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 72

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

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twenty-five horses and mules, and one hundred head of cattle. About the Ist of July the journey was begun, the old Santa Fe trail being followed through New Mexico and Arizona into Southern California. November 10th they reached Las Vegas. They crossed the Rio Grande a few miles above Socorro. As they proceeded, it became more and more evident that they would be compelled, on account of the condition of the sheep, to remain in the country for some months. The situation was not attrac- tive. Around them were Indians, particularly the fierce and bloodthirsty Apaches. They called upon the Indian agent, Dr. Miguel Steck, and stated their difficulties. Acting on his sug- gestion, they invited nine Indian chiefs to a feast. The red men accepted the invitation, en- joyed the feast, and afterward smoked the pipe of peace. Remarkable as it seems, it is never- theless a fact that the sheep men remained among the Indians for eight months, without the least protection, and yet never lost a single animal nor any property.

January 5, 1860, the train arrived at San Gabriel. Soon afterward Mr. Hollister went back to Ohio for his family, and on his return, January 1, 1861, the flocks were moved to the San Fernando valley, where they remained dur- ing the balance of the year. In the summer fol- lowing they were moved to higher lands. Mean- time Colonel Peters died and his stock was bought by Thomas Dibblee and Robert Baker, Mr. Cooper himself purchasing some twelve hundred of the graded sheep. At this sale Mr. Cooper met W. W. Hollister, and thus was begun a friendship that was in many respects an ideal one and that continued until death sepa- rated the two who in life had been to each other as David to Jonathan and Damon to Pythias.

In the spring of 1862 Mr. Cooper returned to Missouri, but Christmas of that year found him again in California, where he during the ensuing two years experienced all the sufferings and financial reverses occasioned by the great drought. To show the losses he and his associ- ates suffered, it may be stated that in the spring of 1864 they sheared 11,000 sheep, which, with the lambs, made 15,000 head, but when the flocks were counted in 1865 they had only 5,300. All that saved them from financial ruin was the sale of the wool, from which they realized $22,- 000, this large profit being due to the sagacity of Albert Dibblee, to whom the task of selling was entrusted.

During 1866 Hubbard Hollister purchased the Chorro and San Lusita ranches in San Luis Obispo county and moved there with his family. In 1869 Mr. Cooper made a purchase equally important. From Mrs. Cota he and his partner, Hubbard Hollister, purchased the famous Rancho Santa Rosa, paying for it the sum of $25,000, which was considered an exceedingly

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large sum for that day. The land contained nothing but an adobe house, with a dirt floor and tile roof. Not a fruit tree had been planted. Not an attempt at improvement had been made. However, the energy of the new comers soon produced results that were gratifying. Orig- inally the rancho was a Mexican grant of 45,000 acres. At present it contains about seventeen thousand and three hundred acres, three-fourths of which it is possible to cultivate. The situa- tion is excellent, being near enough to the ocean1 to derive the beneficial effects of the fogs, yet not near enough to have its bad features. The land lies seven miles from Lompoc and five miles from Los Alamos. No richer soil could be found in the whole state. By actual measure- ment, it has been proved that the soil is forty- five feet deep on one of the highest hills. Beans, corn, pumpkins, mustard, flax, sugar beets, etc., together with large crops of wheat and barley, can be raised. The Santa Ynez river runs for eight miles through the ranch, and a number of creeks empty into this river, while large springs are also to be found on the land.

The fruit industry has proved a successful source of revenue to Mr. Cooper. Thirty years ago he planted an orchard, with a general variety of trees, and these have never since failed to bear abundantly. Apples, peaches, pears, plums, nectarines, apricots, quinces, English walnuts, blackberries and strawberries are raised in large quantities. Improvements of all kinds have been added to the place, and it is now equipped with modern appliances to an extent unsur- passed by any ranch in the state. With all of his other enterprises, Mr. Cooper always made his chief work the raising of sheep and the grow- ing of wool, and he was so successful in this that, when he managed the ranch himself, for each of three different years his receipts were $45,000 from the sale of wool, sheep, cattle and wheat.

