El
Dorado County
Biographies
ARTHUR LITTEN
In
the early mining days of El Dorado County one of the best known figures was
Arthur Litten, whose activities at that time were in the field of commerce, in
which he rendered a great and appreciated service to the miners and was
rewarded with substantial success. He
was a good citizen in the best sense of the term and during more than his fifty
years residence here he commanded the highest measure of public regard. Mr. Litten was born in Kentucky, December 10,
1831, and when two years old was taken by his parents to Illinois. As a boy he rode thirteen miles each day to
attend school, and he also studied privately, thus acquiring a finished
education. In 1853, just after he had
attained his majority, he crossed the plains to California, with five horses,
one a riding horse, reaching Placerville August 19th. After a few days there, he continued on to
Dry Creek, where he remained three days.
His next stop was at Jay Hawk, where he spent ten days in the mines, at
the end of which time he concluded he was not cut out for a miner. With eighty dollars and a team of mules, he
drove to a wholesale grocery house in Sacramento where he spent his limited capital
in the purchase of overalls, picks, shovels, and beans and other goods needed
by the miners. At the prices of those
days eighty dollars did not buy a very large stock. It took him three days to make the trip and
on his return he found the miners waiting for him, so that he very quickly sold
all of his stuff right from the wagon.
He repeated these trips a number of times, each time having more money
from his profits to reinvest in goods.
Finally the wholesale house induced him to open an account and put in a
stock of goods. On his fourth trip he
brought back with him three boards, out of which he made shelves, which he put
up in a tent. He scarcely got his goods
on these shelves until they were sold, but eventually he did succeed in getting
a stock. In the meantime he erected a
store building and conducted a prosperous business there until 1859, when his
health became impaired.
He
bought claims to about three thousand acres of land, to which he later added
seven hundred acres. The government land
grant to the railroad took some of this land and he later had to buy it
back. The first piece of improved
highway in California, about one and a half miles in length, was constructed in
front of the Litten property and was a toll road and Mrs. Litten, who had come
across the plains in 1852, was the first person to ride over it. Mr. Litten established a store on his
property, facing the toll road, and there he sold hay, grain and supplies to
the continuous line of freighters, who were hauling supplies to the Comstock
mines, so that Mr. Litten did a large and profitable business there. Mrs. Litten also contributed to the success
of the business by making pies, which she sold at fifty cents a slice. In those days the Litten’s were well known in
all of the mining camps of California, Nevada and Arizona. Mr. Litten became well-to-do, owning much
stock, many horses and large mining interests.
Although
an active and prominent supporter of the Republican Party, Mr. Litten would
never consent to run for office. He was
a member of the Masonic order and lived up to the sublime teachings of the time
honored fraternity. His death occurred
in 1910 and his wife passed away in 1913.
They became the parents of four daughters, of whom the survivors are
Julia, the widow of the late J. C. MacDonald, and Stella, who still lives at
the old home. Both sisters became
teachers, and throughout the community where they have lived for so many years
they are very highly esteemed.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 2 Pages 428-429. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's El Dorado County Biographies