USA > California > Lassen County > Fairfield's pioneer history of Lassen County, California; containing everything that can be learned about it from the beginning of the world to the year of Our Lord 1870 Also much of the pioneer history of the state of Nevada the biographies of Governor Isaac N. Roop and Peter Lassen and many stories of Indian warfare never before published > Part 11
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Lynch sold his place two miles below Bankhead's to George W. Fry and Dewitt C. Chandler. This fall David Rice was on the Morehead ranch and John Bradley and Wife lived about five miles further up the lake. They may have come into the valley the previous year. Christopher Meyers bought in with Manley Thompson. Some time this fall Mrs. Amanda Gray, the Wife of Anthony Gray, came to the valley with her family. Her husband came here the previous fall. The family consisted of T. W., Mary, and Benjamin Hughes and Louisa, Minnie, and Robert Gray.
Some time during the year James Fuller, perhaps his brothers, John E. and C. W. (Bill), were in with him, put up a board shanty about three and one fourth miles below Roop's and began
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to sell goods. It was on the north side of the road near the river, and not far from where Dr. Spalding had built his house which is still standing. Daniel Murray was his clerk, and before long he and Edward Powers bought Fuller out. This same year either these two, or Fuller, put up a blacksmith shop across the road from the store and Henry Hastings was the first blacksmith.
The following people settled in Honey Lake valley in 1858. The names of some of them have already been given.
A. B. Jenison and family, *Mrs. Richard Thompson and family, Thomas J. Mulroney, John S. Ward and family, John and Edward Bass, Lewis Stark and family, G. W. Howard, J. H. Breed, Thurston (Kentuck) Thomas, *Christopher Meyers, *Will- iam Meyers, James D. Byers, *Edward Powers, *Daniel Mur- ray, Jacob Holley, *Ben B. Painter, *John Thayer. Per- haps William (Limekiln) Smith and several brothers named Wheeler settled here this year. Though Byers did not come to this county to live until several years later, he was, in a way, a settler here. He held county office and was a member of the legislature and was always a prominent man.
The following lived in the valley all the rest of their lives: Mrs. R. D. Bass, John S. Ward and his son Frank G. (Bob), T. J. Mulroney, John Bradley and Wife, John Thayer, G. W. Fry, D. C. Chandler, John C. Davis, Thurston Thomas, J. D. Byers, Robert Wisbern, Mrs. R. Thompson, and A. B. Jenison and Wife.
Ward was a lawyer and was a prominent man as long as he lived.
Painter, Rice, Crane, the Fuller Bros., John and Edward Bass, Hill, Stark, Lewers, Murray, John Byrd, Breed, Hall, C. and W. Meyers, Mrs. Streshly, Mrs. Anthony Gray and family, and Mrs. John S. Ward and her children Trowbridge H. and Jennie lived in the county from six or seven to twenty- five years or more.
W. H. Crane was a member of the legislature.
WESTERN UTAH POLITICS. 1858
T. and W. (Thompson and West's History of Nevada) say : "The following letter from Judge Crane shows that the creation of the territory of Sierra Nevada was considered at Washington
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about the same as an accomplished fact at one time, but the act was finally defeated.
"Judge Crane to His Constituents. "Washington, February 18, 1858.
"Fellow-Citizens :- It affords me much satisfaction to furnish you in advance information of great interest. The committee on territories has unanimously agreed to report a bill forthwith to establish a territorial government out of western Utah, under the name of Sierra Nevada. It will be bounded on the east by the Goose Creek mountains, on the west by the Sierra Nevada, or the east line of California, on the north by the Oregon line, and on the south by the Colorado river.
"The bill will be pressed through both houses of Congress, by all parties, as having an immediate connection with the present military movements against the Mormons. It has been agreed upon that it shall form a part of the measure designed to com- press the limits of the Mormons in the Great Basin, and to defeat their efforts to corrupt and confederate with the Indian tribes who now reside in or roam through western Utah. For this and many other reasons, no time will be lost to organize a territory over western Utah, that there may be concentrated there a large Gentile population, as a check both upon the Indians and the Mormons.
"To the Hon. Wm. Smith, the able member of Congress from the Orange congressional district in Va. (well known in Cali- fornia) you and I owe an everlasting debt of gratitude for bring- ing about this auspicious result.
