USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > History of San Luis Obispo County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 56
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99
At another time Branch was in the cañon of the Ar- royo Grande and saw a grizzly eating berries in a thicket on the hill-side. Having his rifle with him he thought he would secure a good position and have the sport of slaying the troublesome brute. Obtaining the desired position he took the precaution to look about him, and the savage animals were seen on all sides; but as berries were plentiful they were engaged and did not notice him. This was a time, he concluded, when discretion would be the better part of valor, and he carefully made a good retreat. In relating the adventure, he said he counted nine grizzlies, "and it was not a very good day for bear either," and further he said he was not ashamed to acknowledge that he made good time in getting out of that neighborhood.
Mr. Branch was a very entertaining narrator of the incidents of his life, and having so well an established repu- tation as an Indian fighter of undoubted courage and a hunter of great skill and success, he would not suppress a good story although the joke might be upon himself.
MICHAEL DAUGHHIG.
Michael Daughhig was an old and attached servant of Branch, emulating his master in every way possible, following him with a loyalty that knew no deceit or abatement. "Old Mike," as he was familiarly known, was as brave as a lion, and would at any time risk his life to please or protect his patron. At one time a bear had been committing depredations near the ranch house, and it was very desirable that it should be put out of the way. A calf had been killed, and Mike conceived the idea of laying a trap for the bear. Therefore dressing himself in the calf's skin, with head and limbs complete, and thus disguised and well armed he crawled out as a decoy, near the chaparral where the bear was supposed to be lurking. Soon the monster made his appearance and made for his victim. But Old Mike was prepared for the encounter and as the bear approached he sent a well directed bul- let into his brain and arose with triumphant shouts to announce his success to Branch, who was anxiously watch- ing the result of the bold stratagem.
As a reminiscence of an eye-witness of the old home of Branch and of his faithful servant is introduced the following from a letter by Hal Williams, to the San Luis Obispo Tribune entitled
A RELIC OF THE LONG AGO.
OCTOBER 4, 1877 .-- The school of Santa Manuela District is now taught in the old adobe building occupied by the Branch family during the life of the elder of that name. The old gentleman has passed from earth, and the noble estate over which he once reigned king is di- vided and occupied by his sons, daughters, and son-in- law. Handsome cottage residences dot the valley here and there; hundreds of acres of the richest Arroyo Grande bottom lands have been cleared and this once howling wilderness abounds in corn, barley, hay, and vegetables in profusion. It is a rich treat for the eye, after riding a few miles over the barren dry hills of this season of drought, to take a bird's-eye view of this rich productive region.
How wonderful is the change since Mr. Branch first gazed upon the scene! Then San Luis and the Nipomo were his nearest neighbors; now, within the walls of the building which years and years ago he erected, I count fifteen children who have his blood in their veins. The old house is unoccupied except in one room of an "L" old "Mike" is domiciled. Poor old Mike! For many years a member of the Branch household, and act- ive and useful in promoting the interests of the family, he is now blind and useless. But he wants for no com- fort in his old age and helplessness. He is well cared for, and many a yarn of the old times and the famous old house will he spin for you if you will listen. He will tell you how it has been armed and garrisoned to repel a threatened Indian attack. How the Indians stole the horses almost from under the noses of the occupants. Of hunts, of feasts, of frolics, and of many interesting events in the days lang syne.
Old Mike has not many more weary days to grope in darkness around the old homestead, and he knows it. One day in talking over the events of the past, he said;
219
AGRICULTURE.
"Well, I don't know where ould Branch has gone, but wherever he is he wants Mike."
One day while prowling around the old building I found an old account book. On the back it is marked, "No. 1, Leger." In it Mr. Branch kept accounts from the year 1837 to 1843. There are some entries in it which read strangely to-day. Think of a man working in California for two dollars a month. This book shows that Mr. Branch had several hands at that price, and others at four, five, and as high as seven dollars per month; but remember that was way back in 1837-38-39-40. There are entries here of hands who worked for two dol- lars a month and paid one dollar and a half for a shirt, one dollar and four cents for a bottle of rum, etc. There is one thing about the old book which is a mystery to me, and I have puzzled my head not a little to understand the why of it, and that is the frequent charge of four cents. For instance :-
To 5 deer skins $ 2.04
" I blanket. 2.04
" I pint rum 1.0.4
66
4 cotton handkerchiefs 2.04
making 1 pair shoes 2.04
66 tallow. 1.0.4 .
