USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > Men of achievement in the great Southwest Illustrated. A story of pioneer struggles during early days in Los Angeles and Southern California. With biographies, heretofore unpublished facts, anecdotes and incidents in the lives of the builders > Part 20
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Robert N. Bulla is an Indianian, having been born near Richmond, in 1852. He was born on the old homestead that his grandfather had carved out of the western wilderness, when in the early part of the nineteenth century he had emigrated to that portion of the country from North Caro- lina. Young Bulla's boyhood was passed upon the farm until he attained his eighteenth year, at which time, after having received the rudiments of his education in the district schools of his native township, he at- tended the National Univer- sity of Lebanon, Ohio, from which institution of learning he graduated with the class of '72. He early decided upon a professional career, and after teaching for one year in his alma mater commenced the study of the law. The laws of Ohio at that time made it necessary to devote two years to the study of law be- fore students could be admitted to the bar, and in the Centen- nial year, Mr. Bulla, then twenty-four years of age, re- ceived his sheepskin and was admitted to practice in the great commonwealth of Ohio.
ROBERT N. BUI.LA.
After spending three years in the practice of his profession in Cincinnati, he became a res- ident of New York City, where for the following two years he was engaged in the work of his chosen profession. At the expiration of that time, owing to the ill-health of his wife, he was obliged to seek a less rigorous climate. After traveling extensively for some time he finally decided upon visiting San Francisco. Coming through by way of Los Angeles, in the winter of 1883, so impressed was he with the climatic conditions and business possibilities of the then small town that he remained, and has since been a permanent resident.
Shortly after his arrival in this city he became associated with the law firm of Bicknell & White, the members of which (Ex-Senator White and Judge J. D. Bicknell) had estab- lished one of the most extensive and lucrative practices on the coast. During the four years that he was associated with the firm he devoted most of his time to the probate business of the firm. In 1887, when Los Angeles was expe-
riencing its great realty "boom," Mr. Bulla made some judicious purchases of realty, and acquired holdings that remained valuable. In 1887 he formed a law partnership with Percy R. Wilson, with whom he continued in practice for eleven years, only dissolving the partnership relations when his various other business ventures made it imperative for him to devote his entire time to them.
The cares and responsibilities of business and financial affairs, however, never blinded Mr. Bulla to the political welfare of his State, and in '93 and again in '95 he was elected to the Assembly, during which time he was appointed chairman of the Judiciary Committee. An interesting feature of his election in '95 was the combination of both Democrats and Populists against him, the result being a larger majority in his favor than at the preceding election.
In 1897, after a nomination by acclamation, he was elected to the State Senate, and he again experienced that peculiar fcature of his political career- an immense majority. While Bryan carried his Senatorial district by 800 votes, Mr. Bulla received a majority of 1100 votes. His presence was felt in the Senate Chamber of the State of California for the en- suing four years, and his record was one of pride to his con- stituency. He was appointed a member of the commit- tee to report on the Torrens Land Transfer System of Aus- tralia. For two years he served - as a member of the Code Commission, and to this work Senator Bulla lent his val- uable experience acquired in the practice of the law and in the Legislature. During the session of 1899 Mr. Bulla was a prominent candidate for United States Senator, the bal- loting resulting in no election. A short session was called the following summer to elect, and resulted in the choice of Hon. Thomas R. Bard, Mr. Bulla and his friends contributing more than any other influence to that result.
Mr. Bulla rendered the State a substantial service when he introduced a bill known as the delinquent tax law. After the first introduction, and having passed both Houses, it was vetoed by the Governor. Again at the next session Mr. Bulla renewed his labors for its enforcement and was rewarded for his efforts by having it favorably passed upon by both Houses and also by the Governor. The full import of the bill can best be appreciated when it is known that California is the only State in the Union that has made so wise a pro- vision in regard to its delinquent tax laws. Formerly tax buyers would secure titles to pieces of property when sold for delinquent taxes, and had ever opportunity to take advan- tage of the owners. By the enactment of this law, which happily is in force today, the State buys the land and allows
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. MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
the owners to redeem it at actual cost, and reasonable penalties.
