USA > California > Nevada County > History of Nevada County, California; with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and manufactories > Part 40
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Days, President; Charles Miller, Vice-President : John Maddrill. Secretary; John James, Treasurer; D. E. Osborn, Librarian; James Lakenan, Henry Silvester, Reuben Leech, John M. Days and John Maddrill, Executive Committee. Mr. Osborn wa. Librarian until June, 1877, and was succeeded by Samuel Alder- man. The library contains a valuable collection of books, and is well supplied with newspapers and periodicals.
MILITARY. NEVADA RIFLES.
This company was organized in Nevada City. February 13, 1858. with Henry Meredith, Captain: Phil. Moore, First Lieu- teuant; George Story, Seconl Lieutenant : Jerome Mo re. Third Lieutenant. In the fall of Iss, Ruins Shoemaker became Captain, and in 1860, he was suceceded by J B. Van Hagen. The company served with honor in the Indian war in Nevada, in 1860. The company disbanded in IN6l. Its me. . bers in 1858 were among the leading business and professi ral men of the city as the following list will show :- Geo. Stery. R. Shoemaker, J. B. Van llagen, Niles Searls, T. H. Caswell. Pil Moore, J. B. Moore, W. P. Harrington, E. F. Burton. J C Birdseye, S. W. Boring, J. T. Crenshaw, J. S Wall, A. W Ries Amos T. Laird. T. Ellard Beans, A. Rosenheim. Georg Will N. P. Brown, C. Wilson Hill, J. A. Lancaster. Jan . V.s. Hagen, Henry Meredith. A. C. Niks, J. R. MeConnet. JH1 Helm, John Webber, Wablo M. Allen. H Hl Peas.n. S H Chase, E. Marselus, W. F. Anderson, William Maltman. G ort S Happ, H. B. Thompson. A. Il Hagy lorn, T W Sigaren! R. MeMurray, Still Slusher, Thomas Marsh, H Knerr. Reuben
April 5, 1855, the Nevada Hebrew Society was organized. In November, 1863, the Nevada Hebrew Benevolent Society . was formed from this, and June 12, 1873, it was merged iuto the present lodge which was then organizedl. The lodge had twenty-six charter members and the following first officers :- A. Goldsmith, P .; L. Jacobs, V. P .; E. Goklsmith, S .; J. Green- wald, T. The membership, now twenty-six, has been as high as thirty-eight. The charities and benefits since 1855 have been very great. The present officers are :- Morris Rosenberg, P .; A. Rosenthal, V. P .; A. Blumenthal, S .; D. H. Miller, T .; A. Baruh, G. The lodge incets the second Sunday in each month at Masonic Hall, Nevada City.
LIBRARIES.
NEVADA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.
This association was fully organized in Nevada City, January 7, 1858, with one hundred members. The first officers were :-- J. C. Birdseye, President; Henry Meredith, Vice-President ; 1 Thomas. P. Hawley, Secretary; Rufus Shoemaker, Treasurer; F. E. Bailey, Librarian; A. A. Sargent, Il. Philips and A. C.
Niles, Executive Committee. The association remained in existence a long time and maintained an excellent library and reading room. About the year 1865 the patronage began to decline, and the association struggled hard for existence until 1874, when the books were sold to Oustomah Lodge, I. O.O. F, and are now owned by the members of that organization.
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ANCIENT JEWISH ORDER, KESHER SHEL BARSEL.
This is a secret order among the Hebrews, for charity, benefits and endowments ..
NORTH STAR LODGE, NO. 120, A. J. O. K. S. B.
RESIDENCE OF JAMES . W.WOOD, SWEETLAND, NEVADA, CO, CAL .
PUBLISHED BY THOMPSON & WEST.
165
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
Moore, J. M. Levey, I. J. Rolfe, A. D. Allen, Joseph Roberts, George Lenhart, A. G. Pier, A. W Potter, Z. P. Davis, David Belden, John Anderson, George Lewis, Dan. Baker.
GRASS VALLEY UNION GUARDS.