By I deer skin
4.04
"14 cotton h'k'f
3.04
" 5 hog skins. 2.04
2 2.04
I To 2 deer skins 1.04
" 2 yards brown cotton
1
1.04
" I pair shoes 3.04
" drawers 1.04 I
cash 5.04
66 I shirt 3.04 1 I
By 3 days' work 6.04
4.04
66 work.
To nankeen pantaloons 1.01 3 yds. twill'd cotton. 3.04
I have here given twenty examples selected from dif- ferent parts of the book, of charges and credits of various kinds in which the mysterious four cents appears. They are taken at random. There is hardly a page in the book but shows similar entries. I don't understand it. It is a queer old book, and I have spent considerable time in reading its oddly sounding entries; the records of a busy life in the long ago.
The copyist was not aware that accounts were kept in pesos and reales, or dollars and "bits;" and that the mys- terious "four cents" meant four reales, or four bits, and $1.04, was $1.50.
OBITUARY.
The end of old Mike is told in the following obituary in the Tribune of November 10, 1877.
At the residence of J. F. Branch on the Arroyo Grande, November 6, 1877, Michael Daughhig died, aged 80 years. "Old Mike," as he was familiarly called, had been a faith- ful servant of the Branch family for twenty-seven years, and revered the name of his old master, F. Z. Branch, as only simple, confiding natures can, and longed for the day when the Angel of Death should call him to meet him on the other shore. He has gone and we trust the greeting beyond the river was all that faithful service en- titled him to.
HOME OF BRANCH.
The house erected by Branch was for many years the most noted one in the country, and is spoken of by Bryant and other travelers as partaking of the American
style, and furnishing comforts and luxuries unusual in California. He was a careful and active business man, and at one time was the wealthiest man in San Luis Obispo County, being the owner of over 37,000 acres of land, and vast herds of cattle and horses. But the dry years of 1862-63 and 1863-64 brought a great change in his fortunes. In the beginning of 1863 his herds num- bered over 20,000 head of large cattle, and before the close of 1864 he could gather but Soo alive. The balance had died of starvation. It is related that in 1863 he was offered $24.00 a head for all his grown cattle, by a large dealer from the North, but that insisting on $25.00 each the sale was not effected. The dry weather following they were not salable, but remained on his hands to die, a difference to the owner of over $400,000.
Seasons of bountiful rain followed and Mr. Branch profited by it, but it was impossible to recover only through many years of toil and success the great fortune taken from him in those most disastrous years of Califor- nia's history.
At different times Mr. Branch was elected to positions of public trust, as has been mentioned in the chapters de- voted to the political and financial history of the county, having been Treasurer and Supervisor, positions which he filled to the entire satisfaction of the people. He died at his home on the Santa Manuela Rancho, on the 8th of May, 1874, at the advanced age of seventy-two years, and was buried in the family burying-ground on the rancho. The disease with which he was afflicted and which proved fatal was bronchitis, to which he had long been subject. He was a man of a hardy constitution and well-knit frame, though rather slight in structure. His acquaintance was large throughout San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, and he was held in great esteem by all. A large family of children and grandchildren now represent the pioneer on and in the vicinity of the old home.
JOSÉ FRED BRANCH,
Son of the prominent pioneer, F. Z. Branch, was born on the great rancho of his father, in San Luis Obispo County, March 15, 1853, being the youngest of a family of ten children. His father, Francisco Ziba Branch, whose biography has been given, was a native of New York, and his mother, whose maiden name was Mannela Corlona, was a native of California. The elder Branch, being a resident of this coast for near twenty years be- fore the transfer of the country to the United States, marrying a native lady of high family, and from an early date possessing wealth and influence, makes the family one of the oldest and most prominent in the State. Upon the rancho of his father Jose Fred Branch grew to manhood, becoming familiar with the business of farming and stock-raising. During his youth he attended the public schools, and finished his educa- tion at a college in San Francisco.
Mr. Branch was married March 5, 1881, to Miss Her- linda Bonilla, a native of California, and still resides on the old homestead, where he carries on the business of farming and stock-raising.
1 €
1 1
220
HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
ISAAC J. SPARKS.
