USA > California > Solano County > History of Solano County...and histories of its cities, towns...etc. > Part 4
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SUISUN TOWNSHIP.
The township heretofore known as Suisun township, is hereby changed to conform to the following description, to-wit: beginning at a point on the southern boundary of Solano county, in Suisun bay, where a section line two inches west of the meridian line, passing over Monte Diablo and run- ning with said line north to the township line between townships 5 and 6 north ; thence with said line west to the east boundary of Green Valley township, as previously established; thence with said boundary, southerly, to the south boundary of the county, in Suisun bay ; thence with said boundary, easterly, to the place of beginning.
VACAVILLE TOWNSHIP.
The township heretofore known as Vacaville township is hereby changed to conform to the following description, to wit : commencing at a point on the Putah creek where the line between ranges 1 and 2 east, crosses said creek, and running thence with said range line south to the southeast corner of Section 1, Township 6 N. R. 1 E .; thence west to corners of sections 5, 6 and 7 and 8 of said township and range; thence south to the corners of Sections 7, 8, 17 and 18, in Township 5 N. R. 1 E. ; thence west to the corner of Sections 10, 11, 14 and 15, in Township 5 N. R. 1 W .; thence north to the township line between townships 5 and 6 north; thence with said line west to the western boundary of Solano
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·THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.
county, on the ridge of the Vaca mountains ; thence northerly with said ridge to the centre of Putah creek ; thence down said creek, and following its sinuosities to the place of beginning. 1.
MONTEZUMA TOWNSHIP.
The township heretofore known as Montezuma township, is hereby changed to conform to the following boundaries, to-wit: commencing on the south line of the county of Solano, in Suisun bay, where the section lines two miles west of the meridian line passing on Monte Diablo would intersect said limit, and running thence north to the north-west corner of section number 14, in Township 5 N. R. 1 W .; running thence east to the line between ranges 1 and 2 east; thence south on said line until it intersects the first slough or fork of Linda slough ; thence down said slough to Cache Creek slough ; thence down Cache Creek slough to where the line between townships numbers 4 and 5 north, intersects said slough ; thence with said line east to the eastern boundary of the county, on Steamboat, or Merritt slough ; thence with said boundary and following its sinuosities to the place of beginning.
TREMONT TOWNSHIP.
The township heretofore known as Tremont township, is hereby changed to conform to the following description : commencing at the south-west corner of Section number 6, Township 6 N. R. 2 E. of the meridian and base of Monte Diablo, and running thence north on the line between ranges 1 and 2 east, to the centre of Putah Creek, the northern limit of Solano county ; thence with said limit eastward, to the eastern limit of said county, in the line between ranges 2 and 3 east; thence with said limit south, to the south-east corner of Section number 1, in Township 6 N. R. 2 E .; thence east to the place of beginning.
There was still some difficulty in conforming the townships into some- thing like natural and equable divisions ; the supervisors, therefore, on February 6, 1866, ordered " that the following described portion of Tre- mont township be set off and attached to Vacaville township, and the bound- aries of said townships hereafter shall conform to this change. Said por- tion is described as follows: beginning on the eastern boundary line of said Vacaville Township 7 N. R. 2 E., and running thence east on the Government line two miles; thence north six miles ; thence west two miles, to the north-west corner of said township 7, on said boundary line of said Vacaville township, and thence south on said line six miles to the point of beginning.
On June 27th of the same year the county was again distributed into townships, as under :
1
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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.
BENICIA TOWNSHIP.
The township known as Benicia township is hereby laid down so as to conform to the following boundaries, to wit: commencing at the south-west corner of a tract of land purchased by Robert Semple and Thomas O. Larkin from M. G. Vallejo, and on a part of which is situated the city of Benicia, from thence with the western boundary of said tract of land to the north- west corner of the same ; thence in an casterly direction to where the line of said tract intersects the boundary of the stone purchase known as the stone line; thence along said stone line in a northerly direction until the same intersects the north line of Section 34, Township 4 N. R. 3 W .; thence east on north line of Sections 31 and 32, Township 4 N. R. 2 W., contin- uing east to Cordelia slough ; thence down said slough to Suisun slough; thence down Suisun slough to Suisun bay; thence down said bay and Straits of Carquinez to a point due south of the point of beginning.
