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Collection: Directories and Documents > Historical Clippings
Newspaper Notes - 1850s (NN-18.5)(1850s) (336 pages)
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Page: of 336
Unique Church .
The Knaye. A predecessor of mine in
the pastorate of the Nevada City Methodist Church was Dr. Adam Bland. He was:
a native of Virginia, a giant of aman, well’
educated, handsome, and one who moved.
easily among all kinds of people. He came
to Nevada City in 1851 when that town
was swarming with gold miners, gam-'
blers, prospectors, saloonkeepers, anu ai,
odd assortment of men from the ends of ,
the earth. Dr. Bland was a marked man
in any company of people. One day as he
walked along Broad St. a groceryman
hailed him and the two entered into a
jolly conversation. At length the storekeeper, remarking of Bland’s physical
proportions, said, “Dr. Bland, if you will
lift that hundred pound sack of potatoes
in one hand, throw it over your shoulder
and tarry it home without stopping, I will
give it to you.” Dr. Bland thanked him,
and with one arm easily swung it onto his .
back and took it home. In 1853 the church
officials sent Dr. Bland to the little town .
of Los Angeles to establish a Methodist .
Church. Now it happened that two .
U.S. Army officers—Col. John B. Ma.
gruder and Capt. Samuel R. Dummer—
had reached Los Angeles about two years
before. Finding that there was no respectable saloon where two gentlemen
could go on a bust in the grand manner
they decided to supply the lack them.
selves. They bought a choice lot on Main .
St. adjoining the “Pico House” and imported building materials from Maine. ,
They erected an oblong frame structure .
of two stories, saloon on the ground floor —
and a dormitory overhead where patrons
could sleep off their indulgences. It was
given the name of the “El Dorado.” When .
the building was completed the owners —
found that they had run out of funds and .
could purchase no liquors. Then the .
wealthy Don Abel Stearns loaned them
$500 and they were in business. But soon —
"the hospitality of the proprietors had used .
up their supplies and they had no money
with which to replenish the stock. A jolly.
crowd drank their liquors in the saloon
and as freely slevt in the dormitory over‘head. Magruder and Dummer quit the
business, and an elegant Trishman named
John H. Hughes took over in like manner.
He, too, soon failed, and the place was
closed. At that time Dr. Adam Bland appeared in Los Angeles and the imposing
pbuilding was offered to him for $1,500.
He appealed to a prominent citizen of the
city, Alexander Bell, who gave him $500
and introduced him to the wealthy Don
Benito Wilson who, to Bland’s joyous
astonishment, gave him the remaining
$1,000. Dr. Bland chased the impish free
lodgers out of the upstairs dormitory, and
the “El Dorado” became the “First Metho-.
dist Church of Los Angeles,” the first
Protestant Church in that city—John W.
Winkley.