USA > California > Lassen County > Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850 > Part 68
USA > California > Plumas County > Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850 > Part 68
USA > California > Sierra County > Illustrated history of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra counties, with California from 1513 to 1850 > Part 68
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A Missouri gambler by the name of Kuntz was for some time seen haunting the gaming-tables of the place. After his arrival twenty-dollar gold pieces began to disappear mysteriously, and no amount of searching could reveal their hiding-places. Kuntz was the proud possessor of a long, heavy beard, that he kept tucked away under his collar. When several bright double eagles were shaken out of his beard one night, he was politely requested to migrate to other pastures by the irate vigilance committee that sat on his case.
The road was completed that connects Downieville with Goodyear's, Mountain House, and Camptonville, July 4, 1859. The stage came up from Camptonville, decorated profusely with flags and banners, and the horses were decked out in proper colors. This was a great day of rejoicing in the mountains, for it meant the abandonment of the time-honored pack-mule, who had painfully threaded the narrow trails for so many years, and the establishment of a closer communication with the outside world on wheels greatly more indicative of a country civilized and prosperous. Praises went up from all sides to Colonel Platt of Forest City, to whose untiring efforts, with voice and brain, were largely due the successful issue of the enterprise.
On the fifth of September, 1864, a fire broke out in P. Cody's saloon, which spread rapidly and consumed the business portion of town. We append a list of losses : Jacob Fluke, hotel, $4,000; F. H. Nichols, $3,000; Nicholas Gunsburger, butcher-shop, $3,000; John Newman, stable, $2,500; Newell & Lynch, saloon, $3,000; Mrs. Newell, residence, $1,000; Henry Thompson, hotel, $2,500; P. Cody, saloon, $2,000 ; J. Jennings, hotel and stable, $4,000; Sam Lee, China store, $7,000; together with five others of lesser amounts. After the fire many of the business men failed to rebuild, and the town gradually declined ; diggings that had paid well for a number of years were yielding less returns, and in consequence most of the mining population moved away. The town is now but a shadow of its former self, having but one store and one hotel. Once the Chinese population alone numbered four hundred, and the whites were several times that number. A Catholic church was built in 1853, over which Father Delahunty presided, but it was given up at a subsequent period. Under the building now occupied by Mr. Ackerly, P. Cody took out $3,000 within a few years. All the flats were exceedingly rich in gold, yielding in the aggregate an immense amount. Directly in front of the St. Charles hotel in former years stood a beautiful and productive orchard, which was finally sold to Chinamen and worked out for the gold in it. Now only unsightly piles of bowlders lie where was once a broad expanse of green covered with myriads of fruit-laden trees. H. H. Kennedy's ranch, at the base of the lofty hill on the south of town, is truly the garden spot of the mountains. This property was purchased by Mr. Kennedy of Jason Campbell, in 1875, and the sightly house erected thereon now occupied by himself and family. The St. Charles hotel was rebuilt after the fire in 1864 by Jacob Fluke, which establishment is now conducted by his widow.
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SIERRA CITY.
Twelve miles above Downieville, on the south fork of the North Yuba, at the base of the Sierra Buttes mountain, Sierra City is very prettily located. The town owes its origin and present existence, in a large measure, to the proximity of the Great Sierra Buttes quartz-mine, where a large number of men are employed. In the spring of 1850 P. A. Haven and Joseph Zumwalt came over the divide where the great mine is situated, and were about the first white men in this locality. Signs of Indians were plenty along the river, but there were no indications that any crevicing or prospecting for gold had been done prior to this time. Later in the year a settlement was made where the town now stands, and the Sierra Buttes quartz-ledge had been located upon by a man named Murphy and another party whose name is unknown. In 1851 John Lavezzolo settled on Charcoal flat, but removed to his present place in the fall of 1852, his ranch below having been jumped during the year. Locations were made on the Independence lode in 1851, and con- siderable quartz was soon worked by arrastras. In 1852 twenty arrastras, run by mules, were pulverizing rock in the neighborhood, which, with the numerous tunnels piercing the hill in every direction, caused the employment of a large working force. Sierra City then consisted of two large buildings (one on the site of the Catholic church), a baker shop, and several gambling-houses and saloons. During the succeeding winter the town was entirely demolished by the heavy snows, so much of