USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > History of San Luis Obispo County and environs, California, with biographical sketches > Part 18
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The question came up, was San Luis Obispo a pueblo and entitled to the pueblo lands? The claim was presented in 1853 to the land commission and rejected by them in 1854. A pueblo had the right to incorporate, elect officers and use in common four leagues, about twelve square miles. San Luis was a pueblo, but the rights of one were rejected on the grounds of insufficient proof. In 1867 the town acquired a right to six hundred forty acres by act of Congress. In 1871 the town authorities received from the United States Land Office a certificate of purchase to the town site containing 552.65 acres. This was a great relief to all hands.
In 1859 the town was organized under the laws of the state, with Charles H. Johnson president of the board of trustees and Thomas H. Bouton clerk. The board passed ordinances and tried to enforce them. Dr. W. W. Hays and C. W. Dana succeeded Johnson and Bouton. In 1868 the first bridge across San Luis creek was built. A. Blockman & Co. put up the first brick store. In 1874, by act of legislature, the town issued bonds for $10,000, interest eight per cent., payable in fifteen years. The bonds sold at ninety per cent., and the proceeds were used for repairing roads and streets and building bridges. In 1876 the city was incorporated, the city officials being : S. A. McDougall, mayor ; councilmen, Rackliffe, Reed, Barger, Bayer and Harris; clerk, Julius Krebs. The city limits were extended to their present confines. Bridges existed at Mill, Court, Morro, Chorro, Nipomo and Broad streets in 1876. Gas and water works had been installed and a fire company organized. March 20, 1876, the city was bonded for $15,000, payable in twenty years, eight per cent. interest, proceeds to pay the floating debt and erect town buildings; $8,400 worth were sold at ninety-three per cent. and the debt liquidated. The first city marshal was A. C. McLeod. This man became prominent, was three times elected sheriff, twice deputy sheriff, and was mayor in 1894 when the Southern Pacific Railway entered the city limits and "one big time" celebrated the event.
In 1872, Dr. Hays, C. W. Dana and M. A. Benrino obtained a franchise for water works; the next year A. M. Loomis and Alfred Walker bought the franchise and went to work. A small reservoir was built on Murray hill, about a mile and a half north of the town, and the water was brought in a flume from the upper San Luis creek. Cost, about $5,000. In 1874 the San Luis Obispo Water Co. was formed, capital stock $60,000. The men behind this were P. W. Murphy, A. M. Loomis, E. W. Steele, C. H. Phillips and Judge Venable. Sheet-iron pipes were laid in the streets and water carried through them in
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Varember: 1876 W 1876 a large reservoir was built up the canon, capacity 1,25000000 gallons. In 1883 the sheet-iron pipe was replaced with cast-iron pipe seper oueline i diameter, and seventeen fire-plugs were installed. Later another reservoir wa- built, and a dam three hundred feet long, fifty feet wide, and one hialred frity feet at the base, was placed across a little canon and fed by a small trout stream. This held 20,000,000 gallons, and later was the place where the tramps bathed and the boys and dogs went swimming. It was there, in 1906, that a boy of fifteen was drowned one Sunday morning while taking a ride on a raft. In 1910 a new reservoir was built holding 9,000,000 gallons. It is roofed and the public health is a little better pro- tected. Mr. Burch, Ed. Branch and an assistant look after the water works at present. There is still much to be done before the city will have an ade- quate supply of pure water for all purposes; but the matter is of such vital importance that it will soon be attended to, for San Luis Obispo has moved forward in long strides during the last few years. St. Luis the Bishop is stirring in his sleep and will soon be wide awake.
The centennial year. 1876, marked an epoch in the history of the whole county. Here are a few items culled from the Tribune of December 30, 1876 .: The year had fulfilled its early promise by an abundant harvest. Cambria, Cayucos and Arroyo Grande showed improvement. The buildings noted in San Luis Obispo were L. Lasar's store of brick with iron front, two stories, at the foot of Monterey street ; Quintana's store, next to Goldtree's block; the Convent school : a balcony to the Cosmopolitan Hotel, now the St. James ; and the Court schoolhouse. The Pacific Coast Railway, and the "commodious" depot, still used, were also completed, and many private homes. A new road was opened over Cuesta pass, "so gigantic an undertaking that the county refused to build it until compelled to by an act of the legislature"; and many new roads and bridges had been built throughout the county-one over Paso Robles creek that would ensure safe passage for the stage in winter time.
