USA > California > Amador County > History of Amador County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 8
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" Thirteen head of cattle took a sudden fright, while we were driving them across the river, and galloped off. I remained a day in the endeavor to recover them; but finding they had taken the trail back to the fort, let them go without further effort. Here we had several days of warm and pleasant rain, which doubtless saved the crops below."
In August, 1844, David Kelsey, with his wife and two children, a boy and a girl, settled at French Camp, and built a tule-house. Mr. Gulnac, who was stopping at the Cosumnes river, had offered to give Mr. Kelsey a mile square of land if he would stop at that place, and live one year; he turned over to him the "swivel" that Sutter had given him. Every night Mr Kelsey threw this piece of ordnance "into battery," and fired an evening gun; which he did to frighten the Indians, on the same principle that a boy sometimes whistles as he is going through the woods after dark. At that time there was only one other house in the county, also constructed of tule, occu- pied by Thomas Lindsay, at Stockton.
Mr. Kelsey remained for several months at that place, and after his family had been obliged to live for two months on boiled wheat, meat, milk, and mint tea, gathered along the banks of the creek, he buried the swivel and removed temporarily to San Jose, where he first saw Captain Weber. Wbile at that place he unfortunately went to see a sick Indian who had the small-pox, just before returning to French Camp. After returning he was immediately taken sick, and Mrs. Kelsey desired to take him to Sutter's Fort, where he could have medical assist- ance, not knowing that he had the small-pox. When they reached Stockton, Mr. Lindsay induced them to stay over night, and while there a man by the name of James Williams gave him some medicine that eaused the disease to break out. Lindsay immedi- ately vacated the premises, giving, as he left, advice that has a twang of barbarism in it; he told them if the old man died to leave his body where the coyotes would devour it. In about six days the father died, the mother and boy were prostrated with the same disease, and little America, a girl eleven years of age, was left alone with her sick mother and brother, to administer to their wants, while her dead father lay unburied in the hut; a sad introduction to the first American girl who ever saw the place where Stock- ton now stands, and a sadder one to the first white
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HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
woman that visited the place; for the mother became blind from the effects of the disease, beholding that delirious, weird scene of pestilence and death as the last, to haunt the memory through the coming years of darkness; a hideous phantom, a seene of desola- tion, was that last look of the mother upon the sur- roundings of that little child nurse.
Some herders chanced to come that way, who, after considerable hesitation, assisted little America in burying her father. One of them, Geo. F. Wyman, afterwards became the husband of America. The reason why they hesitated in coming to her assist- ance was a double one,-they feared the contagion and Captain Sutter, who had said he would have any man shot who brought small-pox to the fort, or went among the Indians who had it. The father was bur- ied near where Col. Thos. R. Moseley's house now stands, and in a few days the little nurse was stricken down with the dread disease, but recovered so as to be able to leave for Monterey in about six weeks. In about two weeks after they left, Thomas Lindsay returned to his house on Lindsay's Point, in Stock- ton, and was killed by the Luck-lum-na Indians, from Ione valley, in Amador county, who fired the tule-house with their victim's body in it, and drove off all the stock. A party of whites, Mexicans and friendly Indians, went in pursuit of the band who had committed the depredations, and overtook them at the place called the "Island," near the foot-hills, where a conflict occurred, resulting in the burning of the Indian rancheria, with what provisions and property they had, the killing of a few of the war- riors of the hostile tribe, and the capture of one Indian boy by William Daylor, of Daylor's ranch; one Mexican by the name of Vaca, a member of the Vaca family, formerly of Solano county, was killed by the Indians in the fight. After this defeat they retreated into the mountains, where they were followed, but not overtaken .*
*Since the foregoing was written in 1879, some further facts have come to our knowledge, which not only puts this matter in a different light but also demonstrates the difficulty of making the first attempt at writing history successful.
