USA > California > Napa County > History of Napa and Lake Counties, California : comprising their geography, geology, topography, climatography, springs and timber, together with a full and particular record of the Mexican Grants, also separate histories of all the townships and biographical sketches > Part 74
USA > California > Lake County > History of Napa and Lake Counties, California : comprising their geography, geology, topography, climatography, springs and timber, together with a full and particular record of the Mexican Grants, also separate histories of all the townships and biographical sketches > Part 74
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" In Coyote Valley there was a band of stock owned by Jacob P. Leese, in the charge of two vaqueros, and when this party stopped at noon near their corral these men came and tried to drive them off, thinking that they were probably land jumpers. The party arrived at where Kelsey ville now stands on the 16th day of April, 1854, and pitched their tents in a circle around a large oak tree. One night, shortly after they had got fairly set- tled down to camp life, a commotion was heard among the pots and kettles, which were stacked a la arms about the butt of the tree, and at the same time the dogs and the people of the camp were aroused to the realization of the presence of some predacious animal in their midst. A hasty inspection of the situation revealed a massive bruin devouring the contents of the cooking vessels. This was not a very pleasant predicament for the campers to be in, and it is quite possible that the tension of the nerves of the men as well as the ladies was tried on this occasion. To fire at the bear was doubly dangerous, for if the charge missed the mark altogether, the tents being erected around in a circle, it was liable to go tearing through one and damage some of the inmates. Again, if the bear were wounded and not killed outright, he would doubtless make a fearful onslaught upon his aggressors, who were protected only by the thin cloth of the tent from his ferocious attacks. But these old timers were inured to danger, and had cool heads on them in the most trying hours. The dogs were encouraged
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to attack the bear, and he was finally driven outside of the circle of tents, when a few well directed shots brought him to the ground. Such narra- tions read like romances now, but they were of common occurrence in those early days, and we imagine that actual experience served to take away much of the romance that now seems to attach to them.
" This party began at once the getting out of material for their houses. They went up into the Siegler Mountains and split out cedar boards and shaved them. These boards were about six feet long. The studding were hewn out. When they had got out sufficient material for their houses they began erecting them. The one occupied by Mr. Crawford was built first and was located on what is now known as the Phelan ranch, about the center of Big Valley. The two Hammack houses were located about a mile east of Crawford's, and about quarter of a mile apart.
"This party brought in about two hundred head of stock, horses and cat- tle, and engaged in stock raising. They understood that the land was a grant of sixteen leagues, which originated from a lease from the Mexican Government to Salvador Vallejo. Teschmaker & Co. claimed the land at that time. Game was very plentiful in this vicinity at this time, consisting of bear, deer, and elk. The bears were more dangerous than the Indians.
" In the fall of 1854 what was known as the Elliott party came in and located at Upper Lake. This party consisted of William B. Elliott, his wife, two single sons, and a daughter twelve or fourteen years of age ; two mar- ried sons, Alburn and Commodore, and their wives, and Benjamin Dewell and his wife-who was a daughter of Elliott. They settled on the banks of Clover Creek, about one-fourth of a mile above the present site of the town of Upper Lake, the Elliotts locating on the east side of the stream and Dewell on the west side of it, where he still resides. This party brought some four or five hundred head of stock, and followed stock raising for a business.
" In the spring of 1855 Lansing T. Musick and Joseph Willard came in and settled, the former on the east side of Clover Creek, and the latter on the west side. C. C. Rice now owns the Musick place, and D. V. Thompson the Willard place. Musick engaged in farming, hunting, trapping, and had a little stock. Willard was engaged in hog raising. They both had families. Musick's family consisted of his wife, and four sons, ranging from nine to eighteen years of age, and one daughter, and Willard had a wife and one or two children.
" Mr. Barber settled about one-fourth of a mile above the town of Lower Lake in the fall of 1854 or 1855. J. R. Hale settled about a mile further up Siegler Creek. Dr. W. R. Mathews (subsequently the first County Clerk) and the Copseys came in and located in what is known as the Copsey set- tlement, about three miles south of Lower Lake, about 1855. These were all men of families.
5
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History of Napa and Lake Counties-LAKE.
" The first settlers in Scotts Valley were G. C. Cord, a gunsmith, and a man named Ogden. They both had wives, and were brothers-in-law. They remained there for two or three years, and then moved away.
" The first settlers in Long Valley were the Hanson brothers-D. M., J. F. and Daniel.