This company was organized in Grass Valley, February 11, 1863, with the following officers :- E. W. Roberts, Captain ; James H. Wilcox, First Lieutenant; C. Mosher, Second Licu- tenant; J. J. Doty, Junior Second Lieutenant. The company was sixty-four strong. They were mustered into the State service, and became Company A, Fifth Regiment, Fourth Brigade, N. G. C. In 1866, the company numbered one liun- dred and two active members. The company was mustered out of the service a few years later.
HOWELL ZOUAVES.
This company was organized at Grass Valley July 27, 1865, with the following officers :-- James H. Stebbins, Captain; Joseph Hollywood, First Lieutenant; H. J. Snow, Second Lieutenant; Charles S. Wells, Third Lieutenant. The com- pany was Company E, Fifth Regiment, Fourth Brigade, N. G. | C. The company was mustered out of the State service in June, 1868, and mustered in again June 3, 1870, with sixty members. It existed but a few years longer.
BRIDGEPORT GUARDS.
This company was organized in Bridgeport township in 1862, and had its armory at North San Juan, although members of the company lived also at Sebastopol, Sweetland, Birchville and French Corral. It had sixty men and the following officers :- F. Coffey, Captain; Thomas G. Whitbey, First Lieu- tenant; Patrick Quinn, Second Lieutenant; Augustus Smith, Third Lieutenant. The company disbanded at the close of the war.
NEVADA CITY LIGHT GUARD.
This company was organized in Nevada City, April 18, 1863, with forty-six members and the following officers :- N. W. Knowlton, Captain; W. E. Pressey, First Lieutenant ; W. H. Davidson, Second Lientenant; W. G. Pier, Junior, Seeond Lieutenant ; William H. Weeks, First Sergeant. In April, 1865, J. A. Laneaster becanic Captain and was sueeceded November 11, 1871, by M. S. Deal, who died in September, 1873. November 11, 1873, John A. Rapp was elected Captain and still holds the position. The company was at first Company B, Fifth Regiment, Fourth Brigade, N. G. C. Under the reorganization of the State militia in 1866, the com- pany was mustered in, August 25, 1866. It is now Company C, First Battalion, Fourth Brigade, N. G. C. The officers are :- John A. Rapp, Captain; George A. Gray, First Lieu- tenant; J. J. Weisenburger, Seeond Lieutenant ; William F.
Evens, First Sergeant. The present strength of the company is seventy-six. The First Battalion has been converted from infantry to artillery this year, and this company has a fine three-inch rifled cannon.
LITTLE YORK UNION GUARD.
During the rebellion You Bet, though small, was a patriotic place. In 1862 there was organized there a militia company, Captain, George Atkins. It was a well drilled company of about fifty members, and had an armory in an old hotel which was moved over from Walloupa. It disbanded 1865, after the close of the war, at which time William Cavillie was Captain.
CHAPTER XLVII.
MANUFACTURES.
Remarks-Breweries-Flonring Mills-Foundries-Tannery-Soap Works- Fish-Ice-Lumber Mills and Factories-Lower Part of the Couuty- Truckee Basin.
Nevada county at present is not a manufacturing county ; the question of transportation had been decided against lier, until the construction of the railroads. In the two specialties for which she is adapted, lumber and iee, she is not excelled by any county in the State. With unlimited water power and au almost inexhaustible supply of fuel, it would seem as if the future would find many manufacturing enterprises established here. The following pages will endeavor to present the man- ufacturing enterprises in as complete a manner as the space will allow.
BREWERIES.
As early as 1858 there were seven breweries in Nevada county, that manufactured 44,000 gallons of beer that year. Some of the old ones have been abandoned and a number of new ones have been opened, so that now there are in the county fifteen breweries, that made in 1879, 500,000 gallons of beer. In Nevada City are Louis W. Dreyfuss, Casper Fogeli, E. Weiss, the City Brewery, by Mrs. John Blasauf, aud Louis Seibert, an extensive manufacturer of cronk beer, on Piety Hill. In Grass Valley, Grass Valley Brewery, by David Binkelmann, California Brewery, by Charles Fritz, and City Brewery, by Thomas Hodge & Co. In North San Juau, N. A. Carion, Joseph Schmitzer, and North San Juan Brewery, by G. W. Koeh. In North Bloomfickl, New York Brewery, by Simon Hieronimus, and Humbug Brewery, by Valentine Weiss & Co. In Eureka South, Eureka Brewery, by Wm. Hartmann. In Truckee, Graser & Stoll.
