USA > California > Nevada County > History of Nevada County, California; with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and manufactories > Part 15
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Upon a petition being presented to the Board of Supervisors, signed by 160 legal voters of the town, that body incorporated the town as " The Inhabitants of the town of Truckee," under the provisions of the Act approved April 19, 1856. The town as incorporated contained the south half of the southwest quarter and the south half of the southeast quarter of seetion 10, the south half of the southwest quarter and the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 11, the northwest quarter of section 14, the north half and the southwest quarter of section 15, and the southeast quarter of section 16, township 17, north, range 16, east. The town government was to cousist of five Trustees, Treasurer, Assessor and Marshal, to be elected January 18, 1879 and hold office until the first Monday in May, 1879, at which time and annually thereafter, the regular town election should be held. The officers were accordingly elected, but did uot qualify, as a majority of the legal talent were of the opinion that the Act was annulled by the adoption of the Code.
The business of Truckee has been confined to three things, lumber, wood and ice. Millions of feet of lumber have been cut from the surrounding hills; and shipped in all directious. Thousands of cords of wood have been used by the railroad and shipped to consumers far and wide; a great deal of it has been
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RESIDENCE OF A.B. DIBBLE, GRASS VALLEY, NEVADA CO CAL.
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HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
reduced to charcoal and sout abroad in that form. 'Thousands of tons of purest ice, cut from the frozen waters of the monn- tain streams, have been stored here in winter, and in summer scattered about the whole coast for the refreshment of the people, Truckee has been and is in the great ice supplying district of the coast. A large round house of a size sufficient to accommodate sixteen engines, was built borre after the destruc- tion of the old one in 1869. It is of wood, but is well protected from fire. Two snow plows are kept here, aul during the winter see much service. A fire engine and train for use in protecting railroad property, especially the snow sheds, are kept here. There is also a repair shop 30x150 feet in size. Truckee has a fine school house, built in 1871, at an expense of $2,200, the old one having been burned in the fire of July 20, o' that year. Smelting works existed here for a time, ou account of the cheapness of charcoal, but were removedl.
Three hotels open their hospitable doors to the public. The Truckce Hotel, J. F. Moody, proprietor, has always been the headquarters of the railroad. It stands by the track and contains the ticket office and waiting room. It was built immediately after the fire that destroyed Coburn's Station, in 1868, and was then known as Campbell's Hotel. J. F. Moody became the proprietor in 1870. It contains sixty-five rooms with sleeping accommodations for one hundred. Excellent meals are furnished here to travelers and railrond men, and from 150 to 200 sit down to the tables at every meal. Stages for Lakes Tahoe and Donner and for the Sierra Valley leave the hotel, and Ilarry Hollister, Mr. Moody's accommodating assistant, takes plensure in giving information about the wonders to be seen, in regard to which no one is more familiar than he. The American House was built in 1868 and called the Weber House and later the Keiser House. The old American House stood where the Pacific House now stands, but was burned in 1878. Truckee is connected with Tahoe City by a telegraph line, constructed in 1873. In 1878, a line was built to Sierra Valley. Telephones are attached to both of these lines.
It is in summer time that Truckee becomes bustling with life. Hundreds of tourists take stages here for the many points of interest. Lumber and business enterprises are then at the height of activity. Three miles distant from the town is the celebrated Donner lake, a sheet of purest crystal water, lying at the base of tall, forest crowned and overshadowing peaks, Still and beautiful it lies, six thousand feet above the level of the storm tossed ocean. The railroad winds around the face of the moutains, far above the quiet lake beneath, glimpses of whose mirrorlike waters can be hastily snatched by the traveler, between the long rows of snow sheds, through which the train so securely glides. Lake Tahoe, although not in Nevada county, is one of the attractions of Truekee. This beautiful lake, lying among Sierra's crowning peaks, is one
of the grandest scenes in California, and is one of the seven wonders of the coast. Thousands of delighted pleasure seekers stroll alung its brach and sail over its clear waters during the thinner seawall. Weber and Independener lakes and the Sierra Valley are all objects of interest to the traveler, who makes Trucker his base of operations. The Sierra Valley, lying forty miles north of Trnekee, and with which it is connected by telegraph and stage line, is one of the tributaries of Truckee, to which it sends wool and butter for shipment. A railroad fromn Truckce to open up the vast timber interest of this region is among the possibilities of the near future.
