Historical and biographical record of southern California; containing a history of southern California from its earliest settlement to the opening year of the twentieth century, Part 164

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1366

USA > California > Historical and biographical record of southern California; containing a history of southern California from its earliest settlement to the opening year of the twentieth century > Part 164

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Jefferson L. Crane arrived in California in October of 1861. Almost immediately he be- came associated with his uncle, G. G. Briggs, in the Santa Clara valley, whose ranch he man- aged for seven years. This property Mr. Briggs had purchased from the More Brothers in 1862, paying $45,000 for eighteen thousand acres, and the following year Mr. Crane set out an orchard of two hundred acres, this being the first orchard planted in the entire valley. The country at the time was wild and uninviting. the only inhabitants of Saticoy being Indians, while the nearest white neighbors were eight or ten miles away. Game was plentiful, and deer and bear were frequently seen when one walked abroad. It had been the intention of Mr. Briggs to colonize the valley, but a drought visited the region that ruined the crops and in the light of that discouragement the enthu- siasm of the settlers vanished.

In 1861 occurred the marriage of Mr. Crane and Jeanette Briggs, a native of Massachusetts. The five children of this union were born in Ventura county, and are named as follows : Emmett C., Lincoln P., Cora L., Charles and Chauncey. During 1868 Mr. Crane returned to Ohio, but after ten months he decided to again try his luck in California. Upon returning he lived for a time at Carpinteria. Eventually he bought the ranch on which he now lives and which was a portion of the old Saticoy ranch. The property contained one hundred acres, but in 1888 he sold fifty, retaining fifty acres as his homestead. On his land he raised walnuts, Bartlett pears, apples, and various other kinds of fruit,. in the cultivation of which he has had

success. At times his pears bring as high as $300 per acre. At this writing he is grafting the English walnut on the American black wal- nut root, and is finding the experiment to be a success. In addition, he is engaged in pre- paring a nursery, with which business he has become familiar in all its phases, being a master in the art of growing, budding and pruning plants. He has made excellent improvements on his place, has good buildings and a pleasant home. Many of the important enterprises of the neighborhood owe much to his enthusiastic support, among these being the Saticoy Walnut Growers' Association, in the organization of which he assisted and whose president he has since remained. In politics he is a Democrat.

EMMETT C. CRANE. Prominently con- nected with the general growth of Saticoy is Emmett C. Crane, at present engaged in con- ducting the largest general mercantile establish- ment in the town. A native of Ventura county, he was born on the old Briggs orchard farm April 6, 1863, and was educated at Carpinteria, Ventura and Santa Barbara. His father, Jef- ferson C. Crane, is one of the most esteemed of the early pioneers of the county, and to his earnest efforts in behalf of its upbuilding is due the credit which is so generously bestowed upon him.

Possessed of natural financial ability, and de- siring to embark in commercial life, Mr. Crane in 1887 started the first general merchandise store in Saticoy, and soon after took as partner Charles S. Duval, the affairs of the concern being then conducted under the firm name of Crane & Duval. This partnership was dis- solved after eighteen months, and the firm name then became Crane Brothers, by the addition of L. P. Crane to the business. From this time on the interests broadened, and to the other departments of the store was added the ship- ping of beans and general produce. The asso -. ciation of the brothers continued amicably until 1896, when Mr. Virden became the substitute of the junior brother, and the firm name became Crane & Virden. In 1898 Mr. Crane bought out Mr. Virden, and has since been sole manager and owner of the general merchandise business.

Added to his other responsibilities, Mr. Crane operates and owns the only livery stable in Sat- icoy, and in 1899 he became interested in the oil development, and now owns considerable oil stock. He has been prominent in the politics of his town, and in 1896 was elected supervisor on the Democratic ticket, his term of service cover- ing four years. He has taken an active part in the improvement and building up of the town, and was one of the board and chairman of the committee who attended to the building of the Santa Clara river bridge. This same board erected the present court house, and made

Martin

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

themselves generally useful in a multitude of ways. Among their considerate and thoughtful undertakings should be mentioned the system inaugurated by them of sprinkling the country roads.

In 1884 Mr. Crane was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Cross, who was born in Wisconsin, and of this union there are three children, Cora L., Ella P. and Clarence E.