During the last few years that he was engaged in practice he made something of a specialty of mining law, and was brought into close touch with mining and oil men, thius afford- ing him many opportunities for investment. But he was not hasty in taking up the many propositions that were presented to him, and when he did acquire an oil property it was after
Mr. Bulla has retired from the practice of law and devotes his entire time to the interests of his oil companies. He has erected one of the handsomest and most artistic residences in the city. The accompanying engravings will show the dis- tinetly Mission style of architecture which has been incorpo- rated in the building. The effect is most pleasing and most appropriate for this climate, being warm in winter and cool in summer. The Mission style of architecture, as will be
TYPICAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HOME-RESIDENCE OF ROBERT N. BULLA.
the same conservative and mature deliberation with which he would consider a point at law. He organized several oil companies, chief of which is the Central Oil Company of Los Angeles, of which he is secretary, while Mr. W. W. Neuer is president. The company owns 2200 acres of oil land in the Whittier district, and has been a dividend payer and heavy producer for some time. A complete article on the property. with appropriate illustrations of the surface improvements will be found in another portion of this volume in an article on the oil industry.
noticed, embodies arches and straight lines, all fanciful designs being absent ; the tout ensemble is most effective. He has a library of some 2000 volumes at his residence, while his law library is in evidence at his offices. Mr. Bulla is a member of the California, Sunset, Union League and Country Clubs, and also many of the various organizations whose object is for bettering conditions of city and State. While among the most active political workers in Los An- geles, he is in no sense an office-seeker, but takes a prom- inent part in promoting the interests of the - city.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
THOMAS HUGHES.
S INCE the days of '49 California has drawn upon the brain and brawn of the older-settled Eastern States for her population, with the result that she is today peopled with the most ambitious and progressive of the young men of the East -men who had the courage and hardihood to make the tedions sea voyage or the fortitude to stand the hardships of the overland trail, and Southern California and Los Angeles, in particular, still attract the eastern men in these days of luxurious transcontinental travel when the trip is made from coast to coast in less than four days. The result is that there are few more cosmopolitan cities in the United States than ours. While Southern California pos- sesses many natural advantages and resources as exploited in this work, the writer realizes that to the busi- ness men who have in- vested their own means and interested others in the development of her latent natural resources belong the credit for the marvelous record Los Angeles has established for the past two decades, and it is therefore with pleasure that we present the accompanying brief sketch of one who will be recognized as fore- most and pre-eminent in advancing the general welfare of this section of the State.
A Pennsylvanian birth, Thomas Hughes made his début upon the stage of life on the old Hughes homestead in Green county, Pa., about forty miles south of smoky old Pittsburgh. As a boy he early devel- oped those sturdy attri- butes of character which have marked his career through life. Self-reliant and possessed of an in- domitable will, Thomas Hughes equipped himself for life's battles by serv- ing an apprenticeship in his father's planing mill on the banks of the Monongahela. At the age of twenty, being an ambitious youth, he determined to try his fortunes in the broader fields of the West. Eighteen hundred and seventy- eight found Kansas, New Mexico and the Southwest in rather a crude condition. The great Santa Fé system had just been built into those States and Territories and business conditions were good. It was around Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Clifton and other busy frontier towns of the embryo State that young Hughes found employment as millwright and in railroad work, for the ensuing four or five years. Working for a salary, however, was never a part of Hughes'
THOMAS HUGHES.
ideas of self-reliance, and he determined to enter business for himself at the first opportunity.
