History of Orange County, California : with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its earliest growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 8

Author: Armor, Samuel, 1843-; Pleasants, J. E., Mrs
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1700

USA > California > Orange County > History of Orange County, California : with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its earliest growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 8

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

CHAPTER X

THE CITY OF SANTA ANA By Linn L. Shaw

A history of Santa Ana, the county seat and principal city of Orange County, would be incomplete and lacking in real historic value, did it not embody the tales of the struggles and achievements of its pioneers-the men who, backing their foresight with their limited capital, their energy and toil, selected its site in the wilderness of mustard and cactus and made its future development possible. As this volume contains interesting biographical sketches of nearly all these men, wherein much is related concerning the early history of Santa Ana, the attention of the reader is directed to them in conjunction with this article, particularly to the life stories of W. H. Spurgeon, James McFadden, Samuel Ross, Granville Spurgeon, Noah Palmer and D. Halladay. And we would also refer to the sepa- rate article on the public library, which contains much of interest of the early days of our municipality.

Santa Ana was founded as a settlement in October, 1869, by Hon. William H. Spurgeon, who from that incident and from the fact that during all the years of his activity he was a leading factor in its development, is fairly entitled 10 the distinctive title of the "father of the town," which he has always borne. The original townsite as platted by Mr. Spurgeon, and surveyed by George Wright, was recorded December 13, 1870, and consisted of but twenty- four blocks ; bounded on the north by Seventh Street, on the south by First Street, on the east by Spurgeon and on the west by West Street, or what is now officially named Broadway. Prior to this date, however, Mr. Spurgeon built his plain red- wood store, at the corner of Fourth and West streets, and the English home had been erected on the east side of Sycamore Street, between Second and Third, where it still remains and is being used as a blacksmith shop. December 18, 1870, is an important date in the town's history, for upon that day the first child was born within its borders-Lloyd Hill, a son of Jasper C. and Maria Hill.

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

That others than Mr. Spurgeon were attracted by news of the rich, cheap lands of this section is attested by the record that in December in 1869 a sufficient number of settlers had arrived to organize a school district, known as Spring. And as usual the little American schoolhouse blazed the way for patriotic citizen- ship-only in this instance the schoolhouse was not "red." but a rough board affair without desks or blackboards, and provided only with long, hard benches. Miss Annie Cozad was the first teacher and deserves a place in the history with our local pioneers.

At this time Santa Ana was three miles off the main traveled stage road between Los Angeles and San Diego, which crossed the Santa Ana River north of where the city of Orange now stands, at a ford designated the "Rodriguez Cross- ing," and continued southeasterly through Tustin, where a settlement already existed. With characteristic energy Mr. Spurgeon induced the stage company to change its route to Santa Ana, and thereby secured a postoffice for the new town in 1870. He was appointed postmaster at the munificent salary of $1 a month. The first postoffice consisted of a wooden shoe box, with partitions to separate the mail of the settlers. He also cut a road through the mustard connecting the new town with the Anaheim road, with the view to making it as accessible as possible to settlers and homeseekers. Town lots were placed on the market at ridiculously low prices and in many instances donated outright where immediate improvements were agreed upon. The little hamlet thus struggled on for several years, slowly adding to its population and advantages, and receiving the benefit of a general development of the rich, damp lands to the south and west, to which had already been applied the facetious title of the "Gospel Swamp," a term which has almost been forgotten in the rapid march of progress. Good, pure water was easily obtainable, and in June, 1873, Mr. Spurgeon established a plentiful supply with an eleven-inch well, sunk to a depth of 340 feet, with a large elevated tank for a reservoir.

The Wells-Fargo Express Company opened an office at Santa Ana in July. 1874, and the following year marked a new era of activity for the town. Just preceding this period D. M. Dorman built the Santa Ana Hotel, a really fine structure for those days, at the corner of Fourth and Main streets, on the present site of the First National Bank. This old building is now located at the corner of Fruit and G streets. From 1875 the growth of the town gained momentum. The Masonic brethren of the community organized Santa Ana Lodge, No. 241. F. & A. M., which was instituted on October 1 of that year. the Odd Fellows immediately following with Santa Lodge, No. 236, on the thirtieth of the same month. The year 1877 marked the erection of the first brick building of Santa Ana, which was built by Mr. Dodge, near the corner of Fourth and Bush streets.

