[p. 167] Chapter III. From Town to City. 1880-1890.
The opening of the new decade found Santa Monica in the midst of most discouraging circumstances. The population as shown by the United States census was 417, but this included the population of the entire township of La Ballona. Values had greatly depreciated. Three lots and a house on the corner of Oregon avenue and Second street were sold, about this time for $750. L.T. Fisher sold his place on Third street, now known as the General Sargeant house, two lots, a small house and highly improved grounds, for $300. Three lots on the corner of Utah and Third, with improvements, sold for $1200. As late as 1885 the corner now occupied by the Santa Monica bank building sold at a probate sale for $400. These are but samples of the effect of the "dark days." But Santa Monica was not alone in her depression. The years from 1880 to 1885 were quiescent throughout Southern California. The chief enlivenment came through the operation of the Southern California Railroad which was building branch lines in preparation for the coming of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé line, the completion of which ushered in the "boom" days of the later eighties. Santa Monica looked longingly toward this new line, the ocean terminus of which was not yet determined, north of San Diego. But the Southern Pacific hold on the situation here was too strong to tempt the California Southern this way, until after the failure to make a harbor at Ballona.
Santa Moniica still had advantages, however, which were not dependent upon any railroad. She continued to be the favorite summer resort for pleasure seekers from the interior towns of the southern end of the state and she offered many attractions to eastern tourists and health seekers-when they were fortunate enough to discover that such a place as Santa Monica existed. During 1883 it became necessary to increase her hotel accomodations and the Santa Monica Hotel was remodeled and increased by the addition of twenty rooms. Several new cottages were built and many tents were grouped each summer on "north beach," while the cañon still was a favorite camping resort also. In 1884 the Vawters showed their solid faith in the future by purchasing 100 acres of the Lucas tract, adjoining the town on the south, paying $40.00 per acre for the land.
The summer of 1885 was an unusually gay one at the beach. Hotels and cottages were all full and more than 200 tents were occupied on North Beach. Sunday excursions brought crowds and the annual encampment of the G.A.R. in August, added to the enrollment. The Catholic church, which had been [p. 168] begun in 1884, was completed in 1885. The population of the town had so increased that three teachers were employed and additional school room was necessary. During 1885 a free reading room was established by the ladies of the Women's Christian Temperance Union in August. This effort, which was begun by a few brave, hard-working women, gradually developed into a library and became the foundation of the present public library.
[p. 168] 1886
The completion of the through line of the Atchison & Topeka road in 1885 led to the greatest "rate war" ever known in this country and was the immediate cause of the marvelous influx of population and capital from which the later history of Southern California dates. The quickening of the reals estate market, the breaking up of the large ranchos in the vicinity of Santa Monica and the great projects for railroads and harbors which were in the air, revived land values in this place. In January, 1886, it was reported that the Santa Fé, or Atlantic & Pacific road, as it was then called, would build a line to South Santa Monica and there construct a wharf long enough to accomodate the largest ships. The company was also to build a three-story hotel on its reservation. In view of this rumor and of the purchase of right of way for the road, many improvements were made in that direction and new comers began to secure lands in South Santa Monica. But the hopes of that section were dashed when it was learned in October that the "Ballona Harbor Improvement Company" had been incorporated and that the Los Angeles & Santa Monica road, which had been incorporated to connect the A .& P, with Santa Monica, had secured a franchise for a wharf and ship canal on Ballona slough. Work was at once begun at dredging for the harbor, which had been carefully planned by Hugh Crabbe, an engineer of some note. During the next two years extensive operations were carried on and a large sum of money was expended in the effort to create a harbor at Ballona Port.
[p. 168] Another important event of 1886 was the building of the Hotel Arcadia. During the previous year, J.W. Scott, who had long been one of the most enterprising citizens of the town, and who had been host of the Santa Monica Hotel for a number of years, purchased from the railway company a tract of land lying along the ocean front between Railroad and Front streets, paying for it $3000. He subdivided it into forty lots and sold thirty of them for $30,000. With this money he began the construction of a first-class hotel, a long-felt want in Santa Monica. The hotel, when completed January, 1887, was the finest seaside hotel in Southern California and was only equaled by the Del Monte at Monterey in the north. The grounds about it were at once improved and the place became the center of Santa Monica's attractions. A bath house and pavilion, and a gravity railway were among the features that were added by the enterprising management of the establishment.
