Butte County
Biographies
SMITH H. HURLES
SMITH H.
HURLES.--Among the pioneers who really did something for Butte County none
deserves more honorable mention than Smith H. Hurles,
the founder of Hurleton, and the genial hotel
proprietor who managed to make a success of his business for so many years
notwithstanding his advocacy of temperance and his refusal to profit by the
sales of alcohol. Born in Enniskillen, Ireland, on
May 1, 1827, Mr. Hurles was descended from a
prominent old family of the English nobility, and was consequently given the
finest of educational advantages. He studied at Portora
College, a school founded by King Charles I, and graduated with honors. Once he
had completed his studies, he enjoyed alluring prospects in his native land,
but the glamor of the New World beyond the seas led
him to cross the Atlantic, and he arrived in Montreal, Canada, in 1847. There
he remained for a year, when he removed to Boston, Mass., in which city he kept
store for four years.
In November, 1850, Mr. Hurles was married to Harriet H. Herring, a native of the
now famous spa town, Poland, Me., and about the same time came under the spell
of California, of whose stores of wealth and opportunities he heard more and
more. The fever finally induced him to abandon New England and to join a
company of pioneers. With his wife he sailed for the coast by way of Panama,
heading for Marysville, and what his experiences were can best be told in his
own words which were published in 1905.
"I arrived in Marysville,"
he says, "on December 6, 1854, and settled on a ranch on Feather River;
but this proved to be on a land grant and I had to leave it. In 1861 I went to
Chico and clerked for General Bidwell, at a salary of
$150 a month. The only buildings at Chico at that time were an adobe hotel, a
flour mill, and a store.
"The first ripe peaches I had
to eat were raised on a ranch on the Yuba River, four miles from Marysville,
which was owned by Mr. Briggs. He charged one dollar for admittance to the
orchard, and each man was allowed to eat all the peaches he desired. As I had
several cows, we made considerable butter, which we sold for a dollar a pound.
We had two hundred fifty hens and sold the eggs for one dollar a dozen. The
best apple I had in Marysville I paid fifty cents for, in 1857.
"I bought the place where I now
live from Daniel Abbey for $1,650. It had no improvements except a dwelling. I
built a large stable, and the California Stage Company paid me forty dollars a
month for the use of the barn, for twenty-five years.
"I have resided here for
forty-eight years, and never had to call for medical advice. I am now
seventy-eight years and six months old, so my hand trembles some when I
write."
In October, 1910, Mr. Hurles' fellow citizens and many admirers were called upon
to mourn his death at the rounding out of a long and useful life.
Mrs. Hurles
was born, as has been stated, at Poland, Me., January 12, 1828, a descendant of
one of the fine old Puritan families of real Mayflower stock from Plymouth. Her
folks owned the Big Springs at Poland, and longevity was a characteristic of
her family, several having attained the age of one hundred years. She died in Hurleton, February 27, 1901, seventy-nine years old.
Smith Hurles
was for a while head bookkeeper for General Bidwell
at Chico, and then he built a hotel, and established a popular stage station.
He and his wife were noted for their excellent entertainment, and in course of
time he improved the place, bringing it out of its wild state and making of the
land a good stock ranch. It was located twelve miles from Oroville, on the Forbestown road, and from there, where he also had a dairy and extensive vegetable gardens, he sent out his
products for miles around.
Many years ago this famous hotel of
Mr. Hurles burned down, and he lost a large collection
of valuable curios and books, notes and newspaper clippings of early events,
but after the fire he would not sell out or leave the neighborhood, and he
continued to reside in Mrs. Lantz's warehouse until the hotel was rebuilt. This
old hotel was a very attractive place, for the keeper was a musician, as were
all the members of his family, and they had a house orchestra that furnished
entertainment to the guests. Mr. Hurles was also
well-read, and thus contributed to the pleasure of the passing hours. His
daughter, Fannie, studied music eight years in New York City, and on her return
taught music in Hurleton and vicinity, becoming the
leader of their band and orchestra. When she married she was wedded to a Mr.
Foreman.
As a result of his public-spiritedness
and enterprise, Mr. Hurles had the post office
established, and was the first postmaster at Hurleton,
an office that he held for over forty years. On his resignation, his daughter,
Mrs. Lantz, became postmaster. His place was the stage station for the changing
of horses and the serving of dinner to passengers, the latter feature of
old-time transportation service being especially in charge of Mrs. Hurles, to whom her husband was tenderly devoted. She was a
very quiet lady, and much loved for her amiable disposition,
and it is told of her husband that following her death he visited her grave
almost daily to carry freshly plucked flowers.
Four children blessed this pioneer
couple: Fannie, Mrs. Foreman, died here; Richard resides on the ranch; Daniel
is a miner; and Annie H. is a merchant with her husband, Mr. Lantz, at Hurleton, and they also have business interests in
Oroville.
Transcribed by Sande Beach.
Source: "History of
Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 437-438, Historic Record Co, Los
Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2006 Sande Beach.
Golden Nugget Library's Butte County Biographies