USA > California > Mendocino County > History of Mendocino County, California : comprising its geography, geology, topography, climatography, springs and timber > Part 41
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de Gagarin. General Vallejo, of Sonoma county, relates that the beauty of this Muscovite princess was so wondrous that, like Sarai of old, the rulers of the country desired very much to have her to wife; and he further relates, that her beauty so far excited the tender passion in the breast of that noble, . and brave, and faithful ally of the early Spanish settlers in California, Prince Solano, Grand Sachem of all the tribes in the lower Sacramento, Napa and Sonoma valleys, that he formed a plan to capture the fair Princess, and had the General not heard of his designs in due time to advise better things, he would have doubtless made the attack upon the Russians at old " Fuerte de los Rusos"- Fort Ross. Such was the romantic story of the christening of this mountain, and as one views it from this lofty height he feels fully convinced that it is well worthy to bear the name of the fairest of the daughters of men.
Northward and south ward there is but the backbone of the ridge to be seen, but to the westward a grand panorama is opened to the view. At the foot of the mountain lies a small valley, itself far elevated above the level of the sea, and lying, as it were, in the very arms of the mountains, and nestling there as confidingly as an innocent child in the strong arms of its father. Beyond this is another range of mountains, more broken and not nearly so elevated as the ridge on which we stand; and beyond it all, that grandest of all sights-the Pacific ocean. Just now it is shrouded from our view by a halo of mist which has emanated from its heaving bosom, and which mantles it with all the grace of a bridal veil, clothing it with lace-like drapery, which looks much to us, from our vantage ground, like the swelling billows of a milky sea. Here and there the fogs part, and a glimpse of the blue body of the ocean is gained, looking much like the strips of sky which deign to show themselves amid the rifts of the mountains of cumuli which pile up athwart the zenith upon a blustering day in the vernal equinox, and revealing the fact that the placid waters are those of the veritable Pacific.
PRODUCTS .- The soil of this township being so varied, and the climate so delightful, the adaptability to a variety of products is evident. First of all the cereals come upon the list of products, and wheat, barley and oats are all grown to advantage in all the valleys. Fruits rank next, and apples, peaches, cherries, and all other pit and seed fruits thrive well indeed. Of the small fruits, every variety seems to be in its native soil in the gardens of this section. On the hill-sides the grape-vine flourishes as only it can in a " California Eden." Vegetables grow very rankly wherever they have the proper amount of moisture, and that is found naturally in many places, as springs burst from every hill-side, sending rivulets of crystal water into the valleys below, gladdening vegetation, beautifying the face of nature, and above all conducing in an untold measure to the happiness of mankind.
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Grass grows in rank profusion on all sides, and is very succulent and nutri- tive, and stock flourish beyond compare. Vast herds of cattle and flocks of sheep may be seen on every hand, yielding annually a rich harvest of golden dollars.
But with all these advantages there is one great drawback to this section, which applies equally to all the interior sections of Mendocino county-there is no available market for the products of the valleys beyond the limited demand for home consumption. Of course the wool crop, which is not at all bulky compared with its value, can be drawn to Cloverdale, at which place the producers meet the purchasers on a set day, and if prices can be agreed upon the entire crop of the valley is disposed of in a few hours. The cattle can be easily driven to market, but cereals, fruits, and vegetables cannot be drawn to market to any advantage. But to him who is seeking a home for home's sake, where health and good climate can be combined with all the products of an Eastern farm, and to which may be added all the products of the semi-tropics, we would say that a no more desirable spot can be found in the State of California, nor in the United States, than Anderson valley.
TIMBER .- There is quite an amount of timber in this township, composed of all the varieties indigenous to the county. In some sections the giant redwood rears its head far aloft, while the fir, pine, oak, and laurel are to be found everywhere. The redwood is of the best quality, and lumber, man- ufactured from it is first class. The oak is of the several varieties com- mon to the State, none of which are, however, fitted for manufacture. The fir is useful for lumber, but little of it has been manufactured.
