USA > California > Monterey County > History of Monterey County, California : with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, farms, residences, public buildings, factories, hotels, business houses, schools, churches, and mines : with biiographical sketches of prominent citizens > Part 39
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187
SPANISH RODEOS, OR CATTLE GATHERINGS.
Rodeos, or Cattle Gatherings.
1
AS EARLY as the first settlement of California, cattle were in- troduced from Spain and Mexico. But little attention was paid to milk or butter; cattle of every description and age ran wild together. They soon multiplied, and in great herds grazed upon the hills and roamed over the valleys. They were used only for their hides and tallow, as there was no market for the meat. For many years this was the chief article of export and commodity of trade. Whole herds were slaughtered upon the fields, the hides and tallow carried away, and the carcass left where the animal was slain.
These cattle resembled wild beasts of the forests more than cows ; they were generally of a yellowish-brown or drab color, with large, dark circles around the eyes and nostrils; long, slim legs, and as lank as a hound and swift as a deer.
There was on all the cattle ranches a time set apart at cer- tain seasons, generally in the spring of the year, for the purpose of collecting the cattle in order to overlook and count them, and to brand the young ones with the mark of the ranch, and perform certain other operations, as well as to accustom them to take the fold and prevent them from running wild.
This was called a rodeo after the old Spanish custom, and was a holiday to all the inhabitants of the rauch and its vicinity. Numbers came from great distances to assist and collect their cattle.
METHOD OF CAPTURE.
On an occasion of this kind the cattle were driven into a large ring fold at a wide opening on one side. This was after- ward all closed up, except a small door left for the cattle to be forced out at. Those to be operated upon were made to escape at this door singly; and when a bull found himself in the open field he usually made off with the utinost speed, pursued by a gang of horsemen swinging their lassos in the air, and while in full chase, and wlien they got within point blank, those foremost throw their lassos, some round the horns, others round the neck, some would entrap a hind leg, others a fore one. They then stop short their well trained liorses and the bull falls as if shot, tumbling heels over head.
In a moment he is securedl by tying the lassos round his legs, and hy some of the vaqueros lying down on his head. In this state the wildest hull lies perfectly motionless and suffers whatever operation has to be performed almost without mak- ing an effort at resistance.
Says L. C. Branch: "I have seen rodeos at my father's place on the Tuolumne river, though when quite small, yet I remem- ber the circumstances well. People would come from all over the neighboring country; some even from the Merced river, the San Joaquin, and Tuolumne."
SPRING RODEOS.
About May 1st, the spring rodeos begin. When a rodeo is to be held on any given range, notice is sent out in advance to the men in charge of neighboring ranges, and when the rodeo takes place each of the neighboring ranges will he represented by one or more vaqueros, who assist in the work. Roaming about at will, the cattle of different owners become mingled in the course of a season, and at the rodeo they are sorted out and separated. The calves stay with their respective mothers, and thus any confusion of ownership regarding them is prevented. The calves belonging to the range are branded while the rodeo is in progress. The cattle and calves belonging to other ranges are then driven off by the agents of their respective owners. One rodeo succeeds another, each on a different range, until all the cattle have been sorted out and claimed and all the calves branded. In the fall, rodeos are again in order Each owner has his own private brand and ear-mark. Besides the brand and ear-mark, a dewlap, made by an upward or a downward cut transversely through the loose skin of the neck is commonly added.
CATTLE STAMPEDES.
