The herald., 1897-03-23
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
A Very Enjoyable Receptlon-The Secrc'
tarv's Interesting Paper

tertained the Historical society last eve-
ming in their residence on Jenerson
street. DIR. j. d. Moody. president, made
a few Introductory remarks at the OPEN
ing of the informal program, and Chas.
F. Lummis. president of the Landmarks
club, gave an outline Of what had been
done by the club since its organization.
III. o. Collins of the Sons of the Revolu-
ton made a short statement of the OBJ
jects of his society Miss Houghtor.
president of the Daughters of the Rev
olution, gave some interesting facts
relative to the work of the order she rep
resented. Judge Houghton, who has
been a resident of California fifty years,
told of early times in California.
Mr. ]. M Quinn, secretary of the
Historical society read a very forcible
paper on Some Forgotten Landmarks,
which was most interesting throughout.
In brief Mr.. Quinn said that the his
toric landmarks of California are rap
IDLY disappearing. Time, neglect, the
relic fierds and curio hunters have de-
stroyed much of the valuable material
that goes to make California history than
which no state in the union has more
interesting and instructive, and there
is scarcely one whose history has been
so shamefully neglected.
Many western states with far less pop
uiation and wealth than California
spend from $4,000 to $4,000 annually in the
support OF their historical societies.
California pays $1,000 year to the keep
er of Suffers new fort built in lS49, and
$500 year to the custodian of Marshalps
frying pan and coffee pot This custo-
dian also keeps watchful eye upon the
bronze statue that the state erected to
the man who was not the first to dis
cover gold in California.
The Historical society CT Southern CAL
ifornia and the Landmarks club of Los
Angeles are the only institutions in the
state that are doing anything to pre-
serve the real history of California,
and they receive no state aid.
The Mission Vieja, or the first site Of
the Mission San Gabriel is a forgotten
landmark. forgotten in the sense that
it's exact location is unknown. The mis-
sion was first located about five miles
southeasterly from its present site, and
the date of its removal is unknown. The
present stone church was begun about
twenty years after the first founding,
and is not as old as it is generally re-
ported to be.
Mr.. Quinn alscostated that the spot
where the first settlement was made in
the Los Angeles valley. the first church,
the first dwelling erected as we'll as the
first land titled were all forgotten land
marks. Stephen C. Forster is quoted as
saying I1dl the dQODe ruins Cfl the 1dI-
vey ranch which are pointed out to Wis
itors as the ruins of the first church.
are the debris of buildings built since
he came to the country.
Another forgotten landmark Is the
ranch house of Cahuenga, where the
treaty of Cahuenga was made between
Fremont and Pico. and Mr. Quinn
pointed with force to the fact that while
every schoolboy who has studied the
Il &c of ay< tcta \ q hoo I'd
of the elm tree where PENIS treaty with
the Indians was made, neither school
boy nor schoolmaster has heard of the
ranch house of Cahuenga where a treaty
was made that virtually surrendered to
the United States more than half mil
lion square miles of territory-a terri
tory greater in extent than that pos
sessed by the thirteen colonies at the
close of the Revolutionary war THE
site of PENIS elm tree is marked by a
fitting monument" continued Mr.. Quinn.
''and if state pride or some other motive
should ever induce our legislators to
erect monument on the spot where the
treaty of Cahuenga was made ii would
be fitting tribute to an almost forgot
ten benefactor of our state-John C.
Fremont-to place statute to his men,
ory upon it.
In closing Mr. Quinn referred to old
! Fort Moore, or the old fort on the hill.
as .it Is usually called, as landmark
about which there is much controversy.
Its construction is generally credited to
Fremont, yet he had nothing to do with
its building, and he was not in California
when it was completed. 1t was planned
by Lieutenant Emory. and work was
begun on it by Stockton's sailors and
marines. 1t was completed by the Nor
mon battalion under the superintend-
ence of Lieutenant Davidson of the reg
ular army. Next Fourth of July will be
the fiftieth anniversary of it's compile
ton and the fiftieth anniversary of the
first celebration of the nations birthday
in California. 1t was named after Cap
tain Ben c. Moore, who was killed at the
battle of San Pasqual.
Those present were Mesdames Caro-
line M. Severance, M. Burton William
son, Mary ]. Parker, DIR. Kate Moody
w. A. Bacon, T. L. Ashley, NJ H. Ban
ming, Frances A. Eastman, C. p Brad
field Sumner p Hunt, M. E. Stilson,
]. McGuinn, N. Levering. E. c. Baxter
C. Stilson, c. McLain, ]. w Mcneil, A.
Benton. Misses Lillian Williamson, Es-
tella Williamson, Mabel E. Quinn, M
A. Houghton, Madge Rogers. E. Brown
Dr. j. D. Moody. Prof. j. M. Quinn,
Judge Edwin Baxt er, Judge N. Lever
ing, Judge S. o. Houghton, Messrs
George Roughton, w. r. Bacon, T. L.
Ashley, Charles Williamson, c. F. Lum-
mis-, H. d. Barrows, H o. Collins Field
ing Stilson, e. A. Baxter and Arthur
Benton.
John A. Gill, Pacific coast agent for