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Summary   Children   Ea “La California”

William Benitz
Argentina 1874 - 1876
(ages: 59 - 61)

Why?

The big questions: Why did William Benitz leave California?  Why did he choose Argentina?  These questions have been asked many times.  They are interrelated and there is no single definitive answer:

• He may have felt out of place in English-speaking Oakland in spite of his success there in realestate and mining.  As noted in a newspaper article (Oakland Daily Evening Tribune, July 20, 1874), he was very German.  His partners in Rancho de Muniz (Fort Ross) and Rancho de German (Spanish for: “Hermann Ranch”) were German or Swiss.  His last remarks to his son Frank were in German, recorded by Frank in his diary.  (See his diary, Footnote 2.) this suggests William and Josephine spoke German amongst themselves and probably with their children.  (However, their children wrote their diaries and letters to each other in English.)
• He wanted to leave his sons well set up with a large tract of land each.  Large tracts of land were no longer available in the US.  But his brother Frank, recently returned from Argentina, told him of the wide open pampas ready for the taking. (See the diary of his son Alfred, beginning at Monday, July 21, 1873.)
• Argentina had a promising future at that time and was welcoming settlers.  Most settlers came from Spain and Italy, but the government was also encouraging immigrants from northern Europe.  (Query the web, e.g. Wikipedia.)
• And it can not be ignored that William was confident of success for he had succeeded twice already: at Fort Ross (farming & ranching) and then in Oakland (investing in real estate & mining).  Like many successful entrepreneurs, he was not afraid to risk all and venture out once again.
• About when William bought the land that became his estancia (ranch) “La California” his neighboring estancias to the east and west were established by Germans, those to the north by British & those to the south by Spanish/Argentines and a North American (see maps of “La California”).  [Modern local historians classify “La California” as having been established by North Americans.]

Journey to Argentina

The whole family went, William, Josephine, and all seven of their children, including the eldest, Frank, who had already left home.  In New York they were joined by William’s younger brother Frank Xavier Benitz (Uncle Frank) and their sister “Nany” and her husband Urban Mahrer.  (The Mahrers stayed just two months in Argentina, returning to the US from Rosario on December 12, 1874.)

The journey from Oakland to Buenos Aires took 72 days, entailed passage on 4 ocean-going vessels, and travelled 14,695 miles.  They departed Oakland, California, on July 29, 1874, and arrived in Buenos Aires on October 8, 1874. The following day they travelled up the Río Paraná to Rosario, Santa Fé.

The journey entailed the following legs:

1. Oakland to Panama	July  29 - Aug. 14	SS Arizona	- train across the isthmus
2. Panama to New York	Aug. 15 - 28	SS Acapulco	- Busch’s Hotel, Hoboken
3. New York to Southampton	Aug. 29 - Sep. 8	SS Wesser
4. Southampton to Buenos Aires	Sep. 9 - Oct. 8	SS Boyne
5. Buenos Aires & Rosario	Oct. 9  - Dec. 25	river ferry	- hotels & a rented home

For a detailed description of their journey, please read either of the following:

• Alfred’s biography: Chapter VI – The Voyage to New Horizons
• Alfred's diary (transcribed): Diary 1874: July 28 – December 25

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The family’s first 25 years in Argentina.
1875 – Founding “La California” to “Benitz Hermanos” – 1900

The following table lists only the most important events.  For more detail, please begin with:

• Summary of William (Wilhelm) & Josephine’s children
• History of La California

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Supporting documents, anecdotes, etc.

John E. Benitz diary, 8 April, 1910: Today, in 1875 my father with my brothers Frank, William, Charlie and Alfred, with Uncles Frank + Marr [?]  arrived on the La California camp and began to poblar [settle], set up the tent and began to make a sod rancho [hut], which stood for a good number of years afterwards, it was built just behind where now stands the row of buildings comprising office + rooms for book keeper, sitting room, and my old rooms-, 35 years ago. (In 2020, the northern four rooms of the mentioned “row of buildings” is all that remains of the grand house that Wilhelm built.)

Alfred A. Benitz diary, 1873, pg.278:

Father died June 27 1876 half past six in the evening.   Cause sudden dizziness could not breathe.   Age 61 years, 4 months 18 days Estancia “La California” Cañada de Gomez Provincia Santa Fe') Last words– “I am getting dizzy”