USA > California > A memorial and biographical history of northern California, illustrated. Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy...and biographical mention of many of its most eminent pioneers and also of prominent citizens of today > Part 16
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The common mink (Putorius vison) has a skin as valuable as that of the beaver; the fur is of a dark, brownish chestnut color, with a white spot on the end of the chin. They exist here, but are very rare.
California has two skunks (Mephitis occi- dentalis and Mephitis bicolor), very common animals. The Mephitis bicolor, or little striped skunk, is chiefly found south of latitude 39°; the other in the northern and central parts of the State. The colors of both are black and white.
The Squirrel Family .- The California gray squirrel (Sciurus fossor), the most beautiful and one of the largest of the squirrel genus, inhabits all the pine forests of the State. Its color on the back is a finely-grizzled bluish gray, and white, beneath. At the base of the ear is a little woolly tuft, of a chestnut color. The sides of the feet are covered with hair in the winter, but are bare in the summer; the body is more slender and delicate in shape than that of the Atlantic gray squirrel. It some- times grows to be twelve inches long in the head and body, and fifteen inches in the tail, making the entire length twenty-seven inches. Dr. Newberry says: "The California gray squirrel is eminently a tree-squirrel, scarcely descending to the ground but for food and water, and it subsists almost exclusively on the seeds of the largest and lottiest pine known (Pinus lambertiuna), the 'sugar-pine' of the Western coast. These squirrels inhabit the forests."
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
The Missouri striped ground-squirrel has five dark-brown stripes on the back, separated by four gray stripes; the sides are reddish-brown, the belly grayish-white, and the tail rusty-black above and rusty-brown beneath. The animal is fonr or five inches long. It is found in the northern part of the State. It eats acorns and the seeds of the pine, manzanita, and ceanothus, in the thickets of which last-named bush it pre- fers to hide its stores. This species of squirrel is exceedingly rare.
The Spermophile has two. species in Califor- nia, which resemble each other so closely that they are usually supposed to be the same; they are popularly known as the California ground- squirrels, the little pests which are so destrnc- tive to the grain crops. Their bodies are ten or eleven inches long in the largest specimens; the tail is eight inches long and bushy, the ears large, the cheeks ponched, and herein consists the chief difference between them and squirrels; the color above black, yellowish-brown, and brown, in indistinct mottlings, hoary-yellowish on the sides of the head and neck, and pale yel- lowish-brown on the under side of the body and legs. They dwell in burrows, and usually live in communities in the open, fertile valleys, pre- ferring to make their burrows under the shade of an oak tree. Sometimes, however, single spermophiles will be found living in a solitary manner, remote from their fellows. Their bur- rows, like those of the prairie-dog, are often used by the rattlesnake and the little owl. Dr. New- berry says: "They are very timid, starting at every noise, and on every intrusion into their privacy dropping from their trees, or hurrying in from their wanderings, and scudding to their holes with all possible celerity; arriving at the entrance, however, they stop to reconnoitre, standing erect. as squirrels rarely and spermo- philes habitually do, and looking about to satisfy themselves of the nature and designs of the in- truder. Should this second view justify their flight, or a motion or step forward still further alarm them, with a peculiar movement, like that of a diving duck, they plunge into their bur-
rows, not to venture out till all cause of fear is past. The squirrels of this species were exceed- ingly rare until within the past decade. They seem to have effected an entrance from the val- leys to the east, and are now multiplying. The farmers, as yet, seem not to realize the magni- tude of the damage these squirrels will ulti- mately accomplish.
The California gopher (Thomomys bulbivorus) is the most abundant and most troublesome rodent of this section. When full grown, it has a body six or eight inches long, with a tail of two inches. The back and sides are of a chest- nut-brown color, paler on the under parts of the body and legs; the tail and feet are of grayisli- white; the ears are very short. In the cheeks are large pouches, covered with fur inside, white to their margin, which is dark-brown.
Of rats and inice there are many species. There is very common in the forests a wood-rat that builds conical-shaped burrows by means of piling up sticks and bramble. We have seen these rat houses as much as ten feet in diameter at the base and five or six feet high. Of mice there are many species of both field and house pests. We have seen here two or three speci- mens of the Jerboa family, called by some kan- garoo mice, on account of their great length of hind legs, from which they spring, as does the kangaroo.
The American elk (Cervus canadensis) used to be plentiful, but is now extinct. This ani- mal was nearly as large as a horse. It frequently reached the weight of from 600 to 1,000 pounds. The color was a chestnut-brown, dark on the head, neck, and legs, lighter and yellowish on the back and sides. The horns were very large, sometimes more than four feet long, three feet across from tip to tip, measuring three inches in diameter above the burr, and weigh- ing, with the skull, exclusive of the lower jaw, forty pounds. The horns of the old bucks had from seven to nine, perhaps more, prongs, all growing forward, the main stem running up- ward and backward.
