USA > California > Sonoma County > 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 45
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The first permanent settler in this immediate section was Michael Kolmer. Hle arrived in California in 1846, having with him his family, consisting of his wife, two daughters and one son. They spent that winter at Sutter's Fort. then went to Fort Ross, and spent the year of 1847. In 1848 he came down and leased
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land of Captain Smith, on the Bodega Rancho. This tract of land was located about two and one-half miles west of the present site of Howard's Station, in what is known as Cole- man Valley. The original name was Kolmer Valley, taking its appellation from the Kolmer family. It has since been modified to Coleman. One of the daughters married William Howard, and still resides with her husband at their homestead near Occidental. The other daugh- ter married William Bennitz, and is now residing in the Argentine Republic. A man named Patrick McCne was the next settler. He lo- cated in a little valley just east of Iloward's Station in 1849. MeCue came to California in 1847 with Samnel Brannan and the Mormons in the ship Brooklyn. He came to Bodega and worked at the blacksmith business for some time for Captain Smith on his rancho and at his mill. He soon, however, came to the mill run by James Black and others, near the pres- ent site of Freestone. Ile followed his trade here for a while, and finally settled as stated above. In 1852 he left the country. Thenext permanent settler was William Howard, who came to California in 1848, and located on his present homestead in 1849. He was the first settler who actually owned the land he was upon, and is the only old settler who still resides in this vicinity. Mr. Howard had a partner by the name of Charles Romer. They remained together until 1855. During the next few years several squatters came and went, but none made permanent homes. From that time on till the advent of the railroad, nothing occurred to canse a ripple upon the even tenor of its way. The town has assumed quite an importance as a shipping point, cord-wood, fence-posts, tan-bark and charcoal form the bulk of the exports.
Methodist Episcopal Church. The Occi- dental (M. E.) church edifice was ereeted in 1876, but a church organization was not effected till the following year.
Salmon Creek Lodge, 1. O. O. F.This Lodge, No. 234, was organized August 2, 1875,
at Bodega Corners, and was moved to Occidental May 25, 1878. The charter members were; J. K. Smith, G. C. Taylor, J. H. Brown, A. Willis, David Robinson, II. Samsel, W. J. Lewis, L. F. Wormell and J. Sutter. The first officers were: J. K. Smith, N. G .; G. C. Taylor, V. G .; J. H. Brown, Secretary, and D. Robin- son, Treasurer.
Saw- Mills .- As has already been stated, the first attempt to make Inmber in this township was made by James Dawson, in 1835, with a saw-pit and hand rip-saw. The first mill was that of Captain Smith, which was the first steam saw-mill in California, established in 1843. The next saw-mill was located on the Jonive Rancho, and was put in operation sometime pre- vions to 1849. We find no record of when the mill was built, but find that it was disposed of in 1849. This mill was situated on the little creek which passes through Freestone, very near the present site of the town, and was rnu by water power. Edward M. MeIntosh, James Black, Thomas Butters, William Leighton, Fred- erick Ilegel, Thomas Wood and a pioneer who was known by the peculiar name of " Blinking Tom," put the mill in operation. In 1849 it is said that they disposed of their mill and lum- ber to F. G. Blume and went to the mines. The next milling enterprise was inangurated in 1848, and was known as the " Benicia " or " Blumedale Mill and Lumber Company." This company was composed of mechanics who were at work on the Government barracks at Benicia. Charles McDermot was President and John Bailiff, Secretary; Lieutenant, now General George Stoneman, and a Mr. McKnight, and others, were members of the company. F. G. Blume rented the land to this company, hence the name of " Blumedale." It was a circular saw'and the power was steam. It was put in operation in 1849. The site of the mill was on Ebabias Creek, about one mile south of Free- stone. The next mill built was what is now known as the Joy mill. It was put in opera- tion in 1855, by three brothers by the name of Thurston. It is located northward from Bodega
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Corners, and is still standing on the original site, and is doing good service yet. It has a capacity of about 3,000 feet per day. Messrs. Mudge, Phelps and Perkins, the parties who purchased Captain Smith's mill, and leased the timber land for ninety-nine years, moved their mill, in 1559, to a site about one mile south of Occidental. In 1862 they removed it to Men- docino County. In 1866 M. C. Meeker put his mill in operation. It is located near the old site of the last named mill, south of Occidental. It is a fine mill. and has a capacity of 15,000 feet daily. There is one pair of double saws in it, the bottom saw being sixty inches in diame- ter, and the top one fifty-eight. It is also sup- plied with a full outfit of all the necessary machinery and appliances to make it a first-class mill in every respect. In 1867 Mr. Smith built a mill in Coleman Valley. It has a capac- ity of 12,000 feet, and is a first-class mill.
