USA > Nevada > Washoe County > General History and Resources of Washoe County, Nevada, Published Under the Auspices of the Nevada Educational Association > Part 2
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GENERAL HISTORY AND RESOURCES
Even in these times come reports of indications -. of subsequent eruptions.
The work of vulcanism is so well and plainly recorded that one cannot avoid seeing it. On Mt. Rose, at Steamboat, Hot Springs,. Laugh- ton's and elsewhere, water penetrated the fissured range, met melted rock and gave rise to the sol- fataras and hot springs. Following the eruptive and volcanic activity came the glacial epoch which played such an important part in making the to- pography of the country what it is to-day. The entire northern part of North America was cov- ered with a coating of ice some thousands of feet in depth. From the Atlantic to the Pacific can be found the track of glaciers, plain, distinct and unmistakable. : From the north, with a mighty force, came bodies of billions of tons of densely packed ice, with huge masses of rock frozen to their bosoms, grasped in their embrace or forced beneath and carried with them, which ground to powder everything that barred the passage to the lowest depressions, cut the way through hill, and. moved over plain to find at last a partial resting- place on the Sierra. From the proud crests of the snowy range the old sire sent torth his- chil- dren to erode our valleys, while he died with a deluge of torrents and floods, and left as a heri- tage our placid lakes and thundering river. Finally, through a long period of dessication, dur- ing which our present soil was deposited,; our noble river dug its channel fifty miles to Pyramid and Winnemucca Lakes, reclaimed the land, and gave to the agriculturist the beautiful plain called Truckee Meadows.
Various authorities give very meagre and un- satisfactory accounts of the wanderings of several parties of trappers who visited this region in 1831-32 in search of fur-bearing animals." It is. stated, but not authentically, that Kit Carson led a band along the northern boundary in 1833; but, as the outlook was not encouraging, they retraced" their steps, and for Lieutenant John C. Fremont the honor of the first recorded exploration. On his second expedition he came down from Oregon, through the rocky defiles and successive valleys of Roop County, and discovered and . named Pyramid Lake, on the roth day of Janu- ary, 1844. After resting a few days on the shore f the lake, he continued his march and discov-
ered the Truckee River at its mouth. He named the stream the Salmon Trout River, in accord- ance with the characteristics of the fish taken from' its water. A few miles from the mouth of the river he came upon a band of Piutes encamped where the Nevada Indian Agency is now located. He tarried here a day, and then continued his journey, following the course of the river for twenty miles to the Big Bend, where he left the river, journeyed south, and passed out of the county. In the same year (1844) a party of emigrants seeking the fertile soil and mild climate of California entered Washoe County at the Lower Crossing, now Wadsworth. They were guided by an Indian named Truckee, and when they came to the beautiful stream of pure water, well stocked with splendid fish, they felt so grate- ful to the Indian that they gave his name to the river. The party again took up the line of march and followed the course of the river to Donner Lake. The glowing accounts of the country sent back by the explorers and early settlers of Cali- fornia caused many more to undertake ·the jour- ney. In 1846 came the "Donner Party," com- manded by George Donner. They toiled along the river, worn- out and late in the season, finally being snowed in at Lake Donner. The emigra- tion increased in 1847, and. in 1848 the news of the discovery of gold in California electrified the world, and induced a steady stream of treasure seekers to come from the States and over the plains in "'49." Thousands on their pilgrimage to the land of fabulous richness tound their first El Dorado in the sparkling waters of the Truckee and. the rich grasses of its valley. Those who came early were content to rest a few days in this fair land, while those who were belated, warned by the tragic fate of the Donner party, dared not attempt the passage over the snow-blocked Sierras. They remained on Truckee Meadows, and were compelled to take needed rest and give it also to, the faithful animals which with them had suffered the horrors of the desert. . The wonderful climate, the gentle breezes, bearing the odoriferous balsam-laden air, the sparkling spring water, the picturesque surroundings of Truckee Meadows, soon restored the emaciated counte- nances to their wonted fullness, the light to the eye and the bloom to the cheek. The halt-fam-
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ished, footsore stock revelled in an abundance of nutritious grass and clear mountain water until Old Sol changed crystal snow into limpid stream and sent it coursing down the mountain. The impatient gold-seekers, with heart and soul bent on the goal they sought to reach, passed along for a, decade and dreamed not of the earthly paradise they left for wiser men.
