Robert McFadden and his brother wanted to start a ranch in Orange County, CA. They shipped lumber for fences from San Francisco, and oxen had to be used to haul the loads from Anaheim Landing and Santa Ana. However, there was no road, so McFadden built their own landing and cargo pier, now known as Newport Beach and Newport Pier. Their lumber was sold to needy locals before they could use it themselves, so more lumber was ordered, leading to creating their lumber and shipping business. They sold land in Newport Beach, and established a train line between Newport Beach and Santa Ana (now gone). They helped banish saloons from Santa Ana and
enacted a local prohibition in 1903.