Another of the list of the great land-holders of San Luis Obispo, of the pre-American days, is Isaac J. Sparks. He, too, was one of that bold band of pioneers who, in the days of their young manhood, followed the declining sun to its setting in the waters of the Pacific, and upon these peaceful shores made their home. "Westward the star of Empire takes its way," and Sparks was one of those to follow it to the utmost limit, and there aid in founding the empire that was to follow. From the ex- treme East of our country to the extreme West he came.
Mr. Sparks was a native of Maine; born at Bowdoin, Sagadahoc County, of that State, in 1804. Early in life he went with his father to the West, going down the Ohio in a flatboat of his father's construction, then to St. Louis, Missouri, where he grew to manhood. The following interesting sketch of his career was written by Mrs. F. H. Day, from notes obtained from Mr. Sparks, and published in the Hesperian Magazine in July, 1859 :-
Mr. Sparks continued to reside in St. Louis until the 9th of April, 1831, when, in company with Captains Jedediah S. Smith* and Milton Sublet, he left for Santa Fé. Nothing of much importance occurred on the way until they reached one of the tributaries of the Arkansas River, where three young men by the names of Minturn, William Day, and J. J. Warner, fell behind the balance of the party, for the purpose of killing antelope. While hunting they were surprised by a party of Pawnee Indi- ans, who fell upon them and savagely murdered young Minturn, whose manly qualities and kind, generous heart had endeared him to every member of the company.
After this the party proceeded on their journey, and in crossing from the Arkansas River to the Cimaron, they lost their way in the sand-hills. This portion of the prairie is visited by severe gales of wind, which blow the sand so as to destroy all traces in a road or path. It was owing to this cause that the party now found them- selves bewildered and lost. To make the matter worse, there was no water to be found. In vain they explored that trackless waste of sand; no sound of gurgling water- fall or singing rivulet met their ears; no cool, refreshing stream gladdened their sight; they became victims of the most intense suffering, driven almost to madness by the prolonged agony of thirst. The animals, also suf- fered intolerably; their tongues hanging from their mouths, black and parched, while their eyeballs glared fearfully; and every sound they uttered, and every move- ment they made, was indicative of the terrible agony of death, by thirst. Oh, how little do those who have never felt the want of nature's- pearly liquid, know its value! Only those who travel the hot, arid sands of the desert, day after day, toiling on in the fruitless search for water, the burning sun above, the scorching sands be- neath, over all, the hot glare, and stifling, humid atmos- phere. Companions drooping from day to day; the strength of all departing; the last day's march shorter than the one preceding it. The animals which have been gradually failing, now utterly prostrate, some with the glazy film of death already upon their eyes. Compan- ions giving way to wild, distracted ravings, maddened and driven to desperation by the terrors of the parched and fevered system; the unutterable, exquisite agony of prolonged thirst. 'Tis then that the weary, thirsting one, as he gasps in vain for a draught of water, thinks of one drop as of a pearl of great price, more valuable by far than all the golden sands of the earth. But to return to
our narrative. Captain Smith, with undaunted courage, still continued his search for water, and traveled on in advance of the party some miles. His toil was at last rewarded; he heard the low, musical gurgling of a brook, and hastened forward to the cool, refreshing stream. He sparingly gave to his animal, and himself partook; then stopping, laved his hot, dusty brow with the precious liquid, while a feeling of intense thankfulness pervaded his soul for the timely relief thus afforded to his party. At this moment he was surprised to hear the sound of horses' hoofs, and ere he had time to think, found him- self surrounded by a party of Comanche Indians.
He vaulted into the saddle, but they made signs of frien ship, and riding up each side of him, threw hin off his guard by making signs of good-will; they then treacherously speared him. Even after he was wounded his valiant spirit did not forsake him. But with his strength failing from loss of blood, and the death dew gathering on his brow, he shot and wounded two of his enemies, and then fell to rise no more.
The party, saddened by the loss of Captain Smith, who was a brave and good man, continued on their journey and reached the Cimaron in the night. The next morning they found themselves surrounded by from fifteen hundred to two thousand braves -- the "Grovonts of the Prairie." They threw up a temporary fortification by digging ditches between their wagons, which were so arranged as to form a sort of barrier between them and their enemies. They expected, and were prepared for an attack, but it did not occur. They succeeded, how- ever, in getting five of the leading chiefs into camp, where they held them as prisoners, and kept them under guard until they were ready to depart on their journey, when they took them the distance of about eight miles from the camping-ground, and then set them at liberty, and permitted them to go on their way unharmed.
