An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day, Part 128

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1038

USA > California > Los Angeles County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 128
USA > California > San Diego County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 128
USA > California > Orange County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 128
USA > California > San Bernardino County > An illustrated history of Southern California : embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of Lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time; together with glimpses of their prospects; also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 128

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).

advance in prices for three years into as many months. Land at a distance of thirty miles or more from Los Angeles-land which was wortlı- less for cultivation, and possessed no surround- ings to make it valuable for any other purpose- was secured by the payment of a small instal- ment, and under the excitement of glowing advertisements, brass bands, and the promise of immense improvements, lots were sold off like hot cakes, by scores and hundreds, to persons who in many cases had not even seen them, had but a vague idea of their location, and no idea at all of doing more with them than to sell them at a high profit before their second pay- ments became dne. This was during the sum- mer, when things are unusually quiet in Los Angeles. The buyers were mostly our own people. The great cry of the speculators was that every one should buy as much as he or she possibly could, to sell to the enormous crowd of land-hungry Easterners who would pour in that winter-the winter of 1887-'88. As a conse- quence every clerk and waiter and car-driver and servant girl scrimped and saved to make a first payment of one-third on a 50 x 100 lot in "Southwest Boomville," or " East San Giaco- mno," or " Rosenblatt," or " Paraiso," or one of the other hundred or more paper cities which sprang np like mushrooms during the summer of 1887. Most of these town sites were not very attract- ive to look at, it is true, but that made small difference, for very few buyers took the trouble to visit them, and they looked remarkably pretty on the lithographic views, with those grand old mountains in the rear, and a still grander three- story hotel in the foreground. From October, 1886, to May, 1887, the monthly real-estate sales had been steadily rising from $2,215,600 to $8,163,327. In Jnne of the latter year they amounted to $11,500,000; in July to $12,000,- 000; in August to $11,500,000-a total of $35,067,830 in three months, and these what had always been the dullest months of the year, with very few strangers within our gates. This was the culmination of the boom. It had been driven to death. Every one was loaded up with

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HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

property and was a seller, at 333 per cent. profit, or just donble what he had paid. When there are nineteen sellers to one buyer, the re- sult cannot long remain in doubt, whether the commodity be wheat or mining stock, or real estate. Natural causes produce their natural effects, in this instance, as in all others since the Creator established gravitation as the prime law of the material universe. Sales began to fall off. The brass bands ceased to exercise the same charm as of old; the free lunchi was looked at askance, and the design of the (pro- posed) $100,000 hotel was subjected to more careful scrutiny. Some captious purchasers even went so far as to demand information about the town and its water supply, while it is on record that one or two recent arrivals ex- cited the scornful commiseration of the real- estate agents by inquiring what was going to support the town. In September, 1887, sales had dropped nearly a couple of million dollars; in October, to $8,120,486; and in November, just when the real winter boom ought to have been commencing, they went down to $5,819,- 646. Moreover, the Eastern visitors did not begin to arrive in any such enormous numbers as sanguine prophets had predicted. It is probably well for them that they did not, for if one-third the number had come that some wild- eyed journalists had professed to expect, a vast army would have been forced to camp al fresco. It was also noted, with marked surprise and considerable indignation, that those who did come from the " ice-bound East " were disposed to be hypercritical in their investigation of the resources of " Rosenblatt," " Paraiso," and other coming trade centers, and were not by any means eager to exchange the proceeds of the sale of their Eastern farms for a twenty- five-foot "business lot" in the paper towns. Finally a great many became disgusted with the innddy streets (since paved), the reckless real-estate agents and the greedy lodging house keepers with which the city was at that time especially afflicted, and so left for other places. The great real-estate boom of 1887

collapsed like a balloon, but the country and its great resources and its enterprising people still remained. A majority of the purchasers made their second and third payments, or satis- factorily adjusted their accounts, except, per- haps, in a few cases where investments had been made in "wild-cat" towns. Naturally, the money market became tight, and while many individuals failed, not a bank did. There was an unusual number of cases of suicide and insanity following the collapse, but even the proportion of these was not so large as might have been expected. The boom over, and spec- ulation past, people began to resume legitimate business. The city in 1887-'88 witnessed a remarkable building boom, about $20,000,000 being invested in business blocks and resi- dences during that period. A number of steam- dummy roads were built into the country. Stand- ard-gauge roads were built to Monrovia, Santa Monica, Ballona and Redondo. Direct railroad communication was opened with San Diego. The great cable-road system began operation in 1889. In the country the fields, which had been covered with town-site stakes, were re- sowed, while greater areas than ever were planted with vines and trees. Farms, vine- yards, and orchards continued to yield bountiful harvests, which brought profitable prices. The oil wells increased in number. Los Angeles County holds her own, and, although losing a large and valuable slice in Orange County, she is still an imperial county.

