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 48
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 48
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At this time the Rev. George McCormick, a young divine from Pennsylvania, was visiting the beautiful valley of Salinas. Early in the spring, March, he occupied the pulpit of the Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church, and as the United Presbyterians were without any shepherd and he without a flock, they naturally met, with the result that March 17, 1873, the pastor went back to the east for the purpose of returning with his family as pastor of the church. Four months later he returned, and on August 10, 1873, in Pacific Hall, he preached his first sermon to a congregation of thirty-five persons. Since that Sunday he has remained pastor of the church and he is today one of the oldest pastors in Califor- nia. Their church on Pajaro street, a very neat little house of worship, was first occupied Janu- ary 9, 1876, and originally cost $6,500.
A young rector named J. S. McGowan visit- ing Monterey in 1873, preached his first sermon in Castroville July 27th to a congregation of seven ; he preached in the Methodist Church South in Salinas on the afternoon of August toth. Subscriptions were obtained for a house of worship, and a building on East Gabilan and Cal- ifornia streets was erected at a cost of $2,150; July 4, 1875, it was consecrated by Bishop Kip. Mr. McGowan held his first service in Monterey March 14, 1875, in the old dance hall of the Washington Hotel, kept by Mr. Lockwood. From that time onward he held services in the town, the Methodist Episcopal Church North, worship- ping with them, and in 1878 a little wooden build- ing, costing $1,300, was erected and consecrated July 14, by Bishop Leonidas Kip. In 1888 the handsome little chapel, St. Mary-by-the-Sea, was built in the Del Monte Grove free from debt, and was consecrated August 27, 1890. In the mean- time the Rev. J. S. McGowan, in poor health, had gone to Jolon, and the Salinas work continuing, in 1897 the beautiful edifice at the corner of Alisal and Lincoln avenues was consecrated, the building fund being derived from the sale of lots, a syndicate having previously purchased the entire block. The present rector is B. F. Weighle.
The Catholics were on hand early in the hos- tory of the county and the Right Rev. Thaddeus Amat in May, 1869, founded a church at Castro-
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ville, the priest from Watsonville celebrating mass. Hugh Curran was their Father celebrant in 1869 and a chapel was erected in 1875.
The Rev. Hugh Curran also celebrated mass at Salinas as early as 1868 and years later George Graves deeding them land on Castroville street, a church was built there, and a home for the sisters, who conducted a school. The earthquake demolished the building, but in its place there now stands a large handsome structure, one of the prominent landmarks of Salinas.
The Salinas Baptist Church was organized April 14, 1874. by Rev. C. B. Post and a church organization formed October 28, 1888, by Rev.
E. B. Hatch at San Lucas; in 1889 they jointly built a church with the Methodists. At Kings City a church organization was effected in 1892 and they worship in a $1,500 building erected in 1894.
The Congregational denomination is scarcely represented. The Rev. Mr. Haliday preaching in Salinas in 1874, tried to effect a church organiza- tion, but no such organization appears until 1892, when a Congregational Church was organized in Pacific Grove January 26, by E. S. Williams. It is stated that through the efforts of the Civic So- ciety of this church, the road guide boards were erected.
CHAPTER VIII. SALINAS, THE QUEEN CITY.
S ALINAS City is the outgrowth of a little two-story building erected in 1856 by Deacon Elias Howe, who bought the land from Jacob P. Leese. At the intersection of the cross-roads, the one leading from Monterey to San Juan Bautista, the other from Los Angeles to Watsonville, both stage roads, the deacon built his tavern, opened a country store, was appointed postmaster, and finally succeeded in having the stage station removed from Natividad. It be- came known through the valley as "The Halfway House," taking its name from a small adobe (the ruins of which may yet be seen) about three miles north of Salinas, and it became the as- sembly place of political and other meetings, and the general headquarters of the surrounding country.
Howe sold out in 1865 to Albert Trescony, the Monterey tinsmith, for $800, but he soon tired of his bargain, and sold the place two years later to A. Ricker, a merchant, at a very low figure. Ricker and William Jackson, his partner, believ- ing it a good location for a prosperous city, inter- ested Eugene Sherwood in the matter, as he owned the adjacent tract of land ; a fence separ- ated the two grants ; taking this down they laid off the site of a future city a half mile square. Sherwood, who owned the larger part of the
site, was very liberal in his donations to public enterprises and he deeded blocks of land for schools, churches and other projects.
