USA > California > Sonoma County > History of Sonoma County : including its geology, topography, mountains, valleys, and streams > Part 53
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
the use of himself and friends ; then followed the row of buildings which still stands, in which are situated the offices of the Sonoma Index; then the property of Peña, the brothers d'Avila-one a silversmith, the other a pain- ter-and the corner of the building was occupied by Ex-Governor Boggs, as a postoffice, and Ortega, the bell-ringer of the Catholic church. Thus the voyage of circumnavigation has been made. From the north-east cor- ner was the street, now known as Spain street, on the right-hand side of which was a two-storied building called the Sonoma House, kept as a hotel by two Scotchmen, Cooper & Spriggs; adjacent to it was the residence of Sisto Berreyesa, a former Alcalde under the Mexican regime; then came an adobe occupied by officers of the United States Army, among them being Major Philip Kearney, afterwards General, killed at Antietam; Lieutenant Derby, alias Squibob, of literary notoriety; Captain Stone, afterwards General, of Ball's Bluff fame; Lieutenant Davidson Williamson, and a host more who have gained particular prominence in the service of their country; next were the residences of Josefa Higuera, and Don Jose de la Rosa, the latter of whom had a small printing-press, which, in company with General Vallejo, he had used at a very early date to produce a small work on the " Medicinal virtues of the indigenous plants of California." The Mission occupied the site which it does to-day; near to it there stood the store of Lewis Adler, a resident of the town since 1848; while on the north-west corner was a store kept by A. C. McDonald. On the Napa road, now called United States street, was the residence of Paymaster Leonard.
Sonoma has had in its day, honor upon honor thrust on, nay, forced upon it. In June 1846 it was taken possession of by the "Bear flag" party and General Vallejo taken prisoner, a matter which has been attended to in its proper place. In this year too, Captain Montgomery, of the sloop-of-war Portsmouth, despatched Lieutenant Revere to Sonoma from Yerba Buena, (San Francisco) to take possession of the place. This he did, with some marines. On arrival he found the plaza in possession of the Independents, as they called themselves. He pulled down the Bear flag and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes, and then took possession of the barracks already mentioned; but on the arrival of Stevenson's regiment in the country, a company was detached for service in Sonoma under Captain Brackett, a post they continued to occupy until the discovery of gold, at which time Captain John B. Frisbie was in command. At the time of which we write, Sonoma was the principal place of business, traffic and commerce, north of the bay of San Francisco. Ex-Governor Boggs, Lewis Adler, and the other store keepers supplied the country round for leagues with goods, groceries, indeed nearly all their wants, the rancheros coming here to make their purchases, the vendors taking in exchange hides, then the rather unwieldy currency of the time. It is asserted that it was not uncommon for a ranchero, who having a debt of a thousand dollars, to liquidate it by killing
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
a thousand head of cattle so as to procure their hides. Here too, on the discovery of gold, were many of the mining expeditions fitted out, when such was the demand for goods of all kinds, that cargo after cargo was sold almost before they could be put upon the shelves of the stores. Communi- cation was kept up with Yerba Buena by means of small sailing craft which found their way to the Embarcadero; cargoes of flour from Chili, tea from China, cloths from Europe, and spirits from the Eastern States, to the extent of several thousands of dollars; all were speedily disposed of.
Sonoma soon commenced to show signs of a settled population; it was therefore deemed necessary that a survey of the pueblo lands should be made, in order that the people who were fast settling around the town and in the valley might have an opportunity of acquiring titles to their land. To this end Governor Boggs employed Jasper O'Farrell to survey a number of lots, still retaining the original plan of General Vallejo, an l also to lay out, over and above these small sections, thirty or forty acres of land in squares, in conformity with the original design, an I granted to those, these tracts, who had utilized the lands first by building thereon, or otherwise, at the rate of five dollars an acre, while the rest was sold to the highest bidder, and the proceeds placed to the credit of the municipal fund.
