USA > California > Mendocino County > History of Mendocino County, California : comprising its geography, geology, topography, climatography, springs and timber > Part 28
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242
HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
passionless, indiscourageable rule. The tragic close of his life added a new element, and set him in a character only the more sublime, because it was original and quite unmatched in history. The great name now of Abraham Lincoln emerges complete a power of blessing on mankind, and a bond of homage in the feeling of his country forever. Second to none in glory or greatness, worthy to be set forth in letters of living light beside that other name we all love, honor and cherish. Let it so be then-
WASHINGTON, OUR COUNTRY'S FATHER,
LINCOLN, OUR COUNTRY'S SAVIOR.
"Lincoln! when men would name a man, Just, unperturbed and magnanimous, Tried in the lowest seat of all, Tried in the chief seat of the house --
Lincoln! when men would name a min Who wronght the great work of the age,
Who fought, and fought the noblest fight, And marshalled it from stage to stage.
Victorions, out of dusk and dark, And into dawn, and on till day,
Most humble when the peans rang, Least rigid when the enemy lay
Prostrated for the feet to tread -- The name of Lincoln will we name,
A name revered, a name of scorn, No, not of scorn, but of fame.
Lincoln! the name that freed the slave, Lincoln! whom never self-enticed; Slain Lincoln, worthy found to die A soldier of the Captain, Christ."
On the night of June 14th of this year, the books of the County Treas- urer were stolen, and the next morning, their burned and charred remains were found within four hundred yards of the Court-house. No reason could be assigned at the time for this peculiar freak of burglary, except that the books were being overhauled by a committee appointed by the Board of Supervisors.
In June, 1865, Company E. Second Regular California Volunteers was mustercd out of service.
In this year the sum of $3,569.72 was paid into the State Treasury by the Treasurer of Mendocino county.
In those early days, the rulings and doings of some of the Justices of the Peace were certainly quaint and unique. For instance, in November, 1865, while a case was being tried before a Justice in Calpella township in a bar-room, the Court and spectators were amused and astonished by the abrupt and noisy
243
GENERAL HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT.
entrance of an honest and unsuspecting Dutchman, who inquired of "Jim " (his Honor on the bench) if he had any vegetables to sell. On receiving a negative answer, the Teuton turned away as abruptly as he had entered, thereupon the officer in attendance approached the court and asked whether " that fellow hadn't ought to be brought up for contempt?" The Court thought he had, whereupon the offender was followed, and brought back a prisoner. One of the counsel present advocated his conviction, while two others argued for his acquittal. He was adjudged guilty, but the Magistrate moved by a kindly spirit, only sentenced him to treat the crowd, and then took a recess that he might himself attend the bar, and the offender paid his fine.
Among other queer doings which are reported to have transpired in those primitive courts, the following are the brightest. A Justice of the Peace once sentenced a man to a term in the State's prison, and the constable of the township had proceeded as far as Cloverdale with his prisoner, before he became aware that he had no authority to keep the man in his charge or commit him to prison. Among the very first Justices appointed for Mendo- cino county, before it was disassociated from Sonoma, was a man named Taylor. He once fined a man for getting drunk, and the penalty was that the offender should split a thousand rails. It is said that the man did his work well, and that the rails served a good purpose in constructing cor- rals about Taylor's place. That same Taylor refused a letter at the office once because it was addressed Mr. Taylor, his excuse for the refusal being that Mr. spelled Mur, and that was not his name. His daughter happened to stand by, and proceeded to enlighten the old man, stating that the Mr. stood for Mister. When he realized that some one had conferred the dignity upon him of placing a " handle " before his name, he was more than delighted. But from that day on, he was called " Mur" Taylor, and will now go down to history by that name, as we know no other to give him.
Later-By referring to the official records of Sonoma county, we find that in 1856, one Simon Taylor was a Justice for one of the Mendocino townships, and it is quite probable that this is the man.
It is said that there was a Justice once in Anderson valley, who, upon a law- yer insinuating that the court was possessed of asinine properties to a great degree, arose in the midst of his deliberations of the case under considera- tion, and proceeded to chastise the offending attorney, and the matter was only quieted down and peace regained by a pleasant parry on the part of the lawyer and a call for drinks all around.
