Alonzo Delano
Encyclopedia
Alonzo Delano who went by the pen name
"Old Block", was an American humorist, pioneer town city father
, and a California Gold Rush
Forty-niner. Delano's sketches of gold rush camp life rivaled Bret Harte
and Mark Twain
in popularity.
. His father, Dr. Frederick Delano, a physician, was an early settler of the town. Delano had ten siblings. The family descended from French Huguenots
. His great-great-grandfather, Phillipe de la Noye, was also the great-great-great-great-grandfather of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
He left school when he was young, and started working at age fifteen. His work as an itinerant merchant took him to frontier communities in Ohio and Indiana. By 1848, Delano had relocated his family to Ottawa, Illinois
where he worked as a merchant selling bank stocks, flour, lard, silk, and whiskey, while becoming a well-respected community leader. He became ill that year with consumption
, and following his physician's orders for a change of residence and more exertion, Delano decided to head west to California. Before departing, he made arrangements to send correspondence to the publishers of two newspapers, the Ottawa Free Trader and True Delta in New Orleans. At the age of 42, and being sick, he shipped his belongings, including cattle, to join the Dayton Company of travelers in St. Joseph, Missouri, the rendezvous point. His first week traveling was spent delirious with fever. He did not see his family again for six years.
, he earned $400 in three weeks drawing portraits of whiskered gold miner
s at an ounce of gold dust
per head. After reaching San Francisco, Delano became a correspondent for the San Francisco Daily Courier and the Pacific News. Along with Prentice Mulford
, Delano was one of the first to use “California Humor”, a style of writing that uses satirical social commentary that exaggerates situations. Some of his articles were written by his long-nosed proto-Will Rogers
figure "Old Block", taken from his whimsical sketches of miners and gamblers. These articles were later collected and published in book form in Pen-Knife Sketches and Old Block's Sketch Book. Charles Nahl
was his illustrator. Delano's book, On the Trail to the California Gold Rush, was a chronicle of his 1849 travels to California, and included an Introduction by American historian J. S. Holliday. His letters, a journal, and some writings were published in Life on the Plains and among the Diggings. His comical play, A Live Woman in the Mines, features the hero Pike County Jess and heroine High Betty Martin.
In 1850, Timothy Ellsworth and Delano purchased a claim on Massachusetts Hill located near Gold Hill
in Nevada County, California
, and organized the Sierra Quartz Mining Company. At one point, Delano owned one-sixth of the Massachusetts Hill Quartz Mine; Delano & Co. was very involved in its development. In 1851, Delano sold out his interest to Dr. J. C. Delavan, an agent of Rocky Bar, a New York company. Delano was a storekeeper in several communities, including Grass Valley. He was elected the first treasurer of the city of Grass Valley, California
. He started working for Wells, Fargo & Company
in Sacramento in 1854 and was Grass Valley's first Wells Fargo agent.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
"Old Block", was an American humorist, pioneer town city father
City father
The term city fathers is used to mean two things: firstly , it denotes a member of a municipal council over a city. Secondly, it can signify the "Founding Fathers" of the city...
, and a California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
Forty-niner. Delano's sketches of gold rush camp life rivaled Bret Harte
Bret Harte
Francis Bret Harte was an American author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California.- Life and career :...
and Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
in popularity.
Early life
Delano was born in Aurora, New YorkAurora, Erie County, New York
Aurora is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 13,996 at the 2000 census.The Town of Aurora is one of the "Southtowns" of Erie County and is also erroneously called East Aurora, the name of its principal village...
. His father, Dr. Frederick Delano, a physician, was an early settler of the town. Delano had ten siblings. The family descended from French Huguenots
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
. His great-great-grandfather, Phillipe de la Noye, was also the great-great-great-great-grandfather of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
He left school when he was young, and started working at age fifteen. His work as an itinerant merchant took him to frontier communities in Ohio and Indiana. By 1848, Delano had relocated his family to Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...
where he worked as a merchant selling bank stocks, flour, lard, silk, and whiskey, while becoming a well-respected community leader. He became ill that year with consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, and following his physician's orders for a change of residence and more exertion, Delano decided to head west to California. Before departing, he made arrangements to send correspondence to the publishers of two newspapers, the Ottawa Free Trader and True Delta in New Orleans. At the age of 42, and being sick, he shipped his belongings, including cattle, to join the Dayton Company of travelers in St. Joseph, Missouri, the rendezvous point. His first week traveling was spent delirious with fever. He did not see his family again for six years.
