USA > California > Mendocino County > History of Mendocino County, California : comprising its geography, geology, topography, climatography, springs and timber > Part 15
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UKIAH MINING DISTRICT .-- This mining district was organized in September, 1863, for the purposes of mining and prospecting for gold, silver and cop- per. It was bounded as follows :-
Bounded on the south by the line of the Cloverdale mining district, run- ning parallel with the same to the coast; on the west by the coast ; on the north, starting at the Noyo river, running easterly to a point on the Round valley mining district line, opposite Hildreth's house ; thence, following said line of the Round valley mining district to the Cloverdale district line.
REQUA MINING DISTRICT .- At a meeting of the miners of the Requa min- ing district, June 26, 1865, the following boundaries were established :-
Commencing at the house of Simpson & White; thence running easterly, following the trail to Round valley to the crossing of Eel river; thence southerly to a point easterly of the junction of the waters of Little Lake and Sherwood valleys; thence westerly to the Yreka and Cloverdale wagon road; from thence northerly, following said road to the place of beginning.
While men were searching through all the mountains in the interior of Mendocino county for gold and silver, not a few were engaged in prospect- ing for petroleum along the coast, and in 1865 the following districts were located :-
USAL PETROLEUM MINING DISTRICT .- This was located September 8, 1865, and was bounded as follows :-
On the north by Shelter cove district; thence south along low water mark to Alviso creek; thenee due east to the south fork of Eel river; thence down Eel river to the place of beginning.
GARCIA PETROLEUM DISTRICT .- This was organized sometime in the early
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part of 1865, though it is not known now what were the boundary lines. The wells were located near Point Arena.
POINT ARENA PETROLEUM DISTRICT .- This district was organized early in 1865, and the wells were located in the neighborhood of Point Arena. On the 12th day of October, 1865, the land of the company was sold at sheriff's sale, hence it is inferable that the boring for oil did not prove a successful venture with this company, and as there are no wells in the county now in operation, it is to be presumed that all the other companies found that the money was passing the wrong way.
COPPER MINES .- Aside from the copper mines mentioned above in connec- tion with the gold and silver mines, there have been claims located and worked in other portions of the county. In August, 1863, a claim was located on Dry ereek-specimens from which yielded forty per cent of eopper, with a large percentage of silver. The ledge was known then as the Indepen- dent. There was also a lead of copper ore struck in the vicinity of Point Arena, but nothing is known of its merits.
COAL MINES .- Although no great amount of work has been done in the way of mining for coal in Mendocino county, it has not been because there were no good mines awaiting development, but because wood is so plentiful as yet, that there could possibly be no demand for coal. In May, 1863, a vein of coal was discovered some one or two miles south-west of McDonald's place, in the southern portion of the county. It was a body of very fine coal, and even the outcroppings were pronounced by experts to be of a superior quality. A company was organized in Healdsburg for the development of the mine, by whom. all the ranehes in that vicinity, which would in any way interfere with their plans, were purchased. It is not known how much work was done by this company, nor what was accomplished in the way of proving whether or not the coal of this county is first-class.
A vein from six to twelve feet in thickness was discovered in Round valley, but nothing was ever done in the way of developing the mine. It will be many years yet ere the wood is so much exhausted in Mendocino county, that coal will be in any demand as a fuel, hence it is not at all likely that these inines will be touched again for a score or more of years, unless some other mnetal should be found in such quantities, that coal would be in demand for smelt- ing or furnace purposes.
At the present time (1880) there is quite an interest being manifested in the placer mines in the vicinity of Calpella, and those interested are very sanguine of ultimate success. If the gold is there, there is no reason why it should not be gotten out of the ground, for water is plentiful and easy of access. The indications are certainly good, and should the diggings prove rich, there would be a wonderful revolution in matters in Mendocino county.
Some platinum is said to exist in the black sand of the placer diggings, but probably not enough to ever pay for working.
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HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
MILLS AND MILLING.
