USA > California > Lassen County > Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850 > Part 22
USA > California > Plumas County > Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850 > Part 22
USA > California > Sierra County > Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850 > Part 22
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PLUMAS HOUSE.
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DRAWN & LITH'D. BY C. L. SMITH. S.F.
PLUMAS HOUSE, QUINCY, CAL.
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from all parts of the county to reach some source of supplies. Many mining camps were completely deserted, while in others there remained but two or three-seldom more than half a dozen-men who had purchased the scant supplies of those who departed, and had thus secured sufficient to last them till spring. Miners from the middle fork and its tributaries spent the winter in Onion or Strawberry valleys, to which points goods could be brought from Marysville, or scattered themselves through the mines on Yuba river. Those from the north fork and east branch went to Bidwell's bar and other points on the Feather river. Many of these took their departure before the dangers of travel became so great; but the later ones encountered hardships that the pen fails adequately to describe. The severest storms of the season occurred during the week between Christmas and New Year's, and for several days thereafter ; and in those dreadful tempests suffering and death came to many amid the snow of the mountains. Men who had families in the valleys struggled bravely with wind and snow to go for the food they required. Pack-trains were brought up by almost superhuman exertion nearly to Nelson Point, and then their loads were taken in small lots upon the backs of men. One instance is recorded where a man took a pack-train to within one- half mile of his destination, and then had to pay fifty cents a pound to have the goods taken by men the remainder of the distance. At another point a train of mules refused to go over the top of the mountain where the wind had piled the snow up in a huge bluff; and they were blindfolded, led to the top, and pushed over, rolling with their packs clear to the bottom. Such extreme measures as these had to be resorted to that food could be taken to those who otherwise would have starved.
It was early in the morning of December 28 of that dreadful winter that the miners on Rich bar, east branch, came to the conclusion that they must make a bold push to pass the barrier of snow and reach Bidwell's bar, or they would all perish from starvation. The snow lay four feet deep on the level at the river, and on the mountains it was about thirty feet, the top four or five feet being loose, newly fallen snow. They had but a week's provisions, with no prospect of any more. These were purchased by seven men who decided to remain, and the others, taking some cooked food with them, started on their perilous journey. It was a motley throng that commenced the ascent of the mountain that icy winter morning. There were over seventy in all-Americans, Frenchmen, Mexicans, Kanakas, and Chinamen. At that time snow-shoes were unknown, and the traveler had to flounder through the soft snow as best he could. The men took turns in plunging into the snow and beating out a path, so that the others could follow. In this way a man would work at the head of the column for a few yards, and then step aside into the snow until the others passed him, and fall in at the rear. By wallowing in this way, the party advanced foot by foot, several of the men becoming so exhausted in their efforts that they were unable to proceed, and per- ished in the snow. The remainder reached the cabin on top of the mountain, six miles from the bar, which was vacant, and was found after much searching. The snow there was over fifteen feet deep, and a descent was made through it and into the cabin by means of the doorway. The shakes which composed the floor were torn up to make a fire to instill a little warmth into their benumbed bodies. After taking a hearty meal of the food they had brought with them, the party rolled them- selves up in their wet blankets, and, cold, shivering, and completely exhausted, sought the presence of the " sweet restorer." Such a motley crew never before lodged together in so contracted quar- ters. So packed and woven in together were they, that when one awoke in the morning it took him some time to discover whether he was a Chinaman, Kanaka, or white man. Early the next morn- ing they renewed their struggle with the snow and a terrible storm that had set in, and after wallowing through it all day, reached Spanish Ranch, six miles distant, where they procured a
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good warm supper. Here they found a great crowd of miners who had come from other points, and so many were there that the landlord sent them all away the next morning, as his stock of provisions were too low to spare any for so great a crowd. They went on to Meadow Valley house, two miles distant, and Dean & McCoy, the proprietors, kept them one day, and then told them they must move on. The next day they set out for Buck's Ranch, kept by R. H. Fairchilds, and struggled through the eight miles of snow to that place. Here they paid one dollar and a half each for supper and breakfast, and one dollar for the privilege of spreading a blanket on the floor for a bed. During the night it rained a little, and then froze, forming a hard crust on the snow, so that their journey of sixteen miles to Peavine the next day was comparatively easy. Another day brought them to Bidwell's bar, where the river was " booming." All travel by the ferry across the turgid stream had ceased ; but a man was engaged in crossing travelers in a small boat, taking only one at a time. It was a most perilous undertaking; but the river was between them and food, and go they must. One at a time they crossed, the last two being old sailors, who rigged ropes to the ferry cable, and pulled themselves over. Now that they had reached the land of Canaan for which they had struggled and suffered, they felt as jubilant as children. They scattered through the mines in search of claims, and early in the spring returned to their old claims in Plumas county, drag- ging provisions over the snow on hand-sleds from Buckeye, where they had paid fifty cents a pound for them. This is but one incident of the great exodus of that memorable season.
