History of San Luis Obispo County and environs, California, with biographical sketches, Part 27

Author: Morrison, Annie L. Stringfellow, 1860-; Haydon, John H., 1837-
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company
Number of Pages: 1070

USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > History of San Luis Obispo County and environs, California, with biographical sketches > Part 27

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In 1873 Mr. Andrews, with C. H. Phillips. R. G. Flint, John Biddle, Mallip Biddle and H. M. Warden, organized the Bank of San Luis Obispo, undim 1877 he became its managing director and president, continuing until 1890. From 1890 to 1893 he was president of the County Bank. In the latter year he organized the Andrews Banking Company and was its con- trolling stockholder and dominating factor. In 1899, during the financial stringency. his institution was one of the few that took care of its clients und closed the year profitably. John Pinckney Andrews headed the banking house hearing his name from the date of its organization until January 21, 1013, when he was succeeded by his oldest son, George H. Andrews, who Hocied the bank's affairs in the same conservative channels that estab- bened the bank in the confidence of the entire community until its sale to We commercial Bank that same year. In 1883, Mr. Andrews headed a stock company known as the San Luis Hotel Co., and erected a hotel called the Kwas: Hotel, in his honor, on the corner of Monterey and Osos streets, podle was opened to the public under the management of Ned Morris, and of Voor conducted by Sharp Bros. This was a frame building, and one of do go. 1 in the city at that time. In 1885 the building and contents were complete der ved by fire. Eventually Mr. Andrews acquired the inter- -je vo tee con boy steakholders in the lot, and then began a building era winte iis done managed and financed until the whole of the property he what by ing bank was covered with brick buildings.

Mp Vier e. elule being recognized as a capable financier, was always Kommen OF The Band- not be charitably inclined, as well as public-spirited. He Sud 1 mot Cert Were the donors to the county of the present courthouse no, amy Mi sidney's gate the ground upon which the Court Grammar

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School is located, with a clause that it could be used for no other purpose. or it must revert to the estate. He was a man of great force and iron will. Energy and tireless industry marked his career, and his whole life was one of pronounced effect upon the business history of San Luis Obispo. With the co-operation of the Steele Bros. and other public-spirited citizens, Mr. Andrews organized the Sixteenth Agricultural District Association, and at once subscribed eight hundred dollars to start the fund to erect the pavilion. When the organization failed at a later date, he was one of the heaviest losers. Success usually followed all his undertakings and he was ever a willing supporter of all movements for progress. For many years he was the mainstay of the local Methodist Church South, to which he donated the lot ; and it was mainly through his efforts that the building was erected after the organization of the congregation in San Luis Obispo. He was unos- tentatious with his benefactions and never let his right hand know what his left hand did. He was loyal to his friends ; and even his enemies (common to every man who makes a success of life ) respected him, some of them in after years becoming his very warm friends.

He was a great hunter in the earlier period of settlement of the county, when wild game of all kinds abounded ; and he was a sure shot as well.

In 1860 he was united in marriage in Lake County, California, with Miss Tennessee Amanda Cheney, a native of Arkansas, who passed away in 1900. Her parents were farming people, natives of Tennessee, who crossed the plains in the early fifties to California, stopped for a time in Solano, Lake and San Luis Obispo counties, where the father engaged in farming, and finally settled in Los Angeles county, where the parents both passed their last days. Thirteen children came to bless this union, seven of whom are now living : Mrs. Alice V. Morton, of San Gabriel : George 11. Andrews and Mrs. Mary F. Rideout, of San Luis Obispo; David, of Pomona; Mrs. Martha Murphy, of San Luis Obispo ; and Le Roy F. and Jerome P., both of Pismo. Another daughter, Mrs. Carrie Brew, grew to maturity, married, had several chil- dren and passed away in 1900. They struggled side by side to gain a foot- hold during the pioneer days in the county, Mrs. Andrews doing her full share and bravely enduring the hardships and privations encountered in their efforts to win success, and to rear their children to useful lives.

