USA > California > San Bernardino County > History of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, Volume III > Part 8
USA > California > Riverside County > History of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, Volume III > Part 8
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Captain and Mrs. Aplin had six children, the first three having been born in Iowa. The oldest, Benjamin, died at the age of twenty-eight. The second, Myrtle Alfreda Aplin, M.D., graduated from the Cooper Medical College of San Francisco, and was one of the first two women out of thirty of her sex who competed in examination, to be selected and appointed by the Governor for executive responsibilities in the State Hos- pitals. For seven years she was physician in charge of the women's depart- ment at the Napa Hospital for the Insane, resigning to devote herself to her invalid mother.
The third child Dr. Guy E. Aplin, who graduated in medicine in Chi- cago, practiced for a number of years in St. Louis, and after returning to California practiced at Santa Paula, and later at Calpella had a successful experience as a pear orchardist. Later he was manager for the Phoebe Hearst home ranch, and is now a prominent orange grower on the place his father planted at Highland. He married Pearl Burr, who was reared and educated in the East.
The fourth child of the family was Donald Graham Aplin, who was born at Chetopah, Kansas, graduated from Pomona College and California University, receiving the degree Bachelor of Science in mine engineering and chemistry in 1899. He taught in the chemistry department at Berkeley for a year, then spent a year with the Borax Company, and was with the Dean and Jones Mining Company and the Virginia Dale Mines and for a number of years performed the arduous duties incident to work on the desert and in the mountains. He was a pioneer in the Imperial Valley. improving farm land there, and was horticultural commissioner and presi- dent of the Imperial Water Company. He finally resigned to return to Highland and take charge of his father's place. After eight years he bought ten acres at the corner of Boulder and Pacific avenues, where he owns one of the best groves in Highland, and he also acquired twenty-five acres nearby, which he set out to citrus fruits. In 1908 he married Miss Laura Corwin, member of a pioneer family of Southern California. She was educated in the Redlands High School and in Longmire's Business
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College at San Bernardino. Their three children are: John Alfred, born in 1909; Florence, born in 1913, and Esther, born in 1918.
The fifth child of Captain Aplin was Alfred Porter, who was born at East Highland and was drowned in the North Fork Canal at the age of two years. The youngest of the family, Ethel Grace, also a native of Highland, is a graduate of the preparatory school of Pomona College and received her M. D. degree from Ward's Medical College at San Francisco. She was married to Frank Lynn, an electrician, who was accidentally elec- trocuted in San Francisco. Mrs. Lynn is a leader in the socialist party in California and was a candidate on that ticket for secretary of state, receiv- ing 40,000 votes. She possesses great talent in literary lines as well as in sociological problems, and was author of a book entitled "Adventures of a Woman Hobo."
MARCUS L. FRINK, of the pioneers constituting the old San Bernardino Colony one still living and with a vast amount of authoritative and interest- ing information concerning early times, early conditions and old personali- ties and events is Marcus L. Frink of Redlands, a native son, and whose memory and participation in local history run back half a century or more.
Mr. Frink was born in San Bernardino, March 14, 1860. His birth- place was what in later years was the old race track, but sixty years ago was a low, swampy tract of land then owned by his great-grandfather, Martin Potter. Mr. Frink is a son of Horace Monroe and Polly Ann (DeWitt) Frink. His father was born in New York State in 1831 and came to California in the years immediately following the discovery of gold. The day he was twenty-one he came into the state riding a horse, and Indians attacked the party and he was robbed of everything, including the clothes he had on his back. He borrowed a shirt, trousers and moccasins in order to make a presentable appearance when he reached the border of civiliza- tion, in 1852 at Hangtown, California. He was a brick mason by trade, and his first enterprise was contracting to burn a lime kiln for the price of a dollar a barrel. He worked at that one year, burned 700 barrels, and then returned to the States. When he came back to California he was accompanied by his grandmother and two half brothers, and this time the trip was made by wagon train. They reached San Bernardino in 1854.