On the coast, there was a Justice who also had a bar, which by the way, seemed to be the rule in those days, and the sessions of the court were held in the bar-room. When a case was to be tried, he would draw a chalk line through the middle of the room parallel with the bar, and on one side of that line was the court-room, and on the other the bar, and during the ses-
244
HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
sions of the court, when a recess was had to take a little strenghtening soda water, he would allow no man to stand over the line of the court-room and drink. It is said that he was a man of sense and dignity, and maintained order and decorum during the sessions of his court.
But these curious proceedings were not at all confined to the pioneer days nor to primitive Justices. During the present year a case was called before, a Justice in which there were two plaintiffs and one defendant. During the trial a recess was taken, and the parties to the suit got into a general scrim- mage right in the court-room. The attention of the Justice and the constable was called to the fact that a fight was going on, and they rushed back to the scene of the encounter. but upon discovering that the defendant was getting the best of the matter single-handed against both of the plaintiffs they refused to interfere.
1866. February 15th, the safe of the County Treasurer, J. W. Morris, was broken into and the sum of $4,226.20 abstracted therefrom under the following circumstances : The County Treasurer, Mr. John W. Morris was sitting in his office reading, about 8 P. M., when the footsteps of two men were heard approaching along the hall. The parties stopped at his door and knocked, and he invited them in, thinking that they were some of his friends calling for a chat, as was frequently the case, as he spent most of his evenings in the office. The door opened and two masked men entered, locked the door behind them, seized, bound and gagged him, and then pro- ceeded to possess themselves of the keys to the safe, opening which they abstracted the money. They were not in the office more than five minutes and as they went out they put the key on the outside and locked the door. Mr. Morris managed to rid himself of the gag, and called for help, which, being heard by passers-by, they came to his assistance, and he was released from his fastenings. Immediate search was made for the robbers, but no trace could be found of them. Mr. Morris at once surrendered to his bondsmen property enough to more than cover the amount that was stolen if he or they should be called upon to repay the loss. The entire affair remains shrouded in a deep mystery to this day, and no trace whatever was ever found of the robbers.
In June of this year a petition was sent to the Indian Agent to have all the Indians in Potter valley moved to the reservation at Round valley. At that time the tribe numbered about two hundred, and the petitioners were prompted chiefly by the fact becoming apparent that the presence of the Indians produced a demoralizing effect upon the health and morals of the rising generation in that section.
In October of this year those parcels of land situated within the limits of the Yokayo grant, which had been located upon by parties who were unable to pay the grant owners for them, were sold at public auction.
The following statistics have been collated for the year 1866, and by
245
GENERAL HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT.
comparing them with those for 1880, which will be found further on, the material growth and progress of the county can be appreciated :-
Acres enclosed
84,000
" cultivated
15,000
¥ wheat. 6,500
Bushels
120,000
Acres barley
2,000
Bushels “
50,000
Acres oats
3,000
Bushels "
100,000
Acres corn
500
Bushels "
10,000
Acres peas.
100
Bushels “
2,200
Acres potatoes
300
Bushels
30,000
Acres hay
30,000
Tons
3,500
Pounds butter
5,000
Dozen eggs
4,500
Pounds wool
200,000
Apple trees
28,000
Peach
4,000
Pear
321
Plum 66
415
Cherry “
229
Almond “
45
Walnut “
75
Gooseberry bushes
1,517
Raspberry
„¢
365
Strawberry plants.
15,114
Newspapers (weekly)
2
American horses.
823
3,132
Mules
347
Asses
34
Cows.
12,074
Calves
6,580
Stock cattle
35,408
Beef
..
13,015
Oxen
823
Spanish farm horses
wild "
4,823
246
HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
Sheep 42,117
Hogs
38,999
Chickens
10,432
Turkeys.
895
Ducks
1,178
Geese
532
Bee-hives .
375
Cattle slaughtered
2,460
Hogs
2,164
Sheep
1,517
Grist-mills
8
f steam power
1
¿ run of stone
2
( water power
6
? run of stone.
8
Number of bushels ground
40,142
Saw-mills.
14
/ water
6
Lumber sawed (feet)
40,114,000
Shingles
1,105,400
Toll bridges.
2
Ferries
3
Assessed value of real estate
$276,031
improvements $225,100
personal property . $1,227,654
1867. May 10th, J. W. Morris, County Treasurer, paid into the treasury the sum of $4,796, this being the amount with certain other expenses added, that was stolen from the safe in the Treasurer's office.