Early in the spring of 1877 the Southern Pacific completed its line to Santa Ana, from Anaheim, which for two years had been its terminus, placing its depot at Fruit Street. The fare to Los Angeles was two dollars, and twice that amount for the round trip, which restricted the journeys of our people and caused a good deal of dissatisfaction. Complaint was not confined to the exorbitant fare, but the character of the service was also bitterly condemned, as it was furnished entirely with mixed trains and three hours was the usual running time each way. While these complaints were apparently justified, yet the great advantage of the railroad was at once manifested.

With the advent of the railroad a rival townsite, called Santa Ana East, was platted and was expected by its promoters to attract all the business houses of the town. The streets of this new townsite ran diagonally, parallel, and at right angles with the railroad track, which entered the town on an angle almost dite southeast. The lots were all twenty-five foot fronts, designed for business pur- poses, and the site extended from the railroad to French Street, including D. E. F, G and H streets, with the cross thoroughfares from Wellington Avenue to Fruit Street. The venture was a total failure so far as any effect on the business center was concerned, which has always remained practically as outlined by the

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

founder of the city, never varying more than a block or two in the swing of the commercial pendulum.

A strong temperance sentiment in the village was indicated by the organ- ization of a large lodge of Good Templars January 19, 1878. The last of what might be termed the pioneer lodges was that of the A. O. U. W., which came into legal existence February 27, 1879. During the month of March of this same year Dr. J. G. Bailey began the erection of a brick block, at the corner of Third and West streets, where it still stands. Many new dwellings now marked the site where ten years before an absolute waste prevailed ; several business houses sup- plied the commercial wants of the people, and with its railroad, postoffice, news- paper, express office and hotel, the inhabitants of the young city were justified in anticipating a prosperous future. Already a bitter rivalry had developed be- tween this lusty new aspirant for municipal distinction and the older town of Ana- heim, which, established as it was in 1857, had held undisputed supremacy of the valley in this regard for twenty years.

The census of 1880 was anxiously awaited by both towns, and when the figures were finally received, showed the following population for the two localities :

Anaheim township. 1,469 Anaheim town. 833

Santa Ana township ... .. 3,024 Santa Ana town. 711

Such a condition could have but one result. Santa Ana, having the advantage of by far the most populous contiguous territory, soon forged ahead of its rival and as early as 1882 became the chief town of the valley, a position which it has always maintained. Just at this time, however, occurred the most discouraging calamity of its career. The people of Santa Ana had for several years been dis- cussing the need of a bank and in December, 1881, B. F. Seibert, a prominent citizen of Anaheim, opened a general banking house in the new Gildmacher block. which had just been completed at the corner of Fourth and West streets. His venture was met with enthusiasm and the entire confidence of the community. which was eloquently illustrated by the fact that his first day's deposits amounted to $28,000. Mr. Seibert immediately became the moving financial spirit of the town. He negotiated for business property, residences and ranch lands, inaugu- rated a movement for a fine new hotel building and exhibited a most inspiring and inexhaustible spirit of enterprise generally. His bank steadily grew in popu- larity and importance until. on the fateful day of August 16, 1882, the citizens were almost paralyzed by the news that it had failed to open its doors, behind which $130,000 of their good money was supposed to have been safely entrenched. Practically all the ready money of the town had passed into the hungry maw of this unscrupulous swindler, and. as the truth of the appalling situation became understood, the temporary apathy of despair overcame the hitherto bustling little city. Business was generally suspended and the bank failure and its probable outcome monopolized the conversation of anxious throngs everywhere. Seibert had discreetly vanished, and in this precaution he evinced his old-time shrewdness. for had the outraged populace been able to lay their hands upon him at this hour the most drastic measures would, no doubt, have been resorted to.

