USA > California > Humboldt County > History of Humboldt County, California : with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, farms, residences, public buildings, factories, hotels, business houses, schools, churches, etc., from original drawings, including biographical sketches > Part 17
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STAR HOTEL,L.GILLIGAN. PROP. SPRINGVILLE. HUMBOLDT CO. CAL.
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SAMUEL STRONG'S HOTEL, 9% MILES FROM HYDESVILLE. HUMBOLDT COC !!
SI
FIRST DISCOVERIES BY LAND AND SE.1.
DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS.
First Exploring Parties; Rush for Trinity Mines by Sea and Land; Rapid Increase in Population; Discovery and Naming of Bays and Rivers; Narratives of L. K. Wood, Lieut. Ottinger, E. H. Howard, and Other Explorers; Gold Bluff Excitement, Etc., Etc.
I'r is but little more than thirty years since the first white foot pressed the soil about Humboldt Bay, and left any definite record of its visit. Whether at any time before the visit of the discovery party of L. K. Wood, whose narrative we shall give in full, Humboldt Bay was ever visited by white people, is not definitely kuown, But, from our investigations, there seems no doubt but what the shores of the bay were trod by the trappers and hunters of early days. This region was then in a state of nature, abounding with deer, antelope, elk, and bear. The streams were alive with beaver, and other fur- Iwearing animals.
FIRST WHITE PERSONS IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
1827 .- Doubtless the Jedediah S. Smith party were the first Americans who ever entered the present limits of Humboldt County. He was the first white man to lead a party over- land to California. In the spring of 1825, he led a company of forty men into the Sacramento Valley. He collected a large quantity of furs, and established his headquarters on the Amer- ienn River, near Folsom. In 1826, he trapped in the Sau Joa- quin.
In 1827, he started with the company for the Columbia River. He passed through what is now Yolo County, "up the Cache Creek, and reached the ocean near the month of Russian River, and followed the coast line as far as Umpqua River," near Cape Arago, when all (forty) but himself, Daniel Prior, and Richard Laughlin, were treacherously murdered by the Indians, and all their traps and furs were lost.
These men escaped to Fort Vancouver and related their inisadventure to Dr. MeLaughlin, the agent of the Hudson Bay Company. Smith proposed to the agent that if he would send a party to punish the Indians and recover his property, he would conduct them to the rich trapping grounds he had just left; and for this reason as well as because it was the policy of that corporation never to let an ontrage go unpun- ished, an expedition was sent out, which chastised the savages and recovered most of the stolen property.
OTHER PARTIES VISIT HCMIBOLDT.
"Smith and a portion of this company returued to Vau- conver, while the balance, led by Alexander Roderick McLeod, entered California that fall by the route. Smith had come, and trapal on the streams."
After Smith took his leave on Lewis River in 1528, Ogden's party continued southwest through Utah and Nevada, and entered the Sau Joaquin Valley through Walker's Puss. "They trapped up the valley and theu passed over to the const. and up to Vancouver, by the route Smith had formerly traveled."
In the spring of 1832, Michael Laframbois entered the Sacramento Valley at the head of a party of Hudson Bay Company's trappers, "visiting the streamis as far south as Tulare Lake, and returned over the usual route along the coust to Fort Vancouver the following spring."
There can be no other conclusion than this, that the Smith party must have visited Humboldt Bay. They could not have well avoided it. No historian ever accompanied these parties. and their reports were only given at headquarters in a general sort of a way, and so no definite account is given us of the exact route traveled. But after reaching the mouth of Rus- sian River, it is hardly probable they followed the coast or attempted to do so. Their business would have led them to some stream bearing north; so we will suppose they reached the head- waters of Eel River, aud thus followed down that stream to the ocean, and thence to Humboldt Bay. These several parties mentioned doubtless trapped the Eel, Trinity, and Klamath Rivers. The Russians were at Ft. Ross thirty years, aud it is probable that they visited Humboklt Bay, but this is only a supposition.
LAST RESTING-PLACE OF THE PIONEER.
Captain Smith soll his interest in the Rocky Mountain Company in 1830, and, in 1831, was treacherously killed by Indians while digging for water in the dry bed of the Cimeron River, near Taos, New Mexico, and was buried there by his companions. This is the last resting-place of the pioneer over- land traveler to the beautiful valley 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; and we must give credit to the discovery party of 1849, whose very interesting adventures and discoveries are so graphically described by L. K. Wood.
