Ephraim Morse
| Ephraim W. Morse | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 16, 1823 Merrimac, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 17, 1906 (aged 82) San Diego, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Chase Walker (1866–99; her death) |
Ephraim W. Morse (October 16, 1823 – January 17, 1906) was an early settler of the city of San Diego, and was partially responsible for many of its expansions as a city, such as attracting the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and proposing Balboa Park.
Morse was born in 1823 in West Amesbury, Massachusetts (incorporated in 1876 as Merrimac, Massachusetts). He lived there as a farmer and teacher until 1848, when news of the California Gold Rush took the United States by storm.
He decided to form a company to charter a ship and gather materials for a voyage to the gold fields. He later stated that "this company was intended to be, and was, a select company. No one could join without presenting satisfactory recommendations from the selectmen of the town, the mayor of their city, or some prominent preacher." It was indeed a stringent organization, in which each member had to give their time and interests to the company rather than themselves, nor could they assume pecuniary liabilities without company approval, or drink or gamble, all under penalty of a fine. Labor on the Sabbath was also prohibited unless of urgent necessity. However, members would be cared for in sickness, and in case of death buried at the company's expense. The members mainly consisted of Morse's friends, relatives, and associates. By early 1849 they managed to charter a ship, the Leonora, and on February 4, 1849, they set sail for San Francisco, arriving on July 5. The members then dispersed to the mines on the Yuba River north of Sacramento. However, Morse and his partner, Levi Slack, could not cope with the California summer heat. Then they heard about the small town of San Diego, far to the south near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The two had both read Two Years Before the Mast by fellow Massachusetts native Richard Henry Dana, Jr., about his voyage by sea to California, spending much time in San Diego, then a small Mexican pueblo. They decided to resettle there for the time being. In April 1850 the two arrived, and opened a store in the settlement of Davistown on San Diego Bay. When Davistown faltered, they relocated to the main center of town, further north on the San Diego River near the old Spanish presidio (fortress).
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