USA > California > Humboldt County > History of Humboldt County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 6
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Again was I bound upon my horse and packed until another camp was reached, enjoying only an occasional respite, to allow my benumbed limbs to recover from the effects produced by being confined in one position for so long a time.
In this manner we continued on, with little or no change in the occurrences that happened, for the period of ten days-following down the Russian river a long distance, and then striking across toward Sonoma. At the expiration of this time, we arrived at the ranch of Mrs. Mark West, about thirty miles from the town of Sonoma, on the 17th day of February, 1850. Here I remained about six weeks, until sufficiently recovered to proceed to San Francisco, and was treated with the greatest kindness by every member of the family.
I must now tell you something of the other four-Messrs. Gregg, Van- Duzen, Southard and Truesdell-whom we left on Eel river, and within twenty miles of the bay or coast.
They attempted to follow along the mountain near the coast, but were very slow in their progress on account of the snow on the high ridges. Finding the country much broken along the coast, making it continually necessary to cross abrupt points, and deep gulches and canyons, after struggling along for several days, they concluded to abandon that route and strike easterly toward the Sacramento valley.
Having very little ammunition, they all came nigh perishing from starvation, and, as Mr. Southard related to me, Dr. Gregg continued to grow weaker, from the time of our separation, until, one day, he fell from his horse and died in a few hours without speaking-died from starvation-he had had no meat for several days, had been living entirely upon acorns and herbs. They dug a hole with sticks and put him under ground, then carried rock and piled upon his grave to keep animals from digging him up. They got through to the Sacramento valley a few days later than we reached Sonoma valley. Thus ended our expedition.
Some Early Explorations
It has been only two short generations since the feet of white men first touched the virgin soil of the great region now known as Humboldt county. It is generally believed that the Gregg party, consisting of Dr. Gregg, L. K. Wood and their brave companions, were the first white men to reach Humboldt. That
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they were the very first of all organized explorers may be conceded without ques- tion, but there are strong reasons for believing that the forests were explored and many vistas trodden by the hunters and trappers of older and even bolder times. These old trappers-men of heroic and somewhat antique mold-were doubtless attracted by deer, antelope, elks, and the bears whose furs were of great value in those times. It must not be forgotten, too, that the streams were then alive with beaver and other fur-bearing animals.
A glance at some of the conditions of the long ago, as revealed in the light of Eliiott's oldest history, may not prove uninteresting. Many careful investi- gators now believe that the Jedediah Smith party were the first Americans who ever entered the limits of the great territory now known as Humboldt county. Smith was the first white man that ever led a party overland to California. It seems that in the spring of 1825 he led a band of more than forty men into the Sacramento valley, where he collected a large amount of furs and established his headquarters on the American river, not far from Folsom. He trapped in the San Joaquin in 1826. He started, early in 1827, with a bold band of explorers and trappers for the Columbia river, passing through what is now Yolo county, "up the Cachet creek, and arrived at the ocean near the mouth of the Russian river and followed the coast line as far as Umpqua river," near Cape Arago, when all of the company of forty except himself, Daniel Prior, and Richard Laughlin, were cruelly massacred by a band of Indians. All the stores and furs of the company were taken by the savages. The survivors escaped to Port Vancouver and told of their misadventure to Dr. John Loughlin, agent of the Hudson Bay Company. It was .the policy of the Hudson Bay Company to punish native tribes whenever they committed flagrant crimes of this character, so the company readily listened to the survivors and acceded to their request when Smith, as leader, proposed to the agent that if he would send a party to punish the Indians and recover the stolen property he would conduct that party to the unusually rich trapping grounds in the country he had just left. After Smith took his leave on Lewis river, Ogden's party continued southwest to Utah and Nevada, and entered the San Joaquin valley through Walker's pass. They trapped up the valley and then passed over the coast and then up to Vancouver by the route which Smith had formerly traveled.