In Boca is the Boca Brewing Company, manufacturers of the celebrated Boea beer, such a universal favorite on the coast. The brewery buildings eover an aere of ground, and cost
$100,000, being completed in 1876. More beer is made at this mammoth establishment than in all the other fourteen breweries in the county.
FLOURING MILLS.
There have been four flouring mills in the county, none of which remain at the present time. The most extensive of these was the Nevada City Flouring Mills, erected in the spring of 1836 by Bennett & Tilley, on Goldl Run. It had four run of stone and made about 15,000 barrels of flour annually. In 1859 the flour was awarded first premium at the State Fair. Clark & Torson became owners of the mills in 1861, and in 1873 removed the machinery to Wheatland, Yuba county, transportation of wheat to the mountains being too expensive to render the business profitable. The Buffalo Mills was a small coucern with one run of stone that was operated south of Nevada City in 1857, by Rogers & Armstrong. O. M. Tomlinson built the Elevator Flouring Mill on Manzanita Hill, near Nevada City, in 1860. It had four run of stone. Most of the machinery Mr. Tomlinson hall been using to elevate gravel iu his diggings at that place. He sold the mill to J. C. Birdseye in September, 1860, and the enterprise was soon abandoned.
Iu 1854 the first flouring mill in the county was built at Grass Valley by Bennett & Tilley, who soon after built the nıill at Nevada City. It had but one run of stone and was attached to a saw mill. It was not run regularly, and was destroyed by fire in 1862.
FOUNDRIES.
The Nevada Foundry, on Spring street, Nevada City, was . started in a small way by Edward Coker, in 1855. The small building on Spring street, in the rear of the National Hotel, was burned in 1856, and Mr. Coker removed to the present site, soon disposing of the foundry to Thom & Williams. In 1859 Heugh & Thom became the owners and in 1871 Thom & Allan. In December, 1876, George G. Allan became the sole proprietor. The capacity of the foundry is equal to any in the State, outside of San Francisco or Sacramento. As high as thirty-five men are employed in busy times, and sometimes as low as ten. All kinds of necessary machinery and tools are in the shops, and a very large and valuable collection of patterns is on hand, the latter beiug kept in a separate room to guard against loss by fire. Everything in the way of mining machinery and tools is manufactured here, and at prices to successfully compete with San Francisco. In 1872 the foundry did work in one month for the North Bloomfield Co. to the value of $30,000, and has doue $65,000 worth of work for that company alone. The machinery for manufacturing water pipe for flumes and hydraulic mining was made in the shop, and is very complete.
166
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, VILA
The Mill Street Foundry of Grass Valley, owned by M. C. Taylor, is another successful enterprise of this kind. In com- pany with William Francy and James M. Lakenan, Mr. Taylor commenced operations in 1856. After a year the firm was changed to Taylor & Lakenan, an I continued two years, when Mr. Taylor purchased Mr. Lakenan's interest and has con- tinuel the business ever since. In 1865 the foundry was destroyed by a fire supposed to be of incendiary origin, but was immediately rebuilt. Quartz mill machinery and general foundry work are made here, and an average of ten men are employed. This is one of Grass Valley's oldest institutions.
Grass Valley Foundry, J. M. Lakenan, proprietor, was built in spring of 1865 by the present owner, who went East and purchased the necessary tools and machinery. Mining machinery, water wheels and castings are made here, also pattern making and mouldling. The gross annnal product is about $40,000.
NEVADA TANNERY.
