History of Placer county, California, Part 23

Author: Angel, Myron; Thompson & West, pub
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Oakland, Cal., Thompson & West
Number of Pages: 558

USA > California > Placer County > History of Placer county, California > Part 23

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PLACER AND SUTTER DIVIDING LINE.

The dividing line between Placer and Sutter Counties was for a number of years a subject of con- troversy and uncertainty. The western line " from Sacramento County, and running thence up the middle of the Sacramento River, to a point ten miles below the junction of Feather and Sacramento Rivers," was reported by a county Surveyor as impossible, as the northwest corner of Sacramento County was of itself, nearer than ten miles of the junction of those rivers, so the county had no start- ing point, or merely coming to the river at a point, thence in a straight line to Camp Far West. When the country became settled, this indefinite line gave great trouble to the Assessors and other county officers, and several Acts were passed to remedy the difficulty, but it was not until after the lines of the United States Land Survey were adopted by the Aet approved March 13, 1866, that the question was satisfactorily settled. This Act was adopted by the Codes, taking effect January 1, 1873, making the boundaries as follows :-

" Beginning on the southwest corner at a point where the west line of range 5 east, Mount Diablo meridian, intersects the northern line of Sacramento County, as established in Section 3,928; thenee north to the northwest corner of township 12 north, range 5 east, thence east to the southwest corner of section 34, township 13 north, range 5 east; thence north to Bear River; thence on the southerly line of Nevada County, up said river to its source; thence east in a direct line to the eastern line of the State of California, forming the northeast corner; thence southerly along said line to the northeast corner of El Dorado County, as established in section 3.927 (said northeast corner of El Dorado being a point on the State line directly east of Sugar Pine Point on Lake Tahoe); thenee westerly on the northern lines of EI Dorado and Sacramento, as established in sections 3,927 and 3,928, to place of beginning."

GEOGRAPHY OF THE COUNTY.

Geographically it is bounded on the north by Yuba and Nevada, east by the State of Nevada, south by El Dorado and Sacramento, and west by Sutter;

HISTORY OF PLACER COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

although its irregular shape makes Nevada a west- ern boundary, and El Dorado an eastern boundary to a large portion. The county has a northeast and southwest trend, with an extreme length of about eighty-five miles, and a width varying from eight miles in its central portion to twenty-three at cither end, giving it an area of 1,386 square miles. The territory includes every variety of climate, soil, and productions. Altitude and not latitude govern its isothermal lines, and with the climate every change occurs, from the semi-tropic plains, to the everlasting snow and ice of the mountain peaks.

In its topography the country is as irregular as in its outline. From the valley of the Sacramento, thirty feet above the sea, where perennial verdure and semi-tropie fruits gladden the eye, it rises in one grand swell to the summit of the Sierra Nevada, embracing Twin, Granite Chief, Tinker. Lincoln, and Donner Peaks, which stud the crest of the lofty range, glistening in their white mantle of snow 9,000 feet in the sky. East of the great dividing chain the county extends sixteen miles, including in the section the source and fourteen miles of the valley of the Truckee River. and three-sevenths of the area of Lake Tahoe. In the valley of the Sac- ramento the county covers about 216 square miles; in the foot-hills and mountain valleys adapted to tillage and horticulture. 200 more; in Lake Tahoe, 90, and the remainder, 880 square miles, includes the mountain ridges, deep cañons, snowy peaks, rivers, and mountain lakes. The area susceptible of profitable viticulture, horticulture, or tillage of some character, can be estimated only after an industri- ous and thrifty people have, with judgment and experiment, essayed the task. The valley portion is an open plain, bordered by white oaks along the foot-hills and the streams, and as the elevation increases the nut pine is interspersed with the oak. while the loftier mountains and the canons are densely clad with black oak, pines of many classes, fir, spruce, nutmeg, cedar, tamarack, madrona, yew, alder, cottonwood, aspen, birch, manzanita, and other trees and shrubs in great variety, constituting one of the grandest forest regions of America.

The mountain region is seamed with deep gorges, through which flow rapid torrents, some bearing the name of rivers. The principal of these are :-

Bear River, rising in Bear Valley, about twelve miles west of the summit of the Sierra. and forming, from its source, the northern boundary of the county. dividing it from Nevada County. having a length of about seventy-five miles, emptying into Feather River. The first thirty miles of its course is south- west, thence nearly west to its embouchure. The volume of water varies with the season, at times of flood carrying the volume of a navigable river in a mad, raging torrent; and in seasons of drought dying away in the valley without force to reach its mouth. Such, at least, was the condition of Bear River before the mining debris filled its bed and

mining ditches swelled its summer waters from other streams.

