Santa Barbara County Biographies DR. J. B. SHAW Submitted by Peggy Hooper This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm DR. J. B. SHAW.� Perhaps none of the pioneers have attained a higher place in the affections of the citizens of Santa Barbara city and county than Dr. Shaw; and therefore a brief outline of his career becomes an essential part of this volume. James Barron Shaw was born in London, England, November 4, 1813, of a Scotch father, who was born in Invernesshire, and English mother, of London. He had unusual advantages of education and culture, both in England and Scotland, up to his sixteenth year, when it was deemed necessary for him to choose a profession, as was the custom in those days, the navy being his choice, but strongly opposed by his mother; the medical profession was selected. Instead of beginning his studies in London as wished, he preferred Inverness, where he had become acquainted with a Dr. Nicol, who consented to receive him as a pupil, and never has the Doctor regretted his choice. After nearly three years' study with Dr. Nicol he went home and entered University College, London, where he spent four years, attending the required lectures, demonstrations and hospital practice. Having completed the six years' study required by the Royal College of Surgeons of London, he found several months must transpire before he could present himself for examination, the college requiring the candidate to be fully twenty-two years of age. Ascertaining that with his credentials of study and a year's residence, with lectures, at the Glasgow Univer- sity, he could on examination obtain the degree of Doctor of Medicine, he went to Glasgow and in April, 1836, was successful. Returning to London, he became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in August, 1836. After receiving his diplomas, the Doctor went to Paris for the winter, to perfect himself in performing surgical operations, where subjects were so much cheaper than in London, attending lectures and the various hospitals in Paris. On returning home, and having sufficient means, he determined to take a voyage round the world, not yet being inclined to commence practice. He took other voyages, in one of which, in 1842, - being in Calcutta and finding surgeons were required for the two wars then being carried on by England, one in Afghanistan, the other in China, � he applied for China, and obtained an assistant surgeoncy in an Indian regiment preparing to leave for China. He served with the regiment until the treaty of Nankin was signed. He re- turned to Calcutta in 1843 and embarked with another regiment to England. In 1844 he returned to Hong Kong (via Madras and Calcutta), where he remained practicing his profession until 1849, when the world was electrified by the discovery of gold in Cali- fornia. As soon as practicable he embarked upon a Swedish vessel and arrived in San Francisco July 3, 1849. In August he went to Sacramento in comj)any with a number of ills fellow passengers, where they organized, and proceeded to a point on the Mokelumne River. There they worked as gold-seekers in the usual manner, until it became apparent that not one of the party was adapted to such an occupation. The Doctor then proceeded to Dry Creek, Tuolumne County, where he bought a log shanty � the best sort of build- ing that locality afforded � and recommenced the practice of his profession. The place was chosen on account of the variety of miners, there being a considerable number of Ameri- cans as well as several companies of the Spanish-speaking race, � Sonorians, Chilians, Mexicans and Californians, � with whose language the Doctor was quite familiar, he hav- ing resided in many Spanish countries. The Americans became jealous of the Spaniards, who were more successful than themselves in taking out gold, and they determined to drive the foreigners away from their mines, giving only ten days' notice to clear out. This was literally carried into effect, not one of the Spanish race, except Californians, being left. The Americans soon repented of their injustice and came to the Doctor, asking him to use his influence to get them to return ; which they positively refused to do. The winter of 1849-'50 is remembered as the most severe in the history of California since American occupation; and when it opened in all its severity Dr. Shaw determined to carry out an intention which he had formed in the early days after his arrival in this State, namely, to go to Mexico where he had friends and relatives residing. Seeming passage on a vessel bound for Mazatlan, the agent of the line introduced him, before embarking, to Don Pedro Carrillo, of Santa Barbara, who was a cultivated man, educated at Boston. Said he to the Doctor: "Surely, you will not go to Mexico without seeing Santa Barbara, where the most aristocratic families of California live!" and added that he could then easily go to Mexico if not satisfied with Santa Barbara. Thus persuaded, the