Much has been written about John Marsh, early California pioneer and adventurer

A FEW WORDS ABOUT JOHN MARSH, A CALIFORNIA FOUNDING FATHER

Kathleen J. Mero

Much has been written about John Marsh, early California pioneer and adventurer. Most of what has been published is derived from two sources, the primary biography of Marsh, published in 1930 by George D. Lyman, and the various dictated autobiographies of John Bidwell. Historians and journalists anxious to meet deadlines have too often used these sources without questioning or affirming their accuracy. In this and subsequent articles we hope to correct some of this misinformation and reveal John Marsh’s true contributions to California.

John Marsh arrived in Alta California in early 1836 or possibly the end of 1835. He came by way of the Santa Fe Trail. After a short stop at the Warner Ranch in today’s Riverside County, he made his way to then tiny pueblo of Los Angeles. With him came 12 years of frontier experience and survival skills. He was the first Harvard graduate to settle in California. Although New England born and bred, John Marsh mixed easily with all peoples and cultures. He had a talent for languages and quickly gained at least a rudimentary use of every new tongue he encountered, becoming fluent in many. This gift would serve him well.

When he arrived in Los Angeles, Marsh made a living as a doctor, a valuable profession on this raw frontier. He had a great deal of experience as a medical man, most of it gained during his years in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin where he was the Indian sub-agent for several years. Before leaving the Prairie in 1832 a deadly outbreak of cholera caused Marsh to delay his departure and volunteer his services as a physician to the Army, the Indians and the community at large. He was so successful that once the epidemic was over, the military commander of the region wrote a glowing letter of commendation to Washington, DC on his behalf.

Less than a year after his arrival in Los Angeles John Marsh was creating a ranch on the edge of a new wilderness, on land acquired for $500. He was the first American to settle in the great San Joaquin valley. Once established there he used his education and large number of friends and acquaintances to bring California into the United States. He was the first to make a public invitation to Americans to “Come to California”. In letters and newspaper articles he sent east, he accurately described the geography, climate and agricultural potential of the great Central Valley.

. The arrival of the first American emigrant party to California was in 1841. They came to Marsh’s rancho at his invitation using directions he had given. This made Rancho Los Meganos [Brentwood] the first terminus of the California Trail. Many have forgotten that Brentwood received the first of the pre-goldrush immigrants.

Bringing new settlers to California was only one part of the ‘statehood’ equation and Marsh knew this. If statehood was to be, then some political structure had to be in place to make it happen, and to this end he and others who shared his vision depended on help from the Polk administration in Washington, DC. President Polk believed that America’s borders should end only when it embraced both ocean shores. He sent spies into Alta California to gather intelligence regarding the people, customs, economy and political state of the remote Mexican province. Marsh and other cooperative Americans, many officially citizens of Mexico, were happy to provide useful information. No less a person than the American Consul, Thomas O. Larkin was in cahoots with Marsh and the other ‘nation builders’. All of these men were vital to the future of California. If you remove John Marsh from our story, you create some holes in our history that would be difficult to fill.

Marsh was a friend to many Californios such as General Mariano Vallejo who were not happy with the treatment California received from the government in Mexico City. Many leading Californios were not opposed to the idea of becoming part of the United States but they couldn’t openly advocate such a change. There are also those of his acquaintance who opposed statehood, such as John Sutter and for awhile John Bidwell.

In February of 1845, a large number of new American settlers coming to California were pressed into service by John Sutter to march south to Los Angeles to protect the interests of Governor Micheltorena. Marsh at first refused to join Sutter. When Sutter threatened to arrest Marsh and have him locked up, Marsh agreed to go. Sutter’s bullying had unintended consequences. Marsh made good use of the days spent winding his way south with the ragtag army. He used his persuasive powers to point out how foolish it was to become cannon fodder in a fight between two Mexican factions, neither of which were likely to survive a year in office if past experience was any guide. As a result, when the Battle of Cahuenga Pass was joined a large number of expatriate recruits on both sides refused to fight and laid down their arms. Marsh’s education and political skills had brought peace and prevented bloodshed between fellow Americans.

Marsh‘s presence in California knits together the various elements that until his arrival had been present but unorganized. He talked to everyone but preferred to lead from behind the scene. He was content to let others carry the standard of public leadership. In March of 1845 he wrote a letter signed by himself and 23 other expatriates, announcing a clandestine meeting for the fourth of July. This letter has been designated the “Call To Foreigners” by modern historians. While Marsh does not take credit as the author it is universally agreed that it is his work. The meeting’s purpose was to, “promote the union and harmony and best interests of all the foreigners resident in California...”

We have only touched on a small number of the complicated events that placed John Marsh into the center of early California history and American expansion. A large number of the people who built California spent time at Rancho Los Meganos. First when the Indian village offered the only shelter. Then in an adobe where Marsh built his rancho while encouraging all the steps that would lead to statehood and finally the Stone House that he hoped would be the future meeting place of those men and women who had benefited from his vision. To allow this triumvirate of dwelling places to disappear into the sand after which they are named is not acceptable to those who recognize the true place of John Marsh in California’s story.