" In Coyote there was a log house, where the stone house is now standing, as early as 1854, and two men were there in charge of stock belonging to A. A. Ritchie.
" In Loconoma Valley, the first settlers were the Bradfords.
" Dr. E. D. Boynton, late of Napa, but now deceased, built a store and put in a stock of goods, in 1856. This was located at what is known as Stony Point, a short distance south of Lakeport, and was the first place of business in Lake County."
We will now take up the settlement as given by Mr. Benjamin Dewell :
"Salvador Vallejo had a claim on some land in Lake as early as 1846, and he tried to dispose of two leagues of it to Elliott and Dewell during that year. These two leagues of land lay in Big Valley, and a man by the name of Alvarada had one league lying to the north of him, in the head of Scotts Valley, and adjoining Vallejo's property. This man Alvarada was major-domo for Vallejo, and also had some stock of his own on his claim in Scotts Valley. He had an Alcalde's title to his league of land. Mr, Dewell does not know, but thinks that Vallejo afterwards bought him out. both land and cattle. It was in 1846 that he saw Alvarada's cattle in Scotts Valley, and that Vallejo tried to sell the land to him and Elliott. Alvarada and Vallejo both used one corral-the old one at or near Kelsey's place. Jacob P. Leese had stock in both the Coyote and Loconoma Valleys in 1846.
"Sam., Ben. and Andy Kelsey, and Stone, were partners in all their transactions. They came into Big Valley in 1847, and Ben. and Sam. took the Indians off to the mines, but Andy and Stone remained in the valley to care for the stock.
" Walter Anderson was living at Lower Lake when Stone and Kelsey were killed. He had his family with him, which consisted of three men and two women.
" The first permanent settlers in Lake County was the Hammack party, who located in Big Valley. The second party of settlers comprised William B. Elliott, wife and three children, Benjamin Dewell and wife, Alburn Elliott and wife, and Commodore Elliott and wife. Of this party, Mr. Dewell came in advance some months, arriving in May, 1854, and William B. and Alburn came that fall, while Commodore did not arrive until the spring of 1855. Mr. Dewell settled on the west side of Clover Creek, and William B. and Commodore Elliott on the east side of that stream. Alburn
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Elliott settled on the west side of the creek, about three miles above Dew- ell's place. Colonel Lansing Musick arrived in the fall of 1854, and located on the west side of Clover Creek, just below the town of Upper Lake. At this time there were lots of wild hogs in the tules, and the bears did not seem to bother them at all. Mr. Dewell brought the first tame hogs into the county, and the bears did not trouble them for about a year, but finally they got a taste, and all the hogs disappeared with great suddenness.
" In Bachelor Valley, Richard Lawrence, Green Catran, Daniel Giles and Benjamin Moore, settled quite early, and as they were all single men, the settlers gave it the name it still bears-Bachelor Valley.
" In 1848 William Scott settled in Scotts Valley, from whom it took its name. Jefferson Worden was the next settler in that valley, and he had stock there, consisting of horses and cattle. He was there in 1854, and was really the first settler in that valley."
The list of old settlers furnished us by Mr. W. C. Goldsmith has reference inore to the vicinity of Lower Lake, but we will insert it here. It is as follows :
" Walter Anderson settled on the place now owned by J. B. Shreaves in 1850. C. N. Copsey and L. W. Parkerson settled on the Grigsby place in 1851. These two men exchanged claims in 1852. A man by the name of Barber came in next, and he had a family. Anderson sold his place to Mr. Parker in 1856. W. W. Hall came in 1854, and located on the ranch now owned by Charles Coram, about two and a half miles south of Lower Lake. Terrell Grigsby located the Charles Copsey place and the Siegler Springs in 1854. In 1856 there came in and settled C. C. Copsey, Allen Copsey, O. J. Copsey, John C. Copsey, Thomas Copsey, William R. Mathew's and family, consisting of wife, five boys and two girls; N. Herndon and family, consisting of wife and six sons and six daughters; Wm. Slater and family, consisting of two boys and four girls, and Jarvis Cable.
" In 1857 W. C. Goldsmith. In 1858 Charles Kiphart and family, Calvin Reams and family, A. Hill and family, A. S. McWilliams and family, E. M. Day and family, O. N. Cadwell and family, Ed. Mitchell and family.
" A man by the name of Burns settled, or rather located in Burns Valley in 1850 and built a log cabin, which he afterwards abandoned. In 1852 William E. Willis settled in Burns Valley, and he sold to Jacob Bowers in 1856."
