USA > California > Sacramento County > History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, 1923 > Part 51
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The Bank of Italy, the largest banking establishment west of Chicago and New York, with branches throughout California and cap- italization and resources exceeding $175,000,- 000, came to Sacramento in the early summer of 1921, after many inducements had been held out, and established temporary quarters in the Capital Hotel Building on Seventh Street between K and L. Col. John S. Cham- bers resigned as state controller of Califor- nia to accept the vice-presidency and manage- ment of the Sacramento branch. The immedi- ate success of the bank was almost beyond be- lief. and elaborate plans were drawn for a costly modern bank building in the heart of the business district. The old Masonic Tem- ple Building, together with its site at the southwest corner of Sixth and K Streets, was purchased by the bank on October 21, 1921, at a price of $175,000; and Manager Chambers soon after announced that the institution would remodel the ground floor for immediate use, and would then transact its business at the new location instead of at the temporary quarters in the Capital Hotel, during the erec- tion of the new building, which was completed and opened to the public in January, 1923.
With Colonel Chambers are associated the following advisory board : Mitchell I W. Nathan, chairman ; J. J. Monteverde, vice- chairman; L. C. Hunter, Dr. Frederick N. Scatena, Dennis Leary, J. Garibaldi, Frank E. Michel, V. Panattoni, J. F. Elliott, J. W. Gar- diner, H. E. Diggles, A. J. Gilson, Peter Carli. F. B. Rossi, R. Giorgi, F. Lagomarsino, and C. E. McLaughlin.
Sacramento Clearing House
The Sacramento Clearing House was organ- ized on October 9, 1907, and commenced busi- ness on October 14, 1907. During the panic of that year, the clearing house did great serv- ice in maintaining the stability of finance. The
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great increase in the volume of its business is shown by the following figures :
1907: October (from 14th on), $2,796,- 778.53; November. $3:067.621.22; December. $3,177,155; total, $9,041,554.75.
1908: January, $3,953,214.95; February, $3,- 597,441.44: March, $3,211,546.04; April, $3,- 546,380.22; May. $3.330,509.59; June, $3.173,- 939.35; July, $3,306,848.36; August, $3,914,- 556.35 : September, $3,864,438.24; October, $3,- 804,202.32; November, $4,734,111.74; Decem- ber, $4,191,572.00; total, $44,628,760.60.
1909: January, $3,865,408.79; February. $2,- 919,625.95 ; March, $3,892,713.34; April, $4,427,- 146.97 ; May, $4,067,114.29; June. $4,581,169.15 ; July, $4,788,787.72; August, $4.835,042.04 ; Sep- tember. $4,804,176.89; October, $4,925,118.10: November, $5,969,756.38; December. $5.486,- 433.69 : total, $54,562.493.31.
1910: January, $4,994.782.66: February, $4,- 590,404.71; March, $5,936,001.97 ; April. $5,- 530,551.44: May, $5.173,549.12: June, $5.328,- 561.82; July, $5,591,592.45 ; August, $5,468 .- 016.15 : September, $6,251.175.49; October, $6,- 758,973.83 : November. $7.291.917.51: Decem- ber. $7.955,469.98; total, $70,870,997.13.
1911: January. $6,274,703.01 ; February, $5,- 386,346.34 : March, $6,238,421.46: April, $6,- 024,398.47 ; May. $6,062,887.13; June. $5,873,- 761.68; July, $6.359,992.79; August, $6,979,- 070.41 : September, $6.362,802.00; October, $7 .- 185,240.16; November, $8,088,287.35; Decem- ber, $7,540,789.41; total, $78,376,700.21.
1912: January, $7.017,266.75 : February, $6 .- 004,874.78; March, $6,524,610.30; April, $6,- 969,224.99; May, $7,123,219.35; June, $6,501 .- 435.18: July. $7.574,437.01: August, $8,274,- 491.92; September, $7,749,812.72; October, $10,587.858.28; November, $9,557,330.25: De- cember. $8,862,499.16; total. $92,747,060.69.
