History of Placer county, California, Part 85

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

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The Indians about Pilot Hill that spring, being quite numerous, were sauey as well, and inclined to be troublesome. While coming to this country, Beck- wourth and Antoine, though of Indian blood them- selves, had been attacked by the Shoshones, and badly used, having lost their animals and every- thing else but their lives, which they barely saved by their superior art and endurance as plainsmen. This fact made Antoine the deadly enemy of all Western Indians, and from time to time the Pilot Hill Indians would mysteriously lose one of their tribe, who would be found dead, having been shot. Perhaps this had much to do with the hostile attitude assumed by them, which finally culminated by their killing a young white man about the 1st of June, 1850. The whites then immediately retaliated by capturing and hanging three Indians, and an alarm- ing condition prevailed, as any lone miner was liable to be punctured by a glass-headed arrow at any time when out at work, and not prepared for the enemy. Finally, it dawned upon the minds of the white people at Pilot Hill, that, from expressions

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HISTORY OF PLACER COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

the half-breed had from time to time dropped, he might be the one who was causing the decimation of the Digger race; and then it became natural that they should suppose Bargy to be implicated also. The natives continued to go down before the mur- derous bullet of some one, until, at length, Bargy was told of the general suspicion of the people, and that the business must stop. Whereupon Bargy, who was innocent, told Antoine, who acknowl- edged to his partner that he was the one to blame, that they must part company. Antoine replied that he did not wish to get his friend in trouble, and therefore would leave. He did so, following up the old trail he had gone in the spring to Bird's Valley; thence continued up the divide, prospecting as he went, until he finally entered the cañon which now bears his name, in the latter part of June. He returned to where Bargy was, the same fall, with $1,500 in gold dust, which, in consideration of the man's habitual improvidence, was remarkable.

BARNES' BAR-A OLIMMER OF THE GREAT REBELLION.

Even in California, in the year 1849, at the mines along the rivers of Placer County, did there come a gleam of that " irrepressible conflict" which was the prime cause of the great civil war in later years. That year there were located at Barnes' Bar, besides two camps of Stevenson's Regiment men of a half-doz- en each, a half-score of Yankees, and a goodly sprink- ling of Oregonians; also a company of Georgians, some of whom were accompanied by negro slaves. A mining claim then had in width only a frontage upon the river of twenty feet, with the length extending into the hill to an indefinite distance. The bar proper was not very extensive in its river frontage; was exceedingly rich and therefore desir- able. The Georgians, having come to the bar a little in advance of the Yankees, had naturally not only located claims for themselves, but for their negroes also. Thus some of the New Englanders were short of ground, and raised a tumult by springing the del- icate question that no "chattel" could assume ownership to a mining claim. Argument in relation to this matter waxed warm, and for a time the aspect was threatening. One side argued that each " person " was entitled to a mining claim, while the other as stoutly asserted that so long as the miners considered the slaves as their personal property they could no more hold mining ground for them than the non-slave owner could for his horse which was grazing upon the adjacent hills. The Yankee side of the question had strong friends in the camps of " Loo Choo" and "Susan Drew " men, as the respective parties which had comprised a portion of Colonel Stevenson's command were called. Finally a " committee " sought the Southrons, and informed them it was the opinion of a majority of the residents of the bar that, while cach white man among them had an undoubted right to the possession of a mining claim, and might set whomsoever he chose to work it

be he bond or free, white or black, that it was decid- edly unfair to locate more ground and place a personal " chattel " thereupon to represent it. The Georgi- ans protested, but agreed to submit the proposition to a public meeting of the residents of the Bar. This was called; in fact several meetings were held before the decisive vote was taken, at which each faction put forth its best efforts to win. The final vote was at length taken, and the Yankees carried their point. The arbitrament, being extremely dis- tasteful to the Georgians, and there being no imme- ate prospect of an accession to their ranks which would enable them to change the result, soon after folded their tents, sought a more genial locality, and left the Yankees complete masters of the field.

BARRETT'S STORE-A DEATH STRUGGLE.

