and  industrial 
training. 

Fifteen  years  ago  the  superintendent  of  In- 
dian affairs  under  President  Harrison  recom- 
mended the  establishing  at  some  point  on  the  Pa- 
cific slope  a  government  school  for  the  industrial 
training  of  Indian  youth,  similiar  to  the  great 
school  at  Carlisle,  Pa.  During  President  Mc- 
Kinley's  first  term  commissioners  were  sent  to 
look  over  the  field.  They  recommended  the  lo- 
cation of  a  school  at  some  point  south  of 
Tehachepi.  The  fifty-fifth  congress  appropriat- 
ed $75,000  for  the  purchase  of  land  and  erection 
of  buildings.  The  commissioners  authorized  to 
select,  a  site  comm.ended  that  offered  by  River- 
side, and  congress  ratified  its  purchase.  This 
site  consists  of  forty  acres  on  Magnolia  avenue, 
near  Arlington.  Congress  in  1900  voted  an 
additional  appropriation  for  the  erection  of  build- 
ings and  other  improvements.     The    plans    for 


brick  buildings,  suitable  lor  school  rooms,  dormi- 
tories, offices,  laundry,  mess  hall,  etc.,  were  drawn 
by  a  government  arch.itect  in  accordance  with 
suggestions  made  by  Capt.  A.  Tonner,  assistant 
fuperintendent  of  Indian  affairs.  These  build- 
ings were  completed  March  i,  1902,  at  a  cost  of 
$150,000. 

July  18,  1901.  was  a  gala  day  for  Riverside. 
It  was  the  day  designaU-d  fnr  the  laying  of  the 
corner-stone  of  the  Slurnian  Institute,  an  insti- 
tution that  is  to  !;€  made  the  great  Indian  school 
of  the  west.  Every  portion  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia was  represented  and  there  were  represen- 
tative men  from  the  northern  and  central  parts 
of  the  state.  United  States  Senator  Perkins  pre- 
sided and  Hon.  Will  A.  Harris  of  Los  Angeles 
delivered  the  oration  of  the  day.  A  guitar  and 
mandolin  club  of  twenty  girls  from  the  Indian 
school  at  Perris  and  a  brass  band  composed  of 
twenty-six  boys  from  llie  same  school  furnished 
the  instrumental  music  lor  the  occasion.  Quar- 
tets of  Indian  boys  and  girls  of  the  Perris  school 
also  rendered  vocal  selections  that  were  highly 
appreciated. 

The  school  is  named  for  Hon.  James  S.  Sher- 
man, congressman  from  the  twenty-fifth  con- 
gressional district  of  New  York  and  chairman 
of  the  cotnmittee  on  Indian  affairs  of  the  present 
house  of  representatives.  He  has  been  active  in 
securing  the  appropriation  and  in  furthering  the 
interests  of  the  school.  It  is  estimated  that 
-  there  are  about  600  Indian  children  in  the  vari- 
ous Indian  reservations  of  Southern  California 
without  school  facilities.  If  these  are  left  to 
grow  up  on  the  reservations  they  will  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  their  fathers.  The  only  hope  of 
"reform"  for  the  Indians  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia is  the  removal  of  the  young  from  the  evil 
environments  of  the  reservations  and  an  indus- 
tr'al  training  in  schools  such  as  the  Sherman  In- 
stitute is  intended  to  be 

The  Institute  has  fulfilled  the  expectations  of 
its  founder.  It  has  been  well  patronized  since 
its  founding.  A  number  of  new  buildings  have 
been  added  to  it.  The  school  has  an  excellent 
brass  band,  made  up  entirely  from  pupils  in  the 
school.  It  also  has  a  football  team  that  has  won 
victories  over  scnie  of  the  best  teams  in  the  state. 


i98 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


THE  CONCRETE  BRIDGE. 

Riverside  can  boast  of  one  of  the  triumphs  of 
modern  bridge  building— the  concrete  bridge 
across  the  Santa  Ana  river,  built  for  the  San 
Pedro,  Los  Angeles  &  Salt  Lake  Railroad  in 
1903.  It  is  claimed  that  this  bridge  is  the 
largest  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  It  is  over  a 
thousand  feet  in  length  and  its  maximum  height 
is  seventy  feet.  It  was  planned  and  built  under 
the  direction  of  Henry  Hawgood,  chief  of  the 
engineering  department  of  the  San  Pedro,  Los 
Angeles  &  Salt  Lake  Railroad.  Ordinarily  the 
Santa  Ana  is  a  harmless  looking  river  .that  ap- 
parently might  be  spanned  by  an  ordinary  tres- 
tle work.  But  at  times  during  the  rainy  season 
it  is  subject  to  sudden  rises  when  a  huge  torrent 
of  water  freighted  with  sand  dashes  with  power- 


ful force  against  any  obstacle.  It  was  to  provide 
against  freshets  that  so  powerful  and  enduring 
a  structure  was  built.  To  secure  a  solid  footing 
on  the  bedrock  of  the  river  for  its  piers  it  was 
necessary  to  sink  to  a  depth  iii  the  river  bed 
varying  from  fifteen  to  fifty-five  feet;  as  these 
excavations  were  carried  down  it  became  neces- 
sary to  construct  coffer  dams  and  use  steam- 
pumps  to  keep  the  water  out.  During  the  greater 
]3art  of  the  time  that  the  bridge  was  in  the  course 
of  construction  a  force  of  200  men  was  employed 
and  the  work  was  carried  on  night  and  day.  An 
idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  bridge  may  \ye  ob- 
iained  from  the  dead  weight  of  the  structure, 
which  is  estimated  at  34,000  tons.  Its  cost  was 
$200,000.  The  bridge  was  open  for  traffic  early 
in   1904. 


'^Tf-rl  ^/y- 


JOTHAM    BIXBY. 


O  you  youths,  western  youths, 
So   impatient,    full   of  action,   full   of   manly   pride   and 

friendship, 
Plain  I  see  you,  western  youths,  see  you  tramping  with 
the  foremost, 

Pioneers!       O  Pi( 


All  the  dazzling  days,  all  the  mystic  nights  with  dreams, 
Pioneers!       O   Pi( 


Have  the  elder  races  halted? 
Do  they  drop  and  end  their  lesson,  wearied,  over  there 

beyond   the    seas  ? 
We  take  up  the  task  eternal,  and  the  burden,  and  the 
lesson. 

Pioneers!       O   Pic 


All  the  past  we  leave  behind ; 
We   debouch   upon   a   newer,     mightier     world,     varied 

world; 
Fresh   and   strong  the   world   we   seize,   world  of  labor 
and  the  march. 

Pioneers!       O   Pii 


We  detachments  steady  throwing, 
Down  the  edges,  through  the  passes,  up  the  mountains 

steep. 
Conquering,  holding,   daring,   venturing,   as  we   go,  the 
unknown   ways, 

Pioneers  !       O   Pioneers  ! 

We  primeval   forests   felling. 
We  the  rivers  stemming,  vexing  we.  and  piercing  deep 

the  mines  within ; 
We   tlie   surface   broad   surveying,   and    the   virgin   soil 
upheaving. 

Pioneers  !       O   Pioneers  ! 


Raise  the  rnightj'  mother  mistress. 
Waving  high  the  delicate  mistress,  over  all  the   starry 

mistress,   (bend  your  heads  all.) 
Raise  the  fanged  and  warlike  mistress,  stern,  impassive, 
weaponed   mistress, 

Pioneers  !       O   Pioneers  ! 

See,   my  children,    resolute  children. 
By  those  swarms   upon   our  rear,  we  must  never  yield 

or  falter, 
Ages  back   in   ghostly  millions,   frowning  there   behind 
us  urging. 

Pioneers  !       O   Pioneers  ! 


All  the  pulses  of  the  world. 
Falling  in,   they   beat    for  us.   with   the   western   move- 
ment beat; 
Holding  single  or  together,  steadv  moving,  to  the  front, 
all  for  us, 

Pioneers!       O   Pii 


Lo  !  the  darting  bowling  orb  ! 
I.n !   the   brother   orbs   around!    all   the   clustering  suns 
and  planets : 


Has  the  night  descended? 
Was   the   road   of   late   so   toilsome?   did    we   stop   dis- 
couraged, nodding  on  our  way? 
Yet  a  passing  hour  I  yield  you  in  your  tracks  to  pause 
oblivious. 

Pioneers  !      O   Pioneers  ! 

Till  with  sound  of  trumpet. 
Far,   far   off   the   day-break   call — hark  !    how   loud   and 

clear  I  hear  it  wind; 
Swift!  to  the  head  of  the  army! — swift!  spring  to  your 
places, 

Pioneers  !      O   Pioneers  ! 


\Mien  Jothani  Bixby,  tlie  subject  of  this  sketch, 
just  turned  twenty-one,  set  sail  from  Boston, 
March  i,  1852,  aboard  the  clipper  Samuel  Apple- 
ton.  Captain  Doane,  bound  for  a  voyage  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  days  around  the  Horn  for 
.San  Francisco,  it  was  doubtless  because  a  certain 
aclventurotis  fire  was  still  steadily  burning"  in  his 
veins  unquenched  from  that  which  proiupted  his 
emigrant  ancestor,  Joseph  of  that  name,  to  come 
over  froiu  England  in  the  early  years  of  discov- 
ery and  clear  a  farm  in  the  virgin  forests  of 
Alassachusetts.  and  which,  a  little  later,  while 
this  splendid  mother  of  Colonies  in  the  first  flush 
of  her  early  luatronhood  as  a  Coinmonwealth 
was  busily  engaged  in  bringing  forth,  suckling, 
weaning  and  sending  out  to  the  frontier  so  many 
others  of  her  sturdy  oflispring.  impelled  the  sons 
and  grandsons  of  that  emigrant  to  themselves 
blithely  and  bravely  cut  loose  from  parental  ties 
and  as  they  became  of  age  set  their  faces  res- 
olutely in  the  direction  of  more  room.  Thus  it 
happens  that  we  find  many  apparently  unrelated 
families  of  this  name,  which  is  rather  an  odd  one, 
widely  scattered  over  the  continent,  from  New 
England,  New  York  and  Missouri  to  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, California  and  Manitoba,  all  sprung  from 
men  who  were  pioneers  of  their  own  particular 
region  and  beyond  doubt  all  tracingtto  a  common 
origin   in   this   single    Puritan   ancestor. 

The  branch  of  the  family  now  in  question  set- 
tled in  Maine  toward  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century  on  the  banks  of  the  Kennebec  river,  then 
an  outpost  of  civilization.  Here,  in  the  second 
generation,  one  of  the  sons,  Amasa,  luarried 
Fanny  Weston,  granddaughter  of  Joseph  ^^'es- 
ton.  one  of  the  most  active  and  capable  of  the 


502 


IITSTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pioneer  settlers  who  in  the  first  year  of  the  war 
of  the  Revohition  vokmteered  as  a  woodsman 
guide  to  accompany  the  ill-fated  expedition  of 
Benedict  Arnold  through  the  pathless  forests  of 
Maine  against  Quebec,  and  lost  his  life  in  the 
patriotic  discharge  of  that  service. 

Under  this  roof-tree  were  reared  to  maturity- 
eight  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  soon- 
er" or  later  removed  to  California,  and  of  whom 
Jotham  and  his  older  brother,  Marcellus,  who 
came  out  together  around  Cape  Horn,  are  now, 
fifty-five  years  later,  the  only  survivors. 

These  two  brothers  went  at  once  to  the  mines, 
and  for  several  years  followed  the  washing  of 
gold  with  varying  but  rather  indififerent  suc- 
cess. Here,  through  the  exercise  of  that  thrift 
and  frugality  which  had  been  instilled  into  them 
in  a  home  where  principle  and  character  and  com- 
mon sense  constituted  the  animating  spirit  rather 
than  mere  idle  catchwords  of  daily  life,  they 
managed  to  save  a  few  thousand  dollars,  which 
they  first  invested  in  a  small  mountain  farm  sup- 
plying produce  to  the  mines. 

Later  on,  having  sold  this,  they  invested  in  a 
flock  of  about  one  thousand  sheep,  which  were 
then  valued  at  about  $6  a  head.  During  the 
years  of  drought  of  1863  and  1864  these  flocks, 
which  in  the  meantime  had  materially  increased 
in  numbers,  were  maintained  with  great  diffi- 
culty by  the  partners  on  free  government  range 
in  the  foothills  and  mountains  of  San  Luis  Obispo 
county.  If  the  crop  of  acorns  in  the  latter  year 
had  not  proved  exceptionally  abundant  they  would 
probably  have  lost  everything,  but  through  this 
providential  circumstance  and  their  own  untiring 
efforts,  living  with  their  sheep  as  did  the  pa- 
triarchs of  old.  they  saved  most  of  them. 

About  this  time  the  half  interest  of  Marcellus 
in  the  sheep  business  was  bought  by  the  firm 
of  Flint,  Bixby  &  Co.,  composed  of  another 
brother,  Llewellyn,  who  was  the  first  of  the  fam- 
ily to  come  to  California,  and  two  cousins.  Ben- 
jamin and  Thomas  Flint.  This  firm  was  already 
well  established  and  doing  business  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale,  and  through  them  the  new  firm  of 
J.  Bixby  &  Co.,  then  formed  with  Jotham  Bixby 
as  half  owner  and  managing  partner,  was  en- 
abled to  buy  lands  in  Southern  California  and 
abandon  the  at  best  uncertain  practice  of  graz- 
ing on  the  free  ranges. 

As  an  indication  of  the  wildness  and  inac- 
cessibility of  Los  Angeles  county  at  this  time, 
as  late  as  1866,  it  may  be  mentioned  without  im- 
propriety that  one  of  the  chief  impelling  motives 
which  induced  the  elder  brother  to  sell  out  his 
half  interest  to  the  wealthier  firm,  whose  mem- 
bers indeed  did  not  have  to  live  here,  was  the 
fact  that  he  dreaded  to  bring  his  family  into  so 
rough  and  distant  a  region,  at  it  was  then  viewed 


uwn  in  the  not  over-thickly  settled  districts  of 
Central    California. 

Rancho  Los  Cerritos  was  purchased  by  J.  Bix- 
by &  Co.,  in  1866,  from  John  Temple,  a  well- 
known  trader  and  land  holder  who  had  come  to 
this  coast  also,  as  it  happened,  from  Massachusetts 
long  prior  to  the  Mexican  war,  and  who  died 
in  San  Francisco  soon  after  making  this  sale, 
his  widow,  who  was  a  daughter  of  one  of  the 
old  established  Spanish  families,  thereupon  re- 
moving with  her  daughter  and  son-in-law  to 
Paris,  never  to  return  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

The  great  drought  above  referred  to  had  all 
but  exterminated  the  formerly  extensive  herds 
of  cattle  throughout  Southern  California,  the 
country  being  of  course  entirely  without  trans- 
portation facilities,  and  as  these  cattle  ranges 
were  now  lying  idle  and  unproductive  of  any 
revenue  to  their  owners  they  were  held  at  what 
at  the  present  day  seems  an  absurdly  low  value. 
Los  Cerritos,  which  contained  twenty-seven  thou- 
sand acres  of  the  best  grazing  lands  in  the  Los 
Angeles  valley,  embracing  the  present  flourishing 
farming  districts  of  Clearwater,  Hynes  and 
Llewellyn,  and  the  townsites  of  Los  Cerritos  and 
I  .ong'  Beach,  was  bought  for  $20,000,  and  paid 
for  out  of  the  first  two  clips  of  wool  sold  by  the 
new  owners. 

From  this  time  dates  an  era  of  steady  progress. 
The  close  of  the  Civil  war  sent  hitherward  many 
homeseekers  out  of  both  disbanded  armies,  farm- 
ing settlements  were  started  in  some  of  the  choice 
alluvial  lands  of  the  San  Gabriel  and  other  ir- 
rigible  valleys  of  the  county,  and  many  of  the 
larger  grants  which  had  hitherto  been  used  for 
grazing  alone  were  opened  for  settlement,  their 
owners  being  tempted  to  part  with  portions  of 
their  holdings  through  advancing  values.  The 
first  sales  from  Los  Cerritos  were  made  along 
the  northern  bovmdary  contiguous  to  the  colony 
of  Downey.  Then  followed  fourteen  hundred 
acres  to  the  Wilmington  Colony,  and  later  in 
1884  six  thousand  acres  oft'  the  north  to  the 
California  Co-operative  Colony,  and  four  thou- 
sand acres  on  the  ocean  side  called  the  American 
Colony  tract.  Here  is  now  situated  the  city  of 
Long  Beach,  whose  growth  has  appeared  as  a 
marvel  of  these  latter  years  of  improved  electric 
transportation,  but  is,  after  all,  only  the  natural 
outcome  of  her  peculiarly  favored  situation  up- 
on gently  sloping  hills  fronting  the  most  at- 
tractive of  sea  beaches,  while,  moreover,  she  is 
no  doubt  destined  to  reap  high  benefits  from  im- 
provements now  in  progress  in  the  harbor  of  San 
Pedro,  a  large  part  of  which  lies  within  her  cor- 
]K)rate  borders.  More  recent  sales  from  this 
rancho  embrace  one  of  seven  thousand  acres  to 
Senator  Clark,  of  Montana,  and  one  of  one  thou- 
sand acres  to  Mr.  Skinner  and  others,  of  Florida, 
all  of  which  make  up  one  of  the  richest  and  most 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


503 


productive  bodies  of  farming  land  in  the  New 
River  district.  Mr.  Bixby  still  retains  personally 
some  thirty-five  hundred  acres  of  the  rancho 
surrounding  the  original  adobe  ranch  house, 
built  and  first  occupied  by  Mr.  Temple,  and 
where  he  made  his  own  home  for  so  many  years, 
and  to  this  he  devotes  much  of  his  time  in  per- 
sonal direction  of  operations  in  dairy  farming, 
and  the  growing  of  barley  and  alfalfa,  never  hav- 
ing lost  a  primar\-  interest  in  the  live  stock  and 
farming  business. 

Other  extensive  properties  were  acquired  by 
him  and  by  the  firm  in  which  he  was  half-owner 
and  managing  partner,  from  time  to  time  since 
coming  to  Los  Cerritos.  Some  of  these  con- 
sist of  sixteen  thousand  acres  of  Los  Palos  \'er- 
des  rancho,  situated  on  the  coast  between  Red- 
ondo  and  San  Pedro,  six  thousand  acres  of  farm- 
ing lands  in  Los  Alamitos  rancho  near  the  Beet 
Sugar  factory,  seven  thousand  acres  of  the  rancho 
Santiago  de  Santa  Ana  h'ing  between  Santiago 
creek  and  the  Santa  Ana  river  in  Orange  county. 
a  little  foothill  orange  ranch  in  Temescal  canon. 
Riverside  county,  certain  landed  and  livestock 
interests  in  Arizona,  various  holdings  in  the 
cities  of  Long  Beach  and  Los  Angeles,  and  in 
other   localities. 

Mr  Bixby  was  electeil  presi.lent  of  the  first 
liank  established  in  Long  Ik-acb.  and  still  remains 
at  the  head  of  that  institution  miw  called  the 
National  Bank  of  Long  Beach,  the  growth  of 
which  has  been  steady  and  rapid  while  practicing 
a  policy  of  conservatism  and  security  in  loans 
and  investments.  He  is  one  of  the  stockholders, 
though  not  a  controlling  owner,  in  the  Long 
Beach  Hotel  Company,  and  other  enterprises 
which  have  been  started  with  a  view  to  develop- 
ing the  resources  of  the  town  in  which  the  latter 
years  of  his  life  have  been  cast,  and  in  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  which  he  has  always 
taken  a  lively  interest.  Mr.  Bixby  has  never 
been  in  any  strict  sense  a  speculator,  all  of  the 
properties  which  he  now  owns  having  been 
purchased  with  a  view  to  permanance  of  invest- 
ment. It  was  his  good  fortune  to  come  early  to 
a  favored  region  and  to  acquire  large  interests 
here ;  to  him  was  also  given  the  clear  head  and 
sober  judgment  to  manage  these  interests  some- 
times through  seasons  of  prosperity  and  again 
of  perplexity  and  discouragement,  but  always 
with  skill  and  a  good  measure  of  that  success 
which  comes  alone  from  correct  perception  and 
appreciation  in  the  use  of  figures  as  applied  to 
receipts  and  disbursements  in  business.  Califor- 
nians,  indeed.  <  if  tliat  da\-  and  training  were  more 
general!}-  actuated,  it  may  be,  by  the  principle 
known  as  "live  and  let  live,"  than  those  schooled 
in  an  environment  of  more  exacting  commercial 
competition.  In  this  prevailing  spirit  of  fair 
dealing   among   Californians.    which,    of   course. 


like  most  rules,  was  not  without  its  exceptions, 
it  is  believed  that  the  student  of  social  condi- 
tions may  find  an  item  of  real  compensation  for 
many  of  the  hardships  and  drawbacks  of  a  life 
so  far  removed  from  the  great  metropolitan  cen- 
ters of  social  and  industrial  activity.  At  all 
events  to  those  who  know  Jotham  Bixby  best  it 
is  not  necessary  to  enlarge  upon  this  side  of 
his  character  as  a  business  man. 

In  1862  at  San  Juan.  San  Benito  county  (then 
in  the  county  of  Monterey),  Jotham  Bixby  mar- 
ried Margaret  Winslow  Hathaway,  daughter  of 
Rev.  George  W.  Hathaway  of  Skowhegan,  Me. 
This  marriage  followed  an  engagement  made 
some  time  before  on  a  visit  by  Mr.  Bixby  to  his 
olfl  home,  and  for  this  purpose  this  handsome 
young  woman  came  out  alone  under  the  protec- 
tion of  acquaintances,  on  the  long  steamer  trip 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus.  An  older  sister  was  at 
the  time  married  to  Llewellyn  Bixby,  who  was 
to  become  her  future  husband's  partner,  and  they 
were  living  in  .San  Juan.  Here  the  young  couple 
made  their  first  home,  and  their  oldest  son, 
George  Hathaway,  was  bom.  Later  at  Los  Cer- 
ritos and  Los  Angeles  <ix  more  children  were 
born,  of  whom  two,  tlnir  daughter  Fanny  Wes- 
ton and  their  son  Jotham  Winslow,  are  now  liv- 
ing. Both  these  sons  are  married  and  there  are 
now  six  grandchildren  of  whom  one  is  the  son 
of  their  son  Harry  Llewellyn,  who  died  in  1902. 

Larger  fortunes  than  Mr.  Bixby 's  are  not  un- 
common among  those  who  have  combined  the 
exceptional  opportunity  of  early  residence  in  Cal- 
ifornia, good  judgment  in  investing  and  close 
study  in  the  handling  of  their  affairs,  but  in  this 
case  at  least  the  best  legacy  which  will  be  left 
by  the  pioneer  father  to  his  offspring,  when  in  the 
days  to  come,  let  us  hope  still  many  long  years 
distant,  his  soul  goes  faring  forth  out  of  an  out- 
worn tenement,  to  join  those  of  his  own  forbears, 
will  be  a  name  unsullied  by  personal  misconduct, 
cowardice  or  any  meanness.  ]\Iore  than  this,  on 
the  positive  side  to  those  who  really  know  him 
will  be  revealed  a  depth  of  kindness  and  con- 
siderateness  toward  others  but  thinly  veiled  un- 
der habits  of  reserve  and  unostentation  border- 
ing on   diffidence. 

How  are  the  strong,  simple  men  of  that  gen- 
eration to  be  replaced  under  these  more  artificial 
and  tense  conditions  of  American  society?  The 
answer  comes  through  an  appreciation  of  the 
spirit  of  die  virile  verses  of  the  poet  Whitman, 
which  have  been  prefixed  to  this  article. 

Hail  and  all  hail  our  fearless,  able,  generous 
pioneers !  For  the  good  of  the  Republic  may 
the  fine  example  and  stirring  memories  of  )-our 
adventurous  lives  prove  a  beacon  guide  alike  to 
leaders  and  to  hosts  of  many  a  stalwart  genera- 
tion of  Americans  vet  unborn ! 


504 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


GEORGE  H.  BLOUNT.  In  all  avenues 
pertaining  to  the  growth  of  his  adopted  city 
George  H.  Blount  is  proving  himself  an  im- 
portant factor  and  a  citizen  whose  best  endeavor 
is  enlisted  for  its  growth  and  progress.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Long  Beach  since  1890,  and 
for  the  greater  part  of  this  time  has  engaged  in 
the  handling  of  real  estate  and  the  opening  up 
of  subdivisions,  although  he  is  also  interested 
in  various  mining  enterprises  in  this  state  and 
Nevada.  He  is  a  native  of  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  vicinity 
of  Salem  February  14,  1858,  the  second  son  and 
third  child  in  a  family  of  five  sons  and  three 
daughters.  His  father,  Thomas  Blount,  a  native 
of  England,  came  to  America  in  1853  and  in 
Salem,  Ohio,  engaged  in  railway  construction, 
although  he  was  a  dyer  and  tailor  by  trade. 
For  many  years  he  was  identified  with  the  in- 
terests of  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago 
Railway,  when  he  finally  retired  from  the  active 
cares  of  life  and  located  in  Alliance,  same  state, 
where  his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years.  His  wife,  formerly  Hannah  Cray, 
born  in  the  north  of  Ireland  and  reared  in  Eng- 
land, died  in  the  vicinity  of  Salem. 

George  H.  Blount  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Salem,  Ohio,  and  later 
attended  the  Friends'  institution  at  Damascus. 
Qualified  to  teach,  he  entered  this  field  of  labor 
in  1880  and  hi  Alliance  was  so  engaged  for  two 
terms,  after  which  he  engaged  in  buying  and 
shipping  and  also  farmed  to  some  extent.  In 
1884  he  engaged  in  a  coal  yard  in  Alliance 
and  after  two  years  came  to  California,  in  El 
Modena,  Orange  county,  engaging  in  the  real- 
estate  business.  He  laid  out  three  diflferent 
tracts  as  subdivisions,  and  also  built  the  Blount 
hotel,  which  was  burned  before  it  was  occupied. 
Locating  in  Long  Beach  in  1890  he  was  employed 
as  foreman  in  the  track  department  for  eight 
years,  since  which  time  he  has  followed  the 
real-estate  business.  He  opened  up  Blount  tract 
No.  I,  and  Blount  tract  No.  2,  the  latter  con- 
sisting of  ten  acres,  and  also  handled  and  had 
an  interest  in  tlie  Burton  and  Patch  tracts.  He 
is  a  very  successful  man  in  his  chosen  work 
and  has  done  much  toward  the  upbuilding  of 
Long  Beach  and  surrounding  country,  at  the 
present  writing  opening  up  Alamitos,  a  sub- 
division to  Long  Beach.  He  is  also  interested 
in  mining  properties  in  Siskiyou  county,  and  in 
Nevada  and  Alaska. 

In  Alliance.  Ohio,  Air.  Blount  was  united  in 
marriage  witli  Esther  F.  Jenkins,  on  the  loth 
of  August,  1880.  She  is  a  native  of  that  place 
and  the  daughter  of  William  Jenkins.  They  are 
now  the  parents  of  two  children,  Bessie  M'.  and 
William.  J.;  their  eldest  child,  Charles  Garfield, 
having  died  at  the   age  of  twelve  years.      Mr. 


Blount  is  associated  fraternally  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters  (in  which  he  has 
passed  all  the  chairs),  the  Knights  of  the  Mac- 
cabees and  the  Fraternal  Aid.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Friends'  Church,  in  which  he  is  acting 
as  chorister.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republi- 
can and  active  in  his  efforts  to  advance  the  prin- 
ciples he  endorses.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the 
county  central  committee.  Mr.  Blount  is  in  all 
respects  a  man  worthy  of  the  position  which  he 
holds  as  a  citizen  of  Long  Beach  and  the  con- 
fidence which  he  enjoys  at  the  hands  of  his 
fellowmen. 


T.  HORACE  DUDLEY.  Standing  pre-emi- 
nent among  the  leading  citizens  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  T.  Horace  Dudley,  of  Santa  Monica. 
Although  yet  a  young  man,  he  has  met  with  al- 
most phenomenal  success  in  his  career,  winning 
a  position  of  prominence  in  financial  and  social 
circles,  and  becoming  influential  in  the  manage- 
ment of  public  affairs,  as  mayor  of  Santa  Monica 
greatly  advancing  its  civic  development  and  im- 
provement. Keen-witted  and  quick  of  percep- 
tion, he  has  made  himself  useful  as  a  business 
factor,  and  is  now  connected  with  two  of  the 
leading  financial  institutions  of  this  part  of  the 
county,  being  president  of  both  the  Ocean  Park 
Bank  and  of  the  Merchants'  Bank  in  Santa 
Monica.  He  is  of  English  birth  and  ancestry, 
having  been  born,  October  21,  1867,  in  Leices- 
ter, England,  which  was  likewise  the  birthplace 
of  his  father,  Melville  S.  Dudley. 

A  man  of  culture  and  talent,  T.  Horace  Dud- 
ley was  educated  in  England,  living  there  until 
1889,  when  he  came  to  California  in  search  of  a 
place  in  which  the  business  ambitions  of  his 
youth  might  be  realized.  Locating  at  Bakers- 
field,  he  invested  money  in  city  property  and  also 
bought  farming  land  near  by.  A  few  years  later, 
he  came  to  Santa  Monica,  and  at  once  began  to 
identify  himself  with  the  best  and  highest  in- 
terests of  the  place,  his  business  ability  and  tact 
being  soon  recognized  and  felt.  With  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  Ocean  Park,  he  has  been  in- 
timately associated  from  the  time  of  its  inception, 
being  one  of  its  principal  civic  promoters,  and 
his  name,  with  that  of  Abbott  Kinney,  will  be 
remembered  for  generations  to  come.  In  1902 
Mr.  Dudley  assisted  in  organizing  the  Ocean 
Park  Bank,  and  has  since  served  acceptably  as  its 
president,  E.  S.  Tomblin  being  now  the  first  vice- 
president,  W.  A.  Penny  the  second  vice-president, 
and  P.  J.  Dudley,  the  cashier.  Mr.  Dudley  also 
helped  to  organize  the  Merchants'  National  Bank 
of  Santa  Monica,  which  was  incorporated  Sep- 
tember 23,  1903,  and  now  occupies  the  hand- 
somest bank  building  in  the  county  aside  from 
buildings  of  the  kind  in  Los  Angeles.     Of  this 


.P.3UsK.^a-u,CV 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORD. 


507 


institution  ]\Ir.  Dudley  has  been  president  since 
its  organization,  William  S.  Vawter,  serving  as 
vice-president,  and  George  F.  Doty  as  cashier. 
Mr.  Dudley  has  likewise  large  business  interests 
in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  and  is  connected  with 
the  Altrchants'  Trust  Company.  He  is  likewise 
prominent  in  fraternal  circles,  belonging  to  the 
Masons,  and  to  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks. 

Mr.  Dudley  has  been  twice  married.  He  was 
married  first,  in  Santa  Monica,  to  Mary  Addison 
Smith,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Addison  Smith,  of 
Baltimore,  Md.  His  second  marriage  was  with 
Airs.  Matilda   (Brooks)   Ryan. 


HON.  THOMAS  ROBERT  BARD.  As  a 
man  of  exceptional  talent,  high  character,  a 
statesman  of  eminent  aliility,  and  a  distin- 
guished lawmaker  ex-Senator  r>ard  has  left 
the  impress  of  his  !ndi^-i(luality  upon  the  legis- 
lation which  \\as  enacted  during  the  period  of 
his  connection  with  our  national  legislature, 
and  no  man  of  this  state  has  a  wider  or  more 
favorable  reputation  among  l")is  former  col- 
leagues of  tlic  senate.  His  is  a  family  which 
has  for  many  generations  been  one  of  promi- 
nence, antedating  the  founding  of  the  United 
States  government  on  this  continent,  and 
while  on  a  trip  to  Italy  in  1905  ]\lr.  Bard  suc- 
ceeded in  tracing  his  lineage  back  through  the 
British  Isles,  tlirongh  France  and  into  Italy, 
where  in  the  ninth  century  the  family  left  it> 
record,  at  Ft.  Bard,  Piedmont.  The  history  of 
the  family  in  America  begins  with  Archibald 
Bard  who  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  and 
settled  near  Gettysburg,  Pa.  The  next  in  line 
was  Richard  Bard  who  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, served  in  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
and  in  April,  1758,  after  Braddock's  defeat  he 
and  his  wife  were  captured  by  the  Indians 
and  held  for  a  ransom.*  Mr.  Bard  succeeded 
in  making  his  escape  after  ten  days'  captivit}-, 
but  his  wife  was  carried  away  and  held  cap- 
tive for  two  years  and  five  months  before  her 
whereabouts  were  discovered  and  her  release 
secured  by  the  payment  of  forty  pounds  ster- 
ling to  the  Indians.  Richard  Bard  also  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Captain  Thomas 
Bard,  the  son  of  Richard,  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin county,  Pa.,  and  took  part  in  the  second 
war  witli  Great  Britain  in  1812.  This  brings 
us  to  Robert  M  Bard,  the  father  of  Thomas 
R.  He  was  born  at  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  being 
an  attorney  of  prominence  who  Avas  consid- 
ered the  leader  of  the  bar  in  his  section  of  the 
state.  He  was  also  a  strong  man  in  political 
circles  and  the  year  before  his  death  was  nom- 
inated by  his  jjarty  as  a  member  of  congress. 


His  death  occurred  in  1851,  at  the  age  of  for- 
ly-one  years,  in  Chambersburg,  a  most  suc- 
cessful and  promising  career  being  cut  off  in 
the  prime  of  life.  David  and  William,  broth- 
ers of  Richard  Bard,  were  the  founders  of 
Bardstown,   Ky. 

On  his  mother's  side,  also,  Mr.  Bard  has  in- 
herited good  blood.  She  was  Elizabeth  Lit- 
tle, born  in  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  the  daughter  of 
Dr.  Peter  W.  Little,  who  was  born  in  York 
county,  Pa.,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Jeft'erson 
r>Iedical  College  of  Philadelphia,  read  medi- 
cine under  Dr.  Benjamm  Rush  of  Philadel- 
phia, spent  his  lifetime  in  the  successful  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  and  died  at  !\lercersburg. 
His  wife  was  Mary  Parker,  a  daughter  of  Ma- 
jor Robert  Parker,  who  was  an  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  army,  and  in  private  life  after 
the  war  contlucled  a  merchandising  business. 
His  sister  was  the  wife  of  General  Andrew 
Porter,  whose  great-grandson  is  General  Hor- 
ace Porter,  late  ambassador  to  France.  While 
visiting  her  son  Mrs.  E.  L.  Bard  died  at 
Berylwood,  his  home,  near  Hueneme,  in  Ven- 
tura county,  on  the  anniversarv  of  her  birth- 
day, December  7.  1S81.  There  were  four  chil- 
dren in  the  family,  tv.'o  daughters  who  reside 
in  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  and  two  sons.  The 
younger  son.  Dr.  Cephas  L.  Bard,  was  the 
foremost  physician  m  Ventura  county  for 
many  years  and  died  in  1902,  loved  and  re- 
spected by  all  wiio  knew  him.  A  sketch  of  his 
life  appears  else^vhcre  in  this  volume.  The  re- 
maining son  is  Thomas  Robert  Bard,  who 
was  born  in  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  December  8. 
1841,  and  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  that 
town. 

After  preliminary  work  in  the  public 
'chools  Mr.  Bard  attended  Chambersburg 
Academy  and  graduated  from  that  institution 
Avlien  seventeen  years  of  age.  Having  decided 
to  study  law  he  secured  an  opportunity-  to 
read  under  Judge  Cliambers,  a  retired  su- 
preme justice  of  Pennsylvania,  but  soon 
learned  that  his  tastes  inclined  to  a  more 
active  occujiation  and  he  secured  a  position 
on  a  railroad  corps  and  worked  for  a  while  on 
the  Huntington  &  Round  Top  Railroad  in 
Pennsyhania.  After  this  he  resumed  the 
study  of  law  for  a  short  time,  then  accepted 
an  offer  from  his  uncle  by  marriage,  David 
Zcller,  to  enter  his  office  as  bookkeeper,  he 
being  engaged  in  a  grain  and  forwarding  busi- 
ness at  Hagerstown,  Md.  These  were  excit- 
ing days,  for  at  this  time  the  Civil  war  broke' 
out  and  Mr.  Bard,  who  was  an  enthusiastic 
reader  of  the  "Atlantic  Monthly"  and  the 
New  York  Tribune,  which  publications  print- 
ed strong  abolition  articles,  was  one  (if  \erv 
few   people    in    Hagerstown     who     openh'     es- 


508 


HTSTORTCAL  AND  BTOGKAPHTCAL  RECORD. 


poused  that  side  of  the  question  before  the  be- 
ginnins:  of  the  war. 

While  the  war  was  yet  in  progress  ^^fr. 
Bard  became  an  assistant  to  the  superintend- 
ent of  the  Cumberland  Valley  Railroad,  hav- 
ing charge  particularly  of  the  movement  of 
trains  carrying  military  supplies.  While  an 
incumbent  of  this  position  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  Colonel  Thomas  A.  Scott,  sec- 
retary of  war,  and  president  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad,  and  was  induced  by  him  to 
take  charge  of  his  large  land  holdings  in  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  Bard  started  about  the  20th  of 
December,  1864,  via  the  Panama  route,  spent 
Christmas  of  that  year  on  the  sea,  and  ar- 
rived in  San  Francisco  January  5,  1865. 
While  a  part  of  Colonel  Scott's  property  was 
located  in  Humboldt  and  Monterey  counties 
the  greater  area  of  the  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thoii^sand  acres  of  land  was  located  in  Los  An- 
geles and  Ventura  counties,  and  in  the  last 
named  locality  Mr.  Bard  made  his  home. 

Mr.  Bard  was  the  pioneer  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  oil  fields  of  that  setcion  of  the 
state,  and  as  superintendent  of  the  California 
Petroleum  Company  sunk  some  of  the  earliest 
oil  wells  in  California  on  the  Ojai  ranch.  The 
results  of  this  work  were  not  equal  to  the  ex- 
pectations of  the  company,  and  in  1868  the 
work  was  abandoned.  Among  other  oil  en- 
terprises in  which  he  was  interested  and  was 
the  organizer  are  the  Union  Oil  Company  of 
California,  the  Torrey  Cafion  Oil  Company 
and  the  Sespe  Oil  Company,  of  which  he  was 
Dresident,  both  of  which  were  ultimately  ab- 
sorbed by  the  Union  Oil  Company.  Tn  1868 
he  subdivided  the  Rancho  Ojai  and  sold  it  as 
small  ranches  and  a  little  later  disposed  of  the 
Rancho  Canada  Larga  in  the  same  way.  It 
is  a  notable  fact  that  Avhile  there  has  been 
much  trouble  over  titles  to  lands  comprised  in 
the  various  grants  in  this  state,  there  have 
never  been  any  controversies  over  the  acres 
disposed  of  by  Mr.  Bard.  In  1871  he  built  the 
wharf  at  Hueneme  and  laid  out  the  town.  He 
subsequently  acquired  the  ownership  of  this 
wharf  from  Colonel  Scott,  built  warehouses, 
enlarged  and  improved  the  landing  and  ex- 
ploited its  advantages  until  it  became  a  very 
important  shipping  point,  handling  more  ag- 
ricultural products  than  any  other  wharf 
south  of  San  Francisco,  it  being  possible  for 
him  to  secure  cheap  transportation  rates  on 
account  of  the  returning  lumber  schooners 
from  ports  below.  The  building  of  the  wharf 
at  Hueneme  ercouraged  others  to  engage  in 
such  enteriirises  at  places  on  the  coast,  as  ex- 
posed and  unprotected  as  was  Hueneme;  and 
as  the  mochanirs  whom  he  employed  on  the 
Hueneme    wharf    Avcre    desirous    of     securing 


further  employment  ni  their  business,  they 
took  contracts  in  his  name,  but  on  their  own 
account,  to  build  wharves  along  the  channel. 
Among  others  were  the  wharves  at  More's 
landing,  Gaviota,  Santa  Cruz  Island,  and  the 
wharf  built  for  the  Los  Angeles  &  Independ- 
ence Railroad  at  Santa  ]\Ionica. 

Mr.  Bard  next  subdivided  for  Colonel  Scott 
the  Rancho  El  Rio  de  Santa  Clara  o  la  Colonia 
and  secured  some  undivided  interest  for  him- 
self in  that  grant.  He  became  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal owners  of  the  ranchos  Simi  and  Los 
Posas,  and  bought  as  well,  from  the  company 
iie  represented,  the  San  Francisco  ranch 
which  he  afterwards  disposed  of  to  Henry 
Xewhall.  He  vv'as  largely  interested  in  sheep 
raising  several  years  ago  and  at  one  time  he 
and  his  co-partner  owned  thirty-five  thousand 
head.  During  the  dry  years  following  1875  ' 
thousands  were  lost,  but  the  business  was  con- 
tinued, and  later  success  made  the  venture  a 
profitable  one  as  a  whole.  Since  its  building 
Mr.  Bard  has  been  president  of  the  Hueneme 
Wharf  Company  and  was  one  of  the  organ- 
i7ers  of  the  Bank  of  \"entura,  serving  as  pres- 
ident of  that  institution  for  many  years.  He 
was  likewise  an  organizer  of  the  Hueneme 
Bank  and  is  now  its  president.  He  was  one 
of  the  supervisors  of  Santa  Barbara  county 
iind  when  Ventura  county  was  created  he  was 
one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  to  organ- 
ize this  county.  Although  in  charge  of  such 
extensive  business  interests,  no  movement 
calculated  to  be  of  material  benefit  to  his  sec- 
tion of  the  state  went  without  his  support, 
and  both  time  and  means  were  freely  given  to 
every  interest  deserving  the  attention  of  a 
good  citizen. 

The  political  career  of  Mr.  Bard  has  been 
a  long  and  honorable  one  which  culminated  in 
a  term  in  the  L^nited  States  senate.  He  was 
sent  as  a  delegate  to  th.e  Republican  National 
Convenion  in  1884  when  James  G.  Blaine  was 
nominated  for  the  presidency,  being  the  only 
elector  from  California  sent  to  the  electoral 
college  in  1892.  At  a  special  session  of  the 
state  legislature  in  igoo  Mr.  Bard  was  elected 
to  the  Ignited  States  senate  by  a  unanimous 
vote  of  the  Republican  members  of  the  state 
senate  and  served  his  term  with  great  credit 
to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  people  whom 
be  represented.  Whenever  a  question  came 
up  for  his  decision  lie  studied  the  pros  and 
cons  of  the  matter  deeply  before  expressing 
an  opinion,  which  however  when  once  arrived 
at  was  almost  invariably  right.  He  made  an 
especially  thorough  study  of  the  Panama  Ca- 
nal project,  even  before  assuming  -his  sena- 
torial duties  at  Washington,  and  in  the  con- 
sideration of  the  amendments  to  the  first  Llav- 


HISTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


509 


Pauncefote  treaty  his  colleagues  accorded  to 
Senator  Bard  the  credit  of  having  offered  cer- 
tain suggestions  which  resulted  in  several  of 
the  important  amendments  to  that  document. 

When  i\[r.  Bard  assumed  his  duties  as  su- 
perintendent of  the  lands  and  wharf  at  Hue- 
neme  he  met  with  opposition  from  some  of 
the  residents.  His  life  was  even  threatened  at 
times  and  it  is  said  that  upon  one  occasion  a 
gibbet  had  really  been  erected  for  his  execu- 
tion. Mr.  Bard  felt  himself  in  the  right  on 
disputed  questions,  however,  and  pursued  the 
even  tenor  of  his  way  apparently  unconscious 
of  trouble,  and  the  time  came  when  even  those 
who  were  once  his  pronounced  enemies  be- 
came his  stanch   friends. 

It  was  in  1S76  that  Mr.  Bard  began  to  im- 
prove the  grounds  of  his  beautiful  home  and 
make  it  what  it  is  today,  one  of  the  finest  res- 
idence places  in  the  state.  There  are  fifty 
acres  of  ground  attached,  half  of  which  is  laid 
out  in  a  park  and  contains  trees,  plants  and 
flowers  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Floricult- 
ure has  always  been  one  of  the  most  pleas- 
urable recreations  of  Mr.  Bard,  and  in  his 
flower  gardens  are  found  many  fine  roses 
•vhich  were  uriginated  on  his  grounds. 

His  marriage,  which,  occurred  in  1876, 
united  him  witli  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  C.  O. 
Cerberding  of  San  Francisco,  founder  of  The 
llz-cuing  Bulletin  of  that  cit}'.  She  was  a 
native  of  San  Francisco,  and  became  the 
mother  of  eight  children:  Beryl  B. :  Mary  L., 
wife  of  Roger  G.  Edwards  of  Saticoy  ;  Thom- 
;ks  G.  ;  Anna  G. :  Elizabeth  Parker:  Richard; 
Philip ;  and  Robert.  All  are  now  living  ex- 
cept Robert,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Bard  also  opened  their  home  to 
an  adopted  daughter,  Alethea  Maiden,  a 
young  English   lady. 

Mr.  Bard  was  made  a  Mason  in  A^entura 
and  is  now  a  member  oi  (  )xnard  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  of  Oxnard  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and 
of  the  A''entura  Commandery,  K.  T.  He  is  a 
member  and  liberal  supporter  of  the  Presby- 
terian Cliurch,  and  a  man  of  superior  integrity 
End  rectitude.  There  is  a  pronounced  yet  un- 
cxplainable  influence  felt  in  the  presence  of 
some  people  that  can  be  accounted  for  in  no 
other  way  than  that  it  is  caused  by  the  in- 
ward thoughts  and  high  motives  of  the  per- 
son to  wiiom  they  are  ascribed.  When  in  the 
presence  of  such  a  man  one  feels,  instinctive- 
\y.  that  he  has  lived  a  pure  and  iipvi'^Iit  life 
and  is  one  who  can  be  trusted  imiilicitly  witli- 
out  fear  that  any  confidence  imposed  in  him 
will  be  betrayed.  There  is  no  necessity  to 
eulogize  a  man  of  the  well  known  reputation 
and  eminence  of  Senator  Bard,  vet  it  will  not 
be  out  of  place  to  mention   that   he  possesses 


to  a  remarkable  degree  this  personal  magnet- 
ism, as  it  is  popularly  called.  While  naturally 
endowed  with  the  qualities  which  win  the  love 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men,  there  is  a 
strength  of  purpose  in  all  his  actions  without 
which  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  live 
the  blameless  lite  he  has  with  a  career  so 
filled  with  public  and  private  duties  as  have 
fallen   to   his   share. 


CEPHAS  LITTLE  BARD,  ^I.  D.  No  man 
has  more  opportunity  to  endear  himself  to  the 
members  of  a  community,  rich  and  poor,  high 
and  low,  old  and  young,  than  has  the  physician, 
who  not  only  ministers  to  the  sufferings  of  the 
afflicted  ones,  but  brings  cheer  to  the  house- 
hold of  those  whose  physical  pains  he  relieves. 
Dr.  Cephas  L.  Bard  was  one  of  those  who  was 
loved,  honored,  respected'  and  almost  rever- 
enced by  every  inhabitant  of  \'entura  city  and 
in  the  country  for  many  miles  around.  Dr.  Bard 
was  born  at  Chambersburg,  Franklin  county, 
Pa.,  April  7,  1843,  ^  member  of  an  old  estab- 
lished famil\'  which  came  to  this  country  in 
colonial  days. 

The  great-great-grandfather,  Archibald  Bard, 
came  to  this  country  before  1741.  We  find  him 
settled  with  his  family  in  Adams  county.  Pa.,  on  a 
farm  granted  to  him  by  the  proprietaries  in  1741. 
Here  his  son  Richard  Bard  and  his  wife,  the 
great-grandparents  of  Dr.  Bard,  were  captured 
by  Indians.  Richard  Bard  made  his  escape  at  the 
urgent  solicitation  of  his  wife,  after  his  body 
had  been  painted  by  the  Indians  in  colors  indi- 
cating that  he  was  doomed  to  torture  and  death. 
After  making  many  hazardous  attempts  to  res- 
cue his  wife  he  eventually  succeeded  in  ransom- 
ing her  from  captivity,  which  had  continued  for 
more  than  two  years.  Richard  Bard  was  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Cumberland,  now  Franklin 
county.  Pa.,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
s\lvania  convention  that  ratified  the  Federal  con- 
stitution. Among  Richard  Bard's  sons  was 
Thomas  Bard,  a  captain  in  the  war  of  1812.  His 
Min.  Robert  M.  Bard,  the  father  of  Dr.  Bard, 
was  for  many  years  a  prominent  lawyer  at 
Chambersburg.  Pa.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
talent  and  ability  in  his  profession,  recognized 
as  the  leading  member  of  the  local  bar.  He 
was  a  Whig,  took  an  active  part  in  politics 
and  was  a  candidate  for  congress  at  the 
time  of  his  last  illness.  He  died  in  1851.  It 
is  not  true,  as  has  been  stated  in  published 
notices  of  his  death,  that  Dr.  Bard  was  con- 
nected with  the  family  which  was  represented  by 
Dr.  lohn  Bard  and  his  son.  Dr.  Samuel  Bard, 
distinguished  dver  a  century  ago  as  physicians  of 
the  City  of  New  York.  If  there  be  any  connection 
between  the  two  families  it  is  very  remote.     But 


510 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  taste  for  the  medical  profession  was  inher- 
ited by  Dr.  Bard  from  the  maternal  side  of  his 
house.  His  grandfather,  Dr.  P.  W.  Little,  a 
student  under  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  a  signer  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  was  a  promi- 
nent physician  at  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  and  had 
two  sons,  both  of  whom  were  physicians:  Dr. 
Robert  Parker  Little,  who  practiced  at  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  and  Dr.  B.  Rush  Little,  who  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  professor  of  obstetrics  in 
the  Keokuk  (Iowa)   Medical  College. 

Dr.  P.  W.  Little's  wife,  Mary  Parker,  was 
the  daughter  of  Col.  Robert  Parker,  who  served 
with  distinction  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Col- 
onel Parker's  sister  was  married  to  General 
Andrew  Porter,  from  whom  descended  David 
Rittenhouse  Porter,  governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  illustrious  son,  General  Horace  Porter, 
late  ambassador  to  France. 

\Vhile  still  very  young  C.  L.  Bard  had  deter- 
mined to  devote  himself  to  the  medical  profes- 
sion and  after  completing  a  course  of  classical 
studies  at  the  Chambersburg  Academy  he  en- 
tered the  office  of  Dr.  A.  H.  Senseny,  one  of 
Pennsylvania's  most  talented  physicians,  and 
began  to  read  medicine.  This  was  at  the  time 
of  the  Civil  war  and  when  the  news  of  McClel- 
lan's  reverses  reached  him  he  decided  to  re- 
spond to  the  call  of  patriotism  and  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  Conipany  A,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-sixth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteers and  with  that  regiment  participated  in 
the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Antietam,  Fred- 
ericksburg and  Chancellorsville.  His  term  of 
service  having  expired  he  attended  a  course  of 
lectures  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  and 
after  passing  a  satisfactory  examination  secured 
the  appointment  as  assistant  surgeon  of  a  regi- 
ment of  Pennsylvania  volunteers  and  remained 
in  the  war  until  the  surrender  of  General  Lee, 
when  he  returned  to  his  old  home  and  prac- 
ticed at  his  profession  until  1868.  He  then  came 
to  San  Buenaventura.  Cal,  the  place  being 
at  that  time  but  a  very  small  village.  He  was 
the  first  doctor  to  locate  there  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  short  intervals  of  time  in  which  he 
attended  post-graduate  courses  in  Eastern  med- 
ical schools,  lived  in  San  Buenaventura  until 
death.  At  the  first  county  election  in  Ventura 
county  he  was  unanimously  elected  coroner,  both 
parties  having  nominated  him.  and  for  twenty 
years  he  served  as  county  phvsician  and  surgeon, 
and  was  also  an  efficient  health  officer.  He  was 
popular  in  all  medical  circles  having  filled  the 
office  of  president  of  the  \'entura  County  Med- 
ical .Society,  being  an  active  participant  in  the 
actions  of  the  California  State  Medical  Society, 
of  which  he  was  made  president  for  one  term, 
and  at  various  times  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Pension  Examiners. 


He  was  a  man  of  well  rounded  interests  and 
took  a  leading  part  in  social  and  civic  life,  was 
a  prominent  member  of  die  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  of  the  military  order  of  the  Loyal  Le- 
gion, and  was  a  Knights  Templar.  True  to  his 
ancestral  teachings  he  adhered  to  the  beliefs  of 
the  Presbyterian  denomination.  One  of  the  dear- 
est dreams  and  ambitions  of  Dr.  Bard  during 
his  lifetime  was  the  establishment  of  a  complete 
and  modern  hospital  at  Ventura,  and  for  years 
he  studied  and  planned  the  details  of  the  build- 
ing, its  arrangements  and  fittings.  The  culmi- 
nation of  his  desire  was  realized  the  last  year 
of  his  life  when  the  beautiful  Elizabeth  Bard 
Memorial  Hospital  at  Ventura,  erected  to  the 
memory  of  a  loving  mother,  was  completed  by 
the  two  sons,  Dr.  Cephas  L.  and  Hon.  Thom.as 
R.  Bard. 

His  attention  to  the  exceedingly  large  prac- 
tice which  he  had  built  up  in  this  section  of 
the  state  did  not  prevent  him  from  taking  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  all  public  enterprises.  He  was 
a  stalwart  patriot  and  his  love  for  the  flag  and 
pride  in  the  institutions  for  which  it  stands  were 
as  strong  as  his  love  for  his  profession  and  pride 
in  his  medical  and  surgical  skill.  His  death, 
April  20,  1902,  removed  one  of  the  most  valued 
citizens  and  well  beloved  men  in  Ventura  county. 
Of  his  qualities  of  mind  his  literary  talent  was 
most  remarkable  and  he  found  time  during  a 
busy  professional  career  to  read  the  classics,  be- 
come familiar  with  the  riches  of  literary  artists, 
and  write  numerous  literary  productions.  His 
inventive  genius  was  also  of  a  high  order  and 
contributed  to  his  remarkable  success  as  a  sur- 
geon and  practitioner.  That  he  had  the  quali- 
ties of  a  great  man  none  who  knew  him  will 
deny ;  that  he  would  have  been  great  in  any  call- 
ing in  life  there  is  no  doubt;  and  that  he  was  the 
most  dearly  beloved  and  most  highlv  esteemed 
man  in  the  comniunitv  is  a  fact  acknowledged 
bv  all. 


GEORGE  F.  JSIANDER.  In  the  making  of 
his  choice  of  a  permanent  location  as  well  as  in 
his  identification  with  a  growing  industry, 
Air.  Mander  feels  that  he  has  been  especially 
fortunate.  .Since  he  became  a  resident  of  Long 
Beach  in  1898  he  has  been  a  loyal  and  enthu- 
siastic supporter  of  local  affairs  and  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  increasing  importance  of  the  town, 
this  faith  being  evidenced  by  his  investment  in 
local  real  estate  and  business  enterprises.  When 
he  first  came  to  this  point  he  followed  the  car- 
penter's trade  and  assisted  in  erecting  a  number 
(if  buildings,  among  them  the  plant  utilized  by 
the  Long  Beach  Gas  Conipany.  Having  be- 
come familiar  with  the  manufacture  of  gas  dur- 


B^A^L- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


513 


ing  a  sojourn  in  Rockford,  111.,  and  having 
shown  skill  in  the  installing  of  the  machinery 
and  putting  in  of  pipes,  the  members  of  the  com- 
pany decided  that  he  possessed  peculiar  qualifi- 
cations for  the  office  of  superintendent  and 
chose  him  for  that  position.  The  plant  as  it 
stands  to-day  is  the  direct  outcome  of  his 
undivided  attention.  At  the  first  installa- 
tion a  small  machine  was  selected  suited 
for  a  town  of  the  size  of  Long  Beach  at  that 
time.  The  growth  of  the  place,  however,  was 
be3ond  even  his  sanguine  expectations,  and  in 
two  years  it  became  necessary  to  increase  the 
capacity,  which  was  done  by  installing  a  plant 
twice  the  size  of  the  first  one.  During  1905  a 
new  machine  was  installed  having  eight  times 
greater  capacity  than  that  of  the  machine  it  dis- 
placed. The  plant  is  operated  by  twelve  regu- 
lar employes  under  the  direction  of  the  superin- 
tendent and  is  managed  with  a  skill  and  intelli- 
gence appreciated  by  the  stockholders  and  pa- 
trons of  the  company. 

One  of  the  recent  undertakings  with  which 
Mr.  Mander's  name  is  associated  is  the  Seaside 
Sanitarium  and  Medical  Dispensary  Company, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  originators,  and 
which  has  a  capital  stock  of  $200,000.  It  is  the 
plan  of  the  company  to  erect  and  conduct  a  san- 
itarium on  the  bluff  at  Long  Beach  overlooking 
the  Pacific.  This  will  be  the  only  institution  of 
the  kind  along  the  coast  and  will  add  another 
beneficial  feature  to  Long  Beach.  The  building 
will  be  up-to-date  and  modern  in  every  respect 
and  absolutely  fire-proof.  INIr.  r\Iander  is  presi- 
dent of  the  company. 

A  resident  of  California  since  1885,  Mr.  Man- 
der  is  of  English  parentage  and  ancestry.  His 
father,  James,  a  native  of  London,  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Wisconsin  while  that 
part  of  the  country  was  still  undeveloped.  When 
he  became  a  citizen  of  Beloit,  that  now  thriving 
citv  had  onlv  three  houses  and  the  county  of 
Rock  was  still. in  the  primeval  condition  of  na- 
ture, its  soil  uncultivated  and  its  possibilities  un- 
known. For  some  years  he  engaged  in  teaming 
from  Milwaukee  to  his  home  neighborhood,  and 
after  the  advent  of  railroads  turned  to  other 
avocations.  The  balance  of  his  life  was  passed 
in  that  localitv.  His  son,  George  F..  was  born 
in  Rock  county.  Wis.,  August  25.  1861,  and  re- 
ceived such  advantages  as  the  common  schools 
afforded.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  went 
into  the  citv  of  Beloit  and  spent  three  years 
learning  the  machinist's  trade,  but  relinquished 
that  occupation  bv  reason  of  its  injurious  eflfects 
upon  his  health.  '  Later  he  was  engaged  at  car- 
pentering for  two  years,  and  for  two  years_  acted 
as  a  traveling  salesman  for  agricultural  imple- 
ments, sewing  machines  and  pianos,  then  for 
a   vear   engaged   in   the   manufacture   of   cigars. 


but   sold   out   in   order   to   resume   work    at   his 
trade. 

On  coming  to  the  west,  Mr.  Mander  was  em- 
ployed by  the  government  as  a  teacher  in  the  In- 
dian school  at  Fort  Yuma,  where  he  remained 
for  two  and  one-half  years,  and  then  resigned 
and  removed  to  Pasadena.  At  that  time  this  now 
beautiful  city  was  only  a  small  village.  With 
A.  Bliss  as  a  partner  he  engaged  in  carpentering 
and  took  contracts  for  the  erection  of  residences, 
after  which  he  assisted  in  the  building  up  of 
the  town  of  Epworth  in  Ventura  county.  Pasa- 
dena continued  to  be  his  home  until  1898,  when 
he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  has  since  been  ac- 
tive in  the  material  growth  of  this  popular  re- 
sort. Before  leaving  Wisconsin  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Beloit  to  Miss  Fannie  E.  Lewis,  a  native 
of  that  state;  they  are  the  parents  of  a  daugh- 
ter. Pearl  G.,  who  was  born  in  California  Janu- 
ary 9,  1886.'  Politically  he  has  no  partisan  at- 
tachments, but  supports  the  men  who,  as  can- 
didates, seem  to  him  to  be  best  adapted  for  the 
position  at  issue.  In  fraternal  relations  he  holds 
membership  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  being  past  grand  of  his  lodge,  is  fur- 
ther connected  with  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah 
as  an  honorary  member,  and  was  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  the  LTniversal  Order  of  Forest- 
ers, of  which  he  has  been  supreme  vice  chief 
ranger  since  its  organization. 


WILLIAM  HAYES  PERRY.  The  busy 
years  of  an  eventful  career  found  their 
fulfillment  in  the  life  of  one  of  Los  Angeles' 
old  pioneers — William  Hayes  Perry,  whose  in- 
herited traits  of  character  led  him  not  only  to 
seek  his  fortunes  among  the  less  tried  oppor- 
tunities of  a  new  country,  but  to  establish  a 
home  and  surround  it  with  all  the  refining  and 
uplifting  influences  which  accompany  prog- 
ress and  development.  His  parents  were  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Ohio,  where  they  endured  the 
privations  and  hardships  incident  to  life  in  a 
new  country,  establishing  a  home  and  giving 
of  the  best  of  their  efforts  in  the  development 
of  the  commonwealth.  Their  son,  William 
Hayes  Perry,  born  in  Newark,  Ohio.  October 
17,  1832,  was  reared  among  the  primitive  sur- 
roundings of  a  pioneer  home,  in  the  midst  of 
whose  duties  he  attended  the  rude  school  in 
pursuit  of  whatever  education  it  was  possible 
for  him  to  procure.  Following  the  custom  of 
the  earlv  days  he  became  an  apprentice  in 
vouth  and  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet-maker, 
which  occupation  was  interrupted  by  the  ac- 
complishment of  his  desire  to  try  his  fortunes 
in  the  land  but  .shortly  before  made  famous  by 
the   discovery   of  gold.      In    T853.   immediately 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


following  his  majority,  he  joined  a  party  of 
about  fifty  men  and  women  made  up  at  Coun- 
cil BlulYs,  Iowa,  and  with  them  began  the  us- 
ual perilous  journey  whose  destination  was, 
"the  land  of  sunshine  and  flowers."  The  party 
had  with  them  a  large  band  of  cattle,  sheep 
and  horses  (Colonel  Hollister,  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara, bringing  back  with  him  to  the  coast  a 
large  number  of  stock),  and  this  presented 
quite  a  temptation  to  the  Indians,  who  con- 
stantly attacked  them.  Not  until  February, 
1854,  did  the  party  finally  reach  Los  Angeles. 
The  first  employment  of  SNIr.  Perry  in  the 
then  small  cit}  of  Los  Angeles  was  at  his 
trade  of  cabinet-maker  and  in  this  work  he 
managed  to  accumulate  some  means.  After 
one  year  occupied  thus  he  opened  the  first  fur- 
niture store  and  factory  of  the  town,  in  part- 
nership with  an  acquaintance,  the  firm  name 
being  Perry  &  Brady.  Enterprise  and  ability 
were  the  only  requisites  of  the  business,  as 
there  was  no  competition  demanding  a  displa}- 
of  capital.  The  firm  grew  in  importance,  and 
after  the  death  of  Mr.  Brady  in  1858  the  late 
Wallace  Woodworth  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  business,  which  was  then  known  under 
the  name  of  Perry  &  Woodworth;  in  1864  S. 
H.  iMott  purchased  an  intcresl  in  the  business 
and  the\  were  hencefurlh  known  as  Perry, 
Woodworth  &  Co.  The  original  business  uf 
the  firm  was  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
furniture,  but  other  interests  later  became  a 
part  of  the  organization.  In  1865  !\Ir.  I'err\  . 
through  Captain  Clark,  applied  for  a  franchise 
to  furnish  gas  for  the  city,  and  combining 
with  others  built  the  works  and  began  the 
manufacture.  In  1873  the  firm  of  Perry. 
Woodworth  &  Co.  changed  from  the  manu- 
facture of  furniture  and  the  cabinet  business 
to  dealing  in  lumber,  mouldings,  doors,  sash, 
blinds,  builders'  hardware  and  finishing  sup- 
plies of  all  kinds.  AA^ith  the  growth  of  the 
city  and  the  demands  upon  their  business,  the 
plant  was  enlarged  and  constantly  improxed 
with  all  modern  devices  in  machinery  and  gen- 
eral equipment.  Their  plant  was  located  on 
Commercial  street,  extending  through  to  Re- 
quena  street,  where  they  built  a  branch 
of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  their  interests.  This  plant 
^vas  put  up  in  1899,  the  original  building  hav- 
ing Ijcen  destroyed  by  fire.  The  death  of  ^Nlr. 
Woodworth  occurred  in  1883,  after  which  the 
business  was  incorporated  as  the  W^  H.  Perry 
Lumber  &  Alill  Company,  and  this  today  is 
one  of  the  strongest  firms  of  its  kind  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  They  own  timber  lands  in  va- 
rious places  along  the  coast,  logging  camps, 
sawmills,  vessels,  wharves,  spur  tracks  to  the 
•,':Mlronds,  and  Imndle  the  hnnlier  from  the  tree 


to  the  structure  into  which  the  finished  product 
goes.  This  has  brought  to  the  company  prof- 
its undivided  by  successful  competition,  and 
has  also  proved  a  wonderful  power  in  the  work 
of  development  of  the  Pacific  coast  country. 
Along  this  same  line  of  business  ]\Ir.  Perry  or- 
ganized the  Los  Angeles  and  Humboldt  Lum- 
"ber  Company,  of  San  Pedro,  with  the  object  of 
sending  lumber  to  all  points  of  Arizona ;  and 
also  the  Pioneer  Lumber  and  Mill  Company, 
of  Colton,  near  this  city,  to  supply  the  coun- 
tr}'  adjacent  to  that  point.  The  Los  Angeles 
Storage  Cement  and  Lumber  Company,  which 
supplies  to  builders  of  Los  Angeles  lime,  plas- 
ter, fire-brick,  cement,  hair  and  other  materials 
used  on  buildings,  is  another  corporation  in 
whose  organization  he  was  the  most  prominent 
factor  and  the  controlling  element. 

]\Ir.  Perry's  identification  with  the  business 
enterprises  of  Los  Angeles  was  such  in 
the  past  years  that  scarcely  an  improvement 
or  mark  of  development  missed  the  mas- 
terful touch  of  his  hand,  hi  1868  the  waters 
of  the  Los  Angeles  river  had  been  leased  to  a 
company  with  the  privilege  of  laying  pipes  in 
the  streets  of  the  city  and  supplying  water  to 
the  citizens.  The  company  did  not  meet  with 
the  success  it  had  anticipated  and  after  eleven 
years  had  not  succeeded  in  establishing  a 
sound  financial  basis.  At  that  time  (1879), 
Mr.  Perry  was  elected  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  company,  and  continued  to 
.'ict  in  that  capacity  until  the  sale  was  made 
to  the  city.  Seeing  that  the  supply  would 
not  equal  the  demand  he  purchased 
three  other  small  companies,  becoming  presi- 
dent and  manager  of  them  as  well.  Under 
his  able  supervision  the  stockholders  retired 
from  the  water  company  very  rich  men. 

Mr.  Perry  was,  perhaps,  associated  as  presi- 
dent and  director  of  more  companies  than  any 
other  one  man  of  Los  Angeles,  his  many  busi- 
ness interests  constantly  calling  upon  him  for 
the  benefit  of  his  experience.  In  banking-  cir- 
cles he  was  eminently  prominent  in  South- 
ern California,  serving  as  a  director  in  the 
Farmers'  &  Merchants'  Bank  of  Los  Angeles, 
with  which  institution  he  became  connected 
at  an  early  date  in  its  history,  contributing 
materially  to  its  substantial  growth  and  pros- 
l^erity.  He  was  a  stockholder  in  the  .Ameri- 
can National  Bank  of  this  city,  and  likewise 
identified  with  the  Nevada  Bank  and  the  Union 
Trust  Company,  of  San  Francisco.  Besides 
being  president  of  the  W.  H.  Perry  Lumber 
&  Mill  Company,  he  was  president  of  the  Pio- 
neer Lumber  tS;  Mill  Company ;  president  and 
director  of  the  Southern  California  Pipe  & 
Clay  Company  ;  while  he  formerly  served  as 
jiresident   of   the   Cosmopolis   Mill   &   Trading 


HISTORICAL  AND  B10GRAPHIC.\L  RECORD. 


51 0 


■  Company,  of  Grays  Harljor.  \\'ash.  He  was  a 
stockholder  in  the  Charles  Xelson  Shipping 
Company,  of  San  Francisco,  which  has  large 
timber,  mill  and  railroad  interests  in  Hum- 
boldt count}' ;  in  the  \'allejo  &  Napa  Elec- 
tric Railroad ;  the  Gas  Consumers'  Associa- 
tion and  the  National  Electric  Company,  both 
of  San  Francisco ;  the  Bard  Oil  &  Asphalt 
Company;  the  Olinda  Crude  Oil  Company; 
the  Western  Union  Oil  Company,  of  Santa 
Barbara ;  and  was  formerly  in  the  Reed  Oil 
Company,  of  Kern  county.  He  was  one  of 
the  original  stockholders  in  the  Home  Tele- 
phone Company,  of  Los  Angeles.  Although 
so  constantly  occupied  every  enterprise  with 
which  he  was  connected  has  profited  largely 
by  his  unusual  business  ability  and  wide  ex- 
perience. He  was  largely  interested  in  real  es- 
tate in  Los  Angeles,  his  faith  in  the  permanent 
prosperity  and  growth  of  this  city  being  un- 
bounded and  surely  justified  in  the  light  of  his 
career. 

The  home  life  of  Mr.  Perry  was  not  the  least 
of  a  successful  career,  for  it  is  one  thing  to 
found  a  fortune  and  another  to  establish  a 
home  and  rear  a  family  that  shall  add  honor  to 
the  name.  In  1858  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  '\\.  Dalton,  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  pioneer  of  Los  Angeles,  and  herself 
one  of  the  courageous,  self-sacrificing  women 
who  faced  the  hardships  of  the  frontier  life. 
Side  by  side  they  walked  together  when  the 
road  was  rough,  youth,  courage  and  confi- 
dence promising  them  something  that  the 
future  held  for  them.  After  a  happy  married 
life  of  nearly  a  half  century  the  bond  was  brok- 
en by  the  death  of  ^Ir.  Perry  October  30,  1906. 
Six  children  blessed  their  union,  of  whom  one 
son  and  two  daughters  arc  living:  Charles 
Frederick  is  located  in  Washington  and  is  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business  ;  Mary  Barker  be- 
came the  wife  of  C.  M.  ^Vood  ;  and  Florence, 
the  wife  of  E.  P.  Johnson,  Jr.,  both  being  resi- 
dents of  Los  Angeles,  and  with  their  mother 
are  prominent  in  the  select  social  circles  of 
the  city.  The  eldest  daughter,  Mrs.  Wood, 
IS  one  of  the  most  accomplished  musicians 
of  Los  Angeles,  having  received  her  educa- 
tion in  Milan,  under  the  tuition  of  Anton 
Sangiovanni,  one  of  the  most  noted  instruc- 
tors of  that  cit}'.  She  made  her  debut  in 
Milan  and  during  her  engagement  there  made 
a  favorable  impression  on  the  musical  world. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  had  nine  grandchildren 
in  whose  lives  their  own  youth  was  renewed. 
Mrs.  Wood's  children  are  named  in  order  of 
birth  as  follows:  Elizabeth  Marie,  Florence 
Perry,    ^^'■i!lian•;    Perry    and    Mona    Chapman  : 


those    of    Mrs.    Johnson,     Katherine,   Robert, 
Margaret,  Eleanor  and  Edward  P. 

The  characteristic  traits  of  Mr.  Perry  which 
helped  bring  about  his  financial  success 
also  made  their  impress  upon  his  personality. 
By  inheritance  he  was  endowed  with  many  of 
the  qualities  which  make  a  successful  fron- 
tiersman— personal  fearlessness,  a  cheerful 
optimism  in  the  face  of  reverses,  a  spirit  of 
conscious  ability  and  perseverance — and  these 
have  proven  potent  factors  in  his  career.  In 
the  early  days  of  the  state  he  was  foremost 
among  the  citizens  in  preserving  good  gov- 
ernment and  peace,  it  being  necessary  to 
guard  the  families  from  the  lawless  Mexican 
element.  Many  times  he  had  occasion  to  wish 
himself  out  of  the  country,  but  with  the  per- 
sistence characteristic  of  his  entire  career  he 
remained  a  helpful  element  in  the  troublous 
times  and  with  the  passing  years  mounted 
to  a  position  of  prosperity  in  a  manner  well 
worthy  of  emulation  by  the  younger  genera- 
tion. He  had  taken  time  to  ally  himself  with 
the  iMasonic  organization,  being  a  member  of 
the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery,  and 
is  a  Thirty-second  degree,  Scottish  Rite  Ma- 
son. ^^'hen  he  arrived  in  Los  Angeles,  now 
a  little  more  than  a  half  century  since,  he  was 
penniless,  friendless  and  alone.  The  journey 
had  been  a  hardship,  having  worn  out  his 
shoes  by  constant  walking  and  his  only  clothes 
were  in  rags,  and  he  was  thus  left  without 
sufficient  clothing  in  which  to  make  applica- 
tion for  work:  he  therefore  sought  the  only 
way  open  to  him  by  going  to  a  clothier  and 
asking  him  for  a  suit  of  clothes  on  credit.  He 
was  trusted,  and  he  let  that  lesson  sink  deep 
into  his  life,  giving  to  others  the  faith  that 
was  given  to  him,  and  extending  a  helping 
hand  to  many  who  would  have  sunk  to  utter 
faihi'-e  and  insignificance  but  for  the  help 
wliirii  lie  oave  at  the  time  most  needed.  The 
|iosition  gi\-en  Mr.  Perry  was  not  his  alone  as 
a  ninn  o\  Inisiness  ability,  but  as  a  liberal  and 
loyal  citizen,  an  honorable  man  and  a  stanch 
friend.  His  death  October  30,  igo6,  removed 
one  of  California's  great  and  honored  pioneers. 


COL.  WARNER  LO\\'DER  \'ESTAL. 
Through  southern  ancestry  the  genealogy  of 
the  "\^estal  family  is  traced  to  Scotland  and 
from  that  country  back  to  the  ancient  city  of 
Rome.  The  religion  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
was  adopted  about  two  centuries  ago.  and  the 
records  show  that  successive  generations  ad- 
hered to  that  faith,  both  in  the  old  world  and 
in  the  new.  Established  in  the  south  during 
the  colonial  period,  the  family  became  promi- 
nent in  North  Carolina.     In  Guilford,  that  state. 


516 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


occurred  the  birth  of  Jaben  Vestal,  who  at  an 
early  age  accompanied  his  father  to  Indiana  and 
settled  in  the  wilderness  of  Hendricks  county. 
Later  he  took  up  fanning  for  himself  and  im- 
proved a  tract  near  Plainfield,  where  he  died  in 
December,  1904,  when  more  than  ninety  years 
of  age.  In  preceding  generations  also  longevity 
had  been  a  marked  characteristic.  His  wife, 
Charity,  was  a  daughter  of  Matthew  Lowder, 
a  sterling  Quaker  gentleman.  At  her  death, 
which  occurred  in  Indiana,  she  was  survived  by 
four  children,  namely :  John  Xewton,  who  was 
a  sergeant  in  the  Fourth  Indiana  Cavalry  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  and  is  now  an  editor  and  pub- 
lisher in  Indianapolis ;  Warner  Lowder,  of  San 
Bernardino,  Cal. ;  Hiram,  who  was  a  member 
of  a  regiment  of  Indiana  artillery  in  the  Rebel- 
lion and  now  carries  on  a  hotel  business  in 
Shreveport,  La.;  and  Airs.  Jane  \\'asson,  of  In- 
diana. 

On  the  homestead  near  Plainfield,  Hendricks 
county,  Ind.,  Warner  Lowder  Vestal  was  born 
November  28,  1839,  and  there  he  spent  the  first 
seventeen  years  of  his  life.  Meanwhile  he  not 
only  attended  district  schools,  but  also  had  the 
advantage  of  a  course  in  Plainfield  Academy. 
Going  to  Iowa  in  1856  he  learned  the  printer's 
trade  at  Indianola,  and  after  returning  to  In- 
diana in  the  fall  of  1859  he  joined  his  1)rother, 
J.  Newton,  in  the  purchase  and  publication  of 
the  Danville  Ledger  at  Danville,  Hendricks 
county.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he 
was  still  editing  that  paper,  but  immediately  af- 
ter the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter  he  enlisted,  and 
April  21,  1861,  was  enrolled  as  a  sergeant  in 
Company  A,  Seventh  Indiana  Infantry.  After 
a  brief  period  of  drilling  the  regiment  went  to 
the  front  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Philippi, 
\\\  \'a.,  and  Carrick's  Ford.  The  young  vol- 
unteers had  feared  the  war  would  be  at  an  end 
before  they  could  get  to  the  front  and  they  were 
gratified  at  the  order  to  go  to  West  Virginia. 
They  longed  for  an  actual  experience  with  war, 
but  after  their  first  baptism  in  blood,  and  after 
wounds,  forced  marches,  privations  and  suffer- 
ing they  realized  indeed  that  grim-visaged  war 
is  not  altogether  enjoyable.  At  Philippi  they 
witnessed  the  first  instance  of  the  ami^utation  of 
a  limb  of  a  Confederate  soldier  by  a  Union  sur- 
geon, this  operation  being  performed  in  a  stable. 
M  Carrick's  Ford  they  crossed  a  stream  of  cold 
water,  then  climbed  a  hill  and  started  to  flank 
the  Confederates,  when  the  latter  retreated  in 
haste,  leaving  a  cannon  behind  them.  The  boys 
in  blue  concluded  that,  now  the  cannon  had  been 
taken,  the  war  was  ended.  It  was  at  this  same 
engagement  that  they  witnessed  the  death  of 
Gen.  Robert  S.  Garnet,  who  was  shot  by  one  of 
the  men  of  the  regiment,  and  was  the  first 
Relicl  general  killed  during  the  Civil  war.     Gen- 


eral Garnet  was  a  pioneer  of  California  and 
originated  the  seal  adopted  by  this  state. 

Company  A  was  mustered  out  August  2,  1861, 
and  the  \oung  soldier  from  Danville  returned 
to  his  work  in  that  town.  However,  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  remain  contented  with  busi- 
ness affairs  while  the  country  needed  his  serv- 
ices. Accordingly  he  sold  the  Ledger  and  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1862,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Com- 
pany A,  Fifty-third  Indiana  Infantry,  being 
mustered  in  as  eighth  corporal.  April  26,  1862, 
he  was  commissioned  sergeant-major.  Thougli 
he  was  by  birth  a  Quaker,  he  was  fond  of  mili- 
tary tactics  and  had  few  superiors  in  drilling  the 
men.  W.  Q.  Gresham,  then  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment, noticed  that  Company  A  was  well  drilled, 
and  when  a  captain's  commission  was  to  be  giv- 
en he  called  the  sergeant-major  to  him  and 
stated  he  wished  to  recommend  him  for  captain, 
but  realized  that  there  were  two  lieutenants  de- 
sirous of  the  commission.  Mr.  Vestal  suggested 
that  the  matter  be  left  to  an  election  by  the 
company.  Colonel  Gresham  consented.  The 
election  was  duly  held  and  Air.  Vestal  received 
every  vote  but  one,  so  that  the  commission  was 
given  him  June  14,  1862,  and  he  commanded 
the  company. 

When  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the  office  of 
major  the  young  captain  was  next  to  the  young- 
est in  commission  and  Colonel  Gresham  again 
offered  to  promote  him.  The  matter  was  left 
to  an  election  by  the  commissioned  officers,  and 
he  received  all  the  votes  excepting  three.  His 
commission  as  major  was  dated  October  5, 
1863.  His  commission  as  lieutenant-colonel 
bore  date  of  October  31,  1863,  and  the  commis- 
sion as  colonel  of  the  Fifty-third  Indiana  In- 
fantry was  dated  January  31,  1865,  this  and 
the  commission  of  lieutenant-colonel  being  ten- 
dered by  Governor  Morton  of  Indiana..  As  an 
officer  in  the  Fifty-third  he  served  in  the  bat- 
tles in  the  advance  on  Corinth,  Holly  Springs, 
Lumpkin's  Mill,  second  battle  of  Corinth,  bat- 
tle of  Matamoras  (one  of  the  most  serious  en- 
gagements of  the  war),  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
and  after  the  surrender  he  was  provost-mar- 
shal at  Natchez,  and  a  member  of  the  court 
martial,  of  which  he  was  the  youngest  officer. 

Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Resaca  Col- 
onel Vestal  joined  General  Sherman  at  .\c- 
worth,  Ga.,  in  the  spring  of  1864,  and  partici- 
pated in  later  engagements  up  to  Atlanta,  where, 
July  22,  1864,  in  the  same  hour  and  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  where  General  McPherson 
fell,  he  was  seriously  wounded  and  left  for  dead 
on  the  battlefield.  This  was  immediately  after 
he  had  taken  command  of  the  regiment  on  the 
wounding  and  death  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Jones.  Perhaps  five  hours  elapsed  before  he 
regained    consciousness.     As   he    came    to     his 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


519 


senses  and  endeavored  to  move,  some  sharp- 
shooter saw  liim  and  sent  a  bullet  into  the  right 
knee.  His  call  for  help  was  heard  and  he  was 
carried  from  the  field  to  the  hospital.  From 
there  he  was  sent  back  to  Indiana.  Meanwhile 
he  had  been  reported  as  fallen  on  the  battlefield, 
and  on  the  day  of  his  return  home  he  was 
the  first  member  of  the  family  to  open  the  Dan- 
ville Ledger.  The  first  notice  that  met  his  eyes 
was  his  own  obituary.  After  nine  months  at 
home  he  was  able  to  return  to  the  army,  al- 
though still  obliged  to  use  crutches.  He  re- 
joined the  regiment  at  Goldsboro,  N.  C,  and 
after  the  surrender  of  Lee  he  went  to  Wash- 
ington, where  he  took  part  in  the  grand  re- 
view. The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  July  21,  1865,  and  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service. 

Returning  to  Plainfield,  Ind.,  Colonel  Vestal 
for  two  years  engaged  in  the  drug  business. 
From  there  he  went  to  Iowa,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  reporter  in  the  state  legislature  and 
also  on  the  staff  of  the  Iowa  Staff  Register.  In 
October  of  1870  he  established  the  Storm  Lake 
Pilot  at  Storm  Lake,  Iowa,  and  this  he  pub- 
lished successfully  for  a  long  period.  On  leav- 
ing Iowa  lie  came  to  California  in  1886  and 
settled  at  San  Diego,  where  he  acted  as  manager 
of  the  San  Diego  Sun.  The  year  1892  found  him 
a  resident  of  San  Bernardino,  where  since  he  has 
made  his  home  and  where  now  he  is  secretary 
of  the  board  of  trade,  also  city  recorder.  After 
his  arrival  in  this  city  he  was  editor  and  manager 
of  the  TiiJies  Imlcx  until  the  paper  was  sold  in 
1896,  since  which  time  he  has  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  business  and  also  has  devoted  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  writing  of  articles  for 
papers  in  this  state  and  in  the  east.  Ever  since 
the  organization  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public he  has  been  interested  in  the  order,  and 
while  living  in  Iowa  was  commander  of  the 
Storm  Lake  Post,  also  since  coming  west  he 
has  held  a  similar  position  in  Post  No.  57  at 
San  Bernardino.  Stanchly  true  to  Republican 
principles,  he  always  has  voted  the  straight  tick- 
et in  national  elections  and  has  rendered  local 
service  to  the  party  in  the  capacity  of  the  sec- 
retary of  -the  county  central  committee.  Short- 
ly after  the  close  of  the  war  he  established  do- 
mestic ties,  being  united  in  marriage  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  November  13.  1865,  with  Miss 
Frances  Y.  Young,  who  was  born  in  Belfast, 
Ale.,  received  an  excellent  education,  and  is  a 
lady  of  culture  and  refinement,  an  ideal  com- 
panion for  a  citizen  as  popular,  prominent,  pub- 
lic-spirited and  progressive  as  Colonel  Vestal. 


WILLIA:\r  IT.  AA^ORKATAN.  The  family 
represented  by  AA'^illiam  H.  Workman  boasts 
an  ancestry  which  has  given  to  its  descendants 


sturdy  qualities  of  manhood  and  insured  the 
success  of  their  careers.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Thomas  Workman,  was  a  native  of 
England  and  a  prominent  yeoman  of  West- 
moreland county ;  the  maternal  grandfather, 
John  Hook,  inheriting  from  German  ancestry 
a  strong  character,  was  born  in  Fincastle,  Va., 
and  ser\'ed  under  General  Washington  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Cook,  a  relative  of  the  distinguished  traveler 
of  that  name.  As  early  as  1819  the  Hook 
family  located  in  Aiissouri.  which  was  then 
the  frontier,  where  the  Indians  preyed  upon 
the  settlers  and  constantly  threatened  their 
lives  and  property.  It  required  courage  to 
face  these  dangers  and  ability  to  establish  a 
home  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness.  David 
Workman,  the  father  of  William  H.,  married 
Nancy  Hook,  and  born  of  this  union  were  three 
sons,  of  whom  the  eldest,  Thomas  H.,  was 
killed  by  the  explosion  of  the  steamer  Ada 
Hancock,  in  Wilmington  Harbor,  April  27, 
1863.  The  second  son.  Elijah  H.,  settled  at 
Boyle  Heights;  while  the  third,  William  H., 
is  the  subject  of  this  review. 

He  was  born  in  New  Franklin,  Howard 
county.  Mo.,  in  1839.  and  accompanied  his 
parents  to  California,  the  family  crossing  the 
plains  with  ox-team.s  in  1854,  taking  six 
months  to  make  the  trip.  This  was  the  third 
trip  of  the  father,  who  had  just  returned  east 
to  bring  his  wife  and  children  to  the  Pacific 
coast.  He  came  fir.st  in  1849  to  seek  his  for- 
tunes in  the  mines ;  returned  home,  then  in 
1852  came  back  to  the  state  and  again  in  1854. 
Hi's  brother  William  came  as  a  trapper  from 
Santa  Fe  with  John  Rowland,  and  while  on  a 
visit  to  this  brother  he  conceived  the  idea 
from  him  to  bring  his  sons  to  this  state  and 
enable  them  to  start  in  life  and  make  a  home 
in  California.  ?nd  make  "men  of  his  boys," 
this  suggestion  coming  from  his  brother. 
Their  first  location  upon  their  arrival  in  the 
state  was  in  Los  Angeles,  making  the  trip 
through  the  mining  section  of  Northern  Cali- 
fornia", whence  they  came  by  boat  to  this  city. 
Previous  to  his  location  in  the  west  William 
H.  Workman  hnd  attended  the  public  schools 
in  Boonville,  Alo.,  where  he  pbtained  an  ele- 
mentary education,  after  which  he  pursued  a 
course  at  F.  T.  Kemper's  Collegiate  Institute, 
and  later  learned  the  printer's  trade  with  the 
Boonville  Observer.  Following  his  settlement 
in  Los  Angeles  he  followed  this  trade  in  the 
office  of  the  .'southern  Californian.  which  was 
published  by  Butts  &  Wheeler,  on  the  corner 
of  Court  and  Spring  streets,  in  a  corrugated 
iron  building  brought  from  England  by  Hen- 
rv  Dallon,  the  owner  of  the  Azusa  ranch, 
f.ater  he  worked  in  the  office  of  the  Los  An- 


520 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRArHICAL  RECORD. 


geles  Star,  located  on  Spring  street  opposite 
the  Temple  block.  After  a  brief  time  spent 
in  this  position  he  clerked  for  a  time,  then 
accepted  the  offer  of  employment  to  carry 
messages  on  horseback  between  Los  Angeles 
and  San  Bernardino  for  the  Banning  Trans- 
portation Company.  These  were  the  early 
days  of  the  state  and  the  very  beginning  of  a 
civilization  which  should  one  day  place  Cali- 
fornia -on  a  par  with  all  other  states  of  the 
Union;  but  at  that  time  the  country  was 
sparsely  settled,  hardships  were  the  lot  of  the 
many  and  only  the  far-sighted  pioneer  could 
look  to  a  future  beyond  his  primitive  surround- 
ings. In  the  early  years  of  his  manhood  ^Ir. 
Workman  engaged  with  his  brother,  Elijah 
H.,  in  the  establishment  and  management  of 
a  harness  and  saddlery  business,  and  from  a 
modest  beginning-  this  grew  into  a  lucrative 
and  important  enterprise  which  continued  suc- 
cessfully for  twenty-one  years. 

In  the  meantime,  in  1867,  Mr.  Workman 
married  Miss  Maria  E.  Boyle,  the  only  child 
of  Andrew  Boyle,  the  first  settler  of  Boyle 
Heights.  His  old  brick  house,  built  in  1858. 
still  standing  as  a  historical  landmark  of  the 
East  side,  is  being  preser\-ed  by  }ilr.  Work- 
man. Although  at  this  time  he  was  identified 
with  real  estate  transactions  in  Los  Angeles 
his  interests  naturally  became  centered  in 
Boyle  Heights,  and  through  his  efforts  was 
effected  much  of  the  improvement  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  city.  To  induce  settlement  Mr. 
Workman  built  a  carline  (the  second  line  in 
the  city)  on  Aliso  street  and  Pleasant  avenue: 
in  1886  he  built  the  First  street  line  and  after- 
wards was  instrumental  in  building  one  on 
■Fourth  street,  extending  through  Boyle 
Heights  and  then  on  Cummings,  and  though 
at  first  it  was  operated  by  mule-teams  once 
every  hour  it  afforded  ample  transportation. 
A  later  enterprise  required  an  expenditure  of 
$30,000  as  a  bonus  on  the  part  of  Mr.  AVork- 
man  to  assist  the  traction  company  to  connect 
Los  Angeles  with  the  south  side  of  Boyle 
Heights  through  on  Fourth  street,  he  having 
to  secure  the  right  of  way,  which  with  the 
cutting  down  of  the  street  took  two  years. 
In  numerous  other  ways  he  also  sought  to 
improve  the  locality,  in  conjunction  witli  Mrs. 
Hollenbeck,  Mr.  Workman  donating  two- 
thirds  of  the  land  for  that  which  is  now  known 
as  Hollenbeck  Park,  the  two  later  giving  it 
to  the  city. 

With  the  passing  years  Mr.  Workman  had 
also  assumed  a  place  of  importance  in  the 
public  affairs  of  Los  Angeles  and  was  called 
upon  to  fill  many  offices  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility. As  a  Democrat  in  his  political  affili- 
ations he  occupied   a   prominent  place  in   the 


councils  of  his  party,  and  in  1873  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  legislature.  Being  anti-monoply 
he  was  defeated  in  the  election  that  followed. 
As  a  member  of  the  city  council  for  several 
terms  he  was  instrumental  in  bringing  aiiout 
needed  reforms,  and  in  1887  and  1888  ser\ed 
acceptably  as  mayor  of  the  city,  giving  a.i 
earnest  and  conscientious  fulfillment  of  "duty 
which  won  for  him  the  commendatii^n  of  all 
parties.  This  being  in  the  year  of  the  great 
boom  when  property  ran  to  such  incalculable 
heights  in  value,  Mr.  Workman's  strict  ad- 
herence to  his  official  duties  and  the  conse- 
(juent  neglect  of  his  personal  interests  is  all 
the  more  commendable.  In  1900  he  was  elect- 
ed city  treasurer  by  a  majority  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  votes  and  again  proved  his 
efficiency  in  official  position ;  two  years  later 
he  was  enthusiastically  re-elected  by  a  major- 
ity of  three  thousand  votes,  and  upon  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  was  elected  a  third  time 
by  twenty-three  hundred  majority.  This  be- 
ing the  year  of  the  Republican  landslide  shows 
more  fully  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by 
the  citizens  of  Los  Angeles.  During  his  term 
of  service  the  grand  jury  took  up  the  matter 
jf  keeping  money  in  various  banks  of  the  city, 
the  city  not  owning  a  vault.  This  being 
against  the  law  Mr.  Workman  had  to  provide 
for  the  occasion  and  he  did  so  by  hiring 
guards  and  a  vault  for  the  protection  of  the 
money.  Although  this  movement  withdrew 
from  circulation  over  $2,500,000  it  proved  no 
detriment  to  business  interests.  J\Ir.  Work- 
man was  one  of  the  stanch  advocates  of  the 
scheme  for  bonding  the  city  for  $2,000,000  in 
order  to  secure  funds  for  the  purchase  of  a 
water  plant,  and  with  the  city  attorney,  W. 
B.  Mathews,  went  east  to  float  the  bonds,  but 
on  account  of  the  low  rate  of  interest — three 
and  three-fourths  per  cent — encountered  many 
difficulties  in  disponing  of  them.  They  final- 
ly succeeded,  however,  in  New  York  City, 
and  this  movement  proved  very  advantageous 
in  the  growth  and  development  of  Los  An- 
geles. After  retiring  from  the  office  of  city 
treasurer  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Ameri- 
can Savings  Bank,  oi  which  he  is  now  presi- 
dent. As  a  charter  member  and  first  vice- 
president  of  the  Los  Angeles  Chamber  of 
Commerce  ^fr.  ^^'■orkman  has  always  main- 
tained a  prominent  place  in  the  advancement 
of  this  organization.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
Mason,  having  been  made  a  member  in  tS6i 
and  holds  membership  in  the  Los  Angeles 
Lodge  and  Chapter. 

]\Ir.  Workman  has  been  versatile  in  his  tal- 
ents and  accomplishments.  He  has  made  his 
own  way  since  the  early  years  of  boyhood 
and  has  won  his  way  step  by  step  to  a  position 


HISTORICAL  .VXD  BIOGR.VPHICAL  RECORD. 


521 


of  honor  among  the  representati\'e  citizens  of 
Southern  California.  He  has  established  a 
home  and  reared  a  family  of  children  of  whom 
any  parent  might  well  be  proud.  His  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  four  daughters,  Boyle, 
:Mary,  Elizabeth,  William  H.,  Jr.,  Charlotte, 
Gertrude  and  Thomas  E.,  appreciate  fully  their 
father's  standing  as  a  prominent  citizen  of 
their  native  city.  The  family  home  at  No. 
357  South  Bo_vIe  avenue  is  in  the  center  of  a 
well-kept  lawn,  spacious  grounds,  and  there 
their  friends  are  always  welcome  and  the 
stranger  given  the  warm  hand  of  fellowship. 
Mrs.  Workman  presides  over  the  home  with 
a  quiet  dignity  and  has  reared  their  children 
to  ways  of  usefulness. 

Mr.  Workman  is  a  pioneer  and  is  justlv 
proud  of  his  connection  with  the  Pioneer  As- 
sociation of  Los  Angeles  County  and  the  His- 
torical Society  of  Southern  California,  the 
former  of  which  he  was  instrumental  in  or- 
ganizing. He  has  ser^•ed  as  its  president  three 
terms  and  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
the  preservation  of  early  historical  data.  He 
recalls  the  days  -when  a  vineyard  occupied  the 
ground  now  a  part  of  the  railroad  terminals 
of  the  city;  in  the  early  '"os  he  was  a  member 
of  the  board  of  education  and  assisted  in  hav- 
:ng  the  first  high  school  building  erected  in 
the  cit}-.  where  the  present  courthouse  stands, 
since  which  time  he  has  taken  a  never  failing 
interest  in  the  advancement  of  educational 
standards.  He  has  contributed  liberally  to- 
ward all  movements  calculated  for  the  growth 
of  the  city,  having  gi\en  lots  for  the  building 
of  five  different  churches  regardless  of  de- 
nomination, and  supports  all  charitable  enter- 
prises with  equal  liberality.  To  young  and 
old  he  is  "Uncle  Billy."  To  celebrate  his 
fiftieth  anniversary  as  a  citizen  of  Los  Angeles 
he  banqueted  fiye  hundred  pioneers  and  served 
them  with  a  VIexican  menu  from  which  to  se- 
lect their  favorite  dish,  in  memorj-  of  the  early 
customs  of  Southern  California.  The  event 
marked  an  epoch  in  the  historv  of  our  beau- 
tiful southern  city.  Mr.  Workman  has  truly 
won  a  place  of  exceptional  prominence  in  the 
citizenship  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he  has  been 
actively  associated  in  business  for  many  years. 
Tt  has  been  said  of  him  by  those  who  know 
him  best  that  he  is  generous  to  a  fault,  pos- 
sesses the  confidence  of  the  people,  and  no 
man  in  Los  Angeles  stands  higher  in  the  es- 
timation of  the  representative  men.  He  has 
not  been  entirely  free  from  reverses,  but  at 
the  same  time  has  ably  managed  his  afTairs 
and  these  entrusted  to  him ;  conscientiously 
discharged  the  duties  of  the  offices  to  which 
he  has  been  elected,  often  to  the  detriment  of 
liis    personal    affairs.      In    the    evening    of   his 


days  he  can  look  back  upon  a  life  well  spent 
and  forward  without  fear  to  whatever  future 
awaits  him,  for  he  has  lived  in 
for  and  toward  the  right. 


conscience 


COL.  J.  A.  DRHTILL,  manager  of  the  Amer- 
ican Beet  Sugar  Company  of  Oxnard,  is  de- 
scended from  a  long  line  of  ancestors  who  have 
been  interested  in  manufacturing  pursuits  of 
various  kinds,  and  while  his  own  life  has  not 
all  been  spent  in  active  manufacturing  interests, 
the  greater  part  of  it  has  been  so  employed.  He 
was  born  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  September  24, 
1859,  being  the  oldest  of  the  three  sons  in  the 
family.  The  grandfather,  James  Drififill,  emi- 
grated from  Devonshire,  England,  when  his  fam- 
ily was  still  young,  and  settling  in  Rochester,  en- 
gaged in  the  shoe  manufacturing  business,  which 
was  the  same  occupation  he  had  followed  in 
England.  William  Lewis  Drififill,  the  father  of 
Colonel  Driffill,  was  born  in  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land, but  grew  to  manhood  in  Rochester,  N. 
Y.,  and  became  a  lumber,  manufacturer  and 
dealer,  first  in  Western  New  York,  then  in  Mich- 
igan, finally  going  back  to  Rochester,  where  he 
died.  His  life  had  been  one  of  honesty  and  in- 
tegrity and  he  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  his 
friends.  The  Baptist  Church  held  his  affiliations 
and  he  took  a  personal  interest  in  church  activ- 
ities as  well  as  contributed  generously  to  its 
lienevolences.  Colonel  DrifiiU's  mother  was 
Eliza  Glascow,  born  in  Ontario,  the  daughter  of 
James  Glascow  who  came  from  Scotland,  where 
he  had  been  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen. 
In  Scotland  he  was  interested  in  steamship 
building,  in  this  particular  following  a  long  line 
of  ancestors  had  bequeathed  the  business  from 
father  to  son  from  early  days  when  the  first 
ones  were  shipbuiMers  on  the  Clyde.  In  Ontario 
Mr.  Glascow  became  cunnected  with  a  shipbuild- 
ing company  and  continued  in  the  work  until  his 
death.     The  mother  died  several  years  ago. 

J.  A.  Drififill  was  given  a  public  school  edu- 
cation, supplemented  by  a  course  at  the 
Rochester  Free  Academy  and  Commercial  Col- 
lege. Following  his  graduation  he  secured  a 
position  with  L.  P.  Ross,  a  shoe  manufacturer, 
and  succeeded  in  working  up  to  an  important 
position  with  the  firm.  Too  close  attention  to 
his  work  impaired  his  health,  and  after  serving 
his  employers  four  and  one-half  years,  he  re- 
signed. In  1883  he  decided  to  remove  to  Cali- 
fornia, after  careful  consideration  of  the  ad- 
vantages of  different  points  deciding  upon 
Pomona  as  a  location.  During  the  same  year 
Colonel  Driffill  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Emma  Gordon,  daughter  of  .Alexander  Gordon 
of  Rochester,  and  born  of  this  union  were  two 
daughters.  Marv  Edith  and  Emma  Mabel. 


522 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


During  the  ten  years  of  his  residence  at 
Pomona  he  was  interested  in  the  cultivation  of 
oranges  and  other  horiticultural  products,  but 
the  venture  proved  unsuccessful.  In  1893  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Chino  and  there  first 
became  connected  with  the  American  Beet  Sugar 
Company.  Encouraged  by  the  large  returns 
which  the  farmers  about  Chino  were  receiving 
for  their  beets  which  they  sold  to  the  sugar  fac- 
tory, the  people  about  Qxnard  decided  that  they 
would  try  beet  culture.  In  1896  a  few  were 
grown  with  flattering  results,  and  in  1897  ^ 
large  crop  was  produced  which  it  was  necessary 
to  ship  to  Chino.  Then  the  company  decided  to 
build  one  of  the  finest,  largest  and  most  up-to- 
date  beet  sugar  factories  on  the  Pacific  coast  at 
O.xnard,  and  Colonel  Driffill  was  made  manager 
of  the  new  factory,  in  recognition  of  the  efficient 
service  he  had  given  to  the  Chino  plant  as  store- 
keeper and  manager's  assistant.  The  success  of 
the  Qxnard  factory  has  conclusively  proven  the 
wisdom  of  the  choice  of  their  man  as  manager. 
Work  was  commenced  on  the  plant  at  Qxnard 
and  its  completion  accomplished  within  eighteen 
months'  time.,  This  left  the  1898  crop  to  be 
shipped  to  Chino,  but  in  1899  the  Qxnard  factory 
began  operations  and  from  that  time  to  this  the 
company  has  paid  the  farmers  of  that  section 
about  $6,000,000  for  their  beets.  All  of  the 
product  has  been-  manufactured  into  standard- 
grade  granulated  sugar,  and  the  track  which  the 
Southern  Pacific  found  it  necessary  to  lay  from 
Montalvo  to  haul  in  the  material  when  the 
factory  was  being  built,  is  now  used  to  haul  out 
the  immense  quantity  of  sugar  manufactured. 
The  capacity  of  the  factory  is  two  thousand 
tons  per  twenty-four  hours  run,  and  to  insure 
a  sufficient  quantit}-  of  beets  to  operate  profitably 
during  the  season  ( from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  days)  necessitates  that 
contracts  be  made  with  the  farmers  to  plant 
eighteen  thousand  acres  of  beets  each  season. 
Conditions  are  very  favorable  in  this  section  for 
the  growing  of  the  crop  and  a  maximum  return 
of  from  $75  to  $100  per  acre  is  realized  by  the 
grower.  The  main  building  of  the  factory  is  an 
immense  structure  401x121  feet,  and  has  seven 
floors.  Besides  this  there  is  a  sugar  warehouse 
220x60  feet,  boiler  house,  machine  shops,  etc. 
Six  hundred  men  are  employed  in  the  factory 
during  the  operating  season,  while  from  twelve 
hundred  to  fifteen  hundred  men  are  required  to 
harvest  the  crop.  Qxnard  has  grown  as  high 
a.s  eighteen  thousand  acres  of  beets  in  one  sea- 
son, and  when  one  considers  that  in  1897  the 
country  was  practically  one  vast  bean  field  this  is 
indeed  phenomenal. 

The  initial,  continued  and  present  success  of 
the  whole  industry  is  attributable  in  very  large 
measure  to  Colonel  Driffill's  unflagging  zeal  and 


remarkable  executive  and  financial  ability.  In 
all  the  years  the  enviable  record  of  never  having 
had  a  contract  forfeited  nor  been  obliged  to  col- 
lect a  debt  by  law  has  been  made.  But  even  the 
management  of  so  large  a  business  enterprise 
has  by  no  means  filled  or  exhausted  the  capacity 
of  Colonel  Driffill  to  accomplish  things  and  he 
has  been  active  in  other  important  enterprises 
of  vital  interest  to  the  city  of  Qxnard.  When 
the  town  was  laid  out  in  the  spring  of  1898  he 
organized  the  Colonial  Improvement  Company 
and  became  its  president  and  manager  and  as- 
sisted in  the  sale  of  lots.  To  this  enterprise  the 
city  is  indebted,  in  large  measure,  for  its  present 
prosperity. 

In  1903  the  light  and  water  properties  were 
separated  from  the  town  properties  and  the  Qx- 
nard Light  and  Water  Company  was  organized, 
Colonel  Driffill  becoming  president.  The  com- 
pany built  a  water  plant,  put  down  artesian  wells 
and  secured  an  abundance  of  water,  after  which 
they  constructed  a  light  and  power  plant  and  in- 
stalled the  finest  modern  power  house  on  the 
coast  for  the  size  of  the  municipality,  the  build- 
ing being  106x50  feet  in  dimensions  and  the 
engine  being  of  three  hundred  horse  power.  The 
company  also  furnishes  light  and  power  to  El 
Rio,  a  village  two  miles  north  of  Qxnard,  and 
to  Hueneme  on  the  south,  as  well  as  to  a  num- 
ber of  intervening  farm  houses.  In  July,  1900, 
Colonel  Driffill  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
first  bank  in  Qxnard,  starting  it  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $50,000.  In  1905  the  capital  stock  was 
increased  to  ,$100,000  and  a  surplus  of  $25,000. 
all  paid  in.  For  several  years  he  was  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  institution  and  is  now  filling  the 
office  of  president. 

A  well  rounded  man  has  other  interests  be- 
sides business,  however,  and  Colonel  Driffill  has 
well  earned  this  distinction.  In  military  lines  he 
has  alwavs  been  active  wherever  he  has  been 
located,  and  the  various  organizations  have 
found'  in  him  a  member  capable  of  leading  them. 
While  in  Rochester,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Fiftv-fourth  Regiment,  National  Guards  of  New 
York.  Removing  to  Pomona  he  became  lieu- 
tenant and  later  captain  of  Company  D,  Seventh 
California  Regiment,  and  from  there  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Ninth  California  Regiment  and 
made  captain  of  Company  D.  Later  he  became 
major  inspector  on  General  Johnson's  staflf,  and 
was  also  at  one  time  lieutenant-colonel,  and  as- 
sistant adiutant-gcneral  on   General   Last's  staff. 

Fraternally  Colonel  Driffill  has  received  high 
degrees  and  offices  in  the  Masonic  lodge  which 
he  first  joined  in  Pomona,  and  is  now  a  member 
and  past  master  of  Qxnard  Lodge  No.  341.  F. 
&  A.  M.  Made  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  Los 
Angeles,  he  is  now  a  member  of  Qxnard  Chapter 
No'.  86,  R.  A.  M.,  received  the  Templar  degrees 


iit0i,cK 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


525 


in  Coeur  d'  Alene  Commandery  at  Los  Angeles, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Southern  CaHfornia  Com- 
mandery No.  37,  K.  T.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Los  Angeles  Consistory  No.  3,  and  belongs  to 
the  Al  jNIalaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  of 
Los  Angeles. 

In  politics  Colonel  Driffill  is  a  Republican  and 
he  gives  to  his  party  the  same  loyal  support  that 
he  accords  every  interest — business,  social  or 
otherwise — and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club  of  Los  Angeles.  In  fact,  ho  does 
nothing  in  a  half-hearted  way  and  when  he  gives 
his  name  to  the  support  of  any  cause  it  also 
means  that  he  gives  to  it  his  talents.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  Citizens  Club  of  Qxnard,  and 
belongs  to  the  California  Club  of  Los  Angeles. 
That  Colonel  Driffill  is  a  man  of  versatile  talents, 
great  ability  and  discriminating  tact  is  thorough- 
ly evidenced  by  the  list  of  positions  which  he  is 
daily  filling,  and  when  it  is  stated  that  in  all  of 
his  multitudinous  dealings  with  men  in  so  many 
different  channels  he  has  been  enabled  to  make 
of  e\'ery  one  his  friend,  no  higher  tribute  could 
be  paid  him.  He  is  very  popular  both  in  his  own 
community  and  in  the  state  at  large  where  he  is 
known.  Any  community  might  well  congratulate 
itself  on  having  Colonel  Driffill  among  its  citi- 
zens, and  that  Oxnard  has  so  fully  accorded  him 
the  leadership  in  so  many  branches  of  its  busi- 
ness, social  and  political  life  is  but  just  recogni- 
tion of  a  strong  man's  worth. 


HON.  MEREDITH  P.  SNYDER.  There 
are  names  so  closely  associated  with  the  per- 
manent development  of  Los  Angeles  that  the 
mention  of  the  city's  growth  brings  to  the  old 
residents  thoughts  of  the  personality  of  these 
citizens  and  their  important  contribution  to 
local  progress.  None  has  been  more  active 
than  ?ilr.  Snyder  in  promoting  measures  for 
the  welfare  of  the  city;  none  has  been  more 
deeply  interested  in  municipal  affairs,  and 
few  have  been  more  influential  in  fostering 
enterprises  necessary  to  the  city's  material, 
commercial  and  educational  growth.  Hence 
in  local  annals  his  name  is  worthy  of  perpetu- 
ation, and  a  complete  history  of  the  place  could 
not  be  written  without  giving  due  mention  to 
the  citizenship  of  this  prominent  man. 

The  Snyder  famU}-  is  of  southern  origin. 
North  Carolina  beci.iming  the  scene  of  their 
labors  during  the  colonial  period  of  our  coun- 
try. At  Lexington  Court  House,  in  that  state, 
October  22,  1859,  Mereditli  P.  Snyder  was 
born,  the  son  of  K.  D.  and  Elizabeth  (Heiher) 
Snyder.  Both  parents  passed  away  w-hen  their 
son  was  but  a  lad  in  years,  and  the  estate  be- 
ing rendered  worthless  by  the  devastating  ef- 
fects of  the  Civil  war  he  was  compelled  to  seek 


a  livelihood  early  in  life.  Of  a  studious  na- 
ture through  inheritance  he  devoted  all  the 
time  he  could  possibly  spare  to  securing  an 
education,  accumulating  sufficient  means  to 
give  him  considerable  collegiate  training,  al- 
though he  did  not  graduate.  In  1880  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home  and  successfully  estab- 
lished for  himself  a  place  among  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  this  city.  His  first  occupa- 
tion was  as  clerk  in  a  furniture  store,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  like  capacity  for  B.  F. 
Coulter  Dry  Goods  Company  and  had  charge 
for  four  years  of  the  drapery  department. 
Following  this  clerkship  he  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  business  for  eight  years,  when,  for 
a  similar  period,  he  was  at  the  head  of  the 
M.  P.  Snyder  Shoe  Company,  a  business  which 
is  still  successfully  carried  on  although  un- 
der  different    management. 

A  Democrat  in  his  political  convictions  [Mr. 
Snyder  early  became  associated  with  this  part)' 
in  Los  Angeles  and  was  chosen  to  represent 
the  people  in  various  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility.  For  twelve  years  he  was  the 
leader  of  the  Democratic  party  in  the  city  and 
practically  controlled  their  movements.  Elect- 
ed in  1891  a  member  of  the  police  commission 
he  served  acceptably  until  the  expiration  of 
his  term,  when  he  was  re-elected.  Two  years 
later  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  second 
ward  in  the  city  council,  where  he  took  an  ac- 
tive part  in  all  movements  tending  toward  the 
upbuilding  of  the  town.  Careful  and  dis- 
criminating in  his  public  office  as  he  has  al- 
ways been  in  business  life,  he  considered  the 
worth  of  all  measures  introduced  before  giv- 
ing them  his  support,  and  after  having  once 
made  up  his  mind  nothing  could  swer\-e  him 
from  his  point.  An  evidence  of  his  standing 
as  a  citizen  and  his  prominence  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party  was  his  nomination  in  the  fall  of 
1896  for  the  office  of  mayor.  His  election  by 
a  large  -majority  followed  and  in  January, 
1897,  he  took  his  seat  and  began  an  adminis- 
tration which  has  meant  no  little  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  city.  Although  exercising  a  con- 
trolling influence  in  local  affairs  this  influ- 
ence was  used  only  for  the  best  purposes  and 
for  the  distinct  good  of  the  municipality.  Be- 
tween the  expiration  of  this  term  and  his  re- 
election in  1899  he  engaged  in  the  real-es- 
tate business,  his  interests  being  confined  to 
acreage  subdivisions,  in  which  he  met  with 
success.  Again  chosen  to  the  office  in  1899 
he  began  his  administration  in  1900,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1902,  closing  his  third  term  as 
mayor  of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  in  1905.  His 
record  is  one  which  may  well  be  emulated  by 
aspirants  to  this  office,  because  he  had  always 


526 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  mind  the  welfare  of  the  municipality,  its 
growth  and  upbuilding,  and  with  this  his  aim 
made  a  success  of  his  work.  His  reasons  for 
political  actions  have  always  been  based  upon 
sound  judgment  and  common  sense,  a  careful 
study  of  the  point  in  question  from  all  view 
points,  after  which  he  has  taken  decisive  ac- 
tion. He  is  universally  esteemed  by  thought- 
ful men  whether  of  his  party  or  another,  and 
justly  named  among  the  men  who  have  done 
much    for   the   upbuilding   of   the   city. 

Like  all  men  who  work  for  the  good  of  a 
municipality  Mr.  Snyder's  hobby  was  and  is 
municipal  ownership  of  the  water  supply. 
Before  his  entrance  into  official  politics  he 
served  as  secretary  of  a  municipal  water  works 
club  and  very  strongly  advocated  a  supply  of 
pure  water,  firmly  believing  that  the  city 
would  need  an  unlimited  supply.  Not  liking 
the  methods  employed  by  the  old  water  com- 
pany he  fought  them  for  twelve  years,  en- 
deavoring to  induce  them  to  sell  out  to  the 
cit_v.  He  was  elected  to  the  ofifiice  of  mayor  on 
the  platform  of  municipal  water  works  owner- 
ship. He  finally  induced  the  old  company  to 
set  a  figure  of  $2,000,000,  at  which  time  he 
opened  a  campaign,  taking  the  platform  and 
working  to  have  the  city  bonded  for  that 
amount.  When  success  attended  his  efforts 
and  the  bonds  were  floated  in  New  York  City 
by  attorneys  Dillon  and  Hubbard  it  was  found 
they  were  faulty  and  could  not  be  disposed  of 
until  they  were  out  of  the  hands  of  the  water 
company.  After  considerable  discussion  the 
water  company  agreed  to  deed  the  works  to  a 
trustee  and  the  city  selected  the  same  man 
and  even  though  Mr.  Snyder  had  fought  them 
for  years,  yet  the  water  company  chose  him 
as  the  party  and  for  fifteen  days  he  was  sole- 
owner,  without  bond,  of  that  all-important 
source  of  the  city's  development.  By  this 
means  the  bonds  could  be  negotiated  and  from 
this  the  present  system  has  developed.  He 
appointed  the  first  commission  which  was  the 
one  that  brought  about  the  present  Owens 
river  project.  In  1904  Mr.  Snyder  organized 
the  California  Savings  Bank  and  became  its 
president.  A  company  had  secured  the  char- 
ter for  a  bank  but  -were  unable  to  effect  its 
organization,  finally  giving  the  entire  matter 
into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Snyder.  They  began 
with  a  capital  stock  oi  $.^00,000  and  in  the 
brief  time  that  has  elapsed  have  become  one 
of  the  strong  banking  institutions  of  this  city. 
Their  giowth  has  been  phenomenal  and  they 
now  find  their  building,  located  at  the  corner 
of  Fifth  and  Broadway,  inadequate  for  their 
needs.  In  the  near  future  they  contemplate 
the  erection  of  a  new  building,  Mr.  Snyder 
is  vice-president  and  director  of  the   Gardena 


Bank  &  Trust  Company  and  one  of  the  original 
stockholders  in   the  Central  Bank. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Snyder  is  presided  over 
by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  May  Ross,  with 
whom  he  was  united  in  1888.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  W.  Ross,  Avho  served  in  the 
body  guard  of  President  Lincoln  during  the 
Civil  war  and  later  became  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Topeka,  Kans.,  where  he  served  as 
mayor  and  in  oLher  prominent  positions.  Her 
uncle,  Hon.  Edmund  G.  Ross,  was  governor 
of  New  Mexico  and  also  served  as  United 
States  senator.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  have 
one  son,  Ross.  In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr. 
Snyder  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  a  member  of 
the  Elks,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  various 
others,  being  very  prominent  in  these  circles. 
In  his  business  transactions  he  has  been  open 
and  always  in  favor  of  a  square  deal.  While 
a  prominent  Democrat  his  election  as  mayor 
was  upon  a  much  broader  basis ;  it  was  "For 
the  people  and  by  the  people."  While  in  of- 
fice he  gave  his  undivided  attention  to  the  peo- 
ple's interests  vvith  the  same  fidelity  that  he 
would  give  to  his  own.  Such  men  as  he  build 
for  all  time  and  leave  a  monument  to  their 
memory  in  substantial  form,  as  well  as  a  heri- 
tage to  their  posterity  and  an  example  worthy 
of  emulation. 


CAPT.  JOFIN  T.  BRADY.  Wherever  cir- 
cumstances have  placed  liim  Captain  Brady  has 
been  a  prominent  figure  in  his  community,  a 
fact  which  has  been  nowhere  better  or  more 
forcibly  illustrated  than  since  his  identification 
with  Pomona  in  i8qi.  .When  he  had  been  in  the 
town  only  a  few  months  he  comprehended  thor- 
oughly her  advantages  and  opportunities,  and 
was  equally  well  prepared  to  enlist  his  services 
in  a  way  that  would  redound  to  the  mutual  credit 
and  advantage  of  himself  and  his  adopted  home 
town.  It  was  in  January  of  1892  that  he  opened 
the  National  Bank  of  Pomona,  the  history  of 
whose  growth  and  prosperity  was  made  a  possi- 
bility through  his  wise  management  as  president 
for  fourteen  years.  It  was  started  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $50,000,  and  in  April  of  1904  its  capital 
stock  was  doubled  and  its  name  was  then 
changed  to  the  American  National  Bank  of 
Pomona.  At  that  time  it  paid  its  stockholders 
seventy  per  cent,  which  left  a  surplus  of  $25,000. 
From  the  time  of  its  organization  the  bank  has 
had  a  steady,  conservative  growth,  and  in  1901 
it  bought  the  People's  Bank.  Throughout  its 
liistory,  until  January  of  1906,  Captain  Brady 
was  at  the  helm  to  weather  the  financial  storms, 
and  although  he  has  resigned  the  presidency  he 
is  still  interested  as  a  stockholder  in  the  institu- 
tion. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


527 


Captain  Brady  was  born  in  Cass  county,  Illi- 
nois, October  17,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles 
and  Mabala  (Graves)  Brady,  the  former  born 
in  Washington  county,  Kentucky,  in  1801,  and 
the  latter  in  1802.  When  he  was  a  young  man 
of  twenty-six  years  the  father  went  to  what 
was  then  considered  the  frontier,  settling  on  a 
farm  in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  which  ever  after 
remained  his  home.  In  his  political  sympathies 
he  was  an  old-line  Whig  and  advocated  the  aboli- 
tion of  slavery,  a  belief  to  which  he  had  been 
trained  iiy  his  progenitors.  When  he  was  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  in  1859,  Captain  Brady 
was  one  of  the  number  whose  object  in  coming 
west  was  to  seek  the  gold  fields  of  Pike's  Peak, 
whose  discovery  that  year  took  thousands  of 
young  men  from  farms  m  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. On  the  way  he  slopped  in  Nemaha  county, 
Kansas,  and  it  was  nnt  until  the  following  year 
that  he  carried  nnt  hi>  original  plan  in  coming 
to  the  west — namely,  tu  reach  Pike's  Peak.  The 
fact  that  he  returned  the  same  year  and  settled 
in  Kansas  is  sufficient  evidence  that  his  anticipa- 
tions in  regard  to  reaching  sudden  wealth  in  the 
gold  fields  there  were  not  realized.  Undismayed 
l)y  this  change  in  his  plans  he  entered  into  the 
life  of  the  pioneer  farmer  in  Kansas.  The  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war  brought  another  change 
in  liis  life,  and  in  July,  1861.  he  volunteered  as 
a  member  of  Company  ^\.  Seventh  Kansas  Regi- 
ment, being  mustered  in  as  duty  sergeant. 
During  his  term  of  three  years  he  saw  much 
hard  service,  and  among  the  notable  battles  in 
which  he  participated  were  those  at  Corinth, 
luka  and  Holiy  Springs.  Cpon  his  return  to 
Kansas  lie  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  border 
warfare,  and  was  finally  mustered  out  at  Leaven- 
worth in  October.  1864. 

Returning  to  Nemaha  county,  Kansas,  Captain 
Brady  resinned  the  duties  which  he  had  laid 
down  to  answer  his  country's  call,  and  in  the 
years  that  followed  became  a  large  land  owner 
and  stock-raiser  in  the  new  state.  In  1870  he 
was  president  of  the  company  that  located  and 
laid  out  the  town  of  Sabetha.  A  new  impetus 
was  added  to  the  little  town  bv  the  building  of 
a  railroad  through  it,  and  from  that  time  onward 
it  had  a  steady  growth.  In  1882  Captain  Brad\ 
was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  Citizens' 
Bank  of  Sabetha,  of  which  he  himself  was  presi- 
dent. One  yea-  later  it  was  merged  into  the 
Citizens'  National  Bank,  and  two  \ears  later,  on 
a  consolidation  with  the  First  National  Bank, 
the  name  was  changed  to  tlie  Sabetha  State  Bank, 
under  which  title  it  remained  until  changed  to 
its  preseni  title,  the  National  Bank  of  Sabetha. 
Captain  Brady's  knowledge  of  financial  affairs 
and  his  ability  as  an  organizer  of  banks  made 
him  an  important  factor  in  his  community,  but 
not  there  alone,  for  he  was  instrumental  in  start- 


ing the  bank  at  Fairview,  of  which  he  was  presi- 
dent for  a  tiine.  He  also  started  the  bank  at 
Hums,  Nemaha  county,  and  was  the  founder  of 
a  bank  at  Morrill,  Brown  county.  Throughout 
his  residence  in  Kansas  he  was  largely  interested 
in  the  cattle  business,  his  partner  in  this  enter- 
prise being  ex-Governor  Butler  of  Nebraska. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  ill-heaith  of  his  wife  it 
is  doubtfu.l  if  he  would  have  given  up  his  bright 
prospects  in  Kansas  for  a  home  elsewhere.  In 
traveling  about  in  search  of  a  desirable  climate 
they  came  to  California  in  1888,  but  did  not  lo- 
cate here  permanently  until  two  years  later,  then 
settling  in  Ontario,  San  Bernardino  county.  The 
following  year  they  came  to  Pomona,  and  have 
since  been  classed  among  the  town's  active  and 
enterprising  citizens.  They  have  a  beautiful  res- 
idence on  the  corner  of  Holt  avenue  and  Palo- 
mares  street,  the  ground  being  laid  out  in  attrac- 
tive walks  and  drives,  and  numerous  palms,  fruit 
trees  and  flowers  further  enhance  the  beauty  of 
the  surroundings.  Mrs.  Brady  was  before  her 
marriage  Emily  E.  Collins,  a  native  of  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  although  her  marriage  occurred 
in  Sabetha,  Kans. 

Associated  with  two  others,  A.  C.  Moorhead 
and  Frederick  Hewitt,  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased,  Captain  Brady  purchased  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  near  Ontario  and  set  out  the 
land  in  oranges  and  lemons,  this  now  being  one 
of  the  most  attractive  ranches  in  the  Pomona 
valley.  On  the  organization  of  the  Pomona 
Fruit  Growers'  Exchange  he  was  made  its  presi- 
dent, a  position  which  he  filled  for  about  ten 
years.  In  1896  he  was  instrumental,  with  others, 
in  incorporating  the  Consolidated  Water  Com- 
pany of  Pomona,  supplying  the  water  for  do- 
mestic purposes  to  Pomona,  North  Pomona  and 
Claremont.  In  1903  they  sold  the  latter  system. 
In  1905,  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Longdon,  Cap- 
tain Brady  was  appointed  by  Governor  Pardee 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  at  Los 
Angeles  for  the  first  district.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  county  executive  commit- 
tee and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  of  Pomona.  Fraternal  affairs  have  also 
made  claims  upon  his  time,  and  besides  holding 
membership  in  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  he  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge 
of  Pomona.  He  became  identified  with  the  order 
in  Illinois  in  October  of  i8,q=;,  at  which  time  he 
joined  Saxon  Lodge  No  68,  in  Virginia.  By 
his  membership  in  Vicksburg  Post  No.  61,  G.  A. 
R.,  he  keeps  alive  the  memory  of  army  days, 
being  one  of  the  charter  members,  and  is  post 
commander  in  Sabetha,  Kans.  In  religious  belief 
he  is  of  the  Unitarian  faith,  attending  the  church 
of  that  denomination  in  Pomona,  and  the  only 
strictly  social  order  to  which  he  belongs  is  the 
I'nion  League  Gnb  of  Los  Angeles. 


>28 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


PROF.  J.  J.  MORGAN.  The  appreciation  in 
which  Prof.  J.  J.  Morgan  is  held  as  an  educator 
is  shown  by  the  important  positions  which  he 
has  been  called  upon  to  fill  since  his  location  in 
Southern  California  in  1894,  and  his  worth  is 
justly  estimated  in  the  results  which  he  has 
accomplished.  He  is  now  serving  as  city  super- 
intendent of  the  schools  of  Long  Beach,  until 
1905  having  held  the  position  of  supervising 
principal  of  all  the  schools  and  principal  of  the 
high  school  of  this  city.  In  this  work  he  was 
instrumental  in  securing  a  rapid  development 
along  the  lines  of  educational  advancement,  en- 
larging the  schools,  securing  modern  and  up-to- 
date  equipment,  and  to  a  marked  degree  empha- 
sizing the  high  standard  of  excellence  which  has 
given  the  pupils  of  these  schools  entree  into  the 
best  collegiate  institutions  of  the  state.  At  the 
same  time  he  has  won  for  himself  a  popularity 
which  is  not  based  upon  his  ability  as  a  teacher, 
but  is  the  outcome  of  the  qualities  of  manhood 
which  have  formed  no  small  part  in  the  success 
of  his  career. 

Professor  Morgan  is  a  native  of  La  Grange 
county,  Ind.,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  that 
section  in  1865,  and  while  still  a  child  in  years 
was  taken  by  his  parents  (representatives  of 
Scotch  and  English  ancestry)  to  the  state  of 
Michigan.  The  studious  nature  which  he  early 
developed  was  an  inheritance  from  the  paternal 
side  of  the  family,  all  being  teachers  or  profes- 
sional men,  his  father  a  minister  in  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church.  He  became  a  student  in 
the  public  schools  of  Plymouth,  Mich.,  where  he 
was  graduated,  after  which  he  studied  law.  On 
account  of  impaired  health  he  was  forced  to  give 
up  the  study  of  law,  and  in  Albion  College  and 
the  University  of  Michigan  fitted  himself  for 
teaching.  He  met  with  success  in  his  chosen 
work  and  finally  accepted  the  position  of  super- 
intendent of  city  schools  in  I3ad  Axe,  Huron 
county,  Mich.  After  two  years  he  decided  to 
come  to  Southern  California,  in  which  state  he 
had  previously  traveled,  and  accordingly  located 
in  the  vicinity  of  Pomona,  Los  Angeles  county, 
where  he  began  teaching  school.  Securing  the 
principalship  of  the  public  and  high  schools  of 
Covina,  he  held  this  position  for  seven  years, 
and  in  the  meantime  was  instrumental  in  the 
organization  of  the  high  school.  In  1898  he 
assumed  the  principalship  of  that  institution,  hav- 
ing under  him  twelve  teachers.  In  1902  he  came 
to  Long  Beach  in  the  capacity  above  named,  that 
of  supervising  principal  of  the  whole  and  prin- 
cipal of  the  high  school,  having  eleven  teachers 
in  the  grammar  schools  and  six  in  the  high 
school.  This  number  has  been  greatly  increased 
in  the  past  three  years,  in  November,  1905,  there 
being  seventy-five  grammar  and  fifteen  high 
school    teachers,    while     the     attendance    of    the 


schools  is  larger  than  that  of  Los  Angeles  in 
1880  and  three  times  larger  than  it  was  in  1902. 
Professor  Morgan  has  supervision  of  ten  school 
buildings  and  looks  after  all  the  improvements, 
etc.,  throughout  the  city.  An  evidence  of  the 
merits  of  the  schools  lies  in  the  fact  that  they 
have  twenty-seven  and  a  half  credits  among  the 
accredited  schools  of  the  state,  it  being  possible 
for  one  school  to  score  only  thirty-nine  and 
ninety-nine  one-hundredths  credits.  Pupils  of 
the  Long  Beach  schools  are  admitted  to  Leland 
Stanford  University;  University  of  Southern 
California ;  Occidental  and  Claremont  Colleges, 
and  stand  especially  high  among  the  schools  in 
debating  and  athletics. 

In  Michigan  Professor  jMorgan  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Anna  B.  Smith,  a  graduate  of 
Plymouth  high  school  and  a  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  the  state.  They  make  their  home  at 
No.  511  West  Ninth  street,  where  the  professor 
has  built  a  handsome  residence.  He  has  also 
invested  in  other  property  in  Long  Beach  and 
has  built  several  houses.  Fraternally  he  is  iden- 
tified with  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327,  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  Long  Beach  Chapter  No.  88,  R.  A.  M., 
having  been  raised  to  this  degree  in  Azusa,  Cal. ; 
Long  Beach  Commandery  No.  40,  K.  T.,  raised 
to  tliis  degree  in  Pomona;  and  Al  Malaikah 
Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Los  Angeles. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge 
at  Covina,  and  the  Elks  of  Long  Beach.  He  is 
a  stanch  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations 
and  in  religion  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  For  some  time  he  served  as 
a  member  of  the  county  board  of  education  and 
is  prominent  in  all  movements  tending  toward 
educational  advancement.  He  belongs  to  the 
Board  of  Trade  and  the  Union  League  Club  of 
Los  Angeles,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Ma- 
sonic Association  and  the  new  hospital,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Long 
Beach  Building  and  Loan  Association.  He  ex- 
presses a  firm  belief  in  the  future  of  Southern 
California  and  especially  of  his  adopted  city, 
to  the  advancement  of  whose  welfare  he  gives 
his  best  eflforts,  making  the  success  of  the  city 
parallel  with  his  personal  interests. 


JOHN  KING.  During  his  residence  of  about 
two  decades  in  California  John  King  greatly  en- 
deared himself  to  a  multitude  of  sincere  friends, 
and  though  he  was  called  to  the  silent  land  over 
thirty-five  years  ago  he  is  still  remembered  with 
the  "kindliest  feelings  by  his  associates  of  the 
carlv  pioneers  days.  He  was  born  in  County 
Down,  Ireland,  August  28,  1827,  but  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  j'cars  became  a  resident  of  the  United 
States,  his  first  stopping  place  being  St.  Louis, 
]Mo.      Going   still    further    south    we    next   find 


c/^. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIC-\L  RECORD. 


531 


him  in  New  Orleans,  where  for  a  number  of 
years  he  was  employed  in  a  hotel.  In  the  mean- 
time considerable  interest  had  been  created  in 
California  by  the  discovery  of  gold,  and  he 
wisely  foresaw  that  the  establishment  of  a  hotel 
there  meant  success  from  the  start.  In  partner- 
ship with  his  brother-in-law  Marcus  Flashner,  he 
opened  a  hotel  in  San  Francisco  in  1851,  an 
undertaking  which  was  carried  on  with  very 
successful  results  for  about  five  years.  By 
mutual  agreement  they  then  decided  to  give  up 
their  interests  in  this  metropolis  and  in  1856  they 
came  to  Los  Angeles  and  established  what  was 
then  known  as  the  Bella  Union  hotel,  but  which 
has  since  given  place  to  the  larger  and  more 
dignified  structure  now  occupied  by  the  St. 
Charles  hotel.  After  the  death  of  j\lr.  Flashner 
Mr.  King  continued  the  business  in  partnership 
with  his  sister  until  his  own  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1871,  at  which  time  he  was  only  in 
his  forty-fifth  year.  During  the  formative  period 
of  this  now  prosperous  city  he  took  an  active 
part  in  its  governmental  affairs,  being  a  member 
of  the  city  council  for  many  years,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  serving  as  president  of 
that  body.    Politically  he  was  a  Democrat. 

The  marriage  of  John  King  and  Miss  Susan 
Griffin  occurred  in  Los  Angeles  in  1866.  Mrs. 
King  was  born  in  New  York  City,  but  since 
1849  she  has  been  a  continuous  resident  of  the 
Golden  state.  Her  father.  Dr.  P.  J.  Griffin, 
who  was  a  graduate  of  Jefferson  Medical  College 
became  a  practitioner  of  considerable  note.  In 
the  early  part  of  his  professional  career  he  made 
a  special  study  of  the  causes  of  and  cure  for 
yellow  fever,  a  disease  which  was  then  raging  as 
an  epidemic  in  New  Orleans,  he  at  that  time 
having  an  office  in  Havana.  Cuba.  Some  time 
later  he  practiced  his  profession  in  Texas,  and 
in  1848  he  came  to  California,  settling  in  San 
Francisco,  where  he  was  joined  the  following 
year  by  his  wife  and  children.  Misfortune  over- 
took him  in  the  partial  loss  of  his  eyesight  ere  he 
had  been  in  the  state  any  length  of  time,  and  he 
was  therefore  unable  to  resume  his  practice  here. 
Instead,  however,  he  engaged  in  the  general 
merchandise  business,  having  a  store  in  San 
Francisco  and  one  in  Sacramento.  On  two  dif- 
ferent occasions  he  was  visited  by  fire,  his  stock 
at  both  times  being  a  total  loss.  Subsequently 
he  opened  a  merchandise  store  in  San  Juan, 
but  gave  this  up  some  time  later  and  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where  it  was  his  intention  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  anticipations 
in  regard  to  the  latter  place  fell  short  of  realiza- 
tion considerably,  however,  and  in  1859  he  again 
came  to  the  west,  this  time  settling  in  Los  An- 
geles, here  living  retired  on  the  means  which  he 
had  accumulated  in  former  years.  His  death 
occurred    in    Watsonville,    in    1872,    when    over 


seventy  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Griffin  was  before 
her  marriage  ]\Iary  Crane,  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  and  her  death  occurred  in  San  Juan. 
Of  the  children  born  to  them  Mrs.  King  was  the 
only  one  that  attained  mature  years.  She  was 
educated  principally  in  Los  Angeles,  although  for 
a  time  she  attended  school  in  Pliiladelphia. 
After  the  return  of  the  family  to  the  west,  in 
1862  she  entered  the  Sisters  school  in  Los  An- 
geles, remaining  a  pupil  there  up  to  the  time  of 
her  marriage  to  Mr.  King  in  1866.  In  1881, 
ten  years  after  the  death  of  Mr.  King,  she  re- 
moved with  her  children  to  the  residence  she 
now  occupies,  on  the  corner  of  Vermont  and 
Santa  Barbara  avenues.  The  grounds  surround- 
ing the  residence  originally  comprised  eighty 
acres,  of  this  seventy  acres  have  been  sold  and  the 
balance  subdivided  and  sold  in  lots.  The  eldest 
of  her  three  children,  Mary  F.,  a  graduate  of  the 
Los  Angeles  normal  school,  is  now  a  teacher 
in  this  city ;  Alice  G.  is  at  home  with  her  mother ; 
and  John  J.  the  only  son,  is  in  business  in  Los 
Angeles.  Mrs.  King  and  her  daughters  are  com- 
municants of  St.  Vincent's  Catholic  Church  of 
Los  Angeles,  and  in  the  social  life  of  this  city 
they  take  an  active  and  interested  part. 


JOHN  BORCHARD.  Prominent  among 
the  sturdy  and  substantial  residents  of  Ventura 
county,  whose  place  of  birth  was  in  the  far- 
away German  Empire,  and  who,  with  the  in- 
dustry and  thrift  so  natural  to  the  people  of 
that  country,  have  accumulated  vast  interests 
in  the  home  of  their  adoption,  is  John  Bor- 
chard,  of  Oxnard.  A  pioneer  settler  of  this 
place,  he  has  witnessed  wonderful  transforma- 
tions in  the  face  of  the  land,  with  warmest  in- 
terest watching  the  growth  of  town  and  coun- 
ty, and  ever  responding  cheerfully  and  liber- 
ally to  the  numerous  calls  for  assistance  in 
establishing  beneficial  enterprises.  He  is  a 
man  of  far  more  than  average  business  capac- 
ity, and  is  not  only  one  of  the  leading  agri- 
culturisrs  of  the  county,  but  is  an  extensive 
landholder  and  a  man  of  much  wealth  and  in- 
fluence. During  the  accumulation  of  his  large 
property  he  has  conducted  his  business  on 
strictly  honest  and  honorable  lines,  and  while 
laying  up  riches  for  himself  has  lent  generous 
aid  to  many  a  needy  person,  giving  to  some 
of  the  wealthiest  men  of  this  valley  their  first 
start  in  life.  A  native  of  Germany,  he  was 
born.  October  8.  1838,  in  Hanover,  a  son  of 
Caspar  and  Elizabeth  (Huch)  Borchard.  both 
of  whom  spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  Father- 
land, the  mother  dying  in  March,  1892,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three  years,  and  the  father  in 
1898.  aged  eighty-five  years. 

Having   completed   the    course   of   study   in 


532 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  John 
Borchard  served  for  one  and  one-half  years 
in  the  German  army,  after  which  he  was 
there  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  a 
number  of  years.  Immigrating  to  the  United 
States  in  1871,  he  debarked  in  New  York  City, 
from  there  coming  to  California,  landing  at 
.San  Francisco.  Coming  immediately  to  Ven- 
tura county,  he  located  in  the  Santa  Clara  val- 
ley, and  the  same  year  purchased  four  hundred 
acres  of  land,  v.diich  are  now  included  in  his 
present  home  ranch.  As  a  general  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  he  has  been  eminentl)'  success- 
ful, and  in  this,  and  in  other  localities  as 
well,  has  vast  possessions  of  land.  He  has 
four  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  Conejo  val- 
lev,  where  he  has  raised  much  grain  and  many 
sheep  and  cattle :  about  eight  thousand  acres 
in  Texas ;  two  thousand  acres  in  the  .Santa 
Clara  valley,  a  valuable  tract  which  he  rents ; 
and  nine  hundred  acres  at  Huntinsrton  Beach, 
having  recently  sold  about  five  hundred  acres, 
which  was  partly  platted  to  town  lots.  He 
has  other  property  of  value,  being  a  stock- 
holder in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Hunt- 
ington Beach  and  likewise  in  the  Bank  of  Ox- 
nard. 

In  Germany,  in  1865,  Mr.  Borchard  married 
Elizabeth  Chothelm,  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, in  1834,  and  died  on  the  home  ranch, 
r\larch  22,  1892,  aged  fiftv-eight  years.  Three 
children  were  born  of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Borchard,  namely:  Mary,  wife  of  Al- 
fred Easshauer,  of  Hanover,  Germany  :  Anna, 
living  at  home  and  keeping  house  for  her 
father;  and  Theresa,  wife  of  Louis  Maulhardt, 
a  resident  of  the  Santa  Clara  valley.  In  1895 
'Sir.  Borchard  and  his  three  daughters  went 
abroad  and  sn.'nt  Uirec  months  in  Germany, 
ba\-ing  a  deliclitfnl  lime  with  friends  and  rela- 
ti\-(\s.  Diirini;  V^c  six  in'inths  they  were  away 
they  visited  in  Texas,  Cincinnati,  New  York 
City,  and  other  points  of  interest  in  our  own 
and  European  countries.  The  family  are  ev- 
erywhere esteemed,  and  are  valued  and  con- 
sistent members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


JOHN  GUESS.  The  oldest  settler  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  El  Monte  is  John  Guess,  who  is  located 
one  mile  west  of  the  city  and  successfully  engag- 
ed in  general  farming  and  the  raising  of  stock.  Mr. 
Guess  came  to  California  in  October,  1852.  as  a 
pioneer,  since  which  time  he  has  witnessed  and 
participated  in  the  development  and  upbuilding 
of  the  country.  He  is  a  native  of  the  south,  born 
in  Batesville,  Independence  county.  Ark.,  March 
20,  1830;  his  father,  Joseph,  who  was  born  in 
the  east,  became  an  early  resident  of  Arkansas, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  throughout  his  ac- 


tive life.  His  death  occurred  from  cholera  in 
New  Orleans  while  there  on  a  trip  for  merchan- 
dise. He  was  survived  by  his  wife,  formerly 
Lottie  Menyard,  also  a  native  of  the  east,  her 
last  days  being  spent  with  her  son  in  California, 
dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  She  bad 
three  children,  of  whom  the  eldest  and  only  one 
living  is  the  subject  of  this  review. 

Reared  in  his  native  state,  John  Guess  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Conway  county  when  a  child, 
and  having  lost  his  father  when  young,  he  was 
deprived  of  even  the  limited  advantages  afforded 
by  the  primitive  schools  of  the  country.  He  spent 
liis  boyhood  days  on  the  home  farm,  assisting  in 
the  work,  and  at  twenty  years  of  age  began  life 
for  himself,  working  farms  on  shares  until  he 
had  succeeded  in  accumulating  some  means.  He 
was  married  in  Arkansas  to  Mrs.  Harriet  (Holi- 
field)  Rogers,  a  native  of  Conway  county  and  a 
daughter  of  James  Holifield,  a  pioneer  farmer 
of  Arkansas,  whose  death  occurred  in  Santa 
Barbara  on  a  steamer  on  a  return  trip  to  Califor- 
nia. The  first  trip  of  Mr.  Guess  was  made  to 
California  April  7,  1852,  following  his  marriage 
m  March,  making  the  trip  across  the  plains  with 
two  yoke  of  oxen,  one  wagon  and  all  necessary 
equipment  and  provisions  for  nine  months.  He 
came  through  Texas  via  Fort  Belknap,  El  Paso 
and  Yuma,  reaching  El  Monte  after  a  seven 
months'  trip.  He  had  several  skirmishes  with 
the  Indians  en  route,  but  was  with  a  train  of 
eighty  wagons  with  seventy  men  well  armed  and 
this  necessarily  precluded  any  serious  trouble 
with  them.  For  three  weeks  following  his  ar- 
rival he  camped  within  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
of  his  present  home,  then  he  located  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Compton  and  began  farming.  In  the 
spring  of  1855  he  returned  to  El  Monte,  rented 
some  of  his  present  land  one  year,  then  pur- 
chased a  ranch  one  mile  north  of  El  Monte, 
where  he  farmed  and  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
cattle.  He"  subsequently  returned  to  Arkansas 
with  the  intention  of  purchasing  a  farm  with  the 
$3,000  clear  profit  he  can-ied  back  with  him  and 
remain  a  resident  of  his  native  state ;  but  finally 
concluded  to  again  locate  in  California  and  ac- 
cordingly made  the  trip  once  more  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast  in  1859.  After  selling  his  first  ranch 
he  purchased  forty-eight  acres  on  the  present 
site  of  Savannah  and  remained  in  that  location 
until  1867,  when  he  lost  in  the  courts  his  title  to 
the  land,  as  it  was  proven  property  of  the  early 
grants.  In  the  same  year  he  located  on  the  place 
which  he  now  owns,  which  was  disputed  land 
known  as  the  old  Mission  grant,  taking  posses- 
sion of  one  hundred  acres  where  he  at  once  be- 
gan improvement  and  cultivation.  He  set  out 
sycamore  trees  which  today  stand  as  massive 
sentinels  about  the  place,  many  of  them  large 
and    spreading,   one   measuring  two   and   a  half 


i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


535 


feet  in  diameter,  lie  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
eattle,  hogs,  mules  and  horse.s,  and  a  Httle  later 
purchased  one  hundred  and  fift\'  head  of  cattle, 
which  he  drove  to  Tehachapi  and  sold.  He  fol- 
lowed a  like  course  on  the  Qiino  ranch,  while 
his  fajnily  still  lived  on  the  ranch  near  El  Monte. 
In  1888  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  San  Jacinto 
ranch,  then  in  the  Santa  Rosa  ranch  near  1\'m- 
ecula,  where  he  had  a  herd  of  eiglit  hundred  cat- 
tle. He  eventualh-  added  to  his  uri^inal  ranch 
in  El  Monte  li\'  a  inirdiase  of  ^ixt\-f()ur  acres 
all  being  in  unc  Iracl  adji.miini;  Savannah.  He 
has  made  many  iniproxements  on  the  place  and 
brought  it  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  being 
able  to  raise  alfalfa  without  irrigation  on  seventh- 
acres  of  the  place.  He  devotes  considerable  time 
to  the  raising  of  stock,  in  which  enterprise  he 
has  been  more  than  usually  successful. 

Mr.  Guess'  first  wife  died  March  18,  1897, 
eight  children  having  been  born  tn  them,  namely  : 
Elenry,  of  Pomona,  the  first  American  boy  born 
in  Los  Angeles  county ;  Louis,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy;  Sallie,  wife  of  William  Slack,  of  San  (Ga- 
briel ;  Alice,  who  died  in  childhood ;  Emma,  wife 
of  William  Parker,  in  the  vicinity  of  Compton : 
Richard,  engaged  with  his  father;  Fannie,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years ;  and  Hattie, 
wife  of  Joseph  Steel,  of  El  Monte.  The  second 
union  of  Mr.  Guess  occurred  in  Rivera,  Cal,  and 
united  him  with  Mrs.  Sarah  (Anderson)  Hooper. 
Mr.  Guess  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  public 
aiifairs  in  the  community,  being  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Eirst  National  Bank  nf  El  JNTonte, 
and  has  served  as  school  trustee  fur  twn  terms. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Master  Masnn,  Irivin^;  lieen 
made  a  member  of  the  organiz-ation  in  iShj. 
in  Lexington  Lodge  No.  104.  He  belongs  to  the 
Baptist  (  hnrcb  of  El  Monte,  in  which  he  has 
officiated  :is  t^iustee.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
Jeffersonian  Democrat.  Tn  memorv  of  the  early 
days  in  which  he  came  to  California  he  belongs 
to  the  Los  Angeles  Countv  Pioneers. 


^^^\LTER  jarvis   barlow,   m.  _  d. 

.\mong  the  names  of  distinguished  physicians 
holding  prominent  place  in  the  medical  pro- 
fession is  that  of  Dr.  W.  J.  Barlow.  Though 
born  of  a  long  line  of  eastern  ancestry,  the 
west  has  claimed  him  and  welcomed  him,  as 
the  west  always  welcomes  the  brain  and  the 
strength  of  the  sons  of  the  east  and  is  proud  to 
enroll  them  as  her  own.  The  homelv  but  oft- 
heard  expression  that  "blood  tells"  has  be- 
come kxiomatic,  and  if  the  saying  is  as  true 
as  believed  to  be  the  Barlow  family  may  just- 
ly lay  claim  to  whatever  distinction  lies  in  be- 
ing well  descended.  The  American  branch 
of  the  Barlow  family,  from  which  Dr.  Barlow 
is  descended,   dates  from   colonial   davs   when 


Samuel  Barlow,  the  founder  of  the  family  in 
America,  was  among  the  early  colonists  who 
emigrated  from  England  in  1620  and  settled 
in  Massachusetts.  Those  were  days  of  trial 
and  tribulation  and  the  men  who  unflinch- 
ingly faced  them  were  worthy  progenitors  of 
a  race  to  be  that  should  point  with  pride  to 
the  line  from  whence  they  sprang.  Among 
the  numerous  descendants  of  Samuel  Barlow 
was  Joel  Barlow,  the  distinguished  author  and 
philanthropist,  and  also  of  the  immediate 
family  of  which   Dr.    Barlow   is  a  member. 

Dr.  Barlow's  great-great-grandfather,  John 
Barlow  was  a  native  of  Fairfield,  Conn.,  and 
a  merchant  by  trade.  He  married  Sarah  Whit- 
ney, of  the  well  known  New  England  family. 
Their  son  John  married  Larana  Scott,  and  the 
son  of  the  latter,  also  John,  married  Julia  Ann 
larvis,  whose  family  name  is  prominent  in  the 
history  of  Connecticut.  Though  of  English 
descent  they  were  true  .\merican  patriots,  her 
grandfather  being  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 
She  was  also  a  niece  of  Bishop  Jarvis,  the  first 
bishop  consecrated  in  America,  and  the  sec- 
ond bishop  of  Connecticut. 

Dr.  Barlow's  father  was  William  H.  Bar- 
low. He  was  born  in  Connecticut,  afterwards 
removing  to  Ossining,  N.  Y.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  hardware  merchant. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  qualities,  a  devout 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  a  mern- 
ber  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  married 
Miss  Catherine  Stratton  Lent,  also  a  native 
nf  Conne-cticnt.  a  daughter  of  Robert  and 
("aiherine  (Stratton)  Lent.  Her  mother  was 
a  \'an  AVeber,  descendant  of  Aneka  Jans  of 
Xew  ^"nrk  City,  whose  vast  estate  was  the 
subject  of  litigation  for  many  years,  and  be- 
came a  eaiise  celebre  in  the  annals  of  the  New 
York  State  bar.  The  Leut  family  were  orig- 
inally from  Holland.  The  proper  name.  Van 
Leut,  became  in  time  shortened  to  Leut. 
Catherine  Stratton  Barlow,  who  died  in  1891, 
became  the  mother  of  nine  children. 

Dr.  Walter  Jarvis  Barlow  was  born  at  Os- 
sining, Westchester  county,  N.  Y.,  January 
22,  1868,  and  his  early  boyhood  years  were 
passed  at  his  home  on  the  banks  of  the  pictur- 
esque Hudson.  Graduating  from  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant Military  Academy  in  1885,  he  entered  Co- 
lumbia University  and  received  his  degree  of 
B.  .A.,  in  1880.  Tn  1892  he  graduated  from  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  and  re- 
ceived his  degree  of  M.  D.,  which  was  fol- 
lowed by  three  years  as  interne  in  a  New  York 
City  hospital.  Too  close  attention  to  study 
had  somewhat  undermined  his  health  and  he 
sous:ht  to  regain  it  through  traveling  and  a 
ve-M-'s  sojourn  in  the  mountains  of  Southern 
California.     As  "^oon  as  his  health  was  restored 


536 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  located  in  Los  Angeles  and  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  His  specialty  is  in- 
ternal medicine. 

In  1898  Dr.  Barlow  married  ■Miss  Marion 
Brooks  Patterson,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  a  na- 
tive of  Dunkiric,  N .  Y.  They  have  three 
children,  Walter  Jarvis,  Jr.,  Catherine  Lent 
and  Ella  Brooks. 

Dr.  Barlow  has  achieved  an  enviable  posi- 
tion in  his  chosen  profession,  and  is  held  in 
high  esteem  among  the  fraternity  of  which  he 
is  an  hcinored  member.  His  culture,  refine- 
ment and  worth  are  well  established  and  uni- 
versally recognized  in  the  community.  He 
holds  the  chair  of  clinical  medicine  in  the  Medi- 
cal College  of  Southern  California ;  is  a 
member  of  the  American  ^.ledical  Association; 
member  of  the  Clinicalogical  Association  j 
member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce ;  and 
vice  president  and  director  of  Merchants' 
Trust  and  Savings  Bank.  In  1902  he  founded 
and  incorporated  the  Barlow  Sanitarium  for 
the  poor  consumptives  of  Los  Angeles  county, 
which  has  oroven  more  than  a  success. 


DOLORES  MACHADO.  Prominent  among 
the  Castilian  residents  of  Los  Angeles  county  is 
the  Machado  family,  whose  representative  above 
named  is  the  owner  of  a  beautiful  home  in  the 
town  of  Venice.  The  family  was  founded  in  Cal- 
ifornia by  Manuel  ]\Iachado.  a  native  of  Spain 
and  in  early  life  a  resident  of  Mexico,  but  later  a 
pioneer  of  California,  settling  in  Santa  Barbara. 
As  a  soldier  of  the  king  of  Spain  he  received  a 
grant  to  a  tract  of  land  now  embraced  within  the 
limits  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he  died  at  the  age 
of  four-score  years.  Next  in  line  of  descent  was 
Augustine,  father  of  Dolores,  and  a  native  of 
Santa  Barbara,  Cal..  but  from  an  early  age  identi- 
fied with  the  development  of  Los  Angeles  county. 
In  conjunction  with  his  brother  Ygnacio,  Augus- 
tine Machado  purchased  the  La  Bayona  rancho 
of  fifteen  thousand  acres  in  Los  Angeles  county, 
and  eventually  the  latter  acquired  five  thousand 
acres  of  the  grant,  where  he  engaged  in  raising 
cattle  and  horses,  and  met  with  such  success  that 
he  was  wealthy  at  the  time  of  his  death,  when 
eighty-five  years  of  age.  To  each  of  his  children 
he  bequeathed  a  ranch,  but  much  of  the  land  has 
passed  out  of  their  possession,  although  Dolores 
and  his  brothers  and  sisters  own  about  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres  of  the  old  La  Bayona  grant, 
the  same  being  now  very  valuable  property. 

The  marriage  of  Augustine  Machado  united 
him  with  Ramona  Sepulveda.  a  native  of  Los 
Angeles  and  a  daughter  of  Francisco  Sepulveda, 
a  Spanish  gentleman  and  a  soldier  of  the  king  of 
Spain.  In  return  for  his  services  to  his  country 
Francisco  Sepulveda  received  a  grant  to  San  A^i- 
centes.  comprising  thirty  thousand    acres,  on   a 


part  of  which  the  town  of  Santa  I\Ionica  now 
stands.  By  reason  of  his  large  holdings  he  be- 
came a  man  of  prominence  among  the  Spanish 
residents  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  his  ability 
also  gave  him  a  foremost  place  among  the  men  of 
his  day  and  locality.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  about  ninety  years  of  age,  and  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Alachado,  was  seventy-five  at  the  time  of 
her  demise.  Both  the  Sepulveda  and  Machado 
families  were  devout  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Qiurch. 

In  the  family  of  Augustine  and  Ramona  Mach- 
ado there  were  the  following  named  children : 
Martine,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-five ;  Vin- 
cente,  who  was  forty-five  years  at  the  time  of 
death ;  Domingo,  who  lived  to  be  forty-eight ; 
Dolores,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch ;  As- 
cuncion,  the  widow  of  Louis  Lopez  and  the  own- 
er of  a  portion  of  La  Bayona  grant;  Suzana, 
widow  of  Juan  Bernard  and  a  wealthy  resident  of 
Los  Angeles ;  Francisco,  who  died  at  forty-eight 
years ;  Bernardino,  who  owns  a  part  of  the  old 
grant;  Jose  Juan,  Andres  and  Jose  De  Luce,  all 
of  whom  own  parts  of  the  old  grant.  Dolores 
Machado  was  born  in  Los  Angeles  March  2, 
1833,  and  remained  with  his  parents  until  the 
death  of  his  father,  when  one-half  of  the  estate 
fell  to  the  widow,  and  the  other  one-half  was  di- 
vided among  the  children.  At  that  time,  in  1864, 
he  received  three  hundred  acres  and  later  inher- 
ited one  hundred  acres  from  his  mother.  The 
greater  part  of  the  land  he  has  sold,  but  he  still 
retains  fifty  acres  in  the  town  of  Venice,  valued 
at  $2500  per  acre,  and  here  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  about  1902,  when  he  retired  from  active 
business  and  agricultural  cares.  Politically  he 
votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  Though  all  of  his 
life  has  been  passed  in  this  county  and  he  is  fa- 
miliar with  its  development,  he  still  retains  the 
habits  and  customs  of  the  Spanish  race  and  uses 
that  language  exclusively.  However,  ail  of  his 
children  have  received  excellent  English  educa- 
tions and  have  adopted  the  customs  and  the  lan- 
guage of  their  American  neighbors.  In  religion 
all  are  actively  connected  with  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Qiurch. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Machado  occurred  April 
15,  1875,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Gre,goria  De 
Leon,  who  was  born  in  Los  Angeles,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Ramon  De  Leon,  a  native  of  Spain. 
The  children  of  their  union  are  named  as  fol- 
lows: Alfredo,  a  government  surveyor,  now  lo- 
cated at  Salt  Lake,  Utah ;  Ascuncion,  wife  of 
Harry  Minor,  who  owns  a  mill  at  IManila.  Philip- 
])ine  Islands:  Jose  De  Luz,  at  home:  Florentina, 
at  home :  Dolores,  who  went  to  the  Philippines  as 
a  teacher  and  there  was  married  to  John  Borrow, 
their  home  now  being  in  Manila:  Yloria,  at 
home :  and  Francisco,  who  also  remains  on  the 
home  place. 


SX^^. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


539 


DAVm  F.  NEWSOAI.  The  history  of  any 
community  is  best  told  in  the  lives  of  its  citi- 
zens. Especially  is  this  the  case  when  these 
citizens  are  men  of  power  and  ability,  wield- 
ing an  influence  along  moral  and  educational 
lines,  and  exerting  efforts  for  a  personal  suc- 
cess parallel  with  those  necessary  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  their  adopted  state.  Almost  un- 
interruptedly from  1853  David  F.  Newsom 
was  identified  with  the  history  of  San  Luis, 
Obispo  county,  and  he  left  an  impress  which 
places  his  name  in  the  list  of  those  of  her 
most  representative  men.  Through  the  sub- 
stantial qualities  of  character  he  was  able  to 
gain  for  himself  financial  prosperity  and  that 
which  is  still  more  desirable,  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  Air.  Newsom 
was  born  at  Petersburg,  \''a.,  September  5, 
1832,  of  an  old  established  southern  family 
prominent  during  the  old  plantation  days, 
when  chivalry,  gallantry,  courtly  manners  and 
open-handed  hospitality  were  matters  of  pride 
and  honor  with,  every  gentleman  of  the  south. 
Mr.  Newsom's  father  was  a  slave-holder  and 
had  all  masters  been  as  considerate  and  hu- 
mane as  he  there  would  have  been  no  war 
over  the  question  of  slavery'.  He  was  kind  to 
the  negroes,  gave  them  all  that  was  required 
to  make  them  comfortable,  and  asked  less  of 
them  than  many  employers  of  labor  do  of 
their  white  help  today.  No  warm  Sunday 
dinners  were  served  in  the  Newsom  house- 
hold because  the  negroes  were  given  from 
Saturday  noon  till  Monday  morning  as  time  in 
which  to  do  what  they  liked,  no  work  being 
required  of  them  except  that  which  was  abso- 
lutely necessary.  His  mother  was  even  known 
to  have  milked  the  cows  on  Sunday  in  order 
to  give  the  milkmaid  her  outing,  and  in  re- 
sponse to  this  treatment  the  negroes  appeared 
to  take  pleasure  in  furthering  the  interests  of 
the  famil}'. 

Li  the  schoolroom  Mr.  Newsom  made  rap- 
id progress  and  after  preliminary  work  in  the 
lower  grades  and  two  years  at  the  Petersburg 
Classical  Institute,  a  Presbvterian  school,  he 
entered  the  Wake  Forest  College  at  Forest- 
ville,  N.  C,  hut  in  his  fifteenth  year,  on  ac- 
count of  his  father's  business  failure,  he  was 
obliged  to  give  up  his  studies  and  endeavor  to 
do  something  toward  his  own  support.  Af- 
ter careful  consideration  of  the  subject  he  de- 
cided that  it  would  be  wise  to  learn_  a  trade 
and  accordingly  accepted  an  opportunity  to  go 
to  New  York  City  and  apprentice  himself  to 
Dictz  Bros.  &  Co.,  brass  finishers.  One  of 
the  Dietz  brothers  was  the  husband  oi  his 
mother's  sister  and  it  was  because  of  this  con- 
nection that  the  position  was  secured.  On 
Atarch  ic;,  1849.  he  boarded  the  schooner  Ann, 


owned  b}'  Captani  Bogart,  who  kindly  offered 
liim  free  passage  to  New  York,  where  he  ar- 
rived after  an  eight-day  voyage.  The  schoon- 
er was  docked  on  East  river  and  under  the 
direction  of  the  captain  Mr.  Newsom  immedi- 
ately made  his  way  to  the  principal  store  of 
the, Dietz  firm,  found  his  uncle,  who  directed 
him  to  his  boarding  place  at  No.  66  Beek- 
man  street,  which  was  then  a  very  fashionable 
thoroughfare.  This  was  the  home  of  Ed- 
mond  Dietz  and  there  the  nine  apprentice  boys 
of  the  firm  were  boarded  and  lodged.  The 
balance  of  this  first  week  in  the  city  was 
spent  visiting  relatives  and  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, March  29,  Mr.  Newsom  began  his  two 
years'  apprenticeship.  He  took  great  pains 
with  his  work  from  the  first  and  within  six 
weeks  it  compared  favorable  with  that  of  his 
superior  and  he  was  advanced  rapidly  from 
one  department  to  another.  His  uncle  and 
aunt  were  the  editors  of  Holden's  Magazine 
and  as  such  were  the  recipients  of  many  com- 
plimentary tickets  to  operas,  lectures  and  con- 
certs, and'  these  tickets  were  frequently  given 
to  their  nephew.  Mr.  Newsom  was  glad  to 
take  advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  fur- 
ther educate  and  cultivate  himself  and  also 
availed  himself  of  his  apprentice's  right  to 
draw  books  from  the  Mechanics'  Library.  His 
uncle  noting  his  ambition  secured  for  him  a 
like  privilege  at  the  Mercantile  Library,  where 
he  was  also  entitled  to  attend  the  lectures 
frequently  given  there.  In  this  way  he  heard 
a  course  of  lectures  on  political  economy  giv- 
en by  Horace  Greeley  and  listened  to  other 
authorities  on  various  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive subjects.  Through  the  Dietz  family,  a 
member  of  whom  was  superintendent  of  Bar- 
num's  American  Museum,  he  secured  free  ad- 
mission to  that  place  and  saw  and  heard  many 
things  of  interest  and  profit.  It  was  Mr.  Bar- 
num  who  made  the  engagement  with  Jenny 
Lind,  the  Swedish  nightingale,  to  come  to  the 
United  States  and  sing  thirty  nights  for  $30.- 
000.  The  Battery  was  selected  as  the  place 
for  the  concerts  and  the  firm  for  whom  Mr. 
Newsom  was  v>'orking  secured  the  contract 
for  lighting  the  building.  He  was  one  of  the 
lightens  seiit  to  the  hall  the  night  of  the  first 
concert  to  attend  to  the  lights  and  so  had  the 
pleasure  of  hearing  the  first  concert.  An  in- 
teresting fact  in  relation  to  this  incident  is 
that  through  a  clever  maneuver  Mr.  Newsom 
had  the  privilege  of  sitting  in  the  seat  for 
which  the  first  ticket  was  sold  at  the  auction 
for  $600.  He  had  been  informed  that  the 
buyer  did  not  intend  to  occupy  it.  andwhen 
after  the  first  overture  was  ended  and  it  was 
still  empty  Mr.  Newsom  slipped  into  it  and 
sat  there  through  the  concert. 


540 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


From  Mrs.  Taj'lor,  another  friend,  Mr. 
Xewsom  received  invitations  to  attend  Henry 
Ward  Beecher"s  church,  occupying  a  seat  in 
the  Taylor  pew,  and  thus  heard  that  noted 
orator  and  divine  a  number  of  times.  He  ad- 
mired his  power  to  sway  an  audience  and  car- 
ry his  hearers  from  tears  to  applause  .and 
frenzy,  but  did  not  agree  with  him  in  his  ut- 
terances on  the  slavery  question,  believing 
that  Mr.  Beecher  was  not  correctly  informed 
as  to  facts  concerning  the  negroes  and  their 
treatment.  Lectures  were  not  the  only  medi- 
um of  education  which  he  availed  himself  of, 
but  believing  that  bookkeeping  would  be  of 
very  great  assistance  to  him  he  made  arrange- 
ments to  attend  the  Public  Night  School  No. 
5,  on  Duane  street,  where  he  also  took  les- 
sons in  vocal  and  instrumental  music.  In  spite 
of  the  many  things  which  he  accomplished 
for  self-advancement  lie  still  found  time  for 
amusement  and  recreation  and  on  Sundays 
often  visited  the  various  nearby  places  of  in- 
terest. The  three  weeks'  vacation  which  was 
given  him  during  his  apprenticeship  he  spent 
in  Connecticut,  at  Saybrook,  Middletown  and 
Durham,  the  latter  being  his  mother's  birth- 
place. After  visiting  relatives  at  these  points 
he  then  returned  to  New  York,  making  a 
short  stop  at  Saratoga  Springs.  The  trip  took 
him  up  tlie  Hudson  river  and  at  one  point  the 
steamer  stopped,  dipped  her  flag,  and  then 
proceeded  on  the  way.  Upon  inquiry  as  to 
the  reason  for  this  salute  he  was  told  that  it 
was  in  honor  of  the  Polish  nobleman.  Kos- 
ciusko, who  there  fought  for  American  indcpen- 
dence.  Mr.  New.som  also  visited  Troy.  Al- 
bany, and  Poughkeepsie  and  upon  his  return 
to  New  York  went  to  work  at  his  trade  with 
new  vim.  Apprentices  were  paid  $30  the  first 
vear  and  $40  tht  second,  and  when  Mr.  New- 
som's  two  years  had  expired  he  had  due  him 
of  the.se  amounts  just  $20.  On  the  day  of  the 
expiration  of  his  ap])renticeship,  ]\Iarch  29, 
1851,  he  left  New  York  a  good  mechanic,  a  fine 
bookkeeper,  and  with  an  unusually  large  fund 
of  general  information. 

He  immediately  started  toward  his  home  in 
Virginia,  stopping  at  Philadelphia,  where  he 
was  met  by  his  father,  who  was  in  the  north 
buying  goods  at  that  time.  While  there  he 
visited  friends  and  called  at  the  factory  of 
Cornelius  &  Co.,  a  firm  doing  work  of  the 
same  kind  that  he  had  been  engaged  in,  and 
his  intelligent  criticism  of  some  lacquer  work 
which  he  inspected  secured  for  him  a  flatter- 
ing offer  of  a  position  in  the  establishment. 
He  deferred  a  decision  in  regard  to  the  oflfer 
until  he  had  opportunity  to  consult  with  his 
parents ;  as  his  mother  preferred  that  he  dis- 
continue work  nt  the  trade  he  acceded  to  her 


wishes  and  remained  in  Petersburg.  Accept- 
ing a  position  in  a  shoe  store  owned  by  Lyon 
&  Davis,  the  firm  that  had  bought  his' father's 
business,  he  remained  there  for  two  years,  af- 
ter which  he  decided  to  come  to  California. 

Desiring  to  become  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order  before  his  departure  from  home 
his  employer  presented  his'  application  to  the 
lodge  and  on  the  evening  of  his  twenty-first 
birthday,  September  5,  1.853,  he  received  the 
rirst  and  second  degrees.  On  the  tenth  of  the 
month  the  third  degree  was  conferred,  the 
lieutenant-governor,  who  was  grand  master  of 
the  state,  being  present,  assisting  in  the  rais- 
ing and  delivering  the  lecture.  The  initiation, 
passing  and  raising  of  Mr.  Newsom  was  under 
a  special  dispensation  from  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Virginia  and  he  had  the  honor  of  being, 
with  one  exception,  the  3'oungest  Master  iMa- 
son  ever  made  in  Virginia.  The  exception 
was  George  Washington,  who  had  received 
his  degrees  under  a  special  dispensation  from 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  England.  In  later  years 
"Mr.  Newsom  also  became  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  order. 

On  September  15  Mr.  Newsom  started  for 
New  York,  and  after  spending  several  days 
there  renewing  old  acquaintances,  secured  pas- 
sage to  San  Francisco  by  the  Nicaragua  route 
on  the  steamer  Star  of  the  West,  which  left 
the  harbor  September  25.  Ten  days  later  the 
passengers  were  in  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Xew- 
som went  immediately  to  Samuel  Prichard's 
office  there  and  inquired  for  Petersburg 
friends  and  one  of  the  first  to  make  an  ap- 
pearance was  Oscar  M.  Brown,  a  neighbor, 
who  had  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  the 
public.  Mr.  Brown  informed  him  that  he  had 
two  ranches  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  and 
he  also  held  tlie  office  of  county  judge.  He 
said  there  was  a  vacancy  in  the  clerk's  office 
and  would  appoint  him  to  fill  it  if  the  $2,000 
salary  was  sufficient  inducement.  Mr.  New- 
som decided  to  accompany  the  judge  south 
and  a  few  davs  later  they  arrived  at  San  Luis 
Obispo.  The  clerk  appointment  materialized, 
but  the  salary  did  not,  and  as  the  small  sum 
of  money  which  he  had  with  him  was  soon 
gone  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  do  something 
to  replenish  his  purse.  He  finally  decided  to 
run  a  feed  stable  and  this  enterprise  developed 
into  a  very  remunerative  one.  Meanwhile  he 
continued 'his  work  on  the  clerk's  books, 
which  he  found  in  a  decidedly  chaotic  condi- 
tion. It  took  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  to 
get  them  into  any  kind  of  order  and  when 
it  is  known  that  'the  county  clerk  was  also 
clerk  of  the  district,  county  and  probate  courts, 
recorder,  auditor,  county  sealer,  superinten- 
dent  of   schools,   and    clerk   of  the   boards   of 


HISTORICAL  .\j\D  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


541 


supervisors  and  equalization,  one  realizes  that 
the  office  was  no  sinecure.  As  ex-officio  coun- 
ty superintendent  of  schools  Air.  Newsom  em- 
ployed a  teacher  and  opened  the  first  public 
school  of  the  county  in  a  room  in  the  old  mis- 
sion building.  After  the  expiration  of  the 
term  of  his  a])i.(iintiiicnt  to  the  office  he  was 
elected  by  tlu-  m  iters  and  continued  in  that 
official  capacity  until  June  lo.  1857,  when  he 
changed  his  residence  and  went  to  try  his 
fortunes  in  Washington. 

His  first  business  venture  in  that  state  was 
A  mercantile  store  at  Olympia,  Wash.,  and 
following  that,  in  April,  1858,  he  started  the 
first  general  store  at  Bellingham,  meeting  with 
very  good  success.  In  December  of  the  same 
vear  he  disposed  of  his  business  and  moved 
to  Fort  Hope,  British  Columbia,  remaining 
there  but  six  ir,<:intlis.  lin\\T\-cr,  when  he  again 
turned  his  steps  Califnniiaward.  Upon  his 
arrival  at  San  Juan  Island,  where  he  found 
tjeneral  Picket:;  with  a  detachment  of  United 
States  soldiers  trying  to  prevent  his  arrest  by 
the  British.  Mr.  Newsom  organized  a  company 
of  sharpshooters  to  assist  him,  and  when  a 
compromise  of  the  trouble  between  the  Brit- 
ish and  American  factions  was  agreed  upon 
Mr.  Newsom  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  two 
magistrates  to  represent  the  difl'erent  factions. 
He  remained  on  the  island  until  1861.  having 
charge  of  the  sutler's  store  and  assisting  in 
the  establishment  of  ihe  San  Juan  lime  works. 
Following  this  he  again  took  up  his  residence 
in  San  Luis  Obispo  county  and  from  that 
time  until  his  death  identified  himself  with 
rhe  development  and  upbuilding  of  that  part 
of  the  state.  For  thirty  years  he  affiliated 
with  the  Democratic  party,  but  in  later  life  held 
independent  views  and  did  not  cast  his  bal- 
lots on  strictly  party  lines. 

After  his  return  to  this  countv  he  was  again 
prominent  in  political  life  and  filled  various 
offices,  including  those  of  justice  of  the  peace 
;ind  deputy  county  clerk.  In  1864  he  remeived 
to  .\rrovo  Crandc  and  became  the  first  teach- 
er in  th'e  nub'ic  schools  of  that  district.  He 
was  ahvavs  especially  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject of  education  and  did  everything  in  his 
power  *^o  forward  sr'iool  interests  in  his  own 
countv.  In  the  fall  of  1864  he  moved  to  the 
Santa  Manuela  ranch,  having  purchased 
twelve  hundred  acres  of  ground  which  is  now 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  hay,  walnuts,  al- 
monds, olives,  citrus  and  deciduous  fruits  of 
the  various  ^■ai-iet^es.  Cows,  turkeys  and 
chickens  are  also  raised  and  a  flock  of  An- 
gora goats  adds  materially  to  the  income  feat- 
ures "of  the  ranch,  Mr.  Newsom  was  inter- 
ested in  the  Newsom  tannery  and  other  busi- 
ness   enterprises,    but    he    was    probably    best 


known  as  the  proprietor  of  Newsom's  Arroyo 
Grande  Warm  Springs,  which  are  situated  on 
this  land  and  which  he  developed.  The  waters 
of  the  springs  are  specific  for  many  diseases, 
which  fact  was  first  proven  by  the  curing  of 
patients  which  Mr.  Newsom  brought  from 
the  county  hospitals.  That  was  many  years 
ago,  and  the  place  has  since  become  one  of 
the  most  popular  winter  resorts  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state,  and  the  curative  powers  of 
the  waters  have  been  tested  with  great  satis- 
faction by  tJiousands  of  tourists  who  have 
come  long  distances  to  bathe  in  the  health- 
giving  mineral  waters.  To  those  who  desire 
it,  camping  privileges  are  free,  and  there  are  a 
number  of  cottages  on  the  grounds  which  are 
rented  to  winter  dwellers.  The  location  is 
ideal  and  picturesque.  The  ocean  with  its  .de- 
lightful privileges  is  but  a  short  distance  awa^' 
and  the  place  has  an  atmosphere  of  quiet  re- 
finement. No  saloons  have  ever  been  allowed 
on  the  grounds — a  restriction  which  was  the 
cause  of  many  predictions  of  failure  when  the 
resort  was  first  opened  to  the  public.  The 
place  is  now  being  conducted  by  Mrs.  Newsom 
with  great  success. 

It  was  in  1863  that  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Newsom  to  Anita  Branch  occurred.  The  story 
of  his  courtship,  which  was  probably  one  of 
the  shortest  and  sweetest  on  record,  is  an  in- 
teresting one.  Mr.  Newsom  was  inclined  to 
be  timid  and  bashful  and  in  his  bachelor  days 
was  often  bantered  by  his  friends  for  remain- 
ing single  when  there  were  so  many  nice  girls 
in  the  community  who  lacked  a  husband.  One 
da}'  a  San  Luis  Obispo  merchant  made  him 
a  novel  wager.  He  ofifered  to  make  out  a  list 
of  eligible  young  women  and  Mr.  Newsom 
was  to.  commence  at  the  beginning  and  pro- 
pose to  each  girl  in  succession  until  he  had 
been  accepted  or  the  end  of  the  list  was 
reached.  For  each  rejection  the  merchant 
agreed  to  forfeit  a  box  of  wines  and  when  ac- 
cepted the  suitor  was  to  pay  a  like  forfeit  to 
the  merchant.  The  wager  was  agreed  to  and 
Mr.  Newsom  started  out.  To  his  great  sat- 
isfaction the  first  name  on  the  list  was  that  of 
a  maiden  upon  whom  he  had  long  cast  his 
fyes  in  admiration,.  Aliss  Anita  Branch,  a 
daughter  of  F,  Z.  Branch,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Arroyo  Grande,  She  was  busily  arranging 
flowers  in  the  parlor  when  the  young  man 
called  early  in  the  morning.  After  the  usual 
salutations  and  a  few  words  of  desultory  con- 
\ersation  the  would-be  lover  arranged  a  white 
and  red  rosebud  on  a  rose  geranium  leaf  and 
asked  her  to  accept  them  with  their  signifi- 
cance. Her  reply  was  a  white  and  red  pink 
on  a  rose  geranium  leaf.  \\'hen  the  young 
man    returned  to   San   Luis   Obispo  after  this 


542 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


happy  consummation  of  his  brief  though  de- 
hghtful  courtship  and  met  the  merchant  he 
exultantly  announced  the  result  in  this  con- 
cise language.  "Eight  words,  two  bouton- 
nieres,  and  in  less  than  a  minute  the  matter 
was  ended.  The  wine  is  yours,  Old  Fel !"  The 
best  part  of  all  was  that  the  courtship  was  fol- 
lowed by  forty  years  of  happy  and  prosperous 
married  life.  Twelve  children  were  born  to 
them,  all  of  whom  are  still  living,  three  in 
Bakersfield  and  nine  on  the  home  ranch  where 
they  were  born.  Their  names  are  David  Z., 
PZdward  F.,  Alary  M.,  Eliza,  Anna,  Alexan- 
der D.,  Louisa  G.,  Michael  A.,  Ruth  R..  Belle 
L.,  William  H.,  and  Robert  P. 

As  a  boy  David  F.  Newsom  was  bright,  ac- 
tive and  full  of  mischief,  but  was  not  vicious, 
although  when  very  young  he  had  earned  the 
reputation  of  being  incorrigible  on  account  of 
various  escapades  both  in  and  out  of  school. 
Within  a  space  of  two  years'  time  he  had  been 
expelled  four  times,  but  this  was  because  his 
teachers  misunderstood  him  and  did  not  know 
how  to  manage  a  boy  of  his  lively  disposition 
and  highstrung  nature.  In  those  days  the 
most  popular  and  often  expressed  sentiment 
was  "Spare  the  rod  and  spoil  the  child,"  and 
teachers  were  especially  fond  of  the  admoni- 
tion. They  seemed  to  be  employed  for  their 
ability  to  develop  all  the  latent  evil  there 
might  be  in  a  child's  nature,  rather  than  to 
educate  their  minds.  Mr.  Newsom  felt  strong- 
ly on  this  particular  question  throughout  his 
life  and  often  said :  "Oh  that  our  teachers 
could  realize  the  injustice  they  are  doing 
themselves  and  the  great  harm  they  are  doing 
the  child  by  inflicting  corporal  punishment. 
If  a  child  must  be  punished,  send  it  home  and 
let  the  parents  do  it,  while  you  retain  the  love 
and  respect  of  your  pupil."  In  his  own  ex- 
perience in  the  schoolroom  he  practiced  this 
principle  and  when  in  1863,  while  teaching  a 
private  school  in  San  Luis  Obispo,  a  mother 
brought  her  twelve-year-old  son  to  him  and 
advised  him  to  use  the  whip  and  not  spare  the 
rod  he  requested  her  to  take  him  home  and 
do  the  whipping  herself  if  she  wished  him 
whipped,  for  he  would  not  strike  a  child. 
That  boy  grew  up  into  an  honored  and  re- 
spected citizen,  for  he  was-  not  whipped  but, 
on  the  contrary,  made  to  feel  that  he  was  a 
gentleman  and  was  expected  to  act  as  one. 

It  was  not  alone  in  school,  however,  that 
the  boy's  exuberant  spirits  and  love  of  fun 
and  practical  jokes  crept  out  and  got  him  into 
trouble.  One  day  his  father  took  the  rest 
of  the  family  to  spend  a  day  with  an  uncle  on 
his  plantation,  leaving  David  and  the  negro 
cook.  Mammy  Vinney,  at  home  alone.  After 
a  noonday  shower  the  boy  discovered  a  num- 


ber of  rats  drinking  water  under  the  eaves 
and  succeeded  in  shooting  two  of  them.  Up- 
on picking  the  bodies  up  he  noticed  that  they 
were  very  fat  and  plump,  and  an  impish  idea 
seized  him.  He  carefully  skinned  and  dressed 
them,  finding  them  very  tender  and  tempting 
in  appearance,  and  not  being  able  to  resist 
the  temptation  he  took  them  to  the  cook  tell- 
ing her  they  were  young  squirrels  and  asked 
her  to  cook  them  for  supper.  "In  due  time," 
said  Air.  Newsom  in  relating  the  experience, 
"the  family  returned,  supper  was  announced, 
and  the  young  squirrels  were  eaten  with  a 
relish.  ./\11  were  loud  in  praise  of  the  dish. 
My  uncle  advised  me  to  try  again,  for  they 
were  the  best  he  had  ever  eaten.  A  leg  re- 
mained in  the  dish,  I  ate  it  and  if  epicureans 
do  not  add  fried  rats  to  their  list  of  delicacies, 
they  will  miss  a  treat.  Supper  being  over  we 
were  assembled  in  the  parlor  and  again  the 
delicacy  and  fine  flavor  of  the  squirrels  was  re- 
marked upon.  I  determined  to  tell  them  what 
we  had  eaten,  but  was  careful  to  take  a  stand 
near  the  door  ready  to  run.  Upon  being  in- 
formed that  instead  of  young  squirrels  they 
had  eaten  rats  my  uncle  was  indignant,  my 
aunt  cried,  while  my  cousins  ran  out  of  doors 
with  their  fingers  down  their  throats  endeav- 
oring to  eject  the  loathsome  rodent  from  their 
stomachs,  and  bedlam  reigned  for  a  few  mo- 
ments." 

While  Mr.  Newsom  never  lost  his  apprecia- 
tion of  jokes  and  was  the  instigator  of  many 
through  his  life  he  was  never  unkind  in  the 
practice.  This  trait  which  in  the  boy  led  him 
to  play  so  man}'  pranks,  in  the  man  developed 
an  optimistic  temperament.  And  his  was  an 
optimism  of  the  right  kind — one  that  not  only 
made  him  think  and  talk  optimistically,  but 
act  so.  He  was  a  man  of  clean  life  and  strong 
principles,  and  his  influence  was  always  on 
the  side  of  every  elevating  and  progressive 
enterprise.  His  death  in  January.  1902.  re- 
Tuoved  an  honored  citizen,  loved  and  respected 
b\-  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  HUGHES.  In 
a  state  noted  for  magnificent  scenic  effects,  the 
view  from  Signal  Hill  is  not  one  of  the  least 
striking.  Stretching  only  two  miles  from  the 
great  ocean  and  south  of  the  Sierra  Madre  range, 
it  aft'ords  an  attractive  view  of  both,  as  well  as  of 
twenty-seven  cities  and  villages.  Those  who  are 
familiar  with  its  landscape  claim  as  the  chief 
beauty  its  ever-changing  views  with  the  passing 
of  morning,  noon  and  night.  Every  morning  the 
island  of  Catalina  may  be  seen  on  the  one  hand 
and  the  great  city  of  Los  Angeles  on  the  other. 


Kt^cjlJ-^^,.^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RI-CORD. 


040 


Every  evening  the  stars  shine  down  upon  myr- 
iads of  lights  gleaming  from  lighthouses  and 
piers,  or  swinging  from  ships  and  yachts,  or 
twinkling  through  the  windows  of  countless 
homes.  Near  by  is  the  city  of  Long  Beach,  with 
its  auditorium  seating  six  thousand,  its  hotel 
costing  nearly  one-half  million  dollars,  its  bank 
building  costing  $100,000,  its  pier  costing  $100,- 
000  and  eighteen  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  its 
population  growing  with  unprecedented  rapidity. 
The  promoter  of  Signal  Hill  and  the  president 
of  the  Signal  Hill  Improveiiient  Company  is  G. 
^V.  Hughes,  a  young  man  of  great  energy  and 
progressive  spirit,  who  was  born  near  Vincennes, 
Ind.,  July  10,  1870,  being  the  eldest  among  eight 
children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters.  His  par- 
ents, John  B.  and  Abbie  G.  (Wannan)  Hughes, 
were  natives  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  the 
father,  after  a  lifetime  of  industrious  application 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  died  in  Indiana,  where 
his  widow  now  makes  her  home.  After  complet- 
ing the  studies  of  the  common  schools  G.  \\'. 
Hughes  was  sent  to  the  Southern  Indiana  Col- 
lege at  JNIitchell,  where  he  remained  for  one 
term,  and  then  returned  to  take  up  farm  pursuits 
near  the  large  estate,  Loo-goo-tee,  owned  and  oc- 
cupied by  his  father.  In  1896  he  became  interest- 
ed in  the  hotel  business  at  Odon,  Daviess  county, 
Ind.,  and  two  years  later  removed  to  Tunnelton, 
l,awrence  county,  same  state,  where  he  conducted 
a  department  store.  Coming  to  California  in 
1902  with  $800,  he  embarked  in  the  real  estate 
business  at  Long  Beach  and  the  next  year  platted 
forty  acres  on  Signal  Hill,  also  the  Elin  avenue 
addition  of  ten  acres  and  several  large  purchases 
on  the  ocean  front. 

The  Signal  Hill  Improvement  Coitipany  was 
incorporated  in  1904,  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$200,000,  the  object  being  to  improve  and  sell  in 
building  lots  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen 
acres  on  Signal  Hill.  A  number  of  prominent 
men  were  interested  in  the  enterprise,  but  their 
stock  was  acquired  by  Mr.  Hughes  and  Mr. 
Crowe,  who  now  operate  the  company's  holdings. 
On  the  first  sale  day.  May  25.  1905,  when  lots 
were  open  to  the  public,  $58,000  worth  of  lots 
were  sold,  and  the  sales  have  since  continued  at  a 
gratifying  rate.  The  lots  are  60x130,  with  oiled 
ijoulevards  eighty  feet  wide,  cement  sidewalks, 
artesian  water  piped  to  each  lot,  no  saloons,  no 
stores.  Water  is  supplied  by  the  Signal  Hill  Wa- 
ter Company,  of  which  Mr.  Hughes  is  president, 
and  he  is  also  vice-president  of  the  Signal  Hill 
Gravel  Company.  After  coming  to  the  coast  he 
was  married  at  Long  Beach  to  Miss  Marie  Wolf, 
a  native  of  San  Francisco,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  a  son,  LeRoy.  Politically  he  maintains 
an  independence  of  views,  voting  for  the  men  and 
measures  he  considers  best  qualified  to  promote 


the  interests  of  the  people,  and  in  fraternal  rela- 
tions he  is  associated  with  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  at  Los  Angeles. 


JA^IES  ^^NING  BALDWIN  was  born  in 
Weston,    Ohio,   a   suburb   of  Toledo,    October 
25,  1870,  the  second  in  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents,  Edward  and  Harriett 
(Taylor)    Baldwin,   both   of  whom  were  born 
and  reared  in  the  eastern  states,  the  paternal 
name    ranking    high    in    mercantile    circles    in 
New  York  City.     In  young  manhood  Edward 
Baldwin    removed    to    Ohio,    and    in    Weston 
carried    on    a    merchandise    establishment    for 
many  years.     Not  unlike  his  predecessors  he 
thoroughly    understood    his    calling,    and    the 
name  of  Baldwin  soon  bore  the  same  stand- 
ing in  business  circles  in  Weston  that  it  had 
in  the  east.     Having  disposed  of  his  store  he 
is  now  living  in  Weston  at  an  advanced  age. 
Exceptional  advantages  for  securing  an  edu- 
cation fell   to   the    lot   of   James   V.   Baldwin, 
his    realization    of   this   fact    spurring   him    to 
greater  effort  as  he  went  from  school  to  col- 
lege.     His    graduation    from    the    high    school 
was  followed  by  his  matriculation  in  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  that  state. 
Before  graduating  from  that  institution    how- 
ever he   discontinued   his   studies   and   took  a 
position   in    his    father's    mercantile   establish- 
ment in  Weston,  remaining  there  for  a  short 
time,  after  which  he  embarked  in  business  and 
for   five    years    carried    on    a    very    successful 
and  growing  enterprise  independently.    In  the 
meantime   he   had  satisfied   himself   regarding 
the  chances  for  a  young  man  in  the  west  and 
hither  he  came  in  1896,  coming  directly  to  Los 
Angeles.    During  the  ten  years  of  his  residence 
here   he  made    a   name   and   place  for  himself 
in   the  business  circles  of  the  city,  and  is  es- 
pecially well  known  in  real-estate  circles,  his 
transactions   in    this  line   being   extensive   and 
numerous.      Among   the   tracts   which   he   has 
jiurchased    and    subdi^•ided    into    lots    may   be 
mentioned  Seaside  Park.  West  Adams  Heights 
and  A\^estmoreland  Heights,  while  with  others 
he  is  interested  and  has  been  a  leading  factor 
in  the  Plava  Del  Rev  tract.  AA'estminster  Place. 
Wellington  Place,  Wilshire  Hills  and  the  Fair 
Oaks  Land  Company.     The  present  improve- 
ments on  \^'■ilshire  boulevard,  in  the  extreme 
western  part  of  the  city,  are  due  to  the  efforts 
of  :\lr.  Baldwin,  at  who.se  instigation  the  pres- 
ent syndicate  was  formed.       His  plan  was  the 
purchase  of  hundreds  of  acres  in  that  locality 
for  the  purpose  of  subdivision  and  sale  as  city 
lots,  and  the  wisdom  of  his  keen  forethought 
is  seen   in   the   fine  improvements  which  now 
grace  that  boulevard. 


546 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Before  locating  in  the  west  Mr.  Baldwin 
formed  domestic"  tics  by  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Maude  L.  Munn  in  Weston,  Ohio,  she 
also  beitig  a  native  of  that  town.  After  attend- 
ing the  )irimar\  schools  of  Weston  she  com- 
pleted her  education  in  the  higher  schools  of 
Oxford,  Uhio.  One  child,  Andrew  Edward, 
has  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bald- 
win. To  say  that  Mr.  Baldwin  is  a  Repub- 
lican is  superfluous  when  it  is  stated  that  his 
name  is  on  the  roster  of  Teddy's  Terrors  and 
the  Republican  Club  Other  social  organiza- 
tions with  whicli  he  is  iilcutified  are  the 
lonathau  Club,  the  Calitnrma  Club,  the 
Country  Club  and  the  Ocean  Park  Omntry 
Club.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  of  Los  Angeles.  Besides  his 
interests  already  noted  he  is  identiiied  with 
various  important  corporations  of  this  city,  be- 
ing a  director  of  the  California  Savings  Bank, 
and  also  of  the  Union  Home  Telephone  & 
Telegraph  corporation,  which  has  a  capital 
of  $10,000,000  and  covers  Southern  California. 


JOHN  L.  BEVERIDGE.  As  in  the  heyday 
of"youth  men  long  for  the  giant  possibilities  with- 
in the  borders  of  cities,  so  in  after  life,  with 
faculities  matured  and  illusions  vanished,  the\ 
again  gravitate  towards  those  ceaseless  activities 
which  whet  their  interests,  and  tune  their  hearts 
and  minds  to  a  more  than  bountiful  present. 
Such  an  one  is  John  L.  Beveridge,  strong  in  mind 
and  character. "brave  and  resourceful  in  emer- 
gencv.  and  since  December,  1895,  a  resident  of 
Hollywood,  Cal.  C)n  both  sides  of  the  family 
he  is"  descended  from  a  long  line  of  Scotch  an- 
cestors, who  bequeathed  to  their  children  and 
children's  children  all  of  the  characteristics  for 
which  that  sturdy  nationality  is  noted.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Andrew  Beveridge,  was 
the  first  oi  the  family  to  come  to  the  new  world, 
leaving  his  home  in  Scotland  in  1770,  when  a 
lad  of  eighteen  years,  and  settling  in  \\'ashington 
county,  N,  Y.  Fifteen  years  later,  in  1785.  the 
maternal  grandparents.  James  and  Agnes 
(Robertson)  Hoy,  also  came  to  the  United  States. 
they  too  settling  in  the  same  county  in  New  York. 
Both  grandparents  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  in  the  Empire  state  and  their  remains  lie 
buried  in  the  Hebron  and  Cambridge  Cemeteries 
in  Washington  countv.  Among  the  children  born 
to  the  paternal  grandparents  were  eight  sons. 
and  of  these  George  (the  father  of  our  subject) 
and  James  enlisted  for  service  in  the  war  of 
1812;  while  on  their  way  to  Plattslnu-g  to  partici- 
]>ate  in  the  battle  of  Lake  Champlain,  hostilities 
came  to  an  end  and  there  was  no  further  need 
of  their  services.  However,  at  considerable  dis- 
tance from  the  scene  of  the  conflict,  thev  could 


hear  the  boom  of  cannon  echo  and  re-echq  across 
the  lake.  Retracing  their  footsteps  they  returnetl 
to  their  home  in  Washington  county  and  were 
luustered  out  of  the  service. 

Born  and  reared  in  Washington  county,  N. 
Y.,  George  Beveridge  was  early  in  life  initiated 
in  the  hard  work  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  the 
farmer  before  the  era  of  labor-saving  machinery. 
For  many  years  he  followed  this  vocation  in  his 
native  county,  but  in  middle  life,  when  his  son 
John  L.  was  in  his  eighteenth  }ear,  he  removed 
to  Illinois,  settling  in  DeKalb  county.  There 
as  in  the  east  he  followed  the  peaceful  life  of 
the  agriculturist,  and  on  the  farm  which  he 
there  established  his  earth  life  came  to  a  close, 
his  wife,  who  was  in  maidenhood  Ann  Hoy,  also 
dying  on  the  Illinois  homestead. 

While  his  parents  were  still  living  in  New 
York  state  John  L.  Beveridge  was  born  in  Green- 
wich, Washington  county,  July  6,  1824.  Fie  re- 
ceived such  education  as  the  schools  of  his  home 
district  afforded,  but  as  his  parents  could  main- 
tain their  family  only  by  the  most  rigid  economy, 
all  thought  of  going  away  to  college,  which  was 
then  his  greatest  ambition,  had  to  be  abondoned. 
Until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  he  assisted 
in  the  work  of  the  home  farm  in  Washington 
county,  and  after  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
Illinois  still  continued  farming,  teaching  school 
(luring  the  winter  months  in  order  to  provide 
means  with  which  to  prosecute  his  studies.  It 
was  in  the  fall  of  1842  that  he  entered  the 
academy  at  Granville,  Putnam  county,  111., 
where  he  spent  one  term,  later  entering 
Rock  River  Seminary  at  Mount  Alorris,  where 
he  completed  his  academic  course  in  the  fall  of 
1845.  His  parents  and  brothers  were  anxious 
to  have  him  follow  this  training  by  a  course  in 
college,  but  as  his  means  were  insufficient  for 
this  undertaking  and  not  caring  to  be  a  burden 
to  his  family,  who  were  anxious  and  willing  to 
help  him,  he  packed  his  trunk  and  with  all  the 
money  he  had  ($40)  started  for  the  south  to 
seek  his  fortune.  Going  to  Tennessee,  he  taught 
school  in  Wilson,  Overton  and  Jackson  counties, 
interspersing  the  reading  of  law  as  his  other 
duties  would  pemiit.  As  the  result  of  his  studious 
habits  and  persistency  in  the  course  which  he 
had  mapped  out  for  himself  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Jackson  county  in  November  18.SO. 

It  was  in  December  of  1847  that  Mr.  Beve- 
ridge returned  to  the  north,  and  on  January  20 
following  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Helen  M.  Judson.  the  ceremony  being  perfortned 
in  the  old  Clark  Street  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Chicago,  of  which  her  father  was  then 
pastor.  During-  the  spring  of  1848  he  returned 
tn  Ternc^sce  with  his  bride,  and  in  that  state 
their  two  children.  Alia  May  and  Philo  Judson, 
were  born.      Mismanagement  on  the  part  of  an 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


547 


associate  with  whom  he  had  entrusted  his  means 
threw  him  in  debt  in  the  fall  of  1849,  and  as  soon 
as  he  could  earn  the  amount  of  his  indebtedness 
and  clear  hiniSelf  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and  in 
Sycamore,  the  county-seat  of  DeKalb  county,  be- 
gan to  practice  the  profession  of  law.  His  recent 
financial  experience  had  left  him  practically  with- 
out funds,  so  that  it  was  only  by  the  most  rigid 
economy  that  he  was  able  to  earn  enough  from 
his  legal  practice  to  support  his  family.  As  op- 
portunity oifered  he  did  outside  work,  such  as 
keeping  books  for  some  of  the  business  houses 
of  the  town,  besides  some  railroad  engineering. 
A  dawn  of  brighter  prospects  began  to  appear 
when,  in  the  spring  of  1854,  he  removed  to 
Evanston,  a  town  twelve  miles  north  of  Chicago, 
which  had  recently  been  laid  out  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Northwestern  University,  a  Metho- 
dist institution,  of  which  his  father-in-law  was 
then  financial  agent  and  business  manager.  The 
following  year  Mr.  Beveridge  opened  a  law  ofifice 
in  Chicago,  meeting  with  some  discouragements 
at  first,  but  finally  gathering  around  him  a  large 
and  influential  clientele. 

There  is  probably  no  epoch  in  Mr.  Beveridge's 
long  and  brilliant  career  of  which  he  is  more 
proud  than  the  four  years  and  fifty-five  days 
spent  in  his  country's  service  during  the  Civil 
war.  It  was  on  August  25,  1861,  that  he  signed 
the  muster  roll  and  recruited  Company  F,  Eighth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  receiving  rapid  promotion  from 
his  superiors,  who  soon  noted  his  knowledge 
and  ability  in  the  line  of  military  tactics.  From 
captain  of  Company  F  he  was  promoted  to  major. 
As  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  his  regi- 
ment was  active  in  the  campaign  of  1862-63,  and 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Williamsburg,  Fair 
Oaks,  in  the  seven  days  fight  around  Richmond, 
White  Oak  Swamp.  Malvern  Hill,  Antietam, 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg. 
In  the  campaign  of  1863  his  regiment  had 
the  post  of  honor,  the  right  of  the  First 
Brigade,  First  Division  of  the  cavalry  corps 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  In  command 
of  his  regiment  he  held  the  advance  of  the 
army  to  Gettysburg  and  his  regiment  was 
the  first  to  receive  the  fire  of  the  enemy  on  that 
memorable  battle  field.  It  was  at  the  request 
of  Governor  Richard  Yates  that  on  November 
2,  1863,  Mr.  Beveridge  resigned  his  commission 
as  major  to  accept  the  rank  of  colonel  of  a 
cavalry  regiment  authorized  to  be  raised  by  die 
secretary  of  war.  Later  he  recruited  and  or- 
ganized the  Seventeenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  of  which 
he  was  commissioned  colonel,  his  rank  to  date 
from  January  28.  1864.  He  served  with  his 
regiment  in  the  department  of  Missouri,  taking 
an  active;  part  in  the  Price  raid.  For  some  time 
after  his  regiment  was  mustered  out  he  was  re- 
tained by  order  of  the  secretary  of  war  as  presi- 


dent of  the  military  commission  in  St.  Louis. 
On  May  i,  1865,  he  was  commissioned  brigadier- 
general  by  brevet,  and  received  his  final  discharge 
February  7,  1866,  having  been  four  years  and 
fift\-five  days  in  active  service,  and  one  hunflred 
and  eleven  days  on  recruiting  service. 

Returning  at  once  to  Chicago,  Mr.  Beveridge 
resumed  the  practice  of  law,  but  at  considerable 
disadvantage,  for  he  was  without  a  library  and 
his  former  clientage  had  become  scattered.  In 
November  of  1866  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Cook 
county,  a  position  which  he  filled  for  one  term, 
after  which  he  again  practiced  law  until  Novem- 
ber, 1870,  the  latter  date  marking  his  el(;ction  as 
state  senator.  One  year  later,  in  November  of 
1871,  he  was  elected  congressman  at  large,  and 
in  November  of  1872  was  elected  lieutenant- 
governor  on  the  ticket  with  Governor  Oglesbv. 
The  election  of  the  latter  to  the  United  States 
senate  resulted  in  Mr.  Beveridge  becoming  gover- 
nor of  Illinois,  taking  his  chair  January  21,  1873. 
From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  honor  up- 
on honor  was  placed  upon  him  in  rapid  succes- 
sion, any  one  of  which  would  have  satisfied  the 
most  ambitious. 

After  the  close  of  his  gubernatorial  term  Mr. 
Beveridge  became  associated  in  business  with  D. 
B.  Dewey,  under  the  firm  name  of  Beveridge 
&  Dewey,  as  bankers  and  dealers  in  commercial 
paper,  with  offices  in  the  McCormick  Block. 
Chicago.  In  November,  1881.  he  was  made 
assistant  United  States  treasurer,  a  position 
which  he  filled  with  ability  until  September  1885. 
On  account  of  ill-health  he  retired  from  active 
life  about  this  time  making  his  home  in  Evans- 
ton,  until  December.  1895,  when  he  removed  to 
California,  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  Holly- 
wood. Tlie  wife  of  his  youth  is  still  spared  to 
him  and  together  they  are  spending  their  last 
da_\-s  in  the  quietness  and  serenity  which  is  the 
just  reward  for  noble  and  consecrated  living. 
Both  of  their  children  have  been  trained  to  lives 
of  usefulness  and  are  now  filling  their  place  in  the 
wT)rld's  activities.  The  eldest  child.  Alia  May, 
is  now  the  wife  of  Samuel  B.  Raymond,  and  they 
maketheir  home  in  Chicago,  111. ;  the  only  son, 
Philo  Judson,  has  taken  an  active  part  in  pro- 
moting the  interests  of  Hollywood,  and  at  this 
writing  (1906)  is  traveling  abroad  with  his  fam- 
ily. Mr.  Beveridge's  early  religious  training  was 
in  the  faith  of  the  United  Presbyterain  Church, 
but  during  later  years  he  became  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  As  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  Commandery,  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Beveridge,  on 
February  8,  1885,  read  a  paper  entitled  The 
First  Gun  at  Gettysburg,  and  as  he  said  of  the 
conflict,  so  we  say  of  his  life,  "The  battle  was 
fought,  the  victory  was  won." 


548 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


COL.  JOHN  KASTLE.  Familiarity  with 
California  soil,  climate  and  possibilities,  ac- 
quired through  twenty  years  of  residence  within 
the  state,  has  made  Colonel  Kastle  an  authority 
concerning  real  estate  values,  particularly  those 
pertaining  to  the  southern  half  of  the  common- 
wealth. While  he  was  for  )-ears  prominent  in  the 
real  estate  development  of  San  Diego  and  for 
two  terms  officiated  as  president  of  the  Qiamber 
of  Commerce  in  that  city,  for  some  time  past  he 
has  made  his  home  in  Oxnard,  whose  growing 
opportunities  and  great  possibilities  attracted  him 
to  its  citizenship  and  caused  him  to  invest  in 
property  desirable  for  improvement.  Since  com- 
ing to  the  city  he  has  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business  and  has  had  charge  of  various  sales  for 
others,  as  well  as  buying  vacant  property  and  im- 
proving it  himself  for  later  sale. 

The  Kastle  family  is  of  French  lineage  and 
was  established  in  America  by  John  Kastle,  Sr., 
who  in  1843  became  a  resident  of  New  Orleans, 
La.,  but  after  two  years  removed  to  Kentucky. 
For  years  he  held  a  prominent  position  among 
the  men  of  affairs  in  Lexington,  where  he  was 
proprietor  of  a  large  shoe  store,  and  that  city 
continued  to  be  his  home  until  death.  The  lady 
whom  he  married,  Sophia  Devning,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  a  French  Huguenot  family  belonging  to 
the  nobility.  Among  their  children  there  was  one 
son,  Charles,  who  served  throughout  the  period 
of  the  Civil  war  and  took  part  in  Sherman's 
march  to  the  sea ;  another  son,  Daniel,  makes  his 
home  in  Kentucky.  The  third.  Col.  John  Kastle, 
was  bom  in  Strasburg,  France,  in  1833,  and  re- 
ceived his  primary  education  in  French  schools. 
At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  accompanied  the  fam- 
ily to  the  United  States,  settling  in  New  Orleans, 
whence  he  removed  to  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1845, 
and  there  completed  his  education  in  the  city 
schools.  Upon  leaving  school  he  entered  his 
father's  store  and  soon  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  shoe  business,  which  he  con- 
ducted successfully  for  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
meanwhile  gaining  a  reputation  for  keen  business 
judgment  and  substantial  worth  as  a  citizen. 

Removing  to  Kansas  City  in  1880  Colonel 
Kastle  remained  a  resident  of  that  place  for  six 
years,  and  meantime,  as  in  Kentucky,  became 
prominently  identified  with  local  politics  and 
wielded  a  large  influence  in  public  affairs.  At 
the  same  time  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness and  handled  many  important  deals  in  town 
property.  While  making  his  home  in  Kansas 
City  he  married  and  not  long  afterward  suffered 
the  misfortune  of  losing  his  wife  by  death.  On 
his  arrival  in  California  in  1887  he  selected  San 
Diego  as  his  location,  being  attracted  by  its  equa- 
ble climate.  In  a  short  time  he  had  made  several 
important  investments  in  real  estate,  including 
business  locations  on  Fifth  and  Sixth  streets.  On 


various  of  his  vacant  lots  he  erected  buildings, 
among  these  being  the  Kastle  block,  which  is  still 
one  of  the  substantial  structures  of  the  town.  In 
addition  he  erected  a  number  of  cottages  and 
laid  out  on  First  street  an  addition  of  five  acres  to 
the  city.  While  he  has  disposed  of  considerable 
property  in  San  Diego,  he  still  has  valuable  hold- 
ings in  the  city  and  receives  a  regular  income 
from  the  same. 

Not  only  has  Colonel  Kastle  traveled  exten- 
sively in  the  United  States,  but  he  has  also  visited 
points  of  interest  in  Europe  and  was  a  visitor  at 
the  Paris  Exposition  of  1867.  In  all  of  his  travels 
he  has  found  no  country  with  a  fairer  climate 
than  California,  nor  has  he  found  any  possessing 
greater  material  advantages  or  larger  opportuni- 
ties. Politically  he  has  affiliated  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  since  early  manhood  and  has  been  a 
warm  admirer  of  the  principles  for  which  Will- 
iam J.  Bryan  stands.  During  his  residence  in 
San  Diego  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  work 
of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  As 
early  as  1855  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.,  and  in  1866  was  raised  to  the  Royal 
Arch  Cliapter  in  the  same  state.  At  this  writing 
he  affiliates  with  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  341,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Oxnard  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Ventura 
Commandery,  K.  T.,  and  maintains  a  deep  inter- 
est in  the  philanthropic  work  of  the  order.  For 
some  time  he  has  officiated  as  a  warden  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  Personally  he  possesses  many 
genial  traits  of  character  and  furnishes  a  type  of 
the  famous  "Kentucky  colonel,"  whose  hospital- 
ity, good  fellowship  and  friendly  impulses  are 
known  the  world  around. 


ROBERT  CATHCART.  In  reading  over  the 
events  and  happenings  associated  with  the  life  of 
Mr.  Cathcart  one  immediately  recognizes  the  at- 
tributes that  individualized  his  character,  namely, 
faithfulness  to  every  duty  and  his  purpose  of  will. 
It  was  in  1853,  wlien  a  youth  of  seventeen  years, 
that  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  California, 
and  from  the  year  1876  until  his  death,  Novem- 
ber 9,  1904,  he  was  a  continuous  resident  of  the 
Pomona  valley,  and  as  a  pioneer  of  this  com- 
munity he  took  a  prominent  part  in  all  measures 
of  an  upbuilding  and  progressive  nature ;  in  fact, 
no  one  labored  more  zealously  to  bring  this  sec- 
tion of  Los  Angeles  county  into  public  notice 
than  did  Mr.  Cathcart.  His  efforts  along  this  line 
were  of  a  practical  nature,  and  any  prospective 
■  settler  viewing  his  thrifty  ranch  was  almost  in- 
variably counted  as  a  newcomer.  As  a  result  of 
his  untiring  efforts,  an  interest  in  horticulture 
was  established  which  transformed  the  barren 
vallev  into  a  garden  spot,  and  during  his  more 
active  vears  his  ranch  and  nursery  were  counted 
among  the  show  places  in  this  part  of  the  county. 


HTSTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


551 


A  native  of  Missouri,  Robert  Cathcart  was 
born  in  St.  Louis  in  1837,  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Hannah  (LeeJ  Cathcart,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Scotland.  Coming  to  the  United  States 
during  his  youth,  the  father  located  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  where  as  an  engineer  his  services  were  in 
great  demand.  To  him  was  given  the  credit  of 
building  the  first  steam  flouring  mill  ever  erected 
in  that  now  flourishing  city,  and  in  many  other 
substantial  ways  was  he  identified  with  its  early 
upbuilding  efliorts.  He  keenly  appreciated  the 
city's  advantageous  position  on  the  river,  and  was 
largely  interested  in  steamboating  between  St. 
Louis  and  New  Orleans,  owning  the  packet  line 
which  he  ran  between  these  two  points. 

L'ntil  in  his  seventeenth  year  of  age  Robert 
Cathcart  remained  in  his  native  city,  and  in  the 
meantime  received  an  excellent  education  in  the 
schools  of  St.  Louis.  Upon  the  removal  of  the 
family  to  California  in  1853  he  also  came  and 
settled  with  them  on  the  ranch  which  the  father 
purchased  in  Santa  Cruz  county.  Eight  years 
later  he  opened  a  general  merchandise  establish- 
ment in  Santa  Cruz,  which  he  conducted  two 
years,  and  then,  from  1863  to  1866,  was  propri- 
etor of  a  livery  stable  in  that  town.  Thereafter 
he  again  associated  himself  with  mercantile  in- 
terests, and  for  ten  years,  or  until  1876,  conduct- 
ed a  general  store.  Selling  out  his  stock  and 
good-will  that  year  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty and  settled  in  the  San  Jose  valley  about  two 
miles  north  of  Pomona.  From  A.  R.  Meserve  he 
purchased  a  one  hundred  acre  tract  of  land  which 
was  about  as  uninviting  and  unpromising  as  it  is 
possible  to  imagine,  but  with  a  purpose  he  set  to 
work  to  make  "it  habitable  and  productive,  and 
that  his  energy  was  well  expended  all  will  con- 
cede who  have  followed  his  career.  The  Cathcart 
ranch  on  San  Antonio  avenue  has  long  been  a 
landmark  in  this  section.  During  his  later  years 
he  disposed  of  a  large  part  of  his  ranch,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  owned  only  thirty  acres  of 
the  original  tract,  and  of  this  twenty-seven  acres 
were  in  oranges  and  the  remainder  in  walnuts. 
He  was  very  successful  in  the  sinking  of  artesian 
wells,  and  at  one  time  had  ten  wells  on  his  prop- 
erty. In  1889  he  with  others  was  instrumental  in 
securing  a  contract  for  piping  water  into  Po- 
mona, an  innovation  which  was  a  distinct  advan- 
tage to  the  citizens. 

In  1867,  in  Santa  Cruz.  :\lr.  Cathcart  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Augusta  Durr,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio.  Tulv  13,  1844,  one  of  five  children  born  to 
her  parents  and  only  one  of  the  number  is  now 
living,  a  resident  of  San  Francisco.  Mrs.  Cath- 
cart died  at  her  home  on  San  Antonio  avenue, 
Pomona,  March,  1907,  having  survived  her  hus- 
band less  than  two  and  a  half  years.  When  a 
child  of  eleven  years  she  accompanied  her  par- 
ents, Tohn  Durr  and  wife,  to  California,  coming 


by  way  of  the  isthmus,  and  thence  by  boat  to 
Monterey  county.  The  mother  did  not  long  sur- 
vive the  tedious  journey  to  the  west,  but  the 
father,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany,  lived  until 
1867.  Four  children  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  ;Mrs.  Cathcart,  all  of  whom  are  living  with 
one  exception  and  in  homes  of  their  own.  Frank 
Baynham,  lives  in  Los  Angeles  and  is  the  father 
of  one  child ;  John  Lee,  married  Miss  Amy 
Green,  and  with  his  wife  and  two  children  lives 
in  San  Bernardino :  Charles  H.  is  deceased ;  Rob- 
ert, married  Miss  Bessie  Loebier  and  is  also  a 
resident  of  San  Bernardino.  Politically  Mr. 
Cathcart  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  Democratic 
principles.  Throughout  Los  Angeles  county  Mr. 
Cathcart  was  well  known  and  honored  for  his 
whole-souled  generosity  and  kindly  disposition, 
ever  in  touch  with  the  needs  of  his  friends  and 
associates,  and  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  a 
large  circle  of  business  and  social  associates. 


ELIZABETH  A.  FOLLANSBEE,  M.  D. 
To  be  descended  from  ancestors  who  assisted 
in  the  establishment  of  American  independence 
and  in  framing  the  laws  that  became  the  foun- 
dation of  the  new  national  life,  is  a  distinc- 
tion of  which  any  true  patriot  may  be  justly 
proud.  To  the  prestige  of  such  ancestry  Dr. 
Follansbee  has  added  the  honors  of  a  broad 
and  liberal  professional  education  and  as- 
sured success,  so  that  both  by  reason  of  dis- 
tinguished lineage  and  personal  prominence 
she  is  entitled  to  the  influential  position  she 
occupies  in  the  citizenship  of  Los  Angeles. 
The  line  of  her  maternal  genealogy  is  traced 
back  to  that  gallant  soldier  of  the  army  of 
patriots,  Col.  William  Mackintosh,  whose  his- 
tory with  the  record  of  his  brave  services  is 
preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  State  House 
at  Boston.  Born  at  Dedham,  Norfolk  county, 
Mass.,  June  17,  1722,  Colonel  Mackintosh  was 
a  son  of  William  and  Johajina  (Lyon)  Mac- 
kintosh, and  a  grandson  of  William  and  Ex- 
perience Mackintosh.  His  public  service  be- 
gan during  the  French  war.  and  he  was  pres- 
ent at  Crown  Point,  Lake  Champlain  and 
Lake  George,  receiving  a  commission  as  en- 
sign September  9.  1755,  at  Lake  George.  Dur- 
ing the  war.  and  in  recognition  of  his  faithful 
services,  he  v>as  promoted  to  be  first  lieuten- 
ant, the  commission  to  the  office  bearing  date 
of  March  13,  1758.  At  the  expiration  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  his  home. 

Some  years  afterward,  when  the  struggle 
with  England  commenced.  Lieutenant  ^^lac- 
kintosh  was  qualified  by  experience  in  milj- 
tarv  tactics  to  be  of  distinct  service  to  his 
adopted  country,  whose  cause  he  espoused 
with  all  the  ardor  of  his  enthusiastic  nature. 


552 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  memorable  engagements  at  Lexington, 
Concord  and  Bunker  Hill  gave  him  his  first 
baptism  of  blood  in  the  cause  of  independence. 
AVith  his  sons  he  was  present  at  Dorchester 
Heights.  On  the  same  night  there  were  pres- 
ent, with  their  horses  and  oxen,  Dr.  Follans- 
bee's  great-great-grandfather,  Henry  Dewing, 
Esq.,  with  his  sons,  and  another  great-great- 
grandfather, James  Tucker,  Esq.,  also  accom- 
panied by  his  sons.  On  the  14th  of  February, 
1776,  by  the  council  of  the  state  of  Massa- 
chusetts, Lieutenant  Mackintosh  was  appoint- 
ed colonel  of  the  first  regiment  of  militia  in 
the  county  of  Snfifolk.  Under  this  appointment 
he  went  into  the  army  and  was  engaged  in 
many  of  the  important  battles  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. By  General  Washington  he  was  desig- 
nated as  "an  efficient  officer  and  a  brave  man." 
Hanging  in  the  library  of  Charles  Gideon 
2\Iackintosh  of  Peabody,  Mass.,  an  uncle  of 
Dr.  Follansbee,  is  a  personal  letter  from  the 
General  to  Colonel  Mackintosh. 

But  it  was  not  only  in  the  field  that  Col- 
onel Mackintosh  rendered  valuable  service  to 
the  country.  In  1779  he  was  a  member  of  the 
convention  which  framed  the  constitution  of 
the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  and  in 
1788  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention  that 
framed  the  constitution  of  the  United  States. 
After  an  unusually  active  and  influential  ca- 
reer he  passed  into  eternity  January  3,  1813, 
at  his  home  in  Needham,  Mass.  It  had  been 
his  privilege  to  participate  in  two  of  the  early 
wars  of  our  country  and  to  contribute  to  the 
glory  of  American  arms.  When  the  second 
struggle  with  England  arose  he  was  an  aged 
man,  no  longer  able  to  endure  the  vicissitudes 
of  the  camp  and  the  battlefield,  and  death  came 
to  him  ere  his  country  had  gained  its  second 
victory  in  the  conflict  with  the  mother  coun- 
try. 

The  line  of  descent  is  traced  through  Col- 
onel Mackintosh  and  his  wife,  Abigail  "Whit- 
ing, to  their  son,  Gideon,  who  married  Ale- 
hitable  Dewing.  Their  son,  Gideon.  Jr.,  mar- 
ried Nancy  Sherman,  and  among  their  chil- 
dren was  a  daughter,  Nancy  Sherman  Alac- 
kintosh,  who  becam.e  the  wife  of  Capt.  Alonzo 
Follansbee.  The  Sherman  ancestry  is  dis- 
tinguished in  the  annals  of  New  England,  and 
is  traced  to  England,  where  Dedham.  Essex, 
was  the  seat  of  the  family  even  before  the 
opening  years  of  the  sixteenth  century.  There 
Edmond  Sherman  founded  a  school,  Sher- 
man Hall,  which  is  still  in  existence.  In  the 
same  town  there  stands  a  church  that  was 
"restored"  by  a  friend  of  Edmond  about  the 
.same  time  that  the  latter  built,  endowed  and 
presented  to  the  town  the  hall  above-men- 
tioned.    One   of  the   conspicuous   adornments 


of  the  church  is  a  stained-glass  memorial  win- 
dow dedicated  to  Edmond.  By  his  second 
wife,  Anne  Cleve,  Edmond  Sherman  had  sev- 
eral sons,  from  one  of  whom  the  present  Earl 
of  Rosebery  is  descended. 

Another  member  of  the  family,  John,  had  a 
son  of  the  same  name,  who  about  1634  emi- 
grated from  England  to  the  new  world  with 
his  cousins.  Rev.  John  and  Samuel  Sherman. 
The  last-named  was  the  ancestor  of  Gen.  Will- 
iam Tecumseh  Sherman  and  United  States 
Senator  John  Sherman.  John,  the  ancestor 
of  Roger  Sherman,  served  as  a  captain  of  the 
militia.  In  1635  h^  settled  at  Watertown, 
Mass.,  with  his  wife,  Martha,  daughter  of 
Roger  Palmer,  of  Long  Sutton,  Southampton, 
England.  The  lands  granted  him  were  ad- 
jacent to  those  owned  by  the  ancestors  of 
President  Garfield.  He  was  a  surveyor  as 
well  as  a  farmer  and  aided  Governor  Win- 
throp  in  fixing  the  northern  boundary  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. For  a  time  he  served  as,  clerk  of 
Watertown,  which  he  also  represented  in  the 
general  court,  and  in  addition  he  held  the  office 
of  steward  of  Harvard  College.  His  son,  Jo- 
seph, married  Flizabeth,  daughter  of  Lieut. 
Edward  Winship,  of  Cambridge.  Born  of 
their  union  were  eleven  children,  the  ninth 
being  William,  father  of  Roger  Sherman. 
Soon  after  his  marriage  to  Mehitabel  AVell- 
ington  he  removed  to  Newton,  Mass.,  and  from 
there  to  what  is  now  Canton,  Norfolk  county 
(then  a  part  of  Stoughton).  The  record  shows 
that  their  marriage  was  solemnized  at  Water- 
town,  Mass.,  September  3,  1715;  the  bride, 
who  was  his  second  wife,  was  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Wellington,  Esq.,  of  that  place,  and 
was  baptized  ]\Iarch  4,  1688.  While  they  were 
residing  at  Newton,  ]\IiddlesQx  county,  their 
son,  Roger,  was  born  April  19,  1721,  he  being 
the  third  child  of  their  union. 

In  Roger  Sherman  the  earlier  generations 
of  the  family  had  their  most  distinguished  rep- 
resentative. Mention  of  his  service  as  jurist 
and  statesman  appears  in  numerous  historical 
works,  among  them  being  Lamb's  Biographi- 
cal Dictionary,  the  National  Cyclopedia  of 
American  Biography,  Universal  Cyclopedia, 
Genealogical  Dictionary  of  New  England, 
Town  Records  of  Stoughton  (Canton),  Mass., 
also  those  of  Watertown  and  Milton.  Dur- 
ing 1743  Roger  Sherman  moved  to  New  Mil- 
ford,  Conn.,  and  in  June,  1761,  became  a  resi- 
dent of  New  Haven,  that  state,  where  he  died 
July  23,  1793.  His  public  service  began  in 
1755,  when  he  represented  New  Milford, 
Conn.,  in  the  general  assemblv,  to  which  po- 
sition he  was  later  again  elected,  serving  from 
1758  to  1761.     In   1764  he  was  elected  to  rep- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


553 


resent  New  Haven  in  the  legislature,  and  two 
years  later  he  was  honored  by  being  chosen  as 
a  member  of  the  senate,  serving  as  such  until 
1785.  .Meanwhile  he  was  a  judge  of  the  su- 
perior court  from  1766  until  1789.  His  activity 
as  a  patriot  l)egan  with  the  effort  of  the 
crown  to  enforce  the  stamp  act,  which  he  op- 
posed with  all  the  energ\-  of  his  forceful  mind. 
On  the  repeal  of  the  act  in  1766  he  was  a 
member  of  the  committee  of  three  appointed  by 
the  legislature  to  prepare  an  address  of  thanks 
to  the  king.  In  1774  he  was  chosen  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  to  consider  the  claims  of 
the  settlers  near  the  Susquehanna  river.  From 
1774  to  1781  he  was  a  delegate  from  Connec- 
ticut to  the  Continental  Congress,  also  in 
1783-84,  serving  on  the  most  important  com- 
mittees. With  Jefferson,  Adams,  Franklin 
and  Livingston,  he  was  chosen,  June  11,  1776, 
to  draft  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  signers.  He  assisted 
in  preparing  the  Articles  of  Confederation 
and  those  of  the  Connecticut  Council  of  Safe- 
ty in  1777-79.  The  convention  of  1787,  of 
which  he  was  a  member,  became  famous  for 
its  Connecticut  Compromise,  and  all  histor- 
ians agree  that  Mr.  .Sherman  was  solely  re- 
sponsible for  that  plan  of  action,  by  which 
was  made  possible  a  union  of  the  states,  also 
a  national  government.  Roger  Sherman  was 
the  only  delegate  in  the  Continental  Congress 
who  signed  all  of  the  four  great  state  papers 
which  were  signed  by  all  of  the  delegates  of 
all  of  the  colonies,  namely :  the  Declaration  of 
1774,  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the 
Articles  of  Confederation  and  the  Federal 
Constitution.  Tooctlur  with  Judge  Richard 
Long  he  revise!  the  •^tittiitc  laws  of  Connecti- 
cut in  1783.  To  prevent  a  Tory  from  becom- 
ing mayor  of  New  Haven,  he  was  chosen  the 
first  incumbent  of  that  office  in  the  city  and 
continued  in  tlie  office  until  his  death,  also 
was  serving  as  senator  when  he  passed  from 
life's  activities.  From  1765  until  1776  he  held 
office  as  treasurer  of  Yale  College,  from  which 
institution  in  1768  he  received  the  degree  of 
IMaster  of  Arts. 

In  the  town  of  Stoughton  (now  Canton), 
Mass.,  Roger  .Sherman  was  united  in  marriage 
bv  Rev.  Samuel  Dunbar  with  Elizabeth  Hart- 
well,  eldest  daughter  of  Deacon  Joseph  Hart- 
well  of  Stoughton.  Her  death  occurred  in 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  October  19,  1760.  The 
eldest  son  of  the  union.  Capt.  John  Sherman, 
was  born  in  New  ]\tilford.  Conn.,  September 
5,  1750:  married  at  Milton,  Mass.,  October  7, 
1793,  Annie  Tucker,  daughter  of  James 
Tucker,  Esq.,  and  a  native  of  IMilton,  born 
September  27,  1763.  The  captain  died  at  Can- 
ton, IMass.,  August  8,   1802.     Among  his  chil- 


dren was  a  daughter,  Nancy,  who  was  born 
at  Canton,  Mass.,  November  28,  1794,  and 
died  in  the  same  town  September  19,  1836. 
In  her  home  town,  November  5,  1812,  she  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Gideon  Mackintosh, 
Jr.,  who  was  born  May  13,  1789,  and  died 
September  19,  1859.  Their  daughter,  who  bore 
her  mother's  name,  was  born  at  Canton,  July 
10,  1813,  and  is  still  living,  making  her  home 
at  Dedham,  Mass.  Nancy  Sherman  Mackin- 
tosh became  the  wife  of  Capt.  Alonzo  Follans- 
bee  at  Canton,  Mass.,  October  21,  1836.  The 
captain  was  Ivorn  at  Pittston,  ile.,  August  19, 
i8og.  and  died  January  6,  1857.  Born  in  Pitts- 
ton,  Me.,  Elizabeth  Ann  Follansbee  was  taken 
to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  by  her  parents,  where 
they  resided  until  the  death  of  her  father.  For 
four  years  she  spent  her  time  abroad  in  school, 
and  after  her  return  continued  her  studies  in 
Boston.  For  a  time  she  taught  in  the  Green 
Mountain  Institute  and  later  in  Hillside  Sem- 
inary at  Montclair,  N.  J.,  but  resigned  her 
work  in  the  east  on  account  of  delicate  health. 
Coming  to  California  in  1873  she  taught  in 
Napa  City,  studied  for  one  term  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  California,  and  then  matriculated 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan.  Just  prior  to  the  date  of  her 
graduation  she  accepted  a  position  as  interne 
in  the  New  England  Hospital  for  Women  and 
Children  in  Boston.  In  1877  she  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Woman's  ?\ledical  College  of 
Philadelphia  and  won  the  prize  of  $50  for  the 
best  essay  of  the  graduating  class,  her  sub- 
ject being  "Review  of  Medical  Progress." 

After  her  graduation  Dr.  Follansbee  began 
to  practice  in  San  Francisco,  but  was  obliged 
b}-  reason  of  health  to  seek  a  dift'erent  climate, 
and  in  February,  1883,  came  to  Los  Angeles, 
where  under  the  influence  of  a  beneficent  cli- 
mate she  was  soon  restored  to  strength  and 
entered  actively  upon  professional  work.  Upon 
the  organization  of  the  medical  department  of 
the  Universit}-  of  California  she  was  called  to 
the  chair  of  diseases  of  children,  in  which 
specialty  she  has  won  a  widely  extended  repu- 
tation. Organizations  connected  with  the  pro- 
fession enlist  her  warm  interest,  and  she  has 
been  actively  associated  with  the  Los  Angeles 
County,  Southern  California.  California  State 
and  American  I\Iedical  Associations.  While 
her  chosen  profession  has  commanded  her  time 
and  strength,  it  has  not  done  so  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  other  avenues  of  mental  activity ;  on 
the  other  hand,  she  is  familiar,  to  an  unusual 
extent,  with  literature  and  art.  She  has  given 
desen-ed  honor  to  her  ancestors  through  her 
association  with  the  Daughters  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  and  the  Colonial  Dames  of  the 
State  of  Connecticut. 


554 


HTSTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


JOHN  BODGER.  Buyers  of  seeds  through- 
out the  entire  country  are  famiUar  with  the  firm 
name  of  John  Bodger  &  Sons,  whose  seed  farms 
are  situated  three  and  one-half  miles  from  Gar- 
dena,  Los  Angeles  count}-'  and  whose  wholesale 
business  has  grown  to  large  proportions.  Al- 
though the  founder  of  the  business  started  with- 
out any  capital,  he  has  built  up  an  industry  of 
which  iie  may  well  be  proud.  The  firm  of  which 
he  is  the  head  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  one  tract  and  leases  adjoining  tracts, 
making  an  aggregate  of  five  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  under  their  control.  In  addition  farmers  in 
the  vicinity  work  under  their  instructions,  so  that 
the  seed  from  about  one  thousand  acres  is 
handled.  .  One  of  the  sons,  Walter,  travels  on  the 
road  as  solicitor  and  agent  for  the  firm,  and  the 
other  son,  Charles,  has  the  management  of  the 
farm,  the  father  residing  in  Los  Angeles,  but  re- 
taining personal  supervision  of  the  seed  l)usiness. 
The  specialties  in  seeds  are  lima  and  pole  beans, 
tomatoes,  cucumbers,  lettuce,  carrots  and  salsify : 
and  in  flowers  they  carry  asters,  balsams,  stocks, 
petunias,  verbenas,  phlox,  sweet  peas,  cosmos, 
zinnia  and  mignonette,  as  well  as  the  leading 
novelties. 

In  Somersetshire,  England,  where  he  was  born 
January  17,  1846,  John  Bodger  passed  the  years 
of  boyhood  at  home  and  in  school.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  gardener, 
working  for  two  years  in  a  private  garden  and 
for  a  brief  period  in  a  nursery.  On  the  comple- 
tion of  his  time  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he 
began  to  work  for  wages  and  for  two  years  was 
employed  as  gardener  in  a  private  establishment, 
after  which  he  embarked  in  the  nursery  and  seed 
business.  During  January  of  i8gi  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York  City, 
whence  he  came  to  Ventura,  Cal,  joining  a  son 
who  had  settled  there  two  years  before.  For  a 
time  he  worked  in  the  gardens  of  a  successful 
florist  there.  L^pon  selling  his  business  in  Eng- 
land he  removed  to  Santa  Paula,  leased  lands  for 
the  grrowing  of  seeds,  and 'continued  in  business 
for  twelve  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time 
he  had  six  hundred  acres  in  garden  and  seed 
beans,  and  he  also  operated  fortv  acres  which  he 
had  purcliased  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county. 

Disposing  of  his  lands  in  the  central  coast  re- 
gion, in  1904  Mr.  Bodger  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  secured  the  tracts  he  now  operates 
near  Gardena,  meanwhile  establishing  his  home 
in  Los  Angeles.  While  still  living  in  England  he 
met  and  married  Aliss  Susan  ]\Iarks.  who  was 
born  in  Devonshire,  came  to  California  in  t8q2, 
and  died  here  February  22.  i8q8.  In  relieion  she 
was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Church  of  England. 
Seven  children  were  born  of  that  union,  namely : 
William  James,  who  is  emploved  in  a  seed  store 
in  Los  .\ngeles:  Anna  ^larks,  wife  of  Herbert 


E.  (lerirgc ;  Louise,  wife  of  Chester  F.  Hewitt, 
who  wiirks  with  the  firm  of  John  Bodger  &  Sons; 
^\'altcr,  wliii  is  associated  with  his  father  in  busi- 
ness; Ellen,  wife  of  Jesse  D.  Foster,  of  \"entura, 
Cal. ;  John  Charles,  a  partner  with  his  father  and 
In-other  ;  and  Tom  JMarks,  who  resides  with  his 
father.  The  present  wife  of  Mr.  Bodger  was 
Mrs.  llelen  Becker,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  In 
political  views  father  and  sons  affiliate  with  the 
Republican  party  and  give  their  stanch  support 
to  its  principles ;  fraternally  they  have  never  been 
active  in  secret  orders  or  social  clubs,  the  only  one 
affiliating  with  such  an  organization  being  Wal- 
ter, who  holds  men-ibership  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters. 


HON.  WILLIA^I  H.  WTCKERSHAM.  The 
association  of  Hon.  Willian-i  H.  Wickersham 
Abetter  known  as  "Billie" )  with  the  interests  of 
Southern  California  dates  from  his  first  business 
venture  in  manhood,  as  he  was  but  three  years 
old  when  he  was  brought  to  the  state  b>-  his 
parents,  and  was  here  reared  to  maturity.  He  is 
a  native  of  Chester  county.  Pa.,  his  birth  having 
I  ccurred  in  Aledia,  November  21,  1872,  the  fam- 
il\  having  been  located  in  that  state  by  an  Eng- 
lish Ouaker.  John  Wickersham,  who  crossed  the 
water  with  \\"illiam  Penn.  Succeeding  genera- 
tions made  I'ennsylvania  their  home,  and  there 
Isaac  Wickersham,  the  father,  engaged  as  a  stock 
dealer  until  the  year  1875.  He  then  came  to 
California  and  in  Los  Angeles  engaged  in  the 
same  business  until  his  retirement  from  active 
cares  which  occurred  early  in  1905.  He  now 
makes  his  home  in  Los  Angeles  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his 
early  industry.  His  wife  is  also  living.  In  maid- 
enhood she  was  Sarah  Baker,  a  native  of  Qiester 
county.  Pa.,  and  the  daughter  of  Evans  Baker 
and  his  wife,  formerly  a  Miss  ^litchell,  a  direct 
descendant  of  the  Harlan  family.  Mr.  Baker  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  but  was  a  man  high  in 
public  importance,  having  served  as  state  treas- 
urer. Air.  and  JNIrs.  Wickersham  became  the 
liarents  of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  are  living. 

1"he  third  son  and  the  fifth  child  in  order  of 
birth,  William  H.  \Mckershani  was  reared  in  Los 
Angeles,  receiving  an  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city.  At  the  aae  of  fourteen  years 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Haninian  Fish  Com- 
pany, of  Los  Angeles,  beginning  at  the  foot  of  the 
ladder  in  the  business.  His  close  application  to 
the  work  and  his  thorough  knowledge  of  it 
served  to  bring  him  early  reward,  and  until  April 
17,  1898,  he  acted  as  manager  of  the  con-ipany. 
In  the  meantin-ie,  as  early  as  189.V  he  began  to 
make  trips  to  San  Pedro  in  the  purchase  of  prod- 
uce, and  graduallv  he  became  interested  in  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECOI^D. 


557 


prospects  held  out  to  the  business  man  by  this 
place.  Resigning  from  his  position  in  1898,  he 
became  connected  with  the  Morgan  Oyster  Com- 
pany as  salesman  and  the  following  year  as- 
sumed the  duties  of  manager  and  located  in  San 
Pedro  in  charge  of  this  office,  whose  headquarters 
are  in  San  Francisco.  He  has  erected  a  residence 
in  this  city  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  its 
progress  and  development,  serving  at  present  as 
chairman  of  the  board  of  school  trustees.  Iri 
addition  to  his  interests  with  the  Morgan  Oyster 
Company  he  also  owns  an  interest  in  several 
tishing  boats  and  outfits,  and  is  well  known  along 
the  bay. 

In  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Wickersham  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Nerney,  a  native  of 
La  Salle,  111.,  and  the  daughter  of  John  Nerney, 
of  Los  Angeles.  They  are  the  parents  of  one 
son,  Howard  Hollingsworth.  In  addition  to  his 
manifold  business  duties  Mr.  ^^^ickersham  has 
found  time  to  take  an  interest  in  the  politics  of 
his  adopted  state,  becoming  prominent  in  the 
Republican  party,  which  in  1904  elected  him  to 
the  state  legislature  by  a  majority  of  twenty- 
six  hundred  votes,  the  largest  majority  ever 
obtained  by  an  assemblyman  in  California.  He 
served  during  the  session  of  1905  and  was  a 
prominent  factor  on  several  important  commit- 
tee-;, among  them  being  that  on  prison  reform ; 
education  ;  commerce  and  navigation  ;  and  public 
morals.  During  this  session  he  had  the  pleasure 
of  working  and  voting  for  F.  P.  Flint,  and  in 
all  avenues  served  his  district  with  efficiency 
and  honor.  For  twelve  years  he  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  county  central  committee,  and 
has  been  prominent  on  its  executive  committee. 
In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Wickersham  was 
made  a  Mason  in  San  Peilrn.  and  also  belongs 
to  the  Eagles  and  is  an  l^steenied  Knight  in  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  As  a  man 
and  citizen  Mr.  Wickersham  holds  a  high  place 
in  San  Pedro ;  as  a  politician  he  enjoys  the  re- 
spect of  his  opponents  ;  and  as  a  business  man 
has  met  with  gratifying  success  which  places  him 
among  the  first  men  of  the  cit}'. 


HERMAN  \V.  HELLMAN.  The  enter- 
prises sustained  by  the  financial  aid  and  un- 
erring business  ability  of  Herman  \V.  Hell- 
man  have  given  to  Los  Angeles  within  the 
past  few  years  a  decided  impetus  toward  a 
phenomenal  growth  and  development.  For- 
tunately a  wise  conservatism  has  held  in  check 
any  movement  which  might  have  tended  to 
inflate  values,  attract  the  speculator,  and  thus 
produce  a  condition  disastrous  to  permanent 
development.  Mr.  Hellman's  long  association 
with  the  banking  institutions  of  this  city  prov- 
ing his  peculiar  fitness  as  a  leader  in  financial 


circles.  A  resume  of  the  life  of  this  substan- 
tial pioneer  is  one  which  cannot  fail  to  inter- 
est those  who  have  witnessed  his  rapid  rise  in 
the  business  world,  his  subjugation  of  obsta- 
cles in  his  path,  and  the  position  of  esteem 
and  respect  which  he  has  won  among  the  citi- 
zens of  the  city. 

Born  September  25,  1843,  i"  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, he  was  the  son  of  natives  of  that  coun- 
try, by  whom  he  was  reared  to  the  age  of 
fifteen  years,  receiving  a  practical  training  in 
the  common  branches  of  study  and  also  the 
foundation  for  the  principles  which  have  dis- 
tinguished his  business  career.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  he  decided  to  try  his  fortunes 
away  from  the  shelter  of  the  paternal  roof, 
and  accordingly  took  passage  on  a  vessel 
bound  for  California.  The  city  of  Los  An- 
geles and  its  vicinity  attracted  him  first  and 
practically^  continuous  has  been  his  residence 
since.  From  the  time  of  his  location  in  the 
city  he  was  interested  in  commercial  aflfairs, 
accepting,  in  June,  1859,  a  position  as  freight 
clerk  in  the  forwarding  and  commission  busi- 
ness at  Wilmington,  conducted  by  Gen.  Phi- 
neas  Banning.  He  held  the  position  until  ac- 
quiring some  means,  when  he  resigned  and 
returning  to  Los  Angeles  he  connected  him- 
self with  the  stationery  business  in  partner- 
ship with  a  cousin.  After  conducting  a  suc- 
cessful enterprise  for  several  years  ^Ir.  Hell- 
man  withdrew  to  take  up  the  work  on  his 
own  responsibility,  also  dealing  in  fancy- 
goods,  for  which  he  found  a  constantly  in- 
creasing market.  Having  been  absent  from 
his  native  land  for  nearly  eleven  years,  he  dis- 
posed of  his  business  interests  in  March,  1870, 
and  spent  the  following  year  in  Germany  and 
other  countries  of  Europe,  enjoying  the  asso- 
ciations of  his  bo}hood  years.  Returning  to 
Los  Angeles  in  Xo\  ember,  1871,  he  entered 
into  partnership  witli  Jacob  Haas,  a  former 
schoolmate  of  his,  Snd  established  a  wholesale 
grocery  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Hell- 
man,  Haas  &  Co.,  and  for  the  ensuing  nine- 
teen years  catered  to  an  extensive  trade 
throughout  Southern  California.  Arizona,  New 
Mexico,  and  Texas,  the  strong,  forceful  man- 
agement of  the  men  who  had  proven  their 
ability  adding  materially  to  the  commercial 
supremacy  of  this  section  of  the  state.  In  the 
meantime  Mr.  Hellman  had  become  associ- 
ated witli  various  enterprises  in  Los  Angeles, 
an  important  movement  being  the  purchase  of 
stock  in  the  Farmers'  &  Merchants'  Bank.  In 
1890  he  retired  from  the  firm  of  Hellman, 
Haas  &  Co.,  disposing  of  his  interest  to  Haas, 
Barnett  &  Co.,  and  became  vice-president  and 
local  manager  of  the  Farmers'  &  Merchants' 
Bank,  since  which  time  he  has  became  one  of 


558 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  most  widely  known  bankers  in  the  state  of 
California.  Shortly  after  his  assumption  of 
duties  in  this  bank  the  financial  panic  of  '93 
brought  disaster  to  many  of  the  monetary  in- 
stitutions throughout  the  United  States ;  the 
security  with  which  this  bank  stood  out  among 
others  whose  doors  were  closed  either  tempo- 
rarily or  permanently,  and  the  long  era  of 
prosperity  which  has  followed  that  crisis,  are 
largely  due  to  the  wise  conservatism  and  sa- 
gacious judgment  of  Mr.  Hellman.  That  the 
deposits  have  mcreased  from  $2,300,000  to 
S8,ooo,ooo  since  his  association  with  the  bank 
are  an  evidence  of  the  confidence  inspired  by 
the  policy  which  has  been  elemental  in  the 
Ijuilding  up  of  this  bank.  Outside  of  his  asso- 
ciation with  the  Farmers'  &  jMerchants'  Bank 
;\Ir.  Hellman  has  been  intimately  identified 
with  other  financial  institutions  of  the  city, 
in  July,  1903,  accepting  the  presidency  of  the 
Merchants'  National  Bank,  after  his  resigna- 
tion in  May,  of  the  vice-presidency  of  the 
former  institution.  At  the  present  writing  he 
is  acting  as  president,  vice-president  and  di- 
rector in  twelve  other  banks,  in  this  city  and 
Southern  California,  in  the  business  of  all 
bringing  to  bear  that  energ}-  and  ambition 
which  have  assured  his  success  in  whatever 
enterprise  he  has  been  engaged.  Mr.  Hellman 
has  also  been  associated  with  other  business 
movements  in  Los  Angeles,  one  of  the  most 
important  being  the  erection  of  an  imposing 
eight-story  and  attic  building,  fireproof  and 
modern  in  every  particular,  and  accounted  one 
of  the  finest  ofiice  buildings  west  of  New  York 
City.  The  material  used  in  the  exterior  is  a 
native  light  gray  granite  in  the  lower  two 
stories,  and  hydraulic  pressed  brick  and  terra 
cotta  in  the  upper  stories ;  the  corridors  are 
floored  and  wainscoted  with  white  Italian  mar- 
ble. The  finish  of  the  ground  floor  is  of  ma- 
hogany and  all  the  office  floors  of  quarter- 
sawed  white  oak.  The  Security  Savings  Bank, 
one  of  the  largest  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the 
west,  and  other  business  enterprises,  occupy 
the  first  floor,  while  above  are  well-equipped 
offices,  well-lighted  and  ventilated,  and  with 
hot  and  cold  water  and  every  modern  con- 
venience ;  in  the  basement  is  one  of  the  finest 
grille  rooms  in  Los  Angeles,  The  Bristol. 
This  immense  building  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $1,000,000,  and  represents  one  of  the  larg- 
est individual  investments  of  this  character  in 
California. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Hellman  is  presided  over 
by  his  wife,  formerly  I\Tiss  Ida  Heimann,  with 
whom  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  Italy, 
July  26,  1874.  ^Trs.  Hi=llman  was  born  in  Tre- 
viso,  near  Venice,  Italy.  She.  is  a  woman  of 
rare  culture  and  refinement  and  well  endowed 


by  nature  v,ith  those  qualities  v>diich  have  won 
lor  her  a  wide  friendsnip  and  esteem.  She  is 
the  mother  of  two  daughters,  Frida,  married 
to  L.  M.  Cole,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  Amy,  and 
two  sons,  Marco  and  Irving.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hellman  are  prominent  members  of  the  Re- 
formed Jewish  Congregation  B'nai  B'rith,  Los 
Angeles,  of  which  he  was  president  up  to 
1901 ;  under  his  administration  there  was  erect- 
ed on  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  Hope  streets 
the  elegant  temple,  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
houses  of  worship  in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles. 
The  family  are  liberal  supporters  of  all  char- 
itable movements,  whether  of  the  city,  county 
or  state,  and  are  intensely  loyal  to  the  inter- 
ests of  Southern  California. 

Notwithstanding  his  engrossing  business 
cares  Mr.  Hellm.an  has  found  time  to  associate 
himself  with  clubs  and  fraternal  organizations, 
being  a  member  of  the  California,  Jonathan, 
Concordia  and  several  other  clubs  of  the  city 
and  county,  and  is  prominent  in  Masonic  cir- 
cles. He  became  an  apprentice  Mason  in  Sep- 
tember, 1869,  and  on  March  21,  1870,  passed 
to  the  degree  of  Fellowcraft ;  and  June  14, 
1870,  was  raised  to  the  sublime  degree  of  Mas- 
ter Mason,  in  Pentalpha  Lodge  No.  202,  of 
which  he  is  still  a  member.  On  the  loth  of 
July  he  was  advanced  to  the  honorary  degree 
of  Mark  Master;  inducted  and  presided  in 
the  Oriental  chair  as  past  master  July  17,  re- 
ceived and  acknowledged  Most  Excellent 
Master  August  8,  and  exalted  to  the  sublime 
degree  of  Royal  Arch  Mason  August  14,  1883, 
in  Signet  Chapter  No.  57,  of  which  he  is  still 
a  member.  In  1906  he  also  took  the  Scottish 
Rite  and  is  now  a  Thirty-second  degree 
Mason :  and  is  also  a  Shriner,  belonging  to 
Al  Malaikah  Temple. 

In  reviewing  the  life  of  Mr.  Hellman  an 
impression  is  gained  not  of  the  opportunities 
which  presented  themselves  throughout  his  ca- 
reer, but  by  the  manner  in  which  he  under- 
stood and  grasped  a  situation.  Practically 
empty-handed  he  came  to  the  Pacific  slope  in 
boyhood,  at  a  time  when  the  country  was  law- 
less, when  the  survival  of  the  fittest  was  the 
unwritten  decree,  when  it  was  far  easier  to  sink 
into  insignificance  with  the  multitudes  than 
to  rise  to  the  heights  which  few  were  success- 
fully attempting.  That  he  proved  himself  ca- 
pable of  holding  his  own  in  the  beginning, 
the  later  position  which  he  assumed  as  factor 
in  the  most  important  enterprises  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  Pacific  coast  have  demonstrated. 
The  multifold  duties  which  are  his  as  one  of 
the  most  prominent  citi/;ens  and  business  men 
nf  the  city  have  not  overburdened  him,  but 
have  rather  spurred  him  on  to  stronger  and 
more    forceful    thought    and    eflfort    and    have 


WUlci^^^ 


(yiAJ^^~^P^(^yi^-U^^y(^ 


HlSTOlilCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


561 


brought  out  all  the  latent  ability  with  which 
nature  endowed  him.  His  position  to-day  is 
one  acquired  by  the  few  even  where  oppor- 
tunities have  abounded  as  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, for  it  requires  a  quick,  mental  vision 
and  an  unerring-  decision  to  know  and  improve 
the  opportune  time.  Loyal  to  the  country  of 
his  adoption  and  the  city  wherein  has  been 
passed  his  eventful  career,  Mr.  Hellman  is 
honored  as  a  citizen  whose  worth  and  works 
have  been  tested. 


HON.  HENRY  H.  MARKHAM.  The 
Markham  family,  represented  in  California  by 
Hon.  Henry  H.  Markham,  former  congress- 
man and  governor  of  the  state,  was  established 
in  America  during  the  colonial  period  of  our 
history.  In  Connecticut  the  name  flourished 
for  many  generations,  a  motive  power  in  polit- 
ical, professional  and  business  life  of  New 
England.  In  Brookfield,  Conn.,  Alarch  2,  1738, 
occurred  the  birth  of  Brazilla  Markham,  to 
whom  manhood  brought  the  responsibilities  of 
business  life.  He  settled  in  Pittsford,  Vt., 
and  later  in  Essex  county,  N.  Y.,  his  death 
occurring  in  the  latter  state,  in  the  town  of 
Wilmington,  June  i,  1824.  His  wife,  formerly 
Ann  Whittaker,  was  born  September  i,  1758, 
and  died  in  Wilmington  in  1804.  In  their 
family  was  a  son,  Nathan  B.,  who  was  born 
in  Pittsford,  Vt.,  April  27.  1796,  and  who  in 
manhood  followed  the  training  of  his  youth 
and  engaged  in  a  business  career.  Eor  many 
years  he  was  located  in  Wilmington,  N.  Y.,  as 
an  iron  manufacturer.  Later  in  life  he  re- 
moved to  Manitowoc_,  Wis.,  where  his  death 
occurred  January  22,  1882.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  integrity  and  honor  and  became  one 
of  the  most  prominent  citizens  in  the  com- 
munity he  made  his  home.  Fraternally  he 
was  a  Royal  Arch  Mason:  politically  he  was 
a  Whig  during  the  existence  of  that  party, 
and  afterward  became  a  stanch  Republican. 
He  was  early  taught  the  principles  of  patriot- 
ism, and  as  a  lad  of  eighteen  years  served  as 
a  minute  man  in  the  war  of  181 2,. participating 
in  the  battle  of  Plattsburg,  in  1814.  The  mus- 
ket he  carried  is  now  in  tlie  possession  of  his 
son,  Hon.  H.  H.  Markham,  who  values  it 
highly.  The  fortunes  of  Nathan  B.  !\Iarkham 
were  allied  by  marriage  wn-u  cnose  01  an  old 
Scotch  family  long  established  on  American 
soil.  Susan  IVTcLeod,  to  whom  he  was  united 
in  ^^''ilmington,  New  York,  ^Nla}'  10.  1827,  was 
born  in  Sullivan,  N.  H.,  September  22.  1801. 
a  daughter  of  Deacon  Thomas  and  Patty 
(Wilder)  McLeod,  natives  respectively  of 
Boston,  Mass.,  and  Sullivan,  N.  H.  In  1790 
Mr.  IMeLeod  located  in  Sullivan,  where  he  re- 


niamed  for  some  years,  later  removing  to 
Essex  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death.  He  was  an  influential 
man  in  the  county  and  held  a  prominent  place 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  His  wife,  born 
in  1794,  was  the  representative  of  an  old  co- 
lonial family  of  New  iingland.  On  October 
15,  1882,  less  than  a  year  after  her  husband's 
death  Mrs.  Markham  passed  away.  She  was 
the  mother  of  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four 
daughters,  all  of  whom  lived  to  manhood  and 
womanhood.  Four  of  the  sons  became  law- 
yers and  were  prominent  in  their  profession. 
J.  D.  is  a  practicing  attorney  in  Manitowoc, 
Wis.;  Alice  married  John  Killen  and  died  in 
Alanitowoc,  Wis.;  Byron,  deceased,  was  a 
business  man  of  New  Lisbon,  Wis. ;  Perley 
resides  in  Benzonia,  Wis.;  Elisha  Alden  re- 
sides in  Groton,  Mas.s. ;  Clarissa,  became  the 
wife  of  Nelson  Darling  and  diedln  New  Lis- 
bon ;  Delia  died  in  New  York ;  Henry  H.  is 
the  subject  of  this  review;  Earl  died  in  Nee- 
iiah.  Wis.;  and  George  C.  is  an  attorney  and 
first  vice-president  of  the  Northwestern  Mu- 
tual Life  Insurance  Company  of  Milwaukee. 

Henry  H.  Markham  was  born  in  Wilming- 
ton, N.  Y.,  November  16,  1840,  and  was  there 
reared  to  young  manhood.  A  common  school 
education  was  supplemented  by  a  course  in 
Wheeler's  Academy,  Vermont,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  was  graduated  in  the  spring  of 
1862.  Removing  to  Manitowoc  about  this 
time,  in  the  same  year  he  enlisted  in  Company 
G,  Thirfy-second  Wisconsin  Infantry,  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war,  and  from  iNIadison 
was  ordered  into  camp  in  Tennessee.  His 
services  following  were  those  of  hardship  and 
danger,  but  were  borne  with  the  courage  and 
fortitude  which  were  a  part  of  his  inheritance. 
He  marched  with  Sherman  to  the  sea,  and 
thence  started  north  through  the  Carolinas, 
receiving  a  wound  at  River's  Bridges,  Salt 
Kahatcha  river,  S.  C,  February  3,  1865,  which 
incapacitated  him.  He  was  sent  to  Beaufort, 
S.  C,  whence  upon  his  recovery  he  went  north 
and  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  ^lilwaukee 
July  23.  1865,  with  the  rank  of  second  lieuten- 
ant. 

Immediatelv  following  his  return  to  civic 
life  ]\Ir.  Markham  entered  the  law  office  of 
Waldo.  Ody  &  Van,  of  Milwaukee,  and  pur- 
sued his  studies  with  such  persistence  that  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  state  and  the 
Ignited  States  supreme  court  in  1867.  He  at 
once  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Milwaukee  and  two  years  later  took  into  part- 
nership his  brother.  (George  C.  ^Markham. 
They  were  successful  in  building  up  a  large 
and  constantly  increasing  clientele,  whose  de- 
mands   upon    the    time   and   attention    of    ^Nfr. 


5B:i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Alarkham  told  seriously  upon  his  health. 
Much  against  his  desire  he  was  compelled  to 
relinquish  his  practice  in  1879  ^"^  on  the  22d 
of  February  of  that  year  he  came  to  Pasadena, 
Cal.,  where  he  hoped  to  recover  his  strength 
and  vigor.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  pur- 
chased twenty-two  and  a  half  acres  between 
Fair  Oaks  and  Orange  Grove  avenues.  In 
1887  he  erected  a  magnificent  residence  on 
Pasadena  avenue,  and  has  since  then  beauti- 
fied the  grounds  and  surroundings  until  he 
has  made  of  his  home  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful and  attractive  places  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. 

It  was  almost  impossible  for  Mr.  Markham 
to  do  otherwise  than  take  a  prominent  part  in 
political  affairs  of  his  community,  as  he  was 
peculiarly  equipped  by  education  and  expe- 
rience to  become  a  leader  among  men.  In 
1884,  chosen  by  his  party  as  a  candidate  for 
congress  from  the  Sixth  District  (which  in- 
cluded the  counties  from  San  Mateo  to  San 
Diego,  fourteen  in  all),  he  threw  himself  act- 
ively into  the  canvass  and  visited  all  but  three 
of  the  counties.  He  was  elected  by  a  majority 
of  five  hundred  votes,  his  predecessor,  a  Dem- 
ocrat, ha^•ing  received  thirty-two  hundred  plu- 
rality. Significant  of  his  success  was  the  fact 
that  upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  his  own 
party  held  the  convention  open  two  days  wait- 
ing for  his  acceptance  and  the  Democrats  tele- 
graphed him  that  they  would  put  no  one  in 
nomination  and  the  election  would  be  his  with- 
out opposition.  He  declined  the  honor,  how- 
ever, and  returned  to  his  California  home.  Al- 
though as  a  congressman  Mr.  Markham  ac- 
complished much  for  his  district  the  greatest 
feature  of  his  work  was  the  recognition  he 
secured  for  Southern  California,  which  up  to 
that  time  had  scarcely  been  regarded  as  a 
community  of  any  size  or  power.  Through 
his  efforts  a  United  States  court  was  estab- 
lished in  Southern  California .  and  also  as  a 
member  of  the  committee  on  rivers  and  har- 
hoTF,  he  was  instrumental  of  starting  a  move- 
ment in  favor  of  a  harbor  here.  Loyal  to  the 
cause  of  the  soldiers  who  served  with  him  in 
the  Civil  war  he  was  active  in  securing  the 
establishment  of  one  of  the  National  homes  in 
Santa  Monica,  which  has  since  become  known 
as  the  Pacific  Branch  of  the  National  Home 
for  Disabled  Soldiers,  and  he  was  afterward 
elected  by  congress  as  a  manager  of  these 
homes  and  devoted  much  time  to  their  direc- 
tion, exercising  supervision  of  the  one  at  Santa 
Monica.  Upon  being  elected  governor  he  re- 
signed his  office  as  manager.  Through  Mr. 
Alarkham  was  secured  the  transfer  of  the  head- 
quarters of  the  regular  army  from  Arizona  to 
T,os   .\ngeles,  and  in   this  city  the}-  remained 


until  the  second  administration  of  Cleveland, 
which  meant  the  bringing  into  the  state  of 
about  $3,500,000  annually.  In  order  to  assist 
the  old  soldiers  in  securing  pensions  he  hired 
tin  assistant  and  paid  him  $75  per  month  out 
of  his  own  pocket.  In  the  meantime,  finding 
the  appropriation  for  the  Home  to  be  insuffi- 
cient, he  went  to  Washington,  D.  C,  at  his 
own  expense  and  secured  an  appropriation  of 
$187,000  for  its  completion. 

He  became  candidate  at  the  earnest  de- 
mands of  the  citizens  of  Southern'^California, 
and  in  opposition  to  ex-Mayor  Pond,  of  San 
Francisco  (Democratic).,  he  was  elected  gov- 
ernor in  1890,  receiving  a  majority  of  eight 
thousand  votes,  and  on  the  7th  of  January  of 
the  following  year  took  the  oath  of  office.  In 
January,  1895,  his  term  of  service  completed, 
he  retired  once  more  to  private  life.  During 
his  administralion  occurred  the  Columbian 
Exposition  at  Chicago  and  for  this  he  secured 
an  appropriation  of  $300,000.  which  was  the 
largest  raised  by  any  state,  with  the  exception 
of  Illinois,  and  selected  a  board  of  commis- 
sioners, to  whom  he  gave  entire  charge.  This 
exhibit  was  a  mt)tive  power  in  the  attraction 
of  thousands  to  the  state  of  California.  Among 
other  important  movements  he  secured  the 
adoption  of  the  Australian  ballot  system  in 
the  state,  which  is  now  a  part  of  every  party 
platform.  He  compelled  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  to  pay  back-taxes  amounting  to  $1,- 
300,000,  and  in  countless  ways  gave  to  the 
upbuilding  of  the  state  and  the  development 
of  its  best  interests.  One  important  pledge 
made  by  him  in  the  executive  position  was 
carried  out — that  the  state  tax  should  not  ex- 
ceed fifty  cents  on  the  valuation  of  $100. 

In  Chicago,  111.,  Governor  Markham  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  A.  Dana, 
who  was  born  in  Wyoming,  111.,  and  educated 
in  Rockford  Female  Seminary,  from  which 
institution  she  was  graduated.  Her  father, 
Giles  C.  Dana,  a  business  man  of  Waukesha, 
Wis,,  traced  his  ancestry  to  an  old  eastern 
family,  among  other  colonial  men  of  power 
and  prominence  claiming  relationship  with  Is- 
rael Putnam,  A'Tr.  and  Mrs.  Markham  became 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Marie, 
a  graduate  of  Leland  Stanford  University  in 
the  class  of  1900;  Alice  A.,  educated  at  Throop 
Institute;  Gertrude:  Hildreth  :  and  Genevieve, 
who  died  in  Sacramento  in  1891,  at  the  age  of 
seven  years.  In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr. 
INlarkham  is  identified  with  the  Alasonic  or- 
ganization, being  a  member  of  Corona  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.:  Pasadena  Chapter,  R,  A.  M. : 
Pasadena  Consistory,  Pasadena  Commanderv, 
K.  T. :  and  Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N. 
M.    S.,   of    Los    .\ngeles.      In    memory   of   his 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


565 


"days  and  niglits  on  the  battlefield"'  he  is  a 
member  of  Job.n  F.  Godfrey  Post,  G.  A.  R., 
and  the  California  Commander}-  Loyal  Le- 
gion. In  local  affairs  no  citizen  has  taken 
greater  interest  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  city 
of  Pasadena  and  the  general  welfare  of  South- 
ern California.  He  was  instrumental  in  or- 
ganizing the  First  National  Bank  of  Pasa- 
dena, in  which  he  served  as  a  director,  while 
he  was  also  identified  with  the  movement 
which  resulted  in  securing  the  street  railways 
for  Pasadena,  and  the  building  of  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad.  He  was  most  active  in  his  ef- 
forts to  secure  a  harbor  for  Southern  Califor- 
nia, realizing  keenly  the  need  of  one,  and  in 
this  connection  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  the 
value  of  his  labors.  In  April,  1904,  he  was 
again  elected  by  congress  as  manager  of  the 
National  Home  for  the  period  of  six  years. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  eulogize  on  the  life  of 
Governor  Markham,  for  wherever  his  name  is 
known  it  is  honored.  His  life  has  been  one  of 
prominence,  and  through  it  all  he  has  main- 
tained the  high  standard  of  excellence  which 
has  made  it  possible  for  him  to  stand  fear- 
lessly in  the  light  of  public  scrutiny.  He 
seemed  endowed  by  nature  with  those  quali- 
ties essential  to  leadership — a  keen,  forceful, 
logical  mind,  an  unusual  executive  ability,  and 
added  to  this  an  unswerving  integrity  and 
honor  which  have  given  him  a  wide  and  last- 
ing influence.  No  public  man  of  California 
has  retired  to  private  life  with  more  of  honor 
or  esteem  by  his  fellow  citizens,  whether  of 
his  party  or  another :  so  strong  has  been  the 
impression  made  by  hmi  that  his  deepest  in- 
terest lay  in  an  advancement  of  the  state's 
welfare  rather  thnn  his  own. 


ELI  P.  CLARK.  One  of  the  most  impor- 
tant movements  contributory  to  the  growth 
and  development  of  Los  Angeles  has  been  that 
fostered  by  Eli  P.  Clark,  whose  association 
with  the  promotion  of  railroad  enterprises  in 
this  city  for  the  past  fifteen  years  has  given 
to  him  a  prominent  place  among  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  Southern  California.  A  re- 
sume of  his  life  is  in  brief  a  history  of  the 
progress  of  the  city,  for  the  enterprise  with 
which  he  has  been  coimected  is  one  of  the 
strongest  factors  in  its  upbuilding,  and  as 
such  is  interesting  to  read  by  those  wdio  know 
either  the  man  or  the  city. 

The  Clark  family  were  among  the  pioneers 
of  Iowa,  where,  in  Iowa  City,  on  the  25th  of 
November,  1847.  Eli  P.  Clark  was  born.  When 
he  was  eight  years  old  his  parents  removed 
to  Grinnell.   Iowa,  then   but  the  beginning  of 


a  cit\-,  and  tliere  he  attended  the  public  schools 
and  later  Iowa  College,  which  was  established 
there.  His  first  experience  in  the  battle  of  life 
was  teaching  one  term  of  school  in  his  eight- 
eenth _\ear,  and  in  this  work  he  acquired  the 
discipline  and  self-control  which  have  marked 
his  success  in  other  lines.  About  1867  the 
family  removed  to  southwestern  ^^lissouri  to 
escape  the  rigors  of  Iowa  winters,  and  follow- 
ing this  Mr.  Clark  remained  at  home  engaged 
in  farming  with  his  father  during  the  sum- 
mers, while  he  taught  school  in  the  winter 
months.  P)ecoming  interested  in  the  possibili- 
ties held  out  to  the  man  of  courage  and  hardi- 
hood by  the  newer  sections  of  the  southwest 
he  decided  to  locate  in  Arizona  for  a  time,  and 
accordingly,  in  the  spring  of  1875,  became  one 
of  a  party  to  cross  the  plains  for  that  terri- 
tory. This  experience  was  one  which  required 
courage  in  as  great  measure  as  in  the  earlier 
days  of  the  country,  because  travel  was 
fraught  not  only  with  danger  from  the  Indians, 
but  as  well  from  lawless  white  bands.  They 
came  through  safely,  however,  and  after  a 
three  months'  journey,  made  by  way  of  the 
old  Santa  Fe  and  Fort  Wingate  trail,  arrived 
at  Prescott. 

The  associations  Mr.  Clark  formed  in  that 
city  proved  the  foundation  for  his  operations 
later  in  Los  Angeles,  as  one  of  his  first  ac- 
quaintances was  his  present  partner,  M.  H. 
Sherman,  who  was  then  principal  of  the  Pres- 
cott high  school,  the  first  public  school  or- 
ganized in  the  territory.  He  met  with  suc- 
cess, also,  in  his  \entures  in  that  city,  follow- 
ing mercantile  enterprises  for  a  short  time, 
and  also  serving  as  postmaster  for  nearly  a 
year.  In  the  winter  of  1877,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Clark  &  Adams,  he  began  the  manu- 
facture of  lumber,  operating  three  sawmills 
and  selling  his  product  extensively  throughout 
the  territory.  The  prominence  of  Mr.  Clark 
was  not  only  a  commercial  one,  for  he  quickly 
rose  to  a  position  of  importance  in  political 
affairs,  as  a  standi  Republican  being  chosen 
territorial  auditor  in  1877.  succeeding  himself 
four  terms  and  serving  for  ten  years.  It  was 
during  these  vears  that  he  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  General  Fremont,  while  he  was 
governor  of  Arizona,  and  counts  the  friend- 
ship which  grew  out  of  their  official  relations 
as  one  of  the  most  pleasant  in  his  life. 
Through  his  association  with  the  interests  of 
the  territorv  as  ex  officio  state  assessor  (made 
so  b^-  territorial  enactment")  he  was  instru- 
mental in  bringing  about  many  impro^■e- 
ments  which  are  now  the  law  of  the  land.  It 
was  in  that  city  also,  on  the  8th  of  April, 
t88o.  that  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss    Lucv    Sherman,   a    sister   of   his    friend. 


566 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


M.  H.  Sherman,  and  there  he  made  his  home 
until  January,  1891. 

In  the  month  and  3-ear  just  mentioned  he 
joined  General  Sherman  in  Los  Angeles,  in 
anSNver  to  the  latter's  oft-repeated  requests 
that  he  do  so,  and  became  the  vice-president 
and  manager  of  the  newly  organized  Los  An- 
geles Consolidated  Electric  Railway  Company. 
Mr.  Clark  had  already  established  prestige  for 
himself  in  the  matter  of  promoting  railroad 
facilities  for  Arizona,  having  been  active  in 
procuring  favorable  legislation  to  encourage 
the  building  of  a  road  from  Prescott  to  Mari- 
copa, and  afterward  was  instrumental  in  hav- 
ing a  bill  passed  in  the  legislature  of  1885, 
granting  a  subsidy  of  $4,000  per  mile  for  a 
road  to  be  built  from  Prescott  to  connect  with 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Railroad.  He  helped 
to  organize  the  first  company  and  became  its 
first  treasurer  and  secretary,  and  finally  turned 
over  the  organization  to  Thomas  S.  Bullock, 
who  financed  and  built  the  Prescott  &  Arizona 
Central  Railroad,  which  afterward  gave  way 
to  the  Santa  Fe,  Prescott  &  Phoenix  Railroad, 
one  of  the  best  railroad  properties  in  the  west. 
After  locating  in  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Clark  co- 
operated with  General  Sherman  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  nresent  street  railway  system, 
known  as  the  Los  Angeles  Railway,  their  sale 
of  a  half  interest  in  their  property  to  the  bond- 
holders having  taken  place  in  1895,  after  its 
successful  financial  establishment.  To  them 
is  due  much  credit  for  this  enterprise,  because 
at  the  time  of  the  foundation  of  the  work  Los 
Angeles  was  onh'  a  sm.all  city  and  to  all  in- 
tents and  purposes  gave  no  evidence  of  a  fu- 
ture which  could  make  this  venture  a  safe 
investment.  In  face  of  hostile  opposition  and 
discouraging  obstacles  they  carried  the  enter- 
prise to  completion  and  but  a  little  later  were 
justified  in  their  gigantic  undertaking.  In  the 
vear  1895  Mr.  Clark  conceived  the  idea  which 
has  resulted  in  the  famous  "Balloon  Route," 
his  first  step  being  the  purchase  of  the  old 
steam  road  known  as  the  Los  Angeles  &  Pa- 
cific Railroad,  and  following  this  with  the  con- 
struction of  the  Santa  Monica,  Ocean  Park, 
Plava  del  Rey,  Hermosa,  and  Redondo  lines, 
via  the  beautiful  city  of  Hollywood,  compris- 
ing a  system  of  nearly  two  hundred  miles 
which  traverse  one  of  the  finest,  if  not  the 
finest,  section  of  Southern  California.  With 
the  completion  of  further  improvements  now 
in  prospect  the  Los  Angeles  Railway  will  be 
known  as  the  finest  electric  road  system  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  The  dominant  character- 
istics of  ]\Ir.  Clark  are  in  a  large  measure  re- 
sponsible for  the  success  of  this  enterprise, 
which  has  probably  meant  more  to  Los  An- 
geles   as   an   attraction    for   tourists   than    any 


other  one  feature  of  the  section.  Mr.  Clark 
well  merits  the  position  he  holds  among  the 
prominent  men  of  Southern  California,  all  pro- 
moters and  financiers  instinctively  looking  to 
him  and  others  of  his  class  for  an  upholding 
of  the  prestige  which  has  made  Los  Angeles 
famous  wherever  the  name  is  known. 


REV.  CHARLES  PEASE.  The  cultured  ele- 
ment of  Long  Beach  society  has  a  distinct  ac- 
quisition in  the  presence  of  Rev.  Charles  Pease, 
for  some  j-ears  the  pastor  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church.  Though  by  reason  of  his  pro- 
fessional affiliations,  his  time  and  thought  are 
devoted  largely  to  the  upbuilding  of  his  denomi- 
nation, yet  his  mind  has  never  been  tinged  by 
narrowness  of  views.  With  a  broad  outlook 
upon  mankind  and  the  destiny  of  the  human 
race,  he  aims  within  his  chosen  sphere  of  re- 
ligious and  intellectual  activity  to  make  the 
world  better  for  his  presence  therein.  The  edu- 
cational advantages  which  he  received  were  of 
a  superior  order  and,  with  a  naturally  receptive 
mind  and  keen  intelligence,  they  became  broad- 
ened and  deepened  under  the  influence  of  his 
forceful'  personality.  To  him  religion  is  the 
harmonious  rounding  out  of  the  soul,  the  per- 
fect indwelling  of  the  spirit  of  love  and  truth, 
the  unconscious  imitation  of  Qirist  in  daily  acts 
and  solitary  thoughts.  Both  music  and  art 
breathe  to  him  of  the  spirit  of  religion ;  their 
history  he  has  studied  with  the  devotion  of  a 
scholar  and  tlieir  possibilities  are  a  source  of 
enthusiasm  to  him.  To  such  as  he  the  ministry 
of  the  Gospel  is  a  priceless  privilege. 

Many  generations  ago,  as  early  as  the  year 
1630,  a  family  bearing  the  name  of  Pease  immi- 
grated to  America  and  founded  a  town  in  Con- 
necticut that  then  and  now  bears  the  name  of 
Enfield.  In  tliat  little  village  many  of  that  name 
lived  the  quiet  lives  of  farmers;  there  they  were 
born  and  there  eventually  they  were  laid  to  rest 
in  the  family  burying  ground.  Myron  Pease,  who 
was  born  in  that  town  and  traced  his  lineage  to 
England  through  a  long  line  of  American  pa- 
triots, married  Sarah  M.  Morritter,  who  de- 
scended from  French  and  English  pioneers  of 
Nova  Scotia.  During  much  of  his  life  Myron 
Pease  has  followed  agricultural  pursuits  and  he 
still  makes  Enfield  his  home,  though  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years  he  has  been  interested  in  the 
Phelps  Publishing  Company  of  Springfield,  INIass. 
In  the  grammar  school  of  Enfield  Charles  Pease 
received  his  primaiw  education.  That  is  his  na- 
tive town,  July  20,"  1865,  being  the  date  of  his 
birth.  For  four  years  he  was  a  student  in  Cor- 
nell University,  entering  as  a  special  student  and 
later  taking  up  ministerial  studies   in  Hartford 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


567 


Theolog-ical  Seminary.,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1896.  Meanwhile,  two  years  before, 
he  had  entered  upon  active  ministerial  work  as 
pastor  of  the  Third  Congregational  Church  of 
Chicopee,  Mass.,  and  continued  successfully  in 
discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  position  for  some 
years.  During  the  summer  of  1899,  while  at 
(Jld  Orchard  Beach,  he  attempted  the  rescue  of 
a  drowning  man  and  the  shock  with  the  subse- 
quent collapse  proved  too  nuich  for  his  system. 
Ill  health  followed  and  induced  him  to  resign  his 
eastern  pastorate  and  seek  the  more  salubrious 
air  of  the  western  o  last.  For  one  year  he  rested 
from  preaching  ami  spent  his  time  in  the  Sierra 
^Nladre  mountain.-,,  atkr  which,  in  1900,  he  came 
to  Long  Beach  and  assumed  the  charge  now 
under  his  oversight.  Since  January,  1905,  he 
lias  served  as  president  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Long  Beach  public  library,  and  from  its 
organization  until  this  date  served  as  its  secre- 
tary. In  June,  1906.  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Long  Beach  board  of  education  and  upon 
organization  was  chosen  its  president.  He 
has  been  greatly  interested  in  the  public  life  of 
Long  Beach  since  becoming  a  resident  of  the 
city.  In  this  city,  February  12,  1901.  he  mar- 
ried Adiss  Sallie  S.,  daughter  of  Henry  Rowan, 
cf  Norwalk.  this  state,  and  of  their  uninn  two 
children  have  been  born.  Margaret  and  Rowan. 


GEORGE  H.  PECK.  The  opportunities  af- 
forded for  investment  in  San  Pedro  were  early 
appreciated  by  Mr.  Peck,  whose  name  is  in- 
dissolubly  associated  with  the  development  of 
the  town.  During  the  year  1882  he  began  his 
real-estate  operations  in  the  then  small  village, 
at  which  time  he  platted  a  sub-division  known  by 
his  name,  and  in  the  years  since  intervening  he 
has  laid  out  Grand  Mew,  Harlem  Heights,  Barton 
Hill,  Caroline,  Rudicinda  and  Harbor  View 
tracts,  also  a  second  addition  to  the  Grand  View 
tract  comprising  one  himdred  and  fifty  acres, 
and  in  addition  he  has  laid  out  Terminal  Island, 
where  he  inaugurated  the  building  industry.  In 
all  he  has  laid  out  and  platted  three-fourths  of 
San  Pedro  and  has  erected  about  two  hundred  and 
fiftv  cottages,  also  a  number  of  business  blocks 
on  Main  Street,  including  both  the  old  and  the 
new  bank  buildings. the  postoffice  building  and  the 
Peck  block,  a  three-stor)-  structure  occupied  by 
liusiness  and  professional  firms. 

Bv  no  means  limiting  his  real-estate  holdings 
to  his  home  city  of  San  Pedro.  ]\Ir.  Peck  for  years 
has  handled  Los  Angeles  property  and  has  been 
a  successful  buyer  and  seller  of  the  same 
Another  enterprise  of  magnitude  receiving  much 
of  his  attention  is  the  North  Manhattan  Beach, 
where  in  1897  he  purchased  three  miles  of  ocean 
frontage,  fifteen  miles  from  Los  Angeles  and  five 


miles  north  of  Redondo,  with  the  Catalina  island 
on  the  west.  Point  Vicente  on  the  south,  and  Point 
Dume  on  the  north.  About  the  same  time  he 
purchased  twelve  hundred  acres  of  the  Palo 
Verdes  grant  north  of  San  Pedro,  which  he  laid 
out  in  farms  of  fifty  acres  each  and  sold  on  easy 
terms  to  home-seekers.  The  depression  of  prop- 
ert\-  during  the  first  years  of  his  large  holdings 
left  him  with  twenty-two  hundred  acres  of  land 
which  he  was  forced  to  hold  awaiting  better 
times;  when  conditions  improved  the  lands  sold 
readily  and  at  fair  prices,  making  the  investment 
a  profitable  one  for  the  owner. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  San  Pedro  Mr.  Peck 
realized  the  need  of  banking  facilities.  Others 
were  interested  in  the  matter  and  during  1888 
he  opened  the  Bank  of  San  Pedro,  of  which  for 
some  years  he  officiated  as  vice-president  and  is 
now  president  as  well  as  manager.  Under  his 
capable  supervision  the  bank  has  received  a  con- 
stantly increasing  share  of  the  business  of  the 
public  and  has  won  its  way  into  the  confidence 
of  all.  The  rapid  increase  of  the  business  has 
rendered  advisable  the  doubling  of  the  original 
capital,  which  is  now  $50,000  paid  in ;  the  stock- 
holders are  assured  of  conservative  management 
and  wise  investments  of  the  funds,  and  the  bank 
has  an  assured  position  as  one  of  the  sound 
financial  institutions  of  Los  Angeles  county.  Its 
manager,  by  reason  of  long  identification  with 
the  locality,  possesses  the  experience  necessary  for 
sagacious  investments  and  at  all  times  safeguards 
the  interests  of  depositors  and  the  capital  of  the 
stockholders.  Though  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive, he  yet  possesses  the  cautious  temperament 
of  the  successful  financier  and  seeks  no  invest- 
ments attended  by  risks  to  the  people's  funds. 

