SAN JOSE MERCURY AND HERALD: SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 21, 1907
SAN JOSE AS THE ARGONAUTS REMEMBER IT
When Grand Old Spanish Families Ruled Royally Over Fertile Fields
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Show This Picture to the Oldest Resident You Know and See if He or She Can Recall the Houses Pictured in the Sketch—The Picos, the Sunols and the Pachecos Were Then Renowned.
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(Photo caption: SAN JOSE IN 1858. SCHOENHEIT’S DRUG PESTLE AND MORTAR IN FOREGROUND, WILLOWS IN BACKGROUND.—Reproduced from a daguerotype taken by Hamilton of 640 Clay street, San Francisco, in 1858. Original the property of B. T. Kirk, San Jose.)
BY A STAFF REPORTER.
Dear Old San Jose!
The San Jose of the early fifties—when the Picos, the Sunols, the Pachecos and other old Spanish-American families reigned supreme and held sway over the broad and fertile acres of the Santa Clara Valley.
Show the above picture to any of the pioneer Americans, whose efforts and toll made San Jose—the Garden City of California.
Let them adjust their glasses, and let them take the picture into their hands, trembling with age. Watch the expression of pleasure that lights up their wrinkled features and hear them exclaim: “Dear old San Jose! The San Jose of my early days!”
Their memory is stirred, and reminiscences of former days come thick and fast.
How Well they remember the scenes, the faces and the names of the old pioneers, the Argonauts of ’49 and ’50, and the familiar haunts which have now passed away, moved down by the scythe of progress.
Familiar Landmarks
On the left hand side, going south on Market—for in those days, 1850—55, Market street was the principal thoroughfare in San Jose—we first see Devoto’s grocery store. Next to this was Loewy’s book store. Above Loewy’s was Clayton’s photograph gallery, where the beaux and belles were wont to go to have their daguerreotypes, and later, in 1863, the ambrotypes made.
In many of the old San Jose families, encased in the family albums, are pictures taken by James A. Clayton and by his rival Herring.
Levi’s clothing store stood where Hart’s store now stands.
Jacob Rich had a similar store adjoining, where he made the money that he afterwards lost in the construction of the First Street Railway.
Among the prominent property owners of San Jose in the ‘50’s were Martin Murphy and Frank Lightston.
Mr. Murphy owned the block from Market to El Dorado (now called Post street) to Lightston to Santa Clara and back to Market street.
This block was considered the business center of San Jose and was where all the principal stores of the town were located.
Achilles Waldteufel’s music store was located in this block.
Frank Lightston owned two valuable blocks on San Fernando and First streets, and was considered at that time the largest property owner in San Jose.
In the Lightston property were located two clothing stores owned by Brown & Son and Schlessinger.
Other Pioneer Stores
Where Wells, Fargo & Company’s building now stands was located one of the grocery stores owned by A. Pfister, the father of Santa Clara’s County Clerk.
Mr. Pfister sold all the supplies used by the Guadalupe and Almaden mines, and his store was always the busy center of San Jose.
Here, in early days, it was no uncommon sight to see from 50 to 100 mule teams outside the doors, waiting to haul supplies to the mines.
Waterman, the great supply merchant of San Francisco, and A. Pfister were practically the only two merchants in California at that time who controlled the grocery trade with the mines and mining districts.
The volume of business done by these two concerns was enormous, and old timers still tell of the great amounts of money and gold dust that were received in exchange.
P. Mahoney had a one-story shanty and saloon where Seebach’s place is now located.
His neighbors were Rich & Blumenthal, who had a clothing store on the site of the present City Store.
Then came Veuve, the pioneer jeweler of California.
In this block were located La Moline & Gambert’s City Stores, Messing’s harness shop, the Mariposa Store, James Hart & Son’s dry goods store, Linoberg’s millinery emporium and Maurice O’Brien’s candy store.
Maurice O’Brien started his pioneer candy factory in one-half of the millinery establishment, and William Fischer, of 256 North Second street, was the man who sold O’Brien his first barrel of sugar.
Crandall’s Hotel, now called Pacific, was located here, and Le Francke’s wine shop was in the store under the hotel.
Near the hotel was Mayer’s shoe repairing shop. Mr. Mayer was the father of mayer Brothers, of Santa Clara street.
Between Mayer’s shop and the Catholic church was a one-story frame building formerly occupied by William Weingartner.