The north fork of the American River, with its branches, the Middle Fork and the Rubicon, consti- tute the southern boundary of the county from the junction of the South Fork to where the Rubicon crosses the line extending east from Sugar Pine Point on the shore of Lake Tahoe. The Rubicon has its source among the rugged granite peaks and snow-clad gorges of the mountain ridge that divides the western flow from Lake Tahoe, and gathers from many picturesque lakes and babbling brooks a large volume of water before it joins with Greeley Creek, Five-Lake Creek, Little South Fork, Long Canon Creek, Pilot Creek, middle fork of the Middle Fork, and north fork of the Middle Fork, to make the Middle Fork at Junction Bar. Thence it bears the descriptive name until it loses itself in the main North Fork. From its source to Junction Bar, near Michigan Bluff, the course of the stream, or that branch constituting the boundary line, is nearly west, and from the latter point to where the water joins with the South Fork and makes the American River the course is southwest. The North Fork has its source in the high Sierra, from the slopes of the Granite Chief and Donner Peaks. and in Soda Spring Valley, gathering in its course the streams of Granite Canon, Big Valley, and its several forks, flows south- westerly to its junction with the mountain stream and to the Sacramento, a total course of about 100 miles, including its sinuosities.

Shirt Tail Canon flows a considerable stream through a long, deep gorge in the center of the county, westerly into the North Fork, receiving Brushy and Devil's Cañon Creeks in its course.

El Dorado Cañon Creek flows south into the north fork of the Middle Fork.

Humbug Creek rises near the head of El Dorado Canon and flows northerly into the south fork of the North Fork.

Indian Creek flows into a cañon of the same name between lowa Hill and Wisconsin Hill, westerly into the North Fork a few miles northwest of Shirt Tail Cañou.

Lady's Canon, Volcano Canon, Black Canon, Blue Cañon, and Cañon Creek are names of mountain cañons and streams in the upper part of the county.

In the foot-hills are Auburn, Dutch, Baltimore, Secret, Buckeye, and Indian Ravines, Dry and Coon Creeks and other depressions carrying water, once noted for their wealth of gold, and now the field of agricultural enterprise and homes of pros- perous content. Such is the region of which the 1.egislature of 1851 created the county of Placer.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

With the creation of the county an Aet was passed, approved April 28, 1851, to provide for its organization. In the Act were included the organ- ization of Nevada, Trinity and Klamath Counties.

J. E. Hale.

ORGANIZATION OF PLACER COUNTY.

This Act ordered an election to be held in Placer and Nevada Counties, for county and township officers, on the fourth Monday of May of the same year, and appointing J. D. Fry, Joseph Walkup, William Gwynn, Il. M. House, and Jonathan Roberts, of Auburn, in Placer County, a Board of Commission- ers to designate election precincts, to receive and count the votes, and to issue commissions to the offi- eers elected.

The election occurred on the 26th of May, two days before the approval of the bill by the Governor, resulting in the choice of the following gentlemen to fill the various offices: Hugh Fitzsimmons, County Judge; Samuel C. Astin, Sheriff; R. D. Hopkins, District Attorney; James T. Stewart, Clerk; Alfred Lewis, Assessor; Douglas Bingham, Treasurer; Abram Bronk, Public Administrator; John C. Mont- gomery, Coroner. The total number of votes cast, or allowed, was 2,792.

CONTESTING THE ELECTION.

The vote at some of the camps and towns was surprisingly large; especially at precincts where resided some favorite candidate who aspired to offi- cial honors. The loose system of voting established in 1849, when, trusting in every man's honesty, bal- lot-boxes were suspended to trees by the roadside as most convenient to the passing voter, had invited dishonest men to take advantage of the confidenee reposed in all, and the ballot-box was no longer held sacred nor strictly guarded. Some precincts with hardly a score of citizens would cast several hundred votes, and send in the returns as a good joke. The first election in Placer was contested by some of the defeated candidates, tradition says, on the strength of these abnormally large votes, but there are no records extant showing such to be the case. Iliram R. Hawkins was a resident of Deadman's Bar, and wished to be County Clerk. The records show that he received 961 votes, while Stewart had 1,118, these being the highest two of the four candidates. In all probability the dead men of that bar arose en masse and voted for the popular candidate strong enough to have given him a large majority over all the others. Horace Davenport of Rattlesnake Bar bas recorded in his favor 763 votes for County Judge, and he contested the election of Fitzsim- mons, who had received 1,261; and Abram Bronk, of Horseshoe Bar, having received 818 votes for County Treasurer, contested the right of Bingham with 1,151 votes to the office on the ground of fraud in the returns, and upon a rehearing by the Commis- sioners, fraud was shown and the contestants were declared entitled to their respective offices.

