USA > California > Nevada County > History of Nevada County, California; with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and manufactories > Part 16
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After considerable trouble and delay Mr. Avery again renched Deer creek with one companion, E. Franchere, in February. 1.850. He continues :- " To my intense disgust. I found that. iny ravine was occupied from one end to nuother by long haired Missourians, who were taking out their "piles. They worked in the stormiest weather, standing in the yellow mud to shovel dirt into cradle or tom ; one of them had stretched a canvas awning over their claims, which were only thirty fort along the ravine. All the other ravines lending into the flat at the foot of Amerienn Hill were occupied almost as thickly. Dyer had a log cabin in the midst, where whiskey and brandy were sold at six und right dollars a bottle, molasses nt. eight dollars a gallon, flour one dollar a pound, nad pork two dollars. Caldwell's new, or upper store was was the high bank of the ravine, above the little flat where the city of Nevada afterwards sprung into existence. It. appears there had been great discoveries in this locality after my visit, the first of Octo ber, and as the streams rose in November the miners flocked in from the rivers. American Hill was covered with their tents and brush houses, while a few had jent up log cabins. At night the tents shone through the pines like great transpa- rencies, and the sound of laughter, shouting, fiddling aud singing startled those old primeval solitudes strangely. ft. was a wild, wonderful scene. Gambling, of course, was common and fatal affrays were frequent.
" We pitched our tent by a big pine, using its trunk for a fire- place and cooking our pork and coffee out of doors. The woods looked grand when white with snow. Sometimes we had to rap it off' the canvas roof at night to keep it from pressing upon our faces, or breaking down the tent. * * * Other considerable settlements had gathered at Gold Run, Grass Valley aud Rough and Ready, on the other side of the creek. *
* We worked with rather poor success, in the vicinity, until the ravines began to dry in April, and then laid the beginning of that extensive and costly system of mining ditches that has sinee made Nevada pre-eminent in this, as in every other department of mining industry and invention. Small ditches were dug to bring the water from springs and brooks into the rich ravines about Dyer's, and were gradually extended as the water supplies retreated. The mines yielded wonderfully. From an ounce to twelve ounces a day was common, with cradles; while many a long tom party took home to their cabin at night a quart tin pail full of gold, mueh
80
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
of which was as coarse as wheat grains. Many a lucky fellow left with a fortune in the spring, and at the same time the embargo of mud and snow was lifted, so that teamsters and packers arrived with supplies from the lower country, and flour fell to thirty cents a pound, while boots that had been worth six ounces a pair could be bad for one. It was not long before wagon loads of provisions soll for freight. With this rush of gouils, accompanied by fresh crowds of fortune hunters, Nevada City sprang into being. My first sight of the embryo plaec was a surprise. I had been camping and working some distance lower down the creek, coming over to Callwell's about once a fortnight for supplies we did not have, say for pipes, tobacco and molasses, or to pay an expressman two dollars to inquire if there was a letter for me at Sacramento.
"One Sunday on rounding the point of a ravine running down to the ercek from American Hill (sinced named), I saw a big round teut on the little flat, with a flag streaming above it, muffled music resounding within, while around were several canvas stores, and wagons loaded with flour and other supplies, and, in fact all the signs of a bran new mining town. Fran- chore and I christened it Mushroom City on the spot. It was afterwads called Nevada, and when the first election for local officers was held we were importuned at our cradles, by genteel looking grublers, who were the 'leading men,' to vote for their candidates. The population would have scattered rapidly but for the discovery of the famous eayote or drift diggings, which were first opened by a drift run in from Rich ravine, by miners who supposed they were following a ravine lead for a short distance. I sank a shallow shaft on the slope of Ameri- can Hill, towards the ravine, during the winter, believing that the gravel bed might be rich, but struck water, and was obliged to desist, though I got a 'good color,' all the way down. You know how the entire hill has since been stripped to the bed rock. It was at Novada that I saw the first ground sluieing in the State, which led by insensible degrees to hydraulic mining.
