CAPTAIN THOMAS DWYER

Sacramento County

Biographies

CAPTAIN THOMAS DWYER

CAPTAIN THOMAS DWYER, president of the Sacramento Transportation Company, was born in 1831, in County Wexford, Ireland,—next to the youngest in a family of eight children,—his parents being Frank and Ellen (O’Neal) Dwyer. His father was a small farmer, who lived and died a poor man; his death took place in 1885. Nature had endowed young Dwyer with a spirit of enterprise, and when, in 1848, some acquaintances tried to persuade him to go with them to the New World, he readily consented. Young, hearty, robust, he came to Toronto in all the vigor of his young manhood, and commenced the battle of life. He at once engaged in the lumber trade, working at that during the winter, and on a farm during the summer. In 1852 he came to the United States, going into Maumee County, Ohio, and there he obtained his first contract work, which consisted in the getting out of a certain number of railroad ties. After this he went to Lake County, Illinois, and again became a “farm hand” in the summer, going to the pine woods of Wisconsin in the winter, where sometimes for six weeks continuously the sun never melted the snow from the sides of the trees nor from the roof of the shanty which served as their only shelter. In 1859, during the Pike’s Peak excitement, in company with a party of friends, he started for the gold diggings; on reaching the Missouri River at Council Bluffs, they learned that Pike’s Peak was a humbug, some of the party turned back, but the subject of this sketch and his partner struck out boldly for California, the land of gold and sunshine. They came with ox teams, via Lander’s cut-off, Raft Creek, and the Honey Lake Valley to Susanville, where they arrived on the 3rd of September, after a journey of five months. He spent a year in the mines of Shasta County, and went to Chico during the following summer and ran a threshing-machine there and in Colusa County. When the season for farm work was over he bought some timber land on the Sacramento River in Colusa County, and commenced cutting wood; he got together about 2,500 cords, taking in a partner to share the expense, bought a wood barge and brought the wood down to Sacramento, where he could dispose of it to the schooners in the river. This was the origin of what is today known as the Sacramento Transportation Company. He afterward bought a small steamer to tow his barges. About this time, 1866, J. H. Roberts, H. L. Miller, Michael Rigney, N. McNear and C. Clots were added to the firm, which was then known as the Sacramento Wood Company. In 1879 the name was changed to the Sacramento Transportation Company, and the firm was incorporated under the laws of the State. Notwithstanding the California Steam Navigation Company was running in opposition to them, their business grew and flourished. Increased towing facilities being required, the Verona was added to their fleet in 1873; the San Joaquin, No. 2, in 1877; the San Joaquin, No. 4, in 1882; the Governor Dana, Dover, and Flora, in 1883; and they are now (1889) building another steamer which has not yet been named. In addition to these steamers they have a fleet of twenty barges. In 1881 they engaged in the manufacture of brick, erecting kilns on the Riverside road, five miles below Sacramento, where they now have the most approved appliances. In 1888 they introduced the new patent system called the continuous kiln, with a capacity of 50,000 pressed brick per diem; they also have in operation four Quaker brick machines, with a capacity of 140,000 daily. The busy life of Captain Dwyer had left him but scant time to devote to politics or the fraternal societies. He was married in 1868 to Ellen Flannigan, a native of Ireland. They have five children, viz: Frances Thomas, Mary Ellen, John Jeffery, William Patrick and Thomas Edward.

Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.

Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 663-664. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.