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; supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography ...

Front matter

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Preface

THE publication of this book is in no degree an accident, but rather the partial fulfillment of a long-cherished plan to sometime put in permanent and fitting form the annals of some of the more historic and romantic cities and towns of Southern California. This ambition dates back to the winter season of 1888-9, when the writer arrived in the " Golden State ". became impressed with the transcendent richness of its past history and its abundant promise of future growth and history-making. What might have been regarded, at the time, a fancy, or inspiration, has. with the rapid passing of two decades, developed into a vivid reality. Obscure hamlets have become prosperous cities; where then were open stock ranges and broad fields of grain, have sprung up marts of trade and commerce, environed by progressive and prosperous communities. Enough time has elapsed for these cities and communities to have acquired a historv, still not enough for any considerable portion of that history to be lost. A few vears hence, conditions in this latter respect will have entirely changed.

The region of country of which this story treats lies within the original confines of four Spanish-Mexican land grants bordering the bay of Santa ^lonica and has hitherto received scant attention from historical writers. When the good works of Hubert Howe Bancroft and Judge Theodore H. Hittell were written the wonderful developments of the past tw^enty years had not transpired and the work of m.ore recent writers has been of so superficial a nature as not to be of special historical value.

The writing of history is not the thought or work of a day, but rather the diligent pursuance of a fixed and determined purpose. The writer of fiction may work from an inspiration based upon fertile imagination; the newspaper writer is the chronicler of current events ; the descriptive writer of travel pictures that which he then and there observes ; but the historian makes a truthful record of the past, stating only that which has actually transpired. He indulges in no ideals, must be keen in discrimination, never self-opinionated or self-assertive, must be untiring in research, a faithful, patient, plodding gleaner of facts and an inherent lover of the truth. Lacking these virtues he is without his calling. The brief historv of California and Los Angeles county is herewith given as a preface to the local history in order that the reader may have a connected storv from the date of the discovery of the country. The state chaj^ers are, with the exception of some changes and additions, reprinted from my '" Century Annals of San Bern-rdino County, California (1904.)" The sketches of each of the twenty-one Franciscan missions of Alta California are adaptetl from

PREFACE

■' Missions and Landmarks ", a meritorious booklet written and in 1903 ixil)Iished by Mrs. Armitage S. C. Forbes, a zealous student and authoritative writer upon California missions and kindred subjects.

The information utilized in the production of the history of Los Angeles count\- and the Santa Monica Ba}' Cities has been gleaned from numerous sources, prolific of which have been the works of Hubert Howe Uancroft, Theodore H. Hittell, History of Los Angeles County, Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, 1890, Resources of California, by the lamented Charles Nordhofif ; Reminiscences of A. Ranger, by Major Horace Bell ; California Blue Books, old maps and numerous old legal documents. Acknowledgments are due Editor D. G. Holt for the loan of complete files of his Saiifa Monica Outlook. Old files of the Los .lin^clcs Times, the Los Angeles FJcvaJd and the Ei'ciiiiig E.vprcss have all reflected light upon scenes and events of earlier days. Archives of the city of Santa Monica, of the city and the county of Los Angeles, have been freely drawn u])on. Files of old legal documents and old court records have been a great aid in shaping and verifying the histories of land grants.

Uniform courtesv and kindness have been accorded me bv manv people in my quest for historical data, for which I am under special and lasting obligations to Judge J. J. Carrillo, E. J. Vawter, Hon. John P. Jones, W. S. A^awter, R. R. Tanner. Esq., Judge Geo. H. Hutton. Abbot Kinney. Robert F. Jones, L. T. Fisher, Miss Jennie C. Vawter, Miss Emma Vawter, Dr. John A. Stanwood, Miss Elfie Mosse, Col. G. Wiley Wells, Mrs. E. K. Chapin. Rev. J. D. H. Browme, Mrs. Laura E. Hubbell, W. L Hull, Mrs. May K. Rindge, J. B. Procter, S. W\ Odell. Rev. Stephen H. Taft. Mrs. Sarah L. Shively and W. B. B. Taylor. It afifords me pleasure to here make dre acknowdedgment of the valuable literary service rendered me almost from the inception of this work by Miss Rose L. Ellerbe. Her mental training and already wide experience in the field of letters have eminently qualified her for historical labors and I deem it fortunate that, in this w^ork, T have been able to command her splendid abilities.

The biographical matter with which the general historical chapters are su])- plemented will prove a valuable feature of this work. It permanently records so much of the jx-rsonal experience of those wdio have contributed to the development of this country and have borne an honorable part in the direction of its public affairs as to constitute a fairly comprehensive encyclopedia of local biographical reference. Much careful labor has been bestowed upon the compiling of these sketches. The information has been gathered from published books, magazines and newspapers, by personal interviews with the subjects thereof, and relatives of those who have passed away.

