USA > California > California gold book : first nugget, its discovery and discoverers, and some of the results proceeding therefrom > Part 12
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of Solano, but Benicia and Vallejo are the most impor- tant. In Rockville, the old camp of the Indians, the first blacksmith shop in the county was erected in early days, by John M. Perry. This brawny smith pro- duced several rude plows, which he sold for sixty-five dollars apiece. The leading towns of the county show an improved condition of affairs, particularly Vallejo, Vacaville and Dixon, and while other towns have not shown such great advancement, they have held their own. Besides having to her credit a number of indus- tries of which any town might be proud, these have had a very prosperous year. The greatest projected enterprise, the realization of which means more for Vallejo than anything else, is that of bringing pure crystal mountain water into the town, in a system to be owned by the city. The source of this system is at the great Vallejo falls, about fourteen miles distant in an air line. The estimated cost of the plant is $250,- 000. The people have already given a two-thirds vote in favor of the issuance of the bonds, and the work of surveying, and preparation of plans, specifications and estimates, is completed. With the completion of this new water system, in which the Navy Department of the United States has manifested an equal interest with the people of Vallejo, the town looks for more good things to come.
ONTRA COSTA COUNTY was one of the original subdivisions of the State. According to General Vallejo it means " opposite coast," and was deemed appropriate because it was opposite San Fran- cisco. It contains 750 square miles, divided into 450
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of hill and mountain, 190 of valley, and 110 of marsh and tule lands.
The Mount Diablo range of mountains, with the great isolated peak itself, are prominent features in the typography of Contra Costa. The peak stands almost alone in the center of the county, and rising so abruptly possesses many advantages of observation. An inter- esting tradition of the origin of the name exists in Contra Costa's store of legends. When the old Spanish Padres controlled the whole country they were visited by some Indians who brought nuggets of gold from Diablo. The natives already had inherited stories of a former vomiting of smoke and fire from the peak. The padres, to prevent them from depleting the hill of its golden treasures, took the gold, and, placing it in a tub of water which had been secretly poisoned, told the Indians to let their dogs drink the water. The animals satisfied their thirst there, and immediately died. The padres drew a harrowing picture of the destruction sure to follow if the Indians still sought the gold, and the vivid example of the death of the canines completed the fright of the simple aborigines. The gold was therefore unmolested by the savages, and the name of Monte Diablo,-" Devil's Mountain" -readily attached to the mysterious hill.
Contra Costa and Alameda counties are closely united in their histories. They shared the same early explorers, settlers and traditions, and large tracts of land have belonged to both prior to the division that marks their present boundaries. In 1823, Francisco Castro and Ignacio Martinez made application to the Mexican authorities, the first for the San Pablo Rancho, the last for the Pinole Rancho, each four leagues in
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extent. These were the pioneer settlers of Contra Costa. They erected adobe honses, fenced off corrals for their cattle, planted their vines and orchards, and started in at extensive reclamation of the wild coun- try. Among their nearest neighbors were the Peraltas family, who then owned nearly or quite all of Ala- mneda county, and the Castros at San Lorenzo. A number of Mexican families followed in the next few succeeding years, generally applying for and acquiring tracts four leagues in extent. In 1835, thirty citizens of this portion of California petitioned the govern- ment, then at Monterey, to permit them to attach themselves to San Jose for judicial purposes. After considerable "red tape" the petition was granted. The first American settler was Dr. John Marsh, who purchased the Los Meganos Rancho in 1837. By the year 1846, when war broke out between the United States and Mexico, a considerable number of immi- grants had come to settle in the valley of Contra Costa. At that time an estimate places the total of Americans in California at 700.
Martinez, the beautiful little town of to-day, with its cheerful, cozy residences, was long the foremost city of Contra Costa. Ten years after it got a start there were quite a number of flourishing business houses there and schools attended by 358 children. About this time the most important discoveries of coal mines in the Contra Costa hills were made. A number of splendid veins were opened and have been furnish- ing fuel ever since. Some of the coal mines in the Mount Diablo region are capable of an output of 150 tons per day, but they have not been worked to their full capacity recently, owing to the closing down
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of a number of large factories, and the demand for coal being less.