In the spring of 1832 Michael La Framboise entered the Sacramento valley at the head of a party of the Hudson Bay Company's trappers. "They visited many streams and forests off Tulare lake and returned by trail over the usual route along the coast for Vancouver the following spring."
Elliott says there can be no other conclusion than that the Smith party must have visited Humboldt bay at that time. They could not well have avoided it, but as no historian accompanied them, and as their reports were given at head- quarters only and in a general sort of way, no definite description is given to us of the exact road traveled. But it seems impossible that the party could have covered the distances named without passing through Humboldt county.
After reaching the mouth of the Russian river it is hardly probable that they followed the coast or their route would have led them to some stream bearing north, though we must suppose they reached the headwaters of the Eel river and thus followed down that stream to the ocean and thence to Humboldt bay. These several parties mentioned no doubt tapped the Eel, Trinity, and the Klamath river. The Russians were at Fort Ross for thirty years, and it is highly likely that they visited Humboldt bay, but this is only a supposition.
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Captain Smith sold his interest in the Rocky Mountain Company in 1830, and in 1831 he met death by being treacherously killed by Indians while he was digging for water in the dry bed of the Cimarron river near Paos, N. M. He was buried there by his companions. This is the last resting place of the first pioneer overland traveler to the wonderful valleys of California, and of the first American who ever gazed upon the grand forests of Humboldt or trod its grass-carpeted valleys. But whether these parties actually visited Humboldt bay is not positively known, so we must give credit to the discovery party of 1849, whose interesting adventures and discoveries have been graphically portrayed by L. K. Wood and his companions of those early days.
CHAPTER V.
Unique Early History
Humboldt county's early history is unique in the annals of Californian counties in that it is without the slightest trace of Spanish influence. Junipero Serra, the Franciscans, the Jesuits, and all the romance that breathes throughout the pages of Southern California's history-these are as foreign to rugged Humboldt as if they had characterized ancient Spain or the Land of the Lotus Eaters. The galleons of Perez the Majorcan, the Santas and Sans, the comandantes and dons, the alcaldes .and the missions -all these are realities undreamt of in the most altan parts of Alta California.
Centuries passed in the North without one influence to disturb the soli- tude of her untrodden wilds. While missions for the conversion of the natives were being founded by the Spaniards of the South, those persistent colonizing bands that sought to Christianize the Indians, the wilds of Hum- boldt were given over to the deer, the antelope, the grizzly and their rude Indian foes. Elsewhere in California problems of religious, military and civil control were being solved generations before the hardy pioneers of Humboldt were born. Gaspar de Portola, the military and civil governor of California, and Junipero Serra, the illustrious father-president of the Franciscans, knew as little of Humboldt county as the people of Humboldt today know of the heart of Fiji. At the time when Crespi and his associates were founding missions dedicated to San Diego de Alcala, or planning campaigns for the conversion of the Indians, the Pacific thundered on Humboldt bar, hearing no sound save her own dashings. In a sense this is not strange, since the great activities of the Spanish in the South were at their full height long before the Declaration of Independence was written.
Such sweet names as Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles (our lady of the Angels) and Santa Clara were spoken and known by the world long before the silence of the North was broken by the invasion of white men. How young Humboldt history seems when we hark back to Serra and his great work in the South-Serra, whose carcer lay between 1749 and 1784!
For these reasons there is nothing in the story of Humboldt county's discovery and early development which can be explained by referring to the growth of other parts of the state. Humboldt was not settled until long after the Mexican war, and then only sparsely. Her pioneers were men of
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brawn, largely from Main and Nova Scotia. The gigantic redwood forests demanded special treatment, so the pioneers were recruited from a timber country. The pioneers of Humboldt came for the most part from a land where almost half the men went to sea, the other half to the woods. It is for this reason that Humboldt county, much of which is still a picturesque wilderness of mountain streams and tangled wildwood, where bears, elk and deer abound, is a virgin field for the historian as well as for the writer of romance. Everywhere the background is unique and the story of man's ventures is interesting.