The year 1884 found Los Angeles the same little pueblo that it had been for the preceding ten years. At that time there was little evidence of the feverish activity that was so soon to be witnessed here, but Thomas Hughes, with the business foresight of few others, saw the possibilities presented, and decided to cast his anchor in the little city of less than 15,000 souls. His first work was secured in a local planing mill, and he held the position until two years later, when he had saved enough to purchase machinery of his own and start into business on his own account, in 1886, at the very commence- ment of the great building boom that started at that time and has continued, with but short intermissions, since. Success attended his efforts from the start. Each succeeding year found the business ex- panding and growing under the active personal management of Mr. Hughes, until today over one hundred and twenty- five men find steady em- ployment in the mills of the Hughes Bros. Sash and Door Factory. The manufactured product is shipped to many eastern points, Denver, Colo., tak- ing a large portion of the sash and doors manufac- tured from the famous sugar pine of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the vicinity of Fresno and Madera.
The year 1894 marks the beginning of an epoch in oil annals in the State, for it was about that year Los Angeles made her début into the oil world. Born and raised in the heart of the great oil regions of West- ern Pennsylvania, Mr. Hughes while a boy be- came conversant with oil mining and the method of production, and it is not surprising that we find him on the ground in the very beginning. A small amount of work had been done in the vicinity of Lake Shore avenne, and, in fact, but fourteen wells had been sunk when Mr. Hughes was attracted to the district, while today there are over 1300 wells in the city limits, and the annual production in the State has increased from 783,078 barrels in 1894 to 25,000,000 barrels in 1903. In association with one or two business acquaintances, Mr. Hughes lost no time in acquiring an interest in the new fields. The first company formed was the American Oil Company, and active develop- ment work soon followed its organization. So successful
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
were the efforts made that Mr. Hughes, becoming convinced of the permanency of the district, devoted more and more time to the oil business, until today he has holdings in many of the best fields of the State. Following the formation of the American Oil Company, came the formation of a number of others during the following few years, all in the same dis- trict. many of which are among the most successful of the field and are a large factor in swelling the total of local production.
Among the most valuable of Mr. Hughes's holdings in the State is the Fullerton Oil Company, which company owns fifty acres in fee, in the heart of the Fullerton field. The company was formed by Messrs. Hughes and Valentine, and has established an enviable record as a producer, being cred- ited with from $6500 to $7500 a month.
As new districts were opened in various sections of the State, Mr. Hughes personally inspected the merits of each,
fornia and large fortunes will be made in the years to come, but to men who invested their means in the development of the industry too much credit cannot be given for the tenac- ity and perseverance which, in spite of numerous obstacles, won in the struggle for supremacy. Mr. Hughes is a pioneer in the various fields in which he operates, and while con- servative in all his investments, he is among the most active and progressive oil men in the city, and State as well. He has associated with him in a number of his companies some of the most wealthy and influential bankers and business men of this city.
The career of Thomas Hughes records a series of progres- sive moves. It was his role in life's drama to rise and advance; hence, it is but in the nature of sequence that two years after reaching Los Angeles, a mere lad in years, he is the proprietor of a fully-equipped planing mill, and a few years later he is among the most successful oil operators in
RESIDENCE OF THOMAS HUCHES.
and, when conditions justified, invested freely in the develop- ment of the industry that has placed California well to the front as an oil-producing State. Possibly the most conspic- uous and successful of Mr. Hughes's exploitations was the opening up of the highly-productive Santa Maria district in Santa Barbara county. Although one hundred miles from any producing well, Mr. Hughes, in February, 1901, located the ground now owned by the Western Union Oil Company, and drilled well No. I of that company. Success attended his efforts from: the start, and today the Santa Maria district is one of the most important in the State. The Western Union Company is owned by some of the most prominent business men and financiers of this city, Mr. Hughes being one of the beaviest stockholders, as well as the original locator.
Large fortunes have been made in the oil fields of Cali-
BANCROFT LIBRARY
the State and a power in the welfare of his adopted home. Business and financial care's have never blinded Mr. Hughes to the political welfare of his city and State. Endowed with rare business acumen, and the possessor of exceptional execu- tive ability, he has made his presence felt in both local and State politics for a number of years, not from the standpoint of an office-seeker, for Mr. Hughes has steadily declined nominations, but in all his political work he has been actuated by a desire to see the best results obtained, and is an ardent supporter of the tenets of the Republican party.
