USA > California > Los Angeles County > Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities prefaced with a brief history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County, 1542-1908 > Part 17
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W. H. Williams served as the first postmaster, the office being located in a building on Second street where the Union livery stable now stands.
The growth of the new town was most promising. A Los Angeles paper of September 14th thus summarizes the advance made :
"Two months since the site of Santa Monica was a plain under the do- minion of a sheepherder. Today nearly one hundred substantial houses line its broad streets. Two hotels are overflowing with guests. Its lumber yards are doing the business of a metropolis and dealers in coal, wood, drygoods and groceries are rushing about in energetic ardor to keep up their stock of goods which are bought out as rapidly as exposed for sale. The price of town lots continues. The fare from San Francisco is $12.00 by boat, while it is $20.00 by continuous. The fare from San Francisco is $12.00 by boat, while it is $20 by rail, including a stage ride of 110 miles (the S. P. was not yet completed)".
Allowing for newspaper exaggeration, we ntay conclude that the first two months of the new town's existence were certainly lively ones. While buildings and business sprang up so magically, the new town also provided for the mental and moral needs of its citizens. On October 13th, 1875, appeared the first number of the Santa Monica Outlook, a neat and well-filled four-page weekly. with L. T. Fisher as editor. He began at once that consistent and persistent support of the interests of the town which can only be supplied by a first-class local newspaper.
He records in his first number the business houses and advance already made and the prospects for the future. Some extracts from early numbers of the Outlook will give a clear idea of the new town. "On the 15th of July, 1875, the first lot was sold at Santa Monica. At the date of this writing, October IIth, 1875, six hundred and fifteen lots have been sold by the land company for $131,745 ; 119 houses and shops have been erected. The water of San Vicente springs has been collected in two large reservoirs, forming pretty lakes in the proposed park, and the flow of half a million gallons per day is in process of being distributed in iron mains all over the townsite."-Outlook, October 13th, 1875.
" Santa Monica continues to advance. We now have a wharf where the largest Panama steamers have landed : a railroad completed to Los Angeles ; a telegraph station, a newspaper, postoffice, two hotels, one handsome clubhouse, several lodging houses, eight restaurants, a number of saloons, four groceries. three drygoods stores, two hardware stores, three fruit stores, one wool com- mission house, one news depot and book store, one variety store, one bakery, one jeweler and watchmaker, one boot and shoe maker, one tin shop, two livery stables, one dressmaker, two tin' shops, several contractors and builders, three real estate agencies, one insurance agency, one coal yard, one brick yard, two lumber yards, two private schools and in a short time we shall have two churches and a public school."-Outlook. November 24th, 1875.
REV. J. D. CRUM. First Resident Preacher of Santa Monica.
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Among the merchants of the first year we find W. D. Vawter & Sons, Fourth street, dealer in drygoods, clothing, etc .; M. J. Bundy, dealer in paints, oils, glass; tin shop. Boehme & Kilgariff; M. Boufosky, groceries, liquors, etc .; H. Giroux & Bro., groceries, liquors, etc. ; Wilson news depot, which handled every- thing from eastern periodicals to gents' furnishing goods, drugs and medicines : Tell's "Lookout ", which combined " native wines and brandies, fresh fruit, vegetables and fish ", with a "livery and feed stable." The hotels were the Santa Monica House, kept by J. C. Morgan and C. M. Monroe for a few months and then by J. W. Scott, and the Ocean View House, corner of Oregon and Second, kept by Malcom & Harper.
The first child born in Santa Monica was Earnest Majors, who made his appearance on August 2nd and who grew to manhood in this city. The first marriage ceremony took place January 20th, 1876, when Alfred Hayes wedded Miss Mattie Mountain, Rev. J. D. Crin officiating. The first sermon was preached by the Rev. A. F. White in September. In October, the Rev. Mr. Crum began holding Methodist services in Brady's hall, over a store on the col- ner of Oregon and Fifth streets. The first church organized was the Metil- odist and they dedicated their first chapel on January 2nd, 1876. A private school, known as the Santa Monica Academy, was opened by D. G. C. Baker and wife, November 8th, 1875, and the first public school was opened in the Presbyterian chapel on the corner of Third and Arizona, March 6th, 1876, with Mr. H. P. McCusick as teacher.