1913: January, $8,135,072.13 ; February, $6,- 856,368.80; March, $8,172,739.74: April, $8,- 684,226.79; May, $8.176,631.65; June, $7,805,- 749.38: July, $9,028,830.79; August, $9,774,- 876.00; September, $10,218,095.03; October, $11.520,579.04 ; November, $10,182,321.74; De- cember, $9,713,197.30.
1914: January, 8,551,887.99; February, $7,- 362,613.76; March, $8,521,117.74; April, $8,- 591,214.51 ; May, $7,579,846.15; June. $8,499,- 031.42: July. . $8,764,924,43; August, $8,682,- 835.48; September, $8,794,454.46; October, $9.696,289.26: November, $9.360,945.12: De- cember, $8,881,742.77.
1915: January, $8.021.878.89: February, $6,- 341,059.80; March, $7,331,162.96; April, $7 .- 850,777.80; May, $7.419,936.87; June, $7,375,- 103.52; July, $8,318,752.37 : August, $8,142,- 090.10; September. $8,507,006.86; October, $10,220,428.50; November, $10,858,611.68; De- cember, $10,742,195.52.
1916: January, $9,929,433.65; February, $7,- 085,889.59; March, $8,091,592.00; April. $9,- 677,229.13; May, $9,279,654.37 ; June, $10,253,- 286.07 : July. $10.094,546.69: August, $12,608,- 519.11: September, $11,713,084.42; October. $12,150,944.95 ; November, $13,008,672.81 ; De- cember, $13,326,942.50.
1917: January, $12,008,723.26: February. $9,092,467.85 ; March. $10,432,707.17; April, $10,004,680.20 ; May, $11.025,731.34; June, $11,- 853,220.65 ; July. $13,259.586.41 ; August. $15,- 456,775.44; September, $15.469,677.34; Octo- ber, $19.521,033.65 : November, $18,095,293.67 : December, $18.462,938.13.
1918: January. $15,935,111.51; February, $13,108,913.40; March, $14,161,262.90; April, $14,117.763.65 ; May, $17,456,472.55; June, $14,- 193,712.70; July. $17,229.451.40; August, $18,- 253,773.20; September, $18.336,056.79; Octo- ber, $22,099,228.75; November, $18,800,230.37 ; December, $19,639.135.94.
1919: January, $18,886,811.18; February, $15,053,261.78; March, $16,247,886.52; April, $16,224,825.51 : May, $17,619,416.59; June, $18,- 359,844.70; July, $21,641,127.09; August, $25,- 080,800.94; September, $25,688,106.88; Octo- ber. $30,019.453.80; November, $31,183,126.47 ; December, $34.557,789.24.
1920: January, $27,828,326.88 : February, $21,120,971.66; March, $24,347,092.22: April, $24.453,021.09 ; May, $23,703.209.80; June, $25,- 723,317.74 ; July, $26,736,332.58; August, $26,- 905,113.37 ; September, $31,733.652.89; Octo- ber $32,612,676.94 : November, $31,286,758.05 ; December, $27,896,782.01.
1921: January, $24,315,493.27 : February, $20,683,547.27 : March, $22,771,815.17 : April, $20.315,684.86; May, $18,122,168.31 ; June, $19,- 640,987.23 : July, $22,777.550.44 ; August, $23,- 737.336.07 : September, $24,737,310.81 ; Octo- ber, $29,461,625.32: November, $29,901,033.60; December, $27.953.036.47.
1922: January, $24,055,221.56; February, $20,141,329.93; March, $23,031.517.80; April, $24.033,879.18: May, $24.784.144.65; June, $25,070,042.14 ; July, $27.640,790.09; August, $27,319,727.30: September, $31,891.357.82; October. $33,833,822.90: November, $30,942,- 230.11 : December, $30,929,455.20.