A correspondent of the Sonoma County Journal in 1860, gave the following account of the death and burial of an Indian at Bodega:
Died, November 23, 1860, at the Raneharie, near Bodega Ranch House, Juan Grande, for many years a faithful vaquero of the Bodega rancho.
Juan Grande is dead, and his dusky sons and daughters and gray-haired kindred stand around his lifeless body, tearing their hair, beating their breasts with stones, throwing themselves upon the earth, and weeping and wailing with frantic violence over the lost and gone.
Juan Grande had been sick for several days, and one night as he lay awake in his cabin, he thought he heard his old squaw-who died a short time previous -- calling upon him to go and live with her in the spirit land. He took his knife, drove it to the hilt in his body, turn- ing upon his side, and died.
Many years ago, before the advent of . the pale faced Yankees," when these hills were all covered with elk and antelope and deer, and from every valley curled the smoke over the Rancharies of his people; in that golden age of diggerdom, when the priests fed and clothed
their bodies and looked after their souls, and received in return their easy labor. Juan Grande had listened to the teachings of the good old padre, and been christened at the Mission of San Rafael. His body, therefore, could not be consigned to the flames, but must receive an attempt, at least, at Christian burial.
In a rough board coffin, fashioned by un- skilled hands. they bear his remains to the burial place of his fathers -- a small enclosure set apart by the old padre, and marked by a rude cross as consecrated ground. There, with loud lamentation and a weird like-chant, said to be an incantation to the spirits of evil, he is lowered to his rest. His clothes, beads and other trinkets are laid in his coffin. The stone mortar and pestal, with which he ground his atole, is broken and placed by his side. One by one, with noisy demonstrations of grief. they cast a handful of earth upon his coffin, and then the grave is quickly filled up with a spade. Again they raise their wild incantation, beat their breasts, pull their hair, and dash them- selves violently upon the ground. giving them- selves ents and bruises that must last for weeks. Then, silently, one by one, in different direc- tions. they disappeared. But morn after morn, at break of day, they revisit the spot, and as the first rays of the sun rest upon his grave, the sound of lamentation floats down the valley on the morning air.
Martin, one of the old man's sons, was ab- sent: but he saw a circle around both sun and moon, and he knew that his father had been killed. Silently he shouldered his rifle and hastened to avenge his death. He is just ar- rived at the Rancharie, thirsting for vengeance. But his brothers all tell him that the old man died by his own hand, that he might rejoin their mother; and Martin, pacified, lays down his rifle and says, " Todo esta bueno," it is all right.
The Petaluma Argus of April 15, 1869, says: " A correspondent writing us from Bodega relates the following singular incident. Ile says: A novel sight was witnessed a few days
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sinee by Mr. Gaffany, who lives near Bodega Bay. While plowing near the coast his atten- tion was directed to an unusual commotion in the water, nearly a mile from shore, which proved to be a conflict between five sword fish and a sperm whale. The ocean was quite calm, and as they neared the shore their movements could be plainly seen. The whale was no match for his smaller antagonists, who seemed to nn- derstand his only means of defense, and dis- played considerable knowledge of tactics in parrying with their formidable adversary. In making their thrusts into his sides they would keep clear of his tail, one blow of which would have been fatal to them. With maddened fury the huge monster of the deep would strike right and left, cansing the water to boil by the force of the blow-and then he would dive deep to escape the relentless fury of his tormentors, but he was followed and soon brought to the sur- face. Deep gashes could be seen in his sides, and the blood flowing freely. The fight was witnessed for nearly an hour, when the whale in the agony of despair, started for the shore, fling- ing himself upon some low rocks, and soon died from the effects of his wounds. Gashes two feet deep and six feet long were made in his sides. Many in this vicinity went to see him. Ile was between fifty and sixty feet long. The third day the tide rose high enough to float him from the rocks and he floated out to sea."