The proceedings of the Commissioners were, how- ever, declared void by the District Court, and Fitz- simmons held his seat as Judge, while Stewart appointed Hawkins his deputy, and Bingham's death occurring on the very day of the trial, Bronk was appointed Treasurer by the Court of Sessions.

These officers were elected to hold until suceceded by those elected at the general election of September, 1852, excepting the County Judge who held office for four years.

ELECTION OF LEGISLATIVE OFFICERS.

The general election of 1851 was held on the 3d of September, at which Gen. Jacob Fry was elected Senator; Patrick Canney and J. HI. Gibson, Assemblymen; Abram Bronk, Treasurer; Jona- than Roberts, Public Administrator, and S. B. Far- well, District Judge, for the Eleventh Judicial Dis- trict, comprising the counties of Placer, Yolo and El Dorado.

In the election for the first officers in the organi- zation of the county no party lines were drawn. The two great parties of the Nation were then styled Democrat and Whig, and members of either party were elected to the offices. In the fall election for members of the Legislature, conventions were held and party nominations made. The Democratic ticket was successful by majorities ranging from 400 to 500, in a total vote of 1,968. The Whig ticket bore the names of W. Kennister, for Senator; T. Bradley and D. H. Stickney, for Assemblymen; J. Lagdenby, for Treasurer; E. Hogan, Public Admin- istrator, and E. 1. Sanderson, for District Judge. On another page will be found the names of candi- dates, and the votes received from the organization of the county to the present time.

The Court House was the same cloth and wood structure that had served the purpose for Sutter County, and the log jail in the rear of the Court Honse still continned the county prison.

The euphonious and appropriate name of "Placer" was given the new county from the Spanish word placer, meaning a place where gold is found in the gravel or sand, as distinct from a mine, where it is found in quartz veins. Placer was, in 1851, as it is at the present time, distinguished for its great extent of placer mining.

ATTEMPT TO DIVIDE THE COUNTY.

As previously stated, the county is very irregular in outline, narrowing in its central part to a width of eight miles, while its extremes attain a width of over twenty miles. East of the junction of the north and middle forks of the American River and embraced be- tween these streams is a large and rich area of mining ground, where, early in the history of the county, gathered a numerons and active population, among whom were many who aspired to official honors, and organized for a strong effort to divide the county. Of the prosperous towns of this region, called the " Divide," Iowa Hill was the most prominent, and, in 1855, contained an energetic and ably-condneted newspaper, the lowa IFill News. In the fall of 1855 this paper began the agitation of the question of a division of the county. This was argued pro and con. through the papers for several weeks, there being at this time two papers published at Auburn,

HISTORY OF PLACER COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

the Herald and the Press. The Legislature convened in January of each year, and it was desired to get that body to act upon the subject, or, if that failed to do so, to mold the public mind so as to elect, in 1856, Legislators favorable to the division.

OPPOSITION AROUSED.

The Placer Press, of December 15, 1855, comment - ing on the subject gave statistics showing which portion of the county furnished the most revenue. From which it was shown that the lower portion of the county had 8506,989 more taxable property than the upper portion. The lower portion paid on tax- able property 819,066.39, while the proposed new county paid only $10,701.07. Total assessed valua- tion in 1835 was about $1,800,000.

