History of Mendocino and Lake counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading, men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 11

Author: Carpenter, Aurelius O., 1836-; Millberry, Percy H., 1875- joint author
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1090

USA > California > Mendocino County > History of Mendocino and Lake counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading, men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 11
USA > California > Lake County > History of Mendocino and Lake counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading, men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 11

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

At one time there was a grist mill on the southern line of the township, but the miller grew old with his mill, and it burned down just after its insur- ance ran out. It had once been drowned out, but was moved to higher ground, and the ditch which brought water for its wheel was run higher up the stream. It finally had an engine as auxiliary power. The water is now used for irrigation purposes. A mill company was formed in 1891-2 and a grist mill built in the lower end of the valley. The incorporation of the company followed in 1898, but it did not run long thereafter.

Spottswood's hop kiln was burned in 1883 with his crop of hops; loss $15,000, insurance $1.000. In 1891 a scheme for irrigation by ditch from Eel river was broached, but came to nothing. Fraser built a new bridge on the river in November, 1891, above Coal creek, and the same has been re- built in 1913. In February, 1896, Robert Marders' four-horse team went off the grade, down seventy-five feet, with only trifling injury. In 1898 an ear of corn was on exhibition measuring eleven inches long and nine inches in circumference. And George Shinn originated the Golden muskmelon, which rivals Burbank's creations.

MENDOCINO AND LAKE COUNTIES

In the last five years there have been twenty-five good residences built- perhaps the best by A. F. Busch, in the past year, which has all the modern improvements save an elevator. The valley has been singularly free from fires, only the one hop house and one dwelling house having been burned in the recollection of the oldest inhabitant living.

Colonel Marders, one of the ill-fated victims of the tunnel-train fire in Mexico, was born and grew to manhood in this valley. The valley boasts a monthly paper, issued by Irvine & Muir. the Commercial Bulletin. There are three grammar schools in the valley, well attended and open from nine to ten months in the year. There are two churches in the town of Centerville, two stores, drug store, blacksmith shop, hotel, livery stable, barber shop and about twenty dwellings. The town is situated in the center of the valley, with a postoffice in one of the stores and daily mail from San Francisco via Ukiah.

The valley has its quota of orders; the principal ones in interest are as follows :

Potter Valley Lodge No. 215, A. O. U. W., was instituted January. 1890. Eli Jones, W. M .; Rose Sides, Secy .; J. Eddy. O .; M. R. Bevens, Treas.

Fraternal Brotherhood No. 764 was instituted September 9, 1910. Present members. twelve. Officers: Fred Bucknell, Pres .: Leon T. Grover. V. P .; Mrs. Charles A. Carner, Sec. : Charles A. Carner, Treas.

A. O. F .- Officers : J. G. Newman. C. R .; Fred Sagehorn, S. C. R .; N. A. Barnett, Treas .; H. O. Sweeney, R. S. Members, forty-one.

Potter Valley Grange No. 115, instituted in July. 1874. E. V. Jones, W. M .: James Eddie, O .; Miss Rose Sides, Sec. Fifty-six members. The society possesses a two-story store and hall, and has $300 cash in its treas- ury, which is augmented $250 per annum from the rent of its store building.

CHAPTER VIII

Sanel Township

Sanel township lies entirely on the tributaries of Russian river, and the main stream, and in the winter just past, 1913-14, Russian river reversed conditions and laid on Sanel township. It is bounded north by Ukiah, east by Lake county and west by Anderson township, with which it joins to form the First supervisorial district. It takes its name from the name of its main valley, and that from the Indian tribe which formerly owned the territory comprised in the township.

Its soil and climate are the same as Ukiah, with a little more of the drift of southern fog, which often tempers the heat of summer mornings. Its productions are much the same as Ukiah, and the larger part of the valley is given over to hops and alfalfa to the exclusion of other crops. Of fruit it produces quite a large quantity of pears and prunes, which are of surpassing quality.

The hill land is generally of a better quality than other localities and affords the best of grazing and. indeed. good crops of grain wherever utilized for that purpose. In 1863-4. quite a tract was cultivated in tobacco, but

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early and heavy rains created so damp an atmosphere (which was not taken into account in the curing) that the product resulted in an almost total loss.