HORATIO MOORE WARDEN .- The late Iloratio Moore Warden was regarded as one of the most influential and public spirited citizens of San Luis Obispo County and is entitled to a prominent place in the annals of this section of the state. He was born near Granville, Licking county, O., in 1828, a son of Gabriel and Mary (Seely) Warden, natives of Burlington, Vt .. and the tenth child in a family of eleven children. He was descended from English ancestry. . \ member of the family emigrated to this country at an early period in its history, settling in Vermont ; and from that ancestor the family in this country have sprung. Members of the Warden family have been prominent in various branches of business and professional life for generations. Gabriel Warden served as a captain in the War of 1812, was a man of great valor and patriotism, and soon after the war was over settled in Ohio, where he cleared a farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death. Both he and his wife passed away in Licking county.

In 1847, Horatio M. Warden became associated with his brother, L. 31. Warden, in the buying and selling of cattle, which he drove in large numbers to Chicago, then a small settlement on the frontier, and the headquarters of

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a detachment of United States soldiers at Fort Sheridan. In 1850, the Warden brothers started across the plains for California. They drove a band of cattle and horses as far as Council Bluffs, la., where they exchanged them for mules, which they drove to Salt Lake. En route they met and traveled with Tom Williams, a prominent Mormon, carrying the Salt Lake mail; and on arrival at Salt Lake, they were entertained and shown every courtesy, for the three weeks of their stay there, to recuperate and rest. They left Salt Lake with a train of pack mules, crossed the desert without diffi- culty and in due time arrived in Hangtown-now Placerville-where they mined with the usual results. Later they went to Michigan Bluff on the American river and mined for a time; and there they struck it rich for a while.

Mr. Warden and his brother next went to Sacramento, where he organ- ized a stage line between Sacramento and Marysville, operating it for some time very successfully. He next established the line between Auburn, Yankee Jim's, Michigan Bluff, Illinois Town and Iowa Hill in Placer county, carry- ing on the stage business until he and his brother went to Napa county in 1856. Here they engaged in the stock business, meeting with a fair degree of success, although they had their reverses as well.

In 1867. H. M. Warden came to San Luis Obispo County, settled in the Los Osos valley, and purchased about three thousand acres of land, part of the Los Osos grant. Here he raised sheep for several years, having as many as six thousand head. Later he worked into the cattle business ; and under the name of the Highland Rancho, his property became well-known through- out the entire coast section of.San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The large dairy interests were the leading features for some years, and were conducted with much profit. As much as six thousand pounds of butter per month was made from the three dairies maintained on his ranch. Grain and hay were raised in large quantities. Mr. Warden believed in high-grade stock, and his Durhams and shorthorns were mostly registered. He did much to elevate the grade of cattle throughout this section of the county ; for others saw that it did not cost any more to keep good stock than poor, and in many cases followed his example. He was essentially a stockman, and his cattle, horses and hogs were his pride and profit. He studied the dairy business and added many innovations as he succeeded with his enterprise.

It must not be supposed that Mr. Warden devoted his time to the ranch- ing interests to the exclusion of other matters. He was a man of large busi- ness acumen, was much interested in the cause of education and in the estab- lishment of churches, and believed that these two factors fostered a better citizenship and a higher moral standard. He served as a trustee of schools tor many years, and with two other trustees gave personal notes which rendered possible the erection of one of the first schoolhouses in the county, WALthe establishment of a school, serving as its trustee for years. With G. H. Phillips and others, Mr. Warden organized and started the first bank m San Luis Obispo in 1872, under the name of Warden & Phillips, he serv- ing as president and Mr. Phillips as cashier : and for many years they carried Da very successful banking business. In 1898, Mr. Warden erected the War- den block in San Luis Obispo, then the most modern block in the town, and still in the possession of his family. Besides this, he owned several parcels of valanbie real estate in town.

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Luigi Marri

the meani

LUIGI MARRE. Whento Tolo ( hr

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He was a stanch Republican, a member of the county central commit- tee and a factor in the councils of the party in the state. He served as supervisor from his district in 1880, and in 1886 was the unanimous choice of his party for the Assembly. He was also a delegate to county and state conventions. He was a Mason and member of King David Lodge No. 209, F. & A. M., San Luis Obispo ; and was an Odd Fellow, passing all the chairs of the order. He was very public-spirited, supporting all movements for the upbuilding of the county, and gave $1500 towards bringing the railroad into the county. Of his marriage in 1882 with Miss Queenie Parr, three children were born, Queenie M., Horatio M., Jr., and Mary Loraine, who died March 17, 1902. Mr. Warden died on February 14, 1912, and his passing meant the loss of a very prominent citizen to the state and the county of his adoption.

