The San Francisco call., 1908-08-09


is apt TO come away with the
impression that all things must
have had their beginning with
in the confines OF the little Span
ish town. Brilliant cobalt blue
signs greet him everywhere-signs
flashing equally as brilliant white let
ters proclaiming that here stands the
first brick house ever built in Cali
fornia, that there is the first custom
house and that here the first American
hag was raised by Commodore SIoat.
1t is all very interesting. of course, but
II gives the stranger the sensation OF
going back to the creation Of things
But I'm the midst of all this that is
so patiently historic. so publicly and
well known as to scarcely bear repeti-
tion. you viii come across a low RAM
bling structure that bears neither
name nor number. You never could
pass Il by. II certainly is the only
building OF its kind in Monterey. or
out OF IL. For some reason the Land
Mark league people must have closed
their eyes as they passed this spot, or,
more probable, they had wearied OF
their iabors before they reached il. For
IN Monterey the work Of such an as
sociation must run from sun to sun.
This unnamed unidentified house has
no less a distinction than that OF being
the first wooden house erected in Mon
tcrey and one of the first erected in
California. Il gives one a strange SEN
satfon 10 be face to face, as Ii were
with truly authentic relic.
And that is what this old house in
Monterey is-a relic of the times when
the early women settlers were as truly
herosnes as though they had followed
in the footsteps OF Grace Darling or
Florence Nightingale. IT is a relic OF
the days when men did not stop with
taking up their beds when they went
abroad, but actually moved their
houses as well.
The modern history of California
dates from 40. Well. way back then
in that magic year a woman bearing
the naEne OF Jane Bushton arrived in
Monterey VITA her came her husband
but this is one OF those cases where
the man must be content TO be known
as the wornan's husband. For It seems
Mrs. Bushton had the brains of the
family.
Years before. when she was only E
slip OF a girl-she was 81 when she
came 10 Molterey-she had married
James Bushton in England An easy
going. good natured man was James,
wholly and absolutely devoted to and
in love with his beautiful young wife.
And when this had been said all has
been said about James Bushton.
The fortunes, or possibly IL was the
misfortunes OF life. took the Bushtons
after their marriage TO Australia. Like
many others. they went out in search
of new home IN a new country. But,
unlike many of those others. they went
well equipped for their new conditions.
They trusted but little in the posi-
bilities or facilities to be found in
Australia. The same ship on which
they booked passage carried also all
their household furnishings And such
furnishings, Mahogany beds. chairs,
davenports end bureaus, beside which
our modern so called mahogany is a
worthless article. For the mahogany
trees have been cut down in whole
sale manner since then and labor is
not what il used to be.
And because Mrs. Bushton was a low
er Of beautiful things she took with
her exquisite laces from the fingers of
italy and cashmere shawls from the
looms OF India. gifts TO her on her
wedding day and quite wonderful
enough to I'LL the heart Of any girl with
envy
Just how long the sojourn in the
wilderness of Australia lasted the story
does not tell. But we know that the
Bushtons prospered and grew wealthy
as the word was understood in those
days.
Among other interests held and
financed by Bushton and his wife was
a line OF sailing vessels plying be-
tween Australia and California, Monte
rey being the California terminus To
these ships they gave the names the
Daisy, the Greclan, the George and
the Independence. Slowly and labori-
ausly the trips were made-nine