A somewhat rigid system of submitting these articles to persons from wdiom original information was obtained, has been jiursued, for the purpose of assuring accuracy. In doing this, use was made of the \J. S. mail. In some instances these sketches have not been returned to me corrected and in such cases errors may appear, for which I must disclaim responsibility. The printing of these

PREFACE

sketches has not in anv instance been made contingent upon the payment of money or in any other form, the support of my enterprise. Neither have they been written for the purpose of gratifying a desire of any person to appear conspicuously in print. ] have stu(hously refrained from writing eulogies upon the lives of living people. Such form of alleged biography invades the field of commercialism to such an extent as to render it worthless as history. The histories of churches and frattrnal organizations is bv no means as complete as I desire, because the necessary data was not obtainable. It would have been impossible to illustrate this volume so liberally only for the public spirit of people who have in manv instances shared with me the burden of expense. The labor and money expended in the production of this book has been a secondary consideration, and to place in the hands of a reading public a reliable and dignified historical storv has been paramount in the author's mind.

Luther A. Ingersoll, Santa Monica, California, Dec. ist, 1908.

IngersoU's Century Series of California

LOCAL HISTORY ANNALS

PREHISTORIC. ABORIGINAL. SPANISH.

MEXICAN, AMERICAN

Century Annals of San Bernardino Co.. Calif.

Century History of Santa Monica Bay Cities. Calif. Century Annals City of Monrovia and its Environs.

L. A. INGE RSOLL Los Angeles

"No community can claim to be highly enlightened which is content to remain ignorant of its antecedents, or, in other words, ignorant of the prime causes that have made it what it is."

— • H. D. Barrows.

Contents

BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA.

CHAPTER. PAGE.

I. Discovery 3"7

Index To Views

Sloat. John D.. raises flag 65, 66

Smuggling 127

Sola, Governor -j6

Soldiers in Los Angeles County 99

Soldiers' Home 171

Sutton, Florence 306

Soledad, mission 36

South Santa Monica 219. 245

251 ; 1904-7 261

So. Pac. Ry

Stage routes 108. 109

State division 97

State Forestry Station 311

Steamer, first 107

Stearns, Abel 9^

Street car line, first in Los Angeles... 112 Stockton, R. F., arrives, 67; at San Pedro, 70; San Diego, 70; Battle of

Plains, 74 ; superseded 75

Sugar beets 104

Sutter, John A 60, 61

Taft, Rev. S. H 34.S

Tapia, Jose B., 126: Tiburcio 126-7, 12S

Tell's Lookout 331

Tennis Tournaments 306

Territorial government 78. 79

Terry, David S 84. 85

Topanga Malibu 125

Topography, Santa Monica region.... I2[ Trade, with Boston, 48; Philippines. . .5, 7

Traction Co 223

Transportation 308

Treaty, Cahuenga, 61, 75; Guadalupe Hidalgo 76

Treichel, Col. Charles 339

Truxton "scheme" 143

Ulloa, Francisco de 4

U. S. Senators 07

Vallejo, M. G.... 58

Values, Santa Monica, 1880, 167; 1890,

185, 228, 234, 239, 258

Vawter family 146, 159, 245

Vawter, Edwin James 164, 250, 254

Vawter. Williamson Dunn... 159. 188, 292

Venice 229

Venice of America, 330; plans, 331; growth, 332; Assembly, 332; breakwater, 332; Chamber of Commerce.. 334

Victoria, Manuel, governor 49

Viglantes, Los Angeles, 53 ; San Francisco 82, 83, 84, 85

Viscaino, Sebastian 7, 123

Warner, J. J 96, 97

Water Co., Sawtelle 349

Wells Fargo 108

Westgate 229

Wharf, first, 145: abandoned, 155;

Wheat raising, Los Angeles County. . . 102

Whittier 117

Wilmington 107. 118

Wine making 102, 128

Wolfskin, William 103

Woman's Club, Santa Monica 301

Y. M. C. A. of Southern California.. 249

Zalvidea, Father Jose M 2t

INDEX TO VIEWS.

Admission of California into Union. ... 82

Arch Rock 122

Brentwood 232

Brentwood Park 240

Brice, J. L., Residence 320

Church of Our Lady of the Angels. ... 95

City Hall, Ocean Park 323

City Hall, Santa Monica 217

Creating Venice 330

Colton Hall, Monterey, First State

Capitol 79

Court House, Los Angeles Co 94

First Methodist Church 288

Fire House, Dept. No. i 278

Hotel, Santa Monica 176

La Purisima Concepcion, Mission of... 34

La Soledad, Mission of 36

Library', Carnegie Public 271

Mexican Custom House 53

North Third Street, Santa [Monica 188

"Old" Court House, Los Angeles County 98

Port Los Angeles 207

Saddle, military, Don Andres Pico.... 108

San Antonio de Padua, Mission of . . . 19

San Buenaventura, Mission of 31

San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey,

[Mission of 18

San Die.go de Alcala, Mission of 16

San Fernando Rey de Espana. Mission of 41

San Francisco de Asis, Mission of.... 28

San Francisco de Solano, Mission of.. 45