History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 52

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846-
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1928

USA > California > Santa Clara County > History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 52

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National Axle Corporation

The National Axle Corporation was organ- ized in 1920. It purchased twelve acres on the Berryessa Road, in what was formerly known as Luna Park, and proceeded to erect a large one-story building at a cost of $68.000. The cost of the equipment was $110,000. Fifteen mechanics are now employed, but the expecta- tion is that in the near future the force will reach the one hundred mark. In 1921, a new corporation obtained control of the plant. S. C. Kyle is president, and Earl C. Fancher and H. W. Smith are vice-presidents. Smith is the manager of the works. Axles form the main output, though the factory is prepared to do all kinds of contract work. The building is 360 feet long by 90 feet wide. One hundred feet east of the National Axle building is lo- cated a branch of the Smith Manufacturing Company. The building is 75x60 feet in size and here is manufactured everything in the line of boilers and sheet metal work.

Plow Factories

H. G. Knapp & Son, in business in San Jose since 1900, have two large plants, one on South First Street, opposite Willow, the other at the corner of Fourth and Margaret Streets. Their products go to Honolulu, the Philip- pines, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, and all parts of the state. They manufacture plows, tractors, side hill plows, whip saws, subsoilers, and gopher plows. A specialty is made of the Knapp tractor disc plow and the Knapp power lift. During the business seas- on, the company employs forty-five men.

In 1919 the California Plow Company lo- cated in San Jose, having secured a four-acre tract on the old Polhemus estate, with close shipping facilities. C. B. and E. R. Polhemus comprise the company. A number of imple- ments, including plows for tractors, horse- drawn tools and several kinds of harrows, are made. Besides the main shop, which is al- ready equipped with the latest drill presses, lathes, punches and slicing machines, the com- pany has started a casting foundry, operating on a small scale.

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The Farmers' Union

The Farmers' Union was organized by Val- ley farmers on May 11, 1874, for the purpose of buying and selling groceries, produce, hardware-everything, in fact, save clothing --- and maintaining stores. Besides the large store on Santa Clara Street, corner of San Pedro, it operates a store in Central Market and another at the town of Campbell. The capital stock when the company was organ- ized was $100,000. It has since been increas- ed to $200,000. The value of the stock on hand amounts to about the same figure. The first president was William Erkson. In 1878 he was succeeded by C. T. Settle, who contin- ued in office until his death in 1900. W. C. Andrews was then chosen for the position, and he has held it ever since. He is also the manager of the store and his assistant is A. O. Matthews. Dr. W. C. Bailey is the secre- tary of the organization.

Granite and Marble Works

Schuh & Vertin have the only granite and marble works within the limits of the city of San Jose. Their establishment is at the corner of Santa Clara and Vine Streets, and like the other works on the outside they do all kinds of marble and granite work, special designing, etc. Near the city are located three other es-

tablishments, the Oak Hill Granite & Marble Yard, on the edge of the Cemetery. Monterey Road; the San Jose Granite and Marble Works, corner of First and Alameda Streets, and the Western Granite & Marble Com- pany's works on Stockton Avenue.

The marble business was established in San Jose in 1870 by J. W. Combs, and in 1378 W. W. Blanchard and Timothy O'Neill open- ed the first granite works. In 1883 a partner- ship between the three men was formed and the two interests were combined under the firm name of Combs, Blanchard & O'Neill. The name was afterwards changed to the Western Marble and Granite Company, and for many years business was done on First Street near the Southern Pacific railway tracks. At last, being cramped for space. the establishment was removed to Stockton Avenue.

Other industries are potteries, brick yards, machine shops, broom factories, box factories, refineries, book binderies, creameries, dairies, feed yards, sheet metal, wagon. mattress, shingle and pump factories, lumber yards and planing mills, rug works, macaroni factories, violin makers, well works, welding works, paste makers and coffee and spice mills. This does not include the dozens of garages, auto supply companies and auto repair shops.

CHAPTER XXXI.

The Romantic History of the Town of Santa Clara-Home of One of the Early Missions-The Story of the Santa Clara University-The Planting of the Mission Cross.

As far as is known, William Clark was the first American to locate in Santa Clara. He is the man who first reduced the ore from the mines at New Almaden. In 1846 came the Harlands, Van Gordon, Samuel Young, Tabor, Allen, Jones, Dickinson and Bennett. 1n 1848 there arrived J. Alex. Forbes, Jonathan and Charles Parr. William Booth, Fielding Lard, Riley Montrey, Cobeb Rand, Geo. \V. Bel- lamy, Dr. H. H. Warburton, Mr. Bazard, Wil- liam Mccutchen, William Haun, Washington Moody, John Whisman, William Campbell, Thomas Hudson, James Linns, Austin Angel and others.