In 1868 there were exactly six hundred people living within the one square mile of the town site. By 1880 the census showed 2,500 within the town limits. In 1883 the city claimed 3,000 population. The first county vote, all at San Luis Obispo, polled forty-eight.
December 13, 1871, the Bank of San Luis Obispo, with H. M. Warden president and C. H. Phillips cashier, opened for business, the first bank in the county, The bank was in rooms on the west side of Monterey street be- Tweeen Morro and Chorro streets, in the building where the California Clothing Spore now is. In 1881 the bank put up a handsome two-story building on The on theast corner of Monterey and Court streets. This bank is fully wjun to in the sketch of C. H. Phillips in this book.
U .i. Inll was begun in October, 1879. Below, the fire apparatus is theal wagon, engines, hook-and-ladder truck, etc. ; and above on The che mie . The city jail was also in the building until 1916, when Tab - m anl a new jail was built in the rear at a cost of $2,000. Trim mel weis put up by the E. Cole Co.
La population of 6,500. There are many beautiful homes, the grammar schools are in need of new buildings Do Fell block was purchased a few years ago for !
year a hard fight was put up for bonds for (% ild hue and cry of "taxes" was heard, and the
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bonds lost out. The children are crowded into two ancient buildings; one, Court school, an old wooden fire-trap of two stories, was built in the fall of 1876.
The present government (1916) is by Freeholders' Charter. The board of commissioners is composed of W. M. Stover, mayor ; Dick Saunders, finance and revenue; H. A. Gowman, public health and safety; L. F. Sinsheimer, public works ; George H. Andrews, supplies; Mrs. Callie M. John, city clerk. The total assessed value is $3,079,060.
The business houses have grown from a few old adobes to a city of finely constructed business blocks. The Union National Bank building, the Commercial Bank building, the Elks building, Masonic Temple, Wade build- ing, Warden blocks and Andrews Hotel are especially fine. To enumerate further would take too much space; suffice it to say, the city is well supplied with good stores and shops of every kind. The business men are a fine class of up-to-date, progressive men. There are the Andrews, St. James, Golden State and Commercial hotels ; also a Swiss hotel called the Grütli. There are many good rooming houses and private boarding houses.
There are five fine garages in San Luis Obispo, each doing a good business, which speaks for the automobiles of the community. A horse and buggy will soon be a novelty on the streets, and it is already unsafe to try to drive a "rig" through town or along country roads. The automobiles claim all the rights to run down horses or foot passengers, and the super- visors have decided to put a "speed cop" on the force to prevent the wholesale killing that goes on between this city and Pismo on the state highway.
The streets are wide and well laid out. Morro street is paved, as are Monterey and Higuera, and during the last year an immense amount of splen- did street work has been completed. A big steam roller has aided much in the street work. Fine concrete bridges now replace the old wooden ones in the town. San Luis creek has been walled along the sides where it runs through the business section of the city. The city owns a good sewer system and a sewer farm, where the waste is taken care of. A force of men keep the streets well swept and very clean.
The Midlands Counties Electric Co. furnishes electricity for lighting the city, and a 60,000-volt line carries power through the county. This com- pany and the Santa Maria Gas Co. both furnish natural gas for lighting and heating purposes, the gas coming from the Santa Maria oil fields in iron pipe lines.
There are two hospitals, Stover's Sanitarium and the Pacific Ilospital, owned by Miss Ester Biaggini. Dr. II. W. Jones is the head surgeon of this hospital, assisted by Dr. Paul Jackson and Dr. C. II. MeGovern, a very able corps indeed. Stover's Sanitarium is in charge of Dr. Stover and Dr. Guil- foil, and is the first institution of the kind put up in the city. The medical staff of the city is a very able one, and people come from a distance to these hospitals for treatment.
On a lot south of the Mission stands the public library, built by Carnegie in 1904. There are 11,812 volumes; with the documents, there are over 13,000. The building is of brick with stone facings, a very fine building with high cement basement rooms. The librarian is Mrs. E. L. Kellogg: Mrs. F. E. Butt is assistant librarian. Ray MeIntyre is caretaker. The board of
SAN LUIS CHRISPO COUNTY AND ENVIRONS
trustec- conate of W. E. Shipsey, president; A. H. Mabley, Mrs. R. F. Wichverden, Mre. F. J Wochl and Mrs. Callie M. John.