From numerous other sources we have collected data concerning the early settlement of Lake County of more or less importance, which we will collate and insert in this connection.
George Rock came into Coyote Valley as agent for Jacob O. Leese, as early as 1850, and built a log house where the stone house of the Guenoc ranch now stands. J. Broome Smith followed Rock, and came in 1852.
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He was followed by Robert Watterman, now of Fairfield, Solano County, and he by Captain R. Steele and Robert Sterling, who began building the stone house mentioned above, in 1853, and finished it in 1854. Mr. Sterling had his wife up there with him, and she was the first white woman in Coyote Valley. J. M. Hamilton came in in 1853.
In 1853 W. L. Anderson and a man by the name of Vann brought a drove of cattle into Loconoma Valley. They built a house at the head of the valley, near where George E. Mckinley now lives.
In Long Valley Benjamin Knight and William E. Willis settled in 1854, on the place now owned by H. Kennedy. Richard and Perry Drury settled in the lower end of the valley in 1855, and the Hanson brothers followed very shortly.
Mr. W. C. S. Smith, an old pioneer of Napa County, states that Thomp- son and Teschmaker bought the remainder of Kelsey and Stone's cattle, after all that could be corraled had been driven out, and that J. Broome Smith was their agent up there. In the fall of 1854 Mr. Smith and a small party went up to Lake on a little excursion, and went as far as Siegler Springs. While they were camped there Terrell Grigsby came over from Anderson Springs and paid them a visit, he having a claim at that place. Smith's party stuck up a stake and attached a notice to it to the effect that . they had taken up the claim. In 1855, at Mr. Smith's suggestion, William Brown moved up to the springs and built a log house and barn just west of them.
A writer in the Napa Register in 1874 states as follows: "The first set- tlement in Lake County was made in 1847 by Kelsey and Stone, who were killed by the Indians in 1849, a little south-west of where Kelseyville now stands. Noble Copsey, then a member of the Santa Rosa Lodge of Masons, and a man named Parkerson, built the first house in 1853 near the present town of Lower Lake. The first farming was engaged in in 1854. In 1857 the township of Lake was set off, and at the first election held Woods, Crawford and J. T. Shin were elected as township officers. By an Act of the Legislature of 1861 the county was established."
A writer in the Napa Reporter of 1860 gives the following historical sketch of Lake County, which will be found full of interest :
" Clear Lake, the Indian name of which is Hok-has-ha, is a splendid sheet of water, about thirty-five miles in length by from five to fifteen miles in width. Its altitude is one thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea, and its running direction is from north-west to south-east. On the northern side the country is exceedingly mountainous, but interspersed with several small valleys, occupied by settlers. The lake abounds in all descrip- tions of fish that tenant our inland waters. The Indians have great sport in capturing them in the spring of the year, when they run up the little
.
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streams to spawn. In these they swarm so multitudinously that thousands are killed with clubs. In this way the savages slaughter sufficient quanti- ties to last them throughout the year.
." There is as yet, 1860, but one sailing craft on the lake, which is owned by Dr. Downes, an old resident of Sacramento, but there are two sloops in course of construction, which will be employed in the transportation of freight. At the foot of the lake lies Mount Uncle Sam, whose altitude is one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five feet above the sea (lake). This eminence was christened by the troops sent out at an early day to chastise the Indians for the murder of Stone and Kelsey. The Indian name of the mountain is Dun-oh-bo-ten, meaning the great stone.
" The country about the lake is divided into three sections, called Lower Lake, Big Valley, and Upper Lake. At its foot is a saw mill, owned by Daniel Copsey (1860). The facilities for sawing lumber here are unsur- passed, and the water power is great and unfailing. About five miles from this point in an easterly direction is a borax lake, discovered by Dr. Veatch, of San Francisco, in 1856, when on a tour of scientific exploration. The ingredients are borax mixed with iodine. The lake lies at the foot of a high mountain, in a valley containing about three hundred acres. Its surface is one-half of a mile in length and one-fourth in breadth. In winter the average depth of the water is three feet. The company owning it con- sists of Messrs. Baldwin, Heydenfeldt, Halleck, Peachy, Billings, and Dr. Veatch. Their property, as the country becomes more prosperous and fully settled, must prove very valuable. There are on the premises three ·build- ings measuring in the aggregate forty feet square; also two boats and a general outfit for mining, but the latter is quite rude in construction. Some two tons of borax have been already taken out for the purpose of testing its quality.
