History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 47

Author: Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1660

USA > California > San Joaquin County > History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 47

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The Last Spike

The fight between Hiram Fisher and the railroad because the latter took earth from East Street canal for the filling, and the lib- erality of Captain Weber in permitting the contractors to take all the material required, free of cost, from the Mormon slough, are but

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

side issues, and we come to May 8, 1869, when many of our citizens celebrated in Sacra- mento the laying of the last tie of the trans- continental line and the placing of the golden spike. A meeting of citizens was called to make arrangements for the celebration and about fifty responded. It was resolved to fire a national salute at noon of the day of the completion of the road, ring all of the bells of the city, display flags and banners, engage the Stockton Band and that as many as possible should visit Sacramento. The salute was fired from El Dorado Street bridge by Robert Hanks. The city hall bell was rung continu- ously for five hours, Al Rider being one of the well-known men who pulled the rope. Quite a large delegation, including many members of the Pioneer Society, with George Evans as marshal, left Stockton for Sacramento, an en- gine and flat cars being kindly provided by the company. The track from Sacramento southward had been laid only to Liberty and it was necessary to go thither in carriages.

Never will I forget the exhilaration of that trip-my first ride on a railroad train. The train frequently stopped at the stations along the way, and on our arrival at the capital there were several hundred people on board. The little town was overcrowded with people. all awaiting with suppressed excitement the time when the electric spark would flash the news all over the United States and to every California town that the last spike was driven. Eight minutes before 12 o'clock that news came, and immediately the twenty-one loco- motives of the company, drawn up in two rows on Front Street, began an unearthly screeching, and they were assisted in this pan- demonium by all city whistles and bells and by the brass bands in attendance. The effect was indescribable, the music of our playing sounded to us like another band half a mile distant. There was an immense procession, and an oration was delivered by Governor H. H. Haight, who now has a son residing in this city. For the occasion Charles Shultz, then a famous orchestra leader and composer of San Francisco, composed the "Railroad March," which was played by the crack band of the state, the Third Artillery. The piece represented the starting and stopping of a railroad train-first, the cry, "All aboard !" then the ringing of the bell, the whistle, the exhaust of the engine, and the noise of the wheels as they, with increasing speed, struck the joints of the rails. During the afternoon the Stockton band serenaded the citizens, and that night even cots were at a premium.

Stockton's First Passenger Train

The greatest event in Stockton's history was the arrival August 11, 1869, of the first pas-

senger train from Sacramento. It was a great event, as it linked Stockton with the East in bands of steel. The excursion train was to have arrived at Stockton at 12 o'clock, but it was delayed at Mokelumne City nearly one hour and a half, hundreds of excursionists jumping off at the little village believing it was Stockton. This was not very compli- mentary to this city, but it indicated how ig- norant the general public were of the size of California's towns before the coming of the railroad. "When the arrival of the train was announced by the whistle of the locomotive, the excitement and enthusiasm of the vast throng was unbounded." The train was lit- erally packed with men and women and chil- dren, 2,500 in all. As soon as it reached North Street a salute of thirty guns was fired by Robert V. Hanks and all of the bells of the city began their clamor. The Pioneers and the firemen, accompanied by a band, were on hand to welcome their Sacramento brethren, and a procession was formed and marched into the city. It comprised the Sacramento City Guard in Zouave uniform, Sacramento band and Pioneers ; Stockton band, San Joaquin pio- neers, Sacramento fire department band. Confi- dence Engine Co. No. 1 with their machine Sacramento No. 3 with engine and delegates from the Sacramento firemen, Stockton fire- men, mayors and county officials of Sacra- mento and Stockton in carriages, citizens on foot. The pioneers tendered their Sasramento brethren a banquet at the Yosemite House; the visiting officials were also banqueted there. The firemen were given a collation at the Eureka engine house. The general public dined wherever they could find a bite; they cleaned out all of the restaurants, foraged all of the grocery stores and bakeries for bread, crackers, cheese, oysters and sardines, and ac- tually wiped out the town on the food prop- osition. Two days later Stockton's first rail- road excursion took place, the Methodist Episcopal Sunday school going on a picnic to Mokelumne City.

