History of Santa Clara County, California : including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description, Part 62

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: San Francisco : Alley, Bowen, & Co.
Number of Pages: 894

USA > California > Santa Clara County > History of Santa Clara County, California : including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description > Part 62

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

premises, and had paid a portion of the rent in advance; that, in conse- quence thereof, he (Clayton) could not obtain a lease, and that he must surrender possession. This he refused to do, unless he was first reimbursed for the expenditure he had made. Osio, declining to pay the damages, Clayton remained in possession. Under a judgment which had existed against the Mission, the orchard had been sold by the Sheriff, and James F. Reed and others claimed the orchard by virtue of that salc. Joel Clayton obtained a lease under the Reed title. Osio then commenced suit for possession; but before the trial came off, Charles Clayton, John H. Watson, James M. Jones, and Joshua W. Redman purchased a title to the orchard made under a sale by Pio Pico, as Governor, in 1846, to Benito Dias, Juan Castañada, and Larias Anellnas. Charles Clayton, Redman and others, brought suit for possession against Joel Clayton. He disclaimed any right to the premises, and a writ of restitution' was issued, placing plaintiffs in possession. Osio instituted suit against the plaintiffs and defendant, charging collusion. The suit was tried at San José, and Osio obtained judgment. James M. Jones, being at the time of the trial at the Sandwich Islands, soon thereafter returned; and, appearing in Court, moved for a new trial upon the ground of surprise, which motion was granted. Upon motion and affidavits, a change of venue was had, and the cause ordered to Santa Cruz to be tried; but Osio having abandoned the suit, it was dismissed. Redman and Clayton continued in possession, reaping the benefit of the orchard, which at that time was very great, as fruit was scarce and consequently high in price.

" After the Jesuits took the place of the order of San Franciscans, Father Nobili was stationed at Santa Clara Mission. He instituted suit against Redman and Clayton for possession of the orchard. The case was tried in Alameda county, early in 1855. After plaintiff closed his case, on motion of defendant's counsel, a nonsuit was granted. Plaintiff appealed to the Supreme Court, and there the judgment of the Court below was affirmed.

" In the meantime, Bishop Alemany had filed his petition before the Land Commissioners, praying for a confirmation of all the Mission property in the State, as the property of the Roman Catholic Church. His claim was finally confirmed, and the land embraced therein patented. Then, R. A. Redman, as administrator of his father's estate, and Charles Clayton, com- promised with Bishop Alemany; the two former giving a quit-claim to the latter of their right to the orchard, and the latter giving Redman and Clayton a lease of the property for six years, at the rate of one thousand dollars per annum.

" Judge Felch, of the California Board of Land Commissioners, in deliver- ing the opinion of the Board, in the case of the Bishop, states clearly the theory of the Missionary colonization, as follows: 'The Missions were intended, from the beginning, to be temporary in their character. It was

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contemplated that in ten years from their first foundation they should cease. It was supposed that within that period of time the Indians would be sufficiently instructed in Christianity, and the arts of civilized life, to assume the position and character of citizens; that these Mission settlements would then become pueblos; and that the Mission churches would then become parish churches, organized like the other establishments of an . ecclesiastical character in other portions of the nation where no Missions had ever existed. The whole missionary establishment was widely different from the ordinary ecclesiastical organization of the nation. In it the super- intendence and charge was committed to priests, who were devoted to the special work of Missions, and not to the ordinary clergy. The monks of the College of San Fernando and Zacatecas, in whose charge they were, were to be succeeded by the secular clergy of the national church, the missionary field was to become a diocese; the President of the Missions to give place to a bishop; the Mission churches to become curacies; and the faithful in the vicinity of each parish to become the parish worshippers.'"

We have thus far shown the theory and manner of conducting the Missions; that the great body of land used and possessed by them belonged to the nation ; and that the Missions proper, such as buildings, gardens, and orchards have been confirmed to, and are now in the possession of the Roman Catholic Church, under the charge of the Bishop.

In a conversation we had with the three oldest residents now living in Santa Clara, viz .: Joseph Lard, Dr. H. H. Warburton, and William N. Fosgate, the following information was gleaned: On their arrival the only buildings in the place were those belonging to the Mission and the smaller ones where dwelt the Indian converts. The Mission church is described as a plain adobe structure of from forty to fifty feet frontage and two hundred and fifty in depth, roofed with tiles, and surmounted with a tower seventy- five feet in height, standing to the south front and containing a chime of bells. The front was ornamented with rude paintings of biblical scenes, and somewhat dilapidated, while its interior arrangements were much the same as they now are. In the year 1864, owing to the decay of the walls, the front was incased with wood, and a new roof of shingles put on, while in 1878 the remaining walls were likewise incased. This, however, is not the originial Mission church. That edifice stood near where the railroad depots now stand, but in 1846, when Mr. Lard with his parents arrived, there was naught remaining of it but a heap of ruins. The original eross, however, was found and removed. It now stands in front of the present building, incased with wood, and bears on its western front the words: "I. H. S. He that shall preserve to the end shall be saved. Mission founded 1777."