In San Bernardino he married Polly Ann DeWitt, a native of Indiana. She was one of the real pioneer women of California, and came West by wagon train with many hazards and arduous circumstances, the first stage of the journey ending at Salt Lake and from there by a second stage traveling to San Bernardino. With her came her grandfather, the Martin Potter above mentioned, and her brother. They located on the old race track site, owned by Potter. Horace M. Frink and wife had seven chil- dren, three of whom died in infancy. The oldest of those to grow up was A. M. Frink, who was born in 1858 and died November 10, 1918, leaving one daughter. Marcus L. is the second and the only son to survive. George Grant Frink born in 1866, died in 1875. The fourth, Polly Ann, born in 1869, is the wife of Henry Gansner, and is the mother of a son and daughter.
Horace M. Frink was an old time freighter and a pioneer in every sense of the word. He drove and sent heavy teams from San Bernardino into Utah and later to the various mining camps in Arizona. He was also a pilot when the old stage line was established, having blazed the way for several early stage routes in the Southwest. His business at home was largely ranching and cattle raising. In 1866 he traded the lower half of the old race track farm with a man named Wallace for 100 acres on the old Cottonwood Road, giving Wallace $400 in value in cattle to even up
Inrs anna &. Kirkpatrick J.b. Kirkpatrick
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the transaction. This land is still owned by his heirs. He moved his family into an old slab house on the new tract, but during 1871-72 con- structed a substantial adobe house. The adobe bricks were made on the old Barton tract, and Marcus Frink and his brother hauled them to the site of the building where their father laid them in the wall. This building is still occupied, and with recent changes is modern in appearance and a splendid abode of comfort. On this land in 1868 Horace Frink set out some seedling orange trees, made additional plantings in 1870, and this was one of the pioneer successful efforts at orange growing in this vicinity. In later years these plantings have been greatly extended by Marcus L. Frink and his brother, much of the tract being now given over to Naval oranges.
In November, 1900, Marcus L. Frink and his sister divided the estate of 105 acres, Mrs. Gansner taking 25 acres, while Mr. Frink now has 60, 30 acres of which are in oranges and 30 acres in alfalfa.
Mr. Frink during his boyhood had little opportunity to attend school. After he was fourteen he had to work regularly at home. In 1880 he married Miss Caroline Wilson, who was born at the old San Bernardino Colony, daughter of Joseph and Rhoda ( Van Leuven) Wilson. The name Van Leuven is particularly significant as pioneer families in this section of the state. The Wilsons and Van Leuvens came over the plains and moun- tains in ox trains. Mr. and Mrs. Frink had seven children. The four now living are: Lena, born November 3, 1881, educated at Redlands, and wife of Fred W. Watkins, who was born in Pennsylvania and is a short- hand reporter and clerk of court under Judge Curtis in San Bernardino. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins have a son and a daughter. Amny Frink, born February 14, 1884, was educated in the Redlands High School and in 1906 became the wife of George A. Murphy, of Redlands Junction. Their children are Florence Loraine, born in 1907, and Mark Murphy, born in 1912. Milton J. Frink, born September 3, 1890, is an orange grower in the Redlands district. He married Ruth Weed, of Michigan, and her two sons are Kenneth Milton, born March 20, 1916, and Donald Eugene, born September 20, 1919. The fourth and youngest child is Howard Lloyd, born May 11, 1897. He enlisted September 6, 1918, and was in training at Camp Kearney until after the signing of the armistice.
Marcus L. Frink has many pictures in his memory of the San Ber- nardino of bygone days. When he was a boy the town contained only one store, owned by Louis Jacobs, who later became prominent as a banker. He lived here when this was a wide open town with twenty-eight saloons, drinking, shooting, gambling, and often the scene of riotous excitement from day to day. It was the rendezvous of miners and freighters, and Indians were frequent visitors and were allowed to drink without hindrance. Mr. Frink states that the Indians then living here would willingly do ranch work for fifty cents a day and were good laborers, working from daylight to dark, but spent all their earnings in the saloons. The building of the railroad to Colton in 1874 began the modern era of progress and development, all of which Mr. Frink has witnessed and in which he has participated as one of the old pioneers who are glad to see the wonderful advantages in this region made available to a constantly increasing population. Mr. Frink is a member of the Native Sons, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he is a republican, and has served on the Republican County Central Committee.
