John August Laufkotter

 

John August Laufkotter, a pioneer of Sacramento, was born in the town of Weinenburg, Province of Westphalia, Germany, July 19, 1812. His parents were Frans and Sophia (Kalthoff) Laufkotter. His father was mayor of the town, had a tanyard, with a tract of land adjoining, a pottery and a hotel. The subject of this biographical outline, the youngest of his eight children, was reared in his native town to the age of ten years, attending gymnasium from the age of ten to fourteen. At the age of eighteen years he volunteered in a rifle company in the Government service, in the Volunteer Rifle Corps, and served one year. October 2, 1834, he sailed from Bremen, and November 28 arrived in Baltimore, on the Johannes. Having a letter of recommendation to a nobleman in Baltimore, with whose sister he was acquainted, he went to Wheeling, West Virginia, being one of four private passengers. He brought with him money, clothes and tools, such as saws of all kinds and chains, etc., and remained in Wheeling for a few days, or until the steamboat was ready, and he sailed on down to Louisville, Kentucky, and a few days later proceeded on his way to St. Louis, with four persons, two brothers and another man and his wife, who had been put in the second cabin. No city in the United States where so many educated Germans as in St. Louis. Some of his fellow-countrymen met him on the wharf, and afterward, as they were standing in the Swiss Hotel, John A. Sutter came up and said to Mr. Laufkotter that he wanted to start a colony, and asked him whether he had tools, etc. The latter replied, Yes. There were many Swiss in St. Louis then, among them captains, professors, etc., who were spending a great deal of money in that city. Twice a week they attended the German club. From two men who had been in the rocky Mountain region Mr. Laufkotter heard of a company going to Santa Fe to form a colony. Before arrangements were perfected, Sutter went to St. Charles to reside, not far from St.  Louis, as living was considerably cheaper there, and in the meantime some of the parties lost confidence in him. Friends persuaded Mr. Laufkotter to go into business. Accordingly he engaged a partner and rented a building; but before starting in trade he went to Belleville, Illinois, Peoria, etc., hunting a good location; but, not being satisfied, he returned to St. Louis, where a friend met him and proposed to go into business with him at St. Charles, running a grocery and saloon. This offer was accepted, and they made money “hand over fist.” Sutter, residing there, would visit him every day. One day he told Sutter there was a chance then for him to get off, there being Frenchmen in St. Louis who could tell him about Santa Fe. Accordingly, Sutter went to work and by spring got together seventeen men, with a few mules and equipments. They met and appointed Laufkotter, Sutter and Mr. Keiser a committee to go to St.  Louis and buy goods. Repairing there, they lived in high style and ran in debt $6,000, the company signing a mutual note for the amount. The goods were insured and sent on the steamboat to Independence. The committee returned to St. Charles and got everything ready for starting, and Mr.  Laufkotter went to St. Louis again to say good by; and while there had a social time with the wholesale merchant, and the Russian Consul, etc.  From a man who had just arrived from New Orleans to join the party, Sutter obtained $1,300 as his share in the enterprise. But when all seemed ready to start there was no money in the treasury. Sutter hustled around in St. Charles and obtained $100 from a miller, other money from other men, and a doctor gave him a medicine chest worth $80. Most of the party went by steamer to Independence, and eight or ten went by land with wagons; but Laufkotter and Sutter by carriage. This they smashed to pieces in going down a rough hill. Sutter got together $200 more; but Laufkotter endeavored to have him deposed as captain, as fighting was expected on the plains. He sold his interest in the company, $400, to Sutter, for 35 per cent. The faction following Laufkotter had plenty of beef, with mint sauce, while Sutter and his men had only bacon. The latter returned to the States, while Mr. Laufkotter, with a number of picked men and furnished with tools, went to the mines at Rio del Dolores, where the Alcalde measured off a place for them; but for the first ten days’ work they obtained only $5 worth of gold. Mr. Laufkotter then kept a saloon on the Plaza in Santa Fe, and afterward added the dry-goods trade and then a billiard hall. Was laid up with sickness, having to lie four weeks on the floor, when the only one to attend to him was a Frenchman who had been a body-guard to Napoleon. On recovery he joined the Americans who were going out to meet the Apaches in Arizona, on a trading expedition. During this journey he experienced many memorable scene of privation, narrow escape and romantic passage of life. From this trip he returned to the States, and in 1837-‘38 made another journey into northern into northern Mexico, also full of exciting adventure. One morning they killed seven grizzly bears before breakfast! During this expedition they found the Apaches hostile to the Americans, and it required several days to convince them that he was not an American. He made peace with them, giving them peace papers. For a number of years after this he was resident of Missouri, where he was in partnership with a man in a drug-store. On the breaking out of the gold excitement he came across the plains with an ox team in 1849, arriving in Sacramento October 10 with his family. On arriving here he first erected a simple dwelling, 18 x 30 feet, near the present city cemetery is, sawing out, with the aid of another man, a great portion of the lumber with a whip-saw. For the lumber sheeting he paid $1,400. Afterward he moved into a house which he had to vacate upon the location of the present capitol grounds; and then he bought his present fine property, 20 x 80 feet, being the southwest corner of Tenth and J streets. It was then only a one-story, but he has since a second-story, and an expensive double portico, and he has always kept the building in a fine condition. He now occupies the second story as a dwelling, while the first story yields him a good permanent income. Mr. Laufkotter married in the old country Miss Jasper, and came with her in 1843 to this country, landing at New Orleans. Settling upon a farm in Jersey County, Illinois, he followed agriculture there for five or six years, and then went to St. Louis, as already mentioned. He has four children living, all residents of Sacramento: William, Clement, and Charles are engaged in boring wells, and in other mechanical enterprises; and Emma is keeping house for her father. Mr. Laufkotter has led a remarkable life. He is a well-preserved, fine-looking old gentleman, courteous, affable and vivacious. His romantic career is referred to in a large German work entitled, “In der neuen Heimath,” which is a collection of historical miscellanies concerning prominent Germans in this country; and Mr. Laufkotter has ready for the press a very large work written by himself.

 

Transcribed by Marla Fitzsimmons.