VALLEJO TOWNSHIP.
The township known as Vallejo township is hereby laid down so as to conform to the following boundaries, to-wit : commencing at the south-west corner of a certain tract of land purchased by Robert Semple and Thomas O. Larkin from M. G. Vallejo, and commonly known as the Benicia tract ; thence with the western boundary line of said tract to the north-west corner of the same; thence easterly to where the line of said tract intersects the boundary of the stone purchase known as the stone line ; thence along said stone line in a northerly direction until the same intersects the north line of Section 34, Township 4 N. R. 3 W .; thence west on said north line to the intersection of said line with the boundary line of Napa and Solano counties ; thence south along said county boundary line to a mound of stones established by R. Norris ; thence due west along said boundary line between Napa and Solano counties to Napa bay ; thence down said bay and up the Straits of Carquinez, including Mare Island, to the south-west corner of Benicia township; thence due north to the place of beginning.
GREEN VALLEY.
The township known as Green Valley township, is hereby laid down so as to conform to the following boundaries, to-wit: Commencing at a rock mound on the crest of hills on Section 34, Township 4 N. R. 3 W. established by R. Norris for a boundary between Napa and Solano counties ; thence northerly along the boundary line of said counties, to the north line of Township 5 N. R. 3 W .; thence east along said township line to the dividing ridge running 'to the peak called "Twin Sisters ;" thence south- erly along said divide to Suisun creek, passing on the line of A. Blake and William Brown's land; thence down said creek to the south-east corner of
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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.
Hiram Macy's land ; thence south to the north line of Section 16, Townshid 4 N. R. 2 W. ; thence west to Cordelia slough ; thence down said slough to the north line of Sections 31 and 32, Township 4 N. R. 2 W .; thence west along said north line to the boundary line of Solano and Napa counties.
SUISUN TOWNSHIP.
The township known as Suisun township is hereby laid down so as to conform to the following boundaries, to-wit: Beginning at the mouth of Cordelia slough, thence up said slough to a point due west of the north line of Section 16, Township 4 N. R. 2 W .; thence east to a point due south of the south-east corner of Hiram Macy's land; thence north to the mouth of the Suisun creek ; thence up said creek to the line of Alexander Blake's and William Brown's land; thence northerly along the ridge or divide running to the peaks called "Twin Sisters ;" thence northerly along said divide to the county line; thence easterly along the county line to the top of the ridge at the south-east corner of Napa county; thence easterly on the boundary of the Armijo rancho to the north-east corner of Section 3, Township 5 N. R. 1 W .; thence south on section lines to the main Suisun bay ; thence westerly along said bay to the mouth of Sui- sun creek ; thence up said creek to the mouth of Cordelia slough, the place of beginning.
VACAVILLE TOWNSHIP.
That a township be established to be known as the Vacaville township, commencing at the north-east corner of Section 18, Township 5 N. R. 1 E .; thence west on section lines to the south-west corner of Section 3, Township 5 N. R. 1 W .; thence north to the north-east corner of Section 3, Township 5 N. R. 1 W; thence west on the township line to the boundary of the Armijo rancho at the north-west corner of said township ; thence north and west, following said boundary to the county line at the south-east corner of Napa county ; thence northerly along the boundary between Napa and Solano counties to Putah creek ; thence down said creek to a point one mile west of Mount Diablo meridian ; thence south on section lines to the south-west corner of Section number 1, Township 6 N. R. 1 W .; thence east two miles ; thence south to the place of beginning.
SILVEYVILLE TOWNSHIP.
That a township be established to be known as the Silveyville township, and to conform to the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at the south- east corner of Section number 5, Township 6 N. R. 2 E .; thence west to the south-west corner of Section number 1, Township 6 N. R. 1 W .; thence north to the county line, centre of Putah creek ; thence easterly down said creek to the line between ranges 1 and 2 east; thence south on
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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.
said line to the northwest corner of Section 7, Township 7 N. R. 2 E .; thence east to the north-east corner of Section number 8, Township 7 N. R. 2 E .; thence south to the place of beginning.
