Month: February 2018

Hi all,

Today as I was scanning the contents of one of the Ontario Mutual Water Companies Collection folders, I came across a scrap from a planner which caught my eye. It’s similar to the one I use to keep life organized, but it’s from 1952, which is so cool! Apart from a little calendar and dates on the side, it also includes historical facts. For example, on August 5th, it says “first Atlantic cable U.S. to England 1858.” What fascinates me most, though, is the quote printed across the top: “to know but one religion is not to know that one.” It’s pretty thought-provoking and encourages an open mind- not something I necessarily associate with the 1950s in the U.S. I wonder why this blank page ended up in a folder which mostly contains letters to stockholders and such. I hope to continue stumbling across little interesting tidbits as I get through scanning the rest of this box.

Best,
Aalia

On May 25, 1883 George Chaffey wrote a letter to William Johnston. George Chaffey relays various information about the Ontario Colony: Rent is double what it is in Kingston, Canada. The schools are “first class.” Other than the cost of rent, the cost of living is the same as Kingston, Canada. Employment is readily available for hard workers. This last point George Chaffey emphasizes, writing, “the principle trouble with the men who come here is they are a vexing lot–cut shady therefore, a level man is always in demand.”

Next, George Chaffey mentions the “Plain Statement” letter published in the British Whig (see my last post for more information about this). Apparently George Chaffey tracked down the author of this anonymous letter. George Chaffey expresses his disdain for the author by explaining that he never met George Chaffey or even visited Etiwanda and Ontario, even though the author lambasts Etiwanda in “A Plain Statement” specifically. Furthermore, George Chaffey explains, the author has been sick with typhus fever which George thinks means the author “has been induced to evil and allow himself to be used as a catspaw.”

“Catspaw.” This word gave me pause. What is a catspaw? Apparently this is a reference to a fable called “The Monkey and the Cat” in which a monkey convinces a cat to use its paw to retrieve food that is roasting over a fire. Once the cat uses his paw to get the food, burning his paw in the process, the monkey steals the food. In this way the monkey uses the cat (and his paw) to the monkey’s benefit while the cat gets no benefit.

George Chaffey continues, writing, “I will catch the monkey however and warm his jacket.” Apparently, George Chaffey believes that the man who wrote “A Plain Statement” was writing on behalf of someone else entirely! The intrigue continues to build. Maybe a future letter will reveal who the Monkey is! By the way, I wasn’t sure the meaning of the phrase “warm his jacket” so I looked that up as well. So far I haven’t found any explanations for that phrase but perhaps it is another reference to “The Monkey and the Cat” fable.
In any case, it sounds threatening to me!

George Chaffey ends the letter writing that many of the settlers are writing to the British Whig to rebut the words of “A Plain Statement.” George Chaffey hopes that these letters will be published in the periodically shortly.

George Chaffey signs the letter “Yours & etc.,” which incidentally is now my new favorite sign off.

Hi everyone,

I mostly spent this week continuing to convert files into PDF/A format and scanning documents from the Southside Mutual Water Company collection. Though these may turn out to be of great relevance to researchers in the future, I don’t quite have the context for what makes them significant. So, I’ll blog my response to a question my boss, Tanya, asked me about how the Chaffey letters fit with my understanding of their time period.

Although the Chaffey letters often function as reminders of how much business, technology, and the Inland Empire have changed since the 1800s, they also make me feel closer to their time period when I read them. My image of California in the 1800s consists of Spanish missions, Mexican ranchos, and the gold rush. The letters delve into a much more specific aspect of this history, although they still fit within the period’s struggles with contested land and colonization, which I’ve learned about in history classes.

 Til next week, Aalia

On April 28, 1883 a letter was published in the Canadian periodical the British Whig titled “A Plain Statement.” The anonymous letter, signed simply “Western Settler,” warned Canadians interested in settling in Southern California to be wary of accounts of how prosperous the land is. He states that water scarcity is a huge problem and that “the land is worth nothing without water, and there is nothing more than two thirds enough for the lots sold” in Etiwanda and Riverside. The writer states “This is not a paradise by any means.

Riverside is a beautiful place and the climate is unsurpassed by any other. It is a fine place for a person with money seeking a pleasant home, apart from the profits of agriculture.” He is concerned that new settlers, drawn by the good things being said about Southern California, will come to the area seeking easy investment opportunities. On the contrary, he states that many of the crops, including orange trees, have failed during this season and that “the orchards will not pay this year.” The letter concisely discourages anyone to settle in Riverside and Etiwanda.

