USA > California > Del Norte County > History of Del Norte County, California : with a business directory and travelers guide > Part 7
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THE "OLD GUARD."
Considerable excitement was created by these proceed- ings, and some indignation was expressed in regard to the manner in which they had been conducted.
The " Old Guard " and their doings had long been a standing joke with the Crescentonians, and they were not surprised on receiving a notice that on Sunday, January 19th, 1872, there would be a meeting on Battery Point for the purpose of devising some means to amuse the citizens on that day. The public were not informed who would be the orators of the day, but it was stated that it would be attended by those who were not on intimate terms with the Sunday law. On the following week a card was pub- lished, purporting to come from "J. S. De Voe, President of the Old Guards," as follows:
"In accordance with custom, the Old Guard think it proper to publish the results of their 64th anniversary, which took place on Battery Point on Sunday last.
Pursuant to call, on Sunday morning at eleven o'clock, the Guard repaired in full force to the Point, where they becomingly commemorated the times of yore. The Guard take this method of thanking all for their presence and hearty co-operation.
Financially, the affair was a grand success, as the pro- ceeds over and above all expenses amounted to 6 cents, which sum is now on deposit with the undersigned, as a relief fund for the county officers, (with three honorable exceptions ---- Clerk, Treasurer, and Coroner,) who are re- quested to call and receive the same. If, however, they fail to make their appearance within ten days, said six cents, or such portion as is not then called for, will be turned over to the school fund of the county. J. S. De- Voe, President."
In accordance with a published notice calling a meeting of the citizens of Crescent City for the purpose of choosing judges and clerks of an election to be held on the after- noon of the first of March, to get an expression of the
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
public sentiment as to the enforcement of the Sunday law, a number congregated at the Court House on Saturday evening, February 27, and chose the following officers of election: Judges, Franklin Johns, Edgar Mason and Jas. Harper; Clerks, Wm. Saville and J. E. Marhoffer. The result of the election was an overwhelming vote against the enforcement of the law. Of the 76 votes cast, 70 were found to be in the negative, 3 in the affirmative, and 3 scattering. Of course, the only effect this election could have was to reflect the sentiments of the community in regard to the law. But this little breeze in the quietness of Crescent City life soon subsided, and things resumed the even tenor of their way.
General Ray, a gentleman from Carson, Nevada, arrived at Crescent City in July, 1872, for the purpose of inspect. ing the beach mines some four miles below the town. He pronounced them the best he had ever seen for gold, plat- inum and magnetic iron, and he expressed himself well satisfied that they would return large profits to any party undertaking to work them with the modern improvements. The mines were then worked under the old process of mining, viz: wheel-barrow, tom, and sluice, and conse- quently a large amount of the mineral went to waste. Several of these mines were lying dormant for want of capital and suitable machinery to work them. The fact of the richness of the beach mines, and the opportunity presented for the profitable investment of capital, were more than once brought to the notice of parties who were ready and willing to engage in the development of the mines; but for ten years past Crescent City has been noted for the " freezing out" process, by which all who will not accede to the exorbitant demands of a certain class are met with such opposition, and so many obstacles are placed in their way, that it is impossible to invest capital with profit to themselves. The enterprise and sagacity that characterized the Crescent City merchants in early
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THE BEACH MINES.
days has long sinee passed away, and many of the most enterprising of her early residents are either dead, or have moved to other lands. The few who remain have lost the vim and pluek of their younger days, and have fallen into a deplorable " don't care " condition, neither beneficial to themselves or the county. This is the plain, unvarnished truth, and it will do no good to disguise it. And it is not surprising that when a certain party, having a knowledge of the modern methods of mining, and supplied with im- proved machinery, proposed to work the beach mines ex- tensively, he should meet with oppositon. The party ar- rived on a steamer having on board the necessary ma- chinery for working the mines, but learning that the part of the beach he proposed to work had been "jumped " in his absence, and that an exorbitant price would be de- manded for it, he did not remove the machinery from the vessel, and returned to San Francisco, leaving the would- be speculators in mining claims to mourn their loss.