SETTLEMENT BY GOLD SEEKERS.
To what is generally known as the Trinity excitement, we must look for the opening up and settlement of this region, The Trinity mines and the anxiety to get to them, led to many expeditions along the coast, the discovery of Trinidad and Humboldt Bays, the mouth of the Klamath, and Salmon
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FIRST SETTLEMENTS BY GOLD HUNTERS.
and Scott Rivers, bringing thousands into this region, and transforming it in one year from a beautiful wilderness to the home of civilization, and making its hills resound to the unaccustomed sound of the axe, the rattle of the rocker, the shout of the packer, and the merry laugh of the miner.
In 1858, Maj. Pearson B. Reading, the old trapper and pioneer Californian, who settled upon his ranch in Cottonwood Creek, Shasta County, in 1847, gave the following aeconnt of the first mining in northern California. At the time he named it., Trinity River was not an unknown stream to the trappers of the Hudson Bay Company, who were familiar with every stream of consequence in this portion of the State; that they had ever given it a nainc, however, is uneertain; if so, it is unknown to history :-
DISCOVERY OF TRINITY RIVER.
"In the spring of 1845, I left Sutter's Fort for the purpose of trapping the waters of Upper California and Oregon. My party consisted of thirty men, with 100 head of horses.
" In the month of May, I crossed the mountains from the Sacramento River, near a point now called the Backbone; in about twenty miles' travel reached the banks of a large stream, which I ealled the Trinity, supposing it led into Trinidad Bay, as markedl on the old Spanish charts. I re- mained on the river about three weeks, engaged in trapping heaver and otter: found the Indians very numerous, but friendly disposed. On leaving the Triuity I crossed the mountains at a point which led ine to the 'Sacramento River, about ten miles below the Soila Springs. I then passed into the Shasta and Klamath settlements, prosecuting my hunt. Having been successful, returned in the fall to Sutter's Fort.
"In the month of July, 1848, I crossed the mountains of the Coast Range, at the head of middle Cottonwood Creek ; struck the Trinity at what is now called Reading's Bar; pros- pected for two days, and found the bars rich in gold; returned to my house on Cottonwood, and in ten days fitted out an expedition for mining purposes; crossed the mountains where the trail passed from Shasta to Weaver.
"My party consisted of three white men, one Delaware, one Walla Walla, one Chinook, and about sixty Indiaus from the Sacramento Valley. With this force I worked the bar bear- ing my name. I had with me 120 head of cattle, with an abundant supply of other provisions. After ahout six weeks' work, parties came in from Oregon, who at once protested against my Indian labor. I then left the stream and returned to my home, where I have since remained, in the enjoyment of the tranquil life of a farmer."
Mr. Reading has, no doubt, placed his mining expedition one year too early, and should have said in 1849, or else he went back again the next year, something that his language implies, though it does not positively state he did not do. Oregonians could not have disturhed him in 1848, as news of
the gold discovery did not reach Oregon until September of that year.
At all events he did go to Trinity River in the summer of 1849, for a report of his trip was given hy the Placer Times of Sacramento in August of that year.
EXPLORATION OF TRINITY RIVER.
In June 1849, Major Reading started from his raneh with a small party for the purpose of exploring this stream. They went up Clear Creek and then crossed the mountains to the river, going up the stream some distance and findiug gold in abundance. About the first of August they returned to the Saeramento Valley, and reported that they had made forty dollars per day to the man, for the few days they had worked. They also laid considerable stress on the fact that in crossing the summit they had camped one night above the snow line.
TRINITY MINES WORKED IN 1849.
The effect of such a statement as this ean well he imagined. Emigrants were then coming down from Oregon, or entering the upper end of the Sacramento Valley by the Lassen route from across the plains, and while most of these preferred to go on to the well-known mines farther south, a few were venture- some enough to cross the high mountain to Trinity River. In this way quite a number of miners gathered and worked on the banks of the Trinity iu the fall of 1849. The report sent out and brought out by these men created quite a fever of excite- ment, but the fear of the rigors of winter were so great that few lared to go into the mountains until spring, and the majority of those who were on the river in the fall went baek to the valley for the same reasou.