Coming to California without capital or friends two decades ago, he has demonstrated the value of energy, foresight and pluck in building up a profitable business. He is in the truest sense of the word a self-made man, and the many striking instances Los Angeles affords boast no better example.
RESIDENCE OF ALFRED SOLANO.
RESIDENCE OF C. O. CANFIELD.
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RESIDENCE OF PIETRA L. SCHIAPPA.
MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
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RESIDENCE OF N. O. BAGGE.
RESIDENCE OF JOHN BROCKMAN.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
WILSON CAMPBELL PATTERSON.
F bel ATE has played some merry pranks upon Wilson Camp- bell Patterson, albeit the whimsical dame has ever cherished for him a tender regard. Imagine a man whose every ambition was to adopt a professional career, with never a thought of commercial pursuits; whose very nature, in fact, seemed to him unfitted for such a life, being actually thrust into business and succeeding at every step. This will give an idea of the manner in which Fate has toyed with this man. Away back in boyhood days on the old Ohio farm that was his birthplace, the lad's earliest ambition was to study for the ministry. That in itself would stamp him as being quite different from the average run of boys
The boyhood days of the lad were spent on the family
WILSON CAMPBELL PATTERSON.
homestead in Ross county, Ohio, where young Patterson attended the district schools, and later to attend the Academy at South Salem, Ohio, he walked the distance (three miles) morning and afternoon, paying for his tuition by the wood that he cut after school hours, and by various odd chores. The boy remained upon the old farm, attending school and the academy when he could, and working hard at all times, until 1863, when he enlisted in the First Ohio Volunteer Heavy Artillery as a private. He had tried to enlist the pre- vious year, but was rejected on account of his youth and because he was below the required stature. He bided his time, and just as soon as he had added the necessary inches to his height he entered the service. He was placed on detached duty as clerk in division headquarters, and con- tinned in that capacity until the close of the war, refusing a commission as lieutenant that was offered him merely because he lacked confidence in himself, and because he pre- ferred the less remunerative elerkship.
After the elose of the war Mr. Patterson returned to liis home. His funds becoming exhausted, he found it necessary to accept a position as country school teacher for a terni. Still determined to prepare himself for college, and with that end in view, he attended the Salem academy six months. In 1866 he accepted a position as clerk in the County Treasurer's office, and the following year hecame deputy clerk of the county court. All this time he worked with the one object
of saving money to carry him through college. At the same time he was seized with an impulse to become a lawyer.
One day in 1869 Mr. Patterson met a member of a firm of wholesale grocers in Chillicothe, who asked him if he could keep books. His experience in the army clerical posi- tion had specially fitted him for such a position, but his natural modesty held him back. Finally he was persuaded to accept the position of bookkeeper for the firm of Clarke & Boggs, afterward M. Boggs & Co., and that proved the turn- ing point in his life, for after a few years' service he realized that he was destined for a mercantile career, and reluctantly abandoning his hope of a college education and admittance to the bar, devoted himself to his business. He remained with the firm nineteen years, rising to the position of assistant manager. In the meantime he had been drawn into public affairs in Chillicothe, and served as a member and president of the Board of Education for twelve years. Long years of close attention to his manifold duties shattered his health, and in January, 1888, Mr. Patterson came to Los Angeles to recuperate. So beneficial did he find the climatie conditions that he determined upon making this city his home, and soon found an opportunity to engage in business, becoming a mem- ber of the wholesale commission firm of Curtis & Patterson. Later Dr. John Hancock was taken into partnership, and in 1890 Mr. Curtis withdrew, the firm name being changed to W. C. Patterson & Co.