EARLY SETTLEMENT .- To Walter Anderson belongs the honor of being the first settler in the township. He and his family settled here as early as 1851. He seemed to be one of those sturdy old pioneers, who believed thoroughly in pushing far away from the environments of civilization into the depths of the densest forests and over the ruggedest mountains, pitching his tent where the foot of man had never yet pressed the virgin sod. Full of this spirit he pushed up through Sonoma county, up the Russian River valley, till he came above where Cloverdale now stands. Here he deflected his course to the left, and soon found himself on the summit of a ridge, where he could, like Moses of old, see the land that literally could be made to flow with milk and honey. Below and before him outspread a fertile valley fifteen miles long and about two in width, which he rightly judged could easily be converted into a paradise and a home such as he had never found in all his peregrinations throughout the length and breadth of the land, and here he determined to bring his journeyings to a close, in this almost vale of Cashmere.
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Who has not heard of the Vale of Cashmere,
With its roses the brightest that earth ever gave ? * * *
* * * Oh, to see it at sunset, when warm o'er the lake Its splendor at parting, a summer eve throws. * But never yet, by night or day, In dew of spring or summer's ray, Did the sweet valley shine so gay As now it shines-
Charmed with its great beauty, and full of faith in regard to its climate, soil, and whatever else goes to make up happy homes, this pioneer pushed . on into the very heart of the vale and there pitched his tent, about one mile west of the present site of Booneville. Here Mr. Anderson lived for a num- ber of years, and had the pleasure and satisfaction of seeing the wisdom of his choice more than verified, and the beautiful valley in which he had once been the sole inhabitant teeming with life and happiness. All honor to this pioneer, and here let us pay a proper tribute to his memory, and pass it along down the lines of the generations that are to follow, and to fill the valley and the township which rightly is honored by his name. In their memory may his remembrance ever be bright until the memory of man changeth altogether.
During the same year, 1852, Mr. J. D. Balls came into the valley and settled on the place he still occupies as a homestead. This old pioneer, like Mr. Ander- son, found in this valley the ultima thule of his desires for a home and a place to locate for life. He had a family with him, we would not pass by the pioneer mothers of this section unnoticed. Little can their daughters appre- ciate the hardships they underwent, or the pleasures they had to forego, that they might be with their husbands, and rear their families in the unbroken solitudes of a new country. All praise is their due. It does not appear that any more families came into the valley until 1855, but during this year sev- eral were added to the list. As far as we are able to compile their names and the dates of their coming it is as follows: In 1855 there came John Gschwind, William Prather; in 1856, James S. Smalley; during and before 1857, but exact dates not known, Oscar Carey, Joseph Gschwind, James Burgess (since deceased), Henry Wade, Frank Buster, Cleveland Nellen, A. Guntley, A. Kendall, John Gosman, John Conrad, Alfred Braden, James Shields, W. W. Boone, A. Elliott and H. Stevens; in 1858, R. H. Rawles, J. A. Jamison, J. O. McSpadden and J. McGimsey ; in 1859 Alex. McDonald, Stephen Knowles and John W. McAbee; in 1862, C. Prather, and in 1865 R. H. York. Of course there are several others whose names we have been unable to obtain, who came in and settled during the years mentioned.
This beautiful valley is situated on the head-waters of the Nevarra river, and lies in a south-westerly direction from Ukiah, and is one of the neatest
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HISTORY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
and best improved valleys in Mendocino county. The road from Cloverdale to Nevarra, Albion and Mendocino City, passes through the center of it, afford- ing whatever facilities for market, that the section is possessed of. On the right side going northward, it is bounded by a range of open hills which affords excellent grazing for stock, while on the opposite side of the valley is a range of mountains, with tall redwoods and pine timber, presenting one of the most picturesque and beautiful scenes in Nature. The soil as a general thing is very fertile. and the climate mild and salubrious.
Walter Anderson, for whom the valley and township were named, was at one time a very wealthy man, owning broad acres of land, large herds of cattle, and having ready cash to a considerable amount. He was the pioneer of the place and entered it "from the plains across," with a large number of cattle. But before he died, and while in the sere and yellow leaf of life, and bowed down with the weight of fourscore years he became landless and moneyless. Such was too often the case in the early days of California. Those into whose hands a fortune seemed to be dropped could not grasp the gift.