MINERS ATTEMPT TO FIND TRINIDAD.
The error made hy Major Reading in supposing that the river he had named Trinity flowed into the old Trinidad Bay of the Spanish explorers was communicated to others and be- came the general opinion. It was then conceived that the best route to the mines must be to go to Trinidad Bay in a vessel and thence up the river to the mines. All that was known oľ the bay was the record of the explorers and the indicatiou of such a place at an indefinite point on the northern coast. To find Trinidad Bay, theu, became the next and the all-absorbing question. It had been discovered by an exploring expedition, consisting of a frigate eommanded by Bruno Ezerta and a sloop under Juan de la Quadra Y. Bodega, on the eleventh of June, 1775. This was the Sunday of the Holy Trinity, and the bay was named Trinidad in consequence, and was fully mentioned on page eighteen.
As early as March, 1848, a call was made in San Francisco for a public meeting to take steps to re-discover and explore Trinidad Bay, to see what kind of a harbor it presented and what was the character of the country tributary to it. The announcement of the gold discovery at Sutter's Mill, however,
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FIRST DISCOVERIES BY LAND AND SEA.
put an end to all such designs, and the matter lay in abeyance until the reports from the Trinity Mines revived it.
DISCOVERY OF HUMBOLDT BAY.
In the month of November, 1849, two parties left the Trin- ity Mines to discover the desired harbor.
One of these went over to the Sacramento Valley, and down to San Francisco, where they commenced fitting out a sea expr- dition. The other party followed down the Trinity to the Bakl Hills, and then crossed over to the coast, thus failing to discover the fact that the Trinity did not empty into the ocean direct.
The following very interesting narrative of this expedition was prepared by. L. K. Wood for the Humboldt Times, and was first printed in 185G. It was afterward revised and printed in the West Coast Signal, copies of which were fur- nished is by Jonathan Clark, Esq .:-
" The month of October, 1849, found me on Trinity River, at a point now called " Rich Bar," without provisions, poorly clad, and worse than all in this condition at the commencement of a California winter. The company at this place nuinbered some forty persons, the most of whom were in much the same situ- ation and condition as myself. Near this bar was an Indian ranch, from which, during the prevalence of the rain that was now pouring down as if in contemplation of a second Hood, we received frequent visits. From them we learned that the ocean was distant from this place not more than eight days' travel, and that there was a large and. beautiful bay, sur- rounded by fiue and extensive prairie lands.
The rainy season, having uow to all appearances set iu, al- ternate rain and snow continually falling, a scanty supply of provisions for the number of persons now here, and scarcely a probability of the stock being replenished before the rains should cease, the idea was conceived of undertaking an expedi- tion, with the view to ascertain whether the bay, of which the ludians had given a description, in reality existed.
JOSIAH GREGG CHOSEN LEADER.
Among the first and most active in getting up and organiz- ing the expedition, was a gentleman by the name of Josiah Gregg, a physician by profession, formerly of Missouri. He had with him all the implements necessary to guide us through the uuinhabited, trackless region of country that lay between us and the point to be sought. No one seemed better qualified to guide and direct au expedition of this kind than he. Upon hin, therefore, the choice fell to take command. The number of persons that had expressed a desire to join the company up to this time, were twenty-four.
The day fixed upon by the Captain for setting ont was the otlı day of November. In the meantime whatever prepara- tions were necessary, and in our power, were made. The Cap- tain had negotiated with the chief of the rancheria for two of
his inen to act as guides. Nothing more remained to be doue -all were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the day fixedl upon, and a cessation of the rain, which was still falling in torrents.
The day of departure arrived, but with it came no change in the weather, save an occasional change from rain to snow. Many of the party now began to exbibit marked symptoms of a desire to withulraw and abandon the expedition.
The two Indian guides refused to go, assigning as a reason. that the great storm we bad experienced on the river, had been a continuous suow-storm in the mountains, and that the depth of the snow would present an insuperable barrier to our prog- ress, and endanger the safety of the whole party to attempt the passage. This was sufficient for those who had manifested a desire to withdraw; and the number of the company was speedily reduced to eight men, including the Captain whose determination was only the more firmly fixed, because so large a number had abandoned the expedition.
NAMES OF THE EXPLORERS.