this element accumulating on the roofs of the frail buildings as to crush them to the ground. Food being exceedingly scarce, everybody went away, and not a soul was left in the embryo village. At this time a snow-slide on an adjacent hill covered up and killed two men who were trying to get away. A third miner named Dillon escaped the fate of his companions, and lives a half mile below the town. For some years matters did not look very promising for a revival of the settlement. Each of the mines had its own little settlement, with its store-house and saloon ; and it was not until 1858 that a permanent town got a foothold on the soil now covered by so many pleasant homes and sightly business houses. The discovery of rich diggings on the flat caused a large number to rush to the spot; shanties were erected, and the real inauguration of the village commenced. In 1855 Doyle & Co. put up a saw-mill at Sierra City, which remained in operation until 1878, when it was washed away by a flood. At the time of its erection there was one solitary log cabin standing back of Peter Goff's present residence. Harry Warner first visited the place at that time, but did not settle here until three years later, when the Buttes, Independence, and Keystone mines were in full blast. Stephen L. Clark came to the Independence mine in 1858; oaks were then growing on the site of Sierra City; Lavezzolo had resumed mining on Charcoal ranch, and also had a potato ranch east of Scott's hotel, where he raised fine tuberous specimens. Lafayette Thompson, uncle of the immortal Philander Doesticks, and the father of that pleasant humorist, built a hotel soon after on ground which is now the Goff place. In 1860 Michael Carrigan and several others built a saw-mill on the flat, which afterwards fell into the hands of John Doyle. One year after Wilcox & Hutchinson put up another hotel on the site of Scott's hotel, which two years after was owned and run by Samuel Williamson. In 1866 Mr. A. C. Busch purchased the property, and for six years it was a popular place of resort under his management. In 1872 Stephen J. Clark and Alexander Black became the possessors. Mr. Black was murdered on the second of November, 1872, a mile above town, by Winchester Doyle, who is serving out a thirty-years term in the state penitentiary for his crime. In 1873 the Yuba Gap hotel, as it was
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called, was sold to J. A. Scott, who has since run it. The present roomy structure was erected in 1874, the main part of which is three stories in height, and covers an area of 56 feet by 86. With side additions and the back part, Scott's hotel forms one of the largest and best-regulated insti- tutions of the kind in Sierra county.
Miss Hannah Riley, now Mrs. John Scott, started a private school in Sierra City, in the winter of 1863, under the Masonic hall, which had been erected a year before. She had only seven scholars. The school lasted six months, when it was discontinued for a period of five years, children being too scarce in that region for the support of an educational institution. In 1868 the building now used for educational purposes was erected by the people, and Mrs. Scott again became the tutor. The building was then in an unfinished state, rude benches being used for seats. She taught but three months this time, when she was superseded by others. In 1869 the district began to draw state money, and a public school was opened, which has continued to the present time, Mr. J. S. Wixson, county superintendent, being the teacher. The district has sixty-two scholars in regular attendance, with school property valued at $1,100.
A post-office was established at Sierra City in 1865, when S. M. Wilcox received the appoint- ment as postmaster. In a few months he resigned, and Sierra City existed a portion of a year without any postmaster at all. Finally, at the solicitation of the citizens, A. C. Busch took the office, and without intermission to the present date he has been the incumbent. Wells, Fargo, & Co. established an express office here in 1871, appointing Mr. Busch also as their agent, who has since continued to transact their large business at this point. In 1870 the county voted bonds to the amount of $20,000 for the construction of a wagon road from Downieville, through Sierra City, to Sierra valley. Sierra City is connected by a line of daily stages with Downieville, a distance of twelve miles, the route being owned by Weir & Mead; she has communication by tri-weekly stages with Forest City, twenty-five miles distant, under the management of J. F. Mayott; G. H. Abbe runs tri-weekly stages to Sierraville, where connection is made with G. Q. Buxton's line southward, that extends to Truckee, fifty-four miles from Sierra City. A telegraph line from Downieville to Taylorville, via Sierra City, was built in the fall of 1874. To aid in its construction, the people of this town subscribed one thousand dollars, five hundred of which were given by the Sierra Buttes Mining company. Another line runs to Forest City, while telephonic communication is had with . the Buttes mine. Mr. Busch is the operator at this point.