LUIGI MARRE .- Whoever labors to secure the development of his country, striving to bring out its latent resources ; whoever is devoted to the general welfare of the people, and seeks to promote the cause of justice ; and whoever, in the course of a long life, advances, directly or indirectly, our commercial, educational and agricultural growth : he it is who earns a place as a public benefactor, and is entitled to mention in the pages of history. Such was the character and such is the record of Luigi Marre, one of the early pioneers of California, and one to whose determination, perseverance and energy not a little of the state's development may be attributed.

The story of the life of Mr. Marre is one of interest and, were he alive to narrate it, the scenes which he witnessed during his active career in Cali- fornia, the hardships that he endured and the obstacles that he surmounted, would make a large volume. His career dates from August 7, 1840, when he was born in Borzonasca, province of Genova, Italy, a son of Lorenzo Marre, a hotel keeper, butcher and drover in that same province. His father was a soldier under Napoleon for eleven years, and of forty men in the company who enlisted for military service and took part in the battle of Waterloo, he was one of but three survivors who returned.

Luigi Marre obtained a college education in Italy, after which, on March 26, 1854, then a stalwart youth, of large, fine physique, alert, active and unusually intelligent, he set out for far-off California to dig for gold. His principal equipment consisted of a pick with which his father presented him (which pick is still in the possession of Cacsineli Brothers, in San Andreas), with the instruction to rely upon it and, should it fail him, to apply to his consul for passage back to the old home. His parents were wealthy, and Mr. Marre obtained his father's permission to come to this country solely on the condition that he would never work for wages and that he would return home in three years. His father having died before the three years were up, Luigi never returned to his native land: but the promise not to work for wages he faithfully kept, and remained his own master from the time he left his father until he died. He came to California on a sailing vessel, via New York and Panama, and landed in San Fran- cisco on May 26, 1854. Ile understood no other language than Italian : but his keen wits stood him in good stead, and he often recounted with zest that his first effort at bettering his condition was a horse speculation, in which he hought an animal for seventeen dollars and sold it for fifty-three.

Shortly after his arrival in San Francisco, with his trusty pick, Mr. Marre departed for the mining camps in Penitta, Amador county. For three years he toiled with great perseverance, meeting with the many hard-

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ships tlen endured by miners ; and at the end of the three years, somewhat dis- couraged with the fruitless mining life, he decided to follow his commercial instincts. He went to Calaverites in Calaveras county, then a small village squatted on the desert at the very edge of a range of barren foothills. Its principal street was not much more than a bridle trail that led past a few cabins, derelicts of old mining days when that region knew gold. Immediately upon his arrival there he purchased a general merchandise store, and for the next year he devoted himself with more or less success to this business. He then sold out and went to Calaveras, where he bought a butcher shop. The man who sold to him at once went on the opposite side of the street from his place of business, contrary to their agreement, and opened an opposition establishment, thereby cutting into his trade ; and during the three years he carried on the business it took almost all of his resources to keep above water, although his opponent failed six months before Mr. Marre sold out and went to El Dorado, where he continued in the butcher business, and at the same time engaged in handling cattle.

In 1861 his affairs took him to Nevada, at that time a great field for enterprise ; but the Indians were troublesome and dangerous, and that ob- stacle, followed by the dry season of 1864, made his losses heavy. However, that was only an incident. In 1870 he sold out his interests in El Dorado, but still continued in the cattle business. He drove cattle from the Mexican border to San Francisco and Nevada, where his cattle were cared for, given pasture, and protected from the other tribes by a friendly Indian chief. Mr. Marre was almost continuously in the saddle, and owned some fine saddle horses. In early days, when he made his long trips, he would have his own mount and another horse, on which he packed his provisions, blankets and his faithful dog. His horses and dog were well trained, and he often said that they frequently saved his life, not making a sound when danger threat- ened, but in other ways, as by nudgings or caresses, warning him. He had many thrilling escapes from death at the hands of bandits and mur- derers, for he always had to carry large sums of gold about his person to pay for the stock he bought; and many a night he was only too glad to take off his belt, filled with twenty-dollar gold pieces, and throw it into the brush, after which he would lie down on his blanket and sleep. In dealing with the ignorant stockmen, he had only to drive out an animal and pass over a twenty-dollar gold piece, even if the beast was worth more than that price, for the natives could count in twenties and nothing else. He was a man of commanding appearance, over six feet tall and weighing over three hundred pounds, and was noted for his bravery and absolute fearlessness.