Since  the  memorable  year  of  1849  the  Peck 
family  has  been  identified  with  the  history  of 
California,  and  it  is  interesting  to  listen  to  Mr. 
Peck's  recital  of  the  early  experiences  of  his 
father,  George  H.,  Sr..  in  the  west  at  the  time 
of  the  great  gold  furore.  The  father  was  a 
young  man  when  he  came  to  the  coast  and  later 
married  Mary  \\\  Chader,  by  whom  he  had  two 
sons  and  two  daughters.  The  younger  of  the 
sons,  George  H.,  Jr.,  was  born  in  San  Francisco 
in  1856,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  came  with 
his  parents  to  a  ranch  of  five  hundred  acres  at 
El  Monte,  Los  .\ngeles  county.  Of  the  struggles 
of  the  ensuing  years  little  need  be  said  except 
that  they  were  similar  to  those  of  all  pioneers, 
unremitting  toil,  frugal  economy  and  constant 
hardships,  with  no  returns  save  a  meagre  liveli- 
hood. When  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen 
years  he  decided  that  he  would  seek  a  source  of 
.support  more  remunerative  than  ranching,  and 
accordingly  he  went  to  Oregon,  where  he  ob- 
tained work  in  a  cannery  at  Astoria.  After  two 
vears  in  the  same  factorv  he  returned  to  Southern 


568 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


California  intending  to  start  a  canner}-  for  the 
same  company  in  this  section,  but  circumstances 
changed  his  plans,  and  instead  of  starting  a 
factor}-  he  became  an  employe  on  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  out  of  Los  Angeles.  EHiring  the 
eight  years  of  his  connection  with  the  road  he 
worked  his  way  up  from  baggageman  to  con- 
ductor. :\lean\vhile  he  had  become  interested  in 
Los  Angeles  county  real  estate  and  in  1886  he 
resigned  his  position  with  the  road  in  order  to 
devote  his  attention  exclusively  to  his  property 
holdings.  His  attractive  home  in  San  Pedro 
is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Olive  M. 
Betts,  who  was  born  in  New  York  state,  and  by 
whom  he  has  four  children,  William,  Rena,  Alma 
and  Leland.  The  family  are  identified  with  the 
Episcopal  Church. 

Institutions  for  the  material  upbuilding  of  the 
county,  notably  the  Chambers  of  Commerce  at 
San  Pedro  and  Los  Angeles,  have  received  the 
impetus  of  Mr.  Peck's  practical  co-operation  and 
sagacious  encouragement.  In  his  political  views 
he  has  always  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  Repub- 
lican principles  and  at  this  writing  is  aiding  the 
party  through  his  efficient  service  as  a  member 
of  the  county  central  committee.  In  1868  he 
was  appointed  vice-consul  for  Sweden  and  Nor- 
way in  the  district  of  Southern  California,  and 
since  then  has  remained  in  that  position.  In 
fraternal  connections  he  holds  membership  with 
the  Unifomi  Rank,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the 
Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West,  while  socially 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  of 
Los  Angeles  and  a  welcomed  guest  in  the  most 
cultured  circles  of  his  home  county.  To  such 
men  as  he  Southern  California  owes  its  steady 
growth  and  its  world-wide  reputation  as  a  desira- 
ble place  of  residence,  for  he  and  many  others  of 
similar  devotion  and  loyalty  have  developed  its 
interests,  improved  its  lands  and  attracted  to 
its  genial  climate  cultured  people  from  all  portions 
of  the  country. 


HENRY  H.  GIRD.  The  large  landed  estates 
which  he  acquired  years  ago  (all  of  which  he  has 
since  divided  among  his  children)  give  to  Mr. 
Gird  a  position  among  the  most  influential  and 
substantial  residents  of  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley. 
Though  he  has  now  reached  an  age  and  a  finan- 
cial independence  justifying  retirement  from  re- 
sponsibilities, such  is  the  energy  of  his  tempera- 
ment that  he  does  not  permit  himself  to  lapse  into 
mental  or  physical  inaction,  but  remains  inter- 
ested in  the  activities  which  filled  his  earlier  years. 
Much  of  his  time  is  devoted  to  the  care  of  his 
orchard  of  twelve  acres,  in  which  may  be  found 
every  variety  of  fruit,  tame  and  wild,  that  grows 
in  the  three  northern  continents,  as  well  as  speci- 
mens from  Australia  and  Africa.     In  giving  the 


closest  care  to  the  orchard  he  is  not  actuated  by  a 
desire  to  make  the  trees  a  source  of  profit,  but 
wishes  to  develop  for  family  use  every  variety 
of  fruit  known  to  the  latitude. 

Descended  from  an  old  eastern  family,  Mr. 
Gird  is  a  son  of  Henr}-  H.  and  Sarah  Ann  (Kins- 
le}-J  Gird,  the  former  a  graduate  of  the  West 
Point  Military  Academy,  and  the  designer  of  the 
plans  for  the  fortifications  at  Petite  Coquelle  near 
Mobile.  After  his  resignation  from  the  army  he 
became  an  instructor  of  mathematics  in  an  insti- 
tution of  learning  at  Jackson,  East  Feliciana 
parish.  La.,  where  he  remained  for  thirteen  years 
or  more.  Removing  to  Illinois  in  1844  he  became 
a  pioneer  of  Clinton  county  and  developed  a 
tract  of  unimproved  land  into  a  valuable  farm, 
remaining  there  until  his  death  six  years  after 
his  removal  from  the  south.  His  wife  had  diet! 
prior  to  his  removal  from  Louisiana.  When  the 
family  established  their  home  in  the  south  Henry 
H.  Gird  was  quite  small,  he  having  been  born 
February  16,  1827,  at  West  Point,  N.  Y.  His 
education  was  conducted  in  private  schools  at 
Jackson,  La.,  and  m  the  State  college  of  Louisi- 
ana, which  institution  he  left  in  order  to  ac- 
company his  father  to  Illinois  in  1844,  ^nd  after- 
ward he  aided  in  developing  a  tract  of  virgin 
soil  from  its  primeval  state  into  a  condition  of 
cultivation. 

Diu-ing  August  of  1853  Mr.  Gird  arrived  at 
the  old  town  of  Shasta  after  a  journey  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  days  across  the  plains  with 
wagons  and  ox-teams.  A  brief  sojourn  was  made 
in  Sacramento,  after  which  he  took  up  ranching 
in  Sutter  county.  From  there,  in  1861,  he  re- 
moved to  Santa  Clara  county  and  the  following 
year  transferred  his  headquarters  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  settling  six  miles  from  Santa  Monica  and 
buying  land  suitable  for  the  raising  of  grain  and 
stock.  While  making  his  home  in  Los  Angeles 
county  he  invested  in  a  tract  of  four  thousand 
five  hundred  and  ninety  acres  in  San  Diego 
county,  which  he  purchased  in  1876  and  to  which 
he  removed  four  years  later.  Of  recent  years 
he  has  erected  a  substantial  ranch  house  on  the 
jilace  and  has  made  improvements  greatly  cn- 
liancing  the  value  of  the  property.  Through 
all  of  his  active  life  he  has  been  interested  in 
public  afifairs  and  since  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party  he  has  supported  its  princi- 
ples. Some  three  months  before  he  left  Illinois 
he  was  initiated  into  the  Masonic  order  and  ever 
since  then  he  has  been  a  disciple  of  the  lofty 
principles  of  brotherhood  and  charity  for  which 
the  fraternity  stands. 

Tlie  marriage  of  Mr.  Gird  took  place  in  Clin- 
ton county.  111.,  in  February  of  1849  ''"d  united 
him  with  Miss  Martha  .S.  Lewis,  who  was  born 
and  rcaded  in  that  state.  Four  children  were  born 
of  their  union,  namely :    William ;  Mary,  wife  of 


i 


^^I^  (h 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORU. 


571 


H.  M.  Peters,  of  San  Diego  county ;  Helen,  Mrs. 
D.  O.  Lamb,  of  the  San  Luis  Rev  valley,  and 
Catherine,  who  married  Jefferson  Shipley  and 
lives  at  Fallbrook.  The  only  son,  who  is  now 
proprietor  of  the  ranch,  has  a  wide  reputation 
as  a  breeder  and  trainer  of  fine  horses,  and  some 
of  his  best  trotters  come  from  his  stallion,  Cob- 
wallis.  In  the  raising  of  cattle  he  has  also  been 
more  than  ordinaiuly  successful,  his  specialty  be- 
ing the  Devon  breed,  registered  stock,  and  he  re- 
cently brought  a  registered  bull  from  Illinois, 
paying  a  high  price  for  the  animal  in  addition  to 
Si 35  in  transportation  charges.  Few  men  in  San 
Diego  county  are  as  familiar  with  the  stock  as 
William  Gird,  who  is  regarded  as  an  authority 
concerning  cattle  and  horses,  and  whose  long  ex- 
perience in  the  stock  business  has  made  his  name 
familiar  to  stock  raisers  throughout  this  section 
of  the  country.  When  a  young  man  he  attended 
Arnold's  Business  College  in  Los  Angeles,  where 
he  acquired  a  knowledge  of  commercial  affairs 
and  business  transactions,  but  his  large  success 
is  the  result  of  habits  of  close  observation  and 
wise  judgment  rather  than  the  study  of  text- 
books. His  home  is  with  his  father,  and  the  two 
are  united  by  bonds  of  sympathy,  kindred  tastes 
and  mutual  affection. 


NILES  PEASE.  The  commercial  activity 
of  Los  Angeles  has  had  in  Xiles  Pease,  for- 
merly president  of  the  Niles  Pease  Furniture 
Company,  one  of  its  strongest  and  most  suc- 
cessful men  and  one  v/ho  has  added  steadily 
to  its  prestige  for  the  past  twenty  years. 
When  he  first  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  it  was 
after  a  period  of  twenty-four  years  of  success- 
ful work  as  a  manufacturer  and  merchant  in 
his  native  town,  and  with  the  capital  and  ex- 
perience thus  gained  easily  established  himself 
in  a  secure  business  position  here.  The  suc- 
cess achieved  b_v  ^Ir.  Pease  has  been  the  re- 
sult of  earnest,  indef-uigablc  labor,  sturdy  ap- 
plication and  well-directed  zeal,  and  bespeaks 
possession  of  the  strongest  characteristics  of 
manhood. 

Air.  Pease  is  of  eastern  birth  and  ancestry, 
the  name  being  widely  known  and  honored 
in  Connecticut,  '\hero  his  grandfather.  Simeon 
Pease,  enlisted  for  ser\-ice  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  His  parents.  Wells  and  Betsey 
Pease,  were  also  natives  of  Connecticut,  where 
in  the  vicinity  of  Tliompsonville,  on  the  13th 
of  October,  1838,  their  son  was  born.  He  was 
reared  to  young  manhood  in  his  native  local- 
ity, receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  Avhen 
he  became  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of 
tinsmith.  Three  years  later  he  engaged  in 
this    occupation,    establishing    a    manufactory 


and  dealing  in  stoves  and  tinware.  He  met 
with  success  in  his  enterprise  and  gradually 
enlarged  his  operations  until  he  was  well 
known  throughout  the  state  and  largely  iden- 
tified with  its  business  interests.  In  1876  he 
suspended  this  branch  of  his  business,  and 
devoted  his  eft'orls  entirely  to  the  sale  of  fur- 
nitiu'e. 

Finally  deciding  to  locate  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  Air.  Pease  sold  out  his  interests  in  1884 
and  in  the  same  year  came  to  California,  where 
he  identified  himself  with  the  Los  Angeles 
Furniture  Company  as  a  partner  in  the  con- 
cern. They  established  a  store  at  No.  122 
South  Spring  street  and  began  business.  At 
the  end  of  the  year  Mr.  Pease  purchased  the 
entire  interest  of  the  business,  and  as  his  trade 
increased  enlarged  his  operations  and  added 
to  his  stock.  In  1887  he  removed  to  the  Har- 
ris block,  between  Third  and  Fourth  streets, 
on  South  Spring,  and  there  he  had  a  well- 
equipped  carpet  and  furniture  salesroom. 
W' ith  the  splendid  increase  in  patronage  wdiich 
came  with  the  passing  years  Mr.  Pease  found 
it  necessary  to  seek  more  commodious  quar- 
ters, and  accordingly,  in  1897,  moved  into  the 
large,  five-story  iDuilding  at  No.  439  South 
Spring  street,  this  being  built  by  L.  Harris  at 
that  time  to  accommodate  the  Niles  Pease 
Furniture  Company.  On  the  23th  of  Septem- 
ber. 1897.  this  business  was  incorporated  under 
the  latter  name,  his  children  being  taken  into 
the  concern.  With  the  passing  of  years  they 
built  up  one  of  the  largest  and  most  extensive 
trades  in  Southern  California,  their  patronage 
extending  also  to  Arizona.  December  i,  1905, 
the  business  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Pa- 
cific Purchasing  Company,  the  latter  repre- 
senting the  combined  business  of  five  similar 
enterprises  in  this  citv. 

Aside  from  his  other  interests  Air.  Pease 
has  been  interested  for  a  number  of  years  in 
various  enterprises.  He  served  for  some  years 
as  a  director  of  the  Columbia  Savings  Bank: 
is  at  present  a  director  in  the  Central  Bank  of 
Los  Angeles;  a  prominent  member  and  a  di- 
rector of  the  Los  Angeles  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce; and  for  four  vears.  ending  January  i. 
1906.  served  as  president  of  the  Merchants' 
and  Manufacturers'  Association.  Ever  since 
deciding  to  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  those  of 
the  commercial  interests  of  this  citv,  Air. 
Pease  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  its  best  interests,  and  has  added 
the  force  of  a  solid  and  substantial  man  of  af- 
fairs to  the  municipality's  growth.  Tn  his  po- 
litical convictions  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
while  a  resident  of  Connecticut,  in  1876.  was 
chosen  bv  his  party  to  the  state  legislature, 
where   he   served    with    credit   to   himself   and 


572 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


with  satisfaction  to  his  constituency.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  Thirty- 
second  degree  !vIason  and  stands  exceptionally 
high  in  the  organization.  For  some  years  he 
has  been  identified  with  the  Unitarian  Church, 
to  whose  philanthropies  he  is  a  liberal  con- 
tributor, and  served  as  trustee  of  the  church 
for  some  time. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Pease  occurred  in 
Thompsonville,  Conn.,  March  25,  i860,  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Cornelia  Gleason,  a  na- 
tive of  that  place,  and  born  of  this  union  are 
the  following  children:  Grace  G.,  Jessie  F., 
Sherman,  Jewell,  Anna,  Herbert  and  Flor- 
ence. Mr.  Pease  is  passing  on  to  a  peaceful 
and  happy  old  age,  surrounded  by  the  com- 
forts and  luxuries  which  his  years  of  labor 
and  effort  have  brought  him,  serene  in  the 
conviction  of  duty  cheerfully  done  wherever 
met  in  his  noteworthy  career;  of  success 
achieved ;  of  friendships  won  :  and  ranking  as 
one  of  the  representative  men  of  Los  Angeles 
and  of  Southern  California. 


CAPT.  willia:\i  HAZZARD  PRINGLE. 

The  river  Tweed  along  a  certain  part  of  its 
winding  course  forms  fhe  boundary  between  Eng- 
land and  Scotland,  and  on  the  banks  of  that  his- 
toric stream  in  the  shire  of  Northumberland, 
England,  lay  the  ancestral  home  of  the  Pringle 
family,  some  of  whose  members  removed  thence 
to  establish  the  race  in  the  new  world.  Capt. 
John  Pringle,  who  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
"became  a  captain  in  the  war  of  1812  and  after- 
ward lived  quietly  on  his  farm  near  Ogdensburg, 
N.  Y.,  until  death  removed  him  from  his  labors. 
In  the  captain's  family  there  was  a  son,  William, 
who  was  born  and  reared  on  the  homestead  near 
Ogdensburg,  St.  Lawrence  county,  and  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  active  life  followed  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  the  same  locality,  but  passed 
his  last  days  in  Iowa.  In  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Eleanore  Thompson,  a  native  of  St.  Lawrence 
county,  he  became  the  S(5n-in-law  of  Seth  Thomp- 
son, a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  the  latter 
in  turn  was  a  son  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 

The  family  of  William  Pringle  comprised  ten 
children,  eight  of  whom  attained  mature  years, 
and  two  sons  and  one  daughter  are  now  living, 
William  Flazard  being  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 
On  the  home  farm,  near  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y., 
he  was  born  July  30,  1831,  and  there  he  passed 
the  uneventful  days  of  boyhood,  alternating  work 
at  home  with  attendance  upon  a  subscription 
school  held  in  an  old  log  building.  As  early  as 
1844  he  left  home  to  sail  on  the  lakes,  where  he 
remained  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  then 
shipped  from  New  York  City  before  the  mast  in 
the  West  India  trade,  later  sailing  before  the  mast 


on  a  trans-Atlantic  vessel.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
ship  in  Australia  he  and  the  rest  of  the  crew  left 
and  secured  employment  in  Sydney,  but  soon  af- 
terward he  shipped  on  the  whaler  Albany,  of  New 
Bedford,  to  New  Zealand  and  Guam.  From  there 
he  accompanied  the  whaler  Betsey  Williams  to 
the  Arctic  seas  as  harpooner,  returning  after 
seven  months  to  Honolulu  with  a  full  cargo  of 
whale  oil  and  bone.  The  ship  was  then  put  up 
for  repairs  preparaton.'  to  a  trip  around  the  Horn 
and  Mr.  Pringle  was  paid  off  at  the  market  price, 
after  which  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  the 
Hawaiian  royal  family  and  remained  for  six 
months  as  the  guest  of  the  king.  From  there 
he  accompanied  the  German  ship  Republic  to 
Tucahona,  Chile,  and  thence  around  the  Horn  to 
Bremerhaven,  Germany,  from  which  port  he 
traveled  through  Germany  on  a  pleasure  tour 
and  visited  London,  where  he  saw  the  famous 
Crystal  palace,  as  well  as  other  sights  of  in- 
terest. 

Shipping  on  the  bark  Clio,  of  London,  'Mr. 
Pringle  went  to  the  West  Indies  for  a  cargo  of 
sugar  and  there  took  passage  on  a  vessel  bound 
for  Philadelphia,  where  he  landed  in  due  time, 
(.^n  the  way  the  vessel  stopped  at  Rumkee  to  be 
loaded  with  rock  salt.  After  this  he  accompanied 
the  brig  George  Washington  to  Portsmouth,  N. 
H.,  next  was  ten  months  in  the  riggers  gang, 
fitting  out  ships,  and  then  went  on  the  John 
Wedon  to  Florida,  from  there  to  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land, and  then  back  to  Boston.  There  he  be- 
came second  officer  on  the  clipper  Gentoo,  which 
was  loaded  with  flour  and  sugar  for  San  Fran- 
cisco and  made  the  voyage  via  the  Horn,  re- 
turning thence  to  Boston.  His  next  cruise  was  as 
first  officer  on  the  vessel  Louisa  Margaret  to 
the  Barbadoes,  West  Indies,  and  then  he  was  first 
officer  on  the  bark  Hahnemann,  to  Havre,  France, 
and  returning  to  the  United  States.  For  three 
rears  he  was  first  officer  on  the  Elizabethtown 
between  the  United  States  and  France,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  navy,  being  assigned  to  the  warship  "Ports- 
mouth. Eighteen  months  later  he  was  given  an 
honorable  discharge  and  returned  to  the  lakes, 
becoming  mate  on"  the  Palo  Alto.  From  1857  to 
1859  he  was  captain  of  the  Colonel  Cook,  and 
then  commanded  the  Torrent,  L.  H.  Cotton  and 
Lucy  Clark  successfully,  remaining  for  thirteen 
year's  with  boats  owned  by  George  W.  Bissell, 
of  Detroit.  Later  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  John  F.  Rust  &  Co.,  which  built  and 
operated  "the  ship  George  W.  Bissell,  and  later 
built  the  vessel  David  W.  Rust,  which  he  com- 
manded for  nine  years  on  the  lakes.  On  the  death 
of  the  senior  Mr.  Rust  he  sold  his  interest  in 
that  firm  and  joined  a  number  of  men  in  building 
the  first  large  iron  steamboat  used  on  the  lakes, 
this  being  siven  the  name  of  Onoko.    With  others 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  started  an  iron  shipyard  at  Cleveland.  Ohio, 
where  the  Globe  shipyards,  the  largest  there,  en- 
gaged in  building  ships  and  conducting  transpor- 
tation business,  with  himself  as  general  superin- 
tendent. 

On  disposing  of  his  interest  in  the  shipyards  to 
Mark  Hanna  in  1883,  Captain  Pringle  removed  to 
New  Mexico  and  purchased  a  cattle  ranch  in  the 
upper  Pecos  valley  near  Fort  Stanton,  Lincoln 
county.  The  following  year  he  came  to  San  Diego 
but  he  did  not  sell  his  New  Mexico  holdings  until 
1886.  On  coming  to  California  he  first  made  a 
specialty  of  the  real  estate  and  banking  business. 
Later  he  bought  eight  hundred  and  twenty-four 
acres  on  the  Mesa  Grande,  where  he  engaged  in 
raising  standard  and  draft  horses,  importing  a 
Cleveland  bay  possessing  the  finest  qualities  of 
that  breed.  In  1899  he  sold  the  ranch  and  since 
then  he  has  lived  in  San  Diego,  limiting  his 
labors  to  the  management  of  his  property  inter- 
ests, and  to  the  filling  of  his  duties  as  harbor 
commissioner.  Under  Governor  Stoneman  he 
was  appointed  pilot  commissioner  with  a  re-ap- 
pointment by  Governor  Waterman.  In  Novem- 
ber of  1903,  Governor  Pardee  appointed  him 
harbor  commissioner  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  two 
years  later  he  was  regularly  chosen  to  fill  that 
position. 

The  first  marriage  of  Captain  Pringle  was  sol- 
emnized in  Mount  Clemens,  Mich.,  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Alary  E.  Huntoon,  who  was  born 
at  Plattsburg.  \'t.,  and  died  in  San  Diego.  Nine 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  but  only  two 
are  living,  viz. :  George,  a  member  of  the  mount- 
ed police  force  of  San  Diego ;  and  William,  cap- 
tain of  a  steamer  on  the  lakes.  The  present  wife 
of  Captain  Pringle  was  Mrs.  Eleanor  Keith,  of 
San  Diego,  a  native  of  Illinois.  In  national  poli- 
tics Captain  Prmgle  votes  the  Republican  ticket, 
but  in  local  matters  he  votes  for  the  man  rather 
than  for  the  party.  Eor  some  years  he  has  been 
identified  -with  the  Union  League  Club  of  San 
Diego.  Wliile  at  Marine  City,  Mich.,  he  was 
made  a  Mason  in  the  blue  lodge,  of  which  he  be- 
came master  and  at  this  writing  he  has  his  mem- 
bership in  Silver  Gate  Lodge  No.  296.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  at  San  Diego.  At  one  time  he  was  active  in 
St.  Clair  Qiapter,  R.  A.  M.,  at  St.  Clair,  Mich., 
but  now  is  demitted,  also  was  formerly  promi- 
nent in  the  Oriental  Commandery,  K.  T..  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

Personally  Captain  Pringle  possesses  the  genial 
and  companionable  traits  that  win  and  retain 
firm  friends.  With  a  breadth  of  views  reminding 
one  of  the  illimitable  sweep  of  the  ocean  :  with  a 
heartiness  of  manner  bespeaking  the  mariner; 
with  a  blufiF  yet  kindly  courtes^•.  an  outspoken  and 
frank,  vet  friendlv  expression  of  opinion :  with 
a    franie   that   retains   much   of  the   strength    of 


youth  yet  suggests  familiarity  with  storm-swept 
seas ;  with  the  perfect  ease  in  all  situations  that 
marks  the  seasoned  traveler  under  all  skies ; 
and  with  a  kindliness  of  heart  that  extends  an 
equal  courtesy  and  hospitality  to  friend  and 
stranger,  in  his  character  and  personality  he  af- 
fords a  splendid  illustration  of  the  men  whose 
lives  are  spent  amid  the  limitless  expanse  of  the 
great  seas. 


HUGO  EUGENE  SCHWICHTENBERG. 
Preceded  by  about  eight  years  as  a  traveling 
photographer  throughout  the  west  Air.  Schvvich- 
tenberg  came  to  Pomona  in  -1893  and  established 
a  gallery  at  No.  386  West  Second  street  for 
the  purpose  of  building  up  a  local  trade.  With 
what  success  he  met  may  be  realized  when  it  is 
said  that  in  two  years'  time  he  had  outgrown  his 
original  quarters,  and  it  was  this  circumstance 
which  necessitated  his  removal  to  the  Avis  build- 
ing, where  he  is  now  located.  NVitli  him  photog- 
raphy has  been  a  life-time  studw  and  when  he 
was  only  twelve  years  old  he  constructed  a  4x5 
wet  plate  camera,  the  ideas  for  its  construction 
being  gathered  entirely  by  self  study  and  read- 
ing. With  this  early  attempt  as  a  basis  he  pro- 
gressed from  year  to  year  in  his  art,  until  to- 
day he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  artistic 
photographers  on  the  coast. 

Although  American  born  Mr.  Schwichten- 
berg  is  of  German  parentage,  his  father.  Rev. 
Henry  A.  Schwichtenberg,  having  been  born  in 
Dantzic,  Germany.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
silk  merchant  in  'that  city,  but  after  the  loss  of 
his  stock  by  fire  he  came  to  the  new  world  to 
begin  life  anew.  Going  to  Allegan  county, 
Mich.,  he  worked  at  the  tailor's  trade  for  a  time, 
from  there  going  to  Niles,  that  state,  and  still 
later  to  Michigan  City,  Ind.  While  in  the  lat- 
ter city  he  began  to  study  for  the  ministry, -and 
during  the  time  of  his  preparation  for  five  years 
taught  in  a  German- American  school.  His  ordi- 
nation as  a  pastor  in  the  Reformed  Church  was 
conferred  upon  him  in  1876  and  the  same  year 
he  went  to  Medaryville,  Pulaski  county,  Ind., 
to  take  charge  of  a  church  there.  Three  years 
later  he  was"  transferred  to  a  pastorate  in  Bir- 
mingham. Ohio,  and  after  the  same  length  of 
time  in  that  place  was  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Piqua,  Ohio.  From  Ohio  he  was  transferred 
to  Boegers  Store,  Osage  county.  Mo.,  his  min- 
istrv  there  continuing  for  three  years,  when  he 
came  west  to  Portland,  Ore.,  in  1884.  As  there 
was  no  church  of  the  Reformed  denomination 
in  Portland  he  was  given  charge  of  a  Lutheran 
pastorate,  from  there  going  to  Alink.  Clacka- 
mas county,  remaining  there  the  usual  terra  of 
three  years  also.  Ill-health  necessitated  a  com- 
plete rest,  and  when  he  was  able  to  resume  his 


574 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


duties  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  Lutheran 
pastorate  in  South  San  Francisco,  remaining 
there  two  years,  and  later  was  in  Petaluma  the 
same  length  of  time.  From  Petaluma  he  came 
to  Pomona  and  assumed  charge  of  the  German 
Lutheran  congregation  at  this  place,  but  he  is 
now  retired  from  active  service  and  at  the  age 
of  seventy-one  years  makes  his  home  in  Port- 
land, Ore.  His  wife,  who  was  a  native  of 
Berlin,  Germany,  died  in  Portland,  leaving  three 
children,  as  follows :  Max  F.,  who  is  a  drug- 
gist in  Portland ;  Otto  H.,  who  is  in  the  employ 
of  the  Oregon  Railroad  &  Navigation  Company ; 
and  Hugo  E. 

The  youngest  child  in  the  parental  family, 
Hugo  E.  Schwichtenberg  was  born  June  8,  1867, 
in  Allegan  county,  Mich.,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools,  and  as  he  was  naturally  a 
student  and  a  lover  of  books  generally,  he  gained 
an  excellent  education.  It  was  while  the  family 
were  making  their  home  in  Piqua,  Ohio,  that  he 
became  interested  in  the  subject  of  photography, 
and  when  only  twelve  years  worked  out  his  first 
problem  in  the  art  by  constructing  a  camera  from 
descriptions  which  he  had  read.  In  1884  the 
family  removed  to  Oregon,  and  in  Portland  he 
was  for  a  time  employed  in  a  bakery,  although 
he  had  by  no  means  discontinued  his  interest  or 
studies  in  his  art.  On  the  other  hand  he  had 
in  the  meantime  kept  up  a  diligent  course  of 
study  and  preparation  for  independent  work, 
and  by  the  time  he  was  eighteen  years  old  he 
was  prepared  to  set  forth  as  a  traveling  pho- 
tographer. A  slight  interruption  in  his  plans 
occurred  about  this  time,  occasioned  by  the  ill- 
ness of  his  father,  who  then  had  charge  of  a 
school.  He  completed  his  father's  term  in  the 
school  and  in  April  of  that  year,  1886,  started 
out  with  his  tent  and  photographing  outfit  for 
Gervais,  going  from  there  to  Lebanon,  spending 
the  entire  summer  in  the  two  places  mentioned. 
It  was  his  practice  to  travel  throughout  the  en- 
tire Pacific  coast  during  the  summer  seasons, 
spending  his  winters  in  Portland,  a  course  which 
he  followed  for  six  years,  and,  during  two  years 
he  also  conducted  a  gallerv  at  Albina.  In  iSqt 
he  came  to  California  and  for  one  year  traveled 
between  San  Francisco  and  the  coast,  during 
which  time  he  built  up  a  reputation  as  an  artist 
of  superior  merit  which  had  preceded  him  to 
Pomona,  whither  he  came  in  1893  and  estab- 
lished the  nucleus  of  his  present  flourishing:  busi- 
ness. He  opened  his  doors  for  business  Novem- 
ber 23,  1893,  and  August  15,  1891;,  he  became 
established  in  his  present  commodious  quarters 
in  the  Avis  buildins".  In  connection  with  this 
studio  he  also  conducted  a  branch  studio  in 
Azusa  between  the  vcars  t8q8  and  1904,  and 
durino-  the  same  tinie  also  had  a  studio  at  On- 
tario for  three  vears.  from   1901   until   1904.  but 


in  the  latter  year  he  was  compelled  to  discon- 
tinue both,  as  the  local  work  demanded  all  of 
his  time  and  attention.  In  January,  1905,  he 
bought  out  the  studio  of  which  Scholl  &  Scholl 
were  the  proprietors,  but  since  then  he  has  re- 
moved The  Elite  (as  this  studio  is  known)  to 
more  commodious  quarters,  opposite  the  First 
National  Bank,  southwest  corner  of  Second  and 
Main  streets.  In  both  studios  he  is  carrying 
on  an  excellent  business. 

In  Pomona  Mr.  Schwichtenberg  was  married 
to  Miss  Ada  AI.  Hansler,  who  was  also  a  native 
of  Michigan,  her  birth  occurring  in  Niles.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  Otto  and  Al- 
fred. The  family  attend  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schwich- 
tenberg are  members,  and  politically  he  is  inde- 
pendent in  the  casting  of  his  ballot.  His  mem- 
bership in  the  Board  of  Trade  is  looked  upon  as 
an  acquisition  to  the  well-being  of  that  body,  a 
feeling  which  is  shared  by  the  various  fraternal 
organizations  of  which  he  is  a  member,  among 
them  being  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees, Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
Order  of  Yeomen. 


THOMAS  G.  GABBERT,  one  of  Ventura 
county's  most  prominent  and  successful  citizens, 
was  born  in  Madison  county,  Iowa,  January  1 1 , 
1854,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Jane  Gabbert, 
natives  respective!}'  of  Kentucky  and  Indiana. 
He  was  reared  to  young  manhood  on  the  paternal 
farm,  and  at  the  same  time  he  was  receiving  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  he  was  also  being 
trained  in  the  practical  duties  which  fall  to  the 
lot  of  a  farmer's  son.  Upon  attaining  his  ma- 
jority he  became  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources and  since  that  time  has  followed  farm- 
ing. Coming  to  California  in  1883,  he  located  in 
Ventura  county,  remaining  in  the  vicinity  of 
Saticoy  until  1892,  when  he  established  his  home 
near  El  Rio,  where  he  has  since  been  occupied 
in  the  cultivation  of  an  extensive  ranch.  He  is 
]irincipally  engaged  in  the  raising  of  lima  beans 
and  l>eets,  for  which  the  soil  of  this  locality  is 
admirably  adapted,  and  also  grain  and  stock 
raising.  While  meeting  with  success  in  his  agri- 
cultural efforts  he  has  at  the  same  time  won  a 
place  of  prominence  among  the  public  spirited  cit- 
izens of  Ventura  county,  having  labored  untir- 
ingly not  only  to  further  his  own  interests,  but 
those  of  the  community  at  large,  and  by  his  per- 
sistent energy,  strict  attention  to  business  af- 
fairs, honorable  dealings,  and  superior  manage- 
ment, has  attained  a  high  standino-  in  financial  and 
'-ncial  circles.  I  iberal  in  his  views,  rntcrprisng 
and  public  s]-,irited.  lie  takes  an  intelligent  inter- 


xy^/^^  XU^ 


U 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


577 


est  in  local  matters,  being  ever  among  the  fore- 
most in  establishing  beneficial  projects,  and  is 
now  serving  his  second  term  as  supervisor,  in 
that  capacity  performing  the  duties  devolving 
upon  him  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  honor 
of  his  constituents.  During  the  last  two  years 
of  his  first  term  in  this  ofifice  he  was  chairman  of 
the  board,  and  still  retains  this  position  with  the 
present  board.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  and 
seeks  to  advance  the  party's  interests  at  all  times. 
Fraternally  he  holds  membership  with  the  Ala- 
sonic  organization. 

In  Aladison  county,  Iowa,  February  27,  1879, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella  Peters, 
daughter  of  A.  M.  and  Jane  Peters,  pioneers  of 
California  in  1882.  They  are  the  parents  of  the 
following  children :  Myron  H.,  John  Raymond. 
Boyd  E.,  Richard  Clarence,  Harry  and  Thomas 
Arthur.  Mr.  Gabbert's  long  association  with  the 
interests  of  Ventura  county  have  served  to  bring 
him  in  close  contact  with  public  affairs,  and  al- 
though his  time  has  been  pretty  well  occupied 
with  liis  personal  affairs  (being  identified  with 
several  mining  enterprises  in  addition  to  his  agri- 
cultural pursuits),  he  has  still  made  it  his  aim 
to  keep  in  close  touch  concerning  all  problems 
before  the  nation  and  to  do  his  duty  as  a  loyal 
and  law-abiding  citizen. 


THOMAS  HUGHES,  a  representative  citi- 
zen of  Los  Angeles,  was  born  in  Greene  coun- 
ty. Pa.,  Augu.st  25,  1859,  about  forty  miles 
south  of  Pittsburg,  where  his  father  owned  a 
flouring  mill  on  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela 
river.  His  boyhood  was  passed  among  these 
scenes,  the  knowledge  gleaned  from  books 
during  his  attendance  of  the  public  schools 
being  supplemented  by  a  thorough  practical 
training  under  the  instruction  of  his  father. 
Inheriting  the  spirit  of  independence  from  his 
pioneer  ancestry^,  and  the  self-reliance  and 
courage  which  induced  their  emigration  to  a 
western  world,  he  was  but  eighteen  years  old 
when  he  became  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources and  sought  a  location  among  the  more 
abundant  opportunities  of  the  southwest.  In 
Albuquerque,  Las  Vegas,  Clifton,  and  other 
towns  of  New  Mexico,  he  was  employed  as  a 
millwright  and  also  in  railroad  construction 
work  for  five  years.  From  that  location  he 
came  to  California  and  in  Los  Angeles— then 
a  small  town  of  only  fifteen  thousand  people — 
began  the  foundation  of  a  business  that  should 
some  day  place  his  name  among  the  success- 
ful manufacturers  of  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
first  vear  (1883)  he  secured  work  in  a  plan- 
ing mill,  and  the  following  year,  with  his  earn- 
ings, entered  upon  independent  operations  on 
a   necessarily   small   scale.     Success   accompa- 

36 


nied  his  eii'orts  and  he  soon  found  it  necessary 
to  increase  his  equipment.  He  constructed 
and  at  different  times  operated  eight  dift'erent 
mills,  one  of  the  most  important  being  at  San 
Pedro,  this  having  since  burned.  In  1896  he 
organized  a  business  under  the  name  of 
Hughes  Brothers,  a  connection  which  contin- 
ued until  1902,  udien  the  enterprise  was  incor- 
porated as  the  Hughes  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, with  Mr.  Hughes  as  president  and  most 
extensive  stockholder,  L.  L.  Robinson  as  sec- 
retary and  Grant  G.  Hughes  as  general  man- 
ager. They  have  a  very  complete  and  up-to- 
date  equipment,  having  installed  the  most 
modern  machiner)^,  and  it  can  be  truthfully 
said  that  Mr.  Hughes  has  brought  more  ma- 
chinery into  Southern  California  than  any 
other  one  man.  They  have  a  three-story  brick 
building,  105x400  feet,  and  in  the  manufacture 
of  their  product  employ  over  three  hundred 
men.  Shipments  are  made  to  Nevada,  Ari- 
.zona,  Denver  and  surrounding  towns  in  Cali- 
fornia, their  extensive  business  not  only  add- 
ing to  their  personal  returns,  but  giving  to 
Los  Angeles  a  prestige  as  a  manufacturing 
center  which  has  continued  up  to  the  present 
writing.  In  tlie  early  days  of  this  city  small 
opportunities  were  offered  for  manufactories, 
and  onl)^  men  of  discernment  could  foresee  the 
unlimited  possibilities  that  were  awaiting  en- 
terprise and  ability  along  this  line.  Mr. 
Hughes  was  the  leader  and  has  remained  to 
the  present  day  foremost  in  the  ranks  of  the 
men  who  are  advancing  these  interests.  To 
the  upbuilding  of  Los  Angeles  he  has  given 
every  effort,  platting  Hughes  addition  to  the 
city,  and  has  also  invested  otherwise  in  realty 
holdings  here. 

Familiar  from  his  vouth  with  Los  Angeles 
and  its  surrounding  country,  Mr.  Hughes  was 
among  the  first  to  develop  oil,  which  was 
known  to  exist  in  quantities  in  this  part  of 
the  state.  There  were  only  about  fourteen 
wells  on  Lakeshore  avenue  when  he  took  up 
the  project,  and  thenceforward  gave  means^ 
time  and  personal  attention  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  plans.  The  first  company  formed, 
and  which  he  assisted  in  organizing,  was  the 
American  C)il  Company^  and  following  this  at 
a  later  period  was  the  organization  of  the 
Fullerton  Oil  Company,  which  owns  fifty  acres 
in  fee  in  the  heart  of  the  Fullerton  district. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  company  that  put 
down  the  first  well  in  the  Santa  Maria  dis- 
trict, and  to  this  enterprise  he  gave  his  per- 
sonal attention:  after  securing  a  small  flow  at 
a  depth  of  over  two  thousand  feet,  the  well 
caved  in  and  the  matter  was  then  dropped  for 
a  time.  This  location  was  then  one  hundred 
miles  from  any  other  oil  region,  but  has  since 


578 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


become  one  of  the  largest  producing  fields  in 
the  world,  ten  thousand  acres  in  this  district 
being  owned  by  the  Western  Union  Oil  Com- 
pany, of  which  Air.  Hughes  is  first  vice-presi- 
dent and  supervising  manager  of  the  develop- 
ment work.  The  first  well  put  down  by  this 
company  was  in  the  location  started  by  Mr. 
Hughes  some  years  before,  proving  his  theory 
correct  as  to  the  location  of  oil.  This  organ- 
•ization  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  of  its  kind 
in  the  west,  being  made  up  of  prominent  finan- 
ciers of  Los  Angeles,  whose  ability  and  enter- 
prise have  been  used  to  further  the  advance- 
ment of  the  country  along  this  line. 

While  a  resident  of  New  Mexico  Mr. 
Hughes  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Car- 
rie Mosher,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  their 
home  in  Los  Angeles  is  among  the  most  at- 
tractive of  the  city — evidencing  within  and 
without  the  refined  and  cultured  tastes  of  the 
family.  Mr.  Hughes,  although  a  busy  man, 
has  still  taken  time  to  interest  himself  in  va- 
rious of  the  fraternal  and  social  organizations 
of  the  city,  being  a  tnember  of  the  Elks,  the 
Union  League  Club  and  the  Driving  Club, 
while  automobiling  is  a  recreation  in  which  he 
indulges  as  fret-ly  as  his  business  cares  will 
permit.  Although  never  an  aspirant  for  per- 
sonal recognition  no  citizen  is  more  actively 
interested  in  the  promotion  of  all  measures  for 
the  civic  honor  of  the  municipality.  Locally 
he  supports  the  men  and  measures  which  judg- 
ment impels  him  to  believe  best  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  city,  although  in  state  and  na- 
tional politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He 
has  always  declared  for  "open  shop"  and  equal 
rights  to  all  as  citizens,  willing  to  give  the 
"square  deal"  and  demanding  it.  He  can  al- 
ways be  counted  upon  to  give  freely  of  time, 
money  and  influence  in  the  furtherance  of  any 
movement  tending  toward  the  advancement  of 
the  general  welfare  and  with  the  aggression 
which  can  only  mean  progression  in  such  a 
man  as  he,  takes  a  leading  part  in  all  contests 
in  the  support  of  his  principles. 

Personally  Mr.  Hughes  is  a  man  of  many 
parts.  Combining  with  an  unusual  degree  of 
financial  ability  a  stanch  integrity  in  business 
affairs  and  an  unimpeachable  honor,  he  has 
wen  not  only  a  competence  in  the  world's  field 
of  action,  but  also  the  friendship  of  the  many 
who  have  known  him  during  the  years  of  his 
residence  and  association  with  the  west.  To 
an  unusual  degree  is  he  esteemed  by  his  fel- 
low-citizens and  honored  for  the  qualities  of 
his  citizenship.  Personally  an  unostentatious 
manner,  a  kindly  hospitality  and  generous 
spirit  have  given  him  a  place  among  those 
citizens  upholding  the  civic  honor  of  our  city. 


JOHN  BROWN,  SR.,  was  born  in  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  December  22,  1817.  His  grandfather, 
John  Brown,  was  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion and  fell  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  When 
a  boy  John  Brown,  Sr.,  started  west  to  realize 
the  dreams  and  fancies  of  youth.  He  stayed 
awhile  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  after  which  he  began 
rafting  on  the  Mississippi  river,  then  went  to 
New  Orleans.  While  on  a  voyage  to  Galves- 
ton he  was  shipwrecked  and  from  there  went 
to  Ft.  Leavenworth  by  the  Red  river  route.  In 
the  Mexican  war  he  participated  in  the  battle 
of  San  Jacinto  and  saw  General  Santa  Ana  when 
first  taken  prisoner.  After  two  years  at  Ft. 
Leavenworth,  he  went  to  the  Rocky  mountains, 
and  for  fourteen  years  hunted  and  trapped  from 
the  headwaters  of  the  Columbia  and  Yellow- 
stone rivers,  along  the  mountain  streams  south 
as  far  as  the  Comanche  country  or  northern 
Texas  with  such  mountaineers  and  trappers  as 
Tames  W.  Waters,  V".  }.  Herring,  Kit  Carson, 
Alexander  Godey,  Joseph  Bridger,  Bill  Will- 
iam, the  Bents,  tlie  Subletts  and  others  of  equal 
fame.  He  engaged  sometimes  a  free  trapper, 
at  other  times  with  Hudson  Bay  and  other  fur 
companies,  hunting  the  grizzly,  buffalo,  elk, 
deer,  antelope,  mountain  sheep,  and  trapping  the 
cunning  beaver  among  the  Arapahoes.  Chey- 
ennes.  Apaches,  L'tes,  Cherokees,  Sioux,  Crows 
and  other  tribes.  He  helped  to  build  Fort  La- 
ramie, Fort  Bent.  Fort  Bridger  and  several  oth- 
er forts.  This  period  is  hastened  over,  for  the 
bear  and  Indian  encounters  and  hair-breadth  es- 
capes of  the  above-named  hunters  would  fill  a 
volume'  fully  as  interesting  as  "Kit  Carson's 
Travels"  or  Washington  Innng's  "Captain 
Bonneville."  Suffice  it  to  ■  say  that  such  brave 
and  intrepid  hunters  and  adventurers  as  Mr. 
Brown  and  his  companions  piloted  General 
Fremont  across  the  Rocky  mountains  on  his  ex- 
ploration of  the  American  continent,  and  if  Gen- 
eral Fremont  had  adhered  more  closely  to  Mr. 
Brown's  advice,  he  would  not  have  lost  so  many 
men  and  animals  that  dreadful  winter  in  the  snow. 
Still,  General  Fremont  has  gone  down  in  his- 
tory as  the  great  Pathfinder. 

The  gold  fever  reached  the  mountaineers  in 
1849.  Messrs.  Brown,  Waters,  Lupton  and 
White  "fitted  out"  and  joined  one  of  the  immi- 
grant trains  bound  for  the  land  of  gold.  They 
spent  the  4th  of  July,  1849,  i"  Salt  Lake  City, 
and  arrived  at  Sutter's  Fort  September  i,  and 
began  mining  on  the  Calaveras  river.  In  No- 
vember, Mr.  Brown  moved  to  Monterey,  and. 
with  Waters  and  Godey,  opened  the  St.  Johns 
hotel  and  livery  stable  at  San  Juan  Mission.  Mr. 
Brown  was  here  elected  justice  of  the  peace  for 
two  terms.  His  health  failing  him,  he  was  ad- 
vised to  go  to  the  milder  climate  of  Southern 
California"      In    April,    1852,    he    went    to    San 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


579 


Francisco,  and  there,  with  his  family,  boarded 
the  schooner  Lydia,  Captain  Haley  commander, 
and  after  a  week's  voyage  landed  at  San  Pedro, 
where  he  engaged  Sheldon  Stoddard  to  haul 
him  to  San  Bernardino,  arriving  in  May,  1852. 
In  1854  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Yucaipe, 
where  he  went  into  the  stock  business,  but  re- 
turned to  San  Bernardino  in  1857  ^"d  lived  there 
until  his  death. 

In  1861.  seeing  the  necessity  of  an  outlet  to 
Southern  Utah  and  Arizona  for  the  productions 
of  San  Bernardino,  Mr.  Brown,  with  Judge 
Henry  M.  Willis  and  George  L.  Tucker,  pro- 
cured a  charter  from  the  legislature  for  a  toll 
road  through  the  Cajon  Pass,  which  he  kept  open 
for  eighteen  years,  thus  contributing  materially 
to  the  business  of  the  city  in  which  he  lived.  In 
1862  he  went  to  Fort  Mojave  and  established  a 
ferry  across  the  Colorado  river,  thus  enchanc- 
ing  the  business  of  San  Bernardino  still  more. 
'  He  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  telegraph 
fund  when  assistance  was  required  to  connect 
this  city  with  the  outside  world,  and  favored  rea- 
sonable railroad  encouragement  to  place  San 
Bernardino  on  the  transcontinental  line.  At  his 
own  expense  he  enclosed  the  public  square, 
where  the  pavilion  now  stands,  with  a  substantial 
fence,  and  in  many  ways  by  his  public  spirit 
contributed  to  the  advancement  and  improve- 
ment of  this  city.  In  the  winter  of  1873-74  he 
delivered  the  United  States  mail  to  the  miners 
in  Bear  and  Holcomb  valleys,  where  the  snow 
was  three  and  four  feet  deep,  thus  showing  that 
he  still  retained  that  daring  and  intrepid  disposi- 
tion that  he  acquired  in  the  Rocky  mountains. 

In  the  world  of  religious  thought  Mr.  Brown 
had  a  wonderful  experience.  Born  near  Ply- 
mouth Rock  on  the  anniversary  of  the  landing 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  he  seems  to  have  partak- 
en of  their  religious  freedom  and  liberality  of 
thought,  and  his  years  among  the  grandeur  of 
the  Rocky  mountains  aided  in  developing  an  in- 
tense love  for  nature,  the  handiwork  of  the  great 
Creator.  Here,  as  a  child  of  nature,  among  the 
fastnesses  of  the  mountain  forests,  or  among  the 
cliffs  and  peaks,  he  saw  the  Great  Ruler  in  the 
clouds,  and  heard  Him  in  the  winds. 

Without  any  education  except  that  derived 
from  the  broad  and  liberal  books  of  nature,  he 
was  the  author  of  a  book  entitled,  "]\Iedium  of 
the  Rockies,"  in  which  kindness,  gentleness,  un- 
selfishness, charitableness  and  forgiveness  are 
set  forth,  dedicated  to  "the  cause  that  lacks  as- 
sistance, the  wrongs  that  need  resistance,  the 
future  in  the  distance,  and  the  good  that  he  could 
do"— the  character  that  he  acquired  and  lived 
all  his  life. 

As  old  age  began  creeping  on  and  many  of 
the  old  friends  were  passing  away,  and  the  ac- 
tivities of  life   had  to  be  transferred  to  others. 


Mr.  Brown  joined  President  Lord,  William  Heap, 
R.  T.  Roberts,  W.  F.  Holcomb,  Dte  La  M. 
Woodward,  Major  B.  B.  Harris,  David  Seely, 
Sydney  P.  Waite,  Marcus  Katz,  Lucas  Hoag- 
land,  Henry  M.  Willis,  his  old  Rocky  mountain 
companion  James  W.  Waters,  his  son  John 
Brown,  Jr.,  and  others,  and  organized  the  San 
Bernardino  Society  of  California  Pioneers,  be- 
lieving that  many  hours  could  still  be  pleasantly 
passed  by  those  whose  friendship  had  grown 
stronger  as  the  years  rolled  by  and  thus  live  the 
sentiment  of  the  poet — 

"When  but  few  years  of  life  remain, 
'Tis  life  renewed  to  laugh  them  o'er  a!;ain." 
Mr.  Brown  raised  a  large  family;  six  daugh- 
ters and  four  sons :  Mrs.  S.  P.  Waite,  Mrs. 
Laura  Wozencraft  Thomas,  Mrs.  Louisa  Waters, 
Mrs.  Sylvia  Davenport,  Mrs.  Mary  Dueber,  now 
deceased,  and  Mrs.  Emma  Rouse;  and  John,  Jo- 
seph, James  and  Newton  Brown. 

Mr.  Brown  outlived  all  of  his  Rocky  mount- 
ain companions,  and  all  of  the  commissioners 
appointed  to  organized  this  county,  and  all  of  the 
first  officers  of  San  Bernardino  county;  he  re- 
mained alone  to  receive  the  tender  greetings  of 
his  many  friends  who  held  him  not  only  with 
high  esteem  and  respect,  but  with  love  and  ven- 
eration. He  was  greatly  devoted  to  the  Pioneer 
Society;  its  pleasant  associations  were  near  and 
dear  to  him.  Although  feeble  with  declining 
years,  he  appeared  at  the  meeting  of  the  society 
on  Saturday,  April  15,  1899,  and  discharged  his 
duties  as  President,  and  on  the  following  Thurs- 
day, April  20,  1899,  at  7  o'clock  p.  m.,  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter,  Laura,  his  spirit  depart- 
ed to  that  new  and  higher  sphere  of  existence 
he  so  fondly  looked  to  while  in  earth  life.  A 
large  concourse  of  friends  attended  the  funeral 
of  their  old  friend,  from  the  Brown  homestead, 
corner  Sixth  and  D  streets,  the  present  resi- 
dence of  his  son,  John  Brown,  Jr.  The  funeral 
services  were  conducted  by  Mrs.  J.  A.  Mar- 
chant,  of  the  First  Spiritual  Society  of  San  Ber- 
nardino, and  also  by  Rev.  White  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Colton.  An  excellent  choir  un- 
der the  direction  of  Mrs.  H.  M.  Barton  and 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Keller  discoursed  appropriate  se- 
lections. The  floral  offerings  were  profuse; 
one  emblematic  of  the  Pioneers,  being  a  tribute 
from  the  Pioneer  Society. 

According  to  directions  from  the  deceased, 
frequently  given  by  him  to  his  children,  the 
casket,  and  everything  else  necessary  for  inter- 
ment, was  like  his  character  and  belief, — as 
white  as  the  mountain  snow.  The  honorary 
pallbearers  were  among  his  oldest  friends  then 
living:  Sheldon  Stoddard,  W.  F.  Holcoriib,  R. 
T.  Roberts,  Lucas  Hoagland,  J.  A.  Kelting  and 
Lewis  Jacobs ;   and   the  active   pallbearers  were 


580 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


J.  W.  Waters,  Jr.,  George  Miller,  De  La  M. 
Woodward,  Randolph  Seely,  H.  M.  Barton  and 
Edward  Daley,  Jr. 


JOHN  E.  YOAKUiAL  From  the  age  of  ten 
years  a  resident  of  California,  Air.  Yoakum  re- 
calls with  interest  the  rapid  development  of 
the  state  and  the  remarkable  increase  in  val- 
ues displayed  by  both  city  and  country  prop- 
erty. Missouri  is  the  state  where  he  was  born, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Ray  county, 
July  6,  1 85 1,  to  William  and  Sarah  (Stone) 
Yoakum.  The  maternal  grandfather,  John 
Stone,  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  aristocrat- 
ic families  of  Virginia  and  some  years  after 
his  marriage  removed  from  that  common- 
wealth to  Missouri,  where  he  settled  near 
Knoxville.  Three  Yoakum  brothers,  Will- 
iam, Jesse  and  Isaac,  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
during  the  earl)'  development  of  the  west,  and 
of  these.  Jesse  was  killed  in  1854  while  driv- 
ing cattle  across  the  plains  to  California.  In 
1861  William  Yoakum  returned  east  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  his  son,  John  E.,  back 
with  him,  and  the  latter  vividly  recalls  the 
memorable  journey  vi'hich  began  at  Kansas 
City  in  the  midst  of  wintry  storms  in  1861, 
and  ended  twenty  days  later  at  Folsom,  Cal., 
the  travelers  having  kept  on  the  road  night 
and  day  without  pause,  by  virtue  of  $700  stage 
fare  paid  to  the  Holliday  Stage  Coach  Com- 
pany. For  a  time  they  remained  at  what  is 
now  East  Oakland  fthen  known  as  San  An- 
tonio), but  in  1862-63  they  made  their  head- 
quarters at  Virginia  City,  Nev..  during  which 
time  they  owned  large  lumber,  mining  and 
timber  interests  in  the  Truckee  valley. 

Three  years  after  his  journey  across  the 
plains  John  E.  Yoakum  accompanied  his 
father  via  Panama  to  New  York  City,  return- 
ing to  California  in  1865  across  the  plains, 
with  mule  teams.  With  them  were  his  sister, 
Mary  A.,  also  a  half-sister,  Sarah,  born  of  his 
father's  second  marriage.  For  some  years  the 
father  engaged  in  the  stock  business  in  Solano 
county  and  from  there  removed  to  Tulare 
county.  When  quite  advanced  in  years  he 
died  near  Armona,  Kings  county,  in  the  fam- 
ous Mussel  Slough  country.  After  having  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Oakland  and  in 
Contra  Costa  and  Solano  counties,  John  E. 
Yoakum  became  a  student  in  Heald's  Busi- 
ness College,  San  Francisco.  At  an  early  age 
he  took  up  the  raisin-growing  business  in  So- 
lano county  and  was  so  successful  in  produc- 
ing a  fine  quality  of  product  that  in  1874  and 
1875  he  was  awarded  a  prize  for  his  raisins 
and  grapes  in  San  Francisco.  The  vineyard 
which  he  planted  in  the  Mussel  Slough  coun- 


try comprised  ten  acres,  forming  a  portion  of 
a  forty-acre  ranch,  which  in  1885  he  traded 
for  seven  city  lots  in  East  Los  Angeles. 

Almost  immediately  after  locating  in  the 
San  Joaquin  valley  Mr.  Yoakum  became  a 
land  agent  and  speculator  in  lands.  At  one 
time  he  owned  fifteen  thousand  acres  in 
Fresno,  Tulare  and  Kings  counties,  a  portion 
of  which  was  lake  and  swamp  land.  Among 
his  most  important  enterprises  was  the  found- 
ing of  the  village  of  Armona  and  the  platting 
of  the  town  site,  one-half  of  which  he  later 
sold  to  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany. At  this  writing  he  yet  owns  property 
in  Armona  and  farm  lands  in  Fresno,  Tulare 
and  Kern  counties,  much  of  the  property  be- 
ing especially  valuable  by  reason  of  its  fruit 
orchards  and  alfalfa  meadows.  Probably  one 
hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  passed 
through  his  hands  as  selling  agent  and  no  one 
in  the  entire  valley  is  more  familiar  with  land 
values  than  he.  By  reason  of  having  operated 
road  and  land  graders  he  received  a  keen  in- 
sight into  the  real  values  of  lands  and  could 
handle  the  same  intelligently.  In  addition  he 
handled  large  tracts  of  railroad  lands. 

The  so-called  "boom"  had  just  inaugurated 
in  Los  Angeles  when  Mr.  Yoakum  came 
to  this  part  of  the  state  in  1885  and  he  as- 
sisted in  organizing  the  Tulare  Immigration 
Association,  in  whose  interests  he  spent  his 
time  between  San  Francisco  and  Los  An- 
geles. While  the  boom  lasted  he  did  consid- 
erable speculating  in  lands.  When  its  col- 
lapse came  he  suffered  in  common  with  all 
property-holders,  but  was  saved  from  finan- 
cial disaster  through  his  valuable  holdings  in 
Tulare  county.  His  remarkable  recuperative 
powers  in  finance  were  put  to  a  thorough  test, 
and  when  the  reverses  in  the  business  world 
were  needed  he  became  a  stronger  power  in 
real  estate  than  he  had  been  before.  His  con- 
nection with  railroad  excursions  and  the  emi- 
gration business  made  it  possible  for  him  to 
be  in  close  touch  with  the  real-estate  interests 
of  Central  California,  especially  in  the  San 
Joaquin  valle}',  where  his  interests  have  been 
extensive  for  many  years. 

The  name  of  John  E.  Yoakum  is  closely  as- 
sociated with  the  upbuilding  of  Ocean  Park 
in  the  laying  out  and  handling  of  various  sub- 
divisions, included  in  the  real  estate  still 
owned  by  him  may  be  mentioned  interest  in 
.'Seagirt  No.  i  and  2.  Venice  View  tract.  Club 
House  Place,  Santa  Monica  tract,  Roseboro 
Heights  tract,  Short  Line  Beach  tract.  Venice 
of  America,  Highland  tract,  Venice  Hill  tract. 
Ocean  Park  Place,  Ocean  Park  Terrace,  San- 
ta Fe  tract  and  various  others.  He  owns  con- 
siderable  property   in   East   Los   Angeles   and 


ehjujA 


ClAK^ 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


583 


large  tracts  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley  as  afore- 
said, the  whole  aggregating  several  thousand 
acres.  In  all  movements  that  have  had  as 
their  objects  the  upbuilding  of  the  state  Mr. 
Yoakum  has  always  been  a  generous  support- 
ter  with  both  time  and  money  and  is  justly 
entitled  to  a  place  in  the  annals  of  California. 
Though  not  a  partisan  in  belief  Mr.  Yoa- 
kum is  stanchl}-  in  favor  of  Democratic  prin- 
cipals, while  fraternally  he  is  associated  with 
the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  By 
his  first  marriage,  to  Jennie  S.  Reeves,  a  na- 
tive of  England  and  daughter  of  George 
Reeves,  who  was  a  pioneer  resident  of  Napa 
county,  he  had  one  daughter.  Jennie,  now  the 
wife  of  Charles  Dickerson.  His  second  wife, 
whom  he  married  in  Kings  county  (then  Tu- 
lare), was  Alma  R.,  the  daughter  of  Foreman 
B.  Gody,  a  resident  of  California  since  1871. 
They '  have  three  children,  Oueenie,  wife  of 
Sidney  Graves ;  John  Vaughn  and  Valentine 
.Stone. 


PHILETUS  SPRAGUE  CARR.  Of  the 
men  in  \"entura  county  who  have  taken  an 
active  interest  in  developing  the  beet  and  bean 
industry  none  has  been  more  prominent  than 
P.  S.  Carr,  better  known  by  all  his  friends  as 
"Major."  He  was  born  near  Battle  Creek, 
Mich.,  November  30,  1839.  a  son  of  .Simon 
Vader  and  Angeline  (Sprague)  Carr.  both 
natives  of  New  York  state,  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry. 

His  ancestry  goes  back  to  the  time  of  the 
emigration  of  three  brothers  to  America  from 
.Scotland,  one  locating  in  New  York,  one  in 
Massachusetts  and  another  in  the  South. 
"Major"  Carr  descending  from  the  New  York 
branch.  His  great-grandfather  Carr  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war  as  a  commissioned  of- 
ficer and  his  grandfather  in  the  war  of  1812  as 
a  colonel. 

Simon  Vader  Carr  was  a  pioneer  settler  of 
]\lichigan,  then  a  territory,  locating  four  miles 
south  of  what  is  now  Battle  Creek.  Calhoun 
county.  At  this  early  date  the  wheat  had  to 
be  carried  to  Detroit,  the  nearest  mill,  and 
ground  into  flour;  there  being  no  roads  they 
followed  Indian  trails.  This  he  accomplished, 
first  on  foot  and  later  packing  on  horseback. 
He  brought  the  first  span  of  horses  into  the 
county,  established  the  first  brickyard  in  that 
section  and  improved  his  farm  from  a  dense 
forest  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  was  a  Master  Alason, 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  a 
man  much  esteemed  by  his  fellow-citizens. 
His  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Sprague,  a 


prominent  physician  of  New  York.  Both  par- 
ents died  in  Battle  Creek  at  advanced  ages. 

"Major"  Carr  is  the  only  one  living  of  five 
children ;  his  education  was  received  in  the 
public  and  union  schools  of  Battle  Creek.  In 
1863  he  responded  to  his  country's  call  for 
volunteers,  enlisting  in  Company  C,  Sixth 
Michigan  Heavy  Artillery,  and  mustered  in  at 
Jackson,  and  assigned  to  the  Department  of 
the  Gulf,  participating  in  the  engagements  of 
White  River,  Baton  Rouge,  Port  Hudson  and 
Siege  of  Vicksburg.  After  this  he  served  on 
the  Mississippi  and  the  Gulf,  principally  at 
Fort  Gaines  and  Fort  Morgan,  and  was  with 
Farragut  at  the  capture  of  the  latter,  this  then 
giving  command  of  the  entrance  to  Mobile. 
He  was  discharged  at  Jackson,  Mich.,  in  1865. 
After  recuperating  on  the  old  homestead  for  a 
time  he  engaged  in  farming  and  in  the  manu- 
facture of  brick,  making  the  brick  from  which 
was  built  the  original  Battle  Creek  Sanita- 
rium. 

In  1877  he  removed  to  Chillicothe,  Mo., 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  at  the  same 
time  as  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  Eureka 
Mower  Company,  of  TJtica,  N.  Y.,  his  terri- 
tory being  Missouri  and  Illinois.  In  1887  he 
located  in  Ventura  county,  Cal.,  purchased  his 
present  ranch  of  twenty-one  acres,  one  and 
one-half  miles  north  of  the  present  site  of  Ox- 
nard.  which  was  set  to  walnut  trees,  this  to- 
day being  one  of  the  finest  groves  in  the  state. 
With  Major  Driffils  he  has  six  hundred  and 
sixty-five  acres  m  beets  in  the  vicinity  of  Ox- 
nard ;  also  has  fifty-five  acres  in  beans. 
"Major"  Carr  labored  assiduously  in  securing 
the  location  of  the  sugar  factory  in  Oxnard, 
knowing  the  richness  of  the  soil,  the  possibili- 
ties of  the  Santa  Clara  valley  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  having  great  faith  in  its  production 
of  the  sugar  beet.  From  its  inception,  in  1887, 
he  has  been  one  of  the  agriculturists  for  the 
American  Beet  Sugar  Company  and  superin- 
tends the  putting  in  of  the  crops  and  the  har- 
vesting of  the  same  among  the  farmers  in  his 
district  wit-h  whom  they  have  contracts.  He 
was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  Oxnard  Elec- 
tric Light  plant. 

In  Augusta.  Mich.,  November  14,  1866,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Earle,  a 
native  of  England,  and  a  daughter  of  Edward 
Earle,  a  pioneer  miller  of  Augusta.  By  this 
union  three  children  have  been  born,  Luella, 
wife  of  Lincoln  Hall:  ^lartin  V.,  and  Earle, 
all  of  Oxnard  and  vicinity.  "Major"  Carr  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Hueneme  Lodge  No.  311, 
F,  &  A,  AI.,  of  which  he  served  as  master  three 
terms,  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  past 
master  of  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  341.  F.  &  A.  IM. ; 
exalted  to  the  Sublime  Roval  Arch  in  Ventura 


584 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Chapter  No.  50,  R.  A.  AI. ;  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers and  first  high  priest  of  Oxnard  Chap- 
ter No.  86,  R.  A.  W.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Ventura  Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  Ventura  Com- 
mandery  No.  18,  K.  T.,  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Consistor}',  32d  degree,  and  Al  ilalaikah  Tem- 
ple, A.  A.  O.  N.  Ai.  S.  With  Mrs.  Carr  he  is 
a  member  of  Eastern  Star  Chapter  No.  185. 
He  is  a  charter  member  of  Lodge  No.  613, 
B.  P.  O.  E.,  of  Santa  Barbara,  and  a  member 
of  Cushing  Post  No.  44,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Ventura. 
Mrs.  Carr  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  the  Women's  Relief  Corps  of  Ox- 
nard. He  is  a  strong  Republican  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  county  central  committee, 
taking  an  active  part  in  its  councils  and  shap- 
ing the  destin}'  of  the  party  in  this  county. 

All  matters  that  have  had  for  their  object 
the  development  of  the  county,  the  betterment 
of  the  condition  of  its  citizens  and  the  ad- 
vancement of  its  commercial  interest  in  the 
state  have  always  found  "Major"  Carr  ever 
ready  to  give  of  his  time,  money  and  influence, 
and  perhaps  no  one  is  better  known  as  a  man, 
nor  more  highly  esteemed  as  a  friend.  It  is 
the  sentiment  of  those  who  know  him  inti- 
mately that  he  is  well  worth)^  a  place  in  the 
annals  of  Southern  California. 


LEVI  R.  MATTHEWS.  In  the  interval  be- 
tween his  arrival  in  California  and  his  death 
about  twelve  years  later  Mr.  Matthews  acquired 
considerable  property  by  energ>'  and  foresight, 
and  at  the  same  time,  by  the  exercise  of  the 
highest  principles  of  honor  and  uprightness,  he 
made  for  himself  a  lasting  place  in  the  regard 
of  acquaintances  and  associates.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Long  Beach  July  2,  1902,  of  apoplexy, 
but  his  remains  were  buried  in  his  home  city, 
Pomona,  with  whose  upbuilding  he  had  had  so 
much  to  do. 

Born  in  Rochester,  Vt.,  February  9,  1830, 
Levi  R.  Matthews,  was  a  child  of  about  two  years 
when  his  father.  Josiah  Matthews,  removed  to 
the  frontier  of  Illinois  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Sangamon  county,  later,  however,  going  to  Taze- 
well county,  same  state,  and  purchasing  a  farm 
ten  miles  east  of  Pekin.  On  the  homestead 
farm  that  he  there  improved  from  the  wilder- 
ness he  passed  away,  as  did  also  his  wife,  who 
before  her  marriage  was  Monette  Waters,  a 
native  of  Vermont.  Levi  R.,  the  eldest  of  their 
children,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Tazewell  county.  III,  and  also  in  Knox  College. 
Following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  in  the 
choice  of  a  life  calling  he  too  settled  down  to 
farming  and  stock-raising,  improving  a  farm 
from  the  raw  prairie  near  Tremont.  To  his  origi- 
nal purchase  he  added  from  time  to  time  until 


he  laid  claim  to  five  hundred  acres  of  fine  land 
all  in  one  body.  Not  only  was  he  known  as 
an  extensive  cattle  dealer,  but  he  was  an  im- 
portant figure  in  the  public  life  of  his  community, 
and  for  many  years  served  his  community  as 
highway  commissioner.  In  1886  he  gave  up  his 
personal  management  of  his  farm  and  removed 
to  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.,  and  four  years  later 
made  a  trip  to  California.  So  well  pleased  was 
he  with  the  outlook  in  this  state  that  he  decided 
to  make  it  his  future  home,  coming  hither  in  the 
fall  of  1890  and  purchasing  a  ten-acre  orange 
grove  on  the  corner  of  Olive  and  San  Antonio 
avenues.  Subsequently,  he  disposed  of  his  Illi- 
nois property  and  bought  a  thirty-acre  alfalfa 
ranch  south  of  Pomona,  improving  it  into  one 
of  the  finest  ranches  of  the  kind  in  this  vicinity. 
A  distinguishing  feature  of  his  ranch  was  a 
four-hundred  foot  well  which  he  sunk,  and  which 
is  considered  one  of  the  finest  wells  in  the  Po- 
mona valley,  furnishing  water  for  irrigation  for 
the  entire  vicinity.  The  family  retain  consid- 
erable of  the  property  he  owned  in  Colorado 
Springs. 

In  Morton,  III,  April  20,  1852,  Levi  R.  Mat- 
thews was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alarie 
Antoinette  Sill,  who  was  born  in  Solon,  Ohio, 
the  daughter  of  Prof.  Horace  L.  Sill,  a  native 
of  Adams,  N.  Y.  Grandfather  John  Sill,  who 
was  also  born  in  the  Empire  state,  was  a  survey- 
or and  civil  engineer  first  in  his  native  state  and 
later  in  Solon,  Ohio,  where  he  died.  From  New 
York  state,  where  he  was  reared,  Horace  L. 
Sill  removed  to  Ohio,  where  he  taught  school 
for  a  time,  later  removing  to  Morton,  111.,  where 
he  owned  a  farm,  but  followed  teaching  for  a 
livelihood.  From  Illinois  he  later  removed  to 
Fremont,  Nebr.,  where  as  teacher  and  farmer 
he  rounded  out  his  life,  passing  away  on  his  farm 
in  that  vicinity.  Mrs.  Sill  was  before  her  mar- 
riage Mary  Pettibone.  born  near  Sacket  Harbor, 
N.  Y.,  the  daughter  of  Elijah  Pettibone,  who  was 
born  near  Hartford,  Conn.,  following  farming 
there  until  his  removal  to  Ohio,  where  he  died. 
He  was  of  English  descent,  and  many  of  the 
Pettibone  ancestors  fought  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Mrs.  Sill  passed  away  in  Nebraska.  Of 
the  seven  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mat- 
thews five  grew  to  years  of  maturity  and  are 
stil!  living.  The  eldest,  Mary  Louise,  was  edu- 
cated at  Eureka  College  and  is  the  widow  of 
Raphael  Leonard,  of  Tremont,  111. ;  Ellen  Mabel 
was  also  educated  at  Eureka  College,  and  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  Major,  of  Eureka,  111.:  Kate 
Luella,  also  educated  in  that  college,  became  the 
wife  of  Charles  Stubblefield,  of  McLean,  111.: 
Annie  May,  Mrs.  Charles  Buckley,  of  Tremont, 
111.,  was  also  educated  in  Eureka  College:  Lee 
R.  is  a  farmer  in  Pomona :  Grace  L.  is  the  wife 
J.   H.    Payne,   of   Los   Angeles ;   and   Winnifred 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


587 


G.,  who  became  the  wife  of  Samuel  R.  Eccles- 
ton,  died  in  Los  Angeles  in  1900.  Since  the 
death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Matthews  has  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  the  homestaead  which  he 
erected  at  No.  659  North  Gordon  street,  and  in 
the  management  of  the  large  property  which  he 
left  she  is  meeting  with  splendid  success. 


FRANK  PETIT.  The  Santa  Clara  valley 
of  Southern  California  can  lay  claim  to  no 
more  enterprising  citizen  than  Frank  Petit, 
as  all  will  agree  who  are  familiar  with  the 
transformation  which  his  ranch  near  Oxnard, 
Ventura  county,  has  undergone  during  the 
past  twenty-four  years.  His  first  purchase, 
in  1883,  was  devoid  of  any  improvements 
whatsoever,  but  the  location  was  an  excep- 
tional one  and  he  began  to  improve,  and  at 
the  same  time  add  to  his  possessions  until  he 
is  to-day  the  proprietor  of  ten  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  well  improved  and  valuable  land. 
His  parents,  John  B.  and  Elizabeth  Petit,  who 
were  natives  of  France,  came  to  this  country 
when  Frank  was  a  small  child  and  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Clearfield  county.  Pa.,  where  they 
remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Remov- 
ing to  Douglas  county,  Kans.,  they  there  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  piu'suits  until  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Petit,  when  she  was  sixty-one  years 
of  age.  Subsequently.  Mr.  Petit  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, arriving  in  this  state  in  1874,  making 
his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  M.  J.  Lau- 
rent, for  a  time,  and  later  engaged  in  ranching 
with  his  son  Justin.  His  death  occurred  in 
i8q4,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years. 
Frank  Petit  was  born  in  France,  in  April, 
1848.  and  ^vas  brought  to  this  country  by  his 
parents  when  only  a  small  boy.  He  spent  his 
childhood  and  young  manhood  in  a  lumber 
camp  in  Clearfield  county.  Pa.,  gaining  what 
education  he  could  in  such  surroundings. 
Earlv  evincing  a  proficiency  in  the  manage- 
ment of  steani  sawmills,  he  soon  became  fore- 
man of  saw^mills  in  Pennsylvania,  and  proving 
an  expert  in  that  line,  was  made  head  sawyer 
at  the  earlv  age  of  nineteen  vears.  Coming  to 
California  'November  t8,  1882,  he  located  on 
the  Cnlona  grant  and  has  since  that  time  been 
an  imoortant  factor  in  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  that  section.  The  story  of  his 
vise  is  akin  to  that  of  all  the  successful  men 
of  this  or  any  self-improved  region,  entailing 
endless  work' from  morn  until  night  and  dur- 
ing everv  season  of  the  year.  Constituting 
himself  his  own  architect  and  builder.  Mr. 
Petit  erected  a  roomy  and  comfortable  resi- 
dence, kT-ge  barns  and  outbuildings.  Alodern 
agricultural  implements  are  found  in  their 
best  order,  buildings  and  fences  in  repair,  and. 


in  fact,  few  farms  in  the  country  present  an 
aspect  of  greater  prosperity,  thrift  and  enter- 
prise, and  few  are  more  representative  of  the 
character  an^  individuality  of  their  owner.  Of 
his  landed  possessions  comprising  over  a  thou- 
sand acres,  six  hundred  and  forty  are  in  the 
Colona  grant,  four  hundred  in  the  hills,  while 
he  owns,  with  his  brother  Justin,  four  hundred 
acres  lying  four  miles  east  of  Santa  Paula, 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  being  devoted 
to  the  culture  of  lima  beans  and  eighty  acres 
to  sugar  beets.  The  home  farm  consists  of 
two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  and  this  is 
imder  Mr.  Petil's  personal  supervision. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Petit  was  solemnized 
in  Clearfield  county.  Pa.,  December  25,  1872, 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Caroline  Dough- 
erty, a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  five  chil- 
dren have  l)lessed  this  union :  John  F.,  a  his- 
tory of  whose  career  will  be  found  elsewhere 
in  this  volume;  William;  ]\lamie,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Earl  Hart,  of  Ocean  Park;  Charles, 
attending  Cornell  University;  and  Albert,  at 
home.  Mr.  Petit  is  director  of  the  Bank  of 
Oxnard,  and  has  served  as  school  trustee  of 
this  district.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with 
Oxnard  Lodge,  F.  &  A."  M.,  Oxnard  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M..  and  also  of  the  Commandery  of 
\'ent'.ira,  and  Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O. 
N.  M.  S.,  of  Los  Angeles.  The  high  character 
of  Mr.  Petit  is  borne  out  by  his  gracious  and 
friend-winning  manner.  His  success  has  been 
won  solelv  through  his  own  efforts,  and  that 
he  is  worthy  of  the  good  fortune  which  has 
come  to  him  is  believed  by  those  who  have 
profited  bv  his  generosity  and  his  good  fellow- 


ANDREW  JOUGHIN.  The  possibilities 
offered  bv  the  "Pacific  coast  regions  nowhere 
find  a  more  striking  illustration  than  in  the 
life  of  the  late  Andrew  Joughin,  a  pioneer  of 
1866  in  Los  Angeles  and  for  years  one  of  the 
large  land-owners  of  Southern  California.  Al- 
though he  came  to  the  west  practically  with- 
out means,  he  was  a  keen,  capable  judge  of 
l?nd  values,  and  saw  in  this  soil  and  climate 
a  fair  opening  for  investment.  Acting  upon 
this  theory  he  purchased  land  as  it  came  with- 
in his  financial  ability  to  do  so,  and  the  re- 
sults proved  the  wisdom  of  his  iudsrment  in 
the  matter.  While  he  achieved  financial  suc- 
cess and  left  an  estate  valued  at  $150,000.  the 
accumulation  of  wealth  did  not  represent  the 
limit  of  his  success,  for  he  \vas  also  successful 
in  gaining  and  retainine  the  respect  of  asso- 
ciates, the  affection  of  his  family  and  the 
good-will    of   the    com.munity,    and    the   latter 


588 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


type  of  success  surpasses  the  former  in  per- 
manent significance.  Possessed  of  a  stalwart 
physique,  he  was  six  feet  in  height  and 
weighed  considerably  more  than  *wo  hundred 
pounds,  so  that  even  in  a  large  crowd  he  at- 
tracted attention  by  reason  of  his  rugged  frame 
and  splendid  physical  proportions.  Nor  were 
his  physical  characteristics  greater  than  his 
mental  qualifications,  for  with  a  large  frame 
he  had  a  large  heart  and  behind  his  genial 
countenance  there  was  a  frank  and  ardent  tem- 
perament. 

The  earliest  recollections  of  Andrew 
Joughin  were  associated  with  the  Isle  of  Man, 
around  whose  rugged  shores  washed  the 
waves  of  the  Irish  sea.  There  he  was  born 
February  23,  1824,  a  son  of  industrious  and 
intelligent  parents,  who,  desirous  of  preparing 
him  for  the  earning  of  a  livelihood,  appren- 
ticed him  in  youth  to  the  blacksmith's  trade. 
After  having  followed  that  trade  on  the  island 
for  some  years  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  Amer- 
ica in  April,  1852,  and  upon  landing  in  New 
York  proceeded  toward  the  unsettled  regions 
of  the  Mississippi  valley,  his  course  of  travel 
taking  him,  subsequent  to  a  month's  stay  in 
Rochester,  to  Illinois,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  in  Rockford.  During  1859  he  came  via 
the  Panama  route  to  California  and  settled  in 
Sacramento,  where  he  experienced  the  hard- 
ships attendant  upon  the  great  floods  of  1861 
and  1862.  For  some  years  he  operated  a  shop, 
but  in  1865  he  began  to  work  in  connection 
with  the  building  of  the  railroad. 

During  the  3'ear  1866  Mr.  Joughin  estab- 
lished his  home  in  Los  Angeles  and  purchased 
one-quarter  of  a  block  of  ground  on  Second 
and  Hill  streets.  This  investment  proved  a 
wise  one,  for  he  bought  at  $500  and  sold  for 
$1,500.  Shortly  afterward  he  went  to  Ari- 
zona, but  in  a  year  returned  to  Los  Angeles 
and  followed  his  trade.  Removing  to  San 
Juan  Capistrano  in  1869.  he  carried  on  a 
"blacksmith's  shop  and  a  hotel,  but  in  1870 
returned  to  Los  Angeles,  where  he  operated  a 
shop  of  his  own.  With  the  earnings  of  his 
trade  he  invested  in  land.  During  1874  he 
invested  in  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near 
Hyde  Park  comprising  a  part  of  Rancho  la 
Cienega,  for  which  property  he  paid  $6,000. 
Two  years  after  buying  the  land  he  removed 
to  it  and  operated  a  shop  on  the  ranch  for  a 
few  years.  In  1883  he  acquired  three  hundred 
and  five  acres  known  in  early  days  as  the  Tom 
Gray  ranch,  but  more  recently  designated  as 
the  Arlington  Heights  tract.  Subsequently 
he  disposed  of  the  greater  portion  of  this 
property,  although  about  fifteen  acres  still  re- 
main in  the  possession  of  the  family,  and  some 
of  this  has  reached  the  valuation  of  $100  per 


front  foot.  During  1885  he  purchased  the 
Palos  Verdes  ranch  of  six  hundred  acres,  sit- 
uated near  Wilmington,  and  this  was  operated 
largely  by  his  sons,  he  having  no  special  liking 
for  farm  pursuits.  After  many  years  of  un- 
wearied industry,  in  1888  he  allowed  himself 
to  enjoy  a  long  vacation  in  the  form  of  a  trip 
to  Europe,  where  he  renewed  the  friendships 
of  youth  and  visited  many  points  of  historic 
interest.  On  his  return  to  the  United  States 
he  did  not  take  up  business  activities,  but  in 
the  midst  of  the  comforts  accumulated  by  his 
wise  judgment  and  industrious  application  he 
passed  his  last  days,  and  February  7,  1889, 
his  earth-life  ended  at  about  sixty-five  years 
of  age. 

Surviving  Mr.  Joughin  and  occupying  a 
comfortable  residence  on  West  Adams  street, 
Los  Angeles,  is  his  widow,  formerly  Ann  Can- 
nell,  whom  he  married  November  22,  185 1, 
and  was  born  on  the  Isle  of  Man  October  8, 
1832.  Ten  children  were  born  of  their  union, 
namely:  Eleanor  J.,  wife  of  Andrew  Mattel, 
of  Fresno  county,  Cal. ;  Catherine  N.,  who 
died  at  three  years ;  Andrew,  Jr.,  a  resident  of 
Los  Angeles,  and  represented  elsewhere  in 
this  volume ;  Alice,  who  was  removed  from 
the  family  circle  by  death  at  the  age  of  five 
years ;  John  T.,  a  rancher  whose  sketch  ap- 
pears on  another  page;  Matilda,  wife  of 
George  R.  Murdock,  who  is  connected  with 
the  Artesian  Water  Company  of  Los  Angeles; 
Edward  E.,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Emma,  who 
married  Earl  R.  Osborne,  of  Los  Angeles; 
Minnie,  who  resides  with  her  mother  and  min- 
isters to  the  needs  of  her  advancing  years: 
and  Isabella  Grace,  who  is  the  wife  of  Eniil 
H.  Granz,  residing  in  Tulare  county,  Cal., 
near  the  town  of  Dinuba. 

On  the  organization  of  the  first  congrega- 
tion of  Episcopalians  in  Los  Angeles  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Joughin  became  members  of  the  church 
and  ever  afterward  maintained  an  interest  in 
its  activities  and  iVlrs.  Joughin  still  contrib- 
utes regularly  to  its  maintenance,  as  well  as 
to  various  missionary,  educational  and  philan- 
thropic movem.ents  of  undoubted  value  to 
the  welfare  of  the  race,  carrying  out  in  this 
respect  the  plans  inaugurated  by  Mr.  Joughin, 
who  was  a  man  of  generous  impulses  and 
large  philanthropy.  After  becoming  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States  he  affiliated  with  the 
Democratic  party,  but  he  took  no  part  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  nor  did  he  ever  consent  to  hold 
office,  his  tastes  being  in  the  line  of  business 
activities  rather  than  politics.  Yet  as  a  citi- 
zen he  was  keen  to  give  his  support  to  every 
measure  for  the  general  good,  active  in  for- 
warding progressive  plans  and  enthusiastic  in 
co-operating   with    public-spirited   movements, 


^r/lny   ^^£ayiAy!t: 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD. 


591 


hence  he  merits  and  occupies  a  distinct  place 
in  the  annals  of  local  history  and  is  remem- 
bered as  one  of  the  progressive  pioneers. 


JOHX  SCARLETT.  Perhaps  no  greater 
tribute  can  be  bestowed  upon  a  man  than  to 
state  that  he  passed  through  life  wronging  no 
one,  but  giving  to  all  a  kindly  consideration 
and  a  warm-hearted  fellowship  as  well  as  prac- 
tical assistance  in  times  of  need.  Such  may  be 
said  of  Mr.  Scarlett,  whose  life  was  an  open 
book  to  be  read  by  all,  whose  character  was 
unwarped  by  deceit  and  untainted  by  selfish- 
ness, yet  whose  intelligence  was  so  keen  and 
energy  so  great  that  he  accumulated  a  valu- 
able property  and  at  his  death  left  an  estate 
worthy  of  a  lifetime  of  achievement.  Success 
did  not  come  to  him  with  fleet  footsteps,  but 
the  way  proved  long  and  difficult,  and  only  an 
energetic  temperament  would  ha^•e  overcome 
the  obstacles  which  he  confronted  in  }outh. 
\\'hen  but  an  infant  his  father  was  taken  from 
the  family  by  death.  Their  means  were  lim- 
ited. The  home  in  his  native  place  at  Innes- 
killen,  Ireland,  was  destitute  of  comforts,  and 
a  livelihood  was  earned  only  b}-  the  severest 
toil.  When  he  had  saved  an  amount  sufficient 
to  defray  his  expenses  to  America,  he  crossed 
the  ocean,  settled  in  Philadelphia,  and  from  a 
very  humble  position  rose  to  be  a  dyer  in  a 
woolen  manufacturing  plant.  With  the  sav- 
ings from  his  work  he  sent  to  Ireland  for  his 
mother,  who  joined  him  in  Philadelphia  and 
there  remained,  surrounded  by  every  comfort 
he  could  provide,  until  she  passed  away  in 
January,  1865.  Meanwhile  he  had  become  a 
pioneer  of  1857  in  California,  settling  in  San 
Francisco,  where  he  was  employed  as  engineer 
in  a  sugar  refinery  for  three  years,  this  being 
the  first  cane  sugar  refinery  in  California. 

Removing  to  Alameda  county  and  settling 
in  Dougherty,  Mr.  Scarlett  erected  a  hotel 
building  in  1861  and  for  six  years  conducted 
a  hotel  under  his  name.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  moved  to  Fresno  county  and  en- 
gaged in  the  sheep  business  on  a  large  scale 
on  the  West  side,  in  which  occupation  he  met 
with  gratifying  success.  During  1874  he  came 
to  Ventura  county  upon  'a  tour  of  inspection. 
The  prospects  pleased  him  and  he  purchased 
a  ranch  on  the  Colonia  from  W.  I.  Rice.  The 
following  year  he  brought  his  family  to  the 
tract  of  six  hundred  and  ninety  acres  and  here 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 
Later  he  made  a  specialty  of  Lima  beans  and 
sugar  beets,  for  which  products  no  land  in  the 
entire  county  is  better  adapted  or  produces 
larger  crops.  The  estate  lies  four  miles  from 
Oxnard  and  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  valuable 


in  the  valley.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Scarlett, 
which  occurred  February  14,  1902,  the  land 
has  been  operated  by  his  only  son,  John,  who 
makes  his  home  on  the  estate.  Though  not 
active  in  politics  nor  a  partisan,  Mr.  Scarlett 
iield  firm  convictions  on  the  subject  of  tariff, 
currency,  etc.,  and  voted  with  the  Republican 
party.  As  a  cicizen  he  was  honored  by  all, 
and  his  name  was  a  synonym  for  generosity, 
kindness,  energy,  tact  and  integrity. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Scarlett  was  solemn- 
ized September  22,  1864,  at  Dougherty,  Ala- 
meda county,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Anna 
Lyster,  a  native  of  Sydney,  Australia.  Dur- 
ing his  earh'  life  her  father,  Lawrence  Lyster, 
emigrated  from  Roscommon,  Ireland,  to  Syd- 
ney, Australia,  v/here  he  followed  the  building 
business.  In  1852  he  brought  his  family  to 
California  and  settled  in  San  Francisco, 
where  he  was  employed  in  the  building  of  the 
old  custom  house.  Not  long  afterward  he 
bought  and  removed  to  a  farm  near  Dough- 
erty, v/here  he  died  in  1861.  His  wife,  Sarah 
fM'oran)  Lyster,  was  born  in  Roscommon, 
Ireland,  and  died  at  Pleasanton,  Cal.,  in  March 
of  1896.  Of  their  family  of  ten  children  all 
but  three  are  still  living.  I\Irs.  Scarlett  was 
educated  in  the  Sisters'  school,  which  was  held 
on  the  present  site  of  the  Palace  hotel  in  San 
Francisco.  After  the  death  of  her  husband 
she  left  the  ranch,  and  came  to  Oxnard,  where 
in  1903  she  purchased  a  residence  on  C  street 
near  Second.  In  addition  to  her  other  prop- 
erty she  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Bank  of  Ox- 
nard. Of  her  familv  the  elder  daughter  is  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  W^illioms,  of  Oxnard,  while  the 
younger  daughter,  Anna,  resides  with  her  in 
their  beautiful  home  in  this  city.  Both  are 
members  of  the  .Santa  Clara  Catholic  Church 
and  are  prominent  in  the  most  cultured  so- 
ciety of  the  community,  ciiaritable  in  disposi- 
tion, generously  contributing  to  movements 
for  the  public  good,  and  possessing  the  liberal 
views  and  the  icfinement  that  wins  and  re- 
tains friends. 


HON.  DAVID  TOD  PERKINS,  assem- 
blyman from  the  Sixty-fifth  district  of  Cali- 
fornia, was  born  in  Akron,  Ohio,  April  23, 
1852.  His  father.  Simon  Perkins,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Warren,  Ohio,  to  which  location  the 
paternal  grandfather,  Simon  Perkins,  Sr..  emi- 
grated from  Connecticut,  the  state  of  his  birth, 
in  the  pioneer  days  of  the  middle  west.  He 
was  in  charge  of  the  settling  of  the  Western 
Reserve  and  prominent  in  the  upbuilding  of 
that  section.  Simon  Perkins.  Jr.,  became  a 
large  landowner  and  capitalist  of  Akron,  Ohio, 
among  his    chief     interests     being    the     presi- 


592 


IJISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


denc}-  of  the  railroad  company  that  construct- 
ed a  Hne  from  Hudson  to  IMillersburg.  His 
prominence,  however,  in  his  native  section 
was  not  limited  to  financial  enterprises  alone, 
but  he  was  also  known  through  his  connection 
with  many  of  the  most  important  movements 
for  the  moral  and  enducational  growth  of  the 
general  public.  Through  marriage  he  allied 
his  interests  with  those  of  another  prominent 
family  of  Ohio,  Grace  Ingersol  Tod,  a  native 
of  the  state,  becoming  his  wife.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Tod,  and  a  sister  of  ex-gov- 
ernor David  Tod,  of  Ohio,  representatives  of 
a  Scotch  family  of  worth  and  ability.  The 
death  of  Simon  Perkins,  Jr.,  occurred  in  Ohio 
and  that  of  his  wife  in  Sharon,  Pa.  They  left 
a  family  of  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  are 
now  living.  The  oldest  brother,  George  T. 
Perkins,  was  colonel  of  the  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry  and  is  president  of  the  B.  F.  Good- 
rich Rubber  Company,  and  lives  with  his 
family  in  Akron,  Ohio.  The  second  brother, 
Simon  Perkins,  was  captain  of  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry  during  the  Civil  war.  He  is  now 
an  iron  and  steel  manufacturer  in  Sharon,  Pa., 
where  he  lives.  The  third  brother,  Charles 
Iizra  Perkins,  is  the  state  engineer  of  Ohio, 
and  has  held  the  office  uninterruptedly  for 
sixteen  years ;  his  home  is  in  Columbus,  Ohio. 
David  Tod  Perkins,  the  subject  of  this 
history,  is  next  to  the  youngest  child.  He 
was  named  for  his  uncle,  David  Tod,  who  was 
one  of  the  war  governors  of  Ohio.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  state,  and  educated  in  the 
Akron  public  and  high  schools.  Until  1880  he 
remained  a  resident  of  Ohio,  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  merchandising.  Attracted  to 
California  by  its  multifold  opportunities  Mr. 
Perkins  located  in  Ventura  county  in  1880,  and 
on  the  Los  Posas  ranch  became  associated 
with  Senator  Thomas  R.  Bard  in  general  farm- 
ing and  the  raising  of  sheep.  This  latter  in- 
dustry required  no  small  effort,  for  the  flock 
at  times  numbered  as  high  as  thirty  thou- 
sand head.  >.Ir.  Perkins  gave  his  entire  time 
and  attention  to  the  management  of  the  ranch 
interests  for  some  time,  but  it  is  now  many 
years  since  he  became  actively  identified  with 
movements  of  public  importance  in  both  Ven- 
tura and  Santa  Barbara  counties  as  well  as 
other  sections  of  the  state.  He  was  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  Union  Oil  Com- 
pany, into  which  was  inerged  the  Sespe,  Tory 
and  Hardison  Stewart  companies,  and  for  a 
time  served  as  its  president.  He  is  also  as- 
sociated with  the  Graham  &  Loftus  Oil  Com- 
pany, of  Fullerton,  Orange  county,  Cal.,  as  a 
director  and  vice-president,  and  is  likewise  a 
stockholder  in  the  Bard  Oil  &  Asphalt  Com- 
pany.   With  Senator  Bard  he  was  instrumental 


in  the  organization  of  the  Simi  Land  &  ^^'ater 
Company,  and  also  the  Los  Posas  Water  Com- 
pany, at  this  writing  being  a  director  in  the 
former  and  president  of  the  latter.  Sixteen 
years  ago  he  became  interested  in  the  Huen- 
eme  Wharf  Company  and  at  that  time  as- 
sumed its  management,  retaining  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  concern  until  July,  1906,  when  he 
sold  out.  A  most  important  enterprise  in  the 
development  of  business  interests  is  the  Peo- 
ple's Lumber  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Per- 
kins is  serving  as  president.  This  corporation 
has  extensive  receiving  yards  in  Hueneme  and 
Ventura,  Nordhoff,  Oxnard  and  Santa  Paula, 
in  the  last-named  place  operating  a  large  plan- 
ing mill.  The  product  is  shipped  to  various 
points  throughout  Southern  California,  its  ex- 
tensive interests  bringing  this  enterprise  to 
rank  as  an  important  factor  in  the  industrial 
element  of  the  state.  In  the  midst  of  his  im- 
portant duties  Mr.  Perkins  has  still  found 
time  to  interest  himself  in  banking  circles,  as- 
sisting in  the  organization  of  the  Bank  of 
Hueneme,  in  which  he  is  still  identified* as 
director  and  secretary. 

Not  alone,  however,  in  the  city  of  his  resi- 
dence has  Mr.  Perkins  given  his  aid  in  mat- 
ters of  enterprise  and  finance.  The  Oxnard 
Electric  Light  and  Water  Company  claims 
him  as  its  vice-president,  while  he  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  Santa  Paula  Electric  Light 
Company.  In  Santa  Barbara  his  name  is  fa- 
miliar through  his  association  with  various 
public  enterprises,  among  them  the  Santa 
Barbara  Theater  &  Amusement  Company, 
which  is  erecting  an  adequate  building  for 
amusement  purposes,  he  serving  as  presi- 
dent of  this  organization.  He  is  a  director  in 
the  Potter  Hotel  Company,  a  stockholder  in 
the  Central  Bank  of  Santa  Barbara,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Santa  Barbara  Realty  Company. 
He  has  manifested  his  faith  in  the  future  of 
that  city  by  investing  in  holdings  of  consid- 
erable value.  He  is  also  a  large  holder  of 
real  estate  in  Ventura  county,  leasing  to  the 
Ventura  Agricultural  Company  (of  which  he 
is  a  director)  about  eighteen  thousand  acres, 
upon  which  is  raised  grain,  stock,  beets  and 
beans  in  vast  quantities. 

Mr.  Perkins  has  made  his  home  in  Hueneme 
for  many  years,  having  erected  a  residence  on 
the  Springville  road.  He  married  Mrs.  Em- 
ma R.  (Cranz)  Perkins,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Anna,  wife  of  Tod 
Ford,  Jr.,  of  Pasadena :  and  Charles  C,  a  di- 
rector in  the  Thomas  Hughes  Manufacturing 
Company  of  Los  Angeles.  Mrs.  Perkins  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  although 
both  Mr.   Perkins  and  she  give  their  support 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


593 


liberally  to  all  cliaritable  enterprises  regardless 
of  denomination. 

Ventura  county  rose  to  an  appreciation  of 
the  evident  ability  of  Mr.  Perkins  many  years 
ago,  and  after  conferring  upon  him  minor  of- 
fices, among  them  that  of  county  supervisor, 
which  he  held  acceptably  for  nine  years,  he 
was  elected  in  1894  to  the  state  legislature,  as- 
semblyman from  the  Sixty-fifth  district.  This 
was  pre-eminently  a  Democratic  legislature 
and  although  there  was  little  opportunity  for 
a  member  of  the  opposition  to  gain  a  foothold, 
yet  Mr.  Perkins  was  remembered  when  sent 
back  to  the  state  house  in  1904.  He  gave  ac- 
tive service  to  his  constituency  along  vr-rious 
lines,  taking  a  prominent  part  in  afl^airs  of 
the  House  as  a  member  of  the  Agricultural 
committee,  Ways  and  Means  committee ;  Rev- 
enue and  Taxation  committee :  Banking  com- 
mittee, of  which  he  was  chairman ;  Oil  and 
Mining  committees,  and  others.  He  made  a 
strong  fight  for  the  re-election  of  Senator 
Bard,  both  his  personal  friend  and  the  man 
whom  he  knew  to  be  efficient,  honorable  and 
upright,  a  loyal  citizen  of  his  state  and  a 
stanch  upholder  of  civic  rights. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  eulogize  upon  the  life 
of  Mr.  Perkins.  Those  who  know  him — and 
his  circle  of  acquaintanceship  is  wide, — have 
never  failed  to  recognize  his  sterling  traits  of 
character,  a  recognition  given  him  unhesitat- 
ingly for  a  display  of  unusual  business  abil- 
ity, but  better  still  for  social  qualities  which 
ha^■e  won  him  friends  within  the  boundaries 
of  a  half  dozen  different  counties  where  he  is 
known  familiarly.  Always  courteous,  he  has 
time  for  friends ;  alv/ays  a  man  of  business 
he  holds  this  as  a  requisite  to  success.  Both, 
perhaps,  have  been  indispensable  to  his  own 
success ;  but  the  one  has  given  a  kindliness  to 
his  own  character,  and  while  he  has  won  finan- 
cial prominence  he  has  made  his  efforts  par- 
allel with  the  welfare  of  the  general  public. 
No  one  doubts  his  loyalty  and  no  one  ques- 
tions his  sincerity  in  matters  of  public  impor- 
tance. 


EDMUND  CARSON  THORPE.  Not  only 
is  Edmund  Carson  Thorpe  known  as  a  promi- 
nent and  influential  citizen  of  San  Diego,  but 
his  acquaintance  extends  throughout  the  United 
States,  he  having  attained  some  fame  as  the 
author  of  many  original  poems  and  stories,  writ- 
ten in  the  German  dialect,  in  which  he  excels. 
Among  the  more  popular  of  these  writings  may 
be  mentioned  "The  Huckleberry  Picnic,"  "Sur- 
prise Party,"  and  "The  California  Flea,"  His 
wife  also  is  a  woman  of  great  literary  note,  and 
as  the  author  of  "Ctirfevv  Shall  Not  Ring  To- 


night," which  has  been  translated  into  almost 
every  language  extant,  and  many  other  booki^ 
and  poems,  the  high  rank  of  Rose  Hartwick 
Thorpe  in  the  world  of  letters  has  been  thor- 
oughly established.  The  Thorpe  family  was 
originally  of  English  stock  and  early  in  the 
history  of  America  its  members  were  represent- 
ed in  New  York,  the  great-grandfather  having 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Edmund 
Carson,  who  was  born  July  6,  1849,  i"  Berea, 
Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio,  was  the  son  of  Lucian, 
and  the  grandson  of  Jeremiah  Thorpe,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Canandaigxia,  N.  Y.  The 
grandfather  became  a  pioneer  farmer  in  Summit 
county,  Ohio,  and  the  father  located  in  Berea, 
where  he  was  occupied  as  builder.  He  made 
a  trip  across  the  plains  to  California  in  1849, 
in  company  with  Kit  Carson,  returning  in  due 
time  to  Ohio,  and  when  the  Civil  war  broke 
out  went  to  Cleveland  and  enlisted  in  Company 
G,  Sixty-seventh  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  in 
which  he  was  drum  major.  He  died  in  1862  and 
was  buried  on  St.  Helena  Island,  S.  C.  Mr. 
Thorpe's  mother  was  Corria  Pixley,  a  native  of 
Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  and  her  death  occurred 
when  Edmund  Carson  was  three  years  of  age. 
Of  the  three  children,  two  sons  are  now  living, 
Stephen  R.,  who  was  a  sergeant  in  the  Tenth 
Regiment  of  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  being  now  a  resident  of  Grand 
Blanc,  Mich. 

The  education  of  Edmund  C.  Thorpe  has  been 
entirely  self-acquired  for  from  the  time  he  was 
eight  years  of  age  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  sup- 
port himself,  his  first  work  being  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  where  he  sold  papers  and  blackened  shoes. 
In  1865  he  went  to  Litchfield,  Mich.,  and  at 
eighteen  years  of  age  apprenticed  himself  to  a 
carriagemaker  there  and  after  the  trade  had 
been  learned  engaged  in  carriagemaking.  build- 
ing up  a  large  establishment.  The  business  em- 
braced complete  carriage  and  blacksmith  works 
and  he  was  very  successful  in  the  manufacturing 
of  cheap  carriages.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Qii- 
cago  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Abbot  Car- 
riage Company,  but  the  condition  of  his  health 
would  not  permit  him  to  remain  there,  and  he 
accordingly  went  to  Grand  Rapids,  and  built 
a  home  in  that  city.  His  health  became  worse 
here,  however,  and  his  next  move  was  to  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  where  he  was  engaged  as  bag- 
gagemaster  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad, 
for  four  and  one-half  years. 

In  September,  1887,  Mr.  Thorpe  located  in  San 
Diego,  Cal.,  invested  in  property  and  engaged 
in  the  printing  business,  in  which  he  met  with 
good  success.  Mrs.  Thorpe's  health  requiring  a 
change  in  the  spring  of  1888  they  removed  to 
Pacific  Beach,  becoming  the  first  residents  on 
that  beach.    There  he  set  out  the  first  lemon  trees 


594 


HTSTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  laid  the  first  water  pipe  on  the  beach,  the  acre 
which  he  then  set  to  an  orchard  being  now  owned 
by  Coffeen.  He  next  bought  five  acres  of  raw 
land  and  set  it  to  lemons,  converting  it  from 
an  almost  valueless  sagebrush  tract  to  a  fine 
revenue-producing  ranch.  He  then  began  the 
clearing  of  a  tract  of  about  a  thousand  acres.  The 
railroad  at  that  time  terminated  at  Pacific  Beach, 
and  the  same  year  a  hotel  was  built  at  LaJoUa. 
In  1892  the  California  National  Bank,  in  which 
j\Ir.  Thorpe  had  deposited  his  savings  failed  and 
he  then  engaged  in  contracting  and  building  and 
has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  that  business,  tak- 
ing contracts  in  Pacific  Beach,  San  Diego  and  La 
Jolla,  building  the  greater  part  of  the  latter  place. 
He  is  now  engaged  on  the  erection  of  the  bath 
house  there,  and  has  twenty-four  hands  in  his 
employ.  Since  1900  he  has  had  a  fine  residence 
on  Lincoln  avenue.  La  Jolla,  and  also  owns  other 
property  there.  Several  years  ago  he  served  two 
terms  as  member  of  the  city  council  in  San  Diego 
and  in  April,  1905,  was  elected  to  a  place  in  the 
present  council  and  is  chairman  of  the  gas  and 
electric  light  committee,  being  also  a  member  of 
the  telephone ;  fire,  water  and  police ;  health  and 
morals ;  and  sewers  committees,  on  each  of  which 
he  gives  efficient  service. 

September  11,  1871,  in  Litchfield,  Mich.,  Mr. 
Thorpe  was  united  in  marriage  with  Rose  Hart- 
wick,  who  was  born  in  July,  1850,  in  Mishawaka, 
Ind.,  the  daughter  of  William  Hartwick,  a  na- 
tive of  Brockville,  Canada,  and  the  grandmother 
of  Morris  Hartwick,  of  English.  French  and 
Norman  descent.  The  father,  who  was  a  mer- 
chant tailor  in  Ontario,  later  removed  to  Indiana. 
He  married  Elenore  Cole,  born  in  Ontario,  her 
family  tracing  back  to  the  English  nobility,  her 
great-grandfather  being  a  son  of  the  younger 
son  of  an  English  nobleman.  He  settled  on 
the  American  siide  of  the  St.  Lawrence  river  and 
was  cast  into  prison  for  his  Tory  principles,  the 
sons  having  been  banished  to  Canada.  There 
were  five  children  in  the  family  of  which  Mrs. 
Thorpe  was  a  member,  and  of  the  three  now 
living,  one  brother,  Louis  Maurice,  is  an  at- 
torney in  Orange,  and  a  sister,  Nellie,  now  Mrs. 
Andrus,  resides  in  Hart,  Mich.  Mrs.  Thorpe's 
mother  lives  with  her  at  the  present  time. 

The  first  nine  years  of  Mrs.  Thorpe's  life  were 
spent  in  Indiana  and  Michigan,  after  spending 
a  ^•ear  in  Kansas  the  family  returned  to  Litch- 
field, Mich.,  and  there  the  daughter  attended  the 
public  and  high  .schools.  Her  marked  literary  tal- 
ent was  early  evident,  the  famous  poem,  "Cur- 
few Shall  not  Ring  Tonight,"  having  been 
written  when  she  was  i)ut  sixteen  years  of  age. 
From  her  eighteenth  year  she  engaged  in  educa- 
tional work  at  different  times,  and  at  the  same 
time  continued  to  write  stories  and  poems  for 
publication,  her  reputation  growing  steadily  until 


now  it  has  spread  into  every  land.  While  in 
Chicago  she  did  editorial  work  for  Fleming  H. 
Revell  Company,  the  book  publishing  firm,  in 
addition  to  her  writing.  In  1883  Hillsdale  Col- 
lege conferred  on  her  the  degree  of  A.  M.,  in 
recognition  of  her  work,  and  upon  that  occasion 
President  Dugan  took  the  opportunity  to  say 
that  "Curfew  Shall  Not  Ring  Tonight"  was  a 
poem  that  would  live  so  long  as  the  English 
language  is  spoken.  Among  others  of  her  works 
that  have  attained  great  popularity  might  be 
named,  "The  Eenton  Family,"  "Fred's  Dark 
Days,"  "Chester  Girls,"  "Nina  Bruce,"  "Ring- 
ing Ballads,"  "Sweet  Song  Stories,"  "Temper- 
ance Songs,"  "The  Yule  Log,"  "The  Year's 
Best  Days,"  "The  White  Lady  of  La  Jolla," 
etc.  She  has  also  written  for  Golden  Days, 
having  twelve  numbers  in  that  series.  From 
London  Mrs.  Thorpe  received  great  honors  and 
in  1903  she  was  presented  with  a  handsome  ban- 
ner costing  $300,  which  the  city  of  Litchfield 
had  sent  to  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago,  and 
which  has  upon  it  a  portrait  of  herself  in  gold, 
and  an  extract  from  "Curfew." 

^Ir.  and  A'Irs.  Thorpe  have  made  numerous 
trips  throughout  the  United  States,  and  on  these 
occasions  have  always  met  with  flattering  re- 
ceptions. "Sweet  Song  Stories"  were  set  to 
music  by  L.  Brooks  and  L.  O.  Vincent,  and  il- 
lustrated by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thorpe's  daughter, 
Lulo  Thorpe  Barnes.  She  is  a  woman  of  con- 
siderable talent  and  was  one  of  the  first  kinder- 
garten teachers  in  San  Diego,  in  which  city  she 
now  lives,  being  the  wife  of  Edward  Y.  Barnes, 
a  commission  merchant.  The  daughter,  while  at 
home,  was  also  of  great  assistance  to  her  father 
in  the  preparation  of  his  building  plans.  They 
are  members  of  the  Union  Qiurch  in  La  Jolla 
and  exert  a  beneficial  and  elevating  influence 
upon  the  community  in  which  they  make  their 
home.  Mr.  Thorpe  is  a  member  of  the  San  Diego 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  politically  an  advo- 
cate of  the  principles  embraced  in  the  platform 
of  the  Republican  party. 


RICHARD  R.  TANNER  adds  to  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  a  native  son  of  California  by  rising 
to  a  prominence  which  gives  him  a  place  among 
the  representative  professional  men  of  Southern 
California.  As  an  attorney  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, located  for  business  in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles 
and  Santa  Monica,  he  is  esteemed  as  a  leading 
light  in  the  profession  and  has  won  through  many 
years  of  active  work  the  position  he  now  holds. 
Born  in  San  Benito  (then  Monterey)  county,  he 
was  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
six  are  now  living.  His  father,  Albert  M. 
Tanner,  came  to  the  state  as  a  soldier  in  the 
j\Iormon   Battalion  under  Captain   Hunt,   and   a 


<^:fet^ 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


597 


year  later  (in  1848),  received  his  lionorable  dis- 
charge in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  was  stationed. 
The  following  year  found  him  occupied  as  were 
so  many  others  of  the  inhabitants  in  mining.  He 
was  associated  with  Samuel  Brannan,  who  was 
later  located  in  San  Francisco  and  engaged  in 
business.  He  was  successful  in  his  efforts  until 
the  great  flood  of  1850,  when  he  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  San  Bernardino  and  engaged  as  a 
rancher.  After  his  marriage  with  Lovina  Bick- 
more  he  removed  to  Monterey  county,  thence 
to  Santa  Cruz  county,  and  in  1871  to  Ventura 
county.  He  remained  in  that  location  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1881.  He  was  success- 
ful in  his  efforts  and  acquired  considerable  prop- 
erty in  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Paula,  his  wife  sur- 
viving him  and  making  her  residence  on  the  old 
homestead  in  the  vicinity  of  that  place.  ]\Irs. 
Tanner  is  a  native  of  Brown  county.  III,  whence 
her  parents,  William  and  Giristine  Bickmore, 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox-teams  in  1853  and 
settled  in  .San  Bernardino.  They  finally  removed 
to  Santa  Cruz  county  and  located  on  a  farm, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

The  oldest  son  in  the  family  of  his  parents, 
Richard  R.  Tanner  spent  his  boyhood  on  the 
paternal  farm  in  Ventura  county  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  old,  when,  in  San  Buenaventura, 
he  served  as  assistant  postmaster  for  the  period 
of  six  years.  During  this  time  he  studied  law 
under  Nehemiah  W.  Blackstock,  formerly  rail- 
road commissioner  and  the  present  bank  com- 
missioner of  the  state  of  California,  and  also 
under  William  E.  Shephard,  a  prominent  attorney 
of  Ventura.  In  1885  J\lr.  Tanner  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  and  licensed  to  practice  law  in  the 
courts  of  the  state.  In  February  of  that  year 
he  located  in  Santa  Monica  and  in  Los  Angeles 
county  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  which 
has  continued  uninterruptedly  up  to  the  present 
time.  It  is  no  little  credit  to  Mr.  Tanner  that 
he  at  once  assumed  a  prominent  place  in  the  af- 
fairs of  Santa  I\Ionica  and  has  ever  since  re- 
mained an  important  factor  in  its  citizenship.  He 
became  deputy  district  attorney  under  Frank  P. 
Keiley,  now  a  prominent  railroad  attorney  for 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  located 
in  San  Francisco,  and  in  1887  was  elected  city 
attorney  of  Santa  Monica,  in  which  position  he 
remained  until  1900.  He  also  carried  on  a  gen- 
eral practice,  for  a  part  of  the  time  being  alone 
in  his  work.  In  1894  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Fred  H.  Taft  and  this  association  continues 
to  the  present  writing:  in  January,  1905,  the  in- 
terests of  the  firm  were  extended  by  taking  in- 
to partnershp  S-  W.  Odell,  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Illinois  bar.  the  style  of  the  firm  name 
now  being  Tanner,  Taft  &  Odell.  This  firm  is 
emploved  regularly  bv  many  of  the  most  import- 
ant  business   concerns   of   Los   Angeles   county, 


their  clientele  embracing  with  others  the  Mer- 
chants National  Bank  of  Santa  Monica ;  the 
Ocean  Park  Bank ;  First  National  Bank  of  Ocean 
Park ;  Title  Guarantee  &  Trust  Company  and 
Mission  San  Fernando  Land  Company.  They 
were  also  the  leading  attorneys  for  the  city  of  Los 
Angeles  against  the  farmers  in  San  Fernando 
valley,  representing  the  defendants.  It  involved 
upwards  of  ten  million  dollars  and  was  of  vast 
interest  to  many  thousands  of  people.  The 
offices  of  the  firm  are  located  at  No.  217  South 
Broadway,  in  the  Coulter  building,  Los  Angeles. 
They  have  a  wide  general  practice  in  the  courts 
of  the  state  and  of  the  United  States  and  occupy 
a  high  place  among  professional  men  throughout 
California. 

Air.  Tanner  has  been  married  twice,  his  first 
wife  being  Elizabeth  Robinson,  a  daughter  of 
Judge  Henry  Robinson,  and  born  of  this  union  is 
one  daughter,  Nora,  now  the  wife  of  S.  F.  Orms- 
by,  San  Diego  Cal.  His  present  wife  was  in  maid- 
enhood Sabaldina  M.  Bontty,  a  native  of  Portland, 
Ore.  Mr.  Tanner  is  prominent  in  fraternal  cir- 
cles, being  identified  with  the  Masons,  the  Bene- 
volent Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters,  Foresters  of  America  and  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  is  active  in  all  matters  pertaining 
to  the  advancement  of  the  best  interests  of  Santa 
Monica  and  is  associated  with  various  enterprises, 
among  which  are  the  ]\Ierchants  National  Bank 
and  the  Santa  Monica  Savings  liank,  in  both  of 
which  he  acts  as  director.  Not  only  as  a  profes- 
sional man  is  he  esteemed,  but  also  as  a  citizen 
of  worth  and  ability,  his  upright  methods  in 
business,  strong  integrity  and  principles  winning 
him  manv  friends  in  social  circles. 


JUSTIN  PETIT  merits  the  position  which 
he  holds  in  \^entura  county  as  that  of  an  en- 
terprising, substantial  citizen,  eager  to  uphold 
the  best  in  public  administration  and  always 
ready  to  give  his  eff'orts  to  advance  the  wel- 
fare of  the  community  at  large.  He  is  not  a 
native  of  California  nor  yet  of  the  country-  in 
which  he  holds  citizenship,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  France,  on  the  i8th  of  November. 
1851,  his  parents  being  residents  of  Fresnes. 
During  the  childhood  of  Justin  Petit  the  fam- 
ily fortunes  were  placed  upon  American  soil, 
John  B.  Petit  bringing  his  wife  and  children 
to  Pennsylvania,  v.diere,  in  Clearfield  county, 
he  located  upon  a  farm.  Later,  in  Douglas 
county,  Kans.,  lie  engaged  in  general  farming, 
where  the  mother  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-one 
vears.  The  father  came  to  California  eventu- 
ally and  in  the  home  of  his  son  passed  away 
m  1894.  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  The 
four   children   surviving  of  the   eight  born   to 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  family  are  as  follows:  Henrietta  Roussey, 
of  Santa  Paula ;  Airs.  Annette  Laurent,  of  Ox- 
nard ;  Frank  and  Justin,  both  of  whom  are 
farmers  near  Oxnard,  ^^cntura  county. 

Reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  it  was  but 
natural  that  Justin  Petit  should  so  engage 
upon  completing  his  school  course  in  Kansas, 
he  being  quite  young  when  the  family  located 
in  the  state.  With  his  brother.  Frank,  he  re- 
turned to  Clearfield  county.  Pa.,  for  a  time, 
and  there  engaged  with  him  in  operating  a 
sawmill.  However,  the  west  held  out  greater 
attractions  to  him  than  did  the  east,  and  on 
the  2ist  of  November.  1878,  he  set  out  for 
California,  which  was  then  as  now  the  Mecca 
of  vouthful  dreams.  Ventura  county  was  his 
choice  of  a  home  and  in  this  section  he  began 
as  a  farmer,  purchasing  one  hundred  acres  of 
Senator  Bard,  after  having  accumulated  suf- 
ficient means.  He  has  continued  to  add  to  his 
property  until  to-day  he  owns  a  homestead  of 
two  hundred  acres  near  Oxnard ;  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  six  miles  southeast  of  his 
home;  a  half  interest  in  nine  hundred  and 
fifty-three  acres  in  the  Simi  grant ;  and  an 
undivided  half  iritcrest  in  four  hundred  acres 
near  Santa  Paula,  besides  which  he  owns  busi- 
ness and  residence  property  in  the  city  of  Ox- 
nard. He  has  continued  not  only  to  purchase 
property,  but  to  invest  his  means  in  improve- 
ments, which  have  increased  the  value  of  his 
property  as  well  as  that  of  the  adjoining  sec- 
tions. His  home  was  erected  in  1896  and  is 
accounted  one  of  the  handsomest  in  Ventura 
county,  being  equipped  with  every  modern 
convenience — electricity,  etc.  Mr.  Petit  is  ex- 
tensively interested  in  the  raising  of  fruit,  hav- 
ing a  large  lemon  orchard,  while  he  also  de- 
votes considerable  time  to  the  cultivation  of 
sugar  beets,  lima  beans  and  grain.  He  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  work,  and  in  the 
face  of  circumstances  which  are  ordinarily_  dis- 
couraging has  risen  to  a  commanding  position 
among  the  farmers  of  Ventura  county. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Petit  is  presided  over  by 
his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Ventura  county 
in  1884.  formerly  Miss  Frances  Kaufman,  who 
was  born  in  Minnesota  and  came  across  the 
plains  with  her  parents  in  childhood.  She  is 
the  owner  of  seventy-five  acres  in  the  city  of 
Oxnard,  which  is  leased  to  a  tenant  and  de- 
voted to  the  raising  of  lima  beans.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Petit  have  a  familv  of  seven  children, 
namelv:  IMarv  P..  Alfred  J..  Anna  C.  (the 
two  latter  twinsV  Edward  AVilliam,  Joseph 
B.,  Ida  and  Jessie.  In  his  political  affiliations 
Mr.  Petit  inclines  toward  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  partv.  although  he  is  broad- 
minded  and  so  thoroughlv  patriotic  that  he 
never    allows    party    connections    to    interfere 


with  his  efforts  to  promote  a  good  administra- 
tion of  public  affairs.  Air.  Petit  and  his 
brother  Frank  and  J.  E.  Borchard  are  equal 
])artners  in  an  outfit  for  threshing  grain  and 
lima  beans. 


DAVID  H.  COLLINS.  The  name  of  Col- 
lins needs  no  introduction  to  the  readers  of 
this  volume,  for  it  has  become  well  known 
through  the  advent  of  the  father  and  his  sons 
into  the  state  over  a  half  century  ago.  The 
]iresent  representative  of  the  family,  David  H. 
Collins,  is  one  of  the  influential  citizens  of 
Spadra,  in  which  vicinity  he  owns  and  man- 
ages a  large  grain  ranch.  Fie  is  a  son  of  La- 
fayette and  Elizabeth  (Hayden)  Collins,  born 
respectively  in  Vermont  in  1796  and  Water- 
bury.  Conn.  Of  the  five  children  born  of  their 
marriage  all  are  now  deceased  with  the  excep- 
tion of  David  H.,  who  was  born  in  East 
Bloomfield,  Ontario  county,  N.  Y.,  April  19, 
1838.  During  the  territorial  history  of  Mis- 
souri the  father  removed  thither  and  began  tjie 
practice  of  law,  at  the  same  time  becoming 
well  known  in  the  public  life  of  that  common- 
•ycalth.  Before  the  state  was  admitted  into 
the  Union  he  became  a  candidate  for  United 
States  Senator,  but  withdrew  his  name  in  hon- 
or of  Thomas  H.  Benton,  and  instead,  can- 
vassed the  state  to  secure  the  election  of  the 
latter.  Mr.  Benton's  service  in  the  senate  cov- 
ered a  period  of  over  thirty  years,  during 
w-hich  time  he  earned  the  sobriquet  "Old  Bul- 
lion" as  a  result  of  his  opposition  to  the  paper 
currency.  Lafayette  Collins  remained  in  Mis- 
souri about  ten  years,  after  which  he  returned 
to  New  York  state  and  was  elected  judge  of 
the  district  court  of  Rochester.  From  there 
he  went  to  Ontario  county  and  once  more  set- 
tled down  to  his  profession,  his  erudition  and 
high  standing  in  the  profession  enabling  him 
to'  practice  before  the  highest  courts  in  the 
United  States.  It  was  with  these  bright  pos- 
sibilities before  him  that  he  temporarily  laid 
aside  his  profession  and  in  1854  came  to  Cali- 
fornia with  his  two  sons.  Their  experiences 
in  crossing  the  plains  were  not  without  hard- 
ships, but  they  finally  reached  Sonoma  coun- 
ty, and  in  Petaluma  the  father  established  a 
dairy  business.  His  knowledge  of  the  law, 
howt^'ver,  was  not  to  be  suppressed  but  on  the 
other  hand  was  constantly  called  into  service 
by  citizens  who  were  drawn  into  litigations. 
Among  other  noted  cases  which  he  defended 
was  that  of  Horace  Gates  et  al.  Subsequently 
he  was  elected  district  attorney  of  Sonoma 
county.  Politically  he  was  well  known  in  Re- 
publican circles,  and  during  his  early  years 
was  an   active  worker   in  the   Masonic   order. 


HTSTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


599 


When  he  was  about  sixteen  years  old  he  had 
charge  of  a  school  in  Vermont,  and  with  about 
twenty  of  his  pupils  he  offered  his  services  to 
his  country,  then  in  the  throes  of  warfare  with 
the  Mother  country  in  the  war  of  1812.  His 
eventful  and  interesting  career  was  brought  to 
a  close  in  Petaluma  in  1867,  at  which  time  he 
was  seventy-one  years  of  age. 

As  his  father  was  a  man  who  appreciated 
the  worth  of  a  good  education  David  H.  Col- 
lins had  more  than  average  advantages  along 
this  line,  and  in  addition  to  attending  the  com- 
mon schools  of  East  Bloomfield,  also  took  a 
course  in  the  academy  at  that  place.  When 
only  fourteen  years  old  he  went  to  Buffalo 
and  there  took  steamer  for  Toledo,  Ohio,  from 
there  going  b}'  train  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  It  was 
there  that  the  father  and  two  sons  outfitted 
for  the  trip  across  the  plains,  and  with  the  cat- 
tle which  they  purchased  at  Independence 
they  took  up  the  weary  march.  Disaster  met 
them  in  the  loss  of  all  of  their  cattle  before 
they  reached  the  Humboldt,  and  as  this  left 
them  without  any  motive  power  for  their 
wagons  they  sold  them  for  $12,  their  original 
price  being  $300.  From  the  sink  of  the  Hum- 
boldt they  started  on  foot  to  complete  the 
journey,  and  finally  arrived  at  Hangtown.  now 
Placerville,  where  David  H.  Collins  was  inter- 
ested in  mining  for  about  six  months,  during 
which  time  he  took  out  considerable  gold. 
From  there  he  went  to  Sacramento,  and  for 
about  a  year  carried  on  a  ranch  in  that  local- 
itv,  but  the  unhealthful  condition  of  the  coun- 
trv  at  that  time  caused  him  to  remove  to  So- 
noma county.  In  the  vicinity  of  Petaluma  he 
secured  a  position  on  a  large  diary  ranch, 
whose  record  averaged  one  thousand  pounds 
of  cheese  per  day.  He  remained  here  for  about 
seven  years,  but  upon  the  death  of  his  father 
in  1867  he  gave  up  his  position  and  with  his 
brother  continued  the  similar  business  which 
the  father  had  left.  Later  they  bought  a  ranch 
of  about  one  thousand  acres,  but  they  finally 
disposed,  of  their  holdings  and  came  to  the 
southern  part  of  the  state.  In  San  Diego 
county,  about  forty  miles  from  San  Bernar- 
dino, thev  bought  about  three  thousand  acres 
of  the  Sa'n  Jacinto  ranch,  and  during  the  five 
years  in  which  they  were  associated  together 
they  bred  about  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
tive'  head  of  cattle,  besides  establishing  a  good 
dairy  business,  finding  a  market  for  their  pro- 
duce in  San  Diego. 

Leaving  his  brother  in  charge  of  the  ranch 
David  H^  Collins  went  to  Santa  Ana  and  en- 
gaged with  Robert  iNTcFadden  in  the  dairy 
business  and  in  raising  corn,  a  partnership 
which  was  mutually  agreeable  and  existed  for 
manv  vears.    When  the  business  was  sold  Mr. 


Collins  settled  upon  the  Chino  ranch,  then 
owned  by  Dick  Gird,  and  for  two  years  was 
there  interested  in  the  dairy  business,  from 
there  going  to  the  San  Jose  ranch  owned  by 
L.  Phillips.  It  was  while  in  charge  of  the  lat- 
ter propert}'  that  he  purchased  his  present 
ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  near  Spadra,  in 
connection  with  which  he  continued  to  run  the 
Phillips  ranch  for  eighteen  years.  Besides  his 
ranch,  which  is  entirely  in  grain,  he  also  has 
a  small  family  orchard,  wherein  may  be  found 
all  of  the  fruits  common  to  Southern  Califor- 
nia. 

In  1867  Mr.  Collins  formed  domestic  ties  by 
his  marriage  with  Miss  Zilla  A.  Martin,  a  na- 
tive of  California,  by  whom  he  had  five  chil- 
dren, as  follows :  Frederick,  who  is  married 
and  with  his  family  lives  in  Los  Angeles ;  Bes- 
sie, the  wife  of  Charles  Weigle,  who  with 
their  one  child  live  in  Pomona ;  Gertrude,  the 
wife  of  William  Hewitt,  residents  of  Los  An- 
geles;  Grace  Z.,  Mrs.  William  Howell,  who 
with  her  husband  and  two  children  lives  in 
Lemon  ;  and  John,  who  is  married,  and  with 
his  wife  and  child  lives  in  Los  Angeles,  where 
he  owns  a  drug  store.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-five 
years,  in  1882,  and  the  following  year  Mr.  Col- 
lins was  married  to  IMiss  Ida  Arnold,  a  native 
of  Xevada  county,  Cal.  By  this  marriage  one 
child  has  been  born,  Henry  L.,  who  is  still  at 
home  and  practically  has  charge  of  the  ranch, 
thus  relieving  his  father  of  the  arduous  duties 
connected  therewith  and  making  it  possible 
for  him  to  live  in  comparative  ease.  Frater- 
nally he  is  identified  with  but  one  order,  hold- 
ing membership  in  Pomona  Lodge  No.  246.  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  and  politically  he  supports  Repub- 
lican principles. 

Before  his  marriage,  in  1863,  Mr.  Collins 
went  to  Arizona  and  helped  to  lay  out  the 
tov/n  of  Prescott,  and  while  there  became  in- 
terested in  the  mines  for  which  that  state  is 
famous.  It  was  during  the  time  in  which  he 
was  engaged  in  mining  there  that  he  fell  in 
with  Pat'.line  Weaver,  an  Indian  scout,  who 
took  Mr.  Collins  and  his  partner,  William  Brad- 
shaw,  into  his  mining  ititerests.  The  first  nug- 
get which  he  found,  in  the  shape  of  a  heart,  was 
^-alued  at  $8.  The  partners  worked  together 
in  Arizona  for  a  number  of  years,  in  the  mean- 
time losing  considerable  through  the  depreda- 
tions of  the  Mexicans,  who  came  upon  them  in 
large  numbers  and  so  overpowered  them  that 
they  were  helpless.  However,  there  was  a 
bright  side  to  their  undertakings.  In  one  pan 
of  dry  washing  Mr.  Collins  took  out  thirty- 
three  ounces  of  gold,  and  during  seven  months 
he  secured  $20,000  in  gold  dust. 


600 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


HENRY  CLAY  YERBY.  Up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  May  13,  1900, 
Henry  Clay  Yerby  was  an  interested  witness 
and  active  participant  in  the  growth  of  the 
state  of  California  and  the  development  of  its 
internal  resources,  having  Ijecome  a  pioneer 
of  the  west  in  1849.  Of  southern  lineage,  he 
was  born  in  Fauquier  county.  \'^.,  August  13, 
1828,  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Edwards)  Yer- 
by, the  former  of  English  and  the  latter  of 
VVelsh  descent.  Both  were  members  of  a 
Revolutionary  family,  long  established  on  Vir- 
ginian soil.  John  Yerby  engaged  as  a  planter 
in  Virginia  until  mature  manhood,  when  he 
became  a  pioneer  of  the  middle  west,  locating 
in  Lexington,  La  Fayette  county.  Mo.,  where 
he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  His 
wife  passed  away  in  Virginia,  leaving  a  fam- 
ily of  ten  children,  of  whom  Henry  Clay  was 
the  youngest. 

Reared  in  his  native  state  until  attaining 
the  age  of  twelve  years,  Henry  Clay  Yerby 
was  then  taken  to  IMissouri  and  there  grew 
to  manhood's  estate.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  the  Lexing- 
ton Academy.  He  was  but  twenty-one  years 
old  when  he  was  attracted  to  the  Pacific  coast 
by  the  glowing  reports  sent  out  by  California 
pioneers,  who  were  engaged  in  the  mines  of 
that  territory.  He  crossed  the  plains  with  ox- 
teams,  and  upon  his  safe  arrival  went  at  once 
to  the  mines  and  followed  this  occupation  for 
several  years.  He  met  with  success  and  ac- 
cumulated means  which  enabled  him  to  en- 
gage in  the  mercantile  business  in  what  was 
then  a  small  town,  now  the  capital  of  the 
state,  and  later  he  went  to  Yolo  county  and 
in  Woodland  followed  a  similar  occupation. 
July  7,  1857,  he  was  married  in  Lodi,  San 
■Joaquin  county,  Cal.,  to  Miss  Mary  Eliza 
Thompson,  a  native  of  Tazewell  county,  Va., 
who  was  reared  in  California  and  educated  in 
the  subscription  schools  of  Woodbridge.  Af- 
ter marriage  ^Mr.  Yerby  continued  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  Woodland,  but  later  he  re- 
moved to  Oakland  and  became  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  San  Francisco  Produce  Exchange, 
in  which  association  he  remained  for  fifteen 
years.  Coming  to  Santa  Barbara  at  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time,  he  lived  retired  in  that 
location  until  1895.  when  he  came  to  Los  An- 
geles county  and  two  and  a  half  miles  south 
of  El  Monte  purchased  the  ranch  now  owned 
by  his  widow,  and  here  he  spent  the  last 
days  of  his  life,  passing  away  in  the  spring  of 
1900.  He  was  at  that  time  staying  in  the  city 
of  Los  Angeles,  where  he  had  been  under 
medical  treatment.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
personality,  a  forceful  character,  and  one  who 
took  a  prominent  part  in  all  matters  of  public 


import.  Politically  he  was  a  stanch  adherent 
of  the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of 
the  Democratic  party,  which  he  had  espoused 
from  young  manhood. 

Air.  Yerby  left  a  widow  and  eight  children: 
?\Iary,  Mrs.  Bush  of  Woodland ;  Genevieve, 
Mrs.  Durkee  of  Los  Angeles ;  Reese  Camillus, 
engaged  in  an  oil  refinery  in  Martinez,  Cal. ; 
Frank  Buckner,  engaged  in  the  furniture  busi- 
ness in  San  Francisco ;  Lucy  Nelson,  Mrs. 
Monckton,  of  San  Francisco ;  Georgie,  Mrs. 
Coleman,  of  Montecito ;  John  E.,  handling 
real  estate  in  Los  Angeles ;  and  Clay  Thomp- 
son, in  Mexico.  Mrs.  Yerby  is  the  daughter 
of  California  pioneers,  her  father,  John  Thomp- 
son, grandfather,  John,  and  great-grandfather, 
all  being  natives  of  Virginia,  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry,  the  last  named  a  patriot  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war,  the  second  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  all  planters  in  their  native  state.  Her 
father  combined  the  raising  of  cattle  with  his 
occupation  of  planter,  remaining  in  Virginia 
until  1846,  when  he  removed  to  Athens,  Gen- 
try county,  AIo.,  where  he  farmed  for  six 
years,  crossing  the  plains  in  1852  with  ox- 
teams  and  mules,  and  bringing  with  him  a 
herd  of  three  hundred  cattle.  They  had  many 
experiences  on  their  long  journey,  and  some 
trouble  with  the  Indians,  who  stole  some  of 
their  mules,  while  some  cattle  were  lost  on 
the  desert.  Without  serious  mishap,  however, 
they  arrived  in  California,  where  in  San  Joa- 
quin county,  near  the  present  site  of  Lodi, 
Mr.  Thompson  entered  land  and  improved  a 
farm,  making  several  subsequent  trips  across 
the  plains  and  by  water  to  the  eastern  states 
to  secure  cattle,  which  he  brought  to  North- 
ern California  and  sold  at  a  large  profit.  On 
one  of  these  trips  he  was  a  passenger  on  the 
Winfield  Scott,  which  was  wrecked,  all  but 
one  passenger,  however,  escaping.  The  last 
days  of  Mr.  Thompson  were  spent  with  Mr. 
Yerby  in  Oakland,  where  his  death  occurred. 
He  was  a  man  of  prominence  and  ability,  held 
in  highest  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him,  and 
as  a  citizen  of  unusual  power  was  selected  at 
different  times  to  represent  the  people  in  po- 
sitions of  honor  and  responsibility.  A  Demo- 
crat politically,  he  was  twice  elected  to  the 
state  legislature  on  the  Republican  ticket, 
where  he  served  his  constituency  with  ability 
and  honor.  By  marriage  he  had  allied  his  for- 
tunes with  those  of  another  old  and  promi- 
nent family  of  Virginia,  his  wife  being  Mary 
Adams  Williams,  a  native  of  that  state  and 
the  descendant  of  a  Revolutionary  family 
whose  location  on  American  soil  long  ante- 
dated that  struggle  in  the  history  of  our  coun- 
irv.      ]\Irs.   Thompson   died   en   route   to   Cali- 


JhU  l^^-^x.^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fornia  at  the  sink  of  the  Humboldt  river.  She 
was  the  mother  of  four  children,  namely: 
Reese  Bovven,  of  Oakland;  John  Chattan,  of 
Stockton;  Mary  Eliza,  Mrs.  Yerby ;  and  Vica, 
wife  of  Thomas  Wheeler,  of  Milton,  Cal. 

Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Yerby  has 
divided  her  time  between  Los  Angeles  and 
the  home  ranch,  the  latter  consisting  of  twen- 
ty acres  of  peet  land,  which  is  rented  for 
gardening  purposes.  In  religion  she  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Seventh  Day  Adventists  Church, 
of  Los  Angeles,  and  liberally  supports  its 
charities  and  progressive  movements.  She  is 
a  woman  of  rare  worth  and  character,  enjoy- 
ing a  wide  circle  of  friends,  and  giving  the 
best  of  her  life  to  those  about  her. 


JOHN  ROBERTS.  Indissolubly  associated 
with  the  early  history  of  Long  Beach  is  the 
name  of  John  Roberts,  who  as  the  first  mayor 
gave  an  impetus  to  the  pioneer  development 
of  the  town  and  surmounted  many  obstacles 
opposing  its  steady  growth.  \Vhile  due  credit 
should  be  given  to  the  progressive  spirits  of 
the  present  generation  whose  highest  talents 
are  devoted  to  the  progress  of  the  city,  yet  it 
must  not  be  forgotten  that  there  were  men  who 
faced  discouragements  in  the  not  remote  past ; 
had  these  men  given  up  the  battle  at  the  criti- 
cal point,  the  present  charming  and  popular 
resort  might  not  have  been  f(iunded  or  its  ex- 
istence might  have  been  of  a  luerely  temporary 
nature.  There  was  a  time  when  citizens  con- 
sulted with  reference  to  gi^•ing  u])  the  city's 
charter  and  a  majority  favored  such  action  as 
the  only  recourse,  but  Mr.  Roberts  about  that 
time  became  interested  in  the  building  of  the 
first  pier  at  this  point  and  so  gave  a  necessary 
revival  to  the  interests  of  the  little  town,  there- 
by saving  the  charter.  Through  his  efforts 
also  the  Salt  Lake  Railroad  was  built  through 
Long  Beach,  thus  bringing  the  place  into  inti- 
mate relationship  with  the  outside  world. 
Many  other  enterprises  of  the  highest  im- 
portance in  the  early  growth  of  the  town  owed 
their  inception  to  his  foresight  and  wise  dis- 
cernment, much  of  hi?  most  important  work 
for  the  town  being  done  during  the  ten  years 
of  his  service  as  a  member  (and  five  years  of 
the  time  president")  of  the  town  board  of  trus- 
tees, all  of  whom  were  loyal  men. 

The  Roberts  family  is  of  colonial  strain  and 
in  an  earlv  dav  crossed  fr(ini  the  I'nited  States 
into  Canada,  where  Ch.arlcs  Roberts  was  born 
and  reared,  but  he  earl^■  removed  to  Ohio  and' 
took  up  farm  pursuits  in  that  state.  There  he 
married  Sarah  Harris,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  in 
Belmont  county,  that  state,  their  son.  John, 
was  born.  Tune"i6,  T831.     Eventually  the  fam- 


ily  settled  in  Harrison  county.  Mo.,  and  from 
there  went  to  Iowa,  where  Mrs.  Roberts  died 
at  Chariton  in  1870,  at  sixty-one  years,  and 
Mr.  Roberts  passed  away  five  years  later  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven.  The  common  schools 
of  Ohio  aflforde'd  John  Roberts  fair  advantages 
for  that  day,  but  observation  and  self-culture 
formed  the  basis  of  his  most  important  educa- 
tion. March  31.  1856.  he  landed  in  Iowa,  but 
in  a  brief  time  removed  to  Missouri  and  from 
there  went  to  Nebraska  as  a  pioneer  of  Otoe 
county,  where  he  turned  the  first  furrows  in 
the  soil  of  his  large  farm.  Later  other  enter- 
prises engaged  his  attention  to  the  exclusion 
of  agricultural  pursuits.  Removing  to  Omaha 
in  1873,  he  took  up  the  duties  of  deputy  clerk 
of  internal  revenue,  and  continued  in  that  ca- 
pacity until  1878,  when  he  removed  to  Lin- 
coln, same  state. 

Among  the  dates  memorable  in  the  life  of  Mr. 
Roberts,  that  of  May  4,  1884,  which  marked 
his  arrival  in  Long  Beach,  is  not  the  least  im- 
portant. When  he  landed  in  the  town  he 
found  it  comprised  a  small  population,  housed 
in  seventeen  small  cottages  of  primitive  con- 
struction. In  a  short  time  he  had  erected  a 
cottage  somewhat  similar  to  those  about  him 
and  the  following  year  he  opened  the  San 
Pedro  Lumber  Company's  yard,  which  he 
conducted  for  four  years.  x\fterward  other  en- 
terprises occupied  his  time  until  he  retired  from 
business  activities.  The  house  in  which  he 
first  made  his  home  long  since  has  been  re- 
placed by  a  modern  structure,  this  being  one 
of  two  houses  which  he  built  on  grounds.  100 
X150  feet,  occupying  a  convenient  and  attrac- 
tive location. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Roberts  was  ISIary 
Barrett,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  grew  to  wom- 
anhood in  that  state,  was  united  with  him  in 
1852,  and  died  in  Ohio  two  years  later.  The 
onl-"  child  of  their  union,  ;\1ary.  is  now  the 
wife  of  Charles  O.  ^lortley.  of  Centerburg, 
Knox  county,  Ohio.  The  second  marriage  of 
.Mr.  Roberts  occurred  in  1855  and  united  him 
with  Sarah  Ann  McKee.  who  died  in  1883. 
Born  of  their  union  were  the  following  chil- 
dren: Charles  Henry,  who  resides  at  Park- 
ersburg,  W.  Va..  and  is  employed  as  a  com- 
mercial traveler  for  the  house  of  Parke,  Davis 
&  Co.,  of  Detroit.  Mich.;  Sarah  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Dr.  J.  E.  Steers,  of  Long  Beach ; 
Ida  Frances,  wife  of  Harry  Christie,  of  Los 
.\ngeles:  Edith  Belle  and  Eva  Dell  (twins), 
the  former  married  to  C.  W.  Fleming,  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  the  latter  the  wife  of  W.  O. 
Welch,  tax  collector  of  Los  Angeles  county: 
John,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Dwight  J.,  a 
phvsician  in  Los  Angeles.  The  present  wife 
of'?\lr.    Roberts,    whom    he    married    October 


604 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


13,  1S92,  in  the  house  where  they  still  reside, 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Clara  F.  Meyer  and 
was  born  in  Canada.  Politically  Air.  Roberts 
has  always  been  a  stalwart  Republican  and  at 
one  time  took  an  active  part  in  political  mat- 
ters, aiding  to  secure  the  nomination  of  Gen- 
eral Grant  for  his  second  term  as  president, 
and  being  a  delegate  to  the  national  conven- 
tiori  in  Philadelphia.  Many  years  ago  he  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Ohio  and  still  retains  his 
affiliation  with  the  order,  being  now  identified 
with  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  a  contributor  to  the  various  charities  con- 
ducted bv  the  fraternitv. 


WILLIAM  HARRIMAN  JONES,  M.  D. 
The  family  represented  by  this  influential  physi- 
cian of  Long  Beach  was  established  in  America 
during  the  colonial  period  and  numbered  among 
its  members  many  men  of  ability  and  the  highest 
standing.  Among  the  ancestors  perhaps  the 
most  distinguished  was  Governor  Harriman  of 
New  Hampshire.  The  doctor's  father,  Charles 
Jones,  was  born  in  Manchester,  N.  H.,  and  re- 
mained in  the  east  until  1874,  when  he  removed 
to  Michigan  to  take  charge  of  the  printing  busi- 
ness of  the  Review  &  Herald  Pliblishing  Com- 
pany. From  there  he  came  to  California  in  1878 
and  has  since  made  his  home  in  Oakland,  being 
now  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Pacif- 
ic Press  Publishing  Company,  of  San  Francisco, 
with  printing  plant  at  Mountain  \'iew.  Santa 
Clara  county.  Before  leaving  New  England  he 
married  Miss  Josephine  Emerson  Lunt,  a  native 
of  Portland,  Me.,  and  a  distant  relative  of  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson.  Of  their  three  children  the 
two  sons  are  now  living,  Williami  H.  being  the 
second  of  these.  When  he  was  only  two  }-ears 
of  age  (his  birth  having  occurred  at  Battle  Creek, 
Mich.,  February  22,  1876)  the  family  removed 
to  the  Pacific  coast;  hence  his  earliest  recollec- 
tions are  of  the  west,  and  his  education  was  be- 
gun in  Oakland  public  schools.  After  having 
graduated  from  the  high  school  in  1893  he  went 
to  Michigan  and  became  a  student  in  the  Battle 
Creek  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1894  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  On  his  return  to 
California  he  took  a  commercial  course  in  the 
Aydelotte  Business  College  of  Oakland,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1894. 
Shortly  afterward  he  took  up  the  study  of  medi- 
cine in  Cooper  Medical  College  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, from  which  in  1899  he  received  the  degree 
of  M.  D. 

In  order  to  further  perfect  himself  in  the 
profession  he  had  chosen.  Dr.  Jones  went  to 
New  York  City  in  the  fall  of  1899  and  at  St. 
John's  Hospital  had  special  advantages  for  study 
while  filling  a  position  as  interne.     During  the 


next  year  he  spent  three  months  in  the  Battle 
Creek  Sanitarium  and  then  returned  to  Califor- 
nia, where  for  two  years  he  was  resident  physi- 
cian and  surgeon  in  .St.  Helena's  Sanitarium  at 
the  village  of  Sanitarium  in  Napa  county.  Dur- 
ing his  service  in  that  capacity  he  also  acted  as 
managing  editor  of  the  Pacific  Health  Journal. 
On  resigning  he  returned  to  New  York  City  and 
during  the  winter  of  1902-03  studied  in  the  New 
York  Post-Graduate  Medical  College,  where  he 
availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  to  enlarge 
his  professional  information  and  thus  broaden 
his  sphere  of  usefulness.  For  a  time  after  com- 
ing back  to  the  west  he  carried  on  a  private 
sanitarium  in  Santa  Barbara,  from  which  city  he 
came  to  Long  Beach  in  1903,  and  now  conducts 
a  large  private  practice,  also  holds  the  position 
of  city  health  officer  and  is  associate  professor 
of  gynecology  and  abdominal  surgery  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  &  Surgeons,  Los  Angeles. 
In  addition  he  is  actively  interested  in  promoting 
the  Long  Beach  Hospital,  of  whose  building 
committee  he  has  been  chosen  the   president. 

Intensely  interested  in  professional  work.  Dr. 
Jones  maintains  an  active  association  with  the 
Los  Angeles  County  Medical  Society,  the  Acad- 
emy of  Medicine,  the  California  State  Medical 
Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association. 
Whatever  advance  is  made  in  the  science  of 
materia  medica  and  whatever  development  each 
year  brings  to  surgery,  he  keeps  in  touch  with 
such  advancement,  adopting  the  best  in  his  pri- 
vate practice.  So  keen  has  been  his  devotion  to 
professional  matters  that  he  has  had  little  leisure 
for  organizations  not  directly  allied  therewith, 
yet  he  belongs  to  a  number  of  lodges  and  acts 
as  their  physician,  among  others  being  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  (in  which  latter  he  is  a  past  ex- 
alted ruler)  and  the  Masonic  orders.  As  a 
Republican  and  a  stanch  advocate  of  party  prin- 
ciples, he  has  been  interested  in  politics  from 
youth,  and  participates  in  county  and  municipal 
afifairs.  Mr.  Jones  was  married  March  29,  1906. 
to  Ida  Belle  Musselman,  daughter  of  Edward 
Musselman,  a  retired  capitalist. 


AURELIO  W.  SEPULVEDA.  Among  the 
families  that  became  prominent  during  the  early 
history  of  California  none  boasts  of  a  prouder 
lineage  than  that  of  Sepulveda,  whose  founder  in 
the  new  world,  Dolores,  came  from  his  native 
Castillian  province  as  an  employe  of  the  govern- 
ment of  Spain  and  in  return  for  services  was  ten- 
dered a  grant  of  land  extending  from  San  Pedro 
to  Redondo  Beach  along  the  ocean  and  for  miles 
back  into  the  foothills,  the  whole  forming  thirty- 
nine  thousand  acres,  the  Palos  Verdes  grant.  In 
order  to  perfect  his  patent  it  was  necessary  for 


HTSTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


605 


him  to  go  to  Monterey,  then  the  capital  of  Cali- 
fornia. On  the  way  thither  he  was  attacked 
and  killed  by  the  Indians,  who  secretly  awaited 
his  coming  and  attacked  him  from  ambush.  After- 
ward the  title  was  perfected  by  his  sons,  but  a 
dispute  arose  and  only  after  protracted  litigation 
was  the  claim  of  the  Sepulveda  family  estab- 
lished beyond  further  dispute. 

On  the  great  estate  of  the  family  near  San 
Pedro  Jose  Diego  Sepulveda  was  born  in  1813, 
being  one  of  the  five  heirs  to  the  Palos  Verdes 
grant  of  thirty-nine  thousand  acres,  and  also  one 
of  the  heirs  to  the  Yucaipe  ranch,  occupying  the 
present  site  of  San  Bernardino,  which  he  and 
the  other  owners  sold  to  the  Mormons.  Choos- 
ing the  stock  industry  as  his  occupation,  he  made 
the  Palos  Verdes  rancho  his  headquarters  and 
bought  and  sold  large  numbers  of  cattle  and 
sheep.  Over  the  hills  for  miles  in  every  direc- 
tion roamed  his  herds  and  flocks.  His  vast  pos- 
sessions were  handled  with  keen  judgment  and 
great  energy,  and  he  proved  himself  the  inheritor 
of  much  of  his  father's  talents.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1872  he  was  fifty-nine  years  of 
age.  In  marriage  he  was  united  with  Marie  E. 
Desolde,  a  native  of  San  Diego,  and  a  member 
of  an  old  family  of  that  place.  At  her  death  she 
left  three  children.  Aurelio  W.,  Roman  D.  and 
Rudecinda  P.,  Mrs.  James  H.  Dodson,  of  San 
Pedro.  The  second  son.  who  is  a  large  land 
owner  and  has  erected  a  number  of  brick  blocks 
in  San  Pedro,  is  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  his  home  city. 

On  the  family  estate  Aurelio  W.  Sepulveda 
was  born  September  28.  1852.  At  an  early  age 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  San  Pedro  and 
here  he  still  makes  his  home,  having  received 
his  education  in  its  public  schools  and  enjoying 
the  friendship  of  its  old  families.  Though  still 
quite  young  when  his  father  died,  he  had  already 
learned  habits  of  self-reliance  and  perseverance 
and  these  aided  him  in  the  later  years  of  his 
activity.  From  his  father  he  inherited  consid- 
erable property,  to  the  care  of  which  he  gives 
thoughtful  attention  and  wise  oversight.  Of  re- 
cent years  he  had  laid  out  the  Palos  Verdes 
addition  to  San  Pedro  of  eight  acres,  in  the  center 
of  which  runs  Sepulveda  street.  In  addition  he 
owns  business  property,  a  number  of  substantial 
cottages  and  eight  hundred  acres  adjoining  San 
Pedro  to  the  northeast.  His  beautiful  resi- 
dence on  Signal  street  is  presided  over  by  his 
wife,  formerly  Maria  Ramus,  who  was  born  in 
San  Juan  Capistrano  and  possesses  the  charm 
and  courtesy  of  manner  characteristic  of  the 
ancient  family  which  she  represents.  One  child, 
Esperanza,  blessed  their  union.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  First  National  Bank  and  the  Harbor 
Savings  Bank  of  San  Pedro.  In  fraternal  rela- 
tions Mr.  Sepulveda  affiliates  with  the  Order  of 


Eagles  and  the  Elks,  both  of  San  Pedro.  Of 
a  modest,  unassuming  disposition,  averse  to 
public  life  and  little  interested  in  politics,  he 
finds  his  greatest  enjoyment  in  the  society  of 
family  and  friends  and  in  the  management  of  his 
property  interests.  Popular,  honored  and  honor- 
able, he  is  a  worthy  representative  of  an  ancient 


C.  J.  E.  TAYLOR  has  spent  more  than  half 
of  his  life  in  California,  with  whose  interests  he 
has  been  identified  since  1873.  He  is  now  serv- 
ing as  superintendent  of  streets  in  Long  Beach, 
Los  Angeles  county,  where' he  has  been  located 
since  1901,  taking  an  active  part  in  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  city.  A  native  of  the 
northern  part  of  England,  he  was  born  October 
31,  1847.  When  thirteen  years  of  age  he  was 
brought  to  the  United  States  by  his  parents,  with 
whom  he  remained  in  New  York  state  for  some 
years,  attending  the  public  schools  and  at  the 
same  tiiue  working  as  the  opportunity  offered. 
Although  but  a  brief  time  was  spent  in  the 
schoolroom  a  good  memory  and  an  aptitude  for 
books  enabled  him  to  acquire  a  foundation  for 
the  education  which  the  experience  of  later  years 
gave  him.  When  about  fifteen  years  old  he  went 
to  the  woods  of  Michigan,  where  for  three  years 
he  worked  at  logging  in  all  its  various  depart- 
ments. Following  this  he  located  in  Leaven- 
worth, Kans..  as  a  teamster,  freighting  with 
oxen  to  Pike's  Peak,  Montana  and  Mexico. 

Through  this  association  Mr.  Taylor  became 
acquainted  with  the  attractiveness  of  western 
life  and  in  1873  decided  to  come  to  California. 
In  Humboldt  county  he  worked  in  the  redwoods 
until  June  ist,  when  he  located  in  Kern  county 
and  engaged  in  the  store  at  Weldon,  remaining 
there  for  six  years.  In  the  meantime  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  in  Kern  county  and  began  sheep- 
raising,  and  also  mined,  for  a  short  time,  but 
both  these  ventures  proved  less  remunerative 
than  he  anticipated  and  he  gave  them  up.  Wliile 
a  resident  of  Kern  countv,  in  1879,  ^^  married 
Sarah  E.  Gilliam,  and  born  of  this  union  were 
the  following  children,  all  natives  of  that  local- 
ity :  Roy,  located  in  Arizona,  in  the  employ  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company;  Qyde. 
electrical  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the  Tacoma 
&  .Seattle  Power  Company,  his  home  being  in 
Seattle,  Wash. ;  Mabel,  a  graduate  of  the  Long 
Beach  High  School,  class  of  1904:  Nora,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  same  in  the  class  of  1905  :  and  'Myma 
and  Gordon,  both  students  in  the  public  schools 
of  Long  Beach.  In  order  to  give  his  children 
better  educational  facilities  Mr.  Taylor  moved 
his  family  to  Long  Beach  in  1899  and  two  years 
later  took  up  his  permanent  residence  in  this 
city,  purchasing  a  lot  and  erecting  a  home  at  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


corner  of  Eighth  and  Chestnut  streets.  He  has 
also  purchased  several  pieces  of  real  estate,  buy- 
ing and  selling,  and  adding  to  the  growth  of  the 
city. 

A  Republican  in  politics  Mr.  Taylor  has  al- 
ways taken  an  interest  in  the  advancement  of  the 
principles  he  endorses  and  has  been  chosen  at 
times  to  represent  the  party  in  public  office,  while 
a  resident  of  Kern  county,  serving,  as  supervisor 
two  terms,  during  which  was  voted  $250,000 
for  the  building  of  the  jail,  court  house,  hospital 
and  new  county  high  school,  and  many  other 
improvements  seen  to-day  in  that  county.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention  when  M. 
Estey  ran  for  governor  the  first  time,  and  in 
1904  he  was  delegate  to  the  county  convention. 
In  that  year,  also,  he  received  the  appointment 
to  the  position  of  city  superintendent  of  streets, 
his  duties  including  entire  charge  of  all  street 
work,  sewers,  etc.,  and  although  but  a  brief  time 
has  elapsed  he  bids  fair  to  rank  among  the  ablest 
city  officials,  winning  public  commendation  by 
his  devotion  to  duty  and  the  best  interests  of 
the  city.  He  supports  all  church  and  charitable 
work  and  is  in  entire  sympathy  with  the  present 
school  management.  Fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Masons  and  Foresters  of  Long  F)each. 
He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  new  hotel  and  a  firm 
believer  in  the  future  of  Long  Beach,  and  in- 
deed, of  all  .Southern  California. 


]\IARK  KEPPEL.  One  of  the  most  im- 
portant offices  in  the  educational  field  is  that  of 
county  superintendent  of  schools.  The  educa- 
tional interests  of  the  county  are  delivered  into 
his  hands  and  he  is  held  responsible  for  the  con- 
duct and  advancement  of  all  schools  coming  with- 
in his  jurisdiction.  It  is  a  position  demanding 
talents  of  a  high  order  and  the  man  who  fills  it 
successfully  must  be  endowed  with  rare  in- 
telligence and  executive  ability.  Los  Angeles 
county  is  particularly  fortunate  in  securing  the 
right  man  for  the  place  in  Mark  Keppel.  its 
earnest   and   efficient   superintendent   of   schools. 

Mark  Keppel's  father,  Garret  Keppel,  was  a 
native  of  Holland,  born  at  Gorkum  in  18^5.  He 
came  with  his  parents  to  the  I'nited  States  in 
1844.  The  familv  lived  for  a  time  at  Fialtimore, 
Md..  then  in  Michigan  and  later  in  Keokuk. 
Iowa.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Michi- 
gan and  Iowa.  His  wife  was  Rebecca  Hurl- 
burt,  a  native  of  Missouri.  Her  father,  Isaiah 
Hurlburt.  was  a  native  of  Canada,  and  her 
mother,  in  maidenhood  Rebecca  F>reeden,  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  Mr.  Keppel  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  California,  immigrating  to  the  west 
in  1859.  His  objective  point  was  Pike's  Peak, 
Colo.,  but  owing  to  unfavorable  reports  received 
while  en  route  he  changed  his  course  and  desti- 


nation and  crossed  the  plains  to  Oroville,  Cal., 
and  became  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Butte 
county.  His  wife  died  in  Butte  county  in  1882, 
and  twenty  years  later,  in  1902,  he  also  passed 
away  at  his  Butte  county  home. 

Mark  Keppel  was  the  second  child  born  in  his 
father's  family  of  eleven  children,  his  birthday 
being  April  11,  1867.  His  early  years  were 
passed  on  the  farm.  At  nine  years  of  age  he 
entered  the  public  school  and  laid  the  strongest, 
most  perfect  foundation  for  a  successful  future 
in  whatever  line  he  should  elect  to  follow.  The 
instinct  for  a  higher  education  was  deep  rooted 
in  the  boy  and  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  do  so 
he  entered  San  Joaquin  Valley  College  at  Wood- 
bridge,  graduating  from  that  institution  in  1892 
with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  He  returned  to  the 
farm  and  remained  there  one  year,  then  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  teacher  in  San  Joaquin 
\'alley  College,  which  he  filled  for  one  year,  and 
the  next  year  following  was  a  teacher  at  Fair- 
view,  Yolo  countv. 

Mr.  Keppel  came  to  Los  .\ngeles  in  1895  and 
was  first  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  the  Eighth 
street  school.  In  1896  he  became  principal  of 
Harper,  now  Vermont  Avenue  school;  in  1897 
he  \^•as  made  principal  of  the  Union  .\venue 
school,  where  he  remained  until  March,  1902, 
when  he  was  promoted  to  the  principalship  of 
Twentieth  Street  school,  where  he  remained  until 
his  term  of  office  as  county  superintendent  of 
schools  began  in  January,  1903. 

During  Mr.  Keppel's  incumbency  there  has 
been  a  constant  period  of  transition,  due  to  re- 
vision of  text  books  and  the  rapid  development 
of  the  county.  Mr.  Keppel  has  proven  himself 
equal  to  the  task  imposed  upon  him  and  has  met 
all  demands  upon  his  time  and  ingenuity  with 
most  satisfying  results.  The  present  excellent 
condition  of  the  schools  throughout  the  county 
attests  his  capable  management  and  places  him 
in  the  front  ranks  as  a  successful  educator  in  the 
broadest  sense  of  the  word. 

Mr.  Keppel  is  ex-president  of  the  School 
Masters  Club  of  Los  Angeles;  member  of  the 
School  Masters  Club  of  Southern  California; 
president  of  the  Southern  California  Teachers 
Association :  and  a  member  of  the  State  Teachers 
Association,  and  of  the  National  Educational 
Association. 

Mr.  Keppel  married  Miss  Mae  Hubbard, 
daughter  of  Hanford  Hubbard  of  Yolo  county. 
April  15,  1894.  Mrs.  Keppel  is  a  native  of 
Yolo  county.  They  have  one  daughter.  Ester 
Mae  Keppel.  Mr.  Keppel  is  a  Republican,  hav- 
ing served  for  years  as  a  member  of  the  Republi- 
can county  central  committee.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  numerous  fraternal  organizations : 
Ramona  Parlor.  N.  S.  G.  W. ;  Woodmen  of  the 
World;    Knights    of   the    Maccabees;    Fraternal 


C>!r ^/ (T^ZS^^^^^S^i^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


609 


Brotherhood;  and  a  member  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  of  Los  Angeles.  His  popularity 
is  unquestioned.  He  is  devoted  to  educational 
work  and  his  clear  comprehension  of  the  duties 
devolving  on  him  in  his  official  capacity,  together 
with  his  efficient  management,  has  been  of 
material  advantage  to  the  schools  of  Los  An- 
geles county. 


ISAAC  L.  FETTERMAN.  Not  the  least 
prominent  and  influential  representative  of  the 
pioneers  of  Long  Beach  is  the  gentleman 
whose  name  introduces  this  article  and  whose 
personality  is  familiar  to  the  leading  citizens 
of  the  place.  WHien  he  came  to  his  present  lo- 
cation in  1888  the  now  thriving  city  was  a 
mere  hamlet  of  insignificant  dimensions, 
scarcely  worthy^  of  a  place  on  a  state  map  or 
mention  in  a  state  history.  Shortl)^  after  his 
arrival  he  started  a  livery  business  which  was 
the  second  of  the  kind  in  the  town  and  in  ad- 
dition he  conducted  a  hotel,  but  after  about 
eight  years  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
grading  industry,  in  which  he  was  the  pio- 
neer, having  charge  of  the  first  official  grad- 
ing done  in  the  city  and  conducting  an  en- 
terprise that  was  and  yet  is  the  largest  of  its 
line  in  the  community.  When  the  first  board 
of  town  trustees  was  organized  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  same  and  continued  faithfully 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  position  for  two 
terms. 

i\Ir.  Fetterman  was  born  in  A^enango  coun- 
ty, Pa.,  April  7,  1849,  being  a  son  of  Isaac  and 
Nancy  (Titus)  Fetterman,  the  former  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  at  an  early  date  a  captain 
in  the  state  militia.  The  Titus  family  became 
identified  with  Pennsylvania  during  the  colon- 
ial period  and  founded  the  town  of  Titusville, 
which  was  named  in  their  honor.  During  the 
year  1853  the  Fetterman  family  removed  to 
the  then  new  state  of  Iowa,  where  the  father 
took  UD  a  tract  of  unimproved  farm  land  and 
remained  until  his  death  five  years  later.  His 
wife  died  two  years  prior  to  his  demise.  .\t 
that  time  their  son,  Isaac  L.,  was  but  a  small 
lad,  not  vet  prepared  to  earn  his  own  liveli- 
hood, but  in  a  comparatively  short  time  he  de- 
veloped into  a  self-reliant,  capable  youth,  ready 
to  take  his  part  in  the  world's  activities. 
When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  was  employed 
around  the  oil  wells  in  Pennsylvania  during 
the  first  oil  boom  there,  and  for  four  years 
continued  in  that  work,  after  which  he  re- 
moved to  Kansas  and  started  out  as  a  farmer 
arid  stock-raiser  in  a  new  country.  A'arious 
causes  conspired  to  prevent  satisfactory  re- 
sults  and    after  six  years   he   disposed   of  his 


holdings  in  that  state  and  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast. 

Agricultural  pursuits  in  Kern  county  for  a 
brief  period  occupied  the  time  and  thought  of 
Mr.  Fetterman,  but  soon  he  relinquished  such 
work  in  order  to  accept  a  position  as  fore- 
man of  the  Goose  lake  canal  and  a  year  later 
moved  to  Los  Angeles  county,  where  since  he 
has  made  his  home.  Supplementary  to  farm- 
ing he  engaged  in  the  buying  and  selling  of 
hogs,  but  four  years  later  he  entered  the  con- 
tracting business  with  the  Dodsworth  Pack- 
ing Company.  For  eight  years  he  continued 
with  the  same  firm,  and  during  a  portion  of 
the  time  owned  an  interest  in  the  business. 
On  retiring  from  the  firm  he  removed  to  Long 
Beach  and  since  then  has  been  associated 
with  the  growth  of  this  city,  where  he  is  uni- 
versally known  and  honored  as  an  old  settler 
and  a  man  of  high  principles. 

In  1904  he  began  improvements  on  Camp 
Fetterman  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Main 
streets,  where  he  owns  a  half  block  of  two 
acres,  very  conveniently  located  near  the  Daisy 
Street  School  building.  He  began  by  erecting 
a  modern  seven-room  house,  to  be  followed  by 
a  California  bungalow  24x36,  with  all  mod- 
ern conveniences,  to  shelter  his  employes. 
There  is  also  a  blacksmith  shop  where  all  his 
repair  work  and  shoeing  his  animals  is  done. 
This  is  well  equipped  with  all  necessary  ap- 
pliances to  work  with,  and  his  stable  room, 
when  finished,  will  be  two  stor}',  50x90,  con- 
nected with  a  one-story  structure,  48x60.  He 
has  an  increasing  volume  of  business  as  a  street 
grader  and  for  excavations  of  all  kinds,  em- 
ploying from  thirty  to  sixty  teams  and  fifty 
men.  His  business  office  is  also  located  on 
the  premises,  both  connected  with  telephones. 
The  valuation  of  his  property,  when  fully  com- 
pleted, will  be  more  than  $30,000.  and  is  a 
great  credit  to  the  city. 

Like  all  the  members  of  his  family  (among 
whom  was  a  cousin,  Captain  Fetterman.  who 
was  killed  in  the  struggle  with  the  Indians  at 
the  fort  named  in  his  honor),  Mr.  Fetterman 
displays  courage  in  ever}-  crisis,  unfailing 
rectitude  in  ever}'  transaction,  and  generosity 
in  his  treatment  of  others.  While  he  has  never 
been  a  fraternity  man,  yet  he  is  not  without 
fraternal  connections,  having  for  years  been  an 
active  member  of  Long  P.each  Lodge  No.  327, 
F.  &'  A.  M.,  in  the  work  of  which  he  main- 
tains a  warm  interest,  .\fter  going  to  Kan- 
sas Mr.  Fetterman  formed  domestic  ties  in 
his  early  manhood.  In  Butler  county,  that 
state,  in  1870.  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Aliss  Minnie  Carey,  a  native  of  Indiana.  Nine 
children  were  born  of  their  nnion.  but  two  of 
the   number  ha\'e   passed   from   earth.   A\''alter 


610 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


being  two  years  old  and  Frederick  an  infant 
of  six  months  at  the  time  of  death.  Those 
now  Hving  are  as  follows :  George  W.,  Charles 
E.  and  Leonard,  all  of  whom  are  employed  in 
Los  Angeles ;  Samuel,  who  makes  Long  Beach 
his  home;  Maude  May,  who  married  Lester 
Nye  and  resides  in  Los  Angeles ;  Clarence  and 
:\linnie,  who  are  with  their  parents  at  the 
Lonsr  Beach  homestead. 


FRED  H.  TAFT.  Numbered  among  the  in- 
fluential law  firms  of  Los  Angeles  is  that  which 
had  its  origin  in  the  partnership  uf  Tanner  & 
Taft.  in  March  of.  1894,  and  to  which  later  Mr. 
Odell  was  admitted.  The  firm  is  unique  in  that 
each  of  its  members  bears  a  governor's  name  and 
holds  some  distant  relationship  to  prominent 
statesmen  of  the  age.  In  addition  to  the  offices 
in  the  Coulter  building,  Los  Angeles,  an  office 
is  maintained  at  Santa  Monica,  where  one  mem- 
ber or  another  has  been  city  attorney  most  of  the 
time  for  almost  twenty  years  until  January  i, 
1907,  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  resigned 
the  office  on  account  of  pressure  of  other  busi- 
ness. The  firm  has  always  avoided  criminal 
cases  and  has  made  real-estate  law  and  corpora- 
tion matters,  if  anything,  a  specialty.  At  this 
writing  they  are  counsel  for  several  large  cor- 
porations in  Los  Angeles,  as  well  as  a  number 
of  important  corporations  and  banking  houses 
elsewhere.  Perhaps  the  most  prominent  case 
in  which  they  have  recently  participated  is  that 
of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  against  hundreds  of 
land  owners  for  control  of  the  waters  of  the 
San  Fernando  valley,  a  case  that  has  gained 
almost  national  prominence  and  is  the  most  im- 
portant in  its  relation  to  the  water  question  ever 
tried  in  the  entire  west. 

While  the  family  of  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Taft 
was  residing  in  the  village  of  Pierrepont  Manor, 
Jefiferson  c'ounty,  N.  Y.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born.  His  father  platted  and  founded 
the  village  of  Humboldt,  in  Humboldt  county, 
and  also  founded  Humboldt  College,  with  which 
he  was  intimately  connected  for  many  years,  as 
he  was  also  with  the  religious  upbuilding  and 
moral  welfare  of  the  village.  Later  he,  too, 
came  to  California,  and  now  makes  Sawtelle  his 
home.  In  the  college  established  by  his  father 
the  son  received  a  classical  education  and  was 
graduated  in  1879.  During  his  college  course 
and  after  graduating  he  was  engaged  in  news- 
paper work  as  publisher  of  the  Humboldt 
Kosmos,  the  only  paper  of  that  name  in  the 
I'nited  States ;  in  addition,  he  for  a  time  had  the 
distinction  of  being  the  youngest  editor  in  the 
country.  Later  he  was  connected  with  news- 
paper work  at  Sioux  City  and  for  three  and  one- 
half  years  edited  the  Fort  Dodge  Messenger. 


While  still  engaged  in  newspaper  work  Mr. 
Taft  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  North- 
western L'niversity  at  Sioux  City,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1892.  On 
New  Year's  day  of  1893  he  arrived  in  California, 
and  since  then  has  been  identified  with  the  pro- 
fession of  law  in  tlie  county  of  Los  Angeles, 
his  home  being  in  Santa  Monica,  where  he 
ranks  among  the  more  progressive  of  its  citizens. 
None  of  the  secret  fraternal  organizations  have 
ever  won  his  allegiance  with  the  exception  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars,  with 
which  he  became  identified  by  reason  of  his 
sympathy  with  its  purposes  in  creating  a  senti- 
ment against  the  liquor  traffic,  and  an  early  few 
years  membership  in  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  Politically  he  has  always  sup- 
ported the  Republican  party,  but  his  inclinations 
have  never  tended  toward  official  life,  he  choos- 
ing, instead,  his  private  professional  work.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Iowa  he  met  and  married 
Frances  M.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Ira  L.  Welch, 
M.  D.,  one  time  a  member  of  the  legislature 
from  the  Humboldt  district,  and  one  of  the  most 
successful  physicians  of  northern  Iowa.  Their 
family  comprises  two  children.  Muriel  C.  and 
Harris  W.,  both  of  whom  are  now  seniors  in 
Stanford   University. 


TIMOTHY  A.  STEPHENS.  When  T.  A. 
Stephens,  president  of  the  Star  Mill  and  Lumber 
Company  of  Long  Beach,  first  came  to  Califor- 
nia with  the  idea  of  looking  over  the  country  to 
see  what  the  prospects  were  for  a  young  man 
just  starting  out  in  life,  he  was  so  thoroughly 
impressed  with  what  he  saw  that  he  decided  to 
remain  in  Southern  California.  Subsequent 
events  have  proven  the  wisdom  of  his  choice. 

Mr.  Stephens  was  born  in  Monroe  county, 
Ohio,  October  19,  1872.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Senecaville  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  thus  acquiring  a  substantial  educa- 
tion, the  very  best  preparation  for  the  future  a 
young  man  can  make.  Two  years  later,  in  1892, 
he  came  to  California.  His  first  work  in  the 
state  was  in  a  lumber  yard  at  San  Pedro  hand- 
ling lumber.  After  working  there  two  years 
he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  went  to  work  for 
the  San  Pedro  Limiber  Company.  Long  Beach 
at  that  time  was  a  very  insignificent  place ;  no 
improvements  of  any  consequence  had  been  be- 
gun and  there  was  not  a  graded  street  in  the 
town.  During  the  eight  years  he  remained  in 
the  employ  of  the  company  he  learned  the  lum- 
ber business  from  the  foundation  up  and  became 
thoroughly  familiar  with  it  in  all  its  branches. 
As  the  town  began  to  grow  and  new  buildings 
were  erected  he  saw  an  opportunity  to  go  into 
business  for  himself.     Soon  he  had  a  small  plan- 


^^^^^^^^'^^^^^^^^ 


TIISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


613 


ing  mill  in  operation  and  was  employing  three 
men.  His  first  venture  was  on  a  small  scale,  but 
as  the  town  grew  and  prospered  his  business 
advanced  also.  There  was  an  increasing  demand 
for  his  products  and  he  enlarged  his  plant  to 
keep  pace  with  the  times  and  growth  of  the  city. 

The  business  of  buying  and  selling  lumber 
seems  to  be  a  natural  accompaniment  of  a  plan- 
ing mill  and  Mr.  Stephens  enlarged  his  plant  to 
take  in  that  branch  of  the  trade.  From  a  very 
small  beginning  he  has  watched  his  business  in- 
crease with  the  brightest  of  prospects  for  future 
growth  and  prosperity.  Starting  with  one  small 
gasoline  engine  and  inferior  facilities  for  doing 
his  work  he  enlarged  his  plant  until  he  had 
a  fully  equipped  and  up-to-date  planing  mill. 
In  1904  he  organized  the  Star  Mill  and  Lumber 
Company,  of  which  he  is  president,  and  which 
has  developed  wonderfully  since  its  organization. 
Mr.  Stephens  is  a  man  of  shrewd,  sound  judg- 
ment and  enterprising  spirit,  and  by  reason  of 
these  qualities  he  has  made  a  success  of  his 
business. 

In  1899  Mr.  Stephens  married  Miss  Grace  L. 
Shaw  of  Long  Beach,  and  they  have  one  child, 
a  son,  Kenneth  L.  Mr.  Stephens  is  a  liberal  sup- 
porter of  all  church  work  and  a  member  of 
several  fraternal  organizations,  among  them  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Woodmen  of  the  World,  Be- 
nevolent Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  Masons 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  a  direc- 
tor in  the  State  Bank  of  Long  Beach,  also  a 
member  of  the  Cosmopolitan  Club. 

For  four  years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
City  Council  and  has  been  chosen  delegate  to 
represent  the  city  in  county  convention.  He  may, 
with  truth,  be  classed  as  one  of  the  representa- 
tive men  of  Long  Beach. 


JOHN  J.  :\TORTON.  One  of  the  most  high- 
ly esteemed  residents  of  Compton.  John  J. 
iNIorton,  has  been  pr(iminenth'  identified  with 
its  development  and  progress,  and  is  distin- 
guished not  onl)-  for  his  life  work,  but  as  being 
one  of  the  five  men  selected  by  the  original 
settlers  of  this  community  to  choose  the  site  of 
the  town  of  Compton.  the  committee  being 
composed  of  the  foll(iwmg-named  men:  W.  J\I. 
]\Iorton.  I.  J.  ]\Iorton,  Griffith  Dickinson  Comp- 
ton, AVilliam  Fciwler.  and  Jonas  L.  Miller.  A 
son  of  ^^^illiam  Morton,  he  was  born  March  13, 
1839,  '"  Alichigan,  ^vhere  he  grew  to  manhood, 
attending  the  cimiiion  and  high  schools  of  his 
native  to^^n.  jmd  com]ileting  his  studies  in  a 
select  school  under  Professor  Tenney. 

Born  and  reared  in  New  York,  William  Mor- 
ton remained  tliere  until  after  his  marriage 
with  Marv  A.  Moore,  also  a  native  of  that  state. 


About  a  year  and  a  half  later,  in  1834,  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Michigan,  where  he 
resided  for  twenty-five  years.  In  1859  '^^  came 
to  California  and  located  near  Lodi,  San  Joa- 
quin county,  where  he  engaged  in  grain  ranch- 
ing. Eight  years  later,  in  1867,  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles  county,  settling  in  Compton, 
Avhere  both  he  and  his  good  wife  spent  their 
remaining  years,  his  death  occurring  in  1874, 
and  hers  many  years  later,  in  1905.  For  forty 
3'ears  he  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  she  was  a  communicant  of 
the  same  for  three  score  years.  Six  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  namely:  Plinn,  who 
died  in  infancy;  John  J.,  the  subject  o'f  this 
sketch :  Eunice  A.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eight  }-ears ;  William  H.,  who  came  to  Cali- 
fornia when  his  parents  did,  and  died  here  in 
1902;  Charles  Flenry,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
three  years ;  and  Ella  C,  widow  of  the  late 
Isaac  Ingraham..  by^  whom  she  had  a  large 
famih'  of  children,  three  of  whom  died  within 
three  weeks  and  were  buried  in  the  Compton 
cemetery. 

Coming  to  California  in  1859,  John  J.  Mor- 
ton settled  first  on  the  Mokelumne  river,  San 
Joaquin  valley,  twelve  miles  north  of  Stock- 
ton, where  he  was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil 
for  a  few  years.  In  1867  he  was  one  of  a 
small  colony  of  sturdy,  enterprising  men  who 
came  down  to  Los  Angeles  county,  and  as 
pioneers  of  this  section  selected  the  site  of 
the  present  town  of  Compton,  as  previously 
stated.  Having  accomplished  his  purpose. 
Air.  Morton  returned  to  the  San  Joaquin  val- 
ley, disposed  of  his  property  there,  and  in  De- 
cember, 1867,  came  back  and  bought  the 
eighty-six  acres  included  in  his  present  ranch, 
also  buying  a  tract  of  sixty-five  acres  north  of 
the  town.  Laboring  industriously,  he  has  made 
improvements  of  value,  erected  commodious 
and  convenient  farm  buildings,  and  has  since 
carried  on  generr.1  farming.  dair\"ing  and  stock- 
raising  in  a  skilful  and  intelligent  manner,  be- 
ing well  repaid  by  the  substantial  pecuniary 
reward  that  he  receives  each  season. 

Returning  to  Michigan  in  1864.  Mr.  Alor- 
ton  there  married  Catherine  Cooley,  who  was 
born  and  brought  up  m  the  same  neighbor- 
hood that  he  was.  Into  the  happy^  household 
thus  established  ten  children  were  born,  name- 
ly:  Jasper  S.,  who  died  in  1904;  Anna,  wife  of 
Edward  Putney :  Eva,  who  was  accidentally 
shot  and  killed  when  twenty-three  vears  of 
age:  John,  who  married  Lizzie  Duke  and  re- 
sides near  Com.pton :  Jerry  I.,  of  Los  Angeles, 
who  married  Ninna  Hecock.  of  Compton; 
Katie  and  ^^''illie.  twins,  the  latter  of  whom 
niarried  Mattie  Clawson  and  resides  in  Los 
-\ngeles  :  Lydia,  the  wife  of  Leo  W.  Marden : 


614 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  Richard  and  Asa,  both  of  the  latter  hving 
at  home.  In  the  growth  and  prosperity  of 
Compton  Mr.  Morton  takes  a  lively  interest, 
willingly  contributing  of  his  time  and  means 
to  further  its  interests.  He  has  served  with 
fidelity  in  the  various  offices  within  the  gift 
of  his  fellow-men,  having  been  justice  of  the 
peace,  school  trustee  and  road  overseer,  and 
from  1876  until  1879  was  county  supervisor. 
He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  running  for  the 
position  of  assemblyman  before  the  party  was 
strong  enough  to  elect  him,  and  was  one  of 
the  first  Republicans  to  be  elected  to  any  of- 
rice  in  this  county.  Fraternally  he  is  promi- 
nent in  Masonic  circles.  He  is  a  member  of 
Anchor  Lodge  No.  273,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Comp- 
ton, which  he  has  served  twice  as  master, 
and  for  sixteen  years  the  secretary ;  of  Long 
Beach  Chapter  No.  83,  R.  A.  M. ;  of  Long 
Beach  Commandery  No.  47,  K.  T. ;  of  the  Los 
Angeles  Council  No.  11,  R.  &  S.  M.,  and  Al 
:\Ia'laikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  of  Los  An- 
geles. He  also  assisted  in  organizing  Cen- 
tennial Lodge  No.  247,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Comp- 
ton. in  which  he  has  passed  all  of  the  chairs, 
being  the  only  charter  member  whose  name 
is  still  on  the  rolls ;  belongs  to  the  Veteran 
Odd  Fellows,  and  is  likewise  a  member  of  the 
Pioneers  of  Southern  California.  Religiously 
he  is  in  sympathy  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


GILBERT  KIDSON.  The  ten-acre  tract 
forming  the  homestead  of  Gilbert  Kidson  occu- 
pies an  advantageous  location  at  Palms,  on  the 
Short  Line  electric  railway.  At  the  time  of  ac- 
quiring the  land,  for  which  he  paid  $250  an 
acre,  it  was  considered  that  the  price  was  high, 
but  since  then  he  has  made  important  improve- 
ments, mcluding  substantial  barns  and  modern 
residence.  The  improvements,  together  with  the 
great  advance  in  all  lands,  brings  the  present 
value  of  the  property  to  a  point  many  times  great- 
er than  that  of  the  cost  price;  indeed,  those 
who  consider  themselves  authorities  in  land 
values  assert  that  his  ranch  is  easily  worth  $2,000 
per  acre.  After  acquiring  the  home  place  he 
bought  forty  acres  of  alfalfa,  grain  and  corn 
land,  now  worth  $1,000  per  acre,  its  high  value 
being  due  not  only  to  fertility  of  the  soil,  but 
also  especially  to  the  close  proximity  of  Venice. 

The  birth  of  Gilbert  Kidson  occurred  in  Jack- 
son county,  Towa,  May  18,  1859.  his  father  be- 
ing Richard  Kidson,  represented  elsewhere  in 
this  volume  and  now  living  retired  in  Los  An- 
geles. Educated  in  country  schools  and  reared 
on  a  farm,  Gilbert  Kidson  laid  the  foundation  of 
future  success  by  the  development  of  sturdy,  self- 
reliant  traits  of  character.     On  leaving  home  to 


earn  his  own  livelihood  he  worked  out  for  eight 
months,  but  this  first  experience  as  a  wage-earner 
proved  discouraging,  for  he  was  cheated  out  of 
his  wages.  For  two  years  afterward  he  operat- 
ed a  rented  farm  and'  also  operated  a  threshing 
machine  for  two  years.  In  1883  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  in  Iowa  and  removed  to  California, 
where  for  a  year  he  rented  land  at  Pomona.  The 
following  year  he  rented  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  near  Inglewood.  At  the  expiration 
of  two  years  he  bought  the  ranch  which  he  now 
conducts  and  occupies.  In  addition  to  the  man- 
agement of  the  the  ranch  he  engages  in  team- 
ing, and  also  since  1900  he  has  been  road  fore- 
man of  his  district,  which  responsible  position  he 
fills  with  satisfaction  to  all  concerned. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Kidson  was  solem- 
nized April  18.  1889,  and  united  him  with  Miss 
Caroline  Brown,  who  was  born  in  Minnesota 
and  came  to  California  in  girlhood.  At  her 
death  in  1894  she  left  three  children,  Gilbert  R., 
Henry  J.  and  Bertha  C,  the  latter  of  whom 
joined  her  mother  October  29,  1906.  Subse- 
quently Mr.  Kidson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Annie  Ray,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  but 
in  infancy  was  brought  to  California  by  her  par- 
ents and  received  an  excellent  education  in  Los 
Angeles  county  schools.  The  three  children  of 
this  union  are  named  Arthur,  Harold  and  Violet. 
Ever  since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Kidson 
has  voted  the  Republican  ticket  at  national  and 
local  elections  and  has  kept  well  posted  concern- 
ing political  affairs.  In  fraternal  relations  he 
holds  membership  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  As  a  pioneer  of  Palms,  he  maintains  a 
constant  interest  in  the  development  of  the  town 
and  has  been  a  contributor  to  its  rapid  growth. 
Not  many  years  have  passed  since  he  plowed  the 
furrows  where  now  the  trees  are  planted  on  the 
town  site,  but  these  years  have  witnessed  a 
steady  increase  of  population,  a  steady  advance 
in  land  values,  a  steady  development  of  educa- 
tional facilities  and  a  corresponding  gratification 
on  the  part  of  residents. 


CHARLES  JONES  HARGIS.  As  a  con- 
tractor and  builder  Charles  Jones  Hargis  is  en- 
gaged in  an  active  upbuilding  of  the  city  of  Long 
Beach,  where  he  has  been  a  resident  since  Novem- 
ber. 1900.  He  is  a  native  of  Bell  county.  Ken- 
tucky, born  September  17.  1855,  a  son  of  Samuel 
Hargis,  who  went  from  Virgina  to  Kentucky 
after  his  marriage  and  located  as  a  farmer  in  Bell 
count^■,  where  his  death  eventually  occurred.  His 
wife,  Frances  Callaway,  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina and  died  in  Kentucky.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  four  children,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter,  of  whom  Charles  Jones  Hargis  was 
the    oldest.      He   received   his   education    in    the 


affyrcuUz 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


617 


common  schools  of  Kentucky,  where,  in  young 
manhood,  he  engaged  in  general  farming.  He 
remained  in  his  native  state  as  a  fanner  until 
1887,  when  he  located  in  Pineville,  Bell  county, 
and  followed  a  general  merchandise  business  and 
later  engaged  as  a  brick  manufacturer  and 
builder.  Deciding  to  locate  in  the  more  remote 
west  he  came  to  California  in  November,  1900, 
and  in  Long  Beach  followed  the  carpenter's 
trade  for  two  years,  when  he  took  up  contracting 
and  building,  which  has  since  occupied  his  entire 
time  and  attention.  He  has  invested  his  means 
liberally  in  real  estate,  in  both  this  city  and  Mon- 
rovia, where  he  now  owns  several  dwellings. 

In  Knox  county,  Kentucky,  November  23, 
1876,  Mr.  Hargis  was  united  in  marriage  witli 
Sarah  C.  Ingram,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  born 
of  this  union  were  two  children :  Lydia,  deceased, 
and  George  W.,  city  clerk  of  Long  Beach.  In 
his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Hargis  is  identified 
with  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Christian  Church,  in  which  he  has  offici- 
ated for  many  years  as  elder,  both  here  and  in 
Kentucky.  He  is  also  Bible  teacher  in  the  Sun- 
day school  of  the  First  Christian  Church.  In  na- 
tional politics  he  is  a  Republican,  while  in  mu- 
nicipal affairs  he  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Prohibition  party.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Kentucky  he  served  as  deputy  assessor 
of  Bell  county  and  was  twice  elected  to  the  city 
coimcil  of  Pineville. 


RUSSELL  P.  WAITE.  Among  the  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Fernando  is  Russell  P. 
Waite,  a  man  of  pronounced  ability  and  worth, 
who,  as  manager  of  the  Fernando  Improve- 
ment Company,  is  carrying  on  a  substantial 
bu.siness.  He  was  born  January  31,  1852,  in 
Wisconsin,  and  was  there  reared  and  educated, 
completing  his  studies  at  the  Lawrence  Uni- 
versitv,  in  Appleton,  which  he  attended  two 
years. 

On  leaving  school  Russell  P.  Waite  learned 
the  printer's' trade,  and  was  subsequently  em- 
ployed on  the  Appleton  Post  for  two  years. 
His  health  failing,  he  spent  a  year  in  south- 
ern Wisconsin,  but  not  derivmg  much  physi- 
cal benefit  in  that  time,  in  January.  1876.  he 
came  to  Riverside.  Cal.,  where  for  twelve 
months  he  lived  with  his  brother,  L.  C.  Waite. 
Removing  then  to  Arlington,  a  suburb  of  Riv- 
erside, he  bought  a  tract  of  wild  land,  which 
he  set  out  to"  oranges  and  small  fruits,  be- 
coming the  pioneer  fruit  grower  of  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  INIeeting  with  good  suc- 
cess with  his  own  orange  grove,  he  engaged 
in  work  of  that  kind.  and.  by  contract  work, 
set    out    over    five    hundred    acres    of    oranges. 


Disposing  of  his  property  in  Riverside  coun- 
ty in  the  fall  of  1886,  he  was  for  a  year  and 
a  half  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  in 
Los  Angeles,  being  head  of  the  firm  of  Waite 
&  Phillips.  The  partnership  being  dissolved  in 
188S,  Air.  Waite  came  to  Fernando,  where  he 
had  previously  purchased  land,  and  immedi- 
ately began  the  culture  of  fruit,  setting  out 
fifty-eight  acres  of  oranges  and  olives,  from 
which  he  is  now  reaping  a  handsome  annual 
income.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  fourteen 
more  acres  of  land,  which  is  highly  improved, 
and  has  a  fine  residence  in  a  pleasant  part  of 
the  town.  In  April,  1903^.  as  junior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Powell  &  Waite,  Mr.  Waite  em- 
barked in  the  lumber  business  in  Fernando, 
continuing  until  the  following  January,  when 
the  partnership  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Waite  con- 
tinuing the  business  as  the  Fernando  Im- 
]5rovement  Company.  He  has  since  built  up 
a  fine  business  of  his  own,  carrying  a  full  line 
of  lumber,  lath,  sash,  doors,  all  kinds  of  build- 
ing, material,  distillate,  gasoline,  lime  and  ce- 
ment, in  fact  everything  demanded  by  the 
trade.  He  also  deals  to  some  extent  in  real 
estate ;  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  an 
official  member  of  the  Fernando  Building  As- 
sociation :  is  n  director  of  the  Board  of  Trade 
of  Fernand.. ;  is  a  director  of  the  Fernando 
Vallev  Bank,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  orig- 
inal stockholders,  and  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers and  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Fer- 
nando   Fruit    Growers'   .Association. 

In  187a  Mr.  Waite  married  Jessie  F.  Berry, 
a  daughter  of  D.  M.  Berry,  of  Pasadena,  and 
into  their  household  nine  children  have  been 
born,  namely:  Helen.  Mabel.  Rosebud  (\yho 
died  aged  one  a  ear),  Clarence.  Lillian,  Wini- 
fred, Marcia.  A\'illiam  and  Theodore.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Waite  i';  a  straighforward  Republi- 
can, and  religi'-'uslv  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbvterian  Church,  which  he  has  served  in 
an  official  cai^acity  for  many  years.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  Fernando  Lodge  No.  365. 
I.  O.  O.  ¥..  but  docs  not  now  belong  to  that 
on?"anizatior,. 


MFRTON  L.  KENYON,  a  promoter  and 
real  estate  dealer  of  Long  Beach,  Los  Angeles 
countv.  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y..  April  18,  1853. 
and  in  that  section  was  reared  to  young  manhood. 
His  education  was  received  through  an  attend- 
ance of  the  common  school  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
home,  after  which  he  was  trained  to  the  practi- 
cal duties  of  a  farmer.  His  first  independent 
venture  in  manhood  was  along  these  lines,  locat- 
ing on  a  farm  near  Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
remained  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  a 
period  of  twelve  years.     At  the  expiration  of  this 


618 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


period  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  United  States 
Express  Company  at  Binghamton,  same  state, 
and  remained  there  for  another  twelve  years, 
when  he  went  to  Michigan  and  in  St.  Johns 
opened  up  an  agricultural  implement  establish- 
ment. This  business  proved  profitable  and  he 
built  up  an  extensive  trade  throughout  the  states 
of  the  northwest.  After  ten  years  he  came  to 
California  with  the  intention  of  looking  over  the 
ground  and  being  favorably  impressed  with  the 
climatic  conditions  and  business  prospects  he  sold 
out  his  interests  in  Michigan  and  located  per- 
manently in  Long  Beach,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  He  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  forming  a  partnership  with  two  others, 
the  firm  name  being  Gary,  Paul  &  Kenyon.  In 
1907  Mr.  Kenyon  organized  the  Long  Beach 
Opera  House  Company.  He  has  been  success- 
ful and  is  numbered  among  the  upbuilding  fac- 
tors of  the  city. 

Mr.  Kenyon  has  been  twice  married,  his  iirst 
wife  being  Ellen  Burdick,  to  whom  he  was  united 
in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  She  died  in  New  York 
state,  leaving  one  son,  Norman  H.,  who  is  in 
business  in  that  state.  Mr.  Kenyon  later  mar- 
ried Myra  Burdick,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Laura  C,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  Shorb 
Convent.  Mr.  Kenyon  bought  a  lot  and  erected 
a  handsome  home  at  No.  642  Cedar  avenue.  He 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  new  hotel  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trade,  taking  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  progress  of  the  city,  whose  future 
he  believes  to  be  unsurpassed  throughout  this 
section  of  the  country.  He  supports  all  church 
and  charitable  movements,  and  in  his  political 
convictions  gives  his  support  to  the  advancement 
of  Republican  principles,  having  always  been 
active  in  his  endorsement  of  this  party. 


JOSEPH  H.  WHITWORTH.  Prominent 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Los  Angeles  county 
was  the  late  Joseph  H.  Whitworth,  who  during 
the  forty  or  more  years  that  he  resided  near  Sher- 
man was  actively  identified  with  the  development 
and  growth  of  the  place,  whether  relating  to  its 
agricultural,  financial  or  social  progress.  A 
keen-sighted,  practical  man,  possessing  great 
business  tact  and  judgment,  he  was  exceptionally 
fortunate  in  his  agricultural  operations,  becom- 
ing owner  of  various  tracts  of  valuable  land,  and 
acquiring  a  valuable  property.  A  native  of  Eng- 
land, he  was  born  February  25.  1847,  ^  son  of 
James  and  Mary  Ann  (Hilton)  Whitworth,  who 
joined  the  Mormons  in  their  native  land,  and  sub- 
sequently immigrated  with  their  family  to  the 
United  States,  settling  first  with  the  Mormons  in 
LTtah,  from  there  coming  to  California  in  1857. 
.\  more  extended  history  of  the  parents  may  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume,     in     connection 


with  the  sketch  of  James  H.  Whitworth,  another 
son. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  this  country  when 
six  years  of  age,  Joseph  H.  Whitworth  lived  at 
Nephi,  Utah,  three  years  or  more,  and  then  came 
with  the  family  to  California,  settling  first  in 
San  Bernardino  county,  from  there  coming  in 
1862  to  Los  Angeles  county.  He  assisted  his 
father  in  clearing  and  improving  the  land  which 
he  bought,  lying  near  Sherman,  doing  his  full 
share  of  the  pioneer  labor  incidental  to  life  in  a 
new  country.  With  his  brother  James  and  his 
father,  he  carried  on  general  farming  on  the 
home  ranch  until  his  father  retired  from  active 
work.  Assuming  then  the  charge  of  the  home- 
stead estate,  a  large  part  of  which  he  bought,  he 
continued  ranching  for  a  number  of  years,  be- 
coming one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stockmen 
of  this  vicinity.  He  accumulated  considerable 
wealth,  obtaining  title  to  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  acres  formerly  included  in  the  parental  ranch 
and  of  six  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  located 
two  and  one-half  miles  above  Santa  ?\Ionica,  on 
the  coast.  He  also  acquired  valuable  property  in 
Santa  Monica,  becoming  owner  of  the  Wliitworth 
block,  and  of  five  lots  and  three  houses.  In  1899 
he  turned  the  care  of  his  ranch  over  to  his  three 
sons,  Robert  Gray,  Joseph  William  and  Alfred 
Henry,  and  thereafter  lived  retired  from  act- 
ive pursuits  until  his  death,  November  18,  1904. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  character,  an  active 
member  of  the  Republican  party,  and  a  strong 
advocate  of  temperance. 

On  April  19,  1871,  Mr.  Whitworth  married 
Elizabeth  Cunningham,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, September  16,  1841,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  July,  1870,  settling  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  her  family  here  renewing  their  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Whitworth  family,  which  they 
knew  in  England.  .Seven  sons  blessed  the  union 
of  Afr.  and  Mrs.  \Miitworth.  one  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  while  six  are  living,  namely:  James 
Cunningham.  Robert  Gray,  Arthur,  Joseph  Will- 
iam, Alfred  Henry  and  Walter.  All  of  the  sons 
are  living  with  their  widowed  mother  on  the 
home  ranch,  in  the  management  of  which  they 
assist,  adding  each  year  to  the  substantial  im- 
provements already  inaugurated. 

Air.  and  Mrs.  Whitworth  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  many  years. 


HOMER  LAUGHLIN.  The  name  of  Homer 
Laughlin  is  synonymous  with  all  that  has  stood 
for  the  highest  development  in  the  city  of  Los 
Angeles  during  the  last  decade,  and  to  those  who 
know  him  it  speaks  eloquently  of  the  worth  and 
works  of  the  man.  A  true  cosmopolitan,  he  is 
equally  at  home  in  the  citv  of  his  adoption  or  the 
state  of  his  birth,  his  lovaltv  to  the  one  in  no  wise 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


619 


detracting  from  his  loyalty  to  the  other ;  liis 
friends  ot  the  west,  although  of  more  recent  ac- 
quisition, holding  the  same  place  in  his  regard 
as  his  friends  of  the  east.  Los  Angeles  is  proud 
to  claim  him  as  a  representative  citizen  and  place 
his  name  in  the  list  of  those  who  have  done  most 
for  the  promotion  of  enterprises  calculated  to  de- 
velop the  resources  of  the  city. 

Scotch-Irish  ancestors  have  given  to  Mr. 
Laughlin  the  salient  points  of  his  character,  the 
name  being  to-day  a  prominent  one  in  western 
Pennsylvania  and  eastern  Ohio.  James  Laugh- 
lin, the  grandfather  of  Homer  Laughlin,  was  born 
in  Maryland,  where  he  spent  his  young  manhood, 
eventually  removing  to  Pennsylvania,  where  his 
death  occurred  when  past  middle  life.  He  was 
survived  by  his  wife,  formerly  Nancy  Johnson, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  who  died  in  Ohio. 
In  their  family  was  a  son,  Matthew,  who  was 
born  in  Beaver  county.  Pa.,  March  31,  1799,  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace  was  reared  to 
years  of  maturity.  Inheriting  the  instinct  which 
brought  to  American  shores  the  first  emigrating 
ancestor,  he  became  a  pioneer  of  Ohio  in  the  days 
when  the  middle  west  was  as  unknown  as  the 
Pacific  coast  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  gold 
in  California.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  business 
ability,  high  principles  and  the  qualities  which 
make  the  best  type  of  citizen,  and  although  he 
never  enjoyed  the  advantages  which  belonged  to 
the  era  of  his  children,  yet  he  acquired  a  broad 
fund  of  information  and  a  financial  success  in 
life.  He  was  known  for  the  period  of  forty-five 
years  as  postmaster,  miller  and  merchant  at 
Little  Beaver,  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and 
finally  he  removed  to  East  Liverpool,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  1876.  His  wife,  formerly 
Maria  Moore,  was  a  native  of  Columbiana  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  her  birth  occurring  in  1814.  She  sur- 
vived her  husband  and  later  went  to  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  where  she  died  June  19,  1888.  Her  father, 
Thom^as  Moore,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Bel- 
fast, Ireland,  where  he  received  an  excellent  edu- 
cation. Of  an  enterprising  disposition  he  de- 
cided to  seek  a  fortune  in  the  western  world  and 
accordingly  came  to  the  United  States.  In  the 
employ  of  the  government  as  a  civil  engineer  he 
was  sent  to  Ohio  when  it  formed  a  part  of  the 
Northwestern  Territory.  He  continued  to  make 
that  section  his  home  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  Columbiana  county  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  years.  He  married  in  America  Nancy  Lyon, 
who  was  born  in  Beaver  county.  Pa.,  and  died  in 
Ohio  at  an  advanced  age. 

Homer  Laughlin  was  born  in  Columbiana 
county.  Ohio,  starch  23,  1843,  ^"d  i"  the  vicin- 
ity of  his  home  received  a  primary  education  in 
tlie  common  schools.  Later  his  studies  in  the 
Neville  Institute  were  interrupted  by  the  call  to 
arms  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Union.    On  the 


12th  of  Jul),  1862,  he  offered  his  services,  en- 
listmg  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Eif- 
leenth  Ohio  Infantry,  under  Capt.  H.  R.  Hill, 
and  immediately  accompanied  his  regiment  to 
the  front,  remaining  actively  engaged  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  In  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  he 
was  mustered  out  of  service  and  received  his 
final  discharge  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  July  7,  1865, 
after  which  he  returned  to  his  home  and  as- 
sumed once  more  the  duties  of  civic  life.  Dur- 
ing the  years  which  he  had  spent  in  the  army 
he  had  passed  from  bo}-hood  into  manhood  and 
thus  his  outlook  upon  life  and  its  responsibilities 
had  perceptibly  changed.  Following  his  dis- 
charge from  the  army  he  engaged  in  the  oil 
regions  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  boring  of  wells, 
putting  down  twelve  in  a  little  more  than  a  year. 
Deciding  then  to  take  up  active  business  life  he 
went  to  New  York  City  and  together  with  a 
brother  began  the  importation  of  china  from 
England,  which  was  disposed  of  here  through 
a  wholesale  and  retail  trade.  After  three  years 
he  returned  to  Ohio  and  still  in  partnership  with 
his  brother  built  the  first  white-ware  pottery  es- 
tablished in  East  Liverpool,  Ohio,  and  together 
the  two  conducted  their  interests  until  1877.  He 
then  purchased  the  entire  business  interests  and 
since  that  time  has  carried  on  a  constantly  in- 
creasing trade  under  the  name  The  Homer 
Laughlin  Qiina  Company.  The  demand  for  this 
ware  has  called  for  constant  improvement  in 
method  and  equipment  and  is  now  numbered 
among"  the  important  enterprises  not  alone  in 
the  city  where  it  is  located,  but  of  the  United 
States,  in  that  the  product  is  shipped  to  every 
state  in  the  Union.  In  1876  he  received  the 
highest  prize  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  and 
in  1879  his  work  was  recognized  at  the  Cincin- 
nati Exposition  by  the  presentation  of  a  gold 
medal,  and  in  1893  he  was  awarded  three  dip- 
lomas and  a  medal  at  the  Columbian  Exposition 
at  Chicago,  111.,  for  both  plain  and  decorated 
ware. 

The  business  experience  of  Mr.  Laughlin  has 
well  fitted  him  to  pass  judgment  upon  the  op- 
portunities presented  by  any  section  of  the  coun- 
try, and  when  in  1894  he  purchased  property  in 
Los  Angeles  it  might  well  be  considered  a  move- 
ment .after  thoughtful  and  mature  deliberation. 
Subsequently  events  have  proven  the  wisdom 
of  his  choice  and  have  brought  to  him  large 
financial  returns  for  the  money  invested  in 
realty  in  this  city.  Three  years  later  he  estab- 
lished his  home  in  Los  Angeles  and  at  that  time 
organized  a  corporation  known  as  the  Homer 
Laughlin  China  Companv  to  carry  on  that  busi- 
ness in  East  Liverpool.  Ohio.  In  1897  and  1898 
he  erected  the  magnificent  structure  known  as 
the  Homer  Laughlin  building,  located  on  Broad- 
wav   between   Third   and   Fourth    streets,  which 


620 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  the  first  fireproof  building  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  is  equipped  with  all  modern  con- 
veniences. Cp  to  1905  the  building  was  ade- 
quate for  the  demands  made  upon  that  location, 
but  in  that  year  he  built  a  re-inforced  concrete 
fireproof  annex,  which  continues  his  building 
from  Broadway  through  to  Hill  street,  and  giv- 
ing him  a  depth  of  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  feet  and  a  frontage  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-one  feet,  both  on  Broadway  and  Hill 
street.  This  was  the  first  building  of  its  kind 
ever  erected  in  Los  Angeles  and  indeed  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  being  entirely  of  re-inforced  con- 
crete, faced  with  white  enamel  terra  cotta,  and 
absolutely  fireproof.  In  addition  to  his  building 
operations  he  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
other  enterprises,  serving  as  director  in  tlie 
American  National  Bank  and  various  organiza- 
tions. He  served  as  a  member  of  a  committee 
of  three  to  select  and  purchase  a  lot  for  the  new 
Chamber  of  Commerce  building,  and  this  pur- 
pose accomplished  he  became  a  member  of  the 
building  committee  which  erected  the  magnifi- 
cent structure  now  occupied  by  this  department 
of  the  city's  activities. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Laughlin  is  presided  over 
by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Cornelia  Battenberg, 
a  woman  of  gracious  presence,  cultured  and 
refined,  and  a  welcome  addition  to  the  social  life 
of  Los  Angeles.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  by 
the  birth  of  two  children,  Homer,  Jr.,  a  chemical 
engineer  and  a  graduate  of  Stanford  university, 
and  Gwendolen  Virginia.  His  home  and  inter- 
ests in  this  city.  Mr.  Laughlin  has  given  per- 
sonal time  and  attention  to  the  duties  which  he 
considered  of  vital  importance  in  citizenship. 
Politically  he  upholds  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  has  always  been  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  this  platform.  He  is  known  and  held  in 
the  highest  esteem  by  a  large  majority  of  the 
former  and  present  dav  leaders  of  the  party,  dur- 
ing his  long  residence  in  Ohio  numbering  among 
his  warmest  friends  the  late  William  ^IcKinley, 
an  attachment  which  continued  unabated  up  to 
the  time  of  the  latter's  death.  Mr.  Laughlin  was 
chairman  of  the  reception  committee  when  the 
late  President  McKinley.  with  his  wife  and  cabi- 
net, visited  Los  Angeles,  and  while  here  were  the 
guests  of  ]\rr.  Laughlin,  For  several  years  he 
held  the  presidency  of  the  L^nited  States  Potters' 
Association  and  for  twelve  years  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  executive  committee.  In  his  fra- 
ternal relations  Mr.  Laughlin  has  been  associated 
for  many  years  with  the  Masonic  organization,  as 
a  member  of  the  Allegheny  Commandery  of 
Knights  Templar  visiting  Europe  in  1871  with  a- 
partly  of  forty  representatives,  known  as  the  First 
Crusaders. 

In  summing  no  the  life  of  Mr.  Laughlin  it 
would  he  iniDo^sihle  to  close  without  brief  men- 


tion of  some  of  his  personal  characteristics,  for  it 
is  through  their  exercise  that  he  has  won  his  high 
jjosition  financially  and  socially.  A  man  of  strong 
intelligence  ami  mental  power,  he  has  still  not 
allowed  this  to  be  the  dominant  force  of  his  life, 
liut  with  its  cultivation  has  also  developed  a 
kindly  personality,  a  ready  and  stanch  friendship, 
and  a  citizenship  whose  influence  for  good  is  felt 
wherever  his  name  is  known. 


JOHN  WILDASIN.  When  Mr.  Wildasin 
came  to  his  present  location  little  less  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago  the  land  was  a  vast 
barley  field,  holding  forth  small  inducement, 
but  as  he  was  a  man  of  indomitable  spirit  he 
lost  no  time  in  beginning  its  improvement. 
The  original  tract  comprised  forty  acres,  for 
which  he  paid  $125  per  acre,  some  of  which 
has  since  been  sold  either  in  acre  tracts  or  in 
city  lots,  a  sale  of  ten  acres  recently  bringing 
$1,000  per  acre.  He  has  reserved  twenty-one 
acres  for  his  own  use,  and  what  is  not  planted 
to  garden  produce  is  devoted  to  raising  alfalfa. 
The  ranch  is  located  just  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  southwest  of  the  cit}'  limits,  and  is  bound- 
ed by  Slauson  and  Normandy  avenues,  he  hav- 
ing laid  out  Wildasin  street  through  the  tract. 
Born  in  Muscatine  county,  Iowa,  October 
12,  1850,  John  Wildasin  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Catherine  (Menche)  Wildasin,  the  former 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  where  until  1850  he 
had  spent  his  life.  In  1851  he  settled  on  gov- 
ernment land  in  Muscatine  county,  Iowa, 
which  he  improved  and  cultivated  for  many 
years,  during  which  time  he  became  known 
as  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  that  locality. 
Subsequently  he  went  to  Wilton,  that  state, 
there  opening  a  bank  of  which  he  himself  was 
president,  a  position  which  he  was  filling  at 
the  time  of  his  death  in  1884,  when  he  was 
seventy  years  of  age.  He  left  an  estate  valued 
at  between  $50,000  and  $60,000,  all  of  which 
accumulation  was  the  result  of  his  own  efforts, 
for  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  empty- 
handed.  The  ancestry  on  the  paternal  side 
can  be  traced  liack  in  direct  line  to  Revolu- 
tionary times,  and  was  of  Dutch  origin.  On 
the  maternal  side  the  family  is  of  German  ex- 
traction, and  it  is  thought  that  the  earliest 
emigrant  settled  in  Maryland,  for  the  family 
flourished  there  for  many  generations.  Mrs. 
Wildasin  was  born  and  reared  in  Maryland, 
but  soon  after  her  marriage  removed  to  Iowa, 
in  which  state  her  death  occurred  when  she 
was  in  her  eighty-seventh  year.  Both  herself 
and  husband  were  members  of  the  Reformed 
Church. 

lentil   reaching  his   majority  John   AVildasin 
remained  at  home  and  gave  his  services  to  his 


J)vV-ZX--»<-d.^-<?<3<3     \yc<*^ 


c<L^ 


HLSTORKAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RRCORD. 


623 


father,  and  when  he  was  twenty-six  inherited 
from  the  latter  two  hundred  acres  of  the  home- 
stead. There  he  conducted  quite  an  exten- 
sive business  in  the  raising  of  horses  and  cat- 
tle for  about  eight  years,  when,  in  1884,  after 
disposing  of  his  interests  in  Iowa,  he  came  to 
California  and  purchased  his  present  property. 
October  12.  1878,  John  Wildasin  and  Mag- 
dalena  Crusius  were  united  in  marriage  in  Illi- 
nois. ;\lrs.  Wildasin  was  born  in  Bavaria, 
Germany,  where  her  father,  George  Crusius, 
was  a  farmer,  his  death  occurring  there  when 
he  was  sixty-two  years  old.  His  wife,  Louisa 
Guth  in  maidenhood,  was  also  a  native  of 
Bavaria,  and  some  time  after  his  death  brought 
her  family  to  the  United  States,  in  1863,  set- 
tling in  Pennsylvania.  Two  years  later  she 
died  in  Ohio,  when  in  her  forty-fifth  year. 
After  her  mother's  death  Mrs.  Wildasin  was 
reared  in  Illinois,  and  in  1884  came  to  Cali- 
fornia with  her  husband.  Three  children  have 
blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilda- 
sin: Louesa,  Florence  Nightingale  and  Mag- 
dalena  May,  all  of  whom  are  at  home  with 
their  parents.  Although  Mr.  Wildasin  ap- 
proves of  Republican  principles  he  is  not  an 
active  participant  in  party  affairs,  and  the  only 
fraternal  order  to  which  he  belongs  is  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters.  Both  himself 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  assisting  in  its  upbuilding  both 
by  personal  work  and  by  generous  donations 
of  their  means. 


FRAN'CISCO  PICO.  The  name  of  Pico  is 
inseparably  connected  with  the  history  of  Cali- 
fornia since  the  very  earliest  days  when  the 
country  was  still  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Mexican  government,  and  Governor  Pico  held 
office  under  that  country's  rule.  One  of  the 
most  prominent  and  best  known  representa- 
tives of  this  illustrious  family  in  the  present  day 
is  Francisco  Pico,  who  is  now  engaged  as  a 
ranchman  on  a  very  large  scale  in  the  San  Ja- 
cinto valley,  his  three  thousand  acres  of  highly 
improved  land  being  known  as  Casa  Loma 
rancho,  and  is  located  four  and  one-half  miles 
northwest  of  the  town  of  San  Jacinto.  Mr. 
Pico  raises  some  very  fine  stock  of  the  Black 
Polled  breed  and  in  addition  to  the  land  which 
he  owns  rents  four  thousand  acres  from  J.  W. 
Wolfskin. 

The  birth  of  ?Jr.  Pico  occurred  February  16, 
1844,  in  Sonoma  county,  Cal..  he  being  the  son 
of  Jose  Antonia  and  Magdaline  (Baca")  Pico, 
the  father  having  been  born  in  1707  at  San 
Gabriel  Mission,  Cal..  and  the  mother  being  a 
native  of  New  Mexico.  The  elder  Pico,  who 
was  a  brother  of  Governor  Pico,  became  a  lieu- 


tenant in  the  Mexican  army,  in  which  he 
served  until  1849,  when  he  removed  to  the  San 
Margaretta  rancho  near  Oceanside  and  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising  there  until  his  death  in 
1872,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  The 
mother  died  when  sixty-three  years  of  age,  in 
1891.  Francisco  Pico  received  a  very  fine  edu- 
cation, having  been  sent  first  to  a  private  Cath- 
olic school  at  San  Diego  and  later  entered  a 
private  school  in  Los  Angeles.  All  of  his  edu- 
cation was  in  the  Spanish  language,  which  was 
then  universally  used  in  California. 

After  his  education  was  completed  he  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  management  of  the  San 
Margaretta  ranch  until  1868,  when  he  pur- 
chased the  land  which  he  now  owns.  It  was 
then  entirely  unimproved  and  had  only  an  old 
adobe  house  on  it.  Mr.  Pico  built  modern  and 
commodious  buildings  thereon  and  purchased 
all  necessary  machinery  for  the  cultivation  and 
har\-csting  of  crops.  In  1874  he  removed  his 
residence  to  Los  Angeles  and  established  the 
first  wholesale  butchering  business  carried  on 
in  that  city.  It  was  located  on  the  Downey 
road  at  first,  but  he  afterwards  purcliased  wdiat 
was  known  as  the  five-mile  house,  where  Mr. 
^fyer's  slaughter  house  is  now  located.  In  1888 
I\fr.  Pico  disposed  of  the  business  and  went  to 
San  Diego,  where  he  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
hay  and  grain  business  for  two  years.  He  is 
also  the  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  real  estate 
located  near  .San  Diego.  Among  his  other 
nropertv  interests  is  stock  in  the  San  Jacinto 
National  Bank. 

The  marriage  of  ^U■.  Pico  occurred  in  San 
Diego.  November  8,  1884,  when  Dolores 
Aguirre.  a  native  of  that  city,  became  his  wife. 
They  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters,  Clarence,  Albert,  Ger- 
trude and  Ruth.  The  family  adhere  to  the  re- 
ligious faith  of  their  fathers,  being  devoted 
romnnmicants  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr. 
Pico  's  a  fine  rid  gentleman,  well  known  all 
over  Southern  California,  and  admired  for  his 
business  ability  and  estimable  personal  quali- 
ties. 


GEORGE  I.  COCHRAN.  Few  names  have 
been  more  prominently  identified  with  the  devel- 
opment of  natural  resources  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia than  that  of  George  I.  Cochran,  profes- 
sional, financial  and  industrial  factor  during  the 
period  of  his  seventeen  years'  residence  in  the 
citv  of  Los  Angeles.  Credit  is  due  him  for  the 
efTorts  he  has  put  forth  in  his  association  with 
important  movements :  the  success  achieved  is 
a  part  of  the  man — native  ability,  perserverance 
and  energv' — combined  with  the  conservatism 
made  progressive  by  decision  of  character,   and 


624 


HISTORICAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


by  the  demonstration  of  these  quahties  he  holds 
the  position  he  has  thus  won. 

Mr.  Cochran  fortunately  brought  to  bear  upon 
his  lifework  qualities  inherited  from  a  family 
whose  name  has  been  made  honorable  by  deeds 
of  various  members.  His  father,  the  Rev. 
George  Cochran,  D.  D.,  of  Toronto,  Canada, 
was  a  prominent  minister  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  by  which  he  was  sent  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  Japan  in  1873.  George  I.  Cochran 
was  then  ten  years  old,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  the  vicinity  of  Toronto  July  i,  1863,  and  there- 
after- he  spent  six  years  in  the  eastern  country. 
L'pon  the  return  of  the  family  to  Toronto  in 
1879  the  elder  man  resumed  his  work  in  that 
city  and  his  son  entered  the  Toronto  University, 
and  was  later  called  to  the  bar  at  Osgoode  Hall, 
Toronto,  where  he  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  under  the  favorable  circumstances 
engendered  by  his  native  qualities,  and  education 
acquired  by  application  and  will,  and  the  position 
of  esteem  and  respect  which  he  had  already  won 
among  the  younger  generation  of  the  citizens  of 
that  city.  In  March,  1888.  he  came  to  California, 
and  with  the  decision  of  character  which  has 
ever  distinguished  his  career  made  his  interests 
at  once  parallel  with  those  of  his  adopted  state 
and  city.  Opportunity  is  for  the  man  of  action 
and  hence  when  the  time  came  for  Mr.  Cochran 
to  assume  a  prominent  place  in  the  affairs  of 
Los  Angeles  he  unhesitatingly  faced  the  respon- 
sibilities and  fulfilled  the  trust  which  he  had 
won  during  the  ])rece(ling  five  years.  This  \vas 
in  1893,  at  the  time  of  the  financial  crisis,  when 
Mr.  Cochran  was  attorney  for  the  Los  Angeles 
Clearing  House  and  directed  its  legal  affairs  and 
counseled  its  business  interests  through  the  panic 
which  prevailed  in  all  business  circles.  Since 
that  time  no  citizen  of  Los  Angeles  has  been 
more  prominently  identified  with  its  growth  and 
upbuilding.  In  the  organization  of  the  Broad- 
way Bank  and  Trust  Company  he  was  a  most 
important  factor  and  has  held  continuously  the 
office  of  vice-president  since  its  inception.  This 
institution  has  become  one  of  the  most  important 
in  the  monetary  affairs  of  the  city,  its  growing 
demands  calling  for  an  enlargement  of  the 
counting  room,  which  occupies  the  larger  part 
of  the  Broadway  side  of  the  imposing  Bradbury 
building. 

In  addition  to  a  nominal  connection  with  the 
practice  of  law  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Cochran,  William.  Goudge,  Baker  &  Chandler, 
Mr.  Cochran  gives  much  of  his  time  and  atten- 
tion to  the  concerns  of  the  corporation  known 
as  the  Pacific  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company 
of  California,  the  largest  life  insurance  company 
in  the  west,  with  an  income  of  over  $4,000,000 
per  year,  and  serves  as  its  president,  in  active 
charge  of  its  business.     Mr.  Cochran  is  also  in- 


terested as  a  director  in  the  Los  Angeles  Trust 
Company,  First  National  Bank  of  Los  Angeles 
and  the  Rosedale  Cemetery  Association  (vice- 
president  of  the  latter),  which  owns  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  plots  of  ground  in  the  city  of 
Los  Angeles ;  was  for  many  }'ears  secretary  and 
director  of  the  Ignited  Gas,  Electric  &  Power 
Company  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  its 
consolidation  with  the  Edison  Electric  Com- 
pany ;  and  was  also  one  of  the  chief  factors  in 
the  enterprise  known  as  the  Seaside  Water  Com- 
pany, which  supplies  water  for  Long  Beach, 
San  Pedro  and  Wilmington  for  irrigation  and 
domestic  purposes,  while  recently  he  has  taken 
a  prominent  part  in  the  opening  up  of  the  addi- 
tion to  Los  Angeles,  known  as  the  West  Adams 
Heights  tract.  This  achievement  has  been  of 
such  vast  importance  in  the  opening  up  of  a 
iDcautiful  residence  district  to  the  people  of  the 
city  that  Mr.  Cochran  has  once  more  won  for 
himself  the  unqualified  commendation  of  the 
populace.  He  also  has  some  interests  in  Santa 
Barbara,  "the  city  by  the  sea,"  where  he  acted 
as  director  in  the  street  railway  company,  while 
the  Artesian  Water  Company,  a  local  organiza- 
tion that  has  been  expending  money  with  a 
lavish  hand  in  developing  water  for  near-by 
towns,  is  indebted  to  Mr.  Cochran  for  legal  and 
business  advice  at  all  board  meetings. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  California  Mr.  Coch- 
ran was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  Mc- 
Chmg,  a  native  of  Canada  and  a  friend  of 
several  years'  standing.  She  died  June  16,  1905. 
Airs.  Cochran  presided  with  gracious  dignity  in 
the  beautiful  home  which  they  established  on 
Harvard  boulevard,  a  residence  reflecting  with- 
in and  without  the  cultured  and  refined  tastes 
of  the  family.  Their  home  life  was  permeated, 
not  with  the  spirit  of  self-seeking,  but  with  a 
spiritualitv  which  had  come  through  long  asso- 
ciation with  high  ideals.  Their  membership  was 
enrolled  in  the  ^^'cstlake  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  which  ]\Ir.  Cochran  was  instrumental  in 
fmmding.  and  since  then  lie  has  been  one  of 
the  most  important  factors  in  its  progress  and 
upbuilding.  He  was  a  member  of  a  commission 
of  fifteen  appointed  by  the  General  Methodist 
Conference  to  consider  and  report  a  plan,  if 
feasible,  to  consolidate  the  big  benevolences  of 
the  church,  and  the  report  was  almost  unan- 
imously adopted  by  the  succeeding  General  Con- 
ference. He  also  takes  a  keen  and  active  in- 
terest in  all  echicatic'ial  matters,  seeking  to  ad- 
vance the  best  interests  of  the  educational  in- 
stitutions in  Southern  California.  He  is  one  of 
the  trustees  and  also  treasurer  of  the  University 
nf  Southern  California,  and  one  of  its  most 
liberal  supporters.  He  has  been  far  too  busy 
a  man  to  seek  political  prominence  and  although 
a  stanch  advocate  of  Republican  principles  has 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


625 


confined  his  interests  along  these  hnes  to  the 
support  he  could  give  the  men  and  measures  of 
his  party.  He  has  always  been,  however,  a 
strong  advocate  of  the  necessity  of  the  moral 
obligation  of  citizenship  and  has  never  shirked 
a  responsibility  placed  before  him,  a  part  of  his 
work  being  done  as  a  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  county  central  committee  for 
many  years. 

In  the  truest  sense  of  the  word  Mr.  Cochran 
is  a  Californian,  for  his  interests  are  one  with 
those  of  the  beautiful  state  he  has  made  his 
home,  and  in  the  past  years  he  has  spared  neither 
time,  expense  nor  personal  attention  in  his  efforts 
to  advance  the  general  welfare.  And  Los 
Angeles  has  few  citizens  who  have  done  more 
for  the  general  weal  than  he.  Few  progressive 
or  moral  movements  inaugurated  in  recent  years 
have  lacked  his  support,  nor  has  any  enterprise 
to  which  he  has  given  his  consideration  failed  of 
success.  He  is. truly  a  representative  of  the  type 
of  men  who  have  made  Los  Angeles  what  it  is 
to-day,  strong  in  mentality,  forceful  in  the  dom- 
inant qualities  of  manhood,  and  withal  so  far 
removed  in  thought  and  deed  from  self  seeking 
and  self  aggrandizement  that  he  has  been  en- 
abled to  wield  more  than  a  passing  influence  in 
contemporary  affairs. 


COL.  GEORGE  F.  ROBINSON.  From 
the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war 
until  the  year  i8g6,  a  period  of  thirty-five 
years.  Colonel  Robinson  was  in  the  service  of 
ills  country  almost  continuously.  During  the 
early  part  of  his  career  he  experienced  all  of 
the  rigors  and  hardships  of  the  battlefield, 
being  wounded  a  number  of  times.  After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  was  retained  in  the  gov- 
ernment employ,  first  holding  the  position  of 
clerk  in  the  war  department  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  later  was  made  paymaster  in  the 
army.  It  was  in  this  latter  capacity  that  he 
came  to  the  west  and  saw  for  the  first  time 
the  land  of  eternal  sunshine  in  all  of  its  beau- 
ty. The  climate  was  in  such  direct  contrast  to 
tiiat  with  which  he  had  been  familiar  in  the  east 
that  he  then  and  there  determined  to  spend 
the  remaining  years  of  his  life  in  a  climate 
less  rigorous  than  that  prevailing  in  his  native 
state  of  INlaine.  It  was  this  thought  which 
prompted  him  to  purchase  a  ranch  in  Pomona, 
the  same  on  which  he  has  made  his  home  since 
retiring  to  private  life  in  1896. 

As  has  been  intimated  Colonel  Robinson  is 
a  native  of  iMaine,  born  in  Hartford,  Oxford 
county,  August  13,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac 
W.  and  Deborah  (Thomas)  Robinson,  both  also 
natives   of   that   northern   state.     The   mother 


died  when  in  her  thirtieth  year,  and  thereafter 
the  father  again  married.  He  passed  away  at 
the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  having  become  the 
father  of  seven  children,  only  one  of  whom, 
our  subject,  resides  in  California.  While  he 
was  still  a  young  child  his  parents  removed 
from  Hartford  to  Rumford,  and  it  was  in  the 
latter .  place  that  he  first  attended  school. 
Subsequently  he  was  privileged  to  attend  Phil- 
lips Academy  at  Phillips,  Me.,  following  this 
course  by  a  term  at  Spencerian  Business  Col- 
lege in  Washington,  D.  C.  It  was  with  this 
training  that  he  returned  to  his  native  county 
and  took  up  farming  and  also  carried  on  a  lum- 
ber business,  a  dual  occupation  which  was  not 
only  congenial,  but  was  returning  to  him  a 
fair  income  on  both  his  investment  and  labor. 
The  breaking  out  of  the  war  made  a  change 
in  his  plans  which  he  had  not  anticipated  and 
which  for  the  time  being  put  an  end  to  his 
private  interests.  Enlisting  in  the  service  as 
a  private  in  Company  B,  Eighth  ]\Iaine  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  he  served  two  j'ears.  While 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  Petersburg  he  was 
severely  wounded.  May  20,  1864,  having  in 
the  mean  time  served  in  all  of  the  principal 
battles  in  and  around  Richmond.  During  the 
time  spent  in  the  hospital  while  recovering 
from  his  injuries  the  war  came  to  a  close. 

During  his  convalescence  Colonel  Robin- 
son was  wounded  in  defending  the  life  of  Sec- 
retar_v  Seward,  who  himself  was  dangerously 
wounded  in  April,  1865,  when  President  Lin- 
coln as  assassinated.  In  1865  he  was  given 
a  position  in  the  treasury  department  at 
^A^ashington,  D.  C.  After  serving  in  this  po- 
sition for  two  3'ears  Colonel  Robinson  re- 
signed and  returned  to  his  farm  in  ^Nfaine,  but 
it  was  not  long  before  he  received  another 
appointment  from  \A'ashington,  this  time  as 
clerk  in  the  war  department,  which  he  filled 
acceptably  for  eleven  years,  from  1868  until 
1879.  Promotion  and  greater  honor  came  to 
him  in  the  latter  year,  when  he  was  appoint- 
ed major  and  paymaster  in  the  United  States 
army,  a  position  which  took  him  into  a  num- 
ber of  the  distant  states,  especially  into  Tex- 
as, New  Mexico,  Colorado  and  California. 
With  no  other  locality  was  he  so  favorably 
impressed  as  with  Los  Angeles  county,  and 
as  advancing  years  were  making  his  step  less 
elastic  he  was  more  than  ever  in  favor  of  set- 
tling down  here  rather  than  to  resume  life  in 
the  east.  In  1892  he  purchased  a  twenty-acre 
ranch  in  Pomona  which  was  set  out  entirely 
to  oranges,  and  of  which  his  son  has  had  en- 
tire charge  since  i8g6.  In  that  year  Colonel 
Robinson  was  retired,  settling  upon  his  ranch, 
where  with  his  wife  and  youngest  son  he  is 
spending  bis  latter  years  in   peace  and  quiet, 


626 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  just  reward  for  faithful  and  unstinted  serv- 
ice. 

In  1865  Colonel  Robinson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  R.  Aurora  Clark,  who  was 
also  a  native  of  Maine,  born  in  Springfield, 
April  26,  1841.  Two  children  blessed  this 
marriage,  George  Prentiss,  who  is  now  em- 
ployed in  the  city  engineer's  office  in  Los  An- 
geles, and  Edmund  Clark,  who  lives  on  the 
ranch  and  assumes  its  cares  and  responsibili- 
ties. As  is  natural  Colonel  Robinson  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
and  also  of  the  military  order  of  the  Loyal 
Legion,  membership  in  the  latter  consisting 
only  of  army  officers  and  their  sons.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  the  blue 
lodge  and  chapter  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
the  commandery  at  Pomona.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  during  his  younger  days, 
while  living  in  his  native  state,  he  filled  a 
number  of  local  offices.  For  over  thirty  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Universalist 
Church,  while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian   .Science   Church. 


COL.  ASA  W.  WOODFORD.  Colonel 
Woodford's  family  has  been  a  prominent  one 
since  the  early  colonial  days,  his  father,  John  H., 
having  been  a  pioneer  and  native  planter  of  old 
Virginia ;  he  was  a  near  relative  of  Gen.  William 
Woodford  of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  also  a 
relative  of  General  Howe.  His  mother,  who  was 
in  maidenhood  Nancy  Minear,  was  of  French 
descent,  and  a  native  of  Mrginia,  her  ancestors 
having  also  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
May  20,  1833,  Colonel  Woodford  was  born  in 
Barbour  county,  Va.,  (which  was  later  made 
West  Virginia), -and  reared  upon  a  plantation'. 
He  was  educated  in  the  primitive  log  cabin 
schools  and  upon  reaching  maturity  he  engaged 
in  the  stock  business  and  farming,  his  herd  of 
finely  bred  Hereford  cattle  having  been  famous 
all  over  the  country.  He  also  became  prominent 
and  influential  in  the  exporting  of  beef  cattle, 
and  during  the  years  1892,  1893  and  1894  shipped 
some  of  the  finest  consignments  that  left  the  ports 
of  New  York  and  Baltimore  for  European  mar- 
kets. His  farm,  which  was  situated  near  Wes- 
ton, W.  Va.,  was  later  found  to  be  underlaid 
with  both  coal  and  oil..  He  still  owns  a  farm 
near  Weston  and  another  one  in  Barbour  county, 
in  the  same  state. 

In  Democratic  circles  Colonel  Woodford  was 
very  prominent  in  West  Virginia  and  filled  va- 
rious important  offices  in  county  and  state.  He 
served  two  terms  as  sheriflf  of  Lewis  countv  and 
was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  in  1868.  As 
a  member  of  that  body  he  helped  in  the  forming 
of  the  official  code  of  that  state,  and  in  1892  was 


the  Democratic  nominee  for  governor.  For  a 
number  of  years  past  he  has  traveled  extensively 
in  Europe,  South  America,  the  Hawaiian  Islands 
and  his  own  country,  his  first  visit  to  California, 
having  been  made  seventeen  years  ago.  Since 
1903  he  has  been  a  permanent  resident  of  the 
state,  having  located  in  Elsinore  that  year.  Fra- 
ternalh-  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  lodge. 


A.  BONDIETTI.  Practical  and  altogether 
useful  qualities  are  disclosed  in  the  results 
achieved  by  A.  Bondietti.  a  well-known  Swiss- 
American  rancher  of  the  vicinity  of  Guada- 
loupe.  who  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  who  rents  five  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  and  who  is  actively  en- 
gaged in  raising  beets,  beans,  potatoes  and 
hay,  and  in  the  management  of  a  model  dairy. 
.Since  purchasing  his  present  home  about 
twelve  years  ago  Mr.  Bondietti  has  exhibited 
untiring  zeal  in  its  improvement,  and  has 
studied  and  applied  the  most  approved  agri- 
cultural methods.  His  buildings  are  modern 
and  substantial,  the  working  life  of  his  imple- 
ments is  lengthened  by  proper  housing  and 
care,  and  his  fences  and  incidentals  exhibit 
appreciation  of  detail  and  oversight. 

.Should  misfortmie  overtake  him  as  a  farm- 
er. Mr.  Bondietti  can  turn  his  attention  to 
stone  cutting  or  dairying  with  reasonable  as- 
surance of  success.  The  former  occupation  be- 
came his  own  in  Switzerland,  where  he  was 
born  January  21.  18.51.  and  where  he  lived 
until  coming  to  the  LTnited  States  in  1879,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight.  His  parents,  who 
were  farmers,  died  in  their  Alpine  home  many 
years  ago,  the  former  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two,  and  the  latter  at  the  age  of  seventy. 
There  were  but  Iavo  sons  in  the  family,  and 
both  live  in  the  vicinity  of  Guadaloupe.  A. 
Bondietti  abandoned  stone  cutting  on  this  side 
of  the  water,  substituting  for  it  dairying,  which 
he  followed  for  several  years  in  Guadaloupe, 
or  until  purchasing  his  present  ranch.  His 
marriage  to  Miss  Dora  La  Franchi.  a  native 
of  Switzerland,  occurred  in  1882.  and  three 
children  have  come  to  brighten  the  hospitable 
ranch  home:  i^deline.  wife  of  Virgil  Lanotti ; 
Elvezia  and  Lillie. 

Mr.  Bondietti  has  long  been  prominent  in 
local  Republican  politics,  and  for  years  has 
promoted  the  cause  of  education  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  His  genial  manner  and 
spirit  of  good  will  have  drawn  to  him  many 
friends  and  made  him  a  welcome  member  of 
the  Guadaloupe  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  many  years.  He 
is  an  honorable,  upright  gentleman,  a  consid- 
erate neighbor  and   public-spirited   citizen. 


4,Pyn 


(X, 


t^. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


029 


CLARENCE  PAUL  MACY.  The  Macy 
family  were  early  pioneers  of  Cedar  county, 
Iowa,  where  the  grandfather,  Samuel,  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  and  lived  there  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  The  father,  Joseph  A. 
Alacy,  was  born  in  Ohio  and  went  to  Iowa 
with  his  father,  engaging  in  farming  in  Cedar 
county  until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany G,  Thirty-fifth  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry. 
While  on  duty  lie  contracted  a  cold  which  re- 
sulted fatally  and  he  died  at  Cairo,  111.,  in 
1863.  In  1854,  in  Ohio,  he  had  married  Miss 
Lucinda  Paxson,  who  was  born  in  that  state, 
the  daughter  of  Heston  and  Rachel  (Ingledue) 
Paxson,  the  latter  the  daughter  of  Blakeston 
Ingledue.  Heston  Paxson  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  from  there  removing  to  Co- 
lumbiana county,  Ohio,  later  to  Stark  county, 
near  Alliance,  and  finally  to  Cedar  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  died.  His  wife  died  in  Ohio. 
The  mother  of  Clarence  Paul  JNIacy  had  three 
children  when  her  husband  died  and  after 
rearing  her  family  she  married  Ryal  Strang, 
who  died  in  Iowa.  She  is  now  residing  in 
Elsinore.  Of  her  three  children  by  her  first 
husband  Clarence  Paul  is  the  only  one  living. 
Edwin  T.  died  in  Rialto,  Cal.,  and  Lillian  R., 
died  in  Iowa. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Afacy  occurred  in  1859, 
in  Springdale,  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  and  Avhen 
still  a  young  boy  he  was  taken  to  Marshall 
countv.'where  he  lived  on  a  farm  and  attended 
the  public  schools  until  thirteen  years  old. 
He  then  began  farming  for  himself  and  con- 
tinued to  be  so  occupied  until  1880,  when  he 
made  a  trip  through  Missouri,  Kansas,  Ne- 
braska, and  Iowa,  upon  his  return  to  the  lat- 
ter state  buying  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixtv  acres  in  Hardin  county  upon  which  he 
settled.  During  a  part  of  the  time  until  1886 
he  was  engaged  in  contracting  for  road  grad- 
ing .work,  and  in  Ihat  vear  came  to  Elsinore, 
his  brother,  E.  T.,  having  located  here  three 
vears  previously.  During  the  following  four 
vears  he  engaged  in  teaniing.  hauling  clay  and 
coal,  and  in  (^892  purchased  the  general  mer- 
chandise store  of  C.  S.  Prince  and  has  con- 
ducted the  business  ever  since.  The  store  is 
located  on  the  corner  of  Alain  street  and  Gra- 
ham avenue,  in  the  A^ictoria  brick  front  block, 
the  firm  owning  the  corner  and  block  135x120 
feet.  Air.  Afarv  is  nlsr.  etii^nged  in  farming 
and  raises  qrain  :ii  Wild,  .mar,  has  large  hay 
fields,  buvs  and  sells  li.iv  and  grain,  which  he 
ships  to  Colton  and  Olive  Alills,  and  also  de- 
votes a  part  of  his  time  to  the  horse  breeding 
business,  and  buving  and  selling  horses.  He 
is  the  owner  of  a'  fine  imported  bay  Percheron 
stallion  named  Favoria.  At  \-arious  times  Air. 
Afacy  has  conducted  a  livery  stable  and  also 

38' 


engaged  in  the  blacksmith  business.  He  has 
quite  extensive  property  interests,  having 
built  a  warehouse  at  the  railroad  tracks,  and 
owns  a  comfortable  residence  in  Elsinore  on 
the  corner  oi  Chestnut  and  King  streets. 

Mr.  Macy's  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Moyer,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
daughter  of  Michael  Moyer,  who  settled  in 
Hardin  county,  Iowa,  occurred  in  that  county. 
Her  father  served  during  the  Civil  war  in  a 
Pennsylvania  and  later  in  an  Illinois  regiment, 
and  now  resides  in  Iowa,  and  is  in  good  health. 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Alacy  became  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  namely:  Justin  Algernon,  who 
formerly  ■  managed  the  store  in  Elsinore  and 
now  resides  in  Los  Angeles ;  Pansy  Gertrude, 
now  managing  the  store :  Ozro  Floyd,  Rulief 
Roy,  MjTon  Earl,  Pearl,  Irvin  and  Alda 
A^'ivian.  Mr.  Macy  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having  served 
two  terms  as  noble  grand  of  the  Elsinore 
Lodge.  Politically  he"  affiliates  with  the  Re- 
publican party. 


FRANK  W.  THOAIAS,  M.  D.  A  man  of 
large  undertakings  and  with  accomplishments  in 
liroportion  may  in  a  word  represent  the  life  of 
Dr.  Thomas.  He  came  from  Ohio  to  Claremont 
in  1899  and  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  and  his  name  is  now  a  household 
word  not  onl\-  in  this  town,  but  throughout  the 
country  roundabout,  where  his  professional  ser- 
vices take  him.  Since  1901  he  has  also  main- 
tained an  office  in  the  Union  block,  Pomona, 
caring  for  his  patients  in  the  last  named  city 
in  the  afternoons.  Even  with  the  arduous  duties 
and  constant  mental  strain  of  his  profession  Dr. 
Thomas  has  not  been  indifferent  to  the  well- 
being  of  his  Ivime  town,  and  indeed  one  might 
seach  long  and  unsuccessfully  to  find  a  citizen 
more  keenly  alive  to  its  best  interests  as  judged 
by  the  various  projects  with  which  his  name  is 
associated.  The  credit  for  the  present  success- 
ful telephone  system  in  use  in  Claremont  is  in 
large  measure  due  to  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Thomas, 
who,  with  others,  organized  in  1903  the  Pomona 
A'alley  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Union,  of  which 
he  is' now  the  president.  Tlie  value  of  the  en- 
terprise to  the  citizens  of  Pomona  valley  may 
readily  be  recognized,  for  in  the  three  years  of 
its  operation  the  list  of  subscribers  has  reached 
over  eighteen  hundred  connections  with  the  cen- 
tral office  at  Pomona.  Dr.  Thomas  is  also  a  direc- 
tor in  the  following  stock  companies  of  Clare- 
mont :  The  Citizens  Light  and  Water  Company, 
the  Claremont  Lumber  Company,  the  Claremont 
Inn  Companv.  and  the  Oak  Park  Cemetery  Asso- 
ciation, he  being  president  of  the  two  last  named 
companies  at  this  writing.    He  also  owns  consid- 


630 


HISTORICAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


erable  real  estate,  having  laid  out  two  additions 
to  the  town  of  Claremont.  His  citizenship  in  the 
neighboring  city  of  Pomona  is  no  less  active  than 
in  Claremont,  where  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Citizens'  State  Bank,  the  First  National  Bank, 
the  Pomona  Building  and  Loan  Association, 
Pomona  Valley  Hospital  and  other  enterprises. 

The  Thomas  family  is  of  Welsh  descent,  and 
the  grandfather,  Griffith  Thomas,  is  the  first 
of  the  family  of  whom  we  have  any  definite 
knowledge,  although  he  was  not  the  first  repre- 
sentative in  the  new  world,  for  he  was  born  in 
New  York  state.  He  was  a  public-spirited  and 
influential  citizen  and  in  the  war  of  1812  was 
colonel  of  a  regiment ;  and  later  was  warden  of 
the  Ohio  state  penitentiary.  His  marriage  with 
Miss  Sarah  Mickey  allied  him  with  a  family  of 
Scotch-Irish  lineage,  whose  early  members  were 
represented  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Among 
the  children  of  Griffith  and  Sarah  (Mickey) 
Thomas  was  Daniel  W.,  the  oldest  son,  who  was 
born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  near  which  city  he 
passed  his  entire  life  as  a  successful  farmer,  an 
influential  man,  and  public-spirited  citizen,  pass- 
ing away  upon  his  farm  there  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-eight' years.  His  wife  before  her  marriage, 
Laura  Hutchinson,  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Ohio,  the  daughter  of  Amaziah  Hutchinson.  Of 
English  descent,  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  while  Ohio  was  still  con- 
sidered remote  territoi-y,  he  removed  thither  and 
grew  up  with  the  country,  for  many  years  own- 
ing a  farm  and  a  mill  on  the  Scioto  river.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  Daniel  and  Mrs.  Thomas, 
but  of  these  only  three  are  now  living,  two 
daughters,  residing  in  Ohio,  and  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  next  to  the  youngest  child. 

Frank  W.  Thomas  was  born  near  Dublin, 
Franklin  county,  Ohio,  September  4,  1853,  and 
was  brought  up  as  a  farmer's  son.  Agriculture, 
however,  appealed  to  him  less  strongly  than  did 
a  professional  life,  and  after  finishing  his  com- 
mon school  studies  he  entered  the  preparatory 
department  of  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  and  in 
1874  entered  Wooster  University,  graduating 
therefrom  four  years  later  with  the  degree  of 
Ph.  B.  Without  loss  of  time  he  entered  Star- 
ling Medical  College,  Columbus,  Ohio,  as  a  stu- 
dent of  Dr.  Starling  Loving,  dean  of  the  faculty, 
and  in  1880,  graduated  from  that  institution  with 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  Returning  to  his  home  com- 
munity he  practiced  his  profession  in  Dublin, 
Ohio,  for  two  years,  and  then  went  to  Marion,  in 
the  same  state ;  during  the  seventeen  years  of  his 
residence  in  that  place  he  built  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice  and  at  the  same  time  was  sur- 
geon for  the  Erie  Railroad  Company  and  several 
manufacturing  establishments.  His  removal  from 
the  east  occurred  in  1897,  i"  which  year  he  went 
to  Colorado  on  account  of  failing  health,  spend- 


ing two  }'ears  in  Denver,  Pueblo  and  other  places 
in  that  state.  In  seeking  a  still  milder  climate, 
he  came  to  California  in  1899  and  located  at 
Claremont,  where  he  established  himself  as  a 
medical  practitioner  as  soon  as  his  health  was  re- 
stored. Since  then  he  has  had  continued  success 
not  only  in  his  profession,  but  also  in  his  business 
ventures,  as  has  been  previously  noted. 

Dr.  Thomas'  marriage  united  him  with  Miss 
Mary  Lee,  who  was  born  in  Franklin  county. 
Ohio,  with  which  commonwealth  the  Lee  family 
had  been  associated  for  many  years.  The  Eng- 
lish immigrant  who  established  the  family  in  the 
new  world,  John  Leigh,  settled  at  Ipswich,  Mass., 
in  1634.  His  spelling  of  the  family  patronymic 
was  adhered  to  for  over  forty  years,  but  in  1677 
was  changed  to  its  present  form.  From  this  early 
immigrant  the  line  is  traced  down  to  Mrs. 
Thomas'  grandfather,  Capt.  Timothy  Lee,  born 
in  Massachusetts,  and  who  during  the  war  of 
1812  served  first  as  a  private,  and  later  as  a 
captain.  He  it  was  who  established  the  family 
in  Ohio,  settling  at  Central  College,  where  as  a 
farmer  and  miller  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
long  and  useful  life.  Besides  grain  mills  he 
owned  woolen  mills,  and  was  an  extensive  man- 
ufacturer of  cloth.  He  was  an  important  fac- 
tor in  the  material  welfare  of  Central  College,  and 
to  him  is  given  the  credit  of  establishing  this 
educational  institution  in  the  town.  He  mar- 
ried Rlioda  Taylor,  the  daughter  of  Orson  Tay- 
lor, a  Revolutionary  war  patriot.  Theron  Lee 
was  born  in  Central  College,  Ohio,  of  the  mar- 
riage of  Timothy  and  Rhoda  (Taylor)  Lee,  and 
he  too  was  a  farmer  and  owned  grist  and  woolen 
mills  in  that  town.  During  the  Civil  war  he  sens- 
ed valiantly  in  an  Ohio  regiment,  becoming  cap- 
tain of  his  company,  and  as  such  was  honorably 
discharged  on  account  of  physical  disability.  He 
passed  away  in  the  city  of  his  birth  in  1872. 
Annis  Fuller,  as  Mrs.  Lee  was  known  in  her 
maidenhood,  was  born  in  Worthington,  Ohio, 
the  daughter  of  Alvin  Fuller  of  Monson,  Mass.. 
who  established  the  family  in  Ohio.  The  wife  of 
Alvin  Fuller  was  Elizabeth  Wilson  before  her 
marriage,  and  both  passed  away  in  Ohio,  while 
their  daughter,  Mrs.  Lee,  died  in  Claremont, 
Cal.,  in  1905.  Three  children  originally  com- 
prised the  family  of  Theron  and  Annis  (Fuller) 
Lee,  two  of  whom  are  now  living;  Mary,  Airs. 
Thomas,  who  is  a  graduate  of  Mount  Holyoke, 
(Mass.)  Seminary,  and  Rev.  Oiarles  Lee,  who 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University 
and  of  Princeton  Seminary,  and  is  now  a  Pres- 
byterian minister  in  Carbondale,  Pa.  The  mar- 
riage of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  has  resulted  in 
the  birth  of  one  daughter,  Qiarlotte,  who  is  at- 
tending Pomona  College. 

While  in  [Marion,  Ohio.  Dr.  Thomas  was  for 
ten  vears  a  member  of  the  board  of  education. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


631 


serving  as  president  two  terms,  and  for  the  past 
five  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
selectmen  of  Claremont,  three  years  of  this 
time  being  chairman  of  that  body.  He  is  always 
public-spirited  and  loyal  to  all  the  interests  of  the 
community.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  In 
1880,  while  in  Ohio,  he  was  made  a  Mason  in 
New  England  Lodge  No.  4,  at  Worthington, 
later  joined  Marion  Lodge  No.  70  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
which  he  was  master  for  five  years,  and  since 
coming  to  the  west  has  been  a  member  of  Pomona 
Lodge  No.  246.  He  was  exalted  to  the  Royal 
Arch  degree  of  Masonry  in  Marion,  Ohio,  serving 
as  High  Priest  of  his  chapter  for  two  years, 
and  is  now  identified  with  the  chapter  at  Po- 
mona. For  five  years  he  also  served  as  prelate 
of  Marion  Commandery,  K.  T.,  an  office  which 
he  now  holds  in  Southern  California  Comman- 
dery No.  37,  K.  T.,  at  Pomona.  He  is  other- 
wise associated  fraternally,  being  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  of  Clare- 
mont and  the  Royal  Arcanum.  While  in  Ohio 
Dr.  Thomas  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  but  is  now  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Qiurch  of  Claremont,  in  which  he  i& 
a  trustee  and  was  associated  as  a  member  of  the 
building  committee  in  the  construction  of  the  ele- 
gant new  church.  In  the  line  of  his  profession 
he  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, State,  Southern  California,  and  Pomo- 
na Valley  medical  societies,  serving  two  years  as 
president  of  the  latter  society,  and  is  also  phy- 
sician to  Pomona  College  and  medical  exam- 
iner for  half  a  dozen  life  insurance  companies. 
He  is  one  of  the  physicians  connected  with  Po- 
mona Valley  Hospital  as  one  of  its  founders,  and 
is  also  associated  with  its  training  school  for 
nurses  as  one  of  the  lecturers.  From  a  perusal 
of  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  Dr.  Thomas 
is  a  very  versatile  man,  to  which  is  added  a 
thoroughness  and  penetration  which  bodes  suc- 
cess in  whatever  he  undertakes. 


WILLIAM  VESTAL  COFFIN,  M.  D.  The 
genealogy  of  the  Coffin  family  is  traced  back  to 
the  days  of  William  the  Conqueror,  among 
whose  leading  generals  was  Sir  Richard  Coffin. 
In  return  for  his  illustrious  services  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Hastings  he  was  tendered  a  large  estate 
in  Devonshire,  where  he  became  feudal  lord  over 
the  original  inhabitants ;  the  old  manor  in  that 
shire  is  still  in  the  possession  of  members  of  the 
family.  The  founder  of  the  race  in  America 
was  that  noble  pioneer,  Tristram  Coffin,  who  im- 
migrated from  Devonshire  in  1642  and  purchased 
Nantucket  Island,  where  many  of  the  descendants 
still  dwell.  During  1654-55  he  officiated  as  a 
magistrate  in  Massachusetts.  The  next  genera- 
ation  was  represented  by  John  Coffin,  a  lieuten- 


ant in  the  colonial  army  during  the  Indian  wars. 
The  heads  of  the  following  generations  were  re- 
spectively Samuel,  William  (i),  William  (2), 
Elihu,  Samuel  Dwiggins  and  William  Vestal. 
(Elihu  Coffin  married  Jane  Starbuck,  who  was 
also  a  descendant  of  Tristram  Coffin  through  his 
daughter,  Mary,  she  having  married  Nathaniel 
Starbuck,  thereby  becoming  the  mother  of  all 
American    Starbucks.)       (Nantucket    Records.) 

Prior  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution  the  family 
became  established  in  North  Carolina,  where 
during  1773  William  Coffin  became  a  pioneer  of 
Guilford  county.  In  religion  a  Quaker,  like 
others  of  that  society  he  disapproved  of  the  insti- 
tution of  slavery  and  had  no  slaves  on  his  plan- 
tation. The  frank  expression  of  his  sentiments 
in  the  matter  brought  upon  him  the  dislike  and 
even  persecution  of  the  lawless  element  of  his 
community,  but  he  adliered  to  his  views  with 
the  firmness  characteristic  of  the  family  in  every 
relation.  Samuel  Dwiggins  Coffin  was  bom  in 
Guilford  county  and  in  early  life  found  employ- 
ment as  a  foundryman  and  machinist.  How- 
ever, his  tastes  inclined  toward  the  medical  pro- 
fession and  he  availed  himself  of  an  opportunity 
to  study  with  Dr.  Dougan  Clark  of  Greensboro, 
Guilford  county,  under  whose  preceptorship  he 
gained  his  primary  knowledge  of  the  science. 
Later  he  took  the  complete  course  of  study  in 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  M. 
D.  In  those  days  the  central  states  were  attract- 
ing the  great  bulk  of  emigration  and  he  followed 
the  drift  of  colonization  toward  the  Mississippi 
valley.  Settling  at  Bloomingdale,  Ind.,  he  soon 
built  up  an  excellent  practice  and  for  twenty 
years  he  lived  and  labored  among  the  sick  of 
that  region. 

Removing  from  Indiana  to  Kansas  Dr.  Sam- 
uel D.  Coffin  practiced  medicine  in  Leavenworth 
and  in  Lawrence  for  ten  years,  being  in  the  gov- 
ernment service  under  the  old  system  of  caring 
for  the  Indians.  His  brother,  William  G.,  was 
superintendent  of  the  central  district  of  Indian 
afl^airs  and  he  acted  as  physician  in  the  same  dis- 
trict. On  retiring  from  active  professional  work 
he  left  Kansas  and  in  i8go  settled  in  California, 
where  he  lived  in  quiet  contentment,  enjoying  a 
well-earned  relaxation  from  the  arduous  duties 
incident  to  his  profession.  In  this  city  his  death 
occurred  on  Christmas  day  of  1903,  when  he 
was  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  From  his  an- 
cestors he  had  inherited  the  religious  faith  of 
the  Friends,  to  which  society  he  adhered  through- 
out all  of  his  life.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maid- 
en name  of  Mary  A.  Newlin,  was  bom  in  North 
Carolina  and  now  resides  at  Whittier,  aged 
eighty-three  years.  In  religion  she  is  connected 
with  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  in  that  faith  she 
carefully  reared  her  children.     Of  the  six  sons 


632 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIC.VL  RECORD. 


and  daughters  comprising  her  family  only  John 
E.  and  William  Vestal  now  survive.  The  latter 
was  born  at  New  Garden,  Guilford  county,  N.  C., 
March  31,  1857,  and  received  excellent  advan- 
tages in  an  Indiana  school  conducted  by  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  this  institution  being  Earlham 
College,  from  which,  in  1877,  he  was  graduated. 
Immediately  afterward  he  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine  in  Miami  Medical  College,  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1880  with 
the  degree  of  M.  D.,  and  an  excellent  standing 
in  class  work. 

On  opening  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his 
profession  Dr.  Coffin  settled  in  Fairmount,  Kans., 
where  he  remained  until  1882,  and  then  accepted 
an  appointment  as  resident  physician  to  the  Nez 
Perces  Indians  in  northern  Idaho.  After  eigh- 
teen months  at  that  agency  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Indian  training  school  at  Forest  Grove,  Ore. 
Soon  after  taking  up  that  work  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  school  and  superintended 
its  removal  to  Chemawa  near  Salem,  Ore.,  where 
he  remained  as  superintendent  for  two  years. 
Upon  a  change  in  the  national  administration  he 
resigned  his  position  and  returned  to  Kansas, 
settling  in  Lawrence.  From  there  in  1890  he 
came  to  California  and  opened  an  office  in  \M.-\h- 
tier,  where  from  1894  to  the  present  time,  with 
a  .short  intermission,  he  has  been  connected  with 
the  state  school  as  physician  and  assistant  super- 
tendent.  Like  his  forefathers  he  is  of  the  Quak- 
er faith,  firm  in  his  allegiance  to  the  doctrines 
of  that  society.  In  politics  he  stanchly  advocates 
Republican  principles.  His  marriage  took  place 
in  Richmond,  Ind.,  in  1897,  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Sarah  Nicholson.  Their  family  comprises 
three  children,  Mary  Louise,  William  Tristram 
and  Samuel  Timothv. 


REV.  WILLIAM  O.  WOOD.  The  history 
of  the  Wood  family  dates  back  to  Belgium,  and 
can  be  traced  in  direct  line  to  Theofilus  Wood, 
who  landed  at  Plymouth  Rock  December  22, 
1620.  By  his  marriage  with  Lucinda  Flood,  the 
family  is  traced  through  their  son  Abner,  born 
July  4,  1626 ;  James,  September  6,  1653  :  Samuel, 
August  10,  1680;  Simeon,  January  i,  1710; 
Louis,  April  6,  1740:  Abner,  March  17,  1765. 
The  marriage  of  Abner  Wood  with  Rebecca 
Campbell  resulted  in  the  birth  of  the  following 
children:  Daniel,  born  July  i,  1790;  Nathaniel 
and  Lucy,  born  August  30,  1792:  Theofilus  and 
Elizabeth,  July  28,  1796;  Abner  B.,  born  in  New 
York  City,  October  16,  1798:  Samuel  C,  born 
March  13,  1800;  Rebecca  Wood  Bennett,  Fe1>- 
ruary  25,  1802:  Simeon,  September  7,  1804; 
Plioebe  Wood  Morris,  September  9,  1806;  Emil.\- 
Wood  White,  February  13,  1809;  Eliza  Wood 
Coryell,   July    19,    1811,   and    Gilbert    September 


26,  1813.  In  \'irginia,  November  6,  1821,  oc- 
curred the  marriage  of  Abner  Benjamin  \Vood 
and  Nancy  Stone  Calvert,  and  born  to  them  were 
the  following  children:  Mary  Jane,  born  August 
20,  1822;  Mills  Calvert,  July  15,  1824;  William 
Otterbien,  July  28,  1826;  George  Dolson,  Jan- 
uary 21,  1829;  Lucy  Ann,  May  17,  1831  ;  Ira  IJ. 
March  5,  1833:  Hulda  N.,  March  22,  1835;  Job 
K.,  June  13,  1S37;  and  Abner  B.,  September  30, 
1839.  In  Alarshall,  III,  January  2,  1852,  was 
celebrated  the  marriage  of  William  Otterbien 
Wood  and  Sarah  Jane  Marrs,  and  all  of  their 
children  were  born  in  Illinois,  although  they  are 
now  residents  of  California.  Named  in  order  of 
birth  their  children  are  as  follows :  Mary,  who 
is  now  the  widow  of  J.  K.  Newman,  and  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Clara  and  Willie ;  Sarah, 
who  is  the  wife  of  A.  L.  Gordon,  by  whom  she 
became  the  mother  of  two  children,  Anita  and 
Fred,  the  latter  passing  away  at  the  age  of  nine 
years ;  William  F.,  who  is  a  rancher,  and  a 
deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church  in  his  home  town 
in  San  Luis  Obispo  county ;  and  Ben  M.,  who 
makes  his  home  on  the  old  home  place. 

The  pioneers  of  X'entura  county  remember 
with  grateful  pride  the  name  and  accomplish- 
ments of  the  late  Rev.  William  O.  Wood,  one 
of  the  stanch  upbuilders  of  the  best  interests 
of  this  section  of  the  state  since  1868,  when  he 
located  permanently  in  California.  When  Mr. 
Wood  came  west  he  brought  with  him  the  highest 
attributes  of  manhood,  inherited  from  a  line  of 
ancestors  prominent  in  the  early  public  afifairs 
of  the  nation  and  as  pioneer  settlers  of  Ohio. 
He  was  born  in  ^Scioto  county,  that  state,  July  28, 
1826,  and  there  he  spent  the  years  of  his  boyhood 
alternating  home  duties  on  the  paternal  farm  with 
an  attendance  of  the  public  schools.  Of  a  stu- 
dious nature  he  secured  the  best  training  afforded 
by  that  dav.  and  when,  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  the  burden  of  the  family  fell  upon  himself 
and  older  brother  through  the  death  of  both  par- 
ents, he  found  himself  equal  to  the  occasion. 
With  his  parents  he  moved  to  Clark  countv.  III. 
and  from  that  point  Mr.  Wood  offered^  his  ser- 
vices in  the  Alexican  war,  but  owing  to  the  regi- 
ment being  filled  he  was  not  needed. 

In  1849  ^Ir.  Wood  and  his  older  brother  be- 
came members  of  a  band  of  one  hundred  men 
who  set  out  for  California — the  wonderful  El- 
dorado that  was  attracting  the  attention  of  the 
entire  world — their  journey  being  made  by 
means  of  the  slow-moving  ox  teams  over  the 
desert,  and  plains.  October  8  of  the  same  year 
found  them  at  their  journey's  end  in  spite  of 
many  hardships  and  dangers,  chief  among  which 
were  the  ravages  made  bv  the  dread  disease  of 
cholera.  L^pon  his  arrival  in  the  state  Mr. 
Wood  at  once  sought  work  in  the  mininsr  regions 
and   for  several  years   followed  this  occupation. 


o^^^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


635 


but  not  meeting  witli  the  success  anticipated 
eventuall)-  retunic'l  in  \u>  liijuie  in  Illinois.  'I  here, 
January  2,  1852,  he  married  Sarah  Jane  Marrs, 
daughter  of  Represeniaiive  Alarrs  of  Kentucky, 
and  together  they  estabhshed  a  home  which  re- 
mained in  that  location  for  the  ensuing  sixteen 
years. 

Mr.  Wood  came  to  Cahfornia  the  second  time 
in  1868,  bringing  with  him  his  wife  and  children 
with  the  intention  of  making  this  state  his  per- 
manent home.  In  Sutter  county  they  remained 
for  two  years  and  one  year  on  the  Kings  river, 
after  which  he  came  to  \'entura  county  (then 
a  part  of  Santa  Barbara  county),  and  here  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  the  old  colonial  ranch, 
which  became  the  nucleus  for  the  vast  property 
which  he  accumulated.  His  home  remained  in 
this  location  throughout  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  the  improvements  marking  the  years  with  the 
evidence  of  the  owner's  thought  and  effort.  The 
residence  which  lie  erected  is  a  place  of  comfort 
and  elegance,  being  surrounded  with  beautiful 
trees  and  shrubbery,  plants  and  flowers,  all  con- 
tr'butive  to  make  of  this  estate  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  in  Southern  California.  Mr.  Wood- 
was  eminently  successful  in  his  efforts  and  ac- 
cjuired  means  which  he  immediately  invested  in 
other  lands,  manifesting  his  faith  in  the  future 
of  Ventura  county,  until  at  the  time  of  his  death 
he  owned  about  two  thousand  acres  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Springville,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  the  celery  district  of  Orange  county,  near  New- 
port, and  thirty  thousand  acres  in  the  state  of 
Durango,  Mexico.  With  the  increase  of  his  large 
landed  interests  he  also  invested  considerable 
means  in  improvements  which  not  only  enhanced 
the  value  of  his  own  property,  but  that  of  the 
section  as  well.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to  the  general  welfare  of  the 
communit\-  in  which  he  made  his  home  and  was 
always  accounted  one  of  tlie  most  liberal  and 
enterprising  citizens. 

Not  alone  successful  in  his  personal  aft"airs, 
Mr.  Wood  gave  freely  of  his  time  and  talents  to 
those  about  him  in  a  strong,  earnest  effort  to- 
ward their  moral  welfare.  While  a  resident  of 
Illinois  he  was  ordained  a  minister  in  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  and  during  his  remaining  years  in 
the  middle  west  he  filled  several  pulpits  in  the 
church.  After  locating  in  California  he  con- 
tinued his  religious  work,  in  1 87 1  holding  services 
where  the  citv  of  Santa  Paula  now  stands,  and 
in  1878  organizing  a  congregation  at  Spring- 
ville. Mr.  Wood  was  instrumental  in  securing 
the  erection  of  the  first  Baptist  house  of  worship 
in  Ventura  countv,  the  land  being  deeded  by 
ex-United  States  Senator  Bard,  while  Mr.  Wood 
paid  off  the  remaining  debt  of  $600  just  before 
dedication  of  the  building.  Up  to  the  time  of  his 
demise  the   church   continued   under  his   leader- 


ship, its  charities  ably  sustained,  its  principles 
broadly  advocated.  Mr.  Wood  merited  the  pro- 
found respect  and  esteem  in  which  he  was  univer- 
sally held,  for  his  every  eft'ort  in  life  was  to 
advance  the  moral,  mental  and  physical  welfare 
of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His 
death,  which  occurred  August  23,  1905,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine  years,  removed  from  the 
community  a  citizen  of  unusual  worth  and  abil- 
ity, a  man  of  recognized  breadth  of  mind  and 
the  most  humane  qualities  of  heart,  a  friend  to 
the  friendless  and  one  who  never  failed  to  hold 
out  his  hand  to  all  in  need.  He  had  won  for 
himself  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  his'  neighbors 
who  revere  and  honor  his  memory  for  the  goofl 
he  tried  to  do. 


MRS.  DORA  CZERXY.  The  family  rep- 
resented by  Mrs.  Czerny  of  Long  Beach  is 
of  Teutonic  origin  and  still  has  its  representa- 
tives in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  where  for 
many  years  her  father,  Christian  Goebelhoft", 
held  an  important  and  responsible  position  as 
manager  of  the  distributing  department  of  a 
government  newspaper  published  in  Hanover. 
While  still  an  active  factor  in  journalistic  af- 
fairs he  died  in  1871,  at  fifty  years  of  age,  be- 
ing survived  by  his  wife,  Christine  (Broenier) 
Goebelhoft',  who  attained  the  age  of  sixty-fi\-e 
years  and  died  in  1886.  Leaving  her  native 
place  in  Hanover  when  but  a  young  girl  of 
eighteen  years.  Miss  Dora  Goebelhoff  crossed 
the  ocean  to  the  new  world  and  after  a  so- 
journ of  six  months  in  Baltimore  settled  in 
New  York  City.  During  her  residence  in  the 
metropolis,  in  1865  she  became  the  wife  of 
Charles  E.  Czerny,  who  was  born  in  Austria, 
but  came  to  the  United  States  at  an  early  age. 
Ten  children  were  born  of  their  union,  but 
eight  of  the  number  died  in  childhood  and 
Minnie  lived  only  until  twenty,  passing  away 
at  Long  Beach  October  15,  1891.  The  only 
surviving  member  of  the  family  is  a.  son. 
Charles  G.,  now  living  in  Seattle,  Wash.,  and 
engaged  in  business  in  that  city. 

Repeated  bereavements  have  left  Mrs. 
Czerny  almost  whollv  alone  in  the  world :  yet, 
though  suffering  the  agony  of  seeing  her  chil- 
dren taken  from  her  one  by  one  until  now^  one 
alone  survives,  she  did  not  allow  her  troubles 
to  blight  her  life  or  lessen  her  courage.  Left 
to  struggle  unaided  in  the  effort  to  gain  a  live- 
lihood, she  buried  her  .sorrow^s  in  the  graves 
of  her  children  and  with  a  calm  and  steady 
faith  bravely  faced  a  solitary  future.  After 
having  spent  sixteen  years  in  New  York  and 
Jersey  City  she  came  west  about  1882  and 
for  four  years  remained  in  San  Francisco, 
from    which    city    she    came    to    Long   Beach 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


March  17,  1887,  and  secured  a  position  as 
housekeeper  in  the  Long  Beach  hotel.  Three 
months  later  she  rented  a  bathhouse  belong- 
ing to  the  hotel  company  and  located  at  the 
foot  of  American  avenue ;  this  enterprise  she 
managed  for  fourteen  years.  Later  for  two 
years  she  managed  the  surf  bathhouse  located 
under  the  pier,  and  in  July,  1904,  built  the 
East  Side  bathhouse  on  the  sand,  in  a  location 
suitable  for  surf  bathing.  By  the  side  of  the 
bathhouse  she  has  erected  a  modern  cottage 
of  six  rooms,  where  she  makes  her  home,  and 
in  addition  she  owns  two  cottages  and  a  twelve 
room  house  on  East  Ocean  avenue  containing 
all  the  modern  improvements  and  conven- 
iences. Since  making  her  first  purchase  of 
property  in  1891  she  has  handled  considerable 
real  estate,  buying,  vatant  lots,  improving 
them  with  cottages  and  then  selling  at  a  fair 
profit.  Energetic,  capable  and  resourceful,  by 
her  unaided  eiiforts  she  has  gained  a  com- 
mendable degree  of  business  success  and  has 
proved  what  it  is  within  the  power  of  a  woman 
to  accomplish  under  adverse  circumstances. 
Domestic  cares  and  business  responsibilities 
prevented  her  from  enjoymg  the  pleasures  of 
travel  and  recreation  until  quite  recently, 
when  she  made  a  trip  to  Germany  and  visited 
again  the  scenes  familiar  to  her  girlhood. 


HARRIE  CLAYTON  KNAPR  One  who 
through  natural  gifts  and  training  has  been  led 
to  select  electrical  engineering  as  his  vocation  in 
life  may  be  congratulated  upon  his  choice,  for  its 
possibilities  seem  indefinite,  each  day  revealing 
new  wonders  and  accomplishments  of  which  the 
father  of  electricity  had  no  thought.  From  the 
time  of  his  graduation  as  a  mechanical  and 
electrical  engineer  in  1881  until  1904  Mr.  Knapp 
had  given  his  efforts  almost  exclusively  to  work 
along  this  line,  and  it  was  with  this  practical 
knowledge  that  in  April  of  1904  he  entered) 
the  employ  of  the  California  Portland  Cement 
Company  as  superintendent  of  power. 

The  ancestry  of  the  Knapp  family  can  be 
traced  in  direct  line  to  the  great-great-grand- 
father, who  was  of  Holland-Dutch  extraction, 
and  as  a  participant  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
fought  nobly  in  behalf  of  the  colonies.  The  son 
of  the  latter  had  inherited  in  a  large  measure  the 
patriotic  spirit  of  his  sire,  for  in  the  war  of  1812 
he  rose  from  the  ranks  until  he  was  made 
colonel  of  his  regiment.  The  martial  tendencies 
of  two  generations  fell  to  the  grandfather,  who 
though  well  advanced  in  years  at  the  time  of 
the  Civil  war,  performed  well  his  part  in  bring- 
ing hostilities  to  a  close.  For  many  generations 
the  family  had  lived  and  flourished  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  it  w^is  in  that  state  that  the  father, 


Coleman  F.  Knapp,  was  born  and  reared.  He 
was  a  chemist  and  a  manufacturer  of  perfumery 
in  Philadelphia,  and  there  his  death  occurred. 
During  his  young  manhood  he  had  married  the 
woman  of  his  choice.  Miss  Margaret  Bowes, 
who  was  a  descendant  of  French  antecedents, 
and  like  himself  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Bowes,  who  by  trade 
was  a  manufacturer  of  furniture.  Mrs.  Knapp 
is  still  living  and  now  makes  her  home  in  Los 
Angeles. 

Of  the  eight  children  who  originally  gathered 
around  the  parental  fireside  H.  C.  Knapp  is  the 
eldest  and  all  are  living  with  one  exception. 
Born  in  Philadelphia  February  11,  1862.  his 
early  years  were  spent  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  city,  a  later  privilege  awaiting  him 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1881,  having  taken  the  course 
in  mechanical  and  electrical  engineering.  With 
the  opening  of  the  next  term  he  matriculated  as 
a  student  in  the  post-graduate  course,  complet- 
ing it  three  years  later.  The  following  year, 
1885,  he  secured  a  position  with  the  United 
States  Electric  Illuminating  Company,  working 
up  from  the  lowest  round  of  the  ladder.  Such 
was  his  devotion  to  the  duties  which  fell  to  him 
that  in  two  years  he  felt  himself  in  a  position 
to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account,  so 
frugally  had  he  saved  his  earnings.  For  one 
year  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  paper 
boxes  in  Philadelphia,  and  after  spending  one 
year  in  Chicago,  once  more  resumed  business 
in   his   native   city. 

Mr.  Knapp's  identification  with  the  west  dates 
from  July,  1892,  at  which  time  he  went  to  Port- 
land, Ore.,  where  he  became  interested  financially 
with  the  Ainslee  Lumber  Company.  A  devastat- 
ing fire  reduced  the  plant  to  ashes  some  time 
later  and  he  lost  all  that  he  had  put  into  it.  After 
this  experience  he  came  to  California  in  1895, 
locating  in  San  Francisco,  where  for  a  time  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  Land  of  Sunshine 
Company.  It  was  at  this  point  in  his  career 
that  a  favorable  opening  in  the  line  of  his  pro- 
fessional training  came  to  him  and  he  availed 
himself  of  the  opportunity.  As  electrical  en- 
gineer he  had  entire  charge  of  the  survey  for 
the  first  electrical  railroad  in  the  Yosemite 
valley,  to  run  from  Merced  to  Yosemite.  How- 
ever, this  railroad  was  never  built.  Three  years 
later  he  went  to  Los  Angeles,  and  as  traveling 
engineer  in  the  employ  of  the  Anglo-American 
Company  had  charge  of  the  company's  plants 
at  San  Bernardino,  Redondo  and  Phoenix, 
Ariz.,  as  chief  engineer.  As  assistant  chief  en- 
gineer of  the  Redlands  Electrical  Company  he 
was  stationed  at  Mill  Creek  canon  for  a  time, 
later  accepting  a  position  with  the  San  Bernardino 
Valley  Traction  Company,  his  duties  consisting 


{^"acH.'v^-^^  (^.  ;/^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


639 


entirely  in  the  installation  of  new  machinery,  and 
he  had  the  honor  of  running  the  first  car  sent 
out  liy  the  company.  A  later  position  was  with 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  where 
as  in  his  former  position  he  assisted  in  the  instal- 
lation of  the  electrical  apparatus  in  the  company's 
new  shops.  It  was  in  April  of  1904  that  he 
assumed  the  duties  of  his  present  position  as 
superintendent  of  power  with  the  California 
Portland  Cement  Company.  His  wide  range  of 
experience  in  electrical  engineering  makes  his 
services  invaluable  to  the  company,  who  re- 
cognize and  appreciate  this  fact  in  a  substantial 
way. 

Mr.  Knapp  has  a  pleasant  residence  in  Colton, 
which  is  presided  over  by  his  capable  wife,  who 
before  her  marriage  was  Miss  Marie  Thompson. 
She  was  born  in  Lincoln,  Neb.,  and  her  marriage 
was  celebrated  in  .San  Bernardino.  In  his  poli- 
tical preferences  Mr.  Knapp  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  his  religious  connections  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  Church,  which  he  is  now  serv- 
ing in  the  capacity  of  vestr}-man.  The  only 
fraternal  order  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  while  in  the  line  of  his 
profession  he  holds  membership  in  the  American 
Society  of  Electrical  Engineers. 


D.  R.  FOSS.  Although  the  period  of  his 
residence  in  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley  was  lim- 
ited to  fourteen  years,  Mr.  Foss  is  remem- 
bered by  all  of  the  older  settlers  of  the  region 
and  the  regret  was  universal  when  death  ter- 
minated his  activities.  Twenty  years  have 
come  and  gone  since  he  passed  away ;  new 
faces  and  new  names  betoken  the  changes 
which  the  years  in  their  flight  bring  to  every 
community ;  new  towns  have  sprung  up,  im- 
provements have  been  made  possessing  per- 
manent value,  and  prosperity  has  set  its  seal 
upon  the  county  whose  earlier  and  less  pros- 
perous days  were  familiar  to  him.  In  the 
midst  of  these  changes  his  family  remain  in 
the  community  where  he  lived  and  labored  and 
where  now,  as  then,  they  occup}'  an  honored 
position  as  pioneers  and  prominent  citizens. 

A  native  of  New  Hampshire,  Mr.  Foss  was 
born  at  Sandwich.  November  22,  1832,  and 
at  an  early  age  accompanied  his  family  to 
Maine,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools. 
On  starting  out  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  he 
took  up  farm  pursuits  and  became  the  owner 
of  a  tract  of  land  in  Maine,  but  this  he  sold 
upon  deciding  to  remove  to  the  Pacific  coast. 
His  first  location  in  the  west  was  in  Marin 
countv,  Cal.,  where  he  became  interested  in 
the  dairv  business  and  w-here  for  a  number  of 
vears  he'  made  his  home.  From  there  he  went 
to  a  ranch  in  Xapa  county  and  afterward  con- 


ducted a  commission  business  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, from  which  city  he  came  to  San  Diego 
county  in  1872  and  settled  in  the  San  Luis 
Rey  valley.  From  that  time  he  was  inter- 
ested in  general  farming,  stock-raising  and  the 
dairy  industry,  and  also  he  took  an  active  part 
in  local  affairs.  A  leader  among  the  Republi- 
cans of  his  locality,  he  was  by  them  chosen  as 
delegate  to  the  State  Republican  convention  at 
Sacramento,  where  he  was  prominent  in  the 
councils  of  the  party.  On  the  party  ticket  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  county  board  of 
supervisors  and  justice  of  the  peace,  both  of 
which  positions  he  filled  with  intelligence  and 
impartiality.  Before  coming  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia he  was  identified  with  the  blue  lodge  of 
Masonry  at  Petaluma  and  later  he  transferred 
his  membership  to  the  San  Diego  lodge.  In 
religion  he  sympathized  with  the  doctrines  and 
work  of  the  Baptist  denoniination,  but  was 
broad  in  his  views  and  rejoiced  in  the  prosper- 
ity of  every  worthy  movement,  whatever  its 
name  and  creed.  Ere  yet  old  age  had  come 
to  dim  his  vision  or  enfeeble  his  frame,  he 
passed  away  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four 
years. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Foss  in  1853  united 
him  with  Miss  Rebecca  A.  Libby,  member 
of  an  honored  and  influential  pioneer  family 
of  San  Diego  county.  Five  children  were  born 
of  their  union,  two  of  whom,  Elizabeth  and 
Benjamin  H.,  died  in  infancy.  The  eldest 
daughter,  Florence  Ada,  married  O.  S.  Stew- 
art and  resides  in  DeLuz,  San  Diego  county. 
The  only  living  son,  Albert  J.,  makes  his  home 
at  Corona ;  he  married  Miss  Hattie  NeiT  (now 
deceased)  and  has  six  children.  The  young- 
est daughter,  Lillian  E.,  is  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Grifiin,  of  Anaheim,  Orange  county,  and 
they  have  six  children. 

On  another  page  of  this  volume  will  be 
found  a  sketch  of  Benjamin  F.  Libby,  a  broth- 
er of  Mrs.  Foss;  another  brother,  William 
E.,  resides  at  Long  Beach  and  is  engaged  in 
dairy  farming.  The  father,  William  E.,  Sr., 
was  born  and  reared  in  Maine,  but  in  an  early 
day  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  later  became 
a  pioneer  of  Iowa,  whence  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia accompanied  by  his  wife.  Settling  in 
the  San  Luis  Rey  valley  he  entered  a  large 
tract  of  government  land  and  eventually  he 
gave  to  his  daughter.  Mrs.  Foss,  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  where  now  she  makes 
her  home.  Politically  INIr.  Libby  supported 
the  Republican  party  from  its  organization  un- 
til his  death.  A  man  of  large  heart  and  gen- 
erous impulses,  he  was  a  friend  to  every  pio- 
neer, and  more  than  one  had  occasion  to  be 
grateful  to  him  for  kindnesses  quietly  rend- 
ered in  a  time  of  need.     In  his  death,  which 


640 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


occurred  in  i88c,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years, 
the  county  lost  a  whole-souled  and  broad- 
minded  pioneer.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Catherine  Higgins  and  was 
born  in  Maine,  died  in  San  Diego  county  in 
1878,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  jears.  To 
their  descendants  they  left  the  memory  of  self- 
sacrificing  toil,  high  principles  of  honor  and 
the  kindly  hospitality  that  characterizes  the 
pioneer. 