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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY
CHAPTER XXXIX FIRST THINGS
T THE FIRST mail brought to Sacramento came on the schooner "John Dunlap." owned jointly by Simmons, Hutchins & Company, and E. S. Marsh, which left San Francisco on its first trip to Sacramento, May 18, 1849, and brought the first mail on its second trip, June 27, having been forty-eight hours on the way.
The first directory of Sacramento City was published in 1851 by J. Horace Culver, and a copy of it is in the State Library. It was printed by the "Transcript" press, and has ninety-six pages, with a large quantity of very interesting information. The names of citi- zens occupied less than half the space.
The first ship ever used in the state of Cali- fornia as a prison brig was the bark "Straf- ford." It was brought here from New York in 1849, and was moored in the Sacramento River opposite the foot of I Street. It cost $50,000, but while lying at the foot of O Street it was sold at auction by J. B. Starr to C. C. Hayden for $3,750. Hayden sold three-quar- ters of his interest to Charles Morrill, Captain Isaac Derby and a Mr. Whitney, and in March, 1850, they rented the vessel to the county for a prison brig. Morrill bought out the inter- ests of the others in May, intending to trade between San Francisco and Panama, and loaded it at the levee so poorly that it nearly capsized when it reached San Francisco Bay. The cargo was readjusted and she went to sea, but never came back. Soon afterwards the county purchased the "La Grange," of Salem, Mass., and it was moored opposite H Street, but when the big freshet of 1861-1862 came down, it strained so heavily at its moor- ings that the seams opened and the water came in so fast that the prisoners were barely saved and conveyed to the city jail, and the bark filled and sank. Since then Sacramento County has had its jail on land.
The first house in Sutterville was erected by Sutter, the second by one Hadel, and the third by George Zins, being a brick building, the first of the kind erected in California. Zins afterwards manufactured the bricks in Sac- ramento from which the first brick buildings in this city were erected. He stamped each brick with his initials. The Crocker Art Gal- lery Museum and the Museum of the Pioneer Association each contain one of them.
The first store in Sacramento was opened at Sutter's Fort by C. C. Smith & Company (Sam Brannan being the "Company") and the first exchanges of American goods for Cali- fornia gold were made over its counters, as it had been started about two months before the opening of the mines.
The first projected rival of Sacramento was Sutterville, as elsewhere related. The second was known as Hoboken, north of the present town of Brighton, on the south bank of the American. During the flood of 1853, all com- munication with the mining counties was cut off, and some enterprising merchants moved their goods out there on the high ground and laid out a town with wide streets, and a steamboat landing, the American being at that time navigable. In ten days a town sprang up, with an express office and with three steamers making daily trips to Sacra- mento. Many firms removed to the town and trade flourished there, the city newspapers de- voting a page to Hoboken news. As the flood subsided, however, so also did Hoboken, and its site is now occupied by a farm. The city of Boston was laid out on paper, at the junc- tion of the Sacramento and American Rivers, but never materialized.
The first census taken in the state, in 1851, was under the superintendence of J. Neely Johnson, afterwards governor of the state. The census credited Sacramento with 11,000. the state census being 120,000. The Federal census of 1860 credited the city with 12,800: of 1870, with 16,283; of 1880, with 21.420; of 1890, with 26,388; of 1900, with 29,282; of 1910, with 44,696: of 1920, with 65,908. Since that time a phenomenal increase has been made, due in part to the rapid development of Oak Park and other eastern suburbs.
The first vessel ever used to carry press and type into interior California was the "Dice me Nana" ("says my mamma"), which con- veyed an old press and type to Sacramento in order to start the "Placer Times," in 1849, which was the first paper published in Sacra- mento.
