History of San Joaquin County, California with Biographical Sketches - Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA - 1923
Stockton HistoryTuleberg's First InhabitantsAt the close of the Mexican War Captain Weber again made an effort to settle up the grant. He was successful after considerable hard work and in the fall of 1847 the following immigrants, hunters and trappers located at Tuleberg: Andrew Baker, John Sirey, George Fraezer, P. B. Thompson, James McKee, Joseph Buzzell, Eli Randall, a clerk in Weber's store; Harry F. Fanning, a former sailor on the sloop Portsmouth, and William H. Fairchilds, who had just crossed the plains with the Nicholas Gann party. The party, on their arrival here en route to San Jose, camped on the peninsula for the night. Weber, however, persuaded them to remain throughout the winter. While here the wife of Nicholas Gann gave birth to a son, whom they named William. This was the first boy born in San Joaquin County. Colonel F. T. Gilbert, compiler of Thompson's San Joaquin history, says that about this time twins were born, a boy and a girl, to the wife of Turner Elder on Dry Creek; he also says that the first marriage in the county was that of Edward Robinson to Mrs. Christina Patterson, a widow then living at Dry Creek. Her husband died of fever while crossing the plains.The people that were located on the grant gave Weber some hopes of a permanent settlement and he had the land surveyed and sectionized by Walter Herron, a deputy of Jasper O'Farrell, the surveyor of Yerba Buena (San Francisco). He also had surveyed into town lots a block of land on the south side of the channel, said block now lying between Main, Center, Levee and Commerce Streets. There the men lived in tule and brushwood tents. Whether they agreed to remain permanently and accept land from Captain Weber does not appear. We know, however, that Joe Buzzell was a permanent resident, and Carson in the spring of 1848 speaks of "Joe Buzzell's log cabin with a tule roof." He also received 160 acres of land that he selected on the north side of the Calaveras River. The land later passed into the hands of Jeremiah Sarles as a dairy ranch, John W. Moore being one of his employes. Then it was owned by John W. Dooley, the stage proprietor, and later by Henry Barnhart, who died a millionaire. There were quite a number of immigrants who settled outside of the Weber grant and took up government land. They were Missourians, pro-slavery men who would accept no favors. Among the number were Dr. J. C. and James Isbel, who took  up land in
November, 1846, on the north and south side of the Calaveras River
on what is now known as the Waterloo and Lockeford roads. It is
stated that John C. Fremont camped under a tree at that point in
1844, and there crossed the river on his way south. Dr. Isbel
erected a log cabin which stood on the place for over thirty years.
In 1848 the doctor sold the ranch to a Mr. Hutchington and he in
turn sold the land to Jonathan A. Dodge in 1858. The land is still
in the possession of the children of the deceased pioneer. Turner
Elder, his wife and three children, came into the county about the
same time as the Isbels, November, 1846, erected a log cabin on Dry
Creek and later the town of Liberty was there founded. Elder
remained there about a year, then removed to the so-called "Benedict
Rancho." Thomas Pyle and his family settled at what was later known
as Staples Ferry on the Mokelumne River, but in 1848 they removed to
San Jose. After Thomas Pyle left, the place was occupied by his
brother, John F. Pyle, he and John W. Laird becoming partners. These
two men sold to Staples, Nichols & Company in February, 1850, and
then was established Staples Ferry. "Johnny" Laird, as he was
familiarly called, remained with his family in this county until the
early '60s. A strong secessionist, he then removed to Stanislaus
County, where he could find company more congenial to his political
ideas, and there became a prominent citizen of the county.