D. T. Bird, who, at one time, was an officer in the California battalion under Fremont, during the hostilities that succeeded the Bear Flag war, says that he was one of the parties that pur- sued the Indians who murdered Lindsay at Stockton, and he takes the poetry all out of the conclusion given to that expedi- tion. Instead of the Luck-lum-na Indians of Ione valley being chastised, they whipped the pursuing party (about thirty strong, half whites and half friendly Indians), who were under the com- mand of Captain Merrit, of Bear Flag fame. Captain Sutter organized the pursuing party, and among the white men accom- panying it, were Captain Merrit, D. T. Bird, Charles Heath, Vaca (a Spaniard), Hicks and Gillespie. The fight was a short one resulting in Vaca's receiving a mortal wound from an arrow
The small-pox and the breaking out of the Mich- eltorena war, combined, had depopulated the county.
There had been, in the latter part of 1844, and Spring of 1845, a serious departure by the foreign population of the country from their understood pol- icy, in their intercourse with the natives of Cali- fornia; which was a policy of non-intervention between opposing factions of the country, that had been decided upon and agreed to between the lead- ing men, as being the best calculated to produce the final result at which they were aiming. Let the Spanish population quarrel to their hearts' content, let civil war sweep over the country, and array the opposing factions against each other on the battle- field; it helped to prepare the people of all classes, foreign and native, for a change; but in every emer- gency the American, the German, the Englishman, the immigrant, whatever his native land was to hold himself aloof, reserving his strength to be used as one man for the general good of all, when the proper time should come to act. All over California, from Los Angeles to Monterey, and from Monterey to Sutter's Fort, the foreign population were few in numbers, one and two, sometimes a half-dozen in a place, so scattered and so isolated that a false move on the part of a few might prove fatal to many; it consequently was important at that time that the policy of non-interference should be pursued. Yet, as we have previously mentioned, a serious depart- ure from that policy was inaugurated in the Michel- torena war, without, apparently, any general con- sultation or plan on the part of immigrants, those of each section or country marking out their own line of action, regardless of the probable consequent injury that might result to those of a different locality.
The first instance was that forced upon Capt. C. M. Weber, conseqnent from the loss of control, by Micheltorena, over the outlaws called soldiers, whom he commanded in 1844. The Captain was in busi- ness at the Pueblo of San Jose when the war broke out, and was acquainted with and personally friendly to both Micheltorena and Castro. He had a very large stock of goods in the place, and was anxious on account of it. He knew that the soldiers under Micheltorena were mostly convicts, turned loose from the prisons in Mexico, and were dependent upon the meager revenue derived from forced loans and plunder for their pay. Ilis goods
that entered his side. In attempting to draw it from his body, the arrow-head was broken from the shaft, and in an hour the unfortunate man was dead. Up to the time of his death they managed to hold their position, when, finding the enemy too strong for them, the body of the dead Spaniard was laid upon a pile of brush and burned, to prevent its falling into the hands of the savages; after which they stole away in the darkness, and reached Sutter's Fort without unnecessary delay.
RANCH AND RESIDENCE OF DWIGHT YOUNGLOVE .. IONE VALLEY, AMADOR COUNTY, CAL.
37
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY FROM 18+1 TO 1847.
would be a rich prize, and if they once entered San Jose, they would be sure to help themselves to what he had; consequently all his interests were opposed to the oceupation of the town by such a body of men. As Micheltorena advanced, Jose Cas tro became alarmed, and, leaving San Jose to its fate, retreated up the valley towards Oakland with his forces; whereupon Captain Weber addressed a com- munication to the commander of the advancing forees, stating that Castro had left San Jose, and asked him if he would not pass to one side of the pueblo, and not enter it with his troops. Michelto- rena replied that he found it necessary to pass through San Jose in his pursuit of Castro. In the meantime the Captain received prompt information to the effect that the Governor had lost control of his soldiery, who insisted on entering the village for plunder; whereupon the Captain caused the tocsin of war to be sounded through the streets. The people assembled, and the Captain presented the position of affairs, and told them that he believed, with a force composed of the citizens and foreigners in the place, the advancing army could be checked, and forced to take a different route in their line of march after Castro. A company was immediately formed, placed under his command, and moved out to meet the enemy, a handful against a host. Send- ing a courier in advance to meet Micheltorena, advis- ing him of what he was doing, and that it was done, not in a spirit of opposition to him personally, or the cause which he represented, but with a deter- mination to protect their homes from plunder. The forces met some twelve miles out from the village, and for