Frederick A. Hihn was born on the sixteenth day of August, 1820, at Holzminden, Duchy of Brunswick, Germany. He was one of a family of seven boys and two girls. His father was a merchant. One of his brothers lives in Buenos Syres, Argentine Republic, another at Berlin, Germany, and another brother and two sisters live in Zurich, Switzerland. He was educated in the high school at Holzminden, and at the age of fifteen entered the mercantile house of A. Hoffmann, of Schoeningen, as an apprentice. In his eighteenth year, having completed his apprenticeship, he engaged successfully in the business of collecting medicinal herbs and preparing them for market.
Disliking the German form of government, and yearning for political liberty, he was preparing to emigrate to Wisconsin, when the news of the gold discoveries in California reached Germany. He learned of the great throng forming all over the world for the gold land and joined it.
On the twentieth day of April, 1849, he and about sixty others sailed in the brig Reform from Bremen, via Cape Horn, for California. After two months sail they reached the harbor of Rio Janeiro. It seemed a paradise; the beauties of the tropical scenery and vegetation, and the balmy air, filled with the delicious odor of orange blossoms, entranced them, but they were disenchanted by the monotonous ejaculations and dogtrot of large gangs of slaves passing by, loaded down with heavy burdens. After five days' sojourn they set sail again. Opposite the La Plata River they endured a terrific storm, then they passed through the Straits of La Maire and came in full sight of Cape Horn, a tall cliff jutting boldly into the ocean. It was midwinter and the thermometer low, but all thronged the deck to view the great column and bid adieu to the Atlantic Ocean. It seemed to them as if they were entering a new world.
In two weeks more they landed at Valparaiso, from where, after a four days stay, they sailed for San Francisco, and on the twelfth day of October, 1849, they entered the Golden Gate. The harbor was full of ships; they landed near the foot of Washington Street, not far from Montgomery Street. San Francisco was then but a small town, but every nationality seemed to be represented.
Although near the rainy season the most of the passengers of the Reform proceeded at once to the mines. Mr. Hihn joined a party of six for the same destination, led by Henry Gerstecker. After a world of troubles they reached the south fork of the Feather River in the early part of November. They bought a mining claim and prepared to locate for the winter, but it commenced to rain, and kept raining. The river rose and washed away their tools, and they had to subsist for a while on Manzanita berries. After a two weeks vain attempt to make a living it was decided to return to Sacramento, which they finally reached about December 1. Here the party disbanded. Mr. Hihn and E. Kunitz, now his near neighbor, remained, and engaged in the manufacture of candy, then much in demand. They did a very good business for a few weeks, but about Christmas the Sacramento and American Rivers overflowed their banks, and the candy factory with all its contents was destroyed.
In the summer of 1850, Mr. Hihn worked in the mines at Long Bar, on the American River, below Auburn, with moderate success. In the fall he returned to Sacramento, where he became one of the proprietors of two hotels on K Street, named the Uncle Sam House and the Mechanics' Exchange. Times getting very dull he sold out during the next winter, and opened a drug store in San Francisco, on Washington Street, near Maguire's Opera House.
The great fire of May, 1851, took nearly all his worldly goods, and what was left was consumed in the June fire of that year. Despairing of ever again succeeding, he was passing through the burnt district on his way to take passage for his nativeland, when he saw one of his friends, who had been burnt out, shoveling the burning coals out of the way. "What are you doing?" was asked. "Building a new store," was the reply. "What, after having been burnt out twice within two months?" Said the friend. "Oh, someone will carry on business here; I might just as well do it as someone else!" This incident changed Mr. Hihn's mind. New courage pervaded him, and, instead of returning home, he formed a copartnership with Henry Hintch to open a store in some town south of San Francisco, where it was supposed money was not so plenty, but the danger from fire and water less, and life more agreeable.