In the progress of this sketch, nothing has been said concerning the home life of Mr. Cooper. It was in all respects an ideal life. It was his high privilege to enjoy a domestic hap- piness that is delightful to witness. Mention has previously been made of his friends, W. W. and Hubbard Hollister. There was a third and older brother, Albert G., a resident of Holt county, Mo., and it was his daughter, Frances, whom Mr. Cooper married, July 3, 1871. In the winter of 1872 Mrs. Cooper's father came to California, accompanied by his entire family, and took up his abode in the vicinity of his rela- tives. After the death of Mr. Cooper's first- born, John Albert, he and his wife were not satisfied to remain on the ranch, where every- thing reminded them of the bright young existence so suddenly taken from them. They therefore came to Santa Barbara, and soon pur- chased for $10,000 the residence of Hon. Morti-

mer Cook, where he has since remained. Of his children, six are living, namely: Elizabeth, Willie, Lulu, Joseph, Frances and Thomas D. The oldest son is now a student in the Univer- sity of California. The family circle remained unbroken, save by the loss of the oldest son, until February 11, 1901, when Mrs. Cooper was called from among those to whose welfare her hfe had been so faithfully given.

Having accumulated an ample fortune, Mr. Cooper in 1885 relinquished some of the inter- ests to which he had been for years devoted. Selling his sheep and cattle to Leon Carteri, he leased to him the Santa Rosa ranch for a period of five years, and at the expiration of that period granted another lease to the same party. How- ever, he still finds sufficient time to engage his attention in the oversight of his various prop- erty interests and the placing of remunerative investments. His devotion to his country, too, is such that he has given much time to the furtherance of local enterprises and the develop- ment of promising resources. Indeed, to an extent beyond ordinary conception, Santa Bar- bara county is indebted to this wise pioneer and progressive man. His means have ever been at the service of worthy movements; his sympathy has encouraged men when the final issue was in doubt; his unfaltering courage has been a pillar of strength to those less brave than he, and his faith in the final triumph of justice and right has always proved contagious. His name is known throughout the length and breadth of the county. It is only the stranger from whom the inquiry comes, "Who is J. W. Cooper?" By all the residents he is known and honored as a man of strict integrity, the highest principles of honor, a kind heart that constantly prompts him to acts of charity, and a keen mind that has not only brought him financial success, but has ever been at the service of his friends and his adopted county.

In alluding to his success, it is but a matter of justice to say that the firm friends by whom Mr. Cooper had always been surrounded con- tributed not a little to the molding of his char- acter as well as the attainment of his large for- tune. He himself ascribes much of his pros- perity to the associates of his manhood's activi- ties. And perhaps we cannot better close this biography than by quoting his remarks in "A Pastoral Prince" concerning those who labored by his side through many busy and happy years: "All but three of these men have gone to their rest. I am in the afternoon of life myself, and each year I have noticed the shadows of the past grow longer and longer, and of course it will be no great while before my life will be but a shadow itself, a something that has been. I love to sit down and recall the pictures, note the lights and shades, the play of colors and the finished work. I love to think my dear old

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friends are with me, though I cannot see them: Hubbard, the Colonel and Albert Hollister, for- ever hopeful, sunny, sweet-tempered and pro- gressive; Colonel Peters, planning for the future which is always in advance of him; Martin Old- ham, sturdy, truthful, honest and fearless, a great,oak tree that is good to lean against; Nel- son McMahon, bold, manly and always reliable, and dear old Auntie Brown (a sister of the Hol- listers), forever solicitous for others' comfort. It does me good to recall those stanch old friends and know they have been mine and are yet mine, for with all my heart I believe this, Once a friend, always a friend.'"

WILLIAM GOWAN DOBIE, D. M. There is no science nor profession which has com- manded the attention of talented men to a greater degree than has the science of medicine. Many important truths in this science have been added to the world's knowledge during the past few decades, conspicuous among which is the importance of the study of the science of fine forces. As an exponent of this theory Dr. Dobie of Santa Monica has gained a prominence to which his broad knowledge and extensive re- searches entitle him. In his work it is his aim to study the patient and the food that is essential to his health, through which means he has ac- complished results where medicines had failed. Nature is regarded as the great restorer and the problem to be solved is the bringing of the body back into harmony with this universal physician.

