History of Alameda County, California : including its geology, topography, soil, and productions, Part 64

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Oakland, Calif. : M.W. Wood
Number of Pages: 1206

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Like most of the State, the vicinity of Livermore has its individual localities having distinctive features regarding their climate. Streams having their source in the surrounding hills and mountains flow through the valleys, watering their banks. Far up them can be found openings or windings of the cañon, well protected from adverse winds by giant trees and high ridges on either side, which are indeed "indi-

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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

vidual localities," forming the camper's idea of a perfect elysium. The climate here is milder having more rain during the wet season, but less wind and cooler than the valley proper. For invalids suffering from bronchial diseases and for phthisical persons, in first, and early part of second stages, these places in the hills are of incomparable value, and are available at little or no expense, compared to " springs" and sea-side resorts. Then, close at hand, are benches on the foot-hills or mountains where almost any altitude necessary for the invalid can be obtained, while those on the east slope are protected from winds and are all provided by nature with water-works that need no improvement and in which amimalculæ have no place. Along the streams are pleasant groves of trees available for man and beast as shelter from the noonday sun. The game consists of rabbit and quail for the most part, although deer are often found. The "grizzly" is a thing of the past; the "lion," or cougar, is only to be started from his solitude in deep mountain gorges. Game, however, abounds in sufficient quantities to furnish meat for the camper, while at nearly every farm-house milk and butter may be procured at ordinary market prices. Good roads lead from the stations on the line of the Central Pacific Railroad to all the adjacent country, and it may be said that the most favorable season is from April or May till December, or from the close of the wet season until its annual recurrence.

SOIL .- The distribution of the soils of Murray Township is both curious and interesting. The Livermore, which we have already stated is its chief valley, is ellip- tical in form and bears unmistakable evidence of having been at different times sub- jected to submersion by water, thus the distribution of soils has been largely effected by these floods, forming it into a lake whose shores were the surrounding hil.s.

The primary soils of the valley, of which there are three at least, lie in circular belts, the outer surrounding the second, the third, or inner, forming an ellipsis, occu- pying its center.

The outer belt, or ring, is a black adobe soil, extending completely around, besides including a portion of the valley. This belt is very extensive to the north and east, and, being most distinctive, very little other soil is found within it. To the south and west it is narrow and in certain localities becomes either mixed with other soils or covered by them. The second, or middle belt, extends entirely around the valley, and is a red or yellowish clay. On the south it is several miles in width; on the east, west, and north this appears only here and there. Unlike most surface soils, this red clay is of great depth. Lying between the Positas and Mocho Creeks, nearly in the cen- ter of the valley, is a gravelly loam, which, during the inundations referred to, has been deposited upon the red clay.

Nearly all of the arable lands of the township are composed of one of these three soils; others are found in particular localities, and are, in nearly every instance, more or less made up of one or more of those above mentioned.

The adobe soil is heavy, nearly black in color, and, when wet, of a persistently sticky nature. It is, however, rich in nutritive properties and retains its power of fruitfulness much longer than lighter soils. The adobe of this section varies con- siderably in quality, that on the hills being generally much lighter than that found in the valley lands. Unless in a favorable condition the heavy soil is difficult to work,

Him Knox.

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for, when dry,'it becomes extremely hard and brick-like, and, if stirred when soaked with water, is ruined for that season. The lighter adobe is more tractable, and, when well mixed with a sandy loam, which is not unoften deposited upon it by overflows of creeks, makes a fine soil. It may be safely said that nearly three-fourths of the ara- ble land in Murray Township is of an adobe nature.

The red clay soil is lighter than adobe and far more tractable. Not possessing the richness of that soil it does not, by ordinary means, produce as large crops, still, it is remarkable for its recuperative properties, indeed, some of it, which has been farmed ever since the first settlement of the valley, even now produces a good return. By a system of summer-fallow the red clay soil never fails to produce a good erop.