The Placer Herald, of December 22d, says: " Now then, what are the prospects for the next twelve months? Is there any prospect for the proposed new county increasing in taxable property in the same ratio as the older portion of Placer ? There is not! Already is the railroad from Sacramento to the American River within a few miles of completion, and then the company will commence constructing the road from Negro Bar across Placer County to Bear River, which will necessarily cause an outlay of nearly a million of dollars, all in the lower portion of the county, while the increase of taxable property in the upper portion will not amount to $100,000. Under these circumstances it is, beyond a doubt, the interest of the citizens of the " Divide " to remain as they are." * * *

A correspondent of the Herald, writing from Mich- igan Bluff. December 22, 1855, says: " Placer County is now in debt over 880,000, a part of which must, in justice, be paid by the new county, together with the expense of providing new county buildings, and supporting an entire county organization. Now, who is prepared, with but a few small mining pre- cincts, to assume the burden and bear it, when at the same time it is so clearly impolitic and unneces- Nary ?" * * %

At that date the principal towns to be embraced in the new county were Iowa Hill, Todd's Valley, Forest Hill, Yankee Jim's, Michigan Bluff, Bath, Damaseus and Wisconsin Hill, on the Divide, and Illinoistown and Dutch Flat, north of the American.

DUTCII FLAT OPPOSITION.

A correspondent from Dutch Flat in the Herald of December 15th, says: " I have noticed a communica- tion in the Iowa Hill News of December 1st advocat- ing a division of Placer County. The subject had been spoken of here, but no one supposed it was seriously entertained. I referred to the report of the Supervisors of the county at the September term last, and find that the indebtedness of the county is $99,557 and some cents. Now, if the county is in debt near $100,000, how are we to relieve ourselves from that debt ? Answer: by one of three ways, to wit: by an increase of the taxes, the increase of the

amount of taxable property and population, or by insolvency and repudiation. The orders upon the treasury of the county are now worth from forty-five to sixty cents on the dollar. If Placer County has made such a debt in four years, what will be the debt of the new county, starting into existence with half this hanging over them and all the expenses of their organization, and with less than half the taxable property ? " * * *

THE WASHINGTON COUNTY ADVOCATES.

The lowa Hill News, which had begun the agita- tion, was in no ways discouraged by the arguments or the ridicule brought against its favorite proposi- tion. The editor, Mr. J. P. Olmstead, continued his appeals, and was supported by able correspondence. Ile was charged with originating the scheme for the purpose of getting the county patronage, and build- ing up his paper. With the confidence and energy with which he advocated the measure, he appeared to regard it as an easy proceeding to create a furor for the new county among the people of the " Divide," wherein each locality would have the opportunity and the possible chance of becoming the county seat. The region for many miles around Iowa Hill was thronged with miners, and the villages were popu- lous and prosperous. No place was mentioned as the future capital; therefore, each might aspire to it, with all the glory, the increase of business, the advance in town property, and the better chance of being elected to office.

This was the bait held out to win advocates, and naturally many of the poople favored the scheme. The argument was that the county was large and unwieldy, and that the county seat was distant and of difficult access, imposing great expense upon jurymen and witnesses, litigants and taxpayers, and that the great mileage bills of the county officers visiting that section in the performance of their duties imposed a burden on the people, which would be removed if the county seat were more conveni- ently located. The News gave the matter more positive shape by calling a meeting of the citizens of the upper end of the county, to be held at Yankee Jim's on the 29th of December, 1835, to take into consideration the subject of the division of the county.

MEETING AT YANKEE JIM'S.

The meeting was held at Yankee Jim's on the 29th. as advertised, and was attended by delegates from Iowa Hill and Wisconsin IIill, and by citizens of Yankee Jim's. Samuel Todd, of Yankee Jim's, a gentleman favorable to the division, was elected Chairman. The people of the latter place were gen- erally opposed to the division, or were piqued because they had not been consulted in the early stage of the proceedings, and taking advantage of their numbers in the Convention, carried a motion to adjourn it sine die.

This was very inhospitable treatment to the dele-

ORGANIZATION OF PLACER COUNTY.

gates from other towns, and they expressed their indignation in resounding words. But this trick of the Yankee Jim'sites did not crush out the movement for the division, nor did it convince the projectors of any impropriety in their course. They expressed to the people of the town that they had come in good faith, as the duly elected representatives of their fellow-citizens, and wished to discuss, not so much the expediency of the division (as that they deemed settled), as where the dividing line should be, and they could not understand why the citizens of Yankee Jim's should oppose a division, inasmuch as the line which they would advocate and agree to would be likely to secure to that place the location of the county seat.

