History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, 1923, Part 23

Author: Reed, G. Walter
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1026

USA > California > Sacramento County > History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, 1923 > Part 23

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now used as a picnic ground, being about the only timber of any amount remaining.

The earliest settler in the township was Martin Murphy, Jr., who settled with his wife on the Cosumnes in 1844. The farm is now owned by Thomas McConnell, whose house stands within a few rods of where Murphy lived. Murphy died in 1854, and his wife re- turned to Ireland. Edward Perrin and family settled on part of the McConnell place in 1849. The Wilder brothers, Asa, Benjamin and John, came to the township in 1849, and en- gaged in stockraising. Asa and John died in the sixties, and Benjamin died a number of years ago. He married one of the Donner girls, a member of the ill-fated Donner party, who survived him. T. Keno, one of the Don- ner relief party, came to the state in 1846, and afterwards took up a claim on the Cosumnes River, removing to Stockton many years later. Gabriel Gunn settled in 1850 on the ranch since owned by Abram Woodward; John Whittick settled in the township in 1850; Da- vid P. Crook in 1851; P. Hull and family in 1851; Enoch Madder settled on the Wilder ranch, about three miles northwest of Elk Grove; Jacob Marshall and family came in 1852, and located on the river, and Jacob Swi- gert and family settled on the adjoining place in 1853. Albin Clark settled on the upper Stockton road, near old Elk Grove, in 1850, and was one of the first men to raise grain in the township. He also engaged in stock- raising, principally horses and hogs. Johnson Little came in 1852 and settled near him. Rob- ert Parrott opened a hotel in 1852 on a farm adjoining old Elk Grove, ran it for five or six years and then went to the mines. Norman I. Stewart came in 1852, and settled in 1854 near Elk Grove. He died a few years ago. G. Harvey Kerr settled near Elk Grove station in January, 1854, and became a prominent fruit-grower and manufacturer. He reported that very little land was cultivated at that time, for the most part along the Cosumnes River. It was supposed that wheat could not be successfully grown, but time proved that theory to be an error. Mr. Kerr died a num- ber of years ago.

The site of old Elk Grove was originally on the Graham place, but it was later moved to the Buckner ranch, about a mile north. James Hall and family came to California in 1850, and opened a hotel on the original site of old Elk Grove, and gave it its name, having lived in Missouri in a town of the same name. He died in Vallejo in 1876. Major James B. Buckner built a hotel in 1850, called the Buck- ner Hotel. He sold it to Phineas Woodward, who ran it for some time and sold it to Mrs. Erwin, widow of Jared Erwin. She kept it

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

for three years and sold it to Nicholas Chris- tophel. The original old Elk Grove Hotel burned down in 1857. Buckner and Wood- ward both returned East. This was the first postoffice established in the township, James Buckner being postmaster. James Hall was the first justice of the peace.

Elk Grove is a thriving town of 800 or 900 inhabitants, on the line of the Southern Pa- cific Railroad, and in the midst of a rich coun- try, sixteen miles from Sacramento. In 1876 Julius Everson conceived the idea that it would make a good business center. Through his efforts the Elk Grove Building Company was incorporated and put up a store building, which was occupied in August of that year by Chittenden & Everson, with a large stock of merchandise. They reported their sales for the first sixteen months at $52,000. There are two hotels, the Railroad Hotel, built by Mor- row H. Davis in 1876, now the Toronto Ho- tel, and the Elk Grove Hotel, erected the same year by the Building Company. J. N. An- drews had the first store, which was in the depot building, he being the agent of the Cen- tral Pacific Railroad. H. S. Hill built the Elk Grove Flouring Mills in 1876. A hardware and tin store was opened by A. J. Longe- necker in 1877, and a meat market, a furniture factory, two drug stores, a harness shop, a warehouse and other businesses followed in the course of time.

The Elk Grove District Methodist Episcopal Church was erected in 1876, the church having been organized in 1858 or 1859 by A. M. Hurl- burt.

The Elk Grove Presbyterian Church was organized February 12, 1876, but services had been held in 1856 in the schoolhouse near old Elk Grove by Rev. J. C. Herron, and in the present Elk Grove schoolhouse in 1875 and 1876 by Rev. J. S. McDonald. The church cost $2,750, and Rev. William H. Talmage was the first pastor, from 1874 to 1879, George H. Kerr being the first ruling elder.