W. W. MARTIN. Several different sections of Southern California have profited by the ex- perience and wise judgment of Mr. Martin, who since 1889 has been a large land owner and fruit-grower at Sespe, Ventura county. His first purchase of property in this vicinity was made from F. C. Howes, of Los Angeles, im- mediately after which he established himself in the fruit business. Since then he has, on sev- eral occasions, bought land from the Sespe Land and Water Company, and now his possessions aggregate one hundred and eighty-nine acres, valued at from $100 to $150 per acre. Without doubt his orange and lemon grove is one of the most thrifty in Sespe. In addition, he car- ries on a nursery business. The majority of the young trees forming the orchards of this vicinity have been secured from his nursery, and he also set out ten thousand trees for the Sespe Land and Water Company on the Sespe rancho. In one contract alone, he sold five thousand lemon trees to this same company, guaranteeing the growth of the trees, and all of them are now bearing. On his farm hay, alfalfa and barley are produced in large quantities. The value of his land is materially increased by the fact that it is mostly under irrigation, rendering possible an abundant supply of water. Besides all of his other enterprises, for the last three years he has been president of the Fillmore Irrigation Com- pany. He is also interested in stock-raising and keeps on his place a large number of horses, notably the Norman-Belgium breed, some of which weigh as much as fifteen hundred pounds each.

Coming to California when twelve years of age, Mr. Martin almost considers himself a na- tive of the state. He was born in Missouri May 9, 1845, and at twelve years of age settled with his parents at Solano county, Cal., where his father died. After attaining his majority he be- came a farmer in Solano county, continuing there until 1867, when he moved to Monterey county. In 1869 he embarked in the dairy busi- ness near Cambria in San Luis Obispo county. The year 1871 found him in Los Angeles, soon after which he bought forty acres near Tustin. Orange county. In that locality he set out many orchards of walnuts and oranges, and also engaged in the nursery business. During the great boom of 1886-87 he was an enthusiastic worker and promoter, buying and selling sev-

eral properties. In fact, during his entire active life, it has been noticeable that he has always something to sell, and is also ready to buy, being a land speculator in the best sense of that term. While living in Orange county he became a di- rector in the Bank of Tustin, and is still one of its stockholders. He was also one of a number of gentlemen who bought the Olive Milling Company's business at Olive, Orange county, in addition to which he assisted in organizing the Tustin Improvement Company and served as a director in the same until it was disbanded. Another concern with whose organization he was identified was the Santa Ana Grand Ave- nue Improvement Company, and he was also a director in this until it closed out. From Orange county in 1889 he came to Ventura county, which has since been his home.

In Petaluma, Sonoma county, Cal., Mr. Mar- tin married Miss Barbara J. Keim, a native of Indiana, and daughter of Benjamin Keim, a Pennsylvanian, of German descent. Six chil- dren blessed their union, all born in Orange county, namely: Ira B., who is postmaster of Sespe and a merchant of this town; Leo Rollin, who is interested in the oil business; Alice Rosella, Arthur Clyde, Lela Ada, and Guy Ran- dolph Martin.

The principles of the Republican party liave always received Mr. Martin's stanch support, both in local and national elections. Person- ally he stands for the best interests of society and is a true example of an ideal Californian. Both by precept and example he has given his influence toward temperance, and has never touched liquor or tobacco of any kind. He has been equally averse to card-playing, and prides himself on never having touched a card. In- deed, sobriety and temperance in all things lias been one of the guiding principles of his life, and the success he has attained may be in part attributed to his abstemious habits and his in- tegrity of character.

FRANK E. DAVIS. Having made Santa Paula his home since 1878, Mr. Davis has been intimately associated with its progress and ac- tive in the development of its enterprises. He was born and reared in Vermont, and in 1873 crossed the continent to San Francisco, where for five years he acted in the capacity of gen- eral manager of the Continental Oil Company. From San Francisco he came to Santa Paula with I. E. Blake and organized the Old Mission Transfer Oil Company, of which he was elected president. The company operated on the ex- mission rancho and was the first to inaugurate the oil industry in the Santa Clara valley. In- deed, it was through the efforts of the company that Hardison and Stewart were led to identify themselves with this valley in 1883. Early in 1880 they sold out to the Union Oil Company,

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

since which time Mr. Davis has been interested in different oil companies as a stockholder.