The entire valley was covered by a grant procured in 1844 by Ferdinado Feliz. comprising four leagues of land extending from the Seven Mile House to the southern end of the main Sanel valley. Feliz brought in cattle not long after that date and erected an adobe house 30x50 feet square just south of the present town of Hopland. His family was located here before 1853, and in 1854 Luiz Pena and others joined him. Feliz sold land at ridicu- lously low prices to any who would buy, and his descendants have nothing left of the huge domain but a town lot in East Hopland. John Knight was Feliz' legal adviser and immediately present friend, and was instrumental in procuring the confirmation of his grant, and received for his services the northernmost league of the grant. This latter tract took the name of Knight's Valley, and now is occupied by the three Crawford ranches, two Henrys, McGlashan, McNab, Parsons and some smaller tracts. In 1856 Alfred Higgins and family and H. Willard arrived. In 1857 the new ar- rivals were Amos Snuffins, J. A. Knox, John McGlashan, and J. W. Daw; 1858 witnessed the advent of S. Myers, W. E. Parsons, L. F. Long, B. B. Fox and E. H. Duncan, soon followed by William Andrews, R. Moore, George McCain, P. A. Roach, C. Snuffins, B. E. Edsall, J. R. Henry, H. G. Pike and William Cole. Of these not one is now living, W. E. Parsons, the last survivor, having died suddenly early in 1914. Of the generally large tracts settled upon only one or two are now occupied by their descendants.

In the extreme southern portion of the township is a settlement called Hermitage, so named by S. W. Knowles, who settled there in 1858, bringing a drove of cattle from Sonoma. The venture not succeeding well, he went back to Sonoma, returning again in 1859. He raised the first hops in Men- docino county, drying them in the loft of his barn and selling them in Peta- luma for thirty cents per pound. The business seemed promising, and he tried another crop, but having no contract, the buyer in Petaluma offered only twelve and one-half cents, and that killed the business at once. Her- mitage is not even a hamlet, but a continuation of farms along a narrow valley on the headwaters of Dry creek, to the Knowles place, where long was the post office, just at the head of the rough canon that engulfs Dry creek on its way to Russian river at Healdsburg. The valley is so narrow that the proposed railroad extension from the Albion cannot help being detri- mental to the immediate farming interests by reason of cutting through the best lands they have.

The town of Hopland was located at Sanel in 1859 by Knox. Willard and Connor with a saloon. Soon afterward Thomas Harrison opened up a store in a tent, but sold to Connor, who had disposed of his saloon interest. Dr. H. G. Pike settled there as physician, removing to a mountain home on the Anderson valley road, and returning many years after to die. Yates Weldon began blacksmithing in that year also. In 1874 the building of a toll road down the east side of the river threw all the travel that way, and the town of Sanel moved over bodily (except a brick store which W. W. Thatcher had built in 1870) and became Hopland. The town flourished until the building of the railroad on the west side of the river and the estab- lishment of a depot at the old town, when nearly all the business fluttered back to be brooded by the spirit of progress once more at Sanel. But, through some freak of good fortune, Hopland retained its post office and

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name for several years, until the department, learning of the proximity of the two offices, consolidated the two at Sanel and called it Hopland, and so it now is. The town boasts one large two-story brick block and one brick store; all the rest are of wood and nearly all are one-story structures. The business houses now occupied are as follows: Two hotels, three general stores, one blacksmith shop, one shoe shop, one barber shop, one livery, one feed stable, two fruit and ice cream parlors, three churches (Methodist, Catholic and Christian), one school, one public hall, and about twenty dwell- ings. The hall is occupied twice a week with the "movies" and dances are frequent.

A large acreage of the valley is in alfalfa, pears, prunes and hops, and but little grain is raised. A considerable part of the main valley is subject to overflow, but not to a damaging extent. Dairying is carried on to a limited extent ; the largest dairy, on the Foster ranch, was discontinued, and Durham cattle, Hungarian ponies and chickens superseded Jerseys. This ranch is one of the finest and best improved in the county, and is owned by A. W. Foster of San Rafael, whose son, Benjamin, is now in charge. An older son, Robert, was electrocuted on the place in May, 1914. They have the most elaborate outfit for the poultry business to be found anywhere, and all breeds worth mentioning. D. M. Burns of "mazuma" fame has a large range devoted at present to Hereford cattle. Formerly it was run to fine blooded horses. Four miles south of Hopland is the Hood ranch, where a large tract is devoted to fine Merino sheep.

