USA > California > Glenn County > History of Colusa and Glenn counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 16
USA > California > Colusa County > History of Colusa and Glenn counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 16
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
Williams
The first newspaper to be established in Williams was called the Central News. It was first issned on February 20, 1882, and was edited by G. B. Henderson. It was not well supported, and didn't last long.
The Williams Farmer is the only paper that has ever made a snecess of the publishing business in that town. It was started by S. H. Callen on August 18, 1887, and at first was a six-column four-page paper. Later Mr. Callen got a cylinder press so small that it wouldn't print a six-column paper; so he changed the Farmer to a four-column eight-page paper. In 1890 he sold a half interest to George W. Gay, but in 1892 bought it back again. Mr. Callen died on July 24, 1911, since which time Mrs. Callen has leased the paper to various parties. R. R. Kingsley, H. M. Keene, and J. P. Hall are among those who have directed the destinies of the
138-
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
Farmer at different times since 1911. Leo H. Bowen is the present lessee. Under Mr. Callen the Farmer was a Democratic paper, but of recent years it has been independent in politics.
The Williams Enterprise was established in 1911 by R. R. Kingsley, who had been an employe on the Farmer. After a few months of precarious existence, the Enterprise was throttled by its owner, who leased the Farmer for a time, and then suddenly left town. For a time afterwards there was a good deal of specu- lation as to what had become of him, but he finally turned up down about the bay cities.
Arbuckle
Arbuckle has had at least one newspaper ever since 1890. On April 4 of that year J. S. Taylor first issued the Arbuckle Autocrat. It was independent in politics; hut in 1892 it supported the Pro- hibition party. Mr. Taylor some time later changed the name of the paper to the New Era; and on January 1, 1899, he leased it to J. H. Hudson, who had established the Arbuckle Independent. W. W. Felts came into possession of the paper about 1902, and changed the name to Arbuckle Planter. Mr. Felts continued as proprietor till 1909, when he sold the paper to J. P. Hall. Mr. Hall changed the name once more, this time to the Arbuckle Ameri- can. He made it a very live and interesting paper, and is still the editor and publisher. The American has had a big part in making Arbuckle a widely known almond center.
Maxwell
Just when Maxwell's first paper was started I do not know ; but it was some time prior to 1884, for in that year W. W. Felts, a veteran newspaper man, and James H. Hodgen bought the Maxwell Star. It continued publication only three or four years after the change of ownership, and then passed away and left the field clear for the Maxwell Mercury, which was first issued on July 14, 1888, by John G. and Charles C. Overshiner. The Mercury struggled along for a few years; and then it, too, gave up the ghost, leaving Maxwell without a paper till 1912. In January of that year Harden & Hardwicke started the Maxwell Tribune, with George B. Harden, prominent business man, capitalist and booster, in the editorial chair. Mr. Hardwicke soon dropped out of the combina- tion, and thereafter Mr. Harden ran the paper alone for several years, making it one of the most interesting news sheets in the valley. The patronage wasn't sufficient, however, to support the kind of paper Mr. Harden was making, and the Tribune last year
139
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
suspended publication. L. H. Bowen, of the Williams Farmer, leased the plant a few months ago, and has revived the Tribune, doing the printing at the Williams Farmer office.
Grimes
Grimes has had two papers within the past seven years. On March 3, 1911, the Grimes Record was first issued, the editor and publisher being J. P. Hall, of the Arbuckle American, and the printing being done in the American office. Mr. Hall, who had also established a paper at Meridian, soon decided that one country newspaper can make all the trouble any ordinary mortal needs; and so he discontinued all his papers except the American. About six months ago, L. H. Bowen decided to try his luck in Grimes; he established the Grimes Independent, which is still being published, the work being done at the office of the Williams Farmer.
Princeton
Princeton has also had at least two newspapers. In March, 1905, the Princeton New Era was launched by Joel H. Ford. The printing of the paper was done at the Colusa Sun office. After a few months, however, the New Era died of inanition, and since then Princeton has been without a paper, except that in 1914 Seth Bailey issued, from the Colusa Herald office, a few numbers of the Princeton Journal, and then gave up the attempt.
County Editorial Association
On September 28, 1889, the editors of the county met at Max- well and formed a County Editorial Association. This did not last long. About the year 1914, J. P. Hall again got the editors of the county together; but the association formed at that time also proved not to be permanent.