" One mile above this lake is an inexhaustible mountain of yellow sul- phur, said to be quite as free from impurities as is that dispensed in the shops of druggists. Big Valley-the Indian name of which is Luss-elo-mi, signifying the valley of the great stone, is six miles long by four broad. The soil is fine for either cultivation or stock raising. In this valley are two Indian rancherias, located on the borders of the lake. The principal one, Habinassa (Habenapo) is commanded by a chief named Prieto, from his surprising blackness. In 1851 this settlement numbered five hundred red men, happy, healthy and contented. They have about fifty acres of land in cultivation, raising chiefly corn and melons. They are very ingenious in the construction of boats, nets and baskets. Since that time they have dimin- ished in number fully one hundred per cent., and are generally now afflicted with pulmonary complaints. They are a sober, peaceable tribe, willing to work for such as pay for their services.
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History of Napa and Lake Counties-LAKE.
" At the foot of Cobb Mountain, or Kan-na-mo-ta, is a steam grist and saw mill, built some two years ago by Thomas Boyd, at a cost of about five thousand dollars, with a capacity of four thousand feet of lumber per day. In Siegler Valley resides Mr. Robert Miller, on whose ranch there are about fifty springs, the waters of which are of different degrees of temperature from the coldest mountain waters to those hot enough to cook an egg. The waters are impregnated with various mineral qualities, said to be efficacious in the healing of diseases. There is a natural shower bath with ten feet fall of water. The bath-tubs are such as nature has provided by the wear of the water in the solid rock. Coal of an excellent quality has been discovered in this valley.
"It appears from the representations of W. F. Wallace, H. F. Teschmaker, J. P. Thompson, G. H. Howard, S. M. Mezes, A. Sawyer, H. Demarest, L. Moller and J. Benehley, the present claimants under the grant, that this place was visited in 1836 by Salvador Vallejo and Ramon Carrillo, on an Indian expedition, and for the service thus rendered, the Government in 1842 granted to Antonio and Salvador Vallejo sixteen leagues of land, including the whole of Big and Bachelor Valleys, and a part of Upper Lake Valley. The present holders claimed to have purchased of the grantees in 1852, paying therefor $16,000. This claim was rejected by the Board of Land Commissioners, confirmed by the District Court, and the papers were in Washington in 1860 for the final decision of the Supreme Court.
CLEAR LAKE TOWNSHIP .- Clear Lake Township was organized as appears in the records of the Board of Supervisors of Napa County, on the 6th day of November, 1855, with the following boundaries : Commencing at Mount St. Helena and running on the divide between Napa, Lup-Yomi (Locollayomai) and Coyote Valleys ; thence across to the eastern line of Napa County, in a direction so as to include Lup-Yomi, Coyote, Clear Lake, Cobbs and Scotts Valleys, and to include all the Clear Lake Valleys. The first appointments of the Board of Supervisors of Napa County to office of any one living in the territory now embraced by Lake County, was made April 14, 1855. This section was then a portion of Hot Springs Township, Napa County, and on that day S. Grigsby was appointed a Justice of the Peace, and C. N. Copsey was appointed a Constable. There were two voting precincts in the county at that time, known as Upper and Lower Lake, and they were embraced in the Third Supervisors' District of Napa County. At the general election of 1855, R. H. Lawrence was elected Jus- tice of Hot Springs Township, and L. Musick, Constable, both residing in Lake.
Two school districts were organized in Lake on the 7th of April, 1856. At the general election in 1856 H. B. Houghton and A. Brown were elected
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General History and Settlement.
Justices for Clear Lake Township, and W. Crawford and P. Rickabaugh, Constables ; at the general election of 1857 Justices J. Bowers and Woods Crawford, and Constables G. Kieth and Thomas Boyd; at the general elec- tion of 1858, Justices J. F. Houx and W. W. Merridith, and Constables J. C. W. Ingram and James Gray. At this election L. T. Musick was elected Supervisor from Clear Lake Township. At the general election of 1859, Justices J. F. Houx and G. A. Lyon, and Constables J. T. Shinn and C. Elliott were elected ; at the general election of 1861, Justices H. Winchester and W. C. Ferrell, and Constables L. T. Musick and J. Dotey. January 3, 1861, William C. Ferrell and James German were appointed Justices, and C. N. Copsey Constable for Clear Lake Township. February 4, 1861, O. A. Munn was appointed Justice for that township. This completes the list of township officers who served previous to the organization of Lake County in 1861.
