Alonzo Gerry Cook (1839-1932)''Alonzo Cook'' Retrieved: 2010-03-22.
was the founder of the city of

Garden Grove, California Garden Grove is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, located just southwest of Disneyland (located in Anaheim, CA). The population was 171,949 at the 2020 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, ...

, which is now a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

an community in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

Early life

Cook was born 13 May 1839 in Casco, Maine. He met his future bride, Isabella W. Webster in 1860 while he was attending the Ohio State University, and she was teaching in Iowa. They married in 1861 when he was 22 years old and she was 18. The Cooks had one daughter Belle C. Cook (1863-1940), who was often known as Marabell. He had attended Ohio State University as well as Union Law School, which is now Northwestern University. Throughout their marriage, Cook and his wife relocated on several occasions, living in Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, California, and finally in Washington. He was an active

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

Initial career

Alonso Cook's early jobs included serving as a probate judge in

Ada County Ada County is located in the southwestern part of Idaho, United States. As of the 2021 United States census estimate, the county had a population of 511,931, making it by far the state's most populous county; it is home to 26.8% of the state's p ...

in the

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

, working as an attorney for the state of Washington, and also practicing as a physician. While in Vancouver, Washington, the Cook family resided briefly in the histori
Charles Brown House
built in 1866, possibly by Alonzo himself. The unique Second Empire type architecture of the house suggests Alonzo may have built it since this type of construction typically hails from where Alonzo came from, the east coast. Second Empire architecture is rare on the west coast.

Founding of Garden Grove

In 1874, the Cooks bought of land that was sold secondhand from the once-dominant Abel Stearns Ranch. The land covered what is now the area of Lampson Street to Garden Grove Boulevard and from Euclid/Main Street to Nutwood Street. There were only a few hundred people living on farms around the area at the time. After their house was completed in 1874, Cook commenced the establishment of a civic center, the start of commerce, and a school district for the area. Cook donated all the land needed for these facilities, which were the first semblances of a village he named "Garden Grove". The local citizens did not like this name because it consisted of open fields. In 1877, the village of Garden Grove had a church, a blacksmith, a post office and a general store. By 1881, the Cook family moved on to pursue interests in other states and other enterprises. A bronze statue of Alonzo G. Cook was erected in Community Center Park by the City of Garden Grove on the 50th anniversary of its incorporation on June 18, 1956.

Later life

Cook spent the rest of his life in Washington state, dying in Olympia, Washington on 12 Nov 1932. He was buried in Tumwater, Washington at the Masonic Memorial Park.

Film Reference

In '' Thunderbolt and Lightfoot'' (1974), the "A.G. Cook" on the mailbox in the ''Idaho Dream'' scene, by the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

in Idaho (actually the Missouri in Montana), is very likely an " Easter egg" nod to Cook by the film's property master Edward Aiona.

References

Sources

* Doig, Leroy L., ''The Village of Garden Grove – 1870-1905''. Orange, CA: The Paragon Agency, 2000. * Head, H. C., ''The History of Garden Grove''. Garden Grove, CA: The Garden Grove News, 1939.

External links

''City of Garden Grove'' Retrieved: 2010-03-22.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Alonzo 1839 births 1932 deaths People from Olympia, Washington People from Garden Grove, California People from Casco, Maine Ohio State University alumni People from Idaho Territory Northwestern University alumni History of Orange County, California