JACOB DEAN KIRKPATRICK has been a resident of Ontario for thirty years, locating in that section of San Bernardino County after leaving
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his farm in Iowa, and continued dairying and ranching here for a number of years, until he retired, and is now enjoying the ample prosperity that has rewarded his energetic efforts. .
Mr. Kirkpatrick was born August 3, 1856, son of James W. and Rachael J. (Burge) Kirkpatrick. His father was an lowa pioneer and enlisted from that state in the Union Army during the Civil war. Jacob D. Kirkpatrick acquired his education in Iowa, at New London, and was identified with farming in that state until about 1892 when he removed to Ontario and bought a dairy ranch of thirty acres. He continued dairying until a few years ago, when he sold out. He now lives in the center of the city of Ontario, at 224 East A Street, and has a beautiful residence erected five years ago, one of the most desirable homes of Ontario, and a house representing to a large extent his ideas of planning and arrangement. Mr. Kirkpatrick served for a number of years as superintendent of streets in Ontario, is a loyal democrat, a public spirited citizen, for many years has been closely affiliated with the Methodist Church and is a Woodman of the World and has filled various chairs in that order.
In Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa, January I, 1882, he married Miss Anna J. Orr, who was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, August 11, 1861. Her parents, James and Eleanor (McCutheon) Orr, were natives of County Tyrone, Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick have had four children: Nellie R., wife of J. H. Sanborn, of Millcreek, Cali- fornia ; Julius D., who married Lavina Wymore and is living in Ontario ; Florence D., who recently graduated from the University of California, at Berkeley ; and Rachel, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick's grand- children are as follows: Ronald (deceased), Arthur Dean, Eleanor Bertha, and Leona Marie, who are children of Nellie R. Sanborn; and Anna Elizabeth, Lavina Ruth, Clara Dorris and Denzil Victor, children of Julius D. Kirkpatrick.
Mrs. Kirkpatrick was educated in the public schools of Jefferson County, Iowa, and is a member of the Women's Relief Corps. Mr. Kirkpatrick was one of the charter members of the George Strong Post, Sons of Veterans, of Brighton, Iowa.
H. H. LINVILLE was the type of business man and citizen that is a fundamental asset to any community. His life in San Bernardino County was a constructive one, resulting in improved conditions, and individually it was successful, success being gained after reverses that might have dis- couraged less determined men.
The late Mr. Linville was born in Oregon, son of W. J. Linville. As a boy he came to California with his parents, who lived in San Francisco for a time and then came to Riverside. In the Riverside district his father set out an orange orchard when few plantings of citrus fruit had been made in that section. He also bought and operated a planing mill near Colton. Later H. H. Linville was associated with his father in this busi- ness, and on moving to San Bernardino they operated a planing mill. Mr. H. H. Linville and Mr. Whitney as partners owned a mill at San Ber- nardino, and also bought timber and operated a saw mill in the San Bernardino Mountains. After the burning of the mill at San Bernardino Mr. Linville engaged in the citrus nursery business at Highland. For a period his efforts were rewarded with encouraging progress. Then came a severe freeze, which practically destroyed the entire plantation. That was the second severe financial reverse. This time he was left only with the assets of good character. At this time the Brookings Mill & Lumber Company was beginning the operation of a large sawmill at Highland.
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This firm allowed Mr. Linville to have a strip of land with water, and in return for its use he acted as watchman of the company's property. On this land he again planted a nursery, and as the result of long, hard hours of labor he gradually built anew his finances. Later he purchased land from Mr. Tyler and expanded the nursery to larger proportions, and from time to time increased his holdings, securing forty-six acres of valuable citrus groves. Eventually he was one of the large property owners of this section, owning several substantial business blocks in the City of San Bernardino and in Highland. Great industry and business ability put him on a secure financial footing years before his death, which occurred at Highland in 1915. He was a Knight of Pythias and a member of the Congregational Church.
At Highland Mr. Linville married Miss Cora B. Wallace, a native of Iowa, and brought to California when seventeen months old by her parents, William and Mary E. (Gemmel) Wallace. Her people were among the pioneers of the Highland section. As Miss Wallace Mrs. Linville was a popular teacher both in Riverside and Highland. She is the mother of two children : Henry Herschel and Wallace Linville.