From the rugged coast around Trinidad head to the peaceful horticul- tural areas around Etterville and Briceland, the country teems with the poetry of circumstance and the thrill of adventure. Much of the unwritten history of this part of the state clusters around great names, for scores of the early players in the theater of human achievement in Humboldt did not go to their last sleep before they had written their names on the scroll of fame.
Humboldt was the scene of General Grant's early military services, the place where Bret Harte first dreamed of fame. For a long time it was a troubled arena of bloody Indian wars. While the sturdy pioneers were carving their fortunes from the primeval forests the red men were not strangers to the war dance and the poisoned arrow.
Now that California's "uttermost west" is about to come into closer relations with the world, by reason of the approaching completion of the Panama canal, the Humboldt bay jetties, and the Northwestern Pacific rail- road, Eureka, the largest city in the United States without a through railroad, will take on new importance. The many thriving little towns in the valleys, the hamlets in the mountains, and even the lonely cabins of hunters and trappers will develop new life and activities-but it will be the historian who will preserve the story of Humboldt's unique and romantic past. It will be the old residents of the county who will aid him to tell how the founders struggled through hardships during the noisy years of effort that have long ago become the silent years of history.
The story of the sufferings and trials of the pioneers-the fascinating history of trade, transportation, hunting, trapping, lumbering, fishing, manu- facturing, agriculture; an account of the development of schools, churches, courts, newspapers ; a description of the daily life of the people-these and scores of like interesting features of times long passed away, must prove interesting to the children of a later day.
The resources of Humboldt county are unlimited, and great credit is due those who inaugurated the promotion movement that in this later day is but the beginning of the development of its wonderful possibilities. In leaps and bounds it has passed from a comparatively poor and sparsely settled territory to one of great productiveness and wealth. The future looms bright, and new conditions are at hand. In spite of this fact, the past should not be forgotten. The story of its hardships and conquests should be preserved.
But before coming to a detailed discussion of the history of Humboldt county it may be well to take a birdseye view of the state as it was less than one hundred and fifty years ago. The history of no county can be understood without some intelligent appreciation of the development of
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the state in which it is situated. Let it be understood at the outset, then, that prior to the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall, on January 24, 1848, only small portions of California had been visited by the descendants of the Celts, the Anglo-Saxons, and other white races. True, the padres had made history for the church of Rome, but their numbers were few and their work had lain among the Indians.
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It was the discovery of gold that changed the world's conception of California. Until then, even the name had no lure. It suggested something dreamy, unreal, and far away. In spite of slow methods of transportation and tedious delays of the mails the news of Marshall's discovery set the world afire. John Carr's "Pioneer Days" gives us the picture of the "gold fever." In the winter of '49 and '50 Carr was in Peoria, Ill., "ironing off California wagons intended to cross the plains the following summer." He adds that "at that time the whole West was in a blaze. Everybody had the California fever" and everybody who could obtain money sufficient for the journey "across the plains" was on his way for the West. It was then that California became known to all the world. A few years later the Trinity and Gold Bar excitement led to the discovery of Humboldt bay by the Gregg land party, as described by the late L. K. Wood in a previous chapter.
During the five or six years following the land discovery of Humboldt bay there was a rapid settlement of the region contiguous, chiefly by mining men and soldiers of fortune. Among those who came were scores of the pioneer type-strong, brave men and women of character and ambition- the class too seldom seen in these softer times of lightness, ease, and luxury. Many of the homeseekers were not permanent in their plans, however. They were fond of excitement. Mining ventures, the dream of ingots and sudden fortune-these were the incentives that moved men. The great Eel river country, the stock-raising areas, and the bay shore settlements were undergoing slow changes from 1851 to 1854. There is fine material for romance in the annals of these faraway times. Some day a bold story- teller will invade this field and give the world a masterpiece. Attorney J. F. Coonan, of Eureka, is gathering material for such a tale.
