The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-08-25

son. BY the terms Of the agreement he was
to receive salary of $500 a year and quar-
ter interest The name of the firm was
Charles Croker e. Co. In 1S4S the gold
fever began to spread, and Crocker caught
it. He made up his mind to go west, but
when his plans were all arranged his forge
burned down. Undismayed, he gave up his
project for the time, and devoted a year
TO repairing his loss. Then he sold out his
interest for &, coo, and with a party Of six
young men, including two of his brothers, he
started for California
The party crossed the plains in the summer
Of 1850. Each of them had contracted to
work for Crocker for two years, but after
spending the autumn and winter In places
mining they met with such poor luck that
Croker released bis companions from the
agreement He concluded that there was
more money for him in trading than in
mining, and he was right. In the spring Of
1852 he opened a small general store in Sacra-
mento in partnership with younger brother
| The business proved SO profitable that in
October he was worth nearly 100000. Then
he went back to Ohio to claim his BRIDE
But before the honeymoon had heightened
into week he experienced another reverse.
His store was burned down, and the fortune
he had accumulated dwindled in the space Of
few hours to about $3.50, 900. He went back
to Sacramento and resumed business. Al
though the food and fires of the next year
were destructive, yet in 1854 he was a we'll to
do citizen. The next year he was elected to
the common council. In the fall Of 1860 he
was elected by the Republican party mem
Der Of the state legislature and here begins
his connection with Leland Stanford, Coils,
p Huntington and Mark Hopkins
The scheme of building the Central Pacific
was first proposed in 1861, the year that
Stanford was elected governor of California.
The history Of this great achievement is too
well known to deserve more than passing
comment. To Croker was given the task
Of constructing the road These were dark
days for the "big four" Their scheme was
by many believed to be chimerical They
were required to build the first fifty miles of
the road before they secured the land grant
from the government Croker undertook
what other contractors had failed at He
lived among the miners.
The rough companionship Of the mining
camp had no horrors for him. On May 20,
lOOO, tne idSt splhe was ulINell, anu Inc eASG
was linked to the west. Mr.. Croker became
president OF the contract and finance COM
pany, and from this time his immense rail-
road interests began to grow. In 1873, after
his return from an eighteen months trip to
Europe, he was elected second vice president
Of the Central Pacific and president Of the
Southern Pacific.
When the success Of the Central Pacific
railroad was certainty, Mr.. Croker moved
to San Francisco and erected a magnificent
residence. 1t is said to have cost 81, 500, 900.
A familiar story related Of him at this time
throws some light on the character Of tho
man. On the lot which he proposed to build
his house an obstinate German owned q
shanty, which he refused to sell except at an
exorbtant price, which he increased at every
interview. Croker finally became SO en-
ragged that he declared he would not buy the
lot at any rate So he built his house and
erected around the home OF the German
high fence aud virtually boxed up his enemy.