USA > California > Mendocino County > History of Mendocino County, California : comprising its geography, geology, topography, climatography, springs and timber > Part 14
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WATER-COURSES .- There are no navigable streams in Mendocino county, and none of any great importance, except for purposes of drainage and whatever use they can be put to for driving logs to the mills. Beginning at the south-west corner of the county we find the
Gualala River, as a part of the boundary line between Mendocino and Sonoma counties. This river had originally a very beautiful name, being
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called Valhalla, by the Germans who at one time owned the Rancho de Herman in Sonoma county, and being so called after the beautiful stream of that name in their own Fatherland. But, unfortunately, everything had to be in accordance with the Spanish ideas of things in those days, and the musical Valhalla was twisted into Gualala, and has now dwindled down in the vernacular of the residents of that section, to "Wall-holler." This stream has its origin in the western portion of Sonoma county, flows due north parallel with the coast, just inside a range of hills which rise up from the shore of the ocean, and after a straight north course for nearly twenty-five miles, it turns to the westward, and for some distance forms the dividing line between the two counties as mentioned above, and finally debouches into the Pacific ocean. A writer has truthfully said, "There was never a stream so well named. Great redwood trees shade its limpid waters, the favorite haunt of the salmon and the trout; the hills are full of game- deer, elk and bear-and if ever there was a place where ' the bear roasted every morning became whole at night,' it was true, figuratively speaking, of the Sonoma Valhalla, for the camp on its margin was never without a haunch of venison or creel of fish. May the fellow who tortured the name by trying to Peruvianize it, never taste the joys of the real Valhalla!"
Garcia River .- In passing up the coast we come to the Garcia river, which is a small mountain stream, having its source east of Point Arena. Up from its mouth about seven miles, a branch known as the north fork, empties into the main river. This passes through large and beautiful forests of red- wood and firs, and is an altogether lovely stream. Its waters are clear and limpid, and its shores shady and mossy, just such a place as ye Isaac Walton would choose to spend a day in hooking the finny beauties front their native element. The river ordinarily is a shallow, though swift running stream, but when the flood torrents of mid-winter come bursting down from the very mountain tops near by, it is then that the Garcia is to be seen in all its glorious grandeur as a mad stream.
Brush Creek .- The next stream north is the Brush creek, which is small and insignificant, and has its head in the mountains which skirt along the coast, and flows westward and empties into the sea.
Alder Creek .- The next stream to the north is Alder creek, another small stream rising in the coast belt of mountains, and flowing westward into the sea.
Elk Creek .- The next to the north is Elk creek, which is a much larger stream than either of the last named. It approximates the propor- tions of a river at flood seasons, and was very dangerous formerly, before a bridge spanned its mad course. It rise's in the Coast Range, and follows a westerly course till it reaches the Pacific.
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Greenwood Creek is the next stream to the northward, and is small and insignificant. It serves as a drain to the mountains back from the coast, and flows in a westward course to the sea.
Nevarra River .- This is the next stream, and it is quite worthy the appellation of river. It has its source far up amid the mountains, and flows through the glades and forests, at first dashing madly along as a mount- ain torrent, but finally assuming the solemn aspect of a genuine river, flows peacefully along to meet its mother ocean. It is used only for the purpose of driving logs to the mill. Its bar admits of the passage of a lighter to sea, and in years gone by that was the method of getting all lumber from the mill to the vessels outside.
Salmon Creek .- This is another small stream flowing westward from the mountains to the sea. Its banks are lined with a wonderful growth of redwood.
Albion River .- This is a stream of some importance to mill-men, as they are able to drive logs down it in flood time. It rises far back amid the frowning shadows of the mountain passes, and flowing westward, opens into the Pacific.
Little River .- Passing on north we come to this stream, called so evidently in contradistinction to its mate, just north of it, Big river. It is a lovely stream, rising in the mountains away to the eastward, and after flowing through miles of forest, comes at last to rest on the heaving bosom of the Pacific.