The white-tailed deer have ever been scarce.
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IIISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
The black-tailed deer (Cervus columbianus), which is a little larger and has brighter colors, but does not furnish as good venison, the meat lacking the juiciness and savory taste of the venison in the Mississippi Valley, has been more common. The average weight of the buck is about 120 pounds, and of the doe 100 pounds, but bucks have been found to weigh 275 pounds. The summer coat of the black-tailed deer is composed of rather long and coarse hair of a tawny brown, approaching chestnut on the back. In September this hair begins to come off, ex- posing what the hunters call the " blue coat," which is at first fine and silky, and of a blueish- gray color, afterward becoming chestnut-brown, inclining to gray on the sides, and to black along the back. Occasionally deer purely white are found. The horn, when long, is about two feet long, and forks near mid-length, and each prong forks again, making four points, to which a little spur, issuing from near the base of the horn, may be added, making five in all. This is the general form of the horn; sometimes, however. old bucks are found with but two points.
The prong-horned antelope (Antilocapra americana) used to range the valleys like bands of sheep. They are now extinct. In size the antelope was not quite so large as the Califor- nia deer, which it resembled closely in form and general appearance. They were distin guished at a distance by their motion; the an- telope canters, while the deer runs; the ante- lope went in herds, and moved in a line following the lead of an old buck, like sheep, to which they are related, while deer more frequently are alone, and if in a herd they are more inde- pendent, and move each in the way that suits him best. In color, the back, upper part of the sides and outside of the thighs and forelegs were yellowish-brown; the under parts, lower part of the sides, and the buttocks as seen from behind, were white. The hair was very coarse, thick, spongy, tubular, slightly crimped or waved, and like short lengths of coarse thread cut off bluntly. The horns were very irregular in size and form, but usually they were about eight
inches long, rose almost perpendicularly, had a short, blunt prong in front, several inches from the base, and made a short backward erook at the top. The female had horns as well as the male. The hoof was heart-shaped, and its print upon the ground could be readily distinguished from the long, narrow track of the deer. The antelope was about two feet and a half high, and four feet long from the nose to the end of the tail.
Audubon's hare (Lepus audubonii) is the most common species in Northern California. Its tail is about three inches long, and its color is mixed with yellowish-brown and black above, white beneath, thighs and rump grayish. This is usually called "jack rabbit," the epithet ab- breviated from jackass. There are two varieties known to science, Lepus texunus and Lepus callotis.
The sage rabbit (Lepus artemisia) is also found here.
Birds .- Condor or king vulture, bald eagle, golden eagle, turkey buzzard, raven, crow, sev- eral kinds of hawk, road-runner, several species of woodpecker, grouse, mountain and valley quail, pigeon, meadow lark, magpie, blackbird, flicker, robin, snipe, plover, curlew, redwinged blackbird, bluebird, oriole, gray and small sparrow, cherry-bird, crossbill, linnet, chewink, California canary, martin, swallow, blue crane or heron, sand-hill crane, wild goose, Canada goose or brant, wood, mallard, teal and dipper duck, mud-hen, pelican, two species of hnm- ming-bird, and a few other species not named.
Fish .- Salmon, salmon trout, brook trout, lake trout, perch, white-fish, sucker, chub, two species of eels, etc. Several of these and a few other favorite varieties from the East, have been introduced.
Reptiles .- Two species of rattlesnake, long striped, brown, pilot, green, purple, milk and water snakes, four kinds of lizard, horned toad, common toad and frog.
Insect life is also greatly favored by the " cli- mate and resources of California."
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
ASSESSED VALUE OF THE COUNTIES.
COUNTIES.
1887.
1888.
Alameda.
$60,589,770
$66,918,510
Alpine
288,435
275,869
Amador.
4,320,066
4,412,720
Butte
17,193,275
20,297,937
Calaveras
4,198,139
4,224,070
Colusa
22,893,269
24,716,718
Contra Costa
15,134,277
15,934,050
Del Norte
1,471,315
1,871,560
El Dorado
3,424,907
3,707,924
Humboldt
12,731,962
17,756,801
Lake.
2,992,858
3,682,931
Lassen
2,384,541
2,553,155
Marin
10,416,674
10,981,946
Mendocino
10,404,962
11,288,355
Modoc
2,863,178
3,078,598
Napa.