A breezy correspondent of the Ukiah Democrat, in 1867, who signs himself " Hal," has the following to say concerning Anderson valley: "The popula- tion of Anderson valley consists of men, women, children, horses, dogs, cattle, redwood trees, quail, pepper-wood, rabbits and rail-fences. The chief ambi- tion of the men is to put in fifty acres of grain and own a 'Samps' colt; that of the women to knit an unlimited number of socks and raise a big baby. My friend Boone keeps a store at one end of the valley and I keep school at. the other, which ' kinder' evens the thing up. In the upper end they have preaching once, and sometimes twice, in a while; at the lower end, never; and their only amusement on a Sunday consists of going to the brewery and shooting for lager. If there is a good soul who 'feels the missionary spirit moving in the bowels of his compassion, he need not go to Africa or the islands of the sea to preach to gorrillas and whangdoodles, but let him come here and preach in our school-house, and he will find some of us as hungry for gospel food as they are where they break their fasts with a baked baby and dine on a scalloped missionary." Since then things have changed, and now there is divine service by some denomination almost every Sunday some- where in the valley.
TOWNS .- The first town in Anderson valley was started about one mile south of the present village of Booneville. John Burgots built a hotel there, which he called the " Anderson House," in 1862. He also had a saloon at this place. In the same year Samuel Stevens built a blacksmith shop at the same point, and conducted that business there. A year or so later Messrs. Levi & Harrison built a store and opened out a stock of goods. The place was at a point where three ways meet, and hence was always known as "The
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Corners." About four years later Alonzo Kendall built and opened a hotel at the present town of Booneville, and in the same year Charles Bradbury opened a blacksmith shop near the place where the hotel had been built. The new town was given the high-sounding title of " Kendalls City." In a short time Messrs. Levi & Straus moved their store to the new town site. They were succeeded by W. W. Boone, for whom the town received its present name. The reason for this change of location of only a mile or so is not very obvious. The stranger cannot see why one place is not fully as elligible for a town site as the other; but it is the result of one of those strange freaks which come over incipient towns occasionally. At the present time nothing but a few tumble-down houses remain to mark the site of the old town. Boone- ville is a prosperous little country village of some dozen buildings all told. In it there is one hotel, one saloon, one store and two blacksmith shops. There is also a nice church building under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal denomination. James Hunt is the agent for Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express, and John W. McAbee is postmaster.
MILLS .- To John Gschwind belongs the honor of constructing the pioneer saw-mill in this township, which he did in 1856. At that time there were no roads leading out of Anderson valley in any direction, and nothing but trails led the traveler to its sequestered locality. Over these primitive roadways Mr. Gschwind had the hardihood to attempt to transport a saw- mill outfit, and, what is more remarkable, he succeeded in getting all the machinery safely upon the ground. This mill was situated at the extreme western end of the valley, and was built over a fork of the Nevarra river. It was run by water power and answered every purpose, and supplied the demand for lumber in the valley. Some years later steam was added, and some more machinery, making the mill quite complete in all its appointments. About 1864 he added a grist-mill to the saw-mill and for several years the flour for all that section was ground at this place. On the 12th day of October, 1875, this mill met its fate, and the fire fiend swept the pioneer landmark out of existence.
Thomas E. Hiatt built the next mill in 1877 and started it to work July 20th of that year. It was located on Ingram's place, about four miles from Booneville, where he had a fine body of timber. After the timber was cut out the mill was abandoned and the machinery taken elsewhere. This was a steam-mill with a circular-saw, and had a capacity of about eight thousand feet per day.
In 1878 Henry O. Irish erected the third and last saw-mill in the town- ship. It ran but a short time, when it was burned to the ground. It was a steam-mill with a circular-saw, and had a capacity about equal to the one above. Owing to the fact that the market, other than local, is so far removed from here, no saw-mill of any considerable capacity will be constructed here
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for many years to come, although on the head waters of the streams which put back from the ocean, there are some fine bodies of timber in this township.