Long before the road was built to Stockton citizens were visiting their Eastern homes, and June 26, 1869, Timothy Newell and Miss Lucy Grove started, the former going to Mas- sachusetts and the latter to Virginia. Passen- ger trains began running between Stockton and Sacramento on August 11. On Septem- ber 10, Stocktonians traveled to San Fran- cisco over the San Jose train, connecting at Niles. Over the San Joaquin River they crossed in the ferryboat. November 10 the bridge was finished and the train ran into Oakland, thus completing the great overland railroad from ocean to ocean. As soon as the track was laid to Oakland a regular schedule time table was published, the overland train

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HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

leaving San Francisco at 8 a. m. and Stockton at 12 a. m. and the west bound leaving Stock- ton at 1:48 and arriving at San Francisco at 5:40. The first-class rate of fare (not includ- ing sleepers) was $129 to St. Louis; Chicago, $130; New York, $150; New Orleans, $160. The second-class rate to the same points was $60; New York, $66.75. Stockton also had the benefit of a through train which left San Fran- cisco at 4 p. m. and Stockton at 8:28, arriving at Sacramento at 10:50. Leaving the capital at 6:30 a. m., Stockton was reached at 8:19 and San Francisco at 12:30, the fare from Stockton being $5.00.

The Western Pacific Railroad

About a year previous to the commence- ment of the road at Sacramento, a company was organized to run a road from San Jose through Stockton to Sacramento. One of the organizers and vice-president of the road was Dr. E. S. Holden of Stockton. In 1863 the legislature passed bonded bills to the amount of $2,250,000. Among these bills was one au- thorizing the supervisors of San Joaquin county, if the citizens so voted, to issue $250,- 000 worth of bonds for the Western Pacific Railroad. Throughout the state, meetings were held to urge the people to vote for the bonds in the various counties and such a meeting was held April 5 in Stockton. Agri- cultural Hall was crowded, and the meeting was addressed by Judge Thomas Dame, presi- ident of the Western Pacific, Timothy G. Phelps and several local speakers.

The following month, May 12, a special elec- tion was held. The citizens voted on three propositions-$250,000 for the Western Pa- cific, $100,000 for the Stockton and Copperop- olis Railroad and $50,000 for the Mono and Big Trees road. The citizens gave a good major- ity for the Western Pacific and the Mono roads bonds, but the bonds for the Stockton and Copperopolis road, a purely local affair, were defeated. The county vote for the West- ern Pacific bonds was 1505 for and 502 against. The city vote was 1041 for and 85 against. Four days after the election Supervisors Henry Thornlow and Moses Severy, and Thomas Dame, president of the Western Pa- cific railroad, and County Clerk Hall were in- structed to prepare the bonds, and an order was made for engraving the plate "for the use benefit and advantage of San Joaquin county." All fine engraving was then done in New York, and, as it took some time to get the plate, no bonds were issued until May, 1864, at which time B. F. Mann came to Stockton and carried away in his pocket fifty $1,000 bonds, it being understood that the money was to be used in the construction of the road in San Joaquin County only. Soon

there were reports of misrepresentation and fraud on the part of the company, and in De- cember, 1864, John Tuohy was sent to San Francisco to vote the stock of the county at the railroad meeting and make an investiga- tion regarding the rumors. On returning he gave a detailed history of the road and ended his report by saying, "I found it impossible to get the directors to commence work in San Joaquin County, although it was represented to citizens that the amount subscribed by San Joaquin should be expended in the county." The people were now up in arms against the railroad company because it had not lived up to its representation. No railroad could be built piece by piece in the manner contem- plated. A similar promise had been made in Santa Clara County, and it was fulfilled, the contractors working from that point toward Stockton. Soon it began to be whispered that the supervisors and the railroad were very friendly, notwithstanding the people's protest, and in August, 1865, Judge Dame secured a further subscription for $50,000 worth of bonds. After this the talk became pretty warm, and when Charles Fox, the new president of the Western Pacific, appeared before the su- pervisors and requested that the balance of the bonds ($100,000 worth) be issued, not only was his request refused but the supervisors refused to give him the installments then due ($50,000) until the people were satisfied that everything was right. The air was now filled with wild rumors, and to know in part, at least, why Stockton was already so bitterly opposing the progress of the Western Pacific and the Central Pacific we must relate a little inside history. San Francisco, in 1863, voted bonds in the sum of $1,000,000 to the West- ern Pacific and the Central Pacific, but the board of supervisors refused to issue them. Frank McCoppin declared in unmeasured terms his antagonism to the railroad, and Fred MacCrellish of the Alta referred contin- uously to the so-called "Dutch Flat swindle." Leland Stanford, as president of the Central Pacific, invited the supervisors to inspect his work, and they appointed McCoppin and E. Torrey, with an expert bookkeeper, to go to Sacramento and examine the railroad's books. Stanford refused to show his books. Would any business man have done otherwise when an enemy was sent to look over the books when other railroad companies were doing all within their power to obstruct the progress of the Central Pacific? The contract was let to Charles McLaughlin to grade the road from San Jose to Stockton, seventy-five miles. Lewis was chief engineer of the road, and August 5, 1865, his men set stakes 100 feet apart along El Dorado Street, the line run- ning through Woodbridge, crossing the Mo-

