USA > California > San Diego County > San Diego > History of San Diego, 1542-1908 : an account of the rise and progress of the pioneer settlement on the Pacific coast of the United States, Volume I > Part 23
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In 1847, a census of San Diego County was taken by Captain Davis of the Mormon Company, by order of Colonel Stevenson. It showed the following :
255
CENSUS OF 1850
Population of whites
248
Tame Indians or neophytes 483
Wild Indians or gentiles 1550
Sandwich Islanders
3
Negroes
3
Total population of county 2287
JOHN G. CAPRON
Who owned the stage line and mail contract from Los Angeles to El Paso, 913 miles between 1867 and 1884. Closely identified with the movement which brought the Santa Fe railroad
The seventh national census, taken in 1850, gave San Diego County a population of 798 and the town (including La Playa) 650,-this, of course, not including Indians. In 1860 the county had 4,324 and in 1870, 4,951.
The first county assessment roll, in 1850, shows the value of taxable property to have been :
Ranch lands $255,281
10 stores with capital of
65,395
6 vineyards, value not stated
87 houses
104,302
6789 head of cattle 92,280
Total
$517,258
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
The assessment roll for the city of San Diego gave the follow- ing valuations :
San Diego (Old Town) $264,210
New Town (Graytown, or Davis's Folly) 80,050
Middletown
30,000
Total
$375,260
In January, 1852, the Herald said there was not a vacant house in the town, and that over 200 people had recently arrived. In 1853, flour sold at $22 per barrel, pork from 32 to 35 cents, barley at 4 cents, rice at 10 cents, sugar from 14 to 20 cents, and potatoes from 5 to 512 cents, per pound.
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OLD TOWN SCHOOL
By the next year (1854) the town was not so prosperous, and a public meeting was held to consider the state of the country, at which a proposal to construct a good road to Temecula, for the purpose of securing the Mormon trade, was considered. In May, 1855, eggs sold for 50 cents per dozen and butter at 50 cents per pound. The best flour came from San Bernardino and was preferred to that from Chile. The Herald complains of a want of enterprise and says the town is going down hill.
257
SOME EARLY ADVERTISERS
In 1856, flour was worth $6 per ewt. at the mill, wheat 2212 cents per pound, barley 4 cents per pound, and hay $35 per ton.
In 1859, times were hard and the town dull. The Herald says a tailor, shoemaker, watchmaker. and gunsmith are needed, but is gratified to learn that "several of our merchants and mechan- ies, who intended to leave this place on account of dull times, have come to the conclusion to remain a little while longer."
On May 29, 1851, the following Old Town advertisements appeared in the first number of the Herald :
--
X
THE FAMOUS BELLS AT THE OLD TOWN CHURCH
Marks and Fletcher. general merchandise, west side of the plaza;
Exchange Hotel and Billiard Saloon. G. P. Tebbetts & Co., plaza;
Pantoja House, Chas. J. Laning, east side of plaza;
Colorado House, H. J. Couts, plaza;
Frederick J. Painter, M.D., plaza.
Nearly all the flour and grain used in the country at this period was imported, although most ranches had small patches of corn, beans, and wheat for home consumption. In 1853, more
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
grain, principally barley, was raised in the little valley of Viejas than in all the rest of the country. It was hanled in to Old Town, in Mexican carts, over a wild, broken country, without roads a great part of the way. Captain Bogart was not dis- conraged by the destruction of his erop of barley by antelope and rabbits on North Island in 1852, but persevered and raised good erops at that place, in 1855 and 1856.
Among the first to practice agriculture successfully were Colonel Eddy and Robert Kelly, owners of the Jamacha Raneho,
LOUIS ROSE
A very notable business man of the early days, whose name is perpetuated by Rose Canyon and Roseville
who planted 300 acres to rye, wheat, oats, barley, and potatoes in 1852, and made a success of it.