The general impression was that Seibert's affairs were a complete failure, but Messrs. C. F. Mansur and Charles Wilcox, who were appointed receivers of the defunct bank, held the securities which came into their possession until ad- vantageous sales were made and were finally able, after a period of many months of trying circumstances, to clear up the affair with a total payment of seventy cents on the dollar.

A few weeks prior to Seibert's failure a new bank, called the Commercial. was opened on Fourth Street, near Main, being financed chiefly by Noah Palmer and Daniel Halladay. This institution being perfectly sound and conducted on absolutely safe and conservative lines, assisted materially in restoring the financial conditions of the town to a normal basis, though naturally suffering temporarily from the general lack of confidence resulting from the previous disaster. In spite

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

of the retarding influence of that overwhelming loss, the tales of the wonderful fertility of this new region served to bring new settlers and new money into the town and its surrounding country, and improvements followed each other with such rapidity that a genuine boom was soon in full progress.

Sycamore hall, which for some time had been used for dances and general public gatherings, was arranged for a primitive theater in May, 1881, and two rival but enterprising citizens put on the first street sprinkling wagons the same month. The Stafford block had been built the year previous and the year 1882 was made notable by the erection of the pretentious Spurgeon block, a large two-story brick at the corner of Fourth and Sycamore streets; the Commercial Bank building, at Fourth and Main streets ; the Dibble, Titchenal, Layman and Vanderlip blocks, all two stories, and the Hollingsworth block, a one-story brick structure. No less than forty good residences were erected during the year. At this period there were eighty business houses in the town, and the religious element was represented by five churches ; the South Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, North Methodist and the German Evangelical. The citizens were proud of their "large new two-story school house," which by the way was later condemned and sold by the school board, moved further north on Sycamore Street and remodeled for a lodging house.

Many wooden structures of more or less importance now housed commercial enterprises of various sorts all along Fourth Street, the principal thoroughfare ; real estate agents were eagerly showing and selling ranch lands and town property and the Griffith Lumber Company was taxed to its utmost to supply the demands of the busy contractors. In 1883 Mr. Spurgeon's water system had a storage capacity of 20,000 gallons of pure artesian water, pumped from two deep wells. and the taxable wealth of the town had reached the very respectable sum of $597.785. The first fire-fighting apparatus, a chemical engine, was purchased in December of that year, the money being raised by popular subscription.

During the summer of 1884 a handsome new hotel, the Taylor House, a large two-story wooden building, was erected at the corner of Fourth and French streets ; and the west end of town received another important building in the D. Gildmacher block, on the north side of Fourth Street, between West and Birch. The winter and spring preceding marked the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the history of the city, the total precipitation for 1883-84 reaching over thirty-six inches. Early in February, prior to which time the rainfall had been rather less than the average, a season of flood began. All streams were transformed into raging torrents, and as there were no wagon bridges, soon became impassable. Railroad traffic was suspended altogether February 16, when the bridges over both the Santa Ana River and Santiago Creek were practically destroyed and several miles of track beyond washed out. Away to the west and south for miles the country resembled an inland sea, and a rowboat, launched by some courageous citizens at the western edge of town, voyaged into the Newport district, where it was reported that human lives were in danger. These men did take several parties out of the flooded district, but found no one in imminent peril. Much property was destroyed by this flood, a few families being rendered almost desti- tute, but such instances were readily cared for by the warm-hearted people of the valley.

Train service to Santa Ana was not resumed until March 26, and was inter- rupted several times after that by freshets. Mail, provisions, etc., had been brought in with great hardship intermittently during the period of isolation, and while supplies were often at a low ebb, there was never any suffering. As late as June. 1884, the Santa Ana River was described as being one-third of a mile wide and even in August a sudden rise of two feet in the turbulent stream, caused by the melting snows in the mountains, washed out the dam of the irrigation company at the headworks of their system. Wells of all depths were flowing that summer and water was the cheapest thing in use. Authentic history of the valley records only one similar season to this-that of 1861-62, when it rained almost contin-

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

uously from December 24 to April 9, and the precipitation must have been measured in feet, if at all.

