USA > California > Amador County > History of Amador County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 50
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The first families in the place were those of McIn- tyre, Stewart, Jones, Tucker, Rice, and Hanford. E. B. McIntyre's family, as well as Levi Hanford's, came in 1832. Some of these families were from the frontier, and others from the East, and the Yankees, and the extreme southerners and westerners, met here for the first time. Thirty years after, when these streams are flowing in the same channel, mar- riage and intermarriage having obliterated nearly every distinction, the aversion which they enter- tained towards each other has become the subject of much merriment.
Mrs. McIntyre tried to start a Sunday-school, but could get only three or four children to attend. Mr. Barlow, from Drytown, acted as Superintendent, Mr. Davidson and Mr. Glover, of the Amador quartz mines, preached occasionally, as did I. B. Fish, who was stationed at Mokelumne Hill. The preaching was usually in the school-room; sometimes in an unfinished room in Harding's Hotel. Money was raised to buy a Sunday-school library. Robert McLellan is remembered as having donated five dollars. "Dick's Works" were among the books bought.
219
NORTH-WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY.
The first chnreh was built in 1860, and dedicated in 1863 by Doctor Thomas, who was slain by the Modocs. This church has been occupied by the Methodists since that time.
Mrs. Rice, now living here, is remembered as the first person who wore a store bonnet to meeting. This, with blue silk gloves and some other finery recently imported from the East, was quite enough to distract the less fortunate sisters, and turn their thoughts away from holy things.
The first school was taught by N. Harding, who received seventy-five dollars per month. This was raised mostly by subscription. Judge Carter, now of Ione, who happened to be present, generously donated ten dollars toward it. Mr. Harding sent one child, MeIntyre one, Stewart two, Mrs. Jones one; others to the number of twelve in all. Sutter Creck since has been noted for its interest in educational matters. E. B. McIntyre was the first County Super- intendent. He remembers that it was extremely difficult to get the trustees to report to him, the law permitting no appropriation of money without an annual report from the districts.
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The first wedding was in the boarding-house of the quartz mine (afterwards the Lincoln mine). The bridegroom was named - Dick; the bride was a girl living with the family that did the cooking. The town boys honored them with a serenade and charivari. Soon afterwards Allen Tibbetts was mar- ried to Letitia Tucker; and Dwight Crandall, after- wards State Senator, to Mary Jones.
FIRST FOUNDRY.
Soon after the commencement of quartz mining, the want of a machine shop and foundry induced a small beginning in this way at the lower end of the town near the water-mill of the Lincoln mine. As it was a small affair and did not answer the purpose, it was removed to the present site, and enlarged so that the smaller parts of the quartz mills, such as dies, stamps, ete., could be cast, utilizing the worn- out castings. Frank Tibbetts was the proprietor for many years. The machine shops and melting capacity have been enlarged until now almost any required machinery can be put up, the cupola having a capacity of four tons. They have several large lathes, some of which have a swing of four- teen feet. The works are run by water-power. Water-wheels are a specialty with them. The one used by the Empire mill, at Plymouth, made by them, runs eighty stamps, with a head ofsix hundred inches at a pressure of sixty feet. Dan. Donnelly & Co. own the works. Several of the best mills in Amador and the adjoining counties, have been constructed by them. About one million pounds of castings are turned out annually.
KNIGHT'S FOUNDRY AND MACHINE SIIOP.
This was established in 1873 to construct water- wheels of a peculiar character, calculated to utilize small heads of water at a high pressure. Though
no new principle was discovered, the adaptation of old ones to new conditions has all the merit of a dis- covery. A small wheel, seven or eight feet in diam- eter, looking much like a cart-wheel with a rim of tea-eups, drives a quartz mill of eighty stamps, with all the necessary shaking tables and amalgamators. The opening through which the water strikes the wheel, contains only two and a quarter square inches, and the gate to this is so arranged that it may be reduced to any desired size, running half or a quarter of the stamps, keeping the tube or pipe from which the power is derived, full, thus utilizing the whole pressure. The Amador mill is driven by a wheel of this kind, utilizing the five hundred feet fall from the Amador eanal to the mill. The wheels are in use throughout this State, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. The works have been enlarged until any sized machinery needed in mining can be con- structed. Seven to ten tons a week is the usual amount of melting. They have about thirty thou- sand dollars invested in the foundry and machine shops.
PLANING MILL.
