Los Angeles herald., 1905-09-03
Romantic History
of Los Angeles
i'm Brief

| pedleQ III loOf. mayor IHOIldS rOSVcE
signed the first well matured ordinance
for establishing and regulating COM
mon schools in June, 1856, and the first
public school houses were erected.
1.-The discovery of the mines in 1S4S
carried away many of the native pop
ulation of Los Angeles; created a new
| demand for the horses and cattle the
rancheros could so amply supply.
brought a multitude of emigrants
from Sonora as we'll as from the
United States, left the people at home
in state of perpetual exultation and
excitement. During the summer of
1S49 and the winter and spring of 1850
Los Angeles was the thoroughfare of
travel. Few could be induced to stop
long. Every head was turned toward
Ell Dorado. Through the summer OF
| 1850 thirty Americans could be count
ed and most of these without families.
With or without means the incomers
had crowded forward, seldom desti-
tute, for their necessities had met a
generous response from the bounty of
the LUCE family at San Bernardino. a
| Williams at Chino, a Rowland and
! q Workman a La Pnente-native Cali
fornia liberality everywhere opened it's
| full hand to the way-worn stranger"
First American Families
The first three American families
permanently settled in Los Angeles
were those of ]. C. Nichols, J. S. NAL
lard and Louis Granger. John G., son
of j. G. Nichols, was the first .Ameri-
can boy born in the city, April 10, 1851.
OF the 1O3 proprietors of town farms
in 1S4S eight were foreigners: Abel
Stearns Louis Bouchet Louis Vignes,
Juan Domingo, Miguel N. Pryor, Will
liam Wolfskill, Louis Lamereau, Joseph
Snooks-an Englishman, a German.
three French, three yankees" es"-thus
| showing the cosmopolitan character Of
the population which has always been
maintained with the passing of the
years.
The culture of fruit and ornamental
trees began in 1S47. The list included
walnut, almond, olive, fig, apricot.
pear, ounce, apple cherry, plum, and
j
with good results. The question of ir-
rigation and water supply was always
a live topic. There was one pepper
tree in 1850. In 1861 John Temple
planted a row of peppers in front of
lis Main street store.
Through 1851 and subsequently the
division of the state was much dis
| 11a interest
of money was five per cent month
often ten per cent, a rate that COM
menced in 1S4S, with the loans of John
Temple to the hundreds who wanted
accommodation.
In the fall of 1868 there were no
three story buildings in Los Angeles
! and the assessed valuation of all prop
erty in the county for the year 1866
was $685. 1856. In 1867 the city was
first lighted by gas and In the same
wear a system was adopted to estapllsn
reservoirs and convey water from the
Arroyo Seco out upon the lands or
the San Pasqual rancho. In 1865 the
first hank was established in the city
hv Alyinza Hayward and John q.
Downey. capital 100000; in the same
year the bank of Hellman, Temple q
Co. was organized with capital or
S1o5 ooo Three years later both banks
were consolidated under the new name
Of the Farmers and Merchants bank OF
Los Angeles, capital $50O,oOO.
Tn 1872 improvements in the nils
west of Los Angeles were commenced
by P. Beaudry and j. w. Potts, ana IN
the following year bonds were voted by
the people for the Southern Pacific
railroad company, water pipes were laid
and 2. system of general improvements
ON a large scale was inaugurated.
In 1874 the first fruit drying factory
WAS established by G. B. Davis, pros
necting and boring for petroleum pe-
gan in the mountains about san fer-
nando. the First Presbyterian church
was organized with DR.. A. F. White as
ma stor. the first street railway line
was operated on Spring and sixth
streets. two and a half miles in length
bv Judge r. NJ. Widney.
First County Election
The first county election was held
April 1, 1850. when S77 votes were cast.
The first county officers were: Judge
Agustin Olivera; clerk, B. d. Davis:
attorney, Benjamin Hayes; surveyor J.
r. Conway; treasurer. Manuel Garf1as;
assessor. Antonio F, Coronel; recorder.
Ignacio del Vale; sheriff. George /.
Burrill; coroner, Charles b. Cullen.
Jonathan r. Scott was the first JUS
tice of the peace, and was succeeded by
7. S. Mallard. Scott built the first
Touring mill in Los Angeles. The first
LAWYER to arrive was Don Manuel Q.
Roio in 1S49, Russell Sackett in lS49,
Louis Granger in 1850, and Benjamin
Hayes in the same year.
The early history Of Los Angeles
reads like a romance. The city and
county have been the scenes of many
| +.a~.o5;as ana m MANY occasions when