On the north bank of the Middle Fork of the American River, at the foot of the steep hill where the trail comes down from Bird's Valley, near Horseshoe Bar, is the long-established and well- known trading-post of E. Barrett. Thousands of tons of the various commodities used by a mining population have been distributed from this post throughout the numerous camps and bars up and down the river, and mule-loads of gold-dust have been passed over the counters. Here it was that men came at the close of their week of toil to order fresh supplies, sell gold-dust, receive letters and papers, chat with their fellow-miners from the differ- ent diggings, and often to indulge convivial longings. The store is situated at the head of a narrow prom- ontory, which here juts southeasterly for nearly a half-mile, diverging the course of the stream, and causing one of those remarkable sinuo-ities for which the Middle Fork, more than any other stream in California, is noted. Turning the point of the promontory the stream returns toward the location of the store, and thus washes the base of the hill where the building stands, below it, as it does upon the upper sido where the stream is diverged. Taus are the river banks immediately contiguous to the store above and below, and overlooked throughout its long detour of nearly a mile. A tunnel of not more than 350 feet would pierce through the narrow promontory, near where the stream strikes its upper base, and by thus straightening the river, drain its bed for more than three-fourths of a mile. A scheme of this character was accomplished in the year 1849, which will be noted in another place in this work.

Situated at an elevation of about 100 feet above the bed of the stream, Barrett's store commands as good a view of every side as can be often had from any position in these deep gorges of the American River.

On the 5th of August, 1870, in the forenoon, there came to the store four men-Alexander MeLain, a native of Renfrenshire, Scotland, who had been liv- ing about Stony, American, and other bars, for twenty years, and who had been nicknamed by min-

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TOWNS AND LOCALITIES.

ers, and known as, " Duke of Maccacac; Louis Stu- perce, a native of Lesenia, on the Adriatic; and two partners of the latter. The four men were fast friends; they chatted pleasantly for several hours, meanwhile partaking of a social glass in deference to common custom, though not becoming intoxicated. About 12 o'clock they left the store, the two un- named men going up the river, while McLain and Stuperee went down upon the Mad Canon trail lead- ing toward Bath and Forest Hill, which is upon a pre- eipitous side-hill, and in places near perpendicular cliffs overhanging the river. This was the last ever seen of them alive. Being without families, and belonging to the nomadic class of miners, who were as likely to go away from their cabins and remain for an indefinite period as not, they were neither missed nor inquired for. On the 12th of August, just one week from the day they left Barrett's, some men, who were working upon a dam near Grey Eagle, discovered the body of a man floating on the surface of the water. Presently another was seen a short distance above the first, and both were taken on shore for identification. They proved to be McLain and Stuperee, the latter considerably disfig- ured about the face, but both with necks dislocated. The cause of the singular death was sought, but never will positively be known.

Upon the trail they had traveled, search was made, and a short distance from it toward the river, lying about twenty feet apart, were found the hats of the two men and evidences of preparations for a fight. They had, no doubt, begun a dispute about something after leaving the store; a long friendship of years had been rudely broken and supplanted by sudden hate-one perhaps having given the other an involuntary blow or degrading epithet-and alone, unwitnessed, they had decided then and there, in that unfavorable spot, upon the very brink of a yawning precipice, to fight it out. The view up and down the riverfrom the fateful spot was unobstructed and extended; many people were working all along the river; the trail was one much frequented, and yet no one witnessed the death struggle of these two desperate men. Apparently, the Scot was too much for his antagonist in a fistic rencontre, for Stuperee's face was terribly disfigured, and in his hot blood he could never think of appearing before his fellow-miners, bearing the scars inflicted by his former friend. To set all things even, he could grasp McLain, crowd him over the precipice and burl him down upon the rocks a hundred feet below! The attempt followed the thought; both went over the precipice. The necks of both were broken. and both lay dead upon the shingly beach of the river, at the water's edge, until the dammed up waters bad risen to float them off to discovery and burial.

BATH.

This place is situated about two miles north of the Middle Fork of the American River, and a mile and

a half northeast of Forest Ilill. John Bradford, a merchant, was its pioneer settler, having been attracted there in the summer of 1850. He was, at that time, doing business at"Stony Bar, and his atten- tion was first drawn to the locality by the excellent pasturage, and the beauty of the location for a stoek ranch. A cabin was erected in which to reside and store his goods on their arrival from Sacramento in wagons, to be packed to the store at Stony Bar as they were required. A brush fence was also built around the place which he claimed as a ranch. Some time during the fall of 1850, some miners from the Middle Fork of the American River were attracted there, who purchased the place of Bradford for a small sum. They located there for the winter, intend- ing to hunt deer, and mine in the dry gulebes. After prospecting for some time, gold was discovered by this party, and, as the news spread of the exist- ence of mineral in paying quantities, miners from all directions flocked to the place and formed a settle- ment, which was given the name of Volcano.