WILLIAM  RILEY  DODSON.  An  inter- 
ested witness  and  participant  in  the  develop- 
ment and  upbuilding  of  Los  Angeles  county 
and  particularly  the  countrx-  surrounding  El 
Monte,  has  been  ^^'illiam  Riley  Dodson,  now 
the  oldest  settler  of  the  town  and  a  pioneer 
whose  history  is  as  entertaining  as  that  which 
tells  of  the  progress  of  the  western  common- 
wealth. He  is  of  southern  birth,  having  been 
born  in  Crawford  county.  Ark.,  .September  3, 
1839,  a  son  of  Ganum  Magby  Dodson,  the  lat- 
ter a  native  of  Virginia,  whose  father  was  a 
planter  in  that  state,  where  the  name  had 
been  established  generations  before  by  an 
English  ancestor.  Ganum  M.  Dodson  mar- 
ried in  Kentuck}-  in  1832.  and  removed  to 
Missouri  the  follciwing  }car,  locating  on  the 
Sauk  river,  where  he  remained  for  four  years, 
then  settled  in  Arkansas.  The  place  that  is 
now  the  town  of  Van  Buren  was  then  only  a 
wilderness,  and  in  this  he  established  his 
home,  clearing  the  land,  building  a  house 
and  improving  a  farm.  In  1863  he  lo- 
cated for  a  time  in  Texas,  but  soon 
returned  to  Arkansas  and  in  Little  Rock 
spent  his  last  days,  dying  in  i8('i''i.  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  His  wife  was  fornurlx  Maggie 
Thompson,  who  was  born  in  Christian  county. 
Ky.,  in  1815,  a  member  of  a  prominent  pioneer 
family  of  that  state,  two  of  her  brothers  serv- 
ing in  the  war  of  1812.  She  died  in  Arkansas 
in  1870,  leaving  a  famity  of  eight  children,  all 
of  whom  attained  maturity,  while  but  three 
are  now  living. 

William  Riley  Dodson,  the  only  member  of 
the  family  in  California,  was  reared  to  young 
manhood  in  Arkansas,  attending  school  in  the 
primitive  log  cabins  of  the  day  and  obtaining 
what  education  he  could  under  the  disadvan- 
tages of  the  early  days.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1861.  when  he  enlisted  in  Company 
B,  Third  Regiment  Arkansas  Infantry,  known 
as  Gratiot's  Brigade.  He  was  shortly  pro- 
uKDted  to  a  lieutenancy  and  later  was  made 
captain  of  Company  A,  serving  under  Col. 
John  B.  Clark  until  the  close  of  hostilities. 
He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Springfield, 
Mo.,  where  he  received  a  saber  wound  in  his 


left  wrist:  Elk  Horn;  Prairie  Grove,  and  nu- 
merous others,  at  Fayetteville  receiving  a 
shot  through  his  upper  left  arm  which  broke 
it.  His  comrades  bound  up  the  arm  and  he 
rode  six  himdred  miles  to  Texas  with  it  in  a 
sling;  unfortunately  the  limbs  of  trees  struck 
it  with  such  force  that  it  was  broken  over 
again.  In  Rockwall,  Tex.,  the  regiment  was 
disbanded  by  Gen.  Joe  Shelby.  In  Lavaca 
county,  Tex.,  IMr.  Dodson  received  medical 
treatment,  and  after  his  arm  recovered  he 
went  to  work  as  a  teamster,  running  a  six- 
mule  team  to  Galveston  until  1868,  and  mak- 
ing $8,000  in  the  three  years.  With  the  pro- 
ceeds of  his  work  he  came  to  California  over- 
land, with  two  others  driving  sixteen  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  which  they  sold  to  the  govern- 
ment on  the  Rio  Grande.  He  located  at  once 
in  El  Monte,  wlvich  he  reached  September  28 
of  that  year,  purchased  a  farm  ten  miles  be- 
low the  town  and  began  agricultural  pursuits. 
After  five  }-ears  he  sold  out  and  purchased 
])roperty  in  El  !\Ionte,  which  he  has  been 
farming  ever  since.  In  1880  he  became  pro- 
prietor of  the  El  I\Ionte  hotel,  which  had  been 
built  by  his  father-in-law,  W.  L.  Jones,  in 
1870,  ■  and  continued  its  management  until 
1905,  when  he  sold  out  and  has  since  given 
his  entire  time  to  the  management  of  his 
ranch.  This  consists  of  forty-eight  acres, 
three  acres  of  which  were  devoted  to  a  subdi- 
vision, known  as  the  Dodson  addition,  and  on 
which  he  owns  five  residences,  while  he  also 
owns  two  residences  on  Mission  street,  one 
store  building  and  a  residence  on  Main  street, 
and  one  on  Lexington  street.  The  home  prop- 
erty is  owned  by  his  wife.  He  has  two  pump- 
ing plants,  one  used  for  irrigation  and  the 
ctlier  for  domestic  water  supply  for  El  ?\Ionte. 
In  addition  to  the  property  already  mentioned 
he  also  owns  a  business  house  in  Puente. 

In  Texas  Mr.  Dodson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Clarimon  C.  Jones,  a  native 
of  Talladega  county,  Ala.,  and  a  daughter  of 
W.  L.  Jones,  a  pioneer  of  El  i\fonte,  who  died 
here.  Mrs.  Dodson  died  here,  leaving  six 
children,  namely;  William  B.,  of  San  Pedro; 
May,  wife  of  Dr.  Bragg  Mings,  of  Los  An- 
geles :  E.  J.  and  C.  B.,  twins,  the  former  a 
contractor  of  Los  Angeles,  and  the  latter  lo- 
cated in  Oakland,  Cal. ;  W.  L.,  a  business  man 
of  El  Monte ;  and  Foster,  at  home.  One  son. 
Thomas  K.,  died  in  infancy  some  years  before 
the  mother.  Air.  Dodson  was  married  the 
second  time  to  Mrs.  Minerva  (Johnston) 
Blacklc^•,  a  nati\e  of  Missouri  and  a  daughter 
of  Micajah  Johnston,  who  built  the  first  house 
and  blacksmith  shop  in  what  is  now  El  Monte 
in  1852  :  in  1884  he  sold  out  and  the  follow- 
ing year  died  in  Savannah.     Mr.  Dodson  is  a 


^x:/^:u.»*^c^  ^/^2i^v<^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(J4:5 


member  fraternally  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  A\"orkmen,  and  the  Los  Angeles  Coun- 
ty Pioneers,  while  politically  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  having  served  for  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  connty  central  commit- 
tee. On  all  matters  of  public  import  Mr.  Dod- 
son  has  taken  a  keen  -interest,  and  is  always 
counted  upon  to  promote  movements  for  the 
benefit  of  community,  county,  state  or  nation. 


HON.  SAMUEL  T.  BLACK.  The  presi- 
dent of  the  San  Diego  State  Normal  School 
is  a  descendant  of  an  old  Scotch  family  and  its 
sole  American  representative  of  his  genera- 
tion. From  Scotland  the  family  became  trans- 
planted into  England,  where  he  was  born  in 
Ctmiberland  May  20,  1846,  being  fifth  in  or- 
der of  birth  among  the  ten  children  of  James 
and  Elspeth  (Thorburn)  Black,  natives  re- 
spectivei}'  of  the  city  of  Glasgow  and  the  shire 
of  Dumfries,  Scotland.  His  father  (whose 
mother  was  a  member  of  the  ]\IcLean  family 
of  ancient  Celt  origin)  learned  the  trade  of  a 
mechanical  engineer  and  for  3'ears  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  iron,  but  eventually  re- 
tired from  business  cares.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  remained  in  England  until  their  death. 
Only  two  of  their  once  large  family  still  sur- 
vive, and  of  these  Samuel  T.,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  article,  has  become  one  of  the 
leading  educators  of  the  Pacific  coast.  ^Vith 
the  advantages  of  a  thorough  education  in 
the  common-school  branches  and  a  later  study 
of  the  higher  branches,  in  1859  '^^  began  to 
prepare  himself  for  teaching  and  meanwhile 
gained  active  experience  by  work  as  an  ap- 
prentice teacher.  During  1864  he  became  an 
employe  in  fne  offices  and  factory  of  his  uncle, 
William  Tlinrbnrn,  an  extensive  manufacturer 
of  pig  i'-on,  iiniler  wliose  oversight  he  gained 
a  general  business  education. 

The  memorable  era  of  1849  'I'lcl  broug-ht  to 
California,  aniong  thousands  of  other  gold- 
seekers,  a  young  Scotchman,  John  Thorburn, 
an  uncle  of  Professor  Black.  Eor  some  time 
the  family  were  kept  posted  concerning  his 
whereabouts  but  in  1867  it  had  been  eleven 
3'-ears  since  any  letter  had  been  received  from 
him.  Doubtless  the  opportunities  offered  by 
the  new  world  would  have  attracted  the 
nephew  in  any  event,  but  the  desire  to  find 
his  uncle  presented  a  special  inducement  for 
emigration,  and  in  1867  he  crossed  the  ocean 
to  tile  Ignited  StatP'^,  where  he  found  his  uncle 
at  Mineral  Point,  A\'i'^.  While  visiting  in  that 
town  he  becnme  interested  in  California 
through  the  tales  of  early  days  told  by  his 
uncle.'  and  after  having  taught  one  term  of 
school  at  ^Mineral  Point,  in  the  spring  of  1868 


he  came  to  the  western  coast  and  settled  in 
Yuba  county.  For  one  year  he  taught  a  rural 
school  at  Indian  ranch  and  then  taught  for 
three  years  at  Camptonville,  receiving  $100 
j>er  month  as  compensation  for  instructing 
seventy-five  pupils,  without  the  aid  of  an  as- 
sistant. The  children  were  of  all  school  ages, 
from  the  pupils  of  the  primary  grades  to  those 
preparing  for  the  university. 

For  some  years  after  1873  Professor  Black 
acted  as  principal  of  the  Chico  schools  and 
then  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  county 
superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Butte  county, 
to  which  he,  a  pronounced  Republican,  had 
been  appointed  by  the  Democratic  board  of 
county  supervisors.  On  the  completion  of  the 
term  as  county  superintendent  he  removed  to 
Susanville,  Lassen  county,  where  he  was  prin- 
cipal of  schools  for  two  years.  During  the 
three  following  years  he  filled  the  position  of 
principal  of  the  Hollister  schools.  From  1881 
until  T886he  was  principal  of  the  Durant  gram-  ' 
mar  school  in  Oakland,  but  resigned  in  the 
latter  year  to  take  up  work  as  chief  deputy 
county  clerk  of  Alameda  county,  and  contin- 
ued in  the  latter  capacity  for  eighteen  months. 
Meanwhile  he  had  given  especial  attention  to 
ihe  study  of  law  and  as  early  as  1879  ^'^'^'^^  been 
admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  supreme  court.  At 
one  time  he  had  planned  to  engage  actively 
in  practice,  but  the  splendid  record  which  he 
has  made  as  an  educator  proves  that  the  world 
of  pedagogy  would  have  lost  one  of  its  most 
brilliant  disciples  bad  his  ability  been  divert- 
ed from  educational  activities. 
,  After  having  become  a  resident  and  land- 
owner in  Ventura  county  Professor  Black  or- 
ganized at  Ventura  the  first  high  school  in 
the  state  between  Los  Angeles  and  Santa  . 
Cruz,  and  from  the  position  of  principal  he 
was  called  to  be  county  superintendent  of 
schools,  filling  the  ofifice  for  four  years.  Mean- 
while he  had  attained  eminence  as  a  capable 
teacher  and  progres'^ive  educator,  well  quali- 
fied for  the  responsible  duties  of  state  super- 
intendent of  schools,  to  which  position  he  was 
elected  in  1894  on  the  Renublican  ticket.  Dur- 
ing his  incumbency  of  that  important  office 
the  San  Diego  State  Normal  School  was 
founded  and  he  was  chosen  its  nresident.  On 
entering  upon  his  new  duties  in  1898  he  re- 
signed as  state  superintendent  and  has  since 
devoted  himself  to  the  welfare  of  the  institu- 
tion. Practically  the  first  vacation  of  his  long 
nnd  successful  educational  career  occurred  in 
T9o^,  during  which  vear  he  visited  relatives 
in  England  and  Scotland  ^nd  at  the  same 
time  st'idied  the  methods  of  instruction  adopt- 
ed in  British  schools.  Alwavs  deeplv  inter- 
ested  in   anv  movement   connected  with   edu- 


644 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cational  work,  as  early  as  1895  he  allied  him- 
self with  the  National  Educational  Associa- 
tion and  since  has  been  active  in  its  work. 
In  addition  he  holds  membership  with  the 
Schoolmasters'  Club  of  Los  Angeles  and  San 
Diego.  While  making  his  home  in  Camp- 
tonville  in  1872  he  was  made  a  Mason  and 
later  became  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  in 
Oakland,  also  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter  and 
Knight  Templar  Commandery  of  the  same 
city,  Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M. 
S.,  and  the  San  Diego  Consistory.  Since 
coming  to  San  Diego  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  city's  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Reared 
in  the  Presbyterian  faith  and  in  sympathy 
with  its  doctrines,  he  yet  has  the  breadth  of 
mind  and  soul  which  sees  the  good  in  all 
creeds  and  lends  a  helping  hand  to  move- 
ments for  the  upbuilding  of  the  race,  unhamp- 
ered in  his  sympathies  by  any  sectarian  bias. 
A  few  years  after  he  came  west  he  married 
Miss  Jennie  Craig,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Camptonville,  where  she  died.  The 
only  son  of  their  marriage  is  David  Thorburn 
Black,  who  is  engaged  in  business  in  San 
Francisco.  In  1887  Professor  Black  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  with  Miss  Pauline  Pelham, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  California  and 
died  here  while  still  a  young  woman,  leaving 
a  daughter.  Pauline  Thorburn  Black,  who  is 
now  a  student  in  the  San  Diego  State  Normal 
School  and  makes  her  home  with  her  father 
in  this  citv. 


SAN  DIEGO  STATE  NORMAL 
SCHOOL.  No  state  in  the  Union  surpasses 
California  in  the  care  exercised  and  the  pro- 
visions made  to  secure  the  highest  educational 
attainments  and  the  most  thorough  prepara- 
tion on  the  part  of  those  who  in  turn  would 
devote  their  lives  to  the  teaching  of  the  young. 
The  profession  of  an  educator,  than  which 
none  exists  of  greater  responsibility,  demands 
of  its  followers  a  training  radically  different 
from  that  required  by  other  professions  or  oc- 
cupations, and  thus  the  establishment  of  in- 
stitutions for  normal  work  meets  an  impera- 
tive necessity  of  modern  civilization.  In  or- 
der to  secure  normal  facilities  for  the  most 
southerly  section  of  tlie  commonwealth  many 
of  the  men  most  deeply  interested  in  educa- 
tional work  advocated  the  establishment  of  a 
normal  school  in  San  Diego,  and  after  consid- 
erable agitation  concerning  the  feasibility  of 
the  project  a  bill  was  presented  to  the  legis- 
lature and  duly  passed  creating  such  an  in- 
stitution, also  appropriating  $50,000  for  its 
maintenance.  At  the  time  of  the  signing  of 
the   act   by    Governor   Budd    ]\Iarch    13,    1897, 


he  chose  as  the  first  board  of  trustees  W.  R. 
Guy,  X'ictor  E.  Shaw,  T.  O.  Toland,  J.  L. 
Dryden  and  John  G.  North.  Upon  the  first 
meeting  of  the  board  a  few  months  after  its 
selection  W.  R.  Guy  was  chosen  chairman  and 
J.  L.  Dryden  secretary.  After  a  careful  in- 
spection of  various  sites  offered  for  the  insti- 
tution the  board  selected  sixteen  and  one- 
half  acres  in  the^  city  of  San  Diego,  tendered 
by  the  College  tlill  Land  Association.  Sub- 
sequent to  the  approval  of  the  deed  by  the  at- 
torney-general the  board  let  the  contract  for 
the  erection  of  the  central  portion  of  the  struc- 
ture, work  on  which  commenced  in  August, 
1898.  The  following  month  Hon.  Samuel  T. 
Black,  state  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, was  elected  president  of  the  school  by 
the  joint  board  of  normal  school  trustees  at 
a  special  meeting  held  in  Sacramento,  and 
Mr.  Black  immediatedly  resigned  his  position 
in  order  to  accept  his  new  responsibilities. 

The  first  corps  of  instructors,  selected  by 
the  executive  committee  October  27,  1898, 
comprised  the  following:  Jesse  D.  Burks,  A. 
B.,  A.  M.,  registrar ;  Emma  F.  Way,  pre- 
ceptress:  Alice  Edwards  Pratt,  Ph.  B.,  Ph. 
D. ;  David  P.  Barrows,  A.  B.,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D.; 
Arthur  W.  Greeley,  A.  B. ;  Florence  Derby, 
teacher  of  music ;  Sallie  S.  Crocker,  teacher  of 
drawing;  to  which  faculty  Miss  Helen  Bal- 
lard, A.  B.,  was  soon  added.  Pending  the 
erection  of  the  institution  temporary  quarters 
were  secured  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  F 
streets,  San  Diego,  where  the  school  opened 
November  i,  1898,  with  an  enrollment  of  nine- 
ty-one students.  The  corner-stone  of  the 
building  was  laid  December  10,  1898,  with  ap- 
propriate ceremonies;  and  May  i,  1899,  the 
central  portion  of  the  structure  was  dedicated. 
Later  the  two  wings  were  added,  thus  com- 
pleting a  structure  as  symmetrical  as  it  is 
convenient  and  comfortable.  Taking  advan- 
tage of  the  ample  grounds,  the  board  of  trus- 
tees spread  the  building  over  considerable 
space  and  made  it  only  two  stories  in  height, 
a  plan  that  has  proved  practical  and  success- 
ful. The  building  is  planned  so  that  each 
class-room,  recitation  room  and  office  is 
equipped  with  two  separate  air-shafts,  and 
the  library  and  assembly  rooms,  being  larger, 
have  four  such  shafts.  Each  room  was 
planned  with  its  ultimate  purpose  in  view. 
The  library,  Avith  its  seven  thousand  volumes 
and  standard  periodicals,  is  a  cheerful  and 
light  room.  A  room,  50x50  feet,  with  a  north- 
ern exposure,  is  utilized  for  drawing  and  man- 
ual training,  and  is  supplied  with  reference 
books,  photographs,  casts  and  objects  for  still- 
life  study.  The  gymnasium,  located  in  the 
west  w^ing,   is  36x74  feet,   eighteen  feet   high, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


645 


and  is  provided  with  an  equipment  intended 
for  the  Ling  or  Swedish  system  of  gymnas- 
tics. The  physics,  chemistry  and  biology 
laboratories  are  equipped  with  modern  appara- 
tus. The  entire  building  is  heated  with  the 
latest  system  of  steam-heating,  the  corridors 
and  rooms  are  well  lighted,  and  the  effect  is 
that  of  comfort,  convenience  and  practicabil- 
ity. The  environment  is  in  harmony  with  the 
structure.  The  mesa  stands  three  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  above  the  bay,  commanding  a 
view  of  the  ocean,  bay,  and  the  islands  of  the 
sea  to  the  west,  while  to  the  north  and  east 
the  horizon  is  broken  by  mountain  chains  and 
rugged  peaks. 

The  requirements  for  admission  to  the  Nor- 
mal School  correspond  exacth'  with  those  for 
admission  to  the  University  of  California.  In 
other  words,  candidates  must  have  graduated 
from  an  accredited  high  school,  and  must  be 
recommended  by  the  principals  of  their  re- 
spective schools.  The  course  in  the  Normal 
School  covers  a  period  of  two  years,  and  is 
intended  to  prepare  its  graduates  to  teach  in 
the  elementary  schools  of  the  state.  The 
training  school  consists  of  the  regular  eight 
public-school  grades,  wherein  the  usual  ele^ 
mentary  branches  are  taught  by  approved 
modern  methods.  The  teaching  in  the  train- 
ing school  is  closely  supervised  by  members 
of  the  Normal  School  faculty.  Each  student 
teaches  in  the  training  school  during  the  en- 
tire senior  year,  one  hour  per  day  during  the 
first  term  and  two  hours  per  day  during  the 
second  term.  While  acting  as  an  assistant 
the  student  familiarizes  himself  or  herself 
with  those  items  of  practice  common  to  all 
teaching,  gains  self-confidence  in  handling  a 
class,  and  forms  the  habit  of  regarding  chil- 
dren from  the  teaching  standpoint.  The  de- 
mand for  teachers  trained  in  the  normal 
schools  of  California  is  greater  than  the  sup- 
plv,  and  there  is  also  an  increased  demand  for 
men  teachers  in  the  cities,  where  fair  salaries 
are  paid.  For  students  entering  from  the 
ninth  grade  the  course  of  study  may  be  com- 
pleted "in  four  years,  while  recommended  grad- 
uates of  accredited  secondary  schools  may 
finish  the  .stipulated  course  in  two  years. 

The  board  of  trustees  comprises  the  follow- 
ing gentlemen :  Hon.  George  C.  Pardee,  Gov- 
ernor, ex  officio  member  of  board  ;  Hon.  Thom- 
as T.  Kirk,  state  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction, ex  officio  member;  Dr.  R.  M.  Pow- 
ers, San  Diego:  Isidore  P..  Dockweiler,  Los 
A.ngeles:  Senator  M.  L.  Ward,  San  Diego; 
George  W.  ]Marston,  San  Diego:  Charles  C. 
Chapman.  Fullerton.  The  officers  are:  Hon. 
M.  L.  Ward,  chairman,  and  Helen  Dale,  sec- 
retary:   executive   comm.ittee   as   follows:    Dr. 


R.  M.  Powers,  Senator  M.  L.  Ward  and 
George  W.  Marston.  The  following  instruc- 
tors are  in  charge  of  the  training  of  the  stu- 
dents during  the  present  term,  1906-07.  Hon. 
Samuel  T.  Black,  president,  department  of 
school  administration ;  Emma  F.  Way,  pre- 
ceptress, mathematics  and  reading;  Alice  Ed- 
wards Pratt,  registrar,  English ;  Edith  Mc- 
Leod,  principal  of  training  school  and  super- 
vising teacher  of  grammar  grades ;  Elisabeth 
Rogers,  supervising  teacher  of  primary  grades ; 
J.  F.  West,  mathematics;  W.  F.  Bliss,  history 
and  civics ;  W.  T.  Skilling,  physical  sciences ; 
VV.  W.  Kemp,  director  of  training  school  and 
instructor  in  department  of  education ;  Lucy 
A.  Davis,  department  of  music ;  Anna  H.  Bill- 
ings, department  of  English ;  Emily  O.  Lamb, 
department  of  drawing  and  manual  training; 
Jessie  Rand  Tanner,  physical  education ;  Har- 
riet H.  Godfrey,  English  and  history;  and  W. 
C.  Crandall,  department  of  biological  sciences. 
It  being  universally  conceded  that  the  hope 
of  our  nation's  future  is  based  upon  future 
generations,  the  importance  of  carefully  edu- 
cating the  young  cannot  be  overestimated, 
and  therefore  the  value  of  an  institution  .for 
the  training  of  teachers  is  surpassed  by  no 
other  movement  of  the  age.  The  men  and 
women  who  are  devoting  their  time,  mental 
energies  and  abilities  to  the  preparation  of 
teachers  for  their  life-work  accomplish  results 
which  are  not  limited  to  the  present  age,  but 
extend  into  the  boundless  future  of  human  ac- 
tivity and  intellectual  progress.  Based  upon 
its  present  standing  and  future  possibilities, 
the  San  Diego  State  Normal  School  ranks 
among  the  most  important  institutions  of 
Southern  California,  and  its  upbuilders  may 
be  termed  philanthropists  in  the  broadest  and 
truest  sense  of  that  word. 


JOHN  T.  JOUGHIN.  Identified  with  the 
far  west  throughout  all  of  his  life,  the  earliest 
recollections  of  Mr.  Joughin  are  associated 
with  California,  for  he  is  a  native  son  of  the 
state  and  was  born  at  Sacramento  September 
27,  1861.  His  father,  .A.ndrew  Joughin.  known 
and  honored  as  one  of  the  resourceful  pioneers 
of  Southern  California,  and  a  man  possessing 
a  large  circle  of  friends  throughout  the  state, 
is  represented  upon  another  page  of  this  vol- 
ume, and  the  family  history  will  be  found  in 
that  sketch.  The  son  was  still  a  small  child 
when  the  familv  came  to  Los  Angeles  county 
and  therefore  his  childhood  was  principally 
passed  in  this  portion  of  the  commonwealth, 
while  his  education  was  acquired  in  local 
schools.  When  not  in  school  he  helped  his 
father  at  the  blacksmith's  trade,   and  in   1874 


646 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


accompanied  the  family  to  a  ranch  near  H}de 
Park,  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home. 

Since  assum.ing  the  management  of  the 
ranch,  about  1880,  John  T.  Joughin  has  given 
his  attention  very  closely  to  the  supervision 
of  the  four  hundred  and  forty  acres  compris- 
ing the  tract.  However,  of  recent  years  he 
has  rented  out  some  of  the  land  and  has  util- 
ized about  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  for 
the  pasturage  of  his  stock,  so  that  his  field 
work  has  been  greatly  lessened.  In  addition 
to  superintending  the  interests  of  his  mother 
and  himself  on  the  home  ranch  he  took  charge 
of  about  six  hundred  acres  near  A\'ilmington, 
which  was  rented  to  tenants.  This  land,  as 
well  as  the  property  at  home,  forms  a  part  of 
the  estate,  which  has  not  been  divided  since 
the  death  of  his  father.  With  the  general  ad- 
vance in  land  values  during  recent  years  the 
estate  has  .shared,  so  that  its  value  is  largely 
enhanced  l^eyond  the  amount  at  first  esti- 
mated. 

The  marriage  of  John  T.  Joughin  was  sol- 
emnized in  1892  and  united  him  with  Wilhel- 
mina  Roeder,  a  native  of  Los  Angeles  county 
and  a  daughter  of  Louis  Roeder,  one  of  the 
most  influential  pioneers  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia. The  family  history  appears  in  his  sketch 
elsewhere  in  this  \-olume.  The  twd  cliildren 
of  Mr.  Joughui  are  Gertrude  and  Andrew. 
Though  believing  in  many  of  the  principles 
accepted  by  the  Republican  party,  Mr.  Joughin 
has  never  displayed  any  partisan  spirit,  but 
thinks  and  reasons  for  himself  without  regard 
to  the  platform  adopted  by  his  own  or  other 
parties.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of  quiet  tastes, 
home-loving  nature  and  friendly  spirit,  and 
has  shown  signal  ability  in  guarding  the  in- 
terests of  the  familv  estate. 


RICHARD  KIDSON.  An  illustration  of 
what  it  is  within  the  power  of  energy  and 
perseverance  to  accomplisli  may  be  found  in 
the  life-history  of  Richard  Kidson,  who  as  a 
boy  struggled  against  reverses  more  than  or- 
dinarily discouraging,  but  as  a  man  achieved 
independence  and  success.  A  native  of  York- 
shire, England,  born  August  19.  1828,  he  was 
only  eighteen  months  old  when  death  de- 
prived him  of  a  father's  care  and  support,  and 
at  seven  years  it  became  necessary  for  him 
to  earn  his  own  livelihood.  AS  the  years 
passed  by  he  began  to  believe  that  success 
could  not  be  achieved  in  a  region  where  the 
mere  struggle  for  a  livelihood  consumed  all  of 
a  man's  energies,  and  hence  he  came  to  a  de- 
cision to  seek  the  greater  opportunities  of  the 
new  world.     When   he   landed   in    Xew  York 


City  on  the  4th  of  July,  1849,  he  had  only  $2.50 
in  his  possession,  with  which  to  start  life 
among  strangers.  That  sum  was  devoted  to 
the  expenses  of  his  journey  to  Pike  county, 
Pa.,  where  he  secured  employment  on  a  farm 
at  Sic  per  month  and  board. 

The  ensuing  years  passed  without  event  un- 
til his  marriage,  April  23.  1855,  when  he  and 
his  young  wife  decided  to  seek  a  home  in  the 
newer  regions  of  the  then  west.  ^Vhcn  the}' 
arrived  in  Sabula,  Jackson  county,  Iowa,  May 
I,  that  same  year,  he  had  only  $11  with  which 
to  make  a  start  in  the  new  country.  How- 
ever, he  had  an  abundance  of  energy,  per- 
severance and  determination,  and  from  that 
humble  beginning  he  worked  his  way  by  means 
of  renting  land  and  raising  stock  until  he  was 
in  a  position  to  make  his  first  purchase  of 
property.  Giving  as  the  first  payment  four 
cows  and  four  calves  and  giving  his  note  for 
$700  at  ten  per  cent,  he  secured  eighty  acres 
of  farm  land.  His  next  step  was  to  purchase 
'umber  (giving  his  note  in  payment)  and  put 
up  a  small  house.  During  the  first  year  he 
lost  his  crop  of  wheat  and  was  unable  to  meet 
the  interest  on  the  mortgage,  but  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war  raised  prices  of  all 
farm  produce  and  enabled  him  to  pav  for  the 
land    in    three   years. 

After  abenit  nineteen  }'ears  on  the  same 
farm,  Richard  Kidson  removed  to  Plvmouth 
county,  Iowa,  in  1874.  and  bought  a  tract  of 
wild  prairie  land  from  the  railroad  company, 
for  which  he  paid  $6.25  an  acre.  Out  of  this 
tract  he  developed  a  valuable  farm,  which  he 
sold,  together  with  his  other  interests  in  Iowa, 
on  account  of  the  failure  of  his  health.  At 
the  time  of  selling  out  his  landed  possessions 
aggregated  about  six  hundred  acres.  Coming 
to  Los  Angeles  in  Eebruary,  1880,  lie  soon  af- 
terward bought  twenty-four  acres  near  town, 
but  sold  the  property  two  years  later.  His 
next  purchase  consisted  of  ten  acres,  for  which 
he  paid  $goo.  A  year  later  he  bought  an  ad- 
joining tract  of  ten  acres,  for  which  he  paid 
$600.  Recently  he  sold  all  of  his  twenty-acre 
tract  for  $40,000,  reserving,  however,  a  lot, 
181x96  feet,  where  !iis  residence  stands,  at  No. 
4933  South  Main  street.  For  a  short  time  he 
owned  and  conducted  a  hotel  at  Pomona,  and 
also  for  some  years  he  owned  five  lots,  for 
which  he  paid  $1,000  and  which  he  sold  dur- 
ing the  boom  of  1887  at  a  considerable  advance. 
From  time  to  time  he  has  bought  and  sold 
real  estate  and  is  considered  an  excellent 
iudge  of  values,  both  of  citv  and  countrv 
lands. 

^^^^ilc  li^•ing  in  Pennsylvania  Mr.  Kidson 
married  Winnifred  Rowe,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland,   immigrated   to   the   United   States   in 


^  £)  JQA^uA^t^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fi4J» 


1849,  ^ntl  died  in  Iowa.  Five  children  were 
born  of  that  union,  namely:  Mary  Ann,  de- 
ceased; David;  Gilbert,  whose  sketch  will  be 
found  on  another  page  of  this  work;  Sarah 
Jane;  and  Winnifred.  AMiile  living  in  Iowa 
Mr.  Kidson  married  Mrs.  Isabelle  Cook,  who 
died  in  that  state,  leaving  a  son,  John  R.  Kid- 
son,  now  a  rancher  of  Los  Angeles  county.  In 
1875  Mr.  Kidson  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Ann 
Hitchcock,  who  died  May  7,  1905,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-five  years,  three  months  and  five 
days.  In  politics  Mr.  Kidson  has  always  been 
a  stanch  Republican.  During  the  period  of 
his  residence  in  Iowa  he  served  as  school 
treasurer  and  also  filled  the  office  of  road  mas- 
ter. 


JAMES  DEVINE  DURFEE.  One  of  the 
oldest  pioneers  in  the  ^■icinity  of  El  Monte, 
James  Devine  Durfee  is  ranked  as  represen- 
tative of  the  best  class  of  citizens  who  had 
given  to  the  state  of  California  its  forward 
movements  in  the  last  fift}'  }ears  of  its  history 
— the  days  of  its  slatcliood — and  as  such  he 
occupies  a  prominent  place  in  local  afifairs.  He 
was  born  in  Adams  county,  111.,  October  8, 
1840.  a  son  of  James  and  Cynthia  (Soule) 
Durfee,  natives  respectively  of  New  York  and 
Rhode  Island,  the  former  born  IMay  16,  1793. 
The  grandparents  were  Perry  and  Annie 
(Sulsbury)  Durfee,  of  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  and 
Broadalbin,  N.  Y.,  the  former  a  descendant  of 
Thomas  Durfee,  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  who 
was  born  in  England  in  1643.  James  Durfee 
died  in  Lima,  III,  July  16,  1844,  his  wife 
passing  away  February  16,  1847,  in  Council 
Bluffs,  Iowa,  where  the  family  was  located  for 
a  time.  They  were  the  parents  of  nineteen 
children,  of  whom  eight  are  now  living,  James 
Devine  Durfee  being  the  sixteenth  in  order 
of  birth. 

Left  an  orphan  in  early  childhood,  James 
Devine  Durfee  was  reared  by  the  older  mem- 
bers of  the  family  and  by  different  relatives, 
his  education  being  received  in  the  public 
schools,  whose  sessions  were  held  in  the  primi- 
tive log  houses  of  the  day,  equipped  with  slab 
benches  and  puncheon  floors,  and  the  old  quill 
pen  a  part  of  the  necessary  equipment  of  the 
scholar.  He  was  fifteen  years  old  when  with 
his  brother  George  AA'..  he  joined  a  party  of 
emigrants  bound  for  California,  that  left  Coun- 
cil Bluffs  May  10  of  that  year  (1855),  with 
sixty-five  wagons.  Mr.  Dufree  drove  four  yoke 
of  oxen  through,  via  Salt  Lake  City  and  the 
southern  route  to  San  Bernardino  (then  a 
Mormon  settlement),  which  place  was  reached 
September  16.  He  was  doing  the  work  of  a 
man   though   he  weighed   only  eighty   pounds 


and  stood  guar;l  in  his  turn,  entire  confidence 
being  reposed  in  his  abilities.  He  remained 
in  San  Bernardino  until  1857,  after  which 
he  went  to  Sacramento,  thence  to  El  Dorado 
county,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm.  He  then 
went  to  Contra  Costa  county  and  in  the  vici- 
nity of  San  Pablo  followed  a  similar  employ- 
ment. He  was  economical  in  his  living  and 
managed  to  accumulate  some  money,  with 
which  he  decided  to  return  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, visit  his  people,  and  then  once  more 
locate  in  the  north.  He  came  south  but  did 
not  return,  as  he  became  interested  in  the 
i)rospects  held  out  to  the  settler  here,  marry- 
ing December  19.  1858,  Miss  Diantha  B.  Clem- 
inson.  a  native  of  Missouri  and  sister  of  James 
Cleminson.  represented  elsewhere  in  thi.> 
volume,  and  with  whom  he  established  a  home 
in  San  Bernardino  county  on  Lytle  creek.  He 
had  some  stock  but  little  money,  but  enter- 
prise and  ability  soon  supplied  the  lack,  and 
in  his  general  farming  operations  he  was  very 
successful.  In  November,  1859.  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles  count}'  and  rented  land  in  the 
vicinity  of  El  Monte,  and  in  November  of  the 
following  year  he  located  on  his  present  pro- 
perty, leasing  the  land  with  the  privilege  of 
purchasing  same  at  the  end  of  two  years.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  time  in  conjunction  with 
his  brother.  George,  and  James  Cleminson,  he 
purchased  the  ranch  and  engaged  in  stock- 
raising  and  general  farming,  later  purchasing 
the  interest  of  i\Ir.  Cleminson.  and  in  1882  the 
brothers  divided  their  interests.  Mr.'  Durfee 
is  now  the  owner  of  the  entire  property,  one 
hundred  and  twenty-four  acres  in  all,  of  which 
eighty-three  acres  are  devoted  to  a  fine  wal- 
nut grove,  which  was  first  started  in  1868  and' 
added  to  tmtil  it  to-day  ranks  with  the  finest 
in  Southern  California,  one  tree  alone  having 
produced  five  hundred  pounds  in  one  year. 
His  land  is  very  rich  and  being  moist  it  is 
unnecessary  to  irrigate,  on  the  other  hand  he 
has  been  to  the  expense  of  placing  a  redwood 
lumber  drain  seven  and  a  half  feet  below  the 
surface  of  the  land. 

The  magnificent  success  att.Tincd  by  Mr.  Dur- 
fee during  his  residence  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia may  be  traced  directly  to  his  foresight 
and  management,  for  as  a  rancher  he  is  one  of 
the  most  progressive  and  enterprising  men 
of  the  community.  He  does  not  confine  his 
attention  to  one  line  of  agriculture  entirely, 
but  instead  is  interested  in  various  products, 
raising  walnuts  and  apples  and  other  fruits 
in  his  orchards :  corn,  potatoes  and  dift'erent 
vegetables  in  his  fields ;  while  stock-raising 
has  formed  one  of  his  most  important  in- 
dustries. He  has  .some  of  the  finest  hogs  in 
Southern  California,  from  which  he  cures  liacon 


650 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


known  throughout  this  state  as  well  as  Ari- 
zona as  one  of  the  finest  products  of  its  kind 
in  the  west.  He  raises  horses  with  the  strain 
of  the  Richmond  pedigree  in  them,  and  also 
carries  on  a  fine  and  well-equipped  diary  of 
sixty  Jersey  cows,  forming  the  finest  herd 
in  Southern  California.  He  not  only  raises 
them  for  diary  purposes,  but  also  sells  fine 
family  cows,  having  disposed  of  some  for  $ioo 
and  $200  each,  the  Durfee  Jerseys  being 
famous  throughout  the  country.  In  its  equip- 
ment, improvements  and  management  Mr. 
Durfee's  ranch  takes  high  rank  in  Southern 
California,  being  one  of  the  finest  in  the  sec- 
tion, and  its  products  are  in  demand  among 
commission  merchants. 

The  Durfee  home  is  one  of  the  comfortable 
places  in  the  community,  being  equipped  with 
every  modern  device  for  comfort  and  conveni- 
ence, and  furnished  with  quiet  elegance.  Mr. 
and  J\Irs.  Durfee  have  two  children,  Eva  I., 
who  married  Albert  Slack  January  12,  1890, 
and  has  three  children,  Howard  Albert,  Perry 
Durfee  and  Marjorie  Diantha.  James  Roswell 
Durfee,  a  farmer  near  El  Monte,  married  Stella 
Cain  in  September,  1894,  and  the}'  have  four 
children:  Diantha  Ruth,  JNIiles  Roswell.  James 
and  Hillard.  Mrs.  Durfee's  father,  John  Clem- 
inson,  came  from  England  in  the  year  1812, 
and  in  Missouri  married  ]\Iiss  Lydia  Lightner, 
who  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  July 
12,  1800,  and  died  in  El  l\Ionte  August  11, 
1873,  where  John  Cleminson  also  died  Novem- 
ber 28,  1879. 

Mr.  Durfee  has  not  allowed  his  own  private 
affairs  to  so  absorb  his  attention  that  he  has 
neglected  his  duty  as  a  citizen,  no  man  being 
more  active  in  the  promotion  of  all  enter- 
prises calculated  to  advance  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  community.  He  is  a  true-blue 
Republican  in  a  politics  and  stanch  in  the  prin- 
ciples he  endorses.  For  many  years  he  served 
as  school  trustee  for  La  Puente  district  and 
can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  edu- 
cational matters.  He  was  prominent  in  the 
organization  of  the  Los  Nietos  and  Ranchito 
Walnut  Growers'  Incorporation,  and  acted  as 
a  director  for  three  years  following  its  or- 
ganization, when  he  resigned  from  his 
official  position.  This  was  the  pioneer 
association  in  this  line  and  was  established 
to  protect  the  growers,  as  at  that  time 
the  buyers  were  getting  all  the  profits.  By 
virtue  of  his  long  residence  in  the  state  Mr. 
Durfee  is  associated  with  the  Los  Angeles 
County  Pioneers,  and  prominent  in  their  meet- 
ings. Personally  he  is  a  man  of  many  sterling 
traits  of  character.  Coming  to  California  in 
boyhood,  dependent  upon  his  own  resources 
at  an  early  age,  he  was  thus  thrown  upon  the 


world  with  his  character  undeveloped,  his  man- 
hood unattained,  with  nothing  but  his  native 
qualities  to  lift  him  above  tlie  average  man 
who  failed  to  raise  himself  from  obscurity  in 
the  midst  of  the  rush  westward  during  the 
pioneer  days  of  the  state.  That  Mr.  Durfee 
did  more,  that  he  became  a  citizen  of  worth 
and  prominence,  that  he  stands  to-day  as  a 
landmark  of  the  days  of  California's  early 
statehood,  is  due  alone  to  his  own  efforts, 
built  upon  the  foundation  of  inherited  charac- 
ter. He  has  won  a  large  circle  of  friends 
throughout  the  state,  who  hold  him  in  the 
highest  esteem. 


JAMES  MILLER  GUINN,  of  Los  Angeles 
City,  was  born  near  Houston,  Shelby  county, 
Ohio,  November  27,  1834.  His  paternal  and 
maternal  ancestors  removed  from  Scot- 
land and  settled  in  the  north  of  Ireland  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  His 
father  was  born  near  Enniskillen,  in  County 
Fermanagh,  and  his  mother,  Eliza  Miller,  was 
born  near  Londonderry.  His  father  came  to 
America  in  1819,  and  after  ten  years  spent  in 
the  lumber  business  in  the  province  of  New 
Brunswick  he  migrated  to  Ohio,  in  1830.  and 
located  on  a  tract  of  land  covered  with  a  dense 
forest. 

James  M.  Guinn  spent  his  boyhood  years  in 
assisting  his  father  to  clear  a  farm.  The  fa- 
cilities for  obtaining  an  education  in  the  back- 
woods of  Ohio  fifty  years  ago  were  very  mea- 
ger. Three  months  of  each  winter  he  attended 
school  in  a  little  log  schoolhouse.  By  studying 
in  the  evenings,  after  a  hard  day's  work,  he 
prepared  himself  for  teaching;  and  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  began  the  career  of  'a  country  ped- 
agogue. For  two  years  he  alternated  teaching 
with  farming.  Ambitious  to  obtain  a  better 
education,  he  entered  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment of  Antioch  College,  of  which  institution' 
Horace  Mann,  the  eminent  educator,  was  then 
president.  In  1857  he  entered  Oberlin  Col- 
lege. He  was  entirely  dependent  on  his  own 
resources  for  his  college  expenses.  By  teach- 
ing during  vacations,  by  manual  labor  and  the 
closest  econom}-,  he  worked  his  way  through 
college  and  graduated  with  honors. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  in 
1861,  he  was  among  the  very  first  to  respond 
to  President  Lincoln's  call  for  volunteers,  en- 
listing April  ig,  1861,  four  days  after  the  fall 
of  Fort  Sumter.  He  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany C,  Seventh  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry.  Later  he  enlisted  in  the  same  regi- 
ment for  three  years.  This  regiment  was  one 
of  the  first  sent  into  West  Virginia.  He  served 
through  the    West    Virginia    campaign    under 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


651 


McClellan  and  afterwards  under  Rosecrans. 
The  Seventh  Regiment  joined  the  army  of  the 
Potomac  in  the  fall  of  1861,  and  took  part  in 
all  the  great  battles  in  which  that  army  was 
engaged  up  to  and  including  the  battle  of  Get- 
tysburg. In  September.  1863,  the  regiment, 
as  part  of  the  Twelfth  Army  Corps,  was  sent 
to  the  west,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of 
Lookout  Mountain,  Missionary  Rjdge  and 
Ringgold.  Its  three  years  being  ended,  it  was 
mustered  out  the  ist  of  June,  1864,  in  front  of 
Atlanta. 

In  August,  1861,  while  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment was  guarding  Carnifax  Ferry,  on  the 
Gauley  river,  it  was  attacked  by  three  thou- 
sand Confederates  under  Floyd  and  Wise.  Af- 
ter a  desperate  resistance  it  was  forced  to  re- 
treat, leaving  its  dead  and  wounded  on  the 
field.  On  the  retreat  the  company  of  which 
Mr.  Guinn  was  a  member  fell  into  an  ambush 
and  nearly  one-half  of  those  who  escaped  from 
the  battlefield  were  captured.  Mr.  Guinn,  af- 
ter a  narrow  escape  from  capture,  traveled  for 
five  daj'S  in  the  mountains,  subsisting  on  a  few 
berries  and  leaves  of  wintergreen.  He  finally 
reached  the  Union  forces  at  Gauley  Bridge,  al- 
most starved.  At  the  battle  of  Cedar  Moun- 
tain his  regiment  lost  sixty-six  per  cent  of 
those  engaged — a  percentage  of  loss  nearly 
twice  as  great  as  that  of  the  Light  Brigade  in 
its  famous  charge  at  Balaklava.  Of  the  twen- 
ty-three of  Mr.  Guinn's  company  who  went 
into  the  battle  only  six  came  out  unhurt,  he 
being  one  of  the  fortunate  six. 

Of  his  military  service,  a  history  of  the  com- 
pany written  by  one  of  his  comrades  after  the 
war,  says:  "Promoted  to  corporal  November 
I,  1862";  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Cross 
Lanes,  Winchester,  Port  Republic,  Cedar 
Mountain,  second  Bull  Run,  Antietam,  Dum- 
fries. *  *'  *  On  every  march  of  the 
company  till  his  discharge." 

After  his  discharge  he  was  commissioned  by 
Governor  Tod,  of  Ohio,  captain  in  a  new  regi- 
ment that  was  forming,  but,  his  health  having 
been  broken  by  hard  service  and  exposure,  he 
was  compelled  to  decline  the  position. 

In  1864  he  came  to  California  (by  way  of 
Panama)  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  After 
teaching  school  three  months  in  Alameda 
countv  he  joined  the  gold  rush  to  Idaho,  pack- 
ing his  blankets  on  his  back  and  footing  it 
from  Umatilla,  Ore.,  to  Boise  Basin,  a  distance 
of  three  hundred  miles.  For  three  years  he 
followed  gold  mining  with  varying  success, 
sometimes  striking  it  rich  and  again  dead 
broke.  His  health  "failing  him  again,  from  the 
effects  of  his  army  service,  he  returned  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  1867;  "and  in  1868  went  east  and 
took  treatment  for  a  number  of  months  in  Dr. 


Jackson's  famous  water  cure,  at  Danville,  N. 
Y.  He  returned  to  California  in  i86g,  and  in 
October  of  that  year  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county.  He  found  employment  as  principal  of 
the  schools  of  Anaheim — a  position  he  filled 
for  twelve  consecutive  years.  He  reached  the 
town  with  $10;  b}'  investing  his  savings  from 
his  salary  in  land,  at  the  end  of  twelve  years 
he  sold  his  landed  possessions  for  $15,000. 
During  the  greater  portion  of  the  time  he  was 
employed  in  the  Anaheim  schools  he  was  a 
member  of  the  county  board  of  education.  He 
helped  to  organize  the  first  teachers'  institute 
(October  31,  1870)  ever  organized  in  the  coun- 
ty. In  1874  he  married  Miss  D.  C.  Marquis, 
an  assistant  teacher,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John 
Marquis.  To  them  three  children  have  been 
born :  Mabel  Elisabeth,  Edna  Marquis  and 
Howard  James.  The  Marquis  family  is  of 
Huguenot  ancestry.  The  progenitors  of  the 
family  in  America  left  France  after  the  revo- 
cation of  the  edict  of  Nantes,  and  settled  in  the 
north  of  Ireland.  From  there,  in  1720,  they 
emigrated  to  America,  locating  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

In  1881  Mr.  Guinn  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  city  schools  of  Los  Angeles.  He 
filled  the  position  of  school  superintendent  for 
two  }-ears.  He  then  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing, which  he  followed  for  three  years.  Sell- 
mg  out,  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan 
business,  safely  passing  through  the  boom.  He 
filled  the  position  of  deputy  county  assessor 
several  years. 

Politically  he  has  always  been  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. He  was  secretary  of  a  Republican 
club  before  he  was  old  enough  to  vote,  and. 
arriving  at  the  voting  age,  he  cast  his  first 
vote  for  John  C.  Fremont,  in  1856,  and  has  had 
the  privilege  of  voting  for  every  Republican 
nominee  for  president  since.  In  1873,  when  the 
county  was  overwhelmingly  Democratic,  he 
was  the  Republican  nominee  for  the  assembly 
and  came  within  fifty-two  votes  of  being  elect- 
ed. In  1875  he  was  the  nominee  of  the  anti- 
monopoly  wing  of  the  Republican  party  for 
state  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  For 
the  sake  of  party  harmony  he  withdrew  jusi 
before  the  election  in  favor  of  the  late  Prof. 
Ezra  Carr,  who  was  triumphantly  elected.  He 
served  a  number  of  years  on  the  Republican 
countv  central  committee,  being  secretary 
from  '1884  to  1886. 

Mr.  Guinn  took  an  active  part  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Historical  Society  of  Southern 
California,  in  1883,  and  has  filled  every  office 
in  the  gift  of  the  society.  He  has  contributed 
a  number  of  valuable  historical  papers  to  mag- 
azines and  newspapers  and  has  edited  the  His- 
torical Society's  Annual  for  the  past  ten  years. 


651 


HTSTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Historical 
Association  of  Washington,  D.  C,  having  the 
honor  of  being  the  only  representative  of  that 
association  in  Southern  California.  While  en- 
gaged in  the  profession  of  teaching  he  was  a 
frequent  contributor  to  educational  periodicals 
and  ranked  high  as  a  lecturer  on  educational 
subjects  before  teachers'  institutes  and  asso- 
ciations. He  is  a  charter  member  of  Stanton 
Post  No.  55,  G.  A.  R. ;  also  a  past  post  com- 
mander. He  has  filled  the  position  of  post  ad- 
jutant continuously  for  fifteen  years.  AVhen 
the  Society  of  Pioneers  of  Los  Angeles  Coun- 
ty was  organized  in  1897  he  was  one  of  the 
committee  of  three  selected  to  draft  a  form  of 
organization  and  a  constitution  and  by-laws. 
He  has  filled  the  office  of  secretary  and  also 
that  of  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
since  the  society's  organization  ten  years  ago. 
In  1904  Mr.  Guinn  was  nominated  for  mem- 
ber of  the  cit}'  board  of  education  by  the  Non- 
partisan committee  of  one  hundred.  The  Non- 
partisans were  elected  by  a  majority  of  three 
thousand  over  their  Republican  opponents,  al- 
though at  the  county  electicin  in  November  the 
Republicans  carried  the  city  1)y  a  majority  of 
over  twelve  thousand.  He  was  renominated 
in  1906.  but  declined  the  nomination.  After 
the  organization  of  the  new  board,  Mr.  Emmet 
J.  Wilson,  having  been  appointed  assistant 
city  attorney,  resigned.  ]\Ir.  Guinn  was  urged 
to  fill  the  vacancy  and  finally  consented.  Be- 
sides the  historical  portion  of  this  volume  he 
has  written  a  historv  of  Southern  California 
and  a  brief  historv  of  California. 


GEORGE  A.  NADEAU.  A  pioneer  of  Los 
Angeles  county,  a  prosperous  and  successful 
rancher  and  real-estate  dealer,  George  A.  Na- 
deau  occupies  a  foremost  position  among  the 
representative  citizens  of  this  section,  to  whose 
upbuilding  and  development  he  has  given  a 
distinctive  service.  He  was  born  in  Canada 
March  27,  1850,  a  son  of  Remi  Nadeau,  also  a 
native  of  Canada,  where  for  many  years  he 
engaged  at  his  trade  of  millwright.  In  i860 
he  started  to  California  across  the  plains, 
spending  the  winter  en  route  in  Salt  Lake 
City ;  thence  came  to  California  and  to  Los 
Angeles  in  the  fall  of  1861.  making  this  his 
headquarters,  although  he  followed  teaming  in 
Montana  and  Northern  California.  In  1866 
he  located  permanently  in  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, where  he  purchased  property  and  engaged 
in  teaming,  principally  into  the  Owens  river 
country,  and  in  1873  organized  the  Cerro  Gor- 
do Freighting  Comoany,  doing  a  very  exten- 
sive business,  which  continued  until  the  rail- 
roads  took   the   business.      He   added    to    his 


holdings  until  he  owned  thirty-two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  land.  He  became  prominent 
among  the  upbuilding  influences  of  this  coun- 
ty, his  name  being  perpetuated  through  his 
erection  of  the  Nadeau  hotel,  at  the  corner  of 
First  and  Spring  streets,  in  Los  Angeles, 
which  was  completed  in  1884.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1886,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 
In  his  political  affiliations  he  was  a  stanch 
Republican.  His  wife,  formerly  Martha  F. 
Frye,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  in 
which  state  they  were  married;  she  survived 
her  husband  some  years,  passing  away  Janu- 
ary 18,  1904,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  They  were  the  parents  of  ■  seven 
children,  of  whom  but  three  are  now  surviv- 
ing; Joseph  F.,  of  Long  Beach;  and  Airs. 
■Mary  R.  Bell,  located  on  a  farm  adjoining 
that  of  her  brother,  George  A.  Nadeau. 

George  A.  Nadeau  is  a  Canadian  by  birth, 
but  at  the  age  of  seven  j-ears  he  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  the  Lnited  States.  In  Chi- 
cago and  Faribault.  Alinn.,  he  passed  his  boy- 
hood days,  receiving  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  by  personal  contact  with  the 
world.  During  the  father's  first  years  in  Cal- 
ifornia his  family  continued  to  make  the  latter 
city  their  home,  and  there  George  A.  engaged 
in  an  eft'ort  to  gain  an  independent  livelihood. 
In  1868  they  went  to  New  Hampshire,  the 
state  of  the  mother's  nativity,  and  thence  to 
New  York  City,  where  they  sailed  for  Cali- 
fornia via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  _  Upon 
landing  in  San  Francisco  they  took  a  coast 
steamer  for  San  Pedro,  and  from  that  point 
to  the  city  of  Los  Angeles.  Here  Mr.  Nadeau 
engaged  with  his  father  in  freighting  to  the 
Owens  river.  Six  years  later  he  engaged  in 
the  stock  business  in  Modoc  county  near  the 
Oregon  line,  disposing  of  these  interests 
twelve  months  after,  and  upon  returning  to 
Los  Angeles  engaged  in  this  county  in  a  like 
occupation.  The  ranch  upon  which  he  now 
lives,  and  where  he  has  passed  the  greater 
part  of  the  past  thirty  years,  was  purchased 
by  his  father  in  1875,  and  contained  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres ;  which,  since  the  death 
of  the  mother  has  been  divided  among  the 
children. 

After  Mr.  Nadeau's  marriage  in  1881  to 
Miss  Nellie  Tyler  they  located  permanently 
on  thirty  acres  of  the  old  homestead,  at  the 
corner  of  Compton  and  Nadeau  avenues, 
where  Mr.  Nadeau  is  following  farming  in  ad- 
dition to  teaming.  He  has  recently  erected 
an  elegant  residence,  coniDlete  in  all  of  its  ap- 
pointments. They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  Joseph  G.,  Delbert  G.,  Grace,  and 
Stella  Maie,  the  last  named  the  wife  of  Ray 


^GU^^-'-t^      -O^/i^^^^^f^-GT^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORFJ. 


(555 


Mathis,  a  dentist  in  Los  Angeles.  Mrs.  Na- 
deau  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  but  was  only  three 
years  old  when  her  parents  removed  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  they  have  ever  since  resided. 

In  addition  to  his  home  property  Mr.  Na- 
deau  also  owns  sixty-three  acres  on  Central 
avenue,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from 
the  city  limits  of  Los  Angeles,  situated  on  the 
corner  of  Florence  and  Central  avenues,  and 
considered  a  valuable  tract  of  land.  One  of 
the  most  important  enterprises  which  he  has 
undertaken  was  subdividing  a  forty  acre  tract, 
known  as  the  Nadeau  Villa  tract,  and  which 
has  since  been  entirely  disposed  of ;  he  also 
owns  property  on  Central  avenue  and  Twen- 
tieth street,  besides  some  in  Long  Beach. 

Like  his  father.  Mr.  Nadeau  takes  a  promi- 
nent part  in  public  affairs,  as  a  Republican  in 
politics  voting  this  ticket  and  seeking  to  ad- 
vance the  principles  he  endorses.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Pioneers  Society  of  Los  An- 
geles county  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the 
preservation  of  historical  data  and  all  associa- 
tions of  the  past. 


JAMES  CLEMINSON.  Holding  promi- 
nent place  among  the  citizens  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  James  Cleminson,  one  of  the  stanch 
upbuilders  of  this  section  of  the  state.  He 
was  born  in  Independence,  Mo.,  August  7, 
1833,  a  son  of  John,  an  honored  pioneer.  The 
latter  was  born  in  England  in  1798,  and  was 
brought  to  America  in  1812  by  his  father,  who 
landed  in  St.  John's,  New  Brunswick.  The 
family  drifted  to  the  United  States  and  the  eld- 
er man  became  permanently  located  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky.  John  Cleminson  later  removed  to 
Lexington,  Lafayette  county.  Mo.,  where  he 
engaged  as  a  school  teacher  and  later  a  cabi- 
net-maker and  carpenter.  He  was  next  locat- 
ed in  Galena,  111.,  whence  in  1852  he  came 
overland  to  California  and  engaged  as  a  farmer 
in  El  Monte,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1879, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years.  His 
wife  was  formerly  Lydia  Lightner,  a  native 
of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  who  came  to  Missouri  with 
her  parents  .and  was  there  married  to  Mr. 
Cleminson.  She  was  born  July  11,  1800,  and 
died  in  1873.  They  had  six  children,  four 
daughters  and  two  sons,  of  whom  two  daugh- 
ters are  deceased.  John  is  a  resident  of  Los 
Angeles  county,  located  on  a  ranch  in  the 
vicinity  of  El  INIonte ;  Mrs.  Lydia  A.  Reeves, 
of  Clearwater,  v.'as  the  first  American  woman 
married  in  San  Diego :  Diantha  B.  is  the  wife 
of  James  Durfee :  and  James  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

James  Cleminson  was  born  in  Indepen- 
dence, Mo..  August  7.  1833.  and  was  thirteen 

39 


years  old  when  taken  by  his  parents  to  Ga- 
lena, 111.  From  there  they  removed  to  Car- 
roll county,  same  state,  and  in  the  schools  of 
that  state  he  received  his  education.  Decid- 
ing to  follow  the  westward  trend  of  civiliza- 
I'ion  he  outfitted  for  the  overland  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia and  on  the  15th  of  July,  1851,  left  In- 
dependence over  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail  for 
the  El  Dorado  state.  The  journey  is  strong- 
ly impressed  upon  the  memory  of  this  early 
jiioneer,  he  recalling  vividly  the  dangers  and 
privations  they  endured,  during  the  slow, 
weary  months  until  they  reached  their  des- 
tination. The  Indians  stole  a  part  of  their 
cattle  and  in  Arizona  the  Apaches  killed  sev- 
eral members  of  the  train.  Deprived  of  their 
oxen  sixteen  men  pulled  a  wagon  over  the 
mountains  to  Santa  Cruz,  thence  on  to  Yuma, 
where  they  had  to  give  nearly  all  they  had  to 
l)e  carried  across  the  river.  There  they  re- 
ceived assistance  from  a  government  train 
that  took  them  on  to  .San  Diego.  In  Santa 
Ysabel  members  of  the  train  stopped  to  work 
for  the  government,  but  Mr.  Cleminson  made 
his  way  to  San  Diego  and  did  teaming  to 
Yuma.  In  November,  1852,  he  located  in 
San  Bernardino  county,  purchased  land  on 
Lytle  creek  and  there  made  his  home  for  five 
years.  He  then  came  to  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty and  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte  bought  a 
squatter's  right  to  land,  for  the  title  to  which 
he  fought  for  twenty  years,  but  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  winning  the  legal  contest.  He  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
up  to  June  15,  1906,  when  he  retired  from  the 
active  cares  of  life  and  located  in  Los  An- 
geles, at  No.  3825  Woodlawn  avenue.  He 
was  uniformily  successful  in  his  enter- 
prises and  accumulated  wealth,  and  at  the 
same  time  built  up  for  himself  a  position  of 
prominence  among  the  citizens  of  this  sec- 
tion. He  improved  his  ranch,  setting  out 
twenty-five  acres  in  walnuts,  and  also  laid 
out  several  additions  to  El  Monte,  known  as 
Cleminson  subdivision  No.  i,  consisting  of 
five  acres,  and  Cleminson  subdivision  No.  2, 
consisting  of  ten  acres.  He  is  intensely  in- 
terested in  the  development  of  the  country 
and  without  hesitation  gave  the  right  of  way 
to  the  electric  railroad — about  $3,000  worth 
of  land.  He  still  owns  sixtv  acres  of  fine  land 
adjoining  El  Monte,  which  is  leased  at  the 
present   writing. 

Mr.  Cleminson  has  been  twice  married,  the 
first  union  occurring  in  San  Bernardino  and 
uniting  him  with  j\frs.  Caroline  (Singleton) 
Beck,  a  native  of  England.  Two  children 
were  born  of  this  union,  James  Devine,  w^hose 
sketch  follows,  and  Willis  S.,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  four  years.     In  1885  he  was  married  in 


656 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Kl  Monte  to  Emma  Christ,  a  native  of  Iowa, 
and  they  have  one  son,  Hugh  D.  Fraternally 
Mr.  Cleminson  is  a  member  of  Lexington 
Lodge  No.  104,  F.  &  A.  ^L,  and  Order  of 
Eastern  Star,  which  he  has  served  as  treas- 
urer since  its  organization.  Politically  he  is 
a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  During  the  half  century'  and 
more  which  he  has  been  numbered  among  the 
residents  of  the  state  he  has  not  been  an  idle 
witness  of  her  progress,  but  has  borne  a  noble 
and  telling  part  in  her  upbuilding.  Progres- 
sive and  enterprising  in  the  highest  sense  of 
the  word,  he  is  accounted  one  of  the  stanch 
supporters  of  that  which  goes  to  make  up  the 
stabilitv  of  a  cit\-,  countv  or  state. 


property,  in  addition  to  a  farm  in  the  vicinity 
of  El  Monte.  Not  unlike  his  worthy  father 
he  is  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of  his 
commumtv. 


JAMES  DEVINE  CLE:MINS0N  was 
born  in  San  P>ernardino  county,  February  14, 
1870,  and  reared  in  FA  Monte,  where  he  was 
brought  in  childhood,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  public  schools.  He  then  engaged  with 
his  father  in  the  management  of  a  fine  dairy 
of  one  hundred  full-blooded  Jerseys,  and  was 
successful  in  this  enterprise.  He  gradually 
acquired  a  position  of  prominence  among  the 
younger  men  of  the  community,  esteemed  for 
the  qualities  of  character  which  he  early  dis- 
played. In  1898  he  was  honored  by  the  ap- 
pointment to  the  position  of  road  overseer  of 
the  El  Monte  district,  by  O.  W.  Langdon, 
and  since  that  time  he  has  discharged  his 
duties  in  a  capable  and  efficient  manner  and 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

Mr.  Cleminson  has  been  twice  married,  his 
first  wife  being  Miss  Lulu  Caldwell,  who  was 
born  in  Du.arte  and  died  in  El  Monte,  leaving 
one  child,  James  Ercel.  Later  he  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Weigand,  a  native  of  San 
Francisco,  and  born  of  this  union  are  two 
children,  Caroline  Pauline  and  George  Del- 
bert.  In  fraternal  relations  ^Ir.  Cleminson  is 
a  member  of  Lexington  Lodge  No.  104,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Order  of  East- 
ern Star.  He  is  likewise  identified  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  true-blue  Republican  and  ac- 
tive in  the  advancement  of  the  principles  he 
endorses.  In  addition  to  his  duties  as  road 
overseer  he  established  a  real-estate  enter- 
prise in  El  Monte  in  1906,  which  he  has  since 
conducted  with  success.  He  is  prominent  in 
local  aflfairs  and  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  as  president  of  tlie  high  school  board  of 
trustees.  He  put  up  the  first  brick  building 
in  El  Monte,  which  burned  down  about  one 
year  ago,  when  he  rebuilt  it.  Resides  this 
property  he  owns  six  acres  in  the  heart  of 
town,  tlie  liverv,  other  business  and  residence 


ANDREW  JOUGHL\,  JR.  To  those  who 
have  spent  all  or  the  greater  part  of  their  lives 
within  the  sound  of  the  gunset  sea  or  beneath 
the  shadow  of  the  mountains  of  the  west,  this 
portion  of  the  country  possesses  a  charm  all 
its  own  and  unequaled  by  any  other  locality 
to  which  their  travels  may  bring  them.  It  is 
significant  of  Mr.  Joughin's  interest  in  Los 
Angeles  to  state  that  all  of  his  holdings  are 
compassed  within  the  city  and  its  inviron- 
ments.  It  is  here  that  he  makes  his  home, 
here  he  has  labored  to  develop  his  personal 
interests  and  the  aflfairs  of  the  city,  here  he 
grew  to  manhood  and  has  been  content  to  re- 
main without  desire  to  investigate  the  will-o'- 
the-wisp  allurements  of  localities  less  dear  to 
liim.  In  common  with  practically  all  of  the 
men  who  have  been  lifelong  residents  of  Los 
Angeles  and  Southern  California,  he  main- 
tains a  deep  and  unceasing  interest  in  move- 
ments for  the  public  welfare  and  contributes 
of  time  and  means  toward  such  measures. 

Upon  another  page  of  this  work  appears  the 
biography  of  Mr.  Joughin's  father,  whose  name 
he  bears  and  whose  strong  personality  was 
impressed  upon  the  pioneer  citizenship  of 
Southern  California.  During  an  early  period 
of  the  American  development  of  Los  Angeles 
the  family  became  residents  of  the  city.  An- 
drew, Jr.,  was  then  a  small  child,  he  having 
been  born  in  Rockford,  111.,  January  11,  1857. 
Educated  in  the  schools  of  California,  he  early 
left  school  in  order  to  aid  his  father  in  ranch- 
ing. Indeed,  he  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age 
when  he  came  into  the  management  of  a  ranch 
owned  by  his  father,  and  afterward  he  main- 
tained a  close  supervision  of  its  cultivation. 
As  the  number  of  settlers  increased  the  land 
was  gradually  sold  off  in  small  tracts,  until 
but  a  comparatively  small  part  of  the  once 
large  tract  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the  Joughin 
family.  Since  the  death  of  the  father  the 
widow  and  children  have  inherited  the  estate, 
which  now  represents  a  large  moneyed  value. 
The  marriage  of  Andrew  Joughin,  Jr., 
united  him  with  a  young  lady  who,  like  him- 
self, has  been  a  resident  of  California  from 
early  childhood.  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Davis 
was  born  in  Syracuse  county,  N.  Y.,  and  at 
the  age  of  seven  years  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  with  her  father,  John  Davis,  settling  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  state.  Her  education 
was  received  in  local  schools  and  her  home 
remained  with  her  parents  until  May  2.  1883, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RI-XORl). 


657 


when  she  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Joughin, 
and  they  now  have  a  residence  on  ArHngton 
Heights.  Los  Angeles,  their  place  having  been 
a  portion  of  the  Joughin  estate.  Born  of  their 
union  were  two  children,  Glenn  and  Ruth 
Elizabeth,  but  death  removed  the  oldest 
daughter  from  the  home  at  eight  years  of  age. 
The  family  are  honored  by  their  large  circle 
of  acquaintances  and  number  among  their 
friends  many  of  the  most  cultured  residents 
of  their  home  citv. 


LOUIS  DIDIER.  Another  substantial  and 
enterprising  citizen  which  France  has  contrib- 
uted to  the  commonwealth  of  California  is 
Louis  Didier,  a  glance  at  whose  well-appointed 
ranch  two  miles  east  of  Puente  will  substanti- 
ate the  claim.  He  comes  of  a  family  well  known 
in  Hautes-Alpes,  France,  his  father,  Jacques 
Didier,  carrying  on  a  farm  in  that  section  of 
the  country  throughout  his  life.  A  break  in 
the  monotony  of  his  farming  life  came  in 
1870,  when  as  a  soldier  in  the  French  army 
he  took  sides  against  Germany  in  the  Franco- 
Prussian  war.  He  did  not  live  to  know  the 
outcome  of  the  struggle,  however,  for  he  died 
the  same  year.  His  wife,  formerly  Aladelena 
Segnorete,  was  also  born  in  Hautes-Alpes, 
which  has  been  her  life-time  home,  and  she  is 
still  residing  on  the  old  homestead  in  that  de- 
partment. Of  the  seven  children  born  into  the 
parental  family  all  are  living,  and  three  of  the 
number  are  residents  of  California,  Casimer, 
Joseph  and  Louis,  all  in  Puente. 

Louis  Didier  was  born  in  the  ancient  town 
of  Embrun,  Hautes-Alpes,  France,  June  18, 
1866,  and  until  a  lad  of  eighteen  years  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  there,  in  the  mean 
time,  however,  having  the  privilege  of  attend- 
ing the  common  schools  of  Embrun.  His  eld- 
er brother,  Casimer,  had  taken  advantage  of 
the  opportunities  offered  by  our  western  coast 
country  and  had  established  himself  on  a 
ranch  near  Puente,  Cal.,  and  hither  Louis  fol- 
lowed in  1884,  working  as  a  ranch  hand  un- 
til enabled  to  start  in  business  for  himself. 
Hard  work  and  determination  soon  made  this 
possible,  however,  -and  two  miles  east  of 
Puente  he  bought  the  nucleus  of  his  present 
ranch,  upon  which  he  at  first  carried  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising.  Later  he  set 
out  twenty-five  acres  on  the  San  Jose  creek 
to  walnuts,  besides  which  he  has  ten  acres  in 
vines  in  the  same  vicinity.  The  home  ranch 
two  miles  cast  of  Puente  now  includes  eigh- 
teen hundred  acres,  upon  which  are  raised 
large  quantities  of  grain  and  hay,  besides 
which  large  herds  of  fine  cattle,  horses  and 
hogs  are  also  raised. 


In  Los  Angeles  .Mr.  Didier  was  married 
to  Airs.  Alphonsine  ( Gauscher)  Amar,  who 
was  born  near  Paris,  France,  and  has  been  a 
resident  of  California  since  1876.  Her  first 
married  united  her  with  August  Amar,  a  na- 
tive of  Hautes-Alpes,  France,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  and  settled  in  California 
about  1869.  From  that  time  until  his  death 
almost  twenty  years  later  he  carried  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising,  having  pur- 
chased for  the  purpose  a  portion  of  the  Thom- 
as Rowland  ranch  near  Puente.  He  died  in 
Los  Angeles  in  1888,  leaving  three  children, 
Constance,  August  and  Fidel.  By  her  sec- 
ond marriage  Airs.  Didier  has  become  the 
mother  of  four  children,  as  follows:  Louisa, 
Renee,  Louis,  Jr.,  and  Claire.  As  is  her  hus- 
band Mrs.  Didier  is  an  active  and  substantial 
member  of  the  community  and  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board  in  the  Rowland  district 
has  done  much  to  make  possible  the  present 
satisfactory  conditions  which  exist  in  that  dis- 
trict. Politically  Mr.  Didier  is  independent 
in  the  casting  of  his  ballot,  and  the  only  so- 
cial organization  to  which  he  belongs  is  the 
French  Legion  of  Los  Angeles.  As  a  well- 
earned  respite  after  twenty  years  of  continu- 
ous labor  Mr.  Didier  in  1904  took  his  wife  and 
family  on  a  visit  to  France,  on  the  way  visit- 
ing Chicago,   Buffalo  and  Xew  York. 


FRANK  H.  NEWLO\'E.  The  lineage  of 
the  Newlove  family  goes  back  to  English  an- 
cestors of  substantial  traits,  and  the  entire 
genealog}^  concerns  men  and  women  who  were 
unusually  forceful  in  character  and  vigorous 
in  mind.  These  qualities  were  found  in  a 
marked  degree  in  the  character  of  John  New- 
love,  a  native  of  England  and  a  pioneer  of 
1862  in  California.  Upon  coming  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast  he  settled  in  San  Joaquin  county, 
but  soon  removed  to  Monterey  county  and 
during  the  year  1874  he  settled  at  Guadaloupe, 
Santa  Barbara  county,  where  he  soon  became 
prominently  connected  with  tlie  stock  ranch- 
ing interests  of  the  localitj-.  Eventually  he 
established  his  home  in  Santa  Maria,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three ;  since  his 
death  his  wife  has  continued  to  reside  in  San- 
ta Maria.  Of  their  eleven  children  eight  are 
now  living,  all  in  California,  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  residing  in  Santa  Clara  county 
they  are  residents  of  Santa  Barbara  county. 
After  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United  States 
the  father  voted  the  Republican  ticket  and 
gave  his  stanch  support  to  the  principles  of 
that  party.  In  religion  he  was  associated 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination 
and  his  wife  also  belongs  to  that  church. 


658 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


While  the  family  were  living  in  Monterey 
county,  Gal.,  Frank  H.  Newlove  was  born  No- 
vember 28,  1868,  and  when  six  years  of  age 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Santa  Bar- 
bara county,  settling  on  a  ranch  at  Guada- 
loupe,  and  later  removing  to  Santa  Maria.  The 
common  schools  of  these  two  towns  gave  him 
fair  educational  advantages  and  of  these  he 
availed  himself  to  the  utmost,  laying  the  foun- 
dation of  the  broad  knowledge  he  today  pos- 
sesses. In  early  youth  he  became  familiar 
with  ranching  in  all  of  its  details  and  the  oc- 
cupation has  been  his  life-work.  Starting  for 
himself  in  1889,  he  settled  in  the  Los  Alamos 
valley,  and  eventually,  about  1905,  removed  to 
his  present  ranch,  wh^re  he  has  eight  hun- 
dred acres  and  engages  in  raising  barley  and 
wheat.  In  addition  to  what  he  has  accumu- 
lated for  himself  he  is  heir  to  a  share  of  his 
father's  estate  and  ranks  among  the  prosper- 
ous young  men  of  the  valley. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Newlove  was  solemn- 
ized in  1890  and  united  him  with  Miss  ^Millie 
Van  Guncly,  who  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  California,  and  is  a  lady  of  attractive 
personality  and  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Born  of  their 
union  are  five  children,  Ida,  Ray,  Albert, 
Dewev  and  Ruby.  As  a  boy  Mr.  Newlove  was 
accustomed  to  hear  his  father  discuss  political 
issues  and  he  naturally  fell  into  sympathy  with 
Republican  principles,  ■\^^^en  he  became  of 
voting  age  and  considered  national  problems 
unbiased  by  the  views  of  bovhood,  he  found 
no  reason  for  changing  his  attitude  on  govern- 
mental issues  and  still  stanchly  gives  his  sup- 
port to  Republican  measures.  In  fraternal  re- 
lations he  is  connected  with  the  Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  Workmen  at  Los  Alamos. 


THOMAS  L.  DE  COUDRES.  The  lineage 
of  the  De  Goudres  family  is  traced  to  France, 
whence  one  of  the  name  crossed  the  ocean  to 
America  during  the  period  of  the  nation's  col- 
onial history.  A  son  of  this  immigrant  bore 
the  name  of  Christian  and  followed  the  occu- 
pation of  a  tanner  in  New  York.  Francis, 
son  of  Christian,  followed  farm  pursuits  in 
New  York  state  for  a  considerable  period, 
but  about  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury he  became  a  pioneer  of  Wisconsin,  where 
he  took  up  a  tract  of  raw  land  near  Port 
Washington,  Ozaukee  count}'.  In  the  man- 
agenient  of  that  tract  and  its  development  in- 
to a  valuable  farm  the  remaining  years  of  his 
life  were  actively  passed,  his  death  occurring 
in  Racine  county.  While  still  living  in  New 
York  he  married  Sarah  Leffingwell,  who  was 
born   in   Newark.   N.  J.,   and  died  in  Wiscon- 


sin. Through  her  mother,  who  was  a  Miss 
\'an  Gelder,  she  traced  her  ancestry  to  one 
of  the  oldest  Dutch  families  in  the  United 
States. 

In  a  family  of  four  children  (all  now  living) 
born  to  the  union  of  Francis  De  Goudres  and 
Sarah  Leffingwell  the  third  in  order  of  birth 
was  given  the  name  of  Thomas  Leffingwell, 
and  was  born  near  Groton,  Tompkins  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  January  30,  1849.  When  five  years 
of  age  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Wis- 
consin, where  he  received  such  advantages  as 
an  undeveloped  neighborhood  afforded.  In 
1872  he  married  and  settled  upon  a  farm  near 
the  old  homestead  in  Racine  county,  where 
as  the  years  went  by  he  gained  an  increased 
reputation  for  sagacity  in  farm  operations  and 
wise  judgment  in  the  conduct  of  his  lands. 
As  previously  stated  he  had  established  do- 
mestic ties  in  1872.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Ella  Paddock,  was  born  in 
Wisconsin,  and  died  in  ^^^alworth  county, 
that  state.  Two  children  were  born  of  their 
union:  the  daughter,  ^Nlrs.  Elba  Smith,  makes 
her  home  at  Spring  Prairie,  Wis.,  and  the 
son,  Ralph,  is  engaged  in  business  in  St.  Paul, 
Minn.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  De  Gou- 
dres was  solemnized  in  Spring  Prairie,  Wis., 
in  1890,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Alice 
Greene,  by  whom  he  has  three  children : 
Thomas  Greene,  .Sarah  Clark  and  Charles 
Greene.  Mrs.  De  Goudres,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 19.  T856,  and  educated  in  the  normal 
school  at  Whitewater,  Wis.,  is  a  daughter  of 
George  and  Sarah  (Clark)  Greene,  natives  re- 
spectively of  Amherst,  Mass.,  and  Chautauqua, 
N.  Y..  the  former  of  whom  became  a  pioneer 
of  ]\Iilwaukee,  Wis.,  during  the  year  1836, 
later  became  interested  in  the  tilling  of  the 
soil  in  Walworth  county,  and  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Elk- 
horn,  Wis.  He  traces  his  ancestry  to  Gen- 
eral Greene  of  the  Revolutionary  fame. 

It  was  in  1899  that  !\Ir.  De  Goudres  brought 
his  family  to  California  and  settled  in  Pasa- 
dena. A  year  later  he  removed  to  Long 
Beach,  where  since  1903  he  has  been  associat- 
ed with  the  Townsend-Dayman  Company  as 
salesman.  At  the  same  time  he  has  been  in- 
terested in  the  buying  and  selling  of  land,  the 
building  and  sale  of  dwelling  houses,  and  has 
also  erected  a  neat  residence  for  his  family 
on  a  lot  150x160.  occupying  a  desirable  loca- 
tion on  American  avenue.  In  addition  to  bis 
other  investments  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Long  Beach  National  and  Long  Beach  Sav- 
ings Banks,  in  both  of  which  he  officiates  as 
a  member  of  the  board  of  directors,  being  a 
member  of  the  finance  and  loan  committees. 
Through   the   Board  of  Trade  he  aims  to  as- 


^2^^z__ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  l^KCORD. 


661 


sist  in  all  enterprises  for  the  material  devel- 
opment of  Long  Beach  and-  has  accomplished 
much  tending  toward  the  public  welfare  dur- 
ing the  comparatively  brief  duration  of  his 
residence  in  this  city.  All  through  his  life, 
from  the  time  of  casting  his  first  ballot,  he  has 
been  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party  and  has  given  his  influence  and  vote  in 
support  of  its  men  and  measures.  Although 
not  personally  identified  with  any  denomina- 
tion, he  is  interested  in  religious'  movements 
and  contributes  toward  the  maintenace  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  with  which  his 
wife  is  identified.  ITe  has  always  been  tem- 
perate in  his  habits  and  an  earnest  advocate 
of  men  of  high  moral  character  to  fill  offices  of 
trust._  Mr.  De  Coudres  is  a  strictly  self-made 
man  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  Coming  to 
Long  Beach  in  1894  for  the  health  of  both 
himself  and  his  wife,  after  a  few  years  in  Wis- 
consin, he  moved  to  California  permanently, 
disposing  of  his  property  in  the  former  state. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  invest- 
ments since  locating  here  and  is  named  among 
the  substantial  citizens  of  Long  Beach. 


JACOB  BE.\N.  The  century  which  wit- 
nessed the  first  permanent  colonization  of  the 
Atlantic  seaboard  brought  to  the  new  world 
a  young  Scotchman  named  John  Bean,  who 
crossing  the  ocean  in  1660  during  the  course  of 
his  voyage  met  an  Irish  girl,  Margaret,  of  a 
family  name  not  now  km nvn.  An  ardent  wooing 
resulted  in  their  mnrriaoc  and  they  set  up  their 
first  home  in  the  priiiievnl  wilds  of  Xew  Hamp- 
shire, where  many  succeeding  generations  of 
their  descendants  lived  and  labored  and  died. 
From  that  state  Jacob  ^^^  Bean,  a  brave  sol- 
dier in  the  war  of  1812,  removed  to  Maine 
and  secured  employment  in  teaming  and 
draying,  later  for  some  years  holding  a  po- 
sition as  superintendent  of  the  county  poor 
farm  of  Penobscot  county.  Eventually  other 
activities  engaged  his  attention  and  he 
achieved  a  success  noteworthy  for  that  day 
and  locality.  Until  his  death  at  eighty-two 
years  he  retained  his  interest  in  commercial 
enterprises  and  movements  for  the  develop- 
ment of  his  community'.  Early  in  manhood 
he  had  married  Jane  Danforth,  who  was  born 
in  Eaton,  N.  H.i  and  died  in  Minnesota  at 
about  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  Roth  were 
faithful  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  reared  their  children  Cof  whom 
there  were  three")  to  habits  of  industry,  hon- 
or and  persevering  energy. 

The  youngest  child  in  the  family  of  Jacob 
W.  Bean  was  a  son  to  whom  was  given  the 
father's    name    and    whose    birth    occurred    in 


Tenobscut  county,  .Me.,  January  19,  1837.  At- 
tending school  between  the  jears  of  six  and 
fourteen,  he  then  began  to  earn  his  own  live- 
lihood, and  for  seven  years  was  employed  as 
cleric  in  a  general  store  owned  by  Colonel 
Hamlin  of  Orono,  Penobscot  county"!  In  1858 
he  resigned  his  position  and  sailed  for  Pana- 
ma en  route  to  California,  where  for  a  brief 
period  he  worked  in  the  mines  in  Placer 
county.  However,  learning  of  his  father's 
illness,  he  decided  to  return  to  the  Atlantic 
coast,  hence  his  first  experience  of  life  in  the 
fa,r  west  was  brief.  For  a, year  he  had  charge 
of  a  lumber  cam.p  owned  by  a  brother  in 
Alaine,  after  which  he  bought  an  interest  in 
the  business  and  continued  logging  and  lum- 
jjering  in  the  east  until  1864,  meanwhile  meet- 
ing with  encouraging  success  in  the  industry. 
On  removing  from  Maine  to  the  newer  and 
more  undeveloped  regions  of  the  upper  Mis- 
sissippi valley,  Mr.  Bean  became  a  resident  of 
Stillwater,  Alinn.,  in  1864,  and  managed  a 
lumber  camp  for  a  year.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  bought  a  one-third  interest  in 
the  business  and  in  1880  enlarged  his  hold- 
ings in  the  concern,  where  now  he  owns  one- 
half  interest.  The  company  owns  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  thousand  acres  of  timber  land 
of  great  value  and  conducts  a  large  and  prof- 
itable business  in  the  line  of  its  specialty. 
For  many  years  JMr.  Bean  was  one  of  the 
principal  partners  in  the  enterprise  and  gave 
it  his  undivided  attention,  his  attention  to 
details  and  executive  ability  being,  in  fact, 
the  principal  factors  in  the'  rapid  growth  of 
the  company's  holdings.  After  a  "long  per- 
sonal identification  with  the  camp  and  mills 
of  the  company,  Mr.  Bean  reached  a  position 
where  he  felt  justified  in  relinquishing  many 
of  his  activities,  and  accordingly  he  began  to 
spend  his  winters  in  California,  returning  to 
Minnesota  for  the  summer  months.  During 
1893  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  four 
acres  at  Alhambra.  eight  miles  from  Los  An- 
geles, and  since  igoo  he  has  made  this  his 
permanent  home,  meanwhile  devoting  many 
thousands  of  dollars  to  the  development  of 
the  land.  At  the  time  of  its  purchase  the 
place  was  a  barley  field.  Realizing  its  value 
for  citrus  fruit  cultivation,  he  began  to  plant 
orange  trees  and  now  has  ninety  acres  in 
oranges,  of  which  he  has  shipped  as  many  as 
sixty-four  cars  in  one  season.  An  attractive 
modern  residence  adorns  the  homestead : 
water  has  been  brought  to  the  house  and  land 
by  an  adequate  system  of  piping;  lawns  have 
been  cultivated,  and  no  expense  or  labor  has 
been  spared  in  making  the  property  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  and  valuable  properties  in 
Southern  California. 


662 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


While  still  making  Maine  his  business  head- 
quarters Mr.  Bean  established  a  home  of  his 
own  in  his  marriage  to  Miss  Cynthia  A.  Mc- 
Phetres,  a  refined  young  lady  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  Orono  and  to  whose  sympathy 
and  co-operation  not  a  little  of  his  subse- 
quent success  may  be  attributed.  The  jNIc- 
Phetres  family  dates  its  history  in  America 
back  to  Archibald  McPhetres,  who  crossed 
the  ocean  about  1716  and  settled  with  a 
brother  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  Later  he  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  the  first  governor  of  New 
Hampshire.  Descended  from  him  was  John 
McPhetres,  a  native  of  Maine  and  a  pioneer 
of  Orono,  that  state.  In  the  family  of  John 
was  a  son,  Martin,  born  and  reared  at  Orono, 
and  employed  as  a  lumberman  and  also  as 
surveyor  for  lumber  firms.  The  title  of  Cap- 
tain, bv  which  l.e  was  familiarly  known,  came 
through  his  service  at  the  head'  of  a  company 
in  the  state  militia.  Three  children  were  born 
of  his  marriage  to  Jemima  Murch,  a  native  of 
Hampden,  Penobscot  county,  Me.,  and  de- 
ceased at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  In  re- 
ligion she  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Among  her  three  children 
was  a  daughter,  Cynthia  A.,  who  was  born 
May  21,  1838,  and  received  a  fair  education 
in  the  schools  of  Orono,  remaining  in  that 
town  until  after  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Bean, 
which  was  solemnized  October  14,  i860. 
Four  years  later  the  young  couple  established 
their  home  in  Stillwater,  Alinn.,  where  they 
soon  became  influential  citizens.  Of  their 
union  the  following-named  children  were  born : 
Charles  Robie,  who  resides  with  his  parents : 
William  H.,  who  manages  with  keen  intelli- 
gence the  large  lumber  interests  owned  by 
his  father:  Es'telle,  who  died  at  twenty-three 
3^ears  of  age;  Ann,  who  married  Albert  J. 
Lehmicke,  cashier  of  the  Lumberman's  Bank 
at  Stillwater,  Alinn.;  Eugene  (twin  of  Ann), 
who  resides  in  Los  Angeles;  and  Mary  Ella, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Norbert  Afurray,  a  real-es- 
tate man  of  Los  Angeles. 

Though  not  ■  identified  with  any  denomina- 
tion, Mr.  Bean  has  ever  been  a  generous  con- 
tributor to  movements  for  the  upbuilding  of 
the  people.  His  charities  are  no  less  effective 
because  given  without  ostentation.  Many 
struggling  against  an  adverse  sea  of  fate  have 
been  helped  by  him  at  some  crisis  when  hope 
became  faint.  Firm  in  his  belief  in  the  value 
of  an  education,  though  he  himself  achieved 
success  with  scarcely  the  advantage  of  a 
grammar-school  education,  he  has  been  a 
friend  of  the  public-school  system  and  has 
favored  the  most  advanced  theories  of  ped- 
agogy. The  large  holdings  which  give  him 
a  nosition  among  the  wealthy  citizens   of  the 


Southern  Coast  country  have  not  held  him 
aloof  from  his  fellowmen  or  made  him  less 
responsive  to  their  needs  and  ambitions,  but 
on  the  contrary  he  mamtains  a  fellow-feeling 
for  all,  and  especially  for  j-oung  men  obliged, 
as  was  he,  to  carve  their  own  success  in  the 
commercial  world  without  the  prestige  of  in- 
fluence or  wealth. 


JOSEPH  AMBROSE  WELDT.  One  of 
the  most  prominent  and  influential  business 
men  of  San  Pedro  is  Joseph  Ambrose  Weldt, 
who  was  born  in  Wilmington,  April  22,  1868, 
and  has  ever  since  resided  in  the  vicinity,  be- 
coming identified  with  many  important  enter- 
prises in  the  development  of  this  section  of  the 
state.  He  is  of  German-American  parentage, 
his  father  having  been  a  native  of  Germany, 
although  he  came  to  this  country  when  a  small 
boy.  He  landed  in  New  York  City,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  silversmith,  later  served 
in  the  United  States  navy  on  the  Frigate  Rior- 
dan,  experienced  the  earthquake  at  Valparaiso, 
and  after  his  dismissal  from  the  naval  service 
went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  did  military  duty 
during  the  war  with  Alexico  in  1846  and  in 
the  '50s,  when  the  First  Regiment  of  Dragoons 
was  sent  out  to  guard  the  companies  of  emi- 
grants on  their  way  to  California,  he  became 
first  sergeant  of  Company  H.  He  finally  located 
at  Fort  Tejon,  where  he  engaged  in  ranching, 
merchandising  and  freighting  to  Los  Angeles. 
In  1862  he  removed  to  ^^^ilmington,  where  he 
bought  a  tract  of  land  and  devoted  himself  to 
farming,  stock-raising  and  dairying,  becoming 
the  first  settler  in  that  section  of  countr3^  His 
marriage  to  Caroline  Malone,  who  crossed  the 
plains  with  the  Alexanders,  occurred  at  Santa 
Fe,  N.  Mex.  Her  death  occurred  at  Wilming- 
ton in  1897.  Mr.  Weldt  is  still  living  there, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years,  and  is  still 
hale  and  hearty. 

There  were  five  children  in  the  family  of 
which  Joseph  Ambrose  Weldt  is  a  member, 
his  oldest  brother,  David,  being  a  pilot  at 
San  Francisco;  the  next,  Edward,  died  in  San 
Pedro;  Frank,  who  was  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
is  also  deceased  ;  and  lohn  died  at  Wilming- 
ton. Joseph  A.  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the 
farm  and  received  his  education  through  the 
medium  of  the  public  schools  of  Wilmington. 
In  1886  he  went  to  San  Pedro  and  clerked  for 
his  brother  David,  who  was  a  ship-chandler 
there,  then  in  1888  established  a  business  of 
his  own  as  ship-chandler  and  grocer.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  builing  up  a  fine  business  and  in  1904. 
having  outgrown  his  old  quarters,  he  erected 
a  large  new  building  for  the  store  on  Beacon 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORIl 


665 


and  Sixth  streets.  He  is  identified  with  many 
of  the  important  business  interests  of  San 
Pedro  and  is  a  leader  in  all  departments  of 
public  life.  He  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Bank  of  San  Pedro,  was  the  organizer  of  the 
Citizens  Savings  Bank  of  San  Pedro,  of  which 
he  also  is  a  director,  and  has  built  a  number 
of  fine  residences  in  the  city.  He  served  for 
several  years  as  school  trustee,  and  since  1892 
has  filled  the  office  of  city  treasurer  of  San 
Pedro. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Weldt  is  a 
Democrat,  and  fraternally  he  holds  member- 
ship in  a  number  of  lodges,  among  them  being 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  Eagles,  and  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks.  He  also  belongs  to  the  San 
Pedro  Parlor,  N.  S.  G.  W.  He  is  a  faithful 
public  servant,  a  successful  private  business 
man,  and  a  tireless  worker  for  the  good  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides  and  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem. 


ARCHIE  SMITH.  An  authority  on  orange 
culture  and  one  of  the  most  successful  grow- 
ers in  this  section,  JVrchie  Smith  is  located 
in  the  vicinity  of  San  Gabriel,  where  he  oc- 
cupies a  high  position  in  the  respect  and  es- 
teem of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  is  a  native  of 
California  and  a  lifelong  resident  of  the  San 
Gabriel  valley,  his  birth  having  occurred  here 
November  8,  1864;  his  father,  Alexander 
Smith,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1850  and  became  interested  in  the 
mines  of  San  Gabriel  canvon,  remaining  in 
this  section  until  about  1870.  In  1859  he 
sent  east  for  his  family  to  rejoin  him.  He  at- 
tained the  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  while 
his  wife,  formerly  Sarah  Silkwood,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  passed  away  when  sixty-seven.  Mr. 
Smith  was  a  Democrat  on  national  issues, 
but  locally  was  always  counted  upon  to  sup- 
port the  man  whom  lie  considered  best  quali- 
fied to  discharge  official  duties.  Both  himself 
and  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Their  three  surviving 
children  are  all  located  in  the  vicinitv  of  San 
Gabriel. 

The  preliminary  education  of  Archie  Smith 
was  received  in  the  district  school  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  his  home,  which  country  as  he  saw  it 
as  a  boy  was  grant  land  and  covered  with  bands 
of  horses  and  cattle,  and  the  only  building 
was  the  stage  station  between  San  Gabriel 
and  Los  Angeles.  His  school  days  over  he 
learned  the  wine  making  trade  and  became 
manager  of  a  winery  in  Puente.  Following 
this  business  for  about  five  years,  he  came  to 
his  present  location,  where  he  has  since  resid- 


ed with  the  exception  of  one  year  spent  in  Los 
Angeles,     engaged     m     general     contracting. 
The  Titus  ranch,  as  the  place  is  known,  con- 
sists of  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  of  which 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  are  devoted  to 
the     cultivation     of     oranges,     consisting     of 
navels,  valencias  and  seedlings,  while  the  bal- 
ance of  the  land  is  given  over  to  grain-raising. 
For  the  past  eighteen  years  he  has  acted  as 
manager  of  this  fine  property  and  in  the  mean- 
time has  brought  it  to  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion.     He   also   owns    a   ranch    of    thirty-one 
acres,   one   and   one-half    miles    north    of    San 
Gabriel,   all   devoted  to  oranges   in   full   bear- 
ing,   and   on   this   property   he   has    erected    a 
handsome,    ten-roomed    house,    modern    in    all 
its   appointments,   and   has   put  up  fine  barns 
and    outbuildings.      In    1882    Mr.    Smith    was 
married  to   Miss  Anna   N.  Allen,   a  native  of 
Butte    county,    Cal.,   and    born    of    this    union 
are    three    children:    Leo    S.,    Nellie    M.    and 
Archie    E.      In     his     political     relations     Mr. 
Smith   is   a    Democrat   on    all   national   issues, 
but  like  his  father  is  too  good  a  citizen  to  let 
Darty    affiliations    interfere     with     good     local 
government,  where  he  has  an  opportunity  of 
knowing  the   character   of   the   candidate,   his 
purposes    and    aims.      For    the    past    eighteen 
years  he  has  served  as  school  trustee.     Fra- 
ternally   he    is   identified    with    the    Foresters. 
In  addition  to  his  interests  already  mentioned 
Mr.  Smith  is  serving  as  manager  of  the  San 
'.Uarino  Growers'  Packing  Association,  which 
he    was    instrumental    in    organizing   in    1905, 
composed  of  the  Huntington  Land  &  Improve- 
ment   Co.,    George    S.    Patton,    Bradbury    Es- 
tate  Company   and   John   D.   Bicknell.   all   in- 
terests   of    considerable      magnitude.        They 
handle    about    one    hundred    and    seventy-five 
cars  of  fruit   each  vear. 


FREE  GERARD.  In  a  city  which  is  grow- 
ing as  rapidly  as  is  Long  Beach  at  the  pres- 
ent time  there  are  large  opportunities  for  the 
thoroughly  competent  mechanic  to  establish 
himself  in  a  thriving  business.  Erie  Ger- 
ard, who  is  engaged  in  blacksmithing  and 
is  proprietor  of  the  Imperial  carriage  shop,  has 
demonstrated  his  ability  as  a  workman  and 
his  business  acumen,  and  although  it  is  but 
a  little  over  a  year  ago  that  he  established  his 
business  it  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  successful  of  the  kind  in  the 
city.  His  shop,  which  is  located  at  No.  630 
East  Fourth  street,  fills  a  commodious  build- 
ing 50x100  feet  and  is  fitted  up  with  all  nec- 
essary modern  machinery  and  tools  enabling 
the  workmen  to  turn  out  al!  jobs  in  a  first 
class  manner. 


666 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


It  was  on  October  25,  1879,  that  i\Ir.  Ger- 
ard was  born  in  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  the  son 
of  Abner  H.  and  Mary  T.  (Stover)  Gerard, 
the  former  a  native  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  the 
latter  of  Crawfordsville,  Ind.  Both  parents  are 
now  living  and  the  father  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness with  the  son,  having  charge  of  the  paint- 
ing department.  Mr.  Gerard  was  reared  in 
Indiana,  where  he  acquired  an  education  in 
the  public  and  high  schools,  and  later  grad- 
uated from  Hall's  Business  College.  After 
the  completion  of  his  school  work  he  entered 
his  father's  blacksmith  and  carriage  shop  in 
Crawfordsville  and  there  learned  the  different 
branches  of  the  trade  and  followed  this  em- 
ployment until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Span- 
ish-American war.  April  26,  1898,  he  enlisted 
as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
eighth  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, Company  i\I,  and  after  six  months'  serv- 
ice was  honorably  discharged  and  mustered  out 
with  the  regim.ent  November  4,  1898.  He 
then  became  First  Sergeant  of  Company  M, 
Third  Indiana  National  Guards,  serving  until 
1901,  when  he  retired.  It  was  in  1903  that  he 
became  a  resident  of  Long  Beach  and  in  July, 
1905,  that  he  established  his  present  business 
here. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Gerard  united  him 
with  Miss  Imogene  Osburn,  who  was  born  in 
.Sullivan  county,  Ind.,  and  died  in  Redlands, 
Cal.  She  became  the  mother  of  two  children, 
Mary  and  Jesse.  In  Long  Beach  he  was  later 
married  to  Miss  Beulah  Rosenberg,  a  native  of 
Robins,  Iowa.  Mr.  Gerard  is  a  mem- 
ber of  McKinley  Camp  of  Spanish-Ameri- 
can War  Veterans  at  Long  Beach  and 
politically  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles 
embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party.  As  an  enterprising  and  progressive 
citizen  he  is  actively  interested  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  city  in  which  he  resides,  and  where 
he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  -by  all  who 
'na^-e  the  pleasure  of  liis  acquaintance. 


FR.  JOSEPH  JEREMIAH  O'KEEFE,  su- 
perior of  the  Mission  of  San  Luis  Rey,  is  de- 
voted to  the  work  in  which  he  has  for  many 
years  been  actively  engaged,  and  by  his  abil- 
ity, quiet  persuasion  and  his  earnest  enthu- 
siasm has  improved  the  material  as  well  as 
the  spiritual  condition  of  those  who  have 
looked  to  him  for  help,  comfort  and  advice. 
He  is  now  rebuilding  the  Mission,  which, 
when  completed,  will  be  a  reproduction  of  the 
original  structure  in  outline,  but  will  be  much 
more  substantial  and  durable,  and  will  prove 
a  lasting  monument  to  his  energy  and  re- 
ligious zeal.   He  was  born  November  8,  1842,  a 


son  of  Dennis  and  .Margaret  (Smith)  O'Keefe, 
who  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  five 
of  whom  are  living.  His  father,  who  for  sev- 
eral years  was  engaged  in  business  in  Boston 
as  a  cooper  and  as  a  refiner  of  whale  oil,  came 
to  California  in  1853,  and  after  mining  for  a 
while  settled  in  San  Francisco  and  there  re- 
sided until  his  death. 

In  1854  Joseph  J.  O'Keefe  came  with  his 
mother  and  her  children,  of  whom  he  was  the 
eldest,  to  California  to  join  the  father,  sailing 
from  New  York  to  Greytown  on  the  ship 
Northern  Light,  from  there  coming  direct  to 
San  Francisco.  The  following  two  years  he 
attended  what  is  now  the  Garfield  school,  in 
his  leisure  time  being  employed  as  a  clerk  in 
a  drug  store  that  stood  on  the  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  Kearney  streets.  From  1858  until 
i860  he  continued  his  studies  at  St.  Thomas 
Seminary,  and  then  entered  the  Franciscan 
Order  at  Santa  Barbara,  where  he  was  fitted 
for  the  priesthood.  He  was  subsequently  or- 
dained deacon  in  Los  Angeles  by  Bishop 
Amat,  and  in  1S68  was  ordained  priest  by  the 
•same  bishop  at  Santa  Barbara.  The  Fran- 
ciscan College  in  that  city  being  opened. 
Father  OT-Ceefe  had  charge  of  it  from  1868 
until  1875.  Going  then  to  Mexico,  he  re- 
mained there  for  a  time  and  soon  after  his 
return  to  Santa  Barbara  in  1879  was  made  su- 
perior of  the  Mission,  a  position  which  he 
ably  filled  until  1882,  when  by  orders  from 
Rome  in  1885  it  was  merged  into  the  College 
of  the  Sacred  Heart.  In  1892  Father  O'Keefe. 
who  had  previously  made  several  trips  to  Mex- 
ico, went  to  El  Paso,  Tex.,  to  meet  Father 
Alva,  who  was  on  his  way  to  visit  the  San 
Luis  Rey  Mission,  with  a  view  to  accepting 
it  from  Bishop  Mora  and  converting  it  into  a 
school. 

Father  O'Keefe  returned  to  California  with 
Father  Alva,  wlio  accepted  the  Mission,  and 
he  has  since  served  as  superior.  The  Mission 
when  he  assumed  its  charge  was  a  complete 
ruin,  but  he  has  continued  its  improvements 
ever  since,  devesting  his  entire  time  and  energ}- 
to  its  completion.  The  arches  are  practically 
the  same  as  in  the  old  building,  and  the  new 
building,  the  foundation  for  which  was  laid 
in  August,  1904,  will  have  the  same  general 
pppearance.  The  part  being  rebuilt  is  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-six  feet  in  length  from  the 
side  of  the  church,  exclusive  of  the  arches, 
with  walls  three  feet  thick,  the  first  story 
being  fourteen  feet  high,  made  of  adobe,  the 
second  one-half  story  nine  and  one-half  feet 
high.  The  building  will  be  one  of  the  finest 
of  its  kind  in  Southern  California,  and  when 
completed  with  new  roof,  beams  and  other 
needed    improvements   will    be    able    to    with- 


^^2^c^^2i*/^7v«**( — 


HTSTORTCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


G69 


stniifl  tlic  ra\-ages  of  time  tor  years.  The 
cliurcli  iia>  been  repaired  with  the  remaining 
guuil  iik-^,  ihe  balance  with  corrugated  gal- 
vanized iron  roofing.  In  addition  to  having 
charge  of  the  San  Luis  Rey  Mission  Father 
O'Keefe  attends  the  missions  at  Oceanside, 
Vista,  Fallbrook,  Calaveras  and  Riverside 
school  district  and  south  to  San  Dieguito. 


BRYANT  HOWARD.  lAIental  endow- 
ments of  a  superior  character  and  the  influ- 
ences which  surround  the  life  of  the  son  of  a 
southern  planter  of  the  ante-bellum  tyne,  found 
expression  in  a  personality  so  striking  as  to 
make  the  late  Bryant  Howard  admired  by  all 
to  whom  his  name  was  familiar.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  city  of  BulTalo,  N.  Y., 
and  by  various  sojourns  in  other  large  cities 
he  gained  an  intimate  knowledge  of  American 
life,  to  which  he  added  the  cosmopolitan  in- 
formation gained  by  continental  travels.  It 
was  his  privilege  to  enjoy  a  tour  of  Europe 
with  President  James  A.  Garfield  and  Profes- 
sor Rhodes  as  companions,  together  with 
other  men  of  fame.  Among  such  companions 
he  was  thoroughly  at  home,  for  his  mind  en- 
joyed contact  with  cultured  minds.  To  the 
possession  of  poetical  talent  he  added  a  taste 
for  literature  in  its  other  forms,  while  a  re- 
tentive memory  enabled  him  to  retain  the 
thoughts  and  facts  gleaned  from  history,  sci- 
ence and  art. 

Mr.  Howard  was  born  in  Bufi'alo,  N.  Y., 
May  17,  1835,  the  representative  of  a  family 
many  years  established  on  American  soil,  in- 
heriting characteristics  which  were  afterward 
eminent  features  in  his  career.  His  identi- 
fication with  tlie  city  of  San  Diego  began  in 
1870,  directly  following  a  tour  of  Europe,  and 
from  that  time  on  until  his  death  he  was  a 
prominent  figure  in  the  commerce  and  finan- 
cial life  of  the  place,  aiding  with  all  the  vigor 
of  a  forceful  personality  to  promote  its  growth 
and  secure  the  development  of  its  best  inter- 
ests. The  delightful  and  unvarying  climate 
and  the  sunlit  bay  with  its  advantages  for  the 
anchoring  of  the  great  ocean  steamers  he  pre- 
dicted would  be  factors  in  the  permanent  pros- 
perity of  the  town.  AVith  an  enthusiastic  faith 
in  the  city,  in  the  year  of  his  arrival  he  or- 
ganized tlie  Bank  of  San  Diego,  the  first  insti- 
tution of  its  kind  here  established,  and  was 
elected  cashier.  For  years  the  bank  stood  un- 
shaken by  decadence  of  booms  and  shrinkage 
of  real  estate  values,  and  the  institution  was 
loved  by  its  founder  with  a  devotion  akin  to 
that  of  father  for  child.  The  untarnished  rep- 
utation of  the  bank  was  his  pride  and  joy. 
Under  these  circumstances  the  blow  came  to 


him  with  unusual  force  when,  during  the 
stress  of  the  panic  of  1893,  the  directors  felt 
obliged  to  suspend  business,  owing  to  the 
shrinkage  in  value  of  their  assets.'  This  insti- 
tution in  1879  had  been  combined  with  the 
Commercial  Bank  of  San  Diego,  under  the 
name  of  the  Consolidated  Bank,  a  state  bank, 
and  on  the  first  of  (October,  1883,  was  reor- 
ganized as  a  national  bank,  called  the  Consol- 
idated National  Bank,  whose  deposits  in  1887 
were  over  two  million  dollars.  The  final  clos- 
ing of  the  doors  in  1893  was  proven  by  sub- 
sequent developments  wholly  unnecessary  and 
greatly  to  be  deplored,  in  the  final  settle- 
ments all  depositors  were  paid  eighty-five 
cents  on  the  dollar,  so  their  loss  was  slight, 
but  Mr.  Howard  himself  never  recovered  from 
the  shock,  and  after  suffering  from  failing 
health  for  a  considerable  period  he  passed 
away  October  12,  1901. 

In  addition  to  his  interest  in  financial  cir- 
cles Mr.  Howard  was  active  in  his  efforts  to 
advance  the  welfare  of  the  city,  and  his  spirit 
of  progress  and  enterprise  being  quickly  rec- 
ognized by  his  fellow  townsmen  he  was  early 
iooked  upon  as  a  citizen  to  whom  public  honor 
or  duty  was  a  personal  trust.  In  1872  he  was 
appointed  one  of  a  committee  of  San  Diego 
citizens  to  welcome  Tom  Scott  and  his  asso- 
ciates, and  worked  with  great  energy  and  en- 
thusiasm to  secure  terminal  facilities  for  the 
Texas  Pacific  Railroad.  In  1873  he  went  to 
England  in  the  interests  of  San  Diego,  hoping 
to  be  able  to  open  a  line  of  trade  between  this 
port  and  Liverpool.  For  a  length}-  period,  he 
served  as  president  of  the  San  Diego  Flume 
Company,  and  manager  and  principal  owner 
of  the  San  Diego  Daily  Union,  as  well  as  a 
number  of  other  large  corporations.  Until  his 
health  failed  he  was  one  of  the  most  energetic 
and  successful  financiers  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia, taking  a  prominent  and  active  part  in 
every  important  business  undertaking  of  this 
section.  He  always  worked  with  untiring  zeal 
for  the  welfare  of  San  Diego,  and  the  beauti- 
ful city  of  to-day  owes  much  of  its  present 
growth  and  prosperity  to  his  efforts,  as  he 
was  instrumental  in  inducing  many  capitalists 
to  invest  here,  besides  securing  loans  for  va- 
rious business  enterprises.  His  faith  in  San 
Diego  was  unbounded,  and  during  his  long 
residence  here  he  devoted  the  best  years  of  his 
life  and  his  greatest  efforts  to  the  upbuilding 
of  the  city  and  county.  His  literary  ability 
was  not  the  least  of  his  gifts,  and  when 
stricken  with  illness  he  v/as  engaged  in  com- 
piling a  history  of  San  Diego  county,  which 
was  nearing  completion. 

Surviving  him.  and  the  only  son  of  his  first 
marriage.  Mr.  Howard  left  a  son.  Roscoe.  who 


670 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


now  holds  the  office  of  manager  of  the  Paget 
Sound  Telephone  Construction  Company,  of 
Washington..  Roy,  the  son  of  his  second  mar- 
riage, also  survives  and  resides  near  his  moth- 
er's home  in  San  Diego,  where  he  is  a  manu- 
facturer of  marine  gas  engines.  Mrs.  Howard 
was  formerly  Miss  Medora  Hereford  and  is  a 
native  Californian,  born,  reared  and  educated 
in  Los  Angeles,  where  she  was  well  known  in 
the  social  circles  of  her  girlhood  days. 
Throughout  his  home  town  and  county  Mr. 
Howard  was  well  known  as  a  man  of  most  in- 
flexible principles  of  honor,  a  banker  possess- 
ing a  thorough  knowledge  of  finance,  a  friend 
to  the  needy  and  to  those  in  bereavement  and 
distress, — all  in  all  a  well-rounded  character 
whose  citizenship  was  of  permanent  benefit  to 
his  adopted  city.  As  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  he  was  interested  in  measures  for 
the  success  of  that  organization,  whose  prin- 
ciples he  espoused  from  boyhood  and  support- 
ed with  the  fixedness  of  an  unchanging  mind. 
Though  himself  of  LTnitarian  belief,  all  creeds 
and  faith  had  the  encouragement  of  his  sym- 
pathy and  assistance,  Avhile  movements  allied 
with  education  and  philanthropy  also  relied 
upon  his  practical  helpfulness. 


J.  J.  HOLLOAYAY.  IDuring  the  pioneer 
]ieriod  covering  the  American  colonization  of 
California  the  Holloway  family  crossed  the 
plains  with  the  primitive  methods  of  trans- 
portation then  in  vogue  and  established  a 
home  in  the  midst  of  a  frontier  environment. 
The  parents  were  John  and  Nancy  K.  (Foster) 
Holloway,  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky 
and  North  Carolina,  but  later  residents  of  Illi- 
nois, where  they  met  and  married.  Subse- 
quently they  became  residents  of  Benton  coun- 
ty, Alo.,  where  their  son.  J.  J.,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 26,  1839,  and  where  he  received  the  rudi- 
ments of  a  common-school  education.  It  was 
on  the  15th  of  April,  1850,  that  the  family  bade 
farewell  to  friends  and  familiar  associations 
and  began  the  long  journey  with  wagons  and 
oxen.  As  they  crossed  the  plains  they  suf- 
fered considerable  annoyance  from  Indians, 
but  no  lives  were  lost  and  no  property  de- 
stroyed. On  arriving  in  California  they  set- 
tled in  Sutter  county  and  took  up  ranching 
and  stock-raising.  Two  years  later  the  father 
started  back  to  'Missouri  with  the  intention  of 
buving  stock,  but  while  on  the  way  back  to 
California  he  was  drowned  in  Green  river. 
Tune  16,  1853.  The  mother  survived  him  for 
a  long  period",  and  passed  away  in  1890,  at  the 
age  of  seventy  years.  Of  their  seven  children 
only  three  are  now  living,  two  in  California 
and  one  in  IMexico. 


During  the  period  of  the  Blackhawk  war 
John  Holloway  enlisted  in  a  company  and  aid- 
ed in  subduing  the  Indians,  and  he  also  ren- 
dered efficient  service  in  the  Mormon  war.  At 
one  time  he  officiated  as  captain  of  Company 
E,  Missouri  Mounted  Volunteers,  which  com- 
pany was  mustered  into  service  at  Fort  Leav- 
enworth for  the  Mexican  war  and  did  not  dis- 
band for  one  and  one-half  years.  During  the 
brief  period  of  his  residence  in  California  he 
became  a  man  of  large  influence  in  his  county 
and  often  spoke  in  public  assemblies  upon  the 
slave  question,  in  which  he  was  deeply  inter- 
ested. Though  he  did  not  have  educational 
advantages  in  his  youth,  he  possessed  a  fine 
mind  and  a  retentive  memory  and  became  a 
man  of  broad  learning.  Few  men  of  his  com- 
munity surpassed  him  in  command  of  language 
and  oratorical  gifts,  and  as  a  speaker  he  al- 
ways won  the  admiration  of  his  hearers. 

At  the  time  of  crossing  the  plains  J.  J.  Hol- 
loway was  a  lad  of  eleven  years,  quick  to  com- 
prehend the  conditions  he  saw  on  every  hand 
and  prompt  to  make  himself  useful  in  every 
emergency.  After  the  death  of  his  father  he 
worked  to  support  himself  and  assist  his  moth- 
er in  the  care  of  the  family,  and  by  his  un- 
wearied labor  he  succeeded  in  paying  for  a 
farm  in  Sutter  county,  but  the  floods  of  1861- 
62  caused  him  the  entire  loss  of  his  posses- 
sions, and  he  sold  out  for  an  insignificant  sum. 
For  three  years  following  he  worked  at  Grid- 
ley,  from  which  place  he  crossed  the  mount- 
ains to  Clover  valley,  and  in  1864  settled  in 
Surprise  valley  in  Modoc  county.  The  first 
by-laws  of  the  organization  of  that  county 
were  written  by  him,  and  he  wielded  a  large 
influence  among  the  pioneers  of  that  region, 
where  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  the  stock 
business.  Late  in  the  year  1868  he  removed 
to  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Maria,  but  the  ensu- 
ing year  he  moved  to  the  Oakvale  district, 
where  he  remained  until  December,  1891. 
During  the  latter  year  he  sold  his  land  and  re- 
moved to  Los  Alamos  valley,  Santa  Barbara 
county,  where  now  he  owns  about  eight  acres 
of  oil'  land  and  farms  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  grain  land  and  pasture. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Holloway  took 
place  December  22,  1870,  and  united  him  with 
Rebecca  T.  ]\ filler,  who  was  born  in  Sonoma 
countv.  Cal.,  and  died  June  13,  1883,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-nine  years.  Afterward  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  a  sister  of  his  first 
wife.  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Linebaugh,  who  died 
Tanuarv  31,  1S99,  at  the  familv  residence  in 
Santa  Barbara  county.  Born  of  the  first  mar- 
riage were  the  following  children :  Lucy  E., 
Airs.  W.  B.  McCroskev,  who  has  four  children 
and    lives    at    Pomona;   Dora    B.,    Mrs.    John 


HISTORICAL  AND  BT0C;RAPHIC.\L  KRCORD. 


671 


Glines,  the  mother  of  four  children  ;  Nancy  E., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Albert  J., 
who  is  unmarried  and  resides  in  San  Luis 
Obispo  county  ;  Everett  P.,  who  died  August 
24,  1905,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years ; 
James  W.,  living  in  Santa  Barbara  county ; 
and  a  child  who  died  in  infancy.  The  chil- 
dren of  the  second  marriage  were  four  in  num- 
ber, but  the  third,  Cornell  D.,  died  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  years.  Those  now  living  are  Char- 
lotte H.,  Carlyle  and  Erancis. 

Among  the  organizations  with  which  J\lr. 
HoUoway  is  identified  may  be  mentioned  the 
Knights  of  Labor  and  the  Santa  Maria  Grange, 
together  with  the  State  Grange.  Interested 
in  the  Democratic  party  as  one  of  its  stanch 
adherents,  he  always  has  been  a  voter  of  the 
regular  ticket  in  state  and  national  elections. 
In  local  elections  he  usuallv  votes  the  straight 
ticket,  although  he  l)^•lic\■c^  the  character  and 
personal  reliabilitv  nf  the  candidate  to  be  of 
greater  importance  than  the  opinions  he  may 
possess  concerning  party  issues.  For  four 
years  he  held  office  as  deputy  assessor,  but 
with  that  exception  he  has  declined  official  po- 
sitions and  has  given  his  attention  wholly  to 
agricultural  affairs.  He  long  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  Christian  Church  and  has  con- 
tributed to  its  organizations,  as  well  as  to  oth- 
er movements  calculated  to  advance  his  com- 
munity or  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  race. 


ELMER  ELLSWORTH  IZER.  Industry, 
wise  judgment  and  energy  are  marked  ele- 
ments inthe  character  of  Mr.  Izer  and  have 
been  the  principal  factors  in  the  attainment  of 
the  success  from  a  business  standpoint  which 
he  enjovs  to-day.  The  Pomona  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  of  which  he  is  the  superintend- 
ent, is  one  of  the  live  industries  of  the  town 
and  furnishes  employment  to  a  number  of 
skilled  mechanics.  The  plant  is  located  on  the 
corner  of  Bertie  and  Gibbs  streets,  on  a  ground 
space  of  95x170  feet,  while  the  building  is 
170x65  feet,  with  an  addition  which  is  occu- 
pied by  the  blacksmith  department.  In  every 
sense  of  the  word  this  is  a  modern  and  up-to- 
date  machine  shop,  v.'ith  facilities  for  making 
their  own  patterns  and  castings,  both  in  iron 
and  brass.  While  they  are  in  a  position  to 
execute  work  in  their  line  which  may  be  sub- 
mitted to  them,  their  specialty  lies  in  manu- 
facturing their  own  goods,  among  them  the 
Pomona  deep-v,'ell  pump,  ranging  from  twentv 
to  fiftv-horse-power,  traction  engines,  and 
road-oi'ling  machines,  the  latter  of  which  arc 
sent  all  over  the  United  Statc!^. 

Of  eastern  birth,  Mr.  Izer  was  born  July 
22.   \Sf>i.  near  Hagerstown.   Md.,   which   state 


was  also  the  birthplace  of  his  father,  John 
Jzer.  At  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war  the  father  was  in  Pennsylvania  and 
from  that  state  he  was  mustered  into  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Pennsylvania  In- 
fantry. By  trade  he  was  a  cabinet-maker,  and 
after  the  war  he  removed  to  Alliance,  Ohio, 
there  following  his  trade  in  addition  to  con- 
tracting and  building.  He  was  well  known  in 
business  and  Grand  Army  circles  in  that  city, 
where  his  entire  later  life  was  spent.  Before 
her  marriage  his  v.ife  was  Catherine  Nichols, 
a  native  of  Maryland,  and  she  now  makes  her 
home  in  Pomona,  and  all  of  her  children,  five 
daughters  and  one  son,  are  also  residents  of 
this  state. 

As  the  family  removed  from  Maryland  to 
Ohio  at  the  close  of  -the  war.  Elmer  E.  Izer 
has  little  personal  knowledge  of  his  birthplace, 
as  he  was  then  only  about  four  years  of  age. 
In  Alliance  he  was  reared  and  educated,  at- 
tending the  public  and  high  schools  until  he 
was  about  seventeen  years  old.  when  he  ap- 
prenticed himself  to  the  Morgan  Engineering 
Company,  manufacturers  of  steam  hammers 
and  cranes.  His  apprenticeship  of  four  years 
completed,  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  in 
Ohio  until  1895,  i"  which  year  he  transferred 
his  interests  to  the  west  and  located  in  Po- 
mona, Cal.  Opening  a  small  and  unpreten- 
tious shop  on  Second  street  he  began  as  a 
bicycle  repairer,  but  soon  found  it  necessary 
to  remove  to  larger  quarters.  In  establishing 
his  business  on  Garey  avenue  he  equipped  the 
plant  for  the  manufacture  of  bicycles  as  well 
as  repairing,  and  from  this  as  a  beginning 
gradually  drifted  into  machine  work  of  a 
heavier  character.  The  organization  of  the 
Pomona  ^Manufacturing  Company  occurred  in 
T901,  at  which  time  he  associated'  himself  with 
S.  i\t.  Fulton  and  G.  W.  Ogle  under  the  afore- 
said name,  and  in  1905  the  business  was  incor- 
porated. The  officers'are  Elmer  E.  Izer,  presi- 
dent:  S.  M.  Fulton,  secretary  and  manager; 
G,  W.  Ogle,  vice-president ;  and  Grant  Pitzer, 
treasurer"  all  of  the  members  being  practical 
mechanics  and  thorough  business  men.  The 
deep-well  cylinders  and  valves  manufactured 
bv  the  company  are  the  invention  of  S.  M. 
Fulton  and  have  a  wide  reputation,  being  in 
use  all  over  the  LTnited  States. 

In  Pomona.  Cal..  Mr.  Izer  was  married  to 
AFiss  Elizabeth  McCain,  wdio  was  born  in 
Kansas,  and  they  have  a  pleasant  and  commo- 
dious home  at  'No.  751  East  Fourth  street. 
Politicallv  he  is  well  known  in  Reoublican 
circles,  and  is  equallv  prominent  in  fraternal 
organizations.  In  Alliance.  Ohio,  he  was  made 
an  Old  Fellow  in  Lodge  No.  246.  and  at  one 
time  served  as  noble  grand.     Since  coming  to 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  west  he  had  transferred  his  membership 
and  is  now  affiliated  with  the  order  in  Po- 
mona, belonging  to  the  Encampment,  in  which 
he  is  serving  as  past  C.  P.,  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  kindred  order  of  Rebekahs. 


SAMUEL  ALBERT  MIDDAGH.  When 
]\Ir.  Middagh  came  to  Lemon  in  1888  he  was 
favorably  impressed  with  the  appearance  of 
the  localit}',  this,  too,  after  he  had  traveled 
widely  throughout  the  west,  and  especially 
throughout  the  middle  and  southern  parts  of 
California.  The  fact  that  he  soon  afterward 
purchased  porperty  upon  which  he  has  re- 
sided ever  since  is  ample  proof  that  he  has  no 
cause  to  regret  his  choice  of  location.  When 
he  purchased  his  present  ranch  of  twenty-five 
acres  in  the  Fairview  district,  one  and  a  half 
miles  west  of  Lemon,  it  was  a  waving  field 
of  barley,  but  in  place  of  grain  the  new  own- 
er set  out  an  orciiard  of  peaches  and  apricots, 
still  later  changing  to  oranges  and  walnuts, 
which  are  now  his  staple  products. 

Of  eastern  parentage,  Samuel  A.  Middagh 
is  a  native  of  the  middle  west,  born  near  Xora, 
Jo  Daviess  county,  111.,  October  6,  1852.  and 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Catherine  (Bushey) 
Middagh,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Born 
and  reared  in  Juniata  valley,  Perry  county, 
Pa.,  James  IMiddagh  set  out  for  the  new  west 
during  young  m^anhood,  and  as  early  as  1842 
became  a  pioneer  settler  in  the  new  common- 
weal-th  of  Illinois.  Twenty-seven  years  later 
witnessed  his  removal  across  the  Mississippi 
river  into  the  adjoining  state  of  Missouri, 
where,  in  Henr}^  county,  he  carried  on  a  farm 
for  sixteen  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time,  in 
1885,  he  came  to  California,  but  survived  his 
removal  to  the  west  only  about  five  years,  his 
death  occurring  in  Co^•ina  in  1890.  His  wife 
had  preceded  him  in  death  many  years,  pass- 
ing away  on  the   Illinois  homestead. 

Seven  children  originally  constituted  the 
parental  family,  but  of  the  number  only  two 
are  now  living.  Fourth  in  the  family.  Samuel 
.A.  Middagh  was  reared  and  educated  in  Jo 
Daviess  county,  111.,  and  also  attended  Clin- 
ton Academy  after  the  family  removed  to  Mis- 
souri in  1869.  With  the  close  of  his  academic 
course  he  began  his  business  career  by  accept- 
ing a  clerkship,  which  he  held  for  three  years, 
giving  it  up  in  1874  to  look  for  broader  induce- 
ments in  the  west.  The  same  year  he  came 
as  far  west  as  Colorado,  and  in  1875  completed 
his  journey  to  the  coast  by  coming  to  Los 
Angeles.  After  two  years  .spent  in  that  city 
and  some  time  in  the  Sacramento  valley  he  re- 
turned to  Missouri  and  ni  1878  went  to"  Texas, 
the  following  year  finding  him  in  Colorado  once 


more,  although  in  tlie  mean  time  he  had  paid 
another  visit  to  his  friends  in  Missouri.  With 
the  close  of  his  mining  experience  in  Buena 
A'ista,  Colo.,  where  he  had  been  engaged  with 
varying  degrees  of  success  for  two  years,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road (now  the  Union  Pacific,  Denver  &  Gulf 
Railroad),  advancing  in  the  esteem  of  his  su- 
pervisors by  his  strict  attention  to  duty,  until 
he  was  finally  made  agent  of  the  road.  It  was 
in  the  spring  of  1886  that  he  again  came  to 
California,  remaining  in  Pomona  two  years, 
when,  in  1888,  he  came  to  Lemon  and  for  about 
two  years  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  the  em- 
ploy of  others.  After  a  short  time  similarly 
occupied  in  Covina  he  came  to  Fairview  dis- 
trict and  purchased  twenty-five  acres  of  the 
IMonroe  place,  transforming  it  from  a  barley 
field  into  one  of  the  finest  orange  and  walnut 
groves  in  this  part  of  Los  Angeles  county. 
The  ranch  is  thoroughly  piped  for  irrigation, 
and  when  necessary  water  can  be  supplied  to 
any  and  all  parts  of  it. 

In  1897,  in  Lemon,  Mr.  INIiddagh  was  mar- 
ried to  Afiss  Catherine  A.  Kepner,  and  three 
children,  Lillus,  Cecil  and  Elbert,  have  blessed 
their  marriage.  Since  1899  ]\Ir.  Middagh  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Fairview  school  board, 
and  has  also  been  clerk  of  the  board  for  the 
same  length  of  time.  He  is  a  meinber  of  but 
one  fraternal  association,  the  ?iIodern  ^^"ood- 
men  of  America,  belonging  to  the  lodge  at 
Lemon.  Much  credit  is  due  Mr.  Middagh  for 
what  he  has  accomplished  since  coming  to 
Lemon,  all  of  which  is  due  to  hard  and  unre- 
mitting labor,  for  he  has  twice  almost  entirely 
replanted  his  ranch.  He  has  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  it  is  now  one  of  the  most 
productive  in  this  vicinity,  as  well  as  in  point 
of  appearance  ranking  favorable  with  many 
more  pretentious  estates. 


JOHN  BENJAMIN  STEEN.  Since  1894 
Air.  Steen  has  been  known  as  one  of  the  most 
enthusiastic  citizens  of  Long  Beach,  coming 
here  in  that  year  as  a  contractor  and  builder, 
a  line  of  endeavor  for  which  he  has  every  qual- 
ification, if  his  success  during  the  past  twelve 
years  can  be  taken  as  a  basis  for  this  conclu- 
sion. On  the  paternal  side  he  is  of  English 
descent,  his  father,  John  J.  Steen,  having  been 
born  in  Nottingham,  England,  whence  he  im- 
migrated to  the  United  States,  locating  first 
m  Brookb'n,  N.  Y.,  then  in  Baltimore,  Aid., 
and  still  later  in  Brookfield,  Va.  It  was  in 
the  latter  city  that  his  marriage  occurred,  unit- 
ing him  with  Martha  Brooks,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  the  Old  Dominion.  From  Virginia 
Air.  Steen  and  his. wife  removed  to  Missouri, 


CAPT.  MATTllKW  :SIIEI!MAX 


HIS'IORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  Rl'.iokl). 


675 


from  there  to  Ruslnille,  Ohio,  and  finally  to 
Iowa,  the  death  of  Airs.  Steen  occurring  in  the 
latter  state.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Steen 
was  a  merchant  in  that  state,  but  is  now  in 
Alberta,  Canada,  where  he  has  accumulated 
large  property  holdings. 

John  B.  Steen  was  born  in  Paulville,  Adair 
county,  Wo.,  November  14,  i860,  and  was  well 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  various 
localities  in  which  his  parents  settled  during 
his  boyhood  years.  As  a  trade  upon  which  to 
depend  for  future  years  he  chose  that  of  car- 
penter, although  for  some  time  he  was  well 
known  as  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser  in  Cham- 
bers, Holt  county,  Neb.  Relinquishing  his  in- 
terests in  Nebraska  in  1894  he  that  year  came 
to  Long  Beach  and  gave  his  attention  to  his 
trade,  the  city  at  that  time  being  in  great  need 
of  competent  workmen.  At  first  he  made  a 
specialty  of  shingling  contracts,  and  he  has 
the  credit  of  completing  more  houses  with 
shingle  roofs  than  any  other  one  person  in 
Long  Beach.  Later  he  built  houses  on  his 
own  responsibility  and  sold  them,  in  addition 
to  executing  contracts  for  complete  buildings 
for  others.  He  still  owns  six  residences,  be- 
sides valuable  property  on  Second  street  and 
elsewhere  in  the  city. 

In  Lewis,  Cass  county,  Iowa,  John  B.  Steen 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Bertha  F.  A'an 
Ornam,  June  19,  1889.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Edward 'C.  D.  and  Ann  j\I.  (Doolittle)  Van 
Ornam,  an  account  of  whom  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Three  children  have 
blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steen, 
as  follows :  Victor  V.,  Verna  D.  M.  and  Vera 
F.  Mrs.  Steen  is  a  member  of  the  Plymouth 
Congregational  Church  of  Long  Beacli. 


CAPT.  MATTHEW  SHERMAN.  For 
more  than  thirty-five  years  the  name  of  Cap- 
tain Sherman  was  indissolubly  associated  with 
the  growth  and  development  of  San  Diego, 
which  he  watched  with  pride  in  its  growth 
from  a  straggling  hamlet  into  one  of  the  im- 
portant cities  of  Southern  California.  From 
the  time  he  came  hither,  young  in  years  but  a 
veteran  of  two  wars,  down  to  the  very  day  of 
his  death,  his  vigorous  mind  was  felt  as  a 
factor  in  the  promotion  of  San  Diego's  best 
interests  and  permanent' growth.  In  his  de- 
mise there  passed  a  man  of  many  enviable  dis- 
tinctions in  various  departments  of  human  ac- 
tivity and  a  man  who  tvpified  the  possibilities 
of  American  citizensliip.  People  who  were 
born  in  San  Diego  and  who  have  now  reached 
middle  life  cannot  recall  a  time  vv'hen  his  name 
v.-as  not  familiar  to  them  or  when  {t  did  not 
stand  for  progressive  spirit  and  efficient  serv- 


ices as  a  citizen,  and  it  is  universally  accepted 
as  a  fact  that  his  name  is  worthy  of  a  ver}- 
high  place  in  the  annals  of  local  history. 

Captain  Sherman  was  born  in  Charleston,  a 
suburb  of  Boston,  Mass.,  October  11,  1827, 
and  was  the  third  child  of  a  large  family, 
whose  parents,  Capt.  John  and  Sarah  (Phipps) 
Sherman,  were  natives  of  Massachusetts.  The 
father  was  a  captain  in  the  merchant  marine 
service  and  was  lost  at  sea  off  the  coast  of 
Barnegat,  N.  J.  When  Matthew  was  twelve 
years  of  age  he  enlisted  as  a  sailor  and  for 
three  years  served  on  a  school  ship  in  the 
United  States  navy,  after  which  he  enlisted 
in  the  United  States  navy  during  the  Mexican 
war,  and  came  around  tlie  Horn  on  the  United 
States  flagship  Independence,  under  Commo- 
dore Subrick.  Among  the  stirring  engage- 
ments which  he  witnessed  were  the  taking  of 
Monterey  and  Mazatlan.  After  the  war  he 
returned'  east,  but  the  Pacific  coast  had  laid 
its  spell  upon  him  and  he  was  unable  to  re- 
sist its  charm.  Accordingly  in  1849  he  re- 
turned around  the  Horn  on  a  merchant  vessel 
and  in  1830  he  marched  in  the  procession  in 
San  Francisco  celebrating  the  admission  of 
California  as  a  state.  After  a  brief  experience 
in  mining  he  became  proprietor  of  a  hotel  at 
Auburn,  "Placer  county,  and  also  engaged  in 
the  manufacturing  business.  On  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  war  he  was  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  F,  Fourth  California  In- 
fantry, but  soon  rose  to  be  captain  of  the  com- 
panv]  and  commanded  the  same  during  the 
Indian  campaigns  in  Arizona  after  they  had 
been  stationed  in  the  old  barracks  at  San 
Diego  in  1862.  On  their  return  from  Arizona 
they  were  stationed  at  Wilmington  and  then 
at  San  Francisco,  where  he  was  mustered  out 
with  the  regiment. 

At  the  close  of  the  Civil  w,fir  Captain  Sher- 
man was  appointed  collector  of  the  oort  of 
San  Diego  and  removed  to  this  city,  where  he 
filled  the  office  for  four  years.  Meanwhile. 
at  Wilmington,  May  18,  1867,  he  married  :Miss 
.\ugusta  J.  Barrett,'  who  was  born  at  Sumner. 
Oxford  county.  Me.,  being  a  daughter  of 
Tames  S.  and' Fannie  C^^oung)  Barrett,  also 
natives  of  Maine.  Her  maternal  grandfather, 
Benjamin  Young,  was  born  in  Maine  and 
traced  his  lineage  to  the  Puritan  settlers  of 
Massachusetts  descended  from  Engli.sh  ai-fces- 
tors.  The  paternal  grrandfather,  Simeon  Bar- 
rett, was  born  in  Alassachusetts,  but  at  the 
age  of  two  years  was  taken  to  Oxford  county. 
Ale.,  bv  his  parents,  who  were  descended  from 
some  of  the  verv  earliest  settlers  of  Massachu- 
setts and  traced  their  lineage  to  England. 
Tames  S.  Barrett  was  a  farmer  bv  occupation 
'and  both  he  and  his  wife  died  in  Maine.    From 


676 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


that  state  two  of  their  sons  enlisted  in  the 
Civil  war  and  went  to  the  front  as  defenders 
of  the  Union.  In  1863  Miss  Barrett  came  via 
Panama  to  San  Francisco,  and  in  1866  settled 
in  San  Diego,  where  she  secured  a  position 
as  principal  of  a  public  school  at  Old  Town, 
this  being  the  only  free  school  in  San  Diego 
county  at  that  time.  To  her  belongs  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  oldest  surviving  settler 
of  new  San  Diego.  As  a  member  of  the  Pio- 
neer Society  she  displays  a  deep  and  unchang- 
ing interest  in  the  old  settlers  of  the  county 
and  among  them  all  none  is  more  honored 
than  she ;  in  addition  she  is  warmly  interested 
in  the  San  Diego  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  of 
which  she  is  a  charter  member. 

About  the  time  of  his  marriage  Captain 
Sherman  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
from  the  city,  and  in  1868  he  laid  out  the  land 
as  Sherman's  addition.  On  the  corner  of  J 
and  Nineteenth  street  he  built  the  first  resi- 
dence of  new  San  Diego,  outside  of  the  few 
houses  at  the  barracks,  and  for  some  years  he 
owned  a  flock  of  sheep  that  grazed  on  land 
now  built  up  with  substantial  dwellings. 
Gradually  he  sold  ofif  the  lots,  some  vacant 
and  others  improved  with  cottages.  At  the 
same  time  he  engaged  in  the  commission  busi- 
ness and  built  several  business  houses  in  the 
city,  also  was  interested  in  the  first  bank 
started  in  San  Diego,  of  which  later  he  offi- 
ciated as  a  director.  As  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  he  promoted  many 
measures  for  the  development  of  the  city. 
Prominent  in  local  affairs,  he  served  as  trustee 
for  several  years  and  for  two  3'ears  held  the 
office  of  mayor.  In  the  former  capacity  he 
was  active  with  the  other  trustees  in  saving 
to  the  city  the  park  of  fourteen  hundred  acres 
and  also  obtained  for  the  city  Mount  Hope 
cemetery.  In  the  organization  of  Heintzel- 
man  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  he  was  prominent,  and 
always  bore  a  warm  interest  in  its  charities. 
In  addition,  he  was  a  leading  member  of  the 
California  Commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 
With  his  wife  he  held  membership  in  the  Epis- 
copal Church  and  contributed  generously  to 
its  missionary  and  charitable  enterprises. 
Though  not  a  partisan,  he  was  a  pronounced 
Republican  and  never  swerved  in  his  alle- 
giance Ui  the  party.  ITe  donated  the  land  and 
a  pert  of  the  money  to  build  the  Sherman 
school,  which  was  the  first  school  in  San 
Diego. 

To  the  closing  days  of  his  active  life  Mr. 
Sherman  remained  a  prominent  citizen  and 
active  worker  for  progressive  measures,  and 
his  death  occurred  of  apoplexy,  July  5,  1898, 
while  he  was  in  attendance  upon  a  convention 
held  in  the  interests  of  securing  a  railroad,  and 


also  in  the  interests  of  Panama  canal  legisla- 
tion. As  early  as  1886  he  had  erected  a  com- 
modious residence  on  the  corner  of  Twenty- 
second  and  H  streets,  and  here  his  widow  still 
makes  her  home,  extending  to  her  friends  the 
cordial  hospitality  which  is  easily  among  her 
leading  characteristics.  Their  two  chifdren,' 
Mrs.  Fannie  Sloan  and  Matthew  Barrett  Sher- 
man, reside  in  San  Diego,  so  that  it  is  her 
privilege,  in  the  afternoon  of  her  eventful  ex- 
istence, to  enjoy  the  ministrations  of  her  de- 
scendants as  well  as  the  societ}'  of  the  friends 
of  earlier  days. 


HARRY  BARNDOLLAR.  Varied  enter- 
prises having  to  do  with  the  material  develop- 
ment of  Long  Beach  and  ^•icinity  owe  much 
of  their  prosperity  to  the  oversight  and  ex- 
ecutive alaility  of  Mr.  Barndollar,  who  during 
tlie  first  ten  }'ears  of  his  residence  in  this  state 
acted  as  superintendent  of  the  Long  Beach 
Development  Company,  the  Alamitos  Land 
Company  and  the  Alamitos  Beach  ^^■ater  Com- 
pany. The  new  hotel  erected  in  Long  Beach 
owes  its  presence  in  the  city  to  the  energy  and 
foresight  of  a  member  of  public-spirited  men, 
prominent  among  whom  as  a  promoter  he  holds 
a  place.  During  1905  he  took  part  in  the 
founding  of  the  Wilmington  Land  Company, 
in  which  he  now  holds  the  office  of  president. 
In  June  of  the  same  year  he  assisted  in  estab- 
lishing the  State  Bank  of  Long  Beach,  which 
has  a  capital  of  $100,000  fully  paid  up :  of  this 
institution  he  acts  as  a  director  and  was  chosen 
cashier  on  the  opening  of  the  bank,  since  which 
time  he  has  devoted  considerable  attention 
to  the  financial  oversight  of  the  establishment. 

Descended  from  a  Holland  family  and  one 
early  established  in  America,  Mr.  Barndollar 
was  born  at  iMartinsburg,  Blair  count}'.  Pa., 
April  9,  1853,  I^eing  a  son  of  George  R.  and 
Amelia  Ann  CAshcom)  Barndollar,  the  former 
born  in  Fulton  county,  Pa.,  in  1813,  and  the 
later  born  January  15,  1812,  on  a  Pennsylvania 
farm  located  on  the  Baltimore  and  Pittsburg 
turnpike.  For  many  years  the  father  engaged 
in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  AVood- 
bury,  Bedford  county.  Pa.,  and  there  he  died 
in  1868  and  his  wife  in  1889.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  sons  and  six  daughters,  the 
youngest  of  whom  were  twins,  Harry  and 
Frank.  The  common  schools  of  Williamsport, 
Pa.,  ofifered  fair  advantages  to  Harry  Barn- 
dollar, who  completed  their  studies  with  credit 
to  himself.  In  1870  he  entered  a  drug  store  at 
Everett,  Bedford  county,  where  he  gained  a 
considerable  knowledge  of  the  drug  business 
while    acting   as    clerk.      March    12,    1874,    he 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(i77 


graduated  from  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy  but  after  a  period  of  five  years  he 
turned  his  labors  into  other  fields  of  activity. 

From  the  east  [Nlr.  Barndollar  removed  to 
Colorado,  where  he  was  identified  with  various 
interests  in  Pueblo,  Cripple  Creek  and  Denver, 
and  for  fourteen  years  remained  in  that  state. 
In  1894  he  came  to  California  and  engaged  in 
the  developing  of  water  interests  and  in  buy- 
ing and  selling  real  estate  at  Long  Beach, 
where  he  still  makes  his  home,  and  where  he 
has  fostered  enterprises  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance to  the  well-being  of  the  city.  May 
4,  1903.  the  Masonic  Temple  Association  was 
incorporated  in  this  city,  and  he  has  since  of- 
ficiated as  its  secretary,  besides  being  one  of 
the  principal  stockholders.  In  politics  he  sup- 
ports Republican  principles  and  on  that  ticket 
was  three  times -elected  to  the  ofifice  of  city 
clerk.  The  Congregational  Church,  of  which 
he  has  for  years  been  a  member,  receives  his 
generous  support  to  its  philanthropies  and 
missionary  enterprises.  Among  the  organiza- 
tions of  which  he  is  a  member  in  fraternal 
circles  may  be  mentioned  the  bine  lodge  and 
chapter  of  Masonry  at  Long  Beach,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Independent  Order  of  For- 
esters, Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  Cos- 
mopolitan Club,  of  this  city. 


JESSE  J.  KNIGHT.  One  of  the  progres- 
sive and  enterprising  business  men  of  San 
Pedro  is  Jesse  J.  Knight,  proprietor  of  the 
Pony  Livery  and  Transfer  business,  a  dealer 
in  horses  and  mules,  and  a  contractor  for  street 
grading.  His  family  has  been  one  whose  mem- 
bers have  steadily  pioneered  their  way  from 
the  eastern  to  the  western  coast  of  the  LTnited 
States  and  left  the  imprint  of  their  influence 
upon  the  history  of  those  sections  of  the  United 
States  where  they  resided  from  time  to  time. 
The  grandfather,  Newell  Knight,  was  born  in 
New  York  and  early  settled  in  Illinois,  where 
he  followed  the  occupation  of  miller.  His  next 
move  was  to  cross  the  plains  with  his  family 
to  settle  in  Utah,  but  his  death  occurred  at 
winter  quarters  on  the  Platte  river.  He  left 
a  widow  and  six  children  and  they  later  settled 
in  Salt  Lake  City.  This  member  of  the  family 
had  been  a  very  prominent  elder  and  worker 
in  the  Mormon  Church  and  a  history  of  his 
life  and  work  requires  one  whole  volume  in 
the  history  of  the  church.  His  wife,  in  maiden- 
hood Lydia  Goldthwaite,  also  occupied  a 
leading  position  in  the  church  circles  through- 
out her  life.  Her  death  occurred  in  St.  George, 
Utah. 

The  father  of  Jesse  J.  Knight  was  also 
named  Newell  and  his  birth  occurred  in  Han- 


cock county.  111.  At  the  age  of  three  years 
he  was  taken  with  the  family  to  LTah  and 
there  his  boyhood  days  were  spent  on  the  farm. 
Although  the  son  of  such  prominent  Morman 
believers  he  has  never  espoused  the  cause  of 
that  religious  denomination.  As  a  young 
man  he  engaged  in  blacksmithing  for  a  time, 
afterwards  farmed,  and  later  was  occupied  as 
a  miner  at  various  jioints  in  Utah  and  Nevada, 
meeting  with  splendid  success  and  accumulat- 
ing large  wealth.  He  is  now  conducting  a 
wagon  and  agricultural  implement  business  in 
Provo  City,  Utah,  and  is  one  of  that  com- 
munity's leading  citizens.  He  is  of  Republi- 
can political  belief  and  for  two  terms  served 
as  marshal  of  Provo  City.  Fraternally  he 
affiliates  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  His  wife,  who  died  in  1898,  was  be- 
fore her  marriage  Caroline  Loveless,  a  native 
of  Little  Pigeon,  Iowa.  Her  father;  Bishop 
James  W.  Loveless,  was  a  prominent  Mormon 
bishop  from  Illinois,  and  her  mother,  Matilda 
McClellan,  was  connected  with  the  noted  Mc- 
Clellan  family  of  the  south. 

A  member  of  a  family  of  seven  children, 
Jesse  J.  Knight  was  born  September  12,  1865, 
in  Provo  City,  Utah,  where  he  received  his 
education  in  the  public  and  high  schools.  At 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  beganhis  independent 
business  career  as  a  merchant  in  his  native 
city,  and  at  twenty-one  was  married  there  to 
Miss  Lillie  Milner,  who  was  born  in  Provo 
(^ity,  the  daughter  of  Judge  John  B.  Milner, 
a  prominent  attorney  and  jurist.  Four  years 
later  Mr.  Knight  retired  from  the  merchandis- 
ing business  and  went  to  Ann  Arbor,  Mich., 
entering  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1893 
and  graduating  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws.  His  wife,  who  took  a  course  in  music 
in  the  University,  also  graduated  from  her 
studies  in  that  year.  Returning  to  Provo  City 
Mr.  Knight  began  the  practice  of  law  and  con- 
tinued the  profession  until  1896.  He  then 
came  to  Randsburg,  Cal.,  and  engaged  in  rain- 
ing for  a  year,  thereafter  continuing  mining 
throughout  the  southwest  for  a  time,  but  finally 
centered  his  interests  at  State  Line,  Deer 
Lodge  and  Fay,  Nev.  One  of  his  successful 
ventures  was  the  re-organization  of  the  Silver 
Park  mine  in  Lincoln  county,  Nev.  He  met 
with  his  best  success,  however,  in  State  Line, 
where  he  still  has  mining  interests,  and  also 
at  Provo  Cit}',  to  which  place  he  finally  re- 
turned. He  organized  and  incorporated  the 
Knight-Roberts  Mining  Company  and  de- 
veloped the  lead  mines  of  Rock  Canon,  where 
a  tunnel  seven  hundred  feet  in  length  has  al- 
ready been  made  and  when  it  is  completed  it 
will  be  sixteen  hundred  feet  long. 

In  July,  1905,  Mr.  Knight  came  to  San  Pedro 


678 


HTSTORICAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  for  one  month  worked  by  the  day,  at 
the  end  of  that  time  beginning  to  contract 
street  work.  He  acquired  a  large  grading  out- 
fit and  secured  the  contract  to  grade  Front, 
Wall,  Eighth  and  Center  streets,  as  well  as 
other  jobs  of  excavating,  and  has  ever  since 
continued  the  prosecution  of  this  business. 
May  I,  1906,  he  purchased  the  Pony  Livery 
&  Transfer  business  and  conducts  the  largest 
barn  in  the  city,  and  one  of  the  largest  out- 
side of  Los  Angeles.  Eraternally  he  was  made 
a  Mason  in  Story  Lodge  No.  4,  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Provo  City :  he  is  also  a  charter  member  of 
Provo  City  Lodge  No.  849,  B.  P.  O.  E.  Po- 
litically he  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  em- 
braced in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  in  all  matters  of  social  and  civic  interest 
to  the  community  in  which  he  resides  he  takes 
an  active  and  intelligent  part.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Knight  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Irma, 
better  known  as  Dolly,  and  Goodwin  J.  The 
daughter  is  now  singing  with  Ellen  Beach 
Yaw  and  also  taking  vocal  instruction  from 
her  having  remarkable  vocal  talent. 


NELSON  OLDS.  During  the  long  period 
of  his  residence  in  San  Diego  county  Mr.  Olds 
has  risen  to  a  conspicuous  position  among  its 
farmers  and  dairymen.  When  he  came  to  the 
San  Pasqual  valley  in  1878  he  was  a  young 
man,  just  starting  out  for  himself  in  the  world, 
and  ambitious  to  succeed  in  his  chosen  calling 
of  agriculture.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he 
settled  upon  the  ranch  which  he  now  owns 
and  operates,  the  property  consisting  of  four 
hundred  acres  of  land  partly  under  cultiva- 
tion and  partly  in  pasture.  All  of  the  improve- 
ments, including  the  neat  farm  house,  have 
been  made  under  his  personal  supervision,  and 
he  has  transformed  the  bare  land  into  one  of 
the  finest  homesteads  in  the  valley.  Dairying 
has  been  one  of  his  specialties,  and  at  this 
writing  he  milks  twenty-eight  cows,  selling 
the  cream  to  the  Co-operative  creamery,  in 
which  he  is  a  stockholder. 

The  Olds  family  became  established  in 
California  during  the  memorable  year  of 
1849,  when  Nelson  H.  Olds,  father  of  the 
gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
article,  left  iiis  nalive  place  in  Ohio 
and  his  occupation  as  a  sailor  on  the  lakes, 
and  came  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  to  San 
Francisco.  Plaving  served  in  the  Mexican 
war  from  its  beginning  until  the  close  of  the 
struggle  and  having  experienced  the  hard- 
ships of  army  life,  exposure  to  weather  and  the 
fatigue  of  long  marches,  he  was  well  adapted 
to  take  up  the  task  of  pioneer  development  in 
the  far  west.     San  Francisco  in  those  davs  had 


attracted  many  desperadoes  and  as  a  member 
of  the  vigilance  committee  he  did  eftective 
work  in  ridding  the  city  of  many  of  its  most 
desperate  ruffians.  In  July  of  1850  he  began 
to  mine  at  the  Sierra  Diggings  and  remained 
there  for  two  years,  after  which  he  opened  a 
general  store  at  San  Lorenzo,  Alameda  coun- 
ty, in  the  Santa  Clara  valley.  Meanwhile  he 
had  met  and  married  Levina  E.  jNlartin,  who 
was  born  ni  Michigan  and  in  1852  settled  in 
California.  In  1856  they  removed  to  a  ranch 
in  Marin,  county  and  engaged  in  dairying  and 
general  farm  pursuits,  remaining  there  for  a 
long  period.  During  1878  they  came  to  San 
Diego  and  here  he  died  in  1882,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years.  At  this  writing  his  widow 
makes  her  home  in  Petaluma,  this  state, 
and  is  active  notwithstanding  her  seventy-six 
years. 

Tbe  parental  family  consisted  of  five  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living  in  California.  Nel- 
son, who  was  second  in  order  of  birth  among 
the  five  children,  received  a  fair  education  in 
California  schools  and  remained  beneath  the 
home  roof  until  attaining  his  majority,  when 
he  went  to  Oakland,  and  thence  in  1878  came 
to  his  present  location.  Through  all  his  life 
he  has  been  loyal  to  the  welfare  and  devoted 
to  the  progress  of  his  native  California.  As  a 
boy  he  lived  in  Marin  county,  but  Alameda  is 
his  native  county,  he  having  been  born  there 
A  larch  3,  1856,  while  his  father  was  proprie- 
tor of  a  mercantile  store  at  San  Lorenzo.  From 
the  time  of  attaining  the  age  of  voting  he  has 
cast  his  ballot  in  favor  of  Republican  princi- 
ples and  has  been  interested  in  the  success  of 
his  party.  For  a  long  period  after  coming  to 
the  San  Pasqual  valley  he  remained  a  bach- 
elor, but  eventually  he  brought  a  wife  to  his 
country  home,  his  marriage,  September  28, 
1896,  uniting  him  with  Miss  Ada  R.  Roberts,  a 
sister  of  Frederick  H.  Roberts,  mentioned  else- 
where in  this  v/ork.  The  only  child  of  this 
union  was  born  February  11,  1898,  and  bears 
the  name  of  Carlton  Mason  Olds. 


WILLIAAI  AVALLACE.  Noteworthy 
among  the  pioneer  agriculturists  and  mer- 
chants of  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley  was  the 
late  William  AA^allace,  who  for  many  years 
was  actively  identified  with  the  industrial 
growth  and  prosperity  of  this  section  of  South- 
ern California.  Starting  in  life  Avith  but  little 
capital  aside  from  an  unlimited  amount  of 
energy  and  perseverance,  he  met  with  signal 
success  in  his  undertakings,  well  earning  the 
title  of  a  self-made  man.  A  native  of  Ireland, 
he  was  born  May  12,  1840,  and  until  six  }ears 
of  age  resided  in  the  old  country. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD. 


681 


Coming  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1848, 
William  Wallace  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Cambridge,  Mass.  Choosing  then 
the  independent  occupation  to  which  he  was 
reared,  he  worked  for  a  number  of  seasons  on 
a  farm  in  Vermont,  but  was  not  at  all  satis- 
fied witli  his  financial  returns.  Thinking  to 
better  his  condition,  he  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  in  the  early  '60s,  working  his  way  across 
the  continent,  and  for  several  years  was  en- 
gaged in  freighting  from  Los  Angeles  to  Ari- 
zona and  Nevada.  Locating  then  in  San  Luis 
Rey  valley,  he  brought  a  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred acres  and  embarked  in  stock-raising.  He 
subsequently  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits, 
having  a  general  store  in  San  Luis  Rey,  where 
he  built  up  an  extensive  and  lucrative  trade. 
At  the  same  time  he  carried  on  a  substantia! 
business  as  a  gardener,  also  paying  some  at- 
tention to  stock-raising.  He  was  a  man  of 
unquestioned  integrity,  possessing  excellent 
business  tact  and  ability,  and  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1892,  was  deeply  deplored  by  the 
entire  commimity.  He  was  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Good  Tem- 
plars in  early  life,  but  was  not  connected  with 
any  church. 

in  1874  Mr.  Wallace  married  Alice  Locke, 
who  was  born  in  1852  in  New  Hampshire,  and 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Penn- 
sylvania, where  her  parents  settled  when  she 
was  eight  years  old.  Eight  years  later  her 
mother  died,  and  very  soon  afterward  the 
daughter  and  her  father  came  to  California, 
locating  in  San  Luis  Rey  valley,  where  Mr. 
Locke  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
which  he  owned  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in 
1880.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wallace 
eight  children  were  !)orn,  namely:  William 
Lee:  Elbridge,  of ■  Riverside  county,  who  mar- 
ried Kate  Baker;  Edna  J.,  wife  of  E.  Alvin 
"\^^ilbur,  of  Escondido,  San  Diego  county: 
Robert  L..  who  is  married  and  lives  in  Ore- 
gon :  Pear! :  Alice  R. :  Hugh  G. :  and  Anna 
Rose.  Airs.  Wallace  is  a  most  estimable 
woman,  highly  respected  by  all.  and  since  the 
death  of  her  husband  has  served  as  postmaster 
at  .San  Luis  Rey.  She  's  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  which  slie  and  her  family 
attend. 


.  CHARLES  L.  HEARTWELL.  No  finan- 
cier of  Long  Beach  is  more  familiar  with  its 
resources  than  the  gentleman  who  holds  the 
positions  of  vice-president  of  the  First  Nation- 
al Bank  and  president  of  the  Citizens  Sav- 
ings Bank,  and  who  was  tlie  chief  factor  in 
the  organization  of  both.  The  national  insti- 
40 


tution  opened  its  doors  for  business  June  26, 
1900,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000,  which  has 
since  been  increased  to  $500,000,  and  a  sur- 
plus of  $100,000  has  accumulated,  the  entire 
resources  of  the  bank  aggregating  more  than 
$2,250,000.  The  savings  bank  was  opened 
February  i,  1901,  with  a  captial  stock  of  $25,- 
000,  and  has  since  been  increased  to  $250,000, 
with  resources  of  over  $1,000,000.  Both  banks 
are  under  the  same,  management  and  their 
rapid  growth  furnishes  abundant  testimony  as 
to  the  conservative  spirit  guidiijg  their  sub- 
stantial development. 

Charles  L.  Heartwell  was  born  in  Geneva, 
X.  Y.,  July  I,  7.869,  and  received  exceptional 
advantages  in  the  gaining  of  an  education. 
After  having  completed  the  studies  of  the  high 
school  of  Hastings,  Neb.,  he  took  a  course  in 
Hastings  College  in  that  city,  which  was 
foundetl  by  his  father,  Hon.  j'.  B.  Heartwell. 
A\'ith  the  intention  of  adopting  the  medical 
profession  for  his  life  work  he  entered  the 
School  of  Medicine  in  Paris,  France,  in  1887, 
but  circumstances  altered  his  plans  and  turned 
his  aspirations  into  other  fields  of  activity. 
For  two  years  he  wa-^  a  student  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  .Switzerland  at  Zurich.  During  va- 
cation seasons  he  took  bicycle  tours  through 
liurope  for  the  purpose  of  studying  national 
and  political  economy,  altogether  traveling  six 
tliousand  miles,  visiting  many  points  of  his- 
toric interest.  The  trips  were  enjoyable  and 
ga\'e  Iiini  an  insight  into  the  customs  and  hab- 
its of  the  people  in  the  countries  visited.  On 
his  return  from  Europe  in  1889  lie  settled  in 
Hastings.  Neb.,  and  engaged  in  the  banking 
business  at  that  point,  but  on  account  of  im- 
paired health  was  obliged  to  give  up  indoor 
work  for  a  time  and  in  1893  came  to  Riverside 
and  engaged  in  orange  culture.  His  grove, 
which  was  planted  by  himself  and  Ijrother.  is 
known  as  the  Alta-Mesa  grove,  planted  under 
the  ^^'right  act.  and  was  one  of  the  first  start- 
ed in  that  section  of  the  state.  The  ranch 
comprised  thirt}'  acres  of  navel  oranges  and 
ten  acres  of  lemon  trees.  In  the  culture  of 
oranges  and  lemons  the  Heartwell  brothers 
were  very  successful  and  their  fruit  command- 
ed highest  prices. 

Mr.  Heartwell's  connection  with  the  bank- 
ing institutions  of  Long  Beach  began  in  1897. 
when  he  became  assistant  cashier  in  the  Bank 
of  Long  Beach.  With  his  father  he  organ- 
ized the  banks  of  which  he  is  now  respectively 
■\-ice-president  and  president.  Besides  his  con- 
nection with  tliese  institutions  he  acts  as  a 
director  of  the  Long  Beach  Water  Company, 
capital  $750,000:  the  Masonic  Temple  Associa- 
tion (in  the  work  of  which  he  has  been  ac- 
tively interested   and   largely  through   his   ef- 


682 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


forts  was  bnilt  the  beautiful  Masonic  Tem- 
ple), the  First  National  Bank  of  Huntington 
Beach,  while  in  1904  he  assisted  in  organizing 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Compton,  in 
the  town  of  the  same  name.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  and  at  present  a  director  of  the 
Long  Beach  Hotel  &  Land  Co.,  capitalized 
for  $1,000,000,  and  the  company  is  now  erect- 
ing a  six  story  fireproof  hotel  on  the  Ocean 
Front.  UnderMr.  Heartwell's  supervision  the 
First  National  bank  in  1906  completed  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  elaborate  office  build- 
ing in  Long  Beach,  being  a  six  story,  steel 
structure.  He  assisted  ni  organizing  The  Nel- 
son-Napier Navigation  Company,  which  runs 
boats  between  San  Pedro  and  San  Diego,  and 
is  a  director  and  treasurer  of  the  company. 
He  is  also  interested  in  the  San  Pedro  Salt 
Works  and  occupies  the  office  of  treasurer  in 
the  company  which  owns  them,  and  is  di- 
rector and  treasurer  of  the  Long  Beach  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  organizers.  Since  1898  he  has 
served  as  treasurer  of  the  city  of  Long  Beach, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  board,  that  framed 
the  present  cit}^  charter. 

After  coming  to  Long  Beach  Mr.  Heartwell 
met  and  married  Miss  LaVerne  Lowe,  who 
was  born  in  Syracuse,  Neb.  He  is  a  Presby- 
terian, and  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation of  Long  Beach  has  the  benefit  of  his 
warm  sympathy  and  active  support,  not  only 
by  contributions  of  money  and  time,  but  also 
through  his  faithful  service  in  the  office  of 
treasurer.  Mr.  Heartwell  is  an  enthusiastic 
automobilist  and  in  1904  assisted  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Long  Beach  Automobile 
Club,  and  has  seryed  as  its  president  since  its 
inception.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  he  is  greatly  interested  in  the 
good-roads  movement  and  lends  his  influence 
to  the  bettering  of  the  public  highways  in  this 
section  of  the  state,  and  was  one  to  help  frame 
a  law  for  the  construction  of  boulevards  in  the 
state  of  California  and  with  others  championed 
the  building  of  Pacific  boulevard,  which  ex- 
tends from  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  without  a 
curve  to  Long  Beach.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Long  Beach  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Jonathan  and  Union 
League  clubs  cf  Los  Angeles.  In  matters 
fraternal  he  holds  membership  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  at  Long  Beach,  where  for 
one  term  he  officiated  as  commander  of  the 
lodge.  The  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  numbers  him  among  its  members,  and  in 
additon  he  is  active  in  Masonry,  being  asso- 
ciated with  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  347,  F.  & 
A.  M. :  Long  Beach  Chapter  No.  84,  R.  A.  M., 
of   which    he   acts   as    treasurer;   Long   Beach 


Commandery  No.  44,  K.  T.,  in  which  he  offi- 
ciates as  treasurer;  Los  Angeles  Consistory 
thirty-second  degree,  and  Al  Malaikah  Temple, 
A.  A.  O.  N.  M.'S.  of  Los  Angeles. 


MATTHEW  LEWIS.  It  is  interesting  to 
chronicle  the  life  history  of  the  pioneer  who 
has  passed  through  the  struggle  of  the  devel- 
opment of  a  new  country  until  it  has  become 
a  veritable  garden  spot.  Among  such  men  we 
find  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Matthew  Lew- 
is, -who  was  born  in  .Seven  Oaks,  County 
Kent,  England,  October  i,  1838,  the  son  of 
Samuel  and  Eliza  (Wheeler)  Lewis,  born  re- 
spectively in  Shropshire,  and  Seven  Oaks. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  the  only  one  living  of  the 
family  of  eight  children.  He  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  in  his  native  place.  Upon 
attaining  mature  years  he  followed  the  hotel 
business  at  Seven  Oaks,  then  spent  two  years 
in  Ireland,  and  afterward  located  in  London, 
but  he  found  the  climate  there  so  injurious  to 
his  health  that  he  came  to  America  in  1870. 
The  first  year  was  spent  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  the 
next  in  Minnesota  and  during  that  winter  he 
read  an  article  on  the  wonderful  climate  of 
Southern  California  which  so  interested  him 
that  he  laid  plans  to  visit  this  semi-tropical 
Southland.  Meantime,  in  1872,  he  returned  to 
St.  Louis,  in  1873  went  to  Denver  and  in  the 
spring  of  1874  with  a  train  of  twenty  wagons 
came  overland  via  Salt  Lake  City  to  San  Ber- 
nardino, arriving  in  October,  1874.  Two 
weeks  later  found  him  in  Bear  Valley  pros- 
pecting and  mining.  The  next  year  he  went 
on  a  fishing  trip  to  the  Santa  Ana  and  found 
it  an  ideal  place  with  an  abundance  of  game. 
He  was  so  taken  with  the  place  that  he  drove 
his  stake,  because  he  said,  if  with  his  gun  and 
rod  he  could  not  make  a  living,  he  ought  to 
starve.  From  1876  to  1880  he  engaged  in  the 
sheep  business,  ranging  his  flock  winters  on 
what  is  now  the  site  of  Redlands.  Since  1880 
he  has  given  his  time  to  improving  and  beau- 
tifying his  homestead,  which  he  named  Seven 
Oaks  in  honor  of  his  old  home  in  Kent.  In 
1883,  when  they  began  building  the  Bear  val- 
ley dam,  he  opened  his  place  as  a  resort  and 
stopping  place  for  people  seeking  the  moun- 
tain climate  in  the  heat  of  the  summer.  The 
place  began  to  grow  and  he  continued  erect- 
ing cabins  and  houses  for  the  entertainment 
of  the  visitors  and  Seven  Oaks  has  now  be- 
come the  greatest  resort  in  the  San  Bernar- 
dino mountains,  v/ith  the  most  excellent  water, 
fishing  and  hunting.  Lately  he  has  leased 
the  whole  place  to  W.  H.  Glass  for  a  term  of 
years. 

Seven   Oaks  has  an   elevation   of  five  thou- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOCRAPlilCAL  RF.CORn. 


sand  feet  and  is  located  on  the  headwaters  of 
the  Santa  Ana  river,  twenty-two  miles  from 
Redlands,  and  during;  the  season  the  stage 
makes  daily  trips  between  Redlands  and  Har- 
\-eys,  in  .Mill  Creek  and  thence  by  horses  or 
burros  b}'  trail  to  Seven  Oaks. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  also  interested  in  mining  in 
Lone  valley,  where  he  is  developing  the  So- 
corro quartz  mine  that  is  already  showing 
good  results.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
is  a  liberal  and  enterprising  man  and  with  his 
means  has  done  as  much  as  any  other  citizen 
to  develop  the  natural  resources  of  the  coun- 
trv. 


FERDINAND  J.  GOLDKAAJP.  Descend- 
ed from  an  ancient  German  family,  honorably 
identified  with  business  affairs  in  their  several 
localities  of  Germany,  Ferdinand  J.  Goldkamp 
was  born  in  Osnabruck,  Hanover,  Germany, 
April  15,  1849,  3"'!  ■^^'^s  a  son  of  Frank  and 
Dina  Goldkamp.  The  father  was  a  millwright 
by  occupation  and  remained  in  Germany  until 
he  died,  since  which  time  his  wife  has  contin- 
ued at  the  old  home  place.  All  of  their  nine 
children  are  living  and  only  three  of  them 
came  to  the  United  States,  while  Ferdinand 
J.,  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  was  the  only  one 
to  settle  in  California.  When  a  youth  of  four- 
teen years  he  was  taken  from  school  and  ap- 
prenticed as  a  clerk  in  a  wholesale  manufac- 
turing house,  where  he  served  four  years,  and 
afterward  remained  in  the  employ  of  the  same 
house  until  he   had  attained  his  majority. 

Upon  arriving  in  the  United  States  in  1871 
Mr.  Goldkamp  proceeded  direct  to  St.  Louis 
and  secured  employment  as  a  clerk,  later  act- 
ing as  foreman  in  a  cigar  manufacturing  es- 
tablishment for  nine  years.  On  resigning  that 
position  he  began  to  manufacture  cigars,  hav- 
ing his  plant  in  St.  Louis.  However,  the  oc- 
cupation proved  trying  and  unhealthful  and 
he  determined  to  seek  another  calling  and  cli- 
mate. From  1884  until  1887  he  engaged  in 
raising  stock  and  grain  on  a  ranch  near  Stan- 
ton. J\Iartin  county,  Tex.  At  the  expiration  of 
three  years  he  sold  the  ranch  and  removed  to 
the  Pacific  coast,  arriving  in  San  Diego  July 
30,  1887.  After  one  year's  experience  in  the 
fruit  business  he  bought  a  store  building  and 
several  lots  on  Clay  avenue,  corner  of  Twen- 
tv-ninth  street.  Since  then  he  has  improved 
the  building  and  erected  an  addition  and  has 
engaged  in  a  general  mercantile  business  with 
gratifying  success.  In  addition  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  store  he  has  devoted  six  vacant 
lots  to  the  fruit  business  and  has  circled  the 
ground  with  a  cypress  hedge.  The  water 
plant  which  he  owns  is  operated  by  pumping 


from  deep  wells  of  large  capacity  and  fur- 
nishes water  of  such  excellent  quality  that  not 
only  neighbors  use  it  for  the  table,  but  the 
soda  works  also  engage  it  as  needed. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  Goldkamp  was  sol- 
emnized at  Marine,  Madison  county,  111.,  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1873,  and  united  him  with  Miss  Amel- 
ia Jahns,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  that 
town.  In  early  life  her  father,  Christ  Jahns, 
who  was  a  native  of  Hildesheim,  Hanover, 
Germany,  came  to  the  United  States  and  set- 
tled in  St.  Louis,  where  he  followed  the  car- 
jienter's  trade.  From  there  he  removed  to 
.Marine,  III.,  and  engaged  at  cabinet-making, 
besides  taking  contracts  for  the  erection  of 
houses  and  business  establishments,  .\fter  a 
Inisy  career  he  died  in  March,  1893,  in  the 
town  where  for  years  he  had  made  his  home. 
By  his  marriage  to  Caroline  Sechteg,  who  was 
born  in  Braunschweig,  Germany,  and  now 
lives  in  Illinois,  he  had  nine  children,  all  but 
one  of  whom  survive.  Airs.  Goldkamp,  who 
was  the  eldest  of  the  family,  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Madison  county,  and  resided  there 
imtil  her  marriage.  Their  union  was  blessed 
with  three  sons,  namely:  Fred,  who  assists  his 
father  in  the  store ;  Christ,  who  is  an  electri- 
cian by  occupation  and  also  possesses  ability 
as  a  musician  ;  and  Otto.  Fraternally  Mr.  Gold- 
kamp holds  membership  with  the  Foresters  of 
-\merica  and  the  Turn  Verein  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  in  the  building  of 
the  new  Turner  Hall.  Always  interested  in 
measures  for  the  benefit  of  San  Diego  and  so- 
licitous for  the  city's  advancement  in  every 
line  of  development,  he  has  been  ready  to  aid 
local  progress  in  ever_v  way  praticable,  and  in 
.A-pril,  1905,  he  accepted  the  position  of  city 
councilman  from  the  ninth  ward,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  health  and 
morals  committee,  the  police  committee  and 
the  sewer  committee.  As  a  councilman  his 
work  has  been  aggiessive  and  efficient,  and 
the  position  which  he  holds  as  an  energetic 
citizen  and  public-spirited  man  is  merited  by 
his  able  service  as  an  official  no  less  than  by 
his  long  and  upright  career  as  a  merchant. 


ALDEN  T.  DRAKE.  Obliged  by  circum- 
stances to  contribute  to  his  own  support  from 
boyhood  and  start  out  empty  handed  on  his 
business  career  Alden  T.  Drake  has  succeed- 
ed in  acquiring  considerable  property,  although 
he  is  still  a  young  man,  and,  b}'  his  honesty, 
integrity  and  proven  qualities  as  a  public  citi- 
zen has  won  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  He  was  born 
December  23,  1873,  in  Lawrence  county.  Pa., 
the    son    of   Joseph    and    Harriet    (Troutman) 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Drake,  who  removed  from  their  farm  in 
Pennsylvania  to  Cahfornia  in  1887.  They  lo- 
cated in  Menifee  valley,  or  that  part  of  it 
known  as  Antelope  valley,  on  a  ranch,  and 
there  the  death  of  the  father  occurred  a  year 
later,  in  April,  1888,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years.  The  death  of  the  mother  occurred  in 
May,  1906,  she  having  attained  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  There  were  four  children  in  the 
family,  only  two  of  whom  are  now  living. 
Viola,  who  became  the  wife  of  George  Sim- 
mons, of  this  valley,  died  in  October,  1905 ; 
Freeman  A.  died  in  June,  1887 :  Elluard  is  now 
living  on  the  home  place ;  and  Alden  T.  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

There  was  little  opportunity  for  Alden  T. 
Drake  to  attend  school,  for  after  his  father's 
death  the  care  of  the  home  place  and  his 
mother  de\olved  upon  his  shoulders. 
When  nineteen  years  old  he  began  farm- 
ing for  himself  and  has  continued  in 
that  occupation  ever  since.  The  land  which 
he  first  bought  was  unimproved  and  its  pres- 
ent condition  as  an  attractive  and  well-culti- 
vated ranch  with  good  buildings  is  entireh' 
the  result  of  his  personal  efiforts.  Besides  the 
two  hundred  acres  in  Leon  which  he  owns 
Mr.  Drake  ranches  three  hundred  acres  in 
Menifee  valley,  runs  a  header,  bales  hay,  and 
is  a  breeder  of  draft  horses,  possessing  as  fine 
stock  as  can  bo  found  anywhere.  September 
6,  1901,  Mr.  Drake  was  married  here  to  Miss 
Zona,  daughter  of  Samuel  Walker,  who  came 
to  California  about  t8w,  his  father  having 
been  one  of  the  first  grain  raisers  in  this  state. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Drake  have  become  the  par- 
ents of  two  children,  Daryl  and  Nina.  Po- 
liticallv  J\Ir.  Drake  is  an  independent  Republi- 
can. He  is  interested  in  the  fullest  develop- 
ment of  the  section  of  the  state  in  which  he 
lives  and  lends  his  enthusiastic  support  to  all 
enterprises   tending   toward    its   upbuilding. 


GEORGE  PARKER  ?*lcKAY.  Conspicu- 
ous among  the  leading  citizens  of  Oceanside 
is  George  Parker  McKay,  who  is  distinguished 
as  the  longest-established  merchant  of  the 
place,  and  as  one  of  its  most  successful  and 
popular  business  men.  He  has  the  distinction 
of  being  a  native-born  son  of  California,  his 
birth  having  occurred.  September  25,  i860,  at 
Oakland,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated. 

Charles  P.  McKay,  the  father  of  George 
Parker  McKay,  was  born  and  brought  up  in 
New  York  state.  Ambitious  and  venturesome 
as  a  young  man.  he  came  to  California  in 
searcli  of  riches  in  the  spring  of  1850,  jour- 
neying by  the  way  of  Panama,  and  soon  after- 
wards  became   a    pioneer   settler   of   Oakland, 


where  he  buUt  the  first  wharf  seen  in  that  lo- 
cality. He  gained  a  place  of  prominence  and 
influence  in  the  administration  of  municipal 
affairs,  and  for  nine  years  served  as  city  mar- 
slial  and  captain  of  the  police.  He  subsequent- 
ly removed  to  San  Jose,  where  he  resided  un- 
til his  death,  in  1877.  He  married  Mrs.  Mary 
(Hunter)  \\entworth,  who  was  born  in  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland,  and  died  in  Oakland,  Cal. 

The  only  child  of  his  parents,  George  Par- 
ker !\lcKay  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Oakland,  and  at  the  age  of 
si.xteen  years  began  learning  the  trade  of  a 
machinist  in  San  Erancisco,  at  the  Gold- 
en State  and  Miner's  Iron  \\'orks.  Sub- 
sequently going  to  Los  Angeles,  he  was  for 
awhile  with  the  Baker  Iron  Works,  and  later 
with  the  Southern  P'acific  Railroad  shops.  Re- 
turning to  San  Franicsco,  he  worked  for  a 
time  with  his  first  employers,  after  which  he 
went  to  Albion  to  work  in  the  lumber  mills. 
Not  liking-  his  position  there,  he  again  entered 
the  Golden  State  and  Miner's  Works  in  San 
Francisco,  and  with  the  exception  of  nine 
months  spent  in  San  Diego  in  1887,  remained 
there  until  189T.  His  health  failing  he  came 
in  that  year  to  Oceanside  to  recuperate,  and 
in  1893  opened  his  present  store,  at  the  corner 
of  Second  and  Cleveland  streets,  where  he  is 
carrying  on  a  thriving  business  as  a  general 
merchant.  He  carries  a  complete  stock  of  all 
goods  found  in  a  department  store,  his  aim  be- 
ing to  please  his  numerous  customers,  furnish- 
ing them  with  articles  of  a  desirable  quality, 
and  at  reasonable  prices.  The  firm,  of  which 
he  is  the  head,  owns  the  land  at  the  corner  of 
Cleveland  and  Third  streets,  the  finest  busi- 
ness location  in  the  city,  and  there  contem- 
i:>lates  putting  up  in  the  near  future  a  new 
.store,  a  larger  building  being  needed  to  meet 
the  demands  of  their  rapidly  increasing  trade. 

October  21,  1883,  in  San  Francisco,  Mr.  Mc- 
Kav  n-iarried  Mary  Catherine  Mebach.  who 
was  born  in  Germany,  a  daughter  of  the  late 
P>ernard  Mebach.  Immigrating  with  his  fam- 
ily to  the  LTnited  States,  Mr.  Mebach  settled 
as  a  merchant  tailor  in  San  Francisco  in  1866, 
but  after  living  there  twenty  years  came  to 
Oceanside.  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
liis  life,  dying  in  May,  1898.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Catherine  Schiefer,  was 
born  in  Germany,  and  resided  in  Oceanside 
until  her  death  'in  December,  1905.  Their 
family,  consisting  of  two  daughters  and  three 
sons.'  are  residents  of  Oceanside.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Kay was  brought  up  and  educated  in  San 
Francisco,  and  prior  to  her  marriage  resided 
in  Los  Angeles,  being  the  first  lady  employed 
as  a  clerk  in  the  Boston  Drygoods  Store.  She 
is  a  typical  business  woman,  devoting  her  life 


HISTORICAL  .\XI)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


687 


to  business  pursuits,  and  since  the  opening  of 
their  store  in  C)ceansirle  has  been  a  necessary 
assistant  to  her  husband.  Mr.  McKay  is  a 
member  of  Golden  (jate  Parlor  Xo.  29,  N.  S. 
G.  W.,  of  San  Francisco,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  consistent  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 


HOX.  lAMES  RF.XJAMIX  HEART- 
WELL.  (  )ne  of  tin-  substantial  and  promi- 
nent men  oi  Long  Ileach  is  James  llenjamin 
Heartwell,  president  of  the  l-"ir  t  Xational 
Bank  and  vice  president  of  the  Citizens  Sav- 
ings Bank,  and  an  extensive  owner  of  real  es- 
tate and  other  interests.  Beginning  life  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ladder  of  attainment  he  has 
steadily  pushed  his  way  upward  by  energetic 
industry,  perseverence  and  wise  management, 
achieving  distinguished  success  in  financial 
and  business  circles.  His  father,  Oscar  E. 
Heartwell,  was  born  in  Geneva,  X.  Y.,  in  1818. 
He  was  engaged  in  the  building  business  in 
New  York  state,  and  now  lives  a  retired  life 
at  Huntington  Beach,  Cal.  His  mother.  So- 
brina  A\'ebster,  of  the  same  family  as  the  il- 
lustrious Daniel  Webster,  died  in  New  York 
state. 

J.  B.  Heartwell  was  born  in  Seneca  county, 
X.  Y..  July  4,  1843,  'i"'l  ^^''i^  prepared  for  col- 
lege in  the  Geneva  Classical  Institute.  (  )n  ac- 
count of  illness  he  did  not  enter  college,  but 
took  a  course  at  Eastman's  Business  College 
at  Pr)ni^lil<ee]i--ii-.  X.  Y.,  graduating  in  1863. 
In  iH(>4  lu  ai\'  lited  a  position  as  bookkeeper 
in  the  lirsi  Xaiidual  Bank  of  Geneva,  X.  Y., 
and  in  1866  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
cashier,  which  place  he  filled  with  great  credit 
until  1870.  when  he  resigned.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  with  other 
associates  he  organized  the  Iowa  Loan  and 
Trust  Company,  and  was  its  secretary  for 
eight  years.  In  1881  on  account  of  his  wife's 
health  he  removed  to  Hastings,  Neb.,  and  in 
1882  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  X'e- 
braska  Loan  and  Trust  Company  of  Hastings 
and  served  acceptably  as  its  president.  While 
residing  in  Hastings  he  was  city  treasurer  for 
two  terms  and  in  1886  was  elected  state  sen- 
ator, where  he  served  his  constituents  honor- 
ably and  faithfully :  he  also  served  as  postmas- 
ter at  Hastings  and  at  the  close  of  his  term  in 
1804  lie  came  to  California  on  account  of  his 
wife's  health.  He  first  located  at  Riverside 
and  was  there  engaged  in  orange  culture  until 
the  spring  of  1900,  when  he  located  in  Long 
Beach,  where  in  June,  1900,  with  his  son,  C.  L. 
Heartwell,  he  organized  the  First  Xational 
Bank  with  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000.  The  first 
vear  he  served  as  vice-president,  when  he  was 


chosen  president  and  continues  to  fill  that  re- 
sponsible position.  The  l)ank  now  has  a  cap- 
ital stock  of  $500,000  with  $100,000  sur])lus 
and  assets  of  two  and  one-quarter  million  dol- 
lars. With  his  son,  Charles  L.,  he  organized 
the  Citizens  Savings  Bank  of  which  also  he  is 
serving  as  president.  He  is  president  of  the 
Mutual  Trust  Company  and  is  a  prominent 
factor  in  the  Interstate  Dock  and  Lumber 
Company  and  the  ?\Iutual  Building  and  Loan 
Association. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Heartwell  was  in  maiden- 
hood Sarah  Jane  Dibble,  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  is  a  member  of  an  old  prominent  V'n- 
ginia  family,  and  is  numbered  among  the  cul- 
tured and  refined  women  of  the  city.  They 
have  two  sons,  Charles  L.,  cashier  of  the  First 
Xational  Bank  of  Long  Beach,  who  is  repre- 
sented elsewhere  in  this  work;  and  James  I■^, 
late  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Huntington  Beach. 

Mr.  Heartwell  is  endowed  with  exceptional 
ability  as  a  financier  and  organizer.  This  trait 
was  displayed  in  his  early  business  career,  or- 
ganizing the  first  Loan  and  Trust  Company  in 
ihe  middle  west. 

He  is  a  pror.iinent  Mason  and  organized 
Long  Beach  Commandery  Xo.  40,  and  was  its 
first  Eminent  Commander.  He  is  a  member 
of  Los  Angeles  Consistory  Xo.  3,  and  Al  Mal- 
aikah  Temple,  M.  M.  S.  He  is  also  an  active 
member  and  chairman  of  the  finance  commit- 
tee of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Mr.  Heartwell  is  a  life-long  Republican  and 
is  a  very  active  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  is  serving  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school  and  for  thirty  years  has  been 
very  active  in  Sunday-school  work  in  the  mid- 
dle west  as  well  as  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Dur- 
ing the  vears  of  his  residence  in  this  state  he 
has  given  frequent  evidence  of  a  hearty  desire 
to  accomplish  all  within  his  power  for  the  ad- 
\-ancement  of  community  interests  and  partic- 
ularly for  the  promotion  of  those  movements 
intended  to  elevate  the  social,  moral,  educa- 
tional and  industrial  status  of  Long  Beach. 
His  strong  personal  attributes  have  been 
generally  recognized  and  these  characteristics 
taken  in  conjunction  with  his  manifest  public 
spirit,  and  his  generosity  of  heart  have  given 
him  an  enviable  place  in  the  esteem  of 
thoughtful  and  discriminating  men. 


RE\\  ALOXZO  EDSOX  JOXES.  As 
pastor  of  the  Reorganized  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  located  on  Fifth 
and  G  streets,  San  Bernardino,  Cal..  and 
high  priest  of  his  denomination.  Rev.  Alonzo 
E.  Jones  fills  an  important  and  influential  po- 
sition in  the  life  of  that  city.     On  both  sides 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  the  house  he  is  descended  from  a  strong 
and  vigorous  ancestry,  whose  names  are 
prominently  connected  with  the  early  history 
of  our  country.  His  mother's  grandfather 
was  originally  from  Wales,  and  became  an 
early  pioneer  in  Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa. 
He  died  at  Gollard  Grove,  Iowa,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-six  years.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Church  of  Lat- 
ter Day  Saints.  On  his  father's  side  the  his- 
tory of  the  family  in  this  country  dates  from 
Revolutionary  days,  his  grandfather,  Nathan 
Jones,  having  been  a  soldier  in  that  war. 
His  parents  were  Alonzo  Edson  and  Susan 
I.  (Perry)  Jones,  the  former  born  August  23, 
1815,  at'  Sharon,  Vt.,  the  latter  in  1820,  at 
Essex,  N.  Y.  They  removed  to  Pottawat- 
tamie county,  Iowa,  near  Council  Bluffs,  and 
there  September  18,  1848,  was  born  the  son 
Alonzo  Edson,  whose  early  boyhood  was 
passed  on  his  father's  farm.  In  1853  the  fam- 
ily crossed  the  plains,  coming  to  San  Ber- 
nardino county,  Cal.,  and  located  on  Lytic 
creek  north  of  Colton,  engaging  in  grain- 
growing  and  stock-raising.  The  father  passed 
away  in  April,  ^904,  at  his  home  in  San  Ber- 
nardino. 

Until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  Alonzo 
Edson  Jones  attended  the  common  schools 
and  from  then  until  he  had  attained  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  he  stayed  on  his  father's 
farm,  after  which  he  set  about  to  accomplish 
the  ambition  he  had  long  cherished  and  pre- 
pared for  the  ministry.  In  due  time  he  was 
ordained  into  the  priesthood  of  the  Church 
of  Latter  Day  Saints  and  so  continued  until 
1869,  Ayhen  he  became  a  constituted  preacher. 
In  1870  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Catlin, 
n  native  of  the  same  county  in  Iowa  as  him- 
self, and  who  came  to  California  with  her  par- 
ents in  1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  became  the 
parents  of  four  children :  Alonzo  O. ;  Minnie 
L.,  who  married  Harry  Smith ;  and  John  Wal- 
ter, all  of  San  Bernardino  and  Sylvia  May, 
deceased.  Mrs.  Jones'  father  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Mexican  war  and  was  afterwards  em- 
ployed as  a  government  scout  and  was  killed 
by  the  Indians  while  in  the  performance  of 
his  duty.  Since  his  residence  in  California 
Rev.  I\fr.  Jones  has  been  located  near  Colton 
and  been  engaged  in  farming  and  the  minis- 
try with  the  exception  of  six  years  spent  in 
Los  Angeles  and  Orange  counties,  during 
which  time  he  was  assistant  pastor  of  the 
Church  in  Garden  Grove.  In  1893  he  was 
elected  pastor  of  the  San  Bernardino  church. 
He  also  holds  the  position  of  a  general  mis- 
sionary, receiving  his  appointment  from  the 
general  conference  of  the  church.  The  Re- 
organized  Church   of   Jesus   Christ   of   Latter 


Day  Saints  lias  no  affiliation  with  the  Utah 
church,  vhe  head  of  this  branch  being  located 
at  Decatur  county,  Iowa,  and  the  doctrine 
of  plural  marriage  being  ignored  by  the  re- 
organized church.  This  church  has  been  de- 
clared, by  the  courts  of  the  land,  the  successor 
of  the  original  church  organized  in  1830. 
The  membership  of  the  San  Bernardino  church 
comprises  two  hundred  and  eighty  names ; 
there  are  sixty  names  on  the  Sunday-school 
roll,  and  a  Zion  Religio  Literary  Societj'  is 
maintained.  Rev.  Mr.  Jones  is  known  as  a 
man  of  strong  principles  and  broad  minded 
views,  and  is  beloved  and  respected  not  only 
by  his  constituents  of  the  church,  but  by  a 
large  number  of  friends  and  acquaintances 
scattered  over  ad  Southern  California,  where 
he  has  labored  so  long. 


JOHN  WILLIAM  ROBBINS.  Too  much 
cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  the  enterprise  and 
thrift  which  have  brought  success  to  J.  W. 
Robbins,  who,  it  is  safe  to  say,  has  a  larger 
acreage  under  his  care  than  any  other  resi- 
dent of  Santa  Barbara  county  of  the  same 
years  and  experience.  The  tract  of  fifty-two 
hundred  acres  under  his  management  is  rent- 
ed property,  located  in  close  proximity  to  Los 
Alamos,  and  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  uses 
to  which  it  is  devoted.  While  eight  hundred 
acres  are  in  barley  and  dairying  is  carried  on 
to  some  extent,  it  is  the  stock  ranch  that 
claims  the  most  attention  and  produces  the 
largest  income  annually  of  any  of  the  several 
branches  of  agriculture  here  maintained,  the 
ranch  being  stocked  with  over  four  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  also  mules,  horses  and  hogs. 

Not  only  is  ^Ir.  Robbins  a  native  son  of  the 
state,  but' he  claims  the  distinction  of  being 
the  first  American  boy  born  in  Guadaloupe, 
Santa  Barbara  county,  his  birth  occurring  on 
the  last  day  of  the  year  1872.  His  parents. 
M.  V.  and  Louisa  Catherine  (Baber)  Robbins, 
were  both  natives  of  Missouri,  from  which 
state  the  former  started  in  1852  on  the  long 
and  perilous  journey  across  the  plains.  Go- 
ing direct  to  Sonoma  county,  he  settled  on  a 
ranch  not  far  from  Santa  Rosa,  upon  which  he 
made  his  home  for  twenty  years.  In  1872,  a 
short  time  prior  to  the  birth  of  their  son,  the 
parents  removed  to  Guadaloupe,  Santa  Bar- 
bara county.  In  1879  they  settled  on  the  Sis- 
quoc  ranch,  in  the  same  county,  removing 
from  there  in  T883  to  Goieta  and  still  later  to 
Santa  Barbara,  where  the  father  died  in  1806. 

Of  the  five  children  born  to  his  parents  J. 
W.  Robbins  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth. 
The  first  eleven  years  of  his  life  were  associat- 
ed   with   his   native    village,    in    whose   public 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


691 


schools  he  gained  such  training  as  the  primi- 
tive place  afforded.  Removing  to  Goleta  in 
18(83,  he  completed  his  education  in  the  Santa 
Barbara  Business  College,  and  continued  to 
make  his  home  near  that  city  until  1902.  Un- 
der his  father's  training  on  the  home  ranch  he 
learned  all  of  the  details  for  the  successful  cul- 
tivation of  land,  a  training  which  he  put  to 
further  practical  test  by  renting  land  and 
ranching  for  himself.  In  1901  he  leased  and 
ran  the  Ontario  and  Eagle  Canyon  ranches 
near  Santa  Barbara. 

In  1902  he  assumed  control  of  the  El  Rob- 
lar  ranch,  consisting  of  fifty-two  hundred 
acres  near  Los  Alamos,  of  which  he  is  the 
lessee.  With  a  company  of  five  Mr.  Robbins 
formed  the  El  Roblar  Thrashing  Company,  of 
which  he  is  one  of  the  managers. 

In  1S99  Mr.  Robbins  was  married  to  ^label 
E.  Hunt,  a  native  of  England,  and  two  chil- 
dren, Catherine  and  Lelia,  have  been  born  to 
them.  Mr.  Robbins'  political  sympathies  ally 
him  with  the  Democratic  party,  while  frater- 
nally he  belongs  to  the  Elks  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara and  the  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden  West. 
It  is  said  of  Mr.  Robbins  that  to  know  him 
is  to  be  his  friend,  and  indeed  it  could  hardly 
be  otherwise,  for  he  possesses  in  generous 
measure  all  of  the  attributes  that  make  for 
noble  manhood  and  honest,  upright  citizen- 
ship. 


H.  BERT  ELLIS,  A.  B.,  M.  D.  Univer- 
sally recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  physi- 
cians of  tiie  state.  Dr.  H.  Bert  Ellis  occupies 
a  merited  position  of  prominence  among  his 
contemporaries  and  enjoys  the  highest  con- 
fidence of  those  who  have  sought  his  advice 
professionally.  In  Los  Angeles,  where  he  has 
made  his  home  many  years,  he  is  regarded  as 
a  citizen  of  more  than  ordinary  importance, 
for  he  has  so  thoroughly  interested  himself 
in  questions  concerning  the  physical  welfare 
of  the  community  that  he  has  brought  about 
results  of  incalculable  benefit.  He  is  unques- 
tionably a  man  of  much  native  ability  and 
with  this  has  brought  to  bear  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  profession  an  application  and 
earnestness  and  an  intense  love  of  the  work 
which  have  given  to  him  a  merited  success. 

A  descendant  of  stanch  English  ancestry, 
Dr.  Ellis  was  born  in  Lincoln,  Me.,  May  17, 
1863,  a  son  of  James  Henry  Ellis,  who  traced 
his  antecedents  to  one  of  the  lord  mayors  of 
London.  His  mother,  Annie  M.  (Bullard) 
Ellis,  descended  in  a  direct  line  from  William 
Bradford,  second  governor  of  j\Iassachusetts 
and  the  head  of  the  little  colony  of  Puritans 
at  Plymouth.     J.   H.   Ellis,  who  was  born  in 


Ivliddleboro,  Mass.,  April  23,  1836,  became  one 
of  the  leading  dental  surgeons  of  the  maritime 
provinces  and  from  1867  to  1883  was  located 
in  Eredericton,  New  Brunswick.  His  wife  was 
also  a  native  of  the  Bay  state,  and  was  born 
August  21,  1838.  H.  Bert  Ellis  received  his 
primary  instruction  in  the  public  school  near 
his  home,  and  later  attended  and  graduated 
from  the  high  school,  where  he  prepared  for 
more  advanced  work.  Entering  Acadia  Uni- 
versity, Wolfville,  Nova  Scotia,  in  1881,  he 
was  graduated  from  this  institution  three  years 
later,  after  which  he  came  to  California  and  for 
one  3'ear  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
and  business  enterprises  in  Los  Angeles  and 
Pasadena.  Following  this  he  became  a  student 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Southern  California,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  April,  1888.  Having  served 
for  a  portion  of  .this  time  as  interne  at  the  Los 
Angeles  County  Hospital,  he  was  equipped 
with  both  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  profes- 
sion and  some  practical  experience,  and  in  ad- 
dition to  this  he  went  at  once  to  Europe, 
Avhere  he  pursued  a  post-graduate  course  at 
the  universities  of  Gottingen,  Germany,  and 
Vienna,  Austria.  Returning  to  his  home  in 
Los  Angeles  he  began  a  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, which  has  continued  up  to  the  present 
time.  He  has  met  with  unusual  success  and 
has  built  up  a  large  and  constantly  increasing 
practice.  Since  1893  he  has  devoted  himself 
exclusively  to  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the 
eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat,  and  has  won  wide 
distinction  in  this  important  and  difficult  field 
of  labor. 

Many  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility 
have  been  filled  by  Dr.  Ellis,  among  them  that 
of  lecturer  on  physiology  in  the  College  of 
Medicine  of  the  University  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, to  which  he  received  appointment  in 
October,  1889,  shortly  after  establishing  his 
practice.  In  October  of  the  following  year  he 
was  elected  professor  of  the  same  department 
and  continued  to  act  in  that  capacity  until 
January,  1896,  when  he  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  ophthalmotology,  and  in  November, 
1898,  was  further  honored  by  being  made 
treasurer  of  the  college  of  medicine.  He  is 
jironiinently  identified  with  medical  organiza- 
tions, having  served  officially  in  many  of  them. 
As  president  of  the  Southern  California  Med- 
ical Society  in  1899  and  1900  he  took  an  active 
part  in  its  affairs.  He  was  senior  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  American  Medical  College  Asso- 
ciation, and  has  served  constantly  as  secretary 
or  assistant  secretary  of  the  Los  Angeles 
County,  Southern  California,  State  and  Amer- 
ican Associations,  the  American  Medical  Ed- 
itors   Association    and   of   the    Doctors    Social 


692 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Club  of  Los  Ang-elcs.  Social!}  he  is  prominent 
as  a  member  of  the  California,  Jonathan,  Uni- 
versity and  Union  League  Clubs,  and  of  the 
Science  Association  of  Southern  California. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Dr.  Ellis  adheres 
to  the  principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of 
the  Republican  party  and  gives  his  support  to 
its  men  and  measures.  During  the  years  1903 
and  1904  he  was  a  member  and  president  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  the  city  of  Los  An- 
geles. Fraternally  he  is  prominent  among  the 
Masons  and  Elks.  In  personal  character  the 
doctor  is  such  a  man  as  one  of  his  profession 
should  be,  possessing  the  rare  qualities  of  good 
cheer  and  sympathy,  a  patience  born  of  long 
experience  in  an  alleviation  of  the  ills  of  man- 
kind, and  confidence  which  instinctivel)'  wins 
the  trust  of  those  about  him.  He  has  many 
friends  professionally  and  socially,  and  is  just- 
ly considered  one  of  the  able  men  of  the  city. 


DENVER  O.  LAMB.  Noteworthy  among 
the  large  landholders  and  extensive  agricult- 
urists of  Eallbrook  is  D.  O.  Lamb,  the  owner 
of  as  comfortable  a  homestead  as  can  be  found 
in  this  section  of  San  Diego  county.  A  man 
of  excellent  business  capacity,  thoroughly 
versed  in  the  many  branches  of  farming,  he 
is  meeting  with  good  success  in  his  under- 
takings, his  well-appointed  and  well-cultivat- 
ed ranch  of  one  thousand  acres  evincing  the 
thrift,  skill  and  excellent  management  of  the 
owner.  A  son  of  the  late  J.  O.  Lamb,  he  was 
born,  ]March  31,  1859,  in  Minnesota,  where  he 
lived  until  three  years  did. 

Born  and  reared  in  New  York,  J.  O.  Lamb 
began  his  active  career  as  a  sailor,  and  until 
thirty  years  of  age  was  engaged  in  seafaring 
pursuits.  Locating  then  in  Wisconsin,  he  mar- 
ried Marj^  T.  Fillmore,  who  was  born  in  that 
state,  and  began  life  as  a  farmer.  Moving 
from  there  to  the  adjoining  state  of  Minnesota, 
he  continued  there  as  a  farmer  for  several 
seasons.  About  1863  he  started  westward, 
thinking  in  a  newer  country  to  further  ad- 
vance his  fortunes.  Joining  an  emigrant  train 
he  crossed  the  mountains,  and  for  four  years 
was  located  near  Salt  Lake,  Utah.  Coming 
with  his  family  to  Southern  California  in  the 
fall  of  1867,  he  lived  for  five  years  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, after  v.-hich  he  settled  just  west,  of 
Los  Angeles,  where  he  remained  until  1899. 
Retiring  then  from  active  pursuits,  he  came  to 
Eallbrook,  and  from  that  time  until  his  death, 
in  1905,  made  his  home  with  his  son,  D.  O. 
Lamb.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  while  living  in  Los  Angeles  served 
as  road  overseer,  and  for  fifteen  vears  was 
deputy  constable.     He  was  a  member  of  the 


Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  his 
religious  views  was  a  jMaterialist.  His  wife, 
who  survives  him,  lives  in  Eallbrook. 

About  eight  years  of  age  when  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  this  state,  D.  O.  Lamb  re- 
ceived limited  educational  advantages  in  the 
schools  of  San  Bernardino  county.  While 
there  he  began  working  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  completed  in  Los  Angeles, 
subsequently  following  it  as  a  business  for  a 
number  of  years,  three  years  of  that  time  be- 
ing thus  enipli>\c(l  in  Pasadena.  In  1886  he 
located  in  San  Diego  county,  and  has  since 
been  employed  the  greater  part  of  the  time  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  Investing  his  money  in 
land,  he  has  now  a  fine  ranch  of  one  thou- 
sand acres  in  Eallbrook,  and  as  a  raiser  of  cat- 
tle and  grain  is  meeting  with  notable  success, 
his  operations  being  extensive  and  lucrative. 
A  man  of  keen  intelligence  and  quick  percep- 
tions, he  has  made  a  personal  study  of  many 
of  the  leading  questions  of  the  day.  and  is 
largely  self-educated. 

In  1885  i\Ir.  Lamb  married  Ella  Gird,  who 
was  born  in  Los  Angeles,  and  they  are  the 
laarents  of  eight  children,  namely:  Nettie, 
Katie,  Edna,  Murray,  John,  Annie,  Denver 
and  Lucy.  In  national  affairs  Mr.  Lamb  is 
an  earnest  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  parly,  but  in  local  matters  he 
votes  for  the  best  men  and  measures,  inde- 
pendent of  party  prejudices.  He  has  made  a 
study  of  Spiritualism,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  among  its  strongest  advocates. 


RALPH  D.  LACOE.  Prominent  among 
the  highly  esteemed  residents  of  Oceanside, 
San  Diego  county,  is  Ralph  D.  Lacoe,  a  re- 
tired business  man.  As  a  former  dealer  in 
real  estate  and  coal  lands  he  was  very  suc- 
cessful, by  his  eminent  ability  and  keen  judg- 
ment accumulating  a  handsome  property, 
which  he  is  enjoying  at  this  beautiful  seaside 
resort.  Although  a  comparative  newcomer, 
lie  is  an  ardent  admirer  of  Southern  California, 
appreciating  al!  of  its  advantages,  and  taking 
great  pleasure  in  its  mild  and  health  giving 
climate.  A  son  of  the  late  Ralph  D.  Lacoe, 
Sr.,  he  was  born,  April,  1867,  in  Pittston,  Lu- 
zerne county.  Pa.,  of  honored  French  ancestry. 
His  paternal  grandfather.  Anthony  Lacoe, 
left  France,  his  native  countrv,  about  1790,  at 
the  time  of  the  French  Revolution,  coming  to 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  at  first,  but  subsequently 
settling  near  Pittston.  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  carpenter  and  farmer  until  his  death. 

A  native  of  Luzerne  county.  Pa.,  Ralph  D. 
Lacoe,  ."^r.,  was  brought  up  near  Pittston, 
where  he  began   life  for  himself  as  a  builder 


crcrA^    C  » j^^-^-^^^^-i— ' 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


695 


and  lumber  manufacturer  and  dealer.  Sub- 
sequently settling  in  Pittston,  he  was  there  en- 
gaged in  the  banking  business  during  the 
Civil  war.  He  acquired  considerable  prop- 
erty in  that  vicinity,  becoming  owner  of  valu- 
able real  estate  and  coal  lands,  remaining  in 
active  business  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  a  man  of  much  influence.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Bridget  Clary, 
was  born  near  Pittston,  Pa.,  left  an  orphan 
when  young,  and  died  in  the  fall  of  1873.  ^^^^ 
bore  !iim  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. 

Brought  up  in  Pittston,  Ralph  D.  Lacoe  re- 
ceived his  elementary  education  in  its  public 
schools,  after  which  he  attended  the  Wilkes- 
barre  Academy,  and  the  Wyoming  Seminary. 
Subsequently  engaging  in  business  with  his 
father,  he  dealt  extensively  in  real  estate  and 
coal  properties,  also  doing  surveying  in  the 
coal  regions.  Continuing  thus  employed  for 
a  number  of  years,  he  carried  on  a  very  prof- 
itable business,  acquiring  considerable  wealth. 
In  1894  he  made  his  first  trip  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  selecting  Oceanside  as  the  most  desira- 
ble place  in  which  to  spend  the  season,  and 
subsequently  he  made  two  other  visits  to 
Southern  California.  Particularly  pleased  with 
Oceanside  and  its  environments,  he  brought 
his  family  liere  in  iqo.t.  choosing  this  for  a  per- 
manent  place  of  residence. 

In  Pittston.  Pa.,  Mr.  Lacoe  married  Har- 
riet Stark,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  and  was 
educated  at  a  college  in  Baltimore,  Aid.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  bv  the  birth  of  one 
child,  Ralph  D.  Lacoe,  Jr.  Politically  Mr. 
Lacoe.  true  to  the  princinles  in  which  he  was 
brought  up,  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  relig- 
ionslv  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal  Church. 


JOHX  CHARLES  EREMONT.  Through- 
out American  history  and  story  no  name  is 
more  familiarly  known  than  that  of  John  C. 
Fremont,  the  Pathfinder  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains. School  children  of  all  ages  read  and  reread 
with  renewed  delight  and  interest  his  encoun- 
ters with  the  dusky  foe  on  the  iilains  ami  ex- 
ploits of  thrilling  adventure  throughout  his  en- 
tire career  on  the  western  frontier.  His  fear- 
less and  daring  spirit  was  no  doubt  an  inlier- 
ited  tendency,  for  it  is  known  that  the  founder 
of  the  family  in  America  was  a  man  of  large 
undertakings  and  indomitable  courage.  Born 
in  France  at  a  time  when  the  edict  of  Nantes 
was  still  in  efifect,  he  lived  there  contented 
with  his  surroimdings  and  privileges  until  the 
revocation  bv  Louis  XI\''.  when  he  was  sent  to 


Canada  as  an  officer  in  the  troops,  and  there 
he  eventually  settled  with  his  family.  There 
the  family  became  well  known,  the  famous  Dr. 
Charles  James  Fremont  being  a  member  of  this 
branch  of  the  family.  The  grandson  of  this 
immigrating  ancestor,  Louis  Rene,  was  the 
founder  of  the  family  in  the  United  States,  his 
later  years  being  spent  in  Charleston,  S.  C, 
his  death  occurring  there  in  1818.  In  Virginia 
he  married  Anne  Beverly  Whiting,  whose 
aunt,  also  a  Miss  Whiting,  became  the  wife 
of  John  Washington,  and  held  George  Wash- 
ington in  her  arms  at  the  time  of  his  christen- 
ing. 

Born  in  Savannah,  da.,  January-  21.  1813, 
John  Charles  Fremont,  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
lad  of  five  years  when  the  death  of  his  father 
cast  the  first  shadow  over  his  young  life.  Re- 
maining with  his  widowed  mother  in  Charles- 
ton, he  there  became  a  pupil  in  the  public 
schools,  where  he  displayed  an  aptitude  and 
receptivity  which  made  him  a  delight  to  his 
teachers.  One  especially.  Professor  Robertson 
of  the  University  of  South  Carolina,  took  a 
keen  interest  in  him  and  gave  him  outside  as- 
sistance in  his  studies  that  was  of  untold  ad- 
vantage to  him.  Circumstances  over  which  he 
had  no  control,  howe\-er,  put  an  end  to  his 
school  days,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  the 
support  of  his  mother,  brother  and  sister  fell 
upon  his  young  shoulders.  From  his  earliest 
school  days  he  showed  a  fondness  for  mathe- 
matics, and  it  was  along  this  line  that  he  bent 
his  keenest  energies.  Naturally  he  sought  em- 
ployment which  would  make  use  of  his  train- 
ing, and  this  he  had  no  difiiculty  in  finding. 
His  first  practical  work  was  as  a  surveyor  in 
the  rice  lands  of  South  Carolina,  a  task  which 
involved  considerable  risk  to  life,  and  was  paid 
for  accordingly.  From  1833  to  1835  he  was  a 
teacher  of  mathematics  on  the  sloop-of-war 
Natchez,  and  later  became  as-distant  to  Capt. 
W.  G.  Williams  of  the  United  States  toi>o- 
graphical  engineers.  SnbMM|uiT.tl\-  he  was  ap- 
pointed an  assistant  to  Mr.  Xicollet,  who  un- 
der the  direction  of  General  Sible}'.  with  head- 
quarters at  old  Fort  Snelling,  explored  the 
country  north  of  the  Missouri  river,  at  the 
same  time  discovering  its  source.  In  May, 
1842,  he  set  out  on  another  expedition,  his  ob- 
ject this  time  being  to  survey  beyond  the 
Rocky  Motmtains  by  the  .south  pass,  one  of 
the  members  of  his  party  being  Kit  Carson, 
the  noted  trapper  and  scout.  On  this  occasion, 
on  August  15,  he  scaled  the  peak  that  is  now 
known  as  Fremont's  Peak. 

With  a  band  of  thirty-nine  trusty  men  Mr. 
Fremont  set  out  in  j\lay  of  1843  for  the  pur- 
pose of  finding  a  path  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  In 
his   equipment   he  had  the   first   India   rubber 


696 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


boat  ever  constructed,  and  this  was  also  the 
first  boat  that  ever  floated  on  Salt  Lake,  the 
explorers  sighting  this  body  of  water  for  the 
first  time  September  6,  1843.  It  is  a  fact 
worthy  of  note  that  the  maps  which  Mr.  Fre- 
mont made  of  the  country  at  this  time  were 
the  same  ones  which  Brigham  Young  used  in 
making  his  way  to  that  garden  spot.  Proceed- 
ing toward  the  coast,  Mr.  Fremont  reached 
California  in  the  middle  of  the  following  De- 
cember, and  in  March  of  1844  reached  Sutter's 
Fort,  near  Sacramento.  Having  accomplished 
the  purpose  for  which  he  came  he  began  to  re- 
trace his  steps  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month, 
reaching  Kansas  July  i,  1844.  Starting  on  his 
third  expedition  in  1845  he  finally  reached 
Monterey,  the  old  capital  of  California,  there 
raising  the  first  American  flag  on  Gaviota 
Peak,"  when  threatened  with  attack  by  Cas- 
tro's men.  From  Monterey  he  went  to  Klam- 
ath lake.  Working  under  the  direction  of  or- 
ders received  from  Washington  to  defend  the 
interests  of  the  United  States  in  California  and 
to  protect  American  settlers,  with  Stockton 
and  Sloat  he  soon  wrested  northern  California 
from  Mexican  rule,  and  July  4,  1846,  was  elect- 
ed governor  of  California.  By  the  treaty  of 
Cahuenga,  on  Januar}'  13,  1847,  he  concluded 
articles  of  capitulation  which  left  the  territory 
in  the  possession  of  the  United  States.  During 
the  memorable  year  of  1849  he  was  elected 
United  States  senator  from  California,  taking 
his  seat  September  10,  1850,  the  day  after  the 
state  was  admitted  into  the  Union.  He  and  his 
wife,  though  southerners,  were  advocates  of  a 
free  state  and  it  was  largely  through  his  influ- 
ence that  it  was  admitted  as  such. 

In  September,  1853,  Mr.  Fremont  made  his 
fifth  expedition  across  the  continent,  and  three 
years  later  became  the  recognized  leader  of  a 
new  political  party  whose  slogan  was  "Free 
soil,  free  speech,  freedom  and  Fremont."  The 
Republican  convention  of  June,  1856,  wit- 
nessed his  nomination  for  president.  Return- 
ing to  California  in  1858,  a  few  years  later,  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  he  was  made 
major-general  of  the  regular  army,  command- 
ing the  western  department,  with  headquar- 
ters in  St.  Louis.  At  the  hands  of  President 
Lincoln  in  March  of  1862  he  was  given  com- 
mand of  the  mountain  district  of  Virginia, 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  in  1878  was  ap- 
pointed governor  of  Arizona.  Further  promo- 
tion and  honor  awaited  him,  for  by  act  of  con- 
.gress  he  was  made  major-general  of  the  regu- 
lar army  in  1S90,  and  put"  on  the  retired  hst. 
He  was  not  long  spared  to  enjoy  his  new  hon- 
ors, however,  for  death  came  to  him  a  few 
months  afterward,  July  13,  1890,  while  on  a 
temporary  visit  in  New  York  City. 


In  Washington,  D.  C,  October  19,  1841,  oc- 
curred the  marriage  of  John  C.  Fremont  and 
Jessie  Benton,  daughter  of  Thomas  H.  Ben- 
ton, United  States  senator  from  Missouri.  Op- 
position to  the  marriage  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Benton  proved  no  bar  to  the  consummation  of 
the  plans  of  the  young  people,  for  they  were 
quietly  married  without  his  knowledge  or 
blessing.  Subsequently  Mr.  Benton  became 
reconciled  to  their  marriage  and  in  later  years 
he  became  Mr.  Fremont's  stanchest  friend. 
Five  children  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fremont,  but  of  these  two  died  young. 
The  eldest,  Elizabeth  McDowell  Benton  Fre- 
mont, was  born  in  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1842, 
and  as  long  as  her  parents  lived  continued  to 
make  her  home  with  them.  She  has  been  a 
resident  of  California  since  June,  1849,  living 
first  in  San  Francisco,  later  in  Los  Angeles, 
and  in  1904  came  to  Long  Beach,  although  she 
still  retains  her  home  in  Los  Angeles.  The 
next  child,  John  Charles,  named  for  his  illus- 
trious father,  was  born  in  San  Francisco  in 
April.  1851,  one  of  the  first  American  children 
born  in  the  state.  As  an  officer  in  the  United 
States  navjr  he  participated  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war  and  later  was  made  commander 
of  the  U.  S.  Ship  Florida.  His  inarriage  was 
with  Sallie  Anderson,  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Gen.  Adna  Anderson,  who  laid  out  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad.  Their  three  children  are: 
John  Charles  (who  is  the  third  of  that  name 
and  the  second  to  serve  in  the  United  States 
navv)  :  Jessie  Benton  and  Julia  Van  Wyck. 
Francis  Preston  Fremont  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  in  May,  1855,  and  is  a  major  in 
the  United  States  Army.  His  marriage  united 
him  with  Caroline  Townsend,  a  daughter  of 
John  D.  Townsend,  a  prominent  attorney  of 
New  York  City,  and  they  have  one  son,  Ben- 
ton Fremont. 

During  the  same  year  in  which  General  Fre- 
mont died  congress  granted  a  special  pension 
to  his  widow,  following  which  the  women  of 
California  united  in  giving  her  a  beautiful  res- 
idence in  Los  Angeles.  She  was  born  in  May, 
1824,  and  died  at  the  home  just  mentioned  De- 
cember 27,  1902.  General  Fremont's  remains 
were  interred  on  the  beautiful  banks  of  the 
Hudson  in  New  York,  and  at  her  death  her 
ashes  were  taken  east  and  placed  beside  his  re- 
mains. A  woman  of  many  charming  traits  of 
character,  she  was  an  inspiration  to  all  with 
whom  she  came  in  contact,  and  though  dead 
she  yet  speaks,  for  she  was  a  writer  of  consid- 
eraltle  note.  Not  only  are  her  writings  enter- 
taining, but  they  claim  the  greater  merit  of 
truth,  and  are  based  on  her  experiences  in  this 
western  frontier.  Notable  among  the  produc- 
tions from  her  pen  are :  "A  Year  of  American 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


697 


I'ravel;"  "Souvenirs  of  j\ly  Time;"  "A  Sketch 
of  Senator  Benton ;"  "Stor}-  of  the  Guard,"  and 
"Will  and  Way  Stories."  At  the  time  of  her 
death  she  was  engaged  in  the  preparation  of 
her  autobiography. 

Colonel  Fremont  was  in  Paris  with  his  wife 
and  daughter  in  1851  and  "52,  during  which 
time  Napoleon  declared  himself  emperor,  and 
they  were  honored  guests  at  the  last  birthday 
dinner  given  in  honor  of  the  duke  of  Welling- 
ton. They  were  also  presented  at  court.  In 
1869,  General  Fremont,  wife  and  daughter 
again  went  abroad,  this  time  visiting  in  Copen- 
hagen and  Denmark  particularly.  Mrs.  Fre- 
mont owned  the  first  carriage  that  was  ever 
seen  in  California,  it  having  been  built  for  her 
in  the  east  and  brought  around  the  Horn.  It 
was  so  arranged  that  she  could  use  it  as  a  bed 
at  night,  and  in  this  conveyance  she  and  her 
eldest  daughter  made  many  trips  throughout 
the  state  with  Colonel  Fremont. 


WALTER  LINDLEY,  M.  D.  Since  his  lo- 
cation in  Los  Angeles,  a  little  ninre  than  thirty 
years  ago,  Dr.  Lindley  has  been  constantlx-  iden- 
tified with  public  enterprises,  both  in  the  line  of 
his  profession  and  the  general  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  Southern  California,  his  name  to- 
day standing  deservedly  prominent  among  the 
representative  citizens.  His  ability,  however, 
has  far  outgrown  tlie  confines  of  his  adopted 
state  and  he  is  known  and  honored  as  a  leading- 
man  in  the  medical  fraternity,  not  only  on  the 
Pacific  slope,  but  wherever  the  progress  of  science 
holds  a  place  in  the  lives  of  men.  His  life  his- 
tory, therefore,  is  not  of  interest  alone  to  those 
who  have  known  him  personally  during  his 
work  in  the  west,  but  to  the  many  who  have 
hoped  for  the  betterment  of  humanity  and  the 
upbuilding  of  conditions  which  would  insure 
a  permanent  moral  and  physical  improvement. 

Born  in  Monrovia,  Ind.,  January  13,  1852, 
Walter  Lindley  was  the  son  of  Milton  and  Mary 
E.  (Banta)  Lindley,  natives  respectively  of 
North  Carolina  and  Vevay,  Ind.  The  father, 
born  on  the  7th  of  October,  1820,  inheriting  from 
early  ancestors  the  pioneer  spirit,  became  in 
early  life  a  resident  of  Indiana,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  and  banking  business 
for  some  time.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  in  Minneapolis.  Minn.,  where  he 
remained  until  1874,  which  year  marks  the  date 
of  his  arrival  in  the  more  remote  west.  He  be- 
came the  owner  of  considerable  property  in  Los 
Angeles  and  .spent  a  large  portion  of  his  time  in 
its  improvement  and  management.  In  the  mean- 
time he  gradually  assumed  a  place  of  importance 
among  the  citizens  of  the  county  and  in  1879 
was    elected    to   the    office    of   countv   treasurer, 


holding  the  position  with  eminent  satisfaction 
to  all  for  three  3'ears ;  and  in  1884  was  elected 
one  of  the  county  supervisors,  in  which  he  held 
the  office  of  chairman  of  the  finance  committee. 
Hi;  death  occurred  in  May.  1895,  at  his  home 
on  West  Jefferson  street,  Los  Angeles,  remov- 
ing from  the  community  a  man  and  citizen  best 
appreciated  by  those  who  knew  him  well — the 
highest  commendation  which  can  be  paid  to  'a 
man.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  who,  although 
advanced  in  years,  still  enjoys  good  health  and 
the  use  of  her  faculties.  She  was  born  October 
8,  1829,  a  descendant  of  a  Holland  Dutch  fam- 
ily, early  settlers  of  Manhattan  Island.  Later 
members  located  in  the  middle  west  and  south- 
ern states,  the  name  being  a  prominent  one  in 
Kentucky  and  Virginia,  where  members  of  tlie 
family  served  as  soldiers  of  the  Revolution.  The 
two  brothers  of  Mrs.  Lindley's  father,  Jacob 
and  Andrew  Banta,  served  valiantly  in  the  war 
of  1812,  in  the  Kentucky  Mounted  Volunteers 
under  Col.  R.  M.  Johnson,  who  was  afterward 
vice  president  of  the  United  States.  They  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  Canada, 
October  5,  1813,  when  the  British  met  with  de- 
feat. Her  immediate  family  was  represented  in 
the  Civil  war  by  four  brothers.  Ouincy,  Jephthah, 
Samuel  and  William  Banta,  all  of  whom  became 
officers  and  won  distinction  before  the  close  of 
the  strife.  The  youngest,  William,  who  re- 
sponded to  the  first  call  made  by  President  Lin- 
coln, was  promoted  from  the  ranks  step  by  step, 
until  toward  the  close  he  was  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant-colonel. 

The  early  life  of  ^^'alter  Lindley  was  passed 
in  Indiana  and  IMip.nesota,  his  education  being 
received  through  the  medium  of  the  schools  of 
the  latter  place.  Desiring  to  devote  his  efforts 
to  the  ':uccessful  study  of  medicine  he  became 
a  student  in  Keene's  School  of  Anatomy,  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  fnmi  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  the  following  year.  Two  courses  of 
lectures  at  Long  Island  College  Hospital,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  completed  his  medical  studies  for  the 
time,  a  graduation  in  1875  giving  him  a  second 
diploma.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  appointed 
ambulance  surgeon  by  the  Brooklyn  board  of 
health  in  1874,  and  also  served  as  resident  phy- 
sician in  the  Eastern  District  Hospital  of  Brook- 
lyn until  the  day  of  his  graduation.  Thoroughly 
equipped  for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Dr. 
Lindley  came  to  California  in  1875  and  at  once 
engaged  as  a  practitioner  in  Los  Angeles,  which 
citv  has  ever  since  been  the  scene  of  his  labors. 
Constant  association  along  the  lines  of  his  pro- 
fession has  kept  him  prominently  before  the  pub- 
lic and  has  also  fully  demonstrated  the  unusual 
ability  which  he  has  brought  to  bear  upon  his 
work.  In  i'^79  he  became  health  officer  and 
served  until  the  following  year,  having  prepared 


698 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


himself  for  this  position  through  an  association 
with  the  Los  Angeles  Aledical  Association  as 
secretary,  while  he  had  also  in  1877  organized 
a  free  dispensary  on  Requena  street  which  de- 
veloped later  into  the  free  dispensary  of  the 
medical  college,  which  annually  treats  thousands 
of  the  poor  sick  without  charge.  Never  con- 
tent with  the  knowledge  gained,  the  doctor  con- 
tinued his  studies  in  1882  in  New  York  City, 
and  again  in  1887,  taking  special  courses  in  the 
Post-Graduate  Medical  School  and  Hospital.  To 
the  study  of  surgery  he  has  devoted  a  large  por- 
tion of  his  time  and  attention,  giving  every  ef- 
fort toward  research  and  reading  and  keeping 
thoroughly  abreast  of  all  discoveries  and  modern 
methods.  While  city  health  officer  Dr.  Lindley 
issued  for  the  first  time  a  health  circular  of  in- 
formation for  the  public,  and  in  'other  ways 
proved  his  peculiar  fitness  for  a  position  of  the 
kind.  He  takes  the  keenest  interest  in  the  up- 
building and  promotion  of  all  medical  progress, 
in  the  California?  .State  Medical  Society,  serving 
as  president  in  i8go,  and  also  being  a  charter 
member  of  the  Southern  California  Medical  So- 
ciety. For  several  years  he  served  as  secre- 
tary, and  in  1882  was  president  of  the  Los  Ange- 
les County  Medical  Society.  Many  positions 
of  trust  and  responsibility  have  been  accorded 
him,  among  them  that  of  county  physician  in 
1885,  at  which  time  no  night  nurse,  no  night 
watchman,  nor  female  nurse  were  a  part  of  the 
force.  In  the  l^niversity  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia he  was  active  in  the  establishment  of  the 
College  of  Medicine,  and  from  1885  for  several 
years  served  as  secretary  of  the  faculty,  and 
later  as  professor  of  obstetrics,  and  is  now  oc- 
cupying the  chair  of  gynecology  and  has  for  sev- 
eral years  been  dean.  With  twenty  of  the  lead- 
ing physicians  and  surgeons  of  Los  Angeles  he 
was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the  Cal- 
ifornia Hospital  Association  in  1897,  since  which 
time  thev  have  erected  the  California  Hospital, 
a  modern  and  well-equipped  building,  represent- 
ing an  investment  of  over  $2^0,000,  in  one  of  the 
best  locations  in  the  city.  The  doctor  was  asso- 
ciated with  others  in  the  organization  of  the 
Los  Angeles  Humane  Society  and  served  as  its 
president  in   1895. 

In  the  midst  of  the  busy  cares  engendered  bv 
his  large  practice.  Dr.  Lindley  has  still  found 
lime  to  give  some  thought  to  the  distribution  of 
ideas  through  the  medium  of  the  pen,  establish- 
ing as  early  as  1886  the  Southern  California 
Practitioner,  a  medical  and  climatological 
monthly  magazine,  that  has  never  missed  an  is- 
sue and  is  today  one  of  the  best  known  medical 
joiirnals  in  the  United  States.  He  is  still  its 
editor  and  publisher  and  through  its  columns 
his  trenchant  pen  has  done  much  toward  the 
•^uggestinn    of    ideas    and    methods    which    have 


bettered  conditions  in  the  medical  and  surgical 
world.  In  conjunction  with  Dr.  J.  P.  W'idney, 
he  wrote  California  of  the  South,  a  valuable 
and  comprehensive  work,  giving  a  general  and 
climatic  description  of  this  section  of  the  state. 
This  work  is  published  by  D.  Appleton  &  Co., 
New  York,  and  has  passed  through  three  large 
editions.  He  has  also  contributed  medical  papers 
to  A^arious  journals  throughout  the  United  States. 
Not  the  least  of  the  work  of  Dr.  Lindley  has 
been  his  association  with  movements  calculated 
to  better  the  condition  of  the  youth  of  our  state, 
his  first  labor  being  in  the  organization  of  the 
Los  Angeles  Orphans'  Home,  of  which  he  be- 
came director  and  attending  physician,  holding 
the  latter  position  for  nine  years  and  devoting 
his  time  faithfully  to  the  needs  of  the  little  ones, 
for  which  services  he  received  only  the  reward 
of  dutv  cheerful!}'  done,  as  there  was  of  course 
no  remuneration.  It  was  also  through  the  ef- 
forts of  the  doctor  that  the  State  Industrial 
Scb.ddl  was  .■stalilislied  at  Whittier,  Cal.  his 
first  :irticle^  cm  the  subject  through  the  public 
]iress  being  1)cgun  as  early  as  1880.  He  finally 
succeeded  in  securing  legislation  for  a  liberal 
appropriation  for  the  establishment  and  main- 
tenance of  a  school  where  trades  should  be  taught 
and  where  boys  should  receive  a  symmetrical 
education  morally,  mentally  and  physically.  Dr. 
Lindley  was  appointed  to  supervise  the  building 
of  the  school  and  from  i8go  to  1894  made  his 
home  in  Whittier,  giving  to  the  work  in  hand 
the  attention  and  thought  which  resulted  in  a 
practical  demonstration  of  his  ideas  which  had 
only  strengthened  and  broadened  with  the  pas- 
sage of  the  ten  years  in  which  he  had  been 
advocating  this  movement.  Although  an  active 
Republican  he  was  appointed  by  a  Democratic 
governor  of  California  as  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Whittier  state  school,  and  is  now  serving  as 
president  of  the  board.  For  several  years  he 
was  vice  president  of  the  National  Conference 
of  Oiarities  ami  Corrcctiims  and  still  retains  an 
active  membership  in  the  same.  An  honor  which 
fell  to  him  came  thrtjugh  the  appointment  by 
President  Cleveland  in  1895  of  Pacific  coast 
delegate  to  the  International  Prison  Congress 
held  at  Paris.  In  the  same  year  he  was  appointed 
trustee  of  the  Throop  Polytechnic  Institute,  of 
Pasadena,  Cal.,  and  two  years  later  received  the 
appointment  to  the  position  of  medical  examiner 
by  the  State  Commission  ni  Lunacy.  In  190.^ 
he  was  elected  dean  nf  tin-  Medical  College  of 
the  L^niversity  of  Southern  California,  and  in 
the  same  year  received  the  honor  at  the  hands  of 
his  fellow  citizens  of  being  made  one  of  a  com- 
mittee of  seven  to  receive  President  Roosevelt. 
In  1905  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from 
.■"^t.  Vincent's  College.  One  of  his  most  widely 
Iviiown    and    most     extensively     republished     ad- 


^^~ 


^^uaajM^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFXORD. 


701 


dresses  was  one  delivered  in  1905,  entitled  "The 
Evils  of  Institutional  Childhood,"  which  was 
given  before  the  National  Conference  of  Qiar- 
ities  at  their  meeting  in  Portland,  Ore. 

The  doctor's  association  with  the  establish- 
ment of  Idyllwild,  a  beautiful  resort  under  the 
supervision  of  the  California  Health  Resort 
Company,  is  well  known.  On  a  trip  through 
the  San  Jacinto  mountains  he  came  upon  this 
jjlateau  or  valley,  covered  with  magnificent  pines, 
and  situated  at  an  altitude  of  fifty-two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  Struck  with  the  beauty  of  the  lo- 
cation as  well  as  its  desirability  as  a  health  re- 
sort, he  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of 
the  above-named  company,  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $250,000.  The  company  is  composed  of  forty 
of  the  leading  medical  men  of  Southern  Califor- 
nit,  among  whom  Dr.  Lindley  holds  a  prominent 
place,  and  after  their  purchase  of  the  land  they 
began  the  erection  of  cottages,  which  have  turned 
the  silent,  shadowed  valley  into  a  little  hamlet 
with  every  convenience  at  hand,  every  modern 
device  for  comfort  and  relaxation  physically  and 
mentally.  The  resort  has  proven  a  great  suc- 
cess, attracting  a  large  number  of  people  each 
year  who  go  away  benefited  by  a  short  sojourn 
in  this  ideal  spot.  It  is  likewise  a  financial  suc- 
cess. He  is  a  director  of  the  Farmers  and  Mer- 
chants National  Bank  as  well  as  of  several  other 
business  corporations. 

Dr.  Lindley  was  first  married  in  1875  to  Miss 
Lou  C.  Puett,  daughter  of  Rev.  W.  \\'.  Puett, 
and  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  b'lora 
Banata,  wife  of  Philip  Kitchin,  and  Myra  Jose- 
phine, wife  of  Samuel  F.  Bothwell.  both  resid- 
ing in  Los  Angeles.  Mrs.  L.  C.  Lindlev  died 
May  8,  1881.  November  22,  1882.  the  'doctor 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lilla  Leigh- 
ton,  her  death  occurring  March  4,  1883.  July 
18,  1894,  Dr.  Lindley  married  Mrs.  Florence 
Hardie.  daughter  of  James  S.  Haynes.  and  sis- 
ter of  Francis  L.,  John  R.  and  Robert  W.  Haynes. 
the  well-known  Los  Angeles  physicians.  Tliev 
are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Dorothy  and 
Francis  Haynes  Lindley.  Dr.  Lindley 's  person- 
ality is  wholesome  and  kindly,  his  'sympathy 
genuine,  and  all  in  all  inspires  the  attributes 
which  are  so  largely  a  part  of  his  doctrine  of 
pervading  optimism. 


HON.  ALVAN  TYLER  CURRIER.  For 
many  years  the  life  of  Mr.  Currier  has  been 
inseparably  associated  with  the  history  of  the 
.San  Jose  valley,  of  which  he  w^as  one  of  the 
early  settlers.  He  has  lived  to  see  what  was 
in  years  gone  by  a  region  of  almost  unsettled 
land  transformed  into  a  prosperous  and  beau- 
tiful country.  In  the  midst  of  all  the  chang- 
ing   scenes    through    which    the    country    has 


passed  he  was  ever  ready  to  give  assistance  to 
those  in  need  and  to  promote  enterprises  for 
the  good  of  the  community,  and  it  is  not  too 
great  praise  to  say  t'lat  no  other  one  citizen  has 
wielded  a  greater  influence  in  upbuilding  meas- 
ures in  the  community  and  in  developing  its 
latent  resources. 

As  is  true  of  so  many  of  California's  able 
citizens,  Mr.  Currier  is  of  eastern  birth  and 
parentage.  Born  in  Franklin  county.  Me., 
.\pril  30,  1840,  he  is  a  son  of  Alvan  and  Nancy 
(Clough)  Currier,  they  too  being  natives  of 
the  same  state,  and  descended  respectively 
from  B'rench  and  English-Scotch  progenitors. 
During  his  early  years  Alvan  Currier  taught 
school  in  liis  home  locality,  where  in  later 
years  he  wielded  a  large  influence,  represent- 
ing his  constituents  in  governmental  affairs 
both  as  representative  and  senator  in  Maine. 
During  his  younger  life  Alvan  Currier  was  a 
^^'hig  in  his  political  belief,  and  when  that 
party  was  merged  into  the  Republican  party 
he  became  a  firm  adherent  of  the  latter.  Both 
himself  and  wife  passed  their  entire  li\-es  in 
JMaine,  and  at  their  death  were  upheld  and 
strengthened  by  the  Christian's  hope,  having 
been  faithful  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 
for  many  years.  Eight  children  were  born  to 
this  worthy  couple,  two  of  whom,  Alvan  T. 
and  Samuel  Howard,  came  to  California,  but 
the  latter,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  i8tI,  died  in 
this  state  February  8,  1853.  Of  thi.s' family  all 
are  living  except  Samuel  Howard  and  are  lo- 
cated in  the  vicinity  of  Farmington,  ^le.,  ex- 
cept A.  T.  of  this  review.  The  oldest,  Lydia 
Ann.  seventy-six  years;  David  E.,  seventy- 
two  }ears :  Susan  E.,  seventy  yxars ;  A.  T., 
sixty-se\'en :  H;uinah  A.,  aged  sixty-five: 
George  M..  sixtx-three :  and  Mittie  F.,  aged 
fifty-sexen   years. 

Mr.  Currier's  early  years  were  associated 
with  his  birthplace,  Farmington,  Me.,  where 
he  attended  the  public  schools  and  later  was 
a  pupil  in  Farmington  Academy.  For  a  time 
after  his  own  school  days  were  over  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching,  and  later,  or  until  reaching 
his  majority,  he  carried  on  farming  in  Maine. 
It  was  in  the  vear  1861  that  he  bade  farewell 
to  family  and  friends  and  started  for  California 
by  way  of  the  isthmus.  He  was  not  greatly 
attracted  to  the  country  at  that  time  evidently, 
for  we  learn  that  he  soon  left  San  Francisco 
for  Idaho,  remaining  as  a  gold  and  silver 
miner  there  for  si.x  years.  In  1865  his  brother. 
George  M.,  came  to  Idaho  and  in  1867  returned 
CO  Maine,  where  he  is  still  living.  In  the  year 
1867  Mr.  Currier  came  back  to  California  but 
soon  started  east  to  visit  his  parents  in  Maine, 
then  returned  to  California  in  1868  and  deter- 
mined to  settle  down  as  a  rancher  in  this  state. 


702 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  for  the  purpose  of  securing  choice  cattle 
with  which  to  stock  his  ranch  he  went  to  Ore- 
gon. The  following  year  he  drove  his  cattle 
to  Northern  California,  where  he  sold  them 
and  with  the  proceeds  came  to  Los  Angeles 
countv  and  purchased  the  ranch  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  acres  in  the  San  Jose  valley, 
which  has  been  the  scene  of  his  labors  dur- 
ing the  years  which  have  intervened.  His 
farming  is  devoted  to  fruit,  the  raising  of  cat- 
tle and  draft  horses,  besides  which  he  harvests 
large  crops  of  hay  and  grain.  In  connection 
with  his  ranch  he  has  an  orchard  of  eighty 
acres,  set  out  to  oranges  and  walnuts.  The 
ranch  is  very  favorably  situated  about  three 
miles  west  of  Pomona,  not  far  from  the  sta- 
tions of  Spadra  and  Lemon,  on  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  is  copiously  watered  from 
several  artesian  wells.  At  this  writing  j\Ir. 
Currier  is  contemplating  subdividing  his  ranch 
into  ten-acre  tracts  and  selling  as  homesteads 
to  settlers.  In  addition  to  this  valuable  prop- 
erty he  is  also  the  owner  of  considerable  prop- 
erty in  Los  Angeles. 

As  yet  no  mention  has  been  made  of  Mr. 
Currier's  public  life,  though  it  was  in  this  ca- 
reer that  he  wielded  the  greatest  influence  and 
was  best  known.  As  a  candidate  of  the  Re- 
publican party  he  was  nominated  and  elected 
sheriff  of  Los  Angeles  county  in  1882,  an  of- 
fice which  he  fille'd  creditably  for  two  years. 
Later  honors  came  to  him  in  1898,  when  he 
was  elected  to  the  state  senate  from  the  Thirty- 
eighth  California  district,  representing  his 
constituents  in  that  body  for  four  years  with 
the  greatest  satisfaction  to  those  who  had  been 
responsible  for  his  election,  and  with  great 
credit  to  himself.  During  his  life  in  the  state 
he  has  shared  in  its  successes  and  reverses, 
and  no  matter  how  depressing  the  conditions 
may  have  been  his  hope  for  the  final  supremacy 
of  the  state  in  the  working  out  and  establish- 
ment of  resources  has  never  been  dimmed.  It 
is  the  possession  of  this  faith  alone  that  has 
been  the  prime  factor  in  his  success,  a  faith 
which  others  have  imbibed  from  him,  thus 
spreading  a  wholesome  influence  throughout 
his  community.  Besides  other  positions  which 
he  has  held  in  his  community  he  is  a  director  in 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Pomona,  a  director 
in  the  San  Antonio  Fruit  Exchange,  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company 
of  Los  Angeles,  president  of  the  San  Antonio 
Cafion  Water  Company,  president  of  the  Wal- 
nut Fruit  Growers'  Asociation,  of  Walnut, 
and  president  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall  Asso- 
ciation, of  Pomona,  member  of  Union  League 
Club  and  Los  Angeles  County  Pioneers  So- 
ciety. 

Mr.    Currier's    marriage,    March     20,     1881, 


united  him  with  A^rs.  Susan  (Glenn)  Rubot- 
tom,  and  both  are  active  members  of  the  Bap- 
list  Church  of  Pomona.  Mr.  Currier  belongs 
to  but  one  fraternal  organization,  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, with  which  he  has  been  identified  for 
the  past  twenty-five  years.  The  personality  of 
Mr.  Currier  is  pleasing,  his  open-hearted,  subr 
stantial  manner  making  him  a  welcome  acqui- 
sition to  any  society  or  gathering. 


GEORGE  FINLEY  BOVARD,  D.  D.  When 
the  persecution  of  the  Huguenots  in  France  cul- 
minated in  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew 
and  the  members  of  that  sect  were  forced  to  flee 
for  their  lives,  the  Bovard  family  sought  refuge 
in  the  north  of  Ireland  and  thus  by  accident  be- 
came planted  upon  Irish  soil.  From  the  Emerald 
Isle  George  Bovard,  the  grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  article,  came  to  America  a  stalwart 
young  pioneer,  well  qualified  for  the  arduous 
task  of  hewing  a  home  out  of  the  primeval 
wilderness.  The  family  assisted  in  the  agri- 
cultural development  of  the  vicinity  of  Steuben- 
ville  and  there  James,  a  son  of  George,  was  born, 
reared  and  educated.  While  still  very  young  he 
removed  to  Indiana  and  settled  near  the  hamlet 
of  Alpha,  Scott  county,  where  he  labored  for 
years  to  transform  a  dense  forest  into  an  im- 
proved farm.  On  the  organization  of  the  Re- 
publican party  he  became  one  of  its  upholders 
and  when  the  Civil  war  began  he  was  enthusias- 
tic in  his  defense  of  Union  principles.  During 
1862  he  was  accepted  as  a  member  of  Company 
K,  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Indiana  In- 
fantry, assigned  to  the  Twenty-third  Army 
Corps,  and  sent  to  the  south,  where  he  partici- 
pated in  various  engagements  and  the  march  to 
the  sea.  On  the  expiration  of  the  war  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  and  resumed  the  cultivation 
of  his  farm  and  the  discharge  of  the  duties  fall- 
ing upon  him  as  a  private  citizen.  From  early 
youth  until  the  close  of  life  he  was  an  earnest 
believer  in  ATethodist  doctrines  and  a  generous 
supporter  of  the  church. 

During  his  early  years  James  Bovard  met  and 
married  Sarah  Young,  who  was  born  on  a  farm 
now  included  within  the  city  limits  of  Cincin- 
nati, her  father,  Abner  Young,  having  removed 
thither  from  his  native  Pennsylvania  at  an  early 
day.  Both  James  Bovard  and  his  wife  remained 
in  Indiana  from  middle  age  until  death  and  there 
they  reared  a  large  family,  whose  brilliant  mental 
attainments  have  made  them  conspicuous  in  their 
various  places  of  residence.  Three  of  their  sons 
are  now  deceased,  but  eight  still  survive,  as  well 
as  their  onlv  daughter,  Mrs.  Maria  J.  Griffith,  of 
Abingdon.  111.  Freeman  D.,  who  is  a  graduate 
of  Depauw  l^niversity  at  Greencastle.  Ind..  of- 
ficiated  as    vice-president   of   the   University   of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


703 


Southern  California  from  1880  until  1885,  and 
now  is  editor  of  the  California  Christian  Advo- 
cate in  San  Francisco.  Rev.  Marion  McK.  Bo- 
vard,  a  graduate  of  Depauw  University,  bore  an 
active  part  in  the  founding  of  the  University  of 
Southern  Cahfornia,  and  held  the  office  of  presi- 
dent from  that  time  (1880)  until  his  death  ten 
years  later.  William,  a  graduate  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Southern  California  in  1888,  is  now  dean 
of  the  College  of  Theology  in  Grant  University, 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.  Rev.  Melville  Y.,  who  com- 
pleted his  education  at  JMoores  Hill,  Ind.,  holds 
the  pastorate  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Port  Chester,  N.  Y.  Rev.  Charles  L. 
Bovard,  also  a  Methodist  Episcopal  minister,  has 
a  pastorate  in  Euttc,  Mont.  Abner  C.  is  a  news- 
paper man  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  Ulysses  Grant 
is  engaged  in  the  banking  business  at  Paris,  Ind., 
and  Morton  Ellsworth  is  a  farmer  in  Illinois  near 
the  town  of  Abingdon. 

While  the  family  were  living  on  their  Indiana 
homestead  George  Finley  Bovard  was  born 
August  8,  1856.  His  education  was  primarily 
obtained  in  country  schools  and  later  he  attended 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Paoli,  Orange  county, 
subsequently  for  three  years  teaching  five  months 
in  the  autumn  and  winter  and  then  spending 
three  months  in  the  spring  at  Depauw  Univer- 
sity, where  in  that  brief  period  he  completed  the 
work  of  the  entire  year.  The  strain  of  constant 
study  told  upon  his  health  and  he  was  obliged 
to  discontinue  his  untiring  application  to  his 
books.  In  1879  he  joined  his  brothers  in  Cal- 
ifornia and  shortly  afterward  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  quarterly  conference  at  Orange, 
Cal.,  his  first  sermon  being  delivered  at  a  camp 
meeting  near  Compton.  During  the  fall  of  1879 
he  was  appointed  supply  pastor  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  at  San  Bernardino,  and  then 
served  for  one  year  as  a  missionary  in  Arizona, 
making  his  headquarters  at  Phoenix,  which  at 
the  time  boasted  of  only  one  brick  building. 
Under  his  leadership  a  congregation  of  Meth- 
odists was  established  and  a  house  of  worship 
erected  on  the  corner  of  Second  and  Washington 
streets,  where  now  stands  the  Ford  hotel.  For 
this  site  the  church  paid  $300.  When  he  re- 
turned to  Arizona  later  as  superintendent  of 
missions  the  lot  was  sold  for  $15,000  and  a  tract 
tliree  times  as  large  was  purchased  on  Second 
and  Monroe  streets  for  $7,000.  where  the  church 
built  its  present  substantial  and  handsome  edi- 
fice. 

On  his  return  to  Los  Angeles  in  1881  Mr. 
Bovard  joined  his  brothers  in  university  instruc- 
tion and  took  charge  of  the  English  and  history 
classes,  teaching  five  hours  per  day,  besides  car- 
rying on  his  regular  college  studies  and  preach- 
ing every  Sunday  in  Los  Angeles  county.  In 
1884  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B., 


later  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  M.,  and  in  1896 
Willamette  University  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  After  his  gradua- 
tion he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  at  Orange,  where  he  re- 
mained three  years,  the  limit  of  pastoral  tenure. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  was  appointed 
presiding  elder  of  the  Pasadena  district  and  was 
ordained  an  elder  the  Sunday  prior  to  the  ap- 
pointment. After  two  years  of  service  in  the  of- 
fice he  was  appointed  pastor  of  the  Boyle  Heights 
Church,  where  he  remained  one  year  and  was 
called  for  a  second  year,  but  within  a  week  after 
liis  re-appointment  he  was  assigned  by  Bishop 
Goodsell  as  superintendent  of  Methodist  Epis- 
copal missions  in  Arizona,  with  headquarters  in 
Phoenix.  In  order  to  attend  to  the  work  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  travel  by  stage  much  of 
the  time.  Railroads  were  few  and  the  distances 
between  congregations  great.  All  in  all,  the  task 
was  one  imposing  great  hardship  and  constant 
privations  upon  him,  but  he  remained  for  seven 
years  faithfully  discharging  every  duty,  building 
up  new  congregations,  assisting  struggling 
churches  and  establishing  the  work  upon  a  firm 
basis  in  the  territory.  From  Arizona  he  was 
transferred  to  Los  Angeles  district,  Southern 
California  conference,  of  which  he  was  appointed 
presiding  elder  by  Bishop  John  P.  Newman,  and 
for  six  years,  the  limit  of  office,  he  served  faith- 
fully and  with  rare  tact  and  zeal.  On  the  oc- 
casion of  the  general  conference  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  held  in  Chicago  in  1900 
he  was  present  as  a  delegate,  and  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  book  committee  to  represent 
the  fourteenth  general  conference  district.  While 
acting  in  that  capacity  he  did  much  to  promote 
the  interests  of  Los  Angeles  as  the  seat  of  the 
general  conference  of  1904,  in  which  ambition 
he  met  with  success.  This  convention  he  also 
attended  as  a  member  and  was  elected  to  repre- 
sent the  fourteenth  general  conference  district 
for  the  ensuing  quadremium  in  the  University 
Senate. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Bovard  took  place  in  Los 
Angeles  October  i,  1884,  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Emma  J.  Bradley,  daughter  of  Cyrus  H. 
Bradley,  an  honored  pioneer  of  Los  Angeles 
and  a  furniture  dealer  here  during  the  early 
days.  Mrs.  Bovard  was  liberally  educated  in  the 
University  of  Southern  California  and  is  a  ladv 
of  culture.  Born  of  their  union  are  three  chil- 
dren. Warren  B.,  Edna  G.  and  Gladys  F.  In 
politics  Dr.  Bovard  favors  Republican  principles. 
In  the  work  of  organizing  the  Archeological  In- 
stitute of  the  Southwest  he  was  a  leading  par- 
ticipant and  now  holds  the  office  of  vice-presi- 
dent. Other  organizations  with  which  he  is 
identified  include  the  Los  Angeles  Academy  of 
Science,  the  .American  Academv  of  Political  and 


704 


HTSTORTCAI.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Social  Science,  and  the  International  Geographi- 
cal Association. 

The  University  of  Southern  California,  of 
which  Dr.  Bovard  has  been  the  president  since 
1903,  includes  eight  colleges  and  a  preparatory 
school.  The  College  of  Liberal  Arts  occupies  a 
ten-acre  tract  at  Thirty-sixth  and  Wesley  ave- 
nues, Los  Angeles,  convenient  to  the  street  rail- 
ways. Organized  in  1880  with  Rev.  M.  M.  Bo- 
vard as  president,  it  has  since  maintained  a 
steady  growth.  In  1884  a  four-story  building 
was  erected  with  suitable  class-rooms.  IXiring 
the  spring  of  1905  two  wings  were  added  to  the 
main  Liberal  Arts  building,  more  than  doubling- 
its  capacity,  at  an  expense  of  $60,000.  The 
equipment  is  modern  and  the  laboratories  are 
furnished  with  the  very  latest  improvements. 
The  medical  department  of  the  university  was 
founded  in  1885  by  Dr.  J.  P.  Widney  and  event- 
ually was  removed  from  a  rented  hall  to  a  build- 
ing of  its  own  on  Buena  Vista  street.  The 
theological  department  was  founded  at  San  Fer- 
nando in  1885  by  Charles  Maclay,  who  donated 
land  valued  at  $150,000  and  erected  the  building 
originally  used  for  school  purposes.  However, 
the  college  \vas  eventually  closed  at  San  Fer- 
nando and  in  1894  was  opened  in  Los  Angeles 
in  connection  with  Liberal  Arts.  Besides  tlie 
departments  of  liberal  arts,  medicine,  pharmacy 
and  theology,  there  are  those  of  dentistry,  law, 
music  and  oratory,  and  the  preparatory  and  in- 
termediate departments,  in  all  of  which  there  is 
a  large  corps  of  instructors,  thoroughly  qualified 
to  advance  the  interests  of  the  students  and  train 
their  minds  for  life's  activities.  Indissolubly 
associated  with  the  history  of  the  institution  is 
the  name  of  Bovard,  for  its  inception  was  largely 
due  to  the  untiring  efiforts  of  Rev.  M.  M.  and 
Freeman  D.  Bovard,  and  the  former  presided 
over  its  early  destinies,  while  more  recently  the 
younger  brother.  Dr.  George  Finley  Bovard.  has 
succeeded  to  the  executive  management  of  the 
institution,  whose  growth  and  permanent  pros- 
perity he  has  labored  unweariedly  to  promote. 


TELLIE  L.  THOMPSON.  A  practical,  well 
educated  man  of  sound  judgment  and  much 
talent,  T.  L.  Thompson  has  established  an 
up-to-date  livery  and  feed  stable  at  Oceansidc, 
and  in  its  management  is  meeting  with  eminent 
success.  Enterprising  and  accommodating,  he 
takes  especial  pains  to  please  his  numerous  pa- 
trons and  has  already  built  up  a  large  and  re- 
munerative business  in  this  section  of  the  country, 
and  gained  an  assured  position  among  its  lead- 
ing liverymen.  A  son  of  the  late  Banner  Thomp- 
son, he  was  born,  October  17,  1874,  at  Ada. 
Hardin  county,  Ohio,  where  he  spent  his  early 
manhood.     A  native  of  Ohio,  Banner  Tl:ompson 


there  married  Sarah  Jaggers,  who  survives  him, 
and  is  now  living  in  Redlands,  Cal. 

Going  with  the  family  to  Kansas  in  the  early 
'8o's,  T.  L.  Thompson  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Douglas,  Butler  county,  for  awhile.  From 
there  he  came,  in  1885,  to  Fallbrook,  San  Diego 
county,  where  he  completed  his  early  education. 
Beginning  life  for  himself  at  an  early  age,  he 
obtained  work  in  a  livery  barn  at  first,  and  after- 
wards was  employed  for  a  time  as  a  stage  driver. 
He  worked  also  in  a  telegraph  office  for  a  few 
months,  but  did  not  like  the  emplo}-ment  well 
enough  to  continue  it.  A  young  man  of  great 
industr\-  and  thrift,  he  resolved  to  start  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  and  with  this  end  in 
view  judiciously  saved  his  earnings  until  he  had 
enough  capital  on  hand  to  warrant  him  in  so  do- 
mg.  Coming  to  Oceanside  August  19,  1903. 
]\Ir.  Thompson  bought  his  present  livery  estab- 
lishment, and  has  since  built  up  a  substantial 
business,  keeping  one  of  the  best  stocked  and 
finest  equipped  stables  in  -this  locality. 

Air.  Thompson  married,  in  1905.  Lillian  Crane, 
who  was  bom  in  San  Diego,  where  her  parents 
are  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  residents. 
Politically  Mr.  Thompson  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the  Eagles. 


A.  ^^  BRAS.  One  of  the  most  delightful  as 
well  as  fortunate  features  of  Santa  Barbara 
county  is  the  gathering  within  its  borders  of 
tlie  son  and  daughters  of  many  countries 
and  climes.  All  bring  their  contribution  of 
character  and  ideals,  their  hopes,  ambitions 
and  individual  requirements,  yet  eventually 
all  are  harmonized  in  a  common  language, 
a  common  home-making  and  fortune  ac- 
quiring incentive,  and  a  common  pride  and 
responsibility  in  the  development  of  their 
adopted  country.  Yet  the  strangely  at 
variance  element  does  not  exist  for  all  who 
cast  their  lot  with  this  state  or  county,  as  is 
the  case  with  the  colonists  from  the  Azores. 
A  certain  familiarity  greets  the  arrival  of  the 
subjects  of  King  Carlos,  for  here  also  are  fertile 
lands,  balmy  air,  ^■ineyards.  oranges  and  cloud- 
piercing  mountains,  and  the  close  proximity  of 
these  doubtless  aids  the  newcomer  in  the  rap- 
id achieveinent  of  stable  and  useful  citizen- 
ship. The  better  qualities  of  his  nationality 
find  expression  in  A.  V.  Bras,  who  owns  a 
ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  acres, 
and  whose  father.  Joe  Bras,  also  is  a  rancher 
in  the  Santa  Maria  valley. 

Mr.  Bras  was  born  on  one  of  the  nine  islands 
comprising  the  Azores  group,  eight  himdred 
miles  west  of  Portugal,  May  6,  1867,  next  to  the 
youngest  of  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are 


■%^r~' 


^  f  J  ^-^i^-^m/:).^^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIC.VL  RECORD. 


707 


living,  and  of  whom  a  daughter  still  lives  in 
the  islands.  A'Jr.  Bras*  mother  died  when  he 
was  eighteen  months  old,  and  when  he  was 
eighteen  years  old  he  came  to  California,  and 
for  two  years  worked  for  a  farmer  in  the  Santa 
Maria  valley.  In  the  early  '90s  he  rented  the 
farm  upon  which  he  now  lives,  and  of  which, 
in  1899,  I's  purchased  a  hundred  acres.  A  lit- 
tle later  he  added  forty-five  acres  to  his  farm, 
and  in  1901  extended  his  domain  by  twenty- 
three  acres.  The  ranch  had  profited  by  the 
industry  and  expenditure  of  former  owners, 
and  the  present  proprietor  has  more  than 
doubled  its  value  and  productiveness.  With 
the  exception  of  t\vent5'-four  acres  under  hay, 
the  whole  is  devoted  to  beans,  a  crop  which, 
while  insuring  reasonable  profit,  admits  of 
more  leisure  for  the  enjoyment  of  life  than 
does  more  varied  produce. 

The  public  spirit  of  Mr.  Bfas  has  found  no 
more  emphatic  expression  than  during  his  five 
years'  service  as  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
He  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  education,  and  of 
all  measures  and  advantages  which  tend  to 
sturdy,   useful   citizenship. 

Mr.  Bras"  marriage  to  iNIary  A.  Gloria,  also 
a  native  of  the  Azores,  was  solemnized  No- 
vember 29,  1888,  and  of  the  union  there  are 
seven  children:  Mary,  ilariana,  Louise,  Carrie, 
Antone,  Joe  and  Ida.  Two  children  died  in 
infancy.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church  at  Guadaloupe.  Mr.  Bras  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  D.  E.  S.,  and  is  otherwise 
connected  with  the  social  life  of  the  commun- 
it}'.  He  is  a  high  minded,  intelligent  gentle- 
man, a  popular  neighbor,  loyal  friend,  honest 
business  man  and  successful  rancher. 


STEPHEN  TOWNSEND.  Foremost  in 
enterprises  which  have  for  their  end  the  up- 
building of  the  best  interests  of  the  city,  Step- 
hen Townsend  is  named  among  the  represen- 
tative citizens  of  Long  Beach,  and  as  such  is 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  know 
him.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  California 
since  1876,  first  locating  in  Pasadena,  where 
he  proved  an  important  factor  in  the  devel- 
opment and  upbuilding  of  its  best  interests, 
securing  its  first  franchise  and  building  its 
first  railway,  and  later  the  Altadena  and  other 
street  car  lines:  establishing  the  Pasadena 
Warehouse  and  Milling  Company  and  con- 
ducting the  same  successfulh- :  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  board  of  trustees  advancing 
plans  which  were  acceptable  to  both  the  con- 
servative and  radical  element  and  were  acted 
upon  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  people. 
In  1895  he  became  associated  with  the  inter- 
ests  of   Long  Beach,   in   which    citv   he   fore- 


saw a  future  unsurpassed  by  any  other  of  the 
towns  of  Southern  California.  His  efforts, 
since  locating  here,  have  resulted  in  the  mate- 
rial upbuilding  of  the  city,  as  well  as  a  financial 
gain  for  himself,  and  has  at  the  same  time  built 
up  a  place  of  prominence  in  the  municipal  and 
social  life  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Townsend  is  the  descendant  of  English 
ancestry,  the  first  members  of  both  paternal 
and  maternal  families 'having  located  in  this 
country  during  its  colonial  period.  Descend- 
ants drifted  into  the  middle  west,  and  in  the 
state  of  Ohio,  David,  the  father  of  Stephen 
Townsend,  was  born  and  reared  to  manhood 
as  a  farmer's  son.  Pie  married  Sidney  Mada- 
lin,  also  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  until  1855  they 
remained  residents  of  that  state  and  Indiana. 
In  the  last-named  year  they  immigrated  to 
Iowa  and  in  Cedar  county,  near  Iowa  City,  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 
He  continued  in  that  location  until  the  year 
1876,  when  he  brought  his  family  to  California 
and  became  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Colony, 
now  Pasadena,  where  he  engaged  in  horti- 
culture up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
survi\-ed  t\vent\'  years  by  his  wife,  who  passed 
away  in  1903,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 
Of  their  thirteen  children  four  are  now  liv- 
ing, the  oldest  son,  Stephen  Townsend,  having 
been  born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ind.,  October 
19.  1848.  He  was  but  seven  years  old  when 
the  family  located  in  Iowa,  hence  the  greater 
part  of  his  education  was  received  in  that 
state,  first  attending  the  public  schools,  and 
later  the  Iowa  State  University.  Upon  leav- 
ing school  he  began  to  farm  on  his  own  re- 
sponsibility upon  land  purchased  in  Franklin 
county,  where  he  made  his  home  for  three 
years.  Following  this  he  was  similarly  occu- 
pied in  Cedar  county  lor  two  years,  when,  in 
1876,  he  accompanied  the  famih'  to  California. 
The  west  appealed  to  him  with  its  broader  op- 
portunities and  responsibilities  and  he  readily 
became  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the 
place,  developing  his  latent  power  of  manage- 
ment and  executive  ability.  Prior  to  his  lo- 
cation in  Long  Beach  he  inirchased  twenty 
acres  of  land  on  the  Anaheim  road,  adjoining 
the  city  limits  and  one  mile  from  the  beach.  The 
year  following  his  location  here  he  engaged  in 
the  real-estate  business,  laying  out  various 
subdivisions,  blocks  one.  ten,  fourteen  and 
twenty-four  and  twenty-five  as  well  as  the 
Tutt  tract  of  fifteen  acres :  Heller  &  Hays 
tract  of  fifteen  ncres:  Harbor  View  of  forty 
acres:  Sunnv  Slope  of  thirty  acres;  and  is  in- 
terested in  the  subdivision  of  Ocean  Pier  tract; 
'\^'est ;  Riverside  tract :  and  the  Mooreland 
tract  of  fifty  acres,  also  Huntington  Beach. 
Since  his  location  here  he  has  been  associated 


708 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


wiih  various  real-estate  men,  the  firm  first  be- 
ing known  as  Bailey  &  Townsend ;  a  few 
months  later  as  Townsend  &  Campbell,  and 
after  two  3-ears  he  engaged  with  his  brother, 
W.  H.  Townsend.  Following  this  he  was 
alone  until  1901,  when  he  became  associated 
with  what  was  known  as  the  Townsend-Robin- 
son  Investment  Company,  now  Townsend- 
Dayman  Investment  Company,  in  which  con- 
nection he  has  since  remained.  This  is  an  in- 
corporated company,  with  capital  stock  of  $50,- 
000;  they  opened  a  subdivision  to  the  city 
of  Long  Beach  of  forty  acres,  this  being  one 
of  the  largest  additions  to  the  city.  Mr.  Town- 
send  is  one  of  the  organizers  and  directors  of 
the  Orange  County  Improvement  Association 
of  Newport,  of  which  he  acts  as  president, 
serving  in  the  same  capacity  for  the  La  Habra 
Land  &  Water  Company,  and  is  ex-president 
of  the  The  Sunset  Beach   Land  Company. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  Mr.  Townsend 
is  vice-president  of  the  first  National  Bank 
of  Long  Beach  and  president  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Huntington  Beach.  He  or- 
ganized and  is  president  of  the  Land  &  Navi- 
gation Company  that  purchased  eight  hundred 
acres  of  the  Seaside  Water  Company,  where  is 
now  being  dredged  the  harbor  for  Long  Beach. 
He  also  carries  stock  in  many  other  com- 
panies and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  move- 
ments tending  to  promote  the  welfare  of  this 
section  of  Southern  California.  The  real-es- 
tate firm  which  he  organized  is  one  of  the  most 
substantial  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  Cali- 
fornia and  carries  on  an  extensive  business, 
the  high  character  of  ability  enlisted  in  the 
work  making  it  one  of  the  most  successful  en- 
terprises of  Long  Beach.  In  addition  to  his 
engrossing  real-estate  interests  he  has  been 
active  in  the  municipal  life  of  Long  Beach, 
in  1903  being  elected  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  which  office  he  filled  with  efficiency. 
In  Iowa,  October  iq.  i86g.  i\Tr.  Townsend  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Anna  M.  Carroll,  a 
native  of  Indiana.  Thev  became  the  parents 
of  five  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  early 
childhood  and  Frances  Maye  died  in  igoT,  aged 
twenty-eight  years;  in  1894  she  graduated 
from  the  College  of  Music  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia University,  Ester  Belle  is  the  wife  of 
Dr.  A.  T.  Covert,  of  Long  Beach,  and  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Los  Angeles  State  Normal, 
class  of  1893.  Vinton  Ray,  who  graduated 
from  the  University  of  California  at  Berkeley 
in  1903,  is  now  a  junior  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  Southern  California  University ;  in 
T905;  he  married  Ada  Campbell,  the  daughter 
of  W.  L.  Campbell. 

Mr.  Townsend  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he  officiates  as 


a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday-school,  and  is  serving 
on  the  building  committee  of  the  new  Long 
Beach  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation and  at  the  present  writing  is  serving 
as  president  of  the  Long  Beach  Hospital  As- 
sociation, of  which  he  was  one  of  its  organ- 
izers, and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  ^Irs.  Townsend  is  a  prominent 
and  earnest  worker  in  the  IMethodist  Episco- 
pal Church  and  president  of  the  Ladies  Social 
Circle,  is  associated  with  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Ebell  Club.  It  can  truly  be  said  of  Air.  Town- 
send  that  he  is  representative  of  the  best  in 
American  citizenship,  living  up  to  a  high 
standard  in  public  and  private  life,  making  his 
influence  felt  throughout  the  community  for 
its  betterment  and  moral  uplift. 


GEORGE  ALBERT  BLEWETT.  The 
earliest  records  obtainable  concerning  the  his- 
tory of  the  Blewett  family  trace  it  back  to  the 
mother  country,  the  grandfather  of  George  A. 
Blewett,  Richard  Blewett  by  name,  having 
been  born  in  England.  By  trade  he  was  a 
wheelwright,  having  learned  and  followed  the 
same  in  his  native  country  up  to  the  time  he 
located  in  the  new  world  with  his  family.  In 
Oswego,  N.  Y.,  where  he  first  settled,  he  again 
took  up  work  at  his  trade,  contintiing  it  also 
in  Ontario,  where  he  later  moved,  and  there  his 
death  occurred.  His  son  Thomas  was  young  at 
the  time  the  family  immigrated  to  the  Unit- 
ed States,  so  the  greater  part  of  his  life  was 
spent  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  In  the 
earlier  part  of  his  business  career  he  followed 
the  blacksmith's  trade  at  Napanee,  Ontario, 
which  is  a  noted  port  of  entry  in  that  part  of 
the  country.  This  being  the  case  Mr.  Blewett 
had  an  excellent  opportunit}'  to  make  obser- 
vations regarding  water  transportation,  and 
thus  it  happene<l  that  he  finally  became  owner 
of  a  vessel  of  which  he  himself  was  captain. 
Starting  from  New  York,  he  plied  the  waters 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  doing  an  extensive 
shipping  business  between  different  points. 
Both  himself  and  wife  died  in  Ontario.  The 
latter  was  before  her  marriage  Pauline  Din- 
geau,  who  was  born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  of 
French    descent. 

Of  the  ten  children  orignally  included  in 
the  parental  famil3^  all  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turity, but  only  seven  of  the  number  are  now 
living.  George  Albert  Blewett  was  a  twin  and 
the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  and  was  born  at 
Napanee,  Ontario,  December  29,  1856.  Up 
to  the  time  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  he 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


had  attended  the  common  schools  of  Nap- 
anee  with  considerable  regularity,  so  that  when 
he  reached  his  fifteenth  year  he  felt  qualified 
to  start  out  in  the  world  independently.  Suit- 
ing the  action  to  the  word  he  left  his  Can- 
adian home  and  went  to  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  secured  work  as  driver  on  the  canal,  fol- 
lowing this  for  about  two  and  a  half  years. 
Going  from  there  to  Michigan,  he  first  became 
interested  in  hnnbering  in  Bay  City,  later  in 
Saginaw,  and  finally  included  blacksmithing 
with  his  lumber  interests.  His  first  introduc- 
tion to  the  west  was  in  1876,  at  which  time 
he  went  to  Nevada,  and  was  so  well  pleased 
with  the  prospects  there  that  he  established 
a  blacksmith  shop  at  Gold  Hill,  an  undertak- 
ing that  proved  very  satisfactory  during  the 
eighteen  years  that  he  remained  there.  Cross- 
ing over  into  the  adjoining  state  of  California 
in  1894  he  came  direct  to  Los  Angeles,  and 
there  with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  his 
Nevada  interests  he  established  himself  in  the 
blacksmith  business,  later  adding  ranching  to 
his  other  interests,  both  of  which  he  followed 
with  a  fair  degree   of  success. 

In  Anaheim,  Orange  county,  Cal.,  October 
28,  1894.  was  celebrated  a  marriage  which 
united  the  destinies  of  George  A.  Blewett  and 
Airs.  Sophia  L.  (Morris)  Ca'ry.  Mrs.  Blewett 
was  born  in  Los  Angeles  of  Irish  descent. 
Grandfather  Morris,  who  was  born  in  Ireland, 
became  a  pioneer  settler  in  Australia,  and  there 
it  was  that  his  son  George  Frederick  was 
born.  The  latter  came  to  California  during  the 
great  influx  of  1849,  but  instead  of  going  into 
the  mines  as  did  the  majority  he  engaged  in 
the  raising  of  sheep  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  state.  During  his  entire  life  in  the  west 
he  made  his  home  in  Los  Angeles,  passing 
away  in  this  city  at  the  age  of  fifty-two.  His 
wife',  formerly  Mary  Smith,  was  a  native  of  the 
Emerald  Isle",  and  her  death  occurred  in  Red- 
ondo,  this  state.  Of  their  six  children  who 
reached  maturity  five  are  now  living,  Mr.s. 
Blewett  being  next  to  the  youngest.  Her 
first  marriage  with  Thomas  Carey,  resulted 
in  the  birth'  of  one  child.  Thomas  S.  Carey. 
Of  her  marriage  with  :\lr.  Pdcwett  six  children 
have  been  born,  as  follows:  (leorgc  A.,  Jr., 
James  J.,  John  H..  Richard  E.,  AVilliam  E.  and 
"France's  E.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr. 
Blewett  subscribes  to  Democratic  principles, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Maccabees. 


judgment,  and  as  cashier  of  the  Ocean  Park 
Bank  is  performing  the  duties  connected  with 
his  office  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner,  be- 
ing well  fitted  for  his  work  by  courtesy  as 
well  as  capability.  A  native  of  Hampshire, 
England,  he  was  born  November  20,  1868,  a 
son  of  William  ^.lason  and  Ann  Vernon  Dud- 
ley. 

Having  acquired  a  practical  education  in 
his  native  land,  P.  J.  Dudley  immigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  t888,  set'tling  first  in  Cedar 
Rapids,  Iowa,  where  he  was  subsequently  en- 
gaged in  various  pursuits,  among  others  be- 
ing that  of  a  grain  bnj^er.  Going  from  there 
to  Chicago,  111.,  he  was  connected  with  the 
firm  of  Mueller  &  Young,  extensive  grain  deal- 
ers, for  several  j'ears,  being  office  manager 
for  them  from  1897  ^o  IP^S-  Coming  in  that 
year  to  Los  Angeles  county,  he  at  once  as- 
sumed his  present  position  as  cashier  of  the 
Ocean  Park  Bank,  and  has  since  performed 
the  many  duties  devolving  upon  him  with 
praise-worthy  fidelity. 

In  Cedar  Rapids.  Iowa,  March  22,  1893,  Mr. 
Dudley  married  Mary  J.  LTsher,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Usher,  a  prominent  farmer,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely  :  Will- 
iam U.,  Arthur  V.  and  Frederick  L.  Political- 
ly Mr.  Dudley  is  a  straightforward  Republican, 
and  fraternally  he  is  an  Elk  and  Knight  of 
Pythias,  and  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arcanum. 
Religiously  he  is  a  member  and  a  lay  read- 
er of  the'  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  Mrs. 
Dudley    also    belongs. 


P.  J.  DUDLEY.  Among  the  active,  ener- 
getic and  public-spirited  residents  of  Ocean 
Park,  P:  J.  Dudley  holds  a  noteworthy  posi- 
tion.    He  possesses  excellent  business  tact  and 


DANA  BURKS.  Very  early  in  the  settle- 
ment of  Virginia  the  Burks  family  came  from 
Blerkshire,  England,  and  identified  themselves 
with  the  newly  established  colony,  the  progenitor 
of  American  descendants  bearing  the  name  of 
John  Burks.  Members  of  the  family  participated 
in  the  memorable  struggle  for  independence  and 
shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution  they 
crossed  the  mountains  into  the  wilds  of  Kentucky, 
where  thev  still  have  representatives  prominent 
in  ])oliticai  afifairs  and  in  society.  Five  genera- 
tions bore  an  active  part  in  the  afifairs  of  the 
state,  but  eventually  a  branch  of  the  family  be- 
came transplanted  into  Tennessee.  Jesse  H. 
Burks,  who  was  born  and  educated  in  Kentucky 
and  received  an  excellent  medical  education  in 
that  state,  was  for  a  time  a  resident  of  Ten- 
nessee, where  he  married  Sabina  Dismukes, 
daughter  of  Marcus  L.  Dismukes,  a  prominent 
planter  of  Bedford  county.  Three  children  were 
born  to  them  in  that  county,  namely:  Jesse  D., 
Paul  and  Dana,  the  latter  having  been  born  July 
21,  1871.  The  family  removed  to  California  in 
1876  and   settled   in   Los   Angeles,  where  for  a 


710 


HISTORICAL  AND  EIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


time  Dr.  Burks  followed  professional  practice. 
Later  he  gave  up  medicine  in  order  to  enter  the 
field  of  financial  activity  and  became  associated 
with  the  banking  and  industrial  interests  of  Los 
Angeles,  where  he  founded  the  second  trust 
company  to  be  incorporated  in  the  entire  state, 
this  being  the  Los  Angeles  Safe  Deposit  and 
Trust  Company.  He  was  during  his  lifetime  one 
of  the  leaders  in  afifairs  and  in  the  upbuijding 
of  the  community.  While  still  a  man  of  large 
influence  and  business  prominence,  he  was  acci- 
dentally killed  in  Chicago  during  a  visit  to  the 
World's  Fair.  Since  his  death  his  widow  has 
removed  to  Ocean  Park,  where  now  she  makes 
her  home. 

Dana  Burks,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
primarily  educated  in  public  schools  and  finished 
his  education  in  the  Los  Angeles  high  school. 
Bv  training  he  was  fitted  for  the  responsibilities 
of  an  active  business  career.  On  leaving  school 
he  became  an  assistant  in  the  banking  business 
to  his  father,  whom  he  succeeded  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Los  Angeles  Safe  Deposit  and  Trust 
Convpany.  For  a  time  he  was  identified  with 
the  Citizens  Bank  of  Los  Angeles  and  later  be- 
came proprietor  of  the  Los  Angeles  City  Di- 
rectory Company,  and  also  of  a  general  publish- 
ing and  printing  company,  and  a  real-estate  and 
building  business,  all  of  which  he  still  maintains. 
Immediately  after  removing  to  Ocean  Park  in 
December  of  1901  he  became  closely  identified 
with  the  building  up  of  the  town.  Not  only  did 
he  promote  the  incorporation  of  the  place,  but 
he  served  as  the  first  president  of  the  board  of 
citv  trustees  and  has  continued  in  the  position 
to  the  present  time.  Varied,  indeed,  have  been 
the  enterprises  attracting  his  attention  in  this 
section  of  Southern  California.  When  the  Bank 
of  Venice  was  organized  he  took  a  foremost  part 
in  promoting  the  new  institution  and  was  elected 
as  its  vice-president.  Aside  from  the  many 
other  movements  which  demand  his  attention  he 
acts  as  president  and  general  manager  of  the 
Dana  Burks  Investment  Company,  the  largest 
concern  of  its  kind  at  Ocean  Park,  and  having 
offices  both  at  Venice  and  Los  Angeles.  Nor  does 
this  last  represent  the  limit  of  his  activities.  An- 
other important  industry  commands  a  portion  of 
his  time  and  thought,  this  being  the  Los  Angeles 
Dock  and  Terminal  Company,  in  which  he  holds 
office  as  president  and  general  manager.  The 
company  is  engaged  in  the  development  of  harbor 
frontage  at  Long  Beach,  where  it  owns  eight 
hundred  acres  of  tide  land  tributary  to  San  Pedro 
harbor  and  adjacent  to  Long  Beach. 

A  resume  of  the  activities  engaging  the  atten- 
tion of  Mr.  Burks  is  sufficient  to  give  even  a 
stranger  some  knowledge  of  his  versatility  of 
mind  and  variety  of  business  connections.  To  his 
home  town,   to  his   countv  and   to  the   state  he 


has  proved  a  helpful  citizen,  progressive  in  spirit, 
ardent  in  championing  all  projects  for  the  up- 
lifting of  the  race.  Naturally  such  a  man  main- 
tains a  keen  interest  in  politics,  and  we  find  him 
supporting  Republican  principles  and  acting  as  a 
member  of  the  county  central  committee.  On 
the  incorporation  of  his  home  town  he  was  elected 
mayor  and  still  fills  the  office,  discharging  its 
duties  with  efficiency  and  fidelity.  Though  prom- 
inent in  public  life,  he  has  been  fortunate  in  in- 
curring few  enmities  and  in  retaining  the  con- 
fidence of  a  host  of  warm  friends  throughout 
all  of  Southern  California.  Fond  of  social 
amenities,  he  finds  diversion  and  recreation 
through  his  membership  in  the  Jonathan,  Union 
League  and  other  prominent  clubs,  also  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks.  In  his  marriage  he  won  a  wife 
possessing  a  charming  manner  and  a  fine  edu- 
cation, ]\iiss  Carhart,  who  was  educated  in  New 
York  City  and  as  a  girl  resided  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara. Their  family  consists  of  six  children, 
Dana,  Jr..  Jesse,  Virginia.  Aileen,  Andrea  and 
Dorothy. 


ALONZO  M.  FRINK.  A  native  of  San 
Bernardino  county,  and  one  who  has  resided 
all  his  life  on  the  old  parental  homestead, 
Alonzo  M.  Frink  is  one  of  the  best-known  and 
most  successful  large  ranchers  of  this  county, 
he  being  a  son  of  Horace  M.  and  Polly  A. 
fDeWitt)  Frink.  The  parents  were  married 
in  San  Bernardino  county  in  1857,  the  mother 
coming  from  her  native  state  of  Indiana  to 
California  with  the  grandfather  in  1853.  The 
father  was  born  in  New  York  in  1832,  the  son 
of  Jefferson  Frink,  an  expert  drummer,  and 
came  to  California  in  1852,  going  first  to  the 
mines  of  Placer  county,  where  he  remained 
two  years,  and  then  settled  in  San  Bernar- 
dino. He  acted  as  guide  for  the  United  States 
troops  on  a  march  between  San  Bernardino 
and  Fort  Yuma  in  1862,  and  discovered  Frink 
Springs,  which  later  became  a  favorite  water- 
ing place  for  overland  travelers.  In  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  he  accumulated  large 
land  holdings  and  engaged  extensively  in 
stock  raising,  having  something  like  sixteen 
hundred  head  when  he  sold  out  in  1866.  The 
following  year  he  purchased  one  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  old  San  Bernardino,  and  lived 
there  until  his  death  in  1874,  and  this  is  the 
ranch  upon  which  Alonzo  M.  now  resides. 

