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 4

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 4

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Much of the history of this Wonderland-still an unknown wilderness fifty years after Junipero Serra had founded San Diego, Monterey, Los Angeles, San Francisco and some sev- enteen other places, and had passed away-was written by the late W. L. Willis and others. whose first-hand knowledge of things and actual participation in many of the early events inade possible the compilation of a work that has ever since provided a storehouse of rich in- formation, so replete with the salient facts and beguiling romance of pioneer days that it would be futile to undertake any material improvement upon their version. The editor, in revising this work, has held intact the most vital chapters bearing upon the escapades of the pioneers, and innumerable side-lights on the rough but noble characters of that memorable period, and has sought only to make such changes and substitutions in facts and statistics as are made necessary by the progress of the present generation, and particularly by the re- markable agricultural and industrial growth and development of the county and the broaden- ing of its civic institutions and social organizations. Sacramento County, during the last fifteen years, has made wonderful progress. The lure of gold has given way to the develop- ment of still richer sources of wealth, in the raising of horticultural and agricultural products. and in manifold industrial occupations. Moreover, the world has passed through the great war since the last edition of this work was published, and it therefore has seemed fitting to chron- icle the part played by the county's loyal sons and daughters, and the citizenship as a whole, in helping to win the victory for humanity. It is hoped that the chapters so necessitated, and others telling of the more recent occurrences, growth of population and progress in general. will meet the approval of the vast army who shall acquire or consult this history in the years to come.

Los Angeles, February 15, 1922.

G. WALTER REED.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

G. WALTER REED, Editor

INTRODUCTION

(Condensed from the Introduction by the late William L. Willis, Edition of 1913.)

I T MAY be safely said that Sacramento County has played a more important part in the history of the state than any other county within the borders of California. Em- bracing in her confines the most precious gifts of the lofty Sierras and the foothills at their base-and not least of these, the fertile alluvial soil washed down from their hillsides and can- yons to fill up the inland sea of which she once was a part, making her a second Valley of the Nile, no whit inferior to the original in fertility and productiveness-she is almost without a peer. But the mountains and foothills were not niggardly in their magnificent gifts, for in addition to the splendid soil so given, they sprinkled it literally with golden dust and nug- gets that enriched many a one of the Argonauts and of the generation who succeeded them, and that to this day pour millions into the pockets of the men who are mining the precious metal on the lands adjoining the American River.

Sitting majestically on the banks of the magnificent river that forms her western boundary, Sacramento County has witnessed for half a century full-laden barges and steamers bringing her choicest products down the bosom of the river to the bay, to supply the markets of the coast cities and of lands beyond the sea. With the summer's sun and the win- ter's rain, aided by the balmy winds of spring and autumn, her crops follow each other in annual succession and are sent abroad to feed the less fortunate dwellers of Occident and Orient and to spread the fame of her wealth and resources to distant lands. Well has she played her part so far, but it is an insignificant one compared to that which she will play in the near future, when instead of a few thou- sands, this magnificent valley of the Sacra- mento shall support millions of happy, pros- perous men, women and children of the mighty empire that is developing so rapidly on the western coast of our country. And now has come to her a quickening of perception that will have far-reaching results. Her own has come to her. She realizes the value of her 3

birthright and will take advantage of it to the fullest extent. Agriculture. horticulture, com- merce and manufacturing all feel the impulse resultant on the realization of her power and opportunity, and her watchword is "Onward !"

