Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-20
PIONEER WORKER
PASSES AWAY AT
OLD HOMESTEAD
'HR0N LOUIE" BREER ANSWERS
LAST CALL
STARTED BLACKSMITH BUSINESS
HERE IN 1853
Man Who Kept Stage Coaches In Re-
pair Before the Era of Rail.
roads Stuck to First
Home

Louis Breer, sr., pioneer settler in
Los Angeles, passed to final rest at his
home, 215 South San Pedro street,
Wednesday, August 1s, at p. NJ. The
end came just as the pioneer had
reached his S1st birthday.
- Los Angeles was a small pueblo and
California had been but short time
a part of the United States when Mr..
Breer came here to settle. There were
no transcontinental railways in those
days and Mr.. Breer, to avoid months
of desert travel, went by sailing ves-
sci to Panama, crossed the isthmus on
the primitive dummy railway and
made his way up the coast, arriving III
Los Angeles in the year 1858.
He married and soon afterward
built the first brick house on San Pedro
street, then a road lined by orchards
and vineyards. This section is now the
principal wholesale business district of
the city. Los Angeles was at that time
the principal stage center on the stage
line from Salt Lake City TO San Fran
cisco.
A mechanic by trade. Mr.. Breer
started in the blacksmithing business.
This was the most important industry
In the city at that time Eight or ten
forges were kept busy and numerous
assistants employed In order to keep
in repair the heavy, high-wheeled stage
coaches which daily arrived and de-
parted from Los Angeles. During his
long and useful career in Los Angeles,
Mr.. Breer enjoyed the worthy title
of pioneer Blacksmith of Los An
geles.' In the early days, he was
naI I1y fc ri
in the village. By a contract with the
stage coach company he kept in re-
pair all the stage coaches which daily
ratified across the cobble stones of the
Plaza and drew up before the old Pico
house, then the only hotel in Los An
geles.
For years Mr.. Breer watched the
city grow up around him and saw
the suburbs extend out in every di-
rection. Friends and family repeatedly
urged him to move to the newer
residence sections but the pioneer re-.
fused to desert the old homestead For
over so years he worked at the
trade in which he was so skilled, and
to which he was so devoted that he
would not desert it. even when his
children urged him to retire. For over
40 years he remained ,at his post
of duty at the shop in the rear of his
nome on san PeufO street. Onuer MS
eyes, Los Angeles grew from a
pueblo of a few hundred inhabitants
to a metropolis of 100000 population.
Mr.. Breer was born in Germany in
1928 in the town of Wiegersdorf and
came to the United States when a
boy of 10 years of age. He spent few
years in Philadelphia. Indianapolis and
81. Louis and then decided to come to
california. His S1st birthday had just
arrived when the pioneer, sturdy and
strong to the last, answered the final
call
A family of four sons and daughter
remain to mourn the loss of the de-
ceased. All of the children were born
in Los Angeles. Henry Breer the old
est son, is head of a thriving harness
making business on Also street. Louis
Breer, jr., is a member of the we'll
known local firm of Tufts-Lyon Arms
company, and William Breer has been
his fathers assistant during recent
years. Mr.. Breer also leaves a mar
ried daughter, Mrs. George Schrader of
Altadena, and a son, Carl, who has
just been graduated from Stanford
university