USA > California > Monterey County > History and biographical record of Monterey and San Benito Counties : and history of the State of California : containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present. Volume I > Part 46
USA > California > San Benito County > History and biographical record of Monterey and San Benito Counties : and history of the State of California : containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present. Volume I > Part 46
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(a) The first-land grant was given as early as 1814, the Spanish government granting to Antonio Maria Castro, the grant known as Verga del Rio de Pajaro, containing about four thousand acres.
Lagunita Rancho, for twenty-five years the home of J. R. Hebbron, and in the foreground he plowed up iron bullets, bayonets and other implements of war. This was part of the scene of the battle of Natividad, where Fremont's forces met and had a fight with the native Californians. The residence shown is constructed of adobe and stone, and after it was remodeled by Mr. Hebbron, lost some of its original looks. The wounded in the battle of Natividad were cared for in this house by the family, who were living there at that early day. This is one of the picturesque places in the county, and is reproduced through the courtesy of Mr. Hebbron.
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
When the overland immigration reached Cali- fornia in 1849 many who came by the southern route found their way to Monterey with the in- tention of locating, but the "Lords of the Soil" asked such enormous prices for their lands that the people went elsewhere. Some remained, how- ever, and in 1852 stated, "Our farming interests are beginning to look up. On the Salinas several farms have been purchased by enterprising Americans who intend to fence and plant large fields of grain. The rich valley of the Pajaro is being rapidly filled up with squatters." Four years later the number of acres under cultivation did not exceed 5,450, and 30,000 bushels of wheat, 86,000 bushels of barley and 8,500 bushels of oats were raised. McGarvey, the assessor, reported in 1866, "7,000 acres have been enclosed and 11,000 acres are now under cultivation." He reported in 1872, "Our country is in a pros- perous condition, and our valleys are filling up with good practical farmers." In 1887 the coun- try produced the splendid crop of wheat, 2,175,960 bushels ; barley, 610,250 bushels; oats, 33,510; corn, 36,500; hay 14,500 tons; and pototoes 726,000 tons.
The first of these practical farmers, it seems, were the Campbell Brothers, and so large was their first grain harvest from two hundred and thirty acres that they realized money sufficient to pay in advance, seven years rental. The time of this heavy crop or the exact locality, we know not, but it must have been from what is known as the bottom lands, however, for it is also written that the first grain upon the "table lands" was raised in 1862 by J. M. Soto, at Santa Rita, he purchasing the rancho from J. M. Hall for $13.000. He was the first to enclose his entire tract. Hall bought the land in the year 1855 and the same year James Bardin located on the Salinas river and bought 12,000 acres near Blanco. Pedro Zabala bought a large acreage in 1857, and six years later Michael Riordon began stock raising. Albert Trescony purchased the San Lucas grant of 8,000 acres in 1862 of James McKinley, and later owned one hundred and sixty acres where Salinas City now stands. Immigrating from Marin county, Carr S. Abbott purchased 4,000 acres where now stands the
Spreckels beet sugar factory and began the dairy- ing business with his five hundred cows driven from their former pastures. Five years later he had all the conveniences of first-class dairies, was milking fifteen hundred cows and manufac- turing tons of butter yearly. John J. Joy was a farmer with one hundred and sixty acres, now Salinas, and soon afterwards increased his acre- age to 4,000 acres of wheat and pasture land.
W. E. P. Hartnell was the owner of the Alisal and David Spence had at least two grants, the one known as the Buena Esperanza (containing 12,000 acres), the other the Llano Buena Vista. The land at that time was of little value, for David Jacks in 1864 offering the Chualar rancho for sale, could not get $1 an acre, while ten years previous the land within three miles of Monterey wa's selling at from $3 to $10 an acre.
The Salinas valley, which takes its name from the river Salinas, so called by the Spaniards because of its salt marshes or lagoons,(b) is about fifteen miles in width and one hundred miles in length. It is perhaps one of the most fertile valleys in the world, and it bears the world's record for wheat growing, 105 bushels per acre being grown near Castroville in 1852.
For several years not much attention was given to wheat; horses, cattle and sheep. comprising the wealth of the county. The missions were the first stock raisers, reaching the highest point in 1831; the father reported that year to the Mexican government 3,000 horses, 20,719 cattle and 27,775 sheep, but old settlers declared that the missions had four times the amount of stock reported, and they reported incorrectly fearing that the government would tax them heavily.
