Butte
County
Biographies
E. W. FOGG
E.
W. Fogg, a prominent citizen now living retired in Oroville, was born in Maine,
June 25, 1849, a son of Timothy and Catherine (Robinson) Fogg, the latter a
native of Thomaston, Maine. In the year
1852 the father came to California and settled in Sacramento, where he devoted
his attention to merchandising. He was
not active in politics, but was a public-spirited citizen, and all who knew him
esteemed him owing to his sterling worth.
His death occurred when he had reached the age of seventy-two years.
E.
W. Fogg, one of a family of eight children, attended the common schools and
then entered the banking house of Rideout, Smith & Company. In 1865 he became a “devil” in a printing
establishment and later was clerk in a drug store but did not find that
occupation congenial. In 1866 he secured
employment in a book and stationery store conducted by A. G. Simpson, who also
represented the Wells Fargo Express Company, the Western Union Telegraph
Company and several newspaper agencies.
Mr. Fogg’s salary was twenty dollars per month at that time, but he was afterwards
employed in the bank of Rideout, Smith & Company at seventy-five dollars
per month. Later, this bank took over
the agency of the Wells Fargo Express Company, carrying this in connection with
their general banking business. In 1872
Mr. Fogg came into full charge of the bank as its cashier and manager and so
continued until 1898, his identification with the institution covering a period
of thirty years. Prior to Mr. Fogg’s connection
with the bank, it was kept open on Saturday evenings and Sundays in order to
buy gold dust, as Oroville depended largely on its mining industry at that
time. In the early days of his
incumbency, Mr. Fogg made gold bricks in the rear part of the bank, some valued
at ten thousand dollars and others of lesser amounts. At one time the bank held as high as one
hundred thousand dollars in gold bricks as security for loans to one operator.
During
one period of these historic days there were ten thousand Chinamen in Oroville,
three thousand of who were living off the labors of those who were real
producers of gold. As is common in
mining districts, the town was full of promoters, gamblers and crooks gathered
to seek easy money from the unsuspecting.
When Thomas A. Edison, the world-famed inventor of the electric light,
became interested in the location of platinum mines, he sent Major Frank
McLaughlin to explore the Oroville district, but as he was unable to find the
precious metal in paying quantities, he became deeply interested in the gold
mining industry and secured New York capital to invest in hydraulic mining near
Oroville. At an expense of about two
hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars, property was purchased, water power
was developed and a ditch was completed, and after two weeks’ operation a gross
return of over sixteen thousand dollars was shown. Then the Anti-debris Association was
organized and enjoined this mining concern from further operations, thereby
occasioning a complete loss of the invested capital of the mining company. It was about this time that Mr. Fogg turned
his attention to the orange industry in Oroville, as orange land was selling at
one thousand dollars an acre in southern California. Accordingly he interested patrons of the bank,
from whom he obtained capital, and incorporated the Oroville Citrus
Association, which about 1886 planted forty acres of Washington Navel oranges,
the first commercial grove north of the Tehachapi Mountains. Water was far cheaper in this district than
in the southern part of the state, the soil of Butte county
was rich in silt and in this frost-proof country the industry prospered and
demonstrated what could be accomplished in the production of oranges in the
valley. The Oroville oranges now bring
the highest prices, as they are high in sugar content and reach the markets six
weeks earlier than fruit produced in southern California. On two occasions Oroville and vicinity
received first premiums on its citrus fruit display at the State Fair, but
politics entered into the premium distributions and other counties thereafter
received some of the awards.
Mr.
Fogg wrote: “It was my suggestion to Major Frank McLaughlin and A. F. Jones
that we endeavor to obtain control or management of the water privileges of the
Miocene Mining Company for the purpose of connecting it with agricultural land
on the northerly side of the Feather River.
This was accomplished under most favorable conditions, thus enabling us
to secure some seventy-five hundred acres of land for colony purposes and to be
planted to oranges, grapefruit and other products. The land was placed on the market at one
hundred dollars per acre, water with it at three dollars per acre per annum, as
against one thousand dollars per acre in southern California for unimproved
land at that time. Of course at these
figures of one hundred dollars per acre here, with water, there was nothing in
it for the promoters, McLaughlin, Fogg & Jones, as it was not done with any
other idea than for the benefit of Oroville and to give this district publicity
for its early ripening of citrus fruits.”
Mr.
Fogg was also the promoter of the olive industry in this section of the state,
and now he can look back with pride over his career, as the introduction and
promotion of olives and citrus fruits are due to his efforts as a planter at an
early day. He was made the executive
chairman of the committee of the first three Citrus Fairs held in Oroville,
this being the public recognition of his effective service in behalf of the
industry.
In
1883 occurred the marriage of E. W. Fogg and Miss Alida Miner, of Napa, California. They have a son and a daughter, namely: Timothy E., who is with the state highway
department; and Edleda, who became the wife of Bruce Basford. The latter
died in early manhood and Mrs. Basford afterward
married William A. Briggs and now has two children, William and Barbara. Mr. Fogg has usually supported the
Republican Party but has become disgusted with the attitude of politicians upon
many questions of general importance and is now independent of party ties. He has taken a keen interest in community
affairs and for eight years was a member of the city council. He belongs to the Elks lodge of Oroville and
he has done much to promote the general welfare of the city and Butte county, a fact attested by his many friends. Whatever he has undertaken he has carried
forward to successful completion and his labors have resulted most beneficially
to the community at large.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 3, Pages 254-256. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Butte County Biographies