13,350,807
14,437,355
Nevada.
6,329,519
6,367,333
Placer.
9,380,373
10,098,294
Plumas.
2,255,044
2,320,578
Sacramento
28,303,295
33,897,435
San Joaquin
33,497,636
38,689,149
Shasta.
5,709,291
6,512,431
Sierra .
1,830,348
1,744,569
Siskiyou
5,747,423
6,776,354
Solano
19.026,009
19,905,188
Sonoma
27,500,264
30,121,898
Sutter
7,850,523
10,033,866
Tehama
10,552,455
11,908,345
Trinity.
1,092,832
1,149,664
Yolo.
17,927,167
20,462,264
Yuba.
6,617,070
7,017,753
CALIFORNIA NOMENCLATURE.
This section is from Themis, an enterprising weekly published by Hon. Win. J. Davis and A. J. Johnston, of Sacramento.
The American river was named from the fact that a company of Western American trappers lived on its banks for several years between 1822 and 1830.
Angel's Camp and Angel's Creek were named after a Mr. Angel, who was at Sutter's Fort in February, 1848, and afterward, in July, was one of Captain Weber's prospectors.
When the town of Arcata was located on April 21, 1850, it was called Union. In 1860 the name was changed to Arcata-an Indian word.
The name Arizona was first applied to a mountain near the southern boundary of the territory. The territory was first called Pime- 6
ria. Authorities differ as to the origin of the present name. Some say it is a corruption of " Arizuma," first given to the country by the early Spanish explorers. Some claim that it is a Mohave Indian word signifying, " Blessed Sun," from " Ara," meaning " blessed," and " Znna," " sun;" others, that it is of Pima origin and means " Little Creek;" while there is au- thority that its derivation is from two Pima words, " Ari," a maiden and " Zon," a valley. Otber authorities hold that it is a compound of the two Latin words " Aridus " and " Zona." Aridus, dry, from " areo," to be dry: zona sim- ply means a girdle or belt. This derivation would produce a word meaning "a dry or parched belt of country."
Auburn was originally called " Wood's Dry Diggings." Late in 1849 a public meeting was held for the purpose of selecting a more suitable name for the town. The name Auburn was adopted at the suggestion of H. M. House, who liad come from the New York Auburn.
Bakersfield was named in honor of Senator Thomas Baker, who died in that town on No- vember 24, 1872; Bantas from Henry Bantas, an early settler. Belmont signifies " beautiful mountain," and was named from the grand emi- nences near the town; Bernal Heights, from Augustin Bernal; and Black's Station from J. J. Black, who located the town in 1865. Bodie was named in honor of Win. S. Bodey, a pio- neer who lost his life in November, 1859, near his cabin four miles from the site of the town, having become exhausted in a heavy snow storm. Brooklyn, Alameda County, was christened by Thomas Eagar, after the ship Brooklyn, in which he came in 1846 as a passenger to Cali- fornia.
Calistoga is a word that was formed by the late Samuel Brannan from the words "Califor- nia" and " Saratoga." Camptonville was named after J. Campton. Capay is from the Indian word " capi," meaning " creek." Carquinez is an Indian word meaning " serpent." Accord- ing to a legend of the aborigines, from a hill that now exists in the city of Vallejo (Capitol
90
HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Hill), there would come forth a huge serpent. with eyes of fire; it would straighten itself upon its tail almost perpendicularly, and look toward the Straits, then cautiously upon Mare Island (Taxpeyar was its Indian name), and lastly in the direction of Yulnpa, or the Sunset hills towards Sonoma, looking for the Blazing Tur- key, which was wont to arise from the air of the mountains, and if the gaze of these two monsters ever met it was a sign or omen of some terrible disaster or calamity-"such as war or pestilence. Cherokee, Nevada County, was so called from the fact that the first prospecting there was done by some Cherokee Indians in 1850. Clayton was named after its founder, Joel Clayton; and Colfax in honor of Vice-Pres- ident Schuyler Colfax. Coloma is an Indian word, meaning " Beautiful Valley." Crockett was named in honor of Judge J. B. Crockett, who died Jannary 15, 1884; Davisville was called after Jerome C. Davis, who settled there in 1846, and who died in Sacramento, October 5, 1881, while holding the office of Second Trustee of the city; Decoto was named after Ezra Decoto, the owner of the land upon which it is located; Dixon after Thomas Dixon, who died in that town in June, 1885; and Donahne after Colonel James M. Donahue. Donner Lake gets its name from the leader of the Don- ner party of 1846, the members of which suf- fered privation and death on its shores. Downie- ville was named after William Downie, who located there in the early mining days; Dunni- gan gets its name from A. W. Dunnigan, who settled there in 1853; Dutch Flat was so named from the fact that its pioneer settler was a Ger- man named Joseph Dohrenbeck.