Big River .- This stream lies just north of the last named river a few miles, and is evidently appropriately named, as it is the largest stream which empties into the Pacific ocean in Mendocino county. This is quite a large stream, and extends far back into the mountains, having various arms as its head-waters are neared, which branch off, causing it to drain a large scope of country, and consequently an immense volume of water passes to the ocean along its course yearly. It is utilized for many miles in the interior for driving purposes, and millions upon millions of feet of logs have been borne upon its bosom to the mill at its mouth. It flows in a westerly direction, and empties into the ocean at Mendocino City. .
Caspar Creek .- This is a small stream rising in the mountains east of the coast, and emptying into the ocean a few miles north of Big river. There is a very large body of redwood on its banks.
Hare Creek is the next stream to the northward. It is very small and insignificant. It flows from the eastward out of the mountains.
Noyo River .- This is quite a considerable stream flowing from the east- ward, where it rises amid the mountains. The water on its bar is deep
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enough for lighterage purposes, and all freight coming in or going out passes through that channel. There is a good body of water for several miles up the river and logs are driven down it in great quantities.
Pudding Creek .- This is a very small stream, serving no purpose at all except that of drainage.
Ten-mile River .- This is the last stream worthy of mention as we pass north along the Mendocino coast. It is a small but beautiful stream, and has its source far away among the eastern mountains. Its waters finally reach the Pacific.
South Eel River .- Passing to the eastward across the northern portion of the county, the first stream to which we come of any importance is the South Eel river, which has its source near the eastern boundary line of Mendocino county, among the snow-capped mountains of that section, and flows north-westerly forming almost a quarter-circle in its course through Mendocino county, crosses the line into Humboldt county, and there unites with the other branches of the river, and eventually reaches the sea far away to the northward near Humboldt bay. This river is a genuine mountain stream, having all the beauty and abandon of the chief of its kind. It is kept at freshet heights until late in the season by the melting snow from the adjacent mountains. Bridges are swept away with a ruthless hand when its waters are lashed into an angry mood, by dashing headlong through the gorges of the mountains.
Middle Eel River .- This stream lies a few miles to the eastward of the last named, and has its source in the extreme north-east corner of the county, and flows around a tract of country known as Round valley in such a way as to almost entirely surround it. All that was said of the South Eel river can be said of this stream. Neither of them are of any importance except for drainage purposes.
Russian River .- This is probably the longest river in the county ; that is, it flows for a longer distance through the territory of Mendocino. It has its source near the upper end of Calpella township, and thence it flows in a southerly direction through Ukiah and Sanel townships, and passes from the county into Sonoma, a few miles north-east of Cloverdale in the latter county, and thence pursues a southerly course to Healdsburg, and thence westerly to the Pacific ocean. It is a beautiful stream and flows quietly through the land in the summer season, and one would hardly dream that its placid bosom could be lashed into the seething torrent it is in the flood season. It is a stream of no importance, however, except for drainage.
There are other smaller streams which might be mentioned, such as the Mal Paso on the coast, Little Lake Outlet, Ackerman creek, etc., but those of any real importance have been described. These streams are all beauti-
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ful, and the water in them is as clear as a crystal. Fish of many varieties, principally trout, however, abound in all of them, while to bathe in them at the proper season of the year is a luxury not foun I anywhere except on the sea-beach. Babbling brooks, singing cheerily as they dance and glint in the silvery sunlight, in their merry chase to the sea, is no poet's dream in Mendocino county, for they greet one on every hand.
CLIMATOGRAPHY .- The climate of Mendocino county differs very materially from, perhaps, any other county in the State of California. It presents many phases, and even within a few miles there can be found wonder- ful diversities, not to say extremes, of climate. Along the coast the atmosphere is always more or less laden with moisture, and the winds are almost constantly blowing, hence it is necessarily cold in that section at all seasons of the year. Just inside the first range of mountains the air is shorn in a measure of its moisture, but is still damp enough to keep the temperature reduced greatly and to make it really the most pleasant place in the county to live, it being that happy mean where the wind is shorn of its chilling fog, and the heat of the midsummer's sun is tempered by passing through a strata of moist air. Farther in the interior the air is shorn of all its moisture and becomes arid and parches the vegetation as it passes over it. The summer's sun pours its unimpeded rays into those valleys in a mer- ciless manner, as if fully determined to prove to mankind that it can shine more fervidly to-day than it did yesterday. And yet it is not so very dis- agreeable, and those accustomed to it really enjoy its pelting rays.