In 1871 a grand Fourth-of-July celebration was held at Sierra City, on which occasion J. J. Tinney read the declaration of independence to a vast audience, and Frank Anderson of Downie- ville delivered an eloquent and thrilling oration. A prominent feature of the day was the laying of the corner-stone of Busch's building on Main street, by the E Clampus Vitus society, with ap- propriate and impressive ceremonies. The brazen serpent, and other insignia of this ancient and honorable order, were displayed to the public gaze; while Harry Warner, in an able peroration, dilated at some length on the benefits accruing to its members and their families by their connec- tion with a secret order possessing such broad and liberal principles. Many an old "Clamper " was fired with enthusiasm at the recital, the public mind was stirred, and the effect of the address was an immediate numerous batch of applications for admission within the pale of the favored order. The E Clampus Vitus was first organized in Sierra City in 1857, with Samuel Hartley as the pioneer N. G. H. Since that time it has received accessions from every side, and now numbers in its ranks many of the most honored and respected citizens of the town and vicinity. The Busch building, a view of which may be seen on another page, is one of the finest buildings in the county, costing in the neighborhood of $16,000. Its dimensions are 73 by 36 feet, with three spacious
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stories. The brick used in its construction was made in Sierra City. The first floor is occupied by Busch & Heringlake with their large stock of general merchandise; the second used for a resi- dence; while in the third is a large public hall.
Sierra City has never been visited by any great conflagration, though she is well prepared for the occurrence of any such catastrophe. Reservoirs are owned by A. C. Busch, H. H. Bigelow, and G. B. Castagneto. Mr. Busch brings water from a point two miles up the river to his reservoir ; while the other two are filled from the ravines. Three fire-plugs are on Main street, with a quan- tity of hose for each. Water can be thrown over the top of Busch's flag-staff with the regular pressure. Three years ago Hose company No. 1 was organized, and a hose-cart purchased by the town. The Catholic and Methodist churches, both neat roomy structures, were built in the sum- mer of 1881. Father Kerley of Downieville presides over the former, and B. F. Rhodes over the latter.
Several breweries have at various times been in operation at Sierra City, but the present one, called the Sierra Buttes brewery, was erected in June, 1881, by Casper Joos and William Junkert. In October F. L. Fisher bought out Joos' interest. An excellent article is manufactured here. The business of Sierra City is considerable, a large section of country drawing its supplies from this place. Dr. J. J. Sawyer, surgeon of the Buttes mine, enjoys a very large practice throughout the county. Two saw-mills are at present in operation : one on the South branch, owned by the South Branch Water Company, is situated a mile and a half above the town; the other is about the same distance from town, and is the property of James Kirby, who erected it in 1872. A very pretty cemetery has been laid out west of the village.
HARMONY LODGE No 164, F. & A. M., was organized under dispensation of the grand lodge in 1861, with Harry Warner, W. M .; E. R. Davis, S. W .; Alexander Black, J. W. A charter was granted the following year, when E. R. Davis became W. M .; there being fourteen charter members. The Masonic hall was erected the same year. At present the elective officers are : Thomas L. Williams, W. M .; Thomas Mills, S. W .; Thomas Crossman, J. W .; A. C. Busch, treas. ; George Black, sec.
SCEPTER LODGE No. 262, I. O. O. F., was established June 15, 1877. For a year and a half meetings were held in the Masonic hall, but in the fall of 1879 the handsome Odd Fellows hall was erected on Main street. J. M. Gorham was the first N. G .; Isaac Martinetti, V. G .; C. A. Heringlake, treas .; William Cocks, sec. The last officers installed are : John Pellow, N. G .; William Rickard, V. G. ; John A. Scott, treas. ; Emil Schultz, sec .; membership, 57.
SIERRA CITY LODGE No. 125, A. O. U. W., was chartered September 2, 1879, with A. C. Busch, P. M. W .; I. T. Mooney, M. W .; W. H. Hutchinson, F .; G. H. O. Sunderhouse, O. The pres: nt officers are : J. M. Gorham, P. M. W .; Joseph Guirovich, M. W .; A. C. Busch, F .; I. T. Mooney, O .; J. W. Kane, Recorder; A. L. Moore, Financier; I. Martinetti, Receiver; Joseph Pires, G. ; Joseph Davis, I. W .; T. Bendixon, O. W. Meetings are held in Good Templars hall.
SIERRA VALLEY.
The valley lies partly in Plumas county, and the remainder in Sierra county. A complete history of this region may be found in another part of this work, extending from page 256 to page 275.
RESIDENCE OF JAMES MILLER. 600 ACRES, 3 MILES WEST OF SIERRAVILLE, SIERRA CO., CAL.
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FOREST CITY AND ALLEGHANY.