In the days before the American occupation, Gen. John A. Sutter, the pioneer of pioneers of the state, saw with the vision of a prophet the future of the country, and built his fort near the confluence of the Sacramento and Ameri- can Rivers, to become, a few years later, the objective point of the wagon trains which wended their weary way across the trackless wilderness of this vast continent. Here many a company of immigrants, worn out with their long journey and often half starved and in dis- tress, arrived and were fed and relieved from the stores of the generous-hearted old pioneer, and rested and recuperated under the protec- tion of his fort. Here was for many years the point where the gold-seekers, landing from their long and dangerous voyage around the Horn, arrived on boats from San Francisco, and fitted themselves out for the mines. Here, too, was the supply point for these seekers for gold after they had begun with pick, shovel and rocker to delve their fortunes from the rich placers of the foothills. Here, then, be- gan the making of the history of the Golden State. It was to Sacramento, too, that Mar- shall-long before the irruption of the dwellers of every clime, hastening to be first on the ground to gather the treasure-brought for Sutter's inspection the bright pieces of yellow metal found in the race at Coloma ; and it was from Sacramento that, after that conference, the news went forth to the world that the gold placers of California held out the opportunity of acquiring wealth to all who possessed the nerve and confidence to come and seek for it.

Not more interesting and romantic was the search of Jason and his Argonauts for the Golden Fleece than was that of the modern Argonauts who braved the wilderness, with its hostile Indians, or endured the tedium and dangers of the voyage round the Horn in

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

search of the precious metal with which Cali- fornia was so richly endowed. There is a fascination that never lessens or grows old as one listens to the reminiscences of the old pioneers and the tales of their journeying to the new El Dorado in answer to the lure of gold; and under the spell of their words one lives over again with them the exciting experi- ences they met with, both on their way and after their arrival. Such a polyglot community was surely never elsewhere drawn together, as assembled here at the call of gold, banded in one common aim, but each one still pursu- ing his own way independently, striving to acquire wealth as quickly as possible, and hoping meanwhile for an early return to the old home. A few did so return, but for the majority a different destiny was happily ap- pointed. They never dreamed that they were to be the founders of a great state which would hold their memory in reverence, and respect thein for their sturdy, heroic qualities. Alas, their last-surviving representatives are fast dwindling in numbers, and only a few brief years will see these too no more among us.

The lure of gold is one of the strongest in- centives to man, inducing him to leave home and loved ones, to brave well-known and cer- tain dangers and to tempt fate in the most dar- ing manner. Perhaps the spice of danger and adventure lends force to the lure, although optimism must necessarily be the most potent factor. Other men have made fortunes quick- ly and with comparative ease, and why not he? We hear only of these successful ones, but rarely of the unsuccessful and of their priva- tions and sufferings : and the dazzle of the gold blinds us to the hazard of the venture. The struggles and privations of the thousands who joined in the mad rush to Alaska in the last decades are very little known and considered. Rotten ships, condemned years before, were chartered to take them on the treacherous sea voyage, and were laden to the gunwales with passengers and freight, with the chances against their proceeding a hundred miles on their way before experiencing shipwreck. And yet men fought and pleaded for a chance to brave the dangers of the journey, and the cer- tain suffering from cold and hunger and other perils after their arrival in the land of the Great White Silence. So it was in the days of '49. The long six months' journey across the plains and lofty mountains, with only a trail to follow, and with its dangers from In- dians, floods, fire, pestilence and starvation, could not deter the dauntless ones who set out on their way of more than 2,000 miles through the wilderness, many of them accompanied by their wives and children.

Right here it is only just to give their full due to the women-the pioneer mothers of whom we hear so little-the women who for-

sook home and kindred to follow their hus- bands through all trials and dangers to the un- known lands, and to assist with their labors and counsel, and with the rearing of the chil- dren of the rising generation, in the shaping and moulding of a great empire whose fame was destined to reach the uttermost parts of the earth. Like the pioneer women of the great West and the Mississippi Valley, they have not received their meed of praise and recognition for the important part they played in empire-building. While the men labored, the women, had to make the home as comfort- able as conditions allowed, rear and care for . and clothe the children, and endure all sorts of privations. Theirs the test of patience and courage to meet and overcome, to cheer and encourage under adverse circumstances; and well the pioneer women did their part. Not the least of their tests was the scarcity of female companionship, as for several years but few women came to this coast, and they were widely scattered after their arrival. The com- ing of a woman to a mining camp was a great event and roused all the latent chivalry of the rough men of the community, who vied in do- ing her honor and in making her comfortable and mitigating the conditions around her. She was placed, as it were, upon a pedestal and surrounded by adoring subjects. A man would be safer in committing murder than in insult- ing or injuring her.