Thefollowing year, in consequence of the discovery of rich " hill diggings," by the Blakeman Brothers, who located the " Mint Drop " claim, and by Isaac Snodgrass, who took up the "Snodgrass Claim," large numbers of miners flocked to the place, and a town was rapidly built up. As there was another town of the same name on the opposite side of the Middle Fork of the American River, at that time, of equal importance, a change was made in the name, and it was afterwards known as Sarahsville, in honor of the wife of a man by the name of " Blaze." Her Christian name being Sarah, and she being the first lady settler of the place, the gallant pioneers con- sidered the place honored by bearing ber name.

Early in January, 1858, a petition numerously signed, was sent to the Post-office Department, ask- ing for the establishment of a post-office at the town, the name of which was changed from Sarahsville to Bath. In a short time a weekly mail route from Yankee Jim's to Bath was established, which had the effect of rendering the new name permanent, if the town itself was not.

Owing to the close proximity and rapid growth of Forest Hill, the town commenced to decrease in population and importance, until, at the present time, it is but a small village of about 200 inhabitants, with one or two stores, hotel, butcher and black- smith shops, a saloon, etc. The mines, however, are rich, the principal one being the Paragon, owned by Messrs. Breece & Wheeler, which yields a net profit of about $13,000 per month, a description of which is given in another chapter of this work.

THOMAS N. HOSMER.

Among the early miners on the " Divide," is Mr. Thomas N. Hosmer. This gentleman was born in Camden, Maine, June 24. 1823. his ancestors being of the old residents of that section of our Republic. Like many of the young men of Maine, he, when

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HISTORY OF PLACER COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

twenty-one years of age, tried the life of a sailor. Not finding this vocation as pleasant as his fancy had pictured, he soon abandoned it, and removed to Georgetown, Massachusetts. In the quiet New Eng- land, he was roused to excitement, in 1843, by the news of the discovery of gold on the Pacific Coast, and to that point he determined to emigrate. Mak- ing his preparations, he was delayed until November 14, 1849, when he sailed in the schooner B. L. Allen, from Boston, via Cape Horn, for the golden land, arriving in San Francisco, April 27, 1850. He went first to the southern mines, and, in 1853, to Mormon Island, Sacramento County. After trying different mining districts, in January, 1856, he found himself at Yankee Jim's, and in that region he has remained ever since, making mining his chief business. From 1864, his principal place of operation has been at Bath, where, unless the laws and Courts of the State condemn the mining industry, he expects to secure the fortune his industry entitles him to.

Mr. Hosmer was married in San Francisco, by Rev. E. S. Lacy, January 29, 1861, to Miss Sarah A. H. Barrett. This lady is a native of Camden, Maine, and came to California in 1859. During his long residence in California, Mr. Hosmer has made two visits to his native bome; once in 1851, by steamer via Panama, remaining a few months, and again, accompanied by his wife, making the railroad jour- ney overland, in May, 1874, returning in October. The pleasant residence of Mr. Hosmer is shown by an accompanying illustration in this book.

CHAPTER XLVI. TOWNS AND LOCALITIES. [CONTINUED. ]

Bogus Thunder-Brushy Canon-Butcher Ranch-Cisco-Colfax -Darius V. Norton -- Clipper Gap-Damascus -- Dead wood- -Dutch Flat-Henry A. Frost-Herman R. Hudepohl- Frytown-Duncan Canon-Fort Trojan-James W. Chinn -Gray Horse Canon-Humbug Canon-Johnso i's Ranch -Manzanita Grove-Newtown-Grizzly Flat- Lincoln- Peter Ahart-Isaac Stonecipher-Sheridan-Rogers' Shed- Shirt-tail Canon-Sunny South-Emigrant Gap-Forest Hill-J. G. Garrison-William Rea-Gold Hill-Gold Run -Iowa Hill-Dr. Oliver H. Petterson-Michigan BInff- Newcastle -. Ophir -- Penryn -- Griffith Griffith -- Placer County Granite-Elisha Grant -. Rocklin-W. Dana Perkins -- Rose- ville-Todd's Valley-First Shaft in Todd's Valley-Alfred A, Pond-Nicolas Quirolo-Wisconsin Hill-Yankee Jim's.

BOGUS THUNDER.

THE above name is applied to a bench or high bar located upon the North Fork of the Middle Fork, in the canon some two or three miles from Deadwood. A fall in the river, a mile or more above the place, over which the waters of the stream plunge, and the sound of which reverberates throughout the gorge, fixes an impression upon the mind of a stranger who first visits the bar, that the noise he hears so distinctly is thunder. So thought the first explorers, until they finally located the cause and proclaimed the thunder bogus.

