Santa Barbara County Biographies

J. D. SNYDER

Submitted by Peggy Hooper

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


J. D. SNYDER, an early pioneer and a prominent developer of the Los Alamos Valley, 
was born in Wales Center, Erie County, New York, in 1853. His father was a farmer 
with extensive lumber and saw-mill interests. Our subject left home at seventeen 
years of age and went to the lumber regions at East Saginaw, Michigan, where, 
owing to his experience in his father's mills, he readily found employment and was 
put in full charge of a large sawmill, remaining about three years, when an epidemic 
of fever and ague broke out, and Mr. Snyder, being quite ill, returned to his home 
in the East. After recovering he again started forth, and settled at Green Bay, 
Wisconsin, where he was engaged with a Mr. Lamont in the lumber business for 
two years. He then disposed of his interests and visited Portland, Oregon, Puget 
Sound and Seattle, and then went south to Guadaloupe, where he located in 1876, 
and began ranching. In 1877 he went to Los Alamos, which was then the old stage 
station, and foreseeing the founding of a town bought land and made the primal 
move toward its establishment by erecting the first business building of the place, 
which is now occupied by Arata Bros. Mr. Snyder also rented extensive tracts of 
land and engaged in farming, and in 1881, from 400 acres of land, he raised 10,000 
centals of barley and wheat. During the harvest he employed sixty men, sixty horses, 
two threshers, a header and bailer and at the same time managed his extensive 
hotel business; was also agent for the Wells-Fargo Express and Coast Line Stage 
Company, and, as one might imagine, he was reasonably busy. In 1880 he built the 
Alamo Hotel, which he managed for a number of years. In 1887 he received the 
Government contract to carry the mail between Lompoc and Los Alamos, and the 
same year established a livery business. 

He was married in Los Alamos, in 1881, to Miss Linine F. Keenan, a native of Illinois. 
They have no children. Mr. Snyder has now closed his business, rented his hotel 
and intends taking a much needed rest by an extended trip East. 

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.