imposing structure of Connecticut brownstone. This building stood upon
the eastern half of the block between Mason and Taylor streets and in
order to build, a huge hill of rock as high as the building now is, had
to be removed. This was in 1876. After the fire of 1906 this building
was remodeled and is now occupied by the Pacific-Union Club.
Mason street had just been cut through this same hill. On the west half
of the block stood the home of the late D. D. Colton, who made his
fortune out of construction contracts on the Central Pacific railroad.
It was afterwards purchased by C. P. Huntington, another of the famous
railroad magnates.
On the next corner stood the large frame mansion of Charles Crocker, one
of the builders of the C. P. R. R., built at an expense of $2,500,000.
His son William H. built himself a home on the far corner of the same
block. This takes us to Jones street. When the late Charles Crocker
selected this site for his home there was one piece of property facing
on Sacramento street that he could not buy, so in order to get even with
the owner, a Mr. Young, he had a tall spite fence built around the
house. The owner lived there for a while, but being shut off as he was
from the sunlight, had his house removed; still he would not sell and
the fence stood there for years afterwards.
On the south side of the street commencing at Powell stood the mansion
of Ex-Governor Leland Stanford. When Stanford purchased the property
there stood there a fine house built by the actress Julia Dean Hayne,
with an entrance at the corner. This house was removed to the corner of
Pine and Hyde streets.
The stone retaining wall on Powell and Pine streets, owing to a spring
on the property, gave way and had to be taken down (at the corner) and
rebuilt. At the corner it extends 20 feet below the sidewalk and is 20
feet thick and 30 feet high. The ground was then terraced.
The building cost in the neighborhood of $2,000,000.
On the corner above, Mark Hopkins built his home. At his death it passed
into the hands of a Mr. Searles who had married Hopkins' widow and, not
caring to live in California, he had it converted into an art gallery,
and the beautiful conservatory into art rooms for the Art Association of
the University of California, to whom he bequeathed the property. The
building cost in the neighborhood Of $2,750,000.
On the next block, between Mason and Taylor streets, were the Hamilton
home, the home of Ex-Mayor E. B. Pond and that of the Tobins. While on
the block from Taylor to Jones street stood the A. N. Towne, H. H.
Sherwood and George Whittell residences. Just beyond Jones street, on
the same side, stood the home of E. J. (Lucky) Baldwin of race horse
fame.
In 1861 I moved to 1211 Taylor street, between Clay and Washington, and
resided there continuously until 1878, a period of 17 years. And I knew
of Stanford, Hopkins, Crocker and Huntington, the quartet of railroad
magnates, better than they knew of me. But what shall I say of them?
They have all gone beyond the boundaries of human existence and their
mansions, together with all the other homes on the hill, were burned in
the fire of April 18-21, 1906. They were all men of master minds and are
deserving the highest praise for their enterprise, determination and
perseverance in the great work they undertook. It was not their money
that did it, it was their heads. And there is where the great
indebtedness of the State of California comes in to these men.
Going down the eastern slope on California, just below Powell on the
south side, at the corner of Prospect Place, stood a house once occupied
by Lieut. John Charles Fremont, while on the corner below stood the home
of Col. Jonathan D. Stevenson. This building was built in 1851 and had
two tiers of verandas that extended entirely around the building. The
Colonel died at the age of 94 but had not owned or lived there for many
years. It had been converted into a hotel and known as the Harvey House.
Across the street on the other corner stood the Grace Episcopal Church.
The Crocker heirs, not desiring to rebuild on their property on
California, between Taylor and Jones streets, bequeathed it to the
Episcopal Diocese on which to build a new Grace Church. It is now in
course of construction.
On Pine street, at the southwest corner of Stockton, stood the Wilson
home. On the southeast corner of Mason stood the home of J. D. Oliver,
while on the southwest corner stood the home of Mr. Fred McCrellish, the
owner of the "Alta California," while just beyond were the homes of
Woods, Jarboe and Harrison and others. On the next block was the old
Stow residence while across the street Isaiah W. Lees, chief of police,
resided. He was the greatest detective this coast has ever had--his was
instinct and intuition, and his records will always remain a lasting
monument. On the northwest corner of Jones stood the home of the late
James G. Fair, of mining fame, of Nevada.
Going north on Powell street, at No. 812, Mr. Chilion Beach, the
bookseller, lived, while next door, No. 814, Mr. D. D. Shattuck resided.
This building was erected in 1854--Mr. Shattuck came to California via
the Isthmus and resided here 47 years. On the next block (same side)
stood a little one-story house with a high basement in which J. D.
Spencer, a brother of Spencer the sociologist, lived for many years.
Just beyond stood the old High School building. On the next block, at
No. 1010, resided for many years another of the old booksellers, Mr.
George B. Hitchcock, proprietor of the "Pioneer Book Store," opposite
the "Plaza."
At the northwest corner of Washington stood the first brick building
built in San Francisco. It was built in 1851 by John Truebody, the brick
being brought from New York. It was originally two stories high but upon
the grading of the streets it was built another story downward to the
new grade. He later added another story, the fourth, on top. Even to the
time of the fire (1906) you could see the various stairway landings on
the Washington street frontage. Mr. Truebody originally owned this
entire block.
The first church building in Yerba Buena (as San Francisco was formerly
called) was the First Presbyterian Church on the west side of Powell
near Washington. It was built in 1849 of hand-hewn timbers from Oregon.
Upon the erection of the First Methodist Church it was moved to the rear
and used as a Sunday school. John Truebody constructed it.
In this immediate neighborhood were many a frame building that had been
brought around the Horn "in the knocked down state."
Powell street, from Clay to North Beach, was graded in 1854. It and
Stockton street to the east, from Sacramento street north to Green
street, were lined with neat homes and was then considered the
fashionable residence section of the city, while on Powell street were
three churches.