Truckee contains three hotels, four grocery stores, three dry goods stores, two general merchandise stores, one clotli- ing store, one drug and stationery store, one variety sture, one hardware store and tin shop, one boot and shoe store, one furniture store, two markets, two livery stables, three breweries, one bakery, one carriage paint shop, one photo- graph gallery, ten saloons, two jewelers, two blacksmith and wagon shops, one tailor, one newspaper, one dentist, two physi- eians, four attorneys, one bank, one post office, one Wells. Fargo & Co. express office, one school house, factories and saw mills as deseribed elsewhere, railroad round house and shops, one church, a number of handsome residences and a great many comfortable and neatly kept cottages. The population is about 2,000 whites and an indefinite number of Chinese, ranging between 500 and 1,000; besides these some fifty Washoe Indians hang around the town.
With a railroad to Sierra Valley and another to Tahoe City, and its possible extension to Carson City, Truckee would reach the objeet of her desires, to be the central shipping point of this vast lumber region.
" 601."
This magie number has caused many a heart to quake with fear, and been the ruling motive for the sudden departure of undesirable citizens for " greener fields and pastures new." From its advent as a railroad town Truckee became infested with gamblers, blacklegs and ruffians, who added nothing to her wealth, but by their presence and lawless acts detracted from her fair name, retarded her advancement and rendered life and property insecure. During the years 1873 and 1874 the complaints of great lawlessness were frequent and earnest. An organization was finally formed to rid the town of all undesirable characters, and to so intimidate others that they would give up all thoughts of coming to Truckee. November 19, 1874, five desperadoes received a notice to quit town by four o'clock in the afternoon, signed simply "601." No time was lost by the notified parties, three of them leaving at once and the other two, George Brown and Harry Howard, depart- iug on the eastward bound train at four o'clock. Quite a crowd assembled to witness their departure, and if they had
any thoughts of remaining to brave the danger, the sight of the erowd dispelled them. Others were notified, and some of them failed to heed the warning, and on the night of November 24, 1574, a band of masked men, members of the "601," started ont to make an example of them. Passing inton saloon where they expected to find the object of their search, they saw a man in a dark passage way in the rear who seemed as if anuing a pistol at them. lle was instantly shot dead, and when brought to light proved to bre D. B. Frink, editor of the Repub- lican, and a member of the organization. Mr. Frink was one of the enterprising citizens of Truckee, and had devoted him- self to the purification of the place, being one of the fore- most. in the " 601." This accidental killing of their emirado eneled the work of the maskers for that night .. The funeral of Mr. Friuk was attended by the whole town, the greatest sorrow for his untimely death and respect for his memory being shown.
Among those who left the town at the request of " 601" was a young man named Speneer, Thinking the excitement had subsided he returned about three weeks later, and remained, notwithstanding intimations of trouble being received. About, six o'clock on Christmas afternoon he and his father were standing in Frank Kabel's saloon, engaged in conversation with the proprietor, when eight masked men entered, one of whom discharged a load of buckshot into young Spencer's body. Spencer fell to the floor and the men departed, supposing hin to be dead. Upon examination eight bullets were found lodged in his arm and shoulder. He was taken to Nevada t'ity on the first train, and placed in the County Hospital, where he recovered in due time. This was the last public demonstration of the organization, and after that a notice signed " 601" was a sure passport out of town. Since this purifying pro- cess Truckec has been as quiet and orderly a mountain rail- road town as one need ever hope to see.
The last street fight of a character once frequent occurred on the afternoon of February 17, 1875. William Van Orman had married an abandoned woman named Mary Stuart, and failed to support her. She went to Virginia City and returned with William Bell to procure her trunk. As they were passing Jerry Payne's saloon on Front street, they were met by Van Orman, who instantly shot Bell. Five shots were fired by the two men, one of them lodging in Bell's abdomen, and two others in Van Orman's chest and back. Both men recovered from their wounds in time to slip out of town and avoid prose- cution as well as the clutches of " 601."
MAD DOG IN TRUCKEE. Republican, June 20, 1874.
