USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. VI > Part 13
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side of Washington Street between First and Center Streets.
John George had been a miner in California, and came from that State into Arizona. He was a man of small stature and good disposition, being very popular with his associates. In later years he lived upon a ranch to the southwest of what is now the Capitol Grounds, the place being more generally known to-day as the Fickas Ranch. He continued to reside upon this prop- erty until the time of his death, which occurred in the early nineties.
Jack Walters, his partner, came to the Salt River Valley with the pioneer party of Jack Swilling, and continued to reside in the valley until the time of his death.
Barnett & Block, who had established a mer- cantile business in the Salt River Valley before the Phoenix Townsite was laid out, moved within the limits of the town about the middle of the year 1872, and immediately took a prominent place among the business houses of the town. They constructed a large adobe building on the southeast corner of Center and Jefferson Streets, which was torn down in the year 1915, to make room for what is now the Jefferson Hotel. This firm was one of the successful trading establish- ments of the Valley, doing a heavy business in government contracts, and the buying and sell- ing of grain and flour. Their freight teams were numerous and were constantly on the road through Central Arizona. About the middle seventies, they sold out their interests here to the Prescott firm of Wormser & Wertheimer, who continued the business at the same location
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for several years. After the death of Aaron Wertheimer, on June 20th, 1874, Wormser con- tinued the business and was actively interested in various enterprises throughout the valley, prin- cipally in acquiring farming lands on the south side, and in time became very wealthy. At his death, which occurred about the year 1895, he left the largest estate ever administered upon in our local Probate Court. Charlie Goldman was the Administrator, and John H. Langston was Probate Judge at the time.
The following story concerning Wormser is reproduced upon the authority of Mr. Barney :
"While still around Prescott, Wormser, al- though reputed a shrewd and thrifty business man had, at one time, been very hard up for money, and had gone to his friend, Dr. W. W. Jones, of Wickenburg, for financial help. Dr. Jones loaned him a goodly sum on his personal note. Time passed, the note became due, and finally outlawed. Wormer's luck was still against him, and money was scarce. Then he came to the Salt River Valley, recouped his for- tune by lucky investments, and remembered the outlawed note due Dr. Jones, who then lived at Tempe, and was often in Phoenix. Dr. Jones was a Virginian by birth, of proud bearing and distinguished lineage, who, at an early day, had sought his fortune in the west. Although a man of education and culture, when he reached Arizona he became as one 'to the manor born' and, in outer accoutrements, differed not at all from the hardy pioneers about him. Upon engaging him in conversation, however, his scholastic attainments and gentlemanly train-
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ing became immediately apparent. He was a man of great kindness of heart, and was uni- versally esteemed by all who knew him, and passed away at his home in Tempe about the year 1903.
"One day, while walking along Washington Street in Phoenix, he met Wormser, who, on this occasion, stopped him and said: 'Doctor, I owe you some money.' Dr. Jones recalling the loan which he had long since charged up on the side of his losses, agreed with him. 'Doctor,' said Wormser, after some hesitation, 'if you will knock off de interest on dat money, I vill pay you de principal.' Dr. Jones could be disdainful and scornful when he so desired, and, on this oc- casion, he merely looked with contempt at the portly merchant and, turning on his heels, walked away. Wormser, crestfallen, also con- tinued on his way. Several months after the occurrence of this incident, the two men again met near the same place and Wormser again spoke to Dr. Jones : 'Doctor,' he said, 'If you vill come down to my office, I vill pay you dat money, both de principal and de interest.'
"Dr. Jones replied that he would do so, and, in time, visited his debtor, when he received every cent due him. After this episode no one could question Wormser's integrity in the presence of Dr. Jones without arousing the latter's ire, since he had a practical demonstration of Mr. Worm- ser's honesty in his payment of this outlawed debt."
In May, 1872, James D. Monihon and the Starar Brothers, opened the Phoenix Livery, Feed and Sales Stables on the northeast corner
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of Washington and First Avenue, then called Cortez Street, and their advertisement stated that the proprietors had "constantly on hand plenty of hay and grain of the best quality ; also a large corral for the accommodation of citizen and government outfits." In September of the same year they enlarged their accommodations as will be noted by the following :
"Monihon and Starar Bros., have just finished a large corral, back of the one they now occupy, three hundred feet long by one hundred and forty feet wide. Numerous other improvements are under way, which I will notice at some future time."
