USA > California > Sonoma County > History of Sonoma County : including its geology, topography, mountains, valleys, and streams > Part 15
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
Washington .- Commencing at the northerly corner of Sonoma county ; thence south-westerly op a straight line to the most northerly corner of Tza- baco rancho, thence with said rancho line south-westerly across Russian river to the most southerly corner of the Rancho de Musalacon ; thence westerly. along the line of said Tzabaco Rancho to its intersection on or near the top of the divide between the waters of Russian river and Dry creek, with the line separating the unsold portion of said Tzabaco rancho from the farms on Dry creek; thence along said separating lines in a south-easterly direction nearly on the summit of said divide to the line between Tzabaco and Sotoyome Ran- chos at the north-east corner of the Conolly tract; thence south-westerly along the dividing line between said ranchos to the township line, between town- ships nine and ten, north ; thence along said township line due east to Russian river; thence down said river to the ford at the most western corner of J. Wood's land; thence along the road leading from said ford in a north-easterly direction to the line of the Sotoyome rancho where it crosses Sausal creek near what was formerly Jordan's mill, thence up the main and eastern branch of said Sausal creek to its source a short distance east from the house of Young, thence due east to the county line ; thence north-westerly along the county line to the place of beginning.
St. Helena .- Commencing on the north-easterly line of the Sotoyome rancho where Sausal creek crosses the same, thence up the main and eastern branch of Sausal creek to its source a short distance cast of the house of Young, thence due east to the county line; thence south-easterly along said county line about fifteen miles to its intersection with Mark West creek, about two miles south of Porter's, thence following down Mark West creek, westerly to the eastern line of Township 8 N., R. 8 W .; thence north on said township line to the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of Section one, near Tarwater's; thence due west one and one-half miles to the centre of Section two; thence north to the line of Malacomes Rancho; thence on said Rancho line north to its intersection with the Sotoyome Rancho line; thence northerly and westerly along said rancho line to the place of beginning.
127
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
Salt Point .- Commencing on the coast of the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Valhalla river ; thence north-easterly on the county line to its inter- section with one of the tributaries of the north fork of the south Valhalla, being the north-west corner of Mendocino township; thence following said stream down to its junction with its first tributary west of Flat Ridge; thence up said tributary in a south-easterly direction to its source nearest Mount Tom; thence to the top of Mount Tom ; thence due south to a branch of the middle fork of the south Valhalla, south of Reagan's or Hawk Ridge ; thence up said branch to the top of the ridge dividing the waters of Dry creek from the waters of the middle Valhalla; thence along said divide in a south- erly direction to the head waters of the east branch of Austin's creek to Rus- sian river; thenee down to the mouth of the Valhalla, or place of beginning.
Some years later a further change in townships took place, and those of Ocean and Redwood established, while portions of St. Helena were absorbed by Mendocino and Santa Rosa, and the balance given the name of Knight's Valley, making the townships of the present day to be fourteen in number, viz. :- Analy, Bodega, Cloverdale, Knight's Valley, Mendocino, Ocean, Peta- luma, Redwood, Russian River, Washington, Salt Point, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Vallejo.