The Walkmeister brothers have started a planing mill near Sutter Creek, where all kinds of fine work is done equal to the best of city work. The machinery is driven by water-power, the water being used again by the miners at Amador.
SOCIETY AT SUTTER CREEK.
Though a large portion of the population is made up of a class that is not noted for refinement or cul- ture, there has always been a nucleus of highly cultivated and refined people, as any one would per- ceive who took the pains to stroll around the town. Among the many families who have in times past contributed to this result may be mentioned the fam- ilies Dunlap, Wildman, Belding, Hanford, Downs, Sewart, McIntyre, Keyes and Corliss.
There has always been a choir of good singers, which lead the public taste in the county, principally through the industry and devotion of E. F. Hughes, Mrs. Dudley, Mrs. Keyes, and others.
SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL-HOUSES.
This place has always been noted for the educa- tional interest manifested ; not always harmonious in its operation, but resulting, as it is believed, in sub- stantial success. The first school-house built, some twenty-five years since, was burned, as it is thought, by the act of an incendiary. After a proper agita- tion of the matter an election was ordered to determine whether a sum to build a school-house should be raised by a property tax. The result was a school-house costing perhaps ten thousand dollars, the best one in the county, if not in the mountains.
THE SHIPMENT OF GOLD
Through Wells, Fargo and Co.'s, express will show the relatively prosperous years. No account was kept . previous to 1870, though the annual amounts
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HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
often reached one million dollars. Since then the amounts have been,-
1871
$112,853 1875
$517,569
1872
645,135
1876
516,615
1873
530,112
1877
517,548
18744
463,500
1878
449,675
1879
$185,194.
FIRES.
Sutter Creek has had its share of the destructive element. The largest fire happened September 9, 1865. The following is a list of the losses :-
Antonio Garbini S 500
Bishop & Kelly 600
McHenry & Tibbitts 4,000
C. E. Armstrong 4,000
Nickerson & Joy
1,200
J. Steinmetz
2,000
E. W. Ricc
1,000
J. C. McDonald
1,000
W. B. Hubble
600
Odd Fellows
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500
W. E. Fifield
3,500
J. D. Dennis
1,800
Ilayward & Chamberlain 1,000
Joseph King
4,000
John B. Keyes
500
Bright & Hatch
700
M. Shields
500
J. Cuneo
500
J. Devoto 300
Italian 200 4
J. Mahoney
200
Mrs. Armeandes
250
C. Weller 400 F
. W. T. Wildman 250
Thomas Grady 600
W. Schauffer .
600
D. Myers
800
I. N. Randolph 5.000 1 1
Brinn & Newman 1,750 4
V. Lutnesky 500
M. Silver 500
P. Fagan. 4,000
Randolph & Warkins 1,500
This included all the business portion of the town. It was soon rebuilt better than before, and enjoyed a greater prosperity, in consequence of mining devel- opment, than ever. A smaller fire had occurred about the first of September, 1862, shortly after the big fire at Jackson, burning nearly all the buildings on Humbug hill, ineluding Wildman's store, Bird- sall's store, Rice's blacksmith shop and dwelling. This fire was at last stayed at the butcher shop at the foot of the hill.
INCORPORATION.
Sutter Creek incorporated as early as 1856, under the general law for incorporation. The organization was found to be defective in many respects, and in
1873, it was re-incorporated by a special Act of the Legislature, an election for township officers being ordered, February 12th. The government wasinvested in a Board of Trustees (five in number), Town Mar- shal and Clerk, to be elected annually. The Trustees were authorized to purchase the necessary real estate on which to erect a jail, and other necessary build- ings; to assess taxes not exceeding one per cent. on the whole taxable property, no assessments, how- ever, to be made on mines except the improvements which were above ground; to assess a poll-tax of not more than two dollars; to determine and abate nuisances; to prevent animals from running at large; to prevent and punish disorderly conduct; to license shows, theaters, hawkers, and peddlers; and to make
all necessary regulations not inconsistent with the general law. The Marshal was to receive seventy- five dollars per year for collecting taxes, and to have a salary not exceeding one hundred dollars per month. The Town Recorder was to have the juris- diction of a Justice of the Peace, and to pay all fines over to the Treasurer, who was to receive one-half of one per cent. for receiving and disbursing money. The Clerk was to receive no salary.