We will relate two more incidents of that terrible exodus, and that must suffice. Late in December, 1852, M. Madden, Thomas Schooly, Mordicai Dunlap, and - Bain, left Soda bar to break their way through the snow out of the mountains. After two days of struggle with snow and water, during which they one time waded in water up to their waists, they reached Buck's Ranch. On the morning of the 2nd of January, 1853, they left that place for Peavine, against the advice of Captain Fairchilds, the proprietor, who called their attention to a storm that was gathering. Bain was the only member of the party that had ever been over the route ; but as others had left the place that morning, they gave no heed to Fairchilds's warning, and set out to follow the tracks left in the snow. They had gone but a few miles when a severe storm set in. The wind blew a perfect gale, and the rapidly falling snow was blown into their faces, nearly blinding them. Lowering their heads, they struggled on against the tempest. They were but scantily clothed for such a journey. None had a full suit of clothes; and Bain wore but boots pants, hat, and woolen shirt, from which the buttons were gone, leaving his breast exposed to the storm. When they reached Frenchman hill they began to experience difficulty in keeping the trail, which was fast being obliterated by the snow. They walked four abreast, so that the judg- ment of all could be used as to the location of the trail. In this way they reached the ruins of the old Rock River house, and pushed on to strike Walker's plains. Soon they discovered that they were not in the road, and followed their tracks back again to the Rock River house, to take a new start. This they tried several times, losing their way each time, and having great difficulty in retracing their steps; for though they sank nearly to their hips at every step, the drifting snow soon filled up their tracks. The last time they found themselves astray they were close to an old pine stump, the hollow part of which was filled with pitch. This they knew would burn all night if they could ignite it, but all their efforts were fruitless because of the dampness of their matches. They then struggled back to the Rock River house in the hope of getting shelter, but were again grievously disappointed. Only a few of the peeled poles that once formed a frame upon which to stretch canvas remained to testify to a house having once stood there. . After digging about in the snow with their hands, to see if they could not resurrect something to aid them in constructing
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a shelter, they abandoned hope of accomplishing anything. What a terrible situation was theirs- cold, wet, exhausted with fatigue, poorly clad, the darkness of night enshrouding them, miles away from food, warmth, or shelter, and exposed to the drivings of a pitiless storm! A faint-hearted man would have lain himself down in the drifting snow and died. But a few yards from the old ruin was a brook, running in a narrow channel between walls of snow twenty feet deep, where it had been banked up by the wind. Into this they descended, and waded up and down in the water, which was less than a foot deep, and was warmer than the snow. Here, also, they were sheltered from the fury of the gale by the banks of snow on either hand. Up and down the creek they waded, always moving to keep the blood circulating, until poor Bain gave up in despair, and could make no further effort to retain his hold upon the thread of life that was fast slipping from his grasp. His companions caved down some snow on one side, and made a level bench on which they sat in turns, holding Bain in their laps. The poor fellow died in Schooly's arms. In this way the night wore on; the suffering men scarcely hoping to see the return of another day. At last the dawn appeared. Their pilot was dead ; they knew not the road ; all traces of travel had been long since obliterated; and in this dilemma they decided to find their way back to Buck's Ranch if possible. Their weakened condition and the increased depth of loose snow made progress extremely difficult, and after struggling along for some time, and finding themselves going down a mountain they had never seen before, they made a resolve to turn back and push as hard toward the south as possible, with the hope of getting out of the deep snow and reaching