Petroleum at various places was also discovered in Contra Costa county, but although parties spent thousands of dollars in the development of the wells, the oil was never found in quantities to pay for the trouble and expense. There is, however, a possibility that in the near future the oil industry will be developed in this county. A well is being sunk near La Fayette for that purpose. It is now down over 200 feet and yields a considerable amount of paraffine oil. Gas constantly is liberated by the bore, and the well borers estimate that suffi- cient escapes to illuminate a small house.
The county's railroad facilities have heretofore been limited to the Southern Pacific main line, running along its eastern and northern borders, and the Liver- more branch through Alameda county, leaving its rich interior a long distance from railroad communi- cation. This has been one of the great drawbacks to the development of the county, but the Southern Pacific Railroad has this year built a branch road through the Ygnacio and San Ramon valleys, giving better accom- modations and shipping facilities to the farmers and residents.
Fifty-five acres of valuable water front near Mar- tinez were sold recently, the supposition being that it was to be used by the Salt Lake and San Francisco Railroad. Surveys have been made through the county, and talk of a competing railroad is heard on every side. Such an enterprise would be of estimable benefit to Contra Costa county and to the State at large.
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ALAVERAS COUNTY is one of the original twenty-seven subdivisions of California. The name Calaveras, signifying skulls, is said to have been given to the river so-called by one Gabriel Moraga, a famous early-day Indian fighter, on account of the great number of skulls which he found there, ghastly relics of a deadly battle between the Indians of the plains and those of the mountains over the salmon fisheries of the stream. As originally laid out this county included portions of what are now included within Tuolumne, Alpine and Amador counties. It owed its settlement in the first place to the flood of miners who, radiating from the central points of Sacramento and Stockton, followed up all the streams heading in the Sierra Nevada, prospecting their beds for the gold which they found in large quantities. One of the richest of these streams was Dry creek, and in the region drained by it quickly sprang up the settlements of Amador, Sutter and Volcano, which under subsequent quartz development sustained themselves as flourishing towns, and the first two of which are to this day thrifty and prosperous. Mining was commenced at Volcano in the same year that the discovery was made at Coloma, and in 1853 the town had a population of 5,000 and supported a newspaper.
Sutter Creek was incorporated in 1856 and still retains a good measure of prosperity, presenting a marked contrast to most of the old mining towns of the foothills. While Pleasant Valley was designated by the act forming Calaveras county as the seat of government, Jackson is the first place mentioned in local history as having enjoyed the honor, while the place originally selected is now only a memory. Jack-
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son was founded in 1848 and was at first called Botellas, the name being subsequently changed to the one it now bears. Subsequently the county seat was removed to Mokelumne Hill, and in 1866 San An- dreas carried off the prize, retaining it until the present day.
South of San Andreas or San Andres, as it should correctly be, Carson and Angels sprang into promi- nence at an early day. The first named place is little more than a memory now, although its mines have yielded large sums. Angels still holds its own, having a number of quartz mines that have paid steadily ever since their discovery. In 1864 the discovery of valuable silver lodes in the eastern part of the county led to the segregation of a large section on the east- ern slope of the Sierra Nevada, which was erected into Alpine county.
Calaveras had within its borders, when first estab- lished, a number of places which attained large prom- inence and subsequently declined until little but their names remained. Among these was Yeomet, at the junction of the north and south forks of the Cosumnes ; Muletown, Drytown, Fiddletown, etc. Among the places which maintain much of their former importance are Copperopolis, Murphys and Milton. In this county are some of the most productive mines in the State and the mineral deposits are practically inexhaustible. The baser metals, copper, iron, cinnabar, etc., are found in abundance, and ledges of marble, limestone and granite, and undeveloped deposits of coal, are known to exist. Among the mineral deposits is a veritable mountain of paint, which for extent and variety of col- ors is probably unsurpassed in the world. In the east-
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ern portion of the county is a vast timber belt of mag- nificent extent, which is comparatively untouched ; live oak, sugar and nut pine predominate. Several most interesting natural wonders are also to be found there, among which are the world-renowned big trees, the great cave, with its magnificent chambers and won- derful stalactites, the natural bridge, etc. While the principal industry is mining, considerable attention is given to agriculture and fruit raising. Old mining ditches have been converted into irrigating canals, and in the mountains huge reservoirs have been constructed for the preservation of water. Calaveras is destined in time to attain large importance by reason of its horticultural and agricultural resources.