TREMONT TOWNSHIP.
That a township be established to be known as Tremont township, and to conform to the following boundaries, to wit : Beginning at the south-east corner of Section number 5, Township 6 N. R. 2 E .; thence north six miles to the south-east corner of Section number 5, Township 7 N. R. 2 E .; thence west two iniles to the line between ranges 1 and 2 E .; thence north to the centre of Putah creek at the county line; thence easterly down said creek to the east line of the connty on the line between ranges 2 and 3 east ; thence with said line south to the south-east corner of Section 1, Township 6 N. R. 2 E .; thence west to the place of beginning.
MAINE PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.
That a township be established to be known as Maine Prairie township, and to conform to the following boundaries, to wit : Beginning at the north- west corner of Section 17, Township 5 N. R. 1 E .; thence north to the north-west corner of Section 8, Township 6 N. R. 1 E .; thence east to the east line of Solano county; then with the said county line south to the line between townships 5 and 6 north ; thence along said line east to the north-west corner of Section number 4, Township 5 N. R. 3 E .; thence south to the southwest corner of Section number 21, Township 5 N. R. 3 E .; thence west to Prospect slough; then up Cache slough to Linda slough ; then up Linda slough to the line between ranges 1 and 2 east ; thence north on said line to the north-west corner of Section number 18, Township 5 N. R. 2 E .; thence west to the place of beginning.
RIO VISTA TOWNSHIP.
That a township be established to be known as Rio Vista township, and to conform to the following boundaries, to wit: Commencing on the Sacra- mento river at the point where the section line, one mile east of the township line between Townships 1 and 2 east, intersect the river ; thence running north on said line until it intersects Linda slough; thence down said slough to Cache slough ; thence down said slough to Prospect slough ; thence up Prospect slough to the section line of Section 17, Township 5 N. R. 3 E .; thence east to the south-east corner of said section; thence north on said section line to the Yolo county line; thence east on said county line to the Sacramento river; thence down the river to the place of beginning.
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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.
MONTEZUMA TOWNSHIP.
That a township be established to be known as Montezuma township, and to conform to the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at the Sacramento river on the line between ranges 1 and 2 east, Mount Diablo meridian; thence down said river and Suisun bay to the line between Sections 22 and 23, Township 3 N. R. 1 W .; thence north on section lines to the north-west corner of Section number 35, Township 4 N. R. 1 W .; thence east to the north-west corner of Section 32, R. 2 E .; thence south to the Sacramento river; thence down said river to the place of beginning.
DENVERTON TOWNSHIP.
That a township be established to be known as Denverton township, and to conform to the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at the north- west corner of Section number 32, Township 4 N. R. 2 E .; thence west on section lines to the north-west corner of Section 35; Township 4 N. R. 1 W .; thence north to the north-west corner of Section number 14, town- ship 5 N. R. 1 W .; thence east to the north-west corner of Section number 18, Township 5 N. R. 2 E .; thence south to the south fork of Linda slough; thence down said slough to the east line of Section number 19, Township 5 N. R. 2 E .; thence south to the place of beginning.
The western boundary line of this township was, however, subsequently changed on May 4, 1868, to the Mount Diablo meridian line, and on November 10, 1870, it was ordered by the Board of Supervisors that " Robinson's Island, and being a portion of Sections numbers 3 and 24, in Township 4 N. R. 1 W., Meridian of Mount Diablo, be and is set over as part of Denverton township," while on May 22, of the following year the under mentioned district was planned and authorized.
ELMIRA TOWNSHIP.
It was ordered that a new township be formed out of portions of Vacaville, Silveyville, and Maine Prairie townships as follows, to wit : "Beginning at the south-west corner of the south-east quarter of Section number 3, Township 5 N. R. 1 W., Mount Diablo meridian and base ; running thence north seven miles to the quarter-section corner on the north line of Section 3, Township 6 N. R. 1 W .; thence along said town- ship line six miles ; thence along quarter-section lines south seven miles to the quarter-section corner on the south line of Section number 3, Town- ship 5 N. R. 1 E .; thence west six miles along the section lines to the point of beginning. And it is further ordered that the said township be known and designated as Elmira township."
