USA > California > Fresno County > History of Fresno County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Volume I > Part 1
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01103 6024
M. L
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
25-
2 V
HISTORY OF
FRESNO COUNTY
CALIFORNIA
WITH
Biographical Sketches OF
The Leading Men and Women of the County Who have been Identified with its Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present
HISTORY BY PAUL E. VANDOR
ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN TWO VOLUMES
HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 1919
PREFACE 1154033
History is the essence of innumeroble biographies .- CARLYLE.
The idol of today pushes the hero of yesterday out of recollection; and he will in turn be supplanted by his successor of tomorrow .- WASHINGTON IRVING.
The happy historian has no other labor than of gathering what tradition pours down before him, or records treasure for him. Yet even with these advantages, few in any age have been able to raise themselves to reputation by writing histories .- DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON.
History, being a collection of facts which are multiplying without end, is obliged to adopt arts of abridgment to retain the more material events, and to drop oll the minute circum- stances which are only interesting during the time, or to the persons engaged in the trans- action .- HUME.
In fiction the principles are given to find the facts; in history the facts ore given to find the principles, ond the writer who does not explain the phenomena as well as state them performs only half of his office. Facts are the mere dross of history. It is from the abstract truth which interpenetrates them and lies latent among them, like gold in the ores, that the mass derives its whole value, and the precious particles are generally combined with the boser in such a manner that the separation is a task of the utmost difficulty .- LORD MACAULAY.
The pride in his own California of the native born and of the citizen that has adopted it as his state, is only too well grounded. The transient visitor is charmed by California, enraptured by her natural wonders, marvels at her wealth and potentialities. He heholds on every side nature's and man's verification of the wonderful and almost incredible tales that have been told of the new El Dorado; he ceases to wonder why it is held in such esteem and he comprehends why the pioneer located in this sun-kissed terrestrial paradise to end his wanderings and why "Eureka," the Greek motto, was exultingly adopted as that of the state to be perpetuated in its Great Seal.
California is the accepted Wonderland of the Far West; it is the Empire State of the Golden West, the diadem in the coronet of the Pacific Slope states, inseparably part of the greatness of the nation, close-bound by the transcontinental railways and more recently by the latest wonder-creation of the world in the Panama Canal, the work of American brains, enterprise and money. Once upon a time, upon the map of the world, California was an undefined thing without metes or bounds. Today it is America's western outpost of com- merce with the East-the fabled Indies which the venturesome explorers strove to discover but in their failures stumbled on a new continent, while later enterprising navigators located the storied Californias of the Amazons whose very name was appropriated from one of the most picturesquely evolved fictions of a medieval poet.
There is not another state with a history such as California's, whether for entrancing poetical interest, picturesque romance, variety, adventurous character and originality of ex- periences and incidents, or, lastly, wondrous material development and wealth. It is a tale without precedent, without after-counterpart. It outfictioned fiction itself, shadowed the poet's imagery, baffled the philosopher's omniscience. It is a narrative without parallel. It is an exuberant story of wonderful achievements, of great deeds, following grand aims, that has made California famous. Probably no state save the original thirteen can point to a greater anthology. California has been the favorite and inexhaustible theme for the indus- trious historian, the dreamy poet, and the imaginative and creative fiction writer. New works on the theme appear every year. No one of these has pictured all phases of Cali- fornia's claims to greatness and beauty. Like classic poem or tale, or familiar song, the tale of California never wearies or stales, but gains new charm and zest in the retelling.
In a modest work of the compass of these volumes, primarily the plain story of a county, such phases only of the state's history in its rapid development are touched upon to empha- size upon the reader the race and motive characteristics of the people that colonized the land and of those that conquered and developed it; to compare the "poco tiempo" era of the Spaniard with the "All right; go ahead" times of the American; the lagging, deferring "mañana" of the one, with the alert, wide-awake rush of the other in meeting obstacles and ever pressing forward. Who will say that destiny's hand did not retard colonization by one decadent race, for the swift evolution by a virile, red-blooded race, representing a com- mingling of many bloods ?