A recent writer on the past and present of Bodega Bay says: " From the days of'49 until well up toward 1860, one of the most active and important shipping points along the Pacific Coast was that of Bodega Port. From here during the early days of California were sent into the San Francisco market the largest por- tion of all the potatoes consumed not only in the great commercial metropolis of the State, but along the Sacramento and in the mining camps of the Sierra Nevadas. In those days the waters of Bodega Bay were whitened with the canvas of a fleet of schooners and sloops employed in the transportation of the celebrated " Bodega Spuds." Then it was that Bodega
was honored by being declared a port of entry, and the ponderous Mike Doherty filled the re- sponsible and arduous position of collector. Its warehouses and wharves were filled with the prodnets of the surrounding hills and vales, and all was alive with the bustle and activity inci- dent to its receipts and shipments. But a change, a sad ehange has come over the scene ! Bodega Bay has filled and shallowed until it is no longer navigable ; the white-winged fleet has disappeared from its placid waters ; its hills and plains are the liomes of herds of lowing kine; its people have departed ; its bustling, busy wharves fallen to decay, and its rubicund collec- tor sought other climes ; in short, the stillness of death well-nigh reigns round about Bodega Port and Bay !"
RUSSIAN RIVER TOWNSHIP
Lies between Mendocino on the north and east, Knight's Valley on the east, and Santa Rosa and Analy on the south. It contains 41,423 acres, assessed at $729,495, or $175 per acre. The total assessed value of all property is $994,160. It ineludes the towns of Windsor and Mark West. Its population in 1880 was 1,076. The present population is about 1,200. The town of Windsor and the country about it has taken a start, owing to the increase in the area of vineyards and orchards. A new winery has been erected, and improvements of all kinds are noticeable on every hand. Every variety of agricultural and pomological or viticultural pro- duct is raised easily and in abundance.
Allen, Bowan & Co., in their excellent history of Sonoma County, give the following historic reminiscences : " In the year 1840 Cyrus Alex- ander completed his arrangements with Fitch. took charge of the ranch, and selected a spot whereon to build a house. This he found on the east side of Russian River, opposite to the site now occupied by the flourishing town ot Healdsburg. In the construction of the domi- cile, access was had, as may be imagined, to bnt few mechanics' tools, and no nails, the sidings were split and hewed from the well known red-
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wood, a timber somewhat similar to white pine, but not so heavy nor elose-grained, still it is easily worked and of wonderful durability ; grooves were ent in the sills and plates, and after framing these, the sidings were set up in the grooves and aforesaid sills, and the plates being placed on top of the sidings, all were firmly bound together with raw-hide. The only sawed lumber used throughout the construction of this dwelling were two planks, subsequently proenred from the town of Sonoma, which were made into doors. Thus we find the first settler in Russian River Township was Cyrus Alex- ander, and the first honse ereeted in it was by the same pioneer. What a change has come over the spirit of the dream. When we look around and see the elegant structures which have sinee sprung up, we can hardly realize that so few years can have worked such magie. Alexander's life was now one of care; he had his floeks to tend, and himself to keep from despond- eney. Ile tanght the Indians to place confidence in the word of a white man: he fed them to the best of his ability, spoke kindly to them, for he had acquired the Spanish tongue while a resi- dent of Southern California, and Digger Indians conversed in a patois of that language, and in time, so truly had he worked, they aided him in his labors, and became company for him in his solitude. The only suit of elothes which he had brought with him soon showed signs of wear and tear, therefore, in order to manufacture new ones he must start a tannery ; this he did on a suitable location on Fitch Mountain. IIe sank his vats and went to work, with nothing but his indomitable will as his aid. The bark he ob- tained in the immediate vicinity ; the hides were not far to seek, but he found the obtaining of lime an almost insurmountable difficulty. few moments' reflection solved the impediment ; he despatched some Indians to the sea coast, a distance of about thirty-five miles, to proeure shells from the shore; these they brought baek in their baskets. They were burned and pro- dueed good lime; in short, a superior kind of leather was made, thus ensuring for himself
clothes for his back and shoes for his feet. At this . period let us note who were Alexander's nearest English-speaking neighbors. These were Mr. Cooper, at Bodega; Mark West, be- tween him and Sonoma; to the north was John Gordon, on Cache Creek, now in Yolo County, one hundred miles away; and east of all. Cap- tain Sutter, at what is now Sacramento.