On August 8, 1872, the boundary line between Silveyville and Vacaville townships was changed to conform to the following: "Commencing at a
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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.
point on the north and south line between Silveyville and Vacaville town- ships, and at the corner of Sections numbers 1, 2, 11, and 12, in Town- ship number 7 N. R. 1 W., Mount Diablo meridian; thence west five miles to line between ranges 1 and 2 west; thence north one mile, more or less, to Putah creek ; thence along and down said creek to where the present line of Silveyville township intercepts the same; be and the same is hereby set over to and become part of said Silveyville township." It was then also ordered that the western boundary of Suisun township be and the same is as follows, to wit: "Commencing at a point on the north line of Section 3, Township 5 N. R. 1 W., which point is the intersection of the boundary line of Elmira township; thence south on half-section line one mile to the southern line of Section 3, Township 5 N. R. 1 W .; thence east on section line two and one-half miles to Mount Diablo meridian line ; thence south on said meridian line to the southern boundary line of Solano county."
With this last adjustment of the boundaries the distribution of townships was so far completed, and leaves these twelve districts as the present parti- tion of the county.
In 1873 Vallejo had a sudden accession of success, and the conception of having the county seat moved thither took permanent shape by the pre- sentation of a petition by E. H. Sawyer and others to the Board of Supervisors on September 23, praying that a public vote should be taken in this regard. On the sounding of Vallejo's trumpet the other towns and cities sniffed the battle from afar, champed their bits and tossed their flow- ing manes. A bitter fight waged between the newspapers of the county, while Benicia and her cohorts vented every conceivable argument, not so much that she might be once more endowed with the county honors, but that she should prevent the acquisition of so great a triumph to her former enemy. She had not forgotten the stormy days of 1858. Leader after leader and argument upon argument appeared in the public prints; meet- ings were held all over the county, while in Vallejo an executive county seat committee was appointed, having as its officers Messrs. J. B. Frisbie, President; E. H. Sawyer, Vice-President ; J. B. Robinson, Secretary ; J. K. Duncan, Treasurer, who framed the following address to the citizens of Solano county, which we cull from the columns of the " Solano Democrat " of that period :
Your attention is invited to the following reasons why the county seat of Solano county should be removed from Fairfield to Vallejo :
First-It is evident to all who have given the matter any thought, that Fairfield cannot be the permanent county seat of a great and growing county like Solano.
The entire lack of accommodations for the persons attending court, and
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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.
the fact that those accommodations are growing worse as the town con- tinues to decay, and that there is no hope of any improvement, is a matter of consideration.
We cannot compare the dreary, treeless plain upon which our county seat is located, and meagre accommodation for visitors, with the pleasant location and ample quarters provided by other counties, without a feeling of shame. The great county of Solano will not always endure this.
Second-Assuming, then, that a change in the county seat must ulti- mately come, we say that it should come now. An immediate expenditure of many thousand dollars will be necessary to make the present county buildings answer the purpose for which they were designed. Fire-proof rooms or vaults must be provided for the county records, and the papers and records of the courts. It is criminal to neglect this longer. Consider the confusion, the litigation, the utter ruin that would result from the destruction of the records of our courts and of our titles. And yet at pre- sent they are scarcely more secure than they would be in an ordinary frame-house. Is it wise to make these extensive improvements upon build- ings which in a few years at most must be abandoned ? Is it not best that the change should be made now, and a new location selected which shall be permanent, that the county may derive some lasting advantage from the expenditure of its money ?
Third-If the location of a county seat for our county was a new ques- tion, there would be no doubt of the propriety of adopting Vallejo. A line of railroad traverses the whole length of the county, terminating at Vallejo. Regular water communication can always be had from Rio Vista, Collins- ville, and Benicia, to Vallejo, enabling the inhabitants of these places to reach the county seat at all seasons of the year without interruption from floods or impassable roads ; and that other and large class of tax-payers and property-owners of our county, who reside in San Francisco and other counties, would be best accommodated at Vallejo.
Vallejo is now, and promises in all future to be, the leading town in the county. It has good streets and sidewalks, convenient means to travel and good hotels, and is, indeed, the only place in the county capable of furnish- ing accommodations for the large number of people who are at any time liable to be called together by an important term of our District Court.