HENRY DWIGHT BARROWS

was born February 23, 1825, in Mansfield, Tol- land County, Connecticut, near the Willimantic river, which separates the town of Coventry from Mansfield. His ancestry came from Eng- land to Plymouth Colony, and afterward two brothers by the name of Barrows moved from Plymouth to Mansfield, where they settled. From these two brothers, who seem to have been a hardy stock, sprang a great number of descendants, many of whom still remain in Mansfield. The subject of this sketch says he

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HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY

counted over thirty heads of families of that name in his native town in 1845. Indeed, it was the most numerous family name in the town at that time and for years afterward; be- sides, inany married and acquired other names, and many also scattered throughout the United States. His ancestors on his mother's side were Binghams. Mr. Barrows' early years were spent on a farm, and he received a good, thor- ough English education in the common schools and academies of Tolland County. He also taught school several winters, commencing when only seventeen years old. Early in life he acquired a strong love for music, which he cul- tivated as he had opportunity, learning to play on any instrument he could get hold of. He took lessons on the organ of a Mr. Monds, au English organist in Hartford, Connecticut. He also became the leader of the local brass band of his native town when he was only eighteen years of age. He was fond of books and de- voured all he could get hold of in the neigh- borhood, which, however, was not very rich in literature of any kind. He read through the Bible and Shakespeare and Byron, including all the prose writings of the latter. A stray copy of Dr. Dick's "Christian Philosopher" he read with delight, and he thinks to this day that it is one of the best books that can be placed in a boy's hands to enlarge his ideas of the worlds around him. He went to New York in 1849 and engaged in clerking; and while there had a touch of the California gold fever which pre- vailed so generally that year. However, he did not decide to go to the new El Dorado till some years later. In 1850 he went to Boston, where he lived something over two years, being employed as book-keeper in the large jobbing house of J. W. Blodgett & Co., on Pearl street. This firm sold goods in every State in the Union and in Canada, doing an immense business; and the experience and discipline acquired here were invaluable to him in after life. During his residence in Boston he of course enjoyed the lectures, innsic, etc., of that center of intel- lectual activity. He says he retains to-day a

vivid recollection of Theodore Parker's preach- ing, the Lowell Institute lectures, the concerts of the Germanians, Jenny Lind, etc. In the spring of 1852 he finally concluded to come to California, and April 1 he left Boston for his home in Connecticut to get ready for the trip, and on the 26th of that month he sailed from New York on the steamer Illinois, with a large number of passengers. The hardships of cross- ing the Isthmus at that time were great, the railroad having been finished only a few miles ont from Aspinwall, the balance of the way being made by row-boat np the Chagres river to Gorgona, and from thence twenty-six miles on mule-back or on foot to Panama, To a Northern man the heat of all seasons seems formidable on the Isthmus. Especially is this true at Aspinwall, where the heat becomes more oppressive on account of the excessive humidity of the atmosphere. It used to be said that it rained there all the time in the "wet season " and twenty hours a day in the "dry season." The connecting steamner of the Illinois on the Pacific was the Golden Gate, Captain Patterson, of the navy, commander. About 1,700 passengers came up on this trip. Soon after arriving in San Francisco, Mr. Bar- rows started for the Northern Mines above Shasta; but he worked only a short time at mining, as (it being the month of June) the dry scason had set in, and he returned down the valley as far as Tehama, where, about five miles back, he went to work on Thom's creek for Judge Hall, who had a contract to furnish Hall & Crandall, the stage contractors, some 200 tons of hay. There were great numbers of deer and antelopes roaming over the plains of the Upper Sacramento valley at that time. One day, as Mr. Barrows was walking along Thom's creek alone, a California lion jumped out from a clump of bnshes within a few feet of him and made off ont of sight in a few muscular bounds. Coming down the Sacramento valley to Marys- ville, where he made a brief stop, he arrived in San Francisco the last day of July; and having his system full of' chills and fevers, then 80

