During the year 1828 the Rancho Monte del Diablo,
comprising four leagues of land, was granted to Don Salvio Pacheco, a
gentleman who was widely known throughout the department of California,
and held many high offices in the gift of the Mexican Government. At
that time he was a resident of the Pueblo de San Jose, and it was not
until the year 1834 that he took actual possession and commenced
stocking his vast property with cattle - for be it remembered that the
early Californian was a stock-raiser rather than a farmer.
Don Salvio died at his residence near Concord.
This gentleman came to the rancho during a portion of each year. In
1845 he brought his family to the county and made his permanent home in
Contra Costa. In the early days the Pachecos owned fully five thousand
head of cattle, while it may be stated, that it was usual to shut up for
the night as many as one thousand calves.
Up until 1852 there was no accession to the
foreign population of the township under consideration. In that year we
learn that Asa Bowen settled on the place later occupied by Silverio
Soto and William C. Prince. In the same year Benjamin Shreve resided a
short time in Ygnacio Valley, but afterward moved to Lafayette.
It should be mentioned that in 1850 valuable lime
quarries were discovered at the foot of Mount Diablo by Frank Such, who
at once commenced the task of developing them. In company with W. E.
Whitney, Such supplied vast quantities of the lime for the mortar that
was first used in San Francisco, the material being shipped from the
landing six miles from the mouth of Mount Diablo Creek. Excellent
kilns, capable of burning four hundred and fifty barrels at a time, and
yielding three thousand barrels per month, were there erected.
In November, 1852, Randolph H. Wight, for many
years one of the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, settled in
the New York valley, where he resided with his brother until 1857, when
he moved to his own residence. On his arrival Mr. Wight found the
Olmstead and Strode families settled here, the former living in a house
built in 1850 - the first dwelling in that portion of the township -
where later stood the Stone House, first occupied by Joseph Anderson,
and afterward by Daniel Cunningham. In that year the first orchards
were planted in New York Valley section of Township Number Three.
Our readers are all familiar with the stretch of
territory forming the high land between Mount Diablo and Walnut Creek,
then embraced in English and Kapp's property, comprising some three
thousand acres in all, and usuallly called the Government Ranch. This
name, however, is misleading. We are informed by reliable authority
that the ranch was never the property of the Government, nor was it
leased by them. It was purchased by two officers of the Quartermaster's
Department of the United States Army, Majors Allen and Loring, in or
about 1851. From the fact of the army mules being pastured there at one
time, the public gave the tract the name of the Government Ranch. It
was one league of the Pacheco grant, and was sold to Majors Allen and
Loring for $12,500. There the two officers shortly after erected
several buildings, but these have not been used for residence for
years. These buildings, ready to be set up, were imported from Norway.
They were constructed without nails, and, as all the parts were
numbered, they were easily put together. Major Allen never lived on the
ranch. On Loring's death, however, he acquired that gentleman's share
and afterward sold out to Doctor L. C. Frisbie, of Solano County, who
disposed of it to Judge S. C. Hastings. One-half of it was bought by G.
W. Colby from Judge Hastings, who gave the remaining moiety to his son,
C. F. D. Hastings, who sold it to Barry Baldwin, and from him it passed
to the hands of other owners.
We now come to that epoch when every available
acre of the township was taken up by squatters - not a quarter-section
but had been taken possession of by those dispirited men from the mines.
Prominent among those to settle in Ygnacio
Valley in 1851 was James T. Walker, the nephew of the renowned Captain
Joe Walker. He built himself a beautiful home, and owned a large estate
of hill and valley lands. His house commanded one of the most
magnificent prospects conceivable, as it took in the fertile valley,
dotted with umbrageous oaks, and blended in the blue distance with
Suisun Bay and the hills beyond. In the same year Mr. Walker's
companion, Frank McClellan, settled on the place where Lawrence Geary
resided. Of the others who came in the year 1853 were "Jerry" Morgan,
George Petwin, Penniman, Seymour, Myron Gibson, Robert McPherson, Alonzo
Plumley, the Smiths, Ben Hockabout, "Hank" Henry, and John Davis, and
Vandermark. Seymour settled near the section where W. C.Prince was
located; Barnheisel occupied a point near Major's farm; Ed. Legrand had
a forty-acre tract above the Lohse place, and known afterward as the
Shannon tract; Morgan was located where J. F. S. Smith resided, his
cabin being on the hill once occupied by the barn; Myron and John Gibson
and James Toomey occupied a portion of the splendid ranch later owned by
Munson Gregory, and as far as Bray's residence in Pine Canon. In
October, 1853, Doctor E. F. Hough, then of Martinez, located in Ygnacio
Valley, entered upon the practice of his profession, and after some
obstructiveness on the part of native Californians, established a
lasting popularity. He also opened a store and house of entertainment,
which he conducted until 1855, when, disposing of his interest, he
removed to the county seat. This was the first store in the township.