The first public reception and banquet ever given in Sacramento was tendered in 1849 to Gen. P. F. Smith, military commander on the Coast ; Commodore Jones, in command of the navy; Hon. T. Butler King, who had been
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sent out by the government to reconnoiter the Sacramento Valley and report on it at Washington; and W. M. Siddons, a pioneer citizen of Sacramento, who accompanied them. They were members of an expedition that accompanied Mr. King on his trip. Lieu- tenant Stoneman, afterwards governor of this state, was with the expedition but was left in charge of the camp, about five miles from the city. They were met by General Sutter, Sam Brannan, B. F. Gillespie, J. H. Hyer, P. B. Cornwall, Col. J. B. Starr, W. R. Grim- shaw, and a large number of other prominent men, and were given a banquet by the citi- zens. General Sutter also received them at the Fort and entertained them handsomely.
The first grand ball was given on July 4, 1849, in honor of the day, at the City Hotel. The young men were sent out to scour the country and invite all the members of the gentler sex they could find to attend. From among the immigrant parties and others, they mustered eighteen females, more or less hand- some. Tickets of admission were only thirty- two dollars and champagne flowed freely at a sumptuous supper.
The first railroad built in California was the Sacramento Valley Railroad, from this city to Folsom, in 1855-1856.
The first man hung in Sacramento was a gambler, Frederick J. Roe. Roe shot a man named Myers, who tried to stop a fight be- tween him and another man. A jury was selected by the people, who found Roe guilty, and a mob broke open the jail, took him out, and hung him.
The first steamboat explosion was that of the steamer "Fawn," on August 18, 1850.
The first steamer to enter the port of San Francisco was the "California," which arrived in March, 1849.
The first agricultural association in the state met in this city in the American Theatre, October 8, 1852, and a fair was held for a week or two at the same time.
Cholera first made its appearance in Sacra- mento on the 20th of October, 1850, when an iminigrant by steamer was found dying on the levee.
The first case of smallpox in this city oc- curred during the flood of 1850, Daniel Zum- walt, later a resident of Anderson, Shasta County, being the first to suffer an attack of the disease.
The first steamboat that ever came up the river to Sacramento was the "Little Sitka," in the latter part of November, 1847. She was packed on board a Russian bark from Sitka and was of forty tons burden. She was put together at Yerba Buena Island, near San
Francisco, and was so "cranky" that the weight of a person on her guards would throw one of her wheels out of service.
The first military organization in Sacra- mento was the Sutter Rifle Corps, organized on June 27, 1852.
Hensley & Redding erected the first frame house in Sacramento, to be used by them as a store. It stood at the corner of Front and I Streets, and was built before McDougal re- moved to Sutterville.
The first brick house built in Sacramento, the Pioneer Hotel, was kept for years by Louis Binninger.
The first mail for Salt Lake left Sacramento on May 1, 1850.
The first fire department was organized in Sacramento on February 5, 1850, and was known as Mutual Hook and Ladder Com- pany No. 1.
The first street-cars in Sacramento were run about 1860, and were used chiefly for hauling sand from the river. The rails were of wood, and the cars ran on H Street from Front to Thirteenth. They sometimes carried passengers.
The first regular street-cars in this city were started in August, 1870. The cars were only two in number, and were built by the Kim- ball Manufacturing Company of San Fran- cisco. The first electric car, the motive power being a storage battery, was run in 1888; but the power applied in that manner proving too expensive, its use was soon temporarily sus- pended, and a trolley system, as at present, was later constructed.
The first Thanksgiving Day ever observed in California was that of November 30, 1850. On that day J. A. Benton, pastor of the Con- gregational Church (known as the First Church of Christ), preached the sermon on "California as she was, as she is, and as she is to be." At that time agriculture could hardly be said to be even an experiment in California; but Mr. Benton uttered this re- markable prophecy : "A million of people can- not fail to thrive by cultivating this virgin soil, and in fifty years they will be here to make the demonstration; farm houses will dot thickly every valley ; marshes will be re- deemed from overflow ; and wastes will bloom in beauty and yield harvests of joy. The state will not fall behind the chiefest in arts and manufacturing, and in commerce. With hun- dreds of miles of navigable bays and rivers, with 700 miles of sea coast, with earth's broadest ocean at her feet, gemmed with a thousand sea isles, and laving the shore of a continent, California is to be the Queen of the Seas, and within the Golden Gate are to be the docks and depots of a steam and electro-
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magnetic marine, of which all the steam ma- rine that now exists is but the minutest em- bryo. The iron horse that has drunk the waters of the Mississippi will fly over moun- tain and plain and river, and breathe defiance to yonder beetling cliffs and towering peaks of snow, as he dashes forward through the tun- neled depths beneath, and comes through our streets to slake his thirst at the Sacramento."