Nor is this tendency to drive enterprising men to the wall confined to mining. In many other ways is the en- terprise of the town demonstrated to be of the wrong sort. True, there are always to be found men who are willing to do all in their power to help along any project for the material development of the town and county. But there are not wanting as many more who meet the enterprise with their opposition, and crush it out of exis- tence.
A few minutes before nine o'clock on the evening of the 22d of November, 1873, the people of Del Norte county experienced the heaviest shock of earthquake that had ever occurred within their recollection. As near as could be ascertained the vibrations were from South to North, and continued nearly thirty seconds. The shock was so great that it caused the fire bell and City Hotel bell to ring, and houses bounced around as though they were mere jumping jacks. All who found themselves able to
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
move rushed into the street in the wildest state of mind, expecting every instant that their houses would fall to the ground, and that a tidal wave would sweep them into eternity.
The damage to property in Crescent City was estimated at $3,000, and it was fortunate that so little damage was sustained.
It is said that fully one-half the chimneys in town were more or less injured, and that the cost of repairing them amounted to about $250.
- In Smith's River Valley considerable damage was done, nearly all the chimneys being shaken down. The shock seemed to be the most violent on the sand hills, as large cracks from six to eight inches wide were reported in sev- eral places.
At Happy Camp the shock lasted about twenty-five seconds, and the rumbling noise accompanying it appeared to sound as if it was running nearly North and South. The wooden buildings rocked to and fro, and the tin pails hung up in Camp & Co.'s store swung backwards and for- wards at an angle of nearly 45 degrees with the ceiling. Very little damage was done, however, except to the ner- vous system of the inhabitants.
The shock was felt more or less severely at other places in the county; in fact, curiosity regarding earthquakes had been fully satisfied, and people had reason ever after to be averse to visitations of the kind.
The spring of 1874 saw the usually quiet town of Cres- cent City in a blaze of excitement, for it was thought that silver mines of the richest kind had been struck, and that a new Comstock would be located in Del Norte county. The ore was found in the Myrtle Creek Mining District, situated about twelve miles in a north-easterly direction from Crescent City. The first discovery of the mineral is alleged to have been made in 1871 by a man named Bla- lock, who sunk a shaft and satisfied himself of the genu-
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THE DISCOVERY OF SILVER.
ine character of the rock. He then covered up his devel- opments, and for some reason or other kept the matter to himself, neither making any effort to work the mine him- self, or inform anyone of the quality of his prospect. The fact of this discovery was kept a profound secret for over three years, when in some way the matter leaked out, and the consequence was the excitement above referred to. The excitement in Crescent City was attended by the usual scenes of a mining craze. Groups of men on the street were exhibiting to each other the results of the nu- merous tests of the rock which had been made, some say- ing that they could find no silver, while others asserted that it was $300 rock. A new mining district was formed and the whole country in the vicinity of the first discovery. taken up. But this excitement, like many another in Del Norte, soon subsided without any move being taken to develope the newly discovered mines. The locators were convinced that it required money to work quartz mines, and they knew that they did not possess it. And instead of making an effort to induce capitalists to give the project of opening the mines their attention, tbey resumed the usual routine of village life. The fact that silver bearing rock had been found in Myrtle Creek District was believed by all; but because of this neglect to bring the matter be- fore men who were able and willing to invest in mining enterprises, the excitement was soon numbered with the things "that were."
Mr. Gus. DeYoung, one of the DeYoung brothers who have of late years brought themselves into public notice as publishers of the San Francisco Chronicle, paid Del Norte a visit in the summer of 1874. He was then pub lishing the " Commercial Directory of the Pacific Coast," and his visit was for the purpose of acquiring information for a Directory of Del Norte county. It was represented. that the Directory would contain "information of general interest pertaining to the commercial and industrial inter-
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
ests of the county, a description of its general features, and many other desirable matters of general interest." Whether Mr. De Young interviewed the "oldest inhabitant" in his search for information, or whether he was deficient in geographical knowledge, is matter of conjecture; but the certainty that the good people of Del Norte were con- siderably surprised when they read the information in re- gard to this county, is not open to doubt. For the "Di- rectory of Del Norte county " located Crescent City on the wrong side of the bay on which it is situated, and in- . formed the people of Smith's River that their little village was located on Table Bluff, Humboldt county. In conse- quence of these blunders, the blessings that were showered upon his head were innumerable, and that word descriptive of the front part of a mill pond was many times prefixed to his name. Perhaps the inaccuracy and absurdity of the thing would not have been so universally noticed, had it not been for the known enterprise and intelligence of the De Youngs.
