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Founding Families of the San Marino Ranch

FEB. 16–MAY 13, 2013Library, West Hall

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

W BENJAMIN DAVIS WILSON AND LAKE VINEYARDBefore California became the 31st state of theunion in 1850, the population of Los Angeleswas around 50,000. The Californios—the termused for Spanish-speaking people born in the re-gion before statehood—dictated the social andeconomic climate of Southern California. Singlefamilies owned enormous tracts of land andmaintained many of the mission-era traditions.This was the Los Angeles that Benjamin Davis

Wilson (1811–1878) discovered when he relo-cated in 1846 to the emerging city from hisranch in Riverside with his Californio wife andtwo small children. He was looking to capitalizeon the business opportunities opening up forAmericans in the new territory. Wilson washighly respected by the Californios and theAmericans, both for his fairness and his abilityto read and speak English and Spanish. Oftenreferred to as “Don Benito,” Wilson was electedthe second mayor of the city in 1851.

With more than 75 historical items (includingrare family photographs, letters, legal docu-ments, maps, and artifacts) drawn from TheHuntington’s collections and those of the SanMarino Historical Society and the PasadenaMuseum of History, “Cultivating California:Founding Families of the San Marino Ranch”tells the story of the Wilson, Shorb, and Pattonfamilies, who helped transform a region of one-time Spanish land grants into an agriculturalparadise between the years 1854 and 1904.

Wilson’s Lake,now Lacy Park,San Marino,date unknown.

But within a few years, the city was no longera safe place for a young family. Scores of youngmen from the East had come west to find theirfortune in the gold fields of Northern California,but few had succeeded and many traveled south.Drinking and fighting were com mon, as was vig-ilante justice. Following the death of his wife in1849, Wilson married American-born MargaretHereford, who had lost her husband, and theymoved their combined family of five out of thecity to a tract of land known as the Huerta deCuati (possibly referring to the Spanish word forraccoon, “coati”). A beautiful property originallyowned by the Mission San Gabriel, Cuati wasthe jewel of the San Gabriel Valley, with boun ti -ful fruit trees, acreage primed for more produc-tion, and a large lake. It was also only 10 miles

away from Los Angeles, allowing Wilson tomaintain his business and political connections.

Wilson expanded Huerta de Cuati and re-named it Lake Vineyard. In addition to growingand selling citrus, he capitalized on the existingrows of Mission grapes and started producingwine under the Lake Vineyard label. He and hiswife had three girls—Margaret, born in 1854, whosuccumbed to diphtheria at age three; Annie,born in 1854; and Ruth, born in 1861.

JAMES DE BARTH SHORB AND SAN MARINOIn 1867, Wilson’s eldest daughter from his firstmarriage, Maria de Jesus, or “Sue,” marriedJames De Barth Shorb (1842–1896), a Maryland-born transplant to California. The young couplelived in San Francisco for a year while Shorbpromoted and sold Wilson’s citrus and wine tovarious merchants. When Wilson was elected tothe California State Senate, the Shorbs movedsouth to Lake Vineyard with their year-olddaughter, Ynez. Shorb managed his father-in-law’s business interests while Wilson repre-sented Los Angeles in Sacramento andWash ington, D. C., where he was sent to lobbythe U.S. Congress on behalf of the harbor and thewine industry.

With the creation of B. D. Wilson & Co. in1873, Wilson legally transferred primary respon-sibility for his business interests to Shorb. Thispartnership continued until Wilson’s death in1878. Throughout the 1870s, Shorb promoted mi-

land and wineries in Arizona; tried to start amust (grape pressing) factory in Northern Cali-fornia; built the San Gabriel Wine Co. with alarge, new winery building; dabbled in the cre-ation and selling of electricity; and started theSan Gabriel Valley Rapid Transit Co., a small,local railway. He also kept politically active andwas elected treasurer of Los Angeles County in1892.

Shorb’s health was in steep decline by thistime. As early as 1884, his brother, a physician inSan Francisco, pleaded with him to take bettercare of himself, “I tell you that you ought to dothus and so for the restoration of your health,which you admit is in a precarious state and your

Carlton E. Watkins, members of the B. D. Wilson and Shorb families at Lake Vineyardhome, San Gabriel, California, ca. 1875.

Henry Hancock, map of Cuati,1854. Watercolor on paper. gration from the East to California through the

Chamber of Commerce, the Southern CaliforniaHorticultural Society, and the Bureau of Immi-gration for Southern California. These effortswould prove particularly important as droughts,freezes, disease, and financial panics were driv-ing his agricultural ventures into debt. Landsales were becoming increasingly important toShorb’s bottom line. During this time, he alsobuilt a large home and christened the propertySan Marino, after his family’s plantation inMaryland.

Even as he made two major additions to hishome, hosted large social gatherings, and enter-tained high-profile houseguests, Shorb felldeeper into debt. In an attempt to find a prof-itable business venture, Shorb expanded hisreach in the 1880s and 1890s. He invested in

eral government. Shorb was instrumental in pro-moting immigration into California and ex-panded the population of the San Gabriel Valleyby bringing public transit to his subdivided lots.Patton’s management of the San Marino ranchand his work with Henry Huntington’s propertycompanies facilitated the expansion the PacificElectric Railway, making way for the suburbanlifestyle for which Southern California is famousto this day.

Jennifer Allan Goldman, Curator, Manuscripts and Institutional Archivist

“Cultivating California: Founding Families of the SanMarino Ranch” is supported in memory of James DeBarth Shorb by Barbara Vucanovich, Grant and SusanAnderson, Reynolds and Rebecca Cafferata, and Treatand Patricia Cafferata. This exhibition is also made pos-sible by the Robert F. Erburu Exhibition Endowment.