October 17th, 1875, the first railroad train left Santa Monica for Los An- geles, flat cars being used, as the passenger coaches had not arrived. Three trips were made that day and passengers from the steamer Senator were landed in Los Angeles twelve hours in advance of those who went on to San Pedro. On November 3rd the Outlook exults over-"A Busy Scene. We watched a lively scene on Santa Monica wharf last Thursday that is decidedly encouraging. On one side the schooner John Hancock was discharging a large cargo of lumm- ber; on the opposite side the schooner Newton Booth had just arrived with railroad ties : further along the barkentine Ella was unloading coal. The Sen- ator was discharging a large cargo of passengers and freight, including several race horses. A train of cars was waiting to transport the whole into the back country. And it must be remembered that only a few months ago the site of this growing town was a sheep pasture and the spot occupied by wharf and vessels a lonely waste of waters."
The same month the coast steamers began to make regular stops at the new town, and the Outlook states that at one time 28 mule teams were loaded with freight for San Bernardino. On Sunday, December 5th, the new road was so far completed that an excursion of 400 people, the first one entering Santa Monica, was brought in. Two trains a day were put on and the fare was $1.00 ; freight. $1.00 per ton between Los Angeles and Santa Monica. The Southern
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Pacific, when the Jones road and wharf were assured had dropped the freight rate between Los Angeles and San Pedro from $5.00 per ton to $2.50 and on the completion of the line it dropped to $1.00 for freight and 50 cents for pas- sengers, thus forcing the new road to begin operating at losing rates. The people of Los Angeles in their first gratitude for the loosening of the Southern Pacific monopoly, declared that they would stand by the Jones road and handle their trade over the Santa Monica wharf.
The year 1876 opened with the brightest prospects for the new town Its beau- tiful situation, the ample space given to streets and alleys, the uniform method of tree planting which had been adopted. the park and school building which were already planned for, added to the favorable outlook for a steadily increasing volume of business, drew many people to adopt Santa Monica as a home.
In February a meeting was called to consider the question of incorporating the new town; but after a very lively discussion the proposition received but one ave. In April the Outlook, which was an energetic agent and exponent of Santa Monica progress, published its first " special edition " reviewing the achievements of the first six months of existence. It states that 1000 lots in the town and thirty-five acre villa lots had already been sold; 2000 acres of the San Vicente ranch, lying along the L. A. & I. road in the vicinity of San Vicente springs had been divided into villa farms, to be sold at $100 per acre. The population of the town is given as between 800 and 900, with 116 school children. A school district had been organized with J. W. Scott, L. T. Fisher and John Freeman as trustees and March 11th, 1876. a special election was held and $5000 tax voted for school purposes. The schoolhouse, located on Sixth street, was ready for use in September, 1876.
In April Michael Duffy's bath house was completed, the first one in Santa Monica, and a pavilion was built on the beach by Jones and Baker. The Santa Monica Hotel was enlarged and several business houses built. There were many visitors and campers both at North Beach and at the cañon. One of the greatest attractions was a series of ring tournaments between mounted knights, one side, of Americans, led by B. F. Reid, the other composed of native Cali- fornians was under the command of J. J. Carrillo.
In March J. W. Scott made the first " addition" to the town of Santa Monica, a tract of forty-three acres lying east of town between Fifth and Eighth streets, and known as " Prospect Hill." Mr. Scott laid this off into lots, planted a thousand " blue gum " trees, and put in a bridge across Sixth street to connect it with the town. An auction was held March 3Ist and fifty lots were sold at prices ranging from $77 to $200.
This year a road was opened between Santa Monica and San Fernando valley, through the efforts of Isaac Lankershim, who wished to ship the grain from his 100,000-acre ranch by way of Santa Monica and thus save the cost of the road in a single year. But the Southern Pacific at once dropped its rate
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and thus the Santa Monica road was never used by Lankershim, although it was a paying investment for him to build it. The California Coast Steamship Co., whose object was to carry on a freight and passenger traffic between San Francisco and Santa Monica, was organized this year, with a capital stock of $400,000. "Lucky " Baldwin is credited with $75,000 stock and Col. Baker with $25,000, but the plans of the company never materialized.
