George A. Cowles
Encyclopedia
George A. Cowles was one of San Diego's early prominent ranching pioneers. George Cowles settled in the El Cajon valley in 1877, having first visited San Diego in 1873, then selecting this area over others he had considered in the relatively new state of California
.
in the US. George was placed to work in a local dry goods store at age 14, by the time he left at 21, he had been promoted to first salesman. He went on to start a cotton mill
of his own which unfortunately burned a year later.
Following this, Cowles became successful in the cotton
business as a broker in New York
, moving there when he was 25. That same year he married Jennie Blodgett from Hartford, a girl of 16. He helped organize, and at 30 was the first president of the NY Cotton Exchange
. He retired from the cotton exchange at age 33. During the following year Cowles and his wife traveled the southern states
. He next began a manufacturing business producing cotton cloth under government contract using a process he patented. He continued successfully in this venture until 1875.
in Florida
. They traveled a few times to California
, where Cowles searched for a preferred site to establish a ranch. He began making large purchases of land in the El Cajon valley in 1875. In the fall of 1877, after nearly a year of traveling throughout Europe, including stays at many health resorts, they settled in the El Cajon valley to begin a career in ranching.
One was named "Woodside" where the ranch house was located and the other, probably by their having planted 17 Magnolia trees, was named "Magnolia" (today, street names Woodside Ave in Santee and Magnolia Ave in El Cajon are from the Cowles ranches). He planted a great variety of different fruit tree
s and grapevines, olives, grains and potatoes. The greatest success was in raisins and olives.
Cowles' products gained nationwide attention for San Diego's farming potential, particularly in fruits and vines, and he was called the "Raisin King of the US". He raised fine thoroughbred
horses, maintaining about 100 head, and 30 head of cattle. The community that developed around his Woodside ranch became known as Cowlestown.
, and vice president of the San Diego County Savings bank
. He also helped form, and was vice president of the San Diego Marine Ways & Dry-dock
Company on North Island
, having turned down the offer of presidency.
(later a part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
), he was responsible for extending the railroad from San Diego's 22nd Street Station into the north end of El Cajon valley, including giving free right of way
through his own property. The Red Car
trolley now runs on these tracks, and Highway 67 utilizes some of the right of way as it turns east from Santee.
of the 1880s was ending. Jennie Cowles continued ranching into the 1890s. She married Milton Santee in November 1890, and prepared a residence at 11th & B in "New Town" San Diego. Cowlestown's first school was held in a large room at the Cowles ranch house
. A new schoolhouse was built on land Jennie had donated for the school.
was actively preserved by the Mission Trails Regional Park
.
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...
.
Early life
Born April 5, 1836 and raised on a Connecticut farm in Hartford, his father had been the first to manufacture broadclothBroadcloth
Broadcloth is a dense woollen cloth. Modern broadcloth can be composed of cotton, silk, or polyester, but traditionally broadcloth was made solely of wool. The dense weave lends sturdiness to the material....
in the US. George was placed to work in a local dry goods store at age 14, by the time he left at 21, he had been promoted to first salesman. He went on to start a cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
of his own which unfortunately burned a year later.
Following this, Cowles became successful in the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
business as a broker in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, moving there when he was 25. That same year he married Jennie Blodgett from Hartford, a girl of 16. He helped organize, and at 30 was the first president of the NY Cotton Exchange
New York Cotton Exchange
The New York Cotton Exchange was a commodities exchange founded in 1870 by a group of one hundred cotton brokers and merchants at 1 Hanover Square in New York City.- History :...
. He retired from the cotton exchange at age 33. During the following year Cowles and his wife traveled the southern states
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. He next began a manufacturing business producing cotton cloth under government contract using a process he patented. He continued successfully in this venture until 1875.
Travels
Cowles and his wife traveled regularly, apparently in part due to her health. In 1870, while touring the South, he contracted malariaMalaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. They traveled a few times to 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...
, where Cowles searched for a preferred site to establish a ranch. He began making large purchases of land in the El Cajon valley in 1875. In the fall of 1877, after nearly a year of traveling throughout Europe, including stays at many health resorts, they settled in the El Cajon valley to begin a career in ranching.