Col. William McClure and William Duck, E-q., citizens of Yankee Jim's, were the active opponents of the scheme, and carried the day at the first meet - ing. Colonel McClure said the people of that place had not been consulted upon the subject, and more- over were opposed to the measure as inopportune and inexpedient. An agreement was concluded that a convention of the citizens of the " Divide " should be held at Wisconsin Hill on the 12th of January, 1856, of delegates from each election precinct, there being one delegate from each precinct, and one for every 100 votes cast at the last general election. This Convention was to discuss the expediency of a division as well as to recommend the boundary.

CONVENTION AT WISCONSIN HILL.

The Convention met on the 12th of January, 1856, pursuant to the agreement made at Yankee Jim's. Thomas P. Slade was appointed Chairman and M. M. Robinson, Secretary. Messrs. Rowell, Duck, Good- win, Colgan, and Bird were appointed a committee to examine the credentials of delegates and report upon the number each place was entitled to. Iowa Hill was allowed 9 votes; Wisconsin Hill, 3; Yankee Jim's, 4; Todd's Valley, 3; Forest Hill, 2; Smith's Ranch, 1; Mineral Bar, 1; Ford's Bar, 2; and Green Valley, 2; a total of 27 votes.

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The Convention was numerous'y attended, and great interest was taken in it by the people. The question of the expediency of the division was dis- cussed, and a resolution was offered by R. C. Poland, Esq., that the county should be divided. Upon this a vote was taken, as follows-the delegates voting by precincts: aye-Iowa Hill, Wisconsin Hill, Min- eral Bar, Ford's Bar, and Green Valley; 17 votes; nays-Yankee Jim's, Todd's Valley, Forest Hill and Smith's Ranch -- 10 votes; leaving a majority of 7 in favor of a division.

THE BOUNDARY LINE.

The question of the dividing line next arose, and a committee, consisting of Messrs. Robinson, Allen, Warden, Hamlin and Lawrence, were appointed to consider and decide upon the matter. On the 26th of January, the report is published that the com- mittee appointed for the purpose had decided that

the boundary line between Washington and Placer counties should commence at a point on the middle fork of American River, on Poverty Bar, running westerly to Kelly's Bar, on the north fork, and thence to Digger Point, on Bear River.

This line ran across the narrowest part of the county, there about eight miles in width, the line being between Townships No. 3 and No. 4, in the vicinity of Clipper (ap, and leaving a small portion, about seven square miles, of the Divide between the Middle and North Forks in Placer County.

A BEAR RIVER GROWL.

A correspondent of the Herald writing from the Bear River portion of the proposed county, on the 30th of Jannary, 1856, says: " I had occasion last week to visit Iowa Ilill, and then for the first time learned how anxiously a division is hoped for by an interesting band of aspiring spirits, who have already singled out the eminent men (themselves) who are to fill the high positions in the new county." * * *

"A pity that our county, the third or fourth in political importance in the State, and with an influence which is now felt in all departments, should not be dismembered and all but obliterated for the purpose of creating offices to be filled by a set of senseless drones! The thing is ridiculous. The divisionists consider that their stock has gone up 750 per cent. since Senator Hawthorne introduced bis bill to fund the debt of the county. * * * They say that this bill postpones the payment of the pres- ent debt for a term of years, and when the time comes for payment of their portion, they are willing to take the chances. So far as I can learn, all of this section of the county from the North Fork to Bear River, and from Christian Valley to Dutch Flat, are opposed to both the division and the fund- ing of the county debt."

REVIVAL OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.

The defeat of the project to divide the county which originated at lowa Hill in 1855, and was so strongly urged by the News, did not end Placer's troubles in that quarter. In the winter of 1858, the scheme was again revived, and petitions were cireu- lated through the upper part of the county, to present to the Legislature then in session, praying for a division of the county. At this time the divid- ing line was to be left to the decision of the Board of Supervisors. The attempt followed the fate of its predecessors.

GRANITE COUNTY.

The defeat of the attempt to bisect the county in the creation of Washington County in 1853-56-57- 58, did not end the troubles of those who contended to maintain Placer's integrity. The desire of a newspaper publisher at lowa Hill to create for him. self a county seat, was repeated again at Folsom. There, Mr. Peter J. Hopper was the proprietor and editor of a paper, and in 1866 represented Sacramento

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History of Placer county, California, Part 23

Author: Angel, Myron; Thompson & West, pub Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Oakland, Cal., Thompson & West Number of Pages: 558

Author: Angel, Myron; Thompson & West, pub
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Oakland, Cal., Thompson & West
Number of Pages: 558