In 1911 an effort was made to interest the California Northwestern in the building of a branch road from Hopland to Lakeport, but that road would only agree to furnish rails and terminal facilities at Hopland and take bonds for the same. Capital to the amount of $80,000 was subscribed, and has been expended on six and one half miles of road bed, the easiest part of the proposed road. Heavy grading, a 1300-foot tunnel and twenty-three miles more stare the projectors in the face, and nothing has been done for over a year. C. M. Hammond. Pres .; M. C. Gopcevic, Vice Pres .; Joseph Levy, Treas .; Euvelle Howard, Secy., were the first officers. The present officers are : L. H. Bogg, Pres .; M. S. Sayre, Vice Pres .; James Levy, Treas. ; R. B. Woodward, Secy. Total cost of road, including equipment, estimated at $550,000.

There are two roads from the township to Lake county, a toll road from Pieta, four miles south of Hopland, intersected three miles out by a road from Hopland, and a county road from Hopland. There is also a road over the mountain to Yorkville, and two roads south to Cloverdale. One of these is generally appropriated by the State highway now nearly completed from Cloverdale to Hopland. Two roads also connect the town with Ukiah, on either side of the river, altogether making about forty miles of public roads to keep in repair.

A cannery company was organized in 1901, with a capital of $3,000, inainly for Bartlett pears, which reach their highest perfection in this valley. Its officers at present are J. W. Harris, Pres. ; S. E. Brooks, Secy. and Treas.

The Bank of Hopland was organized in 1906. through the efforts of J. W. Harris, first as a branch of Cloverdale Bank, but later, in 1912, it be- came an independent bank, with C. B. Shaw, Pres .; S. E. Brooks, Vice Pres. ; J. W. Harris, Secy. and Cashier ; Emmett Jones, Asst. Cashier ; J. W. Hiatt and D. M. Burns, additional directors. At present its statement is as

MENDOCINO AND LAKE COUNTIES

follows: Bonds, $10,000; loans, $58,188; cash, $12,846. Contrary capital, $25,000; surplus and undivided profits, $1023; deposits, $56,211.

Of secret societies the town has been bereft, there having at one time been several.

Of mines there have been innumerable, but none has paid. Copper and cinnabar are the principal indications. Having no milling timber except a little on Dry creek in the extreme southwestern part of the township, only one mill has flourished, and that only for a short time. Gould, Brush and Walker built a mill on Dry creek in 1866 of 15,000 capacity. After a few years' run it was moved to the head of the east fork of Russian river, and eventually was known as Reeves' mill.

L. F. Long has the honor of first introducing the hop industry on a commercial scale in the county and township, though S. W. Knowles on Dry creek first demonstrated the adaptability of our climate to this industry Mr. Long made a fortune in the business and lost it in the same. He died December 8, 1904.

Sanel and Anderson townships form the First supervisorial district and have voted "dry" for the second time with a fair working majority. The town had been a turbulent community before that, and many crimes marked King Alcohol's reign in this vicinity. Now only one soft drink emporium usurps the place of five saloons, and it is more than probable that the alco- holic drouth will continue.

Of summer resorts, Duncan's Springs holds a favored place with the public. It is one and a half miles south of Hopland on a shoulder of Sanel Peak-a sharp, triangular mountain rising some 2500 feet above the valley floor. The Howell family, Brookes & Sanborn incorporated in December, 1895. with $50,000 capital, and the springs have been successfully run since. McDowell's, four miles east of town, has also been a noted resort, but not at present open for travelers.

Hopland has had some catastrophes in the past, from which she has recovered with California elasticity. A business block, store, livery and saloon burned, with sixteen horses; loss, $28,000; insurance, $9,800. Brookes house and Sturtevant hophouse burned. The building of the toll road from Pieta to Highland, 1891, was a heavy blow, as it took away nearly all the lake travel. The washing away of the bridge at Pieta has restored the travel to Hopland, but the adoption of automobiles has caused more speedy passage and little stopping for meals or lodging. August 5, 1908, fire on Sanel peak drove the wild animals to the valley and fourteen deer were killed in the fray. Oil indications reported three miles east of town, and more cinnabar five miles south. E. Dooley's house burned in August, 1906. A quartz vein was worked for seventy-five feet and $1200 taken out.