1872. Nothing of special interest occurred until this year when the new Court-house was erected, which is a building that should be the pride of every citizen of Mendocino county; and too much cannot be said in com- mendation of the energy and enterprise displayed by those having it in charge.
1876. The Board of Supervisors established the following as the legal distances from Ukiah :-
20 miles.
Booneville
Christine 32
Hopland. 14
Whitehall 25
McDonalds
22
Comptche.
35
8
steam power
247
GENERAL HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT.
Usal
90 miles.
Pomo
18
Centerville
20
Glenmark.
35 66
Covello.
65
Calpella
6
Willits (Little Lake)
22
Sherwood
34
Cahto.
45
Blue Roek .
65
Big River (Mendocino City)
50
Caspar
55
66
Noyo
60
Kibesillalı
70
Little River
50
Albion
57
Nevarra
55
66
Cuffey's Cove.
60
Bridgeport
60
Manchester
50
Point Arena
50
Gualalla.
65
1877. In the first issue of the Ukiah City Press we find the following concerning Mendocino county in its editorial columns. After speaking of the cry of "hard times" that was going up on all sides at that time it says : " In our county we hear but little of this despondent cry only as it comes to us from other seetions. There is no necessity for it as we are blessed with an abundance to supply our needs. Grain and vegetables enough have been raised to meet all our wants, with a portion to spare other seetions. Our eornfields are waving in luxuriant green; the hop erop will be excellent, judging from present indieations; the stoek-raiser looks for a handsome remuneration for his hogs and cattle; the wool yield has been most gratifying to the sheep-raiser, and every vocation promises to make plethoric pockets. Besides being blest with everything to fill our granaries and our barns, and give us household comforts, we have a elimate that will bear comparison with any part of the State. When the thermometer registers from 90° to 100° it is not burdensome to pursue the usual vocations. We are almost strangers to sickness. From our mountain sides springs of purest water burst. There is nothing that we want that is Nature's office to supply. Our mountains, though not under cultivation, are as valuable as the best alluvial bottom-lands, being an excellent range for sheep; and, apart from their value as a range, millions of dollars await the woodsman's ax. We
248
HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
have forests of the finest redwood in the world, which are, already, at different points, being worked up into lumber. The buzz and whir of the saw and the pealing ring of the ax, are becoming the language of the forest- Here there is no necessity for idleness. The field of industry is open, and every man who is willing to work can make a living. The man who has a few thousand dollars, can nowhere find a more suitable place for investment, or where his little fortune will bring him a quicker return. Farmers, stock- raisers, or lumbermen cannot go amiss."
Following is the valuation of the property of Mendocino county for the year 1877, given by townships :--
Anderson
$345,620
Arena
769,208
Big River
1,516,943
Calpella
509,201
Little Lake
706,874
Round Valley
493,391
Sanel .
454,695
Ten-mile River
213,196
Ukiah
905,442
Unknown owners
99,422
Total
$6,006,792
Hop culture is one of the staple industries of Mendocino county, and a few observations concerning it will not be amiss in this place. Hop-vines are grown from roots which are set in rows seven feet apart, and as there is gender in them in its full sense, care must be taken to have a proper propor- tion of the roots of the masculine persuasion. 'Their proportion is about one of the male roots to six of the female each way; that is, in a square of seven there will be a male on each corner. Strange as it may seem, the practiced eye of the hop-grower can determine the male from the female roots. The vines do not produce much until the second year, and continue vigorous for a period of about ten years. The usual yield is from one thousand to two thousand pounds per year, averaging about fifteen hundred. When they are growing poles about ten feet high are placed in the ground beside each root, and these are often connected by small ropes, so that when the vines are full grown they often form a complete shade for the ground. When the time for picking the hops arrives, which is usuully in the month of August, the vines are clipped near the ground, and the hops stripped from them and carefully placed in large baskets. They are then taken to the drying-house, where they are placed in shallow trays and subjected to the heat of a furnace for about twelve hours. They are then pressed into bales which weigh about two hundred pounds each, and are then ready for mar-
Stickney
Ruel
249
GENERAL HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT.
keting. The hops grown in the Russian River valley are considered of an extra quality, and the prices realized by the producer ranges from twenty- five to fifty cents per pound, and it will thus be seen that an average yield at the lowest price mentioned will realize to the grower $375.00 an acre, and if he should happen to get the greatest yield and the highest price at the same time, he would realize the handsome sum of $1,000.00 per acre. Mr. L. F. Long, of Sanel township, was the first man to grow hops in Mendocino county, and he brought his first roots from Sacramento.