In November, 1886, another important step in the advancement of Santa Monica occurred. This was the incorporation of the town; the election to decide the question being held November 30th and resulting in a vote of 97 for incorporation and 71 against. The boundaries as fixed were: "From the northern corner of Montana avenue and Seventeenth street, east along northerly line of Seventeenth street to the boundary line between San Vicente and La Ballona; thence west to the south line of Santa Monica and Compton road; thence southeast to the south line of Lucas tract; thence to Pacific ocean." The first board of trustees chosen for the town was made up of John Steere, chairman; Dr. E.C. Folsom, A.E. Ladd, W.S. Vawter and J.W. Scott. Fred A. McKinnie was the first town clerk; H.C. Baggs, Jr., was elected marshal and E.K.Chapin treasurer. Baggs failing to qualify, Michael Noon wa appointed in his place.
While there was considerable opposition to incorporation by what the Express terms the "old fogies," on the ground of the additional taxes to be expected as a result, the feeling in general was that the interests of the town demanded the change and that public improvements must be made, even though the wherewithal must come out of the pockets of the propery owners. The board of trustees at once entered upon a campaign of public improvements which within the next few years transformed the rough, dusty and ungraded roads which were called streets and avenues into well graded, graveled streets with sidewalks, crossings, bridges, and which were sprinkled and shaded. During the year fifty-five new cottages were erected in the town, beside the business buildings and hotel, and a new era of growth was thus fairly inaugurated.
[p. 169] 1887
The year of 1887 was the most phenomenal period in the history of this state. Santa Monica was not behind the other sections of Southern California in the real estate craze that beset the old settlers and the "tenderfoot" alike. In January, L.T. Fisher, the former owner and editor of the Santa Monica Outlook, which has so ably represented the town in its first sunny days, returned to his first love and began the publication of a new series of the Outlook, joining with him T.J. Spencer, an experienced printer. This paper furnished the medium through which the real estate agents of the vicinity made their glowing announcements. One of the first firms to indulge in large capitals and superlative adjectives was that of Tanner & Lewis-R.R. Tanner and "Tom" Lewis, both of whom are well-known in the annals of Santa Monica. They advertised in January "Bargains in Vawter tract, Central addition, Prospect Hill and other localities." On March 3rd a "Great auction sale" of Santa Monica lots offered by the land company took place. Of this sale the Outlook says: "This valuable property will be sold on its merits. There will be no free band, no free lunch, no free ride." In this connection, it continued: "The S.P. rail-[p. 169] way company are daily making three trips between Los Angeles and Santa Monica, which shows the importance of the location. And yet this is a mere beginning. Another party is after a franchise for a dummy road from Los Angeles to the ocean, to pass along the Cahuenga foothills. Another company has organized with a capital of $500,000 to construct an electric railway from Pasadena to the ocean. Their objective point on the coast is not yet announced, but Santa Monica is no doubt the place, as the conditions are favorable to this view. It should also be remembered that large capital is backing the enterprise of constructing an artificial harbor at a point about four miles south of the place. And there is still another improvement in prospect. This is a wharf in front of Santa Monica to be constructed by the Southern Pacific Company." Lots to the amount of $42,000 were disposed of in this sale, which included property from Ocean avenue to Twentieth street, and a few weeks later another auction sale disposed of a still large number of lots at prices ranging nearly double those of the first sale.
On June 2nd occurred a "grand excursion and auction," with Ben F. Ward orator of the day. This was "East Santa Monica" and prospective visitors were directed to bring their appetites and pocketbooks. The same month the "Santa Fé" tract, with "ocean view, street cars, water, and stone pavement," was put on the market. This included fifty-three acres of land located in South Santa Monica and owned by Tanner & Lewis, purchased from the Vawters for $53,000. The "Wave Crest" and "Ocean Spray" tracts, also in South Santa Monica, were placed on the market about this time. Lots in these divisions brought as high as $1350, which to old settlers in Santa Monica seemed fabulous. But when it is remembered that these various tracts are now the site of Ocean Park district, the figures do not seem out of the way.