In the year 1855 a change had come o'er the spirit of the governmental dream of the county. The Court of Sessions was abolished and an act passed on March 20th, entitled " An Act to create a Board of Supervisors in the counties in this State, and to define their duties aud powers." For better reference the ninth section of the above aet is quoted in full :-
" The Board of Supervisors shall have power and jurisdiction in their respective counties ; First, To make orders respecting the property of the county, in conformity with any law of this State, and to take care of and preserve such property. Second, To examine, settle, and allow all accounts legally chargeable against the county, and to levy, for the purposes prescribed by law, such amount of taxes on the assessed value of real and personal property in the county, as may be authorized by law: provided the salary of the County Judge need not be audited by the Board ; but the County Aud- itor shall, on the first judicial day of each month, draw his warrant on the County Treasurer in favor of the County Judge for the amount due such Judge as salary, for the month preceeding. Third, To examine and audit the accounts of all officers having the care, management, collection or dis- bursement of any money belonging to the county, or appropriated by law, or otherwise, for its use and benefit. Fourth, To lay out, control and manage public roads, turnpikes, ferries, and bridges within the county, in all cases where the law does not prohibit such jurisdiction, and to make such orders as may be requisite and necessary to carry its control and management into effect. Fifth, To take care of and provide for the indigent sick of the county. Sixth, To divide the county into townships, and to change the
128
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
divisions of the same, and to create new townships, as the convenience of the county may require. Seventh, To establish and change election precincts, and to appoint inspectors and judges of elections. Eighth, To control and manage, the property, real and personal, belonging to the county, and to receive by donation any property for the use and benefit of the county. Ninth, To lease or to purchase any real or personal property necessary for the use of the county; provided no purchase of real property shall be made unless the value of the same be previously estimated by three disinterested persons, to be appointed for that purpose by the County Judge. Tenth, To sell at public auction, at the Court House of the county, after at least thirty days previous public notice, and cause to be conveyed, any property belong- ing to the county, appropriating the proceeds of such sale to the use of the same. Eleventh, To cause to be erected and furnished, a court house, jail, and such other public buildings as may be necessary, and to keep the same in repair; provided that the contract for building the court house, jail, and such other public buildings, be let out at least after thirty days' previous public notice, in cach case, of a readiness to receive proposals therefor, to the lowest bidder, who will give good and sufficient security for the comple- tion of any contract which he may make respecting the same; but no bid shall be accepted which the Board may deem too high. Twelfth, To control the prosecution and defense of all suits to which the county is a party. Thirteenth, To do any and perform all such other acts and things as may be strictly necessary to the full discharge of the powers and jurisdiction confer- red on the Board."
To these various duties, in themselves of a most difficult nature, were added the onerous responsibilities of canvassers of election returns, the investigation of bonds required to be given by newly-elected officers, and a general superintendence of all monetary transactions in which the county, through her officers, has any interest.
In the year 1851, on the organization of the county, the county seat was located at the town of Sonoma, then the most prosperous city north of the bay of San Francisco, but in 1854, a bill was passed in the Legislature authorizing its removal to Santa Rosa, which was done without delay and before the Sonomans could fairly realize the effects of the contemplated change. The Sonoma Bulletin of April 8, 1854, says : "The first intimation we had of the people's desire to move the county scat from Sonoma to Santa Rosa was through the legislative proceedings of March 28th, which informs us that a bill had been introduced and passed for that purpose." The bill provided that a vote of the people should be taken on the question of removal, and the election took place on September 6th. The issue of the above-named periodical, printed on the 14th of that month, thus touchingly alludes to the result: " The county scat-that's a gone or going case! The up-country people worked furiously against us, and have come out victori-
ford
HHohms
129
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
ous. What majority the new seat got we are not aware; but whatever it is, why it is as it is, which incontestible truth consoles us !" The archives were removed on the 22d September, and steps immediately taken for the permanent location of the county seat at Santa Rosa, a full record of which will be found in our history of that city.
As soon as the organization of Santa Rosa as the capital of Sonoma county was complete, the erection of public buildings was forthwith commenced. The Court House was built in the year 1859; while in 1871-2 the neat and substantial Hall of Records was constructed, a description of which we here produce :
The Hall of Records .- The outside size of the building is about thirty feet by sixty feet, and the interior is in one room of good proportions, twenty- six feet by fifty-six feet, or thereabouts in size on the floor. The principal entrance at one side, facing the public square, leads through a small vesti- bule. Thence entering the main room we find on the right hand a space railed off, ample in size for the Recorder and Auditor's private office. This space contains a Recorder's receiving desk, close by the rail, protected by glass and walnut framing. Adjoining this is the Auditor's desk, similarly fitted up. To the rear of them and against the wall are the racks, with pigeon holes and book spaces for the two departments of the office, having glazed paneled doors in front, each with drawers underneath for miscellane- ous papers.
There is also close by a small standing desk on pivots, useful for the pur- pose of receiving the signatures of persons on the outside of the rail.
At the other extreme end of the building, on the same side, is a similar space, appropriated to the use of the copying department, fitted up with a standing desk and a private desk, similarly railed off.