Elk Grove Lodge No. 173, F. & A. M., was instituted at old Elk Grove, August 6, 1864, the first meetings being held at the house of O. S. Freeman. The charter members were : A. S. Ferris, James B. Hogle, A. J. Painter, O. S. Freeman, G. W. Chaplin, Thomas Mc- Connell, B. F. Weathers and W. B. Sullivan. About 1878 the lodge built a fine brick struc- ture at Elk Grove, the lower story being used for a store. Elk Grove Lodge No. 274, I. O. O. F., was organized May 2, 1878, with Henry Hill, noble grand. Elk Grove Rebekah Lodge No. 136, I. O. O. F., was instituted May 2, 1888, with fifty-nine charter members. It has now 122 members. Elk Grove Lodge No. 110, A. O. U. W., was established June 16,

1879, but was discontinued. Elk Grove Lodge No. 449, I. O. G. T., was organized November 9, 1872. The lodge was suffered to lapse many years ago. Elk Grove Parlor No. 41, N. S. G. WV., was organized in September, 1884, with IV. J. Elder as president.

Florin is a small town on the Southern Pa- cific Railroad, about eight miles from Sacra- mento, on the dividing line between old Brighton and San Joaquin Townships. The name was given to the locality in 1864, by Judge E. B. Crocker, on account of the great number of wild flowers which grew in the vicinity, and was given to the town when it was founded in 1875, the railroad station and postoffice being built there in that year. F. Sugden was the first postmaster and Johnson & Sugden opened the first store in 1875, being succeeded by Fred Sugden in October, 1879. The schoolhouse was built in 1877, and the only hotel opened by Leonard Goddard in 1875. There is a Methodist and a Presbyte- rian church in the town. The soil around Florin for several miles in length and width overlies a hardpan, necessitating irrigation, and it is one of the great strawberry-growing centers of the state. There are also many vineyards of table grapes, the Tokay and other varieties always bringing top prices in the East.

Florin Lodge No. 364, I. O. O. F., was insti- tuted July 12, 1890, with the following officers and six charter members: Jasper H. Cooley, P. G .; David Reese, N. G .; Charles L. Buell, V. G. : Charles S. Patton, Con. ; James Tootell, Warden; E. F. French, Chaplain; L. M. Landsborough, Sec .; George H. Jones, Treas.

Florin Rebekah Lodge No. 20, I. O. O. F., was instituted February 14, 1895, with fifty- three charter members. There are now 145 members.

Florin Grange No. 130, P. of H., was estab- lished December 17, 1874, with Caleb Arnold, imaster.

Sheldon never existed as a town, a black- smith shop, saloon, and two or three houses being its extent in its palmy days. It was a "deserted village" for many years, but since the Central California Traction electric road runs near it, a colony has been started close to it.

McConnell Station is on the Southern Pa- cific road, four miles below Elk Grove, there being only a depot for passengers there.

The first school district in San Joaquin Township was established in 1883, and in- cluded nearly all of Dry Creek Township, as well as San Joaquin, it being all known at that time as San Joaquin Township. The first teacher for the term of 1853 and 1854 was a Mr. Sullivan, and Harry Kerr taught the sec-

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ond term, in 1854-1855. The first school in Sac- ramento County, outside of the city, was taught by a Mr. O'Brien, at the house of Mar- tin Murphy.

Sutter Township

The original boundaries of Sutter Township as established in 1851 included a large portion of the county, being as follows: Beginning at the southwest corner of Sacramento City, and thence running east along the southern line of said city to the southeast corner there- of; thence easterly to the road from Brighton to Daylor's ranch; thence along said road in a southeasterly direction three miles; thence in a southerly and southeasterly direction to the intersection of the Cosumnes and San Joaquin Rivers, excluding all ranches and set- tlements on the Cosumnes River ; thence down the San Joaquin River to its junction with the Sacramento River; thence along said river or western boundary of the county to the place of beginning.

As the Cosumnes empties into the Mokel- umne, and not into the San Joaquin, it is to be supposed that at that early day it was thought that the lower part of the Mokel- umne was the Cosumnes, and was therefore so called.

August 14, 1854, Georgiana Township was set off from the southern portion, and October 20, 1856, the supervisors established new boundaries for Sutter Township, making the boundary south of the city the Sacramento River as far as the line between townships 7 and 8 north, thence along said line to the southeast corner of section 33, and southeast corner of section 34, in township 8 north, range 5 east, and thence north and through the center of township 8 north, range 5 east, to the American River, and down the Ameri- can River to the city limits, and thence to the place of beginning.