In addition to his various oil interests, Mr. Davis has been otherwise identified with local interests. He is a director of the Limoneira rancho, the Santa Paula Horse and Cattle Com- pany, and also of the First National Bank of Santa Paula. For several years he has engaged in the livery business in his home town. Num- bered among his real-estate and property hold- ings is an interest in the Petrolio Hotel build- ing. Another possession is a ranch of six hun- dred and forty acres, on which he has about one hundred head of fine horses, as well as other stock. At one time he owned Walter J., a cele- brated pacer. In 1887 he assisted in organizing the Santa Paula Driving Park Association, in which he owned an interest.

As a member of the Republican party Mr. Davis is active in politics. In 1888 he was elected a member of the county board of super- visors, and this position he held for eight suc- cessive years, during four years of which he served as its chairman. Various minor offices have also been creditably filled by him. At this writing he is a member of the county central committee. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, besides being especially ac- tive in Masonry, as a member of blue lodge, chapter and commandery, and Al Malakiah Temple, N. M. S., of Los Angeles. Not only has he been successful in personal undertak- ings, but he is also ready and willing to assist in any plans for the upbuilding of Santa Paula and is numbered among the prominent men of this city.

GEORGE COOK. The life of Mr. Cook in California demonstrates what can be accom- plished by intelligent and well-directed efforts in the cultivation of the soil, and his success furnishes an example and stimulus to all young men desiring to become citizens of this state. Coming here from Kansas in the spring of 1881, he is now engaged in ranching between Mont- alvo and Ventura. He was born in Marshall City, Mich., August 16, 1849, and at five years of age was taken by his parents to southeastern Iowa, where the years of his youth were spent on a farm. His primary education was received in public schools, after which he attended Prof. S. L. Howe's private school in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. On leaving school he began to teach, which occupation he followed for five succes- sive winters, meantime engaging in farming during the summer months. In 1879 he went to Smith county, Kans., and took up a home- stead, where he remained almost three years. Before leaving Iowa he had been united in mar- riage with Miss Emma Smith. Four daughters, all living, were born of their union, and they

also had one son who died in early childhood.

At the time of coming to California Mr. Cook had little money and he was also hampered by sickness in his family, but by his persistent and untiring efforts to win a place for himself, aided and encouraged by his faithful wife, he steadily gained a foothold and is now prosperous. It speaks well for him that he gives his wife credit for a large measure of his success, realizing that her intelligent counsel and economical management of the home have been of the greatest help to him. It was not until 1891 that he was able to become a property owner. He then bought fifteen acres of the Collins ranch, but this he soon sold, and bought sixty- nine acres where he now resides, between Mont- alvo and Ventura. By the purchase of addi- tional property he is now the owner of one hundred and one acres, and he also rents some land, operating two hundred and thirty acres altogether. One hundred and sixty-five acres are under lima beans, in which industry he is an expert and authority. He is considered one of the most capable growers of beans in the entire valley. Besides this product, he makes a specialty of raising apricots and has one thou- sand trees that yield him a large crops of fine fruit each year. During 1897 he assisted in organizing the Lima Bean Association of Santa Clara valley, of which he was president and a director during its entire existence.

For several years Mr. Cook acted as local agent for the Eagle Manufacturing Company of Davenport, Iowa, a house handling all kinds of agricultural machinery. At this writing lie acts as agent for the California Implement Com- pany and the Newell Mathews Company, and since 1893 has devoted a share of his time to this work, selling several carloads of machinery in the valley.

Active along political lines, Mr. Cook is a stanch Republican. For six years he was clerk of the Montalvo school district and for a sim- ilar period served as a member of the board of directors of the union high school of Ven- tura. His interest in educational matters makes him ready to lend his aid to all plans for pro- moting the interests of the schools of his county. Fraternally he is connected with the blue lodge and chapter, also the council of Ma- sons at Ventura. Enterprising and public- spirited, he is a citizen of whom any community might well be proud.

H. L. BRANDES. As a contractor and ar- tistic painter Mr. Brandes has no superior in Santa Barbara county. In the line of mural decorating and frescoing his work has an old- world finish, an elegance of motif and harmony of coloring, possible of acquirement only after close study in the great cities of Europe, where masters of decorations have expended their most

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aspiring efforts upon the palaces, churches, museums and public institutions. The most effective and beautiful results along this line in Santa Barbara have been accomplished by Mr. Brandes, some of whose finest work may be seen in the Hopkins and Gilbert residences, the Whitelaw, the Washington school, Dr. Park's Monticilo, and the new bathhouses. The ma- terials for painting are purchased in large lots from the factory, thus insuring the best possi- ble· results as well as sufficient quantities for the business carried on by this busy frescoer and painter.