In 1898, although he had never owned a share of the bank's stock, the directors of the Los Angeles National Bank ten- dered Mr. Patterson the position of president of that time- honored institution, to take the place of the late Maj. Bone- brake. Devoid of experience as a banker, Mr. Patterson was strongly inclined to decline the proffer. He asked for time to consider the matter, and it was granted. After due delib- eration and presenting the matter to his wife, he was pre- vailed upon to accept the responsibility. The ability displayed in the management of the bank's affairs has been shown in the increase in the bank's business, which has nearly trebled
Since his arrival in this city Mr. Patterson has been iden- tified with all public movements, and few men have given so generously of their time and private fortune as he. In 1890 he was elected a director of the Board of Trade, serving until '92, when he was made president. He was made a director of the Chamber of Commerce in '94, president of that body in '95 and again in '96, and is still closely identified with its best interests. He took an active part in the fight for the San Pedro Harbor from its inception, and in February, 1896, was sent to Washington with Gen. Harrison Gray Otis, W. G. Kerckhoff and W. D. Woolwine to present the matter to the House Committee on Rivers and Harbors. Again in April of the same year he left his business and own private affairs to visit the nation's capital as chairman of a similar com- mittee composed of Henry T. Hazard, Judge A. M. Stephens and Henry Hawgood, to present the matter before the Senate Commerce Committee. To the efforts of these committees and the personal efforts of Senator Stephen M. White, is due much of the credit for winning the harbor fight, which means so much to Los Angeles and all Southern California.
Mr. Patterson has the happy faculty of making and retain- ing friends entirely aside from his business ability. His nature is thoroughly sympathetic and artistic. The esteem he inspires in private life finds a counterpart in the confidence with which he is regarded by all who have the pleasure of business relations with him.
RESIDENCE CF EBEN SMITH.
EBEN SMITH'S GROUNDS.
RESIDENCE OF W. H. ALLEN, JR.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
WILLIAM PRIDHAM.
W ILLIAM PRIDHAM is a native of America's metropolis, having been born in New York City, September 1, 1832. His early education was ac- quired in the public schools of his native city, and at an academy at Amsterdam, N. Y., where he completed his col- legiate education at the age of eighteen. Stories of the gol- den days of California were then heard upon every hand, and the ambitious youth, after carefully debating the matter,
WILLIAM PRIDHAM.
decided to seek his fortunes in the West. Leaving New York in November of '50, he journeyed by way of the Isthmus of Panama to California, arriving in San Francisco on Christ- mas day of 1850.
Having arrived in 'Frisco, he became connected with the wholesale firm of Pinto, Tay & Co., in the capacity of clerk, and held that position for two years, when the mining
excitement proved too strong to be longer resisted, and quitting the employ of the firm, he made his way with his little capital to the Bear River country, where for the ensuing few months he was engaged in placer mining in the primitive methods in vogue in those days. Not meeting with the suc- cess he had anticipated, young Pridham moved to Sacramento, where he entered the employ of the wholesale drug firm of R. H. MeDonald & Co. The duties of his new position held him until 1862, when he had an opportunity to become identi- fied with the Wells, Fargo Express Company, at that time branching out extensively into the new mining districts of Nevada. His first position was at Carson City, where he remained a short time before being transferred to the lively camp of Anstin, in the same State. During the four years that he remained in Nevada before accepting the position of forwarding clerk in the San Francisco office of the company, he had familiarized himself with the details of the business that came under his observation, and two years after accept- ing the responsibilities of forwarding clerk in the San Fran- cisco office, he was sent to Los Angeles to adjust affairs incidental to a change of agents in the local office
At the time of Mr. Pridham's first visit to Los Angeles, he found little but a straggling pueblo, made up largely of adobes, and all located in and around Temple street and the Plaza. He had not long been a resident of the city before he saw the possibilities which awaited the sleepy little town, and, becoming impressed with its desirability as a business and residence section, he decided to cast his fortunes with it. Wells, Fargo & Co. at that time were operating on the coast steamers semi-monthly and by stage to San Francisco, the latter cccupying three days and three nights. Stages also ran to San Bernardino, San Diego and Kernville, now known as Bakersfield. He relates many amusing anecdotes of early days in the community, and has a fund of reminiscences which prove most interesting.
After having been identified with the company for a period of nearly a half century, he still is among their most active superintendents. His experience has covered the greater part of the State of California and has encompassed every detail of the great business. He is an active citizen, and one ever alive to the best interests of the community.