One of the great causes of loss to which cattle inen are liable, is stampeding. This is a danger to which all large droves of stock are ever subject. Stampedes are caused by a sudden fright which instantaneously spreads through a whole herd, and starts them off in a moment on a mad, headlong, resistless rush to escape from some imaginary peril. Stampedes usually occur at night, but sometimes in the day. In Paradise valley, Nevada, last winter, 1,300 cattle confined in a numher of corrals took fright one night and broke out of their inclos- ures, rushing off in a body. A number of them were killed in gullies. Many were not recovered for weeks, and some have not yet been found. They were fat cattle, ready for market, and the loss to their owners by the stampede was in the neighborhood of $10,000. Cattle lose enormously in weight by a stampede, and are left in a very had condition. It requires months to again fit them for market. And having once stam- peded they are liable to do so again on the slightest provoca- tion. They do not recover from the original fright for weeks, the wild run leaving them in a state of nervous exhaustion. Cattle will stampede oven when yoked to wagons. In 1849 sixty teams of cattle, five yoke to a team, all drawing emigrant wagons, stampeded on the Sweetwater, in Colorado, and ran seven or eight miles before they came to a halt.
Horses and mules are also subjected to stampede. As might be supposed from their well-known eccentricity of impulse and tenacity of purpose, mules make a worse stampede than eitber horses or cattle. When a large band of mules statupede, they go so far and scatter over so much country that a large loss usually results.
188
ACRES AND VALUATION OF ALL PROPERTY.
FINANCIAL AND STATISTICAL TABLE.
Showing the Acres of Land, the Value of Property, the Rate of Tax on each $too Valuation (the State tax being 62} cents) for every County in California for the Year 1880, as reported by the Controller of State.
NAMES OF COUNTIES,
veyor-General ..
ed by the Sur-
Land, as report-
Number of Acres of
Value of Real Es-
Estate ..
Value of Improve.
sive of money . .
Value of Personal
zation ...
Value of Railroads
ing money . .
Total Value of all
Rate of Taxation ..
and Co. Taxes. .
Amount of State
Alameda.
472,889 $ 31,310,633 $ 11,202,102 $
4,593,904 $ 1,902,753 8
49,298,448
1 10
Alpine. .
565,502
162,008
89,241
110,807
84,000
2,872,387
2 68
67 307 84
Butte .
1,130,245
7,679,882
1,431,856
2,652,114
1,019,674
12,898,094
1 70
175,266 10
Calaveras
622,717
1,024,399
485,951
1,043,341
8,837
2,608,316
3 00
54,367 14
Colusa.
1,472,773
13,243,135
1,173,591
2 714,045
600,760
17,875,773
1 50
188,374 15
Contra Costa.
470,866
5,264,509
863,649
1,309,686
692,095
8,171,064
1 60
123,379 92
Del Norte.
990,673
272,437
235,022
287,728
820,250
2 50
16,731 52
El Dorado
1,210,504
987,280
728,090
978,325
208,413
2,989,733
2 17₺
50,580 17
Fresno
5,180,972
3,795,415
520,085
1,698,714
1,501,485
7,533,327
2 00
120,865 60
Humboldt
2,620,799
3,499,433
1,228,155
1,749,451
6,607,386
2 25
121,673 97
Inyo
6,500,489
321,548
358,826
484,479
1,177,662
3 00
32,515 86
Kern
5,184,885
2,166,755
524,071
1,374,557
1,736,006
5,853,881
2 75
131,728 52
Lake
690,990
1,338,825
557,902
621,133
2,556,274
2 55
54,046 99
Lassen.
3,400,820
435,674
228,420
621,476
1,303,430
2 55
30,925 43
Los Angeles
3,080,625
10,477,432
3,033,059
2,798,393
2,054,979
18,502,652
1 65
Marin.
326,367
5,539,902
1,238,390
1,431,207
694,322
8,924,530
1 81
142,336 48
Mariposa
988,234
600,687
325,678
516,459
1,465,693
3 00
38,811 51
Mendocino.
2,280,339
2,977,519
1,123,609
2,160,699
6,373.983
2 00
111,717 00
Mereed .
1,260,805
3,766,056
584,179
1,285,573
744,702
6,757,416
. 2 00
114,625 20
Modoc ..
2,750,418
580,230
352,208
892,629
1,843,058
1 80
23,856 66
Mono ..