Career
When Delano reached Marysville, CaliforniaMarysville, California
Marysville is the county seat of Yuba County, California, United States. The population was 12,072 at the 2010 census, down from 12,268 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistical Area, often referred to as the Yuba-Sutter Area after the two counties, Yuba and...
, he earned $400 in three weeks drawing portraits of whiskered gold miner
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
s at an ounce of gold dust
Gold Dust
Gold dust refers to fine particles of gold produced by machining or occurring naturally.Gold dust may also refer to:*Goldust, the ring name of Dustin Rhodes, an American wrestler...
per head. After reaching San Francisco, Delano became a correspondent for the San Francisco Daily Courier and the Pacific News. Along with Prentice Mulford
Prentice Mulford
Prentice Mulford was a noted literary humorist and California author. In addition, he helped found the New Thought movement.- Biography :...
, Delano was one of the first to use “California Humor”, a style of writing that uses satirical social commentary that exaggerates situations. Some of his articles were written by his long-nosed proto-Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
figure "Old Block", taken from his whimsical sketches of miners and gamblers. These articles were later collected and published in book form in Pen-Knife Sketches and Old Block's Sketch Book. Charles Nahl
Charles Christian Nahl
Carl Christian Heinrich Nahl , later known as Charles Nahl, and sometimes Karl Nahl, Charles Christian Nahl or Charles C. Nahl, was a German-born painter who is called California's first significant artist.-Early years:He was the son of Georg Valentin Friedrich Nahl and Henriette Nahl...
was his illustrator. Delano's book, On the Trail to the California Gold Rush, was a chronicle of his 1849 travels to California, and included an Introduction by American historian J. S. Holliday. His letters, a journal, and some writings were published in Life on the Plains and among the Diggings. His comical play, A Live Woman in the Mines, features the hero Pike County Jess and heroine High Betty Martin.
In 1850, Timothy Ellsworth and Delano purchased a claim on Massachusetts Hill located near Gold Hill
Gold Hill (Nevada County, California)
Gold Hill, in Grass Valley, California, was the site of one of the first discoveries of quartz gold in California. While quartz gold was also found in other areas of Nevada County, California during the same time, it is this find near Wolf Creek that led to quartz-mining frenzy and subsequent...
in Nevada County, California
Nevada County, California
Nevada County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of California, in the Mother Lode country. As of 2010 its population was 98,764. The county seat is Nevada City.-History:Nevada County was created in 1851 from parts of Yuba County....
, and organized the Sierra Quartz Mining Company. At one point, Delano owned one-sixth of the Massachusetts Hill Quartz Mine; Delano & Co. was very involved in its development. In 1851, Delano sold out his interest to Dr. J. C. Delavan, an agent of Rocky Bar, a New York company. Delano was a storekeeper in several communities, including Grass Valley. He was elected the first treasurer of the city of Grass Valley, California
Grass Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Grass Valley had a population of 12,860. The population density was 2,711.3 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Grass Valley was 11,493 White, 46 African American, 208 Native American, 188 Asian, 9 Pacific Islander, 419 from other...
. He started working for Wells, Fargo & Company
History of Wells Fargo
This article outlines the history of Wells Fargo & Company from its origins to its merger with Norwest and beyond. The new company chose to retain the name of "Wells Fargo" and so this article also includes the history after the merger.-Origins:...
in Sacramento in 1854 and was Grass Valley's first Wells Fargo agent.
Personal life
During a visit to his hometown of Aurora in 1830, Delano met and married Mary Burt. They had two children: Fred (1833–1857) and Harriet (born 1843). After Mary died in 1871, Delano married Maria Harmon in 1872. Delano died in Grass Valley in 1874 and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery.Partial works
- (1853) Pen-Knife Sketches. Or Chips of the Old Block. A Series of Original Letters, Written by One of California's Pioneer Miners, and Dedicated to That Class of Her Citizens by the Author.
- (1854) Life on the Plains and Among the Diggings
- (1857) A Live Woman in the Mines; or, Pike County Ahead. A Local Play in Two Acts
- (1856) Old Block's sketch-book; or, Tales of California life
- (2005) On the trail to the California gold rush
External links
Further reading
- Witschi, N. S. (2006). Alonzo "Old Block" Delano. Boise State University western writers series, no. 169. Boise, Idaho: Boise State University.