The city lack= 2 park. All it has to call one is a very small triangle near the Southern Pagine depot which the Civic Club of ladies has so far tried to care for. I've called "El Triangulo," to be Spanish, and interesting to tourists. This little park is now to be greatly improved by the Civic Club. The police force numbers six, and keeps order day and night.
Several big fires have destroyed much property. The big Ramona Hotel, built about 1889, and a fine hotel for the time, was burned down in 1905. April 25. 1885, on Sunday, a devastating fire burned the Andrews Hotel that occupied the corner where later the Andrews Bank was built, southwest corner of Monterey and Osos streets. The hotel fronted one hundred forty feet on Monterey street. The buildings across Monterey street were badly dam- aged, and the livery stable on the opposite corner, belonging to A. C. McLeod and Payne, was burned. The Grutli Hotel was burned out several times. Some years ago the entire block bounded by Broad, Nipomo, Higuera and Marsh streets was burned, save the old Beebee mansion and one house facing on Marsh street. Fire also swept out all the old wooden and adobe buildings in the block between Monterey, Higuera, Chorro and Morro streets, all but the old Cosmopolitan, now the St. James, and Sinsheimer's store. The War- den, Jr., building, Wade building and Steinhart building are now in that block. Fire always cleans out the old wooden buildings, and this town was no exception.
Churches
Churches of many denominations are here. The Presbyterian, Methodist and Episcopal churches are written of elsewhere, as they were the pioneer churches of the county. A large Baptist Church, Lutheran Church and Christian Church are here, each with a good congregation. A Methodist Church South once existed. J. P. Andrews gave the organ and the bell to that church, and supported it liberally ; but the times changed and the property was sold to the Congregational people. For many years that was a thriving church, but about seven years ago it began to die out and is now no more. The lot with the church building adjoins the new Federal Building site on Marsh street, and the lot is now quite valuable, for it is wide and deep, as 1.t- go.
New Federal Building
On the southeast corner of Morro and Marsh streets a fine new Federal Hijito is to be at once constructed. An appropriation of $7,500 was made forthe 10g and this corner was selected for the site. When it came to buying, implo sion arose. To get the corner and enough more room for the Imleave it was necessary to buy out a livery stable and two houses and lots. Thof ponte adyneed so fast on that corner that to get it $12,600 had to be wo lu. Ili- len $5.100 to be raised by subscription. W. D. Adriance, T Door. il and John Gibson were a committee to solicit. To date, Vordon 14, 10, 83.185 has been subscribed. The property has been detlef per the proper autority and the ground is being cleared. One house Le bon ald a for $1.00. On Morro street a lot 201/2x119 feet will be Jefiscal, wd vijan . Il the proceeds will go back pro rata to the men who Imane men keep the de seit The building will be two stories high, and will front
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one hundred forty-five feet on Morro street and one hundred nineteen feet on Marsh street. In it will be the post office and all federal offices. The director of the weather bureau, the collector of the port, and other officials will have offices there. The sum set aside for the building is $75,000. Diagonally across the street stands the beautiful Elks building, and across Morro street is the fine stone Presbyterian Church. The building is as centrally located as possible, and will be of great public service.
Banks
Two large banks, each beautifully housed, take care of the people's money. The Commercial Bank was organized in March, 1888. Its first location was on Monterey street, near Latimer's drug store. It moved to its present loca- tion, at the southeast corner of Chorro and Higuera streets, in 1899. A few years ago the building was remodeled, and it is now one of the handsomest in town. In May, 1913, it absorbed the Andrews Bank. It has a capital stock of $300,000; its deposits, August 31, 1916, were $3,326,535. The Tribune, a few days since, reported that this bank had loaned $150,000 to a Salinas firm. The present officers are J. W. Barneberg, president: E. W. Clark, vice- president ; R. R. Muscio, vice-president ; H. L. Kemper, cashier ; Francis H. Throop and L. J. Defosset, assistant cashiers. The board of directors are J. W. Barneberg, L. J. Beckett, E. Biaggini, E. W. Clark, S. A. Dana, H. L. Kemper, R. R. Muscio, A. Muscio and A. Tognazzini. The Union National Bank is on the northeast corner of Higuera and Garden streets, in a fine cement building with marble staircase, and this building, erected in 1906, is one of the fine new buildings of which so many have been erected during the last decade. This bank opened for business Angust 23, 1905, in temporary quar- ters at 1133 Chorro street, in the Erickson building ; capital stock, $100,000; WV. T. Summers, president; J. W. Smith, vice-president; WV. D. Dibblee, cashier. The board of directors were Mark Elberg, Lawrence Harris, Geo. J. Walters, C. A. Edwards, Wm. Sandercock, John R. Williams, W. T. Sum- mers, J. W. Smith and T. W. Dibblee. The present officers are : President, Wm. Sandercock; vice-presidents, T. W. Dibblee and W. T. Summers; cashier, Henry Dawe; assistant cashier, Allan L. Bickell; board of directors, Wm. Sandercock, A. T. Souza, Henry Dawe, T. W. Dibblee, John P. Wil- liams, Mark Elberg, Lawrence Harris, C. A. Edwards and W. T. Summers.