The company now consisted of the following persons: Dr. Josiah Gregg, Captain; Thomas Sebring, of Ottawa, Illinois; David A. Buck, of New York; J. B. Truesdell, of Oregon; -- Van Dusen; Charles C. Southard, of Boston; Isaac Wilson, of Missouri, and L. K. Wood, of Mason County, Kentucky.
Owing to this great diminution in the number of the party, it became necessary before setting out to examine the con- dition of our commissary department, from which it was ascer- tained that the stock of provisions had suffered even greater diminution than had the company in point of numbers. The articles found were Hour, pork, and beans, and of these scarcely sufficient for ten days' rations. Notwithstanding this, an ad- vance was determined upon, and, accordingly, we broke up camp.
Here commenced an expedition, the marked and prominent features of which were constant and unmitigated toil. hardship. privation and suffering. Before us, stretching as far as the eye could reach, lay mountains, high and rugged, deep valleys and difficult canons, now filled with water by the recent, heavy rains. After leaving Trinity River we struck up the mount- aiu, in the direction indicated by the Indians that were to have been our guides. The ascent, at any time tedious, was now particularly difficult.
Without any other trail or pathway than an occasional elk or Indian trail through the dense stunted undergrowth, the ground for a long distance up the mountain completely satur- ated with water from the great quantity of rain that had fallen, our ascent, as might be expected, was not only tedious and dif- ficult, but extremely fatiguing. Before reaching the summit, however, the character of the ascent was materially changed. Snow had taken the place of slippery mud, which had com- pletely obliterated all there was of a trail, its depth increasing
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FIRST SETTLEMENTS BY GOLD HUNTERS.
in proportion to the altitude gained. We now had to grope our way as best we might; slowly and silently we continued to ascend the steepest part of the mountain in order to shorten the distance.
At length we reached the summit. Our first glances were cast in the direction indicated to us as our course. As I gazed upon the wild and rugged country spread out hefore us, and that all these snow-crested mountains lay between us and the place of our destination, a feeling of dread cameover ine. I could hardly refrain from giving expression to the feelings of doubt with which I was impressed, as to the result of the expedition we had undertaken, but the time for reconsideration had passed.
CAMPING IN EARLY DAYS.
As it was abont sunset when the summit was gained, prepar- ations were made for going into camp. Now, "camping " in California is not precisely the same thing implied by that term in other countries. It consists of nothing more than taking your saddle and blankets from the animal and depositing thein on the first convenient spot of Mother Earth, or, as applied to us this night, on snow. To have a choice in ground on which to camp would be deemed fastidious, and to form a hut from bushes a foolish expenditure of time and labor. Unpacking animals and getting supper were the things first to he at- tended to; this being done, our blankets were spread, and in then we passed the first night of our expedition.
At an early hour in the morning, having hreakfasted and packed our animals, we resumed our journey, descending the mountain, keeping as near our course as the nature of the country would permit. It would have been to us a source of some encouragement, if when we had attained the summit of a mountain, or mountain ridge, our course would have permit- ted us to continue on such ridge-but the case was otherwise. The ridges or mountains that constitute and are denominated the Coast Range, are nearly parallel with the coast; therefore, as the general direction of the coast is nearly north and south, and the mountain ridges the same, and our course nearly west, we were compelled to pass over a constant succession of mount- ains, now over the top of one, then through the deep valley beneath, and again climbing the steep side of another.
Nothing beyond the ordinary routine of constant traveling by day, and stretching our wearied limbs upon the snow or cold wet ground by night, occurred during the succeeding four days worthy of notice.
Towards the evening of the fifth day, while passing over a sterile, rugged, rocky country, we heard what appeared to he the rolling and breaking of the surf upon the distant sea shore, or the roaring of some water-fall. A halt was therefore de- termined upon, and we resolved to ascertain the cause of this before proceeding further, and here pitched our camp.
Early next morning Mr. Buck left camp alone, for the pur- pose above expressed, and hefore night returned, hringing
with hint a quantity of sand, which from its appearance, as well as that of the place where it was gathered, he thought indicated the presence of gold; but not being on a gold hunt- ing expedition, we thought it the hetter discretion to use all possible lispatch in reaching the coast. The result of his search was that he found a stream at the foot of a rugged descent, whose now swollen waters rushed with terrific speed and vio- lence. This, then, was what we heard. The gleam of hope that for the moment animated us was soon dispelled. This stream is the South Fork of Trinity.
