USA > California > Nevada County > History of Nevada County, California; with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and manufactories > Part 11
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The first family to settle in the town was that of Mr Scott in the summer of 1850, and Mrs. Scott was the first woman to shed the light of her presence upon Grass Valley. Several more families came in that fall, so that at a ball given at the Grass Valley House, January 1, 1851, six ladies graced the occasion with their presence. These ladies were the entering wedge of refinement, that has caused such a change in the so- ciety of Grass Valley.
The first hotel was built in September, 1850, by J. B. Under- wood, who arrived with his large family September 10, aud began cutting trees for the construction of a double log cabin the following day. When completed, he called it the Mountain Home, and kept hotel and boarding house in it for some time; it stood on Mill street on the site of the express office. The Beatty House was built soon after, on the southwest corner of
RESIDENCE OF JOHN V. HUNTER, NEVADA CITY, CAL.
PUBLISHED BY THOMPSON & WEST.
1
65
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
Main and Mill streets; this was a frame building. erector by Thomas Beatty.
The great event of the year, and, in fact, the ora from which Grass Valley may date her prosperity and prominute, was the discovery of gohl beuring quartz, ou Gold Hill, then called Gobl Monutain, by a man named M.Knight, in the mouth of October. At this time there were but fifteen or twenty cabins in the town, but so great was the excitement and so widespread dil the Name of Grass Valley become, that by March, 1551, the lown contained about one hundred and fifty buildings, several stores, hotels, saloons and shops.
When the miners began to rush in, after the discovery of gold quartz, it became evident that some form of local govern. ment was necessary to regulate allairs and protect the people in their rights of life and property, as well as to adjust disputes as to mining claims. An election was therefore hell, in Novem- ber, 1850, for a Justice of the Peace and a Constable. James Walsh was then the most popular man in town, was proprietor al' the saw mill and an active business man. Him the people elected Justice without opposition, and Luther Humiston, Con . stahle. The election was held under the spreading branches of an onk tree that stood in front of the lot ou which was afterwards built the Lola Muntex cottage. A cigar box served for a depository of ballots, of which over two hundred were cust, written on paper of every size, color and texture. Judge Walsh discharged the duties of a Justice of the Peace long and well,
In 1851 Grass Valley made rapid strides forward, taking a prominent place among the mining towus of the county. The county was organized that yeur, but Nevada City had SO tar outstripped this place in 1850, that she secured the county seat, which she has succeeded in retaining, although Grass Valley now leads her in wealth, business and population. A postoffice was established, with Dr. C. D. Cleveland, post master. In the Tall Rev. Mr. Blythe came to the growing city, organized a church society and soon erected a church edifice, which was dlediented and occupied the following spring. This, the first. church organization, was followed quickly by others, their his- tory being given in another part of this work. The first school. a private oue attended by about a dozen scholars, was taught enrly in 1852 by Miss Rosa Farrington (now Mrs. Jerry P. Stone, and still living in the city), in a little cabin where the Lola Montez Cottage was afterwards built. The first public school was opened in the fall of 1853. Reference is made to the special chapter about schools.
The carly society of Grass Valley was composed of the same incongruous elements that formed the component parts of the population of every mining camp. Every race, every nation, every religion had its representatives here. A more cosmopol- itan colleetion could not well be imagined, and yet the American
element predominatal American customs and institutions pre- vaile. 1 and it was but a few years before the conglomeration lecame thoroughly Americanizel. Saloons afwounded and the omnipresent gaming tabb, behind which sat the ubiquitous and Skillful gambler, was over the center of attraction. Ladies were in such an overwhelming minority that, at first, their influencer was scarcely felt, and ladies of a marriageable ag were " scareer than heus' teeth." A gentleman who took up his residence here in 1832, recently remarked. " When I canwe here there were only two girls in the town, and one of them was engaged, so I had to take the other. You see," said he, with a smile, "that it was a clear case of Hobam's choice." W" have never Farued that he regretted his " Hobson's choice."
Grass Valley came ucar being the scene of a bloody and dis- graceful riot in 1852, growing out of the antagonism between the foreign and American miners in regard to the division of claims. The Americans gave notice of an election to be hebl for Recorder of the district, and the foreign miners held an election .prior to that date, choosing a man by the name of Eller. On Sunday, May 23, 1852, the Americans met at the Beatty House, nud nominated Captain Jolm Day for the posi tion. The foreigners attempted to take part in the procced- ings, and a fight ensued, during which a man was severely wounded and James Nolan killed by being struck upon the head with a rock. Further hostilities were avoided by pru- dent counsel, the parties referring their differences to the arbi- tration of the ballot box.