There were two stores, one kept by Robert Scott, and one by a Frenchman. The only hotel was che Bellamy house. The first frame building was built as a residence for Father Real, the priest in charge of the Mission, at

the southwest corner of Santa Clara and Al- viso Streets. The lumber was sawed with a whipsaw by Fielding Lard, in the Palgas red- woods. Immediately afterward buildings were erected by Lard, Scott and Haun. In 1850 a school house building was erected on Liberty Street. It was built by subscription and was long known as the "little brick schoolhouse." It was used as a place of worship by all de- nominations. In 1853 the first church was built by the Methodists. In the same year a female seminary was erected to the west of Main Street, between Liberty and Lexington. In 1850 Peleg Rush imported twenty-three houses from Boston and set them up in town. The Union Hotel was built in 1850. It was conducted by Appleton & Ainslie. In 1851 the Santa Clara College was established.

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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

In 1850 the town site was surveyed by Wil- liam Campbell into lots a hundred yards square, and one lot was given to each citizen with the understanding that he was to build a house on it within three months; failing to do so the lot could be taken by another. There was no town government until 1852 when the following officers were chosen trustees: F. Lard, S. S. Johnson, A. D. Hight, F. Cooper, Riley Montrey ; clerk, C. W. Adams ; assessor, A. Madan; marshal, William Fosgate. In 1862 a regular charter, in accordance with state laws, was obtained and the following were chosen as trustees: J. R. Johnson, A. B. Caldwell, R. K. Ham, J. L. Guernsey, Henry Uhrbroock. The charter was amended in 1866 and again in 1872. The town, as then laid out, was two miles long and a mile and a half wide. Methodism in California was first planted in Santa Clara.

Santa Clara, called by admirers, "the pro- gressive city beautiful," has (1922) a popu- lation of 6,300. Its public school system is equal to any in the land. Children enjoy the best possible educational advantages under the best teachers available and are provided with beautiful, spacious and strictly modern buildings and playgrounds .. The latest and most approved laboratory equipment and ath- letic accessories are installed. Sanitary and health conditions are under the careful super- vision of a skilled physician. The grammar school course is supplemented by manual training, sewing, cooking and music. The high school prepares students for the Normal schools and universities, and gives a compre- hensive general course.

The Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce is located in the Bank of Italy building and is one of the live progressive institutions of the town. The officers are: Robert A. Fatjo, pres- ident; J. J. Jones, L. G. Fatjo, vice-presidents ; H. L. Warburton, treasurer ; and B. R. Sulli- van, secretary. Directors, Bernice Downing, Henry Eberhard, R. A. Fatjo, L. G. Fatjo, J. J. Jones, William Loos, E. McQuoid, A. W. Nuttman, Henry R. Roth, C. A. Thompson, F. J. Vargas, H. L. Warburton. The Chamber. composed of the leading men of the business community, is concerned with the promotion of the city's material interests and general wel- fare, and is engaged in publicity with the ob- ject of acquainting the outside world with the inviting and salutary local conditions and op- portunities.

Santa Clara stands preeminent among the cities and towns of California in the matter of municipal ownership of light and water, and is therefore immune from the restrictions usu- ally levied upon these necessities by corpo- rate control. Operating its own water, gas

and electric plants, it is enabled to offer par- ticular inducements to homeseekers in the reasonable expense of these utilities as well as in the low rate of taxation. Paved and graded streets and cement sidewalks are among the features that commend themselves to visitors. The town is surrounded with beautiful gar- dens, thrifty orchards and fields of vegetables, all of which add charm and makes this por- tion of the valley rank high as a place of abode.

Santa Clara's fruit and manufacturing con- cerns are the city's greatest asset. The Pratt- Low Preserving Company, the A. Block Pack- ing Company, the Rosenberg Bros. & Com- pany, the Eberhard Tanning Company, the Merrit Cement Company, the Homer Knowles Pottery, and the Pacific Manufacturing Com- pany, are the largest of their kind on the Coast. These institutions are the mainstay of the community and will, as they continue their rapid progress and development, result in the greater growth and prosperity of Santa Clara and surrounding territory.

