USA > California > Kings County > History of Tulare and Kings counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 12
USA > California > Tulare County > History of Tulare and Kings counties, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the counties who have been identified with their growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 12
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"A protest against the contemplated reduction of the overland mail service is now in circulation. * This is the only direct and speedy (sic) connection we have with the east and its promptness and regularity have made it an enterprise of the utmost importance to the people of California." -- Delta, 1859.
SOME ADVICE COUPLED WITH A PREDICTION
"I would advise the merchants and citizens of Visalia and Tulare county to encourage as much as possible men to go into the mountains east of this valley and prospect there thoroughly, as nothing but the discovery of mines close to us that we can supply without fear of com-
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petition will save us from inevitable Babylonie ruin that will change most of our fine buildings into nothing but a shelter for a lot of lousy Indians in a few years."-(Newspaper correspondent in 1859.)
POLITICS
The following appeared in the Delta in 1859.
"We can safely pledge the county of Tulare to give seventy-five Democratie votes to one Republican or mixed. * In Fresno * county there was never but one abolitionist and he has now left for a more congenial clime. His portrait is to be seen at the Millerton hotel. Mr. McCray has had the portrait framed at a heavy expense that the passerby may look upon the Lone Republican of Fresno. Whence he came or whither he went no one knoweth."
THE BUSY BEE
June 21, 1859 .- "J. B. Stevens arrived in Visalia with ten hives of bees, the first ever brought to the county.
J. H. and C. G. Hart had an apiary east of Visalia in 1860, and inserted the following advertisement in the Delta: Bee Advertisement -For sale on and after the first of September next a choice lot of honey bees in as good condition as any the county affords. Price $50 a swarm. A farm or grain will be taken as pay where it suits pur- chasers better than to pay money.'"
ARRIVAL OF THE TELEGRAPH
On June 18, 1860, the Atlantic and Pacific telegraph line entered Visalia and the occasion was celebrated in a fitting manner. Abe Rape- ly, agent of the Overland mail company, took the matter in charge. A procession consisting of every horse and vehicle in town, with all spare stage coaches, decorated with flags and bunting, set out to meet the linemen. A large banner on which was painted a representation of the earth surrounded by a chain of telegraph wires with the motto "I'll put a girdle round about the earth in forty minutes," was carried by T. V. Crane who made the address of welcome and escorted back into town the superintendent, James Street.
ELECTIONS HELD IN SALOONS
"Pursuant to notice a primary election was held in the Visalia precinct at the new saloon of A. O. Thoms, on Saturday last, and the following gentlemen chosen as delegates to attend the Union county convention of Saturday, August 2nd: Stephen Davenport, Henry Hartley, W. M. Johnson, G. A. Botsford, John Cutler, Hi Morrell, I. II. Thomas, S. Cady, T. Lindsey, William Baker, S. G. George, Lytle Owen, John Gill."-Delta, July, 1862.
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A VIGOROUS PROTEST
Dr. Webh, the eccentric individual who obtained a deed to the upper story of a building erected in Visalia, as related elsewhere, later became county physician and manager of the county hospital at a sal- ary of $500 per year. In 1871 the supervisors ousted Webb from his position and gave to his successor a salary of $2000 per year. The following card appeared in the Times of November 11, 1871, which seems to indicate that the reverend doctor was somewhat peeved :
"Rey. James A. Webb to the perjured supervisors of Tulare county, California.
"Perjured villains, rebel devils and fools;
"While unscrupulous and perjured rebel devils hold political sway in our demented rebel county no honest man or christian can expect any favors from their nefarious hands.
"I would be glad to keep the county hospital for $500 a year, but because I am a Union man, and not a perjured rebel devil, you will rob me of my only means of support and give my hospital to rebel traitors of your own kind for four times the price for which I offer to keep it.
"Therefore, I, the only true physician in Tulare county, Cali- fornia, and the only true Gospel minister in Tulare county, and the only Bible poet in Tulare county, and the only Advent prophet in Tulare county and the only Christian patriarch in Tulare; Therefore, in the name and service of the Great Jehovah, I offer my services to God and him only to continue my fifty years Bible task.
"Where is your oath of office, Oh! ve perjured Democratic demons? Where is your conscience, you ungodly devils? Have you any reason why I should not damn you all together?" And follows more, signed "Alonzo, the Advent Prophet, Bible Poet and Christian Patriarch."