"In connection with this subject permit me to say (if I am not writing to you unadvisedly) that you all sow and plant heavy crops of grain and vegetables this spring, for they will bring ready sale at good cash prices to supply the army and the Indians on their reservations.
"As soon as I shall get my seat I think I can secure mail routes between Carson valley, via Gold Canyon, Ragtown, Sink of the Humboldt, to the Great Salt Lake, and from Honey Lake to the Humboldt, where the two lines form a junction. As to the establishment of other necessary mail routes in the territory I have no fears. In connection with this subject also, I have great hopes of having a bill passed to bridge the deep snow region of the Sierra Nevada, over the Honey lake and Placerville
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routes, so as to keep open communication between our territory and California all the year round. The deep snow region on the Placerville route is, I think, about eight miles in extent, and on the Honey Lake route, via Shasta, about the same. Neither will cost over $50000 or $60000.
"In conclusion, I hope the legislature of California will be as liberal and as generous to you as Virginia was to Kentucky in her days of infancy and trial, and as Georgia was to Alabama in her days of infancy ; and like them, withdraw her jurisdiction over valleys lying east of the Sierra Nevada, that they may all come under our territorial government.
"Ever your faithful friend,
"James M. Crane."
"The foregoing will give the reader a fair idea of the state of mind that the settlers of western Utah were in, and the induce- ments that urged them to a separation. It further presents the pecuniary outlook that floated before the mental vision of the ranchers whose products from the soil was to feed 115000 Indians on the reservations, and the soldiers that were to keep them and the Mormons in check. Western Utah was a miner's and farmer's Paradise, where the roads to wealth were to be paved by the United States treasury, with coin, over fields of precious stones, and the richest gold and silver mines on the continent. These exaggerations had their effect, and the public was being slowly prepared for an excitement such as followed the eventual discov- ery of the Comstock Lode."
ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO REORGANIZE CARSON COUNTY
"In 1858 another attempt was made to reorganize Carson county and it proved only partially successful. Governor Cum- mings commissioned John S. Child, probate judge, and he called an election for county officers. The election was Mormon or Anti-Mormon, but as there were no Mormons excepting one, it was really those who favored the hanging of 'Lucky Bill' against those who did not. Four of the six precincts were thrown out for illegal voting. All the Mormon ticket was elected excepting Sides and Abernathy. The people paid but little attention to the results of this election. Those who received the highest number of votes were declared elected, but their positions became mere sinecures."
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RESULT OF THE MOVEMENT OF 1857
"The movement set on foot in 1857 failed and Congress did not create the new territory asked for by the settlers of western Utah. But there was a hostile feeling between the Mormons and the citizens of the United States, and the people of western Utah proposed to use this feeling to help them in getting Congress to organize a new territory that should not include Salt Lake City."
HONEY LAKE POLITICS-1858
During the year 1858 political conditions remained about the same as they were the previous year. The only political action taken is shown by the following which F. and S. quote from Roop's record. They say :
"To provide for their own government until such time as congress should incorporate them in a new territory, the people of the valley again met, in February, 1858, and adopted the following laws :
"Laws of Honey Lake Valley. Adopted February 13, 1858.
"Sec. 1 .- Each White Male twenty-one years of age shall have the right to take up and locate vacant land to the amount of 640 acres. Provided, that within 30 days from the taking up and locating he shall have it surveyed, and a mound three feet high thrown up at every corner, and a stake set in each mound 6 ft. long, and the claimant's name placed on Record, and to occupy and improve to the amount of one dollar per acre claimed within twelve months from the date of locating, said one dollar per acre to be placed on the land claimed as follows: 121/2 cts. per acre within 30 days from the locating; 121/2 cts. per acre within the next 30 days; 25 cts. per acre within the next 60 days; 25 cts. per acre within the next 4 months; 25 cts. per acre within the next 4 months. Said improvement to consist in plowing, fencing, building, and the planting of fruit trees.
"Sec. 2 .- An actual residence within the district where the land lays shall be held an occupation of the land claimed. A substitute can represent. No one person can represent more than one claim.
"Sec. 3 .- Claims may be held in fractions, where such frac- tions have been made by prior surveys of claims, provided that the number shall not exceed 4, and the whole not more than 640 acres, and each and every fraction shall be improved agreeable to section one.
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HISTORY OF LASSEN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
"Sec. 4 .- All sales and transfers of land shall be acknow- ledged to by the Recorder, and to be placed on record.
