Career
Hewes is associated with the construction and completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, although he was an enthusiastic supporter rather than being directly connected with the construction thereof. He provided the golden spike marking completion of the rail and he also planned the connection of the railroad company"s wires to Western Union so the taps of the silver hammer driving the golden spike in Promontory Point, Utah could be heard in San Francisco. Called Anapama, "a place of rest", it was a massive sheep ranch over 800 acres (32 km2) with a large portion eventually converted in vineyards which later died off from blight.
Hewes restored the ranch as a citrus farm which was one of the noted orange groves that stayed with the estate until 1920 when it was sold for $1,000,000.
Hewes" art collection of pictures, statues and frescos was presented to the Leland Stanford Junior. University. He also created Hewes Park on what was once a barren hilltop.
Hewes died in Orange, California in 1915 at the age of 93 and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.