San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce
A chamber of commerce has long existed in San Luis Obispo. For years a room has been rented and an "exhibit" kept on display. Sometimes the exhibit might have been more attractive in appearance ; but through it, and the county fairs once held in the pavilion which, with races at the old race track, drew crowds for a week at a time-and later through the Upper Salinas Valley fairs held at Paso Robles, the outsider has gradually learned about our mammoth vegetables, fine fruits, splendid dairies, grains, minerals and other products. In 1901 the writer described the sweet-pea festivals held at Arroyo Grande, in an article in Sunset, and from letters received knows a good many heard about the seed farms there. When the automobile came and people by thousands passed through our county, they were always much impressed by the climate and beautiful scenery, but they mostly got away before we could get around and induce them to stay in God's country.
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They got as far as Los Angeles; then some "live wire" of a real estate man, generally one who had been caught for a "sucker" himself, sold them an orange of lemon grove. Often and again they repented buying it ; but San Luis Obispo was so comfortable, anyway, and had so good a living without chasing tourists for it, that we let "Sunny Southern California" get so well known that now, down there, all one has to do is to say "San Luis Obispo" and he is besieged with inquiries which, if he is "Truthful James," he answers as he should.
Leigh 11. Irvine was finally engaged to lead our county out of the wilder- ness, and he got us away out of the woods. He wrote and sent broadcast a fine booklet, was in charge of the chamber of commerce when the Exposi- tion was being put into shape, and had something to do with the exhibits sent up to it when it finally opened ; but there were so many "commissioners" from the county, only five for a year before it opened and for the first six months or more thereafter, that Mr. Irvine's efforts were submerged by the "commission." This commission cost the county a pile of money, and a few lawsuits with judgment in favor of the very determined lady commissioner, but it is doubtful if the returns to the county in any measure whatever justi- fied the expense to the taxpayers. This county's exhibit at the P. P. I. Exposition was a mighty expensive and a very poor piece of advertising. The men of San Luis Obispo were forever giving money to the chamber of commerce and forever looking for the results of their giving, but generally they looked in vain. Not always, of course: but without doubt thousands of dollars have been spent trying to keep alive a chamber that helped few other than the man drawing the salary. Finally, in 1913, Mr. Du Vaul was en- gaged as secretary of the chamber. He did good work for the year he was in charge. In 1914, Leigh H. Irvine came and, being a man of ideas and of literary ability as well, wrote much for publication and did well, consider- ing conditions ; for during his stay here the Exposition was taking all the money and all the interest of the people. In April, 1916, Charles H. Roberts succeeded Mr. Irvine, and at once the chamber began to take on new life. In April it opened a publicity campaign for the $15,000,000 bond issue for the state highway, and never ceased until the bonds were voted. The first Chautauqua held in the city was enthusiastically worked up by the chamber, and Mr. Roberts was secretary of the local committee which secured a very delightful week of high-class entertainment for the people.
The next important move was in securing the presence of Max Thelan of the railroad commission at a conference held on street lighting, which tenlted in plans and specifications for a system of street lighting by elec- Hallo - sol ofher up to-date means. These plans and specifications are now to the female of the commission on street lighting. In July the horticultural com 've, coal Nichols, was invited to use the chamber of commerce w affi di de blemarters, and eventually a strong movement for a county Many Taip a wwwwwwcol Five hundred farmers signed up; but when it ph 200 you by the supervisors to help defray expenses, the not helped on its way. A farm bureau is the one develop and safeguard the agricultural, dairy- And it will eventually have to come ; but the In its P. P. I. E. commission's expenses, which old these same interests.