The locality looked to the citizens of that vicinity as a good business location, as the South- ern Pacific Railroad, already at Gilroy, was con- templating an extension down the valley, and indications pointed to Salinas as a railroad ter- minus. The first merchants to locate there were A. Ricker and Smith & McFadden, Bancroft's hand-book crediting them with being there in 1864. Then came Samuel W. Conklin, for many years the senior member of the firm of Conklin & Samuels. Vanderhurst & Sanborn was the third firm ; the partner first named moved from Wat- sonville in 1868 and erected a two-story brick building at the corner of Main and Gabilan streets, which was completely destroyed by the earthquake of April 18, 1906. George W. Hatch, their clerk, later married Jane Vanderhurst. In the same year, 1868, Michael Hughes moved his harness shop from Monterey to Salinas, and J. V. Lacey removing from the sea-port town, estab- lished his blacksmith and wheelwright shop. J. B. Iverson and his brother arrived that year and opened an agricultural implement and blacksmith shop on Gabilan street. J. B. Scott, locating in the new town in June, 1868, obtained a position
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as postal clerk and J. H. McDougall, the banker, began life there as a vender of groceries, at the same time being postmaster. Henry Johnson opened his barber shop in 1869 and J. H. Menke arriving the same year, saved his money and a few years later purchased a half interest in the Lurtz brewery; in 1889 the partner died, and Menke purchased the heirs' interest and erected the large brewery which is now a land mark on the race track road. James Jeffries opened the first restaurant, and in 1885 he built the three- story brick house called Jeffries House at the corner of Main and Alisal streets. The first brick hotel was the Abbott House erected in 1873. It stands on the site of the "Halfway House," and in the rear of the hotel the pioneer tavern still has its use. The Diamond Hotel was then in existence, 1873, and also the Salinas Ho- tel, owned by Michael Tynan, who later built the Commercial Hotel. Attorney Samuel F. Geil re- moved from the old capitol town in 1873, and the following year Judge J. K. Alexander came from Sacramento.
Monterey, twenty miles distant, was then the county seat ; the Salinas residents claimed that it was an injustice to compel them to cross the Santa Lucia mountains to transact legal business and to attend the county court. If, as they as- serted, it was a loss of time and money to Sa- Next in order for the supervisors was the renting or purchasing of a new court house for the county books, offices and courts, and Febru- ary 8, 1873, at a cost of $7,500, they purchased the two-story wooden building on Main street, owned by Henry Myers, where now stands the Agricultural pavilion. It was an old rattle-trap of a building, which on January 7, 1877, was set on fire and the structure was destroyed and some of the records lost. The county then leased the old Pacific Hall, corner of Main and Alisal streets, and the court was held there for two years. linas, it was a much greater loss for those who lived in the northeastern part of the county, as they were obliged to travel to the county seat by way of Gilroy because of the Gabilan mountains. So the leading citizens, meeting at the "Halfway House," planned to remove the county seat to Salinas, the Hollister residents promising to vote unanimously for the scheme, the Salinas citizens agreeing later on to support Hollister in their petition for a new county with Hollister as the county seat. "The fight waged pretty hotly for two or three years," says Preston, "between Monterey and Salinas, the leaders being William Immediately after the fire, shrewd real estate dealers saw their opportunity to advance the price of real estate in West Salinas, and they offered the county, block number 5 in the "Ricker" tract for $100 for a new court house. Vanderhurst, Judge J. K. Alexander, S. M. Shearer, ex-county superintendent of schools, and Carr S. Abbott, president of the Monterey & Salinas Railroad. There was a hard struggle before the court house was moved, and when it There was considerable quarreling over the se-
was finally moved it was due to the efforts of the supporters of San Benito county."
The scheme was well planned, and September 17, 1872, the supervisors declared Salinas an incorporated city, the petitioners asserting that the town contained a population of 700, 150 of whom were voters. The same day the officials ordered an election, the voters of the county to vote November 6, 1872, for or against the re- moval of the county seat from Monterey to Salinas. Castroville was very anxious to have the county seat and as an inducement to the citizens to vote for that town, they promised to erect a $2,500 schoolhouse. The result of the vote stood as follows: Castroville, 265; Mon- terey, 448; Salinas, 1,436. The citizens of Cas- troville voted as follows : For Monterey, 7; Salinas, 55; Castroville, 199; while those of Sa- linas voted, Monterey, 15; Castroville, 55; Sa- linas, 554. The voting took place on the same day as the presidential election, and the county went Democratic, giving U. S. Grant 580 votes, and Horace Greeley 976 votes, but so strong was the county seat fight, that the combined vote for president exceeded the county seat vote by four votes only. Christmas day, the supervisors, counting the votes, declared that on and after December 25, 1872, Salinas would be the county seat.