Referring to the genealogy of the Dobie fam- ily, we find that it can be traced back to the six- teenth century, when the Dobies of Dobie's Lane were prominent shipbuilders in the seaport town of Leith, Scotland. Dr. Dobie was born in the ancient Scotch city of Dunfermline, where his father, William, and grandfather were both damask manufacturers, while his mother, Agnes, was a daughter of James Mathewson, who was one of the pioneer manufacturers of damask. The latter was the founder of the manufacturing house of James Mathewson & Sons, which is still in existence and has a branch house in New York. William Dobie died in Fifeshire while acting as manager of a large damask factory; his wife died in Kansas City in 1899. They were the parents of six daughters and one son, all but one of whom are in America. The third in order of birth was William Gowan Dobie, who was born June 13, 1855. When seven years of age he was taken to Dollar, Clackmannanshire, and there received an academic education. At the age of sixteen he learned the bleacher's trade in Scotland, completing it in Belfast, Ire- land, two years later. For a time he was man- ager of a large bleachery and later became owner of the Drumbeg bleach works in the suburbs of Belfast.

During 1883 he closed out his many business

interests in the old country and came to Amer- ica, where he became proprietor of a cattle ranch near Raton, N. M. A life more widely at variance with his former interests could scarcely be imagined. In place of the busy factory, with its many operatives, the hum of machinery, and the surroundings of the busy city, there were the loneliness of the snow-capped mountains, the broad expanse of valleys where the sound of liuman voices was seldom heard, and the ad- venturous life of a cattleman and rancher. In 1888 he left that territory and came to California, which he has since considered his home. Shortly after coming here he entered the College of Fine Forces, in New York, from which he was graduated in 1893, with the degree of Doctor of Magnetics. Later he took a course in the San Francisco College of Therapeutics, of which he is a graduate and in which he had the advan- tage of study under Dr. Buchanan. For a time he practiced in Los Angeles, but in 1897 re- moved to Santa Monica, where he has since practiced his profession. The residence which he built at No. 718 Second street is presided over by his wife, whom he married in Pittsburg, Pa., and who was formerly Mrs. Belle (Todd) Gil- man, a native of Toronto, Canada. Nature's is Dr. Dobie's church, and he is one of her fondest worshippers. To him "she speaks a varied lan- guage," rich, beautiful and uplifting. As he has been independent in religious thought, so, too, in politics, he has not felt in either of the great parties the realization of his dreams of all men as brethren, consequently he gives his prefer- ence to socialism in the broad view of that term.

AUGUSTUS H. DEN. The genealogy of the Den family shows that they are of Norman French extraction, and trace their ancestry back to the Capets of France, who settled in England at the time of Edward the Confessor. A num- ber of the family bore a part in the war of the Crusades. The origin of the name points to some connection with a den of lions, and the coat-of-arms represents a lion rampant and guardian holding a cross. From England one branch of the family went to Ireland, and Nicho- las A. Den was a native of Waterford, Ireland, born in 1812. His parents, Emanuel and Katie Den, had several children, among them being Nicholas A. Den and his sister, the talented Miss Mary Den, a contemporary of Victor Hugo. Another daughter, Katie, married James Mc- Grath, of Waterford, Ireland, where he is the successful editor of the Waterford Citizen.

Given the advantages of training at Trinity College and association with people of culture, Nicholas A. Den was prepared in youth for a responsible position in life. His prospects were flattering, for his parents were wealthy, and he took up the study of medicine in Dublin rather from a desire to acquire professional knowledge

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than from any thought that he would ever need to support himself. However, a sudden change in financial affairs swept away his father's prop- erty and left him with the immediate necessity of earning a livelihood. For this reason he went to Nova Scotia, expecting to work for a cousin who was a merchant, but, on his arrival, found that he was little more than a servant and valet. His pride would not brook this change in cir- cumstances, and, finding a ship bound for the far west, he went on board, and in this way, after one hundred and fifty-seven days from Boston, on the ship Europea, he landed at Santa Barbara, Cal., July 8, 1836. Here he was enter- tained by Daniel Hill, whose daughter he later married. It is worthy of note that he was the first educated English-speaking man in Santa Barbara, and for this reason he was sought for counsel and advice. In time he became a very extensive stock-raiser, and owned the San Mar- cos, Dos Pueblos, Cuenada del Corral and Te- quepis ranches, on which he had about ten thou- sand head of cattle. During the gold excitement he was engaged in merchandising and the stock business at the mines, in partnership with Dan- iel Dent, the father of Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant. At the time of his death, March 3, 1862, he was about fifty years of age.