The  birth  of  Alonzo  M.  Frink  occurred  Jan- 
nary  20,  1858,  on  the  ranch  which  is  now  his 
home,  and  his  education  was  received  in  the 
common  schools  in  this  vicinity.  In  1882  he 
was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Lorana,  a  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Marv  P.  ^^an  Leuven,  the  former 


^^-       •"^,, 


yiyju^TK^Q  X^-^-w^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


■13 


a  native  of  Canada.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Leu- 
ven  came  to  California  in  1852,  settling  in  San 
Bernardino,  where  their  daughter  was  born, 
and  where  the  father  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years.  The  mother  is  still  living  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Frink  became  the  parents  of  one  daughter, 
Lizzie  P.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  L.  R.  Bahr, 
and  the  mother  of  one  daughter.  Mrs.  Bahr 
makes  her  home  with  her  father,  her  mother 
having  died  June  18,  1905.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Frink  is  a  member  of  Token  Lodge  No.  290,  I. 
O.  O.  F..  at  San  Bernardino,  of  Redlands  Par- 
lor. N.  S.  G.  W.,  and  also  of  Lodge  No.  583, 
P..  P.  O.  E.,  at  Redlands.  He  has  accumulated 
considerable  property,  owning  jointly  with 
his  brother  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  thir- 
teen acres  in  San  Bernardino  county,  on 
which  is  a  forty-acre  orange  orchard,  the  re- 
mainder of  the  land  being  devoted  to  the 
growing  of  grain  and  alfalfa ;  also  in  River- 
side county  has  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety-three  acres  upon  which  hay  and  grain 
are  grown  almost  exclusively.  Mr.  Frink  is  a 
man  of  enterprise  and  good  business  ability 
and  his  success  is  due  to  the  exercise  of  these 
qualities.  Politically  he  is  an  advocate  of  Re- 
publican principles  and  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  all  matters  of  import  to  a  public-spirited 
citizen. 


J.1ARION  J.  SHAUL.  Long  and  varied  ex- 
perience in  the  handling  of  property,  coupled 
with  a  natural  conservatism  and  integrity  of 
purpose,  admirably  qualifies  Mr.  Shaul  for  the 
successful  prosecution  of  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness, and  his  name  stands  out  pre-eminently 
among  the  leading  real-estate  dealers  of  the 
Southern  Coast.  Enthusiastic  in  regard  to  the 
future  of  this  part  of  the  state,  he  is  particu- 
larly optimistic  in  his  views  concerning  the 
future  of  Long  Beach,  and  his  every  effort  is 
to  let  it  be  known  tliroughout  the  United  States 
that  for  beauty  and  safety  of  beach  and  surf, 
for  equable  temperature  and  a  climate  equally 
pleasant  at  every  season  of  the  year.  Long 
Beach  has  few  equals  and  no  superior.  This 
opinion  is  not  based  on  inexperience,  for  he  has 
traversed  the  western  coast  from  Alaska  to 
San  Diego ;  remembers  the  site  of  Long 
Beach  when  it  was  a  sheep  pasture;  bought 
and  sold  large  holdings  during  the  great  boom 
of  the  '80s  and  suffered  with  all  citizens  the 
effects  of  its  collapse  ;  and  is  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  both  the  northern  and  the  south- 
ern parts  of  the  state. 

During  the  year  1846  Amon  and  Sarah 
I  George)  Shaul,  natives  of  Ohio,  migrated  to 
Iowa  and  took  up  land  near  Ottumwa,  where 


their  son,  Marion  J.,  was  born  March  7,  1849. 
The  family  removed  to  Kansas  in  1873  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Pottawatomie  county, 
where  the  father  died  in  1875,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years.  The  mother  continued  to  re- 
side on  the  Kansas  homestead  until  her  death 
at  seventy-six  years.  Primarily  educated  in 
public  schools,  Marion  J.  Shaul  in  1870  was 
graduated  from  the  Oskaloosa  Commercial 
College,  and  the  following  year  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, then  proceeded  to  Idaho  and  engaged 
in  mining  for  two  years.  Subsequently  he  set- 
tled in  Ventura  county  and  carried  on  a  ranch 
of  eight  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  San 
Buenaventura,  mean  while  also  traveling 
throughout  the  county  with  a  steam  thresh- 
ing outfit  (the  first  used  in  California)  that 
utilized  straw  as  fuel  for  the  engine. 

Coming  to  San  Diego  county  in  1886  Mr. 
Shaul  engaged  m  farming  and  horticultural 
pursuits  at  Fallbrook.  From  1886  to  1888  he 
engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  and  had 
the  record  of  selling  more  land  than  any  one 
else  in  the  vicinity.  From  1890  until  1894 
he  made  his  home  on  a  farm  and  then  spent  a 
year  in  Los  Angeles  as  a  real-estate  agent,  aft- 
er which  he  embarked  in  the  same  business  at 
Long  Beach.  V/hile  still  residing  in  that  town 
he  became  greatly  interested  in  the  Alaska 
gold  excitement  and  aided  in  organizing  a 
company  of  tv,'enty-two  explorers,  among 
whom  were  a  Quaker  preacher,  a  physician 
(Dr.  Henderson)  and  an  undertaker.  The 
company  purchased  the  sailing  yacht  Penel- 
ope and  stocked  it  with  a  supply  of  provis- 
ions, clothing  and  drugs  sufficient  to  last  for 
three  years.  Sailing  northward  they  landed  at 
Cape  Blossom  on  the  9th  of  July.  1898,  and 
spent  the  balance  of  that  summer  as  well  as 
the  following  wmter  prospecting  on  the  Ku- 
hvtck  river  about  three  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  inland  from  Kotzibu  sound.  The  log 
cabins  thev  erected  but  feebly  sheltered  them 
from  the  keen  Arctic  blasts.  For  six  weeks 
the  thermometer  did  not  rise  above  sixty-four 
degrees  below,  and  four  times  during  the  win- 
ter it  was  seventy-two  degrees  below  zero. 
Of  the  eight  h.undred  people  who  wintered 
there,  seventy-three  died  ere  spring  opened. 
Four  of  the  company  returned  to  Cape  Nome 
by  dog-teams  and  sleds  and  located  several 
claims  on  the  beach,  also  back  of  Nom.e  City 
in  the  mountains,  and  these  claims  they  worked 
until  they  started  home  on  the  Penelope  Sep- 
tember 25,  1899,  arriving  at  San  Pedro  No- 
vember 6,  same  year,  with  every  member  of 
the  party  on  board  and  in  fair  health. 

On  his  return  to  California  Mr.  Shaul  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business  with  C.  J. 
AValker  under  the   firm   title  of  C.    T.   ^^'alke^ 


JU 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


&  Co.  In  July  of  1904  he  went  to  Oceanside 
attracted  by  the  natural  beauty  of  the  location. 
Grasping  the  opportunity,  he  purchased  resi- 
dence and  business  property,  much  of  which 
has  quadrupled  in  value  since  then.  After  go- 
ing there  he  aided  in  the  organization  of  the 
Oceanside  Electric  and  Gas  Company,  of  which 
he  was  vice-president  and  a  director.  Under 
the  supervision  of  the  company  an  electric 
light  plant  was  built  and  installed  on  the  beach 
and  a  bathhouse  was  built,  arranged  with  a 
large  salt  water  plunge,  heated  to  the  proper 
temperature  from  the  boilers  of  the  electric 
light  plant.  The  company  used  wise  judg- 
ment in  its  work  and  is  reaping  the  reward 
in  the  ownership  of  a  profitable  plant,  while 
at  the  same  time  the  people  of  the  town  and 
tourists  find  the  lighting  facilities  satisfactory 
in  every  respect.  Upon  the  re-organization 
of  the  Bank  of  Oceanside  Mr.  Shaul  took  an 
active  part  in  the  work  and  became  a  stock- 
holder, director  and  vice-president  in  the  in- 
stitution, besides  which  he  was  a  member  of 
•  he  Oceanside  Board  of  Trade,  and  in  many 
other  ways  active  m  forwarding  the  interests 
of  the  community.  After  spending  two  years 
in  Oceanside  Mr.  Shaul  returned  to  Long 
Beach  and  became  associated  with  the  Walk- 
er Real  Estate  Company,  purchasing  the  in- 
terest of  C.  J.  ^Valker,  and  has  since  met  with 
pronounced  success  in  his  operations. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  Mr.  Shaul  was  con- 
verted and  has  ever  since  been  active  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  taking  a  prominent  part  in 
Sunda\'-school  and  congregational  work.  In 
Long  Beach  he  became  identified  with  the  Fra- 
ternal Aid  Association,  and  in  poKtics  he  al- 
ways has  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party. 
His  marriage  took  place  at  Hueneme,  this 
state,  in  1876  and  united  him  with  Anna, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Smith,  originally  from  Illi- 
nois. They  are  the  parents  of  a  son  and 
daughter,  namely:  Charles  E.,  residing  in  Pasa- 
dena, where  he  is  a  member  of  the  Seley  Fruit 
Company;  and  Adda,  wife  of  H.  "\\.  Seley,  of 
Pasadena. 


JOSIAH  J.  HARSHMAN.  A  pioneer 
settler  of  Compton,  one  of  its  most  able  busi- 
ness men.  and  a  highly  esteemed  citizen,  Jo- 
siah  J.  Harshman  has  lieen  conspicuously 
identified  with  its  development  and  progress, 
and  whenever  opportunity  has  occurred  he 
has  aided  and  encouraged  the  establishment 
of  enterprises  conducive  to  the  public  welfare. 
With  its  industrial  and  financial  prosperity  he 
has  been  closely  as.sociated.  and  is  now  widely 
known  as  proprietor  of  the  Anchor  Cheese 
factorv.  and  as  president  of  the  First  National 


Bank  of  Compton,.  It  was  organized  as  a 
state  bank  in  July,  1903,  known  as  the  Bank 
of  Compton,  and  two  years  later  was  made  a 
national  institution  and  the  name  changed  to 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Compton.  During 
all  of  this  time  the  directorate  has  remained 
the  same,  with  the  exception  of  Prof.  W.  L. 
Frew,  as  assistant  cashier.  A  savings  depart- 
ment was  established  in  1906^  at  which  time 
Mr.  Harshman  was  elected  to  the  presidency. 
He  was  also  influential  in  the  formation  of  the 
Compton  Water  and  Lighting  Company,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  establishment  of  the 
Compton  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company, 
also  the  Compton  Co-operative  Association, 
which  is  now  incorporated  as  the  Compton 
Commercial  xA.sfociation.  A  son  of  Matthias 
Harshman,  he  was  born  August  2,  1840,  in 
Marion  county,  W.  Va.,  of  Pennsylvania 
stock. 

A  son  of  a  Pennsylvania  pioneer,  ]Matthias 
Harshman  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home 
farm.  In  1838  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
West  Virginia,  and  after  living  there  six  years 
went  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Trumbull  county 
in  1844.  Buying  land,  he  was  there  employed 
as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  until  his  death,  in  1878. 
He  married  Rachael  Ross,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  she  survived  him  many  years, 
dying  in  Ohio  in  1901,  at  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty-six  years. 

Josiah  J.  Harshman  was  educated  in  Trum- 
bull county,  Ohio,  attending  primary,  gram- 
mar and  high  school  and  the  village  seminary. 
A.t  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  began  life 
for  himself  as  a  commercial  salesman,  for  five 
years  traveling  through  seventeen  of  the  mid- 
dle and  western  states  and  Canada.  Settling 
then  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  he  bought  a 
cheese  factory,  v/hich  he  managed  successfully 
for  six  years,  when  he  traded  it  for  a  farm, 
and  this  he  operated  a  short  time.  Selling  it 
in  1876  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  lo- 
cating at  once  in  Compton.  He  intended  to 
establish  a  cheese  factor}'  at  once,  but  found 
that  the  place  was  too  new  and  the  number  of 
people  too  few.  Plainly  foreseeing,  however, 
that  in  the  not  very  distant  future  such  a 
plant  would  be  of  mestimable  value  to  the 
farmers  of  this  section,  lie  remained  here,  and 
in  1880  started  a  cheese  factory,  the  first  es- 
tablishment of  the  kind  in  Southern  California. 
He  was  successful  from  the  start,  dairymen 
bringing  milk  from  every  direction,  some  of 
them  coming  many  miles  with  it.  In  1890  he 
established  and  has  since  managed  the  An- 
chor Cheese  factory,  which  has  grown  to  be 
one  of  the  flourishing  industries  of  Compton. 

When  he  located  in  Compton.  Mr.  Harsh- 
man purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  from  which 


^ 


'^^7'^ 


2^:<^^L^^v>f/ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


717 


he  improved  the  homestead  which  he  has  since 
occupied.  In  1905  he  laid  out  ten  acres  in 
what  is  known  as  the  Harshman  tract,  and 
likewise  two  acres  in  the  high  school  tract, 
and  an  acre  and  a  half  in  the  Motor  tract,  on 
the  electric  line.  In  public  affairs,  Mr.  Harsh- 
man  has  been  active  and  influential,  having 
served  as  president  of  the  board  of  trustees 
one  term,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  high 
school  board  since  April,  1906,  previous  to 
which  he  served  as  a  director  of  the  grammar 
school  for  two  terms.  Politically  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  Prohibition  party  for  the 
past  twenty  years,  and  religiously  he  belongs 
to  the  Free  Alethodist  Church. 

December  24,  1869,  in  Ohio,  Mr.  Harsh- 
man  married  Jennie  A.,  daughter  of  Ambrose 
Cross,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  into  their 
househtild  five  children  have  been  born,  name- 
ly :  Lula,  Nina,  Ray  (who  married  a  Miss 
Ouinlan  and  is  living  in  Compton),  Callie  and 
Clvde. 


RICHARD  GARVEY.  Keen  business  fore- 
sight and  the  facult}'  of  decision  as  well  as 
visiofi  have  given  to  Richard  Garvey  the  com- 
petence which  the  world  owes  every  man,  but 
which  only  the  persevering  and  energetic  suc- 
ceed in  winning.  He  came  to  California  in  the 
pioneer  days  of  the  state,  interested  himself 
in  mining  for  twenty  years,  and  after  making 
a  pronounced  success  in  this  work  turned  his 
attention  to  the  real  estate  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  which 
he  has  been  unusually  active.  Mr.  Garvey  is 
a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  County  ]\Iayo 
September  22,  1838,  and  in  1849  came  to  the 
L'nited  States  consigned  to  a  relative  in  New 
York,  but  landed  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  instead,  as 
he  says,  "not  knowing  enough  to  get  ofif  tliere." 
His  father,  Peter  Garvey,  was  a  farmer  in  his 
native  country,  and  died  there  about  1845.  His 
mother,  formerly  Mary  Flannagan,  was  also 
a  native  of  Ireland  and  died  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  in  1884.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Richard, 
Delia  and  Maria,  the  latter  two  living  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  One  son,  John  Garvey,  who 
served  in  the  Civil  war,  as  an  ofificer  in  the 
Seventh  Regiment  Virginia  United  States 
A'olunteers,  died  from  the  effects  of  a  wound 
received  at  Antietam  and  was  buried  in  Cleve- 
land, with  military  honors.  Another  son  be- 
came a  priest  in  the  Catholic  Church,  his  death 
occurring  while  engaged  in  his  ministerial  du- 
ties in  Texas. 

Upon  coming  to  the  United  States  Richard 
Garvev  first  li\-ed  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  removing 
in    1854  to  Ohio,   where   in   Cleveland   he    re- 


ceived his  education.  In  his  boyhood  he  sailed 
on  the  lakes  and  was  wrecked  three  different 
times,  once  near  Chicago,  once  at  Cleveland 
and  the  third  time  at  Mackinaw.  In  1858  he 
followed  the  westward  trend  of  civilization 
and  came  to  California,  arriving  in  Los  An- 
geles in  due  time.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he 
engaged  with  Capt.  W.  S.  Hancock  to  carry 
ihe  mail  and  express  from  Los  Angeles  to  the 
military  ]30sts  of  the  south  in  New  Mexico  and 
California,  after  which,  like  thousands  of  oth- 
ers who  came  to  the  state  after  the  war  began, 
he  engaged  in  mining.  He  was  located  in  Cal- 
ifornia, Nevada  and  Arizona  during  the  twen- 
ty years  in  which  he  was  so  occupied,  meeting 
with  success  in  his  various  enterprises,  and  in 
1872  he  sold  one  mine  in  San  Bernardino  coun- 
ty for  the  sum  of  $200,000.  He  has  been  suc- 
cessful in  disposing  of  others  for  large 
amounts,  but  he  still  retains  the  Greenlead 
mine  in  Holcomb  valley  district,  which  he  in- 
tends to  reopen  and  will  strive  to  replace  the 
■fortune  he  lost.  All  this  time  he  had  made  Los 
Angeles  his  headquarters  and  in  the  meantime 
had  become  interested  in  the  future  of  the  city 
and  surrounding  country,  and  in  1872  he  began 
to  purchase  real  estate,  between  this  date  and 
1886  owning  iive  thousand  acres  of  land,  upon 
which  he  spent  all  the  monej'  he  had  previously 
made  as  a  young  man  and  incurred  considerable 
indebtedness.  IVIuch  of  this  property  he  re- 
tained until  1892,  when  he  began  subdividing  it 
in  five  and  ten  acre  tracts,  disposing  of  large 
portions  of  it,  and  at  an  expense  of  over  $100,- 
000  bought  water  and  brought  it  seven  miles 
to  the  property,  built  a  lake  comprising  nine 
and  one-half  acres  with  a  dam  fifty-four  feet 
high,  by  which  he  irrigated  one  thousand 
acres  of  the  land.  This  was  done  through 
loans  from  the  Farmers  and  Merchants  Bank 
of  Los  Angeles. 

In  order  to  pay  oft"  the  large  loans  and  inter- 
est from  this  bank,  sales  were  made  amount- 
ing to  over  $200,000,  and  during  the  thirteen 
vears  over  $300,000  was  paid,  still  owing  to 
them  $90,000  in  1905,  at  which  time  they  fore- 
closed, thus  bringing  the  added  costs  up  to  a 
total  of  about  $110,000.  Notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  they  declared  in  open  court  that  the 
property  was  not  worth  that  amount,  in  1905 
Mr.  Garvey  disposed  of  one  thousand  acres  at 
an  advance  of  $25,000  to  some  of  the  best  busi- 
ness men  of  Los  Angeles.  Soon  afterward  he 
sold  eight  acres  for  $6,000  and  in  1906  sold 
two  liundred  and  thirty-one  acres  at  $635  per 
acre,  the  sale  reoresenting  $145,000  and  com- 
iirised  the  old  iKimestead,  which  was  among 
the  first  houses  built  in  the  old  Mission  days 
of  San  Gabriel.  He  is  still  owner  of  about 
six  hundred  acres  of  the  Garvalia  ranch,  and 


718 


HISTORICAL  AND  RIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


entirely  out  of  debt,  which  is  about  the  first 
time  he  has  been  in  that  condition  since  he 
owned  the  land,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
he  was  nearly  ruined  by  a  man  he  had  served 
all  his  life,  and  that  he  trusted  implicitly. 

In  1884  Mr.  Garvey  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Tessie  B.  Mooney,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  she  died  the  following  year,  leaving  a  son, 
Richard,  Jr.,  who  was  reared  by  his  aunt.  Miss 
Mary  E.  Mooney.  He  is  a  graduate  of  St.  Vin- 
cent's College,  and  is  now  a  student  of  Berke- 
ley. Mr.  Garvey  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church  and  fraternally  belongs  to  the  Knights 
of  Columbus.  He  has  a  comfortable  residence 
in  Los  Angeles  but  prefers  a  country  home, 
and  upon  his  ranch  in  the  Garvalia  district  is 
going  to  build  a  house,  equipped  with  every 
modern  convenience  and  comfort.  Mr. 
Garvey  is  independent  in  his  political 
views,  reserving  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot  for 
the  man  he  considers  best  qualified  for  official 
position.  He  has  served  as  school  trustee  of 
Garvalia  district  for  many  years,  and  takes  a 
keen  interest  in  the  upbuilding  of  educational 
affairs.  In  1875,  after  the  failure  of  the  Temple 
&  Workman  Bank,  he  was  appointed  receiver. 


FRANKLIN  PIERCE  WILLARD.  Anil- 
lustration  of  what  it  is  within  the  power  of  a 
self-reliant  and  ambitious  young  man  to  accom- 
plish may  be  found  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Willard, 
who,  though  deprived  of  all  educational  advan- 
tages excepting  such  as  he  could  provide  for 
himself,  nevertheless  gained  a  superior  educa- 
tion, both  in  the  classics  and  the  law.  in  addition 
to  taking  a  medical  course  of  one  year  and  ac- 
quiring a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  occupation 
of  a  mining  engineer.  A  native  son  of  Cali- 
fornia, he  was  born  near  Madison,  Yolo  county, 
seven  miles  west  of  Woodland,  December  2, 
1853,  and  is  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family  of  the 
coast.  At  the  time  of  the  famous  expedition  by 
Lewis  and  Clark  for  the  purpose  of  exploring 
the  northwest  Alexander  H.  Willard,  Sr.,  was 
engaged  by  the  expedition  as  their  blacksmith, 
and  in  that  capacity  traveled  through  the  remote 
and  hitherto  inaccessible  regions  of  the  north- 
west. Returning  to  Missouri,  he  followed  his 
trade  there  until  1858  and  then  joined  members 
of  the  family  in  California,  where  he  died  about 
i860,  at  a  very  advanced  age.  His  son,  Alex- 
ander, H..  Jr..  was  born  and  reared  in  Missouri, 
from  which  state  he  came  across  the  plains  with 
ox-teams  in  1848  and  settled  on  the  Cache  creek, 
where  he  bought  five  hundred  acres  of  the  Gor- 
don tract.  Soon  afterward  he  went  back  east 
and  brought  his  family  and  household  effects 
overland  in  1849,  settling  on  his  ranch,  where 
he  engaged  in  tlie  stock  business  until  his  death. 


During  his  residence  there  he  filled  the  office  of 
school  trustee.  In  early  manhood  he  married 
Mary  Jane  Wakefield,  who  was  born  in  Illinois 
and  died  in  Los  Angeles  in  1903. 

There  were  fourteen  children  in  the  family 
of  Alexander  Hamilton  Willard,  Jr.,  and  of 
these  four  sons  and  two  daughters  are  now  liv- 
ing, namely :  John,  a  farmer  residing  near 
Lilac,  San  Diego  county ;  Henry,  a  farmer  in 
Glenn  county ;  Hamilton,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  San  Bernardino  county;  Franklin 
Pierce,  an  attorney  at  Escondido ;  Emma,  Mrs. 
Hawkins,  of  Tulare  county,  and  Mrs.  Colista 
Scott,  of  Ocean  Park.  Until  fourteen  years  of 
age  Franklin  Pierce  Willard  lived  on  the  home 
ranch  on  Cache  creek,  but  afterward  he  made 
his  own  way  in  the  world.  Through  his  own 
determined  and  unaided  efforts  it  w^s  made 
possible  for  him  to  enjoy  a  complete  course  of 
study  in  Hesperian  College,  Woodland,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1871,  and  during' 
1872-73  he  was  a  student  in  the  University  of 
California,  class  of  1876.  With  other  members 
of  his  class  he  was  present  at  the  laying  of  the 
corner  stone  of  the  first  building  belonging  to 
the  present  set  of  buildings  on  the  university 
ground. 

During  1873  Mr.  Willard  was  engaged  as 
mechanical  and  mining  engineer  in  the  Ida  El- 
more mines  in  Idaho,  after  which  he  became 
superintendent  and  mining  expert  at  the  Cornu- 
copia mines  in  Nevada.  Afterward  he  made  his 
home  for  seventeen  years  at  Bodie,  Mono  county, 
Cal.,  where  he  was  engaged  as  superintendent 
of  mines  and  mining  engineer,  and  while  in 
that  town  he  completed  the  study  of  law,  and 
in  1883  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Besides  con- 
ducting a  general  practice  in  that  town  he  was 
employed  as  deputy  district  attorney.  In  1893 
he  came  to  Escondido,  where,  in  addition  to  his 
private  practice,  he  has  served  continuously  as 
city  attorney  and  attorney  for  the  First  National 
Bank.  Working  in  the  interests  of  the  tax- 
payers, he  took  an  active  part  in  the  liquidation 
of  the  Escondido  bonds,  which  amounted  to 
$350,000  principal  and  $150,000  interest. 
Through  his  efforts,  acting  in  harmony  with 
others  intimately  connected  with  the  matter,  he 
had  the  indebtedness  settled  for  $208,000,  and 
the  burning  of  the  bonds  was  made  the  interest- 
ing feature  of  a  ceremonious  occasion  and  ap- 
propriate celebration  on  the  part  of  the  people. 
The  water  system  also  has  received  thoughtful 
attention  on  his  part,  it  being  his  claim  that  the 
water  belongs  to  the  land  and  the  two  are  in- 
separable, through  which  stand  he  has  done 
much  in  behalf  of  the  land-owners. 

The  Willard  homestead  in  Escondido  con- 
sists of  eight  acres,  improved  with  a  neat  resi- 
dence and  with  an  orchard  of  fruit  and  a  meadow 


e^^^^ 


4^***^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  alfalfa.  In  1879  Mr.  Willard  married 
Miss  Emma  Gregg,  who  was  born  on  the  Sand- 
wich Islands  while  her  father,  Hon.  David  L. 
Gregg,  was  officiating  as  minister  at  Hawaii 
under  President  Lincoln.  Previous  to  his  serv- 
ice abroad  Mr.  Gregg  had  been  a  prominent  at- 
torney and  leading  Republican,  and  for  a  time 
acted  as  superintendent  of  the  United  States 
mint  at  Carson,  Xev.,  where  he  died.  The  fam- 
ily of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willard  comprises  five 
children,  namely:  Dora  and  Eilna,  who  are 
members  respectively  of  the  classes  of  1906  and 
1908,  Liniversity  of  California ;  Frankie,  who  is 
attending  Pomona  College ;  Alexander  Gregg 
and  Reba,  who  are  students  in  the  local  schools. 
The  family  are  identified  with  the  Episcopal 
Church  and  prominent  in  local  society.  While 
living  in  Nevada  Mr.  Willard  was  initiated  into 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  1874. 
Lender  his  enthusiastic"  leadership  Bodie  Lodge 
No.  279  was  established  and  organized  and  he 
officiated  as  one  of  its  officers,  also  on  two  occa- 
sions represented  it  in  the  Grand  Lodge.  At 
this  writing  he  is  a  member  of  Escondido  Lodge 
No.  344,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  holds  the  office  of  dis- 
trict deputy.  With  his  wife  he  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Order  of  Rebekahs.  Since  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  at 
Escondido  he  has  served  as  clerk,  and  he  has 
also  been  past  chancellor  and  past  grand  repre- 
sentative of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  in  Escondido. 
At  one  time  he  was  actively  identified  with  the 
San  Diego  Parlor  Native  Sons  of  the  Golden 
West.  Politically  he  has  always  been  a  loyal 
adherent  of  the  Republican  party  and  has  given 
his  support  to  its  candidates,  both  at  local  elec- 
tions and  in  national  campaigns. 


GEN.  CHARLES  FORMAN.  The  Forman 
family  descends  from  Scotch  and  English  an-^ 
cestry  and  has  been  identified  with  the  new 
world  ever  since  the  period  of  our  colonial 
history.  One  of  their  representatives  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  was  iNliles  Forman,  whose 
son.  Sands,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
in  Tioga  county,  N.  Y..  for  many  years  and 
until  his  death.  The  wife  of  Sands  Forman 
was  ]\fary  Mathews,  a  native  of  Tioga  coun- 
ty and  the  daughter  of  Isaiah  S.  ^lathews,  a 
Revolutionary  soldier.  Among  their  children 
was  a  son.  Edward,  who  was  a  member  of 
an  Illinois  regiment  during  the  Civil  war.  An- 
other son,  Charles,  whose  name  introduces 
this  narrati\-e,  and  w'ho  is  the  only  member 
of  the  family  on  the  coast,  was  born  and 
reared  near  Owego,  Tioga  county,  N.  Y.,  and 
in  1853  came  via  Panama  to  California,  arriv- 
ing at  tlie  Golden  Gate  with  many  other  east- 
erners on  board  the  famous  old  ship.  John  L. 


Stevens.  At  that  time  his  uncle.  Col.  Ferris 
Forman,  was  postmaster  at  Sacramento  and 
he  was  given  employment  in  the  postoffice, 
later,  at  the  close  of  the  term,  going  to  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  in  order  to  close  the  accounts 
with  the  government.  Not  only  was  Colonel 
Forman  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  w^ar  and  a 
colonel  in  the  Civil  war,  but  he  also  was  hon- 
ored with  office  as  secretary  of  state,  and  his 
nephew  on  returning  from  the  east  became 
deputy  for  one  term  in  the  secretary's  office. 
From  there  he  went  to  Nevada  and  became 
connected  with  the  Eclipse  Mill  and  ^Mining 
Company,  the  Piute  Mill  and  Mining  Com- 
pany, and  other  similar  enterprises  near  Vir- 
ginia City  and  at  Gold  Hill.  While  there  he 
ser\ed  as  major-general  of  the  Nevada  Vol- 
unteers under  Go\-ernor  John  H.  Kinkead. 

As  early  as  1865  General  Forman  had  made 
investments  in  Los  Angeles  property  and  in 
1882  he  removed  his  family  to  this  city,  al- 
though he  did  not  take  up  his  permanent  resi- 
dence here  until  five  years  later.  At  that  time 
he  became  interested  in  the  City  and  Cen- 
tral Railway  Company,  of  which  he  was  gen- 
eral manager  as  well  as  vice-president.  Af- 
ter eighteen  months  the  title  was  changed  to 
the  Los  Angeles  Cable  Railway  Companv  and 
in  1890  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  plant. 
On  account  of  somewliat  impaired  health  he 
relinquished  active  business  affairs  for  a  time, 
but  was  still  able  to  superintend  his  invest- 
ments and  mining  interests.  On  the  recovery 
of  his  health  he  again  took  up  commercial  and 
other  activities.  At  this  writing  he  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Kern  River  Company,  which  be- 
gan construction  work  in  1902  and  has  built 
canals,  tunnels  and  flumes  e.xtending  over 
twelve  and  one-half  miles.  The  water  is  taken 
from  the  river  at  Kernville  and  at  the  end  of 
the  flume  at  Borel  there  are  five  water-wheels 
yielding  eighteen  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
fiftv  horse-power,  conveyed  to  Los  Angeles 
with  but  a  small  loss  in  transmission.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  presidency  of  this  company  he 
aided  in  organizing  and  acts  as  secretary  of 
the  Pacific  Light  and  Power  Company,  which 
is  the  parent  company  of  eight  similar  organi- 
zations, including  the  Kern  River  Companv. 
IMentone  Power  Company,  San  Gabriel  Elec- 
tric Companv,  Sierra  Power  Company  and 
San   Bernardino   Gas  and  Electric  Companv. 

In  Los  Angeles  occurred  the  marriage  of 
General  Forman  to  ]\Tiss  Mary  Grav.  member 
of  an  old  family  of  Southern  California,  and 
by  this  union  there  are  two  children,  Charles 
and  Eloise.  In  politics  General  Forman  was 
a  Democrat  until  the  Silver  craze,  and  since 
then  supports  Republican  measures  and  can- 
didates,   while   socially   he   holds    membership 


T2-2 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


with  the  Jonathan  Chib.  Besides  his  city 
real  estate  he  is  the  owner  of  a  ranch  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  the  Los  Ange- 
les river  four  miles  from  the  city,  where  he  has 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  under  cultivation 
to  walnuts. 


RL'SSELL  JLDSOX  WATERS.  Abun- 
dantly significant  of  the  ability  of  Mr.  W  aUr.s  is 
tlic  record  of  his  rise  to  prominencr,  iKdwith- 
standing  the  necessity  of  overcLiniiny  ulistaclcs 
more  than  ordinarily  discouraging.  Taking  up 
the  trials  and  hardships  of  life  at  the  age  of  eight 
years,  when  most  lads  are  enjoying  the  splendid 
advantages  offered  by  our  public  school  system,  he 
has  never  faltered  in  his  persistent  efforts  to 
establish  for  himself  a  place  of  honor  among  the 
representative  men  of  our  fair  country,  many 
times  battling  against  the  loss  of  health  and  many 
times  winning  a  victory  that  enabled  him  to  con- 
tinue his  work  of  personal  progress  and  devel- 
opment. 

JNIr.  Waters  had  the  advantage  of  inheriting 
many  of  the  qualities  which  have  proven  sucli 
potent  factors  in  his  career,  being  the  descendant 
of  an  old  New  England  family.  Born  in  \'er- 
mont  June  6,  1843,  li^  was  one  of  the  youngest 
in  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  left  fatherless 
when  he  was  only  four  years  old.  Shortly  after 
the  death  of  the  father,  the  mother  removed  to 
Colerain,  Franklin  county,  Mass.,  where,  four 
vears  later,  young  Russell  found  employment  in 
a  cotton  mill  to  assist  in  the  support  of  the  fam- 
ily. He  remained  in  this  occupation  for  two 
\ears,  receiving  as  compensation  $1.25  per  week, 
but  was  finally  compelled  to  give  up  the  work  on 
account  of  declining  health.  He  was  then  sent 
to  Deerfield,  i\Iass.,  where  on  a  farm  he  re- 
covered the  youth  and  strength  so  nearly  lost. 
During  the  two  years  which  he  passed  there  he 
attended  the  public  school  for  a  short  time,  which 
taste  of  knowledge  gave  him  so  keen  a  desire  to 
progress  further  that  he  allowed  nothing  after- 
ward to  come  between  him  and  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  desire.  Thereafter  his  efforts  for  a 
livelihood  were  always  divided  with  study,  every 
year  finding  him  nearer  the  goal  until  his  final 
graduation  from  Franklin  Institute.  This  was  ac- 
complished by  strenuous  self-denial  and  con- 
stant economy.  After  his  return  to  the  city 
from  the  farm  at  Deerfield,  he  entered  the  cut- 
lery factory,  working  for  two  years  as  operator 
on  one  of  the  machines,  when  the  family  having 
in  the  meantime  located  in  Richville,  N.  Y.,  he 
also  located  there.  While  in  that  part  of  the  state 
he  found  employment  on  a  farm  at  fifty  cents  a 
day  and  in  the  winter  worked  at  chopping  cord 
wood  at  fifty  cents  a  cord.  The  open  air  and  out- 
door life  gave  to  him  the   underlying  strength 


which  enabled  him  to  devote  himself  so  persist- 
ently to  study  later  on.  In  Massachusetts,  to 
which  state  he  returned,  he  learned  the  trade 
of  machinist  and  by  prosecution  of  this  work  and 
the  teaching  of  two  terms  of  school  he  secured 
means  with  which  to  complete  his  studies  at 
Franklin  Institute.  Though  only  twenty-four 
years  old,  he  was  offered  and  accepted  a  position 
as  professor  of  Latin  and  mathematics  in  his  alma 
mater,  in  which  work  he  remained  for  one  year. 

In  1S68  Mr.  Waters  became  a  resident  of  Qii- 
cago,  111.,  where  he  took  up  the  study  of  law,  which 
he  mastered  after  two  years,  being  then  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  the  state  and  the  United  States. 
The  same  application  and  energy  which  had 
distinguished  him  as  a  student  entered  largely 
into  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  it  was  not 
long  before  he  became  recognized  as  one  of  the 
rising  young  attorneys  of  Qiicago.  However, 
his  health  began  to  suffer  under  the  strain  of 
intense  application  and  constant  duty  which  cov- 
ered a  period  of  more  than  sixteen  years,  and  in 
1886  he  found  it  necessary  to  relinquish  his  ex- 
tensive clientele.  At  the  same  time  he  sought  a 
milder  climate  and  in  Southern  California  es- 
tablished his  home  and  interests — both  of  which 
have  meant  so  much  in  the  development  of  this 
section.  He  became  associated  with  the  Califor- 
nia-Chicago Colonization  Association  as  chair- 
man and  commissioner,  in  which  capacity  he  pur- 
chased what  has  since  become  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  tracts  of  land  in  Southern  California, 
where  the  widely  famed  city  of  Redlands  is  now 
situated.  Mr.  Waters  has  been  called  the  "fa- 
ther of  Redlands"  and  it  is  but  a  just  tribute  to 
the  man  whose  efforts,  more  than  any  others, 
have  meant  so  much  to  the  progress  of  that  city, 
and  in  truth  it  has  been  said  that  no  enterprise 
calculated  to  promote  its  interests  have  ever  been 
considered  complete  without  his  name  and  influ- 
ence. He  promoted  the  building  of  the  city  in  the 
first  place  and  served  for  one  year  as  its  attorney. 
Through  his  efforts  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Com- 
pany extended  its  lines  from  San  Bernardino  to 
Redlands,  comprising  what  is  now  known  as  the 
"kite-shaped  track,"  one  of  the  attractive  features 
of  Southern  California  to  tourists.  At  various 
times  he  was  a  director  of  the  Union  bank,  the 
First  National  Bank,  the  Crafton  Water  Com- 
liany,  the  East  Redlands  Water  Company  and 
the  Redlands  Hotel  Company,  which  built  the 
Windsor  hotel.  He  built  and  operated  the  Red- 
lands  Street  Railway  Company,  of  which  he  was 
president.  He  was  also  closely  identified  with  the 
Bear  Valley  Irrigation  Company,  as  its  manager 
bringing  to  bear  his  strong  business  traits  which 
effectually  changed  the  status  of  the  company,  its 
stock  being  almost  doubled  in  value,  its  indebted- 
ness reduced  to  a  minimum  and  its  credit  practi- 
cally  unlimited.      His   splendid   ability   and   far- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


sighted    judgment    are    3io\vliei"e   more   apparent 
than  in  liis  identification  with  this  company. 

In  1894  Mr.  Waters  located  in  Los  Angeles; 
where  he  has  ever  since  made  his  home.  Need- 
less to  say  he  has  proven  as  important  a  factor 
in  its  growth  and  progress  as  in  Redlands  and 
has  taken  as  keen  an  interest  in  its  upbuilding. 
A  number  uf  lianking  institutions,  among  them 
the  Citizens'  Xational  Bank  and  Columbia  Sav- 
ings Bank,  and  the  State  Bank  of  San  Jacinto, 
receive  the  support  of  his  counsel  and  director- 
ship, while  he  has  served  with  distinction  as  a 
member  of  the  Los  Angeles  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  president  of  the  Los  Angeles  Directory 
Company.  As  a  member  of  the  board  of  park 
commissioners  he  served  efficiently,  being  forced, 
however,  to  resign  on  account  of  the  many  de- 
mands made  upon  him  through  his  business  as- 
sociations. Innumerable  outside  enterprises  have 
from  time  to  time  made  demands  upon  his  time 
and  attention,  among  them  the  Pasadena  Con- 
solidated Gas  Company,  of  which  he  was  presi- 
dent ;  president  and  principal  owner  of  the  San 
Jacinto  Valle\-  ^\'ater  Company,  which  is  now 
constructing  sixteen  miles  of  cement  ditches  to 
distribute  tlie  water  to  the  fruit  growers  and 
dairymen  of  that  beautiful  valley,  the  future 
prosperity  of  that  section  depending  largely  upon 
this  water  svstem ;  president  of  the  Columbia 
Commercial  Compan}-,  whose  operations  and 
property-  are  in  Orange  county;  president  of  the 
California  Cattle  Company,  whose  holdings  are 
principally  in  Riverside  county;  and  a  director 
of  the  American  Savings  Bank  of  Los  Angeles. 
At  the  same  time  that  Mr.  Waters  had  been 
acquiring  a  personal  success,  resulting  in  financial 
returns  and  a  high  position  of  respect  among  his 
fellow  citizens,  he  liad  also  risen  prominently 
before  the  public  as  one  who  could  safely  be  en- 
trusted with  public  honor.  At  the  earnest  solici- 
tation of  friends  he  allowed  his  name  to  be  used 
as  a  candidate  for  congress  from  the  sixth  district 
in  the  year  i8g8,  and  scored  a  victory  which  was 
unprecedented  in  the  district.  At  the  congres- 
sional convention  in  Sacramento  he  was  nom- 
inated bv  acclamation  with  no  dissenting  votes. 
The  nomination  speech  was  made  by  his  old-time 
friend,  ex-Governor  John  L.  Beveridge,  of  Illi- 
nois, and  was  the  subject  of  much  favorable  com- 
ment at  the  time.  Mr.  Waters  carried  his  district 
after  a  vigorous  campaign,  by  thirty-five  hundred 
and  forty-two  votes.  His  record  in  the  halls  of 
congress  from  iSgg  to  1903  was  distinctively  a 
history  of  the  progress  of  Southern  Califomia  for 
that  time,  as  his  undivided  efforts  were  given  to 
advance  the  measures  supported  by  his  constit- 
uency. It  has  been  repeatedly  said  of  him  that 
his  methods  were  very  unlike  those  of  the  average 
]X)litician,  the  explanation  lying  in  the  fact  that 
lie  was  not  a  politician,  but  rather  a  practical. 


business  man  whose  work  in  congress  could  only 
have  been  accomplished  by  that  type  of  man.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  introduction  of  cer- 
tain measures  approved  Ijy  the  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Forestry  Commission,  thereby  making  it  a 
criminal  offense  to  leave  camp  fires  burning  and 
thus  endangering  the  forests.  He  introduced  a 
bill  appropriating  over  half  a  million  dollars  for 
improvements  in  San  Pedro  Harbor,  and  was 
especially  active  in  defending  the  Nicaragua 
C^nal  bill,  a  project  that  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  Southern  Californians.  Among  the 
orders  of  greatest  importance  obtained  by  Mr. 
Waters  was  that  of  conmiissioner  general  of  the 
land  office,  Hon.  Binger  Hermann,  suspending 
the  filing  of  lien  scrip  upon  land  until  after  a  full 
and  complete  investigation  by  special  agents  of 
the  department.  This  and  a  bill  introduced  by 
Mr.  Waters  to  authorize  the  entry  and  patenting 
of  lands  containing  petroleum  and  other  mineral 
oils  under  placer  mining  laws  in  the  United 
States  were  of  material  value  to  oil  men  of 
Southern  California.  To  Mr.  Waters  is  also 
due  much  credit  for  the  establishment  of  rural 
routes  in  the  sixth  district,  while  eleven  post- 
offices  have  been  added  during  his  term  of  serv- 
ice. Perhaps  no  stronger  feeling  exists  as  to 
the  value  of  Mr.  Waters'  service  than  that  given 
him  by  the  supporters  of  the  pensions  for  the  old 
war  veterans  and  their  widows,  in  which  work  he 
was  very  active  and  met  with  gratifying  success. 

The  home  of  Mr.  Waters  is  located  on  Adams 
street,  Los  Angeles,  where  he  is  surrounded  bv 
every  evidence  of  comfort  and  refinement.  With 
all  his  busy  outside  interests  he  is  devoted  to 
his  home  and  family  and  finds  his  greatest  con- 
tentment in  their  midst.  Since  his  return  from 
Washington  he  has  continued,  however,  his  for- 
mer engrossing  pursuits,  his  wide  experience 
and  sound  business  principles  inducing  his  asso- 
ciates in  various  enterprises  to  offer  him  many 
responsible  offices.  In  1903  he  was  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  of  the  Home  Savings  Bank.  He  is 
president  of  the  State  Bank  of  San  Jacinto,  di- 
rector in  tlie  First  National  Bank  of  San  Jacinto, 
president  of  the  San  Jacinto  Water  Company, 
president  of  the  Citizens'  Security  Company, 
treasurer  of  the  Equitable  Security  Company, 
treasurer  of  the  Las  \'egas  &  Tonopah  Railroad, 
director  of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank  of  Red- 
lands,  treasurer  of  the  Continental  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  president  of  the 
Bay  Island  Club  of  Newport. 

The  personal  character  of  Mr.  Waters  is  such 
as  to  give  him  a  place  among  not  only  the  repre- 
sentative business  men  of  Los  Angeles  and 
Southern  California,  but  also  among  the  citizens 
whose  worth  has  been  proven  by  their  works.  Al- 
though   possessing   rare   business   ability,   if   the 


i2i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


other  requisites  had  been  wanting  he  would  prob- 
ably have  missed  the  position  he  has  attained,  for 
energy,  perseverance  and  an  abounding  courage 
in  the  face  of  all  difficulties  are  worth  more  to 
the  possessor  and  are  harder  to  possess,  because 
they  are  largely  a  matter  of  training.  Mr.  Waters 
IxDssesses  these  characteristics  and  has  justly  won 
the  honor  to  which  he  is  entitled.  Neither  his 
struggle  nor  his  success,  however,  has  had  an 
ill  effect  upon  his  nature ;  in  cheerfulness  of 
spirit  he  has  retained  youth  and  made  each  year 
one  of  pleasure  in  his  life.  He  has  delighted  in 
all  that  has  led  up  to  outward  and  inner  refine- 
ment, music  being  especially  held  as  one  of  the 
highest  arts.  He  possesses  strong  musical  talent 
which  he  developed  by  thorough  training  and  still 
leads  his  family  orchestra  of  eight  pieces.  His 
busy  cares  of  later  years  have  not  prevented  him 
occasionall}'  contributing  articles  of  fact  and  fic- 
tion to  the  magazines  of  the  day.  Many  of  his 
poems  have  been  published  in  the  past  three  years 
and  he  is  now  working  on  "An  Epic  Poem"  and 
other  verses  which  will  be  published  in  the  near 
future. 


FERD  K.  RULE,  widely  known  as  an  upbuild- 
ing factor  in  the  interests  of  Los  Angeles,  was 
born  in  St.  Louis,  Mc,  December  6,  1853,  the 
representative  of  southern  ancestrj'.  His  father, 
Orville  G.  Rule,  also  born  in  St.  Louis,  was  a 
son  of  William  Kennett.  who,  in  Kentucky,  mar- 
ried Nancy  Clinton,  a  native  of  Virginia.  The 
grandfather  became  a  pioneer  merchant  of  St. 
Louis,  where  he  was  successful  in  business  and 
social  aflfairs  and  besides  a  competence  won  a 
place  of  importance  in  the  citizenship  of  that 
place.  His  death  occurred  at  an  advanced  age. 
Orville  G.  Rule  entered  business  life  in  early 
manhood  and  rose  rapidly  to  a  position  of  im- 
portance. For  thirty  years  prior  to  his  death  he 
held  the  position  of  general  manager  of  the  St. 
Louis  Shot  &  Lead  'NX'orks  and  discharged  the 
duties  in  a  thoroughly  capable  manner.  Like  his 
father  he  was  esteemed  for  both  business  and  so- 
cial qualities.  He  married  l\Iiss  Margaret  Eliz- 
abeth Ashley,  who  was  born  in  Bowling  Green. 
Ky.,  and  died  in  St.  Louis. 

Receiving  his  primary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city,  Ferd  K.  Rule  prepared 
for  and  entered  the  University  of  St.  Louis,  from 
which  institution  he  was  later  graduated.  Subse- 
quently he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Waters- 
Pierce  Oil  Company  and  remained  in  this  con- 
nection for  a  number  of  years,  looking  after  their 
interests  throughout  the  states  of  Missouri,  Ar- 
kansas and  Texas  and  also  Old  Mexico.  Dur- 
ing a  large  portion  of  his  service  he  was  district 
auditor,  his  work  being  of  such  a  nature  that  he 
was  hcl])ed  matcriallv   in   the   formation  of  bus- 


iness methods  and  habits  which  have  been  invalu- 
able in  his  later  efforts.  Deciding  to  take  up  a 
'business  enterprise  on  his  own  account  he  lo- 
cated in  Kansas  City  in  1887  and  engaged  as  a 
banker  and  broker.  Too  close  application  to  his 
duties  told  upon  his  health  and  in  1890  he  was  im- 
pelled to  dispose  of  his  business  interests  and  seek 
recuperation  in  the  milder  climate  of  Southern 
California. 

Agricultural  pursuits  occupied  the  attention  of 
Mr.  Rule  for  a  time  after  his  arrival  in  the 
state,  his  first  interest  being  the  purchase  of  a 
ranch  in  the  vicinitv  of  Pasadena.  After  two 
years  spent  in  this  outdoor  work  he  felt  eager  and 
able  to  enter  again  upon  a  business  career.  It 
was  in  1891  that  he  became  connected  with  the 
old  Los  Angeles  Terminal  Railroad  in  the  capac- 
ity of  auditor  and  as  such  he  served  until  1899. 
in  which  year  he  assumed  the  duties  of  general 
manager.  His  advancement  was  the  result  of 
ability  accompanied  by  the  absolutely  necessary 
adjuncts  of  energy  and  perseverance.  Upon  sell- 
ing a  half  interest  in  the  road  to  Senator  W.  A. 
Clark  in  igoi  and  the  construction  of  the  San 
Pedro,  Los  Angeles  &  Salt  Lake  Railroad  he  be- 
came a  director  and  later  treasurer  of  the  entire 
s\'stem.  No  one  man  was  more  active  in  the  com- 
pletion of  this  enterprise  than  Mr.  Rule  and  to 
no  one  is  more  credit  due.  for  it  has  been  a  move- 
ment o-f  importance  to  Los  Angeles  as  well  as  to 
all  Southern  California.  In  December,  1905. 
Mr.  Rule  lesigned  his  position  of  treasurer  and 
finally  severed  his  connection  with  the  Salt  Lake 
Railroad,  after  which  he  organized  and  incor- 
porated w-hat  is  now  known  as  the  Rule-Bel  ford 
Company,  an  investment  and  real-estate  enter- 
prise which  bids  fair  to  rank  with  the  best  that 
Los  Angeles  affords.  In  addition  to  these  in- 
terests named  he  is  identified  with  others-  of 
equal  importance,  among  them  that  of  the  Pro- 
tective Alutual  Building  &  Loan  Association,  in 
which  he  serves  as  president.  He  takes  an  act- 
ive interest  in  all  measures  for  the  promotion 
of  business  enterprises  and  is  ever  found  ready 
to  respond  to  the  call  for  the  benefit  of  his  ex- 
perience and  ability. 

In  San  Francisco,  in  1877.  Mr.  Rule  was  unit- 
ed in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  M.  Cross,  a  na- 
tive of  Placer  county,  Cal.,  her  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  the  vicinity  of  Auburn.  Her  father. 
Thomas  J.  Cross,  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  California  and  is  now  making  his  home  in 
Napa  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rule  are  the  parents 
of  three  sons,  of  whom  Frank  Kennett  is  en- 
gaged in  business  in  Los  Angeles,  a  member  of 
the  Rule-McDonald  Company;  Orville  Re>-  is 
associated  with  his  father;  and  Gerald  Ashlev  is 
in  the  employ  of  the  Salt  Lake  Railroad.  The 
home  of  the  Rule  family  is  located  on  West 
'\\'ashington  street,  where  the  evidences  of  com- 


aJL^/^  (K.  f^^J>^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RF.CORC 


fort  and  elegance  bnlli  of  the  exterior  and  in- 
terior reflect  the  refined  and  cultured  tastes  of 
its  occupants. 

i\Ir.  Rule's  association  with  the  different  or- 
ganizations of  the  city  in  all  avenues  of  activity 
has  been  such  that  he  is  accounted  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  factors  in  its  development.  He 
is  a  devoted  friend  of  education  and  is  unstinted 
in  his  support  of  all  measures  to  advance  such 
interests,  and  as  president  of  the  lilirarv  Ijoard  for 
two  years  was  instrumental  in  l)rin^ing  about 
many  beneficial  reforms.  A  stanch  Republican 
he  has  always  taken  an  acti\-e  part  in  local  af- 
fairs and  at  the  time  Air.  Eaton  was  elected 
mayor  he  w^as  serving  as  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican central  committee.  He  has  also  served  for 
several  years  as  a  member  of  the  Republican 
county  central  committee,  and  in  1904  he  acted 
as  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  convention 
in  Qiicago,  when  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  nominated 
for  president.  As  a  member  of  the  LTnion  League 
CIuId  he  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  this 
locality  and  indeed  of  the  state,  serving  as  pres- 
ident of  the  California  State  League  of  Repub- 
lican clubs  and  acting  as  representative  from 
California  in  the  National  League.  In  1903  Air. 
Rule  served  as  president  of  the  Qiamber  of  Com- 
merce and  during  his  administration  the  new 
building  was  erected,  and  as  has  been  said  of  him 
he  truly  rendered  this  section  of  the  state  serv- 
ices that  cannot  be  overestimated  in  their  value 
to  all  residents  of  Southern  California.  Social- 
ly he  is  identified  with  a  number  of  the  prominent 
organizations  of  Los  Angeles,  having  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  the  Jonathan  Club,  in  which 
he  served  as  first  president.  After  serving  eight 
years  in  this  capacitv  he  accepted  the  vice-pres- 
idency. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  California 
and  Sunset  Clubs  of  Los  Angeles ;  of  the  Trans- 
portatiofi  Club  of  San  Francisco ;  and  the  Hamil- 
ton Club  of  Chicago.  Fraternally  he  stands  high 
in  Alasonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Southern 
California  Lodge  No.  278.  F.  &  A.  M. :  Signet 
Chapter  No.  57,  R.  A.  M.;  Los  Angeles  Com- 
manderv  No.  9,  K.  T. ;  Los  Angeles  Cnnsistorv : 
and  Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  AI.  S.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  tlie  Benevolent  rrotecti\'e 
Order  of  Elks.  In  addition  to  these  multifold  in- 
terests he  also  occupies  a  prominent  position  on 
the  directorate  of  a  number  of  successful  min- 
ing, industrial,  manufacturing  and  banking  cor- 
porations, and  is  an  indefatigable  worker  in  pro- 
moting the  best  interests  of  Southern  California. 

The  personality  of  Air.  Rule  has  been  the  mo- 
tive power  in  winning  for  him  the  manv  posi- 
tions of  honor  which  have  fallen  to  him  during 
his  residence  in  Los  Angeles,  .\lthough  en- 
dowed with  business  attributes  of  strongest  char- 
acter he  has  not  allowed  his  nature  to  become 
warped  to  this  one  line,  but  throughout  his  en- 


tire career  has  endeavored  to  cultivate  the  best 
traits  of  his  manhood.  His  popularity  has  not 
been  won  by  catering  to  public  opinion,  but  bv 
a  strict  observance  of  principle,  which  has  giv- 
en him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom 
he  has  come  in  contact. 


CHESTER  R.  BARTON.  One  of  the  suc- 
cessful and  enterprising  citizens  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  Chester  R.  Barton,  who  is  located  in 
El  Alonte,  in  the  surrounding  country  operating 
as  an  extensive  rancher.  He  is  a  native  Cal- 
ifomian,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Solano 
county,  July  16,  1855;  his  father,  John  W.  Ear- 
ton,  was  born  in  Vermont,  the  representative  of 
an  old  New  England  family  located  in  this  coun- 
try by  an  English  ancestor  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  married  in  Vermont  and  there  en- 
gaged as  a  farmer,  later  removing  to  Battle 
Creek,  Alich.,  and  following  a  similar  occupation. 
In  1849  he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox-teams  to 
California,  and  upon  his  safe  arrival  established 
a  general  merchandise  business  in  Suisun  valley. 
In  1853  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  \'ermont 
via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  the  following 
}-ear  brought  his  family  to  California,  once  more 
making  the  journey  across  the  plains,  this  time 
with  horse-teams,  under  command  of  Captain 
Briggs.  During  this  trip  the  Indians  stole  all 
but  two  of  their  horses,  and  thus  made  the  re- 
mainder of  the  journey  one  of  great  hardship 
and  trial.  Again  locating  in  the  state  Mr.  Bar- 
ton continued  in  the  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness in  the  same  place,  and  also  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  later  built  what  was  known  as  the  Bar- 
ton hotel  in  Fairfield,  which  he  conducted  for 
many  years.  He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years, 
his  place  as  a  prominent  and  helpful  citizen  left 
vacant,  for  in  all  things  he  had  maintained  the 
best  interests  of  the  community  and  assisted 
materially  in  its  upbuilding.  His  wife,  formerly 
Emeroy  Williams,  was  born  in  Vermont,  a 
daughter  of  Colonel  Williams,  who  served  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  was  a  connection  of  the 
famous  Adams  family.  He  engaged  as  a  farmer 
in  \'ermont,  his  native  state,  until  his  death.  Mrs. 
Barton  passed  away  December  19,  1906,  when 
ninety-one  years  old  at  the  home  of  her  son  in 
El  Monte.  She  was  a  woman  of  Christian  char- 
acter, having  been  a  member  of  the  Alethodist 
Church  for  many  years.  She  was  the  mother 
of  seven  children :  Guy  W.,  who  died  in  Los 
Angeles ;  Caroline,  wife  of  M.  AL  Richardson, 
who  died  in  Stockton :  Elizabeth,  who  died  in 
Solano  county:  John  W.,  a  resident  of  EI  Alonte; 
Royal  AL.  located  in  the  Puente  valley ;  Isabella, 
wife  of  J.  C.  Carlisle,  near  El  Alonte  :  and  Chester 
R..  of  this  review. 

Reared  in  Fairfield  until  he  was  eleven  vears 


728 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


old,  Chester  R.  Barton  received  his  education  in 
that  place  and  also  Chico,  where  he  was  then 
taken  by  his  parents.  His  first  employment  was 
as  a  clerk  for  Carlisle  &  Hobart,  of  Chico,  with 
whom  he  remained  for  two  years,  after  which,  in 
1868,  he  went  to  San  Diego  county  and  with  his 
brother.  Royal  AL,  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock-raising  at  Valley  de  Los  Viejas.  They 
continued  in  this  enterprise  for  many  years 
when  Chester  R.  sold  out  and  located  in 
Tehama  county,  there  engaging  in  the  cat- 
tle business  with  his  brother  Guy.  After 
two  years  he  returned  to  Chico  and  established  a 
mercantile  enterprise  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  and  in  1886  he  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county.  He  at  once  engaged  in  general  con- 
tracting and  farming,  the  latter  occupation  being 
carried  on  in  the  Puente  valley,  where  he  raised 
wheat  and 'barley.  His  home  is  in  El  Monte, 
where  he  owns  a  fine  residence,  and  also  owns  a 
ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  located  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  north  of  Puente,  which  he  has 
improved  and  brought  to  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation. For  eighteen  years  he  has  operated  a 
part  of  the  Baldwin  ranch,  which  land  in  1905 
was  subdivided,  when  he  rented  twenty-five  hun- 
dred acres  near  Fallbrook  and  engaged  entensive- 
ly  in  grain-raising,  operating  with  every  modern 
device  and  equipment  for  expeditious  work.  He 
also  owns  other  residences  in  El  Monte,  and  in 
Los  Angeles  is  interested  in  the  Magnet  Steam 
Laundry,  in  which  he  is  a  director,  and  which  has 
its  plant  at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Crocker 
streets. 

In  Savannah  Mr.  Barton  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  ^liss  Alice  Shoemaker,  who  was  born 
in  Soledad,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, namely :  Charles.  Clifliord,  Gertrude  and  a 
son  not  named.  Mr.  Barton  has  taken  a  prom- 
inent part  in  all  matters  of  public  import  and  has 
shown  himself  so  thoroughly  interested  in  the  up- 
building and  improvement  of  the  section  in  which 
he  makes  his  home  that  he  has  been  selected  as  a 
citizen  worthy  to  uphold  public  honor,  and  as 
such  has  received  recognition  at  the  hands  of 
those  in  power.  Among  his  appointments  of 
honor  was  that  in  1898  by  O.  W.  Langdon.  as 
the  road  supervisor  of  the  Rowland  road  district, 
which  position  he  has  ever  since  retained,  dis- 
charging the  duties  satisfactorily  to  all  concerned. 
When  he  took  up  the  duties  of  this  position  there 
were  no  oiled  or  graveled  roads  in  this  section 
and  it  now  contains  as  good  roads  as  Los  Angeles 
county  affords.  Mr.  Barton  owns  a  fine  drove  of 
forty  mules,  which  he  uses  in  this  work.  In  edu- 
cational affairs  he  is  also  prominent,  having 
served  for  eight  years  as  trustee  in  the  Bassett 
school  district,  in  the  erection  of  the  schoolhouse 
having  ])rovcn  a  potent  factor.  Politically  he  is  a 
stanch  Republican.     Fraternall\-  he  was  made  a 


Alason  in  Lexington  Lodge  No.  104,  of  El  Monte, 
where  he  is  still  identified,  and  both  himself  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  the  president 
of  the  El  Monte  Masonic  Temple  Association. 
Personally  Mr.  Barton  is  a  man  of  kindly  char- 
acteristics, making  and  retaining  many  friends 
by  the  force  of  his  kindly  nature ;  courteous  to 
all  whom  he  meets  either  in  a  business  or  social 
way;  enterprising  in  both  public  and  private  af- 
fairs ;  and  all  in  all  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
helpful  citizens  of  this  section  of  Los  Angeles 
countv. 


JOHN  FREDERICK  PARKER,  who  es- 
tablished his  home  in  San  Bernardino  in  1886, 
was  born  at  Mount  Desert,  Hancock  county. 
Me.,  in  1845.  His  parents  were  John  How- 
ard and  Sarah  Haskel  (Powers)  Parker,  de- 
scendants of  early  settlers  of  New  England. 
After  leaving  school  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
Mr.  Parker  took  up  the  seafaring  profession 
and  entered  the  employ  of  lasigi  Goddard  & 
Co.  of  Boston  and  later  sailed  for  La  Foune 
&  Frothingham  and  A.  B.  Perry  &  Co.  to 
European  and  Mediterranean  ports,  also  to 
the  West  Indies  and  East  African  coast.  In 
this  line  he  rose  rapidly  to  the  position  of  cap- 
tain. 

On  one  of  his  voyages  to  Smyrna,  Asia 
;\Iinor,  Mr.  Parker  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  Giuditta  E.  Rebecchini,  the  daughter  of 
Serifino  Rebecchini,  an  Italian  professor  of 
music  from  Ancona,  Italy,  whom  he  subse- 
quently married,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  at 
Mitylene,  a  port  in  the  Grecian  archipelago, 
and  brought  his  bride  to  the  United  States  in 
his  own  ship.  Soon  after  this  event  Mr. 
Parker  retired  from  the  sea  and  settled  in  Bos- 
ton, engaging  in  the  ship  carpenter  and  join- 
er business,  which  he  followed  there  for  ten 
years. 

In  1882  Mr.  Parker  decided  to  go  west  and 
came  to  National  City,  Cal.,  via  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  and  entered  the  service  of  the  Cal- 
ifornia Southern  Railroad,  the  western  start- 
ing of  the  great  Santa  Fe  Trans-continental 
System.  As  developments  proceeded  he  was 
transferred  to  San  Bernardino  in  1886  and  ap- 
pointed general  foreman  of  the  bridge  and 
building  department  of  the  division,  which  is 
now  known  as  the  Los  Angeles  division  of 
the  A.  T.  &  S.  F.  Coast  Lines,  which  respon- 
sible position  he  has  lield  to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Parker  Avas  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Santa  Fe  Building  and  Loan  Association, 
which  was  incorporated  in  1890  with  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  $500,000,  at  San  Bernardino,  and 
since   increased   to  $2,000,000.     The   large   in- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


729 


crease  of  the  capital  stock  shows  the  success 
which  has  attended  this  institution  which  now 
ranks  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  best 
financial  institution  in  the  state.  The  board 
of  directors  has  been  composed  of  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  men  and  substantial  business  men 
of  San  Bernardino,  Mr.  Parker  having  been 
its  president  since  1898.  Mr.  Parker  has  also 
served  the  city  as  a  member  of  its  board  of 
trustees  and  during  his  long  residence  has 
won  a  position  among  the  substantial  and  in- 
fluential men  of  the  city.  By  careful  and 
prudent  management  of  his  own  afifairs  he 
has  accumulated  some  \'aluable  real  estate  in 
the  city,  including"  his  residence  on  the  cor- 
ner of  H  and  Second  streets,  also  ranch  prop- 
erty   outside. 


WILLIAM  J.  WASHl'.URX,  president  of  the 
Equitable  Savings  Bank,  and  one  of  the  promi- 
nent men  in  financial  and  educational  circles  in 
Los  Angeles,  was  born  in  Livingston  county,  N. 
Y.,  September  30,  1852.  His  father,  WiHiam 
Washburn,  the  descendant  of  an  old  New  York 
family,  engaged  for  many  years  in  mercantile 
pursuits  in  his  native  state,  finally  removing  to 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  became  active  in  com- 
mercial affairs.  With  a  competency  the  result 
of  his  undivided  efJorts,  he  retired  from  business 
life  in  1888,  and  in  the  same  year  came  to  Cali- 
fornia and  established  his  home  in  Pasadena, 
in  which  city  his  death  occurred  November  5, 
1898.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  integrity  of 
character  and  a  loyal  and  patriotic  citizen  ;  he 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war  and  was  at 
once  promoted  to  a  captaincy,  serving  under 
General  Grant  and  being  in  the  division  that 
received  the  surrender  of  General  Lee.  Through- 
out his  entire  life  he  held  a  position  among  the 
representative  men  of  the  section  in  whicli  he 
made  his  home,  his  name  always  being  found 
among  those  who  were  seeking  to  further  the 
highest  interests  of  the  community  at  large.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Mary  R. 
Johnson,  a  native  of  New  York,  whose  home  is 
now  in  Los  Angeles.  They  became  the  parents 
of  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  Will- 
iam J.  Washburn  is  the  only  survivor.  Charles 
A.  was  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  in 
Denver,  Colo. :  Frank  E.  was  interested  with  his 
brother,  W.  J.,  in  the  banking  business  in  Los 
Angeles  until  his  death :  and  Jennie  B.  died  in 
childhood. 

The  boyhood  of  William  J.  Washburn  was 
passed  in  his  native  state,  where  he  received  a 
preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools.  He 
completed  his  studies  in  Lima  Seminary,  after 
which  he  followed  his  parents  to  St.  Louis.  His 
father  having  become  identified  with  commercial 


afifairs  in  that  city,  it  was  but  natural  that  he 
should  follow  the  same  pursuit.  Later  he  was 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of 
St.  Louis  and  during  the  fifteen  years  of  his 
business  life  there  he  built  up  an  extensive  pat- 
ronage and  wide  custom,  which  brought  him 
satisfactory  financial  returns.  In  1888  he  disposed 
of  his  business  interests  in  St.  Louis  and  came 
to  California.  For  the  sake  of  a  location  in  the 
west  Mr.  Washburn  sacrificed  an  established 
business  in  a  field  where  he  had  ably  de- 
monstrated his  ability  in  important  affairs,  bring- 
ing with  him  to  the  Pacific  state  the  qualities, 
ripened  b\'  years  of  experience  and  contact  with 
the  world,  which  had  proven  winning  factors  in 
his  career.  Shortly  after  his  location  in  Los 
Angeles  Mr.  Washburn  was  elected  president 
of  the  Bank  of  Commerce,  which  had  been 
founded  two  vears  previouslv  under  the  name 
of  the  East  Side  Bank.  Soon  after  Mr.  Wash- 
burn's connection  with  the  bank  it  was  removed 
to  a  more  central  location  at  the  comer  of  First 
Street  and  Broadway.  L'nder  the  conservative 
management  of  its  officers  business  gradually 
increased  until  1903,  when  it  was  consolidated 
with  the  American  National  Bank,  one  of  the 
strongest  financial  institutions  of  Los  Angeles, 
of  which  he  was  made  vice-president.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  served  as  secretary  of  the 
Equitable  Loan  Society,  which  was  later  merged 
into  the  Equitable  Savings  Bank,  and  upon  its 
organization  he  became  president  and  has 
served  in  that  capacity  since. 

In  his  identification  with  the  banl<ing  institu- 
tions of  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Washburn  has  developed 
rhose  qualities  possessed  only  by  the  ablest  finan- 
cier, and  with  the  passing  years  has  risen  to  a 
commanding  position  among  the  representative 
men  of  this  class.  He  is  regarded  as  a  leader 
in  the  conservative  element  of  the  city,  trusted 
implicitly  for  his  integrity,  and  withal  is  pro- 
gressive and  public-spirited.  In  addition  to  the 
positions  already  mentioned  he  was  appointed  re- 
ceiver for  the  City  Bank,  which  failed  in  1893, 
and  also  served  in  like  capacity  for  the  Bankers' 
Alliance,  ably  discharging  the  duties  devolving 
upon  him.  As  foreman  of  the  grand  jury  of 
T.os  Angeles  county  he  served  with  fidelity  and 
impartialit}-.  Throughout  his  entire  residence 
in  tjiis  city  he  has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  edu- 
cational aft'airs,  and  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  education  for  five  years  and  president  of  the 
=ame  for  three  years,  he  sought  to  advance  the 
standard  of  the  public  schools.  Many  improve- 
ments in  point  of  equipment  and  excellence  were 
added  largely  through  Mr.  Washburn's  influence. 
For  many  years  an  active  member  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  he  was  chosen  in  1906  as 
president  of  this  honorable  body,  and  as  in  the 
past  will  prove  a  power  in  the  advancement  of 


730 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


commercial  affairs  in  Los  Angeles.  Mr.  ^^'ash- 
burn  is  identified  with  the  Republican  element 
in  politics,  but  is  in  no  .sense  a  partisan;  re- 
cognized first  as  a  loyal  citizen,  he  is  always 
to  "be  counted  upon  in  the  support  of  the  best 
movements  for  the  material  prosperity  of  the 
cit_\-,  county  and  state.  In  the  midst  of  his  busy 
affairs  he  has  found  time  to  ally  himself  witli 
fi-aternal  and  social  bodies,  being  a  Thirty-second 
degree,  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  and  member  of 
the  California,  University  and  Sunset  Clubs  of 
this  city. 

in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1878,  Mr.  Washburn 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Helen  E. 
Rovvell,  who  for  some  years  had  resided  in 
Bloomington,  111.,  where  she  had  received  a  liberal 
education  in  the  normal  school.  She  is  a  woman 
of  rare  worth  of  character,  inherent  qualities 
of  heart  and  mind,  unspoiled  even  in  the  midst 
of  her  association  with  the  world.  She  is  prom- 
inent in  social  circles  and  has  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Ruskin  Art  Club  for  two  years.  As 
a  member  of  the  Juvenile  Court  Commission 
she  is  active  in  a  work  whose  influence  is  far- 
reaching,  while  she  is  also  a  member  of  the 
IMunicipal   Art    Commission. 


ASHER  HAMBURGER.  So  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  commercial  growth  of  Los  Angeles 
has  been  the  name  of  Aslier  Hamburger  that  to 
old  residents  it  is  synonymous  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  city  since  his  location  here  in  188 1. 
At  that  time  he  brought  to  bear  in  the  mercantile 
establishment  which  occupied  his  time  and  atten- 
tion a  broad  experience  made  valuable  by  his 
business  judgment  and  acumen;  later  he  built 
up  a  large  custom  and  won  many  friends  who 
honored  him  for  the  qualities  of  character  so 
evident  in  his  dealings  with  all.  His  death  on 
the  2nd  of  December,  1897,  was  a  loss  to  the  en- 
terprising element  of  the  city,  although  the  busi- 
ness has  since  been  continued  successfully  by 
his  sons,  who  have  emulated  the  example  of  their 
father  in  his  unswerving  integrity  and  honor, 
as  well  as  the  business  ability  which  placed  the 
family  fortunes  on  a  sound  basis. 

.\shcr  Hamburger  was  born  in  a  small  village 
near  Wurzburg,  in  Bavaria,  in  the  year  1821. 
After  receiving  the  rudiments  of  an  education 
in  the  village  school  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn 
the  trade  of  rope-maker.  As  he  grew  toward 
years  of  maturity  his  sense  of  justice  and  love 
of  freedom  became  so  strong  within  him  that 
he  resolved  to  break  the  fetters  that  linked  him 
to  the  old  world  and  seek  a  home  and  fortune 
in  the  far-famed  west.  He  was  but  eighteen 
years  old  when,  with  his  brother,  a  weaver 
by  trade,  he  set  out  for  the  nearest  seaport  town 
on  his  wav  to  the  United  States.     At  Hamburg 


they  took  passage  on  a  Swedish  steamer  in  the 
steerage,  turning  their  backs  upon  a  country 
where  no  patriotism  was  known  and  the  sub- 
jects were  treated  like  vassals  and  serfs.  The 
passage  across  the  Atlantic  during  those  days 
was  full  of  danger  and  hardship,  and  storms 
and  contrary  winds  lengthened  the  trip  to  seven- 
ty days.  Arriving  in  the  United  States  without 
a  knowledge  of  the  language,  without  means  or 
friends,  but  with  a  heart  full  of  hope  and  hands 
willing  to  work,  he  immediately  secured  employ- 
ment in  a  tassel  factory  in  New  York  City, 
where,  bv  perseverance  and  energy,  he  soon  be- 
came one  of  the  first  workjiien  in  the  establish- 
ment. His  aim,  however,  was  higher  than  this 
and  as  soon  as  he  had  saved  sufficient  money  he 
started  out  in  the  more  lucrative  field  of  mer- 
chandising in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  became 
known  by  the  sobriquet  of  "the  honest  retailer." 
In  1843  he  was  joined  by  his  remaining  brother 
and  the  three  then  went  to  Alabama  and 
established  three  stores  on  the  Tombigbee 
river,  where  they  prosecuted  a  very  success- 
ful business.  When  the  news  of  the  great 
gold  discovery  reached  the  south,  Asher  Ham- 
burger wanted  to  go  to  California  at  once, 
but  met  with  some  opposition  from  his 
brothers ;  however,  his  indomitable  spirit  could 
not  be  subdued  and  in  January,  1850,  he  wrote 
to  his  brother,  who  was  in  the  north  buy- 
ing merchandise,  the  following  characteristic 
letter:  "If  you  don"t  come  home  immediately 
you  will  find  our  store  closed  and  us  (the  re- 
maining brother  and  Inmself)  off  for  California." 
Thus,  in  1850,  by  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
Asher  Hamburger  and  his  brother  started  for 
the  Golden  \\'est.  There  was  no  railroad  across 
the  isthmus  m  those  days,  so  these  hardy  broth- 
ers, like  many  others,  crossed  on  mule-back,  hav- 
ing hired  a  great  many  of  those  trusty  animals, 
on  which  they  loaded  their  goods.  They  went 
at  once  to  Sacramento,  then  the  most  important 
place  in  California,  but  in  the  following  year 
established  a  wholesale  house  in  San  Francisco 
under  the  name  of  Hamburger  Brothers.  Asher 
Hamburger  was  identified  with  the  business  in 
Sacramento  and  fire  and  flood  on  several  oc- 
casions destroyed  the  labor  of  years  and  reduced 
him  to  a  state  of  poverty ;  but  his  undaunted 
will  and  exuberant  spirit  always  rose  to  the  oc- 
casion, and  being  ever  willing  to  put  his  shoulder 
to  the  wheel  in  due  time  he  found  again  the 
summit  of  success.  In  1881  his  two  sons,  S. 
A.  and  M.  A.  Hamburger,  who  were  then  in  busi- 
ness with  him  in  Sacramento,  concluded  they 
wanted  larger  fields  for  operation,  so  they  in- 
duced their  father  to  come  to  Los  Angeles,  and 
in  November,  1881.  the  business  that  is  now 
.A..  Hamburger  &  Sons,  Incorporated,  and  the 
largest  in  Southern  California,  was  inaugurated. 


7f.7f.CL^_^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


733 


INIr.  Hamburger  took  an  active  interest  in  busi- 
ness affairs  up  to  within  a  year  of  liis  death, 
which  occurred  en  the  2nd  of  December,  1897, 
he  being  then  seventy-six  years  of  age.  Through 
his  hberality,  enterprise  and  energy  he  contri- 
buted towards  many  of  the  improvements  and 
monuments  that  have  been  erected  in  Southern 
Cahfornia.  He  had  a  most  pleasant  and  fatherly- 
disposition,  and  through  his  kindness  and  good- 
heartedness  has  assisted  many  men  to  positions 
of  affluence  in  this  country. 

The  sons  continue  the  business  of  A.  Ham- 
burger &  Sons,  and  out  of  this  has  grown  the 
Hamburger  Realty  and  Trust  Company,  which 
is  now  erecting  a  building  in  Los  Angeles  that 
is  to  have  three  hundred  feet  front  on  Broad- 
way, one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  front  on  Eighth 
street,  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  front 
on  Hill  street,  and  one  hundred  feet  high.  The 
building  when  completed  will  cost  $1,000,000 
and  will  be  the  largest  of  its  kind  west  of  Chicago 
and  is  to  be  a  lasting  monument  to  the  memory 
and  genius  of  their  father. 


WESLEY  AV.  BECKETT,  M.  D.  The 
medical  profession  of  Los  Angeles  has  in  the 
above  named  gentleman  a  skilled  and  suc- 
cessful practitioner,  who  has  done  no  little 
toward  establishing  the  prestige  which  the  city 
enjoys  in  this  particular.  Dr.  Beckett  is  a 
native  of  the  Pacific  slope  and  although  not 
born  in  California  has  spent  all  but  the  first 
few  years  of  his  life  in  the  state.  His  father, 
Lemuel  D.  Beckett,  who  was  born  in  New 
Jersey  in  1818,  became  a  farmer  and  merchant 
upon  attaining  years  of  maturity.  In  his  native 
state  he  married  Miss  Sarah  S.  Chew  and  to- 
gether they  made  the  trip  across  the  plains  to 
Oregon  in  1852.  Their  home  remained  in  that 
state  for  some  years,  when  they  located  in 
California,  where  Mr.  Beckett  died  April  27, 
1885,  being  survived  by  his  wife  until  Februarj^ 
22,  1905,  when  her  death  occurred  at  the  home 
of  her  son,  Dr.  Beckett.  Benjamin  Chew, 
who  was  for  many  years  Chief  Justice  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  a  great  uncle  of  Dr. 
Beckett. 

May  31,  1857,  in  Forest  Grove.  Washington 
county.  Ore.,  occurred  the  birth  of  Wesley 
Wilber  Beckett,  whose  later  boyhood  years 
were  spent  principally  in  California,  whither 
his  parents  removed.  His  elementary  educa- 
tion was  received  in  tlie  public  schools  of  the 
state,  after  which  he  became  a  student  in 
Cooper  Medical  College,  intent  upon  following 
the  line  of  work  which  he  had  mapped  out 
for  himself.  Later  he  matriculated  in  the 
College  of  Medicine  of  the  University  of  South- 
ern California,  graduating  April  11.  1888.  In 
42 


the  meantime  he  went  to  New  York  City  and 
pursued  a  complete  course  of  special  studies 
in  the  New  York  Post-Graduate  School  and 
Hospital,  receiving  there  the  practical  ex- 
perience which  so  ably  fitted  him  to  take  up 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he  did  im- 
mediately upon  his  location  in  Los  Angeles 
in  February,  1889,  following  his  graduation. 
His  work  as  physician  and  surgeOn  has  won 
for  him  merited  fame  and  financial  returns  and 
brought  him  a  constantly  widening  circle  of 
influence  and  usefulness.  As  a  surgeon  he 
ranks  exceptionally  high  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia and  has  successfully  performed  many  diffi- 
cult and  dangerous  operations.  In  the  prime 
and  vigor  of  progressive  manhood,  he  takes 
the  keenest  interest  in  the  advancement  of  his 
profession  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  most 
thorough  students  in  his  line  of  work,  devot- 
ing much  time  to  the  study  of  various  medi- 
cal journals  winch  always  form  a  large  part 
of  his  library.  Fle  has  also  won  a  position 
of  prominence  as  a  contributor  of  valuable 
articles  to  the  Southern  California  Practitioner 
and  to  eastern  publications,  while  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Aledical  Society,  in  which  he 
has  served  as  vice-president,  the  Los  Angeles 
County  Zxledical  Association,  and  the  Southern 
California  Medical  Association,  in  both  of 
which  he  was  formerly  president,  his  opinions 
are  highly  esteemed. 

Not  alone  for  his  work  as  a  professional 
man,  however,  is  Dr.  Beckett  held  in  high 
esteem,  but  also  through  his  identification  with 
many  of  the  most  important  movements  in 
public  aft'airs.  He  is  associated  as  director 
with  various  enterprises,  among  them  the 
f^acific  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  the 
Broadway  Bank  &  Trust  Company,  the  Cali- 
fornia Hospital  Company,  and  others  of  equal 
prominence.  He  holds  the  chair  of  gynecology 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Southern  California,  in  which  institution  he 
is  also  officiating  as  trustee,  and  has  also 
served  for  one  term  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  health  of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Los  Angeles  Chamber  of 
Commerce.  He  is  specially  active  along  edu- 
cational lines,  his  early  training,  which  was 
that  of  a  school  teacher  for  six  j-ears  in  San 
Luis  Obispo  county,  Cal.,  and  also  as  deputy 
superintendent  of  schools  in  that  county  for 
two  vears.  having  served  to  keep  his  interest 
alive  to  ad\-ancement  along  this  line.  As  a 
Republican  in  politics  he  gives  his  support 
to  the  men  and  measures  of  this  party,  al- 
though he  is  broad-gauged  in  his  views  and 
always  interested  in  the  maintenance  of  good 
municipal  government.  He  is  held  in  high  . 
regard  by  the  Alasons,  of  which  organization 


734 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  is  a  member,  while  in  the  work  of  religious 
advancement  he  is  just  as  active.  He  belongs 
to  the  Westlake  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
in  which  he  officiates  as  trustee,  and  as  has 
truly  been  said  of  him  his  hand  is  always 
giving  support  and  help  to  those  in  need  about 
him.  His  genial  nature  and  genuine  sym- 
pathy have  combined  to  make  of  him  a  char- 
acteristic physician — successful  but  never  de- 
spoiled of  the  gentler  qualities  of  manhood; 
firm  but  never  harsh  in  the  treatment  he 
gives  his  patients ;  honest,  liberal  and  optimi- 
stic in  the  face  of  much  that  might  have 
changed  his  early  views  of  life. 

Dr.  Beckett's  residence  is  architecturally  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  in  Los  Angeles.  It  is 
on  Harvard  Boulevard,  commanding  a  magni- 
ficent view  of  mountains,  valle}'  and  city.  It 
is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  formerly  Miss 
Iowa  Archer,  whom  he  married  on  New  Year's 
Day  in  1882.  She  is  the  daughter  of  William  C. 
and  Mary  M.  Archer,  early  pioneers  of  Cali- 
fornia, who  came  to  the  state  when  their 
daughter  was  but  four  years  old,  her  birth 
having  occurred  in  Iowa.  She  is  a  woman  of 
education  and  refinement  and  has  impressed 
upon  her  sons,  Wilbur  Archer  and  Francis  H., 
the  qualities  of  manhood  which  have  given  to 
this  family  their  place  among  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Los  Angeles. 


JOSEPH  HAMILTON  LAPHA]\I.  The 
spirit  of  enterprise  which  has  given  to  Los  An- 
geles its  phenomenal  growth  in  the  last  ten 
years  is  well  represented  by  Joseph  Hamilton 
Lapham,  one  of  the  city's  foremost  business 
men  and  capitalists.  He  is  the  descendant  of 
an  old  English  family,  long  established  in  Massa- 
chusetts, where  the  name  is  identified  with  af- 
fairs of  state.  The  first  western  emigrant  was 
Hamilton  Lapham,  who  removed  from  New  York 
to  Marietta,  Ohio,  in  the  early  days  of  that  state 
and  there  was  one  of  its  pioneer  physicians. 
Later  he  located  in  Indiana  and  there  spent 
the  remaining  years  of  his  life.  One  of  his  sons, 
Simon,  born  in  New  York,  became  a  farmer  in 
the  vicinity  of  Marietta,  where  he  married  Mary 
Jett,  a  native  of  that  locality.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Owen  Jett,  whose  ancestors  came  original- 
ly from  England  and  settled  in  Virginia,  from 
which  state  he  immigrated  to  Ohio  and  became 
a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Marietta,  where  his 
death  eventually  occurred.  Mr.  Lapham  is  still 
living,  a  resident  of  Beckett,  Ohio,  in  which 
state  his  wife  passed  away  some  years  ago.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  four 
sons  and  two  daughters  attained  maturity  and 
jre  now  living.  Three  of  the  sons  served  val- 
iantly in  the  Civil  war,  Owen  and  Luther,  now 


residents  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  having  enlisted  in 
the  Thirty-sixth  Ohio  Infantry. 

The  oldest  child  in  the  family  of  his  parents, 
Joseph  Hamilton  Lapham  was  born  in  Mariet- 
ta, Ohio,  March  5,  1844,  and  in  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  the  place  of  his  birth  received 
his  educational  training.  In  1861,  in  response  to 
the  call  for  the  three  hundred  thousand  men,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Thirty-ninth  Ohio  In- 
fantry, and  was  mustered  into  service  in  Camp 
Dennison  and  immediately  ordered  to  the  front. 
Following  is  a  record  of  danger  and  hardship 
which  surely  tried  the  soul  of  the  seventeen-year- 
old  boy,  and  but  for  the  purity  and  strength  of 
his  patriotism  could  never  have  been  continued 
up  to  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  battles  of 
Corinth,  luka  and  Holly  Springs  and  others  in 
the  year  1862  and  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1863,  he  became  a  veteran  in  Prospect,  Tenn., 
in  the  fall  of  the  latter  year.  In  the  southwest 
campaign  he  participated  in  the  battles  preceding 
the  surrender  of  Atlanta — Resaca,  Dallas,  Dal- 
ton,  Snake  Creek  Gap,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  and  afterward  the 
siege  of  the  city.  Lovejoy  Station,  Jonesboro 
and  the  march  to  the  sea  followed  the  occupation 
of  the  city  of  Atlanta  by  the  Union  troops.  Aft- 
er the  capture  of  the  city  of  Savannah,  Mr.  Lap- 
ham went  northward  through  the  Carqlinas,  par- 
ticipating in  the  battles  of  Goldsboro  and  Ben- 
tonville,  and  in  this  latter,  the  last  battle  of  Sher- 
man's army,  he  received  his  first  wound,  a  minie 
ball  passing  through  his  left  arm.  Upon  the 
close  of  the  war  he  was  offered  the  commission 
of  lieutenant,  but  refused  it,  and  after  partici- 
pating in  the  Grand  Review  at  Washington  was 
nmstered  out  of  service  with  the  rank  of  ser- 
geant at  Louisville,  Ky.,  July  9,  1865. 

Dtiring  the  years  of  his  service  in  the  army 
Mr.  Lapham  had  passed  from  youth  into  man- 
hood and  thus  his  outlook  upon  life  had  material- 
ly changed.  His  participation  in  the  great  strug- 
gle had  prepared  him  to  take  a  broader  and  more 
comprehensive  view  of  affairs.  Upon  returning 
to  iNIarietta  he  entered  the  Cincinnati  Commercial 
College,  from  which  institution  he  was  later  grad- 
uated, when,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Bonsfield  &  Poole,  manufacturers  of 
wooden  ware,  and  in  the  capacity  of  foreman  re- 
mained with  them  for  ten  years.  With  the  means 
thus  accumulated  he  established  himself  in  Cleve- 
land as  a  manufacturer  of  wooden  ware  in  1876, 
and  from  a  modest  beginning  the  business  grew 
to  remunerative  proportions  and  demanded  an 
enlargement  of  his  factory.  Later  he  took  his 
brother,  O.  T.  Lapham,  into  partnership,  after 
which  the  firm  was  known  and  incorporated  as 
Lapham  &  Co.,  with  himself  as  president.  Un- 
til 1893,  when  they  disposed  of  their  interests 
to  the  American  Wash-board  Company,  this  en- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


735 


terprise  remained  one  of  the  important  industries 
of  Cleveland. 

In  the  fall  of  1893  Mr.  Lapham  came  to  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  and  since  that  date  has  acquired  an 
influential  position  among  the  business  men  of 
this  city.  Upon  the  incorporation  of  the  Califor- 
nia Fish  Company  he  became  a  stockholder  and 
was  unannnously  made  president  and  manager  of 
the  same,  which  position  he  has  ever  since  filled. 
Through  his  efforts  a  large  cannery  was  erected 
at  San  Pedro,  where  a  specialty  is  made  of  can- 
ning sardines,  this  being  the  only  factory  in 
America  that  puts  up  the  genuine  sardines.  They 
also  can  lobster,  mackeral  and  tuna,  being  the 
only  canners  of  this  last-named  fish.  They  oper- 
ate a  line  of  boats,  gasoline  sloops,  etc.,  and  fish 
for  sardines  up  and  down  the  coast  for  a  dis- 
tance of  fifty  miles  from  shore.  Their  headquar- 
ters are  in  Los  Angeles,  at  No.  117  Henne  build- 
mg.  Mr.  Lapham  is  also  the  principal  stock- 
holder in  the  Southern  California  Supply  Com- 
pany (being  one  of  its  incorporators  and  its 
president),  which  handles  soda  fountain  fixtures, 
bakers'  and  confectioners'  supplies,  and  carries 
on  an  extensive  wholesale  business.  As  a  direct- 
or in  the  National  Bank  of  Commerce  and  the 
Manhattan  Savings  Bank  of  this  city,  he  is  iden- 
tified with  financial  affairs,  and  takes  a  keen  in- 
terest in  everything  pertaining  to  the  advance- 
ment of  these  institutions.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  active  in  the  or- 
ganization. 

In  Marietta,  Ohio,  Mr.  Lapham  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Susan  C.  Cook,  a  native  of 
Newport,  that  state,  and  a  daughter  of  Emblem 
Cook,  a  farmer  of  that  vicinity.  They  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Guy  is  one 
of  the  proprietors  of  Hotel  St.  Augustine,  in  Tuc- 
son, Ariz. ;  Letetia  is  the  wife  of  M.  M.  Janes,  of 
Los  Angeles ;  and  Elsie  and  Mildred  are  at  home 
with  their  parents.  All  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  in  the  Sunday-school  of  which  Mr. 
Lapham  officiates  as  superintendent.  Mr.  Lap- 
ham is  identified  with  the  Republican  party  polit- 
ically, and  belongs  to  the  Union  League  Club, 
socially,  while  in  memory  of  the  days  spent  in 
his  countrv's  service  he  belongs  to  Stanton  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  of  Los  Angeles. 

Since  his  location  in  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Lapham 
has  made  both  a  financial  and  social  success,  win- 
ning the  first  by  close  application  to  business  and 
business  methods,  and  the  latter  by  demonstra- 
tion of  personal  characteristics  of  manhood.  His 
unusual  force  of  character  and  strength  of  pur- 
pose have  been  carried  by  him  into  every  avenue 
of  life — financial,  social  and  domestic,  and  com- 
bined with  these  qualities  are  a  high  sense  of 
honor  and  thoroughlv  grounded  principles,  which 
have  made  it  eminentlv  safe  to  trust  his  lead. 
He  enjoys  the  confidence  of  the  people  with  whom 


he  deals  and  the  unbounded  esteem  of  those  who 
know  him  best.  He  is  typical  of  the  best  in 
American  citizenship. 


PETER  ESPIAL.  When  Mr.  Espiau  took 
up  his  residence  in  Pomona  in  1890  it  was  not 
without  definitely  laid  plans  as  to  his  future 
undertakings,  for  in  his  native  country,  France, 
he  had  learned  the  most  minute  details  con- 
cerning the  propagation  of  the  grape  vine,  as- 
well  as  the  manufacture  of  wine,  and  it  was 
his  intention  to  prosecute  the  same  business 
in  California.  His  hopes  and  expectations 
have  been  fully  realized,  and  besides  a  winery 
and  a  vineyard  of  ten  acres,  he  also  has  a 
ranch  of  ten  acres  in  navel  oranges. 

Born  in  Lannepax,  department  of  Gers, 
France,  January  9,  1861,  Peter  Espiau  is  the 
third  of  four  sons  born  to  his  parents,  Jean 
and  Marie  (Bordens)  Espiau,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  France  and  spent  their  entire 
lives  there.  As  his  father  was  a  farmer  Peter 
Espiau  had  every  opportunity  of  familiariz- 
ing himself  with  all  the  duties  and  obligations 
connected  with  farming  life.  He  obtained  his 
education  in  the  local  public  schools  and  also 
made  a  special  study  of  horticulture  and  wine- 
making,  which  has  been  of  inestimable  value 
to  him,  especially  since  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence in  California.  Until  reaching  his  major- 
ity he  worked  side  by  side  with  his  father  on 
the  home  farm,  leaving  home  at  that  time  to 
enlist  in  the  service  of  his  country,  becoming 
a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
sixth  Infantry,  Fourth  Company,  Fourth  Bat- 
talion in  which  he  served  four  years. 

It  was  in  1890  that  Peter  Espiau  set  sail 
from  his  native  land  with  the  determination 
to  make  his  future  home  in  the  United  States. 
Coming  direct  to  California,  he  located  in 
Pomona,  in  which  vicinity  he  has  made  his 
home  ever  since.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
worked  in  the  employ  of  others,  carefully  sav- 
ing his  earnings  with  the  intention  of  invest- 
ing them  in  a  business  of  his  own  as  soon  as 
the  right  opportunity  offered  itself.  He  rec- 
ognized his  opportunity  in  the  absence  of  a 
winery  in  this  part  of  the  town  and  in  1896 
he  established  the  first  plant  for  the  manu- 
facture of  wine,  an  undertaking  which  has 
proved  remunerative.  Some  time  after  the 
establishment  of  the  winery  he  bought  five 
acres  of  land  adjoining  which  he  set  out  to 
grapes,  and  still  later  bought  five  acres  more 
which  he  also  set  out  to  grapes.  So  success- 
ful were  his  efforts  in  viticulture  that  he  de- 
termined to  try  raising  oranges,  and  for  this 
purpose  purchased  another  ten  acre  ranch, 
then   in   fine  bearing  condition.      Both   under- 


736 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


takings  have  met  with  his  most  ardent  ex- 
pectations and  he  is  ranked  among  the  suc- 
cessful horticulturists  and  vine  growers  of 
this  part  of  Los  Angeles  county,  his  ranch 
lying  one  mile  west  of  Pomona  on  West  First 
street. 

In  Los  Angeles  Peter  Espiau  was  married 
10  Aliss  Julia  Serres,  who  like  himself  is  a 
native  of  France,  and  four  children  have  been 
born  to  them,  Albert,  Andrew,  Marie  and 
Gaston.  Adhering  to  the  faith  in  which  they 
were  reared  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Espiau  are 
communicants  cf  the  Catholic  Church,  attend- 
ing St.  Joseph's  Church  in  Pomona,  and  polit- 
ically Mr.  Espiau  casts  his  vote  in  favor  of 
Republican  candidates." 


ODADIAH  TRUAX  BARKER.  In  tracing 
the  lineage  of  the  Barker  family,  first  represent- 
ed in  California  by  Obadiah  T.  IBarker,  a  pioneer 
and  one  of  the  prominent  business  men  and  up- 
builders  of  Los  Angeles,  it  is  found  that  they  are 
of  Anglo  Saxon  ancestry,  tlie  name  having  orig- 
inated through  the  occupation  of  the  progenitor, 
which  was  that  of  barking  trees.  The  location  of 
the  family  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  antedates 
the  Revolutionary  war,  the  emigrating  ancestor 
settling  in  North  Carolina  and  the  Virginias, 
where  the  name  flourished  for  several  genera- 
tions. Inheriting  the  pioneer  spirit  of  his  fore- 
fathers, Thomas  Barker  became  a  resident  of  Ken- 
tucky, during  the  historic  days  of  the  state, 
establishing  a  home,  winning  a  competence,  and 
proving  an  important  factor  in  the  development 
and  upbuilding  of  the  western  commonwealth. 
In  his  family  was  a  son,  Abijah,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, who,  in  young  manhood,  removed  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  and  there  learned  the  trade  of 
blacksmith.  Later  he  located  in  the  unsettled 
portions  of  Indiana  and  there  engaged  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  trade  and  at  the  same  time 
established  a  mercantile  enterprise,  which  occu- 
pation formed  his  chief  interest  throughout  his 
entire  life.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Stalker,  the 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Stalker,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina  and"  also  an  early  settler  of  Kentucky 
and  a  prominent  and  successful  man.  They 
reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  six  sons  and 
six  daughters,  all  of  whom  attained  maturitv, 
the  only  survivor,  however,  being  Obadiah  T. 
Barker,  of  this  review. 

Obadiah  T.  Barker  was  born  in  Scotland,  Ind., 
March  lo,  1826,  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace 
was  reared  to  young  manhood,  receiving  his  edu- 
cational training  in  the  public  schools  of  Greene 
county.  He  prepared  for  college  and  shortly 
afterward  entered  the  state  university  at  Bloom- 
ington,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  for  a  time, 
an  interruption  being  afl'orded  by  the  offer  of  a 


clerkship  at  Si  I  per  month  in  a  store  formerly 
owned  by  his  father.  He  at  once  left  school  and 
took  up  the  duties  of  this  position,  holding  the 
same  for  eighteen  months.  Finally  resigning-  his 
clerkship  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  J. 
A.  Dagley,  each  furnishing  $230,  with  which 
they  purchased  "and  opened  a  mcrcanlile  liusiness. 
Both  being  men  of  executive  aliilit\,  j^und  judg- 
ment and  decision  of  character,  their  enterprise 
was  a  success  and  their  interests  remained  iden- 
tical for  five  years.  At  the  expiration  of  this 
time  Mr.  Barker  purchased  the  entire  interest  of 
the  business  and  continued  the  enterprise  alone 
for  several  years.  In  1854  he  married  Miss  Nancy 
Record,  a  native  of  Scotland,  Ind.,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joshua  Record.  Their  home  remained  in 
that  place  for  some  time  after  their  marriage, 
when  Mr.  Barker  sold  his  stock  and  moved  to 
Owensburg,  Ind.,  and  there  established  another 
enterprise  of  a  similar  nature.  He  became  prom- 
inent in  public -affairs  while  a  resident  of  that 
place,  and  was  elected  auditor  of  Greene  coun- 
ty on  the  Republican  ticket,  serving  for  a  term  of 
four  years.  Upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
service  in  1872  he  located  with  his  family  in  Col- 
orado Springs,  Colo.,  which  was  then  only  a 
small  place.  On  Tejon  street  he  established  the 
first  general  merchandise  business  of  the  town, 
and  in  addition  to  the  patronage  received  from 
the  residents  of  Colorado  Springs  traded  with 
the  Indians  and  freighters ;  he  built  up  a  lu- 
crative trade  and  in  1880,  when  he  disposed  of 
his  interests,  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing business  men  of  the  then  thriving  city.  He 
took  a  prominent  part  in  all  public  aflfairs  and 
gave  his  best  efforts  for  the  advancement  of  the 
general  welfare  and  the  development  of  resources. 
Coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1880  Mr.  Barker  at 
once  established  a  furniture  and  carpet  business 
in  partnership  with  ]\Ir.  Mueller,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Barker  &  ]\Iueller ;  they  located  at  No. 
113  North  Spring  street,  but  found  that  they 
were  too  far  out  of  the  business  district,  which 
was  then  north  of  that  section.  The  enterprise 
was  then  located  near  the  Pico  house,  at  that 
time  the  leading  hotel  of  Los  Angeles,  and  as 
Mr.  Mueller  had  in  the  meantime  sold  his  inter- 
est to  Mr.  Barker  the  firm  became  known  as  O. 
T.  Barker  &  Sons.  Out  of  this  modest  beginning- 
has  grown  what  is  now  known  as  the  firm  of 
Barker  Brothers,  their  enterprise  being  one  of  the 
most  extensive  of  its  kind  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. In  1887  Mr.  Barker  practically  retired 
from  business,  although  his  name  was  still  used 
in  the  style  of  the  firm  name  until  i8g8.  in  which 
year  the  title  became  Barker  Brothers.  The  new 
firm  moved  to  the  Van  Nuys  building  at  Nos. 
420-424  South  Spring  street,  which  had  been 
erected  for  their  use,  and  they  are  still  in  this 
location   engaged   in  the   sale  of   furniture,   car- 


''(^/^  }•  {p  miA/y\^ir^J^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


739 


pets,  draperies  and  pictures.  Their  establisliiiient 
is  quite  extensive,  extending  from  Spring  street 
through  to  Alain  street,  and  is  several  stories  in 
height.  Each  department  is  ingeniously  arranged 
to  exhibit  the  , stock  to  the  best  advantage  and 
is  carefully  looked  after  by  an  expert  in  his  line 
of  work.  Barker  Brothers  are  fully  equipped 
for  the  business  they  carry  on  and  easily  hold 
rank  among  the  most  extensive  enterprises  of 
the  kmd  in  Los  Angeles. 

After  his  retirement  from  business  Mr.  Bar- 
ker located  in  Pasadena,  his  home  at  No.  1449 
Fair  Oaks  avenue  being  presided  over  by  his 
wife.  Of  the  six  children  born  of  their  union 
three  sons  are  living,  namely :  O.  J.,  Charles 
H.  and  William  A.,  all  members  of  the  business 
firm  of  Barker  Bros.  JNIr.  and  Mrs.  Barker 
are  members  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Pas- 
adena, and  are  active  in  all  philanthropical  work, 
many  charities,  denominational  and  otherwise, 
receiving  their  liberal  support.  Very  recently 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barker  celebrated  their  golden  wed- 
ding, having  traveled  together  the  journey  of 
life  for  fifty  years.  That  they  have  seen  happy 
and  in  the  main  prosperous  years  is  evidenced  by 
visible  signs ;  financial  independence  has  come  to 
them  and  in  their  beautiful  home  they  are  sur- 
rounded with  the  comforts  and  luxuries  made  [xis- 
sible  by  early  industry  and  success,  friends  have 
increased  with  the  passing  years  and  to-day  give 
honor  and  companionship  to  the  sturdy  pioneers 
who  have  borne  the  burden  in  the  beginning  of 
a  western  civilization  and  assisted  with  all  the 
strength  of  physical,  mental  and  moral  qualities 
in  the  develnjiment  of  all  resources.  They  have 
reared  a  family  of  s( ms  who  have  long  since  tak- 
en their  rightful  ])lacc  in  the  commercial  world, 
to  which  they  were  carl}-  and  successfully  trained. 
In  the  manas'cmont  of  their  enterprise  they  have 
shown  liu^in.ss  ,iliilit\-.  judgment  and  tact;  O.  J. 
Barker  i^  |iri  "mincnt  in  commercial  activity  as  pur- 
chasing^ .is^cn;  for  the  Pacific 'Purchasing  Com- 
pany, and  purchases  more  furniture  than  any 
other  one  man  in  the  United  States.  A\'illiani  A. 
Barker  is  manager  of  the  same  company  and  in 
the  discharcv  of  duties  has  exhibited  unusual 
executi\e  aliilitv.  Oiarles  A.  is  manager  of 
tlu-   Barlser   I '.n  others  Furniture  Company. 


JOHN  J.  CHARNOCK.  For  many  years 
the  home  of  Mr.  Charnock  has  been  four  miles 
south  of  Palms,  where  lie  owns  a  portion  of 
La  Ballona  (meaning  whole),  one  of  the  his- 
toric ranchos  of  Los  Angeles  county.  Few  of 
the  pioneers  of  tlie  county  have  been  more  suc- 
cessful than  he.  With  shrewd  foresight  and 
sagacious  judgment  he  invested  heavily  when 
lands  were  low  and  he  now  reaps  the  result 
of  his  sagacity  in  the  remarkable  increase  in 


land  values.  On  coming  to  the  coast  region  in 
1875  he  was  able  to  secure  land  at  from  $10 
to  $60. an  acre,  and  about  that  time  he  pur- 
chased eleven  liundred  and  fifty  acres,  of 
which  he  still  ov*ns  seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
rhree  acres,  worth  about  $500  an  acre.  Re- 
cently he  sold  sevent3'-five  acres  for  $400  an 
acre ;  at  another  time  he  sold  sixty  acres  laid 
out  in  town  lots  in  the  suburbs  of  Los  Ange- 
les, and  fifty  acres  where  the  town  of  Ocean 
I'ark  now  stands.  In  an  early  day  he  bought 
large  tracts  in  Riverside  county  and  eighty 
acres  in  San  Diego  county.  Besides  his  other 
possessions  he  still  owns  about  seventeen  lots 
in  Los  Angeles,  and  the  lone  building  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $176,000,  but  sold  to  him  during 
the  financial  depression  for  about  $20,000.  on 
which  amount  the  investment  returns  large 
dividends. 

Near  Manchester,  England,  John  J.  Char- 
nock was  born  December  6.  1829,  and  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  he  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  Canada.  In  the  sketch  of  his  young- 
er brother.  George,  the  family  record  will  be 
found.  The  ancestors  had  been  prominent  in 
England,  and  the  maternal  grandfather  was  a 
large  owner  of  lands  and  slaves  in  the  West 
Indies,  but  misfortune  overtook  the  parents 
and  they  sought  better  success  in  the  western 
continent.  For  three  years  John  J.  assisted 
his  father  on  a  Canadian  farm,  then  worked  in 
a  bank  for  a  year  and  afterward  was  employed 
on  a  farm.  Coming  to  the  States  he  spent  a 
few  ^■ears  in  Buffalo,  then  proceeded  to  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.,  and  next  went  to  Rock  coun- 
ty, same  state,  where  he  was  employed  as  a 
teamster  at  $9  per  month.  In 'the  fall  of  the 
same  year  he  went  to  the  Wisconsin  pineries 
and  in  time  acquired  extensive  timber  hold- 
ings in  that  region.  Of  such  lands  he  owned 
several  thousand  acres,  and  he  also  owned 
sawmills  at  convenient  locations.  For  twen- 
ty-one years  he  made  a  .specialty  of  manufac- 
taring  shingles,  which  together  with  lumber 
he  rafted  clown  the  Mississippi  river  in  the 
days  when  the  entire  surrounding  valley  was 
a  rough,  undeveloped  region.  In  the  interests 
of  larger  enterprises  he  started  lumber  yards 
at  Dubuque,  Independence  and  Parkersburg, 
Iowa,  and  these  he  conducted  for  a  considera- 
ble period,  the  lumber  for  the  same  coming 
from  his  timber  lands  in  Iowa  and  W^isconsin. 
Meanwhile  the  constant  devotion  to  business 
undermined  Mr.  Charnock's  health  and  he  was 
obliged  to  seek  another  climate,  for  which 
reason  in  1871  he  relinquished  his  eastern  in- 
terests and  removed  to  Nevada.  There,  as  in 
■  the  earlier  places  of  his  residence,  he  soon  be- 
cam.e  known  as  a  man  of  shrewd  acumen  and 
remarkable    sagacity.    Though    he   took   up    a 


740 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


business  entirely  foreign  to  that  in  which  pre- 
\-ionsly  he  had  engaged,  he  was  none  the  less 
successful.  From  a  small  beginning  in  the 
sheep  industry  he  increased  his  flocks  until  he 
!iad  from  fifteen  thousand  to  twenty  thousand 
head,  which  he  kept  on  his  range  near  Eu- 
reka. To  furnish  pasturage  for  so  large  a 
flock  he  had  a  range  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  miles  long  and  thirty  miles  wide.  On 
disposing  of  his  stock  in  Nevada  he.  removed 
to  California  and  has  since  watched  the  growth 
and  development  of  Los  Angeles  county  with 
all  the  pride  of  a  pioneer  and  property-owner. 
He  has  never  married,  but  lives  in  content- 
ment alone  on  his  ranch,  and  personally  super- 
intends all  of  his  property  holdings.  Though 
quite  advanced  in  years,  he  is  well-preserved 
and  can  read  and  write  without  the  aid  of 
glasses,  nor  does  he  show  in  mind  or  body 
the  effects  of  his  long  and  strenuous  existence. 
While  he  has  been  an  active  Republican,  at 
no  time  would  he  accept  office.  Were  he  to 
be  asked  the  secret  of  his  large  success  he 
would  probably  attribute  it  to  careful  invest- 
ments and  frugal  economy,  and  certain  it  is 
that  both  of  these  qualities  have  been  leading 
factors  in  the  attainment  of  his  large  holdings. 


WILLIAM  W.  MURPHY,  M.  D.  The  men 
who  make  up  the  professional  class  of  Los  An- 
geles are  of  such  character  and  ability  that  they 
have  proven  a  potent  factor  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  city  and  the  advancement  of  its  best  in- 
terests, whether  along  their  particular  line  or 
along  the  line  of  commercialism,  and  prominent 
among  them  is  Dr.  William  W.  Murphy,  well 
known  and  widely  esteemed  as  a  physician  and 
surgeon.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city 
for  over  twenty  years  and  has  witnessed  its 
growth  and  development,  and  in  the  midst  of 
his  busy  professional  cares  has  always  been 
found  ready  to  lend  his  aid  in  the  furtherance  of 
any  plan  tending  toward  the  common  welfare. 
He  holds  a  high  position  and  is  justly  accorded 
the  rank  of  a  representative  citizen. 

The  doctor  is  a  native  of  Canada,  having  been 
born  in  Brockville  August  19,  1846,  a  son  of 
James  and  Delilah  (Slack)  Murphy,  residents 
of  that  place,  where  the  elder  Mr.  Murphy  en- 
gaged for  many  years  in  general  business.  Will- 
iam W.  Murphy  was  reared  in  his  native  town. 
where  he  received  a  preliminary  education  in  the 
public  and  high  schools.  He  was  an  apt  pupil 
and  with  an  eager  desire  to  acquire  knowledge 
let  no  opportunity  for  mental  culture  escape  him. 
He  was  very  young  in  years  when  he  secured 
a  ixi.sition  as  teacher  in  a  school  in  his  native 
countv.  where  he  remained  for  n  time,  thence 
locating  in  Missouri,  where  he  took  up  the  study 


of  medicine.  Eor  a  time  he  was  associated  with 
a  local  physician  in  this  study,  but  finally  entered 
and  graduated  from  the  Missouri  Medical  Col- 
lege at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  This  was  in  the  year 
1876  and  later  he  became  a  student  in  Bellevue 
Hospital,  New  York  City,  and  graduated  from 
the  same  in  1884.  Subsequently  he  took  a  special 
course  in  the  New  York  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary, 
after  which  he  returned  to  the  middle  west  and 
in  1885  opened  an  office  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
In  June  of  1886  the  doctor  located  in  Los  An- 
geles, Cal.,  where  he  was  for  a  time  associated 
with  Dr.  Darling  in  a  practice  which  soon  as- 
sumed lucrative  proportions.  About  ten  years 
ago  he  located  in  the  office  which  he  now  oc- 
cupies at  No.  307  South  Broadway  and  has  es- 
tablished a  constantly  increasing  patronage.  His 
ability  has  been  widely  recognized  throughout 
the  years  in  which  he  has  been  practicing  in  Los 
Angeles,  and  he  has  become  prominent  in  medi- 
cal circles,  being  a  member  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Medical  Society,  the  Ophthalmic  Society  of  Los 
Angeles,  the  State  Medical  Society,  the  South- 
ern District  of  California  and  the  American 
Medical  Association. 

In  1869  Dr.  Murphy  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Martha  A.  Day,  a  native  of  Bradley 
county.  Tenn.,  a  daughter  of  I.  O.  Day,  a 
prominent  physician  of  that  place  and  an  old 
and  much  esteemed  citizen.  Oue  son  was  born 
of  this  union,  Claire  W.  Murphy,  who  is  also 
one  of  the  successful  physicians  of  Los  Angeles. 
A  resume  of  his  life  will  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  Dr.  Murphy  is  prominent  in  fra- 
ternal circles,  being  a  Mason  of  high  degree. 
He  is  associated  with  Southern  California  Lodge 
No.  278,  E.  &  A.  ^\..  Signet  Chapter  No.  57, 
R.  A.  INT.,  Los  Angeles  Commanderv  No.  q,  K. 
T.,  and  to  the  Mystic  Shrine  Al  Malaikah.  The 
doctor  is  one  of  the  oldest  practitioners  of  Los 
Angeles  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  good  business, 
and  has  the  confidence  of  his  patrons  and  is  a 
man  respected  and  esteemed  by  his  numerous 
friends. 


LUTHER  C.  JANEWAY.  A  man  of  decided 
energy  and  ability,  ever  ready  to  seize  all  ad- 
vantageous openings  for  advancing  his  business. 
Luther  C.  Janeway  is  prominently  identified 
with  the  mercantile  interests  of  Ramona.  and  oc- 
cupies a  good  position  among  its  more  active  and 
valued  citizens.  He  is  respected  and  esteemed 
throughout  the  community,  and  his  generous  in- 
terest in  all  that  concerns  its  public  weal  has 
exerted  a  marked  influence  in  advancing  the 
various  enterprises  inaugurated  to  develop  its 
resources  and  promote  its  prosperity.  He  was 
born  November  21.  i86g.  in  Jasper  county,  Iowa. 
a  son  of  Seth  Janeway. 


J. W  DAVIS 


J 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


743 


Seth  Janeway  was  born  and  reared  in  Ten- 
nessee, living  there  until  about  sixteen  years  of 
age.  In  Iowa  he  was  married  to  Susanna  Picker- 
ing, of  Tennessee.  He  cleared  and  improved 
a  farm  in  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  living  there  and 
in  Missouri  and  Texas  until  1893  when  he  came 
with  his  family  to  Ramona,  where  he  still  re- 
sides, being  a  well-known  and  prosperous 
rancher.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
member  of  the  Friends  Qiurch.  To  him  and 
his  wife,  five  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Arwilda  Hinshaw,  living  in  this  valley ;  Ada, 
living  at  home;  D.  O.,  in  business  at  Whittier, 
Gal. ;  J.  S.,  in  the  government  employ  in  the 
Philippine  Islands,  and  Luther  C,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

Receiving  but  limited  educational  advantages 
as  a  boy,  Luther  C.  Janeway  spent  his  childhood 
days  in  different  places,  spending  six  years  in 
R'lissouri,  going  when  seven  years  old  with  his 
parents  to  Kansas,  where  he  lived  on  year.  The 
family  then  returned  to  Iowa,  and  there  he  as- 
sisted in  the  care  of  the  home  farm  for  four 
years.  Going  then  with  his  father,  he  located  in 
the  Panhandle,  Crosby  county,  Texas,  where  he 
remained  nine  years,  at  first  being  engaged  in 
farming,  and  later  as  clerk  in  a  store.  Going 
northward,  he  subsequently  spent  two  years  in 
Northern  Kansas  and  Colorado  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, but  not  caring  to  make  a  permanent  loca- 
tion there,  in  1895  came  to  Ramona,  settling  on  a 
ranch.  In  1899  'i^  went  to  San  Diego  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  F.  H.  Briggs,  for  two  years 
clerking  in  his  grocery.  July  19,  1903.  he  opened 
his  present  establishment  in  Ramona,  and  has 
since  built  up  an  extensive  and  remunerative 
business  as  a  dealer  in  general  merchandise, 
handling  dry  goods,  lumber,  hardware,  poultry 
supplies,  etc.,  his  trade  being  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  place.  He  is  also  proprietor  of  the  freight 
line  between  Foster  and  Ramona  and  has  also 
opened  up  a  feed  mill. 

In  1898  Mr.  Janeway  married  Charlotte  Keyes, 
a  native  of  Kansas,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  namelv :  J.  Ravmond,  Robert  K., 
Clara  ]\I.  and  Waldo  P.  Religiously  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Janewav  are  members  of  the  Friends 
Qiurch.  Politically  Mr.  Janeway  champions  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  Fraternally 
he  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Forest- 
ers and  to  the  ]\Todern  Woodmen  of  America. 


JOHN  W.  DAA'IS.  One  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful financiers  of  Southern  California  was 
named  in  the  person  of  John  W.  Davis,  whose 
keen  foresight  and  executive  ability  won  him 
recognition  early  in  life,  for  his  death  occurred 
■when   in   his  thirtA'-third   vear.      He  was  born 


December  16,  i860,  in  Fox  Lake,  Wis.,  the 
youngest  child  and  only  son  of  his  parents. 
His  father,  John  W.,  was  born  in  Montgom- 
eryshire, Wales,  where  he  received  a  good  ed- 
ucation, thence  immigrating  to  New  York  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  years,  meeting  and  marry- 
ing, near  lltica,  Margaret  McCollum,  a  native 
of  Glasgow,  Scotland.  Together  they  went 
to  Fox  Lake,  Wis.,  where  he  assisted  material- 
ly in  the  upbuilding  of  the  town,  helping  to  es- 
tablish the  Wisconsin  Female  College  now 
combined  with  Milwaukee  College.  In  part- 
nership with  William  E.  Smith,  who  after- 
ward became  governor  of  Wisconsin,  Mr.  Da- 
vis engaged  in  the  banking  business  until  ill 
health  compelled  his  retirement  from  active 
life.  He  then  traveled  over  Europe,  spending 
considerable  time  in  Germany.  In  1876,  when 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  had  just  been 
completed  to  Colton,  San  Bernardino  county, 
he  located  there,  as  he  found  the  climate  bene- 
ficial to  his  health.  Locating  there  perma- 
nently, he  engaged  in  business,  in  December, 
1886,  assisting  in  the  organization  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Colton.  His  death  occurred 
a  3'ear  later,  removing  a  practical  and  helpful 
citizen  in  all  the  avenues  of  life.  He  was  a 
prominent  Mason  and  had  many  friends  both 
in  and  out  of  the  order. 

John  AV.  Davis,  Jr.,  was  reared  in  Fox  Lake 
and  educated  in  tlie  Fox  Lake  Academy  and 
the  University  of  Wisconsin.  In  1876  he  came 
to  California 'for  the  first  time,  accompanying 
his  father  to  Colton.  Subsequently  he  re- 
turned to  the  University  of  Wisconsin  and  in 
1880  came  again  to  Southern  California,  be- 
coming bookkeeper  in  the  Farmers'  Exchange 
Bank  of  San  Bernardino.  After  a  time  he  went 
to  Yankton,  S.  Dak.,  and  there  studied  law 
under  Gamble  Brothers,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  when,  with  his  savings  of  $2,000,  in 
partnership  with  another  he  established  a  bank 
at  Scotland,  S.  Dak.  This  enterprise  was  short- 
ly afterward  disposed  of  at  a  good  profit,  when 
lie  went  to  Bridgewater  and  started  a  similar 
enterprise,  of  which  he  became  president.  This 
grew  to  splendid  proportions  and  became  one 
of  the  most  successful  institutions  of  its  kind 
in  South  Dakota.  In  November,  1885.  he  lo- 
cated in  Colton  and  the  following  year  assist- 
ed in  the  organization  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Colton.  which  was  opened  December 
of  that  vear,  with  his  father  as  its  president. 
After  the  death  of  his  father  in  1887,  he  be- 
came the  head  of  the  institution  and  made  it  a 
success.  In  1889  he  arranged  his  affairs  for  a 
trip  to  the  Paris  Exposition,  and  after  his  re- 
turn he  purchased  control  of  the  San  Bernar- 
dino National  Bank  and  enlarged  the  business 


744 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


very  materially  in  the  few  years  following.  In 
1S91  he  was  asked  to  organize  a  bank  at  River- 
side, and  it  was  during  his  efforts  in  this  line 
that  his  health  was  so  seriously  impaired  that 
he  was  forced  to  give  up  active  efforts. 

]\Ir.  Davis'  death  occurred  August  6,  1893, 
in  Xew  York  City,  and  removed  from  the  com- 
munity a  citizen  of  unusual  ability  and  public 
spirit.'  As  a  Republican  in  politics  he  sought 
to  advance  the  principles  he  endorsed,  al- 
though never  caring  for  personal  recognition 
along  this  line  because  of  his  multifold  busi- 
ness interests.  He  left  a  widow  and  four 
daughters,  namely:  Margaret  E.,  a  graduate  of 
Smith  College  and  the  wife  of  Dr.  Charles  E. 
Ide,  of  Redlands :  Marion,  Dorothy  and  Gwen. 
:\Irs.  Davis  was  in  maidenhood  ]\Iiss  Jennie  E. 
Roberts,  of  Cambria,  Wis.,  and  a  daughter  of 
J.  W.  Roberts,  whose  sketch  appears  else- 
where in  this  volume.  She  was  graduated 
from  Downer  College,  at  Fox  Lake,  ^^^is.,  and 
in  Portage,  that  state,  on  December  4,  1883, 
she  was  married  to  Mr.  Davis.  She  resided  in 
Colton  until  1898,  when  she  removed  to  Red- 
lands  and  located  on  a  ranch  of  fifty-three 
acres  on  Brookside  avenue,  one  of  the  attrac- 
tive homes  of  this  section,  carefully  laid  out 
and  wisely  cultivated,  the  property  being  de- 
voted to  oranges.  Mrs.  Davis  is  a  director  in 
both  the  First  National  Bank  of  Colton  and 
the  San  Bernardino  National  Bank.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Spinnet  and  officiates  as  its 
president,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Con- 
temporary Club.  As  a  member  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  she  gives  liberally  to  the 
support  of  its  charities. 


LOUIS  GEORGE  VISSCHER,  M.  D.,  comes 
of  a  distinguished  family  who  traces  its  genealogy 
back  to  the  time  of  the  Reformation.  Its  mem- 
bers include  many  illustrious  men,  scientists, 
litterateurs,  statesmen  and  soldiers,  with  here  and 
there  among  them  names  made  famous  by  deeds  of 
valor  or  in  some  branch  of  learning  and  embla- 
zoned on  the  historic  pages  of  the  land  that  gave 
them  birth.  The  Hollanders  have  been  patriots 
ever,  and  when  as  colonists  they  made  for  them- 
selves homes  in  the  newer  lands  their  blood 
gave  a  sturdy  solidity  of  character  to  sons  and 
daughters,  and  their  sterling  qualities  have 
passed  to  their  many  descendants  as  a  lasting 
heritage  to  the  latest  generation. 

Of  the  Visscher  family  much  may  be  said. 
One  Roemer  ^^isscher  was  not  only  distinguished 
in  trade,  being  the  owner  of  a  whole  fleet  of 
vessels,  but  was  also  one  of  the  first  poets  of  his 
native  land.  And  so  on  down  the  line  to  Major 
Kraght  Visscher,  great-grandfather  of  Dr. 
\"isscher,  who  held  commission  in  the  royal  army. 


He  was  a.  brave  man  and  met  death  as  a  brave 
soldier  loves  to  meet  death — fronting  the  foe. 
When  the  combined  forces  of  England  and  Rus- 
sia invaded  Holland,  ]\Iajor  Visscher,  at  the  head 
of  his  troops,  attempted  to  cross  a  bridge  held 
by  the  enemy  and  commanded  by  their  artillery. 
The  color-bearer  was  shot  down,  and  immedi- 
ately the  Major  seized  the  colors,  advancing  with 
them  through  a  devastating  cross-fire  of  shot 
and  shell.  When  nearly  across  the  bridge  he 
was  struck  by  a  cannon-ball  and  instantly  killed. 
Then  a  sergeant  caught  the  flag  up  on  his  bay- 
onet and  with  it  succeeded  in  crossing  the  bridge. 
A  memorial  monument  was  erected  to  the  vali- 
ant Major  Visscher  in  the  city  of  Alkmaar.  His 
son.  Professor  Lodewyk  Gerard  Visscher,  held 
the  chair  of  history  and  literature  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Utrecht ;  he  was  the  author  of  many  his- 
torical and  literary  works.  The  son  of  the  latter, 
Jan  A.  Visscher,  the  father  of  Dr.  Visscher, 
was  born  at  the  Hague  in  1830.  He  graduated 
from  the  Military  ^Medical  College  at  Utrecht  and 
for  twelve  years  following  occupied  a  position 
as  surgeon  in  the  Royal  Navy.  When  he  was 
twenty-nine  years  old  he  received  from  his 
government  the  highest  decoration  awarded  to 
its  citizens — the  Royal  Dutch  Lion.  Upon  his 
retirement  from  the  navy  he  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  and  continued  in  it  until  his 
death  in  iqoi,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 

Dr.  Visscher  is  of  equally  illustrious  descent 
on  his  mother's  side  of  the  family.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Jeanette  Antoinette  le  Ruette.  Her 
immediate  family  held  responsible  civil  positions 
under  the  minister  of  the  interior.  She  died  in 
1868,  leaving  two  children.  Her  second  son, 
Hugo,  graduated  from  the  University  of  Utrecht 
and  is  now  a  practicing  physician  in  Leustlcn, 
Netherlands. 

Dr.  Louis  George  Visscher  was  born  in  Sluiss, 
Netherlands,  December  28,  1864,  and  his  lioy- 
hood  years  were  passed  in  Holland.  In  1881  he 
entered  the  LTniversity  of  LTrecht,  taking  up  the 
study  of  the  classics  and  medicine.  From  there 
he  went  to  the  University  of  Wurtzburg,  where 
he  graduated  in  1891  with  the  degree  of  M.  D., 
following  with  a  post-graduate  course  of  one 
year  at  the  University  of  Berlin,  and  two  years 
at  the  University  of  Freiberg.  He  returned  to 
Holland  and  entered  the  University  of  Leyden, 
which  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  M.  D., 
in  1898.  For  a  short  period  thereafter  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession.  Suffering  an  attack  of 
pneumonia  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  his 
business,  and  in  order  to  escape  the  severity  of 
the  wiiilcr  in  Holland  traveled  in  Italy  and  the 
Riviera. 

Dr.  Visscher  came  to  Los  Angeles  in  the  fall 
of  1898.  When  he  decided  to  make  a  permanent 
residence  here  he  opened  an  office  and  engaged 


^.^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


747 


in  tli'j  practice  of  his  profession.  His  present 
office^  are  in  the  Homer  Laughlin  building.  He 
is  a  spcciaHst  in  gastro-intestinal  diseases  and 
stands  without  peer  in  his  line  of  work  in  the 
profession.  He  is  instructor  in  gastro-intestinal 
diseases  in  the  College  of  Medicine,  University 
of  Southern  California,  and  professor  of  gastro- 
intestinal diseases  in  the  Post-Graduate  School  of 
the  University  of  Southern  California.  He  is  a 
member  of  American  Medical  Association,  State 
Medical  Association,  Southern  California  Medical 
Association,  Los  Angeles  Medical  Association, 
Clinical  PatlTological  Society,  and  a  member  of 
the  University  Club. 

Dr.  Visscher  married  ]\Iiss  Wilhelmina  Eliza- 
beth Zegers-Veeckens  in  1890.  They  have  one 
son,  Karel  Hugo  Kraght  Visscher,  born  in  Wurtz- 
burg,  Germany,  in  February,  1891,  and  who 
attends  the  Thacher  School  in  the  Ojai  valley. 
It  is  needless  to  state  herein  the  high  standing  of 
Dr.  A'isscher  in  the  community,  or  to  mention 
the  estimation  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  col- 
leagues in  the  profession.  He  devoted  seventeen 
years  to  the  stud}-  of  medicine  and  his  success 
is  simply  the  reward  of  honest,  persistent  effort. 
His  talents,  learning  and  worth  as  a  physician 
and  a  gentleman  are  fully  appreciated  and  suf- 
ficiently well  established  to  make  enumeration 
of  them  neccssarv. 


ARTHUR  McKENZIE  DODSOX.  The 
record  of  the  Dodson  family  in  California  is  a 
record  of  persevering  industry  and  untiring 
energ}-.  Father  and  sons  unitedly  have  la- 
bored to  promote  their  mutual  welfare  and 
have  counted  no  labor  too  difficult  when  by  its 
successful  accomplishment  the  general  pros- 
perity might  be  promoted.  The  history  of  the 
family  in  this  country  dates  back  to  colonial 
times,  the  first  representative  coming  over  on 
the  Alayflower  and  establishing  the  name  in 
New  England,  where  the  Fletchers  and  'Sic- 
Kenzies,  into  which  families  the  Dodsons  mar- 
ried, also  became  prominent  and  influential 
citizens.  In  this  connection  it  is  worthy  of 
note  that  John  Fletcher  was  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Arthur  McKenzie  Dodson  was  born  in  Phil- 
adelphia, Pa.,  in  1819.  remaining  in  the  east 
until  the  year  previous  to  the  finding  of  gold  in 
California.  The  year  1848  found  him  a  miner 
in  this  state,  but  from  the  fact  that  he  gave  up 
this  life  two  years  later  and  was  ever  after 
engaged  in  commercial  pursuits,  it  is  safe  to 
presume  that  his  ef-forts  in  this  direction  were 
not  all  that  he  liad  anticipated.  Coming  to  the 
old  pueblo  of  Los  Angeles  in  1850,  he  opened 
one  of  the  first  butcher  and  grocery  establish- 
ments in  the  place  and  was  the  pioneer  soap 


manufacturer  here  also.  A  later  enterprise  was 
the  establishment  of  a  wood  and  coal  yard  at 
\vhat  is  now  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Spring- 
streets,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  This  in 
fact  was  the  nucleus  of  a  little  town  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of  Georgetown,  in  honor  of 
"round  house"  George,  then  a  prominent  char- 
acter in  that  locality.  At  a  later  date  Mr. 
Dodson  removed  to  the  San  Fernando  valley 
and  began  raising  wheat  and  barley,  this  be- 
ing the  first  attempt  at  farming  in  the  valley. 
.Still  later  he  became  superintendent  of  the 
O'Neill  ranches  in  San  Diego  county^  but 
meeting  with  an  accident  there  he  was  com- 
pelled to  give  up  the  management.  After  re- 
covering from  the  injury  he  went  to  Tucson. 
Ariz.,  and  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  and 
it  was  while  there  that  his  death  occurred 
about  1886. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Dodson  united  him 
with  Reyes  Don-iinguez,  a  member  of  one  of 
the  oldest  families  of  the  state,  she  being  a  na- 
tive of  this  coimty  and  a  daughter  of  Nazario 
Don-iinguez,  w-cH  known  to  all  early  residents 
in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  and  his  brothers, 
Pedro  and  Manuel,  owned  the  Rancho  San 
Pedro,  which  extended  from  Redondo  to 
Compton  and  on  to  Long  Beach.  ]Mrs.  Dodson 
died  in  Los  Angeles  in  1885,  having  become 
the  mother  of  fwelve  children,  only  three  of 
v/hom  are  now  living.  James  H.  and  John  F. 
are  in  partnership  in  'business  and  reside  in 
.San  Pedro,  and  Emma,  now  Mrs.  Thompson, 
resides  in  Hobart   Mills,  Ne\-ada  county,   Cal, 


JAiNlES  H.  DODSON.  A  native  of  the 
state.  Tames  EI.  Dodson  was  born  in  Los  An- 
geles February  26,  t86i,  and  in  his  home  coun- 
ty was  reared  and  educated,  attending  both 
public  and  private  schools.  A  turning  point  in 
his  career  came  at  an  early  age,  for  while  still 
a  boy  he  was  taken  into  the  home  of  George 
Hinds,  a  large  stockman  and  butcher  of  Wil- 
mington, this  county,  he  also  serving  as  coun- 
ty supervisor.  He  was  the  junior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Vickery  &  Hinds,  w-holesale  butch- 
ers, who  had  stores  located  in  all  of  the  prin- 
cipal towns  along  the  coast,  and  in  the  man- 
agement of  these  ]\Tr.  Dodson  assisted  for 
twenty  \"ears.  In  1883  they  established  a  store 
in  San  Pedro,  it  being  the  pioneer  market  in 
the  town,  and  of  this  Mr.  Dodson  had  charge 
until  resigning  to  take  charge  of  a  similar  busi- 
ness of  his  own.  carrying  this  on  until  1899. 

The  year  last  mentioned  was  the  beginning 
of  an  eventful  period  in  the  life  of  ]Mr.  Dodson, 
and  witnessed  his  removal  to  ^Manila,  Philip- 
pine Islands,  where  as  a  member  of  the  firn-i  of 
.Simmie,  Swanson  &  Co.  he  was  interested  in 


748 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ihe  first  sawmill  in  the  town.  In  addition  to 
carrying  on  the  mill  the  firm  had  the  contract 
for  carrying  the  mail,  and  later  established  the 
first  American  carriage  works  in  jNIanila.  In 
1901  Mr.  Dodson  began  traveling  throughout 
the  Philippine  Islands,  Asia  Minor  and  Arabia, 
returning  by  way  of  the  continent  and  Eng- 
land, and  in  so  doing  had  circumnavigated  the 
globe.  Locating  once  more  in  his  native  state, 
in  1902  he  leased  of  George  Porter  a  part  of 
the  Old  Mission  ranch,  the  seven  thousand 
acres  which  he  rented  being  devoted  entirely 
to  the  raising  of  wheat.  Coming  to  San  Pedro 
the  following  year,  he  established  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  John  F.  as  general  con- 
tractors for  grading  and  cement  work,  and  in 
the  meantime  the  name  and  fame  of  the  Dod- 
son Brothers  have  become  synonyms  for  all ' 
that  honest,  straightforward  dealings  would 
suggest.  James  H.  Dodson  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers and  is  manager  of  the  Pacific  Manu- 
facturing and  Supply  Association,  manufac- 
turers and  dealers  in  ornamental  and  building 
brick  and  builders'  supplies. 

In  1881,  while  in  Wilmington,  Cal.,  Mr. 
Dodson  was  united  in  marriage  with  Rude- 
cinda  Sepulveda,  a  tmion  which  associated  him 
with  one  of  the  most  prominent  families  in  the 
state.  On  the  old  Palos  Verdes  rancho  Mrs. 
Dodson  was  born,  the  daughter  of  Jose  Diego 
Sepulveda,  he  being  one  of  the  five  owners  of 
this  vast  estate,  which  extended  along  the  sea 
coast  from  San  Pedro  to  Redondo  Beach,  and 
for  miles  back  into  the  foothills.  The  land  was 
originally  owned  by  Mrs.  Dodson's  grand- 
father, Dolores  Sepulveda.  who  was  killed  by 
Indians  while  he  was  returning  from  Monte- 
rey, where  he  had  gone  to  obtain  a  patent  to 
his  ranch.  I\Iuch  of  the  property  was  handed 
down  to  his  son,  Jose  Diego,  who  was  born  on 
the  old  ranch  near  San  Pedro  in  1813.  During 
the  war  of  the  United  States  with  Mexico  he 
was  loyal  to  the  former,  contributing  generous- 
ly of  cattle,  horses,  money  and  provisions  from 
his  own  private  store,  and  materially  aided  in 
extending  the  dominion  of  the  United  States  to 
the  Pacific  ocean. 

Six  children  have  blessed  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodson,  those  living  named  in 
order  of  birth  as  follows:  Florence,  James  H.. 
Jr.,  and  Carlos  D.  All  that  the  term  public- 
spirited  implies  is  found  in  the  make-up  of  Mr. 
Dodson,  who  for  eight  years  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council,  serving  as  its  president 
for  one  term.  He  has  also  served  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  license  collector,  and  for  eight  vears 
he  was  on  the  board  of  school  trustees.  His  in- 
fluence in  the  upbuilding  of  San  Pedro  has 
further  been  felt  through  his  association  with 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  where  his  opinion 


has  great  weight  and  consideration.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  San  Pedro  Lodge  No. 
332,  F.  &  A.  M.,  having  joined  the  order  in 
Wilmington,  where  he  became  master  of  his 
lodge.  -Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodson  have  hosts  of 
friends  in  San  Pedro,  not  restricted  to  the  up- 
per classes  alone,  for  they  have  given  gener- 
ously of  their  means  to  sustain  those  less  for- 
tunate and  in  fact  no  helpful  beneficence  has 
been  denied  their  support. 


JOHN  FLETCHER  DODSON.  As  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Dodson  Brothers,  John  F. 
Dodson  is  well  known  throughout  San  Pedro 
and  vicinity,  having  established  himself  in  busi- 
ness here  as  a  contractor  for  cement  and  grading 
w6rk  about  1898.  For  about  six  years  he  car- 
ried on  the  business  alone,  during  which  time 
he  laid  some  of  the  best  work  to  be  found  in  the 
city  toda}-.  With  the  growth  of  the  city  and  the 
corresponding  demand  for  work  in  his  line  his 
business  grew  to  such  proportions  that  the  as- 
sistance and  co-operation  of  some  one  with  an 
equal  interest  in  the  afifairs  became  essential. 
This  want  was  supplied  in  his  brother,  James 
H.,  the  two  uniting  their  forces  in  1904  under 
the  name  of  Dodson  Brothers,  a  firm  which  to- 
day stands  for  all  that  is  best  and  most  depend- 
able in  their  line  in  this  part  of  the  count}-. 

A  native  of  the  state,  John  F.  Dodson  was 
born  on  the  San  Pedro  ranch  near  what  is  now 
Compton  April  8,  1867,  a  son  of  Arthur  Mc- 
Kenzie  and  Reyes  (Dominguez)  Dodson.  (For 
further  details  concerning  the  parental  family 
the  reader  is  referred  to  the  sketch  of  the  father, 
given  elsewhere  in  this  volume.)  Up  to  the 
age  of  thirteen  years  John  F.  Dodson  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Los  Angeles,  after  which 
he  went  to  make  his  home  with  his  father's  old- 
time  friend,  George  Hinds,  at  Wilmington.  Mr. 
Hinds'  attachment  for  the  elder  Mr.  Dodson 
was  strengthened  in  the  fact  that  the  latter  had 
rendered  him  financial  assistance  when  he  came 
here  from  the  east,  a  kindness  which  he  never 
forgot,  and  one  which  he  has  never  been  able 
to  repay  to  his  own  satisfaction.  The  keen  in- 
terest which  he  has  ever  taken  in  the  sons  of 
his  benefactor  has  been  of  a  substantial  character 
and  of  lasting  benefit  to  the  recipients.  For  ten 
vears  Mr.  Dodson  was  superintendent  of  one  of 
Mr.  Hinds'  numerous  ranches,  this  being  known 
as  the  Henrietta  Stock  Farm,  located  near  Comp- 
ton. and  devoted  to  breeding  and  training  stand- 
ard horses.  The  knowledge  and  experience 
which  Mr.  Dodson  gained  during  this  time  made 
him  an  expert  horseman,  and. in  the  Southern 
California  circuit  he  became  especially  well 
known,  as  during  all  of  the  time  he  was  with 
Mr.  Hinds  he  drove  in  the  races  on  that  track. 


\a-4^a^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


751 


Although  i\Ir.  Dodson  became  identified  with 
San  Pedro  in  1893  it  was  not  until  about  1898 
that  he  established  the  nucleus  of  his  present 
prosperous  business.  Beginning  in  a  small,  un- 
pretentious way,  and  with  only  one  outfit,  the 
business  grew  with  steady  rapidity  from  the 
very  outset,  with  the  result  that  greater  facil- 
ities for  filling  contracts  became  essential.  The 
admission  of  his  brother  James  H.  into  the  busi- 
ness in  1904  has  enabled  him  to  give  his  entire 
time  to  the  superintendence  of  the  outside  work, 
which  keeps  about  sixty-five  men  and  sixty 
horses  busy  the  greater  part  of  the  time.  The 
firm  of  Dodson  Brothers  is  conceded  by  those 
best  able  to  judge  to  be  the  most  reliable  con- 
tracting firm  in  their  line  outside  of  Los  Angeles, 
and  the  fact  that  its  work  is  appreciated  as  above 
the  average  is  shown  in  the  volume  of  business 
transacted,  coming  both  from  old  and  new  cus- 
tomers. During  1906  the  firm  added  a  new  de- 
parture to  their  business  by  adding  a  road  oiling 
outfit  and  are  doing  work  in  that  line  in  North- 
ern California. 

The  home  of  Air.  and  ]\Irs.  Dodson  is  bright- 
ened by  the  presence  of  three  interesting  children, 
Ynez  Reyes,  William  Savage  and  John  Fletcher, 
Jr.,  to  whom  a  successful  future  may  be  assured 
if  their  parents'  training  is  adhered  to  and  the 
example  of  their  elders'  lives  followed  as  their 
pattern.  Mr.  Dodson's  marriage  occurred  in 
1898  and  united  him  with  Kate  Agnes  Savage, 
who  was  born  in  San  Francisco,  a  daughter  of 
Hon.  W.  H.  Savage,  an  account  of  whose  in- 
teresting life  is  given  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Mr.  Dodson  belongs  to  the  Roval  Arcanum,  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  he  is 
also  identified  with  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  San  Pedro.  J.  F.  Dodson  is  also  interested  in 
the  Pacific  i\Ianufacturing  and  Supply  Associa- 
tion. 


HON.  WILLIAM  H.  SAVAGE.  A  review 
of  the  representative  citizens  of  San  Pedro 
and  of  the  men  who  have  played  an  important 
part  in  the  history  of  this  city  and  the  state 
would  be  deficient  without  a  sketch  of  the  life 
and  work  of  Hon.  W.  H.  Savage,  who  is  too 
well  known  on  the  Pacific  coast  to  need  special 
introduction  to  the  public.  At  the  bar  he  has 
been  a  brilliant  advocate ;  in  the  halls  of  legis- 
lation a  wise  and  prudent  counsellor  and  able 
debater :  on  the  rostrum  an  impressive  and 
convincing  speaker;  and  in  every  field  a  con- 
troller of  the  minds  of  men.  Fitted  by  native 
courage  and  intellectual  ability  to  direct  af- 
fairs and  to  assume  responsibility,  he  has 
.steadily  pursued  his  way  to  higher  heights  of 
achievement  and  has  long  been  recognized  as 


a  leader  in  thought  and  action,  a  quality  which 
has  been  the  keynote  of  his  success  in  the  state 
senate,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1904. 

Born  in  County  Limerick,  Ireland,  July  12, 
1840,  W.  H.  Savage  is  a  son  of  Michael  and 
Ellen  (Kelley)  Savage,  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased,  the  mother  passing  away  in  Vallejo, 
this  state.  The  father  was  reared  principally 
in  England,  there  graduating  from  a  military 
academy  which  was  the  initial  step  into  the 
later  military  life  which  he  followed.  He  was 
a  participant  in  the  Crimean  war,  taking  sides 
against  Russia,  and  during  his  many  years  of 
service  won  the  title  of  major.  Later  he 
brought  his  family  to  the  United  States,  set- 
tling in  Boston,  Mass.,  and  it  was  in  that  city 
that  his  earth  life  came  to  a  close.  Seven  chil- 
dren originally  comprised  the  parental  family, 
but  of  this  number  only  three  are  now  living. 

W.  H.  Savage  was  a  lad  of  about  five  years 
when  he  accompanied  the  family  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  Massachusetts.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  was  a  pupil  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  state,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  lacked  two 
months  of  being  nineteen  years  of  age.  Filled 
with  the  same  patriotic  spirit  which  had  been 
such  a  strong  feature  in  his  father's  character, 
he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  Marine  Corps 
in  1861,  ser\dng  on  board  the  sloop  Mississippi, 
under  Lieutenant  Dewey,  who  later  became 
the  hero  of  Manila  bay.  In  1863,  while  at- 
tempting to  run  the  batteries  of  Port  Hudson, 
the  I\Iississippi  ^vas  grounded,  and  here  she 
was  riddled  with  shot  and  set  on  fire  by  the  en- 
emy's batteries,  so  that  officers  and  crew  had 
to  abandon  her  and  make  their  way  as  best 
they  could  to  the  other  shore  before  the  flames 
reached  her  magazine.  Flere  it  was  that  Mr. 
Savage  was  captured  by  the  enemy  and  sent 
to  Libby  prison.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term 
three  months  later  he  was  exchanged,  and 
without  unnecessary  loss  of  time  he  re-enlisted 
in  Company  A,  Fourteenth  New  York  Caval- 
ry, serving  in  Louisiana  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  when  he  was  mustered  out  with  the  title 
of  sergeant.  The  need  of  able-bodied  men  in 
the  frontier  service  caused  him  to  re-enlist 
once  more,  this  time  becoming  a  member  of 
the  Fourteenth  United  States  Infantry,  serv- 
ing as  quartermaster-sergeant  under  Col. 
Charles  S.  Lovell  throughout  his  three-year 
term  of  enlistment.  He  Avas  next  a  member  of 
the  Twelfth  United  States  Infantry,  and  as 
quartermaster-sergeant  under  O.  B.  Wilcox 
traversed  the  frontier  of  Arizona  and  Califor- 
nia. At  his  own  request  he  received  his  hon- 
orable discharge  from  the  service  in  May, 
1874,  and  the  same  year  came  to  Wilmington, 
Los   .Angeles  county.  Cal.,  where  in  January,. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1866,  he  had  been  stationed  at  the  drum  bar- 
racks while  serving  in  the  Fourteenth  In- 
fantry. 

For  two  years,  from  1S74  to  1876,  Air.  Sav- 
age was  in  the  employ  of  the  Wilmington 
Transportation  Company,  engaged  in  packing 
lumber,  after  which  he  was  made  foreman  of 
the  plant,  a  position  which  he  held  for  some 
lime,  ^^'hile  in  the  employ  of  the  latter  com- 
pany he  carried  on  the  study  of  lav/  during  his 
spare  moments,  and  later  took  up  the  study  in 
earnest  under  James  G.  Howard  and  H.  A. 
Hartley,  both  of  Los  Angeles.  Admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1879,  'is  at  once  began  to  practice  in 
Los  Angeles,  giving  th.is  office  up  the  follow- 
ing year  to  establish  a  practice  in  Tombstone, 
Ariz.  It  was  while  there  in  1883  that  he  was 
made  a  member  of  the  territorial  legislature, 
and  in  1885  he  was  made  district  attorney  of 
Cochise  county,  Ariz.  Returning  to  California 
in  1887,  the  same  year  he  came  to  San  Pedro 
and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  also  having 
an  office  in  Los  Angeles  for  about  two  years. 
Entering  at  once  into  the  business  life  of  the 
young  and  growing  town  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  in  the  capacity 
of  city  attorney  drew  up  all  of  the  original 
cit)'  ordinances.  His  election  to  the  assembly 
from  the  seventy-second  district  occurred  in 
1902,  and  in  both  houses  he  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  municipal  corpora- 
tions. Two  years  later  he  was  the  Republican 
candidate  for  state  senator  from  the  thirty- 
fourth  senatorial  district,  his  election  following 
in  due  time,  thus  winning  a  victory  over  his 
opponent.  His  constituents  have  every  reason 
lo  feel  proud  of  their  selection  as  a  representa- 
tive in  the  government  of  the  state,  and  in  his 
hands  they  feel  that  their  interests  will  not 
sufTer  for  lack  of  attention. 

In  Westfield,  Mass.,  Hon.  W.  PI.  Savage 
was  married  to  Miss  ]\[ary  A.  White,  a  native 
of  London,  England,  seven  children  resulting 
from  their  marriage  as  follows:  Nellie,  now 
Airs.  'Martin;  Josephine;  Kate,  the  wife  of 
John  F.  Dodson,  of  whom  a  sketch  will  be 
found  elsewhere;  Margaret,  the  wife  of  J.  F. 
Dewer;  Clara,  the  wife  of  George  Nicholson; 
Frances,  and  Robert,  all  of  the  children  being 
residents  of  San  Pedro.  In  1873  '^Ii"-  Savage 
was  m.ade  a  Mason  in  Inyo  county,  this  state, 
but  has  since  had  his  membership  transferred 
to  Wilmington  and  is  still  identified  with  the 
lodge  at  that  place,  while  he  is  a  member  of 
the  chapter  at  San  Pedro.  His  fraternal  con- 
nections also  extend  to  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks  and  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  being  a  charter  member 
of  the  Wilmington  lodge  of  the  latter  order, 
Avhich   was  organized  a   quarter  of  a   centurv 


ago,  and  of  which  he  is  a  past  officer,  and  is 
now  grand  master  of  the  order  in  the  state  of 
California.  At  present  he  holds  the  office  of 
grand  foreman  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
\\'orkmen  of  California.  He  is  also'  a  member 
of  Bartlett  &  Logan  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Los 
Angeles,  of  which  he  has  been  commander  sev- 
eral times,  and  is  commander-in-chief  of  the 
.-Vrmy  and  Navy  Republican  League  of  Cali- 
fornia, an  organization  which  has  a  member- 
ship of  forty  thousand.  The  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  San  Pedro  also  profits  by  his  mem- 
bership, as  do  all  organizations  with  which  he 
has  to  do,  his  careful  and  conservati\-e  judg- 
ment having  the  same  weight  in  the  lesser  as 
in  the  hea^•ier  matters  of  state. 


WILLIAM  J.  WARXOCK.  One  of  the  best 
known  and  most  highly  esteemed  agriculturists 
of  Ramona  valley  is  William  J.  Warnock,  who 
is  distinguished  both  as  a  native-born  son  and 
as  a  representative  of  an  honored  pioneer  family. 
Spending  his  entire  life  in  San  Diego  county, 
his  record  as  a  man  and  a  citizen  is  creditable 
to  himself  and  also  to  his  good  parents,  who 
reared  him  in  the  paths  of  industry  and  integrity, 
instilling  into  his  youthful  mind  those  lessons 
of  truthfulness,  honesty  and  justice  that  have 
been  his  guiding  principles  from  youth  upward. 
.\  son  of  the  late  William  Warnock,  he  was 
born,  October  3,  1859,  in  San  Diego,  of  Irish 
ancestry. 

William  Warnock  was  born  in  County  Cork, 
Ireland,  in  1826.  Immigrating  to  America,  he 
settled  first  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  but  in  that  city 
found  no  congenial  employment.  In  1857,  there- 
fore, he  came  by  water  to  California,  locating  in 
San  Diego,  which  was  then  in  its  pristine  wild- 
ness.  At  that  time  there  were  neither  railways 
nor  wagon  roads,  all  freight  being  packed  across 
the  mountain  trails  on  the  backs  of  mules.  He 
was  a  hard  working  man,  and,  with  his  good 
wife,  passed  bravely  through  all  the  privations 
and  trials  incident  to  pioneer  life.  Clearing  and 
improving  a  ranch,  he  made  a  specialty  of  stock 
and  general  produce,  which  he  marketed  in  San 
Diego,  besides  this  carrying  on  a  small  dairy.  He 
was  a  man  of  much  force  of  will,  and  was  influ- 
ential in  public  affairs.  Politically  he  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
His  death  occurred  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Ellen  Derrig,  was  born  in  County  Mayo, 
Ireland,  in  1830,  and  died  in  San  Diego  county 
in  (897,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  Eight  children 
blessed  their  union,  five  of  whom  survive. 

Educated  in  Los  Angeles  principally.  William 
J.  Warnock  attended  school  in  all  about  five 
years,  a  part  of  that  time  being  spent  at  St.  Vin- 


c^^^''-'^ue,^^.^'''LyO;^^ 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cent's  College.  Working  with  his  father,  he  was 
early  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  general  farm- 
ing, becoming  well  acquainted  with  its  many 
branches.  Profiting  by  the  instruction  received 
from  his  father,  he  started  in  life  for  himself 
as  a  farmer  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  set- 
tling in  Ramona  valley,  then  called  Santa  Maria 
valley,  and  taking  up  a  government  clairn  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  By  sturdy,  persevering- 
labor,  he  cleared  and  improved  a  fine  ranch, 
which  he  has  since  managed  successfully,  carry- 
ing on  general  farming.  In  addition  to  raising 
grain  and  fruit,  the  staple  productions  of  this 
locality,  he  has  a  large  apiary,  which  yields  him 
a  good  annual  income  without  an  expensive  out- 
lay of  either  time  or  money. 

In  1880  Mr.  Warnock  married  Miriam 
Knowles,  who  was  born  in  Ohio.  Although  a 
Republican  in  national  politics,  ;\Ir.  Warnock  has 
the  courage  of  his  convictions  in  local  affairs, 
voting  independent  of  party  relations.  He  takes 
an  intelligent  interest  in  town  and  country,  and 
has  rendered  excellent  service  as  school  trustee, 
and  for  eight  years  was  constable. 


JA.MES  A.  FOSHAY.  The  services  ren- 
dered by  Prof.  James  A.  Foshay  in  an  educa- 
tional line  in  Los  Angeles  have  been  such  as 
to  ineradicably  associate  his  name  with  this 
work,  although  he  has  recently  resigned  his 
position  as  superintendent  to  enter  upon  the 
responsible  duties  which  are  his  as  president 
of  the  Fraternal  Brotlierhood.  Since  1895  he 
has  served  as  su]icrintendent  of  the  schools  in 
the  citv  of  Los  \ngeles  and  with  each  passing 
year  has  cnntribnted  more  and  more  to  their 
improvement,  his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  work 
serving  to  bring  out  the  h.ighest  capabilities  of 
the  teachers  under  his  supervision.  He  is  a 
native  of  Cold  Spring,  X.  Y.,  born  November 
25,  1856,  a  son  of  Andrew  Jackson  and  Eme- 
line  (Griffin)  Foshay.  The  father  was  born 
January  21,  1830.  on  a  farm  in  Kent,  X.  Y., 
where  his  parents,  Lynes  and  Ruhannah 
(Smalley)  Foshay.  spent  their  entire  lives. 
The  professor's  great-grandfather,  John  Fo- 
shay, served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  with 
distinction,  as  did  also  the  maternal  great- 
grandfather, John  Smalley. 

Reared  to  young  manhood  in  his  native 
state,  James  A.  Foshav  received  a  preliminary 
education  in  the  district  school  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  home,  after  which,  in  1875,  he  entered 
what  is  now  known  as  the  State  Normal  Col- 
lege at  Alban}'.  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  honors.  For  the  ensuing  three 
years  he  taught  in  the  public  schools,  at  the 
close  of  that  time  being  elected  school  commis- 
sioner of  Putnam  countv.  N.  Y.    Re-elected  to 


the  office,  be  combined  with  the  discharge  of 
his  duties  those  of  secretary  of  the  New  York 
State  Association  of  School  Commissioners 
and  Superintendents.  He  gave  to  each  Jji^jl/tf' 
tention  and  characteristic  energy  wMgll|/PHVg 
distinguished  every  phase  of  his  cqgEjI^nd  iln 
1885  was  re-elected  to  that  unportS^lru^ 

Air.  Foshay  came  to  California  in  1887  ^d  { 
located  in  Alonrovia,  Los  Angeles  countv^*'/' 
where  he  secured  a  position  in  the  ^Ataj^S: 
schools,  and  in  the  following  Jul}-  \ya^?'e'cted 
principal.  A  3'ear  later  he  was  ^^i)ijmted  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  EdualgM-H  uf  Los  An- 
geles county,  and  in  1891-92  'i^ved  as  presi- 
dent. In  all  public  capacities  he  gave  evidence 
of  his  unusual  ability  and  also  of  the  thorough- 
ness of  his  work,  gradually  assuming  a  promi- 
nence which  called  him  to  higher  positions 
than  any  he  had  yet  filled.  In  1893  he  became 
deputy  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  the 
city  of  Los  Angeles  under  Professor  Brown, 
and  was  re-elected  the  following  year.  In  1895 
he  was  chosen  superintendent,  entering  upon 
his  important  duties  before  reaching  his  thirty- 
ninth  birthday.  The  marked  success  of  his 
first  eight  years  in  California  was  but  a  pro- 
phecy of  his  future  career,  for  he  has  in  every 
way  lived  up  to  the  promise  of  his  young  man- 
hood. Eleven  years  have  passed  since  he  as- 
sumed the  responsibilities  of  this  position  and 
each  term  has  \vitnessed  his  resmnption  of  the 
duties  incumbent  upon  him  as  superintendent, 
and  to  his  efforts  are  due  the  great  progress 
and  development  which  have  characterized  the 
public  schools  of  this  city.  When  he  took 
charge  of  the  work  there  were  only  ten  thou- 
sand, one  hundred  forty-four  pupils,  -while 
there  are  to-day  thirty-four  thousand,  seven 
hundred  and  ninety-five;  the  school  property 
at  that  time  was  ^-alued  at  $740,670  and  to-day 
at  .*;2.67o,ooo. 

The  educational  work  of  Dr.  Foshay  has 
been  far-reaching,  its  influence  keenly  felt 
throughout  Southern  California,  and  indeed 
thoroughly  appreciated  all  over  the  state.  In 
i8g8  he  attended  the  convention  of  the  Nation- 
al Educational  Association  (of  which  he  was 
second  vice-presidentl,  and  against  considera- 
ble opposition  secured  the  next  meeting  in  Los 
.\ngeles.  where  the  following  year  a  most  en- 
tertaining and  successful  session  was  held.  He 
has  proven  an  upbuilding  factor  in  the  South- 
ern California  Teachers'  Association,  having 
served  efficiently  as  president.  He  was  also 
elected  a  member  of  the  California  Council  of 
Education,  the  National  Council  of  Education, 
and  a  director  of  the  Southern  California  .\cad- 
cn-iy  of  Sciences.  He  has  also  taken  an  acti\e 
nart  in  musical  culture  and  literary  societies. 
He  has  made  many  addresses  upon  important 


756 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


educational  topics  indicative  of  his  mental  at- 
tude  and  thought,  and  these  have  proven  a 
source  of  study  and  development  of  inestimable 
value  to  the  teachers  under  him.  The  crown- 
ing work  of  Dr.  Foshay  was  his  successful  ad- 
vocacy of  the  scheme  of  bonding  the  city  in 
T905  for  $780,000  for  the  purpose  of  raising 
funds  to  add  to  the  public  school  buildings  and 
equipment ;  through  some  defect  in  the  bonds 
this  matter  was  taken  to  the  supreme  court 
and  in  February,  1906,  was  approved,  when 
the  bonds  sold  for  $7,000  premium.  He  also 
labored  zealously  at  this  time  to  have  the 
building  power  transferred  from  the  council  to 
the  Board  of  Education,  and  succeeded  in  ac- 
complishing this  end.  A-S  advisor  of  the  buard 
all  plans  for  building  and  remodeling  were 
submitted  to  him  for  approval  before  being 
carried  out.  Significant  of  the  high  esteem  in 
which  Professor  Foshay  is  held  was  the  con- 
ferring upon  him  of  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Pedagogy  by  his  alma  mater;  this  is  a  d.gree 
that  cannot  be  earned  by  the  passing  of  exam- 
inations, but  is  given  to  those  only  who  have 
distinguished  themselves  as  educators. 

Dr.  Foshay's  prominence  in  fraternal  circles 
(being  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  and  hav- 
ing served  as-  eminent  commander  of  Los 
Angeles  Commandery  No.  9,  and  also  as  grand 
master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  California)  has 
given  him  a  wide  acquaintance  throughout  the 
state  and  the  entire  Pacific  coast,  as  well  as 
the  United  States,  and  this  was  the  means  of 
his  being  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Fra- 
ternal Brotherhood  at  a  large  salary.  Dr.  Fo- 
shay takes  a  broad  interest  in  all  questions  of 
the  day  and  a  personal  stand  that  leaves  no 
room  for  doubt  as  to  his  convictions.  In  poli- 
tics he  endorses  the  principles  advocated  in  the 
platform  of  the  Republican  party  and  votes 
that  ticket,  although  in  the  smaller  sense  of 
the  word  he  is  not  a  partisan.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber and  director  of  the  University  Club. 

Dr.  Foshay's  horne,  located  at  No.  1023 
West  Sixth  street,  is  presided  over  by  his  wife, 
formerly  Miss  Phebe  Powell  Miller,  with 
whom  he  was  united  in  marriage  March  18, 
1885.  She  was  born  in  Carmel,  Putnam  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  May  2,  1856.  a  daughter  of  John 
Griffin  and  Phebe  Powell  (Carpenter)  Miller, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Amawalk, 
Westchester  county,  same  state.  Both  Dr.  Fo- 
shay and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  are  prominent  in  social  circles. 

A  resume  of  the  salient  points  in  the  career 
of  Dr.  Foshay  bring  out  forcibly  his  natural 
traits  of  character  and  the  ability  which  is  his 
both  through  inheritance  and  years  of  study 
and  training.  These  have  made"  it  possible  for 
him  to  grasp  the  opportunity  which  his  keen 


perception  recognized,  and  have  brought  to 
him  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  situation. 
The  ability,  tact  and  power  of  decision  might 
;n  themselves  never  have  accomplished  their 
ends,  to  those  v,'ho  know  him  these  seem  but 
subordinate  qualities,  for  that  which  n.iakes 
them  forceful  is  the  sincerity  of  the  man,  his 
honesty  of  purpose,  and  the  fearless  manhood 
which  has  stood  for  the  right  against  every  ob- 
stacle during  the  course  of  his  splendid  career. 


EDWARD  R.  BR.\DLEY,  M.  D.  A  success- 
ful career  in  his  chosen  field  of  labor  is  accorded 
Dr.  Bradley  by  all  who  know  him,  his  position 
being  one  of  exceptional  importance  in  the  city 
of  Los  Angeles,  where  his  entire  professional 
life  has  been  passed.  He  is  a  native  son  of  the 
state,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Folsoni,  Sac- 
ramento county,  February  24,  1865,  his  father, 
Cyrus  H.  Bradley,  a  native  of  Indiana,  having 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  in  the  year  1852. 
He  was  a  man  of  exceptional  ability  from  his 
earliest  venture  in  a  business  career,  and  although 
much  was  required  of  a  man  in  the  pioneer 
days  of  the  state  to  warrant  success,  he  easily 
assumed  and  held  a  place  of  importance  in  com- 
mercial affairs  of  Sacramento  county.  He  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  in  Folsom  until 
1867,  when  he  went  to  Oakland  and  continued 
in  the  same  line  of  business  until  he  came  to 
the  city  of  Los  Angeles  and  established  the 
business  which  is  now  known  as  the  Los  An- 
geles Furniture  Company.  He  ;iiet  with  suc- 
cess both  as  to  financial  returns  and  the  position 
which  he  won  as  a  citizen  of  worth  and  ability. 
He  is  now  retired  from  the  active  cares  of  life 
and  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  early  industry. 
His  wife,  formerly  Cordelia  A.  Rickey,  is  a 
native  of  Iowa,  in  which  state  she  was  married 
and  shortly  afterward  crossed  the  plains  with  her 
husband  to  found  a  new  home  among  the  un- 
developed resources  of  the  west. 

The  boyhood  of  Edward  R.  Bradley  was 
passed  in  the  paternal  home  in  Folsom,  Oak- 
land and  Los  Angeles,  to  which  latter  city  the 
family  removed  when  he  was  only  a  lad  in  years. 
He  received  a  preliminary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Los  Angeles  and  easily  mastered  the 
studies  as  they  came  to  him  in  advancing  grades, 
graduating  in  1885.  He  was  an  apt  pupil  and 
eager  for  knowledge.  Not  desiring  to  follow 
the  commercial  pursuits  of  his  father,  he  early 
decided  upon  a  professional  career,  and  accord- 
ingly became  a  student  in  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  Southern  California,  now  un- 
der the  presidency  of  his  intimate  friend  and 
brother-in-law,  Dr.  George  F.  Bovard.  Complet- 
ing the  course  in  1SS8  he  went  at  once  to  New 
York  City  and  entered  Bellevue  Hospital,  from 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


757 


which  he  was  oraduated  the  following  year  with 
high  honors.  He  remained  in  the  east  for  a  time, 
accepting  the  position  of  physician  and  surgeon 
of  Bellevvie  Hospital,  where  he  discharged  his 
duties  efficiently.  In  1890  he  returned  to  Los 
Angeles  well  equipped  for  the  practice  which  he 
has  since  built  up,  the  devotion  to  his  profession 
bespeaking  a  successful  career,  while  his  person- 
ality has  won  for  him  the  confidence  of  all  who 
have  had  occasion  to  require  his  services.  He 
is  a  student  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word, 
keeping  well  abreast  of  all  advance  in  medicine 
or  surgery  and  taking  an  unflagging  interest  in 
all  matters  pertaining  to  his  profession,  making 
a  speciality  cf  the  diseases  of  children.  He  is 
a  valued  member  of  various  medical  societies, 
among  them  the  Los  Angeles  County  ^Medical 
Society,  State  Medical  Society  and  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association.  For  the  last  ten  years 
he  has  served  as  physician  and  surgeon  of  the 
Los  Angeles  Orphans  Home,  and  also  in  other 
positions  of  importance. 

In  October,  1893,  Dr.  Bradley  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Virginia  Burton  William- 
son a  native  of  Iowa  and  a  daughter  of  Qiarles 
W.  Williamson  an  old  and  honored  resident 
of  this  city,  and  born  of  this  union  is  one  child, 
Gertrude  Muriel. 


ANDREW  W.  RYAN.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Kilkenny,  Ireland,  Andrew  W.  Ryan  was  born 
April  14,  1844,  a  son  of  Patrick,  likewise  a  native 
of  that  country.  The  elder  man  was  reared  to 
manhood  in  Ireland,  receiving  a  good  common 
school  education.  He  married  Mary  Leahey  and 
in  1852  brought  his  wife  and  children  to  the 
United  States,  after  landing  in  New  York  City 
going  direct  to  Burlington,  Iowa,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  his  death.  Shortly  after  his 
arrival  in  that  city  he  secured  work  as  a  con- 
tractor in  the  construction  of  the  roadbed  for 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad.  Later  he  was  connected  with 
many  of  the  public  works  of  Burlington  and 
through  his  efforts  acquired  a  competency.  The 
death  of  his  wife  also  occurred  in  their  home  in 
that  city. 

Andrew  W.  Ryan  was  eight  years  old  when 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  his  new  home  in 
Burlington,  in  which  city  he  attended  the  public 
and  high  schools,  and  later  entered  Burlington 
University.  In  i860  he  put  aside  his  studies  to 
take  up  the  practical  duties  of  life,  accepting  a 
place  as  clerk  in  a  general  store,  where  he  re- 
mained for  about  two  years.  The  training  thus 
received  was  of  incalculable  benefit  to  him  and 
gave  him  a  knowledge  of  the  business  world 
which  he  found  of  practical  use  in  the  years  that 
followed.     About  this  time  Mr.  Rvan  with  other 


young  men  about  his  age  (only  one  of  the  party 
being  over  nineteen  years  old)  decided  to  seek 
their  fortunes  in  the  more  remote  west,  and  ac- 
cordingly after  having  secured  all  necessary 
equipments  set  out  for  the  trip  across  the  plains. 
Their  journey  was  made  with  mule  teams  and 
without  mishap  to  Virginia  City  and  there  it  was 
unanimously  decided  to  stop  and  engage  in  min- 
ing for  a  time.  They  were  fairly  successful  and 
acquired  some  means,  with  which  they  continued 
their  journey  to  .California,  making  their  way 
on  foot  to  Visalia,  this  state.  There  Mr.  Ryan 
purchased  a  horse  and  came  on  to  Los  Angeles, 
the  others  of  the  party  scattering  to  various 
parts  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Ryan's  first  work  in  this  section  of  Cal- 
ifornia was  in  the  capacity  of  roustabout  at  Wil- 
mington, where  he  continued  until  a  friend  se- 
cured him  employment  as  a  driver  for  General 
Banning,  who  was  then  occupied  in  freighting 
to  the  mines  of  Mexico.  With  the  means  ac- 
cumulated in  the  ensuing  six  months  Mr.  Ryan 
purchased  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Downey  at  a 
time  when  land  was  cheap,  and  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  corn  and  hogs.  Until  1867  he  re- 
mained in  this  occupation  and  while  conducting 
his  agricultural  interests  was  elected  to  the  of- 
fice of  justice  of  the  peace,  which  position  he 
retained  for  six  years.  With  the  passing  years 
he  gradually  assumed  a  place  of  importance  in 
the  affairs  of  the  community  and  as  a  stanch 
adherent  of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party  became  an  important  factor  in  their  ad- 
vancement. In  1875  he  was  elected  assessor  of 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  having  in  the  mean- 
time located  in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  two 
years  later  became  a  member  of  the  city  council 
from  the  third  ward.  In  September,  1884,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Los  Angeles  City 
Water  Company  and  remained  with  them  for 
eighteen  years,  when  the  plant  was  sold  to  the 
city.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  identified  with 
the  State  Bank  and  Trust  Company  as  a  director 
and  appraiser,  at  the  present  time  (1906)  hold- 
ing the  office  of  vice-president,  and  is  also  a 
valued  member  of  the  finance  committee.  For 
a  number  of  years  he  remained  the  owner  of  two 
fine  ranches  in  Los  Angeles  county,  but  later 
disposed  of  them,  being  at  the  present  time, 
however,  the  possessor  of  considerable  valuable 
city  and  county  property. 

In  1864  ]\Tr.  Ryan  was  united  in  marriage 
with  ^liss  Amanda  Johnson,  a  native  of  Texas, 
but  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles  county  since  she 
was  three  years  old.  Her  father,  Micajah 
Johnson,  was  a  pioneer  who  came  to  this  county 
in  1852.  Six  children  were  born  of  this  union, 
of  whom  three  are  now  living,  namely :  William 
A.,  at  home ;  Annie,  the  wife  of  N.  E.  Wilson,  a 
merchant  of  Los  Angeles;  and  Ida,  wife  of  R. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


R.  Sutherland,  manager  of  the  Gregory  Dried 
Fruit  Compan_\-,  at  Colton,  Gal.  Such  men  as  Mr. 
Ryan  increase  materially  the  importance  of  a  city 
or  state  and  add  to  its  prosperity,  for  with  others 
he  is  named  as  a  man  who  stands  out  prom- 
inently as  a  financial  factor  in  its  growth  and  up- 
building. The  intelligence  of  such  men  cannot 
fail  to  be  a  power  for  good  in  local  affairs  and 
their  keen  intellectual  faculties  promote  not  only 
their  individual  success,  but  that  of  their  fellow 
citizens  as  well.  During  his  residence  of  over 
forty  years  in  Southern  Galifornia  Mr.  Ryan 
has  been  identified  with  various  enterprises  and 
has  always  contributed  liberally  of  his  means, 
time  and  influence  toward  the  building  up  and 
maintenance  of  those  interests  that  have  made 
this  part  of  California  what  it  is  today.  He  is 
unostentatious  in  his  manner  and  never  has  de- 
sired public  prominence,  satisfied  that  what  he 
has  done  will  be  a  lasting  remembrance  to  those 
closely  associated  with  him.  In  the  evening  of 
his  days  he  can  look  back  upon  a  work  well  done, 
and  while  he  has  retired  from  active  business 
life  he  still  keeps  in  touch  with  current  events. 
At  his  home,  No.  433  South  Olive  street,  he  ex- 
tends a  hearty  welcome  to  his  friends.  He  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Los  Angeles  county  in  1873 
and  raised  to  the  Royal  .\rch  degree  in  1876. 


D.  WIXSLOW  HUNT,  M.  D.  Prominent 
among  the  leading  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
Southern  California  is  D.  Winslow  Hunt,  M.  D.. 
who  has  built  up  an  extensive  and  remunerative 
practice  in  Glendale,  where  he  is  now  located.  A 
man  of  culture,  possessing  great  business  judg- 
ment, tact  and  ability,  he  has  been  actively 
identified  with  the  higher  interests  of  town  and 
county  since  coming  here,  and  is  widely  and  fa- 
vorably known  in  professional,  financial  and  so- 
cial circles.  A  son  of  Nehemiah  Asa  Hunt,  he 
was  born.  June  11,  1845,  '™  Mason,  Hillsboro 
c(.)unty,  N.  H.,  the  descendant  of  an  old,  well- 
established  family.  The  immigrant  ancestor  of 
that  branch  of  the  Hunt  family  to  which  he  be- 
longs came  from  England  to  this  country  in 
1635,  settling  first  in  Concord,  Mass.,  some  of 
his  descendants  subsequently  becoming  pioneers 
of  Hillsboro  county,  N.  H.  They  were  men  of 
stamina  and  brain,  influential  in  local  and  na- 
tional atTairs,  several  members  of  the  Hunt  fam- 
ily of  New  Hamp.shire  serving  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  One  of  the  memb.ers,  Major  Ed- 
ward B.  Hunt,  was  the  first  husband  of  Helen 
Hunt  Jackson,  the  noted  authoress.  The  sur- 
name. Hunt,  originated  many  hundred  years  ago. 
and  was  spelled  Hunti,  meaning,  in  old  Saxon. 
wolf. 

David  Hunt,  the  doctor's  grandfather,  was  a 
life-long   resident    of    the     Granite    state,     and 


among  its  rocks  and  hills  was  engaged  in  tilling 
the  soil,  his  farm  being  situated  near  Mason,  only 
fifty  miles  from  Boston.  Five  of  his  children, 
three  sons  and  two  daughters,  grew  to  years  of 
maturity.  Une  of  these,  also  named  David 
Hunt,  remained  on  the  old  ancestral  homestead, 
which  he  converted  into  a  dairy  farm.  The  milk 
produced  on  it  he  shipped  to  Boston,  where  he 
received  the  highest  market  price.  He  built  up 
a  substantial  business  in  this  industry,  and  be- 
came wealthy  for  his  time. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  Nehemiah  Asa 
Hunt  acquired  his  elementary  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  IMason,  and  after  preparatory 
study  at  the  academy  in  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  he 
entered  Oberlin  (Ohio)  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  theology  and  medicine.  He 
subsequently  went  to  Illinois,  and  at  the  Jack- 
sonville ^Medical  College  took  a  full  course,  in- 
tending then  to  enter  the  missionary  field  in  for- 
eign countries,  but  to  this  his  friends  would  not 
consent.  Settling  then  in  southern  Illinois,  he 
served  for  many  years  as  home  missionary  in 
Bond  and  Williamson  counties,  and  likewise  prac- 
ticed medicine  and  surgery,  being  very  success- 
ful in  both  professions,  and  performing  many 
operations  of  a  difficult  nature.  In  many  ways 
he  was  a  remarkable  man,  possessing  high  as- 
pirations and  lofty  ideals.  On  retiring  from  ac- 
tive pursuits  he  settled  in  Orange  county.  Gal., 
where  he  resided  for  some  time,  although  he  died 
in  ^Minnesota,  his  death  occurring  in  1900,  at  the 
age  of  four  score  and  four  years.  His  body 
was  brought  back  to  California,  however,  and 
interred  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  at  Riverside, 
beside  that  of  his  beloved  wife,  who  preceded 
him,  passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  Her  maiden  name  was  Clarissa  A.  Con- 
rad. She  bore  him  nine  children,  all  of  whom 
received  college  educations,  and  besides  these 
children  of  their  own  they  brought  up  two 
adopted  children,  giving  to  them  the  same  ten- 
der care  and  love  that  they  did  their  own. 

The  oldest  child  of  the  parental  household,  D. 
Winslow  Hunt,  was  educated  in  a  private  school 
conducted  by  his  father,  then  entered  the  med- 
ical department  of  the  University  of  ]\Iichigan, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1871.  Settling 
as  a  physician  in  Fairmont,  JNIinn..  he  remained 
there  several  years,  meeting  with  success  in  his 
chosen  career.  In  1879  he  took  a  course  of  lec- 
tures under  Dr.  Holmes,  of  Rush  ^Medical  Col- 
lege, on  the  eye  and  ear,  making  this  a  specialty. 
In  i8§7  he  came  with  his  familv  to  California, 
and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  this  state,  and 
an  active  general  practitioner.  Active  and  in- 
terested in  his  professional  work,  he  is  constant- 
ly studying  the  newer  methods  known  to  the 
medical  world,  and  since  his  graduation  has  tak- 
en   two   post-graduate   courses  in   medicine   and 


^."^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


761 


surgery.  For  two  years  he  was  located  in  Ana- 
heim, Orange  county,  where  he  built  up  a  good 
practice,  and  also  conducted  a  drug  store,  and 
for  two  and  one-half  years,  in  order  that  his 
children  might  attend  Pomona  College,  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Po- 
mona, Los  Angeles  county.  Leaving  here  after 
the  death  of  his  wife  he  returned  east  and  took 
a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Post-Graduate 
School  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Chicago, 
then  practiced  two  and  one-half  years  in  his 
brother's  office  in  Minnesota  in  his  specialty. 
Subsequently  he  returned  to  California  and  for 
three  years  gave  particular  attention  to  his  spec- 
ialty in  Redlands.  In  1901  he  settled  in  Glen- 
dale,  where  he  has  built  up  an  excellent  patron- 
age, and  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  influential 
citizens.  In  the  establishment  of  all  improve- 
ments he  takes  deep  interest,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  and  most  zealous  workers  in  securing  the 
present  high  school  building.  He  was  largely 
instrumental  in  getting  the  right  of  way  for  the 
Electric  Interurban  Railway,  being  one  of  the 
largest  donators  to  the  project,  and  serving  as 
president  of  the  finance  committee.  The  doctor 
also  assisted  in  organizing  the  Bank  of  Glendale, 
of  which  he  is  vice-president,  and  one  of  the  di- 
rectorate. 

Dr.  Hunt  has  been  twice  married.  He  mar- 
ried first,  Alice  M.  Skinner,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
who  died  in  Pomona,  Cal.,  and  the  three  chil- 
dred  that  blessed  their  union,  Mabel,  Leigh  and 
Lois,  are  also  deceased.  He  married  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  ]\Irs.  Susie  Kaler,  and  they  have  one 
child,  a  daughter  named  Dorothy.  Politically 
Dr.  Hunt  is  a  Republican  in  national  affairs,  but 
in  local  matters  votes  without  regard  to  party 
lines,  being  true  to  the  courage  of  his  convic- 
tions. Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  and  religious- 
ly he  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  church,  in  which 
he  has  served  as  warden  for  many  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, was  a  charter  member  of  the  Minnesota 
State  Medical  Society,  the  Southern  California 
Medical  Association  and  was  president  of  the 
Pomona  Valley  Medical  Society.  He  also  held 
that  position  in  the  first  United  States  Board  of 
Medical  Examiners  of  Santa  Ana,  being  ap- 
pointed in  1871  in  Martin  county,  Minn.,  and 
holding  his  connection  with  the  United  States 
Medical  Examiners  for  over  twenty  vears. 


JOSEPH  :\I.  HOLDEN,  M.  D.  A  large  and 
constantly  growing  practice  is  the  result  of  the 
efforts  of  Dr.  Joseph  M.  Holden,  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful physicians  of  Long  Beach,  and  one  whose 
work  in  the  line  of  his  profession  has  brought 
him  general  commendation.  He  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  California  since  November,  1892,  spend- 

4n 


ing  his  first  two  }ears  in  San  Francisco,  thence 
coming  to  Southern  California  for  a  few  months, 
and  later  returning  to  Sacramento  for  one  year. 
Following  he  located  in  Pasadena,  where  he 
remained  until  the  fall  of  1899,  and  while  a 
resident  of  that  place  attended  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia, from  which  he  was  graduated  June  16,  1899. 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Locating  at  once  in 
Long  Beach  he  was  associated  for  a  few  months 
with  Dr.  J.  W.  \\'ood,  but  from  1901  practiced 
independently  until  August  i,  1906.  LTpon  the 
latter  date  he  formed  a  partnership  with  A.  C. 
Sellery,  Ph.  B.,  M.  D.,  a  graduate  of  McGill 
University,  of  JNIontreal,  Canada,  and  the}-  es- 
tablished offices  in  the  National  Bank  luiildmg 
in  Long  Beach. 

Born  in  Accrington,  Lancashire,  England, 
April  15.  1874,  Ur.  Holden  was  reared  to  the  age 
of  five  years  in  hi>  native  land,  when  he  was 
brought  l>y  his  parents  to  the  United  States.  His 
father,  James  Holden,  was  a  vocalist  of  some 
note,  but  finally  retired  from  his  profession,  his 
home  now  being  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  where  the 
family  located  when  first  coming  to  this  coun- 
try. His  wife,  formerly  Mary  A.  Newton,  a 
daughter  of  a  prominent  contractor  of  England 
and  granddaughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Newton,  a 
clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  died  in 
California  in  1902.  Longevity  is  a  characteristic 
trait  in  both  paternal  and  maternal  families, 
nearly  all  members  attaining  advanced  years. 
Joseph  M.  Holden  received  his  preliminary  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  of  Rhode  Island 
and  Massachusetts,  but  was  unable  to  complete 
the  course  on  account  of  illness.  Determining 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  to  make  medicine  his 
study  he  thenceforth  bent  every  effort  to  the  ac- 
complishment of  his  plans.  After  his  location  in 
California  this  desire  was  consummated  and  he 
at  once  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
has  met  with  success  and  is  now  numbered  among 
the  prominent  physicians  of  this  section,  being 
a  member  of  the  Southern  California  Medical 
Society,  the  Los  Angeles  County  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, California  State  jMedical  Association  and 
American  Medical  Association.  He  was  the  orig- 
inator and  incorporator  of  the  Long  Beach 
Hospital  Association,  which  has  a  building  of 
sixty-five  rooms.  Dr.  Holden  was  its  first  pres- 
ident and  is  now  one  of  its  principal  stock- 
holders. He  acts  as  examining  physician  for 
eight  of  the  old-line  insurance  companies,  and 
for  the  Woodmen  of  the  \\'orld  and  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  in  both  of  which  he  holds 
membership.  He  also  belongs  to  Long  Beach 
Lodge  No.  ^27,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Long  Beach  Lodge 
N.  888  B.  P.  O.  E. :  Knights  of  Pythias,  belong- 
ing to  the  Uniform  Rank:  and  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.     He  is  very  prominent 


762 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  fraternal  circles  and  holds  a  high  place  in  the 
various  organizations  to  which  he  belongs. 

Dr.  Holden  was  married  in  Long  Beach  to  Lil- 
lian A.  Caswell,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and 
a  woman  of  culture  and  refinement.  He  is  iden- 
tified with  the  growth  and  advancement  of  Long 
Beach,  in  whose  future  he  holds  a  firm  belief 
and  has  invested  his  means  in  various  pieces  of 
property.  He  built  the  first  house  on  American 
avenue  near  the  site  of  the  high  school,  and  is 
now  erecting  a  fine  residence,  which  is  in  castle 
architecture  and  very  unique,  at  No.  915  Amer- 
ican avenue;  the  entire  building  is  of  cement, 
and  contains  eight  large  rooms  and  hall,  two 
stories  in  height.  Dr.  Holden  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Odd  Fellows'  Building  Association  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  development  of 
the  city.  He  is  a  man  of  scholarly  tastes  and 
has  a  select  libran--,  while  his  love  for  travel 
has  been  gratified  by  three  trips  to  England,  the 
land  of  his  birth,  and  extensive  tours  throughout 
the  southern  states. 


HENRY  FULLER.  Bryn  :Mawr  is  fortu- 
nate in  the  possession  of  citizens  whose  efforts 
to  maintain  and  develop  the  best  interests  of  the 
place  lie  parallel  with  their  efforts  toward  a 
personal  success,  and  prominent  among  such  is 
Henry  Fuller,  known,  honored  and  esteemed 
throughout  this  section  of  Southern  California. 
The  characteristics  which  have  distinguished  his 
career  are  an  inheritance  from  an  old  eastern 
family  on  the  paternal  side,  and  a  New  Eng- 
land ancestry  on  the  maternal  side.  He  was  born 
in  Peru,  Clinton  county,  N  Y.,  January  6,  1846, 
a  son  of  James  and  El'mira  (Mills)  Fuller,  both 
natives  of  Vermont,  the  father  dying  in  Peru, 
N.  Y.,  after  a  life  spent  in  farming,  and  the  moth- 
er in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.  They  were  the  parents 
of  three  children,  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Nathan 
Weaver,  living  in  Peru,  N.  Y.,  where  a  son,  Ed- 
ward, died. 

In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  Henry 
Fuller  was  prepared  for  higher  training,  after 
which  he  became  a  student  in  the  Plattsburg 
Academy.  At  the  close  of  his  schooldays  he  be- 
gan farming  for  a  livelihood,  and  on  the  loth 
of  September,  1867,  he  married  Miss  Helen  Day. 
She  was  also  a  native  of  Peru,  N.  Y.,  and  a 
daughter  of  Edward  and  grand-daughter  of 
Rufus,  both  farmers  of  New  York,  where  they 
both  passed  away  at  advanced  ages.  The  pater- 
nal great-grandfather,  Ezra,  born  in  Connecti- 
cut of  English  ancestry,  served  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  while  his  son,  Rufus,  was  a  patriot 
in  the  war  of  1812.  The  old  Day  homestead  in 
New  York  is  still  in  the  family.  Edward  Day 
married  Maria  Sturtevant.  a  native  of  Westport. 
N.  Y.,  and  a  daughter  of  Elisha  Sturtevant,  of 


Holland-Dutch  descent,  her  mother  being  before 
marriage  Miss  Wright,  a  daughter  of  the  General 
Wright  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Mrs.  Day  passed 
away  in  Los  Angeles,  leaving  a  family  of  three 
children,  namely :  Mrs.  Stafford,  of  Los  Angeles ; 
Charles  E.,  a  merchant  of  Los  Angeles,  who  died 
in  1902 ;  and  Helen,  Mrs.  Fuller,  the  eldest,  who 
was  educated  in  the  North  Granville  Seminary. 

The  year  following  their  marriage  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fuller  located  in  Vergennes,  Vt.,  where 
he  engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  and  also 
the  manufacture  of  excelsior.  June  16,  1875, 
they  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  in  Los  An- 
geles, Cal.,  Mr.  Fuller  established  a  wholesale 
manufacturing  business  on  Elmira  street,  manu- 
facturing furniture,  and  was  later  located  on 
North  Main  street,  then  engaging  in  a  retail 
business  at  No.  313  South  Main  street.  For 
some  years  the  firm  had  been  known  as  Fuller 
&  Day,  but  at  the  time  of  the  removal  to  South 
Main  street  it  was  changed  to  Henry  Fuller 
&  Co.  In  1896  Mr.  Fuller  sold  out  this  business 
interest,  and  having  in  the  meantime  (1890) 
made  a  trip  to  Redlands  he  purchased  the  proper- 
ty which  has  since  been  made  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  homes  in  Southern  California.  It  was 
then  wild,  sage-brush  land,  with  no  promise  of 
such  magnificent  development,  but  in  1896  he 
began  its  cultivation  and  improvement,  erecting 
a  fine  residence,  barns  and  outbuildings,  and  finally 
adding  to  the  original  purchase  of  twenty  acres 
a  tract  of  fifty  acres.  This  makes  a  seventy- 
acre  ranch,  of  which  thirty  acres  are  in  navel 
oranges  and  forty  acres  in  valencias,  one  of  the 
finest  groves  in  Bryn  Mawr,  lying  on  a  beauti- 
ful' slope  of  the  foothills,  and  overlooking  the 
whole  of  San  Bernardino  valley. 

The  birth  of  four  children  blessed  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Fuller  and  his  wife:  Percy,  an  attorney- 
at-law  in  San  Francisco;  Harry,  connected  with 
the  Fruit  Dispatch  Company  of  Columbus,  Ohio, 
where  he  resides ;  Leslie,  a  student  in  Pomona 
College,  class  of  1907 ;  and  Charles,  a  student 
'  in  the  same  institution,  class  of  1910.  Both  Mr. 
Fuller  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Redlands,  whose  charities 
are  liberally  supported  by  both  their  means  and 
time.  They  are  especially  interested  in  foreign 
missions,  and  are  individually  maintaining  three 
missionaries,  one  in  Tokio,  Japan,  and  two  in 
India,  while  their  Sunday-school  class  supports 
seven  others  in  this  noble  work.  Mr.  Fuller 
is  an  enterprising  and  progressive  citizen  and 
takes  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  matters 
of  public  import.  He  votes  the  Republican  ticket 
and  gives  his  support  to  the  principles  he  en- 
dorses. He  has  made  two  trips  around  the  world 
and  one  to  the  Orient,  the  first  being  in  igo2, 
when  with  his  son  Leslie  he  circumnavigated  the 
globe ;  he  made  the  trip  to  the  Orient  in  1905 ; 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


763 


and  in  1906  with  his  wife  he  went  to  England 
and  over  the  European  continent,  his  wife  re- 
turning to  the  United  States  and  he  continuing 
around  the  world  and  returning  home  by  the 
Pacific.  He  has  written  many  interesting  articles 
on  his  journeyings  especially  as  regards  missions, 
with  which  he  is  constantly  in  touch.  The  citi- 
zenship of  Mr.  Fuller  has  been  such  as  to  win 
for  him  a  high  place  among  the  representative 
men  of  Southern  California,  where  he  is  held 
in  universal  esteem  both  for  his  business  acumen 
and  his  personal  qualities  of  character. 


_  NELS  OTTO  TORSTENSON.  After  a  con- 
siderable experience  in  various  occupations  on 
May  I,  1899,  Mr.  Torstenson  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment as  ranger,  from  which  May  5,  1902,  he  was 
promoted  to  be  chief  of  the  rangers.  In  this 
capacity  he  had  the  oversight  of  twenty-two  men 
and  a  district  aggregating  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  acres,  forming  what  is  known  as 
the  San  Bernardino  forest  reserve.  The  duties 
of  the  position  obliged  him  to  spend  much  of 
his  time  on  horseback  and  to  inspect  all  points 
on  the  mountains  where  it  was  possible  for  a 
man  to  go;  hence  the  occupation  was  fatiguing, 
yet  such  was  his  vitality  and  such  his  power  of 
endurance  that  he  performed  the  work  with  ease 
and  unwearied  alacrity.  In  September  1906, 
he  was  appointed  to  investigate  and  report  upon 
the  San  Luis  Obispo  and  Monterey  forest  re- 
serves, accomplishing  the  work  during  October 
and  November.  In  December  he  was  permanent- 
ly transferred  as  ranger  in  charge  of  the  Monte- 
rey reserve  and  appointed  supervisor  of  it  and 
the  Pinacles  reserve  on  December  31,   1907. 

Early  in  life  Mr.  Torstenson  was  qualified 
for  forestry  work  through  a  course  of  training 
in  the  government  forest  schools  of  Sweden, 
where  also  he  received  an  excellent  education 
in  common  and  high  schools.  A  native  of  the 
southern  district  of  Sweden,  he  was  born  at 
Helsinglx)rg  near  the  sound,  January  13,  i860, 
his  father,  Olaf,  having  married  Elna  Mattison, 
a  native  of  that  region,  where  they  passed  many 
years  and  reared  their  children.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  Mr.  Torstenson  was  confirmed  in 
the  Lutheran  Qiurch.  On  starting  out  to  earn 
his  livelihood  he  was  employed  by  a  prominent 
business  man  of  the  town,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained for  two  years  as  private  secretary,  and 
then  clerked  in  a  store  for  three  years.  During 
the  next  eighteen  months  he  studied  in  a  college 
of  forestry,  after  which  for  five  years  he  acted 
as  forester  on  private  estates  of  Swedish  gentle- 
men. 

On  coming  to  the  United  States  and  landing 
in  New  York  November  19,  1886,  Mr.  Torsten- 
son   proceeded    to    Qnicago    and    from,   there    to 


Iowa,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  forty  miles 
east  of  Sioux  City.  A  year  later  he  came  to 
California,  arriving  at  San  Diego  on  the  day 
before  Christmas  in  1887,  and  since  then  he  has 
resided  in  the  state.  After  a  brief  experience 
as  a  carpenter  in  San  Diego,  June  of  1888  found 
him  engaged  as  an  employe  in  a  sawmill  in  the 
San  Jacinto  mountains,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years.  Next  he  went  to  San  Francisco  and 
took  up  carpentering  but  soon  left  that  city  for 
Duncan  Mills,  where  he  was  employed  at  mill 
work.  Returning  from  there  to  San  Francisco, 
he  shortly  afterward  met  the  foreman  of  the 
Riverside  Box  and  Tray  Company  and  engaged 
to  accompany  him  to  Riverside.  For  nearly 
two  years  he  worked  in  that  company's  factory. 
During  1891  he  located  a  homestead  on  the 
mountains,  and  in  1894  began  to  work  as  a 
carpenter  at  Squirrel  Inn,  where  he  remained 
until  1899,  meanwhile  building  many  of  the  most 
attractive  cottages  at  the  resort.  Eventually  he 
gave  up  carpentering  in  order  to  accept  a  position 
on  the  forestry  reserve,  as  previously  mentioned. 
Few  men  in  the  west  are  more  thoroughly  con- 
versant with  the  forestry  business  than  he,  and 
his  judgment  is  sought  in  problems  connected 
with  the  care  and  preservation  of  the  forests. 

For  some  years  after  coming  to  California  Mr. 
Torstenson  remained  a  bachelor,  but  October  22, 
1898.  he  established  domestic  ties,  being  then 
united  with  Dora  M.  Rasmussen,  daughter  of 
Nels  and  Siveline  Catherine  (Benson)  Rasmus- 
sen;  Mrs.  Torstenson  was  born  May  9,  1880,  in 
Kolding,  Denmark,  a  short  distance  north  of 
the  present  German  kingdom  of  Schleswig.  Her 
death  occurred  October  17,  1900,  in  their  San 
Bernardino  home,  since  which  time  her  only 
child,  Elna  Dora  (born  July  26,  1899)  has  been' 
cared  for  in  the  home  of  Mrs.  Hanson,  at  Sky- 
land.  The  only  fraternal  organization  to  which 
Mr.  Torstenson  belongs  is  the  Masons,  in  which 
he  was  initiated  during  his  sojourn  in  Iowa,  after- 
ward transferring  his  membership  to  the  blue 
lodge  at  San  Bernardino,  and  since  coming  to 
the  west  he  has  risen  to  the  Red  Cross  degree 
in  the  order. 


T.  V.  DODD.  Prominent  among  the  intelli- 
gent and  progressive  men  who  have  been  influ- 
ential in  advancing  the  educational  interests  of 
San  Diego  county  is  T.  V.  Dodd,  of  Oceanside. 
A  pioneer  resident  of  this  place,  he  takes  a  gen- 
uine interest  in  promoting  its  welfare,  aiding  its 
growth  in  all  possible  w'ays.  heartily  endorsing 
and  supporting  all  beneficial  projects. 

A  son  of  Thomas  M.  Dodd,  he  was  born,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1842,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  his 
earlier  years  were  passed.  His  father  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  but  in  earlv  manhood  settled  a? 


764 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  contractor  and  bnilder  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He 
married  Adeline  jNIcSusan,  who  was  born  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio.,  and  also  died  there.  The  father 
died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years.  They 
had  a  large  family,  twelve  children  being  born 
of  their  union. 

Brought  up  in  Cinciiuinti.  T.  V.  Dodd  received 
his  earl)-  education  in  the  city  schools,  after  which 
he  attended  the  college  at  Ahiores  Hill,  Ind.,  and 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Terre  Haute,  that 
state.  Thus  well  prepared  for  a  professional 
career  he  taught  school  at  Madison,  Ind.,  meeting 
with  much  success.  Going  then  to  Lawrence- 
burg,  Ind.,  he  served  as  superintendent  of  schools 
in  that  place  for  six  years.  Feeling  then  the 
need  of  a  change  of  residence  and  occupation,  he 
came  to  California  in  1887,  locating  in  Ocean- 
side,  which  was  then  a  mere  hamlet,  its  present 
])rosperous  condition  then  being  scarcely  dreamed 
of.  The  first  piece  of  land  which  Mr.  Dodd 
bought  after  coming  here  he  sold,  making  some 
money  in  the  transaction.  He  subsequently  pur- 
chased his.  present  home  place,  and  in  its  im- 
provement has  spared  neither  time  nor  expense. 
.\  fine  horticulturist  and  florist,  he  engaged  in 
the  nursury  business  for  two  years,  and  has  at 
the  present  time  more  than  one  thousand  varieties 
of  plant  life  on  his  ranch,  and  one  of  the  finest 
botanical  gardens  to  be  found  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia. Again  resuming  his  former  occupa- 
tion, J\Ir.  Dodd  was  employed  in  teaching  near 
the  old  Mission  for  four  years.  He  afterwards 
taught  two  years  in  Oceanside,  six  years  at  Qiul- 
avista.  two  years  at  South  Oceanside.  and  is 
now  engaged  in  his  botanical  w"ork. 

In  1869  !\Ir.  Dodd  married  Catherine  Cope, 
who  was  born  in  Indiana,  of  English  ancestry, 
and  they  have  one  son.  Rev.  Arthur  C.  Dodd, 
who  is  a  post  graduate  of  the  divinity  school  in 
San  !Mateo. 


ROBERT  HICKS.  A  half-mile  west  of  El 
Monte  is  located  the  ranch  owned  b\'  Robert 
Hicks,  one  of  the  enterprising  citizens  of  the 
community  and  a  man  of  stanch  integrity  and 
honor.  He  came  to  California  on  Christmas 
day,  1886.  in  the  vigor  of  young  manhood,  with 
nothing  but  the  qualities  inherited  from  sturdy 
and  enterprising  English  and  Scotch  ancestry  to 
aid  him  in  the  pursuit  of  a  livelihood.  Locating 
in  El  ^fonte  within  a  few  years  he  had  accum- 
ulated sufficient  means  to  enable  him  to  purchase 
property,  to  which  he  has  continued  to  add  until 
today  he  is  one  of  the  prosperous  citizens  of  the 
community.  Mr.  Hicks  is  a  native  ofEranklin 
county,  Ark.,  born  January  12.  1856,  the  eldest  of 
two  sons  and  three  daughters  born  to  his  parents, 
Robert  and  Abigail  (Bourland)  Hicks.  The 
father  was  Ixirn  in  Breathitt  countv,  Kv..  a  son 


ctf  Robert  Hicks,  who  removed  from  Mrginia  to 
Kentucky  in  the  early  days  of  its  statehood  and 
engaged  as  a  farmer  until  his  death.  In  1854 
the  younger  Robert  Hicks  removed  to  Franklin 
county,  Ark.,  improved  a  farm  from  the  timber 
lands  and  died  on  the  home  place  in  1882.  Al- 
though of  southern  birth  and  lineage  he  was  a 
stanch  Union  man  and  was  made  to  suifer  by  the 
secessionists  in  his  locality;  he  served  at  Fort 
Smith  in  the  commissary  department,  while  his 
son  Isaac  was  a  teamster  in  the  Union  army.  The 
mother,  who  also  died  in  Arkansas,  was  a  native 
of  Alabama  and  a  daughter  of  John  Bourland. 
a  farmer  and  stockman  of  that  state,  who  later 
removed   to   Franklin   county,   Ark. 

Robert  Hicks  was  reared  on  the  paternal  farm 
in  Arkansas  and  educated  in  the  public  schools 
after  the  close  of  the  war,  during  which  struggle 
the  family  were  harassed  by  the  rebels,  who  at 
one  time  attempted  to  frighten  him  into  telling 
where  the  provisions  of  the  farm  were  secreted 
by  threats  of  hanging.  He  remained  at  home' 
until  attaining  his  majority,  after  which  he  at- 
tended White  Oak  Academv,  of  Franklin  county, 
to  complete  his  academic  course.  Later  he  re- 
cei\eii  the  appointment  of  deputy  sheriff  of 
Franl<lir.  onuiity  under  Dick  Shores,  and  served 
for  one  term.  Coming  to  California  in  1886  he 
entered  the  employ  of  L.  J.  Rose,  a  ranchman  in 
the  vicinity  of  El  Monte  located  on  a  nine  hun- 
dred and  seventy-six-acre  tract  and  after  twelve 
months  he  became  foreman,  a  position  which  he 
held  for  nine  years.  He  then  resigned  to  en- 
gage in  farming  for  himself,  purchasing  fourteen 
acres  of  the  property  he  now  owns,  continuing 
to  add  to  it  until  he  now  owns  thirty  acres  in 
this  piece,  located  on  the  Los  Angeles  and  San 
Bernardino  road,  all  in  walnuts,  and  bringing 
him  good  financial  returns  each  year. 

In  Ozark,  Ark.,  February  12,  1891,  Mv.  Hicks 
married  Miss  Serena  Jefifers,  who  was  born  there 
the  daughter  of  Daniel  Jeffers.  The  ancestors  of 
the  Jefifers  family  were  early  settlers  in  Virginia, 
where  the  name  flourished  for  generations.  Dan- 
iel Jeffers  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  an  early 
settler  in  Arkansas.  Both  before  and  after  the 
war  he  engaged  as  a  farmer  and  merchant,  but 
is  now  living  retired  in  Franklin  countv,  re- 
taining his  health  and  faculties  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  In  Masonic  circles  he  is  prom- 
ment  and  in  religion  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  He  married  Martha 
Stanley,  who  was  born  in  Virginia,  a  daughter 
of  Solomon  .Stanlev.  who  died  in  that  state  many 
years  ago.  Mrs.  Jefifers  still  survives.  She  be- 
came the  mother  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  ten 
are  now  living,  Mrs.  Hicks  being  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  and  the  only  one  in  California. 
She  was  educated  in  White  Oak  Academy,  in 
Franklin  county,  and  after  her  marriage  came  to 


Jj^j-^^^^^^^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


767 


California  with  lier  husband.  They  became  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely :  Harry,  Stan- 
ley, Raymond,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years 
and  four  months,  and  Mildred. 

Mr.  Hicks  is  independent  in  his  views  on  poli- 
tics, reserving  the  right  to  cast  his  ballot  for 
the  man  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  for 
official  service.  He  is  a  strong  temperance  man, 
and  stands  for  law  and  order  at  all  times.  He 
is  now  serving  as  deputy  sheriflf  under  Mr.  White 
while  he  served  as  trustee  of  the  Savannah  school 
for  one  term.  Both  himself  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which 
he  officiates  as  elder,  trustee  and  steward. 


HENRY  W.  MILLS,  U.  R.  C.  S.  &  L. 
R.  C.  P.,  London.  The  civilization  of  the 
twentieth  century  places  first-class  hospital 
service  among  the  necessities  of  all  progres- 
sive cities.  No  era  has  devoted  as  much  at- 
tention to  the  scientific  and  sanitary  care  of 
the  sick  as  has  the  present  age,  and  in  this 
respect  Southern  California  has  not  proved 
remiss  in  duty,  for  her  hospitals  rank  with 
the  finest  in  the  United  States.  Marlborough 
hospital,  which  was  established  at  San  Ber- 
nardino in  January,  1904,  by  Dr.  Mills,  for- 
merly of  England,  is  one  of  the  recent  addi- 
tion to  the  hospital  equipment  of  the  state, 
but  already  holds  a  position  among  the  most 
popular  and  efficient.  On  the  corner  of 
Fourth  and  E  streets  stands  the  building  which 
has  been  fitted  up  for  a  hospital,  with  per- 
fect ventilation,  sanitary  appointments,  sub- 
stantial furnishings  and  large  rooms  equipped 
with  ever3-thing  necessary  for  the  purpose  in- 
tended. Every  facility  has  been  supplied  for 
the  most  intricate  and  important  surgical  op- 
erations, and  treatment  b}'  asepticism  is  strict- 
ly followed. 

Dr.  Mills  is  a  native  of  England,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Herefordshire  in  1872; 
in  King  Edward  VI  grammar  school  he  pre- 
pared for  higher  training  and  later  availed 
himself  of  excellent  classical  advantages.  Hav- 
ing early  resolved  to  follow  the  medical  pro- 
fession he  took  a  complete  course  in  the  Roy- 
al College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of 
London,  graduating  therefrom  in  1895,  and 
having  bestowed  upon  him  bv  his  alma  mater 
the  titles  of  M.  R.  C.  S.  and  L.  R.  C.  P.,  of 
England.  After  having  completed  his  studies 
in  college  Dr.  Mills  practiced  in  Gloucester- 
shire in  the  vicinity  of  his  early  home,  and 
there  he  gradually  established  an  important 
clientele,  rising  to  a  position  of  local  promi- 
nence as  a  .skilled  practitioner,  successful  diag- 
nostician and  especially  as  a  first-class  ab- 
dominal   surgeon.      Eor'  eight     years     he     re- 


mained in  the  same  location,  but  at  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  reports  concerning  the 
climate  of  California  led  him  to  seek  a  home 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  a  decision  which  his  pres- 
ent success  leaves  him  no  reason  to  regret. 
Since  his  removal  to  the  new  world  he  has 
given  his  attention  so  closely  to  professional 
labors  that  he  has  had  no  leisure  for  participa- 
tion in  public  aiifairs  and  fraternal  organiza- 
tions. However,  he  is  keenly  alive  to  the  im- 
portance of  promoting  measures  for  the  gen- 
eral welfare  and  in  devotion  to  his  adopted 
country  he  is  unsurpassed  by  none.  !\Iove- 
ments  for  the  development  of  local  resources 
receive  his  support  and  no  duty  devolving  up- 
on a  public-spirited  citizen  is  neglected ;  yet 
it  is  as  a  physician  and  more  especially  as  a 
surgeon  that  he  is  best  known  and  most  hon- 
ored in  Southern  California. 

Dr.  Mills  has  a  large  general  practice  and 
in  the  Anderson  building  has  a  suite  of  rooms 
simply  yet  elegantly  furnished.  Here  he  has 
his  office  and  during  office  hours  attends  to 
the  professional  needs  of  his  patients.  Much 
of  his  time,  however,  is  devoted  to  the  Marl- 
borough hospital,  where  he  is  the  dominant 
factor  in  the  maintenance  of  the  reputation 
which  is  already  attached  to  this  institution, 
the  success  he  has  achieved  placing  him  in  the 
foremost  rank  of  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
Southern  California  and  indeed  of  the  entire 
state.  He  is  identified  with  several  medical 
societies,  among  them  San  Bernardino  Medi- 
cal Society,  and  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. Dr.  I\lills  also  holds  the  chair  of 
genito-urinary  and  venereal  diseases  in  the 
(/ollege  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  has  an  office  in  the  Delta  build- 
ing in  that  city.  Personally  the  doctor  is  a 
man  of  winning  characteristics,  genial  and 
kindly  in  disposition,  and  hospitable  to  all 
who  meet  him,  and  by  the  force  of  his  man- 
hood, his  sterling  integrity  and  conscientious 
discharge  of  duty  he  has  won  a  high  position 
among  the  representative  citizens"  of  South- 
ern California. 


JAMES  .AlcGREGOR  ERASER.  Widely 
known  as  a  prosperous  agriculturist  of  Ramona. 
James  J\IcG.  Eraser  has  been  very  successful 
m  the  work  to  which  he  has  devoted  his  time 
and  attention  for  thirty  or  more  years,  his  home 
ranch  comparing  favorably  in  size,  location,  fer- 
tility and  productiveness,  with  any  in  the  vicinitv. 
Honest,  industrious  and  capable,  he  is  numbered 
among  the  citizens  of  good  repute  and  high  stand- 
mg  in  the  commimity.  and  as  a  man  of  integ- 
rity is  held  in  high  respect.  He  was  born,  Juh- 
20,    1832,  in  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  obtained  a 


768 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


practical  common  school  education.  His  father, 
John  Fraser,  a  life-long  farmer,  spent  his  sixty- 
four  years  of  life  in  Nova  Scotia,  there  marry- 
ing Margaret  Fraser,  who  survived  him,  dying 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  Eight  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  two  of  whom  are  living, 
namely :  James  McG.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
and  Kate  Wagner,  a  resident  of  Nova  Scotia. 
The  parents  were  true  Christian  people,  and  ac- 
tive members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

On  leaving  school  James  McG.  Fraser  learned 
the  mason's  trade,  which  he  subsequently  follow- 
ed in  his  native  town  for  two  years.  Immigrating 
to  Massachusetts  in  1856,  he  worked  as  a  plas- 
terer in  Boston  for  a  few  years.  Migrating  to 
California  in  i860,  he  lived  for  two  years  in  San 
Francisco,  and  the  ensuing  six  years  was  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  mining  in  Oregon,  Idaho, 
and  Montana.  Subsequently,  after  spending  an- 
other year  in  San  Francisco,  he  followed  his  trade 
in  San  Diego  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1874 
he  located  on  his  present  ranch,  which  he  pur- 
chased from  the  government  as  a  homestead 
claim,  and  on  its  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  has  since  been  busily  and  successfully 
engaged  in  general   farming  and   stock   raising. 

In  1877  Mr.  Fraser  married  Emily  Aldrich,  a 
native  of  Michigan,  but  a  resident  of  California 
since  1874.  and  one  of  the  pioneer  teachers  of 
San  Diego  county,  being  the  first  teacher  in  Fall- 
brook.  They  have  two  children,  namely :  Guy, 
residing  in  Berkeley,  Cal.,  and  Ella  Harriett,  a 
teacher  at  Spring  Hill.  Politically  Mr.  Fraser 
stanchly  supports  the  principles  of  the  Republi- 
can party.  In  religious  belief  he  is  true  to  the 
doctrine  in  which  he  was  trained,  being  a  Pres- 
byterian, while  Mrs.  Fraser  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


BAKER  PERKINS  LEE.  The  Rev 
Mr.  Lee,  who  is  at  present  rector  of 
Christ  Episcopal  Church,  Los  Angeles,  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  brilliant  or- 
ators in  the  church.  He  is  young,  elo- 
quent, enthusiastic,  fearless  and  liberal.  These 
qualities  have  endeared  him  to  the  great  body 
of  the  church,  and  those  outside  of  it  who  care 
nothing  for  litanies  and  prayer  books  and  have 
no  reverence  for  amice  and  stole,  but  to  whose 
hearts  geniality  and  nobility  are  a  passport  and 
liberality  of  thought  and  opinion  a  sign  of  in- 
vitation and  a  symbol  of  fellowship.  Gifted  by 
nature  with  unusual  powers  of  personal  magnet- 
ism and  by  grace  with  a  heart  regenerated  from 
"malice,  hatred  and  all  uncharitableness"  he  has 
shown  how  closely  affiliated  may  be  the  pulpit 
and  the  pew ;  how  the  Christian  may  be  in  the 
world  and  not  of  it.  Faces  rarely  before  seen 
inside  of  a  church  building  look   into  his  with 


rapt  attention  while  he  tells  the  "old,  old  story." 
Men  whose  boast  it  is  that  they  needed  not  the 
Divine  help  have  forgotten  their  avowed  skepti- 
cism in  appreciation  of  a  brother  man  who  showed 
them  the  sweetness  of  religious  faith  without  the 
fetters  of  religious  dogma.  Young  men  whose 
wont  it  was  to  avoid  "the  cloth"  find  in  the  warm- 
hearted preacher  the  cameraderie  of  good  fellow- 
ship and  ardent,  impulsive  affection.  Many  a 
mother  has  gone  to  this  lover  of  mankind  and 
asked  him  to  quietly  seek  out  her  wayward  boy,  to 
reclaim  him  from  evil  haunts  and  habits,  for  his 
special  work  and  influence  has  been  among  men, 
and  he  is  known  as  a  man's  preacher.  In  his 
sermons  he  uses  no  manuscript,  but  with  rapid, 
clear  delivery  and  characteristic  force  presents 
one  exquisite  picture  after  another  with  mar- 
velously  vivid  and  ornate  word  painting. 

As  the  name  would  suggest  the  Lees  are  of 
southern  origin,  and  were  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers in  Virginia,  being  direct  descendants  of 
Richard  Henry  Lee.  Through  Francis  Lee,  the 
great-grandfather,  the  line  continues  through 
William  Lee  to  Baker  P.  Lee,  Sr.,  also  a  native  of 
A^irginia,  whose  father  owned  large  estates  which 
had  been  in  the  family  for  several  generations. 
His  wife  was  Mary  Esther  Simpkins.  Baker  P. 
Lee,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Hampton  in  1869.  He  was 
provided  with  exceptional  advantages  for  an  ed- 
ucation, entering  as  a  student  in  the  State  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  Staunton  and  later  the  Virginia 
]\Iilitary  Institute,  which  is  recognized  as  the 
West  Point  of  the  south. 

Following  his  graduation  therefrom  in  1892 
he  taught  for  one  year  in  the  Danville  Military 
Institute,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  was 
to  join  his  father,  Judge  Baker  P.  Lee,  a  noted 
politician  and  lawyer,  in  his  ofiice,  as  he  had  been 
educated  and  intended  for  the  law,  but  it  was  at 
this  juncture  his  thoughts  and  attentions  were 
turned  towards  preparation  for  the  ministry,  his 
entrance  in  the  Episcopal  Theological  Seminary 
at  Alexandria,  Va.,  following.  After  a  course  of 
three  years  in  this  institution  he  was  ordained  a 
minister  in  June,  1896,  and  in  August  of  the 
same  year  was  united  in  marriasre  to  Miss  Lulu 
Lee  Skinner,  of  Danville,  Va.,  a  daughter  of  The- 
odore Clay  Skinner,  a  representative  of  one  of 
the  prominent  old  families  of  that  state.  The  fol- 
lowing children  were  born  to  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee,  Baker  P.,  Jr.,  Theodore  Skin- 
ner, Lionel  Randolph  (deceased),  Lulu  Cortlandt 
(deceased),  Alicia  Ludwell  and  Richard  Henry, 

Mr.  Lee's  first  charge  was  in  Farmville, 
Prince  Edward  county,  Va.,  having  four  congre- 
gations under  his  care,  and  as  these  were  quite 
scattered  his  labors  were  much  more  fatiguing 
as  a  consequence.  It  was  the  rule  rather  than 
the  exception  that  he  conducted  three  services 
each  Sunday  during  this  time.     Leaving  Farm- 


/-^C-^"^^1^_ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


771 


ville  he  accepted  a  charge  at  Columbia,  Tenn., 
leaving  there  two  and  a  half  years  later  to  be- 
come dean  of  the  Cathedral  at  Lexington.  It  was 
while  filling  the  latter  charge  that  he  was  called 
to  Grace  Church,  Chicago,  111.,  which  is  con- 
ceded to  be  the  largest  congregation  of  the 
Episcopal  faith  west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains. 
A  very  successful  pastorate  in  the  diocese  of 
Lexington  was  brought  to  a  close  by  his  call  to 
and  acceptance  of  the  charge  of  Qirist  Church, 
Los  Angeles,  which  responsible  position  he  has 
filled  from  May  i,  1905,  up  to  the  present  time. 

Since  locating  in  Los  Angeles  Mr.  Lee  has 
exerted  a  wide  influence  for  good  in  the  religious 
as  well  as  secular  circles.  The  following  is  taken 
from  the  official  organ  of  the  church.  "The 
growth  of  this  church  since  the  present  rector 
has  been  here  almost  surpasses  belief.  The 
members  of  the  church  have  some  vague  ideas 
concerning  the  growth  and  activities  of  the  par- 
ish, but  comparatively  few  realize  what  has  ac- 
tually been  accomplished.  It  seems  incredible 
that  one  man  could  do  what  the  rector  has  done. 

"When  he  came  to  this  church  there  were  a 
little  more  than  six  hundred  members.  In  the 
last  year  the  membership  has  increased  to  more 
than  twelve  hundred.  This  is  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  the  Episcopal  Church  that  a  parish  of 
any  size  has  doubled  its  membership  in  one  year. 
Christ  Church  is  now  the  largest  Episcopal 
Church  west  of  Chicago,  nearly  all  of  which 
is  due  to  the  energy  and  foresight  of  one  man, 
who  saw  the  glorious  possibilities  that  lay  before 
the  parish,  and  knew  how  to  direct  and  guide  our 
movements  so  as  to  obtain  the  best  results. 

"In  exterior  the  church  stands  without  a  peer 
in  architectural  design  and  beauty,  it  being  con- 
structed of  stone.  The  interior  arrangements  are 
of  the  latest  design,  appropriateness  and  harmony 
being  noticeable  even  in  the  smallest  details.  The 
acoustic  properties  have  received  special  atten- 
tion, resulting  in  an  arrangement  by  which  it  is 
possible  for  the  speaker  to  be  distinctly  heard  in 
the  most  remote  part  of  the  building  without 
undue  effort  on  the  part  of  either  speaker  or 
hearer.  Christ  Church  claims  the  distinction  of 
having  the  only  telephone  system  in  the  United 
States  by  means  of  which  those  of  the  congrega- 
tion who  are  unable  to  attend  the  services  may 
receive  every  word  of  the  service  in  their  homes. 
This  is  a  unique  plan  and  one  which  is  original 
with  the  present  rector,  who  had  it  installed  after 
he  assumed  charge  of  the  congregation.  The 
music  is  furnished  by  a  vested  choir  of  seventy 
voices. 

"The  rector  takes  a  special  interest  in  the 
children  and  young  people  of  his  congregation, 
for  he  realizes  that  on  their  spiritual  training 
depends  the  future  of  the  church  in  particular, 
and  the  well  being  of  the  nation  in  general.  With 


this  idea  in  mind  he  has  made  a  special  effort 
to  make  the  Sunday  school  attractive  and  thus 
hold  the  interest  and  keep  up  the  attendance 
of  the  pupils.  His  inauguration  of  a  military 
system  in  the  work  of  the  school  has  had  the 
desired  effect,  a  plan  which  appeals  to  children 
from  the  fact  that  each  has  a  part  to  perform  and 
each  one  takes  a  personal  pride  and  interest  in 
the  success  of  the  whole.  There  is  a  physical 
culture  class  for  girls,  two  cadet  corps  for  boys 
and  a  vested  choir  for  the  Sunday  school  of  over 
fifty  trained  children's  voices  which  furnish  music 
for  the  Sunday  school  and  the  children's  serv- 
ice held  once  a  month  in  the  church. 

"Important  missionary  work  is  being  done  by 
competent  laymen  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Lee,  but  the  work  nearest  the  rector's  heart  is  the 
Men's  Church  Club.  Plans  for  the  erection  of  a 
handsome  club  house  in  the  Westmoreland  tract, 
are  now  under  way,  the  estimated  cost  of  the 
building  to  be  between  $25,000  and  $27,000.  Here 
with  every  modern  convenience  and  comfort, 
legitimate  and  healthful  pleasure  may  be  enjoyed 
under  refining  influences  in  this  church  home, 
where   friend  holds   fellowship  with   friend." 


GEORGE  D.  ROWAN  was  born  in  Corfu, 
N.  Y.,  in  1844.  He  was  reared  in  Batavia,  N. 
Y.,  where  his  father,  James  Rowan,  was  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  pursuits.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  went  into  business  in  partnership 
with  his  brother-in-law,  E.  B.  Millar,  at  Lan- 
sing, jMich.,  where  they  conducted  a  wholesale 
grocer}'. 

In  1873  Air.  Rowan  married  Miss  Fannie 
Arnold,  a  native  of  Sand  Lake,  Rensselaer 
county.  N.  Y.,  where  her  father,  George  Ar- 
nold, was  engaged  as  a  woolen  manufacturer. 
A  few  years  later  the  firm  of  E.  B.  Millar  & 
Co.  moved  to  Chicago,  where  they  are  still  one 
of  the  largest  concerns  of  the  kind  in  that  city. 
The  city  interests  were  looked  after  by,  Mr. 
Millar  while  Mr.  Rowan  went  to  the  Orient, 
and  in  Yokahoma  made  his  home  for  a  little 
over  a  year. 

In  1876,  owing  to  his  health,  Mr.  Rowan 
came  to  Los  Angeles  and  opened  a  grocery 
store  on  North  Main  street,  which  he  conduct- 
ed until  1884.  He  then  moved  to  San  Francis- 
co, and  for  a  short  time  was  engaged  as  a  com- 
mission merchant  with  the  firm  known  as  Jen- 
nings &  Rowan.  In  1885  he  returned  to  Los 
Angeles,  and  v/ent  into  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness, which  he  conducted  until  1888,  during 
which  time  he  became  associated  with  Col.  J. 
B.  Lankershim  and  O.  H.  Churchill  in  a  num- 
ber of  transactions.  In  1889  he  retired  from 
active  business  and  became  a  resident  of  Pasa- 
dena.    In  1893  the  partnership  with  Col.  J.  B. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Lankershim  was  dissolved.  In  1898  Mr.  Row- 
an returned  to  Los  Angeles,  where  he  made 
his  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Sep- 
tember 7,  1902. 

Politically  Mr.  Rowan  was  an  adherent  of 
Republican  principles.  He  also  was  one  of  the 
early  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
He  left  a  familv  of  eie;ht  children,  Robert  A., 
Fred  S.,  Earl  Bruce,  Paul,  Philip  D.,  Benja- 
min, Fannie  F.  and  Flossie,  all  of  whom  are 
now  livins". 


ROBERT  A.  ROWAN  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago, August  27,  1876.  At  the  age  of  three 
months  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  with  his  par- 
ents, and  his  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  of  Los  Angeles  and  Pasadena. 
His  first  business  experience  was  in  New 
York  City,  where  for  about  a  year  he  was  em- 
ploj'ed  by  the  firm  of  Ward  &  Huntington,  ex- 
porters of  hardware  to  South  America. 

In  1897  Mr.  Rowan  went  into  the  real  estate 
business,  and  in  1905  the  business  was  reor- 
ganized and  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
R.  A.  Rowan  &:  Co.,  real  estate  brokers,  with 
R.  A.  Rowan  as  president,  F.  S.  Rowan  secre- 
tary and  P.  D.  Rowan  treasurer,  with  offices 
on  the  second  floor  of  the  Herman  W.  Hell- 
man  building.  In  partnership  with  A.  C.  Bil- 
icke,  the  Flotel  Alexandria  was  built  during 
the  years  1905-1906. 

Mr.  Rowan  was  married  February  28.  1903, 
to  Miss  Laura  Schwarz,  of  Los  Angeles,  a 
dauHiter  of  Louis  and  Lena  Schwarz. 


JOHN  THOMAS  WILSON.  A  man  of  en- 
ergy and  ability,  practical  and  progressive,  John 
Thomas  Wilson,  of  Fernando,  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  leading  interests  of  this  part  of  the 
county  for  many  years.  He  has  been  active  in 
assisting  the  development  of  its  agricultural  re- 
sources, and  is  now  carrying  on  a  substantial 
business  as  a  dealer  in  real  estate,  in  this  ca- 
pacity bringing  to  the  notice  of  investors  and 
rural  home  seekers  its  many  superior  advantages 
as  a  place  of  residence.  A  man  of  sterling  qual- 
ities and  recognized  worth,  he  has  gained  a  high 
standing  in  the  community  as  a  citizen,  the  es- 
teem of  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  the  respect  of 
all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  He  was 
liorn,  January  10,  1861,  in  Meadville,  Pa.,  a  son 
of  C.  M.  Wilson,  and  grandson  of  John  North 
Wilson,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  immigrated  to 
the  United  States,  and  settled  in  Zanesville,  Ohio. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  C.  M.  \\'ilson  was  fitted  for 
the  legal  profession,  and  after  his  admission  to 
the  bar  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Meadville. 
Pa.    Establishing  an  excellent  reputation  for  skill 


and  ability,  he  became  influential  in  public  life, 
and  for  a  time  was  connected  with  the  United 
States  Treasury  department  at  Washington,  D. 
C.  Coming  with  his  family  to  California  in  1871, 
he  located  in  Los  Angeles,  then  a  small  city,  with 
but  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants,  and  there  con- 
tinued his  law  practice,  becoming  well  known 
as  an  attorney,  and  now,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years,  is  an  honored  and  respected  citizen 
of  that  place.  He  married  Jane  Estep,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  near  Pittsburg,  and  died 
in  Fernando,  Cal.  Six  children  were  born  of 
their  union,  and  four  are  living,  John  T.,  the 
special  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  third 
child  in  order  of  birth. 

But  ten  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Los  Angeles,  John  T.  Wilson  continued 
his  studies  in  that  city,  attending  first  a  private 
institution  and  then  the  public  schools.  z\fter 
spending  a  few  years  in  his  father's  law  office  he 
turned  his  attention  to  agriculture,  for  four  years 
being  engaged  in  general  farming  in  Los  Angeles 
county.  Locating  in  Fernando  in  1882,  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  superintendent  of  the  Ex 
Mission  Ranch,  and  in  the  management  of  its 
twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  was  very  success- 
ful, making  the  hitherto  wild  and  barren  soil 
yield  abundantly  of  the  grains  and  fruits  com- 
mon to  this  locality.  He  developed  water  for 
irrigating  purposes,  assisted  in  organizing  the  Ex 
Mission  Water  Company,  becoming  one  of  its 
directors ;  set  out  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
acres  to  oranges,  ten  acres  to  lemons ;  divided 
the  ranch  into  difTerent  posts ;  and  in  the 
carrying  on  of  the  vast  estate  employed  many 
men  and  kept  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  head 
of  horses  in  constant  use. 

Resigning  his  position  in  1899,  Mr.  Wilson 
leased  a  part  of  the  ranch,  and  for  three  years 
carried  on  general  farming  on  his  own  account, 
in  the  work  meeting  with  great  success.  Taking 
up  his  residence  in  Fernando  in  1902,  he  has 
since  established  an  extensive  and  lucrative  busi- 
ness as  a  real-estate  and  insurance  agent,  becom- 
ing widely  known  and  much  liked.  In  1905  he 
was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  old  ranch 
by  the  Fernando  Mission  Land  Company,  and 
on  its  sixteen  thousand  acres  is  making  excellent 
improvements,  one  of  the  most  valuable  being 
the  developing  of  more  water  for  irrigation.  As 
an  agriculturist  and  horticulturist  he  shows 
marked  ability  and  wisdom,  his  ventures  in  that 
line  meeting  with  most  satisfactory  results. 

In  Fernando,  Cal.,  Mr.  Wilson  married  Grace 
Lopez,  a  native  daughter,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, John  and  Rowland.  Politically  Mr.  Wil- 
son is  a  Democrat,  active  in  party  ranks,  and  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  central  committee. 
He  takes  great  interest  in  the  promotion  of  edu- 
cational facilities,  and  for  manv  vears  has  served 


J^^c^^  ^^^ 


'^^^Ic-^l^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


r75 


as  school  trustee.  He  assisted  in  ory;anizing  the 
high  school  district,  and  is  now  one  of  the  high 
school  trustees.  In  1902  he  was  the  Democratic 
nominee  for  sheriff  of  Los  Angeles  county,  which 
is  a  Repuhlican  stronghold,  with  a  majority  of 
eleven  thousand,  and  was  defeated  by  twenty- 
eight  hundred  \ntes,  nnly,  an  incident  showing 
his  popularity  with  Ixith  parties.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  autl  [last  i^rand  of  Fernando  Lodge 
No.  365,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  one  of  the  leading- 
business  men  of  the  city,  and  is  now  serving  as 
president  of  the  Fernando  Board  of  Trade,  which 
was  organized  largely  through  his  active  efforts. 


LOUIS  ROEDER.  The  citizens  of  Los 
Angeles  whom  Destiny  has  attracted  hither 
during  the  recent  era  of  remarkable  develop- 
ment cannot  form  an  adcfinate  conception  of 
the  environment  under  wliich  the  pioneers 
were  thrown.  Spanish  supremacy  was  at  an 
end,  but  American  enterprise  had  not  yet  be- 
come interested  in  the  sleepy  little  hamlet  and 
to  a  man  whose  habits  of  observation  were 
merely  superficial  the  possihilitic';  nf  the  place 
seemed  meagre  and  limited.  AmcuiL;-  the  home- 
seekers  arriving  here  during  tlie  '5"s,  few  re- 
main to  the  present  day,  and  one  of  the  few 
is  Louis  Roeder,  who  came  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia during  the  latter  part  of  1856,  only  a 
few  years  after  he  had  left  his  native  land,  to 
carve  out  a  fruitful  future  in  the  undeveloped 
regions  of  the  new  world. 

On  tlie  farm  in  Hesse-Darmstadt.  Germany, 
where  he  was  horn  January  2S.  1832.  Louis 
Roeder  passed  the  uneventful  years  of  early 
youth,  and  aided  his  father.  Xicolaus,  in  the 
care  of  the  laud.  He  also  learned  the  trade 
of  wagon  maker,  at  which  he  served  a  full 
apprenticeship,  between  fourteen  and  nineteen 
years  of  age.  At  the  expiration  of  his  time  he 
decided  to  settle  in  the  United  States  and  at 
once  left  the  old  home  to  make  a  livelihood 
upon  the  shores  of  an  unknown  wcadd.  (  )n  the 
2nd  of  Jnly.  1851,  he  landed  in  Xew  York  City, 
joining  an  uncle  and  soon  securing  work  at  his 
trade.  In  the  spring  of  185^  he  took  passage  on 
the  steamer  Tonathan  to  Nicaragua,  and,  land- 
ing there,  was  i^hliiied  to  wait  for  three  days 
before  it  was  possible  to  continue  the  journey 
to  California.  May  10,  T856.  he  landed  in  the 
harbor  of  the  Golden  Gate.  Work  was  scarce 
in  San  Francisco.  Many  men  were  vainly 
seeking  for  employment.  ^Vhile  he  sought 
work  he  not  only  had  to  pay  his  own  board, 
but  did  the  same  for  a  friend,  a  cabinet-maker, 
destitu.te  and  out  of  employment.  After  a  time 
he  was  hired  for  $28  a  month  and  board,  and 
continued  in  the  same  position  for  six  months, 
meanwhile  sa^'ing  his  earnings  in  order  to  se- 


cure the  amount  neccs^arv  to  defray  his  ex- 
penses to  the  southern  ])art  of  the  state.  The 
steamer  from  v.liich  he  debarked  at  San  I^edro 
on  the  28th  of  December,  1856,  brought  the 
news  of  the  election  of  James  Buchanan  as 
president  of  the  United  States,  and  it  was  thus 
Mr.  Roeder's  privilege  to  witness  the  celebra- 
tion of  an  election  in  true  western  style.  In 
Los  Angeles  he  secured  employment  with  the 
only  wagon-maker  in  the  town,  the  owner  of 
a  small  shop  on  Los  Angeles  street,  between 
Commercial  and  Laguna  streets.  While  still 
filling  this  position  he  luade  his  first  invest- 
ment in  city  property,  for  he  had  abundant 
faith  in  the  future  of  the  place  and  felt  no  hesi- 
tancy in  investing  his  earnings  in  real  estate. 
Buying  a  lot  with  sixty-foot  frontage  on  Main 
street  for  $700,  he  built  a  shanty  of  primitive 
architecture  and  meagre  dimensions,  and  this 
he  rented,  at  the  same  time  rooming  there. 

After  having  worked  as  a  salaried  employe 
for  a  considerable  iirricid,  Mr.  Roeder  felt  jus- 
tified in  embarking;  in  Inisiness  for  himself. 
Accordingly,  in  iXd^,  he  rented  a  site  on  the 
corner  of  Main  and  First  streets,  and  in  1865 
formed  a  partnershiji  with  Louis  Lichtenber- 
ger  in  the  wagon-making  business,  the  part- 
ners in  1866  purchasing  a  lot  at  No.  128  South 
Main  street  and  erecting  a  small  shop.  Three 
years  later  a  two-story  wagon  shop  was  erect- 
ed at  the  northwest  corner  of  Second  and  Main 
street,  and  this  was  also  utilized  as  a  black- 
smith shop.  After  a  partnership  of  five  years, 
Mr.  Roeder  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner  for 
$13,000  cash.  Shortly  afterward  he  erected  a 
building  opposite  the  site  of  the  German  Bank, 
on  the  corner  of  ]Main  and  First  streets.  His 
next  step  was  a  trip  to  San  Francisco,  where  he 
invested  $g,ooo  in  tools  and  stock,  and  return- 
ing embarked  in  business  on  a  large  scale.  Dur- 
ing the  five  years  of  his  connection  with  the 
business  at  that  point  he  became  the  owner  of  a 
lot,  130x100  feet,  on  the  corner  of  First  and 
Spring  streets,  where  now  he  owns  a  two- 
story  building.  After  a  long  and  arduous  busi- 
ness career  in  1885  he  sold  out  his  equipment 
and  retired  from  the  wagon-manufacturing 
business. 

Some  vears  after  coming  to  Los  Angeles 
Air.  Roeder  established  domestic  ties.  During 
May  of  1863  he  was  united  with  Miss  Wil- 
helmina  Hoth,  who  was  born  in  New  York 
and  in  1856  came  to  San  Francisco,  thence  ac- 
companvinsr  her  father  to  Los  Angeles  in 
1861.  Six  children  were  born  to  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roeder,  namely:  Henr}',  who  is 
engaged  in  business  in  Los  Angeles  as  a  dec- 
orator and  paper  hanger:  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Charles  Dodge  of  Ocean  Park :  Carrie,  Mrs. 
Frank  Johansen,  of  Los  Angeles  ;AIinnie,  Mrs. 


76 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


John  Joughin ;  Anna  C,  at  home ;  and  Louis 
Jr.,  who  is  manager  of  a  drug  store  in  Los  An- 
geles. The  family  have  a  pleasant  home  at 
No.  1 137  West  Lake  avenue  and  are  surround- 
ed by  the  comforts  rendered  possible  by  Mr. 
Reader's  long  and  active  business  life.  As  early 
as  1858  he  became  connected  with  Lodge 
No.  35,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  Los  Angeles,  and  he  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Turn-Verein.  Since  be- 
coming a  citizen  of  the  United  States  he  has 
voted  both  the  Democratic  and  Republican 
tickets  and  maintained  a  warm  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  adopted  country  and  the  pro- 
mulgation of  its  principles,  but  always  de- 
clined office,  with  the  exception  of  a  service  of 
four  years  in  the  city  council  during  an  early 
period  in  the  city's  history.  During  his  service 
the  franchise  was  granted  to  the  Los  Angeles 
City  Water  Company,  an  important  movement 
in  the  development  of  the  city,  although  it  was 
many  years  before  there  was  anything  like  an 
adequate  supply  of  this  much-needed  commod- 
ity. Though  his  life  has  been  one  of  great  ac- 
tivity and  though  he  has  now  reached  an  age 
and  position  when  retirement  and  total  release 
from  business  cares  would  be  expected,  such 
is  his  temperament  we  find  him  still  lingering 
in  the  commercial  and  civic  activities  of  his 
municipality,  still  keeping  in  touch  with  every 
phase  of  local  progress,  and  still  lending  his 
generous  assistance  to  movements  for  the  pub- 
lic welfare. 


REV.  JOHN  MUNRO,  LL.  D.  This  es- 
teemed clerg}'man,  pastor  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Fernando,  is  a  man  of  educa- 
tion and  culture,  and  bears  fitly  and  well  the  name 
of  Christian.  He  is  a  deep  thinker,  an  eloquent 
preacher,  and  as  broad  and  liberal  in  his  spirit 
as  he  is  sincere  and  devout  in  his  convictions.  A 
native  of  Canada,  he  was  born,  November  2, 
1874,  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  where  he  grew 
to  man's  estate.  On  leaving  the  public  schools 
he  continued  his  studies  at  Queen's  College,  in 
Kingston,  Ontario,  subsequently  taking  his  theo- 
logical course  at  Manitoba  University,  in  Winni- 
peg, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1898. 

For  a  year  after  his  graduation  Dr.  Munro 
was  located  in  British  Columbia,  serving  under 
the  Home  Missionary  Board.  The  ensuing  three 
years  he  had  charge  of  the  Knox  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Trail,  where  he  performed  meritorious 
work  in  the  Master's  vineyard.  Coming  then 
to  California,  the  doctor  became  assistant  pastor 
of  the  Olivet  Congregational  Oiurch  in  Los 
Angeles,  remaining  there  a  year.  In  1902  he  ac- 
cepted his  present  call  to  Fernando,  and  has 
had  a  most  successful  pastorate.  Under  his  ad- 
ministration the  society  has  prospered  in  all  of 


its  departments,  great  interest  has  been  aroused, 
and  the  church  edifice,  in  consequence,  has  been 
remodeled  inside  and  out,  and  a  fine  parsonage 
has  been  erected.  The  membership  of  church 
and  society  has  been  largely  increased,  and 
throughout  the  community  the  influence  of  the 
pastor  is  felt  and  appreciated. 

In  1902  Dr.  Munro  married  Ella  Heinzeman, 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  California, 
and  they  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  whom  they 
have  named  Antoinette.  Politically  the  doctor  is 
a  Republican.  Fraternally  he  was  made  a  Mason 
in  British  Columbia,  and  is  now  a  member  and 
past  worthy  inaster  of  Fernando  Lodge  No.  343, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  a  thirty-second  degree  Scottish  Rite 
Mason,  and  he  is  also  a  member  and  past  noble 
grand  of  Fernando  Lodge  No.  365,  I.  O.  O.  F. 


GEORGE  D.  BARRON.  As  superintendent 
of  the  Lynwood  dair)',  Compton,  George  D.  Bar- 
ron is  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout 
a  large  territory.  A  man  of  push  and  energy, 
possessing  business  ability,  tact  and  judgment, 
he  has  met  with  good  success  as  manager  of  one 
of  the  largest  concerns  of  the  kind  in  Los  An- 
geles county,  giving  satisfaction  to  his  employer 
and  being  popular  with  his  patrons.  A  native 
of  Illinois,  he  was  born  October  2,  1845,  i"  Mc- 
Henry  county,  a  son  of  Francis  Barron. 

Born  and  brought  up  in  Canada,  Francis 
Barron  migrated  to  the  L^nited  States  in  early 
manhood  settling  in  McHenry  county,  111.,  on 
a  farm.  In  1850  he  came  to  California  on  a 
prospecting  tour,  and  for  four  years  was  here 
employed  in  mining.  Going  home  to  his  family 
in  1854,  he  carried  on  general  farming  in  Illi- 
nois for  eight  years.  Then,  in  1862,  he  came 
again  to  the  coast,  bringing  his  family  and  locat- 
ing in  San  Joaquin  county.  Nine  years  later 
he  located  in  Ventura  county,  making  his  home 
there  until  1883,  that  year  coming  to  Los  An- 
geles county,  where  his  death  occurred  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Emily  Perry,  was  born 
in  Canada,  and  died  in  Los  Angeles  at  the  age 
of  seventy-nine  years.  Both  she  and  her  husband 
came  from  families  noted  for  their  longevity, 
many  of  them  living  far  beyond  the  allotted 
three  score  years  and  ten  of  man's  life.  Of  the 
six  children  born  of  their  union,  five  are  living, 
one  daughter,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  having 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 

Sixteen  years  old  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  California.  George  D.  Barron  assisted 
his  father  in  improving  a  good  ranch,  remain- 
ing at  home  until  1869.  The  following  four- 
teen years  he  was  engaged  in  ranching  and  dairy- 
ing in  Ventura  county.  Coming  from  there  to 
Los  Angeles  county  in  1883,  he  engaged  in  ranch- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


777 


ing  and  dairy  business  from  that  year  until  1899, 
when  he  accepted  his  present  responsible  position 
with  Mr.  Sessions,  of  Los  Angeles,  proprietor 
of  the  Lynwood  diary.  Under  Mr.  Barron's 
able  management  during  the  past  six  years  the 
business  has  been  greatly  extended  and  the  pat- 
ronage largely  increased. 

Mr.  Barron  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
marriage  uniting  him  with  Phebe  Woods,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  who  at  her  death  a  few  years 
later  left  one  child,  Clare  M.  l\Ir.  Barron  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife  Hannah  Smith,  also  a 
native  of  Illinois,  and  five  children  have  been  born 
of  this  marriage,  namely ;  Eva  L ;  Elmer  LeRoy, 
Grace  Edith,  Alda  Viola  and  Bertha  J.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  Barron  is  an  uncomprising  Republican, 
and  for  four  seasons  served  acceptably  as  deputy 
assessor  of  Los  Angeles  county.  He  is  a  believer 
in  the  creed  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
which  he  and  his  family  attend. 


RICHARD  HARRISON  GARLAND,  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  the  colony  which  formed  the 
nucleus  for  the  city  of  Redlands,  was  born  in 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  July  22,  1842.  He  was  a  son  of 
Andrew  Garland,  a  stonemason  by  trade,  who 
superintended  the  building  of  Fort  Sumter, 
which  his  son  helped  to  retake  during  the  Civil 
war  after  it  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
Confederates.  The  elder  man  removed  to  Ohio 
and  in  Mount  Vernon  engaged  extensively  in 
stock-raising  and  general  farming  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1873.  Richard  H.  Garland 
was  reared  in  Ohio  and  at  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Civil  war  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Sixty-fifth 
Ohio  Infantry,  and  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Perrysville,  Stone  River, 
Chickamauga,  Lookout  Mountain,  Missionary 
Ridge ;  at  the  last  named  battle  his  brigade  cap- 
tured the  battery  in  front  of  Bragg's  headquarters 
and  turned  a  part  of  it  upon  the  enemy.  Short- 
ly aftenvard  Mr.  Garland  was  assigned  to  the 
eastern  army  and  acted  as  quartermaster  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  having  been  disabled  some 
time  before.  On  the  re-organization  of  the  army 
after  the  close  of  hostilities,  he  took  service  in 
the  Freedman's  Bureau,  an  agency  of  the  war 
department  for  disbursing  claims  and  establish- 
ing free  schools  in  the  south.  Later  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Pacific  coast  with  the  staflf 
of  General  Thomas  and  was  present  at  the  time 
of  the  latter's  death  in  San  Francisco. 

In  1870  Mr.  Garland  retired  to  private  life 
and  went  to  Qiicago,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  art  furniture  and  interior 
decorations  for  a  number  of  years.  He  invented 
a  motor  car  that  was  propelled  by  a  series  of 
springs :  the  patent  for  this  was  applied  for  in 
1884  and  granted  January  27,   1885.      In   1886, 


however,  when  he  became  interested  with  the 
famous  Chicago  colony  in  founding  a  town  in 
Southern  California,  he  gave  all  his  attention  to 
this  scheme  and  his  time  to  the  improvement  of 
his  orange  ranch  in  East  Redlands  and  further- 
ing the  interests  of  his  new  surroundings  un- 
til the  time  of  his  demise.  This  colony  was 
formed  in  Chicago  and  immediately  sent  out  an 
investigating  committee  to  purchase  the  land, 
their  selection  being  what  is  now  East  Red- 
lands  and  seventeen  acres  for  a  town  site,  which 
is  now  the  business  portion  of  the  city,  each  mem- 
ber to  have  one  lot  in  the  town  site.  Mr.  Gar- 
land received  a  lot  on  West  State  street,  and 
this  he  deeded  to  his  wife.  Seven  months  later 
she  sold  for  $1,400  what  he  had  bought  for  $25. 
They  located  on  the  property  still  owned  by  his 
family  and  here  Mr.  Garland  made  many  im- 
provements, clearing  the  property,  filling  arroyos, 
building  flumes,  setting  out  orange  trees,  etc., 
on  his  own  and  surrounding  lands.  Mr.  Garland 
always  took  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  the  af- 
fairs of  Redlands  and  was  a  director  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  for  four  years  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Garland  occurred  May  27, 
1898,  removing  from  the  community  one  of  its 
most  earnest  and  helpful  citizens.  He  was  a 
true-blue  Republican  in  politics  and  although 
never  desirous  of  personal  recognition  along  this 
line  still  gave  his  attention  and  influence  to  the 
advancement  of  the  principles  he  endorsed.  He 
was  a  Scottish  Rite  Thirty-second  Degree  mason. 
A  widow  and  two  children  still  survive  him.  His 
wife  was  formerly  Miss  INIargaret  McGovern, 
who  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  but  while 
still  young  removed  to  Chicago,  111.,  where  she 
was  married  in  1871.  She  was  the  fifth  in  a  fam- 
ily of  nine  children,  of  whom  three  are  now 
living,  a  brother,  John,  having  been  killed  in  the 
battle  of  the  Qiattahoochie  river,  in  the  Sixteenth 
Illinois  Infantry,  during  the  Civil  war.  Since 
her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Garland  has  continued 
to  reside  on  the  home  place  and  at  the  present 
time  has  one  of  the  most  remunerative  groves 
in  that  section. 


JUDGE  CHARLES  T.  GIFFORD.  The 
official  life  of  Redlands  has  in  Judge  Charles 
T.  Giflford  one  of  its  most  efficient  members, 
as  justice  of  the  peace  and  city  recorder  giving 
his  attention  to  his  duties  with  a  fidelity  which 
has  won  him  universal  commendation.  He  is 
a  native  of  New  York,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Rochester  June  24.  1851 ;  his  father,  Thomas 
S.,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  of  an  old  New 
England  family,  was  a  pattern  maker  by  trade, 
and  after  removing  to  New  York  engaged  as 
a  baggage  man  on  the  New  York  Central  Rail- 


niS 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


road,  from  Rochester  to  Sj-racuse,  and  later  as 
conductor  from  Syracuse  to  Buffalo.  He  was 
killed  on  the  railroad  near  Syracuse  in  1859.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife,  formerly  Harriet  Sey- 
mour Norton,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Seymour  and  Fannie  (Stevens-)  Norton, 
both  natives  of  Vermont  and  early  settlers  of 
Genesee  county,  N.  Y.,  where  the  father  en- 
gaged   in    farming. 

Charles  T.  Gift'ord  spent  the  first  seven  years 
of  his  life  in  Rochester,  two  years  in  Syracuse, 
and  then  removed  to  Buffalo,  where  he  received  a 
preliminary  education  in  the  public  and  high 
schools,  when  he  entered  Cornell  University  as 
a  member  of  the  first  class  after  the  opening  of 
the  institution.  In  his  senior  year  he  was  taken 
ill  and  because  of  impaired  health  he  gave  up 
study  and  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in  Buffalo 
with  E.  G.  Felthousen.  In  1888  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, going  from  San  Francisco  to  Fresno,  and 
the  following  year  to  Redlands,  here  entering  the 
employ  of  Judson  &  Brown,  of  the  Bear  \  alley 
Irrigating  Company,  in  the  capacity  of  clerk,  and 
later  represented  them  in  Alessandro  valley  in 
the  inspection  of  the  pipe  line.  Returning  to 
Redlands  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business, 
representing  the  old-line  companies,  and  has 
served  as  notary  public  for  sixteen  years.  In 
the  spring  of  1902  he  was  appointed  justice  of 
the  peace  and  elected  to  that  office  in  the  follow- 
ing f-all,  and  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  1906,  which 
duties  he  is  now  discharging.  He  was  also  ap- 
pointed city  recorder  in  1902  and  has  held  the 
office  ever  since.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the  in- 
surance business,  which  he  has  continued  since 
his  return  to  the  city  in  1895. 

In  Redlands  Judge  Gifford  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Airs.  Emma  F.  (Piper)  Hale,  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut,  and  they  are  members  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  this  city.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks  and  with  the  Odd  Fellows, 
having  been  made  a  member  of  this  organization 
in  Redlands  Lodge  No.  341,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  where 
he  is  now  a  member.  He  is  a  strong  Repub- 
lican and  was  secretary  of  county  central  com- 
mittee for  two  terms.  He  is  identified  with  the 
city's  advancement  as  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  and  no  citizen  is  more  active  in  his 
efforts  to  promote  the  general  welfare. 


CAPT.  JOHN  HAMILTON.  Off  the  rug- 
ged shores  of  western  Scotland  where  the  tem- 
pestuous waters  of  the  Atlantic  beating  against 
the  rock-bound  coast  are  subdued  into  a  gentle 
murmur  as  tliey  enter  the  Firth  of  Clyde,  there 
lies  the  island  of  Arran,  the  birthplace  of  Captain 
Hamilton.  From  its  narrow  inlet  his  father, 
William,  and  grandfather  also  sailed  the  ships  of 


which  the}-  \vere  masters,  and  on  the  same  island 
still  lives  ins  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Elizabeth  ]\Iathie,  and  to  whom  Destiny  has 
given  an  active  life  of  eighty-two  years.  The 
eldest  of  a  family  of  four  children,  John  Hamil- 
ton was  born  April  10,  1848,  and  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  began  to  accompany  his  father  to  the  sea 
during  the  summer  voj-ages.  When  he  was  six- 
teen he  lost  his  father  by  death  and  soon  after- 
ward his  mother  sold  her  interest  in  the  schooners 
which  obliged  him  to  seek  employment  of  others. 
Theretipon  he  became  an  apprentice  to  the  ship 
carpenter's  trade,  at  which  he  served  for  five 
years,  and  then  sailed  the  seas  in  the  West  Indies 
and  Newfoundland  trade.  After  having  spent 
the  summer  of  1873  in  Toronto  during  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  he  took  passage  from  New 
York  for  Panama  and  thence  to  San  Francisco, 
where  he  was  employed  as  ship  carpenter  for 
a  year.  In  1875  he  went  to  sea  as  carpenter  on 
the  Commodore  and  later  had  a  similar  position 
on  the  Grace  Darling.  In  August  of  1876  he 
was  made  mate  on  the  steamer  Continental,  sail- 
ing to  the  Eel  river,  and  while  filling  that  posi- 
tion, December  12,  1877,  he  was  wrecked  on 
Eel  river  bar.  Later  he  was  employed  as  mate 
on  the  Thomas  H.  Whitelaw  to  the  Eel  river. 
During  1879  he  was  mate  on  the  Eudora,  which 
engaged  in  the  seal  trade,  and  the  following 
year,  as  captain  of  the  Ariel,  he  engaged  in 
hunting  seal. 

After  having  spent  the  year  1882  in  the  Mexi- 
can and  Central  American  trade  as  captain  of 
the  schooner  John  Hancock,  in  1883  Captain 
Hamilton  became  master  of  the  Oiallenge  (built 
at  Eureka),  which  he  ran  to  San  Pedro  for  four 
years.  In  June  of  1887  he  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  superintended  the  building  of  the 
steamer  Pasadena,  which  afterward  he  ran  as 
master  for  fifteen  years.  In  1902  he  superin- 
tended the  building  of  the  San  Gabriel  at  .\la- 
meda  for  the  same  company  that  built  the  Pasa- 
dena. When  the  San  Gabriel  was  completed  he 
became  its  master  and  continued  in  that  capacity 
until  the  spring  of  1904,  when  he  accepted  his 
present  position  as  government  pikit  at  San 
Pedro.  Besides  the  vessels  already  mentioned 
lie  had  charge  of  the  building  of  the  Hesper, 
dimensions  thirty-five  feet  long,  nine  feet  wide, 
four  feet  deep,  operated  by  a  sixteen  horse  power 
standard  engine. 

The  marriage  of  Captain  Hamilton  took  place 
at  Ferndale,  Humboldt  county,  and  united  him 
with  Miss  Lois  Augusta  Qiapin,  who  was  born 
and  reared  at  that  place.  Two  sons  comprise 
their  family,  namely :  Kenneth,  a  graduate  of  the 
Lick  school  and  Cniversity  of  California,  and 
now  teller  of  the  Berkeley  National  Bank,  and 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Marine  supply 
Manufacturing    Company    of    San    Pedro;    and 


td^Mi^  ^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(81 


Urucc,  who  remains  at  home.  The  family  resi- 
dence for  some  years  has  been  at  Alameda.  In 
politics  Captain  Hamilton  supports  the  Republi- 
can party.  Fraternally  he  was  made  a  Mason 
before  leaving  his  native  land  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  Humboldt  Lodge  No.  79,  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Humboldt  Chapter  No.  52,  R.  A.  M. ;  Eureka 
Commandery  No.  35,  K.  T.,  and  Cornelia  Lodge 
No.  63,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  at  Humboldt. 


MRS.  GEORGE  W.  SIBLEY.  Sidney 
Smith  once  said,,  '"Whatever  you  are  from  nature, 
keep  to  it ;  never  desert  your  own  line  of  talent. 
Be  what  nature  intended  you  for  and  you  will 
succeed ;  be  anything  else,  and  you  will  be  ten 
thousand  times  worse  than  nothing."  In  her  pres- 
ent active  career  jNIrs.  Sibley  has  shown  that 
she  understands  fully  the  thought  of  tliis  witty 
divine,  for  she  has  measured  accurately  her  own 
ability,  and  hewn  her  way  straight  to  the  line 
thus  marked  out.  A  clear-headed,  brainy  woman 
previously  interested  to  some  extent  in  realty 
transactions,  she  early  perceived  the  great  finan- 
cial possibilities  of  the  future  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Venice  and  Ocean  Park  property,  and, 
quick  to  seize  every  offered  opportunity  for  en- 
larging her  scope  of  action,  she  began  dealing 
in  local  real  estate  on  a  modest  scale,  and  has 
since  established  an  extensive  and  lucrative  busi- 
ness, being  now  at  the  head  of  the  Citizens' 
State  Bank  and  the  Guarantee  Realty  Company, 
the  latter  one  of  the  most  prosperous  firms  of  the 
kind  along  the  entire  length  of  the  beach.  A 
native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  she  was  born  August 
25,  1858,  a  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Laura 
(Foote)  Bright,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  the  former 
dying  at  an  early  age,  while  the  latter  came  to 
California  in  1902  and  has  since  made  her  home 
with  her  daughter.  Mrs.  Sibley. 

After  living  in  retirement  in  the  east  for  a  few 
years,  Mrs.  Taft  came,  in  June,  1891,  to  Califor- 
nia being  accompanied  b\'  her  daughter,  Irene 
Taft,  who  is  an  own  cousin  to  Secretary  William 
H.  Taft,  her  father,  Henry  W.  Taft.  having  been 
uncle  to  the  Secretary.  Settling  in  Los  Angeles, 
she  lived  quietly  for  several  years,  the  genial 
sunshine  and  balmy  breezes  of  its  wonderful 
climate  being  of  great  benefit  to  her.  On  De- 
cember 25,  1891,  she  married  George  W.  Sib- 
ley, then  engaged  in  business  as  a  wholesale 
merchant  in  Los  Angeles.  In  May,  1900,  Mrs. 
Sibley  came  to  Ocean  Park  to  recuperate  and 
after  a  season  of  perfect  relaxation  and  rest,  the 
tonic  of  the  sea  breezes  and  the  sea  baths  re- 
stored her  physical  vitality,  making  her  strong 
and  vigorous.  Ambitious  to  find  an  opportunity 
for  making  herself  useful,  she  started  in  the 
real  estate  business  in  a  small  way,  having  about 
$50  to  invest.    Opening  an  office  in  Ocean  Park. 


business  grew  steadily,  her  fair  and  honest  deal- 
ings and  systematic  methods  meeting  the  ap- 
proval of  her  customers,  and  each  month  saw  an 
increasing  patronage,  her  sex  being  a  help  rather 
than  an  impediment  in  the  way  of  enlarging  her 
business  opportunities.  A  woman  of  superior 
ability,  tact  and  judgment,  living  up  to  the  Golden 
Rule,  she  has  secured  a  large  clientage,  and  is  now 
one  of  the  foremost  real  estate  dealers  in  this  part 
of  Los  Angeles  county.  While  looking  after  her 
own  interests,  she  has  been  of  much  use  in  ad- 
vancing the  prosperity  of  others,  including  a 
large  circle  of  personal  friends,  merchants,  me- 
chanics and  professional  men.  The  business 
which  Mrs.  Sibley  inaugurated  in  1901  grew  to 
such  large  proportions  that  she  found  it  expe- 
dient to  have  it  incorporated.  Accordingly,  March 
15,  1905,  the  Guarantee  Realty  Company  was 
formed,  with  the  following-named  officers : 
President,  Mrs.  George  W.  Sibley ;  first  vice- 
president,  H.  V.  Bright :  second  vice-president. 
Dr.  E.  B.  Goodwin ;  secretary.  James  F.  Barr, 
and  treasurer,  Charles  R.  Van  Tillburg.  This 
company  was  first  located  at  No.  140  Pier  avenue 
Ocean  Park,  but  has  recently  removed  to  more 
commodious  quarters  in  the  handsome  building 
erected  by  the  company  in  Venice.  In  May, 
1906,  she  organized  the  Citizens'  State  Bank  of 
Venice  with  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000,  of  which 
she  is  president.  j\Irs.  Sibley  had  one  daughter 
by  her  first  marriage,  Irene,  now  wife  of  Howard 
S.  Lorenge,  living  near  Ocean  Park,  and  by  her 
second  union  she  has  also  one  daughter,  Louella 
Maria  Sibley.  Mrs.  Sibley  is  prominent  in  social 
circles,  being  a  member  of  the  Countrv  Club, 
and  President  of  the  Ladies'  Auxiliary  of  Ocean 
Park  and  Venice. 


FREDERICK  A.  S]\IILEY.  Of  recent  years 
especial  attention  has  been  devoted  to  the  de- 
velopment of  attractive  summer  resorts.  Each 
season  finds  an  increasing  number  of  Califor- 
nians  who  lay  aside  the  cares  of  business  and  the 
round  of  domestic  duties  or  school  work  in  order 
to  enjoy  for  a  few  weeks  an  outing  in  some 
favored  spot  of  nature,  fanned  by  the  breezes 
from  the  ocean,  sheltered  by  mountains  and 
watered  bv  springs  and  rivers.  Not  the  least 
conspicuous  among  these  resorts  is  Fredalba 
Park,  comprising  two  hundred  and  sixty-two 
acres  of  land  covered  with  native  oaks  and  pines, 
some  of  which  are  eighteen  feet  and  more  in 
circumference.  The  park  is  situated  on  the 
southern  slope  nf  the  S^n  Bernardino  mountains, 
fifty-six  hunilred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
at  the  head  of  the  City  creek  toll-road,  eleven 
miles  from  Highland,  and  sixteen  miles  from 
both  San  Bernardino  and  Redlands.  The  most 
direct  route  from  these  towns  to  Bear  vallev  lies 


782 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


througli  the  park.  Admirable  views  may  be 
obtained  from  the  mountains  of  neighboring 
towns,  and  on  especially  clear  days  Catalina 
comes  within  the  range  of  vision. 

The  sole  owner  and  proprietor  of  Fredalba 
Park  is  F.  A.  Smiley,  who  makes  his  home  here 
throughout  the  entire  year  and  devotes  his  at- 
tention to  the  care  of  the  grounds  and  cottages 
and  to  the  comfort  of  the  guests.  The  cottages 
are  constructed  of  matched  and  planed  sugar 
pine,  with  interior  finishings  of  natural  wood. 
Suitably  furnished  for  light  housekeeping,  they 
are  rented  by  the  day,  week  or  month,  while 
for  such  as  prefer  to  board  a  central  dining  hall 
affords  the  laest  of  accommodations.  Each  cot- 
tage is  piped  with  water  from  mouiitain  springs, 
while  another  spring  furnishes  pure  cold  water 
in  the  park,  convenient  to  the  houses.  The 
climate  is  delightful  throughout  the  summer,  a 
south  wind  cooling  the  air  during  the  daytime. 
Guests  who  are  fond  of  fishing  find  opportunity 
for  the  use  of  their  tackle  in  Deep  creek,  where 
mountain  trout  may  be  caught  in  season,  while 
excursions  are  also  made  to  Bear  creek,  the  best 
fishing  place  in  the  mountains.  The  Brook- 
ings Lumber  Company  has  its  mill  at  Fredalba, 
with  several  miles  of  railroad  bringing  lumber 
there  from  the  woods.  In  addition  to  these  ob- 
jects of  interest,  guests  may  drive  to  Holcomb 
valley  and  its  gold  mines,  or  to  Bear  valley  and 
other  points.  A  postoffice  is  located  in  the  park, 
and  Mr.  Smiley  has  acted  as  postmaster  ever 
since  February,  1896,  when  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment under  President  Cleveland.  From  the 
1st  of  April  throughout  the  balance  of  the  year 
the  mail  stage  leaves  Highland  at  7 :30  in  the 
morning  and  leaves  Fredalba  at  3  130  in  the  af- 
ternoon of  the  same  day  except  Sunday.  During 
the  balance  of  the  year  the  mail  is  carried  only 
on  Tuesdays  and  Saturdays.  Adequate  accom- 
modations are  provided  for  the  convenience  of 
guests  in  meeting  the  trains  at  Highland  and 
making  the  short  overland  trip  to  the  park. 

The  original  owner  of  Fredalba  Park  was 
Alfred  H.  Smiley,  father  of  the  present  owner. 
The  grounds  were  purchased  by  him  in  1895 
from  the  Highland  Lumber  and  Box  Company 
and  the  tourist  business  was  inaugurated  the 
following  year,  since  which  time  fifteen  cottages 
have  been  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  sum- 
mer visitors.  Each  season  finds  an  increasing 
number  of  visitors  seeking  the  quiet  of  the  great 
trees  and  the  mountain  air,  and  the  enterprise 
has  been  placed  upon  a  substantial  basis  through 
the  attractions  of  the  resort,  supplemented  by 
the  courteous  oversight  of  the  proprietor.  Alfred 
H.  Smiley,  the  former  owner,  was  born  at  Vas- 
salboro,  Me.,  and  came  to  California  in  1889,  set- 
tling at  Pasadena,  but  two  months  later  remov- 
ing to  Redlands,  where  he  died  January  5,  1903, 


at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  His  wife  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Rachel  IMott  Swan  and  was 
a  native  of  New  Sharon,  Me.  Their  son,  Fred- 
erick A.,  was  born  in  Iowa,  and  has  made  his 
home  at  Fredalba  Park  ever  since  the  resort  was 
first  established,  hence  has  acquired  a  thorough 
understanding  of  the  business  with  its  needs  and 
responsibilities.  During  boyhood  he  lived  in  his 
native  city  of  Oskaloosa,  Mahaska  county,  Iowa. 
His  wife,  like  himself,  is  a  native  of  Iowa;  she 
was  born  at  Cedar  Falls,  Blackhawk  county, 
being  in  maidenhood  Eva  Wyatt,  daughter  of 
J.  Howard  and  Lizzie  (Shepar'd)  Wyatt.  Born 
of  their  marriage  were  five  children,  namely : 
Howard,  now  at  the  Herman  Free  Methodist 
School  near  Los  Angeles;  William  Eugene, 
Gertrude,  Rachel  and  Martha.  Upon  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Fredalba  public-school  system 
in  1 901  Mr.  Smiley  became  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since 
rendered  efficient  and  indefatigable  services.  As 
a  representative  of  one  of  the  most  honored  fam- 
ilies of  Recllands  and  as  the  possessor  of  high 
mental  endowments,  Mr.  Smiley  occupies  a 
trusted  and  prominent  position  in  his  county. 


D.  C.  McGARVIN.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
that  there  is  a  large  number  of  young  men 
active  in  the  professions,  in  business  circles  and 
in  public  affairs  in  Los  Angeles ;  and  certainly 
the  city's  rapid  growth  is  due  in  no  small  de- 
gree to  their  enterprise.  Among  the  public  of- 
ficials who  are  building  up  enviable  reputations, 
mention  belongs  to  D.  C.  McGarvin,  at  present 
filling  the  position  of  public  administrator.  Al- 
though a  native  of  Kansas,  born  March  29, 
1870,  so  much  of  Mr.  McGarvin's  life  has  been 
passed  in  this  city  that  he  feels  himself  to  be  a 
true  son  of  Southern  California.  His  father, 
Robert  McGarvin,  came  to  California  in  1875, 
and  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Los  An- 
geles the  son  received  his  education.  The  knotty 
problems  of  the  law  proved  an  attraction  to  the 
mental  powers  of  young  McGarvin  and  after 
the  completion  of  his  work  in  the  public  schools 
he  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Judge 
A.  W.  Hutton.  Later  he  was  associated  with 
Judge  York  and  Hon.  James  McLachlan,  and  in 
June,  1905,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  the 
meantime,  in  1903,  he  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  public  administrator  for  a  term  of  four  years, 
and  immediately  entering  upon  the  work  of  his 
position  he  has  faithfully  discharged  the  duties 
incumbent  upon  him  to  the  present  time.  He 
had  previously  proved  both  his  ability  as  a  public 
official  and  his  lovalty  to  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  had  become  a  prominent 
man  in  its  councils.  As  secretary  of  the  Young 
Alcn's  Republican  League  he  was  active  in  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


783 


work  of  the  organization,  and  also  for  three  years 
he  served  as  secretary  of  the  Republican  county 
central  committee.  Diiring  the  campaigns  of 
1904  and  1905  he  acted  as  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican city  central  committee,  and  wielded  a  strong 
influence  in  the  interests  of  his  party. 

Significant  of  the  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Mc- 
Garvin  has  always  been  held  was  his  appointment 
in  1893  to  the  position  of  assistant  manager  of 
the  Los  Angeles  county  exhibit  at  the  Columbian 
Exhibition  in  Chicago,  where  he  discharged  the 
duties  devolving  upon  him  in  a  peculiarly  capa- 
ble manner.  The  following  year  he  acted  in  a 
similar  capacity  at  the  Mid-winter  Fair  in  San 
Francisco,  and  has  since  then  held  many  other 
positions  of  equal  responsibility.  Fraternally  he 
IS  a  member  of  Los  Angeles  Lodge  No.  290,  F. 
&  A.  M. ;  Signet  Qiapter  No.  57,  R.  A.  M. : 
Los  Angeles  Com.mandery  No.  9,  K.  T. ;  and 
Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  Socially 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Jonathan  Club  and  Union 
League,  in  both  of  which  he  is  a  popular  member 
and  valued  for  personal  qualities  as  well  as  the 
ability  which  has  distinguished  his  entire  career. 
Mr.  McGarvin  owes  much  of  his  success  to  a 
happy  combination  of  personal  characteristics, 
being  gifted  with  a  genial  nature  which  knows 
nothing  but  friendship  in  his  intercourse  with 
those  about  him.  Although  stanch  in  his  politi- 
cal convictions — no  man  more  so, — yet  he  is 
never  antagonistic  nor  forces  men  to  the  opposi- 
tion through  this  element  of  character;  instead, 
his  own  convictions  are  so  strong,  so  free  from 
prejudice,  that  he  invariably  makes  a  friend  every 
time  he  makes  an  acquaintance.  He  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem  as  a  citizen  of  Los  Angeles, 
whose  interests  he  can  be  counted  upon  to  up- 
hold. December  19,  1900,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  LTna  Tavlor  Adams. 


CHARLES  KELLY.  There  are  many  who 
believe  that  Qiarles  Kelly  of  San  Diego  has  no 
superior  throughout  Southern  California  as  a 
judge  of  horses  and  they  further  assert  that  his 
stable  of  road  horses  is  the  finest  in  all  of  this 
region.  It  is  his  theory  that  road  horses  should 
be  bred  so  as  to  secure  the  very  best  results  for 
appearance,  build,  disposition  and  endurance. 
The  fact  that  he  has  an  exceptionally  fine  herd 
of  animals  is  largely  due  to  their  having  been  in- 
bred with  the  Morgan  strain,  acknowledged  to 
possess  the  greatest  intelligence  and  the  best 
dispositions  of  any  of  the  breeds.  In  his  stable 
he  has  a  stallion,  standard  bred,  and  in  color 
black,  Sagewood  by  Silkwood,  with  a  record  of 
2:07.v:<.  While  this  is  a  fine  animal,  Mr.  Kelly 
considers  that  it  is  surpassed  by  his  mahogany- 
colored  stallion  Clinton,  sired  by  Ralph,  by  Her- 
cules, by  a  brother  of  Lexington  ;  dam  of  full- 


blooded  Morgan.  Mr.  Kelly  believes  that  Clinton 
is  the  finest  stallion  in  Southern  California  and 
he  recommends  him  to  horse  traders  desiring  to 
secure  in  their  roadsters  fine  dispositions  and 
great  power  of  endurance. 

A  native  son  of  California,  Charles  Kelly  is  a 
member  of  a  pioneer  family  of  this  state.  When 
gold  was  discovered  in  the  western  mountains, 
Matthew  Kelly,  a  blacksmith  of  Arena,  Iowa 
county,  Wis.,  determined  to  seek  a  livelihood 
in  the  far  west,  but  it  was  not  until  1851  that 
he  completed  the  arrangements  rendering  possi- 
ble his  removal  from  the  old  shop  and  home. 
Coming  via  the  Horn  he  took  up  mining  pursuits, 
but  soon  resumed  work  at  his  trade  and  opened 
a  shop  at  Deadwood,  near  Auburn,  Cal.,  where 
$16  was  his  regular  price  for  shoeing  horses  and 
often  he  received  as  much  as  $20  for  such  work. 
In  1853  he  was  joined  by  his  wife,  Emily  (Por- 
ter) Kelly,  whom  he  had  married  in  Arena,  Wis., 
and  who  came  west  via  Panama.  While  they 
were  living  at  Deadwood  their  son,  Charles,  was 
born  August  7,  1862,  he  being  the  fifth  among 
nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  still  living.  As; 
early  as  1853  Robert,  a  brother  of  Matthew  Kelly, 
came  to  Old  Town,  San  Diego,  and  became  in- 
terested in  stock  .raising.  In  1868  Matthew 
brought  his  family  to  San  Diego  on  the  old  ship 
Orizaba,  and  among  his  fellow  passengers  was 
Alonzo  E.  Horton,  the  founder  of  San  Diego, 
and  for  years  its  most  distinguished  citizen. 

The  two  brothers,  Robert  and  Matthew  Kelly, 
owned  an  old  grant,  Agua  Hedionda,  near  Ocean- 
side,  which  they  improved,  the  property  still 
being  known  as  the  Kelly  ranch.  There  Mat- 
thew died  in  1885  and  there  his  widow  yet  makes 
her  home.  When  the  family  removed  to  South- 
ern California  Charles  Kelly  was  a  boy  of  six 
years,  hence  his  education  was  acquired  in  San 
Diego  county.  Remaining  at  home  until  the 
death  of  his  father;  he  then  succeeded  in  part  to 
the  management  of  the  estate  and  remained  at  the 
old  ranch  until  1895,  the  year  of  his  settlement 
in  the  city  of  San  Diego.  Here  he  bought  a 
livery  business  owned  by  Wesley  Smith,  on  the 
corner  of  Third  and  F  streets.  At  that  time  he 
had  only  three  vehicles  and  eight  horses  in  the 
stable,  but  since  then  he  has  increased  both 
until  now  he  owns  next  to  the  largest  livery 
stable  in  San  Diego,  having  seventy-five  horses 
and  a  suitable  equipment  of  vehicles.  On  the 
ranch,  where  he  still  owns  fifteen  hundred  acres, 
he  is  engaged  in  raising  fine  driving  horses  and 
cattle  and  now  has  one  hundred  head  of  horses 
in  pasture.  When  they  are  ready  to  be  sold  01 
when  colts  are  at  an  age  suitable  for  breaking, 
he  brings  them  into  the  city  stable.  His  horses 
are  now  to  be  found  all  over  Southern  Califor- 
nia, and  those  who  once  have  purchased  from 
him  do  not  hesitate  to  sav  that  the  colts  raised  on 


784 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  ranch  are  as  fine  as  the  region  produces.  The 
ranch  is  devoted  ahnost  wholly  to  stock  raishng 
and  the  hay  and  grain  produced  each  year  are 
utilized  principally  for  feed. 

The  Kelly  residence  at  No.  3348  A  street,  San 
Diego,  is  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Kelly,  who  was 
Lovinia  Irwin,  a  native  of  Illinois,  but  from  1868 
a  resident  of  California.  Their  three  children 
are  named  Herbert,  Genevieve  and  Irwin.  While 
upholding  Republican  principles  at  national  elec- 
tions, Mr.  Kelly  is  somewhat  independent  in  his 
attitude  toward  local  politics,  believing  the  in- 
telligence and  honesty  of  the  candidate  to  be 
of  greater  importance  than  his  opinion  upon  the 
national  issues.  As  the  representative  of  the 
fourth  ward  he  is  now  serving  his  second  term 
in  the  city  council.  During  the  building  of  the 
schoolhouse  on  Union  and  F  streets  he  was  offi- 
ciating as  a  trustee  of  schools,  and  gave  his 
support  to  the  needed  improvements,  as  he  does 
to  all  measures  for  the  benefit  of  the  city.  At 
one  time  he  served  as  a  director  of  the  Qiam- 
ber  of  Commerce  and  that  organization,  which 
has  accomplished  so  much  for  the  advancement 
of  local  interests,  has  ever  been  the  recipient 
of  his  support  and  intelligent  allegiance. 


ALEXANDER  ORMSBY  LEE.  In  the  line 
of  his  profession  no  one  is  better  known  in 
Pomona  than  Dr.  Lee,  who  came  here  in  1897 
and  established  himself  as  a  veterinary  surgeon, 
and  the  wisdom  of  his  choice  both  as  to  a  pro- 
fession and  also  as  to  location  have  been  more 
than  gratifying  in  the  years  which  have  passed. 
His  reputation  as  a  skilled  practitioner  has 
reached  far  beyond  his  immediate  locality,  the 
call  for  his  services  taking  him  to  all  parts  of 
Los  Angeles  county,  as  well  as  into  San  Ber- 
nardino county. 

The  earliest  member  of  the  Lee  family  of 
whom  we  have  any  definite  knowledge  was  the 
grandfather,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  of  Eng- 
lish antecedents,  and  who  on  bringing  his  fam- 
ih-  to  the  new  world,  established  his  home  in 
Ontario,  Canada.  Among  the  children  in  his 
family  was  Samuel,  who  was  born  in  County 
Derry,  and  whose  boyhood  years  were  associat- 
ed with  the  pioneer  conditions  which  then  ex- 
isted in  the  vicinity  of  Markham,  York  county, 
where  his  father  settled.  Subsequently  he  him- 
self settled  on  a  heavily  wooded  tract  in  the 
vicinity  of  St.  Marys.  Perth  county,  which  he 
cleared  and  made  habitable  for  his  family,  and 
it  was  there  that  his  earth  life  came  to  a  close  in 
1883.  Before  her  marriage  his  wife  was  Mar- 
iorie  Donogh,  she  too  being  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, born  in  county  Connaught.  She  survived 
her  husband  fourteen  years  and  ]jassed  away  on 
the  Canadian  homestead  in  1897. 


Of  the  eleven  children  born  to  Samuel  and 
Marjorie  (Donogh)  Lee  all  are  living  with  one 
exception,  and  Alexander  O.  is  the  eldest  son. 
Pie  was  born  on  the  family  homestead  in  the 
vicinity  of  St.  Marys,  December  14,  1862,  and 
was  given  a  fair  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  locality.  Upon  attaining  his  majority  in 
1883  he  went  to  Toronto  and  associated  himself 
with  the  firm  of  Gerard  Hentzman  &  Co.,  piano 
manufacturers,  under  whom  he  learned  the  busi- 
ness and  later  became  foreman  of  the  sounding- 
board  department.  His  association  with  the  firm 
in  various  capacities  covered  a  period  of  ten  years, 
during  which  time  he  proved  himself  a  capable 
and  conscientious  workman  and  gained  the  re- 
spect and  friendship  of  his  employers.  In  1893 
he  resigned  his  position  to  enter  the  Ontario 
A'eterinary  College  at  Toronto.  He  graduated 
as  a  veterinary  surgeon  two  years  later  and 
without  loss  of  time  established  a  practice  in 
Markham,  York  county.  Later  he  removed  his 
office  to  Toronto,  about  twenty-two  miles  south, 
and  in  addition  to  his  practice  had  a  one-half 
interest  in  a  livery  stable  there.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  he  was  succeeding  well  in  the 
east  Dr.  Lee  had  become  deeply  interested  in 
the  Pacific  coast  country  and  hither  he  came  in 
1897,  locating  the  'same  year  in  Pomona,  with 
which  city  he  has  since  been  closely  associated. 
As  he  was  the  pioneer  veterinary  surgeon  in 
this  city  it  gees  without  saying  that  he  had  no 
difficulty  in  building  up  a  large  practice,  and 
his  name  is  now  well  known  all  over  Southern 
California. 

Before  coming  to  the  west,  in  Toronto,  Can- 
ada, Dr.  Lee  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Johnston,  who  was  a  native  of  that  city.  The 
duties  of  his  profession  do  not  exclude  Dr.  Lee 
from  outside  interests,  for  he  is  one  of  the 
town's  most  enthusiastic  citizens,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  also  a  member  of 
the  volunteer  fire  department.  In  his  political 
sympathies  he  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally 
he  belongs  to  Pomona  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters  and  the  Fra- 
ternal Aid.  W'itli  liis  wife  he  is  a  member  of 
the  :\Iclh(Hli.-t  i:]n-copal  Church,  in  the  work 
and  support  of  which  both  are  equally  interest- 
ed. To  keep  in  touch  with  the  latest  ideas  and 
discoveries  along  the  lines  of  his  profession  Dr. 
Lee  is  a  constant  reader  of  literature  bearing 
upon  the  subject,  and  is  also  affiliated  with  the 
southern  auxiliary  of  the  California  Veterinary 
!\Iedical  Association.  Dr.  Lee  is  an  expert  with 
the  rifle,  and  for  six  years,  dating  from  1885,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Queen's  Own  Rifles,  which 
throughout  the  kingdom  was  known  as  the  crack 
regiment,  and  in  which  he  served  as  corporal, 
as  such  serving  in  the  rebellion  of  1885. 


^5 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


787 


OUENTIN  J.  ROWLEY,  M.  D.  A  gentle- 
man of  talent  and  culture,  well  educated,  and 
having  a  large  professional  experience,  Quentin 
J.  Rowley,  M.  D.,  of  Downey  and  Los  Angeles, 
is  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  this 
section  of  Los  Angeles  county  as  a  skillful  phy- 
sician and  surgeon,  and  as  one  of  the  Lading 
members  of  the  medical  fraternity  he  enjoys  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice.  A  native  of  Wis- 
consin, he  was  born,  November  21,  1852,  in  Co- 
lumbia county,  a  son  of  Asa  Rowley. 