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Sufficient early California history as a background is touched upon to prepare the reader for the main work of the History of Fresno County. The history of the state finds its counterpart in many of the older counties, fields that unfortunately have been only too lightly surface-scratched, so engrossed were the actors and the chroniclers of the day in the development of the material resources. There is a late awakening in research work to shed new light, to learn more of the history of the state and its counties. The regret is that the work has been delayed until after so many of the actors have passed away.
The writer of this History of Fresno County entered upon the work as a task; as it progressed over a period of years it became a labor of love. It was a stupendous undertaking, covering as it did a bird's-eye retrospect of sixty-three years. Necessarily there had to be abridgment. The scheme was adopted of presenting the history in popular narrative form, tracing the development of the county by industrial epochs, following a general chronological order, eliminating much of the dross of minor and passing events, to bring out the abstract, salient and permanent truths and results, while not suppressing the local coloring in the personal element.
So-called histories of the county have been many. For the greater part they have not been regarded as authoritative reference works. They have been the hurried labor of super- ficial hack writers, unacquainted with their subject, the historical subordinated to the com- mercial feature of the publications. No history of the county has been printed since "The History of Fresno County," published in 1882, by Wallace W. Elliott and Company, of San Francisco. It was a work of original research and a trustworthy authority.
The editor and publishers of these volumes present them confidently as a verified and authoritative history of the county-the result of conscientious labor in original research, and of information imparted by pioneers and their descendants, entered upon originally as a pastime and without thought of publication of the collated material. It essays to present county and city historical data that had lasting bearing on the times, but which with many of the picturesque incidents were ignored or overlooked in the publications that have gone before; and lastly it is an endeavor also to fill in the hiatus of the years since 1882, to bring to date the tale of the development and growth of a county which, from a small beginning with a rough and uncouth mining population and hardy pioneers, has become one of the richest, politically best governed and industrially typical of a great state.
Incredible as their development and growth have been, through successive industrial epochs, the mind cannot grasp the future of State and County when the twin Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys will have reached the zenith of development and production. California is today a self-supporting empire in itself. It is dependent upon the world for only a few of the raw materials demanded for certain manufacturing and industrial enter- prises. It is developing these. The zenith having been attained, Fresno County will be a leading contributor to California's greater riches, enhanced production, and to the unmeas- ured happiness and prosperity of its citizens. Fresno is the state's center. A remarkable past will be eclipsed by a more wonderful future-it is manifest destiny.
-PAUL E. VANDOR.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY . 31
California a land of wonders and surprises. Fresno County an Empire within an Empire. Assessed property valuations. The Valley is the keystone in the arch of the State's wealth. Interior region little affected by the Spanish and Mexican regime save in the nomenclature of landmarks.
CHAPTER II
34
ROSTER OF EARLIEST LIVING PIONEERS. Changes brought about by the mutation of time. Linking the present living with the remote dead past. The days of the Squaw Man. Sur- viving pioneers antedating days before county organization. A fre- quently changing and ever shrinking roster. Some of the picturesque characters that have passed away. Pioneers of the mining period of the decade of the '50's.
CHAPTER III
HISTORY OF STATE IS UNIQUE AND REDOLENT OF ROMANCE .. 43 Riches of State greater than those of the fabled Indies. Practically unpeopled before the discovery of gold. "Inferno of '49" startles the world. The day of another controlling race dawns with the setting of the sun on the Golden Age of the Missions.
CHAPTER IV
CALIFORNIA'S COLONIZATION DELAYED FOR CENTURIES. 45 Settlements all located on the coast. Upper California imperfectly known. Expeditions undertaken to locate new mission sites. Ensign Moraga the most enterprising explorer of his time. Journey of Padre Garces.
CHAPTER V
TULARE SWAMPS THE RENDEZVOUS OF OUTLAWS 49
Fremont hesitated not to buy stolen horses. Fages the first white man to look upon interior valley. Pursuit and surrender of Santa Clara Indians. Vallejo countenances shocking butchery of hapless prisoners. Kidnapping of Gentile children.