A great deal of anxiety was manifested as to the completion of the L. A. & I. road, which had come to a stop when it reached Los Angeles. It was still believed that it would be continued to Independence and possibly further. This belief was strength- ened by the actual work of a grading 14 force in the Cajon Pass. But no final 0 decision as to a route between Los Angeles and the pass was made. San Bernar- dino talked of raising a subsidy to secure the line and Santa Ana and Riverside had hopes. Los Ange- les citizens held meet- FIRST CHURCH IN SANTA MONICA. FIRST M. E. CHURCH. ings to discuss the desirability of aiding the Independence road. Already it was seen that the influence and competition of the Southern Pacific was bearing heavily on the new road ; but the papers and the people held out strongly against any suggestion that their independent line might be absorbed by the monopoly.
During 1877 Santa Monica continued to hold its own in growth. A new bath house was erected by the L. A. & I. road on the beach front and fully equipped with hot steam baths, plunge and facilities for salt-water bathing in all its forms. A billiard room, bowling alley, skating rink and refreshment rooms were added to the pavilion. Altogether the finest accommodations on the coast were offered here. The Ocean House under the management of C. A. Sumner was opened this season, and the number of visitors and campers increased over any previous season.
In May. William Spencer burned 4000 feet of clay pipe which was pur- chased by B. D. Wilson for use in the extensive irrigation system which he and Shorb were then constructing near San Gabriel. The Santa Monica pipe proved so satisfactory that large orders were placed for it and in the fall work
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was begun on a clay pipe manufactory, a two-story building, 40 by 60, with a large furnace. This was the first utilization of the Santa Monica clay beds.
The plaza between California and Nevada streets had been planted with Monterey cypress, blue gum, live oak, pepper, weeping willow and iron-bark trees. Jones and Baker had set out 4200 blue gum and pepper trees along the streets, and these had already begun to make a showing. The extraordinary fertility of the soil in Santa Monica and vicinity was a constant source of wonder. Blue gums planted in August, 1875. measured 12 to 15 feet high in November, 1877. The Outlook frequently referred to a tomato vine which became one of the sights of the town. It was trained by J. W. Scott against his house and reached a height of twenty-five feet, while it bore profusely. Corn 14 feet tall is reported and the beautiful flower gardens which were the result of a little care and attention were the admiration of all visitors.
The question of the ownership of the beach front had already come up. Some parties claimed that the beach was government property and the question led to more or less friction. A very sad outcome of this dispute occurred in October. 1877. A carpenter, John V. Fonck, was working on a small bath house which was being put up on land in dispute. C. M. Waller, who was in charge of the bath house and beach property of the land company, ordered him to quit work. Upon his refusal to do so, Waller fired and wounded him fatally. He claimed that he thought the gun was loaded with bird shot and that he was acting under the orders of E. S. Parker, the representative of Jones and Baker. On trial, he was sentenced for one year. Parker was also tried, and although it did not appear that he had given direct orders, he was sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary. He was released to await a new trial; but as a result of the affair his young wife died and a week later Parker also died-of a broken heart, so his friends believed. This unfortunate affair gave rise to much feel- ing, as it had been believed by many that purchasers of lots were entitled to put up a bath house for private use on the beach. The question of beach ownership continued troublesome and there were constant difficulties over it until the courts decided, in 1888, that the boundary of the San Vicente ranch extended to tide water and therefore Jones and Baker had the ownership to that point.
The railroad question continued to be the most vital one to Santa Monica and, indeed, to Southern California. The influence and competition of the Southern Pacific was proving too strong to be overcome by the Los Angeles and Independence road, single-handed. Under the conditions, it could not be made a paying proposition. The Panamint mines had not panned out as was expected, and the idea of continuing the road to Independence had been aban- doned. Senator Jones had already sunk a million dollars in the enterprise ; but he could not be expected to go on indefinitely losing money. He offered to sell the road at cost to the people of Los Angeles county. Many were strongly favorable to this idea. The Outlook and its editor, L. T. Fisher, made a strong
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fight against the "monopoly." In one of his editorials, he sets forth the follow- ing reasons why the L. A. & I. road is a " good thing ", and should be owned by the county :
"I. The railway from Los Angeles to Santa Monica has given the people another outlet to the ocean.