One of the most important deals was the purchase for $55,575 of 247 acres of the Boca de Santa Monica, located on the bluff on the other side of "Old Santa Monica Cañon," by a syndicate of which Abbot Kinney was the moving spirit. It was proposed to make this the "Nob Hill" district of Santa Monica. Streets were laid out, trees planted, the Santa Monica Outlook Railway was organized, with Kinney as president, Patrick Robinson, vice-president, James Bettner secretary and treasurer, to build a steam road from the Southern Pacific depot along the base of the bluff to the mouth of the cañon and up a branch of the Santa Monica cañion to the "heights." Mr. Kinney was at that time secretary of the newly organized state board of forestry and offered to donate a site for a forestry station on the heights. The offer was accepted in November, 1887, $5000 was set aside to be devoted to the experimental station and H. Rowland Lee was sent to take charge of the work.
By August, the "free lunch-free music" stage of auction sales had been reached, "round-trip fare fifty cents and twenty cars provided" for sales in the Ocean Spray and East Santa Monica tracts. Among other tracts of this [p. 171] time were the Crippen tract, the Arcadia and Van Every's addition, all of which were actively pushed.
During this year the townsite of Palms was laid out, about five miles inland from Santa Monica, on the line of the Southern Pacific. The town of Sunset also sprang into existence. This was located on the Wolfskill ranch, which had been the old land grant of San José de Buenos Ayres. This tract of 4500 acres had belonged to B.D. Wilson, who in 1865 mortgaged it for $6000. On this loan it passed into the hands of John Wolfskill, who durinig 1887 sold it to a syndicate for $440,000. A townsite and ten-acre tracts were laid out; water was being developed; a large hotel was planned and paritally built; even a newspaper was started. The "foothill" line, which was to reach the ocean in the vicinity of Santa Monica cañon was to cross the tract and a "grand boulevard"-that fair dream which has existed as a dream since the laying out of Santa Monica-was to be consructed from Los Angeles to the ocean, passing through the city of Sunset.
An improvement which had a more substantial basis and which has been of great advantage to Santa Monica and Southern California, was set under way during the year. This was the location of a branch of the National Home for Diaabled Veterans in this vicinity. The board of managers of the institution were on the coast to locate a site for a Pacific branch. They were induced to visit Southern California, where various propositions were laid before them. Judge Walter Van Dyke, acting for Messrs. Jones and Baker and the owners of the Wolfskill tract, offered 600 acres of land in the San Vicente and Buenos Ayres grants, together with other valuable considerations. This proposition was accepted and the announcement was made in November, 1887, that the present site had been selected. The news was received with rejoicing in Santa Monica, which thus became the nearest base for supplies for the home.
Naturally such rapid advance in real estate values produced a rapid growth in the town and a demand for improvements to correspond. Early in February two applications for franchises to build street car lines were received by the board of trustees, one from O.G. Weiss and others of Los Angeles, the other by W.D. Vawter of Santa Monica. The latter was granted; work was at once begun, and on June 19th the first car ran over the Ocean-avenue line and in the fall the extension was completed, on Utah avenue and Third streets,up Arizona to Seventh and on Seventh to Nevada.
[p. 172 W.I. Hull, 1908b]
A franchise was also granted to a company which proposed to establish a gas plant and supply the town. This improvement, however, did not materialize and for years the only gas in the town was that manufactired by a private plant for the Arcadia Hotel, and two or three other private houses. The Ballona and Santa Monica railway was incorporated in 1887 to build a standard-gauge road from Ballona to Santa Monica, its board of directors being M.L. Wicks, J. Bernard, Jr., S.D. Northcutt, James Campbell and others. It was really an [p. 173] off shoot of the Santa Fé and through it, the Santa Fé obtained a right of way through South Santa Monica to a junction with the S.P. on Railroad street. Work was continued during the year on the Ballona harbor project, and it was still hoped that the Santa Fé might make a terminus either at Ballona or Santa Monica.
Among the buildings of the year, John Steere erected a two-story brick block on the northeast corner of Utah and Third, with a frontage of 50 by 75 feet. The second floor contained a large hall which for many years was known as "Steere's Opera House," and which served as a theater and public meeting place. The older residents of Santa Moica can look back upon many festal occasions enjoyed within and recall the remarkable display of stuffed birds which adorned its walls. Several other business blocks and a number of residences wer built during the year. St. Augustine's Episcopal church was erected and the Catholica church at Palms was built.