CHAPTER VI
FRESNO COUNTY IS THE HEART OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. 52 The city is the State's practical geographical center. Physical features of the great interior basin. Climate a most valuable asset. Develop- ment change due to irrigation. Destiny is to support a much larger farming population. Fullest growth will be obtained with conservation of water and forests.
CHAPTER VII
DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN CALIFORNIA.
Disputed date of discovery. Amount of gold shipped. A wild and reckless population gathers. Some figures of the extraordinary acces- sion by land and sea.
56
CONTENTS
CHAPTER VIII
59
FIRST REPORTS FROM GOLD MINES EXCITE INCREDULITY Official confirmation. Colonel Mason's extravagant idea of figures. The placers are visited and reported on. State Geologist Trask's prophecies. Fresno's camps of the southern mines. First local mining settlements.
CHAPTER IX
PRACTICAL DISAPPEARANCE OF THE INDIAN 65 Characteristics of Valley Tribes. Polygamy was not uncommon. At starvation point following reservation liberation after the 1850-51 uprising. Sixteen tribes signed the Treaty of Peace of 1851 in Fresno.
CHAPTER X
INDIAN TROUBLES IN 1850 70 Squaw discloses tribal conspiracy. Trader Savage outmarshaled in diplomacy. Murders and plunder forays, with mutilation of victims. Mariposa's battalion of rangers is formed, commanded by Savage.
CHAPTER XI
MARIPOSA INDIAN WAR CAMPAIGN 73 Chief Teniyea obstructs entry into valley. Chowchillas and Yosemites remain obdurate. Favorite son killed and Teniyea held captive at end of rope. End of war. Yosemites exterminated by the Monos.
CHAPTER XII
MAJOR SAVAGE A PICTURESQUE CHARACTER. 76 Consorted with Indians nearly all his life. Wagered his weight in gold on turn of a card. Indian affairs in hands of a political ring. Savage cowardly murdered in defense of Indians.
CHAPTER XIII
PERMANENT SETTLING UP OF FRESNO A SLOW PROCESS 80
Millerton at its zenith in 1853. First locations of trading posts and mining camps. Centerville a flourishing community. Earliest glimpse of future county seat. First assessment rolls of 1856-57.
CHAPTER XIV
EARLY DAYS OF FORT MILLER AND MILLERTON 85 Picturesqueness of mining days. Freight teams, mounted express and stages enlivened villagers. Enforcing state foreign miner's tax. Joaquin Murieta and his reign of terror. Capture of Garcia.
CHAPTER XV
ORGANIZATION OF FRESNO COUNTY 91
First elected county officials. Many years a Democratic stronghold. A statistical curiosity of 1857. Year of birth the remarkable one of the great vigilance committee. "Lone Republican of Fresno."
CHAPTER XVI
MILESTONES IN MILLERTON'S HISTORY Official records incomplete. Construction of jail. Miner's tax collec- tions. First sheriff incompetent. Boundary line disputes. Early licensed ferries. Lumber operations on Pine Ridge. Tollhouse grade.
95
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XVII
MILLERTON COURTHOUSE A WORRY FOR TEN YEARS
101
Abandoned on removal of county seat. Courtroom becomes the town assembly hall. Building recalls tragic mystery in Fresno's official annals and the first defalcation.
CHAPTER XVIII
MILLERTON LACKING IN CIVIC SPIRIT. 101 No town plat or incorporation. Nearness to rich placers controlled site. Stage lines and slow mail deliveries. Franco-German war news rushed on by stage coach after purchase by club in Visalia.
CHAPTER XIX
CHARACTERISTICS OF EARLY SETTLERS OF CALIFORNIA. 108 Political opinions during Civil War. Firing on Fort Sumter stirred up strong Union sentiment. Gambling and drinking a state-wide habit. Leveling tendencies of pioneer days. A tribute to womanhood.
