The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-04-05
The Great Wheat Grower.
CAREER OF DIR. GLENN, AN AUGUSTA BOY
HIS MAGNIFICENT ESTATE.

HIS MAGNIFICENT ESTATE,
A month or so ago we published brief &C
count of the assassination of DR.. Fl. ]. Glenn
by discharged employee, named Miller Be
low we give sketch of the trials and triumphs
of the great farmer, taken from the Oakland
(Cal) Tines
| DIR. Hugh James Glenn was born about ten
miles from Stanton, Augusta County, Vir-
ginia, in 1924 His father was a country mer
chant, and when deceased was boy about
seven or eight years of age the family moved
to Paris. Monroe County, Missouri, where the
father went into business again. Being the
only child, Hugh was indulgently treated, and
| given at private schools every available OPP
| portunity for acquiring such education as the
! locality and time permitted. His studies.
however, did not extend beyond the English
branches. In 1914 he listened to course
of lectures at McDowelPs Medical College in
st. Louis. rs 'fe
Upon the Mexican war breaking out shortly
! after he was seized with spirit Of patriotism
and enlisted in 1916 in division of the army
commanded by General Price He partic-
| ipated III the battles of Taos and Moro. In
the spring of 1e47 he received an honorable
dischargcgatter which BE found his way hack
to ST. Louis, where he continued his medical
studies, graduating No in class of two
hundred. Remaining in St. Louis for about
two years, he, on March 10, 1S49, married Miss
V. H. Abernethy, and upon the 18th of April
following, leaving his bridein Missouri, started
across the plains to seek his fortune. The
party was composed of three companies and
an OK team owned jointly. After an. adj
venturous journey, the party arrived safely in
Sacramento about the middle of August. The
n v cold fbnrn for ba ha,lafi, of ,o
trio. and one-fourth of the amount thus real
lied was the extent Of Dr. Glenns capital. In
September of that year he went TO the mines
and staked claim out at Murderers' Bar, on
the Middle Fork of the American River, near
Coioma, near which point was made the orig
inal gold discovery in California. Remaining
there q little over two months, he with others
returned to Sacramento as they were strangers
IN that part OF the county, and feared the in
clemency Of the approaching winter season.
AT Sacramento Dr. Glenn, with the modest
stake made in the mines, bought an OK team
and carried freight from that city to Coloma
and other points IN the mountains After
tcaming about two months he bought livery
stable on j Street, in Sacramento which in
the spring he sold for $4,000 In the spring
OF 1850 he returned to st. Louis, and after re-
naming there two years came back across the
plains. In 1858 he again returned to Missouri
and brought his family out to this coast, set
ting on Stoney Greek, just at the north end of
the present Glenn ranch in Colusa. He lived
there about three years, experimenting a
sheep ranch and buying and selling cattle.
From 1862 to 1866 DR.. Glenn associated him
self with S. E. Wilson in the cattle trade, the
markets being found at Weavervllle Shasta
Comfy, and other mining centers. Major
Biggs of Yolo, subsequently came into the
firm. DR.. Glenn, in 1856, sold out his in; crest
and with his family returned to Missouri, in
tending to remain in that state permanently,
bat, in 1859, his restless spirit prompted him
to return California again. With him he
brought large drove of horses and cattle
In the northern part of Utah the horses and
cattle were stampeded by Indians, and Dr.
Glenn. unattended, started out on the back
track after his property. He had gone but
few miles when he sighted his horses, and at
the same moment seven. or eight Indians made
their appearance and Immediately charged
upon the doctor The latter had no weapon
but revolver, while the Indians were fully
armed with guns, so he began slow retreat,
keeping himself protected as well as possible
by rocks and trees. Shots were frequently
exchanged, but without effect, and it was not
long before DR.. Glenn had expended all Of his
ammunition. The Indians, aseertaiuing this,
made arrangements for grand rush. and the
QOStO1 tlOuS LIS 1'iS1 LlUlllGut WIS dG luuu
when suddenly a dozen shots, rapidly an
nounced q rescuing party, consisting of his
companions who had heard the firing and
came up as quickly as possible. After getting
together the animals again the Journey was
continued and the company arrived safely in
Sacramento in good time. For the several
years following 1859 DR.. Glenn travelled back
and forth over the plains with droves of cat
tie, horses and mules, varying the trip oc-
casionally by going to New Orleans to sell.
In 1864 prices were very high in California
owing to the scarcity of horses and mules,
upon learning which DR.. Glenn started from
Missouri with large drove Of horses. On
the way over u severe snow.storm was ex-
perienced, in which men and animals came
near perishing. A delay of three weeks was
only followed by other unfortunate forced stop
pages, and upon arriving in California prices
had gone way down again, and u buyer could
not be found at any reasonable figure, owing
to the dryness of the season. The animals
were put out to pasture, anG this move put
Dr. Glenn in the mood to try farming, a yo-
cation neither he nor his father had ever
followed. In 1866 Major Blggs became a
partner IN the farm, and the "big ranch" in
Yolo was noted throughout the country. 1t !
was finally rented for ordinary farm operations,
and the two partners started into stock trading
and freighting between there and Idaho In |
the spring OF 1867 DR.. Glenn concluded to
With ,hat p,np !, - III
f,ojnso Sonn,, nd IN t ho f 1 ta. Ia
moved viii he family 70 Iad;nts VI t Iooe e
ramento riva- y ''''''o' oi 'i'0 N'''0'
The tirst nlaca amonr tho wheat ,,r,,,,,o,., .f
CaIifornia heonrad in cn1ntostahl ~ d., "
who in nerson o5 w ~ t
cultivation nj 5 600 acres of h;o s.t1
which contains ~ am acres and fro,a ~
west hank Of ne Sacramentn riroI fo or 1eI
miles in Colnsa Conutv The fancina ~ n,o no
ures 15O mics and divides the ranch into seven
main fields, the largest containing 12 GOO acres,
Tn 1870 Dr. Glenn shinned 10 En 'ogU "Ii 90 90,
his own account 81 00o t6ns Of vhaai aroU WI
in that wear on his ranch and raceueed 1o rot
less Than $500 600 for it. Resides manag mo /
his wheat farm he set ont vineyard' of 5o0
acres, half in wine and half in raisin grapes |
tie generally raised halt-million bushels OF
wheat year. lie never obtained an acre of
IN