SHOWER OF CANDY .- A very uncommon and curious phenomenon is recorded as having occurred in some sections of Lake County on the nights of September 2d and 11, 1857. It is said that on both of these nights there fell a shower of candy or sugar. The crystals were from one-eighth to one- fourth of an inch in length, and the size of a goose quill. Syrup was made of it by some of the lady residents of the section. If this is a canard, it is surely a sweet one.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY .- May 20, 1861, the Act organ- izing Lake County was approved by the Governor of California, and on the first Monday in June the first election was held, and the machinery of a county government was put in operation. Upon the organization of the county Lakeport was chosen as the county seat, and shortly afterwards a Court-house was erected on the site of the present building. It was con- structed of wood, was two-stories high, and about 30x50 feet in size. Its longest way was from north to south, and the main entrance was at the center of the east side. There was nothing pretentious or showy about the building, but it answered the purposes for which it was designed very well indeed.
THE TREASURER'S TROUBLES, SAFE ROBBING, ETC .- Apropos, a good story is told by Mr. Woods Crawford of how the Treasurer, Mr. J. B. Cook, used to manage his money. There was no safe, and the Board of Supervisors refused to procure one for the office. Mr. Cook kept the money for a long time in an iron chest in Mr. Levy's store, but as that was only a small wooden structure, it was an easy matter for thieves to enter, which they did on the night of October
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History of Napa and Lake Counties-LAKE.
24, 1865, and taking the little iron 'chest into a field south of town, relieved the county of $1,838. After this there was neither safe nor iron box to put the money in, and Mr. Cook had to become personal guardian of the county funds as well as custodian. He used to keep the coin in an old shot-bag, and carry it home with him at night, and take it to the office in the morning. He resided in a small, rudely finished house some distance south of town, and when he arrived at home in the evening he would de- posit the bag of coin in some chink or crevice of the building, or would sometimes bury it, or hide it in some other out-of-the-way place. As a matter of course, the care of this money proved a great source of anxiety to him, and also having so many caches for it, it was almost impossible for him to remember where he had hid it every time. One afternoon he rushed into Mr. Crawford's office in an excited manner, and almost distraught with apprehension, and said, "They have stolen the money again." "Do you know where you put it last night ?" said Mr. Crawford. "No," was the reply ; "but I have searched in every nook and corner, high and low, and I cannot find it anywhere." He asked Mr. Crawford to go down to the house with him and help hunt for the missing treasure, and he consented. Arriving at the house, diligent search was begun in and about the premises, and finally he looked in a little trough-shaped place just over the door, and between the studding, and there, under a lot of rubbish which Mr. Cook had piled upon it in his eager search for it without detecting its presence, lay the innocent cause of all of the old gentleman's solicitude. Mr. Crawford says that the beam of the smile that enwreathed Mr. Cook's face when his eyes rested upon the glittering double eagles once more, was like unto the' radiance of an angel's.
THE COURT-HOUSE BURNED .- On the night of the 15th of Feb- ruary, 1867, the Court-house was destroyed by fire, and it has always been considered the work of an incendiary, and with it was reduced to ashes every vestage of the records of Lake County, except one of the Treasurer's books, which that official chanced to have at his home on that night. That was an eventful night as all old residents of Lakeport will remember. Dr. Downes had been shot, accidentally, that day, and it was thought at that time that the wound would prove fatal, and his watchers were the first to discover the fire. The Treasurer, J. B. Cook, was very ill, and not expected to live, and altogether when the flames burst from the roof of the Court- house it was a moment of supreme apprehension. Fortunately Dr. Downes survived the effects of the wound, though it was a long time before he fully recovered, but Mr. Cook had ended his work below, and in a few days was called to come up higher, "where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal."
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General History and Settlement.
PEREGRINATIONS OF THE COUNTY SEAT .- Soon after the destruction of the county building, the county seat became a peripatetic as it were, having no fixed abode, and tossed hither and thither by the caprices of the ballot and the decisions of a jury, two of the things that our Professor of Theology used to say that the Almighty himself never was certain about. It had its virtual locale at Lower Lake, however, despite all contentions in the matter, till 1870, when it was finally located at Lakeport. A full account of this will be found in the chapter on the Political History, to which the reader is referred.
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