An illustrated history of Sonoma County, California. Containing a history of the county of Sonoma from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, Part 2

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 786

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together with a view of cireninseribing as much as possible the occupation by the Russians, evi- dently hastened the inauguration of military authority on the north side of the bay. While this must be accounted a very important event in writing up the annals of Sonoma County, it should not be allowed to overshadow the fact that, as had been usual in California, the cross had long preceded the sword --- in truth, right here met, and were plantel in Sonoma County soil, the cross of the Catholic church, thus far north on the cirenit of its mission from Rome, and the triune cross of the Greek church, re- lating back to the Czar of Russia, and thus far southward on its mission of pointing weary, earth-laden humanity to the haven of peace and rest above. In future chapters will be found, as nearly as possible, in chronological order, all matters of importance relating to Cali- fornia, and to Sonoma County, particularly, from the time that civilized man first visited it, down to the present time.

HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.

ILU

A CHAPTER OF CENTURIES.

CHAPTER I.

CALIFORNIA DISCOVERED IN 1542 BY JUAN RODRIGUEZ CABRILLO-ORIGIN OF THE NAME --- FIR FRANCIS DRAKE IN 1579-THE WONDERFUL THINGS HE SAW IN MARIN COUNTY-MONTEREY BAY DISCOVERED BY VISCAINO IN 1603-A COMPLETE BLANK IN HISTORY FOR A PERIOD OF 160 YEARS THE SAN FRANCISCAN FRIARS PLANT THE CROSS AT SAN DIEGO, JUNE 11, 1769 - IN JULY, 1769, A PARTY START OVERLAND FOR SAN DIEGO TO ESTABLISH A MISSION AT MON- TEREV-FAILING TO RECOGNIZE MONTEREY THEY CONTINUED ON NORTH, AND ON THE 2D OF NOVEMBER DISCOVERED THE BAY OF SAN FRANCISCO-MONTEREY WAS FOUNDED, A MISSION ESTABLISHED; AND FROM THERE IN 1772 AN EXPEDITION STARTED TO EXPLORE THE BAY OF SAN FRANCISCO -- FOLLOWING AROUND THE EASTERN SHORE OF THE BAY, ON THE 27TH OF MARCH THEY CAME TO SAN PABLO BAY, AND DOUBTLESS HAD A VIEW OF SONOMA COUNTY HILLS AND MOUNTAINS -- IN 1775 SAN FRANCISCO BAY WAS EXPLORED BY WATER-IN 1776 A PRESIDIO AND MISSION WAS ESTABLISHED AT SAN FRANCISCO -- THE YEAR PREVIOUS BODEGA BAY HAD BEEN DISCOVERED -- ON SEPTEMBER 23, 1776, AN EXPLORATION IN BOATS TOOK PLACE AND AN ESTUARY OF SAN PABLO BAV WAS NAVIGATED TO ITS HEAD-DOUBTLESS PETALUMA CREEK -CALIFORNIA WEAK AND DEFENSELESS-THE CENTURY ENDS AND NO SETTLEMENT NORTH OF YERBA BUENA.

HERE is nothing more attractive to the general reader, and more especially those in early life, than thrilling narrative of danger and adventure in the exploration and settle- ment of frontier territories. A desire to placate this somewhat morbid desire for sensational read ing says a very great temptation in the way of the historian to draw somewhat upon his imagina- tion for his facts. However palatable this might be to the reader of the present, it would be a fraud upon coming generations, who will have a right to expect at the hand of the historian sub- stantial accuracy in the recital of historical events to be handed down to them. With this conception of what should be the highest aim of history, we turn to trace the first rays of

civilization east upon territory, now within the confines of Sonoma County. This necessitates a review of the early discovery and final settle- ment of California by the Spaniards.

Of course there is great obseurity, and con- sequent conflicting opinions among historians relative to who was the actual discoverer of California, and from whenee the derivation of the name. The weight of the best authority. however, confers upon Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese navigator in the Spanish service, the honor of having first visited the waters of our golden shores and set foot upon California soil. Cabrillo had under his command two Spanish exploring vessels, and there seems little doubt that on the 28th of September, 1542, an-

HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.

chorage was reached in what is now San Diego harbor, although the name then given was " San Miguel."