Peavine. They retraced their steps, nearly covered by the falling snow, to where they had spent the night, took Bain's pistol and money, and started in a southerly direction. Soon they saw a blaze on a tree, then another, and renewed energy and hope came with the knowledge that they were on the trail again. The storm ceased, and the sun came out to cheer them, but the darkness of another night settled down before they had reached their destination. Among the heavy timber they tramped a long path of solid snow, up and down which they paced, occasionally leaning against a tree for a short nap, and to dream of warm firesides and tables groaning with the weight of juicy meats, and then waking to tramp the path in cold and hunger, until again the morning broke and lighted them on their way. The last efforts of exhausted nature brought them to Peavine, where they were most kindly treated, and their frozen members nursed back to vitality. After resting a few days they went back and gave poor Bain's body a decent burial, then continued their journey to Marysville, where Bain's money was deposited in Adams & Co.'s bank to the credit of his partner, who had remained on Soda bar. This was but one of the many cases of suffering and death amid the snows of that dreadful winter.
Early in the month of January another party of twelve started from Nelson Point to make their way out of the mountains. The first day they reached Onion valley, where they remained for the night. In the morning, six of them, led by J. H. Whitlock, started to break a path through the snow, it being agreed that the other six would follow their trail at noon and break the road for the balance of the day. The first party became lost in the snow, and wandered about for three days, suffering from cold and hunger to a degree beyond description, and finally reaching a house alive, but in a most pitiable condition. The second party followed the trail of the first until they, too, became bewildered, and sought to retrace their steps to Onion valley. One of them succeeded in doing this, and sent help to the others. The relief party found Walter Goodspeed dead, and H. Brown and William Phillips so badly frozen that they both died afterwards.
In the spring of 1853 the miners came flocking back to the deserted claims, and once again was seen the stir of civilization, and the transformation of the wilderness into the abode of man.
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Emigrants came pouring in through Beckwourth pass, with their families, to settle upon the rich lands of the valleys; and these, with the settlements that had been previously made, laid a solid foundation for the prosperous communities that afterwards sprang up. No more fear, then, of starvation ; no more necessity to flee to the valley at the approach of winter; a new era had dawned upon Plumas, and it had begun to be self-sustaining.
ORGANIZATION OF PLUMAS COUNTY.
We have seen how the tireless feet of the prospector explored this region from end to end ; how the rich gold deposits drew thousands of men into the mountains to delve for the precious metal; how the fertile valleys invited the emigrant to abide among these mountain peaks, and build there a home for himself and his children; how happy and prosperous communities sprang up, with all the needs and requiring all the advantages of their sisters beyond the mountains.
For four years this section performed the function of tail to the Butte county kite, and then the tail became too heavy. The kite was not properly balanced, and would not fly as gracefully as before. No law existed here but that to be found in the self-constituted courts of the miners. A few justices of the peace and constables were elected for the townships of Quartz and Mineral, which had been established by the court of sessions of Butte county; but there was little for them to do, and the county officers, save when electioneering for votes and the tax-collector striving for his commissions, never visited this section of the county. Not only were the people remote from the county seat, but for several months in the winter season they were cut off from it entirely by snow. Nature had so managed affairs that they were compelled to rely solely upon themselves for months at a time ; and to go to the valley for the transaction of official business was a hardship always, and often an impossibility.