CHAPTER XV
SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, AND LODGES
Schools
Their school system is one of the things in which the people of this county take especial pride, and on which they spend money freely. The result is, that they have the very best schools obtain- able, both in material equipment and in teaching force. They pay liberal salaries, ranging from seventy-five dollars a month for the
140
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
smaller country schools to sixteen hundred dollars a year for the principalships of some of the town grammar schools; and for the high schools, from one thousand to twenty-one hundred dollars a year. Moreover, some of the best school buildings in the state are to be found in this county.
The one great drawback to the progress of the rural schools of the county has been the immense size of the landholdings. For many years there was a tendency for the ranchers to add to their holdings rather than to ent up the ranches and sell them off to small holders. This of course made farm homes few and far be- tween; and as a result the history of some of the rural school dis- tracts has been a record of a constant series of lapses and re- vivals, while others have lapsed and have never been revived. In 1891, according to Will S. Green, there was a stretch of territory extending from Colusa north along the river for fifty-five miles to Tehama, containing two hundred seventy square miles, in which there were only three school children attached to the land-that is, belonging to landowners. Similar conditions have obtained in all parts of the county ever since the first settlement, and in some sections will probably continue to exist for years to come. The dislike that most people have for solitude, and the consequent tendency to move to town, where the social advantages are greater, have also been hard on the country schools. Take Bear Valley for example: For many years two flourishing schools were maintained in the valley, one near Leesville and one at the lower end of the valley. The school in the lower end lapsed about 1907, and has never been revived; and today there are hardly children enough in the entire valley to maintain the Leesville school. Many other rural sections have suffered in the same way.
For ten years after Colnsa County was organized there wasn't a schoolhouse in the county, and for half that time there wasn't a school. This is not at all to be wondered at, for the early comers were grown-ups, and most of them were men. About 1855 enough children to form a school had gathered in Colnsa, and a school was established in the courthouse, where it was held for five or six years. In 1861 School Trustee John H. Liening raised eight hun- dred dollars by public subscription, and a schoolhouse was built at Fourth and Jay Streets, the first one in the county. It was of brick, twenty-eight feet long and twenty feet wide, and served its purpose till 1871, when a ten-thousand-dollar building was erected on Webster Street, between Fourth and Fifth. This building, with an addition erected in 1875, was the one torn down this year to make room for the magnificent new building that is being erected.
141
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
During the ten years from 1861 to 1871 the number of school children in the county grew from twenty-nine to five hundred fifty- nine, and the number of schoolhouses from one to eleven; but it must be remembered that the county then included what is now Glenn County. No figures for that time for the present Colusa County are available. In 1879 the number of children was two thousand seven hundred eighty-seven, and the number of schools sixty-two. In the meantime the secret of farming the plains by summer-fallowing had been discovered, the railroad had come, and the wide stretches of territory had been peopled, at least sparsely.
In 1892, the year after the county was divided, there were thirty-eight schools, fifty teachers, and two thousand ninety-eight school children in the county; but since that time the number of children has gradually but steadily decreased in the rural dis- tricts, so that there are now over six hundred fewer children be- tween the ages of five and seventeen in the county than there were twenty-five years ago. Today there are fifty-three teachers in the elementary schools, besides three special music teachers and twenty-five high school teachers; and the schools, under the en- thusiastic and efficient leadership of Miss Perle Sanderson, county superintendent, are keeping fully abreast of all progress in edu- cational methods. There are one thousand two hundred sixty pupils enrolled in the elementary schools, and two hundred thirty in the high schools.
The county is particularly proud of its high schools. There are five of them, one each at Colusa, College City, Williams, Max- well and Princeton; and in physical equipment, personnel, and character of work they rank with the very best in the state. Colusa High School, which was established in 1893, has a teaching force of six and an enrollment of seventy-nine. In 1903 a fine new building was erected, and since then manual training and domestic science have been added to the curriculum. Pierce Joint Union High School was established at College City in 1897, the buildings of Pierce Christian College being used. It has a faculty of five members and an enrollment of forty-four. Williams and Princeton High Schools were both established in 1909. The school at Williams has a faculty of five and an enrollment of forty-one. The school at Princeton is a joint union school, the district taking in part of Glenn County. It has a faculty of five and an enroll- ment of fifty-two. Maxwell, the youngest high school in the county, was established in 1912. Its teachers number four and its students, forty-two. Maxwell, Princeton and Williams have beau- tiful, modern buildings and thorough equipment. The Princeton buildings cost forty-two thousand dollars and the Maxwell build- ings, twenty-four thousand dollars.