1,700,773
692,746
828,845
797,905
2,365,439
2 90
49,016 35
Monterey
2,130,420
4,906,709
820,726
1,579,416
734,772
8,076,874
1 65
116,756 36
Napa
505,078
4,456,885
1,954,834
1,990,131
656,473
9,182,661
1 80
143,372 44
Nevada
720,684
4,334,835
1,854,523
1,887,315
801,812
9,061,990
1 90
128,754 55
Placer
915,923
2,403,291
1,398,929
1,757,777
2,322,169
7,999,343
1 50
84,583 98
Plumas .
1,700,497
931,008
525,534
606,276
2,100,302
2 44
46,881 33
Sacramento
620,466
11,744,870
6,033,345
6,188,105
1,369,013
25,748,193
1 50
278,488 57
San Benito.
676,550
2,494,734
484,235
676,541
260,040
3,052,935
1 571
57,864 66
San Bernardino ..
13,550,900
1,669,007
586,577
692,604
720,156
3,680,746
2
10
1
San Diego.
9,580,384
1,307,302
341,948
900,748
2,424,633
4,995,469
2 441
73,190 22
San Francisco
27,862
122,029,868
42,968,640
68,583,967
190,228
253,520,326
1 991
4,336,917 25
San Joaquin. .
876,720
17,622,162
3,121,408
4,799,557
1,684,534
27,463,315
1 50
280,155 28
San Luis Obispo
2,290,285 293,059
4,419,910
1,559,745
1,392,710
369,800
7,764,610
1 87
115,497 65
Santa Barbara.
1,450,063
3,260,634
895,061
1,290,594
5,487,053
2 25
83,821 25
Santa Clara
830,145
14,579,401
4,938,534
4,311,119
1,351,266
25,530,723
1 30
369,061 87
Santa Cruz
280,080
3,804,533
1,216,707
1,160,922
311,814
6,596,512
2 10
118,023 12
Shasta.
2,410,987
970,712
453,461
951,129
380,963
2,813,577
2 50
49,560 05
Sierra.
510,259
693,359
394,045
533,270
43,567
1,741,537
2 95
42,257 13
Solano.
530,267
7,461,326
1,600,617
1,869,928
1,004,529
12,124,576
1 90
165,662 05
Sonoma ..
960,919
10,016,225
3,584,508
3,597,396
1,213,493
18,805,853
1 62
246,212 16
Stanislaus ..
966,766
6,558,542
783,700
1,667,594
608,015
9,182,946
1 60
98,348 00
Tehama
2,000,781
3,977,270
615,683
1,173,333
821,502
6,627,363
2 40
105,515 79
Tulare.
4,100,250
1,949,929
1,863,226
1,383,943
1,169,499
6,408,888
2 36
112,041 60
Tuolumne
1,250,440
703,069
609,869
623,427
1,976,572
2 65
44,108 21
Ventura
1,077,548
2,046,859
395,908
859,011
3,331,979
2 00
57,885 78
Yolo
651,148
7,845,624
1,408,552
2,319,274
874,378
12,909,950
1 55
153,686 16
Yuba ..
395,110|
1,752,093
1,111,152
1,653,789
410,798
5,035,252
2 50
100,891 02
Totals
100,529,924 $ 349,157,295 $ 111,536,922|$ 149,656,007 $31,174,120 $ 666,202,674
$10,136,353 09
Siskiyou
3,590,771
1,323,528
710,474
1,576,491
3,724,857
1 80
47,919 81
Sutter.
391,158
3,656,128
434,902
888,146
202,640
5,202,790
1 75
68,267 88
Trinity.
1,680,880
403,951
202,050
447,000
1,093,939
2 75
24,711 77
San Mateo.
2,694,457
572,097
1,395,711
4,678,048
2 25
92.583 76
Amador
362,822
1,000,569
982,103
776,158
366,699
3 00
11,970 99
tate .. .
ments on Real
Property exelu-
Board of Equali-
assessed by State
Property includ-
( $1 35
$522,057 23
CX
1
$ 2 20
?
53,408 98
1 90
1 50
257,769 78
جيم
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