Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1933-01-26
The 4oer Memorial IN Los ANGELES

THESE lands and from them leased twelve square
miles OF the surrounding country. Then he sent
an employee named Charles Bennett to Monterey
TO have the lease confirmed by Colonel Mason,
the American military governor OF California
On the way Bennett, stopping at Benica. re-
vealed the purpose of his Journey Curiously
enough, few who heard his story believed 1t and
only few went to the American river to In
vestgate.
Make way now for Sam Brannan! Who SUIT
ter and Marshall were and what they did IL
known to virtually every American school child
But history has strangely neglected this famboy-
ant character, Sam Brannan, who was, If any
thing, the most romantic figure OF the three
Back In the late thirtes and early fortles Bran
nan was 1ourneyman printer. freeance
writer, an editor and "a natural born promoter
Also he joined the Mormon church. when that
sect began to flourish, and from an editorial lob
on the Messenger, Mormon propaganda news
paper, ne soon bossomed out into fu.fedged
elder In the Church Of the Latter Day Saints.
About the time of the exodus of the Mormons
from Nauvoo, ILL.,, under the leadership of Brig
ham Young for their journey westward to find
the promised land Brannan chartered the little
snip BROOKLYN, filled 1t with some 300 .Mormons
and set sail from New York via Cape Horn for
Callfdfnia. Late In July 1916, the BROOKLYN
Mormons We're the first American colonsts to
reach Yerba Buena,. the little Spanish settlement
on San Francisco bay.
1t Is doubtful whether Sam was of heart a
Mormon or anything else In religious way. He
was an opportnnist of the first water and Nor
monsm for his purposes, was as good as any
other religion. AT any rate 1t gave the rover
sort OF clerical standing and chance for lead
ershp which he was not the man to overlook
In the hold of his ship he had brought with
him newspaper plant, the machinery for n
flour mill. plows harrows and other pioneer ne
cessities He assumed leadership from the day
of his landing. He preached the first English
sermon ever heard there, soemnzed the first
American marriage the soil. set I'D the first
flour mill and gave the little settlement Its first
newspaper, the California Star. 1t wasn't long
before he cut loose from the Saints Or rather
the Saints got rid of him. Mormon sketch of
his life says, His course and habits were not
consistent with the life of Latter DAY Saint
and he was disconnected from the church"
But II bis career as Mormon had ended. his
career as California promoter (perhaps another
historic "frst") had Just begun He got out n
special edition of his Star. within a few month";
after his arrival at Yerba Buena, and sent two
thousand copies of the paper overland to the
Mississippi valley and the eastern states. extol
ing the virtues OF the country to prospective
settlers
Then came March, 1848 bringing with II n
Yerba Buena the first news OF the discovery NJ
gold on General Suffers lands brief account
OF the fact was published In rival paper.. bDt
Brannans editor was inclined to discredit tba
news, as were also most OF the new colonIsts
But to Sam Brannan 1t was bugle call tn new
adventure He went to the scene OF the alIauad
Ind and In few weeks he came galloping back
to San Francisco, rushed through the Plaza hat.