"Sec. 5 .- No person or persons shall divert water from its original channel to the injury of any prior occupant.
"Sec. 6 .- Owners of hogs shall be held to pay all damages their hogs may do between the first day of April and the first day of November.
"Sec. 7 .- All difficulties, disputes, and suits at law, of any nature, shall be had before a Board of Arbitrators, and a majority of said Board shall render a decision; and when a decision shall not be satisfactory to both or either party, the one so grieved may take an appeal within ten days thereafter, and have it tried before a Board in an adjoining district; and if the former decision shall have been sustained by a majority of the second Board, then such a decision shall be final; but if the decision shall have been reversed by a majority of the second Board, then the case shall be left to seven citizens, three to be chosen by each party, the seventh to be called by the six, and a decision the majority shall make shall be final.
"Sec. 8 .- There shall be an election held on the first Saturday in May in each district, for the purpose of electing one Recorder and three Arbitrators in each district.
"Sec. 9 .- The fees of the Arbitrators shall not exceed five dollars each a day, to be paid by the party losing the suit."
INDIAN TROUBLES-1858
In 1857 General Crook built Fort Crook in the upper end of Fall River valley. This was a piece of good fortune for the people of Honey Lake valley. The Pit river Indians had always bothered them a great deal, and as soldiers were stationed at the fort after this it helped to keep the Indians in check. Besides that the soldiers often had a fight with them, and in these fights, if General Crook was in command, a good many Indians were put in a condition not to make any more trouble. In the course of ten or a dozen years the tribe became so small that they did not have the power to make very much trouble.
TREATY WITH THE SMOKE CREEK PI UTAHS INDIANS
The following is an exact copy of the treaty which is owned by the family of the late John F. Hulsman.
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"Honey Lake Valley, January 5th, 1858.
"Treaty formed this fifth day of January One thousand eight hundred and fifty eight (1858) between the chief of the smoke creek band of Pi Utahs Indians named Winnemorhas and P. Lassen Isaac Roop J Williams Sub Agents of J T Henley Super- intendant of Indians affairs for California.
"P Lassen Isaac Roop and J Williams agree to give to Winnemorhas the chief of the smoke band of Indians the clothing blankets &c furnished by J T Henley upon the terms and condi- tions prescribed by him to us.
"Winnemorhas the chief of the Pi Utahs Indians at smoke creek agrees in consideration of the Blankets clothing &c received by him to remain at Peace with the whole people of Honey Lake Valley and vicinity and also to refrain from stealing stock or other pilfering from the whites of the aforesaid vicinity and to return all stock stolen from them if possible for him to do so and further agrees all supplies from and intercourse with the whites shall cease if he fails to perform his part of the contract
"J Williams
P Lassen
I Roop
Sub Agents
Winnemorha Chief of the smoke Creek Band of the Pi Utahs Ind Winnemorhas. His x mark
"Abstract of articals delivered as presents to the Pi Utahs Indians of Honey Valley on Dec 11th 1857 and Jan 5th 1858 --
Viz.
Over halls ... 90 Pr
Hickory stripe 250 yds
Blankets ... 40
Cotton Kerchief 90 ...
Military coats .. 2
Blue Prints 50 yds
Brown drill ... 25 yds
Linen thread 2 Bals
Buttons ... 8 gross
Thimbals 90
Combs ... 2 doz
Needles ... 500
Military Jackets 82
"We the undersigned disinterested persons here-by certify that we ware present and witnessed the delivery of the above articals to the Pi Utahs Indians
W C Kingsbury John Winnemorha Interpreter His x mark
A A Smith
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"Abstract of articals delivered as presents to the Pan Utahs Indians of Honey Lake Valley on July 16th 1858
Over halls
54 Pr
Hicory stripe 1271/2 yds
Blankets 10 ..