The Fourth of July this year was celebrated with a great deal of enthusiasm, a large crowd gathering to witness the proceedings and the Hon. Abbot Kinney delivering the address of the day. The flower festival in Los Angeles was a most pleasing and novel attraction. The Santa Monica booth, prepared by Mr. Tyler, Mrs. Chapin and other ladies of the town, was a representation of Santa Monica, with wharf and ship, made of flowers, and attracted a great deal of attention and praise as the most beautiful exhibit in the festival. In August the Lawn Tennis Association was incorporated and grounds were secured and laid out on Third street. The first tournament of the Southern California Tennis Association took place on these grounds and was a great success, closing with a grand ball at the new opera house.
[p. 173] 1888
The year of 1888 was one of prosperity and advancement. While real estate movements were not so rapid nor so sensational as in the previous year and some of the wild schemes fell through, much solid and permanent development went on.
One of the most impotant indications of the change from village to city was the formation of a bank, the directors being mostly local capitalists. The First National Bank of Santa Monica was organized in January, with G.H. Bonebrake of Los Angeles, president; John Steere, vice-president; E.J. Vawter, cashier; G.S. Van Every, John Steere, Nathan Bundy, H.C. Baggs, G.H. Bonebrake, W.S. and E.J. Vawter, directors. It opened for business in March in the Central building on Third street and at once began to plan for a handsome building of its own. In April the contract was let for the erection of Senator Jones' new home on a block that had been reserved in the original town plat as a hotel site. This house was to cost between $30,000 and $40,000, and the fact that the senator had selected Santa Monica as a permanent home went [p. 174] far toward insuringt he future of the place, as the Jones interests were still the dominant factor in the town. The Santa Monica Improvement Company was organized that year with Abbot Kinney, P. Robertson and Thomas Rhodes as the controlling committee. This association at once began work in improving the grounds of the lawn tennis courts and in erecting the "Casino" on Third street. This was a substantial and beautiful club house, costing some $6000 and for many years was the center of much social gayety and the scene of many festivities.
In April, after a rather lively contest, three new trustees were elected, Thomas A. Lewis, Thomas Rhodes, and J.J. Carrillo, the latter of whom served as trustee continuously until 1900-twelve years. The new board organized with W.S. Vawter president, and at once again a vigorous campaign for the improvement of the streets. Before the end of the year active work had been begun and contracts let for the grading, curbing and graveling of streets to the amount of $23,000 while over $30,000 had been expended, or called for, in the putting down of cement sidewalks. The present day population owes much to the board of trustees of 1888-89 who, in the face of much opposition from people who thought the town wold be bankrupted forever by such extravagance, and in the face of many difficulties, persisted in making the streets of Santa Monica the best thoroughfares in the country.
Railroad schemes were always on the tapis [sic] and hopes for rapid transit were afforded abundant material for building upon. The Outlook of July 18th talks cheerfully of the situation: "Santa Monica has excellent railroad accomodations. The S.P. trains now make four round trips on week days and six on Sundays. The round trip fare is 75 cents except on Sundays when it is 50 cents. . . .The Los Angeles County Railroad will in a short time have another route completed to Santa Monica. The entire distance is now graded and the mateial and rolling stock is now on hand. This road starts from the terminus of the Temple street cable road in Los Angeles and skirts along the foothills, running over a most charming route and passing close to the Soldiers' Home. And yet this is not the end. The Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe, which is now within five or six miles of this place, promises to extend its line to Santa Monica in the near future. The company already has a right of way along Lucas avenue in South Santa Monica and have graded a short section to hold their franchise. Nor does this close the programme. A rapid transit road is in prospect which will start from some eligible point in Los Angeles and, paralleling the Southern Pacific ass far as The Palms, will then cross to the south side, making a beeline for South Santa Monica."
Of these projects, the Los Angeles county road, or the Los Angeles & Pacific road, as it was later known, which was capitalized by Los Angeles men, completed its track to Santa Monica and in 1889 went into operation. But its career was short-lived. On January 29th, 1889, its first passenger train came [p. 175] into Santa Monica and was greeted with enthusiasm; the officers, E.E. Hand, president, S.W. Luitseiler, vice-president, R.C. Shaw, superintendent, and Cornelius Cole, J.M. Hale, W.T. Spillman and Arthur Gaylord, directors, being on board. The road ran through Burbank, the Ostrich Farm at Kenilworth, Prospect Park, Hollywood, Cahuenga, Morocco, Sunset and Soldiers' Home, a distance of 27 miles. Its terminus in Santa Monica was on the bluff near Utah avenue. In September, 1889, it went into the hands of a receiver and in October all trains but one a day were taken off. Soon afterward the rolling stock was taken possession of by the creditors and one more disastrous failure was added to the wreakage of the 'boom period."