San Diego
Arriving in San Diego already wealthy (but in noticeably poor health), having knowledge and experience in farming, machinery, business and finance, and with good planning and vision, Cowles accomplished much in the following ten years until his death at age 51. The property he purchased eventually totaled about 4,000 acres (16 km²) in the El Cajon valley and comprised two ranch sites about a mile apart.One was named "Woodside" where the ranch house was located and the other, probably by their having planted 17 Magnolia trees, was named "Magnolia" (today, street names Woodside Ave in Santee and Magnolia Ave in El Cajon are from the Cowles ranches). He planted a great variety of different fruit tree
Fruit tree
A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by people — all trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the term 'fruit tree' is limited to those that provide fruit for...
s and grapevines, olives, grains and potatoes. The greatest success was in raisins and olives.
Cowles' products gained nationwide attention for San Diego's farming potential, particularly in fruits and vines, and he was called the "Raisin King of the US". He raised fine thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horses, maintaining about 100 head, and 30 head of cattle. The community that developed around his Woodside ranch became known as Cowlestown.
Consolidated National Bank
George Cowles was an organizer of the Consolidated National Bank, a director of the Commercial BankCommercial bank
After the implementation of the Glass–Steagall Act, the U.S. Congress required that banks engage only in banking activities, whereas investment banks were limited to capital market activities. As the two no longer have to be under separate ownership under U.S...
, and vice president of the San Diego County Savings bank
Savings bank
A savings bank is a financial institution whose primary purpose is accepting savings deposits. It may also perform some other functions.In Europe, savings banks originated in the 19th or sometimes even the 18th century. Their original objective was to provide easily accessible savings products to...
. He also helped form, and was vice president of the San Diego Marine Ways & Dry-dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
Company on North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, having turned down the offer of presidency.
California Southern Railroad
Additionally, as a director of the California Southern RailroadCalifornia Southern Railroad
The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between what has become the city of Barstow and San Diego,...
(later a part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
), he was responsible for extending the railroad from San Diego's 22nd Street Station into the north end of El Cajon valley, including giving free right of way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
through his own property. The Red Car
Pacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
trolley now runs on these tracks, and Highway 67 utilizes some of the right of way as it turns east from Santee.
Death
George A. Cowles died November 26, 1887 in his room at San Diego's then premier Florence Hotel, succumbing after two weeks to an intestinal ailment. He had just completed the railway negotiations, an effort that some had said hastened his death. After a fine and well attended funeral at a church in the new downtown San Diego, Cowles was buried in the El Cajon valley. Two years later his remains were moved to the Mount Hope Cemetery.Estate
Having named both his wife, Jennie Cowles, and a trusted friend as executors of his will, he left essentially all of his estate to Jennie as they had no children. The estate was considerable, estimated between $370,000 and $500,000 at that time (one comparison would be $15 - $20 million in today's dollars). The year after his death, some of Cowles property was subdivided and placed on the market as San Diego's land rushLand run
Land run usually refers to an historical event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened for homesteading on a first arrival basis. Some newly opened lands were sold first-come, sold by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run...
of the 1880s was ending. Jennie Cowles continued ranching into the 1890s. She married Milton Santee in November 1890, and prepared a residence at 11th & B in "New Town" San Diego. Cowlestown's first school was held in a large room at the Cowles ranch house
Ranch-style house
Ranch-style houses is a domestic architectural style originating in the United States. First built in the 1920s, the ranch style was extremely popular amongst the booming post-war middle class of the 1940s to 1970s...
. A new schoolhouse was built on land Jennie had donated for the school.
Legacy
Cowles town officially became Santee in 1893 named for Jennie Cowles' second husband, Milton Santee, who was a real estate developer. The name of Cowles School also changed to Santee. Cowles Spring eventually lost its name Cowles and became Dog Spring. Cowles Mountain nearly lost its name as well, becoming known as Black Mountain (even though there already was one in the county), and "S" Mountain (because of the large white "S" painted on by San Diego State students). The historically significant name of Cowles MountainCowles Mountain
Cowles Mountain is a prominent mountain within the city limits of San Diego, California and also within Mission Trails Regional Park, in a neighborhood known as San Carlos, San Diego. The mountain is named after George A. Cowles, an early ranching pioneer in San Diego County. Its summit is the...
was actively preserved by the Mission Trails Regional Park
Mission Trails Regional Park
Mission Trails Regional Park is a 5,800 acre open space preserve within the city of San Diego, California, established in 1974. It is the sixth largest municipally-owned park in the United States, and the largest in California.-Description:...
.