The average rain-fall is much more in Mendocino county than it is in San Francisco. It is a remarkable fact that there never has been a year yet when the crops and grass were an entire failure for the want of rain. It is true that there is more or less complaint among the farmers and stock-men this season (1880), on account of the shortness of the feed, owing to a lack of rain. It was not so much, however, owing to the entire lack of rain for the season, but it came so late that the hot winds and sun came down upon the grass before it had nearly gotten its growth, hence it is very short. This being a mountainous district, the rain-fall is naturally great, and the country reaps the results of the rains.
The season of rain in this section may be said to commence in October and end in May. It is rare that it rains more than a day or two at a time, and the intervals range from a few days to several weeks. This is truly the beautiful season for many parts of Mendocino county. The grass now springs to newness of life and is bright and green on every side, spreading an emerald tapestry over hill and dale fit for the dainty tread of a princess. The swelling bud is bursted, and the tree is clothed in its garments of green, and the bright flowers gladden the scene with their lovely presence and exhale an enchanting aroma which serves to make the spring days all the more grateful to man, betokening fruitage and vintage, to which
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the heart of man gladly looks forward; and in those mountain fastnesses, when the sun shines upon the early springing verdure of ground and tree, what a halo of glory is spread over the vista! How the shadows of the fleecy cumuli chase each other over fen and brake, and how the merry sun- shine kisses with loving tenderness the newly-born offspring of Mother Earth! And the birds and the bees are all in their merriest glee, and the woods with music ring as the sweet hours of the fresh, bright, joyous spring day passes by. Winter's snows are all past now, only on the far-away mountain-tops does there remain even a vestige of the icy monster who has so lately held a large portion of the land in his chilling grasp, and even that is fast disappearing beneath the genial rays of the ascending sun.
Quite an amount of snow falls during the winter months in the mount- ains of the interior, though strange to say but little falls on the Coast Range. In the interior valleys there is usually a fall of snow each winter, ranging from a few inches to several feet, and remaining on the ground from a few hours to several days. Some winters are extremely severe, causing much stock to perish from exposure. In all the valleys north of Little Lake the winters seem to be much more severe than to the southward of it. It is not an uncommon thing for it to frost, however, during most of the months of the year in some of the southern valleys, while those where the snow was the deepest are free from frost. So far this year (July, 1880), there has been frost during every month in Ukiah valley, while Sherwood valley has been free from it since April.
February is the growing month of the year, and the life which has sprung into existence since the rains came now begins to be vigorous and thrifty. The sun has come an appreciable distance to the northward now, and the days are lengthened out enough to make the atmosphere very mild and warm during the day, and the earth is able to retain a sufficiency of the genial rays to keep vegetation springing all night. March is also a great growing month; but there is a likelihood of the north wind blowing some days, and cold storms coming on and checking the growth of vegetation and casting a shadow of gloom over the whole face of nature. April is the month of "smiles and tears," and the saying that "April showers make May flowers," holds as true here as at the East. The weather is now quite warm almost every day, and the air is so deliciously balmy that to live is a pleasure and to grow is all that vegetation has to do. May is a continuation of those beautiful days, with now and then a real warm one, as a sort of harbinger of the days that are to come.
But June brings with it a change, especially in the valleys. On the mountain sides the grass begins to sere and the patches of russet are everywhere visible, showing out in bold relief contrasted with the green foliage of the shrubbery or trees growing around it. This "sere and yellow leaf " is not the sombre hue of death as it is in most parts of the world, but it is a bright and
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beautiful tint, which, while if unbroken, might weary the eye, broken and varied as it is in Mendocino county with ample green from the trees, it presents a picture of rare beauty, and one on which the skill of a master limner might well be exercised to its utmost to catch the delicate tintings which the halo that now always overhangs the mountains at early morn and evening, casts upon the scene. From now on till the rains come there is but little change in the scenery. The russet spots remain the same, and the green surrounding them is still the same emerald fringe.