Cotton Kerchief 30
Brown drill
7 yds
Blue Prints
603/4 yds
Buttons
3 gross
Bdls Lin thred
1. . Bdls
Combs
2 doz
Thimbels
54
Needles
5.00
Milit Jackets 18
Cotton thread
4 doz
"Witness A L McDonald
A A Smith
W C Kingsbury"
EXPEDITION TO COLD SPRINGS IN PURSUIT OF INDIANS Related by William Dow and Fred Hines
About the middle of March six or eight head of cattle were stolen by the Indians from Charles Adams who had a ranch on the river about three miles from the lake. In the fall of 1857 when Hines was out on the Humboldt river trading with the emigrants, Adams came along with a band of cattle which he had driven from the states, and he was looking for a good place to winter them. Hines told him to come to Honey Lake, and he and his brother Abijah came in here with the cattle and took up a ranch. He remembered Hines and visited him every time he came to the upper end of the valley. When his cattle were stolen he at once came up to see Hines, and they talked the matter over. There were quite a lot of men around the Hines and Sylvester ranch, and they all told Adams they would do what they could for him. They said they would kill a beef, and then get some men together and go down and join with him in the pursuit of the Indians. Hines told him that he had better go home by way of the Bankhead place and see if he could not get some more men to go along.
The men in the upper end of the valley got ready, and in a day or two William Dow, Fred Hines, John Neale, Henry Arnold, Wiley Cornelison, Capt. Weatherlow, U. J. Tutt, and perhaps a few others went down and camped between Willow creek and Susan river at their junction, arriving there near the middle of the afternoon. Just at dusk they heard a shot fired and saw a fire on the south side of the river opposite the mouth
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THE YEAR 1858
of Willow creek. Thinking it might be some men from the south side of the valley who were signaling to them, Hines and Arnold went in that direction as far as the water would permit and fired their pistols several times. They got no reply, and after waiting a while went back to camp. The next morning Adams called to them from the other side of Willow creek and said he could get no more men to go along. He had not seen the fire, and they all came to the conclusion that it had been built by some one who was out hunting cattle and had got cold. They thought no more about it until subsequent events brought it to to their minds; but the reader will please remember it, "for thereby hangs a tale."
They took the trail of the Indians, there were only five or six of them, and followed it until night and camped at the southwest corner of Secret valley. That night they went to the top of the highest mountain that was near them to look for Indian camp fires, and this they did every night during the trip. The next night they camped at the upper end of Snow Storm creek, and the night following that at Cold Springs to the north of Madeline Plains. The next day they spent in hunting around on a big mountain in the range that comes down from the west side of Surprise valley. The Indians had gone across a point of the mountain where the ground was frozen, and there the white men lost their trail.
The following morning they took the back track and reached home in due time without meeting with any adventures. They brought back neither cattle nor scalps, and this was the luck of many parties of Never Sweats who went in pursuit of Indian thieves.
CAPTAIN WEATHERLOW'S FIGHT WITH THE INDIANS
During the spring of 1858 the Indians stole a good many cattle and horses from the Honey Lakers. The Washos, though perhaps not openly hostile, did considerable of this; or, at least, it was laid at their door.
I. N. Roop in a letter to the "Shasta Republican," dated April 22nd says: "The Indians are continually committing thefts in the valley. Within the last six weeks they have driven twenty-six head of cattle out of the valley besides the four that they killed here together with six horses and two mules. They
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have been followed by the citizens to no purpose save once when a company commanded by Capt. Wm. Weatherlow some two weeks since started in pursuit of the Washos."
The Indians had stolen some horses from Fullbright and Crawford and a party started in pursuit. Seven or eight men, one of them being Crawford, were from the lower end of the valley, and Capt. Weatherlow, Cap Hill, "Jonce" Tutt, and perhaps another man went from the upper end. In all of these expeditions after the Indians, if Weatherlow went along, he was looked upon as the leader. In fact, in most cases, he was the one who raised a crowd of men and followed the Indians after they had committed some depredation.