This last corral covered the half block of ground bounded by Center and Adams Street, First Avenue, and Broadway Alley, upon which are now located the valuable properties of E. H. Winters, widely known as the proprietor of the old Beehive Store, Charlie Donofrio, of confec- tionery fame, and others. It was claimed that this "horse hotel" could accommodate two thou- sand animals and two hundred wagons at one time. In October, 1872, the proprietors sunk a well on the premises in order to obtain a sufficient supply of water, and at thirty feet struck a fine, clear flow. This was about the first large well in successful operation within the townsite of Phoenix. Later Starar Brothers disposed of their interest in this enterprise to their partner, who, in turn sold out in 1875 and took a trip back east. He returned to Phoenix and, in 1889, constructed upon a portion of the ground formerly occupied by the stable and cor- ral, what is now known as the Monihon Building.
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Mr. Monihon, the builder of this substantial brick structure, was one of the best known men in Central Arizona. He came into the Territory in 1863 in Captain Joseph P. Hargrave's Com- pany, "F" of the 1st California Volunteers. After his discharge from the army, he lived in the Prescott country for many years, and, in partnership with W. E. Dennison, was interested in the "Plaza Feed & Livery Stable" at Prescott, during 1868. This partnership was dissolved in October of that year, Mr. Monihon retaining the entire business, which he shortly afterward sold to Gideon Brooke and Jacob Linn of Prescott, the latter having been a member of the famous Walker Party. After working for a number of years in the mines around Prescott, particularly at Big Bug, where he was engineer at the mill, he located in Wickenburg, and on March 1st, 1869, opened the "Wickenburg Feed and Sale Stable." When in Prescott he was for a time employed as mail rider, an extremely dangerous occupation in those days, between the mining camp of Bully Bueno and Prescott, a country infested with bands of hostile savages. Leav- ing Wickenburg Mr. Monihon located in the Salt River Valley, where he met with deserved business success. As before noted, in conjunc- tion with Captain Wm. A. Hancock, he built the first courthouse.
Mr. Monihon was an enterprising citizen, and at one time was Mayor of Phoenix. His widow, a daughter of Hiram H. Linville, who came to the Salt River Valley from California in 1876, with her father, still resides in Phoenix where she has managed with marked ability the extensive
GOLDMAN BROS.
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property interests left in her keeping by the death of her husband.
In June, 1872, Miguel L. Peralta, a Wicken- burg merchant opened a store in Phoenix and soon became one of the principal business men of the town. He had but limited capital, and his first place of business was located on the west side of South First Street, about midway be- tween Washington and Jefferson Streets. Re- maining here but a short time, Peralta decided to construct another and larger adobe building on the northeast corner of Washington and Cen- ter Streets, and when this storeroom was finished he transferred his business to it. Meeting with reverses Peralta sold his various interests, the Washington Street store being purchased by Messrs. Charlie and Leo Goldman, who are still residents of this city, and the oldest continuous merchants in Phoenix. After Adolph, the first of the Goldmans to reach Phoenix, had con- ducted his store for some years in the Heyman Menassee Building on Washington Street, where he had first located, he found that it was too small for his growing trade, and purchased the building which Peralta had left vacant on South First Street, to which he removed his business, where he continued in business for several years. As a merchant he was successful, dealing exten- sively, at first, in hay, grain and flour, when, deciding to visit his native land of Bavaria, he sold his mercantile interests to his brother Charles. The latter, after clerking for a num- ber of years for C. P. Head & Co., at Prescott, had opened a small store in Williamson Val- ley, and had come from that place to Phoenix in
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March of 1879, walking, it is said, behind a pack burro.
He conducted the business founded by his brother at the same location until he formed a partnership with his brother Leo, who had previ- ously been in business in the town of Pinal, Pinal County. They bought the Peralta lot and store building on Washington Street, to which they transferred their business. For nearly twenty years they conducted business at this location, selling it in 1900 for the highest price which had ever been paid up to that time for a lot in this city.
When Leo Goldman first came to Phoenix, on May 1st, 1877, he clerked for his brother Adolph, remaining with him for some little time. When the great Silver King Mine of Pinal County commenced its wonderful record of production, Leo Goldman gathered together his savings and opened a small store at Pinal, then a thriving and busy little town some dis- tance to the south of the mine. When the Silver King was in full blast, Leo Goldman enjoyed a lucrative trade from that mine, and when he closed out his business there to come to Phoenix, it was said he had a snug little fortune.