The effect of the organization was found to be salutary. A number of hoodlums, who had rendered night hideous and the streets disagreeable, dan- gerous even, to females especially, found themselves confronted with a lodging in a calabose, for any dis- orderly conduct. Nuisanees were now removed at the expense of the authors. Boys were required to be at home at eight o'clock, and there was a marked improvement in the appearance of the town, espe- cially after night-fall.
FUTURE PROSPECTS.
At this writing (1881), the town is in a depressed condition, owing to the suspension of mining opera- tions. It is by no means certain that Sutter creek is "worked out;" on the contrary, but little of the ground is even prospected, a few hundred feet of many thousands, only, having been explored. No one knows what chimneys of rich ore are slumbering "just below," waiting for the miner to lay bare its wealth.
AMADOR,
Situated on the Mother Lode, where it is inter- sected by Amador creek, about seven miles north of Jackson, was mined soon after the discovery of gold. Some Oregon men built two cabins, and stayed dur- ing the Winter. James T. Wheeler and four others built a large double cabin in the Fall of 1849, near where the Spring Hill mill was afterwards built. Some men from Virginia also built 'a cabin and kept a stock of goods, mining at the same time. W. II. Mitchell, William Liesaw, J. A. Tucker, Joseph Wright, Silas Reed, -- Ashley, and Willson, are names ·remembered of the company who wintered here in 1849. Silas Reed was a famous hunter, and kept the eamp supplied with game.
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RESIDENCE OF FR, HERMAN. SUTTER CREEK, AMADOR CO CAL.
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LITH. BRITTON & ALY. S. P.
RESIDENCE OF FATHER P. BERMINGHAM. SUTTER CREEK. AMADOR 09 CAL.
221
NORTH-WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY.
MINISTERS.
Mr. Ashley was a minister of striking appearance, wearing green spectacles for weak eyes, slender in form, helpless in appearance, of soft and humble address, being one of those who prefer la boring where there is a well-furnished parsonage, with a membership of weak sisters who are satisfied with milk and water sermons. Finding the preaching of the gospel an up-hill business among the rough miners, he turned to mining for a living, but accord- ing to the testimony of his neighbors, " He did not have energy enough to dig a hole in a day big enough to bury a cat," and failed as a miner. Sev- eral persons died of cholera during the Fall. On one occasion he was requested by some miners to attend the burial of a man, putting a man and neighbor into the ground without' some marks of respect not having become common. Ashley refused to go, say- ing he was not in that line of business. His friends raised money and sent him back East as a flower too frail for a new settlement.
This man was not one of the firm of ministers, Davidson, Glover, Herbert, & Cool, who in 1851 settled in Amador and commenced quartz mining. These were all working men as well as preachers, ready to bear their part in any labor or hardships necessary to develop a new country. Willson had a family, the first who resided in Amador. He kept a store, the same which was afterwards occupied by IIanford & Downs, in the Spring of 1850. When Hanford's family came out, he located in Sutter Creek, moving to Volnano in the Spring of 1853.
PLACER MINES.
The mines were never as rich as at Drytown and other places, the gold being rather fine. Twelve to twenty dollars per day was considered good work in the best days. When the water failed in the Spring, the larger portion of the population left. Amador was better than Sutter Creek, and had much the largest population previous to the discovery of the quartz mines. Like Sutter Creek, its history is mostly in connection with quartz mining, which has received an exhaustive notice in a special chapter.
LOWER RANCHERIA
Is about two miles east from Drytown, and is about one mile east of the Mother Lode. Quartz mountain, and the other veins of the same formation, are sup- posed to have enriched the flats and gulches around this place, which were worked in 1848, and some years after, with great success. From all accounts, Deep gulch and Slate gulch were as rich as any places in Amador county, as much as ten thousand dollars being taken from a claim fifteen feet square and three feet deep. Lumps were found at the foot of Deep gulch weighing twelve pounds. John Eagon, who mined here in an early day, picked up a piece which was worth about one thousand dollars. The mines were first worked by Major Redding and his
party in 1848. One of his men had a dozen bottles full of gold-dust. Quite a number of Americans mined here in 1849 and '50; during the latter year, several persons, who preached in the eastern States, settled here, but abandoned the profession as incon- venient and unprofitable.