PEOPLE who live in other sections of the United States and who have never visited the Pacific slope, have but a meagre conception of the great redwood forests of California, and even many of those who have had the good fortune to enjoy a tour through the State, generally glean but little knowledge of them. All tourists to California must, either perforce, or per- fashion, to coin a word, pay a visit to the "Big Trees of Calaveras," and what do they see? Great, mammoth trees to be sure, the equals of which are not to be seen in the world, but a visit to them can give the sight-seer no adequate idea of the real redwoods of the State. To one who reads a graphic description of those patriarchs of the forest there is conveyed, if not an idea of improbability, at least, if he be an utilitarian, an idea of non-utility. He can see at a glance that such trees are too large to work to any advantage, and also, that when worked into lumber, the grain is so coarse that it would be useless. But it must be borne in mind that these gigantic redwoods of Calaveras do not form any considerable portion of the forests of California, but are only an isolated exception to the general rule. In ordinary descriptive articles on the redwoods of California the "big trees " are brought prominently to the front, while the real forests from which the lumber supply of the State is obtained are only mentioned incidentally.
A glance at the map of California will discover a small inlet about fifty miles to the northward of San Francisco known as Bodega bay. It is at this point that the redwood belt, on the coast north of San Francisco begins. South of that there are no forests at all at the present time, they having been cut out years ago, and but few scattering trees till you go south of San Francisco. This tree seems to flourish only under certain peculiar circum- stances. There are several different varieties all of which thrive under different conditions. The "Big Trees " have flourished above the chiefs of their congeners in other sections of the State. Where they have grown the fogs of the sea have never reached, at least in these latter days, but it is hard to tell, now, what was the geological conformation of the Pacific coast region in the long, long ago days of their early treehood. They are located also far above the level of the sea, and the snows of all these many years have rested, oftentimes very heavily, upon their lofty heads and wide-spreading boughs. Along the coast the case is far different. Here the season is ever vernal, and snow is to them unknown. Those thrive best which grow nearest the
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sea level, and above all those are the grandest which have spent their days in some spot where the dense fogs of the old Pacific have swept in among their boughs from 4 o'clock in the afternoon till 9 in the morning, for at least nine months of the year. The great reason for this is not alone that the moisture of the fog does, in a measure, vivify the trees by coming in contact with the foliage, but it is mainly due to the fact that their leaves possess a peculiar power whereby the moisture is condensed and the water precipitated at the roots of the tree, where it sinks into the ground, comes in contact with the roots and answers every purpose of irrigation. Indeed these trees are called self-irrigators, and where a cluster of them stand together enough water will be thus precipitated to cause the ground to be very muddy and soft for several feet outside of the area covered by the umbrage of the trees. These trees do not grow at any great height above the sea level at any place, even in the interior, preferring the low valleys to even the hills, and as one proceeds up the mountain side he soon discovers the ranks of redwoods to be growing thinner and other trees coming in to fill their places. Passing up the coast from the lower line of Sonoma county, the traveler comes suddenly and unannounced upon the redwood belt. He travels along amid low, rolling hills, innocent of even a manzanita or chem- issal shrub. Presently the hills increase in magnitude and in the distance there is here and there a prominent peak suggesting that a small mountain range may be near at hand. At last the summit of one of these peaks is reached, known locally as Buena Vista, and looking northward, across the valley, the first glimpse of the redwoods is had. Strange to say there are no straggling trees standing like sentries in advance of the main army, but they present a solid phalanx. Just at the brow of the hill the first ranks have taken their stand. On the south side of the hill it is as barren as those we have just passed, and on the north side the forest is as heavy as it is in the very heart of the belt.