In November, 1846, the foreigners and nearly all the Californians lived inside the Mission, and were amenable to Spanish law. There were then

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

here, says Joseph Lard, the Harland family, Van Gorden, Sam. Young, Tabor, Allen, Jones, Dickenson, and Bennett, and their families, while it is supposed that the first American to locate was William Chard.

In 1848, to the south of, and next to the church there resided the priest in charge of the Mission, Father Real, indeed the walls of the building where the entrance to the college now is are the original ones erected. Further south lived James Alexander Forbes, Vice-Consul for Great Britain. These houses were on what is now known as Helvetia street. On the east side of the present Alviso street stood a row of adobe buildings; of these there are still remaining the houses then occupied by the Bojorquez and Peña fami- lies; while north of the brewery we still find the remains of the Bennett place.

In 1847 and 1848 there were permanently settled in Santa Clara, other than Californians, J. Alex. Forbes and family, Jonathan and Charles Parr, William Booth and family, Fielding Lard and family, Riley Moultrie and family, Caleb Rand and wife, George W. Bellamy and family, Dr. Warbur- ton, - Bazard, William McCutchan, who dwelt where Goldbach's saloon now stands ; Robert Scott, who kept a store where the Cracker Factory now is; William Haun, Washington Moody, John Whisman, William Campbell, William Chard, Thomas Hudson, James Linns and family, Anson Angel, and others whose names are not now remembered. The only other store was kept by a Frenchman on the corner of what now is Alviso and Franklin streets, while the Bellamy House was the only house of entertainment. The first frame bui ding in the place was constructed in the year 1847 for Father Real, and -tcod at the present south-west corner of Alviso and Santa Clara streets-the extreme angle of the Mission property of to-day. The lumber for this ho ise was sawed with a whip-saw by Fielding Lard, and brought from the Puigus redwoods in San Mateo county. About the same time, or imme- diately after, like structures were erected by Lard, Scott, and Haun; there are only remaining of these, the premises known as the Widney Block.

In the Fall of 1850, a building, which stood to the west of the Mission church, on Liberty street, and long known as the "little brick school-house," was erected by subscription as a place of worship for the use of all denomi- nations without distinction, but it was not until 1852-3 that the first regu- lar church was built, and then by the Methodist Episcopal Body. In this same year the Female Seminary was constructed to the west of Main street, between Liberty and Lexington streets.

West of the church mentioned above stood the Mission corral, and inclosed a tract of land six acres in extent. Its adobe walls were from ten to twelve feet high, and four feet thick, while the space was partitioned off into divis- ions for horses, cattle, sheep, swine, etc. Some of the adobe bricks were afterwards utilized in the building of the church.

Gray

Q. B. Brewer

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THENEW YORK DUJE. M.BRARY

MAX AND .1-2.1S.

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SANTA CLARA TOWNSHIP.

Though the year 1848 had left the little town deserted, in 1849 many new faces were to be seen, and in 1850 Peleg Rush imported twenty-three houses from Boston, erected them in different parts of the village, one being opened as a hotel, and soon found occupants for them. Naturally this move added greatly to its appearance. In this year the Union Hotel was built by Captain Auser, and first occupied by Appleton & Ainslie.

In concluding the early history of Santa Clara let us reproduce the impres- sions of a visitor in 1850 :-

In the Spring of 1850, the town site had been surveyed out into lots of one hundred yards square, and each citizen had taken a lot with the under- standing that he was to improve it by building a house on it, or fencing it in; if that was not done within three months, the lot could be taken by another. Santa Clara was a quiet place, undisturbed by the excitements incident to other localities in California. The inhabitants were mostly engaged in build- ing houses, or otherwise improving their lots, or playing billiards, or gam- bling, or in looking on at others in these occupations.

The Spanish language was in use about as much as English, and there were comparatively few persons who knew both languages. Now, all who were children of Spanish descent, and some of American, can speak both lan- guages. There was another tongue, which, if it is not now, soon will be a dead language, as dead as that of Eliot's Bible, the guttural sound of which was often heard. The Indians were more numerous than at present. They had rancherias in what is now Mr. Trenouth's place, Martin Murphy's ranch, near Alviso, and other places. They busied themselves after the manner of the noble red man of to-day, walking about picking up all the spoiled pro- visions, offal or cast-off clothing they could find in the street.