In 1853 Prince bargained with Asa Bowen for his farm; he found on the
place a full crop of sweet potatoes of some fifteen to twenty acres in
extent. It was in 1852 or 1853 that the first crop of wheat in this
section was sown. On May 3, 1853, Samuel S. Bacon came to the
Government Ranch, and in the fall built a stable for fourteen mules, for
Majors Allen and Loring of the United States Army. Of the very few
names remembered, those of Bishop and Van Ryder may be mentioned; they
resided on the place now owned by Charles S. Lohse, where they
cultivated a small patch of wheat in partnership. At that period there
was not a semblance of a town in the county save at Martinez. F. L.
Such was a foreman for a San Francisco firm, and had the limekiln
mentioned elsewhere; it was situated on the right bank of the branch of
Mount Diablo Creek, where he established a landing. The creek was then
sufficiently large for craft of nearly one hundred tons; today its
almost filled up. The lime enterprise was continued until 1862; then it
lay dormant for a time, and under the supervision of another firm was
revived and worked until about the year 1870. In later years it was
again taken up, and has continued to the present time a large and
profitable industry.
In the New York Valley district in 1853 Charles
L. Bird located on the land then owned by the Colby estate, C. J.
Pramberg, and Hilshin and Johnson. Toward the end of the year Knight
settled on what was later the Cunningham estate. In the spring of that
year Charles N. Wight joined his brother in that section. here, in
1853, the first land was plowed, and about seven acres sowed in wheat.
An excellent crop was the out-turn, but, owing to the want of proper
threshing facilities, not much good resulted.
The parents of S. P. Davis, of Brentwood,
located in the Pacheco Valley, near Clayton, October 17, 1853, and with
their son resided for many years in that region.
In the spring of 1854, William C. Prince, who
came to his uncle, Elam Brown, in 1849, removed from Lafayette to his
farm in Ygnacio Valley, which he purchased the year previous. In 1854,
including squatters, there were fully twenty-five families settled in
Ygnacio Valley, the produce of which was shipped from the embarcadero at
Pacheco to San Francisco. Cultivation had become general and immense
crops were raised. In that year came to Bay Point district, Newton
Woodruff, accompanied by his brothers Asa, Philo, and Simeon, the last
of whom remained some five or six years. The first school in the
township was established in that year in Ygnacio Valley.
Among the settlers of the township in 1855 was
C. B.Porter, who served in both the upper and lower house in the State
legislature, and was well known as the editor and proprietor of the
Contra Costa Gazette.
In 1855 Ignacio Soto joined his brothers, who
had preceded him to Contra Costa County, on the thousand-acre tract in
the Ygnacio Valley. Here he resided until his death, which occurred
June 15, 1882. In 1857 Munson Gregory acquired, and in 1858 settled on,
his Ygnacio Valley ranch. In 1857 E. R. McPherson settled in the
Ygnacio Valley, and on December 4th George P. Loucks took up his
residence in the township. Mr. Loucks, besides having filled the office
of county clerk, also held a seat on the Board of Supervisors of Contra
Costa County. In 1858 David S. Woodruff settled at Bay Point and
Syranus Standish in Pacheco. In 1859 J. A. Littlefield and Theodore
Downing became residents of the township, and in 1860 Ludwig Anderson
and D. G. Barnett each located in the town of Pacheco.
The reader will naturally remark that the
foregoing gentlemen are not all of those that settled in the township,
still they are the only names that are remembered by many of the oldest
residents. We will now turn to a few remarks upon the villages in
Township Number 3.
In 1845 the first abode of any kind to be
erected in this vast country was made of skins of cattle, elk, bear, and
deer, and was erected upon the bank of the lake in the vicinity of the
Galindo homestead.