Late this year a Board of Trade was organized and at once began to take an active part in pushing the vital interests of the town, which at this particular time were generally conceded to be the building of a wharf and the completion of the new water system. Work had begun on a new reservoir, new pipe was being laid and the Water Company, otherwise Jones & Baker, proposed to expend some $60,000 in providing a suitable water supply. The Santa Monica Mill Company's plant was put in operation this year at a cost of fully $25,000. The Cates block on Third street was put up at a cost of $10,000 and other building improvements tothe amount of about $100,000 made the town begin to assume the airs of a city.
[p. 175] 1889
The year 1889 opened with the burning of the Santa Monca Hotel which occurred January 15th and was a complete loss on account of insufficient supply of water. This swept away one of the oldest landmarks of the place, as the hotel was the first building erected, having been put up by Jones and Baker in the spring of 1875. It had been added to at various times and was valued at some $25.000. The proprietor, T.R. Bennington, lost heavily on his furniture, and Mrs. Senator Jones was a heavy loser of clothing and jewels. The place had had many ups and downs, having been "run' by many different parties, taken over for debt, and closed entirely during 1880-81. Till the building of the Arcadia it had been the best hotel of the town and had been enlivened by many gay and festive scenes. The Outlook, in a reminiscent mood, recalls: "'Jim' Eastman in his palmy days, used to drive there in his fine turnout and throw up one or two hundred at a whack for champagne and swell dinners. Ledyard and Bullock, the once noted financiers of the Temple and Workman Bank, et id omnes genus, would also come down periodically and indulge in a little hilarity and the disbursement of some of their easily gotten wealth."
On February 11th, the First National Bank moved into its new two-story building, which was handsomely fitted up for its purpose. This spring the Jones mansion was completed and the family moved in. It at once became a social center whose hospitality was enjoyed by many distinguished people from [p. 176] all parts of the world. Among its first visitors wer Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts, Senator Allison, of Iowa, and Governor and Mrs. Stoneman, who were entertained in a party by Mrs. Jones.
One of the most exciting questions of the year was that of the proposed outfall sewer from Los Angeles which was to be discharging into the ocean in the neighborhood of the present site of Venice, the city being vigorously campaigned for votes on the bonding proposition to build the outfall. Santa Monica citizens entered a decided protest against such a plan as destructive to their beach interests; meetings were held, the board of trustees and the Board of Trade passed vigorous resolutions and the town hired counsel to defend their rights. Citizens of Santa Monica attended anti-bond meetings in Los Angeles and took an active part in the fight. The question was settled in October, for the time being by the defeat of the bond issue.
[p. 176 Santa Monica Hotel, 1908b]
During this year, the street railway, or the "mule line" as it was popularly known, was extended to Seventeenth street, thus giving the town four and a half miles of street railway. The driveway to the Soldiers' Home was also completed this year, a boulevard 100 feet wide, lined with trees set out under the supervision of Abbot Kinney, then road commissioner, and with four substantial bridges. It was proposed to complete this boulevard to Los Angeles and a number of other roads were opened and improved and set with shade trees about this time.
The Soldiers' Home improvements were now fully under way and a number of veterans had already been received. A brick kiln had been put into operation in Santa Monica by Messrs. Sam Cripe and C.F. Geltner, which supplied a large number of brick for the new buildings on the Soldiers' Home grounds. A franchise was secured to build a street railway from the terminus of the Vawter line at Seventeenth street to the Home and this line was put into operation in 1890.
Among the social events of the year may be chronicled the visit of Senator Hearst, who was entertained by the Board of Trade and of Fanny Davenport, who was so delighted with Santa Monica that she purchased a cottage and announced her intention of passing her old age here. The Polo Club, Tennis Associatin and a race course provided amusement for sport lovers. The town now had five churches, and among the many church entertainments the Floral [p. 177] Festival, held in the new Presbyterian church, was an event that lingers in the memory of participants and beholders.