A recent number of the Scientific American gives a new process for cur- ing hops, and local growers will be interested. The method consists in sprinkling the hops with alcohol prior to packing, and then pressing them tightly into air-tight vessels. In time the alcohol combines with some of the constituents of the hops, and certain volatile ethers are thus formed. These possess a strong and peculiar fruity smell, but being very volatile, they are all dissipated during the boiling. Dr. Litner has experimented on these pre- served hops at Weihenstephan, and speaks well of them. He says that fine color is retained, and there is a full development of aroma. The fermenta- tion of worts made with these hops worked well, and the resulting beer had a fine bitter flavor. If the method of sprinkling with alcohol will stop the development of valerianic acid, which takes place in hops when stored in the usual manner, it ought to come into general use.
1878 .- The good people of Ukiah appreciate a joke as well as anybody, and during the election for delegates to the constitutional convention during this year, a very practical one was perpetrated, having, however, a slightly funeral tinge. During the day of election one of the tickets was placed upon a coffin-shaped board and fastened down with coffin screws and coffin handles were placed at the head and foot of the ticket. On the margin of the ticket, at the bottom, the following was written: "Procession will move at sundown, by order of the people;" and on the body of the ticket was a large index hand made with a blue pencil, pointing to the name of one of the prominent local candidates.
250
HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
MENDOCINO COUNTY AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION.
BEING in a manner so thoroughly isolated from the outside world, the people of Mendocino county have long felt the need and importance of an agricultural society of their own, but it was not until the fall of 1878 that the enterprise was fairly gotten under way. December 19th of that year the society was organized and incorporated. In the Articles of Incorporation the following are set forth as the objects of the society :--
Ist. To hold an annual fair and cattle show.
2d. To encourage the cultivation of the soil and the general development of all the resources of the county of Mendocino.
3d. To foster every branch of mechanical and household arts calculated to increase the happiness of home life.
4th. To extend and facilitate the various branches of mining and milling.
The society was incorporated for forty years, with a nominal capital stock of $10,000.00, of which amount $2,000 has been paid up. The face value of the stock was $5.00 per share. The society owns twenty acres of land lying in the heart of the beautiful valley of Little Lake, about one-half mile north of the town of Willitsville. This is enclosed with a close board fence, and has trees planted in the proper places over it, and is seeded down so that weeds find no encouragement to grow within its limits. There is an excel- lent track, an oblong circular course of one-half mile, and as the ground is as level as a floor a better track cannot be found in the State. There is an amphitheatre which is one hundred by thirty feet, and a pavilion which is one hundred by forty feet. Besides these buildings there are stock sheds which will accommodate one hundred head of stock, and stabling for fifty horses. The property consisting of the land and buildings have cost between $5,000 and $6,000, which leaves the society in debt somewhat, but the enter- prising citizens of Mendocino county will not allow that state of affairs to exist long. The society is the property of the whole county in a great measure, and every person should feel that he or she has a personal interest in its success and welfare. That all do take this deep interest in its pros- perity is best demonstrated by the fact that the first fair held was so well patronized by the citizens of the county, that there remained $150 in the hands of the treasurer after all expenses were paid. Such a hearty support from the people assurred the success of the enterprise, and evinced the fact that the action of the corporation met with their entire approval.
The officers of the society for 1878 were: President, B. G. Mast; Secretary,
251
MENDOCINO COUNTY AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION,
Joseph Kraker; Treasurer, H. Willits; Trustees, E. F. DeCamp, W. L. Brown, J. M. Standley, A. Rucker, O. C. Simonson, J. C. Thompson, D. Lambert, W. H. Young, and John A. Morgan.
The officers of the society for 1879 were: President, B. F. Coates; Secre- tary W. H Young; Treasurer, H. Willits; Trustees, E. F. DeCamp, J. M. Standley, P. T. Muir, A. Nelson Jr., R. Cave, W. L. Brown, B. B. Capell, B. G. Mast, H. Willits, W. H. Young, and B. F. Coates.