Born  and  reared  in  New  York  state,  Asa  Row- 
ley followed  the  march  of  civilization  westward 
when  young,  becoming  a  pioneer  settler  of  Co- 
lumbia county.  Wis.  Taking  up  a  tract  of  land 
that  was  still  in  its  primitive  wildness,  he  clear- 
ed a  homestead  on  which  he  resided  for  manv 
years.  A  man  of  strong  individuality,  he  be- 
came influential  in  local  affairs,  and  for  four 
terms  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  Moving 
with  his  family  to  Minnesota  in  1863,  he  located 
near  Austin,  where  he  followed  general  farm- 
ing for  twenty  years.  In  1883  he  came  to  Los 
Angeles  county  and  at  Monta  Vista  was  success- 
fully engaged  in  general  ranching  at  his  death, 
January  9,  1907,  leaving  a  finelv  improved  farm. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Smith,  who  was  born  in 
Scotland,  and  died  in   1904,  on  the  home  ranch. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  high  school  in 
Austin,  Minn.,  Quentin  J.  Rowley  entered  the 
University  of  Minnesota,  where  he  took  the  full 
course  of  study,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  A. 
Subsequently,  as  chemist  of  the  ^linnesota  state 
board  of  health,  he  spent  two  years  at  Red  Wing. 
Going  from  there  to  New  York  City,  he  began 
the  studv  of  medicine  at  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated widi  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  in  March!  1884. 
Deciding  to  locate  in  California.  Dr.  Rowle\- 
came  by  water,  via  Galveston,  Tex.,  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  arriving  just  as  the  memorable  epi- 
demic of  smallpox  was  at  its  height,  and  was 
immediately  appointed  by  the  California  state 
board  of  health  as  inspector,  a  position  that  he 
filled  with  ability  and  fidelitv  for  three  years. 
Locating  in  Downey  in  1887.  he  built  up  an  ex- 
tensive and  remunerative  practice  in  that  vicin- 
ity, where  he  is  esteemed  and  respected  as  a 
citizen  of  worth  and  integrity,  and  is  verv  popu- 
lar as  a  physician  and  surgeon,  his  knowledge 
and  judgment  being  recognized  and  appreciated. 
He  is  an  able  business  man,  and  in  the  earlv  fall 
of  1905  was  made  vice-president  of  the  Los  Nie- 
tos  Bank  of  Downey.  In  August,  icx)<^.  Dr. 
Rowley  removed  his  office  to  the  Grosse  building, 
Los  Angeles. 

Dr.  Rowley  has  been  twice  married,  first,  in 
June.  1887.  at  San  Bernardino.  Cal..  to  Mattie 
C.  Browning,  a  native  of  Alabama.  She  died 
October  ^o,  i8q8,  leaving  three  children,  namelv  : 


Gladys,  aged  seventeen  years;  Earl,  a  bright 
lad  of  fifteen  years,  now  attending  Pomona  Col- 
lege, and  Mattie,  aged  seven  years.  June  25, 
1903,  Dr.  Rowley  married  Lida  Ardis  Craw- 
ford, the  descendant  of  a  prominent  pioneer 
family  of  Los  Angeles  county.  Fraternally  he 
is  associated  with  many  secret  organizations,  be- 
ing a  member  of  Downey  Lodge,  No.  220,  F. 
«&  A.  M. ;  Independent  Order  of  Foresters, 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees,  and  of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Societv. 
Religiously  he  belongs  to  the  ^Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  and  is  a  liberal  contributor  to- 
wards its  support. 


ERNEST  S.  HO\^/E.  Adjacent  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Ramona  lies  the  small  and  well-kept 
ranch  that  is  owned  and  occupied  by  the 
Howe  family  and  that  bears  an  air  of  orderli- 
ness and  thrift  indicative  of  the  proprietor's 
energy  and  'industrious  habits.  The  sixty-five 
acres  are  kept  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  are  tilled  in  such  a  manner  as  to  produce 
the  greatest  possible  results  in  return  for  the 
care  bestowed  upon  them.  A  specialty  is  made 
of  the  dairy  business,  for  which  industry  the 
land  is  well  adapted,  Ernest  S.  Howe,  who 
has  made  his  home  upon  the  tract  for  some 
\ears  and  who  is  responsible  for  its  improved 
appearance,  came  from  Iowa  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years,  and  during  much  of  the  time 
since  then  has  lived  in  Southern  California. 
His  parents,  James  M.  and  Sarah  (Nims) 
Howe,  were  natives  respectively  of  New  York 
and  Illinois  and  in  earlv  life  removed  to  Iowa, 
where  they  met  and  married.  While  they  were 
living  at  Osage.  Mitchell  county,  that  state, 
their  son  was  born  November  5.  1873,  ^"d  in 
that  locality  he  recci\-ed  his  primary  educa- 
tion. 

By  reason  of  the  serious  physical  decline  of 
the  father  in  1885  the  family  removed  from 
the  rigorous  climate  of  northern  Iowa  and 
sought  the  more  favorable  environment  of 
California,  although  they  scarcely  dared  to 
hope  that  the  invalid  would  be  permanently 
restored  to  health.  However,  they  were  grat- 
ified to  see  a  quick  improvement  and  in  a 
short  time  the  father  had  regained  his  health. 
For  two  years  after  coming  west  the  home 
was  at  Otay  and  in  1887  removal  was  made 
to  Ramona.  where  a  ranch  was  purchased  and 
occupied.  Some  years  ago  the  property  was 
sold  and  the  father  removed  to  Montana, 
where  he  died  in  the  spring  of  1906,  aged  sev- 
enty-eight years. 

During  the  years  of  }outh  Ernest  S.  Howe 
made  his  home  with  his  parents,  leaving  their 
home  when  he  established  a  home  of  his  own. 


788 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


October  12,  1899,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Concepcion  Stokes,  member  of  the  pio- 
neer family  of  Ramona  valley  and  a  sister  of 
Aristides  E.  Stokes,  in  whose  sketch  appears 
the  family  history.  Born  of  their  union  are 
three  children,  Dora  Ann,  Josephine  May  and 
Ernest  S.,  Jr.  Shortly  after  his  marriage  ^Ir. 
Howe  took  his  wife  to  Washington  and  for  a 
year  he  worked  in  the  Franklin  mines  in  that 
state.  From  there  he  removed  to  Townsend, 
Monl.,  where  his  father  then  lived,  and  for 
three  years  he  was  employed  in  that  section. 
During  the  residence  of  the  family  there  the 
elder  two  children  were  born.  Since  leaving 
Montana  they  have  made  their  home  upon 
their  farm  near  Ramona,  where  they  have  a 
large  circle  of  personal  friends.  In  religious 
belief  Mrs.  Howe  was  reared  in  the  Catholic 
faith  and  always  has  been  a  sincere  member 
of  that  church,  attending  its  services  and  con- 
tributing to  its  maintenance  and  its  charitable 
enterprises.  While  Mr.  Howe  has  never  been 
partisan  in  politics,  he  keeps  well  posted  con- 
cerning matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of 
our  country  and  the  prosperity  of  the  nation, 
and  in  national  elections  he  casts  his  ballot 
for  Republican  candidates,  although  in  local 
matters  he  votes  for  the  man  rather  than  the 
principle  involved  and  maintains  an  independ- 
ent attitude. 


IRVING  N.  McGUIRE.  The  Argonauts  of 
'49  for  the  most  part  were  men  of  purpose  and 
well-defined  ideas.  Located  in  the  shadowy 
past,  with  their  trails  and  successes  dimmed  by 
distance,  this  class  of  men  take  on  a  dignity 
and  nobility  which  pales  into  insignificance 
the  efforts  of  men  who  have  the  stimulus  of 
competition,  the  encouragement  of  the  multi- 
tude, and  the  help  of  settled  conditons.  Rep- 
resentative of  the  makers  of  this  part  of 
American  history  is  I.  N.  McGuire,  who,  while 
included  among  those  who  wrought  variously 
and  substantially  in  the  pioneer  days  of  the 
state,  is  yet  a  living  force  in  the  present  of 
Santa  Barbara  county. 

Mr.  McGuire  was  born  in  Jackson  county. 
Mo.,  August  16,  1832,  and  in  1838  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Buchanan  county,  the  same 
state,  where  his  early  education  was  acquired 
in  the  subscription  schools.  His  father  and 
mother.  James  and  Sarah  (Wilcox")  McGuire, 
were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  North  Carolina 
respectively,  the  latter  going  to  Kentucky 
when  twelve  years  of  age.  In  1830  the  parents 
located  in  Missouri.  In  1849.  when  I.  N.  was 
seventeen  years  old.  the  family  outfitted  for 
the  long  journey  across  the  plains,  which  they 
accomplished     with     ox-teams    in     about     six 


months.  Their  experiences  were  of  a  milder 
nature  than  is  recorded  of  many.  The  elder 
McGuire  was  the  civic  father  of  Vacaville,  for 
upon  pitching  their  belongings  upon  the  site  of 
this  town,  he  built  the  first  house  within  its 
limits.  He  lived  to  share  in  the  activities  of 
the  community  but  a  few  months,  his  death 
occurring  in  1851,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three.  His 
wife,  who  lived  to  be  eight^^-two  years  old, 
died  in  Texas.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  one  son  and  three  daugh- 
ters are  living,  two  daughters  being  in  Cali- 
fornia and  one  in  Idaho.  The  parents  were 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  the  father 
was  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 

Near  Vacaville,  Solano  county,  I.  N_  j\,j(.- 
Guire  took  advantage  of  the  unclaimed  ranges 
to  engage  in  the  cattle  business,  continuing  so 
engaged  until  removing  his  stock  to  Sonoma 
county  in  1833.  Purchasing  a  ranch  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres,  he  engaged  in  grain 
and  stock-raising  for  twenty  years,  increas- 
ing prosperity  following  in  the  wake  of  his 
energy  and  resourcefulness.  In  1873  he  re- 
moved to  San  Luis  Obispo  county  and  en- 
gaged in  the  sheep  business,  having  at  one 
time  thirty-five  hundred  head.  The  dry  sea- 
son of  1877,  however,  resulted  in  great  loss, 
and  he  gradually  disposed  of  the  balance  of 
the  sheep.  In  1880  he  established  a  mercan- 
tile business  in  the  town  of  San  Luis  Obispo, 
three  years  later  locating  in  Santa  Maria, 
wdiere  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  until 
T887.  Mr.  McGuire  at  this  time  purchased  the 
interest  of  S.  Clevenger  in  the  Santa  Maria 
Times,  and  ever  since  has  been  a  factor  in 
moulding  the  liberal  policy  of  this  paper. 

The  political  activities  of  Mr.  McGuire  have 
covered  a  wide  range,  and  have  included  par- 
ticipation in  practically  all  of  the  local  under- 
takings of  the  Democratic  party.  He  was 
supervisor  of  San  Luis  Obispo  county  several 
terms,  also  deputy-sherifif,  constable  and  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  In  Santa  Maria  he  has  filled 
the  ofifice  of  city  recorder,  and  has  been  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  the  past  four  years.  The 
first  marriage  of  Mr.  iMcGuire  occurred  in  Sac- 
ramento in  1834,  to  Sarah  Condit.  who  was 
born  in  Iowa,  and  whose  death  occurred  in 
1887.  Mrs.  McGuire  left  six  children,  of  whom 
we  mention  the  following:  Oscar  married  El- 
la P.rvan,  and  has  a  family  of  seven  children  ; 
William  C,  a  resident  of  Pomona,  Los  Ange- 
les county,  is  married  and  has  a  family  of  six 
children  ;  Mortimer  L.,  a  rancher  of  the  Santa 
Maria  valley,  married  Lulu  Humbert,  and  has 
two  children  :  Alice  M.,  the  widow  of  George 
W.  Tenkins.  has  two  children  :  Nellie  O.,  wife 
of  F.  H.  Farmer,  of  San  Francisco,  has  five 
children  ;  and  Sarah  A.,  wife  of  Rev.  J.  E.  Mc- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


789 


Cann,  of  Alabama,  has  seven  children.  The 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  McGnire  occurred  in 
Bloomfield,  Cal.,  uniting  him  with  Nc}  -Hors- 
ley,  a  native  of  IlHnoi^.  wlnise  death  occurred 
in  1892.  In  1904  Air.  McGuire  married  Airs  AI. 
E.  Clark,  who  was  born  in  Xew  York  state. 
He  was  made  a  Alason  in  1838  in  Lafayette 
Lodge  No.  126,  of  which  he  is  past  master.  For 
ten  years  he  was  master  of  various  lodges  and 
served  about  that  length  of  time  as  district 
deputy.  He  is  now  a  member  and  past  master 
of  Hesperian  Lodge  No.  264,  F.  &  A.  AI.,  of 
Santa  Maria,  being  the  oldest  Mason  in  point 
of  membership  in  his  lodge.  In  all  of  his  trans- 
actions he  has  been  guided  by  probity,  and  his 
service  and  judgment  invariably  have  tended 
toward  the  bettering  of  the  conditions  by  which 
he  was  surrounded,  and  with  the  development 
of  which  he  has  been  conspicuously  identified. 


MAJOR  GUSTAVUS  F.  MERRIAAI. 
When  our  country  was  first  attracting  per- 
manent settlers  to  the  bleak  coast  of  New- 
England  there  cntssed  the  ocean  in  1637  a 
young  man  bearing  the  name  of  Joseph  Aler- 
riam,  whose  family  accompanied  him  on  the 
long  voyage  and  settled  with  him  in  the  midst 
of  a  cheerless  frontier  environment.  He  was 
ii  clothier  in  Kent,  England,  in  which  busi- 
ness he  accumulated  considerable  mean's.  He 
outfitted  a  vessel  and  loaded  it  to  bring  to 
America.  In  1641  he  died  and  his  will  was 
one  of  the  first  instruments  to  be  placed  in 
the  public  records  of  Boston,  where  it  appears 
in  volume  I,  page  28.  Among  his  descendants 
may  be  mentioned  Charles  and  George  Aler- 
riam,  publishers  of  Webster's  dictionary.  Will- 
iam Merriam  the  Third  was  the  father  of  two 
sons,  Matthew  and  Nathaniel.  Tlie  former 
was  graduated  from  Yale  and  became  a  Con- 
gregational minister,  filling  various  pastorates 
in  the  Bnrwich  colony  of  Alassachusetts 
(now  the  state  of  ^Taine).  From  this  promi- 
nent preacher  descended  Nathaniel  Merriam, 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Next  in 
line  of  descent  was  Gen.  Ela  Alerriam,  a  sol- 
dier in  the  war  of  1812  and  afterward  a 
brigadier  general  in  the  state  militia.  Ex- 
tensivelv  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  he 
not  only  conducted  a  large  farm  and  dairy, 
but  in  addition  was  proprietor  of  a  stage  line 
carrying  mail  and  passengers  between  Utica 
and   Sacket  Harbor. 

On  establishing  a  home  of  his  own.  Gen. 
Ela  Alerriam  married  Lydia  Sheldon,  whose 
grandmother.  Airs.  James  Sheldon,  was  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Lord,  a  pioneer  of  1735, 
in  Hartford,  Conn.  General  Merriarh  lived 
to  be  seventy-nine  years  old,  passing  away  No- 


vember II,  1873,  while  his  wife  survived  him 
until  1886  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six 
}  ears.  Their  son,  G.  F.  Merriam,  was  born 
in  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  October  17,  1835, 
and  received  an  academic  education,  in  St. 
Lawrence  and  Lewis  counties,  after  which  he 
entered  the  Annapolis  Naval  Academy.  Re- 
signing from  there  in  1858  he  removed  to  Kan- 
sas and  engaged  in  business  at  Lawrence  un- 
til 1861.  Upon  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war 
he  entered  the  Union  service  as  first  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Third  Artillery  of  New  York 
X'ohinteers  and  was  stationed  in  North  Caro- 
lina, where  he  drilled  and  prepared  for  field 
service  twelve  batteries,  he  being  the  onJv  one 
there  sufficiently  familiar  with  militar_\  xactics 
ro  perform  the  duties  of  the  position.  In  the 
fall  of  1862  he  was  promoted  to  be  major  of 
the  Fifth  Artillery  of  New  York  Volunteers 
.Tud  served  as  such  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
During  the  last  eighteen  months  of  service 
he  was  in  command  of  Maryland  Heights  op- 
j)osite   Harper's    Ferry. 

When  the  war  had  ended  Major  Merriam  re- 
turned to  Kansas  and  embarked  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  at  Topeka.  After  ten  busy  years 
he  was  obliged  to  remove  from  Kansas  ow- 
ing to  his  wife's  health  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  187s  with  the  hope  that  the  coast 
climate  might  prove  helpful  to  her.  Immedi- 
ately after  his  arrival  in  San  Diego  county  he 
took  up  land  eight  miles  northwest  of  what 
is  now  the  town  of  Escondido  and  became  the 
earliest  settler  of  Twin  Oaks  valley.  In  1879 
he  set  out  a  vineyard  with  the  intention  of 
making  a  specialty  of  raisins,  but  he  found  the 
grapes  could  not  be  dried  successfully,  and  so 
he  established  a  winery  and  has  since  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  wine.  In  addition  he 
has  six  hundred  stands  of  bees  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  the  apiary  business.  For  many 
}-ears  he  kept  a  record  of  the  rainfall  for  the 
government  and  now  continues  in  the  work  for 
his  own  pleasure  and  profit. 

The  first  marriage  of  Major  Alerriam  took 
place  in  Washington.  D.  C.  in  1863,  and  unit- 
ed him  with  Mary  E.  Scott,  who  died  in  Jan- 
uary, 1888.  Six  children  were  born  of  their 
imion,  namely :  Edwin,  now  making  his  home 
in  Keyes  Caiion ;  Helen,  wife  of  F.  L.  Green, 
of  Los  Angeles ;  Anna  Theresa,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  three  years ;  Henry  S.,  who  resides 
with  his  father;  Wallace  W.,  a  mining  engi- 
ner.  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
California,  and  now  opening  up  a  mine  in  the 
state  of  Chihuahua.  Mexico;  and  Bertha  Vir- 
ginia, at  home.  In  March  of  1892  Alajor  Mer- 
riam married  Mrs.  Augusta  M.  Koch,  a  native 
■if  England.  By  her  former  marriage  Mrs. 
Alerriam  had  one  son,   Frederick  W.  Koch,  a 


790 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


graduate  of  the  University  of  California,  and 
now  instructor  of  the  sciences  in  the  Lowell 
high    school,    San    Francisco. 

All  movements  for  the  benefit  of  the  people 
receive  careful  consideration  from  ;\Iajor  Mer- 
riarn.  Particularl}-  is  he  interested  in  the  pub- 
lic-school system  and  for  fifteen  years  or  more 
he  has  rendered  efficient  service  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board  of  his  district.  During  his 
long  and  eventful  c.-^reer  he  has  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  many  men  who  have  been 
jirominent  in  national  afifairs,  chief  among 
these  being  Admiral  George  Dewey,  who  was 
one  of  his  classmates  at  Anna]iolis.  Talented, 
educated  and  refined,  he  has  attracted  the 
friendship  of  men  of  high  character  and  sub- 
stantial worth,  and  with  his  cultured  wife  he 
holds  a  position  of  prominence  locally,  being 
a  distinct  addition  to  the  citizenship  of  the 
county.  While  making  his  headquarters  in 
the  east  during  the  Civil  war  he  was  initiated 
into  Masonry  at  \\'ashington,  D.  C,  and  was 
made  a  Master  Mason,  later  affiliating  with 
the  Royal  Arch  Chapter  in  Topeka,  Kans., 
and  maintaining  a  warm  interest  in  the  help- 
ful charities  of  the  fraternity.  Keenly  inter- 
ested in  everything  pertaining  to  the  old  war 
days,  it  is  natural  that  he  should  find  pleasure 
in  association  with  the  veterans  of  that  strug- 
gle, and  for  years  he  has  been  connected  with 
the  Grand  Arnn-  Post  at  Escondido. 


WILLIAM  ORMOXD  WELCH.  As  the 
nominee  of  the  Republican  party  at  the  elec- 
tion of  1902  Mr.  \Velch  was  chosen  to  fill  the 
office  of  county  tax  collector  for  a  terhi  of  four 
years,  receiving  at  the  polls  a  majorit}-  of 
about  ten  thousand  votes..  Since  he  took  the 
oath  of  office  in  January  of  1903,  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  having  been  re-elected  to  the  same 
office  in  1906,  he  has  given  his  entire  time  and 
attention  to  the  details  of  his  official  position 
and  superintends  the  work  of  the  sixteen  men 
employed  to  assist  in  his  department,  besides 
taking'  charge  of  the  eighty  extra  men  secured 
during  the  months  of  October  and  November. 
Prior  to  entering  upon  official  life  he  had  been 
variously  interested  and  had  gained  a  wide  ex- 
perience throughout  the  west  while  working  at 
railroading  and  telegraphy. 

A  native  of  Kendallville.  Noble  county,  Ind., 
William  Ormond  Welch  was  born  January  20, 
1863,  being  a  son  of  David  S.  and  Sarah  P>uf- 
fum  (Hay ward)  \\'elch.  born  near  Lockport. 
N.  Y.  The  father,  who  was  a  merchant  by  oc- 
cupation and  a  stnncli  Republican  in  politics, 
settled  at  KendalKille  in  early  life  and  there 
•lied  about  1871.  His  widow  makes  her  home 
in  Pomona,  Cal..  and  one  of  their  sons,  Charles 


Sumner,  resides  at  Wichita,  Kans.,  where  he 
holds  a  position  as  trainmaster  with  the  ?^Iis- 
souri  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  The  only 
daughter  is  now  deceased.  The  other  son. 
William  O.,  was  reared  in  Indiana  until  187S, 
when  he  removed  to  Paola,  Miami  county, 
Kans.,  and  there  attended  the  high  school,  lat- 
er taking  a  commercial  course  in  the  Paola 
Normal.  The  first  work  which  he  secured  as 
telegraph  operator  and  station  agent  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  & 
Gulf  Railroad  C^ompany.  After  two  years  with 
them  he  entered  the  Topeka  office  of  the  su- 
perintendent of  the  Santa  Fe  system.  In  1882 
he  went  to  Tucson,  Ariz.,  as  operator  for  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company.  Later 
he  was  employed  as  assistant  dispatcher  for 
the  Texas  Pacific  Railroad  at  Marshall,  Tex., 
and  next  secured  employment  as  o])erator  and 
agent  at  Deer  Lodge  and  ]\lelrose,  Mont.,  with 
the  Utah  Northern  Railroad.  Returning  to  the 
employ  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company  he  was  with  them  in  Deming.  N. 
Mex.,  and  during  this  time  occurred  the  strug- 
gle with  the  Apaches  and  the  capture  of  Gero- 
nimo. 

Upon  coming  to  California  during  the  year 
1886  Mr.  Welch  embarked  in  horticultural  pur- 
suits at  Pomona,  where  he  set  out  and  im- 
proved an  orange  grove  of  twenty  acres,  re- 
taining the  ranch  until  1904,  when  he  sold  it  at 
a  fair  profit.  ^Meanwhile  he  had  become  inter- 
ested in  the  business  of  buying,  drying  and 
shipping  fruit,  and  for  three  years  had  can-ied 
on  a  growing  business  with  a  partner,  hut  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  sold  his  interest. 
On  coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1894  Afr.  A\'elch 
was  employed  for  a  }'ear  as  deput\-  county  re- 
corder under  Arthur  r>ray.  For  four  years  he 
was  deputy  tax  collector  under  A.  H.  Merw'in 
and  for  a  similar  period  he  held  the  same  posi- 
tion under  John  H.  Gish.  meanwhile  acquiring 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  work  of  assessing 
and  collecting,  so  that  he  was  well  qualified  to 
till  the  position  of  collector  when  elected  to 
the  office.  Always  stanch  in  his  allegiance  to 
the  Republican  part^^  he  is  one  of  the  influen- 
tial members  of  the  Republican  League  of  Los 
Angeles  and  in  other  ways  has  aided  in  local 
narty  affairs.  While  living  in  Pomona  he  was 
initiated  into  Masonry  and  now  liolds  mem- 
bership with  South  Gate  Lodge  in  Los  An- 
geles, also  with  Signet  Chapter  of  this  city, 
and  is  a  32°  Scottish  Rite  IMason.  His  mar- 
riage was  solemnized  in  Los  Angeles  and  unit- 
ed him  with  Miss  Eva  Dell  Roberts,  who  was 
born  in  Otoe  county.  Neb.,  her  father,  John 
Roberts,  having  migrated  from  Ohio  to  Ne- 
braska in  a  very  earlv  period  of  that  state's  de- 
velopment;  e^'entualiy  he  closed  out  his  inter- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(93 


ests  there  and  came  to  California,  becoming 
prominent  in  civic  affairs  in  Long  Beach, 
where  at  one  time  he  was  honored  with  the 
office  of  mayor. 

In  1887  Mr.  Welch  became  identified  with 
the  National  Guard  of  California,  having  been 
promoted  while  in  Pomona  to  the  captaincy 
of  Company  D.  Upon  coming  to  I^os  Angeles 
he  was  appointed  to  the  office  of  assistant  ad- 
jutant general  on  the  brigade  staff'  with  the 
rank  of  lieutenant  colonel.  During  the  Span- 
ish-American war  he  served  as  major  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment  California  Infantry,  and  af- 
ter being  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war 
he  resumed  the  office  of  assistant  adjutant 
general.  He  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of 
the  examining  board  for  the  First  Brigade, 
having  in  charge  the  examining  of  officers  as 
to  their  fitness  for  office  in  the  National  Guard. 

The  personal  character  of  Mr.  ^^'elch  has 
been  such  as  to  win  for  him  a  wide  esteem 
wherever  known,  and  the  manner  in  which  he 
has  discharged  all  official  dutirs  in  the  years 
of  his  experience  in  Southern  California  has 
given  him  a  position  of  importance  among  the 
citizens  of  thi."-'  section.  His  success  to  the 
present  time  is  an  augury  of  what  may  be  ex- 
pected for  him  in  the  future,  for  he  is  a  citizen 
of  worth  and  works  and  can  always  be  count- 
e<l  upon  to  uphold  public  honor  in  whatever 
position  he  may  be  placed. 


JAMPS  WATSON  WOOD,  :\r.  D.  One 
of  the  most  prominent  physicians  of  Southern 
California  outside  of  Los  Angeles  is  Dr.  J.  W. 
Wood,  of  Long  Beach,  in  which  city  he  has 
been  located  since  October,  188;,  giving  his 
best  efforts  throughout  this  long  residence  to 
ihe  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  place. 
Born  Novemlier  17,  1856,  he  is  a  native  of 
Geneva,  X.  Y..  and  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Re- 
becca (Rupert)  Wood,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  the  same  state.  Reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  city,  he  attended  the  Geneva  high 
school  and  the  Canandaigua  Academy ;  with 
this  preparation  he  taught  two  terms  of  school 
in  New  York  during  the  years  1878  and  '79. 
In  1880  he  went  to  South  Bend,  Ind.,  and  there 
took  up  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  in- 
struction of  Drs.  Dunning  and  Kilmer,  and  a 
year  later  entered  Rush  Medical  College,  of 
Chicago,  111.,  where  he  completed  the  course 
in  1883;  in  the  meantime  he  had  taken  a 
course  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons of  the  same  city,  and  graduated  in 
March,  1883,  from  that  institution.  Entering 
upon  his  practice  in  Palestine.  Tex.,  he  spent 
a  profitable  year,  but  not  finding  the  climate 
agreeable  he  remo\ed  to  Juniata,  Neb.     In  that 


state  he  was  unitedi  in  marriage,  in  October, 
J  884,  with  Miss  May  McDonald,  a  native  of 
Indiana.  They  remained  residents  of  Ne- 
braska for  two  years,  when  they  removed  to 
Indiana  and  made  that  state  their  home  until 
1887,  in  which  year  they  sought  the  delightful 
climate  and  conditions  of  Southern  California, 
with  a  view  to  making  this  place  their  perma- 
nent home.  Dr.  Wood's  brother,  George  A. 
Wood,  had  preceded  him  to  California  and  had 
located  in  Long  Beach,  where  he  had  engaged 
as  a  druggist,  and  it  was  to  this  city  that  the 
doctor  came  immediately  following  his  arrival 
in  the  state. 

Establishing  an  office  in  Long  Beach  he  be- 
gan the  practice  of  his  profession  independ- 
ently, continuing  so  occupied  until  July,  1904, 
when  he  became  associated  with  Amos  F. 
Hamman.  He  built  up  a  wide  patronage 
throughout  the  country  surrounding  this  city, 
becoming  widely  and  favorably  known.  His 
evident  ability  and  the  practical  use  he  has 
always  been  able  to  make  of  his  theoretical 
knowledge  (which  has  grown  constantly  with 
the  passing  years,  as  he  is  an  indefatigable  stu- 
dent) have  won  for  him  the  confidence  of  the 
l>eople :  his  personal  characteristics  are  also 
largelv  in  his  favor  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, for  he  is  cheerful  and  optimistic  in 
temperament,  and  vet  thonmghh'  sympathetic 
and  genuine  in  his  friendliness.  Mis  presence 
in  the  sick  room  brings  with  it  an  air  of  good 
cheer  that  means  as  mucli  in  the  recovery  of 
l;is  patients  as  do  his  medicines.  He  has  made 
countless  friends  during  liis  residence  in  Long 
Beach  and  has  at  the  same  time  acquired  finan- 
cial independence.  He  is  examining  physician 
for  several  old-line  insurance  companies,  and 
also  acts  in  a  like  capacit\-  for  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters  (having  served  as  lodge 
physician  since  1890")  and  in  the  camp  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  is  assistant 
surgeon  of  the  Pacific  Electric  Railway  and 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railway.  He  has  always 
had  implicit  faith  in  the  future  of  Southern 
California  and  has  invested  freely  in  real  es- 
tate, and  is  also  interested  in  mining  proper- 
ties, serving  at  this  writing  as  president  of  the 
Chickawalla  Mining,  Milling  and  Water  Com- 
pan)',  and  is  a  director  in  the  National  Bank 
of  Long  Beach. 

Dr.  ^"\'ood  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
public  alj'airs  in  Long  Beach,  as  a  Republican 
giving  his  best  efforts  toward  the  advance- 
ment of  the  principles  he  endorses.  He  is. 
however,  above  all  things  a  loyal  and  patriotic 
citizen  and  can  be  counted  upon  to  maintain 
the  best  interests  of  the  city.  He  was  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  incorporation  of  Long 
Beach  and  has  served  variously  since  then  in 


794 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  city  government,  serving  as  health  officer 
from  1890  to  1898;  resigning  at  that  time  he 
accepted  the  office  of  councihiian,  to  which  he 
had  just  been  elected,  serving  efficiently  for 
two  years.  In  1894  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  school  district, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1897,  1900  and  1903,  the 
last  two  terms  unanimously,  and  acting  for  the 
greater  part  of  this  time  as  clerk  of  the  board. 
The  school  system  of  Long  Beach  is  one  of 
the  chief  advantages  of  the  city  and  is  one  that 
affords  considerable  satisfaction  to  the  citi- 
zens ;  to  such  men  as  Dr.  Wood  is  largely  due 
the  credit  for  having  made  it  what  it  is. 

Dr.  Wood  is  progressive  and  enterprising, 
both  in  his  private  and  professional  life,  the 
people  who  know  him  trusting  implicitly  in 
the  broadness  of  his  views,  the  absence  of  nar- 
row partisanship,  and  the  soundness  of  his 
principles.  On  several  dififerent  occasions  he 
has  served  as  delegate  to  county  conventions 
and  has  ably  maintained  the  tenets  of  his  par- 
t}-.  He  takes  a  prominent  part  in  various 
medical  associations,  among  them  the  Los  An- 
geles, the  Southern  California  and  the  Ameri- 
can, while  he  contributes  ably  to  many  medi- 
cal journals.  In  the  midst  of  his  busy  cares  he 
finds  time  for  social  and  fraternal  pleasures, 
holding  membership  with  the  Masonic  organ- 
ization (belonging  to  the  Long  Beach  chapter 
and  commanderv,  and  to  Al  Malaikah  Temple, 
A.  A.  O.  N.  AL  S..  of  Los  Angeles)  the  Elks, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Foresters  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Socially  he  is 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  and  accorded  a 
prominent  place  among  the  representative  cit- 
izens. He  is  typical  of  the  true  American 
manhood — independent  in  his  views,  fearless 
in  his  expression,  progressive  in  spirit,  and 
withal  a  man  of  integrity,  cordial  in  the  friend- 
liness of  his  attitude  toward  the  world,  and 
firm  in  his  loyalty,  patriotism  and  the  kindly 
brotherhood  of  man.  He  has  justly  won  the 
high  regard  in  wliich  he  is  held  by  all  who 
know  him. 


JOHN  A.  HINSHAW.  The  degree  of  suc- 
cess attained  by  Mr.  Hinshaw  since  his  arrival 
in  San  Diego  county  proves  him  to  be  a  man 
of  energy  and  sagacity.  At  the  time  of  settling 
in  the  vicinity  of  Ramona  he  had  less  than 
$100  with  which  to  begin  life  in  a  strange 
country,  in  the  midst  of  unfamiliar  surround- 
ings and  an  unknown  soil  and  agricultural  en- 
vironment. Nor  was  this  feature  the  most  dis- 
couraging part  of  his  situation,  but  in  addition 
he  experienced  much  sickness  in  his  family 
and  expended  a  large  amount  in  an  effort  to 
secure  the  restoration  of  health  for  those  dear 


to  him,  so  that  the  fact  that  he  has  reached  a 
gratifying  degree  of  prosperity  and  an  excel- 
lent standing  as  a  rancher  proves  him  to  pos- 
sess qualities  which  misfortune  cannot  daunt 
nor  formidable  obstacles  successfully  oppose. 
Jasper  county,  Iowa,  is  'Sir.  Hinshaw's  na- 
tive place  and  August  14,  1863,  the  date  of  his 
birth,  his  parents  being  David  and  Elizabeth 
( Lewis)  Hinshaw,  natives  of  Tennessee.  Af- 
ter their  marriage  they  removed  from  the 
south  and  identified  themselves  with  the  pio- 
neers of  Iowa,  settling  in  Jasper  county  as  ear- 
l.v  as  1847  ^"fl  soon  afterward  buying  a  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  sixt}-  acres  of  raw  land. 
From  that  beginning  the  father  worked  his 
way  forward  by  dint  of  unwearied  application 
and  tireless  labor  until  he  ranked  among  the 
foremost  men  of  his  county  and  was  known 
for  miles  around  as  an  extensive  raiser  and 
breeder  of  hogs  and  cattle.  At  one  time  he 
owned  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  well- 
improved  land.  On  the  homestead  which  he 
had  transformed  from  a  raw  and  unprofitable 
acreage  into  one  of  the  fertile  tracts  of  the 
county  he  continued  actively  engaged  in  rais- 
ing grain  and  stock  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  October,  1870,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-seven  years.  About  eighteen  years 
later  (in  February,  1888)  his  wife  passed 
away  at  the  same  place. 

With  the  advantage  of  a  course  of  study  in 
the  Newton  (Iowa)  Academy  supplementary 
to  the  public-school  education  gained  in  the 
home  district,  John  A.  Hinshaw  was  prepared 
to  start  out  in  the  world  for  himself;  and  his 
preparation  was  also  thorough  in  the  line  of 
farm  work,  for  he  was  familiar  from  early 
boyhood  with  the  routine  of  agricultural  oper- 
ations. After  leaving  school  he  worked  out 
by  the  month  until  about  thirty  years  of  age, 
meanwhile  spending  one  year  in  Kansas. 
During  1894  he  removed  to  Colorado  and  rent- 
ed land,  which  he  devoted  to  farm  products. 
From  that  state  he  came  to  California,  arriv- 
ing at  Ramona  Novem.ber  8,  1897,  and  later 
securing  the  title  to  fifty  acres  where  he  now 
lives.  The  land  was  unimproved  and  he  found 
it  necessary  to  put  up  all  the  fencing  now  on 
the  place,  besides  erecting  a  granary  for  the 
storage  of  his  crops.  People  familiar  with  the 
soil  of  the  locality  state  that  there  is  no  finer 
land  than  this  in  the  entire  valley,  and  much 
of  its  productiveness  is  due  to  his  wise  man- 
agement and  systematic  rotation  of  crops.  Al- 
together he  has  about  five  hundred  acres  in 
grain,  while  in  addition  he  has  considerable 
pasture  land.  Having  given  his  attention 
closely  to  the  care  of  his  land  and  to  domestic 
duties,  he  has  had  no  leisure  for  participation 
in  public  affairs  nnd  has  taken  no  part  in  poli- 


ii^<Ji. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


797 


tics  aside  from  voting-  the  Republican  ticket. 

The  marriage  of  i\lr.  Hinshaw  occurred  in 
Newton,  Iowa,  March  2,  1894,  and  united  him 
with  Mrs.  Arwilda  Cox,  a  widow  with  one 
son,  Ernest  C.  Cox,  who  still  remains  with  his 
mother.  The  Hinshaw  family  originally  com- 
prised six  children,  but  the  first  two  born 
were  taken  from  the  circle  by  death,  namely : 
Huldah  Lenore,  who  was  born  October  24, 
1894,  and  died  Januar}^  i,  1906;  and  Agnes 
Susanna,  who  was  born  April  23,  1896,  and 
died  in  October,  1898.  Those  now  living  are 
as  follows:  Leoner  A.,  born  Februar}-  6,  1898; 
Elmer  Glenn,  October  28,  1901  ;  Ceicle  Her- 
bert, January  23,  1903;  and  Birdie  Alice,  July 
9,  1905.  The  family  adhere  to  the  doctrines  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  and  the  children  are 
being  reared  in  that  faith. 


HON.  GEORGE  K.  PORTER.  Wherever 
in  personal  history  a  man  is  found  whose  plan  of 
life  was  drawn  from  within,  and  whose  course 
was  mapped  out  on  lines  distinctly  his  own,  that 
man  challenges  the  attention  of  the  general  pub- 
lic. Prominent  among  the  number  thus  desig- 
nated was  the  late  Hon.  George  Iv.  Porter,  of 
San  Fernando,  a  man  of  deep  individuality,  great 
abiltv  and  sterling  integrity.  He  descended 
from  a  strong,  long-lived  race  and  inherited  to  a 
marked  degree  the  health,  geniality,  equability  of 
temper  and  the  keen  sense  of  justice  that  won 
for  him  the  lasting  friendship,  esteem  and  re- 
spect of  men  and  women  of  all  classes  and  con- 
ditions. His  antecedents  were  substantial  New 
England  stock,  and  ancestors  on  both  sides  held 
responsible  positions  in  early  colonial  life,  and 
some  served  in  the  war  for  independence.  A  son 
of  Dr.  John  Porter,  he  was  born  February  9, 
1833,  in  the  historic  town  of  old  Duxbury, 
Plymouth  county,  INIass.,  a  direct  descendant  of 
a  family  that  emigrated  from  England  in  1635 
and  settled  in  Hingham,  Mass.  His  grandfather. 
Rev.  Maciah  Porter,  a  Congregational  minister 
of  note,  served  as  chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

A  native  of  Voluntown,  Conn.,  John  Porter 
was  fitted  for  a  professional  career,  and  after  his 
graduation  from  the  medical  department  of  Dart- 
mouth College,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  settled 
in  Duxbury.  Mass.,  as  a  physician  and  surgeon. 
He  purchased  for  a  homestead  a  part  of  the  old 
farm  on  which  John  and  Priscilla  Alden  settled, 
when,  after  their  marriage,  they  went  up  the 
creek  to  locate.  He  built  up  a  large  practice  in 
Duxbury  and  adjoining  towns,  and  by  the  suc- 
cessful removal  of  an  abscess  from  the  liver  be- 
fore the  discovery  of  anesthetics,  established  a 
fine  reputation  for  skill  and  ability  as  a  surgeon. 
He  was  the  physician  of  Daniel  Webster,  whose 


home  was  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Marsh- 
field,  and  from  him  received  many  gifts,  includ- 
ing among  others  of  value  a  silver  water  pitcher, 
which  is  in  the  possession  of  his  son's  family. 
John  Porter,  M.  D.,  married  Ann  Thofnas,  who 
was  born  in  Marshfield,  Mass.,  the  daughter  of 
John  Thomas,  a  typical  New  England  farmer. 
The  emigrant  ancestor  of  that  branch  of  the 
Thomas  family  from  which  he  sprang  came  to 
Massachusetts  from  England  in  colonial  days  and 
settled  in  Marshfield,  where  he  had  been  given 
by  the  king  of  England  grant  to  a  large  tract  of 
land.  This  remained  in  the  family  until  sold  to 
Daniel  Webster  by  John  Thomas,  Mrs.  Porter's 
father,  who  reserved  for  himself  a  life  interest 
in  the  estate,  which  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
in  Plymouth  county.  The  Thomas  family  were 
people  of  importance  in  England,  active  in  public 
life,  some  of  them  serving  as  Crown  counselors. 
Dr.  Porter  and  his  wife  were  life-long  resi- 
dents of  the  old  Bay  state.  Their  son  John  T. 
Porter  came  to  California  in  185 1,  becoming  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Watsonville,  where  he  spent 
his  last  years,  and  for  a  number  of  terms  was 
sheriff  of  Santa  Cruz  county. 

The  second  child  in  a  family  of  seven,  only 
one  of  whom  is  now  living,  George  K.  Porter, 
was  brought  up  and  educated  in  Duxbury,  at- 
tending the  public  schools  and  Partridge  Sem- 
inary. A  lad  of  unbounded  energ\'  and  ambition, 
his  enthusiasm  was  aroused  by  the  wonderful 
stories  concerning  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  he  determined  to  try  his  luck  in 
searching  for  the  shining  metal.  Accordingly, 
on  February  7,  1849,  ^^  sailed  from  Boston  on 
the  brig  Acadian,  and  two  days  later  celebrated 
on  board  that  craft  the  sixteenth  anniversary  of 
his  birth.  Capt.  Theodore  Cunningham,  who  had 
command  of  the  brig,  was  a  skillful  navigator, 
who  safely  conducted  the  vessel  through  the 
strait  of  Magellan,  sixty-seven  days  being  con- 
sumed in  passing  through  one-half  of  this  nar- 
row body  of  water,  and  but  three  days  in  the 
other  half.  After  a  voyage  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty-four  days  the  youth  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  the  ensuing  summer  he  spent  at  the 
mines.  Although  the  country  hereabotit  was 
then  without  government,  the  vast  population, 
consisting  of  half-naked  Indians,  swarthy  Span- 
ish-Americans, titled  Spaniards,  gigantic  trap- 
pers, keen-eyed  Yankees,  and  traders  from  all 
parts  of  the  Union,  toiled  harmoniously  with 
pickaxe  and  shovel,  and  he  met  with  as  much 
genuine  politeness  in  the  miner's  camp  as  could 
be  found  in  the  refined  and  cultured  homes  of  the 
far  east. 

Giving  up  mining,  Mr.  Porter  was  for  two 
3'ears  engaged  in  farming  in  the  Santa  Clara  val- 
ley, on  Dry  creek.  Going  from  there  to  the 
Redwoods,   above   Saratoga,   he  was   for   awhile 


(98 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


employed  in  the  split  lumber  business  in  that  lo- 
cality. Locating  at  Santa  Cruz,  he  carried  on 
teaming  for  a  short  time,  after  which  he  em- 
barked in  the  tanning  business,  establishing  the 
second  tannery  ever  operated  in  that  part  of  the 
state.  Enterprising  and  progressive,  and  pos- 
sessing excellent  business  tact  and  judgment,  he 
was  quite  successful  in  his  undertakings,  and 
soon  obtained  a  position  of  prominence  among 
the  leading  men  of  the  town  and  county.  In  i860 
he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  from  Santa 
Cruz  and  Monterc}'  counties,  being  the  first  Re- 
publican of  that  district  to  be  so  honored,  and 
served  on  several  important  committees.  In  1863, 
with  his  cousin,  B.  F.  Porter,  he  obtained  a  con- 
tract with  the  state  to  employ  convict  labor,  and 
then  established  the  first  wholesale  boot  and  shoe- 
manufactory  in  California,  continuing  their  tan- 
nery in  Santa  Cruz.  Mr.  Porter  contracted  for 
orje  hundred  convicts  from  the  San  Quentin 
prison,  and  many  of  these  learned  the  trade,  and 
after  their  liberation  worked  for  him  in  San 
Francisco.  In  his  dealings  with  these  men  he 
had  excellent  success,  invariably  finding  them 
straightforward  and  trustworthy,  readily  re- 
sponding to  his  methods  of  discipline,  and  truly 
appreciating  his  kindness  and  generosity.  He 
treated  them  with  the  utmost  courtesy,  and  to 
their  regular  rations  often  added  vegetables, 
fruit,  fat  mutton  chops,  or  melons,  which  he 
bought  by  the  wagon  load  during  the  season. 
He  had  a  perfect  system  of  book-keeping,  and 
each  man,  when  his  task  was  completed,  was 
allowed  certain  privileges,  and  on  pay  day  re- 
ceived anything  he  asked  for,  providing  none  of 
the  prison  rules  were  broken.  The  men  early 
learned  to  respect  and  esteem  Mr.  Porter,  and 
never  took  undue  advantage  of  him.  The  San 
Quentin  plant  being  destroyed  by  fire  in  1870, 
Mr.  Porter  and  his  partners  moved  their  busi- 
ness to  San  Francisco,  and  established  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Sansom  and  Clay  streets  a  large,  modern, 
up-to-date  factory,  which  was  operated  success- 
fully for  many  years.  There,  as  in  other  places 
in  which  he  has  resided,  Mr.  Porter  obtained  a 
position  of  influence,  and  soon  gained  a  wide  rep- 
utation for  honest,  straightforward,  business 
management.  He  became  exceedingly  popular 
in  financial,  social  and  political  circles,  and  was 
verv  strongly  talked  of  for  mayor  of  the  city. 

Disposing  of  all  of  his  San  Francisco  interests 
in  1896,  Mr.  Porter  then  devoted  his  time  and 
attention  to  the  care  of  his  San  Fernando  ranch, 
which  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  old  Mission. 
and  at  the  time  that  he  bought  it,  upwards  of 
thirty  years  ago,  contained  over  one  hundred 
thousand  acres  of  land.  The  San  Fernando  Mis- 
sion was  the  richest  in  gold  of  all  of  the  old  mis- 
.sions,  the  Placeritos  canon  being  especially  rich, 
and  was  dug  by  the  Indians,  who  were  the  slaves 


of  the  superiors  of  the  diflferent  missions,  being 
hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  for  the 
churches,  before  ^Marshall's  discovery  of  gold  at 
Sutter's  Mill.  Reckoning  the  wealth  of  the  mis- 
sions by  their  possession  of  cattle  and  sheep,  San 
Gabriel  Mission  ranked  first,  San  Jose  second, 
and  San  Fernando,  with  fifty-four  thousand 
head  of  cattle  and  sixty-five  thousand  head  of 
sheep,  held  third  place,  but  it  had  money,  which 
the  others  oftentimes  lacked,  having  at  one  time 
(in  1826)  $go,ooo  in  gold,  which  was  dug  from 
its  soil,  in  the  San  Fernando  mountains.  In 
those  old  mission  da\s  the  Indians  had  to  have 
passports  to  go  from  one  mission  to  another,  and 
some  of  these  papers  ;\Ir.  Porter  found  in  the 
adobe  walls  of  the  old  mission.  When  ^Nlr.  Por- 
ter first  visited  this  place,  he  was  charmed  bv  its 
beauty,  and  in  riding  over  its  hills  and  through 
its  valleys,  said  of  it,  "It  is  certainly  the  Valley 
of  the  Cumberland." 

Laying  out  the  town  of  San  Fernando  soon 
after  purchasing  his  ranch,  Mr.  Porter  erected 
the  first  buildings  and  laid  the  foundations  for 
this  now  thriving,  busy,  little  city.  He  developed 
much  of  the  water  by  the  sinking  of  numerous 
W'Clls  and  putting  in  pumping  plants,  establish- 
ing irrigation  on  a  large  scale,  and  for.  many 
years  was  extensively  engaged  in  raising  grain 
and  cattle.  He  was  the  pioneer  fruit  grower  of 
this  section,  setting  out  orange  and  lemon  trees, 
and  having  an  orchard  of  two  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres  devoted  to  the  culture  of  citrus  fruits. 
He  incorporated  this  property  under  the  name 
of  the  Ex-Mission  Land  and  Water  Company,  in 
which  he  had  a  large  interest.  In  1905  he  sold  a 
large  part  of  his  remaining  land,  about  seventeen 
thousand  acres,  reserving  for  himself  a  tract  of 
twenty  -  four  hundred  acres  adjoining  San 
Fernando.  On  this  he  made  magnificent 
improvements  and  completed  at  a  cost  of 
$50,000  a  handsome  residence,  three  stories  in 
height,  the  first  story  being  of  granite.  It  is  ar- 
tistically.built,  and  is  amply  supplied  with  all  the 
comforts  and  conveniences  to  be  found  in  the 
most  modern  mansion.  On  this  estate  there  is  a 
well-stocked  nursery,  an  olive  grove  and  a  val- 
uable and  productive  orchard.  The  ranch  is  fur- 
nished with  machinery  of  the  latest  approved  pat- 
tern, including  a  large  traction  engine,  which,  in 
addition  to  horse  and  mule  teams,  is  used  in 
farming.  He  always  took  great  pride  in  his 
handsome  herd  of  horses,  keeping  some  of  the 
best  roadsters  and  driving  horses  to  be  found  in 
the  state,  among  them  being  some  sired  by  the 
famous  running  horse  Thad  Stevens.  He  had 
large  herds  of  cattle,  his  Durhams,  Holsteins 
and  Jerseys  making  a  fine  dairy.  He  was  also 
interested  to  some  extent  in  two  large  apiaries 
on  his  place.  He  was  a  man  of  broad  culture  and 
liberal  thought,  and  read  and  spoke  Spanish  flu- 


^^^-isi^^-^     1^<^>tJ  ^-^^^dl^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


799 


ently.  Genial,  hospitable,  and  a  good  conversa- 
tionalist, he  was  a  prince  of  entertainers,  and  an 
invitation  to  his  home  was  warmly  welcomed 
and  gladly  accepted. 

In  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Air.  Porter  married  Kate 
Caystile,  who  was  born  at  Diamond  Springs, 
Nevada  county,  Cal.,  where  her  father  settled  as 
a  pioneer.  She  is  a  woman  of  fine  character  and 
excellent  judgment,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem 
throughout  the  community.  She  is  a  sister  of 
Thomas  Caystile,  one  of  the  original  proprietors 
of  the  Los  Angeles  Times.  Three  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  !Mrs.  Porter,  namely :  George 
K.,  Jr.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years ;  Es- 
telle  C.  and  Benjamin  F.  Politically  \Ir.  Porter 
was  a  straightforward  Republican,  and  voted  for 
Fremont  for  the  first  governor  of  California.  He 
was  a  good  speaker,  and  for  manv  years  was 
very  prominent  and  active  in  campaign  work, 
making  addresses  throughout  the  state.  Frater- 
nallv  he  was  a  member  and  past  master  of  Santa 
Cruz  Lodge  No.  36,  F.  &  A.  M.  After  a  life  of 
usefulness  in  every  community  where  he  made 
his  home,  Mr.  Porter  passed  from  earth  No- 
vember 16,  1906. 


JOSEPH  W.  WOLFSKILL.  The  history 
of  a  community  is  best  told  in  the  lives  of  its 
citizens,  and  when  these  citizens  are  men  of 
forceful  character,  progressive  and  public-spir- 
ited, giving  of  the  best  in  their  lives  not  alone 
to  the  upbuilding  of  their  own  fortunes  and  the 
furthering  of  their  own  personal  interests,  but 
to  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  en- 
terprises calculated  to  advance  the  general  wel- 
fare of  those  about  them,  then  indeed  is  such  a 
career  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  highest  type  of 
citizenship,  .'^u.ch  qualities  anrl  characteristics 
have  distinguished  the  Wolfskill  family,  estab- 
lished in  Los  Angeles  county  in  February, 
iS.^i,  and  since  that  time  pro\-en  a  dominant 
force  in  tiie  upbuilding  of  the  western  com- 
monwealth and  the  development  of  Southern 
California.  The  pioneer.  William  \\'nlfskill, 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  b.is  birtli  having  (Oc- 
curred in  the  vicinity  c:f  Richnmnil.  Marcli  20, 
1798:  his  parents  were  of  German  and  Irish 
extraction,  inhe'-iting  from  ancestors  the  spirit 
of  sturdy  courage  and  independence  which 
prompted  them  to  make  for  themselves  and 
their  children  a  home  in  what  was  then  a  wil- 
derness. While  he  was  still  a  child  in  years 
the  family  removed  to  Howard  county.  Mo., 
then  the  center  of  an  Indian  country,  and  dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812  considerable  trouble  was 
experienced  from  the  hostility  of  the  red  men. 

In  1815  William  Wolfskill  returned  to  Ken- 
tucky to  attend  school,  and  two  years  later  was 
again  located  in  the  paternal  hnme  in  Missouri, 


where  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty-four 
years  of  age.  He  received  a  practical  training 
along  agricultural  lines  and  at  the  same  time 
imbibed  the  spirit  of  th.e  early  day — the  cour- 
age, independence  and  progressiveness  which 
ever  distinguished  the  pioneer.  Young  man- 
hood found  him  inclined  to  push  farther  into 
the  west  and  after  leaving  home  in  1822  he 
went  to  New  Alexico.  spending  one  year  in 
Sante  Fc.  He  then  \vent  down  the  Rio 
Grande  to  r'a>()  del  Xnrte,  and  trapped  for 
beaver  with  a  native  of  Xew  Mexico,  who  gave 
proof  of  his  villainy  by  shooting  Mr.  ^Volf- 
skill  in  an  endeavor  to  secure  an  insignificant 
plunder  of  hides,  blankets  and  ammunition. 
However,  the  blankets,  which  were  made  of 
homespun,  proved  to  be  a  most  excellent  ar- 
mor and  checked  the  bullet,  which  entered  the 
desh'near  the  heart.  Returning  to  Santa  Fe, 
Mr.  Wolfskill  remained  a  brief  time,  after 
which  he  went  to  Taos  and  fitted. out  an  expe- 
dition to  the  Colorado  river,  where  he  engaged 
in  trapping  until  June  of  the  same  }ear.  He 
had  many  adventures  with  the  Indians  during 
this  period  in  the  southwest  and  many  narrow- 
escapes,  but  finally  returned  to  his  home  in 
Missouri.  His  health  liad  been  impaired  by 
the  hardships  he  had  undergone  during  this 
time  and  he  found  it  necessary  to  remain  in 
Missouri  for  a  lime.  Later  he  engaged  in  buy- 
ing up  herds  of  cattle  from  the  western  ranges 
and  driving  them  to  eastern  markets,  which  oc- 
cupation he  found  lucrative  until  the  spring 
of  1828.  At  this  date,  he  with  others  outfitted 
with  a  load  of  goods  for  New  Mexico,  and  af- 
ter reaching  that  point  and  disposing  of  the 
goods  he  pursued  his  way  to  California,  arriv- 
ing in  Los  Angeles  in  February,  1831. 

Henceforth  Mr.  Wolfskill  remained  a  citi- 
zen of  California  and  m  the  years  following  he 
gave  no  little  toward  the  highest  development 
of  the  state.  The  first  schooner  in  California — 
El  Refugio — was  built  by  him  at  San  Pedro, 
and  in  it  he  made  one  trip  to  the  coast  islands 
in  search  of  otter,  after  which  he  sold  the  ves- 
sel, wdiich  finally  went  to  the  Sandwich  Is- 
lands. He  then  turned  his  attention  to  that 
which  occupied  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life — the  cul- 
tivation of  citrus  fruits  and  grapes  and  the 
raising  of  stock.  He  planted  the  first  orange 
grove  in  this  section  in  1841  and  demonstrated 
the  fact  that  Southern  California  possessed  a 
climate  that  would  produce  the  finest  fruit  in 
the  Avorld.  In  1856  he  planted  two  thousand 
rrees  a  little  southwest  of  what  is  now  the  Ar- 
cade depot,  this  being  the  largest"  orchard  at 
the  time  in  Southern  California.  For  many 
years  thereafter  this  ranch  proved  one  of  the 
most   prolific   orange   bearers   in   the   state,   as 


800 


HrSTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


many  as  twenty-five  thousand  boxes  of  oranges 
and  lemons  being  shipped  in  a  single  year. 
The  growth  of  the  city  has  long  since  displaced 
the  orange  grove,  but  the  earl_\-  pioneers  of 
Los  Angeles  remember  it  as  one  of  the  first 
fruits  of  the  eastern  civilization.  In  addition 
to  his  efforts  along  this  line,  Mr.  Wolfskill 
also  gave  considerable  time  and  attention  to 
the  growing  of  nuts,  at  one  time  importing 
sweet  almonds  from  Italy  and  attempting  their 
growth.  Ihe  climate  here  was  evidently  not 
adapted  to  their  culture  and  this  effort  proved 
a  failure,  although  in  the  cultivation  of  other 
nuts  he  was  highly  successful. 

With  the  growth  of  the  city  Mr.  Wolfskill 
found  opportunity  to  improve  his  property  and 
tills  he  did,  to  the  material  advantage  of  his 
own  property  and  that  about  him,  finally  dis- 
posing of  one  tract  for  the  large  sum  of  $200,- 
000.  To  Mr.  Wolfskill  is  owed  much  for  the 
character  of  his  citizenship,  for  no  man  exer- 
cised his  talents  and  ability  more  than  he  to 
develop  and  advance  the  best  interests  of 
Southern  California  and  particularly  of  Los 
Angeles.  A  man  of  broad  mind  and  natural 
culture,  he  was  intensely  alive  to  the  educa- 
tional needs  of  the  community  and  for  the  im- 
mediate benefit  of  his  family  he  established  a 
private  school  in  his  own  home,  at  the  corner 
of  Fourth  and  Almeda  streets,  which  property 
he  purchased  in  1838,  and  there  his  children 
received  a  good  education,  as  did  also  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  other  pioneers.  It  has  been 
truly  said  of  him  that  his  work  in  the  develop- 
ment of  this  region,  along  every  line  of  activ- 
ity, was  such  as  to  win  for  him  the  esteem  of 
iiis  associates  and  the  regard  of  all  who  have 
ever  had  reason  to  love  Southern  California. 
Personally  he  was  a  man  of  many  friends,  for 
he  was  of  a  genial,  kindlv  temperament,  a  fine 
conversationalist,  and  thoroughly  alive  on  all 
questions  of  contemporary  interest.  He  con- 
tinued to  reside  at  his  Los  Angeles  home  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  October  3,  1866,  By 
his  marriage,  in  January,  1841,  Mr.  Wolfskill 
allied  his  fortunes  with  those  of  an  old  and  hon- 
ored Spanish  family.  His  v/ife  was  Dona 
Magdalena  Luge,  daughter  of  Don  Jose  Ygna- 
cio  Lugo  and  Dona  Rafaela  Romero  Lugo,  of 
Santa  Barbara.  They  became  the  parents  of 
six  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living. 
Joseph  W..  Mrs.  Charles  J.  Shepherd  and  Mrs. 
Frank  Sabichi.  Tlie  eldest  daughter,  who  mar- 
ried H.  D.  Barrows,  died  in  1863 :  Lewis,  who 
married  Louisa  Dalton,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Dalton,  of  Azusa  rancho,  died  in  1884,  and 
Rafaelita  died  in  childhood  in  1855.  Mrs. 
\\^olfskill  preceded  her  husband  to  the  grave 
four  years. 

Joseph  W.  \\'olfskill  was  born  in  Los  Ange- 


les, September  14,  1844,  ^"d  in  this  city  was 
reared  to  young  manhood,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  private  school  which  "his  father 
had  established.  Upon  the  land  now  occupied 
by  the  Arcade  depot  and  other  buildings  in 
that  A-icinit}^  he  engaged  in  horticultural  pur- 
suits until  the  growth  of  the  city  made  the 
property  too  valuable  to  be  thus  utilized,  when 
he  began  the  laying  out  and  disposal  of  large 
tracts,  the  first  to  be  sold  being  one  huiidred 
acres  known  as  the  Wolfskill  Orchard  tract, 
which  was  owned  by  Mrs.  F.  W.  Shepherd 
and  himself.  The  lots  now  front  on  Fourth 
and  Fifth  and  Sixth  streets,  also  Third  and 
Central  avenue,  all  business  property,  which 
has  continued  to  advance  in  price  to  the  pres- 
ent day,  and  now  being  held  at  fabulous  prices. 
Although  he  has  disposed  of  a  vast  amount  of 
property  he  still  retains  considerable  city  prop- 
erty, owning  at  the  present  writing  the  site  of 
the  city  market.  He  owns  a  ten  thousand 
acre  ranch  in  the  San  Jacinto  valley,  in  River- 
side county,  and  also  a  handsome  residence  in 
Redondo,  on  Pacific  avenue,  where  he  has  re- 
sided since  1887.  For  many  j'ears  he  has  1)een 
identified  with  the  business  interests  of  Los 
.\ngeles,  having  a  nursery  at  the  corner  of 
Waliash  and  Znal  streets,  on  Brooklyn  Heights, 
and  is  also  engaged  as  a  florist  at  that 
place,  his  products  being  handled  by  a  retail 
store  located  at  No.  218  West  Fourth  street, 
Los  Angeles.  He  has  met  with  uniform  suc- 
cess in  his  work  and  is  justly  named  among 
the  men  who  have  attained  a  high  place  in  the 
citizenship  of  Southern  California.  He  is  a 
man  of  strong,  unswerving  principle,  firmly 
grounded  in  all  that  goes  to  make  the  highest 
type  of  manhood,  and  merits  the  position  of 
high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  all  who 
know  him.  He  has  served  efficiently  as  a 
member  of  the  city  council  of  Los  Angeles  for 
two  terms,  acting  on  both  the  land  and  water 
committees.  Fie  is  a  stanch  Republican  and 
has  been  ever  since  casting  liis  first  vote  for 
Lincoln,  and  has  given  his  best  efforts  toward 
the  promotion  of  the  principles  he  endorses. 

In  San  Francisco  Mr.  Wolfskill  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Ellen  de  Pedrorena,  a  native 
of  San  Diego,  Cal.,  and  the  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  JNIiguel  de  Pedrorena,  who  was  born  in 
Spain  and  became  a  pioneer  of  San  Diego, 
where  he  engaged  as  a  rancher  and  stockman. 
He  was  very  prominent  in  public  affairs,  serA'- 
ing  as  a  member  of  the  first  constitutional  con- 
vention of  California,  and  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  San  Diego,  removed  a  citizen  of 
worth  and  works.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolfskill 
are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Joseph 
^^^  Ir.,  is  enefasf^d  in  stock-raising  in  Riverside 


(^^^^^^'CX^^T^Si^S^^^^t^C^.--- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


803 


county ;  William  F.,  is  a  resident  of  Los  An- 
drei es ;  and  David  and  John  are  engaged  with 
their  father  in  business  in  Los  Angeles. 


REVXOLD  B.  BORDEN.  During  the  long 
period  of  his  sojourn  in  San  Diego  county  Mr. 
Borden  has  owned  and  operated  the  same  tract 
of  land,  this  comprising  three  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  lying  Hye  miles  northwest  of  Es- 
condido  and  near  the  post-town  of  San  Marcos. 
At  the  time  of  his  purchase  of  and  removal  to 
the  property,  in  1882,  the  land  was  wholly  un- 
improved, tut  under  his  systematic  oversight 
and  persevering  energy  two  hundred  and  thirty 
acres  have  been  brought  under  cultivation  to 
grain,  and  the  balance  is  utilized  for  pasturage 
and  meadow.  While  the  raising  of  grain  has 
been  his  specialty  ever  since  he  came  to  this 
ranch,  he  has  had  other  interests,  chief  among 
these  being  his  apiary,  which  he  finds  a  prof- 
itable adjunct  of  general  farming. 

Born  in  Lafayette,  Ga.,  August  3,  1849, 
Reynold  B.  Borden  is  a  son  of  Archibald  and 
.Sarah  Caroline  (Rogers)  Borden,  natives  re- 
S[)ectively  of  Tennessee  and  Georgia,  and  de- 
scendants of  colonial  families  of  the  southern 
states.  When  he  was  four  years  of  age,  in 
1853,  he  was  taken  to  Arkansas  by  his  parents 
and  grew  to  man's  estate  in  Washington  coun- 
ty, meanwhile  attending  the  schools  of  Prai- 
rie Grove.  While  still  quite  young  he  gained 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  harness-making  and 
the  saddler's  trade  under  the  supervision  of  his 
father,  who  added  these  occupations  to  that  of 
general  farming.  After  many  years  in  Ar- 
kansas the  parents  removed  l<i  California  in 
J877  and  settled  in  Los  Angclc-^  cdunty,  where 
tlie  mother  died  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
two  years.  In  May  of  1904  the  father  returned 
to  Arkansas  to  spend  his  remaining  days  amid 
the  scenes  familiar  to  him  through  much  of 
Ids  active  life. 

In  1874,  one  year  after  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Borden  and  his  wife  came  overland  to  Cali- 
fornia, after  having  followed  his  trade  at  Vin- 
ev  Grove,  Washington  county.  Ark.,  with 
meager  financial  returns.  Upon  his  removal 
to  this  state  he  established  his  headquarters  in 
Los  Angeles  countv  and  bought  ten  acres  at 
Downey.  With  his  brother  Thomas,  now  a 
resident  of  Long  Beach,  he  built  one  of  the 
first  houses  on  the  present  site  of  Long  Beach 
and  tilled  the  soil  where  now  may  be  seen 
some  of  the  city's  most  substantial  public 
buildings  and  residences.  In  1880  he  removed 
to  Arizona  and  there  engaged  in  the  dairy 
business,  having  ten  cows  and  selling  milk  to 
the  amount  of  $260  per  month.  On  his  return 
to   California  in   1882  he  bought  the  property 


in  central  San  Diego  county  where  ever  since 
he  has  been  busily  engaged  in  grain-raising  and 
general  agricultural  pursuits. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Borden  took  place  in 
Arkansas  September  17,  1873,  and  united  him 
with  Miss  Julia  McKendree,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children,  Rosa  Lee,  John  A.  and  Dora 
M.  The  elder  daughter  is  the  wife  of  George 
Wittv  and  lives  near  the  old  homestead.  In 
religious  connections  .Mr.  Borden  and  family 
belong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South'  and  he  has  been  a  regular  contributor 
to  church  and  charitable  enterprises.  The 
year  before  he  left  Arkansas  for  the  Pacific 
coast  he  became  identified  with  the  Masonic 
Order,  but  has  not  been  active  in  the  fraternity 
in  the  west,  the  only  organization  with  which 
he  is  actively  identified  at  the  present  writing 
being  the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Escondido. 
Reared  to  a  faith  in  the  Democratic  party,  he 
has  never  swerved  in  his  allegiance  to  that 
organization  and  always  supports  its  princi- 
ples and  candidates.  For  four  years  he  held 
the  office  of  constable,  but  with  that  excep- 
tion he  has  never  been  a  ]iublic  official,  it  be- 
ing his  preference  to  devote  his  attention  ex- 
clusively to  the  management  of  his  farm  and 
to  the  "enjoyment  of  social  intercourse  with 
neighbors  and  family  and  friends. 


JOHN  A.  WORTHEN.  A  successful  engi- 
neer, a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen,  and 
a  man  of  scholarly  attainments.  John  A.  Worthen 
is  held  in  the  hiuhot  esteem  among  the  ranchers 
of  Norwalk.  L<is  Angeles  county.  He  is  a  native 
of  Orange  county,  Vt..  where  he  was  born  Jan- 
uary IS.  T852.  a  son  of  Joseph  H.  and  Elizabeth 
(Chase)  Worthen.  also  natives  of  that  state, 
where  the  paternal  ancestrv  had  flourished  for 
generations ;  relatives  by  the  name  of  Hughes 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  also  in  the 
war  of  1812.  His  parents  lived  and  died  in  their 
native  state,  leaving  a  family  of  six  children  of 
whom  five  are  now  living.  An  uncle,  Amos 
\\'orthen.  served  for  years  as  state  geologist  and 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  famous  state  collection 
in  Illinois. 

John  A.  Worthen  received  his  education 
through  the  medium  of  the  public  schools  and 
later  in  an  academy  in  Orange  county.  He  com- 
pleted his  educational  training  in  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, at  Hanover.  N.  H..  where  he  took  a  scien- 
tific and  civil  engineering  course  and  later  took 
a  post-graduate  course  of  two  years  in  the  Thaver 
Institute.  After  graduating  he  followed  the  work 
of  civil  engineer  in  the  middle  west  for  about 
twenty  years,  serving  on  the  Mississipiii  river 
for  about  two  years,  but  for  the  greater  part  1  if  his 
time  was  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  Union 


804 


HISTORIC AT>  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RPXORD. 


Pacific  and  Missouri  Pacific  Railroads.  He  had 
his  headquarters  in  (^niaha,  Xeb-.,  for  about  two 
xears  and  during  that  time  practiced  civil  engi- 
neering;, was  city  engineer  in  Denver  for  one 
year,  and  for  the  last  ten  years  prior  to  coming 
to  California  was  in  the  employ  of  a  railroad 
company  as  engineer.  He  came  to  San  Francisco 
in  1890  as  the  chief  engineer  of  a  corporation 
known  as  the  South  San  Francisco  Land  &  Im- 
provement Company,  which  purchased  large 
tracts  of  land  and  laid  out  a  city,  built  harbor, 
docks  and  canals,  spending  over  $2,000, ocxd  in 
the  enterprise.  Mr.  Worthen  was  the  chief  en- 
gineer, but  on  account  of  failing  health  he  re- 
signed in  1893  and  came  to  Southern  California, 
locating  first  in  Pasadena,  then  in  Covina,  and 
finally  coming  to  his  present  property,  where  he 
purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  of  which  twenty 
acres  are  devoted  to  grapes,  principally  wine 
grapes,  about  two  acres  being  in  table  grapes. 
He  is  also  engaged  in  the  dairy  business,  while 
the  balance  of  his  land  is  given  over  to  alfalfa. 
He  planted  all  the  fruit  trees,  also  put  up  the 
greater  part  of  the  outbuildings  which  improve 
the  place.  He  is  still  interested  in  his  chosen 
profession,  having  designed  and  constructed  the 
extensive  concrete  irrigation  conduits  now  around 
Downey.  He  is  prominent  politically  and 
socially,  voting  the  Democrat  ticket  and  taking 
a  prominent  part  in  every  movement  which  has 
for  its  end  the  upbuilding  of  this  section. 

In  1886  Mr.  Worthen  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Susie  Worthen.  a  native  of  \'ermont, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  namely : 
Mary  A.,  attending  Berkeley;  and  Elizabeth,  a 
graduate  of  the  Whittier  high  school. 


GEORGE  SLACK.  Tlie  Slack  family  is  of 
English  ancestry,  the  western  pioneer,  VVilliam 
Slack,  now  an  esteemed  citizen  of  Los  Angeles, 
having  been  born  in  Doncaster,  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land. December  27,  1823.  His  father,  Richard 
Slack,  was  also  born  in  that  location  and  in  man- 
hood engaged  as  a  brick  layer  until  his  death. 
His  wife.  Ann,  was  aLso  born  and  died  in  the 
same  place.  They  had  three  children,  of  whom 
the  only  one  living  is  William,  the  oldest.  He 
was  brought  up  in  England  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  until  fourteen  years  old,  when  he 
was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  moulder's  trade. 
He  worked  at  his  trade  in  Lancastershire,  where 
in  1845  lie  married  Miss  Eliza  Varlev.  He  final- 
ly brought  his  family  to  .\merica  and  after  land- 
ing in  New  Orleans,  La.,  he  went  on  to  Cin- 
cinnati. Ohio,  and  there  worked  at  his  trade  un- 
til 1850.  He  then  came  to  St.  Louis  and  bought 
a  team  of  oxen  and  wagon  and  for  a  time  teamed 


from  Qiurchville  to  Council  Bluffs.  During  the 
same  year  he  started  across  the  plains  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  and  after  remaining  there  two  years, 
completed  the  journey  to  the  coast,  going  first 
to  San  Bernardino,  Cal..  and  thence  to  El  Monte. 
As  there  was  nothing  in  the  line  of  his  trade 
he  began  farming  and  the  raising  of  cattle,  pur- 
chasing a  farm  adjoining  the  city  upon  which  he 
remained  for  some  years.  He  then  went  to 
Ventura  and  spent  two  years,  thence  going  to 
San  Antonio,  Tex.,  where  he  superintended  the 
construction  and  operation  of  the  first  gas  works 
in  connection  with  a  Mr.  Lyons,  of  that  place. 
After  two  years  he  returned  to  El  Monte,  hav- 
ing profited  little  by  his  experience  in  Texas ; 
he  had  intended  going  to  Oregon,  but  was  offered 
work  in  running  a  threshing  machine,  and  after 
the  close  of  the  season  he  became  engineer  in  a 
distillery.  In  the  mean  time  he  had  started  in 
the  cattle  business  and  met  with  success  in  the 
enterprise  and  was  finally  able  to  purchase  a 
forty-acre  ranch,  on  which  he  continued  in  the 
dairy  business  and  the  raising  of  stock  and  poul- 
try. With  his  accumulated  means  he  purchased 
another  forty-acre  tract,  and  now  owns  a  fine 
farm  of  eighty  acres  just  south  of  El  Monte. 
He  also  owns  one  acre  in  El  Monte,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  San  Bernardino  avenue  and  Mission  road, 
which  is  improved  with  store  buildings  at  the 
corner. 

In  1893  ^^'illiam  Slack  located  in  Los  -Ange- 
les and  erected  a  home  at  Xo.  ^2t,  South  Han- 
cock street.  His  first  wife  died  in  El  Monte, 
leaving  a  family  of  ten  children,  namely :  W'ill- 
iam,  of  San  Gabriel:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Rich- 
ard Ouinn.  of  El  Monte;  Eliza.  Mrs.  Smith,  of 
El  Monte;  John,  of  El  Monte;  George,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  .\lbert.  a  farmer  near  this 
place;  .'\rthur,  a  butcher  of  Los  .\ngeles :  A'tary, 
wife  of  T.  F.  Peterson,  a  merchant  of  Los  An- 
geles;  Richard,  a  blacksmith,  at  Puente ;  and 
.Sarah  Aun.  wife  of  G.  L.  Matthews,  of  Los  .\n- 
geles.  His  second  marriage  took  place  in  El 
Monte  and  united  him  with  Ann  Hewitt,  Avho 
was  born  in  England  and  died  in  El  Monte.  .\ft- 
er  her  death  he  married  again.  AMiile  a  resident 
of  El  ]\Ionte  Mr.  Slack  served  as  deputy  nost- 
master  under  John  T.  Haddock.  Politically  he 
is  a  Democrat. 

George  Slack  was  born  in  El  Monte.  Cal.. 
-\pril  ID,  1864.  and  was  reared  to  young  manhood 
on  the  paternal  farm,  receiving  his  education  in 
the  public  schools,  .^t  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
he  liefjan  work  with  Goodwin  &  Seward,  of  Los 
.Vngek's.  learning  the  trade  of  carpenter.  He 
remained  with  them  for  four  years  when  he  be- 
g-an  contracting  in  El  Monte,  where  he  has  ever 
since  been  located.  He  has  built  residences  all 
over  the  San  Gabriel  valley  nnd  put  up  many 
buildings  of  various  kinds  in  El  Monte,  and  has 


THOMAS  CAREY 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


807 


also  built  in  Los  Angeles,  Santa  Ana,  Santa 
Monica,  Highland  Park,  and  other  cities  of 
Southern  California.  He  built  the  family  resi- 
dence on  San  Bernardino  street,  which  is  pre- 
sided over  by  his  wife,  fornicrlv  A[is>  Lena  Kill- 
ian.  a  native  of  Georgia,  and  with  win  mi  he  was 
united  in  marriage  in  Los  .Angeles.  I'Vaternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters,  of  tvhich  he  is  a  past  officer,  and  polit- 
icallv  is  a  Democrat. 


NATHAN  D.  BURLINGHA:M.  Prominent 
among  the  enterprising  residents  of  Los  An- 
geles county  who  have  been  potent  factors  in 
developing  and  promoting  the  mineral  re- 
sources of  California  is  Nathan  D.  Burlingham. 
of  West  Glendale.  F"ollowing  the  tide  of  im- 
migration westward  to  the  Pacific  coast  in 
1850,  he  located  in  a  district  rich  with  aurifer- 
ous deposits,  and  from  that  lime  until  the  pres- 
ent da}-  has  been  successfidi\  engaged  in  min- 
ing, from  the  ( lod-given  gulijen  treasury  draw- 
ing great  wealth.  Industrious,  energetic  ani! 
far-seeing,  he  has  labored  with  a  zeal  and  ear- 
nestness of  purpose  worthy  of  commendation, 
and  in  the  accumulation  of  property  of  \'alue 
has  met  with  a  just  rewanl  f^r  his  many  }-ears 
of  toil  and  speculation.  A  nati\  e  of  New  York, 
he  was  born,  July  4,  1831,  in  Jamestown. 

At  the  age  of  six  years  Nathan  D.  Burling- 
ham accompanied  his  parents  to  Battle  Creek, 
ATich.,  which  was  then  an  almost  uninhabited 
territory,  the  only  buildings  in  the  place  being 
three  log  houses,  in  this  primitive  town  he 
lived  for  eight  years,  (loing  then  to  Indiana, 
he  worked  for  about  three  \  ears  in  an  iron 
foundry,  after  which  he  was  fnr  a  time  engaged 
in  boating,  first  on  Lake  .Michigan,  and  subse- 
quently on  the  Mississippi.  In  1850,  his  en- 
thusiastic ardor  being  awakened  by  the  thrill- 
ing accounts  of  the  discover}-  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia, he  joined  a  party  coming  overland  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  and  in  the  tedious  journey  across 
the  dreary  plains  walked  the  greater  part  of 
the  way,  during  the  three  months  of  travel  rid- 
ing but  three  days.  While  crossing  the  Hum- 
boldt river  the  party  had  serious  trouble  with 
the  Indians,  but  in  spite  of  that  reached  Hang- 
town  in  safety.  He  at  once  began  his  career  as 
a  mirter,  and  in  the  mau}-  operations  in  which 
he  has  been  engaged  has  met  with  far  more 
than  average  success,  his  prosjierous  financial 
ventures  far  exceeding  his  disastrous  specula- 
tions. He  visited  many  sections  of  the  state 
as  a  young  man,  in  1859  making  his  first  ap- 
pearance in  Los  Angeles. 

Returning  to  New  York  state  in  the  fall  of 
1862,  Mr.  Burlingham  remained  there  awhile, 
and  in  Septemiier.   1863.  enlisted   in   Ccn-ipany 


H,  as  a  private  in  the  First  New  York 
Dragoons,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  took  an  active  part  in  twenty- 
four  important  engagements,  including  the  bat- 
tle of  Five  Forks,  where  he  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  Slieridan,  and  the  surrender  of  Lee  at 
Appomattox.  After  participating  in  the  Grand 
Review  at  Washington  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  service  at  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
Since  that  time  he  has  resided  in  California  the 
greater  part  of  the  time.  He  has  been  an  ex- 
tensive traveler,  having  visited  along  the  Pa- 
cific coast  from  British  Cohunbia  down  to  Chili, 
and  before  attaining  liis  majority  had  been  in 
seventeen  different  states  and  territories,  trav- 
eling through  them  before  the  establishment 
of  railroads,  when  means  of  transportation 
were  primitive  and  liniited.  In  1897  he  bought 
his  present  ranch  of  thirt} -four  acres  at  West 
'jlendale,  where  he  has  erected  a  conunodious 
and  convenient  house,  and  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  caring  for  his  land,  raising  principally 
fruit  and  grain. 

In  December,  1862.  in  New  "^'ork  state,  Mr. 
Burlingham  married  Laura  Sophia  Kidder,  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  Franklin  Kidder,  a  noted 
Baptist  preacher,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  four  children,  nan.Tely:  Mrs.  Augusta  H. 
^[oore,  of  Eldorado  county,  Cal. ;  Mrs.  Bernice 
P.  Lewis,  living  in  Mexico:  Mrs.  Lydia  S. 
Neil  of  Los  A.ngeles :  and  Bert  F.,  engaged  in 
mining  in  Arizona.  Politicall}-  Mr.  Burling- 
ham is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  w-ith  the  ex- 
ception of  bemg  for  a  time  a  member  of  the 
state  central  coimcil  committee  years  ago  has 
never  held  public  office.  He  is  a  member  of 
Kenesaw  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  East  Los  .-\ngeles. 


THOMAS  CARE^'  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Los  .\ngeles  county,  whose  eft'orts 
for  the  upbuilding  of  a  personal  conipetence 
and  the  general  welfare  of  the  community  have 
made  his  name  one  to  be  remen-ibered  when 
the  roll  of  honored  pioneers  is  called.  He  was 
a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  Tipperary  in  the 
year  1823,  and  v.-as  there  reared  to  young  man- 
hood and  trained  in  the  first  practical  duties  of 
life.  His  ambitious  spirit,  however,  could  not 
find  sufficient  opportunities  in  the  land  of  his 
l)irth  and  after  engaging  at  various  occupations 
until  attaining  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years  he 
decided  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  western 
world.  In  1852  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  in 
New  York  City  spent  the  first  few  months  of 
his  career  on  this  side  of  the  water.  Following 
the  call  of  the  west  which  was  then  drawing- 
all  classes  to  the  far-famed  land  of  California, 
he  continued  his  journey  and  via  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  reached  the  Pacific  state.     Like  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


great  majority  of  those  who  sought  their  for- 
tunes in  the  west  at  that  time  he  went  to  the 
mines  and  for  one  year  was  occupied  thus  on 
the  San  Joaquin  river;  locating  in  Benicia  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  made  that  place 
his  heme  for  ten  years,  being  employed  by  the 
government. 

In  the  meantime.  November  9,  1867,  Mr. 
Carey  married  Mary  Hinds,  also  a  native  of 
Tipperary,  Ireland,  and  the  following  year  they 
removed  to  Los  Angeles  county.  Mr.  Carey 
took  up  a  government  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixtv-one  acres  and  on  this  farm  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  This  property  he  im- 
proved and  cultivated  until  his  death,  dispos- 
ing of  various  parts  of  it  until  at  the  time  of 
his  demise  he  had  left  but  thirty-five  acres.  At 
tlie  present  writing  this  property  is  being  sub- 
divided into  town  lots,  as  it  lies  on  Vermont 
avenue  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Vernon  avenue 
and  Figueroa  street,  and  in  the  line  of  develop- 
ment of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles.  Mr.  Carey's 
death  occurred  September  21,  1894,  on  the 
home  place.  As  a  pioneer,  a  citizen  and  a  pub- 
lic-spirited man  he  attained  prominence  and 
was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  knew 
him.  His  word  w^as  universally  held  to  be  as 
good  as  his  bond,  for  his  promises  were  con- 
scientiously carried  out.  He  maintained  great 
faith  in  his  adopted  country  and  was  always  to 
be  counted  upon  to  further  any  plan  for  the  up- 
building of  community,  city,  county  or  state. 

After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  on  the  home 
place,  Mr.  Carey  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Sophia  L.  Morris,  in  1892,  and  born  of  this 
union  was  one  son,  Thomas  E.  Mrs.  Carey 
survived  her  husband  and  is  now  the  wife  of 
George  A.  Blewett,  a  prominent  citizen  of  this 
section. 


WILLIAM  EERGUSON.  Perhaps  no  early 
settler  of  California  was  better  fitted  by  exper- 
ience and  physical  make-up  to  cope  with  the 
hardships  and  privations  of  a  pioneer  country 
than  William  Ferguson,  who  also  proved  equal 
to  the  opportunities  presented  by  her  manifold 
resources  and  in  the  passing  years  won  for  him- 
self a  position  of  financial  standing  as  well  as 
a  place  of  importance  in  the  social  circles  of  the 
city  of  Los  Angeles.  His  father.  John  C.  Fergu- 
son, a  native  of  Virginia,  located  in  Tennessee 
in  young  manhood  and  there  married,  and  in 
183 1  became  a  resident  of  .A.rkansas,  where  he 
engaged  as -a  farmer.  He  brought  to  bear  in 
his  work  the  sturdy  qualities  of  the  Scotch  peo- 
ple, his  father  having  emigrated  from  Scotland 
during  the  colonial  period  of  our  history  and 
shortly  afterward  gave  his  services  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.     He  married  into  one  of  the  old 


families  of  Pennsylvania,  identified  with  the  his- 
tory of  our  country  from  an  early  colonial  period. 
John  C.  Ferguson  married  Elizabeth  English, 
a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  the  death  of  both 
himself  and  wife  occurred  in  Arkansas. 

William  Ferguson  was  born  January  21,  1832, 
near  Eayetteville,  Washington  county.  Ark.,  up- 
on his  father's  farm,  where  he  spent  the  early 
years  of  his  life.  His  education  was  received  in 
a  backwoods  country  school,  primitive  in  its  ad- 
vantages and  surroundings,  and  was  necessarily 
limited,  and  in  the  present  day  would  not  even 
be  counted  a  foundation  for  later  knowledge.  At 
the  same  time  he  was  trained  to  system  and 
habits  of  industry  through  the  performance  of 
the  duties  which  were  his  as  the  son  of  a  farmer. 
He  was  in  his  eighteenth  year  when,  with  an 
uncle  and  several  neighbors,  he  started  by  the 
overland  route  to  California,  unable  to  resist 
the  influence  of  the  glowing  reports  which  had 
reached  his  inland  home.  The  journey  was 
made  in  safety  despite  the  perils  with  which  it 
was  attended,  their  first  stop  in  the  state  being 
at  Mud  Springs,  which  they  reached  August  10, 
1850.  But  a  short  time  was  spent  in  this  loca- 
tion, when  they  journeyed  on  to  Sacramento,  and 
from  there  to  Nevada  City,  where  Mr.  Fergu- 
son and  Joel  Ragin  engaged  in  the  mines  of 
Auburn,  intent  upon  securing  a  recompense  for 
the  hardships  and  trials  which  they  had  ex- 
perienced in  their  overland  trip  to  the  coast.  In 
the  spring  of  1851,  when  he  went  to  the  Salmon 
river  regions,  where  he  thought  he  might  be  able 
to  work  successfully  in  the  gold  mines,  Mr. 
Ferguson  passed  the  worst  period  of  his  life 
and  very  narrowly  escaped  death.  His  strong 
constitution,  however,  coupled  with  his  indomit- 
able will,  enabled  him  to  pass  successfully 
through  all  trials.  After  a  short  stay  in  these 
regions  he  proceeded  to  Trinity  county,  where 
he  began  mining  and  in  the  winter  of  1852  en- 
gaged in  freighting  into  the  mines  with  a  fair 
remuneration  for  his  labors.  Prior  to  his  min- 
ing and  freighting  he  served  as  cook  in  a  mining 
camp  for  $150  per  month,  willing  and  eager  to 
turn  to  account  any  ability  which  he  might  pos- 
sess. His  next  enterprise  was  as  a  blacksmith  in 
Canyon  City,  where  he  was  fairly  successful.  In 
1857  he  disposed  of  his  business  interests  in  Cal- 
ifornia and  returned  to  his  home  in  Arkansas 
via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  New  York.Citv, 
and  thence  to  the  southern  state. 

Mr.  Ferguson  remained  in  the  patenal  home 
for  six  months,  when  he  once  more  came  to 
California  with  his  afifairs  so  arranged  that  he 
could  make  this  state  his  permanent  home.  Locat- 
ing in  Trinity  county  in  the  summer  of  1858, 
he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  the 
manufacture  of  lumber  for  three  years.  Mining 
attracted  him  once  more  and  for  a  time  he  fol- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


809 


lowed  this  pursuit  in  Nevada.  In  the  spring  of 
1864  he  went  to  Idaho  and  remained  a  brief 
time,  returning  in  October  of  the  same  year  to 
the  Golden  state,  and  locating  in  his  former 
place.  In  the  winter  of  1864  he  removed  to  the 
vicinit}-  of  Petaluma,  Sonoma  count}-.  Gal., 
where  he  embarked  in  stock  raising,  remaining 
there  until  1S68,  when  he  came  to  Los  Angeles 
to  settle  up  the  estate  of  his  brother.  The  south- 
ern city  proved  an  attractive  spot  to  him  and 
he  has  ever  since  remained  a  resident,  giving  his 
efforts  toward  the  support  of  all  upbuilding 
movements.  He  has  proved  a  man  of  business 
ability,  establishing  a  livery  stable  in  1869  and 
successfull}-  conducting  the  same  for  nearly  ten 
years.  At  the  same  time  he  has  invested  in 
real  estate  holdings,  relying  entirely  upon  his 
own  judgment  and  foresight,  and  his  ability  to 
discriminate  between  inflation  and  values,  and 
profiting  by  his  many  years  of  experience  in 
dealing  with  men.  In  1870  he  purchased  stock 
in  the  water  company  of  Los  Angeles,  in  which, 
he  later  served  as  a  director  for  many  years. 
About  1890  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
brick,  water  and  sewer  pipes,  terra  cotta  and 
fire  brick,  and  still  maintains  his  interest  in  this 
plant,  known  as  the  California  Sewer  Pipe  Com- 
pany. He  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  business 
enterprises  in  Los  Angeles  and  has  identified 
himself  with  many  important  movements,  now 
serving  as  director  in  the  Union  Savings  Bank. 
In  1886  Mr.  Ferguson  built  a  residence  at 
No.  303  South  Hill  street,  and  at  that  time  this 
was  the  only  building  on  the  street  south  of 
Third.  At  the  present  writing  he  is  completing 
a  fine  residence  on  the  corner  of  Eighth  and 
Rampart  streets,  which  is  to  be  the  future  home 
of  the  family.  This  consists  of  his  wife,  for- 
merly Miss  Flora  Austin,  a  native  of  Maine, 
and  two  children,  Clarence  and  Mabel.  The  son 
and  daughter  received  their  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Los  Angeles  and  are  graduates 
of  the  high  school.  Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  member 
of  the  Unitarian  Church ;  to  which  he  gives  a 
liberal  support.  In  his  political  affiliations  he 
is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  having 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Gen.  Winfield  Scott.  He 
is  a  man  of  exceptional  ability  and  strong  moral 
purpose  and  as  such  has  made  his  influence  felt 
in  the  City  of  Los  Angeles.  He  is  self-made  in 
the  best  sense  implied  by  the  term ;  has  met  with 
misfortune  and  hardship  in  the  upbuilding  of 
his  fortune :  has  profited  b}-  his  contact  witli 
men  and  his  experiences.  Perseverance  and 
energy,  and  courage  in  the  face  of  many  ob- 
stacles, have  been  the  capital  upon  which  he  has 
done  business,  and  he  has  won  against  all  odds 
presented.  His  life  history  may  well  be  writ- 
ten as  a  lesson  to  those  setting  forth  in  life 
under  difficulties  and  fearing  defeat. 


DANIEL  FREEMAN,  since  1873  a  resident 
of  Southern  California,  is  the  representative  of 
a  family  long  established  on  American  soil,  the 
emigrating  ancestor,  Edward  Freeman,  an  Eng- 
lishman, locating  in  Woodbridge,  N.  J.,  as  early 
as  1658.  In  that  staje  the  name  flourished  for 
many  generations  and  various  members  of  the 
family  became  prominent  in  public  affairs.  The 
grandfather  of  Daniel  Freeman,  also  Daniel,  be- 
came a  Methodist  minister  in  manhood  and  was 
sent  from  New  Jersey  to  Canada  in  the  capacitv 
of  missionary,  and  while  giving  of  the  best  of 
his  life  toward  the  spiritual  development  of  those 
about  him  assisted  materially  in  the  growth  and 
upbuilding  of  the  country  then  known  as  the 
Northwest.  He  preached  the  first  Protestant 
sermon  in  the  city  of  Detroit  and  was  active  in 
the  establishment  of  congregations  throughout 
the  province  of  Ontario  and  the  state  of  Mich- 
igan. He  reared  a  family  of  children  who  were 
also  loyal  supporters  of  progress  and  development 
and  helpful  citizens  of  the  different  communities 
in  which  they  made  their  homes.  Daniel  Free- 
man's father  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Ontario  and 
was  there  reared  to  a  practical  manhood,  en- 
gaging in  farming  throughout  his  entire  life. 
He  married  a  daughter  of  Scotch-Irish  emi- 
grants, and  the  sterling  traits  of  this  people  were 
transmitted  in  large  measure  to  their  son, 
Daniel,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Norfolk  county. 
June  30,  1837.  Although  reared  on  a  farm  and 
far  remote  from  educational  advantages,  he  was 
still  early  imbued  with  the  desire  to  obtain  an 
education,  and  during  the  years  of  his  young 
manhood  allowed  nothing  to  divert  him  from  this 
purpose.  After  securing  the  foundation  for 
more  advanced  training  he  began  teaching  in  a 
country  school  and  with  the  means  thus  ob- 
tained graduated  from  a  private  academy,  anrl 
later  became  a  student  of  Osgoode  Hall,  the  law 
school  of  Toronto.  Likewise  graduating  from 
this  institution  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1865,  and  immediately  returning  to  his  native 
town,  Simcoe,  Ontario,  he  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession. 

Mr.  Freeman  was  very  successful  in  his  work 
and  rapidly  rose  to  a  position  of  prominence 
among  the  legal  fraternity  of  his  city.  How- 
ever, on  account  of  the  health  of  his  wife  (for- 
merly Miss  Christie,  whom  he  had  married  in 
i86fi)  he  was  induced  to  seek  a  milder  climate, 
and  while  traveling  in  the  south  in  February, 
187;?,  was  offered  the  bonk  "Nordhoff's  C-'li- 
fornia"  bv  a  newsbov  on  a  train.  Purchasing  the 
book  he  began  a  cursory  reading  of  its  contents. 
Becoming  interested  in  the  possibilities  of  the 
state  so  glowingly  described,  the  family  secured 
accommodations  for  the  trip  to  the  Pacific  coast 
the  following  day,  and  in  due  time  they  arrived 
in  San  Francisco,  the  metropolis  of  the  west.     So 


SIO 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


well  pleased  was  Mr.  Freeman  with  the  con- 
ditions of  the  state  that  he  at  once  began  look- 
ing abont  with  a  view  to  purchasing  property,  but 
with  the  thoroughness  characteristic  of  his  nature 
he  spent  nine  months  in  an  investigation  of 
various  sections  before  deciding  to  locate  in  Los 
Angeles  county.  Here  he  visited  the  Centinela 
rancho,  which  with  the  Sausal  Redondo,  com- 
prised something  like  twenty-six  thousand  acres 
of  land,  then  devoted  to  grazing  purposes  by 
the  owner,  Sir  Robert  Burnett.  In  September 
he  leased  the  ranch  for  five  years,  with  the 
privilege  of  buying  it  within  that  time,  for  $6 
an  acre. 

The  only  industry  afforded  by  this  vast  tract 
of'  land  at  that  time  was  the  raising  of  sheep, 
and  of  the  immense  herds  owned  by  Sir  Robert 
Burnett,  Mr.  Freeman  purchased  ten  thousand 
head.  He  devoted  his  time  exclusively  to  this 
enterprise  and  had  a  very  large  band  in  1876. 
when  the  memorable  drought  of  that  year  car- 
ried off  nearly  half  of  them.  During  the  fall 
of  187s,  however,  he  had  tried  the  experiment 
of  raising  grain  on  six  hundred  and  fort\'  acres 
of  land,  and  his  efforts  had  resulted  in  a  crop 
which  averaged  twelve  sacks  to  the  acre,  despite 
the  fact  that  the  season's  rainfall  amounted  to 
only  four  and  a  half  inches.  After  his  extensive 
loss  by  the  drought  he  sold  the  balance  of  his 
sheep,  consisting  of  something  like  sixteen  thou- 
sand head,  to  "Lucky"  Baldwin,  owner  of  the 
Santa  Anita  ranch.  Since  his  first  effort  in  this 
line.  Mr.  Freeman  has  never  lost  a  crop,  con- 
tinuing to  develop  his  land  to  the  highest  state 
of  cultivation. 

Besides  his  grain  farming  Mr.  Freeman  has 
given  every  attention  to  the  improvement  of 
his  vast  property,  one  point  of  its  supremacy 
being  its  splendid  natural  water  supply,  which 
he  has  developed  by  means  of  artesian  wells, 
which  now  yield  one  hundred  and  fifty  miner's 
inches  of  water.  Water  can  be  found  at  any 
point  on  the  ranch  at  a  depth  of  ninety  feet, 
and  an  almost  inexhaustible  supply  at  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet.  A  fine  seedling  orchard  has 
liecn  budded  to  Washington  navels  and  \'alencias, 
and  is  now  a  source  of  considerable  revenue. 
With  the  incoming  of  a  large  number  of  eastern 
settlers  in  the  year  1885,  Mr.  Freeman  found 
it  expedient  to  dispose  of  a  portion  of  his  vast 
ranch,  the  south  half  being  sold  and  later  divided 
up  into  small  plots,  while  the  present  site  of 
Tnglewood  is  also  a  part  of  the  famous  old 
rancho.  The  Redondo  branch  of  the  Santa  Fe 
road  and  the  electric  lines  of  the  Redondo  road 
cross  the  ranch  and  afford  unexcelled  facilities 
for  marketing  the  immense  crops  of  hav  and 
grain  which  Mr.  Freeman  now  raises  on  his 
ten  thousand  acre  property.  He  also  leases  a 
part  of  his  ranch. 


Mr.  Freeman  lost  his  wife  in  1874,  the  year 
following  his  arrival  in  the  state.  They  were 
the  parents  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter.  The 
daughter  married  Capt.  Charles  H,  Howland, 
and  they  now  make  their  home  with  Mr.  Free- 
man in  a  magnificent  residence,  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  west.  It  stands  in  a  parklike 
enclosure  of  about  sixty  acres,  all  in  a  state  of 
exquisite  cultivation  to  California's  most  brilliant 
flowers  and  shrubbery,  rare  plants  and  superb 
trees — a  perfect  Eden  of  beauty  in  the  semi- 
tropics.  Mr.  Freeman  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
every  movement  which  has  for  its  end  the  devel- 
opment of  the  resources  of  Southern  California, 
its  growth  and  upbuilding.  In  Los  Angeles  he 
has  been  active  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
having  served  for  two  terms  as  its  president. 
For  the  past  seventeen  years  he  has  been  a  di- 
rector of  the  Southern  California  Railway,  a 
branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  system. 

In  his  personal  characteristics  Mr.  Freeman  is 
a  man  and  citizen  who  stands  exceptionally  high 
among  all  who  have  known  him  in  the  past 
thirty  years — the  length  of  his  residence  in 
Southern  California.  By  inheritance  he  is  en- 
dowed with  strong  and'  forceful  attributes  of 
manhood,  capable  of  assuming  a  position  of 
leadership  in  the  business  world  ;  at  the  same  time 
developing  the  personal  qualities  -of  frank  kind- 
liness, unswerving  integrity  and  the  brother- 
hood of  man,  which  have  impressed  upon  his 
face  with  the  lines  of  advancing  years,  the  pur- 
pose of  a  manhood  sought  and  won. 


WILLIAM  W.  YOUNG.  A  skilful  and  prac- 
tical agriculturist,  systematic  and  thorough, 
William  W.  Young  is  meeting  with  noteworthy 
success  in  his  operations  and  has  acquired  an 
assured  position  among  the  younger  generation 
of  prosperous  farmers.  He  is  a  man  of  liberal 
views  and  of  greatest  integrity,  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive, and  is  giving  his  earnest  efforts  to- 
wards the  industrial,  social  and  political  im- 
provement of  the  valley,  and  more  especially  of 
Escondido,  where  he  resides.  A  son  of  E.  H. 
Young,  he  was  born  September  i.  1873,  in  Kan- 
sas, where  he  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood. 

A  native  of  Indiana,  E.  H.  Young  settled  when 
a  young  man  in  Stafford  county.  Kans..  and 
while  living  there  occupied  a  leading  position 
among  its  men  of  influence,  for  several  years 
serving  as  countv  commissioner.  Migrating  with 
his  family  to  California  in  1887,  he  was  here 
successfully  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits 
for  about  ten  years.  Since  1897  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  Los  Angeles,  where  he  is  now  living, 
retired  from  active  business.  He  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war.  taking  part  in  many 
of  the  most  important  engagements  of  the  con- 


C_,    (\.    (L_-J.-JLlJi^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


813 


riict.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  married 
Lizzie  Brown,  a  native  of  England,  and  ten 
children  were  born  of  their  union. 

Fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  San  Diego  county,  William  W.  Young 
completed  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Escondido,  and  as  a  farmer's  son  was  well 
trained  in  the  many  branches  of  agriculture. 
Choosing  for  his  life  work  the  independent  oc- 
cupation to  which  he  was  reared,  he  worked  for 
Mr.  Wohlford  for  five  years,  obtaining  practical 
experience  in  general  farming.  Subsequently  he 
was  employed  for  a  short  time  in  a  fruit  packing 
house,  after  which,  in  1904,  he  accepted  his 
present  position  as  manager  of  W.  L.  Power's 
fruit  ranch,  which  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of 
citrus  fruits.  It  contains  sixty  acres  of  rich  land 
t\vent}--five  acres  devoted  to  the  raising  of  hav 
and  grain,  while  on  thirty-live  acres  are  lemon, 
orange  and  walnut  groves,  there  being  over  two 
thousand  trees  on  the  place,  the  larger  number 
of  them  being  orange  and  lemon  trees.  He  has 
recently  purchased  a  choice  little  ranch  of  five 
acres,  which  he  will  devote  entirely  to  dairying 
and  chicken  raising,  two  profitable  branches  of 
industry. 

In  1806  Mr.  Young  married  Ida  M.  Burritt,  a 
native  of  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  C.  L,  Bur- 
ritt, of  Los  Angeles.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
]\Irs.  Young  two  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Marion,  now  seven  years  old.  and  Theo- 
dore, three  years  .  younger.  Politically  Mr. 
Young  is  a  sound  Republican  :  fraternally  he  is 
a  member  of  Escondido  Lodge,  W.  O.  W.,  and 
religiouslv  he  is  a  constant  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church. 


^IRS.  MARTHA  E.  PL.\TT,  of  Clarkdale, 
Cal.,  was  before  her  marriage  Miss  Detwiler, 
the  youngest  of  eleven  children  born  to  David 
and  Alary  A.  (Price)  Detwiler,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Maryland.  Of  their  large  fam- 
ily of  children  two  are  deceased,  the  names  of 
those  attaining  maturity  being  as  follows :  Laura, 
Mrs.  C.  Jones :  John,  who  married  Lizzie  Cow- 
ing: Edward,  who  married  Nellie  Turner; 
Henry;  William,  who  married  Mary  Baxter; 
Thomas:  Marv,  Mrs,  P.  Santee:  .\nnie,  Mrs. 
F.  Santee:  and  Martha  E.,  Mrs.  Piatt.  David 
Detwiler  immigrated  to  Ohio  fronr  Maryland 
earlv  in  the  last  century  and  in  Ohio  his  daughter 
iXIartha  was  born  in  i860.  At  the  first  call  for 
able-bodied  men  in  the  defense  of  the  Union 
David  Detwiler  responded,  becoming  a  member 
of  an  Ohio  regiment,  and  serving  throughout 
the  entire  period  of  the  war.  After  his  discharge 
he  (incc  more  resumed  work  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  following  this  until  his  death  in  1868,  at 
4.5 


the  age  of  sixty-two  years.     Politically  he  was 
a  Republican. 

While  on  a  visit  to  the  home  of  lier  brother, 
Henry  L.,  in  El  Paso,  Tex.,  Martha  E.  Detwiler 
and  Harry  D.  Piatt  formed  an  acquaintance 
which  resulted  in  their  marriage  in  1888.  Air. 
Piatt  was  born  in  New  York  state  in  1859,  and 
in  1880  removed  to  Texas,  when,  he  was  travel- 
ing freight  and  passenger  agent  for  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad,  a  position  which  he  held  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death  in  Los  Angeles  in  1895. 
His  father,  Hosea  Piatt,  was  born  in  New  York 
state  in  1830,  and  throughout  his  life  had  fol- 
lowed the  butcher's  trade  in  New  York.  By  his 
marriage  he  had  three  children,  named  in  order 
of  birth  as  follows:  Harry  D.,  John  and  Jennie. 
Mrs.  Piatt  is  the  mother  of  four  children,  Lucile, 
Harry,  Howard  and  Edward,  all  of  whom  are 
being'  trained  to  fill  useful  positions  in  life. 


REV.  DR.  G  B.  RIDDICK.  Throughout 
Los  Angeles  county  no  name  is  better  known 
or  more  highlv  esteemed  than  that  of  Rev. 
Dr.  C.  B.  Rid'dick,  a  retired  minister  of  the 
gospel,  now  living  quietly  at  his  home  in 
bownev.  A  man  of  great  religious  zeal  and 
enthusiasm,  he  has  spent  a  useful  life,  and 
whether  engaged  in  educational  or  pastoral 
labor  his  ministries  have  been  full  of  good 
works  and  faithful  service  for  his  Master,  and 
all  who  know-  him  love  to  think  of  his  deeds 
of  mercy,  of  his  unfailing  charity,  and  of  his 
^vords  of  cheer,  comfort  and  inspiration.  He 
has  acquired  distinction  not  only  for  his  own 
works,  but  for  the  honored  ancestry  from 
which  he  traces  his  descent,  the  blood  of 
some  of  the  most  prominent  colonial  families 
flowing  through  his  veins.  A  native  of  North 
Carolina,  he  was  born  in  April,  1836,  in  Gates 
county,  where  his  father,  Henry  Riddick,  was 
a  leading  citizen.  His  mother  was  a  Miss 
Alary  Brewer,  of  Snfifolk,  Va.  Mary  (Parker) 
Riddick,  the  great-grandmother  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Riddick,  was  a  daughter  of  Col.  William 
Parker,  who,  on  the  battlefield  at  Trenton,  N. 
J.,  was  brevetted  by  General  Washington  him- 
self. His  grandmother  was  descended  from 
the  Alston  family,  so  prominent  in  the  south. 

August  7,  i8ho,  in  Norfolk,  Va.,  Dr.  Red- 
dick  married  Lizzie  Corprew.  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  Virginia.  She  is  a  woman  of 
rare  grace  of  heart  and  mind,  a  sweet-faced 
Christian  woman,  who  during  the  forty-five 
years  that  she  has  journeyed  beside  him  along 
life's  pathway  has  cheered  him  wdth  words  of 
comfort  and  ccnnsel.  She  graduated  at  the 
AVesleyan  Female  College,  of  which  Dr.  Rid- 
dick afterwards  became  president.  The  doc- 
tor had  the  rare  advantage  of  a  private  tutor 


814 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


for  five  years,  he  being-  a  graduate  of  both  Am- 
herst and  Yale  colleges.  He  also  attended 
Randolph  Macon  College  and  the  University 
of  Virginia.  Besides  the  ten  years  spent  as 
a  teacher,  he  has  filled  the  pulpits  of  the  lead- 
ing churches  in  his  denomination,  notably  in 
Denver,  Memphis,  Louisville,  Birmingham 
and  San  Francisco.  He  counts  it  as  one  of 
the  great  distinctions  of  his  eventful  life  that 
he  was  invited  to  preach  the  closing  sermon 
of  the  Ecumenical  Conference  in  Washington 
City  in  1891. 

After  traveling  from  Shasta  to  San  Diego 
Dr.  Riddick  is  convinced  that  he  lives  in  the 
choicest  section  of  California.  He  regards  his 
work  at  the  Preston  School  of  Industry,  at 
lone,  Cal.,  as  the  best  and  most  useful  of  his 
long  life.  He  accepted  the  position  at  the  re- 
quest of  Gov.  H.  T;  Gage,  almost  a  life-long 
friend   of   his. 


JOHN  COOK.  Since  1880  John  Cook  has 
conducted  a  department  store  in  Xipffmo, 
San  Luis  Obispo  count}',  m  which  enterprise 
he  has  met  with  a  success  that  places  him 
among  the  representative  men  of  this  section. 
In  Cambridge,  England,  where  he  was  born 
October  13,  1849,  his  father,  George  Cook, 
maintained  a  general  store,  at  the  same  time 
owning  and  managing  an  inn.  The  Elder 
Cook  married  Anna  Wells,  and  they  reared  a 
family  of  eleven  children  :  he  lived  to  be  nine- 
ty-four years  old,  and  his  wife  eighty-six. 
Both  were  meinbers  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
The  example  nf  immigration  was  set  by  the 
oldest  son,  who,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  came  to 
America  in  a  sailing  vessel.  John  Cook,  less 
adventurous  than  his  brother,  remained  in 
Cambridge,  and  during  an  apprenticeship  of 
four  years  to  a  merchant  there  he  received  no 
remuneration  whatever,  lus  board  being  paid 
by  his  parents. 

But  nineteen  years  old  when  he  arrived  in 
America  in  1868,  John  Cook  soon  afterwards 
became  identified  with  the  merchantile  firm 
of  Gage,  Downs  &  Company,  of  Chicago,  as 
a  window  trimmer,  remaining  in  that  capacity 
until  the  great  fire  of  1871.  He  then  conduct- 
ed a  general  store  in  Bloomington,  111.,  for 
five  }'ears,  and  at  the  same  time  began  the 
study  of  law,  in  which  he  graduated  in  the 
first  law  class  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  in 
1876.  While  in  Bloomington.  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Elsie  A.  Crist,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Crist,  one  of  the  best  known  pioneers  and 
medical  practitioners  of  Bloomington,  and  who 
had  located  in  that  town  when  it  was  in  its 
infancy.  From  Bloomington  Mr.  Cook  re- 
moved to  Kansas,  and  after  practicing  law  for 


a  short  time  established  a  store  dependent  up- 
on the  farmers  for  its  patronage  and  supply. 
This  departure  proving  a  failure  owing  to  suc- 
cessive failures  in  crops,  he  became  identified 
with  a  wholesale  concern  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
whence,  owing  to  the  illness  of  his  wife,  he 
came  to  Riverside,  Cal.,  in  1882. 

After  engaging  in  merchandising  in  River- 
side for  seven  years,  Mr.  Cook  came  to  Ni- 
pomo  in  1889  and  started  what  has  developed 
into  one  of  the  best  equipped  and  most  di- 
versified general  stores  in  the  county,  and  one 
may  be  sure  of  full  value  for  money  invested 
and  immunity  from  misrepresentation.  He 
makes  a  special  study  of  the  personal  pref- 
erences of  his  patrons,  is  glad  to  order  goods 
required  that  are  not  on  hand  and  in  every 
respect  conforms  to  the  demands  of  the  day 
for  modern  and  up-to-date  methods  in  his  busi- 
ness. 

In  political  affiliation  Mr.  Cook  is  a  Repub- 
lican, with  a  strong  leaning  toward  Prohibi- 
tion. Since  old  enough  to  form  his  own  con- 
clusions he  has  been  identified  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  the  local  church 
profits  by  his  personal  co-operation  and  gen- 
erosity. Fraternally  he  is  a  charter  member 
of  Niponio  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and  is  otherwise 
connected  with  the  social  life  of  the  commun- 
ity. His  oldest  son,  George  C,  who  was  edu- 
cated at  the  University  of  Southern  California, 
married  Zelia  Toy,  and  is  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing near  IModesto,  Stanislaus  county ;  Bertha 
L.,  the  only  daughter  in  the  family,  married 
Rev.  S.  S.  Sampson,  of  Arroyo  Grande ;  and 
Carl  J., -the  youngest  son,  is  qualifying  as  an 
electrical  engineer  at  the  Oakland  Polytech- 
nic. 


JOSE  ADARGA.  An  old  settler  of  Santa 
Catalina  Island  and  a  man  thoroughly  familiar 
vv'ith  the  islands  surrounding  it  is  Jose  Adarga, 
who  has  been  the  guide  of  many  a  party  of 
hunters  in  these  places,  Jeffreys,  the  noted  prize 
fighter,  having  on  one  occasion  secured  his  serv- 
ices in  that  capacity.  ]\Ir.  Adarga  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  at  what  is  called  the 
Pepper  Trees,  on  New  High  street.  His  father, 
Pedro  Adarga,  was  born  in  Lower  California, 
Mexico,  and  early  settled  in  Los  Angeles,  follow- 
ing the  cattle  business  throughout  his  life.  His 
mother,  Phillepa  Redona,  in  maidenhood,  was 
also  a  native  of  Lower  California  and  after  her 
marriage  came  with  her  husband  on  horseback 
to  Los  Angeles.  After  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band she  was  married  to  Joseph  Preciado,  of 
Avalon,  who  is  well  known  as  "Mexican  Joe" 
throughout  this  section.  He  came  to  California 
when" but  six  years  old  with  his  foster-parents. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


815 


about  the  year  1836,  they  having  taken  a  claim 
on  the  island,  where  they  engaged  in  raising 
sheep  and  goats.  Later  on  they  learned  that 
Catalina  was  not  government  property  and  in 
consequence  lost  all  their  possessions  there.  Mr. 
Preciado  settled  in  Avalon  and  is  now  engaged 
in  running  a  launch  here. 

Jose  Adarga  was  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 
six  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living.  His 
father  dying  when  he  was  but  six  years  old  he 
had  no  opportunities  for  securing  an  education  in 
the  schools,  but  managed  to  obtain  a  large  fund 
of  knowledge  through  later  personal  efforts.  As 
a  mere  child  he  went  to  work  to  support  himself. 
Securing  employment  at  San  Juan  Capistrano 
on  a  sheep  ranch  he  remained  there  until  sixteen 
years  of  age  when  he  ran  away  from  his  em- 
ployer, who  had  been  very  hard  on  him.  Going  to 
Los  Angeles  he  later  went  to  Wilmington  where 
his  mother  had  located,  and  there  he  peddled 
fruit  for  a  time.  In  1869  he  came  to  Catalina 
in  the  boat  White  Horse  with  Mr.  Boschet,  who 
had  mines  on  the  west  end  of  the  island.  Mr 
Adarga  here  secured  work  of  Mr.  Howland  on 
his  farm  and  learned  the  sheep-shearing  trade, 
thereafter  coming  each  year  from  Wilmington 
to  the  different  islands  during  the  shearing 
seasons  to  assist  in  that  work. 

In  1883  Mr.  Adarga  was  married  to  Aliss 
Dolores  Soto,  a  native  of  Los  Angeles,  whose 
father,  Manuel  Soto,  was  in  the  cattle  and  horse 
raising  business  in  San  Diego  and  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, his  death  occurring  in  San  Diego.  Mrs. 
Adarga  was  reared  at  San  Juan  Capistrano. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Adarga  settled  on  Cata- 
lina at  White's  landing  and  commenced  to  work 
for  Captain  Whitley,  a  stockholder,  remaining 
in  his  employ  for  many  years.  In  1895  he  re- 
moved to  Avalon,  where  he  was  guide  and  hunter 
for  Banning  Brothers  for  a  few  years,  and  later 
engaged  in  the  boat  business,  running  the  glass 
bottom  boats  and  a  line  of  row  boats.  With  one 
exception  all  of  his  seven  children  are  at  home. 
They  are :  Reguinaldo.  engaged  in  business  with 
his  father:  Paulina,  now  Mrs.  Frates,  of  Avalon; 
Everett,  Rosa,  Esquia,  Catalina  and  John  Peter. 
Politically  ]\Ir.  Adarga  is  an  advocate  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party. 


GEORGE  W.  CALD\\-ELL.  One  of  the 
most  prominent  citizen  of  Dolgeville,  Cal.,  is 
George  W.  Caldwell,  who  is  station  agent,  post- 
master and  merchant  at  this  place.  He  was  born 
September  29,  1862,  in  Jo  Daviess  county.  111., 
and  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  that  state.  His  father.  Samuel  K.  Caldwell, 
was  born  in  181 5  in  Kentucky,  where  he  farmed 
for  a  time  and  later  engaged  in  the  merchan- 
dising business.     After   his    removal   to   Illinois 


with  his  family  he  again  engaged  in  farming, 
buying  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in 
Jo  Daviess  county  upon  which  he  remained  until 
his  death  in  1869.  The  mother  was  Nancy  Albin 
in  maidenhood  and  a  native  of  Southern  Illi- 
nois. She  died  on  the  Illinois  homestead  in  1872, 
having  become  the  mother  of  twelve  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  now  living. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age  jNIr.  Caldwell 
left  the  farm  and  took  advantage  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  learn  telegraphy.  After  he  had  finished 
his  apprenticeship  of  two  years  he  went  to 
Chicago  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad.  In  1888  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion there  and  came  to  California,  connecting 
himself  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Company,  and 
has  been  in  their  employ  for  eighteen  years.  His 
present  position  is  that  of  station  master  at  Dolge- 
ville. where  he  also  has  other  business  interests. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Railway  Teleg- 
raphers, the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  polit- 
ically affiliates  with  the  Republican  party.  His 
wife,  Hattie  M.  Clark  before  her  marriage,  is  a 
native  of  Iowa,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living:  George  W., 
B.  H.,  Albin  and  Katie  M.  Mr.  Caldwell  is  a 
man  of  strong  principles  and  in  all  enterprises 
which  tend  to  develop  his  section  of  the  state  is 
an  enthusiastic  promoter. 


RALPH  S.  COMPTON.  Well  known  as 
chief  engineer  on  the  boat  Empress  and  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Meteor  Boat  Company  of  Avalon, 
Ralph  S.  Compton  is  a  man  who  has  made  a 
success  m  life  and  has  many  friends  who  esteem 
him  highly.  He  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  having 
been  born  in  Stow,  October  10.  1863,  the  son  of 
James  and  Margaret  (Ingles)  Compton,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Scotland,  the  latter's 
death  occcurring  in  that  country  also.  The  father 
was  employed  as  a  railway  station  master  in 
his  native  country  and  when  he  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  America  settled  in  Atchison,  Kans.,  and 
became  chief  clerk  to  the  master  mechanic  of 
the  ]\Iissouri  Pacific,  holding  that  position  until 
the  time  of  his  death.  There  were  nine  children 
in  the  parental  family.  Ralph  S.  being  the  third 
in  order  of  birth. 

It  was  in  1871  that  he  was  brought  to  this 
country  bv  his  father  and  given  the  advantages 
of  a  public-school  education  in  Kansas.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Missouri  Pacific  as  a  fireman,  and  at  twenty-four 
was  promoted  to  engineer  and  given  a  run  out 
of  Atchison.  In  1887  he  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  that  company,  and  coming  to  Los  An- 
geles secured  a  situation  with  the  Southern 
Pacific,  which  he  soon  resigned  to  accept  a  place 
as  fireman  on  the   Santa   Fe.     He  continued  to 


sir; 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


follow  this  occupation  until  1893,  when  he  re- 
signed on  account  of  a  strike  and  subsequently 
became  a  street-car  motornian  on  the  Pasadena 
line.  He  owned  a  launch  at  Catalina  and  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  spendinsj  a  part  of  each  sum- 
mer here,  so  was  familiar  with  conditions  when, 
in  1 901,  he  decided  to  locate  at  Avalon.  He 
engag-ed  in  the  handling  of  row  boats  and  had 
two  launches,  the  Helena  and  Henrietta,  until 
1903,  when  he  built  the  Lady  Lou,  of  which  he 
was  engineer  until  January,  T906.  .\t  that  time 
he  consolidated  with  the  Meteor  Boat  Company 
and  became  chief  engineer  of  the  P'nipress, 
which   position   he   still  fills. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Compton  occurred  in 
Los  Angeles  county,  uniting  him  with  Henrietta 
Treat,  who  was  born  in  .Atchison,  Kans..  and 
they  have  one  child,  Ralph  Theodore.  ^Ir.  Comp- 
ton is  interested  in  the  development  of  his  com- 
munity and  as  a  citizen  is  public-spirited  and 
progressive,  identifying  himself  closely  with  the 
upbuilding  enterprises  of  the  city  in  which  he 
resides. 


charter  member  of  Fernando  Lodge  Xo.  214.  A. 
(J.  L'.  W.,  and  did  much  to  promote  the  good  of 
the  order. 


HON.  ALBERT  B.  MOFFITT.  For  many 
>-ears  a  resident  of  Fernando,  the  late  Hon.  .\1- 
iiert  B.  Moffitt  was  actively  identified  with  the 
early  history  and  growth  of  its  industrial,  busi- 
ness and  political  interests,  and  as  a  citizen  of 
prominence  and  infJiK-iice  his  name  will  ever  be 
held  in  grateful  renuinlirainr.  He  was  dis- 
tinguished as  an  earK  settkr  nf  this  state  and  as 
a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  ha\'ing  an  excellent 
record  for  brave  and  gallant  conduct  on  the  field 
of  battle. 

Coming  to  California  at  an  early  day,  Mr. 
Moffitt  was  for  some  time  in  the  employ  of  the 
Wells-Fargo  Express  Company  at  Oakland.  Re- 
signing his  position  in  1874;  he  located  in 
Fernando,  and  as  a  partner  of  the  late  Hon. 
Charles  Maclay  was  for  a  number  of  years  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  pursuits,  carrying  on  an  ex- 
tensive and  lucrative  business.  Taking  an  intelli- 
gent interest  in  public  matters.' he  was  elected 
as  a  representative  to  the  state  legislature  from 
the  Fernando  district,  and  served  until  his  death, 
whicli  occurred  June   14,   1884. 

In  October,  1873.  Mr.  :\Ioffitt  married  Ara- 
bella Maclav,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Charles 
^Taclay.  and  of  their  union  three  children  were 
born,  namely:  Charles  M. ;  Grace  L.,  wife  of 
Frederick  Prince,  of  San  Francisco :  and  Albert 
Hubbard.  IMrs.  Moffitt  is  now  residing  in  San 
Francisco.  Politically  INIr.  Moffitt  was  an  un- 
compromising Democrat,  and  socially  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Grand  .Army  of  the  Republic. 
Fraternally  he  was  prominent  in  Masonic  circles, 
being  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Fernando 
T-odge  No.  343,  F.  &  .A.  W.     He  was  likewise  a 


ABRAHAM  L.  HICKEY.  The  early  set- 
tlers of  California  were  brave  and  sturdy  men, 
the  forerunners  and  founders  of  one  of  the 
most  glorious  commonwealths  the  world  has 
seen,  but  nevertheless  abundant  credit  is  due 
to  later  settlers  who  continued  the  work  so 
nobly  begun  and  brought  to  fruition  projects 
which  their  predecessors  had  only  dreamed 
might  be  accomplished.  Among  the  more  re- 
cent comers  to  the  state  mention  belongs  to 
.\braham  L.  Hickc}-,  who  is  the  owner  and  oc- 
cupant of  a  flourishing  ranch  not  far  from 
Orcutt,  .Santa  Barbara  county. 

Mr.  Hickev  is  of  S'.iuthern  birth  and  par- 
entage, born  in  East  Tennessee,  on  Christmas 
day  of  1863.  into  the  home  of  John  and  Martha 
( Murdock)  Hickev,  natives  respectively  of 
Tennessee  and  South  Carolina.  Selecting  ag- 
riculture as  his  life  calling  the  father  settled 
on  a  farm  in  his  native  state.  At  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  at  h:.s 
country's  call  and  last  year  of  the  war  his 
life  was  sacrificed  in  his  country's  cause.  Left 
a  v/idow  when  her  son  Abraham  L.  was  a 
child  of  iwo  3'ears,  Mrs.  Hickev  continued  to 
make  her  home  in  Tennessee  until  1869,  when, 
with  a  brother,  she  came  across  the  plains  to 
Oregon.  Abraham  L.  was  then  a  lad  of  six 
}'ears,  and  hence  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
has  been  spen.t  on  the  western  coast.  Hi.s  en- 
tire school  life  was  passed  in  r)regon.  for  he 
attained  school  age  during  the  year  he  was 
brought  west.  Continuing  tlie  work  which  his 
father  had  followed  before  him,  he  too  selected 
agriculture  as  his  life  work,  and  in  Grant 
county.  Ore.,  engaged  in  ranching  and  stock- 
raising,  continuing  in  that  location  until  com- 
ing to  .Santa  Barbara  county,  Cal.,  in  1897. 
During  that  ^ear  he  purchased  his  present 
ranch  of  fort\'  acres,  although  he  did  not  set- 
tle upon  it  until  190=;.  Thus  while  he  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  state  for  about  nine 
years  he  has  lived  on  his  present  property 
onlv  about  one  }-ear,  but  even  in  this  short  time  . 
lie  has  brought  nbout  numerous  imnro^'cments 
which  enables  his  ranch  to  rank  with  those  of 
manv  older  and  more  experienced  ranchers. 
He  is  thorouehly  c<")nvinced  of  the  possibi'i- 
ties  of  this  part  of  the  countrv  and  what  he 
has  accomplished  is  but  the  development  of 
his  expectations. 

In  Oregon,  in  1891,  Mr.  Flickey  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sallv  .B.  Martin,  a  native  of  I\lis- 
•sis=ippi,  and  while  they  were  living  in  Oregon 
two  children,  Blanche  and  Charles,  were  born 


^-^Cl^  ^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


819 


to  them.  The  other  children,  Bert  and  Earl, 
have  been  born  since  the  removal  of  the  family 
to  this  state  in  1897.  Mrs.  Rickey  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church,  which  all  of  the 
family  attend,  and  toward  the  support  of 
which  Mr.  Hickey  dDutributes  freelv.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Rep'ublican.  his  fraternal  affilia- 
liims  identifying  huu  with  the  (  )<1(1  l-'rll.iws' 
ludyc  at  .Santa  Maria  and  Hesperian  Lodge 
No.  3^1,  E.  &  A.  AI.,  of  the  same  place.  Ah". 
Hickey  has  one  brother  who  is  a  resident  of 
Oregon,  in  which  stale  his  mother  also  makes 
her  home  at  the  adxanced  age  of  seventx- 
eight  years. 


CHARLES  \\'.  LO\lX"G.  Distinguished 
alike  for  his  own  integrity,  industry  and  personal 
worth,  and  for  the  honored  ancestry  from  which 
he  traces  his  lineage,  Charles  \\\  Loving  is  well 
deserving  of  special  mention  in  this  volume.  He 
comes  of  English,  Irish  and  Scotch  stock,  ami 
was  born  January  17,  1830,  in  Louisville.  Ky., 
a  son  of  George  Loving.  His  great-grandfather. 
Joseph  Ltwing,  and  his  son  Christopher,  the  ne.xt 
in  line  of  descent,  came  from  England  to  this 
country,  and  settled  in  X'irginia  just  prior  to  the 
Revolution,  in  which  Joseph  Loving  took  an  ac- 
tive part,  serving  in  several  engagements. 

A  native  of  Richmond,  Va.,  George  Loving- 
there  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  and  obtaining  a  good 
knowledge  of  agriculture  on  the  home  planta- 
tion. Two  of  his  brothers,  John  and  James, 
served  in  the  war  of  181 2.  He  moved  to  Illi- 
nois when  a  young  man,  locating  as  a  pioneer  in 
.Sangamon  county,  not  far  from  the  old  home  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Soon  after  the  declaration 
of  the  war  between  Mexico  and  the  L'nited  States 
he  enlisted  in  an  Illinois  regiment,  and  for  two 
years  fought  with  his  conn-ades,  serving  under 
Colonel  Aiorris  and  General  Zachary  Taylor,  and 
taking  part  in  the  battle  of  \'er^  Cruz  and  in 
other  engagements.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  after  farming  there  awhile 
longer  removed  with  his  family  to  Henry  count\ . 
Iowa,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  at  the 
venerable  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  He  married 
Lucy  .Arthur,  who  died  in  early  womanhood, 
when  her  son,  Charles  \\\.  was  hut  four  vears 
old. 

Completing  his  education  after  the  removal  of 
the  family  to  Iowa,  Charles  W.  Loving  succeed- 
ed to  the  independent  occupation  to  which  he 
was  reared,  and  in  which  he  was  well  trained. 
In  1849.  inspired  by  the  ambitions  of  youth  and 
liealth,  he  caine  with  the  gold  seekers  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  was  engaged  in  mining  and  prospect- 
ing on  die  Eeather  river,  and  in  other  regions 
known    to   miners   for   quite      awhile,      traveling 


about  a  good  deal  and  at  times  meeting  with  en- 
couraging success.  Returning  to  Iowa,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  pork  packing  business  in  Henry 
county,  but  in  1857  met  with  misfortune,  losing 
heavily.  Going  then  to  Colorado,  he  made  and 
lost  mone)'  in  mining.  The  Civil  war  breaking 
out,  he  enlisted  in  the  Third  Colorado  Cavalry, 
in  which  he  served  under  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  at 
A'icksburg,  and  in  many  other  battles,  his  last 
engagement  being  in  the  battle  of  Nashville, 
under  General  Thomas.  At  the  close  of  the  con- 
flict, he  returned  to  Colorado,  and  in  1869  came 
again  to  California  to  mine.  Lie  remained  here 
awhile,  after  which  he  returned  east,  and  in  1873 
he  made  a  third  visit  to  the  Pacific  coast,  but  did 
not  stay  here  many  months.  In  1876  he  was  for 
awhile  successfully  employed  as  a  miner  in  the 
Black  Hills,  S.  Dak.  Subsequently  locating  at 
Bellefourche,  that  state,  he  was  there  successfully 
engaged  in  the  stock  business  for  a  number  of 
years,  making  considerable  money.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1901,  he  settled  in  Santa  Monica,  where  he 
now  owns  some  valuable  real  estate,  having  made 
wise  investinents  in  this  part  of  Los  Angeles 
countv. 

At'Deadwood.  S.  Dak.,  Alay  20.  1878,  Air. 
Loving  married  Jennie  L.  Andrea,  who  was  born 
in  Ohio.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  religiously  he  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 


FERGUS  LINN  l^AIRBANKS.  One  of  the 
most  popular  and  prominent  young  business  men 
of  Hueneme  is  Fergus  Linn  Fairbanks,  cashier 
of  the  Bank  of  Hueneme  and  a  leading  character 
in  business,  political,  social  and  religious  circles. 
He  is  a  son  of  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  A^entura 
county,  his  father,  Elijah  B.,  having  made  the 
trip  west  via  Oregon,  down  through  California, 
locating  in  this  county  in  1876.  A  native  o'f 
New  York,  he  was  brought  up  in  Wisconsin, 
where  his  father,  Theophilus  Fairbanks,  removed 
his  famil\  when  the  section  of  country  near 
AA'auinm  was  wild  and  unsettled ;  his  death  oc- 
curred there,  when  he  was  over  ninety  years  old. 
Elijah  B.  Fairbanks  removed  to  Nebraska  when 
twenty-four  years  of  age  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  after  his  removal  to  California  worked 
at  teaming  for  five  years  in  A'entura.  from  there 
coming  to  Hueneme  with  the  Hueneme  Wharf 
Company  to  take  charge  of  the  wharf.  He  still 
occupies  that  position  and  is  a  man  who  holds 
the  highest  respect  of  everv  inemher  of  the  com- 
munit\.  The  mother  of  Air.  Fairbanks  was 
hnrn  in  Illinois,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Rev. 
Richard  Linn,  a  minister  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Me  later  went  to  Iowa,  where  he  was  largely 
interested  in  farming  and  from  there  took  his 
fainib.    to   Pawnee.   Neb.,  where  he   farmed   and 


820 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


gave  his  services  as  a  minister  of  the  church 
without  compensation.  Two  of  the  sons  were 
in  the  Civil  war,  and  the  daughter,  Martha  M., 
who  became  Mrs.  Fairbanks,  still  lives  with  her 
husband  at  Hueneme. 

There  were  seven  children  in  the  parental 
family,  of  which  Fergus  L.  Fairbanks  is  the 
second,  his  birth  having  occurred  at  Table  Rock, 
Pawnee  county.  Neb.,  April  12,  1876.  The  first 
five  years  of  his  life  were  spent  at  Ventura 
and  from  there  he  was  brought  with  the  family 
by  his  father  to  Hueneme,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  was  the  recipient  of  a  very  good 
education  which  began  in  the  Hueneme  public 
schools,  was  continued  at  the  Ventura  high 
school,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1894,  and 
completed  by  one  year  of  college  work  at  the 
Occidental  college  in  Los  Angeles,  after  which 
he  accepted  a  position  in  the  Bank  of  Hueneme 
as  bookkeeper.  At  the  time  of  the  death  of 
Major  Gregg,  cashier  of  the  institution,  in  Decem- 
ber. 1900,  Mr.  Fairbanks  was  elected  to  the 
office  by  the  board  of  directors  and  has  held  the 
position  ever  since,  being  now  as  well  a  director 
and  stockholder  of  the  bank,  which  was  or- 
ganized in  i88g. 

Mr.  Fairbanks'  first  marriage  occurred  in  Los 
Angeles,  uniting  him  with  Miss  Lula  Hooper, 
who  at  her  death  left  a  daughter,  Constance. 
Mr.  Fairbanks'  second  marriage  was  performed 
in  Los  Angeles,  Miss  Helen  Murphey,  a  native 
of  Michigan,  becoming  his  wife.  To  this  union 
one  daughter  also  has  been  born,  namely,  Helen. 
Tlie  family  resider.ce.  which  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  city,  is  situated  on  the  corner  of  Third 
and  Clara  streets.  Mr.  Fairbanks  fills  a  number 
of  positions  of  importance  in  the  community 
and  is  the  initiative  influence  in  those  enterprises 
which  tend  toward  the  upbuilding  of  this  section. 
He  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church ;  is  president  of  the  Ixiard  of  trustees  of 
Oxnard  Union  high  school ;  is  a  strong  Republi- 
can and  finds  opportunity  for  doing  important 
work  for  his  party  as  a  member  of  the  Republi- 
can countv  central  committee. 


B.  A.  HARASZTHY.  The  distinguished 
family  of  Haraszthy.  which  belongs  to  the  an- 
cient nobility  of  Hungary,  and  first  settled  in  that 
country  more  than  eight  hundred  years  ago,  has 
among  its  American  representatives  B.  A.  Har- 
aszthy of  Colegrove,  Cal.  His  father  was  Count 
Augustin  Haraszthy,  who  was  a  stanch  friend 
of  that  noted  patriot,  Kossuth,  and  led  an  ex- 
citing and  adventurous  life  in  his  native  land. 
He  and  five  other  nobles  engaged  in  a  plot  to 
arouse  Hungary  against  the  Austrian  govern- 
ment and  when  they  were  warned  that  the  author- 
ities  had  become  possessed   of   a  knowledge   of 


their  plans  and  they  were  threatened  with  arrest 
and  certain  death  should  they  be  caught,  they 
fled  to  America.  For  a  time  the  Count  remained 
in  New  York  and  then  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment interceded  with  that  of  Austria  and 
secured  permission  for  him  to  return  to  his  coun- 
try and  remove  his  family  to  America,  although 
the  property  in  Hungary  was  confiscated.  At  the 
time  of  the  Kossuth  trouble  he  held  the  office 
of  private  secretary  to  the  Viceroy  of  Hungary 
and  his  grandfather  was  Viceroy  of  the  kingdom 
of  Dalmatia.  Count  Augustin  was  a  man  of  en- 
terprising disposition  and,  with  his  adventurous 
spirit,  life  in  New  York  was  not  satisfying.  He 
crossed  the  plains  to  California,  planted  a  vineyard 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  remained  there 
for  a  number  of  years  and  then  removed  to  Nic- 
aragua, where  he  died. 

The  son,  B.  A.  Haraszthy,  was  born  in  Wis- 
consin and  received  his  education  at  the  St. 
Timothy's  hall  school,  Maryland,  and  at  Santa 
Clara  college.  He  followed  his  father's  lead  in 
engaging  in  the  wine  industry  in  California  and 
for  eight  years  held  the  position  of  superinten- 
dent of  the  Lake  Wine  and  Vineyard  Company, 
and  afterward  engaged  in  mining,  all  over  the 
southern  part  of  the  state.  He  also  inherited 
his  father's  daring  spirit  and  love  of  excitement 
and  became  in  turn  a  pioneer  of  Arizona,  Utah, 
California  and  Alaska.  While  living  in  Arizona 
Mr.  Haraszthy  took  an  active  part  in  politics, 
and  was  the  recipient  of  many  honors  at  the 
hands  of  the  voters,  serving  at  one  time  as  a 
supervisor  of  Yuma  and  as  school  trustee  and  was 
nominated  as  a  candidate  for  sheriff,  but  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railway  Company  took  a  hand 
in  the  election  at  that  time  and  defeated  him. 

The  three  years  which  he  spent  in  Alaska  were 
full  of  adventure  and  exciting  experiences,  and 
he  succeeded  in  locating  a  number  of  paying 
mines.  He  spent  several  months  in  searching  the 
fields  of  Kotzebue  and  then  purchased  a  small 
fishing  smack  and  prepared  to  sail  down  the  coast 
to  Cape  Nome,  but  the  ice  was  so  heavy  that 
the  party  were  obliged  to  return  a  number  of 
times  and  start  again  after  discouraging  attempts. 
On  the  last  trip  they  encountered  a  storm  which 
blew  their  vessel  on  the  mud  flats  seven  miles 
from  shore,  and  it  took  them  five  days  after  the 
storm  subsided  to  get  the  boat  afloat  again.  No 
serious  mishap  befell  them  afterwards  until  about 
five  miles  ofiF  Port  Clarence,  when  another  storm 
drove  the  craft  on  the  rocks  and  the  crew  start- 
ed for  the  shore  in  a  small  boat,  but  a  breaker  up- 
set them  and  they  were  obliged  to  swim,  reaching 
land  safely  though  nearly  exhausted  and  ninety 
miles  from  Nome.  The  sufferings  of  the  men 
before  they  reached  that  point  were  terrible,  but 
thev  were  glad  for  their  deliverance  at  any  cost. 


Cl>^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


823 


In  a  business  way  Mr.  Haraszthy  has  large  hold- 
ings at  various  points,  is  interested  in  mining 
property  in  Utah,  and  has  charge  of  the  oil  bus- 
iness owned  by  his  sister,  Mrs.  Hancock,  of  Los 
Angeles.  There  are  one  thousand  acres  of  land 
in  the  LaBrara  ranch  on  which  are  located  one 
hundred  and  five  wells,  which  are  now  in  opera- 
tion and  are  held  by  an  unexpired  ten-year  lease 
by  the  Salt  Lake  Oil  Company.  Mr.  Haraszthy's 
brother,  Arpad,  was  a  prominent  man  in  viticul- 
ture circles  in  California  for  many  years  and  had, 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  amassed  a  great  for- 
tune. His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Gen.  Guada- 
lupe Vallejo. 

By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Haraszthy  has  two 
children,  Charles  Ernest,  who  is  married  and 
lives  in  San  Francisco,  and  Harriet,  who  married 
George  Hunt,  and  also  resides  in  San  Francisco. 
By  his  second  wife,  who  was  Isabel  King,  and  a 
native  of  Illinois,  he  has  one  daughter,  who  is 
married  to  James  Meadows,  of  Yuma,  Ariz. 

]Mr.  Haraszthy  is  a  successful  business  man  and 
politician  and  to  every  enterprise  of  progressive 
interest  to  this  section  of  the  state  he  gives  his 
enthusiastic  support.  He  has  a  host  of  friends 
throughout  the  country  who  recognize  his  ability 
and  worth  and  accord  him  the  hearty  admiration 
and  respect  due  a  natural  leader. 


HON.  CHARLES  FITZ  ABNER  JOHN- 
SON. A  man  of  prominence  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia whose  name  is  inseparably  connected 
Avith  the  development  of  this  section  of  the 
state  is  the  late  Hon.  C.  F.  A.  Johnson,  of 
Long  Beach,  who  during  the  days  of  busi- 
ness depression  ten  years  ago  displayed  marked 
foresight  and  executive  ability  in  helping  to 
tide  over  the  discouraging  years  and  make  a 
solid  foundation  for  building  up  the  country, 
when  there  arrived  a  succeeding  wa\'e  of 
prosperity  which  has  carried  upon  its  crest  the 
most  remarkable  advancement  ever  witnessed 
in  any  section  of  the  United  States  at  any 
period  in  her  history.  This  branch  of  the  John- 
son family  dates  its  records  back  into  the 
early  history  of  the  thirteen  original  colonies, 
Isaac  Johnson  being  one  of  the  first  settlers 
in  the  Maine  country.  His  son.  Dr.  Abner, 
was  born  at  Sullivan,  Hancock  county,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1786,  and  after  graduating  in  medi- 
cine established  himself  as  a  practitioner  in 
AVaterford  and  Sullivan.  He  was  a  commis- 
sioned surgeon  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  dur- 
ing many  years  of  his  life  devoted  himself  to 
the  manufacture  of  Tohnson's  liniment,  a  well- 
known  household  remedy  which  may  still  be 
purchased,  for  it  has  withstood  the  test  of 
time   and   is   now   being  put   up   in   the   same 


form  as  originally.  In  1812  he  married  Julia 
Sargent,  who  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Au- 
gust 30,  1786,  and  died  in  Wethersfield,  Conn., 
June  30,  1878.  Both  she  and  her  husband 
were  lifelong  adherents  of  the  Congregational 
Church. 

One  of  the  well-known  figures  in  the  colon- 
ial   history   of    Massachusetts    was    Col.    Paul 
Dudley   Sargent,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Johnson, 
especial   interest  attaching  to  his   history  be- 
cause he  was  one  of  those  brave  men  to  whom 
the  United  States  owes  its  independence.    He 
was  born  in   Salem,   Mass.,  in   1745,   and  was 
but     a     young    man    when    British    tyranny 
aroused  the  colonies  to  arms.     He  took  part 
in  the  memorable  Boston  tea  party  and  when 
hostilities   began,    fitted    out    at    his    own    ex- 
pense a  regiment  which  was  one  of  the  nine- 
teen  that   constituted    General    Washington's 
camp  at  Cambridge  in  July,   1775.     With  the 
young    ^larquis    de    Lafayette    he     at     times 
shared    the    honor    of    being    aide-de-camp    to 
Washington,  and  among  the  engagements   in 
which  he  took   a   part  were  those  of   Bunker 
Hill,   Long  Island.   New  York   City,   Trenton 
and    Princeton.      In    after   years    he    loved    to 
recall  that  stirring  night  when  with  his  illus- 
trious general  and  other  brave  men  he  crossed 
the    Delaware   and   surprised   the   British    and 
Hessians   in  their  revelries.     At   the   close  of 
the  war,  finding  that  the  whole  of  his  private 
fortune  had  been   sacrified  to  his   country  he 
found  it   necessarv  to  begin   anew.     He   took 
up  mercantile  pursuits  for  a  time,  but  finally 
retired   to    a    small    farm    near    Sullivan,    Me., 
and    there   his    death    occurred   September   28. 
1828.     His  honorable  service   for  his  country 
became  widely  known  and   many  well-known 
men,  among  them  Tallyrand,  came  to  his  mod- 
est  home   in    ]\raine   to   enjoy   his   hospitality 
and    talk   over    the     stirring    scenes     through 
which  he  had  passed.    His  patriotism  and  mili- 
tary  abilities   w^re   inherited  by  him,   for   his 
father.  Col.   Epes  Sargent,  was  a  man  of  tal- 
ent, and  his  mother  was  a  daughter  of   Gov- 
ernor Winthrop  by  his  marriage  to  Ann  Dud- 
ley,   a    granddaughter    of     Governor    Thomas 
Dudley    of    Connecticut.      The     marriage     of 
Paul  Dudley   Sargent  united  him  with   Lucy, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Lucy  (Smith)   Saun- 
ders,  the   latter   a   daughter  of   Rev.   Thomas 
Smith,    of    Portland,    Me.,    and    the    former    a 
member  of  the  council  of  Massachusetts  dur- 
ing the  troubles  with   England  that  ended   in 
the  war  for  independence. 

In  the  family  of  Dr.  Abner  and  Julia  (Sar- 
gent") Johnson  there  were  three  daughters  and 
four  sons,  Charles  Fitz  Abner  being  the  old- 
est in  the  family  and  the  one  who  survived 
all  of  his  brothers  and  sisters.     One  son.  Dud- 


824 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ley,  who  had  enlisted  as  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Seventeenth  Regiment  of  Maine  Volunteer 
Infantry,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Chan'cel- 
lorsville :  Thomas,  who  came  to  California  in 
1850,  died  of  cholera  on  the  American  river 
the  following  year ;  and  Samuel  died  at  Ban- 
gor, Ale.  Among  the  daughters  was  Mrs. 
Charlotte  McKay,  who  served  throughout  the 
Civil  war  as  a  nurse  and  later  wrote  an  in- 
teresting acc<iunt  of  her  experiences  in  the 
arm}',  which  w^s  published  in  book  form.  In 
recognition  of  her  faithfulness,  the  regiment 
with  which  she  served  presented  her  with  a 
diamond  Maltese  cross. 

Charles  Fitz  Abner  Johnson  studied  classics 
in  the  Bangor  (Maine)  Theological  Seminary 
and  later  attended  Gorham  Academy.  Com- 
pleting his  studies  he  spent  some  time  as  a 
clerk  in  Bangor,  then  went  to  Cincinnati  and 
learned  telegraphy,  after  which  he  came  to 
San  Francisco  via  the  Panama  route.  This 
was  in  1849  ''.nd  like  all  forty-niners  he  first 
tried  his  luck  at  mining,  locating  on  the  Yuba 
river.  His  operations  were  only  ordinarily 
successful,  however,  and  later  he  engaged  in 
freighting  and  took  the  first  mule-train  of  pro- 
visions to  Yreka.  By  1852  he  decided  that 
his  western  experiences  were  sufficient  tp  sat- 
isfy him  for  a  time  at  least  and  he  returned 
to  the  east  and  engaged  in  the  lumbering  busi- 
ness on  the  Aroostook  and  St.  John's  rivers. 
A  most  successful  enterprise  which  he  later 
engaged  in  was  the  manufacture  of  potato 
starch  and  in  this  he  had  at  one  time  the  larg- 
est business  in  the  world,  all  of  his  ten  mills 
being  located  in  Aroostook  county.  He  re- 
tained his  interests  in  the  manufacturing  plants 
until  his  removal  to  California  in  1889.  Be- 
sides this  enterprise  he  was  extensively  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  and  had  a  bank  at 
Presque  Isle.  His  large  business  interests 
did  not  prevent  him  from  taking  an  active 
part  in  public  affairs  and  he  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  influential  Republicans 
in  the  state  of  Maine,  while  his  acquaintance 
included  the  leaders  of  his  party  throughout 
the  country,  and  he  was  more  than  once  vis- 
ited by  men  of  national  fame,  including  such 
men  as  Garfield  and  Blaine.  In  1884  he  was 
a  state  elector  on  the  Blaine  ticket  and  had 
the  h.onor  of  casting  his  ballot  for  that  candi- 
date at  Augusta,  Me. 

Forty  \ears,  after  his  first  visit  to  California 
Afr.  Johnson  resolved  to  make  the  state  his 
home,  for  he  had  in  these  intervening  years 
acquired  a  competency  amply  sufficient  to  sup- 
ply every  comfort  for  his  declining  years.  Se- 
lecting Riverside  as  a  desirable  location  he 
purchased  twenty  acres  of  land  on  Palm 
.nenue    and    engaged    in    iKirticulture    for    the 


succeeding  six  years.  In  1895  'i^  removed 
to  Long  Beach  and  erected  an  attractive 
home  on  Cedar  avenue.  Upon  the  re-incor- 
poration of  Long  Beach,  in  the  fall  of  1897, 
he  was  elected  to  the  board  of  trustees,  by 
which  body  he  was  chosen  president  and  thus 
became  the  first  mayor  of  the  re-organized 
town.  This  was  the  time  when  that  city  was 
passing  through  a  season  of  great  business  de- 
pression and  a  lack  of  funds  prevented  the 
making  of  any  improvements :  as  a  result  no 
settlers  were  attracted  to  the  place,  although 
the  beach  was  acknowledged  to  have  no  peer 
and  the  clim.ate  as  near  perfect  as  is  to  be 
found  any  where.  Largely  through  the  ef- 
forts of  Mr.  Johnson  a  railical  change  was  ef- 
fected, a  city  hall  lot  was  purchased,  a  city 
hall  built,  the  pavilion  erected,  and  the  ques- 
tion of  the  establishment  of  an  electric  light 
plant  and  a  sewerage  system  was  agitated. 
These  improvements  were  not  then  made,  al- 
though Air.  Johnson  stronglv  advised  them, 
;ind  had  the  advice  been  followed  thousands 
of  dollars  would  have  been  sa\-ed  to  the  city, 
which  was  lost  by  delay.  He  was  made  a  di- 
rector of  the  Bank  of  Long  Beach  and  a  di- 
rector and  stockholder  in  the  Savings  Bank, 
and  was  active  in  all  departments  of  business 
:ind   social  life  of  the  city. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Johnson  united 
him  with  .Sarah  C.  Jewett,  who  was  born  in 
Gardiner,  Me.,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Jewett, 
and  a  sister  of  G.  K.  Jewett,  who  was  presi- 
dent of  a  railroad  in  Maine.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Massachusetts,  as  was  also  her  mother, 
a  Miss  Kimball.  While  visiting  at  Fallbrook. 
Cai.,  the  death  of  Airs.  Sarah  Johnson  oc- 
curred and  her  body  was  taken  to  Riverside 
for  interment.  Of  this  marriage  fi\-e  children 
were  born,  three  of  whom  attained  maturitv: 
Airs.  Louise  Fremont  Gra}-,  of  Boston.  Alass. ; 
Airs.  Kate  Dudley  Wheelock,  of  Riverside  :  and 
Fdward  Jewett,  who  was  at  one  time  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance  business  in  Boston, 
and  brought  the  first  ostriches  to  this  coun- 
try from  South  Africa,  where  he  had  spent  a 
vear  in  studying  the  habits  of  the  birds.  Air. 
Johnson  had  also  an  adopted  son,  Hon.  T.  H. 
Phair,  who  was  known  as  the  "Starch  King," 
and  occupied  a  leading  place  in  political  cir- 
cles in  Afaine.  having  served  at  times  as  a 
member  of  the  state  central  committee,  anfl 
for  a  term  as  senator  in  the  ATaine  legisla- 
ture. Another  adopted  son,  Percy  A.  John- 
.=on,  is  a  large  rancher  of  Fallbrook,  and  a 
member  of  the  state  assembly  of  California 
from  his  district. 

In  Riverside  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Johnson  and  Airs.  Harriet  fCampbell)  Hart, 
who  was  born  in   Griswold.  Conn.,  a  daughter 


&^'  i/frnPA^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  E.  E.  and  Mary  E.  ( Burlingame)  Camp- 
beil,  natives  of  Connecticut.  Her  paternal 
f^randfather,  Napoleon  Bonaparte  Campbell, 
was  born  in  the  Nutmeg  state  of  Scotch  de- 
scent, and  her  maternal  grandfather  was  Capt. 
Peter  Burlingame.  also  a  member  of  a  promi- 
nent family  of  that  state.  In  an  early  day  E. 
F.  Campbell  settled  in  Janesville,  Wis.,  where 
he  cn.gaged  in  merchandising,  but  later  he  re- 
moved his  business  to  Ashley,  111.,  and  there 
died.  His  wife  died  in  Janesville.  The)^  had 
onlv  two  children,  Mrs.  Johnson  and  Mrs. 
Roberts,  the  latter  of  Marshfield,  Wis.  Mrs. 
Johnson  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Ebell 
Society,  which  she  at  one  time  served  as  presi- 
dent, and  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Eastern 
Star.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  became 
members  of  the  Congregational  Church,  in 
which  he  was  a  deacon.  Wliile  living  in  Maine 
lie  was.  one  of  the  founders  of  the  church  of 
that  denomination  at  Presque  Isle.  He  was 
made  a  Mason  in  Ashland.  Me.,  and  after  com- 
ing to  Long  Beach  l^ecame  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  blue  lodge  in  tliat  city.  The  death 
of  Mr.  Johnson  occurred  May  2"],  1902,  and 
he  was  buried  at  Riverside.  He  was  a  man 
]50ssessing  the  highest  finalities  of  heart  and 
mind  and  exemplified  in  his  life  the  ideal  of 
a  progressive  and  public-spirited  citizen,  who 
gained  the  liighest  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  whetlier  in 
business,  social,  political,  jniblic  or  private  life. 
During  his  residence  in  Long  Beach  he  was 
intensely  interested  in  reclaiming  and  devel- 
oping the  flat  lands  now  being  dredged  and 
advocated  as  manufacturing  and  harbor  sites. 


EDOUARD  AMAR.  AVhen  Edouard  Amar 
first  came  to  Southern  California  he  could 
drive  from  his  home  near  San  Pedro  to  Los 
Angeles  and  see  but  one  residence  on  the  way. 
In  the  passing  years  he  has  witnessed  the  phe- 
nomenal growth  of  this  section  :  the  building 
of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  and  smaller  neigh- 
boring cities  ;  the  development  of  the  country- 
lands  and  progress  and  improvement  of  all 
methods  in  farming:  and  in  tlie  midst  of  it  all 
he  has  taken  a  prominent  part  as  a  sheepman 
and  made  for  himself  a  financial  success.  He 
now  resides  at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Alesa 
streets,  .San  Peiiro.  where  he  lias  one  of  the 
finest  homes  in  the  city,  an  entire  block  being- 
devoted  to  the  grounds  about  the  house. 

A  native  of  Erance.  Edouard  Airiar  was  liorn 
in  St.  Bonnet,  in  Hautes-Alpes,  Alarch  6, 
1852,  the  youngest  child  and  onlv  one  in  Amer- 
ica in  a  family  of  three  daughters  and  two 
sons,  of  whoiTi  two  sons  and  one  daughter  are 
row  living.     His  father,   Edouard   .^mar.  was 


engaged  in  the  wholesale  wine  business  in  that 
jilace,  where  his  wife,  formerly  Rosin  Ollivier, 
passed  away  in  1878.  Edouard  Amar,  the  son, 
\vas  reared  to  young  manhood  in  St.  Bonnet 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
place.  Ill  187J  he  decided  to  try  his  fortunes 
on  this  side  of  the  water  and  accordingly  came 
to  San  Francisco,  where  he  remained  for  one 
year.  .Subsequentl}-,  in  1873,  he  came  to  South- 
ern California,  and  on  the  San  Pedro  rancho, 
near  Wilmington,  engaged  with  Valet,  an  ex- 
tensive rancher  and  sheepman  of  this  section. 
He  continued  v^'i.th  him  for  two  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  purchased  a  band  of 
sheep  from  him  and  began  independent  opera- 
tions. This  ])roved  the  nucleus  for  the  fortune 
Vv'hich  he  has  since  built  up.  with  the  increas- 
ing years  adding  to  his  flock  of  sheep  until  he 
had  as  high  as  t\\  enty-four  thousand  at  a  time. 
He  became  the  most  extensi\c  sheepman  in 
.Southern  California  and  one  whose  success 
was  unlimited.  His  band  of  sheep  ranged 
throughout  all  the  country  which  has  since 
been  built  up  in  the  cities  of  San  Pedro  and 
others.  From  the  time  that  San  Pedro  became 
a  place  of  residence  (when  the  old  pioneer  Tiin- 
mons  first  conducted  a  store  here).  Mr.  Amar 
has  called  this  his  home,  and  is  still  among 
the  most  enterprising  and  substantial  citizens 
of  the  place.  In  1887  he  laid  out  blocks  four- 
teen and  ten  and  sold  them  ofl^  as  the  .\inar 
addition  to  San  rcdro.  and  in  luany  other  \^•a_^•s 
has  manifested  his  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  cit}-  Avliich  he  ca'lls  his  home. 

Mr.  Amar  ha.s  been  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  Marie  Caragnous.  a  native  of 
France,  \vhose  death  occurred  in  Los  Angeles. 
She  left  one  daughter,  Irma,  the  wife  of  Con- 
stant Aleman.  In  t888,  in  Los  Angeles,  he 
married  Josephine  lioisseranq  of  St.  Bonnet, 
France,  and  a  daughter  of  Marie  Roisseranq 
a  shoemaker  of  that  place,  where  his  death 
occurred.  Her  mother,  Victorine  Mauren 
("Provensal)  Boisseraiiq,  .  was  born  in  St. 
Bonnet,  where  she  now  makes  her  home.  Of 
her  two  sons  and  two  daughters  the  daughters 
and  one  son  are  now  living,  all  being  in  Cali- 
fornia. Josephine  Boisseranq  was  reared  to 
vouiig  womanhood  in  .St.  Bonnet,  whence  she 
immigrated  in  1887  to  California,  and  there 
met  and  married  Mr.  A.mar.  They  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  Eloy,  born  in  180T. 
and  Leon,  born  in  1896:  their  first  child. 
E.douard,  having  died  at  the  age  of  eleven 
months,  and  the  third.  Endry.  at  nine  months. 
Mr.  Amar  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  .San  Pedro  for  four  years,  is  a 
member  of  the  Freeholders  of  this  city  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
Los   Angeles.     He  is   a   true  blue   Republican 


828 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  active  in  his  efforts  to  advance  the  prin- 
ciples which  he  endorses.  Fraternall}'  he  is 
identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  Los 
Angeles,  also  of  the  Uniformed  Rank;  and 
belongs  to  the  French  Legion,  also  of  that  city, 
in  which  he  is  a  drum  major.  Mr.  Amar  holds 
a  place  of  importance  among  the  representive 
citizens  of  this  section,  and  enjoys  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 


\MLLIAM  T.  FULTON.  A  resident  of  Cal- 
ifornia since  1883  and  the  owner  of  his  present 
ranch  near  Camarillo  since  1897,  Mr.  Fulton  was 
born  in  Crawford  county,  Pa.,  July  15.  1856,  and 
was  one  of  eight  children  born  to  his  parents, 
J.  J.  C.  and  Margaret  (Graham)  Fulton.  The 
parents  were  also  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the 
birth  of  the  mother  occurring  in  Erie.  Illinois 
was  comparatively  wild  and  unsettled  when,  in 
1857,  the  parents  settled  on  a  farm  in  Mercer 
county,  that  state,  making  their  home  there  for 
seven  years.  The  end  of  that  time  found  them 
making  another  westward  move,  which  resulted 
in  their  settling  on  a  farm  in  Benton  county, 
Iowa.  In  all  probability  they  would  have  re- 
mained in  the  middle  west  the  remainder  of  their 
days  had  it  not  been  for  a  visit  paid  their  son, 
\\'illiam  T.,  in  1892,  he  having  located  in  Cali- 
fornia some  years  previously.  Returning  to  Iowa 
they  disposed  of  the  farm  and  implements  and 
once  more  set  out  for  the  west.  Settling  on  prop- 
erty which  he  had  purchased  at  Montalvo,  \''en- 
tura  county,  Mr.  Fulton  continued  the  occupa- 
tion which  he  had  followed  from  his  earliest 
working  years,  death  ending  his  labors  in  1901. 
when  he  was  seventy-two  years  old.  His  widow 
is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years, 
making  her  home  in  Montalvo  with  her  grand- 
son, Harry,  the  eldest  son  of  W.  T.  Fulton. 
Politically  Mr.  Fulton  was  a  Republican,  and 
during  his  more  active  years  and  while  a  resi- 
dent of  Iowa,  was  very  prominent  in  the  ranks 
of  his  chosen  party.  A  public  service  of  credit 
to  himself  and  his  constituents  followed  his  elec- 
tion to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
his  interest  in  school  matters  was  demonstrated 
b\-  his  efficient  service  on  the  school  board.  l\Irs. 
Fulton  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
to  which  denomination  her  h.usband  also  belonged 
and  in  which  he  was  an  elder. 

William  T.  Fulton  has  no  knowledge  of  Craw- 
ford county.  Pa.,  except  what  has  been  handed 
down  to  him,  for  he  was  a  child  of  only  one 
year  when  taken  by  his  parents  to  Illinois.  The 
removal  to  Iowa,  however,  seven  years  later,  he 
remembers  distinctly.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Benton  and  Adams  counties  during 
the  winter  seasons,  and  at  other  times  he  gave 


his  services  to  his  father,  assisting  in  the  duties 
of  the  home  farm  until  coming  to  California  in 
1883.  He  accepted  the  first  work  which  came  to 
hand,  working  on  the  railroad  at  Mojave,  for 
about  one  year.  The  next  year  found  him  in 
Ventura  county,  where,  as  before,  he  accepted  the 
first  honest  work  that  could  be  obtained,  and  for 
about  five  years  worked  as  a  ranch  hand  through- 
out Ventura  county.  This  experience  was  of 
double  advantage  to  him,  not  only  enabling  him 
to  lay  by  the  means  to  purchase  land  of  his  own, 
but  giving  him  an  excellent  opportunity  to  make 
a  suitable  choice  of  location.  Before  settling 
down  permanently,  however,  he  farmed  on 
rented  property,  first  in  Pleasant  valley,  near 
Springville,  and  later  in  the  vicinity  of  Cama- 
rillo, and  it  was  not  until  1897  that  he  purchased 
his  present  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
The  location  was  well  chosen  and  the  land  is 
well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  beans,  walnuts 
and  apricots,  to  which  it  is  devoted.  To  the 
two  latter  commodities  he  has  planted  nine  acres 
each,  while  the  remaining  acreage  is  in  beans, 
which  harvest  twelve  sacks  to  the  acre. 

Mr.  Fulton's  first  marriage  united  him  with 
Elizabeth  Robbins,  who  was  born  in  California, 
and  who  at  her  death,  November  26,  1891,  left 
two  children,  Ada  B.  and  Harry.  In  August. 
1893,  Mr.  Fulton  married  Alice  Berry,  who  died 
October  26,  1895,  and  the  only  child  living  of 
that  marriage  is  Clifford,  who  is  now  eleven 
years  old.  The  present  Mrs.  Fulton,  to  whom 
he  was  married  October  29,  1896,  was  in  maiden- 
hood Molly  Arnold  and  was  the  widow  of 
Summer  Sheppard.  By  her  first  marriage  she 
has  three  children.  Leroy,  Bertie  and  Artie,  aged 
seventeen,  fifteen  and  thirteen  respectively,  and 
by  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Fulton  there  are  two 
children,  Blanche,  aged  seven  years,  and  Bessie 
D.,  now  five.  Mrs.  Fulton  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  politically  Mr.  F'ulton  gives 
his  support  to  the  candidates  of  the  Republican 
party.  During  his  long  residence  in  Ventura 
county  he  has  won  and  retained  the  respect  of 
associates  and  has  a  large  circle  of  friends  and 
well-wishers. 


LA  TORRE  WEBSTER,  of  Carpinteria, 
comes  from  a  pioneer  New  York  family,  both  his 
father  and  mother  being  natives  of  that  state. 
There  were  four  children  born  to  them,  three  of 
whom  are  still  living:  L.  T.,'who  resides  in  the 
vicinity  of  Carpinteria :  L.  F.,  who  is  postmaster 
at  \'entura.  and  L.  O.,  of  Ottawa  county,  Ohio. 
The  father  died  in  Ohio  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years,  and  the  mother,  who  came  to  California 
with  her  sons,  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
three  vears. 


-^^^rfiW^t 


1 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


829 


Bom  in  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  January  24,  1845, 
La  Torre  Webster  left  the  state  when  still  a 
young  boy  and  went  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education.  When  the 
Civil  war  broke  out  he  responded  to  the  call  of 
his  country  and  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Second 
Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  three  years 
and  ten  months.  His  campaign  was  an  active 
one  and  with  his  company  he  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh  and  Corinth. 
After  the  war  closed  he  went  to  Ohio  and  for 
sixteen  years  engaged  in  grape  culture.  In  1881 
he  located  at  Carpinteria,  Cal.  Taking  up  unim- 
proved land  he  set  out  his  own  orchard  and  erect- 
ed buildings,  making  of  it  one  of  the  credita- 
ble ranches  of  the  state,  and  of  which  he  has 
every  reason  to  feel  proud.  He  has  made  a 
specialty  of  walnut  raising  and  is  among  the  best 
posted  men  on  that  subject  in  the  state.  His  or- 
chard comprises  sixty  acres,  a  part  of  it  being 
planted  to  apricots  and  other  kinds  of  fruits,  al- 
though the  largest  acreage  is  in  walnuts. 

In  1 871  Mr.  Webster  was  married  to  Sarah  E. 
Hammond,  of  Erie  county,  Ohio,  and  two  child- 
ren were  born  to  them,  a  son  and  daughter.  T. 
D.  ^^'ebster,  who  married  Miss  Stella  Pike,  has 
one  child,  and  Mary  A.,  who  became  the  wife  of 
W.  E.  Beckstead,  has  three  children.  Mr.  Web- 
ster is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  serves  his 
district  as  school  trustee. 


JOHN  W.  ROBERTS.  In  tracing  the 
causes  that  have  led  to  the  development  and 
prosperity  of  California,  the  student  of  history 
discovers  that  the  citizenship  of  men  from  the 
states  to  the  east  has  been  a  leading  factor 
in  the  results  now  visible.  Numbered  among 
the  business  men  of  San  Bernardino,  who  by 
excellent  business  judgment  and  untiring  en- 
ergy, contributed  to  the  growth  of  the  city 
and  county,  mention  belongs  to  the  late  J.  W. 
Roberts,  who  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  from 
Pittsburg,  Pa.  The  family  which  he  repre- 
sented had  long  been  identified  with  North 
Wales,  and  there  he  was  born  in  Bala  July 
22,  1835.  It  was  during  his  childhood  that 
his  parents,  Richard  and  Gwen  Rob- 
erts, immigrated  with  their  family  to  the 
United  States,  taking  up  their  abode  in  the 
vicinity  of  Port  Leyden,  Lewis  county,  N. 
Y..  where  the  father  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  Hfe  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  His  wife,  how- 
ever, survived  him  a  number  of  years,  her 
earth  life  closing  in  Columbus.  Wis.,  at  the 
home  of  her  daughter.  The  old  family  home 
in  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.,  is  now  the  prop- 
erty of  the  eldest  son,  David,  and  though  well 


advanced   in   years    he    still    superintends   its 
management. 

The  dauntless  spirit  which  led  his  parents  to 
seek  freedom  from  the  restraints  by  which 
they  were  surrounded  in  their  native  country 
had  evidently  been  handed  down  to  their  son 
J.  W.,  for  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  too  gave 
vent  to  the  pioneer  spirit  within  him,  remov- 
ing at  that  time  to  Wisconsin.  He  made  his 
way  across  the  country  by  means  of  ox- 
teams,  and  settled  in  Cambria,  Columbia 
county,  where  friends  of  his  had  preceded  him. 
As  his  only  training  thus  far  in  a  business  way 
had  been  as  a  helper  on  his  father's  farm  it 
was  natural  that  he  should  seek  employment 
among  the  farmers  in  the  neighborhood  of 
his  new  home,  and  as  he  was  a  hard-working, 
industrious  young  man  his  services  were  al- 
ways in  demand.  Farm  work,  however,  was 
only  a  means  to  an  end,  for  during  all  of  the 
time  he  was  thus  engaged  he  frugally  saved 
his  earnings  with  the  idea  of  starting  in  busi- 
ness for  himself  as  soon  as  he  had  accumulated 
the  necessary  means.  This  accomplished,  he 
opened  a  merchandise  store  in  Cambria,  and 
in  addition  to  its  management  he  also  acted  as 
express  agent.  The  scope  of  his  business  en- 
larged from  the  first,  due  no  doubt  to  his 
pleasing  personality  and  upright  business  prin- 
ciples, a  combination  which  is  always  an  in- 
valuable asset  to  its  possessor,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  he  had  added  to  his  other  business 
a  general  exchange  and  banking  business,  re- 
ceiving patronage  not  only  from  the  citizens 
of  Cambria,  but  from  the  surrounding  country 
as   well. 

Mr.  Roberts  formed  domestic  ties  by  his 
marriage  in  i860  with  Eliza  Williams,  who 
was  born  near  Wrexham,  North  Wales,  the 
daughter  of  Gabriel  Williams.  During  the 
childhood  of  his  daughter  Mr.  Williams  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  and  in  Cambria, 
AA'is.,  erected  the  pioneer  flour  mill  of  that  lo- 
cality. Subsequently  Mr.  Roberts  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  father-in-law  in  the  manufacture 
of  flour  in  that  place,  and  still  later  both  were 
interested  in  the  Danville  flour  mills,  in  Dan- 
ville, Dodge  county.  Wis.  Some  time  after 
the  death  of  his  father-in-law  he  sold  out  his 
interests  in  Wisconsin  and  establishecT  his 
headquarters  in  Philadelphia.  Pa.,  where  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  H.  H.  INIears  &  Son,  he 
continued  as  a  flour  merchant  for  many  year,"^. 
The  flour  and  grain  handled  by  the  firm  gained 
a  world-wide  reputation  and  in  consequence 
they  controlled  a  large  and  profitable  business. 
Upon  withdrawing  from  the  latter  firm  in  1873 
Mr.  Roberts  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
James  A.  Steele  during  the  same  year  and  for 
eighteen  years,  under  the  firm  name  of  Roberts 


830 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


&  Steele,  they  carried  on  a  large  wholesale 
flour  business  in  Pittsburg. 

Great  as  had  been  his  success  in  the  east,  it 
was  perhaps  with  even  larger  opportunities 
before  him  that  he  came  to  California  in  1886 
and  in  1893  assumed  the  presidenc}'  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Colton,  an  institution 
which  had  been  established  in  1886  by 
Messrs.  Davis  and  Davis,  the  latter  his 
son-in-law.  Upon  the  death  of  J.  W. 
Davis,  Jr.,  in  August,  1893,  he  was  also 
made  president  of  the  San  Bernardino  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  the  present  stability  of  both 
of  these  institutions  is  due  in  large  measure 
to  the  unerring  judgment  and  keen  foresight 
of  Mr.  Roberts.  His  many-sided  nature  made 
him  a  power  and  influence  wherever  he  chose 
to  make  his  home,  and  his  optimistic  nature 
was  invariably  an  inspiration  to  those  who 
came  in  contact  with  him.  Besides  his  in- 
terest in  various  business  enterprises,  in  San 
Bernardino  he  was  the  owner  of  considerable 
real  estate  and  was  the  largest  stockholder  in 
the  company  owning  the  Stewart  block.  Aside 
from  his  banking  interests,  however,  he  was 
probably  best  known  as  one  of  the  most  en- 
thusiastic horticulturists  in  the  county,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  large  orange 
groves  in  Colton,  Highland  and  San  Bernar- 
dino, the  most  of  which  he  had  improved  from 
raw.  uncultivated  land. 

iNIr.  Roberts'  first  wife  died  in  Cambria, 
Wis.,  in  1867.  leaving  two  children,  Jennie  E., 
now  the  widow  of  J.  W.  Davis,  Jr..  and  Ed- 
ward D.,  a  sketch  of  the  latter  being  given 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  \\Miile  in  the  east, 
in  1883,  Mr.  Roberts  was  married  to  Winifred 
Evans,  a  descendant  of  ^^'elsh  ancestors  and 
a  native  of  Lewis  county,  N.  Y.  Of  this  mar- 
riage two  children  were  born,  John  Walter  and 
Richard  Evan,  both  residing  in  Redlands,  which 
is  also  the  home  of  their  mother.  Tlinmah 
out  his  life  ]\Tr.  Roberts  had  sui'>i)orted  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  In  his 
well-rounded  character  religion  mingled 
harmoniously  with  other  lofty  attributes  of 
mind  and  liis  membership  in  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  San  Bernardino  was  but  the 
outward  symbol  of  the  white  light  of  purity 
and  truth  which  actuated  him  in  his  high  and 
noble  aims.  He  passed  from  earth  January 
9,  1903,  but  the  memory  of  his  noble  life  will 
ever  remain,  a  priceless  heritage  to  his  family 
and  an  inspiration  to  the  rising  generation. 


DOC  WILSON.  The  as.sociation  of  Doc 
Wilson  with  the  largest  gem  companv  of  San 
Diego  gives  him  prominence  as  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful business  men  of  this  citv.     He  has  made 


his  business  a  special  study  and  is  probably  the 
best  posted  and  most  practical  gem  cutter  and 
mmer  in  the  cit\-.  He  has  not  been  a  resident 
of  the  state  man}-  vears.  having  located  here  in 
1900.  At  Cuyamaca  he  engaged  with  Dr. 
Schroeder,  now  of  Arizona,  who  was  one  of  the 
original  incorporators  of  the  San  Diego  Gem 
Company,  which  was  incorporated  in  1901,  and 
was  one  of  the  five  men  active  in  its  organization, 
anfl  now  owns  the  controlling  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Wilson  was  born  in  Cook,  Johnson 
county.  Neb.,  July  9,  1880,  the  only  child  of  his 
parents.  His  father,  D.  J.  Wilson,  was  born  in 
East  Crenoa,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of  John  Jessop  Wilson, 
also  a  farmer  of  New  York,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred. He  was  a  prominent  citizen  and  faith- 
ful to  the  interests  of  his  country,  having  served 
as  a  commissioned  officer  in  a  New  York  regi- 
ment during  the  Civil  war.  D.  J.  Wilson  was 
an  early  settler  in  John.son  county.  Neb.,  remov- 
ing from  Ohio,  in  which  state  he  had  enlisted 
in  the  Civil  war  and  served  as  a  non-commis- 
sioned officer.  After  locating  in  Nebraska  he 
engaged  as  a  stock  man  and  traveled  for  five 
years  among  frontier  conditions  of  the  middle 
west,  enduring  many  dangers  and  hardships.  His 
partner  was  Ed  Hargan.  with  whom  he  traveled 
all  over  tlie  west.  During  the  years  in  which 
Mr.  Wilson  was  actively  engaged  in  the  stock 
business  he  spent  his  winters  in  San  Diego  and 
finally,  in  1900,  located  here  permanently,  being 
now  retired  from  the  active  cares  of  life.  He 
retains  his  interest  in  former  days  through  bis 
association  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic. His  wife  was  formerly  Sarah  E.  Campbell, 
a  native  of  Norton,  Kans.,  and  a  daughter  of 
Adam  Campbell  of  Kentucky,  who  was  a  stock- 
man of  Kansas  and  is  now  a  resident  of  San 
Diego.  Adam  Campbell  and  his  wife  migrated 
from  Kentucky  to  St.  Louis,  thence  to  Iowa, 
where  he  w-as  one  of  the  first  settlers,  and  later 
to  Nebraska,  where  he  was  also  a  pioneer  settler, 
then  to  western  Kansas.  Mrs.  Wilson  died  in 
Nebraska. 

Doc  Wilson  was  reared  in  Nebraska,  receiv- 
ing his  education  in  public  schools  and  the 
high  school  at  Cook,  from  which  he  was 
graduated.  He  then  entered  the  Universit\- 
of     Nebraska     at     Lincoln     and     graduated     in 

1899  with  the   degree    of    civil    engineer.       In 

1900  he  came  to  .San  Diego  and  the  following 
\ear  the  San  Diego  Gem  Company  was  organized 
and  incorporated.  ( )f  the  five  men  interested 
in  the  enterprise  not  one  could  cut  a  stone  and 
they  owned  neither  mines  nor  stock.  They 
established  a  small  lapi(Iar\  and  hired  an  expert 
stone  cutter.  Mr.  Wilson  immediately  becoming 
an  apprentice  and  continuing  until  he  had 
mastered  the  art.  .\liout  $2,000  was  spent  by 
Uie   firm    in    perfecting  their   machine,    which    is 


^^^-^-^^  ^   ^t^^L^.^-^^^ 


Age  97  Years. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  Rl^XORD. 


83^ 


now  a  part  of  the  best  equipped  lapidary  in  San 
Diego,  besides  which  they  have  an  electric  motor 
and  all  other  modern  devices  necessary  to  their 
constantly  increasing  business.  At  the  same  time 
]\lr.  \\'ilsnn  tnok  up  the  study  of  mineralogy 
with  the  Scranlim  >chool  and  received  his  diplo- 
ma thercfnnii.  Wiirn  the  company  was  formed 
Air.  Wilson  \\as  .-nix  a  small  share-holder,  while 
he  is  now  president  and  manager.  He  has  pros- 
pected for  mine,--  all  nwr  this  countx'  and  has 
collected  specimen-  I'nmi  ever\  mine  in  the 
county,  his  report  in  H)()4  on  gems  and  jewelry 
appearing  in  bulletin  Xo.  37,  edited  by  Dr.  George 
F.  Kunz.  lie  has  operated  various  gem  mines, 
among  them  the  California  (Jem,  which  produced 
a  $500  hyacinth,  the  Little  Three,  Laurel  C. 
Hazel  Dell,  the  Cliiluiahua  Gem,  and  Lythia 
Mine,  all  of  which  are  prolific  producers.  Some 
of  Air.  Wilson's  gem.-  were  sent  with  county  ex- 
hibits to  the  I'onhuiil  I'air  and  received  medals. 
This  company  owns  or  controls  the  output  of  the 
principal  producing  mines  of  the  county  and 
continues  adding  to  its  mining  i)r(.ii.)erities.  Air. 
Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  is  also  prominent  socially,  belonging  to  the 
Cabrello  Club  of  San  Diego. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wilson  occurred  in  Ra- 
mona  July  22,  1906,  uniting  him  with  Hazel 
Dell  Adams,  who  was  born  July  21,  i88y,  in 
Ramona. 


CHARLES  CARROLL  CLUSKER.  Across 
the  vista  of  the  fast  fleeting  years  the 
thoughts  of  this  prominent  pioneer  often 
revert  to  the  memoralile  year  of  1848, 
with  its  exciting  journey  acro-^  ihe  plains  and 
its  train  of  experiences  in  the  mining  camps 
of  the  far  west.  (  )f  t!ie  countless  thousands 
who  braved  the  dangers  of  the  deserts  and 
mountains  in  their  effort  to  reach  the  great 
mines  of  the  west,  he  is  one  of  the  compara- 
tively few  who  now  survive;  by  far  the  larger 
majority  have  gone  upon  another  journey  out 
into  the  silent  sea  of  death.  Their  ears  are 
dull  to  ihe  memories  that  span  the  voiceless 
]iast :  their  eyes  are  blind  to  the  beautiful  pic- 
tures Nature  has  jiainted  for  the  art  of  man  to 
emulate :  and  their  lips  are  forever  stilled  to 
words  of  praise  and  honor.  Eortunate  it  is 
that  some  still  remain  to  receive  the  admiring 
affection  of  a  younger  generation  and  to  enjoy 
the  blessings  of  a  twentieth-century  civiliza- 
tion. The  long-distant  days  of  ante-statehood 
history  seem  to  be  brought  nearer  when  it  is 
remembered  that  these  men,  still  active  factors 
in  our  development,  were  witnesses  of  that  re- 
mote period  ■)!  our  history. 

Charles  Carroll  dusker  is  the  oldest  pioneer 
of   San  Bernardino  county.     He  is  the   repre- 


sentative of  a  family  prominent  in  Aladison 
county,  Ky.,  where  his  father,  John  Clusker, 
located  in  1800,  removing  from  Virginia, 
where  he  had  settled  upon  his  emigration  from 
Scotland.  He  engaged  as  a  farmer  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  eighty-si.x  years.  His  wife, 
formerly  Ann  Hart,  a  native  of  Ireland,  died  in 
Kentucky  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
The}'  were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  the  youngest  of  the  family  being 
Charles  (Carroll  Clusker,  who  is  now  the  sole 
survivor.  Born  March  27,  1810,  in  Aladison 
county,  Ky.,  as  a  child  he  roamed  through  the 
forests  and  over  the  plains  of  his  home  local- 
ity and  by  outdoor  life  gained  the  robustness 
of  health  which  has  blessed  his  entire  life.  At- 
taining years  of  maturity  he  followed  the 
training  of  his  boyhood  da}s  and  engaged  in 
farming  in  Aladison  countw  I  nln  riling  the 
spirit  which  induced  the  enn-rai  lou  of  his 
father  from  the  shores  of  "bonnx  Sioihuid,' 
he  was  not  content  to  settle  down  in  any  one 
place  and  there  iia.-s  the  years  of  his  life,  but 
was  rather  drawn  to  the  unknown  ijossibilities 
that  lay  beyond  his  horizon.  In  1S43  he  went 
to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  in  the  same  year 
took  a  trip  on  the  Little  Aliami  Railroad,  the 
first  built  in  tlie  state.  From  Columbus  he 
iournevcd  to  Cleveland,  thence  on  Lake  Erie 
to  Buffalo  and  from  that  city  by  rail  to  Al- 
banv.  He  traversed  the  Hudson  river  by 
steamer  t(T  New  Aork  City  and  after  one 
month  spent  there  went  on  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  had  the  ideasure  of  visiting  the  old 
State  House  and  climbing  the  belfry  to  the 
old  bell  which  hung  just  as  jt  did  when  it  rang 
out  Liberty  to  all  the  land.  This  incident 
meant  much  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Clusker,  for  it 
stirred  to  life  the  patriotism  of  his 'manhood 
and  bronght  to  him  a  keener  realization  of  all 
that  the  principles  of  our  country  mean  to  its 
citizens. 

The  journey  back  to  Ohio  was  made  over 
the  inclined  plane  railway,  over  the  Alleghany 
mountains  to  Pittsburg,  and  thence  down 
die  Ohio  river  to  Cincinnati.  In  that  city  he 
cpgaged  in  the  jewelry  business  until  the  Alex- 
ican  War,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  A. 
First  Regiment,  Ohio  Infantry,  participating 
in  the  battles  of  A^era  Cruz,  Chapultepec,  Cer- 
ro  Gordo  (where  Santa  Ana's  haste  to  leave 
the  field  was  so  great  that  he  left  his  wooden 
leg!),  Buena  A/'ista,  and  the  siege  of  the  city 
of  Mexico.  He  served  under  Zack  Taylor,  as 
he  was  familiarly  known  among  the  soldiers, 
and  after  peace  was  declared  in  1848.  and  he 
was  mustered  out  in  Texas,  he  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  voting  for  him  for  president  of  the 
United  States. 

In  the  fall  of  1848  Mr.  Clusker,  with    four 


834 


HISTORICAL  AND  BTOGRAPHTCAL  RECORD. 


comrades,  came  overland  to  California  on 
horseback,  being  well  armed  and  provided 
with  all  necessary  equipment  carried  by  a 
pack-horse.  The  journey  Avas  made  via  El 
Paso  and  Tucson,  the  Colorado  river  being- 
crossed  a  short  distance  below  the  present  site 
of  Yuma.  They  had  a  number  of  exciting  ex- 
periences with  the  Apache  Indians,  but  suc- 
ceeded in  repulsing  them  each  time,  although 
two  of  the  five  men  were  wounded.  All,  how- 
ever, reached  Los  Angeles  in  safety.  Mr. 
Clusker  remained  in  that  village  for  three 
weeks,  but  not  liking  the  place  (it  being  then 
a  pueblo  of  adobe  houses  and  the  inhabitants 
consisting  of  Indians  and  Mexicans)  he  with 
three  of  his  former  companions  returned  to 
Texas  over  the  same  route  they  had  taken  in 
their  westward  journey.  Three  months  later 
the  discovery  of  gold  brought  them  back  again, 
and  from  Los  Angeles  they  journeyed  up  the 
coast  to  Sacramento,  where  in  the  northern 
mines  Mr.  Clusker  was  occupied  for  several 
years.  Success  accompanied  his  efforts  and  he 
acquired  considerable  means.  In  1852  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  San  Bernardino  county,  en- 
gaging in  mining  for  a  time  here,  eventually 
following  a  like  occupation  in  Utah,  Montana 
and  Idaho.  The  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war 
induced  his  return  to  his  native  state,  in  com- 
pany with  Major  Harris  and  Sidney  P.  Waite, 
and  there  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  General 
-Morgan's  cavalry  and  served  until  1864.  Re- 
turning to  the  west  he  made  a  trip  to  Arizona 
and  engaged  in  mining  at  Wickenburg.  This 
was  still  a  wild,  uncivilized  country  and  trou- 
ble with  the  Apache  Indians  was  frequent  and 
at  time  serious.  After  remaining  six  years  in 
that  section,  he  returned  to  San  Bernardino 
county,  continuing  mining  and  prospecting  in 
this  southern  country  and  on  the  desert  and 
also  engaging  in  merchandising  in  the  valley. 
He  was  eminently  successful  in  all  his  efforts 
and  with  the  passing  years  acquired  a  compe- 
tence which  enables  him  to  enjoy  his  declining 
years  in  peace  and  plenty. 

Mr.  Clusker  occupies  by  right  his  position 
in  San  Bernardino  county,  for  few  of  the  old 
pioneers  have  passed  through  all  the  phases  of 
the  early  life  of  California  in  just  the  manner 
he  has.  The  first  events  of  our  statehood  are 
vividly  impressed  upon  his  memory  and  make 
him  a  highly  entertaining  conversationalist. 
He  is  an  honored  member  of  the  San  Bernar- 
dino Society  of  California  Pioneers,  and  on 
Old  Folks'  Day  at  the  pioneer  reunion  of  1905, 
at  the  pavilion  in  San  Bernardino,  a  large  pic- 
ture was  taken  of  the  crowd,  showing  Mr. 
Clusker  in  the  center  of  the  group  of  old  set- 
tlers and  their  families.    He  belongs  to  the  So- 


ciety of  the  Blue  and  the  Gray,  where  the 
"boys"  march  side  by  side  on  Decoration  Day 
to  do  honor  to  their  sleeping  comrades,  re- 
gardless of  the  color  they  wore  in  that  ever- 
memorable  event.  He  is  a  Democrat  political- 
ly and  is  stanch  in  his  advocacy  of  the  princi- 
ples ad\-ocated  in  the  platform  of  his  party.  In 
ills  fraternal  relations  he  is  identified  with  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  being  a 
charter  member  of  San  Bernardino  Lodge  No. 
836 ;  in  1905  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Elks'  re- 
union at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  being  the  only  mem- 
ber outside  of  those  of  the  Grand  Lodge  that 
had  a  carriage  in  the  parade,  and  in  1906  was 
a  delegate  to  their  reunion  in  Denver.  At  the 
reunion  of  the  Southern  California  Elks  in  Los 
Angeles  in  1905  he  was  presented  with  a  silver 
loving  cup  in  honor  of  being  the  oldest  Elk  on 
earth,  his  sobriquet  being  the  "Baby  Elk."  Al- 
though advanced  in  years  Mr.  Clusker  retains 
all  his  faculties,  is  hale  and  hearty,  and  com- 
bines with  his  reminiscences  of  other  years  a 
youthful  spirit  and  enthusiasm  which  endears 
hint  to  all  and  adds  honor  to  the  name  which 
■^hall  be  associated  always  with  the  pioneer 
davs  of  California. 


LEWIS  M.  WOOD.  There  is  probably  no 
one  in  Long  Beach  who  is  better  versed  in  min- 
ing and  mining  properties  than  Mr.  ^^^ood,  who 
is  a  practical  miner  and  prospector,  having  in 
the  course  of  his  life  personally  inspected  min- 
ing properties  all  over  the  mountains  from  Brit- 
ish Columbia  to  Old  Mexico.  As  may  be  sur- 
mised his  claims  are  scattered  and  not  confined 
even  to  the  state,  but  they  are  in  charge  of  com- 
petent superintendents,  so  that  he  is  enabled  to 
transact  their  management  from  his  home  city, 
Long  Beach.  While  his  mining  interests  are 
large  they  do  not  consume  his  entire  attention, 
for  he  is  also  the  owner  of  large  holdings  in 
real  estate  in  Los  Angeles,  San  Pedro  and  Ter- 
minal Island,  all  of  which  he  manages  himself. 

A  native  of  the  east,  Lewis  M.  Wood  was 
Imrn  in  New  York  Citv,  February  14.  1865,  the 
fifth  among  twelve  children  born  to  his  parents, 
and  of  whom  eight  are  now  living.  His  father. 
^\'illiam  Wood,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Empire 
state,  where,  in  addition  to  tilling  the  soil,  he  also 
practiced  law  in  Burke,  Franklin  county.  He 
is  still  living,  as  is  also  his  wife,  who  before 
her  marriage  was  Ruth  Atwater,  she  too  being 
a  native  of  New  York  state. 

.Such  education  as  Lewis  M.  Wood  gained 
was  received  in  his  native  state  for,  while  yet  a 
boy,  he  went  to  Norfolk.  Va..  for  the  purpose 
of  learning  the  machinist's  trade,  which  he  ac- 
complished in  the  prescribed  time  and  thereafter 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


835 


returned  to  New  York  City  and  engag^ed  as  a 
manufacturing  machinist  at  No.  12  Cortlandt 
street,  an  enterprise  which  he  conducted  with  suc- 
cess for  a  number  of  years.  It  was  about 
the  year  1890  that  his  interest  in  the  west 
became  aroused,  and  by  way  of  Chicago,  III., 
he  made  his  way  to  Colorado  in  February 
of  that  year.  He  made  a  thorough  investi- 
gation of  the  mining  camps  throughout  that 
rich  country,  taking  claims  in  the  Gunnison 
and  San  Juan  country,  San  Luis  valley,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  to  become  interested  in 
the  Cripple  Creek  country,  which  today  stands 
par  excellence  among  mining  properties  in  the 
United  States.  Mr.  Wood  first  came  to  Califor- 
nia on  a  tour  of  inspection  in  1892,  locating 
various  claims  throughout  the  state  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  located  in  San  Francisco,  having 
in  the  meantime  secured  a  valuable  property  near 
Kingman,  jMohave  county,  Ariz.  For  two  years 
he  retained  his  headquarters  in  San  Francisco, 
and  then  in  1895  settled  in  Long  Beach,  which 
has  ever  since  been  his  home. 

In  Pueblo,  Colo.,  on  September  9,  1891,  Lewis 
M.  Wood  was  united  with  Miss  Letitia  E.  Brat- 
tin,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Jane  Brattin,  the 
father  a  pioneer  merchant  of  Warren,  Ohio.  INIrs. 
Wood  is  a  graduate  of  Dana's  Alusical  Institute 
of  Warren.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  while  Mr.  Wood  is  a  member  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  He  is  identified  with  but  one 
fraternal  organization,  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
of  Kingman.  Ariz. 


JOHN  FELL  LIGHTBURN.  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Long  Beach,  and  an  enthusias- 
tic advocate  of  its  unlimited  advantages,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  born  February 
14,  1837.  His  father,  Benjamin  Lightburn,  was 
also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  represen- 
tative of  sturdy  and  patriotic  stock  in  manhood; 
he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  the  town  now  known 
as  Weston,  W.  Va.,  there  relinquishing  his  trade 
of  blacksmith  and  building  an  overshot  mill.  This 
being  on  a  creek  and  not  proving  the  success 
he  had  anticipated  he  located  on  the  Monongahela 
river  and  there  built  another  mill  which  he  con- 
ducted until  his  death.  His  wife,  formerly  Re- 
becca Fell,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jesse  Fell,  passed  away  in  West  Virginia. 
Born  of  their  union  were  five  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  four  sons  and  three  daughters  are 
now  living.  Of  the  sons  Joseph  A.  J.  served  in 
both  the  Mexican  and  Civil  wars,  entering  the 
Seventh  Regiment  Ohio  Infantry,  with  the  rank 
of  colonel  and  being  promoted  to  that  of  brig- 
adier general,  and  as  such  continued  until  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war.  when  he  returned  to  the 


duties  of  civic  life  and  eventually  passed  away 
on  the  old  homestead.  x\nother  son,  C.  L.,  served 
on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Joseph  A.  J.  Lightburn, 
and  surviving  the  vicissitudes  of  warfare,  is  now 
a  resident  of  Denver,  Colo. ;  Martin  V.  B.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Harrison,  Boone  county.  Ark.,  served 
with  the  rank  of  captain  in  a  West  Virginia 
regiment,  and  Benjamin  F.  is  a  resident  of  Can- 
ton, Stark  county,  Ohio.  The  principles  -of  in- 
tegrity and  honor  instilled  into  the  lives  of  the 
children  of  these  pioneer  parents  have  been  re- 
flected in  the  acts  of  their  mature  years,  all 
winning  and  holding  a  place  in  the  esteem  of 
those  with  whom  their  lot  has  been  cast. 

The  boyhood  years  of  John  Fell  Lightburn 
were  passed  in  Lewis  county,  W.  Va.,  where  he 
received  his  education  through  an  attendance  of 
the  subscription  schools  of  that  section.  He 
learned  the  miller's  trade  in  the  old  burr  mill, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  went  to 
Alingo  Flats,  Randolph  county,  W.  A'a.,  to  en- 
gage in  business  with  his  brother-in-law,  Amos 
Hevener,  a  cattleman  of  that  section,  and  a 
strong,  devoted  southerner.  It  followed  then 
that  Mr.  Lightburn  should  respond  to  the  call 
for  volunteers  made  by  Governor  Letcher,  en- 
listing in  the  Thirty-first  Regiment,  Virginia  In- 
fantry, serving  faithfully  until  he  was  taken 
prisoner  at  the  time  of  the  Imboden  raid.  For 
twenty-two  months  he  was  held  captive,  passing 
the  time  at  Camp  Qiase,  Johnson  Island,  and 
also  at  Point  Lookout.  In  February,  1865,  he 
was  paroled,  and  at  the  close  of  the  strife  he  re- 
turned to  his  old  home  and  again  engaged  in  the 
occupation  of  milling.  He  had  received  but  one 
wound  during  his  time  of  service,  at  the  second 
battle  of  Manassas  receiving  a  shot  in  his  left 
arm. 

In  1869  Mr.  Lighburn  came  as  far  west  as 
Wyoming  and  there  followed  placer  mining  for 
three  years,  when  he  returned  to  the  middle  west 
and  in  Appleton,  Wis.,  established  a  mercantile 
enterprise,  which,  however,  he  abandoned  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  (1872).  Going  to  Sumner 
county,  Kans.,  he  entered  land,  but  was  run  out 
by  the  grasshoppers,  after  which  he  located  in 
Belleplaine,  same  county,  where  he  engaged  at 
the  trade  of  stonemason,  contracting  for  the 
erection  of  various  buildings,  among  them  the 
county  jail.  Attracted  to  California  in  1890  he 
disposed  of  his  holdings  in  Sumner  county  and 
in  Tustin  followed  the  carpenter's  trade  for  eigh- 
teen months ;  removing  to  Long  Beach  in  1892 
he  has  since  made  this  place  his  home  and  been 
one  of  the  foremost  men  in  its  upbuilding  and 
development.  There  was  a  population  of  but 
seven  hundred  people,  propertv  was  cheap  and 
only  a  person  of  far-seeing  judgment  could  pre- 
dict the   wonderful   values   which   would   in   the 


836 


HISTORICAL.  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


future  be  placed  upon  this  locality.  At  the  cor- 
ner of  Fourth  street  and  Elm  avenue  he  pur- 
chased a  lot  for  $360  which  is  now  in  the  heart  of 
the  business  district  and  held  at  an  exceptionally 
high  figure. 

Prolific  in  plans  for  self  occupation  Mr. 
Lightburn  took  up  gardening  upon  his  location 
in  Long  Beach  and  this  has  since  called  for  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  and  attention,  and  to 
no  man  is  there  more  credit  due  for  the  beauti- 
fying of  the  city,  its  parks  and  private  lawns, 
being  engaged  at  the  present  writing  in  laying 
out  the  park  work  on  Signal  Hill.  He  has  also 
laid  out  the  finest  lawns  in  Pasadena,  Los  An- 
geles, Monrovia  and  other  cities  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia. He  owns  some  improved  and  unim- 
proved property  in  his  adopted  city. 

Mr.  Lightburn's  wife,  formerly  Sarah  J.  \\"\\- 
son,  a  native  of  Mingo.  W.  \'a.,  in  which  locality 
they  were  united  in  marriage,  died  in  Belleplaine, 
Kans. :  of  their  union  were  born  seven  children, 
nanielx  :  Lina.  wife  of  E.  \'ance  Hill,  engaged 
in  the  fm-niture  business  in  Long  Beach ;  Lee, 
who  died  in  \\'\'oming ;  Fell,  located  in  Tonopah, 
Nev.,  engaged  in  newspaper  work;  George  B.,  in 
Gibbon,  Okla. ;  Ray,  Clifton  T.,  and  Mary,  the 
three  latter  dying  in  Belleplaine.  By  a  second 
marriage  Mr.  Lightburn  was  united  with  Eliz- 
abeth P.  Hare,  of  West  X'irginia,  their  union  tak- 
ing place  in  Riverside.  Cal.  Air.  Lightburn  is 
associated  fraternally  with  the  Masonic  organi- 
zation, while  politicall)^  he  is  a  stanch  Prohi- 
bitionist and  thoroughly  alive  to  the  responsi- 
bilities of  his  |)rnffssion.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  he  officiates  as  dea- 
con. To  Mr.  Lightburn  is  due  the  credit  which 
belongs  to  a  man  thoroughly  in  toucli  with  the 
progress  of  a  place,  thoroughly  alive  to  the  needs 
and  uses  of  a  citizen,  and  whose  best  efforts  have 
ever  been  given  to  advance  all  measures  for  the 
upbuilding  and  promotion  of  the  general  welfare. 
He  has  justly  won  the  position  he  holds  among 
the  citizens  of  Long  Beach,  both  for  liis  character 
of  citizenship  and  the  personal  attributes  which 
]ia\c  won  him  innumerable  friends. 


LORENZO  ANSON  ROCKWELL.  The 
Rockwells  in  America  are  descendants  of  an  old 
English  family.  The  first  authentic  record  is 
given  in  history  when  Sir  Ralph  de  Rochcville, 
a  Ndrman,  accompanied  Empress  Maude  into 
England  when  she  claimed  the  throne  of  that 
realm  during  the  Norman  conquests  in  1066. 
Subsequently  he  supported  King  Henrv  II,  and 
was  granted  three  knights'  fees  of  land.  The 
property  has  been  entailed  from  that  time.  Sir 
Tames  Rockwell  (anglicized  de  Rocheville),  of 
Rockwell  Hall,  Boroughbridge,  cnuntv  of  York, 


being  the  representations  of  the  family  in  Eng- 
land. Sir  John  Rockwell  rescued  Lord  Percy, 
the  celebrated  "'Hot-Spur,"  from  the  party  of 
the  Earl  Douglas,  at  the  battle  of  Halidon  Hall. 
In  1630  Deacon  \\"illiam  Rockwell,  wife  and 
son  John,  were  of  a  congregation  of  church  mem- 
bers who,  to  escape  the  persecution  of  King 
James  11,  sought  refuge  in  the  new  world,  com- 
ing over  in  the  ship  Mary  and  John,  which 
landed  at  Dorcester,  Mass.,  May  30,  1630.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  three  selectmen  of  the  town 
and  signed  all  the  land  grants.  From  this  pro- 
genitor sprang  the  Rockweh  family  in  America. 
They  occupy  prominent  positions  as  statesmen, 
college  professors  and  preachers.  No  less  than 
twenty-three  have  represented  their  district  in 
the  lower  house  of  Congress,  and  eight  have  oc- 
cupied seats  in  the  L'nited  States  senate.  Three 
of  the  descendants  of  Deacon  William  Rockwell 
were  in  succession  named  John.  Jonathan,  son 
of  the  succeeding  Johns,  was  father  of  Timothy, 
father  of  Wildman  Niram,  father  of  Anson  John, 
who  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Anson  John  Rockwell  was  born  at  Stanbridge, 
Canada,  December  25,  1825.  He  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools,  and  later  learned  the 
millwright's  trade,  which  he  followed  success- 
fully. He  was  married  December  25,  1849,  to 
Louisa  D.  Williams,  the  elder  daughter  of  John 
Sylvester  Williams,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  the 
scion  of  another  old  English  family.  The  only 
issue  of  this  marriage  was  one  son,  Lorenzo  An- 
son, who  was  born  January  30,  1852,  at  Cowans- 
ville,  Canada.  The  family  removed  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  Coldwater,  Mich.,  when  he  was  about  four 
years  old,  resided  there  about  ten  years,  thence 
went  to  Galesburg,  111, ;  thence  to  Muscatine, 
Iowa,  and  in  March,  1873,  they  came  to  Visalia, 
Cal,  where  they  resided  about  twenty  years. 

Lorenzo  A.  Rockwell  received  his  primary  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools,  was  .graduated 
from  the  normal  school  in  1878,  taught  six  years, 
then  engaged  in  the  during  business  at  Traver, 
Tulare  county.  Cal.,  in  1884.  He  was  married 
.\ugust  25,  1880,  to  Sarah  Ellen  Pennebaker. 
eldest  daughter  of  ^^'illiam  G.  Pennebaker,  a 
wealthy  land  owner  (now  retired"),  whose  acts 
constitute  much  of  the  history  making  of  Tulare 
countv.  She  was  a  classmate  of  her  husband  in 
the  normal  school,  an  accomplished  musician  and 
possessed  a  beautiful  Christian  character.  They 
resided  on  their  beautiful  mountain  ranch,  where 
Mr.  Rockwell  had  put  out  an  extensive  orchard, 
his  orange  orchard  being  the  first  in  that  sec- 
tion. He  taught  school  there  several  vears.  or- 
ganized and  named  the  Sulphur  Springs  school 
district,  wrote  to  the  postoffice  department  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  enclosing  a  petition  and  bad 
the  Three  Rivers  postoffice,  which  he  also  named, 
established.      One    son.    Guv    Lionel,    born    Tidv 


LOUIS  PHILLIPS 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


839 


25,  1881,  was  the  only  issue  of  this  marriage. 
Mrs.  Rockwell  died  soon  after  their  removal  to 
Traver,  August  7,  1884.  Mr.  Rockwell  never 
remarried.  He  prospered  in  business,  having  at 
one  time  branch  stores  at  Recdle}',  Uinuba  and 
Porters ville.  He  was  appointed  the  first  justice 
of  the  peace  there,  serving  nearly  four  years, 
having  been  re-elected  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service.  He  organized  and  was  one  of 
the  first  trustees  of  the  Traver  school  district 
and  served  as  clerk  of  the  board  for  eight  years. 
He  was  the  first  president  of  the  Traver  Im- 
provement Company,  the  first  master  of  Traver 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  J\I.,  serving  four  years ;  the  first 
Master  Workman  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Unit- 
ed Workmen ;  the  first  chief  ranger  of  the  For- 
esters ;  the  first  ^^'orthy  Patron  of  the  Order  of 
Eastern  Star,  and  the  first  Chief  Templar,  and 
was  an  important  factor  in  the  development  of 
the  town  and  is  connected  with  much  of  its  his- 
tory. His  health  failing,  he  disposed  of  a  part 
of  his  interests  and  bought  a  drug  store  in  San- 
ta Monica,  where  he  removed  in  1890.  There 
his  father  died  the  following  year.  After  two 
years  spent  there  he  sold  his  store  and  bought 
an  extensive  business  in  Tombstone,  Ariz.,  and 
established  a  branch  store  in  Nogales.  Meeting 
with  financial  reverses  during  the  panic  of  1893 
he  disposed  of  his  Arizona  interests  and  re- 
turned to  California. 

In  July,  1894,  JNIr.  Rockwell  opened  his  pres- 
ent drug  business  in  Compton.  He  was  here  ap- 
pointed justice  of  the  peace,  serving  about  two 
years.  It  was  from  articles  written  by  Mr.  Rock- 
well, which  appeared  in  the  local  papers  from 
time  to  time,  that  the  proposition  of  establish- 
ing a  Union  high  school  in  Compton  took  root. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  trustees,  the  first  clerk 
of  the  board,  and  one  of  the  first  three  members 
of  the  executive  committee.  He  subscribed  for 
stock  in  the  Bank  of  Compton  when  that  insti- 
tution was  organized,  and  has  always  taken  an 
active  part  on  the  side  of  progress.  He  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  March  15,  1901  and  is  still 
holding  that  position  (October  1906).  This  of- 
fice was  made  a  presidential  ofifice  July  i,  1906, 
and  through  his  efforts  two  rural  delivery  routes, 
of  twenty-three  and  twenty-four  and  a  half  miles 
respectively,  were  established,  which  serve  most 
of  the  adjacent  country  with  daily  mail. 

Mr.  Rockwell  has  taken  great  pride  in  giving 
his  son  a  liberal  education,  he  having  finished 
his  course  at  Stanford  University  in  1905.  He 
is  active  in  fraternal  circles,  having  taken  all  the 
degrees  of  Masonry,  including  the  Knight  Tem- 
plar and  the  Scottish  Rite,  and  has  held  import- 
ant offices  in  all  of  the  bodies.  He  also  belongs 
to  all  branches  of  Odd  Fellowship.  Mr.  Rock- 
well has  pursued  a  course  in  the  medical  col- 
lege of  Los  Angeles,  having  taken  the  senior 
46 


year  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 
His  mother,  a  sprightly  and  well-preserved  lady 
of  seventv-three  years,  still  manages  his  house- 
hold. 


LOUIS  PHILLIPS.  Although  Air.  Phil- 
lips passed  from  earth  in  1896  he  is  still  re- 
membered with  affectionate  regard  through- 
out Los  Angeles  county,  where  so  much  of  his 
active  life  had  been  passed.  As  early  as  1863 
he  came  to  the  vicinit)^  of  Spadra,  and  three 
years  later  he  purchased  the  San  Jose  ranch, 
containing  twelve  thousand  acres  of  the  best 
land  in  the  San  Jose  valley.  At  that  time 
neighbors  were  few  and  far  between,  the  near- 
est ranch  to  his  own  being  seven  miles  dis- 
tant, but  he  lived  to  witness  many  wonderful 
changes  in  the  aspect  of  the  country,  not  a 
few  of  which  he  was  instrumental  in  bringing 
about.  As  the  country  about  him  became  more 
thickly  settled  he  disposed  of  portions  of  his 
large  holdings  from  time  to  time,  and  the  land 
now  covered  by  the  town  of  Pomona  was  once 
a  portion  of  this  tract.  He  sold  the  land  in- 
tact to  the  incor])orators  of  the  new  town,  who 
subdivided  it  into  lots  for  sale  to  settlers.  Be- 
sides the  large  ranch  which  he  owned  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  also  left  valuable  prop- 
erties in  Los  Angeles,  among  which  are  the 
building  occupied  by  the  People's  store,  the 
building  containing  Newmark's  wholesale  store, 
in  addition  to  a  valuable  block  on  Main  street, 
and  choice  residence  and  business  property  in 
Pomona. 

Of  German  birth  and  parentage,  Louis  Phil- 
lips was  born  April  22,  1829,  one  of  the  six 
children  of  his  parents,  who  were  natives  and 
life-long  residents  of  the  Fatherland.  They 
survived  the  celebration  of  their  golden  wed- 
ding for  many  years,  and  both  passed  away 
at  advanced  ages.  Three  of  their  sons  came 
to  California  and  until  Air.  Phillips'  death  all 
were  still  living  in  this  state.  Until  he  was 
thirteen  rears  old  Louis  Phillips'  life  was  as- 
sociated with  his  native  land,  but  at  that  age 
he  came  to  the  new  world  with  an  elder  broth- 
er, the  ship  on  which  they  sailed  casting  anchor 
in  New  Orleans.  For  about  seven  years  he 
de\oted  his  attention  to  mercantile  business  in 
Louisiana',  hut  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia changed  the  whole  aspect  before  him. 
With  a  party  of  others  of  equal  daring  and  de- 
termination he  bought  a  sailing  vessel  and  fit- 
ted it  up  for  a  voyage  around  the  Horn,  with 
San  Franicsco  as  their  destination.  Without 
any  serious  adventure  they  dropped  anchor 
in  that  port  in  the  early  part  of  1850,  leaving 
there  soon  afterward,  however,  for  the  mines, 


840 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


where  they  hoped  to  make  sudden  fortunes. 
So  far  as  Mr.  Phillips  was  concerned  disap- 
pointment awaited  him,  and  without  further 
loss  of  time  and  efTort  he  returned  to  San 
Francisco  and  opened  a  general  merchandise 
store  on  Long  wharf,  being  associated  in  this 
undertaking  with  his  brother  Fitel.  Subse- 
quently he  disposed  of  his  half-interest  in  the 
enterprise  to  his  brother  and  located  in  Los 
Angeles,  then  in  the  earliest  days  of  its  in- 
fancy, and  here  he  also  opened  a  general  store. 
It  was  while  carrying  on  this  enterprise  that 
he  purchased  a  ranch  cast  of  the  village  on  the 
San  Gabriel  river,  this  in  time  demanding  so 
much  of  his  attention  that  he  was  compelled 
to  dispose  of  his  store.  The  San  Antonio 
ranch,  for  such  it  was  called,  contained  sev- 
eral thousand  acres,  and  here  'Sir.  Phillips  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising  for  the  fol- 
lowing ten  years,  or  until  il^'i3.  when,  as  pre- 
viously stated,  he  located  in  the  San  Jose  val- 
ley. In  the  purchase  of  the  San  Jose  ranch  of 
twelve  thousand  acres  his  idea  was  to  con- 
tinue the  lines  of  agriculture  inaugurated  up- 
on his  previous  ranch,  cinl\-  on  a  larger  scale 
and  along  more.ad\ancc(l  lines.  He  was  the 
pioneer  in  the  breeding  of  line  stocky  and  spent 
considerable  money  in  the  advancement  of  his 
ideas  along  this  line.  His  faith  in  the  under- 
taking was  rewarded  in  the  possession  of  fine 
herds  of  cattle,  horses  and  sheep,  which  was 
proof  positive  that  he  thoroughly  compre- 
Jiended  what  he  was  -undertaking.  The  home- 
stead portion  of  the  ranch  is  located  in  Spadra, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  fruit  and  vine  cult- 
ure, and  today  much  of  the  land  is  in  English 
walnuts,  forming  one  of  the  inost  valuable 
groves  in  this  part  of  the  state.  The  family 
orchard  contains  all  of  the  varieties  of  fruit 
grown  in  Southern  California,  in  fact  it  is  a 
typical  ranch  in  a  country  famed  the  world 
over  for  its  wonderfullv  productive  ranches. 
Water  for  irrigation  is  supplied  from  various 
pumping  plants  scattered  throughout  the 
ranch,  and  at  one  time  Mr.  Phillips  had  a  fine 
fish  pond,  stocked  iirinci]ially  with  carp  and 
catfish.  The  tirst  '.muse  occupied  by  the  family 
was  a  large  adobe  structure,  which  was  re- 
placed some  years  later  by  a  commodious 
brick  residence,  still  the  home  of  Mrs.  Phil- 
lips. Since  the  death  of  her  husbaiid  she  has 
continued  the  management  of  his  vast  inter- 
ests, although  she  does  not  carry  on  stock- 
raising  as  extensively  as  before,  now  having 
hundreds  of  head  of  cattle  and  horses,  where 
formerly  they  were  numbered  by  the  thou- 
sands. The  ranch  originally  contained  twelve 
thousand  acres,  but  was  reduced  from  time 
to  time  bv   the   sale  of  tracts  for  town  sites. 


until  it  now  contains  five  thousand  acres,  much 
of  which  is  now  leased  to  tenants.  Mrs.  Phil- 
lips is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest 
residents  of  Los  Angeles  county,  and  as  well, 
one  of  her  best  business  women.  During  her 
husband's  life  the  San  Jose  ranch  was  noted 
for  its  fine  appearing  and  well-kept  buildings, 
v.ith  groumls  i'l  keeping,  and  no  deterioration 
in  this  respect  has  been  allowed  to  mar  the 
record  since  the  oversight  of  the  place  has 
fallen  into  Airs.  Phillips'  hands. 

Mrs.  Phillips  was  prior  to  her  marriage 
Esther  Ann  Pdake,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  her 
marriage  to  Mr.  Phillips  occurred  October  i8, 
1866.  Her  parents,  W^illiam  and  Joyce  (Cook) 
Blake,  were  both  natives  of  Xew  York  state, 
but  were  married  in  Illinois,  after  wdiich  they 
settled  in  Adams  county,  where  Mr.  Blake 
owned  a  fine  farm.  He  sold  this,  however, 
wh-en  his  daugliter  Esther  \sas  a  small  child 
and  removed  to  Alissouri,  remaining  there  for 
about  fifteen  years.  When  she  was  about  six- 
teen years  old  they  crossed  the  plains  to  Cali- 
fornia, settling  in  the  San  Jose  valley,  where 
her  father  purchased  land  uj^on  which  he  re- 
sided the  remainder  of  his  lite.  He  passed 
away  when  in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  while  his 
wife  had  preceded  him  b}-  many  years,  her 
death  occurring  as  the  restdt  of  a  runaway 
accident  when  she  was  fifty-nine  years  old. 
Of  their  four  children  all  are  deceased  with  the 
exception  of  Mrs.  Phillips.  Of  the  four  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phillips  we  men- 
lion  the  following:  Bella,  born  September  8, 
1868,  is  now  the  wife  of  A.  E.  George  and 
makes  her  home  in  Los  Angeles ;  Charles 
'ilake.  born  April  26.  1870,  grew  to  young 
manhood  and  passed  awaj-  in  1899;  Louis 
Robert,  the  next  in  order  of  birth,  married  Miss 
Esta  Way,  who  died  September  28,  1905, 
since  which  time  he  has  made  his  home  with 
his  mother:  George  S.  married  Miss  Irene 
Dudley,  and  they  with  their  three  children 
make  their  home  in  Pomona. 

Besides  the  interests  already  enumerated 
Air.  Phillips  owned  stock  in  the  Eirst  Nation- 
al Bank  of  Los  Angeles,  and  also  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Pomona.  Throughout  Los 
.\ngeles  county  Mr.  Phillips  was  known  as  an 
energetic  and  progressive  citizen  and  a  shrewd 
business  man.  his  success  in  the  business  world 
being  directly  traceable  to  the  possession  of 
a  wonderful  foresight.  Politically  he  was  a 
Democrat,  and  although  not  an  office-seeker 
wielded  considerable  influence  in  the  ranks 
of  his  party.  During  1866.  three  years  after 
locating  in  Spadra,  he  was  appointed  post- 
master of  the  village.  When  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific road   was  built  through   to   Los   Angeles 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


841 


county  he  gave  the  right  of  way  to  the  com- 
pany to  continue  the  road  through  his  ranch, 
and  since  then  the  Salt  Lake  &  Los  Angeles 
road  has  also  been  allowed  to  traverse  the 
homestead  ranch.  Fraternally  he  was  a  char- 
ter member  of  Pomona  Lodge  No.  246,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  during  the  early  days  he  was  a 
members  of  what  was  known  as  the  Vigilan- 
tees,  which  consisted  of  settlers  banded  to- 
gether to  suppress  the  Mexicans,  who  at  that 
time  were  committing  depredations  which  put 
the  life  and  property  of  the  white  settlers  in 
jeopardy.  Mr.  Phillips  passed  away  March 
16,  1896,  at  which  time  Spadra  and  Los  An- 
geles county  lost  a  stanch  citizen  and  a  be- 
loved friend.  ;\.Irs.  Phillips  shares  in  the  es- 
teem in  which  her  husband  was  held,  and  by 
all  she  is  regarded  as  an  exceptional  business 
woman. 


JOHN  W.  BURSON.  One  of  the  most  en- 
terprising men  of  \'entura  county  is  John  W. 
Burson,  who  has  for  twenty  years  been  interested 
in  various  important  business  enterprises  and 
is  now  engaged  in  promoting  and  upbuilding  the 
Bakersfield  &  \'entura  Raihva\-  in  the  Santa 
Clara  valley.  He  was  born  September  15,  1861. 
in  ^Marshall  county.  III.,  where  his  parents  were 
engaged  in  farming.  They  afterwards  removed 
to  L'alifornia  and  lived  in  Santa  Barbara,  where 
they  both  died.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  John  W.  being  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth.  He  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  and 
received  his  education  through  the  medium  of 
the  public  schools  of  Marshall  county,  111.  In 
1886  he  came  to  California,  settled  at  Santa 
Paula,  \'entura  county,  and  engaged  in  the  gen- 
eral merchandise  business,  having  occupied  the 
third  store  erected  in  that  town.  He  subsequent- 
ly sold  out  and  went  to  Grants  Pass,  Ore.,  re- 
maining there  during  the  year  in  which  occurred 
the  big  fire,  and  then  returned  to  \'entura  county 
and  established  a  merchandising  business  at  Fill- 
more. He  continued  at  this  for  some  time,  and 
when  he  sold  out  it  was  to  engage  in  the  oil 
business,  drilling  wells  at  various  points.  In  two 
oil  companies  he  was  interested  with  Chester 
Brown  and  they  continued  operations  together 
for  a  couple  of  years.  Mr.  Burson  later  made 
an  exceedingly  good  strike  in  the  Sespe  district 
and  afterward  sold  his  interests  to  the  Union 
Consolidated  Oil  Company,  as  he  desired  to  en- 
gage in  railroad  promoting.  He  saw  a  great 
future  for  the  outlet  of  the  Bakersfield  oil  region 
and  with  H.  AI..  Russell  obtained  a  charter  for 
the  Bakersfield  and  \'entura  Railroad.  The  com- 
pany was  incorporated  and  surveying  for  the 
line  was  Ijegun  in  1902.  In  May,  1905,  con- 
struction was  commenced  and  the  twentv  miles 


in  the  vicinity  of  Hueneme  and  Oxnard  com- 
pleted. It  is  a  broad  gauge  line  and  is  now  in 
operation  hauling  sugar  beets  and  pulp  for  the 
Oxnard  sugar  factory.  When  finished  the  road 
will  run  through  Sespe  canon  to  Brownstone 
and  into  the  San  Joaquin  valle\-.  Other  ex- 
tensive business  interests  are  also  owned  by  Mr. 
Burson,  among  them  being  oil  lands  in  "Ven- 
tura and  Kern  county,  a  fruit  ranch  containing 
ninety  acres  at  Fillmore,  a  grain  ranch  of  three 
hundred  and  forty-six  acres,  and  an  interest  in 
a  two  hundred  and  forty-five  acre  ranch  which 
has  ninety  acres  planted  to  beets,  his  partner 
in  this  latter  holding  being  Colonel  Perkins. 

Mr.  Burson's  first  marriage,  in  Oregon,  united 
him  ^  with  Miss  ]\Iartha  Fowler,  a  native 
of  California,  and  the  daughter  of  Welcome 
Fowler,  one  of  the  early  '4gers  in  this  state.  She 
l)ecame  the  mother  of  six  children,  Clarence, 
Ralph,  Nettie,  Clifford,  Roscoe  and  Martha.  Her 
death  occurred  at  Fillmore  in  September,  1897, 
depriving  Air.  Burson  of  a  faithful  wife,  and  her 
children  of  a  devoted  mother.  His  second  mar- 
riage took  place  at  Hueneme  to  Miss  Dell  Bur- 
son. who  was  born  in  Illinois,  and  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr. 
Burson  has  six  brothers  who  are  Shriners,  and 
he  was  made  a  Mason  in  the  Santa  Paula  Lodge. 
IS  now  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  at  Fill- 
more, belongs  to  Oxnard  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  is 
a  member  of  the  Los  Angeles  Consistory,  being 
n  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  and  belongs  to 
the  A\  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S. 
In  politics  he  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republi- 
can ]iarty  and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
county  central  committee.  He  is  a  progressive 
and  leading  citizen  and  his  abilitv  and  worth 
receive  the  recognition  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  ill  contact. 


ABRAM  C.  DENMAN,  Jr.  The  president 
and  general  manager  of  the  San  Bernardino 
\  alley  Traction  Company  is  a  member  of  an  old 
and  patriotic  family  of  America,  as  is  evidenced 
bv  his  identification  with  the  Sons  of  the  War 
of  1812,  the  Founders  and  Patriarchs  of  Ameri- 
ca, the  \\'asliington  Continental  Guards  of  New 
York  City  and  the  Society  of  the  Colonial  Wars. 
Born  in  the  City  of  Newark,  N.  I.,  December 
26,  187s,  he  is  a  son  of  Abram  C.  and  Sarah 
(Hedenburg)  Dennian,  likewise  natives  of  New 
Jersey.  In  Newark  the  father  embarked  in  the 
manufacture  of  steel  upon  a  large  scale,  and  for 
many  years  he  was  connected  with  a  large  and 
flourishing  foundry  and  steel  plant.  The  social 
and  financial  standing  of  the  family  brought 
niany  advantages  to  Abram  C,  Jr.,'  who  was 
given    the    best    educational    opportunities     the 


842 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


country  afforded  at  the  time.  Primarily  edu- 
cated in  an  academy  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  later  he 
was  sent  to  the  New  York  Military  Academy, 
and  from  there  was  sent  to  Cornell  University 
at  Ithaca,  where  he  had  for  three  years  the  best 
advantages  that  splendid  institution  afforded. 
On  the  completion  of  his  university  course  he 
returned  to  New  York  City  and  for  some  years 
engaged  in  the  steel  and  iron  business  with  his 
father. 

While  residing  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  Mr.  Den- 
man,  in  1897,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Grace  W.  Davis,  daughter  of  Stephen  A.  Davis, 
who  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Newark,  N.  J. 
Their  two  children  are  named  Frederick  Halsey 
and  Grace.  Since  leaving  the  university  Mr. 
Denman  has  retained  his  association  with  Chi 
Phi,  one  of  the  leading  orders  at  Cornell.  Com- 
ing to  California  in  1900  he  established  himself 
atRedlands,  where  he  now  makes  his  home,  al- 
though he  has  his  business  headquarters  in  San 
Bernardino.  In  the  comparatively  brief  period 
of  his  residence  here  he  has  acquired  many  im- 
portant and  valuable  interests,  has  purchased 
stock  in  various  concerns  and  has  gained  many 
important  social  connections.  At  this  writing 
he  acts  as  first  vice-president  of  the  San  Ber- 
nardino Savings  Bank,  is  president  of  the  San 
Bernardino  Theatre  Company,  ex-president  of 
the  University  Club  of  California,  and  a  director 
of  the  Country  Club  at  Redlands. 

Notwithstanding  the  magnitude  of  other  in- 
terests there  is  one  enterprise  with  which  the 
name  of  Mr.  Denman  remains  most  intimately 
associated  and  in  the  development  of  which  he 
has  been  an  influential  factor.  This  organiza- 
tion is  the  San  Bernardino  Valley  Traction  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  president  and  general  man- 
ager. From  the  date  of  its  organization  he  has 
been  a  leading  factor  in  its  progress  and  growth, 
and  its  present  substantial  standing  is  due  large- 
ly to  his  judicious  efforts.  The  inception  of  the 
present  concern  is  traced  back  to  May,  1901, 
when  Mr.  Denman  purchased  the  Urbita  Hot 
Springs  property  located  south  of  the  city  limits 
of  San  Bernardino.  The  following  month  he 
associated  with  himself  H.  H.  Sinclair  and  Hen- 
ry Fisher  of  Redlands,  and  the  three  operated 
the  place  until  it  was  sold  June  2,  1903,  to  the 
San  Bernardino  Valley  Traction  Company. 
Meanwhile,  in  June  of  1901,  a  company  had 
been  incorporated,  capitalized  at  $500,000,  under 
the  name  of  the  San  Bernardino  Valley  Traction 
Company,  whose  stockholders  were  Messrs. 
Fisher,  Sinclair  and  Denman,  with  J.  H.  Fisher, 
Edward  S.  Graham  and  Henry  B.  Ely,  of  Red- 
lands,  and  Seth  Hartley  of  Colton.  The  follow- 
ing officers  were  chosen:  Henry  Fisher,  presi- 
dent;   A.    C.    Denman.    Jr..    vice-president    and 


general  manager;  Edward  S.  Graham,  treasur- 
er; and  C.  W.  A.  Cartlidge,  secretary. 

\'arious  franchises  were  purchased  in  the 
summer  and  six  months  later  the  company  began 
the  task  of  building  their  road,  over  which  the 
first  car  was  run  February  22,  1902.  The  first 
car  between  San  Bernardino  and  Redlands  was 
run  ]\Iarch  10,  1903.  With  a  capital  stock  of 
$150,000,  the  San  Bernardino  and  Highland 
Electric  Railway  Company  was  incorporated  in 
February,  1903,  with  the  following  officers: 
Henry  Fisher,  president;  A.  C.  Denman,  Jr., 
vice-president  and  general  manager;  George  B. 
Ellis,  secretary;  and  E.  D.  Roberts,  treasurer. 
These  officers,  with  George  M.  Cooley  and  H. 
H.  Sinclair  composed  the  board  of  directors. 
The  company  purchased  franchises  on  Pacific 
and  Palm  avenues,  and  was  about  to  commence 
operations  when  Mr.  Kohl,  of  the  San  Ber- 
nardino, Arrowhead  &  Waterman  Railway  Com- 
pany began  negotiations  with  Mr.  Denman  for 
the  purchase  of  the  old  motor  line.  In  April 
the  board  of  directors  purchased  the  old  road, 
and  immediately  began  to  remodel  the  same, 
widening  the  gauge  and  making  other  improve- 
ments necessary  for  the  operation  of  electric 
cars.  July  26,  1903.  the  first  car  was  run  over 
the  line  as  far  as  Harlem  Springs,  and  August 
13  the  line  was  opened  to  Patton  and  Highland. 

The  San  Bernardino  Valley  Traction  Com- 
pany and  the  Highland  Electric  Company  oper- 
ated separately  for  a  time,  but  June  2,  1903,  they 
consolidated  with  the  Redlands  Street  Railway 
Company  under  the  name  of  the  San  Bernardino 
A'alley  Traction  Company.  At  the  first  meeting 
the  following  officers  were  elected :  A.  C.  Den- 
man, Jr.,  president  and  general  manager; 
George  M.  Cooley,  vice-president ;  J.  C.  Wood, 
secretary  and  treasurer.  The  board  of  directors 
is  composed  of  the  officers  with  J.  H.  Fisher, 
E.  D.  Roberts,  W.  D.  Brookings,  O.  D.  Collins, 
Henry  Fisher  and  E.  S.  Graham.  The  three 
companies,  since  the  consolidation,  have  been 
operated  under  one  management  and  their  lines 
carr}-  from  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand  to 
one  lumdred  and  thirty-fiVe  thousand  persons 
per  month.  In  the  city  of  Redlands  they  operate 
three  cars,  two  cars  run  between  Redlands  and 
San  Bernardino,  two  between  San  Bernardino 
and  Colton,  one  between  San  Bernardino  and 
Highland,  and  one  to  Urbita  Springs  and  within 
the  city  of  San  Bernardino.  There  has  been  a 
great  increase  in  travel  since  the  first  car  was 
started,  and  the  company  has  enjoyed  a  constant 
increase  of  patronage,  which  has  enabled  it  to 
meet  its  expenses  and  make  a  profit  besides. 
Since  the  companv  was  formed  it  has  never  run 
behind  any  month,  and  its  property,  consisting 
of  its  various  lines  as  well  as  the  Urbita  Springs 
and   the  Cole  rack  track,   represent  a  large  in- 


J^  ii:h^   J^Tt.-,.--.:.^^^ 


HISTORIC  \L  AXl)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


845 


vestment  on  which  gratifying  returns  are  being 
received.  An  extension  is  now  under  way  to 
the  Arrowhead  Hot  Springs,  a  distance  of  six 
and  one-half  miles  north 'of  San  Bernardino. 


WILLIAM  M.  SNODDY.  One  ofthe  early 
settlers  of  Southern  California,  William  M. 
Snoddy  is  remembered  in  the  citizenship  of  the 
state  and  held  in  high  esteem  for  the  qualities  of 
character  he  displayed  during  his  residence  in 
this  section.  He  was  born  in  Boone  county,  Mo., 
in  1843,  ^  SOI''  of  John  W.  and  Sarah  (Beattie) 
Snoddy,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  same 
state.  He  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  until 
thirteen  years  old,  when  his  mother  died,  and  he 
then  became  dependent  upon  his  own  resources. 
He  finally  became  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  and  remained  in  this  connection  until  1864, 
when  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California.  He 
located  in  Sacramento  for  the  period  of  one  year, 
after  which  he  went  to  San  Jose  and  began  trad- 
ing between  that  city  and  Almaden.  Later  he 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Milpitas, 
where  he  remained  until  1869,  in  which  year  he 
disposed  of  his  interests  in  that  section  and  com- 
ing to  Southern  California  located  in  Los  Angeles 
county.  In  1870  he  purchased  from  the  San 
Franciscito  rancho  the  farm  now  owned  by  his 
widow,  located  a  mile  and  half  north  of  El  Monte. 
It  was  then  in  a  wild  state,  and  he  at  once  began 
an  improvement  and  cultivation  which  eventually 
placed  it  among  the  most  valuable  ranches  in  this 
section.  Much  of  the  ranch  was  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  fruit,  a  part  given  over  to  a  vineyard, 
and  an  orchard  of  large  fruits.  He  was  very 
successful  in  his  work,  acquired  a  competence, 
and  at  the  same  time  built  up  for  himself  a  posi- 
tion of  prominence  among  the  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity. He  was  always  active  in  the  upbuilding 
and  advancement  of  the  section,  giving  special 
aid  to  educational  affairs,  assisting  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  Savannah  school,  in  which  he  served 
as  director  for  some  years.  He  was  a  stanch  ad- 
herent of  Democratic  principles  and  although 
never  desirous  of  personal  recognition  along  this 
line  gave  his  support  toward  party  advance- 
ment. His  death  occurred  January  20,  1905,  his 
interment  being  in  the  El  Monte  cemetery. 

Mr.  Snoddy  leaves  a  widow,  who  still  resides 
on  the  old  home  place.  .Before  marriage  she  was 
Miss  Samantha  J.  Tibbet,  a  native  of  Franklin 
county,  Ohio,  her  birth  having  occurred  in  the 
vicinity  of  Columbus.  Her  father,  Jonathan 
Tibbet,  was  born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  De- 
cember 18,  1822,  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Huldah 
(Root)  Tibbet,  natives  respectively  of  New  York 
and  ^^ermont,  and  the  former  of  German  an- 
cestry. Jonathan  Tibbet,  Jr.,  married  at  the  age 
of  twentv-two  vears  Miss  Phoebe  Point,  who  was 


born  in  New  York,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
I^lleanor  (Scofield)  Point,  who  removed  to  Akron, 
Ohio,  and  there  engaged  in  farming.  In  1849 
Mr.  Tibbet  set  out  for  California  accompanied 
by  his  family,  leaving  Missouri  July  14  and  ar- 
riving in  Los  Angeles  February  17  of  the  fol- 
lowing year.  He  went  at  once  to  the  mines  in 
Eldorado  county  and  met  with  phenomenal  suc- 
cess, in  one  day  taking  out  as  much  as  $8,580  in 
gold.  He  soon  returned  to  Ohio  with  his  family 
and  again  in  1853  the  journey  was  made  across 
the  plains,  Mr.  Tibbet  bringing  with  him  a  drove 
of  sheep  and  cattle,  and  after  a  perilous  trip  over 
the  Spanish  trail  they  reached  Los  Angeles 
county  in  safety.  He  then  located  in  El  Monte 
and  engaged  in  farming,  later  removing  to  Comp- 
ton  and  eventually  purchasing  a  hundred-acre 
ranch  four  miles  northeast  of  Santa  Monica, 
where  his  death  occurred  April  18,  1904,  his  wife 
having  passed  away  in  1892.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  James  H.,  who  died  in 
Compton  in  1880;  Samantha  J.,  Mrs.  Snoddy; 
Jonathan  F.,  of  Riverside;  and  Phoebe,  wife  of 
Percy  A.  Arnold,  of  the  Palms. 

Airs.  Snoddy  was  educated  in  California  and 
here  in  1873  she  was  married,  and  coming  at 
that  time  to  her  present  home  she  has  ever  since 
remained  a  resident  of  this  place  and  section. 
She  is  a  woman  of  refinement  arid  culture  and 
held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know  her.  She 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Degree  of  Honor  and 
officiated  as  its  treasurer  for  eight  years.  She 
is  the  mother  of  three  children,  namely :  John 
B.,  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte;  Mary 
E.,  wife  of  Andrew  AlcClintock,  a  farmer  residing 
west  of  Savannah  ;  and  Nina  I.,  Mrs.  Ashton,  of 
El  Monte. 


GABRIEL  GISLER.  Whatever  of  success 
has  been  achieved  by  Mr.  Gisler  during  his  resi- 
dence in  California  may  be  attributed  to  his  own 
keen  and  capable  judgment  and  his  industrious 
cultivation  of  the  soil  in  Ventura  county.  Born 
in  Switzerland  April  8,  1858,  he  was  reared 
under  the  sunny  skies  of  his  native  land  until  he 
was  nineteen  years  of  age,  during  which  time 
he  had  become  proficient  in  the  common-school 
branches  and  had  also  acquired  a  working  know- 
ledge of  the  painter's  trade.  With  this  equip- 
ment he  severed  his  connection  with  his  native 
land  and  bought  passage  to  the  new  world,  the 
boat  in  which  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  casting 
anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New  York  City.  His 
interest  did  not  lie  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
however,  and  he  lost  no  time  in  seeking  the 
western  coast,  which  he  had  heard  was  teeming 
with  possibilitit's  fur  }(iung  men  of  push  and 
determination.  1  "i  :r  ;;  time  after  his  arrival  in 
A'entura  county  he  worked  at  his  trade,  but  gave 


846 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


this  up  to  gain  practical  experience  in  the  man- 
agement of  a  ranch,  which  observation  had 
taught  him  was  the  most  profitable  employment 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  Eight  years  in  the 
employ  of  others  with  mature  experience  had 
given  him  an  insight  into  ranching  which  quali- 
fied him  to  start  out  independently,  and  with  the 
means  which  he  had  laid  by  in  the  mean  time 
he  leased  ninety  acres  of  land  near  Oxnard,  the 
same  property  which  is  his  home  at  the  present 
time.  His  speciality  is  the  cultivation  of  beans. 
In  1893  Mr.  Gisler  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Margaret  Reimann,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Catherine  Reimann,  an  extended 
account  of  whose  family  will  be  found  else- 
where in  this  volume  in  the  sketch  of  the  father, 
William  Reimann.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Gisler:  Ida,  William  and 
Fred,  to  whom  every  advantage  at  the  disposal 
of  their  parents  is  being  given  to  fit  them  for 
the  responsibilities  of  life.  The  family  worship 
in  the  Catholic  Church  at  Oxnard,  and  politi- 
cally Mr.  Gisler  is  a  Democrat,  although  he  re- 
serves the  right  to  vote  for  the  opposite  party 
if  the  candidate  in  question  is  better  qualified 
for  the  position.  Much  credit  is  due  Mr.  Gisler 
for  the  position  which  he  holds  in  his  com- 
munity to-day,  for  when  he  came  here  twenty- 
eight  years  ago  he  was  without  means  or  friends, 
and  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  substantial 
ranchers  of  the  county,  and  his  friends  are  as 
numerous  as  his   acquaintances. 


CLYDE  L.  HOOVER.  A  place  of  promi- 
nence is  given  to  Clyde  L.  Hoover  among  the 
business  men  of  Long  Beach,  where  he  has  been 
located  for  the  past  five  years  and  successfully 
engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  at  No.  115 
East  Second  street.  He  was  born  in  Greenville, 
Darke  county,  Ohio,  September  18,  1871,  a  son 
of  N.  A.  Hoover,  a  native  of  the  same  place, 
and  the  descendant  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  that  section.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
N.  A.  Hoover  enlisted  in  the  Seventy-first  Regi- 
ment. Ohio  Infantry,  and  served  throughout  the 
Civil  war.  He  was  a  contractor  by  occupation 
and  engaged  in  this  work  in  Ohio  until  1874, 
when  he  removed  to  Kansas  and  in  Earned  fol- 
lowed the  same  occupation.  Later  he  engaged  in 
contracting  in  Cottonwood  Falls,  Chase  county, 
same  state,  finally  returning  to  Ohio  and  locat- 
ing permanently  in  Garrettsville.  He  has  always 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  public  afifairs,  frater- 
nally is  associated  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  is 
a  prominent  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  sec- 
tion. His  career  has  been  marked  bv  the  sterling 
traits  of  character  inherited  from  his  ancestors, 
who  were   members   of  the   Society  of  Friends. 


His  wife,  formerly  Julia  Egan,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
is  also  living.  Besides  Clyde  L.  they  have  two 
sons  living,  Herbert  H.,,  chief  dispatcher  for  the 
Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad  at  Salt  Lake  City, 
and  Wallace  K.,  a  rancher  in  Tulare  county,  Cal. 
When  three  years  of  age  Clyde  L.  Hoover  was 
taken  to  Kansas  and  reared  in  that  state,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  schools  of  Cotton- 
wood Falls.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he 
took  up  the  study  of  telegraphy  with  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  Company,  being  located  at  Strong 
City.  He  was  later  employed  by  this  company  in 
Kansas  and  also  in  Texas.  In  1888  he  made  a 
trip  to  California  where  he  remained  a  short 
time,  and  there  after  until  1892  remained  at 
home.  Locating  again  in  California  at  this  date 
he  spent  one  year  in  Visalia  and  one  year  in  \'ina 
on  the  Stanford  ranch,  when  he  returned  to 
Texas  and  engaged  with  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company.  Returning  to  the  vicinity  of  his  old 
home  he  engaged  in  farming  near  Cottonwood 
Falls  for  five  years.  Coming  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia in  1901  he  established  a  hardware  busi- 
ness in  Long  Beach,  which  he  has  since  conduct- 
ed with  unusual  success.  At  the  same  time  he  has 
interested  himself  in  mining  enterprises  in  River- 
side county.  In  Cottonwood  Falls,  Kans.,  Esther 
Moffitt,  a  native  of  that  state,  became  his  wife. 
Her  parents,  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
came  from  the  vicinity  of  Richmond,  Ind.  She 
graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Cottonwood 
Falls  and  afterwards  engaged  as  a  ieacher  until 
she  married.  They  are  the  parents  of  one 
daughter,  Gertrude.  Mr.  Hoover  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Zeredetha  Lodge  No.  80.  Cottonwood 
Falls,  Kans.,  and  has  since  been  raised  to  the 
degree  of  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  Long  Beach 
Chapter  No.  84.  He  is  also  identified  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  the  Eagles,  and  socially  is  a  member  of 
the  Cosmopolitan  club.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
adherent  of  the  principles  advocated  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party. 


HERBERT  PILE.  With  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil,  Herbert  Pile  of  Ramona.  has  met  with 
unquestioned  success  as  a  grower  of  fruit,  and  has 
acquired  a  fine  position  among  the  representative 
agriculturalists  of  this  section  of  San  Diego 
county.  His  ranch,  lying  about  two  and  one- 
half  miles  from  the  village,  is  well  improved, 
giving  substantial  evidence  to  the  passer-by  of 
the  excellent  care  and  skill  with  which  it  is  man- 
aged, presenting  a  beautiful  picture  of  quiet 
country  life,  the  abode  of  thrift  and  refinement 
as  well  as  of  peace  and  plenty.  A  son  of  the 
late   Henry   T.    Pile,   he   was   born,   October    16, 


P^^T^^/S^.^^U.,^ 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


847 


i860,  in  England,  where  he  spent  the  first  five 
years  of  his  life. 

Born,  reared  and  married  in  England,  Henry 
T.  Pile  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1865, 
settling  first  in  New  York  State,  where  he  was 
for  many  years  engaged  in  business  as  a  commis- 
sion merchant,  being  thus  employed  until  his 
death,  at  a  comparatively  early  age,  in  1878.  He 
was  a  man  of  stanch  integrity,  eminently  trust- 
worthy in  all  relations  of  life,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  Church.  He  married  Sophia 
E.  Butler,  who  was  born  in  England,  came  to 
California  some  years  after  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band, and  until  her  owni  death,  in  1903,  resided 
with  her  son  Herbert.  She  was  highly  esteemed 
for  her  many  virtues,  and  was  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church.  She  bore  her  husband 
three  children,  of  whom  one,  Mrs.  Horace  Rob- 
erts, is  deceased.  Those  living  are,  Herbert,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Xellie,  living  with  her 
brother,  over  whose  household  she  gracefully 
presides,  giving  hospitable  entertainment  to  their 
many  friends  and  acquaintances. 

Five  years  of  age  when  he  crossed  the  ocean 
with  his  parents,  Herbert  Pile  acquired  the  rudi- 
ments of  his  early  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Yates  county,  X.  Y..  completing 
his  studies  at  Starkey  Seminary,  in  Starkey,  N, 
Y.  Subsequentlv  going  to  Jersey  City,  X.  ].,  he 
worked  at  the  laundry  business  for  seven  years, 
after  which  he  spent  three  years  in  California, 
visiting  diiTerent  sections  of  the  state.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  he  went  back  to  New  Jersey  and 
spent  three  years  at  his  former  occupation.  Vis- 
ions of  the  future  possibilities  of  California  as  a 
place  of  residence  and  business  haunted  him, 
however,  and  in  1887  he  determined  to  locate  here 
permanently.  Coming,  therefore,  to  this  county 
in  that  year,  he  purchased  his  present  ranch, 
which  he  has  since  improved  and  occupied.  Mr. 
Pile  has  here  sixty  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land, 
which  he  devotes  to  the  cultivation  of  fruit  of  dif- 
ferent kinds,  each  season  raising  valuable  crops 
of  olives,  figs,  apricots,  peaches  and  nectarines, 
which  he  sells  at  the  highest  market  prices.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Pile  is  a  firm  adherent  of 
the  Republican  partv,  but  he  has  never  been  an 
aspirant  for  nfficial  honors. 


'WALTER  B.  REDBCRX.  While  the  state 
of  Illinois  was  yet  in  the  frontier  period  of 
colonization  John  Redburn,  a  native  of  Mary- 
land and  a  descendant  of  an  old  southern  fam- 
ilv,  left  the  home  of  his  boyhood  and  identified 
himself  with  the  pioneers  of  the  IMississippi 
valley,  settling  in  Frankfort,  111.,  and  grad- 
ually' building  up  a  profitable  business  as  a 
merchant.  After  his  removal  to  Iowa  in  i860 
he  became  prominent  in  the  work  of  the  !Mis- 


sionar}'  Baptist  Church  and  acted  as  pastor  of 
the  congregation  at  Centerville,  besides  which 
he  held  the  office  of  moderator  in  the  denom- 
ination for  seventeen  consecutive  years.  Far 
beyond  the  allotted  span  of  man's  existence  he 
remained  vigorous  in  mind  and  body,  and  at 
the  age  of  ninety-two  years  passed  away,  in 
May,  1900,  his  last  years  having  been  spent  at 
Moulton,  Iowa,  in  retirement  from  ministerial 
or  mercantile  labors  and  in  the  enjoyment  of 
the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Rach- 
el Sullivan,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  died 
in  Bedford,  Iowa,  two  3'ears  after  his  demise. 

Among  thirteen  children,  of  wdiom  three 
sons  and  six  daughters  still  survive,  Walter  B. 
Redburn  was  the  youngest  son  and  the  tenth 
in  order  of  birth.  It  was  the  ambition  of  his 
parents  to  give  their  children  the  best  educa- 
tional advantages  available  and  when  he  had 
completed  the  studies  of  the  common  schools 
h.e  was  sent  to  Lewis  College  in  Glasgow,  Mo., 
where  he  remained  a  student  for  one  and  one- 
half  years.  On  taking  up  active  pursuits  he 
secured  a  tract  of  land  near  Seymour,  in 
Wayne  county,  Iowa,  and  there  engaged  in 
tilling  the  soil.  The  occupation,  however,  was 
not  entirel}-  congenial  and  after  a  few  years 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. From  youth  he  had  been  an  earnest  be- 
liever in  Christianity  and,  under  the  inspiring 
influence  of  his  father's  self-sacrificing  minis- 
terial labors,  he  was  influenced  to  become  ac- 
tive in  Christian  work,  uniting  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  denomination.  After  a  time 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  and  held  pastorates 
both  in  Missouri  and  Iowa,  but  owing  to  ill 
health  relinquished  preaching  and  removed 
to  the  Pacific  coast. 

Since  coming  to  Long  Beach  in  August  of 
1903  Air.  Redburn  has  engaged  in  the  real-es- 
tate business  as  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
W.  B.  Redburn  &  Son  and  has  his  ofiice  at  No. 
144  Pine  avenue,  where  he  conducts  a  general 
brokerage,  real  estate  and  money-loaning  busi- 
ness. Among  the  tracts  in  which  he  has  been 
interested  are  the  Huntington  Beach  tract  of 
ten  acres,  the  Fairview  tract  of  si.x  acres,  the 
McCoslyn  tract  of  five  acres  and  the  Pride  of 
Alamitos  tract  of  ten  acres.  He  purchased  the 
Krosnest,  a  large  apartment  house  of  sixty 
rooms  located  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Pa- 
cific streets,  and  syndicated  the'  site  of  the 
First  Methodist  k'.piscdpal  Church  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Fifth  and  I'ino.  Ik  was  selected  secre- 
tary of  the  building  cnnmiittee  of  that  church, 
one  of  the  finest  buildings  of  the  kind  on  the 
coast,  the  site  costing  $32,000,  building  $107,- 
000,  and  the  furnishings  $25,000.  He  has  also 
planned   and  is    the  instigator  of  the  $500,000 


848 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hotel  to  be  erected  at  I\Ionrovia.  It  will  be 
known  as  the  Hotel  Redburn  and  will  be  one 
of  the  finest  hotels  in  Southern  California. 

Besides  the  management  of  his  various  in- 
terests along  the  line  of  his  chosen  business,  he 
holds  stock  in  the  Long  Beach  buckle  factory 
and  aided  in  the  organization  of  the  Inner 
Harbor  Gas  and  Electric  Company,  incorpor- 
ated in  1905,  of  which  he  acts  as  president  and 
member  of  the  board  of  directors.  His  only 
son,  George  W.  (born  of  his  marriage  to  Miss 
^Margaret  John,  of  Moulton,  Iowa),  is  asso- 
ciated with  him  in  business  and  proves  a  capa- 
ble and  resourceful  assistant. 

Though  no  longer  connected  with  the  min- 
istry, Mr.  Redburn  retains  his  deep  interest  in 
religious  work  and  as  a  trustee  and  leading 
member  contributes  to  the  welfare  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Long  Beach, 
As  a  public-spirited  citizen  he  maintains  a 
warm  interest  in  afifairs  relating  to  his  town, 
state  and  nation,  and  neglects  no  duty  incum- 
bent upon  a  patriot.  Whether  the  work  be 
that  of  attending  a  primary  or  casting  a  vote 
at  elections,  he  is  always  to  be  relied  upon  to 
be  present,  ready  to  take  an  intelligent  part  in 
matters  in  hand.  Before  coming  to  the  coast 
he  was  active  in  Masonic  work  in  Redfield,  S. 
Dak.,  where  he  belonged  to  the  blue  lodge  anil 
chapter,  and  aided  in  upholding  the  principles 
of  philanthropy  and  brotherhood  for  which  the- 
order  stands ;  and  in  addition  he  has  been  a 
nromincnt  worker  in  the  Ancient  Order  of 
I'nited   Workmen. 


JAMES  M.  MITCHELL.  During  his  resi- 
dence of  twenty  years  on  his  present  ranch  near 
Pomona  IMr.  Mitchell  has  demonstrated  the  pos- 
session of  superior  knowledge  along  the  line  of 
orange  culture,  and  is  a  well-known  authority  on 
that  special  subject.  In  all,  he  has  sixty-nine 
acres  planted  to  this  fruit,  valencias  and  navels 
exclusively,  and  from  one  tract  of  seventeen  acres 
he  gathered  in  igo6  seven  thousand  boxes  of 
oranges.  In  order  to  utilize  the  oranges  which 
are  too  small  to  market  he  has  been  instrumental 
in  establishing  a  marmalade  factory  in  Pomona. 
As  yet  this  industry  is  in  its  infancy,  but  if  present 
plans  are  developed  there  is  no  doubt  but  that 
it  will  be  one  of  the  most  important  industries 
in  the  town  in  an  incredibly  short  time. 

Of  Scotch-Irish  descent  on  the  paternal  side, 
James  M.  Mitchell  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Ohio,  October  i,  1835,  the  eleventh  in  a  family 
of  twelve  children  born  to  his  parents,  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Brewbaker)  Mitchell,  the  "latter  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  while  the  father  was  born 
in  Ireland  of  .Scotch  parents.  He  came  to  the 
I'nited  States  when  only  eleven  years  of  age  and 


settled  in  Pennsylvania,  continuing  there  until 
reaching  manhood,  or  until  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Brewbaker.  With  his  }oung  wife  he  re- 
moved to  the  adjoining  state  of  Ohio,  in  1818, 
and  engaged  in  cutting  cordwood  on  the  spot  now 
occupied  by  the  state  house  in  Columbus.  From 
that  year  until  1840  he  continued  in  Ohio,  and  in 
the  latter  year  removed  to  Illinois,  where  he  took 
up  land  from  the  government.  To  this  he  later 
added  more  land  by  purchase,  until  he  finally 
owned  six  hundred  acres.  It  was  in  1853  that 
he  disposed  of  his  holdings  in  Illinois  and  re- 
turned to  Ohio,  there  purchasing  land  in  Franklin 
and  Pickaway  counties  upon  which  he  lived  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  Both  parents  lived  to 
reach  advanced  years,  the  mother  dying  when 
in  her  eighty-first  year,  and  the  father  when 
eighty-five  years  old.  During  his  early  years 
he  was  a  stanch  Whig,  and  upon  the  organiza- 
tion of  its  successor,  the  Republican  party,  he 
transferred  his  allegiance  and  never  swerved 
from  his  hearty  support  of  the  grand  old  part_v. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason,  holding  member- 
ship in  the  lodge  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  with 
his  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Universalist 
Church.  Of  the  large  family  of  children  born 
to  this  worthy  couple,  only  two  are  now  living, 
James  M.  and  his  brother  Thomas  J.,  the  latter 
a  resident  of  Ohio. 

At  the  time  the  parents  removed  from  Ohio 
to  Illinois  James  M.  Mitchell  was  a  lad  of  about 
five  years  and  his  education  was  received  in  a 
subscription  school  in  Cumberland,  111.  Until 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  worked  on  the 
farm  with  his  father  and  then  branched  out  for 
himself  by  purchasing  forty  acres  in  the  vicinity, 
pacing  for  the  same  $50.  To  some  extent  he 
carried  on  general  farming,  but  made  a  specialty 
of  handling  and  raising  cattle  and  hogs.  In 
1853,  with  his  parents,  he  returned  to  Ohio, 
where  he  bought  forty  acres,  to  which  he  added 
from  time  to  time  until  he  owned  two  hundred 
acres.  He  continued  farming  there  until  1869, 
when  he  rented  his  farm  and  took  a  respite  from 
the  routine  which  he  had  followed  steadily  for 
so  many  years  and  came  to  northern  California 
on  a  visit.  Returning  to  Ohio  he  once  more 
settled  down  to  agriculture,  but  again  in  1874 
came  to  this  state,  this  time  with  the  intention 
of  remaining  longer  than  ^yhen  he  came  five 
years  before.  After  carrying  on  a  dairy  ranch 
near  Los  Angeles  for  about  nine  and  one-half 
years  he  returned  once  more  to  Ohio  to  take 
charge  of  the  old  family  homestead.  The  years  he 
had  spent  in  California  had  made  him  dissatis- 
fied with  the  east,  however,  and  after  running 
the  home  place  for  three  jears  he  gave  his  farm 
of  two  hundred  acres  to  the  Weslevan  Ohio 
College  at  Delaware,  from  which  he  enjoys 
an   annuity   of    four   per   cent,   and   which    is    to 


JOSEPH  SWYCAFFER 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


851 


continue  throughout  Hfe.  Jt  was  immediately 
after  the  disposition  of  his  Ohio  property  that 
he  again  came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  Pomona  purchased  the  property  upon 
which  he  resided  until  April,  1906,  when  he 
built  his  beautiful  residence  on  the  corner  of 
West  Third  and  Parcell  streets.  His  ranch 
consists  of  sixty-nine  acres  entirely  in  oranges, 
in  the  raising  of  which  he  is  successful  far  be- 
yond the  average  rancher.  Another  interest 
which  has  claim  upon  his  time  is  the  Sanitary 
laundry  of  Pomona,  a  new  and  thriving  industry 
which  is  destined  to  be  a  success.  Besides  own- 
ing the  building  in  which  the  laundry  is  located, 
Mr.  Mitchell  also  owns  other  city  property,  in- 
cluding many  valuable  lots  and  a  residence 
on  Fifth  and  Parcell  streets. 

In  i860  Mr.  Mitchell  was  married  to  Miss 
Anna  Phillips,  who  was  his  faithful  companion 
for  many  years,  or  until  her  death  in  California 
when  in  her  seventy-second  year.  Mr.  Mitchell's 
second  marriage  occurred  in  1904  and  united  him 
with  Mrs.  Anna  Linsley,  a  native  of  Iowa,  who 
by  her  first  marriage  is  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  residents  of  Pomona.  Mr. 
Mitchell  has  been  associated  with  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  throughout  his  adult  years, 
having  been  a  class  leader  for  over  forty  years, 
besides  filling  other  offices  in  the  church  and 
Sunday-school  from  time  to  time.  His  convic- 
tions in  regard  to  the  traffic  in  liquor  have  led 
to  his  joining  the  Prohibition  ranks,  and  for 
over  thirty  years  he  has  stood  by  his  chosen 
party,  believing  in  its  ultimate  triumph  in  the 
suppression  of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  in- 


JOSEPH  SWYCAFFER.  The  biography 
of  this  pioneer  of  Southern  California,  with  its 
record  of  pioneer  experiences  and  perilous  ad- 
ventures, resembles  a  page  from  the  history  of 
the  far-distant  past,  for  there  is  little  in  the 
civilization  and  improvements  of  the  twentieth 
century  to  remind  one  of  the  dangers  which  he 
encountered  and  the  obstacles  which  he  over- 
came. The  courage  which  forms  one  of  his 
most  remarkable  attributes  descends  to  hini 
from  his  ancestors,  for  the  family  in  precedmg 
generations  was  conspicuous  for  personal  brav- 
crv  of  its  male  representatives.  His  paternal 
grandfather.  Anthonv  Swycafifer.  was  born 
on  the  borders  of  Switzerland  and  in  boyhood 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America,  settling 
in  Baltimore  countv,  ^Id.  At  the  opening  of 
the  first  war  with  England  he  enlisted  as  a  pa- 
triot and  served  wit1i  yj\'>v  on  many  a  hotly- 
contested  battlefiel'l.  m.  i\  iiit;-  wounds  which 
forced  him  to  walk  with  a  crutch  during  the 
last  tliirtv  vears  of  his  life.     Xotwithstanding 


this  infirmity  he  labored  industriously  on  his 
farm  and  earned  a  livelihood  for  his  wife  and 
children  by  his  own  painstaking  diligence. 
Among  his  children  was  a  son,  John,  who  was 
born  in  Maryland  and  died  in  Ohio  after  a 
lifetime  of  activity  as  a  farmer.  With  charac- 
teristic bra\'ery  he  fought  in  the  war  of  1812 
and  assisted  in  winning  victory  for  the  Amer- 
ican arms  at  Bladensburg,  Md.,  and  at  the  bat- 
tle of  the  Meadows  near  Baltimore.  During 
early  manhood  he  married  Magdeline  Orr,  who 
was  born  in  Maryland  and  died  in  Ohio ;  her 
father,  Michael  Orr,  came  from  the  borders  of 
Switzerland  to  Maryland  in  early  life. 

Among  the  five  daughters  and  two  sons  com- 
prising the  family  of  John  Swycafifer,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  narrative  was  next  to  the  eldest 
and  is  the  sole  survivor.  Born  in  Anne  Arun- 
del county,  Md.,  April  6,  1820,  he  there  attend- 
ed the  first  free  school,  under  the  public  school 
system,  taught  in  the  United  States.  In  1830 
he  accompanied  the  family  to  a  farm  near  Ered- 
erick,  Md.,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
went  into  that  town  to  learn  the  confection- 
er's trade,  but,  not  liking  the  occupation,  he  se- 
cured employment  on  a  stage  line  crossing  the 
Alleghany  mountains  to  Brownsville,  Eayette 
county.  Pa.  Later,  however,  he  served  a  three 
years'  apprenticeship  and  worked  at  the  trade. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  began  to  work 
in  an  oyster  house  at  Clear  Spring,  W^ashing- 
ton  county,  Md.,  but  soon  turned  his  attention 
to  farming  and  operating  a  stage  line.  During 
the  last  year  of  the  Mexican  war  he  enlisted 
in  Company  I,  Eirst  Maryland  Light  Artillery, 
Ringgold's  battery,  and  marched  to  Eort  Mc- 
Henry  on  orders  to  proceed  to  New  Orleans. 
However,  the  armistice  changed  the  plans  of 
the  generals  and  the  batterv  thereupon  was  or- 
dered to  California.  On  January  2,  1850,  the 
troops  left  Eort  McHenry  and  took  passage  on 
the  Transport,  which  sailed  around  the  Horn 
and  landed  at  San  Erancisco  August  19,  thence 
by  boat  to  San  Diego,  landing  at  this  harbor 
August  26.  The  long  voyage  had  been  attend- 
ed by  many  hardships.  Salt  pork  was  the 
principal  article  of  food.  Scurvy^  broke  out 
among  the  soldiers,  who  endured  terrible  suf- 
ferings. Eighty-four  men  left  New  York,  but 
in  six  months  the  number  was  reduced  to  for- 
t}-,  and  the  survivors  were  almost  wrecked  in 
health  by  reason  of  disease  and  privations. 

"\^'ith  their  headquarters  at  the  old  Mission 
of  San  Diego  county,  the  soldiers  were  em- 
ployed for  three  years  in  service  against  the 
hostile  Indians  of  Southern  California,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time  they  were  honorably 
discharged.  In  recognition  of  his  services  as 
a  soldier  Mr.  Swycaffer  receives  a  pension  of 
$8   per   month    from    the    government.      After 


85- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


leaving  the  army  he  was  employed  as  a  gov- 
ernment mail  carrier  between  San  Diego  and 
Fort  Yuma  across  the  desert  and  over  the 
mountain.  These  long  lonely  rides  were  ac- 
companied bv  the  greatest  dangers  and  he  had 
many  a  hair-breadth  escape,  yet  he  was  a  man 
of  such  undaunted  courage  and  fearlessness 
that  he  seemed  to  enjoy  the  excitement  and 
the  peril,  although  often  experiencing  a  feel- 
ing of  sadness  as  he  passed  the  bleaching  bones 
of  many  who  had  met  death  on  the  desert. 
While  wild  animals  proved  troublesome,  he 
found  his  fellowmen  far  more  dangerous,  and 
more  than  once  he  almost  fell  into  the  hands  of 
desperadoes  and  cut-throats.  Mr.  Warnock, 
who  carried  the  mail  opposite  to  him,  was  also 
a  Mexican  veteran  and  a  pioneer  of  San  Di- 
ego county. 

After  three  .years  of  steady  service  as  mail 
carrier  Mr.  Swycaffer  entered  the  quartermas- 
ter's department  at  the  government  quarters 
in  San  Diego  and  for  one  year  had  charge  of 
the  shipment  of  goods  to  Benicia.  Meanwhile 
he  had  taken  up  and  stocked  a  ranch  in  the 
Ballena  valley  above  Ramona  and  in  1856  he 
built  the  nece'ssary  farm  buildings  on  the  prop- 
erty and  removed  to  the  ranch,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  raising  cattle  and  horses.  Unfortun- 
ately the  surveys  placed  his  land  within  the 
Santa  Isabel  ranch.  With  Mr.  Warnock  he 
fought  the  case  in  the  courts  for  five  years. 
The  grant-holders  offered  each  of  them  five 
hundred  acres  in  settlement,  but  they  resolved 
to  fight  the  case,  knowing  they  were  in  the 
right.  In  answer  to  the  offer  they  declared 
that  they  would  fight  the  survey  as  long  as  they 
had  a  hoof  or  horn  or  a  dollar.  Eventually  the 
case  was  decided  by  the  courts  in  their  favor, 
but  they  received  only  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  each.  However,  although  gaining  noth- 
ing for  themselves,  they  were  of  the  utmost 
service  to  their  county,  for  they  established  a 
precedent  in  Southern  California  and  opened 
this  beautiful  valley  to  settlers  much  sooner 
than  otherwise  would  have  happened. 

During  1876  Mr.  Swycaffer  went  to  Arizona 
with  one  hundred  and  ten  head  of  cattle,  thir- 
ty-six head  of  horses  and  a  sixteen-mule  team, 
the  latter  being  utilized  for  freighting  at  Globe 
for  two  years.  Owing  to  a  drought  he  lost 
many  of  his  cattle  and  eventually  sold  his  team, 
which  the  purchaser  took  away  and  forgot  to 
pay  for.  Next  he  engaged  in  prospecting  in  the 
Dragoon  mountains  and  found  silver,  but  not 
in  sufficient  quantities  to  justify  mining.  A 
later  experience  as  a  miner  in  the  Chirichua 
mountains  brought  him  into  dangerous  con- 
tact with  the  Apaches  and  in  order  to  save  his 
life  he  was  forced  to  leave.  During  the  year 
1882  he  went  back  to  Arizona  with  his  son. 


Jefferson,  and  Melvin  L.  Seargent,  the  first 
husband  of  his  daughter,  Isabel.  Returning 
to  the  Chirichua  mountains  (where  he  had  a 
copper  mine),  he  discovered,  at  a  depth  of 
one  hundred  feet,  a  paying  lot  of  ore  and  named 
the  mine  Young  America. 

As  president  of  the  first  board  of  trustees  in 
the  first  mining  district  organized  in  the  Chir- 
ichua region,  Mr.  Swycaffer  was  instrumental 
in  framing  many  of  the  laws  by  which  the  dis- 
trict was  governed,  one  of  these  laws  providing 
for  the  exclusion  of  Chinamen.  His  son-in- 
law,  Mr.  Seargent,  who  owned  an  apiary  and 
had  thirty-seven  tons  of  honey,  took  a  car  of 
ten  tons  through  to  Kansas  City.  The  money 
received  from  the  honey  was  intended  to 
develop  the  Boss  Racket  mine,  but  Mr.  Sear- 
gent was  murdered  for  the  money  and  his  body 
was  never  found.  His  unfortunate  fate  changed 
the  plans  for  the  mine,  and  Mr.  Swycaffer  was 
finally  obliged  to  give  up  the  property,  after 
whicli  he  returned  to  California.  Politically  a 
Democrat,  he  served  as  public  administrator, 
member  of  the  county  board  of  supervisors  and 
under  three  different  sheriff's  held  the  office  of 
chief  deputy.  His  popularity  was  great,  and 
had  he  desired  any  office  within  the  gift  of  oth- 
er pioneers,  such  a  position  would  have  been 
tendered  him  promptly,  but  he  declined  nom- 
inations for  judge  and  representative,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  himself  to  private  affairs. 
Throughout  all  of  his  life  he  has  been  inter- 
ested in  educational  work  and  on  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  first  board  of  school  trustees  he  was 
chosen  a  member,  in  which  position  he  did 
much  to  develop  the  school  system  to  its  pres- 
ent efficiency.  In  the  days  when  San  Diego 
Lodge  No.  35,  F.  &  A.  M.,  had  its  meeting 
place  in  an  old  adobe  building  destitute  of  ev- 
er\'  comfort,  he  was  initiated  into  the  order, 
and  has  since  retained  his  interest  in  the  phil- 
anthropic work  of  the  fraternity. 

Not  only  does  Mr.  Swycaffer  have  the  honor 
of  being  one  of  the  earliest  permanent  settlers 
of  San  Diego  county,  but  his  wife  also  enjoys 
the  same  distinction,  for  she  came  to  this  re- 
gion in  1854.  A  native  of  Texas,  she  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  ]\'Tartha  Ward  and  was  a  young 
girl  when  she  settled  in  San  Diego,  where  she 
met  and  married  Mr.  Swycaffer.  Twelve  chil- 
dren were  born  of  their  union,  eight  of  whom 
are  still  living.  One  daughter,  Mrs.  Pauline 
Nicholson,  died  at  Foster,  San  Diego  county, 
and  Annetta  died  in  August,  1906.  Those  now 
living  are  as  follows:  Isabella,  now  the  wife 
of  E^C.  Doyle,  of  La  Jolla ;  Martha,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph' Foster,  of  Foster;  Jefferson  D.,  a 
stockman  engaged  in  ranching  near  Julian; 
Beatrice,  who  married  Alonzo  Price  and  lives 
in  San  Francisco;  Frances,  Mrs.  Angel  Corona, 


c^^:;t^^^A.^ty(^  ^'tJU 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


855 


living  at  Douglas,  Cochise  county,  Ariz. ;  John, 
who  is  engaged  in  mining  at  Globe,  Ariz. ; 
Louis,  a  stockman  living  near  Foster,  San  Die- 
go county ;  and  James,  who  follows  the  butch- 
er's trade  at  San  Francisco.  Not  only  did  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Swycafifer  rear  a  large  family,  but 
their  acquaintances  state  that  obedience  and 
respect  were  given  them  by  their  children  when 
small,  and  now  that  all  have  gone  into  homes 
of  their  own  and  have  scattered  into  different 
localities,  they  have  proved  honorable  citizens 
and  energetic  workers,  in  every  respect  worthy 
of  the  esteem  in  which  they  are  held.  In  the 
seaside  town  of  La  Jolla,  within  sight  of  the 
great  ocean  to  the  west  and  the  smiling  val- 
leys to  the  east,  Mr.  Swycaffer  is  passing  the 
twilight  of  his  strenuous  existence,  blessed  by 
the  friendship  of  the  pioneers,  the  admiration 
of  the  rising  generation,  and  the  affection  of 
those  allied  with  him  by  the  closest  ties  of  re- 
lationship. , 


EDWIN  C.  SEYMOUR.  Through  his  able 
service  in  ofificial  capacities  and  through  his 
judicious  leadership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  ex-Senator  Seymour  has  won  a 
prominent  position  among  the  progressive  men 
of  California  and  has  wielded  a  more  than 
local  influence  for  many  years.  While  taking 
an  active  part  in  public  enterprises  he  has  also 
devoted  considerable  attention  to  the  care  of 
his  orange  grove  of  ten  and  one-half  acres, 
which  he  purchased  in  1891  and  which  is  sit- 
uated near  Highland,  adjoining  on  the  west 
the  state  hospital  for  the  insane.  Upon  the 
homestead  he  has  erected  an  elegant  residence, 
whose  exterior  attractions  are  supplemented 
by  interior  charms,  forming  one  of  the  places 
that  have  won  for  Highland  and  vicinity  a 
reputation  for  beaut}'  of  homes  and  pictur- 
esqueness  of  environment. 

Of  eastern  parentage  and  ancestry,  Mr.  Sey- 
mour was  born  in  Oneonta.  N.  Y.,  October  23, 
1845,  being  a  son  of  Ellas  Chidsey  and  Lucy 
(Loveland)  .Seymour.  His  education,  received 
in  rountrv  schools  near  Troy,  Bradford  coun- 
ty. Pa.,  was  limi+ed  to  the  three  R's.  but  after- 
ward was  broadened  by  self-culture  and  travel. 
While  still  a  mere  lad  he  learned  the  trade  of 
cabinet-maker  under  his  father  and  for  a  long 
period  he  followed  that  occupation  in  connec- 
tion with  carpentering.  During  the  progress 
of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  at  Pittsburg  in 
Company  C.  .Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania  In- 
fantry, assigned  to  the  Tenth  Corps,  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  but  later  transferred  to  the 
Twentv-fourth  Corps.  Among  the  •engage- 
ments in  which  he  participated  were  those  of 
the      Wilderness,    Charleston      Harbor,      Fort 


W^agner,  two  battles  at  Fort  Fisher,  and  many 
skirmishes.  After  witnessing  the  surrender  of 
Johnston  at  Greensboro  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Newbern,  N.  C,  at  the  close  of  the 
war  and  after  he  had  seen  one  year  of  active 
service  in  the  field.  On  his  return  to  the  old 
home  he  followe<l  the  iirinter's  trade  for  a  time, 
but  later  resumed  the  carpenter's  business. 

Coming  to  California  in  1881  Mr.  Seymour 
settled  at  Riverside.  Two  years  later  he  came 
to  Highland,  San  Bernardino  county,  where 
he  engaged  as  manager  for  the  West  Coast 
Lumber  Company.  Resigning  the  position  at 
the  expiration  of  three  years,  he  entered  into 
public  life.  In  1888  he  was  elected  sheriff'  and 
two  years  later  again  was  chosen  to  occupy 
the  office,  which  he  filled  with  fearlessness, 
justice  and  impartiality.  Especially  was  he  ac- 
tive in  ridding  the  country  of  horse  thieves, 
twenty-eight  of  whom  he  had  confined  in  the 
jail  at  one  time.  His  service  as  sheriff  was  so 
efficient  that  his  party  (the  Republican)  se- 
lected him  as  their  candidate  for  state  senator 
in  1894,  and  he  was  duly  elected  to  the  posi- 
tion, which  he  filled  for  four  years.  While 
taking  an  active  part  in  all  measures  for  the 
benefit  of  the  peoijle  and  the  welfare  of  his 
constituents,  he  attained  the  greatest  promi- 
nence through  his  Ijill  for  the  removal  of  the 
state  capital  from  Sacramento  to  San  Jose,  a 
measure  which  was  passed  by  a  considerable 
majority.  However,  the  people  of  Sacramen- 
to became  so  excited  over  the  projected  change 
that  they  succeeded  in  retaining  their  city  as 
the  capital  of  the  state.  Prior  to  removing  to 
California  Mr.  Seymour  was  prominent  in  lo- 
cal politics  in  New  York  and  for  a  time  offi- 
ciated as  supervisor  from  the  seventh  ward  of 
Elmira,  N.  Y.,  during  which  time  he  had 
charge  of  the  erection  of  Fitch's  bridge  five 
miles  north  of  that  city. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  .Seymour  was  solem- 
nized June  2.  i8fifi.  and  united  him  with  Martha 
M.,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Lucinda  (Walling") 
Goddard,  and  a  native  of  Bradford  county.  Pa. 
They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely: 
George  G..  a  merchant  at  Johannesburg,  South 
Africa :  Ida  L.,  wife  of  J.  W.  Curtis,  an  at- 
torney of  San  Bernardino;  Edward  L.,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  printing  business  at  San  Ber- 
nardino ;  and  Martha  M.,  ]\Irs.  John  Algeo, 
of  Alhambra.  this  state. 

Becoming  a  member  of  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows  in  1868,  Mr.  Seymour  was 
initiated  in  Genesee  Lodge  at  Rochester,  N. 
Y..  and  later  passed  all  the  chairs.  Several 
times  he  represented  the  lodge  in  the  New 
York  Grand  Lodge  and  afterward  was  chosen 
in  the  same  capacity  in  California.  While 
making  his  home  at  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  he  became 


856 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


identified  with  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  since 
coming  west  has  become  connected  with  the 
.Vncient  Order  of  United  Workmen  at  San 
Bernardino.  From  early  days  he  has  been  in- 
terested in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
In  1884  he  organized  the  post  at  San  Bernar- 
dino, and  in  addition  he  enjoys  the  distinction 
of  having  foitnded  the  posts  at  Riverside,  Red- 
lands,  Colton,  San  Jacinto,  Elsinore,  Corona 
and  Ontario.  The  organization  ui  the  South- 
ern California  V'eterans'  l-.iicaiii|)nient  -vs- 
sociation  in  1888  was  largely  due  to  his  intel- 
ligent efforts,  supplementing  those  of  other 
enthusiastic  Grand  Army  members.  In  rec- 
ognition of  his  able  services  he  was  honored 
with  the  office  of  department  commander  <  f 
the  Grand  Army  of  California,  which  position 
he  filled  for  one  j-ear.  By  veterans  all  over 
the  state  he  is  well  known  and  universally 
honored  as  a  man  who  loyally  served  the  coun- 
try in  times  of  war  and  in  times  of  peace  and 
proved  himself  in  every  issue  the  friend  of 
progressive  measures  and  a  champion  of  truth 
and  justice. 


THOAIAS  KNEALE.  Prominent  among  the 
foremost  citizens  of  San  Diego  is  Thomas  Kneale 
who,  as  an  extensive  contractor  and  builder,  has 
been  actively  associated  with  the  development  and 
growth  of  the  city,  and  as  proprietor  of  Kneale 
Park,  which  he  has  transformed  from  a  barren 
tract  of  sage-covered  land  into  a  beautiful  garden 
plot,  has  added  greatly  to  its  attractions.  A  man 
of  liberal  views  and  of  greatest  integrity,  ener- 
getic and  progressive,  with  undoubted  iDusiness 
tact  and  judgment,  he  is  influential  in  financial, 
civic  and  social  circles.  The  oldest  of  a  family 
of  five  children,  he  was  born,  September  22, 
18-I9,  on  the  Isle  of  Man,  near  Ramsay,  where, 
as  a  child,  he  had  as  a  near  neighbor  and  an 
acquaintance  the  well-known  author,  Hall  Caine. 
His  parents,  Thomas  and  Jane  (Clayton)  Kneale, 
were  life-long  residents  of  that  place,  his  father, 
a  mason  by  trade,  being  a  general  contractor  and 
builder. 

As  a  boy,  even  before  leaving  the  district 
school,  Thomas  Kneale  began  working  with  his 
father,  and  before  attaining  his  majority  was 
proficient  in  the  mason's  trade.  Immigrating  to 
America  in  the  fall  of  1869,  he  spent  six  or  seven 
years  in  Chicago,  111.,  in  1870  starting  in  business 
as  a  mason  for  himself,  and  during  the  great 
fire  which  practically  destroyed  the  business  part 
of  the  city,  the  building  on  which  he  was  filling 
a  contract  was  burned.  With  characteristic  enter- 
prise he  continued  his  work,  and  was  the  first  to 
set  a  .gang  of  men  to  rebuilding  in  the  burnt  dis- 
trict. In  1879  he  went  to  Leadville,  Colo.,  where 
he  was  employed  at  his  trade,  and  also  followed 


mining  for  several  years.  Locating  in  San  Diego 
in  1886,  he  has  here  built  up  a  very  large  and 
profitable  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder 
m  brick  and  stone,  doing  much  of  the  important 
mason  work  on  many  of  the  prominent  build- 
ings of  the  city,  including,  among  others,  the 
Keating,  JMarston,  Cline,  Richelieu  and  Sefton 
buildings. 

A  standing  monument,  however,  to  Mr. 
Kneale's  good  taste  and  enterprise  is  Kneale 
Park,  which  is  located  on  Mission  Cliff,  at  the 
head  of  Madison  avenue,  where  he  has  recently 
completed  his  palatial  residence.  This  tract  of 
land  is  advantageously  located,  overlooking  not 
only  the  Mission  valley,  but  affording  a  fine  view 
of  the  Pacific  ocean  and  Point  Loma.  At  the 
time  of  its  purchase  by  Mr.  Kneale  it  was  a 
dreary  waste,  giving  no  evidence  of  its  present 
beauty.  Clearing  it  from  sage  brush,  he  began 
its  improvement,  ha\ing  it  laid  out  as  a  land- 
scape garden,  with  beautiful  walks  and  drives, 
setting  out  trees  of  different  kinds  and  from 
different  countries,  some  of  which  he  imported, 
in  1893,  from  the  Isle  of  Man.  Many  flowers 
and  tropical  plants  add  to  the  attractions  of  the 
place,  making  the  park  one  of  the  loveliest  spots 
.  m  this  part  of  Southern  California. 