several days the entire army, numbering several hundred, was held in check by this little band of brave men under Captain Weber. Castro, hear- ing of the fact, became ashamed of himself, turned back from his retreat, joined the Captain with his forees, took command of the army, and forced Mieheltorena to surrender, and, finally, to agree to leave California and return to Mexico. For the time this ended the war. It was again revived by Mich - eltorena, who failed to comply with his agreement when he learned that Capt. John A. Sutter could be relied upon for assistance. Sutter, wishing to retain the old regime until his land titles were perfected, in December, 1844, marched to the lower country with his deluded followers, being met on the way, at the residence of Dr. John Marshe, by J. Alex. Forbes, of the Hudson Bay Company, who tried to dissuade him from proceeding further with the enterprise, but without avail, telling the Captain at the same time that in General Castro's army was a large number of Americans, and that his act was ar- raying the foreign-born population against each other. Sutter's reply to all was that he had gone too far to withdraw without discredit to himself. He pushed on towards the south, and his men, suspecting some- thing wrong, began to desert until but few remained. Finally, when the hostile armies stood face to face, a
parley was insisted upon, and it was found that the foreigners were fighting in the ranks of both armies; after which, Sutter had, practically, no followers, and fell, finally, into the hands of Castro, who, but for the strong intervention of friends, would have had him shot.
* This unfortunate proceeding was the second breach in the policy of non-intervention; and it came so near becoming disastrous, that it called forth an ex- pression of disapprobation for the course pursued; such a policy continued would Mexicanize the Amer- ieans, not Americanize the Mexicans. The result was that the narrow escape demonstrated the neces- sity of an organized plan of action, so that in future they might be well advised of all contemplated movements, and act together as a body and thus inake themselves felt, instead of expending their force against each other. With a view of accom- plishing this object, and thus pave the way for the future segregation of California from Mexico, a call was written, subscribed and circulated. * *
For various eauses there was not as formidable a gathering as was desired at the time designated,* and the meeting only included those within easy reach of San Jose; there was consequently nothing of importanee accomplished, and there was a failure to obtain a general organization; but the purposes of the foreign population remained unchanged, and eulminated, finally, in the hoisting of the " Bear Flag," which, but for the United States taking the struggle off their hands, would have proved to be what it was in faet, a premature move. It was entered upon without general consultation or ma- tured plan, and but for the oceupation of the eoun- try by the United States, which occurred a little later, would have proved disastrous to many for- eigners living farther south, who were wholly unadvised in regard to the movement. Had the organization been made as was contemplated by the signers of the instrument, the Bear Flag would never have been raised, but without the intervention of the United States it would have resulted in taking the country from Mexico, making San Joaquin one of the frontier counties of the State.
It is not the purpose of this work to give a State history, therefore we return to the march of events in San Joaquin, having followed those occurrences outside only which had a dircct bearing upon the history of this county.
On the third day of April, 1845, C. M. Weber purchased of Mr. Gulnac the remaining interest in the French Camp Grant, Mr. Weber becoming its sole owner; but no further attempt was made at settlement until 1846, when he induced a number of settlers, under the leadership of Napoleon Schmidt, to locate. They had no sooner become settled in their new homes than the war-cloud burst, which had been hanging over the country, and the settlers
* July 4, 1845.
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HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
again seattered to locations where they would be less isolated in case of an attack by the Mexicans.
In November, 1846, the Isbel brothers took up land on the Calaveras, that stream dividing their ranches or claims; Dr. I. C. Isbel occupying the north, and his brother James the south side of the "river of skulls," where Fremont had crossed it in 1844. The doctor erected a log cabin near the river, which is still standing. It is the oldest house in the county, in fact the oldest in the San Joaquin valley, and should be preserved as a relic of the past. The same month and year, Turner Elder erected a cabin on Dry creek, where the village of Liberty was afterwards laid out. Mr. Elder was a married man, and had brought his wife and three little children with him to this country. On the opposite, or north side of the creek, and a little further down, his father-in-law, Thomas Rhodes, located. Thomas Pyle settled at what is now known as Staples' Ferry, in the same year and month, with his family-a wife and two children. It was during the month of November, 1846, that Samuel Brannan established his colony on the Stan- islaus, about one and one-half miles above its mouth, calling the place "Stanislaus City.
