1870-1880 Ingersoll

Ingersoll's Century History Santa Monica Bay Cities (Being Book Number Two of Ingersoll's Century Series of California Local History Annals), 1908, 1908a, 1870s

[p. 121] Chapter I. Santa Monica Bay Region

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     [p. 139] During the seventies Francisco Machado, a son of Augustin, was one of the county supervisors and political "boss" of the district [La Ballona.].

Chapter II Laying the Foundations. 1870-1880.

     Up to 1870 the Santa Monica bay region had scarcely felt the stirrings of the new spirit brought into the country by the American occupation. The original ranchos were still intact and occupied chiefly as grazing land, and very few Americans had obtained land holdings. Santa Monica Cañon was one of the attractions of the entire coast at that time. Here a few American families each year camped under the sycamores. In 1871 Mr. B, L. Peel erected a large tent "to accomodate 25 to 30 families" and over 300 visitors are reported for one Sunday in August, drawn by a dance that "lasted all night." With 1872, Santa Monica Cañon suddenly became famous. The Express found it of enough importance to publish the following: "Santa Monica, the Long Branch of California, or Camp Haywood. Seventeen years ago Santa Monica was selected as a summer resort by Dr. Hayward and until the last five years he and his family were the only ones who availed themselves of its delights and benefits. Santa Monica proper is a farm house located on the ridge one and a half miles from where the camp is located. At this lone house the road descends into a deep ravine or cañon, at the foot of which, near the confluence with the ocean, is a thick growth of old sycamores. Here is the camp. Beyond stretches the Malaga ranch the rendezvous of horse thieves. The beach between the camp and the point affords a magnificient drive as does the shore in a southerly direction toward "Shoo Fly Landing," a mile or better distant. It is at the latter place that the greater part of the asphaltum sent to San Francisco from La Brea rancho is shipped."

     In the summer of 1872 a hotel was opened at the cañon and the proprietor advertises, "Come and enjoy yourself. A week at the beach will add ten years to your life." Mr. John Reynolds announces in July that he will "dispatch coaches to Santa Monica every Wednesday and Saturday a.m." A small skiff was brought round from San Pedro this summer and added to the attractions of surf bathing, drives and picnics along the beach and up the many beautiful cañons and dancing in the "big tent." Among the diversions was the excitement of prospecting, as it was rumored that a rich ledge of quartz rock existed on the beach, at a point only exposed for a few moments at low tide. The belief was founded on the fact that some of the native Californians of the district exhibited rich rock which they claimed to have obtained from the ledge.

     [p. 142] In September, 1872 an event took place which marks a new era in the history of this vicinity. This was the sale of the San Vicente and Santa Monica y San Vicente ranchos by José del Carmen Sepulveda, and others, to Robert S. Baker. The first sale included 38,409 acres of land and the price was reported as $54,000.

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     Colonel Baker at once proceeded to perfect his title to all the Sepulveda holdings by subsequent purchases, thus obtaining possession of a magnificent tract of land, with a mile and a half of ocean frontage and including the San Vicente and numerous other springs, as well as several small mountain streams. With characteristic enterprise he began efforts to utilize his domain for something beside a sheep pasture. He interested his friend, General E.F. Beale, who was one of the earliest and most successful promoters known in California history-so successful that President Lincoln remarked of him when he was surveyor-general of the state in 1861, that "Beale had, indeed, become monarch of all he surveyed." The Express of December 22nd, 1873, announces, "General Beale has arrived here with an eastern capitalist who contemplates the purchase of the San Vicente ranch with the view to the construction of a wharf at Shoo Fly Landing and building a narrow-gauge road from there to the city." This eastern capitalist seems to have fallen down, however, for in 1874 it is stated, "Col. Baker has connected with himself several wealthy Englishmen [p. 143] and a well-known and distinguished Californian (Beale). They contemplate constructing a road to Los Angeles, a branch of the Southern Transcontinental line. Wharves are to be built and Pacific Mail steamships will land here. The name of this embryo metropolis at the southern coast is to be Truxton." The San Francisco Post of September, 1874, contains a glowing description of the "Truxton Scheme" which ends by saying: "Why the Los Angeles people ever adopted the Wilmington road to shoal water is one of those things no fellow can find out. At two-thirds the distance they can reach deep water at the place called Truxton, on a bay right north of Wilmington. Here, at a comparatively light expense, for wharves, they can bring ship and cars together." The plans for Truxton include beside wharf and railway, a magnificent seaside hotel and a townsite; but they never seem to have gotten beyond the paper state.