From El Dorado Mr. Marre went to Santa Clara county, where he leased the Los Agelos Rancho and stocked it with cattle. Three years before his IT-e in Santa Clara county expired, he rented the Le Roy property, which pole formerly the Zaca grant of thirty thousand acres. He stocked that ranch with fourteen thousand cattle and many sheep, having at one time as many a derty thousand of the latter, and there continued successfully the business of bike me and selling cattle and sheep. At one time, to diminish his stock dinis one of the dry years, he sold a thousand head of cattle for $20,000. The sacrifice had to be repeated several times during the dry seasons.

be 1so he leased the Pecho Rancho in San Luis Obispo county for bohnen Star -. In 1882 he bought, from John Harford, the San Miguelita ramToaf Feferal thousand acres. Later he purchased the Pecho Rancho of

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thirty-eight hundred acres, and still later, twenty-five hundred acres of the Avila estate from the San Luis Bank, still retaining his property in Santa Barbara county. He became one of the largest stockmen of Central Califor- nia, as well as the wealthiest man in San Luis Obispo County. He was known, in fact, as the cattle king of the central coast section. He had extensive deal- ings with Miller & Lux, and with other large stockmen in the state, and was known as a man whose word, when once given, was as good as his bond.

Mr. Marre opened the Fulton Market in San Luis Obispo, purchasing the property from the Steele brothers; and in 1893 he also started the Nevada Market. In 1884 he erected the first hotel at Port Harford, now known as Port San Luis. He was one of the most public-spirited men the county ever had, was always an advocate of all progressive movements, gave land to widen Chorro, Marsh and Monterey streets, when those improvements were started, and spent almost a month of his valuable time in convincing other owners of property on those streets of the benefits to be derived therefrom. When the Southern Pacific Railroad was prospected to San Luis Obispo, he donated $10,000 towards the cause; and later he had the distinction of riding on the first train from San Luis Obispo to San Jose. Not a movement that had for its object the betterment of conditions of the people or county but received his hearty support. He gave towards all churches, no matter what their creed : was a stanch advocate of good schools and did what he could to maintain them and bring them to a high standard; and no one ever appealed to him in vain for any worthy charity. He was active up to the time of his death, shortly before which he delivered a lot of cattle to Horn & Sons in San Francisco, when he caught cokl, took sick, and died, February 8, 1903, mourned by rich and poor alike.

On April 28, 1881, the marriage uniting Luigi Marre with Miss Angela L. Marre was celebrated. She was born in 1851, in the same part of Italy as was her husband ; and seven children blessed this union, only three of whom are now living : Gasper O., born May 22, 1884, who married and has one son, Norman O .: Louis J., born September 26. 1886; and Rosa J., born April 29, 1896, the wife of S. Piuma and the mother of one son, Milton S. The widow lives at the old home, surrounded by her children and grandchildren ; and there she is enjoying every comfort possible. She is a most interesting conversa- tionalist, recounting the many stories of early pioneer days as depicted by her husband, and is one of the most generous women in the county, aiding every worthy movement and happy in the knowledge that her husband was one of the most popular and best-liked men in this part of the state, who left to his descendants not only riches, but the heritage of an untarnished name.

In 1914 the holdings of the Luigi Marre estate were incorporated under the name of the Luigi Marre Land & Cattle Co. ; and the water company, that he started in 1886 to supply with fresh water such ships as called at the port, was also incorporated, under the name of the Fay Water Company. The property owned by the corporation has a frontage on the ocean of twelve miles, and comprises thousands of acres : and as the years have passed, this property, under the able management of the sons, Gasper O. and Luis J., has greatly increased in value. The oil tanks, where tank ships come to load oil, are located on the property, and the revenue derived from this enterprise represents a handsome sum in itself. On the San Miguelita ranch, where Mr. Marre settled years ago, he planted some chestnuts brought from his old home place in Italy ; and seven trees grew therefrom and are in fine con-

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dition, being the only ones of their kind in this part of the country. An old landmark on the Pecho Rancho is an old adobe house, the woodwork of which was brought around the Horn at an early day by Captain Wilson, then the owner of the place. It is said that Mr. Marre shipped from San Luis Obispo the largest consignment of stock ever sent out at one time by one man, consisting of three solid train loads.

