Quote:
Originally Posted by tovangar2
I dunno what was required by Spain, but according to the map below the old and new Plazas were not identically orientated:
nopalera
The location of the original Pueblo 1781-1815, before it was moved in circa 1815-1835. The original site remains unmemorialized.
P.S. Why did Marchesseault (the mayor) turn into Marchessault (the street)?
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by montréaliste
I dont know the answer to this question but Marchessault was the first french canadian mayor of Los Angeles, Beaudry; the second.
Did anyone know of L.A. Mayor Prudent Beaudry's interesting connection to Jean-Louis Beaudry, mayor of Montreal?
They were both brothers, and although they didnt serve terms at the same time, they both did a lot to improve their cities' waterworks and of course speculative real estate market. I remember seeing some short documentary pieces about this, but it would be nice to find correspondence between the two. Both were extraordinary businessmen, more so Jean-Louis since Prudent had a few reversals of fortune.
|
Marchessault (the street) was named to honor Marchessault (the mayor) after his death. He was a founder of the first city-owned gas company, and the first gas streetlights were installed during his tenure. He is also credited with helping establish Drum Barracks in Wilmington.
Damien Marchessault was born in Canada in 1818. He came to Los Angeles about 1850 and went into partnership with Victor Beaudry (Prudent's younger brother) bringing ice to LA from the San Bernardino Mountains. Marchessault served as Los Angeles Mayor from 1859-60 and 1861-65. In 1866-67 he was LA's Water Overseer, was again mayor for four months in 1867, then resumed his duties as Water Overseer.
Marchessault planned to install a system of pipes to deliver water to the city. But he gave the contract to a business associate, which prompted charges of corruption, and the pipes, made of hollowed-out trees, often leaked or even exploded, which prompted charges of incompetence.
The problems with the pipes -- along with bad business investments, gambling debts, and excessive drinking -- took their toll. Early in the morning of January 20, 1868, Marchessault went to the empty LA City Council Chambers, wrote his wife a suicide note (reproduced at link below), and shot himself in the head.
No photograph of Damien Marchessault is known to exist, but here's a photo of LA's first City Hall at Spring and Franklin in its later guise as a railroad ticket and real estate office:
USC Digital (
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...d/14083/rec/10)
Damien Marchessault bio from "If City Hall’s Walls Could Talk: Strange and Funny Stories from Inside Los Angeles City Hall," by Greig Smith (Xlibris Corporation 2010):
http://books.google.com/books?id=7D5...page&q&f=false