Octavius Gass came west from Ohio in 1850 during the California gold rush, and eventually became a prospector. In 1854 he relocated to the tiny pueblo of Los Angeles in Southern California, where his ability to speak Spanish and handle different cultures lead to him being appointed the "zanjero" of the main water supply. Still prospecting, now in tin, investors dried up as the Civil War approached. Gass relocated to southern Nevada, eventually buying an abandoned fort (now the Las Vegas Mormon Fort
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View More State Park). In 1865, Gass started 4 terms in the Arizona Teritorial Legislature. The Arizona-Nevada border relocation caused local problems with taxes, and Gass' political and economic influence diminished. He also had big debt as some of his crops failed. In 1881, he relocated again to Southern California, and eventually helped with his son's orange orchard.