In  Oakland,  Cab,  Mr.  Kneale  married  Nettie 
Leet,  who  was  born  in  this  state,  and  was  here 
reared  and  educated.  In  his  political  affiliations 
Air.  Kneale  is  a  Republican,  and  in  his  religious 
beliefs  is  an  Episcopalian.  He  is  prominently 
identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  has 
done  much  to  promote  the  good  of  the  order. 
He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Qiicago ;  was  master  of 
the  Leadville  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  is  now  a 
member  of  Silver  Gate  Lodge  No.  296,  F.  &_A. 
M. ;  of  Leadville  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  of  San  Diego 
Commandery  No.  25,  K.  T. ;  of  San  Diego  Con- 
sistory No.  5,  which  has  conferred  upon  him  the 
thirty-second  degree;  of  San  Diego  Chapter,  O. 
E.  S.,  and  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles 
of  the  Ahstic  Shrine. 


JOHN  L.  JOHNSON.  Among  the  sturdy, 
thrifty  and  industrious  farmers  of  Los  Angeles ' 
county  is  John  L.  Johnson,  whose  well-kept  and 
finely  appointed  ranch  is  advantageously  located 
near  Compton.  As  a  general  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  he  has  been  successful,  and  his  crops  of 
grain  and  the  products  of  his  dairy  bring  him  in 
good  profits.  Like  many  other  of  our  prosper- 
ous agricultiu-ists  he  was  born  across  the  sea,  his 
birth  ha\ing  occurred,  June  24,  1862,  in  Sweden, 
where  his  parents  have  spent  their  entire  lives. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  Anderson,  but  on  coming  to 
this  country  he  changed  his  name  to  Johnson, 
being  John's  son. 

During  his   earlier  life  John   L.  Johnson    fol- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


859 


lowed  the  sea,  being  employed  principally  on 
English  vessels.  As  a  seaman  he  has  circum- 
navigated the  globe  and  has  visited  all  the  im- 
portant ports  of  Europe  and  Asia,  including 
those  in  China  and  the  Philippine  Islands. 
Coming  to  California  on  one  of  his  voyages,  he 
left  his  ship  at  San  Pedro,  and  from  there  went 
to  Los  Angeles,  where  he  worked  at  any  hon- 
orable employment  that  he  could  find.  He  as- 
sisted in  luiilding-  a  stage  road  in  the  mountains, 
after  which  he  worked  as  a  hay  bailer  for  five 
years,  during  which  time  he  saved  $i,000.  With 
judiciuus  thrift  and  sagacity  he  invested  his 
money  in  land,  in  1890  purchasing  ten  acres  of 
his  present  ranch.  He  began  farming  on  a  mod- 
est scale  and  was  soon  enabled  to  buy  another 
ten  acres  of  adjacent  land,  and  a  few  years  later 
he  bought  another  tract  equally  as  large,  and 
now  has  thirty  acres  of  land,  ivorth  at  least 
$800  an  acre.  In  his  agricultural  labors  Mr. 
Johnson  displays  much  ability  and  skill,  his  ranch 
yielding  abundant  harvests  of  alfalfa,  corn  and 
fruit,  and  his  improvements  are  of  an  excellent 
character,  including  among  others  the  erection 
of  a  commodious  and  conveniently  arranged 
residence,  and  substantial  barns  and  farm  build- 
ings, all  of  which  greatly  enhance  the  value  as 
well  as  the  beauty  of  the  property.  « 

In  1890,  in  Los  Angeles,  Mr.  Johnson  mar- 
ried Catherine  Naeil,  who  was  born  in  Russia, 
and  came  to  California  with  an  aunt  during 
young  womanhood.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson,  namely :  Caro- 
lina, aged  fourteen  years  :  William,  who  died  in 
infancy :  and  Carl  Ludwig,  aged  seven  years. 
Politically  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  straightforward  Re- 
publican, and  religiously  he  belongs  to  the  Con- 
gregational Church. 


WALTER  P.  TEMPLE.  An  inheritance  of 
ability,  courage  and  enterprise  has  served  to 
make  of  Walter  P.  Temple  one  of  the  esteemed 
citizens  of  Los  Angeles  county,  where  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  El  Monte  he  is  engaged  as  a  horticultur- 
ist and' rancher.  The  pioneer  of  the  family, 
Francis  Pliny  Fisk  Temple,  without  a  mention 
of  whom  no  history  of  Los  Angeles  county  could 
well  be  written,  was  one  of  the  men  who  led  the 
advance  guard  of  the  mighty  hosts  who  brought 
American  civilization  to  this  sunny  land.  He  also 
inherited  characteristics  of  high  quality  from  a 
long  line  of  New  En^and  ancestors,  hts  birth 
having  occurred  in  Reading,  Middlesex  county, 
Mass.,  February  13,  1822,  and  in  that  section  he 
was  reared  and  educated.  He  was  possessed  of 
that  sturdy  independence  of  thought  and  self- 
reliant  spirit  that  led  his  English  ancestors  to 
leave  the  well-trodden  paths  of  their  native  land 
and  seek  among  the  broad  opportunities  of  the 


western  world  an  advancement  of  both  self  and 
nation,  which  left  the  impress  of  their  personality 
and  kindred  spirits  upon  the  land  they  sought. 
His  education  completed,  i\Ir.  Temple  set  out  for 
California  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  arriving  in  Los 
Angeles  in  the  summer  of  1841.  Here  his  broth- 
er, Jonathan  Temple,  with  the  energy  and  ability 
characteristic  of  the  family,  had  established  him- 
self in  business  as  a  pioneer  merchant  as  early 
as  1827.  The  brothers  were  associated  in  busi- 
ness for  several  years,  and  upon  severing  their 
connections  Francis  began  to  deal  in  real  estate, 
purchasing  property  in  both  town  and  county. 
He  became  largely  interested  in  Rancho  Potrero 
Grande,  Potrero  de  Filipe  Lugo  rancho,  the 
]\Ierced  ranch,  the  San  Joaquin  rancho,  San 
Emedio  rancho,  and  also  being  one-half  owner 
of  Rancho  Tejon,  which  contained  twenty-two 
leagues  of  land. 

September  30,  1845,  Francis  P.  F.  Temple  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Antonia  Margarita 
Workman,  only  daughter  of  William  and  Nicolasa 
Workman,  the  latter  born  of  an  old  Spanish  fam- 
ily at  Santa  Fe,  N.  Mex.,  in  1802.  Mrs,  Temple 
was  born  in  Santa  Fe  in  1831,  and  after  her 
marriage  made  her  home  on  La  Merced  ranch,  in 
the  San  Gabriel  valley,  twelve  miles  east  of  Los 
Angeles.  Mr.  Temple  had  built  an  adobe  house 
after  the  old  Spanish  style,  and  made  other  im- 
provements which  increased  the  value  of  his  prop- 
erty. He  engaged  for  a  time  in  breeding  stock 
and  the  buying  and  selling  of  cattle,  in  which 
enterprise  he  was  uniformly  successful.  In  185 1 
he  set  out  a  vineyard  of  fifty  thousand  vines  and 
twenty  acres  of  miscellaneous  fruits,  and  count- 
less other  improvements ;  a  lover  of  fine  horses 
he  spent  a  fortune  on  blooded  stock,  paying  $7,000 
for  Black  Warrior,  a  large  amount  for  Billy 
Blossom,  and  altogether  expending  something 
like  $40,000  in  this  line.  In  1868  he  engaged  in 
the  banking  business  in  Los  Angeles  with  I.  W. 
Hellman  and  his  father-in-law,  the  late  William 
Workman :  three  years  later  the  partnership  was 
dissolved  and  the  firm  was  thereafter  known  as 
Temple  &  \Vorkman,  their  business  being  car- 
ried on  in  Temple  block,  which  Mr.  Temple  had 
erected.  They  conducted  an  extensive  business 
all  over  the  Pacific  coast,  as  well  as  at  eastern 
centers,  and  by  this  means  were  among  the  most 
influential  men  in  the  upbuilding  and  develop- 
ment of  Los  Angeles.  In  1875  the  firm  failed 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  vast  fortune  of  Mr. 
Temple  was  voluntarily  given  up  to  meet  all  de- 
mands, but  the  financial  disaster  made  such  an 
impression  upon  him  that  he  never  recovered  his 
health  and  spirits,  his  entire  afterlife  saddened 
and  perhaps  shortened  by  it.  His  death  occurred 
April  27,  1880,  on  the  home  place  and  his  in- 
terment took  place  in  La  Puente.  He  had  al- 
ways been  a  potent  factor  in  public  enterprises 


860 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  all  descriptions,  and  many  a  landmark  recalls 
the  worth  of  his  citizenship.  Among  other  val- 
uable donations  may  be  mentioned  the  site  for 
the  Puente  schoolhouse.  His  death  was  greatly 
deplored  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  his  memory 
to-day  is  held  among  those  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  Los  Angeles  county.  He  was  survived  by 
his  wife,  who  died  in  1892.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  eleven  children,  of  whom  eight  attained 
maturity :  Thomas,  who  died  in  Los  Angeles  in 
1892;  Frank  W.,  who  died  in  Puente  in  1888; 
William,  who  resides  in  Northern  California ; 
John.H.,  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles;  Charles  P.. 
of  Santa  Monica;  Walter  P.,  of  this  review; 
Maggie  A.,  wife  of  Samuel  P.  Rowland,  of 
Puente;  and  Lucinda,  wife  of  M.  M.  Zuinga,  of 
Clifton,  Ariz. 

Walter  P.  Temple  was  liorn  on  the  Merced 
ranch  in  the  region  known  as  the  old  Mission. 
June  7,  1870,  and  was  reared  in  his  native  county. 
After  receiving  a  preliminary  education  in  the 
common  schools  he  attended  St.  \'incent"s  Col- 
lege, of  Los  Angeles,  and  also  took  a  commercial 
course  in  the  Woodbury  Business  College,  also 
of  that  city.  After  completing  his  education  he 
returned  home  and  remained  with  his  mother 
until  her  death.  The  years  of  1894-95  were  spent 
in  traveling  in  old  Mexico,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  California,  and  locating  on  the  home 
property,  has  ever  since  remained  engaged  as  a 
horticulturist.  The  old  homestead  has  under- 
gone changes  since  the  early  days  of  the  state, 
the  adobe  house,  characteristic  of  the  early  days, 
as  well  as  the  later  built  brick  residence,  are  both 
gone,  but  there  still  stands  as  a  landmark  one 
of  the  most  magnificent  palms  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia. This  was  planted  by  Don  Juan  Ramirez. 
a  leading  horticulturist  of  Los  AngelesI  forty- 
five  years  ago ;  the  seed  was  brought  from  Mex- 
ico and  but  two  trees  were  planted  in  the  state, 
Don  Juan  making  Mr.  Temple  a  present  of  this 
at  the  birth  of  his  first  daughter  about  1865  ;  the 
other  palm  stands  on  Aliso  street  in  Los  Angeles. 
before  the  old  Ramirez  home.  Mr.  Temple's 
property  consists  of  fifty  acres  of  land  located 
on  the  Whittier  and  Pasadena  road,  three  and  a 
half  miles  south  of  El  Monte ;  forty-five  acres  are 
planted  to  walnuts  and  five  acres  to  apples.  En- 
ergy and  ability  have  resulted  in  financial  returns 
which  have  made  Mr.  Temple  independent.  He 
takes  a  keen  interest  in  his  work  and  seeks  con- 
stantly the  advancement  of  this  industry,  which 
is  so  important  in  the  growth  and  development 
of  Los  .\ngeles  county,  and  indeed  of  all  South- 
ern California. 

In  San  Diego  'Sir.  Temple  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Laura  Gonzales,  a  native  of  Los 
Angeles  county,  and  they  have  one  child,  Thomas 
Workman.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Temple 
is  a  Republican  ;  he  takes  a  deep  interest  in  edu- 


cational development  and  is  now  serving  as  school 
trustee  of  La  Puente  district  and  officiating  as 
clerk  of  the  board.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Temple  is  one  of  the  places  of  hospitality  for 
which  Southern  California  is  noted ;  friend  and 
stranger  alike  are  welcomed,  entertained  and  sent 
upon  their  way  with  the  courtesy  of  a  well  dis- 
ciplined southern  home.  Both  are  held  in  high 
esteem  throughout  the  county,  appreciated  for 
the  qualities  of  character  displayed  during  their 
long  residence  here,  and  numbering  their  friends 
with  a  liberality  which  bespeaks  their  own  gen- 
erous natures. 


JOHN  OUINCY  ADAMS.  The^  substantial 
and  influential  citizens  of  \'alley  Center  have 
no  better  representative  than  John  O.  Adams,  a 
prosperous  merchant,  who  stands  high  among 
the  keen,  progressive  business  men  of  his  com- 
munity. As  one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  this 
]3art  of  San  Diego  county,  he  suiifered  all  the 
|-,ardships  and  privations  of  pioneer  life,  in  com- 
mon with  his  neighbors,  who  were  few  and  far 
between,  laboring  hard  to  secure  a  home  for 
himself  and  his  descendants.  Ever  loyal  to  the 
hon^e  of  his  adoption,  he  aided  in  every  possible 
way  its  growth  and  development,  whether  re- 
lating to  its  agricultural,  manufacturing  or  mer- 
cantile interests,  and  well  deserves  the  high  es- 
teem and  favor  in  which  he  is  so  universally 
held.  A  son  of  the  late  John  T.  Adams,  he  was 
born,  March  20,  1849,  in  Westchester  county, 
X.  Y.,  where  he  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. 

A  native  of  Scotland,  John  T.  Adams  was 
fitted  for  a  professional  career,  and  when  a 
\oung  man  entered  the  employ  of  the  British 
government,  and  for  a  few  years  taught  school 
in  the  Bermuda  Islands.  Settling  afterwards 
in  the  United  States,  he  became  associated  with 
railroad  life,  for  a  number  of  years  being  a 
civil  engineer.  He  married  Anna  Morton,  who 
was  Ixjrn  in  the  Bermudas  ninety-one  years  ago, 
and  is  now  living  in  Salem,  Marion  county.  111. 
Of  their  union  ten  children  were  born,  and  of 
these  two  are  living  in  San  Diego  county, 
John  Quincy,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  his 
sister,   Mrs.   Harriet   Burnham  of  San  Diego. 

After  spending  a  few  of  his  youthful  years  in 
Canada,  John  O.  Adams,  in  1867,  went  to  Illi- 
noi-s  to  live.  He  spent  but  a  short  time  in  that 
state,  however,  going  westward  to  Kansas, 
where  for  awhile  he  was  employed  in  burning 
lime  for  the  government.  In  1869,  on  the  com- 
pletion of  the  United  Pacific  Railroad,  he  was 
a  passenger  on  the  very  first  west-bound  train, 
going  to  Elko,  Nev.,  where  he  took  the  stage 
to  White  Pine.  There  he  met  his  father,  whom 
hv   had    not    seen    for   fourteen   vears,    and    with 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


861 


him  went  to  the  mines.  Subsequently  buying 
an  outfit,  he  came  overland  to  Los  Angeles, 
thence  to  San  Diego,  arriving  in  the  latter  city 
December  14,  1869.  A  few  days  later  he  located 
a  government  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Valley  Center,  and  this  he  afterwards 
sold  to  W.  H.  H.  Dinwiddle,  and  for  eight 
years  thereafter  was  in  the  employ  of  the  govern- 
ment. Embarking  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  1884, 
Mr.  Adams  has  since  been  successfully  engaged 
in  business  in  \'alley  Center,  and  has  here  built 
up  an  extensive  and  lucrative  trade,  being  now 
the  leading  merchant  of  the  place.  In  his  under- 
takings he  has  been  very  fortunate,  accumu- 
lating considerable  wealth,  owning  not  only 
village  property,  but  having  a  valuable  ranch  in 
this  vicinity. 

-Mr.  Adams  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
union  being  with  Annie  E.  Hoyt,  who  was  born 
in  Indiana,  and  who  died  in  Valley  Center,  in 
1899.  .\t  her  death  she  left  three  children, 
namely:  B.  S..  who  died  in  December,  1905; 
B.  E..  a  resident  of  the  valley  and  who  married- 
Annie  B.  Melhuish ;  and  William  H.,  of  San 
Diego.  Mr.  Adams  married  for  his  second  wife 
Mrs.  L.  J.  Coiifee.  Mr.  Adams  is  a  man  of  strong 
convictions,  independent  in  his  opinions,  and  in 
politics  is  a  believer  in  Socialism  although  for-, 
merly  he  was  identified  with  the  Republican 
party.  He  was  for  a  number  of  terms  deputy 
county  clerk,  and  has  the  distinction  of  having 
served  as  the  first  postmaster  of  Valley  Center. 
Airs.  Adams  in  her  religious  belief  is  a  Presbv- 
terian. 


ALFRED  E.  JOHNSON,  one  of  the  well- 
known  ranchers  of  Los  Angeles  county  and  form- 
erly a  business  man  of  Pasadena,  is  located  in 
the  vicinity  of  San  Gabriel  and  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  a  well-improved  ranch.  He  has 
done  much  for  the  natural  development  of  the 
resources  of  this  section,  has  taken  a  keen  in- 
terest in  all  matters  looking  toward  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  community,  and  has  won  for  himself 
a  high  position  among  the  best  citizens.  Mr. 
Johnson  came  to  California  in  1878.  He  was 
born  in  Kosciusko  county,  Ind.,  February  3, 
1857,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Rachel  (French)  John- 
son, both  natives  of  Ohio,  the  former  born 
August  19.  1832.  The  paternal  grandfather. 
Zenas  C.  Johnson,  was  born  in  \'ermont  July 
4.  1800,  the  representative  of  an  old  Pilgrim 
faniilx'.  The  first  to  bear  the  name  in  America 
was  Isaac  Johnson,  a  native  of  England,  who 
immigrated  to  the  colonies  near  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  centur\-.  Zenas  C.  Johnson  studied 
medicine  in  his  native  state  and  graduated  in  his 
chosen  profession,  after  which  he  followed  it 
for  a  time  in   Canada.     In   1828  he  returned  to 


the  United  States  and  in  Port  Clinton,  Ohio, 
was  located  until  his  removal  to  Kosciusko  county, 
Ind.,  where  he  served  as  a  pioneer  physician. 
His  wife,  Julietta,  also  passed  her  last  days  in 
Indiana.  Henry  Johnson  was  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  being  Rachel  French,  a  daughter 
of  Aaron  French  and  their  marriage  occurred 
JNIarch  13,  1856.  They  had  six  children,  but 
only  three  are  now  living :  Alfred  E. ;  Laura,  wife 
of  David  Thomas,  of  Alhambra;  and  Mary,  wife 
of  I'harles  Smith,  of  Whittier.  After  the  death 
of  his  wife  in  1867  Mr.  Johnson  married,  in 
i80y,  Eliza  Scott,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Lydia 
(Lamson)  Scott,  early  settlers  of  Whitley  coun- 
ty, Ind.,  and  born  of  this  union  are  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  only  one  survive,  Ennan.  Mr. 
Johnson  carried  on  farming  on  his  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  ten  acres  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1894,  which  removed  from  the  com- 
munity a  man  of  ability  and  enterprise,  foremost 
in  all  movements  looking  toward  the  upbuilding 
of  the  community,  and  prominent  in  the  Masonic 
organization  and  the  Republican  party. 

Alfred  E.  Johnson  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Kosciusko  county  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  attaining  his  majority, 
when  he  came  to  California.  Upon  coming  to 
California  in  1878  he  located  in  Los  Angeles 
county,  where  he  worked  out  on  farms  until 
1883,  when  he  engaged  in  independent  opera- 
tions, leasing  land  near  Boyle  Heights  upon 
which  he  raised  grain.  In  the  fall  of  1886  he 
went  to  Pasadena  and  established  a  hay,  wood 
and  feed  business,  which  was  conducted  success- 
full}-  for  six  years  under  the  firm  name  of 
Johnson  &  Ford.  Mr.  Johnson  then  returned 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  leasing  five  hundred 
acres  of  land  which  he  devoted  to  grain  and 
alfalfa.  In  the  meantime  he  had  leased  the  busi- 
ness property  in  Pasadena,  and  in  1895  he  re- 
turned to  that  place  and  again  took  \ip  that 
work.  He  eventually  sold  out  on  account  of  his 
health  and  returned  to  farming,  purchasing  his 
present  ranch,  which  consists  of  five  acres  in  the 
home  place  and  forty  acres  of  wet  land,  the 
lorn-ier  in  orchard  and  the  latter  in  walnuts.  He 
put  up  all  the  improvements  on  the  place,  erect- 
ing residence,  barns  and  other  necessary  build- 
ings. 

In  the  fall  of  1884  Mr.  Johnso-n  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Celia  Pollard,  a  native  of 
California  and  a  daughter  of  E.  Pollard,  a  native 
of  England  and  an  early  settler  of  this  state. 
Born  of  this  union  are  the  following  children : 
Henry  A.,  Frank  L,,  Jennie  K.,  William  P., 
Richard  deceased.  Jessie  C,  Charles  O.  and 
Rachel.  In  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Johnson  is 
a  member  of  Pasadena  Lodge  No.  "272,  F.  & 
A.  ]\r.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and  stanch 
in    his    endorsement    of   the    principles    of    this 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


party.  He  takes  a  keen  interest  in  all  educational 
matters  and  is  now  serving  as  director  of  the 
Garvatia  school  district.  He  is  a  man  and  citi- 
zen who  can  always  be  counted  upon  to  be  on 
the  right  side  of  a  question,  regardless  of  party 
interests. 


FRED  NEWTON  BEST.  Not  alone  as  a 
successful  orchardist  and  farmer  is  Fred  New- 
ton Best  known  in  Orange,  San  Bernardino  and 
Riverside  counties,  but  as  one  of  the  progressive 
and  enterprising  citizens  as  well,  whose  best  ef- 
forts are  given  wherever  possible  toward  the  up- 
building and  development  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia. Mr.-  Best  has  the  advantage  of  being  a 
native  son  of  the  state,  for  that  presupposes  the 
pioneer  characteristics  of  his  parents,  his  father, 
Newton  W.,  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  having 
come  to  California  in  1868  by  way  of  Cape  Horn. 
The  following  year  he  was  joined  by  his  wife 
and  two  sons,  she  being  in  maidenhood  Annie  C. 
Holmes,  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia.  He  located  in 
San  Benito  county,  where  he  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  and  engaged  in  farming.  Later  he  went 
to  Guadaloupe,  Santa  Barbara  county,  thence  to 
La  Graciosa,  Santa  Maria  valley.  In  1877  he 
purchased  a  ranch  in  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Ana 
(then  in  Los  Angeles,  now  in  Orange  county) 
and  made  that  place  his  home  until  1884,  when 
he  located  three  miles  west  of  Beaumont,  pur- 
chasing a  ranch  and  following  farming  until 
1898.  In  that  year  he  located  in  Redlands,  where 
he  is  now  living  retired  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years.  His  wife  is  also  living.  They  became 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Fred  New- 
ton Best  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth. 

Born  in  San  Benito  county,  Cal.,  March  12, 
1870,  Fred  N.  Best  was  reared  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia and  educated  in  the  public  schools  in  the 
various  places  in  which  his  parents  made  their 
home.  He  was  early  trained  to  the  practical 
duties  of  a  farmer's  son,  which  included  the  driv- 
ing of  from  two  to  ten  teams  of  horses.  He  was 
married  in  Beaumont,  October  14.  1890,  to  Miss 
Eva  M.  Elder,  a  native  of  Illinois,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  independent  operations  as  a 
rancher.  He  leased  eight  hundred  acres  of  land 
eight  miles  north  of  Beaumont,  where  he  set  out 
eighty-four  acres  in  apples,  pears  and  cherries, 
and  there  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising 
for  ten  years.  He  became  the  owner  of  forty-two 
acres  of  orchard  and  two  hundred  acres  of  timber 
and  pasture  lands,  where  he  built  a  residence 
and  made  other  improvements.  This  remained 
the  family  home  until  1900,  when  he  went  to 
Redlands  because  of  his  wife's  health,  and  there 
engaged  in  teaming  and  the  carpenter's  trade 
for  three  years.  In  1902  he  traded  his  orchard 
for  the  old  home  ranch  at  Beaumont,  San  Gor- 


gonia,  consisting  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  devoted  to  general  farming  and  the  raising 
of  stock.  After  one  year  he  came  to  Newport 
Beach  and  engaged  at  the  trade  of  carpenter  and 
also  in  fishing.  He  erected  one  of  the  finest  res- 
idences in  this  place,  but  disposed  of  this  in  1905 
and  moved  to  Redlands,  then  to  Beaumont  in 
1906.  In  March  of  1907  he  located  in  Newport 
Beach  permanently,  owning  a  fine  residence 
property.  He  also  owns  residence  and  business 
property  in  Redlands.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
the  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  Politically  he  is  a 
stanch  advocate  of  Prohibition  principles. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Best  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Glenn,  Hazel  (who  died  at  the 
age  of  two  months),  Ross,  Willard,  Warren 
Leonard  (who  died  at  the  age  of  five  months) 
and  Eva. 


MARTIN  JOSEPH  GOLDEN.  One  of  the 
.  successful  early  settlers  of  Southern  California 
is  Martin  Joseph  Golden  of  Los  Angeles,  who 
was  born  in  Roscommon,  Ireland,  November  7, 
1832.  His  parents,  Patrick  and  Mary  (Graham.) 
Golden,  were  both  natives  of  Ireland  and  im- 
migrated to  this  country  in  the  early  days,  first 
locating  at  Clinton,  Mass.,  and  later  removing 
to  Wyoming  county,  N.  Y.,  where  they  died. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  two 
daughters.  The  early  education  of  M.  J.  Golden 
was  received  in  the  common  schools  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  New  York,  and  when  sixteen  years 
of  age  he  went  to  work  in  a  nursery  where  he 
acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business. 
In  1862  he  went  to  Colorado  and  then  to  Mon- 
tana, where  he  met  with  considerable  success  in 
the  mining  and  prospecting  enterprises  in  which 
he  engaged  until  1866.  He  then  came  to  Los 
Angeles,  the  overland  trip  through  Utah  and 
across  the  mountains  being  an  uneventful  one. 
Upon  his  arrival  here  he  secured  a  school  at 
Santa  Ana,  teaching  Spanish  for  one  year,  and 
following  this  located  on  a  ranch,  which  he  bought 
from  a  Spaniard,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He 
remained  on  this  place  until  recently,  when  he 
retired  from  active  work  and  disposed  of  the 
ranch  for  $170,000. 

Mr.  Golden  was  married  to  ^liss  Katherine 
i\k-Elroy,  a  native  of  county  Antrim,  Ireland, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  all  of 
whom  are  now  living  under  the  parental  roof. 
They  are:  Mary  Elizabeth,  James,  Winifred  M.. 
Hugh  P.,  Agnes  K.  and  Margaret  T.  The  en- 
tire family  belongs  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
Mr.  Golden  is  a  well  informed  man  and  in  poli- 
tics is  independent,  giving  his  vote  to  the  men 
whom  he  believes  will  most  honestly  and  effi- 
ciently perform  their  duties. 


J^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


865 


JONAS  S.  KILLIAN.  Southern  California 
owes  much  to  such  men  as  Mr.  KiUian,  whose 
strongest  efforts  have  been  for  the  upbuilding 
and  development  of  the  country  ever  since  his 
settlement  here  in  1887.  He  installed  the  first 
pumping  plant  of  the  section,  the  first  gas 
engine_and  centrifugal  pump  outside  of  Los 
Angele's,  and  by  costly  experiments  demon- 
strated the  feasibility  of  pumping  water  for 
irrigation.  He  has  been  a  large  upbuilder  of 
the'country,  and  is  now  the  proprietor  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  walnut  orchard. 
He  is  liberal  and  hospitable,  numbers  his 
friends  widely  throughout  the  country,  and  is 
justly  entitled  to  the  high  position  he  holds 
among  the  representative  citizens  of  this  sec- 
tion. 

i\Ir.  Killian  was  born  in  Pickens  county, 
Ga.,  near  Jasper.  June  3,  1856,  the  seventh 
in  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom  nine  at- 
tained maturity  and  six  are  now  living.  His 
father,  Lawson  A.  Killian,  was  born  in  .'^outh 
Carolina,  and  was  a  miner  in  Dahloncgn,  Ga., 
and  afterward  engaged  in  building  and  farm- 
ing. In  1887  he  came  to  California  and  passed 
his  last  days  in  Monrovia.  His  wife,  former- 
ly Martha  Bedford,  was  also  born  in  South 
Carolina  and  died  in  Monrovia.  One  son, 
George,  wtis  killed  in  the  Civil  war.  Jonas 
Scott  Killian  was  reared  in  Georgia  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
Sonora  Academy  in  Gordon  county.  In  the 
fall  of  1878  he  went  to  San  Marcos,  Hays 
county,  Tex.,  and  engaged  in  farming,  and 
later  established  a  mercantile  enterprise  in 
this  place.  In  C)ctober,  1887,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia, locating  first  in  Monrovia  and  shortly 
afterward  going  to  F.l  Monte,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  horticulture. 
In  the  meantime  he  purchased  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  which  he  began  to 
cultivate  as  a  grain  farm.  He  instituted  im- 
provements immediately  and  one  of  his  first 
plans  was  to  put  in  a  pumping  plant  that 
would  furnish  water  for  irrigation.  He  drilled 
a  well  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  deep,  after 
which  he  installed  a  gas  engine,  and  after  a 
thorough  demonstration  of  the  value  of  the 
enterprise,  he  put  down  other  wells,  and  put 
in  more  engines,  until  he  now  owns  five  com- 
bined wells  which  }ield  five  hundred  inches 
of  water,  and  four  engines  for  pumping.  His 
three  hundred  and  twenty'  acre  ranch  is  lo- 
cated a  mile  and  half  northeast  of  El  Monte 
and  a  half  mile  from  the  Pacific  Electric  line. 
Of  this  property  he  has  devoted  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  to  the  cultivation  of  soft  shell 
walnuts,  all  of  which  are  now  in  bearing,  this 
being  the  largest  individual   walnut   grove  in 

47 


the  world.  The  rest  of  the  ranch  is  in  gum 
trees,   pasture   and  alfalfa. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Killian  occurred  in 
Gordon  county,  Ga.,  November  29,  1881,  and 
united  him  with  Miss  Lucy  White,  a  native  of 
Madison  countv,  Ga.  Her  grandfather, 
Stephen  S.  White,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
who  removed  to  Georgia  and  engaged  as  a 
])lanter,  and  there,  in  Madison  county,  her 
father,  William  White,  was  born.  He  also 
engaged  as  a  planter  in  Gordon  county  until 
his  death.  Her  mother  was  ]\Ialinda  Strick- 
land, also  a  native  of  Georgia,  where  her 
death  occurred.  Of  the  six  children  born  of 
this  union  all  are  living.  Mrs.  Killian  being 
next  to  the  youngest.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Killian 
are  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely :  Jonas 
Edwin,  attending  the  University  of  Southern 
California,  class  of  1907;  Ernest  Waldo,  at- 
tending the  same  institution,  class  of  1909; 
and  Howard  Scott  and  Oliver  Clay,  students 
in  the  El  Monte  school. 

Mr.  Killian  was  made  a  Mason  in  Sonora 
Lodge,  of  Caldwell,  Tex.,  and  now  belongs  to 
Lexington  Lodge  No.  104,  E.  &  A.  M.,  of  El 
Monte,  while  both  himself  and  wife  are 
identified  with  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star  at 
Pasadena.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
\Vorkmen  and  Modern  Brotherhood.  He  is 
a  m'ember  of  the  iNIethodist  Episcopal  Church 
!^outh,  of  Duarte.  and  liberally  supports  all  of 
its  charities.  He  was  prominent  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Mountain  ^''iew  Walnut 
Growers'  Association,  and  served  on  its  first 
board  of  directors.  In  his  political  convic- 
tions he  adheres  to  the  tenets  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  As  a  citizen  he  enjoys  a  high 
place  among  the  representative  men  of  this 
section,  esteemed  for  his  personal  qualities  as 
demonstrated  during  his  long  career  as  a  hor- 
ticulturist of  Los  Ansreles  countv. 


ALEXANDER  CAMPBELL  SOUTHER. 
The  oldest  pastorate  of  Los  Angeles  is  that 
of  the  above  named  minister,  one  of  the  most 
popular  and  hia;hly  esteemed  men  of  Southern 
California,  where  be  has  been  a  most  important 
factor  in  the  upbuilding  and  advancement  of  his 
denomination.  As  his  name  would  indicate  he 
conies  of  a  family  identified  with  the  earliest 
movements  of  the  religious  doctrine  advocated 
b\-  Alexander  Campbell,  one  of  the  most  coura- 
geous pioneers  in  theological  fields.  His  parents, 
L.  N.  and  Keziah  (Curry)  Smither,  were  both 
natives  of  Kentucky,  where  the  father  engaged 
for  many  years  as  a  successful  and  prosperous 
farmer.     He  is  still  a  resident  of  his  n-*'ve  .st»te 


866 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


but  is  now  retired  from  the  active  cares  of  life. 
The  mother  died  some  .years  since. 

Born  June  lo..  1865,  A.  C.  Smither  is  also  a 
native  of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  where  upon  his 
father's  farm  he  was  reared  to  young  manhood. 
The  early  days  of  his  life  were  spent  much  as 
those  of  any  other  farmer  lad,  home  duties  al- 
ternating with  an  attendance  at  a  subscription 
school,  where  he  obtained  his  rudimentary  know- 
ledge. Gifted  with  more  ability,  however,  than 
the  average  youth,  he  was  not  satisfied  with  a 
foundation  for  knowledge  but  early  decided  to 
devote  his  life  to  the  highest  calling  and  in  the 
most  earnest  spirit  of  effort  and  conscious  de- 
sire sought  to  prepare  himself  fully  and  com- 
pletely for  the  work.  In  1882  he  matriculated  in 
Kentucky  University,  Lexington,  Ky.,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  honors 
in  1886.  Later  he  began  to  preach  the  Gospel 
in  the  states  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  and 
although  he  met  with  the  success  which  is  char- 
acteristic of  all  his  efforts  he  was  not  content 
to  take  up  the  work  permanently  without  fur- 
ther study.  Accordingly  he  became  a  student 
in  Butler  University,  near  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and 
devoted  the  ensuing  two  years  to  theology,  grad- 
uating therefrom  in  1890.  In  the  same  year  he 
accepted  a  call  to  the  First  Christian  Church  of 
Los  Angeles,  and  has  ever  since  remained  in  this 
pa.storate.  The  changes  which  the  years  have 
brought  are  indicative  of  the  spirit  of  progress 
which  has  distinguished  the  Disciples  in  South- 
ern California.  The  church  building  at  that  time 
was  an  Temple  street  and  was  known  as  the 
Temple  Street  Christian  Church ;  the  congre- 
gation was  small  and  its  influence  was  scarcely 
felt  even  in  its  immediate  neighborhood.  Under 
the  leadership  and  masterly  mind  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Smither  the  First  Christian  Church  was  evolved, 
the  congregation  moving  in  1894  to  the  corner  of 
Hope  and  Eleventh  streets,  occupying  the  Sun- 
day-school-room,  which  was  the  first  part  of  the 
new  building  erected.  In  1897  the  auditorium 
was  completed,  its  seating  capacity  being  eight 
hundred,  while  that  of  the  entire  building  is 
fourteen  hundred,  a  value  of  $50,000  being 
placed  upon  the  property  to-day.  From-  the 
modest  beginning  of  the  old  Temple  Street 
Qiristian  Church  has  grown  up  the  most  ex- 
tensive and  influential  church  of  its  denomination 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  During  Mr.  Smither's 
pastorate  eighteen  hundred  persons  have  been 
added  to  the  congregation,  the  present  mem- 
bership being  nine  hundred,  and  in  this  time  this 
church  has  been  instrumental  in  organizing  num- 
erous churches,  among  them  the  East  Eighth 
Street  Qiurch,  the  Central  Giurch,  the  Magno- 
lia Avenue  Church,  the  Highland  Park  Church, 
besides  giving  largely  of  membership  and  money 
to  organize  others.     Mr.   Smither  holds  an  un- 


excelled position  among  the  ministers  of  his 
denomination,  honored  alike  for  the  qualities  of 
leadership  which  have  ever  distinguished  his 
career,  and  for  the  spirit  of  earnestness  and  de- 
votion which  has  impelled  him  to  a  useful  ac- 
tivity. He  is  an  ardent  and  enthusiastic  worker 
and  has  given  to  every  department  of  the  church 
an  impetus  which  has  brought  about  most  satis- 
factory progress. 

Significant  of  the  high  place  he  holds  among 
the  citizens  of  Southern  California  was  his  ap- 
pointment to  the  position  of  president  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Berkeley  Bible  Seminary,- 
at  Berkeley,  Cal.,  which  position  he  holds  at  the 
present  writing,  ably  discharging  the  duties  in- 
cumbent upon  him.  He  has  three  times  declined 
the  honor  of  being  made  a  member  of  the  national 
convention,  but  has  served  as  president  of  the 
Southern  California  mission  convention  for  five 
years.  Through  his  various  articles  contributed 
to  eastern  religious  papers  he  is  well  known 
throughout  the  entire  country  and  readily  ac- 
corded a  place  among  the  men  who  are  advanc- 
ing the  cause  of  the  Disciples  of  Christ.  His  in- 
fluence is  unusually  wide  in  his  home  city  and  in 
religious  circles  of  Southern  California. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Smither  occurred  in 
Los  Angeles,  July  29,  1891,  and  united  him  with 
Aliss  Gertrude  Clough,  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
though  reared  and  educated  in  California.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Frank  S.  Clough,  the  descend- 
ant of  an  old  New  England  family.  Educated 
and  accomplished,  Airs.  Smither  has  brought  to 
bear  in  her  duties  as  the  wife  of  a  minister  abili- 
ty and  culture  which  have  made  her  peculiarly 
successful  in  all  the  work  she  has  undertaken. 
.She  has  many  friends  in  and  out  of  the  church, 
who  appreciate  her  for  her  sterling  traits  of 
character.  IXFr.  and  Mrs.  Smither  are  the  parents 
of  one  son.  Chester  Campbell  Smither,  now  a 
student  in  the  public  schools  of  Los  Angeles. 


THOMAS  JEFFREYS  WILLIAMS.  The 
ranks  of  the  veterans  of  civilization  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast  are  fast  thinning,  and  comparatively 
few  respond  to  the  roll  call  of  ilidsc  \\h(ise  ef- 
forts have  spanned  and  sur\  i\  cil  this  distinc- 
tive epoch  in  American  history.  The  frontier 
and  its  accompaniments  have  been  pushed 
lieyond  the  rim  of  the  ocean,  and  two  kinds  of 
men  stand  out  from  the  background  of  its  nev- 
er-recurring opportunities — that  part  of  the 
rude  and  shifting  population  which  took  only  a 
gambler's  interest  in  the  country,  and  those 
who  tarried  in  tlie  wake  of  excitement  and  un- 
certainty and  participated  in  the  ordinary  and 
more  stable  industries  which  bring  prosperity 
and  lasting  growth.  To  the  latter  class  be- 
longs T.  J.  Williams,  a  pioneer  of  both  Call- 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


867 


fornia  and  Arizona,  a  man  of  many  experiences 
and  the  owner  of  the  largest  apricot  orchard  in 
Santa  Barbara  county. 

Mr.  Williams  was  born  in  Luzerne  county, 
June  i6,  1835,  and  on  the  paternal  side  comes 
of  several  generations  of  iron  workers.  His 
father,  Samuel  Williams,  native  of  England, 
kept  the  family  occupation  unbroken,  and  dur- 
ing his  entire  active  life  engaged  in  the  foun- 
dry business.  In  his  native  land  he  married 
Eliza  Evans,  with  whom  he  immigrated  to 
America  in  1824,  settling  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years.  He  was  a  Baptist  in  religion,  and 
in  politics  a  Whig,  and  one  of  his  five  children 
donned  the  blue  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil 
war.  His  wife  lived  to  be  forty-five  years  old. 
Thomas  Jefifreys  Williams,  after  a  compara- 
tively brief  attendance  at  the  schools  of  Lu- 
zerne and  Schuylkill  counties,  Pa.,  learned  the 
machinist  and  foundry  business  from  a  rela- 
tive, thus  insuring  himself  a  career  of  never 
failing  usefulness.  In  the  emergency  of  se- 
lecting a  desirable  future  field,  his  judgment 
and  foresight  sanctioned  the  region  beyond  the 
Rockies,  where,  in  any  emergency,  his  trade 
would  lift  him  above  the  number  destined  to 
succeed  or  fail  in  the  quest  for  gold. 

Leaving  Philadelphia  October  5,  1853,  Mr. 
Williams  came  to  San  Francisco  by  way  of 
Panama,  and  after  a  brief  experience  as  a 
miner  established  a  foundry  business  in  Ne- 
vada City,  Nevada  county,  during  January, 
1856.  His  was  the  first  foundry  above  tide 
water  in  California,  and  he  continued  to  oper- 
ate it  until  removing  to  San  Francisco  during 
the  first  year  of  the  Civil  war.  Here  he  oper- 
ated in  mining  stocks  as  a  member  of  the  first 
board  of  mining  brokers  in  the  state,  and  in 
March,  1862,  moved  to  the  promising  territory 
of  Arizona.  For  a  time  he  was  superintendent 
of  the  Lieutenant  Mowry  mines,  and  later 
prospected  throughout  Arizona  and  Mexico,  re- 
turning to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  by  way  of  Fort 
Yuma  and  the  Colorado  desert,  in  1864.  In 
Kern  county,  his  next  home,  he  was  superin- 
tendent of  mines  for  a  Boston  firm,  of  which 
Col.  A.  A..  Rand  was  manager  and  proprietor, 
and  while  thus  employed  served  as  clerk  of 
Kern  county  on  the  Democratic  ticket  from 
1872  until  his  resignation,  which  occurred 
when  the  county  seat  v;as  removed  from  Ha- 
vilah  to  Bakersfield.     • 

Returning  to  San  Francisco,  ^Ir.  Williams 
was  appointed  wharfinger  for  the  state  of  Cali- 
fornia by  Governor  Irwin,  and  later  was  en- 
gaged to  establish  a  lumber  business  along  the 
narrow-gauge  railroad  in  San  Luis  Obispo 
county  for  "Goodall,  Perkins  &  Co.,  steamship 
owners.    It  was  at  this  time  that  he  purchased 


the  ranch  a  mile  east  of  Santa  Maria,  which, 
since  1890,  has  been  his  permanent  home.  Af- 
ter varied  wanderiijgs  and  as  varied  experi- 
ences he  finds  both  profit  and  recreation  in  the 
su])i,i\  isini  111  his  fine  apricot  orchard,  the  av- 
er;i!;i-  >  ield  (if  which  is  five  to  eight  hundred 
jioiinds  an  acre.  His  home  is  charming  in  its 
simplicity,  and  ideal  in  its  comfort  and  hos- 
pitality. The  facilities  for  a  large  fruit  in- 
dustry are  modern  and  adequate,  and  include 
a  large  drying  house  and  packing  shed. 

In  San  Francisco,  in  1866,  Mr.  \Villiams  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mary  A.  Kemp,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Melbourne,  Australia,  and 
of  their  marriage  three  children  were  born : 
Samuel;  Mary  E.,  of  San  Francisco;  and  Ed- 
win R.  Mrs.  Williams  died  July  22.  1872,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight,  and  in  1873  Mr.  Will- 
iams married  Eliza  Hurlburt,  a  native  of  I\Iid- 
dlebury,  Addison  county,  Vt.  Association 
with  all  kinds  and  conditions  of  people  has  de- 
veloped in  Mr.  Williams  a  rare  spirit  of  kindli- 
ness and  good-fellowship,  qualities  thoroughly 
appreciated  by  his  friends,  and  he  is  known 
and  honored  for  his  practical  services.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  lodge,  chapter  and 
commanderv  of  ^tasonry. 


CAPT.  JOHN  D.  FREDERICKS.  That  for 
many  generations  past  the  bar  has  attracted  vast 
numbers  of  the  foremost  men  of  the  age  is  a  fact 
well  attested  by  history,  and  that  from  its  rank 
have  stepped  forth  some  of  the  most  illustrious 
statesmen  and  leaders  of  nations  no  one  doubts. 
At  all  periods  since  law  became  reduced  to  a 
science  its  expounders  have  taken  a  prominent 
place  in  the  afifairs  of  their  day,  and  their  in-  ■ 
fluence  often  has  survived  them  for  generations. 
In  passing  in  review  the  members  of  the  Los 
Angeles  bar  the  name  of  Capt.  John  D.  Fred- 
ericks shines  forth  with  the  brilliancy  of  the  pos- 
sessor's genius,  and  the  following  facts  in  rela- 
tion to  him  will  doubtless  prove  of  interest  to  his 
hosts  of  friends  here  and  elsewhere. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  John  D.  Fredericks 
was  born  in  Burgettstown,  September  10,  i86g, 
a  representative  of  a  sturdy  family  of  that  state. 
His  father,  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Fredericks,  was  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  to  which  calling  he  de- 
voted his  entire  life.  He  was  a  man  of  many 
pleasing  qualities  and  became  much  beloved  by 
the  people  to  whom  he  ministered,  holding  one 
pastorate  all  his  life.  His  death  occurred  in  1886, 
when  well  along  in  years.  His  wife  was  for- 
merly Mary  Patterson,  also  a  native  of  Burgetts- 
town. John  D.  Fredericks  was  one  of  a  family  of 
four  children,  all  of  whom  were  reared  to  young 
manhood  and  womanhood  in  Burgettstown.     He 


868 


HISTORICAL  A^;D  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


received  bis  primary  education  in  the  common 
and  high  schools  of  that  place,  after  which  he 
entered  Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  in 
Washington,  Pa.,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1890.  He  remained  in 
Pennsylvania  for  one  year  following  his  gradua- 
tion, when  he  came  as  far  west  as  Utah  and 
found  occupation  as  a  teacher  in  a  school  near 
Ogden.  In  the  same  year  (1891)  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  bringing  with  him  no  capital 
other  than  his  courage  and  indomitable  will, 
without  which  even  ability  cannot  find  success. 
He  had  $35  in  money  and  instead  of  waiting 
until  this  was  gone  he  at  once  sought  employ- 
ment, which  he  found  in  the  Whittier  state 
school.  He  remained  as  teacher  in  this  institu- 
tion for  three  years,  and  in  the  meantime  devoted 
his  spare  time  to  the  reading  of  law.  This  intri- 
cate .study  he  finally  mastered  and  in  1895  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  before  the  supreme  court 
of  California.  Opening  an  office  in  Los  Angeles 
he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  from 
that  time  to  the  present  has  arisen  steadily  in 
the  ranks  of  the  legal  fraternity.  He  was  also 
intimately  connected  with  other  important  move- 
ments of  both  local  and  state  interests,  being  a 
member  of  the  California  National  Guard,  and 
in  1898  accompanied  the  Seventh  Volunteer  In- 
fantry to  San  Francisco,  having  been  made  ad- 
jutant of  the  battalion.  JMuch  to  their  disap- 
pointment the  company  were  never  ordered  to  the 
front,  but  remained  in  San  Francisco,  where 
Mr.  Fredericks  was  made  judge  advocate,  hold- 
ing this  position  until  the  return  of  this  company 
to  Los  Angeles. 

Upon  his  return  to  the  city  and  the  resumption 
of  his  legal  duties,  Mr.  Fredericks  was  appointed 
to  the  office  of  deputy  district  attorney,  in  which 
position  he  so  ably  represented  the  interests  of 
the  people  that  in  1903  he  was  nominated  and 
elected  district  attorney  for  a  term  of  four  years. 
Since  taking  up  the  duties  of  this  responsible 
position  Captain  Fredericks  (which  title  has  been 
won  in  the  National  Guard)  has  proven  himself 
a  man  of  strong  character  and  ability — firm  for- 
the  right  in  whatever  place  he  has  found  him- 
self; undaunted  by  political  preference  or  preju- 
dice :  frank  and  fearless  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties.  He  has  been  a  firm  friend  and  champion 
of  the  best  interests  of  Los  Angeles  and  is  held 
in  the  highest  respect  and  appreciation  by  her 
citizens.  His  career  is  only  just  begun,  for  he 
is  a  young  man,  with  all  a  young  man's  energv 
and  ambition,  and  with  the  splendid  success  al- 
ready achieved  bids  fair  to  rank  among  the  fore- 
most men  of  our  state. 

In  1896  Captain  Fredericks  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Agnes  M.  Blakeley,  of  Los 
Angeles,  a  daughter  of  James  O.  Blakeley,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Visalia,  Cal.,  and  they  are 


now  the  parents  of  three  children,  two  daughters 
and  one  son.  In  his  political  affiliations  Captain 
Fredericks  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  Repub- 
lican principles.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason  of 
Knight  Templar  degree  and  prominent  in  the 
order. 


HERBERT  G.  DOW.  To  the  honor  of  be- 
ing a  citizen  of  the  beautiful  state  of  California, 
Mr.  Dow  adds  the  distinction  of  being  an  able 
and  popular  official  of  Los  Angeles  county,  where 
he  is  widely  and  favorably  known.  While  wealth 
has  not  come  to  him  in  return  for  his  inde- 
fatigable labors  nor  has  fame  claimed  him  as 
her  own,  yet  in  a  quiet,  contented  and  useful 
way  he  has  pursued  his  daily  duties  and  lived 
the  life  of  an  honorable  and  upright  citizen,  en- 
joying the  esteem  always  accorded  to  those  of 
known  integrity  and  high  principles  of  honor. 
In  his  capacity  of  auditor  he  has  devoted  himself 
strenuously  to  the  duties  of  the  position  with 
an  earnest  desire  to  win  the  commendation  not 
alone  of  the  party  that  elected  him,  but  also  of 
his  political  opponents. 

Herbert  G.  Dow  was  born  in  Portland,  Me., 
in  i860,  a  son  of  Moses  G.  and  Ellen  M.  (Lowell) 
Dow,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  the 
same  locality,  the  father  being  born  in  181 1  and 
dying  October  31,  1891,  while  the  mother  was 
lx)rn  in  1816,  and  died  in  1874.  The  Dow  fam- 
ily were  among  the  pioneers  of  New  England, 
the  emigrating  ancestor  being  a  native  of  Eng- 
land and  in  religion  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Friends.  After  his  location  in  America  he 
reared  a  family  whose  descendants  have  been 
prominent  in  the  religious  and  political  life  of 
the  community  in  which  they  lived.  Mrs.  Dow 
was  the  daughter  of  Enoch  and  Mary  Lowell, 
a  prominent  New  England  family  of  strong  in- 
telligence and  ability.  Herbert  G.  Dow  received 
an  excellent  common-school  education  which  has 
enabled  him  to  cope  successfully  with  the  pro- 
blems which  have  come  into  his  life.  He  re- 
mained in  his  native  state  until  twenty  years  of 
age,  when  he  decided  to  come  west  and  from 
July,  1880.  until  September,  1886,  was  a  resident 
of  Springfield,  Mo.  In  that  city  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  bookkeeper,  secretary  and  later  as 
traveling  salesman  for  a  farming  implement  and 
agricultural  machinery  house  for  a  time  and 
then  for  one  year  conducted  a  hardware  store 
independently.  In  September,  1886,  he  disposed 
of  his  business  interests  in  Springfield,  Mo.,  and 
came  to  California,  locating  in  San  Diego,  where 
for  ten  years  he  engaged  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness and  ranching,  which  brought  him  satis- 
factory financial  returns.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  located  in  Los  Angeles,  where  he 
has  ever  since  remained  a  resident. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


871 


It  was  while  conducting  the  Catalina  hotel  on 
South  Broadway  that  he  became  cashier  for  the 
county  tax  collector,  a  position  which  he  filled 
efficiently  for  four  years. 

A  Republican  in  Iiis  political  convictions  and 
a  man  of  strong  principles,  j\Ir.  Dow  had  gradu- 
ally assumed  a  place  of  importance  in  the  affairs 
of  his  party,  and  folliiwing  his  service  as  cashier 
he  w^s  nominated  by  acclamation  and  elected 
county  auditor  in  1902,  recei\-ing  the  handsome 
majority  of  eighteen  thousand  votes,  Icailing  his 
ticket.  In  January,  1903,  he  took  up  the  work 
of  his  position,  which  extends  over  the  period 
of  four  years;  expiring  in  January,  1907,  and 
at  the  county  convention  in  1906  received  the 
nomination  for  the  ensuing  term.  The  confi- 
dence vested  in  the  ability  and  integrity  of  Mr. 
Dow  have  not  suft'ered  during  his  term  of  service, 
the  duties  of  his  position  being  discharged  with 
efficiency  and  with  all  due  regai-d  to  the  respon- 
sibilties  devolving  upon  him.  He  stands  high 
with  all  who  know  him,  either  of  his  party  or 
the  opposition,  and  bids  fair  to  occupy  places  of 
continued  prominence. 

In  1882,  at  Springfield,  Mo.,  Mr.  Dow  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Roxana  (Williams) 
Dow,  a  native  daughter  of  Missouri,  and  born 
of  their  union  are  twin  daughters,  Marie  Capron 
and  Xadine  Capron.  Mrs.  Dow  is  an  Episco- 
palian and  this  church  and  its  charities  are  sup- 
ported by  Mr.  Dow.  In  his  fraternal  relations 
Mr.  Dow  is  a  member  of  Southern  California 
Lodge  No.  278,  F.  &  A.  M..  and  also  is  a  mem- 
ber for  life  of  Lodge  No.  99,  B.  P.  O.  E.  He 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  business  life  of 
Los  Angeles,  being  secretary  of  the  Dow  Reality 
Com.pany,  which  has  an  office  in  the  Union  Trust 
Building',  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Spring 
streets,  and  is  also  treasurer  of  Los  Angeles 
Ice  Machine  \\^orks. 


FRANK  BURNS.  That  a  temporary  mis- 
fortune may  prove  a  permanent  blessing  in  dis- 
.guise  is  nowhere  better  illustrated  than  in  the 
life  of  Mr.  Burns.  As  a  result  of  too  close 
application  to  his  duties  as  auditor  of  the 
Peoples  Bank  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  his  health 
became  impaired  to  such  an  extent  that  a  com- 
jjlete  change  of  scene  and  climate  became  im- 
perative. In  search  of  these  restoratives  he 
came  to  California  during  the  summer  of  1899. 
ha\ing  secured  a  temporary  leave  of  absence, 
but  his  permanent  resignation  was  soon  sent 
to  his  employers  in  tlie  east,  this  step  re- 
sulting more  directlv  perhaps  from  his  awak- 
ening to  better  business  chances  in  the  west 
than  from  restored  health.  After  looking  about 
for  a  suitable  location  to  open  a  bank  he 
finallv  selected  San  Pedro  as  the  most  prom- 


ising, and  on  January  7,  1901,  the  doors  of  the 
State  Bank  of  San  Pedro  were  opened  for  bus- 
iness. The  bank  has  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000 
with  a  surplus  of  $15,000,  while  the  deposits 
average  about  $300,000. 

In  Mayville,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y., 
Frank  Burns  was  born  April  2,  1867,  the 
youngest  of  three  sons  born  to  his  parents, 
Patrick  and  ]\Iargaret  Burns.  The  father  was 
a  farmer  in  New  York  state,  but  his  son  Frank 
lias  no  personal  knowledge  of  him,  as  he  died 
when  the  latter  was  an  infant.  The  mother 
died  in  1890.  The  eldest  son  in  the  parental 
family,  W.  H.,  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Los  Angeles  Electric  and  Gas  Company, 
while  Joseph  R.  is  in  the  real  estate  business 
in  that  city.  The  school  days  of  Frank  Burns 
are  associated  vvith  the  Catholic  college  at 
Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  which  he  left  when  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age  in  order  to  begin  his 
independent  career.  He  was  no  doubt  influ- 
enced to  take  this  step  by  the  example  of  his 
elder  brother,  who  had  beconie  a  clerk  in  one 
of  the  numerous  hotels  that  line  the  shores  of 
Lake  Chautauqua,  and  in  following  in  the  lat- 
ter's  footsteps  he  clerked  in  the  various  ho- 
tels until  a  better  opportunity  oft'ered  itself. 
Receiving  an  appointment  as  assistant  post- 
master in  the  office  at  Mayville  he  entered 
upon  his  duties,  but  did  not  complete  his 
term,  as  better  inducements  and  more  congen- 
ial work  were  strong  points  in  favor  of  his 
accepting  a  position  with  the  firm  of  Skinner, 
Minton  &  Co.,  bankers  of  Mayville.  Their 
bank  later  became  incorporated  as  the  State 
Bank  of  ^Tayville,  and  of  this  new  enter- 
prise }/r.  Burns  was  made  assistant  cashier 
and  a  director.  Although  he  had  served  as 
assistant  postmaster  but  a  short  time  his 
qualifications  for  the  position  were  fully  ap- 
preciated and  ill  180^  he  was  appointed  post- 
master .,f  Mavville  by  President  Cleveland. 
Ao-fiiii  he  resigiiiil  hi-  p.i'-ition  before  the  com- 
jjletion  cf  hi->  lerni.  this  time  to  assist  in  the 
organization  of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank  of 
Erie,  Pa.,  in  1897,  Mr.  Mmton,  formerly  of  the 
firm  of  Skinner.  Minton  &  Co.,  being  cashier 
of  the  new  enterprise,  The  following  year  Mr. 
Burns  accepted  the  position  of  auditor  of  the 
Peoples'  Bank  of  Buffalo,  but  failing  health 
soon  gave  warning  that  rest  and  change  were 
absolutelv  necessarv  if  he  wished  to  keep  up 
the  pace  which  he  had  set.  June  19,  1899.  he 
gave  up  his  position  in  the  bank  temporarilly 
and  came  to  California  in  search  of  health,  and 
with  wdiat  results  the  reader  has  already  been 
apprised.  Besides  the  enterprise  with  which 
iiis  name  is  mOot  closely  associated  he  is  con- 
nected with  a  number  of  other  business  under- 
takings, among  them  tlie  .'^an  Pedro  A\ninlesale 


872 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Company  ami  the  San  Pedro  Ice  Company,  in 
both  of  which  organizations  he  is  a  director. 
While  a  resident  of  his  home  town  in  the  east 
Mr.  Burns  was  actively  interested  in  all  meas- 
ures that  had  as  their  object  the  betterment 
of  the  community  and  his  assistance  and  influ- 
ence were  felt  in  various  capacities.  He  gave 
efficient  service  as  city  clerk  of  Mayville,  and 
his  work  on  the  board  of  education  was  not 
only  a  credit  to  himself,  but  of  lasting  benefit 
to  the  cause  of  education  in  that  locality.  Mr. 
Burns  was  responsible  for  the  organization  of 
the  Board  of  Trade  of  San  Pedro,  and  after  it 
ceased  to  exist  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
organization  of  the  San  Pedro  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  of  Avhich  he  was  made  president, 
being  re-elected  to  the  office  after  the  expira- 
tion of  his  first  term.  As  a  member  of  the 
American  Bankers'  Association  and  the  State 
Bankers'  Association  he  comes  in  contact  with 
men  widely  scattered  over  the  country,  but 
with  one  common  interest  at  lieart,  gatherings 
which  arc  of  inestimable  value  and  interest  to 
members  of  the  craft. 

In  Mayville,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y., 
Frank  Burns  and  Miss  Cora  Parkhurst  were 
united  in  marriage  in  1892,  and  one  child, 
Francis  Plato,  has  blessed  their  union.  Mr. 
Burns  was  made  a  Mason  in  San  Pedro  and 
belongs  to  Lodge  No.  332.  Other  fraternal 
orders  with  which  he  is  identified  are  the  ■ 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  being  a 
charter  member  and  trustee  of  the  organiza- 
tion at  San  Pedro ;  the  Eagles,  of  which  he  is 
president :  the  Royal  Arch  Masons  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which 
latter  body  he  has  been  treasurer  for  nine 
terms.  In' his  methods  >Tr.  Burns  is  progres- 
sive, is  upright  in  his  dealings  with  friends  and 
associates,  and  is  appreciated  because  of  his 
many  attributes  that  contribute  to  the  general 
well-being. 


SEBASTIAN  D.  MARTIN.  Self-acquired 
wealth,  liberal  ideas,  a  hospitable  home  and  an 
engaging  personality,  contribute  to  the  stand- 
ing of  S.  D.  Martin,  one  of  the  best  known 
men  of  the  Portugese  colony  in  the  vicinity  of 
Guadaloupe.  Mr.  Martin's  home  ranch  con- 
tains one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  yields 
a  substantial  income  from  grain,  beets,  hay 
and  potatoes,  and  he  also  owns  a  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acre  tract  near  the  oil  fields  of  this 
county,  devoted  to  grain  and  stock.  He  be- 
longs to  the  student  farmer  class,  and  labors 
in  the  ever-widening  avenues  of  his  calling 
with  intelligence  and  discernment.  His  im- 
plements include  many  of  the  costly  and  in- 
genious labor-saving  devices  of  the   day,  and 


his  surroundings  shov/  wise  regard  for  detail 
and   method. 

The  youth  of  Mr.  Martin  was  destitute  of 
educational  or  general  advantages,  due  partly 
to  the  straitened  circumstances  of  his  parents, 
but  principally  to  his  objection  to  restraint  and 
his  craving  for  adventure.  He  was  born  in  the 
Azores  or  Western  Islands,  February  2,  1854, 
and  his  father,  John  L.,  was  born  in  the  moth- 
er country  of  Portugal,  and  still  retained  the 
Portugese  name  of  Martinez.  The  father  lived 
to  be  seventy-two  years  old,  while  the  mother 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  There  were 
nine  children  in  the  family,  and  seven  live  in 
California.  Sebastian  D.  was  about  thirteen 
years  old  when  his  spirits  became  too  high 
for  the  narrow  confines  of  the  islands,  so  he 
sought  an  outlet  in  the  occupation  of  whaling, 
to  which  the  writers  of  fiction  attach  a  never- 
failing  fascination.  At  the  end  of  three  years, 
however,  he  made  a  landing  in  Boston,  and  for 
the  following  two  years  found  employment 
along  the  shore  north  of  the  city. 

In  1874  Mr.  Martin  journeyed  overland  to 
California,  where  he  engaged  in  ranching  in 
the' vicinity  of  Santa  Maria  for  ten  years.  He 
then  located  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  and 
in  1901  invested  his  savings  in  his  present 
home  ranch.  While  living  in  Boston  and  work- 
ing as  a  longshoreman,  in  1873,  he  married 
Lena  Lewis,  a  native  of  Portugal,  and  eight 
children  have  come  to  share  his  prosperity: 
Mary,  wife  of  John  Clock,  of  Santa  Maria ; 
Maunwell,  who  married  Mary  Martinez ;  An- 
tone,  Louie,  George.  Joaquin,  Maggie  and 
Rose.  Among  the  more  settled  conditions  of 
his  life  Mr.  Martin  has  augumented  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  sea  by  persistent  research  along 
practical  educational  lines.  The  result  is  .he 
has  a  well-trained  mind,  is  well  posted  on 
current  events,  and  thoroughly  in  sympathy 
with  scholarly  gifts  and  acquirements.  He  is 
prominent  in  Ihe  social  life  of  the  community, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  I.  D.  E.  S.  and  U.  P. 
C.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  Mrs.  Mar- 
tin is  a  devout  member  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  is  fraternally  connected  with  Queen  Isa- 
bella Lodge. 


J.  FREDERICK  HILDEBRAND.  Steam- 
boating  in  some  phase  of  the  work  has  been  the 
occupation  of  J.  Frederick  Hildebrand  since  the 
beginning  of  his  independent  business  career. 
He  is  a  fine  engineer  and  mechanic  and  is  now 
filling  the  position  of  chief  engineer  on  the 
Cabrillo  for  the  Wilmington  Transportation  Com- 
pany in  San  Pedro.  He  is  of  German  nativity, 
born  December  25,  1870,  in  Eniden,  Hanover, 
where   his    father,    Frederick,    still   resides   as   a 


St  o^i^ 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pensioner,  having  been  in  the  government  em- 
ploy as  a  custom  office  inspector.  His  mother  is 
deceased.  The  youngest  member  of  a  family  of 
nine  children  j.  F.  Hildebrand  was  reared  in 
Hamburg  and  was  there  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  In  1885,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  where  he  became  interested 
in  steam-boating.  After  coming  to  the  Pacific 
coast  he  went  to  the  Behring  Sea  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Alaska  Packers  Association, 
remaining  with  them  for  eleven  years,  during 
the  greater  part  of  this  time  making  his  home 
in  Oakland.  Subsequently  he  accepted  a  position 
as  first  assistant  engineer  with  the  John  S.  Kim- 
ball Steamship  Company,  and  afterwards  worked 
as  chief  engineer  successively  for  the  Dollar  Com- 
pany, Sudden  &  Oiristensen,  and  again  for  the 
Dollar  Compan\-.  In  1903  he  located  in  San  Pedro 
and  for  two  years  worked  for  the  Dollar  Com- 
pany as  chief  engineer  on  the  Steamship  Robert 
Dollar.  In  1505  he  accepted  his  present  position 
on  the  Cabrillo  owned  by  the  \Mlmington  Trans- 
portation Company. 

By  his  marriage  in  Riverside,  Wash.,  Mr. 
Hildebrand  was  united  with  Miss  Sina  Hansen, 
and  they  with  their  two  children,  Louis  and 
Chester,  make  their  home  on  the  corner  of  Grand 
avenue  and  Eleventh  street.  Religiously  they 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  support- 
ing the  various  charities  and  benevolent  enter- 
prises of  that  denomination.  Mr.  Hildebrand 
is  a  member  of  the  Marine  Engineers  Association 
No.  35,  in  San  Francisco.  Politically  he  is  an 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party. 


S.  V.  TRIPP.  The  Tripp  family  is  dis- 
tinctively pioneer,  S.  V.  Tripp,  the  father  of  the 
present  generation  influential  in  Riverside 
county,  having  crossed  the  plains  in  1853 
and  thenceforward  gave  his  allegiance  to  the 
state  of  California.  He  was  located  first  in 
Trinity  and  Shasta  counties  and  there  conduct- 
ed a  pack  train  from  the  mining  camps  to 
San  Francisco.  He  was  a  brick  mason  by 
trade  and  this  occupation  was  later  followed 
in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  located  in  1855  and 
erected  the  first  brick  building  of  the  place. 
Removing  to  San  Bernardino  in  i860  he  fol- 
lowed tlfe  same  employment  for  nine  years, 
putting  up  the  first  jail  of  that  city,  which  was 
located  where  the  court  house  now  stands. 
Finallv  removing  to  Riverside  county  he  took 
up  a  ranch  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Jacinto, 
spending  his  last  days  in  that  place,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four  years. 

Mr.  Tripp  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
being   Rosa    Ramsey,    a    native   of   Ohio,    and 


born  of  this  union  were  six  children,  four  of 
whom  attained  maturity :  S.  A.,  a  blacksmith 
of  San  Jacinto ;  O.  C.  and  William  B.,  sketches 
of  whom  appear  elsewhere  in  this  volume; 
and  Edith  R.,  wife  of  Q.  Reed,  of  Sage.  After 
the  death  of  his  first  wife  in  San  Bernardino 
county  Mr.  Tripp  married  Caroline  Covington, 
of  Mississippi,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living.  Mr. 
Tripp  was  a  citizen  of  prominence,  acquired 
b}'  his  efforts  to  be  helpful  and  practical,  and 
one  upon  whom  public  honor  might  safely 
rest.  For  several  years  he  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  of  San  Jacinto  township,  and  Sam 
Temple,  who  murdered  Alesandro,  of  whom  men- 
tion is  made  in  "Ramona,"  was  tried  before 
him.  He  assisted  materially  in  the  upbuilding 
of  his  adopted  state,  gave  liberally  of  time  and 
means  in  the  furtherance  of  any  plan  for  the 
advancement  of  the  country's  welfare  and  was 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all   who  knew 


ERNEST  A.  BRYANT,  M.  D.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  skilled  physicians  and  surgeons  are  in 
great  demand  wherever  they  elect  to  make  their 
place  of  abode.  Although  not  a  native  of  the 
United  States,  so  much  of  Dr.  Bryant's  life  has 
been  passed  on  this  side  of  the  border  that  his 
strongest  interests  are  here  and  the  loyalty  of 
his  citizenship  is  a  part  of  his  life.  He  was  born 
in  Canada,  near  Ontario,  in  1867,  a  son  of  J. 
H.  Bryant,  a  successful  physician  who  left  his 
native  state  of  New  York  and  in  Canada  prac- 
ticed his  profession  for  some  years.  Later  he 
practiced  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  for  a  number  of 
years,  when  he  came  to  California  and  made 
Los  Angeles  his  home  until  his  death  in  1901. 
.  Ernest  A.  Bryant  passed  his  boyhood  in  the 
middle  west,  his  parents  having  located  in  Minne- 
sota, where  he  received  his  primary  education 
in  the  public  schools,  this  being  augmented  by 
a  medical  course  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
in  1890,  and  following  this  event  became  in- 
terne in  St.  Agnes  Hospital  Philadelphia,  where 
he  remained  for  eighteen  months.  In  1891  he 
came  to  California  and  locating  in  Los  Angeles 
at  once  established  a  general  practice  of  medicine, 
which  speedily  grew  to  one  of  remunerative 
proportions.  For  six  years  he  engaged  in  a 
general  practice  of  his  profession  as  police  sur- 
geon, when  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
the  Los  Angeles  County  Hospital,  serving  from 
1897  to  1900.  During  this  period  he  rose  to 
prominence  among  the  physicians  of  Southern 
California,  which  resulted  in  his  appointment 
in  1902  as  chief  surgeon  of  the  Pacific  Electric 
Railway  Company,  while  he  also  serves  in  a  like 


876 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAI'HICAL  RECORD. 


capacity  for  the  Los  Angeles  Railway  Company, 
the  Inter-Urban  Railway  Company,  the  Los 
Angeles  &  Pacific  Railway  and  the  Redondo  Rail- 
way. He  is  also  consulting  surgeon  for  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railway  Company  and  surgeon 
in  charge  of  the  Sisters  Hospital.  The  many 
responsibilities  which  have  fallen  to  him  in  the 
various  positions  he  has  been  called  upon  to 
fill  are  borne  by  the  doctor  in  a  creditable  manner, 
with  cheeriness  born  of  his  confidence  in  his 
own  skill  and  an  optimism  which  invests  him 
with  all  the  attributes  a  patient  could  desire.  He 
is  very  popular  among  those  with  whom  his 
duties  lie  and  is  esteemed  both  as  a  physician  and 
a  man. 

In  1904  Dr.  Bryant  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Susanna  P.  Bixby,  a  daughter  of  John 
Bixby,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, and  born  of  this  union  is  one  daughter,  Su- 
sanna P.  Dr.  Bryant  is  identified  with  various 
medical  associations,  among  them  being  the  Los 
Angeles  Physicians  and  Surgeons  Pathological 
Society  the  State  .Medical  Society,  Medical  So- 
ciety of  Southern  Califurnia.  American  Medical 
Association.  In  the  L'niversity  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, he  holds  the  position  of  professor  of  Clini- 
cal surgery.  Through  constant  research  the  doc- 
tor keeps  in  touch  with  modern  methods  and 
discoveries  and  at  all  times  brings  them  to  bear 
in  his  practice.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
California,    lonathan   and  Countrv  Clubs. 


THOAIAS  JUEL  STEELE.  The  require- 
ments necessary  for  success  in  business  are  some- 
what different  from  those  needed  in  the  achieve- 
ment of  prosperity  in  ranching  affairs,  yet  they 
are  alike  in  that  both  occupations  demand  energy, 
wise  judgment,  perseverance  and  decision  of  pur- 
pose. To  these  qualities  may  be  attributed  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Steele  has  gained  a  wide  reputation 
for  extensive  a'gricultural  interests  as  well  as  the 
name  of  being  a  keen  and  capable  business  man. 
One  of  the  pioneers  of  Arroyo  Grande,  he  came 
to  this  locality  in  the  fall  of  1876  and  since  then 
has  been  deeply  interested  in  the  agricultural 
development  of  San  Luis  Obispo  county.  Mean- 
while he  has  acquired  a  ranch  of  twenty-four 
hundred  acres,  a  portion  of  which  he  has  di- 
vided into  small  tracts  for  sale,  but  the  larger 
portion  is  utilized  for  the  raising  of  grain  and 
the  grazing  of  beef  cattle  and  milch  cows.  At 
this  writing  he  has  one  hundred  head  of  cows  and 
makes  a  specialty  of  the  sale  of  cream.  About 
1903  he  became  interested  in  a  livery  business  at 
Arroyo  Grande  and  at  the  same  time  opened  a 
meat  market  which  he  still  conducts  under  the 
title  of  Steele  &  Co.,  his  attention  being  given 
to  the  management  of  these  two  lines  of  business 
and  to  the  supervision  of  his   ranch  and  dairy 


interests.  He  is  also  interested  in  a  wholesale 
slaughtering  and  cold  storage  plant  at  Pomona. 

Page  county,  Iowa,  is  Mr.  Steele's  native  lo- 
cality, and  February  2,  1855,  tlie  date  of  his 
birth.  His  parents,  J.  B.-  and  Nancy  (Reece) 
Steele  were  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky 
and  North  Carolina,  and  in  1856  removed  to 
Kansas,  where  their  son  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Atchison  county.  The  autumn 
of  1875  found  the  family  removing  to  Califor- 
nia, where  they  spent  one  year  at  Hollister,  thence 
coming  to  San  Louis  Obispo  county  in  the  fall  of 
1876.  Later  the  parents  established  their  home 
at  Paso  Robles,  but  eventually  settled  in  Pomona, 
where  the  mother  died  at  the  age  of  fift}-nine, 
and  the  father  in  1906,  aged  seventy-nine  years. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  had  .^^erved  as  a  member 
of  the  Kansas  state  militia.  Xine  children  com- 
prised his  family  and  of  these  all  but  one  are  liv- 
ing in  California. 

The  marriage  of  Thomas  J.  Steele  occurred  in 
1892  and  united  him  with  Miss  Susie  M.  Jewett, 
who  was  born  in  San  Erancisco.  Four  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  namely :  Eva  :  Ches- 
ter ;  Stanley,  who  died  at  seven  years  of  age ; 
and  Albert.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Steele 
has  been  identified  with  the  Fraternal  Brother- 
hood, also  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Order,  of  Rebekahs  at  Arroyo 
Grande.  Ever  since  casting  his  first  ballot  he  has 
been  a  stanch  supporter  of  Democratic  princi- 
ples. Movements  for  the  unbuilding  of  Arroyo 
Grande  receive  his  enthusiastic  support,  and  he 
shows  a  permanent  interest  in  everything  tending 
toward  the  advancement  of  the  place,  being  in- 
deed a  leader  among  his  fellow-citizens  in  all 
plans  for  local  progress. 


F.  E.  BENNETT.  The  prosperity  of  a  town 
depends  upon  the  progressive  spirit  of  its  citi- 
zens. Were  it  possible  to  give  to  every  village 
a  citizenship  composed  of  men  as  energetic  and 
resourceful  as  is  Mr.  Bennett,  that  hamlet  wnulil 
soon  develop  into  a  growing  city  with  modern 
improvements  and  substantial  business  enter- 
]irises.  The  town  of  Arro\o  Grande  owes  much 
to  the  substantial  citizenship  of  Mr.  Bennett, 
who  ever  since  coming  to  the  place  has  been  a 
leader  in  civic  progress  and  a  contributor  to 
local  enterprises  of  undoubted  worth.  Ever  since 
he  entered  into  business  here  in  1897  he  has 
ranked  among  the  leading  men  of  the  place  and 
meanwhile  has  established  a  business  of  substan- 
tial proportions  and  increasing  dimensions. 

While  Mr.  Bennett  came  to  the  Pacific  coast 
from  Kansas  he  is  a  native  of  a  state  still  further 
eastward.  His  parents,  Joseph  and  Mary 
fHouser)  Bennett,  were  born  in  Michigan  and 
Connecticut    respectively   and    were    married    in 


/ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


879 


Michigan,  where  all  of  their  seven  children  were 
born.  From  Michigan  they  moved  to  Kansas 
and  engaged  in  farm  pursuits,  the  mother  dying 
on  the  Kansas  homestead  at  the  age  of  fifty 
years,  while  the  father,  now  retired,  still  make's 
his  home  in  that  state.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
gave  faithful  service  to  the  L'nion  cause  as  a 
member  of  a  MichiLjan  rcginK-nt  and  ever  since 
the  organization  of  the  CniinI  Arnn  (if  the 
Republic  he  has  been  wanuh'  intcrosU'd  in  its 
work.  Of  his  five  children  imw  H\ing  two  are 
in  California,  one  in  King  L'ity.  Monterey  county, 
and  the  other  at  Arroyo  (^irande. 

During  the  residence  of  the  family  in  Michi- 
gan F.  E.  Bennett  was  born  August  17.  1861. 
Primarilv  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
that  state,  he  completed  his  grammar-school 
studies  after  moving  to  Kansas  at  thirteen  years 
of  age.  L'pon  leaving  school  he  gave  his  at- 
tention to  farm  work  and  continued  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits  in  Kansas  for  a  brief  period.  No- 
vember 6,  1883,  he  arrived  in  Arroyo  Grande, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  afterward  he  engaged 
in  ranching  in  this  vicinity.  On  the  organization 
of  the  Farmers  Co-operative  store  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  first  board  of  directors 
and  afterward  was  chosen  manager  of  the  store, 
which  he  conducted  with  iimIiw  Mith\-  success  for 
five  years.  When  the  liuiMm-  was  burned  to 
the  ground  and  the  busines-  clewed  uut,  he  opened 
a  grocery  and  feed  store,  and  has  met  with  grati- 
fying success  in  the  management  of  the  same. 
To  an  unusual  degree  he  possesses  the  confidence 
of  people  throughout  this  section  of  country  and 
this  confidence  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  those 
wiho  began  to  trade  in  his  store  years  ago  are 
still  his  best  customers  and  warmest  friends. 
His  pleasant  home  in  the  town  is  presided  o\-er 
by  the  lady  whom  he  married  in  1887  and  who 
was  Miss  Effie  Stevenson,  a  native  of  Illinois. 
In  his  family  there  .are  three  children.  Cora. 
Ralph  and  Esther.  Thorgli  net  a  |iartisan  in 
IK.litics.  he  has  the  courage  nf  lii-  cnivictions 
and  never  fails  to  give  >tanch  alK;.;iance  to  Re- 
publican principles.  The  unl\  ],ulitical  oflice 
which  he  has  held,  that  of  constable,  he  filled 
for  eight  years  in  Arroyo  Grande.  Fraternally 
he  has  been  identified  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  at  Arroyo  Grande  since  1800  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  in  his 
home  town. 


in  whicli  he  was  equally  successful  from  a 
financial  standpoint.  A  deep  interest  in  the 
west,  however,  had  been  occuping  his  thoughts, 
and  in  1852  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California 
and  engaged  in  gold  mining  in  Placer  and 
Tuolumne  counties.  Returning  in  1853  he  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  in  Fulton  county,  and 
m  the  spring  of  1864  went  to  Iowa  en  route 
to  California.  Starting  from  Lewis,  Cass 
county,  Iowa,  in  1865  with  his  family,  he  again 
iiiade  the  overland  journey  behind  slow-plodd- 
ing oxen,  finally  locating  in  Sacramento  coun- 
ty about  eighteen  miles  from  the  city  of  that 
name.  After  carrying  on  agricultural  pursuits 
in  that  locality  for  some  time,  in  1868  he  re- 
moved to  the  southern  part  of  the  state 
and  in  Santa  Barbara  county,  not  far  from 
Santa  Maria,  took  up  a  homestead  claim.  On 
this  ranch,  wdiich  had  been  his  home  for  nearly 
thirt3--five  years,  his  earth  life  came  to  a  close 
January  3,  iQn;,  when  he  had  reached  the 
aihanced  a-e  of  ciL^htv-eight  vears,  six  months 
and  ninete/'n   ,|  i\^. 

Both  in  Illinins  and  in  this  state  Mr.  Battles 
was  well  known  for  his  public  spirit  and  enter- 
prise, and  in  the  former  state  was  a  member 
of  the  Home  Guard.  During  his  early  days 
in  California  he  realized  the  advantage  which 
would  accrue  to  the  county  by  settling  the 
early  land  grants,  and  a  great  deal  of  his  time 
and  thought  was  expended  to  bring  about  this 
condition.  Educational  matters  also  had  a 
stanch  ally  in  him.  and  the  establishment  of 
the  school  district  in  his  home  locality  was 
brought  about  as  a  result  of  his  untiring 
efi^orts.  Politically  he  was  a  stanch  Republican 
?nd  always  ga\'e  bis  support  and  influence  for 
the  good  of  the  jjarty. 


GEORGE  W.  BATTLES  was  born  in 
Chautauqua  count)-,  \'.  N'.,  June  15,  1816.  In 
1824  he  removed  lo  IVnnsylvania  and  in  1846 
located  in  the  miildle  west,  in  Ipava.  Fulton 
county,  111.  During  the  early  part  of  his  resi- 
dence' there  he  conducted  a  wagon  manufac- 
torv,   later  establishing  a   mercantile  business 


JOSEPH  GREGORY.  The  pioneers  of  the 
west  were  not  exempt  from  hardships  and  vicis- 
situdes :  indeed,  their  lives  were  one  continued 
round  of  privations  nobly  endured  and  sacrifices 
cheerfully  made.  The  spirit  of  optimism  which 
the\-  displayed  has  come  down  as  an  inheritance 
to  their  descendants,  so  that  now,  no  state  in  the 
L'nion  can  present  to  the  world  nobler  instances 
of  courage  and  patient  endurance  than  does  this 
commonwealth  by  the  shores  of  the  western  sea. 
Noteworthy  among  the  pioneers  of  the  state,  who 
braved  many  misfortunes  and  rose  above  many 
obstacles,  ma}-  be  mentioned  the  name  of  Joseph 
Gregory,  who  for  years  has  owned  and  operated 
a  farm  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county.  The  tract 
comprises  eighty-three  and  one-half  acres,  much 
of  w-hich  is  in  fruit,  while  the  balance  is  in  on- 
ions, potatoes,  sugar  beets  and  other  truck  prod- 
ucts. 


880 


HISTORJCAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


A  native  of  Upper  Canada,  born  February  15, 
183 1,  Joseph  Gregory  was  one  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  emigrated  to  New  Zealand 
and  two  (himself  included)  settled  in  California, 
while  the  others  remained  in  the  east.  The 
brother  who  came  to  the  west  spent  his  last  days 
in  the  home  of  Joseph,  and  the  latter  now  is  the 
sole  representative  of  the  family  in  the  state. 
The  parents,  Daniel  and  Annie  (Tinlin)  Greg- 
ory, were  natives  of  Canada  and  New  York 
respectively,  and  remained  on  their  Canadian 
homestead  during  all  of  their  lives,  the  father 
living  to  be  eighty-two  years  of  age,  while  the 
mother  died  at  sixty.  The  quiet  country  home 
of  the  family  was  the  place  where  Joseph  Greg- 
ory passed  the  uneventful  years  of  youth  and 
the  neighboring  schools  afforded  him  educational 
advantages  meagre  in  comparison  with  those  of 
the  present  day,  yet  sufficient  to  furnish  him 
with  the  foundation  of  his  present  wide  fund  of 
information. 

On  leaving  home  in  1854,  Mr.  Gregory  came 
to  California  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  which 
he  crossed  on  mule-back,  and  then  sailed  by  boat 
to  San  Francisco.  For  a  time  he  worked  in  the 
mines  of  Eldorado  county,  but  mining  brought 
him  no  returns  and  he  forthwith  engaged  in 
other  activities.  For  three  years  he  carried  on  a 
saw-mill,  but  a  flood  destroyed  the  plant  and 
caused  him  a  heavy  loss.  Forced  to  start  anew, 
he  went  to  the  valley  near  San  Jose  and  em- 
barked in  the  raising  of  sheep,  but  there  again 
misfortune,  met  his  diligent  labors,  for  the  dry 
years  came  on  and  the  lack  of  water  and  pas- 
turage caused  the  animals  to  die  in  large  num- 
bers. Undaunted  by  this  new  catastrophe,  he 
started  out  once  more  to  make  a  livelihood  for 
himself,  and  this  time  he  took  up  ranch  land  and 
embarked  in  general  agricultural  pursuits.  About 
1882  he  came  to  San  Luis  Obispo  county  and 
settled  near  Arroyo  Grande,  where  he  has  since 
labored  perseveringly  and  with  a  fair  degree  of 
success.  In  all  of  his  plans  and  enterprises  he 
has  had  the  counsel  and  cheerful  companionship 
of  his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  1862  and  who 
was  Miss  Mary  Ann  Miller,  a  native  of  Indiana. 
Of  their  union  six  childrai  were  born,  namely: 
Annie  L.,  Jessie,  Joseph,  Daniel,  Nellie  (who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years)  and  Mag- 
gie. 

The  family  are  identified  with  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church  and  have  many  friends 
in  their  part  of  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  for 
they  possess  the  sterling  attributes  of  character 
that  win  and  retain  friends.  Interested  in  edu- 
cational affairs,  Mr.  Gregory  served  for  many 
years  as  school  trustee  and  filled  the  position  ac- 
ceptably to  the  patrons  of  the  school  and  the  tax- 
payers of  the  district.  Ever  since  becoming  a 
voting  citizen  of  the  United  States  he  has  given 


his  allegience  to  the  Republican  party  and  has 
championed  its  men  and  measures  by  ballot  and 
influence.  In  addition  to  his  ranch  interests  he 
has  bought  stock  in  an  oil  company  that  owns 
a  productive  well  in  the  valley  near  his  home. 
Among  the  people  of  his  acquaintance  he  is  hon- 
ored as  a  man  who  has  seen  and  overcome  many 
hardships  and  won  his  way  to  success  after  ex- 
periencing the  vicissitudes  of  life  in  a  frontier 
environment. 


BERTRAND  PEYREGNE.  As  may  be 
judged  from  his  name,  Mr.  Peyregne  is  a 
Frtnchman,  and  all  of  the  refinement  and  gra- 
ciousness  of  that  nationality  are  his  in  large 
measure.  Born  in  the  ancient  town  of  Tou- 
louse, France,  in  1828  he  received  a  careful 
training  in  the  schools  of  that  city  and  at  an 
early  age  he  began  to  be  self-supporting. 
l<"arm'ng  was  his  choice  of  vocation,  and  this 
he  followed  in  his  native  country  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  or  until  he  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1851.  The  vessel  in  which  he  set 
sail  from  France  anchored  its  cargo  in  New 
Orleans,  and  in  that  southern  city  he  re- 
mained for  three  years,  finding  employment 
there  as  jieddler  of  goods.  From  there  he  went 
to  Cincinnati  and  stayed  ten  months.  Dur- 
ing all  of  this  time  the  news  from  the  gold 
fields  of  California  was  the  common  topic  of 
conversation  and  was  described  in  detail  and 
at  considerable  length  in  the  newspapers  of 
the  city  where  he  was  then  living,  so  that  his 
interest  in  and  final  removal  to  the  scene  of 
the  excitement  was  a  most  natural  conse- 
(|uence.  Debarking  at  San  Francisco  March 
_^,  1855,  he  at  once  made  his  way  to  the  mines 
of  Sonora,  Tuolumne  county,  the  rush  to  that 
part  of  the  country  then  being  at  high  tide. 
In  his  venture  as  a  miner-  it  is  safe  to  conclude 
that  he  was  fairly  successful  at  least,  for  it  is 
known  that  he  followed  the  business  success- 
ively for  twelve  years.  Leaving  Tuolumne 
county  in  1867  lie  went  direct  to  Los  Angeles, 
where  for  a  number  of  years  he  engaged  in 
buying  and  selling  cattle. 

it  was  'during  the  year  1874  that  Mr.  Pey- 
regne came  to  Riverside  county  and  took  up 
land  from  the  government  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  home  for  his  family.  As  may  be  in- 
ferred the  land  was  entirely  uncultivated  and 
of  improvements  there  were  none;  however, 
he  spared  neither  labor  nor  such  means  as  he 
could  command  to  put  it  in  a  habitable  condi- 
tion, and  the  adobe  house  which  he  erected  at 
that  time  is  still  the  family  residence.  During 
the  early  davs  of  his  experience  in  the  Menifee 
^^aIley  he  engaged  quite  extensively  in  the 
raiding  of  sheep,  an  industry  which  netted  him 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


883 


an  excellent  income.  Since  1885,  however,  he 
has  given  his  attention  more  exclusively  to 
ranching,  and  though  well  advanced  in  years 
is  still  active  and  takes  the  same  interest  in 
his  affairs  that  prompted  and  brought  suc- 
cess in  the  efforts  of  early  years.  The  ranch 
comprises  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres, 
and  lies  in  close  proximity  to  Leon,  which  is 
his  postoffice  and  market  town. 

At  Newhall,  Los  Angeles  county,  in  1871, 
Mr.  Peyregne  was  married  to  Miss  Vervanua 
.A'loreil,  who  was  born  in  Ventura,  June  10, 
1856.  All  of.  the  six  children  born  of  their 
marriage  are  living  and  are  named  in  order  of 
birth' as  follows:  Clara,  wdio  is  married,  and 
with  her  husband.  Jesse  C.  Mitchell,  makes  her 
home  in  Stockton  ;  Joseph,  a  resident  of  San 
Pedro :  Louise,  at  home ;  Alexander,  also  in 
San  Pedro ;  and  Henry  and  Alice,  both  of 
whom  are  also  at  home  with  their  parents. 
Mr.  Peyregne  was  early  in  life  made  familiar 
with  the  teachings  of  the  Catholic  faith,  and 
his  own  children  have  also  had  a  similiar 
training,  the  family  worshipping  in  the  church 
of  that  denomination  at  Leon.  There  is  prob- 
ably no  one  in  the  Menifee  valley  who  is  not 
familiar  with  the  name  of  Bertrand  Peyregne, 
which  is  a  synonym  for  all  that  is  just  and  up- 
right, this  being  the  universal  verdict  of  those 
who  have  been  in  close  touch  with  his  life  and 
habits  for  the  past  thirty-two  years,  or  ever 
since  he  became  a  pioneer  settler  in  the  val- 


XATHAXIEL  F.  COE.  Now  living  re- 
tired in  Palms,  Los  Angeles  county,  N.  F.  Coe 
is  of  eastern  birth  and  parentage  and  is  a  son 
of  Cyrus  .ind  Elsie  (Fenton)  Coe,  born  in 
Massachusetts  and  New  York  state  respect- 
ively. While  still  a  young  boy  the  father  was 
taken  to  New  York  state,  growing  up  on  a 
farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Jamestown,  Chautau- 
qua county,  and  it  was  there  also  that  his  mar- 
riage with  Elsie  Fenton  occurred.  Their  en- 
tire married  life  was  spent  in  that  locality,  the 
mother  d}!ng  in  Jamestown  in  1836,  and  the 
death  of  the  father  occurring  in  1840.  In  or- 
der of  birth  the  names  of  their  nine  children 
are  as  follows :  Cornelius,  Horace.  Sidney, 
Richard,  Miles,  Franklin,  Emily  J.,  Minerva 
J.  and  Nathaniel  F. 

Born  in  lamestown.  N.  Y.,  October  i,  1835, 
Nathaniel  F.  Coe  was  only  one  year  old  at 
the  time  of  his  mother's  death,  and  his  fath- 
er's death  four  years  later  left  him  an  orphan 
at  five  years  of  age.  Thus  early  bereft  of  his 
parents  he  was  taken  into  the  home  of  an 
uncle,  by  whom  he  was  cared  for  until  strik- 
ing  out   for   himself   when   twelve   years   old. 


Going  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  he  worked  as  s' able 
boy  for  a  friend  of  his  uncle  for  two  years, 
during  which  time  his  wages  were  neces'sarily 
small,  owing  to  youth  and  inexperience.  His 
next  position,  while  no  less  menial,  gave  him 
an  opportunity  to  see  and  learn  more  of  what 
was  going  on  in  the  world,  and  he  looks  back 
upon  the  three  years  as  choue  boy  on  an  Ohio 
river  boat  as  one  of  his  most  valuable  experi- 
ences. The  year  following,  when  seventeen 
years  of  age,  he  engaged  in  the  milling  busi- 
ness, but  from  the  fact  that  he  gave  it  up  one 
year  later  it  is  safe  to  presume  that  he  was 
rot  altogether  successful  in  the  undertaking. 
He  next  resumed  river  boating,  this  time  on 
tlie  Mississippi  river,  giving  this  up  three 
years  later  to  become  foreman  in  a  sawmill 
for  I.  Staples  at  Stillwater,  Minn.  This  fur- 
nished him  employment  during  -the  winter 
season  alone,  however,  and  during  the  sum- 
mers he  rafted  logs  to  the  mill  on  contract. 
After  he  had  been  in  Mr.  Staples'  employ  for 
three  years  he  was  seized  with  a  desire  to  see 
more  of  the  world,  and  started  out  intending 
to  remain  six  months  in  each  state  which  he 
visited.  After  remaining  the  allotted  time  in 
Whiteside  couniy,  111.,  he  started  out  for  an- 
other location,  and  was  attracted  to  the  lead 
mines  around  Galena,  Jo  Daviess  county,  and 
thus  it  happened  that  he  remained  in  the  state 
one  and  a  half  years.  From  there  Jie  visited 
the  southern  states,  and  the  year  1861  found 
him  in  Iowa.  At  the  first  call  to  arms  in  the 
Ciy\\  war  he  responded,  becoming  a  member 
of  the  Thirty-first  Iowa  Infantry,  Company  I, 
under  command  of  General  Sherman.  During 
the  three  ^-ears  which  he  spent  in  scout  and 
forage  duty  he  escaped  capture  until  within 
four  months  of  the  end  of  his  enlistment,  when 
he  was  taken  as  a  sp)'.  He  was  fortunate  in 
escaping  the  fate  of  many  of  his  comrades 
who  were  shot  down  in  cold  blood,  but 
he  nevertheless  suffered  incarceration  in  An- 
dersonville  prison  for  three  months.  After 
his  release  he  returned  to  his  place  of  enlist-^ 
ment  and  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
ser\'ice  in   1865. 

It  was  at  this  point  in  his  career,  in  1865, 
that  Mr.  Coe  formed  domestic  ties  by  his  mar-' 
riage  with  Mrs.  Emma  (Stinton)  Curtis,  who 
was  born  in  England,  but  came  to  America 
u'hen  eight  years  of  age.  After  their  marriage 
they  settled  on  a  quarter  section  of  govern- 
ment land  in  Plymouth  county.  Iowa.  The 
years  spent  on  this  farm  were  fairly  success- 
ful ones,  but  the  far  west  had  become  more 
attractive  to  him  on  account  of  the  even 
climate  and  rich  harvests  which  the  longer 
seasons    made    possible,    and    hither    Mr.    Coe 


884 


IISTORKWI.  A\D  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


came  in  1886.  The  fort}-  acre  ranch  which  he 
then  purchased  in  La  Ballona  district  was  the 
scene  of  his  active  labors  for  many  years,  and 
since  selHng  the  ranch  to  his  son  Clarence  he 
and  his  wife  have  been  living-  retired  in 
Palms,  where  he  owns  considerable  property. 
They  became  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
two  of  whom,  Estella  and  Alinerva,  died  in 
early  childhood.  Those  living  are  Cyrus  R., 
Eugene  L.,  Edward  A.,  Clarence  E.,  Elsie  E. 
(wtfe  of  R.  W.  Nesbitt)  and  Franklin  L.  Mr. 
Coe  is  a  member  of  Fort  Fisher  Post,  G.  A. 
R.,  of  Santa  Monica.  Left  an  orphan  at  five 
years  of  age,  and  thrown  upon  his  own  re- 
sources at  an  age  when  most  boys  are  enjoy- 
ing the  greatest  freedom,  much  credit  is  due 
Mr.  Coe  for  the  straightforward  course  which 
he  then  planned,  and  by  strictly  adhering  to 
't  th.roughout  life,  has  not  only  experienced 
the  contentment  which  goes  hand  in  hand 
with  right  'loing,  liut  has  also  accumulated 
a  competence  for  his  old  age. 


FRED  r.RO\\"X.  Since  his  arrival  in  San 
Luis  (Jbispo  county  in  1874,  Fred  Brown  has 
been  a  zealous  promoter  of  its  agricultural  ad- 
vancement and  has  attached  to  himself  those 
material  and  general  compensations  necessary 
to  the  happiness  and  well  being  of  intelligent, 
refined  and  capable  people.  He  is  one  of  the 
best  known  men  of  the  community  whose 
residence  in  Southern  California  has  strength- 
ened the  prevailing  regard  for  the  thrifty 
cjualities  of  the  French  nation. 

In  an  humble  home  in  Lorraine,  situated 
along  the  German  border  in  France,  Mr. 
Brown  was  born  May  24,  1833.  At  the  time 
comparative  peace  existed  throughout  the 
l^rovinces.  In  Lorraine,  John  Brown,  the 
father  of  Fred,  pursued  the  occupation  of 
farming,  lint  he  had  mastered  the  trade  of 
leaker,  and  for  years  manufactured  and  sold 
in  a  little  shop,  the  bread  and  delicacies  in 
the  making  of  which  his  countrymen  excel. 
His  wife,  Margaretta  ('Ohlehan)  Brown,  as- 
sisted with  the  management  of  both  farm  and 
shop,  and  at  the  same  time  reared  her  eleven 
children  with  due  regard  for  thrift.  She  lived 
to  be  eighty  years  old,  but  her  husband  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  Two  of  her  sons 
came  to  America. 

Fred  Brown  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation in  his  native  land,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  arrived  in  America,  where,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, he  worked  at  the  blacksmith  trade 
for  two  years.  He  came  to  Santa  Clara  coun- 
ty, Cal.,  in  1858,  and  after  farming  for  three 
years  moved  to  Salinas  county,  where  he 
worked   on   two   difi"crent   farms    and    gained 


quite  a  start  as  a  wage  earner.  In  1874  he  be- 
gan to  work  on  a  dairy  ranch  in  San  Luis 
Obispo  county,  and  fi\e  years  later  came  to 
his  present  ranch,  of  which  he  soon  after  pur- 
chased a  small  part.  He  now  owns  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  land,  one  hundred 
acres  of  which  is  grazing  land,  upon  which 
he  engages  chiefly  in  the  raising  of  barley, 
beans,  cattle  and  horses.  He  has  always  main- 
tained a  progressive  farming  policy,  and  has 
availed  himself  of  the  innovations  and  meth- 
ods approved  by  individual  thinkers  and  the 
experimental  colleges  of  the  country.  His 
ranch  is  a  typical  one  for  this  part  of  the  state, 
and  its  improvements  are  in  keeping  with  the 
extensive  acreage  and  a  variety  of  resources. 
The  family  of  Mr.  Brown  consists  of  him- 
self, his  wife,  formerly  Margaret  Donovan, 
and  three  children,  John,  Dan  and  Josephine. 
yU-.  Brown  is  libera!  in  politics,  but  has  a 
strong  leaning  towards  the  Democratic  party. 
Mrs.  Brown  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  he  is  generous  in  his  contribu- 
tions to  charitable  and  other  organizations 
throughout  the  county.  At  the  age  of  sev- 
entv-three  his  interest  in  life  has  lost  none  of 
its  -\'igor,  his  r.iir.d  none  of  its  alertness,  and 
'lis  heart  none  of  its  sympathy  or  kindliness. 
He  remains  a  genial,  well-balanced  and  use- 
ful citizen,  and  a  man  whom  all  delight  to 
known  and  honor. 


CARL  O.  LANTZ.  A  native  of  Sweden, 
Carl  O.  Lantz  is  ably  sustaining  the  reputa- 
tion which  his  countrymen  hold  for  grit,  en- 
ergy and  determination,  and  although  during 
the  first  years  of  his  residence  here  he  met 
with  misfortune  in  tlie  loss  of  his  residence  by 
fire,  his  courage  was  undaunted  and  immedi- 
ately he  set  about  to  acrjuire  a  new  one.  It 
is  not  necessary  tii  say  that  he  succeeded,  for 
where  there  is  a  wi'.l  there  is  a  way,  and  upon 
his  present  ranch  he  is  most  comfortably  lo- 
cated in  a  fine  home,  his  land  comprising  five 
acres  in  orange  grove  and  sixty  acres  planted 
to  grain  crops,  ?,  part  of  the  latter  acreage  be- 
ing vented  ground.  He  was  born  July  29, 
1867,  in  Tmcland,  Sweden,  the  son  of  An- 
drew and  Fl^nnah  Lantz.  His  mother  died 
in  that  country  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
eight  years,  and  the  father  later  came  to  the 
ITnited  States.  His  death  occurred  in  1902. 
when  he  was  sevent}--nine  years  old,  while  on 
a  visit  in    Iowa. 

.■\fter  acquiring  a  common-school  education 
in  Sweden  Carl  O.  Lantz,  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen years,  immigrated  to  .\merica  and  located 
in  Montgomer}'  county,  Iowa,  where  for  five 
years  he  was  variously  employed.     Becoming 


.#■  -  .^ 


^^^z^^s><M^  c>r  ^- 


.^yi^t^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


887 


interested  in  the  opportunities  said  to  be 
awaiting  the  ambitious  young  man  in  South- 
ern California,  in  1890.  he  decided  to  investi- 
gate, and  for  one  year  was  located  in  River- 
side. Convinced  that  he  could  make  a  suc- 
cess of  ranching  in  this  state  he  purchased  a 
ten-acre  tract  in  Alessandro  valley  and  from 
that  time  on  added  to  his  possessions  until 
he  now  owns  thirty  acres.  The're  were  no 
orange  groves  in  this  location  when  he  set- 
tled here  and  the  trees  which  are  now  yield- 
ing him  a  handsome  income  were  planted  by 
himself.  It  was  on  this  place  that  his  first 
house  was  burned,  but  he  built  another  and 
better  residence  and  now  has  as  well  up-to- 
date  barns  and  outbuildings. 

In  1895  ^Ii"-  Lantz  was  married  in  Iowa  to 
Aliss  Hihna  Axellina  Isakson,  a  native  of 
Sweden,  and  this  union  has  been  blessed  by 
the  birth  of  three  children,  of  whom  Carl 
^^'alfrid  and  Alice  ,-\xellina  are  the  only  ones 
living,  the  oldest  child  hems:  deceased.  The 
family  are  reli-io.u^l\  coiiiuctcil  with  the  Luth- 
eran Church,  and  uxcrcisr  an  elevating  influ- 
ence upon  the  communit^'  in  which  they  re- 
side, rolitically  Mr.  Lanlz  is  an  advocate  of 
the  principles  embraced  in  the  platform  of  the 
Republican  party  and  is  actively  interested  in 
all  enterprises  which  are  of  a  progressive  na- 
ture. He  is  a  man  of  admirable  personal 
qualities,  is  well  liked  and  has  manv  friends. 


MARK  T.  BERRY.  From  the  bleak  and 
snow-clad  woods  of  Maine  to  the  sunny  val- 
leys,  of  Southern  California,  over  plains  and 
mountains,  represents  the  interval  between 
.Mr.  Berry"s  Aouth  and  his  advancing  years. 
.As  a  boy  he  lived  on  a  farm  in  ]\Iaine  and  at 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  began  to  work  in  tin 
forests  and  lumber  mills,  following  the  indus- 
try then  and  yet  one  of  the  most  profitable 
avocations  in  that  region.  The  family  of 
which  he  is  a  member  settled  in  Maine  during 
an  early  period  in  American  history  and  his 
parents,  John  and  Hannah  (Bunker)  Berry, 
were  natives  of  that  state.  For  years  the 
father  engaged  at  the  trade  of  ship-carpenter, 
but  in  1852  he  followed  the  tide  of  emigration 
that  was  steadily  drifting  toward  the  undevel- 
oped wes't.  Settling  in  ]\Iinnesota,  he  took  up 
a  raw  tract  of  land,  began  to  till  the  soil,  and 
afterward  followed  farming  during  his  remain- 
ing vears  of  activity.  When  he  died,  in  April 
of  1881,  he  had  reached  four-score  years  of 
age,  and  his  wife  was  seventy  when  she  died 
four  years  prior  to  his  demise. 

In  the  village  of  Burnham.  Waldo  county, 
■  Me.,  Mark  T.  Berry  was  born  September  3, 
1830,  and  near  that  town  he  passed  the  years 


of  boyhood.  On  taking  up  active  work  in  1848 
he  followed  lumbering  in  Maine.  During  No- 
\ember  of  185 1  he  removed  to  Minnesota  and 
carried  on  lumbering  in  that  state  until  1854, 
when  he  took  up  surveying.  During  1859-60 
he  was  sin-veyor-general  of  the  Second  Minne- 
sota district,  and  in  1862  received  an  appoint- 
ment as  deputy  provost-marshal  and  recruit- 
ing officer  for  the  state  militia.  July  18,  1863, 
he  was  commissioned  captain  of  a  company  in 
the  Twenty-ninth  ^Minnesota  Infantry,  Home 
Cuards,  and  served  in  the  troubles  with  the 
Indians,  while  in  August  of  1864  he  helped  to 
raise  a  company  for  the  L^nion  army.  On  the 
30th  of  that  month  he  was  commissioned  first 
lieutenant  of  Company  E,  Hatch  Independent 
^linnesota  Cavalry,  and  remained  in  active 
service  until  some  time  after  peace  had  been 
declared,  being  mustered  out  with  the  com- 
panv  Mav  6,  1866,  after  an  honorable  war  rec- 
ord.' 

Immediatelv  after  his  return  from  the  war 
^'r.  Berry  resumed  work  as  a  surveyor,  and 
continued  engaged  in  that  and  kindred  occu- 
jiations  in  ■Minnesota  until  1881,  when  he  re- 
moved to  the  west,  coming  via  St.  Paul,  Sioux 
Cit^■.  and  the  LTnion  and  Central  Pacific  Rail- 
roads. On  the  last  day  of  the  year  1881  he  ar- 
rived at  A^ernondale,  a  suburb  of  Los  Angeles, 
and  there  he  purchased  property  and  engaged 
in  raising  fruit.  During  the  eighteen  years  of 
his  residence  in  that  place  he  served  two  terms 
by  appointment  as  school  trustee,  in  addition 
to  two  full  terms  of  three  years  each.  May  9. 
1889,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Vernon- 
dale  and  continued  in  that  position  until  Sep- 
tember 15,  1897,  when  the  office  was  discon- 
tinued by  reason  of  annexation  to  the  city  of 
Los  .Angeles  In  August  of  1899  he  came  to 
Long  Beach,  where  he  now  lives  retired  from 
liusiness  cares.  smTounded  by  the  comforts 
previous  exertions  render  possible,  and  enjoy- 
ing the  companionship  of  a  circle  of  warm  per- 
sonal friends. 

In  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Berry  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution 
and  Stanton  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  No.  55,  also  the 
'^niitary  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  Cali- 
fornia. In  Masonry  he  has  won  high  rank. 
April  2,  i860,  he  was  entered  an  apprentice 
Mason,  and  on  the  i6th  of  the  same  month 
passed  the  degree  of  fellow-craft.  May  10, 
i860,  he  was  made  a  Alaster  Mason  in  Cata- 
ract Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Minneap- 
olis, Minn.,  in  which  he  was  appointed  senior 
deacon  in  1861,  advanced  to  the  honorary  de- 
gree of  master  and  inducted  into  the  Oriental 
Chair  as  past  master  February  17,  1862,  and 
acknowledged  Most  Excellent  Master  Febru- 
ary 22,    1862.     Three   davs   later,    in   St.    An- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


thony's  Falls  Chapter  No.  3,  R.  A.  M.,  he  was 
exalted  to  the  sublime  degree  of  Royal  Arch 
Mason.  During  that  year  and  the  two  follow- 
ing years  he  served  as  a  guard  in  the  chapter, 
of  which  he  is  still  a  member.  January  8, 
1900,  he  was  elected  an  active  member  of  the 
Masonic  Veteran's  Association  of  the  Pacific 
Coast. 

While  living  in  Minnesota  Mr.  Berry  was 
married  at  Minneapolis,  August  20,  1866,  to 
Helen  Godfrey,  who  was  born  in  Maine  and 
died  at  Long  Beach  INIarch  27,  1902.  Their 
only  son,  David  M.,  residing  in  Alameda,  is 
married  and  has  one  child.  The  only  daugh- 
ter, Vida  H.,  is  one  of  the  popular  school 
teachers  of  Long  Beach. 


WILLIAM  H.  POSTON.  No  resident  of 
Pomona  is  more  keenly  alive  to  its  best  inter- 
est than  William  H.  Poston,  who  for  the  past 
fifteen  years  has  conducted  one  of  the  town's 
most  thriving  enterprises.  He  is  president  of 
the  firm  of  W.  H.  Poston  &  Co.,  one  of  the 
largest  grocery  concerns  in  the  west,  and 
which  has  branch  stores  at  Lordsburg,  Clare- 
mont  and  San  Dimas.  The  business  was  orig- 
inally started  and  owned  by  B.  B.  Nesbit,  of 
whom  Mr.  Poston  bought  the  stock  and  good 
will  in  1881.  For  a  time  the  new  owner  ran 
the  business  alone,  but  later  had  the  com- 
pany incorporated,  capital  stock  $50,000,  and 
branched  out  in  business  in  the  towns  afore- 
mentioned. Almost  all  of  the  stock  is  owned 
by  Mr.  Poston  and  his  wife,  the  latter  being 
secretar}'  of  the  corporation.  No  effort  has 
been  made  on  the  part  of  the  owners  to  sell 
stock  outside  of  the  employes,  and  at  this 
writing  (1906)  about  fifteen  have  availed  them- 
selves of  the  opportunity  and  are  sharehold- 
ers in  the  concern,  each  share  selling  for  $500. 

A  native  of  Illinois,  William  H.  Poston  was 
born'  in  Hamilton,  Rock  Island  county,  June 
2,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Vance  and  Ann  (Don- 
aldson) Poston,  born  respectively  in  Virginia 
and  New  York  state.  Their  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  Iowa,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
thereafter  they  made  their  home  in  the  mid- 
dle west.  The  western  tide  of  immigration 
which  crossed  the  plains  in  the  year  i860 
found  Mr.  Poston  with  his  family  among  the 
number,  going  direct  to  Napa  county,  where 
he  again  took  up  farming,  the  calling  which 
he  had  followed  during  his  residence  in  the 
middle  states.  He  died  on  his  ranch  in  Napa 
county  when  in  his  sixt3'-sixth  year.  Polit- 
ically he  was  a  believer  in  Democratic  princi- 
ples. The  wife  and  mother  is  still  living  and 
now  makes  her  home  in  Pomona. 

Of  the  six  children  comprising  the  parental 


tam.il)-  William  H.  and  one  sister  reside  in 
Pomona,  while  the  others  are  residents  of 
Napa  county.  Mr.  Poston  was  a  lad  of  only 
four  years  when  his  parents  brought  the  fam- 
ily across  the  plains  and  settled  in  Napa  coun- 
ty. At  first  he  attended  the  common  schools 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  father's  ranch,  but 
was  later  given  the  benefit  of  a  course  in  Napa 
College.  Returing  home  he  gave  his  father 
the  benefit  of  his  services  in  assisting  with  the 
work  of  the  home  ranch,  but  finally  deter- 
mined to  start  outin  the  world  on  his  own  ac- 
count. Going  to  Butte  county,  he  settled 
down  to  the  business  with  which  he  was  most 
familiar,  for  as  yet  he  had  had  no  experience 
aside  from  work  on  his  father's  ranch.  He 
started  in  an  unpretentious  way  as  a  grain 
raiser,  increasing  his  facilities  and  acreage  as 
his  means  would  permit,  until  at  the  time  he 
disposed  of  his  ranch  sc\en  years  later  he  was 
one  of  the  largest  grain  growers  in  that  part  of 
the  state.  It  was  at  this  point  in  his  career 
that  Mr.  Poston  came  to  Pomona  and  estab- 
lished the  business  with  which  his  name  has 
since   i^een   connected. 

In  1883,  in  Napa  county,  William  H.  Pos- 
tern was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella 
y.  Dunn,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  in  which 
state  her  parents  had  settled  during  its  pio- 
neer da.ys.  Later  years  found  them  in  Pomo- 
na, Cal.,  where  Dr.  Dunn  practiced  dentistry 
until  1896.  Later  he  removed  to  Los  An- 
geles, where  he  died  in  April,  1906.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Poston  are  the  parents  of  two  children. 
Ruby  and  Florence,  aged  respectively  sev- 
enteen and  fifteen  C1006).  As  v/as  his  father 
before  him  Mr.  Poston  is  a  Democrat  and  it 
was  on  the  ticket  of  this  party  that  he  was 
elected  to  the  position  of  mayor'  of  Pomona, 
an  office  for  which  he  was  well  qualified,  as 
the  work  which  he  accomplished  during  his 
term  well  testifies.  He  is  now  the  chief  of  the 
fire  department  of  Pomona.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  Mason,  belonging  to  Pomona  Lodge  No. 
249.  and  to  Pomona  Lodge  No.  789,  B.  P.  O. 
E.  Much  praise  is  due  Mr.  Poston  for  what 
he  has  accomplished  in  the  upbuilding  of  his 
adopted  city.  Quick  to  recognize  the  possibili- 
ties which  lay  before  it,  he  was  no  less  ready 
to  make  the  most  of  them,  with  the  result  that 
both  town  and  citizen  have  been  benefited. 


LEE  R.  MATTHEWS.  Among  the  re- 
spected and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
Pomoma  valley  Lee  R.  Matthews  holds  an 
assured  position,  his  industry,  uprightness  and 
neighborly  dealing  having  gained  for  him  the 
confidence  and  good  will  of  the  whole  com- 
munitv.     The  ranch  on  which  he  now  resides 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


has  been  his  home  since  1893,  in  which  year 
he  bought  -thirty-six  acres  on  the  corner  of 
Crow  and  Rebecca  streets,  which  he  set  out  to 
fruit  and  alfalfa.  With  the  passing  of  years 
he  has  been  enabled  to  enlarge  his  holdings 
and  now  has  forty-five  acres,  eight  acres  be- 
ing in  walnuts  and  thirty-six  in  alfalfa. 

In  a  family  of  seven  children  born  to  his 
parents  Lee  R.  Matthews  is  the  fifth  in  or- 
der of  birth,  born  in  Tremont,  Tazewell  coun- 
ty, III,  August  5,  1870.  His  father,  Levi  R. 
]\Iatthews,  was  descended  from  a  long  line  of 
Vermont  ancestors,  his  own  birth  occurring 
in  that  state  February  9,  1830.  He  died  of 
apoplexy  July  2.  1902,  but  the  mother  is  still 
living  and  a  resident  of  Pomona.  (A  more  ex- 
tended histor}-  of  the  parents  will  be  found 
in  the  biography  of  Levi  R.  Matthews,  given 
elsewhere  in  this  volume).  Until  he  was  a  lad  of 
fifteen  years  Lee  R.  Matthews  was  reared  and 
educated  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace,  Tre- 
mont, 111.,  and  then,  m  1885,  removed  with 
the  family  to  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.  After 
completing  his  high-school  term  in  the  latter 
place  he  accepted  a  position  with  Wells-Far- 
go  &  Company,  remaining  with  them  about 
one  year,  when,  in  the  fall  of  1890,  the  family 
came  to  California,  he  also  accompanying 
them.  The  same  year  he  bought  a  portion  of 
tlie  Kingsley  tract  on  the  cornor  of  Olive  and 
Washington  avenues,  a  portion  of  which  was 
in  oranges:  he  set  out  the  entire  five  acres  to 
this  fruit,  making  of  it  a  fine  property.  Three 
years  later,  in  1893,  he  sold  this  ranch  and  re- 
invested in  a  thirty-six  acre  ranch  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Crow  and  Rebecca  streets,  which  was 
the  nucleus  of  his  present  fine  property,  now 
owning  forty-five  acres  in  all.  A  fine  well  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  furnishes  water 
for  the,  pumping  plant  located  on  the  ranch, 
the  engine  which  furnishes  the  power  for  dis- 
tribution being  a  thirty-eight  horse  power  gas 
engine  of  the  White  and  Middleton  make. 
Not  only  does  the  plant  supply  his  own  ranch, 
but  all  of  the  adjoining  ranches  are  supplied 
from  Mr.  Matthews'  irrigating  plant,  which 
has  a  capacity  of  seventy  miners  inches.  He 
also  has  among  his  holdings  residential  prop- 
erty interests  in  Colorado  Springs. 

In  Pomona  I\lr.  ^Matthews  was  married  to 
Miss  Nora  E.  Laughery,  who  was  born  in 
Tremont,  111.,  and  one  son,  Wayne  D.,  has 
been  born  to  them.  Mrs.  Matthews  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church,  to  the  support 
of  which  both  she  and  her  husband  are  lib- 
eral supporters.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  lodge  at  Pomona  and  also  of  the 
Encampment.  In  addition  to  the  management 
of  his  large  property  interests  in  this  vicinity 


he  has  mining  property  in  the  Mojave  dis- 
trict, and  with  F.  H.  Osier  is  agent  for  the 
Cadillac  automobile.  The  younger  element 
of  business  men  of  Pomona  has  no  better  rep- 
resentative than  Air.  Matthews,  whose  fitness 
for  offices  of  a  public  nature  has  led  to  his 
election  to  the  chairmanship  of  the  lighting, 
streets  and  sewers  committees,  and  he  is  also 
one  of  the  city  fathers,  he  being  elected  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  from  the  third 
ward  in  1904. 


ROGER  LEANDER  CHOATE.  A  citi- 
zen well  known  throughout  .Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  esteemed  for  his  qualities  of  char- 
acter, Roger  Leander  Choate  is  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  El  Monte  and  now  engaged  in  the 
management  and  improvement  of  a  five-acre 
ranch,  where  he  has  permanently  established 
his  home.  He  was  born  June  18,  1854.  in 
Nashua,  N.  H.,  a  son  of  Charles  Choate,  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  state,  who  in  the  same  place 
married  Mary  Cogswell,  also  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire.  He  became  the  owner  of  a  fine 
farm  of  forty  acres  in  Derry,  N.  H.,  where 
he  spent  his  entire  life,  passing  away  at  the 
ripe  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  while  his 
wife  lived  to  be  but  sixty-three.  They  were 
both  active  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  Mr.  Choate  took  an  active  inter- 
est in  the  politics  of  his  day.  although  he 
never  cared. for  official  recognition.  He  had 
seven  children,  of  whom  foitr  are  still  sur- 
■viving.  two  daughters  residing  in  the  old 
homestead  (which  is  located  in  the  home  town 
of  Horace  Greeley),  and  another  in  South  Da- 
kot.a ;  while  Roger  L.  is  the  onl\-  one  in  Cali- 
fornia.. 

Roger  L.  Choate  was  taken  bv  his  parents 
to  Derry  when  a  small  child,  and  it  was  there 
that  he  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  same 
town  was  prepared  for  college.  After  com- 
pleting his  education  he  worked  for  four  years 
in  a  general  merchandise  store  conducted  in 
conjunction  with  the  postoffice  and  telegraph 
office  of  the  place,  thus  securing  a  general 
knowledge  of  business  Avhich  meant  no  little 
to  him  in  future  enterprises.  Removing  to 
Illinois  in  1879  he  there  entered  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Conference  and  began  his  minis- 
terial work.  His  first  charge  was  at  Areola, 
and  he  was  later  sent  to  South  Champaign, 
where  he  filled  a  pulpit  for  two  years.  Sent 
to  Colorado  in  1884  he  filled  a  pulpit  in  Sil- 
ver Clift'  for  four  months,  was  then  located  in 
Breckenfidge  for  one  year,  then  in  Salida  for 
fouF  months,  and  finally  moved  to  New  Mex- 
ico  because   of   impaired    health.      Coming   to 


890 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


California  in  i8S6  iic  spent  a  brief  time  in  San 
Francisco,  soon  coming  to  the  southern  por- 
rion  of  the  state  and  in  Sierra  Madre  engag- 
ing in  the  raising  of  fruit.  Three  years  later, 
in  1890,  he  located  in  El  Monte.  His  first 
purchase  was  a  ranch  of  twelve  acres,  which 
he  sold  at  a  handsome  profit,  and  in  1905  he 
bought  the  live  acres  which  forms  his  present 
ranch,  and  this  he  intends  to  devote  to  the 
raising  of  strawberries. 

In  1892  Mr.  Choate  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Effie  Kallmeyer,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri and  daughter  of  Garrett  Kallmeyer.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Choate  have  become  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Lois  and  Rufus.  In  national  and  local 
politics  i\Ir.  Choate  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the 
Prohibition  ticket,  and  is  alwa3-s  to  be  found 
on  the  side  of  right,  regardless  of  might,  work- 
ing for  good  government  and  clean  adminis- 
tration. Fraternally  he  is  associated  with  the 
Foresters  at  El  Monte.  Although  not  now  ac- 
tive in  his  work  of  the  ministry  Mr.  Choate 
has  on  many  occasions  filled  the  pulpit  since 
coming  to  California. 


ROSSEAU  J.  WILMOT.  Numbered 
among  the  successful  ranchmen  of  San  Diego 
county  is  R.  J.  Wilmot,  who  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  De  Luz  for  twenty-five  years,  during 
which  time  he  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  its  development  and  progress ;  and,  as 
opportunity  has  occurred,  has  given  his  influ- 
ence to  encourage  the  establishment  of  enter- 
prises conducive  to  the  public  welfare.  The 
descendant  of  a  substantial  New  England  fam- 
ily, he  was-  born  in  Bangor,  Ale.,  December  7, 
1858.  a  son  of  John  Wilmol. 

Born  and  reared  in  Hillsboro,  N.  H.,  John 
Wilmot  grew  to  sturdy  manhood  among  the 
rugged  hills  of  his  native  county,  was  subse- 
quently for  many  years  engaged  in  business 
in  Bangor,  Me.  Removing  from  there  to 
Southern  California,  he  purchased  land  in  On- 
tario, San  Bernardino  county,  where  for  many 
years  he  has  been  successfully  employed  in  the 
growing  of  fruit  of  various  kinds.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  a  citizen  of  worth. 
He  married  Sophronia  Parsons,  who  was  born 
in  Bangor,  Me.,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  residing  in 
California,  one  son  and  two  daughters  being 
in  San  Diego  county,  and  one  daughter  in 
Santa  Barbara  county. 

Completing  his  early  education  in  the  grad- 
ed schools  of  Bangor.  R.  J.  Wilmot  remained 
an  inmate  of  the  parental  '  household  until 
after  attaining  his  majority.  Coming  to  Cali- 
fornia  in    1879,   he   located    first   in    San    Luis 


Re}',  San  Diego  county,  where  he  conducted 
a  dairy  in  partnership  with  his  brother.  From 
here  he  came  to  De  Luz,  taking  up  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  government  land  upon 
which  he  began  the  improvement  of  a  home- 
stead. Energetic  and  progressive,  he  made 
additional  improvements  each  season,  and 
having  purchased  an  adjoining  tract  of  forty 
acres  has  now  two  hundred  acres  in  his  home 
estate,  beside  which  he  has  the  management 
of  an  eight3'-acre  ranch  belonging  to  his  wife. 
As  a  general  agriculturist  he  has  met  with 
eminent  success,  in  addition  to  raising  stock 
and  grain,  keeping  bees  and  chickens, 
branches  of  industry  which  have  proved  very 
profitable,  considering  the  amount  of  work  re- 
quired in  caring  for  them.  He  also  has  the 
contract  for  carrying  the  mail  between  De 
Luz  and  Fallbrook,  making  three  trips  each 
week. 

In  1883  Mr;  Wilmot  married  Lena  B.  Leigh- 
ton,  who  was  born  in  Bangor,  Me.,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely :  Ar- 
thur, living  in  Ontario,  San  Bernardino  coun- 
ty; Oscar,  at  home;  John,  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing near  Eltoro,  but  living  at  home ;  Maurice, 
at  home;  and  Grace,  a  pupil  in  the  home 
school.  Politically  Mr.  Wilmot  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  the  principles  of 
which  he  firmly  supports.  Fraternally  he  be- 
longs to  Ontario  Camp,  W.  of  W.  Religiously 
both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilmot  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  Church. 


JOHN  J.  DONOVAN.  A  practical  demon- 
stration of  the  results  obtainable  by  a  union 
of  singleness  of  purpose,  good  judgment  and 
large  capacity  for  industry,  is  found  in  the 
home  surroundings  of  John  J.  Donovan,  the 
owner,  through  the  right  of  unassisted  per- 
severance, of  a  ranch  of  three  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  near  Nipomo,  San  Luis  Obispo 
county.  Mr.  Donovan  came  empty  handed 
to  the  United  States,  but  he  was  abundantly 
supplied  with  adaptiveness,  optimism  and  re- 
source. He  was  eighteen  years  old  at  this 
important  turning  point  in  his  life,  having 
been  born  in  Ireland  April  4,  i860.  His  par- 
ents. Cornelius  and  Nora  (Donovan)  Dono- 
van, were  the  proprietors  of  a  small  farm,  the 
resources  of  which  were  all  too  inadequate  for 
the  support  of  their  large  family.  John  J., 
the  youngest  of  nine  children,  was  three  weeks 
old  when  his  futher  died,  but  his  mother  sur- 
vived until  eiglitv-five  years  old.  One  daugh- 
ter died  in  infancy,  and  three  of  the  sons  are 
residents  of  California. 

John   J.   Donovan's   idea  in    coming  to   this 


A^.    y6>aM.^yz.M^^ 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


893 


country  was  embodied  in  a  determination  to 
become  a  prosperous  and  useful  citizen  of  the 
state  of  California.  He  earned  his  first  Ameri- 
can money  a^^  a  farm  hand  in  San  Luis  Ubispo 
county,  and  in  1882  rented  a  farm  which  he 
operated  until  purchasing  his  present  ranch  in 
1897.  Pie  makes  a  specialty  of  grain  raising 
and  a  large  part  of  his  three  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  are  under  this  product,  the  bal- 
ance being  under  beans,  corn  and  devoted  to 
stock-raising.  He  also  farms  two  hundred  ad- 
joining acres  of  grain,  and  has  a  half  inter- 
est in  a  thousand-acre  tract  devoted  to  grain 
and  general  produce.  His  appointments  arc 
modern  in  construction,  and  his  environment 
has  taken  on  the  character  of  a  thoughtful, 
exceedingly  thrifty  and  shrewd  business  man, 
alert  to  every  passing  opportunity,  and  in 
touch  with  all  that  science  has  evolved  to 
lighten  his  burdens  and  facilitate  his  advance- 
ment. 

The  marriage  of  A'r.  Ddiidxan  and  Margaret 
Brown,  occurred  in  iS.jd,  and  of  the  union 
there  were  two  childrcii.  <  iciu'vieve  and  Mar- 
garet. Mrs.  Margaret  ]3(in(i\-an  died  in  1896, 
at  the  age  of  t\vent}-three  >-ears  six  mOnths 
and  twelve  days,  and  in  November,  1904,  Mr. 
Donovan  married  Winifred  Kane,  a  native  of 
New  Zealand.  Mr.  Donovan  subscribes  to  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  for 
many  3'ears  has  served  the  best  interests  of 
the  community  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  In  religion  he  is  a  Catholic.  Per- 
sonally Mr.  Donovan  is  popular  in  the  com- 
munity which  his  labor  and  character  have 
helped  to  upbuild.  He  is  the  friend  of  educa- 
tion and  progress,  and  his  sojourn  in  the  coun- 
ty has  tended  to  the  widening  of  its  prosperity 
and   opportunity. 


C.  R.  CALLENDER,  a  present  resident  of 
Los  Berros,  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  Cal.,  was 
born  in  Great  Barrington.  Berkshire  county, 
Mass.,  December  24,  1830,  his  parents,  Julia 
Goodrich  and  .Archibald  Callender,  being  ear- 
ly pioneers  of  the  same  state.  The  mother 
died  when  her  son  C.  R.  was  only  ten  years 
old.  The  family  being  large  and  of  limited 
means  he  was  obliged  to  paddle  his  own  canoe 
at  an  early  age.  He  filled  a  year's  engage- 
ment with  a  lienry  Smith  of  Maiden  Bridge, 
Columbia  county,  N.  Y.,  receiving  two  months 
in  a  district  school,  his  board  and  clothes  for 
his  'services.  ETe  spent  the  next  eleven  years 
in  various  localities  and  occupations — as  clerk 
in  a  grocery  store  for  W.  C.  Barker  in  Pitts- 
field,  Mass. ;  in  the  woolen  mills  at  the  Asha- 
willot    factorv    in    Dalton    and    Green    River, 


Mass.;  for  the  Hemenways  in  East  Nassau, 
Columbia  county,  N.  Y. ;"  for  the  Kilbourn 
Jirothers  in  Norfolk,  Litchfield  county,  Conn. ; 
and  as  a  boy  of  fourteen  years,  a  season  as 
dairyman  and  milk  peddler  for  David  Church 
at  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  where  he  supplied 
the  "Hopkins  household"  with  the  dairy's  best 
production.  In  after  years,  as  he  read'  of  the 
successful  exploits  of'  the  "Big  Four,"  Hop- 
kins, Stanford,  Huntington  and  Crocker,  he 
would  catch  himself  dreaming  as  to  whether 
or  no  the  sips  from  the  cream  can  in  the  milk 
cart  given  slyly  to  the  then  boy,  Mark  Hop- 
kins, was  not  a  factor,  a  straw, 'in  the  physic- 
al, hence  mental  development  that  so  mani- 
fested itself  in  +he  push  and  ability  so  essen- 
tial in  the  great  enterprise  of  pushing  the  over- 
land railroad  across  the  continent. 

Mr.  Callender's  facilities  for  schooling  were 
very  meagre;  he  attended  only  the  common 
district  schools,  with  an  acad'emic  term  at 
Great  Barrington,  :\ia--s.  In  Mav,  1852,  he  left 
the  employment  nf  Kilbnurn  Bmihers  of  Nor- 
folk, Litchfield  county.  Conn.,  with  whom  he 
had  been  employed  for  three  years  previously, 
and  started  for  California,  sailing  May  5,  1852, 
on  the  steamer  Northern  Light,  Captain  Tin- 
klepaugh  commanding,  via  the  Nicaragua 
route,  and  arriving  at  Runnels  Ferry  on  the 
Stanislaus  river,  where  he  found  his  brother 
Stephen.  After  putting  in  a  year  at  mining, 
he  returned  to  San  Francisco  and  purchased 
a  horse  and  dray,  which  he  successfully  manip- 
ulated until  August,  1883,  when  he  sailed  on 
the  steamer  Sierra  Nevada  for  home,  in  com- 
nany  with  Dyer  Stanton  and  Mr.  Garam  of 
Fall  River,  ]Mass.  After  a  visit  with  friends  in 
Norfolk,  Sheffield,  and  Chatham,  N.  Y.,  a  sea- 
son of  roaming  in  his  old  native  Berkshire 
hills,  he  spent  the  winter  in  Canada,  where 
he  had  a  brother.  Dr.  E.  G.  Callender,  then  re- 
siding. In  1854,  obeying  the  injunction  of 
Horace  Greeley  to  "go  west,"  he  went  to  Dix- 
on, Lee  county.  111.,  engaging  in  the  photo- 
graphic business  at  Dixon,  Polo,  Amboy  and 
Sterling  for  some  four  years,  when  he  moved 
to  St.  Joseph  county,  Mich.,  following  the 
same  occupation  for  three  years  in  "\Miite  Pig- 
eon.  Centreville.   Con.stantine   and   Sturgis. 

On  May  i,  i860,  Mr.  Callender,  in  company 
with  C.  E.  Clays,  a  present  resident  of  San 
Francisco  and  for  .some  twenty  years  an  em- 
ploye in  the  custom  house,  and  O.  A.  Persing, 
now  of  Berros,  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  came 
across  the  plains  on  his  second  trip  to  Califor- 
nia, this  time  locating  about  ten  miles  from 
Sonora,  Tuolumne  county,  where  he  spent 
seven  years,  principally  in  quartz  mining,  and 
vv'here  he  still  retains  a  one-half  interest  in  the 


894 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


old  Comstock  mine,  now  known  as  the  O.  P. 
mine,  located  ten  miles  above  Sonora.  Leav- 
ing the  mines  in  the  fall  of  1867,  he  moved  to 
near  the  old  town  of  Langworth,  Stanislaus 
county,  where  he  took  up  government  land 
and  became  one  of  the  pioneer  ranchmen  of 
that  section.  Stockton,  thirty  miles  away,  be- 
ing then  their  only  market,  did  not  make  grain 
raising  a  lucrative  business,  but  this  was  some- 
what relieved  in  later  years  by  the  advent  of 
the  railroads,  Oakdale  being  five  and  Modesto 
nine  miles  from  his  place.  Acquiring  a  pre- 
emption and  homestead  and  adding  to  same 
by  purchase  from  time  to  time,  he  by  push  and 
economy  during  a  period  of  sixteen  years  ac- 
quired some  seventeen  hundred  acres  of  land, 
which  he  disposed  of  in  1883  and  moved  to 
San  Luis  Obispo  county,  purchasing  of  J.  \L 
Jones  the  Eureka  ranch  on  the  upper  Salinas 
river,  consisting  of  nineteen  thousand  acres. 

In  1881  Mr.  Callender,  in  company  with 
James  Cummings,  Col.  J.  S.  Byington  of  San 
Francisco  and  W.  B.  Wallthal  of  Modesto  be- 
came interested  by  purchase  and  location  in 
the  Omega  and  other  mines  in  Sonora,  Mex- 
ico; on  investigation,  while  satisfied  that  the 
locality  contained  nianv  mining  inducements, 
the  handicap  of  the  American  in  many  ways, 
especially  the  barring  by  Mexico  of  sixty 
miles  of  her  border  line,  and  her  then  forty  to 
sixtv  per  cent  duty  on  machinery  imported,  he 
concluded  that  Uncle  Sam  offered  an  ample 
field  for  enterprise  and  capital.  In  1882.  with 
Joseph  \A''arner,  then  of  Warner  Brothers  of 
"Stanislaus  county,  he  visited  Texas,  and  to- 
gether they  bought  a  tract  of  sixty-four  thou- 
sand acres.  This  tract  is  now  in  Sutton  and 
Schleicher  counties,  the  flourishing  town  of 
Eldorado  being  the  latter's  county  seat ;  they 
still  are  interested  in  the  land.  Mr.  Callender 
also  invested  quite  extensively  in  Texas  state 
school  lands  in  Haskell.  Runnels,  Taylor  and 
Zavalla  counties. 

About  1885  Mr.  Callender  disposed  of  the 
Eureka  ranch  and  moved  to  the  town  of  San 
Luis  Obispo,  and  soon  after  bought  some  nine 
thousand  acres  of  the  Nipomo  rancho.  He 
also,  in  company  with  J.  W.  Smith,  purchased 
the  William  Dana  tract  of  eight  hundred  acres 
at  Los  Berros :  subdividing  and  selling  some  of 
this,  he  still  retains  an  interest  in  town  and 
acreage  propertv.  It  was  on  this  ranch  and 
its  vicinity  that  he  for  a  period  of  six  years  ex- 
perimented with  the  raising  of  sugar  beets,  ex- 
pending considerable  money  and  time  in  en- 
deavoring to  attract  capital  to  this  locality, 
finall}-  attracting  the  attention  of  the  Eldorado 
.Sugar  Company  of  San  Francisco,  wdio  sent 
^Ir.   Atkinson  and   Mr,   Burr,   the   present   su- 


perintendent and  general  manager  of  the  Un- 
ion Sugar  Company  at  Betteravia,  to  prospect 
the  locality.  Mr.  Callender,  with  the  present 
Judge,  E.  P.  Unangat  of  San  Luis  Obispo, 
drove  the  parties  from  San  Luis  Obispo 
through  the  valleys  of  Arroyo  Grande,  Oso 
Flaco  and  Guadalupe,  up  the  Santa  Maria  to 
the  Sisquas.  It  was  due  to  their  favorable  re- 
port that  the  present  factory  at  Betteravia  was 
located,  which  vast  enterprise  speaks  for 
itself. 

After  disposing  of  some  of  his  Los  Berros 
land,  in  1889,  Jdr.  Callender  bought  eight  hun- 
dred acres  near  Oceano,  of  which  the  now 
famous  Oceano  Beach  was  a  part.  This  he 
sold  in  1903,  and  still  owns  some  acreage  prop- 
erty and  town  lots  in  and  near  the  tovvfn  of 
Oceano,  and  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  and 
twelve  acres  in  the  oil  belt  adjacent  to  Arroyo 
Grande. 

In  1872  Mr.  Callender  was  married  to  Miss 
Ixlaria  Persing,  a  native  of  .^lichigan,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  a  family  of  four  children: 
Carrie  M.,  for  Lhe  past  two  }"ears  a  teacher  in 
the  San  Mateo  high  school ;  Georgia,  wife  of 
W.  O.  Smith,  head  of  the  science  department 
in  the  Mission  high  school,  San  Francisco, 
whose  residence  is  in  Berkeley :  Roy,  who  re- 
sides in  San  Luis  Obispo ;  and  Edna,  a  student 
at  the  University  of  California,  in  Berkeley. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Callender  affiliates  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having 
been  initiated  in  1854  in  Dixon.  111.,  and  being 
iiovv'  by  card  a  member  of  Oakdale  Lodge  No. 
228,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  an  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Repub- 
lican partv,  casting  his  maiden  presidential 
vote  for  Fremont  and  so  down  the  line  for 
every  Republican  nominee  to  Roosevelt. 

Mr.  Callender  is  now  subdividing  some 
twelve  hundred  acres  of  his  Berros  property 
to  put  on  the  market  this  coming  season  with 
his  Oceano  town  property.  He  takes  active 
interest  in  the  development  of  his  locality,  is  a 
hard  worker  and  quite  active  for  a  man  of 
seventv-seven  vears. 


DELOSS  POTTER  THAYER,  .\mong  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Long  Beach,  Deloss  Potter 
Thayer  has  been  an  interested  witness  as  well  as 
a  participant  in  the  remarkable  development  that 
has  changed  this  town  of  twenty  years  ago  into 
ihe  active  city  of  today.  Mr.  Thayer  has  inher- 
ited his  most  salient  points  of  character  from 
a  long  line  of  American  ancestors  prominent  in 
public  affairs.  His  paternal  great-grandfather 
was  a  Frenchman,  who  immigrated  to  America 
in  the  colonial  davs  of  our  country  and  located 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


895 


in  ^lassachusetts.  His  son,  Amos  Thayer,  par- 
ticipated in  the  war  of  1812,  during  which  service 
he  was  severely  wounded.  Later  in  Hfe  he  re- 
moved to  Cortland  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  pass- 
ed the  remainder  of  his  days  as  a  farmer.  He 
reared  a  family  of  children  among  whom  was 
a  son,  Alonzo,  who  was  born  in  Cortland  county, 
N.  Y,.  there  reared  to  young  manhood  when  in 
1848  he  became  a  pioneer  of  Kalamazoo  county, 
Alich.,  and  engaged  as  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of 
Galesburg.  Seven  years  later  he  removed  to 
Dane  county,  Wis.,  and  near  the  city  of  Colum- 
bus, improved  a  farm.  Inheriting  the  spirit  of 
his  forefathers,  he  enlisted  in  1861  in  Company 
A,  Twenty-ninth  Regiment  Wisconsin  Infantry, 
in  response  to  the  call  for  men  for  service  in  the 
Civil  war,  participating  in  the  historic  struggle 
which  followed  until  the  close  of  hostilities  in 
1865.  Returning  to  civic  pursuits  he  engaged  in 
farming  near  Reedsburg,  Sauk  county,  Wis., 
where  his  death  eventually  occurred.  His  wife, 
formerly  Mary  Macomber,  a  native  of  New 
York,  born  of  English  and  German  ancestry,  also 
died  in  Reedsburg. 

In  a  family  of  six  children  all  of  whom  are 
now  living.  Deloss  Potter  Thayer  is  the  eldest 
and  the  only  one  in  California.  He  was  born  in 
Cortland  county,  N.  Y.,  in  the  town  of  Solon, 
June  24,  1847,  ^iid  taken  by  his  parents  the 
following  year  to  the  middle  west  there  at- 
tained manhood's  estate.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  in  pursuit  of  an  education  and  at  the 
same  time  received  a  practical  training  along- 
agricultural  lines  which  proved  of  advantage  to 
him  on  taking  up  an  independent  career.  He 
followed  farming  in  Dane  and  Sauk  counties,  in 
Wisconsin,  and  also  lumbering,  rafting  lumber 
down  the  Wisconsin  and  Mississippi  rivers.  He 
followed  this  occupation  for  ten  or  twelve  years. 
Having  been  trained  to  the  work  from 
the  age  of  fourteen  years.  In  1871  he 
removed  to  Woodbury  county,  Iowa,  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  Oto  purchased  a  farm.  In  the 
meantime,  in  Portage,  Wis.,  he  had  married 
Mary  McGann,  a  native  of  that  state,  and  after 
her  death  in  Iowa  in  1885  he  disposed  of  his 
farming  interests  and  returned  to  Wisconsin.  For 
the  ensuing  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  sawmill- 
ing  in  the  last-named  state,  when,  November  3, 
1887,  he  decided  to  seek  a  milder  climate  and  ac- 
cordingly came  to  Southern  California.  In  El 
Modena  he  engaged  in  teaming  for  three  weeks, 
when  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  permanently 
established  his  home  in  this  city.  After  one 
year  occupied  in  teaming  here  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Crocker  estate  of  San  Francisco, 
known  as  the  Long  Beach  Development  Company, 
engaging  as  foreman  of  the  construction  and 
later  as  collector  for  the  firm,  remaining  so 
occupied    for  thirteen   years.      The   organization 


sold  their  interests  to  the  Seaside  Water  Com- 
pany, after  which  Mr.  Thayer  resigned  his  posi- 
tion and  accepted  employment  as  foreman  for  a 
cement  contractor.  Shortly  afterward  he  en- 
gaged as  foreman  of  the  construction  for  the 
Citizens'  Water  Company,  just  then  organized, 
and  later  occupied  a  similar  position  with  the 
Inner  Harbor  Gas  Company,  reiaiuing  his  con- 
nection with  this  firm  since  Februar) ,  lyoO.  Mr. 
Thayer  has  also  taken  a  keen  interest  in  real 
estate  operations  in  this  city,  having  purchased  lots 
and  erected  four  houses  during  the  past. few  years. 
He  has  been  a  successful  business  man  in  all  his 
connections  here,  is  highly  esteemed  both  for  his 
business  qualities  and  the  stanch  integrity  of  his 
character,  and  justly  occupies  a  position  among 
the  representative  citizens. 

Air.  Thayer  had  five  children  by  his  first  wife : 
Guy,  a  farmer  in  Iowa ;  Edgar,  a  merchant  in 
Oto,  Iowa;  Cora  May,  wife  of  J.  II.  Morgan,  of 
Long  Beach;  Lydia  Ellen,  wife  of  Charles 
.Saunders,  of  Long  Beach,  and  Charles  Barnard, 
who  was  accidentally  killed.  In  Long  Beach, 
February  27,  1905,  Mr.  Thayer  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Hattie  (Gushing)  Gififord. 
She  is  a  native  of  Middleboro,  Mass.,  and  a 
daughter  of  Perez  Lincoln  Gushing,  the  latter 
born  in  Boston  of  an  old  New  England  ancestry. 
He  was  educated  for  the  ministry  and  during  the 
years  of  his  maturity  established  the  Gushing 
Family  School,  of  Middleboro  (now  known  as 
the  Eaton  Family  School).  He  brought  his 
family  to  California  in  1876  and  in  Santa  Bar- 
bara spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life.  By 
marriage  he  allied  himself  with  another  old  New 
England  family,  Lavinia  M.  Parker,  of  Caven- 
dish, Vt.,  becoming  his  wife.  Her  father  was 
Joseph  Parker,  a  prominent  farmer  of  that  sec- 
tion of  Vermont.  One  of  her  brothers,  Rev. 
H.  I.  Parker,  came  to  California  in  an  early  day 
and  in  Visalia,  Santa  Barbara.  Santa  Ana  and 
Riverside  organized  the  first  Baptist  churches. 
Mrs.  Thayer  was  tlie  only  child  born  to  her  par- 
ents. Until  she  was  sixteen  years  old  she  re- 
ceived her  education  in  her  native  state,  after 
w  hich  she  came  to  California  with  her  parents  and 
completed  her  education  in  Point  Loma  Sem- 
inary, in  San  Diego,  and  the  Santa  Barbara  Col- 
lege. Ill  Santa  Barbara  she  married  Nelson  D. 
Clifford,  a  native  of  Owego,  N.  Y.,  a  jeweler 
by  trade,  who  had  come  to  California  in  an 
early  day.  I^ter  they  removed  to  Santa  Ana 
and  in  1886  came  to  Long  Beach,  where  Mr.  Gif- 
ford  engaged  in  the  livery  business  for  some 
time.  His  death  occurred  in  Monrovia  Septem- 
ber 10,  1889.  She  had  two  children  by  this  mar- 
riage. Lavina  L.,  wife  of  Hugh  C.  Wilson,  and 
Maud  M.,  at  home.  By  her  second  marriage  she 
has  two  children,  Robert  Deloss  and  Juanita 
Edris.    Mr.  Thaver  is  associated  with  the  Prater- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


nal  Aid,  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  and 
was  made  a  Mason  in  Long  Beach  Lodge,  with 
which  he  still  affiliates.  With  his  wife  he  is  a 
member  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  this  city.  In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  and 
has  always  been  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  princi- 
ples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republi- 
can party. 


JACOB  LUDY.  In  no  state  of  the  Union, 
since  the  redemption  of  waste  lands,  and  the  es- 
tablishment of  quick  means  of  transportation,  is 
general  farming  carried  on  in  such  magnificent 
proportions,  and  with  so  much  profit,  as  in  Cali- 
fornia. Here  are  to  be  found  some  of  the  most 
active,  intelligent  and  progressive  agriculturists 
of  the  country,  men  whose  forethought,  wisdom 
and  good  judgment  have  been  instrumental  in 
bringing  about  this  condition  of  affairs.  Promi- 
nent among  this  number  are  men  of  foreign  birth 
and  breeding,  one  of  whom  is  Jacob  Ludy  of  this 
review,  formerly  a  prosperous  ranchman  of 
Rainbow,  San  Diego  county,  but  now  a  retired 
resident  of  Los  Angeles.  He  was  born  Decem- 
ber 15,  1848,  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  being- 
one  of  the  five  children  of  Christian  and  Cath- 
erine (Roeckerl  Ludy,  who  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  the  Fatherland,  and-  the  only  one  of  the 
family  that  ever  crossed  the  Atlantic  ocean. 

Receiving  a  practical  common  school  educa- 
tion in  his  native  country,  Jacob  Ludy  there  be- 
gan life  for  himself  as  a  teamster.  At  the  age 
of  twenty  years  he  left  home,  determined  to  try 
his  fortunes  in  America,  and  on  January  11, 
1869,  landed  in  New  York  City,  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land.  Going  directly  to  Ohio,  he  w£ts 
there  employed  in  teaming  until  1878,  when  he 
went  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  lived  for  ten 
years,  being  engaged  either  in  teaming  or  rail- 
roading. In  1888,  having  in  the  meantime  ac- 
cumulated some  capital,  he  came  across  the  con- 
tinent to  California,  and  for  six  months  was  a 
resident  of  Los  Angeles.  Locating  then  in  San 
Diego  county,  he  took  up  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  government  land,  from  which  he 
improved  a  good  ranch.  In  1892  he  removed 
to  the  Temecula  valley,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  his  chosen  calling  for  three  years.  The  en- 
suing three  years  he  was  engaged  in  general 
farming  on  the  Wolf  tract,  which  he  then  pur- 
chased, obtaining  title  to  thirteen  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  acres  of  land.  Adding  to  the  im- 
provements previously  inaugurated,  he  embarked 
in  general  farming  on  an  extensive  scale,  and 
meeting  with  excellent  success  as  a  raiser  of 
grain,  alfalfa  and  stock  bought  additional  land, 
increasing  the  size  of  his  farm  to  seventeen  hun- 
dred acres.  This  large  estate  he  sold  in  July, 
1905,  for  the  sum  of  $28,500,  but  he  still  owns 


considerable  land.  He  bought  a  ranch  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Rainbow  district 
where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
raising  grain  and  hay,  and  feeding  stock,  until 
his  retirement  in  the  fall  of  1906.  "This  property 
he  has  deeded  to  his  wife.  In  1905  he  purchased 
thirteen  acres  on  Central  avenue  which  is  stead- 
ily increasing  in  value. 

In  1869  Air.  Ludy  married  Christiana  Schu- 
man,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  has  ever  been  an 
able  assistant  in  all  his  farming  operations.  Of 
the  eleven  children  born  of  their  union  three 
died  in  infancy,  and  eight  are  living,  namely : 
Christian,  John,  Jacob  Frederick,  George,  Will- 
iam, Adam,  Katie  and  Lizzie.  Politically  Mr. 
Ludy  supports  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  religiously  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 


RICHARD  OUINN.  A  pioneer  of  Southern 
California,  Richard  Quinn  is  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  El  Monte  and  engaged  in  the  manage- 
ment of  a  small  ranch  of  eighteen  acres,  de- 
voted to  the  raising  of  walnuts.  He  was  born 
in  Ireland,  June  12,  1829,  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Jane  (Lomasney)  Quinn,  both  natives  of  Ire- 
land, where  they  both  died,  the  father  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years  and  the  mother  at  seventy-five ; 
they  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
but  two  are  living,  Richard,  of  this  review,  and 
Mrs.  Kate  Towne,  of  Oakland. 

Richard  Quinn  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools,  after 
which,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  came  to 
America  and  in  New  York  city  and  on  Long 
Island  did  general  work  for  a  brief  time.  He 
finally  enlisted  in  the  regular  army  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  becoming  a  soldier  in  Company  K.,  Eighth 
United  States  Infantry,  and  his  regiment  was 
immediately  sent  to  Texas  against  the  Indian 
uprising.  Fle  served  during  the  ensuing  five 
}-ears  in  El  Paso  and  Fort  Bliss,  doing  scout 
duty,  having  been  in  the  southwest  about  a 
year  when  Captain  Stanton  was  killed.  After 
five  years  he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Fort 
Stanton  because  of  disability,  having  been  wound- 
ed severly.  From  that  point  he  went  to  San 
Antonio,  Tex.,  and  engaged  in  teaming  for  the 
ensuing  three  vears,  and  in  i860  he  set  out  for 
California,  where  he  arrived  in  June  after  a 
series  of  mishaps  because  of  the  Indians.  In 
Los  Angeles  he  teamed  for  a  time  and  finally 
went  to  Wilmington  and  did  a  similar  work  for 
the  Banning  Company.  After  a  time  spent  in 
El  Monte  he  went  to' Santa  Clara  and  engaged 
in  well  boring,  having  learned  this  work  in 
Texas.  Returning  to  El  Monte  later  he  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  thirtv-four  acres;  he  has  since 
sold  sixteen  acres  of  this,  and  upon  the  remain- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


899 


ing  eighteen  acres  is  engaged  in  raising  walnuts. 
In  February,  1862,  Mr.  Quinn  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Slack,  a  native 
of  England,  and  born  of  this  union  were  twelve 
children,  one  of  whom  is  deceased :  Those  liv- 
ing are  as  follows:  Eliza  J.:  Clotildis,  wife  of 
Albert  Kerns,  of  Savannah;  Mary,  \\ife  of  John 
Lightfoot,  of  San  Bernanliim ;  Richard,  who 
married  Catherine  Sullivan  ;  Lillic,  wife  of  Rowan 
Thorpe,  of  Los  Angeles ;  William,  who  married 
Maud  Kazan!,  of  San  Diego;  Herbert;  Edith, 
wife  of  Edmund  Nicholson,  of  Los  Angeles ; 
Mabel :  Nita ;  and  Gladys.  Mr.  Quinn  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  in  religion  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  Church  at  San  Gabriel,  the 
oldest  church  in  the  state.  He  is  a  man  of  fine 
personality,  interesting  in  his  reminiscences  of 
the  pioneer  days,  and  proud  of  the  development 
which  has  taken  place  during  the  last  fifty  years 
in  California.  He  is  specially  interested  on  all 
educational  affairs,  having  given  the  best  ad- 
vantages possible  to  his  own  children  and  con- 
stantly advocating  the  establishment  and  main- 
tenance of  s:ood  schools  throughout  the  countrv. 


WILLIAM  H.  BUTTERS.  Thorough 
business  training  under  the  supervision  of  his 
lather  and  the  ad\antages  of  educational  facil- 
ities in  institutions  of  high  merit,  supplement- 
ing natural  abilities  of  a  superior  order,  en- 
abled Mr.  Butters  to  take  rank  among  the 
most  influential  men  of  Long  Beach,  where  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  March  16,  1907,  he  was 
senior  member  of  the  Butters  &  Paul  Invest- 
ment Company,  Inc.  Doubtless  he  inherited 
his  ability  in  a  large  degree  from  his  father, 
Horace  11.  Butters,  wlio  was  an  extensive  lum- 
ber merchant,  and  a  man  of  prominence  in  the 
lumber  circles  of  Michigan,  known  and  hon- 
ored for  his  long-identification  with  the  lum- 
ber interests  of  the  state  and  for  the  high 
principles  of  honor  displayed  in  his  e\ery  bus- 
iness transaction.  To  an}'  community,  the 
passing  of  such  a  man  is  a  calamity,  and  there 
were  many  who  mourned,  with  a  sense  of  per- 
sonal loss,  the  death  of  this  successful  lumber- 
man, which  occurred  in  May,  1905.  when  he 
was  seventy-three  years  of  age. 

At  the  family  homestead  in  Michigan  W^ill- 
iam  H.  Butters  was  born  November  23,  1866, 
and  in  the  neighboring  schools  he  received  his 
primary  education.  It  was  his  good  fortune 
to  later  attend  ilu-  '  Morgan  Park  Military 
Academy,  Northwi'stcrn  rni\-ersity  at  Evans- 
ton,  and  the  Spencerian  I'.usiness  College  at 
Milwaukee.  ^Vis.,  in  all  of  which  institutions 
he  availed  himself  of  the  excellent  ooportuni- 
ties  offered.  For  ten  vears  he  remained  near 
A\^ilmington,   N.   C  ,  where  he  had   the   super- 


vision of  a  branch  of  his  father's  business,  and 
there  he  met  with  more  than  ordinary  success 
in  managing  the  diverse  interests  under  his 
care.  C^n  the  closing  out  of  that  place  he  re- 
turned north  and  then  went  to  the  mines  of 
the  northwest,  where  for  five  years  he  tried 
his  luck  at  mining  in  Washington  and  Idaho. 
At  the  expiration  of  the  period  named  he 
came  to  Southern  California,  settled  in  Los 
Angeles,  and  took  up  the  real  estate  business 
as  an  avenue  of  employment,  remaining  there 
until  his  removal  to  Long  Beach.  After  his 
location  here  he  organized  the  Butters  & 
Paul  Investment  Company.  Inc.,  with  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  $TOO,ooo,  the  Strand  Investment 
Company,  with  a  capita!  stock  of  $50,000,  be- 
ing president  of  both  companies,  while  he  was 
vice-president  of  the  Inner  Harbor  Land  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  capital  stock  $100,000,  also  director 
of  the  State  Bank  of  Long  Beach.  In  addi- 
tion lo  his  other  interests  ]\Ir.  Butters  owned 
and  managed  the  Strand  apartment  building 
on  the  beach,  Vv-jiere  he  was  living  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  -»Irs.  Butters  was  in  maiden- 
hood Miss  Ada  Edw-irds.  and  was  born  in 
Louisiana,  but  during  girlhood  went  to  A'ir- 
ginia,  her  marriage  occurring  in  Alexandria, 
that  state. 

The  Republican  party  received  the  support 
of  Mr.  Butters  in  local  and  general  elections, 
but  aside  from  voting  he  took  little  part  in 
political  acti\ities  and  could  not  be  called  a 
partisan  in  any  sense  of  that  word.  As  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  Club  he  was 
identified  with  one  of  the  leading  social  or- 
ganizations of  the  place.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Alichigan  he  was  prominent  in  Ma- 
sonry, holding  membership  in  Pere  Mar- 
.quette  Lodge  No.  299,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Lud- 
ington ;  Lndington  Chapter  No.  92,  R.  A.  M. ; 
Apollo  Commandery  No.  31,  K.  T.,  at  Lud- 
ington :  and  Oasis  Temple,  at  Charlotte,  N. 
C,  whiile  after  going  to  the  northwest  he 
was  raised  to  the  consistory  degree  in 
Oriental  Consistory  No.  2,  at  Spokane, 
Wash.  Widely  traveled,  a  man  of  keen  ob- 
servation and  logical  faculties  of  reasoning,  he 
had  utilized  every  advantage  and  in  this  way 
acquired  a  breadth  of  information  surpassed 
bv  few  men  of  his  local  it  v. 


EDWARD  GRANVILLE.  Facilities  for 
travel  by  railroad  between  San  Diego  and  Es- 
condido  are  lacking  to  such  an  extent  that  many 
travelers  prefer  to  avail  themselves  of  the  ad- 
vantages' offered  by  the  stage  line  running  be- 
tween the  two  cities  by  way  of  Poway.  The 
future  development  of  the  railroad  system  in 
San    Diego   countx'    will    witness  many    improve- 


900 


HISTORICAL  AMD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ments;  towns  will  be  brought  into  closer  con- 
tact through  the  ramifications  of  railroads  yet 
to  be  constructed,  and  land  value  will  be  in- 
creased b)-  reason  of  the  advantages  offered  for 
the  marketing  of  produce.  However,  at  the 
present  time,  pending  such  development  as  the 
twentieth  century  may  bring,  the  excellent  equip- 
ment of  the  stage  line  brings  to  the  people  ad- 
vantages of  great  desirability.  The  success  of  the 
line  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  the  president,  John 
Granville,  Jr.,  who  resides  in  San  Diego,  and  the 
secretary  and  general  manager,  Edward  Gran- 
ville, who  attends  to  the  Escondido  end  of  the 
line.  The  entire  distance  of  thirty-five  miles  is 
easily  covered  in  one  day  without  weariness  of 
body  to  the  passengers.  In  addition  to,  and  in 
connection  with,  the  stage  line,  Mr.  Granville 
conducts  a  livery  barn  at  Escondido,  having 
opened  the  same  November  i,  1904,  since  which 
time  he  has  slowly  but  steadily  increased  his 
equipment  of  horses  and  vehicles  suited  to  the 
wants  of  the  public. 

Born  in  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  October  7, 
1870,  Edward  Granville  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Gillmartin)  Granville,  natives  respect- 
ively of  England  and  Ireland,  but  residents  of 
the  United  States  from  early  childhood.  After 
their  marriage  in  New  York  they  engaged  in 
the  nursery  business  in  Orange  county,  but  about 
1872  removed  west  as  far  as  Kansas  and  began 
to  grow  nursery  stock  at  Topeka.  After  a  res- 
idence of  fourteen  years  in  Kansas  they  came  to 
California  in  1886  and  settled  in  San  Diego, 
where  they  still  make  their  home.  The  earliest 
recollections  of  Edward  Granville  are  associ- 
ated with  Kansas,  where  he  received  his  edu- 
cation in  grammar  and  high  schools.  On  com- 
ing to  California  in  1887  he  secured  employ- 
ment in  San  Diego  and  in  1901  he  became  in-: 
terested  in  the  stage  line,  which  two  years  later 
was  incorporated  with  his  brother  as  president 
and  himself  as  secretary.  Outside  of  the  man- 
agement of  the  stage  line  and  the  livery  barn,  he 
finds  leisure  for  participation  in  social  affairs 
and  fraternal  organizations,  is  a  welcomed  guest 
in  the  most  select  circles  of  Escondido,  and  is  an 
active  worker  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
American  Order  of  Foresters.  All  movements 
for  the  upbuilding  of  Escondido  receive  his  stanch 
support  and  his  co-operation  is  always  relied  up- 
on in  matters  for  the  public  welfare.  September 
15,  1906,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Bessie 
May  Bevington,  a  native  of  San  Diego  county. 


FRANK  G.  THOMPSON.  The  business  in- 
terests of  Escondido  have  a  representative  in  Mr. 
Thompson,  who  for  a  considerable  period  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  town  and  a  leading  factor 
in  its  commercial  development.     During  the  early 


years  of  his  residence  here  he  confined  his  atten- 
tion to  the  livery  business,  but  more  recently  he 
has  also  became  the  properietor  of  an  under- 
taking establishment,  has  established  and  main- 
tained the  transfer  business  of  the  town,  and 
also  maintains  a  sample  room  for  the  conven- 
ience of  commercial  travelers.  In  addition  to 
his  possessions  in  his  home  town  he  retains  land 
in  Minnesota,  is  interested  in  the  oil  wells  of 
Kern  county,  CaL,  and  also  owns  interests  in 
San   Bernardino   county. 

Born  in  Leroy,  Mower  county,  Minn.,  July  8, 
1866,  Mr.  Thompson  is  of  New  England  ancestry. 
His  parents,  Isaac  and  Hattie  (Brayj  Thomp- 
son, were  natives  of  Maine  and  Vermont  re- 
spectively and  the  father  was  a  miller  by  trade. 
Attracted  to  the  west  by  the  discovery  of  gold, 
he  came  from  his  eastern  home  by  way  of  the 
Horn  to  San  Francisco  in  1850  and  proceeded 
from  that  city  to  the  mines  at  Marysville.  For 
ten  years  he  engaged  in  the  dairy  business  and 
in  the  butcher's  trade,  selling  meat  and  butter  to 
the  miners.  On  his  return  to  Maine  about  i860 
he  married  Miss  Bray  and  removed  with  his 
young  wife  to  Minnesota,  where  he  became  pro- 
prietor of  a  mill  at  Kingston,  Meeker  county. 
Later  he  removed  to  Leroy,  Mower  county,  and 
there  his  death  occurred  in  November  of  1904. 
at  seventy-three  years  of  age."  His  wife  had 
passed  away  in  July,  1898,  when  sixty-five  years 
of  age. 

The  schools  of  Leroy  afforded  Frank  G. 
Thompson  fair  educational  advantages,  but  his 
broad  knowledge  of  mankind  has  been  gained 
through  habits  of  close  observation  rather  than 
from  the  study  of  text-books.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  he  left  home  and  started  out  to 
earn  his  own  livelihood,  first  going  to  the  Da- 
kotas,  where  he  remained  for  four  months.  Not 
satisfied  with  prospects  there,  he  decided  to  come 
to  the  coast.  During  August,  1886,  he  arrived 
at  Oleander,  Fresno  county,  CaL,  and  soon  se- 
cured employment  in  horticultural  pursuits.  Af- 
ter a  time,  in  recognition  of  his  efficiency,  he 
was  made  manager  of  the  Newhall  vineyard  and 
orchard,  which  position  he  held  until  he  resigned 
in  November,  1890,  on  the  occasion  of  his  re- 
moval to  San  Diego  county.  Since  coming  to 
Escondido  he  has  built  up  a  livery  of  about 
twenty-five  head  of  horses,  with  every  kind  of 
vehicle  needed  by  those  who  travel  on  the  pleasent 
roads  of  San  Diego  county.  In  July,  1904,  he 
purchased  the  J.  H.  Sampson  undertaking  busi- 
ness, which  he  runs  in  conection  with  the  livery 
business. 

In  Leroy,  ]\Iinn.,  the  marriage  of  'Sir.  Thomp- 
son occurred  December  21,  1898,  to  Louise  C. 
Hambrecht,  who  was  a  native  of  that  place,  born 
December  18,  1866.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of 
pleasant    address  and  genial  manner,  one  whose 


^.  /^  ^^^izfe^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


903 


good  fortune  it  is  to  be  liked  and  respected  by 
the  people,  and  one  whose  standing  in  business 
circles  is  as  substantial  as  his  uprightness  is 
unquestioned. 


ROBERT  RANSON  CHRISTIE.  Among 
the  most  successful  real-estate  dealers  in 
Long  Beach  is  Robert  Ran.son  Christie,  who 
has  been  engaged  in  business  in  this  city  since 
August,  1904.  His  family  is  of  original  Scotch 
extraction,  although  his  ancestors  came  to 
America  in  an  early  da3\  the  grandfather,  Is- 
rael, who  was  born  in  Virginia,  having  fought 
in  the  war  of  1812.  That  the  race  is  an  unus- 
ually strong  and  vigorous  one  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  this  man  became  the  father  of 
fifteen  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity 
and  married.  Rev.  Jeffrey  B.  Christie,  the 
father  of  Robert  Ranson,  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, who  later  removed  to  Daviess  county, 
?'.To.,  and  settled  on  a  farm  from  which  he  made 
his  living,  while  he  gave  his  services  as  a  Bap- 
tist minister  to  the  church  of  that  denomination 
gratis.  He  died  in  Missouri  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-nine years,  survived  by  his  wife,  who  re- 
sides in  Bagdad,  Ky.,  at  the  present  time.  She 
was  in  maidenhood  ?iliss  Bohannon,  daughter 
of  Henry  Bohannon.  who  was  secretary 
of  Georgetown  (Ky.)  College  at  the 
time  of  his  death  :  he  served  in  the  legislature 
of  that  state  many  times.  The  great-grand- 
father on  the  maternal  side,  Rev.  Abram 
Cook,  was  a  Baptist  minister,  and  a  member 
of  a  pioneer  family  of  Kentucky  which  fought 
the  Indians  and  assisted  in  making  the  coun- 
try a  safe  one  in  which  to  make  a  home.  Four 
generations  ago  the  family  removed  to  Mis- 
souri. 

The  oldest  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  five 
of  whom  are  now  living.  Robert  R.  Christie 
was  born  August  23,  1846,  in  Bagdad,  Shelby 
county,  Ky.,  and  from  the  age  of  seven  years 
was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Missouri. 
He  attended  the  public  schools  and  remained 
at  home  until  twenty  years  old.  then  engaged 
in  independent  farming  operations  for  three 
years,  after  which  he  conducted  a  general  mer- 
chandise business  in  Newcastle,  then  in  Pat- 
tonsburg  (both  in  Missouri),  disposing  of  his 
business  in  the  latter  place  in  1876  to  engage 
in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  black  walnut 
lumber.  Removing  to  Tacoma,  Wash.,  in 
1883  he  established  himself  in  the  real-estate 
business  there  and  also  became  interested  in 
property  and  mines  in  British  Columbia.  The 
year  1902  found  him  in  San  Francisco  en- 
gaged in  dealing  m  real  estate,  and  in  August 
'1Q04,  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  continued  in 
the  same  business  here.     He  has  platted  sev- 


eral divisions,  among  them  being  the  Junc- 
tion Park  tract,  and  has  interests  in  a  number 
of  syndicate  corporations  and  acreage  tracts ; 
is  president  of  the  .Seaview  Land  and  Watei 
Company,  the  Farm  Lot  Improvement  Com- 
jmnj'  and  the  Commercial  Land  Company.  He 
was  an  organizer  and  is  treasurer  of  the  Long 
Beach  Asbestos  Company,  owning  asbestos 
mines  on  a  mountain  of  four  thousand  feet  ele- 
vation in  Placer  county,  from  which  samples 
of  the  best  asbestos  in  America  have  been 
taken.  The  location  is  but  a  short  distance 
from  Towle  Station  on  the  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  and  the  company  will  build  a  fac- 
tory in  Sacramento  at  no  distant  date. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Christie  was  made  a  Mason 
in  Pattonsburg  Lodge  No.  65,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  Tacoma  Lodge  No.  68. 
AVhile  in  Missouri  he  was  elected  tax  collector 
of  his  district,  serving  two  terms,  and  refused 
a  third  nomination.  He  was  active  in  church 
circles,  being  president  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  a  teacher  in 
the  Sunday-school,  and  a  leader  in  the  for- 
warding of  all  branches  of  work  in  his  de- 
nomination. His  first  marriage  occurred  in 
February,  1867,  in  Daviess  county.  Mo.,  unit- 
ing him  with  Miss  Lucy  M.  Stewart,  Avho 
died  in  Tacoma.  By  his  second  marriage,  in 
the  latter  city.  Miss  l\Tary  H.  Hynds,  a  native 
of  Nova  Scotia,  became  his  wife.  A  man  of 
liberal  ideas,  straightforward,  conscientious 
and  enterprising,  he  is  held  in  high  esteem  by 
all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


MORITZ  REIMANN.  Ventura  county  can 
lay  claim  to  no  more  enterprising  citizen  than  is 
found  in  Mr.  Reimann,  as  all  will  agree  who 
are  familiar  with  the  transformation  which  his 
ranch  has  undergome  during  the  past  eleven 
years.  His  first  purchase  of  land  consisted  of 
sevent>--five  acres  near  Oxnard,  devoid  of  any 
improvement  whatever,  but  the  location  was  an 
exceptional  one  and  he  began  its  improvement 
and  cultivation  with  such  determination  that  in 
a  comparatively  short  time  he  was  ready  to  in- 
clude more  land  in  his  ranch  in  order  to  carry 
out  the  plans  which  he  had  formulated.  Tliis 
necessity  resulted  in  the  purchase  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  acres  of  adjoining  land, 
the  whole  uniting  to  form  one  of  the  finest  es- 
tates in  Ventura  county.  The  entire  acreage 
is  in  cultivation,  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
being  in  lima  beans,  while  the  remainder  is  in 
beets  and  barle>-. 

A  native  of  Germany,  Moritz  Reimann  was 
I'orn  in  Hanover  February  24,  1867,  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Schneider)  Reimann,  the 


904 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


parents  also  being-  natives  of  Hanover.  Leaving 
the  Fatlierland  in  1881  Joseph  Reimann  was 
among  the  passengers  who  landed  in  San  Fran- 
cisco m  May  of  that  year,  he  haying  started  for 
the  new  world  in  advance  of  his  family  in  order 
to  select  a  location  in  which  to  bring  up  his 
children.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year 
the  mother  and  the  children  left  Germany  on  a 
vessel  bound  for  New  York  City,  and  were  an- 
chored in  the  port  of  the  latter  city  November 
19,  1 88 1.  They  went  by  rail  from  New  York  to 
Los  Angeles,  there  taking  the  stage  route  to  the 
Santa  Clara  valley,  where  the  father  awaited 
them.  Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  his 
location  in  the  new  world  his  earth  life  came 
to  a  close  on  his  ranch  in  Ventura  county,  his 
death  occurring,  when  he  was  in  his  sixty-sev- 
enth year.  His  widow  is  still  living  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six,  and  she  now  makes  her  home  in 
the   family  of  Jacob   Seckinger,  her  son-in-law. 

Aloritz  Reimann  was  a  lad  of  fourteen  \ears 
when  with  his  mother  and  the  cither  children 
he  came  to  the  United  States.  Prior  to  leav- 
ing his  native  land  he  had  received  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  commr-n  'ichrols  nf  Hanover,  so 
that  upon  taking  up  hi^  ixsiikticc  in  tliis  cuun- 
try  he  was  in  a  positiiiu  tn  gi\c  his  ^ei\icc.-.  to 
his  father  in  the  work  connected  witli  eslaljlish- 
ing  a  home  in  a  new  country.  For  ten  years 
he  shared  the  labor  and  respensibilities  of  main- 
tammg  the  homestead,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  struck  out  in  the  world  on  his  own  behalf 
by  renting  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Ven- 
tura county.  Four  years  in  the  capacity  of  a 
renter  made  him  ambitious  to  expend  his  labors 
on  a  ranch  of  his  own,  and  led  to  the  purchase 
of  the  nucleus  of  his  present  ranch  in  Ventura 
county.  As  has  been  stated  previously  the  ranch 
comprises  two  hundred  acres,  which  with  the 
well-tilled  fields,  necessary  ranch  buildings  and 
modern  ten-room  house  recently  erected  combine 
to  form  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  up-to- 
date   ranches   in  Ventura   county. 

November  19,  1891,  was  the  date  of  the  mar- 
riage of  Moritz  Reimann  aiid  Anna  Scholle,  a 
sister  of  John  Scholle,  in  whose  sketch,  found 
elsewhere  in  this  vohune,  an  account  of  the  fam- 
ily history  is  given.  Two  children  have  blessed 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reimann,  Anna 
and  Emma,  to  whom  the  parents  are  giving  ev- 
ery advantage  within  their  means  to  bestow. 
The  family  are  communicants  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  politically  Mr.  Reimami  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 


STEPHEN  DECATUR  THURMAN.  No 
resident  of  El  Monte  is  better  known  than  Mr. 
Thurman,  and  this  fact  is  but  the  natural  se- 
quence to  his  close  connection  with  various  im- 


portant local  enterprises  and  organizations.  Since 
he  came. here  in  childhood  this  place  has  been 
his  home  with  the  exception  of  eleven  years 
spent  in  Tehachapi  in  the  cattle  business,  and 
;n  his  years  of  manhood  he  has  proven  himself 
an  important  factor  in  the  development  of  the 
rich  resources  of  this  region.  His  father,  John 
Thurman,  was  the  pioneer;  the  elder  man  was  a 
native  of  Scotland,  whence  he  immigrated  to 
America  and  became  a  farmer  in  Tennessee.  He 
also  engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  in  Pike- 
ville,  Bledsoe  county,  in  connection  with  his 
farming  and  stock  raising.  Removing  to  Ar- 
kansas in  1849  he  was  located  near  Little  Rock 
for  three  years,  when,  in  1852,  he  crossed  the 
plains  with  ox-teams  and  after  seven  months 
and  ten  days  arrived  in  California.  Their  jour- 
ney was  fraught  with  trouble,  Mr.  Thurman's 
wife  dying  at  Copper  Mines,  on  the  Verde  river, 
while  they  had  several  skirmishes  with  the  In- 
dians, one  at  Oatman  Flat,  where  the  party, 
(which  included  various  men  prominent  toda}- 
in  Los  Angeles,  among  them  Dr.  Alayes,  Jack 
King  and  others),  discovered  the  charred  re- 
mains of  the  Oatman  family  which  had  been 
burned  by  the  Apaches.  On  the  1 5th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1852,  Mr.  Thurman's  party  arrived  at  the 
Puente  fanch,  where  he  sold  his  cattle,  and  from 
this  location  they  went  to  Tuolumne  county,  Cal., 
where  Mr.  Thurman  worked  in  the  mines.  While 
there  the  entire  family  suffered  with  the  small- 
pox. Finally  returning  to  Los  Angeles  county, 
Air.  Thurman  bought  a  squatter's  right  to  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  for  $175,  and 
this  he  farmed  for  one  year  then  sold  for  $3,500. 
Purchasing  land  on  the  San  Bernardino  road  just 
across  from  the  present  site  of  the  creamer}-,  he 
remained  in  that  location  until  1868,  when  he 
bought  the  Willow  Grove  ranch  and  improved  it. 
expending  about  $15,000  for  the  fifty-eight  acres, 
the  building  of  a  hotel  known  as  the  Willow 
Grove  hotel,  the  equipment  of  an  overland  stage 
route,  etc.  His  death  occurred  in  1876,  at  the  age 
of  sixt}--eight  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  a  prominent 
man  in  all  public  aflfairs,  and  a  citizen  who 
sought  zealously  to  uphold  the  common  weal  of 
the  community.  His  wife  was  formerly  Miss 
Lettie  Lamb,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  They  be- 
cam.e  the  parents  of  six  sons  and  two  daughters : 
Nellie,  Mrs.  Hicks,  who  died  in  Fresno ;  Mar- 
garet, ]\Irs.  Swagert,  who  died  in  El  Monte  in 
1864;  Frank,  who  died  in  El  Monte;  Ephraim, 
wh.o  died  in  Tuolumne  countv  in  1852 ;  Monroe, 
a  resident  of  Pon-iona :  Stephen  D. ;  Alexander, 
a  resident  of  Burnett,  Los  Angeles  county,  and 
John,  a  resident  of  Downey,  same  county. 

Stephen  Decatur  Thurman  was  born  in  Bled- 
soe county,  Tenn.,  December  25,  1843,  was  taken 
by  his  parents  in  childhood  to  Arkansas,  thence 


/^@ 


CL^u-ajt-..-^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOCRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


f)'07 


in  1852  crossing  tht  plains  to  California,  during 
most  of  which  trip  he  walked.  They  were  three 
(lays  and  nights  crossing  the  desert,  a  portion 
of  their  journey  which  J\lr.  Thurman  will  never 
forget  because  of  its  hardships.  Following  their 
arrival  in  Los  Angeles  county  was  the  trip  to 
Tuolumne  county,  where  the  father  mined,  while 
there  they  were  all  ill  with  smallpox,  and  a  visit 
from  a  physician  just  across  the  street  cost  them 
$50.  After  their  return  to  El  Monte  Mr.  Thur- 
man attended  the  public  schools  and  alternated 
this  witli  his  home  studies  as  the  son  of  a  farmer. 
His  first  employment  in  young  manhood  was  on 
the  old  Briggs  ranch,  where  he  put  in  twenty-one 
years,  engaged  in  general  farming  and  dairying, 
receiving  a  commission  on  his  work  during  the 
entire  time  he  was  thus  employed.  With  his  em- 
ployer he  planted  the  first  orchard  ever  set  out  in 
El  Monte,  one  tree  of  which  is  still  standing.  In 
1868  he  purchased  a  ranch  of  eighty  acres  for 
$500  just  south  of  El  Monte,  farmed  it  for  one 
year  when  he  sold  it  for  $1,500,  with  which  he 
iDOUght  one  hundred  and  fifty  fine  cows,  and  then 
went  to  Tehachapi  to  engage  in  the  cattle  busi- 
ness. He  continued  this  occupation  for  eleven 
years,  but  not  meeting  with  the  success  antici- 
pated he  finally  gave  it  up  and  returning  to  El 
Monte  in  1876  bought  forty  acres  of  land  near 
town  for  $1,500,  which  property  he  has  since  con- 
ducted satisfactorily.  It  is  set  out  in  walnuts 
and  alfalfa. 

In  Kern  county,  Cal.,  Mr.  Thurman  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Xancy  M.  Beck,  January 
I,  1866.  She  was  born  in  Willows  Creek,  Collin 
county,  Texas,  a  daughter  of  John  Beck,  who 
brought  his  family  across  the  plains  in  1854  and 
engaged  in  farming,  now  li\'ing  retired  in  San 
Jose,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years. 
She  died  in  i8gi,  leaving  the  following  children: 
Allie,  Mrs.  Crowder,  of  Fresno;  John  R..  a 
miner  of  Searchlight,  Xev. ;  Annie,  wife  of 
Alexander  Elliott,  of  El  Monte ;  Ephraim,  of 
Searchlight,  Xev. :  Jeft'erson.  at  home ;  Neal  and 
William,  of  San  Diego;  Katie,  of  Los  Angeles; 
Mattic.  of  El  Monte;  Lettie,  Mrs.  McCoy,  of 
El  Monte,  and  Stephen,  of  San  Diego.  Mr. 
Thurman's  second  union  occurred  in  Pomona 
September  15,  i8q6,  and  united  him  with  Miss 
Electa  Dickinson,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  the 
descendant  of  an  old  colonial  family  of  that  sec- 
tion. She  is  a  member  of  the  United  Daugh- 
ters of  the  Confederacy,  and  the  F.  F.  V.  She  is 
also  descended  from  Revolutionary  stock. 

Mr.  Thurman  is  a  strong  Democrat  politi- 
cally and  seeks  to  advance  the  principles  he  en- 
dorses. He  is  prominent  on  all  matters  of  public 
import,  was  elected  in  1894  school  trustee  of  Fl 
Monte,  and  has  been  re-elected  every  year  since 
with  the  exception  of  one  term.  Fraternally  he 
is   identified  with   the   .\ncient   Order  of  United 


Workmen,  of  which  he  is  past  master;  by  reason 
of  his  early  residence  in  the  state  he  is  prom- 
inent in  the  Society  of  Los  Angeles  County 
Pioneers. 


BEX  DAVIES  was  known  throughout  the 
Pacific  coast  country  as  a  man  of  superior 
judgment  in  the  breeding  and  care  of  horses, 
which  occupation,  combined  with  ranching, 
claimed  his  attention  for  a  number  of  years. 
Born  in  Utah,  March  3,  1853,  he  was  brought 
to  California  when  six  months  old,  and  there- 
after made  his  home  in  this  state,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  years  while  interested  in  a  trad- 
ing post  in  Arizona.  The  parents,  William 
and  Mary  (Rabol)  Davies,  both  natives  of 
England,  came  to  America,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  made  their  home  in  L^tah,  coming  to 
California  in  1853  with  the  customary  ox- 
teams.  With  his  father  Ben  Davies  built  the 
first  flour  mill  in  San  Bernardino,  the  former 
finally  giving  up  the  business  to  serve  as  sher- 
ifif  of  San  Bernardino  county,  and  thereafter 
the  son  conducted  the  business  for  thirty 
years.  The  father's  death  in  1901  removed  from 
the  community  a  man  of  forceful  character, 
energetic  in  private  and  public  life,  and  active 
in  the  maintenance  and  upbuilding  of  the  coun- 
try's best  interests.  He  served  in  the  Indian 
war  while  a  resident  of  Utah.  His  wife  passed 
away  sonu-  years  prior  to  his  death  at  the  age 
uf  fifty-six  \ears. 

One  of  a  family  of  five  children,  Ben  Davies 
was  reared  to  young  manhood  in  San  Bernar- 
dino county,  receiving  his  education  in  public 
and  private  schools,  after  which,  in  young  man- 
hood, he  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  flour 
mill.  Removing  to  Arizona,  he  was  for  two 
years  associated  with  the  interests  of  a  trading 
post  at  both  Phoenix  and  Camp  McDowell, 
and  while  in  that  state  he  also  conducted  a 
hotel.  Returning  to  California  he  engaged  in 
a  grocery  business  in  San  Bernardino  for  tw'o 
years,  when  he  disposed  of  these  interests  and 
for  the  ensuing  ten  years  was  occupied  as  a 
clerk  in  a  like  concern.  In  the  meantime,  and 
even  before  going  to  Arizona,  he  had  become 
interested  in  the  breeding  of  fine  horses.  Upon 
withdrawing  from  mercantile  pursuits  he  lo- 
cated upon  a  ranch  of  fift3--six  acres,  given 
over  entirely  to  hav  and  pasture  land,  and 
thereafter  devoted  his  attention  to  the  raising 
of  horses.  He  owned  some  magnificent 
samples  of  equine  flesh,  having  refused  $5,000 
for  his  stud,  Zolock,  who  has  a  record  of  2  :o5l4- 
while  he  also  owned  the  filly,  Delilah,  who  has 
a  record  of  a  quarter  mile  in  twenty-eight  sec- 
onds in  harness,  in  1904  holding  the  fastest 
record  as  a  two-vear-old  in  the  world.    Besides 


908 


HISTORICAT,  AND  BIOGRAPHIC, \L  RF.CORD. 


Exchange  and  Izalco,  four  and  three  years  old, 
he  also  owned  four  fine  mares.  Mr.  Davies  ac- 
quired a  high  reputation  for  his  unerring  judg- 
ment in  the  matter  of  an  animal's  fine  points, 
and  was  regarded  as  a  leader  in  this  line  of 
work. 

Mr.  Davies  established  domestic  ties  through 
his  marriage  in  1873  with  Miss  Arabelle  Whit- 
low, a  native  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  five  children,  two  of  whom 
died  in  infancv.  Those  now  living  are  :  Mabel, 
Mrs.  N.  A.  Richardson,  and  Lelah,  Mrs.  Will- 
iam Whitlow,  both  daughters  residing  in  San 
Bernardino ;  and  Violet,  at  home.  Mr.  Davies 
was  associated  fraternally  with  the  Foresters 
of  San  Bernardino,  and  politically  adhered  to 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  as  did 
his  father  also.  The  charities  of  the  Christian 
Church  are  supported  by  the  family,  of  which 
denomination  Mrs.  Davies  is  a  member.  Mr. 
Davies  passed  away  at  his  home  near  San 
Bernardino  January  11,  1907. 


HENSON  POLAND.  No  name  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Lompoc  is  more  familiar  to  its  residents 
and  to  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country 
than  that  of  Henson  Poland,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  company  that  bought  and  platted  .the  vil- 
lage of  Lompoc  and  ever  since  has  held  a  prom- 
inent position  as  public-spirited  citizen,  popular 
local  official,  business  man  and  rancher.  In  the 
improving  of  city  real  estate  he  has  been  active 
and  now  owns  five  town  blocks  covering  twenty- 
five  acres,  in  addition  to  which  he  owns  fifty 
acres  of  ranch  property.  The  land  is  leased  to 
parties  who  engage  in  r,aising  beans  and  mus- 
tard, while  the  work  of  caring  for  his  thirty 
acres  of  apple  trees  is  also  put  into  the  hands  of 
others,  although  he  gives  the  property  his  care- 
ful oversight  and  capable  supervision. 

The  Poland  family  is  of  Virginian  ancestrv 
and  Henson  was  born  in  Randolph  county  in 
what  is  now  West  Virginia,  December  13,  1838, 
being  a  son  of  Henry  C.  and  Ann  (Vansky  1 
Poland,  natives  of  West  Virginia.  His  grand- 
mother was  a  Miss  Grimes,  member  of  a  family 
that  became  prominent  in  the  pioneer  history 
of  Missouri.  During  1844  Henry  C.  Poland  took 
his  family  to  Missouri,  where  he  followed  the 
same  lines  of  activity  as  in  the  Old  Dominion, 
viz. :  the  raising  of  tobacco  and  of  stock.  His 
wife  passed  away  when  thirty-eight  years  of  age, 
but  he  survived  her  for  many  years  and  lived 
to  be  seventy-two.  They  were  tlie  parents  of 
ten  children,  of  whom  Henson  was  the  third  in 
order  of  birth.  When  a  small  child  he  was  taken 
to  Chariton  county.  Mo.,  in  1844,  and  there 
passed  his  boyhood  days  on  the  home  farm  of 
two    hundred   and    ninetv-two    acres,    on    which 


were  raised  tobacco  and  general  farm  products. 
When  not  assisting  in  the  cultivation  of  the  land 
he  was  sent  to  a  subscription  school  in  the  neigh- 
borhood and  later  he  was  given  special  advan- 
tages at  Brunswick  Academy  and  Bluff  high 
school.  The  latter  institution  was  founded  by 
Thomas  M.  Crowder,  a  graduate  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia. 

On  the  completion  of  his  education  Mr.  Poland 
began  to  teach  school  in  Prairie  township  at  what 
is  now  Salisbury,  Chariton  county.  Mo.,  but  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  caused  the  closing 
of  the  school.  Stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the 
Union  cause,  it  was  his  desire  to  enlist  in  the 
northern  army,  but  his  parents,  who  were  de- 
voted southern  sympathizers,  opposed  him  in  the 
matter  with  such  earnestness  that  he  relinquished 
his  ambition  in  deference  to  their  entreaties. 
However,  he  paid  the  way  of  a  substitute  whom 
he  sent  into  the  Union  army.  Not  wishing  to 
remain  longer  in  a  neighborhood  where  the  war 
was  arousing  such  bitterness  of  feeling,  he  de- 
parted for  New  York  and  there  boarded  a  ves- 
sel for  California  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
arriving  in  San  Francisco  April  28,  1863.  A 
brief  experience  on  a  ranch  in  San  Joaquin 
county  was  followed  by  four  months  in  the  mines 
at  Soledad,  Ariz.,  and  in  1864  he  returned  to 
California,  settling  in  Santa  Cruz  county,  where 
for  six  years  he  engaged  in-  furnishing  lime  kilns 
and  the  California  Powder  Company  with  tim- 
ber for  fuel.  The  last-named  organization  .em- 
ployed him  as  manager  in  1870  and  on  his  re- 
tirement from  that  position  he  received  the  high- 
est tributes  of  praise  from  his  employers  for  his 
excellent  work  in  their  behalf. 

After  coming  to  Lompoc  in  the  fall  of  1874 
Mr.  Poland  was  a  member  of  the  syndicate  that 
bought  the  Lompoc  ranch  of  forty-six  thousand 
five  hundred  acres,  and  he  was  foremost  in  the 
founding  of  the  village,  whose  growth  was  aided 
by  his  influence  and  liberality.  In  1888  he  leased 
two  hundred  acres  of  grain  land  and  set  out  one 
thousand  trees  of  deciduous  fruit,  mainly  apples, 
pears  and  plums.  After  having  served  for  one 
year  as  town  clerk,  in  April  of  i88q  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  by  President  Harrison  and 
entered  upon  his  duties  the  ist  of  July,  fitting 
out  an  office  at  his  own  expense  and  receiving 
only  $400  in  salary.  At  the  expiration  of  eight- 
een months  the  salary  was  raised  to  $1,200,  and 
the  office  was  changed  from  fourth-class  to 
third-class.  At  the  expiration  of  an  efificient 
service  of  five  years  he  resigned  the  office. 

Always  stanch  in  his  advocacy  of  Republican 
principles,  l\Ir.  Poland  has  been  a  leading  local 
worker  in  politics,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
town  trustees.  Appointed  to  fill  an  unexpired 
term  as  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  he 
served    for    two    years    as    president.      April    9, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


909 


1906,  he  was  elected  to  the  board  and  again  was 
chosen  to  serve  as  its  executive  head.  For  some 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  grammar- 
school  board  at  Lompoc  and  in  addition  he  has 
officiated  as  a  trustee  of  the  park  and  cemetery. 
During  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Exposition  he  rep- 
resented his  district  as  commissioner  at  Port- 
land, and  meanwhile  was  a  delegate  to  the  Irri- 
gation Congress  in  the  same  city  in  that  year, 
while  the  following  year  he  was  chosen  to  attend 
the  congress  at  Boise  City,  Idaho,  as  a  delegate. 
The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Poland  was  solem- 
nized at  Santa  Cruz  August  4,  1868,  and  united 
him  with  Mrs.  D.  W.  Scoville,  who  was  born  in 
New  York  and  crossed  the  plains  in  1863,  set- 
tling in  California,  where  she  continued  to  re- 
side until  her  death,  April  6,  1893.  The  second 
wife  of  Mr.  Poland,  with  whom  he  was  united 
February  10,  1895,  was  Miss  M.  B.  Heacock,  a 
native  of  this  state,  and  a  daughter  of  E.  H. 
Heacock,  who  served  for  fourteen  years  in  the 
state  senate,  also  held  the  offices  of  United 
States  court  commissioner  and  master  in  chan- 
cery. Mrs.  Poland  passed  away  March  4,  1905. 
The  present  wife  of  Mr.  Poland,  with  whom 
he  was  united  December  16,  1906,  was  Sarah 
O.  Hudson,  who  was  born  in  Maine  and  has 
made  her  home  in  California  since  1874.  Active 
in  Masonry,  Mr.  Poland  has  been  chosen  master 
of  Lompoc  Lodge  No.  262,  F.  &  A.  M.,  eight 
separate  times.  During  1867,  when  the  Grand 
Lodge  had  charge  of  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone of  the  ]\[ercantile  Library  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, he  attended  as  representative  of  Santa 
Cruz  Lodge  No.  38,  F.  &  A.  M.  On  the  or- 
ganization of  San  Luis  Obispo  Chapter  No.  62. 
R.  A.  M.,  he  became  one  of  its  charter  members 
and  still  retains  his  association  with  that  chap- 
ter. His  Masonic  relations  are  further  extended 
by  membership  in  St.  Omer  Commandery  No. 
30,  K.  T.,  at  Santa  Barbara.  On  the  founding 
of  a  lodge  of  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellow.": 
at  Lompoc  he  became  interested  in  the  new  fra- 
ternity and  enrolled  his  name  as  a  charter  mem- 
ber, since  which  time  he  has  been  a  leader  in  its 
work  and  for  two  terms  has  officiated  as  it* 
presiding  officer.  In  1867  he  joined  the  Odd 
Fellows  Lodge  at  Santa  Cruz.  In  religious  as- 
sociations he  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  Church 
at  Lompoc  and  officiates  as  a  warden  in  the  con- 
gregation. With  a  mind  too  liberal  and  a  spirit 
too  broad  to  allow  him  the  restrictions  of  nar- 
row denominationalism,  he  exhibits  an  interest 
in  all  Qiristian  work  and  in  the  early  days  his 
home  was  an  abiding  place  for  ministers  of  anv 
denomination  who  might  wish  to  remain  in  the 
vicinity  for  the  purpose  of  preaching.  Everv 
movement,  whether  religious,  educational  or 
commercial,  that  has  for  its  purpose  the  upbuild- 
ing of  Lompoc,  receives  his  warm  sympathy  and 


practical  assistance,  and  when  a  history  of  the 
town  shall  have  been  written  his  name  will  be 
given  a  permanent  place  of  honor  in  recognition 
of  his  beneficial  labors  and  ideal  citizenship. 


JOHN  S.  DUNN.  So  intimately  is  the  life 
of  Mr.  Dunn  associated  with  the  San  Pedro 
Salt  Company  that  the  history  of  one  would 
be  impossible  without  an  account  of  the  other. 
The  plant  is  located  at  the  head  of  San  Pedro 
bay,  where  the  company  controls  fourteen  hun- 
dred and  seventy-three  acres  of  land.  During 
high  tide  the  water  pours  in  upon  the  land 
through  an  automatic  headgate,  wdiich  closes 
when  the  tide  changes  and  the  water  begins 
to  recede.  There  are  about  thirteen  ponds  in 
the  tract,  varying  in  size  from  thirty-five  acres 
to  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  and  in  these 
ponds  the  water  is  allowed  to  remain  until  it 
shows  twenty-five  per  cent  salt,  when  it  is 
pumped  into  crystallizing  vats  partitioned  off 
by  dj-kes.  Some  idea  of  the  pumping  capacity 
of  the  plant  can  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that 
sixteen  thousand  gallons  of  water  per  minute 
can  be  transferred  from  the  ponds  to  the  vats, 
using  a  stream  fourteen  inches  in  diameter. 
When  scraped  from  the  basins  the  salt  is  in 
the  form  of  large  crystals,  and  constitutes  the 
rock  salt  of  commerce.  The  preparation  of 
the  commodity  for  table  use  is  as  varied  as  it 
is  complicated.  From  the  basins  just  men- 
tioned the  salt  is  carried  to  the  mill  and  placed 
in  an  immense  bin.  where  it  is  washed  and 
thoroughly  purified.  In  the  drying  machine, 
to  which  it  is  next  carried,  it  is  subjected  to 
a  tem.peratnre  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
degrees  and  thus  put  in  proper  condition  for 
grinding.  The  entire  process  of  evaporation, 
milling  and  packing  requires  ninety  days,  dur- 
ing which  time  the  crystals  have  not  come  in 
contact  with  human  hands.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  company  will  ship  about  thirty 
thousand  tons  of  table  and  rock  salt  during 
the  present  year.  The  chief  factor  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  salt-making  industry  in  this  sec- 
tion is  the  clay  foundation,  wdiich  prevents 
any  possibility  of  seepage. 

Tohn  S.  Dunn  was  born  in  Pennsville.  ^lor- 
ean  county,  Ohio,  INIarch  2,  1842,  a  son  of 
Tohn  H.  and  Rebecca  (Harry)  Dunn.  Dur- 
ing voung  manhood  he  entered  the  service  of 
his  country,  on  June  18,  1861,  being  mustered 
in  Company  H,  Twenty-fifth  Ohio  Infantry, 
as  a  private,  and  on  June  22,  1866,  he  was 
mustered  out  of  the  same  regiment  as  adju- 
tant. Thereafter  he  returned  to  his  home  in 
Pennsville,  Ohio,  where  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  was  passed,  and  wdiere  for  four  years  he 


910 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


served  as  sheriff  of  JMorgan  county.  During 
his  long  residence  in  that  community  he  be- 
came well  known  through  his  connection  with 
the  John  S.  Dunn  Oil  and  Gas  Company.  The 
offices  of  the  company  were  located  at  Dexter 
City,  Xoble  count}^,  while  it  owned  plants  in 
a  number  of  the  surrounding  towns.  Dispos- 
ing of  his  interests  in  Ohio  in  1903,  the  fol- 
lowing year  Mr.  Dunn  came 'to  California  and 
purchased  the  bulk  of  the  stock  of  the  San 
Pedro  Salt  Company.  When  he  assumed  con- 
trol the  plant  was  in  a  run-down  condition, 
Imt  during  the  years  which  it  has  been  under 
iiis  control  he  has  installed  new  machiner}- 
and  improved  conditions  generally.  The  dry- 
ing machine  used  in  the  works  is  the  inven- 
tion of  the  Dunn  brothers  and  is  a  marvel 
of  dispatch  and  economy. 

With  his  wife,  formerly  Lucette  Worrall, 
Mr.  Dunn  resides  in  the  capacious  residence 
on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  INIain  streets.  Long 
Beach,  which  he  purchased  upon  coming  to 
the  state  in  1904.  Two  sons,  Irvin  L.  and  Or- 
ton  C,  have  blessed  their  marriage,  born  in 
Chesterhill,  Ohio,  November  13,  1869,  and  Feb- 
ruary T,  1S75,  respectively.  Both  were  grad- 
uated from  the  Case  School  of  Applied 
Sciences  in  189^,  and  tjiereaftcr  were  associat- 
ed with  their  father  in  business  in  the  east. 
Thev  catne  to  California  with  their  parents  in 
1904  and  have  since  been  identified  with  the 
San  Pedro  Salt  Company,  Irvin  L.  being  presi- 
dent, and  Orton  C.  secretary  and  treasurer. 
Both  sons  are  married  and  are  residents  of 
Long  Beach.  In  Macksburg.  Ohio,  thev  were 
initiated  into  the  ■Masonic  order  and  still  hold 
membership  there,  also  belonging  to  the  chap- 
ter of  Caldwell.  Ohio,  where  their  father  is 
also  a  member.  Orton  C.  belongs  to  the  con- 
sistory at  Cincinnati.  The  names  of  both  of 
the  sons  are  on  the  roster  of  the  Knights  of 
Pvthias  order  in  Dexter  City,  as  well  as  the 
Order  of  the  Pastern  Star,  besides  which  they 
are  members  of  the  college  fraternitv  Phi 
Delta  Theta. 


OLIVER  O'BRIEN.  As  president  of  the 
Lumber  Survevors'  Association  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Oliver  OT.rien  is  best  known  in  the  city 
of  San  Pedro,  where  he  has  resided  .since  Mav. 
I90ij.  Although  he  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  his 
earliest  recollections  are  of  life  in  S^n  Erancisco, 
to  which  citv  he  was  brought  hv  bis  mother  when 
scarcely  two  years  old,  his  father  having  died 
during;  the  same  vear  in  which  the  son  was  born. 
The  familv  had  been  identified  with  New  York 
City  for  several  s^enerations,  th^t  havine  been 
the  birthplace  of  the  father.  Tolm  T..  who  was 
a   graduate    phvsician   and   who    came    to    San 


Francisco  in  1850  or  1851.  He  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  and  also  conducted  a  drug 
business  there  when  there  were  but  two  drug 
stores  in  the  city — his  own  and  one  owned  by 
Reddington  &  Co.  Dr.  O'Erien  was  one  of  the 
citizens  of  San  Francisco  who  in  the  early  days 
saw  the  necessity  of  compelling  the  enforcement 
of  law  and  order  and  as  a  member  of  the  old 
vigilance  committee  did  his  part  in  redeeming 
the  community  from  riot  and  lawlessness.  After 
some  years  he  went  to  Coleraine,  Ireland,  and 
established  a  drug  store,  which  he  conducted  un- 
til the  time  of  his  death,  in  November,  1868. 
His  wife,  who  was  Rose,  daughter  of  John  Jor- 
dan, a  merchant  in  Londonderry,  where  the 
daughter  was  born,  returned  to  America  with 
her  family  of  six  children  in  1870  and  has  ever 
since  made  her  home  in  California,  now  residing 
in  Burlingame. 

The  youngest  of  the  family,  the  birth  of  Oli- 
ver O'Brien  occurred  July  iS,  1868,  in  Coleraine, 
Londonderry,  Ireland.  He  was  reared  in  San 
Francisco  and  received  his  education  through 
the  medium  of  the  public  and  hign  schools  of 
that  city,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  beginning 
his  business  career.  For  ten  successive  years  he 
was  employed  by  the  Simpson  Lumber  Company 
and  became  a  lumber  surveyor,  subsequently  re- 
sig-ning  this  position  to  become  manage  of  the 
liay  -Shore  Lumber  Company  in  Oakland.  While 
there  he  built  a  residence  in  Alameda,  which  he 
later  sold  and  now  owns  property  in  Burlingame. 
It  was  in  May,  1904,  that  he  came  to  San  Pedro 
and  began  lumber  surveying  and  has  continued  to 
follow  the  business  ever  since.  During  the  year 
of  1906  he  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the 
Lunilier  Sur\  c\i  iis'  A'^Micialion  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, and  i>  liiliiiu;  tlic  cttice  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  In  the  salisfaciii  m  nf  all  the  members. 

Mr.  O'Hrien's  marrir;ge  occurred  in  San  Eran- 
cisco, uniting  him  with  Minnie  Glueck,  a  native 
of  that  city,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of 
three  children.  Justin,  Russell  and  Vivian.  ]\Ir. 
O'Brien  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  at  Oakland,  and  the  National 
Union  in  San  Francisco.  P(ilitically  he  is  an 
advocate  of  the  jirinciples  embraced  in  the  plat- 
form of  the  Repulilican  party  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  all  matters  of  public  import  to  the 
community  in  which  he  lives  and  \vihere  he  is 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  have  the 
pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


CHARLES  FREMONT  CASEBEER.  In 
1896  Mr.  Casebeer  made  his  first  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia, but  did  not  make  this  state  his  permanent 
home  until  1902,  when  he  located  in  Long  Beach, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  born  in 
Cedar  county,  Iowa,  June  5,  1856,  the  youngest 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFX-ORD. 


913 


ill  a  fainil_v  of  seven  children  of  whom  four  are 
now  Hving.  His  father,  David  Casebeer,  was 
born  in  Ohio  and  became  a  pioneer  of  Iowa  in 
the  territorial  days  of  that  section.  He  was  a 
machinist,  blacksmith  and  bell  maker  by  trade. 
In  1859  he  removed  to  Anderson  county,  Kans.. 
and  the  following  year  to  Allen  county,  that 
state,  where  he  engaged  as  a  pioneer  farmer  and 
was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of 
Humboldt.  He  engaged  in  various  occupations, 
among  them  blacksmithing  and  machine  work 
and  also  the  building  and  operating  of  flour 
mills.  His  death  occurred  in  1861.  His  wife, 
formerly  Harriet  T.  Coffee,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
also  died  in  Kansas. 

Charles  F.  Casebeer  was  reared  on  the  Kan- 
sas frontier  among  the  Indians,  and  amid  all  the 
conditions  characteristic  of  that  day.  The  death 
of  his  father  occurring  when  he  was  only  five 
years  old  he  was  reared  by  his  mother  on  the 
home  farm,  remaining  with  her  until  her  death, 
which  occurred  in  1871,  after  which  he  became 
dependent  upon  his  own  resources.  He  worked 
on  various  farms  in  Kansas  until  he  was  seven- 
teen years  old,  when  he  went  to  Oregon  in  the 
vicinity  of  Roseburg,  then  the  terminus  of  the 
Oregon  Central,  now  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road. Working  as  a  farm  hand  until  1875,  he 
subsequently  engaged  in  mining  in  Siskiyou 
county,  CaL,  for  two  years,  when  he  returned 
to  Oregon  and  in  Baker  City  engaged  in  mining 
and  stock-raising,  his  mine  (which  he  owned  in 
conjunction  with  his  brother,  Eli  Casebeer)  be- 
ing on  the  Powder  and  Burnt  rivers.  Their 
brand  for  horses  was  a  half  circle  with  a  cross 
(-|-,  and  the  cattle  brand  was  a  bar  under  the 
letter  C.  They  were  very  successful  in  their 
undertakings,  and  remained  in  that  location 
until  1896,  when  C.  F.  Casebeer  disposed  of 
his  interests  and  came  to  Southern  California, 
locating  in  Redlands.  Later  he  returned  to  Ore- 
gon and  engaged  in  mining  until  1902,  when  he 
once  more  located  in  Southern  California,  this 
time  establishing  his  home  and  business  in  Long 
Beach,  where,  on  east  Anaheim  Road,  he  en- 
gages in  the  hay  and  grain  business.  He  has 
purchased  property  on  the  corner  of  Anaheim 
Road  and  Lime  street,  130x200  feet,  where  he 
has  put  up  sheds,  office,  etc.,  and  conducts  a  suc- 
cessful enterprise.  He  runs  his  own  teams,  has 
a  hav  press,  wood  saw.  etc..  and  is  well  equipped 
for  the  conduct  of  his  business. 

Mr.  Casebeer  has  also  built  a  home  on  Lime 
street,  which  is  presided  over  by  his  wife,  for- 
merlv  Mrs.  Minnie  A.  (Lindsay)  Henion,  whom 
he  married  in  Los  Angeles.  She  was  born  in 
Cedar  county,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Calvin  Lind- 
sav,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  Long  Beach 
since  1901.  Her  first  marriage  was  with  Frank 
Henion,  who  was  accidentally  killed  on  a  rail- 


road in  Nebraska.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Casebeer  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  Lloyd,  Frank  and 
Ra\-mond.  Mr.  Casebeer  has  been  a  member. of 
the  Rednien  since  1877,  and  is  also  associated 
with  the  MnikTii  Woodmen  of"  America.  He  is 
a  kcpiil)lican  in  his  political  affiliations. 


JESSE  GILLMORE.  The  Iirst  representa- 
tives of  the  Gillmore  family  in  America  were 
Robert  Gillmore,  his  wife  and  four  sons,  who 
were  natives  of  Coleraine  on  the  rugged  shores 
of  Ireland  and  from  there  crossed  the  ocean 
to  Boston,  August  14,  1718.  The  fact  that 
the\'  settled  at  Londonderry,  N.  H.,  was  per- 
haps due  to  their  having  come  from  the  coun- 
tv  of  the  same  name  in  Ireland.  Among  the 
four  sons  was  James,  whose  son,  Jonathan,  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire,  became  a  faithful 
and  brave  soldier  during  the  exciting  period 
oi  the  Revolutionary  struggle.  Next  in  line 
of  descent  from  the  Revolutionary  soldier  was 
a  son,  Jonathan.  Jr.,  who  was  born  at  Ira, 
Vt..  in  1779,  was  graduated  from  the  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1800,  and  later  went  south, 
teaching  school  at  i\filledgeville.  Ga.,  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  second  war  with  England. 
During-  that  conflict  he  served  in  the  American 
army  and  participated  in  the  memorable  bat- 
tle of  New  Orleans  under  General  Jackson. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  brick  at  Covington,  La.,  mak- 
ing shipments  to  New  Orleans  in  schoon- 
ers. During  1828  he  disposed  of  his  interests 
to  his  partner.  J.  R.  Jones,  and  then  settled  in 
New  Orleans,  but  later  remo\'cd  to  A'icks- 
burg.  Miss.  The  trip  of  tweiit)--<ine  days  be- 
tween those  two  cities  was  made  on  the  "\\'alk 
in  the  Water."  -vhich  was  the  second  steam 
boat  that  plied  on  the  Mississippi  river  and 
was  comiiianded  liy  Capt.  Henr>-  S.  Buckner. 
E\-entiiall\  \u-  liecame  one  of  the  wealthiest 
miMi  n\  \"icl^^l)in-c;  and  remained  a  leading 
citizen  ,,<  tbni  place  until  his  death,  in  Marph. 
18^9.  On  the  occasion  of  General  Jackson's 
visit  to  Vicksburg  in  1837  it  was  his  privi- 
lege to  meet  and  converse  with  the  sturdy 
soldier  under  whom  he  had  fought  at  New 
Orleans,  and  it  was  also  the  privilege  of  his 
son,  Jesse,  then  a  boy  of  ten  years,  to  shake 
liands  with  the  General.  In  ^Tarch  of  1841 
the  family  removed  to  New  Orleans,  where 
the  following  vear  the  bov  enjoyed  seeing 
"^tartin  Van  Buren  ;  later  he  met  Generals 
Ta-\dor  and  Bragg,  as  well  as  other  noted  men 
of  days  now  gone  by. 

The  marriage  of  Jonathan  Gillmore.  Jr.. 
united  him  with  Sarah  McCav.  who  was  born 
Ml    Dromore,    Ireland,    and    died    at    New    Or- 


914 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


leans,  La.,  in  February  of  1865.  Her  father, 
Alexander  ilcCay,  was  a  linen  manufacturer 
of  Dromore,  and  died  there  in  1838.  The  fam- 
ily were  Presbyterians  in  religious  views  and 
she  always  remained  faithful  to  the  doctrines 
of  that  denomination.  Of  her  seven  children 
Jesse,  who  was  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  is  the 
"sole  survivor,  and  he  was  born  in  Covington, 
La.,  June  9,  1827.  At  two  years  of  age  he 
was  taken  to  Vicksburg  and  in  1841  accom- 
panied the  family  to  New  Orleans,  where  he 
became  a  clerk  at  No.  42  Royal  street,  with 
McCay  &  Mossy,  notaries.  Later  he  entered 
the  office  of  a  money  broker,  Joseph  Grant, 
with  whom  he  remained  two  years,  and  then 
returned  to  his  former  employers,  later  work- 
ing for  Lucien  Hermann,  a  notary,  after  which 
he  acted  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Jefferson  parish. 
In  1851  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  as- 
sistant aldermen  of  New  Orieans  and  one 
vear  later  he  became  a  member  of  the  board 
of  aldermen,  continuing  as  such  for  four  years, 
or  until  his  removal  from  the  cit^'. 

Removing  to  Texas  in  1856  Mr.  Gillmore 
settled  in  Gonzales  county,  where  he  became 
the  owner  of  three  ranche's  embracing  a  large 
acreage.  One  of  these  tracts  he  devoted  to 
cattle,  another  was  used  for  sheep,  and  the 
third  had  a  large  herd  of  horses.  He  was  op- 
posed to  the  secession  of  the  southern  states, 
but  he  did  not  leave  the  south  until  shortly 
before  the  close  of  the  struggle,  and  mean 
while,  from  January,  1864,  until  October, 
same  year,  he  served  as  quartermaster  at 
Laredo,  Tex.,  handling  cotton  for  the  govern- 
ment. October  8,  1864,  he  sold  his  ranches 
and  later  moved  via  New  Orleans  to  the  north, 
arriving  at  New  York  City  February  14,  1865. 
From  there  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  where 
he  viewed  the  body  of  ^'resident  Lincoln  as  it 
lav  in  state.  For  two  voars  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  grain  firm  of  Gillmore  &  McCay  at 
Philadelphia  and  afterwards  entered  the  grain 
business  in  Baltimore,  where  he  remained 
frcfm  1869  to  1878.  FTis  next  location  was  at 
Idaho  Springs,  Colo.,  where  he  engaged  in 
mining  until  the  failure  of  his  health  neces- 
sitated a  change-  of  climate.  However,  he 
still  retains  various  of  his  mining  interests  in 
that  locality. 

On  coming  to  San  Diego  in  1885.  Air.  Gill- 
more became  interested  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness and  is  stiil  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Gill- 
more &  Co.,  his  partners  being  his  two  sons, 
Collins  and  James.  Since  settling  in  San 
Diego  he  has  acquired  valuable  property,  both 
business  and  residence,  and  has  gained  a  repu- 
tation for  accurate  knowledge  of  local  prop- 
erty-values. InuTiediatelv  after  his  arrival  in 
San  Diego  he  became  a  member  of  the  Cham- 


Ijer  of  Commerce  and  still  retains  identifica- 
tion with  that  progressive  organization.  Dur- 
ing his  early  manhood  he  was  active  in  Ma- 
sonry and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows at  New  Orleans,  but  is  now  demitted 
from  both  lodges.  He  has  been  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  being  Miss  Virginia  Ivy,  who 
was  born  in  Norfolk,  Va.,  and  died  in  1853  in 
St.  Martin  parish,  La.,  leaving  an  only  child, 
Ella  v.,  now  Mrs.  Hulse,  of  San  Diego.  His 
second  marriage  was  also  solemnized  in  Lou- 
isiana and  united  him  with  Miss  Mary  P.  Col- 
lins, who  was  born  in  that  state  and  died  in 
San  Diego  August  i,  1901,  leaving  two  sons, 
now  their  father's  partners  in  the  real-estate 
business.  Though  now  advanced  in  years  Mr. 
Gillmore  retains  much  of  the  energy  and  enter- 
prise of  youth.  With  a  keen  judgment  rip- 
ened by  wide  and  varied  experiences  he  unites 
the  progressive  spirit  and  optimistic  tempera- 
ment of  the  successful  man,  Avhile  at  the  same 
time  by  tact,  genial  disposition  and  unfailing 
cheerfulness  he  has  won  the  friendship  of  ac- 
quaintances throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  country.  Man^-  of  his  old  friends  have 
now  passed  out  of  life's  activities,  but  he  re- 
mains a  link  iictwcen  the  past  and  the  pres- 
ent, between  the  old  and  the  new,  reminding 
lis  of  the  intelligent,  capable  and  resourceful 
men  to  whom  our  country  is  indebted  for  its 
rise   and   progress. 


EDMUND  WESCOTT.  One  of  the  oldest 
residents  of  Southern  California  and  a  man  who 
has  done  much  to  further  the  development  of  the 
citv  of  San  Diego  is  Edmund  Wescott,  who  has 
made  this  city  his  home  continuously  since  1869. 
The  family  dates  its  history  in  America  back 
to  Colonial  days  "Post"  Wescott  having  been  a 
messenger  under  General  Washington  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  engaged  in  carrying  com- 
munications to  and  from  the  state  department. 
Edmund  Wescott  was  born  December  20,  1835, 
in  Gorham,  Cumberland  county.  Me.,  the  son 
of  Clement  and  Mary  (Webb)  Wescott,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Maine  and  Spent  all  of 
their  days  in  that  state,  the  father  following  the 
occupation  of  farmer  at  Gorham.  Mrs.  Wescott 
was  the  daughter  of  Seth  Webb,  a  man  of  much 
learning  and  a  prominent  judge.  Of  their  fam- 
ily of  six  sons.  Edmund  is  the  second  in  order 
of  birth  ;  he  learned  the  trade  of  bridge  and  wharf 
building  in  Boston. 

Stories  of  the  wonderful  opportunities  of  ac- 
rjuiring  wealth  in  the  mines  of  California  hav- 
ing- fired  the  imagination  and  ambition  of  Mr. 
\\'escott.  in  185  s  he  started  for  this  state,  tak- 
ing passage  on  the  steamer  Northern  Light  and 
traveling  via   Nicaragua.     Reaching  San   Fran- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


9J5 


CISCO  February  of  the  same  year  he  at  once  en- 
gaged in  extensive  mining  operations  in  Califor- 
nia, Nevada  and  British  Columbia,  continuing  for 
eleven  years.  During  that  time  he  carried  on  the 
work  by  quartz,  placer  and  hydraulic  methods 
as  his  mine  required,  and  made  and  lost  large 
amounts  of  money  as  the  leads  proved  rich  or 
poor.  In  1866  he  resolved  to  abandon  mining 
and  again  take  up  the  trade  of  wharf  and  bridge 
building.  For  the  next  three  years  he  followed 
this  occupation  in  San  Francisco,  then  came  to 
San  Diego  and  tilled  the  contract  for  building 
the  Jorris  wharf.  Later  he  repaired  the  Hor- 
ton  wharf  and  subsequently,  when  work  in  this 
line  became  slack',  established  himself  in  the 
trucking  business,  organizing  the  firm  of  Hobbs 
&  W'escott.  Although  he  had  various  partners 
at  different  times,  he  always  remained  at  the 
head  of  the  business,  and  when  on  May  15,  1889, 
he  organized  the  Pioneer  Truck  Company  of  San 
Diego,  he  became  its  president.  He  was  at  the 
same  time  also  manager  of  the  Julian  and  Stone- 
wall stage  line. 

On  Cliristmas  Day,  1869,  Mr.  Wescott  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Susanna  Gillam,  a  native 
of  Arkansas,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Clement  FI.  is  a  resident  of  San  Diego; 
Leona  \\'..  Vv'ho  is  a  graduate  of  the  American 
Medical  Missionary  College,  became  the  wife  of 
G.  R.  Myers  and  resides  in  Mexico;  Laura  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Xin'mal  school  and  a  teacher 
in  Oakland:  and  l-'lla  and  Mary,  who  complete 
the  family,  live  at  home.  Mr.  Wescott  was  made 
a  Mason  in  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  35,  F.  &  A.  M., 
is  also  a  member  of  San  Diego  Qiapter,  R. 
A.  M. ;  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Encampment ;  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  San  Diego  Pioneers.  Politically  he  is 
an  adherent  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the 
platform  of  the  Republican  party,  and  in  all 
matters  of  social  and  civic  interest  he  lends  his 
support. 


FRANK  O.  POTTER.  Only  a  very  few  of 
the  men  now  prominent  in  the  agricultural  activ- 
ities of  the  Spencer  valley  can  claim  this  vicinity 
as  the  place  of  their  birth,  and  one  of  these  few 
is  Air,  Potter,  who  was  born  at  Julian  in  1871 ; 
however,  although  a  native  of  this  locality,  he 
has  not  passed  his  life  within  the  same  environ- 
ment, but  on  the  other  hand  has  traveled  ex- 
tensively and  been  employed  in  different  local- 
ities. At  this  writing  he  is  the  owner  of  two 
hundred  acres  of  land,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  are  in  hay  and  forty  acres  recently 
have  been  planted  in  an  orchard  of  the  different 
varieties  of  apples.  The  farm  is  well  adapted  to 
apple  raising  and  it  is  the  owner's  intention  to 
make  a  specialty  of  that  industry. 


The  father  of  Mr.  Potter  was  a  pioneer  of  the 
southwest.  Stephen  L.  Potter  (such  was  his 
name)  was  born  in  New  York  state  and  while 
stdl  quite  young  engaged  in  driving  stage  coaches 
through  Illinois,  Iowa,  Arizona,  Montana,  Utah 
and  Aew  .Mexico,  in  the  course  of  which  work 
he  had  many  encounters  with  the  Indians  and 
numerous  narrow  escapes.  During  those  days 
of  frontier  existence  he  was  accustomed  to  carry 
both  passengers  and  the  government  mail,  and 
he  performed  his  responsible  duties  in  the  face 
of  many  hardships,  yet  with  unflinching  courage 
and  the  utmost  fearlessness.  As  early  as  1856 
he  came  to  San  Diego  county  and  here  married 
Mary  E.  Bush,  a  native  of  Iowa.  Her  father,  I. 
H.  Bush,  at  one  time  owned  and  operated  a  store 
at  the  Cascades  in  Oregon,  but  during  the  In- 
dian troubles  the  store  was  burned  to  the  ground 
by  the  red  men,  and  at  the  same  time  a  large 
hotel  that  he  owned  was  entirely  destroyed. 

Seven  children  comprised  the  family  of 
Stephen  L.  and  Mary  Potter,  but  only  three  now 
survive,  namely:  Frank  O.  and  Charles  W., 
living  near  Julian ;  and  Hattie  M.,  wife  of  J.  W. 
Smith,  of  Paso  Robles,  this  state.  Mr.  Potter 
engaged  in  raising  stock  in  San  Diego  county 
and  also  owned  various  mining  interests.  In 
addition  he  drove  the  first  stage  between  San 
Diego  and  Julian.  During  1868  he  established 
his  home  at  Julian  and  took  up  a  tract  of  raw 
land  near  the  village.  After  many  years  on  the 
ranch  in  1883  he  removed  to  Florida  and  re- 
mained there  until  1899,  when  he  returned  to 
San  Diego  county  an  invalid,  suffering  from  a 
stroke  of  paralysis.  From  that  time  he  was 
practically  unable  to  engage  in  work  of  any  kind 
but  lived  in  retirement  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  Spencer  valley  March  15,  1903,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  His  wife  survives 
him  and  is  physically  and  mentally  active,  not- 
withstanding her  sixty-one  vears  of  useful  activ- 
itv. 

Their  son,  Frank  O.,  was  eighteen  years  of 
age  when  he  left  Julian  and  secured  employment 
with  a  contractor  and  builder  in  Los  Angeles, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years.  Next  he  went 
to  Florida  and  became  a  clerk  in  a  general  store 
at  Leroy.  Marion  county.  A  year  later  he  se- 
cured work  on  the  railroad,  starting  in  as  brake- 
man  and  working  his  way,  in  the  course  of  nine 
months,  to  the  charge  of  a  mail  and  passenger 
train.  For  five  years  he  continued  on  the  rail- 
road and  then  resigned  to  return  to  San  Diego 
comity,  where  he  took  up  agricultural  pursuits. 
In  1906  he  purchased  a  mercantile  business  in 
Julian  and  intends  carrying  a  full  line  of  general 
merchandise.  During  President  Roosevelt's  ad- 
ministration, in  August,  Tqo6,  he  was  appointed 
postmaster. 

On  Christmas  day  of  1892    Mr.    Potter    was 


916 


H]STOR]CAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Fannie  Proctor,  a 
native  of  Florida  and  a  member  of  tlie  Baptist 
Church.  Four  children  were  bom  of  their  union 
but  two,  Dorothy  and  Charles,  died  in  infancy. 
Hazel  Mary,  born  January  20,  1898,  is  a  pupil 
in  the  local  schools;  and  the  only  son,  Kenneth 
Frank,  was  born  in  April,  1906.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Potter  holds  membership  with  Court  Julian-Ban- 
ner No.  8522,  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters,  at 
Julian,  in  the  work  of  which  he  has  been  warmly 
interested.  Though  not  prominent  in  local  pol- 
itics, he  holds  stanchly  to  Republican  views  and 
always  supports  that  party  with  his  ballot. 


GEORGE  A.  DLAKESLEE.  A  pioneer  of 
California,  George  A.  Blakeslec  lias  experienced 
the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  life  in 
a  new  country,  which  have  brought  out  the 
salient  points  of  his  character,  and  through  it  all 
he  has  retained  a  spirit  of  youth  and  enthusiasm 
that  makes  him  an  interesting  and  entertaining 
companion.  Although  eighty-five  years  old  he  can 
read  readily  without  the  use  of  glasses  and  can 
still  write  a  good  hand.  He  is  well  read  and 
posted  upon  the  present  day  topics  and  tikes 
the  keenest  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  adopted 
state. 

Born  in  Delaware  county,  X.  Y..  in  the  town 
of  Franklin,  September  8,  1821,  Mr.  Blakeslee 
was  a  son  of  Orator  Blakeslee,  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  Harsey  (Kingsley)  Blakeslee, 
a  native  of  New  York.  Tliey  were  married  in 
Delaware  county,  N.  Y.,  and  later  in  life  removed 
to  Cleveland.  (3hio,  the  death  of  the  father  oc- 
curring in  Hudson  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years,  while  the  mother  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine  years.  The  elder  Mr.  Blakeslee  engaged  in 
farming  throughout  his  entire  life.  He  was  a 
Whig  in  politics  and  later  espoused  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party.  In  religion  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Qiurch.  George  A. 
Blakeslee  was  thirteen  years  old  when  he  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Ohio,  the  journey  being 
made  by  the  Erie  canal  to  Buffalo  and  thence 
by  steamer  to  Detroit,  near  which  city  his  father 
owned  two  hundred  acres  of  land.  After  re- 
maining in  that  city  for  a  short  time  they  went 
to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where,  adjoining  the  city 
the  father  purchased  fifty  acres  of  land.  Later 
they  located  in  Claridon,  Geauge  county, (thirty 
miles  east  of  Cleveland)  for  the  educational  ad- 
vantages, and  in  the  schools  of  that  place  George 
A.  Blakeslee  received  his  education.  May  2, 
1843,  lie  married  Diana  Howell,  who  was  born 
in  Huntsburg.  that  county,  the  daughter  of  John 
Howell,  a  pioneer  of  Ohio,  who  came  from  his 
native  state  of  New  York  on  an  ox  sled.  He 
was  a  patriot  in  the  war  of  181 2  and  later  re- 
ceived  a    pension. 


.\fter  his  marriage  Mr.  Blakeslee  made  his 
home  in  Ohio  until  1850,  when  he  removed  to 
Illinois  and  in  the  town  of  Henry,  Marshall 
county,  established  his  interests  as  a  nurseryman. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  also  engaged  in  a  mer- 
cantile enterprise.  Going  to  Texas  in  1857,  he 
spent  one  year  there,  after  which  he  came  to 
California  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  landing  in 
San  Francisco  in  March,  1858.  The  diary  busi- 
ness in  the  vicinity  of  Sacramento  engaged  his 
attention  for  about  a  year,  when  he  went  to  the 
mines  in  Placer  county  and  spent  a  like  period. 
Returning  to  Sacramento  at  the  end  of  that  time 
he  engaged  in  the  raising  of  vegetables,  even- 
tually disposing  of  these  interests  and  following 
ranching  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county  for  three 
years.  He  next  lived  in  Ventura  county  for 
about  three  years  engaging  in  grain  raising  on 
the  Lagoona  ranch.  In  June,  1875,  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  after  spending  one  year 
m  that  cit>-  he  rented  a  ranch  near  Graham, 
where  he  ninde  his  home  for  six  years.  In  1882 
he  purchased  liis  ]ircsent  ranch,  which  consisted 
then  of  fi\e  acres,  although  he  owns  but  two  and 
one  half  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Blakeslee's  wife  died  May  4,  1892,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one  years  and  ten  days,  after  forty- 
nine  years  and  two  days  of  nnrried  life.  She, 
was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Giurch,  a  woman 
of  rare  worth  and  character,  a  devoted  mother, 
wife  and  friend.  They  were  the  parents  of  two 
children,  namely:  Carey  M..  who  married  Liz- 
zie Russell  and  had  two  children,  his  death 
occurring  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  forty-three 
years :  and  Julia,  who  married  Thomas  Dick- 
erson  and  has  three  sons  living  and  one  deceased. 
One  of  her  sons  is  in  the  employ  of  the  quart  r- 
niaster  of  the  station  of  Manila.  Philippine 
Islands.  Mr.  Blakeslee  is  a  Republican  in  v.i'i- 
tics.  having  cast  his  first  vote  for  Henry  Clay, 
in  1844.  He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  of 
Solano  county,  Cal.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  a  Masonic  Lodge  of  Los  Angeles  and  has 
been  a  Master  Mason  for  fifty-seven  vears. 


THOMAS  F.  CURTIS.  As  proprietor  of 
the  Oxnard  foundry  Thomas  F.  Curtis  is  demon- 
strating the  fact  that  the  man  who  is  Uioroughly 
experienced  in  the  practical  work  of  a  business 
in  which  he  is  engaged  makes  the  best  manager, 
Mr,  Curtis  is  a  native  of  England,  his  birth 
having  occurred  March  16,  1867,  in  London, 
His  father  Thomas,  was  born  at  Cornwall,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  blacksmith  business  for  many 
year,  his  death  taking  place  in  London  when 
the  son,  Thomas  F,.  was  but  six  years  of  age. 
His  mother  is  a  native  of  London,  where  she 
is  still  living.  Of  the  family  of  four  children 
Mr.  Curtis  was  the  oldest  and  the  onlv  son.     He 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


919 


attended  the  common  schools  of  Sutton,  Surrey, 
England,  for  seven  years  after  his  father's  death, 
and  when  thirteen  became  an  apprentice  at  the 
moulder's  trade  under  his  uncle,  John  Curtis,  at 
St.  Agnes,  Cornwall.  After  working  there  for 
seven  and  a  half  years  Mr.  Curtis  decided  to 
come  to  America  anil  upon  his  arrival  at  Trenton, 
N.  J.,  accepted  a  position  with  the  Trenton  Lock 
and  Hardware  Company,  holding  it  for  two 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1900  he  crossed  the  con- 
tinent and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Union  Iron 
Works  at  San  Francisco  as  a  moulder.  His 
splendid  workmanship  was  soon  recognized  and 
his  employers  made  him  foreman  of  the  core 
department,  which  position  he  occupied  eight 
years  out  of  the  ten  he  spent  with  that  company. 
He  handled  many  important  assignments  and 
worked  on  all  the  big  battleships  built  during 
that  time.  From  San  Francisco  he  went  to 
Santa  Barbara,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  L. 
D.  Gates  foundry  for  a  term  of  four  years.  In 
1905  he  came  to  Oxnard  and  became  superin- 
tendent of  the  foundry  for  the  Oxnard  Foundry 
and  Iron  Works  Company,  and  in  June,  1906, 
leased  the  plant  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  agricultural  machinery,  meeting 
with  flattering  success. 

\lv.  Curtis  was  married  in  San  Francisco  to 
Miss  Maggie  ^1.  Hand,  a  native  of  Carrickma- 
cross,  Monaghan  county,  Ireland,  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  three  children.  Marie, 
Alice  and  BesMe.  Fraternally  Mr.  Curtis  is 
affiliated  with  the  A\'oodmen  of  the  \\'orld  and  in 
national  politics  he  is  an  ardent  supporter  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  enjoys  a  reputation 
as  a  man  of  exceptional  ability  in  his  work  and 
strict  honesty  and  integrity  and  has  a  large  num- 
ber of  friends  throughout  the  state,  who  hold 
him  in  tlie  highest  esteem. 


JOHN  HOHLBAUCH.  The  foundation  of 
the  civilization  of  the  west  has  been  laid  for  the 
greater  part  by  men  who  have  come  here  poor 
in  worldly  goods,  but  who  were  rich  in  such 
old-time  possessions  as  perseverance,  honesty  and 
well-defined  ambition.  Such  in  brief  is  the  his- 
torv  of  Mr.  Hohlbauch,  an  earlv  settler  in  the 
state,  who  has  weathered  many  discouragements 
and  has  reached  a  high  goal  of  success,  becom- 
ing not  only  highly  honored  in  his  community, 
but  is  the  owner  of  a  productive  ranch  in  close 
proximity  to  Wilmington.  Mr.  Hohlbauch  is  of 
German  birth  and  parentage,  born  in  Wittenberg 
April  23,  1847,  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Margaret 
(Griner)  Hohlbauch.  Both  of  the  parents  pass- 
ed their  entire  lives  in  their  native  land,  the 
father  dying  there  in  February.  1901.  when  in 
his  eighty-ninth  year,  and  the  mother  in  1857. 
49 


at   which   time  her   son  John   was  a   lad   of   ten 
years. 

Until  fourteen  years  old  John  Hohlbauch  was 
a  pupil  in  the  public  schools  of  Wittenberg,  and 
from  then  until  sixteen  years  of  age  he  worked 
as  a  farm  hand.  The  two  years  followiiifiS/^ere 
spent  in  learning  and  working  atnthjjyj;»es^er's 
trade,  but  he  later  resumed  ia/^Li^  anjj  fol- 
lowed this  for  four  years,  or  unti^CTrfbarlyiig  for 
the  United  States  in  1868.  The  ship  nh:\v]iidi 
he  sailed  cast  anchor  in  the  New  Yral;  harb^ir 
August  I  of  that  year,  and  imtcadjai jimgcnw^, 
in  the  east  he  went  at  o.nce  to  IlliQ^^where  he 
was  fortunate  in  securing  work  ap  aiarm.  Dur- 
ing the  five  years  which  hei^ilht  in  that  state 
he  made  rapid  strides  in  ma«ering  the  English 
language  and  also  laid  by  enough  of  his  earnings 
to  enable  him  to  make  the  trip  to  California  in 
the  fall  of  1873.  Instead  of  locating  permanently 
until  he  had  had  an  opportunity  to  look  about 
the  country  he  worked  as  a  laborer  in  Ventura 
county  for  three  years,  during  which  time  he 
had  become  deeply  interested  in  Los  Angeles 
county  as  a  place  of  residence.  Suiting  the  ac- 
tion to  the  word  he  came  here  in  1876  and  pur- 
chased forty  acres  of  land  in  close  proximity  to 
Wilmington,  a  tract  which  at  that  time  was  de- 
voted to  a  sheep  pasture.  Comparing  its  former 
condition  with  the  up-to-date  ranch  which  now 
greets  the  eye  of  the  passerby  speaks  more  elo- 
quently than  can  words  of  the  indomitable  energy 
and  perseverence  of  the  owner.  All  of  the  im- 
provements are  his  handiwork,  from  the  fine  res- 
idence which  the  family  now  occupies  to  the 
orange  grove  and  fruit  orchard  which  are  a 
source  of  considerable  profit  to  the  owner.  About 
1887  he  set  out  a  grape  vine  on  his  ranch  which 
has  since  grown  to  such  luxuriance  that  it  is 
considered  "one  of  the  wonders  of  this  part  of 
the  country.  L'nder  the  arbor  of  this  spreading 
vine  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hohlbauch  celebrated  their 
twenty-fifth  wedding  anniversary  May  30,  1905, 
at  which  time  friends  and  relatives  united  in 
wishing  them  many  years  of  health  and  pros- 
perity. clrisiuL;-  the'  festivities  by  sitting  down 
to  a  sunipMnus  dinner  under  the  spreading  vine. 
The  ladx  who  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Hohl- 
bauch May  30,  1880,  was  known  in  maiden- 
hood as  Marv  Younghaus,  a  native  of  Michigan 
and  a  daughter  of  Carl  and  Minnie  (Polles) 
Younghaus"  Upon  coming  from  Germany  to 
the  L^nited  States  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Y'ounghaus  first 
located  in  St.  Clair  county.  Mich.,  but  finally,  in 
1877,  came  to  Los  Angeles  county,  Cal..  and  lo- 
cated on  a  ranch  directly  adjoining  Mr.  Hohl- 
bauch. It  was  on  this  ranch  that  Mr.  Young- 
haus died  October  28.  1899,  when  seventy-seven 
years  of  age.  His  widow  is  still  living,  making 
her  home  in  Los  Angeles,  at  the  age  of  seventv- 
three  years.     The  family  of  Mr.  and  !vlrs.  Hohl- 


p 


',.& 


920 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


baiich  originally  comprised  eight  children,  but 
the  two  eldest,  Samuel  and  Rose,  are  both  de- 
ceased. The  former  died  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen years  and  ten  months,  meeting  an  accidental 
death  while  hunting;  the  latter,  who  was  the 
wife  of  Leslie  Scrivens,  died  February  5,  iqoo, 
when  nineteen  years  of  age.  Those  still  living 
are  named  in  order  of  birth  as  follows :  George, 
Sadie,  (the  wife  of  Clarence  Mowers,  of  San 
Pedro),  Mabel.  Freda,  John  H.  and  Wilfred  C. 
E.  The  family  are  members  of  the  German 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Hohl- 
bach  has  been  a  trustee  for  the  past  twenty  years. 
He  is  also  a  trustee  of  the  Lincoln  high  school. 
Ever  since  becoming  a  voter  he  has  been  a  be- 
liever in  and  supporter  pf  Republican  principles, 
but  has  never  been  a  seeker  after  office  or  the 
emoluments  of  party  favors.  Mr.  Hohlbauch  is 
jovial  and  companionable,  approachable  when 
his  financial  support  is  desired  for  charitable  or 
other  worthy  causes,  and  throughout  the  town 
and  county  counts  his  friends  by  the  score. 


JOHN  WILKINSON  BUCKLEY.  Fore- 
man of  the  yards  of  the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Com- 
pany and  a  man  of  exceptional  business  ability, 
John  Wilkinson  Buckley  has  made  for  himself 
a  place  in  both  the  industrial  and  municipal  life 
of  this  city,  where  he  has  been  located  since 
1887.  He  is  a  native  son  of  California,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Martinez,  Contra  Costa 
county,  November  i,  1864.  His  father,  W.  H. 
Buckley,  was  a  native  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and 
as  early  as  1847  he  became  interested  in  the 
prospects  held  out  by  the  new  Pacific  country 
and  accordingly  he  came  to  California  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  In  San  Francisco  he 
established  a  hotel,  which  was  conducted  in  a 
shack,  the  only  buildings  the  city  then  afforded. 
Later  he  went  to  Martinez  and  conducted  the 
Union  hotel  until  1865,  when  he  was  burned  out. 
He  then  became  wharfinger,  a  position  which 
he  held  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1903. 
His  wife,  formerly  Mary  Wilkinson,  was  born 
in  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  and  still  survives, 
making  her  home  in  Martinez.  Of  the  nine 
children  born  to  them  five  are  now  living,  the 
third  in  orckr  of  birth  being  John  Wilkinson 
Buckley. 

Reared  in  Martinez,  John  Wilkinson  Buckley 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  place,  after  which  he  began  ranch  work  in 
Contra  Costa  county.  After  four  or  five  years 
he  went  to  San  Francisco  and  engaged  as  con- 
ductor on  the  Sutter  street  cable  line,  where  he 
remained  for  four  years.  In  March,  1887,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  San  Pedro  Lumber 
Company,  of  San  Pedro,  under  the  management 
of   Mr.   Reynolds,   lieginning  at   the   foot   of  the 


ladder  in  that  line,  and  by  energy,  ability  and 
perseverance  winning  promotion.  He  held  the 
various  positions  which  lay  between  him  and 
the  foremanship,  in  1895  attaining  the  latter, 
a  position  which  he  has  since  filled  with  ef- 
ficiency. Since  his  location  here  he  married 
Anna  Ott,  a  native  daughter  of  Antioch,  Contra 
Costa  county,  whose  father  was  an  early  pioneer 
of  that  section,  and  their  home  at  No.  125  Ori- 
zaba street  is  now  brightened  by  the  presence 
of  two  children,  Lillian  and  Henry.  Mr.  Buck- 
ley has  taken  a  keen  interest  in  the  growth  and 
development  of  his  adopted  city  and  in  his  ef- 
forts has  displayed  an  intelligence  and  devotion 
to  the  general  welfare  which  have  led  to  his 
election  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  in 
1896,  during  the  term  of  nearly  four  years 
which  followed  serving  as  president.  He  is  a 
stanch  Republican  politically  and  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  county  central  committee.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  San  Pedro  Lodge  No. 
332,  F..&  A.  M.,  where  he  was  initiated  into 
the  order;  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Royal  Ar- 
canum, being  a  past  officer  in  the  three  latter,  and 
both  himself  and  wife  are  associated  with  the 
Rebekahs. 


ORAMEL  WILCOX.  In  spite  of  the  fact 
that  his  service  in  the  cause  of  the  Union  ren- 
dered him  more  or  less  of  an  invalid,  Oramel  Wil- 
cox has  still  made  the  best  of  his  life,  retaining 
an  active  and  practical  interest  in  affairs,  opti- 
mistic in  his  outlook  upon  the  world,  always 
hoping  for  the  best  and  working  for  it  to  the 
best  of  his  ability.  That  he  has  made  a  success 
is  not  a  matter  of  wonder  to  those  who  know 
him,  for  the  influence  of  his  high  character,  his 
strong  per-onalit\%  invariably  impresses  itself  up- 
on even  a  casual  acc|uaintance. 

Mr.  Wilcox  has  inherited  through  a  long  line 
of  New  England  ancestors  those  qualities  which 
have  distinguished  him  in  his  career.  The  im- 
migrating ancestor  of  the  family  located  in  Con- 
necticut, the  succeeding  generation  remaining  in 
that  state,  where  was  born  Silas,  the  paternal 
grandfather  of  Mr.  Wilcox.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  the  greater  jiart  of  his  life,  being  located, 
however  in  various  states,  removing  from  Con- 
necticut to  Vermont,  Massachusetts,  thence  to 
New  Hampshire,  and  finally  to  Wisconsin,  where 
his  death  occurred.  In  addition  to  his  farm- 
ing interests  he  was  engaged  as  a  shoe  mer- 
chant. He  married  Elizabeth  Stevens,  whose 
]>aternal  grandfather  served  in  both  the  French 
and  Indian  and  Revolutionary  wars;  Mr.  Wil- 
cox was  himself  a  participant  in  the  war  of  1812. 
The  father  of  Mr.  Wilcox,  Manlev  M.,  was  born 
in  Vermont  in   181 2  and  in  young  manhood  en- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORll 


921 


gaged  in  fanning  in  New  Hampshire.  He  mar- 
ried Mabel  Norton,  a  native  of  Connecticut  and 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  Norton,  who  was  a  miller 
by  trade,  as  was  also  his  father.  In  1844  Mr. 
Wilcox  and  his  wife  started  for  Wisconsin,  then 
the  remote  west  in  the  eyes  of  New  England 
folk,  and  after  one  year  of  journeying  they  lo- 
cated in  Rock  county,  five  miles  from  Janesville. 
There  their  united  efforts  resulted  in  the  im- 
provement and  development  of  a  farm,  upon 
which  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
the  death  of  both  occurring  in  1894,  just  one 
year  short  of  the  half  century  spent  in  the  state 
of  their  adoption.  Mr.  Wilcox  was  a  man  of 
deep  principle,  progressive  in  mind  and  method, 
and  to  him  is  owed  much  of  the  development 
along  educational  lines  in  his  community.  He 
reared  a  family  of  two  children,  both  of  whom 
inherited  the  patriotic  principles  of  their  fore- 
fathers, Henry,  who  died  in  Wisconsin  in  ma- 
ture manhood,  having  enlisted  twice  for  service 
in  the  Civil  war,  first  in  the  Thirteenth  Regiment 
Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  later  in  the  Forty-sec- 
ond Regiment  Wisconsin  Infantry. 

Oramel  Wilcox  was  born  August  31,  1842,  in 
Orford,  Grafton  county,  N.  H.  At  about  two 
years  of  age  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  grew  to  manhood's  estate. 
Although  a  boy  in  years,  the  first  tap  of  the  drum 
was  followed  by  his  enlistment  in  Company  D, 
Second  Regiment  ^^'isconsin  Infantry,  being 
mustered  in  at  Madison.  The  close  of  the  three 
months'  service  for  which  the  first  enlistments 
were  made  found  a  call  for  three  hundred  thou- 
sand volunteers,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  com- 
pany of  students  from  Beloit  every  member  of  the 
regiment  responded  again  to  the  demand  for 
men.  The  disbanded  companv  was  filled  by  the 
Wisconsin  Rifles  from  Milwaukee  under  Capt. 
Jack  Langworth)-,  the  reginient  then  being  or- 
dered to  \\'ashini;tnn — the  first  three-year  regi- 
ment to  arrixe  in  that  city  and  march  to  the 
front.  The  rxciling  L^cnts  of  the  war  followed 
fast  upon  this  cuckr.  and  during  the  first  battle 
of  Bull  Run  Mr.  Wilcox  was  wounded  in  the 
head  by  a  musket  ball,  and  was  left  on  the  battle- 
field for  dead.  He  recovered,  however,  and  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Confederate  forces,  being 
in  prison  for  three  hundred  and  seventeen  days 
in  the  cities  of  Richmond,  Tuscaloosa,  Ala.,  and 
Salisbury,  N.  C,  suffering  all  the  horrors  of  a 
southern  incarceration.  June  2.  1862.  he  was  re- 
leased on  parole  and  immediatelv  returned  to 
Wisconsin  via  New  York.  A  few  days  after  his 
return  home  he  suffered  a  paralytic  stroke  and 
was  later  honorably  discharged  from  service  be- 
cause of  physical  disability.  Although  an  in- 
valid for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  he  located 
in  Janesville  and  engaged  as  a  tobacconist,  soon 
afterward  removing  to  Eau  Claire.    Returning  to 


Janesville  in  1884  he  passed  the  ensuing  two 
years  in  that  city  and  came  to  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  engaged  in  buying  and  selling 
property,  establishing  his  home  in  Pomona.  In 
1903  he  came  to  Long  Beach  and  has  since  specu- 
lated in  real  estate  in  this  city,  aiding  materially 
in  the  development  by  the  erection  of  a  number 
of  houses. 

In  Harmony,  Wis.,  Mr.  Wilcox  married  Miss 
Louisa  Cary,  a  native  of  New  York ;  her  father, 
Rev.  Richard  M.  Cary,  was  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  be- 
coming a  pioneer  in  Harmony.  \\'is..  where  he 
engaged  in  the  Baptist  ministry.  His  wife,  for- 
merly Susan  Rice,  was  also  the  representative  of 
a  New  England  family.  Mrs.  Wilcox  is  a  Bap- 
tist in  religion  and  a  member  of  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps.  Mr.  Wilcox  joined  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  in  Janesville,  Wis.,  be- 
came a  member  of  Vicksburg  Post  No.  61,  of 
Pomona,  and  now  belongs  to  Long  Beach  Post 
No.  181.  Ever  since  casting  his  first  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  he  has  adhered  strictly  to  the 
principles  embraced  in  tlie  platform  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  The  sterli^ig  traits  of  character 
as  evidenced  throughout  the  life  of  Mr.  Wilcox 
have  won  for  him  a  high  regard  among  the  citi- 
zens of  whatever  community  he  has  made  his 
home.  He  is  broadly  informed  on  all  topics  of 
the  day,  can  be  counted  upon  to  further  anv  en- 
terprise calculated  to  advance  the  general  inter- 
ests, and  taken  all  in  all  is  a  citizen  worthy  the 
name. 


EDWARD  WINEMAN.  Too  much  cannot 
be  said  in  praise  of  the  energy  and  resource 
which  have  accompanied  the  honored  name  and 
wise  intent  of  Edward  Winemari  from  his  early 
home  on  the  Rhine  through  various  stages  of 
progress,  to  his  present  position  as  one  of  the 
most  prosperous,  sturdy,  honored  and  public- 
spirited  German-American  ranchers  of  San  Luis 
Obispo  county.  Though  for  several  years,  past 
Mr.  Wineman  has  devoted  his  five  thousand  acre 
ranch  to  grain  and  cattle,  he  formerly  promoted 
one  of  the  chief  specialties  of  the  state,  that 
of  sheep  raising,  to  which  he  devoted  twenty- 
nine  years,  and  which  netted  him  the  bulk  of  his 
present  substantial  fortune. 

In  Bavaria,  the  second  largest  and  most 
southerly  independent  principality  of  Germany. 
Mr.  Wineman  was  born  on  a  farm  August  29. 
1842.  His  parents  w^ere  Ernest  and  Catherine 
(Tiefle)  Wineman.  both  of  whom  died. in  their 
native  land  in  1865,  and  one  of  whose  three  sons 
still  lives  in  Germany.  A  break  in  the  family 
circle  occurred  when  Edward  \Vineman  de- 
parted for  American  shores,  the  possessor  of 
slight  means  beyond  his  transportation  expenses. 


922 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


but  rich  in  strength  of  character,  determination 
and  common  sense.  In  New  York  state  he 
found  employment  which  taxed  his  physical 
rather  than  mental  powers,  but  though  his  wages 
were  small,  he  saved  sufficient  money  to  satisfy 
the  craving  for  a  home  of  his  own  which  visits 
the  heart  of  every  loyal  son  of  the  Fatherland. 
His  wife,  formerly  was  Catherine  Bingold, 
a  daughter  of  George  and  Margaret  (Walfel) 
Bingold,  who  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
and  who  lived  respectively  to  the  ages  of  seventy- 
six  and  fifty-one. 

During  the  latter  "603  Mr.  Wineman  came  to 
California  with  his  wife,  and  after  various  ex- 
periences covering  three  years,  embarked  in  the 
sheep  business,  for  which  the  vast  stretches  of 
unobstructed  and  unclaimed  range  offered  un- 
paralleled opportunity.  In  1879  ^^^  guided  his 
band  of  sheep  to  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  where 
he  rented  the  old  Nipomo  ranch,  of  which,  two 
years  later,  he  purchased  a  small  part.  To  sheep 
raising  he  gave  the  best  thought  of  his  brain,  as 
well  as  the  best  years  of  his  life  and  succeeded 
in  circumventing  many  of  the  hindrances  to  the 
uniform  success  of  the  business  which  have  agi- 
tated breeders  for  years.  A  steady  increase  of  his 
flocks  necessitated  frequent  additions  to  his  ter- 
ritory until  his  visible  assets  included  five  thous- 
and acres  of  land  and  many  hundred  sheep.  In 
connection  with  sheep  raising  he  necessarily  in- 
vested some  time  and  money  in  supplementary 
agriculture,  raising  those  dry  sod  crops  which 
himself  and  others  had  thoroughly  tested  for 
feeding  purposes  in  times  of  drought.  The  ab- 
sorption of  the  ranges  into  private  ranches  for 
years  has  limited  the  possibilities  of  extensive 
sheep  raising.  Mr.  Wineman's  large  landed  pos- 
sessions and  knowledge  of  how  to  care  econom- 
ically for  his  herds,  enabled  him  to  remain  in- 
definitely in  the  business.  The  year  1899,  how- 
ever, witnessed  the  sale  of  the  last  of  his  sheep, 
and  the  adoption  of  more  varied  agricultural  pur- 
suits. In  the  season,  acres  of  yellow  grain 
stretch  into  the  distance  and  upon  the  mesas 
roam  the  finest  breeds  of  cattle  in  the  state. 
Residence,  barns,  outhouses  and  general  improve- 
ments bespeak  the  manager  of  intelligence,  fore- 
thought and  practical  ideas,  the  generous  pro- 
vider, yet  withal  the  economist. 

Mr.  Wineman  subscribes  to  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  limits  his  active  interest 
to  the  casting  of  his  vote.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wineman 
are  the  parents  of  nine  children :  John,  a 
rancher  in  this  valley,  who  married  Mary 
Schlegel,  and  has  four  children ;  Julia,  the  wife 
of  Louis  Bell,  of  Portland.  Ore. ;  Hannah ; 
George :  Edward  :  Mary  ;  Ernest ;  Erhart,  and 
Benjamin.  Mr.  Wineman  presents  an  encour- 
aging example  of  what  may  be  accomplished  bv 


making  the  best  of  practical  abilities  and  oppor- 
tunities. He  is  one  of  the  foremost  ranchers  in 
a  community  where  competition  is  keen  and 
wealth  by  no  means  unusual,  to  which  he  came 
empty-handed,  yet  in  whose  noblest  citizenship 
and  unexampled  prosperity  he  lias  become  a  lib- 
eral participant. 


HARVEY  EARRINGTON  ANDREWS. 
Probably  no  name  was  better  known  in  the 
New  England  and  other  eastern  states  during 
the  early  history  of  this  country  than  that  of 
Andrews,  for  it  is  known  beyond  a  doubt  that 
at  least  eight  generations  lived  and  flourished 
in  that  locality.  The  first  ancestor  of  whom 
we  have  authoritative  knowledge  was  Richard 
Andrews,  who  immigrated  to  the  new  world 
and  made  settlement  in  Massachusetts.  His 
son.  William,  established  the  first  of  the  name 
in  Connecticut,  and  from  him  the  family  is 
traced  in  direct  line  down  to  our  subject 
through  Thomas,  Samuel,  Zephaniah.  Phile- 
mon and  Wilson.  Th.e  grandfather,  Philemon, 
was  bom  in  East  Haddam,  Conn.,  June  30, 
1761,  and  during  young  manhood  was  married 
to  Phylinda  Wilson.  Among  the  children  who 
comprised  their  family  was  Wilson,  who  was 
born  in  Lamston.  Vt.,  December  30,  1788,  and 
througliout  his  life  he  followed  the  peaceful 
calling  of  the  agriculturist,  first  in  Vermont, 
later  in  Canada,  and  finally  in  New  York  state, 
where  his  death  occurred.  Of  his  first  mar- 
riage five  children  were  born,  and  of  his  mar- 
I'iage  with  Malinda  Hulburt  two  children  were 
added  to  the  family,  of  whom  Harvey  E.  was 
the  youngest.  Mrs.  Andrews  was  born  in  Pom- 
pey,  N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  Jabez  Hulburt,  a 
farmer,  and  passed  away  in  Iowa,  having  sur- 
vived her  husband  a  number  of  years. 

On  his  father's  farm  in  Chautauqua  county, 
N.  Y..  Harvey  E.  Andrews  was  born  March  9, 
1840,  and  all  of  his  boy^hood  and  school  life 
was  associated  with  tliat  part  of  the  east.  The 
opening  of  the  Civil  war  found  him  a  stalwart 
■\-oung  man  of  twenty-one  y-ears.  who  entered 
heart  and  soul  into  the  service  of  his  country, 
being  mustered  in  at  Albany  in  1861  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  I.  Ninth  New  Y^ork  Cavalry. 
He  was  under  orders  from  General  McClellan 
for  three  years  or  the  term  of  his  enlistment, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  was  mustered  out  at 
Washington,  in  1863.  His  military  service  over, 
he  went  to  Westfield,  Chautauqua  county,  and 
learned  the  woolen  mill  business,  and  some 
time  later  became  part  owner  in  a  mill  in  War- 
ren, Pa.,  retaining  his  interest  therein  for  six 
vears.  Severing  his  coimections  with  the  east 
which  had  been  the  home  of  his  forefathers  for 
so  many  generations,  in  1871  he  removed  to  In- 


JOSE  A.  MACHADO 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


925 


dependence,  Buchanan  county,  Iowa,  and  for 
about  eleven  years  was  identified  with  the  com- 
mercial life  of  that  city,  owning-  a  general  mer- 
chandise store  there  and  also  carrying  on  a 
farm.  In  1882  he  transferred  his  interests  to 
the  adjoining  state  on  the  north,  purchasing  a 
farm  near  Dodge  Center,  Dodge  county,  Minn., 
upon  which  he  made  a  specialty  of  raising  grain 
and  stock-raising  for  twelve  years.  As  will  be 
noted,  each  change  of  residence  brought  him 
further  west,  and  the  year  1894  found  him  in 
Pomona,  Cal.,  where  he  still  continues  his  in- 
terest in  agriculture,  modifying  his  specialty  in 
this  line,  however,  to  suit  the  climate  and  con- 
ditions. In  addition  to  the  fine  walnut  grove 
which  he  set  out  on  South  Ellen  street  he  also 
has  a  thirty-fi\e  acre  ranch  devoted  to  the  rais- 
ing of  alfalfa. 

The  family  heme  at  the  corner  of  Eifth  and 
Gordon  streets  is  presided  over  by  Mrs.  An- 
drews, who  like  himself  was  born  in  Chautau- 
qua county,  X.  Y.  Before  her  marriage  she 
was  Calista  Arnold,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Ar- 
nold, who  throughout  his  life  was  a  farmer, 
first  in  Xew  York  state,  and  later  near  Dodge 
Center,  ?ilinn.,  where  he  died.  Mrs.  Andrew's 
"mother,  formerly  Roxey  Barnes,  was  also  born 
in  Chautauqua  county,  the  daughter  of  James 
Barnes,  a  farmer  in  that  county,  and  a  partici- 
pant in  the  war  of  1812.  Grandfather  Arnold 
was  also  a  soldier  in  that  conflict  with  the 
mother  country,  and  he  it  was  who  first  repre- 
sented the  famiiy  in  the  Empire  state,  remov- 
ing thither  from  Massachusetts,  where  the 
name  had  been  established  for  many  years. 
Three  children  wete  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  An- 
drews. Maude,  v/ho  is  now  the  wife  of  Herbert 
Howeth.  of  Los  Angeles,  and  two  children  who 
died  in  early  childhood.  In  niemor_\"  of  the  days 
spent  on  the  field  of  battle  Mr.  Andrews  is  a 
member  of  Vicksburg  Post,  ( i.  A.  R.,  at  Po- 
mona. In  national  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  an  own  cousin  to  Rufus  .Andrews,  who 
was  surveyor  of  the  port  of  Xew  York  under 
President  Lincoln.  Mrs.  Andrews  is  a  woman 
of  many  excellent  qualities  of  both  mind  and 
heart,  and  shares  with  her  husband  the  esteem 
and  good-will  of  innumerable  friends. 


JOSE  AXTOXIO  MACHADC ).  The  family 
of  Machado  was  identified  with  the  early  history 
of  Los  Angeles  county,  where  two  brothers, 
Ygnacio  and  Augustin.  selected  ranch  lands  dur- 
ing the  era  of  Alexican  supremacy.  The  capi- 
tal of  the  state  was  then  located  at  ^Monterey, 
apd  thither  the  brothers  proceeded  in  order  to 
secure  the  necessary  papers  entitling  them  to  the 
ownership  of  the  land.  However,  not  having 
attained  their  majority  as  yet,  it  was  impossible 


for  the  grant  to  be  made  directly  to  them,  and  the 
governor  advised  them  to  enlist  the  aid  of  some 
trusted  friend,  by  whom  the  grant  might  be 
held  until  they  attained  the  legal  age.  Acting 
upon  this  suggestion  they  secured  an  ally  in  a 
warm  friend,  Felipe  Falamantes,  to  whom  the 
governor  gave  a  grant  to  fifteen  thousand  acres 
known  as  La  Ballona  rancho,  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Rincon  de  los  Buey,  on  the  east  by 
La  Centinela  rancho  (now  Inglewood),  on  the 
south  by  the  ocean,  and  the  west  by  San  Vicen- 
tes and  Buenos  Ayres  ranches.  These  tracts 
were  and  still  are  very  fertile  and  the  grant 
given  to  them  commands  $500  and  upward  per 
acre  at  the  present  day.  When  the  brothers 
arrived  at  their  majority  the  grant  was  divided 
into  three  parts,  they  and  their  friend  each  re- 
ceiving one-third  of  the  rancho. 

The  brothers  were  partners  in  their  ranch  en- 
terprises and  in  their  real-estate  investments 
in  Los  Angeles.  On  the  present  site  of  the 
Grand  opera  house  the\-  owned  two  acres  en- 
closed by  an  adobe  wall  and  containing  the  adobe 
buildings  common  to  that  day  and  locality.  At 
this  place  Ygnacio's  son,  Jose  -\ntonio,  was  born 
June  13,  1839.  After  a  time  the  two-acre  home- 
stead was  sold  and  one  hundred  acres  were  pur- 
chased to  be  utilized  in  the  raising  of  berries. 
All  of  the  later  tract  is  now  within  the  city 
limits  and  includes  the  site  of  the  Arcade  depot. 
In  addition  to  their  lands,  the  brothers  owned 
large  herds  of  cattle  and  were  among  the  most 
influential  and  prosperous  of  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can citizens.  How^ever,  at  different  times  they 
were  forced  to  face  misfortunes.  With  the 
accommodating  spirit  characteristic  of  him, 
Ygnacio  endorsed  a  friend's  note  and  later  was 
forced  to  pay  the  amount ;  in  order  to  raise  the 
funds  he  sold  large  tracts  of  his  ranch  land. 
Similar  experiences  befell  his  son,  Jose  Antonio, 
who  in  later  years  had  to  pay  $30,000  or  more, 
endorsed  for  friends  and  relatives,  with  the  same 
spirit  of  practical  helpfulness  and  self-sacrifice 
characteristic  of  his  father,  and  with  the  same 
forgetfulness  of  personal  needs. 

In  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  occurred  the  death 
of  Augustin  Machado  at  the  age  of  about  eighty 
years.  Ygnacio -died  on  the  ranch  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four  years  and  ten  months,  leaving 
to  his  son.  Jose  Antonio,  who  had  cared  for  him 
in  his  last  years,  the  home  place  of  nine  hundred 
acres,  together  with  seven  thousand  head  of 
sheep,  fifty  head  of  horses  and  one  hundred  cattle. 
There  were  seven  other  children  in  the  family, 
namely :  Andres.  Maria,  Erancisco,  Rafael.  Luisa, 
Cristobal  and  Birsabe,  to  each  of  whom  a  ranch 
was  given  by  their  father.  The  mother,  Este- 
fana  Palomares  de  Machado,  was  born  in  Los 
Angeles,  the  daughter  of  a  Spaniard  who  early 
settled    here    and    became    an    influential    factor 


926 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


among  others  of  the  same  race.  All  through 
her  life  she  was  a  devout  Roman  Catholic  and  in 
that  faith  she  passed  from  earth  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years. 

When  the  family  came  from  Los  Angeles  to 
their  ranch  Jose  Antonio,  the  youngest  of  the 
children,  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  The  older 
children  established  homes  of  their  own,  but 
he  remained  at  home,  caring  for  his  parents 
until  they  died.  In  1880  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  iNIiss  Manula  Valenzuela,  daughter  of 
Ramon  Valenzuela  of  Los  Angeles,  where  she 
was  born  and  reared.  At  her  death  in  1895, 
when  fifty-two  years  of  age,  she  left  six  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  named  as  fol- 
lows :  Antonio,  Cristobal,  Ygnacio,  Manula, 
Adela  and  Estefana,  all  residing  with  their 
father  on  the  homestead  near  Palms.  While  Mr. 
IMachado  always  prefers  the  use  of  the  Spanish 
language,  he  understands  English,  and  all  of  his 
children  have  been  well  educated  and  have  a 
ready  command  of  both  languages.  The  city 
of  his  birth  and  the  county  where  all  of  his 
years  have  been  passed  hold  a  high  place  in  his 
afifection,  and  no  other  section  of  country  could 
long  entice  him  from  their  charms.  His  landed 
possessions  have  greatly  increased  in  value  dur- 
ing the  past  decade.  Recently  he  sold  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  the  high  land  for  $300  per  acre,  but 
he  still  has  six  hundred  acres  in  the  vicinitv  of 
Palms,  Venice  and  Santa  Monica.  An  offer  of 
$1500  per  acre  for  sixty-seven  acres  adjoining 
A'enice  he  refused,  believing  that  the  land 
merited  an  amount  double  that  of  the  offer. 
Industrious,  resourceful  and  energetic  he  abun- 
dantly merits  '  the  high  position  which  he 
holds  among  his  associates.  Though  his  life 
has  been  one  of  strenuous  activity',  he  is  well- 
preserved  mentally  and  physically,  and  im- 
presses a  stranger  as  being  scarcely  more  than 
fifty  years  of  age.  Time  has  not  left  its  imprints 
of  care  upon  his  brow  nor  dulled  the  generous 
instincts  of  his  heart.  Now,  as  in  the  years  of 
youth,  he  has  ready  response  for  the  worthy  ap- 
peal and  a  word  of  encouragement  for  the  toil- 
ing struggler  along  life's  rough  pathway. 


M.  L.  MONTGOMERY.  Occupying  a  con- 
spicuous position  among  the  foremost  business 
men  of  Simi  is  M.  L.  Montgomery,  who  is  car- 
rying on  a  large  and  substantial  mercantile  trade, 
and  is  also  actively  identified  with  the  agricult- 
ural and  industrial  interests  of  this  section  of 
the  state.  A  man  of  energy  and  enterprise, 
practical  and  progressive,  he  is  well  fitted  by 
birth,  education  and  natural  talents  for  the  hon- 
ored place  which  he  has  attained  among  his  fel- 
low-men, while  his  faithfulness  in  all  his  duties 
and  his  excellent  good   sense   in  all   matters  of 


business  have  caused  him  to  be  highly  respected 
in  this  and  surrounding  towns.  A  son  of  Will- 
iam Montgomery,  he  was  born,  Januarv  19,  1854, 
in    Cedar   county.    Mo. 

Born  and  reared  in  Tennessee,  William  Mont- 
gomery left  there  in  1844,  going  to  Cedar  coun- 
ty. Mo.,  where  he  cleared  and  improved  a  home- 
stead, on  which  he  was  profitably  employed  in 
general  farming,  fruit  growing  and  stock-rais- 
ing until  his  death,  June  11,  1887,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five  years.  Public-spirited,  capable 
and  influential,  he  was  very  active  in  town  and 
county,  serving  as  county  sheriff  and  tax  col- 
lector for  a  number  of  terms,  and  filling  various 
offices  of  minor  importance.  In  his  earlier  life 
he  was  a  Whig,  but  later  was  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party,  and  was  a  stanch  Union 
man,  during  the  Civil  war  having  four  sons  in 
the  Union  army.  Three  of  his  sons  are  now  liv- 
ing in  California,  one  being  engaged  in  ranch- 
ing in  the  northern  part  of  the  state;  M.  L.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  residing  in  Simi ;  and 
W.  C.  Montgomery  being  employed  in  the  United 
States  mint  at  San  Francisco.  The  latter  as 
captain  of  a  United  States  battery  during  the 
Civil  war  took  part  in  many  severe  engagements, 
and  at  Pilot  Knob,  with  but  six  hundred  men 
under  his  command,  repulsed  Price,  who  with 
twenty  thousand  Confederate  soldiers  left  in  the 
night,  being  pursued  for  several  days.  William 
Montgomery  married  Elizabeth  Mitchell,  who 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  and  died  in  Missouri 
in  1889,  aged  seventy-seven  years.  She  bore 
him  thirteen  children,  all  biU  one  of  whom  grew 
to  years  of  maturity  and  were  married. 

Inclined  from  his  earliest  years  to  scholarly 
pursuits,  M.  L.  Montgomery  was  given  excel- 
lent advantages,  after  leaving  the  public  schools 
attending  ]\Iorrisville  College,  in  Polk  county, 
and  Pritchett's  Institute,  making  a  special  study 
of  the  natural  sciences.  Subsequently,  after 
taking  a  post-graduate  course  in  astronomy  and 
the  higher  mathematics,  he  entered  upon  a  pro- 
fessional career,  teaching  two  years  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Greene  county,  six  years  in  Neosho, 
and  two  years  in  Stockton,  Mo.  Leaving  his 
native  .state  in  i88q.  he  located  near  Ventura. 
Cal.,  on  December  6,  and  immediately  embarked 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  for  two  years  being 
employed  in  bean  raising  and  dairying.  Moving 
to  Simi  in  1891,  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land, 
and  has  since  continued  his  free  and  indepen- 
dent occupation,  carrying  on  general  farming 
scientifically  and  successfully.  In  addition  to 
managing  his  own  rancli  for  thirteen  years  he 
leased  from  Senator  Bard  thirteen  hundred  acres 
of  land  which  he  devoted  to  grain-raising,  be- 
sides which  he  devoted  other  land  to  the  raising 
and  breeding  of  stock,  a  line  of  industry  in 
which  he  became  especially  noted.     In    1894  he 


cJ-c>^  t^uayyi.  jKyoaJicJo 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


929 


established  himself  as  a  general  merchant,  car- 
rying on  a  large  variety  store  as  well  as  his 
ranch,  and  in  mercantile  pursuits  and  agricult- 
ural labors  has  been  equally  succc-->fnl.  lie  has 
acquired  some  means  and  distinctidii,  and  is  a 
leading  and  influential  citizen.  I  )n  1  Jeccniljcr  i, 
1904,  he  opened  his  present  store  in  Simi,  and 
the  management  of  this  in  connection  with  the 
care  of  his  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres 
of  grain  land,  \ineyard  and  orchard,  keeps  him 
busily  (_iii]i1h\\(1  He  has  likewise  other  prop- 
erty 111'  \aluc,  owning  a  nice  residence  in  Los 
Angeles,  on  Jefferson  street. 

June  12,  1883.  Mr.  ^Montgomery  married  Lo- 
rena  V.  Lloyd,  a  native  of  Nebraska  City,  Neb., 
and  of  their  union  six  children  have  been  born, 
the  eldest  of  win  mi  died  in  childhood,  while 
five  are  living,  namely :  Eugenia,  aged  twenty 
years ;  Wayne,  nineteen  years ;  Lorena,  fifteen 
years  old ;  Laurance,  aged  ten  years ;  and  Ber- 
enice, eight  years  old.  Politically  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery is  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the 
Democratic  party,  which  nominated  him  for  as- 
semblvman  recentlv.  At  one  time  he  aiifiliated 
with  bxnard  Lodge  No.  341,  F.  &  A.  M.  Re- 
ligiously he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Cliurch  South. 


JOSE  JUAN  MACHADO.  One  of  the  old 
and  honored  Spanish  families  of  Los  Angeles 
county  is  represented  by  Jose  Juan  Machado,  who 
owns  and  occupies  a  small  ranch  near  Palms. 
Mention  of  the  family  history  a-ppears  more  fully 
in  the  sketch  of  his  brother,  Dolores,  presented 
on  another  page  of  this  volume:  also  in  the 
sketches  of  other  members  of  the  family  repre- 
sented herein,  and  to  these  articles  the  reader 
is  referred  for  facts  in  connection  with  the  early 
history  of  the  family  in  California.  Suffice  it 
to  say  in  this  connection  that  two  brothers, 
Augustin  and  Ygnacio  Machado,  at  one  time 
owned  fifteen  thousand  acres  embracing  what 
was  known  as  La  Ballona  grant,  and  on  these 
broad  acres  they  ranged  their  stock  at  will.  The 
children  of  the  former  received  equal  shares  of 
his  part  of  the  estate  and  a  small  part  of  the 
original  grant  still  remains  in  possession  of 
descendants. 

In  the  city  of  Los  .\ngeles  Jose  Juan  Machado 
was  born  July  24,  1848,  and  during  boyhood  he 
removed  with  his  father,  Augustin,  to  the  ranch 
where  the  years  of  his  youth  were  uneventfully 
passed.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  received 
from  his  father  a  portion  of  the  land  and  at 
once  began  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of 
the  property,  which  remains  in  his  possession 
to  the  present  day.  Included  in  his  holdings 
may  be  mentioned  his  homestead  of  nine  acres 
of    valuable    land,    also    sixtv-two    and    one-half 


acres  situated  two  miles  from  Santa  Monica 
(the  same  being  valuable  property)  and  thirty- 
six  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home  place.  Of 
(|uiet,  uniKtentatious  tastes,  he  finds  his  greatest 
pKasure  in  liis  home,  for  the  activities  of  politi- 
cal affairs  dd  not  appeal  to  him  and,  aside  from 
voting  the  Democratic  ticket,  he  takes  no  part 
whatever  in  politics.  January  28,  1878,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Manwilla  Cota, 
who  was  born  in  Los  Angeles  in  1848  and  by 
whom  he  has  one  son,  Ernest,  now  at  home. 
The  family  are  respected  wherever  known  and 
hold  a  high  position,  not  only  among  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Spanish  race,  but  also  among 
the  American  citizens  of  the  countv. 


JAMES  N.  ANGEL.  Continued  residence 
of  more  than  one-quarter  of  a  century  in  the 
same  locality  gives  to  a  man  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  its  possibilities  from  an  agricultural 
standpoint ;  hence,  as  would  be  expected,  Mr. 
.\ngel  during  his  long  identification  with  the 
ranching  interests  of  San  Diego  county  has  ac- 
quired a  complete  and  accurate  idea  of  its  pos- 
sibilities, and  especially  is  he  well  informed  in 
regard  to  the  land  adjacent  to  Mesa  Grande. 
Near  this  village  he  has  his  ranch  comprising 
one  thousand  acres,  the  larger  portion  of  which 
is  grazing  land,  adapted  for  the  stock  business, 
and  the  latter  industry  he  makes  his  specialty. 
Few  men  in  the  locality  are  better  posted  than 
he  concerning  the  values  of  stock  and  the  partic- 
ular methods  to  be  employed  in  securing  the 
greatest  profits  from  their  care. 

In  Jasper  county.  Mo.,  James  N.  Angel  was 
born  February  I,  1841,  being  a  son  of  Wood- 
son and  Jane  (Stites)  Angel,  natives  respectively 
of  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  and  for  years  residents 
of  Missouri.  During  1847  t'le  family  crossed 
the  plains  with  wagons  and  oxen  and  settled  in 
Santa  Clara  county,  Cal.,  the  father  operating 
a  mill  in  San  Jose.  Two  years  later  he  took  up  a 
tract  of  wild  land  near  Santa  Clara,  but  in  1855 
he  sold  the  property  and  removed  to  the  vicinity 
of  Gilroy,  there  securing  another  large  tract. 
For  some  years  he  devoted  his  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  land,  but  in  1875  he  disposed 
of  the  place  and  removed  to  Texas.  Soon,  how- 
ever, he  returned  to  California,  this  time  settling 
in  Los  Angeles,  where  he  made  his  home  for 
three  years.  From  there  he  came  to  Mesa 
Grande  in  1880  and  bought  land,  which  he  im- 
proved with  the  necessary  buildings.  Here  he 
passed  away  July  6,  1893,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven ;  many  years  before  (in  1872)  his  wife 
had  died  at  Gilroy. 

Accompanying  his  parents  in  their  various  re- 
inovals,  James  N.  Angel  gradually  became  the 
manager  of  their  afifairs,  for  as  the  father  grew 


930 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


older  he  depended  more  and  more  upon  the  son, 
and  the  latter  cared  for  both  parents  until  they 
were  taken  from  the  home  by  death.  On  Christ- 
mas day  of  1869  Mr.  Angel  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Henrietta  Haun,  whose  parents 
came  from  Missouri  in  18-19  and  settled  near 
Gilroy  at  a  time  when  that  section  of  California 
contained  but  few  American  residents.  Tfie 
family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Angel  consists  of  the 
following-named  children :  Mariamme,  whose 
husband,  George  Pringle,  is  a  member  of  the 
San  Diego  police  force ;  Colonel  H.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  near  Mesa  Grande;  Vance  \'., 
now  superintending  a  mine  near  his  father's 
ranch  ;  Mandeville  \'.  at  home  ;  Frederick  M.,  who 
lives  on  a  ranch  near  the  old  homestead ;  Fannie 
H.,  wife  of  Herbert  Hill,  of  San  Diego;  Philip, 
Henry  N.,  Lester  A.,  and  Jesse  R.,  who  are 
with  their  parents  on  the  ranch;  and  Marcus  P., 
who  died  July  13,  1890,  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years. 

Possessing  deep  religious  convictions,  Mr. 
Angel  for  years  has  given  earnest  support  to  the 
Christian  Cliurch  and  has  been  identified  with 
its  missionary  and  charitable  organizations.  As 
in  religion  so  in  education  he  is  deeply  interested 
and  the  free-school  system  finds  in  him  one  of 
its  most  stanch  supporters,  his  service  for  several 
terms  as  school  trustee  having  been  conducive 
to  the  development  of  the  educational  interests 
of  his  district.  All  of  his  life  he  has  supported 
the  Democratic  party  and  the  passing  years  have 
not  changed  his  convictions  concerning  politi- 
cal problems.  Not  only  measures  for  the  growth 
of  the  stock  industry,  but  all  movements  for  the 
good  of  his  district  and  county,  find  in  him  a 
warm  champion  and  wise  advocate. 


THOMAS  LEONARD  WORKS.  The  fam- 
ily of  which  Thomas  Leonard  Works  is  a  member 
belonged  to  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Indiana,  and 
left  an  indelible  imprint  upon  the  history  of  that 
section  of  our  country,  the  grandfather,  James 
A.  Works,  a  native  Kentuckian,  having  been  a 
practicing  attorney  in  Vevay  throughout  his  life. 
He  married  Phoebe  Downey,  of  Scotch  descent,  a 
native  of  Ohio  county,  and  the  daughter  of  John 
Downey,  a  farmer  and  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Rising 'Sun.  The  death  of  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Works  occurred  in  \'evay.  Of  their  family  of 
seven  children  four  are  now  living,  one  son, 
Lewis  F.,  who  was  a  member  of  an  Indiana 
regiment  during  the  Civil  war,  residing  in  Rising 
Sun.  Another  son,  Judge  John  Downey  Works, 
the  father  of  Thomas  Leonard,  was  born  March 
29.  1847,  in  Ohio  county,  and  reared  on  a  farm 
near  Vevav,  acquiring  an  education  in  the  public 
schools.  In  1863,  when  just  past  sixteen,  he 
patriotically  ofifered   his   services  to  his  country 


and  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Tenth 
regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteer  Cavalry,  which 
was  mustered  into  service  the  following  Septem- 
ber, at  Columbus,  Ind.  Their  first  engagement 
was  at  Pulaski,  Tenn.,  and  the  regiment  remained 
in  that  state  until  after  the  battle  of  Nashua, 
when  it  was  sent  south  to  New  Orleans  and  as- 
sisted in  the  taking  of  Mobile,  Spanish  Fort, 
Blakely,  etc.  They  then  rode  back  to  Memphis 
and  were  finally  mustered  out  of  service  in  In- 
dianapolis. 