The family are highly respected, hospitable and public-spirited, and have an ever-widening circle of friends throughout the entire central section of California.

MRS. QUEENIE WARDEN .- It gives a feeling of pride to know that one is a descendant of ancient and noble lineage, although Americans usually glory in their own ideals. However, the satisfaction of knowing the honorable achievements of our ancestors gives us something to live up to, and such is the case with Mrs. Queenie Warden, one of the most prominent, charitable, public-spirited, energetic and progressive women of San Luis Obispo, widow of the late Hon. Horatio M. Warden, and a daughter of Mrs. Loraine (Page) Parr. Mrs. Warden was born in lowa, in which state her parents settled when that was the frontier, before railroads traversed the expanse of prairie in the Middle West. She is a descendant of English ancestry through the Page family. One John Page, a son of Richard Page, who had lived in Lon- don, left Yarmouth April 8, 1630, with his wife Phoebe and their three chil- dren on the "Jewell," arriving in Salem, Mass. He moved to Charlestown, and then to the peninsula now occupied by the city of Boston. He later moved to Watertown, about seven miles distant, where he died December 18, 1676. aged about ninety. From this progenitor, the family in America have originated, and they have become prominent in agricultural, professional, financial, military, literary and social affairs. The motto of the Page family, printed in Latin on their coat of arms, "Spe Labor Levis," meaning "Hope lightens labor," has been used by the family for centuries.

Mrs. Queenie Warden was educated in a convent in Davenport, Iowa, came to California first in 1876 as a tourist, and remained one year. In 1879 she became a permanent resident of the state, spent a short time in Grass valley, and then came to San Luis Obispo County, where she has since lived, and which section has been the scene of her activities. Through her marriage in 1882 with Horatio M. Warden, she has been enabled to accom- plish much good for the community, and has entered heartily into every movement that has had for its object the building up of the county and city. She is a leader in social affairs, and through her membership in the Civic Club, as president of which she has served for two terms, she has wielded an influence for the betterment of local conditions in San Luis Obispo. She is also a member of the City Club in Los Angeles. In 1898 the 11. M. Warden interests were incorporated, and she became president, a position she has held ever since, managing the company's affairs with splendid executive and business ability. In May, 1916, Mrs. Warden entered mto the local business field by her purchase of the People's Pharmacy, located m the 11. M. Warden, Jr., building; and having increased the stock, she is gradually building up a large and successful business, which receives her personal attention. As the "Rexall Store," this establishment has become an important factor in the commercial life of San Luis Obispo County, and its wwwner is rated a- a very successful business woman.

Maria Antonia Garage

RAMON F LARLAGA.

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asphalt-an intruder on the surface of the rich soil which would have been most unwelcome had not the experience of the intelligent observer recognized in the dark substance just the coveted indications of rich oil deposits. It was not long before that which was assumed and hoped to be true was proven a certainty, and then Ramon and Juan B. entered into the lease referred to, the Western Union being a corporation of Los Angeles capitalists. On March 14, 1900, the new promoters began to build the great rig for well No. I. and soon struck oil; but some insurmountable difficulty was soon encountered, and the well had to be abandoned. A similar experience was met in the attempt to sink well No. 2; but nothing daunted, the riggers and drillers moved farther up the canon and soon had, in well No. 3, such a flow of oil that at last the precious liquid was obtained in paying quantities. The long- waited-for event was duly celebrated by a big barbecue, for which the hos- pitable Careagas furnished four of their choicest beeves, the meat being par- taken of by hundreds of enthusiastic visitors.

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History of San Luis Obispo County and environs, California, with biographical sketches, Part 27

Author: Morrison, Annie L. Stringfellow, 1860-; Haydon, John H., 1837- Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company Number of Pages: 1070

Author: Morrison, Annie L. Stringfellow, 1860-; Haydon, John H., 1837-
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company
Number of Pages: 1070