The first mass-meeting of Republicans in California was held in Sacramento on April 19, 1856, and was opened with an address by E. B. Crocker, who was the leader of the new party in Sacramento County.
The first Republican state convention in California was held in the Congregational Church in Sacramento, on April 30, 1856, with E. B. Crocker as temporary chairman.
The first child born of white parents in Cali- fornia, it is claimed, was Engene Aram, state senator representing Sutter, Yolo and Yuba Counties during the thirty-first and thirty- third legislative sessions, and now a practic- ing attorney in Sacramento, whose mother, Sarah Aram, an immigrant of 1846, is said to have discovered gold while washing clothes in a stream tributary to the south fork of the Yuba River over a year before the discovery of gold by Marshall.
The first school in Sacramento County out- side of the city was kept by a Mr. O'Brien, at the house of Martin Murphy, in San Joa- quin Township.
The first ball held in Sacramento County by the white settlers took place at Mormon Island, in 1849.
The first courthouse erected in Sacramento, at Seventh and I Streets, was begun in June, 1850, and completed on December 24, 1851. The sessions of the legislature of 1852 and 1854 were held in it. It was destroyed in the great fire of July 13, 1854, which consumed a large part of the business portion of the city. Immediately after the fire, a contract was entered into for the erection of the courthouse which was in turn demolished on the same site to make room for the new one erected some years ago. The cost in toto was $240,- 000, although the original contract was for $100,000. The corner-stone was laid on Sep- tember 27, 1854, with Masonic ceremonies, and the building, which was of brick, was completed on January 1, 1855, and was used by the state as a capitol from 1855 until the present Capitol was built. It was 80 by 120 feet, and sixty feet high, and the style of archi- tecture was Ionic. The portico was support- ed by ten pillars, three feet six inches in diameter and thirty-three feet six inches in height. In April, 1870, it was raised to the high grade, 400 jack-screws being used for that purpose.
Gilbert T. Witham, a resident of Washing- ton, Yolo County, and who conducted the Coleman House on J Street in this city in the early days, ran the first hack in Sacramento. It was hought in San Francisco for $3,000 cash, and his stand was at the Orleans Hotel, on Second Street. In 1855 he entered the employ of Doughty & Company, and for that firm ran the first steam trading and produce boat on the river. He was the first conductor on the first train out of Sacramento to Chico, Tehama and Red Bluff. Charles Crocker was on the train, and bossed the job. Mr. Witham saw Governor Stanford turn the first shovel- ful of dirt on J Street for the building of the Central Pacific Railroad.
The first criminal trial in Sacramento oc- curred in Sutter's Fort and was a remarkable one. In January, 1849, Charles E. Pickett, afterwards known as "Philosopher Pickett," was a merchant in Sutter's Fort, occupying a portion of the northeast bastion, a man named Alderman, from Oregon, occupying the rest of it. During a dispute about the premises Alderman advanced on Pickett with an ax uplifted. The latter was armed with a shotgun, and warned Alderman not to come farther, Pickett having retreated to the wall. As Alderman continued to advance, Pickett fired and killed him. The circumstances be- ing well known, and the killing clearly in self- defense, no attention would have been paid to it, had not Sam Brannan, who was also a merchant at the fort, stirred up an excite- ment. He applied to Frank Bates, who held the office of first alcalde, and then to John S. Fowler, second alcalde, for a warrant for Pickett's arrest, and both refused and re- signed. The sheriff also resigned. There- upon Brannan called a meeting of the resi- dents of the fort for the appointment of an alcalde. Everyone declined, until it came to Brannan, who accepted. The nomination of a prosecuting attorney next went the rounds till it came to Brannan, who accepted it also. A. M. Tanner was appointed sheriff and noti- fied Pickett to consider himself under arrest. The court convened, Captain Sutter, John Sinclair, Capt. W. H. Warner, James H. Top- pens, and Thomas Murray being among the members of the jury.