" As Cardwell & Gordon's stage arrived in town from the Summit yesterday, a dog was observed following not far behind,
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HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
frothing at the mouth profusely. D. W. Bowker and Frank Stevens, both of whom are noted dog fanciers and thoroughly acquainted with the instincts and symptoms of the canine race, saw the animal approaching the express office soon after the stage came, and instantly came to the conclusion that it was afflicted with the hydrophobia. Both of these gentlemen shouted ' mad dog,' and ran, as they supposed, for their lives. The dog also ran after them, and the race was one of the most lively and exciting that has been witnessed in Truckec. Every jump they made they yelled ' mad dog.' The doors of the express office and other buildings were quickly closed, as they naturally would be when a rabid dog was around, and Bowker and Stevens found no place open to give them welcome shelter. All the rest of the people in the vicinity were looking out for their personal safety, and for a minute or two these two men had nothing to do but to dodge and run. They circled around the express offico a few times, the dog but a few yards behind, his green eyes gleaming wildly and the froth dropping from his distended jaws. The yells of the two men grew weaker under their tremendous exertions. Stevens tried to climb a pine tree in the rear of the express office, but lacked strength through fear and exhaustion, and managed finally to throw himself over the fence in the rear of the kitchen of the Truekec Hotel. This unusual act of Stevens somewhat discon- certed the dog, and after taking a ferocious look through the boards of the fence at the prostrate body, he turned and again made for Bowker. The latter at this critical juncture made a bee line for the front door of the hotel. Constable Getchell, who has taken considerable stock in rabid dogs in his day, and has prescribed for them with success upon divers occasions, appeared upon the scene of action with a hose, and as the dog came frothing after Bowker, he discharged a powerful stream full in the animal's face. The dog stopped as suddenly as if shot, and seemed grateful for the cooling stream poured upon him. Bowker in the meantime got inside the hotel, and received such assistance as his exhausted coudition required."
It seems that the dog had followed the stage from the Sum- mit, and his long run had made him thirsty, causing the froth- ing at the mouth, and ran after these gentlemen thinking one of them to be his master. They all recovered - Bowker, Stevens and the dog.
BOCA.
This little town is situated on the railroad, eight miles below Truckee, just below the junction of Little Tuckee river with the main stream. It was a birth of the railroad in 1868, of which it was first a construction camp. In 1868 the Boca Mill and Icc Co. commenced operations here in the lumber and ice business. They also opened a store, and soon quite a little town was formed by their employés. The town was named Boca by Judge E. B. Crocker. In 1872 a post office was
established. The same year a school was opened, and the fol- lowing year a new school house and a hotel were built. Feb- ruary 13, 1873, the store of the Boca Mill and Ice Co. was destroyed by fire, loss 88,000. August 18, 1875, was com- menced the erection of the extensive mill of the Boca Brewing Co. It was completed in 1876, and its product has already become famous throughout the whole Pacific coast. The town now contains a hotel, store, post office, telegraph office, express office, brewery, saw mill, shingle mill, ice house, school house and a number of cottages. The shipments of lumber, ice and beer from this point are very great. Dividing the honors and profits of the lumber and ice business with Boca are several little side track stations along the road, such as Camp 16, Camp 18 (a store at this point), Prosser Creek, Alder Creek, Proctor's and Bronco, which also has a store. The great luni- ber, and ice interests will be detailed in full in the chapter treating of manufactures.
CHAPTER XXVI.
NEVADA TOWNSHIP.
Boundaries-Nevada City-James W. Marshall in 1848-Pennington and Party-Caldwell's Store-First Family-Election of Alcalde-Naming the Town-Extract From Letter of B. P. Avery -- Justice Olney-The City in 1850-Reading Room-Gloomy Outlook-Condition in 1851-A Magnifi- cent Government-Letter from Hon. R. J. Oglesby-The Jenny Lind Goes Down Stream-Society-Incorporation by Court of Sessions-Statistics of 1855-Incorporated in 1856-Laird's Dam-Subsequent History-U. S. Patent-Anonymous Letters-Fires and Fire Department-1851-1852- First Water Works-1854-1855-Great Fire of 1856-Destruction of Life aud Property-1858-1860-Organization of Fire Department-Water Works-Great Fire of 1863-1869-Incendiarism-Nevada City To-day- Gold Flat-Coyoteville-Selby Flat-" Now, You Git "-A Pioneer Printer -Tomlinson's Celebration-Silently Stealing Away.