BRUSHY CANON.

This locality is between Yankee Jim's and Wis- eonsin Hill, and at one time was the scene of exten- sive mining operations. The diggings were located in 1855, and gave promise of great wealth. Numer- ous tunnels were constructed, and for three or four years the place was one of bustle and activity.

BUTCHER RANCH.

This is a farming settlement situated on the Stony HIill Turnpike, on the divide between the North and Middle Forks of the American River, eight miles from Auburn and fifteen miles from Forest Hill. It has a post-office and is a voting precinct, and has a population of about 250. The places of business consist of one drug store, two hotels, one blacksmith shop, and one carpenter shop.

CISCO

Is in the snowy region of the Sierra, fifty-six miles northeast of Auburn, and 5,934 feet above the level of the ocean, in longitude 120° 33' west from Green- wich and 39° 21' north latitude, being within two miles of the extreme northern line of the county.

With the opening of the Donner Lake Wagon Road, in 1864, for travel to the silver mines of Ne- vada, numerous stations, or hotels, were established along its line. Among these were Heaton's and Poley's, a few miles apart. In 1866 a great excite- ment prevailed regarding the mines and city of Meadow Lake, near the summit of the Sierra, in Nevada County. With the rush of people thither the two stations mentioned were points of depart- ure from the Donner Lake Road, and both aspired to be towns. In June the place at Heaton's was surveyed into lots, and the town named Cisco, in honor of John J. Cisco, United States Treasurer .. On the 29th of November, 1866, the Central Pacific Railroad was completed and the cars commenced running to this point. and Cisco beeame a very busy place, crowded with great freight wagons and teams, stages and travelers. This remained the ter- minus of the road until 1868, when the summit tun- nel was completed and the road extended out into Nevada. Cisco is in Township No. 11, and has a population of abont 100.

COLFAX.

This place is situated on the Central Pacific Rail- road, fifty-four miles from Sacramento and eighteen miles northeast of Auburn, and is another of the many towns that sprang into existence upon the completion of the great overland railroad. The rails reached Colfax September 1, 1865, and regular trains were running on the 4th of that month. The town of Colfax was laid out in 1865 by the Central Pacific Railroad Company. The site was subse- quently sold to Messrs. Kohn & Kind, and a sale of lots took place July 20, 1865, which amounted to between $6,000 and $7.000.

RESIDENCE OF W. VAN VACTOR, IOWA HILL, PLACER CO. CAL.

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TOWNS AND LOCALITIES.

Within half a mile of where Colfax now stands is the old settlement of Illinoistown, and when Colfax was laid out in 1865 it gathered to itself all that was left of this ancient place. Colfax has, since that time, steadily increased in population and import- ance, until now it is one of the leading towns in the county.

In 1874 a company was formed to build a narrow- gauge railroad from Colfax to Nevada City. The work of construction began in 1875, and the road was completed and the last spike driven at Nevada on the 20th of May, 1876.

Rich veins of quartz were discovered near Colfax in 1866. A test of the rock was made at Grass Valley, and found to be worth between $27 and $28 per ton. A company was organized and a mill con- structed in 1869. The mine was christened the " Rising Sun." The gold is of a pure quality, being worth $18.50 per ounce. The mill had five stamps of 800 pounds each, and was capable of reducing ten tons per day. The mill was subsequently inereased to twenty stamps, and still continues a paying mine. The Montana Mine has been worked to some extent, and numerous buildings have been erected. The Meda Mine is situated on the dividing ridge, three miles from town. The ore is rich and has yielded an average of $30 to the ton.

A destructive fire occurred in April, 1874, which swept away the main portion of the town. With undaunted energy the citizens have re-built, and now it is difficult to discover any traces of the fire, and the place is now handsomer and more substantially built than ever.

The climate of Colfax is similar to that of the other towns on the western slope of the Sierra. Its altitude is 2,421 feet above the sea level, and with its salubrions and healthful location, its mountain breezes, laden with the spiey odors of pine forests, disease cannot linger. Fruits of all kinds that grow in temperate latitudes are raised on the ranches, and apples and peaches are much better flavored than similar productions in the valleys.

The population of Colfax is about 600. The business establishments consist of dry goods and grocery stores, two hotels, drug store, wagon and blacksmith shop, bakery and restaurant, saloons, lumber yard, meat market, shoemakers, etc.