CHAPTER XX
MILLERTON RETROGRESSIVE RATHER THAN PROGRESSIVE. 111 County seat removal suggested in 1870. Surroundings of village. Big fire on eve of the Fourth of July, 1870. Unaided by Fort, Millerton never housed its fixed population.
CHAPTER XXI
EARLY FLOOD AND DROUGHT PERIODS 117 Scottsburg washed away. Millerton never rallied from disastrous flood on Christmas eve, 1867. San Joaquin a blessing and a curse. Gigantic irrigation project is failure.
CHAPTER XXII
EARLY SETTLERS OF MILLERTON 122 Mckenzies, Harts and Hoxies among earliest families. Gillum Baley elected county judge. Personal recollections of other pioneers.
CHAPTER XXIII
SOCIAL SIDE OF PIONEER DAYS IN FRESNO .. 128 Big families the general rule. No marriageable woman needed to be without husband. Women in numerical majority. First white child born in county. Practical jokes characteristic of the times. Artlessness of political candidates. No mincing of king's English.
CHAPTER XXIV
SADDEST CHAPTER IN FRESNO'S HISTORY 134
Pathetic end of three prominent men. Gaster as a defaulter dies in foreign clime. Converse fills the grave of a suicide. McCray dies as a pauper.
CHAPTER XXV
SOUTHERN SECESSION STRONG IN THE COUNTY 141
Millerton newspapers keep alive political rancor. Desecration of flag incidents. Fort Miller reoccupied by soldiery in 1863. Swashbuckler publications villified administration. Assassination of Editor Mc- Whirter. The Republican is the conspicuous journalistic success.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXVI
151
COUNTY SEAT REMOVAL IN 1874 .. Big defalcation is discovered. Fresno is staked out in May, 1872. Millerton deserted. First passenger train schedule of 1873. Court- house corner stone laying. Visit of first circus. Courthouse fire in 1895.
CHAPTER XXVII
INDUSTRIAL PERIODS IN STATE AND COUNTY. . 157 Lumbering conspicuous in Fresno. First handworked "sawmill" at Fort Miller. Hulse, pioneer of millmen. Pine Ridge is scene of mill activities. Directory of first "Bullwhackers" and sawmill men.
Corporate fluming operations.
CHAPTER XXVIII
PASTORAL PERIOD SUCCEEDS PLACER MINING IN 1864 161 Stockraising becomes dominant industry. Dairying neglected. "No fence law" tolled requiem of stock business. The "Sandlapper" comes to the fore. Wool raising an important consideration. Prominent stockmen listed. They discovered Sierra's scenic wonders in the quest for pasture.
CHAPTER XXIX
AGRICULTURE TAKES POSSESSION OF VALLEY IN THE 70'S. 167 Dry farming conducted on gigantic scale. Discouraged by stockmen. Fertility of soil demonstrated. Development of labor saving machinery. First farming on plains. Failure of Alabama settlement.
CHAPTER XXX
VASQUEZ AND HIS ROBBER BAND 172
Millerton given great scare. Murieta's retreat is starting point for raids. State is terrorized. Vasquez hanged for murder at Tres Pinos.
CHAPTER XXXI
WATER FOR IRRIGATION AND RAILROAD AID IN UPBUILDING OF FRESNO .... 176 Sycamore as rival to new county seat. Failure of gigantic irrigation project. Railroad exacted tribute from farmers and towns. Leland Stanford's prophecies. Historic transaction giving rise to the familiar Harris land title.
CHAPTER XXXII
IRRIGATION AND ITS GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT 180
M. J. Church remembered after death in a bequest. Easterby makes a success of wheat farming. Church champions irrigation and develops it despite implacable hostilities. A marvelous transformation comes about in first decade.
CHAPTER XXXIII
FRESNO IS THE CENTER OF THE SUN-DRIED RAISIN INDUSTRY. 187
Spain outdistanced in 1892. Stabilization of prices. California acreage the largest in the world. First raisin exhibit at 1863 State Fair. Seeded raisin a Fresno creation.