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

kelumne at that point, and continuing one- half mile west of Liberty. From Sacramento to the summit of the mountains 105 miles of road were already in successful operation. An excursion of newspaper men had gone over the road and one writer, in a paper of Decem- ber 7, said: "It is hoped to put the Legisla- ture next Saturday through a bigger bore than they ever met in political life-a tunnel (one of eleven) 1,659 feet long." In the meantime the Western Pacific company were unable to finance the road and they turned it over to the contractor, Mclaughlin. He also failed to carry out the project and in March, 1864, Mc- Laughlin sold his franchise, shovels, scrapers and all road building material to Stanford & Company. Then came the report, fully con- firmed, that the Central Pacific had taken the franchise of the Western Pacific. At this time the county had paid in interest to the West- ern Pacific $28,780 in gold coin and, said Ed- itor Geddes: "What had the company done? Graded a few miles of road (in Santa Clara County). As a matter of fact the whole thing has been a swindle since the time when Judge Dame engineered the bill through the Legisla- ture up to the present time."

Copperopolis Road

In 1860 several miners prospecting for gold in Calaveras County discovered rich croppings of copper ore. The valuable mineral was found in large quantities. Copperopolis was founded, the mines were developed and as early as 1862, 3,000 tons of copper ore had been taken out, the amount gradually increasing until 1865, when, from February to Septem- ber, 16,400 tons of ore were taken from the mines. The transportation of this ore to Stock- ton at eight dollars per ton, gave employment to hundreds of men, including teamsters with their horses, mules and oxen, and annually they expended thousands of dollars in this city. Several enterprising citizens, led by Dr. E. S. Holden, believing that a railroad to the coppertown would be a paying investment and of great advantage to Stockton, organized the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad Com- pany. In March, 1862, Samuel Myers intro- duced a bill into the Legislature authorizing the construction and granting the right-of- way to Dr. Holden and others for such a road. and R. P. Handy, the county surveyor, was employed to make the survey. Three months later he reported a line forty-eight miles in length, which would cost, fully equipped with locomotives, cars, depots, etc., $1,181,400. The cost of the road simply staggered the direct- ors and the enterprise seemed dead. It had one promoter who knew no such word as fail- ure, and in December. 1865, Dr. Holden again

came to the front as president of the com- pany, with George Gray. Timothy Page, T. P. Anthony, George S. Sanderson, C. T. Meader, H. B. Underhill and W. K. Reed and Thomas Hardy of Copperopolis as directors. Things looked encouraging, and said the press. "There is little doubt but what the work will go on in good shape, for the directors and of- ficers are all men of business competency and energetic minds. Subscription books were now opened but although many subscribed, only a few paid in their assessments, as the knockers were at work, and they declared a railroad would destroy business in the city.

The only people alive to the future interest of the county were those of Farmington. In a meeting held in the schoolhouse April 5, 1863, they declared: "This community is composed of solid firms and sturdy mechanics, who have lived where the steam whistle of the locomo- tive greeted the ears daily, and we have no- ticed that the railroad enhances the value of property and vitalizes all kinds of business. We. therefore, sanction and favor railroad en- terprises in our vicinity." This report was signed by John Campbell, S. Dunham and David F. Hadley. A most important special election was about to take place May 12, 1863. the people to vote on bonds of $100,000 for the Stockton & Copperopolis railroad. George Gray, mayor-elect, in his inaugural address May 11, said: "We have allowed the golden movements to fly by unimproved in the past but the opportunity again presents itself to make Stockton what she might and ought to have been in years gone by. Our only salva- tion depends on our efforts this time to ad- vance her interests."