A native of Elze, Hanover, Germany, Mr. Brandes comes of a family which trace their descent through Hanoverian ancestry for sev- eral centuries. His father, Franz Brandes, was a shoemaker by trade and died in his native land; the mother. Johanna (Rodemann) Brandes, is still living. H. L. Brandes was the youngest in a family ,of four children, and the only one in America. He was born July 15, 1869, and received his early education in the Collegiate school of Elze. When thirteen years of age he was apprenticed to a fresco painter in Hanover, with whom he served for three years. Upon completing his term he traveled as a journey- man all over Germany, also into Austria. Ow- ing to the oppression of military duty, in 1891 he left home and sailed to Australia, the good ship Erlanger taking its departure from the Antwerp dock upon a voyage of fifty-six days through the Mediterranean sea, Suez canal and Indian ocean. Arriving at his destination he followed the occupation of painting in differ- ent cities, including Petersburg and Geralton, going thence to Singapore, Java, Japan and China. After a trip of five months a ship from Yokohama landed him at Tacoma, Washı., in the spring of 1897, and he then came to Santa Barbara. His decision to make this city his permanent abode he has never had reason to regret. The lot upon which he built a shop and where he now transacts business is located on the corner of Chapala and De la Guerra streets.

GOCHENAUER & FISET, M. D. The pri- vate sanitarium of Drs. Gochenauer & Fiset in San Diego has proved a blessing, not merely to people within a radius of a few hundred miles, but especially to invalids who have crossed the continent to receive the benefit of an ideal cli- mate, together with the services of physicians of acknowledged skill and ability. The senior member of the firm, Dr. D. Gochenauer, was born in Shippensburg, Pa., and at a very early age began to assist his father, who had large in- terests in milling, merchandising, dairving and mining. At the age of sixteen he entered the militia and for one year served in the quarter- master's department, after which he was pro- moted to be first lieutenant of recruiting officers

assigned to Company G, Two Hundred and Second Pennsylvania Infantry. Shortly after- ward he was promoted to be captain of his com- pany, and in that office continued until the close of the Civil war. During one engagement he was wounded in the hip, and again in the knee.

At the expiration of his military service the young captain entered medical college in Phil- adelphia, and in 1868 received the degree of M. D., after which he began professional prac- tice at York, Pa. Four years later he went to New York City in order to have the advantages for special work which the metropolis afforded. Eight years were spent there in the midst of heavy professional responsibilities. From that city he went to Mexico, where he not only practiced, but also acquired mining interests of some value. While on a prospecting tour through California he was so favorably im- pressed with the ideal climate of San Diego and its picturesque location on the bay that he de- cided to establish his home and practice here. Accordingly he came to the city in 1887 and at once started into general practice. The follow- ing year he formed the San Diego Rapid Tran- sit Street Car Company, of which he was presi- dent and one of the principal stockholders. Under the direct oversight of this company was built the first street car line from Old Town and University Heights to San Diego. In 1892 he sold his interest to the present company.

As he had been foremost in securing adequate transportation facilities for San Diego, so also Dr. Gochenauer was active in other matters of general importance. Noticing that the superb climate attracted many seekers after health and realizing that the city did not have suitable ac- commodations for such, he purchased from Louis Weyland a large house on the corner of Sixth and Beech streets, and here he established a sanitarium. The location could not be sur- passed. The building stands on an elevation of three hundred feet above the sea, and com- mands a splendid view of the bay, harbor, islands, ocean and mountains, besides overlook- ing the business part of San Diego. The house not being large enough for his wants, he added to it a three-story building, covering about one- half block. In every detail the establishment is modern. There are private rooms to accommo- date forty patients, also two suitably cquipped operating rooms, one electrical room, six baths, one sterilizing room, a large laundry, spacious kitchen, and surrounding all are well-kept lawns, fountains and walks. The large office and re- ception rooms are retained on the corner of Sixth and C streets. From the first twenty-four hours the institution has been self-supporting. which speaks volumes for the business and ex- ecutive ability of its founder. The estimation in which the establishment is held by professional men is indicated by the following from Dr. J. B.