The Stockton Mining CompanyUnder Captain Weber's instructions a joint stock company was now organized, known as the Stockton Mining Company. The word Stockton was used for the first time, Weber selecting the name because of his great admiration for Commodore Robert F. Stockton, the naval commander-in-chief and governor of California during the Mexican War. The company was organized for the purpose of carrying on a general merchandising business at the creek. Among the members of the company was John M. Murphy of San Jose, Joseph Buzzell, Andrew Baker, Thomas Pyle, George Fraezer and Dr. J. C. Isbel. The company again started for the gold fields, taking with them supplies of goods and implements from Weber's store, and twenty-five head of cattle. Weber had agreed to furnish all of the necessary supplies, but not having sufficient stock for an extensive mercantile business, he went to San Francisco in a whale boat, and there bought additional supplies. They were shipped by water to Sutter's embarcadero, and transferred from there to the creek by ox teams. Among other things which Weber bought was calico, beads, small silver coins and other trinkets to exchange with the Indians for gold nuggets. They highly prized the silver coins as ornaments to hang around their necks. The Indians at first had no idea of the value of gold, and Gilbert tells us that Dr. Isbel's wife made a piece of old cotton cloth into short skirts, and the doctor sold them to the Indian squaws for ten dollars in gold dust.Previous to his departure for Yerba Buena, Weber sent word to José Jesus, then living at Knights Ferry, to send him twenty-five able-bodied young Indians to dig for gold. Weber was of a firm belief that gold in paying quantities could be found south of Coloma and he wanted to have these Indians learn how to prospect for gold. He would then have them work the streams in this territory. In time the young native sons arrived here, and accompanied with a guide they rode horseback to Weber's Creek. The Indians, after being properly instructed, found plenty of gold. During this time the company were selling goods and beef at enormous prices and prospecting for a pastime. The Indians when well coached in prospecting were sent home with instructions to prospect in the Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers. If they found gold, they were to report that fact to the "major domo" at French Camp. Prospecting in the Stanislaus River near their rancheria at Knights Ferry they found some coarse gold. They took the specimens to the overseer and in accordance with previous instructions he sent the news and gold by an express rider to Weber. On receiving the news Weber was greatly pleased and announced that fact by the blowing of a tin horn, which was the usual method in that day of proclaiming an unusual event and calling together the crowd. The miners came flocking in and seeing the large pieces of coarse gold, were very much excited over it. A consultation was then held and the company concluded to abandon the creek claim, close out the merchandising business, and engage in prospecting in the new gold region. Captain Weber without doubt was behind entire movement. Leaving two men to close up the business the entire company returned to Tuleberg. Replenishing their stock of goods they moved to the Stanislaus River and began prospecting for gold. With them were quite a number of new men who had accompanied the Stockton company to this place. The prospectors slowly moving up the Stanislaus into the mountains found plenty of gold. Then took place that restless, feverish, roving movement so common to the tens of thousands who followed later; the men were not satisfied with making big wages in one locality but scattered in every direction looking for gold. Then were founded dozens of mining camps, many of them named after the men who founded them such as Carson's Creek, Jamestown, Angel's Camp, Murphy's Camp, Sullivan's Diggings, Wood's Creek, Sainsevain Bar, etc. In September, 1848, the Stockton Mining Company was dissolved. Stockton's First Mercantile HouseThe founding of these mining camps was the forerunner of Stockton as a great trading depot, and Weber's store was the pioneer. Was it keen foresight, sound judgment or just luck on the part of Captain Weber in settling up the wilderness now called Stockton? Call it what you may, the founding of this merchandising store formed a very important part. As we have already stated, he founded a trading store in San Jose, planning at some time in the near future to establish a similar store on El Campo de los Franceses. The Mexican War caused a postponement of all of his plans. In the fall of 1847, however, he came to Tuleberg and erected a log cabin on the south side of the Stockton