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      Southern Califronia was a hotbed of rairoad schemes. Already the iron hand of the Central Pacific monopoly was being felt, although the little road to San Pedro was then the only railroad in this end of the state. A transcontinental line south of the Central Pacific was considered absoutely certain, at this time; but who would build it and where it woud reach the coast were matters of the wildest speculation. San Diego was making frantic efforts to secure railway connection of some sort and was looking hopefully forward to the magnificent promises held out by Tom Scott, the brilliant promoter of the Atlantic and Pacific railway scheme, of the early seventies.

     The Southern Pacific was building its branch from Los Angeles eastward and had decided to leave San Bernardino, the oldest and most important town east of Los Angeles, off the line. Naturally she was bitter against the Southern Pacific and was casting about for any relief in the way of transportation facilities. Los Angeles was eagerly watching for any movement in her direction which gave promise of a competing line, although the Southern Pacific was not yet fairly built and there was no railroad connection with San Francisco, or with the east.

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     Many other [once the Southern Pacific bought the LA & I and tore down the wharf] 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 beome 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.

     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 would 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 throgh 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.

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     [p. 159 ] Senator [J.P.] Jones has been intimately associated with the history of Santa Monica since its inception. In 1874, he purchased an interest in the San Vicente rancho and, with Col. R.S. Baker, laid out the townsite of Santa Monica. During the next two or three years, he spent a million dollars in Southern California, in building up Santa Monica and in building and carrying on the Los Angeles and Independence railway, which was intended to reach to his Panamint mines and possibly be the terminus of another great transcontinental line.

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     [p. 161] As the town commenced to grow he [W.D. Vawter] established lumber yards and soon built a planing mill, which proved a boon to home builders.

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[p. 244] Chapter VI South Santa Monica and Ocean Park

    Her [ Mrs. Nancy A. Lucas] sons farmed on a large scale, raising fine crops of barley on the place. Two of them opened a lumber yard in Santa Monica and they were prominently connected with affairs in the early days of the community.

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     [p. 248] Early in the seventies an Englishman, Col. Hutchinson, loaned money to the Machados, taking mortgages upon various pieces of land as security. One of these was a narrow strip of beach frontage extending from Strand street to the southern limits of La Ballona grant. This strip of sand was supposed to be worthless for any purpose, unless a wharf for commercial purposes could be build upon it. Apparently the belief was general that the only thing needed to make a commercial city of Santa Monica was a wharf where vessels might land.

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[p. 288] Chapter VIII Churches and Societies: Methodist Church

     [p. 288] The oldest record of the Methodist church of Santa Monica reads: "Minutes of the First Quarterly Conference for Santa Monica, held October 26th, 1875 . . . members of the Methodist Episcopal church, being present, proceeded to organize a society . . . [p. 289] . . . to incorporate and secure lots from the Santa Monica Land Company and erect a church building thereon, Margaret Atkinson and Mrs. M.J.D. Baker were appointed a committee to secure subscriptions to aid in the erection of a church."

[p. 288] The Reverend Crum preached for the first time in Santa Monica, October 15th, 1875, in an upper room of the building, then occupied as a hardware store, on the corner of Oregon and Fifth street. On October 29th, Rev. Hough preached.

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[p. 288] The society continued to use this room until January 13th, 1876, when the pastor gave notice that there wold be no service on the next Sabbath, but that he hoped they would worship in a building of their own on the second Sunday. And this was done. The Santa Monica Land Company donated two lots for the use of the church on the corner of Sixth street and Arizona avenue; the people of the little town, still largely a tent city, donated money and labor . . . The church when completed . . . This building, after being removed to the corner of Fourth and Arizona, enlarged several times, was finally [in the 1890s] removed to South Santa Monica to house the new M.E. church there.

     This building was dedicated, free from debt, on February 3rd, 1876. Rev. Crum was pastor of the church most of the time until 1878-79.

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     Rev. Crum was succeeded by Rev. S.S. Russell [1878-79], who only remained a year, and then for three years the church was pastorless and practically disorganized.

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 Kelyn Roberts 2017