The first actual settlement in Washoe County was made at a beautiful spot near the present site of Franktown by a man named Clark in 1852. Clark was charmed with the surroundings of his home, and, thinking he had found what Adam had lost, he named his place "The Garden of Eden." The next year old man Rose came from Eagle Valley and settled on the Simmons place. G. W. Dodge and John Campbell took up the Bowers ranch in 1853, and they were followed by Christopher West, who took up land joining them on the north. Those Mormons who do not be- lieve in polygamy, who are known as Latter-Day Saints, and the direct followers of Joseph Smith, were of the class that comprise many of the earliest settlers of Washoe County. In the Sum- mer of 1854 a company of Mormons, with Elder Orson Hyde as leader, settled at Franktown and built a sawmill. . The mill contained two saws- one circular and one upright-and in the Spring of 1855 it was completed: Old man Rose bought it in 1857. Plenty of material was at hand in the thick growth of timber which covered the moun- tain sides. In the Summer of 1855 Alexander Cowan and wite (now Mrs. Sandy Bowers) bought the Bowers ranch from Dodge and Campbell. Wm. Jennings, Howard Clayton, John Hawk- ins, Edward Walker and others came into the valley and took up ranches. In 1856 some twenty families of Mormons came from Eastern Utah, and nearly all settled in the valley and vicinity. The settlement was prosperous, well- established, and gave every indication of a rapid growth, when it was nearly depleted of its popu- lation by Brigham Young's recall of the Mormons in 1857. In haste to obey the mandate of the Mormon prophet, the faithful disposed of ranch and other property for . what they could get. Some took pistols, guns and stock for their ranches, while others had to leave without receiv- . ing anything, and departed to join their brethren
on the shores of Great Salt Lake. But discon- tent and dissatisfaction plays a part in Mormon- dom as elsewhere, and Franktown regained its former population by an influx of other Mormons, who were disgusted with the ways of the Church and its officers, At the end of the year 1857 .we leave it for a time as a growing community, while we turn our attention to other parts of Washoe County, or Carson County as it was then called, being a part of Utah. A Mormon named Jami- son was first to think of utilizing Truckee Mead- ows as a stopping place for overland travelers. He moved from Carson Valley in 1852, and established Jamison's Station, on the Truckee River, near the present site of Glendale. Two years later John Owens and Ed. Ing followed in the footsteps of Jamison, and kept a trading post. The same year (1854) Bill Gregory started a post at Drytown, near the present site of Wadsworth. James O' Neil had a station at Crystal Peak, two miles' to the right of the present site of Verdi. In 1857 John F. Stone and Charles C. Gates settled on the Truckee, and their post was known as Stone & Gates' Crossing. Those emigrants who were fortunate enough to have any stock left after crossing the plains were enabled to trade their exhausted animals at these trading posts, and to lay in a sufficient supply of provisions to last them to their journey's end. In 1857 Theo- dore Winters, John Winters, George Hepley. J. O. Gregory and Wm. Sides came into Washoe Valley. Watt Sturtevant, Lem Savage, B. G. Clow, Peleg Brown settled in Steamboat Valley in 1858. The first settler in Pleasant Valley was George Quick.
After the first ten years of gold hunting in California, much of the easily found surface treas- ure had passed from the placers into the buck- skin bags of the pioneers, and from them into the channels of trade. There followed a lull after the various excitements and the miners, Micawber-like, waited for something to turn up. They had not long to wait, for news was already on the wing, and, according to J. Ross Browne, it struck them something in this wise: "Whence come these silvery strains that are wafted to our ears from the passes of the Sierra Nevada? What dulcet Aeolian harmonies-what divine enchanting rav- ishment is it 'that with these raptures moves the
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GENERAL HISTORY AND RESOURCES
vocal air?' As I live it is a cry of silver! Silver in Washoe, not gold, no you silly men of Gold Bluff; you Kern Riverites; you daring explorer's of Brit- ish Columbia! But silver-solid, pure silver! Beds of it 10,000 feet deep! Acres of it! Miles ot it! Hun- dreds of millions of dollars poking their heads up out of the earth ready to be pocketed! Do you speak of the mines of Potosi or Golconda? Do you dare quote the learned Baron Von Tschudi on South America and Mexico? Do you refer me to the ransom of Atahualpa, the unfortunate Inca in the days of Pizarro ? Nothing at all I assure you to the silver mines of Washoe! There never was the like on the face of the earth! The ledges are masses of silver. Hurrah for Washoe!"
