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 18
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Alameda County is well served by railroads. Oakland City is the terininus of all main branches of the Southern Pacific Railroad, one of the largest and wealthiest corporations of the continent. She is also the terminus of the California & Nevada Railroad, a narrow gauge now building eastward, which owns valuable water privileges. From Fruitvale, a suburb of
Oakland, extends another narrow gauge, also slowly building east, the chief benefit of which at present is to connect the city with Mills College, one of the largest schools for ladies on the Coast, and the stone quarries of that neigh- borhood, but that may some day connect with a transcontinental line. A considerable traffic is also carried on by schooners and scows on the bay, chiefly carrying salt, hay and other bulky arti- cles.
Alameda Connty has had a somewhat lively and interesting criminal history. During the '60s, especially, she was hannted by a crew of desperate and fearless law-breakers, who found a comparatively sate refuge among the rugged hills of the east and central parts. Most of these were of Mexican or Spanish descent. They became noted, many of them, and for many years formed a great source of annoyance and trouble by their depredations. The celebrated Vasquez, Soto, Bernal and others, were among their number.
The press of Oakland is thoroughly metro- politan and representative. There are thr dailies, the Times, morning, and the Tribune and Enquirer, evening. There are also a goodly number of society and other weeklies, class and trade papers, etc. In Alameda are two weeklies, the Encinal and Argus. In Berkeley are two weeklies, the Advocate and Herald, besides two college papers, the Occident and the Berkeleyan, one a weekly and the other a monthly. In Ir- vington is the Reporter (weekly), founded in 1875, and the O Amigo dos Catholicos (1877), a Spanish paper. In Haywards is the Journal (1877), weekly ; in Livermore the Echoand Her- ald, both founded in 1887, and both weeklies.
The Assemblymen from Alameda County have been: C. C. Alexander, 1887; Valentin Alviso, 1881; I. A. Amerman, 1873-'74; T. F. Bagge, 1875-'76; Hiram Bailey, 1887; Samuel B. Bell, 1862; Joseph F. Black, 1885; R. L. H. Brown, 1883; W. W. Camron, 1880-'81; L. H. Carey, 1883; A. M. Church, 1867-'68; W. B. Clement, 1883; F. M. Cooley, 1887; Thomas M. Coombs, 1856; E. T. Crane, 1871-'72; M.
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
W. Dixon, 1875-'78; John W. Dwinelle, 1867- '68; Thomas Eager, 1862, 1865-'66; L. B. Edwards, 1881; John Ellsworth, 1887; Frank F. Fargo, 1861; John E. Farnum, 1877-'78; Charles N. Fox, 1880; D. W. Gelwicks, 1875- '76; J. W. Gurnett, 1873-'74; Walter M. Hey- wood, 1885; J. A. Hobart, 1858; M. D. Hyde, 1887; Daniel Inman, 1869-'70; William H. Jordan, 1885-'87; James B. Larue, 1857; E. D. Lewelling, 1869-'70; R. A. McClure, 1877- '78; Frank J. Moffitt, 1885; J. M. Moore, 1862; E. H. Pardee, 1871-'72; Henry Robinson, 1863; William P. Rodgers, 1859; Thomas Scott, 1863-'64; F. K. Shattuck, 1860; George W. Tyler, 1880; Asa Walker, 1863-'64; Joseph S. Watkins, 1854-'55; George W. Watson, 1885; J. L. Wilson, 1865-'66.
For the State Senators, see pages 81-84.
ALPINE COUNTY.
The name of this county denotes its origin, the topography and scenery of the region it covers being of the most pronounced Alpine type. The word literally is derived from Alps, and this again from the Celtic root alb, signify- ing white, referring to the snowy summits.
For boundaries this county has the State of Nevada on north and east, Mono County on the east, Mono and Tuolumne counties on the south, and Calaveras, Ainedor, and El Dorado on the west. The county was organized by act of the Legislature March 16, 1864.
Alpine is a mass of mountains, cleft by a few deep valleys, its altitude ranging from four thousand five hundred to eleven thousand feet above the level of the sea. Half the county lies along the easterly slope of the Sierra Nevadas, its westerly boundary being the crest of these mountains. Standing to the east is the lotty outlying peak known as Silver Mountain, connected with the main Sierra by a notched and jagged cross chain, which, seen from the north, presents a contour diversified along its whole extent by precipitons cliffs, turreted rocks, and far upshooting spires, resembling at some points a vast cathedral, and at others a
castellated ruin. There is not in the State a more picturesque, wild, and broken district than this.