The term of Alcalde Stamps' office expired in May by limitation, and a Justice of the Peace under the Constitution was elected. The election was ordered by the Court of Sessions of Yuba county, of which this was then a part. The suceess- ful candidate was a man named Olney, who had formerly been Seeretary of State of Rhode Island under the revolutionary government of Dorr. In making his decisions legal precedents were not considered as at all binding. A few months after his election he died of consumption. His will, which was a verbal one bequeathed all his ready cash to the " boys," who were to have "a jolly good time with it." The sum amounted to about 86,000, none of which was allowed to be paid out for funeral expenses, everything being furnished and the grave being dug free of expense, but all was faithfully devoted to the objeet
expressed in the will, and a "jolly good time " they had of it for several days.
About a dozen shake houses graced the town site on the first of May, most of thein on Main and Commercial streets. These were all business buildings, and lots were staked off to the end of Commercial street, although not yet occupied. May 1, 1850, the first frame hotel was opened by J. N. Turner, on Main street, near the site of the present Union Hotel. It was called the Nevada Hotel, and entertained guests for the moderate sun of $25 per week. The house was 38x48 feet, and was built of rifted pine boards, all the boards, beams, floors, etc., being taken from one tree. The method of building shake houses was to set stakes in the ground at intervals of the length of a shake, and then to nail the shakes to them.
The first store on Broad street was that of Hamlet Davis, kept in a tent, in the month of May, 1850. Mr. Davis, Captain G. W. Kidd and Mr. Bedford extended the limits of the town in July, 1850, by laying out Broad street as far as the M. E. Church and Pine street from Commercial to Spring street, the lots were 70x90 feet, and were free to any one who desired to occupy them. The lines were run with a string.
Mr. Davis erected a two story frame building on the corner of Broad and Pine streets. In the second story a reading room was established where were kept Eastern papers from all the chief cities. These were obtained at the Sacramento post office, where thousands of them, sent by friends at home, were left uncalled for by the miners in the distant hills or the many unknown graves that fringed the overland route or nestled on the sides of Sierras verdant hills. The Placer Times of Sacra- mento in August, 1850, says :- "NEVADA CITY-This must be a fast place. Mr. Davis, of the firm of Brown, Davis & Co., has been in town, making arrangements for the opening of a reading room over their store, where they intend to have the latest advices from all parts. We find also numerous jobs from merchants, in every line, coming to our office; drug stores, hotels, livery stables and all the other concomitant pursuits of a veritable city, are represented upon 'posters' of every size and style. These are sure signs of business, and of the good sense of those who are engaged in its various branches. The population of Nevada City is estimated at about 2,000, but there are supposed to be four times that number within a circuit of four miles. A tri-weekly line of stages runs from Nicolaus through in one day, a distance of fifty miles, connect- ing with the steamer Dana." The reading room with an addition was converted into the first theater in the town, in 1851.
1
In August, 1850, Spring and Cedar streets were laid out. A bridge had been built across Deer creek a quarter of a mile below the Broad street crossing, and Bridge street was laid out to connect this structure with Broad street. This bridge lasted
two or three years, and was then washed away. The next bridge built was on Pinc street, to take the place of the old one.
Several small ditches were dug during the year, small now but for those times large enterprises. The Coyote digginga were discovered and the town of Coyoteville sprang up on the lead, just back of Nevada City. As winter approached the merchants began to lay in enormous stocks of goods. The winter before had been so severe that transportation was impossible, and goods had been extremely high priced. The population to be supplied being now eight or ten times as great as during the previous winter and the season being expected to be as severe, the merchants made their calculations accord- ingly. The reverse of their anticipations was the result. But little rain fell, no water could be had to work the mines, hun- dreds of miners abandoned the place in disgust, the prices of goods sank down to the lowest ebb, merchants failed and closed their doors, and Nevada City seemed to be in the last stages of the ordinary mining camp of mushroom growth.
The Alta in its issue of December 22, 1850, calls her "a frostwork city," and quotes the following from the Placer Times :- " NEVADA CITY-This has been the great inland min- ing town of California, containing at one time from six to eight thousand inhabitants (in the vicinity). It grew up rapidly, its location being in what was considered the most pro- ductive portion of California, but of late it has gone back almost as fast as it advanced. The growth of Nevada has been one of those wonders in California, which have astonished the beholder, but it shows the uncertainty of all business which depends upon the mines in any particular location. It may be good to-day, but disappear to-morrow. The mines may be productive in one locality for this month, but other mines may be better next. New discoveries are being made continually, which entirely modifies the aspect of things."