So large a population had gathered here in 1853, that both of the great political parties, the whigs and the democrats, held their county conventions in this region, where at least half of the voting population resided. They realized then that they were strong enough to support a county government. They wanted protection of the law; they wanted schools for their children; they wanted roads from valley to valley and from town to town, instead of the narrow and dangerous pack trail; they wanted all the blessings and advantages that flow from a well-administered county government. The subject was much discussed in 1853 and the following winter. The people in the western part of the county were willing to let them go. They were strong enough, and their county large enough, without keeping the mountain section tied to them against their . will. At that time the Butte Record, the only paper then published in the county, spoke thus of the project of the formation of a new county :
"We can begin to realize some of the dangers and difficulties attending communication with remote parts of the county during several months of the year, when we consider, that, beyond the most dangerous and difficult of these passes, and beyond the range of hills where is usually experienced the heaviest rains and the greatest depth of snow, there are large and fertile valleys with comparatively temperate winters, where hundreds of families are now settling, and preparing beautiful farms and comfortable, happy homes; that all of them have been reared in a land blessed with civil and religious institutions ; that, scattered at frequent intervals throughout that vast country are immense stores of goods, of from four to six months' supply of the necessaries and comforts, and even many of the luxuries, of life; and that an immense amount of exchange is thus
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daily carried on among the inhabitants. Constituted as man is, disputes must necessarily arise which must be settled by some tribunal, and the almost absolute impossibility of reaching the tribunals organized under the laws of the State is felt. .... The people in such sections very naturally complain of such boundary lines of counties as debar them for a large portion of the year from access to any seat of justice; and even when the roads are in their best state, they feel that they are oppressed with a grievous burden when required to leave their work and travel from one hundred to one hundred and fifty miles to attend court, as witness, juryman, or in any other capacity. The effect of such a state of things is disastrous and unfortunate in the extreme, and in more ways than one. The result is that crime either in a great measure goes unpunished, or is punished by mob law."
At that time one of the members of the assembly, representing Butte county, was John B. McGee, who lived within the limits of the proposed new county. He introduced a bill on the 14th of February creating the county of Plumas, and so ably supported the measure that it passed the assembly, and was sent to the senate. That body took favorable action upon it on the 7th of March, and on the 18th of the month the signature of Governor John Bigler made it a law. The name given to the county by this Act was derived from the river that runs through it in three branches. It was eminently fitting that the name of the river should be given to the county in which were found its fountain-heads.
The complete organic act of Plumas county is as follows :
AN ACT TO ORGANIZE THE COUNTY OF PLUMAS OUT OF A PORTION OF THE TERRITORY OF BUTTE COUNTY. (Passed March 18, 1854.)
The People of the State of California, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows :
SECTION 1. The county of Butte shall be divided so as to form a new county out of the north-eastern portion, which shall be called Plumas.
SEC. 2. The said county of Plumas shall be bounded as follows, to wit: Commencing at the Buckeye house, on the line between Yuba and Butte, and running in a right line across the southern portion of Walker's plains and Feather river to the summit of the dividing ridge divid- ing the waters of the west branch and the main Feather river; thence following the said divide to the summit of the main divide, separating the waters of the Sacramento and the main north Feather; thence following said divide to the line of Shasta county, dividing Shasta and Butte. (This line was defined March 19, 1853, as "beginning at a point in the middle of Sacramento river, opposite the mouth of Red Bank creek, below the Red Bluffs, and thence running due east to the dividing ridge which separates the waters flowing into the Sacramento river below the Red Bluffs, and into Feather river, from those flowing into Sacramento river above the Red Bluffs ; thence following the top of said dividing ridge to Sierra Nevada; thence due east to the boundary of the State.") Thence along said line to the boundary of the State; thence along the eastern boundary of the State to the north-east corner of Sierra county ; thence following the north- western boundary of Sierra and Yuba to the place of beginning. (This line was from a point on the State line " opposite the dividing ridge between the Feather and Yuba rivers; thence west- erly to the said dividing ridge, and following the same to the source of the Honcut.")
