Santa Clara County Biographies


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MRS. CALIFORNIA CASTLE
First White Child Born in Georgetown-Eldorado County-1851
 
Surnames: REEL, BOONE, CAUHAP�. McCLELLAND, NOBLE

As a well-known pioneer and a native daughter, Mrs. California Castle occupies a 
position of prominence in her section, which has been her home for many years. 
Born in Georgetown, Eldorado County, Cal., July 9, 1851, she has the honor of 
being the first white child born in this hustling mining town; this fact caused 
a great deal of excitement among the miners, and from many miles they came to 
pay homage to the babe. It was the custom of the miners to flock to Georgetown 
on Sundays and learning that the first baby had arrived, about 400 came in and 
finally insisted on seeing the baby. Many of them having left their little ones 
in the East, were so reminded of their own children that they wept; finally the 
baby was brought out on a pillow and the miners circled around and laid fifty 
dollar gold slugs on the pillow and said to the folks, "If you let us name her 
Eureka, we will make her so rich she will never want"; but her father rejected 
their offer and clung to the name he had given her, California.

Her father, Daniel Reel, was a native of Pennsylvania, and her mother, Elizabeth 
Boone, before her marriage, and a cousin of Daniel Boone, was born in Ohio. In 
1849 they came overland to California, crossing the plains in the customary way, 
behind ox teams, in company with the Boone family, direct descendants of Daniel 
Boone. The trip across the plains occupied nine months and was fraught with many 
dangers and hardships. The family first settled in Placerville; remaining there 
but one year, they removed to Georgetown, a mining section, where Mr. Reel 
erected the first hotel. He contributed much to the advancement of this section 
of the country and was a highly respected citizen. Later his hotel was burned 
down, but he rebuilt it and continued in business in Georgetown, and by his 
persistency and close attention to business, he amassed a considerable fortune. 
During the year of 1868, the family removed to Drytown, Amador County, where Mr. 
Reel engaged in the hotel business. It was here, in the year 1870 that he died, 
the mother passing away in San Jose about 1900. Of their seven children, 
California was next to the youngest.

California Reel obtained her education in the public schools of Amador County. 
After the death of her father, the family removed to Sale Station, Nev., and she 
went to school in Carson City. In 1869 she came with her mother to San Jose, 
where she was married to Isaac Newton Castle. Mr. Castle was a native of New 
York, migrating to California in 1852, coming by way of the Isthmus of Panama. 
Being ambitious to attain individual success, he soon became an influential 
citizen of his community, investing extensively in land and cattle. His real 
estate holdings were located in the counties of Merced, Stanislaus and Santa 
Clara, and a large ranch in eastern Oregon where ranged 5000 head of cattle, 
their brand being a circle on the left hip, while the horse brand was two small 
c's on the shoulder. He ran about 250 head of horses, and bought cattle in 
Nevada and Mexico by the trainloads and brought them to California.

He trailed 1500 head of beef steers, three to five years old, from eastern 
Oregon to Marysville, where he sold them. He was the first man to do this, was 
laughed at by people who said it couldn't be done, that they would get poor 
enroute, but in a little over six weeks, he brought them overland fat and ready 
for market. The cattle were stretched out for five miles along the road. Mrs. 
Castle accompanied her husband on nearly all the large drives. He sold out in 
Oregon and leased a ranch of 30,000 acres in San Benito County and ran cattle 
for fifteen years; then bought near Gridley, Butte County, but material for 
feeding cattle was short, so this place was sold and he bought a big ranch in 
Calaveras County; later this was sold to the Spring Valley Water Company and he 
located at San Felipe, Pacheco Pass, in Santa Clara and Merced counties. Here he 
was taken ill and he was advised to quit, so he sold to Louis Cauhap� and came 
to San Jose and built a residence on San Carlos Street, but he failed in health 
and in 1911 passed away.

For a number of years the family resided near San Felipe, but their preference 
for San Jose was so marked, that it was always spoken of as their place of 
residence. He had reserved 9000 acres of the lease for his wife and two sons to 
continue the cattle business, which they did for five years until the lease 
expired; then they bought several thousand acres, one of the finest ranches in 
Napa County, near Napa Junction and engaged in the cattle business; also raised 
grain, alfalfa, and many hogs, operating the ranch with tractors. They ran it 
for about two years and then sold it at a big profit and returned to San Jose, 
where Mrs. Castle resides in the Castle Apartments on West San Carlos Street.

Mrs. Castle again engaged in the cattle business with her sons and bought two 
ranches adjoining each other, the Ross & Carl ranch and the Lester ranch, 
consisting of about 4000 acres of land devoted to the raising of Hereford 
cattle. From the start, Mrs. Castle was interested in the business and readily 
learned to judge cattle, their condition, weight and value. This she learned 
from her husband, as Mr. Castle was an expert judge of cattle; could tell the 
weight of any animal in a big herd, rarely missing it more than five pounds. He 
was considered one of the best stockmen in California, and their eldest son is 
today a close second to his father and very accurate in his judgment of cattle. 
Mr. and Mrs. Castle were the parents of two sons; Arthur F. whose life history 
will be found elsewhere in this volume, and Roy N. a graduate of Heald's 
Business College, who, since his graduation has been actively engaged in 
stockraising, and is well known throughout the central and northern parts of 
California. In 1916 he was married to Miss Lavern McClelland, a native of Santa 
Ana, Orange County, Cal.

Mr. Castle was an active Mason and a member of the California Pioneer Society. 
During the year of 1910, his health very visibly failed, his physician finally 
resorting to the transfusion operation. Deputy Sheriff Howard Noble gave a quart 
of blood, but all to no avail, and Mr. Castle passed away at the old home place 
in San Jose January 21, 1911. Mrs. Castle is an active member of the Eastern 
Star of San Jose; she has always conducted her business with rare ability and 
she is held in high esteem in her community.

Transcribed by , Joseph Kral, from Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara 
County,
California, published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 479