Channel, near the foot of what is now Commerce Street, there established a small trading store. His customers were the settlers, travelers and immigrants that passed over the road to and from Sutter's Fort to San Jose. The goods, bought in San Francisco, were transported to Stockton in whale boats, Eli Randall acting as his clerk. The discovery of gold in the mountains east of Stockton, changed completely the route of travel and hundreds began passing through the settlement eastward and westward bound.As these travelers must of necessity have food and other supplies Captain Weber now concluded to establish a large commercial house. He planned to locate his store on the peninsula, as the most suitable spot for a wholesale and retail house, but the mistake of the supercargo in misunderstanding Weber's orders caused Stockton to be founded on the block lying between Levee, Commerce, Main and Center streets. Going to Yerba Buena Weber chartered a vessel with instructions to sail to Santa Cruz and for a load of redwood lumber and transport it to Weber's embarcadero, the settlement being known by a half dozen different names. The supercargo had been ordered, on arrival at Weberville, to unload the lumber on the north bank, but he unloaded on the south bank and Weber was compelled to erect his store where the lumber was because of a scarcity of laborers, and no bridges nor boats to move it across. When this, the first commercial house in the San Joaquin Valley, was commenced or completed we do not know. John Doak, who arrived overland in the fall of 1847, said in July, 1877, "On arrival I found but one house to be seen, and that a mere shed on the bank of Stockton Channel, somewhere in the vicinity of Reed's Landing," Warehouses now cover that site. There was also a tule tent on the peninsula occupied by Mexicans and Indian vaqueros employed by Weber. In May, 1865, a pioneer in the press said, "I arrived here in the latter part of September, 1848, with Bernard Murphy and Thomas Knell. We met Daniel Murphy, who had just arrived from San Jose, and a man named Eli Randall, who was keeping store for Captain Weber. We camped two or three days up the slough, after which two of the others went below (San Francisco). Captain Weber having arrived, engaged me to erect a store and kitchen for him. I built the kitchen first, which was the first frame building ever erected in Stockton, and the store was not completed until January, 1849." A. H. T. says, "My first view of the village of the San Joaquin was from the deck of a launch which I had chartered, at a cost of $600, from that old pioneer, Robert Parker, to bring a load of merchandise to Weber's Landing as Stockton was then called. The launch would carry about ten tons and it took six or seven days to make the trip. The trip was made in the latter part of 1848. The stream was tortuous and winding and the distance eighty miles from the mouth of the San Joaquin to Weber's embarcadero. In due time we entered the slough on which Stockton is now situated. After passing up about three miles we found we were near the settlement. It comprised one partly constructed wooden building on the slough belonging to Captain Weber, a few tents occupied by George Belt and Lunt & Grimes as a trading post, and these with a few tule tents were all we found to constitute the settlement. After placing our cargo in a room allotted to us through the kindness of Captain Weber the launch returned to San Francisco. We stayed through a long and tedious winter, living on beans, canned meats, ducks, geese and hard bread. Once in a while some daring hardy miner would make his way here, generally on foot, swimming streams and carrying his wet blankets, sleeping under trees or in the open air, sometimes drenched to the skin, in his walk of sixty or eighty miles." The Magic CityStockton was built up in a period of four months, and Bayard Taylor, the correspondent of the New York Tribune, traveling through Stockton in 1849, said he found a canvas city of 1,000 inhabitants and twenty-five ships at anchor in the harbor. James H. Carson, passing through the town in the same year on his return from the mines, wrote: "When I arrived May 1, 1849, a change had come over the scene since I had left it. Stockton that I had last seen graced by Joe (Willard) Buzzell's log cabin with a tule roof was now a vast linen city. The tall masts of the brigs, barques and schooners, high pointed, were seen in the blue vault above, while the merry 'yo-ho' of the sailor could be heard as box, bale and barrel were landed on the banks of the slough. A rush and whirl of human being was constantly before the eye; the magic wand of gold had been shaken over the desolate place and a city had arisen at the bidding of Minerva full-fledged."Necessity is