A NOVEL ENGINE
A correspondent, writing about Visalia in the '90s, thus speaks of the engine that hauled the passengers from Visalia to Goshen: "The engine doing service on the Visalia railroad is one of the most novel arrangements we recollect to have seen in railroading. It has engine, tender and car all aggregated together, will carry ten or fif- teen passengers and baggage, and can doubtless be run at half the cost of an ordinary stage coach. We place no high estimate on its speed, but the engineer tells us that it has the power to move any train likely to be loaded at any point in the valley."
THE FLOOD TIMES
There are a great many people who never lived in Tulare county that have a fixed idea that this is a waterless county, where the
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unfortunate denizens are ever parched with thirst. But there have been many years when there was more water than was necessary for drinking purposes.
That abused individual, the "oldest inhabitant," tells of wonder- ful times back in the early '50s. But the flood of 1867 is one in the memories of a great many people, and was surely bad enongh. In the winter of that year all the streams in the county were on a rampage. Tule river spread all over the Poplar and Woodville sections. Deer creek and the White river merged their waters in their lower course, and the Kaweah and St. Johns made a vast expanse of waters. Boats bearing supplies passed freely from Visalia to places in Kings and Fresno counties. The herds of cattle and sheep looked sad. Many hair breadth adventures are recorded and there was great loss of property.
An account of the experiences at two farm houses will serve to indicate prevailing conditions during this flood. Eastward from Vi- salia, near where Packwood creek crosses the Mineral King road. there resided but three families, those of A. H. Broder, Ira Van Gordon and W. Il. Mills. Broder suggested that all get together at his place, that being situated on higher ground. This was done and the men proceeded to build an embankment about three feet high, enclosing about half an acre of ground. The siding from the barn was removed and a raft built, their labors extending into the night. The women, likewise, were busily employed preparing supplies, cook- ing beans, etc. The plan was to move to a still higher sand knoll which lay to the south and west. By nine o'clock the following morn- ing, Broder, who had been keeping tab on the water level by means of sticks, reported that it had receded half an inch and that it would not be necessary to move.
About two hundred Indians took refuge on the same high mond, and made a gala festival of the predicament. Squirrels and rabbits in great numbers were caught and hung on lines to dry, the flood affording both amusement and provender.
At the residence of the Evans family, near Visalia, which was also located on high ground, there were exciting times this night. The water, after a previous raise, came suddenly, surrounding their house and almost engulfing some of their neighbors' homes. The Prothero family lived on the Bentley place and there the water ran through the windows. Mr. and Mrs. Prothero with three children were assisted to move to the Evans house and then came a call for help from the home of Mrs. Williams, who lived adjoining. This was about one o'clock in the morning, pitch dark and the swirling waters icy cold. Mrs. Williams had a baby but four or five days old and was unable to walk. Samuel and James Evans waded over, and plac- ing her in a rocking chair, carried her to safety. Tom Robinson,
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with his wife and family, also took refuge with the Evanses, making a total of twenty-five gathered there. The barn, several hundred yards away, half full of hay, provided the only place for sleeping quarters for so many people. Between it and the house the water ran two or three feet deep. Lnekily, a boat had previously been constructed in which to go to Visalia, and so the half-dried refugees cuddled around the stove in the Evans's kitchen were enabled to get to bed withont again getting wet. Jim Evans, acting as gondolier, conducted his guests to their hay mow lodgings.
HARVESTING WHEAT
In the days of the early '50s harvesting grain was anything but a rapid process. No reapers or combined harvester then. The labor of entting was done mostly by Indians, with old-fashioned reap hooks. The grain was drawn to the threshing yard by rawhides, and the threshing done by tramping the straw with horses in the same old style that was in vogne in the days of Noah.
THE LOST MINE
Tulare county, like many other sections of the state, has had its Lost Mine legend. This particular one has had many variations in the narrative, and many were the people who gave time and means in searching for the lost mine. One of the legends was that a party of Spaniards had a mine somewhere in the mountains in the head- waters of the Kaweah river, that the mine was immensely rich, and that going out to Sonora with a pack train all the miners were killed and the packs were all of gold. The Indians claimed to know of the location of the mine, and several expeditions were made to find it but with the usual snecess. Floods had washed away landmarks, or something was wrong, so the Indians never quite found the right spot.