The Pratt-Low Preserving Company is sit- uated a short distance south of the Southern Pacific Railway depot, and at its inception in 1905 three acres of ground were ample for its requirements. At the present time ten acres are devoted to this institution, which em- ployes from a minimum of four hundred to a maximum of one thousand people during the fruit harvesting season, extending from June first to the middle of November. During this period cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and tomatoes are handled in large quantities, over ten million cans being necessary for containers; the finished product is distributed throughout the United States and Canada, as well as England, France, Italy, and the Orient. The extreme fertility and productivity of the soil in the immediate vicin- ity of this plant has had much to do with its growth, and the sanitary conditions main- tained, together with the care exercised in the selection and handling of the fruit, account for the great demand for, and wide distribution of, its products.

The A. Block Fruit Company, located on the northwestern Imits of Santa Clara, was established in 1873 by the late Abram Block, and is perhaps the largest deciduous fruit house in the world, packing in different years, according to the size and quality of the crop, from 500 to 900 carloads, all assorted and boxed by experienced hands and shipped to almost every corner of the globe -- China, Eur- ope, South America, South Africa. The Blocks make a specialty of quality fruits, the bulk of which is grown in their own orchards. They pack nothing except the best, their brand hav-

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ing a reputation second to none wherever it is marketed. California's finest pack of pears and plums, grown on Santa Clara soil, is har- vested and packed by this local establishment.

The Pacific Manufacturing Company is one of the largest lumber concerns on the Pacific Coast. The plant covers over fifteen acres of ground and 500 men are constantly employed. The company was originally known as the En- terprise Mill & Lumber Company, but was re- organized and the name changed in Septem- ber, 1880. The present officers are : James H. Pierce, president ; John T. Kennedy, vice-presi- dent; R. T. Pierce, secretary and treasurer. The plant is valued at $300,000.

The Eberhard Tanning Company, formerly the Santa Clara Tannery, was started in 1849 by L. Wampach. He conducted it until 1854, when it was brought by Messing & Dixon, Shortly afterward F. C. Franck was admitted as a partner. Dixon soon sold out to Mr. Glein, and ultimately passed into the hands of Glein alone. In 1860 the firm became Glein & Albert, who kept up the business until 1864, when Glein again became sole possessor. In 1866 he sold out to Jacob Eberhard. In 1915 Jacob Eberhard died and the business has since been conducted by his sons and daugh- ters. The plant occupies eleven acres on Grant Street, and is one of the largest tan- neries in the world. A sale for the very superior leather turned out is found all over the world. Eighty-six men are employed the year round.

The present town officers are John J. Jones, William Loos, M. Silva, W. F. Hayward, P. Concannon, trustees ; W. Walsh, marshal, A. J. Cronin, clerk ; R. A. Fatjo, treasurer. School trustees-F. M. Harmon, C. E. Newton, Mrs. Lenora D. Emig, David Wallace and F. M. Merrill. There are two newspapers, the Jour- nal, published by B. & B. Downing, and the News, published by Lawrence Lockney.

The Santa Clara Valley Aero Club has er- ected a spacious club house and rest room on the edge of the field fronting the State High- way on the outskirts of Santa Clara, and has extended the landing area so as to make it one of the very best in the state. Among the remarkable advantages of the flying park is the absence of trees or shrubbery. The ground is level, carpeted with clover, and makes an ideal landing point.

There are Presbyterian, Methodist, Episco- pal and Catholic Churches in Santa Clara, and also the following societies, lodges, and clubs : Church Societies-Ladies' Improvement So- ciety, Presbyterian; Ladies' Aid, Methodist; St. Margaret's Guild, Episcopal; Santa Clara Relief Society, Catholic. Lodges and Clubs- Foresters of America; I. O. of Red Men; Na-

tive Sons of the Golden West; Degree of Po- cahontas; Woodmen of the World; Union Club ; Sodality Club, Woman's Club, Shake- speare Club, Parent-Teachers' Club, King's Daughters, Sew and So Circle, Monday After- noon Bridge Club, W. C. T. U., C. H. & R. Club, Girls' Club, St. Claire's Altar Society, Baseball Club, Socieade de Espirito Santa, Su- preme Council, S. E. S.