The wildernesses were being tamed very slowly, for mining activities occupied the attention of most of those who first came to the great regions in and above Humboldt county. It is for this reason that the transition period was one of considerable duration, and the process was far from a rapid one.
Bledsoe tells us that gold mining was in the full tide of its ascendency and it was only in mining communities that the white people were assembled together in sufficient numbers for protection against the Indians, who were quite savage, and against the inclemency of the winter weather.
It is evident that the agricultural population was very small. The farmers, being isolated, had to be content with difficulties which none but the boldest of pioneer spirits would dare to face. It is evident that villages were far apart and were separated from one another by high mountain ranges, great rivers, and impassable forests. The roads were merely trails, and the dangers that faced the pioneers on every hand were numerous. Every obstruction which the wildness of nature puts in the way of men who desire to tame it here abounded, and every danger attending the conflicts
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between the savages and the whites was in evidence to deter and discourage the early settler.
Away back in those early days, however, Eureka, Trinidad, and the town of Union (now Arcata) were quite flourishing. They drew their population, which was one of an enterprising character, from the great army of_men in search of riches in the mines. The mines, it has been said, were the great arteries through which the towns drew their sustenance. But Bledsoe tells us that many ships laden with articles for the use of miners crossed the bar of Humboldt bay or anchored in the roadstead of Trinidad. Long lines of heavily laden mules struggled over the mountains, valleys, and marsh lands, crossing rivers and making their way to the Trinity river mines. Gold excitement occasioned periodical seasons of rapid growth and feverish prosperity, and through it all the times were growing riper for a more sober and permanent settlement.
We sometimes hear of jealousy and bitterness between towns in Hum- boldt and other counties, but the old days saw a great deal of this. His- torians tell us that there were many seasons of bitter rivalry between the sundry towns of Humboldt county and adjacent counties. Trinidad, Crescent City, Union, Bucksport, and Eureka each laid claim to being the natural head- quarters for supplies for miners and each contended that it would be the one great metropolis of the North.
It is said that this jealousy was very bitter between the three towns of Union, Bucksport, and Eureka. Each felt that with impending greatness it should have more consideration than the other, and every one of these towns desired above all other things the dignity of being the county seat. The fight for the court house and jail was one of the bitterest of those days.
In a general way it may be said that the county was organized in 1853, Union being then the county seat. Bucksport and Eureka did not give up their rivalry in their battle for the honor for a long time, and a contest was begun which resulted in two elections in 1854 to determine the relative claims of the three places.
It is recalled by old-timers that there had never been so bitter a battle as that one. Union got the largest vote and was declared to be the county seat, but the agitation of the matter continued, the charge of fraud on the part of Union township being frequently and persistently asserted. The supervisors absolutely refused to build a court house in accordance with the wishes of the Union townspeople, and the controversy flamed high until it was finally decided by the Legislature of the state, when a law was passed at the session of 1855-56 removing the county seat to Eureka, where it has remained ever since.
In these times the Indian population was greatly in excess of the white. though it was impossible, because of the unstable character of the white settlements along the river and gold bearing streams, to make a very close estimate of the number of the whites. The Indians had not yet received orders from white men to go away from their reservations, and their ranches presented somewhat of a permanent aspect. They certainly con- tained a more permanent population than could be found in any of the towns occupied by the pioneers. Their numbers had not been reduced by death and disease, and there were no restraints of their liberties and no restrictions on their method of living. The reservation system had not yet
3
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HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY
been enforced by the Government, nor had the military powers extended to them in even the remotest degree.
CHAPTER VI.
Gold Mines Lure Men to the North
The atmosphere of early Humboldt county was that of the true pioneer. The early settlers were inured to hardships and accustomed to the difficulties of canoe and saddle, of wind and flood. They knew what it was to go to bed hungry, to escape from the perils of Indian warfare, to trap the bear, and slay the deer.
But the lure of gold had more than anything else to do with the men of 1845, 1846, and 1847. It was Trinity and its pictures of Monte Cristoan wealth that caused the bold explorers of 1845 to brave the terrors of the unknown North and blaze their way to her rugged fastnesses.