In the year 1850, Sonoma was first incorporated as a city, as it was also the county seat. The records of the city, however, for the years 1850 to 1851 are nowhere to be traced, yet it is asserted that in the first mentioned year, the Mayor was Mr. Cameron, and among the Coun- cilmen were Isaac Randolph, Jesse Davidson, D. O. Shattuck. The first authentic date procurable is March 8, 1851, the original archives of the city of Sonoma. These are kept on a few sheets of ordinary letter paper stitched together, and now much time-stained. On June 5, 1852, a new book was commenced, on the inside of the boards of which we find the card of " Marvin & Hitchcock, stationers and booksellers, pioneer book store, sign of the ledger, Montgomery street, San Francisco." The opening minute in this volume notes that on December 21st (of the previous year) it was ordered " that those who did not take out deeds, that their lots should be resold, and the defraying charged to them." This resolution was not adopted, however. The President of the Council, at that date, would appear to have been Peter Campbell, with Messrs. Lewis, Higgins, and others as Councilmen. On April 19, 1851, it was promulgated that an election for one Mayor, one Recorder, one Marshal, one Attorney, one Con- stable, and five Councillors should be held on the first Monday in May, at the same time it being announced that Mr. Brockman, Sr., and Judge Green should act as Judges of election, with L. W. Boggs and R. B. Butter as Inspector and Clerk, respectively. At this stage another hiatus occurs in the city records, until June 5, 1852, when we find that there were present
W. D. Canfeld.
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
at a meeting that day held, Jesse Davidson as President, with Councilors Lewis, Boggs, Randolph and Shattuck.
On the above mentioned date we find the resolution recorded that " a com- mittee of three members be appointed to take into consideration the pro- priety of establishing a free school in the city, to be sustained by taxation; and also to ascertain a proper site for a school-house, and report thereon as early as practicable." It was also then resolved "that a committee of three be appointed to view the most feasible route, as a permanent street from Sonoma to the Embarcadero, taking into consideration the matter of the grounds, directions of the route, price of rights of way, etc." These com- mittees were: For the schools, Messrs. Lewis, Shattuck and Boggs; for the permanent way, Messrs. Randolph, Boggs and Shattuck. It is to be inferred that the mayor of the city at this time was General M. G. Vallejo, for we find on record, that the meeting now under consideration directed that the books and papers of the city of Sonoma be handed over to him; we also find that the drafting of certain rules for the guidance of the councilmen in their deliberations, were ordered under the supervision of Messrs. Boggs and Lewis. This important meeting is attested by James R. Long, Clerk of Council.
Action would appear to have been at once taken in the matter of the school; two lots for the purpose were immediately tendered, one by General Vallejo, situated on the plaza, the other by John Lewis, being lot No. 72 on the plan of the city. The Council while acknowledging the offer of the General declined the lot on account of the publicity of its situation, while they accepted the lot of Mr. Lewis who offered it in lieu of his subscription; a quit deed was therefore made out, and the lot assessed at four hundred dollars. In the month of July, 1852, we find the Councilmen appear for the first time as Aldermen, while the City Attorney was Robert Hopkins, who having resigned was succeeded on January 29, 1853, by Frank W. Shattuck, James R. Boggs being on the same date elected Clerk.
The first regular record of an election to be found was that for the years 1853-4, when the following officials were chosen: Robert Hopkins, Mayor; Jesse Davidson, W. Ryder, David Cook, Israel Brockman, William M. Boggs, Councilmen; Frank W. Shattuck, City Attorney; Benjamin Mitchell, City Assessor; George W. Miller, City Treasurer; John Sharkey, City Marshal; Edwin A. Sherman, Clerk of Council.
Shortly after the foregoing election, the City Marshal requested that his office should be taken from among the positions of honor, and that some emolument should be attached to it; upon consideration a city ordinance was passed directing that the fines and forfeitures obtained by violations of city ordinances should be appropriated towards the salary of the Marshal. We here find mention of a regulation of the corporation which at this period and in this State appears curious to say the least of it. At a date anterior to 1853,
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
an ordinance providing for the due observance of the Sabbath day had been put in operation; on May 22d it was proposed by Alderman Brockman that a fine of not less than five nor more than fifty dollars should be imposed for the violation of it. This reminds us of the act of Parliament of Queen Anne, passed in England, and which has never been repealed, whereby a person not attending divine service on the Sabbath is liable to a fine of one shilling. We find, however, that the corporation of those days in Sonoma, were not of the manner of which the typical alderman is supposed to be moulded. He would appear to have been an enemy to strong drink and other vices in the young. Sonoma had not then commenced the culture of the grape and the making of wine-for an ordinance was passed prohibiting minors from frequenting drinking houses and there gambling.
