Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-12-05

uIe ia 1857, and then worked a wear in
Lexington, KY, from which place he came
to California in 1860. He tried mining at
Salmon river, but without success, and
arrived in Sacramento in June of the fol-
| lowing year without a dollar. He hired
ont to Huntington & Hopkins as porter,
| from which humble position he rose to
that of salesman. In 1864 he engaged in
the hardware business with George P.
Howe at Dayton, New, but sold out to his
partner in 1867 and resumed the duties of
salesman for Messrs. Huntington & Hop
kins. The next year he became member
of the firm.
w. r. S. Foye is native of Wiscasset,
Maine, and received good business educa-
ton IN Boston. He came to California in
1856, and in the following year engaged as
salesman with the firm of which he is now
prominent member. Mr. Foye gives his
personal supervision to the ordering of sup
plies and to the sales department of the San
Francisco house, in which capacity he has
10 superior. He is gentleman of modest,
retiring disposition. and enjoys the reputa-
ton of being a shrewd, careful business
man, and is a public-spirited citizen.
Charles Miller, the remaining member of
the firm, was born in Green county. n. Y.
and came to California in 1856 He was at
once employed as book-keeper for E. H.
Miller, Jr., d Co., and remained with them
until 1860, when he was installed as book
keeper for Huntington & Hopkins. In
1862 he resigned and entered the employ of
Hooker & Co., of which firm he subse-
quently became member, and with it was
absorbed into that of Huntington, Hop
kins IL Co.
The above is but a brief sketch of the
history of the great hardware house re-
farrp1 IN INIT II will ioa to ;lao
of its wonderful growth to the present
time. Its immense store in Sacramento
has frontage of so feet on K street. There
are three floors to the west half, each 100
feet in depth. The east 30 feet has three
floors SO feet i'll depth. In the latter are
the offices, counting rooms, sample and
| specimens departments, etc. The base
| ment is utilized as vast storeruom for
various classes of goods. The west half of
the store is devoted to general saleSroom,
with entry, receiving and stock clerks
| offices, etc. 4 large building running from
| l. street to the alley, and connected with
| the main store by archways, is used for
| storerooms. 1t is 140x160 feet. 1t is i'm
possible to give detailed list of the vari-
GUS lines of goods carried by this firm.
| The San Francisco house fronts on Mar
| ket, Front and Bush streets, and is hand
some modern structure.
The history of the house of Hunting
| ton, Hopkins & Co. is in part the history of
| the earlier days of the first great continental
| railroad. Both Huntington and Hopkins
were men of great individuality and
strong convictions. They were among the
pioneer members of the Republican party,
being imbued with strong anti-slavery
sentiments. In the incipient days of Re-
publicanism their store was the head
quarters of men of that political faith,
prominent among whom were Leland
Stanford and Charles Crocker, then
merchants of this city; E. II. Mil
Ter, Jr., the grocer T. D. Judah,
q civil engineer; e. B. Croker. a
rising lawyer, and others. These men
were accustomed to meet and discuss poll
tics and other important public matters,
and among the latter the possibilities of
building railroad to connect the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans. Men of less foresight
regarded them as dreamers, and ridiculed
the idea of such scheme being practicable
But the more these big-brained men con-
sldered the subject the clearer they saw
their way to accomplishment of the great
enterprise. In the words of chronicler of
important events in the early history of the
State: "Once resolved to enter upon
the gigantic work-determined by the far
seeing financial ability of Huntington, the
cautious judgment OF Hopkins, the eXecu-
tive ability of Stanford, the business con-
clusions of the Crockers and Miller, and
the technical knowledge of Judah, and
supported by a few, very few, kim
dred spirits-they began the great
work in the face of that which
to ordinary men would have been
accepted as insurmountabe obstacles.
Naturally the time and abilities of Messrs.
Huntington e. Hopkins became absorbed
IN the grand trans-continental scheme, and
as its scope widened they saw the necessity
of transferring to other hands the manage
ment of the great mercantile house. the
profits from which had enabled them to
extend their sphere of usefulness. Thus
resulted the enlargement of the mercantile
firm, as above described, and as it exists to-
day-the most extensive of its kind on the
coast: Its grand success speaks volumes
also for Sacramento as business center.