The date of discovery, thus disposed of, the next consideration is as to the probable origin of the name, California. Upon this point there is even a wider divergence of opinion among writers than as to who was the discoverer of the country. Upon this subject Inbert Howe Baneroft, who is in a position to arrive at as accurate conclusions on disputed historic points as any living man, says: " The name was ap- plied between 1535 and 1539 to a locality. It was soon extended to the whole adjoining re- gion: and as the region was supposed to be a group of islands, the name was often given in plural form, ' Las Californias.' " Whenee eame the name thus applied, or applied by Cortez as has been erroneously believed, was a ques- tion that gave rise to much conjecture before the truth was known. The Jesuit missionaries as represented by Venegas and Clavigero, sng- gested that it might have been deliberately made up from Latin or Greek roots; but favored the much more reasonable theory that the dis- eoverers had founded the name on some mis- understood words of the natives. These theories have been often repeated by later writers, with additions rivalling each other in absurdity. At last in 1862 Edward E. IIale was so fortunate as to discover the source whence the diseover- ers obtained the name. An old romance, the Sergas of Esplandian, by Ordonez de Mon- talvo, translator of Amadis of Gaul, printed perhaps in 1510, and certainly in editions of 1519, 1521, 1525 and 1526 in Spanish, men- tioned an island of California, "on the right hand of the Indies, very near the Terrestrial Paradise," peopled with black women, gritlins, and other creatures of the author's imagina- tion. There is no direet historical evidence of the application of this name; nor is any needed. No intelligent man will ever question the ac- curacy of Hale's theory. The number of Span- ish editions would indicate that the book was popular at the time of the discovery: indeed

Bernal Diaz often mentions the Amadis of Gaul to which the esplandian was attached." This seems to set at rest definitely and forever the question of the origin of the name Cali- fornia.

Reverting to Cabrillo's discovery of this coast, it only remains to say that that intrepid mariner died on one of the islands off from the Santa Barbara coast supposed to be San Miguel, from the effects of a broken arm, on the 3d of Jannary, 1543, and there rests in an unmarked grave. There were other visitors to this coast following its discovery, but of their going and coming comparatively little is known, until Sir Francis Drake puts in an appearance, and finds a harbor, where he enters to make repairs on his vessel, the Golden Hind, on the 23d of July, 1579. What harbor was entered by Drake is yet, and perhaps always will be, a serions bone of contention among historians. The dis- putants are about equally divided between the Bay of San Francisco, Drake's Bay (so ealled) in Marin County, and Bodega Bay in Sonoma County. Hubert Howe Bancroft, in his recently published history of California, seems to be in some donbt himself, but as he evidently con- siders Drake a prince of prevaricators, he gives him the benefit of the doubt, and signifies his belief that the harbor now called Drake's Bay was his by right of discovery. But this is of small inoment now, for all the records of Drake's visit to the coast are so extravagant and dis- torted that the conferring of his name upon an indentation in the coast even as small as that just below Point Reyes was more than he merited. In order that the reader may judge for him- self in reference to the degree of importance to be attached to Drake's statements, we give a sample of what was described as having occurred at the harbor where his vessel was being re- paired.

" The arrival of the English in California being soon known throughout the country, two persons in the character of embassadors, eame to the Admiral and informed him, in the best manner they were able, that the King would

HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.

assist him if he might be assured of coming in safety. Being satisfied on this point, a numer- outs company soon appeared, in front of which was a very comely person bearing a kind of scepter, on which hung two erowns and three chains of great length; the chains were of bones and the crowns of net-work curiously wrought with feathers of many colors. Next to the scepter-bearer came the King, a hand- some, majestic person, surrounded by a number of tall men, dressed in skins, who were fol- lowed by the common people, who, to make the grander appearance, had painted their faces of various colors, and all of them, even the chil- dren, being loaded with presents. The men being drawn up in line of battle, the Admiral stood ready to receive the King within the en- tranee of his tent. The company having halted at a distance, the seepter-bearer made a speech half an hour long, at the end of which he be- gan singing and dancing, in which he was fol- lowed by the King and all his people-who, continuing to sing and dance, came quite up to the tent; when, sitting down, the King tak- ing off his crown of feathers, placed it on the Admiral's head, and put upon him the other insignia of royalty; and made him a solemn tender of his whole kingdom. All of which the Admiral accepted in the name of the Queen, his sovereign, in hope these proceed- ings might one time or other contribute to the advantage of England."