Andrew Harrell, familiarly known as "Barley" Harrell, did not owe his nickname to the great acreages of the cereal that he was accustomed to plant, but to the fact that in his conrting days when visiting his sweetheart he told his parents that he had been to see Mr. Bacon about that barley. The exense served well for one visit, but the use of it a second time caused much laughter and he was ever after designated "Barley."
SOME STATISTICS OF 1870
W. J. Ellis, county assessor of Tulare county in 1870, submitted, as was the enstom in those days, a statistical report to the state surveyor-general showing the number of live stock of different kinds, areas devoted to different cultures, quantity of different prodnetions, ete. On account of the small cultivated area in those days, and on ac- count of the conscientious care Mr. Ellis brought to the task, a degree
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of accuracy was obtained greatly in excess of present day statistics.
For example, there were one hundred and eight orange trees in the county, one hundred of which were in a nursery. Today there are in the neighborhood of 2,700,000. The area devoted to wheat was 2500 aeres. In the '80s, when the production of this cereal reached its height, scores of ranches each contained a greater acreage than this.
The butter production was 8,150 pounds; today over four mil- lion,
While cattle raising was one of the great industries of that time, we find but 28,604 head of stock cattle, a number almost equaled now by dairy cows.
Of sheep, now ahnost extinet within this county, there were 158,- 631, and the annual production of wool was given as 872,670 pounds. This, by the way, was more than doubled in the next four sueeceding years.
In all, there were but 30,000 acres of enclosed land, 20,000 of which was cultivated.
In a letter to the surveyor-general accompanying this report, Mr. Ellis qualified as a prophet by using the following language: "Stock raising has ever been and is yet the leading interest in Tulare county, but a change is taking place. We have to look but a short distance ahead to see the plains of Tulare county covered with beautiful farms, nice farm houses, waving fields of grain. The locomotive's whistle will then he heard."
MANKINS' PARTY ARRIVAL
The following is quoted from the description of the entry of a party of pioneers into Visalia in 1854, written by one of them-J. Il. Mankins :
"Late in April, 1854, had one been standing on Main street, Vi- salia, he would have witnessed the entry of a unique cavalcade. There were ten riders traveling in single file-your humble servant one of them.
"That broad-shouldered man, weighing above two hundred and twenty pounds is 'dad.' He is always in the lead and is dressed throughout in smoked bnekskin with fringes up the legs, and a hunt- ing shirt, also fringed roundabout. Add to the costume a very high plug hat, imagine him then with a mop of raven black hair falling over his shoulders, with coal black, piercing eyes, seated on a large dapple gray horse. A hunting knife is at his girdle, a six shooter on either side of the saddlehorn and he carries a 'sharp shooter' rifle in front. Such was J. B. Mankins, forty-niner and pioneer of pioneers.
"After Dad came next two boys, nearing manhood, one girl of eleven, a young Indian boy, two Jews and then three boys aged
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fourteen, eight and six. We were all, except the Jews, dressed wholly in buckskin, well fringed. For hats we wore bearskin caps. "We pitched our camp just across Mill creek, north of Visalia. The tules then came very close to town and the mosquitoes were very numerous. The town consisted of one store, kept by John Pemberton, a blacksmith shop and a tavern. O. K. Smith was sheriff and Judge Louis Van Tassell, under sheriff.
"I remember quite well Mrs. John Keener, Sr. She had gotten sight of us and perceived that we were sadly in need of repairs, for yon see, we were half-orphans. So she had Dad get some cloth, and she made us up some clothes, for it became necessary for ns to conform to the usages of civilization."
In 1859, the following time schedule was published: Overland stage from San Francisco to St. Louis arrives Sunday and Wednes- day mornings, departs on arrival. From Stockton to Visalia, arrives Tuesday and Friday nights, departs Monday and Thursday mornings. From Visalia to Los Angeles, via Kingsbury, Petersburg and Keyes- ville, arrives eighth and twenty-fifth of month and departs first and fifteenth. Tri-weekly to Ilonitos-120 miles, made one day, return next. Tri-weekly to Linns valley.