During the year 1892 Calaveras county held her own in the onward course of the State. The mines about Angel's camp are improving, which fact verifies the assertion that that town will become one of the most important mining camps in the State. Gravel mining about Central hill and Chile junction is reported improving, new companies having taken hold of them who will rush their progress and output for 1893; Mokelumne Hill also about the same as the past year, although considerable mining is being done there- abouts. Citrus fruits and nut culture is receiving attention.
LPINE COUNTY was formed in March, 1864, out of those portions of El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras and Mono counties, lying near the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the county seat established at Silver Mountain. The origin of the
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necessity for this subdivision is peculiar to mining regions. In 1860 some scattering settlers were living at the end of the road leading southward from Genoa, Nevada, along the base of the Sierra. Late in the fall two or three Norwegians with burros passed that place and disappeared in the unknown region beyond. A few weeks later they emerged. The following spring they returned, frequently passing back and forth, adding others to their number, and soon they reported the discovery of rich silver mines at a place they called Silver Mountain. As the first few cabins constructed in the vicinity began to assume the proportions of a town it was christened, after a silver mine in Norway, Konigsberg, but afterward became known as the town of Silver Mountain. Prospectors flocked in and swarmed over the country. It was a part of the great Washoe excitement. Toll roads were constructed from various points " to the town of Konigsberg or Silver Mountain in the counties of El Dorado and Amador," to a point known as Silver Mountain in Mono county, as the records have it. It was not known for a time to what political division of the State this locality belonged. No one had to pay taxes, and every one was arbiter of his own rights.
Aside from the mining interests another industry of considerable magnitude had sprung into existence. Sawlogs, square timber, and cordwood were cut and floated down the Carson river to Empire, Nev., for use at the Virginia mines and mills. Over 175,000 cords of wood went down in a single "drive." But mining was the all-absorbing industry, and gave hope and promise of great prosperity. A history of the mining enterprises will tell how those hopes were
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shattered, how chimerical those promises proved, and why so many decaying mills, deserted homes and abandoned towns lie scattered about the beautiful Alpine hills to-day. Abundance of ore was found which assayed well, and mills were erected for its reduction after the most approved plans for working the ores of the Comstock. But this ore could not be worked that way. It was not "free milling." Prac- tical methods had yet to be learned. Then began experiments with new "processes "-costly, discour- aging, disheartening processes! Silver mining was in its infancy. "Science creeps from point to point," and before success had been attained many companies failed.
In 1889-90 the first successful process for working the rebellious ores of this vicinity was introduced by Ottokar Hoffman at the Colorado No. 2 mine. Lewis Chalmers also had worked successfully the ores of the Morning Star by a similar process. These two mines were among the last to be worked, and could be pay- ing dividends, but mismanagement caused them to be closed down. There are good mines in Alpine, although not a single stroke of work is being done in any of them to-day.
The natural advantages here are good. In the north- ern part of the county, embracing a portion of Carson valley, are some fine farms. Grain crops, vegetables and hay never fail. Many kinds of fruit thrive well. No finer apples are grown in the world. The atmos- phere is dry and irrigation necessary, but water of the purest kind is in abundance and to spare. From the Blue lakes and other reservoirs water is supplied to mills, farms and towns of other counties. Many
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bands of horses, cattle and sheep from other parts of the State and from Nevada are grazed and fattened here. There is not a practicing lawyer, doctor, incar- cerated criminal or pauper in the county, and the Indians are peaceable, industrious and self-supporting. As a field for the sportsman and a place of healthful recreation for the invalid and those wishing to escape from business cares and the heated season of other localities, no better place can be found than Alpine county during July, August, September, October and November.