The Alameda at that time was in all its glory. One would not see the stately mansions and trim cottages, the shrubbery and flowers, and green lawns of the present day, but the rows of willows and cottonwoods stretched with unbroken ranks from the Mission to the pueblo. The land was moister than now, trees seemed to grow more luxuriantly, and the road-master, if there was such an official in those days, was not possessed of a pruning devil. One could pass over the whole length of the Alameda and often not meet a single person. Traveling was mostly done on horseback; sometimes in farm wagons that had made the journey across the plains. Buggies or spring wagons were rarely seen. The stage running between San Jose and San Francisco, passed through the place each way, daily, fare sixteen dollars. I should not omit to mention a style of carriage that we saw at times on the road. This was the careta, with its solid wooden wheels, creaking loudly, drawn by a pair of oxen, with the yoke lashed to their horns with thongs of raw-hide, the driver on horseback, and an improvised top or cover beneath which might be seen the gay-colored silk dresses of the occupants, which 35

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

contrasted so oddly with the rudeness of the vehicle. This was the turnout of some neighboring ranchero on a visit to the pueblo with his family. These folks have since sold their lands and bought carriages. One can but deplore the fate of these simple-hearted, hospitable people, forced to retire before the advance of a more enterprising race. The days before the discovery of gold must seem to them to be the golden age of California.

It will be remembered that the Summer and Autumn of 1850 were noted for the prevalence of the cholera in California. But I have heard of no deaths, from this disease, among the Americans in Santa Clara; there were a few fatal cases in the Spanish population. A service was held in the church to ward off the cholera. Life and property were considered pretty secure in the comparative absence of officers of the law. I should except, however, property in the shape of horses. These were frequently stolen; a band of horse-thieves appeared to be operating in this vicinity. The following year I happened to be in the street in San Francisco, when George Stuart was led out by the Vigilance Committee and hanged, and I thought I recognized in him a man I had seen in Santa Clara; I was not certain of it, for, as our Ex- Congressman would put it, "I had not the honor of his acquaintance."

There was no Protestant Church building, or organized church in town, but the Rev. Billy Higgins used to preach occasionally. The Catholic Priest was called Padre Real. I heard him highly spoken of as one who did much for the amusement of his people. I have heard that he since went to Mexico and was killed there.

The 12th of August, being the feast-day of the Patron Saint of the Mission, it was celebrated in great style. Under the superintendence of the priest, a portion of the plaza, adjoining the church, was inclosed by a strong fence, and seats for the ladies were put up under the projecting roof of a house that now forms part of the college buildings, and a series of bull-fights was inaugurated. One of the ladies "assisted" literally in the spectacle. She got over the fence, walked into the middle of the corral and waved a red shawl. When the bull, which was walking about, apparently meditating some plan to get even with his tormentors, caught sight of the bright color, he made a rush for her, then a man stepped in between and succeeded in diverting his attention, and the lady withdrew amid great applause. In the evening there were balls at several houses. These festivities were kept up for two or three days. Nowadays, I am told, Santa Clara's day is allowed to pass by without any notice being taken of it.

In September the election took place, and, previously, the several candi- dates visited Santa Clara and made speeches, soliciting the votes of its citi- zens. The Democrats held a convention in San José, and nominated a ticket. The opposing ticket was composed of gentlemen who nominated themselves. The latter was successful. George B. Tingley, Thomas Bodley, and A. C.

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Campbell were elected to the Legislature. Those three gentlemen, then in manhood's early prime, are now all dead. Of the foreigners residing in Santa Clara in 1850, and now living, I remember Mr. Forbes, the historian of Cal- ifornia, Dr. Warburton and Charley Parr, Charles Clayton, who kept the principal store at the place where Habich & Company keep now, A. Madan, Wm. Fosgate, Moses Davis, and O. G. MeLeran, who were working at the carpenter's trade, Miss Otterson, Hiram Shartzer and G. W. Moody. Martin Murphy, James Enright and Judge Senter were living in the vicinity on the farms they now occupy. Captain Ham was running a boat on the bay between San Francisco and Alviso. These are the names of all I recall just now. When I reflect on the number who have " joined the innu- merable caravan," then it is brought home to my mind, more than any other time, that 1850 was not a few years ago.

Santa Clara College .- Santa Clara College is situated in the town of Santa Clara, which is justly celebrated for the beauty of its surrounding scenery, and the mildness and salubrity of its climate. The Southern Pacific and the South Pacific Coast railroads pass through the town.