NEVADA TOWNSHIP.
The only township in the county that is entirely surrounded by others, and in no place touches the boundary lines of the county is the township of Nevada. It is bounded on the north by the township of Bridgeport and Bloomington, on the east by Washington and Little York, on the south by Little York and Grass Valley, and on the east by Rough and Ready. Its superficial area is about seventy-two square iniles.
This was one of the original townships and the boundaries have been changed but slightly, and simply for the purpose of making them more certain and to conform them to the line of the Government survey where necessary. As at present defined they are :- Beginning at the intersection of the South Yuba river by the line between sections 32 and 33, township 17, north, range 8, east, and running thence south to the one-fourth section corner between sections 20 and 21, township 16, north, range 8, east; thence east eight miles; thence north
one and one-half miles; thence east two miles; thence north one mile; thence east one mile ; theuce north one mile; thence cast three miles ; thence north to the South Yuba river; thencc down the South Yuba river to the place of beginning.
Running a little south of the center of the township is the famous Deer creek, a tributary of the Yuba, and dividing its waters from those of the South Yuba on the north and Bear river on the south are two nearly parallel ridges, between which the creek and its many small tributaries find their way westward and down the mountains. But little agriculture is carried on here, mining being the life and hope of the region. Of the many mining camps that had a brief existence mention is made in the chapter entitled "The Mines of Nevada Town- ship." But one has grown to any importance as a town, Nevada City, one of the first and soon the most prominent point in the county.
NEVADA CITY.
The county seat and chief city of the county, and for many years the largest and most populous, is Nevada City. Tho' still retaining its prestige as the chief city it has had to give way to Grass Valley in the matter of size and population. It is the terminus of the railroad and in consequence continues to be, as it has been for years, the distributing point of supplies for a large extent of territory. Upon it the mining camps north and east draw for their supplies and sustenance. From it stages run in all directions and many heavily loaded freight wagons toil laboriously over the hills, carrying supplies to the mining camps that lie hidden in the recesses of the mountains.
The first time that the eye of a white man ever rested upon or his foot pressed the soil of Nevada City, so far as we can learn, was in the summer of 1848, when James W. Marshall, so widely celebrated as the discoverer of gold at Coloma, while conducting a party of immigrants over the mountains, encamped on the banks of Deer creek to spend the night. As was customary upon reaching a stream, after the discovery of gold, Marshall panned out some of the dirt on the bank of the stream and found good " color." What he found, however, did not impress him with the phenomenal richness the stream was afterwards found to contain, and he little thought that he had reached the richest river mining in the State of California, and that two years later, within three miles of the spot that witnessed this infant effort, more than ten thousand . miners would be at work. Had he done so he and the others would have remained here, and the fame of Gold Run and Deer Creek Diggings would have gone forth to the world in 1848 instead of 1850.
Others may have come and passed away, leaving no trace of their presence, but the first settlers in the vicinity were Captain John Pennington, Thomas Cross and William McCaig, who
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NEVADA CITY, 1853.
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
prospected in Gold Kan in September 1st ant built a cabin Kalt fordon a large sore on commercial street, and Womack & Kenzie a cloth hotel at the junction of Main an 1 and canvas homes, chiefly on Main street, which was the prin- cipal ant almet the only street in town there. But a mouth later Dr. A. B Callwell, who hal previously kept a store at Beckville, four miles down the cook, Commercial streets Beles these there were several cabins created a cabin on Nevala street, back of Main street, oll the slope of Aristocracy Hill, and opened a store, from which he supplied goods to the miners who had leyun to with in the vicinity. The locality because known as Caldwell's Upper Store. During the same month a Mr. Stamps, with us family consisting of his wife, her sister and several children cane to the locality and built a cabin on the forks of the ravine hack of Coyote street. This was the first family and these the first ladies to settle here. For a number of years ladies, especially of a desirable kind, were in a woeful minority, lut now their sweet presence and refining influener are a power in the city for good. Madame Penu was another woman who came in the fall of 1819; she was an indefatigable worker, taking her turn with her husband in carrying dirt and agitating the rocker.