AN MATEO COUNTY, adjacent to the little county of San Francisco on the north, completes the peninsula formed by the bay and the Pacific ocean. The county was not made at the original division, but was set apart in April of 1856. San Mateo was formed from what had been part of San Francisco county, and left the latter about room enough for the great metropolis.
Prior to the war with Mexico there were not over half a dozen settlers in what is now San Mateo, although some of these few had been there since 1835. Some had arrived earlier. Many immigrants came soon after the war opened. During the war one Francisco Sanchez raised quite a body of troops and fought the Americans at San Mateo with much success. When hostilities had ceased there were many people in the county, the first settlers occupying the western slope of the mountains. By 1852-3 the small village on the shore of the bay had begun to grow. For as much as three years after the organization of the county noth-
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ing but the lumbering interests were of importance as an industry. During 1852 a belief spread that the lands would be declared Government property and the Mexican grants repudiated. Settlers rapidly took pos- session of everything under this notion, and much trouble ensued. These squatters subsequently either purchased their lands or abandoned their locations.
The lumbering interest of San Mateo first brought her into prominence, and for a long time was her chief industry. Her redwood forests were of great extent, and some of the trees rivaled the giant sequoias of Calaveras and Mariposa. In 1870 there was still standing, within twelve miles of Redwood City, a tree measuring seventy-five feet in circumference. There was also a hollow tree near Pescadero into which a horseman might easily ride, and in a hollow tree near Dearsville seven wood-choppers made their bunks and slept. Before 1840 the "whipsaw" came to San Mateo, and by 1847 large numbers of mills were in full blast.
Menlo Park is improving rapidly, that being the home of the great Leland Stanford Junior University. Two miles east of Menlo Park, in the Ravenswood district. the foundations are laid for the Theological Seminary which the Catholics are building. This will be one of the largest and most complete educational institutions on the coast, and the only one of its kind. It has a fund of $300,000 for building, besides a mag- uificent tract of land.
The increase of the assessment roll is a little less than $1,000,000 for the fiscal year, but if taken up to date the increase is estimated at over $2,000,000. Many of the large ranches that for. years have hin-
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dered the settlement and development of the county are being subdivided and sold in small tracts. Espec- ially is this so adjoining Redwood City, Menlo Park and San Mateo, where fruit orchards and cottages, as well as the more stately homes of the wealthy, are taking the place of cattle ranges. A feature of San Mateo county worthy of note is the splendid system of county roads. For years much money and careful attention have been bestowed on the roads, and during the year 1892 over $20,000 has been used for their improvement. The extension of the electric railroad into the north end of the county from San Francisco opens a splendid location for workmen's homes, and many have been built in the vicinity of Colma and Baden.
The South San Francisco Land and Improvement Company has just completed, about two miles from Baden station, at San Bruno point, an immense estab- lishment for slaughtering stock, packing meats, and for the manufacture of oleomargarine. Here also a town of about six hundred population has sprung up. The expenditure by the company represents over $1,000,- 000.
LAMEDA COUNTY was formed in 1853 from a portion of Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties, of which it had previously formed a part. The county-seat was established at New Haven, now called Alvarado. Then it went to San Leandro, and finally to Oakland, where it will always remain. The county contains 512,000 acres of land, divided almost equally between hill and valley. Twenty thousand
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acres along the bay are overflowed by high tide. The soil of the county is exceedingly fertile, and the nat- ural consequence is that every available acre is a gar- den spot, the residence sections being uniformly beau- tified with a luxuriance of flowers and semi-tropical foliage.
