Los Angeles-San Diego-San Bernardino County CA Archives Biographies.....Stanwood, John A. 1856 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com December 12, 2005, 11:30 pm Author: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908) JOHN A. STANWOOD, of Santa Monica, is a native of Newburyport, Mass., and was born March 3rd, 1856. His father, John Rogers Stanwood, was a hat manufacturer, organizer and promotor of the Newburyport Hat Company and a successful man of affairs. The history of the Stanwood family is closely associated with that of early New England dating as far back as 1652 to Philip Stanwood who was one of the pioneers of the Old Colony of Massachusetts, the annals of which record many of the names as preacheis, doctois, lawyers, soldiers, statesmen and authors. The mother of John Rogers Stanwood was Sara Rogers whose ancestors lived at Gloucester, Mass.; were among the pilgrims who founded that town and were lineal descendants of John Rogers, the martyr. John A. Stanwood passed his boyhood and youth in Newburyport, Mass., passed through the public schools and later pursued a course of study in Berton. He then engaged in the drug business in that city for a period of four years. In March, 1882, he came to California and spent about a year on a stock ranch in the San Luis Rey Valley, San Diego County. In 1883 he located in San Bernardino where he took active part in local affairs, aiding in the incorporation of the City of San Bernardino. He later removed to Redlands where he was likewise active and influential in securing the final location of the Santa Fe Railway through Redlands and donated valuable lands for railway purposes, being one of the original parties who insisted on its present location. Mr. Stanwood came to Santa Monica, soon conceived the idea of developing the sand dunes bordering the Ocean Front south of Santa Monica into a residential summer resort and in furtherance of his plans associated with himself Dr. Ellwood Chaffee, Arthur Gayford, E. E. Hall and James Campbell who purchased and secured title to the land now comprising the southern portion of the City of Santa Monica and the City of Ocean Park, which includes Venice. This land was purchased from Captain Arthur Hutchenson—consideration, $25,000. They then organized the Santa Monica Terminal and Wharf Company, secured the franchise for the Santa Fe Railway into Santa Monica over what was then Lucas Avenue, which franchise finally passed to the Pacific Electric Railway Co. and is now used by that company. He negotiated the sale of the Short Line Beach Tract to Mr. Frank Strong. He likewise negotiated the sale of the Irwin Heights Tract to the Erkenbrecker Syndicate, of Los Angeles. He organized a syndicate and promoted Ocean Park Heights and the east Ocean Park Heights Addition to Ocean Park. He is president of the Venice Chamber of Commerce which, under his administration, is accomplishing much for the material prosperity of the Canal City. With some associates he is at present engaged in the development of the oil territory in the Santa Monica mountains. Mr. Stanwood is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and of the Woodmen of the World. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities: prefaced with a brief history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County, 1542 to 1908: supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography and embellished with views of historic landmarks and portraits of representative people. Los Angeles: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/losangeles/bios/stanwood156bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 4.0 Kb