Stockton California History

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 post office; 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 post office: 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, a meat market was established at the 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 later stood 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. His advertisement in February 1850, stated that he had 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

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 were later installed 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 second court house in 1890; then the trees and flowers were all uprooted and single terraced blue grass lawn and palm trees planted.

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.

In the 1850s, the waterfront businesses, plagued by a series of floods and fires, started migrating towards Main Street. Early buildings included grocery and provision stores, saddle and harness shops, along with hardware and machinery merchants. Horse drawn carts and buggies traversed the unpaved road while pedestrians turned to wooden sidewalks

Transcribed by Kathy Sedler

Courtesy San Joaquin Registrar of Voters and State Bar of California

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