Elk Grove was so called from the circum- stance that elk horns were found in a grove of timber near which in 1850 James Hall estab- lislied a hotel, on the sign of which was painted an elk.
The name Florin was given to that locality abont 1864 by the late Judge E. B. Crocker, owing to the great number of wild flowers which grew there, and when the town was started in
1875 it received that name. Folsom was called after J. L. Folsom, who died July 19, 1855. There is some romance about the naming of Forest City, Sierra County. The first store at the Forks of Oregon Creek was built by Samnel Hammond and was called the Yomana store, from the bluff above the town being called by that name-meaning " Sacred Hill." In 1853 a meeting of the citizens was held to select a name for the town and there was a tie vote for " Forks of Oregon," and " Yomana." The mat- ter was compromised by agreeing to call the place after the first woman who should reside there. The first lady inhabitant was Mary Da- vis, the wife of a baker, and after her advent the town was indiscriminately called "Forks of Oregon " and " Marietta." Davis soon sold ont to Captain Mooney, whose wife's name was Forest. She was a lady of education and wrote several articles which were sent to the Marys- ville papers. They were dated at Forest City, and as the editor did not know where that might be, they were so published. Mrs. Mooney afterwards called together some of the leading citizens and succeeded in having the place formally named after her.
During the summer of 1848 travelers stopped at a spring at the site of Jackson, Amador County, and the number of bottles left about gave it the name of Bottilleas. It was changed to Jackson in honor of Colonel Jackson who afterwards settled there.
Fort Ross is the site of a Russian settlement which was made in 1811, and a fort was erected there. What the Russians called it is not known, but it was called by the Spaniards, " Fuerte de los Rusos " (Fort of the Russians). The Americans shortened it to Fuerte Rusos, and that was after- ward curtailed toits present name. French Corral was named from the circumstance that in 1849 a Frenchman built a corral for the enclosure of his mules on the site of the present village. At one time the inhabitants adopted the name of Carrolton, but for no great length of time. Fulton was laid out in 1871 by Thomas and James Fulton: hence its name. The name
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Galt was suggested for that town when it was laid out, by John McFarland, to the late Judge E. B. Crocker. McFarland, when quite a young man, located in the town of Galt, in Upper Canada, and there served his apprenticeship as a joiner. The Canadian Galt was named after a man of that name. Gilroy was named in honor of John Gilroy, one of the earliest Ainer- ican settlers, who died in that town on July 29, 1869. Goat Island was called by the Spaniards Yerba Buena and was originally occupied as a fishing station by a very numerous tribe of In. dians called Tuchayunes. On the founding of the city of San Francisco in 1835, the name of the Island (Yerba Buena) was given to the inu- nieipality. In 1835 Nathaniel Spear brought some goats from the Sandwich Islands, and presented a pair of them to John Fuller, who was located in the town. They became so de- struetive to his flowers and garden truck that he* removed them to the Island, where they were turned loose and rapidly increased in numbers. Hence the name of Goat Island. It is stated that in 1849 there were nearly a thousand goats on the island, but they were soon destroyed by the immigrants. The name Golden Gate first appears in the " Geographical Memoir of California," and relative mnap, pub- lished by Colonel Jolin C. Fremont in the spring of 1848. The name was probably sug- gested by the Golden Horn of Constantinople. Grayson was located in 1849 by J. Grayson & Co .; and Guerneville was named after A. L. Guerne.
Martinez was named after Ignacio Martinez, who settled in the country in 1823.
Half Moon Bay is so named on account of its configuration. Halo Chemue was formerly quite an Indian town on the west bank of the Sacramento River, a few miles above its mouth. The name in Indian meant "nothing to eat." Havilah was named from the place mentioned in the Old Testament where the first allusion is made to a land of gold,-Genesis 11: 11, 12: " The name of the first is Pison; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where
there is gold; and the gold in that land is good; there is bdellinm and the onyx stone." Hay- wards was named after William Hayward, who settled there in 1851; Healdsburg, after Har- mon G. Heald; IIicksville, after William Hieks; Hollister, after an early Scotch settler of that name.
The valley of Ione was named before the town was started, by Thomas Brown, a great reader, after "Ione," one of the heroines of Bulwer's " Last Days of Pompeii." The town was first called Bedbug, then Freeze-out, and finally the people christened it Ione.