All day long they continued their journey up the Cim- aron, and at night again constructed their fort of ditches and wagons, and secured their stock inside. The night was dark and gloomy, and the hours wore on unbroken, save by the low wail of the wind, until about midnight, when the unmistakable warwhoop of the Indians rent the air, and they found themselves surrounded by a party of the same Indians with whom they had parted com- pany in the morning. The animals, frightened by the noise. broke loose, and ran helter-skelter in every direc- tion. One pair of oxen having on a yoke in which was an iron ring, broke loose and made right for the Indians, the ring making as they ran a great noise, which the In- dians, in the darkness, imagined to be a piece of artil- lery, and fled in hot haste down the valley, leaving to the oxen the honor of a conquered field, and the rescue of their owners from a tragic fate. The next morning the oxen were found two miles from camp. Although sur- rounded by hordes of savages, they pursued their jour- ney without further molestation, and at length reached Santa Fé in safety.
GOES TRAPPING.
Mr. Sparks, in company with Captain Young, left Santa Fé in the fall, on a trapping expedition to the Querétaro Mountains; nothing worthy of record occurred until they reached what is known as the " Black Water," the head-waters of the Salt River. Here the Indians began to be troublesome by stealing their traps, sneaking into camp and shooting down their animals, and com- mitting various other depredations which irritated and annoyed in the highest degree. The whites exercised forbearance for a season, and then determined upon in- flicting chastisement upon their persecutors. For this purpose they resorted to stratagem, that they might be the better able to cope with their insatiate and treacher-
"Jedediah S. Smith has been referred to in the preceding pages of this his- tory as the first American to cross the Sierra Nevada into California.
RANCH AND RESIDENCE OF J. F. BRANCH, ARROYO GRANDE, SAN LUIS OBISPO CO. CAL.
221
AGRICULTURE.
ous foes. The principal part of the company would leave the camp, thus leading the Indians to think that all had gone, when, in fact, there were six or eight concealed within, where they would remain perfectly quiet until the Indians got fairly into camp, when, upon a certain signal they discharged their fire-arms, whose deadly and unerr- ing aim would send the Indians for a moment bounding in the air, while the despairing shriek of death burst from their lips; the next they lay lifeless on the ground.
FIGHTING INDIANS.
From Black Water they proceeded to the Gila River, which they followed till they came near the line of the Yuma. Here, Job Dye, Isaac Williams, Turkey Green, and 'Squire Green, being in advance of the party, fell upon a party of Indians who were on their way to So- nora for the purpose of stealing horses. A skirmish took place which lasted about an hour and a half. The Indians threw up a fort of brush-wood, and nobly stood their ground, until the remainder of the whites came up, who, in company with the others, made a deadly charge and put them to flight. Of the Indians there were killed or wounded fourteen or fifteen.
ARRIVE IN CALIFORNIA.
The day succeeding these events they journeyed on to the Yuma village, where they traded for beans, corn, etc., and thence proceeded to the Rio Colorado, or Red River. Here the party separated, and Mr. Sparks, with eleven others, came through to California, and arrived at the Pueblo de Los Angeles on the 10th of February, 1832.
Their warfare with the Indians being over they thought themselves secure from further molestation, when, lo! to their surprise and mortification, they found themselves prisoners of the country, under the authorities of the land, the laws not permitting strangers to travel without a passport. Not liking to be detained in "durance vile," Mr. Sparks watched narrowly for an opportunity to es- cape, and after a short time succeeded in evading the vigilance of his captors, and made good his escape to San Pedro.
What a moral does the history of Mr. Sparks (as well as many more of our pioneers) afford to the contem- plative mind! Alone, far from friends or home, over- coming the fatigue and peril of a journey across the Rocky Mountains, only to be received as a prisoner within the walls of a strange city, with a mind torn by anxiety, watching by night and by day, with .vigilance untiring and patience unsurpassed, for an opportunity to regain what is dearer to every American than life itself- freedom.
HUNTS THE SEA-OTTER.