On the day of election there was consider- able excitement and much angry talk, and in some places, in the county and the city, not- ably the third ward, there was a strong and determined fight to defeat the bonds. They were defeated, the total vote in the county be- ing 967 for, and 1048 against. Woodbridge voted yes, 36, no 105. They opposed it be- cause the road would not benefit their part of the country, (the Governor at that time had signed a bill for a railroad from Woodbridge to Mokelumne City), and Lockeford for the same reason gave one vote for the road and 50 against it. Linden saw the doom of agricul- ture and voted 7 yes, and 79 no, and Farming- ton said 39, yes, 7 no. In the city 766 said aye, 288 nay. The third ward gave a majority of 88 against the bonds, they raising the same cry as that of 1856: "What will our black- smiths and wagonmakers do for work if the railroad be constructed ? It will put all of our teamsters out of business, our stage drivers and stablemen out of business, for there will be no work for the horses, mules and oxen and

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no sale of hay, barley or oats, as the work animals will all be driven out of the country."

To be sat down upon by those you are en- deavoring to assist is a rather discouraging proposition, but Dr. Holden, an undying pro- moter, was again busy. and in November, 1865, the Stockton & Copperopolis road was again incorporated, and Surveyor John Wal- lace, accompanied by the doctor, found a much shorter and less costly route, and Ivers & Nagle took a contract to complete the work. They graded twelve miles and then stopped work, as there was no money in sight to pay them. Copper had depreciated in value from 17 to 12 shillings in England, something never before known, and C. T. Meader, one of the heaviest backers of the road, failed for nearly $2,000,000. In the meantime Dr. Holden went to Congress and assisted by the California congressmen, got a law passed granting to the Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad, 250,000 acres of land along the route, the road to be completed on or before July 4, 1872.

As the road now had a money value, under certain conditions, and copper had risen in value, railroad men and capitalists began to sit up and take notice, and in November, 1869, a new board of directors were elected, men identified with the California Pacific Railroad. Gen. John C. Sullivan was placed in charge of the work. Said a San Francisco paper April 25, 1870: "The construction of this long- mooted scheme is now assured. The contract has been let for the grading of twenty miles of road, twelve miles are already graded and General Sullivan will complete the road to the mines within eighteen months." Who was General Sullivan? Nobody knew. Who is building the road? Nobody knew except a few of the Stockton directors. From this time on everything to the public and the press was mysterious, and there was "a nigger in the wood pile" just as there had been in the Western Pacific and the Central Pacific.

Previous to the transfer of stock to San Francisco stockholders, Dr. Holden, in Febru- ary, 1869, petitioned the supervisors for the $100,000 in bonds which it was reported had been returned to them from the Western Paci- fic, and in October the council received a peti- tion signed by many taxpayres, requesting them to subscribe to the amount of $100,000 on the books of the railroad company, the bonds to be issued when ten miles of the road was completed and in running order, provided the road had its terminus on the waterfront. The council refused to take any action.

Nearly a year passed. As we have noted, the enterprise is in the hands of non-citizens, and the mystery grows interesting in the lat- ter part of the year, for in November, 1870, the council granted the right-of-way to the

Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad down Web- er Avenue to the waterfront, the council re- serving full control of the wharves. No liquor was to be sold in the depot or upon the street. After the council passed the ordin- ance the managers of the road invited the council to a social gathering at the Weber House, the first and last instance of Stockton officials banqueting with railroad magnates. as for over twenty years Stockton was fight- ing the railroad. Sparkling champagne flowed freely, and speeches were made by Mayor Evans, Councilman Ellesworth, Cunningham and Belding, and by McDonald and Moulton of the new road. A toast was proposed and drank ·to Dr. E. S. Holden, then sick abed. "the promoter and champion of the railroad."

In less than a week after the passing of the ordinance the citizens began to open their eyes, for there appeared at the wharf a new steamer, the W. H. L. Moulton, with a cargo of ties, spikes and iron for the new road, to- gether with hand cars bearing the stamp of the California Pacific Railroad. Two days later, November 29, the engineers began lay- ing the track up Weber Avenue, commenc- ing at the corner of Center Street and the sidewalk was filled with an eager crowd, all discussing the railroad proposition, who was building it and where it was going.

The rails were laid up the avenue to Union Street, then outside of the city limits, a curved track was laid from the Central Pacific to the Stockton and Copperopolis track, and a California Pacific locomotive and eight plat- form cars coming over the Union Pacific from Sacramento were switched to the new track. In less than a year, September 1, 1871, all of the California Pacific railroads were absorbed by the Central Pacific and they for more than twenty years ran their locomotives to the waterfront. Then by an agreement of the merchants along the avenue and an ordinance by the council, granting them waterfront priv- ileges below El Dorado Street, they removed their track.