The party followed the Indian trail down the valley and camped on the north side of the divide between Honey Lake and Long valleys. Along about two or three o'clock the next morning part of them went south over the ridge to look for Indian camp fires. They thought they saw some five or six miles away and all of them excepting Weatherlow went back to move their camp over to the south side of the ridge. About daylight two Indians, one armed with a gun and the other with a bow and arrows, came to him, and being able to talk a little English, they asked him what he was doing there. He told them that he was hunting antelope. He then started off and they followed him. He tried to keep either one of them from getting behind him, but the one with the bow and arrows finally succeeded in doing it and Weatherlow turned and shot him with his revolver. The other Indian was too close to use his gun, so he dropped it and sprang upon Weather- low before the latter could shoot him; and they had a rough and tumble fight that lasted for half an hour, the two rolling over and over on the ground, first one on top and then the other. Weath- erlow was a small man and the Indian kept him under the most of the time, but whenever he was on top he threw sand and gravel into the Indian's mouth and eyes and yelled as loud as he could, hoping that some of his party would hear him and come to his relief. The Indian had a knife slung on a string between his shoulders, as the Indians then carried their knives, and this he tried to get and Weatherlow tried to keep him from doing it. The white man got one of the Indian's fingers between his teeth and hung to it and caught hold of the Indian's other hand, and so kept him from drawing his knife. But the red man finally
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THE YEAR 1858
wore his opponent out, and when his finger was chewed off he got that hand free and soon had the white man at his mercy. In a minute or two more Weatherlow would have been killed, but just then Tutt appeared upon the scene. He ran up and caught the Indian by the hair, and with one stroke of his Bowie knife almost cut off his head. Tutt had started out from camp ahead of the others, and hearing Weatherlow's shouts, he threw down his pack and ran to him as fast as he could, getting there just in time.
Weatherlow was badly bruised in the fight, but he received no other injuries and in a few days was ready to go after Indians again.
CHARLES H. CRAWFORD KILLED BY AN INDIAN Related by William H. Clark
A short time after the expedition to Cold Springs the Indians, Diggers, or Diggers and Washos together, stole a yoke of oxen from Manley Thompson and drove them over the mountain to the southwest and killed them. Nine men, Wm. N. Crawford, Epp- stein, Denny, Elliott, Billy Clark, M. Thompson, - Chapman, C. H. Crawford, Fullbright's partner, and Weatherlow, went in pursuit of the thieves. C. H. Crawford rode a mule, he being too fleshy to walk, and the others were on foot.
They started in the morning and went over the mountain to what is now called Clark's creek, and went down this to the place where it flows into Last Chance creek. There they came upon a party of four Indians, two bucks and two squaws, camped by a big fire and they took the bucks prisoners. They were armed with guns and bows and arrows and their captors allowed them to keep their weapons. There was nothing to show that these Indians had anything to do with stealing the oxen. While the white men stood there talking a party of nine men on horseback under the leadership of Frank Johnson rode up and said they had come to help them hunt for the Indians. Johnson wanted to put up the captives at a distance of one hundred and fifty yards and shoot at them, hut C. Crawford would not allow it to be done. He said that their party had taken the prisoners and that they would take them down into the valley and try to find out from them what Indians stole the cattle. Johnson said that if they could not kill the Indians there was no use of going any further. So they all started back up the north side of Clark's creek, the pris-
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oners in the midst of the men on foot, and the mounted men about a hundred yards ahead. Before they had gone very far one of the Indians threw down his gun and ran down the creek and Chapman followed him. After running a short distance the In- dian jumped off a high bank into the willows, and though Chap- man fired at him several times with his six-shooter, he succeeded in getting away. They then went on up the creek with the other Indian and in a few minutes he, too, threw down his gun and started up the side of the mountain, Crawford following him on his mule. The men on foot followed him, too, shooting as they ran, but they all missed him. When Crawford got within eight or ten feet of the Indian the latter turned and shot him, the arrow striking him on the right side and ranging downward into the small of his back, going almost through his body. They surround- ed the Indian and kept shooting at him, but in their excitement they took no aim and no one hit him. Johnson got close to him, and if the others had not prevented it the Indian would have killed him with a knife. Finally Wm. Crawford shot him through the leg and got him down, and then they managed to kill him.
They cut some poles and with these and some saddle blankets . they made a litter, and the nine men carried Crawford over the mountain to the valley He was such a heavy man that it was a hard job, and their shoulders were worn raw by the poles. The wounded man asked Clark to pull the arrow out and he, not thinking what the result would be, did so and the head of the arrow was left deep in the wound. Dr. Slater said that if the arrow had been pushed on through his body it would have all come out, and besides that it would have let out the blood and he might have recovered. As it was he lived only three days. His tombstone says that he was killed on the 21st day of May. He was buried in the graveyard that is perhaps a third of a mile south of the road, and four miles southeast of Janesville. This is the oldest graveyard in the county. In addition to the fore- going, Thomas B. Doyle says Wm. Crawford told him that the Indians had no ammunition for their guns; that he shot the In- dian through both knees at a distance of four hundred yards, and then they all shot him and riddled him with bullets; and that they came into the valley with Crawford about two miles north- west of Milford.
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