El
Dorado County
Biographies
J. C. MacDONALD
The
late J. C. MacDonald, of Rescue, California, who departed this life on October
7, 1915, was a man of good education and high attainments as an engineer and
performed some notable work in his line.
While he was greatly respected for these things, he was also greatly
esteemed for his high character and likeable traits, which won for him a warm
place in the hearts of all who were associated with him. A native of Nova Scotia, he was there reared
to the age of twenty-one years, and in the course of his educational training
acquired a thorough and practical knowledge of civil and mechanical
engineering. At about the time he
attained his majority he went to Portland, Oregon, where he lived for five
years, and then became connected with the Grunley Smelting Company at Grand
Forks, British Columbia, in which position he continued for nine years. He then continued the private practice of his
profession in Grand Forks, organizing an engineering and construction
company. Later he went to Vancouver and
opened an engineering office and shortly afterward constructed the Vancouver
and New Westminster water works system.
Later, because of impaired health, Mr. MacDonald disposed of his British
Columbia interests and came to his wife’s home place at Rescue, where he spent
much time in the improvement and development of the ranch. He was called to Ottawa, Canada, by the
provincial government to plan for bringing water from Clear Lake, but because
of conditions, the project was abandoned.
In the spring of 1915 he returned to the home place, his health failed
rapidly and he closed his eyes to earthly scenes in the fall of that year.
Soon
after first going to Portland, Oregon, Mr. MacDonald met and was united in
marriage to Miss Julia Litten, who at that time was teaching school in
Portland. She is a daughter of Arthur
Litten, to whom personal reference is made in other pages of this work. Mr. and Mrs. MacDonald became the parents of
two children, Lloyd, who died in infancy, and Litten D., who died May 20, 1930,
at the age of thirty-two years, a bright and gifted young man, whose death was
a great loss to his mother. Mr.
MacDonald was a Republican in his political views and was urged to accept
public office, but invariably declined to become a candidate. He was a member of the Masonic order and was
extremely popular wherever known, his death being regarded as a personal loss
by those who knew him.
A
bit of old history is recalled in the fact that General Fremont camped at the
spring on the MacDonald farm, and Fremont Peak was no named from the fact that
the General took observations from its summit.
It is located on the MacDonald property and is but a short distance from
the home. It is the highest point between
Mt. Hamilton and Mt. Shasta. Mrs.
MacDonald carries on the work of the ranch, being a woman of ability and
judgment in practical matters. Her
sister, Miss Litten, who also lives in the old home, is a teacher and has
taught three generations of El Dorado children.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 3, Pages 28-29. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden
Nugget Library's El Dorado County Biographies