" This lonesomeness was continued except for an oceasional visit to the above named neigh- bors, until the year 1843, when F'rank Bidwell, the second settler in Russian River Township, appeared on the seene. His, too, had been a life of adventure, being passed as a trapper and fur hunter among the Indians. On meeting with Alexander he was induced to stay, and with him made the following terms: Bidwell to remain with him, assisting him in every way, for five or six years, at the end of which time he was to receive 500 acres of land. This he obtained in he year 1850.
" But to return to our subjeet. In 1842 Cyrus Alexander, with the aid of some Digger Indians, commenced the construction of the house now known as the Fiteh Adobe, still standing on the family ranch, near Fitch Mountain. Here he planted the first orehard in this seetion (in 1843), with sprouts from the Russian settlement at Fort Ross, whither he had dispatched Bidwell and an Indian to proeure them. In the spring of 1844 a Mexiean family named Peña took up their residence, while in December of that year he married the sister-in-law of his neighbor Gordon, who, as has been said, lived a hundred miles away on Cache Creek. This brings us to 1845, the year when the business compact be- tween Alexander and Fitch was severed. We reproduee the accompanying letter, more as an example of the subject matter on which corre- spondenee was based in these early days:
"SAN DIEGO, July 14, 1845.
" Mr. Cyrus Alexander-Dear Sir :- Yours of March 25th I did not receive until the 27th of last month. I am sorry to learn that you in - tend to leave the rancho in October next, con- sequently I have made arrangements with Moses
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Carson to take charge of the rancho, with all my interest in the same; and have given him orders to that effect. Whatever articles I sent you, such as farming utensils, carpenters' tools, etc., that you do not wish to keep, I will take back at the same price, provided they are not too much damaged by wear. The two large whalers' tripods, the winnowing machine, and the Amer- ican cart-wheels I never considered as sold to yon, but delivered them to be used on the rancho. I expect you to leave them, also the auger, grist-mill spindle and tire, log-ehain, screw-plates, and other iron and steel ware, sent in 1843, too numerous to mention, such as locks, hinges, etc. I told Mr. Carson that in case you wished to deliver anything he considered not receivable, to give you a receipt and to retain them as on deposit. I hope you have received the three hundred head of cattle from Pico, and those from Marco Baco, and . Pacheco, and have taken them to your part of the rancho; in that case you will deliver all of my cattle to Mr. Car- son; you will also deliver to him one-half of the wool and one-half of all the grain raised. I have been disappointed in not having received a letter from yon sooner. You said nothing about the crops. You stated that you had sent me fifteen fanadas, one of beans, eight of wheat. Iex- pected more beans and corn, and I have not re- ceived even that small lot. There must be some neglect somewhere. I have not had a bean in iny house for two months. I requested Mr. Carson to ship me some from the rancho in case there were any there. You will please advise and assist Mr. Carson, in so doing you will mueh oblige me. As to the new honse I hope you have the walls up; and as to the boards and shingles, I do not care to engage any more, but will attend to that myself. Wishing you every success, I remain,
" Yours truly. II. D. FITCH.
. P. S .- According to my account, I have forwarded to you from November, 1841, to November, 1843, the following number of cat- tle, viz: 39 oxen, 4 tame cows, 149 cows de rodeo, 468 baquias, large and small, 45 novillos,
64 bulls, 65 bakas, 88 head of cattle from Ra- phael Garcia. Mr. Leiee (sic) delivered 922 head; Mr. Larkins delivered some since. In 1842 I put 22 tame horses, 3 tame mares, 4 wild mares, 4 machos and 1 colt. I have the papers of the rancho approved by the Assembly, and think all will be correct.
" Respectfully, H. D. FITCH." " The American cart-wheels mentioned in the above letter were evidently the first used in the county.
" The trail beaten out by the first trappers, explorers and settlers, followed the base of the foot-hills, crossing the boundary of the town- ship at the San Miguel adobe, from thence it passed through the present site of the town of Windsor, and left the boundary of the township a few hundred yards below the Fitch House. This road was made by the Spaniards and In- dians; but the first immigrants, after Alexander and Bidwell, had formed a settlement in the lower part of the valley; those succeeding turned westward toward this settlement at the crossing of Mark West, and soon had a well- defined road through the open country, which passed near the house of Henry White, crossed the Windsor Creek on the farm now owned by Q. E. Tebbs, and came down into the valley through the hollow on the ranch of Thomas Mitchell; from thence turning northward and joining the first mentioned route at the crossing of Russian River at the locality already named. These two roads were, for some time, the only thoroughfares in the township; it was not long, however, before settlers, desiring a more direct route to .Felty ' Miller's and March's saw- mill, made a new ford at Summers Brumfield's, which remained as a direct road to Mill Creek for a number of years.