Few counties in California are better watered and timbered than Alpine. The two main forks of the Carson River, having many confluents, some of them large streams, traverse the county centrally from north to south. These streams serve the double purpose of furnishing conduits for floating down timber and fuel to the country below, and an immense water power, which can be made easily available for the propulsion of machinery. Although inost .of the timber in the valley and along the foothills has been cnt away, the Comstock inines having obtained much of their timber and fuel here, the monn- tains further back are still covered with heavy forests, the inroads made upon them by the woodman being inconsiderable.
Alpine County was represented in the Legis- lature of 1885 by R. J. Van Voorhies; in 1887 by A. J. Gould; and for the other years see under head of Amador and other adjoining counties.
AMADOR COUNTY.
This county is seventy miles long by twenty broad, though narrowing in the eastern portion to four or five miles.
The eastern half of Amador, extending into the high Sierras, is elevated and rugged, the surface being cut by many decp ravines. In this elevated region are several small but deep and beautiful lakes, the water cold and of sur- passing purity. This part of the county is covered with magnificent forests of pine, spruce, and cedar. The western half of Amador occupies the foothill country, more sparsely timbered, but almost as rugged as the mountain section, these foothills being the site of the gold mines. The upper part of Amador is one mass of granite, the geological formation, lower down, consisting mostly of slate, belts of limestone, and diorite (greenstone).
Amador, while admirably adapted for fruit and vine growing, possessing also some other
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
agricultural resources, is notably one of our foremost mining counties, its annual bullion product being now the largest, probably, of all connties in the State. There are in this county not less than twenty-five quartz mills, nearly all of them in active operation. These mills carry a total of over six hundred and fifty stamps. Along the broad gold-bearing belt, known as the " mother lode " of California, which holds its course across the county, the principal mines and mills are situated, there being here within a distance of fifteen miles, as many as twenty large companies engaged in vein mining, the properties of nearly all being equipped with first-class plants.
Besides her quartz mines and anriferons deposits, Amador produces some copper and coal (brown lignite), and is rich in marble, limestone, freestone, etc. At a number of localities in the county, notably near the towns of Volcano and Oleta, diamonds have been found by the miners engaged in gravel washing. Some of these diamonds have been of fair size and good quality, and occurred in sufficient quantity to have made search remunerative, had the gravel accompanying them been more easily disintegrated. Some of the stones found here sold in the local market for $50 or $60, their intrinsic value having been much greater.
In the famous trip across the mountains, Fremont and Carson traveled northward from Walker's River, crossing the river bearing Carson's name in their course, and making the crossing of the summit by way of Truckee and ยท Lake Tahoe. The river was then named in honor of Carson, the pass and valley being named from the river, so that it is quite probable that Carson never crossed the mountains at that point until 1853, when he came through with a division. of United States troops under Colonel Steptoe.
The first authentic report of the presence of white men in the county was in 1846, when Sutter, with a party of Indians and a few white men, sawed lumber for a ferry-boat in a cluster of sugar pines on the ridge between Sutter and
Amador creeks, about four miles above the town of Amador and Sutter.
At this time (1846) the country was one unbroken forest from the plains to the Sierra Nevada, broken only by grassy glades like Ione valley, Volcano flats and other places. The tall pine waved from every hill, the white and black oak alternating and prevailing in the lower valleys. The timber in the lower foot- hills and valleys, though continuous, was 80 scattering that grasses, ferns and other plants grew between, giving the country the appear- ance of a well cared-for park. The quiet and repose of these ancient forests seemed like the results of thousands of years of peaceful occupa- tion; and at every turn in the trails which the emigrants followed, they half expected to see the familiar old homestead, orchard, cider-press and grain-fields, the glories of the older settlements in the eastern States. These things, after years of residence, are beginning to appear. How much the ancient sylvan gods were astonished and shocked at the irruption of the races that tore up the ground and cut the trees, the poets of some other generation will relate.
In the latter part of March, 1848, Captain Charles M. Weber, of Tuleburg (now Stockton), fitted out a prospecting party to search for gold in the mountains east of the San Joaquin Valley; but haste and want of experience pre- vented them from finding any of the shining metal until they reached the Mokelumne River in this county, when they found gold in every gulch to the American River. They commenced mining at Placerville, on Weber's Creek. Afterward they found fine specimens of gold south of the Mokelumne, and a mining company was formed which afterward gave name to Wood's creek, Murphy's Creek, Angel's Camp and other places. Then commenced the general working of the " Southern Mines," and the rush of miners and the general immigration which finally filled the country.