Steadily and firmly Grass Valley climbed the ladder of prosperity. In 1855 the population had increased to 3,500 souls, and at the election that fall 879 votes were cast. At the next election, in the fall of 1856, the number of ballots cast was increased to 1,298. She now leads all the towns in the county, casting, in 1879, 1,105 votes, being 82 more than were cast by Nevada City.
In 1854, Lola Montez, the gifted, the beautiful and the way- ward, came to Grass Valley, and made this the scene of her eccentricities for two years. She built a neat cottage on Church street, which is still pointed out by the okl residents. Many were her escapades while in the city, but the most prominent one was the attempt to cowhide Henry Shipley, editor of the Grass Valley Telegraph. Between these two there was con- siderable ill feeling, and when Mr. Shipley published an article bearing severely upon one of Lola's friends, she armed herself with a whip and hunted for the object of her wrath. She found him sitting in a saloon and at once proceeded to give him a severe castigation, but was disarmed before she had succeededl in striking more than one blow. Both Lola and Shipley pub- lished their versions of the affair, each one reflecting severely upon the character of the other. With the subsequent history
of the unfortunate Lom Montez nl are familiar. Shipley rests in a suicide's grave.
In September, 1862, the gas works were completed and Grass Valley was lighted with gas. At that time the city was seving " hard times," the silver excitement of the Comstork had car . riel away hundreds of her miners and thousands of dollars of capital; but Isti4, 5 and d saw a revival of mining interests here: busines dreame lively, every house in the city way occupied, and Grass Valley once more because the luisy, hust. ling mining town she was before, and that she is toalny. Singe then there has been always one mine paying large dividends and n large mumber of others ou n paying basis, employing a great many men, and keeping a large sum of money in cirenlation.
Under an Act of the Legislature providing for the incor- poration of towns by the County Court, a petition wus pre- sented to the court, signed by A. B. Diblde and verified by himself and S. W. Boring, upon which an order was entered, March 5, 1855, incorporating the Town of Grass Valley, with the following boundaries :- " Comprising an area of one mile square, and having for its metes and bounds a perimeter of half a mile due north, due south, due east and due west from Adams & Co." An election for town officers was ordered to In held on March 12, at the Beatty House. The election resulted in the choice of J. J. Dorsey, W. J. Tilley, 0, 11. P. White, Zenas Wheeler and J. P. Stone, Trustees; John Little, Marshal; J. M. Fouse, Assessor ; A. Delano, Treasurer. The new Bourd of Trustees met and passed sixtren ordinances regulating municipal affairs, and the Marshal made Tour arrests the first day, one for fighting, one for fust riding and two women for parading the streets in male attire.
The city government was destined to be a short lived one, for in April, 1856, the Supreme Court declared the law muler which the city was incorporated to be unconstitutional. The test case was made of Nevada City, whose government was of the same nature as that of Grass Valley.
By an Act of the Legislature, approved April 15, 1861, the Town of Grass Valley was incorporated. The area was twelve hundred yards square, lying north and south, of which the northwest corner of the Congregational church was the center. The government consisted of five Trustees, one Marshal andl one Assessor, elected by the people, and a Clerk and a Treasurer to be appointed by the Trustees.
By Act, approved March 24, 1866, the charter was amended and improved. Trustees empowdered to elect Treasurer, Assessor and Marshal and, if deemed advisable:, to order the election of a Recorder. They were also given full charge of the fire department. The city was reincorporated by an Act, ap- proved January 22, 1870, making the boundaries to conform to the government surveys, as follows :- Commencing at the
66
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
sontlicast corner of section 27, township 16, north, range 8, cast; thence north to the southeast corner of the northcast quarter of the northeast quarter of the same section; thence west to the southeast corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of the same section; thenee south to the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of the same section ; thence east to the place of be- ginning. This tract contains 360 acres, and a United States patent was issued December 4, 1871, to the Trustees of the city, in trust for tho property holders, in which the same land was described as being the southeast quarter, the south half of the northeast quarter, the southeast quarter of the northi- west quarter, and the cast half of the southwest quarter of section 27, township 16, north, range 8, cast.