The streets in those days were all planked. Beyond Mason streets ran the
trail westward to the Presidio, past scattered cottages, sheds, dairies
and vegetable gardens.
On the east side of Stockton street, between Sacramento and Clay
streets, stood the old Pioche residence, wherein were given many lavish
entertainments, for its owner was an epicure and hospitable to a degree.
He was a heavy speculator and at one time possessed of much property.
His death was a mystery and has never been solved. During the '90's his
home was used as the Chinese consulate.
On the west side of Taylor street at the corner of Sacramento street
stood the home of Capt. J. B. Thomas, after occupied by Addison E. Head,
while on the corner of Clay I had my grocery business, living on the
next block, between Clay and Washington, No. 1211. Win. T. Coleman, the
leader of the Vigilance Committee, lived on the corner of Washington
street; this house was built by W. F. Walton, and occupied in turn by S.
C. Hastings, Wm. T. Coleman and D. M. Delmas, all men of prominence,
while on the next corner stood the home of my old friend, Gross, who
came across the plains with me in 1849. In later days, Mr. Chilion Beach
resided there.
On the east side at the southeast corner of Washington, stood the J. B.
Haggin home, while on the northeast corner stood that of the Beavers,
and at the corner of Jackson, the Tevis.' In this neighborhood also
lived Ina D. Coolbrith, whose home was the center of the literary genius
of the State, amongst them being Bret Harte, Joaquin Miller, and Charles
Warren Stoddard. Josiah Stanford, a brother of Leland Stanford, lived on
the south side of Jackson street, just below the Tevis home.
Here is as good a place as any to give my readers a short account of the
Clay Street Hill Underground Cable Railroad, which operated on Clay
street from Leavenworth to Kearny streets, a distance of seven blocks,
and at an elevation of 307 feet above the starting point. The cable car
was the invention of Mr. A. S. Hallidie, who organized the company which
built the line. This was the first time that the application of an
underground cable was ever used to move street cars, and on August 1,
1873, the first run up the Clay street hill from Kearny to Leavenworth
street, was made, and by September 1st the road was in operation. It was
a wonderful exhibition, and half the town was there to witness it. Many
were in doubt as to the success of the enterprise. The company required
the property holders on the hill to subscribe and donate towards the
expense, which they did. The writer owning some property there at that
time, gave $100.00 to further the enterprise. This was in 1872. An
interested Chinese watched the moving cars and remarked: "No pushee, no
pullee, go like hellee."
The California Street Railroad Company used the same device. This line
was operated along California street from Kearny to Fillmore and first
operated April 9, 1878. It was afterwards extended eastward to Drumm and
Market streets and westward to Central Avenue. The Sutter Street R. R.
Co. was in operation January 27, 1877, and the Geary street line,
February 16, 1880. Cable cars were also operated over Sacramento and
Washington streets as well as over Powell at later dates.
[1] A few words might be said concerning the principals of this trouble.
King, whose name was James King (before coming to California he had
added "of William" so as to distinguish himself from others of that
name), came to California November 10th, 1848, engaged in mining and
mercantile pursuits and in December 1849 engaged in the banking business
in San Francisco. In 1854 he merged with Adams & Co. Shortly afterwards
they failed, and he lost everything he possessed. Through the financial
backing of his friends, he started the "Daily Evening Bulletin," October
8th, 1855, a small four-page sheet about 10 x 15 inches in size. He was
fearless in his editorials, but always within the bounds of right and
justice, and took a strong position against corruption of the city
officials and their means of election. His paper grew in circulation and
size, and soon outstripped all the other papers combined. November 17th,
1855, the Cora and Richardson affair held the attention of the
public, and King in his fearlessness inflamed the population into taking
matters into their own hands after the Courts had failed to convict. And
by his so doing had aroused an enmity, and determination from the
lawless element to stop his utterances, even at the cost of his life, so
when he attacked in his paper, one James P. Casey, a lawless character,
gambler and ballot box manipulator and Supervisor, as having served an
eighteen-months sentence in Sing Sing, N. Y., before coming to
California, who also published a paper, "The Sunday Times," it brought
matters to a crisis, for Casey taking offense at this and other attacks
on his ilk, shot King on the evening of May 14, 1856. The shooting of
King was the cause of the formation of the Vigilance Committee of 1856
and the direct means of cleaning the city of the corruptness that had
had swing for so many years.--[Editor.]
[2] Two of the unused cartridges of Mr. Woolley's, at the end of the
troublous time of the Vigilance committee, are to be seen in the Oakland
Public Museum.--[Editor.]
[3] A large number of the citizens of San Francisco interested
themselves toward caring and providing for the family of the deceased,
Mr. King, and through the efforts of Mr. F. W. Macondray and six others,
collected nearly $36,000. They had erected a monument in Lone Mountain
Cemetery, supported the family, and in 1868 the money which, had by
judicious investment amounted to nearly $40,000, about half of this
fund, was turned over to the elder children, leaving $22,000 on deposit,
but this, through the bank's failure, netted the family only $15,000.
[4] The body of James King, of William, was buried In Lone Mountain
Cemetery, that of James P. Casey in Mission Dolores Cemetery, by the
members of Crescent Engine Company No. 10, of which he was foreman,
while that of Charles Cora was delivered to Belle Cora and its final
resting place is unknown to this day, though it has been stated that she
had it buried in Mission Dolores Cemetery.--[Editor.]
[5] His body was interred in Mission Dolores Cemetery.--[Editor.]
[6] The name of this "Betsy Ross" has been lost, though Mr. Connell
probably knew it at the time. The flag, except for the blue field, is
badly faded.--[Editor.]