Pickett appeared, accompanied by his at- torney, one Payne, also from Oregon. The sheriff was ordered to bring in drinks for the court, jury, defendant and counsel. Cigars were proposed, in addition, but an objection was made and the point was argued. The court decided that "Inasmuch as the ladies of California made a practice of smoking, it could not be out of place anywhere." Every time the defendant would ask a witness a question, his counsel would tell him to be
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silent, and these altercations became frequent, as the orders on the sheriff for refreshment became numerous. Midnight came, and Sut- ter and Sinclair were asleep, leaning against the wall. One of the witnesses was testify- ing that the character of Alderman was bad, he having killed two men in Oregon, and Captain Sutter awoke, listened a few minutes and said: "Gentlemen, the man is dead, he has atoned for his faults, and I will not sit here and hear his character traduced." He then started to leave the court, but was per- suaded to stay. When the evidence was closed, Brannan started to sum up for the prosecution. "Hold on, Brannan," said Pick- ett, "you are the judge." "I know I am judge," retorted Brannan, "but I am prosecuting too." "All right, go ahead then," said Pickett. When he finished, Pickett's attorney was too far gone to talk, and Pickett summed up for himself. Toward morning the jury announced that they could not agree, and were dis- charged. Brannan told the sheriff that he re- manded the prisoner to his custody. "What am I to do with him?" asked the sheriff. "Put him in close confinement." said Brannan. "I have no place to put him in," said the sheriff. "Then put him in irons," was the reply. "There ain't any irons about the place," returned the officer. After deliberation it was agreed to admit Pickett to bail, which was readily fur- nished. At a subsequent trial, with a sober jury, Pickett was acquitted.
The first survey of the plat of Sacramento was made in December, 1848, by Capt. William H. Warner, of the United States Army.
The first city government in Sacramento was established in 1849. In July of that year, an election for councilmen was held at the St. Louis Exchange on Second Street between I and J, and the first councilmen for the city of Sacramento were chosen as follows: John P. Rodgers, H. E. Robinson, P. B. Cornwall, William Stout, E. F. Gillespie, Thomas F. Chapman, M. T. McClelland, A. M. Winn and B. Jennings. The new council was organized on August 1, with William Stout as presi- dent and J. H. Harper as clerk. The first busi- ness transacted was the preparation of a con- stitution for local government. A. M. Winn was afterwards made president in place of
Stout, who had left the city. On September 20 an election was held to decide on a city charter. A draft had been prepared by the council, but the citizens did not turn out well to vote, and it was defeated by a majority of one hundred and forty-six votes. Its rejection was charged to the gamblers, who opposed a change and worked hard and spent much money to defeat it. The people avoided re- course to the costly court of the alcalde, and this lawless state just suited the gamblers. The defeat of the charter was a great mortifi- cation to the council, and the president issued a proclamation stating that the council was unable to determine what the citizens wanted, and as the powers and duties of the council were not defined, they desired to know wheth- er the citizens desired still to act under the Mexican laws at present in force, although in- applicable to the present conditions, or to adopt a charter, striking out such features as were objectionable. Immediate action was necessary if the council was to be of any use. It therefore asked the citizens to meet on October 10, 1849, and declare what they wished the council to do. The people, who had paid no attention hitherto to local govern- ment, awoke from their apathy. A Law and Order party was formed, the gamblers were defeated, and the charter was adopted by a majority of 296.
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