Returning  to  Vevay  in  1865  Judge  Works  en- 
tered the  high  school  there,  at  the  same  time 
taking  up  special  studies  under  a  private  teacher, 
later  studying  law  under  Judge  Alexander  C. 
Downe}-,  who  was  for  man}'  }"ears  on  the  su- 
preme bench  and  judge  of  the  circuit  court,  being 
also  dean  of  the  law  school  at  Asbury,  now  De- 
pauw.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar  in  1868  he 
liegan  the  practice  of  his  profession  with  his 
father  in  Vevay,  continuing  there  until  April, 
1883,  when  he  came  to  San  Diego.  He  had  at- 
tained much  prominence  in  Indiana  during  those 
years  and  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  in 
1879,  serving  one  term.  He  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  this  city  until  1886,  when  he  was 
elected  judge  of  the  superior  court  of  San  Diego, 
but  after  serving  one  year,  resigned  to  resume 
private  practice,  forming  a  partnership  with  ^Ir. 
Wellborn.  A  year  later  he  was  appointed  jus- 
tice of  the  supreme  court  of  California,  to  fill  a 
vacancy,  the  position  requiring  his  residence  in 
San  Francisco.  He  declined  to  be  a  candidate 
for  re-election,  and  returning  to  San  Diego  again 
took  up  legal  work,  for  a  time  connecting  himself 
with  the  firm  of  Works,  Gibson  &  Titus.  Later 
he  withdrew  from  this  firm  and  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  son.  In  1896  he  located  in  Los 
Angeles,  carrying  on  the  practice  of  law  with 
Mr.  Lee,  under  the  fimi  name  of  Works  &  Lee. 
Subsequently  Mr.  Works'  eldest  son  joined  the 
firm,  which  became  Works,  Lee  &  \Vorks,  who 
handle  many  cases  of  water  litigation  and  civil 
law.  Judge  Works  is  president  of  the  Magnetic 
Traction  Company  and  has  acquired  considerable 
property  of  various  kinds.  His  marriage  in 
\'cvay,  Ind..  united  him  with  JNIiss  Alice  Banta. 
a  native  of  that  city,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
six  children :  Lewis  R.,  is  the  attorney  in  the  firm 
with  his  father ;  Thomas  Leonard  is  engaged  in 
ranching  in  this  county ;  Ida  E.,  became  Mrs.  H. 
S.  Darling  and  lives  in  Los  Angeles ;  Laura, 
married  Charles  P.  Ensign,  of  Los  Angeles ; 
Ethel,  became  Mrs.  Griffing  Bancroft,  of  this 
city,  and  Isabelle  is  Mrs.  Richard  H.  Burrit.  of 
Los  Angeles.  Both  Judge  and  Mrs.  Works  are 
members  of  the  Second  Christian  Science  Qiurch 
of  Los  Angeles,  the  former  having  been  the  first 
reader  there.  He  is  a  member  of  Stanton  Post. 
G.   A.   R.,   in   Los   Angeles,  and  belongs  to  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


933 


State  Bar  Association,  holding  membership  as 
well  in  the  Qiamber  of  Commerce.  Politically 
he  is  prominent  in  Republican  circles,  and  while 
in  Indiana  was  a  member  of  the  state  central  com- 
mittee. 

Thomas  Leonard  Works  was  born  November 
21,  1S71,  in  Vevay,  Ind.,  and  in  1882  came  to 
San  Diego,  where  he  received  a  preliminary  ed- 
iication  in  the  public  schools,  later  graduating 
from  the  San  Diego  Busiiic-s  Cnllege.  After 
finishing  his  studies  he  Ix'.^an  vancliing  on  the 
place  he  now  occupies,  which  is  knuun  as  "The 
Briers" ;  comprising  twenty-one  acres,  it  com- 
mands one  of  the  finest  views  in  San  Diego.  For 
a  time  iNIr.  \Vorks  was  engaged  in  dairying,  but 
now  devotes  his  time  principally  to  teaming,  and 
is  also  in  the  employ  of  the  Ralston  Realt_\  Com- 
pany'. In  January,  1906,  he  platted  his  land  into 
one  hundred  and  sixty  lots,  forming  the  Thomas 
Works  Addition  to  Cniversity  Heights. 

Air.  Works  was  married  in  San  Diego  to  Miss 
Lottie  J.  Levi,  a  native  of  Toledo,  Ohjo,  and 
the  union  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  five 
children:  Roderick  L.,  Leonard  T.  (decea.sed), 
John  D.,  Jr.,  Clara  and  Alice.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  and  politically  is  an  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republi- 
can party. 


VICTOR  M.  AIAGEE.  The  rich  and  fertile 
section  of  country  in  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley- 
is  being  rapidly  developed  by  some  of  the 
most  energetic  and  stirring  men  of  this  enter- 
prising country  and  age,  no  spot  on  the  globe 
having  been  more  quickly  transformed  from 
its  nati\e  condition  into  a  magnificent  agri- 
cultural and  horticultural  region  than  South- 
ern California.  One  of  the  leading  spirits  in 
this  notable  work  is  V.  M.  Magee,  a  young 
man  of  high  ambitions,  quick  decisions  and 
sound  judgment.  He  is  extensively  engaged 
in  general  ranching  and  dairying,  at  the  pres- 
ent time  renting  over  five  thou.sand  acres  of 
land,  a  part  of  which  he  owned  until  recently, 
when  he  sold  it  to  a  syndicate,  which  owns 
much  of  the  land  in  this  locality.  He  is  dis- 
tinguished as  a  native-born  son,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred,  September  13,  1866,  at  San  Ja- 
cinto, which  was  then  a  part  of  San  Diego 
count^•,  but  is  now  included  \\ithin  the  limits 
of  Riverside  county. 

Henry  Magee,  the  father  of  \^.  'SI.  Magee, 
was  born  and  reared  in  New  York  state,  and 
died,  in  1896,  in  California.  Jo'ining  the  army 
when  a  young  man,  he  was  made  lieutenant 
of  his  companv,  and,  under  the  command  of 
(len.  John  C.  Fremont,  came  in  1848  to  Cali- 
fornia, where   he  was   first   stationed   at    Mon- 


terej'.  He  was  subsequently  promoted  to  the 
office  of  paymaster,  with  headquarters  at  the 
Yuma  fortifications,  and  in  this  capacity  made 
many  trips  across  the  desert  to  San  Diego  to 
draw  the  pay  for  the  soldiers,  which  amounted 
to  sums  ranging  from  $25,000  to  $40,000.  He 
had  a  \\onderfid  memory,  and  until  the  close 
of  his  life  could  minutely  describe  the  trials 
of  army  life  and  the  tribulations  and  priva- 
tions of  the  early  pioneers.  He  married  Vic- 
toria Pederino,  who  was  born  in  San  Diego, 
and  died  in  this  county  in  1886.  Her  father, 
Miguel  Pederino,  was  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Southern  California  and  a  very  large 
landholder,  at  one  time  owning  over  four 
hundred  thousand  acres,  a  vast  tract,  the  isst 
of  which  was  sold  for  twelve  and  one-half 
cents  an  acre  in  1884.  She  bore  her  husband 
nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  and  are 
residents  of  this  state. 

Having  finished  the  course  of  study  in  the 
common  schools,  Victor  M.  Magee  completed 
liis  earh-  education  at  a  military  school  in 
Benicia.  Turning  his  attention  then  to  agri- 
culture, he  was  for  five  years  engaged  in 
ranching  at  Condor's  Nest,  on  the  north  end 
of  .Smith  Mountain.  From  there  he  went  to 
Las  Flores.  on  the  O'Ncil  ranch,  and  in  1889 
located  in  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley,  where  he 
continued  general  faming  and  dairying  until 
1894.  C,(-iing  tliin  in  l'"alll)ni<ik.  he  was  there 
successfully  eiii]  lo\a'(l  m  tillnig  the  soil  for  a 
few^  seasons,  and  then  located  on  his  present 
ranch,  of  which  he  was  at  that  time  a  part 
owner.  He  has  recently  disposed  of  his  in- 
terests in  this  land  to  the  syndicate  which  has 
]nirchrsed  so  heavily  of  real  estate  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state,  and  from  its  present  owners 
has  leased  not  only  this  ranch,  wdiich  contains 
twenty-seven  liundred  and  thirty  acres,  but 
also  an  adjciining  ranch  of  tw^enty-eight  hun- 
dred acres.  In  the  management  of  this  im- 
mense tract  of  land  he  is  meeting  with  great 
success.  In  addition  to  general  farming,  he 
now  milks  about  one  hundred  cows,  and  in- 
tends very  soon  to  have  three  hundred  milch 
cows  in  his  dairy,  which  is  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  in  San  Diego  county.  This  ranch  is 
equipped  with  the  best  pumping  plant  in  the 
state,  and  in  fact,  here  may  be  found  every- 
thing in  the  lino  of  modern  machinery  and  ap- 
pliances for  '^uccessfullv  carrying  on  the  va- 
rious branches  of  agriculture  in  a  scientific 
manner.  To  Mr.  Magee  the  credit  is  due  for 
developing  water  in  this  section. 

In  1899  Mr.  Tvlaeee  married  Ora  Tomlins, 
who  was  born  in  Kansas,  and  they  have  one 
child.  Donald  Magee.  Mrs.  Magee's  father  is 
deceased,  but  her  mother  is  living  and  makes 
her   home   in   California.      Politicallv   !\lr.   Ma- 


y.u 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


gee  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Olive  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  o'f  Los  Angeles. 


GLDMUND  JOHNSON.  In  a  business  way 
Gudmund  Johnson  is  known  as  an  expert  builder 
and  cabinet-maker,  while  his  many  years  resi- 
dence in  San  Bernardino  has  proven  him  to  be  a 
man  of  high  principles  and  sterling  worth  who 
does  well  his  duty  as  a  citizen.  He  is  of  Swedish 
birth,  and  first  saw  the  light  of  day  October  27, 
1854,  in  L^nnaryd,  Sweden,  being  the  son  of  John 
Nelson  and  Karin  (Bengtsen)  Johnson,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  that  country.  His  father  was 
an  ingenious  mechanic  and  could  fashion  almost 
anything  he  chose  to  make  in  wood  or  iron,  and 
it  was  from  him  that  the  son  inherited  his  ability 
with  tools.  The  elder  Johnson  was  also  a  farmer 
and  the  owner  of  two  sawmills  and  one  flour  mill, 
all  run  by  water  power,  these  properties  making 
him  a  well-to-do  man  in  Sweden.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  that  country  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  Mrs.  Johnson,  whose  father  served 
in  the  war,  iivinu  U<  be  eighty-two.  They  were 
members  of  ihu  Lutheran  Church  and  people  of 
strong  moral  principles,  their  influence  in  the 
community  in  which  they  resided  having  been  an 
elevating  one.  There  were  five  children  born  in 
the  family,  four  of  whom  are  now  living.  Gud- 
mund, who  was  the  youngest,  being  the  only 
member  of  the  family  in  America. 

Trained  as  a  farmer  and  mechanic,  Mr.  John- 
son was  employed  as  a  blacksmith,  in  sawmills 
and  at  cabinet  work  until  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  when  he  went  to  Johannesburg  and  entered 
the  agricultural  school,  having  obtained  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
liome  community.  After  three  >'ears  he  passed 
the  examinations  for  agricultural  inspector,  nc- 
cepting  and  retaining  a  position  in  that  capacity 
in  Orraryd  for  one  year,  after  which  he  followed 
farming  at  Rysby  for  two  years.  At  that  time  he 
resolved  to  immigrate  to  America,  and  on  July 
16,  188^,  arrived  at  Worcester,  Mass.,  where  he 
was  employed  for  a  time  as  a  machinist,  but 
becoming  convinced  that  the  carpenter's  trsde 
would  prove  more  remunerative  he  turned  his 
attention  to   that  line  of  endeavor. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  unfortunate  in  being  afflicted 
with  rheumatism  and  in  1886  he  decided  to  come 
to  California  in  the  hope  of  receiving  benefit 
from  the  climate.  It  took  him  but  a  short  time  to 
discover  that  he  was  not  improving  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  first  point  at  which  he  stopped,  and 
November  9,  1886,  found  him  in  San  Bernar- 
dino countv.  In  the  meantime,  however,  he  h^d 
settled  in  Riverside,  but  the  extensive  irrigation 
waters  there  made  the  air  too  damp  and  he  came 
to  San   Bernardino.     He  sought  relief  from  his 


malady  in  Arrowhead  Springs,  the  treatment 
there  greatly  benefiting  him,  for  in  six  weeks 
he  was  able  to  resume  work,  and  in  all  followed 
his  trade  there  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  came  to  San  Bernardino  and  estab- 
lished himself  at  his  trade,  and  later  added  job- 
bing and  contract  building.  His  shop  is  located 
at  No.  479  Court  street,  where  he  has  installed 
an  adjustable  saw  of  his  own  invention,  for  cut- 
ting ornamental  trimmings,  etc.,  the  machinery 
being  propelled  by  electricity. 

jNIany  years  ago  Mr.  Johnson  built  his  resi- 
dence at  No.  1506  E  street,  where  he  owns  over 
two  acres  of  land,  being  also  the  possessor  of 
other  properties  in  the  city.  His  marriage,  which 
occurred  October  27,  1887,  united  him  with  Miss 
Adelia  Gustofson,  born  in  Beckefos,  Sweden,  and 
of  their  union  four  children  have  been  born : 
Charles,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  months ; 
Carrie,  in  the  high  school  class  of  1908,  and 
Charles  and  William.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member 
of  the-  Carpenters'  and  Joiners'  L'nion,  attends 
the  Presbyterian  Oiurch,  is  fraternally  affiliated 
with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  politically 
is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  embraced  in  the 
Re]niblican  platform. 


NICHOLAS  r.  MASSEY.  Preceded  by 
years  of  valuable  experience  as  a  sawmill  expert 
in  various  localities  in  Colorado,  Mr.  Massey 
came  to  California  in  December,  1903,  coming 
direct  to  San  Bernardino,  although  he  finally  set- 
tled in  the  vicinitv  of  Squirrel  Inn.  The  im- 
pression of  his  first  stopping  place  in  the  state, 
however,  had  been  a  favorable  one,  for  he  re- 
turned to  San  Bernardino  two  years  later  and 
bought  his  present  milling  outfit,  which  has  a 
capacity  of  ten  cords  a  day.  While  he  does  a 
general  milling  business,  he  gives  special  at- 
tention to  sawing  wood  for  the  markets,  fur- 
nishing employment  to  seven  men.  The  mill  is 
located  near  Skvland,  a  mountain  resort  on  the 
Arrowhead  road. 

A  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Jersey  county 
February  9,  1845,  Nicholas  I.  Massey  is  a  son  of 
Iknjamin  Franklin  and  Maria  (Coonce)  Mas- 
sey. the  parents  dying  in  Illinois  many  years  ago. 
After  fi-nishing  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Jersey  county  Nicholas  Massey  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  tilling  the  soil,  having  in  the  mean  time 
gained  much  practical  experience  on  the  home 
farm  under  the  direction  of  his  father.  The  open- 
ing of  the  Civil  war  when  he  was  only  sixteen 
years  of  age  fired  the  martial  spirit  within  him 
and  made  life  on  the' farm  dull  an<l  irksome.  Be- 
fore the  close  of  hostilities,  however,  February 
7,  1865,  he  enlisted  in  the  service,  becoming  a 
member  of  Company  B,  Ninety-first  Illinois  in- 
fantrx'.    With  his  command  he  served  in  the  armv 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


935 


of  the  Tennessee  until  the  following  July,  when 
they  were  transferred  to  the  Twenty-eighth  Illi- 
nois regiment.  Going  first  to  Brownsville,  Tex., 
he  later  participated  in  the  engagement  at  Span- 
ish Fort,  Ala.,  still  later  was  assigned  to  picket 
duty,  and  finally  was  given  fatigue  duty,  his 
brother  taking  his  place  as  picket. 

Receiving  his  discharge  froni  the  service  of  his 
country  I-'ebruary  I,  1866,  Mr.  Massey  returned 
to  his  home  in  Illinois,  having  been  furnished  with 
free  transportation  as  far  as  New  Orleans,  and 
from  there  paying  his  own  expenses  up  the  Miss- 
issippi. Soon  after  his  return.  May  30,  1866, 
he  formed  domestic  ties  by  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  Spangle,  who,  like  himself,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Illinois.  Their  only  child,  M.  Etta,  is  a 
resident  of  Illinois.  Up  to  the  age  of  forty  years 
Mr.  Massey  had  been  a  continuous  resident  of  his 
native  state,  but  the  year  1885  brought  a  change 
in  his  life,  both  regarding  his  occupation  and  lo- 
cation. Upon  relinquishing  his  farm  in  Illinois 
during  the  year  last  mentioned  he  went  to  Colo- 
rado and  engaged  in  the  sawmill  business,  erect- 
mg  for  the  purpose  a  portable  mill,  which  he 
operated  there  for  fifteen  Years.  Although  he 
has  been  in  California  only  a  few  years  and  in  his 
present  location  only  one  year,  indications  point 
towards  a  successful  and  steadily  increasing  bus- 
iness. In  his  religious  views  Mr.  Massey  is  a 
Seventh  Dav  Adventist. 


CASTANOS  PAIXE.  An  acquaintance  with 
this  rugged  pioneer  of  the  west,  who  now  re- 
sides on  his  little  homestead  near  Mesa  Grande, 
brings  out  many  interesting  stories  connected 
with  his  early  settlement  on  the  Pacific  coast 
and  enkindles  our  admiration  for  the  men  to 
whose  judginent  and  energv  the  prosperity  of 
our  state  today  ma_\-  be  attributed.  Now  in  the 
twilight  of  a  very  active  life,  he  can  look  back 
over  a  past  that  brings  recollectiDns  of  the  early 
settlement  of  California,  the  <lark  (la\s  of  the 
Civil  war,  the  later  period  of  reconstruction,  and 
the  many  thrilling  events  that  have  occurred 
within  our  coinitry  during  the  past  half- 
century  or  more.  The  place  where  he  now  lives 
is  remote  from  the  scenes  familiar  to  boyhood 
years,  for  he  is  of  New  England  birth  and  was 
born  at  Charleston,  Me.,  October  2J.  1830,  be- 
ing a  son  of  Abner  and  Comfort  (Winslow) 
Paine.  The  parents  were  lifelong  residents  of 
that  section  of  countrv  and  made  their  home  up- 
on a  farm  in  r^Iaine,  where  the  father  died  in 
1884  and  the  mother  in  1880,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine. 

The  village  of  Charleston  not  only  possessed 
ordinary  schools,  but  in  addition  boasted  an  acad- 
emy conducted  under  private'  auspices,  and 
Castanos  Paine  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  attend- 


ing this  institution  for  a  time.  After  leaving 
school  he  followed  the  sea  for  one  year  and 
arrived  in  San  Francisco  August  19,  185 1,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  mining  in  Tuolumne  county 
and  on  the  Yuba  river.  A  year  later  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  raising  of  stock  near  Fort 
Redding,  Shasta  county,  but  after  three  years 
he  disposed  of  his  ranch  interests  and  resumed 
mining  in  Tuolumne  county.  From  that  time 
until  1859  h^  "T^t  with  considerable  success  in 
the  mines.  During  the  latter  year  he  removed 
to  San  Jose  and  remained  there  until  1863,  when 
he  returned  to  Maine  with  the  intention  of  en- 
listing in  the  Union  army ;  however,  circum- 
stances altered  his  plans  and  he  saw  no  active, 
service.  Two  of  his  brothers  were  volunteers, 
Albert  W.  being  a  private  in  a  Wisconsin  regi- 
ment, while  J.  O.  W.  was  captain  of  a  company 
of  Maine  volunteers. 

Returning  to  California  in  1869  ^Ir.  Paine 
made  a  brief  sojourn  in  San  Jose,  but  in  the 
same  year  established  himself  in  San  Diego  coun- 
ty and  soon  afterward  became  proprietor  of  a 
hotel  in  the  Poway  valley,  also  carrying  on  a 
stock  business  in  addition  to  managing  the 
hotel.  In  1881  he  gave  up  hotel-keeping,  but 
he  continued  to  raise  and  sell  stock  until  1905, 
when  he  sold  out  his  ranch  interests  and  his 
herds,  desiring  to  retire'  from  arduous  ranching 
responsibilities.  On  removing  from  the  ranch 
he  came  to  his  newly  purchased  tract  of  twenty- 
five  acres  in  the  suburbs  of  Mesa  Grande,  where 
he  has  a  neat  garden  and  a  well-kept  orchard. 
Ever  since  attaining  his  majority  he  has  voted 
the  Republican  ticket  at  all  elections.  In 
Masonry  he  has  been  an  active  figure  in  IVIaine, 
having  there  identified  himself  with  the  blue 
lodge,  chapter  and  conmiandery,  and  for  a  time 
holdino-  official  rank  with  the  Knights  Templar 
organization  in  the  Maine  village  where  he  made 
his  home. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Paine  was  solemnized  in 
.San  Jose  in  June,  1862,  and  united  him  with 
Theresa  McKean,  a  native  of  Illinois.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  eight  children :  Millie,  who 
died  November  20,  1906,  was  the  wife  of  W.  S. 
Flint,  represented  elsewhere  in  this  vokmie ; 
Frederick  W.  lives  in  San  Diego  county :  Walter 
M.  is  engaged  in  raising  stock  and  occupies  a 
ranch  near  Julian ;  Jennie  became  the  wife  of 
Charles  Morretti,  of  ]\Iesa  Grande ;  Ivy  died 
in  1892;  Lottie  is  the  wife  of  E.  M.  Stall,  of 
Ensenada :  Ethel  is  engaged  in  teaching  school 
at  Santa  Ana ;  and  Polly  remains  with  her 
parents  at  ]\Iesa  Grande. 


JEAN  PAGES.  As  a  workman  who  under- 
stands every  detail  of  the  business  which  he 
follows  mention  should  be  made  of  Jean  Pages, 


936 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


evidences  of  whose  ability  and  handiwork  may 
be  seen  in  the  numerous  substantial  cement  side- 
walks and  other  cement  structures  throughout 
Pomona  and  vicinity.  When  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  L.  Fleming  he  began  at  the  foundation 
of  the  business,  but  good  workmanship  in  the 
minor  capacity  of  mixer  led  to  his  advancement 
until  he  finally  became  finisher,  his  present  posi- 
tion. He  is  the  oldest  employe  connected  with 
the  firm,  and  his  painstaking  and  conscientious 
services  are  thoroughly  appreciated  by  his  superi- 
ors. 

Mr.  Pages  is  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  born  in  the 
town  of  Monein,  Basses-Pyrenees,  March  i6, 
1872,  and  is  a  son  of  Victor  Pages,  who  was  born 
in  Hautes-Pyrenees.  Throughout  his  entire  life 
the  father  made  his  home  in  his  native 
country,  following  farming  as  means  of 
livelihood,  and  his  death  occurred  in  Ar- 
Inip.  His  wife,  formerly  Lucy  Tuheil,  comes 
of  a  family  whose  ancestors  have  been 
identified  with  Prance  for  over  five  hundred 
years.  She  was  born  near  Monein,  Basses- 
P}-renees,  and  is  now  living  in  Arlms.  Of  the 
foiir  children  born  to  these  |ian_iUs  tlirci  ;irc  liv- 
ing, and  Jean,  the  eldest,  is  the  mils  nnc  in  the 
United  States.  r)Orn  and  reared  in  ]\lonein.  he 
attended  the  pubic  schools  of  that  city  and  be- 
came fairly  well  educated.  Reports  of  the  favor- 
able opportunities  awaiting  young  ambitious  men 
led  to  his  immigration  to  the  new  world  in  1891, 
and  the  same  year  he  made  his  way  direct  to 
Pomona,  Gal.,  where  for  the  past  fifteen  years 
his  excellent  qualities  of  citizenship  and  work- 
manship have  made  him  a  desirable  and  much 
esteemed  resident.  Without  loss  of  time  he 
was  fortunate  in  securing  a  position  in  Mirande's 
winery  in  Pomona,  remaining  with  this  employer 
for  seven  years,  when  he  gave  this  up,  to  accept 
a  position  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  about  fifteen  months. 
Upon  giving  up  his  position  with  the  Southern 
Pacific  road  he  entered  the  employ  of  L.  Flem- 
ing, a  cement  contractor  of  this  city,  and  from 
the  position  of  mixer  he  has  advanced  to  the 
highest  position  in  the  gift  of  his  employer,  hav- 
ing charge  of  all  contracts  undertaken  by  the 
firm. 

The  family  home  at  No.  538  West  Tenth  street, 
Pomona,  is  efficiently  presided  over  by  Mr. 
Pages'  wife,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Miss 
Eliza  JMirande,  a  native  of  Pomona.  Her  father, 
Grat  Mirande,  who  was  born  in  Basses-Pyrenees. 
France,  came  to  America  in  1862  by  way  of  Pa- 
nama, at  which  time  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age.  Coming  direct  to  California  he  engaged 
m  the  sheep  business  in  Pomona  valley  for  some 
lime,  and  later  set  out  a  vineyard  on  North 
(jarey  and  Alvarado  streets.  This  latter  en- 
terprise   finally    led    to    the    establishment    of    a 


winery,  which  he  supplied  with  grapes  from  his 
forty-three  acre  vineyard.  His  marriage  united 
him  \\'ith  Sarah  Martinez,  who  was  born  in  Po- 
mona valley,  the  daughter  of  Nerde  Martinez, 
an  old  settler  and  well-known  cattleman  in  this 
part  of  the  state.  Mrs.  Pages  grandmother  was 
born  in  Los  Angeles,  coming  from  one  of  the 
pioneer  Spanish  families  of  Southern  California. 
Of  her  parents'  thirteen  children  nine  are  living 
and  Mrs.Fagos  is  the  eldest  of  the  family.  In  1901 
Mr.  Mirande  closed  out  his  interests  in  Cali- 
fornia and  returned  to  France,  where  with  his 
wife  he  is  spending  the  evening  of  his  life  in  the 
enjoyment  of  the  competence  gained  in  former 
}ears.  Two  children  have  blessed  the  marriage 
of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Pages,  Grace  and  Alphonso, 
who  are  being  reared  in  the  faith  of  their  parents, 
who  are  communicants  of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic 
Church.  Politically  Mr.  Pages  is  a  believer  in 
Republican  principles. 


P.  W.  DOYLE.  The  earliest  recollections 
of  this  progressive  horticulturist  of  Pomona  are 
associated  with  the  Emerald  Isle,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated  until  he  was  a  lad  of  thir- 
teen }ears,  when,  in  18^9,  the  father  came  to 
America  with  his  nine  children,  the  wife  and 
mother  having  died  in  Ireland.  Continuing  in 
the  new  world  the  life  to  which  he  had  been 
accustomed  in  his  native  land,  Patrick  Doyle 
settled  down  to  agricultural  pursuits  in  the  vici- 
nity of  Auburn,  X.  Y.,  his  death  occurring  there 
some  years  later.  Before  her  marriage  his  wife 
was  Catherine  Wall,  a  native  of  Kildare,  Ire- 
land. Nine  children  were  born  of  their  marriage, 
but  of  the  number  four  are  now  living. 

The  youngest  child  in  his  parents'  family.  P. 
W.  Doyle  was  born  in  county  Kildare,  Leinster, 
Ireland,  in  1836,  and  until  he  was  thirteen  years 
of  age  received  a  fairly  good  education  in  the 
private  schools  of  his  native  country.  When 
almost  too  young  to  realize  his  loss  a  void  was 
left  in  the  home  by  the  death  of  the  mother, 
and  in  1849  the  father  brought  his  children  to 
America.  Not  wishing  to  be  a  burden  to  others 
of  the  family,  boy  though  he  was,  P.  W.  Do)-le 
immediately  sought  employment,  which  he  as 
readily  found.  Later  he  went  to  Rochester,  N. 
Y.,  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  when 
only  sixteen  years  old  was  competent  to  work 
at  his  trade  independently,  following  the  same 
in  the  east  until  1864,  when  he  removed  to  Cleve- 
land. Ohio.  There  in  addition  to  work  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  he  branched  out  into  contract- 
ing and  building,  which  he  followed  with  ex- 
cellent success  for  twenty-one  vears,  or  until 
coming  to  California  in  1885.  The  same  year 
marks  his  adve-it  into  Pomona,  at  which  time  he 
purchased  nine  acres  of  the  Kingsley  tract,  on  the 


4.l/i.^JI</ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


939 


corner  of  Olive  and  San  Antonio  avenue.  The 
land  was  thoroughly  piped  for  irrigation  and 
also  with  water  for  domestic  use,  a  feature  which 
niade  it  especially  desirable,  and  one  which  Mr. 
Doyle  keenly  appreciated  at  the  time  of  purchase. 
More  water  has  since  been  secured  by  boring, 
and  a  pumping  plant  has  also  been  established 
on  the  ranch.  ;\Ir.  Doyle  set  out  both  oranges 
and  prunes  en  his  ranch,  the  latter  proving  an 
excellent  and  remunerative  crop  during  the  earlier 
days,  bringing  as  high  as  $500  per  acre,  but  when 
the  prune  market  became  overstocked  he  re- 
placed his  prune  trees  with  navel  oranges  and 
now  has  his  entire  acreage  in  this  fruit.  In 
addition  to  the  care  of  his  orchard  he  has  fol- 
lowed contracting  and  building  ever  since  com- 
ing to  Pomona,  and  many  fine  residences,  stores 
and  churches  are  visible  evidences  of  his  superior 
knowledge  and  ability  in  this  line,  he  being  the 
oldest  contractor  in  the  city.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Kingsley  Tract  Water  Company, 
Limited,  this  being  only  one  of  the  many  enter- 
prises in  this  locality  which  he  has  fostered  and 
encouraged. 

In  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Mr.  Doyle  was  married 
to  Miss  Helena  Max,  a  native  of  Germany,  and 
eight  children  were  born  to  them,  but  one,  James, 
died  in  Redlands,  Cal.  The  others  are  Ed- 
ward in  the  laundry  business  in  Redlands ; 
Thomas,  a  resident  of  Pomona :  Alice,  at 
home;  Anna,  Mrs.  McGary,  of  Los  An- 
geles ;  George,  in  the  employ  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  and  a  resident  of  Pomona ; 
Mary,  who  is  a  bookkeeper  for  the  Claremont 
Citrus  Union,  also  of  Pomona;  and  William, 
who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad, 
with  headquarters  in  Claremont.  In  national 
politics  I\fr.  Doyle  is  a  Republican,  but  in  his 
choice  of  local  candidates  he  give  greater  weight 
to  the  character  of  the  man  than  to  his  party 
name. 


CAPT.  LEONARD  BUCKINGHAM  PECK. 
The  title  by  which  this  pioneer  of  Elsinore  is 
known,  not  alone  to  the  people  of  his  home  town, 
but  also  to  the  wide  circle  of  his  acquaintances, 
comes  to  him  through  his  official  service  in  the 
Union  Army  during  the  period  of  the  Civil  war. 
At  the  time  of  the  secession  of  the  southern 
states  he  was  teaching  in  Kentucky  and  already 
had  made  himself  familiar  with  the  question 
of  slavery  in  all  of  its  aspects,  not  only  by 
reading,  but  more  especially  by  observation. 
Fired  with  a  spirit  of  zeal  in  behalf  of  the  free- 
dom of  the  slaves  and  the  preservation  of  the 
Union,  he  offered  his  services  as  a  private,  and 
September  20,  1861,  was  accepted  as  a  mem- 
ber of  a  company  of  Kentucky  cavalry.  At  the 
expiration   of  his    term    of    service   he    returned 


to  his  home  state,  Ohio,  and  there  recruited  a 
company  of  volunteers,  becoming  captain  of  Com- 
pany F,  One  hundred  and  Seventieth  Ohio  \'ol- 
unteer  Infantry.  With  his  regiment  he  went  to 
the  front  and  served  through  the  period  of  en- 
listment, after  which  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. Immediately  afterward  he  went  to  Illi- 
nois, recruited  another  company,  enlisted  the  third 
time,  and  was  chosen  captain  of  Company  H, 
l-"ourteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  later  be- 
ing placed  in  command  of  a  battalion  of  eight 
hundred  men  at  Springfield,  111.  When  the  war 
had  come  to  an  end  and  there  was  no  longer 
need  of  volunteers  in  the  army,  he  was  honorably 
discharged  in  September  of  1865,  leaving  the 
army  with  a  record  of  which  he  and  his  might 
well  be  proud. 

Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  is  Captain  Peck's  na- 
tive place,  and  j\lay  17,  1839,  the  date  of  his 
birth,  his  parents  being  Robert  and  Sarah  (Hart) 
Peck,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  The  grand- 
father, Capt.  David  Clinton  Peck,  served  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  participated  in  the  memorable 
struggle  of  Tippecanoe.  On  the  completion  of 
common-school  studies  Captain  Peck  attended 
York  Academy  and  then  took  up  the  profession 
of  teaching  school,  which  he  followed  for  twen- 
ty-two years.  The  record  for  continuous  work 
which  he  won  as  a  school  teacher  was  broken  bv 
the  period  of  his  army  service.  During  his  con- 
nection with  the  army  he  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  William  McKinley,  for  whom  afterward 
he  entertained  the  strongest  admiration,  and  con- 
cerning  whom   he    later   gave    this   tribute: 

"Search   the  record   of   the   ages;   trace   it   through   all 

past   time; 
It  will  disclose  no  character  more  beautiful  or  sublime ; 
The  synonym  of  true  greatness,  his  name  will  ever  be 
Enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  freemen  and  lovers  of  liberty. 

"Hi?    lofty   and   gentle   nature,   adorned   with   Christian 

grace. 
By  kind   deeds  was   exemplified,  at  all  times,  in  every 

place. 
His  devotion,  true  and  tender,  to  an  invalid  wife. 
Emphasized    both    love    and    virtue,    which    lessen    the 

storms  of  life. 

"Upon    fame's    commanding    summit,    triumphantly    he 

stood. 
Still   contending  for  man's  birthright  and   the  greatest 

public   good  : 
.\nd    when   by   the   dread    assassin    the    fatal    ball    was 

hurled. 
His   bright   star  had   reached   the   zenith   and   its   glorv 

filled  the  world." 


In  addition  to  the  memorial  encomium  from 
which  the  foregoing  verses  were  taken.  Captain 
Peck  has  written  other  poems  that  breathe  a 
spirit  of  patriotism  and  an  admiration  for  the 
true  and  the  good.  When  a  search  for  a  more 
equable  climate  than   the  east  afforded  brought 


940 


MISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


him  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  he  ar- 
rived in  Elsinore  July  19,  1884,  and  since  then 
has  been  identified  prominently  with  the  material 
interests  of  the  town.  Always  a  local  leader 
in  the  Republican  party,  he  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  county  central  committee,  for 
more  than  twenty  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  board  of  education,  served  about  ten  years 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  city  recorder,  for 
nine  years  or  more  filled  the  office  of  postmaster 
at  Elsinore,  has  also  served  as  deputy  county 
clerk,  deputy  county  assessor,  city  clerk,  ex 
officio  city  assessor  of  Elsinore  and  notary  public, 
all  of  which  positions  he  filled  with  character- 
istic intelligence  and  fidelity.  In  the  suburbs 
of  Elsinore  he  has  a  beautiful  home,  where  in  the 
twilight  of  a  useful  existence  he  is  surrounded 
b}-  the  comforts  accumulated  in  former  years 
anil  blessed  by  the  confidence  and  deep  regard 
of  friends.  In  the  quiet  of  his  peaceful  days  his 
mind  reverts  often  to  the  stirring  scenes  of  the 
past  and  to  the  memorable  epoch  of  the  Civil 
war,  "all  of  which  he  saw  and  part  of  which  he 
was."  Among  his  recollections  is  that  of  a 
trip  by  boat  on  the  James  river.  In  a  conver- 
sation with  the  captain  the  latter  told  him  that 
he  witnessed  the  capture  of  John  Wilkes  Booth 
after  the  murder  of  President  Lincoln  and  him- 
self carried  the  dead  body  from  the  place  where 
it  fell  back  to  the  city  of  Washington.  As  tlie 
captain  knew  Booth  personally,  he  was  quite 
positive  concerning  his  identity.  At  the  time 
some  believed  Booth  to  have  escaped  and  insisted 
that  the  dead  body  was  that  of  another  man, 
which  assertion  the  captain,  from  his  personal 
acquaintance  with  Booth,  was  able  to  refute. 

During  one  of  his  furloughs  from  the  arm\' 
Captain  Peck  formed  domestic  ties.  His  mar- 
riage was  solemnized  in  Ohio  September  14, 
1864,  and  united  him  with  Amanda  Atkinson, 
who  passed  away  at  Elsinore  April  20,  1898. 
Nine  children  were  born  o^  their  union,  eight  of 
whom  attained  mature  years.  In,  the  order  of 
birth  they  are  named  as  follows :  George  A., 
born  July  6,  1866,  now  residing  at  Pasadena : 
Leonard  S.,  born  March  18,  1868,  now  engaged 
in  mining  at  Bodie,  this  state;  Frank  W.,  bom 
January  22,  1870,  who  died  in  early  manhood; 
Junius  C,  bom  January  30,  1872,  now  engaged 
in  mining  in  Nevada;  Clarence  E.,  born  Novem- 
ber 23,  1873,  now  connected  with  the  Green  hotel 
at  Pasadena  ;  Carver  C,  bom  April  5,  1876,  resid- 
ing at  Elsinore;  John  E.,  born  May  i,  1878,  now 
a  medical  student  in  the  University  of  Southern 
California ;  Vernon  L,,  who  was  born  March  26, 
1880,  and  died  at  the  age  of  four  months;  and 
Reullura  A.,  who  was  born  November  19,  1882, 
and  is  the  wife  of  Clyde  Thompson,  of  Los  An- 
geles. The  family  are  identified  with  the  Method- 
ist   Episcopal    Church,    while    in    fraternal    re- 


lations the  captain  holds  membership  with  Elsi- 
nore Post  No.  103,  and  for  years  has  been  in- 
terested in  the  activities  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic. 


WILLIAM  JEPHTHA  FUOUA.  The  fam- 
ily represented  by  this  prominent  rancher  and 
citizen  of  Lemon  is  of  French  origin,  and  became 
established  in  the  new  world  by  two  brothers, 
who  left  France  and  settled  in  Virginia.  From 
one  of  these  brothers  Rev.  Isham  Fuqua  was 
directly  descended,  and  his  birth  occurred  in 
old  Mrginia,  not  far  from  the  place  where  his 
ancestors  settled.  The  trend  of  western  immigra- 
tion in  the  period  following  closely  upon  the 
finding  of  gold  in  California  witnessed  the  re- 
moval of  Isham  Fuqua  to  the  west,  his  course 
lying  along  the  southern  route.  Going  direct 
to  Julian,  San  Diego  county,  Cal.,  he  put  in 
a  crop  of  wheat,  and  this  proving  a  success  he 
repeated  his  efforts  the  following  season,  having 
as  his  associates  in  this  undertaking  his  two 
brothers-in-law.  Hale  and  J.  M.  Hathaway.  Sub- 
se(|uentl\  Mr.  Fuqua  farmed  in  the  vicinitv  of 
Fl  Monte.  Los  Angeles  county,  later  went  to 
San  Bernardino  county,  after  which  he  came 
once  more  to  Los  Angeles  county  and  purchased 
land  in  La  Ballona  district.  The  dry  season  of 
1863-1864  caused  him  to  remove  with  his  stock 
into  the  Tehachapi  district,  in  Kern  county,  two 
\ears  later  returning  to  his  ranch  at  El  Alonte. 
Trouble  of  another  kind  was  here  awaiting,  how- 
ever, for  his  ranch  proved  to  be  grant  land  and 
he  lost  it.  Going  back  to  San  Bernardino  county 
lie  bought  land  near  Rincon,  in  Riverside  county, 
nvaldng  it  his  home  until  1886,  when  he  sold 
nut  his  possessions  and  lived  retired  in  Pomona 
until  his  death.  He  was  an  ordained  minister' 
of  the  Baptist  denomination  and  filled  pulpits 
in  the  various  localities  in  which  he  resided, 
among  them  El  Monte,  Downey.  Azusa  and  Rin- 
con, some  of  which  churches  he  himself  or- 
ganized. Politically  he  has  been  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat. He  enlisted  his  services  in  the  Mexican 
wir,  serving  tlirotighout  the  war  as  a  member 
of  a  Texas  regiment.  His  wife,  formerlv  loan 
Hathaway,  was  also  a  native  of  old  Virginia,  as 
was  her  father,  William  Hathaway,  who  was  of 
English  descent.  Mrs.  Fuqua  also  died  in  Po- 
mona, having  become  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren, as  foliows:  Dora,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Thurman, 
of  Pomona;  John  M.,  also  in  Pomona;  Mary, 
Mrs.  Vines,  of  Los  Angeles;  B.  F.,  of  Fresno; 
William  J.,  our  subject;  Serene  D.,  Mrs.  Hidden, 
of  Berkeley ;  and  Tennie,  Mrs.  Bowers,  of 
Lemon. 

Near  what  is  now  Palms,  Los  Angeles  county, 
William    J.    Fuqua    was   born    JNIarch    18,    1861. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


941 


When  he  was  two  years  of  age  he  was  taken  to 
the  Tehachapi  district  and  subsequently  he  fal- 
lowed his  father's  migrations  for  some  years, 
having  very  limited  educational  advantages  dur- 
ing his  boyhood.  Leaving  the  home  farm  in 
1884  he  struck  out  independently,  his  first  work 
being  as  a  farm  hand  on  the  old  Puente  ranch 
rented  by  Bob  Taylor,  with  whom  he  remained 
one  year.  Later  he  hired  out  in  the  same  capac- 
ity to  Rhoades  &  Baker,  owners  of  the  Sentous 
ranch,  of  which  two  years  later  he  was  made 
foreman,  a  position  which  he  filled  efficiently  for 
six  years,  giving  it  up  at  the  end  of  this  time  to 
take  charge  of  his  own  land.  This  purchase 
consisted  of  forty-five  acres  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lemon,  upon  which  he  raised  alfalfa  exclusively, 
later  selling  this  and  reinvesting  the  proceeds 
in  another  ranch  which  he  devoted  to  the  same 
crop.  Upon  disposing  of  the  last-mentioned 
ranch  he  again  invested  the  proceeds  in  land, 
buying  his  present  ranch  of  seventeen  acres  on 
Currier  street,  in  Lemon.  The  entire  acreage  is 
in  walnuts.  One  of  the  prime  essentials  to  suc- 
cess in  the  raising  of  walnuts  in  an  abundance  of 
water,  which  is  no  doubt  a  large  factor  in  Mr. 
Fuqua's  success,  his  supply  coming  from  the 
Swan  Ranch  Water  Company,  one  of  the  largest 
pumping  plants  in  this  part  of  the  county,  he 
himself  being  a  director  and  the  president  of  the 
company.  ().  W.  Longdon  demonstrated  his 
appreciation  of  Mr.  Fuqua's  capabilities  as  a 
public  official  by  appointing  him  road  overseer 
of  the  Spadra  road  district  in  1898,  a  position 
which  he  held  ever  since,  and  judging  from 
indications  he  is  not  liable  to  be  released  from 
duty.  During  his  incumbency  of  this  position 
he  has  built  the  roads  from  Pomona  to  Puente, 
graveled  and  oiled  them,  until  they  are  now  in 
fine  condition  and  rank  with  any  other  country 
road  in  Southern  California.  The  Lemon  school 
district  is  another  evidence  of  Mr.  Fuqua's  in- 
terest in  the  afifairs  of  his  home  locality,  he  be- 
ing one  of  the  most  active  factors  in  its  organi- 
zation, and  from  the  first  had  been  a  director 
and  clerk  of  the  board. 

At  Highland.  San  Bernardino  county,  October 
17,  1888^  Mr.  Fuqua  married  Miss  Lula  Hidden, 
who  was  born  in  Kansas,  the  daughter  of 
Charles  Hidden.  Mr.  Fuqua  and  his  wife  are 
both  members  of  the  Christian  Qmrch  of  Po- 
mona, supporting  with  a  liberal  hand  its  various 
charitable  and  benevolent  organizations.  In  his 
political  sympathies  Mr.  Fuqua  is  a  Democrat 
in  national  politics,  although  in  local  elections 
he  is  guided  by  the  candidate's  qualifications  re- 
gardless of  party  name.  The  only  fraternal  or- 
ganization of  which  he  is  a  member  is  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  holding  membership  in 
the  camp  at  Lemon,  in  which  he  at  one  time 
was  an  officer. 


HERBERT  JOHN  WALLIS.  Though 
one  of  the  comparatively  late  comers  to  Clare- 
mont  Air.  Wallis  has  made  such  rapid  strides 
from,  a  business  standpoint  as  to  place  him 
on  record  as  one  of  the  town's  substantial  citi- 
zens and  thoroughgoing  business  men.  In 
September  of  1903  he  came  to  the  town  and 
purchased  the  site  of  his  present  livery  stable, 
and  erected  thereon  a  barn  36x80  feet,  which 
gives  ample  room  for  his  livery  and  sales 
stables  and  also  for  the  handling  of  feed.  The 
Claremont  Livery  stable  has  taken  its  place 
among  the  other  live  enterprises  of  the  town. 
The  proprietor  caters  to  the  traveling  public, 
meeting  all  trains,  and  for  those  who  ride  or 
drive  for  pleasure  he  has  a  fine  equipment  of 
horses  and  up-to-date  vehicles. 

The  \\'al!is  family  is  of  English  origin,  and 
it  was  the  grandfather,  John  \\'allis,  who  es- 
tablished the  family  on  this  continent,  settling 
as  a  farmer  in  Huntingdon  county,  Quebec. 
On  this  farm  h.is  son,  Frederick  ^Vallis,  was 
born,  but  later  years  found  him  a  resident  of 
Vermont,  his  death  occurring  in  W^aitsfield, 
that  state,  in  1903.  His  marriage  united  him 
with  Martha  Ann  Cooper,  who  like  himself 
was  born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Quebec,  the 
daughter  of  Merrill  Cooper,  the  latter  a  na- 
tive of  N'ermont  and  the  descendant  of  a  long 
line  of  Xew  England  ancestors.  Mrs.  Martha 
Ann  A\'allis  is  now  living  in  Morden,  Mani- 
toba. 

Four  children  gathered  around  the  family 
fireside  in  Huntingdon  county,  all  of  whom 
are  still  living,  and  Herbert  }.  is  the  eldest. 
He  was  born  March  13,  1858,  and  after  attend- 
ing the  public  schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
home  assisted  in  the  care  of  the  home  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Going 
to  Manitoba  in  1883  he  bought  a  quarter  sec- 
tion of  new  land,  which  he  improved,  devot- 
ing it  to  the  raising  of  wdieat  and  to  stock- 
raising.  The  virgin  soil  was  exceedingly  pro- 
ductive and  during  the  seventeen  years  that 
he  remained  there  he  reaped  rich  harvests  of 
grain  and  raised  large  herds  of  cattle.  In 
1900  he  rented  his  farm  near  Morden  and 
came  to  California,  and  for  several  years  was 
interested  in  horticulture  at  Cpland,  San  Ber- 
nardino county,  having  in  the  mean  time,  in 
1902.  sold  his  farm  in  Manitoba.  September 
of  1905  witnessed  Mr.  W'allis'  removal  to 
Claremont,  and  if  the  success  which  the  past 
year  has  brought  to  him  still  continues  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  Claremont  will  retain  him  as 
a  citizen  permanently. 

In  Ormstown.  Quebec.  Mr.  Wallis  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Jennie  Armstrong,  who  is  a  na- 
tive of  that  city.  While  living  in  Upland 
both    became    members    of     the     Presbvterian 


942 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Church  of  that  place,  and  were  active  in  the 
work  connected  therewith,  Mr.  Wallis  serv- 
ing as  secretary  of  the  Sunday-school,  but  as 
yet  they  have  not  transferred  their  member- 
ship to  any  church  organization  in  Claremont. 
Mr.  Wallis  was  made  an  Odd  Fellow  while 
in  Manitoba,  joining  Nelson  Lodge  No.  9,  in 
Morden,  and  in  Upland,  Cal.,  affiliated  with 
Euclid  Lodge  No.  68,  of  which  he  is  still  a 
member,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  en- 
campment of   Upland. 


ALLEN  J.  TAYLOR.  Far  back  into  the  early 
history  of  the  United  States  the  name  of  Taylor 
was  connected  with  the  colony  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  genealogical  records  trace  the  relation- 
ship of  the  family  to  Lord  Wellington,  also  to 
Charles  Wesley,  whose  name  has  been  handed 
down  to  fame  with  that  of  his  brother  John. 
Allen,  a  son  of  Joseph  Taylor,  was  born  in 
Edgecombe  county,  N.  C,  in  1789,  and  removed 
at  an  early  age  to  Kentucky,  settling  in  Warren 
county,  where  his  son,  Alfred  was  born  in 
January  of  1818.  The  latter  was  a  man  of  ex- 
ceptional ability  and  sterling  integrity,  an  active 
worker  in  the  Christian  Church,  and  often  chosen 
to  settle  up  estates,  the  choice  being  based  upon 
the  universal  confidence  in  his  judgment  and 
probity.  Though  he  began  life  with  little  means, 
through  his  energy  and  persistence  he  accumu- 
lated three  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  demise  was  among  the 
well-to-do  planters  of  his  county.  In  1843  lis 
married  Caroline  M.,  daughter  of  E.  P.  Daven- 
port, and  four  children  were  born  of  their  union, 
one  of  these  being  the  gentleman  whose  name 
introduces  this  article,  and  who  was  formerly 
one  of  the  progressive  dairymen  of  Los  An- 
geles county. 

The  common  schools  offered  Allen  J.  Taylor 
only  a  desultory  education,  but  early  in  boyhood 
he  developed  a  taste  for  reading  and  soon  be- 
came conversant  with  the  best  authors  and  stored 
his  mind  with  much  useful  information.  From 
early  years  his  life  was  one  of  unceasing  activ- 
ity, for  his  temperament  did  not  permit  of  idle- 
ness. At  the  age  of  twenty-eight  he  purchased 
two  hundred  and  thirty  acres  and  this  tract  he 
developed  into  one  of  the  best-improved  planta- 
tions in  the  entire  county,  his  crops  of  tobacco 
and  grain  being  the  equal  of  any  raised  for  miles 
around.  September  17,  1874,  he  married  Miss 
Nannie  Alexander,  whose  counsel  and  co-opera- 
tion were  helpful  in  the  attainment  of  success. 
Their  only  son,  Qiarles  A.,  who  was  born  June 
27,  187=;,  was  associated  with  his  father  in  dairy- 
ing and  ranching  until  the  death  of  the  father 
June  2,  T906,  since  which  time  he  has  carried  on 
the  work  of  the  ranch. 


On  coming  to  California  Mr.  Taylor  rented 
a  ranch,  thinking  it  might  prove  wiser  to  rent 
for  a  time,  until  familiar  with  conditions  and 
soils.  In  the  fall  of  1897  he  settled  near  Comp- 
ton,  where  for  six  years  he  rented  land.  For 
two  years  he  sold  milk  to  the  Anchorage  cream- 
ery and  then  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Eureka 
creamery,  where  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors.  Through  his  efiforts,  as- 
sociated with  other  interested  parties,  the  price 
of  milk  was  raised  to  a  considerable  degree,  and 
he  was  thus  helpful  to  the  dairymen  of  the  vi- 
cinity. As  a  representative  of  the  creamery  he 
became  a  delegate  to  the  Los  Angeles  Board  of 
Trade  and  during  the  last  year  of  his  service 
was  honored  with  the  chairmanship  of  the  board. 
Experience  taught  him  that  diversified  farming 
was  more  profitable  than  specialties,  this  being 
especially  true  on  a  dairy  ranch,  as  milk  cows, 
to  be  profitable,  must  be  given  a  variety  of  feed. 
After  coming  to  the  state  he  became  a  close 
student  of  the  lands,  soils,  conditions,  etc.,  and 
he  found  that  a  high  state  of  cultivation  was 
absolutely  necessary  in  securing  the  best  results. 
After  a  visit  of  four  months  in  the  east  and 
south  he  returned  to  Compton  and  resumed  the 
dairy  business,  from  then  until  his  death  furnish- 
ing milk  from  thirty  cows  directly  to  the  milk- 
men of  Los  Angeles.  With  his  son  he  owned 
a  ranch  of  twenty-five  acres  and  operated  forty- 
five  acres  of  rented  land  in  the  interests  of  the 
dairy  industry.  During  the  last  six  years  of  his 
residence  in  Kentucky  he  was  interested  in 
breeding  saddle  horses  and  Jersey  cattle,  and  up- 
on the  organization  of  the  American  Saddle 
Horsemen's  Association  he  became  one  of  its 
charter  members,  but  discontinued  his  member- 
ship after  retiring  from  the  business.  A  Repub- 
lican in  views,  he  took  a  warm  interest  in  the 
political  contest  of  the  day  and  kept  thoroughly 
posted  concerning  the  problems  afifecting  the 
prosperity  of  our  countn,". 


GRATIAN  BIDART.  France  has  contribu- 
ted her  share  to  the  citizenship  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia and  among  the  number  is  Gratian  Bidard. 
well  known  in  the  vicinity  of  Puente.  where  with 
bis  brother,  Bertrand,  he  owns  a  ranch  of  thirty- 
two  and  a  half  acres,  formerly  a  part  of  the 
Thomas  Rowland  estate.  Born  in  Basses-Pyre- 
nees, France,  March  6,  1877,  he  is  a  son  of  Jean 
and  Marie  (Falsa)  Bidart,  both  born  in  the  same 
pqrt  of  France  as  was  their  son.  Leaving  his 
wife  and  children  in  their  native  land  Jean  Bidart 
came  to  California  in  1888  and  established  him- 
self in  the  sheep  business  at  Newport,  a  busi- 
ness which  prospered  under  his  careful  handling, 
and  later  he  removed  to  the  Chino  rancho,  where 
he  branched  out  on  a  larger  scale.     In  the  mean 


ALFRED  H.  SMILEY 


ALBERT  K.  SMILEY 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


945 


time,  in  1891,  he  had  been  joined  by  his  wife 
and  children,  and  for  nine  years  they  made  their 
home  on  the  ranch  just  mentioned.  At  the  end 
of  this  time,  however,  the  parents  and  several 
of  the  children  returned  to  their  native  land, 
where  ]Mr.  Bidart  has  large  property  holdings, 
and  where  he  carries  on  a  farm  and  stock  ranch. 
Of  their  eight  children,  four  are  in  France  with 
their  parents,  Maria,  Mariana,  Jennie  M.  and 
Martin,  while  the  others,  Gratian,  Bertrand, 
Marie  and  Jean,  are  residents  of  California. 

Gratian  Bidart  was  a  lad  of  about  fourteen 
years  when  with  his  mother  and  the  other  chil- 
dren he  came  to  America  to  join  his  father.  He 
was  of  an  age  to  be  useful  on  the  ranch  which 
his  father  had  established  in  California  and  so 
thoroughly  had  he  learned  the  details  of  the  busi- 
ness that  when  his  father  retired  from  business 
and  returned  to  France  in  1900  he  purchased  the 
business  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Bert- 
rand, their  brother  Marie  also  being  interested 
in  the  business.  For  one  year  the  brothers  con- 
tinued on  the  Chino  rancho,  and  in  taking  an 
inventory  of  their  stock  at  that  time  found  they 
had  six  thousand  sheep.  In  order  to  secure  more 
commodious  range  land  for  their  rapidly  increas- 
ing herds  in  1901  they  removed  to  the  vicinity 
of  Lemon  and  ranged  their  sheep  on  the  Wright 
ranch.  Five  years  later,  however,  they  sold  out 
their  sheep  industry  and  have  since  been  inter- 
ested in  raising  alfalfa,  for  which  purpose  they 
purchased  thirty-two  and  a  half  acres  of  the 
Thomas  Rowland  tract,  all  but  seven  acres  of  the 
entire  acreage  being  in  alfalfa.  The  ranch  is 
well  watered  from  the  San  Jose  ditch.  The 
four  brothers  who  are  in  California,  Gratian, 
Bertrand  and  Marie  in  Puente.  and  Jean  in  Red- 
lands,  are  maintaining  with  dignity  the  reputa- 
tion of  a  familv  name  well  known  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Atlantic,  the  ancestors  having  flour- 
ished in  lower  France  for  many  generations. 
Gratian  Bidart  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
affiliations,  belongs  to  the  society  of  Druids,  in 
which  he  finds  a  pleasant  relaxation  from  busi- 
ness cares,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  French 
Hospital  Society  of  Los  Angeles. 


ALBERT  KEITH  SMILEY.  So  similar  in 
experiences  were  the  boyhood  days  of  the  twin 
brothers,  Albert  K.  and  Alfred  H.  Smiley,  so 
closely  associated  their  manhood  years,  so  united 
their  tastes,  so  harmonious  their  temperaments, 
that  it  seemed  as  if  one  life  only  were  being 
lived ;  yet  the  two-fold  energy  thrown  into  every 
pursuit  brought  the  larger  results  of  such  effort, 
hence  their  lives,  so  united  in  aims  and  purposes, 
were  unusually  lasting  in  benefits  wrought  and 
improvements  made.  Both  were  college  grad- 
uates, having  completed  the  course  after  study- 


ing side  by  side  during  the  entire  term.  Both 
took  up  teaching  in  the  same  institution  and  later 
founded  an  academy,  whose  upbuilding  was  ac- 
complished through  their  self-sacrificing  and  wise 
management.  As  both  were  talented  educators, 
so  both  proved  to  be  successful  business  men,  and 
as  landlords  they  were  courteous,  hospitable  and 
genial,  indeed  proving  ideal  hosts  to  men  and 
women  of  culture  and  broad  education. 

The  Smiley  family  was  originally  from  Scot- 
land, emigrating  ancestors  locating  in  London- 
derry; Ireland,  and  thence  transplanting  the  name 
to  the  New  England  states,  where  descendants 
changed  from  the  Presbyterian  to  the  Quaker 
faith.  David  Smiley  removed  from  New  Hamp- 
shire to  Maine,  where  he  reared  his  family,  a  son, 
Daniel,  being  the  father  of  the  twin  brothers. 
Their  mother  was  Phoebe  Howland,  a  native  of 
Maine  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Howland,  whose 
ancestry  can  be  traced  to  the  Puritans,  John  How- 
land being  a  passenger  on  the  Mayflower  and  a 
prominent  character,  his  brother  being  his  busi- 
ness partner,  in  England  and  the  Colonies  was 
the  progenitor  of  the  family  of  which  the  Smiley 
brothers  are  descendants.  The  birth  of  the 
brothers  occurred  at  \'assalboro.  Me.,  March  i", 
1828,  their  parents  rearing  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  survivors  are  besides  Albert 
K.,  Joseph  H.,  of  \'assalboro.  Me. ;  Sarah  F.,  of 
Washington,  a  prominent  lecturer  of  international 
reputation  on  religious  topics  and  the  founder 
of  a  correspondence  school  on  the  Bible  and 
Church  history,  of  the  Episcopalian  denomination  ; 
Daniel  and  Rebecca.  After  a  course  of  academic 
training  the  brothers  were  graduated  from  Haver- 
ford  College  in  1849  ^"d  later  received  the  de- 
gree of  A.  M.,  while  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  was 
conferred  upon  Albert  K.  in  June.  1906.  In  1875 
he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  at 
Brown  L'niversity.  After  leaving  college  they 
engaged  in  teaching  and  for  three  years  had 
charge  of  the  department  of  English  at  Haver- 
ford,  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  founding  an 
academy  at  Philadelphia.  Alfred  H.  severed  his 
connection  with  this  institution  after  two  years, 
and  removed  to  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  while  Albert 
K.  continued  his  educational  work  there  two  vears 
longer,  and  then  joined  his  brother  in  Iowa  for 
one  year.  In  1858  he  was  called  to  take  charge 
of  a  boarding  school  at  his  old  home,  which  he 
did  for  two  years.  They  were  again  identified 
in  the  educational  work  when  in  i860  they  as- 
sumed charge  of  a  Semi-Collegiate  Friends' 
School  at  Providence,  R.  I..  Albert  K.  remaining 
with  the  school  as  its  principal  and  superintendent 
until  1879,  a  period  of  nineteen  years. 

During  his  connection  with  this  school  Albert 
K.  established  a  hotel  at  Lake  Mohonk  which  was 
managed  by  his  brother  for  some  time  and  as  it 
proved   profitable,  additions  were  erected  to  ac- 


946 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


commodate  the  increasing  number  of  guests. 
Eventuall)-  he  acquired  a  beautiful  structure  with 
a  capacity  for  four  hundred  and  fifty  guests.  In 
1875  Alfred  H.  bought  twenty-five  hundred  acres 
at  Lake  JMinnewaska,  seven  miles  from  Lake 
.Mohonk,  and  added  by  purchase  until  seven  thou- 
sand acres  were  acquired  for  the  hotel  grounds. 
On  this  tract  a  hotel  was  erected  and  opened  in 
1879  under  his  management,  with  every  conven- 
ience for  the  comfort  of  guests.  The  improve- 
ment of  their  grounds  was  one  of  the  favorite 
pursuits  of  the  brothers,  drives  to  the  extent  of 
many  miles  being  laid  out  upon  them,  while  the 
landscape  gardening  surrounding  the  hotels  rep- 
resented the  highest  ideals  of  art.  Hotel  ^Nlo- 
honk  has  entertained  more  than  four  thousand 
guests  during  the  season,  and  those  who  once 
visit  the  resort  leave  with  delightful  memories 
of  the  refined  and  attractive  life  centered  there. 
From  the  first  the  hotels  have  been  maintained  as 
on  strictly  temperance  plans.  When  it  was  ad- 
vertised at  the  opening  of  Mohonk  that  liquor 
would  not  be  sold  at  the  bar  or  served  at  the 
table  many  were  the  predictions  of  failure  and 
financial  ruin.  However,  it  soon  appeared  that 
man^•  wished  to  be  free  from  the  presence  of 
liquor,  and  families  felt  it  safe  to  bring  their 
children  here,  so  that  from  the  first  the  enterprise 
prospered. 

One  of  the  features  of  both, Mohonk  and  3.1  in- 
newaska  is  the  daily  morning  prayer  service  at- 
tended voluntarily  by  the  guests.  The  service  is 
simple  and  occupies  only  a  few  minutes,  but  the 
guests  go  to  their  daily  pleasures  with  a  spiritual 
unlift.  "The  Lord's  Day  has  been  observed  and 
guests  are  asked  neither  to  arrive  nor  depart  at 
that  time,  yet  there  is  no  constraint  about  the 
day  and  no  parade  of  Sabbath-keeping.  The 
spirit  of  the  Quaker  training  of  the  brothers  was 
apparent  and  pervaded  the  place,  and  the  guests 
felt  its  uplifting  influence  in  their  own  hearts 
and  lives. 

Coming  to  California  during  1889,  the  brothers 
toured  the  entire  state  in  search  of  a  desirable 
location  and  selected  Redlands  as  their  future 
home.  In  making  this  decision  they  were '  in- 
fluenced by  the  climate  and  the  scenery.  Shortly 
after  their  arrival  they  purchased  two  hundred 
acres  on  the  northern  crest  of  the  San  Timoteo 
cafion,  which  they  immediately  named  Canon 
Crest  Park,  but  which  is  more  familiarly  known 
to-day  as  Smiley  Heights.  In  the  park  they 
erected  two  residences  for  their  winter  homes. 
At  their  own  expense  they  beautified  the  crest 
and  maintained  it  for  the  public.  The  results  of 
their  efforts  need  no  words  to  tell,  for  they  speak 
for  themselves  in  the  beauty  of  a  spot  that  stands 
alone  and  unique  among  California's  attractions. 
With  its  splendid  natural  beauty,  its  magnificent 
views   of  the   surrounding    country,    its    untold 


treasures  of  trees  and  flowers,  it  proves  the  fact 
that  no  land  can  boast  of  greater  scenic  attrac- 
tions than  California.  Besides  improving  the 
park  and  making  of  it  one  of  the  beauty  spots 
of  the  west,  the  brothers  did  much  to  promote 
the  material  development  of  Redlands  and  were 
ever  alert  to  aid  any  important  movement.  The 
cause  of  good  roads  had  in  them  intelligent  cham- 
pions. They  encouraged  the  citrus-fruit  industry 
and  rejoiced  to  see  the  sage-brush  replaced  by 
fine  orange  groves.  Especially  were  they  in- 
terested in  the  A.  K.  Smiley  public  library,  Alfred 
H.  being  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  from 
its  organization  until  his  death.  The  building, 
costing  $41,000,  and  an  eight- acre  park  surround- 
ing, costing  $30,000,  were  gifts  of  A.  K.  Smiley. 
In  November,  1893,  Alfred  H.  raised  the  first 
fund  of  $2,000  for  the  establishment  of  a  library 
and  for  the  purchase  of  books,  but  having  no 
building  a  room  was  rented  for  that  purpose  and 
maintained  until  the  present  building  was  erected 
which  was  opened  in  April,  1898.  Appropriations 
were  carefully  husbanded.  Lists  of  books  to  be 
purchased  were  studied  with  care.  Trips  were 
made  to  other  cities  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting 
libraries.  One  of  the  last  letters  written  by  Mr. 
Smiley  before  his  death  referred  to  the  library, 
dwelling  at  length  upon  its  needs  for  the  year 
and  expressing  gratitude  to  the  city  trustees  for 
their  generous  support  of  the  public-spirited 
project.  The  library  stands  as  a  monument  to 
the  progressive  spirit  of  Albert  K.  Smiley  and 
the  devotion  to  the  city  where  he  makes  his  winter 
home.  The  architecture  is  peculiarly-  adapted  to 
the  picturesque  environment  of  the  beautiful  city. 
Tourists  from  other  parts  of  the  country  and 
from  abroad  invariably  comment  upon  the  sym- 
metry of  the  building  architecturally  and  the 
beauty  of  the  classic  design.  But  not  alone  as  an 
aid  to  the  architectural  completeness  of  the  city 
has  the  library  proved  a  valuable  gift.  Beyond 
and  above  any  benefit  from  exterior  elegance 
and  interior  beauty  is  the  benefit  derived  from 
the  perusal  by  the  people  of  the  choice  gems  of 
literature  contained  within  the- walls  of  the  build- 
ing and  selected  with  the  greatest  care  by  the 
trustees.  When  the  movement  was  first  planned 
a  few  believed  a  public  library  to  be  little  needed 
in  a  city  of  well-to-do  people  with  choice  and 
numerous  private  libraries,  but  the  outcome 
proved  the  wise  judgment  of  the  founder,  for 
the  library  has  been  well  patronized  from  the 
first  and  has  proved  of  invaluable  assistance  in 
the  intellectual  development  of  the  people.  The 
number  of  volumes  has  increased  from  fourteen 
hundred  to  more  than  twelve  thousand.  Another 
valuable  incentive  to  the  beautifying  of  the  city 
of  Redlands  was  his  offering  of  prizes  for  the 
best  kept  grounds  in  the  city,  which  resulted  in 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGR.APHICAL  RECORD. 


947 


making  of  the  place  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in 
Southern  California. 

Not  the  least  prominent  in  the  career  of  Albert 
K.  Smiley  was  his  identitication  with  the  Indian 
affairs  of  the  country  for  a  period  of  something 
like  twenty-four  years,  having  received  this  ap- 
pointment in  1879.  In  the  fall  of  each  year  he 
would  invite  all  interested  in  Indian  affairs  to 
a  conference  at  Lake  Alohonk,  entertaining  them 
as  his  guests  for  four  days,  the  duration  of  each 
meeting.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mission that  gave  the  Mission  Indians  their 
reservation  in  Southern  California  some  years 
ago.  He  is  the  founder  of  the  International  Arbi- 
tration conference,  which  meets  in  the  spring  of 
each  year  as  his  guests  at  the  hotel  at  Lake  Mo- 
honk,  composed  of  more  than  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five,  the  most  intellectual  citizens  of  the 
world,  and  justly  declared  to  be  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  bodies  that  meets  in  the  country. 
This  was  called  three  years  prior  to  the  Czar's 
rescript,  calling  for  the  conference  of  the  nations 
for  the  Peace  tribunal.  In  recognition  of  his 
services  in  this  conference  and  his  interest  in 
Indian  affairs,  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 
from  his  Alma  Mater  in  June,  1906.  He  has 
always  taken  the  keenest  interest  in  educational 
affairs.  He  has  been  a  trustee  of  Brown  Uni- 
versity since  1875,  is  one  of  the  original  trustees 
of  Bryn  Mawr  College,  president  of  the  New 
York  State  Normal  and  is  now  serving  as  trustee 
of  Pomona  College.  Politically  he  is  a  Republi- 
can and  stanch  in  his  advocacy  of  these  principles 
as  concerning  the  national  government,  although 
locally  he  can  be  counted  upon  to  support  the 
best  interests  of  the  community  regardless  of  po- 
litical affiliations.  Mr.  Smiley  enjoys  a  wide 
friendship  among  those  who  have  known  him  in 
his  residence  east  and  west,  appreciated  for  the 
Cjuiet,  unostentatious  qualities  of  his  character, 
the  uprightness  of  his  manhood,  and  the  kindly 
courtesy  which  has  influenced  his  entire  career. 


ALFRED  HOWLAND  SMILEY.  Although 
identified  with  the  development  and  history  of 
Redlands  for  a  period  of  only  fourteen  years,  the 
name  and  memory  of  Alfred  H.  Smiley  are  in- 
dissolubly  associated  with  the  annals  of  the  city, 
and  the  place  has  never  boasted  of  citizens  more 
public-spirited  and  progressive  than  himself  and 
his  twin  brother,  Albert  K.  To  write  a  history 
of  the  town  is  to  make  frequent  mention  of  their 
names  and  their  services.  Strangers  coming  to 
Southern  California  are  invariably  invited  to 
drive  to  Smiley  Heights  (known  as  Caiion  Crest 
Park),  and  en  route  to  that  charming  spot  they 
usually  hear  much  concerning  the  personalities 
of  the  men  whose  originalitv  and  love  of  the  beau- 


tiful caused  the  development  of  the  tract.  Men 
who  had  the  privilege  of  meeting  the  twin  broth- 
ers found  them  even  more  interesting  than  their 
home.  So  alike  were  they  in  form,  features,  ex- 
pression and  voice,  that  few  except  intimate 
friends  could  distinguish  one  from  the  other,  and 
it  is  also  significant  that  they  were  singularly 
alike  in  temperament  and  tastes. 

Descended  from  Quaker  parentage,  the  broth- 
ers were  born  in  Vassalboro,  Me.,  March  17,  1828, 
receiving  their  preliminary  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  after  which  they  attended  and  grad- 
uated from  Haverford  College  in  1849.  While 
at  school  they  studied  from  the  same  book  and 
shared  every  article  in  common.  After  leaving 
college  they  began  educational  work  together, 
teaching  English  at  Haverford  and  later  estab- 
lishing an  academy  at  Philadelphia.  They  then 
parted  for  a  time,  Alfred  H.  removing  to  Oska- 
loosa,  Iowa,  where  he  was  principal  of  the  high 
school  and  superintendent  of  the  county  schools. 
On  his  return  east  he  joined  his  brother  in  edu- 
cational work,  the  two  having  charge  of  the 
Friends'  School,  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  from  i860 
to  1868.  While  his  brother  retained  his  position 
as  principal  of  this  school  Alfred  H.  entered  the 
hotel  business,  taking  charge  of  a  hotel  at  Lake 
Mohonk,  owned  by  his  brother,  where  he  con- 
tinued ten  years,  and  then  assuming  the  manage- 
ment of  his  own  hotel  at  Lake  Minnewaska. 

In  search  of  a  suitable  location  for  a  winter 
home  the  brothers  came  to  California  in  1889  and 
shortly  afterward  purchased  two  hundred  acres 
on  the  northern  crest  of  the  San  Timoteo  Cafion, 
where  afterward  thev  improved  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  parks  in  Southern  California.  The  park 
was  adorned  with  rare  flowers  and  beautiful 
trees,  and  contained  the  residences  of  the  broth- 
ers, modeled  in  a  style  of  architecture  appropriate 
to  the  place  and  the  picturesque  environment. 
Together  with  his  brother  he  gave  every  effort 
toward  the  material  development  and  improve- 
ment of  the  place,  interested  in  every  movement 
to  advance  the  general  welfare.  Particularly  was 
he  interested  in  the  establishment  and  maintain- 
ence  of  the  A.  K.  Smiley  public  library,  which 
together  with  the  park  adjoining  were  gifts  from 
Albert  K.,  and  in  this  connection  as  well  as  others 
his  name  will  long  be  remembered. 

Surviving  Alfred  H.  Smiley  are  his  widow 
and  six  children,  namely  :  Edward  A.,  of  Minne- 
waska :  Frederick  A.,  of  Fredalba  Park;  George 
H.,  of  Minnewaska ;  Mrs.  Susan  S.  LTnderhill,  of 
Redlands;  Mrs.  Fannie  S.  Baldwin,  of  East 
Orange,  N.  J. ;  and  Mrs.  Abbie  S.  Lathrop,  of 
Summit,  N.  J.  The  death  of  Mr.  Smiley  occurred 
at  his  winter  home  near  Redlands  January  23, 
1903,  after  a  long  illness.  While  engaged  in  sur- 
veying operations  at  his  summer  hotel  at  Lake 
Minnewaska  he  met  with  an  accidental  fall,  and 


948 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


from  that  time  his  strength  began  to  decHne. 
Against  the  advice  of  his  physicians  in  November 
he  came  to  Redlands.  Passionately  devoted  to 
his  winter  home,  he  had  yearned  for  it  and  had 
made  the  trip  hither  in  spite  of  \veal<ened  phy- 
sical condition.  From  the  time  of  his  arrival  it 
was  found  that  his  condition  was  critical,  and, 
feeling  that  the  end  was  near,  he  prepared  his 
business  affairs  for  the  change.  With  a  calm 
and  tranquil  resignation  he  faced  death  and  forti- 
fied with  a  Christian's  hope  he  passed  into 
eternity. 

A  man  of  simple  tastes,  averse  to  display,  noth- 
ing could  be  further  from  the  wishes  of  Mr. 
Smiley  than  to  have  fulsome  flattery  bestowed 
upon  his  life-achievements ;  hence  his  funeral  was 
simple.  However,  the  admiration  of  the  people 
for  his  character  found  expression  in  many  ways. 
The  words  of  the  funeral  address  voiced  the  senti- 
ment of  all:  "We  had  a  feeling  toward  him 
deeper  than  respect,  though  we  thoroughly  re- 
spected him.  We  had  a  feeling  deeper 
than  honor,  though  we  highly  honored 
him.  We  loved  him.  He  had  won  our 
hearts.  The  old  proverb  reads :  'He  that  hath 
friends  must  show  himself  friendly.'  He  him- 
self loved  the  town  of  his  adoption.  He  loved 
Redlands.  He  loved  its  scenery,  he  loved  its 
people.  That  was  a  touching  proof  of  his  real 
feeling  when,  in  the  opinion  of  physicians  and 
friends  he  was  too  sick  to  take  a  journey  of  three 
thousand  miles,  he  had  so  set  his  heart  upon 
coming  that  everything  had  to  give  way  to  that 
one  great  desire.  Better  than  rest,  better  than 
medicine  or  careful  nursing,  in  his  feeling  was 
to  be  back  again  in  the  sunshine  of  his  Redlands 
home,  back  within  sight  of  the  mountains  and  tlie 
orange  groves  so  conspicuous  from  his  house. 
And  I  love  to  think  that  the  mountains  and  the 
groves,  and  his  home  nestled  in  the  hillside,  wel- 
comed their  friend  and  lover,  who  had  come  back 
to  end  his  life  among  them.  And  I  as  sure  the 
people  of  Redlands  felt  a  welcome  they  have  not 
been  permitted  to  speak.  I  hope  he  realized  in 
some  small  degree  at  least  the  wealth  of  interest 
and  sympathy  and  affection  which  centered  about 
that  house  on  the  hill  during  his  sickness.  It  is 
a  grand  thing  when  people  give  mone\-  to  pro- 
mote public  happiness  and  advancement ;  but  Mr. 
Smiley 's  greatest  gift  has  been  himself,  and  this 
has  won  the  hearts  of  the  people  as  nothing  else 
could.  His  life  has  been  a  benediction  to  this 
town.  It  is  a  picture  to  look  back  upon.  His 
face  mirrored  his  soul.  He  has  left  an  impress 
upon  the  town,  an  impress  of  beauty  added  to 
the  landscape,  an  impress  upon  the  moral  char- 
acter, •  giving  tone  and  strength  to  every  good 
cause." 


RAPHAEL       HOWARD      DIXSMOOR. 

Prior  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution  members 
of  the  Dinsmoor  famih"  came  to  America  and 
settled  in  New  England,  where  several  genera- 
lions  labored  as  tillers  of  the  soil.  Daniel, 
who  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  married 
Huldah  Stone  of  New  York,  and  six  children 
were  born  of  their  vmion,  among  these  being 
R.  H.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  home  farm 
in  Athens  county,  Ohio,  ]March  22,  1836.  The 
family  had  little  of  this  world's  goods  and  the 
children  were  forced  to  enter  upon  the  strug- 
Lile  for  a  livelihood,  foregoing  all  or  nearly  all 
the  educational  advantages  they  desired.  How- 
ever, they  usuallv  attended  country  school  for 
three  months  of  the  year,  being  spared  from 
farm  work  during  the  leisure  months  of  win- 
ter. 

Being  solicitous  to  acquire  a  better  educa- 
tion than  his  limited  advantages  rendered  pos- 
sible, R.  H.  Dinsmoor  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  entered  the  Free  Soil  academy,  where 
white  and  colored  students  worked  side  by 
side.  To  aid  in  the  expenses  of  his  education 
he  worked  two  hours  each  day  for  six  cents 
per  hour,  his  task  being  to  get  out  oak  timber 
to  be  used  by  a  broom-corn  house.  Later, 
when  he  secured  the  work  by  the  job,  his  earn- 
ings were  increased.  The  institution  which  he 
attended  was  conducted  upon  a  basis  of  self- 
help  and  many  of  the  students  defrayed  their 
expenses  by  working  in  the  farm,  brush  and 
broom  factory  or  the  tailor  shop  connected 
with  the  school. 

When  the  parents  of  i\Tr.  Dinsmoor  renio\-ed 
from  Ohio  to  Wisconsin  he  accompanied  them 
to  their  new  location  and  traveled  by  wagon 
ten  miles  bevond  the  terminus  of  the  most 
westerl}-  railroad.  By  accident  their  horses 
got  loose  and  started  back  along  the  road  they 
had  come.  Father  and  son  hastened  after  them 
and  traveled  along  different  roads,  ^^'hen 
sixty-five  miles  from  home  the  son  found  the 
team  and  returned  riding  one  horse  and  lead- 
ing the  other.  The  family  took  up  the  difficult 
task  of  converting  raw  prairie  soil  into  culti- 
^■ated  farm  land  and  worked  together  in  har- 
mony for  their  mutual  interests.  When  the 
Civil  war  began  the  father  was  too  old  to  en- 
list, but  two  of  the  sons  went  to  the  front  and 
another,  whose  name  introduces  this  article, 
being  unable  to  leave  home,  helped  the  cause 
by  collecting  mcMTey  from  those  who  were  un- 
able to  enlist,  but  wished  to  contribute  to  the 
financial  support  of  the  movement. 

The  marriage  of  Air  Dinsmoor  occurred  in 
1859  and  united  him  with  Miss  Caroline  Hull, 
who  was  born  in  New  York,  being  a  daughter 
of  Aaron  Hull,  for  years  a  deacon  in  the  Pres- 
bvterian  Church.     In  i86s  Mr.  and  IMrs.  Dins- 


^Jl^^, 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


951 


moor  removed  to  the  wilds  of  Minnesota  and 
settled  upon  an  unimproved  tract  of  land  near 
Austin,  Mower  county,  in  a  region  where 
neighbors  were  few.  For  twenty  years  they 
remained  on  that  place,  which  increased  in 
size  under  the  owner's  energetic  management 
until  there  were  sixteen  hundred  acres  in  one 
body  and  under  his  shrewd  financial  oversighi 
an  indebtedness  of  $20,000  was  eventually  en- 
tirely defrayed.  Crops  varied  on  the  farm  in 
their  productiveness,  as  in  every  region  where 
wheat  is  the  main  product.  In  1877  he  raised 
sixteen  thousand  bushels  of  grain,  of  which 
ten  thousand  were  wheat,  but  the  following 
year  the  tide  of  fortune  changed  and  he  lost 
the  entire  crop  of  wheat,  comprising  seven 
hundred'  acres. 

The  first  visit  made  b}"  Mr.  Diiismoor  to 
California  was  during  the  winter  of  1875-76. 
Again  he  came  west  in  1887.  and  then  on  New 
Year's  day  of  1893  he  arrived  to  remain  as  a 
permanent  settler.  F^r  a  year  he  rented  a 
farm  and  then  biniglit  fifteen  acres  near  Comp- 
ton,  where  ho  now  resides.  Fleven  acres  of 
the  place  are  in  alfalfa  and  corn  and  four  acres 
in  fruit,  the  whole  forming  a  well-improved 
tract  and  a  desirable  home.  With  his  wife  he 
belongs  to  the  Methodist  Church  and  takes  an 
interest  in  religious,  educational  and  charita- 
ble plans.  Of  their  tvv-o  children  the  younger, 
a  daughter,  is  at  home  with  them,  while  the 
older.  Adelbert,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Min- 
nesota State  University,  superintends  their 
large  landed  estate  and  makes  Minnesota  his 
home. 


F.  L.  PLANTICO.  To  a  large  degree  the 
prosperity  which  has  rewarded  the  efiforts  of 
Mr.  Plantico  may  be  attributed  to  the  thor- 
ough education  which  he  received  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  land  and  also  in  a  large 
degree  to  his  wisdom  in  selecting  a  location 
where  favorable  results  might  be  gained  from 
his  painstaking  efiforts.  Of  German  birth  and 
ancestry,  he  was  born  near  the  city  of  Star- 
gard,  in  the  province  of  Pomerania,  October 
I.  1857,  and  received  a  grammar-school  educa- 
tion, after  which  he  prepared  for  the  univer.s- 
ity  by  studying  in  the  gvmnasium  at  Star- 
gard,  also  at  Dramburg.  It  had  been  the  in- 
tention of  the  family  to  educate  him  for  the 
ministry  and  his  earlier  studies  were  conduct- 
ed with  that  object  in  view,  but  the  death  of 
his  father  changed  all  of  his  plans,  for,  being 
the  eldest  son.  it  became  necessary  for  him 
to  return  to  the  family  home  in  order  to  set- 
tle up  the  estate. 

Hearing  much  concerning  the  favorable 
openings   ofifered    b\-    the     United     States     to 


young  men  of  energy  and  intelligence,  A[r. 
I'lantico  decided  to  emigrate,  and  in  1886  he 
crossed  the  ocean  to  Kew  York  and  thence 
proceeded  to  Nebraska,  where  he  not  only 
worked  by  day,  but  of  evenings  studied  the 
English  language  in  order  to  familiarize  him- 
self with  the,  to  him,  unfamiliar  tongue.  From 
Xebraska  he  soon  came  to  California,  where 
he  remained  in  South  Riverside  four  years 
and  then  went  to  Los  Angeles.  In  his  native 
land  he  had  acquired  familiarity  with  civil 
engineering  and  had  also  gained  considerable 
experience  in  the  laying  of  drain  tile,  so  he 
was  qualified  to  study  irrigation  from  a  sci- 
entific standpoint.  For  eight  years  he  had 
charge  of  the  laying  of  irrigation  lines  for  the 
sewer  pipe  association,  after  which  he  em- 
barked in  business  for  himself  as  a  contractor 
of  irrigation,  sewers  and  all  cement  work.  In 
the  line  of  his  specialties  he  has  established 
an  enviable  reputation  through  all  of  South- 
ern California.  Upon  the  opening  up  of  sew- 
erage in  Long  Beach  he  installed  districts 
Nos.  I,  2  and  5,  and  in  the  sewerage  work 
gave  employment  to  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  men,  besides  Avhich  he  now  employs 
many  men  in  the  work  of  cement  contracting 
in  Long  Beach.  Two  steam  mixers  are  used 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  cement  work,  and 
in  addition  he  utilizes  other  modern  appli- 
ances. Since  Januarj-  of  1Q04  he  has  made 
his  home  in  Long  Beach,  also  owns  various 
building  sites  in  .\lamitos,  and  is  a  stockhold- 
er in  hotel,  mining  and  oil  enterprises.  His 
ofifice  is  at  Nos.  208-20Q  Bixby  building  in 
Los  Angeles. 

From  the  original  period  of  his  identifica- 
tion with  I-ong  Beach  its  possibilities  have 
Ijeen  upheld  by  Mr.  Plantico  and  all  of  its 
progressive  movements  have  been  supported 
by  personal  contributions  of  time  and  means. 
Schools,  churches  and  charities  alike  have  had 
the  benefit  of  his  co-operation  and  sympathy, 
and  in  ever\^  instance  he  has  proved  himself 
to  be  a  man  of  broad  philanthropic  spirit  and 
generous  sympathies,  one  to  whom  the  hand 
of  want  is  never  stretched  in  \-ain  and  from 
whom  the  appeal  for  aid  never  lacks  ready  re- 
sponse. Reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  he  has  always  been  a  member  of  its 
communion  and  a  contributor  to  its  mainte- 
nance. In  fraternal  relations  he  holds  mem- 
bership with  Temescal  Lodge  No.  314.  F.  8z 
A.  M.,  of  Corona,  and  Long  Beach  Chapter 
No.  384,  R.  A.  >.r.,  besides  which  he  is  as.so- 
ciated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  being  a  member  of  Circle  Lodge  No. 
317,  of  Corona.  Since  becomxing  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States  he  has  aflfiliated  with  the 
Republican    party,   but    displays    no    partisan- 


952 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ship  in  his  opinions,  it  being  rather  his  aim 
to  support  for  office  those  whom  he  deems 
best  quahfied  to  represent  the  people. 


JAAIES  P.  GRANT.  A  well-known  and  pros- 
perous a,e:riculturist  of  H3nes,  James  P.  Grant  is 
successfully  employed  in  the  prosecution  of  a 
calling  upon  which  the  wealth  and  material  prog- 
ress of  the  nation  largely  depend.  A  man  of 
■energy  and  resolution,  industrious  and  persever- 
ing, he  is  continually  adding  to  the  improvements 
■of  his  ranch,  and  although  a  comparatively  new- 
comer here  is  contributing  his  part  toward  the 
industrial  development  and  growth  of  this  part  of 
the  county.  A  son  of  John  M.  Grant,  he  was 
born,  October  30,  1862,  in  Missouri,  where  he 
was  reared  and  educated,  attending  the  district 
schools. 

Born  in  Kentucky.  John  1\I.  Grant  was  reared 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  during  his  entire 
life  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  living  first  in  his 
native  state,  and  afterwards  in  Missouri,  where 
he  held  an  honored  position  among  the  pioneer 
settlers.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  character,  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South 
and  an  uncompromising  Democrat  in  his  politi- 
cal relations.  He  married  Sarah  Knight,  a  na- 
tive of  old  ^^irg•inia,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  seven  sons  and  one 
daughter  are  now  living. 

Brought  up  on  the  parental  homestead,  James 
P.  Grant  was  early  initiated  into  the  various 
duties  that  fall  upon  a  farmer's  son,  his  help 
being  needed,  when  out  of  school,  by  his  father. 
On  attaining  his  majority  he  began  working  with 
his  father,  later  being  in  company  with  one  of 
his  brothers  for  some  time.  Desiring  a  change, 
he  came  to  California,  but  after  remaining  here 
looking  about  for  nearly  two  years  he  returned 
to  his  old  home  in  Missouri  and  resumed  ranch- 
ing. In  1894  he  again  came  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
this  time  to  make  for  himself  a  permanent  home 
in  Los  Angeles  county,  attracted  by  its  genial 
climate  and  fertile  soil.  Locating  immediately 
in  Hynes,  he  bought  his  present  home  ranch  and 
has  since  devoted  its  twenty  acres  to  the  rais- 
ing of  alfalfa  and  stock.  He  has  made  many  im- 
provements, having  a  pumping  plant,  and  as  a 
chicken  raiser  snd  dairyman  is  meeting  with 
marked  success,  keeping  about  fifteen  cows,  and 
a  large  amount  of  poultry. 

In  1893.  in  Los  Angeles.  Mr.  Grant  married 
Emma  Mount,  who  was  born  in  Suffolk,  En- 
gland, and  came  to  this  country  with  one  of  her 
sisters.  Her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George 
Mount,  were  born  in  England,  and  there  her 
father,  now  sevenly-five  years  of  age,  is  still  liv- 
ing. ,  Her  mother  died  in  her  native  country,  on 
May  16.  1902.     Politically  Mr.  Grant,  true  to  the 


faith  in  which  he  was  reared,  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat. Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Independent 
I  Jrder  of  Foresters.  As  neighbors  and  friends 
l\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Grant  are  held  in  high  regard 
throughout  the  community  in  which  they  dwell, 
and  are  valued  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  South. 


l^EO'RGE  WILLIAM  HOOVER.  To  no 
one  more  than  to  Mr.  Hoover  is  credit  due  for  the 
existence  of  Hollywood,  which  came  into  being 
as  an  incorporated  village  in  November  of  1903. 
The  Pacific  Boulevard  and  Development  Com- 
pany, in  which  he  was  a  stockholder,  purchased 
four  hundred  acres  of  land  which  they  subdi- 
vided and  sold  in  lots,  and  after  securing  the 
requisite  number  of  signers  to  entitle  them  to 
articles  of  incorporation  the  electors  granted  a 
franchise  to  the  new  town.  It  has  since  had  a 
steady  and  substantial  growth,  and  in  every  way 
has  lived  up  to  the  claims  made  for  it  by  its 
sponsors.  Such  was  Mr.  Hoover's  faith  in  the 
village,  that  before  its  incorporation,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1902,  he  with  others  started  what  was  then 
known  as  the  Bank  of  Hollywood,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $25,000,  under  the  banking  laws  of 
California.  For  three  years,  or  until  1905,  this 
was  conducted  as  a  state  institution,  but  in  the 
latter  year  it  was  dis-incorporated  and  was  im- 
mediately re-incorporated  under  the  United 
States  laws  and  was  thereafter  known  as  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Hollywood.  The  of- 
ficers of  the  present  institution  are :  G.  W. 
Hoover,  president:  J.  C.  Kays,  first  vice-presi- 
dent; John  Law,  second  vice-president;  and  J. 
Eugene  Law,  cashier.  The  following  figures, 
taken  front  the  bank  report  of  June,  1906,  will 
serve  to  show  the  strength  of  the  organization : 
Capital  stock  paid  in,  $25,000;  surplus  and  undi- 
vided profits,  $6,071.87:  circulation,  $24,095; 
and   deposits,  $165,330.64. 

The  Hoover  family  is  of  eastern  origin,  and 
George  W.  Hoover  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Pa.. 
December  19,  1840.  his  father  being  a  carriage- 
maker  in  the  latter  city.  When  he  had  com- 
pleted his  education  in  the  schools  of  Lancaster 
he  served  an  apprenticeship  under  his  father  and 
for  some  years  worked  as  a  journeyman.  Going 
to  York,  Pa.,  in  1886,  he  there  established  a 
carriage  and  wagon  manufactory  which  he  con- 
ducted until  1899,  selling  out  in  that  year 
to  a  company  which  has  since  conducted 
the  business  under  the  name  of  the  Hoover 
Wagon  Company.  After  selling  out  his 
Inisiness  in  the  east  Mr.  Hoover  came  to  Cal- 
ifornia as  a  tourist  and  with  no  intention  of  re- 
maining permanently.  However,  he  was  so  fa- 
vorably impressed  with  the  surroundings  that  he 
determined  to  make  his  home  in  the  west.     Feb- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


955 


r'uary  of  1900  found  him  established  in  Los 
Angeles,  and  the  following  month  he  purchased 
five  acres  of  lemon  orchard,  in  addition  to  buy- 
ing a  home  in  the  city  for  his  family.  With 
keen  perception  he  realized  the  possibilities 
awaiting  the  man  who  had  the  courage  and  abil- 
ity to  push  the  settlement  of  the  district  lying- 
adjacent  to  Los  Angeles.  It  was  with  this 
prompting  that  he  came  to  Hollywood  during 
the  same  year  and  erected  two  houses,  later 
building  the  Hotel  Hollywood,  which  is  con- 
ceded to  be  one  of  the  finest  hostelrics  in  South- 
ern California.  In  April,  1904,  it  was  merged 
into  a  stock  company,  capitalized  at  $100,000.  A 
number  of  substantial  residences  and  other  struc- 
tures stand  as  monuments  to  his  enterprise.  The 
foregoing  does  not  represent  the  limit  of  Mr. 
Hoover's  abilities,  varied  and  important  as  they 
are,  for  many  business  enterprises,  both  in  Holly- 
wood and  elsewhere,  receive  the  stimulation  and 
benefit  which  his  judgment  can  give.  Besides 
operating  quite  extensively  in  real  estate  with 
others  he  has  recently  bought  ten  acres  of  land. 
In  Lancaster,  Pa.,  George  W.  Hoover  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  C.  Schauer,  the 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Charlotte  (Hain) 
Schauer,  the  ceremony  being  celebrated  May 
24,  1863.  Of  the  children  born  to  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoover,  William  J.  was  taken 
from  them  by  death  in  March,  1902,  at  the  age 
of  thirty-one  years.  He  was  interested  in  the 
Santa  Ana  Tin  Mining  Company,  of  which  Mr. 
Hoover  is  vice-president.  The  children  still  liv- 
ing are  Caroline  Margaret,  now  the  wife  of  Harry 
C.  Rodenhouse,  and  2\Iary  A.,  the  wife  of  John 
S.  Walker,  both  families  residents  of  Hollywood ; 
and  George,  of  Canton,  Ohio.  Politically  Mr. 
Hoover  is  an  active  Republican,  taking  the  same 
interest  in  party  affairs  that  he  does  in  his  own 
private  undertakings. 


FRANK  W.  STEARNS.  One  of  the  en- 
thusiastic advocates  of  Long  Beach  and  the 
surrounding  country  is  Frank  W.  Stearns, 
who  has  here  found  a  field  for  his  activities 
as  promoter  and  president  of  several  of  the 
largest  investment  companies  which  have  done 
so  much  toward  the  material  upbuilding  of 
Southern  California.  Among  them  are  the 
Inner  Plarbor  Gas  and  Electric  Company, 
Stearns-Counts  Investment  Company,  Alfalfa 
Land  and  Water  Company,  Compton  Land  and 
Water  Company  and  the  Industrial  Land 
Company  of  Los  Angeles.  He  ^yas  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Stearn,s-Counts  Bay  tract, 
Stearns-Counts  Park  tract,  American  Heights 
tract,  and  was  also  heavily  interested 
in      both      the      Mira      Mar     tract      and      in 


Belmont  Heights.  He  is  now  developing  the 
property  belonging  to  the  Alfalfa  Land  and 
Water  Company,  a  tract  of  about  one  thou- 
sand acres  near  Pomona.  As  one  of  the  lead- 
mg  industries  of  Long  Beach  special  men- 
tion should  be  made  of  the  Inner  Harbor  Gas 
and  Electric  Company,  which  was  organized 
in  1905  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  gas  and 
electricity  to  Long  Beach,  an  undertaking 
which  is  proving  a  success  and  is  meeting  with 
universal  favor.  I\Ir.  Stearns  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  California  and  of  this  city  for  only 
fours  years,  yet  he  has  ably  demonstrated  his 
abilitv  in  his  chosen  occupation,  which  has 
proven  a  source  of  financial  betterment  for 
himself,  as  well  as  a  potent  force  in  its  influ- 
ence upon  the  best  interests  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Stearns  was  born  in  Webster  county, 
Iowa,  October  20,  1862.  upon  the  farm  owned 
bv  his  father,  T.  P.  Stearns,  an  early  pioneer 
settlor  of  that  section.  During  the  winter 
months  he  attended  the  district  schcol  in  the 
vicinitv  of  his  home,  while  in  the  summers  he 
worked  on  the  farm,  thus  being  trained  in 
both  the  theoretical  and  practical  duties  of 
life.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  began 
teaching  school  in  Iowa  and  continued  for 
ten  years  in  this  occupation,  for  a  part  of  the 
time"  combining  a  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness in  Hancock  county.  Following  this  he 
locnted  in  California  on  account  of  impaired 
health.  In  1888  he  married  Ida  Woodard,  and 
five  children  were  born  of  this  union,  namely: 
Cameron.  Newell,  Ethel.  \'ere  and  Clay. 
I'pon  locating  in  Southern  California  Mr. 
Stearns  purchased  a  ranch  which  he  ran  for 
eight  months,  when  he  established  a  real-es- 
tate business  in  Long  Beach,  his  faith  in  its 
future  development  and  upbuilding  leading 
him  to  invest  his  means  liberally  in  lands.  In 
190^  he  organi/cd  the  present  real-estate  con- 
cern, known  as  F.  W.  Stearns  &  Company, 
which  does  business  in  Los  Angeles  and  San 
Diego  counties,  and  which  has  already  ac- 
auired  a  prominency  in  the  aflfairs  of  many  of 
the  cities  throughout  this  section.  His  home 
is  located  on  the  corner  of  Anaheim  and  Chest- 
nut streets,  having  been  built  in  1904. 

Mr.  Stearns  is  prominent  fraternally,  being 
a  member  of  Corwith  Lodge  No.  883,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  of  Corwith,  Iowa ;  the  Benevolent  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks ;  and  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  in  politics  is  a  stanch 
adherent  of  the  principles  advocated  in  the 
platform  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  man 
of  energy  and  ability,  self-made  in  that  he  be- 
gan life  entirely  on  his  own  merits,  and  has  ac- 
quired  a    gratifying   success,   and   with    many 


956 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


qualities  of  citizenship,  one  of  which  is  his  loy- 
alty to  the  city  of  his  adoption,  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  which  he  gives  his  best  etforts. 


PROF.  WILL.  L.  FREW.  A  man  of  talent, 
culture  and  scholarly  attainments,  public- 
spirited  and  enterprising,  Prof.  Will  L.  Frew, 
principal  of  the  Compton  high  school,  has  ac- 
quired distinction  as  an  instructor,  and  a  place 
of  prominence  and  influence  among  the  foremost 
citizens  of  the  place.  Broad  and  progressive 
in  his  views,  he  has  done  much  within  the  past 
four  years  to  advance  the  educational  status  of 
this  part  of  the  county,  and  has,  likewise,  been 
a  recognized  force  in  promoting  its  material  and 
moral  growth.  A  native  of  Iowa,  he  was  born, 
September  2,  1862,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
state,  and  there  received  his  rudimentary  educa- 
tion. His  parents,  John  and  Eliza  (Gregg) 
Frew,  were  both  born  and  brought  up  in  Penn- 
sylvania, but  subsequently  settled  in  the  west. 
His  father  has  passed  to  the  life  beyond,  but 
his  mother  is  still  living,  and  spends  a  part  of 
her  time  in  Southern  California,  the  remainder 
being  passed  at  her  old  home  in  the  east. 

Having  finished  the  course  of  study  in  the 
public  schools,  Will  L.  Frew  was  graduated 
from  the  Nebraska  Wesleyan  University,  and 
from  the  Bryant  Normal  University.  In  the  lat- 
ter institution,  he  afterwards  filled  the  chair  of 
mathematics  for  four  consecutive  years,  as  a 
teacher,  being  very  successful.  Coming  then  to 
California,  he  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Los 
Angeles  for  five  years,  the  following  three  years 
having  charge  of  the  high  school  at  Long  Beach. 
Winning  an  excellent  reputation  in  these  places, 
his  services  were  in  demand  in  different  cities. 
Accepting  his  present  position  in  Compton,  he 
has  since  had  charge  of  the  high  school,  which. 
under  his  efficient  management,  has  grown  and 
prospered.  In  1903,  two  years  after  the  pro- 
fessor came  here,  the  present  high  school 
building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  It  is 
a  fine,  handsomely  equipped  edifice,  with  ample 
accommodations,  and  is  devoted  entirely  to  high 
school  work,  for  the  successful  carrying  on  of 
which  eight  teachers  are  employed.  Under  the 
special  guidance  of  Professor  Frew  the  number 
of  pupils  of  the  school  has  greatly  increased,  the 
enrollment  when  he  came  here  having  been  but 
fifty,  while  now  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
names  are  enrolled.  The  work  of  the  classes  is 
of  a  much  higher  grade  than  formerly,  ranking 
with  that  of  the  best  high  schools  of  the  state, 
and  this  school  is  now  fully  accredited  with  the 
State  University.  During  the  past  year  the  pro- 
fessor has  introduced  a  commercial  department 
into  the  school,  and  in  this  are  forty  students 
who  are  taking  a  thorough  business  course,  this 


being  one  of  the  most  practical  and  popular  de- 
partments of  the  institution. 

December  25,  1893,  Professor  Frew  married 
Mamie  Wilde,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  three  children,  namely:  Donald, 
Helen  and  Harold.  Active  in  establishing  pub- 
lic enterprises  conducive  to  the  benefit  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides.  Professor  Frew 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Home  Tele- 
phone Company  of  Compton,  and  is  now  serv- 
ing as  its  president,  and  he  is  also  one  of  the 
stockholders  and  the  assistant  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Compton.  In  national 
politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  in  local 
matters  he  votes  for  the  best  men  and  measures, 
regardless  of  party  restrictions.  Fraternally  he 
belongs  to  Anchor  Lodge,  No.  273,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  religiouslv  he  is  an  active  and  valued 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


DONLICK  IMcGRATH.  Quite  a  number  of 
the  leading  and  prominent  citizens  of  Ventura 
county  are  of  alien  birth,  and  have  transported 
to  this  land  of  fertility  and  plenty  the  thrifty  ha- 
bits of  their  native  country.  Among  these  there 
is  none  better  known  or  more  highly  respected 
than  Donlick  McGrath,  an  extensive  and  well- 
to-do  agriculturist  of  the  town  of  Oxnard.  He 
is  what  may  be  termed  a  self-made  man,  as  he 
had  but  little  capital  when  he  crossed  the  breast 
of  the  stormy  Atlantic  and  landed  on  American 
shores.  His  excellent  business  tact,  coupled  with 
his  industry  and  frugality,  have,  however,  won 
for  him  a  fine  property,  placing  him  among  the 
men  of  wealth  and  influence.  He  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1835,  in  the  Emerald  Isle,  where  his 
parents  were  born,  lived  and  died,  passing  away 
at  a  ripe  old  age.  He  and  a  brother  who  died 
in  San  Francisco  were  the  only  members  of  the 
parental  household  to  immigrate  to  the  United 
States. 

Leaving  home  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
to  seek  his  fortune  in  a  new  country,  Donlick 
AIcGrath  came  to  New  York  City,  and  the  en- 
suing three  years  was  employed  as  a  foundrv- 
man,  working  either  in  that  city  or  in  Brook- 
lyn. In  1858  he  made  an  entire  change  of  resi- 
dence and  occupation.  Coming  to  Alameda 
county,  Cal.,  he  worked  as  a  ranchman  in  Liver- 
more  for  two  years,  and  having  accumulated 
some  monev  he  invested  it  wisely,  buying  one 
thousand  head  of  sheep,  and  for  four  years  car- 
ried on  a  substantial  business  as  a  breeder  and 
raiser  of  sheep.  Selling  his- stock  at  an  advant- 
ageous price,  he  settled  in  the  Santa  Clara  val- 
lev,  becoming  a  pioneer  of  Oxnard,  and  from 
that  dav  until  this  he  has  been  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  its  agricultural,  industrial  and  social 
growth   and  prosperity.     A  man   of  unbounded 


^^  ^,/f^^^A^ 


HISTORICAL  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


959 


enei-r;\-  and  enterprise,  he  has  been  very  fortun- 
ate in  all  of  his  undertakings,  exercising  good 
judgment  and  wise  forethought  in  his  labors  and 
investments,  and  becoming  one  of  the  largest 
landholders  of  this  section.  He  owns  one  ranch 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  another  of  three 
hundred  and  twent}-  acres,  and  very  recently  he 
gave  to  one  of  his  sons  a  valuable  farm.  In  the 
care  and  management  of  his  agricultural  inter- 
ests Mr.  McGrath  receives  satisfactory  results, 
raising  large  quantities  of  hay  and  beans,  the 
latter  averaging  twenty  sacks  to  the  acre,  which 
is  a  large  and  profitable  crop. 

In  1856  Mr.  McGrath  married  Bridget  Don- 
Ian,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  of  their  union  ten 
children  have  been  born,  namely:  Alary  M., 
wife  of  Bernard  Hawley,  of  Oakland ;  Alaggie : 
Millie,  wife  of  James  Leonard ;  Lizzie,  wife  of 
Thomas  Cormick ;  Josephine,  wife  of  James 
Dowd ;  Nellie  :  James  H. ;  Joseph  D. :  Frank, 
and  Robert.  Mrs.  AIcGrath,  who  was  a  woman 
of  fine  character,  and  an  exemplar\-  wife  and 
mother,  died  on  the  home  ranch  in  1878.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  McGrath  is  independent  in  his  views, 
voting  for  the  best  men  and  measures,  and  re- 
ligiously he  and  his  family  are  consistent  mem- 
bers  of  the   Catholic  Church. 


JACINTO  ANTONIO  ROCHA.  De- 
scended from  an  ancient  and  aristocratic  Cas- 
tilian  family,  \^■hose  representatives  were  hon- 
ored alike  at  the  '-curt  of  Spain  and  in  the 
empire  of  Mexico,  Jacinto  Antonio  Roch.a  has 
an  ancestry  of  which  he  may  well  be  proud. 
It  was  his  great-grandfather  who  founded  the 
name  in  the  new  world.  Among  the  children 
of  the  original  immigrant  were  Capt.  John 
Rocha,  Gen.  Sostenes  Rocha  and  Gen.  Pablo 
Rocha.  all  of  whom  gained  their  titles  through 
efficient  ser\-ices  in  the  Alexican  army.  The 
sole  sur\!vor  of  the  three  brothers  is  Pablo, 
now  a  verv  aged  man,  who  still  makes  his 
home  in  Alexico  amid  the  scenes  where  long 
years  ago  he  won  his  epaulets  by  gallantry  on 
the  battlefield. 

."Xt  the  close  of  his  war  ser\ice  Capt.  John 
Rocha  came  to  California  and  settled  in  Los 
Angeles  county,  where  he  and  his  brothers 
had  a  grant  of  land.  He  married  a  sister  of 
Manuel  Doming"ez  and  became  interested  in 
the  Domingue^  rancho,  where  he  remained 
until  death.  In  his  family  was  a  son,  Man- 
uel, who  was  born  in  the  state  of  Zacatecas, 
Mexico,  and  lived  for  some  years  on  the  Do- 
minguez  rancho  in  Los  Angeles  count\%  but 
afterward  settled  in  Old  San  Diego  and  there 
died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-seven  years. 
A  few  years  before  his  death  he  had  married 
ATaria  Machado,  who  was  born  near  AAHlming- 


lon  and  died  in  the  same  town.  Antonio 
.Machado,  her  father,  was  a'  stockman  by  oc- 
cupation and  belonged  to  a  very  old  family  of 
Spanish  lineage..  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
had  reached  the  age  of  more  than  four  score 
years. 

The  only  child  of  Manuel  Rocha  was  a  son, 
Jacinto  Antonio,  who  was  born  near  Wil- 
mington, Cal.,  June  15,  1853.  While  he  was 
still  quite  young  his  father  died  and  his  moth- 
er married  a  second  time,  becoming  the  wife 
of  George  W.  Oden,  a  native  of  W^est  Vir- 
ginia. For  a  time  Mr.  Oden  had  a  carpenter 
and  wheelwright's  shop  in  Wilmington,  but 
later  w^orked  at  his  trades  in  Los  Angeles, 
and  Mr.  Rocha  learned  the  two  trades  under 
the  supervision  of  his  step-father,  while  at 
the  same  time  he  was  also  given  a  common- 
school  education.  Before  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  began  to  take  contracts  in 
Wilmington  and  Los  Angeles  and  has  since 
continued  in  the  same  business,  having  in  the 
mean  time  erected  manv  substantial  resi- 
dences in  Los  .\ngeles,  San  Pedro,  \Mlming- 
ton.  Long  Beach,  Ocean  Park,  Santa  Alonica, 
and  in  San  Bernardino  county.  In  addition 
to  private  residences  he  erected  the  Carnegie 
library  at  San  Pedro,  the  San  Pedro  .high 
school  building,  the  Fraternal  hall,  and  the 
R.  D.  Sepulveda  block,  besides  a  number  of 
other  public  buildings  in  the  county,  being 
recognized  as  tl.e  leading  contractor  of  San 
Pedro.  His  liom.c  is  in  Los  Angeles,  where  he 
erected  a  comfortable  residence  at  No.  234 
^^'est  Fifteenth  street.  .\t  one  time  he  owned 
fifteen  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  the  old  Do- 
minguez  grant  near  Wilmington,  but  this  he 
sold  some  years  ago  and  it  has  since  been 
known  as  the  German  settlement.  Besides  his 
interests  in  contracting,  he  has  purchased  min- 
ing stock  and  now'  holds  shares  in  mines  at 
Bull  Frog,  Goldfield  and  other  noted  fields. 
In  politics,  though  not  active,  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat  and  always  votes  the  party  ticket. 
The  lady  who  became  his  wife  in  Los  Ange- 
les in  1874  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Magda- 
lena  Higuera  and  was  born  in  LaPaz,  in  the 
peninsula  of  Lower  California,  but  came  from 
there  to  Los  .\ngeles  during  her  girlhood 
years.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children 
now  living.  Magdelena,   lesse  and  Hubert. 


O.  HOO\"ER.  The  presence  of  large  tracts 
of  range  and  pasture  land  in  Santa  Barbara 
county  renders  possible  the  profitable  manage- 
ment of  .stock  farms,  and  Mr.  Hoover  is  among 
the  numbc-  who  have  followed  this  line  of 
work  with  a  gratifying  degree  of  success.  For 
S(-ime  years  he  has  owned  and  occupied  a  ranch 


960 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  four  hundred  and  Iwenty-nine  acres,  of 
which  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  are  under 
cultivation  to  barle}-,  beans  and  mustard.  In 
addition  to  the  homestead  he  has  leased  one 
tract  of  two  thousand  acres  and  another  of  six 
hundred  acres,  thus  securing  an  abundance  of 
pasture  for  his  herds  of  stock,  including  two 
hundred  head  of  cattle,  fifty  head  of  horses  and 
mules  and  a  dairy  of  seventy-five  cows.  The 
breeding  of  fine  horses  is  one  of  his  specialties, 
and  on  his  farm  he  has  a  Percheron  stallion 
of  excellent  pedigree  and  fine  qualities. 

Mr.  Hoover  is  a  member  of  an  old  southern 
family,  being  a  son  of  B.  B.  Hoover,  who  was 
horn  in  Hardin  county,  Ky.,  became  a  farmer 
near  Bedford,  Iowa,  served  for  many  years  as 
a  member  of  the  county  board  of  supervisors, 
maintained  an  active  interest  in  local  politics 
as  a  member  of  the  Republican  party,  and  after 
a  useful  and  prosperous  life  passed  from  earth 
in  February,  1906,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.  His  wife,  who  was  Mary  A.  Hinkle,  a 
native  of  Lee  county.  111.,  is  now  living  at  Bed- 
ford, Iowa.  In  religious  views  both  were  in 
sympathy  with  the  doctrines  of  the  Unitarian 
Church.  Their  family  comprised  ten  children, 
of  whom  one  daughter  lives  in  Lake  county, 
Cal.,. another  in  Washington,  D.  C,  and  four  in 
Bedford,  Iowa,  while  one  son  is  engaged  in  the 
stove  manufacturing  business  at  Ouinc}^  111., 
and  holds  an  influential  position  among  the 
business  men  of  that  city. 

The  common  schools  of  Bedford,  Towa,  in 
which  town  he  was  born  January  q,  i860,  af- 
forded Mr.  Hoover  fair  educational  opportuni- 
ties, and  after  having  finished  his  schooling  he 
taught  for  three  terms.  Later  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  near 
Bedford,  but  sold  out  in  April.  1890,  and  came 
to  California,  settling  in  Antelope  valley,  Los 
Angeles  county.  Two  years  later  he  removed 
to  Santa  Barbara  and  for  two  years  carried  on 
a  grocery  business.  On  selling  out  his  stock 
of  groceries  he  removed  to  Santa  Rita,  where 
he  purchased  forty  acres.  Two  years  after- 
ward he  sold  the  land  and  bought  the  property 
near  Lompoc,  Santa  Barbara  county,  which  he 
now  owns  and  superintends.  While  giving  his 
attention  closely  to  the  management  of  his 
ranch  he  neglects  no  duty  that  falls  upon  a 
public-spirited  citizen,  but  is  progressive,  en- 
ergetic and  aids  in  measures  for  the  general 
good.  Politically  he  votes  the  Democratic 
ticket.  For  some  years  he  has  officiated  on 
the  Santa  Rita  school  board,  while  his  wife  is 
a  member  of  the  high  school  board  at  Lompoc. 
Both  have  been  earnest  Christians  and  con- 
tributors to  religious  movements,  and  while 
formerly  identified  with  the  Presbyterian  de- 
nomination, in  their  present  location  are  iden- 


tified with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Fraternally  he  holds  membership  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias, while  with  his  wife  he  is  identified  with 
the  Rathbone  Sisters  at  Lompoc.  She  also  be- 
longs to  the  Eastern  Star  and  Rebekah  orders. 
In  the  family  of  Mr.  Hoover  there  were 
three  sons.  The  eldest,  Buford,  married  Miss 
Rose  Burbridge  of  Santa  Rita.  The  second 
son,  Francis  O.,  is  now  a  senior  in  the  State 
University  at  Berkele}',  and  the  youngest  son, 
Hubert  Don,  is  a  sophomore  in  the  same  in- 
stitution. T>.Irs.  Hoover,  prior  to  her  marriage 
in  1882,  was  Miss  Keturah  Hardenbrook,  and 
is  a  descendant  of  Revolutionar}'  ancestry,  also 
the  granddaughter  of  pioneers  of  jMorrow 
county,  Ohio.  Her  parents,  Francis  and  Nan- 
cy ("Kelly)  Hardenbrook,  were  natives  of  Rich- 
land county,  Ohio,  and  Northumberland  coun- 
ty. Pa.,  respecti^'cly,  and  made  their  home  on 
a  farm  in  Ohio  until  1850,  when  they  removed 
to  Illinois  and  settled  at  Monmouth,  the  na- 
tive city  of  Mrs.  Hoover.  In  that  place  the 
death  of  the  mother  occurred  when  she  was 
fifty-five  years  of  age.  Eventually  the  father 
removed  to  Towa,  where  he  spent  his  last  days 
with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Hoover,  at  Bedford, 
and  died  there  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 
In  his  family  there  were  thirteen  children,  of 
whom  one  son  lives  in  the  Santa  Rita  valley, 
Santa  Barbara  county,  Cal.,  another  son  at 
Bedford,  Iowa,  one  in  Idaho,  one  in  Nebraska, 
and  one  in  Montana,  while  one  of  the  daugh- 
ters makes  her  home  in  Iowa.  The  family  were 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  denomination 
and  Mrs.  Hoover  was  reared  in  that  faith.  Dur- 
ing young  womanhood  she  attended  Mon- 
mouth (111.)  College.  Possessing  a  gentle 
Christian  character,  amiable  traits  and  a  kind 
heart,  supplementing  an  excellent  education, 
she  has  a  high  t.ocial  standing  in  the  vicinity 
of  Lompoc.  and  numbers  many  friends  among 
the  best  -people  of  Santa  Rita  valley. 


SAMUEL  C.  WILHITE.  Among  the  na- 
tive-born citizens  of  California  conspicuous  for 
their  intelligence,  ability  and  superior  business 
tact  is  Samuel  C.  Wilhite,  of  San  Pedro.  Asso- 
ciated with  the  lumber  interests  of  this  part  of 
the  state  since  a  young  man.  he  has  been  an  ac- 
tive factor  in  developing  and  promoting  its  trade, 
and  as  a  lumber  inspector  has  few  equals ;  being 
quick  of  apprehension  and  very  accurate  in  his 
measurements  and  calculations.  A  son  of  W.  L. 
Wilhite.  he  was  born,  April  26,  1863,  in  Lfkiah, 
^Mendocino  county. 

Born  and  reared  in  Mississippi.  W.  L.  Wilhite 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  when  young,  and 
in  1857  came  across  the  plains  with  ox-teams  to 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


963 


California,  hoping  in  this  region  to  find  the  veri- 
table garden  spot  necessary  for  successfuUy  car- 
rying on  his  chosen  occupation.  Purchasing  land 
near  Ukiah,  he  hved  there  until  1872,  when  he 
removed  to  Orange  county,  where  he  was  for  a 
number  of  years  prosperously  employed  as  a 
horticulturist.  He  now  resides  in  Santa  Ana,  his 
home  being  on  Hickey  street.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  Short,  was  born  and- 
reared  in  Missouri.  Ten  children  blessed  their 
union,  and  of  these  eight  are  living:  Samuel 
C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  fourth 
child. 

Brought  up  on  a  ranch  in  Orange  county, 
Samuel  C.  Wilhite  was  educated  in  Santa  Ana, 
attending  first  the  public  schools,  and  completing 
his  studies  in  the  private  school  of  Prof.  T.  N. 
Wells.  Entering  the  employ  of  J.  M.  Griffiths  in 
1883,  he  worked  as  a  common  laborer  in  the  lum- 
ber yards  for  six  months,  in  this  position  showing 
such  adaptability  and  intelligence  that  he  was 
promoted  to  foremanship  of  the  yard,  remaining 
as  such  for  three  years.  He  was  subsequently 
shipping  clerk  for  the  San  Diego  Lumber  Com- 
pany two  years,  and  on  resigning  the  place  came 
to  San  Pedro,  and  for  a  year  thereafter  was  em- 
ployed at  the  United  States  custom  house.  The 
ensuing  eighteen  months  he  served  as  lumber  in- 
spector for  the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Company, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Orange  county,  and 
for  four  years  occupied  a  similar  position  with  the 
Newport  Wharf  and  Lumber  Company.  Coming 
again  to  San  Pedro  in  1893.  h^  established  him- 
self as  an  independent  inspector  and  has  since 
carried  on  a  substantial  and  remunerative  busi- 
ess  in  this  line,  his  ability  and  accuracy  being 
recognized  and  appreciated,  and  his  services  in 
constant  demand. 

In  1902  "Sir.  Wilhite,  with  Messrs.  Coleman 
and  Mahar,  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  president 
of  the  San  Francisco  Lumber  Association,  or- 
ganized the  Lumber  Surveyors'  Association  of 
Southern  California,  which  started  with  ten  mem- 
bers, and  has  now  a  membership  of  twenty-two 
men.  and  has  eight  apprentices  outside  of  the 
association.  Of  this  organization,  which  has 
done  much  to  improve  the  lumber  business,  and 
to  assist  the  manufacturers  and  dealers  in  get- 
ting competent  help,  Mr,  Wilhite  was  secretary 
from  its  incorporation  until  June,  190S.  when  lie 
resigned  the  position.  Politically  ^Ir.  Wilhite 
is  a  zealous  adherent  of  the  Democratic  part\-. 


SIG.  STEINER.  Prominent  among  the 
most  highly  esteemed  and  influential  citizens 
of  Escondicio  is  Sig.  Steiner,  who  has  materiallv 
assisted  in  the  building  up  of  the  city,  the  growth 
of  which  has  been  rapid  and  sure.  He  has  been 
one  of  the  most  interested  witnesses  of  its  prog- 


ress and  development,  and  no  unimportant  fac- 
tor in  bringing  it  to  its  present  proud  position. 
A  man  of  great  financial  and  executive  ability, 
he  has  been  actively  identified  with  the  estab- 
lishment of  beneficial  projects  of  whatever  na- 
ture, liberally  supporting  all  enterprises  condu- 
cive to  the  higher  interests  of  the  general  public. 
As  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  this  city, 
he  is  carrying  on  a  substantial  business,  by  his 
courtesy,  integrity  and  honest  dealings  with  all 
having  won  a  lucrative  patronage.  Afifable, 
genial  and  kind-hearted,  with  a  cheerful  and 
hearty  greeting  for  everybody,  he  is  especially 
popular  with  the  traveling  men,  who  invariably 
speak  of  him  in  the  highest  terms,  even  though 
he  may  buy  no  goods  of  them.  For  more  than 
twelve"  years  Mr.  Steiner,  as  mayor  of  the  city, 
was  at  the  head  of  the  municipal  government, 
during  which  time  he  was  active  in  securing 
enough  money  to  liquidate  the  city's  indebtedness, 
and  in  his  official  capacity  was  master  of  cere- 
monies at  the  memorable  time  of  "bond  burn- 
ing," and  wiping  out  the  indebtedness  of  the  Es- 
condido  irrigation  district.  A  son  of  Leopold 
Steiner,  he  was  born,  April  3,  1869,  in  Auburn, 
Placer  county,  Cal.,  is  a  "native  son"  and  of 
pioneer  parentage,  a  fact  in  which  he  takes  justi- 
fiable pride. 

A  native  of  Austria,  Leopold  Steiner  was  born 
and  reared  in  Schultzenrich,  coming  from  Ger- 
man stock.  Immigrating  to  the  United  States  in 
1850,  he  came  by  way  of  New  York  City  and  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  to  San  Francisco.  Going 
immediately  to  the  mining  regions,  he  was  for 
some  time  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Rat- 
tlesnake Bar.  From  there  he  went  to  Placer 
county,  and  located  in  the  old  town  of  Auburn, 
where  he  soon  became  very  influential  in  busi- 
ness affairs,  running  the  hotel  now  known  as  the 
American  house,  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of 
flour,  and  establishing" a  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness. Removing  from  Auburn  to  San  Francisco 
he  became  the  "pioneer  seller  of  water  for  do- 
mestic purposes,  buying  a  wagon  and  estab- 
lishing a  route,  a  venture  that  proved  lucrative, 
and  was  the  forerunner  of  the  city's  present 
system  of  water  works.  He  subsequently  en- 
o-aged  in  the  transfer  business,  being  a  pioneer  in 
that  line  also,  and  built  up  an  extensive  and 
profitable  industry  that  grew  with  the  city,  as- 
suming large  proportions  in  a  comparatively  few 
vears.'  Selling  out  his  interest  as  a  transfer 
agent  in  1900,  he  has  since  lived  retired  from  ac- 
tive pursuits  in  San  Francisco,  being  now  in  the 
scventv-third  year  of  his  age.  He  is  a  man  of 
prominence  in  fraternal  circles  and  for  more 
than  fortv  vears  has  belonged  to  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  younger  brother, 
Samuel  Steiner,  came  with  him  to  California,  and 
for  many  vears  was  one  of  the  leading  merchants 


96-t 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGR-\PHICAL  RECORD. 


of  San  Diego,  being  head  of  the  firm  of  Steiner, 
Klauber  &  Co.,  until  his  death,  in  1892.  Leopold 
Steiner  married  Julia  Popper,  who  was  born  in 
Bohemia,  near  Prague,  came  with  her  brothers 
to  San  Francisco  in  early  times,  and  died  in 
that  city  December  29,  1904. 

The  second  child  in  a  family  consisting  of 
three  daughters  and  one  son,  Sig.  Steiner  was 
Ijrought  up  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools,  completing  his  early  educa- 
tion at  an  academy.  Going  to  San  Diego  when  a 
boy  of  thirteen  years,  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  then  well-known  firm  of  Steiner,  Klauber  & 
Co.,  and  under  Simon  Levi,  junior  partner  and 
manager,  became  familiar  with  the  details  of 
mercantile  business,  remaining  in  the  store  as  a 
clerk  for  about  five  }ears.  In  1886,  forming  a 
partnership  with  P.  A.  Graham,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Graham  &  Steiner,  he  established  him- 
self as  a  merchant  in  Escondido,  opening  a  store 
in  a  small  frame  building,  one  of  the  first  in  the 
town.  Mr.  Steiner  had  previously  had  but  lit- 
tle experience  in  buying  goods,  but  ^Ir.  Graham 
had  formerl)-  been  proprietor  of  a  small  store  in 
Bernardo.  At  the  time  this  firm  started  in  Es- 
condido there  were  only  thirt\'-frwo  houses  in  the 
valley,  but  it  prospered,  its  business  increasing 
every  year.  In  1895  more  commodious  quarters 
being  required  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  trade, 
Alessrs.  Graham  &  Steiner  erected  a  large,  two- 
story  brick  building,  the  material  for  which,  with 
the  exception  of  the  pressed  brick  shipped  from 
the  east,  was  burned  here.  This  building,  in  the 
heart  of  the  city,  is  the  finest  business  block  in 
the  county  outside  of  the  city  of  San  Diego. 
When  the  firm  started  in  business  here  there  were 
ho  railroads  in  this  vicinity,  and  all  of  their  goods 
were  brought  here  by  wagon,  either  from  San 
Diego,  thirty-five  miles  away,  or  from  Stewart's 
Station,  on  the  California  Southern  &  Santa  Fe 
Railroad,  fourteen  miles  distant.  On  October 
14,  1903,  ]\Ir.  Steiner  purchased  Mr.  Graham's 
interest,  and  has  since  conducted  the  business 
alone,  under  the  present  firm  name  of  Steiner  & 
Co.  He  is  a  man  of  much  ability  and  wisdom, 
and  has  accumulated  considerable  wealth,  owning 
valuable  residence  and  business  property  in  Es- 
condido, and  being  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  which  he  assisted  in  organ- 
izing. 

Politically  Mr,  Steiner  is  a  true-blue  Republi- 
can, and  is  ever  mindful  of  the  interests  of  the 
city,  which  he  has  served  wisely  and  acceptably 
in  many  positions  of  importance.  For  several 
years  he  was  mayor,  and  since  his  election  as  city 
trustee  in  1894  has  served  in  that  capacity  con- 
tinuously, being  re-elected  in  1898  and  in  1902, 
and  during  the  entire  time  has  been  president  of 
the  board.  Fraternally  Mr.  Steiner  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason,  joining  the  order  June  10, 


1900,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Consuelo  Lodge 
Xo.  325,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Escondido;  he  also  be- 
longs to  San  Diego  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  to  San 
Diego  Consistory  No.  6;  to  Al  JNIalaikah  Temple 
A.  A.  C).  N.  M.  S.,  of  Los  Angeles;  to  Themis 
Lodge  No.  146,  K.  of  P.,  of  Escondido,  of  which 
he  is  a  past  chancellor,  and  which  he  has  repre- 
sented nine  times  at  the  Grand  Lodge,  and  to  the 
Dramatic  Order,  Knights  of  Khorassan,  of  Zerin 
Kapi  Temple  No.  52,  of  San  Francisco,  also  is 
past  patron  of  the  Eastern  Star  Chapter  No.  154. 
Mr.  Steiner  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Escondido  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  has  al- 
ways been  actively  identified  with  the  advance- 
ment of  the  city's  prosperity,  either  in  a  business 
or  social  wav. 


NAT  E.  HEACOCK.  As  manager  of  the 
Barbour  ranch  of  thirty  acres  located  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  San  Gabriel,  Nat  E.  Heacock  is  associated 
with  the  fruit  men  of  this  section  and  has  proven 
himself  a  well  posted  and  enterprising  worker 
m  this  line.  He  is  a  native  of  California,  al- 
though not  of  this  section,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Lompoc,  Santa  Barbara  county,  April 
8,  1885.  His  parents,  Horace  and  Mary  (Mc- 
Qure)  Heacock,  were  born  respectively  in  Sacra- 
mento, Cal.,  and  Vermont ;  the  mother  died 
leaving  a  family  of  three  children,  and  by  a 
second  marriage  his  father  has  six  children.  He 
resides  in  Goleta,  Santa  Barbara  county.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Edwin  H.  Heacock  is  now 
acting  as  United  States  commissioner  at  San 
Francisco. 

Nat  E.  Heacock  received  a  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  Lompoc,  and 
also  attended  at  Carpinteria,  after  which  he 
took  the  Scranton  Correspondence  course  in 
mechanical  drawing.  He  was  first  employed  as 
a  fireman  on  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  but 
shortly  afterward  gave  this  up  and  returning 
to  Carpinteria  became  interested  in  the  cultiu-e 
of  strawberries.  He  was  located  in  that  vicinity 
for  about  five  years  and  engaged  in  this  work, 
experimenting  and  learning  much  that  has  since 
proved  valuable  information  for  others  in  a  sim- 
ilar occupation  as  well  as  for  himself.  He  was 
located  for  a  time  in  Lompoc  and  engaged  in 
mustard  growing  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
but  being  offered  the  position  which  he  now 
holds,  he  came  to  Los  Angeles  county  and  im- 
mediately assumed  charge  of  the  Barbour  ranch. 
This  consists  of  thirtv-five  acres  of  land,  about 
seven  acres  being  devoted  to  strawberries,  and  the 
remainder  in  other  berries  and  fruits,  one  acre  in 
pears  and  table  grapes,  one-half  acre  in  Catawba 
grapes,  one-half  acre  in  blackberries,  and  eight 
acres  devoted  to  vegetables.  Eighteen  acres 
have  been  set  to  walnuts.     In  the  busy  season 


--.^^S5€e^#^?^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


967 


Mr.  Heacock  employes  eighteen  men,  while  the 
year  around  he  keeps  five  busily  at  work.  He 
thoroughly  understands  his  business  and  through 
the  science  which  he  brings  to  bear  in  his  labors 
he  secures  results  where  many  others  fail.  His 
splendid  energy  and  constant  activity  have  con- 
tributed very  materially  toward  his  success,  with- 
out which  ability  alone  would  not  count  much  in 
achievements. 

November  24,  1906,  Mr.  Heacock  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Annie  Lowry,  a  native 
of  Whittier,  and  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  L.  Lowry.  who  are  now  residing  in 
that  place.  Mr.  Heacock  is  a  member  of  the 
Foresters  of  America ;  politically  he  reserves 
the  right  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the  man  he  con- 
siders best  qualified  to  discharge  official  duties. 


STEPHEN  HARRIS  TAFT.  The  geneal- 
ogy of  the  Taft  family  in  America  is  traced 
back  to  the  year  1675,  when  Robert  Taft  crossed 
the  ocean  from  England  and  became  a  pioneer 
of  Massachusetts.  From  the  Indians  he  pur- 
chased a  large  tract  of  land  at  Mendon  and 
this  purchase  was  afterward  recognized  as 
valid  by  the  colonial  government.  On  the 
Black  Stone  river  near  Oxbridge  he  built  the 
first  gristmill  along  that  stream  and  in  return 
for  his  service  in  so  doing  he  was  exempt  from 
taxation  for  a  number  of  years.  Five  sons 
comprised  his  family,  these  being  Robert, 
Thomas,  Daniel.  Joseph  and  Benjamin,  the  last- 
named  of  whom,  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  being  the  progenitor  of  Stephen  Har- 
ris Taft  of  Sawtelle.  The  Ohio  family  of  this 
name  descend  from  the  same  ancestry,  their 
most  distinguished  representative  in  the  pres- 
ent generation  being  Hon.  William  H.  Taft, 
member  of  President  Roosevelt's  cabinet  and 
formerly  identified  with  the  American  occu- 
pancy of  the  Philippines.  He  is  a  son  of  Judge 
Alphonso  Taft,  who  was  secretary  of  war  un- 
der President  Grant. 

From  Massachusetts  Nathaniel  Taft  trans- 
ferred one  branch  of  the  family  to  New  Hamp- 
shire and  settled  at  Richmond.  Reared  in  the 
Quaker  faith,  he  was  devoted  to  that  branch 
of  the  society  which  embraced  ITnitarian 
view's,  being  the  same  that  were  held  later  by 
Tames  Greenleaf  Whittier.  the  popular  Quaker 
poet  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Among  the 
children  of  Nathaniel  Taft  was  a  son,  Stephen, 
born  and  reared  at  Richmond.  N.  H..  and 
throughout  active  life  a  farmer.  During  the 
early  '20s  he  removed  to  New  York  and  for 
three  years  lived  in  Otsego  county,  thence  re- 
moved' to  Oswego  county.  While  making  his 
home  in  Fulton,  N.  Y.,  he  died  in  i86t.  and  in 
the  same  town  occurred  the  death  of  his  wife. 


who  was  Vienna  Harris,  a  native  of  Rich- 
mond, N.  H.  Ten  children  comprised  their 
family,  three  of  whom  died  young.  Three  sons 
and  four  daughters  attained  mature  years, 
namely:  Miranda,  deceased;  Elizabeth,  resid- 
ing in  Oswego  county,  N.  Y. ;  Vienna  and 
.Susanna,  both  deceased  ;  Stephen  Harris,  the 
eldest  son  who  attained  maturity ;  Lorenzo  P., 
formerly'  a  minister  of  th.e  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  but  now  deceased ;  and  Jerome  B., 
who  was  a  Unitarian  minister  and  bore  a 
prominent  part  with  James  Lane  and  others  in 
the  settlement  of  Kansas,  but  is  now^  deceased. 
The  first-born  son,  Stephen,  died  in  infancy, 
and  the  seventh  child.  Electa,  also  died  an  in- 
fant. 

Near  the  city  of  Oswego,  in  New  York,  on 
the  14th  of  September,  1825,  occurred  the  birth 
of  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch.  As  a  boy  he  attended  the  common 
schools  and  later  was  a  student  in  an  anti- 
slaver}'  Baptist  institution,  known,  as  New- 
York  Central  College.  In  1850  he  entered  the 
ministry  and  at  different  periods  established 
two  Christian  Union  congregations  at  Mar- 
tinsburg,  N.  Y.,  and  Humboldt,  Iowa.  Dur- 
ing 1862  he  removed  to  Iowa  and  bought  ten 
sections  of  land  in  Humboldt  county,  return- 
ing east  the  following  year  and  bringing  back 
with  him  a  colony  of  twelve  families.  To  each 
family  he  conveyed  eighty  acres  at  $1.50  per 
acre,  which  was  the  cost  to  him.  While  de- 
veloping the  land,  and  erecting  flour  and  saw- 
mills, he  also  laid  out  the  town  of  Spring^'ale 
(now  Hu.mboldt)  and  there  established  a  con- 
gregation now  known  as  Lenity  Church,  of 
which  he  remained  pastor  for  several  years. 

While  it  might  be  difficult  to  name  the 
greatest  work  of  Mr.  Taft's  busy  life,  many  of 
his  friends  deem  it  to  be  the  establishment  of 
Humboldt  College  at  .Springvale  (now^  Hum- 
bolt'),  Iowa,  founded  in  1869,  by  men  whose 
views  were  expressed  in  the  articles  of  incor- 
poration : 

"W^e,  whose  names  are  hereto  subscribed, 
recognizing  the  fatherhood  of  God  and  the 
brotherhood  of  man,  associate  ourselves  for 
the  purpose  of  encouraging  liberal  education 
by  the  establishment  and  maintenance  at 
.Springvale,  Humboldt  county,  Iowa,  of  an  in- 
stitution for  the  education  of  youth  in  litera- 
ture, science  and  enlightened  Christian  moral- 
ity, without  regard  to  sex,  race  or  religious 
sect.  The  fundamental  object  of  this  associa- 
tion is  to  establish  and  maintain  an  education- 
al institution  which  shall  he  forever  free  from 
sectarian  control,  and  no  change  shall  ever  be 
made  in  its  character  in  this  respect  without 
the  expressed  consent  of  all  its  donors  and  the 
return   to   all   contributors,   their  heirs,   execu- 


968 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tors  or  assigns,  who  shall  request  the  same,  of 
all  funds  by  them  contributed,  together  with 
legal  interest  on  the  same."  The  original  of- 
ficers of  the  association  were  Stephen  H.  Taft, 
president;  Ira  L.  Welch,  vice-president;  John 
Dickey,  treasurer ;  and  J.  N.  Prouty,  secretary. 
The  illustrious  Wendell  Phillips  once  stated: 
"I  feel  a  deep  interest  in  Humboldt  College, 
believing  that  it  sustains  an  important  rela- 
tion to  the  political,  moral  and  religious  wel- 
fare of  a  large  section  of  our  common  coun- 
try," and  Rev.  Edward  Everett  Hale  gave  as 
his  testimony  that  he  thoroughly  endorsed 
"the  educational  enterprise  represented  bv  my 
friend,  the  Rev.  S.  H.  Taft."  Under  the  ju- 
dicious financial  management  of  Mr.  Taft  a 
stone  building  was  erected  on  the  campus  at 
a  cost  of  $40,000,  and  on  the  occasion  of  its 
dedication  in  the  fall  of  1870  the  principal  ad- 
dress was  delivered  by  Hon.  C.  C.  Cole,  chief 
justice  of  Iowa.  Since  then  the  college  has 
become  a  thriving  institution  and  has  been  a 
power  for  good  in  the  educational  and  relig- 
ious development  of  the  youth  placed  under 
the  care  of  its  professors.  Years  after  Mr. 
Taft  had  resigned  as  president  the  gentleman 
then  occupying  the  position  invited  him  to 
present  to  the  college  a  life-size  portrait  of  its 
founder.  When  the  presentation  was  made 
President  Peterson  asked  him  to  write  be- 
neath the  picture  some  sentiment  as  a  me- 
mento. After  some  conversation  Mr.  Taft 
wrote.  "I  would  like  to  be  remembered  for  the 
good  I  sought  to  do."  The  portrait  and  the 
accompanying  sentiment  may  still  be  seen  on 
the  walls  of  the  college  library. 

Mr.  Taft's  views  on  the  power  of  the  ballot 
are  fitly  expressed  in  his  address  delivered  be- 
fore the  graduating  class  of  Humboldt  Col- 
lege, July  13,  1906,  from  which  we  quote  as 
follows : 

"There  is  today  no  other  work  half  as  im- 
portant to  the  welfare  of  our  country  or  of 
mankind,  as  the  redemption  of  our  govern- 
ment from  the  control  of  the  representatives 
of  commercial  brigandage  and  murderous 
greed,  and  bringing  it  back  into  harmony  with 
the  purpose  for  which  it  was  founded,  viz. : 
to  establish  justice,  promote  the  public  wel- 
fare, and  secure  the  blessings  of  liberty  to  all. 
The  present  dangerous  state  of  moral  con- 
fusion and  commercial  and  political  corrup- 
tion would  never  have  obtained,  but  for  the 
thoughtless  and  corrupt  use  of  the  ballot,  and 
by  no  other  instrumentality  can  this  nation  be 
saved  from  certain  destruction  but  by  the  bal- 
lot, thoughtfully,  conscientiously  cast.  In  this 
work  of  saving  the  nation  with  the  ballot  we 
need   M'^oman's   help,    and   but   for  the   malign 


influence  of  the  saloon  she  would  have  been 
enfranchised  long  ago. 

"The  ballot  is  the  one  distinguishing  insig- 
nia of  American  citizenship  which  gives  added 
\a\ue  to  all  other  privileges.  It  is  the  pal- 
ladium of  American  liberty.  It  is  the  X  in 
the  equation,  equalling  the  sum  of  all  other 
forces  making  for  righteousness  and  safe- 
guarding human  rights.  The  intelligent,  con- 
scientious ballot  is  to  the  state  what  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  to  the  church,  its  cementing,  ener- 
gizing power;  while  the  ignorant,  vicious  bal- 
lot is  to  the  state  what  a  contentious,  selfish 
spirit  is  to  the  church,  a  disintegrating,  de- 
structive force.  Washington  said  that  if  the 
Republic  ever  perished,  it  would  be  at  the 
hand  of  its  own  citizens.  If  our  nation  goes 
down  to  destruction  the  cotemporaneous  his- 
torian will  probably  say  that  its  ruin  was 
wrought  by  avarice,  drunkenness  and  licen- 
tiousness, but  the  later  historian,  looking  from 
a  higher  vantage  ground  of  observation,  will 
say  that  the  Great  American  Republic  was 
slain  by  ignorant  and  vicious  ballots,  by  which 
were  created  environments  fostering  avarice, 
drunkenness  and  licentiousness,  so  that  social 
order  and  justice  were  overborne  by  injustice 
and  anarchy." 

"We  very  properly  honor  the  soldier  who 
defends  the  country  with  his  gun,  but  the  gun 
is  a  negative  force.  It  can  kill  the  enemy 
but  cannot  build  up  the  state.  The  ballot  is  a 
constructive  force.  By  it  the  foundations  of 
the  state  were  laid,  and  by  it  the  temple  of 
liberty  builded.  The  thoughtless  vicious  citi- 
zen w-ith  his  ballot  is  a  hundred  fold  more  dan- 
gerous to  his  countr)',  than  a  thoughtless  vi- 
cious soldier  with  his  gun,  for  the  worst  the 
latter  can  do  is  to  slay  some  of  his  comrades, 
buL  the  traitorous  voter  undermines  the  foun- 
dations of  the  state,  and  despoils  the  temple  of 
liberty." 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Taft  in  ^Madison  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  in  1853  united  him  with  ]\Iary  A. 
Burnham,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  that 
county,  and  died  in  1897  at  Santa  Monica„Cal. 
Mrs.  Taft  was  a  woman  of  superior  ability, 
marked  personal  force  of  character  and  whose 
influence  for  good  was  felt  by  all  with  whom 
=he  came  in  contact,  and  was  an  inspiration 
to  her  husband  in  all  his  work.  Six  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  namely :  George,  de- 
ceased :  William  J.,  who  for  four  terms  has 
held  the  office  of  district  attornej'  of  Humboldt 
county,  Iowa;  Fred  H.,  who  is  city  attorney  of 
Santa  Mon'ica ;  Sydney  A.,  of  Minneapolis, 
Minn. ;  Mary  V.  and  Elwin  S.,  both  deceased. 

From  early  manhood  Mr.  Taft  was  an  eager 
advocate  of  every  worthy  reform,  and  fre- 
quenth'  delivered  lectures  throughout  the  east 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  interests  of  some  worthy  movement. 
Always  firm  in  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
temperance,  he  long-  has  been  identified  with 
the  Good  Templars  and  in  1888  he  left  the  Re- 
publican party  in  order  to  give  his  support 
wholly  to  the  Prohibition  movement.  His  in- 
telligent advocacy  of  anti-slavery  made  him 
pnominent  in  the  days  when  Abolitionists  in- 
curred the  risk  of  public  censure  and  dislike, 
yet  so  convincing  was  he  in  argument,  so 
ag-reeable  in  conversation  and  so  logical  in 
reasoning  that  he  escaped  the  personal  peril 
into  which  others  of  the  same  belief  were  con- 
stantly thrown.  Julia  Ward  Howe,  also  a 
champion  of  anti-slavery,  visited  at  his  home, 
as  did  others  scarcely  less  prominent  in  the 
movement.  At  the  same  time  he  met  many 
prominent  in  other  walks  of  life,  distinguished 
statesmen,  gifted  teachers  and  popular  poets, 
and  among  them  all  he  recalls  with  especial 
delight  many  conversations  with  Henry  ^Vads- 
Avorth  Longfellow.  While  the  excitement  that 
culminated  in  the  Civil  war  had  reached  a 
critical  point  after  the  death  of  John  Brown, 
he  delivered  a  discourse  on  the  character  of 
that  noted  man,  in  his  church  at  jNIartinsburg, 
December  12,  1859.  In  compliance  with  the 
wishes  of  a  very  few  radical  Abolitionists  the 
discourse  was  published  immediately  after  its 
delivery.  It  was  favorably  noticed  by  the 
New  York  Independent  and  some  other  pub- 
lic journals,  by  reason  of  which  notices  the 
author  received  numerous  orders  for  copies 
from  all  parts  of  the  north.  In  the  summer 
of  i860  Hon.  Gerrit  Smith  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Cheever  wrote  to  the  author  expressing  hearty 
approval  of  the  sermon.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  a  second  edition  was  published  in  com- 
pliance with  numerous  requests  for  copies. 
One  of  the  letters  relating  to  the  discourse 
follows : 

"Metropolitan  National  Bank, 
New  York,  Februarv  12th,  1872. 
"Rev.   S.   H.  Taft: 

"^Ty  Dear  Sir: 

"i  send  herewith  the  John  Brown  sermon. 
Accept  our  thanks  for  the  privilege  of  seeing 
what  you  said  in  those  troublous  times,  of  the 
scenes  of  deep  interest  then  transpiring. 

"A  friend  seeing  it  on  my  desk  wished  very 
much  to  have  it  to  send  abroad,  to  a  friend 
of  Lord  Byron.  I  told  him  it  was  your  only 
copy.  He  said  his  friend,  ]\Ir.  J.  E.  T.,  of 
England,  had  a  portrait  of  John  Brown  and 
was  a  great  admirer  of  his,  "for-  which  reason 
he  wished  to  send  him  the  sermon,  which  my 
friend  has  read  and  likes  very   much. 

"He  has  given  me  a  check  for  $iao   (which 


I  enclose)  and  in  return  wishes  a  copy  of  the 
sermon,   if   it   can   be   obtained. 

(Signed)     J.   E.   Williams." 

The  following  letter  came  from  Rev.  J.  H. 
Morison,  D.  D.,  of  }ilassachusetts : 

"Milton,  Mass.,  March   i8th,   1872. 
"Rev.  S.  H.  Taft: 
"Aly   Dear   Sir: 

"I  am  glad  that  you  are  to  have  a  new 
edition  of  your  John  Brown  sermon  published. 
I  can  easily  understand  the  feelings  of  the 
New  York  gentleman  who  sent  you  $100  for 
the  last  copy  you  had  of  the  old  edition.  It 
seems  to  me,  considering  the  times  and  cir- 
cumstances under  which  it  was  delivered,  a 
remarkable  production,  one  of  the  mysterious 
prophetic  utterances  made  under  the  impulse 
of  a  higher  spirit  than  man's,  which  preceded 
the  downfall  of  slavery.  The  way  in  which 
John  Brown's  name  and  acts,  apparently  so 
insignificant  in  themselves,  connected  them- 
selves with  the  uprising  of  a  great  nation 
against  a  terrible  wrong,  liis  soul  'marching  on' 
(he  animating  spirit  in  more  than  a  million 
armed  men,  would  be  thought  fabulous  and 
incredible,  if  such  an  event  had  been  narrated 
as  belonging  to  the  early  history  of  Palestine 
and  Rome. 

-'■***  :;•  *  *  * 

"I  thank  you  for  doing  something  to  re- 
fresh our  memories  by  bringing  before  us 
again  so  vividly  the  image  of  one  whose  name 
has  been  identified  with  the  greatest  move- 
ment of  our  age. 

"Very  truly  yours, 
(Signed)  John  H.  Morison." 

After  man}-  useful  years  in  Iowa  Mr.  Taft 
in  1895  removed  to  California  in  the  hope  that 
the  chang-e  of  climaie  might  prove  of  bene- 
fit to  his  wife,  but  only  a  temporary  improve- 
ment in  health  resulted  and  in  1897  she  died 
at  Santa  Monica.  As  the  agent  and  general 
manager  for  the  Pacific  Land  Company  in 
1897  Mr.  Taft  undertook  the  building  up  of 
Barrettville,  now  known  as  Sawtelle.  Here 
he  erected  the  first  cottage,  planted  the  first 
trees,  developed  the  streets  and  laid  water 
pipes.  Almost  the  first  work  which  he  at- 
tempted was  the  setting  ofl^  of  the  school  dis- 
trict, but  he  was  able  to  secure  the  names  of 
only  thirteen  pupils,  and  as  fifteen  were  nec- 
essary, was  held  off  for  two  weeks  from  set- 
ting of?  the  district.  Fortunately,  he  found 
four  other  children  in  a  cafion  that  lay  within 
the  district  limits,  and  so  the  work  was  begun 
which  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  present  ex- 
cellent town  school.  While  building  up  the 
lO-vvn  he  never  lost  sight  of  the  necessitv  of 


970 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


making  it  beautiful  and  neat,  so  streets 
were  filled  in  and  leveled,  the  schoolgrounds 
were  beautified,  and  Fourth  street  was  opened 
to  the  boulevard  leading  from  Los  Angeles 
to  Santa  Monica,  after  which  the  governor 
of  the  Home  opened  a  new  avenue,  as  a  con- 
tinuation of  Fourth  street  to  the  Soldiers' 
Home.  Somewhat  later  he  laid  out  Taft's 
subdivision,  also  the  Burnham  and  Central 
subdivisions  to  Sawtelle.  In  1901  he  resigned 
as  general  manager  for  the  land  company  and 
afterward  spent  one  year  m^  lecturing  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Anti-Saloon   League. 

At  this  writing  Mr.  Taft  devotes  much  of 
his  attention  to  his  nurseries  at  Sawtelle, 
where  recently  he  erected  one  of  the  beautiful 
modern  and  comfortable  residences  of  that 
city.  His  specialties  are  soft  shell  walnuts, 
figs  and  grapes,  shipments  of  which  are  made 
throughout  the  country.  In  addition  he  is 
prepared  to  fill  orders  for  citrus  and  deciduous 
fruits.  To  him  belongs  the  credit  of  propagat- 
ing the  Californina  Concord  grape  and  the 
Kadota  fig,  which  have  attracted  wide  and 
favorable  notice.  As  an  arbor  and  table  grape 
the  California  Concord  has  no  superior.  Its 
flavor  resembles  the  eastern  Concord,  but  the 
fruit  is  larger  and  there  arc  but  one  or  two 
seeds  in  a  "gr^pe-  while  the  leaves  are  much 
larger  and  the  vine  more  vigorous  than  the 
vine  from  which  it  takes  its  name.  For  some 
years  Mr.  Taft  has  devoted  especial  attention 
to  its  propagation,  and  in  all  that  time  he 
has  seen  no  sign  of  blight  or  mildew  on  leaf, 
fruit  or  vine.  The  grape  was  given  its  name 
by  Frank  Wiggins,  the  secretary  of  the  Los 
Angeles  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  horticulturists  of  the  world. 
After  eating  of  the  fruit  in  the  autumn  of  1903 
Mr.  Wiggins  suggested  that  as  it  resembled 
the  eastern  Concord,  it  might  appropriately 
be  called  the  California  Concord,  a  suggestion 
which  Mr.  Taft  immediately  adopted.  The 
Kadota  fig,  propagated  by  Mr.  Taft,  resembles 
the  White  Pacific,  but  is  larger  and  sweeter, 
also  the  tree  is  more  productive  and  of  more 
vigorous  growth.  While  making  a  specialty 
ofthe  grape  and  fig  which  he  propagated  Mr. 
Taft  also  sells  large  numbers  of  soft-shells 
walnut  trees,  the  several  varieties  of  citrus 
and  deciduous  trees,  and  many  flowering 
shrubs,  the  most  beautiful  of  which  is  Cali- 
fornia's favorite  flower,  the  Poincettia. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark 
Exposition  in  Portland  1\Tt.  Taft  made  an 
exhibit  of  his  specialties,  and  the  California 
commissioners'  superior  jury  of  awards  tender- 
ed him  the  bronze  medal  for  his  Kadota  figs 
and  California  Concord  grapes,  as  witnessed 
bv   the   following    communication : 


"San  Francisco,  Cal,  Jan.  5th,  1906. 
"Dear  Sir: 

"We  take  pleasure  in  handing  you  here- 
with the  diploma  and  medal  awarded  you  on 
your  exhibit  at  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Exposi- 
tion and  kindly  ask  you  to  acknowledge  the 
same. 

"We  congratulate  you  on  this  testimoiial 
of  the  merit  of  your  display,  and  again  thank 
you  for  your  part  in  helping  us  maintain  the 
credit  and  prestige  of  California  at  this  ex- 
position. 

"With  best  wishes  for  success  during  the 
new  year,  we  remain, 

"Very    respectfully, 
(Signed)     "The  California  Commission. 

"by  T.  A.  Eilcher,  Frank  Wiggins, 

"Deputy  Commissioners." 

The  grounds  of  the  Taft  nurseries  at  Saw- 
telle are  supplied  with  four  thousand  feet  of 
pipe,  more  than  fifty  hydrants  and  three  tanks, 
an  exhaustless  well  and  two  pumps,  one  of 
them  run  by  a  windmill  and  the  other  by  a 
gasoline  engine.  An  abundance  of  water 
greatly  facilitates  the  task  of  caring  for  the 
nursery  stock.  The  modern  conveniences,  sup- 
plementing the  keen  oversight  of  the  proprie- 
tor, enable  him  to  fill  orders  with  promptness 
and  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  for  which  reason 
his  nurseries  have  gained  a  high  place  among 
similar  enterprises  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
The  diversified  abilities  of  the  owner  are 
abundantly  indicated  by  the  fact  that  in  many 
diversified  lines  of  activity  he  has  been  suc- 
cessful. Whetlier  as  a  preacher,  uplifting  men 
and  women  from  the  human  toward  the  divine ; 
whether  as  a  lecturer,  discussing  topics  of  in- 
tense importance  to  the  welfare  of  the  country  ; 
whether  as  the  founder  of  an  educational  in- 
stitution, implanting  in  the  young  principles  of 
truth,  justice  and  morality;  whether  as  the  up- 
builder  of  a  town,  working  for  the  happiness 
of  future  generations,  or  whether  as  a  nursery- 
man, giving  to  the  little  seedling  the  same  care 
which  in  former  years  he  gave  to  the  growing 
youth ;  in  all  of  these  varied  lines  of  human  ac- 
tivitv  he  has  made  a  name  for  himself,  and 
even  now,  though  past  the  age  which  we  al- 
lude to  as  "young,"  he  is  still  young  in  spirit, 
young  in  hope,  young  in  optimistic  enthusi- 
asm, and  young  in  his  sympathy  with  all  that 
is  uplifting  and  true  and  brave. 

In  ig02  Mr.  Taft  married  Mrs.  Etta  (Burn- 
ham)  Barber,  a  native  of  Madison  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  a  lady  well  qualified  as  a  helpmate 
to  him  ;  a  leading  member  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U., 
of  California  and  in  1906  a  delegate  to  the 
N'ational  Convention  at  Hartford,  Conn.     She 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


)73 


is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
and  active  in  her  work  for  all  enterprises  seek- 
ing for  the  betterment  of  society. 


E.  A.  ROGERS.  Directly  descended  from 
John  Rogers,  <:he  martyr  whose  name  is  il- 
lustrious in  the  annals  of  the  church  and  de- 
scended also  from  ancestors  honorably  and  in- 
timately associated  with  the  early  develop- 
ment of  America,  Mr.  Rogers  is  a  member  of 
a  colonial  family  of  Maine,  where  his  par- 
ents, Francis  S.  and  Rhoda  T.  (Rowe)  Rog- 
ers, were  born,  reared  and  married,  and  where 
they  remained  upon  a  farm  until  death  ter- 
minated their  usefulness.  In  that  state  he 
was  born  March  23,  1849,  ^"d  there  he  had 
the  advantages  of  study  in  grammar  schools, 
high  schools  and  the  Maine  State  Normal 
School.  In  order  to  secure  the  means  neces- 
sary for  entrance  upon  a  business  career  he 
took  up  teaching  and  engaged  in  public-school 
work  for  five  terms.  The  savings  of  these 
months  were  invested  in  business  pursuits  and 
in  time  he  built  up  a  business  of  considerable 
importance,  one  which  rewarded  his  pains- 
taking indnstrj'  with  ever  increasing  profits. 
All  of  his  early  life  up  to  eighteen  years  was 
devoted  to  farming,  yet  he  had  no  special  in- 
clination toward  the  occupation,  the  bent  of 
his  mind  being  toward  commercial  aflfairs. 
As  his  success  gave  him  an  increas- 
ing prestige  among  his  fellow-citizens 
he  wielded  among  them  an  increasing  influ- 
ence and  more  than  once  was  chosen  to  rep- 
resent them  in  positions  of  local  trust.  For 
a  time  he  acted  as  assistant  postmaster  in  the 
town  of  Rangeley  and  also  officiated  as  town 
treasurer,  in  addition  to  which  he  held  various 
educational  offices  during  a  period  of  fifteen 
years.  In  his  home  county  he  was  an  active 
worker  in  the  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  and  other 
fraternities,  and  also  a  leading  worker  in  the 
Republican  party. 

A  visit  made  I0  the  Pacific  coast  in  the  fall 
of  t886  impressed  Mr.  Rogers  favorably  con- 
cerning the  prospects  of  the  west,  and  in  all 
he  made  seven  trips  across  the  continent  to 
the  Sunset  state  in  the  interests  of  his  health 
and  business.  During  his  various  trips  he 
made  Los  Angeles  his  headquarters  and  trav- 
eled throughout  the  state  from  north  to  south 
in  search  of  a  desirable  location.  In  1887, 
when  the  property  was  first  put  upon  the  mar- 
ket, he  bought  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  acres 
at  Clearwater  and  in  1898  he  came  to  this 
place.  On  the  ranch  he  usually  keeps  one 
hundred  head  of  cattle,  among  them  being 
forty  or  more  milch  cows,  and  he  successfullv 


conducts  the  Lakeside  Sanitary  dairy,  which 
makes  a  specialty  of  good  milk.  In  addition 
to  the  supervision  of  the  large  dairy  he  is 
proprietor  of  the  Lakeside  hotel  at  Clear- 
water, and  is  well  and  favorably  known  to 
the  traveling  public  who  have  enjoyed  the  hos- 
pitality of  his  house. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Rogers  was  sol- 
emnized in  1873  and  united  him  with  Aliss 
May  M.  Henkley,  a  native  of  Maine.  Four 
children  were  bt.rn  of  that  union,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  Those  now  living  are  as  fol- 
lows:  Clarence  A.,  who  makes  his  home  at 
Portland,  Ale. ;  Harry  E.  and  Ray  E.,  both  of 
whom  reside  in  California.  Mrs.  May  Rogers 
passed  away  in  May,  1893.  The  second  mar- 
riage of  ATr.  Rogers  took  place  July  11,  1900, 
and  united  him  with  Emma  M.  Hall,  who  was 
born  in  Indiana  and  came  to  California  in 
early  childhood.  Two  children.  Orrville  A. 
and  Thelma  May,  have  been  born  of  this 
union.  In  religicn  Air.  Rogers  was  reared  in 
the  Baptist  faitli,  his  parents  and  grandpar- 
ents having  been  identified  with  that  denomi- 
nation, and  in  boyliood  he  served  as  clerk  of 
the  Free  Baptist  Church  to  which  his  parents 
belonged.  Since  then  his  views  have  changed 
concerning  spiritual  matters  and  he  has  em- 
braced the  doctrines  of  theosophy.  AVhile  liv- 
ing in  the  east  he  read  and  studied  much  upon 
this  subject  and  investigation  convinced  him 
of  the  realities  of  theosophical  views,  which 
were  so  alien  to  the  common  sentiment  of  the 
people  that  only  he  and  one  other  in  all  of 
the  state  of  Afaine  accepted  that  religion  as 
their  own,  at  that  time,  but  since  then  several 
societies  have  been  inaugurated  in  that  state. 


O.  A.  WADLEIGH.  A  career  worthy  of 
emulation  from  many  standpoints,  strong  and 
<liscerning  in  its  recognition  and  acceptance  of 
opportunity,  is  that  of  O.  A.  Wadleigh,  an 
cntensive  rancher  and  promoter  of  the  well- 
being  of  Newbury  Park  and  vicinity.  The 
ranch  of  fourteen  thousand  acres  which  he 
has  under  his  control  and  supervision  repre- 
sents but  one  of  the  numerous  interests  with 
which  he  is  connected,  and  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  the  threshing  outfit  which  he  owns  has 
no  equal  in  point  of  equipment  and  excellence 
of  work  accomplished  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
ty. His  services  are  in  great  demand  among 
the  owners  of  grain  and  bean  ranches  espe- 
cially and  as  the  latter  commodities  form  the 
principal  products  of  this  locality,  it  can  read- 
ily be  seen  why  he  is  a  very  busy  man. 

Air.  Wadleigh  is  of  Canadian  birth  and  par- 
entage, born  January  6,  1852,  a  son  of  Henry 


974 


HISTORICAL  AND  EIOGRAPHICWL  RECORD. 


L.  and  Annis  (Austin)  Wadleigh.  The  father 
died  in  East  Bolton  in  1882,  at  the  age  of 
sixt_v-six,  while  the  mother  lived  to  attain  her 
eightieth  year,  her  death  occurring  in  Cali- 
fornia. Both  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  at  Bolton.  Of  the  four 
children  comprised  in  the  parental  family  O. 
A.  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  The 
push  and  perseverance  which  have  proved 
such  marked  characteristics  in  his  later  years 
were  not  wanting  in  his  boyhood,  but  were 
simply  directed  toward  different  channels, 
and  were  especially  noticeable  in  his  studies. 
While  still  quite  young  he  had  mastered  the 
common  branches  and  had  entered  the  high 
school,  and  was  graduated  from  the  latter 
when  twenty  years  old.  His  plans  for  the 
future  had  been  carefulh'  laid  in  the  mean  time, 
and  as  soon  as  he  left  school  he  took  the  first 
step  in  carrying  them  out  by  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia. Going  to  Santa  Barbara  county  he 
engaged  as  a  rancher  there  for  some  time,  or 
until  coming  to  Ventura  county  in  1889.  An 
experience  of  eighteen  years  in  this  county 
satisfied  him  that  the  combined  conditions  of 
soil  and  climate  could  be  duplicated  in  no 
other  locality,  and  the  property  which  he  had 
in  the  mean  time  occupied  as  a  renter  became 
his  own.  This  consists  of  fourteen  thousand 
acres  not  far  from  Newbury  Park,  all  of  which 
is  devoted  to  grain  and  the  raising  of  stock, 
the  cattle  and  hogs  being  raised  and  fattened 
for  the  market. 

The  marriage  of  O.  A.  Wadleigh  and  Ger- 
trude I-Cleckner.  the  latter  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, occurred  November  26,  1882,  and  has 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  three  children,  Frank 
O.,  Fred  H.  and  Dacy  G.  The  same  anima- 
tion and  enthusiasm  noticeable  in  his  private 
enterprises  is  no  less  apparent  in  his  endorse- 
ment of  Republican  principles,  and  in  him 
his  party  has  a  stanch  adherent.  JNIr.  Wad- 
leigh finds  relaxation  from  business  cares  by 
association  with  friends  and  comrades  in  the 
IvTasonic  bodv,  his  membership  being  in  Ox- 
nard   Lodge   No.   341.    F.   &  A.   M. 


THO?^IAS  P.  CONVERSE.  The  establish- 
ment of  Ramona  Tent  Village,  consummated  in 
igo2  by  i\Ir.  Converse,  provides  for  the  people 
of  Southern  California  and  eastern  tourists  a  de- 
lightful place  for  recreation.  A  visitor  bound 
for  this  unique  spot  travels  via  the  Cuyamaca 
railroad  to  Foster  and  from  the  railroad  term- 
inus proceeds  via  stage  seventeen  miles  to  the 
tent  village,  j\Ir.  Converse's  two-horse  and  four- 
horse  teams  covering  the  entire  distance  in  three 
hours.  Arriving  at  the  destination  one  finds, 
at  an  altitude  of  fifteen  hundred  feet,  a  village 


of  tents  spread  tranquilly  beneath  the  shade 
of  the  giant  oak  trees,  while  on  every  side  in 
the  distance  the  hills  rise  into  massive  moun- 
tains. Situated  three  miles  from  the  town  of 
Ramona,  the  village  of  tents  stands  upon  a  large 
tract,  where  every  facilit}'  for  amusement  has 
been  provided  by  the  proprietor.  A  bowling  alley 
built  after  the  latest  plans;  a  shooting  gallery, 
equipped  with  the  highest-grade  repeating  rifles : 
a  dancing  pavilion  in  the  center  of  which  is  a 
live-oak  with  its  branches  spread  on  every  side ; 
lawn  tennis  grounds,  croquet  grounds,  a  ladies' 
tent  with  reading  room  and  social  parlor ;  a  tel- 
ephone service,  daily  mail,  and  indeed  all  the 
equipments  that  add  to  the  pleasure  and  comfort 
of  existence  may  be  found  here,  while  in  ad- 
dition the  visitor  enjoys  the  comradeship  of  peo- 
ple of  the  highest  refinement  and  culture.  Dur- 
ing the  day  the  guests  follow  their  varied  in- 
clinations for  amusement,  but  at  night  they  come 
together  before  the  campfire,  where  stories  are 
told,  games  played,  and  the  evening  hours  quickly 
pass.  It  is  the  proprietor's  aim  to  make  the  vil- 
lage less  a  sanitarium  than  a  pleasure  resort, 
hence  those  afflicted  with  tuberculosis  of  the 
lungs  are  not  admitted,  but  such  are  accommo- 
dated in  the  town  of  Ramona,  if  so  desired. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred acres  comprising  the  resort,  ]\Ir.  Converse 
owns  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  a  portion  of 
which  is  under  irrigation.  Various  wells  have 
been  drilled,  the  deepest  of  wdiich.  at  a  depth 
of  three  hundred  feet,  furnishes  an  inexhausti- 
ble supply  of  water  for  irrigation  and  other  pur- 
poses. By  means  of  pipes  the  fresh  and  pure 
mountain  water  is  conducted  to  the  tents.  The 
waters  of  Ramona  valley  are  famed  for  medic- 
inal qualities,  being  slightly  purgative  in  their 
effect,  and  thus  possess  the  healthful  benefit  of 
the  best  tonics.  No  liquor  is  allowed  to  be  sold 
upon  the  grounds  and  boisterous  conduct  is  pro- 
hibited, so  that  an  air  of  quiet  refinement  per- 
vades the  campers.  For  the  convenience  of  those 
who  do  not  desire  to  engage  in  housekeeping  a 
restaurant  is  conducted,  while  for  those  who  pre- 
fer to  eat  beneath  their  own  "vine  and  fig-tree" 
there  is  a  store  stocked  with  staple  and  fancy 
groceries  and  fresh  milk,  butter  and  eggs  are 
to  be  obtained  as  desired. 

The  proprietor  of  the  village  is  of  southern 
birth  but  of  northern  lineage.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  James  Converse,  Sr.,  was  a  native 
of  Northampton,  ]\Iass.,  but  soent  much  of  his 
active  life  as  a  merchant  in  Ohio :  eventually  re- 
turning to  Massachusetts,  where  he  died.  James 
Converse,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Maum.ee,  Ohio,  and 
like  his  father,  was  an  Indian  fighter  of  local 
note.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  became  a 
chainman  on  the  Erie  railroad  and  for  years  he 
was   engaged  in   railroad  construction,   although 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


975 


for  a  time  he  abandoned  that  occupation  to  en- 
gage in  the  steamship  business.  In  the  building 
of  the  New  York  Central  and  Illinois  Central 
railroads  he,  for  a  time,  was  employed  as  en- 
gineer. In  1872  he  took  the  first  train  into  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  over  the  line  of  the  Galveston, 
Houston  &  San  Antonio  Railroad,  of  which  he 
and  T.  \V.  Pierce  were  the  builders.  The  char- 
ter, which  they  had  secured,  expired  three  and  a 
half  hours  after  their  first  train  entered  the  San 
Antonio  station,  their  work  having  been  delayed 
by  the  failure  to  receive  the  steel  for  bridges, 
which  forced  them  to  build  bridges  of  wood  across 
the  Guadalupe  and  Colorado  rivers.  In  addition 
he  built  the  railroad  from  New  Orleans  to  Pe- 
cos, Texas,  a  short  distance  east  of  El  Paso,  and 
surveyed  for  the  building  of  a  trestle  bridge  over 
the  Pecos  river,  but  instead  of  carrying  out  the 
original  design  two  tunnels  were  constructed  and 
twenty-two  miles  of  heavy  rock  work  built. 
Since  then  a  trestle  bridge  has  been  erected; 
had  it  been  done  in  the  first  place,  as  suggested 
by  him,  more  than  one  million  dollars  would  have 
been  saved.  In  1889  he  resigned  as  chief  engin- 
eer of  constraction  and  afterwards  was  consult- 
ing engineer  for  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad, 
with  his  residence  in  San  Antonio,  where  he  died 
in  1900,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  engineer- 
ing corps. 

After  going  to  Texas,  James  Converse,  Jr., 
married  Elizabeth  Allen,  who  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Houston  and  who  died  at  San  An- 
tonio in  1885.  Her  father,  A.  C.  Allen,  w-as  a  pion- 
eer of  Baldwinsville,  N.  Y.,  and  engaged  in  the 
mahogany  trade,  having  several  vessels  between 
New  York  and  the  ports  of  ]\Iexico.  In  an  early 
day  he  removed  to  Texas  and  bought  land  now 
occupied  by  the  cities  of  Houston  and  Harris- 
burg,  being  himself  the  earliest  settler  of  Hous- 
ton. At  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
Mexico,  he  was'  a  man  of  considerable  means. 
Among  three  children  forming  the  family  of 
James  and  Elizabeth  Converse  the  only  survivor 
is  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
article.  Born  in  Houston,  Texas,  July  14,  1876, 
has  was  a  lad  of  nine  years  when  the  family  re- 
moved to  San  Antonio  and  there  he  attended  the 
grammar  and  high  schools,  later  being  sent  to 
Austin  College  at  Sherman,  Texas,  and  Hiram 
College  in  Hiram,  Ohio.  On  his  return  to  Texas 
he  was  employed  as  agent  for  the  railroad  at 
Ganahl.  In  September,  1901,  be  came  to  San 
Diego,  Cal.,  where  he  owns  and  occupies  a  com- 
fortable residence  at  No.  3231  D  street.  For  a 
time  he  engaged  in  speculating  in  lands  and 
gold  mines,  Isut  in  1903  he  became  interested  in 
the  project  for  the  building  up  of  the  tent  village 
and  has  since  given  his  attention  largely  to  this 
work.      In   addition   he    is   interested,    with   Dr. 


Goff,  in  the  leasing  of  the  Buckham  mineral 
springs,  located  near  Pine  valley,  midway  be- 
tween Descanso  and  Campo.  Before  the  earth- 
(|uake  the  natural  gas  in  the  spring  water  was  so 
strong  that  it  would  burst  the  quart  bottles  and 
was  therefore  put  in  pint  copper  drums;  since 
then,  however,  it  has  been  possible  to  handle  the 
water  in  quart,  pint  and  half-pint  bottles.  The 
water  is  now  on  the  market  and  widely  known  as 
one  of  California's  natural  remedies,  for  which 
the  state  is  so  noted. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  Converse  took  place  Jul}- 
14,  1896,  and  united  him  with  Miss  \'erdi  Tliayer 
member  of  a  family  of  educators  and  composers, 
descended  from  French-Huguenot  ancestors,  who 
spelled  the  name  Thair.  Her  grandfather, 
Hiram  Thayer,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts 
and  became  a  pioneer  of  Ohio,  where  he  acquired 
large  landed  interests.  Among  the  children  of 
Hiram  Thayer  was  a  son,  I.  A.  Thayer,  D.  D.. 
who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  a  promi- 
nent educator  and  preacher.  Another  son.  Rev. 
D.  P.  Thayer,  who  was  the  father  of  Mrs.  Con- 
verse, was  born  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  be- 
came a  minister  in  the  Christian  Church  and 
died  in  Ohio  when  forty-six  years  of  age.  Fra- 
ternally he  was  identified  with  the  Masons.  At 
an  early  age  he  had  married  Dora  Collins,  who 
was  born  in  Portage  county,  Ohio,  and  who  re- 
sided in  Virginia  until  June  14,  1906,  when  she 
came  to  San  Diego  to  visit  her  daughter  and  to 
regain  her  health.  She  died  in  San  Diego  July 
30,  1906,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five.  Descended 
from  English  ancestors,  she  was  a  daughter  of 
Orson  and  Emilia  Collins,  the  former  a  lumber 
manufacturer  in  Portage  county ;  the  latter  was  a 
member  of  the  Norton  family,  originally  known 
as  Norville,  of  French  lineage;  prominent  as 
teachers  and  attorneys.  In  the  family  of  Rev. 
D.  P.  Thayer  there  were  two  children,  of  whom 
the  son,  C.  D.,  is  a  graduate  of  Hiram  College 
and  now  a  planter  in  Virginia.  The  daughter. 
Mrs.  Converse,  was  born  in  Warren,  Trumbull 
county,  Ohio,  and  received  her  education  in 
Hiram  College.  Born  of  her  marriage  to  Air. 
Converse  there  are  two  sons,  James  Pierce  and 
Carleton  Thayer. 

While  business  duties  necessarily  take  Air. 
Converse  from  San  Diego  during  a  part  of  each 
year,  he  nevertheless,  maintains  a  deep  interest  in 
all  enterprises  for  the  development  of  the  city, 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, and  favors  all  projects  for  the  permanent 
well-being  of  his  town  and  county.  Among  the 
organizations  with  which  he  is  identified  may 
be  mentioned  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Corinthian  Yacht  Club,  of  which  he  holds  the 
office  of  commodore  at  the  present  writing.  Airs. 
Converse  belongs  to  the  Anphion  Alusical  Club 
and  the  Wednesdav  Club. 


976 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


WTLLIAil  D.  MOFFATT.  A  goodly 
number  of  the  prosperous  families  of  Southern 
California  have  come  hither  from  more  northerly 
regions  and  not  a  few  are  from  Canada,  their 
removal  having  been  made  for  the  purpose  of 
escaping  the  long  winters  and  severe  blizzards 
characteristic  of  northerly  latitudes.  In  this  list 
belongs  Mr.  Moffatt  of  San  Diego  county,  who 
came  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1891  and  the  follow- 
ing year  arrived  at  Ramona,  his  present  home 
town.  The  family  of  which  he  is  a  member  set- 
tled in  Canada  from  Europe  many  generations 
gone  by  and  afterward  they  were  prominent  in 
local  development  along  agricultural  lines.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  James  Moffatt,  was  a  man 
of  unusually  progressive  spirit,  ever  reaching  out 
to  find  needed  improvements  for  farm  activities. 
To  such  an  extent  was  he  a  progressive  pioneer 
that  he  had  the  distinction  of  bringing  into  the 
district,  around  Riceville.  Ontario,  the  first  thresh- 
ing machine,  the  first  harvester  and  the  first 
honey  separator  brought  into  all  of  that  region. 

The  locality  near  Riceville,  so  long  the  home  of 
the  family,  has  profited  immeasurably  by  the  cit- 
izenship of  John  Moffat,  who  still  resides  there. 
His  faithful  life  companion,  before  her  marriage, 
Sarah  Westwood,  died  on  the  old  homestead 
November  29,  1906.  Their  son,  William  D.,  was 
born  there  July  29.  1868,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  neighboring  schools.  While  still 
a  mere  boy  he  assisted  in  caring  for  bees  and 
gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  occupation 
of  an  apiarist.  Upon  starting  out  to  seek  his 
livelihood  he  secured  employment  in  the  lumber 
regions  of  Canada  and  remained  in  the  logging 
camps  for  three  years,  after  which,  in  1889,  he 
went  to  the  lumber  districts  of  JNIichigan  and 
worked  for  one  and  one-half  years  in  the  same 
occupation.  After  coming  to  California  in  1891 
he  settled  in  San  Bernardino  county  and  for  one 
year  engaged  in  the  fruit  business.  From  that 
county  he  removed  to  Ramona,  San  Diego  coun- 
ty, and  here  he  has  since  remained,  with  the 
exception  of  a  brief  period  in  Fresno  and  a  short 
experience  in  railroading  in  Arizona.  In  1895 
he  bought  ten  acres  adjacent  to  Ramona,  where 
he  now  has  his  home,  and  he  leases  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  grain  land  in  the  same  local- 
ity. Besides  raising  grain  he  devotes  much  at- 
tention to  the  bee  business  and  has  seventy  col- 
onies in  his  apiary,  besides  which  he  owns  a 
one-half  interest  in  four  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  colonies  located  at  Witch  Creek. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Moffatt  was  solemnized 
at  San  Pasqual  November  14.  1900,  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Catleen  Settle,  whose  parents  now 
reside  in  the  San  Pasqual  valley,  but  were  liv- 
ing in  Los  Angeles  at  the  time  of  her  birth.  The 
only  child  of  her  marriage  is  a  daughter,  Martha 
Ireiie.     Mr.  Moffatt  is  identified  with  Court  No. 


8520,  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters,  and  his  wife 
with  the  ladies'  auxiliary  of  the  same.  For  a  time 
he  filled  the  position  of  deputy  county  bee  in- 
spector, for  which  work  his  long  and  success- 
ful experience  as  an  apiarist  admirably  qualified 
him.  To  the  people  of  the  valley  he  is  known 
as  a  citizen  of  progressive  spirit,  an  agriculturist 
of  untiring  industry,  an  apiarist  of  unflagging 
enthusiasm  and  a  man  of  generous  disposition 
and  kind  heart,  ever  willing  to  help  the  distressed 
and  unfortunate. 


FREDERICK  JOHN  ESLER.  About  the 
middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  there  came  to 
the  United  States  from  Great  Britain  a  sturdy 
emigrant  of  Scotch  nativity,  who  had  been  or- 
dained to  the  ministry  of  the  JNIethodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Early  in  life  he  had  removed 
from  Scotland  to  county  Donegal,  Ireland,  where 
to  his  union  with  an  English  lady  there  was  born 
a  son,  Benjamin  T.  \Mien  the  latter  was  a  small 
child  the  family  crossed  the  ocean  to  America 
and  settled  on  the  then  frontier  of  Michigan, 
where  they  took  up  the  arduous  task  of  trans- 
forming a  raw  tract  of  land  into  an  improved 
and  profitable  farm.  Upon  starting  out  from  the 
old  home  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
the  son  took  up  mercantile  pursuits  in  Grand 
Ledge,  Eaton  county,  Mich.,  and  there  he  re- 
mained for  many  busy  and  useful  years,  but 
eventually  he  retired  from  merchandising,  re- 
moved to  California  and  purchased  an  orange 
grove  of  twenty  acres  at  Redlands,  where  he 
since  has  made  his  home.  In  spite  of  his  sev- 
enty years  of  life  he  is  still  hearty  and  energetic, 
and  bears  a  share  in  the  activities  of  his  town. 
During  young  manhood  he  married  Minerva  A. 
Holmes,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  in  childhood 
accompanied  her  parents  to  Michigan,  remaining 
for  a  time  at  Farmington,  over  the  line  from 
Oakland  county  in  the  adjoining  county  of 
Wayne.  Later,  however,  the  family  removed 
to  Grand  Ledge,  Eaton  county,  where  occurred 
the  death  of  her  father,  J.  S.  Holmes,  a  native 
of  Massachusetts  and  a  member  of  an  old  east- 
ern family.  In  religious  belief  Mrs.  Minerva 
Esler  adheres  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Congrega- 
tional denomination  and  from  girlhood  has  been 
warmly  interested  in  missionary  and  charitable 
movements. 

In  the  family  of  Benjamin  T.  and  Minerva 
Esler  there  were  three  sons  and  two  daughters. 
The  eldest  of  the  number,  Frederick  John,  was 
born  at  Grand  Ledge,  Mich.,  August  28,  1863, 
and  attended  the  grammar  and  high  schools  of 
his  native  town,  where  later  he  assisted  his 
father  in  the  general  mercantile  business.  Com- 
ing to  California  in  1884  he  secured  employment 
with  the  Brookside  Winery  Company,  in  which 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


979 


later  he  became  a  stockholder.  The  original 
owners  of  the  winery  were  the  Vache  Brothers, 
to  whose  energy  the  start  of  the  plant  was  due. 
In  1891  Messrs.  Ingersoll  and  Esler  opened  a 
wholesale  business  in  San  Bernardino  on  Third 
street  and  later  removed  across  the  street  to 
their  present  location,  where  they  occupy  a 
building  50x100  feet  in  dimensions.  Besides 
managing  their  own  plant  they  are  directors  in 
the  Brookside  winery  with  E.  Vache  &  Co., 
and  have  become  leading  representatives  of  their 
industry  in  the  state.  The  business  w^as  incor- 
porated in  July,  1905,  under  the  title  of  the  In- 
gersoll &  Esler  Company,  with  Mr.  Esler  as 
vice-president.  In  addition  to  handling  their 
own  product  the  firm  act  as  representatives  of 
Anheuser-Busch,  also  of  Maier-Zobelin  of  Los 
Angeles  and  the  San  Diego  Brewing  Company. 
After  coming  to  California  Mr.  Esler  was 
married  in  Los  Angeles  to  Mrs.  Camile  (Mich- 
eaux)  Reitz.  a  native  of  Calaveras  county, 
this  state,  and  daughter  of  Lewis  Micheaux,  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  the  west.  The  family  residence 
is  at  No.  456  G  street,  San  Bernardino.  Though 
not  a  partisan  in  politics,  Mr.  Esler  has  decided 
opinions  upon  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare 
of  the  nation  and  always  votes  the  Republican 
ticket.  Through  membership  on  the  board  of 
trade  he  has  been  helpful  in  promoting  the  ma- 
terial and  commercial  development  of  his  home 
city.  His  identification  with  Masonry  began  in 
San  Bernardino  Lodge  No.  348,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
which  he  now  is  an  active  member.  Other  or- 
ders with  which  he  holds  membership  are  the 
Eagles  and  Lodge  No.  146,  I.  O.  O.  F..  in  which 
he  is  past  grand,  and  he  is  further  identified 
with  the  Encampment. 


JOHN  RUOPP.  As  far  back  into  past  cen- 
turies as  the  Ruopp  genealogical  records  can 
be  traced,  it  is  found  that  the  ancestors  re- 
sided in  the  southern  provinces  of  the  German 
Empire  and  from  the  time  of  the  Reformation 
they  were  followers  of  Martin  Luther.  John 
Ruopp,  Sr.,  was  for  many  years  an  industri- 
ous farmer  and  stock-raiser  in  Wurtemberg 
and  remained  there  until  his  death  in  1896, 
many  years  after  the  demise  of  his  wife,  Cath- 
erine (Lamparter)  Ruopp,  who  died  when  her 
son,  John,  Jr.,  was  a  boy  of  fourteen  years. 
Tlie  five  children  in  the  family  are  still  living, 
and  of  these  John,  who  was  third  in  order  of 
birth,  was  the  only  one  to  settle  in  the  United 
States.  Born  on  the  home  farm  near  Mun- 
singen,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  November 
20,  1858,  he  attended  the  National  schools  of 
the  home  locality  and  later  was  a  student  in 
the  Ruetlingen  and  Hoenheim  academies.  Up- 
on leaving  school  he  secured  employment  as 
foreman  on  a  large  farm. 


Following  the  general  custom  in  his  native 
land  Mr.  Ruopp  served  a  term  of  three  years 
in  the  German  army.  During  November  of 
1878  he  was  assigned  to  the  First  Troop  of 
Cavalry  Regiment  and  remained  at  the  front 
until  1 881,  when  he  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge. Meanwhile  he  had  held  the  rank  of 
corporal.  Before  leaving  the  army  he  decided 
10  emigrate  to  America,  but  on  his  return 
home  he  found  his  father  strongly  opposed  to 
such  a  move  and  so  he  consented  to  remain 
in  the  fatherland.  For  one  year  he  was  a 
student  in  a  business  college.  However,  the 
desire  was  still  strong  with  him  to  seek  a 
home  in  the  new  world,  and  in  1883  he  crossed 
the  ocean  to  New  York,  thence  traveled  to 
Fort  Atkinson,  Iowa,  and  from  there  to 
Beatrice,  Gage  county,  Neb.,  where  resided  a 
cousin  who  was  employed  as  a  civil  engineer 
on  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  While  he 
was  pleased  with  Nebraska  he  had  read  so 
much  concerning  California  that  he  was  un- 
willing to  settle  elsewhere.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1884  he  arrived  on  the  Pacific  coast 
and  soon  found  employment  near  Santa  Ana, 
where  he  assisted  a  horticulturist  for  a  year 
and  conducted  an  orchard  for  W.  T.  Brown  of 
Fullerton  for  three  years. 

Not  long  after  his  arrival  in  California  Mr. 
Ruopp  became  a  land-owner,  having  acquired 
in  1887  eight  hundred  acres  of  land  forming 
a  part  of  the  Aliso  grant  in  Santiago  caiion, 
and  after  leaving  Mr.  Brown's  employ  he  set- 
tled on  his  own  ranch,  where  he  engaged  in 
stock-raising.  During  1892  he  sold  the  ranch 
to  Madame  Mcdjeska.  who  owned  an  adjoin- 
ing estate,  and  for  two  years  afterward  he  re- 
mained on  the  place  as  foreman  of  the  prop- 
erty. During  1894  he  was  engaged  as  fore- 
man in  the  Chino  plant  of  the  American  Beet 
Sugar  Company,  but  after  six  months  was 
transferred  to  a  position  as  agriculturist  for 
the  company,  and  in  190T  came  to  Oxnard  as 
manager  of  the  Pattenson  ranch  of  fifty-eight 
hundred  acres,  mainly  devoted  to  lima  beans 
and  beet  culture.  While  living  in  Santa  Ana 
he  married  Miss  Priscilla  M.  Harding,  who 
was  born  at  Pawpaw,  Lee  county.  111.,  but 
lias  resided  on  the  coast  since  girlhood.  Since 
becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  he 
has  voted  the  Republican  ticket  and  has  kept 
posted  concerning  the  problems  confronting 
our  nation,  but  has  not  sought  political  prom- 
inence or  official  honors.  The  only  fraternity 
with  which  he  affiliates  is  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  Splendidly  educated  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  land,  with  the  further  advantage 
of  a  cosmopolitan  knowledge  acquired  by  trav- 
els through  much  of  the  old  and  the  ncAv 
world,    he    forms    a    ^-nluable    addition    to    the 


980 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


citizenship  of  Ventura  county,  and  is  univer- 
iially  honored  as  a  man  of  refinement,  a  close 
student  of  agriculture  (particularly  that  de- 
partment bearing-  upon  beet  culture)  and  the 
possessor  of  excellent  business  ability  which 
enables  him  to  fill  h^s  present  responsible  po- 
sition with  skill  and  success. 


HENRY  LOWE.  During  the  period  of 
about  twenty-four  years,  representing  the  dura- 
lion  of  Mr.  Lowe"s  occupancy  of  a  ranch  two 
miles  southwest  of  Palms,  Los  Angeles  county, 
he  witnessed  the  constant  development  of  the 
county  and  personally  contributed  thereto  by  his 
painstaking  care  and  intelligent  management  as 
a  rancher.  The  tract  of  seventy-five  acres  which 
he  purchased  soon  after  his  arrival  in  the  county 
in  the  fall  of  1882  continued  to  be  his  home  and 
the  scene  of  his  activities  until  the  winter  of 
1905-06,  when,  desiring  to  retire  from  agricult- 
ural cares,  he  disposed  of  the  property  for  $285 
an  acre,  an  amount  much  greater  than  the  origi- 
nal purchase  price  of  the  land,  and  erected  his 
modern  residence  in  Palms  on  Third  street  and 
Eucalyptus  avenue. 

Born  in  England,  May  23,  1836,  Mr.  Lowe 
is  a  member  of  an  old  English  family  and  spent 
the  years  of  his  boyhood  in  his  native  country, 
but  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  came  to  the 
L^nited  States.  Taking  passage  on  a  sailing  ves- 
sel September  10,  1852,  he  arrived  in  New  York 
after  a  trip  of  six  weeks  and  three  days  out 
from  London.  For  three  years  he  remained 
near  the  Atlantic  coast,  working  as  a  farm  hand. 
Next  he  removed  to  Iowa  and  settled  at  Lyons, 
Qinton  county,  where,  for  several  years,  he  was 
interested  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  and  later 
took  up  general  farming.  At  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  his  sympathy  was  given  at  once  to  the 
cause  of  the  L^nion.  In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  K,  Twenty-sixth  Iowa  In- 
fantry, to  serve  for  three  years  or  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  With  his  regiment  he  marched  to 
the  south,  where  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Arkansas  Post,  the  noted  siege  of  Vicksburg, 
and  the  engagements  at  Atlanta,  Missionary 
Ridge  and  Lookout  Mountain,  after  which  he 
■marched  with  Sherman  to  the  sea. 

Though  his  long  and  active  service  took  him 
into  the  midst  of  the  enemy's  country  and  into 
sanguinary  battles,  he  was  never  wounded  nor 
taken  prisoner. 

Receiving  an  honorable  discharge  from  the 
army  in  1865  at  Washington.  D.  C.,  Mr.  Lowe 
returned  to  Iowa,  but  soon  afterward  moved  to 
Minnesota  and  took  up  a  homestead  in  McLeod 
county,  where  he  remained   for  eight  years. 

Upon  selling  that  farm  he  returned  to  Iowa 
and  settled  in  Plymouth  countv,  where  he  car- 


ried on  general  farming,  and  met  with  alter- 
nating hardships  and  successes.  ,  In  order  to 
obtain  the  advantages  of  a  more  desirable  cli- 
mate, in  the  fall  of  1882  he  came  to  California 
and  has  since  made  Los  Angeles  county  his 
home.  While  living  in  Iowa  he  was  married  at 
Lyons,  March  12,  i860,  to  Miss  Anna  Stinton, 
a  native  of  England,  and  like  himself,  a  sincere 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  denomination. 
Coming  to  the  coast  in  1882,  she  remained  in 
Los  Angeles  county  until  her  death,  which  oc- 
curred February  26,  1891.  Seven  children  were 
born  of  their  union,  namely :  S.  J.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  ranching  and  the  dairy  business  near 
the  old  homestead ;  Sarah,  who  has  charge  of 
the  home  and  has  ministered  to  the  comfort  of 
the  family  since  her  mother's  death ;  William, 
a  farmer  living  near  Sawtelle;  Emma,  who 
married  Charles  Kiggins,  of  Ocean  Park ;  Robert, 
of  Palms ;  Louise  and  Arthur,  who  are  with 
their  father.  In  younger  years  Mr.  Lowe  was 
an  active  worker  in  the  Prohibition  cause  and, 
while  now  less  active,  he  is  no  less  earnest  and 
pronounced  in  his  opposition  to  the  indiscrimi- 
nate sale  of  intoxicating  liquors.  As  a  citizen 
he  commands  the  esteem  of  associates,  to  whom 
he  is  known  as  a  patriotic  pioneer,  a  man  of  high 
character  and  a  generous  friend. 


ANDREW  COM  STOCK.  One  of  the  soHd 
ranchers  of  Los  Angeles  county  and  a  man  who 
has  made  friends  wherever  he  is  known,  Andrew 
Comstock  is  roimding  out  the  years  of  a  well- 
spent  life  in  the  management  and  improvement 
of  a  ranch  of  fifty  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  El 
Monte.  He  was  born  in  Lenawee  county,  Mich., 
January  i,  1847,  ^  son  of  Eseck  and  Mary 
( Allen)  Comstock,  natives  of  New  York  and 
X'ermont  respectively.  The  parents  were  mar- 
ried in  Ohio,  where  the  father  engaged  as  a 
farmer,  but  at  an  early  date  in  the  history  of 
Michigan  he  removed  to  that  state  and  bought 
timber  land  which  he  cleared  for  a  farm,  and 
there  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days,  dying 
at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  while  his  wife 
lived  to  be  seventy.  Mr.  Comstock  belonged 
to  the  state  militia  while  a  resident  of  New 
York,  and  in  politics  was  always  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  pub- 
lic afifairs  of  whatever  community  he  made  his 
home,  having  served  as  a  school  officer  for  many 
terms.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
only  two  of  whom  are  living,  Alfred  still  making 
his  home  in  Michigan. 

Educated  in  his  native  county,  Andrew  Com- 
stock attained  years  of  discretion  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  started  out  in 
life  for  himself,  working  on  neighboring  farms 
for   seven  years.     He  then  purchased   a  timber 


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HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


983 


farm  in  Michigan  and  began  its  improvement, 
clearing  the  land  and  erecting  a  residence,  barns 
and  outbuildmgs,  having  a  farm  of  ninety-five 
acres.  In  jMichigan,  November  7,  1876,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nancy  Waffle, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
Waffle,  her  death  occurring  December  6,  1892. 
She  left  tlie  following  children :  Elna,  wife  of 
Ward  E.  Corwin.  engaged  in  the  grocerv 'busi- 
ness in  P.iiiKina.  Cal.  ;  "Delpliia  ;  and  Olin.  In 
Februar\  ,  1S114,  Air.  CMUistuck  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Alis^  Alary  \i.  AlcL'omb.  a  native 
of  Michigan  and  daughter  of  William  McComb, 
who  died  in  Michigan  in  1906.  Soon  after  his 
marriage  Mr.  Comstock  came  to  California  and 
located  in  Santa  Monica,  his  first  employment 
after  reachmg  the  state  being  with  the  first 
electric  road  to  Santa  Monica  from  Los  Angeles. 
He  then  purchased  a  ranch  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing pursuits  and  also  leased  land,  continuing 
so  occupied  for  seven  years,  when,  in  1903,  he 
came  to  the  vicinity  of  El  Monte  and  bought 
fifty-eight  acres,  which  now  forms  his  present 
property.  He  has  made  his  own  improvements 
and  brought  the  land  to  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, while  he  also  owns  forty  per  cent  of  a  pump- 
ing plant.  He  still  owns  his  property  in  Santa 
Monica,  which  by  reason  of  the  rapid  rise  in 
real  estate  is  increasing  rapidly  in  value.  Mr. 
Comstock  has  two  children  by  his  second  mar- 
riage, Laurin  and  Gailen.  In  his  political  con- 
victions he  was  a  Republican  in  early  life,  but 
he  is  now  an  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the 
Prohibitionists.  While  a  resident  of  Michigan 
he  served  as  school  trustee  and  has  also  held  a 
like  position  here.  Both  himself  and  wife  are 
members  of  the    Cnited  Brethren  Church. 


BERNARD  BRADLEY  ROCKWOOD. 
The  life  which  this  narrative  depicts  began 
in  Randolph,  Vt..  in  July,  1831,  and  closed  in 
San  Diego  county,  Cal,  x\ugust  26,  1901.  Be- 
tween the  two  dates  and  the  two  localities  so 
remote  from  each  other  there  were  struggles, 
hardships,  joys  and  successes  of  which  the 
merest  epitome  can  be  recorded  in  this  vol- 
ume, for  the  limits  of  the  work  preclude  ex- 
tended mention,  nor  was  it  the  nature  of  the 
man  himself  to  dwell  upon  his  past.  Its  pri- 
vations and  toil  were  soon  forgotten,  and  its 
successes  with  characteristic  modesty  he  re- 
frained from  mentioning  to  others.  During 
the  later  years  of  his  life  he  allowed  himself 
to  relax  from  many  of  his  former  activities, 
yet  to  the  last  he  maintained  a  deep  interest  in 
the  management  of  his  ranch  and  showed  a 
constant  devotion  to  the  prosperity  of  his  ac- 
quaintances and  neighbors  in  the  San  Pasqual 
vallev. 


The  early  childhood  of  Mr.  Rockwood  was 
darkened  by  the  death  of  his  mother,  Lucinda 
(Kimball)  Rockwood.  When  twelve  years  of 
age  he  accompanied  his  father,  John,  to  Il- 
linois and  settled  near  Ringwood,  McHenry 
county,  where  the  father  in  due  time  brought 
under  cultivation  a  large  and  valuable  farm 
and  in  early  days  also  followed  the  trade  of 
a  wheelwright,  rem.aining  at  Ringwood  until 
death.  During  the  year  1851  B.  B.  Rockwood 
left  the  paternal  roof  and  traveled  overland 
to  California,  the  journey  with  oxen  consum- 
ing many  monotonous  months.  Following 
his  arrival  he  mined  in  northern  districts.  In 
1857  he  returned  via  Panama  to  Illinois,  but 
in  1859  again  started  for  the  further  west, 
this  time  settling  near  Neodesha,  Kans.,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  His 
second  removal  to  California  occurred  in  1876, 
when  he  established  his  home  in  the  Sweet- 
water valley.  From  there  in  1881  he  came  to 
San  Pasqual  valley  and  settled  on  land  which 
he  had  purchased  two  years  before.  On  this 
place  he  engaged  in  raising  general  farm  prod- 
ucts and  stock,  and  after  some  time  he  began 
to  be  interested  in  the  dairy  industry,  which 
he  found  a  profitable  adjunct  of  general  farm- 
ing. In  addition  he  was  interested  in  horses 
and  brought  the  first  registered  standard-bred 
stallion  ever  in  San  Pasqual  valley,  this  ani- 
mal being  Prince  Hinsdale,  which  he  pur- 
chased at  a  cost  of  $1,200,  and  he  also  had 
other  fine  horses  on  his  ranch. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Rockwood  served  as 
clerk  of  the  school  board  of  his  district  and 
in  other  ways  he  promoted  the  local  educa- 
tional interests.  Liberal  in  views,  broad  in 
spirit,  generous  to  those  in  need,  a  promoter 
of  worthy  movements  and  a  contributor  to 
projects  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  county,  he 
held  a  high  place  in  the  regard  of  the  people, 
and  when  death  terminated  his  bus)-  career 
there  -were  many  to  testif)-  that  a  true  friend 
had  been  lost  and  a  man  of  fine  character  had 
passed  from  the  valley  so  long  his  home. 
AVhile  living  in  Kansas  he  had  married  Ange- 
line  Doran,  who  died  in  1876.  Four  children 
were  born  of  that  union,  namely:  Clara,  who  is 
married  and  lives  in  Dixon,  Cal. ;  ]\Irs.  Nettie 
Bishop,  of  San  Francisco ;  Emma,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  three  years ;  and  George,  who 
died  in  San  Pasqual  valley  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty years.  In  May  of  1878  Mr.  Rockwood  mar- 
ried Rachel  Haynes,  who  was  born  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  now  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  San  Pasqual  valley.  Tliree  children 
blessed  their  union,  namely :  JMary,  Mrs.  Peet, 
who  lives  on  the  home  ranch :  Lester,  who 
was  born  in  1881  and  w'ith  his  brother-in-law. 


984 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


under  the  title  of  Rockwood  &  Peet,  conducts 
the  home  ranch ;  and  Luc}-,  also  at  home. 

As  mentioned,  the  management  of  the  home- 
stead is  now  in  the  charge  of  Rockwood  & 
Peet.  The  latter,  Everett  Peet,  was  born  in 
Linn  county,  Iowa,  in  187 1,  being  a  son  of 
Rudolphus  and  Martha  E.  (Hewett)  Peet,  na- 
tives respectively  of  New  York  and  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  residents  of  Iowa  from  1845  until 
1886.  During  the  latter  year  they  came  to  the 
coast  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Escondido, 
where  he  died  in  July,  1903,  at  the  age  of  six- 
ty-six years.  Since  his  death  Mrs.  Peet  has 
made  her  home  in  Escondido.  When  fifteen 
years  of  age  Everett  Peet  accompanied  his 
parents  to  California  and  settled  with  them 
near  Escondido,  where  he  attended  school. 
In  June  of  1899  he  married  Miss  Mary  Rock- 
wood, by  whom  he  has  three  children,  Ver- 
non,  Vernard   and   Clififord. 


JOHN  C.  BARGAR.  Standing  prominent 
among  the  keen,  wide-awake,  quick-witted  young 
business  men  of  Ramona  is  John  C.  Bargar,  an 
expert  mechanic  and  plumber,  who  is  widely  and 
favorably  known  throughout  this  section  of  San 
Diego  county,  having  charge,  practically,  of  all 
of  the  plumbing  and  pumping  business  within  a 
radius  of  twenty  miles.  Industrious  and  enter- 
prising, noted  for  his  honesty  and  uprightness  of 
character,  he  has  won  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  the  community,  and  holds  high  rank  among  its 
valued  and  trusted  citizens.  A  son  of  Henry  C. 
Bargar,  he  was  born,  August  7,  1870,  in  Mead- 
ville,  Mo.,  where  he  grew  to  manhood's  estate. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  Henry  C.  Bargar  spent  his 
early  life  in  the  place  of  his  birth.  When  the 
tocsin  of  war  resounded  through  the  land  he  was 
one  of  the  first  to  respond  to  its  call,  enlisting 
in  Company  C,  Fifty-first  Ohio  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, in  which  he  served  for  upwards  of  four 
years.  Under  command  of  General  Thomias  he 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  where  he 
was  severely  wounded.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
lie  located  in  Linn  county.  Mo.,  taking  up  wild 
land,  from  which  he  improved  a  valuable  farm, 
and  on  which  he  is  still  living,  an  honored  and 
influential  citizen.  For  ten  years  he  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Linn  County  Mutual  Insurance  Com- 
pany, and  for  a  long  time  was  also  president  of 
the  Anti  Horse  Thief  Society  of  Missouri.  He 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  He  married  Mary  \.  Loflfer,  who 
bore  him  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  are  living, 
all,  with  the  exception  of  John  C,  being  settled 
near  the  parental  homestead  in  Meadville,  Mo. 
The  mother  is  a  true  Christian  woman,  and  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


In  1891,  having  attained  his  majority,  John 
C.  Bargar  left  the  home  farm,  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia in  search  of  a  broader  field  of  action. 
Locating  in  Ramona,  he  engaged  in  ranching, 
continuing  thus  employed  for  four  years.  In 
1895  he  purchased  an  interest  in  a  blacksmith's 
shop,  but  at  the  end  of  two  years  disposed  of  his 
share  of  the  smithy  and  embarked  in  his  present 
business.  As  a  plumber  and  an  installer  of  pumps 
and  windmills  he  has  no  rival  in  this  section  of 
Southern  California,  his  business  in  this  line  being 
extensive  and  lucrative.  He  does  the  most  of  the 
plumbing  in  this  section,  and  has  here  erected 
over  three  hundred  windmills,  evidences  of  his 
work  being  seen  in  every  direction.  In  his  store 
he  also  carries  a  line  of  hardware  and  paints. 
Aside  from  his  other  work,  he  operated  a  feed 
mill,  carrying  on  a  thriving  business  in  grinding 
feed.  Progressive  and  enterprising,  he  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  San  Diego  and  Back 
Country  Telephone  Line,  and  in  other  ways  has 
done  much  to  advance  the  welfare  of  the  town 
and  country. 

In  1896  Mr.  Bargar  married  Ida  M.  Telford, 
who  was  born  in  Meadville,  Mo.,  and  came  to 
Ramona  with  her  father,  George  A.  Telford, 
when  ]\Ir.  Bargar  came  here.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bar- 
gar have  one  child,  Florence,  now  six  years  old. 
Politically  Mr.  Bargar  is  a  stanch  Republican 
and  for  one  term  served  as  deputy  assessor. 
Fraternallv  he  belongs  to  San  Diego  Lodge  No. 
153,  I.  O.'O.  F. 


jMARIANO  J.  DUARTE.  Descended  from 
an  old  Spanish  family.  Mariano  J.  Duarte  was 
was  born  in  San  Gabriel.  Los  Angeles  county, 
March  8,  1872.  His  father,  Mariano  Duarte,  a 
native  of  Spain,  came  to  California  in  an  early 
day  and  established  the  family  fortunes  in  this 
section ;  he  was  educated  in  San  Gabriel  Mission 
and  there  also  married  Conception  Bustamente, 
who  was  born  in  Mexico.  He  had  a  family  of 
nine  children,  of  whom  six  are  still  living  in 
California.  He  followed  various  occupations  in 
the  vicinity  cf  his  home  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1903,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years, 
liis  wife  having  passed  away  at  the  early  age  of 
thirty-nine  years.  Mariano  J.  Duarte  received 
his  education  in  the  public  school  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  home,  and  after  the  close  of  his  Ixjyhood 
vears  he  engaged  as  an  apprentice  to  learn  the 
blacksmith's  trade.  He  was  then  located  in  Ana- 
heim. After  about  four  years  spent  in  that 
location  he  came  to  San  Gabriel  and  followed 
his  trade  for  three  and  a  half  years,  when  he 
established  a  similar  enterprise  in  Savannah.  He 
met  with  success  in  that  location  and  with  the  ac- 
cumulated savings  of  two  years  returned  to  San 
Gabriel  and  established  a  blacksmith  shop,  which 
he  has  now  conducted  for  about  ten  vears. 


(kjt4.i,P.i!fiMi.ra  ^;>LiUJl:^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


987 


In  1893  Mr.  Duarte  married  ^Mrs.  Maria  Selma 
(Byre)  Rogers,  who  was  born  in  Leipsic,  Ger- 
many, and  educated  in  its  schools.  At  the  age 
of  nine  years  she  was  brought  to  America  by 
her  sister,  Mrs.  Augusta  Wagner,  her  mother 
having  died  when  she  was  one  year  old.  Her 
father  was  a  man  of  magnificent  stature,  six 
and  a  half  feet  tall,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Franco-Prussian  war.  Maria  Byre  attended  a 
convent  in  Canada  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years 
left  school  and  came  to  the  southwest,  where  in 
Arizona  she  met  and  married  James  Rogers.  He 
was  born  in  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  and  educated  in 
the  schools  of  that  section,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged as  an  engineer  in  Arizona.  They  became 
the  parents  of  the  following  children  :  Charles,  of 
Shorb,  Cal. ;  Fannie,  wife  of  Joaquin  Poyoreno ; 
Amelia;  Cora,  who  died  in  infancy;  and 
Leola,  a  graduate  of  Zeulenroda,  Reuss 
principality,  Germany,  and  now  a  student  in  the 
public  school  of  San  Gabriel.  Mr.  Rogers  died 
October  16,  1889,  in  Pasadena.  He  was  as- 
sociated fraternally  with  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  and  the  Select  Knights.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Duarte  have  one  son  living,  Alberto, 
now  twelve  years  old.  Mr.  Duarte  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  in 
religion  belongs  to  the  Catholic  Church.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics. 


MRS.  ELIZA  P.  ROBBINS-CRAFTS. 
No  name  is  better  known  or  held  in  higher 
appreciation  in  Southern  California  than  that 
which  heads  this  review — one  of  the  few,  earn- 
est and  devoted  Christian  women  who  gave  to 
the  upbuihling  of  the  western  commonwealth 
that  impetus  without  which  California  could 
never  have  become  the  state  it  is  today.  For 
more  than  a  half  century  she  has  claimed  Cali- 
fornia for  her  home,  having  made  the  long 
and  wearisome  journey  to  the  Pacific  coast  in 
1854,  the  Avife  of  a  sturdy  pioneer,  with  him 
braving  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  a  primi- 
tive civilization,  v/ithout  him  later  facing 
them  alone  and  courageously  bearing  her  part 
in  the  burden  of  the  years.  Surviving  the 
perils  of  those  early  days  she  has  come  to  the 
evening  of  her  life  amid  the  grandeur  of  an 
accomplished  civilization,  has  witnessed  the 
passing  awa}^  of  the  shadows  and  mists  of  un- 
certainties, the  development  of  the  unequaled 
resources  of  this  magnificent  state,  and  is  con- 
tented that  she  should  have  helped  in  the  up- 
building of  her  adopted  home. 

Mrs.  Crafts  was  in  maidenhood  Eliza  P. 
Russell,  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  four  daughters,  born  to 
her  parents.  Her  father,  John  Russell,  was 
a  son  of  Toel  and  Marv  (Foster)  Russell   fthe 


latter  of  English  descent),  and  was  born  De- 
cember 14,  1789,  in  Hillsboro,  N.  H.  His  ed- 
ucation was  obtained  through  the  medium  of 
the  public  schools  and  later  through  a  well 
used  power  of  observation,  his  general  infor- 
mation and  knowledge  placing  him  high  among 
his  fellow  citizens.  He  was  a  Bible  student, 
and  in  young  manhood  became  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  serving  for 
years  as  superintendent  of  its  Sunday-school 
and  in  many  different  avenues  proving  his 
ability  and  usefulness.  He  was  a  musician  of 
unusual  ability,  one  of  the  instruments  he 
played  being  a  bass  viol,  which  he  made  him- 
self. In  politics  he  was  a  W'hig  and  an  Aboli- 
tionist. His  death  occurred  at  the  home  of 
his  son  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 
?Ie  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being 
Betsy  C.  Bucknam,  who  was  born  in  Ipswich, 
N.  H.,  in  May,  1795. 

The}'  were  married  in  the  town  of  her  birth, 
after  which  they  removed  to  Unadilla  Center, 
N.  Y.,  in  1816,  three  years  later.  Mrs.  Rus- 
sell was  a  near  relative  of  Thomas  Reid,  the 
well  knOAvn  statesman.  Her  death  occurred 
in  1828,  when  thirty-three  years  of  age.  Their 
eldest  son,  Ambrose  Baxter,  was  educated  at 
Geneva  College  and  the  New  York  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  although  he  was  a  man  of  such 
versatility  of  character  and  talents  that  he  re- 
ceived much  more  benefit  from  his  natural 
powers  of  observation  than  by  the  time  spent 
over  his  studies.  He  became  an  Episcopal 
clergyman,  his  pastorates  being  in  the  south 
until  after  the  Civil  war.  in  which  he  lost  much 
of  his  property,  which  was  in  Louisiana,  after 
which  he  came  north  to  Pekin,  111.,  and  there 
made  his  home  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
He  was  twice  married.  By  his  second 
marriage  to  Augustine  Vallondeves,  four 
children  were  born :  John,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco ;  Mrs.  Justine  IMillard,  of  Peoria,  111 ;  and 
Airs.  G.  S.  Slayden,  of  Clarksville.  Tenn. 
.Mary  Foster  Russell  married  Carlton  Wads- 
worth  in  Newport,  N.  H.,  their  home  being 
in  Henniker,  that  state,  for  some  years ;  his 
death  occurred  in  Norwich,  Vt.,  in  1868,  his 
wife  surviving  him  many  years  and  dying  in 
tlie  home  of  her  son  Edwin,  in  Grinnell,  Iowa, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  One 
son,  William,  was"  killed  at  the  battle  of  Wil- 
mington ;  Edwin's  widow  lives  in  Chickasha, 
I.  T.  .\urelia  Maria  was  educated  at  the  Troy 
Female  Seminary.  She  never  married  but 
taught  in  an  academy  in  North  Carolina  sev- 
eral years,  and  also  taught  a  young  ladies' 
school  in  Maryland,  near  Harper's  Ferry,  and 
also  a  select  school  in  New  York :  she  died  in 
her  sister's  home  in  1852  at  the  age  of  thirty- 


988 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


two  years.  Fannie  W.  Russell  married  Rich- 
ard Blore,  a  farmer  in  Rookdale,  Chenango 
county,  N.  Y.,  where  she  made  her  home  until 
her  death,  which  occurred  in  1902  at  the  age 
of  sevent\'-two  years ;  she  has  two  sons,  Will- 
iam and  Russell,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Odell,  living.  George  Washington  married 
Caroline  Austin  when  twenty  years  old  and 
\vent  west  to  Woodstock,  III,  thence  to  In- 
dianola.  Neb.,  where  for  many  years  he  was 
business  manager  and  collector  for  the  Mc- 
Cormick  Threshing  Machine  Company;  he 
he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  sur- 
^'ived  by  a  son,  Charles,  and  three  daughters, 
Ellen,  Eva  and  Belle.  Eliza  P.  was  the  young- 
est child,  her  birth  occurring  November  29. 
1825,  in  Unadilla  Center,  Otsego  county,  N. 
Y.  Her  father  married  the  second  tinre,  Eliza- 
beth Gilbert  becoming  his  wife,  and  born  of 
this  union  was  one  son,  Lewis  Legrande,  who 
is  now  living  in  New  York  and  engaged  in  the 
conduct  of  a  dairy  farm. 

The  childhood  of  Eliza  P.  Russell  was 
passed  upon  the  farm  of  her  parents,  where 
she  attended  the  public  schools  in  pursuit  of  a 
preliminary  education,  and  at  the  same  time 
received  the  deep  Christian  training  which 
made  its  most  lasting  impression  upon  her 
character  as  a  woman.  She  was  an  imagina- 
tive child,  fond  of  the  silent  dreams  that  only 
thoughtful  children  indulge  in,  loving  books, 
the  woods  and  fields  and  birds,  and  taking  a 
pleasure  in  life  unsurpassed.  At  thirteen  years 
she  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  and  throughout  the  long  years 
that  followed  has  proven  faithful  to  the  vows 
taken  at  that  time.  She  early  resolved  to  be- 
come a  teacher  and  accordingly  all  her  plans 
and  preparation  were  for  this  end.  After  leav- 
ing the  public  schools  she  attended  an  acad- 
emy at  Herkimer.  N.  Y.,  for  one  term,  after 
which  she  took  up  the  study  of  French  and 
the  piano  music  being  one  of  the  noticeable 
talents  of  this  family.  The  following  summer 
she  taught  a  country  school-  and  the  following 
winter  again  attended  school.  In  September, 
1846,  she  entered  the  Troy  Female  Seminary, 
the  pioneer  ladies'  school  of  the  United  States, 
founded  by  Mrs.  Emma  Willard,  in  1819,  in 
^^'aterford,  N.  Y.,  and  removed  to  Troy  in 
1 82 1.  Leaving  the  institution  in  January. 
1848,  she  secured  a  position  as  vice-principal 
of  a  seminary  in  Hillsboro,  Loudon  county, 
Va.,  and  there  spent  the  four  ensuing  years, 
enjoying  the  work  and  the  pleasures  which 
were  hers  in  a  hospitable  southern  state. 
While  there  she  made  many  interesting  trips 
through  the  country,  visiting  the  Capitol,  the 
"White  House,  and  other  points  of  interest  as 
well    ?s   brief    journcvs   over    the    Shenandoah 


valley.  In  December,  1852,  she  accepted  a  po- 
sition on  a  plantation  in  Louisiana,  where  her 
brother  was  then  engaged  as  an  Episcopal 
clergyman,  and  there  she  passed  about  two 
uneventful  years. 

Here,  too.  Miss  Russell  became  the  wife 
of  one  of  California's  pioneers,  Ellison  Rob- 
bins,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by  her 
brother  on  June  6,  1854.  Mr.  Robbins  was  the 
son  of  Ephraim  and  Elizabeth  (Howland) 
Robbins,  and  v.'as  born  near  Unadilla  Center, 
N.  Y..  October  8,  1820.  His  father  was  born 
in  Plymouth,  ^iass.,  in  1793.  his  education  be- 
ing received  in  the  public  schools  of  that  place, 
after  which  he  married  and  with  his  wife  lo- 
cated on  a  farm  in  New  York.  They  became 
the  parents  of  three  sons,  Ebenezer,  Eli  and  El- 
lison, and  two  daughters,  Elizabeth  and  Emily. 
Kbenezer  and  his  family  were  fine  musicians 
on  the  piano,  organ  and  guitar,  as  well  as 
leaders  in  singing.  The  father  was  active  in. 
the  moral  reform  work  of  that  time  and  a 
strong  Abolitionist.  He  died  in  1842  at  the 
age  of  forty-nine  years  Avhile  his  wife  passed 
away  in  1869  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
The  boyhood  days  of  Ellison  Robbins  were 
passed  on  his  father's  farm  with  no  educa- 
tional advantages  but  the  public  school  until 
he  had  attained  his  majority.  At  his  father's 
death  he  received  $100  with  which  to  start  in 
the  world,  and  with  this  he  entered  Gilberts- 
ville  Academy  in  preparation  for  his  life  work. 
He  was  graduated  from  Hamilton  College  in 
1849  ^"d  the  following  year  started  for  Cali- 
fornia by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  .He 
worked  in  the  mines  for  a  time  but  was  de- 
frauded of  $1,000  by  his  partner,  after  which 
he  engaged  in  carrying  provisions  to  the  im,- 
migrants  crossing  the  plains.  Soon  after- 
ward Air.  Robbins  secured  the  position  of  pro- 
fessor in  the  ?iIethodist  College  at  Santa  Clara, 
and  he  remained  so  occupied  until  May,  1854, 
when  he  went  east  to  meet  his  affianced  wife, 
then  in  Louisiana,  and  there  they  were  mar- 
ried June  6  of  that  year.  Together  they  then 
went  north  to  visit  their  old  homes,  remain- 
ing there  until  the  last  of  October,  when  they 
again  took  passage  for  California,  which  was 
to  be  their  future  home.  The  cost  of_the  pas- 
sage by  steamer  was  $300  each,  via  the  Nica- 
ragua route,  twelve  miles  being  made  by  mule- 
back,  after  which  they  again  took  passage  on 
a  steamer  bound  for  San  Francisco,  being 
carried  to  the  sides  of  the  boat  on  the  backs 
of  the  natives.  ]\Iany  and  interesting  were 
the  events  of  this  jotirney,  and  these  now  form 
nn  entertaining  topic  of  conversation  with  Mrs. 
Crnfts  (after  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs. 
"Rolibins  was  married  to  another  pioneer.  ]\Iv- 
ron  II.  Crafts^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robbins  re- 
mained in  Santa  Clara  until  1857,  when  he 
was  induced  to  go  to  Los  Angeles  by  Rev. 
A.  L.  Bateman  to  start  a  high  school,  but  the 
town  was  in  no  condition  for  such  an  enter- 
prise. He  delivered  lectures  in  Santa  Clara 
and  San  Bernardino  on  the  important  topics 
of  the  day,  as  he  was  a  member  of  the  Sons 
of  Temperance.  In  January,  1858,  they  first 
came  to  San  Bernardino,  making  the  trip  by 
stage,  the  town  then  having  but  three  small 
stores  and  a  few  adobe  dwellings.  Both  hus- 
band and  wife  taught  in  the  public  school 
there,  and  at  the  same  time  they  established 
a  union  Sunday-school,  the  professor  teaching 
them  miisic  and  the  wife  accompanying  them 
on  the  melodeon,  which  was  a  gift  of  Mr.  Rob- 
bins  to  his  bride  and  which  was  sent  to  Cali- 
fornia by  way  of  the  Horn.  Because  of  ill- 
ness Mrs.  Robbins  and  her  husband  gave  up 
the  public  schools  for  some  time,  and  then 
again  in  i860  Mr.  Robbins  became  the  first 
county  superintendent  and  was  also  deputy 
county  clerk  for  a  time  and  afterward  taught 
in  the  Mill  district.  Regarding  Mr.  Robbins' 
work  in  these  various  positions  too  much  could 
not  be  said,  but  space  will  not  admit  of  a  de- 
tailed account  of  the  important  reforms  that 
v/ere  made,  the  work  that  was  accomplished, 
the  great  progress  that  was  made  in  the  first 
few  years  of  educational  and  moral  effort  in 
San  Bernardino  county.  It  was  in  February, 
1864,  that  Mr.  Robbins  was  taken  ill  with 
pneumonia  and  twelve  days  later  passed  away, 
the  second  day  of  March  finding  San  Ber- 
nardino in  mourning  for  the  leader  taken 
from  them.  Loving  tributes  were  paid  to  his 
memory,  which  today  holds  a  place  in  the  lives 
of  those  who  worked  with  him  in  those  far 
gone  days  of  the  pioneers,  and  even  in  the 
hearts  of  those  who  have  only  heard  of  his 
courageous  efforts  from  the  remaining  pio- 
neers themselves.  Airs.  Robbins  had  two 
children,  Ambrose,  who  was  born  in  May, 
1855,  and  died  in  December,  1858,  and  Rosa 
Belie,  who  was  born  Julv  29,  1861.  The 
daughter  was  ill  at  the  time  of  her  father's 
death  but  recovered,  grew  to  a  beautiful  and 
gracious  womanliood,  when  she  married  L. 
Abbott  Canterbury.  He  was  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, and  a  son  of  Dr.  Milton  Canterbury, 
the  father  bringing  his  family  across  the  plains 
to  Corvallis,  Ore.,  in  i86v  thence  in  1870  to 
the  Sacramento  valley,  in  California.  Ten 
years  later  they  came  to  San  Bernardino  coun- 
ty and  in  San  Timoteo  caiion  homesteaded 
land.  Finally  locating  in  Redlands,  the  fath- 
er and  son  were  about  to  engage  in  the  drug 
business,  when  Mr.  Canterbury  came  to  his 
death  by  drowning  September  11.  i8go,  while 


bathing  at  Long  Beach.  By  his  marriage  with 
Rosa  Belle  Robbins  he  had  four  children : 
Harry  H.,  attending  Leiand  Stanford  Univer- 
sity; Charles  M.,  attending  Pomona  College: 
Ellison  R.  and  Laura  A.  attending  the  Red- 
lands  high  school. 

Bravely  facing  the  life  ahead  of  her,  Mrs. 
Robbins  took  up  the  work  her  husband  had 
laid  down,  completing  the  school  year  inter- 
rupted by  his  death.  Later  she  became  the 
wife  of  Myron  H.  Crafts,  who  had  been  asso- 
ciated with  the  good  work  in  the  upbuilding 
and  development  of  this  section  of  Southern 
California.  He  was  a  descendant  in  the  sixth 
generation  of  Elihu  Crafts,  who  was  one  of 
the  Pilgrims  brought  over  by  the  Mayflower, 
and  was  born  at  Whately,  Mass.,  in  August, 
1816.  He  became  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  and  for 
a  time  was  located  in  New  York  City,  where 
he  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry  goods  store, 
but  eventually  went  into  business  on  his  own 
account  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
George  Crafts.  While  in  New  York  City,  as 
a  young  man,  he  assisted  in  founding  the  Five 
Points  Mission.  Later  he  was  located  in  busi- 
ness in  Enfield.  Mass.,  where,  in  1843,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  ^Miranda  Capen,  and  of  their  chil- 
dren, three  are  now  living:  Mrs.  Ellen  Woods 
Meachem,  Harry  G.  and  George  H.  Subse- 
quent years  found  Mr.  Crafts  in  ]\fichigan, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  enter- 
prises until  1861,  when  he  resigned  from  the 
position  he  held  of  casliier  in  a  Detroit  bank, 
and  in  that  year  came  to  California.  His  wife 
had  previously  passed  awa}-  in  Michigan,  .'Sep- 
tember 14,  1856. 

In  San  Bernardino  Mr.  Crafts  found  an 
opening  for  his  energies  and  ability,  and  was 
soon  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  in  the  devel- 
opment of  that  section.  Especially  was  he  ac- 
tive in  religious  upbuilding,  through  his  ef- 
forts much  of  the  early  religious  activity  of 
the  community  being  due.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregatonal  Church.  There  be- 
ing no  denomination  of  that  church  in  South- 
ern California,  he  induced  the  mission  board 
to  send  representatives  to  San  Bernardino 
and  Los  Angeles :  later  he  taught  in  its  Sun- 
ilay-school  and  was  superintendent  after  the 
death  of  Mr.  R<ibbins,  donated  land  for  the 
erection  of  its  buildings,  and  in  everj^  possible 
manner  advanced  its  interests.  He  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  for  a  livelihood,  purchas- 
ing the  Altoona  ranch  then  owned  by  his 
lirother  George,  and  there  raised  grain,  set  out 
orchards  and  vineyards,  and  marketed  large 
quantities  of  ham,  bacon  and  lard.  Later  he 
estalilished  a  sort  of  snnitarium  on  his  rancln, 
enlarging  his  house  from  time  to  time,  and  in 


990 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fact  eveiituall}"  turning  it  into  a  hotel,  where 
many  distinguished  people  sojourned  because 
of  the  climate  and  healthy  conditions.  This 
place  became  known  and  celebrated  as  the 
Grafton  retreat.  From  his  earliest  settlement 
here  Mr.  Crafts  had  dreamed  of  colonization 
for  the  beautiful  valley  in  which  he  lived,  and 
after  perfecting  the  water  system  he  began  to 
advertise  the  possibilities  of  the  section.  His 
first  sale  of  land  was  to  Judge  Larabee  for  the 
use  of  his  daughter,  and  following  this  were 
others,  and  finally  the  laying  out  of  forty  acres 
in  town  lots  ;  his  enterprise  was  interrupted  by 
the  call  of  death,  and  September  12,  1866,  he 
entered  into  the  higher  life.  He  was  laid  to 
rest  beside  his  son,  Charles  Lincoln,  who  was 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crafts  and  died  in  child- 
hood. Mr.  Crafts  was  a  man  of  more  than  or- 
dinary ability,  more  than  ordinary  Christian 
character  and  in  the  years  of  his  pioneer  resi- 
dence here  he  wielded  an  influence  which  will 
never  fade  away.  He  was  the  promoter  of 
Pomona  College  and  donated  forty  acres  for 
a  site  at  Crafton,  and  had  he  lived  the  college 
would  have  been  located  there.  His  wife, 
again  widowed,  is  now  a  resident  of  the  home 
of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Canterbury,  of  Redlands, 
at  No.  708  Palm  avenue.  Looking  back  with- 
out regret  to  the  days  gone  by  and  forward 
without  fear  to  that  which  lies  beyond,  pa- 
tient and  cheerful,  earnest  and  faithful,  be- 
loved by  all  who  have  ever  known  her  in  the 
pioneer  times  and  the  present  fulfillment  of 
that  far  distant  time,  Mrs.  Crafts,  at  eighty- 
one  years  of  age.  has  completed  a  history  of 
Pioneer  Days  of  San  Bernardino  A'alley,  which 
she  has  put  on  the  market  to  describe  the  early 
life  of  the  pioneer. 


NUMA  A.  STRAIN.  A  public  officer  who 
has  the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens  is  Numa 
A.  Strain,  the  present  roadmaster  of  the  San 
Gabriel  district,  and  man  in  every  particular  fit- 
ted for  the  faithful  discharge  of  official  duties, 
his  upright  character,  honesty  and  integrity 
lending  advantages  which  few  citizens  of  this 
section  could  equal.  Like  a  large  majority  of 
the  citizens  of  Southern  California  he  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  middle  west,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  ^lonroe  county,  Ind.,  February  10,  1856.  His 
parents,  John  and  Katharine  (Finley)  Strain, 
were  both  natives  of  Tennessee,  the  father  en- 
gaging as  a  farmer  in  Indiana  for  some  years, 
shortly  after  the  birth  of  the  son  mentioned  above 
removing  to  Mahaska  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
purchased  a  thonsand-acre  grain  and  stock  farm. 
His  death  occurred  in  this  locality  at  the  early 
age  of  forty-seven  years.  He  was  a  citizen  of 
prominence,  a  patriot  inheriting  from  ancestors 


the  spirit  wlr'ch  sent  him  forth  in  the  Mexican 
war  to  serve  with  distinction  as  a  lieutenant  in 
an  Indiana  regiment.  He  was  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  views;  in  religion  both 
h.imself  and  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Kpiscopal  Church.  The  mother  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-seven  years,  leaving  a  family  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  seven  are  still  surviving, 
Xuma  A.,  of  this  review,  and  a  sister,  wife  of  Dr. 
Hallowell,  being  the  only  two  in  California. 

In  Iowa  Numa  A.  Strain  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  and  at  the  same  time  re- 
ceived a  practical  training  on  his  father's  large 
stock  farm.  This  led  to  his  becoming  a  cowboy  in 
New  Mexico  and  Texas  during  young  manhood, 
his  expertness  in  throwing  the  lariat  and  round- 
ing up  the  cattle  winning  him  the  universal  com- 
mendation of  his  fellows.  After  seven  years  of 
this  employment,  in  1882  he  came  to  California, 
still  the  Mecca  for  youthful  adventurers  as  in 
the  "days  of  old,  the  days  of  gold,  the  days  of 
forty-nine."  Mining,  however,  was  not  the 
chief  (iceupation  of  that  time,  and  in  Los  Angeles 
ciiuntx  lie  fcjund  employment  on  the  Short  ranch, 
and  afterward  liecame  the  manager  of  the  place, 
which  position  he  held  uninterruptedly  for  seven- 
teen years.  This  ranch  contained  seven  hundred 
and  seven  acres  devoted  to  oranges,  lemons  and 
grapes,  and  during  Mr.  Strain's  management 
great  improvements  and  developments  were  made. 
This  occupation  was  interrupted  when  he  re- 
ceived from  the  board  of  supervisors  the  ap- 
pointment to  his  present  position,  that  of  road- 
master  of  the  San  Gabriel  district,  and  during 
the  past  eight  years  he  has  retained  the  place 
with  constantly  increasing  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity. With  the  comparatively  limited  amount 
of  money  devoted  to  road  improvement  Mr.  Strain 
has  still  accomplished  wonderful  results,  the  pres- 
ent condition  of  the  roads  speaking  eloquently 
of  his  management  and  the  conscientious  ful- 
fillment of  his  duty.  He  is  intensely  interested  in 
the  present  agitation  in  Los  Angeles  county  re- 
garding the  building  and  improvement  of  roads 
and  no  officer  will  take  more  action  than  he  in 
promoting  the  influence  in  this  direction. 

Mr.  Strain  is  a  landowner  of  Los  Angeles 
county,  his  home  consisting  of  four  acres,  be- 
ing located  in  .San  Gabriel,  while  he  also  owns  an 
acre  and  a  half  in  the  Ramona  tract.  He  has 
just  disposed  of  a  tract  of  seven  and  a  half 
acres,  for  which  he  received  a  handsome  profit. 
He  was  married  in  1893  to  Miss  Georgia  Giap- 
pel,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  daughter  of  John 
Qiappel,  a  pioneer  of  California,  but  now  a 
resident  of  Texas.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  Numa,  John  and  Catherine.  In 
his  political  afiiHations  Mr.  Strain  is  a  life-long 
Republican,  having  the  honor  of  being  one  of 
the  first  three  Republicans  in  this  district.    He  has 


\ 


^^hr 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RLCORD. 


993 


always  been  active  in  his  efforts  to  advance  the 
principles  he  endorses,  attending  county  conven- 
tions, etc.,  but  has  never  cared  for  personal  re- 
cognition. He  is  a  member  of  Alhambra  Lodge 
No.  127,  K.  of  P.  He  gives  his  support  to  the 
Baptist  Church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber. 


DR.  JOSEPH  E.  STEERS.  Varied  as  were 
the  experiences  falling  to  the  lot  of  Dr.  Steers, 
even  more  eventful  was  the  life  of  his  father. 
Thomas  Steers,  to  whom  Destiny  brought  the 
doubtful  fortune  of  prominence  during  the  Civil 
war  and  more  than  once  placed  him  in  imminent 
peril  of  his  life.  Intimately  associated  with  the 
early  development  of  the  iron  industry  in  the 
United  States,  he  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Virginia  early  in  the  '40s  and  associated  himself 
with  Henry  M.  Bayard  in  the  manufacturing 
business.  It  happened  that  he  owned  the  only 
mine  in  the  country  turning  out  iron  capa- 
ble of  being  utilized  for  canon  and  during  tlie 
war  the  output  of  the  mine  was  therefore  of  es- 
pecial importance.  In  1862  he  took  part  in  a 
blockade  which  resulted  in  his  capture  and  impris- 
onment for  one  year  at  Fort  Lafayette  in  New 
York.  Through  the  influence  of  friends  his  re- 
lease was  secured  from  the  government,  but  it 
was  with  the  understanding  that  he  would  re- 
main north  of  Mason's  and  Dixon's  line  until  the 
expiration  of  the  war.  However,  in  1864,  at  the 
instigation  of  these  friends,  he  violated  the  pro- 
vision and  traveled  thrnu-li  the  snutli,  buying  the 
cotton  crop  at  Charleston,  \\"ihiiin,L;ti)n  and  Sa- 
vannah for  twenty  cents  a  pound,  and  selling  in 
London  for  $2.50  per  pound.  At  the  very  outset 
the  scheme  was  discovered  by  Gen.  B.  F.  Butler, 
who.  not  being  taken  into  their  confidence, 
promptly  nipped  it  in  the  bud  and  frustrated  the 
plans  of  its  originators.  A  further  misfortune 
befell  the  leader  in  the  burning  of  his  vessel, 
Huntress,  off  the  shores  of  Charleston. 

Seeking  a  less  hazardous  occupation,  Thomas 
Steers  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  took  up 
railroad  building,  constructing  a  road  for  Thomas 
Scott  and  later  having  charge  of  similar  work 
in  the  Carolinas  and  Tennessee.  In  1873  l^^  went 
to  New  York  and  took  charge  of  the  building 
of  the  New  York,  Housatonic  &  Northern  Rail- 
road from  White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  to  Danbury. 
Conn.,  in  the  interests  of  the  Vanderbilt  system, 
the  subsequent  purchasers  of  the  road.  The 
next  enterprise  in  which  he  became  interested 
was  the  building  of  the  South  Park  Railroad  in 
Colorado  and  while  filling  that  contract  he  died 
in  November,  1881.  More  than  twenty  years  be- 
fore, in  1858,  his  wife.  Elizabeth  Eshleman,  had 
been  accidentally  drowned  at  Red  Sweet  Springs 
in  \"irginia. 


At  the  time  of  his  mother's  death  Joseph  E. 
Steers  was  a  boy  of  ten  years  of  age.  He  was  born 
in  Lewis  county,  W.  Va.,  July  11,  1848,  and  re- 
ceived a  public  school  education  at  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  after  which  he  attended  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Normal  and  completed  his  education  by 
two  years  of  study  in  Princeton  College.  Upon 
starting  out  into  the  world  of  business  activity 
he  became  an  assistant  to  his  father  in  railroad 
work,  his  specialty  being  the  tunneling  through 
elevations.  In  1870  he  rounded  the  Horn  on 
a  vessel  loaded  with  railroad  supplies  bound 
for  Chile  where  he  remained  one  year.  This 
was  followed  b}'  a  trip  to  the  South  Sea 
islands,  where  he  engaged  in  the  jute  busi- 
ness. Next  he  went  to  Alaska  and  traded 
with  the  Indians  for  ivory  and  whalebone. 
During  the  year  1874  he  came  to  California 
and  settled  at  San  Francisco,  but  in  little  more 
than  twelve  months  he  left  for  Washington, 
spending  one  year  at  Seattle,  and  then  return- 
ing to  San  Francisco.  After  a  brief  experience  in 
the  real  estate  business  at  Oakland,  in  1881  he 
became  interested  in  Arizona  mines  and  went  to 
that  territory  to  develop  his  claims.  Soon,  how- 
ever, he  became  ill  with  lead  poisoning  and  for 
five  years  was  disabled  for  physical  labors,  mean- 
while taking  every  form  of  treatment  that  prom- 
ised even  temporary  relief.  During  that  period 
he  finally  heard  of  vitapathic  treatment  and  fol- 
lowing the  same  he  enjoyed  a  complete  restora- 
tion to  health.  So  gratified  was  he  by  the  re- 
sults of  the  treatment  that  he  determined  to  de- 
vote his  remaining  years  to  the  principle.  With 
that  idea  in  view  he  took  a  course  of  study  in  the 
American  Health  College  and  was  graduated  from 
the  same,  thereafter  practicing  vitapathy.  In 
addition  to  his  practice  he  mined  in  Mariposa 
county,  Cal.  from  1895  ^o  1897,  and  with  his 
wife  had  extensive  mining  interests  in   Nevada. 

In  April  of  1899  Dr.  Steers  made  his  home 
in  Long  Beach,  where  he  passed  away  Julv  30, 
1906,  aged  fifty-eight  years.. 

February  7,  1899  he 'was  united  in  marriage 
with  ]\Irs.  Sarah  Elizabeth  (Roberts)  Coft'man. 
at  Salt  Lake  City,  and  one  son,  Thomas  Hallelea, 
was  born  to  them  September  3,  1900.  Mrs.  Steers 
is  a  daughter  of  John  Roberts,  represented  on  an- 
other page  of  this  volume,  and  bv  her  first  mar- 
riage has  one  son,  Harold  R.  Coffman,  now  a 
prominent  newspaper  cartoonist  of  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  and  well  known  in  journalistic  circle? 
of  the  east. 


FRIEDERICH  OTTE.  Prominent  among  the 
renresentative  agriculturists  of  Oxnard  is  Fried- 
erich  Otte,  who  came  from  a  foreign  land  to 
Ventura  county,  and  during  the  years  that  he 
has  resided  in  this  locality  has  pursued  the  tenor 


99-4 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  his  way  as  an  honest  man  and  a  good  citizen. 
Having  by  persistent  industry  and  wise  manage- 
ment accumulated  a  fair  share  of  tliis  world's 
goods,  he  is  now  living  retired  from  active  labor, 
enjoying  a  well-deserved  reward.  Straightfor- 
ward and  upright  in  all  of  his  dealings,  he  has 
gained  in  a  marked  degree  the  confidence  and 
good  will  of  his  neighbors  and  associates,  and 
throughout  the  community  is  highly  respected. 
He  was  born  May  7,  1835,  in  Germany,  where 
his  parents  spent  their  entire  lives,  the  father 
dying  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  and  the 
mother  when  seventy-three  years  old.  He  is  one 
of  a  family  of  four  children,  and  the  only  one 
that  ever  left  the  Fatherland. 

Brought  up  in  Germany  Friederich  Otte  re- 
ceived an  excellent  education,  attending  first  the 
public  schools,  and  afterwards  completing  his 
studies  at  a  college.  He  then  took  up  farming 
on  the  parental  homestead,  remaining  with  his 
parents  until  thirty-five  years  old.  When  ready 
to  establish  himself  as  a  householder,  he  pur- 
chased land,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  suc- 
cessfully employed  in  tilling  the  soil  in  his  native 
country.  In  1886,  disposing  of  his  farm,  he  im- 
migrated with  his  family  to  the  L'nitcd  States, 
coming  directly  to  Ventura  county,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  Locating  in  the  Santa  Clara 
valley  of  Southern  California  he  purchased  land, 
and  at  once  began  its  improvement.  Practical 
and  enterprising,  and  not  in  the  least  afraid  of 
hard  work,  he  and  his  sons  have  since  improved 
one  of  the  best  and  most  attractive  ranches  in 
this  section  of  the  county.  He  has  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  fertile  land,  and  as  a  raiser  of 
beans  and  beets  has  met  with  great  success',  his 
harvests  being  large  and  remunerative.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  ranch,  on  which  he  is  living  retired, 
having  relegated  its  management  to  two  of  his 
sons,  he  owns  a  fine  new  residence  in  Oxnard. 

In  Germany,  in  1865,  Mr.  Otte  married  Tennie 
Carstans,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Frederick,  who  married  Augusta 
Volkert:  Mary,  wife  of  John  Geltz ;  William; 
Lena,  wife  of  Peter  Boefine ;  Louis,  who  married 
Marv  Benecke:  and  Herman,  living  at  home. 
Politically  Mr.  Otte  invariably  casts  his  vote  in 
favor  of'  the  Republican  party,  and  religiouslv 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  at  Oxnard. 


CH.\RLES  W.  PAIXE.  Among  the  active 
and  enterprising  business  men  of  Fernando  who 
have  attained  success  from  a  financial  point  of 
view  is  Charles  W.  Paine,  a  well-known  harness 
manufacturer  and  dealer  and  hardware  merchant. 
A  native  of  Illinois,  he  was  born  May  6,  i860, 
in  McHenry  county,  where  the  first  ten  years  of 
his  life  were  spent.     !\Ioving  then  with  his  par- 


ents to  Nebraska,  he  there  received  a  practical 
common-school  education,  after  which  he  began 
his  career  as  an  employe  of  the  Burlington  Rail- 
road Company. 

Entering  the  service  of  the  company  in  a  minor 
capacity,  Mr.  Paine  gradually  worked  his  way 
upward,  becoming  conductor  on  a  freight  train. 
Coming  to  California  in  1892,  he  was  for  seven 
years  employed  as  brakeman  on  a  freight  train 
for  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway  Company,  hav- 
ing his  headquarters  at  Los  Angeles.  Going  to 
Alexico  in  1899  he  was  for  six  months  a  conduc- 
tor on  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad,  when,  pre- 
ferring life,  in  the  States,  he  returned  to  Los 
Angeles,  where  he  resided  until  1902.  Locating 
then  in  Fernando,  he  assumed  the  management 
of  the  Hope  hotel,  a  temperance  house,  and  as 
"mine  host"  met  with  excellent  results,  becoming 
W'idely  and  favorably  known  to  the  traveling  pub- 
lic, in  the  spring  of  1903  he  established  a  har- 
ness store,  the  first  establishment  of  the  kind  in 
Fernando,  and  ran  both  his  shop  and  hotel  until 
the  fall  of  1905.  when  he  disposed  of  the  hotel. 
Mr.  Paine  has  a  finely  equipped,  up-to-date  har- 
ness shop  and  hardw-are  store,  where  he  is  carry- 
ing on  an  extensive  and  remunerative  business. 
By  shrewd  foresight  and  wise  management  he 
has  accumulated  a  fair  share  of  this  world's 
goods,  owning  considerable  village  property,  in- 
cluding the  business  block  in  which  he  is  located 
and  the  fine  two-story  house  in  which  he  resides. 
His  wife  is  also  a  property  owner,  having  title  to 
two  cottages  which  she  rents. 

Mr.  Paine  has  been  twice  married.  He  mar- 
ried first,  in  Nebraska,  Jennie  Taylor,  by  whom 
he  had  five  children,  the  oldest  of  whom  is  dead, 
those  living  being  as  follows :  Delmer,  of 
Fernando ;  Carrie,  wife  of  Frederick  Candclot, 
of  Fernando ;  ]Mary  E.,  wife  of  Earl  Fullington, 
of  Los  Angeles ;  and  Kinsley.  Mr.  Paine  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Laura  Nixon,  and 
they  have  one  child.  Faith  Paine.  Politically  Mr, 
Paine  is  a  strong  Prohibitionist,  and  religiously 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal   Church. 


ENOCFl  F.  BYNG.  Although  but  a  brief 
time  has  elapsed  since  Mr.  Byng  came  to  Cali- 
fornia he  has  already  established  himself  on  a 
firm  basis  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens, 
being  held  in  high  appreciation  for  the  sterling 
traits  of  character  he  has  exhibited.  He  was 
born  in  England  March  14,  1839,  a  son  of  John 
Byng,  a  native  of  the  same  place ;  the  father 
brought  his  family  to  America  in  1850  and  be- 
came a  pioneer  of  Iowa,  there  carrying  on  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  although 
in  England  he  had  been  a  sawmill  operator.  In 
Iowa  his  wife,  formerly  Elizabeth  Bird,  a  na- 


HISTORICAL  AXl)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


995 


tive  of  England,  passed  awa}-.  He  later  re- 
moved to  Kentucky,  where  he  again  married, 
his  death  eventnaljy  occurring  in  that  state. 
Botli  were  members  of  tlie  Baptist  Church. 

Brought  to  America  when  only  eleven  years 
old  E.  E.  Byng  received  the  greater  part  of  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Iowa.  He 
remained  at  home  until  attaining  his  majority, 
when  he  began  ranching  for  himself,  this  occu- 
pation being  interrupted  by  his  enlistment  in 
1862  in  Company  C.  Twenty-sixth  Iowa  In- 
fantry, and  serving  until  December,  1864.  He 
enlisted  as  a  private  and  was  mustered  out  as 
first  lieutenant.  During  his  service  he  partici- 
pated in  various  important  engagements, 
among  them  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  where  he  \vas 
wounded,  Arkansas  Post,  siege  of  \'ickshurg, 
Jackson,  and  marched  with  Sherman  to  the  sea. 
Upon  returning  tn  civic  life  he  again  engaged 
in  farming  and  later  liccanie  interested  in  the 
sawmill  business  in  Iowa,  Missouri  and  Ken- 
tucky, following  this  industry  continuously  im- 
til  1903.  In  Eebruary  of  that  year  he  came  to 
California  and  located  in  the  Altadena  district, 
where  he  owned  a  lemon  and  orange  grove  for 
three  years.  In  April,  IQ06,  he  disposed  of  this 
interest  and  coming  to  his  present  location  pur- 
chased a  ranch  of  thirty-five  and  a  half  acres, 
of  which  eight  acres  are  devoted  to  alfalfa, 
twenty  acres  to  cultivation  and  pasture,  and  is 
also  interested  in  fine  poultry,  hog  raising  and 
the  cultivation  of  fruit.  In  addition  to  the 
various  industries  mentioned  he  has  a  dairy 
herd  of  ten  cows.  His  property  is  irrigated  by 
six  artesian  wells. 

In  i860  Mr.  B}-ng  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Emma  Walls,  a  native  of  England, 
her  death  occurring  in  Kentucky  in  1906,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-four  Acars.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church.  Thcv  liecame  the  parents 
of  the  following  children  :  .Mice  H. ;  Helen  M., 
wife  of  Rev.  Loyd  \\'ilson,  of  Louisville,  Ky. ; 
Louisa,  wife  of  J.  H.  Wilcox,  of  Kentucky : 
Benjamin  E,.  who  married  Margaret  Itten  ;  and 
John  AV.,  located  in  Sedalia,  Mo,  Politically 
I\Ir.  Byng  is  a  stanch  Republican. 


JOSEPH  \\\  ?*IONTGOMERY.  The  sub- 
stantial and  progressive  citizens  of  Compton  have 
no  better  representative  than  Joseph  W.  Mont- 
gomery, who  liclil-  hi-li  rank  among  the  keen, 
enterprising  and  !)U>incss-like  agriculturists  who 
are  so  ably  conducting  the  farming  interests  of 
this,  part  of  Los  Angeles  county.  In  company 
with  his  brother.  J.  B.  Montgomery,  he  is  ex- 
tensivcK  engaged  in  general  fanning,  owning 
;uiil  occu]i\  ing  one  of  the  finest  ranches  in  central 
Califoniia.  its  buildins'S,  furnishings  and  equip- 
ments being  of  the  highest  order  and  invariably 


attracting  the  attention  of  the  passer-by.  Sons 
of  John  Montgomery,  both  of  these  brothers  were 
born  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  the  birth  of  Joseph  \\', 
Montgomery  occurring  January  26,  1856,  and 
that  of  his  brother,  J.  1'..  Montgomery,  Novem- 
ber 16,  1849. 

John  Montgomery  was  born  in  New  York, 
and  there  married  iVlary  Hallowell,  a  native  of 
England.  Five  children  were  born  of  their  union, 
namely:  Alice,  Isabelle,  Hester,  J.  B.  and  Joseph 
W.  Neither  of  the  parents  is  now  living,  the 
mother  having  died  in  early  womanhood,  and 
the  father  in  1902.  The  father  was  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  for  many  years  was  a  member 
and  treasurer  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Eor- 
esters,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  attended  the 
Episcopal  Guirch. 

Having  completed  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town,  Joseph  W. 
Montgomery  was  for  four  years  employed  in 
the  drug  store  of  David  Magill,  after  which  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  of  five  years  at  the 
candy-maker's  trade.  Establishing  himself  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  in  1879,  he  went  into  luisiness  for 
himself,  opening  an  oyster  house  and  restaurant, 
which  he  managed  for  eight  years.  In  1887  he 
came  to  California,  locating  in  San  Francisco, 
where  he  w'as  similarly  engaged  for  many  years, 
being  proprietor  of  a  large  and  well-kept  res- 
taurant. Selling  out  in  1904,  he  bought  his 
]iresent  ranch,  which  is  situated  two  and  one- 
half  miles  northeast  of  Compton,  and,  with  his 
brother,  is  managing  it  with  pleasure  and  profit. 
He  raises  good  crops  of  alfalfa,  has  a  fine  bear- 
ing orchard  of  choice  fruits,  and  pays  much  at- 
tention to  the  raising  of  poultr\\  Following  in 
the  footsteps  of  his  father,  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  true  to  the  faith  in 
reared  is  an  Episcopalian, 


he    was 


JOHN  A.  ANDERSON.  The  Anderson 
faiiiily,  represented  in  Los  Angeles  county  by 
I,  A.  Anderson,  came  from  Norway,  in  which 
country  his  father,  Balser  Anderson,  was  born, 
and  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  pulp  maker. 
He  immigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Chi- 
cago, Ilk",  in  which  city  his  wife,  formerly 
Maria  Peterson,  also  of  Norway,  passed  away. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  all  of 
whom  are  in  America,  four  being  residents  of 
California.  Mr.  Anderson  continued  his  work 
in  Chicago  until  his  retirement,  when  he  came 
to  California  and  now  makes  his  home  with  his 
son  in  Long  Beach,  at  the  advanced  age  of  sev- 
enty-five years. 

J,  A.  Anderson  was  born  in  Christiania,  Nor- 
way, February  22,  1859,  the  oldest  in  the  parent- 
al family,  and  in  his  native  city  he  was  reared 
to  voung  manhood  and  educated  in  her  public 


996 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


schools.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  entered 
the  Naval  Academy,  or  Corps  of  Sea  jMilitia  in 
Horten,  and  upon  the  completion  of  the  course 
went  to  sea  on  a  merchant  marine,  his  first  voy- 
age being  on  the  Baltic  sea.  Following  this  he 
became  a  sailor  on  the  Atlantic,  and  made  a 
trip  to  China  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the 
vessel  upon  which  he  was  located  being  engaged 
in  the  ^Vest  India  trade.  In  1880  he  came  to 
America  and  from  Oiicago  sailed  on  the  Great 
Lakes  until  1882.  In  the  fall  of  the  last  named 
year  he  came  as  far  west  as  Flagstaff,  Ariz, 
(where  there  was  but  one  log  cabin  used  for  a 
store),  and  was  there  engaged  as  foreman  of 
the  lumber  yard  of  the  Ayer  Lumber  Company, 
of  Qiicago.  Continuing  with  the  company  un- 
til 1885,  he  then  went  to  San  Francisco,  remain- 
ing there  for  a  time,  and  following  this  located 
in  San  Pedro,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  San  Pedro  Lumber  Company  in  the  capacity 
of  outside  man.  Later  he  engaged  with  the  Ker- 
choff  &  Cozner  Lumber  Company  until  1895. 
when  he  became  interested  in  the  real-estate 
business,  which  he  established  in  partnership 
with  George  H.  Peck,  the  firm  being  known  as 
George  H.  Peck  &  Co.  for  the  period  of  five 
years.  Mr.  Peck  then  sold  out  to  John  H.  F. 
Peck,  since  which  time  the  style  of  the  firm 
name  has  been  Peck  &  Anderson.  The  part- 
ners are  men  of  ability  and  energy  and  have 
been  largely  instrumental  in  the  opening  up  of 
many  of  the  tracts  about  the  city,  being  inter- 
ested in  the  Palos  Verdes  tract,  the  Caroline 
tract,  and  Grand  View  tract,  as  well  as  others 
of  equal  note.  In  1904  they  established  a 
branch  office  in  Long  Beach,  where  Mr.  Peck 
is  now  acting  as  manager.  They  were  largely 
interested  in  the  opening  of  Seaside  Park  tract, 
their  company  alone  having  laid  out  forty  acres 
of  ocean  front.  ISIr.  Anderson  is  widely  esteemed 
as  a  man  of  business  and  energy,  and  is  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  progressive  lights  of  the 
town,  an  upbuilder  and  promoter  of  the  city's 
best  interests. 

In  Chicago  Mr.  Anderson  was  married  to 
Ingeborg  Anderson,  a  native  of  Telemarken. 
Norway,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children :  Ralph,  Lorraine,  Leonardo  and 
Armand  J.  Fraternally  INIr.  Anderson  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  Red  Men.  In  religion  he  is  a 
Lutheran,  while  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church. 


HENRY  W.  WITMAN.  Though  not  ac- 
counted pioneers  of  California,  the  Witman 
family  has  been  identified  Avith  the  history  of 
the  coast  regions  for  many  years,  the  first  of 
the  name  in  the  state  having  been  C.  G.  Wit- 
man,  a  native  of  Pottstown,  Pa.,  and  a  man  of 


large  experience  in  the  oil  industry.  During 
early  manhood  he  lived  for  some  years  in  Ken- 
tucky and  then  removed  to  Parkersburg,  W. 
Va.,  where  in  addition  to  carrying  on  a  hard- 
ware and  plumbmg  establishment  he  became 
interested  in  oil  wells  -ind  gradually  increased 
his  holdings  until  he  was  identified  with  the 
operating  of  about  one  hundred  wells.  After 
a  time  the  industry  declined  and  he  then 
sought  another  location.  During  1883  he 
came  to  California,  where  he  remained  at  Dan- 
ville for  eighteen  months,  and  in  1885  came 
to  Hueneme,  Ventura  county.  For  a  time  he 
was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Wit- 
man,  dealers  in  hardware  and  plumbers'  sup- 
plies, but  later  he  conducted  the  business  alone. 
Eventually  he  turned  the  store  over  to  his  son 
and  removed  to  Jamestown,  Tuolumne  county, 
where  he  conducted  a  hardware  business.  On 
his  return  to  the  southern  part  of  the  state  he 
joined  his  son,  J.  M.,  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness at  Imperial,  in  April  of  1904,  and  from 
there  went  to  Los  Angeles,  where  he  died  De- 
cember 14,  1905,  at  the  age  of  more  than 
eighty  years.  His  wife,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  McMillan  family  and  v/as  of  eastern 
birth,  now  resides  in  Los  Angeles.  Two  of 
their  three  children  are  livine",  the  younger  be- 
ing J.  M.,  of  Imperial,  while  the  elder  is  Henry 
W.,'of  Oxnard. 

During  the  residence  of  the  family  in  Ken- 
tucky Henry  W.  Witman  was  born  at  Cat- 
lettsburg.  Boyd  county,  July  13,  i860.  Dur- 
ing boyhood  he  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Parkersburg,  W.  Ya...  and  there  he  became 
familiar  with  the  hardware  business  while 
clerking  in  his  father's  store.  His  education 
was  completed  by  a  course  in  Eastman's  Busi- 
ness College  in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y..  after 
which  he  engaged  as  bookkeeper  in  lumber 
mills  in  \^^est  Virginia.  In  1887  he  joined  his 
father  in  California  and  succeeded  to  the  man- 
agement of  the  hardware  business  at  Hueneme, 
where  he  also  built  up  a  small  trade  as  a 
plumber.  While  in  that  town  he  rendered  ef- 
ficient service  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
school  trustees. 

On  his  removal  to  Oxnard  in  1898  Mr.  Wit- 
man erected  a  "ouilding  in  the  new  town  and 
embarked  in  business  as  a  hardware  merchant 
and  plumber,  in  which  capacity  he  continues 
at  the  present  time.  Soon  the  demands  of  the 
trade  necessitated  the  erection  of  a  larger 
building.  In  1902  he  erected  a  substantial 
brick  structure,  30x90  feet  in  dimensions.  The 
first  floor  gives  him  abundant  space  for  the 
display  of  hardware  and  plumbers'  supplies, 
and  tlie  upper  story  is  rented  to  the  city  for 
office  purposes.  During  April  of  1903  he 
moved  his  stock  of  goods  into  the  new  build- 


*      / 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


999 


ing  and  has  since  conducted  business  under 
the  most  favorable  surroundings.  All  kinds 
of  hardware  are  carried  in  stock,  as  well  as 
plumbing  material  of  the  best  assortments,  and 
in  addition  he  does  tinwork  upon  order.  For 
twelve  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Chambers  &'Witman  and  engaged  in  putting 
down  artesian  wells,  for  which  purpose  he  and 
his  partner  owned  three  sets  of  well  tools, 
viz.:  hydraulic  rig,  steam  outfit  and  hand  tools, 
the  same  being  used  in  boring  hundreds  of 
wells  still  flowing. 

Stanch  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican 
party,  Mr.  Witman  has  been  an  active  worker 
in  the  same  ever  since  he  came  to  Ventura 
county  and  at  one  time  served  on  the  county 
central  committee.  His  activity  and  efficiency 
in  politics  were  recognized  by  his  appointment 
as  postmaster  at  Oxnard,  in  July,  1900,  under 
the  administration  of  President  McKinley, 
and  he  was  re-appointed  during  the  Roose- 
velt administration.  As  postmaster  he  has 
proved  faithful  to  every  duty,  prompt  and  en- 
ergetic, sagacious  and  resourceful,  and  under 
his  supervision  the  town  office  and  the  two 
rural  routes  are  giving  entire  satisfaction  to 
the  people.  Since  coming  to  Oxnard  he  has 
served  as  clerk  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Oxnard  Union  high  school,  and  has  accom- 
plished much  toward  making  this  institution 
one  of  the  most  thorough  of  its  kind  in  the 
entire  coast  country. 

After  coming  to  Oxnard  Mr.  Witman  erect- 
ed on  C  street  the  residence  he  now  occupies, 
tlie  cozy  home  being  presided  over  by  Mrs. 
Witman,  formerly  Emma  C.  Mudge,  a  na- 
tive of  Philadelphia,  but  reared  and  married 
in  West  Virginia.  They  are  the  parents  of 
five  children,  namely :  Roy  B.,  who  is  engaged 
as  teller  in  the  bank  of  A.  Levy ;  Mary  M., 
Ellen  B.,  Henry  William,  Jr.,  and  Daniel  Phil- 
lip. In  religious  connections  Mrs.  Witman  is 
identified  with  the  Episcopal  Church  and  the 
other  members  of  the  family  are  in  sympathy 
with  the  work  of  that  denomination.  The  Citi- 
zens' Club  of  Oxnard  numbers  Mr.  Witman 
among  its  members,  as  does  the  Benevolent 
Protective  Order  of  Elks  at  Santa  Barbara. 
His  association  with  Masonry  dates  back  to 
the  year  1883,  when  he  was  made  a  IMason 
in  tlie  blue  lodge  at  Volcano,  Wood  county, 
W.  Va.,  and  later  became  identified  with  the 
lodge  at  Hueneme,  afterward  becoming  a 
charter  member  of  Oxnard  Lodge  No.  341,  F. 
&  A.  M..  of  which  he  is  past  master..  Be- 
sides being  active  in  the  lodge,  he  affiliates 
with  the  Oxnard  Chapter.  R.  A.  M.,  the  Ven- 
tura Commandery,  K.  T.,  and  Al  Malaikah 
Temple,  N.  M.  S..  and  is  quick  to  respond  to 
appeals  for  aid   from   the  fraternity  in  behalf 

52 


of  those  of  its  members  who  are  in  need  or 
suft'ering.  Among  the  citizens  of  Oxnard  he 
ranks  as  a  capable  business  man,  leading  Re- 
publican, efficient  office-holder  and  compan- 
ionable friend,  and  his  substantial  qualities  of 
head  and  heart  have  given  him  a  permanent 
place  in  the  esteem  of  the  people. 


CHARLES  RUSSELL  PAINE.  In  Crafton 
Charles  R.  Paine  is  engaged  as  a  horticulturist 
and  has  made  a  brilliant  success  of  the  work 
through  the  application  of  intelligent  and  pains- 
taking effort.  He  is  well  known  in  this  section 
and  held  in  high  appreciation  for  the  part  he 
has  taken  in  its  upbuilding  and  development,  edu- 
cational interests  having  found  him  a  most  earn- 
est and  helpful  advocate.  He  is  the  representa- 
tive of  an  old  and  prominent  family  of  Massa- 
chusetts, his  birth  having  occurred  in  Barnstable 
in  1839;  his  father,  John,  was  born  in  Maine, 
the  descendant  of  an  English  emigrant  who  lo- 
cated in  Cape  Cod.  In  young  manhood  he  lo- 
cated in  Barnstable,  Mass.,  and  engaged  as  a 
saddler  and  harness  maker,  his  death  occurring 
in  that  section  in  1850.  His  wife,  formerly  Lucy 
Ann  Crowell,  was  a  native  of  West  Yarmouth, 
Mass.,  a  daughter  of  Esquire  Crowell,  engaged 
in  the  East  Indian  trade  and  one  of  the  prom- 
inent business  men  of  that  state.  She  also 
passed  away  in  Massachusetts,  leaving  a  family 
of  seven  children. 

Charles  Russell  Paine  was  the  eldest  in  the 
large  family  of  children  born  to  his  parents.  He 
received  a  preliminary  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  state  and  began  the  study 
of  classics  under  the  instruction  of  Albert  K. 
Smiley,  at  Vasselboro,  Me.,  and  when  the 
Smileys  took  charge  of  the  Friends'  Boarding 
School  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  he  was  asked  to 
come  with  them  as  a  teacher.  He  accepted  the 
position  and  the  following  two  years  he  was  thus 
occupied,  when  he  entered  Amherst  College, 
graduating  therefrom  with  tlie  degree  of  A.  B. 
in  1866.  In  the  same  year  he  went  to  Ohio  and 
began  educational  work  in  Dayton,  and  later 
acted  as  principal  in  the  schools  of  ]\Iuncie,  Ind., 
in  which  section  he  first  met  the  lady  who  after- 
ward became  his  wife.  Jie  then  went  to  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  and  became  principal  of  the  high 
school,  and  while  in  that  city  he  became  in- 
terested in  California  and  decided  to  go  west  and 
engage  in  horticulture. 

Accordingly  in  1870  he  came  to  San  Francisco 
by  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  the  year  following 
its  completion,  and  while  en  route  by  steamer  to 
San  Diego  he  met  D.  C.  Twogood,  of  Riverside, 
who  at  once  interested  him  in  that  city,  then 
known  as  Newtown.  He  came  at  once  to  that 
part  of  Southern  California  and  after  thoroughly 


1000 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


investigating  the  country  decided  to  invest  in 
land,  and  also  had  his  household  goods  stopped 
at  San  Pedro  and  thence  brought  to  Riverside 
county.  The  country  was  entirely  new,  the 
hardships  incident  to  a  primitive  civilization  were 
the  larger  part  of  the  life,  and  conditions  such 
as  to  bring  out  the  most  dominant  characteristics 
of  the  settlers.  Mr.  Paine  set  out  a  raisin  and 
grape  vineyard  as  a  business  project  and  a  small 
deciduous  orchard,  but  met  with  an  endless 
amount  of  trouble  for  the  first  few  years  from 
grasshoppers  and  lack  of  water  and  cattle  de- 
predations. He  sold  his  place  in  1874  and  com- 
ing to  San  Bernardino  established  a  private 
school  known  as  Paine's  Academy,  and  because 
of  the  magnificent  success  with  which  he  met, 
he  was  elected  principal  of  the  San  Bernardino 
schools.  He  held  this  position  for  several  years 
and  was  then  elected  county  superintendent  of 
schools,  of  San  Bernardino  county,  which  sec- 
tion then  embraced  the  greater  part  of  Riverside 
county.  He  continued  teaching  in  San  Ber- 
nardino county  and  finally  purchased  a  ranch  of 
one  hundred  and  six  acres  at  Grafton,  this  being 
a  portion  of  the  old  Carpenter  ranch,  where  his 
father-in-law  had  first  bought.  Of  this  property 
fourteen  acres  were  in  Mission  grapes,  and  after 
locating  on  the  place  in  the  spring  of  1877  he  set 
out  an  orange  orchard  of  seedlings.  This  ranch 
had  most  valuable  water  rights,  in  the  days  of 
the  first  occupation  of  the  country  by  the  suc- 
cessors of  the  old  Mission  fathers,  a  connection 
having  been  made  about  1820  between  Mill  creek 
and  the  natural  water  course  at  the  foot  of  the 
northern  slopes  of  Crafton  and  Redland  Heights, 
thus  forming  the  Mill  creek  zanja.  Mr.  Paine 
now  holds  eighty-eight  acres,  of  which  eighty 
acres  are  in  oranges,  while  he  has  also  conducted 
a  nursery  for  his  own  orchard  plantings.  In 
1906  he  built  a  handsome  residence  in  mission 
style  and  calls  his  beautiful  home  Alderbrook. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  has  always 
been  an  officer  of  the  Crafton  Water  Company, 
which  supplies  Crafton,  East  Redlands,  Redlands 
Heights  and  Smiley  Heights,  in  connection  with 
the  Bear  Valley  Water  Company,  which  sup- 
plies water  by  means  of  the  Greenspot  pipe  line. 
Mr.  Paine  takes  the  keenest  interest  in  the  hor- 
ticultural success  of  the  country,  being  one  of 
the  original  members  of  the  Redlands  ( )range 
Growers'  Association,  which  operates  a  packing 
house  in  Redlands  and  a  branch  house  in  Craf- 
ton, serving  now  as  director  and  was  its  first 
president. 

In  Muncie,  Ind.,  in  1868,  Mr.  Paine  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth 
Craig,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
William  Craig,  also  a  pioneer  of  Riverside  and 
Redlands.  She  received  her  education  in  the 
schools  of  Indiana,  completing  the  course  in  the 


high  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paine  are  the  parents, 
of  eight  children,  who  have  benefited  by  the  best 
educational  advantages  the  country  affords.  Mr. 
Paine  assisted  in  the  establishment  of  the  high 
school  district,  and  served  on  its  first  board  of 
trustees  as  president.  In  religion  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Red- 
lands  ;  politically  he  casts  his  ballot  for  Repub- 
lican principles.  Mr.  Paine  has  witnessed  the 
great  growth  of  Southern  California  and  ably 
participated  in  its  development.  When  he  first 
came  to  this  section  there  were  no  advantages 
possible,  only  the  hardships  and  privations  in- 
cident to  pioneer  life.  He  bravely  faced  the  dis- 
advantages, helped  to  upbuild  the  country  as  it 
is  now  known  to  the  visitor,  and  is  enjoying  the- 
evening  of  his  days  in  the  quietude  and  com- 
petence won  by  his  earlier  years  of  effort.  He  is 
highly  esteemed  wherever  known,  and  held  in 
truest  appreciation  for  his  qualities  of  citizen- 
ship. 


J.  R.  THURMOND  is  a  son  of  Thomas  J. 
and  Sarah  (Franklin)  Thurmond,  natives  of 
North  Carolina,  who  moved  to  Tennessee  while 
still  young,  reared  their  family  of  seven  children 
and  there  spent  their  last  days,  each  having  at- 
tained the  age  of  forty-five  years.  Two  of  the 
sons  of  this  family  were  killed  in  the  Civil  war 
while  fighting  in  the  Confederate  cause,  and  two 
sons  now  reside  in  California,  G.  E.  and  J.  R., 
the  latter  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was 
born  January  15,  1848,  in  Tennessee,  there  re- 
ceiving a  common  school  education.  As  a  result 
of  the  Civil  war  he  was  compelled  to  assist  in 
the  support  of  that  portion  of  the  family  which 
remained  at  home,  his  father  having  died  before 
the  opening  of  hostilities  and  his  older  brothers 
offering  themselves  in  the  service  of  the  cause 
which  they  believed  to  be  right.  He  clerked  in 
a  store  for  about  four  years  at  Lagrange,  Tenn., 
and  when  the  war  was  over  and  he  was  at  liberty 
to  devote  himself  to  acquiring  his  own  independ- 
ence he  decided  to  come  to  California  and  in  1869 
arrived  at  Carpinteria,  in  the  vicinity  of  which 
he  has  ever  since  resided.  By  the  exercise  of 
careful  business  methods  he  has  been  enabled  to 
acquire  much  valuable  property  and  is  now  con- 
sidered one  of  the  successful  men  in  the  county, 
where  he  has  many  friends  who  esteem  him 
highly.  Ambitious  and  energetic  he  has  made 
his  home  ranch  one  of  the  best  improved  and 
most  attractive  of  this  section,  cultivating  one 
of  the  finest  walnut  groves  in  the  vicinity. 
Other  orchard  fruits  in  bearing  enhance  further 
the  value  of  this  particular  forty  acres.  This 
is  only  one  of  his  many  tracts  of  land,  others 
being  fifty  acres  of  fine  bean  land  near  Serena, 
Marin  county,  a  sixty-acre  tract  of  pasture  land 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1001 


and  seven  acres  fronting  on  the  beach ;  another 
piece  with  fifteen  hundred  feet  of  beach  frontage  ; 
and  one  of  twenty  acres  a  mile  west  of  Serena 
wharf  also  bordering  on  the  beach.  Of  mountain 
land  with  oil  prospects  he  has  nine  hundred 
acres,  all  of  it  well  watered  and  timbered,  and 
a  splendid  tract  in  Riverside  county  comprises  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  has  on  it  three 
artesian  wells ;  in  Cuyama  his  holdings  consists 
of  eighty  acres  of  fine  bottom  land. 

In  1870  Mr.  Thurmond  was  married  to  Miss 
Lua  R.  Dickinson  of  Tennessee,  whose  sisters 
married  members  of  the  noted  Gwyn  family.  Of 
the  seven  children  born  to  them  all  except 
Thomas  are  now  living  and  are  filling  important 
positions  or  are  still  in  school  preparing  them- 
selves to  occupy  places  to  which  their  own  tal- 
ents and  the  family's  prominence  justly  entitle 
them :  Frank  married  Miss  Alice  Sprague 
and  has  a  home  in  Carpinteria  valley;  Thomas, 
who  married  Cora  Robinson,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, was  accidentally  killed  in  1905;  Julia  is  a 
teacher;  Edna  is  the  wife  of  R.  M:  Clark,  a 
prominent  attorney  of  Ventura,  and  the  mother 
of  one  child ;  William  lives  in  Chowchilla,  where 
he  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine 
land ;  Blanche  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ventura  high 
school,  class  of  1906;  Hugh  is  a  student  of  the 
Ventura  high  school. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Thurmond  is  an  in- 
dependent voter  and  thinker  who  believes  that 
strict  adherence  to  party  lines  does  not  secure  to 
the  public  the  best  men  for  its  servants.  He  is  a 
public  spirited  man,  has  always  been  active  in 
forwarding  measures  which  tend  to  the  upbuild- 
ing and  advancement  of  his  community,  and 
holds  the  highest  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


GEORGE  M.  CLARK,  a  rancher  located  in 
the  vicinity  of  Norwalk,  Los  Angeles  county, 
was  born  in  Cooper  county,  Mo.,  December  27, 
1853,  a  son  of  Jesse  M.  and  Nancy  J.  (Fray) 
Clark,  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky  and 
Virginia.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, of  vC^hom  two  died  in  infancy,  those  re- 
maining being  as  follows :  W.  T.,  a  rancher 
of  Orange  coimt}- ;  Lucy  F.,  now  Mrs.  Belvel, 
of  San  Francisco ;  John  S..  of  Los  Angeles ; 
George  M.,  of  this  review ;  Robert  E.,  in  charge 
of  the  peat  baths  in  Orange  county  ;  Charles  E., 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  mattresses  in 
Los  Angeles ;  Annie  L.,  the  wife  of  J.  A. 
Wooley,  of  Monterey  county ;  and  Alattie  P.,  a 
teacher  in  Los  Angeles.  The  parents  were 
married  in  Missouri,  where  the  father  was  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  farming.  In  later  life 
the}'  came  to  California,  where  both  passed 
away,  the  father  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  and 
the  mother  when  seventy-two  years  old. 


The  early  education  of  "M'r.  Clark  was  re- 
ceived in  Mis.souri,  where  he  remained  until  at- 
taining manhood.  In  1873  he  came  to  Califor- 
nia, and  in  Yuba,  Sutter  county,  attended  the 
high  school  for  a  time.  After  the  close  of  his 
schoolda3's  he  worked  in  a  general  merchandise 
establishment  for  one  year,  and  then  went  to 
Santa  Rosa  and  for  two  years  attended  the  Pa- 
cific Methodist  College  at  that  place.  He  then 
returned  home  (his  parents  in  the  meantime 
having  located  in  California)  and  with  his  elder 
brother  farmed  the  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  owned  by  his  father,  besides  leasing  four 
hundred  acres  more  and  devoting  it  to  wheat 
and  barley.  In  1878  the  family  came  to  Azusa, 
Los  Angeles  county,  where  the  father  and  sons 
invested  a  large  sum  of  money  in  a  company, 
buying  about  tliirteen  thousand  acres  of  land. 
They  remained  here  about  two  years,  when,  on 
account  of  a  misunderstanding,  the  company 
gave  up  the  claim.  After  his  marriage  Mr. 
Clark  leased  a  ranch  in  this  vicinity  for  two 
years  and  then  purchased  his  present  ranch, 
consisting  of  sixty  acres,  which  with  the  excep- 
tion of  ten  acres  in  table  grapes,  is  devoted  to 
alfalfa  and  sweet  potatoes.  He  is  also  interest- 
ed in  a  dair}^  which  is  supplied  by  ten  cows, 
although  he  has  had  as  many  as  twenty  milch 
cows. 

January  9.  i88t,  Mr.  Clark  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Nannie  Elliott,  a  native  of 
Texas,  whose  parents  died  when  she  was  a 
small  child.  Her  death  occurred  November  i, 
1901,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  They  were 
the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  Mary  S. ; 
Alma  L.,  attending  the  University  of  Califor- 
nia at  Berkeley  :  Jessie  H. ;  Annie  E.,  a  student 
in  the  Covina  high  school ;  Paul-E. ;  and  Carrie. 
Mr.  Clark  is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Aid. 
and  politically  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  Prohi- 
bition principles.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Churcli  South,  to  which 
bis  wife  also  belonged. 


B.  L.  FORTNEY.  While  many  of  the 
ranches  of  San  Luis  Obispo  county  cover  a  large 
acreage,  there  are  not  wanting  in  the  pretty  valleys 
a  number  of  small  farms  adapted  to  the  raising 
of  fruit  and  vegetables  and  these  places,  if  wisely 
managed,  are  no  less  profitable  than  the  larger 
estates.  Such  a  homestead  is  owned  and  oc- 
cupied bv  B.  L.  Fortney  and  consists  of  fifteen 
and  one-half  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Arroyo 
Grande.  With  the  exception  of  the  ground  taken 
by  the  residence  and  lawns,  the  land  is  devoted 
to  market  garden  and  fruit  purposes.  As  an 
instance  of  the  success  he  is  meeting  with  in  his 
undertaking   it   may   be    stated    that   during  the 


1002 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


year  1905  he  shipped  to  Los  Angeles  thirteen 
car  loads  of  apples  that  were  produced  in  the 
Arroyo  Grande  valley.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
strawberries,  Logan  berries  and  blackberries,  all 
of  which  are  of  such  tine  quality  as  to  command 
an  excellent  price  in  the  city  markets. 

Born  in  Grant  county.  Wis.,  October  4,  i860, 
B.  L.  Fortney  is  one  of  the  five  children  form- 
ing the  family  of  John  and  Theresa  (Altizer) 
Fortney,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  but  reared  and 
married  in  Wisconsin.  After  having  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising  in  Wisconsin 
for  a  number  of  years  in  1874  the  father  brought 
his  family  to  California  and  settled  in  San  Luis 
Obispo  county,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  forty- 
six  years.  He  was  long  survived  by  his  wife, 
who  lived  to  be  seventy  years  of  age.  Both  were 
earnest  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Qiurch  and  aided  in  the  upbuilding  of  that  de- 
nomination in  their  home  county.  When  the 
family  came  to  the  West  B.  L.  was  a  boy  of  four- 
teen years,  the  recipient  previously  of  common- 
school  advantages  which  he  supplemented  later 
by  habits  of  close  observation  and  thoughtful 
reading.  After  one  year  in  San  Joaquin  county 
he  came  to  San  Luis  Obispo  county  and  later 
became  interested  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Estreila,  where  he  remained  until  he  lost  his 
store  by  fire  in  1900.  Afterward  he  removed  to 
the  valley  near  Arroyo  Grande  and  rented  a 
tract  of  farm  land,  but  later  purchased  the 
valuable  little  tract  he  now  cultivates. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Fortney  consists  of  three 
children,  Dora,  Josie,  and  William,  born  of  his 
marriage  in  1886  to  Miss  Ettie  Teachout,  a 
native  of  Illinois.  The  older  daughter,  Dora, 
possesses  musical  talent  and  has  been  given  ex- 
ceptional advantages  in  the  art,  which  she 
studied  under  private  instruction  and  also  in 
the  University  of  Southern  California.  While 
voting  the  Republican  ticket  in  national  elections 
Mr.  Fortney  has  not  allied  himself  with  any 
party  in  local  matters,  but  prefers  to  support 
the  best  man  irrespective  of  party  ties.  Frater- 
nally he  has  been  actively  identified  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Arroyo 
Grande  and  at  San  Obispo,  also  has  been  warmly 
interested  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
belonging  to  the  camp  at  San  Luis  Obispo.  With 
his  wife  he  has  membership  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  in  which  faith  he  was  reared 
by  his  parents  in  childhood  and  to  which  de- 
nomination he  ever  has  been  a  liberal  contributor, 
aiding  its  philanthropic  work  and  missionary  en- 
terprises to  the  extent  of  his  ability. 