One of the most interesting ventures of the time was the tan- nery of Lonis Rose, established in 1853. It was situated in Rose's Canyon, about six miles from town and was quite com- pletely fitted up. There were 20 bark vats, 2 cisterns with a capacity of 500 gallons each, 6 lime and water vats, a bark mill, an adobe house for currying leather, and several foree pumps.
259
A MAN OF ENTERPRISE
The vats had a capacity of from 80 to 100 hides. The head tan- ner was Mr. Rose's nephew, N. J. Alexander. Bark was hauled a distance of ten miles and cost $12 to $15 per ton. Ilides, of course, were plentiful, and were obtained in exchange for leather products. He employed a Mexican workman who made up the leather into shoes, botas, and saddles. He used in one year 3,500 hides and 1,500 skins of deer, goat, sheep, and sea-lion, and sold $8,000 worth of products. It is not easy to determine whether the business paid, but Alexander died in 1854, and it was aban- doned soon after.
Mr. Rose was an unusually enterprising man and engaged in many undertakings. At one time, he undertook the manufacture of mattresses from sea-weed ; he prospected for coal at the month
HOUSE OF ALBERT B. SMITH, OLD TOWN
of Rose's Canyon, and thought he had a deposit of valuable clay. He gave considerable attention to copper and silver mines in San Diego County, and in January, 1858, it was stated that he had sold a half interest in these mines for $30,000. At that time, there were about 1,000 tons of ore ready to ship. Mr. Rose is also remembered as the founder of Roseville.
One of the most interesting episodes of the early days was the work of some Mormons, bent upon the enterprise of mining coal on the north shore of Point Loma, late in 1855, in response to a "revelation." Obtaining a lease of land from the city trustees, they proceeded to make borings which penetrated several strata of coal, ranging from three inches to a foot in thickness. In April. 1856, they announced that they had discovered a vein of good coal four and a half feet thick near the old light-house on
260
HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
Point Loma, and began to sink a shaft. Considerable machinery was installed and a few experienced miners, as well as engineers, employed, but nothing came of the enterprise. Naturally, it excited high hopes while it lasted.
A enrious aftermath of the Garra uprising in 1851 was the belated arrival of a party of rough characters from San Fran- cisco in the role of volunteers for the protection of the country against the Indians. At the beginning of the outbreak, the gov- ernor had been asked for assistance and had enlisted a large company to go to San Diego in response to this appeal. Just as they were about to sail, the governor was notified that the trouble was over, but about fifty of the volunteers refused to be deprived of their adventure. They arrived in San Diego in
LOPEZ HOUSE, OLD TOWN
December and went into camp in Mission Valley. A variety of trouble ensued, until the San Diegans began to fear that their deliverers from San Franeiseo constituted a worse menace to the publie peace than the Indians themselves. Horses were forcibly taken from the settlers and rows occurred in the plaza. Philip Crosthwaite received an ugly wound, but responded by shooting one of the volunteers named Watkins, who lost a leg in the eneounter. At last, the roughs chartered a vessel and returned to San Francisco, to the great relief of the community.
Thieving beeame so common and so annoying in the early days of American rule that in 1851 a law was enacted fixing a pen- alty of imprisonment from one to ten years, "or by death. in the discretion of the jury," for taking property to the value of fifty dollars or more. A hard character named James Robinson.
A VIEW OF OLD TOWN IN 1906-HUT OF RAFAEL', MAMUDES AND OLD JAIL IN FOREGROUND
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262
HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
familiarly known as "Yankee Jim," suffered the extreme pen- alty for stealing the only row-boat in the bay. The verdict of the jury was as follows :
"Your jurors in the within case of James Robinson have the honor to return a verdict of 'guilty' and do therefore sentence him, James Robinson, to be hanged by the neek until dead. Cave J. Conts, foreman of the jury."