Rosa, wife of Nicholas A. Den, was a daugh- ter of Daniel Hill, who was born in Massachu- setts in 1799, and came to California as early as 1822, in command of the vessel Rebecca, en- gaged in trade with the Sandwich Islands. His parents, Job and Susan (Blanchard) Hill, were lifelong residents of Massachusetts. Settling in Santa Barbara, he first engaged in the mercan- tile business near the old mission. At the same time he acted as superintendent for the padres in the management of ranches. He was one of the first men from New England to settle here, and subsequent pioneers were always welcomed by him with the greatest hospitality. His heart was large and his generosity great. His daugh- ter, Mrs. Den, died in Santa Barbara in 1884. Her children were named as follows: Emanuel, a stockman of Los Alamos; Nicholas, of Los Angeles; Alfred, who was killed by the kick of a horse when he was twenty-six years of age; William, who died in childhood; Alfonso and Augustus H., both of Santa Barbara; Mary, wife of T. R. More, of this city; Rosa, who died in girlhood, and Mrs. Susan Tyler, of Santa Barbara. A brother of Nicholas A. Den was Dr. Richard S. Den, a prominent old settler of Los Angeles, who died in 1896; another brother, Dr. E. H. Den, died in Omaha, Neb.

At what is now Naples, Santa Barbara county, the subject of this article was born. He was educated at the old mission and Santa Clara College. From youth he has been interested in farming. Rincon ranch, of which he is the owner, comprises four hundred and eight acres,

forming one of the finest places for miles around. Its value is enhanced by the presence on the land of the famous asphaltum mine, con- taining a fine deposit of asphaltum. In addition to this property he has a comfortable residence on Garden street, Santa Barbara, where he makes his home. He is a member of the Cham- ber of Commerce, in politics a stanch Repub- lican, and in religion a Roman Catholic. He married Miss Winnifred G. Devine, who was born in California and is a sister of Judge De- vine, of Sacramento. In 1900 they made a tour of Europe, visiting points of interest and pro- longing the trip until they had gained a compre- hensive knowledge of European cities and life.

JAMES DUFFY. The superintendent of the San Diego county hospital and farm came to San Diego in March, 1870, from San Francisco, where he had made his home the three previous years. Born and reared in Herkimer county, N. Y., it was in 1867 that he resolved to seek a home in the far west, and accordingly made the trip via Panama, crossing along the route now laid out for the great canal. Entering the har- bor at the Golden Gate, he settled in San Fran- cisco, and for three years worked at any occu- pation that offered an honest livelihood. On coming to San Diego county, he became inter- ested in several mines near Julian, and for about seven years engaged in mining and prospecting. During 1877 he began to turn his attention to farming and fruit growing, and set out twenty acres in an orchard, principally of apple trees. At this writing he owns six hundred acres of good land. Here he devotes himself to the dairy business. He owns a number of fine Jer- sey cows and has a creamery with a capacity of three thousand pounds of milk per day.

In 1893 Mr. Duffy was appointed superin- tendent of the San Diego county hospital and farm by the board of supervisors, comprising J. M. P. Rainbow, John Judson, J. A. Jasper, W. W. Wetzel and Arthur G. Nason. It is a fact worthy of note that he has been reappointed by every succeeding board since that time. Since taking charge of the farm and hospital he has made many important improvements, so that the general aspect of the place has entirely changed since 1893. Among the improvements may be mentioned the building of a large barn, the erection of a house for the superintendent, and the putting up of various outbuildings. Through the introduction by himn of the system of farming, the institution has been made almost self-supporting. However, it is through the dairy business that the largest financial returns are secured, and butter-making is one of the most important industries of the place. Enough vegetables are raised to supply the hospital table. Everything about the place bespeaks the wise supervision of the superintendent, and it is

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a fact evident to all that the man in charge of the work is thoroughly familiar with all details.