Ynez Shorb and Stephen S. White wedding party, 1894.

COVER: Members of the Shorb family, includ-ing James De Barth Shorb and Maria deJesus “Sue” Shorb on the east porch of Shorbhouse, ca. 1882.

BACK COVER: B. D. Wilson & Co. Burgundylabel, ca. 1868.

answer stript of adventitiuos surroundings issimply ‘I can’t.’ ” This letter was written in thesame year that Sue Shorb’s youngest sister, Ruth,married George S. Patton (1856–1927), a well-re-spected attorney in Los Angeles. In 1888, Pattonreceived similar advice: he was ordered by hisdoctor to “take a rest,” and so he moved his family,including son George Jr. and daughter Annie, outof Los Angeles to Lake Vineyard, joining Wilson’swidow, Margaret, and Ruth’s unmarried sister,Annie.

GEORGE S. PATTON ANDLAKE VINEYARDAs Shorb’s health continued to deteriorate, andPatton’s health improved with his distance fromthe city, Patton assisted Shorb with various busi-nesses around the San Gabriel Valley, includingthe Alhambra Tract and the San Gabriel WineCo. In 1896, after months of confinement, Shorbdied at home. He was survived by Sue and ninechildren, ranging in age from 8 to 28.

Shorb also left behind hundreds of thou-sands of dollars in debt to various banks, all writ-ten with Sue’s personal property as security. Thelargest amount was owed to Farmers and Mer-chants Bank, owned and managed by Isaias Hell-man. Though Patton worked with Sue andHell man to attempt to sell the property and payoff the multiple mortgages, he was unsuccessful.In 1899, Farmers and Merchants Bank took Sueand her children to court. Patton was appointedas receiver for the property, managing the exist-ing groves and vines while the contentious andcomplicated case was heard.

HENRY E. HUNTINGTON AND SAN MARINOWhen the case was decided for the plaintiff andSan Marino was sold to Farmers and MerchantsBank at public auction, Sue Shorb relocated toSan Francisco. Patton continued to manage theproperty after its purchase by the bank. WhenHenry E. Huntington and his business partnerspurchased the property in 1903 Patton wrote alengthy letter to Huntington describing itsneeds, including details regarding the water,soil, and fields. Huntington was clearly im-pressed with Patton and hired him as generalmanager of the Los Angeles Land Co. and theHuntington Land and Improvement Co., bothheaded by Huntington. Patton spent quite a bitof time at San Marino and was responsible forlocating and hiring William Hertrich, the super-intendent who worked so closely with Hunting-ton in the creation of his gardens and estate.

By the time Huntington built his house onthe San Marino property in 1911, the populationof the Los Angeles county had expanded tomore than 500,000. The city itself was a growingurban center, with nearby towns connected byrail lines. The old industries of cattle ranchingand agriculture were being replaced by tourism,entertainment, and the beginnings of manufac-turing. Wilson, Shorb, and Patton—who lived atLake Vineyard until his death in 1927—wereclosely involved in this modernization andgrowth. Without Wilson, the port of Long Beachand Los Angeles would never have receivedrecognition or funding from the state and fed-

Preschool Series: One Hundred Years AgoFeb. 6, 13, 20 & 27 (Wednesdays) 10 a.m.–noonJoin the centennial celebration as the class exploreswhat life was like growing up a century ago. Led by in-structor Laura Moede, each class will feature art proj-ects, stories, and more. Fee includes one accompa- nying adult. Ages 3–4. Members: $85.Non-Members: $95. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Taste of Art: Cultivating CaliforniaMarch 3 (Sunday) 9 a.m–12:30 p.m.Before The Huntington was a lavish home and mu-seum it was an agricultural ranch run by some of thewho’s-who of Los Angeles. Join chef and art educatorMaite Gomez-Rejón and celebrate the City of SanMarino’s centennial by viewing the exhibition andpreparing a seasonal California meal. Members: $85.Non-Members: $95. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Talk and Book SigningSan Marino: A Centennial HistoryMarch 5 (Tuesday) 7:30 p.m.Elizabeth Pomeroy, author of San Marino: A Centen-nial History, will give a lecture about the first 100 yearsof the city that Henry Huntington helped found andits transition from agricultural ranchland to affluentresidential community. A book signing will follow theprogram. Free; no reservations required. Friends’ Hall

Curator Tour: Founding FamiliesMarch 13 (Wednesday) 4:30–5:30 p.m.Join curator Jennifer Allan Goldman for a private tourof the exhibition and gain insights into the early yearsof the Huntington property through the papers and

photographs of the Wilson, Shorb, and Patton familiesdrawn from The Huntington’s collections. Members: $15.Non Members: $20. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Wine Class and Lecture: Cultivating CaliforniaMarch 20 (Wednesday) 5–7:30 p.m. Join Jennifer Allan Goldman, curator of the exhibi-tion, as she discusses the early years of The Hunting-ton, which was once a rural agricultural property and a prominent vineyard. Following the lecture, partici-

RELATED TO THE EXHIBITION

The HuntingtonLibrary, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

1151 Oxford Road | San Marino, California 91108 | huntington.org

pants will taste California wines withBrad Owen fromthe Art Institute ofCalifornia. Members: $85. Non-Mem-bers: $95. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Children’s Workshop: Founding Families Cooking ClassApril 14 (Sunday) 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.How did San Marino get its name? And who lived herebefore Mr. Huntington? Step back in time as we learnthe history of The Huntington with chef Ernest Miller.Participants will explore the exhibition before cookingup some tasty treats inspired by the ranch. Ages 7–12.Fee includes one accompanying adult. Members: $30.Non-Members: $35. Registration: 626-405-2128.