During all these years Santa Ana had existed merely as a village, under control of the county of Los Angeles. Sentiment for incorporation as "a city of the sixth class" had been growing steadily and on June 1, 1886, at which time the population of Santa Ana was about 2,000, an election was held to determine whether the town should assume the responsibility of separate municipal govern- ment. The advocates for corporation carried the day by forty-four majority and the following gentlemen were elected as the first officers of the city: Trustees, W. H. Spurgeon, J. R. Porter, T. J. Harlin, John Avas and A. Snyder ; clerk, Samuel Wilson ; treasurer, G. J. Mosbaugh ; marshal, Charles H. Peters. The new board of trustees met June 21 and organized by electing Mr. Spurgeon as its chairman. A few weeks later J. W. Turner was appointed town attorney ; C. W. Humphreys town recorder, and Adam Foster chief of the fire department.

At this period the "boom" was rapidly approaching the zenith of its spec- tacular existence. People were pouring into Southern California from all parts of the country and the abnormal and unfounded demand for real property of all descriptions had developed into a mania. Matters of location and price were not considered and town lots several miles from a railroad, with absolutely nothing to recommend them for such a purpose, sold readily at really enormous prices. The unbridled frenzy of speculation was rampant all over Southern California, and the young city of Santa Ana was soon enveloped within its dazzling folds.

This fact, coupled with the natural desire to improve the town as rapidly as possible, placed upon its newly organized government a heavy load of business and responsibility. On August 11, 1886, the trustees granted to M. G. Elmore a franchise to lay gas mains through the streets and alleys of the town, and a week later decided to purchase twelve street lamps from Mr. Elmore to be used on Fourth Street on alternate corners from Mortimer to Olive. On this same date steps were taken for the organization and maintenance of a fire department. the southeast room in the Spurgeon block was rented for a city hall and the Herald was designated as the first official paper. A communication was also received from C. W. Humphreys asking for a franchise to build and operate the Santa Ana, Orange and Tustin Street Railway, which was later granted. This was the first street railway in the town and was operated for several years with horses. finally being discontinued after heavy financial losses. The line to Tustin was removed entirely, but the one to Orange was continued through subsidies on the part of the merchants for several years, when it was sold to the Pacific Electric Company and still remains a part of that system.

The First National Bank was organized in May, 1886, and in September the Pacific Weekly Blade, a Republican paper, was started by A. J. Waterhouse and Walter F. X. Parker. Business blocks and residences were in process of con- struction everywhere and any man who could run a saw or swing a hammer found ready employment as a carpenter. Acreage adjoining the city was snapped up by speculators and subdivided into town lots which were sold with a rush, either through the usual office methods or by auctions. "South Santa Ana," where enterprising farmers are now raising sugar beets, threatened for a time, at this period, to become a world-famed metropolis.

If anything further was needed to complete the utter speculative abandon with which the people were now possessed it was supplied in the advent of the great Santa Fe system, which built into Santa Ana in 1887 and on to San Diego. Being now furnished with two great competing railroads, both of which were daily bringing new people by the score into the new city, all doubts as to the future were dispelled. Realty values climbed higher with each setting sun and dreams of opulence became the nightly portions of dozens of men who, with a little property, deemed themselves poor a couple of years before.

Perhaps the most notable of all the boom-time operators were the men com- posing the "Fairview Development Company," who purchased several hundred

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

acres on the mesa eight miles southwest of Santa Ana and proceeded to build a city of their own. They constructed a railroad from Santa Ana to this town of Fairview, sold lots by the hundred, erected quite a number of good buildings there, started a newspaper, established a hotel and bath house, which was made locally famous on account of the warm sulphur water which they had procured from a deep artesian well, and it is said, held an option on every piece of property between the two places.

Everywhere the same spirit manifested by this company prevailed, and in many instances their methods were imitated so far as resources and ability per- mitted-the resources often consisting very largely of credit acquired through matchless nerve and balmy influence. Conservatism was roughly jostled aside or trampled under foot, and day by day the boom ascended the smooth pathway of plausible hope and apparently tangible prosperity until, reaching the summit of human credulity, it began to weaken; slowly at first, but with ever-increasing impetus until in 1889 the whole structure collapsed, leaving the fair face of Southern California strewn with pitiful wrecks of erstwhile handsome fortunes.