The 14th of December. 1870, was hailed as the "dawn of a new era," for on that day the first locomotive was run to the waterfront. It was a great day in Stockton, and Weber Ave- nue was lined with people anxiously awaiting the appearance of "the people's railroad train." The locomotive Copperopolis had been steamed up and about 1 o'clock, hauling six platform cars, crowded with men and boys, she started down towards the levee. Her starting was announced by the firing of can- non and the pealing of the fire bell. As the train slowly moved down the avenue, it was greeted by the cheers of the crowd, and the waving of thousands of handkerchiefs. At El Dorado Street the engine was stopped and

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General Evans immediately shouted, three cheers for the first locomotive to come to the waterfront. The cheers were heartily given, followed by three cheers for Dr. Holden, the father of the Stockton & Copperpolis Railroad. Dr. Holden, called upon for a speech, spoke a few words, and then introduced Col. J. P. Jack- son, president of the California Pacific Rail- road and secretary of the Stockton & Coppero- polis.

The road was completed to Milton May 1, 1871, and passenger trains began running. Ten days later the superintendent, W. H. L. Moul- ton, ran an excursion train to that point, the fare being seventy-five cents for the round trip.

Soon after the Civil War the air was filled with paper railroads, so to speak, and there were no less than seven railroad schemes pro- jected. The Stockton & Copperopolis pro- moters were striving for recognition, and about the same time a company organized in San Francisco, July 1864, as the San Francisco & Atlantic road, proposed to build a line from San Francisco across to the Sierras by the way of Stockton. The directors asked for a right of way through the county, and the citizens "generously" guaranteed the company the right-of-way provided they would run their line through the corporate limits of the city.

In the public discussion which was held in the city hall one of the speakers, L. T. Carr, a local attorney, in no way then or later con- nected with the railroad, gave the citizens some advice, which had they followed it in 1869 Stockton would have been twenty-five years ahead of its present growth. Mr. Carr said: "Every inducement should be given to the railroad to your city even to your very doors. Corporations have no souls, and if you gentlemen will look at the matter in its proper light you will see that the company will con- struct its road for its own profit, rather than for the benefit of the city. It is the duty of the people of Stockton to bring the road to this city if they have not only to erect a depot and other buildings at the city expense, but also to guarantee them the right-of-way through the entire county." This is what the city later did for the Valley or Spreckels' road.

The San Joaquin Valley Railroad

The Central Pacific in 1868 announced their purpose to build a road down the San Joaquin Valley and a branch road to Oregon, but they were undecided from what point to commence their southern road-French Camp, Shepherd's Ferry on the San Joaquin river, or Stockton. Immediately an opposition line, known as the San Joaquin Valley road was incorporated, February 5, 1868, to run to a point on the Kern River, in Tulare County, 300 miles. It

did not receive much encouragement in Stock- ton. In San Francisco the directors were turned down with the remark that another road had declared its purpose to build down the valley (Stanford's) within six months and two parallel roads would not pay. The com- pany went on with its work and surveyed a line to the Stanislaus River, set stakes for a distance of twelve miles and several of the directors went East and purchased iron and spikes to be immediately shipped around Cape Horn. In February the council refused them a. right-of-way through Sutter Street down Hazelton Avenue to the waterfront. The company asked the citizens to subscribe $100,- 000 to the project and October, 1868, a mass meeting was held to consider the proposition. The people would not take any stock and only $90,000 could be obtained. Another public meeting was held in March, 1869, and a com- mittee was appointed with Edward Moore as chairman to strengthen the old organization, and they reported that $100,000 was insuffi- cient. Even twenty miles of road could not be built for less than $300,000. At their recom- mendation the old company was dissolved and a new company was organized. The people having full faith in the new organization voted almost unanimously authorizing the council, if permitted by the Legislature to loan the credit of the city to the Stockton & Tulare Company in bonds of $300,000 and at a council meeting held September 28, 1869, the company declared it their intention to build a railroad, commenc- ing at the waterfront, to Visalia, Stockton for- ever to remain the terminus of said road, pro- vided the city issue its bonds for $300,000 to said road, $50,000 to be paid when five miles were completed and $50,000 for every addi- tional five miles until the whole sum be paid. The document was signed by Timothy Page, president, and Frank Stewart, secretary.

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History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 47

Author: Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849 Publication date: 1923 Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1660

Author: Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1660