A PRACTICAL MINING MAN.
It is said that geniuses are born, not made; mine superin- tendents are made. There is no natal gift directing the current of their careers, unless industry and ambition may be counted their heritage. To become a competent mining superintendent requires years of experience in practical min- ing. Mine superintendents are not created on the instant. Almost without exception superintendents who have won sufficient prominence to secure charge of an important prop- erty have risen from the station of the ordinary miner. The subject of this sketch is no exception to the rule, and his experiences recount in a way those of most other miners.
Charles A. Stephens's mining career began in '79 in the Black Hills, where he commenced work at 15 years of age, on the celebrated Homestake mine. From there he went to New Mexico, where for three years he was mill foreman for the Chita Gold Mining Company, whose mines are sixty miles
from Albuquerque. After his ten years' experience in the Homestake mines, during which time he had held every position from common "mucker" to that of shift boss and foreman of the mill, he was certainly capable of assuming the duties undertaken at the Chita.
His introduction to the Gold Roads mine came at a time when the shaft was down but 140 feet and the property prac- tically a prospect. He remained in charge of the property until after the extensive improvements contemplated had been made, and thoroughly opened the Gold Roads up. Like most practical mining men of the Southwest, Mr. Stephens has devoted considerable time to prospecting, during which expeditions he has covered a large portion of the mining regions of the Western States, and thereby gained a' fund of information that places him among the best-informed mining men of the Southwest.
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MEN OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST.
WILLIAM H. WORKMAN.
W ILLIAM H. WORKMAN was born in Booneville, Missouri, in 1839. He was the son of pioneers in the Missouri country, and the Indian raids frequently made on the brave settlers of that State form vivid recollec- tions of Mr. Workman's review of those boyhood years. Until he was fifteen years old he lived in Boonville and attended the public schools there as opportunity offered, later taking a course at F. G. Kemper's Collegiate Institute.
WILLIAM H. WORKMAN.
In the year 1854, with his parents, young Workman came to California. Coming to Los Angeles, Mr. Workman and his brother, Elijah H. Workman, established a harness and saddlery business, which they conducted with success for
RESIDENCE OF FREDERICK RINDGE.
over twenty years. In the early years of his residence here Mr. Workman acquired extensive realty holdings on the beautiful highlands east of the Los Angeles River. Here Andrew Boyle, father-in-law of Mr. Workman, was the first white settler, and his old brick house, built in 1858, stands today one of the historical landmarks of Boyle avenue
Mr. Workman, after retiring from the saddlery business, devoted his energies to the development of Boyle Heights. He was one of the projectors of the first street railway into that territory. It was also through his efforts that the Cum- mings-strect car line was built. Not content with these lines of transportation, Mr. Workman carried on negotiations with the Hook brothers, and eventually succeeded in inducing them to build on Fourth street through Boyle Heights, giving them a bonus of $20,000.
RESIDENCE OF W. F. BOTSFORD.
Mr. Workman has made many generous gifts to the various churches and charitable enterprises. He donated to the Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Catholics and Bap- tists lots for their church edifices. In connection with Mrs. Elizabeth Hollenbeck he donated to the city Hollenbeck Park.
During the years of 1887 and 1888 he ably served the city as its Mayor. He has held many other positions of trust and honor, and twice has he been elected by large majorities to the office of City Treasurer
Mr. Workman is an active member and was president three terms of the Los Angeles County Pioneers' Association, and takes deep interest in the preservation of early historical data. He is a member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Com- merce, and has always maintained a prominent place in the advancement of the larger interests of the city.
Politically he has affiliated with the Democratic party, but in his official career he has received the support and indorse- ment of members of both political parties ; and by his election to the important office which he now holds he has received an indorsement such as would be gratifying to any one.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
The author of the historical portion of this work acknowl- edges his indebtedness to J. M. Guinn of Los Angeles, whose careful researches into original sources make him facile princeps among historical authorities in Southern California.
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