The raising of stock was not confined to the missions, for private citizens, mostly retired sol- diers, engaged in the business; after obtaining a few horses and cattle, their herds rapidly increased in number.
The cattle were raised for the hides and tallow and this was the principal source of revenue of the ranchos and missions. Each year the owner would have a "matanzos" or cattle slaugh-
(b) It was there that the Spaniards obtained all their salt for domestic uses, and driving down in their car- retas they would carry it away by the ton.
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ter, usually in the month of August, the cattle then being in the best condition. From 500 to 2,000 cattle were killed each year, the number varying according to the demand. The hides were stretched upon the earth to dry, the tallow was tried out and poured into ditches in the earth for future disposal or made into soap, and the lean meat was cut into long thin strips and dried for jerked beef.
Although the stock was raised it had no value whatever until 1822. In that year two young men, W. E. P. Hartnell and David Spence, landed in Monterey as agents of Begg & Co., Lima, Peru, for the purchase of hides and tal- low. They not only bought up all the hides and tallow they could find, but they made a contract with Father Mariano Payeras to take all of his hides, tallow and other products for three years. This was California's first mercantile transac- tion
About the same time, 1823, J. B. R. Cooper arrived from Boston in the schooner Rover with a cargo of general merchandise. With Governor Arguello's permission he began trading with the people, exchanging goods for hides and tallow. This was the first of a long line of Yankee traders that sailed up and down the coast, trad- ing at every port, until their business was de- stroyed by the coming of the clipper ships and steamers.
There was quite an extensive business carried on in those days, according to the Frenchman De Mofras, and in the year 1840 there were twenty-four American, ten Mexican, six English and three unknown vessels in the harbor engaged in trade. These ships landed $150,000 worth of merchandise and took out $280,000 worth of hides, tallow and furs. "The average annual exports," says Wilkes, referring to the state, "were 150,000 hides at $2; 200,000 arrobas of tallow, twenty-five pounds each, at $1.50 per arroba ; 2,000 beaver skins at $2.50; 3,000 elk and deer skins at fifty cents to $1.00; and 12,000 bushels of wheat."
The annexation of California to the United States, and the large increase of population changed the course and the condition of trade
entirely. The exportation of hides and tallow ceased, for cattle were now of value for food and horses were in great demand. The days of Monterey's pastoral life were no more. Com- mercialism now held sway, and the American ranchers purchasing the soil, cut out the sweet, fragrant hill-side pines for fire-wood, (c) 'and erected a saw mill (d) for the sawing of lumber for bridges, streets and dwellings. The earth which had produced an abundance of vegetation and brought forth beautiful flowers, (e) was now upturned by the plow, later to yield thousands of tons of wheat, oats, barley and sugar beets.
Monterey in the year 1872 was the largest stock county in the state, excepting Fresno and Kern counties. It had 29,218 cattle and 263,120 sheep. Her cattle had decreased in number but increased in value since 1859, particular attention being given that year to an improved breed of stock. Jesse D. Carr in 1863 imported some very fine breeds of stock and in 1858 the county had 74.330 sheep and in the following year she ex- ported 350,000 pounds of wool. In 1899 her sheep had been reduced to 8,800. In 1891 she exported 700,000 pounds of butter, 300,000 pounds of cheese, 15,000 chickens, 480,000 dozen eggs, 100,000 pounds green fruit and 1,500 tons of sugar beets. Four years later, 1894, she raised 85,000 tons of beets and shipped 112,000 pounds of poultry, 188,400 dozen eggs, 250,200 pounds of cheese and 1,403,000 pounds of butter. In 1899 she had 52,000 cattle of a very superior breed, manufactured 712,845 pounds of butter and 559,993 pounds of cheese and raised 112,317 tons of beets, 467,484 bushels of oats, 762,143 bushels of wheat and 1,563,450 bushels of barley.
(c) There was a brisk trade in fire-wood, and in the year 1858, 15,000 cords were cut and exported.
(d) A saw mill, forty-horse-steam-power, was erected on Point Pinosby by Jacob Leese in February, 1853. Two writers speak of this mill as being put up March 28th and completed May 10th, 1853. It would saw 10,000 feet of lumber every twenty-four hours. In 1857 it was valued at $10,000 and assessed to Gregory & De Graw.