In 1850, the two places contesting for the county seat were Jackson and Mokelumne Hill. After the election, when the first connt or
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
estimate was made out, Mokelumne Hill was said to have been the successful town, and a team was sent to Double Springs to remove the archives; but a subsequent count by Judge Smith made Jackson the county-seat. Smith was openly charged with fraud in the second counting. The whole affair was probably as near a farce as elections ever get to be. The seat of justice remained at Jackson until 1852, when it was transferred by election to Moke- lumne Hill.
El Dorado County was first organized with Dry Creek as its southern boundary : Calaveras County, with the same stream as its northern limits. From these two territories, Amador was afterward carved, first on June 14, 1854, by setting off the territory north of the Mokelninne from Calaveras, and in 1856-'57, by the addi- tion of the strip from El Dorado lying south of the Cosumnes, the boundaries further east being rather indefinite.
The first officers were William Fowler Smith, County Judge; John Hanson, Sheriff; Colonel Collier, County Clerk; A. B. Mudge, Treasurer; H. C. Carter, Prosecuting Attorney. Pleasant Valley, better known as the Double Springs, was designated as the county-seat. The courts were held in a long tent, eight or ten feet wide, imported from China. The first grand jury hield its session under a big tree. According to all accounts, justice was anything but a blind goddess.
In 1853-'54 the Legislature passed an act calling for a vote of the people in regard to division, fixing the 17th of June following as the day and appointing W. L. McKimm, E. W. Gemmill, .A. G. Sneath, Alex. Boileau and Alonzo Platt as commissioners to organize the new county in case the people voted for a divis .. ion. The bill was drawn by E. D. Sawyer, one of the senators from Calaveras, Charles Leake being the other senator. The name originally given in the bill for the new county was Washington; but the name Amador was substituted in the Assembly and concurred in by the senate. The bill was read three times
and passed in one day, the motive for such haste being expected opposition. A delegation from Mokelumne Hill had arrived to oppose the measure, but they had been wined until all ideas of county seats were obliterated; so a bill was hurried through before the drunk was off, lest convincing arguments should be urged against it when they returned to their senses. Ione, Sutter Creek, Volcano and Mokelumne Hill were the rival aspirants for a county seat. The election resulted in giving a small majority for a division of the county; but a thorough examination revealed the fact that the returns from several precincts had been tampered with; still it was resolved to proceed and organize a new county. The votes for county-seat were, for Jackson 1,002; for Volcano, 937; for Sutter Creek, 539; and for Ione, 496. The two first mentioned were therefore declared to be the seats of government for the respective counties, and real-estate in those towns and in their vicinity went up with a boom.
Amador County was named in honor of Jose Maria Amador, who mined in that county in 1848 with a number of Indians. There was nothing remarkable in this man's character or position, but his father, Sergeant Pedro Amador, was a faithful servant of the Government for many years. He died in 1824, at the age of eighty-two years. As a common word, amador is Spanish for lover.
The general vote in 1851 was, Democratic, 1,780; Whig, 1,207. The county officers elected in 1852 were: Sam. Booker, District Attorney; A. Laforge, Treasurer; Joe Douglass, Clerk; Ben. Marshall, Sheriff; C. Creamer, Dis- trict Judge. For President of the United States,-Pierce, 2,848; Scott, 2,200. In 1853 the officers of, Calaveras County were: A. La- forge, Treasurer; Joe Douglass, Clerk; Ben. Marshall, Sheriff; Wm. Higby, Prosecuting Attorney; and Henry Eno, County Judge. Members of the Legislature; Senators-E. D. Sawyer and Charles Leake; Assemblymen- A. J. Houghtaling, Martin Rowen, W. C. Pratt, C. Daniels vice Carson, deceased. The
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
vote for Governor was: John Bigler (Demo- crat), 2,545; Wmn. Waldo (Whig), 2,212.
In 1856 the vote of the county for President of the United States was, Democratic, 1,784; Know-Nothing, 1,557; and Republican, 657. In 1860, Douglas (Northern Democratic), 1,866; Breckenridge (Sonthern Democratic), 945; Bell (" Constitutional Union "), 178; and Lincoln (Republican), 995: total vote for that year, 3,984. In 1864, Democratic, 1,200; Repub- lican, 1,392. In 1868. Democratic, 1,223; Re- publican, 1,098. In 1872, Grant, 964; Greeley, 772. In 1880, Garfield, 1,345; Hancock, 1,411.