In July. 1867, Messrs. Thorne and Davenport established a saddle and pack train over the Hockett trail to Lone Pine and Inde- pendence.
In July, 1864, Messrs. Bellows, Lown and Badger, of Owens river, started a regular cargo train over the new trail from Visalia to Owens river.
We are informed that the services at the camp ground near town were disturbed on Sunday by some unregenerate heathen who persisted in singing John Brown, The Star Spangled Banner, Hail Columbia, and other airs, which were decidedly offensive to the majority of those present. This is very wrong."-Delta, Sept. 3, 1862.
"Wild mustangs seem to be quite plenty in our vicinity. A company of young men went out on the plains near the head of Cross preek on Saturday last and succeeded in securing sixteen of the quadrupeds."-Delta, June 12, 1862.
NO FENCE LAW
It is probable that no measure ever passed by the legislature of California had more beneficial effect on the agricultural interests of the state than the "no fence" law enacted in 1874.
This law required cattle owners to prevent their stock from trespassing on the land of others when same was in use. In Tulare county the agitation in favor of the passage of such a law was in- augurated by Stephen Barton, editor of the Delta, in 1870. As
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stock raising was the principal industry here at that time, and there were many men heavily interested in it whose revenues would be injuriously affected, the proposed measure was bitterly opposed. The election of 1873 for senator from the district comprised of Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties turned upon the question of "fence" or "no fence," Thomas Fowler, on the Democratic ticket, opposing the law, and Tipton Lindsey, running as Independent, favoring it.
The Times opposed the law on the ground that no time was allowed the stockmen in which to make such changes in their methods as to permit them to sustain a minimum of loss.
The Delta pointed out the rapid development of farming which would ensne and the eminent justice of the measure.
The issue was presented in stirring speeches to the voters of almost every precinct by the opposing candidates, the result in this county being a majority of votes for Fowler. Lindsey was, how- ever, elected, as was a "no fence" assemblyman, and the enactment into law followed at the next session of the legislature.
AS SEEN BY FREMONT
Fremont, when homeward bound, in 1844, passed through the San Joaquin valley and Tulare county. He speaks frequently of the numerons bands of wild horses encountered enroute. Elk were frequently started near the San Joaquin river, and wolves were seen chasing the young antelope.
On April 8th, the River of the Lake, elsewhere denominated the Rio de los Reyes, or Kings river, was reached. Ilere the Indians brought in otter skins to trade. His ford is located at latitude 36- 24-50, longitude 119-41-40. Of the trip from Kings river to the sonthern end of what is now Tulare county, Fremont says:
"April 9th .- For several miles we had very bad traveling over what is called rotten ground, in which the horses were frequently up to their knees. Making toward a line of timber, we found a small, fordable stream (Cottonwood creek), beyond which the conn- try improved and the grass became excellent. * We traveled # until late through open oak groves, and encamped among a collection of streams." Was this near the Kaweah and Canoe creek and Deep creek ?
"April 10th .- Today we made another long journey of about forty miles, through a country uninteresting and flat, with very little grass and a sandy soil, in which several branches we crossed had lost their water. In the evening the face of the country became hilly, and, turning a few miles up towards the mountains, we found a good encampment on a pretty stream hidden among the hills, and handsomely timbered, principally with large cottonwoods."
"April 11th .- A broad trail along the river here takes us out
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among the hills. Buen camino (good road) said one of the Indians, of whom we had inquired about the pass, and following it accord- ingly, it conducted us beautifully through a very broken country. * The country had now assumed a character of aridity, and the luxuriant green of the little streams wooded with willow. oak, or sycamore, looked very refreshing among the sandy hills."
CHAPTER X THE MUSSEL SLOUGH WAR
J. J. Doyle, one of the oldest settlers of the Mussel Slough country, in whose charge the settlers later placed all actions under- taken to protect their rights, gives this version of the controversy in which he took a prominent part.
"In 1870 I was living on the west side of the San Joaquin river. In the Rural Press I saw a letter written by W. S. Chatman, a land lawyer of San Francisco who elaimed a section of land near me which was also claimed by the railroad company as being included . in their ten mile float.