(e) E. J. Williams said, in regard to the luxuriant growth of these flowers, "In the spring of 1849 Salinas valley was one mass of wild flowers from Monterey to San Juan. In the moist soil of the coast they are ever blooming, each month producing a different shade of yellow, red and blue."
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Now there is an abundance of all kinds of fruit, but as late as 1860 the people of Monterey obtained all of their fruit from the San Juan Bautista Mission which had a very fine orchard, including oranges, guava and olives. (f)
The rainfall varies from fourteen to forty inches. It is the heaviest along the coast and greater along the northern part of the valley than in the southern portion. There have been times when there was scarcely rainfall sufficient to produce average crops, only once, however, has there been a dry year, 1863. In that year, cattle and horses throughout the state died by the thousands, and in Monterey, Leigh & Winter, taking advantage of the hard times purchased thousands of head of cattle, paying from $1.50 to $2 a head and slaughtered them for their hides and tallow. They killed from sixty to one hun- dred a day. XAlbert Trescony that year, lost about 3,000 head of sheep, but he was a shrewd man, and saving the pelts, he stored them in the old Soledad Mission. The following year he sold them for over $7,000, and he would have sold the sheep for the same price. 1872 was another dry year, and in 1889, George A. Daugherty said, "The scarcity of rain last winter almost caused a total crop failure and when the farmers' crops fail in a community like ours, all branches of trade are crippled."
One of the important industries of Monterey for many years was that of whale catching and the trying out of "blubber." As high as fifty-two men have been engaged in the business at one time and thousands of dollars have been made from the sale of oil and whalebone. The town has been a whaling station since 1840: in 1846 a school of whales entered the bay, one was located, and a whaleboat from a whaler put out after him, and he was struck by the harpoon, but soon afterward escaped, the harpoon pulling out.
The business was established in 1854 by two Portuguese companies and in 1857 they did a good season's business, capturing thirty-one Cali-
(f) Beyond the Thomas Watson Home, in the Cor- ral-de-Tierra, there stands a pear tree, at least one hundred and twenty-five years old, from which, in the years 1907-08 one hundred and fifty boxes of pears were picked.
fornia gray and humpback whales, which yielded 31,936 gallons of oil then worth $22,500. In 1858 there were three whaling companies, Cap- tain Davenport employing twelve men with two boats, and the Portuguese companies twenty-four men with four boats. Ten men were employed in trying out the fat and in other shore work. It is stated that for several years an average of fifty-six whales were captured, the fattest of these leviathans yielding ninety barrels of oil. The greatest catch of any year was in 1862, the companies that year obtaining 2,600 barrels of oil. The only revenue from this dangerous but exciting occupation was oil and whale bone, and as in later years, better and cheaper substitutes were found, the business gradually decreased until it is now an occupation of the past.
A business that is constantly increasing is that of salmon catching and packing, 210,000 pounds of salmon having been caught in June, 1909, representing $7,000, a pretty fair month's work. The occupation was established in 1853 by China- men, about three hundred of them locating at Monterey ; they rented six or seven houses at $20 per month each, "which would have been the homes of spiders and bats were it not for this enterprise," said Kooser, and began catching fish and pearl oysters. They were cured in lime water and dried and shipped to their San Fran- cisco countrymen. They now have quite a village on Carmel Bay, and in 1887 $220,000 worth of dried fish were exported. There they raised their families, and in October, 1888, a native son voted for Cleveland for president. The boy could speak Spanish and English fluently.
The manufacturing interests do not or did not cut much of a figure in the wealth of Mon- terey county until 1897, at which time Claus Spreckels, on the Salinas river, erected at a cost of $2,700,000, the largest beet sugar manufactory in the world. The building is immense, 582 feet in length, 162 feet in width and five stories high, its two great steel chimneys towering 216 feet in air. The power for the machinery is supplied by several steam engines and 1500 bar- rels of petroleum are used every twenty-four hours for fuel. This immense factory, contain-
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ing the latest and best known beet sugar ma- chinery, gives employment to five hundred per- sons during the busy season and slices up 3,000 tons of beets a day, this producing 450 tons of sugar. The mill has consumed as high as 3,600 tons of beets per day and turns out, as a season's run, from 45,000 to 60,000 tons of sugar. It requires 30,000 acres of land to supply beets sufficient for a season's output, and Claus Spreck- els very wisely refused to lay a brick for the mill until farmers, owning at least 25,000 acres of land had contracted to plant them to sugar beets for a term of years. Now the land is practically sown to beets annually from Kings City to Pa- jaro, and the profit per acre is far in excess of hay or grain, in fact the yield is larger each year, for there are chemicals in the beets which reinvigorate the soil.