This dish of taffy seenred for Drake knight- hood at the hands of Queen Elizabeth, who, in conferring the title, said " that his actions did him more honor than his title." And all this is reputed to have transpired elose by Sonoma County over three hundred years ago.

The only definite discovery of real merit after that of Cabrillo, was the discovery of Monterey Bay by Viseaino in 1603. Thenceforward for a period of 160 years, so far as relates to eivil- ization, complete silence brooded over what is now called California. No doubt during those long years the aborigines were filled with won- der and conjecture as to what had beeome of

the bearded, white strangers, who in big eanves propelled by wind had come and gone for the period of a generation. As common as was great longevity of life to those untutored children of nature, the eyes that had beheld either Cabrillo or Vizeaino had long been closed in death be- fore that eventful morning of April 11, 1769, when Juan Perez brought the San Antonio to anehor in the Bay of San Diego. On board of this vessel were two Franeisean friars, Juan Viseaino and Francisco Gomez, with all the necessary church appurtenanees necessary for the establishing of two missions. Aside from the crew there were a few carpenters and black- smiths, together with a cargo of miscellaneous supplies. The Indians were friendly, and still had a traditional knowledge of the former visit- ors to this coast. In addition to those who took passage on the San Antonio, others to the number of over one hundred, and among them Father Junipero Serra, started overland from lower California. They reached San Diego on the first of July. It required some time for needed preparation, and on Sunday, the 16th of July, with all the ceremonies common to such occasions, Father Serra blessed and planted the eross, aronnd which was to eluster memories of the first permanent establishment of civilization in California.

We have neither time and space, nor does it come within the scope of this county history, to enter into a minute detail of the struggles and vicissitudes which followed the line of the establishing of missions, and the slow march of civil government up the California coast. Our objeet will have been accomplished when we have made complete the chain of Spanish oecu- paney from the founding of the first mission, San Diego de Aleala, at San Diego, down to the founding of the last mission San Francisco Solano, at Sonoma.

On July 14, 1769, Partola, with sixty men, inelnding fathers Juan Crespi and Franeiseo Gomez, started from San Diego for the purpose of founding a mission at Monterey. Their wanderings were by devious and sometimes

HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.

rugged trails, as they deemed it necessary to keep near the coast in order not to miss the haven of their destination. But mountains insurmontable drove them to lower levels, and they seem to have come down the Salinas Val- ley and reached Monterey Bay just opposite the present town of Castroville. Looking at the bay from the land, they failed to recognize it as the object of their search. The pine point, where is now Pacific Grove Retreat, served to fill the deseription of the navigator who had described Monterey Bay, but after exploring it by land as far south as Carmello they concluded that the bay they were looking for lay further to the north; and, acting upon this decision, they resumed their march.

As unfortunate as was this mistake to those weary, foot-sore pilgrims, they had the compen- sating honor of making a discovery of more importance to the world than the short delay in founding a mission at Monterey, for on the 2d of November they discovered the great Bay of San Francisco, destined to become one among the most consequential harbors in the world. But their orders were to found a mission at Monterey, and like good Catholies they were obedient to the mandate given them; and being now convinced that that bay was the one lying under the shadow of Point Pinos, already vis- ited by them, they set out on their return jour- ney, and on the 28th of November again reached Monterey, and passing over the hills to Car- mello Bay, they pitehed camp and remained until the 10th of December, taking a general survey of the surrounding country. Grass was now abundant for their animals, but game and even fish were scarce. A mule was killed, and its flesh, together with that of the sea-gulls, was used to husband the flour that was already redneed to fourteen small saeks. At a council held it was decided to retrace their steps to San Diego. On an eminence, probably near where now stands the old San Carlos Mission, a cross was planted, at the foot of which was buried a document giving a brief sketch of the journey- ings and discoveries of Partola and his com-