The mournful predictions of the croakers and the obituaries of the newspapers failed to terminate the career of Nevada City. The year 1851 opened with no less than two hundred and fifty buildings in the town, and scores of tents and cabins spread all over the surrounding hills for a radius of two miles. Mining operations were active and business began to revive. While merchants were just recovering from then' severe losses and the town was assuming again the lively appearance of the previous year, a fire swept away the board shanties that con- prised the business portion of the town. This was on March 11, 1851, and within a month from that date, so active and energetic were the business men in repairing their losses, that new buildings had taken the places of the burned ones and scarcely a trace of the fire could be seen.
In April the Nevada Journal made its appearance, except the Sonora Herald, the first paper published in the mining
PUBLISHED BY THOMPSON A WEST.
RESIDENCE OF EDWARD COLEMAN, GRASS VALLEY, NEVADA CO CAL.
81
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
region. Is enun was waren is tower, now editor of the Mining and Scientific Press, San Francisco.
When rebuilt the city contained the Novala Hotel by .I. V Turner, Gregory House, by I' S. Gregory, Washington Hotel, by Best, and Phelps' Hotel on south side of the creek. Some of the leading business honses were Horst & Roll Beard & Co. (Capt. Kidd), Davis & Hherst, O P. Blackman & Co., Dr. John Locke, 'Truex & Co., and R. J. Oglesby. Main street was built up solid, but Broad street was only built in places here and there, and the residences and buildings throughout the town were very much senttered. Business was not ~ varied as at present but wns more substantial; grocery aud clothing stores took the lord.
Several citizens, filled with a little too highly inflated opinion of the present and future greatness of Nevada City, prepared a charter, in the spring of 1851, for its incorporation on a most magnificent seale. Some thought better order could be preserved and some desired one of the many offices provided for by the charter, and the accompanying substantial salary. The charter was presented to the Legislature, and upon a report of its pussage being brought to town au election was held and Hamlet Davis was chosen Mayor. Before he became fully invested with his new dignity, it was discovered that the elec- tion had bren premature, the bill not having become a law when the election was called. Another election was therefore necessary, and Moses F. Hoyt was chosen Mayor; L. F. Chubbnek, t'lerk; Thomas Freeman, Recorder; Mr. Barton, Marshal; Dr. Clark, James Barker, Ira P. Twist, Dr. Gardner, John R. Crandall and tive others, Allermen. A few weeks later, Mr. Crandall moved away and Dr. tlarduer died, and Niles Searts and one other were elected to fill the vacancies. Julge Searls was elected President of the Council. The government was conducted on as magnificent a scale as that on which the charter had been framed. The Council purchased a City Hall, on the spot now occupied by the Keeney residence, on Main street, built a jail, purchased a lot and building for a hospital, the lot now occupied by the school house. The hospi- tal was a long structure that had been used as a boarding house; it filled up rapidly with patients, forty or fifty soon finding accommodation there, and was a very expensive elephant on the hands of the new government. No taxes and but few licenses were collected, the expenses ran up to over $8,000, and ruin aud bankruptcy began to stare the young city in the face. In
September, 1851, a publie meeting was called to disenss the situation. At this meeting, over which Judge Searls presided, all the Allermeu agreed to discharge all the city employees and suspend operations. Although this course was opposed by the salaried officials, it received the approbation of the people and was adopted. The Legislature was petitioned to repeal the charter, which it did early in 1852. The script issued by the
city was her fleur , although it was the subject of spec- lation for some tine, ant sampbs of it are still preserved by several as momenter- of the most magnificent government the city has ever ha]
The Border, although a policy judge, was mistaken by the miners to be a mining recorder and to him they brought their mining notices, which be accepted with the gravity of an owl. dily recorded and charged there for a fee that would astonish us in these degenerate days. Business was lively, and when the government came to an end he had enough to retire upon
