USA > California > Contra Costa County > The history of Contra Costa County, California > Part 4
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
the truth twenty years ago. At present the population may be stated in round numbers at seven thousand Spaniards and ten thousand civilized, or rather domesticated, Indians. To this may be added about seven hun- dred Americans, one hundred English, Irish, and Scotch, and about one hundred French, Germans, and Italians. Within the territorial limits of Upper California, taking the parallel of forty-two degrees for the northern and the Colorado for the southeastern boundaries, are an im- mense number of wild, naked brute Indians. Their number, of course, can only be conjectured. They probably exceed a million, and may pos- sibly amount to double that number.
"The climate of California is remarkably different from that of the United States. This difference consists mainly in its regularity and uni- formity. From May to October the wind is invariably from the north- west, and during this time it never rains and the sky is brilliant, clear, and serene. The weather during this time is temperate, and rarely op- pressively warm. The nights are agreeably cool, and many of the inhab- itants sleep in the open air the year round. From October to May the wind blows frequently from the southeast, and is always followed by rain. Snow never falls except on the mountains, and frost is rare except in December and January. A proof of the mildness of the climate this moment presents itself in the shape of a humming-bird, which I just saw from the open window, and this on the first day of February, in latitude thirty-eight degrees. Wheat is sown from October until March, and maize from March to July. As regards human health and comfort, the climate is incomparably better than that of any part of the United States. It is much the most healthy country I have ever seen or have any knowledge of. There is absolutely no disease whatever that can be attributed to the influence of the climate. The whole territory is tra- versed by ranges of mountains, which run parallel to each other and to the coast. The highest points may be about four thousand feet above the level of the sea; in most places much lower, and in many parts they dwindle to low hills. They are everywhere covered with grass and veg- etation, and many of the valleys and northern declivities abound with finest timber trees. Between these ranges of mountains are level valleys, or rather plains, of every width, from five miles to fifty. The magnifi- cent valley through which flow the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers, is five hundred miles long, with an average width of forty or fifty. It is
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PIONEER CITIZENS
intersected laterally by many smaller rivers abounding with salmon. The whole region abounds with vast herds of wild horses, elk, and an- telope. The only inhabitants of this vast valley (which is capable of sup- porting a nation) are about one hundred and fifty Americans and a few miserable Indians. The Bay of San Francisco, into which all these riv- ers flow, and which is the natural outlet of all this region, is considered by nautical men as one of the finest harbors in the world. It consists of two principal arms, diverging from the entrance in nearly opposite di- rections, and each about fifty miles long, with an average width of eight or ten miles. It is perfectly sheltered from every wind, has great depth of water, is easily accessible at all times, and has space enough to contain half the ships in the world. The entrance is less than a mile wide, and could easily be fortified so as to make it entirely impregnable. The vicinity abounds in the finest timber for ship-building and in fact everything necessary to make it a great naval and commercial depot. Near the entrance of this magnificent harbor, within the last seven years, has grown up the flourishing town of Yerba Buena, built and in- habited entirely by Americans and Englishmen.
"The agricultural capabilities of California are as yet imperfectly de- veloped. It is well adapted to the productions of Spain, Portugal, and Italy, and the region lying in similar latitudes on the western coast of Europe. The whole of it is remarkably adapted to the culture of the vine. Brandy and wine of excellent quality are already made in consid- erable quantities ; olives, figs, and almonds grow well ; apples, pears, and peaches produce abundantly, and, in the southern part, oranges. Cotton is beginning to be cultivated and promises to succeed well. It is the fin- est country for wheat I have ever seen. Fifty for one is about the aver- age crop, with very imperfect cultivation. One hundred-fold is not un- common, and even one hundred and fifty has been produced. Maize grows tolerably well, but not equal to that in some parts of the United States. Hemp, flax, and tobacco have been cultivated on a small scale and succeed well. The rearing of cattle is at present the principal pur- suit of the inhabitants, and the most profitable. As a pastoral country California is unsurpassed, and perhaps unequaled, in the world. The pasturage is most abundant and of very excellent quality. No less than seven kinds of clover are indigenous here, and four of them are un- known in the United States. Oats grow spontaneously all over the
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
coast, throughout its whole extent. In one place, near the river Merced, a little barley was accidentally scattered by a traveler, and it has con- tinued to reproduce itself for fifteen years. I have known five succes- sive crops of wheat in as many years from one sowing. All kinds of grasses, as well as the cereal gramina, produce an uncommon quantity of seed, and this is probably the reason why cattle do not reach their greatest degree of fatness until about a month after the grass is dry.