It was in this immediate vicinity that the pioneer milling of California was done. The lumber used in the country previous to 1843, had mostly come from the Sandwich Islands. Some little of it had come around the Horn in trading vessels, and a small amount had been sawed in California with whip or pit-saws. It was worth in those days from $300 to $600 per thousand. A man by the name of James Dawson was probably the first one to manufac- ture lumber with a pit-saw in Sonoma county. This was probably in 1838. In the olden days, probably in 1840, certainly not later than 1841, a man by the naine of Stephen Smith, master of a bark called the George and Henry, came to this coast on a trading expedition .. He hailed from Baltimore, Mary- land, of which place he was a native, and brought with him a cargo of sugar, syrup, tobacco, cotton and other cloths, besides whatever else would find ready sale in the California market at that time, taking in exchange therefor a cargo of hides, horns and tallow. In his cruise at this time, he paid a
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HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
visit to Bodega bay, and went ashore and visited the entire section of country surrounding it. Here he saw the giant redwoods growing in rank profusion and recognized the fact that in them was the lumber which generations yet unborn would use in the construction of their buildings. Being a shrewd, far-seeing man, it did not take him long to see that here was a chance for a fortune. Here the trees grew in abundance within six miles of a harbor which afforded safe and ample anchorage at all seasons of the year and which was within less than twenty-four hours sail of San Francisco. If it would pay to bring lumber from the far away islands, and around the Horn, how much more would it profit to produce it so near the market! He also con- ceived the idea of constructing a grist-mill in connection with his saw-mill. With his head full of his great project he hied himself away to the Atlantic sea-board, and, disposing of his eargo of hides, etc., he took on board a full and complete outfit for a steam saw and grist-mill. He then set sail for California. On his way out he stopped at Pieta, Peru, where he was united in marriage with Donna Manuella Torres, a lady of remarkable refinement and intellect. Captain Smith was at that time sixty-one years of age, but hale and hearty, and as robust as he was at forty. The Donna had seen but sixteen summers, however. At different places he had picked up a crew of men whom he expected would be able to take charge of the mill, such as an engineer, carpenters, etc. In Baltimore he engaged the services of one Henry Hagler as ship's carpenter and mill-wright; while at Pieta he engaged Wil- liam Streeter as engineer of his mill. At Valparaiso he hired David D. Dut- ton, now of Vacaville, Solano county, as a mechanic. At other places he hired Philip Crawley and a man named Bridges. On the way up from Monterey, and while in San Francisco, he hired Jame; Hudspeth, now of Green Valley, Sonoma county, Alexander Copeland and John Daubinbiss of Santa Cruz county, and Nathan Coombs, deceased, lately of Napa county. In April, 1843, the ship cast anchor in the bay of Monterey. He did not reach Bodega tili September of that year. He set about at once to construct his mill.
We will now take a glance at this pioneer steam grist and saw-mill during its construction, that we may get a clear idea of its machinery and capac- ities. It was situated at the foot of a hill, on the brow of which grew the very initial ranks of the redwoods. An excavation about five feet deep and thirty by fifty feet was made. In the bottom of this a well was dug for the purpose of furnishing the water supply to the boilers. These boilers were three in number and of the most simple pattern known. They were thirty-six feet in length, and two and one-half feet in diameter. They were single-flue boilers, having each three openings at one end, viz. : one near the bottom through which the water entered; one near the top, through which the steam passed on its way to the engine, and the large man-hole at the center, which was securely fastened with bolts, nuts and packing. These three boilers were arranged in a row, with a furnace of masonry around
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them, the fire being built under, not in them, and the heat passed under, not through them, as at the present time. The engine used was one of the low- pressure stationary affairs, common forty years ago. The mill contained one run of buhrs, with a probable capacity of ten barrels per day. These buhrs were very peculiar in their composition, being formed of small pieces of granite firmly united with a very tenacious cement. The saw was what is known among mill-men as a sash-saw, i. e., one operated in a perpendic- ular position, similar to what they now call a muley-saw. It did not do the work nearly so fast as a circular saw, but it was far ahead of the old pit- saw, or those operated by either wind or water-power. The other necessary appliances, such as log-carriages, flour-bolts, etc., were all in good shape, and as far as it went, and for its capacity, the mill was complete in every respect. As stated above, it was located at the foot of a hill, on the brow of which the trees grew. The logs were cut and then rolled down the hill to the mill. This mode of conveying the logs to the mill was adhered to as long as Captain Smith had possession of it. Upon the completion of the mill, and when it was found that all its machinery worked perfectly, invitations to come and witness its operations were extended to all the people in the entire region round about. Upon the day set, men of every nationality were there to see the marvelous machinery put in motion. Few, if, indeed, any, of that motley crowd had ever seen an engine at work before, and to see one was the crowning event of their lives. Let us contemplate that throng for a moment. Here we see the ranchero with his broad sombrero over- shadowing him completely, his red bandana 'kerchief tied loosely about his neck, his bosom and arms bared to the sun, his broad-checked pantaloons showing out in bold relief, mounted on a fiery, half-tamed caballo de silla. By his side, and mounted on just as wild a steed, is the caquero, with som- brero for head, 'kerchief for neck, serape thrown loosely about his shoulders, his horse caparisoned as befitting a man in his position, his long lariata hanging in graceful coils from his saddle-horn, with mammoth spurs dangling from his heels, the bells of which chime harmoniously with the mellifluous hum of the babel of tongues, and the size and length of whose rowels served to designate the wearer's standing in the community. Then there was the old-time soldier, with a dress-parade air about his every look and action ; and the grant-holders were there, and the alcaldes, and all the other dignitaries within reach of the invitation. It was a grand holiday occasion for all-a day of sight-seeing not soon to be forgotten.