In 1909 the supervisors carved Riverside Township out of the portion of Sutter Town- ship joining the city on its southern boundary. The two townships were situated so directly around the city that their history is interwoven with its history and a part of it. The history of Sutterville in the early days has already been given, and its decay depicted. The sub- urban district more recently annexed to Sac- ramento City, comprising Oak Park, High- land Park, a good-sized slice from Riverside Township, East Sacramento and a large area of land running nearly to Brighton, great- ly curtailed the area of Sutter Township and left it practically composed of farms, without any towns or villages within its limits. A large portion of it is in reclamation districts and the remainder is what is known as plains

land. The value of land holdings has greatly increased within the past ten years.

Riverside Township

Riverside Township was carved out of the portion of Sutter Township adjoining the city on the south, and the slice taken from it by annexation left it a very unimportant unit in the township system of the county.

Various interesting spots in the vicinity of Sacramento in the early days have fallen into decay, and have either vanished or are only remnants of their former splendor. Smith's Gardens is one of these. In December, 1849, A. P. Smith purchased from John A. Sutter fifty acres of land on the south bank of the American River, about three miles from Sac- ramento. He immediately began to improve it. At the time of its purchase the ground was considered high, and the only timber on it was the oaks and cottonwoods on the bank of the American. He commenced by raising vegeta- bles, and at the same time planted such trees and seeds as he could procure. As fast as he was able, he imported choice varieties of fruit and shade trees, ornamental shrubbery and plants. He laid out the grounds with two iniles of walks, and filled in the entire length of them with shells brought from San Fran- cisco. By digging down through the debris on the place a few feet, these shells can still be found.

He laid out four acres in a flower garden, planting it with rare plants and flowers, and planted the rest of the place with all sorts of fruit trees, and it is stated that at the height of its glory, there were over 1,000 varieties growing on the place. There was a drive through and about the grounds ; and a winding avenue, nearly a mile in length, and shaded by trees on each side, ran up to his residence. Having discovered that irrigation was neces- sary, Mr. Smith imported a Worthington pump that would throw three hundred gallons a minute, and was capable of irrigating a place of three times the size. He laid down pipes and put in hydrants all over the place, at such intervals that it could all be watered by at- taching a hose.

But he was doomed to loss and disappoint- ment. The flood of 1861 and 1862 flooded the place. The American River cut into the south- ern bank, washed away 500 feet of the gardens, swept away the family residence, and covered the place with a deposit of sand and sediment from one to six feet deep. Smith estimated that his loss by the destruction of his beauti- ful place was $100,000. In 1862, when the new system for construction of levees was adopted, he made strenuous efforts to get his place in- cluded in the system, but failed to do so, and

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repeated floods have completed the destruction of the gardens since then.

The Tivoli House was situated near where the Southern Pacific crosses the American River and was in its day a great place of re- sort. It was a pioneer place, where the Helve- tia Rifle Club, the Turners, the Sharpshooters, and others used to hold their shoots and festi- vals, but its glory departed long since, and it has fallen into decay.

East Park, now known as McKinley Park, and owned by the city of Sacramento and used as a children's playground, was prior to that owned by private parties. It contains about thirty acres and is a popular place. Until the annexation of the suburbs, it was just outside of the city.

The Riverside Hotel and Turnpike Com- pany procured the passage of an act by the legislature in 1872, making a toll road from the southern limits of the city to their hotel, about four miles below. The franchise ex- pired many years ago, and the Riverside road became a very popular place for driving.

Granite Township

This township was created by the board of supervisors on October 20, 1856. It was at first included within the boundaries of Missis- sippi Township, from which it lay southeast. Nearly all the land in the township was in- cluded in the Leidesdorff Grant, which was given to Leidesdorff by Governor Michelto- rena in 1844. James I. Folsom bought the interest of the heirs of Leidesdorff, and through his executors secured the confirma- tion of the grant in 1855. The grant runs from the Sutter Grant up the American River, which is its northern boundary, the southern boundary running nearly parallel with the river at four or five miles distance. The land in the grant was mostly taken up by squatters, who were later compelled to buy the title to their possessions, or else vacate the land.

