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Collection: Directories and Documents > Pamphlets
Lola Montez in Grass Valley (PH 17-1)(Undated) (40 pages)
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Page: of 40
. Lola performed in Sacramento from Sept. 9
through the 13, and again from Sept. 28 to October
6th. That she was well received is indicated by the
following item from the Sacramento Union, Sept. 12,
1856: “The management seems to have struck arich
lead in the engagement of Madame Lola Montez; a
. full house having been in attendance on each evening
of her appearance.”
During the intervening weeks of her Sacramento
‘engagements (Septs 15-27), whether in person or by
agent, it is believed she sold her Grass Valley
cottage with furnishings to S. D. Bosworth. An ex‘change of money with receipt was all that was need-’
_ed to make the transfer legal, sono record remains.
'The Bosworths homesteaded the property in 1875
and the second’ story may have been added during
-their residency. It was again sold in 1898 with furnishings, including carpets, to W.S. Berriman. The
Berriman’s sold the underground rights tothe Grass
Valley Mining; Company (Golden Center) in 1911, ©
reserving the surface of the lot to a depth of 100
feet for their heirs. It was purchased by the pre‘sent owner, Miss. Alice Lorraine Andrews, in 1933. .
The Grass Valley fire of 1855, commencing on
lower Main Street, consumed thirty acres of the
business section. The churches, however, being just
beyond the limits of the fire, were saved. Lola’s .
home, in the vicinity of the churches, was undoubtedly ~
unharmed, a confirmation of this being made in the
diary. of Rev. R. F. Putnam of the Emanuel Episcopal
Church, written in 1863 upon his arrival in Grass
Valley as pastor, and just eight years after the
conflagration. “On Mill Street. near the Episcopal
Church is a cottage now owned by Mr. Bosworth but
which was formerly owned and occupied by the notorious Lola Montez. Here she resided for more than
a year and entertained her guests in elegant style.
Ladies never called upon her, but her society was .
much courted by gentlemen. Here she displayed her
many eccentricities of character to the amusementof .
some and the disgust of many of the inhabitants. —
In her pretty little cottage she was surrounded by :
pet bears, dogs, birds and flowers and produced,
out of hard mountain soil, a perfect little paradise.
The passer-by often lingers to observe the spot where
was chained a grizzly bear, favorite pet of the eccentric woman. She loved to feed it and to watch its
playful antics. The ofd inhabitants take great delight
in telling of the fast and furious driving of Lola,
her fascinations in conversation and her many
pecularities.” (Original diary on file in the library .
of the California Historical Society, San Francisco.)
The final engagement (Sept. 28 — Oct. 6) in Sacramento was successful, all but the last night when .
the theater’s regular cast of actors refused to perform due to the non-payment of wages.
Sacramento Union, Oct. 6, 1856: “The lamp of life —
under the late management at this house was suddenly extinguished on Saturday last. The door opened,
but it was only to be closed in silence — most of the
members having come tothe conclusion that ‘all work
and.no pay made Jack a dull boy!’ There were about
75 persons in the house at the time.”
‘Lola returned to San Francisco for a week at the
Metropolitan Theatre (Oct. 13-19). Her final engagement in California was disheartening.
The Golden Era, Oct. 19, 1856: “In consequence of
the new. attractions elsewhere and the growing excitement among politicians her audiences have not been
so large as during either of her previous engagements.
Daily Evening Bulletin, Oct. 17, 1856: “.. Itis
very plain, however, to all but herself, that.. ‘her
dancing days are over.’ Though yet graceful in her
posturing she does not display, nor is it to be ex.
pected at her age, that degree of elasticity and life
which is required to maintain a high position as a
danseuse. There is evidently too much work about it
and the exertion appears somewhat painful. She re.
minds us, when dancing, too strongly of one who was .
“'The grave of Lola Montez in Greenwood Ceme_tery, Brooklyn, New York.’ (Courtesy of the
SIM . State Library, Sacramento, California.
formerly a belle, vainly struggling to maintain her
ancient supremacy after younger and more attractive
beauties, by their fresher charms, have naturally
eclipsed her..”
' Alta California, Nov. 20, 1856: “Madame Lola
Montez will leave today on the Orizaba .. She goes
to New York we learn for the expected purpose of
providing for the education and care of the children
of her former agent, Mr. Folland, who was drowned
on the passage from Australia. It will be remembered
that her beautiful collection of jewelry was recently
sold at auction, the proceeds of which were to be
devoted to this purpose.” Whether this was accomplished is not known; however, had Lola the means,
her generosity. would have provided for their welfare.
The following item appeared in the Golden Era,
Nov. 16, 1856, a few days before Lola left California;
“Three years ago, a large number of speculative
schemes in connection with our immense quartz
mines exploded, and for a time that branchof mining
in California was regarded as a failure. Previous to
that time nearly 200 companies had been formed for
working quartz mines and probably half as many leads
were opened and had machinery upon them. In many
instances these preliminaries were made for thepurpose of getting gold out of the pockets of New York
and London capitalists rather than from the quartz
ledges.” Lola may have played a definite part in the
destiny of Grass Valley by being there as a hostess
during those critical years of 1853 and ’54, John
Southwick and Capt. Hotalling, part-owners of the
Empire Mine, were known to have financed her social.