A building was erectedl near the County Hospital in 1863 by Kelsey & Butler for a large tannery. They had thirty-two vats and facilities for working 1200 hides annually. The pro- duct was sole and harness leather. The enterprise was con- (lucted successfully for several years.
PACIFIC SOAP WORKS.
This was a small factory started in 1866 on Cayote strcet by J. B. Henry. It was not long conducted.
FISH.
The Truckee river and the mountain streams and lakes abound in fish, the Truckec trout having a celebrity that is wide spread. Since the opening up of this region by the rail- road the shipping of fish has been quite an extensive business. In 1869 the Pioneer Fishery was established on the river above Truckce, and Stewart & Kelly started one at Donner lake in 1871, where they put in 22,000 small fish and commenced hatching thousands of eggs. In 1874 the Pioneer Fishery had 50,000 tront from one to five years of age. Besides the regular fisheries many whitemen and Indians catch fish in the natural streams. Independence and Webber lakes furnish the silver , trout, a very high pricedl dainty. Great efforts have been made to protect the fishi in spawning season, but not always with gool success. The Fish Commission has transplanted a num- ber of foreign varieties of fish in the mountain waters with good success.
ICE.
The Truckee basin is the paradise of the ice men. On the eastern slope of the Sierras the snow falls to a much less depth t'san at the summit, and the cold is much more intense than on
the western slope. During the intensely cold weather of
December, 1879, the thermometer marked 38° below zero, and the mercury refused longer to perform its functions. This region has long been known as a cold onc, and had the reputa- tion, which experience has fully sustained, of being the coldlest spot in the passage of the mountains, as many an okl stage driver on the Henness Pass route to the Washoe mines will testify. Here then, with the minimum of snow and the maxi- . Inum of cold, with plenty of clear and pure mountain water and with facilities for storage and railroad transportation to all points, has the ice business of the Pacific slope concentratedl. There are now seven ice companies engaged in the business along the Truckec river and its tributarics. They are the Nevada Icc Co., the Summit Ice Co., the Boca Mill and Ice Co., all at Boca; the People's Ice Co. and J. Smith, at Bronco, the Mutual Ice Co. and the Crystal Icc Co. at Verdi. These com- panies have a storage capacity of 60,000 tons, an amount that is far in excess of the consumption of that portion of the coast to which ice can be profitably shipped. At least three times the quantity that can be consumed here is annually in store, some of it kept over from year to year. The unusual scanti- ness of the ice erop in the East this season opens a field that has heretofore been closed, and the probabilities are that the surplus stock of ice in store here can be shipped to the East and soll at such rates as to remunerate the ice owners. Such an opportunity will probably not occur again for a long time. Thic only competitor the mountain ice has is the artificial ice, manufactured chiefly in Sacramento. This lacks both the firmness and quality of the natural ice of the pire mountain streams, and is mainly used for packing purposes.
The first ice company to enter the Truckee basin was the Boca Mill and Ice Co., which began operations in 1868 at Bos1, then a construction camp on the newly constructed line of th; Central Pacific Railroad. They built a dam at a cost of $11,000. which flooded a pand of thirty acres, used to float los into for their lumber business. In 1869 they built an ice house and filled it with ice from this pond, all in thirty days. The house had a capacity of 8,000 tons, and was 40x484 feet, and 17 feet high. The ice was ent by machinery and hoisted by a steam elevator.
The Nevada lee Co., for several years previous to 1870, was engaged in the ice business at. Blue Tent and Quaker Hill, being composed of business men of Nevada City. In 1870 they moved to the eastern side of the summit and erected three ice houses, 35x200 feet and 20 feet high nt Camp 16. between Prosser creek and Boca. The capacity of the houses was 10,000 tons.