The memory of the late Mr. Linville is that of one of the founders of the colony, a pillar of real strength and a source of encouragement to others. He was far-seeing, possessed advanced ideas and ideals, and was most generous in giving them expression.
JOHN R. METCALF, of Highland, is one of the successful self-made men of San Bernardino County, and is proud of the fact that he owes all of his present prosperity to his own, unaided efforts. He has always studied conditions carefully, weighed opportunities and made his invest- ments wisely, with a view to the future as well as the present. It is such men as he who are responsible for the remarkable expansion in every direction of the commercial and industrial interests of Southern California.
The birth of John R. Metcalf occurred at San Bernardino, November 22, 1863, and he is a son of John F. and Eliza Metcalf, natives of Cum- berland, England, who first immigrated to Australia and later to America, with their respective parents. It was during the excitement over the discovery of gold in Australia that the Metcalf family left England for Australia, but when it died out in 1852, without having materially bettered their fortunes, they decided to once more follow the lure of the golden goddess. They left Sidney, Australia, on one of the old-type sailing vessels, and after a long and wearying voyage of thirteen weeks landed at Wilmington, California. It is a curious fact that their former voyage, from England to Australia, also took thirteen weeks, and it, too, was made in a sailing vessel.
Although they came here primarily with the idea of prospecting for gold, John F. Metcalf found better-paying work at freighting, for there was such a demand for all kinds of supplies and no railroads to carry them that the profits from this line of business were very large. He drove a team from the seacoast to various Government posts on the frontier, later extending his territory to different points in Arizona and becoming the owner of his own outfit. On these trips it was the custom for a number of the freighters to travel together so as to be able in this way to offer an effective resistance to any attack by the Indians, who infested the country at this period. In spite of all the precautions he had many narrow escapes, and some very thrilling experiences. In 1870 he rented from John Brown, Senior, the toll road through Cajon Pass. Like other pioneer enterprises, however, freighting passed with the coming of more civilized conditions, and John Metcalf turned his attention to other pro-
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jects. In 1873 he began lumbering and saw-milling in the San Bernardino Mountains, one mile southeast of the present Little Bear Valley dam site, but he died two years later, just as he was getting his new undertakings in excellent shape.
John F. Metcalf married Miss Eliza Arnold, and they had five children : John R., who was the eldest; Elizabeth, who was born in 1865, died in 1875; Isabel, who was born in 1866, died the following year ; James W., who was born December 14, 1868, is now living at Colton, and has for twenty-five years been in the service of the Santa Fe Railroad Company, being now in entire charge of the Southern California signal service, which he has so perfected that it costs to the company practically nothing in acci- dents, being 100 per cent efficient ; and Margaret, who was born May 11, 1871, married M. J. Simonton, chief auditor, Hawaiian Islands, which responsible position he has held for years. When the United States Gov- ernment took over these islands Judge Robinson was appointed judge, and Mr. Simonton was made his clerk. When Woodrow Wilson became presi- dent, he appointed a new judge, and Mr. Simonton was made chief auditor. He and his wife have one child, Richard M. Simonton, a bright young man with brilliant prospects. He studied in the various schools on the islands, and then took a course in marine studies. Coming to Presidio, California, he took the examination for Annapolis, and was one out of a class of 800 to pass it satisfactorily, his rating being 380. He is now on the high seas for further training as an official.
John R. Metcalf was educated in the schools of San Bernardino, and his first employment was secured in the general merchandise store of H. Conner of that city. Then for two years he was with Newburg & Rath- burn, grocers, leaving that firm for Smith Hale, with whom he continued until he went into the grocery business for himself in 1885, at which time he established himself at Riverside, and very successfully conducted his store for two years, when he sold and went into Bear Valley
With his arrival in Bear Valley and his entry into the cattle business, began the era of his real prosperity, and he extended his operations in many directions. Mr. Metcalf began on 1,000 acres of land, but had an exten- sive range on Whitewater for winter feeding. During this part of his career he had many experiences, and passed through a number of changes, both natural and artificial. In 1891 the Colorado River broke over its banks, something similar to the floods which formed the present Salton Sea, and the lands were flooded about New River, and as a result quan- tities of grass and pools of water continued during that season. G. W. Lang, an old Arizona cattleman driving cattle across the desert to the coast, found this feed, which enabled him to bring in 9,000 head of cattle. So favorably was he impressed with the country that he followed the river back into the Bee River country, and there obtained Mexican govern- ment concessions. His example was followed by Mr. Metcalf, who also bought cattle at different times, as Lang drove them out. He paid $1,500 for 400 head of cattle from Mr. Lang at one time. The following year, with O. M. Smith, he bought 500 head of cattle driven out from the Colo- rado River across the Chachuwalla Desert to Whitewater. The loss through making this desert drive was small, as the partners sold 490 head of this herd to R. F. Garner. All of these occurrences took place during the early history of the cattle industry in California.
