USA > California > Mendocino County > History of Mendocino County, California : comprising its geography, geology, topography, climatography, springs and timber > Part 25
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GENERAL HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT.
The question which has occupied historians for many years, and wbich has been asserted by them with didactic force, is that the inlet then visited by Drake is the Bay of San Francisco. This statement of the earlier his- toriographer was first refuted by the Baron Von Humboldt, who maintained that the harbor then visited by Drake was called by the Spaniards, " Puerto de Bodega," yet how it could have borne this name then is hard to realize, seeing that it was not until nearly two centuries thereafter (in 1775) that the port was visited by Lieutenant Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, who named the place after himself.
But why go searching up and down the coast trying to locate the place either in latitude thirty-seven degrees, fifty-nine minutes, or in thirty-eight degrees, ten minutes, when there is a bay which answers all the requirements of the description given of it, located " within thirty-eight degrees towards the line?" In the bay which lies in the curve in the coast under the lee of Point Reyes, and which is marked on the modern maps as Drake's bay, . is to be found that place. The latitude given by the United States Govern- ment for the light-house located on the extreme south-western pitch of Point Reyes is 37°, 59', 36", which corresponds with the figures taken from the log-book of the Golden Hind to within sixteen seconds, which is quite close enough for a calculation made by "those early navigators with their comparatively rude instruments." But is it not reasonable to suppose that a man who had followed the sea the major portion of his life-time, and was at present sailing where no man had ever been before, and who, at that time had his head full of a project to circumnavigate the world, would be able to take an observation and come within a small fraction of seconds of his exact latitude? It would seem to be presuming very much upon his ignorance to think otherwise.
Having established the fact that there is a bay in the very identical lati- tude named in Drake's chart as the place where he landed, let us look still further into the matter and see what facts can be adduced to farther sub- stantiate the assertion that this bay fills all the requirements of the one described by Rev. Mr. Fletcher. First of all comes an old Indian legend, which came down through the Nicasios to the effect that Drake did land at this place. Although they have been an interior tribe ever since the occupation by the Spaniards, and doubtless were at that time, it still stands to reason that they would know all about the matter. If the ship remained in the bay for thirty-six days, it is reasonable to suppose that a knowledge of its presence reached every tribe of Indians within an area of one hundred miles, and that the major portion of them paid a visit to the bay to see the " envoys of the Great Spirit," as they regarded the white seamen. One of these Indians, named Theognis, who is reputed to have been one hundred and thirty-five years old when he made the statement, says that Drake presented the Indians with a dog, some young pigs, and seeds of several
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species of grain. Some biscuit were also given to them, which they planted, believing, in their simple ignorance, that they would spring to life and bear similar bread. The Indians also state that some of Drake's men deserted him here, and, making their way into the country, became amalgamated with the aboriginals to such an extent that all traces of them were lost, except possibly a few names which are to be found among the Indians, " Winnemucca," for instance, is a purely Celtic word, and the name " Nicasio," " Novato," and others are counterparts, with slight variations, of names of places in the island of Cyprus. There is also another tradition, which, if true, would put the matter of Drake's entrance into San Francisco bay for- ever at rest, which is to the effect that at the time of his visit to this coast, the Golden Gate was closed with a wall of adamantine rock, and was only opened some years later by a mighty earthquake. It is stated that the waters of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers passed to the ocean through the Pajaro valley previous to this eruption. There is a bare possi- bility of this being true, and if so the oft asked question, how could Drake sail so near to the great Golden Gate entrance and not discover it is readily answered. Of course all these traditions must be taken for what they are worth, but it does seem that they go to strengthen the idea that Drake landed at Point Reyes.