"2. It has brought the cars and the largest deep-sea vessels together.
" 3. It has shortened the ocean passage from San Francisco to 34 miles and the time to Los Angeles from six to ten hours.
"4. It enables parties who wish to make the most of their time to remain several hours longer in Los Angeles and then catch the same steamer as pas- sengers by way of the Southern Pacific and San Pedro.
" 5. It has reduced freight from $5.00 per ton to $1.00 and passenger rate from $2.50 to 50 cents.
"6. It has reduced the price of lumber in Los Angeles and along the line of the S. P. not less than $5.00 per thousand.
"7. It has raised the price of land along its route not less than 100 per cent.
"8. It has greatly increased the inducements for settlement in a portion of Los Angeles county which has hitherto been neglected.
"9. It has established a cheap means by which the people of the interior and of Los Angeles can enjoy the benefits of the sea shore.
"IO. It constitutes in itself property that adds greatly to the aggregate wealth of the county.
"II. It can he held as a check, not only upon existing roads in this locality, but upon all roads that may be built, because it furnishes a connection with ocean vessels that can reach all quarters of the world."
Meetings were held to discuss plans for saving the road from the S. P. and other meetings were held which suggested all sorts of possible and im- possible projects for saving the country from the complete domination of the Central Pacific. But all the talk and the many schemes proposed came to nothing. In March, 1877, Leland Stanford, president of the C. P., and General Colton, president of the S. P., with a corps of their assistants, visited Santa Monica, to "look around-nothing doing," they assured the reporters. In May, another party of Central Pacific magnates came down and looked over Santa Monica and brought speculation to fever heat. On June 4th, 1877, it was definitely announced that the Los Angeles and Independence road had been sold to the Central Pacific. Santa Monica people could only accept the change and make the best of it. At first the Outlook hopefully announced that it wasn't so bad-the great company would undoubtedly improve the service and build up the trade. Its hopes were shortlived. In July the fare on the Pacific Coast steamers was increased from $12 to $15, and freight rates on steamers and by rail were soon increased. Then it was announced that
CHARLES E. TOWNER.
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hereafter only two small steamers, the Senator and Ancon, would ply along the coast, owing to the falling off in traffic.
In this connection, some extracts from letters written by Crocker and Huntington will show the odds against which the promoters of the L. A. & I. railway struggled. On May 18th, 1875, Charles Crocker wrote: "I notice what you say of Jones, Park, etc. I do not think they will hurt us much, at least, I should rather be in our places than theirs. I will ventilate their 'safe harbor.'" And on May 25th, Huntington responded: "I shall do my best to cave him (Jones) down the bank."
During 1878 Santa Monica struggled against the hard fate that had befallen her. The Southern Pacific removed the depot from the wharf to its present location and gave, as a concession, a round-trip fare of $1.00 good for three days. Many excursions from interior towns were brought to the coast during the summer and Santa Monica remained the most popular resort, although it could no longer hope for a great commercial importance. But worse was to come. The S. P. sent one of its engineering force to examine the wharf. After a careful inspection, he reported that the condition of the piles was most alarming, owing to the ravages of the toredo, and that it was unsafe for trains unless at least three-fourths of the piles were replaced. As this would entail a large expense, he advised that the use of the wharf be abandoned. On September 9th, the Senator made its last landing and the name of Santa Monica was taken off the steamer lists.
It was a crushing blow that had been dealt the town which had started out so propitiously. Naturally, business dropped off and many people moved away. Partnerships were dissolved, mortgages foreclosed, a number of business houses sold out to satisfy their creditors. The population of the town melted away and the editor of the Outlook, who had made a brave fight for the town of his adoption, announced on December 19th, 1878, that, the next week being Christmas, the paper would be omitted for a week. It was "omitted " for eight years.