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HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

prevalent in the neighborhood of Tehama, and the contrast between the heat of the Sacramento valley and the cold of San Francisco being so very great, he found himself very ill with con- gestive chills, from which he did not entirely recover for nearly a year afterward. When he first arrived in California he knew nothing about the great differences in climate of the different sections of the State. Having suffered much, including an attack of Panama fever, in coming through the tropics, he had an aspira- tion for a cool climate, which he thought could be found in going 500 miles north from San Francisco; but if, instead, he had come 500 - miles south and kept near this coast he would have found the blessed temperature he sought. But he had then never heard of Los Angeles. Finding that he could not get rid of the chills in San Francisco, he went in August to San José. There he staid about a year; and there he met two men who were from this same town from which he came. One of them, Captain Julian Hanks, had come out to this coast many years before, and had married at San José, Lower California, and afterward moved to San José, Upper California, where he was living with his family at this time (1852). He liad a vineyard and orchard and also a flouring-mill at his home place not far from the center of the pueblo; and lie also had a ranch abont four miles south of the town. Mr. Barrows went on to this ranch and raised a crop of wheat and barley. He says that the rains were very heavy that winter, and that the house in which he lived was for some time surrounded by water. Flour was very dear, being worth 25 cents per pound. Jaines Lick (since the founder of the magnificent Lick Observatory) was then build- ing very deliberately, and finishing off some- what elaborately, a fine flouring-mill just north of San Jose, on Alviso creek, where he lived. Citizens urged him to finish it whilst flour was 80 scarce and high, and grind up some of the wheat which was abundant, and thus benefit the publie as well as himself; but he gruffly replied that he was building the mill for Liek and not

for the public. Among other eccentricities he insisted on having mahogany railing for the stairway of his flour-mill. Mr. Barrows, in the fall of 1853, went to Jamestown in the Southern mines, where he worked at mining for awhile. Afterward he secured an engage- ment as teacher of music at the Collegiate In- stitute in Benicia, where he remained during the greater part of 1854. While there, the late William Wolfskill engaged him to teach a private school in his family in Los Angeles, whither he came in December, 1854. He has made his home in Los Angeles ever since. He taught four years, or until the latter part of 1858. During 1859 and 1860 he cultivated a vineyard that is now owned by Mr. Beandry, on the east side of the river. In 1861 he was ap- pointed United States Marshal for the Southern District of California, by President Lincoln, which office he held four years. In 1864 he engaged in mercantile pursuits, in which he continued about fifteen years. At present (1889) he is in no regular business. He has been thrice married and has three children living, all grown.

Mr. Barrows has made frequent visits to the Atlantic States, once in 1857 by steamer, once in 1860 by the Butterfield stage route, and several times by rail. In 1875 he spent the summer in the East with his family. He has been a member of the city school board many terms, and was county superintendent for one terin, and he has always taken a lively interest in educational matters. He has been a frequent writer for the local and other papers on economic and social questions. Besides much that he has written for the public press over his own naine during his long residence in Los Angeles, he has said many things and made many argu- ments that have been admitted into the editorial columns of sundry journals at different periods. For nearly ten years, from 1856 to 1866, he was the regular paid Los Angeles correspondent of the San Francisco Evening Bulletin. He has enjoyed the respect and confidence of his neighbors among whom he has lived so many years. He has administered, first and last,

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HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

several large estates, including those of William Wolfskill, Captain Alex. Bell, and others. Was appointed by the United States District Court one of the commissioners to run the boundary line between the "Providencia Rancho" and that of the "ex-mission of San Fernando." Also, by appointment of the Superior Court, he was one of the commissioners that partitioned the "San Pedro Rancho," which contained about 25,000 acres. For the year 1888 he was the president of the Historical Society of South-

ern California, of which he has been an active member since its organization. In the publica- tion of the society for 1887, Mr. Barrows ex- plains the theory of rainfall, or of aqueous precipitation generally, whether in the form of rain, hail or snow, and also explains the canse of California's wet and dry seasons. He has written brief sketches of a considerable number of the early pioneers of Los Angeles, many of whom he knew personally.