The population was much mixed, the Mexican and Chilean predominating. The camp at one time had five or six hundred people, gambling with its usual accompaniments being the usual recreation. Som- breros, serapes, knives, horses, and jingling spurs were the striking features in every gathering. In Sep- tember, 1852, a Mexican stabbed a Dutchman, for which he was whipped. The Dutchman dying some- time after the stabbing, the people reconsidered the whipping and hung the Mexican.
The character of the population remained much the same until 1855. After the occurrence of the dreadful tragedy, an account of which has been given in the County History, the place has been avoided by the Mexican population.
Lower Rancheria is remarkable in the history of mining as being on a break of the hanging-wall of the great Mother Lode, being enriched by a system of veins perhaps three thousand feet to the east. The pitch of the lode on the west of this is as much as forty-five degrees, so that if the veins were fol- lowed three or four thousand feet, a position nearly perpendicular to Quartz mountain would be reached. The fact that one such break in the overlying rock hanging-wall has been found, may be an induce- ment to look for others.
The valley, which is evidently a glacier erosion, is now the site of a beautiful farm owned by R. D. Ford. The graves of the parties murdered are care- fully fenced in, and form about the only reminder of the terrible tragedy of August 6, 1855. The old broken safe of Dinan's store, forms the support of one corner of a barn. There are but few persons to be found who have any memory of the transaction; and rosy-cheeked, innocent children romp and play, where a quarter of a century since the very ground seemed accursed, for the crimes it had witnessed.
Some two miles above the site of the old town, is the ranch formerly owned by Burt and Perkins. In 1851-52, this furnished a large quantity of vege- tables for the miners; and with its green patches of cultivated land, was like a gem set in the brown hills. Perkins, one of the owners, had sold his share of the place, and with his savings, about six thou- sand dollars, started for Sacramento, on his way home. While he was passing through a point of chaparral, he was shot and robbed by some con- cealed party. Though his body was discovered before it was quite cold, no clue to the murder was obtained for many years. It is now said that a big, one-eyed Indian, who formerly lived around Volcano, confessed to the murder of Perkins, and several other white men, some years since. Burt after- wards lived on this ranch, planted a large orchard,
HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
built a saw mill, and otherwise improved the place. The orchard is still one of the best in the county.
OLETA -FORMERLY FIDDLETOWN.
It may be well to give the origin of the first, as well as the last name. The place was settled in 1849 by a party from Missouri. The carly records of the settlement, if kept, are lost, and only tradi- tion is left to account for the musical name. It became necessary to name the young town. " They are always fiddling," says an old Missouri patri- arch, " call it Fiddletown;" and Fiddletown it was, not only when it was a hamlet of three or four wag- ons and a tent, but when it was a town of large streets and a hundred houses, some of brick and stone. Judge Purinton is said to have started the movement for the change of name, which was done by Act of the Legislature, in 1878. In his annnal trips to the capital, or San Francisco, he saw his name among the arrivals as C. A. Purinton, Fiddle- town. Merchants on the lookout for a customer would come across the man from Fiddletown. The hotel clerks would grow a trifle more dignified as the ominous Fiddletown was attached to his name. The best of hats, faultless coat, gloves and boots, were of no avail as long as the name was anchored to Fid- dletown. The first settlers certainly manifested little taste in the selection of names. Poompoomatee they metamorphosed into Suckertown. Every Spring where the Indians eamped had a name, generally sonorous and sweet, with a meaning sometimes full of poetry. What possessed men to baptize places Hogtown, Helltown, Shirt-tail, to say nothing of names which eannot be repeated, is a phenomenon to be explained. Oleta was settled in 1849, and had but a small growth until after the discovery of American flat, French flat, and American hill, in 1852. Previous to that the houses could be eounted on one's fingers. Cap- tain Stowers, in company with Carter and Curtis, kept the hotel which had the eminent distinetion of having a real glass window. The bar-room was also sitting-room, dining-room and bed-room, the beds being potatoe saeks stretehed across poles, fur- nished with blankets, but no pillows, a man's boots being expected to serve that purpose. The floor was the original red soil, sprinkled, swept, and tramped every day. There were two stores, one kept by Jesse Hendricks, long sinee passed away, and another kept by - Gilbert. Saloons outnum- bered, as usual, all other places of business. Dr. Unkles, a little, old man, perhaps five feet four inehes in height, kept a drug store in a house about six feet by eight, made of shakes stuek endwise in the ground. A few rows of bottles on a shelf or two contained the entire stock of drugs. A French- man, name forgotten, was blacksmith, gunsmith, machinist, and gasconader, for, according to his account of himself, he was a most terrible man. The country was quite good in places, but as there were no permanent streams of water, there was an abundance of waiting and little work. Oleta early
developed a spirit of self-government. The inhabit- ants soon staked off all known anriferous ground, and hold it against all suspicious new-comers. Cap- tain Stowers was usually the spokesman of this com- mittee of safety. When strangers with their frying- pan, coffee-pot, pick, pan, shovels and blankets, came into town and evinced any intention of tarrying, the old gentleman generally managed to find out what State they were from, how long they had been in the State, and where they had been mining. If the answer was considered favorable, a committee would show him where he could locate ground. The writer of this article, then one of the interviewed, could find no resting-place nearer than the south fork of Dry creek, three miles away. Mrs. Gilbert, afterwards wife of W. T. Gist, was then the only white woman in the town.