SEC. 3. There shall be an election for county officers in the county of Plumas on the second Saturday in April, 1854, at which election the qualified voters of said county shall choose one county judge, one district attorney, one county clerk, who shall be ex-officio county recorder, one sheriff, one county surveyor, one county assessor, one coroner, and one county treasurer.
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SEC. 4. H. J. Bradley, W. Dean, and John Thompson are hereby appointed commissioners : to designate the necessary election precincts in the county of Plumas for said election, and to appoint the judges and inspectors of election at the several precincts designated ; to receive the returns, and issue certificates of election to the parties receiving the highest number of legal votes; and in all other respects said election shall be conducted according to the provisions of the act to regulate elections, passed March 23, 1850.
SEC. 5. For the purpose of designating the several precincts in said county, said commission- ers shall meet at least ten days previous to the day of election, and after having been duly sworn by a competent officer to well and truly discharge their duties, shall designate the judges and in- spectors for such precincts; the commissioners shall appoint one of their number as president, and one as clerk, who shall keep a record of their proceedings, which record shall be deposited in the clerk's office after the commissioners shall have closed their labors. A majority of said commis- sioners shall at all times constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
SEC. 6. The commissioners shall immediately after said mecting give notice of such election, and the names of the officers appointed to conduct the same, by notices to be posted at each of the precincts at least ten days before the election.
SEC. 7. Sealed returns from the officers of election shall be delivered to the president of said board. The commissioners shall meet at the house of H. J. Bradley, in American valley, on the tenth day subsequent to the day of election, and the returns shall then be opened and canvassed by said commissioners, and the persons having the highest number of legal votes for the several offices to be filled shall be declared elected, and the president shall immediately make out and deliver to each person chosen a certificate of election, signed by him as president of the commission, and attested by the clerk.
SEC. 8. Each person shall qualify and enter upon the discharge of the duties of his office within ten days after the receipt of liis certificate of election. The county judge shall qualify be- fore the president of the commissioners. Persons elected to the other offices may qualify before the county judge, or before said president.
SEC. 9. The president of the commissioners shall transmit, without delay, an abstract of said election returns to the Secretary of State, and retain the original returns until the clerk shall qualify, when he shall file the same in the clerk's office.
SEC. 10. The officers elected under this Act shall hold office until the next general election, and until their successors are qualified according to law. The county judge and two associate justices, to be chosen as provided by law, shall form the Court of Sessions for the transaction of all county business.
SEC. 11. The county judge of Plumas county shall receive for his services as judge of said county one thousand dollars per annum.
SEC. 12. The County of Plumas shall be and remain a portion of the Ninth Judicial District. The district judge of the said district shall hold at least three terms of his court annually in Plumas county, and shall, as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect, notify the people of the said county of the time of holding said terms.
SEC. 13. The county auditor of the county of Butte shall ascertain the county indebtedness of Butte at the time this Act shall take effect, and also the assessed value of the property of the respective counties of Butte and Plumas, as exhibited by the assessment roll of eighteen hundred and fifty-three; and upon presentation of the same, duly authenticated, to the auditor of Plumas county, the said auditor of Plumas county shall draw his warrant on the treasurer of his county,
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and in favor of the treasurer of Butte county, for a sum which shall be ascertained upon the following basis : Each county shall be liable for the present indebtedness of Butte, in ratio of the taxable property of the respective counties, determined as above set forth.
SEC. 14. The counties of Butte and Plumas shall compose one Senatorial District. Butte county shall elect two assemblymen, and Plumas one, in the year 1854; and in the year 1855, Butte shall elect one assemblyman, and Plumas two; and alternate thereafter until there shall have been another apportionment of the State by the Legislature.
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