Alonzo Cook
Encyclopedia
Alonzo Gerry Cook was the founder of the city of Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...

, which is now a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

an community in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

.

Initial career

Alonso Cook's early jobs included serving as a probate judge in the Idaho Territory
Idaho Territory
The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 4, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Idaho.-1860s:...

, working as an attorney for the state of Washington, and also practicing as a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

. While in Vancouver, Washington, the Cook family resided briefly in the historic Charles Brown House, built in 1866, possibly by Alonzo himself. The unique French Second Empire type architecture of the house suggests Alonzo may have built it since this type of construction typically hails from where Alonzo came from, the east coast. French Second Empire architecture is rare on the west coast.

Garden Grove founded

In 1874, the Cooks bought 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land that was sold secondhand from the once-dominant Able Stearns Ranch. The land covered what is now the area of Lampson Street to Garden Grove Boulevard and from Euclid/Main Street to Nutwood Street. There were only a few hundred people living on farms around the area at the time.

After their house was completed in 1874, Cook commenced the establishment of a civic center
Civic center
A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building...

, the start of commerce, and a school district for the area. Cook donated all the land needed for these facilities, which were the first semblances of a village he named "Garden Grove". The local citizens did not like this name because it consisted of open fields.

By 1877, the village had a church, a blacksmith, a post office and a general store. By 1881, the Cook family moved on to pursue interests in other states and other enterprises.

Early life

Cook, the son of Gerry and Mary Cook, met his future bride, Belle Webster in 1860 while he was attending the Ohio State University and she was teaching in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

. They married in 1861 when he was 22 years old and she was 18. The Cooks had one daughter, whom they named Marabell.

Following their marriage, Cook continued with his education. He had attended Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

 as well as Union Law School, which is now Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

. Throughout their marriage, Cook and his wife relocated on several occasions, living in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, Washington, and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Sources

  • Doig, Leroy L., The Village of Garden Grove – 1870-1905. Orange, CA: The Paragon Agency, 2000.
  • Head, H. C., The History of Garden Grove. Garden Grove, CA: The Garden Grove News, 1939.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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