Pioneers have told the writer of the appear- ance of the country adjoining Sacramento on the south in the days of '49 and '50. "A man could ride over the plains on horseback," they say, "and tie the wild oats across his saddle bow, as they rose often above the head of a man on foot. Droves of antelope were to be seen on the plains, and deer were to be found in the groves along the river, while in the tules and along the sloughs and lakes in the south- ern part of the county herds of elks passed most of their time." And yet, with those fer- tile plains at their doors, such was the fixity of the idea that had taken hold of men's minds and impelled them to the mines, that they scoffed at the few wise ones who planned to take up land and go to farming. "What!" they would say, "would you go out there and drudge, when you could go to the mines and pick up gold? Why, you would starve to death out there! Not any land for me."

But among them were men who had left the farm in the East to come to California. These men saw that while many lucky ones made their fortunes more or less quickly in the mines, there were thousands of others who lived from hand to mouth or went "broke" in the quest for gold. They looked on the face of the country and, like the Israelites, "found it good." They realized that the soil that would produce such crops without cultivation

STATE CAPITOL IN 1875

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

would produce bounteously when properly cultivated. They realized, too, that the gold- diggers must be fed, and that feeding them would bring its reward in rich profits. They knew the stock must have hay in the winter as well as in the summer, when every spear of grass was dried up in the absence of rain. So the wise men took up tracts of land. Some of them purchased large grants which had been given by the Mexican government, as had Sut- ter's. They prepared to feed the hungry, and their descendants are carrying out their plans today. The land which the miners, in their ig- norance of the effects of climatic conditions in the valley, designated as a desert, has proved "a land flowing with milk and honey," and has promoted the growth of an industrious and prosperous community which has done its share in the upbuilding of the great common- wealth that extends along the Pacific for a dis- tance almost as great as that of the coastline of all the states that border on the Atlantic.

The great possibilities of our county are only in their first stage of development. The days of the stockmen and cattlemen, and of the great herds that covered the land, are gone. The days of wheat-raising that followed are also almost past, and the era of intensive farm- ing has come. The small home of a few acres, where the work that in the days of the wheat farmers was distributed over a quarter or half section is now concentrated on ten or twenty acres, has begun to take the place of the big ranch. Instead of the sparsely settled plains where the farm-house, barn and corrals were

the only signs of habitation, and the rancher depended on the peddler's wagon to supply him with vegetables and fruit, and where per- haps a few fowls were to be seen around the barn yard, and the rancher brought out from the town his butter, eggs, condensed milk and bacon, are now to be seen the orchard and vineyard, with perhaps a patch of alfalfa yield- ing green feed the year round for cows and chickens. "The old order changeth, yielding place to new." The country is daily growing nearer to the city. The telephone, parcel post, and rural delivery, which brings to the farmer his daily paper and his letters, and keeps him in touch with the markets on which he depends for the sale of his products, all are making the farm more attractive to the rising generation. The immense holdings of the wheat barons are passing away; and in place of the scattered bunk-houses where in winter the men who ran the gang plows and sowed the seed, and in summer the harvester gangs, passed their nights, are now to be seen the small farms of settlers, with comfortable and attractive homes, where children are growing up with rural tastes and training, to become the next generation of our citizens. The schoolhouse, the cornerstone of our nation's greatness, be- gins to dot the landscape, and beside it the church and post-office are seen, each new group a nucleus for another of the many thriv- ing communities that are springing up and will soon thickly cover the state, as they cover the states in the East. We are coming into our own at last.