The Goldmans, during their years of business, have experienced many reverses of fortune. At times their losses have been great, particularly in the dry season of 1891-92. Their business was largely a credit one, and many men in this val- ley, now in independent circumstances, owe their success to the assistance given them in early days by Goldman & Co. They never failed to grant an extension and were, themselves, at times, hard
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pressed through their liberality in extending assistance to their many customers. No mer- chants in the Salt River Valley are more thoroughly identified with its prosperity than Charles and Leo Goldman. They now enjoy a comfortable fortune.
The firm of Charles Goldman & Co., was con- tinued for about twenty-five years, and the busi- ness is still conducted as a wholesale grocery store, known as, "The Goldman Grocery Co., Inc."
In July 1872, H. Morgan & Co., who, for a number of years prior, had been engaged in busi- ness on the Gila River, as has been noted, began the erection of a store building in Phoenix which was finished in the latter part of August, stocked and opened to the public. The following item in the "Miner" of September 21st, 1872, thus re- fers to this firm:
"H. Morgan & Co., have finished their new building on Washington Street, joining on to the new building of John George so as to form but one structure. A piazza extends along the whole front built entirely of sawed lumber, neat and tasty in appearance, and with the trees in front, their rich green foliage forming a natural curtain, it is a pleasant place in which to loaf."
Daniel Dietrich was a member of this firm which, in later years became known as "Morgan & Dietrich" their place of business being on a portion of the ground now occupied by Goldberg Bros.' new building (1918). They sustained a heavy loss through the fire of 1886, which, with other setbacks, principally inability to collect accounts due, caused the firm to finally collapse.
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Henry Morgan, the senior partner, passed away in Phoenix in 1900, in straightened circum- stances. He had settled on the Gila River many years before he came to Phoenix, and traded with the Indians on the nearby reservation, and also conducted a ferry across the Gila River on the regular road from Prescott to Tucson and Yuma, which was known as Morgan's Ferry. He became very proficient in the use of various Indian dialects, and often, after he became poor, acted as an interpreter in Indian cases in the local courts. He was a kindly man, of decided views and of few words, but with a pleasing personality.
In the month of June, 1872, there were fifteen saloons in Phoenix proper; one at east Phoenix, and another at what was called the Halfway House, making seventeen in all where the need- ful stimulant could be procured. Of this num- ber eight dealt exclusively in liquors, while others sold it in connection with other merchan- dise. At the little village of Tempe Charles T. Hayden had a large store, and also kept a stock of liquors. Aside from these there were proba- bly half a dozen pleasure resorts in the Valley, where cocktails could be had upon demand. For the amusement of the townspeople there were four dance houses, two monte banks and one faro table. Another of the latter was installed very shortly after the month above mentioned. Bil- liard tables did not reach the town until a couple of months later. The first gambling game to be introduced into the public resorts of Phoenix was a Mexican monte game, which attracted much attention and patronage. This was fol-
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lowed shortly after by a faro layout brought from one of the older communities, which tended to divide public attention as will be noted by the following excerpt from a Phoenix letter dated June 14th, 1872 :
"Opposition is the life of trade. A faro bank had been started in the saloon of George & Wal- ters, which, for the last two nights, has thrown the monte bank in the shade."
In the early part of July, 1872, the Goldwater Brothers, Joe and Mike, came to Phoenix to look over conditions with the view of engaging in business if circumstances warranted such pro- cedure. At that time their principal place of business was at Ehrenberg, on the Colorado River, where they conducted a large store under the firm name of J. Goldwater & Bro., and to which location they had moved from La Paz, where they had established themselves when they first came to Arizona. Being favorably im- pressed with the outlook in the Valley, they pur- chased from Columbus H. Gray an uncompleted building which the latter was constructing near the northwest corner of Jefferson and First Streets, together with a couple of town lots. Mr. Gray had intended to use this building, when completed, as a Masonic Hall as soon as a Lodge of Masons could be gotten together in the town. The Goldwaters gave a contract to Pearson & Barber to finish the building, and to erect an- other alongside of it. Both of these buildings were roofed with shingles, at that time an expen- sive form of roofing, and were of stout, solid con- struction. Before the completion of their store- room the Goldwaters purchased a large stock of
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goods from Hellings Bros., of East Phoenix (Mill City), as will be noted by the following item :
"We have just heard from reliable authority that M. Goldwater has purchased from Hellings & Co., all the goods which they had in their store. Mr. Goldwater will house these goods in town un- til he completes his new house and commences business." (Correspondence from Phoenix, July 26th, 1872.)