His escape, without a dime in his pocket, alone, pur- suing his course with hurried and anxious steps, fearful lest he again become a prisoner. What gloomy reflec- tions occupied his mind as he pursued his lonely way to San Pedro, we may never know. Certain it is that trial and danger did not exhaust his energy, nor disappoint- ment overcome his perseverance. With nothing but his gun to rely upon he did not fail to make good use of that. Here he shot his first otter, and began a business which he followed for many years successfully, reaping annually a rich harvest from his labors. He began at first with a single rifle, shooting the animal from the shore, himself swimming out to secure the prey. He soon became able, however, to hire a swimmer to perform this duty for him, and in about a year and a half forcibly felt the need of a boat. He accordingly set to work and built a small, light one, suited to his purpose, and then went out to sea after the otter. His business continued to increase, and he soon found that his little boat was
insufficient, and he now, with his men, formed a com- pany of three boats, and the business became very lu- crative. Mr. Sparks followed this business with different hunters from the year 1832 until 1848.
METHOD OF HUNTING.
Perhaps a brief description of the mode of hunting sea-otter may not be inappropriate here. To carry on the business successfully there are necessary three small boats, in each of which are three men, a "shooter" and two "pullers." They have also a large boat to carry pro- visions, having on board two men, a cook, and a camp- keeper. They generally start out in the month of April, and make a cruise of six or seven months. One small boat is always kept in advance on the lookout for otter. When a shoal is discovered, if the weather is fine, the hunters approach and the work of destruction begins. The fastest canoe pulls right through the shoal without attempting to shoot; the other two come up, one on each side, and, as it were, corral the otter, and then shoot among them right and left. When the shoal scatters, which it will in a short time, they attack them singly, taking care to select a large one; the boats form a trian- gle around the spot where he dives, and as soon as he again rises to the surface of the water they shoot. As often as he appears he is greeted with musket balls, so that, if not killed, he is again obliged to dive. In this way he soon becomes exhausted, for want of air, and rises within gun-shot, when he falls an easy victim to his pursuers.
This business is very profitable, hunters frequently taking from seventy to one hundred and thirty otters in a season. The skins are worth, on an average, from twenty- five to forty-five dollars apiece.
THE LAST EXPEDITION.
In 1848 Mr. Sparks left Santa Barbara, and came by land to San Francisco, whence he again started on another hunting expedition. This time he took a large company with him - four boats and twenty men - and proceeded to Cape Mendocino. Upon his arrival he found hostile Indians very numerous. But, as the wind was blowing a gale, he comforted himself with the assurance of safety afforded by the wind; for the Indians, whose arrows are swerved by the wind, never attack when it blows hard. For several days the party remained quietly on shore, when, at dawn one morning. Mr. Sparks discovered that the wind had ceased and all was calm. Then, calling his men, they jumped into their boats, and pulled swiftly away, leaving the Indians to wonder at their mysterious disappearance.
Upon his return to San Francisco he found the gold excitement had commenced. The men whom he had employed at sixteen and eighteen dollars per month, were now offered that much per day, and, although they were engaged to him, he released them and let them go to the mines.
SPARKS A MERCHANT.
Mr. Sparks returned to Santa Barbara and engaged in business as a merchant, and was the first Postmaster of that town under the United States Government. During the war with Mexico he was the firm friend of his native land, and his advice and material aid to Fremont were invaluable. He advanced, in cattle, horses, and other supplies, an amount equal to $25,000, for which he ap- pealed in vain to the Government for remuneration. His early enterprise was shown in the construction of a fine brick building-fine for the early days of Santa Barbara-
222
HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
being the first ever constructed in the town, and now forms part of the Park Hotel.
HIS RANCHOS IN SAN LUIS OBISPO.
Mr. Sparks' connection with San Luis Obispo was his ownership of the Huasna and Pismo Ranchos, the first of five, and the second of two square leagues of land, which were granted to him by the Mexican Government, and confirmed by the United States courts. The Pismo was sold to John M. Price, and the Huasna bequeathed to his daughters, Flora, now Mrs. Marcus Harloe; Rosa, now Mrs. Arza Porter, and Sallie, now Mrs. Harkness; to the first two, each two leagues, and to Mrs. Harkness one league and the homestead in Santa Barbara.
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.