CHAPTER I SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Location and Population

S SACRAMENTO County is situated on the Sacramento River, from which it is named (Rio Sacramento, "River of the Sacra- ment"), being bounded on the north by Placer County, on the east by Eldorado and Amador, on the south by San Joaquin and on the west by Yolo and Solano. Sacramento City is the county town as well as the capital of the state. The city is in 38° 35' north latitude, and 121º 30' west longitude from Greenwich. The coun- ty contains 988 square miles, only a little less than the area of Rhode Island. Its population was 91,029 in 1920, but was estimated in 1921 at 104,600 and is rapidly increasing, owing to the era of rapid development which has set in during recent years. The coming of a new

transcontinental railroad-the Western Paci- fic-and the approaching entry of the Great Northern and Santa Fe, as well as several in- terurban electric lines either already con- structed or in course of construction, have contributed largely to its progress and pros- perity. The magnificent river that flows along its western boundary bears on its bosom, it is stated, almost as much freight annually as the mighty Mississippi does. While the figures are not at hand to verify this statement, it is certain that the tonnage of grain, wood, fruit, vegetables and other products of the state which are carried on the river by steamers and barges totals an immense amount and relieves the railroads of a very great amount of freight during the busy season, and is a decided fac-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

tor in keeping down freight charges in the cen- tral valley.

Agricultural Importance

'T'he river flows through a country unsur- passed in fertility in the whole world and producing a vast variety of grain, fruit and vegetables. On the river and the islands bounded by its various channels and tribu- taries, in addition to the fruit orchards that have been celebrated for their fine fruit for nearly a half century past, asparagus- and cel- ery-growing have of late years become a most important and yearly increasing interest, the former furnishing many thousands of cases of canned product, which is shipped all over the world.

Sacramento County was one of the large wheat-growing counties many years ago, but as wheat-growing became less profitable and the land became more valuable, it gradually became utilized for vineyard and orchard pro- duction, for which most of the land in the county is admirably adapted. Hence of late years Sacramento has become the chief ship- ping-point for all kinds of fruit except the cit- rus varieties ; and as the soil and climate have been found to be of the best for the citrus fruits, their production has been rapidly in- creasing in quantity. In quality the citrus fruits are found to be inferior to none raised elsewhere. A peculiar feature of the climatol- ogy of Sacramento County and the adjoining counties on the east and north is found in what is known as the thermal belt in the foothills and higher portion of the plain, where the cit- rus fruits ripen to perfection, and so much ear- lier than in other sections that they are from a month to six weeks earlier than those in the southern part of the state. They are therefore marketed before the frosts come, reaching the Eastern markets before the holiday season and of course bringing the highest prices. Besides these, all varieties of deciduous fruit grow in profusion and to perfection, the shipments in 1909 reaching as high as 200 carloads in one day, and on one day in July, 1912, totaling 220 carloads.

Topographical Features

The city of Sacramento is thirty-one feet above sea level, the river below Colusa having a very gradual fall. The mountains which form the walls of the valley are visible on both sides of the city, and the panorama of the river, plain, foothills and mountains as seen from the dome of the capitol is a grand one, Mt. Shasta and Lassen Peak, more than 200 miles away, being visible on some clear days. The climate of the city and county is tempered by the Sierra Nevadas and the Coast Range, and the humidity of the air in the summer is perceptibly lessened by being shut out from