Between the two compartments named is a large map table, with two drawers, moving through from side to side, opening both sides of the table, giving an opportunity to examine the contents of both drawers at one and the same time.
The desk containing the racks for holding the books of public record for real estate and mortgage transactions stands a little to the left or opposite side of the building. It is about thirty-four feet long, with a row of racks on each side of this piece of furniture running the full length of it. Every space for a book is divided by ornamental divisions from the one adjacent. The front edge of each at the bottom has a roller of manzanita wood, thus facilitating the handling of the heavy books, at the same time protecting their edges from undue wear. This is an invention of Mr. A. P. Petit, the architect, and though simple answers its purpose admirably.
The whole of the furniture is exceedingly appropriate to its purpose, making one of the best fitted-up halls for public records of the State.
The furniture is of black walnut, solid and elegant. The panels of the
9
130
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
doors and desks of plate glass. All receptacles have the best tumbler locks, and the whole a credit to all parties concerned. The cabinet-makers were Johnson & Best, of San Francisco.
In addition to these buildings, Sonoma county possesses two institutions of which she may well be proud; these are the hospital and county farm. Both are under the direct control of Dr. J. B. Gordon, are well managed, and reflect much credit upon himself and his assistants. Below we produce a sketch of the county hospital :-
County Hospital .- This building was completed and handed over to the Board of Supervisors in the month of December, 1866. It is situated in that portion of the city of Santa Rosa known as Green's addition, and is fully equal to any public building of its kind, outside of San Francisco, to be found in the State.
The foundation is composed of cement; lime and gravel manipulated and rammed into trenches, two feet wide and eighteen inches deep; on the east side is a cellar, ten by fourteen feet, eight feet deep, walled with brick, stairs leading to pantry. The size of the building is forty-six feet, front and rear, by forty-two feet deep, with building in rear twenty by twenty-five feet, used as wash and wood house. The first floor is set up four feet above grade of lot. The first story is twelve feet high, the second eleven feet all clear. First story contains a hall, eight feet wide, through the center of the building ; on the east side is a ward for females, with bath room adjoining, supplied with warm and cold water; on the west side is a dining room, and three rooms for the use of the managers of the institution ; a flight of stairs, with moulded handrail, and balustrade of mahogany, leads from below to the second story, which contains also a hall corresponding with that below; on the east of this a ward, extending the whole length of the building, and affording accommodation for seventeen patients, and divided in center by folding doors; on the west of the hall is the physician's office, a dark ward for the blind, wash room, laundry and bath-room ; in the center of hall, over the stairs, is a dome and skylight for ventilation. Every window is supplied with inside blinds. On the south front is a porch, eight feet wide, from. base; each story, with neat cornice, supported by open antirs, with neat cap and on rear end of building six patent water-closets, three for each story, supplied with water from a tank containing two thousand gallons, conveyed by means of patent windmill. The building is covered with tin, standing groove, well painted; cornice of building has projection of three and a half feet, supported by brackets, while the whole is of the villa order of architecture. The size of the lot is one hundred and eighty feet east and west, four hundred and sixty feet north and south in clear. It is inclosed by picket and board fence on all sides, in a most substantial manner. The total cost of the structure was eight thousand eight hundred dollars, while that of the lot was four
131
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
hundred and fifty, a considerable portion of the latter sum being donated by citizens of Santa Rosa.
Postoffices .- One of the first signs of a thorough county organization is the establishment throughout its length and breadth of a system to facili- tate the transmission of correspondence from point to point; to attain this object is the cause of postoffices. To set at rest any doubt which may remain in the minds of the residents of Sonoma as to who were the first postmasters at the different stations in the county, the accompaning information has been most courteously furnished us by the Postoffice Department at Washington.
" Postoffice Department, Office of the First Assistant P. M. General, Wash- ington, D. C., Oct. 3, 1879 .- Alley Bowen & Co. Santa Rosa, Cal .- Your communication of Sept. 3, 1879-in which you ask for the date of the estab- lishment of the postoffices and postmasters to present date, in Sonoma Co., Cal .- has been received at this department. In answer to your inquiry, please find the following, as shown by the records of this department.