The officers for 1880 are as follows: President, O. C. Simonson ; Secretary. W. H. Young; Treasurer, H . Willits; Trustees, E. F. DeCamp, J. M. Stand- ley, P. T. Muir, A. Nelson Jr., B. B. Capell, O. C. Simonson, A. O. Carpenter, E. C. Buell, W. L. Brown and P. Upp.
At the inauguration of the exercises of the first fair given by the Mendo- cino County Agricultural Association, September 17, 1879, the following address was delivered by Honorable Thomas L. Corothers, which is so replete with information and true worth that we reproduce it in full :---
" Mr. President, and Ladies and Gentlemen: It is with pleasure that I appear here to-day to assist you in the inauguration of the Mendocino County Agricultural Association. As a citizen of Mendocino county, identified with its varicd interests, and its welfare and that of its people being my welfare, I should and do feel it an honor and a privilege to assist in my feeble manner in inaugurating a society that we all know will add so materially to the prosperity of our beautiful and famed county, and its peo- ple of all classes, callings, trades and professions.
" The experience of all people, and particularly those of California, has shown that nothing is so conductive to the prosperity of the masses as the holding of fairs at stated periods, when and where the products of the hus- bandman, the works of the artisan and the high perfection of stock breeding can be exhibited to an admiring public, their respective exhibits placed in competition with one another, their merits and demerits canvassed by skilled judges, and thus those engaged in these various pursuits reap the advantages attending the occasion, and profit by the knowledge gained and competition with one another.
"I rejoice that Mendocino has waked out of its state of lethargy, and following in the wake of its sister counties, has determined that the people shall know that it has resources second to none, and that its products will compare with those of the remainder of the State, and that in stock-raising and in the quality of its live-stock, it will not permit any superiors.
" We all know that the commencement of such enterprises is attended with a great deal of labor and some considerable expense. An agricultural society has been mooted and talked about in this county for years. But it has been left to the zeal and untiring efforts of the people of Little Lake valley and vicinity to start the ball that is now rolling so beautifully, and to make annual fairs in our midst a reality, and to be the instrumentality
252
HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
through which our good people can gather together, bringing with them the products of their genius, industry and toil, that they may be exhibited for the criticism of the skilled and for the mutual benefit of all. All honor to the people of Little Lake, and the people of the remainder of the county owe them a debt of gratitude for their zeal and enterprise which they can never repay.
" Mendocino county, with its area of three thousand eight hundred and six- teen square miles, and its population of twelve thousand souls, assumes an importance in our young and growing State that is by no means insignif- icant. It stands about eighth in wealth among the counties of the State. When we consider the fact that there are fifty-two counties in California, and that about forty-four contain less taxable property than Mendocino, we may at least ask ourselves why cannot we afford a county fair once a year ? We can afford it, and I opine that the people of these beautiful hills and valleys, and of our one hundred miles of sea-coast, will not be slow in realizing the vast benefits to accrue to them from the Mendocino County Agricultural Association, but will lend it that helping hand and bestow upon it that countenance, encouragement and favor which their good intelligence will teach them it deserves.
" There are few people, whether in California or elsewhere, who are more blessed than those of our own county. It is a well-known fact that we suffer but little from droughts, and taking into consideration the markets that we have, and the amount of produce consequently raised, we may say that, financially, the droughts so frequent in other portions of the State do not affect us to any considerable extent. Our pursuits are so varied, and so adaptable to the seasons of California, that, if the season is inimical to one pursuit, we can follow another for the time being; and so well is this under- stood by the farmers and producers of Mendocino county, that they rarely lose by dry seasons, while the plains of the great San Joaquin, and in fact when the whole of southern California is parched and dried for want of rain, and when stock is dying there by hundreds for want of grass, and the whole population is despondent and in despair, by reason of the fact that the Almighty has failed to send them copious showers from heaven, we of Mendocino county are enjoying a plentiful supply of rain, our hills and valleys, glittering in their coat of green and rivaling the splendor of the garden of Eden, are covered with a plenteous supply of feed for our countless herds. Our farmers go to their labor in their broad fields with an elastic tread and with unfeigned delight, and wonder to themselves why, above their brother farmers in other portions of the golden State, they should be thus favored and blessed.
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