The St. Charles Hotel, originally the Bella Union Hotel. The Bella Union became the Clarenden in 1873 and the St. Charles in 1875. Pico's Building, to the left, was the original home of Farmers and Merchants Bank, later merged into Security Pacific Bank.; Commemoration marker, decorated by bear and 2 stars, reads: "BELLA UNION HOTEL SITE. Near this spot stood the Bella Union Hotel, long a social and political center. Here on October 7, 1858, the first Butterfield Overland mail stage from the east arrived 21 days afte leaving St. Louis. Warren Hall was driver, and waterman Ormsby, reporter, the only through passengers. California registered historical landmark no. 656. Plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, October 7, 1958."
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