 In 1862 or 1863, Hammel was proprietor of the Bella Union Hotel, the leading hotel in Los Angeles, later renamed the Saint Charles.In 1864 Denker was in Havilah in Kern County, where he was operating the Delphi Hotel with John J. Hendrickson.It was a profitable enterprise because Havilah was then the county seat and headquarters for stage lines running between Visalia, California, and Los Angeles.