Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks

Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks
Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks
Born	December 26, 1857 ; Payson, Utah , U.S.
Died	October 3, 1943 (aged 85) ; Hollywood, California , U.S.
Spouse	Celestia Adelaide Johnson ( m. 1877; died 1938)
Children	11 (3 deceased)
Relatives	Nola Fairbanks (grand-daughter) ; Matthew Modine (great-grandson)

Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks (December 26, 1857 ? October 3, 1943) was an American prospector , entrepreneur, and pioneer who established several towns in the Death Valley area of California , including Fairbanks Springs ^[1] (1904?05), Shoshone (1910), and Baker (1929).

Early life [ edit ]

Fairbanks was born to Mormon pioneer parents David and Susan Mandeville Fairbanks in Payson, Utah , on December 26, 1857. ^[2]

Career [ edit ]

He was a descendant of Jonathan Fairbanks . He followed a job with the railroad at start of the 20th century south to Las Vegas, Nevada , and eventually moved his family to Death Valley. ^{[
citation needed
]}

Earlier in 1883, Fairbanks had been among those called by John Taylor to start a new settlement in the Sevier Valley . ^[3]

R. J. "Dad" Fairbanks, as he was known to locals, built businesses and towns throughout the region and built the first Standard Oil service station in the area, in Baker. ^[4] He was known for saving tourists and prospectors who wandered into the desert, and also recovered bodies of unlucky travelers. ^{[
citation needed
]}

Personal life [ edit ]

He married Celestia Adelaide Johnson in 1877 and had eleven children. Only eight survived to adulthood. ^{[
citation needed
]}

When Fairbanks was in his 70s, he moved to Santa Paula, California , 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 , with Zella and granddaughter Nola Fairbanks . Ralph died on October 3, 1943, at the Hollywood Nursing Home. His great-grandson is actor Matthew Modine . ^{[
citation needed
]}

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. ^[3]

References [ edit ]

^ Pilgrims in the Desert: The Early History of the East Mojave (2005) Le Hayes, Mojave River Valley Historical Association (2005). Pilgrims in the Desert . Self Published. ISBN 0-918614-16-3 .
^ Fairbanks, Lorenzo Sayles (1897). Genealogy of the Fairbanks Family in America, 1633-1897 . author.
^ ^a ^b Le Hayes, Mojave River Valley Historical Association (2005). Pilgrims in the Desert . Self Published. ISBN 0-918614-16-3 .
^ "Pomona Public Library Digital Collections : Item Viewer" . content.ci.pomona.ca.us . Retrieved 2021-05-10 .

External links [ edit ]

[1] Pilgrims in the Desert: The Early History of the East Mojave (2005) Le Hayes, Mojave River Valley Historical Association (2005). Pilgrims in the Desert . Self Published. ISBN 0-918614-16-3 .

[2] Fairbanks, Lorenzo Sayles (1897). Genealogy of the Fairbanks Family in America, 1633-1897 . author.

[autogenerated1-3] Le Hayes, Mojave River Valley Historical Association (2005). Pilgrims in the Desert . Self Published. ISBN 0-918614-16-3 .

[4] "Pomona Public Library Digital Collections : Item Viewer" . content.ci.pomona.ca.us . Retrieved 2021-05-10 .

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Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States