ROADS .-- There are two roads leading through Anderson valley, crossing each other at right angles at Booneville. One leads from Cloverdale to Nevarra and extends the entire length of the valley. This is a good road and affords the only outlet to market for any of the products of the valley. The Cloverdale and Mendocino City stages, owned and operated by Messrs. Allman & Queen, make tri-weekly trips over this road, affording an ample opportunity for reaching the outside world, and for receiving mail and express matter. The transverse road is divided into two sections, one known as the "Gschwind Toll Road," leading to Ukiah, and the other is known as the grade to Point Arena. In days gone by Mr. Gschwind, having put his saw-mill into opera- tion, sought then to find an outlet for the lumber manufactured, and thinking that there might be a liberal demand for it in the Ukiah valley, he constructed this road at an expense of ten thousand dollars. Whether or not it proved a profitable venture, is not known to the chronicler; but as it leads to the seat of county government, and seems to be a much traveled thoroughfare, it is quite likely that it proves profitable outside of the primary design. The Bill authorizing the Board of Supervisors of Mendocino county to grant the right to Gschwind to "construct and maintain a toll road from Booneville in Ander- son valley to a point where the old Anderson Valley trail intersected the State road in Ukiah valley," was passed by the Legislature in 1868, and signed by the Governor March 26th of that year. The other section extends from Booneville to Point Arena, and was laid out in 1869. It serves the people of the latter place to a much greater advantage than those of the former. In fact, it is the connecting link between the entire south-west por- tion of the county and the seat of government, and lessens the distance to be traveled to reach it, by the people in that section, almost one-half.
THE FUTURE .- If the past of this valley has been prosperous, the future is destined to be doubly so, from the fact that its real resources are now about to be developed, and the attention of her citizens is turned in the right direction.
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ARENA.
GEOGRAPHY .- Arena township is bounded on the north by Big River town- ship; on the east by Anderson township; on the south by Sonoma county; and on the west by the Pacific ocean. Like all the townships of Mendocino county, the boundary line is very irregular, following the contours of the ocean shore, or some stream, while in many places, through the heart of the mountains, the surveyor's chain is an unknown factor in the establish- ment of the boundaries, they being known to assessors and judicial officers by " meets and bounds," rather than by any absolute measurement. There are several streams in this township, which are of importance only to the lumbermen who use them for driving logs. Along the south boundary is the Gualala river (which name was originally Valhalla), a stream which, with its branches, extends into the heart of a very extensive and valuable body of redwood timber. Farther to the northward, the Garcia river comes down out of the mountains, on which, with its branches, there is a very extensive body of timber. The smaller streams are Brush, Alder, and Elk creeks. All of these streams discharge their waters into the Pacific ocean, and become furious rivers during the winter freshets.
TOPOGRAPHY .- Topographically this township presents many features in common with the other sections of Mendocino county. Along the ocean shore there is a plateau extending back to the mountains, varying in width from a few hundred yards to several miles. To the eastward of this mesa the country becomes broken and elevated, culminating in a range of mountains, which is pierced transversely with streams, flowing through gorges, cañons, and valleys, many of which are deep and narrow, having almost perpendicular sides.
SOIL .- The soil of this section varies, owing to the location, from the sandy loam of the plateau to the gravelly and clayey soils of the mountain sides. The loam is well-adapted to the growing of grains and vegetables, especially potatoes. The mountain soil is adapted to grain and fruits, and, but for the fogs incident to the coast, grapes would thrive well.
CLIMATE .- The climate of Arena is certainly not the most delightful in the world during the summer season, but it is on a par with the climate along the immediate coast of California. The trade-winds prevail during all the summer months, which come in from off the ocean laden with moist- ure, and seem to penetrate the very marrow of strangers who are unac-
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customed to the climate, but those who are acclimated, enjoy this cooling breeze very much. But these fogs are the salvation of the country, as far as crops are concerned, for they serve the purposes of irrigation. There are times when the sun remains hidden from view for many days at a time, being obscured by massive fog-banks which roll up from the sea, but usually the fog comes in about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and continues till 9 or 10 o'clock the next day. Oftentimes, when all is under the shadow of a verita- ble cloud along the sea-shore, one can look to the eastward and discover the distant mountain tops bathed in a flood of mellow, golden sunlight, making a very pretty background to the picture thus presented.