The establishment of a beet saccharine fac- tory dates back to 1877, when Spreckels started an experimental factory on the Potrero, San Francisco. Success followed in the footsteps of the far-sighted German, who had previously gone to his native soil and learned the business, and in Watsonville in 1888 he built a much larger factory, first contracting with farmers for beets. Again the gods smiled upon his enterprise, and returning to Germany, he obtained the best ma- chinery, learned the latest secrets of the trade . and erected the Spreckels mill. A narrow gauge railroad connects the Watsonville and Spreckels mill, and a second road runs to the mountain Gabilan, where lime rock is obtained. Claus Spreckels has now crossed the "great river," but the little town by the factory, aye, the valley itself, will long remember his name, for he that planted two seeds where but one grew, is a world benefactor.
It is recorded that in 1836 Nathan Spear ran a little vessel called the Nicholas on Monterey Bay, carrying produce between Santa Cruz and Monterey, but transferred her to San Francisco, when Governor Arguello demanded a foreigner's license. William Hardy, a boat builder, who deserted from a whaler, built a small schooner called the Santa Cruz, which was afterward lost at sea. Judge Blackman of Santa Cruz built the schooner Zack Taylor and commanded by
Captain Vincent; she was used as the govern- ment boat. When the military post at Monterey was abandoned she was run on the Sacramento river. About 1860 the Pacific Coast Steamship Company was organized, and their first boat, says Capt. Marcus Harloe, was the steamer Salinas. The material for the steamer was brought from the east on the Wild Pigeon by Captain Harloe and the steamer ran between Moss Landing, Monterey and San Francisco. She was running as late as January, 1875, and a companion steamer, the Monterey, was running about the same time.
Overland, the Spaniards always rode on horse- back or in a clumsy two-wheeled cart called a carreta. This was reserved, however, for the transportation of freight, the children and the aged. The entire vehicle was made of wood, the wheels being two feet in thickness. It was drawn by oxen, and the Indian driver always carried a large pot of soap to constantly grease the squeaking wheels. George Romie tells of riding in one of these "speed wagons" in his boyhood, 1854, from Monterey to San Jose and it took six days to make the journey. When in a hurry they could make it in three days.
It was surprising the distance they could travel in a day on horseback. The animals were tough, of no value, and if they died from hard riding it was no matter. By riding at a gallop and using four or five horses they thought nothing of covering 150 miles a day, the tired horse being left by the wayside. Carson relates that by taking two horses from the pasture he rode 140 miles in ten hours and forty minutes. Equally remarkable for both horses and men was the journey of John C. Fremont during the Mexican War; he rode from Los Angeles to Monterey and returned, a distance of 800 miles, in eight and one half days, ninety-six hours in the saddle. He was accompanied by Jesus Pico and a body of servants, they riding seventeen different horses.
With the introduction of the American came the stage coach, and in 1850 the Pacific Coast Stage Company established a line of stages from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a distance of 450 miles, making the distance in three and one-
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half days. The stages ran through San Jose, Gilroy, San Juan and Monterey, crossing the Salinas river over a ferry at Milltown. Up to 1860 the stage was obliged to ford the Pajaro river, but in that year, at a cost of $4,000, a toll bridge was constructed. In April, 1851, Selim E. Woodward, senator from Monterey district, rode from Monterey to attend the Legislature at San Jose. The stage driver made the trip in twelve hours, and it was considered as very fast time. Henry S. Johnson, of Salinas, as late as April, 1869, could reach Salinas by stage. The steam cars then ran to Gilroy and from that town he traveled over the mountain to Watson- ville and Salinas.
At this time the Southern Pacific Railroad were undecided as to their future route from Gilroy to Los Angeles. They concluded to run through Pacheco Pass into the San Joaquin Valley, but a money consideration caused them to change to a direct southern route. Then came the question of one of two lines over the low marsh lands of Salinas or the high sandy table lands of Santa Rita. It was a question of great importance to the residents of Salinas. The company preferred the Santa Rita route, but Jose M. Soto, who owned all the land, in fact the entire town, set his price so high for right of way that the company concluded to take the Salinas route.