In the matter of destructive fires and measures adopted for protection from them, Grass Valley has had an eventful his- tory. The first fire organization was a hook and ladder com- pany formed in 1853, before the city had yet suffered frour ravages of the flames. This company was allowed to die out in about a year, although they made a parade in uniform October 25, 1854. The first Board of Trustees passed an ordi- nance, July 3, 1855, requiring the occupant of every house to keep a vessel, holding at least fifty gallons of water, and four lire buckets, for oach story of his house. This ordinance was never enforced, and a few months after its passage Grass Valley was alnost swept from existence by the muost destructive and calamitous conflagration that it has been her misfortune to suffer.
About eleven o'clock on Wednesday night, September 13, 1855, a fire broke out in the United States Hotel, kept by Madam Bonhore, on lower Main street, and rapidly spread to the adjoining buildings. The hoarse cry of "fire!" roused the sleeping citizens from their beds, and they rushed upon the street to meet and combat the enemy. All was confusion; the flames were crackling and roaring, licking up the tinder dry buildings in their pathway, and all the undirected efforts of the excited people were futile to stay their onward march. Build- ings were pulled down, buckets of water by the hundreds were thrown upon the burning houses, wet blankets and other devices were resorted to, but to no avail, for the frame build- ings, dried in the long summer sun, burued too fiercely for the flames to be subdued. All night they fought with tireless energy, and never ceased the struggle until the flames expired for want of food to live upon. In that one dreadful nigbt over three hundred buildings, occupying thirty acres of ground, were swept away. In the business portion of the town only two structures escaped destruction, one a stone store, recently erected by Sylvester & Co., and the other a block of three stores but just completed, on Mill street. The churches and Temperance Hall were saved, being just beyond the limits of
the fire. Adams & Co.'s brick building and two other stores supposed to be fire proof were included in the general ruin. Every hotel and boarding house in the town was destroyed. Several merchants saved portions of their stocks in fire proof cellars. The vault of Wells, Fargo & Co. withstood the hottest of the fire, and preserved its valuable contents. The loss was especially great because the merchants had just laid in large stocks of goods for the fall trade.
The chief losses are given in detail in the following list :-
$25,000
Marshall & Co
10,000
George Wood.
S. C. Richardson 12,000
E. Mclaughlin . 12,000
10,000
P. J. Donovau
Dr. Shoemaker. 6,000
6,000
Grass Valley House.
7,000
C. R. Edwards & Co
6,500
H. O. Waite
6,000
Dorscy & Co.
6,000
J. P. Blackford.
6,000
Aurora House .
6,000
Wm. Loutzenheiser.
6,000
Martelle & Co.
5,000
Heywood & Co.
5,000
S. & W. Cady 5,000
5,000
George Crandall
255,500
Other losses
Total
$400,000
Great as was the disaster the people of Grass Valley were not discouraged, but with brave hearts and energetic hands at once commenced the work of rebuilding the burned city and recuperating their wasted fortunes. The most notable example of this energy of action was that of A. Delano (Old Block), agent for Wells, Fargo & Co. About an hour after the aston- ished sun had gazed upon the scene of desolation, a frame shanty was seen moving down the hill from the west end of the town. Slowly but surely it advanced, and was backed up against Wells, Fargo & Co.'s brick vault, which was still stand- ing among the ruins. In a few moments " Old Block " ap- peared with a ten foot scantling, on which was rudely painted, " Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express Office." In less than eight hours after the cry of fire had alarmed the midnight air, "Old Block" stood smiling behind his counter, amid the smouldering ruins and with the ground still warm beneath his feet, ready, as he said, "to attend to business."
The same spirit was displayed by all, and erc the chill days of winter came, the burned district was thickly studded with new
business houses and ncat cottages, and the town continued steadily to increase in size as before.
Notwithstanding the lesson contained in this disastrous visi- tation of flame, there seems not to have been a regular fire company organized under the law until June 7, 1858. This was known as the Grass Valley Fire, Hook and Ladder Co. S. M. Smith was Foreman, J. J. Dorscy, First Asst., C. R. Edwards, Second Asst., E. C. Check, Secretary and G. A. Mont- goincry, Treasurer. They used a building on the corner of Main and School streets, that was tendered them by A. B. Dibble.