The Valedictory of the Crescent City Courier, which had been purchased by Mason & Tack from Walter B. Thorpe, and published by them for a period of one year, appeared in the issue of March 13th, 1875. The publishers had probably found it up-hill work publishing a country newspaper, and had thought it the better part of valor to retire from the lists. The Courier did not remain long in its coffin. It was resurrected in November, 1875, by Silas White, its present publisher and proprietor.
From that time to the present, January Ist, 1881, noth- ing worthy of notice here has transpired. Trade has remained about the same for the last five years, during which time it has not been very active or large. Many improvements have been made in different parts of the county, noticeably in Smith's River Valley, where several fine buildings have been erected. Crescent City and Hap- py Camp have aiso improved of late years, and a disposi-
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JANUARY IST, 1881.
tion has been shown to rebuild old and decaying houses.
In closing this chapter we bring this history down to the 1st of January, 1881. It has been endeavored to present such incidents, occurrences and information in the history of Del Norte as would be of general interest. Hoping that it may prove more instructive, and equally as interesting, we will now turn our attention to the scenery, climate, inhabitants, towns and villages, business houses and industries, commerce and trade, and the agri- cultural, mining and lumbering resources of Del Norte county ---- all of which will be described in as fair a light and with as much accuracy as possible.
CHAPTER V.
THE SCENERY, CLIMATE, AND INHABITANTS OF DEL NORTE COUNTY.
-
SCENERY.
The scenery of the Pacific Coast has always been a prolific theme for the pen of the writer, and the pencil of the artist has endeavored to transfer to canvass the beau- tiful landscapes, mountain views, and ocean scenes that meet the eye of the traveler in California. Its boundless plains, its snow-capped mountains, its fertile valleys and vine-clad hills, have inspired the admiration of the sight- seer, the Muse of the poet and the genius of the painter. The famous falls and peaks of the Yosemite challenge the admiration of the world; the big trees of Calaveras are famous the world over. And they would be still more renowned, their beauties would have a wider and a greater celebrity, were it not for the fact that just such scenes are to be met with in a hundred different places in California. The counterpart of Yosemite, though on a smaller scale, may be seen in many places in the mountain ranges, and the trees of the Calaveras grove find rivals innumerable in the forests of the Northern Coast.
Many and varied as are the scenes to be met with in California, they are nearly all represented in the little
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SCENERY --- CRESCENT CITY.
county of Del Norte. Here may be seen smiling fields and lovely valleys, overshadowed by majestic mountain s. Here the forests form a dark and massive background to valley, sea and town.
Standing on Battery Point, on a summer afternoon, the scene is beautiful in the extreme. Seaward, the setting sun casts a lurid glare over the waters, and seems to be going down in a blazing mass of fire; to the left and right the ocean meets the view, perhaps dotted by a soli- tary sail on the rim of the horizon, and with a long, trail- ing column of smoke marking the course of an ocean steamer.
To the south, following the line of the coast, the first objects apt to catch the eye are the red, glittering cliffs of Gold Bluff, in Humboldt county. Nearer, the rocks that ยท mark the mouth of the Klamath River stand out in bold relief to the cliffs beyond. To the north, Point St. George, looking low and flat, juts out into the sea, with two or three tall, huge rocks, rising like sentinels on either side. Inshore, extending from Point St. George back to the top of the foot-hills, is an immense forest of giant trees, their rich green contrasting strongly with the high, barren mountains beyond, the peaks of the Bald Hills appearing clear and cold against the Eastern sky. Commencing at Battery Point, the crescent shaped beach extends six miles down the coast, its smooth, hard surface affording an excellent drive at low tide. A wharf extends out into the bay for the distance of a quarter of a mile, at which vessels are taking on cargoes of lumber. Directly oppo- site Battery Point, the Crescent City light-house, situated on an island about one hundred yards from shore, presents a pretty picture. It is a low, light-colored structure, facing the bay; from its center rises a tower, in which at eventide a revolving light guides vessels entering the har- bor, and warns mariners at sea of the dangers of the rocky coast. A short distance south of the light-house, two
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
large round rocks keep watch and ward over the bay, and to the south-east of the anchorage, Whale Island, contain- ing about ten acres, a part of which is covered with grass, rises from the water to the height of a hundred feet or more. Crescent City mars the effect of the picture some- what, appearing from Battery Point more like a collection of huts than a good-sized town.