The old Mission church stands near the entrance of the college. It is one hundred and ninety-eight feet long and forty-four feet wide, and is used as the parish church. Its front is of modern architecture, but the interior has been preserved very nearly in its primitive state, with "Indian frescoes," and old Mexican wooden carvings. On the square in front of the church rises the original wooden cross, thirty-two feet high, which was erected by the Indians at the first settlement of the Mission.

The entrance to the college is through a three-story building of one hundred and ninety-eight by forty feet, which has a central fourth story, and contains a suite of seven parlors, the residence of the Faculty, the branch library of the Professors, the Training and Normal School of the society, and the pastor's office. The entrance hall opens on an interior garden of two hundred by one hundred and thirty-five feet, surrounded by long verandas and crossed by arbors of grape-vines, among which grow exotic plants and flowers, fig, lemon, and orange trees, and very large palm trees. A fish-pond and jet-d'eau ornament the center. In the adjoining vineyard are seen olive trees planted in the year 1805, and a rotunda con- taining a life-sized statue of St. Joseph.

The college is conducted by the Fathers of the Society of Jesus. They are the successors of the Franciscan Fathers, the pioneers of civilization on this coast, who, as early as 1777, founded the Mission of Santa Clara, and labored zealously to elevate the moral character, and develop the material prosperity of the inhabitants. On the 19th of March, 1851, Santa Clara College was established in the old Mission buildings for the purpose of affording to all who might desire it, the means of obtaining a liberal and Christian educa-

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tion. On the 28th of April, 1855, it was chartered with all the rights and privileges of a university. Since that period the career of Santa Clara Col- lege has been one of success. Her sons are to-day of honor and use to their State, in law, in medicine, in music, and in business. Several of her gradu- ates have held seats in the Houses of the Legislature. Her position to day is that of the first educational establishment on the Pacific coast. Her staff of professors and tutors numbers twenty-six. She has two professors of chemistry, who daily use a completely furnished laboratory; a professor of physics, who has at his command the largest cabinet of apparatus possessed by any college in the United States; telegraphy is taught with the aid of four instruments at different stations in the different houses, which stand upon ten acres of ground. Photography is taught in a building erected exclusively for the purpose, and fully supplied with apparatus. Five pro- fessors of music give opportunity of making acquaintance with every musical instrument of the day. Mathematics are taught from arithmetic to calcu- lus. A professor of English literature lectures five times a week. Greek and Latin classics employ five teachers; and the modern languages are taught each by a native of the tongue in which he instructs. The religious cere- monies are the Catholic, but students of any denomination are received, and trouble has never been experienced from the usage. Students are not allowed to board without the college precincts. An excellent table is set at refectory commons, and there are two common dormitories besides the chambers for the seniors. Thus with most complete and appropriate accommodation in every department, and a full staff of professors, this institution presents uncommon advantages for the moral, mental and physical training of young men and boys.

The scholastic year consists of but one session. It commences at the begin- ning of August and ends at the beginning of June, with a public exhibition -- either literary or scientific-followed by the conferring of Degrees and the distribution of premiums.

A. B. The degree of Bachelor of Arts is conferred upon those only, who on completing the studies of Logic and Metaphysics, Solid Geometry, Trigo- nometry, Conic Sections and Surveying, Elementary Chemistry, and the treatises of the first year of Natural Philosophy, are found, after due exam- ination, sufficiently qualified. To become a candidate for the degree of A. B., a satisfactory examination is previously required in English Rhetoric and the Latin and Greek Classics.

A. M. The degree of Master of Arts is conferred on those who, having received the degree of A. B., shall have passed a satisfactory examination in Moral Philosophy, Analytical Geometry and Calculus, Organic and Analyt- ical Chemistry, and the treatises of the second year of Natural Philosophy.

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S. B. and S. M. The conditions for obtaining the degrees of Bachelor, and Master of Science are the same as for the degrees of A. B. and A. M., respec- tively, with the exception of Latin and Greek.

A certificate is given to those students who, after having completed the studies of Grammar, Arithmetic, Orthography, Elementary Sciences, Penman- ship, theoretical and practical Book-keeping, shall have passed a satisfactory examination.