But there are facts which go to prove the case other than mere Indian legends. Titus Fey Cronise, in his admirable work entitled " The Natural Wealth of California," says: " It is clearly settled that the place where he (Drake) landed is near Point de los Reyes. The locality will probably be ever known hereafter as Drake's bay. The most conclusive argument that could be advanced to prove that he did not discover the Bay of San Fran- cisco is found in the name he gave the country-New Albion. There is nothing about the entrance to this bay to call up images of the 'white cliffs of old England,' so dear to the hearts of the mariners of that country. Its beetling rocks, which must have been additionally dark and dreary at the season of the year when the great navigator saw them-neither green with the verdure of spring, nor russet by the summer's heat; while near Point de los Reyes there is sufficient whiteness about the cliffs which skirt the shore to attract attention, and as it is 'out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh,' the ' bold Briton,' longing for home, may have pictured to his ' mind's eye' some resemblance to Old Albion. Besides, Drake lay thirty- six days at anchor, which it would have been impossible for so experienced a sailor to have done, had it been in our glorious bay, without being im- pressed with its great importance as a harbor, on a coast so destitute of such advantages as this; but he makes no allusion to any feature traceable in our bay. He never had the honor of seeing it." In this connection it may be further stated that the headland forming the point is composed of granite, which may have presented, at that time, a white or greyish color, and this
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appearance is still perceptible at certain angles of the sun's rays. It is urged that the bay at Point Reyes would afford no shelter from a south-east storm, and hence could not be the " good harbor " spoken of by Drake's chronicler; but it must be remembered that he was there in the month of June, and that at that time of the year all the winds are from the north-west, and no more secure anchorage from winds from that direction can be found along the coast than is to be had under the lee of Punta de los Reyes.
Summed up then the matter stands as follows: Favoring the idea that Drake's and San Francisco bay are one is a general sweeping statement, based upon no proofs, and only attempted to be sustained by those who dis- like to acknowledge that the best harbor along the whole coast line was the last one to be discovered, or who wish to give to England's navigator the honor of the discovery. On the other hand, pointing to what is now known as Drake's bay as the place, stands, firstly, the indisputable evidence of the log-book and chart made by Drake himself, which locates the place to within sixteen seconds, or within one-fourth of a mile; secondly, the traditions among the people with whom he met while here, and thirdly, all that can be said in favor of the bay of San Francisco can be as justly and truthfully said of Drake's bay. Therefore, it seems reasonable to conclude from the evidence adduced that to the present Drake's bay belongs the honor of being the one in which that famous navigator spent his time while ashore in Cali- fornia.
On the 22d of July, after having repaired his ship and doubtless taken on board a goodly supply of fresh meat and water, Drake set sail for England. going by way of the Cape of Good Hope, and arriving in Plymouth, Novem- ber 3, 1580, being gone about two years and ten months. He was the first Englishman who circumnavigated the globe, and was the first man who ever made the entire voyage in the same vessel. He was graciously received by the Queen (Elizabeth) and knighted. She also gave orders for the pres- ervation of his ship, the Golden Hind, that it might remain a monument to his own and his country's glory. At the end of a century it had to be broken up, owing to decay. Of the sound timber a chair was made, which was presented by Charles II. to the Oxford University. Sir Francis Drake died on board ship, at Nombre de Dios, in the West Indies, January 28, 1595.
But there is quite an amount of historical interest attached to this bay aside from the fact that it was the locale of Drake's sojourn, and we append the following more on account of this peculiar interest, than from the fact that they refer to, or have any direct relation with Mendocino county. In 1595, Sebastian Cermenon, while on a voyage from Manilla to Acapulco, was wrecked near Punta de los Reyes. This was doubtless the first ship- wreck which ever occurred on the California coast. Nothing is known of the fate of the crew, but evidently they, or a portion of them at least, reached Acapulco or some other Spanish sea-port and reported the wreck.