Like the adobe, the gravelly loam soil also varies much in quality, while in cer- tain places the gravel is thick and the soil scant, yet, it is generally conceded to be the equal of the red clay in fertility. This soil succeeds best in a comparatively dry year, for a large amount of rain seems to produce a chill which stunts growth. The richest soil in the township, however, is a heavy black loam found at the western end of the Livermore Valley, which partakes somewhat of the nature of adobe, but being more mellow is possessed of greater fertilizing properties. In the mountains of the township the soils are adobe, a sort of gray shale, loam, and white clay, the first of which possesses considerable fertility and will produce good crops, but the last, although doing well for several seasons, soon runs out.

The streams entering the valleys from the mountains and the foot-hills every wet winter, break their banks, and, overflowing a large area, deposit on the lands a rich, sandy loam which is deemed most beneficial, especially to heavy adobe soils, and year by year is found to add to their value.

PRODUCTS .- Wheat is the one product of Murray Township that overtops all others. Barley and hay are raised to a considerable extent, but, compared with the one great staple, their production is limited. A large portion of Murray Township being of a mountainous nature, is unfit for cultivation, but is especially adapted for the raising of sheep, a business that is extensively carried on with generally good results in the commodity of wool. The settlement of the township has been of too recent a date to admit of there being any extensive vineyards or orchards. The soil, however, is especially adapted to this cultivation, and at the present writing several farmers have embarked in this enterprise, which will, at no distant date, form one of the principal occupations of the township. Still, there are several orchards and vine- yards in the district, than which there are none finer in the State. These are located chiefly about Pleasanton and, Dublin, but by no means confined to these two places. Vegetables are cultivated to a considerable extent on the low, rich bottom-lands in the vicinity of Pleasanton, where immense crops are produced, the quality of the tubers being unsurpassed anywhere on the Coast. Stock-raising is followed with much success by most of the farmers, while the dairying interests are of considerable magnitude, and constantly on the increase. The superiority of the hay in this section, and the excellence of the dry feed, tend to make the business more profitable than in most of the other counties. The raising of poultry, too, has become an important branch of industry, nearly every farmer keeping from fifty to five hundred hens, while,

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scattered throughout the township, are numerous "chicken ranches," where poultry- raising is the only occupation.

TIMBER .- The mountainous regions of the township are where we find the most timber, the principal growth being white and live oak, although in the cañons we have the maple, buckeye, sycamore, cottonwood, alder, and other varieties; and along the banks of the creeks are many good-sized trees, mainly oaks and sycamores, the wood from the latter having given much satisfaction, while generally the timber is used as fuel for home consumption and foreign export, it being estimated that several thou- sand cords are shipped abroad annually, and find a ready sale at remunerative prices.

MINERALS .- Not much is as yet known about the mineral resources of Murray Township. True, gold, silver, quicksilver, coal, coal-oil, building-stone, sulphur, and marble have been discovered, but with the exception of coal and building-stone, none of these have been worked to a successful end

About the year 1875, Michael Rogan, of Suñol, erected a derrick and bored for oil on the ranch of James Brown, about five miles northeast from the town of Liver- more, where he found indications which grew more marked and favorable as the work proceeded, but on the fifth day the well, unfortunately not being cased, began to cave, and was abandoned, Rogan not feeling like going to the expense of erecting the nec- essary casings. The oil which flowed was jet black, of a thick, sticky nature, and with a smell like kerosene. Several barrels were gathered and sold in its crude state in San Francisco, at a good price. During the winter of 1877-78 the soil in that vicinity was thoroughly saturated with water, and numerous streams ran out of the hillside near where the well was bored. In the water which flowed from these springs were clots of this black oil in considerable quantities. This substance still exudes from the earth in that vicinity, through springs, and can be seen floating on the sur- face of the water in large clots. Some time in 1871 James Farley, then living on his ranch in the eastern end of Livermore Valley, bored a seven-inch well for water. When down about twenty-five feet, the workmen suddenly heard a noise in the well like the rushing of water-a volume of gas had been struck, which escaped from the aperture with great force. A lighted match was placed over the mouth of the well, when the gas caught fire and burned readily, the flame rising to a height of several feet. This well, which was finally filled up, was located about a mile from the Brown ranch, where Rogan's prospecting was carried on four years later. These facts make it apparent that oil exists in that section, at no great distance from the surface, but its quantity, quality, and value can only be determined by research.