JAMES H. MAN, Acting 1st. Asst. P. M. Gen'l.
Sonoma, established November 8, 1879, Lilburn W. Boggs, postmaster; Pet- aluma, February 9, 1852, . Garrett W. Keller; Bodega, February 20, 1852, Joseph M. Miller ; Santa Rosa, April 23, 1852, Donald McDonald; Smith's Ranch, September 29, 1854, Stephen Smith; Russian River, November 1, 1854, Harmon J. Heald, changed to Healdsburg April 14, 1875; Windsor, August 31, 1855, Seiver Lewis; Bloomfield, July 12, 1856, Horace Lamb; Stony Point, April 13, 1857, Parmenas N. Woodworth; Two Rocks, July 17, 1857, Clark A. Hough; Cloverdale, August 15, 1857, John A. Hartman; Pacific Home, June 15, 1858, William W. Fergusson, discontinued April 19, 1860; Lakeville, January 31, 1859, Joshua Chadbourne; Analy, August 7, 1860, Lewis M. Miller ; Albany, February 25, 1862, Elijah Brookhire, dis- continued, April 13, 1864; Duncan's Mills, December 20, 1862, Thomas Beacon; Timber Cove, February, 24, 1863, Fred'k Helmke; Fisherman's Bay, July 10, 1863, Andrew J. Fisk; Clairville, January 5, 1865, David Odell; Mark West, October 25, 1865, Henry G. Giamini; Sebastopol, October 2, 1867, John Dougherty ; Ocean View, March 25, 1870, Hugh Marshall; Occidental, December 7, 1876, Andrew J.Blaney ; Fort Ross, May 23, 1877, George W. Call; Tyrone, July 18, 1877, Hiram C. Smith.
THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY .- Owing to the absence of the archives the early history of Sonoma county is enveloped in consider- able darkness.
Prior to the acquisition of California by the Government of the United States, the large District of Sonoma, which included all the territory between the Sacramento river and the ocean, and Oregon and the Bay of San Francisco, was under the rule of the Mexican Government, and was divided into Pre-
ยท
132
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
feetures, amenable to a Grand Council at Sonoma, the holders of office being designated by the Spanish name of Alcalde.
The first civil officer, we are told by Mr. R. A. Thompson, was John Nash, who was commissioned by General Kearny as Alcalde of Sonoma. He had a most exalted idea of the dignity of his office; assumed ministerial as well as judicial powers; signed himself "Chief Justice of California," and having been removed by the Military Governor, he refused to recognize the authority and held on to the office. Lieutenant Sherman-now General Sherman- captured him and took him before Governor Mason, at Monterey, who repri- manded and released him. This first civil officer of Sonoma-" Chief Justice Nash " as he called himself, and "Squire Nash" as his neighbors called him-was a good natured, illiterate but honest man. When the rumors of gold reached Sonoma, Squire Nash was employed by a number of persons to go to the mines, take observations and report. This was in 1848; he returned with gold dust to the value of eight hundred and thirty seven dollars. He then went to Mormon Island with a party of Sonoma miners, and died there that winter. He was succeeded in his office by Lilburn W. Boggs, Ex-Governor of Missouri, a man eminently capable of exercising the func- tions belonging to that position.
Between the years 1846 and 1849 the county remained under the control of the military. Let us see what was the state of the political horizon during that time. According to Tuthill-as to civil law, the country was utterly at sea. It had a governor in the person of the commandant of the military district it belonged to, but no government. While the war lasted California, as a conquered province, expected to be governed by military officers who, by virtue of their command of the Department, bore sway over all the territory that their Department embraced. But after peace had come and the succession of military governors was not abated, a people who had been in the habit of governing themselves, under the same flag and the same constitution, chafed that a simple change of longitude should deprive them of their inalienable rights.