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In 1602, General Sebastian Viscaiño, under orders from Philip III. of Spain, made an exploration of the coast of Upper California, in the course of which he discovered the harbor of San Diego on the 10th of November. After remaining a few days he proceeded to the north, and on December 16th dis- covered the Bay of Monterey, which he named in honor of Gaspar de Zun- niga, Count de Monte Rey, the then Viceroy of Mexico. It was at first called the Port of Pines. We now come to a very peculiar entry in his diary, or log-book, which is as follows: " In twelve days after leaving Monterey, a favorable wind carried the ship past the port of San Francisco, but she afterwards put back into the port of Francisco." At a first glance this would seem to point to the present bay of that name, and would seem to rob Governor Portala and his band of adventurers of the honor of either discovering or naming the bay; and instead of its being named after the Jesuitic patron saint in 1769, it was known by that name more than a cen- tury and a half previous. But let us peruse this diary still further. Taking up the thread where it was dropped above, it states : "She anchored Jan- uary 7, 1603, behind a point of land called Punta de los Reyes, where there was a wreck." This, then, establishes the exact location of the " port of San Francisco " mentioned above, which is the same as that of the present Drake's bay, and was doubtless one and the same, for the wreck which he saw could have been none other than that of the ship lost by Sebastian Cer- menon in 1595, " near Punta de los Reyes," But there is still other evi- dence that Drake's bay and the " port of San Francisco " are the same. A map was published in Europe in 1545, three years after the voyage of Rod- riguez Cabrillo, in which a San Francisco bay is mentioned, and also the Farralones, which islands were named by Cabrillo after his pilot, Farralo. Now, it is well known that this famous navigator did not enter the present Bay of San Francisco ; therefore, if the Bay of San Francisco and the Far- ralone islands are marked on this map as conterminous, it is more than reasonable to conclude that the bay referred to is none other than the pres- ent Drake's bay, which opens out directly towards the Farralones, and it is quite probable that Cabrillo himself gave the name of San Francisco to it." There is also a work extant, written by Cabrera Bueno, and published in Spain in 1734, which contains instructions to navigators for reaching the " Punta de los Reyes, and entering the port of San Francisco." This would go to show that the two places were contiguous, and it is more than likely that these "instructions" were compiled from the map mentioned above and similar ones, on all of which the port of San Francisco was marked, " behind a point of land called Punta de los Reyes." It may be further stated, that the Russian navigators recognized the " port of San Francisco " to be sepa- rate and distinct from the present Bay of San Francisco ; for when, in 1812 Baranoff, chief agent of the Russian-American fur company, asked permission from the Governor of California to erect a few houses and leave a few men
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at Bodega bay, he designated that place as "a little north of the port of San Francisco." San Francisco bay had been visited before that by the Rus- sians, and was known to be nearly sixty miles from Bodega bay ; hence, we must conclude that they recognized some place quite near to the latter place as the " port of San Francisco," which place could be none other than that laid down on the charts spoken of above, which has been proven con- clusively to be the Drake's bay of to-day.
There are several accounts as to how the headland came to be christened Punta de los Reyes, one of which is to the effect that it being the boldest and most prominent point met with from Point Conception to Cape Mendocino, was called the King of the Points; but the construction of the name does not bear that version out. Its name, literally translated, is the "Point of the King," It is also stated, that in sailing by the headland, just from the proper point of view, a throne may be seen in the granite cliffs, with a king seated upon it; hence, the title, Point of the King. This name was con- ferred upon the point by General Sebastian Viscaiño in 1602, who, it will be remembered, was driven past the point by a south-eastern wind, and after- wards turned about and anchored behind the point of land in Drake's bay. Hence, it would seem very probable that as they passed the point they ob- served this striking resemblance in the cliffs, and at once christened it " Punta de los Reyes."
On September 17, 1776, the presidio and mission of San Francisco were founded on what was then the extreme boundary of California, the former in a manner being a frontier command, having a jurisdiction which ex- tended to the furthest limit northwards of Spanish discovery. How the arts and sciences have bridged time! What do these comparatively few years in a nation's life show? They speak for themselves! San Francisco to-day is a marvel! Short though her life has been, she has worked won- ders; to-day she is the center of civilization as regards the western portion of this vast continent ; she is the heart which sends pulsations through the different commercial arteries of the coast; the throbbings of her veins are felt from Behring's straits to those of Magellan; across the oceans the influ- ence of her system is known, while at home she is looked up to as the youth is whose care in the future will be the old, the sick and the maimed.