Doctor with- drew his passage money from the Mexican-bound vessel, and took passage on the fast- sailing schooner Honolulu, commanded by Captain Mallagh, who had come with him on the same sailing vessel from China, and whom he had often attended professionally on his frequent trips from Bombay to Hong Kong, where the Doctor was stationed. The captain was about to sail his schooner from San Francisco to San Diego on a trading expedition, and the Doctor thought this a good time to carry out the advice of his Spanish friends in Mexico. Starting December 18 and stopping at various points, he arrived at Santa Barbara January 6, 1850. He found only a small Spanish village, not at all prepossessing; nor did he find the imposing aristocracy he was led to expect; and, what was worse, he learned that he must return to San Francisco if he wished to proceed to Mexico. Not finding any vessels leaving for Mexico, he remained in Santa Barbara in the practice of his profession. In May, 1852, he left Santa Barbara for San Francisco overland, and at last, July 5, started for Mazatlan, whence he went by way of San Bias to Tepic, and there met his friends Barron, Forbes & Co., bankers and merchants. After a visit of about four months he went to the city of Mexico in November, and six weeks later left again overland for Acapulco, his determination being to return by Pacific mail steamer to San- Francisco. As the Pacific mail steamer was overcrowded and would not take passengers, he was obliged to wait in Acapulco for the Vanderbilt steamer. Independent, which though crowded gave him accommodations. This vessel met with terrible misfortune. After having been wrecked on Margarita Island, she was burned and 135 lives were lost, about 400 being saved. Magdalena Bay lies between the island and the mainland. After going three days practically without food and water, some of the men crossed the island to the bay side, in search of relief, and there saw four ships at anchor, supposed to be whalers. Returning to camp, they reported their discovery, and the Captain organized a party to carry over to the opposite side of the island one of the boats which had been saved from the wreck, with the intention of going to the ships for assistance. About half way across they met a boat from one of the ships carrying a party going to the island to cut wood. On learning of the starving condition of the people wrecked, the officer of the whaling-boat proceeded to the camp, taking for the relief of the famished ladies of the shipwrecked party the two kegs of water and some crackers, which a whaling-boat always has on board. The second officer, who was in charge of the boat, proved to be an ac- quaintance of the Doctor, having been under his professional care at Hong Kong, and he asked the officer for a sip of the water. " Not a drop, Doctor," replied the officer, " until the ladies are served." The officer, on returning to the ship, took the Doctor with him, where he found a berth. As soon as the news spread among the whalers they manned all their boats and went the island to rescue the party. Before night all the ladies were taken off and divided among the ships, and then came the men's turn. The captain of the wrecked steamer consulted the commanders of the whaling vessels as to the manner in which the people could be supported, and tried to charter one of their vessels, but found the respective cap- tains all unwilling to break up their whaling voyages. Dr. Shaw then volunteered to go to La Paz to secure a vessel, and proceed on to Mazat- lan to procure assistance from the American or English consul. He went two or three miles away, secured horses and a guide, and made arrangements to start the next morning. About 8 p. m., however, he heard a voice calling out, " Doctor, where are you?" and answering learned that it was the purser who had come to tell him that the captain had been successful in chartering one of the whalers, on which he requested the Doctor to return and take passage. After everything was arranged on the ship, the Doctor went aboard, where he found that the vessel would be terribly crowded and provisions scarce. Knowing that it would take twenty-five days to reach San Francisco, he determined not to go, but made arrangements with the captain of his friend's vessel to take him to the Sand- wich Islands. After a pleasant voyage he arrived at Honolulu, and waited there for a vessel to take him to San Francisco. In Honolulu the Doctor was most hospitably re- ceived by General Miller, the Consul General of Her Britannic Majesty, He arrived again at Santa Barbara, in May of 1853, and took charge of Santa Cruz Island, belonging to his friends in Mexico, which he managed for sixteen years. This island, by the way, with an area of 54,000 acres, was formerly a penal settlement of the Mexican government, who transported thither some desperate characters. The government placed a certain number of inferior cattle for their support. The prisoners