the mother of invention, said the author, and it is oft times the mother of location, because it was necessary for the merchants, especially during the winter months, to be located as near as possible to the steamers and sailing vessels. In 1850 we find almost the entire business section within a radius of 200 yards, with Center Street as the axis. Within the circle we find Buffington & Lum, house carpenters, opposite the steamboat wharf; Davis & Smith, wholesale dealers in provisions, dry goods, mining tools, etc., Center Street; MacPherson & Nichols, general merchandise, Main near Center; Von Detten-Waldrow & Company, merchants, on the Peninsula; Coma & Washburn, Levee Street, dealers in provisions, hardware, mining tools, crockery, tinware and clothing; Marshal & Nichols, auctioneers, Levee; Morton & Ward, butchers, El Dorado; McSpeden & Company, merchants, corner Main and El Dorado; Dr. Simpson, drugs, medicines, books, stationery, Main and El Dorado; George Belt, merchant, Levee; Todd & Bryan, express company with Adams & Company, Center; Starbuck & Spencer, merchants, corner Levee and Commerce; Slocum & Company, Peninsula, two doors from the Stockton House and opposite the postoffice; William Dutch, watchmaker and jeweler, Center, next door to the Central Exchange; Sparrow & Navarro, Hunter Street, bricks on sale; Guibal & Dharboure, wholesale merchants, Center and Washington; Drs. Clements & Reins, drugs, corner Center and Weber avenue; R. J. Stevens & Company, Peninsula; J. R. Foster & Company, merchants, Peninsula, Corinthian Building, next door to postoffice: Peninsula Livery Stable, Channel Street; Henry Jones, boots and shoes, Center, five doors from Main; Ware's Daguerrean saloon in the Gault House, Center and Market; bath house, B. W. Owens, between Main and Weber Avenue; Emil Junge, general merchandise, store ship Susannah, Mormon Slough; Stockton Hospital, corner Center and Market; Drs. Radcliffe and Lasvignes, of Paris. Center Street was so named because it was the center of business, but in less than four years the business places had extended along El Dorado and Hunter streets and east on Main Street and Weber Avenue to Sutter Street, and even beyond that street. In 1853 my father had a meat market, corner of Main and Sutter, together with a boarding house, this indicating that quite a large number of persons worked and lived in that vicinity. The livery stables were the first cause of the extension of business. They required a large space of land for their stables and yard room for the use of the teamsters. There were two stables on the south side of Main Street between Sutter and California. Andrew Wolf was the proprietor of one and "Stuttering" Smith the other. A. J. Colburn had a stable on Main near Grant Street. Simon Weterau, a stable and the Avenue hotel, on Weber Avenue opposite the San Joaquin engine house. Charles Dallas conducted a livery on Weber Avenue near San Joaquin Street. These stables caused the erection nearby of blacksmith and wagon shops, and then boarding and lodging houses. Four of them were on Main Street in 1856 within a space of three blocks, the American house, kept by Mrs. Cadien, the Western hotel, Mrs. Pope, Sutter and Main, Cottage Home, one block west, Charles Mead, proprietor, and the Main Street Hotel, opposite the court house, George Allesworth, landlord. And then the Crescent City Hotel, where now stands the Hippodrome Theater.  Among the prominent merchants at that
time was B. F. Cheatham and Thomas E. Ketcham, a lieutenant in the
famous Stevenson Regiment, and a captain in the Third Regiment,
California Volunteers during the Civil War. The two men were
partners in a merchandise store on the Levee, the firm name reading
Ketcham & Cheatham. One night a wag changed the sign, and the
following morning the whole town was laughing, for the sign said, I.
Ketcham & U. Cheatham. The story was frequently told thirty years
later. Cheatham later kept the Hotel de Mexico. He was a man of
southern birth, a gambler and sport, but nevertheless one of the
prominent men of the town. He was also a leading Democrat, and
returning to the South in December '52 the Democratic paper said in
fulsome praise, "This gentleman who has long been amongst us and who
by the courtesy of his manner and his noble character has won the
esteem of his fellow-citizens, leaves next week for his home in
Tennessee. The gallant colonel served in the Mexican war, as colonel
of the Third Regiment, Tennessee Volunteers." He never again
returned to Stockton. In the Civil War he took up arms in defense of
the Southern Confederacy and became a general. One day during the
war he noticed a burly Irishman cruelly abusing his team. Cheatham,
cursing the army teamster, commanded him to stop whipping the mules.