DARIUS V. NORTON,

Eldest son of Reuben and Mary Norton, was born at Allison's Prairie, Crawford County, Illinois, March 22, 1820. Ile grew to manhood in his native State, and received a thorough education. After reach- ing his majority, he was for several years engaged in teaching school. In 1850 he crossed the plains to California, arriving at " Hangtown " on the 15th of August. His journey over the barren country lying between the "Garden State" and the land of gold was similar in detail to that of thousands of others who braved the dangers of the trip in early days.

His first three years in this State were spent in the mines in El Dorado County. In 1855 Mr. Norton failed in health, and removed to Nevada County, where he remained about two years as a teacher in the public schools; was also elected Justice of the Peace. Ilis next move was to Napa County, where he owned a fruit raneh near St. Helena Mountain. This was his home for a number of years. In 1875 he sold his fruit ranch and came to Placer County, settling in Auburn, where he remained one year, at which time he removed to his present home, about two miles from Colfax. A view of his place will be found in this volume.

Mr. Norton was married June 23, 1863, at Napa City, C'alifornia, to Mrs. Mary Sitton, nee Montague, who is a native of Bourbon County, Kentucky. Mrs. Norton came to California, across the plains, in 1834, and settled in Sonoma County, where she resided seven years. She then removed to Napa County, and lived there until her present union. They have two sons, aged, respectively, seventeen and twelve years.

CLIPPER GAP

Is a railroad station seven miles northeast of Auburn, in Township No. 3, having an elevation of 1,759 feet above sea level. It is in the midst of a fine fruit region, and is the depot of the Hotaling Iron Mines, and of the lime works of Holmes & Co.

DAMASCUS.

Damaseus is an old mining town, whose history begins in the year 1852, at which time Dr. D. W. Strong, who was prospecting in the vicinity, discor- ered gold in an outbreaking stratum of quartz gravel upon a point between the two branches of Humbug Cañon, near the southern, or as it is now called, Damascus Braneb. For several years, or until a post-office was established in 18-, it was known as Strong's Diggings, Strong and his asso- ciates dug a small ditch from a spring at the head of the canion, which conveyed a small head of water, and began to ground slniee-the gravel at the rim being not more than two feet deep, paying from the surface to the bed-rock. Later, hydraulic apparatus was placed in position, and the ground washed off during the portion of the year when water was obtainable for the purpose by that method, until too much barren overlying material was encountered, when, in 1854, a tunnel was begun for the purpose of drifting out the paying stratum, under the name of the Golden Gate. West of the claims of Strong & Co., was the Mountain Tunnel Company, also having commenced a tunnel. The two tunnel companies, becoming involved in disputes relating to boundaries, drainage, and priority of right, finally, in 1863, com- promised their ditticulties and consolidated under the name of " Mountain Gate Mining Company," with twenty-one shares, representing an ownership of that number of persons, which are still main- tained. Like the majority of unincorporated mining

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HISTORY OF PLACER COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

ventures, where no particular pains are taken in preliminary surveys, the first tunnel driven was found to be sixty-five feet too high to profitably work the gravel through, which it encountered in a length of 300 feet; consequently, another and lower one was driven, which reached the gravel in a distance of 800 feet. Much of the quartz-gravel of the " white channel " was worked through this second tunnel; but eventually that also had to be abandoned, and the one through which the workings are now conducted was begun. This was driven into the bill 7,000 feet, at which point a chocolate-colored cement was encountered, with no paying gravel. Here a shaft was sunk thirty-eight feet deep, which encountered rich gravel, but not of the "white channel." It was of an entirely different character, the rocks, pebbles, and abraded matter being of a dark color, with but little white quartz-some dis- tinct deposit from a channel not contemporaneous with the other. This stratum has since that time been designated as the " black channel." It is here about eighty feet lower than the " white " or quartz channel. To work this it became necessary to grade an incline from the floor of the tunnel to the bed- rock of the channel, which was done, down which a pump-column was conducted and a car-track laid, and the water flowing into this lower level is pumped and the gravel hoisted by one large overshot wheel and a turbine, supplied with water from the old breasts and levels of the " white channel " above. which has been extended some 200 feet further into the mountain than the point where the incline begins, and been stoped out an average width of 500 feet. Upon reaching the top of the incline, the cars loaded with gravel are drawn out of the tunnel-a distance of near one and a quarter miles-by horses, and emptied into the large dumping receptaele at the head of the sluices, and washed from water flowing from the tunnel. Over 7,000 feet of pay-channels have thus been explored-the black channel for a width of 275 feet-and is found to yield an average of about one-quarter of an ounce of gold to the car- load of gravel.

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History of Placer county, California, Part 85

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