Ezra Hamilton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ezra M. Hamilton
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| Born | February 22, 1833 Brown County, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | July 4, 1914 |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Prospector, developer, inventor |
Ezra M. Hamilton (1833–1914) was an important pioneer in California. He helped develop the Antelope Valley area. In 1896, he found gold near Rosamond, California. This discovery led to a successful mining business. It also helped the area grow. He founded the nearby town of Willow Springs.
Ezra Hamilton was also an inventor and a farmer. He worked as a mason and a businessman. He served on the Los Angeles Common Council. He also volunteered in the Rogue River Wars and fought in the Union Army.
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Ezra M. Hamilton: A Pioneer's Story
Early Life and Family
Ezra Hamilton was born in 1833 in Brown County, Illinois. He grew up there. In 1853, he traveled west to California. He wanted to find his fortune. He worked on a riverboat for a short time before his journey.
After the American Civil War, he returned to Minnesota. He married Sarah Landson in 1861. They lived near Minneapolis. Sadly, Sarah and their son died in 1867.
Later, Hamilton married Harriet Moffett. They had four sons: Fred, Truman, Eugene, and Lester. When they lived in Los Angeles, they stayed at 310 Avenue 23. This was in the Lincoln Heights area. He built that house himself.
Ezra Hamilton was a leader in the Kenesaw post. This was a group for Civil War veterans called the Grand Army of the Republic.
Hamilton passed away in Willow Springs, California, on July 4, 1914. This was his tenth wedding anniversary with Harriet. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife and three sons.
A Life of Work and Innovation
Military Service
Ezra Hamilton served in the First Minnesota Regiment. This was part of the Union Army during the Civil War. He served for two years.
Clever Inventions
After the war, Hamilton worked as a carpenter and a farmer. His work led him to invent new things. In 1867, he received his first patent. It was for a machine that pressed peat. Peat is a type of soil.
Here are some of his inventions:
- Patent 71,163 for Peat Machine, 1867
- Patent 196,295 for Molds for Making Pipes from Mortar, 1877
- Patent 220,757 for Apparatus for Making and Laying Continuous Concrete-Pipe, 1879
- Patent 216,673 for Pipes for Irrigation, 1879
- Patent 1,025,395 for Wave-Motor, 1912
- Patent 1,026,803 for Automobile-Tire, 1912
Making Bricks
In Los Angeles, Hamilton started making pottery, clay pipes, tiles, and bricks. He bought a hill near Rosamond, California to get the clay. This is the same place where he later found gold.
Around 1884, his brickyard changed how it fired bricks. They started using petroleum oil instead of wood. This made the bricks much cheaper to produce.
Gold Mining Adventures
In October 1897, Ezra Hamilton was a "poor old soldier." He was getting a small pension each month. Then, he claimed a piece of land in the Antelope Valley, California. It was about 96 miles north of Los Angeles.
In March 1899, his life changed. He discovered a rich vein of gold ore. He took $30,000 worth of ore from this mine. He called it the Lida Mine. Even though it was worth a lot, he sold it for $100,000 in December 1900. He kept another mine nearby, which he named Fay.
He once told a reporter, "Three more days of prospecting would have finished me." He was tired and had little money. But finding gold made him feel young again.
There was a disagreement about the Lida Mine. A woman named Helen Frick claimed she was a partner. She said Hamilton had not told her the mine's true value. She had sold her share for only $500. She asked the court to cancel the sale.
Hamilton still owned mining property in the area for some time. Later, other companies took over. The Tropico Mining and Milling Company bought many of the mines in 1909.
Public Service and Politics
Political Beliefs
In September 1882, Ezra Hamilton was chosen as president of the Los Angeles County Greenback Party. This party believed the government should control money. They wanted money to be given directly to people. They also wanted the government to own major railroads and telegraph lines. They were against Chinese immigration. They also supported women's suffrage (the right to vote). They wanted people to directly elect the President.
By October 1884, Hamilton was active in the People's Party. He led a rally where party candidates spoke. In November 1892, he ran for county supervisor but did not win.
Serving on the Common Council
He was elected to the Los Angeles Common Council. This was like a city council. He represented the 1st Ward. He served for one year starting in December 1878. He was elected again for two more one-year terms in 1883 and 1884.
He was proud of two things he did on the Council. He helped increase the license fee for local businesses called saloons. He also made sure newspaper reporters could attend council meetings. They had been kept out before.
His Writings and Impact
His Manuscript
Ezra Hamilton wrote an 842-page book about his life. He worked on it during his last years. After he died, his son Fred received it. Fred's wife later gave it to the California State Library in 1920. The book starts with stories about events from when Hamilton was born. He wrote about the famous Leonid meteor shower of 1833. He also described the very cold winter of 1830–1831.
Building a Legacy
Hamilton used the money from his gold mine to buy land. It was 160 acres, three miles to the west. This area was like an oasis in the Mojave Desert. Native Americans and travelers had used it for a long time.
He spent several years developing Willow Springs into a resort town. Many of the stone buildings he built are still standing today.