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lection of a site, but in February, by a vote of three to two, the supervisors accepted the offer, the supervisors being Edward St. John, J. B. H. Cooper, M. C. Ireland, J. H. Blankenship and Daniel Monroe. Three months later, bids were called for a splendid two-story brick court house with centre cupola, Jacob Lanjen's bid being ac- cepted for $50,425. L. Goodrich was the archi- itect and James Waters, now of Watsonville, the superintendent. The building was accepted March 13, 1879, the total cost being about $80,000.
On the southwest corner of the same block, at a cost of $25,000, a handsome jail built of red and gray granite was erected in 1904, the old jail on Salinas street, convenient to the court house, hav- ing been built in October, 1874, at a cost of $6,350.
The city had no fine building until 1908. The city offices were in rented buildings and the coun- cil had been assembling in the second story of the engine house on Gabilan street, but the earth- quake of 1906 completely demolished the upper story and the city then planned, and at a cost of $20,000 erected, a handsome City Hall, a building that would be a credit to a city of much larger size. It was first occupied December 5, 1908.
The first city election was held October 5, 1872. The town was incorporated by a special Act of the Legislature March 4, 1874, and the following officers were elected: J. J. Harvey, mayor ; William Vanderhurst, J. B. Iverson, Dr. Tuttle, Burbeck Hughes and William Wilcoxon, council- men. These officials, very progressive in spirit, during their first term of office, performed a very creditable and lasting piece of work by macadam- izing Main street its entire length, the work cost- ing some $30,000. The street is eighty-seven feet in width and the macadam is laid in a good foundation.
The city charter of 1874 was later repealed and the city re-incorporated in 1876; it was again re- pealed and re-incorporated under the free-holders charter of 1903. The present city officers, Francis S. Abbott, mayor ; D. G. Kallar, C. C. Rounds, M. R. Keaf, W. A. Anderson, James Skidmore, R. F. Fairley, J. W. Tholke and Ed. T. Griffin, councilmen ; J. J. Kelley, clerk ; J. H. Andrews,
attorney ; and William Vanderhurst collector and treasurer, were elected June 7, 1909, under rather peculiar conditions. Politics cut no figure what- ever and the only issue was for a "wet or dry" city.
The prohibition party, led by Frank S. Clark, the retiring mayor, was ably supported by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and the Salinas Democrat advocated the closing of the thirty-eight saloons. It was an exceedingly radi- cal measure for a city depending upon "cow- boys" for considerable of its trade, and the busi- ness men declaring that a dry town hurts busi- ness, organized a Business Men's Municipal League, with Francis S. Abbott as candidate for mayor. The result was, as might have been anti- cipated, a complete victory for the business men, Abbott winning by 261 votes.
Once previous to this the little town was deeply agitated over the liquor question, the legislature at that time, 1871, having passed what was known as the "No License Law." It permitted the city or township to maintain or close liquor sa- loons if a majority of the voters so declared. Two organizations then existing in Salinas, the Good Templars and the Champions of the Red Cross, advocated no license, and obtaining the signa- tures of 315 voters in city and township, they petitioned the supervisors to call an election. They refused because the whiskey party, present- ing the names of 211 voters from the city alone, petitioned that they do not call an election.
The saloon element loyal to "John Barleycorn" were very indifferent regarding the nation's natal day, and Salinas' first 4th of July, 1873, would have passed unobserved were it not for the Good Templars. The press, however, declared it was a perfect success, although without military or fire department. At 9 o'clock the Good Templars in their regalia marched to the depot to receive their brethren, who arrived on a special train from Watsonville and Castroville. An hour later, a procession formed in front of the court house with A. B. Horey as grand marshal and Dr. Tut- tle chief aid. The procession, comprising the Castroville brass band, carriages with girls dressed in red, white and blue, the Philharmonic Society and Temperance societies, paraded the
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streets, the sidewalks being crowded with people. The exercises of the day were held in Ray- mond's warehouse, 2,000 people being present. The president of the day was Carr S. Abbott; reader of the Declaration of Independence, Nel- lie Bergrens ; orator, W. E. Lovett, of San Juan, afterward Prohibition candidate for Lieutenant. Governor, and prayers by Rev. W. H. Wilson. Patriotic songs were sung by the Philharmonic Society.
