Imperial County CA Archives History - Books .....Some Of The Pioneer Builders 1918
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Book Title: History Of Imperial County California

SOME OF THE PIONEER BUILDERS

   While the farmer and the tiller of the soil must be accorded first place in
the development and progress of this reclaimed Valley, there are also those in
other pursuits who have had very important shares in the work of organization
and construction. Some of these men deserve favorable mention in this record of
achievement. While it might seem unjust or even invidious perhaps to single out
any one man and pile all the honors upon him for what has been done in this
line, it must be said by those familiar with the situation and most competent to
express an opinion that Mr. H. H. Peterson is entitled to first mention. The
various towns of the Valley might have been built without him perhaps, but they
certainly were not. And yet he was only a maker of brick and a contractor who
furnished the materials and did most of the work of construction. But for him
many of these buildings would probably have been of wooden construction and far
less substantial either in appearance or durability. He came here in December,
1903, and for three years had a pretty hard time. There had been a small hand
brickyard near Imperial for two years, operated by Harbour & Carter. But their
output was very small and inferior in quality. The demand always exceeded the
supply, however, on account of the scarcity of labor and the attendant expense
of the slow methods in use. When Mr. Peterson arrived he took in the situation
at a glance and promptly decided that contracting and brick making should be his
vocation. He came from Los Angeles, where he obtained large practical experience
in the work he was now about to undertake. He bought out Carter's interest in
the firm and joined Mr. Harbour in the business. They molded and burned a kiln
of brick at Calexico, where they began to erect a hotel. And they were soon
swamped with orders. But they found it easier to sell their brick than to make
them with their crude and inadequate appliances. Labor was scarce and the work
was hard and unattractive. But in spite of all this they built another yard at
Holtville, this time on a larger scale. And yet they had to haul all the water
from the Alamo channel in barrels and could only work on part time for lack of men.

   He also erected buildings in El Centro, Brawley, Holtville, Calexico and
Imperial, and for these he made the brick himself. Among the most important of
these structures was the High School building in Imperial. He made over ten
million brick, and the value of his buildings is said to aggregate $750,000.
From the autumn of 1901 to the summer of 1910 his contracts amounted to $100,000
in the town of Imperial alone. But in spite of his prosperity and success he has
had to face many troubles, as does every aggressive man who does things. Skilled
labor was almost impossible to get and keep, even at the high wages he paid.
Then, too, nearly all his materials had to be brought either from Los Angeles or
San Francisco. He now owns about 560 acres of land in the Valley, including his
vast deposits of sand and gravel on the bank of New River near Imperial which is
required for his brick-plant operations.

   Mr. J. L. Travers is also widely known as a pioneer contractor in the Valley.
He was really the first man on the ground. The town of El Centro was then only a
spot in the desert. But when the townsite was purchased by the Redlands
Syndicate, the firm of Fairchilds & Travers were prominent contractors and
builders in that famous citrus region. Thus it was that Travers, accompanied by
a trusty foreman, dropped off the train in this desert waste in November, 1906,
half a mile north of the El Centro depot. The El Centro Hotel was Travers' first
contract there, and everybody regarded the project as a joke. But the work went
right ahead. He was next asked to build the Holt Opera House, which was another
shock to the settlers, as there were only about ten permanent residents there at
the time. Water had to be pumped up from the ditch, and this ditch was a pretty
important element in the situation. Long before these two big contracts were
completed however, Travers was overwhelmed with many others, and he became one
of the biggest contractors in that part of the "Valley. During four years there
his contracts amounted to more than a million dollars. Nearly all the best
buildings in the town were designed and constructed by him. Extensive ice and
cold storage plants in the various towns were his work. And the main street in
El Centro presents all the features of leading thoroughfares in older sections
of the country today. Then, when another flood was threatened in 1906, he took
his entire force of men and assisted the farmers in building up the levees.

   Dr. Elmer E. Patten, who came in 1908, was the first health officer and
county physician. He was also a man of much public spirit, and keenly alive to
the best interests of the people. A full water supply and good fire protection
for the city of Imperial were secured through his efforts in 1909; also a public
sewer system, a new city hall and a Carnegie library, and a $55,000 high school
were all built under his regime.

   But in this record of personal achievement the business world, as represented
by the merchant should not be omitted. Next to the oldest mercantile firm in
Imperial is that organized by George Varney, and known as Varney Bros. & Co.,
who came in 1902. Their stock was small at first, though ample for the needs of
that time. They ran the store without much assistance, but sold about $100
wrorth of goods a day during the first few weeks. The first carload of goods
that came over the railway was consigned to them, but it had to be carted four
miles from the line owing to the incomplete condition of the road. In 1910
Varney Bros. & Co. had five stores, a floor space of 28,000 feet, 32 employees
and stock valued at $85,000. Their annual sales then exceeded $540,000. Since
then they have added a large new store in Calex-ico. They have a capital stock
of $200,000, and the annual sales of the chain of stores runs into millions.

   One of the first engineers in this region was Mr. C. N. Perry, a tireless and
most effective worker and a most faithful leader in that all important branch of
reclamation.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

THE HISTORY
OF
IMPERIAL COUNTY
CALIFORNIA
EDITED BY
F. C. FARR

IN ONE VOLUME
ILLUSTRATED
Published by ELMS AND FRANKS
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 1918


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