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In August the campaign for re-organizing the chamber was started and actively pursued, until at the present writing two hundred members have been pledged to pay $25 per year for three years. This gives a sure amount of funds for a working basis. The methods used by other suc- cessful enterprises and chambers of commerce have been adopted, and things are moving now where once they only wobbled. A get-together luncheon is held monthly, where very often some noted man speaks along lines per- taining to the work of the chamber. All business men are requested to attend these midday meetings and to place before the members anything they think needs the attention of the chamber. When, early in the fall, a gigantic strike was threatened, the chamber of commerce petitioned the California Commission by telephone, urging that the differences be arbitrated and the strike be thus avoided. This was commented upon by many leading papers throughout the country, and about the same time Secretary Roberts wrote an article for the San Francisco Examiner that appeared in various other pub- lications, setting forth the advantages of the county. In November the secretary contributed to the Saturday Evening Post, the Los Angeles Times, and other Southern California papers, articles on good roads in which he had the opportunity to speak of the splendid road work of the county. Believ- ing that conventions do much to advertise a town, the chamber of com- merce lent its efforts towards securing the Letter Carriers' Convention, held here in September, 1916. On November 19, good-roads meetings were held all over the county, and the chamber secured automobiles and speakers for the meetings. Such is a brief outline of the work carried on since last April. W. D. Egilbert, secretary of the California Development Company, and C. F. Stern of the State Highway Commission, have recently written the cham- ber expressing approval of the work as carried on by it. The chamber aims to be an institution representative of the whole community, recognizing those fundamental truths that it must be and is non-sectarian, non-partisan, and non-sectional, that it must serve the city as a whole and accomplish the greatest good for the greatest number, and that it must have men, money. and interest-all of which it seems to have gotten and to be using for the development, not only of the city of San Luis Obispo, but of the entire county. The present board of directors includes Dr. W. M. Stover, president ; R. W. Putnam, first vice-president; G. J. Walters, second vice-president; Fred Kluver, W. E. Lawrence, J. G. Driscoll, H. L. Kemper, P. A. H. Arata, F. D. Crossett, Rev. J. D. Habbick, Dr. H. B. Kirtland, J. A. Renetsky, C. H. Kamm, W. M. Sandercock and J. D. Gilliland.
The Woman's Civic Club of San Luis Obispo
The Woman's Civic Club of San Luis Obispo was organized in Jan- uary, 1909, federated March, 1909, and incorporated under the laws of the State of California, November 2, 1915. In the articles of incorporation it is stated :
"That the purposes for which said Corporation is formed are to provide entertainment and civic education and training for its members, to foster and cultivate the interest of women in civic affairs, and to promote the gen eral culture, welfare and education and comfort of the inhabitants of the community ; also to acquire by gift, purchase or otherwise, property, both real and personal, required for the effective carrying out of the above-named
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purposecool to hold, mortgage, sell and otherwise legally convey, encumber or otherwise dispose of such property as required.
"That the place where the principal business of said Corporation is to be transacted is San Luis Obispo, County of San Luis Obispo, State of Cali-
"Iliat the term for which said Corporation is to exist is fifty (50) years moin and after the date of its incorporation."
The first board of directors under the articles of incorporation were Flex Willer, Anna Shurragar, Mary E. Ridle, Queenie Warden, Marguerite Johnson. From its beginning the club has aided civic movements and per- Tarmed many good deeds. The first thing it did for the improvement of the town was to take in charge the unsightly little triangle bounded by Santa Barbara avenue, Osos and Church streets, near the Southern Pacific sta- tion. Mrs. Ida G. Stowe owned considerable property in that locality. When she laid it out in town lots this little three-cornered piece was donated by her to the town for a plaza. Somcone set out the palms that have since grown to such good size, and the pepper trees were set at the same time; but no systematic care was given the plot and it degenerated into a weed patch, where tramps camped and loose stock used the pepper trees for shade. Very soon after the Civic Club was organized, it assumed care of the place, calling it El Triangulo, Spanish for triangle. They put in walks and seats, planted geraniums and roses, had grass sown and spent considerable money upon it. The city for a time paid a caretaker part salary ; but at present it is only seven dollars per month, so of course the park got to looking seedy.
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