In a very creditable manner they celebrated the one hundredth anniversary, July 4, 1876. From flag staff and house top the stars and stripes floated to the breeze and as the first sun beams kissed Gabilan's lofty peak, 2,870 feet in the air, 100 cannon salutes greeted the new-born day, the six-pound cannon having been shipped from Benicia.
The people from all the surrounding country crowded the walks and hundreds of Mexican vaqueros and cowboys rode their prancing horses along the streets. At 10 o'clock the procession was formed with R. S. Robbins as grand marshal and Jacob R. Leese chief aid. The procession, which was over a mile in length, was formed in two divisions, Tynan's celebrated band leading the first and the Castroville band the second di- vision. In line marched the fire department, the school children, Gabilan Tribe No. 44, Red Men, Alisal Lodge No. 163 and Compromise Encamp- ment No. 37, I. O. O. F., a triumphal car bearing the Goddess of Liberty and hundreds of citizens on horseback and in carriages. The exercises of the day were held in the skating rink; the presi- dent, Carr S. Abbott, made a short address, then prayer, reading of the Declaration of Independ- ence, oration by Senator E. S. Lippitt, patriotic ` songs by the Glee Club and a poem by Charles H. Shinn, the well-known author. The day ended with the firing of a national salute and a grand ball in Myers' Hall.
One of the neatest features of the procession was the fire department, the Excelsior hose com- pany in their black pants, red shirts and white caps and belts, and the Alert hook and ladder company in blue shirts, black pants and glazed caps and belts. The department was organized in 1873; the citizens assembling in Pacific Hall,
August Ist, formed the Excelsior hose company with sixty-five members and elected J. B. Iverson chief engineer and George Wood foreman. Soon after this the Alert hook and ladder was formed. The hose company gave their first annual ball February 22, 1875, and May Wilson presented the Alerts with a beautiful banner, a like banner being presented to the Excelsior company by Ed- ward St. John.
The Salinas engine company was organized March 2, 1875, with thirty-nine members, the city purchasing an engine at a cost of $1,260, and housing it in a two-story brick building at a cost of $3,149. A tower and a fire bell surmount the building. The engine arrived March 18th, and the boys for a test of their beauty, threw water fourteen feet above the Abbott House, the high- est building in the city. The hand engine was disposed of in 1882, as it was found that quicker and more effective work could be done with the hose, and the Salinas hose company was then organized. Early in 1894 the three companies purchased a third-class La France steam engine and hose wagon, together with three horses, and employed two drivers and an engineer.
Before the engine had been in use a month it proved its great value, and more than paid for itself in the great fire of May I, 1894, that in- volved a loss of over $30,000. The fire, of in- cendiary origin, started about eight o'clock in the evening in a barn, back of Martella's saloon on Main near Castroville street, and Harry Hudson, a member of the Alert company, hearing the cry of fire, quickly ran to the engine house and rang the bell. The flames spread rapidly and before they could be checked, destroyed six buildings, this including the Salinas Journal of- fice and the Capitol Hotel. The Journal suc- ceeded in saving the press and enough material to publisli as usual the following morning. For a time it seemed as though the entire town was doomed, but the two powerful streams of the steamer soon conquered the fire. The Capitol Hotel property owned by David Jacks was then exchanged for other property owned by the Bar- dins and in 1896 was erected the present hand- some three-story brick Bardin House.
An event to which the hose companies look
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with considerable pleasure is their annual fire- men's tournament, which usually takes place on the afternoon of July 4th. In their various race contests there is great rivalry between the com- panies of Hollister, San Juan, Gilroy, Salinas, Watsonville, and Monterey, and in ladder work the San Juan hook and ladder holds the world's record, that company having run 300 yards with their truck and sent a member to the top of their fifty-foot ladder in forty-seven seconds. A state tournament was held in Salinas on May 10, 1888, hose companies coming from as far distant points as Santa Rosa and Alameda.