PRODUCTS .- The products of this section are varied, but are confined prin- cipally to the cereals and vegetables. Wheat and oats do very well here, but barley is stained by the fogs, and while it makes good feed, it is not at all marketable, and entirely unfitted for brewing purposes. Oats grow very rank, and make excellent feed for horses. For hay, they grow the musquit grass, which is very similar in many respects to the timothy grown in the Eastern States, although it does not look like it, resembling much more the "red top" of the Mississippi valley. It grows very rankly and is relished very much by stock for food. All the vegetables thrive here, especially tubers, which are grown very extensively throughout the township, forming one of the principal articles of export, there being one thousand and forty- two bags of them shipped over the Point Arena wharf during the last year. Other vegetables do very well, but owing to the distance to market, and their perishable nature, but few of them are grown, beyond the demand for home consumption.
But the chief products of the section which are exported are lumber, posts, ties, and tan-bark, and of each of these there is a large yearly yield. There are several saw-mills in the township, a statement of the yearly yield of each of which will be found under the head of "Mills," and which aggregates up into the millions of feet. Large quantities of redwood fence posts and rail- road ties are yearly cut in the woods, and find their way to the city market over the various chutes which are constructed along the coast, and it may be remembered here that there are more chutes in this township in propor- tion to the mileage of ocean frontage than in any other township along the coast, which would indicate that there was a large demand for their use, occasioned by the large annual shipments of these products of the redwood forests. Two other products of the woods are cord-wood and fence pickets, but these are of secondary importance, yet they afford employment for many men in the aggregate, and yield yearly a handsome revenue. The industry of cutting tan-bark is extensively conducted, and yields at times very hand- some returns. Fruits are not very prosperous here, but berries thrive well, especially wild blackberries, which grow in great numbers in the woods.
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TIMBER .- The timber of this section is not excelled in California, and there are several varieties which are very useful in the domestic economy of mankind, while some are useless entirely. Of the former class the redwood stands first and foremost. Beginning at the southern boundary line on the Gualala river, there are very large bodies of this timber, extending from almost the very banks of the ocean back across the entire township. This belt extends northward with but little interruption, and with an almost uniform width to the limits of the township. The next timber in point of importance here is the white fir, which is commonly known as the Oregon pine. The quality of this timber is excellent, but unfortunately the quantity is quite limited. There are here and there a few sugar pine trees, while quite a body of them can be found on the ridges to the eastward of the Garcia river and near its source, but which is almost inaccessible, at present at least. The laurel tree ranks next perhaps in value, there being quite a number of them near the head waters of the Garcia and Gualala rivers. The grain of the wood is so peculiarly formed, and is susceptible of so high a polish that it is greatly prized by the artisans in wood. The chestnut oak is a very valuable tree, not so much for its wood as its bark, as it is from this tree that the tan-bark is obtained. The wood itself, however, makes good fire-wood, and is cut and shipped extensively. Of the kinds which are of no particular use the " bull " pine stands first and foremost, but almost on a par with it is the red fir. The former is scraggy and ill-favored, and but little could possibly be expected of it, but the latter is as pretty a tree as ever grew in a forest. It stands as straight as an arrow, and has a smooth, " light-colored bark. Its limbs are smooth and lithe, and very much indeed would naturally be expected from it, if one were to judge by outward appearances; but when it is cut it proves to be very coarse-grained, and it rots very fast, one season being usually ample time for decay to make great inroads into the log.
EARLY SETTLEMENT .- Away back in the days of the Spanish regime, Rafael Garcia, a resident of Marin county, and, in fact, the first man who ever lived with a family in that county, was granted nine leagues of land, beginning at the Gualala river and extending northward to the Mal Paso creek. Garcia had spent the greater portion of his life in the service of his country, and hence was entitled, as a kind of soldiers' bounty, to eleven leagues of land. Two of them were located at what is now Olema, in Marin county, and the others were located here; hence the title which he gave to this place - " Rancho del Norte "- the ranch at the north. There was some informality about the papers, and the courts finally threw it out, but there can be no doubt that it was originally a bona fide grant; and had things remained under the Mexican regime, he would have had no trouble in holding the grant. In Garcia's day he had large bands of cattle here, and
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