The language of the officer quickly aroused the anger of "Pat" and
turning to Cheatham, he exclaimed: "General, you are a coward. You
know your shoulder straps protect you or you would not use such vile
language to me." Hastily dismounting, and throwing to one side his
coat, Cheatham said, "A coward am I, you miserable devil. Look,
McCue," pointing to his coat, "There is General Cheatham and his
shoulder straps. Here is Frank Cheatham. Come and take
satisfaction." The Irishman waltzed in and whipped Frank Cheatham in
about two minutes. As the General mounted his horse, McCue, throwing
him his coat, said in parting, "There is the whipped Frank Cheatham
of the Cumberland Army; and Major-General of the division. General,
you can repeat as often as you wish, you will always find Pat at
home."California for over twenty years exported a very small amount and imported an immense amount of supplies of every description. They were imported principally by the wholesale merchants of San Francisco, they in turn selling to the retail merchants of the cities and the retailers in part supplying the mountain camps. These goods all came into San Francisco by steamer across the isthmus trimonthly or by slow sailing vessel or clipper ships around Cape Horn. By the slow sailers it was a six months' voyage, but by the clipper ships built especially for speed the voyage from New York to San Francisco was sometimes made in three months or less. All heavy or bulky merchandise was shipped around Cape Horn, because the cost of freight was much less than by steamer or the "ocean grey hounds" as the clipper ships were known. The first Stockton steam fire engine came around the Horn, the parts packed in boxes, so did the Episcopal Church organ. Then it often took from six months to a year to receive goods from the Eastern States. Now one may telegraph, and the goods are here in ten days or less. Stockton had at least three merchants who imported goods, P. M. Bowen & Company, Avery & Hewlett and C. T. Meador & Company. We read in his advertisement in February 1850, that he has just received by the ships Sierra Nevada and Indiana, direct from Boston, 200 cases of candles in cartons, 150 cases of lard in ten-pound tins, 116 half-barrels clear pork, 40 cases of eggs, 50 barrels Carolina rice, 14 drums St. John codfish, 15 cases of ginger one-half pound bottles, 25 cases pineapple, 150 kits mackerel, 25 cases handle axes, 200 dozen three-hoop pails, 100 cases spirits of turpentine. Although for a time this state was the largest wheat producer in the Union, and San Joaquin County the largest grower of wheat, for several years wheat was imported from Chile. It was so full of weevils, however, that the legislature in 1854 passed a law prohibiting its importation. Brown sugar in 200-pound barrels, and molasses in 5-gallon kegs and 63-gallon barrels, was imported from New Orleans. Later rice and coarse brown sugar in 100-pound mats was imported from China. Black and green tea came from Canton, packed in large chests. H. O. Mathews was the largest importer and an expert on tea. Bottled pie fruits of the finest quality put up for the California trade were imported from England and from the same isle came the anthracite coal used by the blacksmiths. Raisins were imported from Italy and the finest quality of wines, "liqueurs" and champagne from France. At a Thanksgiving dinner in 1850 there were twenty varieties of wine on the list, including the famous Chateau Laffitte and Haute Sauterne Margaux of the vintage of 1825. Tobacco was imported from Virginia and the finest "segars" from Havana. As to fruits and vegetables they were imported for several years from various places outside of the county. Large fine limes, lemons and oranges came from Mexico; bananas from the Sandwich Islands; grapes, large, sweet and juicy, the Mission variety from Los Angeles; and peaches, apricots, plums, nectarines and watermelons from the Sacramento River country. Apples then, as now, were imported from Oregon; and especially large apples weighing a pound and a half were grown for the holiday trade. They were packed in cotton in small square cartons and retailed at four and five dollars each. Court House and City Hall Poverty makes no distinction between
the individual and the corporation poor, and as the young county had
no money or revenue they were compelled to rent rooms. These rooms
were in what was then known as the McNish Building, a large
two-story wooden structure on the northwest corner of Hunter and
Channel streets. It was occupied by the county officials, the court
of sessions, lawyers' offices, sleeping and jail. The prison was in
the basement. The expense to the county was heavy, $7,900 a year,
this including $290 a month for two watchmen to guard the jail. The
grand jury in their December, 1851, report to Judge Stakes said,
"the rent money, if applied to the erection of an edifice (court
house and jail) would give to the county suitable buildings and
relieve the county of one of its heaviest expenses." "The county at
the time was heavily in debt, $45,000," said the judge, "and the
county securities were almost valueless." We must keep in mind that
the court of sessions managed the entire business of the county, and
the county was enabled to considerably decrease the debt during the
following two years, says the Times, "for the court is
disposed to economize in every particular in order that public
buildings soon may be erected." The press was strongly partisan and
the editor continuing, says, "Albeit Judge Stakes is a Whig, we must
do him the justice to say he has exhibited a sincere desire to place
the county financially on a stable basis." Necessity is oft times
the mother of action, and the court losing no time, in the spring of
1853, a bill was introduced into the legislature and passed granting
them permission to erect a court house and jail. The city council
also took action, and in May both agreed to the plans and
specification and bids were called for, for a court house and jail.