pany. On the 11th they started southward following the general road up which they had come, and without any serious mishap or ad- venture reached San Diego on January 24, 1770. While this expedition failed in the accomplish- ment of the objeet for which it had been in- augurated, it is certainly entitled to precedence in the very front rank of all explorations ever undertaken by the Spaniards in California. It must be borne in mind that the years of over a century and a half had run their course sinee keel had furrowed the Bay of San Diego, at the time the San Antonio with the missionaries landed there in the spring of 1769. It was only three months after the effeeting of this foot- hold to civilization on this eoast, and two days before the formal inauguration of the mission at San Diego, that Partola and his pilgrims started forth for a journey of several hundred miles, through the wilds of California. They were like a rudderless vessel at sea, without chart or compass, save that on their left they knew that the waves of the broad Pacific were ceaseless in their throbbing pulsations along California's shore. Of the interior they knew nothing. They had every reason to believe that it was populous with barbarians; and yet with all these dangers staring them in the face they went forth and achieved the results already nar- rated. To ereet a monument to the memory of the members of that expedition would be useless; for more enduring than marble or granite shaft is the Bay of San Francisco, which they discovered.

If we may be permitted the expression, the happy mistake of Partoła and his fellow ex- plorers had added the Bay of San Francisco to the geography of the world. It now seems inex- plicable why it was not at onee made the eenter from which radiated other Spanish oeeupaneies of the coast. But it must be remembered that California belonged to Mexico, and Mexico be- longed to Spain. It can well be understood that orders and mandates transmitted through the course of so eircuitons a route, and so ham- pered by all the formalities of red tape, so dear

HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.

to Spanish officials, were very old, and some- times of impossible fulfillment when they reached this coast. And to still more compli- cate matters there seems to have been little unity of feeling and action between the Padres who were alone intent upon founding missions for the Christianization of barbarians, and the military who were looking to colonization as the ultimate means of establishing permanent civil government on this coast. In a double sense, it was a " house divided against itself." The bonds of sympathy that had united Spain and Mexico were becoming strained; and there was a growing estrangement between civil and church polity in California which plainly indi- cated that the twain could not move harmoni- ously forward upon parallel lines in the same field. Either left to a free territory, would have acquired vigor and strength from the very diffi- enlties to be surmounted; but occupying a common field and aiming at cross purposes was productive of enervation and inaction. The Padres, at first only seemingly fired by an hon- est zeal in behalf of the spiritual welfare of be- nighted humanity, were not proof against the cravings for wealth and dominaney when their flocks and herds began to be numbered by the thousands, and they naturally became obstruc- tionists to the large acquirement of lands by those who came as colonists to seek homes in this land of productive soil and genial clime.

While missions were being founded at incon- sequential places along the coast, and inland, to the southward, the waters of the Pacific contin- tinued to silently ebb and flow through the great Golden Gate. Three years had ron their conrse since Partola and his adventurous ex- plorers had set foot on the sand dunes skirting the Bay of San Francisco, before further at- tempt was made at exploration to the north. And as strange as it may seem, it was a San Francisco bay under the lea of Point Reyes that was yet the objective point by the Padres who wished to found a mission that would do suitable honor to San Francisco, their patron saint. With this dominant idea still in view,

on March 20, 1772, Commandante Fajes, with Crespi, twelve soldiers, a muleteer, and an In- dian, left Monterey for the north. The Partola expedition had settled the matter that the San Francisco bay of which they were in searel could not be reached by a land expedition around the west side of the inland sea they had encountered. Hence Fajés and his party de. termined to pass around it to the east. In this attempt they discovered San Pablo Bay on or about the 27th of March, 1772. And right then and there is probably the first time that the eyes of civilized man had a view of the hills and mountains now compassed within the bounds of Sonoma County. They passed up on the south shore of Carquinez Straits, and on- ward to the junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers; then, turning southward passed east of Mount Diablo, going across the mountains, striking the trail up which they had traveled somewhere in Santa Clara Valley; and thence continued on their way back to Monte- rey. Considering the number of men, this was among the most notable expeditions on record.

Old Spain, with a seemingly more intelligent appreciation of the importance of this newly discovered harbor to her possessions on the Pacific coast than had either the Mexican or California authorities, became very importunate to have it speedily occupied. Orders were cheap, but the available means and colonists were not so readily obtainable. But Lieutenant Agala set ont with an expedition from Monte- rey, on the San Carlos, and entered the harbor of San Francisco on the first day of August, 1775. He spent over forty days in explorations of the harbor, but neither the map nor diary of this survey is preserved. Several of the officers landed several times on the northern shore of the bay, and mention is made that Canizares was sent to explore the northern branch of the " round bay " (San Pablo), going up to fresh-water rivers, and bartering beads for fish with many friendly natives. They may possibly have navigated Petaluma Creek, but this is uneertain.

HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.

The year following, on September 17th, under the direction of Commandante Moraga, the presidio of San Francisco was duly inaugurated amid the firing of cannons, ringing of bells and all the formalities usual to typify absolute Spanish possession. The San Carlos had just arrived, and Captain Quiros, Canizares and Re- ville, master and mate, participated in the lay- ing of the corner-stone of this the future metropolis of the Pacific coast. Something over one hundred persons were present on that occasion. Right then and there it became a fixed finality that civilization held the keys to the Golden Gate to the Pacific coast. In order to punctnate this so as to rivet the attention of the reader, we borrow the language of a writer in the Orerlund Monthly who says: "On that same 17th of September, on the other side of the continent, Lord Ilowe's Ilessian and British troops were revelling in the city of New York." We might supplement this with the observation that if it took from 1776 to 1823 for Spanish occupation to extend its lines from San Fran- cisco to Sonoma, it should somewhat break the force of carping criticism in reference to the time consumed by Moses and the children of Israel in their emigration from Egypt up to the land of Canaan. Bnt in this we anticipate history.

On the 23d of September, Quiros, Canizares and Cambon took the ship's boat and went on a voyage of discovery up the bay. The year previous, on the 3d of October, Bodega y Ca- dra, in the sehooner Sonora, had entered the bay named at the time Bodega. The parties who started ont on this exploration of the bay from the presidio of what is now San Francisco, was imbued with the idea prevalent then that there was a strait connecting that bay with Bodega. It was but natural that they should seek a satisfactory solution of this question. They started on the 23d of September and re- turned on the 29th. Mr. Bancroft, in speaking of Quiros and this expedition, says: " Although prevented from exploring the great river, he was able to settle another disputed question,

and proved that the 'round bay' (San Pablo), had no connection with Bodega; for, sailing in that direction, he had discovered a new estnary and followed it to its head, finding no passage to the sea. and beholding a lofty sierra which stretched toward the west and ended, as Quiros thought, at Cape Mendocino. This was proba-/ bly the first voyage of Europeans np the wind- ings of Petaluma Creek." And thus it is probable that contemporaneous with the date of our declaration of national independence on the Atlantic side, Quiros and his companions vis- ited the very site upon which Petaluma now stands.

The next mention we find that has any con nection, either near or remote, with Sonoma County, is the visit of Captain George Van- conver to this coast in 1792. It will be remem- bered that Drake, in his very florid recital of what had occurred on his visit to this coast, had accepted from the "King" everything far and near as a generous gift to his Queen, and in consideration of the striking resemblance of the sand dunes around Point Reyes to the chalky sea bluff's of Great Britain had named his newly-discovered country " New Albion." Vancouver seems to have had faith in the Drake fiction, and with true Briton stubborn- ness persisted in applying the name New Albion to this coast as far south as San Diego. While his mission was ostensibly one of scientific research and observation, it evidently excited distrust of English designs in the mind of Governor Arrillaga. Vancouver had arrived at San Francisco, Governor Arrillaga being at Monterey, the capital. Unwittingly the Com- mandante of San Francisco, in genuine Spanish hospitality, had not only given Vancouver a hospitable reception, but had furnished him an escort of soldiers to guard him on a sort of pienie into the interior, as far inland as the mission of Santa Clara. For this indiscretion Commandante Sal received a not unmerited reprimand from Arrillaga; for Vancouver in his report of this visit shows that he took in the whole situation; that Spain, with a few rusty

HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.

cannons and scarcely soldiers enough to man them, was holding peaceable possession of California.

The story of British vessels hovering along the Pacific coast of course was transmitted to both Mexico and Spain, eliciting the usual in- junction to the Governor of California to keep all foreign vessels from landing in Pacific coast harbors. llow such orders could be enforced when there were not more cannon at the San Francisco Presidio than there are fingers to a human hand (and at some of the sea coast mis- sions the two or three cannon possessed were not even mounted), it is difficult to understand. But the mainspring to all authority in Califor- nia had evidently reached the conclusion that something heroic must be done. The whole story is told by Hubert Howe Bancroft in the following extract:

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An illustrated history of Sonoma County, California. Containing a history of the county of Sonoma from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, Part 2

Author: Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 786

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 786