Knight's Landing was called after William Knight, who settled there in 1843; and Knight's Ferry after the same gentleman from the faet that he established a trading post there in 1848.
Langville was named after J. A. Lang. The locality of Little York was settled in early days largely by miners from New York and other Middle States. Afterward numbers came from Missouri and the West. An election was held to determine the name of the district and the Eastern men outvoted those from the West, and adopted the name of Little York over St. Louis, the choice of the minority. Livermore was named after Robert Livermore, who settled in the valley before the American conquest and who died on February 14, 1858. Lockeford was named after its founder, Dr. D. J. Loeke.
In 1841 Theodore Cordna settled in the forks of the Yuba and Feather rivers, where the city of Marysville now stands, under a lease from Captain Sutter. Cordua afterward sold out his interest under the lease, and it became the property of Charles Covilland; John Sampson, J. M. Ramirez and Theodore Sicard. In Jan- uary, 1850, the town was laid out by these four parties under the name of C. Covillaud & Co. There were a variety of opinions as to what should be the name of the place. Some wanted it called Yubaville, and some deeds were made out in that name. Others desired to call it Yuba City, some Norwich, and some Sieardora -- that being the favorite of Colonel Perry. While the disenssion of the name was pending,
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
a public meeting was called to take into con- sideration the general interests of the new city. At that meeting Captain Edward Power, from St. Lonis, proposed to name it after Mrs. Covil- laud, who was then the only white woman living on the town plat; her name being Mary, it was then and there determined that the eity should be named Marysville. Mrs. Covilland died in that city on September 17, 1867. While Cor- dna was in possession the place was called New Mecklenburg.
The McLeod or McCloud River received its name from an old Scotch trapper, who in 1827 or 1828, led the first party of Hudson Bay Com- pany trappers that penetrated California. His name was Alexander Roderick McLeod. Years later a well-known citizen named Ross McCloud, a surveyor, lived on the stream and the similar- ity of the pronunciation of the names led to the common error of supposing that his name was the one that the river bore. Meridian was so called because the postoffice is only a quarter of a mile west of the Mount Diablo meridian, United States survey. Michigan Bar was so ealled from the fact that the first settlers were two men from Michigan, who discovered gold there in 1849. The Mokelumne River derives its name from a powerful tribe of Indians, the Mo-kel-kos, who inhabited its lower banks and the adjacent country. The Spaniards spelled the word differently.
Moore's Flat was named from H. M. Moore, who settled there and built a store in 1851. Mormon Island was so named from the fact that gold washing was commenced there soon after the discovery by Marshall, by a party of Mormons. Natoma is of Indian derivation, and signifies " clear water." Needles is so called on account of the spire or necdle-like shape of certain rocks which were called " the Needles " in that vicinity. Newark was named by its founders after the New Jersey city, of which they were natives. New York of the Pacific was a wonderful city-on paper-in 1849. At one time it aspired to become the capital of the State. It was located hy Colonel J. D. Steven-
son, and was named in honor of his regiment, which was called the New York regiment. Nic- olaus was named after Nicolaus Allgeier, who arrived in this country in 1840, and who settled there in 1843.
North San Juan acquired its name from this circumstance: In 1853, a miner, named Kentz, who had accompanied General Scott when his expedition landed at Vera Cruz, was engaged in mining near the present site of the town. One evening he was impressed with the fancied resemblance of a bluff hill near by to the castle of San Juan de Ulloa, which guards the entrance to the port of Vera Cruz. He expressed his opinion, and the bluff was dubbed San Juan. Afterward that name was applied to the town. In 1857, when an application was made for a postoffice to be established there, the authorities at Washington required a new name for the place, as an office had already been established at another town of that title in Monterey County. The citizens thereupon added the prefix " North" to the name. Nortonville was named after Noalı Norton, the locator of the Black Diamond Coal Mine. Oakland was so called from the fact that immense live oaks formerly grew on its site.
The region of Owen's Lake was visited in 1845 by a detachment of Fremont's expedition under the noted mountaineer, Captain Joe Walker. This party was accompanied by Prof. Richard Owens, who was the first white man to see the lake, and after him the lake, river and valley were named. Pacheco was named after Don Salvio Pacheco, who settled there in 1834, and who died in 1876. Petaluma is an Indian word, said by some to mean " Duck Ponds," and by others, " Little Hills." Piedmont is the French for " foothills." Pigeon Point was so named from the fact that on May 6, 1853, the clipper ship " Carrier Pigeon " from Boston was totally wrecked there, and a large number of passengers drowned. Pit River received its name from a custom of the Indians along its banks of digging pits in which to capture bear, deer, and even intruding warriors of strange
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