The call was signed by Judge A. G. Stakes for the county, and B. E.
Owens, P. E. Jordan, two merchants of the city, and W. W. Stevenson,
a pastor of the Christian Church, for the city of Stockton. The
contract to erect the court house was signed early in July, the work
was rushed along, and in August the foundation was ready for the
laying of the cornerstone. This honor was offered to the San Joaquin Lodge of Masons; they refused to accept it because F. E. Corcoran, the architect of the building and a member of the lodge, had not been appointed as constructing supervisor. The invitation was then offered and accepted by the two Odd Fellow lodges, Charity No. 6 and Stockton No. 11. The laying of the cornerstone, August 6, 1853, was a very crude affair. The Odd Fellows, assembling at their Center Street hall at 9 o'clock in the morning, marched to the site of the new building. The articles to be placed in the cornerstone were placed in a glass jar and sealed, the cap of the stone was then cemented in place by Deputy Grand Master Edward W. Colt; an address was delivered by Judge Stakes and an oration by George Ryer, a favorite actor then playing an engagement in the city. This was the only cornerstone laid by the Odd Fellows save their own building in 1867. The Masons cornered all of the subsequent honors.  The building, of the Doric style of
architecture, in size 60x80 feet and about 50 feet in height, was
completed late in 1853, and occupied jointly by the city and the
county officials. The city occupied the south and the county the
north half of the building. There were twelve rooms on the lower,
two court and two jury and a city hall on the upper floor, with a
single stairway. The building was of brick, walls and foundation
faced with Vallejo sandstone. There were two wide halls on the first
floor leading to the entrances on the four streets of the square.
The city hall was the assembling place of the common council,
firemen and military balls, church festivals, political conventions,
etc., until the erection of the agricultural hall in 1861 on the
east side of the square. In that year the court house clock and bell
tower were erected, both of which are now on the Hunter Street
engine house. The building is said to have cost about $80,000 and to
have been paid for equally by the city and county, but in the court
evidence in 1885, S. Williams, a supervisor in 1855, testified that
the city paid the principal part of the debt, as no great revenue
was derived from the county until 1870 because the land was of so
little value.For some time no effort was made to improve the square, but in 1858 a chain fence was built by the city and county at a cost of $1,700. It was a curious fence made of posts painted and sanded; in each post four holes were bored, through which one inch link chains were run. It was neither rabbit nor hog proof, but it would have kept out the stray horses and cows, had the gates to the enclosure been put in place. This neglect caused the editor to inquire in 1861, "The cows were in the plaza Sunday afternoon regaling themselves on the flowers, shrubs and trees recently set out. Where are those whirling contrivances to be put upon the posts?" In 1860 there was a complete change in administration, from Democratic to Republican, and Mayor E. S. Holden presented a plan to the council for beautifying the plaza. The council accepted the plan and immediately appropriated fifty dollars for the work. An additional $100 was obtained by subscriptions. The ground was plowed up, sown with Bermuda grass and trees, shrubs and flowers planted from the beautiful home gardens of Dr. E. S. Holden, B. P.  Kooser, George West and Captain Charles M.
Weber. These improvements remained until the erection of the present
court house; then the trees and flowers were all uprooted and the
present single terraced blue grass lawn and palm trees planted.Transcribed by Kathy Sedler Second Courthouse
San Joaquin County
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