University of Santa Clara

The leading educational institution of Santa Clara is the University of Santa Clara, for- merly called Santa Clara College. It is lo- cated on the site of the old Mission of Santa Clara. On January 12, 1777, two Franciscan Padres, de la Pena and Murguia, planted the Mission cross on the banks of a little stream. called from that time the Guadalupe, at a spot now forming a part of the Laurel Wood farm, near Agnew .. Two years later, a flood de- stroyed both church and monastery, and the padres in consequence sought a site on higher ground near the present railway station of Santa Clara. There, on November 9, 1781, they laid the foundation of a large adobe church and mission buildings. Three years later, on May 15, 1784, the new church was dedicated, by the venerable Padre Serra, then padre presidente of all the Missions of Cali- fornia.

This church, however, was so badly shat- tered by several earthquakes in 1812 and 1818, that the padres were forced to build anew. This time they chose the site which the uni- versity now occupies. There, on August 11. 1822, a still larger church was dedicated, which did service for many years till the vio- lent earthquakes in the years 1865 and 1868 so cracked and weakened it that extensive re- pairs were necessary. By the year 1885 it had been almost entirely removed, having been gradually replaced by the present frame build- ing, the interior of which is a nearly perfect re- production of its predecessors and retains some of the old ornaments and furniture and the ceiling of the sanctuary.

The Mission of Santa Clara was secular- ized in 1836 and passed from the hands of the devoted Padres into those of politicians who robbed Santa Clara of her lands and drove many of her children into the forests. When Rt. Rev. Joseph Sadoc Alemany, O. P., ar- rived as bishop of the diocese in 1850, he found only one Franciscan in charge of the Mission, which had been restored by the American Government, though in a sadly re- duced form, most of the land being occupied by squatters. Desiring to save the remnants of the Mission and also to begin a college to meet the growing need of the times, the

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Bishop invited the Society of Jesus to Santa Clara. The invitation was accepted and ac- cordingly, on March 19. 1851, the Rev. John Nobili, S. J., laid the foundation of the Uni- versity of Santa Clara and began the work. Fr. Nobili adapted the old adobe buildings to the requirements of a school and in a few years many students were in attendance. On April 28, 1855, the institution was chartered a university and for many years was known as Santa Clara College. In 1904, during the presidency of Father Robert E. Kenna, S. J., a large tract of land was bought at Mountain View, with the intention of transferring the college thither, but owing to lack of financial support, nothing was done.

After careful consideration, it was decided in 1910, that this plan would have to be aban- doned, and that it was much wiser to improve the college in its present location and thus make the most of the equipment it then had. Accordingly, in 1911, two new reinforced con- crete buildings, in the mission style of archi- tecture, were begun.

In 1907 lectures were commenced with a view of preparing students to enter upon the professional courses in law, medicine and en- gineering. By 1911, the pre-medical course was thoroughly established and the law school was begun. Realizing, therefore, that the college was practically doing the work of a university, the president, Fr. James P. Mor- rissey, S. J., and the board of trustees, decided to adopt officially the name of "The Univer- sity of Santa Clara," and this decision was publicly announced on April 29, 1912. Later, on June 16, 1912, with appropriate ceremonies in the presence of Most Rev. Patrick W. Riordan, D. D., Archbishop of San Fran- cisco, of many present and former stu- dents, and of 30,000 spectators, with a pageant illustrative of the history of California and Santa Clara. the two new buildings were ded- icated.

In the summer of 1912, engineers of high standing were engaged to carry on the courses in engineering, and in the next summer a thoroughly equipped laboratory for engineer- ing was prepared. In the same year the amount of work required of law students was increased and almost all classes in law were thenceforth held at night.

The university now possesses the follow- ing constituent colleges: The College of Philosophy and Letters; The College of Gen- eral Science: The Institute of Law ; The Col- lege of Engineering, embracing Architectural, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering ; The School of Pedagogy; and The Pre-Med- ical Course.

The following buildings are on the grounds :