Hurrahing they came in swarms by the way of Hennis Pass, down the banks of the Truckee, over the numerous crossings and thence to Virginia City. In thousands they passed through Washoe Valley, and as their eyes drank in the beauties of the rich rural scene, meadows of waving grass, watered by a clear mountain stream, forest of majestic pine and regal fir, rugged mountain and silvery lake. it is no wonder that some lingered to avail themselves of these provisions of nature, which in the near future would give them much of the silver which others took in its virginity from the bowels of the earth. The Comstock mines needed lumber. timber and cordwood. The miners had to have agricultural products; horses and other stock needed . barley and hay. Quartz mills were called for and they were con- structed. The saw-mill at Franktown had more than it could attend to, and others were built. Everything required that nature could produce was found on the mountains and in the valley. Franktown grew, Washoe City prospered, Ophir blazed, and Galena stood neck and neck with her sister towns. Bridges were built across the Truckee at Verdi, Hunter's, Fuller's and Stone & Gates'. The valleys were opened by the hand of enterprise and made to contribute to the wants of the hour. Lines of pack-trains (carry- ing principally Comstock lightning), mule and ox teams, stages, travelers, all toiled along, and form part and parcel of an active throng. Such was the general condition of things on November 25, 1861, when the Legislature, in consideration of the sixteen hundred inhabitants and the future. i boundary, from a point two miles eastward from
prospect, created it a separate county, and al- lowed it to enter upon its career as a separate or- ganization. Washoe is one of the nine original counties into- which the Territory of Nevada was divided by the first Territorial Legislature. Previously this had been a portion of Carson County, Utah Territory. The boundaries as de- fined by the Act of November 25th. 1861, are as follows in Chapter XXIV, Section 4 : There shall be a county, to be known as Washoe County. to include all that part of the Territory within the boundaries described as follows: Beginning at the northwest corner of Ormsby County, and running easterly along the northern boundary of said county to the summit of the mountains east of Washoe Lake; thence in a northerly course along the summit of said mountains to the lower end of the Big Meadows on Truckee River; thence down said river to its lower crossing; thence east along the Immigrant Road to the summit of the mountains lying east of said river; thence north on the main summit of said mountains to a point from which, running direct west, would intersect the Truckee River in its mouth at Pyramid Lake: thence due west to the California line; thence south to the place of beginning.
By an Act of the Territorial Legislature, passed in December. 1862. the name of Lake County was changed to Roop County; and by Act of the State Legislature. February 18, 1864, Roop County was made a part of Washoe County. The western boundary has been shifted from the centre of the summit of the Sierras eastward to the line of the 120th meridian, west from Green- wich, England. So tar as can be discovered, there has been no Legislative enactment defi- nitely fixing the eastern boundary of Washoe County from its point at the northeast on the summit of the range east of Pyramid Lake; but, by agreement of the County Commissioners of Washoe and Humboldt Counties in 1885, a sur- vey was made locating the eastern boundary from a point just south of the south end of Mud (or Winnemucca) Lake, northward through the lake and along the range hill between ranges 23 and 24 east of the Mt. Diablo meridian, northward from the northern extremity of the lake to the Oregon boundary. The remainder of the eastern
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OF WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA.
the east end of the Central Pacific railway bridge across the Truckee River at Wadsworth, north- erly to where it intersects the range hill before spoken of is indefinitely located. It is probably pretty nearly the same as the Pyramid Lake In- dian Reservation boundary, as run and marked by Mr. Perry Powers in July, 1887, for the United States.
From all that is known of the boundaries of Washoe County, it lies between the meridians of 119º 20' and 120° west from the meridian of Greenwich, so that its central meridian time is 7 hours and 59 minutes slower than Greenwich time, and 2 hours and 50 1-2 minutes west from meridian of Washington. The pyramid on the eastern side of Pyramid Lake marks the meridian of 119º 30' west from Greenwich. The county lies between the parallels of 39" 20' and 42º north latitude. Its central parallel is 40° 40' north, and passes about centrally eastward through the Smoke Creek Desert.