General Persefer F. Smith, who assumed command on arriving by the California, the first steamship that reached San Francisco (February 28, 1849), and General Riley, who suceeeded him (April 13, 1849), would have been acceptable governors enough, if the people could have discovered any where in the Constitution that the President had power to govern a territory by a simple order to the commandant of a military department. The power was obvious in time of war, but in peace it was unprecedented. Left entirely to themselves, the people could have organized a squatter sovereignty, as Oregon had done, and the way into the sisterhood of States was clear.
They felt that they had cause for complaint, but in truth they were too busy to nurse their grievance and make much of it. To some extent they formed local governments, and had unimportant collisions with the military.
133
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
But, busy as they were, and expecting to return home soon, they humored their contempt for polities, and left public matters to be shaped at, Washing- ton. Nor was this so unwise a course under the circumstances, for the thing that had hindered Congress from giving them a legitimate constitutional government was the ever-present snag in the current of American political history, the author of most of our woes, the great mother of mischief on the western continent-slavery.
When it was found that Congress had adjourned without doing anything for California, Brigadier General Riley, by the advice, he said, of the Presi- dent and Secretaries of State and of War, issued a proclamation, which was at once a call for a Convention, and an official exposition of the Administra- tion's theory of the anomalous relations of California and the Union. He strove to rectify the impression that California was governed by the military arm of the service; that had ceased with the termination of hostilities. What remained was the civil government, recognized by the existing laws of California. These were vested in a Governor, who received his appoint- ment from the supreme government, or, in default of such appointment, the office was vested in the commanding military officer of the department, a Secretary, a departmental or Territorial Legislature, a Superior Court with four judges, a Prefect and Sub-prefeet and a Judge of the first instance for each distriet, Alcaldes, local Justices of the Peace, ayuntamientos, or Town Councils. He moreover recommended the election, at the same time, of delegates to a Convention to adopt either a State or Territorial Constitution, which, if acquiesced in by the people, would be submitted to Congress for approval.
In June 1849 a proclamation was issued announcing an election to be held on the 1st of August, to appoint delegates to a general convention to form a State Constitution, and for filling the offices of Judge of the Superior Court, prefects, sub-prefects, and First Alcalde or Judge of the first instance, such appointments to be made by General Riley after being voted for. The dele- gates elected to the Convention from Sonoma were General Vallejo, Joel Walker, R. Semple. L. W. Boggs was elected but did not attend.
The manifesto calling the Constitutional Convention divided the electoral divisions of the State into ten districts; each male inhabitant of the county, of twenty-one years of age, could vote in the district of his residence, and the delegates so elected were called upon to meet at Monterey, on September 1, 1849. The number of delegates was fixed at thirty-seven, five of which were appointed to San Francisco.
As was resolved, the Convention met at Monterey on the date above named, Robert Semple of Benicia, one of the delegates from the district of Sonoma, being chosen president. The session lasted six weeks; and, not- withstanding an awkward scarcity of books of reference and other necessary aids, much labor was performed, while the debates exhibited a marked degree
134
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
of ability. In framing the original Constitution of California, slavery was forever prohibited within the jurisdiction of the State ; the boundary ques- tion between Mexico and the United States was set at rest; provision for the morals and education of the people was made; a Seal of State was adopted with the motto Eureka, and many other matters discussed.
In August General Riley issued commissions to Stephen Cooper, appointing him Judge of First District, and C. P. Wilkins Prefect of the district of Sonoma, while one of General Riley's last appointments before the adoption of the Constitution, was that of Richard A. Maupin, well remembered among Sonoma's old residents, to be Judge of the Superior Tribunal, in place of Lewis Dent, resigned. Another well known pioneer who was at the Con- vention from Sacramento county was Major Jacob R. Snyder, a resident of Sonoma till his death.
We find that the "Superior Tribunal of California " existed at Monterey in 1849; for, in September of that year a "Tariff of fees for Judiciary Offi- cers " was published, with the following order of the Court: "That the several officers mentioned in this order shall be entitled to receive for their services, in addition to their regular salary, if any, the following fees, and none others, until the further order of this Court." Here is added a list of the fees to be appropriated by Judges of the First Instance, Alcaldes and Justices of the Peace, clerks of the several courts, Sheriff or Comisario, District Attorney, and Notaries Public.
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.