Early in 1879 the S. P. ordered the removal of the wharf. The citizens of Santa Monica protested and offered to purchase the structure as it stood, but the offer was declined and the work proceeded. In 1888, the editor of the Outlook had sufficiently recovered to be able to describe the sad scene :
"A big bumper was planted upon the shore end to keep trains from running upon it, even by accident. Next came the order to tear down the structure. The work of destruction began one fine morning and the sea was as calm as if it had been a human being holding its breath in very wonder at such an exhibition of unjustifiable vandalism. It was a bright morning, but it was a blue day for the people who lived here. We heard the first blow of the destructive implement and remarked that it was the death knell of Santa
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Monica. And yet, in the midst of this industrial tragedy, there was an element of comedy. The workmen had had their minds so thoroughly impressed with the dangerous condition of the wharf that they tiptoed over the structure as if they expected every minute that it would crumble beneath them. They finally reached the outer end, tore up the flooring, stripped off the stringers, removed the braces and then attempted to topple over the piles with long poles. These stumps of redwood wielded no more than if they had been growing trees. Next the stringers were replaced and a temporary flooring laid upon which a donkey engine was placed. A noose was made of a huge chain and dropped over the piles at the bottom. Even this power failed. As a finality, men were sent in boats at low tide with axes and the piles were chopped off at low water mark. The beach was strewn for a considerable distance with the timber that washed ashore. Upon examination many of these piles were found to be only a little worm eaten, which shows that the wharf at a comparatively little cost, could have been kept intact."-Outlook, February 20th, 1888.
As soon as it was definitely known that the S. P. would abandon the shipping business in Santa Monica Bay, new projects were talked of. It had already been proposed that the people of Los Angeles build a wharf and a narrow guage road and thus obtain a competing line. In October, 1878, a company of San Francisco capitalists proposed to construct a harbor at Santa Monica, build a narrow guage road and put on a line of steamers which should carry freight at $3.50 per ton and passengers at $8.00 between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The right of way was already secured and work was to be begun at once. In November agreements between John Hayes, of San Francisco, and citizens of Los Angeles and San Bernardino, were pub- lished. These set forth that Hayes was to build a narrow guage road from Santa Monica to Los Angeles and ultimately to San Bernardino, and to carry passengers between Los Angeles and Santa Monica for 25 cents and freight for $1.00. Another agreement made by John Wright of San Francisco was to the effect that he would put on a line of substantial steamships, provided the citizens of Los Angeles would do all their shipping on them.
Many other projects were discussed. The first one to show any signs of materializing was the building of a wharf by Juan Bernard, an old resident of Los Angeles, who had become one of the most prominent citizens. He had married a daughter of Augustin Machado and was thus interested in South Santa Monica property. This wharf which was built from the foot of Strand street was intended to be fifteen hundred feet, but was not completed. A large warehouse was built, which was planned to be complete for commercial purposes, but the S. P. forbade the steamers to land here, and the fiat was obeyed. No boat ever unloaded there, and the wharf was finally carried out by a severe storm about 1883 and the timber used for other purposes.
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Only a few very stout hearted citizens still had faith that Santa Monica would ever again reach its former prosperity. But there were those who had become attached to the place and who felt confident that the great natural advantages afforded by the climate, the situation and the fertility of the soil, would eventually make up for the loss of shipping facilities. And so long as the people of Los Angeles and the interior could escape to Santa Monica during torrid days of summer and tourists and healthseekers could find here their ideal resting spot and homes, the place would still prosper. These few remained through the darkest days and gradually newcomers discovered the advantages here which could not be obtained elsewhere, and began to fill up the vacant houses and to purchase and improve other property.
HON. JOHN PERCIVAL, JONES was born in a small village, in Herefordshire, England, January 27th, 1829. While he was still an infant, his family removed to the United States and settled near Cleveland, Ohio, Here the child grew to youth and acquired a public school education, after which he entered the service of a bank in Cleveland. But when the news of the gold discoveries of California penetrated the country and called to every youth with a bold heart and adventurous blood, young Jones joined forces with several other young men who were as eager for the change as himself. They secured a small vessel, sailed through the lakes and the St. Lawrence river and started on the long and perilous voyage around "the Horn." They were months on the ocean and experienced many hardships and dangerss before they finally reached San Francisco Bay, in the spring of 1850. The young adventurer at once hastened away to the mines to seek his fortune. For many years he was a typical California miner, sometimes finding his hopes fulfilled, often finding them dashed.
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