The Mission Church-Built on the site of the old Mission Church of 1822, this building preserves many of the relics and decorations of the Franciscan days, though most of the walls have been removed. The Memorial Chapel-As a memorial of deceased students this handsome chapel was erected in 1887, dur- ing the presidency of Rev. Father Robert E. Kenna, S. J., through the generosity of many alumni and friends of Santa Clara College. Senior Hall-This hall, built in 1912 of rein- forced concrete, furnishes on the second and third floors, private rooms for the older stu- dents. On the first floor are seven large class- rooms for college classes, the Law Library and Study Hall, and the College of Engineer- ing. In the basement are a large social hall, senior reading room, the practice court of the Institute of Law and the Palaeontological Museum. The Theater-All dramatic produc- tions at Santa Clara since 1870, including the Passion Play and the Mission Play of Santa Clara, have been presented in this theater. Its stage is one of the largest for amateur produc- tions in the West. The lower floor is fitted up as a dormitory for older students. The Literary Congress Building-For a time the meeting place of the House of Philhistorians and the Philalethic Senate was in this build- ing. Now it houses the Philalethic Senate and the Department of Chemistry, and is used to some extent as a substitute for a Gymna- sium. The Scientific Building-The first and second division study halls, the typewriting room, the physical cabinet and laboratory, the mineralogical museum, the biological labora- tory and lecture-rooms, and the laboratory for wireless telegraphy are in this building. The Commercial Building-This building contains the high school classrooms and study hall, the commercial school, the physical laboratory for the high school, and the drafting room of the College of Engineering. The Infirmary Build- ing-This structure, with its several wings, comprises the kitchen, the refectories, the in- firmary with private rooms and ward, dormi- tories for younger students, clothes-room, the students' cooperative store, rooms for the in- dividual practice of music, and the band-room. The Observatory -- The equatorial telescope, seismographs, meteorological instruments and the study of the father in charge are housed in four small buildings. The Faculty Build- ing-This structure of reinforced concrete, built in 1912, to replace the old Fathers' Build- ing which was destroyed by fire in 1910, con- tains the offices of the chief executive officers of the university, parlors, the residence of the Fathers and Scholastics who are attached to the university or Parish of Santa Clara, and

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the Library of the university. The Engineer- ing Laboratory-Forges, machinery for wood- working and pattern-making, etc., used in the courses of the College of Engineering find place in this building.

Besides the buildings there are the athletic field of fifteen acres, two large baseball dia- monds and an inner campus for track, tennis courts, baseball courts, etc. There are two semesters ; one begins in August, other in Jan- uary, after the holiday recess.

The board of trustees for 1919-20 were : Tim- othy Leo Murphy, S. J., president; Joseph William Riordan, S. J., secretary and treas- urer : Aloysius Vincent Raggio, S. J .: Jerome Sextus Ricard, S. J .: Richard Henry Bell, S. J .: Cornelius Aloysius Buckley, S. J. ; Charles M. Lorigan. Executive board-The president, Joseph William Riordan, S. J. Charles M. Lorigan. In 1921 Rev. Z. Maher succeeded Rev. Timothy Leo Murphy as pre- sident.

After the convention of the Jesuit order at Seattle in July, 1920. Father Murphy, presi- dent of the university, announced that a new building, to be used for instruction and dor- mitory purposes, would be erected on the uni- versity grounds as soon as plans could be completed. The building will follow closely the plan and style of Senior Hall, having three stories and a basement. It will be of concrete and will cost about $200,000. It will make it possible to accommodate 500 more students than formerly could be housed at the univer- sity and will no longer make it necessary for Father Murphy to refuse applications for en- rollment. Enough applications are on file to have every room in the new addition filled immediately upon completion. In the spring of 1922 a drive for the purpose of raising $500,000 to enlarge and improve the univer- sity started with every promise of success.

The Last of the Mission Indians

A romantic figure whose life span reached a century and a quarter, was Marcello, the last of the Mission Indians. Charles D. South, Litt. D., present postmaster of Santa Clara, has written most entertainingly of this grand old fellow, whose history is a part of the his- tory of the university. Mr. South's article appeared first in the March, 1920, number of The Columbiad, the organ of the Knights of Columbus. It is herewith given as a part of the history of Santa Clara.

"Of the twenty-one Catholic Indian Mis- sions of California, the seventh in chronolog- ical order of establishment was that of Santa Clara de Asis, on the Arroyo Guadalupe, near the southern extremity of San Francisco Bay ; and of the thousands of red men who were

fed, clothed and educated there by the self- sacrificing sons of St. Francis, and who la- bored to upbuild and maintain this heroic Christian settlement in the territory of the Olhone, or Costano, tribes, the name of Mar- cello alone has survived, and his personality stands dimly outlined in solitary hugeness against the hazy background of California's pastoral age. Most famous of all the Mission Indians, Marcello, last of his race, joined the innumerable caravan only after his life had spanned, it is claimed, a full century and a quarter-a century and a quarter which more than 'tinges the sober twilight of the present with color of romance.'

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History of Santa Clara County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 52

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846- Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1928

Author: Sawyer, Eugene Taylor, 1846-
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1928