MENDOCINO AND LAKE COUNTIES

CHAPTER IX Round Valley Township

This township takes its name from that of its principal valley, and that from its shape. It lies entirely on the head waters of the easterly sources of Eel river, and is bounded north by Humboldt and Trinity counties, east by Tehama, south by Little Lake and west by Little Lake and Long Valley townships. It is extremely mountainous, being embraced as it were by the Mayacmas range and an offshoot therefrom, and surrounded by peaks that exhibit white tops in winter, and on the eastern range snow lies in places until late summer. It has two considerable valleys, Round and Eden, and numberless small ones of one farm size, and much cultivatable land not to be classed as valley land. Generally both hill and valley land are fertile and a great deal of it remarkably so. The soil is of the same general char- acter as the other sections heretofore spoken of, wash loam in the valleys, with some black land both in the hills and valleys. Indeed, the major part of the good land in the hills is black clover land, sometimes approaching adobe. Wherever this latter has been contiguous to the valleys it has made its mark on the soils therein. This is especially noticeable in the southern part of Round valley, which has much black land. The northern or upper end of the valley is more of the wash loam, and when settlement was first made it was quite swampy and more or less of it was entered as swamp lands. The cutting down of the creek beds has nearly corrected that, and an ap- propriation of $8,000 by Congress for clearing the channel lower down the valley will probably entirely relieve it of surplus water except in midwinter.

The timber is pine of several varieties, including sugar, yellow, digger : oaks of several varieties, cedar on the highest ridges, madrona and buckeye. manzanita, mahogany, steel brush, chemissal, etc., for covering of the rocky hills. The timber near the valley has been exploited to a great extent, so that ten or twelve miles' haul is necessary in procuring lumber. Much of the finishing and roofing stuff is hauled from Branscomb, thirty-five miles, over two considerable ranges elevated a thousand feet above the valley. Not- withstanding this handicap, many fine residences have been built in the last few years, notably in 1912-1913, when some thirty-five or more were erected.

Originally selected by the Indian Department for a reservation station in the handling of the aboriginal people of northern California, the first settlers certainly had knowledge of the intention in regard to the valley and could hardly complain, no matter how much of it the department might have appropriated to that use. But the vacillating, undetermined course of its agents in later years exasperated those who came in later under the im- pression that all land not in immediate occupancy and use by the govern- ment was open to settlement. This condition of affairs greatly retarded the growth and prosperity of the township, and in a measure prevented permanent improvements of value.

Early Settlement

The date of the first discovery of Round valley by white men is defi- nitely fixed as occurring in 1854, but there is an uncertainty as to who it was. Frank Asbill claims it, and was possibly the first white man in the valley, though one Williams claims to have seen the valley from the eastern hills prior to the Asbills coming into it. Charles Kelsey blazed a trail from

MENDOCINO AND LAKE COUNTIES

Clear Lake through Round valley in 1854. To which of the three the honor belongs is the subject of doubt to some of the old settlers of the valley. It is conceded that Frank Asbill named both Round and Eden valleys, which is honor enough for one man. The Asbills, Frank and Pierce, passed through Eden Valley and camped on north or middle Eel river, and in pursuit of their horses the next morning, May 15, 1854, Frank saw the valley, reported to his comrades that it was large and nearly round, and then and there christened it Round valley, and it has since retained the name and shape. They reported encountering a band of Indians, and in a "fight" killing forty of them. As these Indians were never known after- wards to stand up and fight even in defense of their women and homes, the slaughter may be doubted. The Asbill party did not then remain in the valley. A few days later another party, consisting of George E., James and Calvin White. George Hudspeth and Dr. Atkinson, arrived in the valley from the eastern side. The trail of the Kelsey party was still discernible, and they had left their names cut on a tree. The White party saw no In- dians, which certainly indicated the cowardly nature of the natives, as other- wise they would have attempted reprisals for the deaths inflicted by the Asbill party. George E. White located a claim, built a cabin and left it in charge of Charles Brown. As if to claim proprietorship of the valley, he built a second cabin, and all his actions thereafter were as domineering as the lord of a principality. Devinna and Craft built the third cabin on what was afterwards the Melendy farm. Lawson and Arthur built the next house where now stands the two-story dwelling built by George Henley. The Lawson and Arthur house was really the beginning of Covelo, the only town in the township. These latter settlers brought in a drove of hogs, the pro- genitors of untold thousands. S. Hornbrook came to the valley in 1856. In 1857 John Owens, J. H. Thomas, T. D. Lacock, C. H. Eberle and others came in, and George E. White and C. H. Bourne brought in two droves of cattle. C. H. Diggins, S. P. Storms, E. S. Gibson, A. Leger, D. C. and D. W. Dorneau. P. A. Witt and Randall Rice arrived and located in different parts of the valley. There were nineteen white men who wintered in the valley in 1857-8 and two women, whose names cannot be ascertained. They put in their spare time making buckskin clothing for the men. The first child born in the valley was Harry Storms.