In the earliest days the entire western part of Utah Territory was known as Washoe to the pioneer and miner, the name being that of a tribe of Indians, occupying the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada from the Truckee to the Car- son River. An effort was made to give the new State the name when the constitution was framed, but it was unsuccessful and Nevada was chosen. With the organization of Washoe County the county seat was located at Washoe City, the largest town within its limits, and the second in the Territory. From the report of the Assessor, S. C. Jolley, written at Washoe City in 1865, we clip the following as a general index of the time:
'There have been for the last two years from twelve to eighteen saw-mills in this county con- stantly engaged in cutting timber, which, making due allowance for stoppages and the snows of winter, would cut about 30,000,000 feet per an- num. Of this amount about one-tenth is used in this county, the balance going to Storey County. Cordwood is at present the staple product of the mountains. It is estimated the gross receipts from the sale of this article is $75,000 per month, and that 200 men and over 500 draft animals are constantly employed in cutting and transporting it to market. Quartz crushing in Washoe County is one of the most important branches of
industry. For this purpose ten mills, carrying 281 stamps and costing $1,420,000, have been erected, situated and named as follows : The Dall Mill, at Franktown; the Ophir Mill, at Ophir; the New York. Atchison, Minnesota and the Buckeye, at Washoe City; the Manhattan Mill, in Allen Canyon; the Napa Mill, at Steamboat Creek; the Temelec Mill, in Pleasant Valley; and the Washoe Con. Co.'s Mill, near Truckee River. There are ten schools in operation, but many children are beyond the reach of all of them. There is a postoffice and an express office at each of the following places: Washoe City, Huffa- ker's, Ophir and Franktown."
In . 1866 came a revolution brought about by several causes, all tending to the same end. Shortly after these mills were built various mining companies began the construction of mills at Vir- ginia City. Gold Hill, Silver. City and along the Carson River. There were enough working in 1867 to crush nearly all of the Comstock ore. They were nearer to the mines, saved freighting and other expenses, and were used in preference to those on the other side of the mountain. The mills of Washoe County had no work to do, they were dismantled, and disappeared one by one. Ophir and Galena passed away, and Washoe City and Franktown are but small vil- lages, dependent upon the surrounding farming districts. The death-blow was given by the Cen- tral Pacific Railroad in 1868.
Called into being by the law of supply and de- mand, Washoe City in less than a year's time took second place in the Territory in point of population and business interest. In 1861 the Atchison Mill was built by J. S. and S. S. Atchi- son. John W. Grier and Peter Rice laid out the town and named it Washoe City. Upon the formation of Washoe County by the Territorial Legislature in the Fall of 1861, the county seat was located at Washoe City, which, though only a city in name, gave every promise of being a city in reality. The county offices were located, and the first meetings of the Board were held in the Davis building, Washoe City, in February, 1862. Professional men flocked to the seat of justice, and it became necessary to have the requisite buildings. In 1862 Mason's building was se- cured and at once occupied for county offices.
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GENERAL HISTORY AND RESOURCES
In 1863 a brick Court-house was erected, at a cost of $15,000, and a jail at a cost of $4,000. In the same year came the printing press, and an office was erected, in which G. W Derricksen pub- lished the first newspaper in Washoe County-the "Washoe Times." To offset the newspaper came a neat, comfortable church. Brick and wooden structures, commodious and costly. began to ap -. pear. Three hotelsand boarding-houses, saloons to the number of seven, blacksmith shops, three stores, a meat market and numerous dwellings, attested lively times. In 1864 a $1,000 building was purchased of E. B. Wilson and used as a County Hospital. As new mines were opened on the Comstock and the others developed, the demand for cordwood, timber and lumber became greater, and the mills were taxed to their tull capacity. The wood and lumber was brought down from the mountains in' small teams, and. here transhipped to large teams capable of car- rying immense loads across the mountains. Much of the loading was done by night so that teams could reach Virginia City in one day's travel -thus the town was active both day and night.