142
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
A number of private schools have been started in the county, but none has survived uninterruptedly. Only one is in existence now, St. Aloysins Convent School in Colusa. The first private school to be established was "Mrs. Clark's Select School for Young Ladies." In 1868 the first old brick school building in Colusa had been so far outgrown that all the pupils could not crowd into it. To meet the difficulty, Mrs. A. R. Clark organized her school for girls. Being unable to find quarters for it, she accepted the offer of the county supervisors to allow the use of their room in the courthouse; and her school was conducted there for two years, the supervisors holding their meetings in the county clerk's office. In 1870 Mrs. Clark bought a lot at Seventh and Jay Streets, and a building with accommodations for sixty pupils was erected for her. After a busy year in the new building, Mrs. Clark's health failed and she had to go East. The school was closed, but was later reopened in a building at First and Oak Streets, where it continued to run for ten or twelve years with varying snecess, finally closing permanently.
Mrs. D. B. Lowery opened a kindergarten in the old Meth- odist Church on Oak Street, Colnsa, in September, 1879, and con- tinned it for a few years, but finally gave it up and removed to Sacramento.
The most famous private school the county has had was Pierce Christian College, a sectarian college under the auspices of the Christian denomination, at College City. The founder of the college was Andrew Pierce, a Massachusetts Yankee who came to California in 1849. Mr. Pierce had been a shoemaker at home. In California he at first drove a freight team; but in 1855, after a trip back home, he settled down at the present site of College City and raised sheep. He was thrifty and frngal and soon be- came wealthy. In 1871, at the age of forty-eight, he died of con- sumption, leaving the bulk of his property for the founding of a college. Steps were taken to carry ont his plans; and in Sep- tember, 1874, classes were begun in the church, the first college building being then under construction. In January, 1875, the college was moved into the new building, and the next year an- other larger building was completed. For many years the insti- tution was prosperons, the attendance ranging from one hundred to one hundred seventy-five students; but after a time the attend- ance began to fall off, and in 1894 the college closed its doors. The College City High School now uses the larger of the college buildings. Some of the most prominent men and women of the Sacramento Valley are alumni of Pierce Christian College, and it
PIERCE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE AT COLLEGE CITY
143
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
is a matter of genuine regret that the institution could not con- tinue to live.
In 1882 Father Michael Wallrath, the untiring builder of the Catholic Church, secured a block of land in Colusa and began plan- ning for a convent school. It was six years before the actual building was begun; but in 1888 ground was broken for a beauti- ful twenty-five-thousand-dollar building, and two years later it was opened for educational work. Its work has not been unin- terrupted from then till now. Several times lack of patronage or lack of teachers has caused the convent school to suspend for a time; but it has always reopened, and is in operation today, giv- ing promise of a vigorous existence for many years. The teachers are usually sisters or nuns of one of the various orders; those at present in charge are Sisters of the Humility of Mary. The at- tendance this year is about one hundred.
Churches
Colusa County people cannot be charged with an overmaster- ing fondness for church-going. They spread their activities over a number of lines, and some of these they emphasize much more than church attendance. Most of the churches of the county are weak; but there are some that have stood for nearly sixty years, pillars of defense in the cause of righteousness, and the story of the struggles of this department of the county's activities should find place here.
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has more church buildings in the county than any other denomination, and of course the chief congregation is to be found at Colusa. The following history of the Colusa church was prepared by J. W. Goad for the semi-centennial of the church in 1909:
"My friends, we are here tonight to celebrate the fiftieth year of our existence as a church, which was organized by Brother James Kelsey in the year 1859. Rev. Moses Clampit was the first presiding elder of what was then called the Marysville District; and James Kelsey was the pastor of Colnsa Circuit, which em- braced Grand Island, Colusa, Princeton and Marvin Chapel, then known as Davis schoolhouse.
"Brother Kelsey told me that, the first time he came to Co- lusa, about a mile below the town he met a man in a wagon, and he stopped him and inquired if he could tell him if there were any Christians in Colusa. The man looked at him apparently a little surprised, and said, 'Mister, you are a stranger to me, but I will bet you this jug of whiskey against five dollars that you can't find a Christian in Colusa.'
144
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
"Brother Kelsey came on a little further, when he came to a gallows where they had hanged a man a few days before. But the sainted Kelsey did not let these things move nor discourage him; he came on to town, and here he found a few faithful Christian men and women-W. F. Goad, Mrs. George F. Jones, of Chico, J. T. Marr and his good wife, and a few others. He then organized this church, and preached here once a month in the old courthouse, which was used for preaching at that time. It was the house occupied by Judge Moore as a residence until a few years ago.