In the late forties and early fifties the
present old adobe building, later the property of Mrs. Holler, was
erected, and during the old days of Spanish grandeur was the scene of
many notable weddings, as well as many state affairs and social
functions. Today it remains intact, except that the tile roof has been
replaced with shingles and weatherboards have been placed upon the
outside to protect the sturdy walls from the ravages of time.
There is a long porch on either side of the
building, giving a commanding view of the country for miles in every
direction, a popular feature in the days when the roving herds of wild
deer, elk, bear, and prowling Indians made life exciting for the early
settler. It is hardly conceivable by the present generation that deer
and elk were so thick in this section that they were lassoed. There are
today choice specimens of horns preserved in many homes as relics of
that bygone time.
In the year 1869, owing to the continued
yearly flooding of the town of Pacheco, whereby the inhabitants were
put to great expense for raising buildings, etc., Salvio Pacheco,
Fernando Pacheco, and Francisco Galindo, to whom belonged the land,
offered to lay out a town some two miles east of Pacheco. The plot
was surveyed by Lewis Castro and laid off into lots and streets. It
contained twenty acres, divided onto nineteen blocks and a plaza.
In the naming of the new town there was much
variety of disputation. At first the Spanish population and donors
of the land wanted it to be named Todos Santos (All Saints), by
which name it is recorded. The Americans had dubbed it Drunken
Indian, with that genius that the early pioneers displayed for the
science of nomenclature. But it was finally left to the public to
give it the name of Concord, by which it is now officially known.
In 1870 a school was started in its precincts,
first taught by Mrs. Henry Polley, nee Carpenter. In 1873
a handsome Catholic church was erected, and was duly dedicated
November 5, 1876.
Don Salvio Pacheco died at his residence at
Concord, August 9, 1876, at the age of eighty-five years. He was
born near San Diego, and his entire life was spent in California.
For a number of years he was alcalde of the Pueblo de San Jose and
also several times a member of the Departmental Assembly, earning an
honorable reputation in the discharge of public duties. The grant
of Monte del Diablo, embracing four leagues of land, was made to him
by Governor Micheltorena in 1834, but it was some ten or twelve
years later when he established his residence on the property, where
he continued to reside till the time of his death.
In the laying out and the opening up of the
town of Concord it was decided by the donors to give those of the
residents and business men of Pacheco who would locate in the new
town a certain number of lots free. Among the first to take
advantage of this new scheme was Samuel Bacon. He had suffered from
the floods of Pacheco, where he had a store. He therefore came to
the new town, and in June, 1869, completed his store, which will be
remembered by many of our citizens as standing on the location of
the present First National Bank building. Later he erected a
residence next his store, and here Samuel Bacon and his wife
continued to reside until his death, which occurred about twenty
years ago. This dwelling was also removed to make room for the bank
building.
In the summer of 1869 Charles Lohse erected
a machine-shop opposite Bacon's store, and Henry Loring (now
deceased) erected what was first known as Klein's Hotel, now called
the Concord Hotel. During that summer several buildings were
erected and there sprang up a number of business establishments.
John Brawand and George Gavin, both
deceased, were among the first settlers in Concord, and their
children and grandchildren are now prominently identified with the
business and social welfare of the community. Charles Lohse is
perhaps the only one now living (1916) of those who came to the town
in its infancy. He resides on his fine farm in Ygnacio Valley, and
is hale and hearty in spite of the fact that he is over ninety years
old.
Where the Bank of Concord building now
stands was located a frame building occupied by Foskett & Elsworthy
as a butcher shop, which they occupied until the January block was
completed, when they moved to the store formerly occupied by
Levinson.
Where the cafe of the Concord Inn now stands
was located the Mount Diablo Hotel, now on Mount Diablo Street,
corner of Lincoln. The old Mount Diablo Hotel continued for years
under the management of John Wichers until his death, after which
many managers controlled its destinies, until some years ago, when
it was sold to make way for a more important structure, and the
Salvio-Street portion of the Concord Inn was erected thereon.
In 1898 Joe F. Rosa took charge of the
Concord Hotel. Although enlarged and modernized, it still retains
some of its old-time features.