CHAPTER XXXIV
RAISIN INDUSTRY THE FINANCIAL BAROMETER .. Many efforts at cooperative control. Crisis faced at close of year 1917. Spectacular campaign staged for new contracts. Prosperity under- written for six years.
192
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXXV
DEVELOPMENT OF THE WINE INDUSTRY. 198 Fresno leads in sweet wine and brandy. Conditions ideal for sun cur- ing of products. Citrus growing belt of valley. Local nursery stock of a year sufficient to supply entire State.
CHAPTER XXXVI
CALIFORNIA RANKS TEN IN VALUE OF FARM PRODUCTS 204 Raisin industry outranks all increases in Fresno County. It has the credit for more than one-half of state's dried peach crop. For hay and forage it is third. Rice growing is making great strides. Sacra- mento Valley raises ninety-five per cent of the cotton in the State.
CHAPTER XXXVII
ROMANTIC SIDE OF HORTICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 208 The story of the minute fig wasp in the introduction of a coming in- dustry. Early experimentation in caprification. Revolutionizing the grape industry. The rabbit drive as a sport.
CHAPTER XXXVIII
POSSIBILITIES OF COTTON CULTURE IN THE VALLEY. 213 Warning against mistakes made after Civil War. The Egyptian variety recommended. Fig production will play an important role. Currant grape another commercial factor in raisin belt.
CHAPTER XXXIX
LIFE AND PUBLIC CAREER OF M. THEO. KEARNEY . 218 Lived in solitary grandeur in chateau without companion or friend. Died unattended on the high seas. Championed the formation of the first raisin growers' association.
CHAPTER XL
THE LITIGIOUS SIDE OF THE RAISIN BUSINESS. 225 Pettit's long fight as the impoverished inventor of the seeder machine. Forsyth pre-seeding machine is rejected as lacking novelty. Liquid- ation of first association lags in courts for six years.
CHAPTER XLI
NOTABLE BENEFACTIONS TO THE COUNTY 230
Frederick Roeding, M. Theo. Kearney and William J. Dickey made generous gifts. Dr. Lewis Leach is remembered as noteworthy per- sonage. Frank H. Ball made large bequests to public institutions.
CHAPTER XLII
INFLUENCE OF DR. CHESTER ROWELL IN UPBUILDING OF COMMUNITY. ... 237 Noted physician, founder of a newspaper, organizer and leader of a party. Unique local character was Fulton G. Berry. His funeral a remarkable spectacle.
CHAPTER XLIII
DEVELOPMENT OF LAND, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL INTERESTS. 244
First great land promoter was Thomas E. Hughes. His activities fast- ened upon him the appellation of "Father of Fresno." Louis Einstein was a pierstone in foundation of conservative commercial and financial life of city. Otto Froelich was pioneer merchant and banker.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XLIV
253
LAND HOLDING BARONS OF PIONEER DAYS. Jefferson James last of picturesque cattle kings. Henry Miller never knew how much he possessed in land or live stock. Frederick Roeding made known the agricultural possibilities of desert lands.
CHAPTER XLV
COLONY SETTLEMENT SYSTEM CONTRIBUTES TO AGRICULTURAL GROWTH .... 260 Central California colony the pioneer in the county. The Alabama and Holland failures. Early farmers were extravagant in use of wa- ter. Sterilization of soil with appearance of alkali is consequence.
CHAPTER XLVI
NEWER TOWN LOCATIONS REPRESENT LATER DEVELOPMENT PERIOD. 268
Brief review of their origin. Fresno in 1879 still a cow county vil- lage. Burials in town ceased. only in 1875. Two transcontinental railroads serve county. A remarkable mountain railroad into the Sier- ras. Automobile has solved problem of interurban communication.
CHAPTER XLVII
INCORPORATED CITIES OF THE COUNTY .. 274
Newness of the towns on the plains with Fresno as oldest located and first to incorporate. Settlements existing before 1872 are memories of the past. Clusters of population before 1880. Earlier trading points called to mind. With Madera's divorce in 1893 went the early histor- ical region of Fresno County north of San Joaquin River.