Like larger cities, and older ones, Sonoma at this juncture was found to be in debt, it was therefore resolved that a tax of sixty cents on each one hundred dollars' worth of property should be ordered, so as to relieve the struggling city from the incubus (June 31, 1853). On July 16, 1853, the following record is found: " A committee of citizens waited upon the Council, requesting the Council to appoint a committee to examine and investigate the books, papers, etc., belonging to the city, and to co-operate with them in such examination in order to satisfy the citizens of Sonoma as regards the true financial condition of the city. Said committee of citizens having been appointed by a meeting of citizens in general, held at the house known as the Blue Wing, for the above purpose. On motion of Alderman Ryder, that a committee of two be appointed to examine the journals, books, papers, etc., and that the clerk be authorized to give up all books, papers, etc., to said committee. On motion of Alexander Ryder, the following resolution was carried in the affirmative: "Be it resolved that WHEREAS, a certain warrant was made by this Board and given to one Reynolds, for and in consideration of his services as Assessor, this Board supposing at the time, without due consideration, that the said Reynolds was fully competent, and had given to this Board a correct and true assess- ment list, did issue said warrant, but a careful examination having been made by this Board, through a statement received from the City Marshal, that it was not correct, and that before he would be enabled to collect any tax it would be necessary to have a new and correct assessment list made out, and this Board finding such to be the truth, do resolve that an order be given to the City Treasurer to refuse payment of said warrant until such time as he, the said City Treasurer, shall receive due notice from this Board, and that the said Reynolds has made and given to this Board a correct assessment list of all the property liable to assessment in the city of Sonoma." On this, it was directed that the City Marshal suspend the collection of taxes until further orders.
In 1854-5 the following gentlemen formed the body corporate governing
HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
the city of Sonoma : G. W. Miller, Mayor; H. L. Kemp, J. E. McNair, Samuel B. Bright, T. K. Chambers, P. J. Vasquez, Councilmen; Thomas I. - Boggs, City Attorney; Isaac Brockman, City Treasurer; W. G. Rain, City Marshal; Frederick Rohrer, Clerk of Council. Under this regime the City was divided into road distriets, overseers thereof being appointed in the month of September of each year, while the undermentioned wards were ; made subject to the provisions of the ordinance: District No. 1 .- Com- mencing at the plaza on Broadway, and running thence on said Broadway to the south-west corner of Lot. No: 573; thence running along the southern boundary of said lot to the south-east corner of same; thence along the road now used, to the boundary of the city. District No. 2 .- First. Com- meneing at the south-east corner of the plaza in Sonoma City on Napa street, and running on said street to the eastern limits of the city. Second. Commencing at the north-east corner of said plaza on Vallejo street, and running thence along said street to the south end of "Clayton's lane," thence north to the city boundary on Santa Rosa road.
In the following years naught save the usual routine of ordinary business has been recorded. Such matters as regards the difficulty of proving titles to land are too well known to need comment from us, therefore the names of the officers of the corporation will simply be given as fully as it has been possible to follow them. 1855-6 .- Samuel B. Bright, Mayor; Frederick Fitch, Frederick Rohrer, Benjamin Mitchell, D. Cook, W. L. Copeland, Councillors; Thomas I. Boggs, City Attorney; G. W. Miller, City Treasurer; D. P. Shattuck, City Assessor; James H. Price, City Marshal; A. G. Baber, Clerk of Council. 1856-7 .- Samuel Brockman, Mayor; P. J. Vasquez; D. Davidson, J. S. Woods, John Andrews, A. C. MeDonald, Councilmen ; Thomas I. Boggs, City Attorney; John Selling, City Treasurer; William Ellis, City Marshal; P. Campbell, Clerk of Council. 1857-8 .- A. G. Oakes, Mayor; H. L. Kemp, P. J. Vasquez, Frederick Rohrer, A. C. McDonald, David Cook, Conncilmen; S. H. Rupe, City Treasurer ; G. L. Wratten, City Attorney; William Ellis, City Marshal; S. F. Gowan, City Assessor. 1858-9 .- A. G. Oakes, Mayor; P. J. Vasquez, D. Calloway, D. Cook, Lewis Adler, F. H. Coe, Councilmen ; Charles Van Geldern, City Treasurer; W. Cramp, City Assessor; D. P. Shattuck, City Marshal; J. D. Long, City Attorney; Frederick Rohrer, Clerk of Council. 1859-60 .- M. G. Vallejo, Mayor; H. F. Bates, H. L. Lidstrom, George McConnell, D. Cook, William Ellis, Councilmen ; John Jones, City Assessor ; Charles Van Geldern, City Treasurer ; G. L. Wratten, City Attorney; H. L. Lidstrom, Clerk of Council pro tem. In this year the rooms of the Council were moved to the residence of General Vallejo, on the plaza, where apartments had been placed at their disposal by the Mayor. On July 14, 1860, all enclosed streets were ordered to be cleared of obstructions and thrown open. The corporation succeeding, was the last to rule over the destinies of Sonoma as a city, for a time, at