And thus we find ourselves, in the first days of the Spanish regime, which was destined to play such an important part in the history of our fair State. After establishing the presidio at San Francisco, they began to advance to the northward still, step by step, establishing missions at San Rafael, Sonoma, and attempting to locate a colony near where Healdsburg now stands. As the entire section of country embraced between the Sacramento river and the Pacific ocean and lying north of the bay, was considered and designated as one district-Sonoma-by the Spanish and Mexicans, the following history of the first house built in the district will not be without interest.
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HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
To go back to the building of the first house in this section would bring us down several years into the last century. The old settlers who have passed along the road from San Rafael to Petaluma, will remember the old adobe house which stood just at the south-east corner of the house now occupied by Dr. Burdell on the Olompali ranch. This house and the one in which the Doctor resides at the present time, have stood there so long that the "memory of man runneth not to the contrary." It is to be presumed that the first mentioned of these buildings was erected prior to the second, from the fact of its decay. An Indian legend which still clings about the place, coming down through the generations of aboriginals, who have long since shuffled this mortal coil and passed to the happy hunting grounds of "Gitchie Manito," to the early Spanish dwellers in the land, and from them to the present generation, relates that in the long, long ago there was a great and powerful tribe of Indians who dwelt at this place, known as the Olompali. Here a beautiful stream of living water burst as it were from the hill-sides and went dashing down the valley, across the level plain skirting the bay, and lost itself in the ceaseless ebb and flow of the tide upon the sandy beach. This was before the days of salt marshes around the head of San Pablo bay; and the sparkling, rippling wavelets of that " Gitchie Gumme" danced in merry glee over its smooth surface and were at last stranded on the beach of glittering sands which begirt the shore. On the banks of this stream there were immense " kjöokkenmöddings," or shell deposits, covering an area of several acres, and having an unknown depth, which would indicate that these people have lived here from time immemorial. In the depths of these shell mounds are found stone implements of a character unknown to the later generation of aboriginals. Stone calumets have been found there, and it has also been noticed that there are three distinct styles of arrow heads buried in these shell mounds, varying according to the depth at which they are deposited. Hence it may be reasonably inferred that this place was the camping ground of a people which far ante- dates the California Indian. Who that people was or what they were like is not the object of this sketch. The legend above referred to relates still further that about the time of the erection of the mission at San Francisco, a party of Spaniards crossed the straits at what is now known as Lime Point and traveled northward. It was late in the season and they found no streams of running water until they arrived at Olompali. Here they were kindly received by the natives, and all their wants supplied as far as it lay in their hands to do so. The party was so well entertained that the leaders decided to remain there for a fortnight and recruit their horses, and get thoroughly rested preparatory to proceeding on their arduous journey; and in return for the kindness received, they taught the Indians how to make adobe brick and construct a house. Let us see now how fully this legend is sustained by facts mentioned in history. The party sent out to
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establish the mission at San Francisco arrived at that place June 27, 1776. There was a store-ship containing supplies dispatched so as to arrive in the bay about the same time, but adverse winds delayed it for a protracted period. At length the party decided to construct a presidio pending the arrival of the vessel, which seemed essential to the establishment of the mission. On the 18th of August the store-ship sailed into the harbor, and the mission was dedicated October 9th of that year. Father Gleeson, in his " History of the Catholic Church in California," says: " While waiting for the arrival of the vessel with the stores, they occupied themselves in examining the bay and visiting the natives at their respective rancherias, by whom they were favorably received." After the arrival of the vessel another short delay occurred, of which he says: "This interval they employed in surveying the harbor, which resulted in the knowledge of there being no outlet, except that by which they entered." Father Palou, the chronicler of Father Junipera Serra, and the first historian of California, says: " After the presidio and before the mission was established (in San Francisco), an exploration of the interior was organized, as usual, by sea (the bay) and land." It will be seen by the above, which is authority that is perfectly reliable, that an expedition was sent out by sea and land from San Fran- cisco at the time of the locating of the mission and presidio there, and that they visited the rancherias of the natives in the interior, all of which not only goes to corroborate the statements made by the Indians, but fixes the fact beyond a doubt; hence we may reasonably conclude that, if the truth of the legend has been so far established as to prove that a visit was made them at this time by the Spaniards, then the remainder of it is true con- cerning the instructions given in the art of brick-making and house-building.