The poor fellow could not believe that he was to be hanged until the very last moment. He appeared to think it all a grim joke or, at the worst, a serious effort to impress him with the enormity of his evil ways. He was still talking when Deputy Sheriff Crosthwaite gave the signal. Then the cart was driven
. REMAINS OF JAIL AT OLD TOWN Possibly the first instance of graft in California
from, beneath him and he was left dangling in the air. Surely, the punishment was far more wicked than the erime, yet the example must have proved very effective in discouraging theft. There are other instances of frontier justice which, when com- pared with the methods of today, show that society has grown much kinder with the passing of time. Such testimony as the following item from the Herald indicates that there was much exeuse for rough justice :
263
BUILDING THE JAIL
A lot of greasers had a baile the other evening, and as that was not enough for one night, they turned to and stoned a poor Indian, belonging to Mrs. Marron, until he quietly laid down and died. This is considered fine sport, and as our magistrates don't trouble about such little matters, it will probably be re- peated on the next occasion, with perhaps slight variation.
And here is a gruesome memory of the fierce old times related by Mrs. Carson :
'One day I stood at the corner of the old Franklin House and saw one man shoot another, and I was the only witness. Just as I was going to tell about it, Mr. Pendleton, who came up
JOSE ANTONIO SERRANO
Member of prominent Spanish family. He served under Pico in the Mexican War, participating in the Battle of San Pasqual
and saw that I had seen what had occurred, gave me a wink and I stopped myself in time. I did not know, then, why he wanted me to keep quiet, but I did so. He explained after- wards that he thought it would be unpleasant for me to have to be a witness. This was in January or February, 1865, and before we were married.
The story of the building of the cobblestone jail at Old Town is one of the most interesting in the annals of San Diego. It
264
HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
was one of the first things undertaken when the Americans came into possession of the city government. The contract was let for $5,000 to Agostin Haraszthy, who was city marshal and sher- iff at the time and whose father was president of the city coun- cil. The bid of Israel Brothers, $2,000 lower, was rejected. The cobbles were laid in ordinary mortar. without cement, and the building was seriously damaged by a heavy rain while in the course of construction. The contractor demanded a further allowance or relief from his contract, and they allowed him $2,000 more, making $7.000 in all. It soon appeared that there was not enough money in the treasury to complete the payment, whereupon city scrip was issued for the balance, in denomina- tions of $100. It read as follows :
No. 45, $100.
San Diego, March 28, 1851.
To the treasurer of the City of San Diego: Please pay to Agostin Haraszthy or bearer, the sum of one hundred dollars out of the General Fund, with interest at 8 per cent. per month, until advertised for payment-on account of contract for build- ing jail.
By authority of an Ordinance of the Common Council ap- proved March 28, 1851.
G. P. TEBBETTS, Treasurer of the Common Council.
A. J. MATSELL,
Clerk of the Common Council.
But little of this serip was ever paid, though some of it was exchanged for city lands. In 1853, the town trustees resigned in a body in order to defeat a suit which had been begun to enforce payment of this and other serip. This unusual course seems to have been justified by the wretched job which had been foisted upon the town. The jail was practically worthless, and the very first prisoner sent there promptly dug his way out. It still stands as a picturesque reminder of old times. It is within the enclosure of an old Indian, Rafael Mamudes, and is often visited by a class of people who do not ordinarily hunger to see the inside of a jail, and would not in this case save for his- torie interest and the easy exit afforded. The only prisoner ever successfully confined within the walls is a fine pepper tree, cheer- fully growing in one of the cells.
The cobblestone jail was succeeded by an iron eage, 5'7"x8'6", with a height of 7'. It had a wood roof and floor and was lined with sheet iron. It is now in use as a eity jail, at Coronado Tent City. While not imposing in appearance, it has the merit of holding the bad men consigned to it.
The end of Old Town as a community of any importance was the great fire of April 20, 1872. It began in Mrs. Schiller's
265
THE ANCIENT CANNON
kitchen, spread to the Gila, Franklin and Colorado houses and consumed all the business places on the plaza. This disastrous event turned the seale in favor of the vigorous young comniu- nity which was growing up on Horton's addition.