Soon after the completion of the Atchison Mill other mills were built. The Loomis Mill, the Buckeye Mill, the New York Mill, and the Min- nesota Mill, all crushed the Comstock rock, which was brought to Washoe City in the return- ing wood teams. But the wealth and prosperity of Washoe City was not entirely confined to the above pursuits. The agriculturist rejoiced, and the products of the soil were sold for much money. In 1864 the potato crop of this county sold for $100,000, and everything else in the same scale. Fire came June 1, 1865, and de- stroyed a large number of buildings. During the early years of Statehood Washoe City shone as a bright star in the new firmament. Everybody was happy, generous, and whole-souled, and could an account of the boys' highjinks be written it would fill a small but "mighty" interesting volume. The following is illustrative of the kind of capers of the day: Pat Murphy and Doc Barnum owned cows so much alike that when they were together you could not tell one from the other. Murphy's animal strayed one day and Barnum's was turned loose for ex- ercise. Pat wanted some milk for supper that
night, and, finding his cow, as he thought, drove her into the yard and proceeded with his work. Doc Barnum saw him and swore out a complaint charging Murphy with the crime of petit larceny, in having feloniously taken milk from a cow which did not belong to him.
Judge Bennett presided at the trial, and twelve men, good and true, were sworn in as jury. The evidence, which caused a great deal of fun, was taken, and the jury retired. `In five minutes they returned with the following verdict: "We, the undersigned jurors in the case of Washoe County vs. Murphy, find that the cow was milked in the second degree."
In these days Tom Hymers was noted for his veracity, Dick Shackelford for his retiring disposition, George Hepperly for his even temper, H. H. Beck tor steadfastness, Dr. Hogan for political views, and Watt Sturtevant for general cussedness. Old Blumas, dispenser of drugs, gyrated between camps, and swore the country was "ungodly " healthy, as he had to pitch hay, starve or lecture. His best oratorical efforts were made in John Richardson's "Toe- jam " saloon, where the boys passed many glo- rious hours. They were always in for a lark, and up with the lark, and memory has a spot still green where are stored many old reminiscences of their fellows and the times. The star was on the wane, and good times proved as short-lived as they had been brilliant. The building of mills near the Comstock mines and along the Carson River was the first cause. Empire City absorbed a large part of Washoe City's business interests. The coming of the Central Pacific Railroad in 1868, and the completion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad to Carson in 1869, struck the fatal blow, and the decline was rapid. In 1868 Reno wanted the county-seat, but she was fought off for a short time. A bill passed by the Legis- lature February 17, 1871, declared Reno to be the county-seat, on and after April 3, 1871. To complete the sum of her disasters, the principal buildings of the town were destroyed by fire on the night of April 28, 1873. After the removal of the county-seat a few of the old residents stayed for a while; but Washoe City declined from this time at a rapid rate, and now it has a postoffice, a store, a schoolhouse and a small
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cluster ot dwelling houses. Wood is flumed to a point near the old site, and some produce is shipped from the surrounding ranches, but fur- ther nothing is left but ruins to mark the once thriving town.
OPHIR.
The next largest town to Washoe City was Ophir, situated about three miles below Washoe City, and one mile above Franktown, and at the mouth of Ophir Canyon and Ophir Creek. Here the Ophir Mining Company erected a quartz mill and reduction works in 1860. The mill was a model of mechanism, as was also the splendid reduction works. They were built for the pur- pose of crushing and reducing the rich rock from the Ophir mine, which was located at Virginia City. The Ophir mill had 72 stamps, cost $500,000, was run by steam power, supplied with wood from the hills at the back, and with water from Ophir Creek, which ran through the 10,000 acres of wood and valley land owned by the company. The Ophir Reduction Works were begun in 1860, with Captain L. D. Hall as Su- perintendent. Thirty carpenters and millwrights, a dozen masons, and from 60 to 80 laborers were put to work at once. As the mill was built upon level ground, the cost of elevating the ore to the batteries, and the processes employed in reducing, were so expensive that it ceased to work about 1867. In 1864 the population numbered 800. In 1865 about 1,000 people were engaged about the mill, the reduction works, in teaming and cutting timber and wood, and in agricultural pursuits. One two-story hotel, eight saloons, two meat markets, three stores, one general market, two blacksmith shops, two barber shops, and other business houses were located in the heart of the village. Times were so good and business so prosperous that some fostered the idea that Ophir would some day be the Capital of the State. The Ophir boarding-house was the general meeting place. The mail was brought trom Carson City every Saturday night by some one who had to make the journey on horseback. Every one looked for news from home, and if he received any everybody else had a share of it. The only newspaper which came regularly was the "Sacramento Union," and upon it the boys
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