The political views held by Mr. Duffy are in harmony with the principles of the Democratic party. In 1873 he was a member of the board of supervisors of San Diego county. In 1890 he was his party's candidate for sheriff. How- ever, he is not a partisan in the usual sense of that word, but is fair-minded and broad in his views. That he has the liking of both the lead- ing parties is shown by the fact that his reap- pointments as superintendent have come both from Republican and from Democratic boards. For twenty-six years he has been identified with San Diego Lodge No. 155, I. O. O. F. He is also connected with the Foresters and the An- cient Order of United Workmen. By his mar- riage to Mary Jane Taylor, a native of Placer county, Cal., he has six children, namely: Cath- erine, James, Jr., Charles, Samuel, Agnes and Carl.

ROBERT DUNN. The proprietor of the Duneden hotel at Piru City came to Ventura county from Scotland in 1886. The early years of his life were passed in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was born in 1844, and where his edu- cation was received in its schools. Determined to try his fortunes in the new world, he set sail from Scotland in 1886 and came direct to Cali- fornia. After a few months in Oakland he pro- ceeded to the Newhall ranch in Ventura county, and in 1887 bought a ranch of one thousand acres situated three miles from Piru City. Much of the land was devoted to stock-grazing. One of its most conspicuous improvements was an orchard of one hundred acres. For the work of a general agriculturist he was fitted by his expe- rience in Scotland, where he had been a farmer at the Burdie House Mains, near Edinburgh.

Coming to Piru City in 1899, Mr. Dunn es- tablished the town of Duneden, near by, with about seventy inhabitants, and containing a gen- eral store, large meat market, hotel, residence, livery barn, lumber and blacksmith shops, and mercantile store, of all of which buildings he is the owner. The store, hotel, livery and black- smith shop are all under one management, the whole forming a large establishment, and con- taining modern improvements, including a pub- lic telephone. From the ranch six miles dis- tant he brings the water to supply Duneden, and the finest mountain water is furnished the inhabitants of the place. In all enterprises for local upbuilding he is a chief factor. Politically lie is a stanchi Republican. As trustee of the Piru school district and as a tireless worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church, he is active both in educational and religious matters.

The ranch owned by Mr. Dunn deserves spe- cial mention because it is one of the finest in Ventura county. It is underlaid with oil and

has been leased to the South Pacific Oil Com- pany. The ranch contains nine hundred and twenty acres of rich mesa land and extends one and one-half miles along the base of the moun- tain. The roadway is bordered with pepper trees and a driveway leads to the beautiful resi- dence, which is near the foot of the mountain, and surrounded with beautiful flowers, shrub- bery and shade trees. Owing to its location the land is exempt from killing frosts. The water right gives great value to the ranch, although during ordinary seasons the deciduous trees do not require irrigation, the soil being remarkable for its ability to retain moisture. In addition to raising fruit Mr. Dunn engages in a general farming and stock-raising business, and also deals extensively in poultry, and has a large apiary. The ranch contains numerous buildings, including barns, blacksmith shops, cottages for the hired men, etc. There are also extensive fruit-drying yards, sulphur houses and all the appliances and machinery necessary for picking, liauling, cutting, drying and marketing a large fruit crop. Competent men manage the various departments of the extensive business.

In Edinburgh, Scotland, Mr. Dunn married Miss Margaret Mackie, a native of Glasgow, Scotland. They have four children, Robert, Thomas, James and Elizabeth.

CAPT. WILLIAM E. GREENWELL. To come in contact with a man who has left the impress of his intellect and his personality upon his locality; or to peruse an account of his useful life, as recorded in the pages of history, is to be helped in a practical way. In a somewhat unusual, but distinctively important, manner, Captain Greenwell aided in the development of California, and, although a considerable period has elapsed since his death, he is well and widely remembered as one of the most distinguished members of the United States coast and geo- detic survey. For many years he made his home in Santa Barbara, and through wise investments in property in and near this city he gained a competence that enabled him to leave his family in comfortable circumstances.

Of English ancestry, the son of William Greenwell (who commanded a regiment during the war of 1812), William Edward Greenwell, was born in St. Mary's county, Md., in 1824. After having graduated from Georgetown Col- lege, he studied law in the office of Judge Brent, of Washington. His connection with the coast survey began when he was twenty-two years of age, and he first served with Capt. F. U. Gerdes, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. In 1855 he was transferred to the coast of California, to take charge of a party, under General Ord. At the outbreak of the Civil war he went east and was stationed åt Washington, where he gave his hearty support to the Union cause; for, al-

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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 72

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