In October, 1851, they came to Santa Cruz, where they located at the junction of Front Street and Pacific Avenue. Mr. Hintch went back to the city soon after, but Mr. Hihn remained. Having the advantage of a good mercantile education, speaking English, German, French and Spanish fluently, besides having some knowledge of other languages, he soon succeeded in establishing a large and prosperous general merchandise business. In the year 1853 he erected what was then considered a fine two story building. Then came the hard and trying times for Santa Cruz. Wheat, potatoes, and lumber, the principal products of the neighborhood, were almost worthless. Wheat sold for a cent a pound, potatoes rotted in the fields, and lumber went down from $55 to $12 per thousand feet. But instead of despairing this only spurred Mr. Hihn on to greater exertions. He could not afford to sell his good on credit, so he exchanged them for the products of the country, paying part cash. The wheat was ground into flour, and large quantities of the latter and of lumber and shingles were shipped to Los Angeles and Monterey. Many days more then $500 worth of eggs and chickens were taken in and shipped to San Francisco. Fresh butter was put up in barrels and sold in the fall and winter in place of Eastern butter. In this manner the hard times were converted into good times for our young merchant and his patrons, and in 1857 he counted himself worth $30,000, but his health had suffered by hard work and business worry, and he turned his business over to his younger brother, Hugo.
On November 23, 1853, Mr. Hihn married his present wife, Miss Therese Paggen, a native of France, of German parents. The issue of this marriage are: Katie C., wife of W. T. Cope; Louis W., married to Harriet Israel and living at San Jose; August C., married to Grace Cooper, living at Santa Cruz; Fred O., married to Minnie Chace, also living in Santa Cruz; Theresa and Agnes, young ladies, living with their parents. The first residence of the young married couple was the second story of the store at the junction of Pacific Avenue and front Street. This building stands now on Pacific Avenue next to and north of Williamson & Garrett's store, and the second story is occupied by the Decorative Art Society. In 1857 Mr. Hihn made his family residence on Locust Street, and in 1872 he built the find mansion on Locust Street where he has ever since resided.
Soon after arriving in Santa Cruz, Mr. Hihn directed his attention to real estate operations, his general method being to buy large tracts, grade and open streets and roads, plant shade and other trees, and generally improve the land and neighborhood. Then he subdivided these tracts into lots and parcels and sold on such terms as would suit the convenience of buyers.
"Homes for a thousand families" was the favorite heading of his real estate advertisements. A novel feature is the following clause, which he inserted in his contracts for the sale of land: "In the event of the death of the buyer, all mature installments having been promptly paid, the heirs of such deceased buyers are entitled to a deed without further payment." Considering that but ten per cent of the purchase price is required to be paid at the time of buying, this is certainly an inviting proposition, of which many availed themselves in order to secure a home. The seller claimed that the losses by death were well covered by increased sales and the enhancement of values of unsold land. Mr. Hihn's real estate operations extended to nearly all p arts of Santa Cruz County. Capitola, one of the most pleasant watering-places on the coast, was founded by him, and many of the streets of Santa Cruz and adjoining towns owe their origin to this indefatigable worker. He also owns some choice corner lots in San Francisco, conspicuous among which is the last headquarters of the Chronicle. While giving close attention to his private affairs he has always been foremost in advancing public interests. Among the works and measures of improvements in which he was a leading spirit are the construction of a wagon road across the Santa Cruz Mountains, connecting Santa Cruz with the outside world by telegraph, the construction and operation of the railroad from Santa Cruz to Pajaro and the opening of the Cliff road in front of Santa Cruz, extending eastward to Capitola. In 1860, when even San Francisco had to depend upon the Sausalito boars for much of its water, when there was no Spring Valley and the Bensley Works were in their infancy, Mr. Hihn made water pipes from redwood logs and supplied the people of Santa Cruz with water for domestic purposes and fire protection. Afterwards he enlarged these works and built works in other parts of the county, so that finally all the water used in Santa Cruz, East Santa Cruz, Capitola, Soquel, and Valencia was supplied by him.