One of the most magnificient of the many hopeful prospects of the year wa the apparent certainty that this place had been chosen as the site for one of the largest Catholic schools in the country. In September it was announced that the Sisters of St. Joseph, a St. Louis order, had made arrnagements with Messrs. Crippen, who were to donate a tract of twenty-two acres of the East Santa Monca tract for the location of a large school. Mr. John F. Hogan, who had been instrumental in bringing the Sisters to this location, reported that work would begin on a building. The Outlook of September 25th says: "Heretofore rumor said that at least $350,000 would be expended upon the building alone, with a possibe increase to $500,000. But it seems that even these figures are too small. The Mother Superior is so captivated with the location that she thinks the Sisters may decide to spend over a million before the improvements shall have been completed." December 11th, it is announced that the final arrangements for the location of the Catholic College of Santa Monica have been completed and Mother General Agatha, of St. Louis, drove the first stake in the grounds, which "is the beginning of a series of dedicatory services that will close with the final imposing ceremonial that will be held at the completion of the grand edifice." The final grand dedicatorial service has not yet taken place; Sister Agatha seems to have been too enthusiastic.
The Outlook of January 8th, 1890, says: "The popularity of Santa Monica as a seaside resort is shown by the large travel over the Southern Pacific and the L.A. & P. railroads. After careful estimates by the agent, we find the Southern Pacific brought 200,000 visitors to the beach during the year. To this must be added about a fourth as many for the L.A.& P. during the time. Then there were thousands who came by private conveyance. The highest number of visitors on any one day was on the first Sunday of the ballon ascension, when the crowd was estimated at 12,000. When Los Angeles shall have doubled her population (as she will within a few years) and the lines of railways have quadrupled, and the fare has been reduced to one-half, it is easy to imagine what an immense crowd will visit this beach each week."
It is interesting to note that all of the above predictions have been fulfilled long ago, except the reduction in railway fare.
[p. 177]The Wharf Fight.-During the eighties the question of a wharf at Santa Monica was considered the most vital one of all that presented themselves. The people, the trustees, the Board of Trade, the contributors to the papers, and above all the editor of the Outlook, discussed this question in all its phases. The Outlook alternated between arguments to prove the necessity and the profits to be accrued from building a wharf; schemes for the building [p. 178] of a wharf and discourses upon the advisability of a harbor, or a breakwate at Santa Monica.
The first tangible step toward wharf building was the application, in February, 1887, of the Southern Pacific for a franchise to build a wharf at the foot of Railroad street, where the old wharf had stood. This was a direct result of the efforts to establish a "harbor" at Ballona, which were backed by the Santa Fe. But as the harbor of Ballona failed to threaten their San Pedro business, the S.P. application lay dormant. When it became evident that the railroad company would do nothing, more talk followed and in December it was announced that Mr. Bernard, who had still the stump of his wharf, built in '79 at South Santa Monica, had formed a company of capitalists who would rebuild that structure. A committee was sent to San Francisco to interview the railroad people and the Outlook declares: "There is hardly any ground for doubt that we shall have a wharf within the next six months . . .It is one of the anomalies of business that the old Santa Monica wharf was destroyed, not because it didn't pay, but because it did pay. That is to say, it paid the shipper and traveler and would have paid the railroad company had they not been interested at Wilmington and San Pedro."
February 1st, 1888, Geo. S. Van Every and T.A. Lewis, two well known residents of Santa Monica, made an application for a franchise to build a wharf at the foot of Bicknell avenue. At the next meeting of the city trustees a petition was presented by the Santa Monica Wharf Company, signed by forty-five citizens, asking that an election be called for the purpose of submitting the questions of voting $10,000 bonds to be given to the company on the completion of the wharf according to the franchise asked by Messrs. Van Every and Lewis. The discussion and public meetings that followed this action were lively and some warm language must have been used, for a few weeks later the following note was published: "To the Honorable Board of Trustees of the town of Santa Monica. Gents: Whereas we hear it talked by divers persons that the proposition to vote $10,000 subsidy to the 'Santa Monica Wharf and Shipping Company' was simply a scheme to extort and obtain money from the said town for personal purposes; and, whereas, from the said talk, we are advised and believe that the decision will be against us, therefoe, we beg to withdraw our proposition to construct a wharf and here announce that we will have nothing to do with the matter; but would recommend that the town vote bonds necessary to build and maintain a wharf of its own. George S. Van Every, T.A. Lewis."