The Representatives to the State Assembly from Amador County have been: A. B. Andrews, 1863; John H. Bowman, 1860; R. M. Briggs, 1858; A. C. Brown, 1863-'66, 1869-'70; J. C. Brusie, 1887; L. Brusie, 1873-'74; R. Bur- nell, 1861; A. Caminetti, 1883; H. A. Carter, 1875-'76; Cyrus Coleman, 1871-'72, 1880-'81; W. W. Cope, 1859; R. C. Downs, 1880; Thomas Dunlap, 1875-'78; John A. Eagon, 1859, 1871-'72; James T. Farley, 1855-'56; Miner Frink, Jr., 1865-'66; J. B. Gregory, 1867-'68; U. S. Gregory, 1885; T. M. Horrell, 1861; J. M. Johnson, 1869-'70; P. C. Johnson, 1860; Homer King, 1858; Harvey Lee, 1865- '66; J. Livermore, 1857; Robert Ludgate, 1877- '78; W. B. Ludlow, 1863-'64; S. A. Nott, 1875-'78; L. Miller, 1873-'74; J. W. D. Pal- mer, 1855; George M. Payne, 1867-'68; G. W. Seaton, 1862; W. M. Seawell, 1857; E. M. Simpson, 1863; Robert Stewart, 1883; W. H. Stowers, 1873-'74; C. B. Swift, 1881; Wmn. A. Waddell, 1862; George W. Wagner, 1856; Chapman Warkins, 1881.
In 1855 a band of twelve robbers and mur- derers was formed, consisting mainly of Mexicans who undertook to execute vengeance upon the white settlers disregarding that clause in the treaty that required them to respect the rights of the Mexicans to their lands. These brigands committed many depredations in this region, creating consternation among the people gen- erally; for a time business was suspended; ex- travagant rumors of the intention of the Mexican
population to rise and take the country got into circulation, and the result was that the Amer- icans arose and disarmed and even expelled the Mexican people from the town of Rancheria. The most criminal class of the Mexicans were the horsemen who rode about the country help- ing themselves to whatever they wanted, and thus obtaining a livelihood without honest work. Many outrages were committed.
The famous bandit Joaquin commenced his career in El Dorado County, when it included Amador. His first operations were to mount himself and party with the best horses in the country. Judge Carter, in 1852, had a valuable and favorite horse which for safety and frequent nse was usually kept staked a short distance from the house. One morning the horse was missing. Cochran, a partner in the farming business, started in pursuit of the horse and thief. The horse was easily tracked, as in ex- pectation of something of this kind the toe corks on the shoes had been put on a line with the road instead of across it.
The track led Cochran across Dry Creek, across the plains and thence toward the mines several miles, where the rider seemed accomn- panied by several horsemen. Coming to a pub- lic house kept by a Mr. Clark, he saw the horse with several others hitched at the door. Going in, he inquired for the partywho rode his horse, saying that it had been stolen. He was told that it was a Mexican, and was then at dinner with several others. Clark, who was a power- ful and daring man, offered to arrest him, and, suiting the action to the word, entered the dining room in company with Cochran, placed his hand on Joaquin's shoulder (for it was he) and said "You are my prisoner." " I think not," said Joaquin, at the same time shooting Clark through the head, who fell dead. A general fusilade ensued, in which one of the Mexicans was shot by the cook, who took part in the affair, Cochran receiving a slight wound. The Mexicans mounted their horses and escaped, leaving Carter's horse hitched to the fence.
Charles Boynton was the father of the news-
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
paper in Amador County. Though many re- collect him, few can give an idea of his charac- ter, which seemed to be as changeable as a kaleidoscope, now foaming over with fun and good nature, now seriously discussing political economy, now poring over some old volume of forgotten history and now going for the gold in the bed of the Mokelumne with all has might, mind and strength, with a woman's emotion and a man's power. He was in some way con- nected with the Mokelumne Hill Chronicle; at any rate he had sufficient access to the types and press to work off several numbers of the Owl, 1853-'54, which set the whole country crazy with its fun. This, however, being of a local nature is now understood only by those who remember the incidents referred to. It is said that Boynton nsed to swim the river with the edition tied to the top of his head; and that lie never went over to the Hill without having a fight or two on account of the little paper.
Soon after the organization of the county he started the Sentinel, an independent paper devoted to no party or cliqne. O. D. Adaline, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, became the proprie- tor of it about 1857 or '58, and continued its publication until the great fire of 1862, when he abandoned it and went to the war.
The Amador Ledger was started by Thomas H. Springer in Volcano in 1855, during the boom in that town. It was at first independent, then Republican, then Democratic and finally Republican again.
