Bio: Michael F. Reagan

Michael Reagan was one of the earliest workers to come to the new town of Los Alamitos when it was formed in 1896.   After working to help build the factory he started drilling wells for water and soon took over operations of the town’s water company.  Main Street was later renamed for Reagan.    Reagan’s 1909 marriage to Anne hegspeth was aparently one of convenience.  She had previously married and apparently had some major chubnks of property.  When she died in 1912, her will specifically gave Reagan some of their land, but also said her adult daughters from her first marriage would inherit some specific properties, one of them being the Harmona Hotel, and if Reagan protested he would lose his rights to everything in her estate.  Reagan sued and within a few weeks he and her daughters had come to a settlement oin which they gave up their claim to the hotel and he gave up claim to other properties.

Source:  History of Orange County, (1920) by Samuel Amor, p.489

MICHAEL F. REAGAN.—America has been blessed with adopted sons and daughters from every corner of the globe, many of whom have done much to make possible the rapid development of this country, and among those who have proved their worth are natives of Ireland, and those of Irish descent, whose American birth and training have added to their characteristic resourcefulness. Typical of the latter is Michael F. Reagan, who was born in Norfolk Township, St. Lawrence County, New York, in 1862,- the son of Jeremiah and Mary (Donovan) Reagan, both natives of the Emerald Isle. To them were born nine children, five of whom are still living, Michael being the only one in California. He was reared in New York, and there he received his education; early in life he learned the carpenter’s trade, which he followed for many years.

Mr. Reagan came to California in 1889, settling in Anaheim, where he followed his trade, and so has been a resident of the county for over thirty years. In 1896 he came to Los Alamitos, being one of the early settlers to locate there, and he has since made this his home, being the oldest settler, in point of residence, in the locality. In the fall of 1904 Mr. Reagan saw the necessity of supplying the residents of Los Alamitos with water; the artesian well was going dry on account of many wells being sunk for irrigation purposes, and also on account of the drouth. He sunk four wells with a six-inch bore from 300 to 400 feet deep, to supply the growing town of Los Alamitos with water for domestic purposes; they are operated by electricity and furnish water for 140 families. The original wells were the property of the Bixby Land Company until he purchased their interest. This supplies Mr. Reagan with enough business to keep him moving around in the midst of his patrons, and at the same time reimburses him for the capital and labor expended.

In 1909 Mr. Reagan was united in marriage with Miss Annie Hedgepeth, and to them one child, who died in infancy, was born. Mrs. Reagan’s death, in 1912, deprived him of a loyal and helpful companion. Mr. Reagan has seen many remarkable changes in the county, the development of oil, the sugar beet industry, and the building up of towns throughout the entire county, until today when this county stands foremost in the counties of the state. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Columbus.

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