The Chaffey brothers were quick to respond. 1883 marked an important year for the Chaffeys as they generated momentum for settlement in the Inland Empire. Etiwanda, in particular was a key colony for the Chaffey brothers, along with Ontario. Many of the letters sent during these years are dedicated to encouraging and convincing people that Southern California is a prosperous place to live and work. Their company, and in fact their lives, depended on people purchasing land from them in places like Etiwanda and
Riverside. A letter like “A Plain Statement,” published in a widely read publication like the British Whig could be extremely detrimental to the Chaffey brothers.

On May 15, 1883, less than a month after the letter was published (remember, this is a time before email, when information moved slower), William Henderson wrote a lengthy letter to the editor of the British Whig regarding the letter. Immediately William Henderson calls out the anonymity of the letter as evidence that the writer is “evidently ashamed of his work.” William Henderson calls the claims basely false but that because of
the periodical’s “wide circulation and general good reputation” readers might believe the statement uncritically.

William Henderson refutes the idea that people buying the land are participating in risky speculation, stating that many people are buying the land in small parcels for homes and farms, turning it into a proper city. In fact, Etiwanda, one of the cities the “Western Settler” is most critical of, has a school, a church, a store, and a hotel. This is especially impressive given only a year ago the area had been completely undeveloped.

Next, William Henderson addresses the water scarcity topic as well as the claim that crops are unsuccessful. He categorically refutes any statement that says water is a problem in the Chaffey Brothers’ properties. He writes, “The water rights of Ontario and Etiwanda are among the best in Southern California. The amount of water given with the land is definite and the supply is greater than that used in some of the most prosperous settlements of this favored region.” He continues by stating that claims against the viability of the crops planting in the region are failing. William Henderson refers to several farms that have made money through the various fruit trees and crops.

William Henderson ends the letter undermining the validity of the “Western Settler,” calling him a lazy and indolent instigator. He presumes that the writer of “A Plain Statement” was an unwise investor that settled in a different part of Southern California that experienced problems and that now he is generalizing inappropriately. He reiterates that the anonymous nature of the letter is suspicious, perhaps if the letter writer has attributed his name, the “Western Settler” would be revealed to be an unreliable source of information. William Henderson encourages the letter writer to “back up his statements, let him come forward like a man, and face the music instead of sneaking behind an assumed name.”

It’s no surprise that the Chaffey brothers would want to act fast and aggressively towards anyone who is critical of their business plan. It is interesting to read this publication and the following letters as history unfolds page by page, letter by letter.

On May 12, 1883 George Chaffey wrote a letter to J. W. Snowden. J. W. Snowden bought land from the Chaffey brothers and George Chaffey is updating him about the state of the land. Apparently people who wanted to settle in the area could pay the Chaffey brothers to get the property set up for them. J. W. Snowden wanted fruit trees planted on his Cucamonga property. At the time of the letter’s writing, the land had been plowed and orange trees were planning on being planted the very next week. George Chaffey claims that the orange trees are “the best in the market.”

After this update, George Chaffey discusses planting crops and orchards more generally. He claims that by May the “time for planting deciduous trees of any kind is past for this season” but that lemons can be planted for six more weeks. Lemon plants cost the same as oranges and the best trees to buy are two year old plants. By four years old, trees begin to produce fruit, but they really start producing fruit by the fifth year. Therefore, planting two year old trees shortens the wait until the orchard is fully productive.

George Chaffey also goes into great detail about the benefits of the apricot tree. Apparently there wasn’t a huge market for apricots at this time, but as farmers continued to grow them there was hope that a taste for apricots would develop.  In fact, Chaffey is so confident that he writes, “We do not fear for the ultimate success of the apricot, it is the King of deciduous fruits.”

George Chaffey then transitions to writing about a friend of J. W. Snowden, who is thinking about settling in Southern California as well. Chaffey says that if the man has good work ethic he will not have trouble finding work in this area, even offering to employ him as a ranch worker for $75 a month while he gets settled. George Chaffey also offers to employ the man’s wife for $15-20 a month if she wants to join the man in Southern California. He recommends that they both come and work for him because “a few hundred dollars will build a home.” George Chaffey ends the letter by writing, “The country presents opportunities for energetic persons which we believe cannot be found elsewhere.”