Mr. Metcalf in partnership with Gus Knight built the famous Pine Knot Hotel of the now world-renowned Bear Valley Mountain resort. When they put up the first hotel this valley was a primitive forest and meadow land locality. He packed in all of his supplies by way of Victorville and the desert trail. Subsequently Mr. Metcalf sold his interest in this hotel
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to Mr. Knight. Mr. Metcalf also organized and superintended the con- struction of the first toll road in the valley. The merchants in the valley below subscribed stock to the amount of about $1,500, Mr. Knight sub- scribed $1,000, and Mr. Metcalf assumed the balance, of about $2,000. This road was opened in 1891 as one charging one dollar for a two-horse team. At that time the valley had but five families, those of Messrs. Met- calf and Knight, and the Rathbun, Beard and Case families, and there was also the carekeeper at the dam. By comparing the population in 1891 with the returns from the last census some adequate idea of the develop- ment in this region may be gained. In 1910 Mr. Metcalf sold his chief holdings to John D. Clark, who in turn sold them to the present owners. the Talmage brothers. In the meanwhile he had disposed of his cattle business and moved to Los Angeles, where until 1918 he was very success- fully engaged in business as a grocer. In the latter year he came to High- land, and since then has been occupied with orange and lemon growing.
In 1887 Mr. Metcalf married Miss Belle Knight, who was born in 1863 and is a member of the prominent Knight family. Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf have no children. They are very prominent socially, and are hospitable entertainers at their beautiful Highland home. They are enthusiastic with reference to the future of San Bernardino County, fully believing that the beginning of its expansion has barely commenced. Having taken so active a part in much of the earlier constructive work, they are in a position to know its possibilities and what may be expected of them. Mr. Metcalf has been a hard worker. While he has been accorded a success greater than comes to every man, he has earned every bit of it, and also fully deserves the confidence he inspires, for it comes as the result of years of purposeful endeavor, intelligent planning and the determination to permit no obstacles to stand in the way of his attaining his object. His recollections of the early cattle days, as well as of the beginnings of Pine Knot Hotel, are interesting and worthy of a place in recorded history, for they are authentic and colorful, giving a true picture of the days before modern invention dominated everything.
MRS. ELIZABETH F. VAN LEUVEN, whose childhood memories touch pioneer life in both Utah and California, has been a resident of the latter state since 1858, and is now one of the venerable and revered pioneer women of San Bernardino County, where she maintains her home in the beautiful Mission district of Redlands. Her gracious personality and the experiences that have been hers in connection with the development and progress of this favored section of the state render it specially gratifying to pay to her in this publication a merited tribute.
Mrs. Van Leuven was born in the State of Illinois, on the 17th of March, 1846, and is a daughter of William J. and Rachel Robinson. The father was born in Missouri, in 1818, was there reared to adult age, and he was a farmer by vocation during the period of his youth and early man- hood. He became a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints and when, at the outbreak of the Mexican war, the Government of the United States made requisition upon the Mormon Church for 500 men to serve as soldiers in the coming conflict Mr. Robinson was one of those who entered service. He became a member of what was known as the Mormon Battalion. This command was furnished wagons and teams and assigned to the transporting of arms, equipment and supplies to the stage of con- flict. In the early summer of 1846 the militant caravan set forth from Jefferson County, Misouri, on the long and perilous overland journey through the wilderness to Mexico. The men traveled on foot and through the settled districts traversed by the cavalcade they added to the supplies
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