We have received a very characteristic letter from flour. Richard J. Oglesby once a residence of Nevada City, and later a Major General in the army, and Governor and Senator of the State of Illinois, from which the following is an extract :- " 1 crossed the plains, starting from St. Joseph, Missouri, May 5, 1849, in command of a six umle team, with twelve other umles and eight other men. After enjoying the scenery and society of several other spots, I finally reached Nevada City, situated in the mouniaius at the gate of Deer creek, in September, 1850, and remained there until August 10, 1851. I found the moun- tain valleys, plateaus and hills covered with an active lot of adventurous but very genteel and circumspect people, hunting and findling gold, some on top but the larger number under the ground, 'coyoteing.' The city was already built, the streets laid out and the hotels, saloons and stores occupying all the available lots for business. There was very little law, but a large amount of good order ; no churches, but a great deal of religion; no politics, but a large number of politicians; no otlices, and strange to say for my countrymen, no office seekers. Times were indeed good, although the greenback hind not then been invented. Crime was rare, for punishment was certain. I was present one afternoon, just outside the city limits, and saw with painful satisfaction, as I now remember, Charley Williams Buteller Bill was the man) whack three of our fellow citizens over the bare back twenty-one to forty strokes, for stealing a neighbor's money. The multitude of disinterested spectators con- ducted the court. My reccollection is that there were no attor- ney's fees or court charges. I think I never saw justice adminis- tered with so little loss of time or at less expense. There was no more stealing in Nevada City until society became more settled and better regulated. I was a small merchant until the fire came in the spring of 1851 and burned up my fortune and iny store, just opposite Turuer's Hotel aud some fellow's saloon. After that, uutil sad fate tore me away from the charming and delightful city, I was a teamster and merchant. I never separated from my mules until, on the tenth of August, 1851. I finally started on the return trip to my old home. Anxious to speed our fortunes, Mr. Packard, Mr. Smallwood, Mr. Arm- strong, Mr. Coner and brother and myself entered into partner- ship, during the winter of 1850-1, to run a tunnel into one of
the richest looking hills of the coyote range. I do not remember how far we ran into the mysterious earth, but when I left that tumel was still running "
Un the third of March, 1852, a severe storm of wind, show and rain set in, that razed with fury for several days. The rivers and crooks began to rise and sand their water in a rush- ing torrent down the mountains. Deer creek was " booming," drift wood and logs came rushing with irresistable force down the surging stream. Extending over the stream and resting upou supports was the Jemmy Lind Theater, erected the year before, when the peaceful character of Deer creek gave no whining of such a scene as this, On a little ishund just below Broad street bridge stood a house occupied by a woman. When the creek began to assert itself the house was surrounded with water that soon began to make itself too familiar, and entered the house. The woman shrieked for help, and was carried to uot dry but high land, on the back of a sympathizing miner, who waded through the turbulent stromm. Early on the morning of the sixth Broad street bridge was carried away, and about noon the crowd of spretafors, who were watching the developments with great interest, saw a heavy log stribe Main street bridge and drive it from its foundation, sweeping away the remaining props that sustained the theater. Amid yells of "There she goes," the building swayed und toppled into the stream, to be soon resolved into its component boards by the whirling and eddying waters, The Hlinois Boarding House adjoining the theater accompanied it in its journey down the stream. The loss was about $10,000, and since then no one has been anxious to buildl over Deer creek.
The excitement over quartz discoveries in 1851 was great and Nevada became great in proportion. A post office was established here, the mails being brought from Marysville by J. G. Fordyce, on the back of a mule, Benjamin Blanton was the first post master, and had his office nonr the present court house. The office was a good one for perquisites and the incumbent retired in a few months with at least. Anllicient means to import some fast stock, one of which, " Wake-up- Jake," was quite a celebrated animal.
On the third of January, 1852, the Nerode Journal said : " Within the past year we have had several beautiful churches erceted in our city. The general character of the city has improved. There is much less gambling carried on, less drunk- enness, less fighting, and a higher tone in society generally. We have had also many families settling down in our midst., and, perhaps, to the humanizing influences of correct female society are to be attributed many of the beneficial results in morals we have named. The. improvements at Nevada, generally, are not of a superficial character. They bear the stamp of enterprise and are destined to continue. The new developments in quartz leads of surprising rielmess make room
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HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY. CALIFORNIA.
for still more mills; and it requires little prophetic power to anticipate that before ten years are over, with a Sacramento rail- road, a Yuba ditch, the influx of farmers, operations in quartz, new discoveries in placer diggings, and the consequent growth of mercantile and mechanic business, with the influx of families, Nevada will be second in importance and wealth to few cities in California." This prophesy has to a great extent been realized, although the railroad has but just been obtained and the influx of farmers fails ignobly to put in an appearance.