825

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY.

DRANGE COUNTY.

GENERAL REMARKS.

RANGE County is the youngest county in California, and save San Diego County it is the most southerly. By act of Legislature, approved March 11, 1889, it was set apart from Los Angeles County on August 1, 1889. This county is about forty-four miles northwest and southeast, by some twenty-two miles wide, the greater extent having coastage throughout its entire length.

The new county comprises an area of 861 square miles, or about 610,000 acres, of which 450,000 acres is excellent, indeed choice, agri- cultural land, of which some 250,000 acres are already under cultivation. The population of the county is about 16,000.

In Orange County can be found soil of every class and kind found in California, and here may be cultivated every product to be grown in semi-tropical regions.

The following-named are the old-time ranchos comprised within the limits of Orange County: Trabuco, Mision Vieja or La Paz, Nignel, San Joaquin, Las Bolsas, La Bolsa Chica, one-half cach of Los Alamitos and Los Coyotes, San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana, Cajon de Santa Ana, a small portion of La Brea and of La Habra, Santiago de Santa Ana, Lomas de Santiago, Cañada de los Alisos, Boca de la Playa, and El Sobrante. In Anaheim Township are the ranchos: San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana, con- taining 31,501.99 acres, confirmed to Jnan Pa- 52

cifico Ontiveras; Rancho La Habra, of 6,698.57 acres, confirmed to Andres Pico, and a portion of Los Coyotes. Westminster Township is com- posed of the whole of Rancho Los Alamitos, containing 28,027.11 acres. Santa Ana Town- ship contains the Rancho San Joaquin, 48,803 .- 16, confirmed to José Sepulveda; Santiago de Santa Ana, 62,516.57 acres, granted to Bernardo Yorba et al .; Lomas de Santiago, 47,226.61 acres, granted to Teodocia Yorba and Cañon de Santa Ana, of 13,328.53 acres, granted to Ber- nardo Yorba. San Juan Township contains the Trabuco, of 22,184.47 acres, the Potreros, three in number of San Juan Capistrano, aggregating 1,167.76 acres, and the Mision Vieja or La Paz, of 46.432.65 acres, all confirmed to Juan Fors- ter; Cañada de los Aliso, 10,568.81 acres, granted to José Serrano; Niguel, 46,072 acres, M. de Jesus Garcia et al .; Boca de la Playa, 6,607 acres, granted to Emidio Vejar; Mission San Juan Capistrano, 44.56 acres, to the church; Santa Margarita, 3,616 acres (a part only), Juan Forster.

WATER.

A vast quantity of water for irrigating pur- poses is furnished by the Santa Ana river, the Santiago creek and numerous mountain streams. What is not supplied to the tillable lands from these sources is had from artesian wells. The artesian belts cover a total area of abont 50,- 000 acres, or about one-fifth of the land under cultivation in the county. Flowing wells are

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HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY.

obtained at a depth of from thirty-five to fifty feet, at a cost of $100 to $1.000. There is in the county considerable moist land which does not require irrigation, which will yield, even in the dryest seasons, large crops of corn, pota- toes, alfalia, garden vegetables, fecd for dairy stock, and superb pears and apples.

The chief source of water for irrigating the Santa Ana valley is the Santa Ana river, the largest stream in Southern California. The water supply of this seetion is highly favored by the vast area and great elevation of the mountain ranges drained by this stream, and by the conforination of the surface with regard to the bed-rock, by which is raised and made available all the seepage and undercurrents of the great upland basins. Thus is secured to this valley an amount of water certain and suf- ficient for all its needs, a supply not to be af- fected by local diouths, nor by the diversion of settlements farther up the river.

In 1877 was organized the Santa Ana Irriga- tion Company, whose completed works consist of more than seventy-five miles of ditches, pipes and tunnels. Their main canal is ten feet wide at the bottom, twenty six feet at the top, and six feet deep, with a carrying capacity of 6,000 inches of water. This canal, about eight miles from its head, passes through a spur of hills in two tunnels, 900 feet long, ten feet wide, and seven feet high, and emerges at a point overlook- ing the whole valley. Here it divides into two branches, one of a capacity of 2,500 inches, keeping on a higher level, while the other, of 3,500 inches, plunges fifty-six feet downward to the level of the valley, to whose farthest limits it reaches. This stream of water, in reaching the lower grade, makes one of the finest water- powers in the State.