It will be observed that during this year, two dis- tinct colonies were established, and four ranches taken up in San Joaquin county, at the points where the old Spanish trail, between Sutter's Fort and San Jose, crossed the several streams in the county. This was a strong demonstration toward settlement. Weber's party had left at the first notes of alarm ; Samuel Brannan's colony remained until the follow- ing Spring, and then all left, except Buckland-leav- ing only the ranchers on the Spanish trail and Buekland, as the inhabitants to dispute possession of the county with the Indians. The five settlers remaining were Dr. I. C. Isbel, and his brother, James, on the Calaveras; Thomas Pyle, on the Mokelumne; Turner Elder, on Dry creek; and Buckland, on the Stanislaus.
* Dr. Isbel retained his claim until 1848, when he sold to the Hutchinson brothers, and they in turn to Mr. Dodge.
Thomas Pyle abandoned his place in 1848, and moved to Coyote creek, near San Jose, where he was shot through the head and killed, about 1855, by a young Spaniard. A man by the name of Smith took up the place, elaiming a grant, and sold to John F., the brother of Thomas Pyle, and John W. Laird, who had married one of his sisters. These parties sold to Staples, Nichols & Co., in February, and moved from there in April, 1850. Mr. Laird died near Grayson, in May, 1878; and J. F. Pyle is still living on his ranch, near Welden, on Kern river, California.
Turner Elder lived at Dry creek about one
year, and then moved on to the north bank of the Mokelumne river, at the place afterwards known as the "Benedict Ranch," and, while there, on the fifth day of November, 1847, his wife presented him with a pair of twins, a boy and girl, who were named John and Nancy. These were the second children born of white parents in the county. Soon after the birth of these children, on account of the unpro- tected position, Mr. Elder abandoned his place and joined his brother-in-law Daylor, of the Daylor ranch, in Sacramento county. Hle afterwards made money in placer mining, and returned to Ray county, Missouri, in 1849, where he now lives. The children are both living; the girl in Ray county, as the wife of a Dr. Reese; and the boy, now married, at Emi -. grant's Ditch, in Fresno county, California-his post- office address being "Kingsbury Switch."
Mr. Buckland, of Stanislaus City, moved from there to Stockton, in the fall of 1847. Assisted by William Fairchilds, he afterwards built the Buck- land House, in San Francisco. Of the Stanislaus City settlers, the only ones known to be living now are Samuel Brannan, of San Francisco, John M. Horner, near San Jose, and - Nichols, of San Leandro.
When, in the Fall of 1847, Turner Elder left his log- house and claim at Dry ereek, Mrs. Christina Pat- terson, his aunt, moved into it-her husband having died of mountain fever while crossing the mountains in 1846. She was soon after married to Ned Robin- son. This was the first marriage ceremony performed in the county. Mr. Robinson, in turn, abandoned the place when gold was discovered, in January, 1848, and in 1878 they were stopping at French Camp, for the Winter, on their way to the northern country.
Captain Weber, in the meantime, had been living at San Jose from 1842 to 1847, following his business of merchandizing, and not giving personal attention to the settlement of his grant. During the year 1847 he sold his stoek of goods, and in August of that year, with a number of men, two hundred horses and four thousand cattle, moved to the San Joaquin, and founded a settlement which became permanent; Stockton being the point and result of his efforts. In the Fall, the grant was surveyed and sectionized by Jasper O'Farrell, through his deputy, Walter Herron; a village site being at the same time laid out for settlers' homes, which received the name of "Tuleburg." Coming events had not yet "cast their shadows before." The village plat of Tule- burg, and the name, both passed out of existence at the same time, when, in 1848, after the gold discov- ery, the place was re-surveyed and laid out for com- mercial purposes by Captain Weber, who gave it the name of Stockton, after Com. Robert Stockton, of the United States navy.
In October, 1847, a company of overland immi- grants arrived at the place, on their way to the lower country. Mr. Weber pursuaded them to stop for a time and look over the valley, to see if they would
* Dr. Isbel is mentioned in another part of the history in con- nection with a mob affair in the western part of the county (Amador). He resided in Volcano, in 1855.