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
least, they consisted of : 1860-61 .- D. Cook, Mayor; William Ellis, H. F, Bates, H. L. Lidlstrom, C. D. Smith, A. G. Lyon, Councilmen ; Charles Dier- lam, City Treasurer ; John L. Cook, City Assessor ; William M. Boggs, City Attorney; N. Long, City Marshal. Another corporation had not been appointed when the death-knell to the city of Sonoma was pealed by the Legislature, and it was plucked of its civic glories on April 26, 1862. The king is dead, long live the king ! In lieu of the Mayoralty, Trustees were appointed, the heading of their first meeting sounding the doom of Sonoma's glories in these words: " At a meeting of the Trustees of the former city of Sonoma, elected under an Act of the Legislature of the State of California, entitled an Act to repeal an Act entitled an Act to incorporate the city of Sonoma, passed April 14, 1850, and other matters relating thereto, approved April 26, 1862, held in the office of G. L. Wratten, Esquire, in the village of Sonoma, on the 7th day of June, 1862, and organized by the election of John Walton, President; Dennis Beaham, Secretary and Treasurer; and D. O. Shattuck, as a Board of Trustees, it was by them ordered, that a notice to creditors be published once a week for three months in the different news- pipers in the county; also, that the Secretary anl Treasurer wait on the former Council and receive from them the books and such other effects, the property of the former city of Sonoma."
It is painful in a work which purposes as this does to be the history of a county, that an apology should ever have to appear in its pages, yet such has to be now made. It is no fault of ours that the records of the pueblo of Sonoma should be so incomplete: the records do not exist, or rather they are lost, mislaid or destroyed, and consequently cannot be referred to-between the years 1862 and 1868 they are missing.
We are enabled to state from those at present extant that in the year 1868 the Pueblo Commissioners were Jacob R. Snyder, George L. Wratten, and John Walton. In these records we find that on April 25th of that year it was ordered in accordance with the requirements of an Act of the Legis- lature approved March 30, 1868, that an election should be called submitting to the legal voters of the Pueblo de Sonoma, whether the plaza shall be deeded in trust to the public school Trustees of the Sonoma district to be by them held for public school purposes, and as a public promenade.
On April 29, 1876, Orick Johnson was granted permission to cut the grass on the plaza for his own use, if he undertook to promise to keep the fence surrounding it in goodl repair and cattle from trespassing thereon.
About this time commenced the claim of the pueblo lands, an intricate legal study which we are unable to produce from the want of accurate infor- mation on the matter.
The approved minutes of the meeting held on May 29, 1876, reads: "The time of appeal from the decision of the Commissioners of the General Land Office of the United States having expired yesterday, and it becoming neces-
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sary for the pueblo or city of Sonoma to provide money with which to pay for the re-survey ordered by the said United States Commissioners, and to pay such claims as have accrued and which may accrue in procuring the patent for the pueblo lands and settling the affairs thereof, it was unani- mously resolved that the resolution passed on the 4th day of May, 1869, and which was held in abeyance until otherwise ordered, be now reaffirmed and carried into immediate effect. The said resolution is in words as follows, to- wit: It is therefore unanimously resolved, ordered and directed by J. R. Snyder, John Walton, and George L. Wratten, the Board of Commissioners in and for the pueblo or city of Sonoma that a special tax of one thousand dollars be, and the same is, hereby assessed and levied for the said purposes hereinbefore and in said Aet described, within the limits of said pueblo, upon all taxable real estate therein, and the same is hereby ordered to be collected, and John Walton is appointed the assessor and collector of the said tax, and his compensation is hereby fixed at the sum of -- dollars, and he is hereby directed to make said assessment within -- days from this date, and after the said assessment is made to return his assessment roll to the Board for Equalization, and when the said tax is equalized, to take up the equalized assessment roll or a copy thereof, and proceed at once to collect the saine.".