When Pearson & Barber had completed their contract, it gave the Goldwaters two large rooms facing on the southwest corner of the City Hall Plaza, one fifty by twenty-five feet and the other fifty by sixteen feet. On the evening of Novem- ber 27th, 1872, a grand ball was given in these newly furnished rooms by Mr. W. H. Pope, which was largely attended by the ladies and gen- tlemen of Phoenix and vicinity; by Mrs. James A. Moore, Miss Mary E. Moore, Charles H. Ken- yon and lady (who had been married earlier in the evening) ; Larkin W. Carr and Chris Taylor, from Maricopa Wells Station, T. W. McIntosh and lady, from the Gila, and a number of gentle- men from McDowell. The description of this event then states :
"The music by the Fifth Cavalry Band was extremely good, the supper, at the Capitol House, was excellent; dancing was kept up all night, and the whole passed off very pleasantly. Thanks are due Mr. Pope for his untiring energy in the management of the whole affair as well as the gentlemen on the various committees, and to J. D. Monihon in particular. During the night the bride and groom (meaning Mr. and Mrs. Ken-
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yon), attracted much attention. The bride and her sister, dressed in white, moving in the giddy mazes of the dance, appeared visions of loveli- ness, and Mr. Kenyon, looking the picture of happiness, was pronounced the luckiest man living."
Besides the stock of goods bought from Hel- lings & Co., the Goldwaters brought in from the outside between seventy thousand and one hun- dred thousand dollars worth of goods, and early in December of 1872, they moved into their new premises and opened their well stocked establish- ment to the public. When these merchants started in business in the Valley, they had in view the control of the grain output of this sec- tion, in which ambition they were more or less disappointed. While they had more financial backing than any other local firm and were able to advance quite a little money to many of the farmers, they were never able to obtain control of the grain market, and, after operating with indifferent success for two or three years, sold out their business to Messrs. Smith & Stearns, and removed to Prescott. Mike Goldwater was the manager of the Phoenix branch, while his brother Joe continued to look after the Ehren- berg store. Barnett & Block were their keenest competitors, and Mike Goldwater, being un- popular with the farmers, they were not only able to underbid him for government contracts, but were always able to fill their contracts at the stipulated price in spite of Mike's efforts to corner the market. Barnett & Block, how- ever, conducted their extensive business in such
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a haphazard sort of way, that they were forced to sell to Wormser & Wertheimer, of Prescott, who took over all their local interests.
The Goldwaters were good business men and once, when the company that was working the Vulture mine owed the firm some $30,000, and had no money with which to meet the obligation, it turned over to them the property, which they were to work at their own expense until their debt was satisfied. Although the mine had fur- nished large quantities of rich ore, it had never, up to that time, proven a profitable venture for the stockholders. In the hands of the Gold- waters, however, with C. B. Genung as man- ager, it was a paying proposition. It did not take them very long to obtain their money. From this time forward, their wealth was well established.
The Goldwaters were natives of Poland, emi- grating to this country in the early sixties. They came to the southwest with little or no money in 1862 or 1863, and here laid the foundation for a comfortable fortune. Morris Goldwater, a son of Mike, became a partner in the Ehrenberg firm in 1872, and came with his father to this Valley to assist in conducting the business here. When the military telegraph reached Phoenix from Maricopa Wells, straight across the desert and over the Salt River Mountains through Tele- graph Pass, Morris Goldwater became the first operator of the Phoenix Station, which was located in Goldwaters' store. Of late years he has been prominent in the political life of Ari- zona, having been a member of the Constitu-
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tional Convention, and a Senator from Yavapai County, during the second session of the State Legislature. He is, at present, the head of the firm of M. Goldwater & Bros., with stores at Prescott and Phoenix, the latter branch having been re-established in 1883, and is the oldest liv- ing merchant in Arizona.