Concord's first bakery was opened by John
Lambert in a small frame building on the site of Manuel Nunes'
property. In 1889 he built the frame building which has served
since then as his bakery. In later years he erected two brick
buildings upon his adjoining property.
In 1892 the present grammar school was built,
and in 1906 the present high-school building was erected.
Concord continued upon the even tenor of its
way until, on February 5, 1905, it became an incorporated city, and
then and there Concord awoke. The first step in the march of
progress was electric lights for both streets and buildings. Next
came the inaugurating of a water system for both fire and commercial
purposes, to be closely followed by a modern sewer system, and last
of all of the great improvements, that of street-work. Concord has
completed its streets, having every thoroughfare within its
incorporated borders paved, and it is doubtful if there is another
city of its size in the State of California that can make such a
statement.
With the advent of the Oakland, Antioch &
Eastern Railway, in 1912, Concord experienced quite a boom, during
which time many old landmarks gave way to large modern buildings.
Concord is a city well worth seeing, with
its paved streets, its fine business buildings and pretty
residences, its nice park, and, above all, its mild and agreeable
climate.
During the last few years poultrymen have
realized the advantages of the climate for the rearing of poultry,
and its easy access to the large bay cities makes it an ideal
country. They are fast locating in central Contra Costa adjacent
to Concord, and already many poultry ranches are located within
these confines.
For the last thirty-five years Concord has
been served with a weekly newspaper, the first issue of the
Concord Sun having come out about that time under the
editorship of S. Fargeon, now deceased. The Sun had its
setting a few years later, but was immediately revived and renamed
the Concord Transcript by Hart A. Downer. Succeeding
Downer J. S. Taylor assumed control and for a number of years held
sway, selling out to H. E. Griffith, who after a few years disposed
of the paper to Mrs. N. K. Cushing. This was in 1905, and Mrs.
Cushing continued at the helm for five years. In April, 1910, a
number of prominent citizens of Concord purchased the paper and
formed a corporation known as the Transcript Publishing Company,
employing J. R. Boothe as editor. In the period from the formation
of the corporation until the summer of 1913 a number of different
editors endeavored to steer the craft, but for the company the paper
was not a paying venture, and at the time stated T. G. Elbury and S.
W. Holcomb bought up the stock. They remained in control less than
a year, disposing of the business to the present management on March
1, 1914. The paper has been under Miss Catherine Burke's control
ever since, and is counted one of the most successful newspapers,
both financially and otherwise, in Contra Costa County. The
Transcript is published every Thursday afternoon, and is a
seven-column eight-page paper.
Concord today is well equipped with business
of all kinds - two banks, several general merchandise stores,
hardware-stores, good hotels, drug-stores, garages, machine-shops,
and blacksmith-shops, three churches, a good fire department, and in
fact every convenience that goes to make up a city where people
enjoy living.
Salvio Pacheco, in July, 1852, was assessed
for 17,712 acres of land, valued at $141,696, or eight dollars an
acre.
The present board of trustees of Concord are
E. J. Randall (chairman), Clark Jaquith, Charles Dunn, Joseph Rosa,
and Henry Bott.
In 1860 Hale & Fassett, with Doctor
Carothers, purchased the site of Pacheco and laid it out in town
lots. With a keen perception of the natural advantages of the
situation, its proximity to an embarcadero, and its lying on the
main line of travel, these enterprising gentlemen at once
commenced building. Hale & Fassett erected a store and a large
warehouse at the bayside, and in a short time were doing a large
profitable business. Others came in, lots were bought, and the
place soon had the elements of prosperity.
Long before Pacheco came into existence ,
however, G. L. Walrath had in 1853 erected the residence later
occupied by George P. Loucks. As far back A 1853 there was a
warehouse owned by Lathrop, Fish, and Walrath, that later was
possessed by Bray Brothers, of San Francisco, while in 1857 Mr.
Loucks built another 150 feet in length, and in 1858 there was
125 feet added to it. This stood on the bank of Walnut Creek,
about one mile east of the town. In the fall of 1862, owing to
the rapid filling in of the stream, it was moved down the creek
about three-quarters of a mile. In 1857 W. K. Hendricks
acquired land from Mr. Loucks, and on it built a mill. These
two enterprises were the primary cause of the starting of
Pacheco.