It was almost impossible to place a fair value on any piece of realty, par- ticularly town property, in the general slump which followed and Santa Ana suffered heavily in the reverses. However, in spite of the undeniable ruin meted out to veritable armies of investors during this spectacular period of California history, the fact remains that much permanent good resulted to Santa Ana after all, for during these years it had been transformed from a village to a modern young city of importance. The Brunswick Hotel, First National Bank building, Opera House block and Richelieu Hotel-all three-story structures-besides a large number of good two-story brick buildings, were erected during the boom, as well as hundreds of residences, all of which, of course, remained and formed a solid nucleus upon which to resume the building up of the city later on.

Once more the boundless resources of the fertile valley were appreciated. perhaps as never before; and while the collapse of the boom struck hard at the financial strength of all Southern California cities, Santa Ana, by reason of its splendid agricultural backing, was able to weather the reverses with but little harm as far as its municipal standing was concerned.

About this time (in the year 1888) an important commercial enterprise known as the Newport Wharf & Lumber Company was organized, being the outgrowth of the transportation business which had been conducted by James and Robert McFadden since 1874, through a vessel operated between Newport Bay and San Francisco. The new company erected a wharf at Newport Bay extending about 1,500 feet into the ocean, in conjunction with the Pacific Coast Steamship Com- pany, and established a wholesale lumber business at Santa Ana which soon de- veloped into the largest and most important commercial enterprise the city has ever known. In the year 1891 the McFadden brothers, with others of the com- pany, organized the Santa Ana & Newport Railway and built a steam road con- necting the city with the new wharf, eleven miles distant, and thus provided cheap and quick transportation of their immense cargoes of lumber to the general yar:1 at Santa Ana. This business rapidly increased in volume, its transactions reaching half a million dollars yearly and its payroll carrying one hundred men who never failed, during all its existence, to receive their wages regularly every week. This enterprise assisted very materially in the prosperity of Santa Ana during the dull period following the boom and continuing on through the national panic of 1893-96. The lumber business was finally discontinued in 1902 on account of transportation difficulties and the railroad was sold to Senator Clark, of Montana, who almost immediately disposed of it to the Southern Pacific, which company still operates it.

The year 1888 was also a notable one in the city's history on account of the organization of its original board of trade, now known as the Santa Ana Cham- ber of Commerce, which has always been a potent factor in the development of the town, but the most important event of this period was the creation of the new

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY

county of Orange on March 11, 1889, and the selection of Santa Ana as its county seat July 11, of the same year.

The census of 1890 gave the city a population of 3,628. Company F. its first military organization, was mustered in in June of that year with sixty-one men, Capt. C. S. McKelvey commanding, H. T. Matthews being first lieutenant and N. A. Ulm second lieutenant.

Up to this time Mr. Spurgeon's water system had supplied the town, but on December 1, 1890, the city voted $60,000 for a municipal plant, which was at once installed. The supply was secured from a number of deep artesian wells, forced to all parts of the city by the Holly system. On November 21, 1904, addi- tional bonds of $100,000 were voted for a general enlargement of the plant.

The city's history during the '90s was marked by few important events and its growth was exceedingly slow for the greater part of that decade. A bond issue of $60,000 was voted March 7, 1898, for a complete sewer system, to which about $7,000 has since been added, represented by a total of about twenty-five miles of mains.

Free mail delivery was established in Santa Ana in March, 1899, with letter carriers, the receipts of the postoffice having passed $10,000 a year. The postal receipts of this office for the year 1911 exceeded $30,000 and seven city carriers, seven rural carriers and eight clerks were employed.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Orange County, California : with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its earliest growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 8

Author: Armor, Samuel, 1843-; Pleasants, J. E., Mrs Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1700

Author: Armor, Samuel, 1843-; Pleasants, J. E., Mrs
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1700