The only two arguments that can be urged in favor of retaining the county seat at Fairfield, are these : Ist. That it is near the geographical center of the county. 2nd. The expense of its removal. The first of these reasons, to-wit, its central position-if it was good at the time the county seat was located at Fairfield, when people came from all parts of the county in carriages or on horseback, no longer holds good. The days of stage-
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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.
coaches are passed. New means of travel have sprung up, and geographical centers have given way to centers of travel. The whole population of the county could rally at Vallejo at less expense, and greater ease and comfort, than at any other point in the county, and could live more comfortably while here. As a rule, county seats are not located in the center of coun- ties. Sacramento City, Stockton, Oakland, Marysville, Yuba City, Napa City and San Rafael, are not situated at the geographical centers of the respective counties of which they are the county seats.
As to the second objection, in respect to the cost of removal. The pre- sent county buildings are said to have cost forty thousand dollars, and cannot be estimated at present at a higher valuation than twenty-five thousand dollars. The City of Vallejo and its citizens have bound them- selves by proper guarantees : 1st. To furnish, free of cost, suitable office room for county officers, court-rooms and jail, until the permanent county buildings are built. 2nd. That they will donate to the county the neces- sary grounds for the location of county buildings, to be selected by the Board of Supervisors of Solano County. 3rd. They pledge themselves to use all their influence with the Board of Supervisors to restrict the expenditure for the erection of county buildings (which will be the sole expenditure of the county) to fifty thousand dollars ; and they offer the guarantee of their most responsible citizens, and the City of Vallejo, that buildings shall be built (according to a plan now on exhibition at the City Hall, in Vallejo, copies of which will be sent to each precinct in the county), suitable for the county for many years to come, and vastly superior to the present buildings, for the sum of fifty thousand dollars. And the payment of this small amount need not be made at once. Bonds may be issued bearing seven per cent. interest, payable in twenty years, and an annual tax of five thousand dollars will pay the interest and leave a large surplus towards the extinguishment of the debt. Estimate the taxable property in the county at ten millions of dollars, which is about the present figure, the man who owns a thousand dollars worth of property will be taxed the sum of fifty cents per annum for the removal of the county scat. How insignificant is this sum compared with the great advantages to be derived.
All that we ask of the voters of Solano county is, that they will consider this question dispassionately and without prejudice, looking only to the best good of the whole county in the future, and we are satisfied they will agree with us that the county seat should be immediately removed to Vallejo.
On the 9th of October, 1873, the question of removal was brought before the Board of Supervisors, but there being a question existing of how many of the names which were annexed to the petition were those of bona fide voters, forty or fifty names were selected, making the total number of sig- natures 1,097, leaving 300 to be still examined.
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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.
Naturally, Suisun, from its proximity to Fairfield, was on the side of non-removal; therefore, every stone was turned to gain their point. Coun- sel was engaged on her side who urged, under the provisions of the law, in the event of the county seat being once removed, a petition for a second removal must contain a number of signatures equal to one-third the names on the great register; that the county seat of Solano had been already removed from Benicia to Fairfield, and that the present case came within the provisions of the law. The examination of the last great register of the county, they stated, shows a total of 5,600 names, one-third of which was 1,867. The counsel, therefore, submitted that the number of signatures was inadequate, and that in consequence, the petition was invalid.
It was finally decided by the Board that the number already passed upon was sufficient, and an order was made premising with the recitation that a petition had been presented to their body, praying that an election, to de- termine the place of the county seat, might be held ; that said petition con- tained 1,325 names; and that so far as examined, they had found upon it 1,097 legal names; and that the same being more than one-third of the number of votes, they therefore ordered, in accordance with the prayer of the petitioners, an election to be held on the last Wednesday in November. A protest from the counsel for Suisun was spread upon the minutes, stating in substance, that on such a day the county seat was removed from Benicia to Fairfield : that the archives of the county and county officers were ordered there ; that the Great Register of the county contained 5,000 uncan- celled names at the time, and that it required one-third of that number of signatures to constitute a legal petition for an election, which number was not on the petition upon which the Board had taken action.
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