Everything being in readiness, the hopper is filled with wheat brought from a neighboring ranch. The steam is turned slowly on, and the ponder- ous fly-wheel commences to revolve. The entire mass of machinery begins to vibrate with the power imparted to it by the mighty agent curbed and bound in the iron boilers. All is motion, and the whir of machinery is added to the hum of the conversation, while, amid exclamations of surprise
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HISTORY OF MENDCCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
and delight, the grain is sent through the swirling buhrs, thence into the bolts, and at length .is reproduced before their wondering gaze as flor de harina-fine white flour. Then a monster redwood log is placed upon the carriage and the saw put in motion. Slowly but surely it whips its way through it, and the outside slab is thrown aside. The log is passed back, and again approaches the saw. This time a beautiful plank is produced. Again and again is this operation repeated, until, in a marvelously short time, the entire log is reduced to lumber of different widths and thicknesses. While this is being done, and admired by those present, the first grist of flour has been sent to the house of the mill-owner, near by, and converted into bread. A beeve has been slaughtered, abundance of venison is at hand, and a sumptuous repast has been prepared, to which now all present betake themselves. After the feast come the toasts. The health and prosperity of the enterprising American host was drank in many an over- flowing bumper. After-dinner speeches were indulged in, and General Mari- ana Guadelupe Vallejo being there, and being the head and front of all the . Mexican and native Californian element of that section, was called upon for a speech. He arose and remarked that there were those present who would see more steam-engines in the beautiful and fertile valleys of California than there were soldiers. Surely he was endowed with a spirit of prophecy, and he has had the pleasure of seeing his prediction more than verified.
And thus was the first steam saw-mill in California set in motion. Years have come and gone since then, and many changes have occurred in their round. These changes and impr vements will be noticed further on when we come to describe a saw-mill as seen at the present time. A farewell glance at the site of the pioneer mill, and we will pass on. In 1854 the mill was destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt, as its projector and sustainer, Captain Smith, was soon after called to pass the dark river of death. The visitor of to-day at the old mill-site, finds the excavation and the well in it; two of the old boilers lie mouldering and rusting on the ground in the exca- vation, while at the end of the boiler lies one of the buhrs, slowly but surely crumbling back to Mother Earth, time and weather having worn great holes in it, and the surface that was once able to withstand the steeled edge of the millwright's pick, is now as soft as sandstone. Curiosity-seekers are ever and anon taking pieces of the granite and cement, and soon all traces of it will be gone. On the bank lies the smoke-stack, while here and there stands a post used in the foundation. Near by a few logs, which were brought to the mill thirty years ago, lie where they were placed in that long ago time, mute reminders of what was and what is-links uniting the strange, histor- ical past with the living present.
Since the days of this pioneer mill a mighty change has occurred in the style of lumbering and the general economy of milling. The logs are no longer rolled down hill to the mill ; the sash-saw has long since been sup-
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planted by the double-circular ; the capacity of the mills has been increased many fold. A fair criterion of this increase is to be found in the Mendocino City mill, one of the best in that section. In 1852 the capacity of the mill was only fifteen thousand feet daily. The capacity of the mill has since been increased to fifty-five thousand feet daily, which is probably equal to any in the county.