The first mail was by private subscription and was carried horseback by Jesse Holland in the summer of 1858. It was continued in this way for several years, the first mail contract by the government being let to C. H. Eberle in June, 1870. The year 1869 saw a road completed from the valley to Ukiah, mostly by private subscription and work. The two forks of Eel river were bridged in the '70s. but washed away before the planks showed any marks of wear. Contractors would not believe the tales of high water old settlers told them and built too low. The first court was held in 1859, C. H. Eberle having been appointed a justice of the peace, and on this occasion he fined two Indians $70 for stealing.

In 1858 sixty-one soldiers came into the valley, but only remained a short time. Again in 1863 a military post was established, and seventy soldiers were sent in, Captain Douglas commanding. Soon after a company of cavalry came in as reinforcements. The post was maintained until the reservation was turned over to the care of the Methodist Episcopal church. in pursuance of Grant's policy toward the Indians.

MENDOCINO AND LAKE COUNTIES

The first sawmill was built by Andrew Gray in 1862, a water power, and in 1864 two buhrs were put in for the manufacture of flour. In 1868 the mill was sold to the government. Brown & Cummins built a sawmill east of the valley; Henley built one west of the valley; H. L. Zeek now has a sawmill about ten miles northeast of the valley, 10,000 feet capacity, and A. J. Fairbanks put in one near Dos Rios, thirteen miles west, of 8000 feet capacity.

In 1856 the farm was established at what is now the reservation by the government and called Nome Cult station. It was used only as a stock range, and no effort was made toward cultivation for some time. It was principally a breeding and fattening station for beef to supply the reserva- tion on the coast. In 1858 it was declared a reservation, and then the trou- bles of the settlers began. At first it was to contain 25,000 acres, but in 1868 its limits were extended northerly to the summit of the range. On March 30, 1870, by proclamation of the president, all the land embraced within its boundaries was set apart for reservation purposes. On March 3, 1873, its boundaries were limited and more definitely described as follows: All within a line between townships 22 and 23 on the south; main Eel river on the west; north Eel river on the north; Hull and Williams' creeks and Middle Eel river on the east, containing 102,118 acres. The vast principality was ostensibly given over for the care of about 1000 Indians of the Pomos, Ukiahs. Little Lakes, Redwoods, Conchos, Pit Rivers, Yukas and Wy- lackies. Most of the Pomos. Ukiahs and Redwoods returned to their old homes and there are seldom more than 500 at the reservation. The government has spent upon them ten times the money the land brought which they used to call theirs, and the end is not yet in sight. Only occa- sionally one of them attains a standing in business, education being wasted on 95 per cent. of those who have been afforded the opportunity. Of those who have adopted white man's ways and shown business talent may be mentioned Henry Henley, who is a halfbreed of Nevada parentage, and is reputed worth $25,000. He was taught to read and write by Thomas Henley and for some years was "major domo" of their 1000-acre ranch. Another, Ed Smith, Lake County Indian, and Frank Perry, Redwood tribe, are espe- cially good citizens. The latter has his house insured for $1500. Also in this connection we would mention Wesley Hoxie, Jack Anderson, Alex Fraser and Raymond Brown.

The reservation was managed first by civilian appointees, then by a military officer detailed for that purpose, then it was turned over to the Methodist Episcopal church and by them relinquished to civilian appointees again. S. P. Storms was in charge in the '60s, a man of great energy. He has been known to make the trip horseback from Ukiah to Round valley. sixty miles, in a day, in midwinter, swimming every stream. Succeeding him was Austin Wiley, Fairchild, Wilsey, Lieut. Connolly, Patrick, Liston Sheldon, Burchard, Yates, Johnson and Wilson. The Rev. Burchard was held in great esteem by the Indians, and his memory is cherished among them as father and prophet. At the present time the reservation is cut down to one hundred and sixty acres of the best land in the valley and five hun- dred acres of range land adjoining. In 1913 the one hundred and sixty had on it the school, dormitories, office, laundry and other buildings, about ten in number. There are from one hundred to one hundred and twenty in the

MENDOCINO AND LAKE COUNTIES

school with only two teachers. Pupils are taken to the sixth grade. Three young Indians fired the school house, in the basement of which was stored a large amount of provisions. The whole was a total loss.

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History of Mendocino and Lake counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading, men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 11

Author: Carpenter, Aurelius O., 1836-; Millberry, Percy H., 1875- joint author Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company Number of Pages: 1090

Author: Carpenter, Aurelius O., 1836-; Millberry, Percy H., 1875- joint author
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Los Angeles, Cal., Historic record company
Number of Pages: 1090