The Board of Equalization having met July 3d, returned the assessment roll as correct, when it was on motion ordered that thirty-three cents on one hundred dollars be levied for pueblo purposes, and that the Collector, Col. Walton, be instructed to collect the same. It is recorded that Col. Walton tendered his resignation as Collector on August 19th, and George W. Sparks was unanimously chosen in his stead.
The next entry in the record is on June 11th, 1878, the Commissioners being G. T. Pauli, Otto Schetter, and John Tivnen, with George L. Wratten as paid Secretary.
On the above date the Secretary was deputed to proceed to San Fran- cisco, and make inquiries as to the present condition of the case, United States versus The Mayor and Common Council of the City of Sonoma, and to take such necessary steps as would bring the case to a speedy and proper settlement.
On June 21st Secretary Wratten presented his report as follows: That he found the last survey of the pueblo ordered to be made by the United States Surveyor General for the State of California in conformity with the decision and direction of the Commissioner of the United States Land Office had been protested against, and was contested by several parties on the northern boundary line of said pueblo; that a large amount of testimony had been taken, surveys made, maps and exhibits filed in said case, both by the contestants and the former Commissioners on behalf of the said pueblo, and that the taking of testimony in said case had been closed and a brief and argument filed for the contestants by R. P. and H. N. Clement, their attor-
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neys; that it was necessary a reply argument and brief should be made and filed on behalf of said pueblo. That the Surveyor General stated that he was ready to take up the case and decide whenever the arguments and briefs on both sides were all in.
That J. W. Shanklin, Esq., an attorney at law of San Francisco had been employed by Mayor J. R. Snyder the President of the former Board of Commissioners of Sonoma, to represent the interests of the said pueblo and the purchasers of real estate therefrom along the northern boundary line of the same, said Snyder among the number, and that said Shanklin had attended to the said business up to the time of the death of the said Snyder, and the appointment of a new Board of Commissioners; and said Shanklin stated that he was ready and willing to proceed with the case if he was so author- ized by the present Board of Commissioners, etc.
It was. resolved, June 26, 1878, that a tax of fifteen hundred dollars be levied upon and collected from all the taxable real estate situate within the exterior boundaries and limits of the Pueblo de Sonoma, in order to meet the costs of conducting the case and other necessary fees and expenses, George W. Sparks being appointed Assessor. In due time Mr. Shanklin was entrusted with the case and referred to Julius Simon, the attorney of Washington, D. C., who had represented the pueblo before the Commissioner of the General Land office on appeal from the decision of the Surveyor- General of the United States, for information on its different bearings.
On August 29, 1878, the Chief Clerk of the United States Surveyor- General's office for California notified the Board that the survey of the Pueblo of Sonoma would soon be ready for transmission to Washington for the patent, but before it could be sent it was necessary that the commis- sioners deposit with the Clerk of the United States District Court in San Francisco the sum of two hundred dollars to pay cost of office work on said survey. Such a charge not being understood by the Board, especially as sums had been paid by the former commissioners sufficient to cover all necessary costs, Messrs. Wratten and Tivnen were deputed to go to San Francisco to make inquiries on this head. On their return this committee made a report, that owing to the absence of the Surveyor-General no satis- factory answer could be obtained. Thereafter Messrs. Pauli and Tivnen proceeded to San Francisco in regard to this subject, and made the following report on September 11th: "The undersigned, a committee appointed at a regular meeting held on the 2d instant to confer with United States Sur- veyor-General Wagner, beg to report as follows: "We found on explanation of the Surveyor-General in regard to our account with his office and the amount deposited by the former Commissioners of the Pueblo of Sonoma that the pueblo is indebted to the United States in the sum of eight dollars and nine cents, and feel satisfied the same is correct.
" We also report that the Surveyor-General will approve the last survey,
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
corrected by the Deputy, Mr. Benson, and will make his report within three weeks to the United States Land Commissioner at Washington to that effect, and that it was necessary for the Commissioners (of the pueblo) to pay the Clerk of the United States District Court the sum of two hundred dollars towards paying for preparing field-notes, maps, etc., and said committee have paid said amount and filed the receipt of the Clerk in the office of the said United States Surveyor-General.
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