The
History of
Warren N. Woodson
By: Destiny J., Kristen B., Shelsea M.
Approved by Mr. Dillon, Maywood School
March 2007
In the 1880's, Corning was a typical sleepy western railroad town. Then along came the right man to the right place at the right time, Warren N. Woodson, a young man of high hopes, burning ambition, diligent working habits and visions of success. It was an age of independence, hard work, and many low and middle income families, coming to Corning to settle in a warm healthy climate and were looking for small farms and plots of land, within their means, to frame and build houses on. The Corning area seemed to be "A most congenial spot," in Woodson's "Camelot," the Maywood Colony. He was a partner in the company, and devoted his whole life to his dream, by working day and night, weekends and holidays promoting the Colony.
Early Years
Woodson was born on September 2, 1863, somewhere near Sacramento. As a young boy he was self supporting and also helped provide for his mother, brother and two sisters. He picked acorns for 10 cents a grain sack, herded sheep, and tended a band of hogs for five months. He had to drop out of school after the fourth grade, but he taught himself all of the three R's and much more by constantly reading in his spare time. His mother, Margaret Hatton Woodson, decided the family should move to Red Bluff to be with her parents. There, Woodson washed dishes for 75 cents a day at the Tremont Hotel and waited on tables. In 1879, he worked for the Sierra Lumber Company, and through his initiative and hard work, he rose to become bookkeeper for the mill. He then became clerk for the general store of Clark and Mayhew, and handled the agency for distributing the San Francisco newspapers.
His Work
While the partners came and went, Woodson stayed on and lived the rest of his life in Corning, working, organizing and pushing the various community organizations, and advertising continuously. He helped those settlers who needed it to the best of his ability. He was the most respected man in town for his contributions to the community, and was honored by many people. His life was Corning and the surrounding Maywood Colonies. He entered into the community life of Red Bluff. In 1886, was appointed postmaster of Red Bluff, a position he held for four years. In 1887, he met and married a school teacher, Florence Betties, daughter of a former Tehama County treasurer, Ransom S. Betties.
During his tenure as postmaster of Red Bluff, he received many letters from other parts of the United States inquiring about the availability of small plots of land that might be for sale in the area. Letters from people who could not afford the large acreage that it took to raise grain and sheep contacted Woodson. These letters gave him the idea of developing small tracts of land for sale, and led to the development of the Maywood Colony.
He met and became an associate of Charles F. Foster, who had been the sheriff of Tehama County for two terms, and who was elected to the state legislature as senator in 1882, representing Tehama, Colusa and Glenn Counties. A contract was entered into between George Hoag, one of the original pioneer settlers, and Foster, for the purchase of 3107 acres adjacent to and east of Corning, at a price of $77,675.00. The original real estate sales firm was called Moore, Foster & Co., with officers at 634 Market Street, San Francisco. The "Moore" in the firm was Colonel O.E. Moore, who had formed a Chicago suburb named Maywood. The name Maywood was chosen for "The Maywood Colony." The partnership name was soon changed to Foster, Benchley & Woodson, then later to Foster, Treakle & Woodson, and lastly to Foster & Woodson.
An ad in the New York Times dated Dec. 18, 1895, read:
“$40 an acre on easy terms gets warranty
Deed to good fruit land in California; boat
Landing, depot, schools, churches, stores,
And 600 people now on tract; perfect
Climate, place healthful and rapidly
Developing; orange, olive, fig, almond,
Grape, peach, prune, pear and apricot
Orchards growing to perfection; get out
Prospectus. FOSTER & WOODSON,
84 Adams St. Chicago.”
Later Years
By the spring of 1898, The Maywood Colony Office had been completed, and was in use by Foster and Woodson. The Corning Observer was acquired by Dr. Maggard, Chittenden, Houghton and McGuiness in March, 1898. The editor was Tom McGuiness, who immediately started blasting derogatory editorials about Woodson and the Maywood Colony, expressing the old settler's views. By December, 1898, Foster and Woodson started The New Era, the Colony newspaper, which was run by the Reverend Ray, a preacher who worked for Foster and Woodson, and who advertised the Maywood Colony. The two papers fought each other with editorials for many years.
One of Woodson's trips home was marked with tragedy. On July 7, 1898, Corning had its biggest fire. Every business store in a two-block range burned to the ground. Summer heat, South winds, and the wood construction of the buildings caused the disaster. Many of the buildings were then rebuilt with brick. In April, 1899, the famous Hotel Maywood was built by Foster & Woodson. It was located on the corner of the town's main street across from the Maywood Colony Office and the railroad depot. Palm trees were planted so that the colonists could see that "Anything and everything" could grow in this wonderful climate. The hotel was eventually owned and operated by Woodson after the partnership with Foster terminated, and for many years was the hub of community business and social organizations. After the last of several fires, it was sold and is now the location of the Corning City Hall. Soon after, Mr. Woodson died a peaceful death.
http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/california/corning
http://www.cuesdeett3.org/index.htm
http://www.planetware.com/california/corning-us-ca-cn.htm
http://www.wunderground.com/US/CA/Corning/KCIC.html
The History of Corning, California
http://www.cuesd.tehama.k12.ca.us/library/local1.htm
http://www.olivecity.com/about.html