California Biographies, Kern County
W. C. McCUTCHEN

History of Kern County, California, with biographical sketches 
of the leading men and women of the county who have been 
identified with its growth and development from the early days 
to the present.

Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company, 1914
History by Morgan, Wallace Melvin

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


W. C. McCUTCHEN.— The name of the four McCutchen brothers is 
identified with many enterprises well-known in the early history of Maricopa, 
where they have been land-owners from a period antedating the memorable 
rush incident to the bringing in of the world-famous Lake View gusher. 
They were among the first to discern oil possibilities in the region and events 
have proved the wisdom of their forecasts. One of the four, W. C, a man of 
great energy and a leader in every forward movement in this region, has 
spent all of his life in the west with the exception of the first four months, 
for he was born in Iowa December 4, 1853, four months before his parents, 
P. S. and Jane McCutchen, left that state for the Pacific coast. The long 
journey across the plains was made with wagons drawn by oxen. The first 
location of the family was in Placer county, where the father engaged in 
mining for a number of years. Removing from that locality to Sacramento 
county, he took up land near Franklin and engaged in general farming. His 
next removal occurred in 1872 and took him to Monterey county, where he 
made his home in the Cholame valley near Parkfield. During 1878 he was 
bereaved by the death of his wife and afterward he went to live with his 
children, being for a time at Hanford. For some time he has resided with his 
son, George, at Maricopa. Although now ninety-three years of age, he retains 
the possession of physical and mental faculties and exhibits a constant in- 
terest in neighborhood business affairs. 

After the death of his mother in 1878 the family home was broken 
up and W. C. McCutchen went to .Arizona to engage in mining. For two 
years he worked in the silver mines near Bradshaw. Returning to California 
he located at Hanford in 1880 and took up land on the Lone Oak slough six 
miles southwest of town, where he began to improve a farm and engage in 
the raising of crops suited to the soil and climate. During 1900 he sold out 
and moved to Tipton, Tulare county, near which town he bought land and 
engaged in agricultural enterprises. Two years later he came to Bakersfield 
and about the same time located twenty acres of land at Maricopa. During 
the great gold rush to the Nevada mines he joined the Argonauts bound for 
that country and spent two years at Goldfield, finding himself, however, 
little the richer f. .r the venture. Since BX)8 he has had his headquarters at 
Maricopa and has been interested in the development of property with his 
brothers, G. W., J. B. and R. L. The company organized by themselves has 
put down eight wells, six of which proved to be producers, although only 
four are now in use, being flowing wells. In addition to bearing his share 
in the management of these wells and the putting down of new ones, Mr. 
McCutchen has devoted considerable attention to other property interests and 
is the owner of real estate in the city of Richmond as well as orange land 
near Edison. With his wife, formerly Miss Louella McClintock, he has estab- 
lished a home at Maricopa (living at the present time on the McCutchen 
Bros, oil property) and has identified himself with enterprises for the upbuild- 
ing of the new .town, whose existence is dependent upon the oil industry and 
whose future has the glowing promises offered by that wealth-producing 
activity. By a former marriage he is the father of four children, of whom 
the two sons, G. P. and W. W. (twins), are residents of Maricopa, as is also 
the youngest child, Mrs. G. E. Fritz, while the third child and elder daughter, 
Mrs. J. A. Fritz, makes her home at Taft.