John Marsh (June 5, 1799 – September 24, 1856), later known in Spanish as Don Juan Marsh,San Joaquin Republican, Volume XI, Number 95, 21 April 1861Petition of Juan Marsh to establish residency, 1836 was a medical doctor, ranchero, and linguist in California when it was still part of the Republic of Mexico. Born in Massachusetts, Marsh immigrated to California in 1836, where he became a Mexican citizen. He was baptized as Roman Catholic in order to buy land, and acquired the vast land grant of Rancho Los Méganos in Contra Costa. He became one of the wealthiest ranchers in California, and was among the highly influential men who worked to gain United States statehood after Mexico ceded this area following its defeat in the Mexican-American War.Lyman, George D. John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-Blazer on Six Frontiers, pp. IX, 209, 231, 238-9, 246-51, 266-7, 268-71, Chautauqua, New York: The Chautauqua Press, 1931."Pioneer Doctor Foully Murdered," Berkeley Gazette, p. 1, Centennial Edition, July 5, 1976, Berkeley, California.
Marsh knew Hebrew, Latin and Greek, and, while working as a US Indian agent at Fort Snelling, was the first person to compile a dictionary of the Sioux language.Winkley, John W. Dr. John Marsh, Wilderness Scout, p. 35, Contra Costa County Historical Society, Martinez, California, 1962. He is the namesake of Marsh Creek and Marsh Creek State Park in Contra Costa County. The John Marsh Historic Trust was organized to protect his legacy.
Early life Born in Danvers, Massachusetts in 1799, Marsh graduated from the private Phillips Academy in Andover in 1819. He attended Harvard College from 1819 to 1823 and received a bachelor's degree. Colbruno writes that Marsh was dismissed from Harvard for participating in a student uprising. He was readmitted in 1821, after promising not to engage in any further disturbances. He originally planned to study for the ministry, but changed his major to medicine after his readmission.[ Colbruno, Michael "Lives of the Dead: Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland."] December 12, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2015. He studied medicine with a Boston doctor.
Marsh migrated west, living in the Michigan Territory, where he opened a school, the first in what is now Minnesota. Marsh was appointed by the federal government as a United States Indian agent for the Sioux Agency at Fort Snelling, At Fort Snelling, Marsh took a Lakota/French mistress named Marguerite Decouteaux; they had a son Charles together. Territorial Governor Lewis Cass appointed Marsh as Justice of the Peace in Crawford County (which included what is now southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and portions of Iowa and Minnesota), whereupon he became known as "Judge Marsh."Winkley, John W. Dr. John Marsh: Wilderness Scout, pp. 30-1, Contra Costa County Historical Society, Martinez, California, 1962.Lyman, George D. John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-blazer on Six Frontiers, pp. 112, Chautauqua, New York: The Chautauqua Press, 1931.
While at Fort Snelling, Marsh resumed his study of medicine, with the post doctor, Dr. Purcell. Because Purcell died before Marsh completed his studies, he never received a certificate. Marsh lived for a time in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, where he got involved in the Black Hawk War between the United States and a group of Sauk, Meskwaki (Fox), and Kickapoo, known as the "British Band". As the Sioux supported the US against their old rivals, Marsh was blamed for a Sioux massacre of Fox and Sauk warriors.Winkley, John W. Dr. John Marsh, Wilderness Scout, p. 41, Contra Costa County Historical Society, Martinez, California, 1962.
As a result, he fled the area, taking Decouteaux and their son with him and settling in New Salem, Illinois. Leaving the pair there, he returned to Prairie du Chien. Decouteaux was pregnant again and pining for Marsh; she tried to walk the several hundred miles to rejoin him. The journey exhausted her, and she and their second child died in childbirth. Marsh placed his young son, Charles, to be raised with a family named Painter in New Salem.
He again became involved in Indian affairs. He was discovered selling guns illegally to some of the Indians and had to flee the territory, this time settling in Independence, Missouri, where he became a merchant. Marsh visited his son again before his business failed, and in 1836 he emigrated, as an employee of the American Fur Company, to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He proceeded to Southern California via the Santa Fe Trail.Winkley, John W. Dr. John Marsh, Wilderness Scout, p. 41-7, 94-5, Contra Costa County Historical Society, Martinez, California, 1962. Both areas were part of the Republic of Mexico, which had gained independence from Spain in 1821.
Life in California In southern California, Marsh claimed he was the only person who had any knowledge of Western (or European-style) medicine. He presented his Harvard degree to the local Mexican government of Alta California. The degree was written in Latin, which none of the local authorities could read. They took his word and granted him permission to practice medicine. Marsh was quite successful in his new profession, but his prices were very high. He sometimes charged as much as a head of cattle to deliver a baby. He is credited as being the first person to practice medicine in California.Winkley, John W. Dr. John Marsh, Wilderness Scout, p. 52-3, Contra Costa County Historical Society, Martinez, California, 1962.Lyman, George D. John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-blazer on Six Frontiers, pp. 200-5, The Chautauqua Press, Chautauqua, New York, 1931.