The older of these two adobe houses was sixteen by twenty, with walls eight feet high and three feet thick, covered with a thatched roof made of tules through the center of which there was a hole for the egress of smoke, and containing only one room. It was evidently built by the father of Camillo Ynitia, the last chief of the tribe. The second house was much larger, being twenty-four by fifty-six outside, and containing three rooms; and, from the fact of its well-preserved condition, it is quite probable that it was constructed at a much more recent date; and, probably, by Camillo Ynitia himself. The inner sides of the walls of the small house were completely covered with soot, indicating that it had, probably, been used for cooking purposes during all the years that followed the completion of the larger one, while the latter had been used chiefly as a house to live in. When the old house was torn down the brick, from the very heart of the wall, on being subjected to a few showers of rain sprang into life, as it were, with a heavy and luxuriant growth of filaree grass, wild oats, and burr-clover. This would seem to go to disprove the very prevalent belief that wild oats are the offspring of tame stock brought here by the mission fathers ; for it
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is evident that the country was well seeded with them, else they would not have been so largely incorporated in those brick ; and, moreover, the straw used in their manufacture was wild oat straw, therefore, if the wild oat is not an indigenous plant we will have to look to some source far anterior to the missions for its introduction. Might it not have been included in the domestic seeds given the natives by Sir Francis Drake some three hundred years ago? It would seem quite probable.
Between the time of the tour of discovery around the head of the bay narrated above and the formation of any settlements by the Spaniards in the District of Sonoma, the Russians effected an entrance to the bay now known as Bodega, in Sonoma county, and established a settlement there. This was in 1811, and by the time that the Spaniards had formed the mission at Sonoma, this colony had increased very much in numbers. It was an offshoot from the Alaskan fur colony of that nation; and the prime object of locating here was to prosecute that industry in the mountains and along the streams of California, hence it is naturally to be inferred that they made incursions into all the adjacent country ; and the territory now known as Mendocino county was, propably, entirely overrun by them. This is more than probably the case after the location of the Russian head-quarters at what is now known as Fort Ross, which lies only a few miles south of the Gualala river. It is not known now that they ever had a settlement in this territory, but that they built huts and spent seasons here, is more then probable; and, therefore, to them may be ascribed the honor of being the first people of any nationality to come among the aboriginals of Mendocino county.
The mission of San Francisco Solano was established at Sonoma, August 25, 1823, and it was made the head-quarters of the Department of Upper California in 1835, with General M. G. Vallejo as commandant, but it was at least ten years later, and presumably more, before the first Spanish settler located in what is now called Mendocino county. To Señor Fernando Feliz belongs this distinction, he having received a grant in the Russian river valley from the Mexican Government as early as 1844. He built an adobe house of goodly proportions, just south of the present site of the town of Hopland, and there he lived that easy, almost Utopian sort of a life so common in that day. That our readers may have a proper idea of what manner of a life these old Spanish rancheros led, we will give a description of an estab- lecimiento: In front of the house was a court-yard of considerable extent, a part of which was sheltered by a porch; here, when the vaqueros had nothing to call them to the field they would pass the day, looking like retainers on a rude court; a dozen or more wild, vicious looking horses, with wooden saddles on their backs, stood ever ready for work, while, lounging about, the vaqueros smoked, played the guitar or twisted a new riata of hide or horse-hair. When the sun gets lower they go to sleep in the shade, while the little horses that remain in the sunshine do the same, apparently,
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