"If these desultory remarks on some of the topics relative to this country should be found to contain interest for your readers, at some future time you may expect to hear something of the commerce of the country, its great mineral wealth, its political history (a most fruitful theme), and of the manners and customs of its inhabitants, from one of your fellow-citizens who has been here more than ten years and has taken some pains to become acquainted with the country he has selected for his home."
The above communication was signed "Essex," and was dated Feb- ruary, 1846. To those who are familiar with present-day conditions in California the statements of Doctor Marsh, written over seventy years ago, seem most prophetic.
ELAM BROWN
Second among the American trail-blazers of Contra Costa County was Elam Brown. He had a varied and adventurous life, no small portion of which was spent in Contra Costa County, in whose affairs he played an important part.
He was born in Herkimer County, New York, June 10, 1797. The hardy traits of the pioneer were his birthright. As a child twelve months old he experienced his first migration when his parents moved to Berk- shire, Massachusetts. When he was seven they came west to Ohio, where they braved numerous hardships in true pioneer style.
To the north of their little settlement, which they named Berkshire, for the home they had left in Massachusetts, the nearest settlement was one hundred miles away, on the shore of Lake Erie. To the south the nearest settlement was fifteen miles distant. In Berkshire the lad first dipped into books, and, although his opportunities were few, he devel- oped a taste for literature that remained with him through life.
In 1818, at the age of twenty-one, he set out on foot for the French
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PIONEER CITIZENS
trading-post of St. Louis, Missouri, five hundred miles away. During the following winter he rafted unsuccessfully on the Missouri River. Then he went to Illinois, where he farmed on shares for the next three years, during which time he married the daughter of Thomas Allen.
His next venture was in moving west to what was known as the Platte Purchase, a tract of land bordering on the Missouri River, ac- quired by the Government from the Indians in 1836. There he cleared one hundred and eighty acres of land, on which he resided for ten years. It was there that his first wife died. He then determined to emi- grate to the Pacific Coast, and in 1846 he headed a company and started on the long journey westward across the plains. He was appointed cap- tain of the fourteen families that left the Missouri on May 14. They had innumerable adventures, and Captain Elam Brown was equal to every emergency. More than once his diplomatic treatment of the In- dians averted disaster. On one occasion a large force of hostile braves menaced their path, but Elam Brown came forward and smoked the pipe of peace with their chieftains. Then he signaled for the Indians to open their lines. They did so and the wagon-train passed through un- molested. The party forded all the rivers, as there was not one ferry or bridge on their entire journey. The stout-hearted little band entered California October 10, 1846, and toward the end of the same month they arrived at the present site of Sacramento, continuing thence to Santa Clara, where most of the party settled.
Scarcely rested from the long trek across the continent, Elam Brown sought for fresh fields of adventure. He joined the forces under Gen- eral John C. Frémont which were fighting General Castro, in an echo of the Mexican war in central California. He also took an active part in suppressing the Mexican freebooter, Sanchez. The winter of 1847 he spent in the San Antonio redwoods, whipsawing lumber and boating his product across the bay to San Francisco.
It was difficult at this time to buy land in California. The Mexican residents were solemnly pledged not to sell a foot of ground or give any information regarding land. But in the fall Elam Brown finally learned that William A. Leidesdorff, a San Francisco trader, had a ranch for sale. This was the Rancho Alcalanes, where the present town of Lafay- ette is situated. The ranch was stocked with three hundred head of cat- tle. This tract became the permanent home of Elam Brown in Contra
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Costa County. He soon became enthusiastic over its possibilities. He was especially pleased with the mild California winters, in marked con- trast with the severe snow-storms of the East. It was his first experi- ence in a land where it was not necessary to feed cattle through the winter months.