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BIOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF GENERAL SUTTER.
not consider it to their advantage to remain. W. H. Fairchilds, County Supervisor in 1878, was of this party, as well as Nicholas Gann and his wife, Ruth, who, while they were camping on the point where Weber's house now stands, in October, gave birth to a son, to whom they gave the name of William. This was the first child born of white parents in the county. With the exception of Mr. Fairchilds, the parties all decided to move farther south. Mr. Nicholas Gann now lives not far from Gilroy, in Santa Clara county, California.
It was during that year that Capt. Charles Imus undertook to carry out a " wild horse scheme." He selected a point on the San Joaquin river, where San Joaquin City now stands, which he considered favorable, and then went to the mountains west of the valley and commenced cutting timber, to build a corral, into which he proposed driving wild horses, and there to capture them; when Pico, on whose grant he was cutting the timber, put a stop to his visions of corraling the "untamed steeds of the desert;" by singing to him the pathetie song of " Woodman, Spare that Tree," and the Captain, not caring to verify the old saw of " a nod is na sa good as a kick for a blind horse," folded up his tent like the Arab, and departed into the lower country. Captain Imus was the leader of the party that crossed the plains in 1846, of which the Pyles, Isbels, Elders, and Rhodes were members.
The history of San Joaquin county, up to the close of 1847, has been given in the preceding pages as completely as it is possible to get it from the memory of the participants who still survive. The only occupants of this section of country, up to that time, had first been the Indians, then the American trappers, followed by the Hudson Bay Company,. who were succeeded in turn by the Americans, who came from the States, with a view of making for themselves and families permanent homes.
But a change, absolute and radical, lay hid in the near future. On the line that separated the year 1847, and what had preceded it, from " the future that was not yet," stands a mile-post that "Time," set by the wayside, which marks the beginning of a year, in which was wrought a change as absolute, in the march of human events, and the destinies of this coast, as would ordinarily have occurred in the passing of a century.
CHAPTER X.
BIOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF GENERAL SUTTER.
His Nativity-Migration to the American West-Arrival in Cal- ifornia-Foundation of Sutter's Fort-Prosperity and Wealth of the Colony-Decline and Ultimate Ruin-Retire- ment to Hock Farm-Extraet from Sutter's Diary.
THE following sketch of the life and adventures of General John A. Sutter is from Oscar T. Shuck's "Representative Men of the Pacific." The facts were derived directly from the famous old pioneer, and are, perhaps, the most complete and accurate that have ever been published. Mr. Shuck says :-
" General John A. Sutter was born March 1, 1803, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, where his carly boy- hood was passed. His father, who was a clergyman of the Lutheran church, afterwards removed to Switzerland, and settled there with his family. He purchased for himself and heirs the rights and immu- nities of Swiss citizenship, and there the subject of our sketch received a good education, both civil and military.
" Early in life he married a Bernese lady, and was blessed with several children. At the age of thirty- one he determined to gratify a desire he had long cherished to immigrate to the United States. Not knowing whether or not he should settle perma- nently in the Great Republic, he concluded to leave his family behind him, and arrived at New York in July, 1834. After visiting several of the Western States he settled in Missouri, and there resided for several years. During his residence in Missouri he made a short visit to New Mexico, where he met with many trappers and hunters who had returned from Upper California, and their glowing descrip- tions confirmed his previous impressions, and ex- cited an ardent desire to behold and wander over the rich lands and beautiful valleys of that then almost unknown region. Upon returning to Mis- souri he determined to reach the Pacific coast by joining some one of the trapping expeditions of the American or English Fur Companies. But great obstacles were to be surmounted, and long years were to intervene before his feet would rest upon the virgin soil of California. On the 1st of April, 1838, he was enabled, for the first time, to connect himself with a trapping expedition. On that day he left Missouri with Captain Tripp, of the American Fur Company, and traveled with his party to their rendezvous in the Rocky Mountains. There he parted with the expedition, and with six horsemen crossed the mountains, and, after encountering the usual dangers and hardships, arrived at Fort Van- couver, on the Columbia river.
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