The Summer of '52 witnessed a large aecession to the population. In that year several families of the highest respectability located in and around the town, among whom were those of R. M. Briggs, the dis- tinguished lawyer, LaGrave, afterwards Treasurer of the county, MeKensie, Stribling, Bain, Votaw, and others whose names eannot be recalled. The first wedding was that of E. R. Yates to Miss Seott, mem- ber of the numerous and respectable family of that name. A large party was made to welcome the bride to the town.
In that year many respectable buildings were put up, among which was the United States Hotel, then kept by MeDevitt & Cope, the latter person having sinee been a Judge of the Supreme Court and now an eminent lawyer in San Francisco. The discovery of American flat and hill was made by Jerry Ruth, George Schoemaker and Samuel Nase ; Charles Me- Lain, Samuel Parker, J. W. Croff and William Dunn also had claims there. This discovery was made on the south-west side of the hill, about the same time that a French party of five men, who were working the place called Freneb flat on the east side, traeed the deposit into the hill on that side. The channel was from three hundred to five hundred feet wide, the pay gravel being from five to seven feet thick. The Frenehmen are said to have carried away two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, though this may have been too high an estimate. The deposit was one of the ancient streams, and probably derived its gold from a poeket-vein of quartz in the immediate vicinity. A slab from a big boulder dumped out the mouth of a tunnel, was found years after, when the tunnel had fallen in, to be very rich. The aneient river deposits in the vicinity are very extensive, though in no instanee as rieh as the American Hill. Loafer flat and hill seem to be a continuation of the channel towards Dry creek, but the gravel as far as explored is smaller, having but little resemblance to the American hill gravel. The same may be said of Lone hill, also the ridge between Suckertown and Slate ereek, all having gravel in paying quantities. At the time the French flat was being worked a
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NORTH-WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY.
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vein of quartz was discovered which seemed riveted through with gold, but it did not prove to be per- manent, or as the miners term it, a true fissure vein.
Oleta occupied an anomalous position with respect to county governments. El Dorado was bounded on the south by Dry creek and Calaveras, on the north by Dry creek. There were two forks of about equal size, Fiddletown being between the two. For vot- ing purposes the strip of intervening territory on which stood Fiddletown, or rather Oleta, was in El Dorado county, but when taxes were called for it was neutral territory! as was Vermont in the Revo- lutionary war, belonging neither to New Hampshire nor New York. Fiddletown did not prove a harbor for thieves, but rather the reverse, setting up courts of its own to administer justice ..
The first court under home rule was held in 1851. There had been, as was believed, an organized band of horse thieves operating in the present territory of Amador, with. head-quarters at Ione. The matter had gone so far as to be brought before the Grand Jury of Calaveras, without, however, convicting any one. A man by the name of West was arrested in Fiddletown for stealing a horse. Major Shipman, then residing there, was appointed Judge. He was familiar with law forms, having been a Magistrate, also County Clerk, in some of the older States. Witnesses were sworn, and the whole proceedings conducted in accordance with the form and spirit of the law, without its technicalities. The jury found him guilty and fixed his punishment at one hundred stripes. His fortitude gave way at this severc sen- tence, and he agreed if they would mitigate the pun- ishment to thirty stripes he would make such state- ments as would expose the whole gang, enabling the people to convict them all. The thirty stripcs were first administered by Abe De Haven, a powerful man, after which he made a statement in private to E. Walker and Major Shipman, it being deemed best not to have the statement made in public, as being likely to interfere with the arrest of the gang.
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