I started researching and writing about the story of Emma LeDoux many, many years ago. In fact, I wrote the most in depth account about her early life, the murder and the aftermath on my blog and in my book, "Stories of the Forgotten: Infamous, Famous & Unremembered," back in 2016.
The research from my book gained so much attention that the producers at I.D. Investigative Discovery Network reached out to me and used me as their "historical consultant" for an episode of the hit television series, "Deadly Women," for that very story.
Back when I was doing early research on the story, I had found that the hotel where Emma committed the murderous act was located at the California Lodge in Stockton, once located at California Street and Main Street. I had believed it was possible that this building shown below was the location originally, but I was never certain. Let's dive into the facts today!
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| California and Main Street, Stockton |
It has come to my attention that in the recent years there have been people who have taken tours in the building claiming to have been in the room where Emma killed her husband, even posting photos on Facebook, making Youtube videos and even "History Hunters" jumped on the bandwagon with this.
Again, I have never said for certain that this was the building. In my earlier writings I had believed it MIGHT BE the location, but was never certain, thus the reason why I never published a photo of the building in my book or my blogs. I have only stated the California Lodge was located at California and Main Street in Stockton.
Per the 1895 Sanborn Maps, this property was actually listed as the COMMERCIAL HOTEL, and it was so prior to 1906 and after that time period. And as you can see below, each corner of the street had some sort of lodging house as well.
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| 1895 Sanborn Map |
After further research, if you take a look at the Wright's Realtor's page, Mr. Wright, a long-time Stockton native who has been researching the history of locations in Stockton for many years, he has some other interesting information to back up this theory.
Per Wright Realtor's website:
"425-431 E. Main St. ---Commercial Hotel Built in 1874 by George F. Smith at a cost between $25,000 to $30,000. It was two stories high, and 90 by 75 feet in dimensions.
In 1878, a third story was added at a cost of $5,000, improving the appearance of the building. The hotel was leased and managed by F.C. Hahn in 1875. The hotel contained sixty-one rooms and was entirely refurnished and re carpeted in 1878.
Early photographs indicate the building has been remodeled. This is one of the older buildings in downtown Stockton. The 1912 Stockton City Directory listed this building as the Commercial Hotel, a title it retains still. "
439-447 E. Main St. at California - Built in 1895 - The Hotel Main building has addresses at 447 E. Main and on N. California.
Listed as the Hotel MacAllister in Stockton City Directories as early as 1912, the name changed to the Hotel Main by 1925.
By 1930, Kuechler & Sons Jewelers opened a shop on the Main Street side of the building, and Wilson's News Stand and California Floral Company were on N. California. All three businesses remained in the building through 1950. The ground floor was last consumed by K. V. Furniture.
This may have once been part of the Commercial Hotel, next door at 425-29 East Main, starting in the 1880s. A sign on the roof of 439-447 East Main, installed in the 1880s and since removed, once announced the building as the Commercial Hotel.
The storefronts of this building have been remodeled, and a large bay window on the second and third floor corner has been removed, but the upper floors are otherwise relatively intact." ---
So you see, that building and the one next to it that everyone is claiming was the spot where Emma killed her husband was not listed anywhere I could find as the California Lodge, thus it is my belief that this was probably not the location where Albert McVicar was murdered. I believe it was more than likely one of the smaller "lodging houses" listed on the Sanborn maps as indicated in the photo above.
I don't understand how people can take an idea and run with it, and create over the top ideas, and even go so far as to go into an old room, from an old building and claim as a matter of fact that this was the actual room where she killed her husband.
Even if it turned out that it actually was that particular building, where is your documentation? Who told you this was the exact room the murder took place? Where did you get your information from? Nine times out of ten, people just make stuff up and other people run with it and all of a sudden you have this elaborate fabrication added to a real story.
And to tell people that a particular room was the "murder room," as some sort of factual statement is the most ridiculous of claims I have ever heard! The murder took place in 1906. Does anyone realize how often rooms get renumbered after a horrible event takes place at a hotel?
Look at the Hotel Del Coronado, the Ione Hotel, the Delta Queen, etc. Those are just a few examples of hotels that renumbered their rooms after an incident or death at the hotel that brought unwanted scandal to the business.
Emma LeDoux's case was the biggest trial of that time, and was mentioned in every single newspaper for months. The only thing that upstaged her trial and the murder story itself, was the Great Earthquake of San Francisco in 1906.
There is no doubt in my mind that the hotel proprietor renumbered the rooms to their hotel to avoid having guests freak out if they were assigned to room #97.
Remember, people back then were not as open to staying in rooms of murder victims like we are today. Ghost hunting and true crime enthusiasts were not "the thing" back then. No one wanted to stay in a room they knew someone died in.
Will we ever know for certain which building it was, or if it was actually the building in the photo above? I do not know.
UPDATE: As of 11/02/2024, I believe the answer to one of the questions has been confirmed. It appears that the building known once as the Main Hotel, Hotel McAllister, and part of the Commercial Hotel was at one short period of time known as The California or the California Lodge. So it appears that this is the correct building after all.
You see, I had always thought it MIGHT be the building but I wasn't certain. Plus, after doing my research into the history of the property, I could not confirm the validity that it was. Apparently, Facebook user Marcus Mac, who is a resident of Stockton, claimed on a recent Facebook post to have found an old Sanborne map he states was between 1906 and 1908.
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| Photo of Sanborne Map (c/o Marcus Mac) |
Still, although the map is evidence of it being the correct location, one thing is for certain, it is improbable that we will ever know for certain which room Emma murdered Albert. Unfortunately, there are those who think they can base evidence on feelings rather than facts, and still choose to believe they know everything about the building, when they have only examined a run-down, abandoned shell of what once was. I don't need to prove which room Emma murdered Albert in, the ones claiming to know the precise room are the ones with the burden of proof before them. And until they have some smoking gun evidence that literally states which room was room #97 in March of 1906, then we will never be certain of the exact room. Although I am glad that there is evidence now that particular building on the corner of California Street and Main Street in Stockton was the correct location of the murder in 1906, due to the fact this building has seen seen many owners and many changes and renovations over the last 118 years, there is absolutely no way to know which room was the "murder room."
As a historian who has been doing this for nearly 20 years, sometimes we uncover amazing information that we hadn't found prior, and we have a responsibility as historians to share that information. Unfortunately though, many times we don't find all the answers to the questions we seek, and those are the mysteries lost to the annals of history.
(Copyright 2024 - J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)