About twelve years ago he assisted in the organization of the Society of California Pioneers of Santa Cruz County, of which society he has been president ever since, and which has now over one hundred members.
In 1887 he assisted in the organization of the City Bank and City Savings Bank of Santa Cruz, acting as vice president of both institutions since their inception.
In public office Mr. Hihn served as school trustee of Santa Cruz when there was only one teacher in that now populous city, and under his management a high class was organized and maintained by subscription. He next served Santa Cruz County as a supervisor for six years. Times were dull then and money very scarce, the county was in debt, and bounty warrants sold at sixty cents on the dollar. Mr. Hihn distinguished himself by bringing county warrants up to par and largely reducing the county debt without increasing taxation. The county courthouse and a very substantial jail, were erected under his careful management. In 1869 he was elected to the State Assembly, and during that term he performed a prodigious amount of work, a few of the measures he originated and had charge of being the following Acts of Legislature: A new charter for the city of Santa Cruz; a new financial system for the County of Santa Cruz; concerning stray animals; appointment of a commission to examine and survey Santa Cruz harbor for a breakwater; concerning roads and highways; authorizing a levy of district taxes for building schoolhouses; authorizing supervisors of counties to grant wharf franchises; providing for fees and salaries of State and township officers; authorizing supervisors to aid in the construction of railroads in their respective counties.
One of the most important measures he originated was that to refund the State debt, under which act about $4,000,000 of State bonds were successfully refunded at a saving of a large amount of interest to the State.
Mr. Hihn was largely interested in the Spring Valley Water Works while these works were being constructed. He also owned large blocks of stock in the San Francisco Gas Company, and is yet interested in the Visitacion Water Company, the Stockton Gas Company, and the Donohoe Kelly Banking Company. He is the largest stockholder of the Patent Brick Company, which is one the principal suppliers of brick for San Francisco and other points on the bay. Near Aptos, in Santa Cruz, he built and is operating a sawmill with a capacity of seventy thousand feet of lumber per day, which supplies the Salinas and San Benito Valleys with redwood lumber. Telegraph and electric light poles up to sixty feet long are manufactured in large quantities. To bring the logs to the mill and the lumber to Aptos, a railroad has been built extending from Aptos into the very heart of the mountains about eight miles long, through chasms and up steep grades. The cars have all been built at the mill. Shingles, shakes, and fruit boxes are also made in large quantities, and the offal of the timber is made into firewood and shipped to San Jose and other points. Mr. Hihn, although past sixty two years of age, is still full of vigor and enjoys good health, but he realizes that the end of his career is not far off. He therefore commenced some years ago to execute his own will. As a crowning act of his business career, he organized a corporation under the name of the F. A. Hihn Company, a family union, which ties together his children by mutual interest. This company is managed by August C. Hihn as President, F. O. Hihn as Treasurer, W. T. Cope, his son-in-law, as Secretary, and L. W. Hihn as Director. This corporation has charge of all the large interests of Mr. Hihn, the most of which have been transferred to it, and the stock is owned exclusively by him and his family.
The corporate seal shows two clasped hands, intended to represent F. A. Hihn and his faithful wife; three links drop from the wrist of each hand, representing the three daughters and three sons, and a number of smaller links connected at each end with the larger links are intended to represent the descendants of his children. This corporation has now been in existence for over three years, and is in every respect a complete success, and gives great satisfaction to the originator.
During his busy career for the last forty-three years Mr. Hihn has not found much time for pleasure, but, having provided for all his family, and his boys proving themselves true chips of the old block, he considers himself as entitled to a long vacation, and intends to start early in the spring on a trip the old fatherland, which he has not seen since he left it forty-three years ago.
History of Santa Cruz County, California
by E.S. Harrison
Published by Pacific Press Publishing Company
San Francisco, Cal., 1892
Transcribed by Yvonne Valentine
Santa Cruz County Biographies ~ Archive Biography Index ~ Archive Index
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