Up to this time there was no government in California, except the military rule of Colonel Mason. On account of dissension over the slav- ery question, Congress had taken no steps toward the formation of a State. In 1848 General Riley superseded Mason. He straightway issued a proclamation authorizing the people to elect delegates to a constitu- tional convention.
The convention met in Monterey September 1, 1849. Elam Brown was one of the thirty-seven delegates who framed the constitution. These delegates had come from nearly every State in the Union. They were the virile immigrants who had the courage to seek their fortunes in a new land. With but few statute-books to guide them, they framed a constitution that admirably stood the test of time for nearly thirty years.
California had become a State, but, because of the slavery agitation, Congress refused to recognize her as such. It was not until 1850 that California was admitted to the Union, enjoying the distinction of never having had a territorial government. Throughout this period Elam Brown served the State ably and unceasingly. He was a member of the first two sessions of the legislature, and was urged to run for the Unit- ed States Senate. But he felt that the destinies of his State by adoption had been safely guided past the critical point and he retired to pastoral scenes. There on the Rancho Alcalanes the stalwart pioneer rounded out his days to a venerable age.
FELIX COATS
As the years go by the pioneers of Contra Costa County are one by one answering the last roll-call, and few of the early trail-blazers now re- main. The latest summons by death was on June 10, 1916, when Felix Grundy Coats, of Tassajara, was called. The end came to the pioneer at his home after an illness extending over a period of several weeks, and was directly due to the infirmities of old age.
Felix Grundy Coats was a native of Callaway County, Missouri,
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PIONEER CITIZENS
where he was born on August 9, 1828, being at his death nearly eighty- eight years old. In May, 1849, with a number of emigrants, he left Missouri for California, and in September of the same year the party arrived at Grass Valley. Felix Coats then began mining on the Ameri- can River, and later operated a pack-train between Sacramento and Stony Bar. In the fall of 1852 he came to Contra Costa County and re- mained a short time, returning to the mines. In the following year he returned to Contra Costa County, purchasing the ranch of three hun- dred and ninety acres in Tassajara, where he resided the remainder of his days.
On February 23, 1860, Felix Coats married Miss Lavina Doggett, of Tassajara. Three sons and three daughters survive their father. They are W. Nolan Coats, of St. Helena; James L. Coats, internal revenue inspector, of Stockton ; Bethel S. Coats, of San Jose ; Mrs. Ella Seiler and Mrs. Jennie White, of San Francisco; and Mrs. Mary Horton, of Tassajara.
CHAPTER V
THE BEAR FLAG WAR
IN THE early part of the last century California would appear to have found extreme favor in the jealous eyes of three great powers. We have elsewhere shown what the Russians did on the coast, and how they ac- tually gained a foothold at Bodega and Fort Ross, Sonoma County.
In the year 1818 Governor Sola received a communication from Friar Marquinez, of Guadalajara, Spain, wherein he informed his ex- cellency of the rumors of war between the United States and Spain, while in February of the following year Father José Sanchez wrote to the same official that there is a report abroad of the fitting out of an American expedition into New Mexico. Both of these epistles remark that California is the coveted prize. Great Britain wanted it, it is said, for several reasons, the chief of which was that in the possession of so extended a coast-line she would have the finest harbors in the world for her fleets. This desire would appear to have been still manifested in 1840, for we find in February of that year, in the New York Express, the following :
"The rumor has reached New Orleans from Mexico of the cession to England of the Californias. The cession of the two provinces would give to Great Britain an extensive and valuable territory in a part of the world where she has long been anxious to gain a foothold, besides securing an object still more desirable-a spacious range of seacoast on the Pacific, stretching more than eight thousand miles from the forty- second degree of latitude south, sweeping the peninsula of California, and embracing the harbors of that gulf, the finest in North America."