made a raft, covered it with hides, pitched it with brea, and made their escape from the island, and landed abreast of Summerland. They settled at Santa Barbara and some of them became good citizens. On commencing operations on the island. Dr. Shaw purchased from Alphonso Thomp- son 200 ewes. The first shearing yielded 400 pounds of very inferior wool. In 1854, hav- ing heard of a band of sheep containing 1,000 head just from the East overland, he went to Los Angeles and purchased them, and drove them to Santa Barbara, whence they were transported to the island by schooner. One of the chief difficulties which the Doctor found in working the island, was the dread the natives had of going there, supposing that it would be impossible ever to get away. Fortunately, however, he found three ship- wrecked sailors of the celebrated schooner on which Dana took his remarkable trip, a de- scription of which he published in his " Two Years Before the Mast."' the sailors soon became useful hands." Dr. Shaw purchased a piece of land 300 feet square on the Santa Barbara beach as a corral, where he could keep the sheep when brought over until there were enough to drive or ship to San Francisco. These sheep were herded on land now covered by houses and gardens. To supply himself with a pure breed of rams, he bought 1,000 acres of land on Ortega ranch, now Summerland. He took this precaution to prevent the introduction of scab on the island, which had always been free from this disease. The Doctor was signally successful in the management of this great sheep industry, and, as before stated, conducted it for sixteen successive years. It was then found neces- sary by the other owners to sell, and he turned over to the purchasers 54,000 head of sheep, and a large number of cattle and horses, the investors being a company of French and Germans. During the last year he managed the island, the gross proceeds were over $50,000. He was the first to send mutton sheep to the San Francisco market by steamer, and some choice ones brought there as high as $30 each, some dressing over 100 pounds, selling at thirty cents a pound. Some time before the island was sold Dr. Shaw bought over 22,000 acres of land on the ranchos of La Laguna de San Francisco and Los Alamos, which he stocked with sheep from Santa Cruz Island. He, however, soon found out it was much more difficult to carry on a sheep-ranch on the mainland than on an island. In the first place, supplies of all kinds, more particularly lumber for buildings and corrals, were tremendously costly; and the wretched roads on which goods had to be hauled for seventy-two miles from Santa Barbara, which were excessively tedious. A load of never more than 2,000 pounds took from the time of leaving Santa Barbara on Monday until Saturday afternoon for the round trip, costing $30 for freight and provisions for the men and horses! and then if an accident occurred to the wag- ons no blacksmith was nearer than Santa Barbara! The country was full of wild animals, bears, pumas, wild-cats and coyotes, which destroyed the sheep in large numbers. At the end of nearly three years he found he had fewer than he put in. Shepherds were most difficult to procure, and were most independent and un- reliable, coming perhaps in the evening saying, " I am going to quit and want my wages," and there was nothing to do but yield. He had no neighbors with sheep for some considerable time. At last scab made its appearance in some way or other, which horrified the Doctor, who never had anything of the kind to manage previously or on the island. This determined him, even after his enormous outlay in building corrals, shearing sheds, etc., to gradually sell off his flocks and put the proceeds into graded short-horn or Durham cattle, selecting imported bulls famous for beef and dairy purposes. The Doctor has sold about 15,000 acres at various times of his large rancho, retaining, however, nearly 6,000 acres, which he intends still to reduce, being convinced a smaller quantity can be better attended to and will result in larger profits upon the same capital invested. The Doctor was married in San Francisco, in 1861, to Miss Helen A. Green, a Londoner like himself, and has had four children, all sons, three of whom have died. His first and only son now relieves him almost entirely of the supervision of the ranch, where he principally resides with his wife and children. Of late years the Doctor has been a resident of Santa Barbara city, though he gives considerable personal attention to his large ranch interests. He has entirely withdrawn from medical practice. He is a man of rare benevolence and nobleness of character, and in the community, of which he has long been an honored member, he commands a measure of esteem well earned by a life of integrity. History of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties, California - by C.M. Gidney, Benjamin Brooks, Edwin M. Sheridan, Vol I, II. -Lewis Publ. Co., Chicago, 1917.