A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, also containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present, Volume I, Part 74

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1184

USA > California > A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, also containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present, Volume I > Part 74

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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. Buying 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 : yet 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, written by Miss Rose L. Ellerbe and published by 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 affairs after the departure of the Mormons. He puts a touch of humor in his tale of the border wars.

AFTER THE MORMON EXODUS.

"After the Mormons 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 his 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- the devil understands the business.'

"It is needless to say that many of these new- comers were very excellent people, but they were in the minority.

"Politically, socially and morally, San Ber- nardino was ruled by a set 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 office 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 party 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 kept the press until the evening before the elec- tion and then the editor was too drunk to open

444

. HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the office. Having no key, we kicked the door open and found everything in the office topsey- turvey, in order to prevent our printing the tiek- 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 Charles W. Piercey.' We erased the name of Piercey 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 Piercey. 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. No 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 Piercey interests were managed by 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 placed 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, ae- 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. As an instance, this affair may be mentioned. The colored elite of the town were giving a dance and a general fes- tivity according to the code of dusky etiquette, when they were unceremoniously interrupted by the entrance of a number of white sports under the leadership of one McFeely, who desired to participate in the amusements. The colored pro- prietor objected and McFeely ordered a general honse-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. MeFeely, 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 poor fellow turned as pale as nature would allow him to do, and while his pearly teeth chattered, ground the complaint at the rate of a running quartz mill. An 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."

JIARD TIMES.

During the years immediately following there was little or no progress in San Bernardino. 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- try of San Bernardino, was then untried. At that time it was believed that oranges could be grown only on the lowlands in the river valleys, and the climate of San Bernardino was consid- ered too severe in the winter to make orange growing a success.

GOLD MINING.

In 1860 there was a gold rush to the moun-

445

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tai of San Bernardino that materially benefited the merchants and producers of the county.

In the spring of 1860, W. F. Holcomb, John Martin, Jim Ware and several others prospect- ing for bear in Bear valley found gold. The first claims were located May 5, 1860. They named the part of the valley 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 every direction. some on horseback, some with pack trains and some with their outfits on their backs.

The Los Angeles Star of June 23, 1860, re- ports three hundred men working in the new mining district of Bear valley. Childs & Hid- den. hardware merchants, had received sixty ounces in one package for supplies 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 "poor 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 daily 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 county was greatly improved.

THE PIONEER NEWSPAPER.

The Los Angeles Star of November 26, 1859. publishes this notice : "J. Judson Ames has is- sted 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 Diego-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 by 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 16th of June, 1860, that the first number of the paper appeared. Its ap- pearance from that time until its final disappear- It ance in February. 1861, was intermittent. was subject to temporary fits of suspension. It was like the little joker, "now you see it, now you don't." December 22, 1860, its light failed -that was the last issue under the management of Ames. His career as a newspaper man ended.

January 12, 1861. 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- ary 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 1861 returned to the south by the Yuma route to join the armies of the Confed-

446

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

eracy. Dan Showalter and a party 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 liberty. Some of them returned to California, 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 very 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.

FLOODS.

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.

INDIAN DEPREDATIONS.

The desert Indians still continued to commit depredations-stealing stock and murdering stockmen and prospectors whenever an oppor- tunity offered. In March, 1866, Ed. Parrish, E. K. Dunlap, and an employee (Pratt Whit- sides), who were collecting a band of cattle at their ranch on the Mojave 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 band of Indians-Chimehauvas, Mohaves and Pahontes-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.

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 harbor. Twenty years since the Mormons 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 by 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 clawning. the era of fruit-growing colonies. The first of these to organize was Riverside, whose history is given in the chapters on Riverside county. The colonists that brought about the

447

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

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 PROJECTS.

The early '70s was an era of railroad building and railroad projecting. The Southern Pacific had built 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 bay of San Diego to the back country of San Bernardino was beyond the financial ability of both combined.

A wagon road was built to Anaheim 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 BERNARDINO CITY.

T HE 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 city and country around. It had quite an extensive trade with the mining camps of Arizona by 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, 1883, 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 Fé, com- bined with the California Southern, completed a new transcontinental 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 incorporated 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 capacious and costly hotel at that time in Southern California. It was four stories high and contained four hundred rooms. It was 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 1888 was noted for the building of interurban motor lines. The Redlands and San Bernardino line was completed August 17, and the Riverside, November 16.

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 17. 1891, an election was held and the area of the city was increased to six and one-half miles.

The Stewart hotel, the pride of the city, was burned to the ground on the night of November 5. 1892.

In 1893 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 fight 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 among its depositors, they recovered but a little over fifty per cent of their claims. A dis- astrous fire in 1897 destroyed Whitney'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. B. 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 policy of the Southern Pacific officials in the early years 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 Fé 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 brought 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 municipality. It now has a mayor.

449

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

common council and full set of commissions, fire, police, and water.

COLTON.

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, lay 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.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

A history of California and an extended history of its southern coast counties, also containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present, Volume I, Part 74

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company Number of Pages: 1184

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1184