CHAPTER XLVIII
SHELBYVILLE RECALLS A WIDESPREAD SWINDLE OF THE LAND BOOM DAYS .. 279 It was a lottery conception of an eastern theatrical man. Town had no existence save in the mind and on a filed map. Site has long re- verted to the state for unpaid taxes. Fresno as the first incorporated town in the county. Chance discovery of earliest recorded townsite on Dry Creek in 1875.
CHAPTER XLIX
COALINGA OIL FIELD IS THE LARGEST PRODUCER IN THE STATE. 283 Another interesting chapter in the history of a wonderful county. A great industry established in a waste sheep grazing region. Coalinga in early days typical of western mining camp. First oil excitement of 1865 recalled. California's petroleum possibilities first recognized about 1900. Coal deposits had proved inadequate for fuel supply.
CHAPTER L
OIL DISTRICT IS ONE OF THE STATE'S GREAT WEALTH PRODUCERS . .. 288 Early drilling methods were crude. Tales of frenzied finance mark early development days. Picturesque features in exploitation of West Side field. A story as interesting as that of the gold period of the Argonauts.
CHAPTER LI
EVANS-SONTAG REIGN OF TERROR OF 1893. Most lurid chapter in criminology of county. Many armed conflicts with officers of the law and escape of the bandits. Populace in the foothills blocked authorities. Leader ended his days in a county poor farm
296
CONTENTS
CHAPTER LII
LOCATION BY RAILROAD OF TOWNSITE OF CITY OF FRESNO IN 1872. 301
A. J. Maassen the first settler. William H. Ryan was at death the old- est continuous resident. Russell H. Fleming now holds that distinc- tion. Jerry Ryan was notable personage. Early recollections of some first comers narrated. Contrast of the years marked in the ownership of automobiles. Survey stake at K and Mariposa marks geographical center of State.
CHAPTER LIII
THE BUILDING UP OF THE CITY OF FRESNO. 310 Livery stables and saloon periods of village. Activities centered on coming of railroad. First locomotive crosses San Joaquin March 23, 1872. Renewal of county seat removal agitation. First permanent im- provements. Appeal made to plant shade trees.
CHAPTER LIV
IRRIGATION AND TREES ATTRACT BIRD LIFE. 318 Agitation on for railroad competition. School district is established Grain growing acreage extending. First Fourth of July celebration. Candidates to the fore for county seat. Fresno's dominant industry is bar room.
CHAPTER LV
THE END OF PIONEER MILLERTON 325 Old county seat is left deserted. Bids are invited for new courthouse in Fresno. Big defalcation discovered in treasury. Anti-Chinese agitation. First brick building erected. Courthouse cornerstone lay- ing. First bank opened.
CHAPTER LVI
PROGRESS OF FRESNO IS STEADY AND SUBSTANTIAL 333 First cemetery abandoned. Fire protection a much felt want. Central California colony. Granice Merced murder trial. Agitation for a church. Completion of courthouse. First Fresno-grown orange.
CHAPTER LVII
SIX YEARS OF ASTONISHING CHANGES UP TO CENTENNIAL YEAR. ...... 340 County boundary line controversy. Irrigation problems. First wine making. Founding of town of Madera. Panic year among sheep men. Gold placer mine bubbles. Church is begun. Pioneer flouring mills.
CHAPTER LVIII
TOWNSITE OF FRESNO AN UNATTRACTIVE SPOT ON SAGEBRUSH PLAIN. 348 M. K. Harris gives mental picture of town in 1879. All business cen- tered about railroad station. Brick buildings numbered six. Coyotes howled at night. A glimpse into early politics.
CHAPTER LIX
FRESNO A HANDFUL OF HOUSES IN A DESERT OF SAND IN 1881. 355 Metropolitan hall the graveyard of many traveling shows. O street
was out of town. Nob Hill the residential quarter. Rabbits and squir- rels in the backyards.
CHAPTER LX
FRESNO'S MEMORABLE BOOM IN 1887 358
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