Charles Milton Santee (April 3, 1835 – October 16, 1901) was a 19th-century civil engineer, surveyor, miner,

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...

, and entrepreneur in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

and

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. He developed the town of

Ramona, California Ramona is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 21,468 at the 2020 census, up from 20,292 at the 2010 census. The name ''Ramona'' also refers to an unincorporated community of San Diego (with so ...

, and served several terms on the

Los Angeles Common Council The Los Angeles Common Council was the predecessor of the Los Angeles, California, City Council. It was formed in 1850 under state law, when the city had only 1,610 residents, and it existed until 1889, when the city had about 50,400 residents an ...

Career

Eastern US

Santee was a lieutenant from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. ;Missouri During his early career as a surveyor, Santee made surveys of

Dixon, Missouri Dixon is a city in northern Pulaski County, Missouri, United States, with a population of 1,549 at the time of the 2010 census. History Dixon was platted in 1869 at the time a railroad was extended through to the neighborhood and a post office ...

, and also laid out the town of

Richland, Missouri Richland is a city in Camden, Laclede, and Pulaski counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 1,863 at the 2010 census. History Richland was originally called Lyon, and under the latter name was platted in 1869. The present nam ...

in 1869.

California

Santee was elected to two consecutive terms to represent the 4th

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

on the

, the legislative branch of the city, the first beginning December 9, 1884, and the second ending December 13, 1886. In 1887 he opened the Ramona Hotel in

Julian, California Julian is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,768, up from 1,502 at the time of the 2010 census. Julian is an official California Historical Landmark (No. 412). The Jul ...

. a

hostelry A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

that was later renamed the Kenilworth Inn. In 1888, Santee had mines in San Diego County, "30 miles from Dos Palmos and three miles from the line surveyed for the Cuyamaca Road." In January of that year he was one of the incorporators of the

Lower California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was kno ...

Mining Company (Mexico), which was capitalized at $5 million. He later defended a deal the company made with a Chinese consortium that would send Chinese workers to the mines in Mexico:"The Chinese Deal," ''Los Angeles Daily Herald,'' May 28, 1889, page 1
/ref>

When everything is in full working order we expect that there will be about 1,000 Mongolians taken down there, all of whom will come out of this State alifornia and thereby greatly decrease the unwelcome resident population. According to the Scott Exclusion Act they will not be able to return, although if they want to I have no doubt that they could manage it, for there are only a handful of men guarding the western 1,000 miles of Mexican frontier. But I do not think that they will want to come back, for they will get better wages down there and will not be looked upon with the aversion they are here.

Santee headed a San Diego group that had

platted In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...

, as a site for a resort community, but the endeavor failed. He then bought 6,000 acres of Rancho Santa Maria, "halfway between the

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

and the San Diego Gold Country, and surveyed it for sale into small farms and ranches." This area originally had the name Nuevo, but Santee changed it to

Ramona ''Ramona'' is an 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War and annexation of the territory by the United States, ''Ramona'' explores the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native ...

, to capitalize on the success of

Helen Hunt Jackson Helen Hunt Jackson (pen name, H.H.; born Helen Maria Fiske; October 15, 1830 – August 12, 1885) was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. She de ...

's book ''

,'' and he began a nationwide sales campaign to sell property there. In 1893 Santee donated land in Nuevo for a park and library; he also laid out the grounds for the park.

Personal

Santee was born in Pennsylvania in 1835. In 1883, Santee was a member of the Los Angeles Coeur de Lion Commandery, No. 9,

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

. When living in

Lassen County, California Lassen County ( ) is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,730, and was estimated to be 28,340 in 2024, Its county seat and the largest city is Susanville ...

, he was a

charter member A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the reci ...

of Lake Lodge No. 135,

Ancient Order of United Workmen The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the American Civil War. It was the first of the "fraternal benefit societies", organizati ...

. He married the widow Jennie Blodgett Cowles in 1890. Milton Santee died in Los Angeles on October 16, 1901, at the home of his mother, V. Santee, at 210 West 28th Street in today's

Historic South Central Historic South Central Los Angeles is a 2.25-square-mile neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, within the South Los Angeles region. It is the site of the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall. From the late 1800s to early 1910s, African Americans began re ...

area. He was survived by his wife, Jennie Cowles Santee; a son Homer Santee; and five siblings, Addison Santee, Mary Santee, Mrs. L. Scofield, Mrs. A. Siddle of Clinton, Iowa, and Mrs. Dr. J.A. Gall of Winslow, Arizona."Death Record," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 18, 1901, page 12
/ref>

Legacy

Milton Santee is remembered in the renamed city of Santee in

San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...

, which was originally named Cowleston, after its founder George A. Cowles, who died in 1887. Cowles's widow, Jennie, married Milton Santee and, according to historian Harriette Wade, "lobbied hard" to change the name to Santee in honor of her new husband. A "reluctant vote of the citizens" approved the idea in 1893, Wade said.Bill Owens, "Stampeding Toward Santee," ''San Diego Magazine,'' October 1997
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santee, Milton American civil engineers American surveyors American miners Businesspeople from Los Angeles Businesspeople from San Diego Los Angeles Common Council (1850–1889) members 1835 births 1901 deaths People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War People from San Diego County, California Ramona, San Diego County, California Santee, California Engineers from California 19th-century American businesspeople