On the coast the usual fogs of the summer season set in about the first of May. This phenomenon is of almost daily occurrence till the middle of August, and is an important factor in the growth of grass and crops along the sea-coast. About the first of May the trade-winds set in from the north- west and prove a great agent in the modification of the climate on the coast, serving to reduce the temperature wherever it penetrates among the valleys of the interior. These are the breezes which bear on their wings the burdens of mist and fog which are so refreshing to the growing vegetation along the coast, making the season much longer in that section than farther back, and adapting it for grazing and especially for dairying purposes. These great fog-banks form every day off the land, caused perhaps by the meeting of a cold and warm strata of air. In the afternoons this fog comes inland with the breeze which commences about noon daily. This moisture laden air is not deleterious in any way to the health of the inhabitants along the coast, except, perhaps, those affected with lung or bronchial troubles. It is a fact, on the contrary, that the most healthful portion of the year is that in which the fogs prevail. These fog-banks spread over the country in the after- noons and continue all night, but the early morning sun is apt to dispel them. Sometimes, however, there come several days in succession when the sun is shut out from the view of man altogether along the coast. It is then generally dreary and cold, and the wind whistles and soughs through the branches of the giant redwoods in a mournful, disconsolate sort of a way, and the dash of the breakers against the rocky strand gets to bea very melancholy swash, monotonous and irksome, and the heart of man longs for a gleam of sunshine almost as the prisoner pines for liberty. One must have an experience of that sort of weather to fully appreciate the dreariness of it. The thought is continually coming up that :
" The melancholy days have come, The saddest of the year."
" While from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean Speaks, and, in accents disconsolate, answers the wail of the forest."
But it is not always thus gloomy, for there are many days, during a season, of unexcelled beauty and loveliness-days when the sun shines in unalloyed brightness from out the blue empyrean of heaven's own vault, mantling the world in a sheen of silver-days when the waves of old ocean are all lulled
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to sleep, and naught but a myriad of gentle ripples disturb the placid quietude of her face, upon which the glinting rays of the midday's "sun dance in a perfect revelry of delight-days when the roar of the swell of the ocean, breaking in upon the beach, has been hushed down to a murmering whisper which is borne along upon the gentle evening zephyr, and falls upon the ear of the listener like the vesper anthems of some far away choir of angel singers.
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HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
MINES AND MINING.
WHILE Mendocino has not been at all a mining county, yet there has been more or less of it done from time to time ever since the county began to bettle up. Gold, silver, copper, coal and petroleum have all been found in greater or less quantities, and been successfully mined. Under date of October 23, 1863, a writer in the Herald has this to say of the mines, and the outlook at that date: "The money has been appropriated and a company formed to bring water from Forsyth's creek-the main branch of the Russian river above Calpella-to Gold Gulch, one and a half miles below Calpella. The prospecting for gold, silver and copper-bearing quartz still goes on with increased interest. The indications are more flat- tering than those of some of the most celebrated inines in the country. So far the richest discoveries have been made in what is known as the Cold Creek district, lying north-east of Ukiah. The ledges which first attracted attention to this district are about twelve miles distant from Ukiah, on the north side of Cold creek, and are well-defined and extensive-in fact, the whole country seems to be one continuous bed of copper, some one or two of them exhibit the pure metal in the croppings, and all are exceedingly rich in the blue and green oxyds of copper. As good rock is found within five feet of the surface as is usually found at the depth of fifty or one hundred feet in other localities in this State. Mill sites are being located on Cold creek, which affords a good supply of water throughout the year, which is pure, cold and healthful. Among the best ledges in the district are the Eureka, Copper Hill, Mineral Point, Committee, Bailey, Cow Mountain, Three Lakes and Live Oak. Mendocino county will yet be one of the richest counties in the State. We have the best of soil, timber and climate. The mines are not confined to the above-named district, nor to copper only-but all around us gold, silver, copper and quicksilver are being discovered and prospected. The sound of the pick and shovel, and the roar of the exploded blasts are heard from all sides, and pack-horses, laden with camp equipages and mining tools, are an every-day sight. Near here are also the Montezuma Silver Mines, and a cinnabar lead near that." The same writer under date of July 24, 1863, says: " In Ukiah valley, at Calpella, and Hildredth's crossing on Eel river, there has been found gold in sufficient quantities to pay for working it. Also in Round valley the 'color' has been found. Near Eden valley a ledge of quartz has been discovered containing sulphurets, and claims located thereon; assays $12.00 to the ton."