The only stone quarry in practical operation in the township is situated near Altamont, in its northeastern portion. The formation is of sandstone, of excellent quality, and is mostly used for cemetery purposes, large quantities of it being shipped to San Francisco for that use. It is a fine, close grain, and when cut and trimmed is very handsome, being also fitted for general building purposes.

The coal deposits of the township will be found treated on among the industrial enterprises of the town of Livermore, as well as in the chapter on the geology and mineralogy of the county.

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MINERAL 'SPRINGS .- These abound throughout the township, the most common being those impregnated with white sulphur, but there are several containing salt, alkali, and iron. On the farm of J. A. Neal, near Pleasanton, are a number of springs, one of which is impregnated with iron and magnesia, and the remainder with white sulphur, all being highly extolled for their curative properties and much resorted to by dwellers in the vicinity for their health. About half a mile from the Mountain House there is a spring impregnated with sulphur which we are informed possesses the property of petrification, while, a mile and a half away, in another direction are several more, containing iron, borax, etc.

MEXICAN GRANTS .- The Mexican Grants, wholly or partly in this township, consisted of the San Ramon, four square leagues and eighteen hundred varas, granted to J. M. Amador in 1835; confirmed by the Commission, August 1, 1854; and by the District Court, January 14, 1857; extent in acres 16,516.96. The Santa Rita granted April 10, 1839, to J. D. Pacheco; rejected by the Commission April 25, 1854; confirmed by the District Court August 13, 1855; and decree affirmed by United States Supreme Court; 8,885.67 acres. El Valle de San José, granted to Antonio Maria Pico, April 10, 1839; confirmed to Antonio Suñol et al., by Commission January 31, 1854; by the District Court January 14, 1856; 51,572.26 acres. Las Pocitas, two square leagues, granted April 10, 1839, to Salvio Pacheco; confirmed by Commission to José Noriega and Robert Livermore, February 14, 1854, and by the District Court February 18, 1859. Cañada de los Vaqueros (mostly in Contra Costa County) granted February 29, 1842, to Francisco Alviso, et al., confirmed to Robert Livermore by Commission September 4, 1855, and by the District Court December 28, 1857.

EARLY SETTLEMENT .- Before committing ourselves to a history of the early settlement of Murray Township it is proper to state that it received its name in the month of June, 1853, when the county of Alameda was created from that of Contra Costa, its sponsor being Michael Murray, one of its pioneer settlers, of whom we shall have occasion to speak farther on. Let us now take up the chronological order of events so far as we have been able to gather them. Would it were possible to banish grim death, preserve the ancient colonist in his pristine vigor, and retain him with his memory unimpaired; were such things possible, then 'twould be an easy task to pen the recollections of the courageous men who were the harbingers of joy and comfort to what is now a fruitful district and a contented people.

As far back as fifty-seven years ago-the year 1826-Don José Maria Amador settled in the valley which afterwards received his name, and soon after con- structed an adobe house on the site of the present residence of C. P. Dougherty. We have been unable to learn the date of the erection of this building, but on the present owner's father, J. W. Dougherty, acquiring the lands in or about 1852 or 1853 he took possession of the house and resided in it until the earthquake of July 3, 1863, when it was so rudely shaken that it was found necessary to abandon it and erect the present residence.

Don José Maria Amador is still alive, having reached the ripe old age of one hundred and six years, and as we write, Christmas, 1882, he is visiting friends in San

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Francisco, having made the journey thither from Watsonville, Santa Cruz County. He is described as retaining his intellectual capacity to a marked degree. Such being the case, what changes must he have noted. When he first saw the light the United States of America had but just declared her independence and the Mission Dolores been established on the peninsula of San Francisco. When he was sixteen years of age the Pueblo de San José was founded. As he grew to man's estate he held high office under the Spanish and Mexican authorities, and when fifty years old he took up his residence in what is now a portion of Alameda County, but then known as the Contra Costa. When he arrived he found the country wild in the extreme; neither habitation nor cultivation met the eye. The wild cattle of the Mission San José roamed at will over the mountains and valleys; the Indian held undisputed sway over the soil of which he was the primeval monarch; the mountains and gorges teemed with game, both feathered and four-footed; and the inaccessible crags and timbered hollows were the lair of the beast of prey. This was solitude indeed!