" As has been already shown, the first house in the township was erected by Cyrus Alexan- der; the second was put up by Lindsay Carson in 1849, and still stands on the estate of Samuel E. Miller. Both of these structures were built of adobe. The third house was built of logs, on the land now owned by Benoni Hotchkiss,
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by one Louis Legendre, a Frenchman, who ar- rived at about the same time as Lindsay Carson, in 1847. This Frenchman, familiarly known as Louis, also constructed the first house of sawed lumber, the planks for which were procured from March's mill on Mill Creek, he being pro- bably the first purchaser who patronized that enterprise. This house now forms the ground- work of the dining-room and kitchen used by J. W. Calhoun, the timber being to this day as sound and solid as though but a few years old.
" E. Harrison Barnes and William Potter in 1850 started a store in the adobe by Carson the previous year, but soon after removed to another building of their own at the junction of the be- fore mentioned Mark West road and river route. This was the first storein the township, as it was also the first in the whole county north ot Sonoma. In 1852 Lindsay Carson bought the interest of Potter and continued the business at the same place with Barnes until the following year, 1853, when the store and all its contents were carried away by the high water of the Russian River, and lodged in a field a quarter of a mile be- low. Fortunately the building floated upright, and the goods were recovered and carried out in a flat-boat, with but few articles damaged. The firm then continued business in a house on the farm of A. B. Nally, which land was then owned by Carson. Barnes and Carson continued this store until 1856, when in March of that year Barnes had disposed of his interest to Carson, who had in turn sold out to W. G. McManns; it was moved to the just started town of Healds- burg in the adjoining township, and was the second store in that city.
" In 1851 a number of new settlers arrived in the township, while in the latter end of that year there were then residing in its limits, Frank Bidwell, Lindsay Carson, E. Harrison Barnes, William Potter. Tom and Ike Smith, J. W. Cal- houn, James Campbell, John Pruett, H. J. Pool, James Brooks, L. SInsser, Chitwood Brothers and Louis Legendre. In this year the first local election took place, and resulted in the election of Harrison Barnes as justice of the peace of
Russian River Township. This election was held at the store of Barnes and Carson, the fol- lowing one in 1853, being at Pruett's school house, now Shiloah Church.
" In 1852-'53 settlers began to fill up thé township, among those arriving being J. W. Yates, Henry White, Thomas Mitchell, Alex- ander Wilson, Lee Langhlin, George Brum- field, and many others who then located on the places which they now possess, and have made so valuable and beautiful. There were but few families previous to the year 1853, most of the immigrants being single men who sought the accumulation of a rapid fortune and a speedy return to their ancestral homes, conse- quently the first marriage was an event of no small importance, and to which all were bidden from far and near. The contracting parties on the occasion now noted were John Pruett and Bettie Brooks, the nuptial knot being tied by Harrison Barnes as justice of the neace. The ceremony took place at the residence of Mr. Chitwood, about one mile east of Windsor in the fall of 1851.
" In 1850 J. J. May, a Cumberland Presby- terian preacher held service at the adobe of Lind- say Carson, and was therefore the first to preach the gospel in the township; after him came P. Riley, Baptist, and S. M. Smith, Methodist, and in 1856 'Parson' Cox organized Shiloah Church, which was the first religious institu- tion. In 1853 there was a school organized on the present site of the Shiloah Church, and a small shanty built, which bore the name of Pruett's school-house, the district formed being called Russian River district, which inchided the whole township. This district was divided in 1856 upon the petition of Robert Cunning- ham, Hiram Lewis, II. J. Pool and others, and the portion thus ent off was called Windsor district, which was partitioned in 1864 into Hill and Windsor, by petition of W. S. Clark, Richard Holloway, Il. J. Pool and others; that of Tamater being organized according to the petition of Tamater, Hudson, ete., in 1867.
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