He was often paid in the currency of the day: cowhides and tallow. Marsh joked that his adobe looked more like a warehouse than the offices of a physician. In 1836, he sold his accumulated inventory to a Boston trader for $500 and rode to Northern California seeking a ranch to purchase. Since Mexico allowed only Catholics to own land in California, he became baptized as a Roman Catholic.Osborne, Thomas J. Pacific Eldorado: A History of Greater California. 2013. John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved February 4, 2015.id=INjbmuwIlxAC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&dq=%22John+Marsh%22+California+Catholic+convert&source=bl&ots=Mpuzpn6pf4&sig=_k6juCfHluhsrOojJJIrc7xXUbg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KoLSVPukC4TgggTpyYP4Cw&ved=0CCsQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22John%20Marsh%22%20California%20Catholic%20convert&f=false " California: Las Vegas, Reno, Baja California. 1999. . p. 33.Winkley, John W. Dr. John Marsh: Wilderness Scout, pp. 53-4, Contra Costa County Historical Society, Martinez, California, 1962.Lyman, George D. John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-blazer on Six Frontiers, pp. 204-6, The Chautauqua Press, Chautauqua, New York, 1931.
In 1837, Marsh purchased the 17,000-acre Rancho Los Méganos, a land grant, from prominent Californio ranchero José Noriega on what is now called Marsh Creek. This was east of what is now Clayton, California and on the western edge of the present-day city of Brentwood. (His acquisition of the rancho indicates that Marsh had become a naturalized Mexican citizen). The price he paid for the rancho was $500 (all of his savings). He became the first known non-Hispanic white settler in what is now Contra Costa County.Nolte, Carl. San Francisco Chronicle. "CONTRA COSTA COUNTY / Remembering colorful but unpopular pioneer / Slain 150 years ago, man, his home are focus of coming park." September 24, 2006. Retrieved July 4, 2013.Winkley, John W. Dr. John Marsh: Wilderness Scout, pp. 56, Contra Costa County Historical Society, Martinez, California, 1962.Lyman, George D. John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-blazer on Six Frontiers, pp. 212, 224, The Chautauqua Press, Chautauqua, New York, 1931.
Marsh prospered there, both as a rancher and as a doctor. He continued to invest by purchasing more land near his original rancho. Before his death, he claimed that his rancho contained about 40,000 acres of land. In practicing medicine, he again charged very high prices, generally in relation to how far he had to travel to see the patient (which often meant being away from his ranch for days or weeks).Lyman, George D. John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-Blazer on Six Frontiers, pp. 224-8, The Chautauqua Press, Chautauqua, New York, 1931. There is some evidence that during this period, he cared for some of the survivors of the Donner Party.
Marsh acquired tens of thousands of head of cattle for his rancho and lived the life of a wealthy ranchero. He was known to pay very low wages to his workers, and many were said to hate him. In 1841, when the first American emigrant party, the Bartleson-Bidwell Party, reached California from Missouri. There were 32 men and one woman and her baby. Marsh invited them to be his guests. The California Trail thus terminated in Brentwood.Stone, Irving. Men to Match my Mountains, pp 37, Berkley Books, New York, New York, 1956, 1982. .
After entertaining members of the Bartleson-Bidwell Party, Marsh was said to invite them to slaughter one of his steers for breakfast the next morning. The next day, however, he found that the party had also slaughtered his best work oxen, which comprised a highly valuable commodity and were critical to ranch operations. Although it was likely a mistake, Marsh was angry and bitter toward the party. Later there were further disagreements between them. John Bidwell reportedly said that "John Marsh is the meanest man I ever met."Lyman, George D. John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-Blazer on Six Frontiers, pp. 244-8, The Chautauqua Press, Chautauqua, New York, 1931.Weinstein, Dave. "Saving the house that Marsh built." San Francisco Chronicle. December 7, 2002 Retrieved January 25, 2015. Among the Bartleson-Bidwell Party was Nancy Kelsey, known as the first woman to cross the Sierras to reach California. She later became known as the "Betsy Ross of California" after she created the state's first flag.Evans, Barry. "Ben Kelsey: Arcata Founding Father, Trail Builder, Indian Killer," North Coast Journal of Politics, People and Art, Eureka, California, February 13, 2014. (https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/ben-kelsey-arcata-founding-father-trail-builder-indian-killer/Content?oid=2489633). Retrieved August 1, 2020.Stone, Irving. Men to Match my Mountains, pp 32-36, Berkley Books, New York, New York, 1956, 1982. .
As early as 1837, Marsh worried about being able to retain ownership of the great rancho. Americans and some other foreigners considered the Mexican courts in California to be corrupt and unpredictable in their rulings on such cases. In addition, there was evidence of competition by the Russians, French and English, who were independently preparing to seize the province. Marsh was determined to have the territory become part of the United States to protect his holdings. He felt the best method to achieve that was to encourage emigration by Americans to California, and in this way repeat the history of Texas as a takeover by more numerous Americans.Lyman, George D. John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-Blazer on Six Frontiers, pp. IX, 209, 231, The Chautauqua Press, Chautauqua, New York, 1931.Winkley, John W. Dr. John Marsh: Wilderness Scout, pp. 60-2, Contra Costa County Historical Society, Martinez, California, 1962.