10 THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2012 Community Do You In December 1837 John A tower added a fourth floor. The Marsh bought Los Meganos, a Remember? building has 7,000 square feet. rancho north of Robert Liver­ There was a veranda on three more's Rancho Las Positas, from By Anne Homan sides of the first floor, and the its original grantee, Jose Noriega, veranda's roof was accessible for $500. Alta California's from the second floor. When Mexican Governor Jose Castro John Marsh's Stone House Alice was four years old, Abby had granted the four-league died of tuberculosis in August ,~ " .,'( hood. When gold was discovered (about 20,846 acres) rancho to 218 pounds, stood six feet two, .... 1855. In early September 1856 ~.\.';(-.:.--. - ~ and was bronzed and powerfully , ,t. ~ . ,.. "" in California, Marsh traveled to Noriega in 1835. Marsh's rancho 1fl!: ••","I':"" .,.. ,';"1 Marsh moved his belongings into included part of the Arroyo de built. .\.r. ~ '. 'J : 1, ..;,\ Park's Bar, north of Marysville, the new house. Two weeks later, ." J. " ,: ~ ' ..... , P, where he struck it rich. He had los Poblados (now Marsh Creek) Marsh was now the only " -. '- ~ 'J. .,1 ':6'i,., Marsh was stabbed to death by medical doctor in California. " .~'I"" .~. :"!~ also brought goods with him to watershed, and Marsh could not ~ ';.... ~ ~~ three vaqueros who stopped his His biographer, George Lyman, I '.' • ~I trade for gold from other min­ take possession of his land until \"~ - " #: buggy and robbed him when he suggested that he use a deserted . 'rl''i . ers. In only a few months, he late April 1838 because of heavy 1".,.'.,\, ...... was on his way to Martinez. winter rains. At that time, Robert adobe on the Los Angeles Plaza had accumulated $40,000. After If you travel north on Lone . Livermore was his closest neigh­ for his office. He worked hard returning to Los Meganos, he Tree Way from Marsh Creek bor. The modern city of Brent­ and was paid with cowhides, grew richer by supplying the gold Road, you can see the Marsh +pi if camps with wheat, fruit, beef, wood lies at the northeastern each worth about two dollars, house to the west. edge of the rancho and Antioch tallow, or furs. He had a supply and pork. In 1851 his grape crop The Trust for Public Land of quinine and thus could treat alone brought in $4,000. to the north. '~'I'".:~. raised $13 million to buy 4,000 John Marsh was born in Dan­ malaria. He vaccinated against At Los Meganos near the acres, including the house, and vers, Massachusetts in 1800; he smallpox, and he helped with creek, with the help of local turned the property over to the graduated from Harvard in 1823. difficult childbirths. Soon he Indians, Marsh built an adobe state park system. Indian artifacts " " When he came overland to Los complained that his adobe looked with four rooms plus an attic, not dating back 9,000 years have Angeles in 1836, some scholars more like a warehouse than the far from a large Miwok Indian been found on the property. The office of a physician. Eventually, village. The floor was dirt; the say that he misrepresented his thriving herd that grazed on his house was placed on the Na­ he sold his earnings to a Boston roof was thatched. One room had Harvard diploma as a medical unfenced property. tional Register of Historic Places trading ship and headed north. a fireplace-not for warmth, but degree. He had taken a course in He was still the only doctor in 197 I. For many years, local Tn San Jose he met Jose so that the doctor could read at anatomy and worked as a Boston around; Antonio Sunol sent a fans have fought to preserve the Noriega, who wanted to sell night. In June 1851 he married doctor's assistant in his senior rider with a letter for Marsh: "My building. In 2006 the area was his rancho. After baptism at the Abby Thck, a schoolteacher, and year. He also studied for two wife is very ill. ... Come to San chosen for a state park. However, mission. a requirement for Alta she came to live with him in the years with an army surgeon in Jose and take horses, as the case little actual restoration has been California land ownership, Marsh adobe. She was delighted with Wisconsin. In many states such is quite urgent." The U.S. Consul accomplished on the old build­ bought Los Meganos. In order the nearby vineyard, orchard, and experiences in those times would at Monterey sent for Marsh when ing. With the recent cut-backs in to furnish cattle for his rancho, gardens. A daughter, Alice, was have qualified him to practice his daughter came down with state spending, that progress wiIl Marsh charged high prices for born the following April. medicine. The Los Angeles city smallpox . Dr. Marsh traveled by probably slow down even more. his work: twenty-five cows for a Marsh decided to build a council had the diploma's Latin horseback many miles to tend For current information, see professional visit and fi fty cows house worthy of his happy little translated to their satisfaction the ill. the web site www.johnmarsh­ for an overnight stay. One angry family. The site, selected by by the Franciscan brothers at Marsh wrote letters to friends house. com. customer, after washing two of Abby, was near the old adobe. Mission San Gabriel and granted and newspapers back east, per­ Marsh's shirts, deducted twenty­ The house is three stories, built Dr. John Marsh a license to suading people to come to Cali­ Readers can reach me at five cows for doing the laundry of brick and ornamented on the practice medicine. According fornia. He was involved with the [email protected]. from Dr. Marsh's original bill exterior with pinkish-brown to Irving Stone's Men to Match political shenanigans that eventu­ for ISO cows. Soon, Marsh had a sandstone quarried on the rancho. My Mountains, Marsh weighed ally resulted in California state­.