The Summit lec Co. commenced operations at Sereno lake in Anderson Valley, near the summit of the Sierras. The | company erected buildings and made improvements to the
extent of $50,000. After expending about $30,000 in the endeavor to construct buildings that wonkl satain the great weight of snow that fell upon an I crussel then, the company located on Prosser ercek in 1873, about halt a mile above wh.re that stream empties into the Truckee river. An iss home 50x450 feet and 24 feet high was erectel, and in 1876 another of the same hight and with an.1 300 feet long was built. Te total capacity of the two is 16,000 tons, bring the largest storage capacity of any ice company on the coast. The com- pany has a dam across Prosser creek, which ff., ›1 an area of thirty-two acres. There are also barling honys, -table. blacksmith shop, tool house, etc. During the ice wasn t company employs from seventy-five men t, twice that number. The ice honses have doors at every thirty feet, exten ling in sections from the floor to the roof, for convenien: in ba ding into cars, standing on a track that lead, t Proxer Creek Station. The method of cutting, handling and string the ice is very simple. The surface of the pond i- above the upper Hoor of the ice house, and when the ice is cut by machinery it flo its down to an opening through the dam. where the water drops through a grating into the creek, thirty feet below. har- ing the cakes of ice upon a steel runway, when by gravity they slile into any part of the ic . hois desir. 1. Th entt'ny anl Hoating of these cakes can be done so rapidly that i rty men will be kept busy stowing them in the. hy'is.
In 1973, the Neva la Ice ('). Summit Ie. Co. and Bx3 Mil and Ice C'o. combinelas the Pariti . Ire Co . retaining t'en. as they do now. their separat . organization and managing their business independently. This combination contr ' } a'l t ice property of the State, anh enjoyed a min p'y of the is trade. In 1573 an experiment was trie lod running i :h . ogl a flume three miles in length. The result was that i ven inches in thickness was relucal to three inch - and the i's was abandoned.
In 1975 the People's les to, was organiz. I Den et wi the combination, commencing operations in the Wash var Besides the ice house there they built two nerv in anlis houses near Truckee, the total capacity of all being 15 mts In 1876 they built a dam at Brone , when they are at present located, aml erected ice houses.
The Crystal les to, commenced busines in Vend to his They have a dam across the Trucker river a nerver acres, a ditch one mile long, ice house AND text sul 24 is high capacity 5,000 tons. Th . Mina le Cas has a capacity of +000 tous J. Smithis egalit ls- ness at Bronco, anl has an ie house with a st ra_ cs 4,000 tons.
A number of others have been engaged we was ice business nt different times but the above & been the most extensive, and are the me.twee.
1
A VIEW ON THE CHEROKEE RANCH, 240 ACRES, THE RESIDENCE OF L.D. RATHBUN, CHEROKEE, NEVADA Cº, CAL.
PUBLISHED BY THOMPSON & WEST.
167
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
description of the Summit lee Co's, establishunent is given as an example, to illustrate the method of handling ice in the Sierras.
LUMBER MILLS AND FACTORIES.
The lumber interests of Nevada county have been and still are very extensive. Lumber was required by the early miners to build dams and flumes and to construct the rude shautics that then formed the centers of trade. Lumber was worth sometimes $200 per thousand feet at the inill, and the supply was even too limited at that price. A great many mills were built in the early days that were kept constantly busy in sup- plying the great demand. The improvements in machinery and methods of handling lumber, and the decrease in the demand, as well as the exhaustion of the timber, has been the cause of the abandonment of nearly all the old mills and the building of new ones farther up the mountains, the greatest interests being in the Truckee basin.