At an early date the creek had its course
to the rear of the store of john Gambs, while the county road
ran along the line of the creek. The earliest sailing-craft to
ply to the locality were those trading to the lime-kiln of F. L.
Such. The first to come to Louck's wharf were the "C. E. Long,"
Captain Gus Henderson, and the "Ida," Captain Ludwig Anderson.
The land on which the town stands was
surveyed by J. B. Abbott, and on it Hale & Fassett built the
first house, it being the long store later occupied by John
Gambs. About the same time Ludwig Anderson erected his
residence, while the first brick house was put up by Elijah
Hook. The first hotel was opened by Woodford, and thus the town
had its start. In 1860 J. H. Troy's first fire-proof building
was completed.
Almost in the year of its birth Pacheco
was visited by a devastating fire. On August 11, 1860, a fire
broke out in the village, when the store of Elijah Hook, known
as the "Farmers' Block." the concrete block of Doctor J. H.
Carothers, and several other buildings were consumed, with a
loss of about $26,400. A little more than seven years later
another disastrous conflagration took place; On August 15, 1867,
the Pacheco flour mills were totally destroyed. This loss was a
public as well as a private calamity. The loss, amounting to no
less than from $14,000 to $16,000, on which there was no
insurance, was a very severe one to the proprietor, W. J.
Ireland, and swept away the earnings of a life of industry.
Besides the loss of the mills, about $2000 worth of wheat and
flour was consumed, the property of various farmers in the
vicinity. The next fire that occurred was the burning of Judge
Warmcastle's farmhouse on April 1, 1870. The building was
rented by Mr. Minaker. The last of all these conflagrations and
the most destructive took place on the morning of Tuesday,
September 5, 1871, when the village was once more visited by the
fire fiend and damage done to the amount of $30,000 and more.
The principal losers were E. Hook, three buildings and stock -
loss, $18,000; L. F. Mareno, building, harness stock, and
household goods - loss, $2500; Bunker & Porter, Contra Costa
Gazette- loss, $2000; Odd Fellows Hall - loss, $2000; L.
Anderson - loss, $500; J. H. Troy - loss, $500.
When Pacheco Fire Engine Company No. 1
was organized we have been unable to gather, nor do we know who
its first officers were, but that there was such an organization
is certain, for we find Don Salvio Pacheco, on February 16,
1861, presenting them with a handsome banner, trimmed with gold
lace, and surmounted with a golden eagle.
On September 12, 1863, Pacheco Lodge No.
117, I. O. O. F., was organized in Pacheco, with the following
officers: Paul Shirley, N. G., W. T. Hendrick, T. G., L. B.
Farish, secretary; John Gambs, treasurer; J. H. Carothers,
warden. It was removed a few years later to Concord. In 1914
the building was remodeled throughout, and is now one of the
finest fraternal halls in Contra Costa County.
The great earthquake which occurred at
eight o'clock on the morning of October 21, 1868, did
considerable damage in Pacheco among the brick and concrete
buildings, though a number of the frame buildings also suffered.
On May 29, 1869, the Western Union
Telegraph Company completed their line to Pacheco, en route to
Antioch. On June 19 in that year Mohawk Tribe No. 20, I. O. R.
M., was instituted in Pacheco.
On December 29, 1870, the certificate of
corporation of the Contra Costa Savings & Loan Bank was filed.
The following were the directors: Barry Baldwin, G. M. Bryant,
Walter K. Dell, John Gambs, W. M. Hale. The capital stock was
laid at $50,000, and the existence of the corporation was
limited to fifty years.
On February 6, 1871, the Pacheco Tobacco
Company was incorporated, with a capital stock of $10,000, for
the purpose of curing and manufacturing tobacco.
The first church built in Pacheco was the
Presbyterian, in 1862, and later a Roman Catholic Church, and at
a still later date the meeting-house of the Congregational
church.
In the year 1859 a schoolhouse was
constructed, and D. S. Woodruff was the first instructor. This
continued until 1872, when it was deemed advisable to acquire a
new school site, adjacent to the Catholic church, where it would
be less likely to be flooded than in its former position.
The Pacheco flour-mill was erected in
1857, by W. T. Hendrick, who afterward disposed of it to W. J.
Ireland.
L. Anderson's lumber yard was established
by Captain Ludwig Anderson in 1860.