Having ascertained that it was impossible to effect a cross- ing at or near this place, we continued on down, keeping as near as it was possible, until we came to its junction with the Trinity River. Here we succeeded in crossing.
Upon gaining the opposite shore, we had a steep bank to ascend. As we reached the top of this bank, we came suddenly upon an Indian rancheria. To us this was entirely unexpected, and undoubtedly not less so to them. Had it not heen for the strange, I might say ludicrous, scene that followed immediately upon their discovering us, I would not vouch hut that some if not most of the company, would have hetrayed signs of ti- midity, if not actual fear, for our fire-arms had been rendered completely unfit for use, from constant exposure to the rain, which continued through the whole of this day. Knowing this we were fully conscious that should they meditate any harm towards us, we could make but a sorry show at a defense. A moment's consideration, however, taught us that it was not necessary, nor was it likely, that these savages should know our precise situation, and that it was our policy to give them to understand we were in no fear of them.
INDIANS' FIRST VIEW OF WHITE MEN.
But the scene that followed for the moment wholly divested our minds of all apprehension of danger, for as soon as they saw us, men, women and children, fled in the wildest confusion, and in every direction; some plunging headlong into the river, not venturing to look behind them until they had reached a considerable elevation upon the mountain on the opposite side of the river, while others sought refuge in the thickets and among the rocks, leaving everything behind them. So soon as they had stopped in their flight, those who were yet in view we endeavored hy signs to induce to return, giving them to understand as hest we could, that we intended them no harm; but for the present it was all to no purpose.
They had never hefore seen a white man, nor had they re- ceived any intelligence of our coming; and to their being thus suddenly brought in contact with a race of beings so totally different in color, dress, and appearance, from any they had ever seen or heard of, is attributahle the overwhelming fear they betrayed.
Our stock of provisions was now nearly or quite exhausted, and what portion of our journey had been accomplished we
BLUE LAKE HOTEL, C. CHARTIN, PROPRIETOR HUMBOLDT CO. CAL.
DEMOCRATIC STANDARD.
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OFFICE OF THE DEMOCRATIC STANDARD, WILLIAM AYRES, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR, EUREKA, HUMBOLDT CO. CAL.
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FIRST DISCOVERIES BY LAND AND SEA.
were of course entirely ignorant; one thing, however, was apparent, that from this forward, upon Providence and our good rilles our dependence for food must rest. Having failed to induce the Indians to return to their rancheria, and observ- ing that they had considerable quantities of sahinon in their huts, which they had obtained and cured for their subsistence during the winter, we helpel omselves to as much as was wanted, leaving in its place a quantity of vension that had been killed by some of our party a short time previous, invok- ing as a justification for so doing the old adage, "a fair exchange is no robbery," and pressed forward on our journey with all diligence.
We had hoped that the Indians would not care to become better acquainted with us, and would allow us to pass on un- molested. Imagino our surprise, then, when as we were ahout camping for the night, there came marching towards us some seventy-five or eighty warriors, their faces and bodies painted' looking liko so many demons, and armed and prepared for battle. There needed no enlling a counsel of war on our part to arrange plans to determine the course to pursue in the emer- geney that now presented itself to ns. Our guns were availa- ble at this moment for no other purpose than to use as clubs, for tho reasons before stated.
The only alternative, therefore, left to us, was to assume an air of perfect indifference at their approach. This we did, but when they had advanced to within one hundred yards of us, we by signs forbid their eoming nearer, and in obedience to our command they halted. Two of our company now advanced towards them, holding up to their view, beaos and other fancy articles which we fortunately had in our possession. With these they appeared highly pleased, and were persuaded that it was neither onr desire or intention to disturb or injure them, and soon became quiet and apparently friendly.
INDIANS' FIRST KNOWLEDGE OF FIRE-ARMS.
They represented to us that their people were very numer- ous, and seemed desirous of impressing upon our minds that we were in their power and at their mercy, and in order to make this more evident they assured us that at auy moment they wished they could kill the whole company. I need scarce tell you that we lost little time in disabusing their minds on this subject.
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