JAMES  TWEEDY.  There  are  few  people 
now  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Compton  whose 
identification  with  this  locality  antedates  that 
of   ^Ir.  Tweedv,  a   pioneer   of    1852,   and    the 


owner  of  a  valuable  ranch  near  town.  In  com- 
pany with  his  parents  he  came  to  Southern 
California  in  1852  and  first  settled  on  the  El 
I\Ionte  rancho  and  later  on  the  old  Lugo  rancii 
near  Compton,  his  father  having  purchased  the 
two  thousand  acres  comprising  the  estate,  and 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  property  he  bore  a 
large  share  of  the  responsibilities.  On  the 
death  of  his  father  he  inherited  two  hundred 
and  thirty-four  acres  of  the  homestead,  and 
here  he  has  a  neat  house,  substantial  outbuild- 
ings, and  all  the  facilities  necessary  for  one 
making  a  specialty  of  raising  cattle  and  hogs. 

The  Tweedy  family  is  of  colonial  lineage. 
Robert,  father  of  James  Tweedy,  was  born  in 
Missouri,  November  18,  1812,  and  at  an  early 
age  removed  to  Arkansas,  where  in  1836  he 
married  Mary  Elizabeth  Holyfield,  who  was 
born  in  South  Carolina  May  26,  1820,  and  is 
still  living,  enjoying  fair  health  for  one  so  ad- 
vanced in  years.  While  they  were  living  in 
Arkansas  their  son,  James,  was  born  February 
1,  1844.  In  1852  the  family  sought  a  new 
home  in  the  far  west.  In  making  the  trip  they 
followed  the  southern  overland  route  and  used 
oxen  to  draw  their  wagon.  For  a  year  they  re- 
mained at  El  Monte,  Cal.,  thence  removed  to 
San  Francisco,  and  later  spent  six  months  at 
Visalia,  Tulare  county,  but  eventually  re- 
turned to  El  Monte,  and  in  1862  came  to  the 
ranch  in  Los  Angeles  county  that  remains  in 
tlie  family  to  the  present  day. 

After  having  rem.ained  at  the  old  homestead 
until  he  was  forty-five  years  of  age,  James 
Tweedy  thereupon  set  up  domestic  ties,  being 
united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Laura  (Prater) 
Tweed}',  the  widow  of  one  of  his  brothers.  The 
Prater  family  is  of  German  extraction,  and 
John  B.  Prater,  father  of  Mrs.  Tweedy,  was 
born  and  reared  in  Tennessee,  whence  he  im- 
migrated to  California  in  young  manhood, 
about  1854.  settling  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
state.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  sincere 
members  of  the  Christian  Church.  Of  their 
eight  children  all  but  two  are  still  living,  and 
the  six  survivors  make  California  their  home. 
Tn  religious  affiliations  Mrs.  Tweedy  holds 
membership  in  the  Baptist  Church,  to  the 
work  of  which  she  is  a  contributor.  By  her 
former  marriage  she  had  three  children,  name- 
ly :  Fay  W.,  w'ho  is  married  and  resides  in  this 
localitv;  Inez  M.,  who  married  J.  P.  Carse ; 
and  l\fabel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years 
and  nine  months.  To  the  union  of  James 
Tweedv  and  wife  there  were  born  four  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  Delillah  J.  and  Marie  E.  sur- 
vive. Mildred  B.  died  at  the  age  of  three 
vears  and  nine  months,  and  Alice  May  was  tak- 
en by  death  at  the  age  of  seventeen  months. 
When   at  leisure  from  the  cares  of  his  ranch 


^^-^-^^^'^^^^'-'^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1005 


Mr.  Tweedy  finds  recreation  in  the  society  of 
his  family  and  tlie  perusal  of  current  literature 
which  enables  him  to  keep  in  touch  with  the 
world  of  modern  thought.  In  fraternal  organ- 
izations he  takes  no  part  whatever,  and  the 
only  part  which  he  takes  in  politics  is  in  the 
casting  of  a  Democratic  ticket  at  all  elections. 


WILLIAM  DAVIS  WATKINS.  The  ear- 
ly history  of  the  Watkins  family  is  associated 
with  the  little  country  of  Wales,  where  Thom- 
as Watkins  was  born  and  reared,  and  where 
he  married  Mary  Davis,  like  himself  a  de- 
scendant of  Welsh  forefathers.  Later  he 
crossed  the  channel  to  France,  but  soon  re- 
turned to  Wales  by  way  of  England,  and  in 
1846  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States, 
settling  at  Youngstown,  Ohio,  and  securing 
employment  as  a  miner  and  later  as  foreman  of 
mines.'  Removing  to  Iowa  in  1857,  he  settled 
at  Albia,  Monroe  county,  where  he  soon  ac- 
quired various  interests.  For  some  time  he 
was  foreman  of  mines  in  Iowa.  During  the 
last  twenty  years  of  his  life  he  lived  in  retire- 
ment and  at  eighty-seven  years  he  died  at  Al- 
bia in  August  of  1902.  His  wife  had  passed 
away  in  the  same  city  twelve  years  prior  to  his 
demise. 

In  a  family  comprising  eight  sons  and  three 
daughters  William  Davis  Watkins  was  fourth 
in  order  of  birth,  and  was  born  at  Youngs- 
town, Ohio,  September  12,  1850,  during  the 
residence  of  his  parents  in  that  place.  In  1857 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Iowa  and  there 
received  common-school  advantages.  After 
having  worked  in  coal  mines  for  a  time,  in 
1872  he  went  to  Colorado  and  began  prospect- 
ing and  mining  at  Sunshine  and  Gold  Hill.  In 
the  spring  of  1877  he  became  interested  in 
mining  in  the  Black  Hills  and  engaged  in 
freighting  to  those  mines  from  the  Missouri 
river.  For  seven  years  he  was  employed  as 
wagon  master  for  Pratt  and  Ferris  in  freight- 
ing to  government  posts  and  the  mines  of  the 
Black  Hills. 

During  1884,  at  O'Neill,  Holt  county.  Neb., 
Mr.  Watkins  married  Elizabeth  Hayes,  who 
was  born  near  Dubuque,  Iowa,  of  Irish  de- 
scent. Her  parents  were  pioneer  settlers  of 
Iowa  and  Nebraska.  After  his  marriage  Mr. 
Watkins  settled  in  Cheyenne  county,  Neb., 
and  became  interested  in  the  stock  industry, 
raising  cattle,  sheep  and  horses,  and  operating 
four  thousand  acres  of  land,  besides  which  he 
had  large  tracts  of  government  land  for  range. 
At  one  time  he  had  two  thousand  head  of  cat- 
tle and  four  hundred  head  of  horses  on  the 
ranch.  While  the  business  proved  profitable, 
it     demanded     exposure    to    much    inclement 


weather  and  entailed  constant  labor  and  mani- 
fold annoyances,  hence  he  finally  resolved  to 
dispose  of  his  stock  and  landed  interests  and 
seek  a  more  favorable  climate.  In  this  way  he 
was  led  to  establish  his  home  in  California, 
where  since  May,  1900,  he  has  resided  in  Long 
Beach  and  has  been  interested  in  the  buying 
and  selling  of  real  estate.  Since  coming  here 
he  has  laid  out  the  Watkins  tract  of  twelve 
acres  on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Alamitos 
streets,  and  at  this  writing  owns  the  Bruns- 
wick pool  hall.  In  politics  he  always  votes  the 
Republican  ticket.  Fraternally  he  holds  mem- 
bership with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  888,  B.  P.  O. 
E.  In  his  family  there  were  six  children,  but 
one  son,  Willie,  died  at  eleven  years.  Those 
now  living  are  ^lamie,  Bessie,  Frederick, 
Madge  and  Eva,  all  of  whom  are  at  home. 


JOSEPH  C.  STONE.  America  was  a  favor- 
ite place  of  refuge  for  the  Huguenots  when  they 
were  compelled  to  flee  from  France  by  the  revo- 
cation of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  Among  the  num^ 
her  that  sought  the  freedom  of  this  country  was 
John  de  Stone  who  was  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject  and  in  the  true  American  spirit  dropped 
the  "de"  and  became  plain  John  Stone.  He 
served  during  the  Revolutionarv'  war  under  Gen- 
eral Lafayette  and  after  the  war  he  located  in 
Genesee  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days. 

Mr.  Stone's  father  was  Elias  Stone,  born  in 
Genesee  county,  N.  Y.  He  responded  to  his 
country's  call  for  the  War  of  181 2  and  was  hon- 
orably'discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Attica,  Genesee 
county,  N.  Y.,  until  1836  when  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Kalamazoo  county,  Mich.,  where 
he  purchased  government  land  in  the  oak  open- 
ings which  he  cleared  and  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  In  1856  he  came  to  Califor- 
nia and  spent  his  last  days  with  his  son  Joseph 
in  Contra  Costa  county.  His  wife  was  Caroline 
Chamberlain,  born  in  New  York  and  died  in 
Michigan.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Captain 
Joseph  Chamberlain  who  was  a  master  in  the 
merchant  marine  service  in  the  transatlantic 
trade,  his  death  occurring  in  New  York  state. 

Joseph  C.  Stone  was  bom  in  Attica,  Genesee 
county,  N.  Y.,  May  18,  1822.  and  was  brought 
up  in  New  York  state  until  he  was  fourteen 
vears  of  age,  when  his  parents  removed  to  Kal- 
amazoo county,  Mich.,  where  he  made  himself 
generally  useful  in  helping  clear  the  farm  and 
making  the  improvements  of  the  pioneer  in  a 
new  country  where  the  farms  had  to  be  carved 
from  the  forest.  He  attended  the  log  school- 
house   with    its   slab   benches   and    distinctly    re- 


1006 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


members  mastering  the  "rule  of  three  and  double 
rule  of  three"  and  learning  to  write  with  a  quill 
pen.  On  reaching  his  majority  he  located  on  a 
farm  adjoining  his  father's  place  engaging  in 
agricultural  pursuit  until  1852,  when  the  gold 
excitement  reached  such  an  acute  stage  that  he 
concluded  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  gold  seekers 
and  joined  a  company  of  thirty-two  outfitted 
with  horse-teams  and  started  across  the  plains 
entering  California  by  the  Humboldt  and  Carson 
route,  making  the  trip  from  St.  Joseph  to  Cal- 
ifornia in  sixty-seven  days.  For  some  time  he 
followed  mining  in  Coloma  and  vicinity,  where 
he  purchased  teams  and  wagons  and  freighted 
from  Sacramento  and  Stockton  to  the  mines  until 
1854,  when  he  disposed  of  his  outfit  and  returned 
via  Panama  to  his  farm  in  Michigan.  Two  years 
later  he  brought  his  wife  and  two  children,  his 
father,  three  sisters  and  a  brother  to  California, 
coming  via  the  Nicaragua  route  and  locating  in 
Walnut  Creek,  Contra  Costa  county,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  for  five 
years.  Selling  his  place  he  purchased  land  near 
Petaluma  and  aside  from  his  farming  operations 
he  set  out  a  deciduous  orchard.  In  1868  he  lo- 
cated in  San  Diego  county,  purchasing  a  part  of 
the  Old  Mission  grant  in  Mission  valley  where 
he  was  largely  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising.  1885  found  him  in  San  Diego  conduct- 
ing a  general  contracting  and  teaming  business 
which  he  continued  until  1889,  when  he  located 
in  Poway,  returning  again  to  San  Diego  in  1893. 
where  he  now  resides  an  invalid,  his  health  hav- 
ing been  shattered  by  rheumatism.  In  Kalama- 
zoo county,  Mich.,  January  12,  1848,  Mr.  Stone 
was  married  to  Amanda  Hall  who  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Stafford,  Genesee  county,  N.  Y.,  a 
daughter  of  Hiram  and  Charlotte  (Trumbull) 
Hall,  both  natives  of  Vermont.  The  mother 
died  in  New  York  and  the  father,  who  followed 
farming  in  Genesee  county,  N.  Y.,  and  later  in 
Michigan,  came  to  California  spending  his  last 
days  in  Mendocino  county. 

Mrs.  Stone  is  a  woman  of  rare  attainments 
and  much  ability,  her  time  of  late  years  is  much 
taken  up  with  nursing  her  husband,  to  whom 
she  is  greatly  devoted.  She  is  the  mother  of  six 
children,  namely:  Frances,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Clarence  Shepherd  and  died  in  San 
Diego  in  1902  ;  Ed,  a  miner  in  San  Diego  county  ; 
Elias,  a  horticulturist  at  Fullerton :  Lottie,  wife 
of  Allen  DeFrate  of  San  Diego:  Wm.  L.,  pro- 
prietor of  the  Jersey  Dairy  in  San  Diego;  and 
Nettie,  wife  of  Fred  J.  Rickey,  who  is  also  en- 
gaged in  dairying.  Mrs.  Stone  is  a  member  of 
the  Pioneer  Society  of  San  Diego  county  and  is 
much  interested  in  perpetuating  the  history  of 
the  old  timers  who  have  so  noblv  put  their 
shoulder  to  the  wheel  in  bringing  California  to 
a  front  rank  in  the  sisterhood  of  states. 


Mr.  Stone  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  has  always  taken  a  special  interest 
in  educational  matters  and  as  a  man  of  sterling 
worth  and  upright  principles  has.  always  been 
interested  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  community 
where  he  resides  and  is  held  in  the  highest  es- 
teem bv  all  who  know  him. 


J.  N.  JATTA.  Not  alone  as  an  early  settler, 
but  also  as  a  capable  farmer  and  stockman,  Mr. 
Jatta  has  won  recognition  among  the  citizens  of 
San  Luis  Obispo  county  and  especially  in  that 
portion  of  the  county  lying  near  Arroyo  Grande. 
The  title  of  pioneer  belongs  to  him  by  right  of 
early  settlement,  for  he  has  lived  on  his  present 
ranch  since  1871,  coming  here  when  the  county 
was  in  the  incipient  stages  of  its  development 
and  at  once  taking  up  the  arduous  task  of  trans- 
forming a  barren  acreage  into  a  fertile  tract.  The 
farm  which  he  purchased  during  the  year  of  his 
arrival  now  ranks  among  the  best  in  the  locality 
and  contains  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  of 
which  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  are  under 
cultivation  to  grain,  while  the  balance  is  utilized 
for  pasture.  Stock  cattle  are  kept  to  some  ex- 
tent and  there  are  also  forty  milch  cows,  the 
dairy  business  being  one  of  the  owner's  most 
profitable  specialties. 

The  eastern  part  of  Canada  is  Air.  Jatta's  na- 
tive region,  and  August  6,  1841,  the  date  of  his 
birth.  His  parents,  Alex  and  Delayed  (Lumne) 
Jatta,  were  natives  of  Canada,  and  had  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  all  of  those  now  living  being 
still  in  the  east  with  the  exception  of  J.  N.,  of 
California.  The  father  lived  to  be  sixty  and  the 
mother  survived  him,  passing  away  when  sev- 
enty years  of  age.  When  J.  N.  was  nine  years 
of  age  he  accompanied  the  family  to  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  and  there  attended  the  public  schools,  ac- 
quiring a  fair  education.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  he  left  New  York  for  the  Pacific  coast, 
arriving  in  1863  in  San  Francisco,  from  which 
point  he  proceeded  to  Marin  county  and  at  Point 
Reyes  worked  at  the  dairy  business.  From  Ma- 
rin county  he  came  to  San  Luis  Obispo  county, 
where  he  has  become  known  and  honored  as  a 
resourceful  rancher  and  sagacious  dairyman. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Jatta  in  1869  united  him 
with  Miss  Mary  Hall,  a  native  of  Illinois.  They 
are  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Ar- 
thur, who  married  Alary  Ryne,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren ;  Edith,  Mrs.  Frank  Cushion,  who  has  one 
child:  Bertha,  Airs.  Frederick  Harperster;  Le 
Roy,  who  married  Alary  Lathrop ;  Qara,  A'Irs. 
E.  C.  C.  Loomis,  who  is  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren:  Ira,  Elmer,  Ethel  and  Alarion.  of  whom 
the  last-named  is  a  student  in  the  Polytechnic 
School  at  San  Luis  Obispo.     Aside  from  serv- 


(yM^<r^  /i.uc 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1009 


ing  as  clerk  of  the  board  of  school  trustees,  Mr. 
Jatta  has  held  no  official  positions,  nor  has  he 
taken  any  part  in  politics  other  than  the  cast- 
ing of  a  Republican  vote  at  elections,  yet  he  is 
a  progressive,  public-spirited  citizen,  solicitous 
to  do  his  part  in  every  forward  movement,  and 
accustomed  to  give  his  support  to  all  measures 
for  the  benefit  of  the  county.  Fraternally  he 
holds  membership  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
at  Arrovo  Grande. 


ROBERT  BELL.  Occupying  a  conspic- 
uous position  among  the  substantial  and  rep- 
resentative agriculturists  of  Ventura  county  is 
Robert  Bell,  whose  large  and  well-appointed 
ranch  is  one  of  the  productive  estates  near 
Somis.  During  his  residence  of  thirty-five 
years  in  this  vicinity,  he  has  witnessed  many 
changes  of  importance  in  the  face  of  the  coun- 
try, the  extensive  tracts  of  waste  land  giving 
place  to  the  broad  expanse  of  cultivated  fields 
and  productive  orchards ;  the  small  hamlets 
have  grown  into  thriving  villages  and  populous 
cities ;  long  trains  of  steam  or  electric  cars 
are  used  in  transporting  instead  of  the  wagon 
trains  drawn  by  oxen  or  mules ;  and  the  small 
cabins  of  the  brave  pioneers  have  long  since 
been  replaced  by  houses  of  modern  construction 
and  finish.  In  these  varied  improvements  JMr. 
Bell  has  taken  an  active  part,  performing  his 
full  share  in  advancing  the  prosperity  and  wel- 
fare of  the  immediate  country  hereabout,  and 
as  an  active,  loyal  and  true-hearted  citizen  is 
held  in  high  respect  and  esteem.  A  son  of  the 
late  William  S.  Bell,  he  was  born,  IMay  27, 
1842,  in  Richland  count}',  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
ceived such  educational  advantages  as  were 
given  by  the  common  schools.  His  father  was 
born  and  reared  in  Pennsylvania,  but  in  early 
life  settled  as  a  farmer  in  Ohio,  and  was  there 
successfully  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits 
during  the  larger  part  of  his  active  career. 
He  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
married  Polly  Turbett,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  was  indeed  a  worthy  helpmate. 
They  became  the  parents  of  four  children, 
two  of  whom,  Robert,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  and  a  brother,  Thomas,  reside  in  Ven- 
tura county,  the  latter  living  near  Oxnard. 
When  well  advanced  in  years  the  parents  came 
to  California,  and  thereafter  made  their  home 
w-ith  their  sons,  living  in  Ventura  county  until 
their  deaths,  which  occurred  within  a  period 
of  forty-eight  hours,  in  igoi,  the  father  passing 
away  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years,  and  the 
mother  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

Soon  after  attaining  his  majority  Robert  Bell 


left  his  Ohio  home,  coming  to  Yuba  county, 
Cal.,  in  1864,  and  there  working  as  a  ranchman 
for  a  number  of  seasons,  earning  good  wages 
and  gaining  a  valuable  experience  in  the  Cali- 
fornia methods  of  farming.  Coming  from  there 
to  Ventura  county  in  1871,  he  purchased  three 
hundred  acres  of  wild  land,  and  with  true  pio- 
neer grit  and  energy  began  the  improvement 
of  a  ranch.  Laboring  with  a  will,  he  reduced 
his  land  to  a  tillable  condition,  and  as  a  general 
farmer  has  met  with  unquestioned  success,  his 
large  crops  of  beans,  beets  and  hay,  bringing 
him  in  a  large  annual  income.  His  homestead 
is  advantageously  located,  and  his  products 
are  all  shipped  from  Somis. 

In  1877  Mr.  Bell  married  Lucretia  Rice,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
tliree  children,  Polly,  Bertha  and  Walter.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Bell,  true  to  the  faith  in  which 
he  was  reared,  is  a  steadfast  Republican,  and 
fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Somis  Camp 
No.  1 1000,  M.  W.  A. 


ANDREW  JACKSON  MYERS.  During 
the  progress  of  the  second  war  with  England 
John  Myers,  a  young  Virginian,  served  in  de- 
fense of  his  native  land  and  participated  in  the 
memorable  engagement  at  New  Orleans. 
Years  later,  when  a  son  was  born  of  his  mar- 
riage to  Ellen  Hayes,  he  gave  the  child  the 
name  of  the  sturdy  and  illustrious  general  un- 
der whom  he  had  fought  the  British  troops. 
While  the  Mississippi  valley  was  still  an  un- 
settled wilderness  he  became  a  pioneer  and 
frontiersman  of  Illinois  and  aided  in  subdu- 
ing the'  Indians  at  the  time  of  the  Blackhawk 
war.  The  savages  were  hostile  throughout  the 
early  period  of  his  residence  in  Illinois  and 
on  one  occasion,  while  pursuing  some  of  them, 
he  was  attacked  and  almost  killed  by  a  fierce 
panther.  In  memory  of  the  narrow  escape 
from  death  which  he  experienced  he  was  there- 
after known  as  "Panther"  flyers.  His  father- 
in-law,  Jonathan  Hayes,  also  endured  all  the 
hardships  incident  to  life  on  the  frontier  and 
at  one  time  built  a  fort  at  Peru,  111.,  in  order 
to  protect  his  family  and  neighbors  from  the 
Indians.  Notwithstanding  all  of  his  precau- 
tions, one  of  his  daughters  with  her  husband 
and  son  and  several  neighbors  were  killed  by 
the  savages.  ]\Irs.  Ellen  Myers  was  born  in 
Illinois,  while  John  Myers  was  a  native  of 
Virginia  of  German  ancestry.  Both  died  in 
LaSalle  county.  111.,  and  were  buried  in  the 
Cedar  Point  Cemetery,  four  miles  from  the 
town  of  LaSalle. 

At  the  home  place  near  LaSalle,  111..  An- 
drew Jackson  Myers  was  born  April  10,  1840. 
His   education   was   carried  on   in   the  schools 


1010 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  Cedar  Point  and  LaSalle,  but  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years  he  left  school  and  accompanied 
an  aunt  to  California,  it  being  his  duty  to  drive 
and  care  for  the  ox-team.  After  a  journey  of 
four  months  he  arrived  at  Hangtown  in  the 
fall  of  1852  and  at  once  secured  work  in  the 
mines.  In  1855  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of 
Fresno,  later  was  in  Mariposa  county  for  two 
years,  next  worked  in  the  vicinity  of  Stockton, 
and  later  went  to  Tulare  county  and  entered 
government  land,  which  he  utilized  for  the 
stock  business.  For  some  time  prior  to  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  engaged  in 
hunting  and  trapping  on  the  plains  with  Rob- 
ert Carson,  a  brother  of  Kit  Carson. 

During  the  year  1861  Mr.  Myers  went  to 
Texas,  where  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate 
army  and  served  through  the  entire  period  of 
the  Civil  war  under  Capt.  James  H.  Tibbets  of 
the  Arizona  scouts.  At  the  end  of  the  war  he 
settled  in  Bell  county,  Tex.,  and  there,  August 
8.  1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  So- 
phia C.  Scott,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  but 
removed  to  Texas  at  an  early  age.  Nine  chil- 
dren v/ere  born  of  their  union  and  the  heaviest 
rnisfortune  of  their  otherwise  happy  married 
life  was  the  loss  of  all  but  two  of  their  once 
large  familv.  John  and  Frank  M.  died  re- 
spectively at  eleven  and  six  years.  Mav  was 
only  one  year  old  when  she  was  taken  from  the 
family  circle.  IMaggie  died  at  the  age  of  one 
year  and  nine  months,  and  Andrew  passed 
away  at  one  year.  Alfred  lived  to  be  a  manly 
boy  of  seventeen,  while  the  youngest  of  the 
family,  Mariette,  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years.  The  third  and  fourth  in  order  of  birth 
were  James  Edward  and  Joseph  E.,  both  now 
residing  in  Oceanside,  the"  latter  of  whom  was 
formerly  chief  of  police  and  deputv  sheriff. 

After  having  made  his  home  in  Texas  for  a 
long  period  Mr.  Myers  came  to  California  in 
1877  and  embarked  in  the  dairy  business.  Four 
years  later  he  came  to  the  present  site  of 
Oceanside.  of  which  town  he  enjoys  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  founder.  May  12-13,  1883, 
he  laid  out  the  village,  platting  lots  on  what 
was  then  a  sheep  range.  For  a  year  or  two 
little  progress  was  made,  but  in  1885  people 
began  to  buy  and  build  and  from  that  time  on- 
ward the  growth  of  the  place  was  steady.  The 
first  water  works  were  established  by  Mr.  My- 
ers, and  it  was  his  boast  that  no  town  on  the 
coast  had  finer  water  than  Oceanside.  After  a 
few  years  he  sold  the  water  system  to  the  city. 
For  some  time  he  owned  one  hundred  and  fif- 
ty-five acres  and  later  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  a  portion  of  which  remains  in 
his  possession,  as  do  also  some  of  the  town 
lots.  .'Vmong  his  many  nhilanthropies  was  the 
gift  of  the  land  on  which  stands  tlie  Christian 


Church.  His  wife  was  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  that  congregation  and  a  trustee  of  the 
church,  and  it  was  from  this  building  that  she 
was  buried,  her  death  occurring  November  8, 
1906,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  Politi- 
cally a  Democrat,  Mr.  Myers  has  been  inter- 
ested in  political  affairs  and  often  has  served 
as  a  delegate  to  party  conventions.  Through- 
out San  Diego  county  he  is  known  and  hon- 
ored for  his  active  encouragement  of  all  move- 
ments for  the  benefit  of  the  people  and  the  ma- 
terial  development  of  the   county's  resources. 


GEORGE  E.  BAHRENBURG,  M.  D. 
Prominent  among  the  younger  generation  of 
practitioners  of  Los  Angeles  county  is  Dr. 
Bahrenburg,  who  has  brought  to  bear  in  his 
work  the  progressive  ideas  and  enterprise  which 
have  formed  so  important  a  factor  in  the  devel- 
opment of  this  section.  A  native  of  Illinois,  he 
was  born  in  Staunton,  Macoupin  county,  Octo- 
ber 30,  1880.  His  father,  John  E.  Bahrenburg, 
M.  D.,  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  where  his  early 
life  was  passed.  While  he  was  still  quite  young 
the  medical  profession  had  been  chosen  as  his 
future  calling,  and  upon  receiving  his  diploma 
he  opened  an  office  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  remaining 
there  for  sixteen  years.  From  St.  Louis  he  came 
direct  to  Los  Angeles,  and  during  the  five  years 
which  he  has  practiced  here  has  won  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  all  who  have  come  in 
contact  with  him,  either  in  a  professional  or  so- 
cial way.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 
It  was  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  that  Dr.  Bahrenburg 
met  and  married  Miss  Alice  Georgia  Dorff,  who 
was  a  native  of  that  place,  and  of  their  marriage 
two  children  have  been  born,  George  E.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  and  Charles  N.,  who  is  now 
studying  medicine  in  the  University  of  Southern 
California.  Mrs.  Bahrenburg  is  a  woman  of 
many  fine  qualities,  and  is  an  active  worker  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Los  Angeles,  of 
which  she  is  a  member. 

The  boyhood  years  of  George  E.  Bahrenburg 
were  passed  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  receiving  a  com- 
mon school  education  in  that  city.  The  medical 
profession  from  his  earliest  years  had  been  at- 
tractive to  him,  and  indeed  it  may  be  said  with 
truth  that  it  was  an  inherited  inclination,  for  as 
has  been  said  his  father  is  a  practicing  physi- 
cian. His  initial  medical  training  was  received 
in  Qiicago,  111.,  and  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  he 
was  granted  the  diploma  which  entitled  him  to 
practice  medicine  in  that  state.  His  first  prac- 
tical experience  was  received  in  the  Soldiers' 
Home  hospital  at  Sawtelle,  Cal.,  and  two  years 
later  he  inaugurated  his  present  private  practice 
in  this  place.     Although  he  is  one  of  the  young- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1013 


est  practitioners  here,  his  years  have  been  no 
bar  to  his  advancement,  but  from  the  fact  that 
he  is  famihar  with  the  latest  discoveries  in  the 
medical  world  by  his  recent  training-  and  experi- 
ence he  has  become  a  necessary  adjunct  to  many 
of  the  first  families  in  Sawtelle  and  vicinity. 
Personally  he  is  of  a  social  nature  and  makes 
friends  with  all  whom  he  meets.  Fraternally  he 
is  identified  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks. 


WILLARD  R.  CHENEY.  One  of  the  es- 
teemed residents  of  Redlands  is  Willard  R. 
Cheney.  He  came  to  the  Rocky  Mountain 
country  as  early  as  1866,  beginning  his  career 
with  empty  hands  but  courageous  heart,  and 
in  the  intervening  time  has  acquired  a  finan- 
cial position  which  places  him  among  the 
prominent  and  representative  men  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Southern  California.  He  was  born  in 
Defiance,  Ohio,  August  14,  1844,  a  son  of 
James  Cheney,  a  native  of  Vermont,  whence 
the  paternal  grandfather,  Roswell,  emigrated 
to  Ohio  and  engaged  as  a  merchant  in  Toledo. 
James  Cheney  also  became  a  merchant  in  that 
city,  and  later  was  located  in  Adrian,  Defiance, 
then  Logansport  and  Fort  Wayne,  in  Indiana, 
in  the  last  named  place  being  classed  among 
the  financiers  as  a  banker  of  no  small  promi- 
nence. He  was  instrumental  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  middle  west,  and  built  a  division  of  the 
Wabash  and  Erie  canal.  He  served  his  fel- 
low citizens  as  a  member  of  the  state  legisla- 
ture. His  wife,  formerly  Miss  Nancy  Evans, 
was  born  in  Ohio,  one  of  the  first  white  chil- 
dren born  on  the  Maumee ;  both  herself  and 
husband  died  in  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living,  Willard  R.  being  a  resident  of  Red- 
lands  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Kimberly,  has  a 
winter  home  here. 

Reared  in  Fort  Waj-ne  and  Logansport, 
Willard  R.  Cheney  received  a  preliminary  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools,  after  which  he 
entered  the  Asbury  University,  now^  known  as 
the  De  Pauw  University,  New  .Albany,  Ind. 
He  then  entered  the  service  of  the  Wabash 
Railroad  Company  and  worked  as  conductor 
in  the  south  during  the  Civil  war.  He  spent 
one  season  in  Texas,  whence  he  drove  through 
to  Nevada  and  established  the  Bar  ranch,  in 
Clover  valley.  Coming  on  to  California  he  as- 
sociated himself  with  Dumphrey  &  Hildreth  of 
San  Francisco,  and  from  1870  on  for  man}^ 
5'ears  represented  them  as  collector  in  that 
city.  In  1885  he  returned  to  the  middle  west 
and  in  St.  Louis.  Mo.,  engaged  in  the  laundry 
business,  after  which  in  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  he 
followed  a  similar  enterprise.     Later  he  estab- 


lished a  laundry  in  Alexico,  Mo.,  and  is  still 
interested  in  that  enterprise.  In  the  spring  of 
1904  he  located  in  Redlands  and  purchased 
what  was  known  as  the  Morey  place,  and  since 
that  time  he  has  remodeled  it  and  improved  it, 
until  today  he  has  one  of  the  finest  homes  in 
this  city.  There  are  nine  acres  in  the  prop- 
erty, of  which  six  are  devoted  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  oranges.  In  November,  1905,  in  part- 
nership with  H.  J.  Pratt,  he  purchased  the 
Frink  ranch  of  five  hundred  and  forty  acres  in 
the  San  Timoteo  caiion,  where  they  are  now 
engaged  in  the  management  of  a  dairy  and 
creamery,  and  the  raising  of  alfalfa.  He  is  also 
a  director  in  the  Home' Gas  &  Electric  Com- 
pany. 

In  Jefifersonville,  Ind.,  IMr.  Cheney  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nancy  McMa- 
hon.  a  native  of  that  state,  and  a  woman  of 
rare  worth  and  character,  a  distinct  addition 
to  the  society  of  Redlands.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Cheney  is  a  member  of  Jefifersonville  Lodge 
No.  362,  B.  P.  O.  E.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party. 


IRA  WARNER  PHELPS.  The  lineage  of 
the  Phelps  family  in  America  is  traced  back  to 
a  period  antedating  the  first  war  with  England. 
Prior  to  that  struggle  five  sons  of  Rebecca  S. 
Phelps  of  Deerfield,  Conn.,  accompanied  Gen- 
eral Schuyler  on  an  expedition  against  the  Six 
Nations  and  served  throughout  that  entire  cam- 
paign. When  the  colonies  rebelled  against  the 
mother  country  he  took  up  arms  to  assist  the  for- 
lorn cause  and  served  as  a  corporal,  remaining 
at  the  front,  participating  in  innumerable  hard- 
ships, countless  privations  and  many  engage- 
ments, until  finally  peace  was  declared  and  the 
anny  was  disbanded.  Later  he  removed  from 
Connecticut  to  New  York  and  settled  upon  a 
raw  tract  of  land  near  Canandaigua,  where  he 
died  at  ninety-three  years  of  age.  A  few  years 
after  he  settled  on  that  farm  his  son,  Baruch  B., 
was  born  in  1787,  and  in  that  then  frontier  en- 
vironment the  boy  grew  into  a  robust  manhood, 
possessing  the  stalwart  constitution  and  daunt- 
less courage  characteristic  of  frontiersmen.  Dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812  he  served  in  the  American 
armv.  After  leaving  the  army  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  hotel  business  and.  on  the  site  of 
Erie  canal,  erected  the  Phelps  house,  the  first 
hotel  built  in  Buffalo  after  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire  in  1814.  Subsequently  he  became  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  village  of  Silver  Creek,  in 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  built  and 
conducted  the  Phelps  hotel.  In  that  town  he 
opened  what  was  the  first  temperance  hotel  in  all 
of  western  New  York.     At  the  start  the  outlook 


1014 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  discouraging  and  the  business  unprofitable, 
but  eventually  he  proved  that  such  a  plan  could 
be  carried  into  successful  consummation. 

In  addition  to  keeping  a  hotel  Baruch  Phelps 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  Event- 
ually he  left  New  York  for  the  growing  west 
and  settled  in  Illinois,  first  making  his  home  in 
Elgin  and  later  at  St.  Charles,  but  his  last  days 
were  passed  in  the  home  of  his  eldest  son  in 
Dekalb  county,  that  state,  and  there  he  passed 
from  earth  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
Through  all  of  his  active  life  he  was  a  believer 
in  Presbyterian  doctrines  and  a  sincere  member 
of  that  denomination.  While  living  in  the  east 
he  married  Betsey  Warner,  who  was  born  in  Ben- 
nington, Vt.,  and  was  a  grand-niece  of  Seth 
Warner,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Her  death  oc- 
curred in  Dekalb  county.  111.,  when  she  was 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  si.x  children,  namely :  Louisa,  who  died 
at  Malta,  Dekalb  county.  111. ;  William,  who  died 
at  Elgin,  111. ;  Walter,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Fifty-sixth  Illinois  Infantry  and  died  in  De- 
kalb county,  111. ;  Forbes,  now  a  resident  of  De- 
kalb county;  Ira  W.  and  Albert,  who  came  to 
the  Pacific  coast  and  established  homes  in  Los 
Angeles  county,  the  latter  being  a  resident  of 
Highland  Park. 

The  village  of  Silver  Creek,  in  Chautauqua 
county,  N.  Y.,  is  the  native  home  of  Ira  Warner 
Phelps,  and  July  26,  1835,  the  date  of  his  birth. 
In  addition  to  attending  public  schools  he  had 
the  advantage  of  a  course  of  study  in  Nunda 
Academy.  During  1849  lis  came  west  as  far  as 
Chicago,  where  he  clerked  for  about  three  years 
in  the  employ  of  an  uncle,  Ira  P.  Warner.  Later 
he  clerked  for  a  year  in  Elgin,  after  which  he 
returned  to  Chicago  and  learned  the  trade  of  a 
harness-maker,  which  he  followed  for  a  time. 
Afterward  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Kane  county  near  Elgin  and  on  Judge  Baker's 
farm  near  joliet.  In  search  of  cheap  land  in  a 
favorable  location  he  went  to  Minnesota  in  1855 
and  from  there  went  to  Wisconsin,  where  he 
bought  farm  property.  For  four  years  he  was 
employed  in  a  lumber  business  at  Eau  Galle, 
Dunn  county,  and  when  his  employer  rented  the 
lumber  plant  and  the  sawmill  he  started  for  the 
Rocky  mountains,  this  being  the  time  of  the 
Pike's  Peak  excitement  of  1859.  With  a  party 
of  emigrants  he  traveled  via  mule-team  to  what 
is  now  the  city  of  Denver.  During  the  fall  and 
winter  he  was  employed  at  Tarryall  Diggings, 
and  in  the  spring  of  i860  he  followed  other 
miners  to  California  Gulch,  near  the  present  site 
of  Leadville,  where  he  remained  during  the  sum- 
mer. 

After  a  year's  experience  in  the  mines  of  Col- 
orado Mr.  Phelps  started  back  east  in  the  spring 
of  i860,  but  an  attack  of  mountain  fever  forced 


him  to  stop  at  Caiion  City.  That  now  flourish- 
ing town  had  only  one  house  and  it  was  of  sod. 
For  a  long  time  he  was  too  ill  to  travel,  but 
eventually  he  recovered  sufficiently  to  start  for 
home.  With  two  comrades  named  James  Ramage 
and  Peter  Shell  during  the  middle  of  December 
he  took  up  the  homeward  journey  with  pack- 
horses.  The  trip  was  rendered  lonely  by  reason 
of  the  fact  that  they  were  the  only  white  men  on 
the  plains  and  the  further  fact  that  they  were 
forced  to  travel  at  night  on  account  of  the  hos- 
tility of  the  Indians.  As  they  proceeded  along 
the  Arkansas  route  they  camped  on  the  islands 
of  the  river  by  day,  then  took  up  travel  after 
darkness  protected  them  from  observation  by 
the  Indians.  Their  tracks  were  obliterated  by 
the  herds  of  buffaloes  which  filled  the  country 
for  a  distance  of  four  hundred  miles.  Indeed, 
at  no  time  were  they  out  of  sight  of  large  herds 
until  they  landed  at  Council  Grove,  Kans.  Dur- 
ing the  year  there  had  been  a  great  drouth  and 
the  Platte,  Republican,  Smoky  and  Solomon 
rivers  were  dry,  so  that  the  buffaloes  were 
obliged  to  come  to  the  Arkansas  for  water. 

While  stopping  at  Council  Grove,  the  outpost 
station  of  the  government,  Mr.  Phelps  became 
interested  in  the  raising  of  a  company  known 
as  the  Frontier  Rifles,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber until  it  disbanded.  From  Council  Grove  he 
traveled  eastward  to  the  Missouri  river,  intend- 
ing to  enlist  in  the  Union  army,  but  he  found 
the  quota  filled  for  the  present,  so  he  changed  his 
plans  and  joined  a  government  train  en  route  to 
Fort  Lfnion.  The  journey  was  made  without  spe- 
cial incident  until  shortly  before  their  arrival  at 
Fort  Union,  when  Indians  and  Spaniards  fell 
upon  them  and  captured  all  of  their  supplies, 
leaving  them  their  cattle,  however,  with  which 
they  got  through  to  the  fort.  Soon  afterward 
word  was  received  of  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  the 
defeat  of  the  north,  and  the  call  for  three  hun- 
dred thousand  soldiers.  In  order  to  enlist  he 
and  sixteen  of  his  associates  started  at  once  for 
the  east,  and  in  1861  he  was  accepted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  Company  H,  First  Kansas  Cavalry, 
which  by  ruling  of  the  war  department  became 
Company  H,  Seventh  Kansas  Cavalry.  In  the 
spring  of  1864  he  veteranized  and  re-enlisted  in 
the  same  regiment  as  saddler  sergeant,  from 
which  office  he  was  mustered  out  November  29, 
1865,  and  honorably  discharged  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth. The  regiment  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber had  to  its  credit  a  record  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-nine  engagements,  including  Corinth,  Holly 
Springs  and  luka.  In  the  battle  of  Corinth  he 
lost  tile  sight  of  his  right  eye.  At  Coffeyville 
they  fought  all  of  one  day  in  the  year  1863 
against  Price's  army  and  held  their  own  in  the 
midst  of  desperate  odds. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Phelps  returned 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1015 


to  the  life  of  a  plainsman  and  visited  Colorado 
in  order  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  his  three 
claims  at  Leadville,  but  found  that  the  water 
had  failed  completely,  so  he  abandoned  the  claims 
as  well  as  the  life  of  a  frontiersman.  Returning 
to  Kansas  he  clerked  at  Junction  City  one  year 
for  Captain  Wright  and  William  Lockstone.  In 
the  interests  of  these  gentlemen  he  then  opened 
a  branch  store  at  Ellsworth  and  three  years  later 
he  purchased  the  business  by  giving  his  notes  for 
the  indebtedness.  Soon  the  trailing  of  cattle 
began  from  Texas  and  Ellsworth  became  a  ship- 
ping point  for  stock,  so  that  trade  increased 
rapidly  and  profits  were  large.  Eor  nineteen 
years  he  continued  in  the  mercantile  business  in 
the  same  town  and  meanwhile  held  the  ofifice  of 
county  supervisor,  also  in  early  days  took  a  lead- 
ing part  in  all  local  activities. 

On  retiring  from  the  mercantile  business  in 
Kansas  Mr.  Jr'helps  came  to  Los  Angeles  in  1885 
and  shortly  afterward  embarked  in  the  citrus- 
growing  business  at  Ontario,  where  he  purchased 
two  groves  of  twenty  acres  each.  However,  not 
making  his  home  on  the  land,  he  met  with  dis- 
aster, for  the  groves  were  near  the  mule-cars 
running  from  the  city  and  tourists  often  stopped 
rtiere  and  entertained  themselves  by  breaking  off 
limbs  loaded  with  fruit.  Their  depredations  con- 
tinued to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  the  busi- 
ness unprofitable  for  the  owner  and  he  sold  out. 
Since  then  he  has  engaged  in  buying  and  selling 
real  estate  and  since  1898  he  also  has  bought  and 
developed  oil  lands,  putting  down  twenty-nine 
wfells  on  twenty-two  acres  of  land.  At  this  writ- 
ing he  has  royalty  interests  in  eight  wells  on 
nineteen  lots  in  the  Knob  Hill  tract  and  he  owns 
other  valuable  oil  property.  Besides  being  finan- 
cially interested  in  the  Los  Angeles  Realty  and 
Trust  Company  he  serves  as  a  member  of  its 
board  of  directors. 

The  commodious  residence  erected  by  Mr. 
Phelps  in  1894  stands  at  No.  1542  Ingraham 
street,  Los  Angeles,  and  since  its  erection  it  has 
been  the  home  of  the  family.  While  living  in 
Ellsworth,  Kans.,  he  married  ]Miss  Rose  Stern- 
berg, a  member  of  an  old  and  honored  family  of 
New  York  state.  Her  father,  Rev.  Levi  Stern- 
berg, was  a  minister  in  the  Lutheran  denomina- 
tion and  at  one  time  held  office  as  president  of 
the  Hardwick  Seminary  near  Cooperstown,  N. 
Y.,  where  Mrs.  Phelps  was  born.  One  of  her 
brothers,  George  M.  Sternberg,  j\l.  D.,  was  for- 
merly surgeon-general  of  the  United  States  anny. 
Of  her  marriage  there  are  four  children,  namely : 
Bertha,  who  married  Louis  R.  Garrett,  an  at- 
tornev  of  Los  Angeles:  Frank,  who  has  charge 
of  the  Inrlewood' Water  Company;  Mary,  who 
resides  with  her  parents;  and  George,  who  is 
employed  in  the  office  of  Garrett  &  Bixby,  archi- 
tects, of  Los  Angeles.   The  old  war  days  are  kept 


in  mind  by  Mr.  Phelps  through  his  association 
with  Bartlett  Logan  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Los  An- 
geles, in  the  work  of  which  he  has  been  interested 
for  a  long  period,  and  in  addition  he  has  borne 
a  constant  interest  in  every  movement  affecting 
the  boys  who  wore  the  blue  in  that  historic  strug- 
gle. Ever  since  casting  his  first  ballot  he  has 
been  a  supporter  of  the  Republican  party  and 
has  accomplished  much  to  promote  its  local  suc- 
cesses. 


JOHN  GRIFFIN.  From  boyhood  identi- 
fied with  the  histor)-  of  San  Diego  county, 
John  Griffin,  member  of  the  county  board  of 
supervisors  and  a  prominent  dealer  in  real-es- 
late  at  Oceanside,  deservedly  ranks  among  the 
pioneers  of  this  part  of  the  state.  A  man  of 
broad  information  and  faculties  of  close  ob- 
servation, genial  and  companionable  in  dispo- 
sition, he  often  entertains  others  with  narra- 
tives of  pioneer  life  and  many  of  his  tales  of 
those  times  might  worthily  be  preserved  in  the 
annals  of  the  count}-,  in  order  that  future  gen- 
erations might  better  understand  the  trials 
and  hardships  which  the  early  settlers  endured. 
In  securing  the  present  development  he  has 
contributed  his  quota,  and  meanwhile  has 
gained  the  respect  of  all  as  a  citizen  of  un- 
blemished character,  high  principles  of  honor 
and  strong  mental  endowments. 

Near  Austin,  Tex.,  in  the  county  of  Milan. 
John  Griffin  was  born  July  21,  1854,  being  a 
son  of  James  M.  and  Sarah  (Black)  Griffin, 
natives  of  Alabama  and  pioneer  farmers  of 
Texas.  The  family  came  overland  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1869  and  settled  at  Campo,  San  Diego 
county,  but  a  vear  later  they  moved  to  San 
Luis  Rev,  where  the  father  conducted  farm 
pursuits  until  his  death  in  October,  1901.  at 
seventy-seven  years.  The  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing and  is  now  (1906)  seventy-six  years  of 
age.  John  Grififin  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Texas  and  was  a  lad  of  fifteen 
years  when  he  came  to  California,  stalwart, 
robust  and  energetic,  well  fitted  to  aid  his 
father  in  the  development  of  unimproved  farm 
land.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began  to 
farm  independcntlv  and  as  the  seasons  passed 
he  became  increasingly  interested  in  the  rais- 
ing of  fine  stock.  His  specialtv  was  the  pure- 
blooded  Shire  horse  and  at  the  head  of  his 
stables  he  had  pedigreed  stallions  which  he 
im]5orted  from  Europe.  Today  the  descendants 
of  his  imported  stock  are  among  the  finest 
horses  in  the  whole  county  and  due  credit  be- 
longs to  him  for  his  work  in  raising  the  qual- 
ity of  the  breeds  on  the  farms. 

Renting  his  land  in  the  San  Luis  Rey  valley 
(which    he   still    owns).    Mr.    Griffin    came   to 


1016 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Oceanside  in  1897  and  since  then  has  engaged 
in  the  real-estate  business,  having  handled  as 
much  property  as  any  man  in  the  town.  As 
a  judge  of  values  he  has  few  superiors.  Dur- 
ing his  long  residence  in  the  county  he  has 
formed  an  accurate  idea  of  all  land  values  and 
his  judgment  is  based  upon  experience,  as  well 
as  upon  faculties  of  careful  observation.  Since 
attaining  his  majority  he  has  voted  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  and  has  been  active  in  the  work  of 
the  party.  Elected  to  the  county  board  of  super- 
visors in  1894,  he  has  since  served  continu- 
ously as  a  member  of  that  board  and  in  the 
capacity  of  supervisor  has  aided  movements 
for  the  development  of  the  county's  resources. 
His  election  to  the  office  bespeaks  his  popu- 
larity, for  he  was  elected  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  in  a  district  usually  giving  a  strong  Re- 
publican majority,  but  which  has  given  him 
a  majority  of  as  much  as  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
For  three  terms  he  has  officiated  as  chairman 
of  the  board  and  the  welfare  of  his  constitu- 
ents has  been  safe  in  his  hands.  That  his 
services  are  appreciated  has  been  shown  by 
his  long  retention  as  a  member  of  the  board ; 
and  indeed,  too  much  praise  cannot  be  given 
him  for  his  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the  up- 
building of  the  co'.mty.  In  city  affairs,  too,  he 
has  been  warmly  interested,  served  with  energy 
as  city  trustee,  and  was  one  of  the  leaders  in 
the  establishment  of  the  present  water  sys- 
tem of  Oceanside,  one  of  the  best  systems  in 
the  entire  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Griffin  took  place  in 
San  Diego  in  September  of  1892  and  united 
him  with  Miss  Ida  Rooker,  who  was  born  in 
this  state  and  is  the  daughter  of  a  pioneer  of 
northern  California.  Three  children  have 
been  born  of  their  union,  Lucile,  Lloyd  and 
Lura,  all  of  whom  are  receiving  the  advantages 
of  the  excellent  schools  of  Oceanside.  In  fra- 
ternal relations  Mr.  Griffin  is  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, the  Fraternal  Brotherhood,  the  Benevo- 
lent Protective  Order  of  Elks  of  San  Diego 
and  Oceanside  Lodge  No.  381,  F.  &  A.  M. 
The  family  residence  is  an  attractive  and  com- 
modious structure,  standing  on  Second  street. 
People  who  have  settled  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia of  recent  years  would  find  it  difficult  to 
appreciate  the  conditions  as  they  existed  in 
the  past,  when  the  cattlemen  claimed  the  broad 
ranges  and  the  farmers  were  obliged  to  con- 
test for  their  rights.  Years  ago  the  San  Luis 
valley  was  claimed  by  the  Pico  family  of  Los 
Angeles  as  being  part  of  a  large  grant  given 
to  them,  and  under  the  rights  of  ownership 
given  them  by  the  grant  they  leased  the  lands 
to  Col.  K.  J.  Couts  and  Don  Juan  Foster,  who 
had  thousands  of  head  of  cattle  on  the  range. 


In  the  spring  of  1870  seven  families  settled  in 
the  valley,  namely:  B.  F.  Libby,  D.  R.  Foss, 
John  Adams,  P.  A.  Graham,  Herbert  Crouch, 
Major  Lee  Utt  and  J.  M.  Griffin.  Their  claims 
to  the  land  were  contested  by  the  grant  own- 
ers and  it  was  only  after  an  expensive  battle 
in  the  courts  lasting  five  years  that  the  farm- 
ers won  their  titles  beyond  fear  of  dispute. 
During  the  five  years  they  were  annoyed  in 
many  ways  and  the  Indians  were  incited 
against  them.  On  one  occasion  word  came  to 
the  settlers  that  the  Indians  would  raid  their 
farms  that  night.  To  prepare  for  the  emer- 
gency John  Griffin  (who  was  then  a  lad  in  his 
teens)  and  six  others,  all  well  armed,  stationed 
themselves  in  a  narrow  gap  between  the  moun- 
tains through  which  the  Indians  would  be 
obliged  to  pass  in  the  approach.  However, 
though  they  laid  in  wait  during  all  the  night, 
ready  to  fire  at  an  instant's  notice,  the  Indians 
did  not  come,  and  the  threatened  raid  did  not 
take  place.  In  order  to  protect  their  grain 
fields,  the  farmers  built  a  fence  around  the  en- 
tire valley,  and  beyond  the  fence  dug  a  ditch 
three  feet  deep,  in  order  to  keep  the  native 
cattle  from  trespassing  upon  their  crops ;  yet 
in  spite  of  their  extreme  care,  at  times  their 
fences  were  broken  down  and  their  crops 
ruined.  Before  the  final  settlements  had  been 
made  in  the  courts  all  of  the  parties  on  both 
sides  had  become  friends  and  in  recognition 
of  the  end  of  the  contest  the  cattlemen  invited 
the  settlers  to  a  barbecue  on  the  Joma,  where 
all  enjoyed  a  delightful  day  and  not  only 
buried  their  past  animosity,  but  formed  friend- 
ships that  have  lasted  to  tbe  present  day. 


JOHN  W.  ALLEN.  In  the  development  of 
the  fruit-growing  industr}'  of  Southern  California 
no  man  has  taken  a  more  intelligent  interest  than 
John  W.  Allen  of  Fernando.  During  the  twelve 
or  more  years  that  he  has  resided  in  Los  Angeles 
county  he  has  been  actively  employed  in  horti- 
cultural pursuits  and  has  established  a  wide  repu- 
tation as  a  successful  orchardist,  the  fruits  of  his 
raising  surpassing  in  excellence,  it  is  said,  those 
of  any  other  fruit-grower  along  the  coast.  A 
native  of  Indiana,  he  was  born,  July  23,  1843, 
in  Montgomery  county,  where  he  was  brought  up 
and  educated.  Trained  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
he  chose  farming  for  an  occupation,  and  carried 
it  on  successfully  for  many  years  in  his  native 
state. 

Coming  to  Los  Angeles  county  in  1800,  Mr. 
Allen  worked  as  a  wage-earner  in  Pacoima  for 
a  year,  after  which  he  was  for  two  years  a  resi- 
dent of  Santa  Clara  county,  where,  as  a  laborer, 
he  made  a  study  of  the  best  methods  of  fruit 
growing.     Returning  then  to  Pacoima,  he  bought 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lOV.l 


ten  acres  of  wild  land  and  at  once  began  its  im- 
provement, placing  it  in  a  tillable  condition  and 
setting  out  fruit  trees.  Succeeding  well  in  his 
venture,  he  subsequently  purchased  another  near- 
by tract  of  ten  acres,  five  acres  of  which  he  im- 
mediately set  out  in  fruit  and  olives,  while  the 
remaining  five  acres  he  devoted  to  grapes,  set- 
ting out  vines  in  1904.  In  1897,  having  made 
money  as  an  orchardist,  he  invested  in  additional 
land,  buying  twenty  acres  adjoining  his  previous 
purchases,  and  to  this  he  added  by  purchase  ten 
acres  more  in  1905,  increasing  the  size  of  his 
ranch  to  fifty  acres.  Twenty  acres  of  his  land 
is  set  out  to  fruit  and  is  very  productive,  bring- 
ing him  in  a  good  annual  income.  Purchasing 
a  house  and  tliree  lots  in  Fernando  on  McNeil 
street,  he  improved  the  place,  and  in  1902  removed 
here  with  his  family,  and  has  since  been  num- 
bered among  the  more  highly  esteemed  and 
valued  residents  of  the  place. 

In  Indiana,  December  30,  1869,  Mr.  Allen 
married  Theresa  Adelaide  Sims,  and  into  their 
home  four  children  were  born,  namely :  Robert, 
of  Los  Angeles ;  Florence,  wife  of  M.  E.  Shelly, 
of  Los  Angeles;  Laura  Estella,  wife  of  V.  T. 
Edwards,  of  Fernando ;  and  Ethel  L.,  living  at 
home.  Mrs.  Allen  died  June  22,  1895.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Allen  votes  the  straight  Republican 
ticket,  and  in  1901  was  appointed  overseer  for 
the  Fernando  road,  a  position  which  he  filled 
acceptably  for  two  and  one-half  years.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  Fernando  Lodge  No.  324, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  religiously  he  is  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as 
is  also  his  daughter,  Ethel  L. 


ROBERT  ARMSTRONG,  M.  D.  The  Arm- 
strongs, in  common  with  many  other  old  fam- 
ilies of  South  Scotland  and  North  England,  are 
of  Norman  blood,  and  even  after  more  than  a 
thousand  years  of  contact  with  other  races, 
branches  of  the  family,  the  wide  world  over,  still 
show  something  of  the  well-known  physical  and 
mental  characteristics  of  their   Norse  ancestors. 

Robert  Armstrong,  the  eldest  son  of  William 
and  Margaret  (Henderson)  Armstrong,  was 
born  November  15,  1841,  at  Jedburgh,  Scotland. 
In  1844  the  family  migrated  to  America  and 
settled  on  a  new  farm,  in  Queens  county.  New 
Brunswick.  There  Robert,  being  in  years  the 
only  boy  big  enough  for  farm  work,  had  rather 
more  than  his  share  of  the  advantages  of  the 
industrial  education  of  pioneer  farming,  with 
just  enough  desultory  schooling  to  make  him 
hungry  for  more.  At  eighteen  "Roby,"  as  his 
mother  called  him,  was  pronounced  too  little,  too 
discontented  and  too  much  of  a  bookworm  for 
farming.  Then  there  followed  half  a  dozen  hap- 
py years  of  study  at  the  best  schools  within  reach. 


and  of  teaching.  In  1865  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine,  taking  the  medical  course  at  Harvard 
and  Jefferson,  graduating  at  the  latter  college  in 
1868.  Returning  to  Canada  he  practiced  medicine 
sixteen  years  in  Queens  county  and  in  St.  John, 
New  Brunswick. 

In  1886  he  moved  west,  registering  in  each 
of  the  states  of  California,  Washington  and  Col- 
orado. In  1902  he  returned  to  California  and  is 
riow  located  at  Ramona,  San  Diego  county.  Here 
as  elsewhere  he  has  had  little  reason  to  complain 
of  a  profession  which  has  secured  him  freedom 
and  opportunity  for  research  in  many  fields,  and 
a  fair  share  of  the  public  and  professional  con- 
fidence. In  this  connection  it  may  be  noted  that 
Dr.  Armstrong  assisted  in  organizing  the  San 
Diego  County  Medical  Society  and  served  as  its 
first  secretary  and  its  first  delegate  to  the  State 
Aledical  Society.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
United  States  Medical  Association  and  an  active 
member  of  the  National  Educational  Associa- 
tion. 

Of  the  ex-professional  studies  that  have  occu- 
pied most  of  the  available  leisure  of  Dr.  Arm- 
strong's professional  life,  the  most  important 
have  been  in  connection  with  a  new  departure 
in  phonetics.  In  1885  he  suggested  the  idea  of 
making  each  spoken  element  the  model  for  its 
own  written  alphabetic  representative.  This 
principle,  glosso-graphic  analogy  has,  so  far  as 
known,  had  the  unanimous  endorsement  of  pro- 
gressive educators  as  supplying  a  thoroughly 
natural  and  scientific  basis  of  graphics.  Dr.  Arm- 
strong's "Glossography,"  published  in  1901,  is 
based  on  this  principle  and  secures  in  writing  the 
closest  possible  approach  to  spoken  utterance  in 
character,  and  hence  in  fulness,  continuity  and 
economy  of  expression.  This  glossal  stenography 
writes  the  elements  of  words  as  fully  as  they  are 
spoken  about  four  times  as  fast  as  long-hand 
and  can  be  used  in  ordinary  amanuensis  work 
without  any  contractions  or  word-signs,  so  that 
any  one  who  has  learned  the  method  can  tran- 
scribe its  notes  as  accurately  as  the  writer  him- 
self. 

His  glossal  typography  (Glossotypy)  now 
being  puljlished,  proposes  a  series  of  alphabetical 
(phonetic)  characters  modeled  on  a  somewhat 
freer  application  of  the  principle  of  glosso-graphic 
analogy,  intended  to  take  the  place  of  the  many 
diverse  phonetic  alphabets  that  are  now  being 
used  in  teaching  common  reading.  Its  printed 
page  occupies  one-third  less  page  space  than 
common  type  of  the  same  size.  It  is  clearer  and 
less  straining  to  the  eyes  in  reading- and  can  be 
learned  by  anyone  in  a  single  week,  so  as  to  read 
any  new  word  at  sight  with  absolute  accuracy  of 
pronunciation  and  accent.  The  general  adoption 
of  the  glossal  alphabet  for  this  purpose  would  be 
equivalent  to  paralleling  the  old  river  of  English 


1020 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


orthography  with  a  railway  which,  while  facili- 
tating the  teaching  of  its  difficult  navigation, 
would  give  the  busy  millions  a  means  of  reaching 
a  perfect  graphic  expression  in  English  in  fewer 
weeks  than  are  now  required  of  years  in  attain- 
ing a  very  imperfect  common  spelling. 

At  his  home.  Rock  Park,  Dr.  Armstrong  is 
cultivating  a  patch  of  landscape  to  suggest  the 
scenery  of  his  native  Scottish  border  of  "Jed 
Water  and  Geviot-dale."  Here  among  the  rocks 
and  live  oaks  of  an  old  Indian  camping  ground 
he  spends  the  early  mornings  and  leisure  hours 
in  "Planting  the  olive  where  the  wild-briar  grew." 
Here,  "sixty-five  years  3'oung,"  he  proposes  do- 
ing what  he  may  in  finishing  up  studies  which 
have  occupied  the  available  leisure  of  his  many 
busy  years  of  "chances  and  changes,  mistakes, 
losses,  successes  and  failures."  Here,  in  "the 
afternoon,"  he  is  directing  a  few  simple  scientific 
principles  towards  the  practical  goal  of  "the  best 
attainable,"  as  cheerfully  confident  of  final  re- 
sults as  was  the  first  of  the  name  in  pointing  his 
"cloth  yard"  Norman  arrows  at  the  retiring  Celt 
or  Saxons  at  Otterburn  or  Falkirk. 


HENRY  CATEY.  Noteworthy  among  the 
industrious  and  thriving  agriculturists  of  Comp- 
ton  is  Henry  Catey,  who  has  been  following  his 
independent  occupation  in  this  locality  for  up- 
wards of  twenty  years,  owning  and  occupying 
a  finely  cultivated  ranch,  to  the  improvement  of 
which  he  is  constantly  adding,  year  by  year  in- 
creasing its  value.  He  was  born  July  21,  1834, 
in  Indiana,  where  he  resided  until  after  attain- 
ing his  majority.  His  father,  Stacey  B.  Catey, 
born  in  New  Jersey  in  1806,  removed  to  Indiana 
in  1816,  then  a  boy  of  ten  years,  and  died  there 
in  1887.  He  married  Sarah  Ferguson,  who  was 
born  in  New  Jersey,  and  died  in  Indiana  in  1850, 
aged  thirty-eight  years.  Their  ten  children  all 
grew  to  years  of  maturity,  and  eight  are  still 
living.  Four  of  the  sons  served  in  the  Civil 
war,  and  one  of  these  died  from  disease  con- 
tracted while  in  the  army.  The  father  was  iden- 
tified with  the  Whigs  until  the  formation  of  the 
Republican  party  and  cast  his  first  presidential 
vote  for  John  Quincy  Adams.  The  mother  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
reared  her  children  in  that  faith. 

Leaving  his  Indiana  home  in  1857,  Henry  Catey 
came  across  the  plains  to  California,  in  com- 
pany with  three  of  his  schoolmates,  of  whom  one, 
Henry  Larkins,  was  killed  while  en  route  at 
Carson  valley.  From  there  Mr.  Catey  went  on 
to  Sacramento,  going  from  there  to  Marysville, 
and  from  there  to  Shasta  county,  where  he  re- 
mained for  four  years,  being  engaged  in  mining. 
He  was  fairly  successful,  and  continued  as  a 
miner  and  prospector  for  a  number  of  years,  pros- 


pecting in  Northern  California  until  1862,  and 
from  that  time  until  1869  in  Oregon  and  Mon- 
tana mining  fields.  Returning  then  to  Indiana, 
Mr.  Catey  married,  settled  on  a  farm,  and  re- 
mained in  that  state  for  ten  years  thereafter.  In 
the  fall  of  1882  he  came  with  his  family  to  Los 
Angeles  county,  and  in  the  spring  of  1883  pur- 
chased the  ranch  on  which  he  has  since  lived. 
He  has  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  on  which  he 
raises  some  fruit,  although  he  devotes  a  large 
part  of  it  to  alfalfa,  one  of  the  most  profitable 
crops  that  can  be  raised  in  this  section.  In  the 
pursuit  of  his  chosen  occupation,  he  has  labored 
diligently  and  effectively,  and  has  met  with 
deserved  prosperity,  his  farm  comparing  favora- 
bly in  its  appointments  and  equipments  with  any 
in  the  vicinity. 

In  Indiana,  in  1870,  Mr.  Catey  married  Mary 
A.  Keefer,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  four  children,  namely :  S.  F.  Catey, 
in  business  in  Los  Angeles ;  G.  W.  Catey,  re- 
siding in  Los  Angeles ;  Minnie  L.,  a  teacher  in 
the  public  schools  of  Compton ;  and  Emma  E. 
In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Catey  is  a  sound 
Republican,  sustaining  the  principles  of  his  party 
by  voice  and  vote.  Fie  is  identified  with  the 
establishment  of  beneficial  enterprises,  and  holds 
stock  in  the  Compton  Co-operative  store.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Catey  are  valued  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church  at  Compton,  in  which  he  is  serv- 
ing as  deacon  and  also  as  a  trustee. 


RUFUS  K.  AIcCREERY.  Los  Angeles  is 
the  home  of  many  who  have  laid  aside  the 
active  duties  of  business  life  and  are  enjoying 
in  their  declining  years  the  competency  ac- 
cumulated during  several  decades  in  the  ear- 
lier history  of  the  state.  Among  this  number 
is  Rufus  k.  McCreery,  who  came  to  Califor- 
nia in  1852,  and  is  now  living  retired  in  the 
handsome  residence  which  he  erected  at  No. 
911  Hope  street,  Los  Angeles.  On  both  sides 
of  the  family  Mr.  McCreery  is  of  Irish  ances- 
try, his  parents  claiming  County  Down  as 
their  birthplace.  Robert  and  Ann  (Blocke) 
McCreery  were  reared  and  married  in  their 
native  country,  and  about  1814  or  181 5  came 
to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Hagers- 
town,  Md.  There  the  father  opened  a  mer- 
cantile establishment  which  he  carried  on  suc- 
cessfully until  his  death,  December  27,  1833, 
while  he  was  still  a  young  man.  His  widow 
was  left  with  six  small  children,  the  youngest 
being  less  than  two  days  old.  As  soon  as  cir- 
cumstances would  permit  she  located  near 
Sharpsburg.  that  state,  but  two  years  later  she 
removed  with  her  family  to  Mount  Morris, 
Ogle  countv.  III.,  her  death  occurring  in  the 
latter   place   August   22.    1868,    at   the   age   of 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1021 


seventy-two  years,  six  months  and  twenty 
days.  She  was  a  firm  adherent  of  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  Church,  and  reared  her  chil- 
dren in  an  atmosphere  of  right  living  and 
sound  principles. 

The  nintli  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  Rufus  K.  AlcCreery,  was 
born  in  Hagerstown,  Md.,  October  i,  1825,  six 
other  children  having  previously  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  eldest  child,  Jane,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, September  4,  1813,  and  was  therefore 
only  about  one  year  old  when  the  parents  im- 
migrated to  the  United  States;  she  became  the 
wife  of  John  Meyers,  and  died  February  10, 
1874,  when  sixty  years  of  age.  Samuel  is  now 
living  retired  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years 
in  Hagerstown,  Md.,  where  he  formerly  con- 
ducted a  prosperous  banking  business.  Ann, 
who  became  the  wUe  of  James  Hayes,  died 
when  in  her  seventy-third  year,  and  5largaret, 
the  wife  of  William  Bull,  also  died  at  the  same 
age.  At  the  time  his  mother  located  in  Illi- 
nois Rufus  was  a  child  of  fifteen  years,  and  he 
distinctly  recalls  the  crude  conditions  by 
which  they  were  surrounded.  Circumstances 
made  it  necessary  for  him  to  aid  in  the  sup- 
port of  his  mother  and  younger  children,  and 
for  some  time  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for 
neighboring  farmers,  later,  however,  carrying 
on  a  farm  independently  on  rented  land.  The 
prospects  of  the  middle  west  paled  percepti- 
bly before  the  alluring  accounts  of  opportuni- 
ties in  the  far  west,  and  the  year  1852  found 
him  on  his  way  to  California.  He,  his  brother 
Samuel  and  a  friend,  each  provided  with  an 
outfit  and  yoke  of  cattle,  set  out  from  Illinois 
in  ]\Iarch.  They  crossed  the  Missouri  river  at 
Council  BlufTs  May  8,  and  by  way  of  Sublett's 
cutoff  finally  reached  Hangtown  August  8. 
The  train  with  which  the}'  crossed  the  plains 
was  a  large  one  and  was  led  by  Capt.  F.  P. 
Fuller,  who  brought  them  through  a  perilous 
journey  in  safetj'. 

In  partnership  with  his  brother  Samuel  Mr. 
McCreery  engaged  in  selling  stock  in  Hang- 
town  for  a  time  and  later  the  brothers  were 
interested  in  mining  at  Diamond  Springs  for 
about  two  years,  during  which  time  the}^  av- 
eraged $12  per  day.  Leaving  the  mines  at  the 
end  of  this  time  Rufus  K.  McCreery  went  to 
-San  Francisco  and  near  that  city  was  em- 
ployed in  a  dairy  until  the  spring  of  1855.  In 
company  with  his  brother  he  returned  east  by 
the  Nicaragua  route,  and  for  two  years  Rufus 
carried  on  a  farm  which  he  had  purchased  in 
Illinois,  having  in  the  meantime  established 
domestic  ties.  With  his  brother-in-law, 
George  Parker,  in  1859  he  again  set  out  for  the 
west,  intending  to  go  to  Pike's  Peak,  but 
when  thev  reached  Fort  Laramie  encountered 


so  many  returning  from  that  locality  they 
changed"  their  course  and  went  to  Salt  Lake 
instead,  continuing  on  from  there  to  Harney 
Lake,  in  Lassen  county,  Cal.,  where  they 
worked  in  the  mines  until  the  spring  of  i860. 
They  then  went  to  Laporte,  Plumas  county, 
where  with  five  others  they  bought  interests 
in  seven  claims  on  Rabbit  creek.  For  five  or 
six  years  their  mining  venture  proved  exceed- 
ingly profitable,  employing  as  many  as  one 
hundred  men  at  one  time,  but  complications 
arose  between  them  and  the  owner  of  the  ad- 
joining claim,  Tom  Povv'ers,  and  the  partners 
lost  nearly  all  that  they  had  accumulated. 

In  1866,  in  partnership  with  George  Mc- 
Math,  Mr.  McCreery  began  teaming  to  the 
mines,  hauling  supplies  from  Marysville  to 
Laporte  with  six  and  eight  horse  teams.  Dis- 
solving partnership  in  1869,  ;\Ir.  McCreery 
brought  his  family  to  Southern  California  in 
one  wagon  drawn  by  four  horses,  landing  in 
Los  Angeles  November  3  of  the  same  year, 
and  for  two  weeks  camped  on  the  corner  of 
Seventh  and  Flower  streets.  Thereafter  for  a 
short  time  he  rented  a  ranch  of  forty  acres  on 
Pico  street  at  Alvarado  Heights,  subsequently 
settling  on  a  quarter  section  near  Los  An- 
geles, there  conducting  a  small  dairy.  Al- 
though he  had  proved  up  and  paid  for  the  land 
and  obtained  his  patent  therefor  from  the  gov- 
ernment, he  became  involved  in  a  law-suit 
over  the  land  and  finally  lost  it,  together  with 
the  improvements  which  he  had  placed  upon 
it.  He  next  purchased  ten  acres  at  the  corner 
of  Adams  and  Vermont  streets,  for  which  he 
paid  $450,  and  after  erecting  a  house  for  his 
family  established  a  dairy  business  and  en- 
gaged in  making  butter.  To  such  an  extent 
was  he  prospered  in  his  efforts  that  it  became 
necessary  to  secure  more  land,  and  by  renting 
one  thousand  acres  along  the  river  (for  which 
he  paid  $1,000  annually)  he  was  enabled  to  in- 
crease his  herd  to  sixty  cows.  In  the  mean- 
time his  little  plot  of  ten  acres  had  been  in- 
creasing in  value,  for  in  1886  he  sold  the  same 
for  $11,000.  The  same  year  he  purchased  a 
lot  at  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Hill  streets, 
paying  $1,300  for  it,  and  the  next  year  sold  it 
for  $8,000.  With  the  proceeds  of  this  sale  he 
bought  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  at  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Vermont 
and  Florence  streets,  and  also  purchased  his 
present  residence  property  on  Hope  street. 
These  purchases  and  the  erection  of  his  home 
left  him  in  debt  about  $8,000,  but  in  a  year's 
time  he  was  enabled  to  cancel  the  obligation. 
Stocking  his  ranch  with  one  hundred  cows, 
he  carried  on  a  very  successful  dairy  business 
with  his  son  for  a  number  of  years,  the  latter 
subsequently  carrying  it  on  alone  for  a  time. 


1022 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Finally  Mr.  IMcCreery  divided  the  ranch  with 
his  son,  giving  the  latter  eighty  acres,  while 
he  himself  sold  his  share  and  invested  the  pro- 
ceeds in  city  property. 

The  marriage  of  Rufus  K.  McCreery  was 
celebrated  ^lay  6,  1856,  and  united  him  with 
Miss  Mary  B.  Bull,  a  native  of  New  York 
City,  born  January  8,  1836.  Her  father,  John 
R.  Bull,  was  born  March  i,  1795,  in  Tring, 
Hertfordshire,  England,  and  was  there  reared 
and  fitted  to  follow  the  saddler's  trade.  Dur- 
ing young  manhood,  July  10,  1824,  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  locating  in  New  York 
City,  where  his  first  wife  died  leaving  no  chil- 
dren. His  second  marriage  occurred  in  that 
city  and  united  him  with  jeanette  P.  Young, 
who  was  born  in  Perth,  Scotland,  September 
12,  1803.  In  1838  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bull  left  the 
east  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinit}-  of 
Rockford,  111.,  iMr.  Bull  taking  entire  "charge 
of  its  management  until  retiring  in  1855.  He 
lived  to  attain  the  ripe  age  of  ninety-eight 
years,  while  his  wife  was  in  her  eighty-eighth 
year  at  the  time  of  her  death.  Besides  Mrs. 
iMcCreery,  who  was  next  to  the  youngest  in 
the  family,  the  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bull  were  as  follows :  Jeanette,  the  wife  of 
George  T.  Parker  and  a  resident  of  Riverside, 
Cal. ;  John,  deceased ;  William,  who  makes  his 
home  in  Kansas ;  Israel,  of  Rockford,  111. ;  and 
Sarah,  the  widow  of  John  Redline,  who  makes 
her  home  in  Illinois.  Three  children  blessed 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCreery,  of 
whom  we  make  the  following  mention:  Nettie 
became  the  wife  of  Nelson  C.  Bledsoe,  an  at- 
torney at  law  in  Arizona ;  the  sketch  of  the 
only  son,  Samuel  Robert,  will  be  found  else- 
where in  this  volume ;  Mary  Frances  is  the 
wife  of  George  Simpson,  a  contractor  and 
builder.  Both  father  and  son  are  Republicans 
in  political  belief,  and  with  his  wife  Mr.  Mc- 
Creery is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  which  at  the  time  they  became 
identified  with  the  community  had  a  mem- 
bership of  only  thirty-six.  In  his  fraternal  as- 
sociations Mr.  McCreery  is  an  Odd  Fellow, 
holding  membership  in  Los  Angeles  Lodge 
No.  35,  and  both  himself  and  wife  are  affil- 
iated with  the  Rebekahs. 


ELMER  ELLSWORTH  MOSES.  Self- 
made  in  the  best  sense  implied  by  the  term,  El- 
mer E.  jNIoses  has  won  for  himself  a  place  among 
the  representative  citizens  of  Bassett  and  sur- 
rounding country,  being  appreciated  for  the 
qualities  of  character  he  has  exhibited  during  his 
residence  in  this  section.  He  is  not  a  native  of 
California,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Phila- 
delphia. Pa.,  ]\Iarch  4,  1863,  his  parents,  Abra- 


ham and  Rebecca  Moses,  both  being  natives  of 
Cumberland  county.  Pa.,  in  which  state  they  both 
passed  away.  He  was  their  only  child  and  as 
they  were  farmers  he  alternated  home  duties 
with  an  attendance  of  the  public  schools.  Thrown 
upon  his  own  resources  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  he  engaged  as  a  farm  hand  for  three  years, 
when  he  accepted  a  position  as  flagman  with  the 
Pennsylvania  Central  Railroad  and  ran  between 
Philadelphia  and  Harrisburg.  In  1884  he  re- 
moved to  Nebraska  and  in  Adams  county  fol- 
lowed farming  for  eleven  years,  when,  in  1895, 
he  married  Miss  Laura  Rants,  of  Illinois,  and 
with  her  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  located  in 
Garvanza,  Los  Angeles  county.  He  was  first 
employed  in  the  building  of  the  electric  rail- 
road between  Los  Angeles  and  Pasadena,  and 
after  its  completion  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company,  remaining  about 
two  years.  In  1898  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
the  vicinity  of  El  Monte,  and  in  1905  purchased 
his  present  property,  which  consists  of  twenty- 
six  acres  in  Bassett  and  all  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  walnuts  and  alfalfa.  He  has  improved  his 
property  by  the  erection  of  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence and  other  necessary  buildings,  and  while 
engaged  in  the  management  of  his  own  rancli  also 
engages  in  the  raising  of  grain  on  leased  land. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moses  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  namely :  Maude  Ella,  Clara  Neva, 
Louis,  Sadie  and  Eva.  One  daughter,  Elma,  died 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  months.  Both  himself 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  El  Monte,  in  which  Mr.  Moses  has 
officiated  as  trustee  and  class  leader.  Politically 
he  votes  the  Republican  ticket.  As  a  citizen  he 
can  always  be  counted  upon  to  uphold  the  best 
interests  of  countv,  state  and  nation. 


A.  C.  WHITTEMORE.  Although  A.  C. 
Whittemore  has  been  a  resident  of  Lompoc  for 
a  short  time  only,  he  is  now  looked  upon  as 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  and  in  business  has 
gained  the  entire  confidence  of  his  many  pa- 
trons. Mr.  Whittemore  is  of  New  England 
parentage,  his  father,  John  G.  Whittemore, 
liaving  been  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  his 
mother.  Ruth  A.  Jacobs  before  her  marriage, 
being  a  native  of  Vermont.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  Michigan  and  from  there  removed  to 
Missouri  in  1867,  where  the  elder  Whittemore 
engaged  in  farming.  Eight  children  were  born 
to  them,  three  of  whom  are  now  living  in  Cali- 
fornia, A.  C.  and  his  two  brothers,  one  residing 
at  Santa  Riaria  and  the  other  at  Mountain 
View.  A.  C.  Whittemore  was  born  in  Kent 
county,  Mich..  July  12,  1864,  was  taken  with 
the  family  to  Missouri  when  three  years  old, 
and  received  ^lis  education  through  the  medium 


^  S  ^idM 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1025 


of  the  common  schools  of  Henry  county,  in 
that  state.  When  a  young  man  he  learned 
steam  engineering  and  followed  this  calling 
for  about  fifteen  years,  at  various  times  having 
charge  of  stationary  and  portable  engines.  He 
also  worked  in  saw  mills  in  Missouri  for  five 
years. 

Mr.  Whittemore's  California  career  began 
in  1886  and  with  the  exception  of  two  years 
when  he  conducted  a  dray  and  express  busi- 
ness in  Arroyo  Grande,  he  worked  with  a 
threshing  outfit,  having  charge  of  a  portable 
engine.  In  1902  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
.Southern  Pacific  Milling  Company  at  Santa 
Maria  and  now  has  charge  of  the  business  in- 
terests of  the  firm  at  Lompoc.  also  being  the 
representative  of  the  Salinas  Valley  Lumber 
Company.  Since  assuming  charge  of  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  these  two  enterprises  he  has, 
by  persistent  efifort,  been  instrumental  in  in- 
creasing the  volume  of  business  transacted  by 
them  at  Lompoc  more  than  four-fold. 

In  i8gi  Mr.  Whittemore  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Afiss  Frances  Wear,  a  native  of 
Mountain  Viev/,  Cal.,  and  a  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph A.  Wear.  They  have  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter named  Ada.  Mr.  Whittemore  is  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Dem- 
ocratic party.  Religiously  his  belief  is  repre- 
sented by  the  Presbyterian  denomination, 
whose  charitable  and  benevolent  interests  he 
aids  with  his  support,  personal  and  financial. 
He  is  an  enthusiastic  lodge  man  and  holds 
membership  in  all  of  the  leading  fraternal  so- 
cieties. These  include  Arrovo  Lodge  No.  274, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Arroyo  Grande  (of  which  he  is 
a  past  master,  having  been  installed  W.  M.  of 
that  lodge  for  three  terms)  ;  Chapter,  R.  A.  M., 
San  Luis  Obispo :  Lompoc  Lodge  No.  248,  I. 
O.  O.  F. ;  Arroyo  Grande  Camp,  M.  W.  A.: 
Ramnna  Chapter  No.  96,  Fastern  Star,  and  is 
now  a  member  of  the  auxiliary  at  Arroyo 
Grande. 


SILAS  EDWARDS  GASKILL.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  chronicle  a  history  of  such  a  man 
as  Silas  Edwards  Gaskill,  who  in  his  pioneer 
life  has  passed  through  untold  dangers  and 
privations  and  through  it  all  has  maintained 
the  courage  and  self  reliance  which  from  boy- 
hood were  dominant  traits  in  his  character. 
It  may  be  said  that  every  year  of  his  life  has 
been  passed  on  the  frontier,  for  he  was  but 
a  child  in  vears  when  his  father  removed  from 
their  New  York  home  to  the  then  wilderness 
of  Indiana,  whence  they  continued  their  west- 
ward march,  finallv  locating  in  the  extreme 
southwest  of  the  United  States  and  taking  a 
prominent  part  as  pioneer  settlers  in  the  up- 


building of  the  city  of  San  Diego.  Thrown 
thus  into  a  pioneer  life  he  early  mastered  pio- 
neer ways,  becoming  proficient  in  the  use  of 
the  gun  and  in  time  acquired  fame  as  the  best 
shot  in  the  community.  Perhaps  no  man  in 
California  may  be  more  properly  styled  a 
hunter  than  Mr.  Gaskill,  for  it  is  doubtful  if 
any  man  has  killed  so  large  a  quantity  of 
game,  great  and  small.  His  success  in  this 
line  has  been  achieved  through  his  absolute 
fearlessness  and  presence  of  mind  in  the  midst 
of  danger.  All  in  all  he  represents  one  of 
the  best  types  of  pioneer  citizens  whose  efiforts 
for  a  personal  success  have  always  lain  par- 
allel with  those  given  for  the  development  and 
upbuilding  of  whatever  communit}-  he  has 
made  his  home. 

Mr.  Gaskill  was  born  ni  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
February  16,  1829;  his  father,  Cortland  Gas- 
kill, was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  a  de- 
scendant of  an  old  Scotland  family,  from 
whom  he  inherited  the  sterling  traits  of  char- 
acter-so  ably  maintained  in  the  lives  of  his 
sons.  In  young  m.anhood  he  located  in  New 
York  and  engaged  as  a  stage  driver  until  1835, 
when  he  migrated  to  Steuben  county,  Ind., 
and  located  upon  an  entirely  unimproved  tract 
of  land.  A  little  clearing  was  soon  made  and 
a  home  built  and  with  the  aid  of  his  children 
he  improved  and  cultivated  his  farm.  With 
the  passing  years  that  section  became  an  im- 
portant one  in  the  agricultural  life  of  the  mid- 
dle-west state.  Here  Silas  Edwards  Gaskill 
was  reared  to  manhood,  his  chief  duties  being 
to  assist  in  the  work  on  the  paternal  farm.  At 
the  time  the  familv  located  in  Indiana  there 
were  no  public  schools  in  that  section,  but 
at  a  little  later  period  a  log  school  house  was 
built  and  the  rudiments  of  an  education  given 
to  the  children  of  the  pioneer  settlers.  The 
Gaskill  family  finally  removed  to  another  sec- 
tion of  Steuben  coimty.  and  later  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  Battle  Creek.  Mich.  While  residing  in 
this  last-named  section  (where  he  learned  the 
machinist  and  gunsmith's  trade)  the  news  of 
the  great  gold  discovery  in  California  came  to 
iiim  and  so  enthused  him  to  seek  his  fortune 
in  the  Ciolden  state  that  with  three  others  he 
planned  to  make  the  overland  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia. W^hen  the  time  came,  in  the  spring 
of  1850,  his  comrades  changed  their  minds, 
but  nothing  daunted  by  the  probability  of  hav- 
ing to  make  the  iourney  alone,  Mr.  Gaskill 
set  out  with  all  his  worldly  possessions  (con- 
sisting of  $16  which  his  father  gave  him)  and 
finally  reached  western  Missouri,  having  made 
the  trip  thus  far  via  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and 
St.  Joseph.  Upon  his  arrival  in  western  Mis- 
souri he  fpund  he  was  too  early  to  start  out 
on   the   plains   and,  took  a   job     cutting    cord 


1026 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


wood.  When  the  weather  made  it  possible 
for  him  to  start  upon  his  journey  he  went  to 
Council  Bluffs  and  although  there  was  a  large 
number  of  emigrants  ready  to  make  the  trip 
he  failed  to  secure  a  place  with  the  train. 
Again  exhibiting  his  undaunted  courage  he 
set  out  alone  with  a  knapsack  containing 
crackers  and  venison,  sturdily  following  the 
setting  sun,  fording  streams  and  enduring  the 
loneliness  and  dangers  bravely.  It  was  not 
long,  however,  before  he  overtook  an  Ohio 
train  and  asked  permission  to  camp  with  them. 
It  was  readily  granted  and  he  further  made 
him.self  welcome  by  replacing  a  broken  wagon 
pole  with  a  new  one  which  he  cut  out  of 
white  oak.  With  perfect  confidence  in  the 
future  which  California  held  for  him,  he  made 
an  agreement  with  the  train  to  pay  them  $200 
of  the  first  money  he  earned  in  the  Golden 
state  for  the  privilege  of  traveling  with  them. 
However,  he  was  fortunate  in  being  able  to 
settle  this  debt  before  he  arrived  in  California, 
through  his  being  such  an  excellent  shot,  as 
this  enabled  him  to  supply  the  twenty-one 
wagons  in  the  train  with  quantities  of  meat; 
besides  exempting  him  from  guard  duty,  he 
was  also  able  to  sell  the  surplus  to  other  trains, 
an  enterprise  which  netted  him  $205.  On 
Bear  river  the  train  split  up  and  Mr.  Gas- 
kill  with  a  party  of  five,  one  wagon  and  three 
yoke  of  oxen  set  out  for  California.  At  the 
head  of  the  Humboldt  river  the  Indians 
stampeded  all  the  cattle  of  the  camp  and  they 
were  compelled  to  go  on  foot  to  the  coast,  a 
distance  of  five  hundred  miles,  carrying  their 
blankets,  guns  and  knapsacks.  They  made  an 
average  of  forty  miles  a  day,  a  sixty-five  mile 
desert  taking  them  from  3' P.  ]\I.  until  10  A. 
I\T.  of  the  following  day. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  the  state  Mr.  Gaskill 
engaged  in  mining  on  Hangtown  Creek,  later 
lie  returned  to  the  summit  and  entered  into 
partnership  with  Bob  Weeks,  who  was  con- 
ducting a  restaurant,  Mr.  Gaskill's  duty  be- 
ing to  hunt  for  the  camp.  His  first  game  was 
a  bear  which  he  sold  for  $1  per  pound  and 
which  brought  him  $600.  He  killed  all  the 
deer  he  wanted  and  brought  in  twentj^-five  to 
Hangtown  which  he  sold  for  $25  each.  At 
one  time  the  miners  decided  to  have  a  bear 
and  bull  fight,  the  only  difficulty  being  to  se- 
cure the  live  bear:  to  insure  someone  attempt- 
ing the  capture  $500  was  offered  as  an  in- 
ducement. Mr.  Gaskill  being  thoroughly  fa- 
miliar with  the  country  discovered  a  place 
where  a  bear  fed,  and  secured  three  kegs  of 
syrup  and  brandy  and  placed  them  in  his  as- 
customed  haunt.  The  bear  came  to  his  meal 
and  ate  enough  of  it  to  make  him  drunk  and 
while   in    this    condition    Mr.    Gaskill    .secured 


him  with  ropes,  loaded  him  into  a  wagon  and 
hauled  him  into  camp.  He  was  paid  the  $500 
and  given  two  free  tickets  to  three  perform- 
ances worth  $100  each.  Three  bulls  were 
pitted  against  the  bear  at  separate  times,  the 
latter  killing  two  of  the  bulls,  while  the  third 
bull  killed  the  bear.  To  further  make  his  hunt- 
ing successful  Mr.  Gaskill  had  a  three-barrel 
gun  made  to  order.  Having  lost  considerable 
game  because  he  had  no  dog  he  bought  a  six- 
months-old  pup  which  he  called  "Ring."  This 
pup  was  trained  so  he  would  hamstring  any 
bear  and  many  a  time  has  saved  Mr.  Gaskill's 
life.  At  one  time  he  killed  a  large  bear  in  the 
Redwoods  and  taking  it  to  San  Francisco,  sold 
the  liver,  lights  and  gall  for  $75  and  received 
twenty  cents  a  pound  for  the  meat.  This  in- 
duced him  to  begin  a  traffic  for  the  San  Fran- 
cisco markets  which  he  followed  for  a  period 
of  ten  years.  In  the  course  of  his  life  Mr. 
Gaskill  has  killed  three  hundred  and  two  bears. 
A  considerable  share  of  the  attention  of  Mr. 
Gaskill  was  given  to  mining,  first  at  Hang- 
town, then  Colonia  and  later  at  the  middle 
fork  of  the  y\.merican  river.  He  flumed  it 
successfully,  one  pan  netting  him  $33.  He 
was  in  partnership  with  Pegleg  Smith,  each 
of  them  taking  out  $10,000  in  a  month.  In 
September.  185 1,  Air.  Gaskill  returned  east 
via  the  Nicaragua  route  and  in  Michigan  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  Kalamazoo.  He  married 
Miss  Sarah  Cox,  who  was  born  in  Michigan. 
He  engaged  in  farming  for  a  time,  but  did 
not  like  the  monotony  after  the  exciting  life 
he  had  led  in  California.  Upon  deciding  to 
return  to  California  he  gave  his  farm  and 
teams  to  his  father  and  in  1853  made  the  trip 
west  via  Panama,  his  wife  joining  him  two 
years  later.  In  the  mean  time  he  engaged  in 
mining  in  the  Yuba  river  and  was  one  of  the 
flumers  of  the  Yuba  dam.  He  took  out  $125.- 
000,  but  the  fresliet  came  and  took  the  flume, 
leaving  him  nothing  for  his  labor.  The  sec- 
ond year  they  flumed  it  again  and  had  taken 
out  about  $100,000,  when  the  freshet  again 
carried  it  away.  The  third  year  they  flumed 
it  and  took  out  $67,000,  but  the  freshet  this 
year  left  them  $60  in  debt.  However.  Mr. 
Gaskill  had  no  difficulty  in  securing  a  stake 
and  following  this  mined  all  over  the  Sierra 
region.  For  a  time  he  resided  in  Sonoma 
count3%  but  finally  decided  to  locate  in  Ari- 
zona and  accordingly  started  southward.  On 
the  way  he  killed  deer  and  bear  and  sold  them 
in  Ventura  until  he  had  enough  money  to  buy 
a  team.  In  Santa  Ynez  he  spent  three  months 
and  there  discovered  the  first  wild  bees  he 
had  seen  in  California.  He  obtained  the  honey, 
which  eventually  cured  him  of  dyspepsia.  He 
continued    to    travel    southward    through    San 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1027 


Bernardino,  where  he  located  on  a  ranch  and 
engaged  in  vegetable  growing,  after  having 
irrigated  the  land.  He  also  hunted  and  finally 
captured  some  wild  bees  with  which  he  start- 
ed an  apiary.  This  was  a  little  black  bee 
brought  in  by  the  Mormons.  Later  ]\lr.  Gas- 
kill  sold  this  property  and  located  at  San 
Jacinto  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  Here  he  had  a  colony  of  two  hun- 
dred bees  with  which  he  was  very  successful. 
He  manifested  his  faith  in  the  future  of  South- 
ern California  by  investing  in  landed  prop- 
erty, becoming  a  one-tenth  owner  of  the  San 
Jacinto  grant  which  he  later  sold  at  a  good 
profit. 

It  was  in  1868  that  San  Diego  county  first 
claimed  the  attention  of  the  Gaskill  brothers, 
the  two  purchasing  land  and  founding  the 
town  of  Campo,  originally  called  Milquatay 
Valley.  They  li-ailt  the  first  store,  wagon  and 
blacksmith  shop,  the  first  grist  mill  which 
was  operated  by  water  power,  and  for  many 
years  were  the  principal  upbuilding  factors  of 
the  town.  Canipo  is  located  near  the  Mexi- 
can border  and  for  many  years  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  town  were  besieged  at  times  by 
the  Mexican  desperadoes.  At  one  time  there 
was  a  preconcerted  arrangement  to  attack  and 
rob  the  store  of  the  Gaskill  brothers  and  this 
led  to  one  of  the  most  terrible  fights  ever  en- 
gaged in  Campo.  The  leader  of  the  Alexi- 
can  desperadoes  was  killed,  while  several  oth- 
ers were  captured  and  hanged.  The  Gas- 
kills  exhibited  rare  courage  and  bravery  in 
this  encounter,  as  well  as  excellent  marksman- 
ship, which  turned  the  tide  of  the  battle  in 
their  favor.  A  full  account  of  this  attack  by 
the  Mexicans  is  given  in  the  biographical 
sketch  of  Luman  H.  Gaskill.  which  appears 
upon  another  page  of  this  volume. 

Mr.  Gaskill  and  his  brother  continued  to 
add  other  purchases  of  land  until  they  owned 
fourteen  hundred  acres  and  upon  this  prop- 
erty for  a  period  of  twenty-eight  years  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  stock.  In  "1894  Mr. 
Gaskill  located  in  San  Diego,  building  and 
furnishing  a  comfortable  residence  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Sixteenth  and  F  streets.  He  has  mani- 
fested his  faith  in  the  future  of  the  city  by 
dealing  extensively  in  real  estate  and  now 
owns  several  residences,  among  them  the  old 
Shoate  house  on  the  Plaza.  His  wife  died  in 
Michigan,  leaving  three  children,  namely: 
Charles  J.,  chief  clerk  in  a  railroad  office  in 
South  Bend,  Ind. ;  Henry,  yardmaster  for  a 
railroad  in  the  same  city;  and  May,  wife  of 
William  Byce  of  Willows,  Cal.  In  Campo, 
May  I,  1881,  Mr.  Gaskill  married  Mrs.  Cath- 
erine Mary  (Sloan)  Scott,  who  was  born  in 
Boston,    ATass.,    a    daughter   of   Joseph    Sloan, 


of  Vermont,  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Later 
he  located  in  the  south,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred. Her  mother  was  formerly  Catherine 
Pratt,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and 
died  in  Vermont.  Of  the  three  children  born 
to  her  parents  Mrs.  Gaskill  is  the  only  one 
living.  She  was  first  married  in  Cambridge- 
port  to  James  Scott  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  who 
was  brought  to  America  at  the  age  of  five 
years  and  here  reared  to  manhood.  He  be- 
came superintendent  of  a  woolen  mill  in 
Southbridge,  Mass.,  his  death  occurring  in 
Kansas  while  on  a  business  trip.  Born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gaskill  were  two  children;  Mary 
J.,  of  San  Diego;  and  Andrew,  who  died  in 
Alarysville.'  Mrs.  Gaskill  is  a  member  of  the 
Ladies  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
In  his  political  convictions  Mr.  Gaskill  ad- 
heres to  the  principles  in  the  platform  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  although  he  has  never 
sought  official  position  he  has  always  given  a 
hearty  support  to  the  candidates  for  office  on 
this  ticket. 


AL\CEDONIO  MACHADO.  The  name 
above  given  calls  to  mind  one  of  the  earliest 
Spanish  families  represented  in  Los  Angeles  coun- 
ty, and  the  first  member  of  whom  we  have  any 
definite  knowledge  was  the  grandfather.  Augus- 
tin  Machado.  The  birthplace  of  the  latter  is 
not  definitely  known,  but  it  is  certain  that  his 
son,  Tuan  ]\iachado,  was  born  on  the  family  es- 
tate in  the  latter  county.  At  the  time  of  the 
disruption  brought  about  by  the  annexation  of 
Texas  to  the  Union,  known  in  history  as  the 
Mexican  war,  Juan  Machado  was  just  twenty 
years  of  age,  but  notwithstanding  his  youth  he 
passed  the  scrutiny  of  the  mustering  officer  and 
was  admitted  to  the  service.  After  peace  was 
declared  he  resumed  private  life  and  made  his 
home  in  Los  Angeles  county  for  a  number  of 
years,  in  later  life,  however,  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Elsinore,  Riverside  county.  During  his 
young  manhood  he  formed  domestic  ties  by  his 
marriage  with  Manuela  Altamirano,  who  like 
himself  was  of  Spanish  origin  and  also  a  native  of 
Los  .Angeles  county.  Both  parents  are  now  de- 
ceased, the  mother  passing  away  in  Los  Angeles 
in  1903,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  and  the 
father  in  Temecula,  Riverside  county,  in  1904, 
when  in  his  seventy-eight  year. 

On  the  old  IMachado  homestead  in  Los  An- 
geles county  Macedonio  Machado  was  born  in 
1857.  Upon  reaching  school  age  he  was  placed 
in  school  nearest  his  home  and  for  a  number  of 
years  conned  his  lessons  in  the  temple  of  learn- 
ing in  La  Ballona.  Later  he  attended  Santa 
Clara  College  and  finally  took  a  course  in  Heald's 
Business  College  in  Los' Angeles,  this  latter  train- 


1028 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  being  his  initiation,  so  to  speak,  into  the  com- 
mercial Hfe  which  lias  formed  so  large  a  part  of 
his  career.  From  Los  Angeles  he  came  to  Teme- 
cula  in  1887  and  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in 
the  old  govermnent  store  then  in  charge  of  Louis 
Wolf,  a  Frenchman,  who  had  come  to  San  Fran- 
cisco in  the  days  of  mining  fever,  and  for  five 
years,  from  1852  until  1857,  had  followed  the 
uncertain  though  fascinating  life  of  a  miner.  In 
the  last  year  mentioned  he  came  to  Temecula  and 
established  himself  in  the  general  merchandise 
business,  following  it  in  this  location  for  eight 
years.  It  was  during  this  time  that  he  formed 
an  intimate  acquaintance  with  Helen  Hunt  Jack- 
son, who  was  one  of  his  patrons.  About  1865 
Mr.  Wolf  bought  out  the  store  of  Simon  Mund, 
also  in  Temecula,  and  of  this  enterprise  Mr. 
Machado  had  charge  for  one  year,  severing  his 
connection  with  Mr.  Wolf  at  the  end  of  that  time 
and  removing  to  San  Bernardino,  where  for 
twelve  months  he  was  bookkeeper  in  the,  office 
of  M.  Burne.  Terminating  his  service  with  Mr. 
Burne  at  the  end  of  this  time  he  returned  to 
Los  Angeles  and  for  one  year  clerked  in  the  store 
of  Eugene  Meyer  &  Co.  His  old  employer  in 
Temecula  again  oiifering  him  a  favorable  induce- 
ment he  returned  hither  and  clerked  for  Mr.  Wolf 
for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  that  time  being  taken 
into  partnership  with  him,  an  association  which 
was  mutually  agreeable  and  profitable,  but  which 
was  terminated  five  years  later  by  the  death  of 
Mr.  Wolf.  With  his  father  as  his  partner  Mr. 
Machado  purchased  the  stock  and  carried  on 
business  under  the  name  of  Machado  &  Co.,  until 
1889,  when  the  store  and  contents  were  utterly 
destroyed,  entailing  a  loss  of  $12,000  to  the  son 
alone.  Undaunted  by  this  disaster,  however,  he 
removed  to  the  Welty  hotel  building  and  once 
more  opened  up  for  business  with  a  complete 
assortment  of  goods.  Two  years  later,  in  1891, 
he  was  again  visited  by  the  fire  fiend,  and  as 
before  his  stock  was  completely  ruined.  This 
was  surely  a  severe  test  for  one  possessing  even 
his  courageous  spirit,  but  he  proved  equal  to  it 
and  Plioenix-like  rose  from  the  ashes  and  re- 
established himself  once  more  in  business.  The 
struggle  was  long  and  strenuous,  but  in  ten  years 
he  had  cleared  off  all  of  his  old  debts  and  was  on 
the  high  road  to  success  which  is  his  today. 

In  1886  Macedonio  Machado  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Alice  Vaughn,  a  native  of  Iowa. 
The  ups  and  downs  which  have  formed  so  prom- 
inent a  feature  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Machado  would 
have  embittered  many  men,  but  not  so  with  him, 
on  the  other  hand  he  has  taken  a  keen  and  heart- 
felt interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  fellow-citizens 
and  in  turn  has  been  honored  by  them  by  election 
to  many  offices  of  public  trust,  and  in  each  and 
every  case  has  served  with  satisfaction  to  his  con- 
stituents.    For  two  terms  he  was  chief  ranger. 


four  years  served  as  deputy  assessor,  one  year 
as  game  warden,  and  for  one  and  a  half  years 
served  as  postmaster  in  Temecula,  all  of  which 
positions  have  been  held  under  Republican  rule. 
In  addition  to  his  mercantile  business  he  has 
been  interested  in  the  real-estate  business  since 
1889,  owning  four  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Riverside  county,  besides  which  he  owns  an  in- 
terest in  twenty-five  hundred  acres  of  farming 
land  also  in  Riverside  county.  He  also  owns 
large  interests  in  the  tourmaline  and  beryl  mines 
at  Rincon  and  Smith  mountain.  In  this  resume 
of  the  life  of  Mr.  ]\Iachado  it  will  be  seen  that 
he  possesses  personal  qualifications  of  a  high 
order  and  that  he  has  made  good  use  of  them 
and  made  them  count  on  the  credit  side  of  the 
page  is  best  told  in  the  story  of  his  life. 


EDWARD  L.  CLANCY.  A  man  of  resolu- 
tion and  much  force  of  character,  E.  L.  Clancy 
of  San  Luis  Rey  is  a  fine  representative  of  the 
progressive  agriculturists  whose  shrewd  fore- 
sight and  determined  energy  have  opened  the 
way  for  the  settlement  of  the  San  Luis  Rey  val- 
ley, and  are  now  active  in  developing  its  varied 
resources.  A  son  of  the  late  Thomas  M.  Clancy, 
he  was  born,  February  13,  1855,  in  Jo  Daviess 
county.  111.,  when  the  metropolis  of  Chicago  was 
only  a  straggling  hamlet,  with  small  indications 
of  its  present  proud  position  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing cities  of  the  world. 

A  native  of  Ireland,  Thomas  M.  Clancy  was 
there  reared  to  man's  estate.  In  1849  h^  came 
with  his  bride,  whose  maiden  name  was  Cather- 
ine McManus,  to  the  United  States,  locating 
first  in  Jo  Daviess  county,  111.  He  afterwards 
moved  to  Kansas,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.  His  widow  survived  him,  dying  in  South 
Dakota.  He  served  for  three  years  in  the  Civil 
war,  belonging  to  the  Ninetieth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  for  two  years  was  employed 
in  the  Signal  Service  department.  He  was  a 
man  of  much  force  of  character,  possessing 
strong  convictions,  and  in  his  political  affiliations 
was  a  sound  Democrat. 

In  Jo  Daviess  county.  111.,  E.  L.  Clancy  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  after  which 
he  assisted  for  a  few  years  in  the  care  of  the 
home  ranch.  He  was  subsequently  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  on  his  own  account,  re- 
maining in  Illinois  until  1883.  Going  then  to 
South  Dakota,  he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  government  land,  and  having  begun  its 
improvement  there  followed  his  independent 
calling  for  seven  years.  Selling  his  estate  in 
1891,  he  lived  for  thirteen  years  in  Arizona,  be- 
ing there  employed  as  a  machine  hand  in  a  plan- 
ing mill.  Coming  to  San  Diego  county  in  1904, 
he  bought  his  present  ranch  of  forty  acres,  near 


i 


WILLIAM  L  .  SIDWELL 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1031 


TBonsall,  and  has  since  been  profitably  engaged 
in  grain-raising  and  dairying.  He  keeps  ten 
cows,  and  in  addition  to  caring  for  his  dairy 
makes  a  specialty  to  a  certain  extent  of  raising 
poultry,  an  industry  in  which  he  is  quite  suc- 
cessful. 

In  1897,  ''i  Kansas,  Mr.  Clancy  married  Mary 
E.  Verschelden,  a  native  of  Belgium,  and  of 
their  union  two  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Joseph,  six  years  old ;  and  August,  two  years  of 
age.  In  national  affairs  Mr.  Clancy  supports 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  in 
local  matters  he  votes  for  the  best  men  and 
measures,  regardless  of  party  affiliations.  Fra- 
ternally he  united  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Foresters  at  Flagstaff,  Ariz.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Mission  Catholic  Church,  towards  the 
support  of  which  he  contributes  generously. 


WILLIAM  L.  SIDWELL.  Until  September 
27,  1902,  William  L.  Sidwell  was  numbered 
among  the  progressive  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zens of  Los  Angeles  county,  where  he  had  made 
his  home  for  more  than  twenty  years.  He  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Pennsville,  Morgan  county,  July  7,  1842,  his 
parents  being  Jesse  and  Hannah  (Sutliff)  Sid- 
well ;  both  father  and  mother  were  also  natives 
of  Ohio,  where  ancestors  of  the  family  (English 
on  the  paternal  side)  had  established  the  name. 
When  twelve  years  old  his  parents  removed  to 
Texas,  settling  in  Collin  county,  where  he  began 
to  learn  the  trade  of  blacksmith  three  years  later, 
working  with  his  father,  who  followed  tliis  pur- 
suit throughout  his  entire  active  life.  The  elder 
man  located  in  Arkansas  after  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war,  in  which  state  his  death  eventually  oc- 
curred. 

William  L.  Sidwell  was  only  twenty  years  old 
when  he  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  the  "sunny 
south",  becoming  a  member  of  what  was  known 
as  the  Gano  squadron  of  cavalry,  and  with  them 
participated  in  a  number  of  skirmishes  with  Union 
troops,  principally  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky, 
and  also  did  considerable  scouting  and  cavalry 
work  of  a  general  nature.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged after  one  year's  service,  and  later  enlist- 
ed in  a  troop  of  cavalry  in  the  Trans-Mississippi 
army,  remaining  in  this  survice  until  the  sur- 
render of  Lee  ended  the  civil  strife.  The  cavalrv 
disbanded  at  Marshall.  Tex.,  and  Mr.  Sidwell 
returned  to  civic  pursuits  in  his  home  in  Texas. 
The  devastating  influence  of  the  Civil  war  was 
such  as  to  induce  many  of  the  old  settlers  to 
seek  homes' elsewhere,  and  Mr.  Sidwell  was  no 
exception  to  the  rule,  and  in  1867  he  removed 
to  Missouri  and  followed  his  trade  in  that  state 
for  the  ensuing  two  years.  Deciding  to  try  his 
fortinies  in  the  west,  then  made  accessible  bv  the 


opening  of  the  great  trans-continental  railway, 
he  came  to  California  in  1869  and  in  San  Diego 
established  a  blacksmithing  business,  which  he 
continued  for  several  years.  He  met  with  suc- 
cess in  his  line  of  work,  and  accumulated  consid- 
erable means.  Subsequently  going  to  Orange 
county,  he  engaged  in  business  in  the  village  of 
Orange,  and  later  was  established  in  Anaheim, 
same  county.  In  1880  he  settled  permanently  in 
the  Ranchito  district,  Los  Angeles  county,  and  on 
the  present  site  of  Rivera  engaged  in  blacksmith- 
ing and  mercantile  pursuits,  and  at  the  same  time 
followed  farming  to  some  extent.  He  was  very 
successful  in  his  operations  and  acquired  consid- 
erable means,  which  he  later  invested  in  walnut 
groves,  owning  three  at  the  time  of  his  demise. 
He  became  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  this 
section,  participating  in  all  movements  for  the 
development  and  upbuilding  of  the  country  and 
its  best  interests ;  as  a  member  of  the  Los  Nietos 
and  Ranchito  Walnut  Growers'  Association,  in- 
corporated, he  was  active  in  the  advancement 
of  tliese  interests  and  was  one  of  the  foremost 
walnut  growers  in  this  part  of  the  state.  In 
his  political  affiliations  he  was  a  Democrat  and 
although  too  busy  to  ever  care  for  official  recog- 
nition for  himself,  yet  he  exercised  an  influence 
in  political  affairs.  Frugal  and  thrifty  by  in- 
heritance and  training,  of  good,  sound  business 
principles  and  unswerving  honor,  he  not  only  ac- 
quired a  financial  success,  but  became  known  as 
well  as  one  of  the  substantial  and  reliable  citizens 
of  Southern  California. 

Mr.  Sidwell  is  survived  by  his  widow,  for- 
merly Miss  Belle  Frances  Gallaspy,  a  native  of 
Texas,  and  daughter  of  William  Gallaspy,  who 
brought  his  family  to  California  in  an  early  day 
and  located  with  them  in  San  Diego  county.  She 
is  a  woman  of  rare  worth  and  character,  possess- 
ing many  admirable  qualities,  which  have  won  her 
universal  esteem.  For  many  years  she  performed 
the  duties  of  postmaster  of  Ranchito  and  thus 
became  widely  known.  She  is  the  mother  of  three 
children,  namely :  Estella,  wife  of  Henry  Jud- 
son,  of  Rivera ;  Lester  L.,  who  resides  on  one  of 
the  ranches  owned  by  the  Sidwell  estate ;  and 
Chester  C,  who  resides  in  the  Ranchito  district. 
The  two  sons  were  educated  at  the  Throop  Poly- 
technic Institute,  at  Pasadena,  and  are  adding  to 
their  inheritance  of  an  honorable  name  strong, 
earnest  and  upright  living,  which  gives  them  a 
place  among  the  representative  men  of  Southern 
California. 


A.  W.  WOHLFORD.  Intimately  associated 
with  the  financial  history  and  the  commercial 
development  of  San  Diego  countv  is  the  naine  of 
A.  W.  Wohlford.  president  of  the  Bank  of  Es- 
condido.  president  of  the  Escondido  Savings  Bank 


1032 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  a  director  and  stockholder  in  the  Escondido 
Lumber,  Hay  &  Grain  Company,  all  of  which 
organizations  owe  their  present  progress  and 
their  sound  moneyed  basis  to  his  able  efforts, 
co-laboring  with  William  L.  Ramey  and  assisted 
by  a  number  of  the  progressive  men  of  his  home 
town.  A  man  of  strong  character,  with  the 
advantages  of  a  university  education,  it  would 
be  impossible  for  Mr.  Wohlford  to  identify 
himself  with  any  town  without  impressing  his 
vigorous  personality  and  his  fine  mental  endow- 
ments upon  the  industries  of  the  place  to  their 
upbuilding  and  progress.  Those  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  him  state  that,  aside  from  his  broad 
intelligence,  his  prominent  and  leading  trait  of 
character  is  his  strict  integrity  and  the  care  he 
exercises  in  living  up  to  the  very  letter  of  his 
obligations  and  promises ;  and  this  same  honesty 
and  care  he  demands  of  those  doing  business  with 
him. 

Near  the  city  of  Freeport  in  Illinois  A.  W. 
Wohlford  was  born  January  15,  1858.  His 
father,  John,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
in  1836  removed  to  Illinois,  where  he  took  up  a 
tract  of  government  land  and  remained  until  his 
death  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  He 
had  married  a  member  of  the  Heckman  family  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  wife,  like  himself,  was 
born  in  that  state  and  died  in  Illinois.  After 
having  completed  the  studies  of  the  common 
schools  A.  W.  Wohlford  was  sent  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin,  where  he  took  a  complete 
course  of  study  and  was  graduated  in  1880  with 
a  high  standing  as  a  student.  Returning  home 
he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  five  years 
and  then  removed  to  Nebraska,  where  he  or- 
ganized the  First  National  Bank  of  Madison  and 
became  the  president  and  principal  stockholder 
in  the  organization.  Since  his  removal  from 
Nebraska  he  has  still  retained  an  interest  in  the 
bank.  In  1890  he  came  to  California  and  after  a 
brief  stay  in  San  Diego  he  settled  at  Escondido, 
where  he  has  since  owned  the  controlling  in- 
terest in  the  Bank  of  Escondido  and  has  been 
instrumental  in  the  recent  transformation  of  the 
institution  into  a  national  bank.  In  addition  he 
acts  as  president  of  the  Escondido  Savings  Bank 
and  has  been  the  leading  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  latter  concern.  In  common  with 
many  other  residents  of  the  locality  he  is  in- 
terested in  the  raising  of  citrus  fruits  and  from 
his  three  lemon  groves  he  ships  an  average  of 
twenty-five  carloads  of  lemons  each  year.  Horti- 
culture presents  to  him  an  agreeable  relaxation 
from  the  cares  of  business  and  the  management 
of  his  large  financial  interests,  and  he  has  found 
it  not  only  a  pleasant  occupation,  but  the  source 
of  a  goodly  income  as  well. 

When  Mr.  Wohlford  came  to  California  he 
was  still  unmarried,  but  in   1893  he  established 


domestic  ties  through  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Lillie  Burnet,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  they  are 
now  the  parents  of  two  children,  Mary  and 
Burnet.  In  fraternal  affiliations  Mr.  Wohlford 
belongs  to  the  blue  lodge  of  Masonry  at  Es- 
condido and  still  retains  his  membership  in  Free- 
port  Chapter  No.  23,  R.  A.  M.,  besides  which 
he  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


JOSEPH  ^'.  SPROUSE.  None  of  the  quiet 
dignity  and  refinement  which  form  so  large  an  ele- 
ment in  the  make-up  of  the  typical  southern  gen- 
tleman is  found  wanting  in  Mr.  Sprouse,  whose 
hospitality  and  generosity  are  proverbial  to  the 
residents  of  Julian  and  the  surrounding  country 
for  many  miles.  He  is  descended  from  a  long 
line  of  southern  ancestors,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  Margaret  (Evans)  Sprouse,  natives  of  Miss- 
issppi  and  Arkansas  respectively.  Later  years, 
however,  found  them  residents  of  California, 
and  in  this  state  both  passed  away,  the  father 
in  1891,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  and  the 
mother  in  August,  1905,  when  in  her  seventy- 
fifth  year.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  exemplified  throughout  her 
life  the  teachings  of  the  Christian  religion.  Poli- 
tically Mr.  Sprouse  was  a  Democrat.  Of  the 
seven  children  who  originally  comprised  the 
parental  family  only  four  are  now  living,  as  fol- 
lows :  John  T.,  a  resident  of  San  Bernardino 
county ;  Mrs.  Arthur  Miller,  of  San  EHego  coun- 
ty;  Mrs.  Beccka  M.  Robert,  of  Texas;  and 
Joseph  V.  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Born  in  Van  Buren  county,  Ark.,  October  6, 
1849,  Joseph  V.  Sprouse  was  only  about  three 
years  old  at  the  time  the  family  took  up  their 
abode  in  Texas,  and  all  of  his  boyhood  and  early 
manhood  were  associated  with  scenes  and  acti- 
vities in  the  latter  state.  The  time  and  place 
were  not  especially  favorable  for  gaining  more 
than  the  rudiments  of  an  education,  but  such 
as  were  afforded  were  made  the  most  of  and 
furnished  the  foundation  for  the  broad  know- 
ledge of  men  and  afifairs  which  Mr.  Sprouse  en- 
joys today.  Then  as  now,  Texas  was  parti- 
cularly well  suited  to  the  cattle  business,  broad, 
unlimited  fields  and  an  abundance  of  luscious 
grass  being  the  chief  requirements,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  Mr.  Sprouse  was  very  success- 
ful as  a  stock-raiser.  In  addition  to  carrying 
on  his  extensive  ranch  he  also  did  considerable 
teaming.  When  about  twenty-six  years  old,  June 
14,  1875,  he  left  the  Lone  Star  state  with  Califor- 
nia as  his  destination,  the  slow  but  sturdy  horse 
teams  with  which  he  made  the  trip  overland 
reaching  Los  Angeles  January  17,  1876,  after 
a  journey  of  seven  months  and  fifteen  days.  His 
first  settlement  in  the  state  was  at  Downey,  Los 


^# 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHIC\L  RECORD. 


1035 


Angeles  county,  but  he  soon  afterward  purchased 
a  ranch  near  New  River.  The  four  years  which 
he  spent  in  that  vicinity  proved  unprofitable, 
however,  and  he  lost  the  ranch  as  a  result.  This 
experience  did  not  in  the  least  tend  to  dampen 
his  ardor,  but  rather  spurred  him  on  and  in- 
creased his  determination  to  find  a  location  suited 
to  his  needs.  Foster,  San  Juan,  Ellsa  caiion  and 
Santa  Ana  in  turn  knew  him  for  a  short  time, 
but  it  was  not  until  the  spring  of  1892  that  he 
settled  on  his  present  ranch  in  the  vicinity  of 
Julian.  The  family  home  is  a  comfortable  cot- 
tage which  was  erected  by  Mr.  Sprouse  on  a 
tract  of  seven  acres,  and  in  addition  to  the  land 
which  he  owns  he  leases  adjoining  land  for  ranch- 
ing purposes.  Besides  raising  stock  he  does  con- 
siderable teaming,  both  industries  contributing 
to  make  a  very  satisfactory  income. 

In  1872  Mr.  Sprouse  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  T.  Collins,  All  of  the  five  children  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sprouse  are  still  living  and  are 
named  as  follows :  Margaret,  the  wife  of  Qiarles 
Potter;  Emma  A.,  who  became  the  wife  Ed 
Martin;  Artie  M.,  Mrs.  Will  Grigsby,  of  San 
Diego;  Thomas  A.  and  Joseph  W.  Politically 
Mr.  Sprouse  is  a  Democrat,  and  on  that  party's 
ticket  has  been  elected  school  trustee  a  number 
of  times.  Mr.  Sprouse  is  universally  esteemed 
and  respected,  a  fact  which  is  attested  by  his 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


ALBERT  G.  SEPULVEDA.  In  financial 
circles  in  the  city  of  San  Pedro  Albert  G.  Sepul- 
veda  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  well-post- 
ed men.  He  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest 
pioneer  families  of  Southern  California  and  one 
that  has  been  identified  with  its  development 
and  upbuilding  for  more  than  two  generations, 
both  his  fatlier,  Roman  D.,  and  grandfather, 
Jose  Diego,  having  been  born  in  San  Pedro,  the 
latter  being  one  of  five  brothers  who  owned  the 
Palos  Verdes  grant  of  land  comprising  thirty- 
nine  thousand  acres.  The  grandfather,  Jose 
Diego  Sepulveda,  was  born  in  San  Pedro  in  1813 
and  died  here  in  1872,  when  fifty-nine  years  of 
age.  His  marriage  with  Marie  E.  Desolde,  who 
was  born  in  San  Diego,  allied  him  with  a  family 
well  known  for  many  years  in  that  locality.  All 
of  the  three  children  born  to  Jose  Diego  and 
Marie  E.  Sepulveda  are  still  living  in  San  Pedro, 
as  follows :  Aurelio  W.,  Roman  D.  and  Rude- 
cinda  F.,  the  latter  the  wife  of  James  H.  Dodson. 
Born  in  San  Pedro  August  9,  1854,  Roman  D. 
Sepulveda  was  there  reared,  and  after  gaining  a 
preliminarv  education  in  the  public  schools  there 
attended  St.  Vincent's  College  at  Los  Angeles. 
LTpon  the  completion  of  his  studies  he  returned 
to  San  Pedro,  where  he  has  ever  since  been  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  enterprising  citizens. 


being  closely  identified  with  numerous  important 
development  enterprises.  He  was  county  super- 
intendent of  roads  for  a  time,  then  engaged  in 
real  estate  dealing  and  laid  out  the  Caroline  tract 
and  Grand  View  addition,  the  two  comprising 
three  hundred  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  has 
been  disposed  of  at  good  prices.  He  has  large 
interests  in  the  old  town  of  San  Pedro  and  still 
owns  land  in  the  western  part  of  the  city  and  ad- 
jacent to  it.  Many  of  the  residences  and  busi- 
ness blocks  here  were  built  by  him,  among  the 
latter  being  three  brick  blocks,  the  Sepulveda 
building  on  Beacon  street,  where  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  is  located,  the  Sailors  Union  Home, 
also  on  Beacon  street,  and  the  Harbor  City  Sav- 
ings Bank  building,  the  two  latter  named  being 
two  stories  in  height.  He  established  the  Sepul- 
veda water  works,  the  headwaters  of  which  are 
a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  the  water  being  pumped 
from  springs  into  the  reservoir.  The  develop- 
ment of  water  works  is  one  of  his  special  inter- 
ests, in  which  he  utilizes  both  springs  and  wells. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  San  Pedro  and  is  now  vice- 
president  of  that  institution.  In  the  official  hfe 
of  the  city  he  has  been  active  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  city  board  of  trustees  for  two 
terms.  Politically  he  is  an  advocate  of  the  prin- 
ciples embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  fraternally  he  affiliates  with  the  Eagles. 
All  of  these  business,  political  and  social  connec- 
tions give  him  a  well-rounded  interest  in  the 
whole  life  of  the  city  and  make  him  naturally 
a  leading  and  highly  respected  citizen.  The  fam- 
ily home  is  a  comfortable  and  attractive  one, 
located  on  Fifth  street,  and  is  presided  over  bv 
his  wife,  formerly  Caroline  Oden,  a  native  of 
Wilmington,  and  the  daughter  of  George  W. 
Oden,  a  pioneer  builder  of  that  locality. 

Of  the  eight  children  comprising  the  parental 
family  Albert  G.  is  the  eldest,  born  in  Wilming- 
ton November  21,  1880;  William,  who  came  next, 
is  engaged  in  farming  near  San  Pedro;  Philip 
is  a  teamster  in  San  Pedro;  Benjamin  is  private 
secretary  to  George  H.  Peck ;  Louis  is  at  home ; 
Carrie  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Shearer,  and  Maud 
and  Ella  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 
Reared  in  San  Pedro,  Albert  G.  Sepulveda  at- 
tended the  public  schools  there,  later  taking  a 
course  in  the  Los  Angeles  Business  College,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1899.  His  first  business 
position  was  with  the  German-American  Savings 
Bank  in  Los  Angeles,  and  during  the  five  years 
that  he  was  with  that  institution  he  rose  steadily 
from  stenographer  to  teller,  which  latter  position 
he  resigned  in  1904  to  assist  in  the  organization 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  San  Pedro.  When 
this  bank  was  opened  he  was  elected  assistant 
cashier  and  has  held  the  position  ever  since.  The 
institution  does  a  general  banking  business,  and 


1036 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


with  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000  and  a  surplus  of 
$10,000  holds  a  strong  and  stable  position  in 
banking  circles. 

In  1906  Mr.  Sepulveda  assisted  in  the  organ- 
ization  of  the  Harbor  City  Savings  Banlv  and 
has  been  its  cashier  from  the  time  of  its  openmg. 
This  bank  has  a  paid-up  capital  stock  of  $25,000, _ 
transacts  a  general  savings  bank  business,  pay-' 
ing  three  and  four  per  cent  on  time  deposits. 
It  is  located  in  the  Harbor  City  Savings  Bank 
building,  50x75  feet  in  dimensions,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Palos  Verdes  and  Sixth  streets,  is  up-to- 
date  in  its  fixtures  and  provided  with  safety 
deposit  vaults.  In  national  politics  Air.  Sepulveda 
is  a  believer  in  tlie  principles  of  the  Republican 
party.  Fraternally  he  has  a  number  of  prominent 
connections,  being  a  member  of  the  Red  Men, 
the  Order  of  Pocahontas,  was  made  a  Mason  in 
San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  332,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  belongs 
to  San  Pedro  Chapter  No.  89,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  As  a 
young  and  successful  business  man  and  a  pub- 
lic-spirited citizen  prominent  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  community  in  which  he  resides  he  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem  by  a  host  of  friends,  who 
admire  him  as  well  for  his  many  excellent  per- 
sonal qualities. 


BYRON  CLARK.  The  raising  of  walnuts  is 
one  of  the  most  satisfactory  ranching  industries 
in  Southern  California,  and  among  those  who 
are  engaged  in  this  profitable  employment  men- 
tion belongs  to  Byron  Clark,  whose  ranch  of 
eleven  acres  lies  a  short  distance  from  Palms, 
Los  Angeles  county.  A  native  of  Kansas,  he 
was  born  in  i860,  a  son  of  Samuel  L.  Clark,  who 
was  born  on  the  Wabash  river,  in  Indiana,  in 
183 1.  As  a  farmer  the  father  started  out  early 
in  life  to  make  his  own  way,  and  in  1855  took 
up  government  land  in  Kansas.  Besides  the 
quarter  section  which  he  homesteaded  he  also 
bought  ten  acres  more,  making  his  home  on  this 
property  until  1877,  when  he  sold  out  his  hold- 
ings in  that  state  and  removed  to  Kansas  City, 
Mo.  A  change  of  location  brought  about  a 
change  of  occupation  as  well,  and  for  twenty 
years  he  carried  on  a  very  satisfactory  fuel  and 
feed  business  in  the  latter  city.  Disposing  of 
his  mercantile  interests  at  the  end  of  this  time 
he  once  more  took  up  farming  on  a  tract  of  ten 
acres  near  Baldwin,  Kans.,  but  of  late  years  has 
given  up  active  work  altogether  and  still  makes 
his  home  there.  Before  her  marriage  Mrs.  Clark 
was  Leonora  J.  Market.  She  was  born  in  Ind- 
iana in  1841,  and  passed  away  in  Baldwin,  Kans., 
in  1905. 

In  a  family  of  seven  children  bom  to  his  par- 
ents Byron  Clark  was  next  to  the  oldest.  His 
school  days  over,  he  entered  into  a  partnership 


with  his  father  in  the  feed  business  in  Kansas 
City,  but  four  years  later  he  withdrew  from  the 
firm  and  began  making  preparations  to  come  to 
California.  The  year  1887  witnessed  his  arrival 
in  San  Diego,  and  one  month  later  he  came  to 
Los  Angeles  county.  His  first  purchase  of  land 
in  this  county  he  sold  after  residing  on  it  one 
year,  investing  the  proceeds  in  the  eleven  acres 
which  comprise  his  present  ranch  near  Palms. 
Of  this  tract  eight  acres  are  in  walnuts. 

In  1885  Mr.  Clark  was  married  to  Margaret 
Proebstel,  who  was  born  in  Missouri  on  Christ- 
mas day  of  1858,  and  was  the  second  in  order 
of  birth  in  the  family  of  five  children  born  to 
her  parents,  Andrew  and  Matilda  J.  (Matney) 
Proebstel.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark 
has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  five  interesting 
children,  as  follows:  Abbie  E.,  Leonora  J., 
Samuel  G.,  Anna  May  and  Emma  Louisa.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Union  Church. 


HARRY  C.  AIKEN.  Among  the  men  of 
prominence  in  Glendale  is  Harry  C.  Aiken, 
who  is  well  known  as  the  former  chief  officer 
of  the  Los  Angeles  Humane  Society.  A  man 
of  quick  perceptions,  warm-hearted  and  broad- 
minded,  with  a  keen  sense  of  justice,  he  was 
especially  adapted  to  the  position  which  he 
so  ably  filled,  and  performed  the  various  du- 
ties devolving  upon  him  with  credit  to  himself 
and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  He 
was  born  March  31,  1862,  in  Colorado,  but 
was  brought  up  and  educated  in  Michigan, 
where  he  lived  until  sixteen  years  old. 

Returning  then  to  Colorado,  Mr.  Aiken  re- 
sided in  that  state  a  number  of  years,  and  also 
spent  ten  j^ears  in  Iowa  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business.  In  early  manhood  he  became 
associated  with  the  Pinkerton  Detective  As- 
sociation, continuing  for  about  ten  years  in 
their  employ.  Coming  to  Los  Angeles  in  1903, 
he  here  established  a  branch  ofiice  of  the 
agency,  of  which  he  was  superintendent  for 
about' four  months.  Then,  his  health  giving 
out,  owing  to  the  severe  strain  to  which  he 
had  so  long  been  subjected,  he  resigned  his 
position.  On  June  i,  1905,  after  several 
months  of  recuperation,  he  was  appointed  to 
the  responsible  position  as  chief  officer  of  the 
Humane  Society,  which  looks  after  children, 
and  under  the  new  law  he  was  a  county  of- 
ficer, with  legal  authority  throughout  the  city 
and  countv.     This  office  he  held  one  year. 

In  Seattle,  Wa.sh..  !\Tr.  Aiken  married  Eliza- 
beth Creamer,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and 
prior  to  her  marriage  was  a  teacher  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  One  child  has  blessed  their  union, 
Horace  P. 

In  1904  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aiken  purchased  their 


^^^^4.^. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1039 


present  residence  property  at  Glendale,  on 
Ninth  street,  where  they  have  a  beautiful 
home.  They  have  five  acres  of  land,  upon 
which  they  have  high-grade  dogs  and  cats, 
and  on  which  they  also  raised  chickens  for 
the  market,  making  a  specialty  of  broilers. 
Mrs.  Aiken  has  the  finest  Angora  cats  to  be 
found  in  the  west,  and  at  the  cat  show,  held 
in  Los  Angeles  in  January,  1906,  she  took 
three  first  premiums  on  Angora  cats,  and  one 
first  premium  on  Japanese  cats.  She  and 
.her  husband  had  at  one  time  six  hundred  pet 
pigeons,  but  the}'  disposed  of  all  their  birds 
and  now  devote  their  time  to  raising  dogs, 
making  a  specialty  of  bulldogs.  Collies  and 
Pomeranians,  their  kennels  being  known  as 
the  Persian  Kennels.  In  1906  Mr.  Aiken  es- 
tablished a  boarding  place  for  the  cats  of  tour- 
ists and  residents,  where  they  are  given  the 
best  of  care.  In  the  raising  of  pets  thus  far 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aiken  have  been  very  success- 
ful, and  their  stock  farm,  when  completed, 
will  be  by  far  the  largest  and  best  of  the  kind 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  Politically  Mr.  Aiken 
is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Arcanum  of  Los  Angeles. 


HON.  HENRY  MONTAGUE  WILLIS, 
San  Bernardino,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, September  21,  1831.  His  ancestors  were 
among  the  first  English  settlers  of  the  Colony 
of  Virginia  and  Alaryland  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tion. His  father,  Mr.  Henrj^  H.  Willis,  was  a 
captain  in  the  merchant  marine,  with  whom 
the  subject  of  this  memoir  made  a  number  of 
voyages  before  he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  al- 
ternating between  school  and  the  sea.  At  the 
age  of  twelve  he  adopted  a  seafaring  life,  and 
during  six  years'  sailing  the  briny  deep  he  vis- 
ited the  ports  of  the  Mediterranean,  England, 
France,  Ireland,  Rio  Janeiro,  Montevideo, 
Buenos  Ayres,  Pcrnambuco  and  Vali^araiso, 
and  rose  by  successive  steps  to  full  seaman, 
and  finally  to  officer  of  the  vessel.  While  in 
Rio  Janeiro  in  1848  as  second  mate  of  the  bark 
Helen  M.  Eiedler,  a  fleet  of  clippers  arrived 
with  the  first  passengers  for  the  gold  fields  of 
California.  This  was  the  first  intelligence  re- 
ceived of  the  discovery  of  gold.  One  of  the 
ships  of  this  fleet  being  disabled,  his  vessel  was 
chartered  to  carry  a  portion  of  her  passengers 
to  California ;  and  loading  with  such  a  cargo 
as  was  most  appropriate  for  the  market  of 
San  Francisco,  the  bark  started  on  her  voyage. 
June  28,  1849,  ^^le  vessel  anchored  in  San 
Francisco  harboi-,  having  touched  only  at  Val- 
paraiso for  supplies.  Soon  after  his  arrival  the 
young  mariner  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
pilot  boat  Eclipse,  and  v>-ith  his  associates  ran 


her  up  the  Sacramento  river  with  a  cargo  of 
freight  and  passengers;  but  being  attacked  by 
chills  and  fever  Mr.  Willis  abandoned  that  en- 
terprise and  took  a  position  of  first  mate  on 
the  bark  which  had  borne  him  to  this  coast, 
and  which  was  then  chartered  for  Oregon. 
They  reached  Portland  in  about  twenty  days 
and  took  on  a  load  of  lumber.  On  the  return 
trip  the  captain,  Mr.  Willis'  father,  falling  ill, 
the  whole  command  devolved  upon  him,  but 
lie  anchored  the  vessel  safely  in  the  bay  and 
discharged  her  cargo  in  San  Francisco  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1850.  His  father  died  in  San  Francisco 
in  the  month  of  May  of  that  j'ear. 

Being  seized  v>'ith  the  gold  fever  young  Wil- 
lis started  for  tlie  Mokelumne  hill  mines,  via 
Stockton.  The  rainy  season  came  on  and  the 
floods  carried  away  his  dams  and  filled  up  his 
diggings ;  he  returned  to  Stockton,  where  he 
engaged  in  painting  until  prostrated  with  ty- 
phoid fever,  from  which  he  was  restored 
through  the  tender  nursing  of  his  mother.  To 
recover  his  somewhat  depleted  exchequer  Mr. 
\\'illis  invested  all  his  means  in  the  town  of 
Pacific  City,  on  Baker's  bay,  Wash.,  then  Ore- 
gon Territors'.  The  speculation  proved  disas- 
trous, and  having  little  to  do  but  to  hunt  and 
fish,  he  and  his  partner,  C.  W.  C.  Russell,  ex- 
plored Shoal  Water  bay  and  discovered  the 
oyster  beds  which  have  made  that  bay  famous. 
.Securing  enough  of  the  bivalves  to  fill  sixteen 
sacks,  they  employed  Indians  to  carry  them 
across  the  portage  to  Baker's  bay  and  shipped 
tliem  thence  to  San  Francisco.  So  eagerly 
were  they  sought  after  that  a  vessel  was  im- 
mediately chartered  and  sent  to  Shoal  Water 
bay  for  a  cargo  of  oysters.  Thus  these  sixteen 
sacks  laid  the  foundation  for  the  oyster  trade 
between  that  bay  and  San  Francisco.  Business 
demanding  his  attention  in  San  Francisco, 
Mr.  Willis  left  the  oyster  enterprise  to  be  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Russell.  From  this  time,  1851, 
until  1854  Judge  Willis  remained  in  the  Pa- 
cific metropolis  engaged  in  the  dry-goods  busi- 
ness on  Sacramento  street.  Being  fond  of 
study,  he,  unassisted  during  these  years,  pre- 
pared himself  for  college  and  the  study  of  law. 
In  1854,  in  company  with  his  friend,  Hinto 
Rowan  Helper,  who  was  studying  with  a  sim- 
ilar purpose,  he  left  for  the  east,  he  to  enter 
collec^c  and  Helper  to  publish  his  first  book, 
"The  Land  of  Gold."  Until  January  i,  1856, 
Judge  ^A'illis  studied  law  at  the  college  of 
Chapel  Hill,  N.  C,  under  the  tutorage  of 
Jud^e  Battel,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  assisted 
bv  Hon.  Sam  F.  Phillips,  and  on  the  above 
date  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  state.  After  spending  six  months 
in  the  law  office  of  Chauncy  Shaefer  in  New 
York  City  studying  the  codes,  the  young  bar- 


1040 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


rister  returned  to  San  Francisco,  arriving  in 
June,  just  after  the  hanging  of  Casey  and  Cora 
by  the  vigilance  committee. 

Having  already  achieved  more  than  a  local 
reputation  as  a  writer  for  the  press,  and  hav- 
ing received  a  tempting  ofifer  as  the  chron- 
icler of  a  three  years'  cruising  expedition  in 
the  South  Seas,  he  was  undecided  whether  to 
make  literature  or  law  his  life  work  when  came 
his  appointment  as  prosecuting  attorney  of 
San  Francisco  in  the  fall  of  1856.  He  accept- 
ed, and  the  decisive  step  was  taken.  He  how- 
ever continued  the  contributing  of  articles  to 
the  columns  of  the  Evening  Bulletin  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  filled  the  office  of  prosecut- 
ing attorney  until  his  removal  to  San  Bernar- 
dino in  1858  to  attend  to  the  litigation  growing 
out  of  the  purchase  of  some  land  in  the  coun- 
ty, in  which  his  mother  was  interested.  While 
attending  to  this  business  he  became  engaged 
in  farming  and  fruit-growing.  January  i, 
1861,  Judge  Willis  married  Miss  Amelia, 
daughter  of  Jerome  j\I.  Benson,  an  old  citizen 
of  the  county.  The  same  year  he  was  chosen 
district  attorney  of  San  Bernardino  county, 
which  office  he  resigned  after  holding  it  for  a 
few  months.  He  rapidly  rose  to  prominence 
in  his  profession  and  was  employed  in  the 
courts  of  the  county,  involving  land  title  or 
water  rights.  He  won  the  first  water  suit  in 
the  county,  known  as  the  ''Cram  right,"  thereby 
fixing  a  precedent  and  securing  prosperity  to 
the  settlers  in  that  part  of  the  count3\  In  1872 
he  took  his  seat  on  the  bench  as  county  judge 
and  filled  that  position  continuously  for  eight 
years  with  marked  ability  and  satisfaction  to 
his  constituents.  The  new  state  constitution 
abolished  the  office  of  county  judge,  and  upon 
retiring  from  the  bench  Judge  Willis  resumed 
his  position  at  the  head  of  the  San  Bernardino 
coimty  bar  and  his  large  law  practice.  In  the 
fall  of  1886  he  was  elected  superior  judge  and 
lionorably  discharged  the  duties  of  that  office 
from  January,  1887,  to  January.  1889.  After 
retiring  from  the  bench,  he  continued  in  active 
law  practice  as  the  senior  partner  of  the  firm 
of  Willis  &  Cole,  and  later  of  the  firm  of  Wil- 
lis »Sr  Willis,  finally  retiring  from  active  prac- 
tice in  1894,  and  going  to  the  city  of  Ocean- 
side,  in  San  Diego  county,  to  pass  the  summer. 
He  there  died,  in  September,  1895,  ^t  the  age 
of  sixty-four  years. 

In  1868  he  began  to  improve  what  was 
known  as  the  "Willis  Homestead"  in  old  San 
Bernardino,  and  being  confident  that  artesian 
water  could  be  obtained  in  this  valley  he  im- 
ported the  first  tools  and  sank  the  first  well  in 
the  county.  Not  being  successful  on  his  farm, 
the  tools  were  brought  into  San  Bernardino 
and   soon  after  manv  artesian    streams    were 


flowing  from  wells  bored  by  them  within  the 
city  limits.  He  made  another  trial  on  his  farm 
and  was  rewarded  by  an  abundant  flow  of  wa- 
ter at  the  depth  of  four  hundred  and  ten  feet. 
In  May,  1887,  he  disposed  of  the  homestead 
and  thereafter  resided  in  the  city  of  San  Ber- 
nardino until  his  death. 

There  were  born  to  him  and  his  wife  twelve 
children,  of  whom  six  daughters  and  one  son 
reached  maturity  and  are  now  living.  His  son, 
Henry  M.  Willis,  still  resides  in  Redlands, 
San  Bernardino  county,  and  was  lately  deputy 
district  attorney  of  the  county,  and  is  now 
state  senator  from  the  thirtieth  district. 

Judge  Willis  was  one  of  the  few  to  establish 
Odd  Fellowship  in  the  county,  by  organizing 
San  Bernardino  Lodge  No.  146,  and  he  was 
also  a  member  of  other  fraternal  orders,  being 
a  charter  member  of  Valley  Lodge  No.  27, 
Knights  of  Pythias.  He  always  took  an  active 
interest  in  pioneer  matters,  was  a  member  of 
the  State  Pioneer  Association  when  in  San 
Francisco,  and  was  a  prominent  member  and 
corresponding  secretary  of  the  San  Bernardino 
Society  of  Pioneers.  In  ante-bellum  times, 
Judge  Willis  was  politically  a  Douglas  Demo- 
crat ;  during  the  war  he  was  a  stanch  Union 
man,  and  after  the  war  he  resumed  his  old  par- 
ty affiliations.  He  was  noted  for  his  sociable, 
afifable  manners  and  his  generous  hospitality 
to  his  friends. 


JESSE  P.  R.  HALL.  Prominent  among  the 
men  of  energy,  enterprise  and  sagacity,  who  have 
been  instrumental  in  developing  and  advancing 
the  leading  industries  of  the  El  Cajon  valley  is 
Jesse  P.  R.  Hall,  of  Bostonia,  an  extensive  fruit 
grower,  and  one  of  the  leading  horticulturists  of 
liis  community.  A  son  of  the  late  John  R.  Hall, 
he  was  born  February  16,  1847,  in  Madison 
county,  N.  Y.,  of  English  ancestry  on  the  pa- 
ternal side. 

A  native  o'f  England,  John  R.  Hall  immigrated 
to  America  when  young,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  thereafter  was  a  resident  of  New  York 
state,  living  there  from  1830  until  1854.  Follow- 
ing the  march  of  civilization  westward,  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Michigan  in  the  latter 
year,  took  up  raw  land  and  having  cleared  a  farm 
was  there  employed  in  its  management  until  i88fi. 
Coming  then  to  California,  he  resided  here  until 
his  death,  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Fairchild,  was  born  in  New  York  state,  and  died 
in  California  in  1887,  aged  eighty-two  years. 

Receiving  an  excellent  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Michigan,  Jesse  P.  R.  Hall  subse- 
quently learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  for 
many  years  was  busily  employed  as  a  contractor 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1041 


and  builder,  although  he  owned  a  farm,  and  was 
to  some  extent  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
his  home  being  in  South  Blendon,  Ottawa  county, 
Mich.  Capable,  intelligent,  practical  in  his  views 
and  possessing  excellent  judgment,  he  became  in- 
fluential in  public  affairs  while  young,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  was  elected  township 
clerk,  serving  from  1870  until  1874,  and  later 
was  elected  and  held  the  office  of  supervisor  of 
Blendon  township,  Ottawa  county,  serving  from 
1876  until  1884.  For  four  years  he  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  schools  of  Blendon  township,  and 
also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  several 
years,  holding  public  office  much  of  his  time  while 
there.  Coming  to  El  Cajon  valley  in  1886,  he 
located  near  Bostonia,  buying  the  first  year  forty 
acres  of  his  present  home  ranch,  and  the  following 
year  buying  twenty  acres  more.  At  once  begin- 
ning the  improvement  of  his  property,  he  erected 
his  fine  residence  and  substantial  farm  buildings, 
and  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil.  He  has  now  a  bearing  v-ineyard  of 
forty  acres  of  raisin  grapes,  and  ten  acres  de- 
voted to  the  raising  of  oranges  and  other  fruits. 
In  his  chosen  industry  he  is  meeting  with  signal 
success,  from  the  productions  of  his  ranch  reap- 
ing a  good  annual  income. 

March  18,  1866,  in  Ottawa  county,  Mich.,  Mr. 
Hall  married  Qiarlotte  Abbott,  who  was  born, 
March  6,  1848,  in  Grandville,  Kent  county,  Mich. 
Eleven  children  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hall,  namely:  Wilson  D.,  proprietor  of  a 
lumber  yard,  machine  shop  and  hardware  store 
at  El  Cajon ;  Marie  E.,  a  teacher  in  the  Chico 
Normal  School ;  Julian  D.,  a  gardener  and 
rancher  in  the  E!  Cajon  valley ;  Burdette 
Coutts,  who  was  born  at  South  Blendon, 
Mich.,  October  12,  1874,  and  died  June 
22,  1899,  at  the  home  of  her  parents ;  John  Ab- 
bott, who  was  born  October  6.  1876.  and  died 
September  9,  1885 ;  Samuel  C,  born  August  18, 
1878,  and  in  business  in  Los  Angeles,  with  office 
m  the  O.  T.  Johnson  building;  Rosa  Lucy,  who 
was  born  February  14,  1880,  and  died  October 
16,  1902;  Jesse  Rexford,  born  September  12. 
1878,  graduated  from  the  University  at  Berkeley 
in  May,  1905,  and  is  now  at  Yale  college;  Arthur 
Nelson,  born  October  25,  1885,  in  Grandville. 
Mich.,  and  now  attending  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia ;  Mary  Julia.,  who  was  born  March 
II.  1888,  and  died  February  12,  1903, 
and  Helen  Genevieve,  Bom  February  12. 
1890,  and  attending  the  El  Cajon  high 
school.  In  the  death  of  four  of  their 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  have  been  deeply 
bereaved,  the  loss  of  their  second  daughter  hav- 
ing been  particularlv  sad.  She  was  named  by 
her  grandfather  in  Jionor  of  Baroness  Burdette 
Coutts,  of  England.  After  her  graduation,  she 
was  engaged   for  several  terms  as  a  teacher  in 


both  the  public  schools  and  the  Sunday  school, 
and  was  especially  active  in  the  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E. 
Society.  She  was  a  true  Christian,  following 
in  the  footsteps  of  her  Master,  and  in  her  own 
sweet  and  quiet  way  doing  much  good,  giving 
one-tenth  of  her  income,  which  she  called  the 
Lord's  money,  for  charitable  purposes.  ;\Iiss 
Hall  was  a  lover  of  nature  in  all  of  its  forms,  and 
had  a  rare  faculty  of  expressing  her  feelings  in 
poetic  words.  Some  of  the  poems  which  she 
penned  are  worthy  of  more  than  passing  notice, 
from  one  of  which,  entitled /'God's  Pictures," 
we  dare  quote  briefly  for  the  benefit  and  pleasure 
of  her  many  friends  and  acquaintances  : 

"God's  pictures,  what  wealth  there  is  in  them, 

What  joy  in  the  sight,  what  sweet  rest; 
His  pencils  sketch  none  but  the  fairest. 

His  brush  painteth  none  but  the  best. 
God's  pictures,  no  price  asked  in  payment, 

Ay,  even  a  beggar  may  see. 
He  giveth  to  all  of  His  beauty 

Sweet  glimpses  of  Heaven  to  be." 

"Oh  Christ !  she  said  in  her  gladness 

Her  face  glowing  full  in  His  light. 
How  near  to  my  heart  is  Thy  sunshine. 

How  far  from  my  path  is  the  night. 
Oh  clouds !  you  reflect  back  the  glory 

And  grandeur  of  heavenly  things ; 
But  I  in  my  life  as  I  serve  Him, 

Reflect  Christ,  mv  Saviour  and  King." 

Politically  Mr.  Hall  is  a  Republican,  and  is 
now  a  trustee  of  his  school  district.  Religiously 
both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  are  active  and  valued 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


SAMUEL  F.  LEWIS.  For  a  period  of  suf- 
ficient duration  to  entitle  him  to  rank  among  the 
pioneer  agriculturists  of  Mesa  Grande,  Mr.  Lewis 
has  been  identified  with  the  ranching  interests  of 
this  portion  of  San  Diego  county,  and  meanwhile 
has  risen  to  a  position  of  influence  among  his  as- 
sociates and  acquaintances.  Shortly  after  his 
removal  to  Mesa  Grande  in  1884  he  purchased 
the  ranch  he  still  owns  and  occupies  and  later  he 
acquired  the  title  to  a  tract  adjoining  his  original 
purchase,  so  tliat  now  he  has  three  hundred  and 
eighty-five  acres  in  one  body.  Of  this  large 
ranch  he  has  fifty  acres  under  cultivation  to  grain, 
fifteen  acres  in  a  vinevard  of  choice  grapes  and 
the  balance  in  grazing  land  adapted  for  the  pas- 
turage of  stock.  All  of  the  improvements  on  the 
farm  have  been  made  by  him,  and,  being  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  he  was  able  to  erect  all  of  his 
own  buildings  with  little  outside  help,  so  that 
it  may  be  stated  with  unusual  accuracy  that  the 
improvements  on  the  property  are  his  own  handi- 
work. 


1042 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Dating  his  residence  in  California  from  1870, 
Mr.  Lewis,  prior  to  that  year  Hved  in  various 
parts  of  the  south  and  in  his  native  Missouri, 
where  he  was  born  at  St.  Louis,  June  3,  1838. 
His  parents,  John  and  Nancy  M.  (Mann)  Lewis, 
were  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky  and  Mis- 
souri. Before  the  bridge  had  been  built  at  St. 
Louis  the  father  owned  and  operated  the  upper 
ferry  at  that  city  and  later  he  bought  a  farm  in 
St.  Louis  county,  where  he  engaged  in  general 
farm  pursuits  and  in  raising  stock.  His  death 
occurred  near  St.  Paul,  St.  Charles  county.  Mo., 
about  1850,  when  he  was  fifty- four  years  of  age; 
and  he  was  survived  by  his  wife  until  the  pe- 
riod of  the  Civil  war,  when  she  passed  away.  In 
addition  to  attending  the  public  schools  Samuel 
F.  Lewis  had  the  advantage  of  a  collegiate  course, 
and  to  the  knowledge  thus  acquired  he  has  added 
by  the  reading  of  current  periodicals  and  by 
habits  of  close  observation. 

In  a  family  consisting  of  four  sons  and  three 
daughters  Samuel  F.  Lewis  was  the  fourth 
among  the  sons  and  when  he  had  finished  school 
he  returned  to  the  farm  to  care  for  his  widowed 
mother,  whose  property  he  superintended  for  a 
time.  In  1859  he  removed  to  Texas  and  settled  at 
Lagrange,  Fayette  county,  where  he  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
war  he  returned  to  his  old  Missouri  home  and  en- 
listed in  Company  H,  Tenth  Missouri  Infantry, 
with  which  he  served  in  camp  and  field  until  the 
surrender  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  at  the  close  of 
the  historic  struggle.  From  the  expiration  of 
the  war  until  1870  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Missouri,  but  during  the  latter  year  he  disposed 
of  his  interests  in  that  state  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia. P'or  four  years  he  engaged  in  the  dairy 
business  near  Petaluma,  and  in  1874  removed 
to  Timber  Cove,  Sonoma  countv,  where  he  was 
proprietor  of  a  hotel,  and  later  bought  and  con- 
ducted the  Washoe  house  near  Petaluma.  From 
there  he  came  to  San  Diego  county  and  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  property,  where  since  he 
has  labored  indefatigably  in  the  improving  of  the 
land  and  the  developing  of  a  first-class  fann. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Lewis  was  solemnized  in 
Missouri  in  1866  and  united  him  with  Miss  N.  M. 
Beale,  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  B.  H.  Beale,  for  years 
a  busy  and  successful  physician  in  Missouri,  but 
now,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  living 
retired  in  San  Diego.  The  family  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lewis  comprises  the  following  children : 
Clarence,  now  in  Mexico  ;  Gale  H.,  of  San  Diego  ; 
Mrs.  Betty  B.  Story,  of  San  Diego  county,  and 
Ida,  who  married  J.  I.  Morris,  and  lives  in  Mesa 
Grande.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South 
is  the  religious  home  of  the  family.  Politically 
Mr.  Lewis  was  reared  in  the  Democratic  faith 
and  has  never  swerved  in  his  allegiance  to  the 
party.     Since  coming  to  San  Diego  he  has  served 


as  superintendent  of  roads  for  a  number  of  years 
and  during  his  term  of  service  he  built  the  road 
from  Ramona  to  Mesa  Grande,  also  surveyed  the 
same.  The  Keith  grade,  as  this  road  is  called, 
is  one  of  the  finest  grades  in  the  whole  county 
and  many  tributes  of  praise  have  been  bestowed 
upon  the  superintendent  to  whose  ability  and  wise 
workmanship  the  success  of  the  undertaking  may 
be  attributed. 


NATHAN  HALL.  It  is  not  definitely  known 
what  era  of  American  history  the  Hall  family 
became  established  in  the  new  world,  but  the 
records  show  they  were  early  identified  with  that 
portion  of  the  Old  Dominion  now  known  as 
West  A'irginia.  There  Hon.  Nathan  Hall  was 
born  and  reared,  there  he  engaged  in  farm  pur- 
suits and  the  raising  of  stock,  and  from  his  home 
district  he  was  sent  to  the  legislature  of  his  state 
to  assist  in  fonnulating  its  laws.  Early  in  man- 
hood he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Isaac  Means 
and  a  native  of  West  Virginia,  where  she  re- 
mained until  death,  and  in  that  state  also  oc- 
curred the  death  of  Nathan  Hall.  Born  of  their 
union  were  twelve  children,  all  but  one  of  whom 
lived  to  maturity,  Nathan,  Jr.,  being  the  eighth  in 
order  of  birth  and  the  only  one  among  the  num- 
ber to  settle  on  the  Pacific  coast.  In  his  native 
town  of  Grafton,  W.  Va.,  where  he  was  born 
December  23,  1840,  he  attended  a  subscription 
school  held  in  a  log  building  equipped  with  slab 
benches,  a  puncheon  floor,  and  a  fireplace  open- 
ing into  a  chimney  made  of  mud  and  sticks. 
There  were  few  text-books  in  those  days,  and 
a  quill  pen  was  used  in  writing,  but  in  spite 
of  all  disadvantages  he  obtained  a  fair  educa- 
tion. 

Starting  out  for  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years.  Nathan  Hall  went  to  Iowa  via  Missouri 
and  bought  a  tract  of  land  near  Granville,  Ma- 
iiaska  county,  where  he  engaged  in  raising  com 
and  cattle.  Later  he  sold  there  and  went  to  Car- 
roll county.  Mo.,  where  he  bought  a  farm  and 
engaged  in  raising  stock.  On  selling  that  prop- 
erty he  turned  his  attention  to  the  manufacture 
of  cloth  and  blankets  in  a  woolen  mill,  near 
Ivirksville,  Mo.,  but  the  price  of  wool,  which  had 
been  very  high,  dropped  suddenly  and  ruined  him 
financially.  Forced  to  begin  anew,  and  without 
the  nieans  necessary  to  buy  a  farm,  he  decided 
to  turn  to  railroading.  In  1875  he  secured  work 
near  Kirksville  with  the  ^^'abash  Railroad  Com- 
pany as  a  section  hand.  It  was  customary  then 
to  work  four  years  before  being  made  foreman, 
but  his  work  proved  so  satisfactory  that  in  four- 
teen months  he  was  promoted  to  be  foreman  of  a 
section. 

Coming  to  California  in  1887  Mr.  Hall  set- 
tled in  San  Diego  and  secured  employment  witli 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1045 


the  Southern  CaHfornia  Railroad  Company  as 
track  foreman  in  the  yards.  After  two  years  he 
was  appointed  assistant  roadmaster  under  O.  T. 
Casson  and  continued  in  that  capacity  until  1896, 
when  he  was  appointed  roadmaster  in  charge  of 
the  division  from  National  City  to  Orange  (one 
hundred  miles),  including  the  branches  to  Es- 
condido  (twenty-two  miles)  and  Fallbrook 
(eighteen  miles),  making  a  total  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  miles  under  his  supervision.  Thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  details  connected  with  railroad- 
ing, he  has  proved  an  experienced  and  capable 
man  in  the  business  and  has  shown  himself  to  be 
trustworthy  and  painstaking.  For  some  years  he 
lias  been  a  member  of  the  Roadmasters'  Main- 
tenance of  Way  Association  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  ?nd  when  their  convention  was  held 
at  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  he  was  an  interested 
spectator  and  participant.  During  1896  he  re- 
moved from  San  Diego  to  Oceanside  and  now  re- 
sides in  his  commodious  residence  on  Fifth  and 
Hill  streets. 

The  first  wife  of  Nathan  Hall  was  Miss  Maria 
Marcus,  who  was  born  in  West  Virginia  and  died 
in  Missouri.  Three  children  were  born  of  that 
union,  namely :  Laura,  of  Pomona,  Cal. ;  Charles 
W.,  who  is  engaged  in  mining  in  Nevada,  and 
John,  a  farmer  of  Adair  county,  Mo.  Tlie  second 
marriage  of  Mr.  Hall  was  solemnized  at  Macon, 
Mo.,  in  1877,,  and  united  him  with  Mrs.  Lizzie 
(Wallace)  Barnhart,  the  widow  of  James  Barn- 
hart,  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  who  engaged  in 
farming  and  the  manufacture  of  brick  near  Kirks- 
ville,  Adair  county.  Mo.,  where  he  died.  One 
child  was  born  of  their  union,  Ellsworth  Barn- 
hart,  now  living  in  Los  Angeles.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hall  a  son  was  born.  WilbertN.,  of  San 
Diego,  who  is  a  foreman  with  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road Company.  Mrs.  Hall  was  born  in  Randolph 
county.  Mo.,  being  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Malin'a  (Jones)  Wallace,  natives  of  Tennessee. 
The  father  was  a  pioneer  of  Randolph  county. 
Mo.,  and  later  removed  to  a  farm  in  Macon  coun- 
tv,  the  same  state,  where  he  remained  until  death. 
His  wife,  who  removed  to  Missouri  with  her 
father,  Aquilla  Jones,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  was 
a  resident  of  that  state  until  death.  Five  children 
were  born  of  their  union  and  Mrs.  Hall  is  the 
youngest  of  the  three  now  living.  In  politics  Mr. 
Hall  favors  Republican  principles.  Wliile  living 
in  Missouri  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  Queen  City 
Lodge  No.  380,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is 
now  a  demitted  member. 


WILLIAM  C.  BILLINGSLY.  When  a 
stranger  inquires  of  the  people  of  Ballena 
valley  concerning  their  prominent  citizens, 
the  name  of  W.  C.  Billingsly  is  always  given 
as   that   of   a   leading   resident,  and   often   the 


statement  is  made  that  "He  is  one  of  our  finest 
men  and  most  honored  pioneers."  T'')l?,,*4^P^ct 
accorded  him  is  proof  of  his  manH^Jia  sterling 
qualities,  and  of  the. high  attribS^cSADfcliiracter 
that  have  won  for  him  the  good-will  (^fieveriy^ 
one  with  whom  he  has  had  business  of  socjat 
relations.  Though  now  he  has  reached  an  age 
justifying  retirement  from  life's  ijigtivities  and 
though  he  has  retired  from  agricultural  pur- 
suits, he  still  retains  a  wari^i/'fiiterest  in  local 
affairs  and  serves  as  justice  61  the  peace,  which 
office  he  long  has  filled  both  in  this  state  and 
formerly  in  Texas. 

A  native  of  Trenton.  Tenn..  Mr.  Billingsly 
was  born  September  8,  1833.  being  a  grandson 
of  Jephtha  Billingsly.  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.  His  parents,  Elisha  and  Martha  (Fite) 
Billingsl\%  were  natives  respectively  of  Mis- 
souri and  Virginia,  the  mother  being  a  cousin 
of  Senator  John  Randolph  of  Virginia.  As 
early  as  1848  the  family  removed  from  Tennes- 
see to  Texas  and  engaged  in  the  transformation 
of  a  raw  tract  of  land  into  a  cultivated  ranch. 
On  the  homestead  the  death  of  the  mother 
occurred  in  1882,  when  she  was  sixty-eight 
years  of  age,  and  the  father  passed  away  in 
i860,  aged  eighty-two  years.  The  primary 
education  of  W.  C.  Billingsly  was  secured  in 
Drivate  schools  in  Tennessee.  After  going  to 
Texas  he  was  a  student  in  private  schools, 
where  he  completed  the  high-school  course. 
On  starting  out  for  himself  he  engaged  in 
locating  and  surveying  land  and  for  a  time 
filled  the  office  of  surveyor  of  Llano  county. 
Tex.,  where  also  he  engaged  in  stock-raising 
and  general  ranching. 

Removing  from  Texas  to  California  in  1871. 
Mr.  Billingsly  boucrht  a  lot  in  San  Diego, 
erected  a  house  and  began  to  work  at  carpen- 
tering. A  year  later  he  came  to  the  Ballena 
valley  and  rented  a  building  at  what  is  known 
as  Luckett  Station,  where  he  carried  on  a  hotel 
for  two  years.  .A^t  the  exoiration  of  that  time 
he  gave  up  the  hotel  business  and  secured  a 
tract  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  gov- 
ernment land  where  he  now  lives.  Since  mov- 
ing to  the  farm  he  has  increased  its  size  by 
the  purchase  of  adjoining  property  and  now 
owns  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  valuable 
land,  on  which  he  has  planted  a  first-class 
orchard  and  erected  a  neat  and  substantial 
ranch-house.  Early  in  manhood  he  established 
a  home  of  his  own  during  the  period  of  his 
residence  in  the  Lone  Star  state.  His  marriage 
was  solemnized  in  Llano  county  August  i. 
1861,  and  united  him  with  Martha  E.  Putman. 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Texas, 
and  is  a  ladv  of  earnest  Christian  character,  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  with  which  also 
he  is  identified.    Their  union  was  blessed  with 


1046 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


one  child,  Martha  O.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of 
Z.  Quincy  and  makes  her  home  in  San  Diego. 
She  is  the  mother  of  nine  living  children. 
Though  not  a  partisan  in  political  views,  Mr. 
Billingsly  upholds  the  Democratic  party  with 
the  earnestness  of  deep  convictions  and  has 
never  swerved  in  his  allegiance  to  its  prin- 
ciples. 


J.  W.  ANDERSON.  The  date  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Anderson  family  in  America  is 
not  definitely  known  nor  do  the  genealogical  rec- 
ords give  the  name  of  the  original  immigrant,  but 
it  is  a  matter  of  family  history  that  early  in  the 
colonization  of  the  new  world  they  became  estab- 
lished in  Pennsylvania,  where  succeeding  genera- 
tions lived  and  labored  and  died.  Joseph  An- 
derson, who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
farmer's  son,  began  an  apprenticeship  to  the  trade 
of  currier  at  an  early  age  and  on  the  completion 
of  his  apprenticeship  began  to  work  for  wages. 
In  1847  he  embarked  in  the  patent  leather  busi- 
ness in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  carried  on  a  growing 
trade  until  his  factory  burned  to  the  ground  in 
1856,  after  which  he  began  in  business  at  Hill- 
side. Eventually  he  removed  to  the  Pacific  coast 
and  became  identified  with  the  interests  of  Los 
Angeles  county,  establishing  his  home  near 
Compton,  but  soon  afterward,  in  1878,  his  earthly 
life  ended,  when  he  was  seventy-three  years  of 
age.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Mary  C.  Storm,  was  born  at  Frederick,  Md.,  and 
died' in  the  east  when  sixty  years  of  age.  Both 
were  earnest  members  of  the  Christian  Church ; 
the  father  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  in  politics  supported  Repub- 
lican principles  after  the  organization  of  that 
party.  Of  their  children  only  two  sons  lived  to 
maturity,  J-  W.  and  George  H.  The  latter  was 
formerlv  a  prominent  citizen  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.. 
where  he  wa'^  vice-president  of  the  Cbamber  of 
Commerce,  but  is  now  a  resident  of  Southern 
California. 

J.  W.  Anderson  is  a  native  of  Wheeling,  W. 
Yr..  born  August  t,.  1838,  and  from  the  age  of 
two  years  was  reared  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  where  he 
attended  public  and  private  schools.  After  dis- 
continuing his  studies  he  began  to  help  his  father 
in  the  patent  leather  business  and  worked  both 
in  the  factory  and  the  storeroom.  In  1873  he 
left  home  and  came  to  California,  making  the 
journey  via  the  railroad  to  San  Francisco,  and 
thence  on  a  steamboat  to  Wilmington,  and  from 
there  to  Anaheim,  where  he  made  a  brief  so- 
journ. Next  he  went  to  Orange  and  bought  land 
which  he  planted  to  citrus  fruit  trees.  In  1886 
he  removed  from  his  orange  grove  into  Los  An- 
geles and  for  four  years  was  employed  as  a 
deputy  in  the  customhouse,  also  for  two  vears 


was  connected  with  the  waterworks  system.  On 
leaving  Los  Angeles  for  a  visit  in  Pennsylvania, 
his  son,  Lawrence,  took  charge  of  the  water- 
works and  has  since  been  connected  with  the 
plant,  being  now  auditor  of  the  city  water  works. 
Un  his  return  from  the  east  Mr.  Anderson  en- 
gaged in  the  shoe  business  for  two  years,  but 
this  business  he  turned  over  to  his  son,  George, 
and  secured  a  position  for  himself  as  book- 
keeper with  the  Southern  California  Packing 
Company.  After  a  year  in  their  employ  he  be- 
came bookkeeper,  accountant  and  general  office 
manager  for  the  Los  Angeles  &  Redondo  Rail- 
road Company,  in  which  capacity  he  continued 
for  thirteen  years  discharging  his  many  and  re- 
sponsible duties  with  promptness  and  accuracy. 

On  severing  his  connection  with  the  railway 
company  Mr.  Anderson  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
and  insurance  business  and  continued  to  reside  in 
Redondo,  where  he  still  owns  a  home.  From 
there  he  came  to  San  Diego  county  and  settled 
near  Bonsall,  where  he  bought  a  ranch  of  five 
hundred  acres  and  erected  the  house  now  occu- 
pied by  his  family.  In  addition  to  general  farm- 
ing he  is  engaged  in  the  dairy  business  and  also 
carries  other  lines  of  stock  on  the  place.  Through 
his  long  and  active  career  he  has  been  identified 
with  many  enterprises  and  has  held  various  posi- 
tions of  trust,  all  of  which  he  has  filled  with 
dignity  and  energy.  While  living  in  Orange 
county  he  served  as  a  notary  public  and  justice 
of  the  peace  and  there,  as  in  other  places  of  his 
abode,  he  was  active  in  Republican  political  af- 
fairs, maintaining  a  warm  interest  in  everything 
tending  to  the  success  of  the  party  and  the  ad- 
vancement of  its  principles.  In  fraternal  rela- 
tions he  is  a  Mason,  having  been  initiated  into 
that  order  in  the  Santa  Ana  blue  lodge.  With 
his  family  he  holds  membership  with  the  Christ- 
ian Church  and  contributes  to  its  missionary  and 
charitable  movements. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Anderson  took  place  in 
December,  i860,  and  united  him  with  Sarah  Mc- 
Clelland, a  native  of  Pittsburg.  Pa.  They  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  children  :  Lawrence, 
who  married  Priscilla  B.  McNitt  and  lives  in  Los 
Angeles ;  George  H.,  who  married  Sadie  Dixon, 
of  Escondido  and  resides  at  Redondo ;  Margaret 
M.,  the  wife  of  Tremont  Loveland,  of  Bonsall; 
Ivan,  who  is  with  his  parents  on  the  home  farm ; 
Arthur  T.,  living  in  Los  Angeles  county,  Her- 
bert, who  married  Blanche  Harlan,  and  Arthur, 
who  married  Jacintha  Smith,  and  lives  at  Re- 
dondo. 


WINFIELD  SCOTT  TOWNSEND.  It  is 
now  sixteen  years  since  Mr.  Scott  first  set  foot 
on  California  soil,  coming  hither  from  Illinois 
where  the  family  had  flourished  since  1835.     It 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1047 


was  in  that  year  that  the  grandfather,  Nathaniel 
Townsend,  left  his  native  state.  New  York,  and 
with  his  family  settled  in  what  was  then  consider- 
ed the  frontier,  they  being  the  first  white  settlers 
in  Adams  township,  I^  Salle  connty.  111.  Dur- 
mg  his  early  manhood  he  displayed  his  patriotic 
spirit  by  valiantly  defending  the  cause  of  the  col- 
onies in  the  second  struggle  with  England,  and  in 
the  course  of  the  conflict  was  severely  wounded. 
Among  the  children  born  to  himself  and  wife 
was  Cliarles  Townsend,  who  accompanied  his 
parents  to  the  pioneer  region  of  Illinois  in  1835 
and  thereafter  remained  a  resident  of  the  state 
until  his  death  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  His 
marriage  united  him  with  Jane  Smith,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Presb}'- 
lerian  Church,  in  the  faith  of  which  she  passed 
away  in  Illinois  when  in  her  sixty-sixth  year. 
The  conditions  which  confronted  the  pioneers  in 
the  middle  west  were  such  as  to  make  heavy 
demands  upon  their  abilities,  and  none  met  these 
conditions  more  graciously  than  did  Charles 
Townsend,  who  from  the  first  took  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  La  Salle  county,  and 
especially  of  Adams  township,  where  he  served  as 
road  commissioner  and  school  director,  filling 
the  latter  position  the  greater  part  of  his  mature 
years.  Politically  he  was  a  Republican.  Of  his 
union  with  Jane  Smith  (for  he  had  been  pre- 
viously married)  three  children  were  born,  one 
of  whom  is  Winfield  Scott,  of  this  review. 

Winfield  S.  Townsend  was  the  third  repie- 
sentative  of  the  family  in  Adams  township.  La 
Salle  county.  111.,  and  it  was  there  on  his  father's 
farm  that  his  birth  occurred  November  16.  1S53. 
Until  he  had  reached  mature  years  his  life  was 
associated  with  that  locality  exclusively,  having 
m  the  meantime  applied  himself  diligently  ui 
prosecuting  his  studies  in  the  common  and  high 
schools.  This  training  was  supplemented  by  at- 
tending Hedding  College,  in  Abingdon,  Knox 
county.  His  school  life  over,  he  returned  to 
La  Salle  county  and  was  variously  employed  there 
until  1885.  that  year  witnessing  his  removal  to 
Minnesota,  where  for  two  years  he  was  employed 
as  a  stationary  engineer.  During  this  time  his 
thoughts  had  turned  many  times  to  the  land  of 
the  setting  sun,  and  hither  he  came  in  1888, 
After  spending  about  two  months  in  Pasadena 
he  went  to  Corona,  Riverside  county,  where  for 
a  time  he  raised  oranges  on  a  six-acre  tract 
which  he  had  purchased.  Selling  this  he  im- 
mediately purchased  a  ten-acre  ranch  in  the  same 
locality,  where  for  twelve  years  he  was  inter- 
ested in  an  orange  industry  that  netted  him 
splendid  returns  for  his  labor.  However,  at 
the  end  of  this  time  he  disposed  of  his  interes+s 
there  and  came  to  Los  Angeles,  where  for  three 
years  he  conducted  a  real  estate  business.  After 
his   return    from   Illinois,   whither  he  had   gone 


for  a  short  visit,  he  went  to  Yolo  county,  there 
carrymg  on  a  ranch  of  eighty  acres  devoted 
to  the  raising  of  grain  and  hay.  It  was  after 
disposing  of  his  interests  in  that  locality  that  he 
came  to  Los  Angeles  county  once  more,  this 
time  settling  upon  a  ranch  near  Pomona,  which 
was  his  home  for  nearly  three  years.  While  his 
ranch  of  forty  acres  was  not  as  large  as  many 
in  the  vicinity,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  none  of  his 
neighbors  could  claim  better  returns  per  acre  than 
he.  The  entire  tract  was  under  cultivation,  thir- 
tv-three  acres  being  in  alfalfa,  and  the  remainder 
in  potatoes.  To  supply  his  ranch  with  plenty  of 
water  Mr.  Townsend  installed  a  pumping  plant, 
which  enabled  him  to  irrigate  the  land  thoroughly 
with  the  result  that  he  harvested  abundant  crops 
of  both  commodities,  especially  of  alfalfa,  which 
produced  six  and  seven  crops  per  year 

In  1878,  while  still  a  resident  of  Illinois  Mr. 
Townsend  was  married  to  Clara  E.  Barnhart, 
who  like  himself  was  a  native  of  La  Salle  county, 
that  state.  Two  children  have  been  born  to 
brighten  their  home  life,  Claude  Ellis  and  Lo- 
retta.  Mrs.  Townsend  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church  and  both  herself  and  husband 
are  interested  in  benevolent  and  uplifting  en- 
terprises, whether  of  a  religious  or  secular  na- 
ture. Like  his  father  before  him  Mr.  Townsend 
is  a  believer  in  Reoublican  principles,  and  like 
him  also  he  is  interested  in  good  roads  and  in 
furnishing  the  best  school  advantages  possible 
for  the  rising  generation.  For  this  reason  while 
in  Illinois  he  was  made  road  commissioner  and 
was  also  a  school  director,  giving  to  both  the 
same  care  and  interest  which  he  bestowed  upon 
his  private  afifairs.  While  in  point  of  years  Air. 
Townsend  may  be  called  a  newcomer  to  Pomona, 
no  one  is  more  deeply  interested  in  its  welfare 
than  he  and  as  neighbor  and  citizen  he  has  won 
a  foothold  which  is  a  credit  to  himself  and  a 
distinct  benefit  to  those  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact. 


JAMES  HENRY  POWERS.  The  thriving 
citv  of  San  Pedro  has  a  full  quota  of  live,  en- 
ergetic business  men,  among  whom  is  James 
Henry  Powers,  wlio  is  actively  identified  with 
the  mercantile  interests  of  the  place  as  one  of 
its  leading  hay  and  grain  warehouse  merchants. 
Since  becoming  a  resident  of  this  place,  Mr. 
Powers  has  identified  himself  with  its  growth 
and  advancement,  encouraging  the  establish- 
ment of  beneficial  enterprises,  and  by  his  decis- 
ion of  character  and  integrity  has  won  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  the  community.  A  native 
of  Canada,  he  was  born  on  the  Bay  of  Qialeurs, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Restigouche  river,  a  son 
of  Dr.  Joseph  Henry  Powers.  He  is  descended 
from  a  family  of  note,  his  grandfather,  Thomas 


1048 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Powers,  having,  after  his  graduation  from  the 
University  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  settled  in 
Dublin,  Ireland,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  until  his  death,  being  one  of  the 
leading  attorneys  of  that  city. 

Born  in  Scotland,  Joseph  Henry  Powers  com- 
pleted his  education  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 
Ireland,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  Subsequently  immigrating  to 
America,  he  located  in  Canada,  where  he  acquired 
a  fine  reputation  as  a  physician,  and  was  actively 
engaged  in  his  professional  labors  until  his  death, 
in  1872.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Alary  Cronen  was  born  in  London,  England,  and 
died  in  Wisconsin,  in  1886.  She  bore  her  hus- 
band ten  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  years  of 
maturity,  James  Henry  being  the  second  in  or- 
der of  birth. 

Born  August  29,  1844,  on  the  home  farm, 
which  was  located  on  the  banks  of  the  Resti- 
gouche  river,  James  Henry  Powers  received  a 
practical  common-school  education,  remaining 
beneath  the  parental  roof-tree  until  nineteen 
years  of  age.  Going  then  to  Wisconsin,  he  was 
there  emiployed  in  lumbering  until  1875.  Chang- 
ing his  occupation  in  that  year,  he  went  to  Ari- 
zona, locating  near  Apache,  on  the  Gila  river, 
where  he  embarked  in  the  stock  business  for 
awhile.  Removing  from  there  to  Cochise  coun- 
ty, Ariz.,  he  bought  land  in  the  Chiricahua 
mountains,  and  was  there  successfully  engaged 
in  cattle  raising  and  dealing  until  1896.  Selling 
his  stock  at  that  time,  he  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county,  locating  at  Gardena,  where  he  bought 
ten  acres  of  land,  which  he  at  once  began  to 
improve,  being  one  of  the  first  to  irrigate,  es- 
tablishing a  pumping  plant,  the  well  being  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  deep.  He  raised 
good  crops  of  alfalfa  by  irrigation,  and  from 
his  well  furnished  water  for  his  neighbors,  ir- 
rigating about  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  from  his  plant.  In  1898  he  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business  at  San  Pedro,  erecting  his 
present  store  building,  which  was  then  the  larg- 
est of  the  kind  in  the  city.  Putting  in  a  full  line 
of  staple  and  fancy  groceries,  he  has  since  built 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  trade,  and  for  the  past 
four  years  has  also  carried  feed  of  all  kinds* 
having  a  large  trade  in  this  line.  By  means 
of  good  business  management  and  judgment  he 
has  acquired  considerable  valuable  real  estate 
in  the  city  and  has  also  built  the  largest  ware- 
house in  this  vicinity. 

In  Arizona,  Mr.  Powers  married  Jennie  Mark, 
who  was  born  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  prior  to 
her  marriage  was  engaged  in  educational  work. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Powers  have  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter named  Helen.  Politically  Mr.  Powers  is  a 
stanch  Republican.  Fraternally  he  was  made  a 
Mason   in    1895,   in   Wilcox   Lodge   No.    10,  of 


Wilcox,  Ariz.,  and  in  1897  became  a  charter 
member  of  San  Pedro  Lodge  No.  332,  F.  &' 
A.  M.,  which  he  has  served  as  master;  he  was 
made  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  Long  Beach,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  San  Pedro  Chapter  No. 
89,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  is  a  member  and  worthy 
patron  of  San  Pedro  Chapter,  O.  E.  S.  Mrs. 
Powers  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 


JOSEPH  A.  ROOKER.  Although  a  resi- 
dent at  his  present  place  for  a  comparatively  brief 
period  only,  Mr.  Rooker  has  made  his  home  in 
California  since  1859  and  since  1884  has  been 
identified  with  agricultural  interests  in  San  Diego 
county,  where  now  he  makes  his  residence  near 
the  village  of  Vista  in  Delpy  valley.  It  was 
during  1904  that  he  came  to  this  locality  and 
purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which 
he  devotes  to  the  i-aising  of  grain,  and  in  addi- 
tion he  has  been  interested  in  the  bee  industry, 
his  apiar}'  consisting  of  thirty-eight  colonies  of 
bees.  Always  a  tireless  worker,  energetic  and 
].">€rsevering,  it  is  wholly  due  to  industry  and  not 
to  luck  that  he  has  accumulated  a  competency, 
and  by  honorable  traits  of  character  he  has  won 
and  retained  the  good  will  of  his  community. 

Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  is  Mr.  Rooker's  native 
place,  and  December  25,  1848,  the  date  of  his 
birth,  his  parents  being  Joseph  and  Emeline 
(Hewitt)  Rooker,  natives  of  Indiana,  and  pio- 
neers of  Iowa.  During  the  year  1848  the  family 
disposed  of  their  effects  in  Iowa  and  started 
across  the  plains  with  a  party  of  immigrants. 
Settling  in  Utah,  they  remained  there  until  1859 
when  they  pushed  on  toward  the  coast  and  set- 
tled in  Alameda  county,  Cal.,  there  engaging  in 
farm  pursuits.  While  in  that  locality  the  fam- 
ily experienced  some  successes  and  some  reverses 
but  on  the  whole  achieved  noteworthy  progress 
and  became  independent  financially.  During  1884 
they  became  pioneers  of  San  Diego  county.  The 
father  settled  at  Bonsall  in  a  locality  whither 
at  the  time  few  immigrants  had  drifted.  His 
death  occurred  at  Oceanside  in  1893,  when  he 
was  eighty-four  years  of  age,  and  he  was  sur- 
vived for  thirteen  years,  by  his  wife,  who  died 
in  Oceanside  at  seventy-nine  years  of  age-  in 
1906. 

The  earliest  recollections  of  Joseph  A.  Rooker 
are  associated  with  Utah,  for  he  was  only  an 
infant  when  the  family  crossed  the  plains.  After 
completing  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Ala- 
meda county  he  assisted  his  father  on  the  home 
farm,  first  in  Alameda  county  and  later  in  San 
Diego  county.  During  1888  he  took  up  farming 
at  Bonsall,  where  he  still  owns  an  eighty-acre 
tract,  but  recently  he  removed  from  that  farm 
to  the  tract  near  Vista  that  forms  his  present 


"7^<'6'^<<^%.i^-^'^y<'C-<r7^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1051 


home.  The  neat  residence  is  presided  over  by 
his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  1887  and  who 
was  Emma  DeWitt  Knox,  a  native  of  Indiana. 
Tliey  have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  took  into 
their  home  a  niece,  Ruth,  a  daughter  of  I\Ir. 
Rooker's  sister,  and  this  chikl  they  have  reared 
from  the  age  of  eighteen  months.  In  her  edu- 
cation they  are  taking  deep  interest  and  are  now 
sending  her  to  the  Fallbrook  high  school.  The 
family  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  Mrs.  Rooker  is  a  member  of  that  denom- 
ination. Ever  since  casting  his  first  ballot  Mr. 
Rooker  has  supported  Democratic  principles,  but 
has  not  been  a  candidate  for  office  nor  has  he 
sought  local  leadership  in  the  party,  but  in  a 
quiet,  unostentatious  way  he  discharges  every 
duty  that  falls  to  a  public-spirited,  progressive 
citizen. 


HON.  NEWTON  W.  THOMPSON.  In- 
dicative of  the  sagacious  judgment  that  has 
marked  his  steady  progress  in  commercial  en- 
terprises is  the  fact  that  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  when  the  present  development  of 
Los  Angeles  county  was  undreamed  of  by 
even  the  most  sanguine  settlers,  Mr.  Thomp- 
son came  to  this  locality,  strong  in  his  faith 
as  to  its  future  fortunes.  Subsequent  history 
has  but  deepened  his  faith  in  the  country  and 
his  loyality  to  its  institutions.  The  years  have 
brought  him  manifold  successes  and  honors, 
including  his  present  responsible  position  as 
manager  of  the  examining  department  of  the 
Title,  Insurance  and  Trust  Company  of  Los 
Angeles,  also  president  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  his  home  town  of  Alhambra  and  a 
member  of  the  California  state  legislature 
from  the  sixty-ninth  district. 

Descended  from  an  eastern  family  of  colon- 
ial prominence,  Mr.  Thompson  is  a  son  of 
Newton  M.  and  Ada  (Warner)  Thompson,  na- 
tives of  New  York  state,  and  a  grandson  of 
Daniel  Thompson,  an  eastern  farmer,  also  of 
Seth  Warner,  member  of  a  pioneer  family  of 
Vermont.  Throughout  the  brief  period  of  his 
business  activity  (for  he  was  only  forty-seven 
when  he  died)  Newton  M.  Thompson  followed 
the  occupation  of  a  farmer  and  the  trade  of  a 
merchant :  possessed  of  admirable  traits  of 
character  and  endowments  of  mind,  had  he 
been  spared  to  old  age  he  would  have  reaped 
an  unquestioned  success,  but  he  passed  away 
ere  his  fortunes  had  been  thoroughly  estab- 
lished and  his  children  therefore  were  obliged 
to  develop  self-reliance  and  industrious  habits 
at  an  early  age.  The  widowed  mother,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-six  years  (1907),  is  making  her 
home  in  Alhambra  with  lier  son,  Newton  W. 
The  latter  was  born  at  Pulaski,  N.  Y.,  Sep- 
54 


tembfr  16,  1865,  and  had  the  advantage  of  an 
excellent  education  at  Pulaski  Academy,  grad- 
uating as  the  valedictorian  m  the  class  of 
1883,  after  which,  he  engaged  in  teaching 
school. 

Lfpon  his  arrival  to  California  in  1885  Mr. 
Thompson  made  a  brief  sojourn  at  Florence 
and  then  removed  to  Los  Angeles,  where  for 
a  vear  he  acted  as  clerk  to  the  justice  of  peace 
of  the  township,  also  reported  for  the  Tribune 
for  a  short  time.  In  T887  he  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  an  abstract  business  in  Los  Angeles 
and  conducted  the  same  until  1890,  when  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Los  Angeles  Ab- 
stract Company.  On  the  merging  of  that  con- 
cern in  1894  into  the  Title,  Insurance  and 
Trust  Company,  he  continued  with  the  latter 
organization  and  at  different  times  was  em- 
ployed in  varying  capacities,  but  since  1903 
has  been  in  charge  of  the  ex.imining  depart- 
ment, a  position  of  trust  and  arduous  respon- 
sibilities. Since  1887  he  has  made  his  home  in 
Alhambra,  where  he  owns  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence with  modern  improvements,  and  in  his 
pleasant  suburban  surroundings  he  finds  an 
agreeable  relaxation  from  the  cares  of  city 
business  affairs. 

The  marriage  of  I\Ir.  Thompson  was  solem- 
nized November  11,  1891,  and  united  him  with 
Miss  M.  Elizabeth  Lloyd,  who  was  born  and 
reared  at  Pulaski,  N.  Y.,  and  by  whom  he  has 
three  children,  Lloyd  W.,  Newton  E.  and  Mar- 
garet O.  The  family  are  identified  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  .\lhambra,  in  which 
Mr.  Thompson  officiates  as  elder  and  also  for 
five  years  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-school. Ever  since  his  settlement  in  Cali- 
fornia he  has  been  an  interested  participant  in 
local  affairs  and  has  supported  the  Republican 
party  in  local  convention  and  committee  work. 
On  the  incorporation  of  Alhambra  he  was  se- 
lected to  serve  as  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  and  in  that  capacity  has  supported  all 
movements  for  the  steady  growth  and  perma- 
nent progress  of  the  place,  yet  has  maintained 
a  conservative  spirit  and  a  devotion  to  the  in- 
terests of  tax-payers.  Local  educational  mat- 
ters have  benefited  by  his  intelligence  and  in- 
terest. For  three  years  he  has  been  honored 
with  the  office  of  president  of  the  Alhambra  city 
school  board.  In  1904.  the  year  after  his  first 
election  as  president  of  the  Alhambra  board 
of  trustees,  he  was  elected  to  represent  the 
sixty-ninth  district  of  California  in  the  state 
assembly  by  a  plurality  of  twenty-seven  hun- 
dred, and  in  the  following  session  maintained 
an  active  interest  in  legislative  work,  besides 
being  a  member  of  the  special  committee  on 
education.  In  1906  he  was  re-elected  by  a 
majority  of  over  forty-three  hundred.     In  fra- 


1052 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ternal  relations  he  is  an  active  member  and 
past  master  of  Alhambra  Lodge  No.  322,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  past  patron  of  the  Alhambra 
Chapter  of  the  Eastern  Star,  both  of  which  or- 
ganizations have  benefited  by  his  sagacious 
judgment  as  an  officer  and  his  enthusiastic  sup- 
port as  a  member. 


JOHN  BAILARD.  The  Bailard  family  is 
one  that  originated  in  Germany,  and  it  was  first 
represented  in  the  United  States  by  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  at  which  time  his  son, 
Andrew  Bailard,  was  only  four  years  old.  Mis- 
souri was  then  far  out  on  the  frontier 
line  and  was  covered  with  forests  throughout 
the  greater  extent  of  the  state,  but  this  did  not 
blind  the  sturdy  pioneer  to  the  opportunities 
which  the  new  land  afforded  and  here  he  brought 
his  family  and  made  for  them  a  home.  Andrew 
Bailard,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  November 
22,  1827,  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
1853,  when,  attracted  by  the  stories  of  the  still 
greater  opportunities  in  the  country  on  the  west- 
ern coast,  he  joined  a  party  of  emigrants  and 
crossed  the  plains  with  ox  team  and  typical 
overland  outfit  of  those  days.  The  party  started 
with  a  number  of  cattle  which  they  hoped  to 
take  with  them  to  the  new  country  beyond  the 
mountains,  but  in  common  with  many  others 
they  were  molested  by  the  Indians,  who  stamped- 
ed their  stock  and  succeeded  in  driving  away  a 
number  of  the  animals. 

Miss  Martha  Shoults,  who  had  been  a  member 
of  the  same  party  of  emigrants  from  Missouri, 
her  native  state,  in  1857  became  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Bailard,  and  they  resided  in  San  Mateo  county, 
the  first  stopping  place  of  the  original  party,  un- 
til 1868,  when  they  removed  to  Santa  Barbara 
county,  where  a  section  of  five  hundred  acres  of 
land  formerly  embraced  within  the  boundaries 
of  one  of  the  large  grants,  was  purchased.  A 
part  of  this  was  devoted  to  pasturage,  a  part 
of  it  planted  to  walnut  trees,  and  the  remainder 
devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  beans,  for  which 
product  that  section  of  the  state  has  always  been 
noted.  Mr.  Bailard  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
administration  of  the  public  affairs  of  the  county 
in  which  he  resided,  and  served  for  two  terms 
as  county  supervisor,  being  elected  by  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  with  which  he  affiliated  during  his 
lifetime.  His  death  in  1876  removed  a  leading 
citizen  who  was  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew 
him.  His  wife  still  resides  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Santa  Barbara  county. 

John  Bailard  was  born  in  San  Mateo  county, 
August  6,  1859,  and  after  receiving  a  preliminary 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
county  he  attended  the  Santa  Barbara  College, 
his  parents  having  removed  with  the   famil\-  to 


Santa  Barbara  county.  When  school  days  were 
over  he  worked  for  a  time  on  the  home  ranch; 
a  desire  to  establish  himself  independently,  how- 
ever, induced  him  to  buy  a  ranch  of  his  own  and 
he  now  has  fifty-four  acres  of  fertile  land  under 
his  care  and  ownership,  forty  acres  of  which  are 
in  beans  and  yield  heavy  crops.  In  addition  to 
this  he  cultivates  twenty-eight  acres  of  the  old 
homestead,  which  produces  thirty-two  hundred 
pounds  of  beans  to  the  acre,  and  he  also  has 
thirty  acres  in  hay.  In  Ventura  county  he  owns 
a  half  interest  in  a  six  hundred  and  fifty  acre 
ranch,  and  also  another  holding  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-eight  acres.  In  all  of  his  business 
ventures  he  has  invariably  met  with  much  suc- 
cess, and  his  fellow  citizens  recognizing  that  a 
man  who  can  well  and  profitably  conduct  his 
private  affairs  has  the  best  recommendation  for 
being  able  to  wisely  help  in  the  managing  of  the 
county's  business,  have  elected  him  for  two  terms 
to  the  office  of  supervisor  in  Santa  Barbara  coun- 
ty. When  it  is  remembered  that  this  is  a  strong 
Republican  stronghold  and  that  Mr.  Bailard  is  a 
stanch  believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  the  tribute  to  his  worth  is  a  flat- 
tering one. 

In  1887  Mr.  Bailard  married  Miss  Kitty  Cra- 
vens, a  native  daughter  of  California,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  John,  Jesse 
and  Jean. 


ALEXANDER  H.  SHIPLEY.  The  varied 
attractions  of  climate  and  scenery  which  make 
certain  favored  spots  in  Southern  California 
the  rival  of  the  European  Rivera  have  brought 
hither  people  from  all  parts  of  the  world  and 
have  given  to  the  country  a  cosmopolitan 
population  representing  many  varied  types  of 
thought,  sentiment  and  nationality,  but  united 
in  their  expressions  of  devotion  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  region  now  their  home.  Some  have 
chosen  to  establish  their  Lares  et  Penates  in 
the  larger  cities,  where  the  air  is  vibrant  with 
the  whir!  of  commerce ;  others  have  preferred 
tlie  smaller  towns,  where  within  sight  of  the 
majestic  ocean  or  lofty  mountain  peaks,  they 
may  enjoy  the  changing  charms  of  nature  un- 
disturbed by  the  stress  of  business  cares  and 
the  turmoil  of  political  responsibilities.  To 
Mr.  Shiple)^,  laying  aside  the  cares  of  a  long 
business  experience  in  this  country  and 
abroad,  there  came  the  wish  to  enjoy  the  quiet 
charm  of  a  home  near  the  ocean,  in  the  midst 
of  an  environment  attractive  to  the  eye  and 
exhilarating  to  the  mind.  In  search  of  such 
a  location  he  came  to  San  Diego  and  in  1893 
])urchased  a  residence  near  the  shore  of  Carls- 
bad,  where   he  has   since   lived   in    retirement 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1053 


-from  commercial  cares  and  in  the  enjoyment 
of  a  beautiful  home. 

Brooklyn  is  Mr.  Shipley's  native  city  and 
November  5,  1843,  ^he  date  of  his  birth,  his 
parents  being  Capt.  Thomas  and  Sophia 
(O'Connor)  Shipley,  natives  respectively  of 
Delaware  and  Dublin,  Ireland.  Through  all 
of  his  active  life  Captain  Shipley  followed  the 
sea  and  rose  from  a  humble  position  to  the 
command  of  a  vessel,  in  which  capacity  he  con- 
tinued until  his  death  in  1864,  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  His  wife  survived  him  for  many 
years,  passing  away  in  1886,  when  seventy-two 
years  of  age.  Their  son,  Alexander  H.,  was 
taken  to  England  in  childhood  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health  and  in  order  that  he  might  enjoy 
the  educational  advantages  offered  by  the 
schools  of  that  country.  On  the  completion 
of  his  education  he  returned  to  the  United 
States  and  for  some  years  afterward  was  iden- 
tified with  affairs  in  Wall  street.  In  1875  he 
removed  to  New  Zealand  and  engaged  in  the 
commission  business.  From  1877  until  1886 
he  represented  the  United  States  as  consul  to 
New  Zealand,  attending  to  the  duties  of  the 
office  in  addition  to  managing  his  large  busi- 
ness interests.  Eventually,  however,  consid- 
erations of  health  caused  him  to  resign  the 
consulate  and  close  out  his  holdings  in  New 
Zealand,  after  which  he  retin-ned  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  in  the  northern  part  of  Cali- 
fornia. remo\ing  from  there  to  San  Diego 
county  in  order  to  enjoy  the  benefits  offered 
by  the  equable  climate  of  this  locality.  Im- 
mediately before  he  sailed  for  New  Zealand  he 
was  married  in  San  Francisco  to  ]\Iiss  Julia  G. 
Seamont,  of  New  York,  by  whom  he  has  one 
daughter,  Florence.  In  religious  views  ]\Ir. 
Shipley  and  his  family  are  believers  in  the 
doctrines  of  the  Episcopalian  denomination 
and  contribute  to  all  the  activities  of  their 
church.  Fraternally  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  Masonic  Order  for  many  years  and 
has  been  interested  in  the  philanthropies  of 
that  organization. 


SYLVESTER  W.  BARTON.  Perhaps  no 
citizen  of  Whittier  lias  been  more  active  in  its 
development  than  Sylvester  W.  Barton,  who  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  locality  since  1890  and 
during  the  passing  years  has  acquired  a  com- 
petence and  at  the  same  time  has  established  a 
position  of  influence  among  the  representative 
men  of  the  place.  In  Wayne  county,  Ind., 
where  his  birth  occurred  February  5,  1855,  his 
paternal  grandfather  was  numbered  among  the 
early  settlers,  as  were  also  his  parents,  John 
and  Rachel  (Penland)  Barton:  the  family  were 
universally   esteemed    for   the   qualities   of  man- 


hood manifested  in  their  citizenship  and  in  ag- 
ricultural labors  were  named  among  the  suc- 
cessful men  of  the  section. 

Inheriting  traits  of  self-reliance  and  indepen- 
dence S.  W.  Barton  early  assumed  the  burden  of 
self-support,  with  nothing  to  presage  success 
save  determination  and  energy.  Through  his 
own  efforts,  as  a  substitute  teacher,  he  procured 
means  to  pursue  his  studies  at  the  state  normal, 
in  Ada,  Hardin  county,  Ohio.  Trained  to  the 
life  of  a  farmer  he  eventually  returned  to  this 
pursuit,  in  Mahaska  county,  Iowa,  engaging  in 
farming  for  the  period  of  four  years;  attracted 
to  the  Pacific  slope  in  1887  he  came  to  South- 
ern California  with  the  intention  of  pursuing 
ranching  and  the  raising  of  stock  as  he  had 
formerly  done.  For  two  }ears  he  cultivated  a 
ranch  at  Compton,  where  he  finally  purchased 
an  alfalfa  ranch.  Locating  in  Whittier  in  1890 
he  has  since  made  this  city  his  home,  making 
his  personal  efforts  parallel  with  those  for  the 
advancement  of  the  general  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. In  addition  to  the  cultivation  of  his  ranch 
(located  a  mile  southeast  of  the  city  proper  and 
consisiting  of  ten  acres  devoted  to  English  wal- 
nuts) he  is  in  the  possession  of  a  good  real-es- 
tate business,  having  opened  an  office  in  1893 
for  the  purpose  of  conducting  this  enterprise. 
He  is  located  on  Philadelphia  street  and  is  ac- 
counted one  of  the  successful  men  engaged  in 
this  business.  He  has  accumulated  considera- 
ble property  since  his  location  here  and  has  tak- 
en a  prominent  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  im- 
portant industries,  among  them  assisting  ma- 
terially in  the  organization  of  the  Whittier 
Steam  Laundry,  in  which  he  is  a  stockholder. 
For  many  years  he  was  also  largely  identified 
with  the  oil  industry  in  the  vicinity  of  Whit- 
tier, being  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  Whittier 
Oil  &  Development  Company,  the  firm  of  Bar- 
ton &  Clayton  making  extensive  purchases  in 
oil  lands.  He  has  been  a  director  in  the  com- 
pany ever  since  its  organization  and  has  also 
served  efficiently  as  secretary  and  general  man- 
ager. Another  enterprise  of  note"  with  which 
his  name  has  been  identified  was  the  purchase  of 
three  thousand  acres  of  unimproved  land  in  La 
Habra  valley,  which  he  subdivided  and  sold  to 
colonists. 

Notwithstanding  his  many  cares  ]\Ir.  Bar- 
ton has  found  time  to  ally  himself  with  social 
and  fraternal  organizations.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  "the  Knights  "of  Pythias,  while 
politically  he  gives  a  stanch  support  to  the  prin- 
ciples advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  can  always  be  counted  upon  to 
further  any  plan  for  the  advancement  of  the 
general  welfare,  and  as  a  member  of  the  Los 
.\ngeles  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  a  director 
of  t1ie  Whittier  Board  of  Trade  he  takes  a  pro- 


1054 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


found  interest  in  business  affairs.  His  home, 
which  is  in  Whittier,  is  presided  over  by  his 
wife,  formerly  Miss  Leila  Mendenhall,  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one 
son,  Russell  J.  Mr.  Barton  is  one  of  the  rep- 
resentative citizens  of  Whittier,  having  won  his 
position  through  the  exercise  of  executive  abil- 
ity and  judgment,  which  have  given  him  a  finan- 
cial success  and  the  possession  of  many  admir- 
able traits  of  character  upon  whicli  his  life  struc- 
ture has  been  founded.  Progressive  and  enter- 
prising he  has  sought  the  advancement  of  the 
community  in  every  instance  and  as  a  conserva- 
tive business  man  has  won  the  confidence  of  the 
people. 


WILLIAM  H.  HOOD.  A  representative 
citizen  of  the  Alamos  valley  is  found  in  Will- 
iam H.  Hood,  who  owns  one  hundred  and 
sitxy  acres  of  land  and  rents  an  additional 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  the  whole 
amount  being  devoted  to  the  raising  of  grain 
crops.  He  also  has  about  thirty  stands  of 
bees,  which  produce  a  very  satisfactory 
amount  of  honey  that  sells  for  a  good  price. 

Mr.  Hood  was  born  in  England  in  1861, 
and  received  his  education  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  schools  of  his  native  land.  As  a 
young  man  he  took  up  the  occupation  of  clerk- 
ing and  continued  in  that  employment  until 
Januar}-,  1885,  when  he  removed  to  Canada 
and  remained  a  resident  of  that  country  for 
two  years.  He  then  came  to  the  United  States 
and  located  in  Philadelphia,  his  residence  in 
California  dating  from  1889.  The  following 
year  he  went  to  Minnesota,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Christina  Brakkey,  and  upon 
their  return  to  California  Mr.  Hood  engaged 
in  farming,  in  1892  purchasing  and  removing 
to  the  present  ranch,  which  has  since  been  his 
home.  He  is  a  man  of  many  admirable  per- 
sonal qualities  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by 
all  who  know  him. 


ADAM  M.  VOGT.  Varying  degrees  of 
prosperity  have  been  experienced  by  Mr.  Vogt 
since  his  association  with  Los  Angeles  in  1887. 
losing  heavilv  during  the  boom  period,  but  these 
losses  have  '  been  more  than  recouped  in  the 
meantime  and  he  is  today  living  retired  in  this 
citv  on  the  corner  of  Twenty-first  and  Tober- 
man  streets. 

The  patronymic  Vogt  is  suggestive  of  thie 
Fatherland,  and  there  Adam  M.  Vogt  was  born, 
in  Baden,  December  27,  1848.  Up  to  his  four- 
teenth vear  he  was  a  pupil  in  the  gymnasium  in 
his  native  town,  after  which  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  learn  the  jeweler's  trade.     As  his  fath- 


er was  an  invalid  and  the  family  of  children 
large  it  goes  without  saying  that  he,  being  the 
eldest,  had  to  assist  in  supplying  the  family  ne- 
cessities, and  as  soon  as  he  became  competent  at 
his  tradie  worked  at  it  continuously  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war  in 
1870.  Believing  that  in  the  New  World  he 
would  find  greater  opportunity  for  gettting  ahead 
he  came  to  the  United  States  that  year,  going 
at  once  to  Forreston,  Ogle  county.  111.  Honor- 
able work  of  any  kind  was  acceptable  to  him 
at  this  time,  for  although  distance  divided  him 
from  hi.?  kinsmen  they  were  uppermost  in  his 
thoughts,  their  need  of  his  assistance  spurring 
him  on  in  his  undertakings.  Work  as  a  fann 
hand  was  the  first  opportunity  that  oft'ered,  and 
he  followed  this  until  accepting  a  position  in  a 
restaurant,  which  he  held  for  two  years.  It 
would  not  have  been  an  impossibility  to  find 
work  at  his  trade,  but  as  his  lungs  and  throat 
were  already  affected  as  a  consequence  of  the 
previous  years  devoted  to  the  work  he  deemed 
it  inadvisable  to  undertake  it  again.  From  For- 
reston, 111.,  he  went  to  Monroe,  Wis.,  where 
for  a  short  time  he  drove  a  beer  wagon,  follow- 
ing this  by  clerking  in  a  restaurant  for  two 
years.  Subsequently  he  opened  a  grocery  and 
restaurant  in  Slonroe,  which  he  carried  on  with 
excellent  results  for  about  seventeen  years,  his 
health  at  this  time  making  it  necessary  for  him 
to  seek  a  milder  climate.  Selling  out  his  Wis- 
consin interests  in  1887  he  came  the  same  year 
to  California,  with  Los  Angeles  as  his  destina- 
tion. 

With  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  his  Wiscon- 
sin holdings,  Mr.  \^ogt  purchased  three  acres 
where  he  now  lives,  paying  therefore  $9,700. 
During  the  period  of  the  boom  he  speculated 
heavily  in  real-estate  and  for  a  time  he  experi- 
enced financial  difSculties,  and  it  was  at  this 
time  that  he  began  buying  and  selling  stock. 
His  efforts  along  this  line  were  far  more  suc- 
cessful than  he  had  anticipated,  so  much  so 
that  in  1904  he  was  enabled  to  retire  from  active 
business.  His  original  plot  of  three  acres  has  of 
late  years  been  divided  into  city  lots,  some  of 
which  have  been  sold,  reserving  for  his  home  place 
a  frontage  of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  feet,  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Twenty-first  and  Tober- 
man  streets,  w.hich  is  valued  at  $15,000.  Be- 
sides the  homestead  he  owns  another  residence 
at  Twenty-first  and  Toberman  streets,  which  he 
rents,  also  a  store  building  near  Ascot,  which  is 
likewise  occupied  by  a  tenant.  When  it  is  re- 
membered that  Mr.  Vogt  came  to  the  United 
States  empty-handed  (landing  in  New  York 
with  just  $2  in  his  pocket),  with  health  im- 
paired, and  with  necessity  for  work  confronting 
him,  both  for  his  own  support  and  to  enable 
him   to  render  assistance  to  his  parents  in  the 


Wc£^C€^/i/7^^^ 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1057 


Fatherland,  it  is  little  short  of  marvelous  what 
he  has  accomplished  and  much  praise  is  due 
him   for  his   persevering  efforts. 

Mr.  Vogt's  first  marriage  occurred  in  1874 
and  united  him  with  Miss  Louisa  Miller,  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin,  by  whom  he  has  two  chil- 
dren, Frederick  Julius  and  Edward  Karl,  both 
of  whom  are  in  San  Francisco.  His  second 
marriage  was  celebrated  September  15,  1881, 
and  the  present  Mrs.  Vogt  was  before  her  mar- 
riage Miss  Maggie  Baker,  she  too  being  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin.  The  only  child  of  this  mar- 
riage is  Gladys,  who  is  still  at  home  with  her 
parents.  Prior  to  the  present  administration  Mr. 
\'ogt  had  always  espoused  Democratic  princi- 
ples, but  his  last  presidential  vote  was  cast  for 
Theodore  Roosevelt.  Locally  he  casts  his  bal- 
lot for  the  man  best  qualified  for  the  office  in 
question,  irrespective  of  party.  The  only  fra- 
ternal order  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  the 
Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  Concordia  Lodge  No. 
124  at  Monroe,  Wis. 


JOSEPH  CRAWFORD.  Now  living  re- 
tired from  active  business  at  Bowers,  a  half 
mile  east  of  San  Jacinto,  Joseph  Crawford, 
one  of  the  old  settlers  of  the  state,  is  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  the  labors  of  many  years.  He 
was  born  March  7,  1832,  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  the 
son  of  John  H.  and  Mary  (Taylor)  Crawford, 
both  of  New  York  rtativity,  and  the  grandson 
of  William  Crawford,  who  fought  in  the  war 
of  1812.  John  H.  Crawford  was  a  merchant 
and  removed  to  Indiana  in  1833,  engaging  in 
business  at  Fremont,  where  his  wife  died  Au- 
gust II,  1839.  Hs  then  changed  his  residence 
to  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  and  finally  removed  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  staying  with 
Zachary  Taylor,  in  company  with  whom  he 
had  fought  in  the  Indian  wars,  when  his  death 
occurred  in  June,  1842,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  Camp  Crawford,  at  Prairie  du  Chien, 
Wis.,  was  built  by  a  brother,  Samuel  Craw- 
ford. 

There  was  little  opportunity  for  Joseph 
Crawford  to  attend  school  when  he  was  a  boy, 
for  from  his  eighth  year  he  was  obliged  to 
"hoe  his  own  row."  By  much  reading  and  pri- 
vate study  he  has,  however,  been  able  to  ac- 
cumulate a  larger  store  of  knowledge  than 
many  more  fortunate  people  acquire.  Between 
the  ages  of  eight-  and  ten  years  he  was  em- 
ployed at  team"  driving  in  Indiana,  then  hired 
out  bv  the  month,  doing  various  tasks,  in  1843 
engaging  to  drive  a  team  to  Green  Bay,  Wis. 
'Two  years  later  he  went  to  Weyauwega  and 
teamed  for  a  time,  returning  again  to  Green 
Bay  at  a  later  period  and  was  for  the  follow- 
ing eleven  vears  occupied  as  a  log  driver.  Sep- 


tember I,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F, 
Twelfth  Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  during  his  army  service  was  en- 
gaged in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  at  Jackson, 
at  Meridian,  the  commencement  of  the  battle 
of  Corinth,  later  was  stationed  near  Memphis, 
and  took  part  in  engagements  at  Bolivar,  At- 
lanta and  Kenesaw  Mountain,  as  well  as  In 
other  lesser  battles.  The  term  of  his  service 
extended  over  three  years  and  four  months, 
an  honorable  discharge  being  given  him  at 
Chattanooga  in   1864. 

Returning  to  Wisconsin  Mr.  Crawford  re- 
mained two  years  in  the  logging  camps,  then 
removed  to  Colorado,  driving  overland  from 
Omaha  to  Georgetown,  and  followed  mining 
until  1869,  at  intervals  doing  some  wood  cut- 
ting also.  He  then  went  to  Arizona  and  pur- 
chased a  ranch  on  the  San  Pedro  river,  sixty 
miles  east  of  Tucson,  lived  in  that  city  for 
one  year,  then  went  to  Mountain  Springs, 
Cal.,  and  was  employed  in  building  the  stage 
road  then  under  way.  Following  this  he 
worked  in  the  mines,  prospected  and  teamed 
between  San  Diego  and  Julian  for  a  year. 
From  there  he  came  to  San  Jacinto,  Septem- 
ber I,  1875,  and  constructed  a  private  toll  road 
over  the  San  lacinto  range,  the  trail  made  at 
that  time  being  used  for  many  years.  Riv- 
erside was  his  "next  location,  then  Bear  Val- 
ley, and  finally  San  Jacinto,  where  he  now 
lives.  There  were  few  white  people  m  this 
section  when  Mr.  Crawford  first  settled  here 
and  he  has  been  an  active  participant  in  the 
great  development  the  country  has  since  un- 
dergone. He  has  invested  in  farming  prop- 
ertv,  owning  two  hundred  acres  near  Valle 
Vista,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near_  Ca- 
huilla  and  eighteen  acres  near  San  Jacinto. 
Politically  he  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party. 


TEOFILO  VALDEZ.  As  the  name  would 
indicate  Mr.  Valdez  is  a  descendant  of  Spanish 
ancestors,  and  he  was  born  in  California  Jan- 
uary 8,  1854.  His  father,  Jose  E.  Valdez,  was 
also  a  native  of  the  state,  where  he  was  well 
known  as  a  rancher  and  stock  raiser.  From 
lose  G.  Rocher,  who  was  one  of  the  heirs  of 
the  rancho  La  Brea,  the  father  purchased  eleven 
hundred  and  sixtv  acres  of  land,  paying  the 
monev  therefor  and  receiving  in  return  the  deed 
to  the  property.  Twenty-five  years  later,  in 
some  unknown  'way  Henry  Hancock  ascertained 
that  the  deed  had  never  been  recorded,  an  omis- 
sion which  in  point  of  law  made  Mr.  Valdez' 
deed  worthless,  and  for  the  sum  of  $1  he  pur- 
chased the  land  from  :^Ir.  Rocher,  which  a  quar- 


1058 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ter  of  a  century  before  he  had  handed  over  to 
Mr.  Valdez.  A  lawsuit  necessarily  followed, 
wihich  cost  Mr.  Valdez  $30,000,  but  in  spite  of  all 
his  efforts  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  posses- 
sion of  the  ranch  in  November  1879.  From 
that  time  until  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he 
traveled  from  place  to  place,  his  death  occurring 
at  the  home  of  liis  son  near  Hollywood.  His 
wife,  formerly  Cecelia  Lopez,  was  also  a  native 
of  California,  and  by  her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Valdez  became  the  mother  of  four  children,  as 
follows:  Francisco  P..  Warsiza,  Teofilo  and 
Martina. 

After  the  loss  of  the  old  homestead  Teofilo 
Valdez  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
what  is  now  the  beautiful  city  of  Hollywood,  and 
here  it  was  that  his  father  passed  his  last  days 
in  quiet  and  peace.  Although  Mr.  Valdez  still 
owns  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  there  he  now 
makes  his  home  in  Sherman,  where  he  also 
owns  considerable  property,  this  being  in  the 
choicest  and  most  desirable  part  of  the  city. 
While  to  some  extent  he  sells  and  exchanges 
property  he  makes  a  specialty  of  renting  resi- 
dences erected  by  himself,  the  well-planned 
houses  and  desirable  locations  both  tending  to 
make  his  undertaking  a  success. 

By  his  marriage  in  1876  Mr.  Valdez  was  united 
with  Maria  Antonia  Corta,  who  was  also  a  de- 
scendant of  a  long  line  of  Spanish  ancestors, 
her  birth  occurring  in  Los  Angeles  county  on 
the  old  Machado  La  Ballona  rancho.  As  one 
of  the  heirs  to  the  estate  she  now  owns  three 
tracts  near  Venice  and  Ocean  Park.  Of  the  nine 
children  who  blessed  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Valdez  eight  are  now  living,  as  follows : 
Teofilo  D.,  Frank,  Eliza,  Jose  E.,  Thomas,  Mar- 
tina, Eugene  and  Charles.  Following  the  relig- 
ious belief  of  their  ancestors  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Val- 
dez are  Catholics,  and  in  this  faith  their  children 
have  also  been  reared.  Following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  worthy  father  in  matter  of  politics 
Mr.  Valdez  believes  in  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  to  which  he  gives  his  allegiance 
at  all  times. 


COLUMBUS  W.  PATTERSON.  One  of 
the  most  energetic  and  successful  ranchmen  of 
the  San  Marcos  district  in  San  Diego  county  is 
Columbus  W.  Patterson,  who  was  born  Novem- 
ber II,  1857,  in  Polk  county.  Mo.,  the  son  of 
William  and  Elizabetii  (Reed)  Patterson,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Tennessee.  The  father 
was  at  different  times  farmer,  millwright  and 
storekeeper  in  Missouri,  having  been  engaged  in 
the  latter  named  business  at  Pleasanthope.  The 
parents  were  unusually  strong  and  vigorous,  the 
father  having  lived  to  be  seventy-six  years  of 
age  and  the  mother  attained  eighty  years.     Both 


died  in  Missouri.     They  became  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Columbus  W.  received  his  education  through 
the  medium  of  the  public  schools  of  Missouri 
and  when  he  grew  to  manhood  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  his  native  state  for  two  years,  then  re-« 
moved  to  Kansas  and  was  interested  in  cattle 
on  the  ranges  there  for  nine  months,  after  which 
he  came  to  the  Calico  mining  camp  of  California 
and  worked  in  the  mines  for  two  years.  In  1886 
he  came  to  Buena,  San  Diego  county,  and  filed 
on  a  government  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  and  also  bought  twenty-five  acres  in  order 
to  get  water  on  his  holdings.  The  land  is  de- 
voted to  the  cultivation  of  grain  and  hay  crops, 
and  Mr.  Patterson  also  finds  that  the  raising  of 
chickens  is  a  profitable  part  of  successful  ranch- 
ing. He  was  married  in  1886  to  Miss  Minnie 
Vansandt,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  two  children.  James  and 
Noel.  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  stanch  believer  in  the 
principles  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
matters  that  tend  to  advance  the  community  in 
which  he  lives.  He  is  a  man  of  pleasing  per- 
sonality and  stands  high  in  the  esteem  of  his 
fellow-citizens. 


JOSEPH  CHARLES  PEARSON.  Among 
the  horticulturists  of  Los  Angeles  county  men- 
tion may  be  made  of  Joseph  Charles  Pearson, 
who  is  located  in  El  Monte  and  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  a  small  but  valuable  ranch  of  his 
own,  and  his  father's  ranch,  a  total  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres  all  in  walnuts  and  one-half 
in  full  bearing.  Mr.  Pearson  is  the  son  of  a 
pioneer,  having  been  brought  to  California  by 
his  father,  David  F.  Pearson,  in  1886.  The 
elder  man  was  born  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  a  son 
of  Samuel  Pearson,  an  emigrant  from  North 
Carolina,  who  settled  in  Ohio  and  there  reared 
his  family.  In  1853  he  removed  to  Cedar  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  a  helpful  and  conscientious  citizen,  and 
held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him.  David 
F.  Pearson  engaged  as  a  farmer  in  Iowa  for 
some  years,  then  went  to  Kansas  and  followed  a 
like  occupation  near  Dodge  City,  and  in  1879 
removed  to  Osage  county,  same  state.  He 
farmed  there  until  1886,  when  he  came  to  Cal- 
ifornia, making  his  home  in  Wildomar  for  seven 
years,  after  which,  in  1893,  he  removed  to  El 
Monte,  where  he  engaged  in  the  raising  of  wal- 
nuts. He  is  now  retired  from  active  business 
and  is  making  his  home  in  Pasadena,  at  No.  426 
North  Mentor  street.  His  wife,  formerly  Annie 
Michener.  was  born  in  Morgan  county,  Ohio, 
a  daughter  of  George  Michener,  a  graduate  phy- 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1061 


sician,  the  descendant  of  a  prominent  Quaker 
family.  She  also  survives  and  resides  in  Pasa- 
dena. Of  their  six  children,  a  son,  George  M., 
is  county  surveyor  of  Riverside  county;  Samuel 
F.,  city  engineer  of  Pasadena;  and  Joseph  C., 
the  subject  of  this  review. 

Next  to  the  youngest  in  his  father's  family 
Joseph  Charles  Pearson  was  born  near  West 
Branch,  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  November  30,  1874, 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Kansas  and  California,  being  but  twelve  years 
old  when  brought  to  the  state.  He  assisted  his 
father  in  the  improvement  of  the  ranch  in  El 
Monte,  where  they  located  in  1893,  and  later  he 
purchased  sixteen  acres  adjoining  the  old  home- 
stead and  set  it  to  walnuts.  He  continued  gen- 
eral farming  also  and  since  his  father's  retire- 
ment has  taken  charge  of  the  entire  property, 
which  is  devoted  to  walnuts,  alfalfa,  garden 
vegetables,  etc.  There  are  two  wells  on  the  place, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  depth  each,  with  a 
total  capacity  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  inches. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  work,  is  en- 
ergetic and  capable,  and  is  building  up  for  him- 
self a  competence  and  at  the  same  time  taking  a 
place  among  the  representative  citizens  of  the 
community. 

In  Springville,  Iowa,  Mr.  Pearson  married 
Miss  Edith  E.  Hall,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  daugh- 
ter of  Pearson  Hall,  a  farmer  in  Iowa.  They 
have  one  son,  Qnester  Charles.  Mr.  Pearson  is 
a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  polit- 
ically is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party. 


JOSEPH  DE  MEI'LLE.  As  president  of 
the  Harbor  iron  works  of  Long  Beach  Joseph 
De  Meulle  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
prom.inent  and  influential  business  men  of  this 
city.  He  was  born  November  22,  1850,  in 
Montreal,  Canada,  the  son  of  Edward  and 
Margaret  (Boulveau)  De  Meulle,  both  na- 
tives of  Canada,  the  former  having  been  born 
on  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  province  of  Quebec. 
As  a  young  man  he  was  a  ship  carpenter  by 
trade  and  later  established  shipyards  in  Corn- 
wall, conducting  the  business  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  The 
family  was  one  of  the  oldest  in  Quebec,  the 
first  member  having  come  with  the  first 
French  troops  sent  to  Canada.  Six  of  the 
eight  children  of  this  family  are  now  living, 
one  son,  Charles,  being  a  resident  of  Long 
Beach  and  in  charge  of  the  moulding  depart- 
ment of  the  iron  works  owned  by  his  brother, 
Joseph  De  Meulle. 

Reared  in  Cornwall,  Ontario,  ]\Ir.  De  Aleulle 
attended  the  common  schools  and  later  worked 
as   a   ship    carpenter,    continuing  at   that    em- 


ployment until  1867,  when  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia via  the  Nicaragua  route  on  the  San- 
tiago de  Cuba  from  New  York  to  Greytown. 
He  spent  some  time  on  the  American  river,  in 
San  Francisco  and  at  Marysville,  being  em- 
ployed at  the  latter  place  until  April,  1868, 
when  he  went  to  Virginia  City,  Nev.  For  a 
year  he  was  employed  in  a  planing  mill  there 
and  became  interested  in  mining,  and  in  1869 
went  to  the  White  Pine  (Nev.)  country  with  a 
surveying  corps.  He  became  a  surveyor  and 
followed  this  occupation  as  well  as  mining  for 
about  seven  years,  then  took  up  contracting  in 
the  same  state,  remaining  there  until  1880. 
Removing  to  Utah  he  next  engaged  in  stock- 
raising  and  mining  and  established  the  horse- 
shoe T  brand  on  the  Wah  Wah  ranch. 

Retaining  his  interest  in  the  ranch  and  other 
properties,  including  charcoal  kilns  and  iron 
mines  in  Utah.  Mr.  De  Meulle,  in  1903,  came 
to  Long  Beach,  purchased  property  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Fifth  and  Pacific  avenue  and  has  since 
that  time  made  this  city  his  home.  The  Har- 
bor iron  works,  of  which  he  was  an  incor- 
porator, is  the  leading  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment here  and  a  new  plant  is  to  be  built 
on  the  Riverside  tract  to  keep  pace  with  the 
rapidly  increasing  demands  made  upon  the 
business. 

The  marriage  .-^f  ]\lr.  De  Meulle  occurred  in 
Beaver  county,  Utah,  uniting  him  with  The- 
resa Squire,  a  native  of  Echo  Canon,  in  that 
state.  Fraternally  he  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Long  Beach  Lodge  No.  327,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
also  belongs  to  Long  Beach  Chapter  No.  48, 
R.  A.  M.  He  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles 
embraced  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican 
party  and  as  a  public-spirited  citizen  is  ac- 
tively interested  in  every  enterprise  tending 
to  upbuild  and  develop  the  community  in 
which  he  resides. 


HENRY  JAY  CAMP.  A  prominent  resident 
of  the  vicinity  of  De  Luz,  and  one  of  the  best 
known  men  in  this  part  of  San  Diego  county, 
Henry  J.  Camp  has  here  been  profitably  engaged 
in  general  agricultural  for  a  full  quarter  of  a 
century,  owning  and  occupying  one  of  the  most 
attractive  of  the  manv  beautiful  homesteads  to 
be  found  in  this  vicinity.  As  one  of  the  oldest 
settlers  of  this  section  of  the  state,  he  has  con- 
tributed his  full  share  towards  its  intellectual 
and  moral  progress,  and  as  one  of  its  early  min- 
isters of  the  gospel  has  done  much  missionary 
work,  laboring  to  incline  the  hearts  and  minds 
of  the  people  to  religious  things.  Coming  from 
substantial  New  England  stock,  he  was  born, 
Februarv  13,  1843.  in  Medina  county.  Ohio.  His 
father,    Israel    Camp,    a    native    of   Connecticut, 


1062 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  fitted  for  the  bar  in  his  early  manhood,  and 
during  his  brief  Hfe  was  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  law  in  Ohio,  being  in  partnership  with  Will- 
iam H.  Canfield.  He  married  Sarah  Higby, 
who  was  born  in  New  York,  and  she  too,  died 
when  young,  leaving  two  orphan  children, 
namely :  Charles  I.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years;  and  Henry  Jay,  the  special  subject 
of  this  brief  sketch. 

His  parents  dying  before  he  was  five  years  of 
age,  Henry  J.  Camp  was  brought  up  in  Con- 
necticut, receiving  his  elementary  education  in 
the  common  schools.  Subsequently  going  to 
Gambler,  Ohio,  he  took  a  preparatory,  academic 
and  collegiate  course  at  Kenyon  College,  and  in 
1872  was  graduated  from  its  theological  depart- 
ment. Locating  then  in  Circleville,  Ohio,  he 
there  had  charge  of  St.  Philip's  Episcopal  Church 
for  four  years.  Coming  to  California  in  1876, 
he  spent  a  brief  time  in  San  Francisco,  and  then 
came  by  steamer  to  San  Diego,  arriving  in  that 
city  on'the  last  day  of  October.  Continuing  his 
ministerial  labors  he  became  rector  of  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  Trinity.  Retiring  from  the  active 
work  of  the  ministry  in  1881  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits,  taking  up  a  gov- 
ernment claim  of  two  hundred  acres  near  De 
Luz,  and  here,  by  dint  of  untiring  labor  and  ex- 
cellent management,  he  has  improved  a  valuable 
estate.  He  raises  some  grain,  and  in  addition 
to  general  ranching  does  considerable  fancy 
farming,  keeping  bees,  cows  and  poultn,',  and 
having  a  good  orchard  of  various  kinds  of  fruit, 
and  an  olive  grove  containing  sixty  trees  that 
are  in  a  bearing  condition. 

In  1871  Mr.  Camp  married  Mary  Nash,  a 
daughter  of  the  late  Asa  Nash,  and  sister  of 
George  K.  Nash,  a  former  governor  of  Ohio, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  namely : 
Irvine  Nash,  a  well-known  dairs'man  of  River- 
side; and  Charles  H.,  who  is  employed  in  the 
San  Jose  car  shops.  A  Socialist  in  politics,  Mr. 
Camp  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  everything 
pertaining  to  local  affairs,  and  as  a  loyal  citizen 
never  shirks  his  public  duties,  but  has  served  as 
roadmaster,  school  trustee  and  as  deputy  county 
clerk  of  San  Diego  county.  Regaining  a  fair 
degree  of  health  from  outdoor  work,  in  1890 
Mr.  Camp  took  up  missionary  work  in  the 
county,  serving  at  Murrietta,  Temecula,  Fall- 
brook,  Escondido  and  Bostonia. 


ployed  in  his  independent  occupation  of  the 
Schiappa  Pietra  ranch,  where  he  has  met  with 
unquestioned  success  in  the  cultivation  of  beans. 
A  son  of  the  late  Joseph  Reiman,  he  was  born, 
November  4,  1861,  in  Hanover,  Germany,  and 
was  there  trained  to  habits  of  industry  and  thrift. 

Joseph  Reiman  spent  a  large  part  of  his  life 
in  the  Fatherland,  where  he  labored  hard  to 
give  his  wife  and  children  the  comforts  of  life. 
Determining  if  possible  to  better  his  financial 
condition,  he  immigrated  with  his  family  to 
America  in  1881,  coming  directly  to  the  Santa 
Clara  valley,  Cal,  where  he  settled  as  a  per- 
manent resident,  living  there  until  his  death. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
(Schneider),  still  lives  in  that  locality,  being  a 
bright  and  active  woman  of  seventy-six  years. 

After  completing  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Germany,  William  Reiman 
worked  in  different  hotels  in  his  native  city,  be- 
mg  employed  in  various  capacities.  In  1881  he 
came  with  the  family  to  the  United  States,  land- 
ing at  San  Francisco.  Locating  in  the  Santa 
Clara  valley,  he  has  since  been  profitably  em- 
ployed in  tilling  the  soil.  Energetic  and  per- 
severing, he  has  m.et  with  genuine  success  in 
his  labors,  and  is  now  carrying  on  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  acres  of  land,  twenty-five  of  which 
he  owns.  Seventy  acres  are  devoted  to  the  rais- 
ing of  lima  beans,  the  remainder  being  in  bar- 
le}'.  For  the  past  twelve  years  ha  has  also  en- 
gaged in  raising  fine  black  ]\Iinorca  fowles. 

May  21,  i8g6,  Mr.  Reiman  married  Bertha 
Adam,  a  native  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.  Two  chil- 
dren were  born  of  their  union,  both  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  Politically  Mr.  Reiman  is  an 
independent  Democrat,  voting  as  his  conscience 
dictates,  regardless  of  party  restrictions.  Re- 
ligiously both  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Reiman  are  members 
of   the   Oxnard   Catholic   Church. 


WILLIAM  REIMAN.  ]\Ianv  of  the  most 
industrious  and  enterprising  members  of  the 
farming  population  of  Ventura  county  have 
come  from  the  land  beyond  the  seas,  Germany 
furnishing  some  of  our  most  prosperous  agri- 
culturists. Noteworthy  among  these  valued 
citizens  is  William  Reiman,  who  is  activelv  em- 


QUINCY  C.  WEBSTER.  That  portion  of 
Los  Angeles  county  embraced  between  the  city 
of  Los  Angeles  and  the  Pacific  ocean  was  but 
sparsely  settled  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Webster's 
arrival  in  the  locality.  The  villages  now  rank- 
ing among  the  growing  towns  of  the  county  had 
not  been  platted  or,  if  already  laid  out  in  lots, 
were  of  very  insignificant  proportions.  The 
county,  however,  was  beginning  to  draw 
permanent  settlers  of  fine  character  and 
the  resources  of  the  soil  were  becoming 
increasingly  known  as  the  result  of  study 
and  experiment.  On  first  coming  to  this  county 
he  assisted  his  father,  James  C,  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  ranch  situated  one  mile  from  Ingle- 
wood,  known  then  as  the  old  ranch  place  of  Dan 
Freeman,  and  later  personally  operated  by  Mr. 
Webster  himself.     After  the  death  of  his  father 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1065 


he  took  charge  of  the  tract  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty  acres,  under  cultivation  to  grain,  com  and 
alfalfa,  and  retained  its  management  until  No- 
vember I,  1906,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  hay  and  feed  business  in  Los 
Angeles,  at  the  corner  of  Vernon  and  Central 
avenues. 

Hill  county  in  the  state  of  Texas  is  Mr.  Web- 
ster's native  place  and  May  23,  1871,  the  date 
of  his  birth.  The  family  is  of  old  southern  line- 
age. His  father  was  born  and  reared  in  Ala- 
bama, but  at  an  early  age  accompanied  other 
members  of  the  family  to  Texas,  at  that  time  a 
new  country  with  few  American  settlers.  Se- 
curing a  large  tract  of  land,  he  took  up  stock- 
raising  and  general  ranch  pursuits,  and  for  many 
years  remained  in  that  state  extensively  engaged 
in  agricultural  affairs.  There  he  met  and  mar- 
ried Miss  jNIelissa  Taylor,  who  was  born  in  Ala- 
bama, but  removed  to  Texas  in  childhood,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years.  Four 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  namely: 
Quincy  C  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Walter, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  management  of  a  stage 
line  at  Cass,  Mexico ;  Emmett,  a  clerk  in  Los 
Angeles ;  and  Jessie,  wife  of  Giles  E.  Stevens, 
who  is  emploved  in  the  registry  department  of 
the  Los  Angeles  postoffice. 

Disposing  of  his  interests  in  Texas  in  1890, 
James  C.  Webster  came  to  California  and  re- 
mained for  one  year  on  a  ranch  in  ^^entura  coun- 
ty, after  which  he  removed  to  Ina:lewood.  Los 
Aneeles  county,  and  there  died  January  7,  1897, 
at  fifty-three  years  of  age.  All  through  his  ac- 
tive life  he  was  a  worker  in  the  Democratic  party 
and  maintained  a  warm  interest  in  local  affairs. 
As  previously  stated,  upon  his  death  the  man- 
agement of  the  ranch  was  assumed  by  his  son 
Quincy  C,  who  was  united  in  marriage,  April 
21;,  1904,  with  Miss  Nita  Carpenter,  a  native 
of  Kansas,  and  has  until  recently  made  his  home 
at  the  old  ranchhouse.  With  his  wife  he  holds 
membership  in  the  Presbvterian  Gnurch  and  con- 
tributes to  the  maintenance  of  the  same ;  for 
some  years  he  officiated  as  an  elder  of  the  con- 
gregation. Like  his  father,  he  favors  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  but  he  is  liberal  in  his  views 
and  in  local  affairs  believes  the  character  and 
intelligence  of  the  candidate  to  be  of  greater  im- 
portance than  his  views  concerning  national 
problems. 


DANIEL  DONOVAN.  As  the  name  indi- 
cates, the  Donovan  family  comes  of  Irish  line- 
age. Their  establishment  in  the  United  States 
is  an  event  of  the  present  generation,  but  no 
native-born  sons  of  our  country  have  been 
more  loyal  than  they.  John  and  Kate  (Swee- 
ny) Donovan,  who  were  lifelong  residents  of 
the  Emerald  Isle,  were  the  parents   of  seven 


children,  of  whom  one  daughter  and  one  son 
(Daniel)  reside  in  California,  and  another  son, 
Patrick,  for  years  before  his  death  held  a 
prominent  position  among  the  ranchers  of  the 
valley  near  Arroyo"  Grande.  The  member  of 
the  family  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch 
was  born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  January  5, 
T842,  and  remained  at  home  until  sixteen  years 
of  age,  meanwhile  availing  himself  of  such  ed- 
ucational advantages  as  the  circumstances  of 
the  family  rendered  possible. 

An  uneventful  voyage  via  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama  brought  Mr.  Donovan  to  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1866,  and  there  he  remained  for  two 
years  working  at  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker. 
For  a  year  he  also  worked  in  the  mines.  Next 
he  removed  to  W^atsonville  and  engaged  in  the 
retail  shoe  business  for  two  years,  but  at  the 
expiration  of  that  time  he  disposed  of  the  bus- 
iness and  removed  to  Monterey  county,  where 
he  took  up  land  from  the  government.  Six 
busy  years  were  spent  on  the  land,  which  he 
devoted  principally  to  the  raising  of  cattle. 
Selling  out  his  interests  in  1877,  he  brought 
forty-five  head  of  milch  cows  to  Guadaloupe, 
Santa  Barbara  county,  and  from  there  came  to 
Nipomo.  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  where  for 
four  years  he  engaged  in  the  stock  business  in 
partnership  with  J.  Sheehy.  On  the  division 
of  their  interests  Mr.  Donovan  came  to  Los 
Berros  valley,  San  Luis  Obispo  county,  and 
bought  his  present  ranch  of  five  hundred  and 
four  acres,  of  which  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  are  in  pasture  and  the  balance  under  cul- 
tivation to  grain  and  beans. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Donovan  was  solemn- 
ized in  Watsonville  in  1869  and  united  him 
with  Miss  Mary  McSweeney,  who  was  born 
in  Cork,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  with  her  mother,  settling  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. Her  education  was  received  in  the 
schools  of  that  city.  Possessing  a  kind  dis- 
position and  pleasant  manner,  she  won  many 
friends  and  her  death  in  1904  was  mourned  by 
all  of  her  acquaintances.  One  of  her  daugh- 
ters, IMaggie  Frances,  had  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years.  The  other,  Mary  C,  is  mar- 
ried to  j\i.  W.  Phelan,  by  w^hom  she  has  one 
child.  In  religious  connections  Mr.  Donovan 
was  reared  in  the  Catholic  faith  and  now  holds 
membership  with  the  church  of  that  denomi- 
nation in  Arroyo  Grande.  Ever  since  becom- 
ing familiar  with  tlie  platforms  of  the  different 
political  parties  he  has  given  his  support  to  the 
Democratic  party  and  votes  the  regular  ticket 
in  national  elections.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  held  the  position  of  deputy  assessor,  but 
with  that  exception  he  has  held  no  offices  and 
has  not  been  a  candidate  for  such  positions, 
preferring  to  devote  himself  to  the  duties  con- 


1066 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


nected  with  his  ranch.  Genial  and  companion- 
able, he  is  a  man  whom  it  is  a  pleasure  to 
meet  socially,  and  whose  long  identification 
with  the  locality  entitles  him  to  the  honored 
position  accorded  all  pioneers. 


FRANK  M.  NEWSOM.  Among  the  en- 
terprising and  successful  agriculturists  of  Los 
Angeles  county  are  many  men  who  bring  to 
their  calling  great  skill,  much  ability  and  ex- 
cellent judgment.  Ranking  among  these  is 
Frank  AT.  Newsom,  who  is  busily  employed 
in  his  chosen  occupation  on  his  well  cultivated 
ranch  near  Inglewood.  He  was  born,  August 
i8,  i860,  in  North  Carolina,  which  was  like- 
wise the  birthplace  of  his  father,  Jerry  V. 
Newsom.  Born  in  North  Carolina  Jerry  V. 
Newsom  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  during  his  entire  life  has  been  engaged  in 
farming.  In  his  early  days  he  owned  a  large 
plantation  and  had  many  slaves  to  do  the  work. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  a  North 
Carolina  regiment  and  served  in  the  Confed- 
erate army  during  the  entire  conflict.  But 
few  of  his  slaves  left  him  when  freed,  the  ma- 
jority of  them  remaining  on  the  plantation  and 
subsequently  working  for  wages.  He  still 
owns  and  occupies  the  old  home  place.  He 
married  Anna  Nickleson.  and  of  the  seven 
children  born  of  their  union  six  are  living, 
namely:  Frank  M..  Matthew,  Alex,  Lena, 
Lucie  and  Lizzie.  The  mother,  who  was  a 
faithful  Christian  woman  and  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  died  on  the  home 
farm. 

ITie  oldest  child  of  the  parental  household, 
Frank  M.  Newsom  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools,  and  while  assisting  his  father  on  the 
old  plantation  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of 
agriculture.  Leaving  home  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  he  migrated  to  Texas,  where 
he  followed  farming  for  four  years.  Coming 
from  there  to  California  in  1885,  he  spent  a 
few  months  in  Pasadena,  later  in  the  year  com- 
ing to  Inglewood,  where  he  has  improved  a 
good  ranch.  This  he  is  operating  successful- 
ly, carrying  on  general  farming  after  the  most 
approved  modern  methods. 

In  1901  I\Ir.  Newsom  married  Anna  Young, 
who  was  born  in  Austria.  Politically  he  is  an 
earnest  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party. 


gies  wisely  and  well,  and  is  meeting  with  note- 
worthy success,  his  ranch,  located  in  Wiseburn, 
comparing  favorably  as  regards  its  improve- 
ments with  any  in  this  section  of  the  county.  He 
was  born,  in  1865,  at  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio, 
which  was  also  the  birthplace  of  his  father,  Phil- 
ip M.  Weaver. 

A  farmer  by  occupation,  Philip  M.  Weaver 
began  his  agricultural  labors  in  his  native  state, 
but  after  a  few  years  went  to  Minnesota  to  look 
about.  Not  liking  that  country,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia with  his  family  in  1869,  locating  in  the 
Sacramento  valley,  where  he  bought  land,  and 
carried  on  farming  and  stock-raising  for  seven 
years.  Going  thence  to  Kern  county,  he  re- 
mained there  five  years.  Removing  to  Los  An- 
geles in  1885,  he  resided  there  until  his  death, 
October  4,  1904.  Of  the  five  children  born  of 
their  union  four  are  living,  namely:  John  L., 
of  this  review ;  Mrs.  Mary  Damon,  of  Shasta 
county,  Cal. ;  Mrs.  Hattie  Miller,  of  Joplin,  Mo. ; 
and  Nelson,  of  San  Francisco.  John  L.,  is  the 
youngest  son  of  the  family. 

Coming  with  his  parents  to  California  when 
but  four  years  of  age,  John  L.  Weaver  received 
a  practical  education  in  the  public  schools,  and 
while  young  became  familiar  with  the  various 
branches  of  agriculture.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  years  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account 
in  Los  Angeles  county.  Subsequently  locating 
in  the  Wiseburn  district,  he  bought  a  ranch, 
and  has  since  carried  on  general  farming  on 
a  large  scale.  By  the  exercise  of  his  native  in- 
dustry and  his  able  business  capacity  he  has 
met  with  success.  Though  not  an  aspirant  for 
office,  he  takes  a  genuine  interest  in  local  and 
national  aftairs,  and  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party. 

In  1879  Mr.  Weaver  married  Magneta  White, 
a  native  of  Kansas,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  namely:  Wallace  H.,  Bessie,  Hat- 
tie  and  Charles  B.  Fraternally  Mr.  Weaver  be- 
longs to  Redondo  Lodge  No.  328,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  with  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
the  Eastern  Star,  of  which  his  daughter  Bessie 
is    (1906)    Worthy  Matron. 


JOHN  L.  WEAVER.  Among  the  energetic 
and  enterprising  men  who  have  assisted  in  de- 
veloping the  rich  agricultural  resources  of  South- 
ern California,  the  name  of  John  L.  Weaver 
should  receive  special  mention.  In  the  pursuit 
of  his  chosen  vocation  he  is  directing  his  ener- 


LOUIS  B.  HARDIN.  Closely  identified  with 
the  agricultural  interests  of  Los  Angeles  county 
is  Louis  B.  Hardin,  who  is  pleasantly  located 
four  and  one-half  rriiles  southwest  of  Ingle- 
wood, not  far  from  Wiseburn.  Industrious  and 
progressive,  possessing  excellent  judgment  and 
good  business  ability,  he  is  carrying  on  general 
farming  with  satisfactory  pecuniary  results,  in 
his  chosen  occupation  having  amassed  a  comfort- 
able competence.  A  son  of  the  late  Nathan  C. 
Hardin,  he  was  born,  September  28,  1862,  in 
Delaware,  Ohio. 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1067 


A  native  of  Ohio,  Nathan  C.  Hardin  was  born 
in  Delaware  in  June,  1821.  Succeeding  to  the 
occupation  to  which  he  was  reared,  he  carried 
on  general  farming  for  many  years  in  his  native 
place,  being  especially  interested  in  raising  cat- 
tle and  sheep.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served 
as  a  soldier,  belonging  to  an  Ohio  regiment, 
and  participated  in  many  engagements,  including 
among  others  both  of  the  battles  at  Bull  Run. 
Being  mustered  out  of  service  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  he  returned  to  his  farm,  resuming  his 
former  employment.  In  1866  he  moved  with 
his  family  to  Missouri,  where  he  bought  land, 
improved  a  farm,  and  was  there  successfully  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death, 
in  May,  1893.  He  married  Julia  Sellers,  who 
was  born  in  Delaware  county,  Ohio,  and  died,  in 
1899,  in  Missouri,  aged  sixty-nine  years.  Six 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  and  all  grew 
to  years  of  maturity,  namely :  Laura,  Henry, 
Louis  B.,  Sarah,  Joseph  and  Mary 

Receiving  a  practical  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Ohio,  Louis  B.  Hardin  began  life 
for  himself  when  a  boy  of  fourteen  years,  work- 
ing as  a  farm  hand,  first  in  Missouri,  and  after- 
wards in  Kansas,  remaining  thus  employed  un- 
til taking  upon  himself  the  responsibilities  of 
a  married  man.  In  1893,  disposing  of  his  in- 
terests in  the  middle  west  he  came  to  California, 
purchased  the  land  on  which  he  is  now  living, 
and  has  since  improved  a  valuable  ranch,  his 
estate  in  its  appointments  being  one  of  the  best 
in    the    community. 

In  1886,  in  Missouri,  Mr.  Hardin  married 
Violet  Tharp,  and  into  -their  pleasant  household 
four  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Qiarles 
C,  Retta.  Ray  H.  and  Louis  B.,  Jr.  Fraternal- 
ly Mr.  Hardin  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arcanum, 
and  politically  he  is  a  strong  Republican,  but  has 
had  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  take  an  ac- 
tive part  in  public  afifairs. 


JOHN  DAWSON  ARDIS.  The  Ardis  fam- 
ily has  been  represented  in  the  vicinity  of  Dow- 
ney, Los  Angeles  county,  since  1868,  when  John 
C.  Ardis  sought  a  home  in  California  because 
of  its  unsurpassed  climatic  conditions.  He  was 
a  native  of  Georgia  and  the  descendant  of  an 
honored  ancestry.  Receiving  his  education  in 
Emory  College,  at  Oxford,  Ga.,  he  subsequent- 
ly engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  but  afterward 
entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South.  After  his  removal  to  Arkansas, 
which  took  place  in  1857,  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing and  continued  so  occupied  for  a  number 
of  years.  The  close  confinement  gradually  told 
upon  his  health,  until  he  found  it  expedient  to 
seek  both  a  change  of  climate  and  occupation, 
and  in  July,    1868,  he  came  to  California  with 


the  intention  of  making  this  state  his  home.  In 
the  vicinity  of  Downey  he  purchased  a  twenty- 
five  acre  ranch,  barren  of  all  improvement  or 
cultivation,  and  with  no  promise  of  the  great 
productiveness  which  the  future  was  destined  to 
yield  in  return  for  unremitting  eflfort.  The  death 
of  Mr.  Ardis  occurred  nine  years  later,  on  the 
24th  of  December,  1877,  and  though  the  time 
was  short,  yet  he  improved  well  his  opportunity 
and  laid  the  foundation  for  the  competence 
which  his  property  should  yield.  With  his  re- 
moval from  the  active  affairs  of  the  community 
there  passed  away  a  man  of  exceptional  ability 
and  worth,  one  strong  in  the  inherited  qualities 
of  manhood,  generous  in  his  citizenship,  unsel- 
fish and  devoted  in  his  home,  and  always  a  power 
for  the  moral  uplifting  of  those  about  him.  Al- 
ways stanch  in  his  support  of  right  and  justice, 
he  was  chosen  at  various  times  to  positions  of 
public  honor  and  trust,  as  a  member  of  the  Ar- 
kansas state  legislature  for  two  years  endeavor- 
ing to  advance  the  best  interests  of  the  citizen- 
ship of  the  state,  the  influence  won  by  a  splendid 
personality  being  held  by  the  display  of  honest, 
earnest  manhood   and  worthy  purpose. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Ardis  united  him  with  a 
member  of  an  old  and  honored  southern  family, 
whose  first  ancestor  settled  in  Virginia  in  the 
early  colonial  days,  when  the  name  of  Harris 
was  prominent  in  public  affairs.  Frances  Aman- 
da Harris  was  a  daughter  of  the  far  southern 
branch,  an  ancestor  having  located  in  Alabama, 
where  her  birth  occurred.  As  befitted  the  daugh- 
ters of  the  southern  aristocracy  she  received  an 
excellent  education  in  the  Female  College  at  La- 
Grange,  Ga.,  after  which,  in  young  womanhood, 
she  met  and  married  Mr.  Ardis.  She  survived 
her  husband  many  years,  passing  away  Decem- 
ber I,  1902,  after  many  years  of  useful  and  ear- 
nest life.  Eleven  children  blessed  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ardis,  of  whom  John  D.  is  a 
rancher  at  Downey :  Isaac  L.,  deceased,  was  for- 
merly a  resident  of  Downey,  and  for  over  twenty 
years  was  an  engineer  with  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad ;  Sallie  A.  is  the  wife  of  A.  S.  Gray, 
a  rancher  of  Downey;  Lida  T.,  the  wife  of  Dr. 
O.  J.  Rowley,  of  Los  Angeles,  was  a  teacher  in 
the  schools  of  Downey  for  about  fourteen  years; 
Julius  H.  is  a  successful  attorney  of  Downey; 
William  M.  is  associated  with  a  wholesale 
leather  house  in  Los  Angeles,  and  Julia  is  the 
wife  of  J.  H.  McCullough,  a  dealer  in  imple- 
ments in  Downey.  By  the  upright  lives  of  the 
men  and  women  who  bear  the  name  of  Ardis 
they  have  gained  a  wide  influence  throughout 
the  community,  and  are  justly  named  among  the 
citizens  who  have  given  most  for  the  upbuilding 
and  development  of  this  section. 

John  Dawson  Ardis  is  the  oldest  surviving 
child  of  the  Ardis  family,  his  birth  having  oc- 


1068 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


curred  in  Russell  county,  Ala.,  January  14,  1849, 
his  early  life  being  passed  in  his  native  state, 
where  he  received  a  preliminary  education 
through  the  medium  of  the  subscription  schools. 
Accompanying  his  parents  to  Arkansas  in  1857, 
he  completed  his  studies  under  the  instruction 
of  his  father  and  in  Arkansas  College.  In  De- 
cember, 1867,  he  came  to  California  with  his 
parents,  who  made  the  trip  in  their  own  con- 
veyances, and  on  the  28th  of  July,  1868,  ar- 
rived in  the  vicinity  of  Downey,  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided.  Here  his  father  purchased 
a  ranch  of  twenty-five  acres,  devoid  of  all  culti- 
vation or  improvement.  Nothing  daunted  by 
the  prospect  Mr.  Ardis  gave  himself  heartily 
to  the  work  of  cultivation,  and  passing  years 
have  ably  demonstrated  his  ability,  for  he  is  now 
the  owner  of  a  well-paying  ranch  of  walnut, 
orange  and  apple  orchards,  to  whose  cultivation 
he  gives  his  entire  time  and  attention.  Thirty- 
eight  years  have  passed  away  since  he  came  to 
this  location  and  on  the  same  ranch  he  has  made 
his  home  ever  since,  and  in  the  same  commun- 
ity has  won  a  place  among  the  substantial  and 
upright  men,  who  can  always  be  counted  upon 
to  further  any  plan  for  the  advancement  of  the 
country's  welfare.  He  established  home  ties  De- 
cember 2,  1899,  when  he  married  Ada  V. 
(Rudd)  Anderson,  a  native  of  Iowa,  in  which 
state  her  father,  James  Rudd.  was  also  born, 
and  thence  removed  to  California  and  located  in 
the  vicinity  of  Downey.  Mr.  Ardis  has  two  chil- 
dren, John  Rudd  and  Glenn  Dawson.  Both  him- 
self and  wife  are  devoted  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  South,  and  are  liberal  in 
their  support  of  its  charities,  Mr.  Ardis  having 
been  associated  with  this  religious  denomination 
since  the  age  of  eight  years.  He  has  held  every 
office  in  the  church  and  is  at  present  officiating 
as  trustee  and  steward.  In  his  political  convic- 
tions he  is  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  principles 
advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  fraternallv  is  identified  with  the  Ma- 
sonic organization,  being  past  master  of  Dow- 
ney Lodge  No.  220,  F.  A.  M.  Like  his  father 
Mr.  Ardis  has  always  stood  for  good  govern- 
ment, the  improvement  and  upbuilding  of  pub- 
lic utilities  and  private  interests,  and  no  man  has 
been  more  active  than  he  in  the  promotion  of  all 
enterprises  tending  toward  this  end.  Personally 
he  combines  many  traits  which  have  won  him  a 
wide  circle  of  friends  and  makes  his  influence 
far-reaching. 


MYRON  NELSON  CASTERLINE.  In 
Oceanside,  San  Diego  county,  are  to  be  found 
many  live,  energetic,  persevering  business  men, 
prominent  among  whom  may  be  mentioned  the 
name  of  ?iIvron  Nelson  Casterline,  a  well-known 


contractor  and  builder.  By  his  own  unaided 
efforts  he  has  achieved  success,  and  is  in  fact 
a  self-made  man  in  every  sense  implied  by  the 
term.  With  his  natural  endowments  of  fine 
health,  strong  hands  and  a  clear,  cool  brain,  he 
started  out  in  life  with  a  determination  to  win, 
and  gaining  experience  and  business  ability  as 
the  years  have  quickly  fled,  he  has  become  very 
prosperous  while  yet  in  manhood's  prime,  his 
record  being  one  of  which  he  may  well  be  proud. 
A  son  of  John  Casterline,  he  was  born,  January 
20,  1865,  in  Scott  county,  Minn.,  coming  from 
thrifty  Scotch-Irish  ancestry. 

Barnabas  Casterline,  the  grandfather  of  M. 
N.  Casterline,  was  born,  reared  and  married  in 
New  York  state.  Removing  with  his  family  to 
Minnesota  in  1844,  he  became  one  of  the  brave 
pioneer  farmers  of  that  state,  settling  there  when 
the  country  was  in  its  original  wildness,  game  of 
all  kinds  being  abundant,  while  the  Indians  far 
outnumbered  the  white  people.  For  awhile  he 
was  engaged  in  trading  with  the  Redmen,  first 
at  Fort  Snelling,  and  later  at  Mendota.  Sub- 
sequently moving  still  farther  into  the  forest,  he 
settled  near  two  small  bodies  of  water.  Spring 
Lake  and  Prone  Lake,  where  he  carried  on 
general  farming  until  his  death,  in  1883. 

A  native  of  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  John  Caster- 
line removed  with  his  parents  to  Minnesota  when 
a  boy,  and  there  assisted  in  the  pioneer  labor  of 
clearing  and  improving  a  tract  of  wild  land.  He 
learned  the  trades  of  carpenter,  builder  and  mill- 
wright, and  followed  these  for  a  number  of  years. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  served  in  a  Minnesota 
regiment  of  volunteer  infantry,  after  which  he 
returned  to  his  home  in  Scott  county.  In  1884 
he  removed  with  his  family  to  Osakis,  Douglas 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building  for  awhile,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
a  resident  of  Cass  Lake,  Cass  county.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  McCullum,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  removed  with  her  parents 
to  Minnesota  when  a  girl,  and  died  a  few  years 
after  her  marriage,  leaving  three  children,  of 
whom  Myron  Nelson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
is  the  first-born. 

Receiving  but  a  limited  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Scott  county,  which  he  attended 
rather  irregularly  until  twelve  years  old,  Myron 
Nelson  Casterline  began  to  be  self-supporting 
when  but  eleven  years  old.  He  worked  as  a  farm 
laborer,  drifting  about  in  different  parts  of  the 
state  until  coming  of  age,  when  he  went  to  St. 
Paul,  where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
carpenter's  trade.  Going  subsequently  to  Oregon, 
he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Portland  from  1890 
until  1893,  when  he  settled  as  a  contractor  and 
builder  in  Phoenix.  Ariz.,  remaining  there  seven 
years.  The  following  two  years  he  was  similar- 
ly employed   at  Prescott,  Ariz.,  and   from    1902 


i 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1071 


until  1905  was  one  of  the  leading  builders  and 
contractors  of  Hollywood,  Los  Angeles  county, 
Ca!.,  where  he  built  up  a  fine  business.  Coming 
to  Oceanside  in  1905,  he  bought  land  and  built 
a  fine  residence,  on  Corona  Heights,  where  he 
now  resides,  his  home  being  pleasant  and  at- 
tractive. Continuing  in  his  former  occupation, 
he  is  one  of  the  foremost  builders  and  contrac- 
tors of  this  section  of  San  Diego  county,  and  is 
carrying  on  a  large  remunerative  business,  draw- 
ing his  own  plans  and  erecting  some  of  the  finest 
and  best-appointed  buildings  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. 

In  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  Mr.  Casterline  married 
Mary  Monahan,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Clissie  May.  Mr.  Casterline 
is  a  member  of  the  Metliodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  in  politics  he  is  a  Prohibitionist.  He  is 
public-spirited,  generous  and  liberal,  and  while 
living  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  served  for  two  years 
in  the  Artillery  Company,  Union  Guards. 


CALEB  E.  WHITE.  No  more  courageous 
and  hopeful  pioneer  braved  the  dangers  of  the 
trip  to  California  by  the  straits  of  Magellan  in 
1849  than  Caleb  E.  White,  and  with  as  much 
certainty  may  it  be  said  that  none  labored 
more  indefatigably  than  did  he  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  his  adopted  state.  As  early  as 
1852  he  began  raising  fruit  on  the  American 
river,  an  attempt  which  met  with  discourage- 
ments at  first  but  with  keen  foresight  he  real- 
ized that  the  conditions  of  climate  and  soil 
were  adapted  for  this  branch  of  agriculture, 
and  instead  of  giving  up  the  project,  renewed 
his  efiforts  with  even  more  zeal.  Be  it  said  to 
his  credit  that  be  was  the  pioneer  in  the  rais- 
ing of  navel  oranges  in  California.  Such  was 
his  success  in  the  raising  of  this  special  fruit, 
that  at  one  time  he  planted  and  cultivated  a 
three  hundred  acre  orange  grove  for  Oakland 
capitalists.  Had  he  accomplished  no  more  for 
his  adopted  home  state  than  creating  and  sus- 
taining the  interest  in  horticultural  afifairs 
which  followed  from  his  example  he  would 
have  been  counted  a  benefactor,  but  this  was 
only  one  avenue  of  his  usefulness,  and  his 
death,  September  2,  1902,  was  counted  a  pub- 
lic loss. 

A  native  of  Massachusetts,  Mr.  White  was 
born  in  Holbrook,  Norfolk  county.  February 
5,  1830,  his  father.  Jonathan  "White,  being  a 
native  of  that  same  New  England  state.  The 
latter  was  a  prominent  manufacturer  there 
and  well  known  in  business  circles  in  the  east. 
His  busA'  and  useful  life  came  to  a  close  in 
1875,  vv'hen  he  was  in  his  eig]Tt}'-eighth  vear. 
His  wife,  formerly  Abigail  Holhrook,  lived  to 
attain  the  remarkable  aee  of  ninetv-two  vears. 


In  the  quiet  precincts  of  his  home  town  near 
Boston  Caleb  E.  White  was  reared,  but  the 
spot  was  not  so  secluded  that  it  did  not  hear 
the  thrilling  reports  that  followed  the  finding 
of  gold  in  California  in  1848.  In  February  of 
1849  he  was  one  of  the  passengers  who  board- 
ed the  brig  Arcadia  at  Boston  bound  for  San 
Francisco  by  way  of  Cape  Horn.  An  exceed- 
ingly tiresome  voyage  of  two  hundred  and  six- 
ty-three days  finally  brought  them  to  the 
Golden  Gate,  through  which  they  passed  Oc- 
tober 29. 

With  several  others  who  had  accompanied 
him  on  the  voyage  Mr.  White  opened  a  mer- 
cantile business  in  Sacramento,  and  under  the 
name  of  Haskell,  White  &  Co.  business  was 
carried  on  for  one  year,  after  which,  until  1852, 
Mr.  White  was  sole  proprietor.  In  the  latter 
year  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in  fruit  raising 
on  grant  land  on  the  American  river,  an  enter- 
prise which  as  yet  was  entirel}'  unknown  in 
that  part  of  the  country,  but  he  lived  to  see 
the  triumph  of  his  efiforts  and  share  in  the 
prosperity  of  the  country,  to  which  more  than 
to  any  other  one  source  is  traceable  the  rais- 
ing of  fruit.  The  land  was  part  of  a  Spanish 
grant,  and  he  lost  it  after  having  built  up  a  fine 
home.  His  efforts  were  not  without  discour- 
agements, for  in  shipping  the  trees  from  the 
cast  many  of  them  were  destroyed  in 
transit  or  died  afterward,  and  to  obviate  this 
he  decided  to  start  a  nursery  of  his  own.  This 
he  established  on  his  home  place  and  later  on 
he  purchased  one  with  Mr.  Hollister.  The 
business  grew  and  prospered,  and  at  the  time 
he  sold  his  ranch  in  1868  he  was  the  largest 
fruit  raiser  on  the  American  and  Sacramento 
rivers.  It  was  in  the  latter  year  that  he  lo- 
cated in  San  Luis  Obispo  county  and  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  sheep  raiser,  an  industry 
in  which  he  was  destined  to  become  as  well 
known  as  he  was  in  horticultural  lines,  his 
prime  object  being  the  production  of  wool, 
rather  than  raising  sheep  for  the  market.  The 
following  year.  1869,  he  came  to  Los  Angeles 
county  and  established  a  sheep  ranch  at  what 
is  now  Florence,  carrying  it  on  with  excellent 
results  for  ten  years,  during  which  time  he 
lived  in  Los  Angeles,  in  order  to  educate  his 
children.  During  this  time  he  became  closely 
associated  with  the  business  affairs  of  that 
city,  and  in  1875  and  '76  conducted  the  Los 
Aiigeles  Emigration  and  Land  Co-operative 
Association,  of  which  company  he  was  a  di- 
rector. 

It  was  in  1880  that  ^Ir.  White  came  to  Po- 
mona and  connected  himself  financially  and  so- 
cially with  the  city  which  was  to  be  his  last 
home.  After  the  Los  Angeles  Emigration  and 
Co-operative  Association  went  down  with  the 


1072 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


boom  it  became  absorbed  by  the  Pomona  Land 
and  Water  Company  and  he  was  no  longer 
actively  associated  with  it.  Resuming  his  in- 
terest in  horticulture,  he  secured  a  number  of 
the  finest  locations  for  fruit  raising  that  it  was 
possible  to  find  and  in  the  years  that  followed 
concentrated  his  eiiforts  along  this  line  of  ag- 
riculture with  unflagging  energy.  As  a  com- 
pensation for  his  eft'orts  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  he  owned  some  of  the  finest 
orange  orchards  in  the  San  Jose  valley.  He 
also  produced  a  large  variety  of  deciduous 
fruits.  Mr.  White  was  also  a  large  property 
owner  in  this  city,  most  of  it  being  in  the 
business  portion  and  included  among  his  hold- 
ings was  the  White  block. 

Mr.  White's  marriage  in  1855  united  him 
v/ith  Mrs.  Rebecca  A.  (Ferguson)  Holship,  a 
native  of  Missouri,  born  in  St.  Louis  Decem- 
ber 12,  1835.  When  she  was  about  sixteen 
years  of  age  she  became  the  wife  of  E.  B.  Hol- 
ship, and  soon  after  their  marriage  they  start- 
ed across  the  plains  behind  mule  teams.  Their 
experiences  with  the  Indians  were  many  and 
exciting,  and  at  one  time  in  their  travels  they 
journeyed  three  days  and  three  nights  with- 
out stopping  in  order  to  keep  in  advance  of 
their  dusky  foe.  The  ravages  of  cholera,  how- 
ever, which  broke  out  while  en  route,  depleted 
their  number  considerably  and  caused  great 
suffering  and  sorrow,  and  upon  reaching  Sac- 
ramento Mr.  Holship  was  added  to  its  victims. 
Of  the  two  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hol- 
ship one  died  at  the  age  of  five  years  and  John 
died  in  Los  Angeles  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 
Four  children  blessed  the  marriage  of  ]\'Ir.  and 
Mrs.  White.  Helen  M.  became  the  wife  of 
Thomas  J.  Caystile,  the  latter  now  deceased ; 
he  was  the  first  editor  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Times.  Nannie  became  the  wife  of  Charles  L. 
Northcraft,  of  Pomona ;  Harry  R.  married 
Miss  Mary  Blainey,  and  with  their  four  chil- 
dren they  reside  in  Pomona :  Abigail  died  in 
early  childhood.  In  his  political  affiliations 
^Tr.  White  was  a  stanch  Republican  and  fra- 
ternally he  was  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Pental- 
pha  Lodge  No.  202,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Los  An- 
geles. As  would  be  expected  of  one  as  deeply 
devoted  to  the  city's  welfare  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade.  He  was  also  a  work- 
ing member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  for  years  had  served  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  vice-president  of  the  People's  Bank 
of  Pomona.  It  would  be  impossible  to  over- 
estimate Mr.  White's  value  as  a  pioneer  settler 
in  Los  Angeles  county  and  also  in  Pomona, 
for  besides  being  the  father  of  horticulture  in 
the  state,  he  was  no  less  a  father  to  the  strug- 
gling town  in  which  he  settled.  Through  his 
efforts  the  first  school  house  in  the  town  was 


made  a  possibility  and  he  was  the  prime  mover 
in  the  installation  of  the  first  water  system  and 
erected  the  first  hotel.  At  his  death  Septem- 
ber 2,  1902,  he  left  a  host  of  friends  who  had 
been  intimately  associated  with  him  in  his 
business  and  social  life,  all  of  whom  admired 
him  for  his  manv  manlv  and  noble  traits. 


MRS.  IMARGARET  MEHEGAN.  During 
her  long  residence  in  California,  embracing  a 
period  of  more  than  thirty  years,  Mrs.  Mehegan 
has  witnessed  the  growth  and  development  of 
the  Pacific  coast  region  and  has  lieen  lo\ally  de- 
voted to  the  welfare  of  the  west.  The  scenes 
familiar  to  her  mature  years  are  far  removed 
from  those  associated  with  her  girlhood,  for  she 
is  a  native  of  the  Atlantic  coast  country,  ana 
was  born  at  Hodgdon,  Aroostook  county,  Me., 
December  14,  1837.  The  schools  of  that  day  and 
locality  were  poorly  equipped  with  facilities  for 
the  training  of  the  young,  hence  her  advantages 
were  meagre,  yet,  by  reason  of  habits  of  close 
observation  and  study,  she  is  now  a  well-in- 
formed woman.  June  14,  1864,  she  became  the 
wife  of  William  Mehegan,  who  lived  in  the  same 
neighborhood  in  Maine  as  that  in  which  her 
girlhood  years  had  been  passed.  As  indicated 
by  the  name,  Mr.  ]\Iehegan  belonged  to  an  Irish 
family.  In  that  country  he  was  born  February 
2,  1838,  but  he  retained  no  recollections  of  the 
land  of  his  birth,  for  he  was  only  two  years  of 
age  when  his  family  sought  the  larger  opjx>r- 
tunitics  of  the  United  States.  Reared  to  a 
knowledge  of  farm  work,  he  chose  that  occupa- 
tion upon  starting  out  in  the  world  for  himself, 
and  for  some  years  he  and  his  wife  lived  upon 
a  Maine  farm,  but  about  1870  they  moved  to 
Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  Butler  county,  where 
he  was  employed  in  the  laying  of  pipe  tunnels 
in  the  oil  regions. 

After  removing  to  California  in  1875  Mr. 
Mehegan  ran  a  stationary  engine  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, under  the  employ  of  the  Aetna  iron  works, 
but  in  a  short  time  he  resigned  the  position  and 
came  to  the  southern  coast.  Under  the  impres- 
sion that  the  Rosecrans  tract  belonged  to  the 
government,  he  located  one  hundred  and  six- 
ty acres  there  and  remained  for  three  years, 
when  the  courts  decided  that  the  property  was 
not  open  to  settlement.  Afterward  he  remained 
on  the  same  farm  as  a  tenant  of  the  Rosecrans 
estate  and  there  his  death  occurred  October  16 
1884.  Four  years  after  he  had  passed  away  his 
widow  removed  to  the  present  site  of  Ingle- 
wood  and  bought  an  acre  of  vacant  property, 
where  she  erected  a  residence  and  now  makes 
her  home.  In  addition  she  still  owns  other  lots 
in  Inglewood  and  has  bought  and  sold  some- 
real-estate    in    the   town.      Notwithstanding   her 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGR.\PHICAL  RECORD. 


1073 


advanced  years,  she  is  active  mentally  and  physi- 
cally and  able  to  superintend  all  of  her  alifairs, 
which  she  does  with  precision  and  economy.  In 
her  family  there  are  five  children,  named  as  fol- 
lows :  Anna,  who  is  with  her  mother ;  William 
J.,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  near  Marysville, 
this  state;  Charles  A.,  who  is  employed  in  the 
mines  of  Inyo  county,  this  state;  Walter  Jo- 
seph, residing  in  Inglewood ;  and  Edward,  who 
is  in  Los  Angeles,  holding  a  position  with  a 
business  establishment  of  that  city. 


THO.MAS  POLLARD.  Hospitality  and 
liberality  are  the  prime  factors  in  the  home 
owned  by  Mr.  Pollard,  who  is  located  two 
miles  south  of  El  Monte,  Los  Angeles  county, 
and  since  1892  has  been  engaged  in  the  culti- 
vation of  peat  land  and  the  improvement  of  a 
ranch,  where  his  friends  receive  a  cordial  wel- 
come and  the  stranger  a  hospitable  hand.  He 
inherits  his  chief  characteristics  from  Eng- 
lish ancestry,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Cornwall.  England,  April  24,  1856;  his  father, 
John  Pollard,  was  a  native  of  that  place  and 
the  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  families 
of  the  section.  He  engaged  in  mining  in  Corn- 
wall, where  he  spent  his  entire  life  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  years  in  America,  from 
1869,  when  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast  via 
Cape  Horn,  and  entered  the  service  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  being  em- 
ployed in  the  building  of  the  line  through  the 
Sierra  mountains.  He  married  Jane  Hore, 
also  a  native  of  Cornwall,  and  daughter  of 
William  Hore,  a  miner;  her  death  also  oc- 
curred in  that  location.  They  were  the  pa- 
rents of  nine  children,  of  whom  but  two  are 
now  surviving,  Thomas  Pollard  being  the 
youngest. 

Thomas  Pollard  was  eighteen  years  old  be- 
fore he  left  his  native  country;  his  education 
had  been  received  in  the  common  schools  and 
his  youth  spent  in  the  lead  and  tin  mines  of 
his  home  section.  In  1874  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, drawn  hither  by  the  glowing  reports  sent 
him  by  his  uncles,  who  came  to  Pasadena, 
Cal.,  that  year  and  there  engaged  in  business. 
Thomas  went  to  Michigan  first  and  in  Mar- 
quette engaged  in  the  iron  mines  for  a  time. 
In  1881  he  started  westward,  locating  in  Utah 
and  mining  jn  Park  Citv  for  a  brief  time,  then 
spending  one  year  in  Alontana,  similarly  oc- 
cupied, when  he  came  to  California  and  in 
Amador  county  followed  quartz  mining  for 
two  years.  He  came  to  Los  Angeles  county 
in  1890;  two  years  later  he  located  on  his 
present  property,  purchasing  fifteen  acres  of 
tule  and  willow  land,  which  he  proceeded  to 
ditch  and  drain  and  cultivate.     His  first  crop 


was  potatoes,  which  turned  out  two  hundred 
sacks  to  the  acre.  He  is  now  occupied  in  rais- 
ing celery,  which  he  ships  east  to  Kansas  City 
and  Chicago  markets,  and  has  also  a  nursery 
of  walnut  and  apple  trees. 

In  Cornwall,  England,  in  1889,  Mr.  Pollard 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jane  Mit- 
chell, a  native  of  that  place,  and  daughter  of 
John  Mitchell,  a  farmer  of  that  locality  and 
the  descendant  of  a  long  line  of  Welsh  ances- 
try, prominent  in  the  history  of  that  section. 
His  wife  was  in  maidenhood  Christina  Hare, 
a  native  also  of  Cornwall,  and  of  this  union 
were  born  ten  children,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living,  Mrs.  Pollard  being  the  oldest.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pollard  have  one  son,  Thomas,  Jr. 
Fraternally  iNIr.  Pollard  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  politically  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  is  a  strong  temperance  advocate 
and  loses  no  opportunity  to  assist  the  move- 
ment. Both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  their  re- 
ligion is  not  narrow  or  circumscribed,  and  be- 
ing the  first  of  their  denomination  in  this  sec- 
tion they  were  among  the  first  to  assist  the 
Presbyterians  in  erecting  a  church  at  Moun- 
tain View,  Mr.  Pollard  helping  to  haul  lum- 
ber from  Los  Angeles.  In  1904  there  were 
sufficient  members  of  the  Methodist  Church 
to  justify  the  erection  of  a  building,  and  Mr. 
Poilard  was  again  a  chief  organizer  in  this 
enterprise,  and  is  now  a  trustee  and  class- 
leader  and  a  man  and  citizen  always  to  be  de- 
jjended  upon  in  every  movement  looking  to- 
ward the  genera!  Avelfare  of  the  community. 


FRANK  AYERS.  To  become  a  successful 
ranchman  requires  as  much  business  ability  and 
painstaking  care  in  looking  after  details  as  are 
necessary  in  any  other  occupation,  and  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  meet  a  progressive  farmer  who  is 
energetic  and  ambitious  and  proud  of  his  ac- 
complishments. Frank  Ayers  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  of  this  class  of  men  in  the  Ojai  valley 
and  he  has  just  finished  a  new  fine  house  and 
made  new  outbuikling-s  and  otherwise  improved 
his  ranch.  In  one  holding  he  has  one  hundred  and 
six  acres  of  fertile  land  and  in  another  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  the  latter  being  now 
planted  to  wheat,  oats  and  barley ;  next  year  he 
will  engage  in  alfalfa  raising — one  of  the  most 
])rnfitable  crops  a  farmer  can  grow  in  Southern 
California.  There  is  a  fine  artesian  well  on  his 
])lace  which  furnishes  an  abundance  of  water 
for  all  purposes. 

Frank  Ayers  was  born  in  Sonoma  county. 
Cal.,  March  11,  1861,  of  Irish- American  parent- 
age, his  father,  Robert  Ayers,  being  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  immigrated  to  California  in  1849, 


1074 


HISTORICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


c 


and  joined  the  army  of  progressive  men  who 
were  eager  to  have  a  share  in  the  wonderful  op- 
portunities which  this  country  afiforded.  He  first 
went  to  the  mines  and  worked  for  a  time,  but 
later  deciding  to  engage  in  ranching,  removed 
to  Ventura  county,  where  he  remained  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years.  His  mother,  Annie  Connor  before  her 
marriage,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania;  she 
lived  to  be  sixty-four  years  old,  her  death  also 
occurring  in  Ventura  county.  There  were  seven 
children  in  the  family,  of  whom  six  are  still 
living,  four  of  them  in  Ventura  county,  and  two 
in  Petaluma,  Sonora  county.  Frank  Ayers  was 
but  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  brought 
him  to  Ventura  county  in  1868,  and  all  of  his 
early  education  was  received  in  the  Ventura 
county  public  schools.  After  reaching  maturity 
he  worked  on  the  ranch  at  home  for  a  time,  but 
soon  managed  to  acquire  an  independent  property 
and  in  1885  he  married  Miss  Fannie  A.  Smith, 
one  of  Ohio's  native  daughters,  and  established 
a  home  of  his  own.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  Bertha  and  Kenneth. 

While  Mr.  Ayers  is  a  firm  believer  in  tlie 
policies  advocated  in  the  platform  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  in  local  affairs  he  reserves  the  right 
to  vote  an'  independent  ticket  and  helps  to  elect 
the  men  whom  he  thinks  will  most  honestly  and 
efficiently  discharge  the  duties  devolving  upon 
them.  Progressive,  energetic  and  public  spirited, 
he  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens 
of  Ventura  countv. 


J.  L.  VAN  DERVEER.  Numbered  among 
the  progressive  business  men  of  Escondido  is 
J.  L.  Van  Derveer,  an  energetic,  brainy  man, 
actively  indentified  with  the  mercantile  interests 
of  this  section  of  the  county,  and  a  valued  as- 
sistant in  promoting  its  prosperity.  Although  it 
is  a  compartively  brief  time  since  he  entered 
upon  his  present  career,  he  is  conducting  his 
business  in  a  most  systematic  manner,  and  by 
his  strict  attention  to  all  of  its  details,  and  his 
thoroughly  upright  dealings,  he  has  met  with 
most  gratifying  success  and  is  fast  making  for 
himself  an  honorable  record.  A  son  of  the  late 
D.  S.  Van  Derveer,  he  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Lysander.  near  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  April  17,  1874, 
being  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eight  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  living,  and  the  only  one  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  His  grandfather.  Garrett  Van 
Derveer.  was  born  in  New  Jersev,  the  descendant 
of  a  Holland-Dutch  family.  After  his  marriage 
he  removed  to  New  York  state,  becoming  a 
pioneer  of  Onondaga  county,  where  from-  the 
heavily  timbered  land  he  cleared  and  improved 
a  farm. 

Born  on  the  pioneer  homestead  of  his  parents 
in  Lvsander.   N.  Y.,   D.   S.  Van  Derveer  there 


spent  his  three  score  years  of  earthly  life,  be- 
ing engaged  principally  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  married  Rachel  Martin,  who  was  born,  lived, 
and  died  in  the  same  town,  where  her  father, 
Thomas  S.  Martin,  was  a  pioneer  settler,  her 
death  occurring  when  she  was  seventy  years  of 
age. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  J.  L.  Van 
Derveer  received  his  rudimentary  education  in 
the  public  schools,  after  which  he  entered  Onon- 
daga Academy,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1895.  The  ensuing  five  years 
he  was  employed  as  a  teacher  in  his  native  county, 
meeting  with  excellent  success  in  his  profession. 
Commg  to  California  in  1900,  he  spent  two  years 
in  Santa  Barbara,  the  first  year  serving  as  princi- 
pal of  the  Goleta  school,  and  the  next  year  be- 
ing book  keeper  for  the  Johnson  Fruit  Company. 
Accepting  the  principalship  of  the  Escondido 
grammar  school  in  1902,  he  held  the  position  for 
three  )ears,  performing  the  duties  devolving  up- 
on him  with  marked  ability  and  fidelity.  Re- 
signing in  1905,  he  bought  out  the  firm  of  J. 
W.  Hedges  &  Co.,  and  has  since  continued  the 
business  at  his  store  on  Grand  Avenue,  carry- 
ing a  full  line  of  books,  stationery,  wallpaper, 
crockery  and  queensware.  As  head  of  the  firm 
of  J.  L.  Van  Derveer  &  Co.,  he  is  building  up 
a  fine  trade,  and  has  already  acquired  a  note- 
worthy position  among  the  successful  merchants 
of  the  place.  % 

In  Escondido,  Mr.  A'an  Derveer  marriecFNora 
\^an  Fleet,  who  was  born  in  Colorado,  of  Hol- 
land-Dutch ancestry;  and  they  have  one  child, 
Janey.  Mr.  \'an  Derveer  belongs  to  the  Es- 
condido Chamber  of  Commerce,  is  a  member  of 
the  Committee  on  Railroads  and  Transportation, 
is  treasurer  of  City  of  Escondido,  and  justice  of 
the  peace  of  Escondido  judicial  township.  He 
is  Independent  in  politics,  voting  for  what  he 
deems  the  best  men  and  measures. 


JOHN  H.  FREER  was  born  in  San  Jose 
November  26,  1852,  and  is  the  son  of  William 
H.  Freer,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  El 
Monte,  whose  biographical  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Reared  and  educated 
in  Santa  Clara  county,  in  1874  he  came  to  El 
Monte,  where  he  spent  two  years  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  then  engaged  in  farming 
at  Whittier,  Savannah  and  Puente  until  1883, 
when  he  removed  to  Umatilla,  Ore".,  and  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising  for  three  years,  Then 
he  returned  to  the  San  Gabriel  valley  and  is 
now  residing  in  Arcadia,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  the  pursuit  of  horticulture. 

In  spite  of  the  many  ups  and  downs  Mr. 
Freer  is  a  very  pleasant  and  affable  gentle- 
man, very  liberal  and  ready  to  help  any  public 
enterprise  to  the  fullest  extent  of  his  means.