The story of William H. Spurgeon—the founder of the city of Santa Ana and one of Orange County’s first supervisors—is a microcosm of the county’s dramatic early history.
Spurgeon, known as Uncle Billy, was born on Oct. 10, 1829, in Henry County, Kentucky, In 1830, his parents moved with him to Indiana, and then to Clark County, Missouri, in 1840.
In 1845, his father, Granville, got the 16-year-old a job in a dry goods store, giving him early experience in doing business.
An undated photo of William H. Spurgeon, who was the founder of the City of Santa Ana and served on the Orange County Boards of Supervisors from the 1st District. (Courtesy of Orange County Archives)
At age 23, he moved to the West Coast, where he worked as a rancher, miner, and trade-post operator in Oregon and California—which became a U.S. state two years before, in 1850….