Milton Santee (1835–1901), 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 othe ...

, and entrepreneur in

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

and

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

. He developed the town of

Ramona, California Ramona is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 20,292 at the 2010 census. The name ''Ramona'' also refers to an unincorporated community (with some plans to incorporate) that includes both the ...

, 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 and ...

Career

Eastern US

Santee was a lieutenant from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. ;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 b ...

, 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 name ...

in 1869.

California

Santee was elected to two consecutive terms to represent the 4th electoral district 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 2010 census, the population was 1,502, down from 1,621 at the time of the 2000 census. Julian is an official California Historical Landmark (No. 412). The Jul ...

. a

hostelry A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

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 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
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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 for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at th ...

, 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 The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

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 a 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War, it portrays the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native American orphan girl, who suffers racial discrimination and ...

, 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. When living in

Lassen County, California Lassen County () is a county in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,730. The county seat and only incorporated city is Susanville. Lassen County comprises the Susanville, Cali ...

, 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 rec ...

of Lake Lodge No. 135, Ancient Order of United Workmen. 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
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Legacy

Milton Santee is remembered in the renamed city of Santee in San Diego County, California, 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 19th-century American politicians 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