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Under date of May 1, 1863, the following was published in the Herald : " A party has been recently prospecting in the mountains between Round valley and Clear lake. There is said to be an exceedingly rich deposit of gold in that region, discovered a number of years ago by an unfortunate wanderer over the mountains, who, finding a rock that bore unmistakable evidence of gold, pounded it up, and extracted one-half pound of gold. But he never could find the place again, and many other ardent seekers after his lost lead have shared the same ill luck from year to year."
EEL RIVER MINING DISTRICT .- At a meeting held on the 15th of July, 1863, at Eden valley, the following resolution was passed :-
Resolved, That this mining district shall be known as the Eel river dis- trict and shall be bounded as follows :-
Commencing at a point where the boundary line between Humboldt and Mendocino counties intersect main Eel river; thence east along said boun- dary line to the summit of the Coast Range on the line of Tehama county ; thence along said dividing ridge, heading the south branch of the north fork of Eel river to the head of the main South. Eel river ; thence down the middle of said stream to the forks; thence down the main river to the place of beginning.
The following By-Laws were adopted :--
ARTICLE 1. All quartz claims shall be two hundred feet on the lead, with all dips and angles.
ART. 2. All discoverers of new ledges shall be entitled to one additional claim for discovery.
ART. 3. All claims shall be designated by stakes and notice.
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ART. 4. All quartz claims shall be worked to the amount of $5.00, or one and a half days per month, after three months from date of location; and the owner may work to the amount of $25.00 as soon after location as he may elect, which amount of work shall exempt him from work on said claim for six months thereafter.
ART. 5. All quartz claims shall be designated by a name and in sections.
ART. 6. All claims shall be recorded within twenty days from date of location.
ART. 7. Surface and hill claims shall be one hundred feet square, and be designated by a notice and stake at each corner.
ART. 8. All ravine and gulch claims shall be one hundred feet in length, and in breadth, from bank to bank, designated by notice and stake at each end.
ART. 9. All claims shall be worked within twenty days from the time water can be had in sufficient quantities to work the same.
ART. 10. All ravine, gulch and surface claims shall be recorded within twenty days from date of location.
ART. 11. All claims not worked according to the laws of this district, shall be forfeited and subject to relocation after three months.
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HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
ART. 12. There shall be a recorder elected, who shall hold his office for the term of one year, and until his successor is elected. Said recorder shall be entitled to one dollar for each claim recorded and located.
ART. 13. The recorder shall keep a book with all the laws of the district written therein, which shall at all times be subject to the inspection of the members of said district, and he is furthermore required to post in two or more conspicuous places in the district a copy of the laws of said district.
C. H. EBERLE, Secretary.
M. M. WORMER, Chairman.
POTTER VALLEY MINING DISTRICT .-- This mining district was located in Sep- tember, 1863, and was bounded as follows :-
Commencing at Calpella valley and running up the road leading to Little Lake valley, north of the dividing line between Little Lake and Potter val- leys, on the top of the main ridge to a point where the main trail, as now traveled between these valleys, now passes; from thence due east to the south fork of Eel river; thence up said fork to a valley called Gravelly valley ; from then -e south to a point that intersects the northern boundary line of Lake county ; from thenee west to the place of beginning.
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