After more discussion and public meetings, it was generally agreed that it would be feasible for the town to vote bonds for a wharf; but this scheme was decided by the city attorney to be illegal and, nothwithstanding their little "defi" [sic] Messrs. Van Every and Lewis again came to the front with an application for a franchise, which was granted, to build a wharf at the foot of Front [p. 179] street. Mr. Van Every started north to investigate the cost of piles and the Outlook ventured a cautious blast of triumph-with strings on it. Past experience was beginning to tell. After which there is an ominous quiet on the subject of a wharf until the organization of the Board of Trade in December, 1888, which began an immediate agitation of the subject. The "Wharf Committee" reported in favor of organizing a stock compnay, which proposition was at once acted upon. Papers for subscription were circulated, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade were entertained by the Santa Monica Board of Trade and, incidently, urged to subscribe. More public meetings, more discussion, pro and con. But at last sufficient subscriptions were obtained to warrant the incorporation of the "Santa Monica Wharf Company," July 13th "Critic" in the Outlook writes a sharp letter in which he objects to the acts of the committee in electing itself as directors of the new company and immediately demanding an assessment of 40 per cent from subscribers. He also demands where the wharf is to be built and who is to decide that important question.
Another lull followed while the question of the outfall sewer and an occasional editorial as to the "harbor" seemed to occupy the attention of Santa Monicans. But in December, Mr. J.B. Dunlap appeared before the board of trustees, representing "capitalists" -that magic quantity-and asked what subsidy Santa Monica was prepared to give for a wharf. This question led to the proposition that the town vote bonds for a sewer system and then pay a wharf company to carry their sewer out to sea. After much legal lore had been expended, it was decided that this might-or might not-be done.
After whch matters seem to have simmered until March, 1890, when the Outlook indulges in this mysterious language: "There is music in the air! Glad tidings float on the breeze. Rumor says Santa Monica is to have a wharf! Our people generally believe it. So does the Outlook. We are not at liberty to enter into details, as everything is not beyond the possibility of failure. There is every reason to believe, however, that our wharf scheme, for which the Outlook and many zealous residents of Santa Monica have so striven, will be a most gratifying success, at an early day, and that, too, in a shape more satisfactory than any of us have dared hope for."
At a public meeting of the subscribers to the "wharf fund" held May 6th, Messrs. L.R. Vincent, D.L. Bancroft and W.D. Vawter were elected commissioners to act for the subscribers, and S.W. Luitweiler, representing the Los Angeles & Pacific Railroad, was present with a proposition. In June articles of incorporation for a new wharf company were filed. This was the "Santa Monica Wharf and Railway Terminal Company," the incoporators being J.A. Stanwood, E.E. Hall, Elwood Chaffy, Arthur Gayford and W.L. Corson; the capital stock fixed at $300,000, $80,000 of which had been subscribed. "The company have acquired an ocean frontage of about a mile and a half, and [p. 180] a large tract of land" (the present site of Ocean Park and Venice). In the meantime many rumors were afloat as to the intentions of the Southern Pacific Company, which had again sent representatives to Santa Monica and looked at the old stump which still represented past commercial importance. During 1890 the town was in a fever of expectation as to the possibilities of the Southern Pacific action and the probability of the Santa Monica Wharf and Railway Terminal Company actually doing something. But after wating until the spring of 1891 for some tangible signs of fulfillment, the citizens again took a hand. In May a petition signed by about a hundred citizens was presented to the board of trustees requesting them to call an election to determine the question of issuing bonds for the construction of a wharf. After a full and enthusiastic discussion of this project by the trustees and the citizens, the matter was put to a vote and was defeated by the vote of two trustees. Another meeting was called and some very hot language was used; a new petition was prepared, urging the trustees to respect the wishes of the citizens; but the two obdurate members remained firm and again the petition was denied. The excitement ran high and the feeling against the two trustees was very bitter in some quarters.
The following emphatic words expressed the feeling of the editor of the Outlook: "We haven't voted any bonds for a wharf at Santa Monica, nor has any person or persons agreed to build one; yet when a location is mentioned for a wharf, it is like shaking a red rag at a mad bull. If there is any one thing that some Santa Monicans can do better than anything else, it is getting up a raging opposition when something is proposed upon which all should agree. If a man started out tomorrow with a pocket full of twenty-dollar gold pieces, some 'chronic' would start a howl of opposition because the right person, in his opinion, had not been selected to make the distribution."
But the question of building a wharf and of selecting a location was at last settled, without regard to the oppostion or opinions of Santa Monicans. On August 1st, 1891, the Southern Pacific Engineering Corps began a survey in "old" Santa Monica canyon, and it was definitely known that C.P. Huntington had decided on a wharf for Santa Monica. Thus ended the hisory of the agitation for a wharf.