135 years ago today - Apr 17, 1889

[President Wilford Woodruff Journal]

Sunday April 17, 1889 Col. Trumbo called and took our party through the /american/ Cracker Factory in which he is a large Stockholder. It is a most interesting scene to witness the manufacture of every kind of cracker and fancy biscuits and cakes.

The machinery was most interesting. Five hundred barrels of flour a day are manufactured into the cakes of the most superior character, and a market for these is found in almost every land. This manufactory supplies the British Navy. Care is taken to select every imperfect article from the rest, and these are sold to poor people at the cost of the material. There is one kind of cracker exceedingly light and palatable, the broken parts of which are ground up into what is called "Angels Food," for babies.

Col. Trumbo took Brother Cannon and myself from the factory to the Alaska Commercial Co., and introduced us to Mr. Sloss, President of the Company, and from there went to the Pacific Bank, and was introduced to Dr. R. H. McDonald, who is the President of the Bank. He gave us a most interesting discription of his settlement at Nauvoo as a practicing physician, just before our people were driven out. He described the part he had taken in defending us, and the threats he had received because of his friendship. He had visited Springfield and had seen the Governor, Ford, and represented to him and to other leading men the condition of affairs at Nauvoo. He was also at Nauvoo when the City was attacked by the mob, and spoke of the death of Captain Anderson and his son. He had seen them when they were ] killed. His recital of events there and of the share he had taken in them was listened to with much interest by all of us. He spoke very warmly of the Latter-day Saints.

Col. Trumbo took us to lunch at the California Market. We then returned to the Grand Hotel, and from there we took cars to the railroad station for Monterey. Mr Badlam accompanied us. On the cars was Senator Stanford. I had a conversation with the Senator. He is very kindly disposed and cherishes a very warm regard for Presidet Young and our people generally, and I believe he is a true friend of ours. He got off the train at Menlo Park. The line of railway from San Francisco to Monterey runs through a most beautiful country. The San Mateo Co., Santa Clara, and San Jose and Pajaro Valleys are very lovely.

We reached Del Monte, as the hotel and station is called, (120 miles), in the evening, and were driven in the omnibus to the hotel, which was only a short distance. To avoid being interviewed Mr. Badlam had us registered in his own peculiar way and we had rooms assigned to us in a very beautiful part of the house. The manager of the hotel is an old friend and partner of his, and this was an advantage to us.

The dining room is very large, and though simply furnished is very beautiful. We had a very good dinner. The drawing rooms of this hotel open to the public, are very beautifully furnished and very spacious. It is said to be the best appointed hotel in the world and certainly everything that money could purchase in fitting it up and providing it with every modern improvement has been done.

[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]