The Index said on September Ist, 1872, "The question is settled at last ; the railroad will come to Salinas and the depot will be located just west of the Diamond Hotel." Ground was broken September 3rd for the location of the depot and a large number of teams began re- moving the Plaza Hill. The road was rapidly built and September 30th, amidst the cheering of the large crowd and the salute of 100 guns, the first freight train of thirty-four cars rolled into the depot. The first passenger train arrived November 7th and Salinas was in rapid com- munication with the outside world. The road was extended to Soledad by December 20th and there it rested until 1886.
The anticipations of the farmers and citizens were not realized, for freight and fares ate up the profits and a proposition was made and endorsed to build a narrow gauge railroad from Salinas to Monterey and ship wheat by sailing vessel to foreign ports. The estimated cost of the road was $250,000 and for the purpose of building said road a meeting was held in Gran- ger's Hall, Salinas, February 26th, 1874; $20,000 was subscribed and the following di- rectors elected, Alfred Gonzales, Robert McKee, Monterey: Carr S. Abbott, William Robertson, Salinas ; and A. L. Boggs, Thomas Hildreth, San Jose. Grading was begun at Monterey and on that day a number of people visited the old town anticipating a celebration. The following day, one of Abbott's friends meeting him, in- quired, "Well, what kind of a time did they have?" "Oh, nothing unusual," replied the presi- dent, "people expected me to lie idle with ten or twelve men, for a useless ceremony. I haven't time for such damn foolishness, I am a worker and mean business."
The road, eighteen miles in length, cost $362,- 450, this including 1,100 feet of trestle and a 300 foot bridge over the Salinas river. The road was completed September 4th, 1874, and it was a financial failure from the start, earning in the year ending June 30th, 1876. only $10,037. The cause of its failure was due to the short- sighted policy of the farmers in whose interests the road had been built. As soon as the Salinas and Monterey Railroad was ready for business, the Southern Pacific Railroad lowered their prices for passengers and freight. The farmers continued to patronize the monopoly and the. narrow gauge immediately saw its finish with Carr S. Abbott and William Robertson heavy losers. Years after it passed into the hands of the Southern Pacific, and they laid a track from Castroville to Monterey and made use of the bridge and roadbed from the Salinas river. The road was finished to Monterey in January, 1880.
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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
CHAPTER VII.
ALONG EDUCATIONAL LINES.
T HE King of Spain in 1793 sent orders to California that schools be established, but his commands were not obeyed, for there were no teachers nor revenue for school sup- There was urgent need of schools, for Governor Borico, on arrival, found both the inhabitants and soldiers very illiterate, only a few of the soldiers or officers being able to either read or write.
port.
The governor established a school system throughout the territory, and he persuaded some of the soldiers, merchants and tradesmen who could read and write to engage in school teach- ing. Some of the soldiers proved to be excellent teachers and Sargeant Manuel Vargas' services were in demand throughout the territory. He was so well qualified to teach children that the pueblo of San Diego offered him $250 a year to instruct their children. On the other hand the San Jose colonists refused to send their children to school and the governor ordered the alcalde to compel them to attend.
After the departure of Governor Borico, no attention was given to education, and when Gov- ernor Sola arrived in 1815 he found but one school in the territory. This was at Monterey. The teacher, Corporal Archileta, had been edu- cated by a Spanish padre. The governor, an educated man, immediately established schools and gave them every possible encouragement. Frequently while in the capital he visited the Monterey school and addressed the pupils on the value of a good education, and he presented the girls sweetmeats for good behavior and good lessons.
Two of the brightest scholars of this school were Marino Guadalupe Vallejo and Juan Bap- tiste Alvarado, and one day they informed the governor that they could sing a mass, the teacher believing that a pupil who could sing a mass and repeat a catechism was highly edu- ·cated. "This is all very well," replied the gov-
ernor, "but children bright enough to sing a mass ought to be taught something else." Alva- rado was the governor's favorite, and on one occasion he presented the boy with a copy of Don Quixote, with the remark, "For the pres- ent, read this. It is good Castilian."
When Governor Sola returned to Mexico the schools were again neglected and Governor Figueroa soon after his arrival called the atten- tion of the Mexican Legislature to the fact that only three schools were in existence, one at Mon- terey, and they were being taught by incompe- tent and ill-paid teachers. At his suggestion, six more territorial schools were established and higher salaries paid. The Monterey school was then placed in charge of W. E. P. Hartnell, a highly educated Englishman, and a fluent speaker and writer of the Spanish language.
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