Another destructive fire occurred here August 9, 1860, which entailed a loss of $40,000 upon the unfortunate property owners. The fire originated about 9 P. M. in an unoccupied bowling alley on lower Main strect. Everything was dry and the fire spread with great rapidity, spite the exertions of the firemen. The light of the burning buildings was seen at Nevada City, and Nevada Hosc Co., No. 2 left that place at once for the scene of danger, traveling on foot and drawing their apparatus. They arrived just after the unwavering exertions of the Grass Valley firemen had gained them the control of the flames. Nearly every building on both sides of Main street, bclow Loutzenheizer's store was destroyed, including the Commercial Hotel and the Wisconsin House. The larger portion of the burned buildings was occupied by Chinese, but owned by citi- zens. The total loss approximated $40,000. The fire was supposed to have an incendiary origin, as two men were seen to run from the unoccupied building just before the fire was discovered, and an attempt was made during the progress of the fire to burn the residence of Col. S. C. Richardson. Several arrests were made but no conviction could be had.
The fire company was reorganized, June 19, 1861, into Protection Hose Co., No. 1, and the hook and ladder apparatus was turned over to Union Hook and Ladder Co., No. 1, a new company tben formed, with N. C. Hammersmith, Foreman; John Blake, Assistant Foreman. When the company reached a good working condition, Hammersmith decamped with two hundred dollars belonging to the company treasury, and the company, unable to survive this financial depression, was dis- solved into its component elements. The officers of the hose company were :- S. D. Leavitt, Foreman; G. Hamilton, First Assistant; T. J. Cook, Second Assistant. C. A. Laton was the first Chief Engineer of the department, elected June 19, 1861.
The next fire of consequence was that of June 11, 1862. At about four o'clock P. M. of that day, a fire was discovered in Shultz's carpenter shop, adjoining the office of the Grass Valley National. A number of buildings on that side of Main street were consumed before the firemen succeeded in arrestiug the progress of the flames. The buildings consumed
Hanks & Mills
RESIDENCE OF E. W. TOWL, NEVADA CITY, NEVADA C.º, CAL.
PUBLISHED BY THOMPSON A WEST.
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67
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
were of wood and the loss way light in proportion ing is a complete list of losses :-
Office Grass Valley National .. $3.000
City Brewery.
5 000
Amerienn House 5 000
5,000
Soale & Fisher, lourd ware.
500
Engine House.
800
Shultz, carpenter shop.
..
Carr,
300
W. K. Spencer, damage to goods.
800
Fing stafl'.
Total. . .
$24,000
The loss of the engine house rendered the seenring of another necessary. The city parchased two lots of Sam Hodge and W. S. Byrne, and in 1862 the present brick engine house was arretod, on Main street near the corner of Church street. This house is also used by the Trustees ns a t'ity Hall.
Two months after the fire of June 11, 1862, occurred another still more extensive and destructive. About five o'clock P. M. Angust 15, 1862, flames burst out of the tenter Market, on the north side of Main street, and rapidly spread to the adjoining buildings, whose dry and sensoned timbers but gave them added ticreoness, Protection lose ('o, quickly repaired to the scene, mol with the assistance of many volunteers commeneed the struggle which was terminated in their favor only after long and tire. less exertions. The Exchange Hotel, a new building but partly finished, wns on fire several times, but was saved from destru .- tion. The heaviest losses are given in detail in the following list :-
B. F. Woodworth, livery stable and dwelling. . . $5,000
Unrry Thomas, Golden Gate Hotel. 4,000
J. Cohn & Bro., clothing store. 3,000
Thomas Loyd, houses and stock 3,000
George Schaffer, market. 2,000
Thomas Findley 2,000
C. W. Smith, hotel tixtures, etc. 2,000
P. d. Brogan, houses, 2,000
E. W. llaywood, saloon. 1,000
S. Abraham, saloon. 1,000
Other losses. 15,000
Total ..
$40,000
In the month of March, 1863, Eureka Hose Co. No. 2 was organized with Schenck Glass, Foreman; C. R. Clarke, First Assistant; John Blake, Second Assistant. The company dis- banded the same year. August 25, 1863, Tiger Hook, Ladder and Bucket Co. No. 1 was organized as an independent com- pany, but soon after joined the department. These companies
renderal and service for several years. The Eagle Hove Co No. 2 wa- organizal July Is, IS66. The officers were John R. Crocker, Foreman. E. R. West, First Assistant; John W. Hobby. Second Assistant. Not long after this the book and ladder company disbanded. A house was built for the Eagle Hose Co. No. 2 on lower Main street, in ISTO. New home and ladders were furnished for the use of the fire department in 1573.