After all, the search for gold is sure to be the dream of aggressive men as long as the present economic ideals obtain; but one must talk with the pioneers of the late '40s if he would understand the overpowering influences which moved men in ante-bellum days. Those were times of comparative poverty, for the erudest imaginable conditions surrounded most of those who lived in rural regions. Homespun and small wages were almost universal. Agur's prayer, "give me neither riches nor poverty," had been partly answered, for none were rich, but many indeed were poor. Wages for common labor and almost everything else were triflingly small, the hours of toil were long, and the supply of men for every demand was great.
In the very midst of these conditions the sleeping world heard of ingots in the foothills of California, of glistening gold, the idol of the ages, in the creeks, rivers, and sands of California's hills and mountains. No wonder that the name California became the magical word that was on every tongue.
The entire East at once became a supply and outfitting station for the bold adventurers, who immediately began to cross the plains in great numbers.
Just here it might be said that so long as man shall covet wealth, under an industrial system that makes a bank account the very symbol and pass- port of power, the story of the accidental discovery of gold in far away California must appeal to mankind with the weird and luring freshness of romance, and the detailed accounts of the finding of the first particles by the discoverer on January 24, 1848, the history of the smelting that produced the first ingots, the memory of the "dust" first used as legal tender-all this will ever remain the greatest human interest story of the nineteenth cen- tury-a story rivaling the tales of Sinbad, the feats of Aladdin, the luck of Fortunatus.
Though never a great mining county, Humboldt was brought into civilization by the romantic feat of Marshall. The trail of Marshall's fol- lowers led to the Trinity, the Klamath, and finally to Humboldt bar, as we shall see as the story is unfolded. The Sutter creek romance made an empire of a wilderness, turned the heads of sturdy men the world over, and
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worked wonders with thousands of humble persons. Through that dis- covery the lowly were lifted to places of power, and the cap of Fortunatus was placed on the heads of many lucky pioneers. The way that the discovery of gold lifted many humble men into positions which made them famous in the later days is one of unceasing interest.
The marvel of this entrancing story lies partly in the fact that so many generations of gold-hunting expeditions had passed away before anybody learned that the earth was filled with gold, as when the first men ate of it, according to the legends of Gautama, and found it deliciously sweet. That which must have been seen and handled by many generations in California still lay hid and unknown up to the time of Marshall's discovery, as it had lain unknown and unseen throughout the generations of Spanish conquest. From Ximenes, Cabrillo, and their compeers to the days of Marshall and the Bonanza Kings, it is indeed a far cry, yet the gold of California and Nevada had lain practically undeveloped until the era of the Comstock.
How wonderful it seems that it remained for a humble millwright to discover, quite by accident, in the glittering gravel of a tailrace, that which had been unobserved throughout the ages of Spanish civilization-a dis- covery destined to revolutionize the history and commercial development of men and countries.
This fact brings us to the influence of that discovery on Humboldt county itself. In order to understand the meaning of the claim that Marshall's discovery affected Humboldt it will be necessary to make a brief study of the Trinity gold excitement.
To Major Pearson B. Reading belongs the credit of leading the first band of trappers and explorers into the mining territory of Trinity, in Shasta county, in 1847. Reading left Sutter's Fort in the spring of 1845, taking with him thirty men and one hundred pack horses. It was his pur- pose to trap the streams of California and Oregon. By May he was crossing the mountains from the Sacramento river near a divide now known as "the backbone," and twenty or thirty miles from there he discovered the Trinity river, and supposed that it flowed into Trinidad bay, as it had been thus marked on an old Spanish chart.
The party remained on the river for about three weeks, engaged in trapping, but in all that time they discovered no known ledge of gold. In June, 1849, however, Major Reading, then a rancher in Shasta county, went on an exploring expedition, accompanied by a small party, and made a great many examinations of the earth in the vicinity of the Trinity river.
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