Notwithstanding this slight defect, the whole scene is worthy of the pen of a Muir or the pencil of a Rembrandt. And it has always been a matter of surprise to me that the prominent painters of the coast, who visit the gorges and forests of Russian River, climb the steep sides of St. He- lena, and see and appreciate the beauties of the Columbia River and the grandeur of Mts. Hood and Shasta, should pass Del Norte by without notice. Perhaps its remote- ness and inaccessibility has had something to do with this; but I believe that a want of knowledge of the county has been a greater cause for its neglect by those who, if pos- sessed of a better knowledge of its attractiveness, would not be slow in finding it out.
There are also many beautiful scenes in Smith's River Valley and vicinity. The little village of Del Norte is situated in the center of the valley, and in proportion to its size is better built than any other place in the county. Its white houses contrast pleasantly with the green fields and forests, and the scene is one of a quiet, peaceful na- ture. Walled in on two sides by the high mountains of the Coast Range, which here reach their highest altitude and wildest character, and shut off from the outside world on the other sides by the forest and the ocean, the sense of isolation is so strongly felt and so oppressive, that it can never be shaken off by a person once used to the busy life of thickly settled communities and commercial centers. But while the scene is fresh, and the place new to one, the beautiful scenery claims the admiration it deserves, and holds the eye of the stranger with fascinating power.
----
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SCENERY --- LOW DIVIDE.
Other places in the county possess as beautiful, if not more beautiful scenery, especially the Low Divide. A wagon road leads from the valley up the mountain to the mines on the Divide, eight or ten miles from Del Norte. From the summit the eye takes in a vast number of ravines and gulches, while the fantastic shapes of the rocks and cliffs indicate that they were thrown up by some great convulsion of nature, ages ago, when the world was young. And if the sense of isolation in the valley is op- pressive and powerful, the feeling of desolation and lone- liness with which the view here impresses one is greater and more powerful still. All around, on every hand, the mountains are bare and bleak, while the solid, mighty up- heavals of rocky heights are seamed all over with the defacing marks left by the war of the elements, and at the same time in their enduring grandeur seem to mock the ravages of time. Precipices, almost perpendicular for a thousand feet or more, make the head dizzy in viewing their great depths. At the bottom of the ravines, trees which from the top appear but tiny sapplings, are in reality several feet in circumference,
At Altaville, the scene reminds one of the lead mines in Missouri or Iowa. When copper and chrome was first discovered at Altaville and the mines worked, the little lown was full of life and activity. Now it is deserted, and but few of the buildings remain. Black mouths of tunnels appear in the hill-sides, and heaps of blueish colored rock show the locality of the mines; shafts and mounds of dirt indicate the place where the prospector expended his time and muscle, and numerous ravines and hill-sides bear wit- ness to the fact that prospecting was once extensively carried on here.
Once seen, Altaville clings tenaciously to the memory. It haunts one like a dream; the grand scenery of the sur- rounding country leaves an impression on the mind which time will not efface; and if the scene, with the indescriba-
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
ble quietness and peacefulness which give it its chief charm, could be represented on the canvass of some of our great painters, no doubt it would create an excitement in the world of art; no doubt artists and lovers of art would turn their attention to this long neglected region, and the tourist's tent form an object in many a landscape.