"A Sunday school was then organized, and W. F. Goad was the first superintendent. In the year 1860, Rev. B. R. Johnson was our presiding elder, and J. G. Shelton preacher in charge. That year we built the parsonage now occupied by Brother Horn. In 1861 T. C. Barton was presiding elder, and J. G. Johnson preacher in charge. In 1862 O. Fisher was presiding elder, and T. C. Barton preacher in charge. In 1863 O. Fisher was presiding elder and I. G. Hopkins preacher in charge. We then had preach- ing and all church services in the new courthouse. In 1864 T. C. Barton was presiding elder, and T. S. Burnett was preacher in charge. Brother Burnett was the brother of the first governor of California. In 1865 T. C. Barton was presiding elder, and J. G. Shelton was preacher in charge. That year the first church choir was organized in Colusa by Mrs. Ella B. Wall. She had given a concert and purchased an organ. The choir had met several times for practice and were prepared to give good music. District court had been in session for several days, and preaching was in the court room. Judge Keyser and a number of distinguished attor- neys from abroad were in the congregation. Brother Shelton arose in the judge's stand and announced the first hymn, read the first two lines, and turned to the choir and said, 'You may sing it now, after a while, or not at all, just as you please.' One of the choir said, 'We will sing it now'; and they did. This was the beginning of choir singing in Colusa.
"In 1867-1868 P. O. Clayton was presiding elder, and J. G. Shelton was preacher in charge. During these years, the little old church was built by Brother Shelton, and dedicated by Bishop Marvin, and Colusa was changed from a circuit to a station.
"In 1868, at the conference in October, P. O. Clayton was ap- pointed presiding elder, and L. C. Renfro preacher in charge; and they were here three years, until 1871.
"In 1871-1872 T. H. B. Anderson was presiding elder, and G. W. Fleming and E. K. Miller preachers in charge. During 1873- 1875 T. C. Barton was presiding elder, and E. K. Miller preacher in charge. In 1873 the Pacific Annual Conference was held in
145
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
Colusa by Bishop Doggett. On Sunday morning Bishop Doggett preached in the theater; and Brother Hoss, now Bishop Hoss, preached at night. In 1876 T. C. Barton was presiding elder, and J. C. Heyden was preacher in charge. In October, 1876, Rev. George Sim was appointed presiding elder, and T. H. B. Anderson preacher in charge. During the pastorate of the latter, this Trinity Church was built, the corner stone being laid on the 15th day of August, 1877, under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of California. Hon. W. C. Belcher, of Marys- ville, acted as Grand Master. The day was beautiful, and all Masonic lodges in Colusa County were represented. Brothers Sim and Anderson were here two years. James Kelsey was presiding elder, and T. H. B. Anderson preacher in charge, from October, 1878, to October, 1879.
"The building committee that built this church was T. H. B. Anderson, chairman; J. W. Goad, secretary; W. R. Merrill, J. T. Marr. C. C. Crommer, Jackson Hart, George Hagar and E. W. Jones. J. B. Danner was the builder of the brick work. Rice and Beach were the carpenters, and A. A. Cook, of Sacramento, archi- tect. The cost of the building and furniture was $25,000, or there- abouts. It was dedicated February 20, 1881.
"The preachers that have served this congregation since then are as follows: In 1880, C. C. Chamberlain; 1881 to 1883, T. A. Atkinson; 1883 to 1887, T. H. B. Anderson; 1887 to 1890, J. C. Simmons; 1890 to 1892, R. J. Briggs; 1892, E. A. Garrison; 1893, C. E. W. Smith; 1894 to 1898, R. F. Allen; 1898 to 1900, C. M. Davenport; 1900 to 1904, J. E. Squires; 1904 to 1906, W. P. Baird; 1906, J. R. Ward; 1907 to the present date, J. W. Horn.
"This church has been a power for good in this community ; its influence cannot be estimated in this town and county. Among the beautiful pictures that hang on my memory's wall is this church and its membership. When I think of Kelsey, Shelton, Miller, Barton, Fisher, Chamberlain, Simmons, Garrison, Allen, and a host of others that have labored here with ns, and that have gone on before and are now walking the golden streets, I almost wish that I were there. When they meet, it may be that they wonder why it is that we, Brother Anderson, tarry here so long. My prayer is, that we may so live that when the summons comes for us to join the innumerable company, we may hear the welcome plaudit, 'Well done, good and faithful servants'."