The most eloquent reminders of the time that is gone are the two old canon, one lying on the plaza at Old Town, the other treasured by the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. Both be- longed to the Spanish fort on Ballast Point and were removed to Old Town in 1838. The one which lies in the plaza long stood upright in the earth and was irreverently used as a hitching post for horses and a whipping-post for naughty Indians. The bronze gun, "El Jupiter," now in the Chamber of Commerce, was cast at Manila in 1783. These ancient cannon did duty under three flags and typify the history of San Diego. If their iron lips could speak the language of human tongues, they could tell the whole story of the Plymonth of the West, with its vary- ing fortunes under the dominion of Spaniard, Mexican and American.
CHAPTER XII
AMERICAN FAMILIES OF THE EARLY TIME
T WILL now be in order to give some account of the early American settlers of San Diego, I before proceeding to tell the story of the new city. A few who came before the Mexican War have already been sketched and the Spanish families are grouped in Chapter VI. Part II. Some of the names appearing in this chapter may be strange to the present gener- ation, though familiar to older settlers. The necessity of com- pressing this history into one volume of moderate size renders it impossible to do full justice to all these pioneers. The most essential facts have been condensed and arranged with a view to giving as much information as possible concerning them, in a brief and impartial manner.
AMES, Julian. Was a sailor from Amesbury, Mass., and said to have been an uncle of the well known Oakes Ames. He married, in Lower California, a lady named Espinosa. He was an otter hunter in 1846, and served as a volunteer in the Mex- ican War. He held some offices at an early day, including that of city trustee in 1853 and 1855. About 1859 or 1860, he set- tled on El Cajon ranch, where he died in February, 1866. ITis children were: Francisco, who lives in Lower California : Sam, who married Adelaide, a daughter of José Antonio Serrano, and lives in Lower California : José, who married María, daughter of José Machado, and lived and died at Lakeside; Mary, who married James Flynn ; and Nievas, who married Charles Green- leaf, of Lakeside.
BEAN, Joshua IT. Settled in San Diego during the military occupation and was a prominent citizen. He served as alcalde in 1850 and as mayor in the same year, being the last alcalde and the first mayor of San Diego. While mayor, he signed the deed for the "Middletown Addition, " May 27, 1850. He removed to Los Angeles in 1851, and at the time of the Garra Insurrec- tion was major-general of State Militia and came to San Diego to preside over the courtmartial. He kept a store at San Gabriel and was a prominent citizen of Southern California. He was killed, in November, 1852, by Mexican ruffians, near Los Angeles.
267
JUDGE THOMAS H. BUSH
BOGART, Captain J. C. Captain Bogart was one of the carli- est visitors, touching here in 1834, in the ship Black Warrior. In 1852 he became the agent of the Pacific Mail Steamship Com- pany at La Playa, with headquarters on the hulk Clarissa Andrew's, and held the position many years. He represented the county in the State Senate in 1862-3, and was actively connected with the San Diego & Gila Railroad project. He was unmar- ried. In 1873 he revisited San Diego and gave some interesting reminiscences.
BUSH, Thomas Henry. Judge Bush was born in Pennsyl- vania, June 8, 1831. and came to California in 1853. He learned the bookbinder's trade, which he followed in San Francisco, and also engaged in mining and kept a store in Lower California. IIe came to San Diego in 1865, where at first he kept a store, and in 1868 became postmaster. In the same year he was appointed county judge to fill the unexpired term of Julio Osuna, and held the office eight years. Ile was also school trustee and city trustee ; in the latter capacity, he was instrumental in sell- ing the city lands to Horton, and signed the deed. From 1878 to 1887. he was absent from San Diego, prospecting and visiting in his native state. In his later days, he engaged in the real estate business, was a notary, and secretary of the San Diego Society of Pioneers. He died December 17, 1898.