RAILROADS.

The entire length of this county is traversed by the main line of the Santa Fé system, con necting Santa Ana with Los Angeles and San Diego, and another line of this system branches from Orange and follows the Santa Ana river,

connecting at Riverside with the main line from San Diego to San Bernardino.

The Southern Pacific has a branch line con- necting Santa Ana with Los Angeles; also. an- other line which connects with the main system at Los Angeles, skirting the foothills from Tus- tin. It is fairly well assured that this company designs extending its line to San Diego.

The Fairview Development Company has completed a narrow-gauge road connecting Fairview with Santa Ana, its objective point being an ocean outlet at or near McFadden's landing.

A standard-gauge road is being built from McFadden's landing (Newport Pier) to the city. A considerable amount of the road-bed has been graded, and it is expected that the road will be completed within a few months,

RESOURCES.

Good unimproved land can be had for $30 to $60 per acre, while improved land sells for from $100 to $200, according to its location and the improvements upon it.

In this section " boom times " affected the farming interest, altl.ough less, perhaps, than in many other districts; and there is now a strong reaction again in favor of husbandry, as against real-estate speculation. Small tracts are growing in favor with the farmers and fruit- growers, who are giving great attention to lots of five or ten acres, well cultivated for the products for which they are especially adapted.

Walnut-growing is fast becoming one of the leading features of horticulture in Orange County. Walnuts have been planted over a a great portion of the vineyards devastated by the vine disease, and more of these trees than of any other were planted ont during the past season. No less than 10,000 acres were planted to walnut trees during 1889, and it is esti- mated that 15,000 more acres will be planted in 1890. Orange County contains many thou- sands of acres particularly adapted for growing these nuts, and, as there is an unlimited demand for them at remunerative prices, it is safe to

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HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY.

predict that this will soon become the banner walnut-producing county of the State. Not less than $50,000 worth of English walnuts from Orange County were put upon the market dur- ing the past season. Peanut-growing also is assuming important proportions, at least $16,- 000 worth of peanuts having been shipped hence this season.

Probably no other county has made large shipments of oranges in proportion to her size, than Orange County. It is estimated that abont 45,000 boxes was this section's yield for this season.

The ravages of the vine pest has done almost incalculable damage to the grape industries for several years past; yet even under these circum- stances the county has had a revenue of $100,- 000 from wine and brandy; and if, as it is ex- pected, the methods already adopted prevent a recurrence of the blight, the shipments for next year from the Santa Ana valley will, prob- ably, include 200,000 boxes of first-class raisins.

While a great portion of the lands thus devastated have been set to orange and walnut trees, very many of the vineyards have been replanted to'vines. On these diseased vineyard lands also were made extensive experiments with the sugar beet, which, save in the vicinity of Anaheim, showed most satisfactory proofs of sugar and polarization. It is believed that a refinery and crushing-house will soon be estab- lished hereabouts by one of the sngar-beet companies.

A newborn industry here is the shipment of fresh vegetables to the markets of the Eastern States during the months when such staples are out of season there. The promoters of this en- terprise, having secured favorable freights, purpose to establish a regular system of such shipments.

But agricultural products are not the only natural resources and elements of wealth The section is rich in minerals. Silver ore assaying $16 per ton is fonnd in the mountains. Good seams of coal exist; and a vast deposit of Port- land cement has been discovered. To exploit

this, there has been organized a company with a capital of $300,000, one-third of which sum is to be expended in a plant, where 1,000 hands will be given work. This branch of the county's riches includes a mineral-paint mine, whose product is deemed superior to the im- ported article; and a gypsum mine, with grades ranging from the purest alabaster to the ordinary element, which after calcining becomes the plas- ter of Paris of commerce. Natural gas also is found within the county, and several geologists assert that a large petroleum basin begins under the outskirts of the city of Sauta Ana.

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Author: Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1038

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1038