The next settlement within the present borders of Murray Township was by Robert Livermore, whose name is a household word with the early Californian.

Robert Livermore was born in Bethnal Green, a suburb of London, England, in the year 1799. In his youth, feeling the restraints of home somewhat keenly, and the curb of filial duty slightly strained, he shipped as a cabin-boy on board of a vessel and ultimately found himself in a Peruvian port. Here he joined the fleet of that nation, then under command of the redoubtable British Admiral Cochrane, afterwards Earl of Dundonald, but here finding the discipline of the navy too taut, he made his escape and found his way to Monterey in a hide-drogher. There are divers state- ments current as to the date of his coming to California, but we are inclined to the belief, and upon very reliable testimony, that it was in the year 1820, seven years after that of John Gilroy, the first Anglo-Saxon settler in the country. In the course of time, probably in the same year or that following, he arrived in the Pueblo de San José where he soon made friends, chiefly on account of his sunny disposition, and tarried for a space, working on the ranch of Juan Alvarez and acquiring the Spanish tongue. He next proceeded to the Rancho Agua Caliente, or Warm Springs, and becoming acquainted with the family of Fulgencio Higuera afterwards found favor in the eyes of a daughter of the house whom he subsequently married. While resident in San José he formed acquaintanceship with José Noriega, a Spaniard, and with him went to the valley which has since taken its name from the Suño: family where he located, built an abode, in a small way entered upon the cultivation of the soil, and embarked in stock-raising. It is presumable that in his wanderings after his cattle or game he became familiarized with the locality, and from the summit of one of the adjacent "lomas" first cast longing and loving eyes upon the fair vale which bears his name to-day, and whither he moved in the year 1835. From that period can be dated the first step toward the permanent settlement and development of the valley. Livermore at once devoted his attention, almost exclusively, to the raising of horned cattle, horses, and sheep. For the first few years he was greatly harassed by Indians, who stole and slaughtered his cattle and even rendered it unsafe at times for himself and family to remain in their wilderness home. On such occasions they sought pro-

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tection under the hospitable roof of Don José Maria Amador, which was rarely molested.

In the year 1839 the Rancho Las Pocitas was granted to Don Salvio Pacheco who also owned the Rancho Monte del Diablo, but he, during the early part of that year, transferred his interest to Livermore and Noriega who took possession thereof April 10, 1835. That same year they erected an adobe house near the Pocitas Creek, which stood until about the year 1875, when it was torn down. Here it was on this grant of two leagues of land that Livermore fixed his permanent abode and commenced a life that was truly patriarchal. In a few years his flocks and herds were counted by thousands, while they roamed about at will over a territory that vied in magnitude with many a principality. True it is that he was surrounded on every hand by frequent dangers, but these would appear to have added zest to his life. His eminent courage and infectious good-nature, however, soon made him friends among the families of the ranchos, who, although the distances were magnificent, he frequently visited, indeed it was not long ere he became one of themselves. In 1844 he planted a vineyard as well as a pear, apple, and olive orchard on the flat near his house, while he also raised wheat-the first produced in the valley-and by means of a ditch, the track of which is still to be seen, brought water from the Pocitas Springs for the purpose of irrigation. In addition to the occupation given to these enterprises, he killed his cattle for their hides and tallow-the meat not being salable was left on the ground-the latter of which he made in a large copper kettle which is still extant on the ranch of his son. When not engaged in this wise it is related that he turned his attention to the manu- facture of bear's grease from savage grizzlys that had fallen victims to his unerring rifle.

Thus dwelt Robert Livermore for nearly fifteen years in the splendid valley which bears his name, while his cattle roamed untamed from the Amador Valley to the San Joaquin River. Here he brought up a family of sons and daughters, lived in peace with all men, unmolested and honored, little dreaming what a few years would bring to pass, and how the face of his beloved adopted country would be changed.