The land in the township is mostly mineral and the placers along the river and in the vicinity of Folsom were among the richest in the state, many millions being taken from them in the early days, both by prospectors and by hydraulic mining. For some years past the dredge has operated in the township, ex- tracting the gold from the bars and banks of the river, and the big corporations have pur- chased thousands of acres of the land adjacent to the river, and are changing it from fertile vineyards and orchards to vast heaps of cob- blestones. The Natoma Water and Mining Company early acquired water rights on the American River some distance above Folsom, and acquired a large amount of land, some of which they leased for mining, and the rest of

which they planted to vines and trees. The great Natoma vineyard, at one time the larg- est in the world, with 2,000 acres of vines in one body, shipped many carloads of grapes annually, and manufactured a large amount of wine and brandy. The property has been pur- chased by the dredging company and has been transformed rapidly into rock piles. This vineyard was irrigated by a canal sixteen miles long, dug in 1851 from the south fork of the American, above Salmon Falls.

Negro Bar is properly included in the his- tory of Folsom, being the scene of mining be- fore the latter place was started, and there was a large mining camp at the Bar previously. A most interesting account of its early settle- ment was written some ten years ago by the Hon. W. A. Anderson, who resided at Folsom in the early days. Mr. Anderson wrote as follows :

"A few memories of the town of Folsom might interest the present generation. The first settlement of that locality was at Negro Bar, which was between the present site of Folsom and the American River. In 1849 some negroes began to mine there, and from that circumstance the Bar took its name. Their success at mining caused a flocking of miners from all quarters, and in 1851 there were over 700 people there. Large quantities of gold have been taken out of the Bar. Ex- Supervisor James L. Meredith opened the first hotel and store, both in the same building, at the Bar, in April, 1850. William A. Davidson opened the second store, but shortly afterward sold out to A. A. Durfee and brother. A few months later Rowley & Richardson opened the third store, and these were the principal business houses until Folsom was located. The site of Negro Bar has been buried under sixty feet of cobbles and debris. At that time the American River was sixty feet beneath the present flow of the river.

"Folsom was laid out in 1855 by Theodore D. Judah, R. Chenery and Samuel C. Bruce, for Capt. Joseph L. Folsom. Town lots were sold January 17, 1856, at public auction in Sac- ramento by Col. J. B. Starr, auctioneer. All of the lots were disposed of at that sale, and the town grew rapidly. February 22, 1856, the Sacramento Valley Railroad, the pioneer road of this state, was completed to Folsom and opened, and free excursion trains were run there from Sacramento. At the opening of the road there were about 1,000 people present at Folsom, including Governor J. Neely Jolin- son, Supreme Justices Murray and Terry, Henry S. Foote (ex-governor of Mississippi), and many other prominent men; also Mrs. T. D. Judah, Mrs. E. N. Robinson, Mrs. L. L. Robinson and the wives of the other visitors.

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

The guests were wined and dined, and speeches were made by State Senator Wilson Flint. Col. J. C. Zabriskie, Governors Foote and Johnston, Capt. (later General) William T. Sherman-one of the central characters of the Civil War-and C. K. Garrison, president of the railroad company. A great ball was given in the evening, in a building erected ex- pressly for that purpose, of dimensions thirty feet wide by nearly one hundred long. The floor managers were Judge A. C. Monson, H. P. Wakelee, Ferris Forman and George T. Bromley. The Sacramento guests started home on a special train at five o'clock in the morning. George T. Bromley was the first conductor on the road. Hartford Anderson was the contractor who constructed the rail- road from Alder Creek to Folsom.

"In 1857 a road was projected to run from Folsom to Marysville, by a company called the California Central, and of which Col. Charles L. Wilson, now of Nord, was the own- er. In 1861 trains ran from Folsom to Lin- coln. Afterwards the road was absorbed by the Central Pacific Company, and the track between Folsom and Roseville was torn up. That portion of the road from Roseville to Lincoln is now a part of the California and Oregon overland road.

"During the mining era, Folsom was one of the most prosperous towns in the state, and was the distributing point for all the mining towns, including Washoe and Virginia City. After the decadence of mining, the town had a severe relapse, and a few years ago was vis- ited by a very destructive fire. The burned district has, however, been rebuilt, and sub- stantial bricks have taken the place of the former wooden structures. Of late years the town and surrounding country has entered on an era of substantial prosperity. In the line of fruit- and grape-raising the lands about Fol- som are equal to any in the state, and near there is one of the most extensive vineyards in the world. Colonel Folsom, the projector of the town, died at the Mission San Jose. in Alameda County, July 19, 1855.