He married Ellen Augusta Porter. They had one daughter, Bertha, born in San Francisco in 1863. Miss Porter was an early teacher at Old Town.
Judge Bush was not a lawyer, and might, perhaps, have made a more satisfactory record as a judge had he been one. At the time of the agitation for the removal of the county seat from Old Town to Horton's Addition, he showed decided bias in favor of the Old Town faction, and the people of New San Diego always remembered it.
CASSIDY, Andrew. A native of County Cavan, Ireland. He came to America when 17 and was employed three years at West Point, in the Engineering Corps, under General George B. McClellan. He then went to Washington and entered the employ of the Coast Survey Office, under Professor Bache. About a year later, he was one of a party sent to the Pacific Coast under Lieutenant W. T. Trowbridge. They reached San Francisco in July, 1853, and a month later came to San Diego, established a tidal gange at La Playa, and left Cassidy in charge. He remained in charge of this tidal gange, and of meteorological observations, for seventeen years, and also gave considerable attention to collecting specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.
In 1864, Mr. Cassidy became owner of the Soledad Rancho, containing 1,000 acres, where the town of Sorrento is situated,
268
HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
and engaged in the live stock business until in 1887, when he sold the property. He is also a property owner in San Diego.
Ilis first wife was Rosa Serrano, daughter of José Antonio Serrano, who died September 10, 1869. Ile married. second, Mary Smith, daughter of Albert B. Smith, who is now deceased. They had one daughter, Mary Winifred. Mr. Cassidy is still living, a respected citizen of San Diego. He held several public offices at an early day. He was a member of the Board of Pub- lic Works as late as his 88th year.
CLAYTON, Henry. Came to San Diego with the boundary commission as a surveyor. He married the widow of Captain Joseph F. Snook (María Antonia Alvarado de Snook). They are both deceased and left no children. Clayton held the office of city surveyor for a short time in 1850, and was the first county surveyor, serving for several terms in the 50's and 60's.
CONNORS, James W. A soldier who came to San Diego with Magruder's Battalion in 1850. He married Harriet Vandergrift, sister of Richard Kerren's wife. He was deputy sheriff seven years under James McCoy and still lives in Coronado. Ilis son, George A. Connors, married Isabel Smith, daughter of A. B. Smith. She is now deceased; he is still living; they had three children : James W. Connors, Jr., married Helen Minter and lives in Old Town. Has four children. William E. Connors, married first, a Minter, who died ; married second, Dolores Alva- rado. Has one child, living at Whittier; employed at reform school. Paul S. Connors, married Mary N. Stewart, daughter of John C. Stewart. Lives at Old Town. Is night watchman at the court house, San Diego; has been postmaster at Old Town, where he keeps a store. Has two children living, one dead. Hattie Connors, married Ben Lyons ; lives at Coronado. Sarah Connors, married first, Dr. Edward Burr; second, Angelo Smith. Dead. Mary J. Connors, died in a Los Angeles school. Unmarried.
COUTS, Cave Johnson. Born near Springfield, Tennessee, November 11, 1821. His unele, Cave Johnson, was Secretary of the Treasury under President Polk, and had him appointed to West Point, where he graduated in 1843. He served on the fron- tier until after the Mexican War, and was then at Los Angeles. San Luis Rey, and San Diego from 1848 to 1851. In 1849 he conducted the Whipple expedition to the Colorado River.