Faculty and Officers-Rev. A. Brunengo, S. J., President and Prefect of Studies; Rev. Jos. Caredda, S. J., Vice-President and Prefect of Classes; Rev. E. M. Nattini, S. J., Secretary, Professor of English, Orthography, Telegraphy and Shorthand; Rev. G. Mengarini, S. J., Treasurer; Rev. V. Testa, S. J., Assistant Treasurer and Professor of French; Rev. Leggio, S. J., Chaplain; Rev. A. Tardella, S. J., Professor of Mental and Moral Philoso- phy, Latin and Greek; Rev. A. Cichi, S. J., Professor of Natural Philoso- phy, Chemistry, Mineralogy, etc; Rev. E. J. Young, S. J., Professor of Rhetoric, English Literature and Arithmetic; Rev. P. Mans, S. J., Professor of Poetry, Mathematics, German and Book-keeping; Rev. A. Goetz, S. J., Professor of Spanish; Mr. J. Egloffstein, S. J., Professor of Mathematics, German, Latin and Greek; Mr. J. Ricard, S. J., Professor of Mathematics and French; Mr. J. F. Collins, S. J., Professor of English Grammar, Arith- metic, Orthography and Book-keeping; Mr. V. Kiappa, S. J., Professor of Latin, Greek and Italian; Mr. A. Coltelli, S. J., Professor of Latin and Greek; Mr. E. Allen, S. J., Professor of English Grammar, Arithmetic and Orthography; Mr. A. Sauffrignon, S. M., Professor of Elementary Sciences, Arithmetic and Book-keeping, Director of the Practical Commercial Depart- ment; Mr. J. A, Waddell, Professor in the Preparatory Department; Mr. B. Tortore, S. J., Professor of Drawing; Mr. J. R. Lawrie, Professor of Piano; Mr. J. Manning, Professor of Violin; Mr. M. S. Ylisaliturri, Professor of Brass Instruments; Mr. L. Fernandez, Professor of Penmanship; Dr. H. H. Warburton, Attending Physician ; Mr. J. Boggio, S. J., Infirmarian.

Graduates of Santa Clara College, from 1857 to 1880 :-

A. B. 1857, Thos. Bergin ; 1858, J. M. Burnett; 1859, A. Splivalo; 1860, G. Keane; 1861, R. Prevost; 1862, M. Delmas; 1864, W. C. Kennedy, S. Inge; 1866, S. Ayon; 1869, W. B. Murphy; 1870, C. Wilcox; 1871, Jas. Campbell, J. T. Malone; 1872, M. J. Walsh; 1874, W. P. Veuve; 1875, W. T. Gray, T. F. Morrison ; 1876, R. Soto, Jas. T. Walsh; 1878, Jas. F. Smith, E. W. McNally, Chas. W. Quilty ; 1879, R. B. Brenham.

A. M. 1859, J. M. Burnett ; 1860, A. Splivalo; 1863, M. Delmas; 1865, Thos. Bergin ; 1867, S. Ayon; 1871, Chas. Wilcox; 1872, Jas. Campbell, J. T. Malone; 1873, M. J. Walsh ; 1878, E. W. McNally, Jas. F. Smith.

S. B. 1859, A. Burnett ; 1862, B. D. Murphy, R. Keating, Jas. Breen ;

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1864, D. Nealon ; 1865, F. C. Aguilar ; 1867, L. Sage, Jos. Wiley ; 1868, G. O. Sedgley, W. B. Murphy, A. Schweib; 1870, Palmer Seamans; 1871, Jas. Camp- bell, S. M. White; 1872, J. M. Chretien, A. F. Sauffrignon; J. C. Johnson, D. G. Sullivan, M. J. Wash, M. Wilson, Jos. McQuade; 1873, A. O. Arguello, J. L. Carrigan, F. McCusker, R. Del Valle ; 1874, A. L. Veuve, H. B. Pey- ton, W. S. Hereford, J. Burling, L. M. Pinard ; 1875, N. F. Brisac, Chas. Ebner ; 1876, J. Hudner, B. Brisac, Jas. Hermann, Jos. A. Machado; 1877, Robt. Brenham, W. S. Davis, J. S. Franklin, L. J. Harrison, V. S. McClatchy, Ed. W. McNally, Orestes J. Oreña, L. T. J. Palmer, Jno. W. Ryland, Jas. F. Smith, Geo. A. Young; 1878, Homer Spencer, F. A. Harrison, Jos. Cavag- naro, Dan. Thornton, Wm. Killip, Jno. L. Foster; 1879, Chas. R. Barry, F. H. McNally, D. J. Mahoney, Geo W. Seifert, John E. Auzerais.

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History of Santa Clara County, California : including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description, Part 62

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P Publication date: 1881 Publisher: San Francisco : Alley, Bowen, & Co. Number of Pages: 894

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: San Francisco : Alley, Bowen, & Co.
Number of Pages: 894