These rumors, so rife between the years of 1842 and 1846, necessi- tated the maintenance of a large and powerful fleet by both Americans and British on the Pacific Ocean, each closely observing the other. The first move in the deep game on the part of the United States was in September, 1842, by Commodore Ap Catesby Jones. He became pos- sessed of two newspapers which appear to have caused him to take im-
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THE BEAR FLAG WAR
mediate action. One of these, published in New Orleans, stated that California had been ceded by Mexico to Great Britain in consideration of the sum of seven millions of dollars; the other, a Mexican publica- tion, caused him to believe that war had been declared between the two countries. The sudden departure of two of the British vessels strength- ened him in this belief, and that they were en route for Panama to em- bark soldiers from the West Indies for the occupation of California. To forestall this move of "perfidious Albion," Commodore Jones left Callao, Peru, on September 7, 1842, crowding all sail, ostensibly for the port of Monterey, but when two days out his squadron hove to, a coun- cil of the captains of the flag-ship "Cyane" and the "Dale" was held, when the decision was come to that possession should be taken of Cali- fornia at all hazards, and abide by the consequences, whatever they might be. The accompanying letter from an officer of the "Dale," dated at Panama September 23, 1842, tells its own story :
"We sailed from Callao on the 7th of September, in company with the 'United States' and 'Cyane' sloop, but on the tenth day out, the 17th, separated, and bore up for this port. Just previous to our departure, two British ships-of-war, the razee 'Dublin,' fifty guns, and the sloop- of-war 'Champion,' eighteen guns, sailed thence on secret service. This mysterious movement of Admiral Thomas elicited a hundred comments and conjectures as to his destination, the most probable of which seemed to be that he was bound for the northwest coast of Mexico, where it is surmised that a British settlement (station) is to be located in accord- ance with a secret convention between the Mexican and English gov- ernments, and it is among the on dits in the squadron that the frigate 'United States,' 'Cyane,' and 'Dale' are to rendezvous as soon as pos- sible at Monterey, to keep an eye on John Bull's movements in that quarter."
These rumors were all strengthened by the fact that eight hundred troops had been embarked at Mazatlan in February, 1842, by General Micheltorena, to assist the English, it was apprehended, to carry out the secret treaty whereby California was to be handed over to Great Britain. Of these troops, who were mostly convicts, Micheltorena lost a great number by desertion, and, after much delay and vexation, marched out of Mazatlan on July 25, 1842, with only four hundred and fifty men, arriving at San Diego on August 25th. Between Los
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Angeles and Santa Barbara, with his army reduced from desertion to but three hundred men, at II o'clock on the night of October 24th, he received the astounding intelligence that Commodore Jones had entered the port of Monterey, with the frigate "United States" and the corvette "Cyane," landed an armed force, hauled down the Mexican flag, hoisted the American in its place, and issued a proclamation declaring Cali- fornia to be henceforth belonging to the United States. These startling occurrences took place on October 19, 1842. On the 28th the Commo- dore reflected on his latest achievement, and becoming convinced that an error had been committed, he lowered the American ensign, replaced it with that of Mexico, and on the following day saluted it, sailed for Mazatlan, and reported his proceedings to Washington.
On hearing of the capture of Monterey the Mexican general with- drew to the mission of San Fernando, and there remained for some time, where he finally, on the horizon being cleared, transferred his staff to Los Angeles, and there entertained Commodore Jones on Janu- ary 19, 1843.
The recall of Jones was demanded by the Mexican minister at Wash- ington, which was complied with, and Captain Alexander J. Dallas in- structed to relieve him of the command of the Pacific squadron. Dallas at once proceeded to Callao via Panama, to assume his new functions, and on arrival took the "Erie," an old store-ship, and proceeded in search of the Commodore, who had in the meantime received intelli- gence of the turn affairs had taken, kept steering from port to port, and finally, after touching at Valparaiso, Chile, he sailed for home around Cape Horn. The reign of Captain Dallas was short; he died on board the frigate "Savannah," at Callao, June 3, 1844, and was succeeded by Commodore John Drake Sloat.
Between the years 1844 and 1846 the American and British fleets keenly watched each other and anxiously awaited the declaration of war between Mexico and the United States. During this time the revolution which drove General Micheltorena and his army from Cali- fornia had broken out and been quelled, while the Oregon boundary and the annexation of Texas were questions which kept the naval au- thorities at fever heat.