Gang-saws are not used in any of the mills in this section, which accounts for the small capacity of the mills here, as compared with those in Michigan or Minnesota. The machinery of these mills ordinarily consists of a muley-saw, used for splitting logs which are too large for the double- circular saw, and capable of cutting a log eight feet in diameter; one pair of double-circular saws, each sixty inches in diameter ; one pony-saw (single- circular), forty inches in diameter, used for ripping the lumber into smaller pieces ; planing-machines, picket-headers, shingle-machines, edgers, jointers, tongue-and-groove machines, trimmers, lath-saws, and all the other appli- ances necessary for preparing lumber for the market.
We will now give the modus operandi of converting a monster redwood log into lumber as we saw it done at one of these mills. We will begin with the tree as it stands on the mountain side in its native forest. The woods- man chooses his tree, and then proceeds to erect a scaffold around it that will elevate him to such a height as he may decide upon cutting the stump. Many of the trees have been burned about the roots, or have grown ill- shaped for some distance from the ground, so that it is often necessary to build a scaffold from ten to twenty feet high. This scaffold, by the way, is an ingenious contrivance. Notches are cut in the tree, at the proper height, deep enough for the end of a cross-beam to rest in securely. One end of the cross-beam is then inserted into the notch, and the other is placed on the end of an upright post driven in the ground a proper distance from the tree. Loose boards are then laid upon these cross-beams, and the scaffold is com- plete. The work of felling the tree then begins. If the tree is above four feet in diameter an ax with an extra long helve is used, when one man works alone. But the usual method is for two men to work on the same side of the tree at once, one chopping right-handed and the other left-handed. When the tree is once down, it is carefully trimmed up as far as it will make saw-logs. A cross-cut saw is now brought into requisition, which is bere always plied by one man only, even in the largest logs, and the tree is cut into the required lengths. The logs are then stripped of their bark, which process is often accomplished by burning it off. It is now ready to be drawn to the dump, as the loading place is called. For this purpose large ox-teams are used, three or four yoke of oxen being often required to draw the log along. The chain by which it is drawn is divided into two parts near its end, and on the end of each part there is a nearly right-angled hook. One of these hooks is driven into either side of the log, well down on the under
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HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
side and near the end next to the team, and then, with many a surge and "whoa, haw!" and an occasional (?) oath, the log is gotten under way and drawn out upon a beaten trail, and thence to the dump. The logs are dragged along npon the ground in this transition, and if there is any up- hill or otherwise rough ground to pass over. the trail is frequently wet with water, so that the logs may slide along the more easily. Once at the loading place the hooks of the chain are withdrawn, and the oxen move slowly off to the woods again for another log. The log-train has just come up, and our log, a great eight-foot fellow, is carefully loaded upon the cars, with others which make up the train-loadl, and we are off for the mill. As we go along the track on this novel train let us examine it more closely, for at first glance we observe that it is not just like any railroad we ever saw before. We find that the road-bed has been carefully graded, cuts made when neces- sary, fills made where practicable, and trestle-work constructed where needed. On the ground are laid heavy cross-ties, and on these the rails, which are the same as in use on all railroads-the ordinary "T" rail. The two rails are five feet and eight inches apart, and the entire length of the railroad is five miles. We now come to the queer little train which runs upon this track. The cars are strongly-constructed flats, made nearly square, each having four wheels under it. They are so arranged that by fastening them together a combination car of any desired length can be formed. And lastly, but by no means least, we come to the peculiarly con- structed piece of machinery which affords the motor power on this railroad, and which they call a dummy. This locomotive-boiler, tender and ail- stands upon fonr wheels, each about two-and-a-half feet in diameter. These wheels are connected together on each side by a shaft. On the axle of the front pair of wheels is placed a large cog-wheel, into which a small cog- wheel works, which is on the shaft connected with the engines. There is an engine on each side of the boiler, and there is a reverse-lever, so that the dummy can be run either way. By this cog-wheel combination great power is gained, but not so much can be said for its speed, though a maximum of ten miles an hour can be attained.
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