Angel, Myron, House - San Luis Obispo, CA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

"Myron Angel was editor of the Reese River Reveille during the most exciting and prosperous period of its during the most exciting and prosperous period of its a number of years, first, editor, then San Francisco correspondent of the White Pine News and other Nevada papers. This gentleman is a native of the State of New 'York, born in Oneonta, Otsego County, December 1, 1827, a descendant of the first Puritan pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock. His father, William Angel, desiring to advance the prosperity of Oneonta, established a newspaper in the village, and in this office the subject of this sketch often assisted in the mechanical and editorial departments, although then very young. In 1835 his mother died, and in 1842 his father, leaving him an orphan in his fifteenth year. The boy, inheriting a fair property, was enabled to acquire a fine education from district school to Hartwick Seminary, thence, in 1846, to the Military Academy at West Point, from which situation he resigned to join the excited throng bound for the gold mines in the newly-acquired regions of California. At the date of the discovery of gold his elder brother, Eugene Angel, was practicing law in Peoria, Illinois, having recently been admitted to the bar, and was anxious to join the "Peoria Pioneers" in the journey overland. Urging the cadet to join him in Peoria, Mr. Angel, in January, 1849, started on his journey, crossing Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh by stage, that being the only conveyance at the time, the New York and Erie Railroad only reaching to Port Jervis, on the Delaware River, and from Pittsburgh to St. Louis by steamboat, thence a short distance up the Illinois River by boat, and a toilsome journey in mud-wagons to Peoria. In April the pioneers left that city, destined for St. Jo, on the Missouri, on the "utterly utter" verge of civilization. The treachery of the Captain of the steamboat on which was that part of the company in which was Angel's party changed the fate of the young emigrants by landing at Weston and refusing to proceed to St. Joseph, his deciding the party to take the Arkansas and Gila route, instead of the direct route to the gold mines via the South Pass. On the steamer was Captain William Kirker, an old mountaineer, who had been guide to Colonel Doniphan in his march through New México a few years previously. He told of gold mines in the Rocky Mountains, far richer than those of California and a large sum was paid him by a collection of Illinois and Missouri people who then made up a company. Late in May the journey was undertaken, and in July prospecting parties entered the Rocky Mountains on the Rio Sangre de Cristo, and other localities which have since become famous for their mineral wealth, but, being entirely ignorant of the occurrence of gold or how to obtain it, found nothing. The mines of the Pike's Peak region were then condemned, and the route taken again for California, or somewhere, the travelers hardly knew where. Captain Kirker, the guide, said he knew of mines on the Gila River and he would take them there. The Captain was only playing his party, as he had a family at Albuquerque, and he only wished to have an escort to take him safely there. The long journey was pursued many hundred miles south, along the Rio Grande, then westward into Sonora to the head of the Rio Santa Cruz, then northerly through Tucson to the Pima villages on the Gila River. From this point the two brothers Angel, becoming impatient their destination --it being then October-- went in advance of the train, each taking a small pack of clothing and food; and, after a journey of severe fatigue, reached San Diego about the middle of November, ragged and famished. The train which had been left behind dragged its weary way along, and in the spring of 1850 reached the mining region in Mariposa County.





At San Diego was a small hermaphrodite brig, about 1 for San Francisco, and would take passengers at $100 each, the passenger to furnish his own subsistence. LS a great favor, the owner of the brig accepted $150 as the passage money for the two, that being the size of their pile after buying some provisions for the voyage. About half a dozen others who had reached San Diego with sufficient means, also went as passengers, leaving near one hundred destitute emigrants bewailing their hard fate. A few days afterwards, the steamer Oregon called in on her way from Panama, and took all remaining, free of charge.





On the 8th of December, 1849, the two brothers landed in San Francisco, in the rain and mud of a severe winter, he n a condition that can better be imagined than described. A few days thereafter an incident occurred that helped much to relieve them of want, when employment was unattainable. They had left in the wagon a trunk well filled with valuable books, some clothing, etc. To lighten the load, this was thrown out at the crossing of the Colorado. At that time Lieut. Cave J. Coutts was in command and of some soldiers stationed there (since called Fort Yuma), and, seeing the trunk as jetsam, on the sand, he examined it, and finding the books, papers, and clothing of a Cadet, quickly put it on an ambulance, and hastened after the departed train. Finding that the object of his search had gone before, he pushed through to San Diego, but was still too late to overtake the owner of the things he had rescued at so much trouble. The kind officer then put the trunk in charge of a gentleman going to San Francisco, with instructions to hunt up the owner and restore him his property, with the warm regard of a brother soldier. The trunk thus reached its destination, nd the valuable books it contained sold for such prices aided to pass the hardships of a winter which proved the last to many young and homesick pioneers.