"In this letter Chatman stated that as a lawyer he had inves- tigated the matter and found that the railroad had no right to an acre of this land for he reason that it was a state corporation and was to receive similar lands granted to the Atlantic & Pacific rail- road company. Their charter provided that they should build a road from the bay of San Francisco running through the counties of Santa Clara, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, Los Angeles and San Diego, to the town of San Diego and thence east to the state line.
"Chatman showed in his letter that according to the Grant act they were to file a map of the proposed route, which they had not done.
"Upon investigation I found that there were three hundred and fifty-four Spanish land grants between San Francisco and San Diego. Of course they would get none of this land. I also found that the west ten miles of lieu lands was nearly all in the Pacific ocean. They knew, however, of the great San Joaquin valley, in which the Laguna de Tache was the only land grant, and therefore had changed their route near Tres Pinos so as to enter the center of the San Joaquin valley and go over the Tehachapi pass, as the road now runs.
"I came into the Mussel Slongh country in 1871 and myself and brother located on lands bordering the Mussel Slongh. As I he-
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lieved from Chatman's letter and from my own investigations that the railroad had no right to a title to these lands, I petitioned ('on- gress in the fall of 1874, but getting no immediate relief, I offered a filing in the Visalia land office. This was rejected and I appealed my case with thirty others to the Department of the Interior. All told, I appealed nearly all of three hundred cases from the Visalia land office. We were beaten in these and I then took a case through the state courts, the United States courts and to the supreme court. Twelve separate decisions were rendered, no two of which agreed.
"After this, for the purpose of acting unitedly in our fight with the railroad, we settlers organized the Land League, which at one time attained a membership of six hundred. In 1875 I was sent to Washington, where I remained six months. I got a bill on the calendar, but through manipulation it was defeated. In 1879 I went to Washington again, but accomplished nothing. A decision against us had been handed down by the Federal courts and the railroad was eager to dispossess us, but as we were so strong and well organized. they hesitated to do so.
"I sent a resolution to Sacramento to Governor Stanford, who was then president of the road, and at his request we appointed a committee composed of Major McQuiddy, J. M. Patterson, and myself. We called on the governor and persuaded him to visit our country, which he did in April, 1880. We started then a negotiation for a settlement of the matter with Governor Stanford, and had been engaged for about a month in a discussion of an equitable arrange ment when suddenly, without a warning and withont our knowledge. the United States marshal appeared, coming for the avowed purpose of dispossessing some of our men. We were that day to have a big meeting at Hanford to listen to Judge Terry give an exposition of our rights in the premises.
"The marshal was accompanied by men named Hart. Clark and Crow, who were all loaded down with arms. The marshal, prior to serving any papers, desired to confer with us, which was granted. In the meantime, a number of our men, more through curiosity than anything else, went over to the wagon where Crow and Hart were. Of these only two, viz., Harris and Henderson, were armed.
"All at once during the conference shooting commenced withont any special provocation and Harris was killed. According to the evidence it appeared that he and Ilart had fired almost at the same time. Harris hit Hart in the groin and he died within four days. Then Crow shot Harris with a number ten shotgun loaded with twelve bullets. He hit him right in the breast. Then he shot Knutson, who was on horseback, shot him with twelve bullets and then turned his gun on Dan Kelly, whose horse, just as Crow fire l. had become unruly and whirled around so that the charge entered Kelly's side
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and practically blew it off. Crow was out of the wagon at this time, the team having previously run away as Hart was attempting to get ont. ('row and Hart and Clark each had a couple of British bull- dog pistols, a number ten shotgun and a Winchester rifle of the largest size.
"After ('row left the wagon he walked about forty steps for the purpose of killing McGregor, who was holding the marshal's horse. McGregor got behind the horse and Crow reached around in front of the horse and shot him with his pistol twice, the bullets entering the breast and coming ont at the back.
"This put Henderson into it, who, seeing McGregor murdered in that way, rushed for Crow. They exchanged four shots and Henderson fell dead. Then Crow left the grant and attempted to get to his home, which was distant about a mile and a half, but was shot dead on the way.
"On account of this, seventeen of us, myself included, were indicted by the United States grand jury for resisting the United States marshal, and tried and convicted. I was not within three miles of it when it happened and yet we were convicted and served eight months in the San Jose jail for resisting the marshal, who as a matter of fact was resisted by no one. The marshal, indeed, had not attempted the exercise of any authority or the enforcement of any order.
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