It should be mentioned that on September 14, 1846, Livermore purchased the Cañada de los Vaqueros grant, the greater portion of which lies within the boundaries of Contra Costa County. This rancho was originally granted in the year 1836 to Miranda Higuera and Francisco Alviso, and comprised three square leagues of land, or thirteen thousand three hundred and twenty acres.

Of the original grantees of land, J. D. Pacheco received in 1839 the Santa Rita Rancho, located between that of San Ramon and Las Pocitas, but we are not aware that he ever placed any building of a permanent nature thereupon, although it was occupied in 1844 by Francisco Alviso as major-domo; while about the same time, towards the east end of Livermore Valley, grants of land were made to Antonio Maria Pico, Antonio Suñol, and Augustin Bernal.

And now came the discovery of gold, with its accompanying influx of people of every tongue and from every clime. Well it was for many of them that a man like Robert Livermore had pitched his tent on one of the direct routes between San Fran- cisco and the mines. Here was he wont to extend an unstinting hospitality to all. The immigrants found him ever ready to hold out the right hand of fellowship, to fill

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their exhausted larders, and otherwise aid them with practical knowledge of an unknown country. This discovery of gold was also the means of bringing to him communication with people speaking his native tongue, and brought him forcibly back to his youthful days.

The first landmark of these post-halcyon days that we have been able to discover was erected in the year 1849, on the site of the Mountain House, not far from the spot where the three counties of Contra Costa, San Joaquin, and Alameda come to a point. It took the form of a "Blue Tent," and being on the direct road to the mines was opened and kept as a house of entertainment by one Thomas Goodale, or Goodall. Here McLeod's stage from Stockton changed horses, while for ten years it was a kind of special camp for stockmen, rancheros, and immigrants. Goodale, or Goodall, subse- quently constructed an adobe house, in the building of which he employed Indians, and this edifice Simon Zimmerman occupied for twenty-seven years, when he added to it in 1868, by putting a frame building in front thereof, finally, however, pulling it down and erecting the residence now occupied by him on its site. Other than Good- ale, we cannot find that the population was in any way increased in the memorable year of 1849.

Of the events that occurred in the year 1850, save that there was a small augmen- tation to the number of settlers, there is nothing to relate. In April of this year, Augustin Bernal brought up his family from Santa Clara County, built an adobe house, that now in the possession of Captain Chadbourne, on the west side of Laguna Creek, and there took up his residence. About the same time Michael Murray, after whom the township is named, located near where Dublin now stands, built the house and planted the orchard now owned by John Green, while with him came one Jeremiah Fallon, who settled on the place now occupied by his widow, in the Amador Valley. Also in this year there came to the township four brothers named Patterson and located in what is known as Patterson Pass. . One of these, Nathaniel Greene Patter- son, still a much respected resident of the township, perceiving from the great amount of travel on the road the necessity for a hostelry, conceived the idea of opening an hotel; for which purpose he rented the Livermore adobe and started the first permanent house of entertainment in the district. In this year, too, José Suñol came up to reside on his father's possessions, while there also dwelt there as major-domo an old Mexican named Diego Celaya. The house occupied was situated on what is now the land of Mr. Ruggles, a portion of the building being used as a kitchen. In this year we also find Joshua A. Neal as a resident major-domo for Robert Livermore, while it is thought that it was in 1850 that A. Bardellini, the subsequent proprietor of the Washington Hotel in Livermore, first cast his lot in the district.

The year 1851 is noteworthy as that in which the first frame building was erected within the boundary of the township. During that spring such a structure was built by Robert Livermore, the lumber therefor having been brought from one of the Atlantic States around the Horn to San Francisco and thence transported with much difficulty to its future resting-place. Seven hundred dollars was paid for its construc- tion, the carpenter work being done by John Strickland and John Teirney. A portion of the building is still standing and is known as the "Old Livermore House." At this period more people commenced to settle than had done so formerly, among those being

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History of Alameda County, California : including its geology, topography, soil, and productions, Part 64

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Oakland, Calif. : M.W. Wood Number of Pages: 1206

Author: Munro-Fraser, J. P
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Oakland, Calif. : M.W. Wood
Number of Pages: 1206