The summer of 1850 was spent in mining at Bidwell's Bar, on Feather River, with rather poor success; and in 1851 the two brothers settled on a ranch at a place since called Angel's Slough, near the Sacramento River, south of Chico. In 1856 they purchased a mining claim at North San Juan, Nevada County, and, joining with others, commenced opening it by tunnel. In this enterprise about $40,000 was expended and lost. The brothers had continued inseparable until 1860, when the elder, Eugene Angel, went to the eastern slope, in the Washoe excitement, and was killed at the massacre at Pyramid Lake, May 12, 1860. Myron Angel in the meantime had become editor of the Placerville Semi-Weekly Observer, in which situation he continued until he returned to San Juan to take charge of his mining interests there. Upon the breaking out of the war, he offered his services to the Governor of California, and received the appointment of Captain of Infantry. Upon this being announced, the San Juan Press of' October 5, 1861, said: --_ "We are pleased to learn that our friend and fellowman, Mr. Myron Angel, is raising a company of Infantry in obedience to the call of the General Government authority from Governor Downey so to do. 'This furnishes an additional opportunity to all who are willing to serve their country in the hour of her need, to enroll their names. "Mr. Angel received a thorough military education at West Point, and knows well the duties belonging to an officer. He is a gentleman, too, in whom implicit confidence their necessities under his care will be promptly attended to, and their rights strictly guarded.





No fund had been supplied for maintaining and forwarding recruits, and this Mr. Angel did until his own funds were exhausted. Then came the pressing demand for his time to attend to the business of a failing mining enterprise, in which his all was invested, and although appealed to by Colonel Judah, a West Point friend, who then had command of the Fourth California Volunteers, he was compelled to withdraw from the service, hoping another opportunity when his business would be better arranged. That time, however, did not offer. after writing for various papers, in 1863 he became editor of the Reese River Reveille, which is told in the sketch of that paper. While in that position he wrote several reports on the mines of eastern Nevada, assisting Mr J. Ross Browne in his " Report on the Mineral Resources west of the Rocky Mountains." A little book he wrote about this time on his favorite theme of the resources of eastern Nevada, had the distinction of being published in French in Paris, and in German in Leipsic, the translator into French being Emil de Girardin, who paid the author the compliment of saying it was the best English he had ever translated. Mr Angel was editor-in-chief of the Reveille until 1868, when he left and became editor of the Oakland Daily News, in California; then of the State Capital Reporter, of Sacramento; then of the White Pine News, of which paper he continued as an Francisco correspondent and agent until 1875, when he again became editor of the Oakland News. While acting as newspaper correspondent in San Francisco he also wrote for other publications, the principal being a "Pacific Coast Business Directory and Gazetteer," of which two editions were published, one in 1871, and the other in 1876; also the historical and miscellaneous matter for the San Francisco Annual Directory. The Pacific Coast Directory comprised all the region west of Dakota and Wyoming, and contained the most complete history, geography, and resources yet published. While performing these labors he was engaged in a mammoth mining enterprise, in company of Mr. M. D. Fairchild and Hon. John Daggett, in making a canal, and opening a large hydraulic mine in El Dorado County. After an expenditure of over $100,000 the enterprise came to a halt for want of funds, fortune again slipping away, and the faithful pen or pencil found to be the only safe reliance. Mr. Angel, when asked his employment, said, "I mine for a fortune, but I write for a living." September 22, 1879, he was married to Charlotte Paddock Livingston, daughter of Rev. Joseph Paddock, an accomplished lady, whose acquaintance extended from the days of their youth.





In addition to the above-mentioned literary works he was engaged at the organization of the State Mining Bureau in 1880, to write a history of mining in California and entered upon the work, collecting a large amount of valuable material and making extended progress with the history. The Mining Bureau, however, was dependent upon an unreliable income and that at last failing, the work was left uncompleted. He afterwards was the editor of the "History of the State of Nevada," a work of over a 1,000 pages quarto, and has subsequently written the "History of Placer County," and the present volume, "History of San Luis Obispo County""

From: History of San Luis Obispo, California: Thompson & West, 1883

Street address: 714 Buchon St County / Borough / Parish: San Luis Obispo Year listed: 1982 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Person Periods of significance: 1875-1899 Historic function: Single Dwelling Current function: Single Dwelling Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Privately owned?: Not Listed Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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