As an evidence that the influences of " correct female society " were working for good, and that the people desired to approach more nearly to the conditions of the society to which they were acenstomed . before the alurements of gold drew them from home to embark in the wild excitements of mining life, is the fact that a public meeting was held on Sun- day, August 8, 1852, to adopt means for the better observance of the Sabbath. Resolutions were passed requesting merchants to close their places of business on Sundays, and binding the signers to patronize only those who did so. Since then the majority of business honses have observed the Sabbath.
In 1833 llamlet Davis erected the first brick building that the town contained. It was on Broad street near the corner of l'ine. The following year several others were built, and still more the next. During 1853 Nevada was connected with Marysville, Sacramento and other points by telegraph, and the first message was sent October 5, 1853.
Another attempt was made at a city government in 1853. The Court of Sessions was empowered by an Act of the Legis- lature to incorporate towns, and npon petition to the Court of Sessions of Nevada county the town of Nevada City was incorporated. For two years the government plodded peace- fully along, and then its vital spark was extinguished by the Supreme Court. A man having been arrested for some mis- demeanor, Wm. Stewart was employed as his counsel. Bill Stewart, as he was generally called, threatened that if the man was not discharged he would " bust the government." His threat was not headed, and he had quo warranto proceedings instituted by the Attorney General, which resulted in a decision by the Supreme Court, in 1856, that the law under which the town was incorporated was unconstitutional, the Constitution not conferring such powers upon the Court of Sessions.
The Democrat published the following in its issue of January . 3, 1855. " Mr. Wm. Bullington, County Treasurer, has kindly furnished us with the following statistics of the City of Nevada, which embraces an area of half a mile each way from the court house. The town, which is less than five years old, is steadily increasing in the number of its inhabitants. The old shells erected three and four years ago, have nearly all dis- appeared, and new and more substantial buildings erected in their places. It is bnt little over a year since the first brick
building was finished, and there is every prospect that by the first of January, 1856, the value of this property will be quadripled.
January 1, 1855.
Value of brick buildings.
20
Stages arriving and leaving daily .
Private expressmen leaving semi-weekly . 5
8
Saw Mills. . .
Average for each mill per day 2,500
2
Quartz Mills.
15
Average tons crushed by each per day .
2
Newspapers.
4
Banking houses.
98
Mercantile houses
2
Jewelers stores.
79
Retail liquor houses
24
Hotels and boarding houses
156
Number of families
18
Practicing Physicians
3
Dentists.
3
Drug stores.
5
Churches
Total number of houses occupied . 907
Marriageable young ladies have increased to double the (size and) number published in the Golden Era some six months ago, and there is still room for more."
On February 23, 1855, in consequence of the suspension of Adams & Co., there was a run upon Wells, Fargo & Co. The agent paid out all the coin and at two o'clock P. M. closed the doors. The excitement was great but as soon as it was allayed Wells, Fargo & Co. were found to be in good condition.
Although the prediction of the editor was not fully realized, still Nevada took a great stride forward during the year. Telegraphic communication was established with Downieville, mining industries were increased, and the city continued to advance in prosperity until the summer of 1856, when it was almost blotted from existence by the conflagration of July 19, 1856.
The Trustees took advantage of the fire to widen and to a degree straighten some of the streets, lengthen others, project new ones and establish a higher grade for Main and Broad streets. Rebuilding was commenced before the ruins had ceased to smoulder, and in one month after what had seemed to be an insurmountable calamity two hundred and fifty wooden build- ngs had been completed and twenty-five brick structures were in process of erection. So wonderful was the recuperative power displayed by the city, that in a few months all traces of the disaster were removed, and the old buildings replaced by finer structures, more durable, commodions and of better
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