In October, 1872, Rawlings & Allsop, while boring a well on the Cervante place, discovered gas, and in December a heavier flow was. found on the Ricker lot ; it was not sufficient for prac- tical use, however, and in the following year James Hogan established a gas plant and water works ; Saturday evening, November 22, the city was first lighted with gas. The plant was sold to a Los Angeles syndicate in 1902 and they made great improvements by sinking wells 150 feet in depth, erecting two 100,000 gallon water tanks 75 feet in height and laying five miles of gas pipe. A 130' horse-power Corliss engine was installed, running dynamos capable of generating 3,000 sixteen-candle-power lights.
The military spirit in Monterey is below par, so to speak, and its only military company, organ- ized in 1864, was the Conner Guard, under Cap- tain Wheeler. One of the three cavalry com- panies in the state today is Troop C, organized at Salinas August 5, 1895. It is a company of young men, sixty-one members, under the com- mand of Captain Fulee, a discharged regular, who was eight years in the service of the United States. The company have a fine two-story build- ing, using the first floor for a drill room and so- cial hall. The company was in service in San Francisco, cavalry and on foot, for two weeks during the earthquake of 1906; they were called to assemble at 10:30 of the night of April 18th, by fire-bell taps, and at I o'clock P. M. they were on their way.
He who endeavors to relieve suffering is a benefactor to mankind, and because of such en- deavor the name of "Jim" Bardin, as he persists
in being called, is a household word in Salinas. Jim was sick some time since in a little sanitarium on San Lucia street, in which the accommoda- tions were not very good, and realizing that fact, he said to his physician, Dr. T. C. Edwards, "Why can't we have a better place than this?" "We can, Jim, but it costs money," replied the physician. "How much would it cost?" "You cannot put up a good sanitarium for less than $25,000." "Well," said Jim, "[ will give you and Dr. S. B. Gordon $25,000, but mind it must not cost a cent more." A board of directors was or- ganized, a lot procured, and a three-story brick building erected and fitted up with the very lat- est improvements known to medicine and sur- gery,, but at a cost complete of $52,000. The hospital will accommodate twenty-two patients, and so perfect is the system of ventilation, the foul, hot or cold air may be changed in three minutes. When the time arrived for naming the sanitarium, the board intended naming it "The 'James' Bardin Sanitarium." "No," said the gen- erous donor, "'Jim' Bardin Hospital, or it don't go," so the visitor notices at the head of Main street a handsome building bearing the name "Jim Bardin Hospital."
Salinas has its full quota of secret, benevolent, temperance and lesser organizations, including the Masons, Odd Fellows, Foresters, Red Men, Druids, Knights of Pythias, Woodmen of the World, United Workmen, Grand Army of the Republic, Elks, Eagles, Native Sons and Native Daughters, Good Templars, Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Young Men's Institute, Wo- men's Civic Club and labor unions, and as their history is well known to their members, I will briefly refer to a few of the number only.
The oldest organization in the county is that of Masonry, Texas Lodge No. 46 being instituted May 3, 1854, at San Juan. A Masonic lodge was instituted in Salinas soon after the incorporation of the city, they assembling in the hall over Ford & Sanborn's warehouse, northwest corner of Main and Gabilan streets. Years later they purchased a lot on Main street near Alisal, laid the corner stone of their present building June 10, 1897, and soon afterward dedicated the hall. In 1909 they added an annex to the build-
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ing, thus covering their entire frontage with modern buildings.
The Odd Fellows were instituted as early as 1874, Alisal Lodge No. 163 that year celebrating the anniversary day, April 26th, with a parade, an oration by C. L. Thomas of Santa Cruz, a ban- quet in the Abbott House, and a ball in the skat- ing rink. In September of the following year they purchased a lot and erected a handsome two-story brick building surmounted with a clock tower, at a cost of $20,000; they dedicated their hall April 26, 1888. The tower was erected by an arrangement made with the city council, who placed a clock there and a bell to toll the hours. One of the members, Jesse D. Carr, whose paint- ing hangs in the hall, donated the lodge $5,000 for a library, and these books have since been placed in the new Carnegie library building.
The Native Sons of the Golden West was in- stituted in 1883, and July 4, 1887, Santa Lucia parlor, in Agricultural Hall, was presented with a beautiful banner by a native daughter, Mrs. William J. Hill. Salinas had the honor of wel- coming the Grand Parlor June 11, 1906, they as- sembling in the Druids' Hall. The Grand Parlor of the Native Daughters also assembled there.
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