the ocean to a large degree by the Coast Range. For this reason, while the thermom- eter on some days in summer shows a high reading, the absence of moisture in the at- mosphere renders it much more comfortable than in a moister climate, and sunstrokes and heat prostrations are practically unknown. Sacramento Valley is about 150 miles long, with a breadth of about fifty to sixty miles, and is walled in by two ranges of mountains, the Sierra Nevadas on the east, and the Coast Range on the west. They gradually approach each other until they come together in Shasta County. At the head of the valley Mt. Shasta stands, looking down from his snowy heights like a hoary sentinel placed there to watch over the welfare of the country below. Be- neath him winds the Sacramento River, on its way to water the fertile plains' to the south. The alluvial lands along the river slowly merge into the plains, and they gradually rise until they meet the foothills with which the valley is fringed, the foothills in turn giving way to the higher ranges, the loftiest peaks of which are Pyramid Peak, 10,052 feet in altitude, and Alpine, 10,026 feet, in the Sierra Nevadas, and Mt. Johns, 8,000 feet high, in the Coast Range. To the southwest fifty-three miles rises Mt. Diablo, in a detached range, 3,856 feet high, while the Marysville Buttes, from forty to fifty miles north, rise 2,000 feet out of the level plain and cover an area of fifty-five square miles. Adjoining the alluvial lands along the river are the plains, the soil of which is a sandy loam, a reddish land containing some clay, and a heavy black clayish soil known as adobe. There are also gravelly ridges running nearly north and south through the center of the county and also east of the Cosumnes River, which comes down from Amador County and, entering the eastern part of Sacramento Coun- ty, flows into the Mokelumne River on the southern boundary. Around Folsom, on the eastern edge and three miles from the Eldo- rado boundary, the soil becomes of a deep red color and is a gold-bearing gravel which turned out many millions in the early days, and is still mined with great profit. All these varieties of land grow fine grapes and other fruits, which are mostly shipped to the East, bringing good prices. Along the rivers, corn, hops and vege- tables are grown in large quantities, the hop crop being an important industry in the coun- ty. Large quantities of vegetables are shipped to Utah, Idaho and Montana, and some even as far east as Chicago and New York. The American River, coming down from Eldorado County, runs through Folsom and empties into the Sacramento River only a little way above Sacramento City.

The greater part of the surface of the county is level, or nearly so. As it approaches the Cosumnes it becomes more hilly, falling again

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

to Deer Creek, which runs along the west side of the Cosumnes River bottom, and becoming rolling land on the other side of the Cosumnes, until it reaches the lower foothills. On the Cosumnes are hop yards, orchards, corn and alfalfa fields. Dry Creek on the south forms part of the southern boundary and empties into the Mokelumne, which also forms a part of the southern boundary. Thus the county is abun- dantly watered in its various localities by four rivers and their tributary streams. The Amer- ican, Cosumnes and Mokelumne are all torren- tial streams rising in the high Sierras and with a larger area of land contributing to their watersheds. Down the canyons, therefore, through which they flow, rushes annually an immense volume of water on its way to the ocean. In the early days this often over- flowed the alluvial lands along the Sacramento River, carrying death and destruction along its course. Several of these floods were disastrous to Sacramento City in its early history. Judg- ing from the tales of the pioneers, the flood in the winter of 1862 must have covered not only the river bottoms, but also a large portion of what is familiarly known as "the plains," for the writer has heard old settlers tell of trans- porting their provisions and other merchandise from Sacramento during that winter on flat- boats or barges almost to the town of Elk Grove. An idea of the immense volume of water that found its way to the sea on that oc- casion may be gained from the fact that it not only covered the great tule basin of Yolo County, but also a large portion of the plains east and south of the city to a width of many miles. Since that time the settlers have learned the lesson that safety can be found only in high and wide levees, properly constructed to withstand the wind and water.

But man, while always striving against the elements and the forces of nature, often suc- ceeds in the Herculean task of subduing them and turning the master into the servant. These same torrential streams, which, unbridled, sweep man and his works from their path like feathers, are being harnessed and confined to do his bidding and foster his prosperity. The great dam at Folsom, built by the state, fur- nishes power to the state's prison as well as electricity for lighting the grounds. It has also for many years supplied Sacramento City and County with light and power. In the near future the water of those streams will be used again and again to turn mills and machinery for factories, and the electrical power gener- ated by the rivers will be, even more than in the past, transmitted over long distances-a factor in building up the prosperity of many a community. The day will come, moreover, when immense reservoirs will be constructed, either by the government or by the state, for the impounding of the flood-waters from the

rain and melting snow, and its distribution during the long, dry summer over the thirsty land, doubling and trebling the crops and bringing greater prosperity to the valley. Then, too, will the rivers, instead of bringing down destructive torrents upon the valley, remain within their banks and the Sacramento, with its deep-water channel dredged, will see the ships of distant nations bringing their com- merce to our door.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 4

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