The thriving town of Forest City is very pleasantly situated at the junction of the forks of Oregon creek, seven miles from Downieville, and four from the Mountain House. Diggings were first struck at this place in the summer of 1852, by a company of sailors, among whom were Bob / Ritchie, Little Ned, and - Brown. The site of the town was then covered with a growth of oaks so dense that the rays of the noonday sun scarcely could find a spot of earth on which to shine. The pedestrian, upon descending the side of the hill, suddenly entered a region of almost perpetual twilight, a cool and shady retreat most welcome during the hot summer months. The settlement rapidly grew to respectable proportions. Among the arrivals of that year was that of Peter Vermoish, who is still a resident of the vicinity. The camp took the name of Brownsville, from one of its locators, by which it was known until the following spring, when, there being at least a thousand residents of the place, it began to be called Elizaville, from the wife of W. S. Davis, now of San Francisco, who had accompanied her husband thither. Mrs. Moody, who came in 1853, originated the name of Forest City. The public was divided as to the proper title: some favoring Elizaville, while others clung to the rather more appropriate title which the exuberance of foliage prompted Mrs. Moody to adopt. Finally, in 1854, a meeting was held, a vote taken, and the place formally christened with the pretty appellation it has since borne. Charles Heintzen removed from Downieville to this place September 1, 1853. At the time there were several stores and two hotels. The Read house was kept by T. A. Read, now in Bodie; the Merchants' hotel had a man by the name of Pratt for its landlord. The diggings on the flat paid at the time about an ounce a day clear to the man. There were a good many companies engaged in drift mining, several of which took out great quantities of gold ; the best paying among the claims being that of the Live Yankee company. Near it were the Dutch company, the Empire, and the Hawkeye. On the north fork of the creek were the Little Rock company, the Rough and Ready, Can't Get Away, Don Jose, Manhattan, American, and Washington. Among the numbers on the flat were the Great Western, Free and Easy, and Girard companies. Like all the early mining camps, Forest City was at first built principally of cloth tents, notwithstanding the profusion of timber.
The first locations on Smith's flat were made in 1851, in a ravine at the outlet of the Blue lead. The company consisted of Big Smith, Frank Powers, Thomas Dunham, Elihu Mosgrove, and David Lewis; but in the fall of 1852 the ravine was entirely worked out. The Keystone company started a tunnel in March, 1853, on ground now owned and worked by the Buckeye company, and the Packard company another in April, 1853. With the former company, Perry Bonham, James Thompson, B. F. Cooper, A. McFarland, W. Jenkins, and W. Vincamp were connected ; while the Packard company numbered among its members - Packard, I. Foxworthy, B. Vangundy, and Captain Allers. The Jenny Lind tunnel was next run by Bradish, Marvin, and others; and the Blue tunnel by Smith, McCloskey, and others. Another tunnel location made at this time, 1852, was the Hooking Bull company, with which Isaac, William, and Jacob Onstott, Fred Galehouse, R. Chamberlain, and P. Baker were connected. Some time in April, 1853, the Alleghany tunnel was begun, which gave its name to the settlement that sprang up around it. The company consisted of Perry Bonham, John Kochenour, Josiah Stair, John Stair, Horace Gilman, and S. S. Meanor. On the south of the Alleghany were two locations known as the Bedrock and the Magnolia, and on the north two known as the Pacific and the Knickerbocker. Subsequent to this time, the Bay State,
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the New York, and the New York Branch companies sprang into existence. The Alleghany tunnel first tapped the pay streak in October, 1855; the balance followed in rapid succession, and a flourishing town was laid out and built in the early spring of 1856. Perry Bonham, alone of the original Alleghany locators, lives in the town to which it gave its name.
Forest City rapidly developed and prospered until 1856, when it decayed with the same rapid- ity, owing to the failure of mining around it, and the formidable rivalry of Alleghany, which drew the population away to the other side of the hill. The first postmaster at Forest City was William Henry. His successor, T. D. Beckett, who had the office from 1856 to 1860, proved a defaulter to the tune of $1,450, and as his bond was worthless, Uncle Sam had to stand the loss. Dr. R. S. Weston was appointed to the office upon the retirement of Beckett to private life, and has per- formed such official duties ever since. Dr. Weston's arrival in Forest City dates from 1854, as stated elsewhere. A line of telegraph was built to the place in 1855, and Tom Bowers, now superior judge of Marin county, became the first manipulator of the wires. Dr. Weston took charge of the telegraph office in 1864, since which time all messages requiring electric speed have passed through his hands.
