Fullerton Tribune Headlines: 1899

The following is from a work-in-progress about the history of Fullerton. You can support my ongoing research and writing on Patreon.

The Local History Room of the Fullerton Public Library has microfilm from the Fullerton Tribune newspaper stretching back to 1893. I am in the process of skimming over the microfilm, year by year, to get a sense of what was happening in the town over the years. Here are some local headlines from the year 1899.

A Fatal Cave-In

Two sons of Pierre Nicolas, an early rancher in Fullerton, died tragically in a gravel pit cave-in.

High School Building Completed

Fullerton’s first high school building was completed in 1899. The high school would move to a new building in 1910, which would burn down about a year after it was built. To learn more about the history of Fullerton High School, read my summary of Louis Plummer’s history.

Below, faculty and students stand outside Fullerton’s first high school building at the northwest corner of Wilshire and Lawrence avenues. When the new high school was built, this building was used by the elementary school district. It was torn down in 1913.

The New Oil Wells

At the turn of the century, Fullerton was becoming an oil-producing area.

Fruit Grower’s Bank

The Fruit Grower’s Bank was Fullerton’s first bank, established in 1895.

Jumped in a Reservoir

Lillie HIndes, whose father started a vegeterian/spiritualist commune in Placentia, committed suicide.

Found Dead This Morning

Davis, Drown, and Linebarger

One of the owners of the Davis, Drown, and Linebarger Livery Stable was Dallison Smith Linebarger, who later served as an Orange County Supervisor for ten years.

Agreement of Water Companies

In 1899, the two main water companies drawing water from the Santa Ana River were the Anaheim Union Water Company and the Santa Ana Valley Irrigation Company. To read more about local water issues at this time, check out my post called Fullerton Water Wars.

The Plain Blackmailer

There were two newspapers in Anaheim–the Gazette and the Plain Dealer. Apparently, Tribune editor Edgar Johnson took issue with the Plain Dealer.

Fullerton Ostrich Farm

Fullerton’s ostrich farm, which was started by Edward Atherton, was sold to new owners; however, Atherton stayed on as manager.

Brandle Saloon

Saloons had been (mostly) banned in Fullerton, except for one that had obtained a county license, the Brandle hotel/saloon, which still was encountering some problems. To read more about the fight over saloons in early Fullerton read my post Fullerton in 1894: The Fight Over Saloons.

War in the Philippines

In international news, the Spanish-American War took place in 1898, which resulted in the United States obtaining Spanish colonies like the Philippines. This prompted another war with Americans fighting Filipinos.

Sun Never Sets on Old Glory

The Spanish American War was part of American imperialism, as shown by this somewhat disturbing image in the Tribune.

Views on Patriotism

Locally, school children were writing essays on patriotism.