The first saw mills in the county were those erected four miles below Grass Valley, one by Samuel and George Holt and one by James Walsh and Zenas Wheeler. These gentlemen com- menced operations in November, 1849, and the Holts began sawing in March, 1850, and the others soon after. In May, Samuel Holt was killed by the Indians and the mill destroyed, as has been before related. In July, 1850, Walsh & Wheeler built a mill in Grass Valley, on Mill street. This was operated three years and then abandoned. In 1851 the Ellsworth mill was built, four miles below Grass Valley, and near the old Holt mill. This was in operation for a number of years. The Winchester mill was built by Gov. Winchester for a New York company, in 1851, on the cast side of Deer creek, near Grass Valley. It was burned down in 1857. It was originally built for a quartz mill. In 1852, Zenas Wheeler, D. J. Wheeler, T. N. Pain and A. P. Willey built the MeMurtry mill. at the end of Boston Ravine. They sold it the same year to Dr. MeMurtry, who operated it a number of years. The Empire Mining Company built a mill near the mouth of Boston Ravine, in 1852, and operated it two years. The Wood Pecker mill was built in Wood Pecker Ravine, early in 1851, by James Walsh, but was soon converted into a quartz mill. The Ran- dolph mill was built on Deer creek, below Nevada City, in 1851, by Thompson & Co., and was run for a number of years. In 1832 the Ohio mill was built, two miles southwest of Grass Valley, and abandoned after a number of years. The same year the Penobscot mill was built by Mr. Emerson, and the Mount George mill, two miles east of Grass Valley, on Wolf creek, by McFarland & Morris. Bennett & Jones built a mill in Grass Valley, in 1853. At Gold Flat were built the Holt inill, the J. N. Turner mill, the Dibble mill and the Whigham mill. The Buena Vista mill, six miles southeast of Grass
Valley, was built by Reuben Leech. Among others of the carly mills were Skilhnan's, one mile west of Alpha, burned in 1858, with 300,000 feet of lumber, Wagoner & Jones' mill, built on north fork of Deer creek, in 1834, Churchill's mill at Snow Tent, burned in 1857, Omega mill, property of A. W. Riley, bnrned in 1859, Excelsior mill, two and one-half miles west of Nevada City, burned in 1858, with 500,000 feet of lumber, Murdock & Co.'s mill, near Alpha, burned in 1859. A saw mill was built at North Bloomfield, in 1855, and run a few years. In 1855 another was built by Creegan & Cougher, on Pan ravine; it was destroyed by fire in 1875, and rebuilt the following year by M. Pridgeon, and has been doing a good bus- iness ever since. Hawley & Woodruff built a saw mill at Columbia Hill, in 1876, which is now idle. On Greenhorn creek, the Enterprise and Clipper mills, the latter built in 1866, were large and busy ones. In 1869, the Mohawk Lumber Company of Grass Valley bought and operated the Clipper mill. Churchill built a new mill at Snow Tent after the old one was destroyed. This was burned in 1875, while lying idle. At Blue Tent, Cooper Bros. had a saw mill in late ycars.
The list of saw mills is a very iucomplete one, it being almost impossible to get accurate information about them. In 1858 there were in the connty forty-two mills, twenty-six run by steam and sixteen by water. They were geographically distributed as follows: Grass Valley, thirteen; Nevada, uine; Rough and Ready, six; Eureka, six ; Bridgeport, four; Wash- ington, two; Little York, two. They sawed that year 39,810,- 000 feet.
The leading lumber interests of the lower part of the county now are those of M. L. & D. Marsh, Louis Voss, the Mohawk Lumber Company, and the V Flume Company.
The Crystal Spring Saw Mill of M. L. & D. Marsh is situated two and one-half miles from Nevada City. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1871 together with 400,000 feet of lumber. The loss was was $15,000. Their lumber yard and office are on Bowlder street, Nevada City.
Mohawk Lumber Co. are the owners of the Clipper Mills, on Greenhorn ereek. The mill is provided with machinery for planing and dressing Inmber as well as for making mouldings, etc. The company owns 2,421 acres of fine timber land, and has an office and yard in Grass Valley. Reuben Leech is the Superintendent.
The mill of Louis Voss is situated on Greenhorn creek in Little York township. It was first built in 1855 by Mr. Voss near the present site, and was burned in 1857. He immedi- ately rebuilt and in 1874 built another mill two miles from the first one. The two mills make 2,500,000 feet of lumber annually, which is now shipped by the Narrow Guage railroad and the C. P. R. R. to San Francisco. Since commencing operations in 1855 Mr. Voss has made an average of 1,500,000
feet of lumber annually. He owns 3,000 acres of land, covered with timber enough to last twenty years.
The Liberty Hill Con. M. Co. owns a saw mill four miles above Little York, built by Gardner in 1870, capacity 20,000 feet per day.
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