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Murphy, of Chicago, a surgeon of world-wide fame: "We have nothing finer or more thor- oughly up-to-date in Chicago. Your rooms are all neat, cheerful and inviting, and your operat- ing and sterilizing rooms are as fine as can be found anywhere. With such superior facilities, and in an atmosphere that is free from the infec- tion we have to contend with in large cities, you are armed with all the advantages possible for successful surgery."

Many articles from the pen of Dr. Goche- nauer have appeared in different publications, these pertaining especially to the climatic advan- tages of San Diego. He is a member of the Elks, Loyal Legion, Foresters and Grand Army of the Republic, in which latter he is an officer. For nine consecutive years he has served as county physician, during the changes of three administrations, and he is also examining phy- sician for pensions. In politics he is a stanch Republican. His marriage united him with Miss Mary L. Grove, of Baltimore, Md., a grand- daughter of Judge Tracy, one of the most famous jurists of that city.

The first partner of Dr. Gochenaner in the sanitarium was Dr. Ketcham, but at the end of one year and three months he sold his interest to Dr. Louis O. Fiset. The latter was born in Bangor, Me., a son of George and Adaline Fiset. His literary studies were completed in the University of Michigan, from which he re- ceived the degree of A. B. in 1890. Four years later he was given the degree of M. B. from a medical college at Toronto, Canada. Immedi- ately afterward he began to practice at Grand Forks, N. D., and there held the office of mem- ber of the board of health for one term and county physician for two terms. Seeking a more congenial climate, in 1900 he came to San Diego, where he has since been connected with. the sanitarium. He acts as medical examiner for several insurance companies; in politics votes with the Democrats, and fraternally is connected with the Knights of Pythias, Elks and Modern Woodmen of America. By his marriage to Bessie A. Hornbrooke he has two children, Eugene George and Adaline Frances.

CHARLES HAROLD GRANGER. The business interests of Pasadena have a progress- ive and well-known representative in Mr. Granger, who acts as the agent in this city for the Union and National Ice Companies of Los Angeles. Though of English birth and parent- age, he has been practically a lifelong resident of the United States and since the age of fifteen years has made Pasadena his home, hence is familiar with the opportunities it offers to young men of energy and ability. Born in Bed- fordshire, fifty miles from London, England, September 7, 1869, he was the youngest of the ten children of William H. and Ann (Wilkson)

Granger, natives of the same shire. When scarcely three years of age he was brought by his parents to America in 1872, the entire fam- ily of father and mother and ten children cross- ing the ocean together and going to Colorado Springs, Colo. In addition to his mining in- terests, the father became connected with a large cattle-raising business in El Paso county and also conducted a wholesale butcher busi- ness. For a number of years he was prosperous, receiving gratifying revenues from his cattle, his meat business and his mines in the Gun- nison, Leadville, Durango and Silverton dis- tricts, but his death, which occurred in Durango, cut short his activities while he was still in mid- dle life. His widow, who is a daughter of Wil- liam Henry Wilkson, a farmer of Bedfordshire. England, came to Pasadena in 1884 and now makes her home with her youngest son, Charles Harold. Three of her children died in Colo- rado, the survivors being as follows: Mrs. Jane Hannaford, of Pasadena; Mrs. Richard Knight, of Durango, Colo .; H. W., a contractor at As- pen, Colo .; Mrs. Emily Curtis, of Vancouver, Wash .; Mrs. Julia Poor, also of Vancouver ; Mrs. Mittie Cashin, of Los Angeles; and Charles H., of Pasadena. The last-named was edu- cated in the public schools of Colorado Springs and Parker's Academy in Pasadena. His busi- ness experiences began in 1887, when he se- cured a position as clerk in Swan's grocery. Two years later he entered the employ of the Union Ice Company as their agent, and when the Na- tional Ice Company also embarked in business he received a similar appointment from them, since which time he has had charge of the con- solidated business. Under his capable over- sight a steady increase in trade has been estab- lished, so that now four wagons are in constant use, and shipments from the factory are made in carload lots. Besides the position of agent he is a stockholder and director of the Needles Smelting Company, which operates a smelter at Needles, Cal. Both in the Pasadena Board of Trade and the Merchants' Protective Asso- ciation he holds membership.

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Historical and biographical record of southern California; containing a history of southern California from its earliest settlement to the opening year of the twentieth century, Part 164

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918 Publication date: 1902 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman pub. co. Number of Pages: 1366

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1366