At Happy Camp, the scene has been thus described: " The town is beautifully situated upon a large and level flat. On the south, the Klamath River, with its immense volume ot water, sweeps past it in bouyant waves and with a strong current, and on the west, cutting the town in twain, the gurgling and babbling waters of Indian. Creek flow, and mingle with those of the Klamath, in plain view of the town. Its natural attractions and its salubrious climate are not surpassed anywhere. In the spring and early summer, especially, owing to the luxuri- ance of vegetation and the delicious coloring of the pine- clad hills that surround the place, every scene in the landscape looks so bewilderingly beautiful that no pen can portray all its beauties, no one approach a just realization of the many points of interest spread out on every hand."
And Happy Camp has seen times when the natural beauty of the place was intensified by the myriad fires of the savage blazing from every hill-top, the lurid glare from which lit up the surrounding mountains, and caused them to assume a fearful and wierd beauty; when the dark recesses of the mountain gorges grew black and hideous as a background to the gleaming flames; when the Indians, resplendent in paint and feathers, flitted like phantoms between the fires and the darkness beyond, chanting their war songs and stirring the signal lights to flash up brighter and brighter, sending their mysterious meaning far over the country, filling the hearts of the whites with fear.
But that was long ago, and is now well-nigh forgotten. Peace and good order reign supreme, and it can be truth-
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SCENERY --- HAPPY CAMP AND INDIAN CREEK.
fully said that no prettier picture can be found in Califor- nia than this little mining town, set like a gem in the midst of the mountains.
On the various forks of Indian Creek are some magnifi- cent scenes. The South Fork is the largest and most turbulent, and its scenery the wildest and most picturesque. The sources of this water-course are on the storm-worn sides of Mount Poston, a lofty, barren peak in the Siskiyou Range, rising 10,000 feet above the ocean. The Happy Camp correspondent of the Crescent City Courier in 1873, thus describes the scenery on the South Fork of Indian Creek:
" Here Nature has piled up a heterogeneous mass of mountains, covering their bases with dense forests, and their sides and crests with granite rock, leaving their accumulating waters to their own devices to find an out- let. This the waters of the South Fork have done by tearing down the shoulder of a mountain here, wearing away the adamantine sides of another there, forming vast gorges, whose deep recesses and snow-covered sides a vertical sun only could light up, and chasms whose depths were appalling ---- dashing, leaping, and foaming through their self-made rocky bed, until they are caught by the daring hand of man, and by judicious damming their wild turbulence toned down and made to do duty in converting trees into lumber. Again seized upon by the meddling hand of man, they are conducted to a receptacle that winds its serpentine course, like a monstrous reptile, on the face of the mountains, now winding its course through the dense growth of the primitive forest, now on the edge of a frowning precipice, and anon it stalks with its spider- like legs through intervening chasms, until the once leap- ing waters come in sight of the swift rolling, far-journeying Klamath, when they are again harnessed to do duty in extraeting the precious metal from the gravel flats oper-
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
ated upon by the Happy Camp Hydraulic Mining Co., and then are allowed to escape,
. Flowing on and on forever, To the sea or parent river ' "
----
CLIMATE.
The climate of that portion of the county near the sea- coast, comprising Crescent City and vicinity, Elk Valley, and Smith's River Valley and vicinity, is in its general character very mild and healthy. Severe frosts are sel- dom experienced, the heat in summer is not oppressive, and although little or no rain falls during the summer months, the close proximity of the ocean lends moisture enough to the atmosphere to sustain the vigorous growth of plants. The temperature is nearly the same throughout the year, there being but little difference between the winter and summer months. During five months of the year, from the first of November to the first of April, rain falls almost incessantly, and occasionally furious wind storms occur. The rain falls not the same every year, some seasons passing away with comparatively little rain. while others are remarkable for a heavy rain fall. There is very little and sometimes no rain during the summer months, the only disagreeable feature being the blustering winds which often sweep the coast. These winds are from the north-west, and often increase to furious gales, felt most disagreeably by the inhabitants. Smith's River Valley is somewhat protected by mountains on the north and north-west, and therefore the force of this wind is broken, and it does not make itself so disagreeably felt there. Indeed, it is doubtful if the whole Pacific Coast can offer a more delightful climate during the summer months than Smith's River Valley.
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