Up to 1860 the placers yielded undiminished returns; the quartz mines were beginning to show their inexhaustible treasures; agriculture had assumed a permanent and profitable char- acter; schools were established and in a work- ing condition; churches and other beneficial institutions were prosperous, proving that soci- ety was being built on a healthy basis; and, last though not least, the county finances had been generally economically managed, so that, notwithstanding the unavoidable expenses of organization and inaugurating a government, moderate taxes were sufficient to liquidate all
expenses. According to the assessor's report there were fifteen saw-mills, cutting 11,500,000 feet of lumber per year. Thirty. two quartz mills crushing yearly 61,000 tons of quartz; 600 miles of main canal, besided distributors; 10,000 acres of cultivated land, yielding 6,000 tons of hay, 34,800 bu. of wheat, 46,000 of barley and 28,000 of corn, besides other producc. There were nearly 10,000 head of cattle, 1,700 head of horses, 6,000 swine, 60,000 fruit trees and 300,000 grape vines.
The following notices of mining claims were once found posted up:
"tack Notes thee unter singd clant twoHnn- tent foot Sought on thes Loat from thee mans Neten bushes
February 12 1863
Clamte songht ter Pint three
" Nota Bean Is here By given notes ter unter signed clame too cooben clames of too Hunter feet square sought Nort too 200 hunter feet
Thounship No 5
AmTore contry feb 12 63
Takes Notes the untersiGent chlames North 400 foot to a mains nee ten Bush for Preubens of Mining Coper
Febuary 12 one thousand 800 63
Lest people should think this style was owing to the absence of the schoolmaster, the follow- ing notice for the sale of property in Berkeley in the shadow of the university is appended:
Ferr Sall Tur Mes Ezi.
Amador claims to be the leading mining county in the State. This claim rests npon the amount of its output of gold -- $2,145,997.63 in 1885, which sum was larger in 1886, but the official figures are not at hand; the small size of its mining district, and the almost certain pos- sibilities for largely increasing the yield of bull- ion through the coming into being of new mines now being prospected. The mining dis- trict is much smaller than any in the State and the yield of bullion is exceeded only slightly by two counties, both many times larger.
While gold-bearing quartz is found in almost
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
every portion of the county, the section that has attracted the most attention is comparatively small in area. The historical " Mother Lode " belts the county entirely across, extending north into El Dorado and south into Calaveras, and in Ainador are found the most important and most numerons leads upon it. From Plymouth south to the Mokelumne River, there is a succession of paying quartz mines, the eqnal of which is found in no other mining district in the world. Along this line are most of the leading towns and the bulk of the population of the county.
More than one-sixth of the gold put into cir- enlation in the State from its mines comes from " Little Amador," and the leading mines which produce this vast sum yearly are not on the market, and never have been, which should serve as an indication that legitimate mining is here carried on, and the inine owners have the utmost confidence in their property. In good truth, mining in Amador County is carried on tor legitimate profit and not for speculation, and the results fully justify the confidence of those who invest their capital.
The prevailing idea of the uninitiated as to a mining region is that it is a barren, rocky soil, where vegetation does not exist and where civilization is at a low ebb. No greater fallacy conld exist than such a view regarding the inin- ing region of Amador. Green fields and trees stretch in every direction; the soil is most fertile, and it is by no means an unusual sight that of a bearing orchard on top of ground where under- neath thousands of dollars in gold are taken out monthly. In 1887 there were 1,132 men em- ployed in the mines, operating 582 stamps. Besides, there were probably 250 more men en - gaged in prospecting and operating smaller mines.
The Q ranch was taken up in 1850, by James Alvord, Dick Tarrier and others. Henry Gib- bons, who was a member of Company Q of the Ohio volunteers, gave the ranch its name. A D ranch was named after a brand used on the cattle there. The 2 L was similarly named. Perhaps the largest orchard is that of the
Q RANCH,
in Ione Valley, containing 120 acres of orchard and vineyard, and famous from the early days of this county for its great fertility, and as being the home station of the Forest line of stages, that were such an important factor to the travel- ing public in the ante railroad period. Many an old resident of the county remembers when on a summer's day, after a hot, dusty ride over the plains from Sacramento, with what delight the long, shady road of this beautiful ranch would break on the vision. Then it was devoted to raising corn; now the greater portion is in bearing fruit trees, and the beauty of former years is enhanced by the long avenues of differ- ent varieties of trees, all pruned in beautiful symmetry over a ground clean as a garden.
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