On April 5, 1851, he married Ysidora Bandini, daughter of Juan Bandini, of San Diego. In October of the same year he resigned from the army, and was soon after appointed colonel and aid-de-camp on the staff of Governor Bigler. In the Garra insurrection he served as adjutant, and at the courtmartial was judge-advocate. He was a member of the first grand jury September, 1850, and county judge
269
CAREER OF CAVE J. COUTS
in 1854. In 1853 be removed to a tract known as the Gan- jome grant, a wedding gift to his wife from her brother-in- law, Abel Stearns. Having been appointed sub-agent for the San Luis Rey Indians. Colonel Couts was able to secure all the cheap labor needed for the improvement of his property. His business affairs were managed with skill and military precision, and he became one of the wealthiest men in Southern Califor- nia. Ile purchased the San Marcos, Buena Vista, and La Jolla ranchos, and also government land, amounting in all to about 20,000 acres. His home was widely celebrated for its hospital- ity. Ile entertained Helen Hunt Jackson while she was collect- ing materials for Ramona, and part of the story is supposed to be laid at the Ganjome rancho. As Colonel Couts's wealth con- sisted largely of cattle, the passage of the "no fenee" law was a severe blow to him, and one from which he never fully recov- ered. He died at the Horton House, in San Diego, June 10, 1874. He was over six feet tall, perfectly straight, and weighed 165 pounds. He was a man of good education, strict integrity, and gentlemanly manners. ITis widow continued to live on the rancho and manage it until her death.
Their children were ten, of whom nine lived to maturity : Abel Stearns, who died in 1855, aged nearly four years ; María Antonia, who was married to Chalmers Scott, and still lives in San Diego; William Bandini, who married Christina, daughter of Salvador Estudillo, and is a farmer living near San Marcos; Ysidora Forster, who was married to W. D. Gray; Elena, mar- ried to Parker Dear and lived several years on the Santa Rosa rancho ; Robert Lee; John Forster; and Caroline.
COUTS. William B. Brother of Cave J. Couts, married a daughter of Santiago E. Argüello. He was county clerk and recorder in 1855-6-7-8. postmaster in 1858, justice of the peace in 1861, etc. In 1857 he seems to have held nearly all the county offices at one time, if credit is to be given the Herald of April 27th in that year. His son. George A. Couts, is a San Diego city policeman.
CROSTHWAITE, Philip. Was born December 27, 1825. in Athy. County Kildare, Ireland, where his parents were visiting their old home, they having emigrated to the United States some years before. On their return to America, Philip was left in the care of his grandparents, and lived with them until 16, when he visited his mother. In 1843 he returned to Ireland to com- plete his education, and entered Trinity College, Dublin. His grandmother died in 1845 and he thereupon came to America for a second visit, intending to return and complete his educa- tion. But while in Philadelphia, he met a young man from Bos- ton with whom he struck up an acquaintance, and for a "lark" these two determined to take a short sea voyage. Going to New-
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO
port, R. I., they shipped on board the schooner Hopewell, Cap- tain Littlefield, supposing they were bound on a fishing trip to the Newfoundland banks. To their dismay, after reaching the open sea, they found the ship was booked for San Francisco. They begged so hard to be put ashore that the captain finally promised to allow them to return by the first ship they met : but Crosthwaite related it as a singular circumstance that they never saw another sail from that day until they reached the Bay of San Diego.
Crosthwaite and his friend. Rhead, deserted here and waited until the Hopewell had departed. A ship bound for the East came along soon after, but there was room for only one; there was a toss-up for the vacant berth, and Crosthwaite losing, he gave up all thought of leaving San Diego. He was strong and adventurous and made his way. In 1846, when the Mexican War broke out, he was on an otter hunting expedition on the Lower California coast, with Julian Ames, John Post, John C. Stew- art, and William Curley. Learning of the war at the Santa Rosario Mission, they all returned to San Diego and served in the San Pasqual campaign. They reached the town late at night, and early the next morning were awakened by a thundering knock at the door. It was Captain Gillespie, who said: "There can be no neutrals in this country; you must either enlist for three months (as the war will probably be over by that time), or be imprisoned on the Congress." He intended to enlist, any- way, but the choice was made easy. A good deal of. the local color concerning the San Pasqual campaign has been derived from his accounts of it. He was in the midst of it from begin- ning to end, and was slightly wounded by Pico's rangers in the slaughter of December 6th. After the troops left for the capture of Los Angeles, he performed garrison duty until the close of the war.
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