The earliest history of Alameda county is in the rec- ords of the explorations of the founders of the early California missions. These mission founders were the first whites to penetrate to the sites of Oakland, Ala- meda and other towns, covered at that time by a heavy growth of oaks and other trees. Don Pedro de Allerni, an emissary of the Catholic Church of Spain, seeking for suitable localities for missions, seems to have been the pioneer white explorer of Alameda. The real settlement began about 1820. Don Luis Maria Peralta, a native of Tubac, Sonora, in considera- tion of services rendered to the various old missions, was granted by Governor Don Pablo Vincento de Sola, a tract of land five leagues in extent, which embraced the present sites of Alameda and Oakland, reaching from San Leandro creek to the northern boundary of the county. Don Luis had a numerous family, and in 1842 he divided his estates equally between four sons. In a short time American settlers began to flock in, and when a few years had witnessed the victory of the United States over Mexico, the accession of California to the Union, and the conse- quent overthrow of Mexican rule, the Peraltas saw their possessions slip away, and the flag of the Anglo- American settlers floating over the homes that they had improved, and by 1854 Oakland had become a city.
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The town of Alameda was laid out by Chipman and Anglinbaugh in 1852, and a number of landings for boats were constructed at the mouths of creeks. Ala- meda has progressed from the first, until now it is said to be the most beautiful town in the country. It has two railroads, which carry local passengers from end to end of the place free. Its cottages are neat and picturesque, and its sidewalks consist of miles and miles of white artificial stone, bordered by a selvage of ever green grass. Its water supply is ample in quan- tity and excellent in quality, and it is claimed to be a lovely bed-chamber for San Francisco business men, very many of whom own residences there. Clean, healthy and quiet, it affords a charming retreat to some thousands whose days are spent in San Francisco. It will not be many years before Oakland and Ala- meda will be under the same name and local govern- ment. Their interests are identical.
Oakland isa great city, and a beautiful and prosperous one. Being at the terminus of the overland lines of railroad, and several local lines, it may be styled a rail- road city. It has a number of electric railways travers- ing the city in every direction, and running beyond the city limits to the best farming lands in the county. Probably the best constructed electric railroad this side of the Rockies is the one just completed by the South- ern Pacific Company, and now in operation. It com- mences at First and Broadway, and goes out Telegraph avenue direct to the State University grounds. There are also two branches to the road, which will cut into Lorin and other small towns. The Meetz horse car line to Alameda is now being turned into an electric road.
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The assessed value of the property in Alameda county in 1891 was $83,350,822, and in 1892 had increased to $89,371,681, or over $6,000,000. The tax levy in the county has been quite moderate when com- pared with some of the counties in the State. In 1890 the State and county tax inside cities and towns was $1.00, and outside $1.30; in 1891 it was eighty-five cents inside and $1.15 outside, and in 1892 it was eighty cents inside and $1.10 outside. The county is run on a cash basis, all claims being paid in warrants, which are immediately cashed.
The University of California, situated at Berkeley, founded and located in 1868, is a monument to its own achievements. The school, broad and liberal in its principles, ably appointed in every department, roman- tically situated under the shadows of the Berkeley hills, embowered in characteristic California loveliness, tells its own story. Its merit as one of the foremost insti- tutes of learning is unquestioned.
The public schools in Oakland and Alameda county never were in a more flourishing condition than at the present time. Recently the people of Oakland voted bonds in the sum of $400,000 for the purpose of build- ing new school-houses. The issue runs for twenty years, and the bonds bear interest at the rate of four per cent. per annum. They were purchased by Arthur D. Thomson, president of the First National Bank of Oakland, who paid cash for them and a premium of $8,844. The construction of the new school-houses in Oakland has been commenced. The new high school building, which will cost $165,000, will be located on the block bounded by Eleventh, Twelfth, Jefferson and Grove streets. The new grammar schools will be
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located in East Oakland, third ward and sixth ward, and large additions will be made to some of the present school-houses. In the country many new school-houses have been built during the past year. At Livermore, a union high school is being constructed at a cost of $11,000; another at Centerville at a cost of $12,500, and a third at Haywards at a cost of $5,500. Berke- ley has increased its school facilities by two new school-houses, and a fine school building was recently completed in Bay district. The Piedmont district also has a fine new school building.
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