The preachers since 1910 have been H. V. Moore, H. M. Bruce, and J. W. Byrd, who is at present in charge. H. V. Moore, as eloquent and elegant a gentleman as ever drew the breath of life, was in charge when the present parsonage was erected. The 9
146
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
old one was located at Sixth and Oak Streets, and is now occupied by Mrs. George Scott as a residence.
This denomination has churches at Arbuckle, Williams, Max- well, Sites and Princeton. The first Arbuckle church was built in 1878, and a fine new one was erected in 1913. The congregation is now in charge of Rev. R. L. Sprinkle, as preacher. The Wil- liams, Maxwell and Sites churches are combined in one charge, and Rev. J. B. Needham is the preacher. The Williams church was organized in 1880, and the Sites church in 1889. The Prince- ton church is combined with the church at Marvin Chapel, in Glenn County, and Rev. L. C. Smith is the preacher. The Meth- odist Church, which is the only church in Princeton, was dedicated on October 4, 1874. The Methodists also had churches at Stony- ford and Leesville, but these have disintegrated.
The second Protestant denomination to have a church in Co- lusa was the Christian Church, which built its first church in town in 1869. The present structure was erected in 1881. The congre- gation has been a strong one in years past, but has fallen off recently. The ministers that have been in charge are J. C. Keith, W. H. Martin, C. A. Young, W. P. Dorsey, G. T. Nesbit, Guy W. Smith, H. G. Hartley, W. F. Reagor, E. W. Seawell, R. W. Tener, W. L. Neal, H. J. Loken, J. K. Ballou and R. C. Davis. The Christian Church at Williams was incorporated in July, 1881, and for many years was a thriving institution; but since the departure of Rev. J. A. Emrich, a few months ago, the church has had no minister and no regular services. The only church in College City is a Christian church, the pastor being Rev. A. A. Doak. This church was dedicated in 1893, and has always been vigorous until the past few years, during which the membership has fallen off. . A Christian church was organized at Sycamore in May, 1875, and was served by the College City pastor for a number of years. The membership was never large, and for many years there have been no regular services in the church. A Christian church was built in Maxwell in 1886. In June of that year, while the church was under construction, a heavy wind blew it down, but it was later completed and dedicated. No services have been held regularly in it for many years. The youngest Christian church in the county is the Grand Island church, located near Dry Slough, south of Sycamore. This church was dedicated on November 11, 1900, and must be regarded as a monument to the public spirit and energy of Mrs. Maria Farnsworth, one of the early and finest pioneer women of the county. The Grand Island church has no pastor, but irregular services are held by the pastor at Colusa or others.
147
COLUSA AND GLENN COUNTIES
The Catholic Church people built the first church in Colusa County. That was at Colusa, and the dedication took place on December 8, 1867. Up to this time all church services had been held in the courthouse, in schoolhouses or in private homes. On May 27, 1866, Father Crinnian held services in Colusa, and eighteen hundred dollars was subscribed for a church building; but a year and a half passed before the building was ready for dedication. Father F. C. Becker was the first resident priest. He remained eighteen months; and then Father A. O'Donnell came for two years, and Father Ed Kelly for eight monhs. After that came . Fathers Coffee, Hagarty, Quigley, and Cassidy; and then, on March 27, 1877, came an epoch in the church's life, the arrival of Father Michael Wallrath. Father Wallrath found the church building that had been begun in 1867 still unfinished. He quickly finished it, and before he had been in charge for three years the congregation had grown so much that they were planning a new church. A little over ten years after Father Wallrath's adminis- tration began, the present fine brick building was finished. It was dedicated on October 9, 1887. From the beginning of his pastorate in 1877 to the day he was transferred to Woodland in 1911, Father Wallrath was a potent influence in the affairs of the Cath- olie Church, not only in this county but also in the entire Sacra- mento Valley. He held frequent services in the towns throughout the county, helped get a church in Maxwell in 1881, and built the Mt. St. Zachary Church near Stonyford. This church was later moved to Stonyford. It has never had a resident priest. Father Michael Hynes, of Maxwell, serves the churches at Maxwell, Stonyford, Williams and Arbuckle. Father C. C. MeGrath, a genial son of old Ireland, has been pastor of the Colusa church since Father Wallrath left. Father Wallrath, who served the Colusa congregation for thirty-four years, died in 1917, and his funeral was one of the largest and most impressive ever held in the state; a special train was run from this county for the occasion.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.