Let us now leave these American and British sailors with their mighty
-
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THE BEAR FLAG WAR
ships jealously watching the movements of each other, to consider the doings of one who before long was to take a prominent part in the affairs of California.
In the month of March, 1845, Brevet-Captain John Charles Frémont departed from Washington for the purpose of organizing a third expe- dition for the topographical survey of Oregon and California, having finished which, he left Bent's Fort on or about the 16th of April, his command consisting of sixty-two men, six of whom were Delaware Indians. It is not our wish here, nor indeed have we the space, to tell of the hardships endured and the perilous journeys made by Frémont, Kit Carson, Theodore Talbot, and others of that band, whose wander- ings have formed the theme of many a ravishing tale; our duty will permit only of defining the part taken by them in regard to our special subject.
About June 1, 1846, General José Castro, with Lieutenant Francisco de Arci, his secretary, left the Santa Clara Mission, where they had ensconced themselves after pursuing Frémont from that district, and, passing through Yerba Buena (San Francisco), crossed the bay to the mission of San Rafael, and there collected a number of horses, which he directed Arci to take to Sonoma, with as many more as he could capture on the way, and from there proceed with all haste to the Santa Clara Mission by way of Knight's Landing and Sutter's Fort. These horses were intended to be used against Frémont and Governor Pio Pico by Castro, both of whom had defied his authority. On June 5th Castro moved from Santa Clara to Monterey, and on the 12th, while on his return, was met by a courier bearing the intelligence that Lieu- tenant Arci had been surprised and taken prisoner on the 10th by a band of adventurers, who had seized a large number of the horses which he had in charge for the headquarters at Santa Clara. Here was a dilemma. Castro's education in writing had been sadly neglected-it is said he could only paint his signature-and being without his amanu- ensis, he at once returned to Monterey, and on June 12th dictated a letter through ex-Governor Juan B. Alvarado to the prefect, Manuel Castro, saying that the time had come when their differences should be laid aside and conjoint action taken for the defense and protection of their common country, at the same time asking that he should collect
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
all the men and horses possible and send them to Santa Clara. He then returned to his headquarters, and on the 17th promulgated a soul- stirring proclamation to the settlers.
When Lieutenant Arci left Sonoma with the caballada of horses and mares, crossing the dividing ridge, he passed up the Sacramento Val- ley to Knight's Landing,1 on the left bank of the Sacramento River, about fifteen miles north of the present city of Sacramento. When Lieutenant Arci reached the ferry, or crossing, he met Mrs. Knight, to whom, on account of her being a New Mexican by birth, and there- fore thought to be trustworthy, he confided the secret of the expedi- tion. Such knowledge was too much for an ordinary feminine bosom to contain. She told her husband, and he, in assisting the officer to cross with his horses, gave him fair words, so that suspicion might be lulled, and then, striding his fleetest horse, made direct for Captain Frémont's camp at the confluence of the Feather and Yuba rivers, where he arrived early in the morning of June 9th. Here Knight, who found some twenty settlers that had arrived earlier than he discussing mat- ters, communicated to Captain Frémont and the settlers that Lieutenant Arci had the evening before crossed at his landing, bound to Santa Clara via the Cosumne River ; that Arci had told Mrs. Knight in con- fidence that the animals were intended to be used by Castro in ex- pelling the American settlers from the country; and that it was also the intention to fortify the Bear River Pass above the rancho of Wil- liam Johnson, thereby putting a stop to all immigration, a move of Castro's that was strengthened by the return to Sutter's Fort on June 7th of a force that had gone out to chastise the Mokelumne Indians, who had been threatening to burn the settlers' crops, incited thereto, presumably, by Castro.
Frémont, while encamped at The Buttes, was visited by nearly all the settlers, and from them gleaned vast stores of fresh information hitherto unknown to him. This information was to the effect that the greater proportion of foreigners in the country had become Mexican citizens, and married native women for the sake of procuring land, and through them had become possessed of deep secrets supposed to be
1 A ferry was kept here by William Knight, who left Missouri on May 6, 1841, arriving in California on November 11th of the same year. He received a grant of land and settled at what is now known as Knight's Landing, Yolo County. He died at the mines on the Stanislaus River in Novembr, 1849.
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