For eleven years Grass Valley was free from fires of a very destructive nature, but about two o'clock A. M., July 5, 1873, a fire originated among the wooden Imiblings on the corner of Main and Church streets, opposite the Exchange Hotel Hol- brooke House , and borned until all the buildings ou that side of Main street, a distance of one hundred feet from the corner of Church street, were consumed. The loss was about $14,000.
The last fire of any extent was the burning of the Chinese quarters, which were almost totally destroyed September 17. 1877. The amount of the loss was small, for the Chinese are not noted for the erection of expensive buildings.
The first attempt made to supply the city with water through pipes was that by George D). Roberts and C. K. Hough- taling, who laid a system of log pipes through the streets in the year 1855, or 1856. The source of supply was the springs on Dibble's ranch. For protection against fire a reservoir was built on Church Hill, and small fire hydrants were placed in the pipes. By Act of Legislature, approved February 14, 1866, Grass Valley was authorized to contract a debt of $25,000 for water works. Bonds in sums of fifty, one hundred and five hundred dollars, due June 1, 1876, with interest at the rate of ten per cent. per annum. The amount realized from the sale o" these bonds was :-
Bonds for $24,500 sold at 80 cents. $19,600
4 4 500 ^ ^ 82 11 410
Total
$20,010
The Trusters caused a six inch main with four and three inch branches to be laid in the streets. This system of pipes was suppli d with water from the Empire ditch, then owned by L. L. Whiting and J. P. Stone, afterwards by Stone & Griffith. In 1871, the Grass Valley Water Co. was organized and made a contract with the city to supply water for twenty years. The company built the Stoney Point reservoir on Kate Hays Hill, at an altitude of one hundred and ninety-two feet above the lowest and sixty feet above the highest point in the city. The pipe connecting the reservoir with the mains is eighteen inches in diameter. The water for the city is now supplied by the V. Flume Co.
In speaking of fires it is fitting that the burning of the
Washington Hotel, Boston Ravine, should be mentioned, One night, in the month of September, 1852, this building was completely destroyed by fire, and with it were burned n woun named Mary Mahoney and her daughter. The fire was sup- posed to have been an incendiary one, and Patrick Mooney, the suspected person, was arrested and tried for arson, but was acquitted.
The Grass Valley of to-day, with its brick business blocks. its long rows of stores, its hotels, its handsome residences mind neat cottages, it's large and imposing school houses and church edifices, bears but slight resemblance to the erile and hastily constructed city of board shanties that was burned in the fire of 1855, On every hand are the signs of wealth and prosper- ity : hundreds of miners and artisans are employed in the mines, and in supporting these many stores, hotels and boarding houses are sustained. On the hills and in the ravines about the city nre many busy, reverberating quartz taills, whose consoless clatter make sweet mansie to the ear of n resident, knowing, as he does, that a liveliness in mining interests is always followed by a revival of business and general prosperity. The future of Grass Valley is one full of promise, sarromiled, as she is, by hundreds of quartz ledges awaiting development, the successful and profitable working of many of which, have been demon- strated by the remarkable success that has atteraled the dovol- opment of many mines in different portions of the district.
An idea of the size and business importance of Grass Valley can be had from the following list of its component parts. Including Boston Ravine the city contains six hotels, eight dry goods stores, ten grocery stores, five clothing stores, there hoot and shoe stores, three book and stationery stores, three drug stores, two furniture stores, one general merchandise store, three variety stores, two millinery stores, one tobacco store, one hay and grain store, one picture frame, paints and oils store, one hair store, two jewelry stores, two hardware stores, one fruit and confectionery store, one hide and tallow store, one candy factory, four bakeries, three merchant tailors, two soap factories, seven markets, three livery stables, four boot aud shoe shops, five blacksmith shops, eighteen saloons, four brew- eries, two lumber yards, one planing inill, two foundries, Que stove and tinware establishment, one harness shop, one broom factory, one soda factory, one gas company, one water com- pany, one amusement hall, one bank and broking house, six attorneys, eight physicians, one dentist, two newspapers, two photographers, gunsmiths, carpenters, masons and other mechanics and tradesmen, seven churches, Que orphan asylum, nine school houses and a population of over seven thousand. The general office and the repair shops of the N. C. N. G. R. R. Co. are situated here.
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