About the time Caldwell's store was opened John Truesdale built a cabin on Broad street, and, Inter, a few other cabins were built, and early in the winter canvas tents and brash shanties were creeted in great numbers by the miners who were ntbracted here by the reports of the fabulous richness of the diggings along Deer creek and Gold Run. The plnee becamo known, besides the name previously given, as Deer Creek Dry Diggings. Tho number of miners who wintered here, drivon from the rivers by the high water, and nwaiting the return of spring to counnence operations here in earnest, is not certain, but it was probably in the neighborhood of une thousand. All the winter they kept coming in anl as spring began to open they came in large numbers.
By March, 1830, the collection of tents, brush shantiex and a vory Few board houses began to assume the appearance of a town. The people recognizxl the fact that a government was necessary, and as the new courts had not yet openel their doors, the election of an Alcable, a judicial officer under the Mexican Inws, was determined upon. At this election some 250 votes were cast, and Mr. Stamps was elected Alealle. A better and more stable name was desire.l for the growing town, nud a meeting of lending citizens was called at the store of Triex & Blackman, for the purpose of selecting one that would suit all parties and be a ereilit to the place. Among the names pre- sented were, Sierra, Aurora, Nevada, Deer Creek an l Gokt Run. The unme selected was suggested by O. P. Blaekman, and the little town was christened Nevada.
By this time several hotels and boarding houses, saloons and stores had been opened. Madame Penn had built a boardling house on the site of the present Union Hotel, John Truesdale had built his board building on Broad street the previous fall. Truex & Blackman had built a log store on Main street.
A letter from Benjamin P Avery a well- known newspaper man of the House publisher | in Botu's History and Directory of Ver da County, California is interesting in its description of early mining life and of the birth of Nova la City, that the following extract is given. "I started from Mormon Hand ou a prospecting trip to Readling Springs |Shasta , in October, Rode a little white mule along with pork and hard brea.l and blankets packed bhinl me. Ou the way from Sacramento to Vernon, a tra ling station just started at the junetion of the Sacramento and Feather rivers, I rueountere.la party on horse back who were coming from Deer creek, and who told me big stories about 'pound diggings' in Gold Run. As 'pound diggings,' i.c. claims that would yield twelve ounces of gold per day to the man, were just what I was in search of, I inquired the direction of this EI Dorado, followed the old Emigrant road up Bear river to Johnson's ranch, at the edge of the foothills, and there took a trail for the ereck, missing the rol, or thinking I could take a shorter course. The first night in the foothills I had company, Caldwell, who was after a winter stoek for his store on the creek, at a point seven miles below the site of Nevada, and several southern and western men. * * % Arrived at C'allwell's store, the only trading post un Deer creek at that time. I found it a square canvas shanty, stocked with whiskey, pork, mouhly biscuit and ginger- bread; the whiskey four bits a drink, the biscuit a dollar a pound. A few tents were scattered over the little flat and about a dozen parties were working the bars with dug-out eradles and wire or rawhide hoppers, only one or two persons having cradles ma le of board and sheet fron. I prospected with good suceess in a claim that had just been abandoned by the notorious Greenwood, carrying dirt in a pan to a dug-out cradie. Went with shovel and pan seven or eight miles up the creek, testing several ravines as high up as the top of the ridges, seldom, in my ignorance, going deeper than a few inches, and always getting gold. A preacher, whose name I forget, was then hanl- iug dirt from one big ravine back of Caldwell's on an ox cart, and washing it at the ereek with good sueeess. A few other men were carrying dirt from other ravines on their own backs or those of mules. All were close mouthed about yields, and regarded me as an interloper. They were Southwestern men, apparently, and mixed with their jealousy was a bit of contempt for the smoothed-faced 'Yorker,' whose long brown hair lying on his shoulders ought to have conciliated their preju- diee, sinee it looked like following a fashion set by themselves. In my prospecting I somehow failed to get on the Gold Run side
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of the creek, and so mised my objective point, but I struck the conjunction of ravines in the little that known afterwards ns the site of Dyer's store; and in Rich Ravine, winding about American Hill. got a prospect that satisfied me to return immediately to Mormon Island for my companions, That locality was then about October 101 completely unworked; I saw no ' prospret holes' anywhere in the vicinity."
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