The Sierra Democrat was started at Forest City in 1856, by John Platt and W. J. Forbes, but a year after was removed to Downieville, where it continued to furnish the public with news for a number of years. At midnight on the tenth of April, 1858, a terrible blow was given the town in the shape of a sweeping conflagration, that broke out in the residence of Mr. Lanen, near the bridge over the north fork of the creek, at the lower end of town. The fire progressed slowly up the street against a strong breeze, and was fully an hour and a half in reaching Loring's livery stable, where it was stopped by pulling down a law office and a blacksmith-shop. The aggregate loss reached $150,000, being distributed among no less than sixty-five persons. In this fire the Read house, kept by Read & Harris, was destroyed. Another large fire occurred in the year 1865, which caught in Miller's store, and traveled through the town faster than a man could walk. It is said that on this occasion it took only forty minutes for the flames to make a complete ruin of everything they could reach. After the fire of 1865 the people became discouraged, and rebuilt but little.
The first school in Forest City was taught by Mrs. Taff, in 1854, occupying a room under the old Odd Fellows hall. She was succeeded in this work by John Gale, now of Oroville, in the year 1855, and he continued to direct the youthful mind until after 1860. Mr. Gale made vigorous efforts in 1860 to get a school-building erected, the means being raised by dramatic entertainments given in Fashion hall. The size of the first structure was 18x24 feet. The new school-building was built in 1874, and cost $2,000, being a very pretty house and conveniently arranged. The teachers are Mr. J. E. Berry and Miss Kate Downey.
The Methodists formed a society at Forest City in 1854. J. R. Tansey, the first minister, led in the organization of the society and the building of the church, which was first erected on the hill, and afterwards moved down to Main street. Tansey's successors were J. B. Hill, R. R. Dunlap, S. B. Sheldon, J. H. Maddox, John Dickinson, A. Shaw, C. Anderson, - White, and S. H. Todd, the last stationed here, after which the church became a part of the Downieville charge. An attempt was made in 1854 to organize a Congregational church, but did not prove successful.
Prior to 1860 all the transportation of goods and commodities into this region was done with pack-mules. Colonel Platt of the Sierra Turnpike company succeeded in getting a road built from the Mountain House in 1860, aided by contributions from the citizens. This road is invariably passable at all seasons of the year. A line of tri-weekly stages is run by James M. Scott to the
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Mountain House. The Henness pass road also runs through Forest City to San Juan. In 1872 the town began to revive, in consequence of the heavy mining enterprise in progress under Bald Mountain, and has steadily grown to be the most important mining center in the county. The place is supplied with water from springs to the south-east, owned by Thomas Ellis, who brings it into town with pipes laid along the principal streets. The business of Forest City is conducted by the following persons: A. H. Miller and P. Grant, dry goods, clothing, boots and shoes; C. Heintzen and Derrickson & Nelson, groceries and hardware; Dr. R. Weston, drugs; W. A. Wayland, notions, jewelry, and tobacco; Scullin & West, Forest house ; A. Read, Bald Mountain hotel ; George Lawrence, Union hotel; George Miller and J. T. Bradbury, butchers; J. M. Scott, livery stable; John Phillips, blacksmith; J. H. Downing, tailor; Mrs. Lowe, Forest City restaurant; Dr. Josiah Lefever, practicing physician ; D. Jewett, resident dentist.
At Alleghany a post-office was established in December, 1857, with Joseph Evans postmaster ; and the town flourished greatly during the succeeding years. The Union quartz-mine was opened in 1862, and the first pay struck in the summer of 1863, when four men in six days took out $11,600. A mill was built in December, after which the first twelve days yielded $37,400, and the . week following $9,000. This mine has changed hands several times ; in April, 1881, it was sold to a New York company called the Golden Gate Milling and Mining company. The Kenton quartz- mine, now the Harlem, was also located in 1862. At Chip's, the American mine was located in 1857. A mill was put up, but legal complications broke the company, and the mine was sold to W. A. Hawley & Co., in 1865, but was worked unsuccessfully. In April, 1879, Mr. Hawley organ- ized a company who brought machinery to the place, and ran it a year and a half without profit. Then J. O. Groves, one of the company, asked leave to invest five hundred dollars more, which was spent in prospecting, and the result was the discovery of the bonanza which has since yielded $250,000 in ore, under the management of Mr. Groves. The claim is patented. The business of Alleghany is carried on by the following persons : S. S. Crafts & Son, general merchandise; J. T. Bradbury, dry goods, boots and shoes, livery stable and butcher-shop; D. E. Thompson, Golden Anchor hotel; W. N. Hooper, hotel ; West & Clute, saloon. A Masonic lodge was chartered at Forest City May 2, 1855, with John B. Bope worthy master. It was removed to Alleghany in 1868, where it has since existed in a flourishing condition. The lodge owns a very fine hall. An Odd Fellows lodge, called the Mistletoe, was also moved here from Forest City, in 1870, and possesses a commodious building, in which the meetings are held.
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