Sixty Years in Southern California, 1853-1913: Containing the Reminiscences of Harris NewmarkNewmark, Harris
History
Sixty Years in Southern California, 1853-1913: Containing the Reminiscences of Harris Newmark
Newmark, Harris
California, Southern; Los Angeles (Calif.)
At the breaking out of the War, the Southern Overland Mail Route was
discontinued and a contract was made with Butterfield for service
along a more central course, by way of Great Salt Lake. There was then
a stage six times a week; and a branch line ran to Denver, the
terminus having been changed from St. Joseph to Omaha. Twenty days was
the time allowed the company to get its stages through during eight
months of the year, and twenty-three days for the more uncertain
winter months. This contract was made for three years, and one million
dollars a year was the compensation allowed the Butterfields. After
the War, the old route was resumed.
J. De Barth Shorb came to Los Angeles at the commencement of the War,
as Assistant Superintendent of the Philadelphia & California Oil
Company; and in 1867 he bought the Temescal grant and began to mine
upon the property. The same year he married a daughter of B. D.
Wilson, establishing a relationship which brought him a partnership in
the San Gabriel Wine Company, of which he eventually became manager.
His position in this community, until he died in 1895, was important,
the little town of Shorb testifying to one of his activities.
Not only were the followers of the indefatigable _padres_ rather tardy
in taking up the cultivation of olives, but the olive-oil industry
hereabouts was a still later venture. As an illustration, even in 1861
somewhat less than five hundred gallons of olive oil was made in all
Los Angeles County, and most of that was produced at the San Fernando
Mission.
How important was the office of the _Zanjero_, may be gathered from
the fact that in 1861 he was paid twelve hundred dollars a year, while
the Mayor received only eight hundred dollars and the Treasurer two
hundred dollars less than the Mayor. At the same time, the Marshal,
owing to the hazardous duties of his office, received as much as the
Mayor; the City Attorney one hundred dollars less than the Treasurer;
and the Clerk but three hundred and fifty.
By 1861, there were serious doubts as to the future of cattle-raising
in Southern California, but Banning & Company came forward proposing
to slaughter at New San Pedro and contracted with John Temple, John
Rains and others, to do their killing. For a while, the enterprise
was encouraged; Temple alone having six hundred head so disposed of
and sold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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