First Pies of San Jose
L. Magenheimer was the pioneer pie-maker of San Jose. His “pie foundry” was established at the corner of Santa Clara and Market streets and was in an old adobe building. Here he kept his stand for many years, selling bread and pies and occasionally preparing an elegant supper for the delectation of the “gringos” or their neighbors “Las Espagnoles de Alta California.”
For years prior to Mr. Magenheimer’s advent to San Jose every pie that was made was from dried fruit, but when he came he started a fresh fruit pie industry that took like wildfire and people used to come in from the neighboring rancherias to buy Magneheimer’s pies.
Mr. Magenheimer was the first fruit canner in California. He started the industry on a small scale in San Jose and employed his next door neighbor, a tinner named Evans, to make and solder the cans. In 1865 Mr. Magenheimer retired from business and lived a contented and peaceful life until his death fourteen years ago.
Mariposa Store
The Mariposa Store was founded by the Auzerais Brothers in the early ‘50s and for a long time was one of the leading commercial emporiums of San Jose. William Fischer was the general manager of the establishment for many years and in a recent interview regarding old times and conditions, stated that the volume of business done in those early days was enormous and the prices were the highest. It was useless for a clerk to seek a position unless he spoke at least Spanish and English. He remembers the great pack trains that used to leave for the “diggings” and the methods of payments either in nuggets or gold dust.
The Old Church
The old Catholic Church was built on the site of the present structure—St. Joseph’s—and was build of adobe and roofed with straw and tiles. In front on the building were religious pictures, which the early pioneers of San Jose well remember.
M. Stern’s harness and saddle store was located on the west side of Market and Santa Clara Streets.
San Jose’s First Chinatown
Beyond the Catholic Church was located Chinatown, a mere hamlet of tumble-down shacks, which sheltered the first Mongolians that ever were in California.
Stores on North Market Street
Morris Wise had a clothing store where the Rea building now stands. Dr. Lee, the pioneer druggist, was established next door. Then came Yocco’s grocery story [sic], then the City Hall.
First City Hall
San Jose’s first municipal building was an unpretentious affair, but from an historical standpoint was one of California’s most prominent public buildings in the early fifties.
Within its ancient halls many prominent men helped to frame the laws of the State, and the memory of its existence will live long in the minds of those who remember the scenes enacted.
Old Washington Hotel
Among the prominent hotels of early San Jose, none was as famous as the old Washington. It was here that the old Spanish Dons used to stop when on a visit to San Jose.
The pioneers tell of how the elegantly dressed caballeros, mounted on richly caparisoned steeds, used to ride into the barroom [sic] and demand their drinks without dismounting from the saddle.
Such occurrences were so frequent that no one paid any attention to them.
First Bath House
As bath tubs were scarce in the ‘50’s and considered a luxury, one industrious Frenchwoman, Mme. Fleury, established a bath house on Market street near the German Club House. It was a paying venture from the start and Mme. Fleury realized a neat fortune out of her business.
Pioneer German Club
Near the old Washington was where the first German Glee Club and Verein of California was established.
The promoter and organizer was F. L. Krumb, who owned a brewery saloon and club-house, where the Swiss Hotel is now located.
Delmouly, who established the first French bakery in California, was a next-door neighbor to Krumb.
First Postoffice
San Jose’s first postoffice was located directly across from the Washington Hotel and was situated at the corner of Pacheco alley and Santa Clara street.
It was a small affair, and in those days, was considered a side issue to the industrious merchant in whose place it was located.
The Mansion House, Beatty’s, Morgan’s and Crandall’s were, with the old Washington, the principal hotels of San Jose.
Crandall’s was for a long time considered the first class hostelry of San Jose.
All the grand entertainments and banquets were held at Crandall’s, which was the favorite resort of the rich mining men and society people of San Jose.
The above description of early San Jose was furnished to the Mercury by two pioneers of this city, Messrs. William Fischer and I. Schroeder.
These gentlemen came to San Jose in the early fifties and were for years actively engaged in business.
It is due to their knowledge and memory that the Mercury is able to print this short history of early San Jose.
The first California Legislature met at San Jose, December 15, 1849, and from the start efforts were made and influence brought to bear to remove the capital to some other California city. It was claimed by many that the State building was not adapted for the purpose, and furthermore that the hotel accommodations in San Jose were not of the best nor the most plentiful. However, the pioneers of San Jose did the best they could to keep the capital, but on February 14, 1850, an act was passed removing the Legislature to Vallejo.