"When Folsom was located, in addition to the first named, several other large stores opened. Bradley & Seymour, J. & J. Spruance, S. Hanak, D. Woldenberg. M. Levy. A. D. Patterson opened the early hotel, a fashionable resort, known as Patterson's Hotel. Patterson was one of the early sheriffs of the county. Daniel Wellington, the proprietor of the stage line over the mountains, also established a large hotel called the Central Hotel. Chris Ecklon conducted the first meat market. The 'Granite Journal,' a lively newspaper, was the first paper. published by Dr. L. Bradley, and Sam Seabough was its editor. Later came

'Mooney's Express.' and the 'Folsom Tele- graph.' P. J. Hopper, editor. The ‘Tele- graph' still survives.

"A. A. Durfee built the first theater, called 'Durfee's Theater,' and some of the earliest actors held the boards. The famous Artemus Ward (Charles F. Browne) delivered the first lecture in this part of the state, in Durfee's Theater, 'The Babes in the Wood' being his subject.

"J. H. Burnham. Alfred Spinks, M. M. Drew, sheriff, United States marshal and member of the board of equalization, Hart- ford Anderson, John Clarken, P. J. O'Neil, P. J. Hopper, editor and assemblyman, B. N. Bugbey, later sheriff and tax collector. B. C. Quigley, John Shaw. A. G. Kinsey, H. A. Thompson. W. W. Dresser. William Timson. Charles Jolly. Jesse Crouch, supervisor, Mrs. Foster, mother of James Donnelly, our present supervisor, and many others were early resi- dents of the old town of Folsom. Among some of the most prominent citizens of Folsom in its early history were A. P. Catlin, who was honored as assemblyman, state senator and superior judge ; Dr. A. C. Donaldson, C. T. H. Palmer, banker and agent for the Wells, Fargo Company : E. R. Sill, the famous poet, and later one of the professors of the University of California, who was at that time the cashier for Palmer's bank; Edward Stockton, who built the great flour mill which was swept away in the flood of 1861: C. G. W. French, later assemblyman and chief justice of Ari- zona: S. S. Montague, later chief engineer of the Central Pacific Railroad Company : Free- man McComber, public administrator, and H. B. Waddilove, agent of the Sacramento Valley Railroad Company : John McComber : Francis Clark, a wealthy mining man; W. A. Ander- son, county auditor, assemblyman, assistant adjutant-general, supervisor of census, city at- torney and police judge; Dr. B. F. Bates ; E. R. Levy, merchant : E. D. Shirland. county clerk: Benjamin Welch; C. J. Turner ; Dr. Joseph Powell, later assemblyman : John and Joseph Kinney, agents Sacramento Valley Railroad Company; John E. Benton, assem- blyman and state senator: \V. C. Crossett, J. C. Kinkead, who first tried the experiment of raising tobacco at the town of Folsom. The late Jacob Hyman was a dry-goods clerk in those days; later he became a wealthy mer- chant.

"In the late fifties there was the Folsom Institute, a large brick structure on the hill above the town, noted as one of the first edu- cational colleges in the state, and which was patronized by students from all parts of the coast. Rev. S. V. Blakesley was the principal.

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Many of the students from this institute be- came famous in the state.

"In the halcyon days of Folsom it was not uncommon for twenty or thirty eight- or ten- mule teams to leave daily with freight, des- tined for over the mountains. Six or eight stages daily left the depot in the morning with passengers for the Virginia and Washoe mines. The famous Pony Express started over the continent from Folsom in the early war times. D. H. Taft had a beautiful garden just below the town, where the first strawberries were grown; also some of the finest peaches, grapes and other fruits were produced. Noth- ing now remains of this plot but a mass of mining debris.

"Just above Folsom is Robbers' Ravine, which was the rendezvous of the desperate gang known as Tom Bell's gang, and the Bill Scott gang. They were the terror of northern California. Ben Bugbey, then a constable, and officer Dan Gay of Sacramento, encoun- tered this band, and after a fierce battle, cap- tured Bill Scott and several others. They were convicted and died in prison. Ben Bug- bey is with us yet to recount the story. In later years the branch state prison was estab- lished here; also the great electric plant. This can scarcely be called early history.

"It was a novel sight in the early days to see the miners coming into town with their sacks of gold each Saturday afternoon, and going to the banking house of C. T. H. Palmer & Company, to exchange their dust for coin. Those sturdy miners were not of the class sometimes pictured by romance writers, and drunkenness or riotous conduct was exceed- ingly rare. They would make their purchase of 'grub' and then return to their cabins ready for the next week's clean-up.

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History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, 1923, Part 23

Author: Reed, G. Walter Publication date: 1923 Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1026

Author: Reed, G. Walter
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1026