Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks (December 26, 1857 – October 3, 1943) was an American

prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...

, entrepreneur, and

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

who established several towns in the

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

area of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, including Fairbanks Springs (1904–05),

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easter ...

(1910), and

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

(1929).

Early life

Fairbanks was born to

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

pioneer parents David and Susan Mandeville Fairbanks in

Payson, Utah Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 21,101 at the 2020 census. History Pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led by Jam ...

, on December 26, 1857.

Career

He was a descendant of

Jonathan Fairbanks Jonathan Fairbanks (1594 – December 5, 1668) was an English colonist born in Heptonstall, Halifax, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England who immigrated to New England in 1633. Around 1641 Fairbanks built the Fairbanks House in Dedham, ...

. He followed a job with the railroad at start of the 20th century south to

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, and eventually moved his family to Death Valley. Earlier in 1883, Fairbanks had been among those called by John Taylor to start a new settlement in the

Sevier Valley Sevier County ( ) is a county in Utah, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 20,802. Its county seat and largest city is Richfield. History Evidence of indigenous peoples residing in Sevier County up to 5,000 ...

. R. J. "Dad" Fairbanks, as he was known to locals, built businesses and towns throughout the region and built the first

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

service station in the area, in Baker. He was known for saving tourists and prospectors who wandered into the desert, and also recovered bodies of unlucky travelers.

Personal life

He married Celestia Adelaide Johnson in 1877 and had eleven children. Only eight survived to adulthood. When Fairbanks was in his 70s, he moved to

Santa Paula, California Santa Paula (Spanish for " St. Paula") is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. Situated amid the orchards of the Santa Clara River Valley, the city advertises itself to tourists as the "Citrus Capital of the World". Santa Pau ...

, with his wife Celeste to live with their youngest daughter, Zella Modine, and her family. Celeste died in 1938 and Ralph moved to

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, with Zella and granddaughter

Nola Fairbanks Nola Fairbanks (born Nola Jo Modine; December 10, 1924 – February 8, 2021) was an American actress. She was also the aunt of actor Matthew Modine. Early life Fairbanks was born Nola Jo Modine in Santa Paula, California, on December 10, 1924, t ...

. Ralph died on October 3, 1943 at the Hollywood Nursing Home. His great-grandson is actor

Matthew Modine Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker, who rose to prominence through his role as U.S. Marine Private/Sergeant J.T. "Joker" Davis in ''Full Metal Jacket''. His other film roles include the title character ...

. Though his parents and wife were Members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Fairbanks was never a devout member of the religion.

References

External links

Story about "Dad" Fairbanks & Death Valley Scotty in the Pahrump TimesPhotos of Ralph on the Nola Fairbanks Web SiteShoshone, CA"Dad" Fairbanks cabins at Baker, CA (1931)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbanks, Ralph Jacobus American prospectors American people of English descent American city founders 1857 births 1942 deaths Death Valley History of the Mojave Desert region People from Payson, Utah