In 1872 while driving along the road from Prescott to Ehrenberg, in company with Dr. W. W. Jones, Joe and Mike Goldwater were at- tacked by Indians. An account of this is given in the "Arizona Sentinel" of June 22, 1872, and is as follows :
"A party of three gentlemen, Dr. W. W. Jones and Joe and Mike Goldwater, all of Ehrenberg, left Prescott in the latter part of last week on their way home. These gentlemen were travel- ling in two buggies. They had not travelled more than fourteen miles, in the vicinity of Mint Valley, when they were attacked by a band of not less than thirty Indians, supposed to be the ever murderous Apaches. The three gentlemen could of course offer no resistance, and their only means of escape was to outrun them. The In- dians pursued them for about four miles on the road, when, fortunately they met a party of whites travelling in the direction of Prescott, which caused the savages to abandon the chase, and, in their turn, to seek security in their moun- tain holds. During this cowardly attack Joe Goldwater was shot in the back, somewhere near the shoulder blade: his brother Mike, had two balls put through the rim of his hat, and Dr. Jones escaped with only a few bullet holes through his shirt and coat. They drove to Skull
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Valley, about eighteen miles, where Dr. Jones examined the wound received by Mr. Goldwater, probed it, but, up to the next day, when the buck- board came by, the ball had not been found."
Joe Goldwater was more popular than his brother Mike. He was made the first postmaster of Ehrenberg in 1871.
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CHAPTER X.
EARLY HISTORY OF PHOENIX (Continued).
FIRST LAWYERS-FIRST CHINESE-FIRST BAKERY -FIRST RESTAURANT-FIRST CARRIAGE FAC- TORY - FIRST SUGAR CANE MACHINERY - FIRST APIARY - FIRST MILKMAN - FIRST PHOTOGRAPHER-FIRST ASSAYER-NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENTS-FREIGHTERS - BICHARD & COMPANY'S FLOURING MILL - DESTRUCTION OF BY FIRE-HAYDEN'S MILL AT TEMPE- JOHN M. OLVANY, FIRST POSTMASTER OF PHOENIX - OTHER POSTMASTERS - FIRST AMERICAN COUPLE MARRIED IN PHOENIX - GENERAL EARL D. THOMAS'S REMINISCENCES OF PHOENIX-FIRST WHITE CHILD BORN IN PHOENIX-DISPUTE OVER WHO WAS-FIRST AMERICAN DEATH IN PHOENIX - FIRST BUILDING BRICK AND FIRST BRICK BUILDING - SCARCITY OF LUMBER - FIRST MASONIC LODGE IN TERRITORY-FIRST MASONIC LODGE IN PHOENIX-FIRST ODD FELLOWS LODGE IN PHOENIX.
William A. Hancock, E. Irvine, John T. AI- sap and J. R. Barroche (the latter a pioneer schoolmaster) were admitted to practice law by the District Court of Maricopa County on the 7th day of May, 1872. These were the first at- torneys licensed to practice in Phoenix. The first notary public appointed for the county was Charles C. McDermott, of Phoenix, who was the first clerk of the District Court, and whose com- mission was signed August 7, 1871. Then fol-
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lowed William A. Hancock on the 26th of Sep- tember of the same year; next came James A. Tomlinson, post trader at Camp McDowell, on October 25th, and he was followed by E. Irvine who was appointed June 3rd, 1872. No further appointments were made by the Governor dur- ing 1872, but on February 15th, 1873, John T. Alsap was appointed Probate Judge for the second time.
In June, 1872, the first Chinese arrived in Phoenix. The group consisted of three males and two females, and they soon afterwards put in operation a Chinese Laundry.
The first town baker was named J. Bauerlein, who used a small furnace made of adobes for an oven. He became quite a feature of the town as will be seen by the following notice in the press of that day :
"On Tuesday last the town had no bread and the baker had a holiday because an innocent dog upset the yeast the evening before." August 9th, 1872.
"Our town has grown so large that the baker was compelled to pull down his oven and build a new one. On this account the bachelors have all turned bakers for the last ten days." November 22nd, 1872.
The first restaurant was opened by John Cady, who sold out to Tom Worden, one of the early county sheriffs, who soon after transferred the business to W. H. Pope, who also conducted a barbershop. In December, 1872, H. Hamilton also opened a restaurant.
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